Ottawa Boy
(url here)
BEIJING - The state-controlled body for China's noncommunist groups on Saturday endorsed a proposed law authorizing military action to block Taiwan from pursuing formal independence, saying it would help to ensure regional peace.
Umm... yeah ... ok ... we just made up a law that says we are going to war with you if you don't comply with our demands, and this is designed to avoid war ... a ha ... logic must not be a chinese strong suit.
The measure, due to be enacted Monday by the National People's Congress, enshrines in law threats to invade if Taiwan, split from China since 1949, tries to make its independence permanent.
I don't thik these guys like you much anymore, I mean it has been 50 years and all. And to be perfectly frank , if the performance of the russian communistic economy is any indication as to how well the chinsese communicstic economy is performing, the Capitalistic Tiawanese Chinese will probly kick youre A$$$$ into next wednesday if you try it.
Not to be too picky about it. :)
I had a friend in the Canadian Military (now retired). He described the chinese as an army in running shoes. Lots of soldiers on the ground. But no way to move them about. Not much in the way of vehicals. Quantity may have a Quality All It's Own , in chairman Mao's words, but only if you can actually move that quantity to where you plan on holding the battle. And since the chinese don't have the shipping to move any real troops across the straight , and they aint gonna nuke taiwan (the radiation would flow back all over china, it's on their own door step for pete's sake ! ) , in the end it is really a meaningless move.
I mean propaganda exercise.
And the only one that's gonna get hurt by it are the mainland chinese who are trying to modernize, alienating the very people who are most likely to help them in this regard.
But on the positive side, they hate bill gates and are linux bound, so they can't all be bad ! :)
Saturday, March 12, 2005
DRM (Digital Rights Management)
Ottawa Boy
http://www.theregister.co.uk/2004/10/07/ballmer_doesnt_get_it/page2.html
Apple's iPods have DRM, but you don't really have to notice it, because it's 'good enough DRM', enough to keep the music business in check (Apple now being a major force in online sales helps here as well) but not unspeakable enough to conform to that industry's crazed desires, and not strong enough to be a significant negative for iPod and Apple Music Store purchasers. It's like handsets, except with Apple it's headsets - the company's objective is to sell its own stuff, not to police the music industry's stuff, and it keeps that objective in mind.
I gotta admit, I never thought of this. And yeah , I agree, it probably is going to kill the microsoft
version of the DRM. I mean ...
I want to go out and "buy" a cd. Phandom of the Opera. Why ? Because I like having the real cd on hand
in case my computer system goes south. Computers do that. Hard drives die (lost two so far) and you
lose everything on them. Nothing like having the an actual music CD on hand.
Do I want to pay AGAIN to rip it into mp3 format so I can play it on my computer ? No ! I already paid for it , I aint paying twice for the same songs ! I should be able to play those songs on any device
I like (as long as it's just me and my wife and maybe my family listening to them).
A weak DRM that seriously limits the aspirations of the music industry is probably going to be the way to go. I gotta agree with that.
Of course maybe that's just my "Microsoft should not be allowed to own everything everywhere in the whole wide world" attitude, but thats life.
http://www.theregister.co.uk/2004/10/07/ballmer_doesnt_get_it/page2.html
Apple's iPods have DRM, but you don't really have to notice it, because it's 'good enough DRM', enough to keep the music business in check (Apple now being a major force in online sales helps here as well) but not unspeakable enough to conform to that industry's crazed desires, and not strong enough to be a significant negative for iPod and Apple Music Store purchasers. It's like handsets, except with Apple it's headsets - the company's objective is to sell its own stuff, not to police the music industry's stuff, and it keeps that objective in mind.
I gotta admit, I never thought of this. And yeah , I agree, it probably is going to kill the microsoft
version of the DRM. I mean ...
I want to go out and "buy" a cd. Phandom of the Opera. Why ? Because I like having the real cd on hand
in case my computer system goes south. Computers do that. Hard drives die (lost two so far) and you
lose everything on them. Nothing like having the an actual music CD on hand.
Do I want to pay AGAIN to rip it into mp3 format so I can play it on my computer ? No ! I already paid for it , I aint paying twice for the same songs ! I should be able to play those songs on any device
I like (as long as it's just me and my wife and maybe my family listening to them).
A weak DRM that seriously limits the aspirations of the music industry is probably going to be the way to go. I gotta agree with that.
Of course maybe that's just my "Microsoft should not be allowed to own everything everywhere in the whole wide world" attitude, but thats life.
Wednesday, March 09, 2005
This is my Brother Bob
Ottawa Boy
This is my brother Bob McCabe.
He is six feet tall. He works in farming. Yes, he owns his own business, his
farm in fact, now that you ask. His intersts are quilting and news. He was
born January 1st , 1980, and oddly enough , has the same phone number,
address , and postal code as me.
However, his mothers middle name is Daphne, and his fathers middle name
is Roger.
Why is this important ?
Bob is not a real person. I'm afraid he's a bit of an imposter. A cyber-shadow,
if you please.
So what good is a cyber-shadow ?
Have you ever tried to buy a computer monitor, or any piece of equipment,
even paying cash , and they want you to fill out all these forms ? Have you
ever worried about identity theft ? Why the does this company , that you
are giving money to, you're not asking for credit , you're paying cash up
front , why the heck do they need to know anything about you ?
This is where Bob comes in. The advantage of a well thought out
cybe-shadow is simply that if they demand any kind of secret question, or
ask for your mothers middle name or some such , you know the answer.
And if someone knocks on the door asking for Bob , stating that bob
applied for ten credit cards and racked them up and hit the road, well ,
I'm afraid I never heard of him. Sorry about that. It's the company's own
darn fault for taking information they shouldn't have had in the first place
and then getting it stolen. Better they steal Bob than my real identity,
that way I'm not on the hook for all sorts of stuff in my name.
This is my brother Bob. I'm sure you'll get to like him if you think about it
long enough.
This is my brother Bob McCabe.
He is six feet tall. He works in farming. Yes, he owns his own business, his
farm in fact, now that you ask. His intersts are quilting and news. He was
born January 1st , 1980, and oddly enough , has the same phone number,
address , and postal code as me.
However, his mothers middle name is Daphne, and his fathers middle name
is Roger.
Why is this important ?
Bob is not a real person. I'm afraid he's a bit of an imposter. A cyber-shadow,
if you please.
So what good is a cyber-shadow ?
Have you ever tried to buy a computer monitor, or any piece of equipment,
even paying cash , and they want you to fill out all these forms ? Have you
ever worried about identity theft ? Why the does this company , that you
are giving money to, you're not asking for credit , you're paying cash up
front , why the heck do they need to know anything about you ?
This is where Bob comes in. The advantage of a well thought out
cybe-shadow is simply that if they demand any kind of secret question, or
ask for your mothers middle name or some such , you know the answer.
And if someone knocks on the door asking for Bob , stating that bob
applied for ten credit cards and racked them up and hit the road, well ,
I'm afraid I never heard of him. Sorry about that. It's the company's own
darn fault for taking information they shouldn't have had in the first place
and then getting it stolen. Better they steal Bob than my real identity,
that way I'm not on the hook for all sorts of stuff in my name.
This is my brother Bob. I'm sure you'll get to like him if you think about it
long enough.
Friday, March 04, 2005
For Sale .. Black Slaves ...
Ottawa Boy
Whilst I was at work today , a friend of mine of chinese heretige pointed out to me a new website , a chinese one , where we could look up all those cool chinese martial artist chicks. I also found some regular news articles of dubious ... veracity , shall we say ...
At Dartmouth College, white girl students auctioned off black slaves in fund-raising activities.
http://news.xinhuanet.com/english/2005-03/03/content_2643237.htm
Buried Way deep down in that news article is that statement... how odd...
It took half an hour to find it the alleged incident.
http://www.dartreview.com/archives/2004/01/05/mohos_nohos_and_uh_ohs.php
The relevant quote is ...
When Saturday afternoon rolled around, the four of us piled into Harry’s Tahoe, with hearts full of anticipation and a bottle of Jack Daniels in tow. As we got underway, Harry and Alston laid down the one ground rule for the night’s reporting: Michael and I must arrive in a state other than sober. Finding promises of beer and wine at the date auction unreliable, we accepted this editorial directive.
Arriving an hour early, we headed immediately to the student center to scope the scene. All eyes were glued on us as we entered, most Holyoke students having not seen this many men in months. Noticing our beauty—or perhaps gender—three Smith Republicans immediately picked us out as date auction-bound. Alston tried to bribe the two Smithies (Girls at Mt. Holyoke, by the way, refer to themselves as MoHos.) who were the evening’s emcees to overhype him during bidding, but to no avail.
The crowd was sparse when we finally made our way to the auditorium where the auction would be held. It turned out that twenty-five people would be auctioned off to an audience of only fifty. Harry proposed that we leave immediately, a suggestion we should have followed, but mingling had started, and we began spreading equal doses of wit, charm, and Jack Daniels as we moved about the room.
In other words, it was a bunch of guys selling themselves off to girls . Maybe one of them was black. Maybe not.
Interesting how the chinese state news point of view is just a little ... off ...
(we will now pause for hysterical laughter)
:)
Whilst I was at work today , a friend of mine of chinese heretige pointed out to me a new website , a chinese one , where we could look up all those cool chinese martial artist chicks. I also found some regular news articles of dubious ... veracity , shall we say ...
At Dartmouth College, white girl students auctioned off black slaves in fund-raising activities.
http://news.xinhuanet.com/english/2005-03/03/content_2643237.htm
Buried Way deep down in that news article is that statement... how odd...
It took half an hour to find it the alleged incident.
http://www.dartreview.com/archives/2004/01/05/mohos_nohos_and_uh_ohs.php
The relevant quote is ...
When Saturday afternoon rolled around, the four of us piled into Harry’s Tahoe, with hearts full of anticipation and a bottle of Jack Daniels in tow. As we got underway, Harry and Alston laid down the one ground rule for the night’s reporting: Michael and I must arrive in a state other than sober. Finding promises of beer and wine at the date auction unreliable, we accepted this editorial directive.
Arriving an hour early, we headed immediately to the student center to scope the scene. All eyes were glued on us as we entered, most Holyoke students having not seen this many men in months. Noticing our beauty—or perhaps gender—three Smith Republicans immediately picked us out as date auction-bound. Alston tried to bribe the two Smithies (Girls at Mt. Holyoke, by the way, refer to themselves as MoHos.) who were the evening’s emcees to overhype him during bidding, but to no avail.
The crowd was sparse when we finally made our way to the auditorium where the auction would be held. It turned out that twenty-five people would be auctioned off to an audience of only fifty. Harry proposed that we leave immediately, a suggestion we should have followed, but mingling had started, and we began spreading equal doses of wit, charm, and Jack Daniels as we moved about the room.
In other words, it was a bunch of guys selling themselves off to girls . Maybe one of them was black. Maybe not.
Interesting how the chinese state news point of view is just a little ... off ...
(we will now pause for hysterical laughter)
:)
Thursday, March 03, 2005
Just Killing Time and Taking Up Space...
Ottawa Boy
Shamelessly gloomed from Kitten With A Whip
1.) Favorite Childhood Toy
Yarn Doll. My solder sister showed me how to take a ball of wool , wrap it around a pack of cigerettes, and with a bit of colored thread and a needle you can make a doll of yarn. I had
fun making about 10 of them that day.
Actually play with them ? Gave them away to my little sister.
2.) Earliest memory-
Walking down the street , hand in hand with my mother. Being introduced to some strange lady that I'm told is my mothers sister. Don't remember what she looked like. Never saw her again.
3.) Childhood crush-
"Dorthy."
Saw her on the street the other day. Married to some other guy. With kids. Oops... better erase her last name ...
4.) Worst punishment ever-
THEY TOOK AWAY MY COMPUTER !!!
5.) Era of Music when you were 5-10 -
The 70's ... Disco Duck !
6.) Fashion at that time?
Bell Bottom Jeans and Side Burns !
7.) Moment you felt on top of the world-
Finished writing my first non-trivial program. Just stood back and watched it go ...
8.) Best sexual experience-
My first one , of course.
9.) Worst sexual experience-
Five minutes later .. discovering that these stories about doing it over and over just aint so ...
10.) Things that make you go hmmmmmm?
People who know that advertisements lie to them, but happily believe the next one to come along because it looks cool...
11.) Most embarrassing moment-
Blew a simple math question in class. In front of everyone. Moron of the class corrected me.
12.) Something that took your breath away-
Christmas tree's ! all done up proper of course. So many people make blah blah ones. I am an expert at decorating christmas tree's.
13.) Biggest source of love in your life-
My computer !
14.) Saddest moment of your life-
My mothers death.
15. Something from your past that you would change-
Umm.... what wouldn't I like to change ... not much !
16.) Are you happy now?
Yes !
17.) Who is your closest friend?
His name is george. I've known him since high school.
18.) Who is your biggest enemy?
5 minute time out. Tried for five minutes to think of any enemey but could only come up with smart alek remarks. I'll go with "so much beer, so little constitution !"
19.) What is your best quality as a person?
I do not know how to hate.
20.) Who will answer these questions first?
Since I blew number 18 with a meaningless answer, probably not me !
Shamelessly gloomed from Kitten With A Whip
1.) Favorite Childhood Toy
Yarn Doll. My solder sister showed me how to take a ball of wool , wrap it around a pack of cigerettes, and with a bit of colored thread and a needle you can make a doll of yarn. I had
fun making about 10 of them that day.
Actually play with them ? Gave them away to my little sister.
2.) Earliest memory-
Walking down the street , hand in hand with my mother. Being introduced to some strange lady that I'm told is my mothers sister. Don't remember what she looked like. Never saw her again.
3.) Childhood crush-
"Dorthy."
Saw her on the street the other day. Married to some other guy. With kids. Oops... better erase her last name ...
4.) Worst punishment ever-
THEY TOOK AWAY MY COMPUTER !!!
5.) Era of Music when you were 5-10 -
The 70's ... Disco Duck !
6.) Fashion at that time?
Bell Bottom Jeans and Side Burns !
7.) Moment you felt on top of the world-
Finished writing my first non-trivial program. Just stood back and watched it go ...
8.) Best sexual experience-
My first one , of course.
9.) Worst sexual experience-
Five minutes later .. discovering that these stories about doing it over and over just aint so ...
10.) Things that make you go hmmmmmm?
People who know that advertisements lie to them, but happily believe the next one to come along because it looks cool...
11.) Most embarrassing moment-
Blew a simple math question in class. In front of everyone. Moron of the class corrected me.
12.) Something that took your breath away-
Christmas tree's ! all done up proper of course. So many people make blah blah ones. I am an expert at decorating christmas tree's.
13.) Biggest source of love in your life-
My computer !
14.) Saddest moment of your life-
My mothers death.
15. Something from your past that you would change-
Umm.... what wouldn't I like to change ... not much !
16.) Are you happy now?
Yes !
17.) Who is your closest friend?
His name is george. I've known him since high school.
18.) Who is your biggest enemy?
5 minute time out. Tried for five minutes to think of any enemey but could only come up with smart alek remarks. I'll go with "so much beer, so little constitution !"
19.) What is your best quality as a person?
I do not know how to hate.
20.) Who will answer these questions first?
Since I blew number 18 with a meaningless answer, probably not me !
Shipping Mad Cows to the USA
Ottawa Boy
BILLINGS, Mont. (Reuters) - A federal judge, worried about the risk of mad cow disease, ordered a temporary halt on Wednesday to Bush administration plans to allow imports of young Canadian cattle to resume next week.
Good !
What are we ? The disease capital of the world ? Trying to legally force people to buy these animals ? What are these canadian jokers thinking ? And I'm a Canadian on top of it all !
I don't even want to eat the stuff and I'm a loyal canadian , what are they doing shipping it somewhere else ? Is the all mighty green back more important than people getting sick and dying ?
Apparently some candians think it is. I have nothing but contempt for them. Close the border. No one should buy our beef if the cows are sick. The problem needs to be fixed in a "medical" fashion, not a "political" fashion. These people are idiots if they think otherwise.
BILLINGS, Mont. (Reuters) - A federal judge, worried about the risk of mad cow disease, ordered a temporary halt on Wednesday to Bush administration plans to allow imports of young Canadian cattle to resume next week.
Good !
What are we ? The disease capital of the world ? Trying to legally force people to buy these animals ? What are these canadian jokers thinking ? And I'm a Canadian on top of it all !
I don't even want to eat the stuff and I'm a loyal canadian , what are they doing shipping it somewhere else ? Is the all mighty green back more important than people getting sick and dying ?
Apparently some candians think it is. I have nothing but contempt for them. Close the border. No one should buy our beef if the cows are sick. The problem needs to be fixed in a "medical" fashion, not a "political" fashion. These people are idiots if they think otherwise.
Tuesday, March 01, 2005
Ottawa Boy
Ottawa Boy
http://story.news.yahoo.com/news?tmpl=story2&u=/nm/20050228/od_nm/aids_beauty_dc
GABORONE (Reuters) - There is a catwalk banquet, hordes of journalists, traditional dancing and time-consuming hair styling -- but at Botswana's beauty pageant every competitor must be HIV positive.
Ummm...yeah....
Did you know, the definition of beauty is the showing of a HEALTHY person (male or female). So ... if this is going to work, why not hold a contest on the most beautiful leper ? The Most Beautiful Ms Missing One Arm and One Foot, non - disabled need not apply , The most beautiful Ms Missing Your Nose ?
I have nothing but sympathy for these unfortunates, but the notion of a line up of diseased females that if you even touch you'r gonna catch something long, painful and fatal ... I just shiver thinking about it.
Beautiful ?
Why don't we just go straight for Ms Leprosy and be done with it ?
Just an opinion, just an opinion.
http://story.news.yahoo.com/news?tmpl=story2&u=/nm/20050228/od_nm/aids_beauty_dc
GABORONE (Reuters) - There is a catwalk banquet, hordes of journalists, traditional dancing and time-consuming hair styling -- but at Botswana's beauty pageant every competitor must be HIV positive.
Ummm...yeah....
Did you know, the definition of beauty is the showing of a HEALTHY person (male or female). So ... if this is going to work, why not hold a contest on the most beautiful leper ? The Most Beautiful Ms Missing One Arm and One Foot, non - disabled need not apply , The most beautiful Ms Missing Your Nose ?
I have nothing but sympathy for these unfortunates, but the notion of a line up of diseased females that if you even touch you'r gonna catch something long, painful and fatal ... I just shiver thinking about it.
Beautiful ?
Why don't we just go straight for Ms Leprosy and be done with it ?
Just an opinion, just an opinion.
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