crazyskillsbloginitiative

You know who you are and why I am.

Or do I need to spell it out for you?

The end times are almost upon us. This week, the German government have finalized plans set to go into effect on the 18th which will censor the internet for the German people. This is a step in the wrong direction. I mean seriously, what is up with this? It’s all in the name of protecting the children, but what’s next? Not letting children go outside in fear that they might be hit by a car? Not letting them inside anywhere in fear that the place might burn down? This censorship is a step backwards in the global fight for personal freedom and rights. It’s another example of the government (in this case, of Germany) trying to be the peoples’ mother. It’s just frightening. When this goes into effect on Thursday, the people of Germany will not have the same rights and freedoms that they have now. Certain internet sites (hundreds, thousands?) will be blocked for everything from pornography to conflicting religious or political views. Hell, who’s to speculate exactly all of what will be denied to the German people? Maybe there will be no more visits to crazyskills. Who knows? I am not upset that this will affect me in any direct sense - I have never been to Germany - but I am upset for those who live there, and for the potential downward spiral this could potentially put on the global community. If this trend continues, pretty soon they’ll be back to book burning.

Yeah, so if you live this side of Alpha Centauri you have heard about this nonsense being offered by New York State Assembly Minority Leader Brian Kolb, questioning the judgment of Dave over a remark he made about the adult daughter of former veep-hopeful Sarah Palin.

Get over it already. There is nothing wrong with Letterman making jokes about society and its members. Even if you don’t personally don’t think his comments were funny, so be it. He has the right to say what he said (and many of us found it very funny as well.) He isn’t saying anything about females in general, not even the broad spectrum of young adulthood. He isn’t being sexist or racist or discriminating due to age or skin / hair / eyecolor. Just making a joke. Those of you who can’t take it or don’t think it’s funny, stop watching. Calling for Dave to be fired [foxnews.com] (Yeah I’m looking at you, Kolb) is just ridiculous. When you are in a position of public view, you have to be able to take some element of this. It was a joke, by a very funny man, which some happen to find offensive. Too damn bad. Should everyone who offends someone be fired now? (Would the late, great George Carlin have gotten anywhere at all if you got fired every time someone happened to find something offensive?) Hell, I’m sure I’ve offended someone over the course of this particular rant here on crazyskills. But we all know I’m not going anywhere. And neither is Dave. More power to ya.

This is ridiculous.. I don’t know quite where to start. I am not a big fan of the .NET framework to begin with, but that is another rant for another time.

The Microsoft .NET Framework Assistant is - get this - a Firefox addon, which “adds to Firefox one of the most dangerous vulnerabilities present in all versions of Internet Explorer: the ability for Web sites to easily and quietly install software on your PC.”

The worst part is that it is being distributed to anyone using the Automatic Update service of various Windows platforms. Or maybe the worst part is that it cannot be uninstalled, at least not without modifying your registry manually.

Makes me at least think twice before trusting Windows Update. Smooth.

Time Warner announced today a ToS change which appears to revisit and pave the way for tiered, “consumption-based” billing. What this means to them is that people will pay for the bandwidth they use. What this means for you and me is that certain services that we have all grown to know and love will be terminated. I am not positive what our current monthly bandwidth consumption is, but considering the servers we run here at the crazyskills corporate offices (vox, http/css/php, mysql, left4dead, radio) we are on the higher end of usage. They have not announced what the pricing plans will be yet.

You may remember a similar story a couple of months back with Time Warner announcing that they were going to do this, but then received such a response from its customers and media outlets that they decided to cancel the plans. Apparently, all they did was push it back a few months.

Now is the time for a new alternative to come to the market here in the thriving metropolis of Cincinnati and offer unlimited bandwidth usage at reasonable (15Mbps) speeds. Somebody is going to make a killing off the displeasure of the Time Warner customers. It might as well be you.

That’s what we need.  Yeah.

‘Illegal offshore Internet gambling sites are a criminal enterprise [bachus.house.gov], and allowing them to operate unfettered in the United States would present a clear danger to our youth, who are subject to becoming addicted to gambling at an early age,’ says Representative Spencer Bachus, Republican of Alabama and the ranking member on the House Financial Services Committee.

Oh give me a break.  I am *this* close to going off on a serious rant based on this latest gem of sheer nonsense our government has cranked out.

Yes I think gambling should be illegal.  And you shouldn’t be allowed to smoke outside  You shouldn’t be allowed to eat anything with sugar in it.  It should be against the law to listen to music too loud.  Or swear.  Furthermore, it should be illegal to disagree with me.  And moreso illegal to have thoughts of your own.

I want the government to be my mother.  Yeah.  That’s just what I want.  After all, I clearly am not capable of making decisions for myself.  I think other people should decide what is “right” for me based on their beliefs.

For The Children.

Just a warning to fans of Zig-Zag tobacco products:  They sell or otherwise distribute email addresses they acquire through the “email signup” link on their site, zigzag.com.  I am not getting a rediculous amount of SPAM as a result of signing up, but I am getting some, and frankly I am a little bit pissed.  How do I know they are the perpetrators?  I signed up with a unique email address which I have not used anywhere else, as I do with all online email requests, for the sole purpose of tracking who gives out my personal information.  I expected more from a company with the reputation of Zig-Zag - this is an unacceptable business practice, distributing email addresses to spammers.

I am strongly disappointed.

Fortunately, I can just forward any email being sent to me at that address directly to the address listed on their site, zigzag@fulfillment-inc.com and I recommend you do the same. Sorry about your luck, zigzag.com! Enjoy the spam!

What is wrong with you people?  I used to consider you one of my main sources for news items.  Now, not only have you got ads on your pages, but have full-page ads you have to click through after a delay before you ever get to the news story.  This is unacceptable.  I will no longer link news items at C|Net, until you get with the times and remove these rediculous full-page click-through ads.

FWIW.

There are plenty of other noteworthy news agencies and blog networks I can highlight on the crazyskills domain matrix.

Good riddance, C|Net.  (Bet I’m not the only one!)

Stumbled upon a site today, googling for an answer for some question — I don’t remember now.  Anyway, this site is pretty cool!  They could use a little more.. something.. in the approach - the appearance, but good nonetheless!  There are a good number of questions (and answers) here, and you can submit questions as well.  Most answers have references to their sources.  We all have enough to do, but it’s good to take a break.  Check it out!  http://www.funtrivia.com/ [funtrivia.com] is the central site but is mostly quizzes.  If you’re not into that sort of thing, check out http://www.funtrivia.com/search.cfm? [funtrivia.com] and search for anything you like.  Guaranteed to come up with interesting results!  Kind of a generic name, not the best asthetics, but entertaining information just the same.

I’ve mentioned this before but I am going to go off on it now:  Employment Spam.  What is up with this?  I get so many employment offers every week, but very rarely is there anything personal attached to it.  What is up with this?  Why do people put up with this crap?  I guess there are enough people out there desperate enough to fall for it.  Or maybe I am the one at fault.  Maybe I should pursue them myself.  I doubt it.  It’s spam.  And it is all over the place.  Crazy.   And pissing me off.  It’s almost as bad as (won’t mention any names, but their initials are Primerica.)  That is some bad news.  It’s spam to the nth degree.   Bringing people in to train them to bring more people in.

Day 1337:  The patient has begun the irreversible process. Fueled by energy drinks (and the occasional Newcastle,) the patient slowly begins the decent down the spiral staircase of oblivion.

Bass synthesizers.

you spoke to me in my dream.