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Xcandescent's LiveJournal:
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Wednesday, May 1st, 2002 | 2:45 am |
| Sunday, April 28th, 2002 | 5:03 pm |
Moo Calf Cloned From Dead CowI will refrain from making disturbing commentary on the article, because just READING it is disturbing enough. (Sample quote: "Savoring a juicy, high-quality steak? Maybe someday you'll be able to order up a duplicate of the best piece of beef you've ever eaten.") In other news, my Dad showed up last week, and a bunch of stuff happened -- mostly good. I will refrain from talking about it, except possibly in friends-only entries. It was pretty intense and personal. | Saturday, April 20th, 2002 | 11:27 pm |
Apathy Is Your Civic Duty One of the things about not having a job is that you find yourself with a lot of time on your hands. Now, relatively sane people would spend part of this time looking for work, and the other part being miserable and depressed. I, on the other hand, tend to spend most of the time being stupid, miserable and depressed, and the other part thinking about shit I ordinarily wouldn't when I had a job. Politics, censorship, copyright and patent shit -- basically, things I'd ordinarily be interested in, but didn't have the time or energy to really think about before. Now, think about that for a second. I'm basically saying that, thanks to actually having a job, and expending a reasonable amount of time and energy doing that job well, I didn't have the time or energy left to devote to basic civic duties like thinking about issues. Anyone can parrot a one-liner from the TV news, but I wonder how many people actually give more than a microsecond of thought about it. What's more interesting is that my sudden resurgance of interest is being met with increasing bitterness by my so-called friends, who generally wonder why the fuck I'm not spending the time finding a job -- and who take the fact that I'm actually thinking and talking about important political shit again as a sign that I'm being unproductive, and have too much time on my hands. Of course, my friends could be entirely right. Politics and "important issues" could very well be completely out of our hands at this stage, and not nearly as important as being concerned about the well-being of your friends. (Although my so-called friends aren't doing so hot in that department either.) Basically, if you can't personally change something, or if it doesn't personally effect you -- well, who fucking cares? On the other hand, that attitude is just fucking disturbing. We've "evolved" to the point as a society now where it is no longer important for people to think about issues they might not be able to affect individually -- because it is someone else's job to do it for them. And as long as said people are doing their jobs, we have nothing to worry about, and should be spending our resources on more important things, like pointless memos and smoke breaks. Last time I checked, the definition of democracy was not "pay or elect someone else to do your thinking for you". But in practice, that is what it is. It's a logical consequence of not having the time or resources to do anything other than your fucking job -- which, in turn, is what we are taught is the most important thing to do. More important than thinking, anyway. And when we see people do otherwise, we're convinced that they're wasting time -- both theirs and ours -- with their political obsessions. So yeah. The next time you wonder why democracy is a fucking joke, you should put out that cigarette and get back to work, you fucking slacker. The good news is that, thanks to modern drug therapy, I probably won't give a fuck either shortly. If it wasn't for chemical lobotomy, it would just be so much harder to fit in! Thank you, modern chemistry, for continuing to focus your considerable resources on designing me a better attitude, and shifting it away from such pointless expenditures as making vaccines for children. After all, if it isn't profitable, it's not worth doing -- right? Current Music: Ramones, "Gimme Gimme Shock Treatment" | Friday, April 19th, 2002 | 9:53 pm |
Called the doctor, jacked up the drugs. We'll see how that goes.
In the meantime, refocusing on my current goals. Splitting time between job-related reading and other projects. Current project is redoing the firewall on my machine, in preparation for other things. Purchased a hardware router with packet filtering and simple port blocking rules; plan to combine this with a software-based firewall/app filter. Researching the latter now; most likely will be a choice between ZA Pro, Sygate Pro 5.0, Kerio/Tiny. Hear good things about Agilent Outpost, but it's a bit too beta for my tastes. Kerio/Tiny has had various breaches in the past, and crappy support, but seems to be the most configurable of the lot. Sygate has had breaches as well, but have generally been fixed quickly; need to read through manual to see what options it supports. ZA in general is a bit too much "fire-and-forget" for me -- and not being able to set up rules for apps before you run them is a joke. Hoping that ZA Pro has a bit more flexibility.
Whatever the case, it's going to require a reinstall of Windows to properly evaluate. OK, so you can cheat by using Drive Image or Ghost -- that's what I plan on doing, anyway. ;)
And yes, I'm fully aware that Linux makes an excellent basis for a firewall if you have the space, time, and hardware. Obviously I have the time, but I'm cramped for space, and if you figure in the costs for the hardware I don't have (KVM switch, etc.), it was cheaper just to get a firewalling router. Too bad, really; I would've liked to play around with that.
Also need to snag a decent anti-trojan scanner. Wasn't aware that such things existed until recently. Apparently virus scanners aren't as good at trojan detection as I'd assumed (your mileage may vary). | Wednesday, April 17th, 2002 | 1:49 am |
Do you believe in natural selection? If I did, then I'd seriously have to wonder why I'm still alive.
Which I do -- quite frequently.
To summarize: I have a number of medical conditions which, if left untreated, would result in certain death. One is purely physical, the other is mental -- which, depending on your school of thought, could also be considered physical.
Without drugs to constrict my range of emotion, I would be an incoherent mess. Well, more so than I already am. More precisely, I would be an incoherent, self-hating, actively suicidal mess.
There are people who think that mental illness is nothing more than a lack of self-discipline. In my weaker moments, I tend to agree. If you look at it from that angle, you could argue that medication is basically cheating. (Cheating death, heh.)
I tried easing up on the medication in order to recover emotions that were supressed. I did so, because I regretted not being able to feel. It seems I'm back to a point again where regret is a luxury I can no longer afford.
I find all of this to be intensely embarrassing. Admitting weakness always is. So is being myself, but that's par for the course. It's unlikely I'll ever be proud to be what I am, but it sure would be nice to not constantly hate myself. If I have to "cheat" to get there, so be it.
What would you do to survive? | Tuesday, April 16th, 2002 | 1:49 am |
May go driving this weekend to visit a friend. We'll see.
Speaking of friends, my alleged real-life ones have been rather scarce lately.
It is probably a good thing I don't say half the things I want to in this journal, because then I wouldn't have any friends at all. Not to mention parents. | Friday, April 12th, 2002 | 8:50 pm |
LJ Dick Waving Fallout Supposedly, all parties involved have calmed down and are talking to each other again. That's fine, but it doesn't solve the real problem. After looking at the (still available) source and binaries, it's obvious to me that all of this could've been avoided if both Brad and Visions had actually followed the terms of the GPL (and its FAQ) to the letter. If they had, Visions would not have a leg to stand on when he yanked the client, and Sema wouldn't have been out of business. Basically, Visions' argument boils down to this: wspell is non-GPL software, and you can't GPL software that includes it. This is true ... IF you don't specifically make an exception. From my reading of the GPL FAQ, two conditions apply here: you have to gain permission from the copyright holder of the non-GPL'ed software (Wintertree Software, in this case) to re-distribute, AND you have to specifically exclude non-GPL'ed components from GPL coverage. If you go back and check the source distributions, you'll notice that neither was done. This (unfortunately) includes 1.3.8, which had wspell integration. The binaries are even worse -- they don't even come with a copy of the GPL. As near as I can tell, the only available source without wspell is 1.2.6 -- and since Brad was the sole author of that, AND put in the necessary exceptions for code that wasn't his, it should be properly covered under the GPL. (Read: Win32 developers who don't want to write a client from scratch can use that as a safe starting point.) So is post-1.3.8 code GPL'ed, or isn't it? If 1.3.8 code and later was based on 1.2.6, then it *has* to be, under Section 2 of the GPL. Assuming that it is GPL'ed, Section 7 would then seem to apply with regards to the WSpell license, and effectively prevent distribution of the software by anyone. Note: I have asked the Free Software Foundation for clarification on all of this, but that could take a while. Assuming that it isn't GPL'ed, things get a little trickier. Both Brad and Visions have copyright on the code, and I don't have enough knowledge of the law to say what happens when two parties that have copyright on a single piece of code clash heads. All of this could've been avoided, of course, if WSpell had never entered the picture. This is why mixing non-free and Free Software in the same program is Bad. There are other conditions in the GPL that weren't fulfilled (most notably: lack of a mailing address to obtain source on physical media for cost of copying + media), but that's the big one. If LJ is going to continue having an "official" Win32 client (and it really should), it needs to be fully GPL'ed next time. No WSpell, no non-Free code. It's the easiest way to avoid situations like this. | 1:38 pm |
LJ Dick Waving The author of the "official" LJ-Win32 client has, in a remarkable fit of spastic dick waving, "revoked" the license to all versions and derivatives of the client after 1.3.8. It doesn't really matter why he did it, but it would appear that this was done to purposely derail development of this client. As of this writing, he's succeeded. Here's the "official" revocation, and Sema's response, and removal of the Semagic clientsI happen to use an LJ Win32 client past 1.3.8. As far as I'm concerned, the author can go fuck himself. There are real questions as to how you can release code under the GPL, then spontaneously yank it back without violating the terms of that license. If I'm bored enough, I might shoot off an E-mail to the GNU folks about it later. I don't have the time or patience to search for another client, and if it wasn't for the fact that the author WANTS LJ users to suffer and leave over his crybaby actions, I would seriously consider leaving LJ. Remember, this is the *official* LJ Win-32 client we're talking about here, and regardless of whether or not the author represents the actions of LJ as a company, his personal actions DO reflect badly on the company as a whole. In any case, LJ as a company needs to step the hell up and lay the smack down on this bullshit before it completely spirals out of hand. If it turns out that the author has the legal right to simply yank an "official" client without anyone else's approval, then that needs to be resolved so that this sort of thing cannot happen in the future. It's just way unprofessional. You can't pull this shit at a real company without suffering severe consequences. My belief is the author knows that, and is deliberately taking advantage of the fact that LJ isn't a "real" company to extort admins and users without consequence. | Tuesday, April 9th, 2002 | 3:11 pm |
Reverse Eugenics From the "fucked up beyond belief" department: Couple deliberately engineer deaf babiesY'know, it's one thing to have a belief ... but it's entirely another to genetically force it on your children, who don't have a say in the matter. This particular example is even worse, because if you attempt to outlaw something like this, you are legally promoting eugenics -- which is about the slipperiest slope you will ever encounter. Who is to say what does and doesn't qualify as a "genetic defect"? If you outlaw passing on deafness to a child, what about other conditions, like diabetes, breast cancer, or heart disease? If homosexuality was proven to have a genetic factor, would be suddenly become illegal to have gay babies? | 1:25 am |
I faxed some Congressmen today. Woo fucking hoo. Now all I need is to start voting again, and I'll have fullfilled my quota for ineffective citizen participation.
The more time I spend away from people, the less human I become. And yet, when I am in the presence of friends again, it's like another part of my personality (the more pleasant part) jumps out of hiding, only to disappear again when I'm alone. I'm not sure what to make of that.
Alcohol is my friend. It makes self-hatred shut the hell up. Then it wears off. | Wednesday, April 3rd, 2002 | 7:28 pm |
Finished watching all the episodes in the Clerks: Uncensored collection. Considering they had to tone down their shit for prime-time, it's still absolutely fucking brilliant.
Even better, if you turn on the commentary, they spend basically the entire 1st episode (which I don't think aired at all?) breaking down exactly how fucked up the whole process of getting the show on the air was, how they might have gotten 13 episodes if they'd gone with UPN instead of ABC (referred to as "the network" to avoid lawsuits), how an ABC exec swore that UPN was going the way of the 8-track, ABC's fixation with firecrackers, being shown "The Facts Of Life" pilot as an example of how to do a pilot right (!!!!), etc. etc.
Oh the bitterness! Oh the hatred! I can't wait to listen to the commentary for the other 5 eps. =) Highly recommended. | 1:24 am |
So I've seen half of the "Clerks: Uncensored" set now, and I can safely say it's funny as hell, and ABC was on crack to only air 2 episodes.
On the flip side, Kevin Smith was on crack to put that show on ABC. Then again, when you're signed to Miramax, I dunno that you have a whole lot of options. At least Jay makes a point of cursing during the intros between the eps. ;)
Tony Hawk 3 is out on PC. I need to reinstall my gamepad. | Sunday, March 31st, 2002 | 12:09 am |
She said I dreamt of talking in clicks knew what I was saying didn't care if anyone else did cos I'm waiting for my life to arrive I'm sick and tired of trying to survive
Release is near I'm not alone no fear
Better be careful it might come true your worst nightmare in front of you Better be cautious don't be fake that's the worst mistake you could make that's the worst mistake you could make
She said I'm waiting for this time on my own Back two clicks can I handle it Can I fathom it or understand it connect and hit
Knowledge is here it's nearly mine my dear
Better be careful it might come true your worst nightmare in front of you Better be cautious don't be fake that's the worst mistake you could make that's the worst mistake you could make
Release is near I'm not alone I'm not alone
Better be careful it might come true your worst nightmare in front of you Better be cautious don't be fake that's the worst mistake you could make that's the worst mistake you could make that's the worst mistake you could make
Better be careful it might come true your worst nightmare in front of you Better be cautious don't be fake that's the worst mistake you could make that's the worst mistake you could make that's the worst mistake you could make
-Curve, "Worst Mistake" | Thursday, March 28th, 2002 | 12:19 am |
Ping.
Whole lot of nothing happening here. Well, I am getting a tax refund for the first time ... well, ever, but considering that it's a whole 5 bucks or so it's hardly an occasion to go running wild. | Monday, March 25th, 2002 | 12:07 am |
History Repeats Itself, Don't Make Me Say It Again ( New Bomb Turks rule. ) Current Music: New Bomb Turks - Bullish on Bullshit | Sunday, March 24th, 2002 | 11:26 pm |
The Oscars. Ugh. Wake me when it's over. | Saturday, March 23rd, 2002 | 1:02 am |
Electronics makes my head explode.
If it's actually possible to explain how a voltage regulator circuit works without referring to a billion concepts I don't yet understand, I'd like to know.
And all this trouble for a damn light. It's like a bad joke: How many people does it take to light a Game Boy Advance? | Tuesday, March 19th, 2002 | 3:51 pm |
Language that has no Words "Somewhere along the line, I developed this idea that musicians are workers and they're important to their community in much the same way as the person who delivers the mail or teaches your kids. So when something happens, people look to this form to help talk about things for which we have no words.
"That's always been my definition of art: when language fails us, that's when art has to happen."-John McCutcheon -- It should be no big surprise that I think of gaming in much the same way ... besides being entertainment, it's something that people enjoy for reasons they're not even aware of. And rather than being afraid of the consequences, it is necessary to explore and understand them -- and perhaps even flaunt them when the situation calls for it. There exists power and possibility within interactive media that you will find nowhere else. Interaction itself, whether it's between people, or between man and machine, is a language which has no words, and a space of possibility and chaos that can never be fully understood or controlled. Or something. -- And now, because I can: You should listen to these demos.They rule, and stuff. | 12:33 am |
Apparently, "Hell Above Water" by Curve is being used in the new Spider-Man commercials. Considering how much Curve rocks, and how little airplay they ever get, this is a Good Thing. Unfortunately, studios often option songs for commercials that don't appear in the movie or on the soundtrack. Hopefully, this won't be one of those cases. [crosses fingers] Oh yeah ... you should buy Gift, if you don't already have it. | Sunday, March 17th, 2002 | 12:51 am |
SSSCA Crap So I was going to post this entire diatribe in Spookycam's journal, but I decided that was poor form. =) SSSCA is a HUGELY retarded bill, sponsored by a Senator in the pocket of big media, none of whom actually understand the consequences of what they're trying to pass. A good summary article is here.Here's an EFF Alert, with links to ways to contact your Congressmen.Basically, the whole bill centers on trying to force copy control technology into "interactive digital devices". As bad as that is, it's made even worse by their DEFINITION of what an "interactive digital device" is. According to the last draft made public last summer, the definition is: (3) INTERACTIVE DIGITAL DEVICE. -- The term "interactive digital device" means any machine, device, product, software, or technology, whether or not included with or as part of some other machine, device, product, software, or technology, that is designed, marketed or used for the primary purpose of, and that is capable of, storing, retrieving, processing, performing, transmitting, receiving, or copying information in digital form. When I first saw that, I went back and re-read it a few times to make sure I wasn't seeing things. You have a proposal for a law to enforce copyright (or more specifically, copy control), based on broad definitions that have absolutely nothing to do with copyright, and everything to do with broad-based technology regulation. How broad? Well let's play a game ... what is something whose "primary purpose" is to store, retrieve, process, perform, transmit, receive, or copy digital information? Computers? Duh. Calculators? Check. Digital watches? Uh-huh. Let's get a little more basic. The definition says "whether or not included with or as part of some other machine, device, product, software, or technology" ... which implies that it's aiming at something broader than the actual, potentially infringing device itself, but also the *components* that make it up. What are components whose "primary purpose" is to store, retrieve, process, perform, transmit, receive, or copy digital information? Transistors? Yup. Memory chips? Yup. Any piece of hardware usable in a PC? All of them. Any digital electronic circuit in existence, homebrewed or otherwise? If it's digital, it counts. Seeing as how you need a variety of electronic components to make up a working circuit, the definition may cover all sorts of basic electronics equipment you can get at Radio Shack. I think the key in this case is that "primary purpose" condition. Something like a capacitor or resistor you could argue was not *specifically* intended for use in digital electronics, but sure does come in handy. Then there's software. Oh wait. ALL software is digital, and by definition exists to process digital information. That means ALL software is covered under the Act. The only digital information I can think of that isn't would be plain data -- not the JavaScript-enabled Acrobat 5.0 crap, but stuff like text files that performs no essential function by itself. Where does source code fall into this? Beats me. It can't run itself, but there's plenty of legal wrangling over whether code is speech or something else (mostly thanks to past crypto restrictions, but more recently due to DMCA lawsuits). There are other problems (the exemption on previously-sold software doesn't seem to apply to Free Software because it isn't sold), but you get the picture. It's a hugely retarded bill written by hugely retarded and extremely greedy people. |
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