Church Of The Geek

UPDATE: After following a link in the comments section (Thanks J Pettus!) I downloaded un-drm’ed files via the fine folks at BoingBoing.

Unfortunately this did not actually improve the situation, at least in the legal sense.

While these files are standard, generically encoded WMV files, I cannot legally view them on a Linux computer. As a computer geek with limited financial resources I made the decision to go open source instead of continuing years of obtaining software through less scrupulous means.

WMV files use a windows32 codec which is considered the legal property of Microsoft (I think). Regardless of who owns them they are definitely illegal to install on a Linux machine, not that that has stopped the throngs of *nix users out there.

While there is a way to do this on a Linux machine, it’s still not ok in the eyes of the computer cops.

Lovely.

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So after spending literally hours trying to get my Ubuntu Linux box to read the WMV files that are the first two episodes of The IT Crowd I’ve decided to give up. To make matters even better you can’t access the streaming versions of the show from outside the UK (you can view that error message here.)

This whole process has really pissed me off.

I’d imagine Channel 4′s discussion went something like this:

Programming Exec: “So we’re ready to release the show online. How should we do it?”

Marketing Dweeb: “I know! Let’s use a DRM-protected windows media format! That way we can appease the DRM gods (even though our product is supposed to be “free” online).”

PE: “What about people who don’t use windows?”

MD: “Oh, you mean the people the show is actually targeted at? We never worried about them before, why would we now?”

—-

A friend recommend undrm’ing the files with WINE, but that would involve reinstalling windows on my machine just to get a couple DLL files.

Screw that.

And screw Channel 4. So much for the first great attempt at IP Television.

Words cannot express my joy now that my question has been answered and a highly skilled ninja is looking forward to killing me soon! (Update: Actually, he’s looking forward to killing my wife.)

Ask A Ninja #9: Ninja Love

Be sure to check out the main page of Ask A Ninja and check out all the previous episodes.

Interesting article covering recent findings from British researchers…

Damn you Nintendo! Why must you continually introduce great hardware then make it even better a year or so down the road? And why do I keep loving almost everything you make after you keep doing this?

I’ll probably own one of these sooner or later. I do try and stick to a strict rule in this situation: Trade-in deals only. I got my SP by trading in my original GBA and a couple games, and a couple years or so later I picked up a DS by trading in that SP and a couple more games. These trade-in deals usually aren’t offered until the console has been out for a couple months or so (patience is a virtue).

Not a whole lot of solid details on the DS Lite are available yet, but you can check out the Japanese product page here.

via Kotaku

UPDATE: Gamespot has an article with a decent list of DS Lite tech specs. One notably missing item is any mention of reverse compatibility with GBA titles.

If any Nintendo employees happen across this, I’d like to make a minor suggestion: PLEASE ADD THE ABILITY TO PLAY OLD SCHOOL GAMEBOY AND GB COLOR GAMES BACK IN!!! And an easy way to link to the GameCube via standard GBA cable, both sorely missed features from the SP.

spec link via digg

Just want to share a quote from this Boing Boing post:

That just about sums up my thoughts on the matter.

A group from the Future American Lawyers stood up during a recent speech by Alberto Gonzales and displayed this quote with backs turned to the podium. Mr. Gonzales was delivering a speech arguing the justifications for the Bush administration’s illegal wire taps.

All of this is thanks to Insomnia over at LiveJournal.

Words can’t express how excited I am about this…

Stewie Griffin will be hosting an internet-only talk show! No word yet of when exactly it will start airing, but the article even mentions that Stewie is preceeded in this “honor” by Space Ghost.

Can’t wait!!!

According to this Gizmodo post Verizon just lost a class action suit in California for removing Bluetooth services from the Motorola v710. This is the first lawsuit of the type against a U.S. cell provider that I’m aware of (somebody please comment and/or e-mail if you know otherwise).

Might not sound like a big deal at first, but here’s the larger picture: Early adopters (like myself) know that as handheld technology and more importantly battery technology progresses we’re trending towards a media-rich mobile lifestyle. Most of the baby boomers are now comfortable camera phones (I had a talk with my dad once about how a 1 megapixel camera phone is a poor substitute for an actual digital camera), my generation doesn’t feel safe without an ipods ear bud wires dangling down their cheek, and the younger generations now have the ultimate leverage over their parents: They know how to use the computer. A generation that doesn’t know a life without computers everywhere is more inclined to let new technology in.

One other trend that has grown by leaps and bounds in just a few years is wireless. From phones to LANs, pocket pets to optical mice and keyboards we’re snipping those wires like our future depends on it.

So where are we heading? Towards something like this, maybe this, or perhaps this (my personal favorite). Devices which combine every piece of the information age.

Here’s where the problems start with what providers are doing right now. Say you go to Best Buy and you want a DVD player. You read a great review online from a web site that talks about all these awesome features. So you get your new DVD player home and much to your surprise only half, maybe less, of the features you wanted work. You take another look at that review just to make sure you go the right model and you notice the review came from somebody in the United Kingdom.

You’re screwed. And yes, you have the right model.

This isn’t happening so much with DVD players (though you could get into a debate about region encoding) as it is with cell phones. Many of these devices originated in places like the U.K. where service providers don’t care as much about locking down phones as their U.S. counterparts do. A friend of mine has this really kick ass LG phone with mp3 functionality, but it’s locked down by Verizon so he can’t play his own music even though it has a SD card slot.

Are we all thieves now? Has it reached the point where policy is to treat your customers as potential pick pockets before they’ve even signed up?

The real story is that it isn’t totally about copyright law and related interests. In this case, Verizon left out the fact that it couldn’t transfer files to a PC but what they’re not talking about is what people really want, a phone that can be used as a modem. If the phone can do it, why do I have to pay more for it?

Because their networks are running but not running well. It’s hard to keep up with the kind of explosive growth cell phone use has seen in the last few years, all the while trying to offer new this and new that. Bigger better faster.

Unfortunately the first “utility” to fail during every major disaster we’ve seen in the last few years is cell phone service. I wonder how many service credits (if any) got issued to the citizens of New York during 9/11? Any in New Orleans? They even fell apart during the July bombing in London.

Ultimately, if we’re going to assign blame, I place it squarely on the customer base for not taking the time to really know how they’re being taken advantage of. These folks did and all it really got them was an easy out or a service credit. As is always the case in history all it really takes is enough people standing up together at the same time.

…

Just in case you were wondering, yes, I am one of those “free information” type geeks. How could you tell?

“All extras cost extra.”

- read from a restaurant menu by Seth

One of the joys of being temporarily laid off and unemployed is suddenly there’s so much time to take care of the minor domestic items that are hard to fit in a 40-hour work week.

(Damn it’s hard to write while watching The Colbert Report)

Early the other morning I dropped my wife off at work and proceeded down two fairly busy roads in Lansing, Okemos Road and Mount Hope. I was on my way to pick up my poor cat from the vet following the loss of his manhood, and I as I approached an intersection a large black Impala decided he should test the spatial boundaries of our vehicles (near as I could tell). He was waiting to turn right into my lane, I had a green light and he was sitting at a red. He had plenty of opportunity to go before I even approached the intersection, but he waited until the last possible second to pull out and cut me off in the process. Brakes jammed, swerving left, barely miss the asshole. As I flew by him (now in the left lane, it’s a 45 mph road and moving was safer than total brake lock) I flipped him off.

Yes, I’ll admit, I flip people off on the road. Other than the horn it’s my only display of “road rage”. I only use it when necessary, and more often than not I do nothing at all. What can I say? I learned how to drive just outside Chicago.

Now, this Impala looked to be a mid-1990′s model which resembles the cop-friendly Caprice Classic so it’s got a gigantic V-8 under that hood, and post-bird appearance I of course watched the car in my rear view mirror.

If there were any doubts about that V-8 they were cleared up as I watched the Impala roar up behind me (I could hear the engine over my completely closed car with CD playing loudly). I swear it seemed like he was doing at least 70 trying to catch up.

We reached the next red light and as we came to a full stop I realized he’d left the car and was walking (on the freaking double yellow line on a 4 lane 45 mph road) up to me. It dawned on me what a great invention power locks are.

Just as I could see him in the corner of my eye the light turned green and I peeled out like I have never done before. Thank God those tires are pretty fresh.

(Now, this is the moment when I just have to point out the inner glee I felt at this moment, leaving this asshole standing in the middle of the road while his lady friend yelled at him from the passenger seat)

As you can probably guess this was followed by another episode of him doing some insane speed to catch up, and at the next light he decided to pull into the right lane along side me. At first I thought I’d just ignore him, but finally I looked over and he seemed relatively calm. He was gesturing for me to roll down my window. So I did.

Jerk: “What the hell man? Why’d you flip me the finger?”

Me: “Because you almost killed us that’s why! If I hadn’t slowed down or moved into the other lane you would’ve hit me.”

Jerk: “Well what does it matter?”

(This was the moment when I realized the futility of continuing the conversation)

Me: “Well, if you did that with somebody driving a truck or SUV towards you you probably wouldn’t live to have the conversation we’re having now.”

Jerk: “Whatever man.” *stomps on gas pedal*

And he ran the red light we were sitting at.

Single worst road rage incident I’ve ever had in Lansing.

I was having a conversation with an old friend who moved out to the west coast, and during this chat I was asked if I’ll ever move out of Lansing. Honestly, I’m not sure.

I was born in Kansas City Missouri but from what my parents told me I was there less than 6 months. My parents wanted to be closer to family so they moved back to the Lansing area. At the time I had two sets of grandparents within an hour’s drive and more aunts and uncles than I ever bothered to count, so they certainly had good reason.

I guess this could be said by any 25-year old who’s spent the majority of their life in one area, but they say that home is where the heart is and my heart never felt more at home then it does here.

I spent 6 years spending one weekend a month here and the majority of every summer vacation. Every time my sister and I left Illinois I felt like I was going home, and every time we had to get ready to go back I felt like I was packing up to move again.

A long time ago I realized I’m the kind of person who likes to really understand things. “Grok” would be a better word to use for the Heinlein fans out there.

I grok my home.