Tim and the Tin Titan

29.12.03

This divorce is brought to you by Kleenex
Well, looks like my parents are getting divorced. My dad has a girlfriend who is younger than my wife, for 3 months now. I haven't talked to him, only to my mom so I don't know everything. My mom's gone back home, to have some time by herself. She stopped at my place this morning to talk to my sister and I before going, roughest Monday morning ever. She is very affected by it, the end of thirty some-odd years.

Yeah, I'm alright. Kinda dazed, even though we knew something was up. I'm more sad for my mom than anything else. And a bit crestfallen at the idea of the end of one version of my family "unit". I don't know what to do for newyears's, was supposed to go to my dad's family on the first. Neither my mom nor my sister are going and I fell like I can't really go either. I might just call up my godparents and just say that I can't be there at that time. I don't want to abandon my father either but even if I am truly neutral I don't think I could stand many aunts asking me where my mom and sister are.

Anyways, I'll be alright. I guess it is hitting me harder than I though it would, especially at my age. I'll be ok. Fuck.

22.12.03

DNS Toolbox
DNSstuff.com is a page that contains pretty much all the functions to get all the info that you would need on a particular domain name, including:
- Spam database lookup: See if a mail server is listed in 150+ spam databases
- DNS Timing: See how long your DNS servers take to respond
- Free E-mail Lookup: Is an E-mail address a known free one?
- URL deobfuscator: De-obfuscates confusing URLs.

Each function has a little help icon that tell you the correct usage. There is also a Canadian mirror (tiny bit faster for me).

They also have an Expert and Testbed page, although some of the functionality is repeated from the from page. The FAQ is here

It's a very useful page when you are setting up domains, making changes or doing test. And it's free, with not a single ad in sight.

All one or the other
Overheard cell phone conversation, while waiting for Return of the King to start:
"You should really get your head completely shaved"
[one second pause]
"either that or go for dreads, dreads are cool!"

Hosted
Web Hosting Ratings contains useful information about hosting companies, including graphs of uptimes in the last month and actuall user comments. A good tool to help you pick a hosting company.

Usefull? Doubtful
I don't know what you would do with your own barcode, but here it is:
Barcode Maker

On the other hand. maybe it's time to get the CueCat out of storage and find some drivers...

Groups
5ives: Merlin's Lists of Five Things

...

"Five great reasons to buy a Hummerâ„¢
1- You've been wanting to buy much wider groceries (but have been stymied by the timid width of your Escalade)
2- You and your make-believe wife were thinking of having 11 or 12 imaginary kids
3- You're sick of always being the environment's goddamned bitch
4- You could totally put a keg back there and just drive around and shit
5- They were all out of penises
"

...

"Five disturbing fake names for ejaculate
1- La Salsa Hombre
2- Onan's Bernaise
3- Love Pollution
4- Saint Mayo's Spread of Desperation
5- Instant Daddy Mix
"

17.12.03

Prank
prangstgrup.com is a surreal prankster group apparently from Columbia university. They pull off some good ones, including having a "Columbia pornography society" table at the activities week.

You have to click on the "More Movies" at the upper right to get to see most of them.

One of my favs is Library Musical [caution: 10 meg .mov file]. Notice how no one interrupts them and they even applaud.

How True
FUH2 | Metafilter: "Reasonable members of society don't spit in the soup, because they realize that we all have to eat.
posted by alms "

15.12.03

P Help P
While looking how to get PHP to work with the arrays that XML functions produce, I came upon this site: free2code.net. It's a good programming site and it features some good, user written tutorials and code samples.

It seem that most programming information is for C, C++ and PHP but it also includes a vast array of subjects like some tips on security. They also have some on more general subject like setting up a LAN and some very specific info like a discussion of the LZ77 algorithm.

Clippin' Coupons
Passwird Deals is a daily updated sites of specials and sales on electronics and computer equipment. Some deal are pretty incredible but sadly a lot of them are just in the U.S. stores.

11.12.03

Literary Superstar
Customized Classics will print a version of a classic, public domain book staring you in the lead role. They basically insert your name to replace the character's wherever it appears. Corny or romantic? You decide.

Neighborhood Wireless
I have a friend who lives across the street from me, about 3-4 houses down. We want to attempt to split his broadband connection by using a wireless link to my (future) laptop. Now, the distance is about 200 meters, at the outside most range of the LinkSys BEFW11S4. So we are now looking into range extension options.

Dante found the Super Cantenna. According to this article, they usually get a mile of range out of it. That would be way more than what is actually needed. But we would also need to go through two sets of walls...

If it's not enough, we will look into other solutions.

I'll keep you posted on the developments.

10.12.03

Down with the Man!
Rockin' on without Microsoft is the story of how a company went completely open-source in response to a BSA raid where they were fined for missing Microsoft license. Interesting in how they did it and how an emotional decision at the time came to make good business sense.

Urban Archeology
Abandoned Stations: Pictures, maps and diagrams of disused subway stations in New York.

Good Visuals on this one:
Offical Website of Team Elf: "This is not the 'Misty-Monterey-Makes-your-heart-Sing' sort of rain. These are rain drops that fall on you with the subtlety of mayonnaise hurled by a trebuchet. When they fall on you you look around for the Walrus that French kissed you.

Do you get the impression that these are the fluid equivalent of claymore mines with all the subtlety of a Harley with straight pipes? Good, then we can move on.
"

Spy Car Gear
The Book of Ratings: "The best part about machine guns is the popping out. They just pop right out of your hood or your tailfins or the giant dead termite on your roof like some sort of robotic meerkat. They make the Generic Mechanical Movie Whirr in the process. You want to wave and yell 'Hi, machine guns!' Then they completely shoot you. There's really no down side. A"

Appel à Tous
I am looking for somewhere I can order the DVD for Ocean Men. The official web site, www.oceanmen.de, does not seems to work in English and the shopping page seems unresponsive in the German version.

Maybe someone who reads Germann can go here: www.h5b5.de, search for "ocean men" and let me know what those messages say. I already sent them an email but I don't know if they can respond in English.

Any hints would be appreciated.

Hello Honey
stereogum: You Had Me At Jello
Rene Zellweger looks much better with some weight on her.

9.12.03

The next One
Fan made Hobbit Teaser. Even includes the actors, director and precise release date.

Hobbit name generator: Drogo Tighfield of Tookbank

Observation 2:
Abstinence is like Communism: A perfect system in theory but bound to fail in application.

Obersvation 1:
Lawyers are like Nuclear Weapons: If no one had any, no one would need any.

And on that note...
I sometimes wish I could corner the people I see on TV with real questions that are going to put them in a bind, not the reporter's "hard questions". One recent example was the superintendent for the school where a boy was suspended because he said "gay" in class. Now, this man says that the suspention was because the child was being disruptive in class. I would like to be able to have him on the air and ask "If the child was being disciplined for being disruptive, why did he have to write `I will not say gay in class` and not `I will not be disruptive in class`?" and "If the child was being disciplined for being disruptive, why was only the fact that he said the word gay written on the report?". And don't give up till you have a real answer. I am just tired of people blatantly lying and getting away with it.

Off the tracks?
I did not mean for this blog to be about politics, religion and world events, but these days it seems those are the topics that reach me in a way that I want to talk about it with others. I will try to keep the posts of that nature to a minimum and to only post when it is a new element to the debate. I am just outraged sometimes at what goes on while no one notices.

8.12.03

Hold on to your Tuque
The holiday classic: SnowCraft. You know you want it...

5.12.03

Do it yourself publishing
The makers of The Truth Uncovered are saying to people: "Go ahead, copy our movie as mush as you like". Why? Because they want as many people to hear it's message. Instead of aimless rants, this seems to be a very well thought out documentary of the road to the Iraq war, including interviews with many qualified and well versed experts. It looks like something I'd like to see but I would also like for them to have a low quality download version. Maybe I'll order it and share it with friends...

1.12.03

The CBC at it's best
I watched a documentary this weekend called Deadline Iraq - Uncensored Stories of the War On the CBC. I features reporters, photographers, cameramen and the like talking about situations or events that their editors refused to run.

One of the most telling is of a photographer who took pictures of a boy (nicknamed "stumpy" by the crews) who had lost both arms and all of his familly in an american bombing run. The boy became a minor celebrity and was visited in the hospital by all sort of dignitaries. After the photographer uploaded the pictures to his photo editor, the editor called back and asked the photographer "Don't you have any of him smilling?" and the only thing the photographer could answer was "what does he have to smile about?".

They also interview the reporters who were caught in the friendly fire bombing of a kurdish and special forces convoy. Here is the video.

A very nice look at the difference between reality and the media version.