10 Words the Germans Have Which We Don't in English

I was having a discussion with a friend tonight about choices you make in life and wanted to express the word "Torschlusspanik" and found this list of 10 great words in German that dont have a direct translation in English
- http://rebecca2904.hubpages.com/hub/german-words-that-dont-exist-in-english

lol i also loved the word Kummerspeck or "grief fat" that i'd never heard of before tonight.


Cheers,
Dean

Making Soap

Want to smell good come the end of the world?
...remember 16:6:3

lol I'm stunned it is this easy.
- http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=rE-gJHpUuQE&feature=share&list=UUmhSNmTdsqPxjVdPSkOfc2w

The Nutcracker

Went to see The Nutcracker performed by the New York City Ballet tonight.

Its a shame you cant take photos during the performance, some of the stage work they had is fantastic eg. the way the tree "grew" during the dream act was fantastic.

Another bright DARPA idea

Oh FFS If China was doing something like this the west would be outraged.

- http://www.darpa.mil/NewsEvents/Releases/2012/12/20.aspx

Doesnt anyone in the USA ever think anymore hmmm maybe we shouldnt develop this because its going to get leaked and bite us in the ass sooner than later (stuxnet anyone??)

Bah humbug Christmas Matinée

lol i feel like scrooge today, bah humbug... Went to Alvin Ailey modern dance this afternoon and because we only bought tickets last week we had to go to the matinée today rather than the evening show.....big mistake, full of kids ....ugh if your kid cant site still for 1-2 hours please take them to The Lion King ....though worse than the kid who was asking things like "is that a real sword" was the woman who was wearing metal bangles that rattled every time she went into her back for yet something else to eat.

When did i become such a grouch???

Jiří Kylián's PETITE MORT from Alvin Ailey on Vimeo.

QR code quackery

https://robert.accettura.com/blog/2012/12/11/qr-codes-compromised-by-stickers/
Criminals have realized that QR codes are not human readable and are taking advantage by putting up stickers featuring URLs embedded in Quick Response codes (QR codes) as a trick designed to drive traffic to dodgy sites.
It’s extremely simple to print out a sticker pointing to a bogus URL and put it on an existing billboard in a public place. A casual user simply uses the QR code and instead of going to the intended location



Oh No the humanity.....what will we do.
I call for an immediate ban of all QR codes along with also banning all URL shortners like Bit.ly and of course the physical removal of all NFC chipsets from all mobile phones.

Seriously you have to wonder how some people remember that they have to breathe.

Toutatis

lol love the comment about we can calculate 400 years after that who knows....

-  http://mashable.com/2012/12/16/asteroid-video

Toutatis never posed a threat to Earth on its recent flyby, and researchers say there is no chance it will hit our planet over the next four centuries or so. (Beyond that time, the asteroid's orbit cannot be accurately computed.)

Obama picking winners AND losers

Hmmm so not just happy with overthrowing Assad today the USA is even picking and choosing "who" they want in the opposition in Syria and implementing sanctions against the al-Nusra Front
- http://on.fb.me/Sjm4F6

Is this really where you want your tax dollars being spent?

Yeh Boy

Yey Boy...  look what just arrived in the mail today. (they provided the digital download of NoStamp a while back).

I dont care what people say about Sellaband i was proud to have been part of this campaign

Fight the Power!


Cheers,
Dean
(upload a few of my favs in the mood music box <---look left="left" p="p">
 

What are you drinking?

Something to consider:
"When you spend $50 on a bottle of delicious Napa Cab, you are spending about $7 on wine and $43 on sales, marketing and other stuff you can't taste,"

More at - http://www.sfgate.com/business/article/Nakedwines-com-strips-out-middleman-4101023.php#ixzz2EfFI7tSz

Butchering Videos

I'm finding myself addicted to butchering videos lately. Seriously is there anything you cant learn on YouTube.... How would someone have learnt how to do this apart from an apprenticeship prior to the internet.


and




lol Jodie made the comment about the same thing when i mentioned it to her but with regards to haircare videos.

Sustainable Food...people per acre

How many acres does it take to feed you!

Really interesting video from people who sound like made more effort to find out the truth than most people.

AC losses

wow no idea that AC power transmission involved losses of up to 25%
- http://news.nationalgeographic.com/news/energy/2012/12/121206-high-voltage-dc-breakthrough/

 

 

Considering the cost per megawatt thats a pretty hefty chunk.

$100 donation for turning this tide

Ridiculous.....

 

http://www.propublica.org/special/no-warrant-no-problem-how-the-government-can-still-get-your-digital-data

a warrant is need for...listening into your voice calls

but not for....
- the numbers you called and when you called them,
- incoming call numbers and when you received them

- a phone's location determined by GPS and cell tower location
- time you sent text messages, who you sent them to, the content of those text messages
- the IP addresses of the computers used to log into your email account
- draft emails..(but they do require warrants to read emails you sent...how fucked up is that)
- content you stored on Google Drive, Dropbox, SkyDrive..

Sorry folks but the longer I live here the more I think WTF am I doing here.

I'll kick in $100 to anyone who starts a kickstarter campaign where all of these details are posted on a publicly available website for each and every politician who voted for this law.

 

Cheers,

Dean

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Speaking in tongues

Went to "Speaking In Tongues" last night, fantastic!!

- http://www.brownpapertickets.com/event/285934

If you are i New York try and get along to this (only on for the next week or so), definitely in my top 10 plays i've seen. (BTW Based on the Australian movie Lantana if you've seen that).

 

Seeing off off broadway plays like this is exactly way i love about living NY (probably less than 40 seats in the house).



Barnes and Noble screw customers with DRM

content providers insist on punishing paying customers with idiotic "anti-piracy" schemes.
http://www.shellypalmer.com/2012/11/barnes-noble-decides-that-purchased-ebooks-are-only-yours-until-your-credit-card-expires/

Yep....like i said buy, rip, store on your own servers and make sure you back up. bought = usage until i feel like i no longer want to keep it. Fuck DRM - my money was green enough when you sold it, its still green in your pocket.

Twitter Vs PeopleBrowser

Interesting move by the courts in Twitter Vs PeopleBrowser .How do you think this is going to turn out? - http://tnw.co/Ud6Uxr - Surely at the end of the day Twitter has the rights to its own data right?
lol I hate Twitter but even i dont hate them enough to see them not control their own destiny.

Minecraft reality not Augmented Reality

Ok now this is H-O-T hot!! This is exactly where SL went wrong.

Virtual worlds should be based on REAL worlds and melding the two is what is going to make them S-T-I-C-K-Y.

http://www.theverge.com/2012/11/25/3688674/minecraft-augmented-reality-iphone-app
For many players, the best part of Minecraft is building things, and a new app for iOS lets you see what your creations would look like in the real world. Called Minecraft Reality, the augmented reality app lets you upload your creations to a website, and then place them in the real world so that you can view them through your device's camera.




Doesnt look like http://13thlab.com/ have an Android version available yet (tsk tsk....pretty lame). but will be interesting to see if "reality" matches up with the video.

This app does bring up an interesting point in that its the second "geo location" app that i've seen this morning (www.Wyst.it) the question is will people really have all of these apps running in the background as they walk around?

I can see that some apps need to be on all the time (eg Mogi Mogi) but its almost like we need a standardized API from Apple/Android that corals these apps into just a "popup" that says hey there i something here do you want to be interrupted by Wyst right now or, there is a 13thLab alert, dismiss or fire up the app now. Its only so long before someone posts some Augmented Reality Spam

I'm just not sure how this "interaction can be done" without the apps themselves running.....screw software I'm going to start spending 24x7 on battery research.

Percentages by primal

Astounded by how little i know about food when you consider you eat this each and every day......

I just found a great pdf that shows percentages of hanging weight by primals (page 18 and on), well worth downloading to check out

https://store.extension.iastate.edu/ItemDetail.aspx?ProductID=13056

 

Monsanto

Enjoy this while eating your turkey tomorrow....at the rate American corporations are going it will be the last "natural" turkey you eat.

http://thinkprogress.org/health/2012/11/21/1224761/farmers-insurance-sued-by-corporations
 
Don’t American politicians realize that this country is being driven over a cliff by corporations focused on next quarters profits? Between this and Apples “page turning” patent I read about on the list last week I have to wonder when it makes sense to leave the USA and go set up shop somewhere else.

My customers will still be in the USA (for now) but my legal operating base will be in a location where common sense still rules business operating laws.

What can we as startups do to get someone elected to congress who is prepared to filibuster or hold the rest of the politicians who “don’t get technology” so that we can bring about technology.

Normally I’m a pro free markets kind of guy but this short term thinking is going to tip the longer term Keynesian balance.

Watchfulness - Who is McAfee

lol you have to love people who dont give a shit - http://www.whoismcafee.com/watchfulness -There is something about it that points out the follies of modern society.

3 lungs (and a half! wow what a set of pipes) and various instruments

Got to see "Pearl and the Beard" play last night - http://bit.ly/PearlAndTheBeard

They opened last night for Ani Difranco, cool band, like them enough to buy a cd on the spot.
They certainly know how to have fun on stage (a trait lacking in so many bands).

Emily Hope Price has a set and a half of lungs, hoping she's not overdoing it and can keep up her volume but once you've seen her on stage you are an instant fan.

Well worth going to see if they are playing in your area.

Twitter being a dick yet again

In other words: “Even though we don’t currently have a Windows 8 client, we might have one in the future, so yours isn’t allowed.”
http://www.marco.org/2012/11/16/twitter-being-a-dick-again

 

I think its time that we the users took this up with the VC’s who have invested in Twitter and start putting pressure on them.

Anyone have access to the current cap table?

Education

So you think you are having a bad fucking day.......

Now shut the fuck up and try not to be so miserable about your "first world life" for the next 24 hours.

NumRows trick in IE9

neat....I should have read the manual ages ago i love this feature

Show More Sites on the New Tab Page

By default, there are two rows of sites on the New Tab page. However, you can display up to five rows. To display more rows, open the Registry Editor by entering “regedit” (without the quotes) in the Search box on the Start menu. Navigate to the following key:

HKEY_CURRENT_USER\Software\Microsoft\InternetExplorer\TabbedBrowsing\NewTabPage


Right-click on the NewTabPage key and select New | DWORD (32-bit) Value from the popup menu to create a new value in the right pane. Name that new value NumRows and set the value to a number from 2 to 5. (eg i created 4 in my setup below)

More like this at http://www.howtogeek.com/116553/the-best-tips-and-tweaks-for-getting-the-most-out-of-internet-explorer-9/

Oppo BDP-103

Wow Oppo have released a blu-ray player that can now upscale to 4k hi-def video

http://bit.ly/OppoBDP103
The BDP-103 incorporates Marvell's Kyoto-G2H video processor with the latest generation Qdeo technology.
Enhance the home theater experience with four times the resolution of Full HD 1080p "by up-scaling all video sources to 4K (3840 x 2160) output resolution".

Wow!! now does anyone reading this have a tv to take advantage of this? I'd love to see how well it does this as for $499 its a pretty sweet deal....i'm thinking Santa might be visiting this christmas.

Also note that as your home theatre amp almost definitely isnt capable of 4k switching that the Oppo BDP-103 comes with 2 hdmi out so you can run one to your 4k video to your tv/projector and then your audio seperately to your amp.

Mastercard "LCD Display Card"

MasterCard is billing a new credit card it’s issuing in Singapore as the “next generation of payment cards.”

With security in mind, the Display Card has an LCD screen and touch-sensitive buttons both of which let the user employ a one-time password. Such OTPs as they’re known are often delivered via text messages or chip-based authentication devices. The card is designed for “banking institutions that necessitate a higher level of security for their online banking services require the use of a separate authentication token or device,” according to a press release from MasterCard.

Aside from the increased functionality, the card operates like a standard credit, debit or ATM card. The idea is to provide a two-in-one device for users who have to carry a second authentication device for sensitive transactions.
 - http://mashable.com/2012/11/08/mastercard-lcd-screen/

its a shame they didnt implement pin enter with a OTP then being displayed which can then be entered in place of the CSC to signify the user has "the real card".
 

I'd swap banks if a USA based bank implements this functionality.

Facebook Groups problem

Interesting Facebook groups problem that i just found. I've also posted this to facebook support but thought it might help other admins.

If you are the admin of a facebook group you may want to read this.



I am the admin of the
"  http://www.facebook.com/#!/groups/sanfrancisco49ers.livefootballchat  "
facebook group that posts about the 49ers.
The settings are currently " Closed " and each user has to be approved by admin and i am the only admin.
One of the members posted a comment about the amoutn of spam in the group in this comment
http://www.facebook.com/groups/sanfrancisco49ers.livefootballchat/permalink/10151279057256351/
Interestingly I couldnt see any spam.......(as in the past anyone who does post spam i block their accounts and remove their posts).
As you can see in their discussion they could see spam BUT i couldnt see any spam as all.
They then posted the user profile
" http://www.facebook.com/deltaablanchett "
but when i click on this link i get
"The page you requested was not found..
You may have clicked an expired link or mistyped the address. Some web addresses are case sensitive."
However when i logged OUT of my account and log in as my wife i can see the userprofile for
" http://www.facebook.com/deltaablanchett "
Basically i'm guessing that this user had
1/ requested to join the group
2/ once approved block me the group admin from seeing their profile
3/ then started to post spam links into the group but as facebook had blocked me from seeing their posts....was able to annoy the users with these posts without me seeing them.
Resolution;
1/ I logged in as my wife and joined the group
2/ i then logged in as me and upgraded her to admin
3/ i then logged in as my wifes account and blocked the user from posting
(i then had my wife "leave the group" as she hates football)

Suggestions for Facebook dev team
1/ if you are a group admin you have to see ALL posts by other users as such if a fb user blocks someone from seeing their profile...great no probs for general pages BUT when a user has admin rights they have to overide seeing posts in their groups.
2/ implement a "view group as XYZ User" eg the same way i can see my own profile as one of my friends implement this for group admins.

Hope this has helped and you delete this facebook users account permanantly however we all know they'll just create another fake account.

Colorado, Washington Legalize Recreational Marijuana

http://abcnews.go.com/ABC_Univision/News/colorado-washington-legalize-recreational-marijuana/story?id=17656515

This has to be the biggest side story of the night.

Recreational use is VERY different to medical use. No need to fly to amsterdam anymore just go skiing in colorado.

Could explain the rapid increase in tech startups in Colorado

QR code "summary of the market"

 QR codes relevance under threat
- http://www.zdnet.com/qr-codes-under-threat-from-new-tech-7000006963/

"However, he remained optimistic QR codes are "here to stay" for now because they are very easy to implement, inexpensive, and most importantly, they are openly available to millions of people.

You don’t have to download a specific app to read a specific image. It's an open ecosystem which has made it much easier for people to use. That is what is most important right now," Wehr said.

Couldnt have summed it up better myself :)

Cheers,
Dean

RIP MS Messenger

RIP Windows Messenger! Or good riddance.

http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/technology-20222998
Microsoft is to close down its Windows Live Messenger in 2013 and is urging users to switch over to its Skype chat software..

 
Shame its such poor reporting....they are actually closing Skype and "rebranding windows messenger"

Basically skype is dropping the p2p architecture and is going to be using the old messenger architecture with MS servers sitting in the middle of all traffic......

I've been waiting for someone to announce a "new and improved" P2P chat application to counteract this very problem.

Quick someone put a call out to Kim Dotcom and get him working on it.

Cheers,
Dean

Hmmm at the bitching

Could just be me and i know this is going to be unpopular with some of your but after listening to that last harpy on NY1 i feel like saying.... Hey New Yorkers quit your freaking bitching, listening to some of you after 3 days ...the gov is ignoring us where is the help....
This is New Orleans after 1 year - http://money.cnn.com/popups/2006/fortune/katrina/page.3.2.html

TouchCodes

This was just posted on LinkedIn about how TouchCode won the WSJ Innovation Awards

Proves once again that not all judges are the smartest people in the room.

How is "getting a code" from the location of 'touch" elements on a touchscreen any cleverer than "getting a code" via the act of taking a photo image of a qr code........but with the additional costs of the "special printing" and that TouchCodes are proprietary and can only be read on their specific reader  (....but if you've ever read any of my QR posts you know that i was going there already).

Spooky City

Just got back from walking the dog down near the promenade to see the damage from Hurricane Sandy ,its spooky seeing all of lower Manhattan dark like that due to the blackout of everything below 14th street.

Makes you realise how fragile our infrastructure is and its time to bug out and prepare for EOTWAWKI.

Cheers,
Dean
edit. this is the same shot the next day, almost all of that park near me was underwater including the large piers, just the winding footpath and the portable workshed offices were still visible.

 

 

and yes the dirt was all piled up like that before the storm, they are building a major addition to the park all along the waterfront here....will look great when its finished as long as it doesnt wash away first with global warming  :)

 

LinkedIN is so sucky these days

When is someone going to fund a competitor to LinkedIN....its BS that you can no longer see peoples profiles if you dont have any relation to them.

I know LinkedIN needs to make revenue but this bait and switch stuff is starting to irk me. Whats wrong with LinkedIn cant they come up with any additional features worthy of being paid for so they have to "take away".

We have about 20 different feature sets at www.LiveFanChat.com that we have mapped out on the development list that we are "holding back" for the paid service, taking away previously free features is lame.

Concrete Blonde

Sweet, scored tickets to Concrete Blonde for Dec 13. I didnt even know they were still touring.

I've uploaded some tracks in the Friday Mood Music box to share.

Tickets are available here - https://www.livenation.com/event/0000495527BB088D?SREF=SLfbk-056_0000495527BB088D

lol btw dont you love "bastard" LiveNation....builds an API so you can post to Facebook you are going to one of their concerts......doesnt build in an iCal API so you can enter the concert details into your calendar with a single click.

Butchering DVD

Just ordered some Butchering DVD's - http://www.thegourmetbutcher.com/index.html

Yeh yeh i know.....but i feel its a responsible thing to do at this stage of my life.
Here is a quick 60 second clip of the dvd i ordered
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=bFl-AVRBgsk

In case you dont want to shell out $29 fro some dvd's but want to know more i found a pretty reasonable longer video for how to break down a hindquarter that anyone who is not a vegetarian should watch
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=_lrDoEzppSc&feature=related

Any pussies who didnt click....where do you think your food comes from.....or dont you eat chicken either

IFTTT ...wtf???

WTF???  Twitter have allowed IFTTT to post Facebook status updates when they come from Facebook “to”  Twitter - https://ifttt.com/recipes/61978

…….But they don’t allow Twitter posts to be posted to Facebook.

Seriously next Twitter employee I meet at an event is going to get punched in the nose for douchebaggery.

http://thenextweb.com/apps/2012/09/20/ifttt-removes-twitter-triggers-comply-new-api-policies/

Friday Mood Music - Jus Post Bellum

Went to ZirZamin last night to listen to a band and ended up staying for the set afterwards, absolutely beautiful!! Check out Jus Post Bellum on Facebook at http://www.facebook.com/JusPostBellum and have a listen to this video below or check out the Mood Music Box for a few tracks from their album (sadly not available on Amazon).

Be sure to click like on Facebook to see them live as they sound as good in person as they do on the cd.


Measure of a Man from Jus Post Bellum

Australia joins the UN security council

http://www.smh.com.au/opinion/political-news/iran-israel-key-to-australias-un-win-20121019-27uny.html
Australia raced ahead of Luxembourg and Finland in voting at UN headquarters to win membership of the UN Security Council.

 

A triumphant Foreign Minister Bob Carr told reporters in the UN lobby: "It's always good to see Australia win - and this is a big, juicy, decisive win."

Australia's stint on the Security Council will begin on January 1 and will last for two years

Interesting, i wonder if Australia will make a difference and "vote with their own mind" of if they will kowtow to the USA for the next 2 years.

Its a great responsibility and will make us step up our level of personal responsibilty with how well/poorly the world is run.

You sir are a Militant

You know when you hear on the news about so many militants killed by a bomb in XYZ country....

Q. Do you know what this administration's definition of militant......
A. It's any male of fighting age.

Killed a family? Did you get a militant? No probs good job son.



You know who also used to say "anyone who was 'there' deserved to die just because of the fact they were there"......yep thats right "Charles Manson".

........Think about that for a moment.

But you know "Hope And Change" and all that good stuff right......    :(

- http://www.huffingtonpost.com/2012/05/29/drone-attacks-innocent-civilians_n_1554380.html

You killed me...so i kill you

"The man accused of being the mastermind of the Sept. 11 attacks said in a courtroom here on Wednesday that the United States government had killed many more people in the name of national security than he was accused of killing."
http://www.nytimes.com/2012/10/18/us/accused-9-11-mastermind-calls-us-the-bigger-killer.html?_r=0

I just dont get why arent americans making a bigger deal of trying to reign in government imperialism? These politicians work for YOU not the other way around.

Blowback has been an issue for years and its like most of my friends still have their heads stuck in the sand on this issue.

China Currency Manipulation

http://www.nytimes.com/2012/10/18/world/asia/chinas-renminbi-has-strengthened-during-obamas-term.html?partner=rss&emc=rss&_r=0

If China stopped buying USA debt tomorrow.......the US$ vs Renmenbi parity would sort itself out very rapidly....by having the USA dollar crash.

And this guy was the CEO of Bain a major corporate consulting firm advising Top 100 organizations....?

BoxeeTV announced

I noticed on Fred Wilsons blog today that the FCC endorsed "BoxeeTV" device has been announced
- http://www.avc.com/a_vc/2012/10/boxee-tv.html

This was sort of announced recently along with the FCC decision that cable tv providers no longer need to carry unencrypted cable http://www.theverge.com/2012/10/15/3506030/fcc-allows-basic-cable-encryption-protects-consumers-open-access   (guess those washington lobbying efforts paid off),

One point of note the FCC announcements indicated that cable providers only need to offer this for free for 2 years and then will be allowed to charge for this from then on http://www.slashgear.com/fcc-cuts-boxee-a-little-encryption-slack-but-not-forever-15251887/ , I cant find any information from Boxee about what these costs will be from the cable providers to make BoxeeTV work?

I'm also curious about "storage in the cloud" and whether Boxee expects any patent challenges around this? eg would be a shame if an injunction strikes down the cloud portion functionality.

Jumping from space....well sort of

I was watching the "Space Jump" today and wondered so if you can get a capsule that high into space with a simple helium ballon.......why are we spending so much on rockets?

....5 mins of googling i found the answer, he only jumped from 20 miles, the lowest a satellite orbits is 110 miles and the space station is at 230 miles.

BTW in case you are wondering...weather ballons regularly get to 26 miles but everything less than 62 miles isn't really considered space but "near space" - http://www.hobbyspace.com/NearSpace/index.html

The Anchor of Talent

Just got back from driving to Clairmont NJ to see Fiona Apple in concert.

Shocked was the only word i could describe myself when she walked out on stage, i'm not sure if she's on heroin or meth but if i passed her in the street i'd throw her a dollar in a coffee cup, she looks like death warmed up.

I honestly dont know much about her personal life but i somehow get the feeling that she has oodles of talent and apart from working when she needs cash could care less about fame and fortune......which is fine when you are young and pretty and have your habit under control but tonight "twitchy" would be a good way to describe it.

It saddens me that someone able to write "Every Single Night" and more importantly "able to sing it in such an perfect way" who obviously has so much emotional depth and so much raw talent just cant get their heads clear on "the rest of life".....but then again who amongst us really does "manage to get life fully worked out".

I'm going to think of happier times like this track below and just hope she gets her shit together sooner than later.



Dolly the Sheep creator scientist Keith Campbell dies

http://www.theregister.co.uk/2012/10/12/dolly_creator_keith_campbell_dies/
Probably died because he missed out on the Nobel peace prize recently even though he was the second leg of the three steps....between John Gurdon and Shinya Yamanaka in 2006 :{

Tracking is good for you

http://gizmodo.com/5951173/apple-is-tracking-you-again-in-ios-6-and-how-to-turn-it-off#


lol yeh stick it to the "man"......and wonder why you are being served Tampax ads or served MMA ads and there are no ads being served you are interested in.

Its time to change our opinions to tracking people. As long as the data is non identifying does it matter?

"3D printing industry asys dont be evil" - bah sure.....

Interesting article - http://www.wired.com/dangerroom/2012/10/stratasys-followup/

Stratasys told Wilson, “It is the policy of Stratasys not to knowingly allow its printers to be used for illegal purposes.”

lol made me chuckle.

Bad bad bad product placement

lol watching #Homeland "there's a skype call for you Mr Secret Agent talking to HQ"

wow what a joke!!  Hey Homeland producers taking funding for product placement from Skype is a big big mistake.

Dalton Trumbo

Watching #PBS American Masters episode on Dalton Trumbo love it :)
- http://www.pbs.org/wnet/americanmasters/episodes/dalton-trumbo/introduction-to-trumbo/1165/



eloquent i know....but i prefer his other quote "Say hello to my friends, piss on my enemies"



P.S. WOW!!!!  I had no idea that Dalton Trumbo did the screenplay to Papillon - it puts the whole Steve McQeen solitary isolation starving scenes in a whole new light!!

Looper

Went to see Looper tonight. Loved it...well worth seeing.

What i do think is funny about humans is how simplistic we are whenever it comes to time travel we got all exicted and what if this and how would this work etc etc......i can imagine an alien arriving here and going yep...its not that complicated.

Wow really disappointed in SL Benfica Transportation

So as some of you know (i posted on twitter/facebook etc at the time) on the 31st of July we had a big semi trailer truck making a Foodbank delivery to First Presbyterian Church across the road from our apartment that drove off and in the process knocked over the 40' tall tree in front of 135 Henry Street

Although the driver left the scene of the accident we were able to track down who it was by going and speaking with the staff at First Presbyterian Church who then gave us the phone number of the people at Foodbank NYC who then gave us the details for SL Benfica Transportation inc in the Bronx.

When we got through to them after about an hour of detective work their comments were....yeh we know about this, the driver is on his way back and will be there in about 90 minutes.

By this time the fire brigade came and blocked off Henry Street at Clark and then New York City Parks arrived to cut down the tree to a stump about 10 inches high (as you can see in the photo not a chance to save this 40' beauty).

Unfortunately once the dust all settled the Parks Department said its not their responsibility to remove the stump or to fix the footpath and that they would be back in 3-5 years to plant a new tree.......

So by the time SL Benfica Transportation turned up (one of the managers and the driver came to take photos of what was now a stump but drove their personal car so i couldn't see the damage to the truck) i was really happy when the manager said dont worry, we'll take care of this, get some quotes and just send us the details directly rather than going via your insurance company etc etc.

The first few weeks of deal with SL Benfica Transportation seemed to be going really well, and they seemed to be a reesponsible trucking company and we were both learning about what was involved in planting a tree on the sidewalk in New York City..... ugh too much red tape.

Unfortunately ....and yeh i know you saw this coming already....basically we sent them a letter of demand for the total amount and SL Benfica transportation management are now refusing to pay for the replacement of the tree!

I appreciate that we were both surprised at how much the costs came out to but this isn't replacing a 40' tree that was there but just repairing the damaged sidewalk and planting a small replacement sapling that will take 20 to 30 years to grow back to what was there.

While both Foodbank New York and First Presbyterian Church management are well meaning in offering their apologies they say that the truck is not their responsibility and it’s a subcontract of a contract of a contract etc etc and that its not their responsibility to make good on this matter either.

All in all its a disappointing week

Dont look at clicks....think of the reach and frequency

http://www.adrants.com/2012/10/facebook-says-clicks-are-irrelevant.php

On a panel today at the IAB MIXX Conference during Advertising this week in New York, Facebook Director of Pricing and Measurement Brad Smallwood likened social media to the early days of TV which had no method of measurement until Arthur Nielsen introduced the rating point in 1950. He went on to argue that online marketers should focus on this system placing increased emphasis on reach and frequency rather than clicks.

lol ads not getting clicked ....think of the reach and frequency (lol that old chestnut).

So does this mean even with everything that Facebook "knows" about me that they still cant serve ads that are relevant to me and make me want to click on them...... what does this mean for the wider scope of Facebook/social media/advertising in general?

Thoughts?

Sensiva Symbol Commander Pro :(

Anyone else here use Symbol Commander Pro?

It has been one of my favorite programs that i've used on every pc i've owned for the last 6 years and one of the first apps i reinstall on every fresh format.

But today is a sad day, it looks like it wont run on Windows 7 (yeh yeh i know i'm late to the party and finally upgrading)

Here are some details about the app but basically you use your right mouse to "gesture" and cause things to occur based on the symbol you draw eg minimise, delete, exit, browser page back/forward etc - http://www.bestshareware.net/symbol-commander-pro.htm
The app is still working sort of the problem is its displaying the gestures at a crawl and running really really slow in Win7.

Any OS geniuses know what this can be? or how to fix it or do i need to finally accept this app is dead and finally try to move on   :(

Where "google auto enter"

Lol type "Where" into google.........

WTF "How is "Where is Chuck Norris" the highest entry??

How is it that now one else is complaining about this!!!

So this guy isnt a terrorist huh...?????
- http://www.abc.net.au/news/2012-09-29/mortars-rock-aleppo-as-foreign-help-steps-up/4287224
This is the person that Hillary Clinton just gave $45m in "Logistical Support" to and almost nobody on my facebook and Twitter list thinks that this is a problem?

There should be rioting in the streets over this issue that Hillary and Barack are taking us to war with Syria a sovereign state.

Can you imagine if Iran or China or Russia decided to fund a group of Americans $45m who were driving around the streets with weapons like this on the back of their SUV's.

Hey Barack Obama how about you wake the fuck up!!!!

#Louie

WOW.

I love that #Louie has no constraints or boundaries where this show can go eg from the horror of 11.59 NYE to the happiness of the family shack dinner.

Some of the best tv out there at the moment. Shits on Letterman (joke).

Cute fluffy rabbits

Been reading up on homesteading and self sustainability recently (eg duck weed, talapia growth etc) came across a video on how to cull rabbits humanely etc.
http://www.youtube.com/watch?annotation_id=annotation_434275&src_vid=_PZh_gadbDY&v=EXAhzfqhMNE&feature=iv

I was all sad about the cute fluffy bunny when he killed it thinking there is no way i could do this when he was cutting the tail and head thinking ....but its so sad.....until he "slipped off the sweater" and i instantly saw "baked rabbit leg" yum :)

(oh and for anybody complaining about now...... i didnt tell you to click through the link and unless you are a life long vegetarian-Hi Dale-....where do you think the packaged meats in your supermarket come from...?)

www.Tent.io

This is the most critical two lines in the entire www.tent.io FAQ

Q. What can Tent users do that they could not on other social networks?
A. Tent users can take their relationships–the users they follow and the users who follow them–and their content with them

And thats why for a lot of people....this is going to be interesting.


Cheers,
Dean

Online support "Good" criticism "Bad"

I hear Orwell rolling in his grave - http://www.guardian.co.uk/uk/2012/sep/20/police-killings-arrest-cregan-facebook

Hey UK pollies, it was a criticsm on society not a fucking training manual.

Music for the 47%ers

Lol, that was quick, went to a Jill Sobule concert tonight and she had a song with lyrics about the 47%ers - music for the rest of us :)

This song was a different one but the one that i whipped my phone out for as was great to see it live (BTW Jill dont believe VH1 you've got a plethora of hits :)

Twitter is the Benjamin Button of apps

Twitter to Dump Third-Party Image Hosts From Apps

Twitter will reportedly stop supporting third-party image hosts on its official apps. The changes will likely roll out in the next round of updates, according to a Buzzfeed source. Currently, users are able include photos in their tweets that are hosted by Twitter’s own official photo service, as well as third-party websites such as Twitpic and yfrog.
- http://mashable.com/2012/09/18/twitter-third-party-image/

i hope developers not only consider their future involvement with Twitter but with any of the other new companies the founders develop.......(square etc)

You know I saw a comment the other day that sums it up


Andrey Petrov- https://plus.google.com/109834643338395014064/posts/A9Fk7bsCA1B#109834643338395014064/posts/A9Fk7bsCA1B

Twitter is the Benjamin Button of startups.

Born out of wisdom and insight in our daily social behaviour, completely changing the way we communicate. Soon grown into a heroic Atlas, holding up the world of third-party developers on its shoulders, thriving as the platform rises along with thousands of apps and services transforming the experience. Dusk approaches when Twitter sheds its desire to leave a mark on humanity and finds itself destined to die as a single-feature web-based MVP. A sparkle in a developer's eye.


Cheers,
Dean

Weeds finale

Wow, Wow, Wow - just watched the final ever episode of Weeds. Love it, made me cry and happy at the same time.


Thanks Showtime and all the crew, its been fun watching over the years.

startup location selection costs

Any thoughts?
- http://www.sramanamitra.com/2012/09/14/india-vs-silicon-valley-a-saas-y-war/
Do we need to be here in NYC? Should we all be moving to Boulder Colorado?

Security issues for "wifi - on the chip"

What are peoples thoughts on the security issues raised by “wifi on the chip”.
- http://arstechnica.com/information-technology/2012/09/intel-researchers-put-wifi-inside-the-processor-that-is

Eg at the moment I know the only way to get “access” to my desktop pc is via the Ethernet cable, and or the usb/ps2 ports etc.

With developments like this where there is wifi on the chip itself who’s to say I can still protect “all vector points”

Any thoughts?

Stephen Conroy doesnt "own" the internet

Lol can someone let Stephen Conroy know Australia doesnt own the internet.

http://www.abc.net.au/news/2012-09-13/conroy-takes-swipe-at-arrogant-twitter/4259868

Last time i checked Twitter inc was a USA based company and as such only needed to follow the laws of the USA.

As appalled as he is (hows the great firewall of Australia going stevie?) can you imagine if Saudi Arabia decided tomorrow that all Australian companies needed to follow the rules and laws of its country?

Talk about "acting above the law stevie".

What a moron, why is no one in the press telling him he's an idiot and laughing at him?


Cheers,
Dean

Bezos scum

And this folks is why Amazon sold out its customers in the recent issues around collecting sales tax.


They knew they were planning on setting up distribution points throughout the country so lets screw up the non representation sales tax issues and screw up the market for other online marketing firms before we make the change.
- http://www.nytimes.com/2012/09/12/technology/amazon-forced-to-collect-sales-tax-aims-to-keep-its-competitive-edge.html?_r=1&partner=rss&emc=rss

Jeff Bezos is scum.

Theater is Evil

Amanda Palmers "Theatre Is Evil" cd is launching tomorrow. I invested in the kickstarter campaign so have the sneak peak downloaded version and listening to it now!!!!


play it loudly, banishing evil and saving the people :)

http://www.facebook.com/amandapalmer/posts/206993516097802

Wa Wa Nee

Just picked up a second hand copy of Wa Wa Nee from Amazon   

lol feel like getting a blond root perm and heading down to Tramps in my acid wash jeans. Its amazing how i can still remember all the lyrics this many years later.

Blu Ray promised fail to deliver?

Has anyone read the review of various Blu Ray players out there in the market on Amazon etc. Seems like not a single vendor is seen as a winner and reliable?


Reviews are littered with the dead souls of hope, broken promises and frustration.

You know i cant remember DVD being such a big an issue after this many years of release.

Why do you think there are so many upset Blu Ray users? Are you happy?

YASP

I’m starting a list of Yet Another Shit Patent, if you think I’m wrong with my Yasp call then fire back but here is the first on the list
http://search.slashdot.org/story/12/09/06/1738235/google-patents-profit-maximizing-dynamic-pricing

WTF!!!! how is dynamic pricing something that a patent can be awarded on????

Mario Dragi gets a blank cheque

Can someone please explain to me how Mario Dragi can have an "unlimited backstop" ....oh my....time to buy guns and gold if you ask me.


Inflation is going to run away in 2013....wake up people you arent better off inflation is just making it look that way.

- http://www.reuters.com/article/2012/09/06/us-ecb-eurozone-bondplan-idUSBRE8850LW20120906

Julie Kathryn releases first video

Outstanding video to go with this amazing song - http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Ub88RkzJU7M
Super slick look and feel considering this is her first video.

Its been amazing to watch this talent evolve over time - i challenge anyone to suggest this isn't on par with Julee Cruise etc (have a listen to "Summer kisses" or the "Falling" sound track from Twin Peaks).

Diaspora dissipates

http://techcrunch.com/2010/06/02/diaspora-project


Wow...now can someone please tell me where the $200k went???

Is this the new web 3.0 dotcom model....raise a truckload of money from kickstarter from the general public and then move on when you get bored and have siphoned the money out.....

Underworld 1992-2002

Listening to Underworld 1992-2002 cd this afternoon, found it in one of the drawers while cleaning up and cant remember the last time i listed to this cd (if ever since moving to NY).

The part that is blowing my mind is as soon as the track starts i know it or remember bits and pieces of the lyrics from deep dark nights in my brain, its like my synapses are on fire at the moment.

There really is something that happens to your brain during its teenage years that is indelible even if you dont realise it.

Metric system

Seriously enough already....when is the USA going to join the metric system.


Just spent 15 minutes looking for a 3 axis part with a 5/8th , 11/16th and a 1 1/4 dimensions.....this is stupid.

Are you "in the Tent"

Any thoughts?

http://tent.io/blog/introducing-tent

I’ve often wondered why Twitter isn‘t replaced with rss 3.0 where you have the ability to repost other rss posts and query other rss feeds that a person follows etc along with single click follow….its exactly like rss with standards around length of title and ownership information (real name/username, ip address, time zone etc)

Due Process...lol whats that?

Federal authorities have seized three domains which they believe are involved in the illegal distribution of pirated Android apps. The three domains are www.applanet.net , www.appbucket.net and www.snappzmarket.com. Anyone visiting those sites will now see this alert:

Beware me mateys there are “Privateers” abound.
Yet again no trial/due process here….its yet another .com Peurto80 seizure - https://www.eff.org/sites/default/files/filenode/puerto80_v_US/rojaamicus92311.pdf  

I wonder if domain registrars are seeing a huge drop in .com registrations for “non hollywood controlled” domain suffixes.

Mobile Carrier net neutrality

watching the kerfuffle over access to apps depending on which data plan you signed up with....(lol sorry you dont understand we want you to pay for an unlimited plan...we just dont want you to actually use any of that data).

http://www.bgr.com/2012/08/22/att-defends-facetime-cellular-policy/
and
http://attpublicpolicy.com/fcc/enabling-facetime-over-our-mobile-broadband-network/?sf5668469=1


I thought this was the best and most appropriate comment

- Thanks for the clarification Bob. It sounds like we need to redo the net neutrality requirements to make them truly neutral.
Fred Tsongas August 22, 2012 at 1:25 pm

LOL made me chuckle.

I dont know how many times this has to be said dont offer LIFETIME, UNLIMITED, ALL YOU CAN EAT unless you are going to stand behind your words.


Cheers,
Dean
p.s. in other news... T-Mobile announced they are going to start offering unlimited data plans again.

Houzz

Absolutely addicted to www.Houzz.com at the moment
eg. http://www.houzz.com/stairs-white-wood/

Amazon Glacier

Data stored in Glacier takes three to five hours to access.


Files stored via Glacier have an annual durability of 99.999999999 percent, according to Amazon; this means that if a company uses it to hold 100 billion objects, it can expect to lose one each year

The numbers stack up that if you start with 100GB then add 10GB/month, it would cost $102.60 after 3 years on AWS Glacier vs $1,282.50 on AWS S3.

- http://www.zdnet.com/amazon-launches-glacier-cloud-storage-hopes-enterprise-will-go-cold-on-tape-use-7000002926/?s_cid=452


So the question has to be asked to replace your tap backup for $100 over 3 years…..do you trust Amazon with your data now? Is it worth the risk to store it offsite where you don’t control access with a 1 in 10billon chance you could lose data over 10 years.

What do people think?

Instacart

Am I wrong to call them out like this?

http://techcrunch.com/2012/08/18/how-instacart-hacked-yc/?fb_comment_id=fbc_10152045958460607_35034362_10152046203570607
lol yep... in dotcom 1.0 with Kozmo .....but i guess no one here is old enough to remember this anymore......

Its almost like why bother coming up with revolutionary new ideas, you can just get old ideas funded without even serious consideration as to why it failed first time around.



Cheers,
Dean

Twitter jumped the shark today

I just received the Twitter developer update via email a few hours ago, most of it wont make sense unless you are a developer but needless to say i hereby declare the 16th of august 2012 as "twitter shark jump day"

Would the last Twitter developer out please turn off the lights when you leave.


Lol this is the beginning of the end for twitter and third party developers. Ever since MyTwitterButler received its first cease and desist it has been a game of footsies with third party developers but with these new rules why would you bother.

If you haven't come across multiple articles etc abotu the ramification check this out http://thenextweb.com/twitter/2012/08/17/twitter-4/ but the basics are this "thanks for building our userbase....we are now going to screw you....have a nice day".

Wonder how Square and other Dorsey startup companies/users feel.


Cheers,
Dean

Instagram

‎...you know 10 years from now people are going to look back on instagram photos with these filters and think....wtf were we thinking?

Blood sucking patents

lol the irony of quoting malaria in their riposte

http://gigaom.com/2012/08/11/malaria-is-no-excuse-for-patent-trolling-mr-myhrvold/



http://www.stanford.edu/dept/law/ipsc/Paper%20PDF/Feldman%20&%20Ewing%20-%20Paper.pdf
With a great deal of digging, we were able to locate 1276 shell companies and related entities that
appear to be associated with Intellectual Ventures.20 These companies hold approximately 8000 US
patents and 3000 pending US patent applications. We do not believe that we have found all of the
shell companies.

NZ you dissapoint me

Watch the Kim Dotcom police raid footage here-  http://on.fb.me/Qgzyd0
This is abhorrent and scary.

Alway do new things

Nice :)



- http://joelrunyon.com/two3/an-unexpected-ass-kicking
“I guess, I’ve always believed that nothing is withheld from us what we have conceived to do. Most people think the opposite – that all things are withheld from them which they have conceived to do and they end up doing nothing.” - Russell Kirsch

How can you prevent Phishing sites copying your content?

How can companies like Twitter prevent “Phishing sites” from occurring


eg
http://199.59.148.206/deancollins - Fake
http://Twitter.com/Dean.Collins     - Real

Are there automated solutions that can be implemented (eg searching for duplicate content to your own), are there firewall rules to prevent content being spidered?

Once you find a fake phishing site….then what? If its not in a country friendly or “responsive” to your demands that the host remove the content then what can you do if you are Twitter in this instance?

lol - death of a tree

i randomly found this while reading the web this morning. i've update the details in the comments.
http://brooklynheightsblog.com/archives/45094

lol cant decide if some people have too much time on their hands...or if its kind of cute someone cared enough to mkae the effort.

Intelligence Squared debate

Watching Intelligence Squared debates, amazed to learn ethanol requires 5,000 gallons of water per 1,000,000 btu - fracking requires only 2

Verizon asks U.S. Government for permission to edit the Internet

http://www.bgr.com/2012/07/11/verizon-net-neutrality-fcc-lawsuit
Court documents filed earlier this month with the United States Court of Appeals provide insights into Verizon’s complaints with the Federal Communications Commission over its Open Internet Order. The carrier sued the FCC earlier this year in an effort to have the order reversed and as Media Matters reports, one of Verizon’s legal arguments is questionable at best.



this got knocked down right? no freaking way can this be allowed to pass!

Design Within Reach

Oh Design Within Reach who are you kidding..... yes $5777 for for a sofa is such a deal....(not)

lol, i feel sorry for the tree that got cut down for this to be printed on, totally wasted.

App.net

Interesting idea, developers first and last


https://join.app.net/

http://thenextweb.com/twitter/2012/07/31/we-cant-entrust-twitter-with-the-future-of-the-real-time-web

I wonder if twitter could be powered (just computing/storage/power/salaries) for $100 a year per developer?

Join the Movement at join.app.net from AppDotNet on Vimeo.

Shakespears Sister

Listening to Shakespears Sister while working, its amazing how music can bring back long forgotten memories, thinking of open windows and cat suits - fun times/bad times maybe....but memorable times none the less.

yet again Twitter screws over their developer base

http://techcrunch.com/2012/07/30/twitter-clickable-ticker-symbols/
Twitter is essentially introducing a new hashtag — or what is being called a “cashtag.” Instead of the ubiquitous “#”, the addition of the symbol “$” added in front of any ticker will instantly provide context for that stock, aggregating all tweets that use the ticker under one label. Twitter gives the example of “$GE” — General Electric’s ticker symbol — although this will obviously work for any company, like Apple ($AAPL) or Google ($GOOG), allowing users to peruse conversations happening around those stocks in realtime.


Twitter’s new feature closely resembles functionality that StockTwits has boasted for some time now


Considering Twitter has been telling developers "DO NOT COPY OUR FUNCTIONALITY WITH END USER CLIENTS" for the last year or so yet proving another way that Twitter is an "idea" and does not have the management depth to run it as a "long term" company

The fact that pretty much every developer i know (including myself) has zero interest in building apps against Twitter anymore prooves that they've screwed the pooch.