Half-News

World AIDS Day - December 1, 2005

2005-11-30T22:17:00.000-08:00

Today's event is not really history, but rather a worldwide day of rememberance. World AIDS Day is the international "day of action" for remembering those who have died and who still suffer from AIDS and HIV. I could spend 30 minutes trying to explain what AIDS is and the long history of it, but I would rather try and persuade you to remember this day by presenting you with interesting, even horrifying facts about the virus, and by relating famous people to the situation of hundreds of thousands of normal people around the world.

First, some facts about AIDS:

1. About 1,200,000 people are living with AIDS in the world and 300,000 of them may not know it.

2. The percentage of males with AIDS is much higher than that of females (70/30)

Find more facts here: http://www.whitehouse.gov/onap/facts.html

Secondly, here is a list of some famous people you may have heard of who have or had AIDS or HIV:

Freddie Mercury Arthur Ashe
Magic Johnson Isaac Asimov
Liberace Sgt. Leonard Matlovich

I am sure you have heard of Isaac Asmiov and Magic Johnson, hopefully Freddie Mercury, Arthur Ashe and Liberace, but the last is an unknown guy, who apparently fought for gay rights to fight in the military in the Vietnam War. I thought that was interesting.
List of HIV+ People

Last, I wanted to point you over to the World AIDS Day official site:
worldaidsday.org

technorati tags: AIDS, World AIDS Day, HIV, AIDS Day, Red Ribbon

November 28, 2005 - This day in HIstory

2005-11-27T21:26:00.000-08:00

I'm starting something new that most of you will probably find stupid, mainly because we do it at school. We started doing a "this day in history" thing in American History, with Sharbel, and I hear that Dr. Bailey does it for them too. But I think alot of it is important, there are some stupid ones that really seem quite inconsequential and I'll try to stay away from those. But major battles, etc. I think can at least be observed.

Here's today's (I'm choosing from a Wikipedia list at: November 28

South African Airways Flight 295
South African Airways Flight 295, called the Helderberg, took of from Taipei, Taiwan, on it's flight to Johannesburg on November 28, 1987. The flight, carrying 140 passengers and 19 crew members, first had trouble as they were flying over the Indian Ocean. A fire in the Main Cargo hold disabled the plane and caused it to crash, killing all passengers and crew members aboard the aircraft.

Src: http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/South_African_Airways_flight_295

New Video iPod!?!

2005-10-04T21:47:00.000-07:00

Many rumors are quickly flashing about the net over the new release of a possible video iPod. Apple is quietly sending out invitations to ANOTHER event next week. The video iPod is expected to coincide with the announcement of a new update to the iTunes software, to include video downloads in the music store.

This new release would certainly put all other video capable mp3 devices to shame. Of course, neither Michael nor Alan would be too pleased by this release, as it would probably be difficult to remove the DRM restrictions on any video bought from the iTunes Online Store, and place the video on another device.

Articles:
Apple Insider
Engadget
Gizmondo

this photo is most likely a fake

Also see my post on the new AIM Triton Beta on my blog.

Webmail Emerging

2005-10-03T21:00:00.000-07:00

For the longest time, webmail has been a dark corner of the internet, only used when people don't have the money to spend on a real email account, or needed an account with which to register with sites sure to send spam.

With the release of Google's beta webmail app, Gmail, all of that changed. Webmail capacity grew to an unprecedented size. But the growth doesn't stop with Gmail. Other sites around the net are doing the same thing, just with less pulicity and diminished flare.

The 30gigs webmail service gives the user an account with 30 gigabytes of space, an extreme amount compared to Google's roughly 2 1/2 gigs.

But it doesn't stop there. Mailnation provides users with a TERABYTE of space! That's nearly one thousand times the amount Google gives.

Hurricane Katrina vs. Hurricane Rita, Who Would Win?

2005-09-24T16:31:00.000-07:00

vs.
Hurricane Katrina's death toll and damage amount were no doubt astronomical, but Hurricane Rita's damage furthered New Orleans debt and flooding issues and its barometer pressure was the third highest in history in the Gulf Coast, beating out Hurricane Katrina. Both were category 5 hurricanes in the Gulf Coast Region. Which was worse?

News Update

2005-09-13T20:06:00.000-07:00

Rumors of a major announcement tommorrow have been floating around. On TWiT John C. Dvorak (dvorak.org/blog) hinted at a major announcement. Is the announcement the release of the new Linksys WRT54GX2 (Wireless-G Router)? Or is it something more substantial than this, like a software release. Stay tuned for more!

Weekly Playlist for September 12-16

2005-09-12T20:34:00.000-07:00

I fell a bit behind on my last one, sorry. This is a conglomeration of songs from the MBA "Rock Band" (pep band/football band/whatever band plays at the football games).

1. Artist - Blues Brothers
Album - Original Soundtrack Recording
Song - Gimme Some Lovin'
"Well my temperature's rising and my feet on the floor / Twenty people rockin' and they wanna go more"

2. Artist - Kool And The Gang
Album - Pulp Fiction Soundtrack
Song - Jungle Boogie
"Jungle Boogie / Help and Get Down / Jungle Boogie / Boogie Baby"

3. Artist - Chicago
Album - The Very Best of Chicago
Song - 25 or 6 to 4
"Wanting just to stay awake / Wonder how much I can take"

4. Artist - Marvin Gaye
Album - I Heard it Through the Grapevine
Song - I Heard it Through the Grapevine
"Do you plan to let me go / For the other guy you loved before?"

5. Artist - Three Dog Night
Album - Forrest Gump Soundtrack
Song - Joy to the World
"If I were the king of the world / Tell you what I'd do / I'd throw away the cars and the bars and the war / And make sweet love to you"

Many of the albums listed here are not the original album the song was released on, and some of the artists may not be the original artists. If you would like a copy of the song, please email me or comment below.

Hurricane Katrina

2005-09-02T05:48:00.000-07:00

So whether we were directly affected or not, we have all been devastated by this hurricane in some way. Hurricane Katrina was a category 5 hurricane when it smashed into the coast last week. New Orleans was originally supposed to take the main hit, but Katrina veered in her path just slightly to save New Orleans from total destruction. However, that doesn't mean that Katrina didn't leave massive wreckage with New Orleans and other surrounding towns. People first sought shelter in the Superdome. I ask why they didn't flee the area. But anyways, the superdome lost part of its roof and leaked, now forcing thousands of evacuees to the Astrodome in Houston. Another effect of Katrina is that 80% of New Orleans is under water. The Speaker of the House of Representatives has made a comment of buldozing the city and starting over again. One clear effect of Katrina is gas prices. Gas prices are soaring higher than ever with no end in sight. In Georgia, the pricews have reached more than six dollars. This will leave all of our pockets near empty for weeks. One thing I ask is, despite being tqwo different types of tradgedy, which was worse: Hurricane Katrina or September 11? I'll leave that open for discussion.

RIAA Site Hacked

2005-08-18T23:38:00.000-07:00

This has to be the BEST hack EVER!! I mean doesn't the RIAA deserve it?

RIAA Website (It's fine now)
Screenshot of the hack

DIGG story

Just so you know this is an old story here's some more on it:
mirror of full web site defacement
information

google image search: riaa hacked

Xbox 360?

2005-08-18T11:39:00.000-07:00

The Xbox 360 is set to come out in time for this upcoming holiday season. But I ask, is it worth it? After reading this article, I hope you will too. Microsoft is making two different versions of the Xbox 360, a $300 version and a $400 version. The less expensive version is for sure not worth buying. Here's why. It does not come with the 20GB hard drive like the more expensive one does. This is crucial because without the hard drive, games from the previous Xbox system can't be played. That includes "Halo" and "Halo 2". The less expensive version also lacks the wireless controller capability, which is included in the more expensive model. And the new and improved graphics? Those don't come on the less expensive model either. Only on the nice model. Also included with the nicer model is a remote to allow for better use of the entertainment center. But it's not included on the less expensive model. You can however buy an external hard drive for the less expensive model for $50 or one wireless controller for the less expensive model for $50. Basically, Microsoft is selling the Xbox 360 for $400. Either keep the old model or get the full upgrade. It just doesn't seem worth getting the less expensive Xbox 360 model.

Weekly Playlist for August 22-26

2005-08-17T22:32:00.000-07:00

I'm going to start what I call a Weekly Playlist. I might make a podcast for it, with clips of the songs. For now it'll start out as just text an maybe pics. There will be songs on here that you won't like, because it's me picking them. But I do encourage you to listen to all of these. If you need a copy of a song, just email me or comment below.

1. Artist - Yellowcard
Album - Ocean Avenue
Song - Miles Apart
" Looking back it all just seems so far, so far away"

2. Artist - The Offspring
Album - Greatest Hits
Song - Can't Repeat
" Time rolls on / Wipe these eyes / Yesterday laughs / Tommorrow cries "

3. Artist - Fall Out Boy
Album - From Under the Cork Tree
Song - Sugar, We're Goin' Down
" Oh don't mind me I'm watching you two from the closet / Wishing to be the friction in your jeans / Isn't it messed up how I'm just dying to be him "

4. Artist - Coheed and Cambria
Album - Good Apollo, I'm Burning Star IV, Volume One: From Feart Through The
Eyes of Madness
Song - Welcome Home
" The end, if so here we stop, / Then never again will you see / This in your life "

And those are my song pics of the week. The best musical song on there is probably Welcome Home, with its long guitar solo ar the end. The drum intro to Miles Apart is fun to play. So listen to those songs and remember to email if you want them and to check back every week for a new playlist. Next weeks will include the likes of Green Day and other bands.

What Podcasts do you listen to?

2005-08-13T17:03:00.000-07:00

With the development of rss feeds and currently podcasting, people can now download radio shows, or anything broadcasted over the net and update them automatically. Here are the podcasts I listen to:

This Week in Tech (TWiT) - Very Popular
Diggnation (Digg) - Popular
KFI's Tech Guy (Leo Laporte) - Popular
Are We Alone? (SETI Radio Show)

Check out some of these podcasts. My favorites are the KFI radio program and TWiT.

Microsoft's Entry into AJAX Development

2005-08-11T22:06:00.000-07:00

Web develpoment has come a long way in the past decade. One of the most exciting forms of development is AJAX, or Asynchronous Javascript and XML. This technology, although not new, is just now coming into being with help from the most influential companies in the game. Google, Yahoo, and Microsoft all use this new technology on their corporate websites to allow users the highest of quality when they use applications built with this system. Sites that use AJAX include Flickr, Google Maps, Gmail, Microsoft Virtual Earth, and Microsoft's Start.com. AJAX is not a language, but rather a usage of currently applied languages in order to create more interactive web applications. The AJAX technology allows the developer to create pages which do not need to be reloaded and use only the data it needs to perform the function chosen by the user. The Flickr photo page uses ajax to create slideshows and to manage user's images. The Google Maps site uses AJAX to retieve map data in real time, allowing for a quicker and more functional application. Gmail uses AJAX retrieve data without reloading the entire page, creating a fully functional web application, able to compete with the best of the desktop applications. Microsoft Virtual Earth is perhaps one of the most ambitious AJAX applications, created to compete directly with Google Earth, a downloadable Desktop Application.

Ajax web applications are literally changing the way we use the internet. More and more sites you visit on the web use this technology to make the experience of the user more contained. The further development of applications using AJAX on the web could prove to be a threat to desktop applications which rely on computer space and speed to run.

As internet connections get faster and bandwidth charges decrease, AJAX applications will become more and more useful.

Wired

You Say You Want a Web Revolution

02:00 AM Aug. 05, 2005 PT A programming technique called AJAX enables software developers to create powerful programs that function independently from the PC's operating system. Will it wipe out Windows? By Ryan Singel.

Digg

Microsoft's beta RSS reader start.com adds roaming - DIGG

AJAX becomes your average desktop interface - DIGG

3 major sites '"hacked" by "Fuxz"

2005-07-16T17:41:00.000-07:00

The hack a day, luxist, and autoblog websites were all "hacked" today. The pages appear to have been up at least an hour ago. Each website has been reported on seperate digg stories. Other sites "hacked" recently include img-host, IP chicken, and Spreadfirefox

Digg Stories:

Luxist
Hack a day
Autoblog
Spreadfirefox
Img-Host
Ip Chicken

Please email me if you discover another site "hacked" by the same culprit.

Silence for London Bombing Victims

2005-07-14T18:41:00.000-07:00

I assume that all of you have already heard about the terrorist Bombing in London this past Thursday. At the end of this post are some of the best sites on the web to research the happenings. Three bombs rocked the London Underground, and a fourth destroyed a city bus in the city's center. At least 33 people were confirmed dead and 45 with critical injuries. More than 700 are believed to have been affected with minor injuries. I'm sure after experiencing an attack on their own soil, many European nations will realize the importance of bringing an end to the terrorism which appears to still be fighting strong.

Today, people all over the European union paused for two minutes at the strike of noon to remember those who had died in the attacks. The four suspected suicide bombers, Shahzad Tanweer, Hasib Hussain, Mohammed Sidique Khan, and Lindsey Germaine, were all British Nationals.

Prime Minister, Tony Blair, said this in his speech at the G8 summit conference:

"It's important, however, that those engaged in terrorism realize that our determination to defend our values and our way of life is greater than their determination to cause death and destruction to innocent people in a desire to impose extremism on the world. Whatever they do, it is our determination that they will never succeed in destroying what we hold dear in this country and in other civilized nations throughout the world."

Links

Coded Arms

2005-07-07T19:53:00.000-07:00

Coded Arms is the latest release for the PSP gaming system. It came out today and so far is the first and only first person shooter game for the PSP. The story takes place inside an old computer database that was designed for military combat training. The project never quite got off the ground and so was left there for many years. During this time period, bots and soldiers multiplied within the system. Now 'hackers' are trying to go in and fix the system. This is your job as a 'hacker'. The gmaplay is pretty good for this game, however it does not live up to all of the hype about this game. The PSP was forced to adjust the controls because of the lack of a second analog stick. Now the X, 0, triangle, and square buttons act as the second analog stick. As you go through levels, you to try and kill all enemies, collect all of the hacks, and make it through all of the stages of the levels itself. As you go through these levels, you will pick up new weapons and upgrade keys, a certain number of which is required before you can upgrade your weapon. You can increase your health as you gain experience too. Considering that this is the first first person shooter game out for PSP, it is not all that bad, but it has a long way to go before it can live up to games like SOCOM and Medal of Honor. Overall, I would give Coded Arms a B rating for decent graphics and decent gameplay.

Farewell

2005-07-06T15:26:00.000-07:00

Knarf the Outlaw is gone. That is all, with due respects.

Google Acquisitions

2005-07-05T22:43:00.000-07:00

I really hadn't realized how impressive Google's acquisitions have been in further advancing their hold of the coolest and latest web technology.

Most recognizably, Google acquired Blogger, which is now and very successful tool although, not greatly integrated within any Google page.

Second, Google acquired Keyhole, the mapping software which eventually became the basis for both their online mapping tools and Google Earth.

Third, Google just recently acquired Dodgeball, a mobile phone service which notifies you either when friends are near or when a person with similar personality traits is around. Although this program is only active in around 22 cities, it seems like a very intuitive and almost futuristic tool. Obviously, I wouldn't use the dating feature. But just think if one day you were just sitting in Starbucks or maybe just in a mall somewhere, and you receive a text message saying (ex.) "Jim is at Street St. and Road Av. 10 mi. away." You could call Jim and ask him if he wants to join you in whatever you are doing.

Kid Killed for His iPod

2005-07-05T06:14:00.000-07:00

Yesterday a kid was walking in Brooklyn with three of his friends. He was wearing his backpack and carrying his iPod. One of them asked him for his iPod and when he refused, they knifed him. Not only did they knife him, but they took his backpack and his iPod and ran off. Now they are being accused of robbery, murder, and weapons possession.

War of the Worlds VS. Batman Begins

2005-07-03T16:33:00.000-07:00

There are a few things I want to say before I get to the article. Firstly, if you have not seen the movie and want to as well as be surprised and not have major spoilers thrown in your face, I would encourage you to not read the review below, just keep reading this paragraph. Secondly, there is less and less posting here, and I think we should get more posts as well as more contributers, as only three of us are very active at all. Please get anybody possible to contribute. Thirdly, there is nothing to say besides what I said above, but stop reading now if you don't want major SPOILERS!!!

Ok, the movie was pretty good. I saw it this afternoon, and was the second movie that I saw this week. The other one was Batman Begins. They were both good and both had their strength and weaknesses. Basically, Batman Begins was about an average rich crimefighter taught in the way of the league of Shadows, a kind of samurai society (Yes, it is random, but Batman is a swordfighter). He tries to save his hometown from evil guys letting fear gas loose in the city, which makes people delusional and everything to them looks scary. There is a lot of explosions and fear-related scenes, but what was awesome was that Batman actually has no superpowers, just a lot of guns and stuff. The plot was actually the movie's forte, and not even Spiderman could compete with the complex plot, flashing back to Bruce's childhood days, filled with despair. With nonstop action as well as Bruce fights evil and fear, it is a great movie.

War of the Worlds had even twice the action of Batman with the suspense starting in the first 15 minutes. The characters kinda just POOF out there, and you don't know much about them, but for an action movie, the characters are actually very well made and you get to know them well, which is a good thing for an action movie. Aliens and tripods destroy all and later capture humans to suck their blood in some pretty horrific scenes, some of the best scenes this year. Eventually, the aliens are killed...but not by men...by germs. Yes, if the aliens were immune to all viruses, we would have died...

So here is the comparison...
Batman VS. War of Worlds

PLOT: B-4.5/5 (It could have been better, but was still amazing) W-3/5 (But who cares if the plot is fair as long as there is intense action, eh?)

SPECIAL EFFECTS: B-4/5 (Not perfect, but good) W-5/5 (With people disentegrating and explosions and big exterminations, it is excellent!)

VILLAINY: B-3.5/5 (Bah! The villains have no superpowers...just a toxic fear gas...) W-4/5 (Aliens...usually they would be old, but with horrific blood-sucking crushing of the human race, I will let aliens pass as classic evildoers)

ALL AROUND: B-4/5 (No superpowers, but not enough battles) W-4/5 (Tied, eh? Right. The special effects are awesome)

It just depends on what you want. If you want good plot, choose Batman. If you want action, action, and more action, choose the War. Me? I saw both. They are both worth seeing.

Octavarium

2005-06-22T06:57:00.000-07:00

Octavarium is the latest release from the band Dream Theater. This CD was definitely worth the wait. This is a must have for any Dream Theater fan or anyone who enjoys listening to music in the same genre as Dream Theater. The CD begins The Root of All Evil, where a drum beat crescendos and eventually incorporates guitar. Then the song starts with some heavy guitar riffs and later on a solo from the keyboard's, Jordan Rudess. The next song is titled 'The Answer Lies Within'. It is a much softer sound than the first track and has some very quotable lyrics in it as well. The third track, 'These Walls', also has some quotable lyrics. This song has some very interesting dynamics, beginning with a bass line, progressing into some heavy 6/8 time and involving a double bass pedal only to change instantly to some soft, melodic, and harmonic verses. The next song is titled 'I Walk Beside You'. I personally don't mind this song too much, but many people have criticized it as sounding a lot like U2. This is true, but I don't think it sounds too bad. Next is Panic Attack. This song really is a Panic Attack on all levels. It has the spastic and jumpy feel, a killer bass line, frequent double bass pedal action, and a changing time signature. The next song titled 'Never Enough' is an interesting song. It's almost techno-ish but yet heavy enough to be considered rock music. 'Sacrificed Sons' is the next song. This is a fantastic song. It was obviously inspired by 9-11 with the tragic events that occurred. It starts off peacefully and then progresses into something much heavier, much like what Last Sacrifice does. This song really captures well the emotion that many felt on 9-11. Then last is the cover song, Octavarium. This song is amazing to say the least. The CD is worth buying just because of this song alone. It has some soft melodic harmony at the beginning accompanied with a flute. Then there is a guitar solo/intro to the song followed by a heavy drum part. The song continues with a more jumpy drum line and progressing into heavier music followed by en encore at the end. This CD is so worth buying you should all go get it right now if you don't already have it.

GASPZORZ!!!! Bill Gates plans to counter portable consoles with XBOX portable!!!!

2005-06-18T07:13:00.000-07:00

That's right! This is the XBOX portable. It should be released at the end of this year all around the world. It was Bill Gate's ultimate plan to rock the world of gaming with real virtual gaming (since his Y2K plan failed) and Microsoft looks forward to this "apocalypctic" change to the modern world of "real-time" gaming. Keep your eyes peeled to the news, and try best you can to purchase the XBOX portable when it comes out. Current game releases include Terror and a real-time Grand Theft Auto, as well as a game in which you (really) destroy the world. Keep your eyes out, because anime's comin' to life!

AJAX(+Virtual Earth vid) and Sage

2005-06-17T21:28:00.000-07:00

I don't have much to offer today, as I did most of my linkage on my own blog yesterday. But I do have some info and a tip to offer.

FIRST! I just wrote a fairly extensive article about AJAX and how it pertains to this very site! Although, I dont think many of you would be too interested in that, BUT there is a video linked that displays the capabilities of MSN's new Virtual Earth program due out in early July.

SECONDLY, I have a very useful Firefox extension called Sage. Sage is a feed reader built right into Firefox. Feed readers use the RSS and XML technologies to check websites for updates simultaneosly so that you don't have to. It is VERY easy to use and can help you check your friends websites for updates (Xanga's or bloggers) and News sites such as Slashdot at the same time.

.59 Celebration!!!!!!!!!

2005-06-16T23:31:00.000-07:00

In honor of reaching 59 cents with adsense and 6 cents with the search feature, I have taken away the annoying (and not working may I add) flash menu bar from the top and replaced it with the old one. BTW can anyone else see the ads in anything but IE (this does include you, Daniel).

California Earthquake

2005-06-14T21:24:00.000-07:00

I wanted to be the first to break this news and I'll update later on what happens. As I was sitting here on my computer, watching AOTS and surfing the net, a breaking news flash appeared on my toolbar saying that a 7.0 quake had just hit off of the coast of California, potentially causing a tsunami. Some low lying areas have been evacuated and scientists are carefully monitoring sea level changes. I think this is very exciting, much like watching a movie, since it is happening in real time. The researchers must be in a frenzy watching to be the first to warn of any danger. I'll update tommorrow on what happens.