] In a major and welcome victory for cellular-phone users,
] a federal court ruled Friday that consumers should be
] allowed to keep their phone numbers when they switch
] providers.

Sweet!

Laughing Boy

Consumers can keep phone numbers

] The following URL:
]
] http://groups.google.com/groups?q=mead
] lime&hl=en&lr=&ie=UTF-8& (bla bla bla - crap snipped..)
] =3
]
]
] has a length of 119 characters and resulted in the
] following TinyURL which has a length of 23 characters:
]
] http://tinyurl.com/dne6

URL - it should stand for Utterly Ridiculous Location. We all know what a pain in the ass huge URLs are to email and post. Use this site to create a more managable "copy paste" friendly redirector.

Laughing Boy

TinyURL.com - where tiny is better!

] Taking exception to recent remarks by Annika Sorenstam,
] PGA Tour golfer John Riegger said Thursday he has backing
] for a $1 million one-on-one challenge against the world's
] top female golfer.
]
] "We'll have the cash on the tee if she wants to play,"
] Riegger said after the first round of the Capital Open.

Wow. I’m impressed. Hey - only a REAL man would pose such a challenge - betting other peoples money that he can beat this girl.

Can we say Class A-1 chauvinist asshole?

Laughing Boy

PGA Tour golfer makes $1 million challenge to Sorenstam

] Wired magazine is planning to publish the underlying code
] for the Slammer worm that slowed Internet traffic to a
] crawl in January, raising questions over whether such
] articles inspire future hackers or educate potential
] victims.

"forewarned is forearmed" Once an exploit is exposed, there is no excuse not to patch the hole. DUH?

Wired magazine story to detail Slammer Web attack

] The Earth has become significantly greener over the past
] two decades, the result of climate changes that have
] furnished plants with more heat, light, water and carbon
] dioxide, according to a new Science magazine report.
]
] The overall plant bulk went up about 6 percent over much
] of the planet, with spikes in the tropics and high
] latitudes of the Northern Hemisphere accounting for 80
] percent of the gains, researchers said.

Good news. Too bad the rain forests continue to be clear-cut for live stock. :/

Laughing Boy

Climate changes making planet greener

Dementia wrote:
] ] ``Our ability to prevent another catastrophic attack on
] ] American soil would be more difficult if not impossible
] ] without the (USA) Patriot Act,'' Ashcroft told the House
] ] Judiciary Committee. But ``the law has several weaknesses
] ] which terrorists could exploit, undermining our
] ] defenses.''
]
] So does the CIA. You doing anything about that, Ashcroft?
]
] ] Ashcroft said he wants the law changed so that anyone
] ] supporting or working with suspected terrorist groups can
] ] be prosecuted as ``material supporters;''
]
] I can see this one getting twisted into abuses REAL quick. You
] donated money to a charity that turns out to be a terrorist
] front? Well, guess the gov't is seizing your assets and you're
] going to jail. You sold computer parts to a guy who turs out
] to be a hacker? You're going to jail too. I know, it seems
] unlikely, but passing bills like the Patriot Act seemed
] unlikely 5 years ago, too.
]
] ] all terrorist
] ] acts can result in the death penalty or, at least, life
] ] in prison; and suspected terrorists can be held
] ] indefinitely before trial.
]
] This is going too far. Much, much too far. "All" terrorist
] acts do not deserve the death penalty, considering what are
] defined as "terrorist acts" by the government.
]
] Um, does anyone happen to remember that computer crimes are
] considered terrorism now? What else is on the list to be
] considered terrorism? Saying the President of the US is a
] totalitarian pig? Making fun of Ashcroft's bad hair? I'm not
] interested in living in the kind of regime I'm seeing develop.
]
]
] ] ``In criminal cases where public safety is a concern such
] ] as drug dealing, organized crime and gun crimes,
] ] defendants in federal crimes are presumptively denied
] ] pretrial release,'' Ashcroft said. ``It seems as though
] ] the crime of terrorism should have the same
] ] presumption.''
]
] Yes, but they are given access to lawyers, while terrorists
] are not.
]
] I'm really worried now. I thought I was worried before, but
] it's just getting worse. This is madness.

This administration is drunk on its own power. And the sad thing is, the majority of the populace are like "DUUUUUH - anything to secure me from terrorists!!" All our freedoms are being stripped out from under us as we watch and whats the cruel irony? The Shub administration is saying its being done to "secure our freedoms".

And people are buying this shit?

Laughing Boy

RE: Guardian Unlimited | World Latest | Ashcroft Wants Broader Anti-Terror Powers

] ``Our ability to prevent another catastrophic attack on
] American soil would be more difficult if not impossible
] without the (USA) Patriot Act,'' Ashcroft told the House
] Judiciary Committee. But ``the law has several weaknesses
] which terrorists could exploit, undermining our
] defenses.''

So does the CIA. You doing anything about that, Ashcroft?

] Ashcroft said he wants the law changed so that anyone
] supporting or working with suspected terrorist groups can
] be prosecuted as ``material supporters;''

I can see this one getting twisted into abuses REAL quick. You donated money to a charity that turns out to be a terrorist front? Well, guess the gov't is seizing your assets and you're going to jail. You sold computer parts to a guy who turs out to be a hacker? You're going to jail too. I know, it seems unlikely, but passing bills like the Patriot Act seemed unlikely 5 years ago, too.

] all terrorist
] acts can result in the death penalty or, at least, life
] in prison; and suspected terrorists can be held
] indefinitely before trial.

This is going too far. Much, much too far. "All" terrorist acts do not deserve the death penalty, considering what are defined as "terrorist acts" by the government.

Um, does anyone happen to remember that computer crimes are considered terrorism now? What else is on the list to be considered terrorism? Saying the President of the US is a totalitarian pig? Making fun of Ashcroft's bad hair? I'm not interested in living in the kind of regime I'm seeing develop.

] ``In criminal cases where public safety is a concern such
] as drug dealing, organized crime and gun crimes,
] defendants in federal crimes are presumptively denied
] pretrial release,'' Ashcroft said. ``It seems as though
] the crime of terrorism should have the same
] presumption.''

Yes, but they are given access to lawyers, while terrorists are not.

I'm really worried now. I thought I was worried before, but it's just getting worse. This is madness.

Guardian Unlimited | World Latest | Ashcroft Wants Broader Anti-Terror Powers

I feel cruel just because I watched this.

Darth Fatty?

Dementia wrote:
] Laughing Boy wrote:
] ] ] Heavy-metal band Metallica, a vociferous opponent of
] ] ] Internet song-swapping sites, is turning to the Web as a
] ] ] way to encourage fans to buy the band's new music.
] ] ]
] ] ] Metallica, whose first album in six years is scheduled to
] ] ] be released on June 5, is offering exclusive music tracks
] ] ] online as well through a partnership with Speakeasy, the
] ] ] Seattle-based high-speed Internet access provider said.
] ] ]
] ] ] Customers who buy Metallica's new compact disc, St.
] ] ] Anger, will find a code inside the packaging allowing
] ] ] them to view, listen to and download exclusive,
] ] ] unreleased music tracks from a Metallica Web site.
] ]
] ] What I've been saying for years... want to encourage people
] to
] ] BUY your CD vs. download the tracks online? You have to
] give
] ] some "value added" as incentive. Granted, these "exclusive,
]
] ] unreleased music tracks" will appear soon on a P2P network
] ] near you, but this is a step in the right direction.
] ]
] ] Now start adding some "VA" that can not be pirated. Ideas
] off
] ] the top of my head... random drawings for concert tix, back
] ] stage passes, t-shirts and other swag, etc...
]
] Yeah, but a lot of artists feel like that's 'paying for your
] fan base' and will be reluctant to do it.

Then I guess its their funeral. :/ An over priced basic audio CD with 15 mediocre (at best) tracks is not going to cut the mustard any more. When people feel like they are getting ripped off for 1 or 2 good songs on an album and the rest are crap, many will not buy CD's when they can find what they want for free unless there is additional value in purchasing the CD. I don't think its paying for your fan base. It's merely incentive to purchase the CD.

But if they would rather not “compromise their integrity” in such a manner, they have no right to complain when no one will purchase their work. The music industries business model is changing – lead, follow or get run over.

To hear Metalica (of all people) back peddling and saying “Hey – maybe we CAN use this Internet thing to our advantage after all” should be a wake up call to every techno-phobe in the recording industry.

Laughing Boy

Oh – and lest we forget and get caught up in the RIAA’s Chicken Little “The sky is falling!” hoopla… sales are merely down a few billion dollars a year (recession anyone?). The industry is FAR from being in the red. The vast majority of people are still buying music, but clearly consumers want access to the stuff online as well.

RE: 'Anger' leads Metallica to the Internet

] NEW YORK, June 4 %u2014 A grand jury indicted Martha
] Stewart on federal charges of securities fraud and
] obstruction of justice Wednesday in an insider stock
] trading scandal that could bring big fines or even a jail
] term for the home styles guru known for impeccable taste.

Of course now we're hearing stories "Martha is a victim of those jealous of her success!" Right. And if she were black, it would be a "racist witch hunt" yada yada yada. *YAWN* Why is it ALWAYS discrimination with so-called "minorities" when they screw up? It's as if some people think they can do no wrong; that they walk between the rain drops. Hellooo?? Insider trading is ILLEGAL. If she broke the law (and even without phone records of her talking to her broker, the timing of her sell off is a MIGHTY big red flag) then she pays the consequences - just like Joe and Jane Average would. I'm tired of celebrities getting off easy for crimes because they are famous.

Laughing Boy

Martha Stewart indicted