Commercial
I have no idea if this scruffs outfit is real but the commercial is hilarious: soft porn with a hint of comedy, just like commercial should be :)
PBS documentary
This is such an incredible documentary, I think everyone should see it. It outlines how we entered the war with Iraq. It's a frontline program and details, in particular, the roles of
Vice President of the United States Dick Cheney,
United States Secretary of Defense Donald Rumsfeld,
and
CIA Director George Tenant.
Ben's BB's
Ben from Ben & Jerry's Ice Cream made this
video
that demonstrates how many nuclear weapons we have in the US.
P2P 2.0
I'm surprised at how many people don't yet realize that the P2P 1.0 is dead. Programs like Napster, Kazaa and WinMX are technologies of the past. Still, that hasn't stopped people from sharing files on the internet. In fact, its given way to more powerful technologies like BitTorrent (P2P 2.0).
One problem with P2P 1.0 was that, if you had, for example, five people all trying to download a file from the same place, then you would get one fifth of the bandwidth (at best). BitTorrent solves that problem. Instead of having everyone source the file from the same place, the people downloading the file each get a portion of the file and share it among themselves. In other words, the more people you have downloading the file, the faster it downloads.
Another problem with P2P 1.0 was that there were various copies of the same file but no way of finding out if the file you're downloading is any good. BitTorrent solves this problem by bulking files together into larger clusters and providing a unique way of identifying this new file. People can then download this unique identifier and use it to download the actual file.
Here are instructions on how to start downloading file using BitTorrent. It uses a small, 154K program. There is no installer to run and you can launch the program from anywhere, including a thumb drive.
1. Download utorrent.
2. Download a torrent file.
There are plenty of sites offering torrents. I've listed some at the end of this post. In this example, we're going to use www.ThePirateBay.com. If you go to the website, you can search for a torrent file or list the top 100. I typed "fedora" and hit the "Pirate Search" button. The resulting page listed "Fedora Core 4 x86-64 DVD Installation" as one of the results so I clicked on that. You can read about the file, to make sure it is in fact the file you're looking for. When you're satisfied, click "DOWNLOAD THIS TORRENT". Save the file onto your computer.
3. Start utorrent.
Sometimes, when there are updates available, utorrent will ask you if you want to update the software. Updates only take a few second and the program will start when the update is complete. It's a really streamlined process.
4. Drop the torrent file in utorrent.
Find the file you saved in step 2. Drag and drop this file onto the utorrent application window; anywhere in the window will work. You will be prompted for a destination for the file. Pick a folder somewhere and click "OK". The file should begin downloading immediately.
5. Remove the torrent from utorrent.
The utorrent program will continue "seeding" (i.e. sharing) the file, with other people even after it has been completely downloaded. You can now safely remove it from the utorrent program. Simply select it in the list and press the delete key. It will ask you if you're sure you want to remove it, say yes.
6. Enjoy your download.
At this point you should have the file you were looking for. You can delete the torrent file since it was actually only an intermediary in downloading the file you were actually looking for. Hopefully you know what to do with the file you downloaded. If it's an mp3 you can play it in your mp3 player, for example. Be careful of what you download. Some files, like executables, can turn your machine into a boat anchor.
Here are some other places to find torrent files.
The Pirate Bay |
Torrent Portal |
Torrent Spy |
Torrent Reactor |
ISO Hunt |
Torrent Portal
UPDATE: According to a study by CacheLogic Research, P2P makes up 60% of Internet traffic. Read more...
Visitor survey
To whom it may concern,
I am writing this in response to the 2006 visitor survey card given to me by the ranger upon my visit to Hovenweep NM on June 17, 2006. My companion and I were absolutely floored by the condition of the site. The visitor center was in excellent shape; the building, including the restrooms, seemed completely unaware of their remote location. The trail through the ruins provided a pleasantly intimate view of the structures. These trails were, with the exception of the very end, very clearly defined and easy to follow. We appreciated the markers on the trail that clearly identified the plants and buildings but were apart from the items they identified, so as not to interfere with our appreciation of the feature or with the pictures we took. The ranger was friendly and eager to share his knowledge. Finally, the material provided, the colorful pamphlet that seems to be available at all the national parks was beautiful and a welcome addition to the collection we've started. I paid 50 dollars for my annual pass and felt it was a bargain for use I've had for it this year.
Sincerely,
[Me] and Shannon Stewart
[email]
Day 08 - Canyon de Chelly and The Petrified Forrest
We headed south today from Canyon de Chelly and onto highway 40.
Day 05 - Arches, Delicate Arch
We hiked up to this beautiful site named Delicate Arch at Arches National Park.
Day 03 - Bryce
The tunnel in this picture forms a natural frame for the spires at Bryce National Park.
Wedding day
I've come to realize that there are some weddings that are really just parties for married people. They're not really 'single-friendly'. They're really just bashes where married people can pat themselves on the back and indoctrinate new people into the club. I went to one today that had a dance that invited the people onto the dance floor who had been married over 60 years, 50 years, 40 years, 30 years, 20 years, 10 years, 5 years, 1 year. That's the way the DJ pitched it. Finally I realized the only people sitting in the sidelines were me, my girlfriend and my widowed grandmother. I'm always amazed at how people put so much merit on 'married' couples and completely dismiss everyone else. It's ironic how you can meet someone (your third husband let's say), marry him the same day and your relationship automatically gets more merit than one that's been in existence for over a decade. I was actually asked onto the dance floor...to take picture. I got more than a sour look when I declined. That was my clue to leave. I've come to realize that I need to be a little more assertive about the things that make me unhappy and be more selective about the things I do 'just' to make other people happy.
Holiday road
There are only a few days left before I take my vacation. This one is going to include 6 states and more beautiful scenery than I'll know what to do with. All the hotels are booked and I've mapped the entire thing on the Microsoft live site. As much as I hate to admit it, I have to pat Microsoft on the back on this one. I wonder who they bankrupted to get that technology.
Spiders
I was opening the slider to the back yard when this crazy little guy walked by. I thought taking a picture of the thing would make him easy to identify but as it turns out I'm not the first one to try it and I'd have a better chance finding a cure for cancer than identifying the thing with the marks on its back. There are plenty of sites making it clear how ridiculous the idea even is, thanks guys.