Daily Origami

Yeah, the Origami calendar has been sucking it up for a while. Mostly I've just been making one of these boats instead of the day's suggestion. Hopefully tomorrow's will be good. Otherwise I'll put up the paper airplane I made last week. Its kinda cool.

Monday at 8 Timeslot up 183%

I never understand ratings. TV ratings. Where do they come from? How are they compiled? What do they mean? I used to be terribly perplexed by all the strange results they got. Now I think I've figured it out. The people they monitor are the morons who are affected by advertising. I'm much too smart to fall for that old routine, so the networks don't even pay attention to my opinion. Well you know what? I'm going to buy everything they advertise during the last two hours of arrested development. How do you like that networks? I can be impulsive too you know... No, I probably won't do that.

Media Life Magazine

iPod Weapons

I know, its weak to be one of those iPod carrying sheep that just does what they're told. But I do my best to break from the mold. I never wear those white headphones, I rip all my m4p's into mp3's, and now I'm going to cut out the iTunes. Oh baby, it'll be sweet. Especially cause I need all the free memory I can get on my computer. Anyone know how to make firefox not suck up so much? Don't tell me its all those sweet sweet extensions I have installed. I need them. Oh, back to the iPod thing:

Hack Attack: The self-sustaining iPod - Lifehacker

Think you're anonymous?

This is cool. I know you can figure out where people are (country, city) based on their IP, but this is within like a mile. Wow. Stop by ipmonkey first if you don't know your IP.

SEOmoz :: AJAX Powered IP Location Lookup

Rules for Life

Ok, lets say you're the only cashier at the store. There is a line of oh, ten people, growing increasingly more impatient. You are NOT allowed to make comments to whoever you're checking out. Things like:

"oh, this is cute"
"only 5 dollars? that is a good deal"
"do you want this in another bag?"
"let me see if there is another on in back"

I swear, she did this for every customer. Well, every customer but me; I gave her three words "Hi" "No" and "Credit". Do you not understand that this is my lunch break? I'm standing in line at 12:30 on a weekday and I look pissed off. There's your hint. Take it and run. Before I find something to bludgeon you with.

We don't need no stinking fusion

Alright, I know. I'm a lazy bastard. But honestly yesterday was a slow internet day. If I still had my internet rating sidebar up it would have read "holy crap stop wasting your time, there's nothing out there" Anyway, here's a little green for today. I don't really think this would be better than a fusion reactor, but it sounds less like a bad scifi movie when its explained to me. All those buzz kills writing in the comments section need to calm down too. Its not like you'll be crushed by spinning blades of death from above. Have they ever heard of constructive criticism? Like "hey, why don't you stick one of those in the water and take advantage of the gulf stream, or the tides?"

Flying windmills could provide limitless power - Engadget

Volcano Soliloquy

I breathe.  The air is thin and I gasp to catch my breath.  My boots seemed light at the start, but now their weight pulls heavily with every step.  I take my pack off and sit on the coarse rocks underfoot.  My seat is near the edge of a slope that runs down and down, plummeting into the glistening white valley below.  The rocks below poke at my tender posterior as I try to shuffle into a more comfortable position.  As uncomfortable as I am, it is still wonderful to sit.  My muscles ache and throb as they cool.  The sweat that accumulated on my back has soaked through my sweatshirt and I feel the breeze whisking it away, and my warmth with it.  It feels wonderful, the cool hand of wind reaching through my shirt and caressing my back, soothing the burning muscles within.  My feet begin to tingle from the sojourn; blood seeps back down into the crevasses and capillaries from which it had been forced during the climb.  The distance is concealed by a flotilla of clouds that hovers just below my elevation.  It is an infinite plane of cotton, wisping and wofting, ethereally blanketing the far off mountains that I now look down upon.  Behind me the sun patiently beats.  It seems less intense now even though it is higher in the Russian sky.  Underneath it, Mount Avochinsky stretches up, yearning to scrape the heavens that seem to stoop for it.  We have walked so far.  We have overcome so much.  We are only halfway to the summit.  
It is time for lunch and a break.  I sit and survey my kingdom; I have gradually conquered it with my deliberate paces.  I listen.  There is nothing.  There are few places and times on earth where this happens; normally there is some disruption of perfect silence.  Here there are no highways, no waves, no insects, no birds, and right now there is no wind.  I revel in its glory, high above all things.  All invention, all wealth, all mankind cannot replicate its serenity or beauty.  
It is shattered.  A delicate crystalline figure falls from my hands, smashing to the marble floor.  Silence is slaughtered by the vociferous chatter of my comrades. Their mindless voices pain me as I struggle to hold the pieces of my cherished prize.  It is gone though, the wind begins again and I relinquish hope of solitude.  I shiver as a cool razor slices into me, tears at my flesh.  I am no longer hot, and will soon be cold since I no longer have exertion to keep warm.  I pull out my jacket and throw it on as I sit.  I also take my lunch out and unwrap the sandwich.  It has a single slice of bread topped with salami and cheese.  The bread is coarse and thick in my hand, while my fingers wick up grease from the meat when they skim its surface.  I take a bite and the flavor of the cheese dominates my palate.  Full and genuine the taste runs through my mind without finding an exact match.  It is similar to other cheeses, but richer and fresher.  I can almost see the Russian cow that it came from alive in front of me.  The bread does not have a strong enough taste to compete, but its texture mixes as I chew and becomes smoother with every grind.  The meat comes through as the cheese fades; it is a tasty salami and savory too.  The sandwich taste melds and lingers before fading.  My moment has expired; it is time to move on.  I eagerly rise and gear-up, fresh from my brief reprieve.  My rest has strengthened my spirits and renewed my resolve.  This is only half a mountain and I will soon see the satisfaction of the summit for myself.

Ah Engrish

From my TiVo newsletter:

Andy Y., who currently enjoys Project Runway [coincidentally the "Recommend It!" last newsletter] with his two girls, 8 & 10, and hockey with the San Jose Sharks.

So does that mean his two daughters are models on Project Runway, or that the San Jose Sharks come over and watch hockey with him?

Smell the Steak

Anyone seen Skittles Gum in stores? Oh, and I love how Steve writes.

The Sneeze - Half zine. Half blog. Half not good with fractions.

Face Tracking

Technology is finally catching up to itself. There are cameras everywhere these days whether you realize it or not. The only trouble is that there was no way to filter through or search through all the footage that was generated. That might've provided you with a small sense of anyonomity, but don't count on it much longer. Companies like 3vr security have developed facial recognition algorithms (its all about the algorithms folks) that remember a face and track it across separate feeds. Take, for example, a hotel employee that was notoriously hard to find during his graveyard shift. Management used their new software to search through hours of footage from 16 cameras and tracked his movements around the hotel. Until, that is, he left by way of a back door and never returned. Kind of cool to think of automatically tracking people by remote observation. But if the concepts in Enemy of the State, Minority Report or Resident Evil (no not the zombies) made you a little uneasy, you know why this could spark some controversy . Do you know how many cameras are in your municipality? Traffic cameras, businesses, ATMs, buses. These systems are only going to get better, so if you were worried about the government tracking you with your cell phone don't worry. They'll do it with your face. Oh, and our hotel scamming slacker? He got canned along with 9 of his friends.

Defense Tech: These Cameras Don't Forget a Face

American Civil Liberties Union : Feature on Face-Recognition Technology

Space trash

Are we so hard up for NASA funds that we're willing to use trash as satellites? They're going to toss out an old space suit from the space station - and into orbit. Apparently a Russian came up with the idea, which makes me think of that stereotypical cosmonaut who's always insane, drunk, and fixing life support systems with duct tape and a hammer. Luckily, the drunk mellows out the insane and everyone knows half of MIR was made from duct tape. Unfortunately you take your chances with the hammer.

The Suit's batteries should only last a couple days, so make sure you fire up your ham radio to try and decipher the hidden message it broadcasts. Before long it'll degrade into a terminal orbit and taste a fiery death. At first I was thinking they'd put it into a stable orbit, which kind reminded me of Pirates of the Carribean. You know that scene where the pirate skeletons are hanging by nooses outside the town? Kinda like a warning to any aliens that might think about stopping by for some pillaging. "This is what we do to... astronauts."

NASA - SuitSat

RIAA suit

I'm not sure if they're really going this way, but people seem to interpret it as if they're going after shared folders on your home network. I like this comment though:

if I leave a CD on the front seat of my car with the doors unlocked? Did I break the law?

Digital Music News: Insider Blogs

Algorithms for better living

I feel like this is similar to all those kitchen gadgets that came out in like the 40's. You know the ads with the woman in a house dress smiling way too broadly while using her electric mixer. Big changes become everyday, and soon you don't even think about how easy it is to microwave something. Maybe I'm wrong and maybe I explained that poorly. Here's the jist: Google is good, but its gonna get better. You won't even think about it, but it'll be better. Ah algorithms, the garbage men of technology; vital but ignored.

Current Google Algorithm
Big Daddy Algorithm

Digg - details

---

adclassix.com

Terrorister

Wow, Friendster just for terrorists! Ever wondered how we could blame Al Qaeda for the Cole bombing? I can make that connection in three links. I don't know where the information is from, how accurate it is, or who manages it. But just at a glance it seems to be well made. I don't see Kevin Bacon on there though, so I don't think it'll solve all your problems.

Tracking the Threat
Oracle of Bacon

RSS Tricks

I like RSS. I tried reading a newspaper the other day and it was unfulfilling. I had to read too much and got not enough. The articles I care about are all two weeks old in print and there's not very much information anyway. Here's a page that lets you stretch the power of RSS past headlines. Some of them don't seem terribly useful like email or contacts, but look at this Google News Arrested Delvelopment Feed. That's pretty cool.

12 things you can get over RSS besides news - download squad

Update
Holy crap. You know that 2 hour 4 episode block of Arrested Development that Fox is going to air on Feb 10? Guess what its up against. Um... The 2006 Winter Olympics Opening Ceremonies. I'm excited and fearful. For me, there's no question what I'm going to watch. I'd stay inside if it was raining 3 dollar cupcakes to see the last of Arrested Development. But I've recently come to grips with the fact that I have no idea what the rest of the country is thinking. Would they seriously plunk down and watch the Ceremonies for 4 hours? And even if they do get curious during a commercial, will watching the last episode make any sense; will they appreciate it this late in the game? Oh goodness. Alright, I'm going to go buy another copy of season 2 cause my disc 2 is missing. Hey, extra DVD sales can't hurt, right?

Donny the Delegating Robot

More household robots, huh? Sounds ok, except for two things:
1. Why did you make it look like a character from final fantasy?
2. I don't need my robots to delegate, that's what I'm here for. Delegation leads to the following scenario.

me: I want a beer.
robot: Get me one while you're at it.

See? Now I've just paid god knows how much for a lazier version of myself. Which is lazy. Robots should do what I say when I say, not look to pass the buck. Imagine you're making a chicken patty and the microwave whispers "Couldn't the toaster oven do this for me?"

- Engadget

Avgo Soccer

I can't believe all these guys are professional drivers, but I'd say they all are having fun.

Avgo Soccer

Happy With Apple

Yes, I know, its a shocker. They haven't changed their public attitude or anything, this is strictly a me and them thing. In a bright shining moment since my hard drive crashed two weeks ago the Apple iTunes Music Store re-enabled all the downloads I've bought from them. So I re-downloaded all 495 songs (now back in m4p format, damn) and actually backed them up on DVD this time. It was actually fairly simple once I convinced them I just hadn't misplaced my files ("No, I know where they are. They're on the dead hard drive I just physically took out of my computer) They did wag their finger and say this was a one time deal, but I think I've learned my lesson. Anyway, thanks apple, cool move. And also, I've bought 500 songs from them? Holy crap.

Things you never thought could kill you

Anti helocopter mines? Seriously?
Defense Tech: "Aerial IED," Part Three

Pictures Pretty...

This is kinda a cool idea. It involves identifying icons in place of a traditional password login. The interesting concept is that you don't actually identify the icons, so that someone who's casually watching can't figure out your login information. You click in the area defined by three key icons in various configurations several times to prove that you know hidden information without revealing that information. I don't think this'll replace passwords anytime soon, but I like concepts that innovate and challenge the standard.

For example I was on a few planes this past week and whenever the seatbelt sign went out at the gate, out came the treos the black berries and all those other phones with too many buttons that I don't keep track of. They're all so silly. We finally figure out how to make a small enough phone and now they're having to make them bugger to fit a keyboard on, or a usable screen. Its like someone though about else a phone could do (email, web browsing) and automatically went with the standard interface for those tasks, even though they are incongruous with the first concept. We wanted a smaller phone, not a laptop folks. Why don't you hire some guys to think about how else to make this happen. Voice typing? Virtual keyboards? Projected, hollographic or rolling displays? Something new. Please?

Anyway, try out the demo of the passicon thing is you have time, not a must see, but interesting.

Rutgers Media Relations - Graphical Passwords Enhance Computer Security Thanks to Rutgers-Camden Research

They'll Only Break Your Heart

Why should I even start to watch these new shows they're putting on TV?  Best case scenario we have a few good years together and then the actors get all big headed and leave; but they'll never find better work cause they'll always be The Fonz or Arnold.  What's the point of letting these weak new sitcoms into my livingroom?  They'll never fill the shoes of shows I've loved and lost. 

Read the article carefully: Fox is giving Arrested Development a Special Two Hour Viking Funeral, where they'll shoot their load of the last four episodes and roll off in search of better programming; which they won't find. Thanks for keeping Arrested from getting warn-out like that Seinfeld show. I hate Fox.

CNN.com - Bye-bye 'Malcolm,' 'That '70s Show' - Jan 18, 2006

Suck it up

A hiatus (from Latin hiatus, -us, m.: gap; cf. hiare, hio, hiavi (hisco); Greek (χαίνω) έ-χαν-ον, κέχηνα; Old High German ginēn; German 'gähnen' -> "yawn") is a suspension or interruption in the intensity or amount of something.

Don't mess with wendy's, you'll

Don't mess with wendy's, you'll go to jail for 9 years.

Nanny-bot

Whew south Korea, slow down. I dunno if the world is ready for useful robots.

The bots, according to the Ministry, will be able to perform such household tasks as cleaning, monitoring homes, reading to children, and ordering pizza via the Internet

I do know of one person however that will need this, if only for its internet pizza ordering skills.

Korea to introduce household bots to watch the kids, clean and order pizza - Engadget

Readme

Flying Objects!

BBC NEWS | Health | Woman's scent can lure or repel

F-22A Raptor Aircraft Ready For Combat - Aviran’s Place

Best of Google Video

Time runs out for the wristwatch

Blogcritics.org: I'm A Programmer, Not A Computer Guy

No Whining

No seriously. We'll fire your ass for whining. They say its to promote positive attitude, but I know the real reason. They had one of those 'No Whining' signs and wanted to give it some purpose beyond humorous wall hanging status. Well... that, and its fun to fire whiners. Don't whine.

Inquirer

Lights out baby.

Wow, this kinda stuff really happens huh? Blind crippled convicts in prison ordering hitmen to whack witnesses. Well, he got what we do when you kill a few people. There's something about having to plead to Arnold for clemency that can't inspire hope for someone in that situation.

John Connor:
You just can't go around killing people.
The Terminator:
Why?
John Connor:
What do you mean why? 'Cause you can't.
The Terminator:
Why?
John Connor:
Because you just can't, OK? Trust me on this.

BBC NEWS | Americas | Elderly US killer is put to death

I wanna be a Dead Guy when I grow up

Well, I don't.  But this guy does.

Photos: Dead Body Guy--dying to be a corpse | CNET News.com

Ouch

I just paid for my tv. It hurt a little bit to charge it, but the real sting is in paying it off. I guess that means I've had it for about a month, seems a lot longer though. Month-iversary party?

Vision for the future

Alright, stop all this mess with hydrogen and gas and hybrids. Make electric cars and hook them up to the electric grid. Sure, its fueled by fossil fuels now; but hey, that's no worse than running a gas car now. And when we get that fusion reactor online in France, we'll be able to hook all the cars in the world up to it and instantly transition into zero fossil dependency. You see the difference? 30 years of trying to create viable electric cars starting now vs 30 years of dicking around with gas sucking suvs and trying to transition as quickly as possible. Ah nevermind, you guys never listen to me anyway. At least the American car companies don't. But that's ok, you guys are going down, just like AOL. Maybe not today maybe not tomorrow, but someday soon.

The World's Fastest Electric Car - Forbes.com

Wow, that's a lot of programs.

Imagine that Seinfeld where Elaine knocks out the power to her neighbor's apartment cause the alarm won't shut off and the neighbor has a cat that is going to starve and she borrows Kramer's meat slicer. The whole episode they make references to how Elaine's building smells like potatoes and when Kramer pulls Elaine's doorknob off he falls backwards into another apartment. The neighbor says "hey, get the hell out of here!" and Kramer (lying on the floor) replies "Wow, that's a lot of potatoes". That's how you should read the title to this post.

100-downloads.com | Top-100 essential downloads of free software freeware for Windows XP

I do like light cars

Ok, this does make me want a Cayman more than I used to. And its not just cause of the huge Carrera recall. That just makes me sad.

Jalopnik Reviews: 2006 Porsche Cayman S, Part 2 - Jalopnik

I'm all vaclemped

Is cold pizza better than re-heated pizza?
Talk amongst yourselves.

Helmet Base Week!

Whew, its a crazy time whenever its helmet base week. (so apparently no one but my Origami-a-day calendar calls it helmet base) Check out the managerie I've made; all starting with helmet bases. The 'sea turtle' is a little weak, as is the 'lady bug'. 'Mr and Mrs cicada' were ok, but I really liked the 'sea bream'. Those little fins popped out of nowhere; I really like then you make a fold and the resulting shape actually surprises you. Of course I think using scissors to make any Origami is cheating, and not just cause I don't have any scissors. I had to use a plastic knife from Jerry's. Sad.

CAN-SPAM Act(r)?

Sweet, I'm all for sending spammers to jail. Although I bet he's not going to a federal pound-me-in-the-ass prison. Also there was an act called the CAN-SPAM act? And its trademarked?

Detroit spammer faces slammer | The Register

Get some ASS in your Audi

Well I spose it would help draw in the honies, but no, that's not what I was talking about. ASS is their new 14 speaker 1000 watts Band Olufsen stereo package. (why is it that the more obscure a European sound company is, the more advanced you assume they are?) Too bad its only on S8 and A8 models, those things have too much junk in the trunk for me. Plus they're 'spensive, course I spose if I'm dropping 7,000 on a stereo upgrade I don't really care about 'spensivosity.

B Advanced Sound System for Audi includes pop-up speakers for the dash - Engadget

Weekend Hott Spots

(Dee S. Nutts #2)
"Hott but slow."

Ok, I don't know my Ferraris well enough to know what kind this is. If anyone does, I'm open to support. We're breaking ground every day here at Daily Placebo, and as proof this is the first ever video Hott Spot submitted. Check it out. I'm not sure what the director was trying to convey with the camera work but I'm pretty sure there is a red car of some sort in there. I don't think this is worth any extra credit. But nice try.

Apple continues to poke with sharpened stick

Ok, so remember when Apple and Motorola were good friends?  Then they produced that crappy phone and Apple screwed Moto by introducing the nano the same day?  Well now Apple and Intel are good friends.  Kinda.  Apple is using Intel chips, that's not news.  But the Apple commercial that calls all other uses of Intel chips "dull" is.  Its kinda funny, cause I'm not Intel; but the fact that Apple doesn't really respect their partners is a bit troubling.  Watch the Mac Intel ad and let me know what you think.  Right now I'm thinking "not terrible, but kinda dick".  Intel needs to make a commercial about how macs were amusing little toys before, using inferior hardware, and NOW just imagine the possibilities.

Apple's new ad isn't so subtle, and Intel isn't too pleased - Engadget

Whoa man.

Happy Hundredth Birthday Albert Hofmann and I'm sure a well worn tip of the hat from every black soled hippy on earth (not that there's anything wrong with that) for your decidedly non-placebo invention.(picture from a digg yesterday, and some interviews from diggs today)

Rules for Life

Ok, so "Rules for Life" are going to be very similar to "Tips for Life" only not optional. Lets get this party started.

Rule # 1: If you want a Subway sandwich you have to go to the Subway store. It is seriously not cool to send one person from your office with a scrap of paper with ten or eleven sandwich requests scribbled on it. One body, one sandwich. Got it?

Also has anyone seen the subclub death notices? I had no idea counterfitting free sandwiches was such a problem.

Red Light Check

Well, the county cashed my check. I don't know if they read my strongly worded letter and I don't know if I'll get a reply. Unfortunately my hard drive crashed (seriously physically crashed) last Friday (as part of the worst data storage week ever) so I can't post up a copy of it; but let me assure you it carried the sting of barbed wire on a boxing glove. I do feel better having taken at least some action against the man. Oh and that picture is seriously the memo section of the check I sent them. Just so they know its a scam. You hear that county? Scam city.

But what happened to the half-a-ton of steel?

Ah boys with toys.  When will they learn?  Ya don't light cherry bombs and flush them down the toilet; you don't set off a nuclear weapon in a well.

Notes from the Technology Underground: The Nuclear Potato Cannon

Suck-tastic!

HAHA! I learned something! Remember when I got burned on iTunes 6? Well I remembered that horror and when I heard about iTunes 6.0.2 yesterday I didn't install it. Good thing too, cause it looks suspicious.

New version of iTunes tells Apple your listening habits - Download Squad

Everyone out of the pool... I said NOW

Yeah , like I need another reason not to go scuba diving beyond my healthy fear of drowning or being crushed to death.  The folks at Raytheon have developed an idea for the scariest no tresspassing sign ever. "Warning vomiting, organ explosion and death imminent"  Super.

we make money not art: Spy-diver killer

You see I come up with these things, I know they’re gold, but nothing happens. You know why?

No resources, no skill, no talent, no ability, no brains...

No, no…time! It’s all this meaningless time. Laundry, grocery, shopping, coming in here talking to you. Do you have any idea how much time I waste in this apartment?

I can ball park it.

Awww man, I suggested this idea to Goowy yesterday...
Lifehacker

My email to Goowy:

Alright how about this one: A widget that tracks packages. You'd enter in your package ID and specify the shipping service. The widget would then periodically access the carrier and map the package location on a google maps type interface. Multiple packages could be mapped in different colors, with lines depicting the paths they've taken. The map extent could automatically zoom as the packages get closer to their destination.

Of course the web implementation isn't perfect, it'd be better integrated into a mail client that would automatically recognize tracking numbers and links. Plus I wouldn't worry about providing some random website with my package info.

Oh, also check out this page. Excellent resource.

Old computer - meet new trick

Oh wow, this makes me want to get another computer for my desk.  Sure, I've got two monitors now, but they're both hooked to the same computer.  It looks pretty sweet if this program really works like they say it does.  Basically you run a server on each machine and just move your mouse off one screen and onto another, as you would with a multi monitor setup.  Except with this you're actually switching computers and the keyboard and mouse inputs are sent to that box.  Very nice if you're doing some high cpu processing and still want to do things on the other screen.  Although I imagine the differing file systems would drive me temporarily insane (but I got used to two monitors, so I'm not worried) and I don't spose you can drag programs from one screen to another.
Download of the Day: Win2VNC - Lifehacker

Drunk In Space

Don't you think Lost In Space would have been better with alcohol? I think we can all agree that it would. Then why are those silly Americans so opposed to liquoring up some astronauts? Its gotta get pretty boring up there sometimes, and I'm sure a wee nip would help loosen up those international divisions. Maybe its a cleanliness issue; you get even a little vomit in those controls and it'll smell forever.
via annova

pressure from Russian authorities to allow "overworked cosmonauts a chance to restore their strength".

Now if you'll excuse me, I have to go restore my strength.

What's in

Or out as the case may be. The 2005 year end wrap up is on at large, and is fairly amusing. Here's some good bits:

It took a while, but being politically correct is out! We’re all turning back into Archie Bunkers; if you’re out of practice you may want to review the 1978 edition of the tasteless epithets handbook. Meanwhile, the remaining politically correct people are barricading themselves in Harvard Square, like the survivors in "Dawn of the Dead."

Supporting the troops is in as ever. But supporting the actual war is out. Supporting President Bush is so far out, it’s in. There’s something about those plummeting approval ratings that make you just want to give him a hug. He’s like a dog with one of those lampshades on his head.

But even though lamenting about the state of the film industry is in, nobody seems to be doing anything about it, i.e. lowering prices, getting rid of those commercials before the movie, beating people who talk during the film with batons, etc. Oh, and making better movies would be nice. Better movies are out.

Its go time.

Alright. Its been brought to my attention that over half of you are still using Internet Explorer. Have you not noticed how I talk about FireFox every day. About how awesome FireFox is and how much the alternative sucks? Google released a software bundle today with FireFox and a few other tools that you should have. Why don't you have it? Are you afraid of change? Have you installed it but can never remember to click the little fox instead of the big stupid 'E'? Can't you rememeber where to get it? Come on folks, give me a solid reason. Something like you don't have administrator privileges cause your kids locked you out, or you're allergic to good software, or you have a butt-load of Microsoft stock. I'll be waiting.

Fox is trying to murder me by stroke

So, can anyone tell? Is Arrested Development on tonight? I was under the impression that (perhaps the last) two episodes would be aired toinght. At least that's what they've been advertising. Hmmm... but now my TiVo has never heard of anything called 'Arrested Development' and I can't find any airings on an online tv scheduling guide. I even fired up my HD reciever and looked at fox's EPG data for today. All sources point to reruns of house. Sweet, cause I don't dislike that show enough as it is; why don't you associate it with the demise of the best show on tv? You know what Fox? You guys are a show. And not in the good way. I hate you. Even if this turns out to be a big prank or viral marketing and you do pick up Arrested Development for another season; I hate you.

Update
Nope, Arrested development wasn't on. House was. I didn't watch it. A quick check of the fox website shows no air dates for Arrested Development. So Fox, you've only got Simpsons and Family Guy to show me now? Alright if that's how you want to play it, I'll watch those two shows. Only those two shows. And I'm going to fast forward through the commercials. Then I'm going to put them on my computer so I don't have to watch your network for the reruns. How do you like that?

via wikipedia

There are four unaired episodes remaining in the third season; according to Variety, Fox's airdates for them are "To Be Announced". The last new episode aired on January 2, 2006, and Fox has scheduled re-runs of House in what had been Arrested's time slot. In the United Kingdom, BBC Two, which picked up the series in September 2004, has finished airing the second season.

(I'm so glad I ordered those wikipedia shirts)

Just drag them... Brilliant!

I was uploading pictures to Snapfish this morning through email and just begging for this extension. Of course I didn't think to actually go look for it. I just sucked it up and make about 60,000 extra mouse clicks. Never again. Thanks Download Squad.
Drag and Drop Upload - Today's Browser Tip - Download Squad

Ever bought a three dollar cupcake?

Don't.

I wanted to leave it at that, but I spose that wouldn't really make sense if you didn't already know what I was talking about. So I went to the new 'CakeLove' at 'disney world' (no not the real "Disney World") over the weekend. It was loud in there. Loud, bad music. Loud patrons. Loud employees. It was hot too. Not the good hot. And not the hot you'd expect in a bakery, like from ovens. Bad hot; and they weren't trying to fix it. Ok, so we've got loud and hot, which makes it unbearable to wait around for someone to reach in to the
refrigerated case and pull out a cupcake. It must have taken 10 minutes. And there were like 12 people behind the counter all busying themselves with not looking at me. COME ON. Alright so I've stood there for 10 minutes I'm hot and annoyed. They get my cold cupcake out of the fridge, charge me 3 bucks for the privilege and advise me not to eat it until I've waited 15 minutes for the icing to warm up. What? I just waited around in a bakery so that I could get a 3 dollar cupcake that isn't even fresh? Why don't you leave some out of the fridge for immediate consumption; cause I find it hard to believe that everyone who goes in there is dropping 50-80 bucks for cupcakes to take somewhere else. So anyway, its winter. You guys all know that, right? Generally not all that warm, and while Sunday wasn't freezing, it was certainly colder than that case they were keeping the cupcakes in. So where the hell am I supposed to let this cupcake warm up? In the standing room only of you increasingly obnoxious bakery? I think not. I went into a sandwich place and took my time eating in an acceptable environment and then decided to go after what I have to expect will be the best cupcake ever conceived. Meh. It was ok. They used too much butter in the frosting. You could tell it'd been refrigerated (not just cause the frosting was still mostly congealed) from the texture of the cake, which I'd say would be okay had it been fresh. It was like a badly executed angel cake. The texture hinted that way at first, but then it was not as soft and forgiving midway through the bite. As you chew its consistency is vaguely biscuit-like(not fresh biscuit mind you, refrigerated biscuit) but granted, a bit sweeter. Overall an experience I'd be willing to pay about 75 cents for. After tax. Note to self: never again. which I believe were the first words out of my mouth as I left the bakery. If you can call it that.


this post was originally brought to you by intellipoint(c) point-making text format.

Free DVD's!

I like to think that this kinda stuff doesn't happen. You put things in the mail and they get where they're supposed to go, right? Well, not in other countries i know, but this is the USA. Home of the rodeo, apple pie and federal mail service. COME ON!
Missing Netflix? The mailman did it! - Cinematical

Custom Apparel

In 1969, man walked on the moon. 1991 the Urkel was invented. Now in 2006 you can get you very own custom made Daily Placebo shirt. Oh yeah, we're rolling with the big boys now folks. I don't really care if you do order one (cause I'm not doing a mark up) but if you do, get together with some friends and save on shipping. That's my advice to you. Suggestions and comments, as with anything you guys give me, may be ignored as management sees fit. That in mind, if you come up with a kickass slogan you'd like to see on a shirt, let 'em rip.

Oh FedEx

One day it seems like you've got your act together, the next you couldn't deliver a people from exile. (What? You think of something that's delivered; and don't tell me babies cause I don't want all the mothers that read this jumping on my case asking if I think delivery is easy. I don't need that.) I got an email that my TiVo wirelss g network adapter has shipped and I went to fedex to track it. They found two entries for my 15 digit tracking numnber, one from Vancouver in November and one from yesterday and my town. There's no problem, my package is on its way and I'm not complaining. Its just... a FIFTEEN digit tracking number and you're having duplicates pop up in the system after almost two months? I thought those things were supposed to be unique itentifers. How many packages are you guys shipping anyway? Like a trillion? I don't mean to crap where you eat, it just seems like asking for trouble.

Things, it seems, I should have known

Yeah, I watched another Modern Marvels lastnight. I know you're all tired of hearing about it. Tough. So you know about the Strategic Petrolium Reserve(SPR), and you know that there are four sites. You know that Bush tapped it after Katrina (as well he should have, that's why we have it). Do you know how it works? They pump oil into underground cavivities formed by salt mining. I guess I never really thought about it, and I'm not saying that its a bad idea. Just kinda crazy. Also fusion is much more of a reality than I thought it was. Lets get all up on that.

Wikitastic

I am SO close to buying the [[exploding whale]] or [[infinite monkey theorem]] ones. Someone talk me into or out of it, cause this is just painful.

Logo Wear : Wikipedia Merchandise : CafePress.com

Coming soon - 'Iron' Daily Placebo

Awww man, now I might have to actually learn Python. Iron Python, though? It sounds like you guys are planning for the future. Take the Apple OS's for example, they try and name each one with the coolest name they can think of. Then when a new version comes out they have to wrack their brains to try and think of an even cooler name. Not so for the Python boys, they've got ages worth of metals still ahead of them.

Microsoft releases .NET version of Python - Download Squad

Daily Origami

Alright, this isn't a flying 'w' or the crest on megaman's helmet. Its a sled. It actually seems pretty sturdy too; you know, for being made from paper. Tell you what, I'm going to remember this one in case I ever find myself in an episode of McGyver trying to escape from the alpine giant origami paper factory.

Oh, and yesterday's sucked. It was a "magazine box". One that could obviously hold no magazines.

Yak_me

Wow, this could be kinda cool. I spose it could be dangerous too, depending on how the guts work. Its called yakalike, and its a firefox plugin that acts as a chatroom for whatever web domain you're surfing. So it ends up being an unsanctioned comment post and chat board. Cool idea. Let me know if you fire it up and head over to DP.

Download of the Day: yakalike - Lifehacker

Are you ready to marrrvveelllllll?

Imagine a 108,000 hp turbo diesel engine. How big is it? Does it have 14 cylinders, each 3 feet in diameter? Does it consume 200 tons of fuel a day? Well the one I'm thinking of does. The ship's captain said its like sitting on a racetrack in a Ferrari; just knowing you can pass anyone else out there. Because most container ships max out at 26 knots, while the 'Lions Gate Bridge'(yes, a confusing name for a ship) reaches 38 knots. That's right I watched another 'Modern Marvels' and now I need to brag about all the minutia I picked up. Like how it takes less than $10 worth of electricity to retract the SkyDome, or that the arm on the space station (canadarm2) weighs 2 tons and is able to redeploy itself in several locations on the international space station.

Tips for life

Don't eat Eyedrops.

WMF explained

I like CNET.

Disable shimgvw.dll
Verisign iDefense reports the following workaround that requires the disabling of the dynamic link library (DLL) shimgvw.dll, which handles the Windows Picture and Fax Viewer Library. Disabling this DLL may inhibit thumbnails and faxes from rendering properly.

1. Choose Run from the Start menu
2. Type regsvr32 /u shimgvw.dll
3. Click OK when the change appears
4. Reboot (recommended)

To re-enable this DLL once Microsoft issues a patch for the WMF flaw, change step 2 to read regsvr32 shimgvw.dll instead.

WMF exploits prevention

Oh good

Looks like they are listening to me.

Google PR head says "No Google PC" - Engadget

Trixy

Well, lets see if you guys can figure this one out. The colors should be a good hint though.

Daily Origami

Today's folding is a horse head. A horse head? What? How is this something I want to learn how to fold? I mean, sure maybe if tomorrow I lean a horse body, but I have no general use for a horse head in my day to day transactions. I hope these get nicer soon; and in the mean time don't cross me. You might wake up with a horse head in your bed.

I remember scramjets.

They're still working on them, and apparently they're getting better at it. The latest test was another sucessfull splashdown after this time reaching a speed of mach 5.5. Yeah, I can't even imagine a missile traveling at mach 5.5. Just for comparison that thing will go 12.5 miles in the time I (once) could run 100m. Yowza.
New Scientist- scramjet

God vs the Devil

A chess game for the ages.
Chessbase

No evil guys, no evil.

Google does NOT need to start talking to WalMart. Google does NOT need to start selling a PC. Google does NOT need to make an operating system. Google needs to develop a handheld tool that connects to Google's nationwide free wifi (or wimax, I'm not picky) network and run free internet software like goowy for email, calendar, etc. Flash based programs are easy to make and update and will not soak through whatever small storage they put in the device. They should distribute through Amazon or Dell and use a lightweight Linux to make a browsing device that isn't designed to install or run other programs. They should not lock the device to modification. The device should include blue tooth and better voice recognition than is the standard. They should include an auditory sensor and lcd projector to simulate a keyboard in addition to the touch screen. The information input to the device would be readily accessible from any computer with an Internet connection, because the information would not be housed in the device. They should listen to me.

The Google PC? | Gadgetopia

Daily Origami

Today's folded paper art is a cup. Not very exciting or difficult, but what it lacks in entertainment it makes up for in usefulness. If you ever need a container that will hold liquid for a short period of time and doesn't stand on its own, and you also happen to have some squares of paper on you.

Crap car commercial

MMMhhhmmmm, I had no idea the Isuzu Gemini was such a stalion. There's quite a lot of crazy stuff going on in these ads, and its supposedly all real stunts. Lets face it, you need a Gemini to try all that, you wouldn't even think about it in a Porsche. I gotta go watch it again. You need to watch it too. Do it now, do it later, just make sure you do it.
Gemini movie

Shutup, I didn't see you blogging over the weekend.

And that's mostly cause I wasn't using the Internet. I was however having quite a time. I did some car bombs. I had Champagne. I had some kind of blue-type drink. I think I remember all of what happened and I didn't get poked in the apple. And I got about 8 hours of sleep all weekend. Mostly cause I'm terrible at sleeping through a hangover. Now I'm realizing that I feel even more like an adult than I used to cause I loathe sleeping on the ground and my clock is all screwed up from just one weekend of staying up till 5 every night. Although being an adult is well worth it cause I get to have cool things like TiVo and beer. Speaking of which I watched a Modern Marvels yesterday about beer. (how do you like them segways?) Fairly enjoyable and educational. I can't tell you how many brewery tours I've been on, and never really paid attention to the spiel. This time I actually paid attention and came off with a few more bits of useless knowledge to add to the pile. You know, things like how I need to go to Munich in 2040 for the 1000 year anniversery of the Weihenstephan Brewery. I know its a long way off and I haven't heard of any specific celebration plans but when you've been making beer for a millennium you have a party. A badass party. Also Sam Adams makes a beer called Utopias that has 25% alcohol and is really naturally fermented. Apparently they've been breading special "ninja yeast" for 15 years to do it. (Seriously, they used the term ninja yeast) You know, cause normal brewers' yeast dies in solutions of like 12% alcohol; so they had to make yeast that could party all night and have Rikki for breakfast, lunch and dinner the next 4 days. I don't know how to get my hands on this stuff, but I bet its not at the local beermart. Alright, I'm done here.