Link: Prom Date
This is a quirky bit of humor but well worth watching (even if it is a bit of a commercial for gum). Pretty damn funny.
1 min read
The Hand of God
A lego representation of a famous World Cup goal.
The World Cup has Started.. I’m listening via ESPN Radio (online). It’s hard to listen to via the radio for someone like myself who barely pays attention to the sport in general. Sounds like Mexico is dominating the game so far though.(via thebaffled)
Android Screenshots Always Disappoint Me
3 min read
I have an iPhone which I’m generally happy with. However, I am almost certainly getting an Android handset when I replace my iPhone. I’m not going to delve into the reasons for my abandonment of an fine phone instead I want to talk about the phone line I will be adopting.
Android phones run the android operating system developed by Google and the open handset alliance. I am really excited about getting an Android phone but, at the same time, I have some hesitation because the screen shots I alway see of Android really suck.
I get the feeling the developers of the UI just wanted to put a lot of crap on the small screen. For instance, the giant clock that is a seeming requirement for all android photos is an eyesore. Who needs or wants a gigantic analog clock on their modern high tech digital device? Here is a new phone, not even released yet, with the aforementioned ugly clock:
I also dislike how the rest of the icons are seemingly scattered around the interface.
Even when shots don’t show the ugly clock they instead throw a huge calendar on the screen to replace it. Check out this image of the new HTC EVO:
It looks like a pretty nice phone but the screen UI just sucks. You can probably get rid of the calendar but I’m not sure - that isn’t a feature the screen shot can convey. Thus, am I going to be forced to page to get to more than the 8 apps that the screen still has room for?
Compare those images to the standard iPhone screen shot:
The entire screen is devoted to giving me quick access to various apps that are installed on the phone. Plus it keeps your four most common apps front and center along the bottom on every screen of apps. I can’t tell if any Android handset does something similar. If they do, and the four apps at the bottom of the HTC EVO (second image) are the equivalent to the iPhone quick launch bar then that means you only have room for 4 apps on the home screen under that ridiculous calendar.
Look, I’m willing to bet the calendar can be removed - but it (or the clock) are seemingly omnipresent in every photo of the handsets and these big ugly widgets don’t give me any confidence in the overall usability of the handsets.
It also doesn’t help that when I’ve tried to mess with newer Android handsets at our local Verizon store (yes, I know the HTC EVO is a sprint phone) the sales reps suck and are completely unhelpful.
Sure, I shouldn’t judge a book (or a phone) by it’s cover but it’s hard not to be a little uneasy about the Android handsets based on the images vendors use to advertise them. I assume the big calendar/weather widget is the “best” image they could come up with which, to me, is a bit sad.
Hopefully, when I am truly ready to buy a phone the sales people will be a skosh more helpful.
Due Process - Assassinated?
5 min read
I'm not a constitutional scholar but I don't think I have to be to understand some of the basics, you know, like the 5th and 6th amendments which deal specifically with granting all American citizens the right to a trial and due process. Yet, somehow, President Obama, doesn't think they are applicable thanks to President Bush's declared, eternal, war on terror.
[Pres. Bush] authorized the military to kill U.S. citizens abroad if strong evidence existed that an American was involved in organizing or carrying out terrorist actions against the United States or U.S. interests {source}
You see, Obama (I'm dropping the honorific on purpose) has taken that declaration and run with it and authorized the assassination of an american citizen no matter where he is found.
The American citizen in question is Anwar Al-Awlaki a purported terrorist who is supposedly planning and coordinating attacks against the US. I'll readily admit that the accusations against him are exceptionally nasty and that, if true, he should be punished to the full extent of the law (I don't mind the death penalty in cases like this). It's important to note though that the key part of my last sentence was "if true." You see, we just don't know if he really has done what the executive branch is claiming. Has Al-Awlaki actually committed the crimes he is being hunted for? Maybe, heck even probably, but we don't know. Why don't we - because he hasn't been given a public trial, with a jury, where the evidence was actually presented.
Look, Al-Awlaki isn't some guy the military apprehended in the remote mountains of Afghanistan who isn't necessarilly afforded the rights bestowed by the constitution (i.e. Guantanamo prisoner) because he isn't a citizen (that is a completely different discussion). No, Al-Awlaki is a bona-fide American citizen who still has all the rights that designation entails. Just because he is a muslim, or because he lives outside the US now, or even because he actively speaks out against US policy doesn't mean he has forfeited his rights or his citizenship. He is, in essence, just like me - an American. Yet, he is being hunted by his own government; not to be arrested, but to be killed - to have his death sentence executed without ever having the benefit of a trial.
How can any freedom loving American defend this? How can anyone, regardless of political orientation sit back and condone the assassination of an American citizen by the American government? It is unjustifiable. It is an abomination! And it sets a chilling and dangerous precedent. If we, the people, allow this to happen, then we silently say we approve of a government that is willing to murder it's own people without proving just cause. We are saying that anyone, of any walk of life, can be targeted by the government and we don't care if they provide proof for their allegations.
Think of how easily this could be abused. If you are a left-winger think of Cindy Sheehan, the symbol of a grieving mother who actively protested the war in Iraq in front of Bush's ranch in Crawford, Texas. Her outspoken rhetoric would have been enough to convince the right that she was surely actively plotting in, and coordinating, attacks on America - that she was a terrorist who the government could kill with impunity. If you are a right-winger imagine that Rush Limbaugh, in his political shock-jock fashion, continued to overtly criticize almost everything that Obama does was implicated (without a trial or any evidence) of conspiring and coordinating an attempt to assassinate the president (plenty on the left would gladly believe it) - a clearly terrorist act - and thus he too could be listed for assassination without being granted due process.
Imagine, by posting this mostly unread blog post, that I too could be listed as a terrorist that could be killed at anytime by our government without fear of a revolt by the people - that we would sit idly by and accept it.
Sure, neither I, Sheehan, nor Limbaugh are Al-Awlaki however all four of us share one critical characteristic - we are all American Citizens and we all deserve the full protection of the Constitutional rights we were born with. If our government wants to mete out the death penalty they need to prove our guilt first.
Some people may argue that the constitution actually authorizes this type of action; specifically citing the fifth ammendment:
...except in cases arising in the land or naval forces, or in the militia, when in actual service in time of war or public danger;...
However, the assassination order doesn't deal with a battle field or even a specific time where the public is in danger. It is a clear and unbounded decree that Al-Awlaki can be killed no matter where he is found. The government isn't trying to kill Al-Awlaki while he is actively engaging in a crime - they just want to kill him; whether he is sleeping, swimming, sitting back enjoying a book, or walking along a beach taking in a sunset. It is a completely indefensible policy and explictly contradicts all of the protections afforded him in the Constitution, the 5th amendment not withstanding.
No matter your political leaning please do not sit quietly by and allow this type of action to happen without demanding an answer - without demanding that the Constitution be respected. To paraphrase Dr. King it is not the actions of evil people we need to fear it is the silence of good people. If we remain silent we grant, in absentia, to our government the right to murder it's own people. Do not let this happen.
Know Your Credit Details
3 min read
Anyone who has ever tried to get a loan, or a credit card, or maybe even a job has had to deal with their credit rating and credit score at one point or another. However, most of the time we, the people being rated and scored, have no idea what the three credit ranking companies think about us.
That doesn’t have to be the case. You can get a free copy of your credit report, once a year (no strings attached) from https://
Keep in mind each report is a little different and each may have some different creditors on them. Also note that none of those come with your credit score. Your score is a magical number somewhere between 300 and 850. At a minimum you want yours to be above 650. But how do you know what it is?
Well, you can pay for it - or you can get your TransUnion credit score for free at https://
The score they present you with is a little old. For instance I used it yesterday and the score they gave me was from the end of December 2009. Normally that isn’t a problem but if you’ve made a major move regarding your debt since then the score reported by Credit Karma may be misleading.
For example, I paid off my car since then so my credit score is actually higher (by 36 points) than it is shown on Credit Karma.
Make sure you review your credit reports because the data in them is the backbone of your credit score and your credit score is what is used to evaluate you when looking for a mortgage, a good credit card rate, and sometimes a job.
Pay special attention to anything on your report that suggests you were delinquent or sent to collections - medical bills are particularly bad about this - and if they aren’t right contact the credit agency and dispute that line. Having even a small bill (less than $20) sent to collections can easily knock 100 points off your score.
It’s your score so you owe it to yourself to keep an eye on it and to fix the problems that appear.
Malware Protection Basics
2 min read
In the past month I’ve been extra busy removing malware and rootkits from various computers including my step-mothers, my wifes, and even mine. Thus I’m putting a simple list of default software that should be on each machine and updated on a regular basis.
- Spyware Blaster - This doesn’t scan, monitor, or remove spyware, it just makes it hard for the crap to be installed automatically.
- Spybot Search and Destroy - Has a real time scanner and a good removal tool. Turn on SDHelper and Immunize.
- Avast Personal Edition - While it won’t help you with malware generally it’s a good antivirus and it’s free. My only gripe is that I have to re-register every 14 months which could leave someone unprotected.
- SuperAntiSpyware (SAS)- I have the portable copy becuase I don’t like to install even more stuff. I also have the free copy because Spybot is already doing active scanning. I use SAS as a secondary tool for removal.
- MalwareBytes - Not necessarily required with the rest of the things on the list but if you have something and the other two (SAS or Spybot) don’t remove it you can give this trusty tool a try.
- CCCleaner - This isn’t really a tool for removing malware or preventing it but it kicks ass none-the-less. Just make sure, when you install it, that you are aware it will ask if it can install a toolbar in your browser - I tell it no.
1 min read
This is one bad ass photo of the space shuttle and ISS in front of the sun. Go read the article and click on the image there to see it in a larger size.