noscripta href=http://www.sibresource.ru/#1058;#1102;#1084;#1077;#1085;#1100; #1083;#1072;#1085;#1076;#1096;#1072;#1092;#1090;/a/noscriptef=http://sunsurfin.net/wp-content/uploads/2007/05/hd_dvd_night_digg_frontpage_screenshot_before_rose_blog_post_censored.png title=Digg Riots on 05/01img src=http://sunsurfin.net/wp-content/uploads/2007/05/hd_dvd_night_digg_frontpage_screenshot_before_rose_blog_post_censored.thumbnail.png alt=Digg Riots on 05/01 style=width: 105px; height: 165px title=Digg Riots on 05/01 align=left border=0 height=165 hspace=4 vspace=2 width=105 //aWow, a lot has been going on in the online community over the past week and I’ve been holding out on making a post so that I could collect my thoughts together and truly think it out rather than acting on impulse as many people did. I think I’ve finally gotten a solid opinion on it, and I believe it’s unique and worth your time.

Before I begin, I’ll recap the situation for anybody that hasn’t heard. a href=http://digg.comDigg/a is a social networking website in which users submit news stories and vote (digg) stories they find interesting to get them to the front page and viewed by everybody that visits it. On May 1st, 2007, a user posted a string of numbers that could help people backup/ play HD-DVDs, a next gen media medium that allows people to view movies in high definition. As one would expect, Digg recieved a take-down notice from AAC LA, the company that works on DRM for HD-DVDs, requesting that the story be removed containing the encryption code. Digg complied and removed the story, and was met with a 21st century riot of users resubmitting the code over and over (see screenshot at top left).

Here’s an example of why I think it’s wrong that this encryption code is being posted on Digg:

Suppose somebody has a 32bit password protecting their bank account. They go on vacation somewhere for a week and, in that time period, somebody manages to crack their account and steal their money. It doesn’t end there though - the cracker turns around and posts the person’s password on Digg.com for the entire world to see. Is it wrong for Digg to censor that password? In that way, the number should be protected.

Contrary to popular belief, being on the internet doesn’t give a person immunity from all laws. If Digg’s members decided to become a community of child porn, would that be okay? Should Kevin Rose (founder of Digg) change his stance to back up the members? I appreciate him trying to appeal to our wants and support our cause, but there are better ways to do it. It’s pretty immature for people to post on Digg saying YEAH, DON’T TAKE THE CRAP FROM AAC LA! STAND UP FOR WHAT YOU BELIEVE IN AND BTW (LAWLZ), HERE’S THE KEY AGAIN! They don’t own the site… they’re only building up a base of evidence for when AACS LA do try to prosecute Digg.

I’m completely for DRM free media, but I think that there are better ways to represent your opinions. Could people please gain some maturity and handle the issues better? I’m disappointed in Digg.!– Traffic Statistics –
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I had an English assignment last week to write a short story, and I got some positive feedback from classmates in regards to it. As a result, I’ve decided to share it with you all Feedback is more than welcome, whether positive or negative.

Read the rest of this entry »

Nintendo just released a new channel available in the “Wiiware” section of the Shop Channel called “Everybody Votes!” This channel allows you to register a Mii, set your region, and vote on issues. Currently, the things to vote on are:

Which are better? Cats or dogs?

Which is the better Valentine gift? Roses or chocolate?

Where would you rather live? A beach or a mountain?

When would you rather live? The 22nd century or the 19th century?

Once you choose an option, you are able to predict which option you think will be the most popular. While no data is currently available, the channel says that results will be sent to you (presumably through the Wii Mail) and that you will be able to keep track of the correct predictions you have made. There is also an option to submit ideas for questions for future polling choices.

Sure, it isn’t very… content filled right now, but I can see this becoming an addiction in the future, voting on issues and seeing how others match up to your opinions!

I’ve been setting up a new skin for this blog for the past few days, and I’ve put in place some additional features that you can now utilize around the blog. The most prominent of these is the photo gallery, which is accessible by clicking “Photography” in the upper right hand corner.  I’d love to hear some feedback from you all on what you think of the new skin. Please discuss it in the comments.

I’m also currently looking for some people willing to write blog posts. These posts are to be based on technology news and media events. I don’t want blog entries about how your day was; these are to be commentaries on news events.

To apply, please sign up for an account using the upper right hand corner and submit a request to become an author using the Contact Us link at the top. In this request, tell me who you are, what experience you’ve had, what you’d like to blog about on this site, and also submit any former work (if possible).

Thanks,

Surf

I’ve been very interested in, for the past month or so, a new podcast that I found in iTunes. It’s a podcast made by independend film makers Arin and Susan. Their podcast tracks the trials and tribulations of their most recent project, a movie titled “Four Eyed Monsters”. Being an independent film and all, it’s hard to get it recognised by the public and media. It’s also hard to get bookings from places that actually want to play your film. Arin and Susan have promised that if your area gets more than 150 requests to play their movie, they will get it showing in your city at some local venue.

I’m so excited, and I want to see the movie! If you are at all interested in seeing “Four Eyed Monsters”, head to their website and click on “Request” at the top. From there, you can fill in a form and they will add a heart to your city. As your city gets more and more requests, the heart will get bigger and you can track how many it has gotten. Once it hits 150, you can expect to see their film sometime soon!

As I’m sure you can imagine, I was thrilled to sign on to the internet this afternoon and see that President of Activision, Mike Griffith, announced earlier today that Guitar Hero is coming to the Nintendo Wii. I’ve had a Wii since Christmas, and have since enjoyed Zelda: Twilight Princess, Rayman: Raving Rabbids, and Wii Sports. I also returned Call of Duty 3 (aweeesome game) to Blockbuster the other day.

I’ve not played Guitar Hero before, but the hype around it is enormous, so it’s sure to offer something to me! Mike Griffith said today in a conference call (taken from Tanooki Blog): 

“The key difference in our strategy versus the prior cycle, is that in addition to full support on Sony and Microsoft platforms, we will aggressively target the Nintendo platforms consistent with our multi-platform strategy and Nintendo’s expected growth. In fiscal 2008, we will double our offerings on the DS and the Wii, including Spider-Man, Shrek, Transformers, and Guitar Hero.”

If you’ve played it, feel free to offer your opinions on it and tell me whether or not you think it’ll be worth the buy!

Listen to the Conference Call

Over the past month, I’ve been experimenting with two different task managers on life for getting things done in the real world. I’d read everywhere that it’s the ”the way to go”, using an online GTD and what not; it’s supposed to help you keep track of a ton of different assignments and also get them done… my experience was not quite the same as promised.

The two services I used were Gubb and Zirrus. Of the two, I definitely thought Gubb was more innovative; Zirrus had the basic functionality of adding items in a list and setting priorities and tags, but past that, it wasn’t good for much. The interface is as follows: log in with your username and password, click a button to add a new item, enter the name, use a slider to set the priority (higher priority items show up in a bigger font face), add any tags, give a due date, and add it to your list by pressing a save button. From there, you can sort alphabetically, by date due, and by priority. There are two panels: one for brainstorming and the other as a final “now” list for tasks to be done ASAP.

While Zirrus was good for that bit, there are more features in Gubb that I found myself missing in Zirrus. Some of that functionality includes the ability to customise the look and feel of your menus and the ability to send your lists to email or a cell phone via SMS (for free). It’s so nice to be able to have a copy of your grocery lists on a cell phone to check off as you’re going down the aisles… you aren’t living the new generation unless you are!!!

My disappointment in the two services was the lack of motivation it gave me… sure, it was fun for the first few days, but I soon found myself simply ignoring the list; I tried keeping track of homework using the online interfaces, but it was no different than before. It’s on a page I have to pull up and visit to get the list, and that’s the same as keeping things in an agenda on paper. I’d love to see an application that has built-in functionality online so I can add things on the go by texting to it, sending an email, or logging in to a website to add tasks. Then, I could get notifications every so often (set by a control in the application) to remind me I have stuff to do. Even an option to lock me out of the computer until it’s done would be nice!

Over all, I think that the GTD market is definitely there. Small enhancements like the ones mentioned above are what will draw in new clients, and I can see everybody managing their entire lives on a cell phone or palm pilot in a few years time!

For Christmas, a friend of my mom gave me a really nice film camera (It’s a Nikon N50). It has a lot of settings that I’m still getting to know, but I’m really trying to get used to them! I had my first batch of 24 photos developed the other day, and out of those 24 managed to salvage 3. 1 was of my sister, so I’m choosing not to post that one to retain her privacy, but the other 2 I’d love to get feedback on Please go check them out!

http://sunsurfin.net/photography/

I was hoping to raise awareness of a very important and currently ignored situation going on in Africa as I type this. Darfur is a country in Africa where a massive genocide is taking place. The conflict was started when Black Africans rebelled against the Arab government, saying they were being mistreated. The Arabs rebelled back, deploying militias and what I would consider to be “terror groups” to defend the government’s stances. These defense mechanisms include the killing of hundreds of thousands of men so far, the raping of many females (young and old, and it’s arguably worse than being killed; through these acts of horror, the females are sent back to their tribes marked [via a bite/ scratch on their arm] where they are shunned by their friends and family and marked “void” for marriage), and the burning of huge villages.

In May of this year, a peace treaty was signed and the Arab government agreed to try and stop the fighting. The Arab leader who signed the peace treaty was given a large budget to work with, and he deployed the troops. Reports quickly came back, however, that the troops were being highly abusive to any areas of Darfur opposing the peace treaty. Just like that, the situation is once more quickly deteriorating. People are once more being driven from their homes, and the fighting has started once more.

Have you heard a single thing about this on the news? I know I’ve heard it mentioned once on CBS, and on a free news special from CBS in iTunes. That’s it! No less than 200,000 people have been killed so far, that number sure to increase, and the media isn’t paying attention to it (nor is the government!) I, for one, find this astounding.

Are we willing to fight in Iraq, but not for an equally great cause to stop the rape and killings of many innocent people? It disgusts me that this is going on, and I only heard about it this last week. The only way I see this issue being resolved any time soon is through the publics’ awareness of the subject and a strain on the governments of the world to assist in the effort. Granted, one post isn’t going to make it happen, but surely, a bunch of interest in this can.

Please, feel free to discuss the issue in this thread and express your feelings on the matter. I’m just shocked that this is going on in Africa, and nobody seems to care. Wow.

Sources

http://www.usatoday.com/news/world/2006-12-11-darfur_x.htm
http://allafrica.com/stories/200612090018.html
http://news.bbc.co.uk/1/hi/world/africa/3496731.stm
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Darfur_conflict

I’ve recently become fascinated in photography. I went to Ohio this past week for Thanksgiving and decided to bring my Kodak EasyShare C340 (no, not a $1,500 camera) for the event that I saw some things worth shooting. This was my first time truly taking the time to try and take some nice pictures, and I’d never really done it before with the whole driving, seeing something, and yelling “stop” to the driver so I could take pictures. It was fun, though! I’ve touched up some of the photos and put them in a flash gallery for your enjoyment. Feel free to comment and critique - especially the critique, because the only way I can improve is if I no what can be done better!

The Gallery [flash required]