Wednesday, May 31, 2006

Chris Dickman: Are Inkjet Cartridge Chips Evil? at Graphic Design Forum Blogs

Chris Dickman: Are Inkjet Cartridge Chips Evil? at Graphic Design Forum Blogs

It was with some surprise, then, that I recently heard about the existence of the EpsonSettlement.com site. According to this, if you live in the US and have purchased one of the many qualifying Epson inkjet printers over the last few years, you've got some cash or a credit at the Epson online store coming your way, thanks to the modern miracle of class action lawsuits. In a nutshell, the plaintiffs "allege that Epson inkjet printers and inkjet cartridges indicate that cartridges are 'empty' and suspend printer function, even though substantial ink remains." Of course, everything hinges around the subjective word "substantial," one dear to the hearts of lawyers everywhere. Epson, as you might expect, "has denied and continues to deny the claims and any wrongdoing" but is nevertheless settling, no doubt to avoid a public relations melt-down.

Tuesday, May 30, 2006

It’s Our Net

It’s Our Net

If you're concerned about 'Net Neutrality' check these guys out. Don't let AT&T and other big corporations screw up the World Wide Web.

AT&T owns the internet pipes and you're just some asshole!

See the next post.

Why the Democratic Ethic of the World Wide Web May Be About to End - New York Times

Why the Democratic Ethic of the World Wide Web May Be About to End - New York Times

"This democratic Web did not just happen. Sir Tim Berners-Lee, the British computer scientist who invented the Web in 1989, envisioned a platform on which everyone in the world could communicate on an equal basis. But his vision is being threatened by telecommunications and cable companies, and other Internet service providers, that want to impose a new system of fees that could create a hierarchy of Web sites. Major corporate sites would be able to pay the new fees, while little-guy sites could be shut out."

Sunday, May 28, 2006

Bloggers can shield sources, court rules / In setback for Apple, Internet journalists are protected by law

Bloggers can shield sources, court rules / In setback for Apple, Internet journalists are protected by law

From The San Francisco Chronicle www.sfgate.com -

The decision by the state Court of Appeal in San Jose, which reverses a ruling by the Santa Clara County Superior Court, speaks to changes in the way news is gathered and published. Anyone with a computer and an Internet connection can now be a reporter. It also means that information, not limited by region or resources, can reach far and wide via the Web.

In their ruling, the judges said the online news sites should be treated as newspapers, television and radio broadcasts are. O'Grady and the other bloggers, they contended, were acting as traditional reporters and editors do: developing sources, collecting information and publishing it, albeit on the Web.

Friday, May 26, 2006

Novellus Responds to Options Pricing Report: Financial News - Yahoo! Finance

Novellus Responds to Options Pricing Report: Financial News - Yahoo! Finance

Man offers 'life for rent'

Never mind the 'life for rent', check out the list of stuff in this ad from Alibaba.

"Alibaba is the largest B2B marketplace in the world. Source model ship, wooden puzzle, one-piece toilet, RC hovercraft, photo album, prom dress, pocket bike, Vaginal Speculum, Samurai Sword, String Panty and PVC Pipe."

To quote Slim Pickens in Dr. Strangelove, "Shoot, a fella' could have a pretty good weekend in Vegas with all that stuff."

Wednesday, May 24, 2006

Henan man buys virginities from 17 girls

Henan man buys virginities from 17 girls

A MIDDLE-AGED man in Nanyang City, central China's Henan Province, took advantage of 17 middle school girls by buying their virginity, arousing concerns regarding the education of rural area youths, a Guangdong Province newspaper reported today.

His motive has not been confirmed. There are rumors saying that he bought the virginities to gain "luck."

Deng was an officer at a taxation bureau in Wolong District. Despite being regarded as a talented man, he didn't receive any promotion opportunities. In 2005, he left the taxation bureau, and obtained a job in a real estate company.

Later he found a tip on the Internet, saying that having sexual relations with a virgin would give him the luck he needed to get a promotion. He then began to buy virginities from girls.

Chris Dickman: I Blog—Therefore I'm Sued at Graphic Design Forum Blogs

Chris Dickman: I Blog—Therefore I'm Sued at Graphic Design Forum Blogs

Steve Kapsinow: Review: National Geographic's Guide to Digital Photography at Graphic Design Forum Blogs

Steve Kapsinow: Review: National Geographic's Guide to Digital Photography at Graphic Design Forum Blogs

Monday, May 15, 2006

Perplexing Remark On Dining Without the Disabled

<Meg saw every kind of disability imaginable, including combinations of disabilities; people in wheelchairs using respirators and portable iron lungs, short deaf people and blind wheelchair users.

After the conference, Meg went out to dinner with a friend. She couldn't believe how boring it was to be in a place where everyone was walking, talking and eating the same. She said that none of their hands talked and no one had a dog or a cane or a wheelchair or a respirator. "There was no wealth, no richness. I felt a loss.">>

Talk about not being able to look past the wheelchair.

Background: What it Means to be Disabled

Friday, May 12, 2006

USB compatible turntable

"ION has created the world’s first USB turntable allowing you to convert your old vinyl collection directly to CD or MP3 with the included recording software. (NO SPECIAL DRIVERS NEEDED)."

iTTUSB

Monday, May 08, 2006

A Note From A Friend in Cambridge

"My building management is formulating a policy for their off street parking.
Have been trying to get a reasonable accomodation from my building manager so that my homemaker can park in their off street parking lot where I live. It's a privately owned permanently affordable Section 8 apartment with about 63 units and 15 parking spaces off street (2 are handicap spaces) and 1 on street handicap space. The building manager contends that spaces will be limited to residents (who park their cars there) no provisions for guests or homemakers or reasonable accomodations for disabled persons who need homemakers to stay in their homes.
She contends that she's parked on street with no problem. She hasn't worked here recently as far as I know. Their renovations started 4 years ago + 50 residents with cars moved in since then,. However I've lived here since 2/28 and have gone out at 3 x /week and empty spaces are extremely scarce. My home maker has been emphatic that she won't come if she has to park on the street; she gets no reimbursemnet from her boss for gas; she is the first good homemaker I've had thru MassRehab and the Somerville Cambridge Elder services (in 7 years) I hate to lose her and fear that without a good homemaker -almost all are functionally illiterate- few can even read the settings on a clothes washer or dryer- this is one of the basic tasks they're supposed to help us with; others are unable to locate a street # on a main st. though every other building has a # on it.
I'm afraid I'd lose my apt at the annual inspection time without a good homemaker."

What's with Ken Lay?

Jeff Kreisler of RealMoney.com has a theory.

"Speaking of not even having the decency to pretend to be sorry, Ken Lay is scum. Even as Enron was losing jillions, he kept spending lavishly. Said Lay, "It's the type of lifestyle that's difficult to turn on and off like a spigot," after which a pack of former Enron employees devoured his rancid flesh. You know what he should've splurged on? Soul implant surgery."


RealMoney.com: Funny Money: Alert! Level 3 Alert!