With RC30, root access via telnetd is blocked

Unjailbroke my G1, with the RC30 update. So no bad guys can slip in through Telnet. I would rather have access to root going through the device itself via the su command, not though a glitch in Android.

access to root on the G1

Well the G1 has been rooted, access via Telnet from my Powerbook G4 to the coorisponding telnetd activated on the G1 via a neat little application named pTerminal.

Here is the lowdown, I must warn everybody, root is "hidden" for a reason so be carefull and don't make *any* modifications that could break the G1 and leave you with a $100/month paper weight.

PTerminal is available for download from the Android Market and can apparently be used to start a telnet connection on your G1 which can then be accessed from your PC - giving you root access to the device.

According to my sources, the instructions are as follows:

1. Turn on your phone’s WiFi. This gives your phone an IP you can reach it at.
2. Get to a command prompt on your device by using the PTerminal application from the Android Market. (adb shell does not seem to work with these instructions, telnetd does not start up)
3. cd system
4. cd bin
5. telnetd
6. netstat (get your phones IP), for some reason this did not work for me so I got the IP address from my settings Icon>Wireless controls>Wi-Fi settings
   
7. telnet into your phone’s IP from your computer
   
8. you now have root!

Whether a new ‘over the air’ update fixes this potential bug remains to be seen, but it might be a good idea to disable Over The Air updates if you decide to test this method.

The top 15 G1 Android applications (enjoy)

http://www.pcworld.com/article/152384/in_pictures_15_killer_android_apps_for_the_g1.html

5 worst things about G1

5 worst things about G1:

1
I don't care what anybody says the gPhone is Google's Beta phone, and the consumers are its Beta testers, fortunately the typical consumer of this type of device is more likely to fix its bugs than not. The iPhone, alternatively came out with a well crafted hardware device out the gate and has had time to mature and flesh itself out and keep the Beta testing to the Apple experts and its price point testing to the consumers.


2
Lacks applications, not really the fault of the gPhone, its just hard to develop for a hardware platform that is emulated and not real. The applications it does have need to be debugged better and should be screened for malicious wares since it is a free for all marketplace. This is where Apple's Market tariff of 30% could be arguable as justified, but with the "I am Rich" application slipping past their QA guard or the fire-walling of interesting, but competing, applications destroys the investment value of the 30% tax.


3
Battery Life sucks, but to the HTC's credit the battery is interchangeable. Thank you Apple for making it easier for us to make better decisions concerning non-removable, proprietary changing of lithium Ion batteries. At least its good to know that HTC thinks we have enough brains to swap out batteries by our selves. Battery life can be improved.


4
I have heard of the G1 has a lack of modem tethering and the 1gb cap, but I think I heard this was the ISP T-Mobile's call, while it this is not bad for the Android environment as it is fully capable of being programmed to allow tethering, etc. But when you deal with the ISP, (AT&T, Verizon, T-Mobile, etc.) T-Mobile seems the best current choice since I passed their credit check with my FICO score in the low 600's and AT&T wanted some ridicules deposit to hold in their coffers for a "limited time" to prove my worthiness to their snobby iPhone "bitch plan". To AT&T I middle finger salute your offer and go with the German firm, T-Mobile.

I can't say I like the contract for 2 years and a $200 per line early termination "fee", but when you choosing between the lesser of two evils, at least currently until the networking options are sorted out, that is the current price of doing business.


5
Remote removal of code by Google, yeah its open. Why this would be a bad thing for the Gods are the same reason that makes it a good thing for the mere mortals. It levels the playing field, Now its a developers race. Gentlemen, start your Sdk/Eclipse engines? The real question is can *you* harden this open box of Pandora before anybody else does this for you.

iPhone Hacks, Quake 3 ( gPhone, the race is on )

Jerry Seinfeld Microsoft Commercial

Brand New Site ( www.wulf-pack.tv )

Here is the new site, after a total take over of www.wulf-pack.net , the new site is up at www.wulf-pack.tv

The new site is done in Flash and we are going to build some live streaming in the gallery section of the site, for our video pod-casts, demo client sites, and completely commented source code in C#, JAVA, PHP and ASP.

I want the user to experience wulf-pack.tv as a fluid and highly GUI experience.

Of course, one can get away with this in Flash, eventually we will put up a splash screen and give the user a choice between a HTML/Javascript page (for the old schoolers, you know who you are) or a full Flash page. Personally I like Flash allot, but I am wary to depend too much on it. While most browsers are fully flash functional I am noticing that many Linux .ISO images don't come with these pre-installed.

Since my new projects are iPhone and gPhone related we are building tutorials for building a iPhone/gPhone SDK and Eclipse image for a linux development .ISO image.

Quid pro-quo, Show me yours and I'll show you mine

Now jobs and conventional employment are subject to problematic approaches in securing ones personal identity.

It used to be common place to require a social security number to be placed on the very employment applications a job seeker would apply on, this was used to give to the Human Resource department the tax data for payroll to provide to the IRS to make the appropriate tax deductions. In modern days, this can be a dangerous president as many different people could handle these paper applications, which not only have the social security number written directly on it but also with a full name, work history, current residence possibly a drivers license number and maybe even a date of birth. This data is the crux of what is required to apply for credit cards and purchasing things on credit.

Savvier applicants are writing "will provide social security number upon receipt of employment" however some employment kiosks REQUIRE this number just to begin the employment process (KMart, 99-cent stores and Walmart are just a few that does this). But some employers go even further and REQUIRE background and criminal checks on applicants which in-turn this MANDATES the requirement of a personal Social Security Number as a primary ID to check these types of records.

This is disheartening for the majority of applicants to these firms. One would think that a fair exchange of this type of data would be in order. All things being equal, would it not be fair to require the personal Social Security Number and back ground data of all the people involved with handling this data to do the background screening? Or even the personal social security number of the CEO and the board of directors of said company? After all, if they insist on doing back ground checks, drug screenings, etc., on you you should in-turn be able to do back ground checks, drug screenings, etc. on a company that one would work for? Not all companies are straight players, Worldcom, Enron, Countrywide, etc. where seemingly on the up and up but now the former employees know better and are impoverished as a byproduct of not doing the appropriate research.

One would be hard pressed to actually ask and receive any type of sensitive data from an employer or from the people that would handle a background investigation or a drug screening. To date, I am personally unaware of any prospective applicant that was able to request (and actually acquire) such information.

Businesses and corporations that would scrutinize a prospective candidate for employment should be looked at with great suspicion. After all, if they are adamant about conducting such a rigorous screening process without allowing an equally rigorous screening process to be conducted by a prospective employee then trust issues are evident and if they have these issues before one is even hired by them, then one could expect their internal management to be problematic at best and a company to avoid.

Beware of http://www.refurbishedxbox360s.com/

Beware of this site it is a scam.   I want to extend a special thanks to  "elroyleday" on Yahoo answers to checking this out.   Here are some links to his research.   Take heed all gamers that are out there, and be wary.   As the saying goes, if it is too good to be true then...its too good to be true.

Referbished XBox360...a calculated risk

After mourning the loss of my 60 gb Playstation 3 for almost a year now (stolen right out of my house). I saw this site on the Internet. Asking a mere $34.99 for a refurbished XBox360 Premium with a 1 year warranty. Seems like a steal of a deal, and I am "tempted" to put my coin down and give it a try.

After spending an absorbent amount for my Playstation 3 ($1,000). I have been without a console and have been weighing the pros and cons of the major contenders (the Wii, the XBox360 and yet another Playstation 3).

I see the pros and cons in all systems and here is my assessment on them. I will start with my first love.

Playstation 3
I advocated for this unit from the beginning, knowing hands down that it was superior to anything on the market. The ability to install Linux sold me right away and backwards compatibility for Playstation 2 games was just cinch that made me pinch every last penny I had to purchase one. The Cell CPU and the 1080p capability along with being an inexpensive Blueray player (which is the current winner in the format wars, I won the bet with myself) made me a happy elitist to own one.

Why I am not getting one this time around...
Aside from the price, which after purchasing it at its high of $800 when I first got my hands on it. This platform has some limitations that has made me reconsider acquiring another one. First, it has a piss poor selection of games which drives me nuts. Second, the eternal delay of Home (Playstation's version of second life) has irked me to no end but the killing blow was their reversal to include backwards compatibility to Playstation 2 games. But the nail in the coffin was that Sony made no attempt to include a SDK to create games on the device like Microsoft did. This has made me sit on the fence just waiting for Sony to stop being such prudes and to get with the program.


Wii
Now the Wii was one I was really interested in, its price point is perfect, the games are interactive and fun especially in parties and groups. I have heard only good things about the Wii

Why I am not getting one this time around...
Ok, for all of its fun points, I still do not think it has the selection of games I really hunger for. Still I need a SDK to write my own games on this and no attempt to date has been made to do so. Yes, I will pass, but to the credit of the Wii it is in my next round of console purchases even over the Playstation 3.

The winner?
XBox360

Why?
Listen, the game console stability and horse power sucks when compared to the Playstation 3 it certainly doesn't have the full availability of fun and interactive games that the Wii has. But, it does score over both of them in two very distinctive ways.

First, it has the selection I like and has many RPG type games to ensorcel me for hours.

Second, XNA, the capability (for a price) for the common people to build games on.

Now red ring of death and overheating issues aside as well as the numerous complaints in the forums about having to return defunct systems and waiting weeks on end for another system that lasts for only a few months before it has to be returned yet again. I will spend the coin on a refurbished system until Sony gets its act together and the Wii becomes more competitive with its selection.

Where to go?

Where to go?

It is hard now, our economy is diminishing, contracts are few and far between giving a feast or famine future and local prospects just don't recognize an entrepreneurial spirit.

I have been contracting as a web designer, since early 2000 and have been reassessing and shifting to freelance photography and even to shooting video trying to build my skills in a diversified manner that marks me as "indispensable" to future patrons. But the truth is, I am just a clone of all the other "hopefuls" that are doing the exact same thing.

The reality is, while knowledge of computers and enthusiasm for writing and creating videos are fun to do. They tend to leave one standing beside themselves.

While I have had dreams of working for Google and Apple, even to the extent of bettering my odds by actively promoting Google's technology with the gPhone and proudly attended the Apple's Developers Conference. Not a single offer has come to my table. Oh I get recruiters calling me to no end, promising me the moon and all the cheese it is made of but as the date progresses I am just another name and number for their little black book and I don't even know how many stars they give me.

So, I stick to my freelancer ways, insisting to contract out my professional services as opposed to delude myself into thinking that a job will really give me security, not that I believe that any corporation could truly provide anything more stable than I could.

True to my nature I find it hard to work for people than to work with them for a mutual business advantage. To be an employee seems to be a joke, not because I am adverse to working as a team or to work for a greater common goal of fiscal success, far from it. The frustrations of dealing with the politics of nepotism and playing favorites to under-qualified "buddies" of the manager is a constant theme of working a regular job, with regular people as opposed to an interesting gig that will allow for more dynamic possibilities.

All things being equal, I must confess hindsight being 20/20 I do not feel that my focus in freelancing endeavors are a waste of time or my resources. To be honest, I don't think I would of been introduced to the variety of opportunities (even if those opportunities did not land anything or go the direction I had hoped for). But that is just me.

So, would I ever consider conventional employment? Well, as strange as this may sound I do not see the distinction between a full time job or a contract that requires my full time attentions. The legal world seems to create a artificial circumstance for a full-time employee, a W2 employee seems to be more controlled and dummied down control of creativity and time (punch in the time clock, do work, clock out for lunch, eat lunch, clock back in for lunch, do more work, clock out).

As a contractor you have more control over this time to use it creatively and more efficiently and here in lies the problem as described to me by the CEO of Javaground:

I was interviewing with the CEO who explicitly told me that he would never consider incorporating me into his company as a contractor for the main reason that he could not have complete control over me. As an employee he could better have control over me and my loyalties would be more to his company and not my own consultancy.

I protested and told him that as a consultant, contractor he would have access to my entire professional network and as far as my loyalties to his company, Non Disclosure Agreements would legally prohibit me from playing the field and compromising secrets of his company. He still wanted me to be a regular employee, he still wanted that illusionary control over my time and loyalties. To my perception as a contractor/consultant the demand on my time and the loyalties to my new patron would be no different than being a regular full time employee.

My rational words fell on deaf ears, he didn't care, he wanted an employee and I wanted a business partner and I politely disengaged from further negotiations on the subject and consequently did not receive an offer to work for his company.

It would of been a cool company to work for, but in retrospect I am glad he never followed up with me. In my eyes if he was honestly that adamant over the semantics of my professional relation to him and his company then we probably would not of been able to work well with each other in the first place.

So, Where to go? Is probably not the right question to ask, more to the point should be the question Whom do I ally myself with?

Prius, our next car? biodiesel?

Next car a Prius, NHW20?

The next car I would purchase is a Hybrid hands down. I would like to remove myself from purchasing gasoline all together, I have targeted Biodiesel as viable alternative, eliminating pure gasoline, to use the renewable biodiesel but i do not find very many viable selections for these capabilities in the US. Toyota's Prius is a stop gap measure, that has enough interest in the subject matter to spawn well versed enthusiast

I do however see cutting edge alternatives in other countries, specifically Germany and Japan. I asked my brother a top end mechanic, about diesel bikes and he did not know of any so I decided to Google my way to finding out.

The technology is certainly out there, but not really here. Of course, as expected, the cutting edge is not available to the US bubble we are living in. But a man can dream and really get serious research done so when I do step foot on a dealership I will walk in with a loan and the exact specifications for the vehicle I want.

Gas in the US is still "relatively cheap" at $5 a gallon, yes I know there will be a few to take issue with this statement. But my research is on a global scale and I base this on UKs prices (somewhere around $8-9 euros a gallon, also bear in mind that the cost for a Euro cost more than one american dollar at the time of this writing).

I am leaning to the 3rd generation Toyota Prius as it is clocking at 60 MPG and if driven with fineness this could be bumped to an even higher number and if hacked to increase the battery capacity it may be even higher MPG. Of course, any tricking to the vehicle's internals may void the warranty so I will have to take great care to read and understand the specifications as to not botch any modifications I do.

Hybrid Motorcycles

In October 28, 2005, at the trade shows in Tokyo, Yamaha, has a bike known as the Gen-Ryu it holds a light weight, compact YZF-R6 600cc motor AND a electric motor. Looks impressive and very savvy.

Well its 2008 and still no word on its price or if it is even being sold in the US. I would like to eventually get a bike like the Gen-Ryu, but for now (and for practical reasons) I have my sights set on the Toyota Prius

Reporting Life

Hello again.

Well we are being called to a professional gig this week to take graduation pictures on the 11th, 12th and 18th for the classes of 2008. This should be fun.

I will try to post when I get time.

The Business of Scripts (movie and .php)

Well we just finished our calling card website.   I will be making some .php scripts while working on our movie scripts.   We have 3D Animation (blender) on both of our MacBook machines.   We have the tools and the talent, we are just looking to getting better tools, a 1080p camera and a 1080p monitor.

I am faced with whatever my camera can "see".   The magick is in the editing to be sure.   We are gathering our sound files into a Database (MySQL), and keeping them on a independent Harddrive.  Thats the technical stuff I will post more on the source as it is developed.

Tip of the Hat to Dr. Rudolph Bertagnoli

This is not really apart of my blog of Android, but I am very impressed with this doctor from Germany.    He is a spine surgeon I heard about.   He is so sophisticated and Uber that he has developed his own specialized surgical tools for his trade.

Now, to give my audience an idea of just how absolutely Uber this is (to me at least) I put him on the level of a Samurai that forges his own katana or a hacker that constructs his own specialized laptop or even a race-car driver who works on his cars engine.

I always had a dream of becoming a plastic surgeon and even attended UCSD for a few years (taking biochemistry and pharmaceutical courses).   But my consultancy was making more money than attending my classes and it was a choice between eating and providing shelter for myself or completing my college courses...guess my stomach won.

Anyway, Dr. Rudolph Bertagnoli, I admire your elite methods that defy convention and by creating your specialized tools to enhance your surgical skills beyond that of your typical "American" doctors.   Gives a special meaning to...a fine product of German Engineering.   You get a tip of the hat from me. 

Freelance Reporter for KZSW

Wow, first blogger now freelance reporter, I feel like I am Peter Parker (Spiderman).   I will be covering mostly Temecula area particularly the film festivals.   Since this is a technology blog, much of my reporting will be based around that theme.

I will be seeking to interview technology businesses, green energy businesses and of course game businesses.   In addition I would like to host a poker segment and commentary, discussing hand strategy, tells and where the best poker jack pots are locally.

More 3D models...PDM Young Actors Workshop

This is some work that I did transcribing a blue-print layout for a Theatre design from the 2D layout to the SketchUp 3D image.   The program (SketchUp) is a breeze to work with, not as complicated as conventional 3D programs (but also without animation, a plug-in is required and may cost some money).

I will report more as I create 3D objects.

Google's SketchUp, Learn it and Love it!

I was playing with Google's SketchUp, and I have to say it rocks.   You can build any 3D object with ease.   This is one concept idea I had for a sub-stellar space craft called the Solar Surfer, made to hop local planets with in a solar system.

I certainly intend to port this into a game that teaches the planets just by hopping them on this craft.

Google's Summer of CODE

Ok coders break out the technical manuals, buy a case of energy drinks and say goodbye to your social life (well outside of the geeks circle of course).

I got a link here that sorts the categories of the organizations. check it out and contribute and karma will thank you for it. There are some very cool projects out there very savvy ideas and its a great thing to add to your resume.

Not to mention that you will learn more about programming by actually doing programming for real world applications than writing a hello world program.

117 reasons why I hate IE 7 for Windows

Ok, Microsoft, thank you for pissing off all of those hard working web developers and showing us all how much a multimillion dollar company can totally SUCK at fixing their own bugs and making us code-monkeys look like a bunch of complete idiots.

Not only did your non-compliance to standardization of any type, make my clients angry with me.   But your stupid virus program that you call Vista just makes me even more pissed off.

Sure, I can boycott your inferior operating system and sing praises to Leopard (despite the 0% battery bug I have to look at every day, yes Apple I am looking at you too, but I will admit Leopard by and large KICKS ARSE)

If there are any Microsoft advocates that want to point the finger that Leopard has problems, I would implore them to point their browsers (use IE 7 at your own peril) to this link and read.

High Expectations For Android

The great battle of the cellphones.   iPhone vs./ Android (gPhone).   This is a big deal for both companies both Apple and Google.   Each company has advantages and disadvantages attached to them.   Slashdot has a great link on the story.

Apple, well, put their iPhone on the market.   Its a slick phone, with touch screen capabilities and a sweet GUI interface.   Actually a nice phone.   But it has some serious fatal flaws attached.

First off, Apple mandates AT&T as the sole service provider, yes the same AT&T that has a monitoring station in San Francisco for the Government ease dropping program.   AT&T mandated the need for social security numbers just to activate one.   In addition to the insane initial price of the phone itself $600, a 2 year minimum contract was required, figure at least $100 a month for 24 months...$2,400 + $600 = $3,000 total.   I call bullshit on that.

Also, initially there was no SDK (Software Development Kit) for the iPhone.   Well, now there is but the insanity of the Non-Disclosure agreement prohibits any other developer from advising or helping further the development of this platform.   Are they serious?!?

The iPhone has been hacked only to be patched to turn the hacked iPhone into a bricked $600 paper weight.

Apple, did some very bone-headed maneuvers with the iPhone, but they have a real phone on the market.   A phone that I have absolutely no desire to have.

Don't get me wrong, I love Apple's products.   I have a PowerBook G4 (PPC) that I have had virtually zero downtime with and a MacBook (Intel) that, aside from a Battery Bug with Leopard that does not charge my battery.   Works very well.

But, even with their newer systems like the Mac Air, altho beautiful, lacks an optical drive and has only one USB port!?!   But I digress, back to the showdown between Apple and Google.

What does Google have to bring to the table?   Well, nothing, but virtually something...the Android platform.   Yeah, they don't have a phone, they have many phones that only need to be Linux compatible.   Google, is smart, they have a actual open OS available to any and all that care enough to develop for it, literally any way they choose.  Hell they even put prize money out to sway developers.

Now, I will be the first to say that Google is not just being altruistic, they are in business to make more money, just like Apple, but the main difference is this they are smarter about how they approach business.  They know enough to give a little to get a little.

Resurrection of the Black Beauty

My Mac is back, and with a full install of Leopard.   I have been laying the foundation of this Uber unit over the weekend and so far, it is working like a charm.

Parallels, was one of the first programs I installed on this beauty, nothing says pie in your face to the Microsoft crowd like having Windows running on a Apple.   I have XP pro corporate running in a Virtual Machine, I gave it 1GIG of virtual ram and about 30GIGs of expanding "virtual" space.

Ubuntu, is a Linux install I wanted to do next.  But I ran into some issues with it, stalling and unable to capture screen resolution correctly.

I discovered this was not a unique problem.   I had to install Ubuntu 7.04 (installing 7.10 has complications).   Its always stupid little things, but thankfully Google saved the day.

Cryogenically frozen RAM bypasses all disk encryption methods

This is a very savvy exploit, according to the video and article the conventional wisdom of when you turn the computer off, the active volatile RAM is erased. However, it seems, conventional wisdom has to elaborate a bit more on the details of precisely how soon that data within the RAM disintegrates.

Apparently the "data" within the RAM slowly fades away when the power is cut, giving a window of opportunity to attack and crack any encryption on the hard-drive, by making a copy of the encryption key.

While no exotic equipment is required for this hack, software that reads the RAM may be required to implement correctly. SOftware of this nature should be readily available on the Internet. One thing is certain, there is always a way around security and this is a proof of concept video.

Check it out.

Enjoy.

Wife v1.0

Girlfriend 6.0 vs. Wife 1.0
Comparative Trial

Last year a friend of mine upgraded from GirlFriend 6.0 to Wife 1.0 and found that it's a memory hog leaving very little system resources available for other applications. He is now noticing that Wife 1.0 is also spawning Child Processes which are further consuming valuable resources. No mention of this particular phenomena was included in the product brochure or the documentation, though other users have informed him that this is to be expected due to the nature of the application.

Not only that, Wife 1.0 installs itself such that it is always launched at system initialization, where it can monitor all other system activity. He's finding that some applications such as PokerNight 10.3, BeerBash 2.5, and PubNight 7.0 are no longer able to run in the system at all, crashing the system when selected (even though they always worked fine before). During installation, Wife 1.0 provides no option as to the installation of undesired Plug-Ins such as MotherInLaw 55.8 and BrotherInLaw Beta release. Also, system performance seems to diminish with each passing day.
Some features he'd like to see in the upcoming wife 2.0.

1. a "Don't remind me again" button
2. a Minimize button
3. An install shield feature that allows Wife 2.0 be installed with the option to uninstall at any time without the loss of cache and other system resources
4. An option to run the network driver in promiscuous mode which would allow the system's hardware probe feature to be much more useful.

I myself decided to avoid the headaches associated with Wife 1.0 by sticking with Girlfriend 7.0. Even here, however, I found many problems. Apparently you cannot install Girlfriend 7.0 on top of Girlfriend 6.0. You must uninstall Girlfriend 6.0 first. Other users say this is a long standing bug that I should have known about. Apparently the versions of Girlfriend have conficts over shared use of the I/O port. You think they would have fixed such a stupid bug by now. To make matters worse, The uninstall program for Girlfriend 6.0 doesn't work very well leaving undesirable traces of the application in the system. Another thing -- all versions of Girlfriend continually popup little annoying messages about the advantages of upgrading to Wife 1.0.


Bug Warning

Wife 1.0 has an undocumented bug. If you try to install Mistress 1.1 before uninstalling Wife 1.0, Wife 1.0 will delete MSMoney files before doing the uninstall itself. Then Mistress 1.1 will refuse to install, claiming insufficient resources.

Bug work-arounds:
To avoid this bug, try installing Mistress 1.1 on a different system and never run any file transfer applications such as Laplink 6.0. Also, beware of similar shareware applications that have been known to carry viruses that may affect Wife 1.0. Another solution would be to run Mistress 1.1 via a UseNet provider under an anonymous name. Here again, beware of the viruses which can accidently be downloaded from the UseNet.

Tech Support Suggestions

These are very common problem men complain about, but is mostly due to a primary misconception. Many people upgrade from Girlfriend 6.0 to Wife 1.0 with the idea that Wife 1.0 is merely a Utilities & Entertainment program. Wife 1.0 is indeed an operating system and designed by its creator to run everything.

It is unlikely you would be able to purge Wife 1.0 and still convert back to Girlfriend 6.0. Hidden operating files within your system would cause Girlfriend 6.0 to emulate Wife 1.0 so nothing is gained. It is impossible to uninstall, delete, or purge the program files from the system once installed. You cannot go back to Girlfriend 6.0 because Wife 1.0 is not designed to do this.

Some have tried to install Girlfriend 7.0 or Wife 2.0 but end up with more problems than the original system. Look in your manual under "Warnings - Alimony/Child support". I recommend you keep Wife 1.0 and deal with the situation.

I suggest installing background application program C:\YES DEAR to alleviate software augmentation. Having installed Wife 1.0 myself, I might also suggest you read the entire section regarding General Partnership Faults (GPFs). You must assume all responsibility for faults and problems that might occur, regardless of their cause. The best course of action will be to enter the command C:\APOLOGIZE. In any case avoid excessive use of C:\YES DEAR because ultimately you may have to give the APOLOGIZE command before the operating system will return to normal. The system will run smoothly as long as you take the blame for all the GPFs.
Wife 1.0 is a great program, but very high-maintenance. Consider buying additional software to improve the performance of Wife 1.0. I recommend Flowers 3.1 and Diamonds 2K. Do not, under any circumstances, install Secretary with Short Skirt 3.3. This is not a supported application for Wife 1.0 and is likely to cause irreversible damage to the operating system.

Best of Luck,
Tech Support

Microsoft vows to open up

Microsoft says it will make available about 30,000 pages of once-secret technical information on its products. What will the company may be hoping to gain by giving out the documentation.

Check it out Market Place has the details.

Google's Android debuts at Mobile World Congress

This is Android

Real Android powered phone demo

This is cool, proof of concept for Android...





And on the old ARM

Boycott eBay

Well I can say that the eBay bullshit is just too much for me (or my Paypal account) to bear.

The interface is clumsy, and amateurish. At the cost of selling your products, they tax you either way if you sell or not, they just tax you more when you sell. I found it hard to sell anything over a fucking dollar, eBay is truly a better buyers market than sellers one.

I am not only Boycotting eBay, but I am going to build a better eBay like site, but with blackjack and hookers. Then they own Paypal, and they hold your coin for an additional 4-5 days. Their stupid credit card won't work on the majority of 3rd party cash uploading sites.

Fuck them and fuck their Bank, I want options and I want my coin now!

I have a fuck-en business to run, not a clown to support.

Rogue, Dead Guy Ale

Over priced, but worth most of it.

Has a kick to it in a nutty sort of way. This ale is, good, and gets its buzz on quickly. These premium, ales are better than that Bud beer. It certainly has the kick and the quality can't be beat.

I have the good fortune to rate beers and fine ales. On a scale from 1 - 10 I would award a strong 8, would of been a 9 if price was more competitive with the competition, but in their league there is little competition, maybe Samuel Adams.

I would buy this more often, If I could afford it, for now it is a treat for the cynosure in me.

Leo Laporte, my hero

I often suggest people goto Leo's show (he has several). Because he is the tech guy. He has a capability to translate technology to end users. In a way that is not abrasive, but rather...friendly.

This guy rocks. I listen as much as I can, on off hours, when I am developing. Check out his pod-casts, I draw allot of inspiration from him. He convinced me Audio is key in the audio/video world.

He is a Mac user, but he works with the others I am sure.


Keep up the great work, Leo.

Microsoft to Give Away Developer Tools?

Does it seriously have to get to the point where you have to give your tools away for new developers to tinker with them? Mircrosoft is giving away to students a full version of Visual Studio Professional Edition. About f*ck'n time, but if they really wanted to save face they would open up that offer to everybody.

They claim that there tools are more powerful, honestly any tool is powerful in the right hands, whether it is from the Cathedral Microsoft camp or the Bazaar Open-source camp.

Slashdot.org is reporting that Microsoft will make full versions of their development tools available to students.

"The Redmond-based software maker said late Monday it will let students download Visual Studio Professional Edition, a software development environment; Expression Studio, which includes graphic design and Web site and hybrid Web-desktop programming tools; and XNA Game Studio 2.0, a video game development program. Gates said students will want to try Microsoft's tools because they're more powerful than the open-source combination of Linux-based operating systems, the Apache Web server, the MySQL database and the PHP scripting language used to make complex Web sites. But Gates said giving away Microsoft software isn't intended to turn students against open source software entirely. Rather, he hopes it will just add one more tool to their belt."

Tools are tools, and Microsoft has tools a plenty. I would burn this, on my Mac in a virtual partition to test drive it, compare it to GNU and cc of the UNIX world and maybe come away with, Eclipse


Eclipse?

• free


• open source


• mature


• interactive IDE (code completion, debugging, refactoring)


• supports multiple languages


• Eclipse Rich Client Platform


• easily customizable, modifiable, pluggable, more..

Linux is just an OS!

Skills with the Operating System, and how-to with Linux is what is at stake. The penguin certainly has a hold of the hacker community and for all the right reasons. I would say that all things being equal I would think of Lenovo from IBM. Just to be on the safe side for utility. (http://www.lenovo.com/us/en/)

Mac is nice, no doubt, I would certainly love to have their solid-state Mac Air. I am "disappointed" that their is no optical drive, no RJ-45 wired port and no non-proprietary battery.

I am already boycotting Apple's stupid iPhone because of the AT&T arrangement. gPhone is the winner in my book, hands down. A cell phone device, would be the only computer one would need for specialty operations, it runs Linux...nuff said.

Windows Wins? Linux Loses!

It is decided, the mob rulez.

Windows is the champion in the OS WAR, aside from having an army of clones and nodes, with every worm, virus, and trojan known in hackerdom and a keystroke logger with a return email address to your proxy and ssl encrypted one time use email.

Now Microsoft has assumed that the users have become extra retarded with Vista, now the official retarded progeny of the Microsoft Empire, I will assume this is its flagship product, and a total slap in the face of the computer nerds who know anything.


But, for all its fatal flaws, it scores over Linux because of the obvious and the not so obvious things.

First, the obvious

Windows boots into the GUI from the start.

Without direction, Linux boots into command prompt.

The delicate surgical operation, to install earlier versions of Linux required more patience and through understanding of specific motherboard layouts, and BIOS settings. When I installed earlier versions of Linux (Redhat), I opted for the non-graphical installs as not to tax the computers resources and get a cleaner install.

Windows boots into a GUI from the start, from pretty every option on user friendly world of welcome. Pre-installation, means allot when you have a new system. 99.9% of the sheeple will never venture far from the start button.

But for the 0.1% that truly give a fuck, the command prompt of Linux gives a real time living example of its magnificence. but the weakness of having a patchwork of C code and no real direction of how to use it is the Achilles heel of Linux. Open Source, is only really open to those who know how to use it well. The more you know how things work the better Open Source will serve ones needs.

Windows, has at best one salvageable attribute, with XP pro, its a hacker's Tonka Toy playground. Linux, of course, is the hacker's weapon of choice.


The not so obvious

Linux is a surpassingly elegant Operating System once the learning curve is leveled its elegance becomes apart of its user. But it is a task, to become efficient and to have sufficient foreknowledge to make ones tasks meaningful. Linux is a toolkit for the professional more than a user friendly tools for the hobbiest that XP/Vista seem to be.

Bootable Linux, is a bootable toolkit ready for any system it is configurable with, whether old school CD bootable or new spy-school USB, every hacker worth her salt should always have at least one bootable USB.

Access to a uncontaminated Operating System, to target actual hard-drives that are connected to the net.

Windows, of course, will win. It is a virus that has infected the mind of the majority of its users. Microsoft wants to be a player, so they will invariably come up with something to make its comeback.

...it's a matter of capital punishment. If you have the capital, you don't get punished

Android, Mobile Device Emulator

Android is the platform for the gPhone. The gPhone is Google's own Linux compatible, hardware platform. The device is not available to the public, yet, but the emulator allows programs to be written and tested be for the actual release of the gPhone itself.

Android, of course, is the complete solution for cellular phone services and specialized applications. This has the power of Linux on a cellular device, that trumps the iPhone, hands down.

I would trust Google to engineer this right, the first time. Since they have the stance of playing the field of cellular business, but not an actual "player" in the cellular business, meaning, they do not have any biases or ties, like Apple does with AT&T.

Google is offering a reward for applications developed under their Android system. It is very nice but still lacks in demonstrating very key features.


And now the downside...

• No support for placing or receiving actual phone calls. You can simulate phone calls (placed and received) through the emulator console, however.
• No support for USB connections
• No support for camera/video capture (input).
• No support for audio input (capture). Output (playback) is supported.
• No support for device-attached headphones
• No support for determining connected state
• No support for determining battery charge level and AC charging state
• No support for determining SD card insert/eject
• No support for Bluetooth

But the upside, rocks.

---

Knoppix on a USB

Check this link out. Knoppix on USB thumb-drives are fully bootable and operational computer systems that kick arse. This makes analyzing a new machine easier and less prone to mss-analysis when analyzing code from a compromised operating system on the machine.

Since thumb-drives are nicer than bootable CDs, less cumbersome and re-writable and now have insane memory capacity. I would put this on a 8 gig thumb-drive, 2 gigs for the Operating System (more than what it needs) and 6 gigs for "everything else". I guess I will always carry a CD-R just in case.

We are going to build Android development USBs on Knoppix memory-sticks, with full encryption.

The Weapon of Choice...

Mac OS X 10.4.8 or later (x86 only)
------------------------------------------
Apple is, in our opinion, the best commercial alternative, their shift to the Intel chip-set makes (with some minor configuration) OS X, usable on other Intel PC devices. Leopard, makes modern Macs a Uber Hacker elite just by having such a beautiful and elegant tool.

• I got a 250 GIG drive for it, now trying to get my hands on Leopard 10.5.1
• I got 2 GIGs of RAM.
• 150 gig harddrive space allocated to OS X
• I will have 100 gig for temp media storage
  

This is important.

I would love to get the Mac Air, but Wi-Fi only access would not fly with the amount of utility required for major operations. and no optical drive?!? WTF!!! The battery....?

But you can't argue with its elegance, slim grace, and look. Its a beauty to behold, don't bring it to dirty parties, only black tie affairs.

The real deal is leopard, that cat is hard to get a collar for.

Android Supported Operating Systems

Ok everybody, Android is OS friendly. Android will install on XP/Vista, OSX, Linux. Each has its own temperament and levels of friendliness. The feel of different Operating Systems are ones personal preference. I will offer my advice on this. Of the 3 major Operating Systems on the market.




Windows XP or Vista
--------------------------
As much as I dislike XP and Vista, I realize it is the standard. XP or Vista deserves to be put in a virtual cage, and stay there. XP should never be a base install on any hard-drive partition. Just to be safe. XP from its virtual prison is powerless to infect the rest of the system should there be any...complications.


Mac OS X 10.4.8 or later (x86 only)
------------------------------------------
Apple is the best commercial alternative, their shift to the Intel chip-set makes (with minor configuration) OS X, usable on other Intel PC devices. Leopard, makes modern Macs a Uber Hacker elite just by having such a beautiful and elegant tool.




Linux (tested on Linux Ubuntu Dapper Drake)
---------------------------------------------------------
XP is a prisoner in a Virtual cage, OS X is reported to be the best commercial alternative. Linux, simply, is the best alternative. The level of power Linux has in development is awesome as it is built with the power of kernel level granularity allows Linux to be the hands down victor as a Android Development platform.

For Futurama Fans

Future Perfect, of XML

link #1 (sites reliable news source)


link #2 (sites direct source)



The story so far. XML, aka Xtended Markup Language

PS3 Price Drop, Cell Hits 45nm

IBM announced that the Cell CPU (used in the PlayStation 3) will soon make the transition to IBM's next-gen 45nm high-k process. 'The 45nm Cell will use about 40 percent less power than its 65nm predecessor, its die area will be reduced by 34 percent.

A practical up shot of this is the greatly reduced power budget that will minimize the amount of active cooling required for the PS/3 console, which in turn will make it cheaper to produce and even more reliable.

Sony's per-unit cost is the reduction in overall die size. A smaller die means a smaller, cheaper package; it also means that yields will be better and that each chip will cost less overall.

I would like this more if they allow PS3/Linux users to access 7 of 8 SPUs instead of only 6.


A price drop would be nice (though when compared to the Xbox360, the PS3 is very competitive), When is the PS3 slim appears, all the pieces will be in place for a slim.

Since Sony has been aggressively shrinking the motherboard in the PS3, and the chip size has dropped from 90nm, to 65nm and now 45nm. All that means less power (smaller PSU) and less heat (less fans & heat-sinks). Smarter design means a better product than its prototypes.

Dan Morrill builds a simple application on Android platform

I just saw Dan Morrill's video on Youtube. He does a fairly good job explaining how-to program a simple application on the gPhone emulator.

Of course, the possibilities are endless, and the portability of J2ME devices would be seamless. Java is the, more intelligent, weapon of choice for this platform and Google has its own classes designed for the gPhone.

I am looking forward to more videos like this, specifically in relation to the OpenGL capabilities with this platform. I am sure some very wicked interfaces can be designed and enhanced upon to give it all the glitz and glamour of the iPhone with the full scale raw power of a Linux based smart phone.

Our Black Beauty, (intel) Mac-Book will be repaired and installed with Leopard ready to commit to some full scale Eclipse development. I would love to explore this for networked gaming possibilities, with the built-in capabilities of the device's GPS (global positioning system).

EEtimes Speculates on The Initial gPhone details

I would encourage the majority of our readers to take a look at the detail link for the gPhone device. Android, of course, will be the platform of choice and the capability to port Java applications over to it makes it a nice segway into becoming a standard for the cellphone market.

If this does not show Google as a major player in the cellphone market I am unsure what will. Google had their eye on the spectrum market, and made the auction a level playing field as much as it could. Well, for the billionaires that could afford the minimum bid of about 4 billion.

I am excited to see where this is going and what we can do with this technology.

Harvard Law School professor Charles Nesson on Poker

The professor of poker. This guy rocks and I hope he is able to get the stupid law forbidding online poker in the US. I have always had a dream of developing a online mobile poker solution for the poker enthusiast, to play anytime and anywhere on a cellphone specifically on the Google Android platform.

The major obstacles are not technical ones, many online poker websites exist, but legal ones. I myself have lost $800 from my (now defunct) Netteller account when, with a stroke of a pen our infinitely wise president George W. Bush signed a law to make online poker illegal in the US.
I am sure other people lost much more.
Professor Charles Nesson discusses on the Goolge Tech Talks on Youtube about ways that poker can be used as a powerful tool for teaching core negotiation and business skills.

He is founder of the Global Poker Strategic Thinking Society (GPSTS), an organization focused on developing an academic curriculum using poker as a teaching tool. I am a firm believer that poker can be used to teach important life skills such as game theory, strategic thinking, risk assessment, and money management in an engaging and interactive way.

Even Steven Colbert from the Colbert Report interviewed the professor.

PhoneCash/4Ray

PhoneCash/4Ray, what I like about it.

J2ME, written in Java, object oriented, language at that. They got it running on a nice sexy black Motorola Razor. The interface is simple. I would like to see a developers version of this soon, a top bar menu GUI to do administration and auditing work to the PhoneCash/4Ray application.

Since it is in Java, porting the code to a Java compatable architecture would be the next logical step with this.




Here is a simple overview of how the PhoneCash/4Ray works.


Its simplicity and minimalistic design and the fact that they have developed predefined stored proceedures constrains the window of attack opportunity, for SQL injection attack as well as the user holding the key of authenticity in their crainium, even if the cell unit is compromized it would be usless without the correct pin number. This adds an extra layer of security.

I will post more as I explore this device.

Very cool project, credit cards on mobile devices

This opportunity came to me and I am liking it more and more. I have corresponded with the partners and am testing the device today. This technology goes beyond the conventional mobile pay-point on your cell phone and will take it to a whole new level.

PhoneCash/4ray

Toraton Partners Inc.
PhoneCash/4Ray is an m-commerce/payment solution that operates with military grade encryption. It has been tested both domestically and internationally by carriers and OEM's with no breakage, and with zero risk of identity theft. The solution allows any user to make payments, check balances, transfer and receive funds and process credit cards. It allows multiple currencies, balanced on a daily basis and operates on all platforms. It is non-industry and non-niche specific which allows it to be customized to the needs of your clients, in any language. The solution is compliant with the Patriot Act, Sarbanes-Oxley, CISP and GAAP standards; it is ready for private labeling to increase your brand awareness and as a value added service to your clients.

I am testing the device today and will do reports as I explore its functionality and its capabilities.

Working out...and sweating the details.

Yes this year I am going to workout for a year and join a gym.

Every Monday, Wednesday and Friday upper-body.
Every Tuesday, Thursday and Saturday lower-body.
Everyday I take a walk.



The details (upper-body)

• pushups 3-sets of 60
• crunches 2-sets of 50
• curls 3-sets of 13 @ 20lbs (each arm)
• dumbell 3-sets of 13 @ 20lbs
• 20 minute aerobic

The details (lower-body)

• pushups 3-sets of 60
• crunches 2-sets of 50
• squats 3-sets of 13 @20lbs
• complete lower body stretching
• 20 minute aerobic

Current Height: 5'8"
Current Weight: 220lbs

Happy new year

We are creating a new interactive look this year.   We wish everybody a great and prosperous New Year.