Monthly Archives: November 2005

Nov 29

Thanks, Sony

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If you accidentally installed the XCP DRM stuff that came with Sony CD’s, and you’re looking for a way to remove it, don’t visit Sony’s XCP uninstall site.

UNINSTALL REQUESTS

November 15th, 2005 – We currently are working on a new tool to uninstall First4Internet XCP software. In the meantime, we have temporarily suspended distribution of the existing uninstall tool for this software. We encourage you to return to this site over the next few days. Thank you for your patience and understanding. In the meanwhile, if you have any security concerns about the XCP software, please download the software update to eliminate the vulnerability reported in the press.

Translated: Our uninstaller was worse than the rootkit, so you’re better off dealing with the rootkit until we can convince F-Secure to solve all of our problems.

Sony, DRM, rootkit, F-Secure

Nov 26

My Twinn Doll

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IMG_0294.JPGCreepy "My Twinn Doll"

If you’re familiar with the “My Twinn Doll,” you know the premise: you pick the features of the doll in accordance with your own baby, and you get a custom doll that looks just like your kid. My wife insisted on getting one for “posterity.”

Would you consider this a success?

(Note: I think the doll we received is about the creepiest thing I’ve seen)

Nov 26

HD Plight – I need your help

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So the plan here is to revolutionize Project Management at my new company.
Yep, you heard it here first.
So the first thing I told the company was that I was going to need a decent portable hard drive, so as to facilitate simpler/quicker/more effective synchronization between my laptop and my desktop…and they did well, I thought.

I was presented with a new LaCie Mobile drive, and I was stoked. LaCie usually rocks the party (rocks the partaaay).
Upon unwrapping, I noticed that the drive comes with two USB cables: one for data, and and one for power (only to be used in the rare event that it’s necessary). I plugged in the data one, and watched the light blink blinkin’ like P Diddy for three or four minutes. It didn’t mount.
Self, let’s give it a go.
Sure enough: my Powerbook doesn’t provide enough bus-side power to run the external drive without plugging in a second USB cable just for power. If you’ve got a 15″ Powerbook, you know that you have to native USB ports – one on each side of the machine. Using both of those ports for one short-cabled device turns your Powerbook into one of those lanyard-wearing, iPod Shuffle-using employees at the Apple store (read: strapped, and difficult to use).
This isn’t going to work. I need an external drive (50 GB or less) that will run on either USB power alone, or Firewire power alone – ON MY POWERBOOK. Help, Internet.
And for all of you PC laptop users who are chuckling to yourself, saying “they all work fine on mine…hehe,” don’t blame me when your computer melts down for refusing to follow the USB power specification.

hard drive, apple, powerbook, usb, firewire

Nov 24

Retarded News Item of the Week

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You may not believe me, but the following short column was actually published in the San Diego Union-Tribune. There are many reasons that we don’t subscribe to this nonsense (one of which is that the paper itself is far too rough to be used where it’s most appropriate), but this type of article wasn’t one of them until now.

WWYD?

A few months ago, you met a man through a popular Internet dating service. After several weeks of passion and intimacy, however, you discovered (by accident) that he has been sleeping with lots of other women, even though he told you that you were his one and only. You’re devastated and wonder if you ought to contact the other women to warn them off. What Would You Do?

Your first ethical duty is to yourself. Next time, why not do some more research about the men you meet before you give yourself emotionally and physically to them? Your very life is at stake.

The best solution to your all-too-common conundrum is to do your due diligence before disrobing literally or figuratively. These days, using your head in matters of the heart can mean the difference between life and death.

– Bruce Weinstein, ethicist
Knight Ridder News Service

Wow, Bruce, that’s really insightful. Thank you. Just to make sure I understand, here’s a recap:

“Should I tell the other women if some dude is sleeping with all of us?”
“Just try and avoid men like that…you could end up with a disease, you know.”

idiocy, media, newspaper