The Realm

Pray for Rain

2006-07-26T13:23:00.000-07:00

Over at Dispatches from the Culture Wars (Link), Ed posts an interesting story about a Town in Texas who is passing a resolution asking the residents to pray for rain. Seriously. He makes an interesting correlation between the town praying & Native Americans. Go to his site to read it & get the link to the news story. Fucking Texas.

(Link - Dispatches from the Culture Wars)

First, YouTUBE - now, PornTUBE !

2006-07-25T20:17:00.000-07:00

PornoTube (Note: NOT WORK SAFE), which integrates YouTube-like features, is the most recent example of the trend. While YouTube has a clear policy banning porn, PornoTube has a policy that is just the opposite.

read more | digg story

UFO's & the moon...

2006-07-25T20:05:00.000-07:00

From unknowncountry.com...

In the documentary "Apollo 11: The Untold Story," shown on Britain's Channel Five on Monday night, July 24, astronaut Buzz Aldrin says he, Neil Armstrong and Michael Collins all saw a UFO shadowing their spacecraft. Apollo 11, which took off on July 16, 1969, was the first manned mission to the moon. Aldrin says, "There was something out there, close enough to be observed, and what could it be?"

In the documentary, he says, "Now, obviously the three of us weren't going to blurt out, 'Hey, Houston, we've got something moving alongside of us and we don't know what it is,' you know? We weren't about to do that, because we knew that that those transmissions would be heard by all sorts of people and somebody might have demanded we turn back because of aliens or whatever the reason is." He says NASA knew about the UFO but covered up the information.

(Link - unknowncountry.com)

So, you know, the truth is out there.

2D Counter-Strike

2006-07-25T14:52:00.000-07:00

Features
- Online Gaming (WWW & Lan)
- Offline Gaming with and versus Bots
- A lot of different Weapons
- Different Missions such as Hostage Rescue or Bomb Planting
- 3D accelerated Special FX
- 3D Sounds
- Fog of War for tactical Gaming
- Entity System
- Console & Scripting
- Easy to use Map Editor
- U.S.G.N. (Unreal Software Gaming Network) Support

Finally, you can pwn n00bs in 2D! Ya! More to follow once I download it.

(Link - Counter-Strike 2D)

MMmmm.... Pot.

2006-07-25T12:52:00.000-07:00

From the AP...

Police in France said they had thwarted an attempt by a group of marijuana smokers to roll the world's longest joint by seizing a work-in-progress measuring 80 centimetres (32 inches) in length.

(Link - AP)

Congressman jokes about coke!!

2006-07-25T10:03:00.000-07:00

From Yahoo! & my girlfriend...

WEST PALM BEACH, Fla. - Democratic Rep. Robert Wexler (news, bio, voting record) says he was just playing along with the joke when comedian Stephen Colbert prodded him in an interview to say: "I enjoy cocaine because it's a fun thing to do."

The Florida congressman who is unchallenged for re-election appeared on Colbert's Comedy Central show and was asked to say a few things that would "really lose the election for you if you were contested."

Colbert asked the congressman to complete this sentence: "I enjoy cocaine because ... "

A bemused Wexler looked into the camera and said, "I enjoy cocaine because it's a fun thing to do."

A follow-up in the complete-the-sentence questioning led to this comment: "I enjoy the company of prostitutes for the following reasons ... because it's a fun thing to do. If you combine the two together, it's probably even more fun."

Ahh cocaine is one hell-of-a-drug! Hell-of-an-awesome drug!! Wait, it's bad...
Anyhoo, funny!
Thanks baby!
(Link - Yahoo!)

Monday's suck.

2006-07-24T17:30:00.000-07:00

Nothing interesting today... Well, nothing I feel like posting. Hopefully the 3-4 people who semi-regularly visit me wont be to disappointed.

Hopefully tomorrow will be better ... or later tonite... But probably tomorrow.

-P-

BuyIraq currency for fun & profit.

2006-07-23T14:49:00.000-07:00

This could be the greatest website I've found in recent history. Seriously. Are you ready gamble on an international scale? Are you ready to gamble that the Dinar will rebound against the dollar? If so, have we got a site for you. It's called, seriously, "Bet On Iraq".
Here's a snipet from the Main Page... It explains it better...

Astounding currency devaluation.
After years of trade sanctions, and rampant counterfeiting, the Iraqi Dinar has plummeted from its pre-Gulf War value of over USD$3, to mere fractions of one US cent. What was once the equivalent of more than $82,500, can now be purchased for less than $50. Can Iraq's economy achieve, in a free market, what it once achieved under a brutal dictatorship? We don't know yet. But we know she is not alone in her effort to do so.
Might a free Iraq thrive?
Above and beyond the vast oil reserve, agriculture, and highly educated population, there is now liberty in Iraq. We believe that where liberty is sown, prosperity blooms.

We understand that liberty is always challenged. It's challenged regularly in our own country. Why should a fledgling democracy, on the heels of a 30 year dictatorial rule, be immune?

We simply trust that the seed of freedom, implanted more than two years ago with the fall of Saddam's regime, has germinated in the hearts of the majority of the Iraqi people. We see this as a wondrous thing, with tremendous possibilities.

The free world is behind Iraq.
Thirty-eight nations have reduced the debts owed to them in an effort to bolster Iraq's economy. Billions of dollars are being invested by international firms to create Iraqi markets. 18 billion dollars has been given to Iraq by the US State Department to rebuild the nation's infrastructure. They are receiving aid monetarily, militarily or both, from most of the countries in the free world.

So, I'll consider it. But given the grave circumstances that envolope that country, I think a 10 cent raise against a weak dollar isn't going to cut it.
(Link - Bet On Iraq)

Electric Sports Car...

2006-07-23T14:06:00.000-07:00

Tesla Motors is a Silicon Valley start-up founded by Martin Eberhard and Marc Tarpenning which set out to to one thing - to design a sports car that would go as fast as a Ferrari or Porsche, but run on electricity.

The name Tesla is a tribute to genius inventor Nikola Tesla, a Serbian-born American inventor, electrical engineer, and scientist whose many inventions include the induction motor and alternating-current power transmission. He also did experiments with wireless power transmissions. Anyone here who has played C&C: Red Alert would have been warmed up to the name.

Their first production vehicle is the Tesla Roadster, which looks so much like a Lotus Elise that people have begun calling it an electric Elise. What makes the Tesla tick?

The Tesla Roadster is an electric powered sports car, with juice supplied by 6,831 rechargeable lithium-ion batteries, the same stuff that powers your notebook computer. Battery life is expected to be in excess of 100,000 miles or 161,000 kilometers. It’s got a range of 400 kilometers per charge for mostly highway driving. 100km/h is achievable from a standstill in about 4 seconds and the car has a top speed of over 209km/h.
(Link - paultan.org)

Gaze into my eyes...

2006-07-21T17:29:00.000-07:00

from the globeandmail.com...

Imagine entering a mood-lit room full of appealing singles," coos the posting on Craigslist.

"You pair up with one of them, but instead of yammering about your job, you sit for two minutes and gaze deeply into your partner's eyes, without talking, over alluring world beats. Then you switch . . . and switch again until you have peered right into the souls of 15 new people in a single night."

It's the latest in novelty dating in Toronto: eye gazing parties.

"I started it as a way for people to end up in long-term relationships," laughs Michael Ellsberg, a book editor and salsa instructor who started the parties in New York, "but people were just hooking up."

Mmm... Sound exciting... I get the premise -- I just think it will boil down to who's hot & who's not.. I stare at my girlfriend sometimes just to make her uncomfortable!
(Link - theglobeandmail.com)

TMNT

2006-07-20T18:00:00.000-07:00

A new movie. It's on the Apple site so you'll have to download the trailer & play it with Quicktime. Do it. Now.
(Link - TMNT via Apple.com)

I just watched it, looks freakin' awesome. It's all CG -- no dudes running around in rubber turtle suits this time! I edited this because I know there are people out there just dying to know what I think about this... Ohya, 2007 sometime. I don't know, if you actually watch the goddamn thing you'll see the date at the end.

The Fucking Big Lebowski

2006-07-20T13:07:00.000-07:00

More reasons why both The Big Lebowski & the word Fuck are fucking awesome!

xkd - webcomics

2006-07-20T11:31:00.000-07:00

Photo of the day: Israeli kids sends gifts of love to Arab kids

2006-07-18T16:35:00.000-07:00

These pictures speak for themselves... This was posted on BoingBoing but I think it's ok that I dupe them.
(Link - Sabbah's Blog)

Oprah's not gay!!

2006-07-17T12:25:00.000-07:00

From my girlfriend & Yahoo! News...

NEW YORK -
Oprah Winfrey and her friend Gayle King want to be clear: they're not gay.

In the August issue of O, the Oprah Magazine, the talk-show host explains that some people misunderstand her close friendship with King.

"I understand why people think we're gay," she says. "There isn't a definition in our culture for this kind of bond between women. So I get why people have to label it — how can you be this close without it being sexual?"
(Link - Yahoo!)

I don't know if I even need to make a joke about it. Good for her...

Goverment spies on anti-war group... wha? no?!?! Really?!

2006-07-17T09:09:00.000-07:00

From U-wire.com...

Newly surfaced government surveillance reports reveal that the U.S. Department of Defense monitored anti-war and anti-military e-mails sent by University of California-Berkeley students in April.

The students' e-mails contained plans to host a campus protest against the war in Iraq and against the presence of military recruiters on campus.

The reports, released on June 15 following a Freedom of Information Act request filed by the Servicemembers Legal Defense Network in January, contained information copied from an e-mail circulated by student group UC Berkeley Stop the War Coalition regarding a protest planned for April 21, 2005 on Sproul Plaza.
(Link - Uwire)

There are two ways to look at this. The most important one is that I think the government could be spending its' time & money on watching people who pose a real threat, not Berkeley students. Not any students... The second issue I have is why is this news? Well, it's not really that much news because I found it on U-wire -- not CNN. I could be REALLY sarcastic and say that the student group should be encrypting their shit a little better.

Sucking can be fun!!1!!!!

2006-07-17T08:58:00.000-07:00

From Wired.com....

I suck at Super Monkey Ball bowling. It's a simple game: You aim a little ball with a tiny monkey down a surrealist bowling lane, which floats in outer space. Aim with precision and the monkey sends the pins flying. Put too much English on the ball and it goes sailing off the edge of the lane, the monkey shrieking as it plummets through the void.

Last week I tried the game for the first time, and quickly discovered that I had zero kung fu. Time after time, I sent the poor monkey wailing off into outer space. Like I said: I suck.

But here's the thing: According to a new scientific study (.doc), I was nonetheless having a really good time. Failing at a game, the study argues, can be just as pleasant as succeeding.

(Link - Wired)

So remember this shit when you get pwn3d on XBOX Live by somebody called GoldenGod503.... Though I completely disagree with this article... Especially when I play Super Smash Bros. at work & lose. I do not get the same happy feeling as when I win. But, it's an interesting article.

Angry football manager...

2006-07-17T08:54:00.000-07:00

Che is a tool...

2006-07-17T08:38:00.000-07:00

Tired of kids wearing those goddamn Che shirts all over?? Fight back with your own type of Che shirt -- thus still making you cool because you're wearing one, but making you cooler, than everyone else because yours makes fun of thiers. Got it? By the way, here's what Che (Link) was all about... You know, it's at least 80% accurate! Thanks Wikipedia...

(Link - Che-Mart)

To bad teh pictures are all fucked up...

Taking a break...

2006-07-14T10:16:00.000-07:00

Gotta take a break till Monday.. To much going down at work... Making deals!

Stay Classy Bay Area!

Star Trek in your town!

2006-07-13T08:33:00.000-07:00

From MetropolitanHybrid...

Metropolitan Talent, Inc. and Special Entertainment Events (SEE) Touring Productions, Inc. announced today that they will partner as the North American tour producers of Star Trek: The Tour, a 35,000 square foot traveling exhibition commemorating the 40th Anniversary of the legendary franchise. Star Trek: The Tour is slated to launch this December and travel throughout North America for the next five years visiting approximately 40 cities, one month at a time. For the first time, CBS Consumer Products has exclusively licensed the STAR TREK franchise as a new touring exhibit to travel in the United States and around the world.

Need I say more? I mean, it's freaking Star Trek... I hope it stops in the Bay Area... I know I'll be lined up for it & dragging my lovely girlfriend along!

(Link - MetropolitanHybrid)

Homeland Security... only in America.

2006-07-12T15:03:00.000-07:00

From CBSnews.com...

(CBS/AP) A Homeland Security database of national monuments, chemical plants and other structures vulnerable to terror attacks is too faulty to accurately help divide federal funds to states and cities, according to the department's internal watchdog.

Much of the study by Homeland Security Inspector General Richard Skinner (.pdf) appears to have been completed before the department announced in May it would cut security grants to New York and Washington by 40 percent this year. But the report, which was released Tuesday, affirmed the fury of those two cities — the two targets of the Sept. 11, 2001, attacks — which claimed the department did not accurately assess their risks.

Instead, the department's database of vulnerable critical infrastructure and key resources included an insect zoo, a bourbon festival, a bean fest and a kangaroo conservation center. They represent examples of key assets identified in Florida, Illinois, Indiana, and Maryland.

Ya. That's our tax dollars at work. What the fuck?!?!? Dude!

(Link - CBSnews.com)

Vive Zidane!

2006-07-12T13:02:00.000-07:00

Abstract of latest Google Patent.

2006-07-12T11:05:00.000-07:00

The relevancy of ads may be increased, and opportunities to serve an ad that might otherwise be missed may be exploited by (i) accepting broad targeting information, to be used for serving an ad, from an advertiser, (ii) serving the ad using the broad targeting information, (iii) logging search query terms (or some other information, such as concepts, concept keywords, etc.) associated with the serving of the ad, and (iv) generating one or more candidate targeting keywords or phrases for the ad using the logged search query terms. At least one of the candidate targeting keywords or phrases may be provided as targeting information for the ad. Alternatively, at least one of the candidate targeting keywords or phrases may be presented to the advertiser. Advertiser input with respect to the candidate targeting keyword(s) or phrase(s) presented may then be accepted. Zero or more of the candidate targeting keyword(s) or phrase(s) may be provided as targeting information for the ad, in accordance with the accepted advertiser input. Cost information (e.g., average cost per selection, average cost per conversion, total costs, etc.) may be presented in association with the candidate targeting information.

Mmm... That sounds terrific. I was going to write here what I thought they were patenting, but instead, I'll leave it up to reader interpetation.

(Link - United States Patent Application)

Bettie Page is pictured because the article would be really fucking boring without a little light bondage in it!

Pictures from North Korea

2006-07-12T09:08:00.000-07:00

Amazing pictures from some guy who visited North Korea on vacation.

(Link - Wandering CAmera)

The only funny part of the last Dave Chapelle.

2006-07-11T18:50:00.000-07:00

The Zidane head-butt game.

2006-07-11T13:53:00.000-07:00

There doesn't seem to be a point to this .. but it's inevateable something like this would appear.. I'm sure it's not the only one either.
(Link)

Because this is such a funny photo....

2006-07-11T10:20:00.000-07:00

I'll recycle my joke about it.
Now that's a HUGE bitch!

That's it.. no story here.. Just posting a picture.

Paris gives up sex... Ya, I read Dlisted...

2006-07-11T10:14:00.000-07:00

Why do I care? I don't... She claims in the article that she doesn't do one-night-stands & that she needs to rediscover herself. I think I could be famous just for being famous... Though I lack the drama to keep it interesting for the millions, and millions of fans that would constantly chant my name!
(Link - Dlisted)

Moonbase Alpha House...

2006-07-11T08:21:00.000-07:00

This person is modeling a house after 60's science fiction movies. The about (Link) section of the website explains this person's love of science fiction after going to the world's fair in 1967.
(Link - Space1999)

Ghost Problem?

2006-07-11T08:15:00.000-07:00

Speaking of "activist judges"...

NEW DELHI - Malevolent ghosts stealing your chickens and torturing you in the night? Who you gonna call? For farmer Sunil Das, his first call was the police, who laughed at what they thought was a joke, the Hindustan Times newspaper reported Tuesday.

But a judge in India's northeastern state of Assam saw little humor in Das' allegation that ghosts controlled by his neighbors were making off with his poultry at night. Instead of laughing, the judge ordered police to get to work and find the culprits, the newspaper reported.
(Link - Yahoo! News)

Addicted to Weed?!? Me either...

2006-07-10T13:50:00.000-07:00

These people are serious.

Marijuana Anonymous is a fellowship of men and women who share our experience, strength, and hope with each other that we may solve our common problem and help others to recover from marijuana addiction.

I think this is the right time to quote from the Cinematic achievement known as Half Baked (Link).

Recovering Drug Addict 1 - "You in here for some marijuana? Marijuana? Man, this is some bullshit!
Recovering Drug Addict 2 (Bob Saget) - "Marijuana is not a drug. I used to suck dick for coke.
Recovering Drug Addict 1 - "I seen him!"
Recovering Drug Addict 2 - "Now that's an addiction, man. You ever suck some dick for marijuana?"

Thanks Wikipedia... Enough said.

I'm not even putting a link to their site.. You don't want to go there & you don't need it. Sucka!

Armed America

2006-07-10T13:43:00.000-07:00

KYLE CASSIDY is the name of the artist... On the website he says that it is not an anti or pro gun book. Just a book with people holding guns. It's not different than photographing a different group of people .. there's just a stigma associated with guns.

(Link - Armed America)

400,000 Lawyers

2006-07-10T10:31:00.000-07:00

Over at the Daily Kos...

On June 7th, Michael S. Greco, the president of the American Bar Association, gave a speech at the Commonwealth Club of California entitled "Living Within the Law: Next Steps in the War on Terror".

There are many portions of the speech on this website... I'll post one here I think it's pretty damn good.. Go over to the Daily Kos to read a more informed post about it...

Quote...
When any one branch of government attempts to place itself above or usurp the constitutionally-mandated roles of the other branches, our democracy is threatened.

We have now reached a point where all Americans must ask themselves whether these practices of our government are isolated and unconnected, or whether they form a pattern that threatens the very foundations of the rule of law in the United States.

When 400,000 Lawyers start questioning the government openly, shouldn't you?

(Link - Daily Kos)

Tattoo Boots

2006-07-10T10:25:00.000-07:00

Looks like he had his +12 Boots of Escaping* bound to his body.

Ok, not really... It's a tattoo that belongs to Mike "Jazzdemon" Jones...
(Link - Body Modification Ezine)

*Nothing like a little D&D humor to start your week with!

Make the world a better place by buying out one of the worst games ever

2006-07-09T16:49:00.000-07:00

Shaq-Fu, a video game made for Genesis, SNES, Game Gear, and Game Boy must be eliminated for everyone to feel at peace. Shaqfu.com's mission is to LIBERATE all the copies of Shaq-Fu from existence by buying them from anyone who owns the game, including local console retailers, Ebay merchants, normal citizens, and the like.

read more | digg story

Godzilla's Journal

2006-07-07T15:42:00.000-07:00

GODZILLA'S JOURNAL.
BY SEAN HEWLETT

via McSweeney's Internet Tendency (Link):

June 8—Confused today about my place in this world. Am I the protector of Tokyo or the destroyer? Sometimes I just don't know. I've smashed more than my share of buildings, but I've also vanquished a ton of other monsters. Therapist suggests these vanquishings have more to do with me staking my claim to my territory and with feelings of vulnerability when challenged than with playing the hero role. Must remember to stop putting off smashing of therapist's office building. Also, mixed reactions of Japanese add to confusion. Which is it—"Oh, no! Godzilla! Run!" or "Thank goodness, Godzilla will save us from Rodan"?

June 9—It's my weekend to have Minilla. The divorce still hits me pretty hard, but these weekend visitations are always uplifting. Of course, I always get some crap from Helen on Mondays about my parenting methods. "I don't approve of you teaching him the fire-breath attack at such a young age, and I definitely don't approve of you stomping on his tail when he couldn't do it right away." Will she ever understand that Mothra isn't going to wait until a certain age to attack? That kid needs to be ready now.

Well written post... Check out the rest of the month.

(Link - McSweeney's Internet Tendency)

PC vs MAC done Best Week Ever Style.

2006-07-07T13:58:00.000-07:00

Ahh... Funny. I love my Alienware.

Who owns content created in virtual worlds?

2006-07-07T13:14:00.000-07:00

Now, I know the majority of you are saying, "Who gives a shit?" And, for the most part, I would tend to agree with you -- at this point of MMO evolution. But, as virtual worlds start to become bigger & bigger business not just for the companies who produce them, but also for the people who use them, it is a question that will have to be dealt with.
The best example of this conundrum is over at Linden Labs (Link), creators of Second Life (Link). For me, this type of MMO is not what I would consider a game. It's like the Sims. You run around, create stuff & live a life -- only virtually. In order to live this virtual life you have to cut down on your real life. So does that mean that if you're spending more of your time in the virtual life that in reality it becomes your real life while your former real life becomes something of a simulation?
Wait, wait, I digressed. The point is, people in Second Life can create stuff -- be it clothing, hairstyles, houses, etc. & then sell the afore mentioned stuff for Linden Dollars (Link - Wikipedia). These Linden Dollars then convert to green U.S of A. money & thus people can make money creating & selling stuff (Link) in Second Life.
Since they are using Linden Labs game engine, paying Linden Labs to use it, who really owns this created virtual shit? I think I asked that already, but it brings me to the website I'd like to direct you to...

Clickable Culture has an interesting post about this very topic & the only reason I'm even talking about it is because I read the article, liked it, and thought that the 3 readers of my blog would enjoy it too...

Here's a snipit to get you moist...

As with most services, usage of the virtual world of Second Life is governed by a Terms of Service agreement (also known as a "Terms of Use" agreement). Second Life's maker and maintainer, Linden Lab makes periodic changes to its Terms. In 2003, it allowed users to retain ownership rights for content created in Second Life, a move that is arguably responsible for the virtual world's steady growth.

Somewhere along the line (recently, I suspect), a clause was added to Linden Lab's Terms asserting the company's ownership over user accounts:
"3.3 Linden Lab retains ownership of the account and related data, regardless of intellectual property rights you may have in content you create or otherwise own. You agree that even though you may retain certain copyright or other intellectual property rights with respect to Content you create while using the Service, you do not own the account you use to access the Service, nor do you own any data Linden Lab stores on Linden Lab servers (including without limitation any data representing or embodying any or all of your Content)."

So that answers it for Second Life. Linden Labs pwns all your shit. No matter how creative or unique it is, they own you. Which does make sense, you are using their game, wait, not a game, their program. I'm not sure how long this will last before people start wanting to retain the rights to their own content. We shall see... Well, at least we'll read about it somewhere...

(Link - Clickable Culture)

What's that smell? Political Satire.

2006-07-07T12:53:00.000-07:00

Go to this blog now. Don't walk, run. To me it reads like the Colbert Report of blogs. There are so many ass-clown conservatives running their mouths out there & most of it has no grounding in reality. That's where this blog comes in -- pointing out the asinine rhetoric & conjecture most of the left puts out. Enjoy!

(Link - Jesus' General)

They're watching us... But not that closely.

2006-07-07T12:45:00.000-07:00

From Homelandstupidity.us...

The U.S. Air Force, completely bogged down with information overload trying to read every blog in the world, will pay $450,000 to Versatile Information Systems Inc. to have the company develop a means of sorting out the most important new information being posted to weblogs.

According to the Air Force Office of Scientific Research, the study will follow the hyperlinks in and between blogs to find what is being linked to most frequently. This will help to find the most important or newsworthy information at any point in time.

According to the Air Force Office of Scientific Research, the study will follow the hyperlinks in and between blogs to find what is being linked to most frequently. This will help to find the most important or newsworthy information at any point in time.

So, you know, don't watch what you say... This article goes on to talk about how it would be so much easier to just use digg.com (Link), Technorati (Link), or del.icio.us (Link) to follow such activity. Whatever -- another fleecing of America.

(Link - Homelandstupidity.us)

How to be a a hacker...

2006-07-07T12:39:00.000-07:00

From the website...
How Can I Become a Hacker?

It seems that more and more people every day ask this question on newsgroups, through email, and in chat rooms. There is no simple answer, since everyone must follow their own path. But there is one thing that you must have to even fathom reaching hacker status: determination. You must be willing to find information and to teach yourself. You can't rely on others, and you can't rely on school. Typing class will get you nowhere.

Not sure that reading a website is going to put you into the 31337 ranks either.. But there's some good info on here... And I enjoy reading about exploits & nerdy shit like this. So, you should too.
(Link - How to become a hacker)

Pre-Order Halo3

2006-07-07T08:52:00.000-07:00

So go get it. I hope it actually comes out then.
I know, there's no story here... I'm just dreaming!
(Link - Best Buy)

When Monogamy becomes Monotony.

2006-07-06T14:11:00.000-07:00

In this age of the internet that we find ourselves in, it's sometimes easy to forget that there is a world outside of these tubes (Link) that connect us. For the purposes of this article we're going to call this world the "Real World", not to be confused with a certain MTV show that should haven given up 10 seasons ago. In this Real World people occasionally want to meet, fall in love, get married, have kids & live happily ever after. Most people. But there are some for whom this isn't enough. They want to meet other attached people & presumably fuck. Skipping all those nuisances like talking, loving & getting to know the person. Additionally, there are single people who are looking specifically for attached people to copulate with. Now I know you dear readers & I know your hearts. I know that this is not the type of behavior your condone. But, should the spirit move you, have I found a dating site for you. It's called The Ashley Madison Agency, a place for "Women seeking Romantic Affairs - and men who want to fulfill them."
The best part is, I'm sure you're thinking, Only in America, right? Wrong. It's Canadian. Not a real country (Link)*, I know, but still our frosty neighbors to the North.
Now your probably wondering, how the hell can they justify this? And let me answer that. It doesn't matter .. This is capitalism at it's finest. But, at the very least, let's take a look at an article that's posted on their website that helps substantiate their legitimacy.
It starts, and I quote...
"For most biologists, the fact that the Rev. Jesse Jackson had an illegitimate child by one of his staffers is neither surprising nor a revelation. We've known for a long time that males from many species tend to be interested in sexual variety, particularly in having more than one partner.

Consider, for instance, this story: A missionary visited a Maori village in 19th century New Zealand and there was a feast in his honor. After the feast, the Maori chief called out, "A woman for the bishop." Noting the scowl on the prelate's face, the obliging chief roared again, even louder: "Two women for the bishop!"

Given the choice, most men would rather have two women than one (although not necessarily at the same time). And they'd rather have three than two. As Margaret Mead once pointed out, monogamy is the most difficult of all marital arrangements. For some time, biologists have had a good idea why. Men are sperm makers. Sperm are cheap and easily replaced. Unlike eggs, they do not require that the guy doing the fertilizing become pregnant, give birth and then nurse his young."

It's not a penis, it's a giant (well in my case) sperm making machine.
Now, those of you who have kept reading this far are probably wondering how I stumbled upon this gem? Is it that I am considering this & have the testicular fortitude to broadcast it to all the tubes (Link, again) of the internet? Heck no. I was reading a site called Totse (Link) about some guy's heroin addiction. Apparently that's a hard drug to quit.

(Link - Totse)
(Link - The Ashley Madison Agency)

*Yes, I used a South Park song lyric to justify calling Canada a fake country.

Wikipedia, spreading misinformation one post at a time.

2006-07-06T10:44:00.000-07:00

Ok, well, not all the time. But letting anyone & everyone edit stuff hasn't exactly gone smoothly all the time. Some examples, government tampering (Link) & the Ass-Clown Jack Thompson (Link) just to name a few. Well, with such an awesome formula as this, what better genre to create a new Wikipedia for, than politics? We all know politicians are straight shooters & that a site like this wouldn't automatically go partisan! Seriously. Any idiot that's spent even the briefest amount of time paying attention to politics knows this idea is not as sound as the powers at be would have you believe. The mission statement is located here (Link) & I'd like to quote a little from it. On July 4th, Jimmy Wales writes, "I will frankly admit right up front: I don't know how to make politics healthier. But, I believe that you do. I believe that together we can work, this very election season, to force campaigns to use wikis and blogs to organize, discuss, manage, lead and be led by their volunteers."
Right, so it's going to be all wine & roses. Finally a place to get non-partisan, independent views on all things political. After all these years of having to figure it out for myself, like the informed voter I am, I can instead just look it up. Thank GOD!
In an article on News.com (Link) Mr. Wales waxes poetic about what he hopes to accomplish, "Whoever you are and whatever you believe, you can share with me my sincere desire that the process starts to be about substance and thought, rather than style and image."
Good luck with that. Cynical? Sure. We'll keep our eyes on it.

Cancelled TV Pilot.

2006-07-05T15:12:00.000-07:00

Cancelled TV Pilot written by Robert Smigel & Conan O'Brien -- staring Adam West.

The Pirate Party US version launches...

2006-07-05T14:47:00.000-07:00

Not that anyone gives two shits about this but....

July 4, 2006 - Independence Day

On this date in 1776, the continental congress adopted a Declaration of Independence. Foremost among the colonists' complaints was the lack of representation in the government ruling over them.

In 2006, the Internet community is again faced with a lack of representation. We are forced to abide by laws drafted in cooperation with the major organizations and corporations like the MPAA & RIAA, passed by a group of politicians with no understanding of the technology or culture that has evolved from the Internet.

I like the theory of this group -- but naming it the Pirate party may not be helping your politcal legitimacy at all... It's no different than the ass-clowns who are trying to legalize pot. Most of them shouldn't be giving public speaches anywere, ever...

Have a look at their site...

(Link - Pirate Party)

Are Games Art?

2006-07-05T14:17:00.000-07:00

This issue will most likely never go away. With people on both sides of the debate arguing with various levels of logic -- I think it's a debate that may never be settled. The whole issue has been brought to the forefront of some people's minds by an article in the new Esquire Magazine. In it, Chuck Klosterman the man responsible for Sex, Drugs & Coco Puffs (Link), says, among other things, that video games have few, if any, serious critics. This coming from the guy who wrote a book that was good, but nothing you couldn't see on VH1's "I love the 90's" or "I love the 80's" or "Best Toys"... Seriously, anyone who took a pop culture class in college would have a shot at coming up with the same shit he writes about. So, given that he wrote a book about pop culture, he feels he now has the authority to decided what is and is not part of being a critic.
In the article he states that most video game criticism is merely, "without exception, it's consumer advice; it tells you what old game a new game resembles, and what the playing experience entails, and whether the game will be commercially successful. It's expository information. As far as I can tell, there is no major critic who specializes in explaining what playing a given game feels like, nor is anyone analyzing what specific games mean in any context outside the game itself."
He goes on to talk about Gone with the Wind. And how when, "Scarlett O'Hara asks Rhett Butler what she's supposed to do with the rest of her life, and he says that (frankly) he doesn't give a damn. Now, the meaning of those lines can be interpreted in many ways. However, what if that dialogue happened only sometimes?"
I think this example doesn't work in his favor. There is something very appealing to a large number of people to be able to experience a story that doesn't have a clearly defined & or predetermined outcome. A movie serves a purpose by feeding the viewer what she/he wants to see. There is no thinking involved. Even when a movie is "though provoking" it's only because of some ambiguity that makes you think about what the characters really mean. That's not difficult -- there's nothing special or unique about writing dialogue like that. Billy Shakespeare did a little of that as well as the Bible, Koran, and any other religious text you can think of.
What? You're right, dear reader, video games are becoming rather formulaic too. Though within that formula is still the opportunity to experiment. I think it's safe to say I can count on one hand the amount of decent experimental films within my life time.
So, it does matter to some extent to me that people consider video games art. I'm not even asking for "high art". Though didn't Warhol through the notion out the window when he painted fucking soup cans? Jesus H. Christ the lines have been blurred -- postmodernism is upon us and it turns out that there isn't a right answer. So, Chuck, Fuck you for daring to pontificate on what is and is not critical. I can tell you want to sell magazines & I understand. It strikes me as a Ann Coulter kind of move on your part.. But that's cool.

Check out Henry Jenkins blog for a well written discussion of this subject. I should start thinking through mine better .. But, I'm sure my 3 faithful readers will let this one slide.
(Link - The Official Web Log of Henry Jenkins)

Birthplace of the Cellphone to be demolished...

2006-07-05T10:43:00.000-07:00

Bell Labs

From Engadget...

The facility in question, one time Holmdel, New Jersey home to Bell Labs -- one of the most prolific technology innovators of the 20th century -- was owned by Lucent technologies until a recent round of asset liquidations. Barely 40 miles out of New York City, in its heydey the six-story, two million square foot campus, employed over 5,600 people who toiled away in its bowels; it became home to the work of numerous Nobel laureates, and has long since been cemented in the annals of tech history as the birthplace to some of the most important communications technologies ever conceived. And it'll soon be torn down.

That's to bad... Ya, that's all I'm going to say about the emotional weight of this situation. Engadget gives a nice history of the whole thing. Definately worth a read as the majority of us have a cellphone & it is one of the few pieces of technology we take with us practically everywhere.

(Link - Engadget)

Good to be back!

2006-07-05T10:41:00.000-07:00

I'm sifting through piles of e-mail... Starting a new project... Life returns to normal faster than I would like.

I'm in Portland, Oregon!

2006-07-01T15:26:00.000-07:00

I'm at home right now in Portland, Oregon for a friend's wedding. I think I will post some stories about my exploits when I get back. Don't fear all 3 people that read this! I will return, stronger & badder than before!

-Peter-

Why is James Dobson such a player hater?

2006-06-29T11:56:00.000-07:00

There's no good answer... It seems as though Jesus is telling him that gay people threaten his marriage. Interesting. Mr. Dobson got to write a little piece of commentary over at CNN regarding the debate (Link).
Over at Dispatches from the Culture Wars, one of my favorite blogs, Ed Brayton takes apart, piece by painfully idiotic piece, Mr. Dobson's pathetic arguement. It's worth the read (Ed's deconstruction of the piece, not the piece itself) -- look for a link at the bottom of this page.
Ed ends with a great summation...
Will Dobson's marriage suddenly blink out of existence when gays can get married? Will people stop getting married, stop having children, stop loving each other and their children? Does anyone in the world actually decide whether or not to get married based on whether other people they don't even know are or aren't allowed to get married? Of course not. Dobson just skips right to the conclusion without bothering to fill in the detail on how or why this destruction would take place. That is predictable, of course, since there is no logical argument to be made for the conclusion. And when that happens, you just have to keep repeating the conclusion over and over and over again and hope no one bothers to ask.
You sir, are a goddamn genius.
(Link - Dispatches from the Culture Wars)

The Human Caterpillar...

2006-06-29T10:14:00.000-07:00

Over at the Kircher Society (Link)there's an interesting post about a man who does not have any arms or legs. Actually, it's a post with a link to the website The Human Marvels (Link). On The Human Marvels, it talks in depth about Prince Radian, the Human Caterpillar. He performed at many sideshows & eventually worked with P.T. Barnum..
Randian had many nicknamed during his career Randian’s typical costume consisted of a striped wool garment and his main mode of transportation was writhing about on the ground in a worm-like fashion.

Enjoy the rest of the post at The Human Marvels... And look at the picture!

Your own zamboni

2006-06-29T10:11:00.000-07:00

From MSNBC.com...

EAST MONTPELIER, Vt. - Damian Renzello has been searching for smooth ice for years. Now he has created the ultimate outdoor backyard dream machine for ice lovers — the backyard Zamboni.

Renzello, who invented the Porta-Rinx, a backyard portable ice skating rink kit, and the Bambini, a pull-behind ice resurfacing unit, now has the solution for sale.

He has mounted a snow blower on the front of a four-wheel all-terrain vehicle, added an ice scraper blade underneath and mounted a water tank connected to pipes and hoses that lays down a film of water to create a glass-like finish to outdoor ice.

Probably not useful for here in the Bay Area... But in places where there's snow, and people who want smooth ice... Ya. Whatever!
(Link - MSNBC)

Fox Interactive & MySpace

2006-06-28T18:39:00.000-07:00

From CNNMoney.com 2.0...

SAN FRANCISCO (Business 2.0 Magazine) -- News Corp. executive Ross Levinsohn hadn't even heard of MySpace until he interviewed a 20-something woman who was applying for an entry-level administrative position with him back in 2004.

When he asked her what her typical day was like, she told him about the hours she spent online checking out social-networking sites, swapping photos, trading music, communing with like-minded people. She didn't watch TV, and she didn't read newspapers.
Levinsohn didn't hire her, but he did begin researching some of the websites she'd described. Ultimately he encountered an up-and-comer called MySpace.

For Levinsohn, then the head of Foxsports.com, the timing was perfect. In the spring of 2005, he was put in charge of revitalizing News Corp.'s Web efforts -and given $2 billion to do it. He promptly laid out $580 million of that on MySpace, which became the core of Levinsohn's new division, Fox (Charts) Interactive Media (FIM).

The article goes on to talk about advertising. How much money these people make.. I don't know, if what I posted is at all interesting, you'll click the link...

(Link - Business 2.0)

Japanese Girls practice Calligraphy.

2006-06-28T16:28:00.000-07:00

I know this is strange for my only post of the day... Let me explain, it's Japanese girls in bikinis, practicing calligraphy. This stuff is on TV in Japan. Once again, the United States of God Bless America is behind the times, again. I'll bet many more people in the States would be able to read & write if girls in bikinis explained it on TV. It couldn't be any worse that "So you Think You can Dance"! Think about that.

Is this guy a tool?

2006-06-27T20:51:00.000-07:00

He's been viewed 316k + times...

Pot Tea? Yes. But without the good stuff.

2006-06-27T20:40:00.000-07:00

Pot, how I love you...

This from Yahoo! News...

British heath food stores will begin selling cannabis flavored iced-tea. Sold under the label "C-Ice Swiss Cannabis Ice Tea", the beverage contains five percent of hemp flower syrup and a tiny (0.0015 percent) quantity of THC, the active ingredient of marijuana.
That's awesome... If only there was more THC. There are, as usual, detractors... Like the squares who say selling this, "...will give young people the impression that cannabis is commonplace."
Hahah!!! Ya, because young people don't already have that impression. How dare some health food store ruin that facade.. Idiots.
(Link - Yahoo! News)

Using Child Porn to erode our rights.

2006-06-27T19:14:00.000-07:00

Comcast is changing it's policy for keeping user records from 31 days to 180. They are doing this behind the veil of it helping to curtail child porn. So, the rest of us, who trafficking pictures of little Billy are now being logged as well. Reminds me of all the 9/11 rhetoric floating around. Besides, retaining Users info isn't going to fix the problem. It's not that hard, and never will be, to exist online without leaving a trace you were there... Think about it. All this is doing, like the war on drugs, is forcing everything farther underground. Why not address why child porn is so enticing to some in the first place? Could it be fostered by a culture that both allows sexual freedom and condemns it in the same breath? That's just scratching the surface of a much more heated and complicated debate.
The article goes on to quote some ass-clown from Texas as saying that "the policy of keeping Internet records only 31 days was "almost criminal" in an age of rampant online crimes targeting children." Once again, fuck everyone else, let's get that almost statistically insignificant amount of people who are trading child porn. I know that easy for me to say... But at some point isn't it all about the greater good? Isn't that why we're fighting a war? A few people die to save the rest of us? Well, a few people get away with trading child porn so the rest of us can surf without big brother watching us. Think about it. At least Comcast doesn't roll like AT&T.
(Link - Rocky Mountain News)

Yacht Rock!

2006-06-27T15:53:00.000-07:00

These videos are hillarious... This is all about light rock from the late 70's to the early 80's... It's from Channel101.com.. Check this shit out! There's 11 or more episodes of just this... Watch it.. Be amused.
(Link - Channel101)

OpenSUSE Linux Vs. Vista (Video)

2006-06-27T14:39:00.000-07:00

"Is Linux prettier than Vista? Check out Xgl on OpenSUSE"

That's all the title says on digg. Another day, another debate over OS's... Jesus fucking christ.. I'm not even going to link to the comments section because those of you that know my feelings on this know what to expect. A bunch of fanboys trying to out nerd each other as to why their system is the best... Bring back DOS bitches!

read more | digg story

%#^%&$%^(&&*^^%#%$

2006-06-27T08:47:00.000-07:00

From the Manila Standard by way of digg.com...

Ubuntu, a user-friendly version of Linux, has been running so nicely on my home personal computer that I decided to do an experiment. I wrote down a list of tasks I normally do with Windows XP and decided to see how many of them I could do on Linux.

Here’s what my list looked like: 1) Write this column; 2) Browse the Web; 3) Get new software and install it; 4) Download files; 5) Play music and video files; 6) Burn CDs; and 7) Print my documents.

Of all these, the first was the easiest. Ubuntu comes with OpenOffice.org 2.0, an excellent personal productivity suite that works much like Microsoft Office, with its own word processor, spreadsheet, database and presentation programs. It reads and writes files in MS Word, RTF and a variety of other formats, so sharing your files with colleagues who use Windows or Mac PCs won’t be a problem. Unlike earlier versions, too, the program seems to load and run much faster.

Browsing was just as easy. Ubuntu lets you take your pick from several Web browsers, including Firefox. I experienced some glitches initially with YouTube—the videos were playing without sound—but that worked itself out after I rebooted the system.
(Link - Manila Standard)

You know the Linux fanboys are all creaming in their proverbial shorts over shit like this. Why is this even a story?? You can use other operating systems -- most of us just chose not. Also, look at the shit he does... Write a column, browse the internet.... Maybe I could write a whole story about how I use open office to write documents... Here goes...

One day, I decided I would try and do the same things I do with Microsoft Office using OpenOffice. I made a list. Write a letter, write a memo... And you know what?? It worked... Wait, that wasn't much of a story... Ohya, neither is this Ubuntu one...
Let's watch the comments on digg... (Link - digg.com)

MySpace Designs...

2006-06-27T08:42:00.000-07:00

I wish I was creative. Or more creative. But alas, I'm to lazy. But I digress. This is some dude's MySpace page... Seriously. That's pretty awesome.

Thanks to our friends? over at NOCOT (Link) for posting this... Ok, really, I just found the site, they're not really my friends. I'm sure they're nice people.

Classy!

2006-06-27T08:30:00.000-07:00

From NewLaunches.com...

It seems the Mercedes CLS can be either a coupe or sedan, depending on what seems most appropriate at any given moment. To Mercedes, it's a cool coupe. But for German based super tuner it ia sedan as they have customized the Mercedes CLS making it the fastest sedan with a blistering top speed of 227 mph (362.4 km/h). Pop the hood and you will find a twin-turbo V12 engine from the latest Mercedes 600 models, tweaked to an astounding 730 hp. It also offers the fastest acceleration for any sedan zipping to 0 to 62 mph in 4.0 seconds, 0 to 124 mph in 10.5 seconds, and 0 to 186 mph in 29.5 seconds. A modified five-speed automatic transmission transfers the power to the rear wheels.

Not sure what that all means, but it looks like it makes it go faster...

(Link - NewLaunches.com)

Soccer. Thanks Fox Sports.

2006-06-26T14:28:00.000-07:00

Spelling Poems. English is Complicated & Nonsensical.

2006-06-26T14:18:00.000-07:00

WHY ENGLISH IS SO HARD TO LEARN

We must polish the Polish furniture.
He could lead if he would get the lead out.
The farm was used to produce produce.
The dump was so full that it had to refuse more refuse.
The soldier decided to desert in the desert.
This was a good time to present the present.
A bass was painted on the head of the bass drum.
When shot at, the dove dove into the bushes.
I did not object to the object.
The insurance was invalid for the invalid.
The bandage was wound around the wound.
There was a row among the oarsmen about how to row.
They were too close to the door to close it.
The buck does funny things when the does are present.
They sent a sewer down to stitch the tear in the sewer line.
To help with planting, the farmer taught his sow to sow.
The wind was too strong to wind the sail.
After a number of injections my jaw got number.
Upon seeing the tear in my clothes I shed a tear.
I had to subject the subject to a series of tests.
How can I intimate this to my most intimate friend?
I read it once and will read it agen
I learned much from this learned treatise.
I was content to note the content of the message.
The Blessed Virgin blessed her. Blessed her richly.
It's a bit wicked to over-trim a short wicked candle.
If he will absent himself we mark him absent.
I incline toward bypassing the incline.

(Link - Simplified Spelling Society: Spelling Poems)

We here at the Realm are impressed that people learn English. It makes no sense. We are all college graduates here & it's most likely very obvious that we skewer the English language on a daily basis.

The Fantastic in Art & Fiction from Cornell University.

2006-06-26T14:09:00.000-07:00

This is a site sponsored by the Cornell University Institute for Digital Collections (CIDC). It, acording to the website, "provides a visual resource for the study of the Fantastic or of the supernatural in fiction and in art."

I just like the pictures... You can read about the art too...

(Link - The Fantastic in Art & Fiction)

emo is funny. hope is funny.

2006-06-26T14:01:00.000-07:00

Check out Hope Is Emo (Link). It's "A Funny Podcast About A Sad Girl."

Google's Dark Fiber....

2006-06-26T13:55:00.000-07:00

From Eweek.com...

The market is still guessing about Google's continued purchases of "dark fiber" and what that will mean to the Internet. Yet another explanation was floated at a recent IT conference: IPv6, the next-generation Internet standard.

During a debate on the adoption of Internet Protocol Version 6 at the Burton Group's annual Catalyst conference in San Francisco, Alex Lightman, CEO of IP telephony vendor Innofone.com, offered a new reason for Google's expenditures on dark fiber.

His observation came during a dialogue on Internet addressing and the lack of support by service providers for IPv6. He is worried that the United States is focused on the present and is not addressing future needs.

According to Lightman, some service providers are preparing for IPv6. He ran down a list of companies with "slash 20" addresses.

"You know who else has a big pot of slash 20? Google," Lightman said. "Yahoo does too. It's not that service providers aren't doing it—it's the savvy service providers, with the high multiples and visionary management, that are getting ready to go into it.

I'll bet that was an entertaining conference.... Even I'm not that nerdy...
(Link - eweek)

Super Mario Brother's Room

2006-06-26T08:45:00.000-07:00

This could be one of the greatest rooms ever invented in the history of rooms. Maybe.
(Link - WebShots)

Buy this guy's Maxima...

2006-06-26T08:39:00.000-07:00

He did make himself a site to sell his car. It's very professional looking... I found this burried in the depths of digg (Link). I'm not sure why he didn't just post on Ebay... And now he's getting free advertising from me. Well, free advertising to all three people who come here.
(Link - Some Dude's Maxima)

Greenland's Ice Sheet Is Slip-Sliding Away

2006-06-25T11:22:00.000-07:00

"The Greenland ice sheet, two miles thick and broad enough to blanket an area the size of Mexico, shapes the world's weather, matched in influence by only Antarctica in the Southern Hemisphere. However, massive glaciers are deteriorating twice as fast as they were five years ago. If the ice thaws entirely, sea level would rise 21 feet."

read more | digg story

This is one crazy ass bitch!

2006-06-24T14:43:00.000-07:00

As seen on Break.com

Howdy. Fox news finally PWNS someone. Awesome. She is crazy-crazy-crazy. Another reason religion isn't what it used to be.

Happy Saturday!

2006-06-24T13:04:00.000-07:00

Mario Kart & Source .. together at last!

2006-06-23T13:10:00.000-07:00

One of the greatest Nintendo & racing games ever, combined with one of the greatest game engines ever... This should be good once it's done. It's a Mario Kart mod using the Source game engine. Awesome. Go to the website, look at the screen shots... Be amazed. (Link - mks-mod)

Bandages are funny!

2006-06-23T12:58:00.000-07:00

Enough said...

Ok, one more thing, check out the Jesus bandages (Link) too...

Thanks boingboing...

Baby got Book ... Jesus mixed with Sir-Mix-a-Lot

2006-06-22T14:39:00.000-07:00

(Link - southpaw)

Nighlife Interactive Gaming...

2006-06-22T14:09:00.000-07:00

From the website...

This is a massive multiplayer role playing game set in the world of dance clubs, private parties, and sainos. Real clubs, in some of the most exciting cities in the world, will be featured in the game. You will have access to great music, great atmosphere, be able to meet new people, and "maybe" a bit more.

Right. So, there is then, I assume, a direct correlation between people who go to nightclubs & people who play MMORPGs. Hmm... I'm not sure I see it. Could I be the only one that plays MMORPGs & doesn't go to nightclubs? Ha. I doubt it.

On to the possabilities...

The ability to level up to become an actual virtual nightclub owner.
Once you are a club owner you can design and run your own club.
You can have actual musical groups perform in your virtual club.
You can earn real world dollars from your club.

So, why not just call it nightclub tycoon & skip all the bullshit MMORPG baggage? Wait, I just had another idea... Why not open your own club in Second Life (Link)?? At least in the monstrosity of a game you can do more than just lines at a virtual nightclub.

We applied for to Beta Test the game. So, if we get in, we'll let all 4-7 of the regular Realm readers know.

(Link - NightLife)

Diamond Dave & bluegrass Van Halen = Awesomely bad!

2006-06-22T14:06:00.000-07:00

AT&T owns you... More specifically you have no privacy with AT&T.

2006-06-21T16:27:00.000-07:00

This was already posted on BoingBoing but it is so important it bears repeating here & everywhere...
Shortly, AT&T formerly SBC, will come knocking asking you to sign a new privacy policy.
Here's the first snipit from SFgate.com...

The new policy says that AT&T -- not customers -- owns customers' confidential info and can use it "to protect its legitimate business interests, safeguard others, or respond to legal process."

Awesome.. But does the awesomeness stop there? No.

The policy also indicates that AT&T will track the viewing habits of customers of its new video service -- something that cable and satellite providers are prohibited from doing.

Moreover, AT&T (formerly known as SBC) is requiring customers to agree to its updated privacy policy as a condition for service -- a new move that legal experts say will reduce customers' recourse for any future data sharing with government authorities or others.

What else is there to say? Don't use AT&T!!11!!

CLEAN YOUR HOME/CAR/COMPUTER CHEAP!!! Nice Guy Homekeeping (cupertino)

2006-06-21T15:03:00.000-07:00

A friend of the Realm posted this on Craigslist...

I am a high tech worker here in Palo Alto, looking to make some money on the side to earn extra income. (life sure is expensive in the bay area)

I live in Cupertino, but I can come to your house, within like a 60 miles radius.

Basically I can offer the following services:

Vacuum
Dusting (paying attention to detail)
Mopping
Cleaning the kitchen
Cleaning Windows

I can even wash your car!

I can even fix your computer (if you want) giving it a "tune up" by removing Spyware, updating patches, answering your computer questions.

I can help you set up a secure wireless internet connection (most are unsecure)

I can even do yard work such as mowing the lawn, and trimming bushes.

Here is the best part. I have no set price. I come, you see the hard work I do, and you pay me with what you believe is a fair price for the services.

And last of all I'm a realy nice hardworking guy.

Email me or call today!!!

408-835-0932
bpuente@yahoo.com

Do it. He's a cool cat! Yes I copied the post Exactly...

File this under waah!

2006-06-21T09:30:00.000-07:00

From gamernode...

There is a contest that is being held for female gamers and it is getting many of them all fired up. The WSVG (World Series of Video Games) has announced their quest to crown the first ever Miss World Series of Videogames. Will the contestants go head-to-head in a death match on Quake 4 or will the hopefuls go for the most frags in a 10-minute round? Not even close. If you want to enter and qualify, all that is needed is your name, address and the blazing answers to these heavily game related questions:
• Favorite Food
• Favorite Video Game
• Likes
• Dislikes
• Favorite Artist
• Favorite Movie
• Three photos of yourself

Female gamers are up in arms over the barely hidden agenda of the purpose of this event—a beauty contest. One of the most well known female gaming clans, The Frag Dolls, expressed their displeasure on their website by saying:

“$%##@!#! Is all I have to say, what the heck is this crap? How is a Miss WSVG being crowned based on a beauty contest and has nothing to do with gaming? WOW guys, you let me down on this one severely, and I know I am not going to be the only female gamer to think this…this contest has the title of a PROFESSIONAL GAMING CIRCUIT attached to it, and they don’t think that associates it with female gaming? Why not re-evaluate this contest and do something that would make this event more positive, like have a real contest for girl gamers based on all things: a complete package that includes gaming skill and knowledge."
(Link - GamerNode.com)

That's funny.. .The frag dolls, not that good. But Cute. Who the fuck are they kidding? They have a big UbiSoft contract so now they think they have some right to run their mouth? I'm not saying they're wrong, but I think this is a case of the pot calling the kettle black. Idiots. My favorite part? "what the heck is all this crap?" Hey, frag doll, say it like you mean it....

A $1 million dollar contract to play Halo 2

2006-06-21T09:22:00.000-07:00

Major League Gaming (MLG), the world's first professional video game league, today announced that it has signed the nation's leading four-man Halo 2 team, Final Boss, to a $1 million dollar contract, and Tsquared, one of the top individual pros in the world, to a $250,000 deal.

"As a side note, we here at the Realm went to college instead... Sure we played video games, and smoked a lot of pot, but we thought college was the correct choice. Instead, we could have perfected our Halo skills & pwn3d people for a living... Though to be completely fair, CounterStrike is the only true measure of a persons FPS worth..."

read more | digg story

Another Craigslist "What the fuck?!?!" Moment...

2006-06-21T09:05:00.000-07:00

From time to time we here at the Realm skim through the depths of Craigslist looking for the strange & unusual things people post there. By strange we're not talking about 3somes or Orgies or PnP or or T4? type of shit. We're talking about the stuff that would make 80-90% of the world go "What the Fuck?!?!?". Well, today, I think I found just the thing...

First, the headline:
Girls, need you help catching my husband in a sting opperation - mw4w - 36

Allright, seems as though she suspects her husband of some indiscretions & wants to end this once and for all... Well, dear readers, once again your assumptions are about to be proven wrong. Ok, well partially: you underestimate this chicks motives...

From the posting...

I know he is out having sex with other women, I have found panties and a mirror that is not mine in our house and my husband always manages to talk his way out of it. So I need a girl that is willig to go through with sleeping with him, this will be a one time thing, any proof that you can help me gather will be even better.

Ok... Fair enough...

It continues...

Here is the catch, I am not looking to get a divorce, leave him or really change what he and I have too much. What I am looking for is some leverage in our relationship, as I have screwed up before and he caught me. THere is also another guy I would like to sleep with and this proof woul dhelp me open that door a little more easily.

It's like a money shot -- only with words... That friends, is the Craigslist, "What the Fuck?!?!?" moment..

(Link - Craiglist)
Not much else that I didn't include, but if you must...

Only in the Bay Area! Limited time!

WaReZ group get's pwn3d today...

2006-06-20T17:52:00.000-07:00

From The MercuryNews.com & a the friend of the Realm that pointed this out...

Federal prosecutors announced today that two more people, including a Cupertino man, have been convicted as part of Operation Copycat, the Justice Department's crackdown on Internet piracy.

Cupertino resident Tom Leung, 53, and Ray Morada, 32, of Washington, D.C., were convicted today of conspiracy and copyright infringement charges for their participation in a `warez group.''

Warez groups are the source of the majority of pirated movies, music and software distributed and downloaded on the Internet, according to federal prosecutors.

Once a warez release group prepares a stolen work for distribution, the material is distributed in minutes to secure, top-level Internet servers throughout the world. From there, within a matter of hours, the pirated works are distributed globally, filtering down to peer-to-peer and other public file sharing networks accessible to anyone with Internet access, according to authorities.
(Link - MercuryNews.com)

I just lifted half that story... Much like a WaReZ group would... Wait, maybe not, but you can finish the article at MercuryNews if you want .. But, this is enough to get the idea... Seeya!

We're so goddamn ass-backwards...

2006-06-20T16:07:00.000-07:00

This is so fucking ignorant I just don't know where to begin. So I wont. It needs no explination.

Found on Yahoo!

WASHINGTON -
A Pentagon document classifies homosexuality as a mental disorder, decades after mental health experts abandoned that position.

The document outlines retirement or other discharge policies for service members with physical disabilities, and in a section on defects lists homosexuality alongside mental retardation and personality disorders.

Critics said the reference underscores the Pentagon's failing policies on gays, and adds to a culture that has created uncertainty and insecurity around the treatment of homosexual service members, leading to anti-gay harassment.

Pentagon spokesman Lt. Col. Jeremy M. Martin said the policy document is under review.

(Link - Yahoo! News)

Animals are gay. But that's okay!

2006-06-20T15:00:00.000-07:00

This was already posted over at BoingBoing.net (Link) but it's a really interesting read... Showing once again that being Gay is Okay! Specifically, there are many different examples of gayness in the animal kingdom. My favorite reference is to baboon "penis fencing".... Yes, you thought I was going to handle this whole subject both professionaly & maturely. Well, I'm definately not a professional... Mature? Well, depends on the day. But I digress...

From Seed...

Joan Roughgarden thinks Charles Darwin made a terrible mistake. Not about natural selection—she's no bible-toting creationist—but about his other great theory of evolution: sexual selection. According to Roughgarden, sexual selection can't explain the homosexuality that's been documented in over 450 different vertebrate species. This means that same-sex sexuality—long disparaged as a quirk of human culture—is a normal, and probably necessary, fact of life. By neglecting all those gay animals, she says, Darwin misunderstood the basic nature of heterosexuality.

Male big horn sheep live in what are often called "homosexual societies." They bond through genital licking and anal intercourse, which often ends in ejaculation. If a male sheep chooses to not have gay sex, it becomes a social outcast. Ironically, scientists call such straight-laced males "effeminate."

Giraffes have all-male orgies. So do bottlenose dolphins, killer whales, gray whales, and West Indian manatees. Japanese macaques, on the other hand, are ardent lesbians; the females enthusiastically mount each other. Bonobos, one of our closest primate relatives, are similar, except that their lesbian sexual encounters occur every two hours. Male bonobos engage in "penis fencing," which leads, surprisingly enough, to ejaculation. They also give each other genital massages.

As this list of activities suggests, having homosexual sex is the biological equivalent of apple pie: Everybody likes it. At last count, over 450 different vertebrate species could be beheaded in Saudi Arabia. You name it, there's a vertebrate out there that does it. Nevertheless, most biologists continue to regard homosexuality as a sexual outlier. According to evolutionary theory, being gay is little more than a maladaptive behavior.

Joan Roughgarden, a professor of biology at Stanford University, wants to change that perception. After cataloging the wealth of homosexual behavior in the animal kingdom two years ago in her controversial book Evolution's Rainbow—and weathering critiques that, she says, stemmed largely from her being transgendered—Roughgarden has set about replacing Darwinian sexual selection with a new explanation of sex. For too long, she says, biology has neglected evidence that mating isn't only about multiplying. Sometimes, as in the case of all those gay sheep, dolphins and primates, animals have sex just for fun or to cement their social bonds. Homosexuality, Roughgarden says, is an essential part of biology, and can no longer be dismissed. By using the queer to untangle the straight, Roughgarden's theories have the potential to usher in a scientific sexual revolution.
(Link - Seed... rest of the article)

There are 450 animal species who from time to time, gay it up a little. If I subscribed to this magazine, I'd get to know the specific species... But, I'm cheap.

File this under wacky!

2006-06-20T09:25:00.000-07:00

Over at the SciFi Blog...

The "Nokia Open" is/would be a cell phone that opens like a fan with a "scrollable touch screen," which seems to be an essential-yet-nonexistent item that would need to be invented in order for this to work. The idea is that with the push of a button the thin phone opens up, revealing a spacious screen on which buttons and menu options appear for you to manipulate with your digits. All well and good, but a cell phone that appears before you on the wings of a magical eagle would be cool too, though I'm not expecting Nokia to start marketing it anytime soon.
(Link - SciFi Tech Blog)

The Carbon Freeze Sequence

2006-06-20T09:20:00.000-07:00

From YouTube...
This sequence is from the film The Empire Strikes Back, and was made entirely with Hasbro and Kenner action figures. It is a sneak preview at the full length version I intend to make over the next few years. - (muthacomputer)

I guess my first question would be why? Isn't the original better? And are people going to want to sit through 90min. of action figures?? Ok, I might torrent it... But I wouldn't tell anyone... -the Realm

Saturn’s moons seen wearing haloes

2006-06-20T09:01:00.000-07:00

From New Scientist....

Saturn's two largest moons have been captured together in a new image from the Cassini spacecraft. The image will help mission managers refine their models of the moons' positions to better steer the spacecraft in the future.

The image was snapped on 11 June, when Cassini was about 3.6 million kilometres away from Saturn's second-largest moon, Rhea. It shows the 1528-kilometre-wide Rhea silhouetted against Titan, which is about three times as big.

The bright ring that surrounds Titan is sunlight scattered by Titan's thick atmosphere – the sun lies behind the moons in this image.

But the image was not taken solely for its aesthetic appeal. "It will help mission managers fly the spacecraft," says Alfred McEwen, a member of Cassini's imaging team at the University of Arizona.

(Link - New Scientist)

Titties & Linux.... mmmmm....

2006-06-19T19:02:00.000-07:00

(Link - Flickr Photostream)

I'm Kazakhstan & I like to complain...

2006-06-19T18:08:00.000-07:00

Viral Marketing. Looks real though... I was almost convinced... Poor Kazakhstan. Wait, Kazakh-whaa??

(Link - Kazakhstanis Against Borat)

Mario + Monopoly = Awesome

2006-06-19T17:53:00.000-07:00

I need this.
What a goddamn deal for $35.95.

This website features many different tools.

2006-06-19T17:45:00.000-07:00

This is serious. There are people out there like that. Naturally these ass-clowns are all over the story about the student in Vegas who was cut off for waxing poetic about her religious beliefs. Now, I'm not sure the entire context, but outside of giving Jesus a "shout-out" keep your religion out of our lives... It's like this, for so long people have been giving religion whatever it asks for. To the point where it's so goddamn prevasive we can't help but notice it's ugly underbelly. Uhh... We forgot what we were saying about all this jibba-jabba... Point being, Fuck this website. Idiots. More later.

(Link - StopTheACLU)

Captain's Log, stardate 4.20... hahah.. not really.

2006-06-19T17:38:00.000-07:00

Do you like Star Trek? Do you have a hard time, letting go? Do you sometimes think that your favorite science fiction character could actually be a real person? Even if you only answered yes to one of those questions, this site is for you.

It appears that Captain Jean-Luc Picard has continued to enter his Journal on Blogger. Good choice. Honestly, I can't make it through an entire post. This has nothing to do with the writing, it's excellent. It just appears that I am not as big of a fan-boy as I initially thought I was. I know plenty of people who are getting moist reading this though. Enjoy my fellow geeks, dweebs, nerds & cosplayers... Finally, an introspective look at arguably the greatest Starfleet Commander...

(Link - Captain Picard's Journal)

What kind of Speech Would Jesus Give?

2006-06-19T17:26:00.000-07:00

From the lasvegassun.com...

LAS VEGAS (AP) - The Clark County School District and free speech advocates are defending school officials' decision to cut short a high school valedictorian's commencement speech, saying the speech would have amounted to school-sponsored proselytizing.

Officials and a lawyer with the American Civil Liberties Union said Friday that administrators followed federal law when they cut the microphone on Foothill High School valedictorian Brittany McComb as she began deviating from a preapproved speech and reading from a version that mentioned God and contained biblical references.

"There should be no controversy here," ACLU lawyer Allen Lichtenstein said. "It's important for people to understand that a student was given a school-sponsored forum by a school and therefore, in essence, it was a school-sponsored speech."

I to think they should have allowed the person to finish speaking. I would have booed had I been out in the audience. And personally I find it awfully self indulgent for someone to start waxing poetic about religion during a graduation.

(Link - LasVegasSun.com)

soooooooo 31337.

2006-06-19T12:20:00.000-07:00

Man's 32,000 sex mobile messages

2006-06-19T09:09:00.000-07:00

From the bbc...

Royce Roberts, 42,from Caernarfon, made the calls sending pornographic images at a cost to him of £25,000.

The offences began after Roberts looked at chatrooms following the breakdown of a relationship, the court heard.

He admitted 15 offences of causing children to watch an indecent image. He will be sentenced on Tuesday.

Roberts, a painter and decorator, also admitted four offences of possessing indecent images of a child and another charge of causing a public nuisance by making unsolicted, voice text and video calls.

(Link - BBC)

Digg Comments are useless. And you can't mod me down for this.

2006-06-18T14:46:00.000-07:00

Have you ever taken time to read the comments section on each story on digg.com (Link)? It's pathetic... A lot of the stories are about Linux, Open Source Software, Microsoft, Mac, XBOX, PS2 or PS3, & video games. Obviously there are more subjects, but for the sake of conciseness, those will do. Ultimately the comments section spirals into a flame war between fan-boys on either side of a given topic. It's especially pathetic to watch the threads on anything Unix or Linux or Gnome or Ubuntu or Mac vs PC vs Linux; watch the comment n00bs get pwn3d(Link) (Link) (Link) (Link) (Link). What I like to imagine is it's a bunch of developers or advanced Users trying to out-nerd each other with tales prowess related to obscure operating systems. Sadly, the moment anyone says anything negative about their precious program that person gets modded down and flamed to the point they probably wont engage in comments ever again. I hope that these same developers & or advanced Users don't spend sleepless nights wondering why more people don't use these alternate OS's. The majority of people who are proficient with Linux or Ubuntu or Unix for some reason turn into giant ass-clowns when given a sliver of anonymity & the internet to shoot their mouths off on. And I think it's especially because they don't have to be held accountable for acting like a giant tool. Further more, let's not forget that few if any of us are impressed with your arcane knowledge. There's a reason that your precious OS will most likely never make it to the mainstream & I think it's much the same reason that marijuana is a long ways off from being legalized. So often the people who are the loudest about alternative operating systems, or about legalizing marijuana are the most socially abrasive people on the planet. Get a fucking clue. I'm not going to load some operating system onto my machine only to be flamed to death in a forum for being a n00b. So, in closing, digg.com, awesome site for getting articles that are mildly interesting. But stay out of the comments section -- it will only lead to anger & the desire to write something fucking stupid.

RPG that requires zero user interaction.

2006-06-18T11:40:00.000-07:00

Tired of having to grind out levels killing wild boars, giant rats, & tree nyphms? Me too. Thankfully someone has done something about that. I've been "playing" the game for the last 2hrs & am already at level 4. Awesome. Sure you won't be able to go on massive raids with a bunch of ass-clowns that haven't seen the sun in months but you will be able to run this program in your system tray. But, you'll eventually have a high level character with exactly ZERO input. Those tools in World of Warchraft should be so lucky.

(Link - Progress Quest)