"The super rich and their weddings" written by Paul on estrip.org

Category: web

08/28/11 09:28 - ID#55050

The super rich and their weddings

The world's richest bride Petra Ecclestone got married this weekend in Rome

. Her father is billionaire Bernie Ecclestone -

They got married at the same castle as Tom and Katie Cruise. Everyone tacky and famous was there. Fergie with the Black Eyed Peas, Alicia Keys and Eric Clapton played. Paris Hilton was there, sigh. The only thing missing was that (e:mike) and I were left of the guest list as an apparent oversight. Someone needs to get fired.

But really oversights like that are to be expected on such a shoe string budget -- it only cost $5,000,000.

At first that figure seems shocking. Like $5,000,000 could feed or blow up a small country (depending who is doing the spending and if we deem the inhabitant terrorists or underprivileged). I know, I know - "its too much excess", "the rich gets richer while the poor get poorer" --- blah, blah, blah but then when you really think about it $5,000,000 seems really like a dollar store wedding for a father with a billion dollar fortune.

I mean guys making $40,000 give their daughters $10,000 - $20,000 weddings. I would expect this guy to at least throw a $20,000,000 wedding and that still really kind of thifty for his fortune. Maybe the problem is really just that nothing is expensive enough.

Sure every guest had Chateau Petrus wine at $6,500 a bottle but any self respecting billionaire dad would have had each guest a personal kegger of cristal.

In a way, the rich splurging like this is a good thing. Think about all the money that changed hands, how many people got paid. Its like we are finally seeing trickle down economics really pay off.

Permalink: The_super_rich_and_their_weddings.html
Words: 294
Last Modified: 08/30/11 09:40

Category: web

08/21/11 01:34 - ID#54992

22,000 calories a day

Fatass Susanne Eman is trying to become the world's biggest fatass ever. She wants to make it to a ton. What the hell is wrong with her? Imagine the output on this diet.

Breakfast: 6 x eggs scrambled, cooked in butter 468 cals. 1/2 pound bacon 1,168 cals, 4 x potatoes as hash browns 672 cals, 6 x pieces toast with butter 600 cals, 32 ounce cream shake 1,160 cals. Snacking 1 x bag of animal cookies 1,950 cals, 2litre bottle of soft drink 800 cals, 1 x 10.5 ounce bag of barbecue flavour crisps 1,650 cals, 3 x ham and cheese sandwiches 1,576 cals.

Lunch: 3 x beef, bean and green chilli burritos with 1 x cup of sour cream 1,453 cals. Salad (1 head lettuce, 1 cup cherry tomatoes, 1 cup carrots, 1 cucumber, 1/2 cup ranch dressing, bacon bits, 1 cup crumbled cheese, 1 cup chicken 1,479 cals.

Dinner: 12 x filled tacos + 1 x cup sour cream 4,906 cals, 2litre bottle of soda 800 cals, Dessert 8 x scoops vanilla ice cream 2,080 cals, 1 x small pan of brownies 1,200 cals.

Total: 21,962 calories

Permalink: 22_000_calories_a_day.html
Words: 158
Last Modified: 08/21/11 01:36

Category: web

08/20/11 10:46 - ID#54980

Schleswig-Holstein doesn't "like" facebook

I find this interesting. The state in germany where I went to college has banned the facebook like button from being used on any website served within its borders due to data privacy issues,

The German State of Schleswig-Holstein has ordered all state sites to remove Facebook's "like" button. Sites that fail to comply could face fines of up to 50,000 euros, or about $72,000.

Schleswig-Holstein's data protection commissioner, Thilo Weicher, ordered the shutdown after an analysis by his office showed that Facebook builds profiles of users and non-users alike with the "like" button's data. Because such data collection violates Germany's data protection laws, Weicher has given websites operated in Schleswig-Holstein until September 30th to remove all "like" buttons.

metalpeter writes at 05:14:32 08/22/11 - Comment #64500: I didn't read the entire article but the thing his how odd the Like button is..... I forget how you share on here with facebook since I've never done it.... But any website can set up a like button on any part of its page and anyone who clicks on it can share that info on facebook.... It might not last long but lets say I'm wearing only chaps on some web page and next to the picture there is a like someone could hit the like button and write something like not to big not to small the perfect sized cock and balls then there I am naked on facebook..... Sounds kinda fun in a way untill someone sees me and tags me and that is the first picture on my wall.... Then everyone comes up with a thought on how I look..... Now I don't know the german Laws but I could see how this with data could be bad..... But also any thing about Nazi is illegal there I wonder if that extends to movies like we like to make movies about the Nazi cause lets face it they make great bad guys and there out fits are pretty cool.... Think not then why are storm troopers in stars wars move just like them... The Point is are movies with Nazis in them illegal and if you liked that or like the movement could you get locked up.....

tinypliny writes at 12:39:11 08/20/11 - Comment #64460: So, you are supporting this ban?

tinypliny writes at 12:27:39 08/20/11 - Comment #64459: I am hoping that won't happen in our lifetimes. We need to have forgotten the strong science behind all of our attitudes for that to ever happen or the deaths of many intellects collectively.

Gay persecution would be the least of anyone's problems if that happens.

paul writes at 11:45:15 08/20/11 - Comment #64458: At the same time you need to consider that 60-70 years ago data collection was used there to haul tens of millions of people of to their deaths :::link:::

Its not hard to imagine this data could be used at some future point by somebody else with sinister intentions. I think that is the problem with all of this data collection in general. A perfect example is gay stuff. Ya, it might be cool to like all the gay stuff you want in our current climate. Then all of a sudden, the polictical climate changes, gays are persecuted. The data does not go away and there is no real way of assuring that persecuting countries don't get access either through spying, hacking or direct data requests from the corporations.

tinypliny writes at 11:01:11 08/20/11 - Comment #64457: Which makes you think about what these data protection laws were set up for originally... Do you think they are perhaps outdated and have not kept up with the meaning of data protection now?

Permalink: Schleswig_Holstein_doesn_t_like_facebook.html
Words: 127
Last Modified: 08/20/11 10:46

Category: web

08/14/11 08:34 - ID#54943

Violent Flash Mobs?

I can't even believe this is real. There is now a 9PM curfew in Philladelphia for teens under age 18 after a series of violent and crime driven flashmobs fueled by social media?!!

Part of me wants to side with it being ridiculous to force curfews on all teens because of some bad ones and to blame the media for sensationalizing this as flashmobs when really its just organized crime. I mean I used to hate it when the police would harass us for being outside at night when we were teens. On the other hand, we didn't rob stores, well at least not as an organized mobs - we may have mis-weighed bulk food a little here or there.

All joking aside, the media is making this seem slightly terrifying. Its hard to tell what's real and what's not as you can cut facts and video any way you want. I wish I knew someone there.

Here is some actual footage from that. While it looks like a robbery, it doesn't look particularly violent

Yet, the mayor seems to believe it now.

Here are some mobile videos from the evening that seem to be a little more balanced. Strangely, there is barely anything violent in the video which makes me question if the media is sensationalizing the issue. You could easily recut these into a news story that was totally against excessive police force. It just depends how you want to spin it.

Part 1 - I love the long haired white kid at 8:00 who sings about the police treating people like shit.

Part 2

Part 3

Part 4

Here it is cut up to make those video's seem way more crazy violent on Fox News.

At the end of vide one some surely white guy comments and says "Show me one video of aï»¿ white flash mob" The thing is there are hundreds if not thousands of them but they are dancing. I hope the action here and in Britain doesn't replace the term flash mob in our cultural vocabulary to mean some scary and violent.

This korean news is hillarious, holy crap

paul writes at 10:43:39 08/21/11 - Comment #64487: :::link:::

metalpeter writes at 05:45:15 08/16/11 - Comment #64386: So Video wise I got to the one with the mayor wish I had the time and Patience to follow all your links and watch those 3 10min videos but I don't.... I post news a lot over to facebook think after you read it takes about 5 clicks it can move pretty fast.... I posted about the London riots and then after that there where follow up riots... Well Blackberry was blamed in an article cause I guess they have like there own chat rooms or some way to connect directly through them or something... But you can't blame the tech...It isn't good or bad it is how it is used.... For example everyone thinks it is great when a flash mob shows up some place and everyone dances... Or the entire food court Sings Christmas songs.... But that exact same tech can be used by any group say people who think Christmas should be about the lord and not the gifts and they hate the greed so they show up at the mall and as someone leaves the store one person asks and whom are you donating that to anyone who says it is for me is beaten yes baseball bats to mall and destroy stores or maybe even steal stuff for your self... Or protest the Muslim butcher.... The tech is the same.... I remember their was some Pillow fight one in Buffalo what if you hide bricks in those and attack chain places on Elmwood cause it is supposed to be local only......

paul writes at 04:54:40 08/15/11 - Comment #64365: This AP article is pretty interesting :::link::: "The National Retail Federation said 10 percent of 106 companies it surveyed reported being targeted in the last year by groups of thieves using flash mob tactics."

tinypliny writes at 04:51:57 08/15/11 - Comment #64364: :::link::: mentions wisconsin.

maybe you should ditch the orangetongue domain and start a flashmob one.

paul writes at 04:48:38 08/15/11 - Comment #64363: And vegas too :::link:::

paul writes at 04:47:24 08/15/11 - Comment #64362: And Wisconsin. Its so weird that none of the other articles seem to link them together. This one seems so incredibly crazy :::link:::

tinypliny writes at 04:46:06 08/15/11 - Comment #64361: In related news, I read this about a study that looks at how mothers of today deal with kids demanding and manipulating them to buy (often) crappy cereal at the grocery stores: :::link:::

Giving in is (not surprisingly) the least effective strategy.

paul writes at 04:44:51 08/15/11 - Comment #64360: And even St Paul Minnesota back in february with 50 kids. I like that they referred to it as Mob Robery instead of a Flash Mob. Apparently, it happened there before.

tinypliny writes at 04:43:18 08/15/11 - Comment #64359: headed towards buffalo?! I hope not. We just cannot afford this kind of behaviour.

paul writes at 04:38:34 08/15/11 - Comment #64358: And in washington DC - :::link:::

paul writes at 04:28:05 08/15/11 - Comment #64356: Oh the korean video part was cut off before and it seems like there are new rober flash mobs in Maryland. :::link::: :::link:::

tinypliny writes at 02:54:52 08/15/11 - Comment #64351: And then there is something like this: :::link:::

tinypliny writes at 02:47:27 08/15/11 - Comment #64350: :::link:::

I think the mayor has his head in the right place and a brain in it, something that I can't say for the parents of these kids.

tinypliny writes at 02:30:35 08/15/11 - Comment #64349: So what would be an alternative really? I am sure all of those kids think it's so cool that they pulled it all off. It's as if there is no definition of right and wrong in their heads. When we have a big media influence (music as well as other forms of media) that blurs the lines between what is cool and what is right/wrong, it is hard to instill moral values in kids.

I was reading this human behaviour article not long back. It emphasized how evolutionarily wired we all are to follow examples and how closely our internal judgment relies on the question "would my role model have done that?". If the answer is yes, we don't see any harm in doing it ourselves. I don't think we realize that all of us have multiple role models, not just one. The very fact that our whole behaviour model is social dictates that everything we do is based on what influential models in our past and present have done or must have done.

In an environment where there is complete lack of natural role-models (read: parents, relatives, responsible siblings), the stand ins are possibly media icons or equally lost peers. That to me, is incredibly scary.

"Social-networking-driven" to me is just code for "lack-of-parental-involvement-in-bringing-us-up".

paul writes at 02:10:33 08/15/11 - Comment #64347: Ya thats what I was thinking. If the actual flash mobs happen during the day whats the good in nighttime curfews. That plus, maybe it just forces them to be home and use more social networking where the situation worsens. Its not like by sending them home they are stopping them from assembling like it would have been years ago.

tinypliny writes at 01:20:13 08/15/11 - Comment #64344: It looks like the "Italian Job" in a shoe store.

tinypliny writes at 01:18:59 08/15/11 - Comment #64343: And as a counter argument to the video evidence, all that the surveillance footage suggests to me is that the store raid (for that's what it looks like) was planned and the kids were apparently successful in such mass-scale shoplifting simply because of the strength in numbers. How many security officers do you think a regular department store has during its regular hours of operation? The raid easily had the potential to become violent once there is a hint of confrontation.

Which brings me to another point - curfew after 9 PM? That looks like it was broad daylight.

tinypliny writes at 01:09:00 08/15/11 - Comment #64342: And yes, I totally believe "Spare the rod, spoil the child." is true. I am always appalled at all the tantrums kids pull in stores around me and how they get away with it. The parents who do actively monitor their kids behaviour and try to make them behave do so with so many glances of guilt around them. Seriously, what IS wrong with teaching a kid good habits?! Why do make responsible parents feel guilty about meting out balanced punishment?

Teenagers are not grown-ups. In fact they need more guidance than younger kids. Responsible teenagers grow into responsible adults and don't chuck their lives away to irresponsible behaviour.

/end of rant.

tinypliny writes at 01:03:41 08/15/11 - Comment #64341: The judgmental 70-year old in me rues the lack of good parenting these days. And yet, I am in no position to be judgmental because I am completely out of touch with what it is like to actually parent kids in this day and age (and place!). Who knows what challenges real parents are facing these days. I don't know if I even want to find out. If I had a kid that even considered raiding a store for a bag of potato chips, I probably would freak out and ground the kid for a month as a lesson in being a good citizen.

tinypliny writes at 01:00:26 08/15/11 - Comment #64340: We had curfews at home all the time. If it was not govt-imposed, it was parent-enforced. I just didn't know what to say. I guess I never had the classic "teenager-years" where everyone seems to experiment with everything here. The one time I went to a somewhat out-of-control concert, I ended up running into trouble with law enforcement. It was very unpleasant so I never attempted ever again.

paul writes at 12:40:00 08/15/11 - Comment #64339: How can no one have anything to say about this?

Permalink: Violent_Flash_Mobs_.html
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Last Modified: 08/15/11 04:24

Category: web

07/06/11 10:36 - ID#54651

Google+

Wow, could it be any more like facebook. I mean, I like it - I like it even more but it feels the same. Its going to be so hard to get people into both. I don't understand how people can possibly have enough time in their lives for all of this social networking. Maybe google is going to do an even better job with it.

tinypliny writes at 01:20:21 07/08/11 - Comment #63420: Its a writing skills killer.

tinypliny writes at 01:18:32 07/08/11 - Comment #63419: Yikes.. this is somewhat disturbing. They spotted and suggested me as your "circle mate"... I don't know if I like this anymore than I "like" facebook. It's the same devil.

metalpeter writes at 05:55:35 07/07/11 - Comment #63408: So Followed the link and from facebook's side it does make sense.... When I first signed up they had ways to find contacts or people you know through your e-mail (so many people alone use yahoo it is a no brainer)... So they don't want to have you find all your friends then google takes you and all your friends of facebook... Facebook knows that it is all about being connected... When two friends left myspace to go to facebook if you follow those two friends then you had to make the jump also....With limited time that made less and less people on myspace... Yes there are some people and bands you can only follow on myspace and things that would never fly on facebook... But the point is they don't want to lose people to google cause if they do then people who follow them will leave also... Think this is why they came out now with all the chat and skype stuff that I haven't used.... Seems like a good way for lovers to keep in touch or find new lovers.....

metalpeter writes at 05:48:19 07/07/11 - Comment #63407: With Cellphones and Tablets? You are the 3rd confirmed (e:peep) that I know has it now (could be more just 3 that I know of).... I don't even have g-mail so..... I'm guessing that they are trying to be the new facebook and then connect things with mail... Say this way you are at the square with say Keith and Tony and you say post a picture of the band... Well maybe Heidi is on and sees the pic so writes a comment like ok now i know where you are stay right there...Your phone buzzes you look Hey guys don't move Heidi is on her way over.... Or you know something like that again I don't have it so ........

paul writes at 11:16:24 07/06/11 - Comment #63401: I found this interesting: :::link:::

Permalink: Google_.html
Words: 68
Last Modified: 07/06/11 11:00

Category: web

06/17/11 11:16 - ID#54516

Popular Science

Popular science published its magazine as a chrome web app

. It seems to work ok in other browsers.

It was a pretty awesome experience flipping through the magazine on the TV and the stories were pretty good. There is also an angry birds app

- It also works in firefox.

Permalink: Popular_Science.html
Words: 58
Last Modified: 06/17/11 11:16

Category: web

06/10/11 09:59 - ID#54465

Great Analogy

copyright infringement != theft
Theft occurs when one deprives the owner of the original.

Taking a picture of art in a museum can be considered copyright infringement, but it is certainly not the same thing as thieving the original.

Permalink: Great_Analogy.html
Words: 45
Last Modified: 06/10/11 09:59

Category: web

06/09/11 12:33 - ID#54454

When passwords are usernames

This is a stupid practice for anyone. Never make your username/password the same thing, never make them both tiny numbers.

I can't believe there is this commercial paging and directory software for hospitals/government organizations that exists where the vendor must be encouraging customers to use login/password combos that are both that same publicly available ids.

Its so silly because the numbers are so low, even if you didn't have the lookup ability you could just guess, say 4004/4004 until you got it right. Clearly, you can't 100% blame the vendor on this as anyone in their right mind would recognize that is not a secure setup. Especially for an app on the open, public web.

It kills me because I want to tell the people so bad that their data is totally vulnerable but at the same time, I don't want to get involved. Its a real moral dilema.

Even worse, older versions of the software simply let you set the cookie to the ID you want and you are in. That is just lunacy. They fixed the cookie issue after I contacted them by phone a couple years back. Looking back it was so funny trying to explain to their software engineer how insecure using that cookie was - he was not getting it at all.

Sadly, some of their customers haven't upgraded. If I was the vendor I would give away free upgrades because if anyone does exploit this, they will lose all of their credibility.

Its even worse because the vendor lists the organizations right on their homepage.

Permalink: When_passwords_are_usernames.html
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Last Modified: 06/09/11 03:26

Category: web

06/06/11 12:15 - ID#54434

Pride Parade Quote On Buffalo Rising

I was reading the comments about the pride parade announcement on Buffalo Rising

As always there was a bunch of bickering but I found this one comment/response hilarious.

EllicotNick: - Anyone know when the straight parade is occurring?
paintedpost: - It's held each Saturday night on Chippewa.

Permalink: Pride_Parade_Quote_On_Buffalo_Rising.html
Words: 56
Last Modified: 06/06/11 12:16

Category: web

06/03/11 05:00 - ID#54416

Browser Stats June 2011

In august, google is dropping support for IE 7

. Sadly, for a cutting edge reseach center, we are still using such outdated web technology as the default browser. No that we are special, I bet other places are just as behind. The problem stems from lazy vendors building everything to work in one browser. I hate having to build crap for IE 7 or even 8 as it severly limits what is possible compared to the more modern HTML 5 browsers. Its even worse with any non web software (which there is a ton of) and requires Win XP, an OS from 10 years ago. Imagine if we had to use cell phones from 10 years ago.

It's especially weird at my work because all new computers at come with windows 7 and IE 8. I guess they have to wait for vendor approval to upgrade the old ones? To me that just seems like a lame excuse as they have had years to resolve this and IE8 has IE7 compat mode.

Anyways thats not the point of this blog. The point is that my internet stats for estrip show that IE's total share for all versions is only 18% of viewers. I know we are a weird niche population but thats crazy considering several eyars ago it was over 80% of the visitors.

Microsoft is going down. Its about time.

Chrome on windows has the single largest share at 26% for windows and firefox on windows has 27%.

Overall Visitors % by OS/browser:
Windows OS: Firefox 27.95%, Chrome 26.59%, IE 18.58%, Safari 0.30%, Opera 1.08%
Mac OS: Safari 6.63%, Firefox 5.26%, Chrome 1.90%
Linux: Firefox 1.84%, Chrome 1.25%
Android: Android Browser 1.07%, Safari? 2.19% curiously more than iphone
iPhone: Safari 2.07%
iPad: Safari 0.84%
iPod: Safari 0.55%

In general, its still a 74.63% of visitors coming from windows world. Mac is at 13.85%, android, 3.29%, Linux 3.18%, iPhone at 2.21%, ipad 0.93%, iPod 0.61%, blackberry 0.26%, playstation 3 0.12%

tinypliny writes at 06:56:43 06/04/11 - Comment #62767: Btw, you can install chrome even if you don't have admin rights. Just sayin...

metalpeter writes at 06:27:12 06/04/11 - Comment #62760: Well what you aren't saying is that a lot of it going down is from you and I like that....Let me explain....

If you have a mac from what I understand you have Safari or if you have itunes on your computer you get it with that also....

I remember that you said at some point the way the website was set up firefox was the best for it... So I went with firefox or atleast for here... Guessing a lot of other people did as well.... I would come on here with IE and it just wouldn't work right sometimes I would log in and not be able to log out.... Somehow my firefox became really bad guessing that some of those programs you can ad is what messed it up but not sure....

I love the ads for chrome by the way if I had gmail then maybe I could do all the stuff in both ads I've seen on TV yes one of them was for the itgetsbetter videos on youtube... Then you went with chrome and instead of doing the upload thing you can do the drag and drop for pictures that is awesome!!!

Some sites support some browsers and not others based on whom ever makes them...No idea how they decide that.

What you said about IE and a lot of people using that is true... I think one of the issues is at work... For example where I work if I go onto facebook not sure if that is really ok but IE ain't so great and zombie pets takes forever... But it is a work computer so I don't think I can just go download chrome... I'm guessing there are a lot of people like that.... You have to remember you are a computer person. I think most people who go out and buy one don't know (I know I sure don't) about all the different ways to go on the web and why..... So they use what they have....

So I just want to say thank you......

tinypliny writes at 08:04:20 06/03/11 - Comment #62728: I don't browse the internet too much from linux laptop... maybe I should. Its a speed machine.

Chrome is the future of browsers!

Permalink: Browser_Stats_June_2011.html
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Last Modified: 06/03/11 05:00