FolkWolf.Net

iPod Touch minimalist

Posted by Matt Rose Mon, 14 Jul 2008 21:05:09 GMT

I love my ipod touch. It's actually convinced me to buy an iphone. This guy has found a novel use for his

Vista is now officially one below XP

Posted by Matt Rose Thu, 26 Jun 2008 10:28:11 GMT

With the help of the webgoblin, I recently upgraded my Panasonic W7 from Windows Vista to Windows XP, and it now runs like a dream. It's nice not to have to wait for words to appear once more.

The funny part, is that nobody even considers it a "downgrade" anymore.

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Woe betide my Credit Card

Posted by Matt Rose Thu, 19 Jun 2008 00:23:32 GMT

I've finally done it. I've finally drunk the iTMS kool-aid. Back when I used to work in the Glebe, I would visit Compact Music at least twice a week. I would usually buy at least one or two items at least once a week. I listen to music constantly, at work, or at home when I'm sitting by myself. Somebody gave me a $20 itunes card for Christmas, which I found not that long ago. I used it to buy a couple of CDs. Then, a week or so later, I heard something on the radio, and bought that CD, then, "Old Man Luedecke" popped into my head, so I had to get his entire collection. Then somebody mentioned that they really liked the new Constantines CD, so I bought that.

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This makes me sad on a lot of levels

Posted by Matt Rose Wed, 18 Jun 2008 23:10:24 GMT

Number 1, and least consequential, it makes me feel old. When I lived in Somalia, they had an effective central Government. Not fair, not just, but effective. Number 2: WTF? The last time the Somalis had an effective government, the Cold War was still on. Younger folk (like K'Na'an, an amazing hiphop artist), don't even remember a time when Somalia had a government, and have lived their whole lives in conditions too atrocious to comprehend. My mother worked there a few years back, as a Red Cross hospital administrator. When she saw two people shot in a hospital Mogadishu, she asked what happened, and the local administrator said: "They were just walking down the street, and got caught in a gun battle, it happens every day" Every day. 17 years. Damnit. BBC NEWS | World | Africa | Pirates release French yacht crew

Somalia has not had an effective central government for more than 17 years and is plagued by insecurity.

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I love John Hodgman

Posted by Matt Rose Wed, 18 Jun 2008 22:34:27 GMT

Just watch

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Yay, I can blog again!

Posted by Matt Rose Wed, 18 Jun 2008 22:24:24 GMT

I always blog sporadically, I know, but I've been blogging even more sporadically than usual, because my usual blogging software stopped working with my blog. I tried to use Textmate's blogging plugin to blog, but that didn't work either So when I heard that MarsEdit released a new version. I went out (virtually), to MarsEdit for a spin. And it works. If you're quick you can still see my test post.

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The Linux Hater's blog

Posted by Matt Rose Mon, 16 Jun 2008 10:28:00 GMT

We hate Linux, and you should too.

It's not often I advertise that I found a new blog, but this post convinced me that this blog was something special. I think it's actually a sign of the maturity of the Linux Community. Though some people don't have a sense of humour about it, and write pages-long screeds in response, the general response of the community is positive. It's funny, and it's true.

Here's a snippet that is remarkably true.

Here's the difference: Take a software product from some commercial company. If you ever get a chance to get through the marketing folks and talk to their devs, chances are that they know exactly all the ways concerning how their products suck. They'll have a huge list of reasons of why they can't implement some feature that you, non-paying, ass-hat, non-customer, wants. And then they'll tell you what they should, "Show me the money, or bugger off. We're working here." And then they'll talk shit behind your back about how you have no idea what it takes to ship reliable working complex software. What do you get in the Linux world? Actually, most of the devs are the same. They wrote the code. They know how it sucks. They wrote it for fun, and they don't give a fuck. But some fucktard user who thinks his limp dick is great software comes along and starts talking like it is the shit. And he has to tell everyone else. And if you don't agree? fuck, you must be in that other camp. But really, thanks for that comment. Sometimes it does take someone to shit on my front porch before I can really describe the stench to you.

UPDATE:

I've been working on a Mac port of Terminator recently, It's written in Python, so it would be easy you would think. Except I haven't gotten past the font-rendering conundrum. The Linux Hater feels my pain. I'm going to have to figure out how to hook vte into the mac font renderer.

Posted in funny, geeky | no comments

Somalia's beaches

Posted by Matt Rose Tue, 10 Jun 2008 23:25:00 GMT

I bought my mom a book on the world's most dangerous places. Because she's been to most of them. So I was entertained by [this article] in Foreign Policy magazine entitled Top Tourist Spots Americans Can�t Visit

I spent every friday (Muslim Holy day) at the beaches in Somalia when I lived there in the 80s.

Mogadishu�s Beaches

Location: Somalia�s east coast

Why you should go: The beaches that separate Mogadishu from the Indian Ocean rank among the most beautiful stretches of sand in the world, say many of the very few Western travelers who ever venture there. Coral reefs teeming with fish are easily accessible from the shore (although tourists pursuing aquatic leisure should leave all valuables at home in case their boat is hijacked by pirates). Back in Mogadishu, visitors can find virtually anything in the city�s outdoor markets�except peace of mind. A 2004 Economist article noted that hand grenades go for a mere $10, and other popular items include antiaircraft guns and mortars.

Why you can�t: Because a good day in Somalia is the worst day of your life almost anywhere else. The constant state of anarchy, lawlessness, and piracy is usually enough to deter most folks from traveling to Somalia, the world�s third most failed state, according to the 2007 Failed States Index. Michael Sailor of intrepid travel agency Abercrombie & Kent perhaps puts it best when he says that Somalia is �not exactly a top-of-mind recognition for a travel destination.� The U.S. government does not maintain any consular presence in Mogadishu, so an American in trouble is likely to stay there. Most troubling is the fact that with little recognized, governing authority in Somalia, simply identifying which of the seemingly endless string of warlords and criminals has just kidnapped you is an important first step in negotiating your release. Still, the water is lovely.

Posted in personal | no comments

Yet another tale of the music industry

Posted by Matt Rose Sat, 07 Jun 2008 22:21:00 GMT

Here we go again. This one's good.

When Pigs Fly: The Death of Oink, the Birth of Dissent, and a Brief History of Record Industry Suicide.

I tagged along on $1500 artist dinners paid for by the labels. Massive bar tabs were regularly signed away by record label employees with company cards. You got used to people billing as many expenses back to the record company as they could. I met the type of jive, middle-aged, blazer-wearing, coke-snorting, cartoon character label bigwigs who you'd think were too cliche to exist outside the confines of Spinal Tap. It was all strange and exciting, but one thing that always resonated with me was the sheer volume of money that seemed to be spent without any great deal of concern. Whether it was excessive production budgets or "business lunches" that had nothing to do with business, one of my first reactions to it all was, "so this is why CDs cost $18..." An industry of excess. But that's kind of what you expected from the music business, right? It's where rock stars are made. It's where you get stretch limos with hot tubs in the back, where you get private jets and cocaine parties. Growing up in the '80's, with pop royalty and hair metal bands, you were kind of led to think, of course record labels blow money left and right - there's just so much of it to go around! Well, you know what they say: The bigger they are...

Posted in politics | no comments