« March 2005 | Main | May 2005 »

April 28, 2005

1337 H4X0R Hacks Own Computer

This is a hilarious transcript of an IRC conversation between a moderator and a so-called hacker who ends up hacking into his own computer and erasing his hard drives.

Highlights include the moderator telling the hacker his IP address is 127.0.0.0 127.0.0.1 (thanks Shawn!) (which always points to the computer you're currently using) and the hacker believing it, the hacker comparing the moderator to his grandmother for using a firewall and, my favourite quote: "i don't wanna hack like this if he hides like a girl behind a fire wall".

17:55 | Nerd | Comments (2)

April 27, 2005

WMD Not Moved To Syria

An addendum to the Duelfer Report states WMD were not moved to Syria.

Six months after reporting that Saddam Hussein did not have stockpiles of chemical and biological weapons prior to the U.S.-led invasion in 2003, inspector Charles Duelfer has issued an addendum to that report, in which he also dismisses claims that weapons of mass destruction were quietly transferred to Syria before the attack.

In related news, things have not been looking good for Blair since the leaking of a legal document warning him the war in Iraq may be illegal.

19:04 | Iraq War

April 26, 2005

Spring Has Sprang

It's springtime in Seattle, which means only 80% of our daylight is filtered though gray canopies of clouds. According to the weather reports, it's been over 20°C (70°F) all this week, but I wouldn't know. When I leave for work in the mornings it's still cool enough to see steam rising off my coffee, and by the time the sun sets in the evenings it's almost cold. Every day this week I optimistically wear sandals, but since I know better, I also bring a jacket, which means I pretty much blend in with most Seattleites.

Seattle is the kind of city where you need to bring an umbrella and sunglasses with you when you leave the house. Far be it from me to call the weather forecasters incompetent; they've just had bad track records.

I can't believe I just blogged about the freakin' weather. I must be tired...

22:03 | Seattle

April 23, 2005

My Faith In The Wendy's Franchise Has Been Restored

The woman who claimed to have found a human finger in her bowl of Wendy's chili has been arrested for attempted grand larceny. Apparently the finger "was not consistent with an object that had been cooked in chili at 170 degrees for three hours".

This woman has a history of trying bilk money out of fast food chains, and once tried to sell a mobile home she didn't own.

The police declined to comment whose finger it was.

12:42 | Stuff | Comments (1)

April 18, 2005

You Don't Deserve To Know

T overheard the following conversation from a bitchy woman on her cell phone, just before getting hung-up on.

Before I tell you what I have to say, not that you deserve to know what I have to say... Why don't you want to know what I have to say?

Hello?

22:18 | Bizarre Sighting of the Day | Comments (4)

April 15, 2005

Two Years, Two Lbs

Yesterday was my two-year anniversary at Microsoft, and as is the tradition, I set out two pounds of candy outside my office door for the team to enjoy. What I noticed was there are three kinds of people who take candy:

The Congratulator
Will stop by and chat, offer a hand to shake and congratulate you for not losing your job over the last x years. Upon leaving your office, will grab some candy.
The Opportunist
This person will be walking down the hall, see the bowl of candy and grab some without saying a word, or making eye contact with you. Often times it's someone who doesn't actually know you, or can't think of what to say.
The Disembodied Hand
This one is my favourite. If you watch the candy bowl, eventually there will be a hand that reaches from around a corner, silently grabs some candy, then disappears. Rumour has it the hand is actually attached to an employee.

07:46 | Work | Comments (1)

April 11, 2005

Dancing Mom

A Toronto woman was sentenced to three years in jail for abandoning her daughter for 33 hours. The two-year-old died of dehydration in the hot apartment while the mother went out dancing.

Sometimes I can't understand how people get so upset about the idea of same-sex couples adopting, when any irresponsible straight person can have kids and neglect them.

21:37 | Canada | Comments (1)

April 10, 2005

Unlocking Mysteries

Today T and I finally got around to watching the video Unlocking the Mystery of Life, a video about Intelligent Design (yes, this is the one I made mention to back in January.

What I found, was that this video tried very hard to come off a scientific. They had interviews with various scientists and university faculty members, had detailed scientific explanations of cellular interactions, and lots of computer generated illustrations. It also had a straw-man argument against evolution: Darwinian theory on natural selection can't account for the complexities of sub-cellular interactions or the origin of life, therefore life is a result of ID.

It disappointed me that the only opposing arguments presented were quotes taken directly from Darwin's Origin of Species (1859) (read in an exaggerated old-British-man's accent), and not from modern-day evolutionary scientists. It also disappointed me that the cornerstone of their argument seemed to be, anything too complex to understand must be designed.

I felt the video purposely misused the term "natural selection" (implying it applies to non-living phenomena), overused used terms like "machines" (when describing cell functions), and made abundant references to computers (even using a Bill Gates quote to imply DNA, like a computer program, requires design).

This video didn't change my mind about ID, but after talking to T, I did change my mind about ID and public schools. Topics like this, since they have such support in the US, could be introduced in a social studies class. However, just because it is an opposing view to scientific theory, does not make it science, and thus does not belong in science class.

15:11 | Stuff | Comments (1)

April 6, 2005

Activist Judges Deserve What They Get

That's it. I'm officially disgusted with American politicians.

Senator John Cornyn: "I don’t know if there is a cause-and-effect connection but we have seen some recent episodes of courthouse violence in this country. Certainly nothing new, but we seem to have run through a spate of courthouse violence recently that’s been on the news and I wonder whether there may be some connection between the perception in some quarters on some occasions where judges are making political decisions yet are unaccountable to the public, that it builds up and builds up and builds up to the point where some people engage in - engage in violence." [Senate Floor, 4/4/05]

00:53 | America , Politics | Comments (5)

April 4, 2005

DO NOT CLICK THIS LINK!

The Gomery Inquest, currently investigating the Liberal Sponsorship Scandal is in full swing. As many Canadians know (or maybe they don't), there is currently a media ban on testimonies. Luckily, in the digital age of the Internets, non-Canadian sites are free to post details, although it's unclear whether Canadian sites can link to them. So I'm going to link to a Slashdot story, that happens to link to the forbidden story. But if you're Canadian, whatever you do, don't click the link.

In related news, the Conservative Party of Canada is making plans for a spring election.

22:05 | Canada , Politics | Comments (2)

April 1, 2005

By George W. Bush

"In cases where there are serious doubts and questions the presumption should be in the favour of life."

A curious statement, considering Bush is the former governor of the state that executes more people than any other US state.

08:05 | Quotes | Comments (2)