Category: Sign of the Apocalypse

…at least on my computer he did. Using the George Bush Speechwriter Engine, I was able to get George to say:

“The danger is clear that Tony Blair, unlike Saddam Hussein, electronically bugged the United States of America, UN weapons inspectors, the United Nations Security Council, and every immigrant. And I have a message for them in our country or any other: this threat to peace will punished. That is the future we choose.”

The speechwriter engine is a flash-based tool that lets you choose from dozens of audio clips and rearrange G.W.’s own words into sentences that he ought to be saying, not just what he actually said. And if you’re worried about it not sounding genuine, don’t: the odd selection of audio clips makes it somewhat difficult to get a sentence that is actually grammatically correct — so it’s actually very realistic.

Remember that Seinfeld episode when Elaine gets a 646 area code? Area code bigotry is alive and well in NYC. The price of a phone number in the 212 area code is, as of this writing, over $200kUS on eBay.

NEWS.com.au Article

“The couple’s business manager, Russell Arons, vice president of marketing at Mattel, said that Barbie and Ken “feel it’s time to spend some quality time – apart”.

‘Like other celebrity couples, their Hollywood romance has come to an end,’ said Arons, who quickly added that the duo ‘will remain friends’.”

Why is this a sign of the apocalypse you ask?

A British-based company is selling MP3 players which can be attached to an assault rifle.

The “AK-MP3” player is built into the ammunition clip of a Kalashnikov and can be swapped with the real magazine.

Microsoft is trying to “engorge” sales of the X-Box in Japan by releasing a special edition clear-blue X-Box that comes with a sort of sex doll, called a dakimakura in Japanese. While there are no orfices to fill, the dakimakura, euphemistically called hugging pillows, are popular with young men obsessed with the characters from Dead or Alive: Xtreme Beach Volleyball. Kinda makes Janet Jackson’s stunt seem tame, doesn’t it? I wonder if Microsoft will be banned from advertising on T.V….

via Wired.

Not that you really need another reason to think that Microsoft is a mean, giant, rich corporate bully, but the point is only proven by Microsoft’s recent campaign to force 17 year-old Michael Rowe to give up his website (where he does web design and other “soft” sort of things) which he calls MikeRoweSoft. Microsoft has sent young Mr. Rowe several letters demanding that he give up the name because people might be confused (a central argument for trademark violations) between his web design services and Microsoft’s Front Page web authoring tool. Microsoft initially offered to settle with Mr. Rowe for $10, but when he refused that offer since it wouldn’t even cover the domain registration fee, the MS Meanies sent him a 25 page letter suggesting that he intended to blackurl them all along, which would give them some leverage in court.

Michael Rowe is now fighting them, and collecting donations from his website to fund his “legal defence [sic: he’s canadian].”

MIT professor Lester Thurow says in the latest issue of Wired:

“If they can’t find some way to lock up music, music is going to end. Eventually, there will be no professional musicians, because there’s no way to make money, and we’re left with a world full of amateurs.”

Preempting Bruce Dykes, Street Tech’s in-house copyright pundit, I’ll have to say this is one of the dumbest things I’ve ever heard about the debate on copyrights and p2p distribution. Did it occur to Thurow that professional musicians existed long before recording technology? Does anyone actually believe the underlying claim that the recording technology has actually led to better music?

Those interested in more of Thurow’s ridiculous claims can check out his new book “Fortune Favors the Bold” available from Amazon for just $19. A bargain at half the price.

Coca Cola, Proctor and Gamble and Gillette, as represented by the RFID tag promoter Grocery Manufacturer’s Association (GMA) have been caught trying to dig dirt on lead privacy advocate Katherine Albrecht. The firm sent Albrecht, the head of the Consumers Against Supermarket Privacy Invasion and Numbering (Caspian), an email asking her for her biography. When she asked why they wanted the information (as one might expect a privacy advocate would do) an intern reportedly sent an accidental reply, apparently intended for his or her boss and not Albrecht:

“‘I don’t know what to tell this woman! ‘Well, actually we’re trying to see if you have a juicy past that we could use against you.””- Wired News

This might be a good case for firing the intern’s superior as well as the intern.

Crazy little January 1st easter egg appeared on my UX50 (thanks to a heads-up from mattyy at ClieSource): a little fiddling with the time and a soft-reset cause this man to appear in the settings screen for a fleeting moment, holding what appears to be a driver’s license or some sort of ID. Who is this guy? Swag for the first person to positively identify this man and post his name here in the comments section.

…or are you an Al-Qaeda operative? From AP:

WASHINGTON – The FBI is warning police nationwide to be alert for people carrying almanacs, cautioning that the popular reference books covering everything from abbreviations to weather trends could be used for terrorist planning. In a bulletin sent Christmas Eve to about 18,000 police organizations, the FBI said terrorists may use almanacs “to assist with target selection and pre-operational planning.” It urged officers to watch during searches, traffic stops and other investigations for anyone carrying almanacs…

Also be on the lookout for people carrying maps, Lonely Planet Guides, and so-called “vacation photographs.”