vista got died.

Yes, for those of you who haven't experienced this already, Vista is a pain in the ass to work with.

A large percentage of my loyal readers already know this, but for those who don't, I work in a local computer repair shop. We sell, maintain, and repair systems - pretty self-explanatory. However, since last summer, we've had all sorts of fun fixing customers' systems after the WGA debacle. There's a laundry list of reasons why the WGA doesn't work. The fun part? Most are incredibly hard to find and are even harder to fix. I can personally recall two systems I've had to reinstall Windows on (after just installing it, mind you) due to unrecoverable problems with WGA. I've also resorted to, well, less honorable methods. (*cough*wpakill*cough*)

So what does all of this have to do with Vista, you ask? Well, I'm glad you did. According to this recent article by ZDNet, these issues are continuing to happen with Vista. Legitimate users are having problems dealing with Windows Software Protection Platform (hereafter referred to as SPP) and basic, up-to-date software that the average user deals with. Apparantly, Vista thinks a lot of software acts like rootkits and then decides to call the operating system "tampered with" and illegitimate. Go Vista.

What makes it even better, going by the article, is that a SPP problem can also be caused by some other commonplace actions:

You may be prompted to activate Windows Vista on a computer on which Windows Vista activation was not previously required. Although this problem rarely occurs, it may occur during typical use of a Windows Vista-based computer. For example, this problem may occur under one or more of the following conditions:

•	You install a device driver.
•	You install a program.
•	You run a new program.
•	You remove a program.

Sound familiar? It should - these actions occur on a daily. fucking. basis. And I checked this out - it's directly from the powers that be at Redmond.

Yeah, Vista's new. However, WGA isn't, and the problems with that are still occurring. I'd bet all $4 in my bank account that this crap is going to continue for a long, long time. This means the average user is going to encounter anti-piracy at it's finest, not know what it means, and become frustrated at a "system they paid hundreds of dollars for that doesn't work right." Why is that quoted? Because I'm quoting about a hundred customers at the shop that I've personally dealt with on this.

So, if you're my average reader, you skipped all of this and are looking for the witty and quick comment at the end. Well, here it is: Microsoft, in all of its glory, is steamrolling the average user yet again. Their system still isn't secure, and never will be to the people that want to crack it. They're just screwing the little guy over in the end.

Related:

Blue Pill (a hypervisor to run unsigned code on a Vista system) and the fun story behind it.

Want to be anti-Microsoft? Do your part with open-source software, such as OpenOffice, Firefox, and Thunderbird.

intarweb of evil

Recently, Dr. Vinton Cerf (the V.P. of Google) has been quoted with the following: "The Internet is a reflection of our society and that mirror is going to be reflecting what we see. If we do not like what we see in that mirror the problem is not to fix the mirror, we have to fix society."

Personally, I love this quote. It was obviously intended to be a comment on how people can't blame the Internet itself (or the technology and ideas behind it) for the content or its use; however, I feel that it applies to far more than just that.

Ever seen a lawyer on T.V. blaming video games for his client's mental breakdown in which the teenage jackass shot up his school? Ever seen the local news playing a story on how guns are destroying our society, or how television, movies, and games are corrupting the youth? It's a complete load.

In all reality, all of these things we blame for our problems in society aren't really at fault. A gun doesn't necessarily make a person violent - it simply provides an outlet for someone who doesn't have the capacity to deal with violence on their own. It's the same thing with video games, music, or movies - they aren't the reason for an ugly or reprehensible culture, they're just a reflection of it. If you don't show someone why they shouldn't hurt another person, or hate a group of people, or something else of the like, then it's not the fault of the tool if they use it to self-destructive (or worse, just plain destructive) ends.

Yeah, the Internet's a haven for the immoral, the selfish, the despicable, and the twisted. But does that make the Internet the problem, or the people?

BBC News Article
InfoWorld Article

weirdness

Ok, so I was making my second of what's becoming a tradition with me: giant muffin tops. This is a time-honored, respected 2-month old tradition where I take a batch of muffin mix, get pissed at the fact that we have no muffin pans, and make one giant muffin top in a glass baking dish. As we all undoubtedly know, the top of a muffin is the best part. I'm pretty sure we could form a group to research why muffin tops are the best part and get a humongorous grant for it. (Link courtesy of fillet-of-soule - Travis)

So, why tell you about my odd muffin top tradition? Well, I want to know about yours. Share it with all... one... or so... readers of this fine place on the intarweb. I'm pretty sure anyone with a pulse can beat giant muffin tops, so knock yourself out.

less DRM = happier customers

In a positive note, I saw an article recently that follows up on Steve Jobs' posting describing his thoughts on DRM. For those of you who missed it and don't like reading, it basically states that he is in favor of removing DRM on most of the music record labels push out.

Dave Goldberg, the head of Yahoo! Music, has also spoken in favor of the removal of DRM-protected music. (If there's a phrase I hate using more than "DRM-protected", I'll let you know.) However, he's also called out specific companies a bit more than Jobs' did, as the following states:

"He said that the Microsoft DRM that Yahoo Music uses 'doesn't work half the time.'" (SVW.com article, p.1)

Going by the brief article though, not only does it seem like CEO's and their ilk are becoming ballsier towards recording companies, but Dave almost seems like he supports more open formats, such as mp3, ogg, etc.

Dunno though, toss me your opinion on the whole thing. The real question is, what exactly is the motivation behind all of these open opinions? It's obvious that non-DRM music sells more, so it's gotta be money, I just hate saying it.

Original Article

first post - again?

Welcome one and all to my second of three blogs. The first was lost after about three days of page viewing, so I've now resorted to a free blog until the third iteration (my own domain!)

Many will ask questions: "Where do babies come from?" "Why does he keep making blogs no one reads?" "What the hell is with the title?" Well, ladies and gentlemen, I can answer one of those questions. The title of this blog will eventually be the same as my domain, so I want consistency. As for why the title is what it is, that's an entirely different story.

About two years ago, I lived in Rochester, NY. Yes, a far cry from my current squalor, desolate surroundings. Every week or so my then-roommates and I would go out to a restaurant, and since I'm a loud bastard, I'd reserve the table.

During one of these outings, I went up to the attractive hostess (as if they hire ugly ones) and said plainly, "table of four for Larry" assuming my name was unique enough to get a table.

"What? Jake?"
Meh, the music's loud. She probably can't hear.
"TEWKSBURY!" There's no way in hell she can't hear me now.
"What? JAKE?!"

At this point, I'm convinced that the restaurant's an equal-opportunity employer. They've hired a deaf and retarded girl to seat people. "Tewksbury" is to "Jake" as "apple" is to "thermonuclear toast." Fuck it.

"Yeah, Jake. You got it."

And to this day, whenever I'm in charge of giving a name for a table list, I say Jake. The strangest part is that this hasn't created any confusion - not even once. Apparently everyone's naming their kid Larry these days.