TWU members ratify new five-year agreement with Telus in second vote

Yay! Telus employees are going back to work. It's funny that I support them in their demands, yet I just couldn't support the teacher's strike. It's not that I enjoy the hassles of having to deal with Telus when all of their people are out of the office, it's that they are the big evil corporation and the employees deserve what they were asking for. On the other hand, the teachers are providing a service, which if they don't show up for work, totally inconveniences me! Either way, I'm sure the Telus employees aren't getting everything they need or want, but still I'm glad to see them back. Now maybe I'll phone and upgrade to 2.5Mbit DSL.

TELUS announced early Saturday morning that the majority of the Telecommunications Workers Union (TWU) have voted to accept the second memorandum of agreement reached on November 6 between the Company and the TWU executive council and bargaining committee.

Canada.com article

Parents warned to check kids' iPods for porn

"Parents and police are concerned about new video technology that allows for the easy downloading of adult-only material onto portable devices.

The new video iPod from Apple, as well as many models of cellphones, allow for the downloading of video to the devices, such as legitimate programming such as music videos. But users can also download graphic adult movie clips to the devices, meaning children could potentially watch whatever they want, whenever they want -- away from adult supervision."

Don't check their computers, their PSPs, their XBOXs, or under their mattress. Just concentrate on their video iPods. Kids, unlike most adults, can run circles around you on a computer. There's only about 500 ways to hide files, all of them easy, and unless your a techy parent, you'll never find them. I'm so glad that CTV can waste our time with stupid articles such as this.which I read and then blogged about, but that's neither here nor there :P

Intel iBooks to debut in January?

"Apple is preparing to launch an Intel-equipped, entry-level iBook at its MacWorld conference event in January, according to reports.
Veteran Apple watcher ThinkSecret is predicting that in addition to the starter iBook, Apple will drop prices among the existing iBook range to encourage more Windows to Mac switchers, citing reliable sources."

Good! Bring it on! I'm either going to switch to Mac if the prices are reasonable, or to linux or FreeBSD. I'm tired of the hassles of Windows.

Microsoft's New Word:

Accountability!

Business Week Tech Article

This is supposed to be an article on how MS is trying to be accountable for the dates it sets for new products. Well, does this not sound like a liberal campaign? Is this entity really nicknamed Gordon Campbell? Did it get a DUI while one vacation? I think so. MS is accountable for everything it does, and it always should have been. Could you imagine smashing your car into a light pole, and then just walking away because you weren't announcing your "accountability" until next year? Not your problem. Why should you deal with it?

This makes me sick. Why does a government, or a company, have to announce that all of a sudden they are accountable for their actions? Were they not accountable before? Yes. Will they change their ways after having this epiphane? No. It'll be the same crap over and over again. Their untouchable in most aspects. Only when the judge tells them to be accountable, do they become so. So, MS, Gordon, and any others out there --- You've always been accountable! Stop with the PR and smiley faces and live up to what you say!

Is Google Flying Too High?

Business Week Tech Page

"A year and a half ago, plenty of investors were skeptical that the Google IPO was a good bet. On Nov. 17, Google shares closed above $400 for the first time -- at $403.35, to be exact. It's a stunning climb for a company that was priced at $85 ahead of its IPO on August 19, 2004. The current market cap, $112.6 billion, is nearly five times its initial value of $23.1 billion."

It amazes me that a company that sells advertising on web pages can be worth 112.6 billion dollars. This is an excellent article if you're at all interested in how Google has risen above the competition, perched itself on a limb, and may soon enough be knocked off. Microsoft and Yahoo will not stand by idly and watch Google gain so much ground on their territory. With speculated plans to offer an online operating system in the near future, Google is tempting the gods. MS is a beast that can make your life fall short of its expected due date, if it so pleases. Yahoo, being the current #1 visited web site on the internet, will not stand for it either. It seems odd that Yahoo is number one. Does anyone Yahoo anymore? I never did, but I suppose someone must be. It must be with all of their sites included, which includes Flickr, etc.

So, Google, with all that money, why not share the wealth a bit? Instead of paying us lowly people $0.01 per thousand page views, why not double it? Heck, you could even triple it! Your investors have faith in you, the advertisers have faith in you, and I don't think raising your payout rates is going to break the bank.

Unpacking the Xbox 360

Unpacking the XBOX

"Um, we, uh, might not be blogging for a few days. Something really important has, um, come up. Super important stuff. Family stuff, you know? Thanks for understanding."

Oh, how I wish I could say those words right now. Take a look at the pictures in the link. It's certainly more pleasing to the eye than that first generation, big, clunky, black box that sits by my TV. I'll be getting one, I know, but not for another year when the price drops. $600CDN or so is just too much. More on this as they post screen shots. I'm jealous :(

Albert Hubo humanoid bot thinks he's so smart

"At an IT exhibition on the sidelines of the Asia-Pacific Economic Cooperation (APEC) summit in Busan, a participant shakes hands with a humanoid robot named “Albert Hubo” which has the face of Albert Einstein on Monday. The robot can walk and speak and expresses emotions by moving facial muscles."

No, no, no, no, no. This is too creepy. And that's all I have to say about that.

Albert Hubo?



I should note that this is my 100th post on this blog. Yay!

Spammer jailed for £1.6m net scam

"An internet spammer convicted of running a £1.6m e-mail scam from a bedroom in his father's house has been jailed for six years."

Yikes, this guy was a special case of crazy! The headline grabbed my attention, but the story just gets more weird as you go along. The funny part of it is, is that they don't actually say what his scam was, just that he had one.


http://news.bbc.co.uk/1/hi/england/cambridgeshire/4442772.stm

Analyzing Google's Analytics Strategy

"The online giant's decision to make its Urchin Web Analytics software free could spell disaster for search-engine optimization companies"

Google Analytics helps you optimize your site for online advertising. Well, I don't know about that, but I do know it does some other things. It will show you where your traffic is coming from, who your traffic is, and what they cilck on while on your site. It's meant for companies who would like to know more about their users so that they can use their advertising to its fullest.

Well, I'm not a company, but I installed it anyway. I thought it might be neat to see what goes on for the few who do visit this site. Well, after going through the steps to make an account, install it, and get everything configured, I found out that Analytics doesn't work with Blogspot, which is funny since it's a Google company. I suppose I should clarify... it won't work for me.

I searched the web and the Analytics help for a reason why this is, and the only thing I can come up with is that some people think it's just so busy right now because it's newly free as of two days ago. I did notice, however, that two of the sites I could find that it wouldn't work for were in fact Blogger sites. The other three were not. Does this mean that the other three just couldn't figure out how to put the code after the <head> and <meta> tags but before the </head> tag? It just might be. I don't know. Maybe it's just that the software doesn't work at all. I'll let you know.

The Google Story: An Excerpt

Chapter 26: Googling Your Genes

Sergey Brin and Larry Page have ambitious long-term plans for Google's expansion into the fields of biology and genetics through the fusion of science, medicine, and technology.

Say what? Google getting into the business of biology and genetics? Could this be the next step in their plan for world domination? Maybe we'll have to alert The Brain and Dr. Evil. I'm sure they'll be pissed if they hear they're being beaten to it.

NSFW -- iBuzz Music Activated Sex Toy

This summary is not available. Please click here to view the post.

Scosche remote puts iPod controls on your wrist

http://www.engadget.com/entry/1234000810067874/

"Want to control that iPod when its buried deep in your bag or (in homage to his Steveness) pocket? While theres no shortage of iPod remotes out there, Scosche has taken what seems like a pretty obvious idea and actually produced an iPod wrist remote. Strap it on watch-style, and youre in control, as long as youre in range of its RF signal."

To boost the level of geekiness, I think I need to get one of these. I don't wear a watch at work, who needs one when you have a cellular phone strapped to your person all day? In place of a watch I'd love to wear one of these all day. It would save me a whole lot of trouble every time my phone rings or a customer actually wants to talk to me. The only thing missing from this outfit would be cordless headphones. Wow, how cool would I be?

Finding said to boost proof of Goliath

"Archaeologists digging at the purported biblical home of Goliath have unearthed a shard of pottery bearing an inscription of the Philistine's name, a find they claimed lends historical credence to the Bible's tale of David's battle with the giant."

"What this means is that at the time there were people there named Goliath," he said. "It shows us that David and Goliath's story reflects the cultural reality of the time."

It's funny that they won't go that one step closer and just say that they've probably found Goliath's things.

"Scientists made the discovery at Tel es-Safi, a dig site in southern Israel thought to be to be the location of the Philistine city of Gath."

I'm not sure where this would be in the bible. I wasn't aware that the story of David and Goliath occured in Israel.

Vespa Viva

"Not quite a bicycle, not quite a motorbike, the Vespa is utilitarian, stylish, fun, and cheeky. There's not much to it -- a seat, an engine, and a groovy splashguard -- but in its own unassuming way it leaves a filament of Italian culture in its wake whether it's ridden in Chicago, Brussels or Bognor."

These things are just too cool. I really want one. If you'd like a brief history and a bit of insight into how Vespa relates to our current culture check out this article.

I've seen a few of these around the Kelowna streets and mostly I just point and laugh. I think it's just to seem cool around the guys at work, though. I love the design of Vespas. They're sleek and sexy, if I can say that without sounding like Estrogen has taken over my body. As far as riding one, never mind that the geek in me screams for to be seated on some fine Italian leather (I'm sure it's vinyl), but the savings in gas in times like these would be great.

Can you imagine yourself cruising along, wind in your hair, on one of these?



Too cool!

Jordan 'failed bomber' confesses

'I tried to detonate mine but I failed', woman tells interrogators

An Iraqi woman in Jordanian custody has said she tried to blow herself up with her husband in an Amman hotel last week, in one of three attacks that killed 57 people.

What kind of martyr are you when you can't even blow yourself up? Stupid people doing stupid things. This women should rot in prison for a very long time.