Windows? Linux? Mac? No problem.  Installers are available for all three systems.

DropBox (a glorified subversion system for the rest of us) has finally worked its way out of beta and will become the backbone for our project.  Transmission of data to DropBox is via HTTPS, so we at least have half the problem resolved.

The second problem is DropBox’s STORAGE of my files.  If they defect to the goverment faster than AT&T did with the NSA, then you can be sure your private key and personal bookmarks to porn sites will be used against you.  I wanted the storage of my files encrypted. Since I couldn’t trust DropBox, I turned to my good old friend, TrueCrypt.

The solution here is to create a TrueCrypt volume inside of your DropBox folder.  Even though DropBox has a 2GB folder limit, you shouldn’t use all of it for your TrueCrypt drive.  Unfortunately, TrueCrypt creates the encrypted partition to it’s maximum capacity, which means if you create a 1GB encrypted volume, it actually takes up 1GB on the harddrive even with nothing in it.  And transferring a 1GB file many times for little to no content isn’t the best plan.

Since the volume is filled out to maximum filesize even with no data, it’s best to create a few smaller drives (in the 256MB range) as DropBox has to upload the entire file at least once and you have to download the synchronized file on every computer.  TrueCrypt can mount about 12 volumes automatically, so my recommendation is to keep the volumes small and increase the sizes for volumes you don’t modify often.

Don’t feel guilty about using encyption.  Don’t be guilted into the “If you have nothing to hide” mantra; privacy is your right as a human, exercise it.

For one main reason: it’s polished. That critical “step-back” after everything is done to say “what can we improve now?”  This is something that Microsoft and companies who build Intel PCs are seriously lacking.

The first thing you notice about a brand new Macbook is the clean look.  The keys are not smashed on the keyboard just to fit them on all, there are no random air slots for fan exhaust, ports aren’t strewn all around the device in any place they would fit.  MagSafe, most people’s favorite feature, makes sure your clumsy oaf of a friend doesn’t rip your laptop out of your hands after he trips on the power cord; being lightly magnetic, it simply pops off.

Secondly, the Operating System is clearly polished. The fades, the slides, the transitions; that is what makes polish.  Quicktime’s movie player window elegantly slides up to fill fullscreen on a Mac.  Windows Media Player forcefully takes over the full screen.  OSX NEVER changes resolution from boot up to shutdown including screensaver mode.  Windows manages to violently switch resolutions over 3 times at a MINIMUM. Don’t even attempt to count if you send your video to a projector or run a screensaver that doesn’t run in your resolution.

So why do I have a Mac if the only programs I use are Firefox, Pidgin, iTunes, and tons of cross-platform or open source freeware that populate the rest of my Applications folder?  Because of the polish.  Because of three simple programs that nobody has managed to duplicate successfully in Windows:  Dashboard, Spaces, and Expose.

You might be laughing right now at my choices, and I would agree.  But if I can get the same programs and function from any of the three main OSes (Windows, Linux, OSX), I’ll choose the one that spent time to make me a customer by prettying it up.  Much like dating, if given a choice of siblings, the winner is often the one who spent a little more time tarting his or herself up for the showroom floor.

The duet is one of music’s best, second only to Ella Fitzgerald and Louis Armstrong’s version of Summertime.  While the characters in the song do not have names, the female voice is called “The Mouse” while the male is “The Wolf”.   Here’s where it gets interesting.

The song is a back-and-forth duet of the male persuading the female to stay with him for the duration of the night after their date; her indecisive protests clarify that while she is obligated to go home, she is tempted to stay. That was the polite interpretation.

Upon closer inspection, the wolf employs classic teenage bargaining techniques in order to guilt his prey into staying “the night” and slowly persuades her through potentially-ruffied alcohol.  While the song ends before you know her decision, the wolf’s final statement is a lingering “Ahh, do that again…”

Some of my favorite lines:

• The Mouse, “Say, what’s in this drink?”
• The Wolf, “What’s the sense in hurting my pride?”
• The Wolf, “How can you do this thing to me?”

The thickly-veiled references to sex were very popular throughout music during and before the 60s, but this is the first reference to date rape I can find.  I just hope you think about this song and its intended meaning when your mother and father get up to the karaoke machine, eggnog in hand, and share the mic with this holiday classic.

http://www.google.com/calendar/htmlembed?src=olympics_%257e_01039895__10003%23tv%40group.v.calendar.google.com

I didn’t see an iCal version anywhere of the Olympic schedule, but if I find one, I’ll be sure to update this post.

On a side note, I heard my first good Olympic joke today.

The 2008 Beijing Olympic theme is “One World, One Dream.”  Apparently below the slogan it says, “Restrictions Apply, Not Valid in Taiwan.”

One of my favorite new features is audience involvement.  In this version, the audience CLAPS while you are using your star power.  Sound fun?  Think you’ll be hyped?  Until you realize the audience DOESN’T CLAP ON BEAT!!

Since the set list is seriously underwhelming, playing songs that don’t even belong on “Deep Tracks” on XM, another suggestion not out of the realm of possibility is fixing the sound.  To their credit, they did fix the Dolby Pro Logic issue that plagued Wii users, however you are still reaching for the remote to lower the sound between game play and the ending “You Rock” Animation, as there is a +10dB difference.

They even politely included more crap to interrupt your game play:

• 2 additional intro videos to click past before you even get to the main menu
• A “who cares” interview video as you open each level in their career

Even as a fan of both Guitar Hero and Aerosmith, I have to say it is a lackluster game in terms of content but I was biased as I grew increasingly irritated by the off-beat clapping during my favorite songs.

Like many great people throughout time, he did not invent something from scratch. He created the world of Dungeons and Dragons from the archetypes that J.R.R. Tolkien imagined. This in no way diminishes his achievements, for millions of lives have been affected.

To me, and plenty of other kids who preferred brain over brawn, he gave us an outlet for our creativity. He created a world where the only limit was your imagination. A world where guidelines were given, you fleshed out the details, and was created with a simple 5-word magical incantation; “You are in a bar…”

I’m sure there will be many other posts like this (but this one is mine) around the Internet today, and my self-serving nature merely wants to contribute. Boring you with details on how he affected my life would be completely pointless; those of you who played Dungeons and Dragons understand, those of you who didn’t, won’t.

To Gary, let’s just hope the deity you meet in the after-life isn’t begrudging you for being left out of Deities and Demi-Gods.

Activision has released their press junket to the pre-order sites with these statements:

• Challenges you to perform the music of the legendary Aerosmith
• Take on the roles of Aerosmith members Joe Perry, Brad Whitford and Tom Hamilton
• Experience the career trajectory of a band becoming more and more popular

Really? I can take on the roles? Does the package come with an 8-ball? Can I hit a groupie after I’m done my set? I don’t understand all this hype, who is buying this game honestly thinking they can “Experience the career trajectory” of Aerosmith.

I love Guitar Hero as the next guy but how about assuring the fans you won’t fuck it up?

• Songs will be in stereo on the Wii
• Your Whammy Bar will last longer than previous games
• It’s the same damn game!

I want to meet the person who thinks they will gain an outer-worldly experience from this game because they read the package notes and watch them get hit by a bus crossing the street.

I’d say more, but anything else would ruin it.

1. Google needs to get their ass in gear and present their Single Sign-On (SSO) package.
2. Forum Coders and Popular Websites need to embrace this technology.

I’m TIRED of having to create a new sign-on for every stupid shitty website (including THIS one) I want to post information on. I’m someone who has some information, and I’m kind enough to share it. Case in point, this website. No, not my rants, but more the software tips and tricks. My wiki has notes, tips, tricks, and general knowledge about a number of subjects I care not to bore you with here.

During the course of my computing, if I come up against some random piece of software, like it enough to research it, and find their forum; I am inclined to read and post in their forum possibly to help another user with a problem or some trick I found.

Repeat this for most of the software I have, some software I don’t use yet but am evaluating, and random websites I read and participate in, and I’m fairly confident that I have over a 100 sign-ons, 95% of which I’ll never use again because it was just a one-time post or I no longer care about the subject.

If Google gets their act together and releases a Single Sign-On package, and most of these forum sites (Invision, phpBB, WordPress, etc) incorporate this, I don’t have to go through the whole kit-and-kaboodle when I want to post something.

If I have never been to a site, and sign-up was as simple as a button which could associate a new user to my currently logged in Google Account, I’d gladly post a quick reply to someone having a simple problem.

I, however, am not. I’m not bound to the Phillies(/Eagles/Flyers/Sixers) just because I live near Philadelphia. I’m a fan. I demand action, and excitement. If my “team” isn’t giving me action or excitement, why can’t I choose another? Tell me honestly, WHY do I have to be a fan of only one team?

And the jocks cry, “duuuude, you bandwagon jumper! Where were you when we were on a 10 game losing streak?” You know where I was? Supporting a team which DESERVES my energy by giving me fantastic games to watch. But I know your anger stems from your jealousy of me, watching me jump up and down in elation as the team I’m rooting for scores again, and it’s OK. It’s a perfectly acceptable response, you just need to recognize that as a human, if I’m going to invest my time, money and emotions into a team and I don’t get a return, I need a new investment.

This ISN’T about following the “best” team in each sport each year. Even teams who win “The Big Game”** don’t keep the same players for the next year. This is about following teams which are interesting and exciting to watch. I was a HUGE Dolphin fan in the Dan Marino days, they were exciting to watch each year knowing their toughest game of the year was the AFC championship (God damn Bills…). Miami has SUCKED these past years, why should I stick around? Go fuck yourselves.

There are only three rules to being a Free-Agent Fan. You can’t switch week after week, you have to choose your team before the season starts (pre-season is there to feel your team out) and you can’t switch after the trade deadline for your sport passes.

I’m no different from someone who changes lottery numbers every play. Or someone who folds in poker when the flop gives them no help. Why is it OK to ditch the match when it relates to inanimate objects, such as dice, cards or lottery balls; but suddenly, the crowd wants to burn me at the stake if I switch to another team?

They are not out for my interests, I will not be out to support theirs.

* I KNOW this doesn’t apply to everyone, I am making a majority statement. For each A-Rod I can name, someone can find a Jeter.
** Apply appropriately to your sport of choice.
This rant stolen from the Opie and Anthony show.

With the help of Squid + SquidGuard + Rick752’s EasyList for AdBlock Plus, I broke free from the clutter that is web advertising.

Yes, it’s easy and you can do it. Read on for my scripts.

The process is detailed as lengthy as my ADD will allow me to on my wiki, under the post Network-Wide Adblock.

If you are already familiar enough with Squid and SquidGuard, I have included a .sed file to convert Rick752’s Easylist to be valid regular expressions. Put the resulting file in the squidGuard’s db directory, reference it in a dest block and reload squid. It’s really that simple.

adblock.sed

/@@.*/d;
/^!.*/d;
/^\[.*\]$/d;
s#http://##g;
s,[.?=&/|],\\&,g;
s#*#.*#g;
s,\$.*$,,g;

However, where I find myself lacking in being a human is playing with the animals down by the watering hole (read: Xbox Live).  I believe that there are violations to which Xbox Live removal should be mandatory.   If I haven’t been talking trash, playing respectfully, there’s no reason to act like your mother never loved you.

Presented, for approval, are the Xbox Live Commandments…

1. Thou shalt not send invites for Xbox games after the sequel has been released for Xbox 360.  It is beyond comprehension.
2. Thou shalt not send invites while someone is “Watching DVD/Movie”.  It is akin to talking during a movie in a theatre.
3. A maximum of two invites are permitted to a gamer currently engaged in a match.  It’s possible during the aftermath of the firefight they have forgotten about your invite and a reminder is permitted.
4. Thou shalt make use of the “Mute” function on the headset.  Talking on the phone or anyone not on Xbox Live while your headset is transmitting is grounds for booting from the party.  Nobody cares what ‘everyone’ is doing later.
5. Thou shalt respect the GamerChix (this applies to all women gamers, PMS, etc).  This rule does not supercede all other rules.  Exceptions to this rule are permitted for any gamer breaking the other commandments.
6. Thou shalt not mistake Xbox Live for a dating service.  This includes improper use of the video camera.
7. Thou shalt not take the game seriously.  It is a game.  Some people are better than others at playing the game.  Unless you get paid for playing games, bragging about how good you are via Matchmaking just makes you look silly.

These are in addition to the general Video Game Console Commandments, where you might remember such laws as the “Sweaty Hands” edict of 1986–any person with excessively sweaty hands, must supply their own controller.

When one considers the hundreds of years it took to go from using stone to bronze to iron, and the thousands of years to just get to the Stone age, it really shows the human potential when you consider the Industrial Revolution was only a mere 150-year span.

In a paltry 50 years, we have a (relatively) stable space program with regular human flight, created a world-wide electronic data network, developed nuclear power and even gave blacks the right to vote.

And now, I can’t help but think what will happen in my lifetime (hopefully another 50 years). Will commercial space flight be available? Will everything be Internet-ready? Will there be a black President?

• Multiple Pages - I highly doubt you are so skilled and have achieved so many notable accomplishments to warrant two pages. Unless you are preparing a Curriculum Vitae, follow the KISS ASS method; Keep It Simple, Short And Sweet, Stupid.
  • Waste of Space - By merely handing me your resume, I understand your Objective — to get a job.
  • Nobody Likes You - There is no need to tell me your references are available upon request.
• Nobody Cares About Your Personal Life - A sure-fire way to not get the interview is to get way too personal on your resume.
  • Communication Breakdown - I will not hire DrexelShaft4U@gmail.com, DarkElven1@aol.com, or FansyPanties69@hotmail.com. Get a more professional email address, and don’t use the email address of the company where you currently work.
  • Instant Lawsuit - If you place an interest, hobby or organization on your resume that could be controversial, there can be grounds for legal action if you aren’t hired; regardless if you bombed the interview. Therefore, you will not be granted one.
• Are You Smarter Than a 5th Grader - Proper grammar and spelling are a sign of fine craftsmanship. If you failed to perfect something you had plenty of time to work on, how am I supposed to believe you can follow-through on a task during crunch-time.

Last night I’m at a bar in Philadelphia, and there’s a Phillies game on (vs the Washington Nationals).  It’s closely tied at 1-1 for most of the game, tensions are mounting.  As we go into the 10th inning, nearly everyone at the bar is watching the game.

The “Phils” have runners at first and second, no outs.  *crack* Up the middle and off the shoe of the center fielder! The runner at second base rounds third base and heads for home!  SCORE!  2-1 Phillies!

And the bar erupts, “E-A-G-L-E-S, EAGLES!”.

WHAT?  Are you kidding me?  Do you realize how stupid this looks?  Chanting a FOOTBALL team cheer during a BASEBALL game?  Your LAST PLACE Eagles aren’t even PLAYING!  I wanted to buy hot coffee just to throw in their faces.

That opening paragraph is normally the battle-cry of someone riddled with White Guilt. Someone who believes they have to justify their actions to lesser people who will judge them. I have no such quality, therefore you will not get an apology for this post. If you are someone who cannot differentiate between statements of fact (”Mexican immigrants, on average, have lower incomes than Natives.”), observation (”English people have bad teeth.”) and stereotypes (”Chinese people have trouble with our ‘R’ sound.”), all of which are not inherently racist, then scram. I’m only talking to people with open minds.

The only interaction I have ever had with other families who celebrated different cultures were in college where one of my friends was a traditional Italian household, and an ex-girlfriend of mine’s family liked the Eagles. Both families were stereotypical, from what was presented to me in the media and schoolyard ribbing. Other than that, my interaction with beliefs different than mine was very limited.

So, this past weekend, when I was invited to my first ‘black party’, I had already assumed it was going to be quite the stereotypical “black” gathering. The thoughts you just had, is exactly what I was expecting. Lots of hats at odd angles, large hoop earrings, fried chicken, watermelon, massive bass in songs making the words unintelligible.

However, when I arrived, I was in for a shock. Yes, there was fried chicken, but many other dishes as well. Yes, there was watermelon, but one of eight fruits on the table. But the thing that caught my attention the most when I opened the gate was seeing over 20 people dancing to the ‘Electric Slide’. I thought that was one of those hokey white things. Upon offering this rumination to one of the guests after watching more line-dancing (this time to more Hip-Hop songs), he became quizzical. It seems that both of us thought that line-dancing was unique to our respective races.

I heard so much about this “genetically enhanced super shooter”. Alright, we GET IT, it’s “revolutionary”, Ooo. But, I was quickly silenced. A mere one level into renting this game I just wanted to play another. It’s not just the gameplay, it’s EVERYTHING.  I had to purchase it before my rental period was even up.

While the game is quite linear, exploration of the world is encouraged for extra resources. From the opening scene to your first plasmid (genetic powerup), you want to immerse yourself in the world of Rapture…

On the Xbox, the gameplay was very deceiving. I finished the first 6 chapters (of 15) in a matter of 3 days (about 12 gameplay hours) and thought things were moving fast. Despite the beautiful scenery, the wonderful graphics (HDMI at 1080p just plain rules), I had a feeling the game was being rushed. Don’t get me wrong, the storyline is fantastic, you get bits and pieces and find yourself saying “WTF went on down here?” many times.

Then the game kicked into high gear. Just as you were getting used to the “same old enemies” and your weapons getting stronger, you can hack anything… they turn up the difficulty (and challenge-factor) by throwing stronger versions, enemies attack smarter (a lot less “Which way did he go, George?”) and even a skilled gamer has to use his Autohack Tool.

All in all, I’m just put the game for a moment to write this because my eyes needed a rest and my girlfriend (my laptop) is starting to feel neglected.

If you want the real challenge, pick up the Xbox version. The Xbox 360 version has achievements which track your progress, while the PC version does not (Vista does, XP does not). Of the 50 achievements for the game, only half are part of the game (impossible to complete game without doing). This gives the player the choice if they want to explore the world of Rapture. During the course of playing the player is well on the road to completing the rest, s/he just needs to do a little detouring. Many detours to complete achievements do, in fact, help gameplay; storylines are expanded and upgrades of yourself and weapons are available.