Posts from March 2008

My parents computer started smelling liek burning plastic. Well they said it did. When @mike and i took it to Best Buy, it didn't - at least not the first time. Then they brought it home, the smell got worse. So we brought it back in and my mother had them turn it on for a half hour while we sat there and smelled it till the burnign plastic smell started. Luckily that time it smelled like burning plastic. They said it was the power supply. Buying things form them is relaly expensive. I was able to order one from a reseller online, from my phone, while in line. Plus One for constant internet connection!

So the part arrived the other day and my brother @mike brought the computer over.



It was one of those HP mini compact computers so all the parts are very tiny and proprietary - besides the CD drive which looked so mammoth and out of place inside it.



In order to get to the power supply we had to take everything apart and remember when it went, Seriously, every other part had to come out to get to it.

Here was the bad power supply.


Then we put it all back together and srewed everything back in to find out it didn't work. So I had to take it all back apart again. At first I thought the new power supply was bunk but then I realized there was a switch to convert it from 250 to 120. It worked after that and I had to put it all back together again. i also learned my lesson about testing stuff before screwing it all back together.

So @terry wants a wii. I wanted one so bad two christmases ago when they first came out. Back then I would check the store all the time looking for one and everyone was always out.

My mother tried to buy me one for christmas but they didn't have any so i got a gift card for one. Months and months of no wiis later I bought something else with the money. Then I stopped looking and decided I did not care until @terry want to play the new super smash brothers the other day when it came out. So we sold our xbox 360 (which we never used) - thanks @mrmike - in order to get a Wii. On friday night we went to Best Buy that way I could buy a UPS backup power supply for the server ;)

They were out of wiis. I figured it was a freak thing, I mean come one, its been two years that they have been out. So we went to EB games but they were out of them too! According to the guy you have to be their when the UPS truck arrives in the morning and they usually go within 10 minutes.

What the fuck is happening to America? I had the money, I want the product, and obviously so do many other people, if they are willing to get in line - yet the wiis are nowhere to be found.

How in two years has Nintendo not managed to ramp up production? Once again the money is going to end up getting shuffled into some other expense and Nintendo is probably going to lose our business. You can't even buy them online accept at the high premium on ebay.

What is next, lines for bread?

We went to Montana Steak House for Dinner.


The ubergay waiter really liked us and/or Nameless Bitch. We got a free dessert that was enough for 6 people.



He brought us a whole rainbow of suckers at the end. Purple tasted really good.

I am glad this worked out. I never meant to make the cat unhappy. Seeing as it is hairless, it might be the only cat friend I will ever have ;)

I posted the pic you sent as is - below, and credited you with a link back to your site.

Thanks for understanding. I never was angry with the cat in the first place, I was angry with Michaels reaction. It never said cats suck until after he bothered me although I still am not a big fan of hairy cats because of my severe allergy - they make me stop breathing.

If he wants to get back at me he can make fun of my pet, the tortoise names basra
Paul

Dear Paul,

Thank you for the explanation and I'm so sorry you are allergic to fur. I am sure that the Bambino, "Hadrian's Wall" will not take it personally and, in fact, would be tickled that you have created a game with him -- even though it is about "killing the cat," the fact that the shooter is Hadrian softens the blow. The game is delightful, actually! You are gifted, Paul.

Thank you, too, for explaining the events that transpired and your feelings. I know that Michael didn't mean you any harm but was protecting me and my images, for which I am grateful. Michael is a good man. He has a love for all things "cat" and especially for the vunerable and stray cat with the proceeds from his site going to help uncared for felines in undeveloped countries. Michael's site, www.pictures-of-cats.org is a new one, not even a year old, and he works very hard at making it better and increasing traffic. I'm sure that "CATS SUCK" was such a jolt to him, as it was to me, that you can understand both of our reactions. If we were in our 20s ... probably a different story. :)

I'd like to fancy that Hadrian, the Bambino, would be grinning if he knew what an uproar he caused! Not that he'd even care about the machinations of mice and men, but he'd be pleased to know that you thought he was cute. I am.

Helmi

P.S. Thanks for the link to my site, Paul. And here's another shot of Hadrian that was my favorite.

Photo take by Helmi Flick

Dear Paul Visco,

I don't understand why you have made a derivative work of my photo of the Bambino. This little guy was so happy when he was being photographed, I was smiling through the whole session. Cats are like people: some you like and some you don't; they are all different.

I can't see that what you have "created" will do anything but hurt. If I am wrong, please advise.

Thank you,

Helmi

Dear Bambino,

I am sorry you got dragged into this when really I am irritated with your photographer's friend Michael. It wasn't your fault that this happend and I still think you are as cute as when I first found you on the internet last march. Frankly, it is the threatening tone of Michael that brought this on - you should bite him the next time you see him.

Let me explain the whole situation. Back in march of last year I wrote a journal about hairless animals because I am allergic to furry ones. I had nothing ill intended in the journal I wrote. Original, the picture of you was the normal one I found on the HobbitCats Cattery site

It was not marked as Helmi's picture whatsoever at the time because the Hobbit Cat site had not marked it. At that point, I copied your picture from their site, and credited them with the photograph as well as a link back to their site. I had no way of knowing that Helmi took the picture instead of them and fulfilled my fair usage obligation by linking back to the site I found it on.

Had Michael emailed me the other day and asked to add a link to the Helmi Flick site instead of the cat hobittery site I would have happily obliged. Instead he threatened to sue me. I think that is ridiculous and what prompted my response. I made the derivative work at that point - which lets be honest is not hurting your feelings - as you are a cat.

I am sorry I took it out on you in that video game below - the anger should be directed at Michael but I only had a picture of you.

Now he says he is going to "black me" on google - whatever that is - to me that sounds like a threat against my freedom of speech.

Can we make up and be friends?

Paul

Hi

Re: Dwarf Cat Photo

Your response is shocking, ridiculous and shows us the type of person you are. You are demonstrating to your visitors the kind of person you are (extremely childish). I didn't make a threat to sue. I said you can be sued (i.e. it is a possibility). You are the person in the wrong. You have admitted being in copyright violation.

The post that you have made is defamatory to me (calling me a freak). You have also insulted indirectly, Helmi Flick. I cannot tolerate either. Please remove the post immediately.

Reluctantly, I will be obliged to contact Google if you don't do the right thing. If Google black you, you might as well close your site.

Michael

Here is my response as a fun little game?



Here it is in text.

Dear Michael,

You are a freak. You live in this dreamworld where google does things like "black" people - whatever the freak that is. I guess you really don't understand the internet and how it works.

I am fine with people thinking I am acting childish about this stupid cat. I hate cats and you and guess what - I am free to express that here on my journal without any fear of being affected by your pathetic threats.

I have been writing childish drivel on my journal for 5 years and 1.6 million views later, I doubt this issue is going to drive the readers away.

This site is not supposed to be anything overly serious or formal. Most importantly - we have no vested interest in customers and that is what makes me be able to say what they want and not worry about things like being "blacked" by google - imagining that was a real issue and that you somehow commanded google to your whim.

Its freaks like you that make people all the more curious - so thanks for bringing your drama here.

So what I am saying is "go ahead and black me biznatch"

I acknowledge the original site I found it on from the get go - it is that cat hobbitery site that originally stolen your photo and it is not my fault that they did. I credited them because it appeared that they owned the photo.

The cat is now stamped with the copyright info and a link to Helmi Flick's site. Isn't that what you asked for? Do you really want to continue this?

Oh ya, and "kiss the pinkie"

Best,
Paul

First I would like to point out that I hate cats and have nothing to do with anything cat accept for hate. I don't sell them, I don't take pictures of them. I was never claiming to have taken any pictures of them.

Back when I was in San Francisco I wrote @paul #32816 about hairless dogs and cats. I included an image I found on the site which I linked to. Unfortunately, that site did not have the link to the original photographer Helmi Flick that it does now. I had assumed the cat hobbit site had taken the photo and that is why I linked to them instead of Helmi Flick

Seeing how much I hate cats, I would have gladly just taken it down if asked nicely. However, Michael Meister, whoever the freak that is, wrote me this nasty message today threatening to sue me. If they were so serious about copyright they should have watermarked the image.

The photograph of the hairless dwarf cat is copyright Helmi Flick and you have not provided a copyright credit. I also suspect that you have not got her permission. Please clarify the situation. On the face of it this is a copyright violation. You can be sued for damages.

Michael
mjbmeister AT gmail.com

Instead of taking the picture down, I modified it to make it a derivative work. What kind of damages are you suggesting?

My dream come true, Linux server two of four is installed by my co-worker Tim and I got to customize and compile extensions as required this afternoon. Getting Oracle 11g to work with SElinux and then to compile the PDO extension for oracle 11g to talk with PHP via mod_apache was a little nerve wracking but it all worked out. I had planned it all out previously on a virtual machine in VMware so i knew it could work. - I was just having some SE linux configuration snafus. Tomorrow, I build a custom apache module for server/user validation and we are set to go!

I think this will be the beginning of something big and cost worthy at Roswell. Having my co-worker Tim around really help. Thanks Tim. It is an exciting time for Roswell.

Apparently, this room is a death camp for computers, poor guys ;(

Jesus, my music options have turned to shit now that I have an iphone. I used to constantly listen to internet radio all day long. There are thousands of stations out there with free music I have never heard. I love that. I like not having to have the responsibility of making playlists and organizing music or syncing or buying anything, or even thinking about space for storage.

It is a tragic change in my music listening habits - no shoutcast, no pandora and my be the nail in the coffin for the iphone for me until the 3g iphone comes out.

My music collection is so minimal because I have been doing this for years but now my current phone du jour cannot do streaming radio. I would even settle for rhapsody service although it isn't free. Unfortunately, even the apps people hacked for streaming radio are too slow and buffer all the time.

Its really something to think about if you are an streaming radio lover who is used to evdo/hspda speeds and unlimited accessibility in your mobile browser. Maybe I am the only one that applies to, but I don't think so.

I mean I can see why apple would gimp free streaming radio - it competes with sales for songs on itunes.

I truly like the form factor of the iphone but as I said before not having browser based file uploads really inhibits me from blogging with it too and not having cut/copy/paste irritates the hell out of me. Why, Why, Why?!

Every time I think there is nothing else that will cut into my iphone 2/android phone account they come up with some other crazy internet enabled, linux powered, ssh-able, super device that I can't live without. e:shawn just IMed me about this.

in comes the chumby



Problem is that it doesn't do much different than my Nokia n810 other than be less portable ;( but it is super cute and would look great on my desk at work.

My brother @mike just brought over this ring I got as a child with my initials on it from some relatives in Italy for my first communion. It now fits perfectly as a pinky ring.

Its fun to have old things back in my life in a new light. Plus it helps me remember my initials. I hope I don't get mugged for my bling. Chances are the white headphones are more of a mugger magnet than the ring.



I am starting a new category for this. The Sicilian in me hope it continues to be popular.