The MMORPG to rule them ALL!

Play free games at WeGame.com

--If you want me to do an article on something, drop me an e-mail at ursc_army@hotmail.com, or simply reply to a blog.

battery meters and "more bars in more places"

So, I went to http://mobile.huddler.com/wiki/mobile-phone-signal-and-battery-meters, and I didn't like what I read. Not because it was false... because it reminds us of what we already know. WHY!? is it a person can purchase or download separate battery software that measures what's left on your battery better than the operating system you paid for. Well, in short, what the article went to say is marketing.

So, my question is... Why are these companies publicly aloud to lie to the consumer. Why has the FCC turned a blind eye to this. I know this isn't exactly priority number one here but it would be a short and sweet piece of paper that would punish and force them to make their current battery meters correct.

P.S. I don't like the most recent ruling against Comcast. You know, the one that didn't even punish them for repeatedly lying to the FCC. They got caught and they weren't punished. I think the FCC is corrupt and bought. I think I'll do my next article on how the FCC is corrupt ... if I can find resources to back it up.

--If you want me to do an article on something, drop me an e-mail at ursc_army@hotmail.com, or simply reply to a blog.

Google and Digg, No Deal

On, http://www.techcrunch.com/2008/07/26/google-walks-away-from-digg-deal/
Google walks away from the a deal that would buy up Digg.com. The popular user submited news website, Digg, is apparently no longer going to be bought up. Read more at the link.

--If you want me to do an article on something, drop me an e-mail at ursc_army@hotmail.com, or simply reply to a blog.

Maximum PC, Maximum BS=)

Don't get me wrong, I love Maximum PC. I get their magazine every month and I read every page of it and usually, it tastes sooooo goooood. But this time simply isn't the case. In last month's issue, the cover article was "Can any PC notebook beat the Macbook?". The article was about comparing the performance of the Macbooks, in different classes, against several PC notebooks. The Macbook seemed to have won in most of their "tests". At first, I thought, "Wow, how the hell did that happen?", and then continued on with my life.

Next issue roles around, and I read this.

" You also blatantly reveal that you kept the bundled CPU-sapping third-party applications installed on the machine! Dell is notorious for installing bloatware on its systems, while OSX doesn't come with anything installed--no antivirus, anti-spyware, or other apps. This is not a fair comparison. Compare a freshly installed OS and it's fair. I am extremely disappointed."[1]
Then it gets even more interesting. Will Smith(who I actually like as writer/editor) becomes a total dumb ass and actually defends his decisions.

"We strongly encourage power users to remove the crapware that Dell and other vendors install on their PCs, but the vast majority of people who purchase these laptops leave the system as-is, not realizing that third-party apps can hurt performance. To measure the real-world end-user experience, we review the PCs as they are shipped to us, not as they should be shipped to us."[1]

So, here's my take on this. A magazine that writes for power using, PC building, techno lusting type of people doesn't deserve power user statistics. Hell, they could of done two statistics, one with crapware and one without. So apparently, every single person who uses a Windows machine is not a power user and is apparently incapable of removing crapware because apparently the first thing I don't do with a new laptop is wipe it. Apparently, it's fair to compare a machine that has anti-virus, anti-spyware, third-party software(such as user behavior tracking software) running to one that does not. What maximum PC has done is officially, knowingly give us crap statistics. Put crap in your going to get crap out.

In Maximum PC's august issue, they wrote in that very article"Obviously, we can't run our benchmarks on OS X because the majority of our tests don't offer OS X support. To truly assess how well Apple's notebooks measure up as PCs, we dual-boot the MacBooks into Windows Vista Home Premium and ran the benchmarks in that OS--for an apples-to-apples comparison among all models"[2] So basically, They are comparing a clean install of Vista to a chuck full of third-party software Vista. So they aren't even fucking comparing the Macbook's native operating system to these PC notebook's operating system. This has got to be one of the worst articles I have ever read, in my entire life.

With that all being said, Obviously, I'm biased. There is no hiding that. I prefer Windows or Linux over mac any day of the week. Which is why This article ticks me off so bad. Fortunately for Maximum PC, they are still the best Computer magazine around(In my opinion), but that might change if they keep writing knowingly bugged articles.

PS. Mac users should be offended by this article becuase it doesn't even compare the "MAC" part in MACbook, Windows users should be offended for comparing a clean install to a not so clean install. And everyone should be offended by this truckload of maximum BS.

--[1]MaximumPC magazine,"How to build the Best PC Ever!", September 2008 issue, page 103
--[2]MaximumPC magazine,"Can Any PC Notebook Beat the MacBook?" August 2008 issue, page 24
--Image was obtained at http://www.maximumpc.com
--If you want me to do an article on something, drop me an e-mail at ursc_army@hotmail.com, or simply reply to a blog.

MS offers 1st hints at anti-Apple marketing blitz for Vista

"Microsoft this week offered a window into the first phase of a mega million dollar advertising campaign designed to clear up 'misconceptions' about the quality of its Windows Vista operating system exacerbated by in-your-face marketing efforts on the part of longtime rival Apple." I don't know who wrote this article, but i don't think "anti-Apple" blitz is the right wording. Think about it. Vista is more secure... go ahead.. check it out. At a hacking competition, The mac air was hacked in two minutes because of a OS flaw.. and later in the competition, Windows fell only because of another piece of software that was previously installed. If anything, I think it should be named "Bullshit clean up" blitz.

read more | digg story

Do you feel like a bad person, I do=)

Pandemic II: customize your disease and wipe out the population in cold blood. Online guide and tutorial videos are available from within the game, and it's HIGHLY recommended to watch the video tutorials. **TO CLOSE WINDOWS, CLICK THE "X" IN THE TOP RIGHT**Personally I am moving to Madagascar...

read more | digg story

Disgruntled engineer hijacks San Fransico computer Network

"A disgruntled city computer engineer has virtually commandeered San Francisco's new multimillion-dollar computer network, altering it to deny access to top administrators even as he sits in jail on $5 million bail, authorities said Monday."Enough said.

read more | digg story

Anti-Piracy Evidence Put in Doubt by Leecher

The accuracy of evidence collected by anti-piracy tracking company Media Protector has been called into doubt. It is alleged that the recipient of a 700 Euros compensation demand for unauthorized uploading was actually operating a client which was modified never to upload, thus making infringement impossible.


"The client itself had never been reset and displayed a operating time of 924 days and it had never distributed a file."

That's pretty disgusting that the courts don't even look into how the evidence is being collected. As far as I'm concerned, What media defender is doing is criminal. If this isn't proof... I don't know what is.


read more | digg story

Extend the life of your battery.... or not?

So, I went searching on the internet about EV conversions and I stumbled upon a video on how to extend the life of your laptop battery. Being like anyother typical technoluster, I tried it out. Here's the video.


Revive A Dead Laptop Battery - For more funny videos, click here

I followed the instructions to a "T". I tested it on two devices. My Hp Ipaq, with a battery that lasts for 55 minutes with wifi turned on and a Laptop with a battery that says it lasts for 1:28.

So I Put my battery's in the freezer got up the next morning and pulled them out 15 hours later. Charged them up, and discharged them, then charged them up, discharged them, charged them up, discharged them. ..etc.

I conducted a full test and wrote my results down. So here they are.

Ipaq's results
bat time before: 55
bat time 1st run: 55
bat time 2nd run: 55
bat time 3rd run: 55
AKA, no change

Compaq armada results
bat time before: 1:28
bat time 1st run: 1:26
bat time 2nd run: 1:25
bat time 3rd run: 1:23

The laptop battery actually LOST charge! Kind of pissed me off, but i don't really care, the battery sucked already.

So I'm calling this video's claims as false.

--If you want me to do an article on something, drop me an e-mail at ursc_army@hotmail.com, or simply reply to a blog.

Tesla to produce sub $30k electric car!

Tesla is becoming affordable to the "average" consumer.Awesome~Tony

read more | digg story

RFID Insecurities

This video shows you how to protect your self from these kinda of insecurities of rfid. The problem with this kind of attack is that it affects A LOT of things. Passports, ID's, money, badges, credit cards, and the list goes on.

~Tony
--If you want me to do an article on something, drop me an e-mail at ursc_army@hotmail.com, or simply reply to a blog.

Deep Packet Inspection and Your Privacy Online

"The Internet is a world penitentially embroiled in a Cold War. Now, as then, an arms race between factions is constantly ongoing, each working to counter the efforts of the other. Into this race, comes deep packet inspection, a serious threat to online privacy."

This is typical. The ISP's promising that they will improve the infrastructure when all they are doing is investing to destroy it. They spend all this money on software and equipment that is a direct violation of your rights, Slows down the networks, ignores their own promises, and further still... they ignore you and me(the user)

The best thing about all of this, is the fact that when this "dpi" is outlawed for use by ISP's. They are going to make us flip the bill with higher rates. And the worst thing about all of this is the fact that they are going to try to spin like they were the "victims"

read more | digg story

Your Server Room is officially in the crapper, almost

"The access to the server room is now via the women’s bathroom. There will be a sign on the woman’s door that can be changed from OPEN to CLOSED and vice versa. Should you need to enter the server room, please change the sign to CLOSED. Once you are done, please change it back to OPEN."

read more | digg story

This was just too good to pass up.

~Tony

--Drop me an email at ursc_army@hotmail.com if you want me to do an article on something.

ATT hits a new low

This is seriously disturbing. What you see in this image is AT&T's blatant disregard for the Constitution. They are joking about invading on your privacy. Isn't that nice?

Couple more links about this same subject.
http://www.readingfordummies.com/blog/
http://digg.com/business_finance/AT_T_Warrantless_Wiretapping_As_Sick_Marketing_Joke
http://consumerist.com/tag/at%26t/?i=5020549&t=att-turns-that-whole-warrantless-wiretapping-thing-into-a-marketing-joke

~Tony

--If you want me to do an article on something, drop me an e-mail at ursc_army@hotmail.com, or simply reply to a blog.

Apple omitting truths

Mac is pretty much lying in this commercial. "...You are number one on college campuses."

So, the single best statistic i could find for mac is here,"This year, the University's[Princeton University] Student Computer Initiative reportedly sold more Macs than PC's, with 60 percent of students choosing a Mac, up from 45 percent just last year. Students were offered a choice of Dell, IBM and Apple computers." http://www.macrumors.com/2007/10/05/mac-marketshare-at-universities-booming/

The problem is... That is the single best statistic i could find. and that was only for one single college. In fact, all the other statistics i find support EXACTLY the opposite. Even on that website, that is pro mac, they only have one single example that supports this theory, but 3 other examples(on the same site) prove otherwise.

Seriously, I want to know where Apple got this statistic. If they are going to make bullshit claims then they should have a source for this information.

At my college for networking and programming, only one single student had a mac and the rest had windows. In Mac's defence though.... that one kid with the mac was smart, lol =P. 1 out 54... that's one hell of statistic. Could someone please show me where they got this statistic

~Tony
--If you want me to do an article on something, drop me an e-mail at ursc_army@hotmail.com, or simply reply to a blog.

Hotspot from your car

"Chrysler has announced uconnect web, a system that brings wireless Internet connectivity to any Chrysler, Dodge, or Jeep vehicle. " Taken from http://www.pcmag.com/article2/0,2817,2322007,00.asp

My first reaction was Wow... that's awesome. My second reaction was... omfg that's going to be sooooo sweet... My third was, "How the hell are they going to keep this secure...". I foresee bad news follow the release of this uconnect.
If you search wep on Google, probably on the first page is going to be an article about how it's so insecure. Then you type in wpa, and you'll get another article about how it's soooo insecure. No matter how secure something is... IT WILL GET HACKED. All it takes is time... and debatably, it doesn't even take skill.
Even with all of that being said, I'm still really excited for the release of this "uconnect". It's really not anything new thought. At & t has cards that can pretty much get you connected to the internet in the middle of the ocean with land being thousands of miles away... The only difference is that at & t's cost some 65 bucks a month or so and chrysler's plan costs 35-50. There is another catch though. The activation fee is 35 dollars and the wireless router costs $449(OUCH). That's not even the worst cost... Please, don't forget the car!

~tony

--If you want me to do an article on something, drop me an e-mail at ursc_army@hotmail.com, or simply reply to a blog.

Woman Defeats RIAA in Lawsuit, Wins $108K Legal Fees

"A federal judge is awarding Tanya Andersen, who defeated the Recording Industry Association of America's file sharing lawsuit, $108,000 in legal fees to compensate for defending herself against the RIAA. This marks the second time that a target of the RIAA who beat a lawsuit was awarded attorney's fees."

That tastes good.....

read more | digg story

DIABLO 3 ANNOUNCED AT WWI

Blizzard announces the highly-anticipated Diablo 3. Thousands of nerds lose control of their bodily functions and nerdgasm.

read more | digg story

Net Neutrality and You.

Net Neutrality is something that is going to effect Me, you, and everyone else using a computer(and arguably people who don't). It's going to effect what you see on the interent, your quality of service, how much you pay, and what your paying for. With the defeat of Net Neutrality, Special interests and Big networking companies(special interests and the companies are one and the same) essentially own the internet more so than ever before. They have a vision of a tiered service, where they make users pay more for different grades of service(sounds a lot like what he have already.... allow me to explain). The main difference is that now... the internet service providers now have the power to essentially limit the bandwidth to certain websites of their choosing. So basically, If you paid 30 dollars/ month for the joe blow low speed internet access. You would consequently only have access to the most basic of websites. They may limit access to youtube because your not paying for a high enough tier of service. Intelligent on their part but BAD for you. This doesn't just stop at youtube, the problem is much larger than that, This is giving them the power to do many other exploitive things.

Learn more at the following web pages.
http://www.savetheinternet.com/
http://www.google.com/help/netneutrality.html

-----If you want me to do an article on something, drop me an e-mail at ursc_army@hotmail.com, or simply write it on the blog and I'll see it.

Funny as hell video

http://www.thewebsiteisdown.com/

^ That link right there will take you to one of the funniest videos I've ever seen. And it was made just a week ago. So this link here is very fresh. I rate this video a 10/10. The good news is that the authors said that they are going to make more videos like it. This video was so successful that it literally knocked out his web server. The website was literally down(that's a tech lol). I Highly recommend watching this vid.

~Tony