the olympics are cmoing, and london is going about it with all the pomp and circumstance that you normally associate with the typical wife-beating foul mouthed wanker preparing for church on sunday.
yes, we are cleaning up the place, a lick of paint, some new pavements, france will be proud. and i now get the joy of sitting in traccif two hours ot travel 8 miles to work while some builder scratches his crack and lays another paving slab, in the exact same place where the previous paving slab was.
2 hours, 8 miles.
4 miles/hour.
1 mile in 15 minutes. wr is under 4 minutes. fitting that with the olympics coming to london we cant beat the 4 minute mile.
on public transport.
so, tell me, why do i enter this common law contract, whereby i provide some money for a service, and you then provide me with travel. i agree to stand at a designated spot and at a designated time, you agree to collect me, validate my papers, and provide me with transport, to my destination, in a timely fashion.
let me remiond you of english common law
DO NO HARM
CAUSE NO LOSS
at this rate, in this economic climate which you ponsy wankers have created by playing pyramid pyramid with house prices, I may well end up with no job because you wanted to make Stratford look pretty for some phot to be published in a newspaper and then promptly thrown away.
Here is a thought. 2 million more unemployed before 2010. The worst economic climate in a hundred years. Those bums sleeping rough, having their photos taken by foreign press will at least be sleeping on clean pavements.
I laugh,
Somebody, phone Guy Fawkes. We need some logic back in parliament.
Friday, 22 May 2009
Saturday, 1 December 2007
Infinite Loop of DOOOOOMMMMMM
this post is dedicated to the unwashed 80% who I occasionally meet in forums. The masses who simply repeat what has already been said before, or who use google searches to try inflate their meagre intelligence, or even the bottom-feeders who will read the first line of a (lengthy) post and then suggest solutions which have already been discussed by others.
Yes, I'm talking about YOU.
And I've now realised something about YOU. YOU cant be changed, even if I somehow manage to educate YOU, "they" will just replace YOU with an improved version, the best I can do is laugh at YOU, ignore YOU, or block YOU. Because God knows, YOU have tested my patience to the maximum. But because of YOU, I get to understand humans better, and YOU are an intricate part of that equation.
But there is still one problem with YOU. YOU are stupid.
And the problem with stupid people involved in technology, is that they dont know they are stupid. Which creates a huge problem for me, when I try to correct something you believe is true.
A stupid person is too stupid to know they are stupid, and they are too stupid to understand why they are stupid because they cant understand what you are trying to explain to them, and why they are wrong, and by not understanding my explanation they believe they are still correct. Which makes me look stupid.
So, here's to YOU, the stupid chap. I cant change YOU, I cant make you understand that you are stupid, but heck, as long as you are happy and breeding I'll have somebody to laugh at in the small hours of the morning.
Yes, I'm talking about YOU.
And I've now realised something about YOU. YOU cant be changed, even if I somehow manage to educate YOU, "they" will just replace YOU with an improved version, the best I can do is laugh at YOU, ignore YOU, or block YOU. Because God knows, YOU have tested my patience to the maximum. But because of YOU, I get to understand humans better, and YOU are an intricate part of that equation.
But there is still one problem with YOU. YOU are stupid.
And the problem with stupid people involved in technology, is that they dont know they are stupid. Which creates a huge problem for me, when I try to correct something you believe is true.
A stupid person is too stupid to know they are stupid, and they are too stupid to understand why they are stupid because they cant understand what you are trying to explain to them, and why they are wrong, and by not understanding my explanation they believe they are still correct. Which makes me look stupid.
So, here's to YOU, the stupid chap. I cant change YOU, I cant make you understand that you are stupid, but heck, as long as you are happy and breeding I'll have somebody to laugh at in the small hours of the morning.
Thursday, 6 September 2007
EZ hack, FON 0.7.1 r5
It is truly amazing how sometmes the easiest things turn out to be the most difficult and long winded, yet on reflection it is trivially simple once you know how.
I received a FON router a few days ago, but never got around to setting it up, although I had done a few for family and friends already, off to ddwrt land.
So, last night I promptly plugged mine in and opened up sshenable.html (right click, save as http://uselesshacks.com/wp-content/uploads/2007/03/sshenable.htm) to sort out dropbear (I didnt check firmware version, just assumed it was 0.7.1 r2 like all the rest I had done. The html injection produced an error page, and thereafter every page on the router produced the dreaded "bus error" text on a plain white background.
The only page that still responded was the firmware upgrade page, so I went to fons website, downloaded the firmware and flashed the router, and voila it worked fine.
Except I was now on 0.7.1 r5????!!! huh!!!??
I tried sshenable again, but had the same error on the dhcp page. I tried to change the dns address to the "well known one" and use putty to ssh in, but that didnt work either, multiple times.
I hit the fon boards in desperation, only to find that some say r5 works with the dns server hack (although I had the distinct impression they hadnt tried) whilst others say r5 is immune to it.
The changelog for r5 shows it is now immune to the dns server hack. I either had to crack this thing open and do the serial port mod, or wait until someone came out with a hack.
Like me.
This is how you do it.
run sshenable, this produces a dreaded error, and will probably give you "bus errors" on every page. That is good.
Go and download winpcap
Go and download ap51-flash-fonera-gui-1.0-24.exe
http://fon.testbox.dk/flashing/GUIflasher/
find your way here http://www.dd-wrt.com/dd-wrtv2/down.php?path=downloads%2Frelease+candidates%2FDD-WRT+v24+RC2%2FFonera/
and go get root.fs and vmlinux.bin.l7
you are set.
open up ap-51, slect for rootfs the file root.fs
for kernel, select your file vmlinux.bin.l7
tick the box that say ddwrt..nvram.
make sure your fon router is unplugged from the mains, but the ethernet cable is plugged in to your pc. It doesnt matter what your pc's ipaddress is set to.
now, clikc the "go" button in ap-51, wait a few seconds while the errors go past, then plug the fon into the power. IN around 10 seconds you should see some status messages going by, and you will see root.fs being uploaded to your fon, automagically. It will then proceed to flash root.fs Be aware, this took me 13 minutes.
the seond, automatic stage, is where the kernel is written and flashed to the fonera, this will take a further 8 minutes or so...once complete ap-51 will close with no messages, and your fon will reboot.
Leave it alone for about 10 minutes, let it do it's thing....then try to connect via the ethernet port..it should be on 192.168.1.1
you should also see a wireless ssid pop up, dd-wrt.
Smile, sit back and have a smoke, for we are complete.
P.S. I dont do pictures, the text is comprehensive, but if you dont understand I can explain further in the comments.
I am not sure at which stage ssh became enabled permanently, but it was before using ap-51, so perhaps it was a basic recovery built into the fon after half-bricking it with sshenable.html. I know I didnt consciously do it myself. Also, the dns server hack was not working for me, and if by magic it did,, t would only enable ssh for that session, whereas my router had ssh on permanently after the half-brick.
If you prefer, you can use ap-51 with no files selected, and you will end up with fon firmware and freifunk extensions, with ssh on by default if you want to upgrade somewhere else
Enjoy
I received a FON router a few days ago, but never got around to setting it up, although I had done a few for family and friends already, off to ddwrt land.
So, last night I promptly plugged mine in and opened up sshenable.html (right click, save as http://uselesshacks.com/wp-content/uploads/2007/03/sshenable.htm) to sort out dropbear (I didnt check firmware version, just assumed it was 0.7.1 r2 like all the rest I had done. The html injection produced an error page, and thereafter every page on the router produced the dreaded "bus error" text on a plain white background.
The only page that still responded was the firmware upgrade page, so I went to fons website, downloaded the firmware and flashed the router, and voila it worked fine.
Except I was now on 0.7.1 r5????!!! huh!!!??
I tried sshenable again, but had the same error on the dhcp page. I tried to change the dns address to the "well known one" and use putty to ssh in, but that didnt work either, multiple times.
I hit the fon boards in desperation, only to find that some say r5 works with the dns server hack (although I had the distinct impression they hadnt tried) whilst others say r5 is immune to it.
The changelog for r5 shows it is now immune to the dns server hack. I either had to crack this thing open and do the serial port mod, or wait until someone came out with a hack.
Like me.
This is how you do it.
run sshenable, this produces a dreaded error, and will probably give you "bus errors" on every page. That is good.
Go and download winpcap
Go and download ap51-flash-fonera-gui-1.0-24.exe
http://fon.testbox.dk/flashing/GUIflasher/
find your way here http://www.dd-wrt.com/dd-wrtv2/down.php?path=downloads%2Frelease+candidates%2FDD-WRT+v24+RC2%2FFonera/
and go get root.fs and vmlinux.bin.l7
you are set.
open up ap-51, slect for rootfs the file root.fs
for kernel, select your file vmlinux.bin.l7
tick the box that say ddwrt..nvram.
make sure your fon router is unplugged from the mains, but the ethernet cable is plugged in to your pc. It doesnt matter what your pc's ipaddress is set to.
now, clikc the "go" button in ap-51, wait a few seconds while the errors go past, then plug the fon into the power. IN around 10 seconds you should see some status messages going by, and you will see root.fs being uploaded to your fon, automagically. It will then proceed to flash root.fs Be aware, this took me 13 minutes.
the seond, automatic stage, is where the kernel is written and flashed to the fonera, this will take a further 8 minutes or so...once complete ap-51 will close with no messages, and your fon will reboot.
Leave it alone for about 10 minutes, let it do it's thing....then try to connect via the ethernet port..it should be on 192.168.1.1
you should also see a wireless ssid pop up, dd-wrt.
Smile, sit back and have a smoke, for we are complete.
P.S. I dont do pictures, the text is comprehensive, but if you dont understand I can explain further in the comments.
I am not sure at which stage ssh became enabled permanently, but it was before using ap-51, so perhaps it was a basic recovery built into the fon after half-bricking it with sshenable.html. I know I didnt consciously do it myself. Also, the dns server hack was not working for me, and if by magic it did,, t would only enable ssh for that session, whereas my router had ssh on permanently after the half-brick.
If you prefer, you can use ap-51 with no files selected, and you will end up with fon firmware and freifunk extensions, with ssh on by default if you want to upgrade somewhere else
Enjoy
Saturday, 21 July 2007
5 pieces of plastic
I havent updated in a while..my excuse is that I am too busy doing some minor little jobs on the cars, and busy fitting a carpc, which in itself is a time consuming affair.
One of the minor jobs that needed doing, which I absultely have to fix is a small repair on the electric front window. This needs adjusting, which means I have to remove the door cards to get to the little motor adjustments.
And, being a BMW, you absolutely WILL break and/or lose some of the little door card clips, so as any good DIYer would do, you order some in advance so that when it is time to do the job, all required parts are available.
Unbeknown to me, this decision would prove to be one I would rather forget.
I went to our local ECP (Euro Carparts) and ordered the plastic bits, 5 of (keep some spare) for a total or about 11p each if I remember correctly.. Yes, I spent almost a £1 with them on these items, but while I was there I picked up a headlight for the wife's wagon and some other bits and bobs, as you do
Their website showed the part in stock, and the local branch's computer system showed the parts in stock, so I paid. But when it came time to physically get the parts, oh no...an empty parts bin...they were gone.
Having worked in stock control systems before, I know how easy it is to lose or mislay small low value items, so I had a bit of a laugh.
ECP said it would be there on monday morning (this was a saturday), but I can only get to them on wednesday or a friday...so I said I will pop in on wednesday. Wednesday I was unavailable, so I ended up going to them on friday. Oh no (second time)..looks like the parts have arrived, but someone has nicked them (apparently a lot of ECP staff drive E36 bmw's and they have a craving for door clips). The guy serving me, however, handily noted the headlight etc on my order was in stock and started picking them and giving them to me, and I, like a true born honest person, reminded him I am happy with the headlight I had already got on that order, and he can keep the second headlight he was about to give to me, free of charge, as per incompetent rule #1
No problem, says the smiling ECP staff member, referring to my non-existent door clips, he will order some more and put them in his draw, and keep them for me.
So, the next Saturday I go back...Oh no (3rd time)...the parts are missing again. Did mr ECP put them in his draw? like fuck he did. No problem, he will order some more (by this time I am thinking to sell any shares in ECP and put them into chinese plastic factories) and put them in his draw (again) and...and..he is going to LOCK his draw (ooooohhhhh....)
and so we come to this morning's caper.
pitch up at ECP, stand in the queue, and see their coca-cola machine. £1 for 500ml, but it is hot so I put my pound into the machine, and select my beverage of choice. SOLD OUT flashes on the display...so I pick my second one..SOLD OUT...and my third..SOLD OUT.
In fact, every drink was sold out, and the ECP environmetalists keep the machine plugged in..because...because....?? fuck knows.
I ask the machine give me back my pound, but computer says no.
So now I am in the queue and hot and pissed off to boot.
And the smiling ECP man says to me..OH NO (door clips) not here...shakes his head...says he will order them in and have them by Monday. I wonder, is that ECP codespeak for "MWAHAHAHAHAHAHAHA, watch me wind up this knob guys!"
I pointed at my address on the invoice, and told him that is where he will deliver the parts on Wednesday. He told me no. I reminded him that that is where he will deliver the parts on wednesday. He told me no, again. I left.
EXECUTIVE SUMMARY:
I will no longer buy anything from ECP in woodford avenue, Ilford. You guys suck mounds of donkey shit, and then ask your customers to lick said donkey shit out of your butt-cracks. I have been waiting almost 2 months for 5 pieces of plastic and you cannot even get that right, even though I have been to see you (in total) around 6 times to collect these pieces of plastic. Your computer systems are paraffin driven and your staff (that I have come into contact with) could care less for the well-being of your customers.
And your coca-cola machine's password is 4231, but no worry, it is devoid of any liquids.
One of the minor jobs that needed doing, which I absultely have to fix is a small repair on the electric front window. This needs adjusting, which means I have to remove the door cards to get to the little motor adjustments.
And, being a BMW, you absolutely WILL break and/or lose some of the little door card clips, so as any good DIYer would do, you order some in advance so that when it is time to do the job, all required parts are available.
Unbeknown to me, this decision would prove to be one I would rather forget.
I went to our local ECP (Euro Carparts) and ordered the plastic bits, 5 of (keep some spare) for a total or about 11p each if I remember correctly.. Yes, I spent almost a £1 with them on these items, but while I was there I picked up a headlight for the wife's wagon and some other bits and bobs, as you do
Their website showed the part in stock, and the local branch's computer system showed the parts in stock, so I paid. But when it came time to physically get the parts, oh no...an empty parts bin...they were gone.
Having worked in stock control systems before, I know how easy it is to lose or mislay small low value items, so I had a bit of a laugh.
ECP said it would be there on monday morning (this was a saturday), but I can only get to them on wednesday or a friday...so I said I will pop in on wednesday. Wednesday I was unavailable, so I ended up going to them on friday. Oh no (second time)..looks like the parts have arrived, but someone has nicked them (apparently a lot of ECP staff drive E36 bmw's and they have a craving for door clips). The guy serving me, however, handily noted the headlight etc on my order was in stock and started picking them and giving them to me, and I, like a true born honest person, reminded him I am happy with the headlight I had already got on that order, and he can keep the second headlight he was about to give to me, free of charge, as per incompetent rule #1
No problem, says the smiling ECP staff member, referring to my non-existent door clips, he will order some more and put them in his draw, and keep them for me.
So, the next Saturday I go back...Oh no (3rd time)...the parts are missing again. Did mr ECP put them in his draw? like fuck he did. No problem, he will order some more (by this time I am thinking to sell any shares in ECP and put them into chinese plastic factories) and put them in his draw (again) and...and..he is going to LOCK his draw (ooooohhhhh....)
and so we come to this morning's caper.
pitch up at ECP, stand in the queue, and see their coca-cola machine. £1 for 500ml, but it is hot so I put my pound into the machine, and select my beverage of choice. SOLD OUT flashes on the display...so I pick my second one..SOLD OUT...and my third..SOLD OUT.
In fact, every drink was sold out, and the ECP environmetalists keep the machine plugged in..because...because....?? fuck knows.
I ask the machine give me back my pound, but computer says no.
So now I am in the queue and hot and pissed off to boot.
And the smiling ECP man says to me..OH NO (door clips) not here...shakes his head...says he will order them in and have them by Monday. I wonder, is that ECP codespeak for "MWAHAHAHAHAHAHAHA, watch me wind up this knob guys!"
I pointed at my address on the invoice, and told him that is where he will deliver the parts on Wednesday. He told me no. I reminded him that that is where he will deliver the parts on wednesday. He told me no, again. I left.
EXECUTIVE SUMMARY:
I will no longer buy anything from ECP in woodford avenue, Ilford. You guys suck mounds of donkey shit, and then ask your customers to lick said donkey shit out of your butt-cracks. I have been waiting almost 2 months for 5 pieces of plastic and you cannot even get that right, even though I have been to see you (in total) around 6 times to collect these pieces of plastic. Your computer systems are paraffin driven and your staff (that I have come into contact with) could care less for the well-being of your customers.
And your coca-cola machine's password is 4231, but no worry, it is devoid of any liquids.
Wednesday, 20 June 2007
Bad pearl in the Oyster
Living in London has benefits, mainly the public transport. Living here means you do not NEED to have a car, as getting to work using the busses or tube is a fairly uncomplicated affair, and on the whole, just as reliable as going by car.
But there has been a scary trend in the pricing...since 1997 the price of a single bus fare has risen from 40p to £2. A 500% increase, easily outpacing the rising cost of housing. However, there is an answer; the Oyster card.
This pre-paid invention is a touch-based payment system, recharge it when you can with credit, then just touch in and out of busses and tubes.
It was initially meant to work similar to a single-sign on system. Charge up your Oyster card with cash, and use it to pay for goods wherever you see the Oyster sign. Except, you dont see the sign anywhere, because the idea flopped...I mean, what is wrong with using ££££'s?
So, the mayor and crew sat down and had a rethink. *THEY* really wanted people to use the Oyster card. else the hidden agenda wont work. and we cant have the hidden agenda not working.
The rethink came through and was approved, and we now have dual pricing schemes. Use an Oyster card, and only pay £1 for the bus fare...a normal cash paying customer has to pay £2. Yes, it seems an Oyster card it such a powerful item is makes busses use 50% less fuel, and you arse takes up 50% less space on the seats. Not only that, but amazingly you can board the bus 50% quicker.
I hope they got a patent on this thing.
Discrimination? Perhaps...but it goes deeper than that.
This week *THEY* announced the Oyster card has now been blessed by the Pope with even more extraordinary prowess, and the fare for Oyster card holders has been reduced to 90p. A full 10% decrease.
The rest still pay £2, cash, queen's money. The Oyster ruleth grand.
This recent announcement made me sit up and take fresh notice on this Oyster issue..previously I had wondered "why", but now I was genuinely curious. Where is the motivation? Sure, cash has some disadvantages, but £1.10 difference in price for a simple bus journey? What if you elect not to have an Oyster card? As a free society, surely I can choose not to get an Oyster card, the same way I choose not to get a credit card, yet still have a bank account?
It would seem *THEY* will do almost anything to get everyone using an Oyster card, and the pricing reduction is a very strong motivator. Unpuzzling the puzzle leaves me with unanswered questions, but most of them point to 1984.
Mr de Menezes was shot on the tube in 2005 when he was a suspected terrorist.
Several others detonated a few crude bombs recently.
Tracking these poeople wouldve been a heck of a lot easier using an Oyster card.
Lets look at the requirements to get an Oyster card.
...
actually, I cant find the list anywhere online, but having asked a few Oyster users it seems that personally identifiable information IS needed. You cannot get an Oyster card anonymously. So, we have our bait, and we have the catch. This is almost like a little id card now isnt it..packed full of travel habits.
The Oyster card blurb (available here https://sales.oystercard.com/oyster/lul/registerCustomerCard.do?method=display )
mentions
You can view your pay as you go journey history
(p.s. naive travellers, this means so can we....)
Jackpot!
Excuse me, but how is having my travel information available to me any benefit? Do I have such a bad case of altzheimers that I cant remember weekdays I went to work, and then came home?
What price freedom? £1.10 seems to work for most of the London residents. And passwords can be exchanged for candy bars.
I'm not getting an Oyster card. It doesnt inconvenience me too much, as I only use the busses twice a week to go to the pub and get drunk. But I can see how they are using pricing pressures to get us to hand over our details, bit by bit.
When doing Penetration Testing on vulnerable systems, very often one crack leads to another, and another, and another, until you open bigger cracks that didnt really exist. The only way to have a strong unbroken chain is to inspect all the links. An Oyster card is definitely a very broken link in your privacy and anonymity.
But there has been a scary trend in the pricing...since 1997 the price of a single bus fare has risen from 40p to £2. A 500% increase, easily outpacing the rising cost of housing. However, there is an answer; the Oyster card.
This pre-paid invention is a touch-based payment system, recharge it when you can with credit, then just touch in and out of busses and tubes.
It was initially meant to work similar to a single-sign on system. Charge up your Oyster card with cash, and use it to pay for goods wherever you see the Oyster sign. Except, you dont see the sign anywhere, because the idea flopped...I mean, what is wrong with using ££££'s?
So, the mayor and crew sat down and had a rethink. *THEY* really wanted people to use the Oyster card. else the hidden agenda wont work. and we cant have the hidden agenda not working.
The rethink came through and was approved, and we now have dual pricing schemes. Use an Oyster card, and only pay £1 for the bus fare...a normal cash paying customer has to pay £2. Yes, it seems an Oyster card it such a powerful item is makes busses use 50% less fuel, and you arse takes up 50% less space on the seats. Not only that, but amazingly you can board the bus 50% quicker.
I hope they got a patent on this thing.
Discrimination? Perhaps...but it goes deeper than that.
This week *THEY* announced the Oyster card has now been blessed by the Pope with even more extraordinary prowess, and the fare for Oyster card holders has been reduced to 90p. A full 10% decrease.
The rest still pay £2, cash, queen's money. The Oyster ruleth grand.
This recent announcement made me sit up and take fresh notice on this Oyster issue..previously I had wondered "why", but now I was genuinely curious. Where is the motivation? Sure, cash has some disadvantages, but £1.10 difference in price for a simple bus journey? What if you elect not to have an Oyster card? As a free society, surely I can choose not to get an Oyster card, the same way I choose not to get a credit card, yet still have a bank account?
It would seem *THEY* will do almost anything to get everyone using an Oyster card, and the pricing reduction is a very strong motivator. Unpuzzling the puzzle leaves me with unanswered questions, but most of them point to 1984.
Mr de Menezes was shot on the tube in 2005 when he was a suspected terrorist.
Several others detonated a few crude bombs recently.
Tracking these poeople wouldve been a heck of a lot easier using an Oyster card.
Lets look at the requirements to get an Oyster card.
...
actually, I cant find the list anywhere online, but having asked a few Oyster users it seems that personally identifiable information IS needed. You cannot get an Oyster card anonymously. So, we have our bait, and we have the catch. This is almost like a little id card now isnt it..packed full of travel habits.
The Oyster card blurb (available here https://sales.oystercard.com/oyster/lul/registerCustomerCard.do?method=display )
mentions
You can view your pay as you go journey history
(p.s. naive travellers, this means so can we....)
Jackpot!
Excuse me, but how is having my travel information available to me any benefit? Do I have such a bad case of altzheimers that I cant remember weekdays I went to work, and then came home?
What price freedom? £1.10 seems to work for most of the London residents. And passwords can be exchanged for candy bars.
I'm not getting an Oyster card. It doesnt inconvenience me too much, as I only use the busses twice a week to go to the pub and get drunk. But I can see how they are using pricing pressures to get us to hand over our details, bit by bit.
When doing Penetration Testing on vulnerable systems, very often one crack leads to another, and another, and another, until you open bigger cracks that didnt really exist. The only way to have a strong unbroken chain is to inspect all the links. An Oyster card is definitely a very broken link in your privacy and anonymity.
Thursday, 7 June 2007
London 2012 Olympic Logo
Yippee! The Olympic logo has been launched. If you squint really hard, and drink brandy for fun, it look slike it says "2012" with a weird umlaut on the third character. Maybe just a typo heh...
Personally, my kid couldve done it with a crayon, while attempting to impart his artist skills and fashion a tree. But we keep getting told that the designers need to share their thoughts with us, so we can see the inner meaning of the logo.
Or, as Ken Livingstone said (him of London mayor fame, him who is paying for this shindig) "i didnt actually get a boner looking at it" (ok, those arent his exact words, but that is kinda what he said.
The truth is, he shouldve got a boner looking at it. It looks uncannily like Lisa Simpson giving a blowjob. Maybe that is the hidden meaning the designers wanted to impress upon us. Sex is exercise. Either way, a recent poll showed that we dont like the logo, we think it is pants, and, by the way, did I mention WE PAID FOR IT OUT OF OUR TAX MONEY. Four Hundred Thousand Pounds. At the current exchange rate (and the US debt) that is about 17 bazillion US dollars, or 49 google canadian dollars.
Unfortunately, we cant blame Canada for this one, we can only blame ourselves. If I actually had a choice, the goatse version woudve done better. They just forgot to draw the lubricant we need to use when the council tax goes up, traffic comes to a standstill and shops start charging ludicrous prices for everyday items. All because some chaps want to run around in circles, fast, and others feel like throwing a spear or a hammer.
I thought that as a society we had progressed past this. Gimme the non-competitive olympics. That way the lone chap from some long forgotten african dictatorship who goes to the olympics all by himself, and in the opening ceremony is the only twat that carries his own flag will get a chance for a medal.
Personally, my kid couldve done it with a crayon, while attempting to impart his artist skills and fashion a tree. But we keep getting told that the designers need to share their thoughts with us, so we can see the inner meaning of the logo.
Or, as Ken Livingstone said (him of London mayor fame, him who is paying for this shindig) "i didnt actually get a boner looking at it" (ok, those arent his exact words, but that is kinda what he said.
The truth is, he shouldve got a boner looking at it. It looks uncannily like Lisa Simpson giving a blowjob. Maybe that is the hidden meaning the designers wanted to impress upon us. Sex is exercise. Either way, a recent poll showed that we dont like the logo, we think it is pants, and, by the way, did I mention WE PAID FOR IT OUT OF OUR TAX MONEY. Four Hundred Thousand Pounds. At the current exchange rate (and the US debt) that is about 17 bazillion US dollars, or 49 google canadian dollars.
Unfortunately, we cant blame Canada for this one, we can only blame ourselves. If I actually had a choice, the goatse version woudve done better. They just forgot to draw the lubricant we need to use when the council tax goes up, traffic comes to a standstill and shops start charging ludicrous prices for everyday items. All because some chaps want to run around in circles, fast, and others feel like throwing a spear or a hammer.
I thought that as a society we had progressed past this. Gimme the non-competitive olympics. That way the lone chap from some long forgotten african dictatorship who goes to the olympics all by himself, and in the opening ceremony is the only twat that carries his own flag will get a chance for a medal.
Wednesday, 6 June 2007
4 Iconic Tech Toys that deserve to be owned and loved
I've had a fascination with techie toys for most of my adult life. My name is Warren and I like gadgets. However, meagre wages dictate that certain things are not to be owned from new. As such, they go on my wishlist.
Sometimes, the items I want go out of production before my wishlist and $bankaccount have agreed on favourable terms. What follows is my list of items that are still on my wishlist, but probably wont be mine, ever. If they do, they will make it into my little computer museum. I will get a boner.
1) Empeg - I cant really say it any better than wiki, this item really was so hot you just had to own one, but the price tag was stratospheric. Some died and as spares arent available it means most units that come up for sale are snapped up by empeg owners, and used as spare parts. Even with the state of current car-pc systems, something that just slots into a single din unt is very desirable. The active developer community behind this item gives it longevity.
2) Apple emate 300 - once again there is a lot of info on wiki about this very popular item. What use does it have in this day and age? Well, something that takes very little energy, is still handy for quick notes etc and is available cheaply always scores highly in my books. This little cutey is right up there with the best..
3) I-Opener - this internet appliance was a little Jeckyll and Hyde when it came out. Marketed as a dumb internet appliance it could be easily hacked to run windows 98, with networking, sound and usb. What better way to quickly set up a second pc in the kids bedroom for web surfing duties?? The price was attractive too, but was only available on contract in the USA. The UK was left behind. Donations accepted :-)
4) Abacus PDA watch (by Fossil) - ok, this here little watch is actually an (almost) fully functioning palm computer. Where this concept shines is in the developer community. Third party applications extend this watch to a point where you seldom need anything else on you. Plus, you can change the watch faces with a lovely utility, giving you almost endless watch displays. I would love to see this watch integrated with the time telling systems over at TokyoFlash , hehehe
There we have it, a few lovely little items which will surely brighten up my birthdays:-). The astute reader will notice a common trend in these devices (besides the fact that they all use electricity)...each one of these is easily hackable to perform functions never intended by the original manufacturer. And on that note I would like to end this post...A certain exec once said "Developers, Developers, Developers" and then threw a chair (unconfirmed rumour). I would like to add, when designing a product, think of its expected lifetime, then once that lifetime is up, open up the sdk, grab the developer community and let them extend your product, and then take that feedback and learn from it.
Sometimes, the items I want go out of production before my wishlist and $bankaccount have agreed on favourable terms. What follows is my list of items that are still on my wishlist, but probably wont be mine, ever. If they do, they will make it into my little computer museum. I will get a boner.
1) Empeg - I cant really say it any better than wiki, this item really was so hot you just had to own one, but the price tag was stratospheric. Some died and as spares arent available it means most units that come up for sale are snapped up by empeg owners, and used as spare parts. Even with the state of current car-pc systems, something that just slots into a single din unt is very desirable. The active developer community behind this item gives it longevity.
2) Apple emate 300 - once again there is a lot of info on wiki about this very popular item. What use does it have in this day and age? Well, something that takes very little energy, is still handy for quick notes etc and is available cheaply always scores highly in my books. This little cutey is right up there with the best..
3) I-Opener - this internet appliance was a little Jeckyll and Hyde when it came out. Marketed as a dumb internet appliance it could be easily hacked to run windows 98, with networking, sound and usb. What better way to quickly set up a second pc in the kids bedroom for web surfing duties?? The price was attractive too, but was only available on contract in the USA. The UK was left behind. Donations accepted :-)
4) Abacus PDA watch (by Fossil) - ok, this here little watch is actually an (almost) fully functioning palm computer. Where this concept shines is in the developer community. Third party applications extend this watch to a point where you seldom need anything else on you. Plus, you can change the watch faces with a lovely utility, giving you almost endless watch displays. I would love to see this watch integrated with the time telling systems over at TokyoFlash , hehehe
There we have it, a few lovely little items which will surely brighten up my birthdays:-). The astute reader will notice a common trend in these devices (besides the fact that they all use electricity)...each one of these is easily hackable to perform functions never intended by the original manufacturer. And on that note I would like to end this post...A certain exec once said "Developers, Developers, Developers" and then threw a chair (unconfirmed rumour). I would like to add, when designing a product, think of its expected lifetime, then once that lifetime is up, open up the sdk, grab the developer community and let them extend your product, and then take that feedback and learn from it.
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