] Insight into the news, technology, and culture of Google.

nothing much here yet, but it will be a cool read during the IPO, when gmail goes production, etc

Google Blog

] Overnight Hip-Hop success? Firstly, let me congratulate
] you on parlaying a fascination with vice, three gunshot
] wounds, and a history of felonies into a career. You know
] as I do that one must not only represent, but one must
] represent with style. Style is not just gold teeth, gold
] chains, gold rims and gold car antennas, my friend. Style
] is also gold-plated Versace flatware.
]
] The late-night recording sessions are draining, G. To
] keep pace and deliver more phat raps about whores and
] liquor, you're going to need sustenance. That sustenance
] is cake. And cake, my G, is best served with a
] gold-plated Versace cake server. What your entourage does
] with the remaining 74 cutlery pieces is unimportant. What
] matters is getting your cake on with class.
]
] Please, someone, purchase my recently acquired
] gold-plated Versace flatware set.

Beau-ti-ful

More from ebay

] Cary Sherman, president of the RIAA said that HR 107
] would allow the sale of hacking tools that would bust
] through the Digital Rights Management of iTunes and other
] services if the hacker is using the copies for
] "non-infringing purposes."
]
] His view was that there is no way to assure that any tool
] is only used for non-infringing purposes and that the
] only way to make this possible was to impose a tech
] mandate for copy controls, which HR 107 does not contain.
] And he went on to say that it is impossible to create a
] technology that will permit "fair uses" while prohibiting
] other uses.

How disconnected from reality is the RIAA? Its seems if something *could* be used in an unlawful way, we must control and/or restrict it.

Congress hears DMCA testimony | The Register

] If people are to get into the habit of owning an awful
] lot more music, then it is essential that playlists drive
] the model, not albums. Customers want "type" or "genres"
] of music to sit together to create mood. They do not want
] all of a recording artists' work played in one block, and
] they don't want to be forced to buy it that way either.
] And what seems ridiculous to us is that all music,
] regardless of age, should be charged at the same rate.

Yet another article showing how the RIAA refuses to acknowledge that the world of music buying and listening has changed.

Come gather 'round people
Wherever you roam
And admit that the waters
Around you have grown
And accept it that soon
You'll be drenched to the bone.
If your time to you
Is worth savin'
Then you better start swimmin'
Or you'll sink like a stone
For the times they are a-changin'.

Music biz waves axe at goose that laid golden egg | The Register

There's no vestige of beginning,
no prospect of an end
When we all disintegrate it will all happen again
If you came to conquer, you'll be king for a day
then you to will deteriorate and quickly fade away
-Bad Religion, No Control

Rather apt lyrics

] "If they're in cell block 1A or 1B, these prisoners --
] they're murderers, they're terrorists, they're
] insurgents," said Inhofe, a conservative from Oklahoma.
] "Many of them probably have American blood on their
] hands. And here we're so concerned about the treatment of
] those individuals."

And by "a conservative from Oklahoma," they mean a Republican Senator. This isn't some hate filled politically driven talk show host saying these remarks. This is a Representative of the American people in the highest house of the Congress, telling the world the torture inflicted at Abu Ghraib was justified,and dehumanizing the victums as people not worthy of basic human rights.

That is a scary and chilling statement. It explains the reactions and drive of our government in this war. Its a war against against people they aren't even acknowledging as people deserving human rights. This is fanaticism without religion! Now, remembering how last week Rumsfeld seemed far more concerned that the pictures were leaked than what they depicted, ask yourself this: Do you think the very senior government offical truely feel "sorry" about the mistreatment? No, as the Senator himself has shown, members of the government view even the enemies in the Iraq war as "terrorists" and Rumsfeld already stated that Terrorists will not be treated as normal captives.

Decius called it about a week ago. We are starting to justify our actions, and possibly the war, by dehumanizing our enemies. The scary thing is when the public starts to buy into it.

GOP senator - Why are we so concerned about treatment of terrorists?

] Cracking Credit Card Generators
] A fun side adventure while creating Stripe Snoop

"Encryption!" Ha. Though this was a perfect and simple example of what I was talking about in my Process of a Hack talks at Phreaknic 7 and Interz0ne III

Cracking Credit Card Generators

Is it a good thing when you are doing further research on a subject, and you find your previous work is the authoritative source on the matter?

Google search of "Magstripe interfacing" returns me as the #1 hit, and "magstripe TTL reader" returns me as the #7 hit.

Authoritative Source!

] After rising from his volcanic grave, Godzilla is
] threatened by a mutated rosebush.

... ... a rosebush... Damn... didn't see that coming

Gojira tai Biorante (1989)

[wavings hand at Senators]
Rummie: You don't need to see my classified Pentagon reports.

Senate Committee: We don't need to see your classified reports...

Rummie: Evidence of my gross neglect to inform you isn't what you are looking for.

Senate: Your gross neglect isn't what we should be looking for...

Rummie: I can go about my war now

Senate: You can go about your war now...

Rumsfeld's Jedi Mind Trick [JPG]