Recent Posts

3076

Living Room / Re: Would you buy me a $0.99 track on Amazon?

« Last post by Stoic Joker on February 09, 2012, 02:41 PM »

Pretty much. They've gone after cover bands playing local bar venues. And I'm not talking full out tribute bands either. Just people covering a general mix songs.

-40hz (February 09, 2012, 02:30 PM)

You're preaching to the quire on that one. (the story has been posted here a few times before) I had one of the aforementioned bars that (BMI) the Media-Mafia "raided" with a flock of lawyers back in the 90's. I've been hating them ever since. They threatened to hit me with fines of $25,000 per person per song played if I didn't apply for a (equally insanely priced) license to have some hick with a guitar murder a few songs on a Friday night.

3077

General Software Discussion / Re: ReImage: online Windows repair!

« Last post by Stoic Joker on February 09, 2012, 02:29 PM »

...and what if what's wrong with your OS is keeping you from getting online to access this tool? If your PC is crashing/rebooting before it gets to the desktop then the usefulness of this service is severely diminished.

-Innuendo (February 09, 2012, 02:20 PM)

We're on the same page ... First line of defense needs to be a bit closer at hand.

3078

Living Room / Re: Would you buy me a $0.99 track on Amazon?

« Last post by Stoic Joker on February 09, 2012, 11:46 AM »

BUT, in their eyes, it is criminal.

-db90h (February 09, 2012, 07:13 AM)

In their eyes humming a tune in the park is criminal.

3079

Living Room / Re: A nice bit of profanity from "Apple Scotland and Siri" (video)

« Last post by Stoic Joker on February 09, 2012, 11:39 AM »

Brilliant! - Instant Classic - I'll have to save a copy of that one. 

3080

Living Room / Re: Interactive Web Patented? <insert more insanity here />

« Last post by Stoic Joker on February 09, 2012, 11:17 AM »

Think I'll stick a kazoo up my ass and patent Butt Whistling ... Then I can sue every that farts louder than 6db.

3081

Living Room / Re: Main hard drive in my PC died today suddenly

« Last post by Stoic Joker on February 09, 2012, 06:54 AM »

Then Acronis told me it had found drives - EZ-Drive, some Windows variable drive, etc., that it did not support.

-barney (February 08, 2012, 10:56 PM)

EZ-Drive sounds like some type of DDO (Disk Drive Overlay), and a quick google seems to agree (and produces removal instructions). I've had fits with that kind of crap in the past. My first Win2k install took months thanks to the EZ-BIOS DDO ... Until I got it torn out by the root...then all was well.

3082

Living Room / Re: It's Official - Anonymous are Terrorists

« Last post by Stoic Joker on February 08, 2012, 01:22 PM »

I'm not, I'm simply saying that IT can't push blame off on the brass because of budget cuts and fiats. Our job is to know ways around that sort of thing...

These guys got nailed twice in a row ... Hence something (very important) was not learned from the first attack.

3083

Living Room / Re: It's Official - Anonymous are Terrorists

« Last post by Stoic Joker on February 08, 2012, 12:31 PM »

There are plenty of ways to transparently seperate publicly facing systems from the rest of the herd. And if the brass won't listen to why something should be secured properly...hit them in the head with it.

Mgmt: So how did we get hacked?
IT: well as it turns out, your dogs name (sparky)... isn't really that hard to guess as a password.
Mgmt: I see... what should it be?
IT: Something that is not easy to guess, like: Apple Horse Food x5, or CvJ=Shft+Wle

Then set a password lockout policy high enough that it wont get noticed quickly (while the users get used to it), and then slowly tighten it until they do ... Explain why... Done.


Hint: I know this works, I've already done it.

3084

Living Room / Re: Just like the MPAA didn't learn from the RIAA, the games industry is next

« Last post by Stoic Joker on February 08, 2012, 12:09 PM »

Interesting distinction...I like it.

3085

Living Room / Re: It's Official - Anonymous are Terrorists

« Last post by Stoic Joker on February 08, 2012, 11:52 AM »

I spotted this one and just had to read more:Hackers take over Boston Police Department website; message cites handling of Occupy Boston protest

Boston police issued a statement this morning that said the department’s “skillful technical staff” was “focused on rectifying this issue.”

-The Article

Seriously?!? ...Who exactly are they trying to fool with that line of shit?? If the "Staff" was indeed all that "Skillful"...they wouldn't be getting spanked every five minutes, now would they? Oh Yeah, and like nicking a few files off a backup is a Herculean effort that requires great focus.

I'd laugh my ass off if I wasn't so preoccupied being disgusted.

3086

Living Room / Re: Anonymous on FBI Phone Call

« Last post by Stoic Joker on February 07, 2012, 10:32 AM »

If the don't want people laughing at their little "scepters"...then they should quit waving them around all the time.

3087

Living Room / Re: Just like the MPAA didn't learn from the RIAA, the games industry is next

« Last post by Stoic Joker on February 07, 2012, 10:26 AM »

Nice to see the guy getting his ass ripped off in the comments section for that nonsense.

3088

Living Room / Re: Anonymous on FBI Phone Call

« Last post by Stoic Joker on February 07, 2012, 06:55 AM »

The FBI is taking the matter seriously.

"The information was intended for law enforcement officers only and was illegally obtained," said a statement emailed to SCMagazine.com. "A criminal investigation is under way to identify and hold accountable those responsible."

Okay...

According to a New York Times report, which quoted an unnamed FBI official, one of the email recipients forwarded the message to his personal email account, which was then accessed by hackers.

...Looks like an open & Shut case to me... 

3089

Living Room / Re: Anonymous on FBI Phone Call

« Last post by Stoic Joker on February 07, 2012, 06:47 AM »

Nothing like having the upper hand on the other foot. 

3090

Living Room / Re: Another Internet Cafe Death

« Last post by Stoic Joker on February 07, 2012, 06:44 AM »

What kind of cafe leaves a patron unattended for 9 hours?? ...Somebody's not getting a tip.

3091

General Software Discussion / Re: Is WinZip still worth updating?

« Last post by Stoic Joker on February 07, 2012, 06:34 AM »

+1 for WinRAR

3092

Living Room / Re: According To FBI, Internet Privacy Now Considered Suspicious

« Last post by Stoic Joker on February 06, 2012, 12:51 PM »

Cthulhu for president, if we're going to be damned anyway ... Let's just get it over with.

3093

Living Room / Re: Chilling Effects - BTjunkie Closes

« Last post by Stoic Joker on February 06, 2012, 11:47 AM »

If providers are going to be forced to "police" their customers content ... this could put a real dent in cloud services enthusiasm me thinks. As the (strangely head shaped) "ball" is obviously rolling.

3094

Living Room / Re: According To FBI, Internet Privacy Now Considered Suspicious

« Last post by Stoic Joker on February 06, 2012, 11:23 AM »

Jesus Christ Ren, Google picks that up (and delivers it to the Alphabet Soup Dept.) and we're all going to jail.

 

3095

Living Room / Re: Chilling Effects - BTjunkie Closes

« Last post by Stoic Joker on February 06, 2012, 11:11 AM »

Holy Shit Hitting the Fan Batman!!

3096

Living Room / Re: Would you buy me a $0.99 track on Amazon?

« Last post by Stoic Joker on February 03, 2012, 07:29 PM »

Other than that... I cannot delete threads on DC, but if Mouser does, as maybe he should, the story will be complete :-)

@StoicJoker: See that? There's a perfect example of what I was talking about. People are beginning to wonder if maybe they should consider self-censoring themselves.

Brave new world indeed! TaoPhoenix was spot on when he characterized it as insanity.  

-40hz (February 03, 2012, 06:24 PM)

I know, that's why I played off the line (to draw attention to it).

3097

Living Room / Re: Would you buy me a $0.99 track on Amazon?

« Last post by Stoic Joker on February 03, 2012, 05:26 PM »

I, the good law abiding citizen, do not wish to engage in felony infringement of a song!

-TaoPhoenix (February 03, 2012, 05:15 PM)

@40hz - Yepp, that "Avoidance Conditioning" thing does seem to be working...

3098

Living Room / Re: The Pirate Bay - Domain Updates & Prison

« Last post by Stoic Joker on February 03, 2012, 07:02 AM »

Fast forward to today and we have a new shadow group to spin, and once again Hollywood comes out with a TV show (Person of Interest) that "explains" how it's all OK ... And a good thing.

-Stoic Joker (February 03, 2012, 06:40 AM)

I have a hard time watching that show. It's fun in an "A-Team" way, but the underlying idea makes me sick.

-Renegade (February 03, 2012, 06:47 AM)

I know - same here - that's why I brought it up. ...It's really quite chilling.

I'm actually trying a new strategy to quit. We'll see how it goes.

-Renegade (February 03, 2012, 06:47 AM)

Me too, I've been on the natural tobacco for a week or so. The flavor sucks ...(but no [additive based] craving fluctuations)... So I think it's working. 

As for smoking... Is rectal cancer easier to deal with? 

-Renegade (February 03, 2012, 06:47 AM)

...Guess we 'bout to find out, Ay? 

3099

Living Room / Re: The Pirate Bay - Domain Updates & Prison

« Last post by Stoic Joker on February 03, 2012, 06:40 AM »

Eventually the US authorities will figure out that big splashy actions only fuel the thing they're trying to stop. So as long as these very public domain seizures continue I don't think PB needs to worry too much. Because that means law enforcement is posturing and it's still in Puppet Theater mode.

I'd worry more once they start acting like it's no longer such a big deal, and only announce occasional actions or arrests, with maybe one or two big 'busts' per year. Once that happens, you know they've gotten serious. And you'll know it's gotten very serious once certain domains (and possibly the people behind them) start quietly disappearing from the net and the streets without a single word being said about it.

I predict once ACTA is signed in a few more places you're going to see media complaints about file sharing and piracy disappear from the news. Heavy handed arrests and seizures only risk fostering public support and sympathy for the 'wrong' people.

The proverbial "knock on the door in the middle of the night" gets the job done much more efficiently.

-40hz (February 03, 2012, 05:57 AM)

Torn from a page of the book called the 80s when the "War on Drugs" started picking up momentum. Hollywood helped garner support by glamorizing the "valiant warriors" with Miami Vice.

Fast forward to today and we have a new shadow group to spin, and once again Hollywood comes out with a TV show (Person of Interest) that "explains" how it's all OK ... And a good thing.

At this point I'm beginning to thing it would be pointless to quit smoking...as the volume of smoke going up my ass will give me cancer anyway.

3100

Living Room / Re: Who needs SOPA? Website accused of defamation is closed by judge

« Last post by Stoic Joker on February 02, 2012, 06:02 PM »

It's really just an extension of: Who dies with the most toys wins.

-4wd (February 02, 2012, 05:54 PM)

Whoever dies with the most toys, still dies. There is no "winning" to it ... Just a bunch of greedy vicious self-righteous monkeys.