Sunday, April 07, 2002

Building a mini- 'quieter-than-a-whisper' linux pc. After building a quiet, but by no means super quiet computer i still wanted to get to the point of 'quieter-than-a-whisper'. Not wanting to go the route of water cooling or putting the computer in the basement and running the cables through the floor,the next best solution is to try for a cooler running processor, which will not require as many fans. [kuro5hin.org] My last boss used to bitch at me endlessly about computer noise, mostly hard drive noise, from the not particularly loud custom boxes I built and his Dell. As with most profoundly clueless people, he could never quite wrap his mind around the expense and/or problems of building ultra-quiet PCs, no matter how carefully I explained it or what references I provided. Instead, he was convinced I made them noisy on purpose, just to bother him. No wonder the poor goof still has 5 systems I bought parts for 10 months ago yet to be deployed and the 10 older systems I replaced still sitting there gathering dust, 6 months after I left.   Cheers,   Dusty   10:11:48 PM

12-Year-Old Girl Ben Stillerizes Elevator Flasher [Plastic] Plastic is reporting a 12 year old girl’s quick action led to a flasher having  serious zipper trouble. Ouch.   Cheers,   Dusty   10:04:37 PM

Blair - 'We are ready to act on Iraq'. Tony Blair gives his strongest hint yet that he is willing to support military strikes on Iraq and possibly against other 'terror' states. [BBC News: world] Blair talks tough in Texas. When in Rome, or, in this case, the armpit of Texas... Cheers, Dusty   10:03:02 PM

Report: Bertelsmann in Napster Bid. Bertelsmann wants to take over Napster Inc., the pioneering online music service, the chief executive of the German media giant said in a newspaper interview published Friday. [AP Tech News] So, you think anyone at Napster would be interested in getting a few million for their failed "business?"   Cheers,   Dusty   10:01:44 PM

Bill Gates April Fool's Day Phone Call Download [ActiveWin] Here's a link to the Canadian radio station prank call that tripped up Bill Gates on April Fool's Day. And this guy is the richest guy in the world? Are there any lingering doubts as to whether or not this is a meritocracy? Cheers, Dusty   9:58:36 PM

Spacecraft reenters over Tibet. A NASA spacecraft reentered late Saturday night over southern Tibet, NASA announced Sunday morning. The... [spacetoday.net] We told you we would keep an eye on this, but it turns we don't have any readers in the Himalayas, at least that we know of. I imagine the crazy folk on the sides of K2 or Everest got quite a show, if the sky was clear. Cheers, Dusty   9:56:43 PM

George Bush. "I have opinions of my own -- strong opinions -- but I don't always agree with them." [Quotes of the Day] 9:55:06 PM

Dan Quayle. "When I have been asked during these last weeks who caused the riots and the killing in L.A., my answer has been direct and simple: Who is to blame for the riots? The rioters are to blame. Who is to blame for the killings? The killers are to blame." [Quotes of the Day] 9:54:52 PM

The 6 Biggest Continuity Errors in Star Trek: The Next Generation. On FARK [News Is Free: Popular Items] From the “Get A Life” file, some Trekkers, the politically correct term for die hard Star Trek fans previously known by the apparently insulting moniker Trekkies, are unhappy with continuity errors, even in the long cancelled ‘Next Generation.’ What a bunch of pathetic goofs. It’s a TV show, fer chrissakes. Get a grip.   Cheers,   Dusty   9:54:20 PM

Motorola Seeks to Make Its Phones Easier to Use. Motorola Inc. said it will introduce new wireless telephone screens designed to make it simple for customers to switch brands without learning a whole new system. By Reuters. [New York Times: Technology] It’s easy to dismiss those with problems using something as simple as a cell phone as hopeless technophobes, but it’s not true. My girlfriend recently switched to a new top-line Motorola after using various Nokia phones for years and suddenly found herself unable to perform even the most basic functions easily.   Before you laugh, she’s a trained architect and CAD designer who works on the design and engineering of bridges. IOW, she’s hardly a technophobe. She can run command line rings around many a geek I’ve known.   Problem is the phones are designed by nerds who are too quick to blame all problems on the clueless lusers. The sad truth is it’s many of the digital ditch diggers who are truly clueless outside of their immediate area of expertise. From the beginning of the computer revolution, we’ve had an interface problem. You want to make big money in high tech? Do some intelligent interface engineering.   Cheers,   Dusty   8:47:22 PM

The week in review: Beware of Net. Remember when all you had to worry about was downloading a virus that would steal or destroy your data? Now you can worry about strangers controlling your PC. [CNET News.com] A lot of weird shit happened in the virtual word this past week. From hidden Trojans in file sharing apps (KaZaA) and e-mail that spies on you to hilariously inept Microsoft blunders, CNET brings you the tech week in review.   Cheers,   Dusty   8:40:21 PM

Star Search. Limp Bizkit is calling all wannabes. Will the band's next guitarist please stand up? By Chuck Klosterman. [New York Times: Arts] Damn. I’ve got the hair and the attitude. If only I were a few years younger, I’d think about the ink and take a shot at the brass ring of rock super stardom.   Then again, though I haven’t played guitar seriously for more than a decade, I’m probably still far too skilled a player for these morons.   Cheers,   Dusty   8:36:37 PM

President Urges Pullout With No Delay. President Bush, responding to Israel's expansion of military actions in the West Bank in defiance of his wishes, said on Saturday that Israel must withdraw its forces. By David E. Sanger. [New York Times: Politics] Judging from Colin Powell’s remarks, when Bush said, “Pull out without delay,” he really meant, “Escalate your offensive.” I’m glad Bush finally got off of his ass and did something. Too bad that it took more than a year and thousands of deaths, but at least he’s now trying. The problem I see now is how can Bush have any real influence in the region while the Israelis are making a monkey out of our Smirking Chimp?   Cheers,   Dusty   8:34:26 PM

What Do You Mean, 'Terrorist'?. One of the problems of conducting a broad war on terror is that terrorism is not so much a system of belief as a means to achieve some larger goal. [New York Times: International News] Nihilism or nation hood, what makes a terrorist? Even the Bush White House, after their declaration of war on terror, seems to be grasping for the answers.   Cheers,   Dusty   8:29:31 PM

The People v. Potty Mouth. Over the years, once taboo expressions about sex, body parts and bathrooms are now part of daily conversation. By Kari Haskell. [New York Times: National] There’s no question American culture is becoming more and more coarse. You may have read about the Michigan case where a guy was ticketed for swearing, in violation of an 1897 law, when his canoe overturned. Last week his conviction was overturned on appeal, but it points to our ever eroding manners. BTW, Texas has a similar fucking stupid law. Cheers, Dusty   6:24:37 PM

The War on Terrorism Takes Aim at Crime. Across the globe, the lines between international crime syndicates and terrorist organizations have become impossibly blurred. By James Dao. [New York Times: National] War on Terror = War On Drugs? That’s an idea the Bushies are pushing hard. Don’t we have enough problems as a result of the disastrous US WoD? Cheers, Dusty   6:19:11 PM

Political Spy on Line Creates Virginia Static. Virginia authorities suspect that the exucutive director of the state Republican Party eavesdropped on a call to discuss redistricting. By B. Drummond Ayres Jr.. [New York Times: National] From the ever growing "GOP Hypocrisy On Parade" file, the head of the GOP in Virginia apparently eaves dropped on a private conference call of top Democrats planning redistricting strategy. Didn’t these idiots learn anything from Watergate? Cheers, Dusty 6:15:58 PM

The Wall Street Journal's smear campaign. The paper's Op-Ed pages have long been a platform for political assassination. But their latest target is a rival paper that is competing for a Pulitzer Prize. [Salon.com] So the WSJ is having a nasty hissy fit on the editorial page because they think those rubes in Seattle, who happen to be in competition with the WSJ for a Pulitzer, dissed their one of their editors, eh? After the character assassination and outright lies that have appeared on the WSJ op-ed page, they’re surprised? Poor babies.   This is a free Salon article, no subscription needed.   Cheers,   Dusty 3:47:41 AM

Hidden cameras found in house rented by young women. Tapes under full "examination". On FARK [News Is Free: Popular Items] Yeah, I bet those Irish cops are giving the tapes a very close inspection, purely professional, I'm sure. Cheers, Dusty 3:38:22 AM

Nobel Peace Prize for Shimon Peres a Mistake?. The Nobel Committee issued a statement that they regret awarding the peace prize to Shimon Peres, Israel's Foreign Minister. The Hindustan Times has an article [kuro5hin.org] A major Indian Newspaper is reporting that members of the Nobel Prize committee have expressed regrets over awarding the ’94 Nobel Peace Prize to Israeli Prime Minister Shimon Peres. Considering recent events, I can understand their feelings.   Cheers,   Dusty 3:35:12 AM

Paintball Victim Fires Back With Deadly Force http://www.rockymountainnews.com/drmn/local/article/0,1299,DRMN_15_1065162,00.html   From the “Rambo Syndrome” file, a couple of guys thought it would be a hoot to ride around Denver firing paint balls at people. At least until one of them was shot in head for real.   Cheers,   Dusty 3:29:17 AM

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