New and Improved (not really) Trolling by the RIAA/MPAA?

Just a heads up to everyone...

Apparently if you have a website and ever mention a band name, a song name, or anything related to games or music anywhere on your site, you are immediately suspected of hosting MP3's, movies, or warez. Especially if your site uses php or ASP.

It's really pretty obvious by some of the hits I've been getting here on my site lately. Here are 3 examples of Google search strings used to get hits on and access my site:

parent directory mudvayne mp3 -xxx -html -htm -php -shtml -opendivx -md5 -md5sums

parent directory nhl: ehm -xxx -html -htm -php -shtml -opendivx -md5 -md5sums

parent directory mp3 or wma or ogg or wav 'right here' by staind -html -htm -download -links

Similar search strings have appeared for both films and video games, and also have appaeared from both Yahoo! and AltaVista. But nearly always done on Google.

Those are clearly not average search strings by someone looking for music. It also becomes rather obvious when you search for those exact same strings yourself and realzie you can't find your site anywhere on the first 50 pages of results... obviously I mention all these items somewhere on my site because, well, I have the Prìomh Picks on the left-hand side, I enjoy music, and I'm a gamer.

The three ISP's involved for those 3 particular searches are Cox, RoadRunner, and Verizon. AOL is also another confirmed and common culprit. The only ISP's the IP's ever resolve to are *always* the major ISPS, and never small, regional or local ones. And the searches and hits *always* happen between midnight and 2am Eastern.

So clearly, the RIAA, MPAA, etc, have stepped up their campaigns by using robots to search for material. Are they doing so with the ISP's assistance?

This infuriates me because it means they're just adding that much more traffic, wasting bandwidth, etc. Apparently right and wrong mean little when it's not their own money and resources the RIAA and MPAA are wasting, just someone else's. In the meantime I'll eagerly await the day something goes wrong with it, they DDoS someone, and get sued for it.

In the meantime, thanks for wasting my bandwidth RIAA and MPAA. I hope everyone involved with managing your fine organizations go bankrupt and die lonely, poor, miserable deaths.


-- Primis.

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Bill Simmons Doesn't Have The Slightest Clue

When it comes to the NHL, Bill Simmons has stated before that he a) doesn't like hockey, and B) doesn't know what he's talking about.

And yet now here he is penning an "Idiot's Guide to the NHL" now after the lockout has ended.

"Idiot" being the key part of the title, unfortunately.

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Interesting Tidbit...

A little birdie dropped an extremely vague, but interesting, piece of info regarding Windows Vista recently.

If you'll remember, a few months ago Microsoft announced that they were killing the Sidebar as a facet of Longhorn. This shocked some people, as the Longhorn Sidebar wasn't too bad and looked really slick.

Well, now a vague allusion has been made to the fact that the Longhorn Sidebar was killed off because Microsoft had something better in the works.

No real information was given. Keeping in mind Yahoo!'s recent acquisition of Konfabulator though... I gotta' say I wouldn't be a bit surprised if Microsoft is going to acquire Stardock (makers of ridiculously-popular desktop mod tools like DesktopX, WindowBlinds, ObjectDock, etc) and try to integrate it right into Vista/Longhorn.

If not Stardock, then something similar. I gotta' say, Stardock seems the most-obvious and -likely candidate.


-- Primis.

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Prìomh Monday Potpourri

A company continues to kill itself, Yahoo! acquires a popular desktop app, more People Being Stupid in regards te wireless, more moronic behavior from the Open Source scene, and more...

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Sorry for Your Loss, Now Give Us Money

Unbelievable.

The Direct Marketing Association has launched what can only be called the Worst Idea Ever.

"July 21, 2005 -- The Direct Marketing Association (The DMA) announced today the establishment of its Deceased Do-Not-Contact List (DDNC). The DDNC has been established for the sole purpose of removing deceased individuals from commercial marketing lists.

'The DMA recognizes how emotionally and logistically difficult the process of handling someone’s final affairs can be,” said Pat Kachura, senior vice president, ethics and consumer affairs, The DMA. “Our goal with the creation of the list is to assist those who are managing this process'...

...There will be a $1 credit card verification fee for each consumer registered. This charge serves two important purposes: to ensure a permanent record of those who did the registering, and to help prevent misuse of or fraud against this system."

How kind and thoughtful.

Perhaps we can find a way to make their company deceased. At least I hope so... since all such pure scum of the earth should be dealt with this same way.


-- Primis.

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P.T. Barnum Was Right + Corporate Hari-Kari.

The BroadbandReports.com forums are a fun place to just browse sometimes. At least once a week someone there has uncovered a new scam and page after page of ranting and disappointment will ensue by those taken in by it, and those on the outside mocking those that were taken in. Recently, a VoIP provider was uncovered as a scam run out of someone's house, just as an example. Well, this week has been no exception as the Alibre/X-CAD drama continues to unfold. I first mentioned this still-ongoing drama to Zibblsnrt sometime yesterday as the wheels were first going into motion, and since then it's only gotten worse.

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Time to Crack Down on Beanballs

All season long in MLB there's been a low-level discussion about hitting batters with bitches and retaliation, as well as discussion on umpires not controlling the game. Sunday, we saw that in action during the game between Kansas City Royals and the Detroit Tigers.

1st Inning - Royals starter Runelvys Hernandez hits both of the very first two batters of the game for the Tigers -- Brandon Inge and Chris Shelton.

2nd Inning - Detroit starter Mike Maroth hits Royals batter David DeJesus.

6th Inning - Hernandez pitches inside to Carlos Guillen and Guillen claims he was hit with a pitch. The umpire disagrees and tell Guillen to keep batting. On the very next pitch Hernandez hits Guillen in the head. Benches and bullpens clear, and the two teams fight. For video of the entire incident, see the above link.

What gives?!

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What the NHL's New CBA Isn't.

We now have a new CBA, a hard salary cap, revenue sharing and more.

No more financial excuses, guys.

Sorry though to you teams like Edmonton, Montreal, Washington, Chicago, and the New York Islanders. I'm afraid this doesn't really help you...

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The Lost MIDI Generation

MIDI has been around what seems like forever now, and is still frequently used in a wide variety of processes and application (none the least of which is its use in professional music).

However, for a few years between about 1994 and 1998, MIDI ruled the internet. They were everywhere, and they were MP3 before there was MP3.

And now? Well, now it represents one of the more-tragic stories of the world wide web, how it grew, and how an entire scene's worth of files have been lost.

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"301 Days We Waited..."

It seems the NHLPA, in a rare moment of lucidity, finally realized what was going on and is going to agree to a new CBA, basically ending the 301-day lockout.

It's doubtful the NHLPA will fail to ratify it, as if they di vote it down any players that *did* vote to approve ity would immeditaely abandon the union and the it would mean even worse things for the NHLPA. They aren't getting a better deal later, because there isn't one to be had.

Just as I stated was the case, the NHLPA got pantsed in front of the whole world. The NHL punk'd them, and hard. And it'll change the landscape of how player unions in all sports deal with their respective leagues in labor negotiations from now on. Never has a players' union lost more for no real reason than their own stupidity.

So now what? Well, we'll have a draft lottery. Know this: If the New York Rangers, Toronto Maple Leafs, or Calgary Flames win the lottery expect HUGE complaints about it being rigged (and they'll have a point). If a market like Nashville, Carolina, or Phoenix win it, expect there to be serious complications as to whether or not said team should bother trying to draft Crosby (who may not be willing to play in any of those markets). Or will Crosby even go #1? Would a team take a guy like Gilbert Brulé at #1 if they're ensure they can get Crosby to agree to play?

It's going to be an interesting couple months leading up to the preseason. One thing isn't in doubt though -- by the time the playoffs roll around this next year, the lockout will be forgotten.

Whether people want to admit it or not.


-- Primis.

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Education Shooting Itself In the Head

An apparently-stupid high school in Arizona has decided that hard copy and paper are overrated and decided to go all-electronic, all-wireless. The school will use only laptops with wireless connectivity in the classroom -- no books, no papers, nothig written or hard-copy.

Calvin Baker, superintendent of Vail Unified School District, said the move to electronic materials gets teachers away from the habit of simply marching through a textbook each year.

To say this is doomed to failure seems a kind and conservative verdict.

How will you stop students just copy-and-pasting material for everything? What happens in the first week when half a class' laptops go down and are unavailable? How much of their file storage will be done server-side, and what methods are they using for daily backup (if any)? What is in place for crisis restoration?

And most-importantly... what good does this do students (most all of them) who then have to go out into college or the real world and use hard-copy, paper, and traditional methods and techniques and none of this all-wireless, all-electronic nonsense? How does this enhance their education or experience?

Technology is to be used in concert with traditional techniques, not as a replacement for them. Total and complete reliance upon technology breeds failure.

And people wonder why school districts die...


-- Primis.

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Ars Technica: The Truth about the Apple Switch to Intel??

I'm not a big fan of Ars Technica generally. They sometimes approach things too technically and coldly that they miss the most-obvious reasonings sitting right in front of their face... all in the guise of being more-sophisticated or something. Nonetheless, Ars Technica still has some good stuff contained therein.

Such an example is the case Jon Stokes makes for the *real* reason Apple switched from IBM to Intel.

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Just Incredibly Stupid

Googledot currently has an item running linking to a CNet article on how arrogant and awful Microsoft is in its interviews with prospective employees.

Apparently, Microsoft... *gasp*... dares to quiz potential employees on their actual knowledge. They also apparently "don't try to sell you on the company" and that makes them evil so they should all die. And "linux r00ls".

Well... that's because you're coming to them trying to get a job. He claims "they contacted me"... but no, he applied and contacted THEM first, they didn't just pull him out of thin air. It's not THEIR job to sell YOU on the company. It's YOUR job to sell YOURSELF to the company as an employee.

Which probably explains why this complete clown Arthur Sorkin is without a full-time job and looking for a new one in the first place, because he Doesn't Get It and makes a lousy employee. Oh yes, and his previous employment stints (all of them VERY short) invovle a lot to do with Linux, Unix, and SunOS. I can't possibly imagine what axe he'd have to grind against MS...

A potential employer doens't owe you single thing in the application process. Get over yourself. You also should expect to answer to why you can't stay riveted in one place of employment for more than 6 months ata time... if you don't, you're a complete moron.

As for the pop quizzes... so when Google does it (and Google's is a much more intense and involved aptitiude test), it's considered innovative and great, exciting and new. When Microsoft does it, it's evil and arrogant? God forbid you find out what you're getting in a potential employee. Sounds like Mr. Sorkin did MS a favor by not going to them and writing them off anyways...


C'mon pick your clueless selves up off the floor, dust yourself off, and open your eyes. And chalk it up to more hot air from the radical Linux 'Tards who for some reason are continuing to get the anti-MS publicity and press out there, despite the fact they make less and less sense every day. They're like Greenpeace or PETA, except that Greenpeace or PETA actually shut up for extended periods of time and occasionally do the world a favor by dying at sea or getting mauled by an animal they're trying to save.


-- Primis.

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"Errr, Right Eric.... Uh-Huh..."

http://www.onlamp.com/pub/a/...

INTERVIEWER: Is it certain that Linus will adopt GPL v3?

ERIC S. RAYMOND: It depends. I know for a fact that he is concerned that GPL 3.0 will overreach.

INTERVIEWER: Is there any risk of a fork over this? One Linux kernel led by Linus under GPL v2 and another led by someone else under GPL v3?

ERIC S. RAYMOND: I think not. The technical culture of the Linux kernel group doesn't seem to me to be composed of licensing fanatics.

Eric has obviously never heard of or been to Slashdot, where very, very quickly 300-some comments (and counting) then sprang up, fanatically arguing about the very licensing subject they don't care about. On Slashdot and elsewhere in the Open Source community, everyone's a GPL expert after all and knows exactly what BSD and Linux should both do. Just ask them.


-- Primis.

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Prìomh Potpourri: Dog Days Rant

Nothing much has come up lately that has been worthy of my dedicating an entire post or column to it, and so updates have been sparse again lately. However that doesn't mean I don't have some things on my mind still. Things like "podcasting", ICANN, Detroit Tigers every-position guy Brandon Inge, marketing to the wrong crowd, and more...

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