/dev/null/kevin

SCO's website was hacked this morning. Here is the News article and a screen shot of the hacked page.

From the article:
In a hack that began sometime before 5:30 a.m. PST Monday, someone placed a graphic atop SCO's home page that read "we own all your code" and "pay us all your money." The spoof used the same fonts and colors employed throughout the company's site, along with a copy of the software maker's official logo. By 8:30 a.m. PST, the altered graphic had been removed.

SCO representatives did not immediately return calls seeking comment.
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November 29, 2004 09:16 AM PST Permalink | |

Just in time for Christmas, it's Shock Tanks! Remote control tanks deliver actual electric shocks to your opponent! Zap your way to fun and electotherapy!

From the website: This game is not suitable for anyone who suffers from a heart condition, epilepsy is pregnant or under the age of 14.

Bring it on! Don't forget to watch the video submitted by actual customers.
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November 24, 2004 03:20 PM PST Permalink | Comments [1] |

Statistics show the women live longer than men. Why? Some would say because someone has to stick around to clean up the mess, but here are some photos that really explain it.

This came to me as an endlessly forwarded email with a Power Point presentation. The pictures were just labeled "6th place" etc. I went looking for a web site that had them all, but all I could find was another blog that had each picture on a separate page, so no single URL. So, I put together this page and added the captions. Yes, the captions are mine, lame as they are. So if you ever see them anywhere else, then they ripped me off, just like I ripped off someone else's pictures. :)
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November 23, 2004 12:57 PM PST Permalink | |

Here is a nice photo log of a story of two cranes and the importance of understanding physics.
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November 19, 2004 04:46 PM PST Permalink | Comments [1] |

Ever since Martin Fink posted his anti-Solaris 10 rant (sorry, but you need to scroll down as Martin hasn't figured out the concept of permalink yet. -- Hey Martin, Roller is free!), there has been lots of buzz in blogs about it. Most of these responses have been from Sun people like Alan Hargreaves, so it's nice to see one from outside Sun called A community response to Martin Fink. Thanks folks! In addition to being well informed, it's also very entertaining!
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November 18, 2004 08:40 AM PST Permalink | |

PVP, one of the best online comics, is selling Han Shot First t-shirts. If you don't get the reference, or the comic, then it just means that you're not a geek, and that's not a bad thing either. :)

I try to tell myself that Greedo's shot was just a flinch in reaction to Han's shot. Yeah, that explains how he missed from two feet away.

Update: [24 Jan 2004] The shirts are sold out, but more are coming. From the PVP web site:

Phillips has come out with a scratch resistant DVD that can take a lot more abuse than current DVDs. They also claim that this opens the way for DVDs that hold 10 times as much data.

The technology is actual a coating that protects the surface, so it isn't tied to any specific DVD format. Blu-ray and HD DVD can both use it to improve their disks, and maybe Blu-ray can get rid of the protective cartridges that it currently requires.
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November 17, 2004 12:44 PM PST Permalink | |

Here is some seriously impressive video taken during the siege on Fallujah. It's mainly unedited footage and really shows what it's like, and more footage is being added. There is even the newly infamous, and still-under investigation, incident of a soldier killing a wounded enemy combatant. All I can say is that I'm glad that I'm not there.
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November 16, 2004 03:39 PM PST Permalink | Comments [1] |

It's a big secret, but Sun has some kind of big annoucement tomorrow (Monday). I think it has something to do with "Solaris 10" or something like that. Remember, you heard it here first! </tongeincheek>
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November 14, 2004 10:26 PM PST Permalink | |

I was away on vacation this week and had to watch some shows on a regular TV. How I missed my Tivo! I'd sad that I'm so used to it, but it really is a shock to try and go back after so many years. How parents ever saw a single episode of any TV show before Tivo is beyond me. It was also hard telling my daughter that "Ernie isn't here now" since she is also used to watching her shows on demand.

I also missed my DirecTivo dual-receiver setup. I'm so used to be able to watch one show, pause, and then watch another for a bit, and then go back. I'm not used to missing Letterman's Top 10 list because I was stuck on Jay Leno for too long.

It saddens me that so many people aren't into Tivo, or are just going to accept whatever crap their cable companies give them. Tivo, the great company that started it all, may not live long enough to see the world where everyone has on-demand and time-shifted programming. Far too often, the pioneer isn't the one who succeeds, but the ones who follow and imitate.
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November 13, 2004 01:36 PM PST Permalink | |

After 130 years, a fire in China has finally been put out. A coal fire, buring since 1874 in the Xinjiang province, was finally extinguished this month.

Rama had an entry about the 10 things the Chinese do better. I guess "firefighting" is not on the list, but maybe "bon fires" should be.

It kind of reminds me if the The Simpsons and the "Springfield Tire Fire" city landmark ("since 1966").
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November 05, 2004 02:08 PM PST Permalink | |

theforce.net reports that the Star Wars Episode III trailer has been released in Europe. It is supposed to be downloadable from starwars.com to paying members, but I'm sure it will be available for free somewhere soon.

Reaction has been positive, but tempered with the fact that Episodes I and II were rather disappointing.

Update: The trailer can be downloaded here.
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November 04, 2004 01:02 PM PST Permalink | |

That's what I need after this election.
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November 03, 2004 12:14 PM PST Permalink | |

If there was ever any doubt that this was a big election, astronaut Leroy Chiao voted from the Internation Space Station! Danville native Leroy Chiao is a temporary resident of the International Space Station. Chiao cast a ballot via email over the weekend. His votes traveled over a secure email connection to Mission Control, who forwarded it to the Galveston County Clerk's Office in Texas, where Chiao is registered.

Chiao is the first American to vote for president from space. Here is the full story.
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November 02, 2004 01:52 PM PST Permalink | |

Here is a scary story about some problems detected in the early elections using electronic voting. Voters who chose "All Democratic" candidates ended up voting for "Bush/Cheney" instead. The article claims that this only happens when a user makes a mistake (not voting for an additional ballot measure), but in my book: "Bug + UserMistake = Bug", just like "X + 0 = X" in math.

Short of selecting the wrong candidate, no user mistake should cause someone's vote to be changed. Also, I don't consider not voting for something to be a mistake. I also reject the idea that because "only 12 people" reported the problem, that it's not a big deal. They have no idea how many people didn't even notice the problem. The only reassuring thing is that this happened in Texas, where Bush is sure to win anyway, and not in one of the battleground states.

This kind of bug is inexcusable, IMHO. This "edge condition" should have been tested since it's not an obscure situation. Also, any algorithm that cause all values to shift due to one null value needs to be reexamined immediately. I'm really surprised that this story isn't causing more waves.
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November 01, 2004 08:59 AM PST Permalink | |