Piracy!
Piracy in the digital age – An essay about piracy in the digital age. Is it really that bad?
The WWW is not the internet!
A real geek should know the difference, do you? Learn the difference and stop being a n00b.
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The PC is dead
Posted on August 30, 2011 by Jingles | No Comments
The PC is dead, long live the PC!
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Router firmware hacking
Posted on August 29, 2011 by Jingles | No Comments
The other day I wrote about Rockbox, a firmware replacement for a bunch of different Mp3 players. That reminded me of 2 other firmware replacement project for routers, Tomato and DD-WRT. [Read more...]
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Sociopath Recordings
Posted on August 28, 2011 by Jingles | No Comments
If you like Breakcore / IDM / Chiptunes / Jungle / Drum & Bass then you will love Sociopath Recordings a Taiwanese internet record label that releases everything under a Creative Commons license.
Sociopath Recordings has been around since 2006 so there is a huge catalogue of music that would probably fill your shiny Mp3 player to the brim. You’re probably not going to need to visit a music shop for a while.
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Why Smart phones suck as Mp3 players
Posted on August 27, 2011 by Jingles | 2 Comments
Not so long ago I was lamenting the loss of my lost Mp3 player. Not that I was really that disappointed because I wanted a new Mp3 player anyway but I didn’t have a need (I already had one) or a good enough excuse (there are plenty of other things I wanted more than a new Mp3 player) to go buy a shiny new Mp3 player. Now I have a reason to go Mp3 player shopping since I unintentionally lost my last Mp3 player, shopping time!
Before I decided to buy another Mp3 player I had considered using my phone as an Mp3 player since I have Winamp for Android installed. I can expand the memory, a 32 GB micro SD card would do nicely, plus the internal memory should be enough for music and applications. It can stream internet radio stations, I can use it to listen to or download podcasts on the go. Never again would I be left wanting for entertainment of the musical variety. I also never loose my phone, not once have I ever lost my phone… True story. In many ways my HTC Desire HD Android phone is better than a stand alone Mp3 player. Except for one thing. [Read more...]
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Rockbox
Posted on August 26, 2011 by Jingles | No Comments
New Mp3 payers are a bit like like Michael Jackson (remember him?), plastic surgery makes them look different but they are still the same on the inside.
How many times have we been advertisings bitch, been mind raped into submission then given it up to temptation and brought that a shiny new gadget when your old gadget still works perfectly well? I have done it before with phones and Mp3 players, I have upgraded just because I want to not because I need to.
It’s nice to have new features that your old Mp3 player never had, secretly your old Mp3 player was probably capable of supporting some if not a lot or all of the features your new Mp3 player has unless a new feature needs specific hardware. All it would have taken is a firmware rewrite to add those features to your old Mp3 player. But where is the profit in rewriting firmware? Oh that’s right there is none! That is why Mp3 player makers prefer to release ‘new’ Mp3 players with ‘new’ features, to get you to spend your cash on something you think you need to fatten up their profits and it usually works.
Before you go shopping for shiny things that play Mp3s checkout Rockbox a free Open Source replacement firmware for Mp3 players. [Read more...]
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You know you read too many web comics when…
Posted on August 25, 2011 by Jingles | No Comments
When you see references to other web comics you know you read too many web comics.
Yesterday I was stoked to notice a reference to one of my favourite web comics Diesel Sweeties in Jeph Jacques’ Questionable Content strip. In QC strip 1998: Robocameos, in the third panel behind the shop assistant on the left you can spy Red Robot #C-63.
In Diesel Sweeties Red Robot #C-63 likes to “Crush evil humans” for fun. He must have been smoking behind the bike shed with the ‘cool kids’ when they were teaching Isaac Asimov’s 3 laws of robotics:
- A robot may not injure a human being or, through inaction, allow a human being to come to harm.
- A robot must obey any orders given to it by human beings, except where such orders would conflict with the First Law.
- A robot must protect its own existence as long as such protection does not conflict with the First or Second Law.
UPDATE: Is that a reference to Johnny toaster from Diesel Sweeties in todays Questionable Content comic?
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Hacking QR Codes for fun
Posted on August 24, 2011 by Jingles | No Comments
I first heard about QR codes a few years ago, it was mentioned briefly in a magazine. Being curious and the geek that I am I decided to investigate. Once I discovered what QR codes were and what could be done with them I started experimenting with them. [Read more...]
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Computer nomenclature
Posted on August 23, 2011 by Jingles | No Comments
People name their cars computer geeks name their PCs, gadgets and devices. They even have naming conventions. I like to name my PCs, gadgets and devices after characters or objects from my favourite SciFi shows.
Gaming rig – Talon from Farscape.
ASUS laptop – Pike, a Diagnostic Repair Drone from Farscape.
Dell laptop – 1812 another DRD from Farscape.
HTPC - Xev from Lexx.
Mums laptop – Noranti from Farscape.
Dads desktop – KaDargo from Farscape.
NAS – Moya from Farscape.
Router – Pilot from Farscape.
HTC Desire HD – Starbug from Red Dwarf.
Do you name your PCs and gadgets and devices? How do you name them? Leave a comment.
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Hackers hack, crackers crack
Posted on August 22, 2011 by Jingles | No Comments
What’s the first thing you think of when you hear or read the word ‘hacker’, ‘hacking’ or ‘hack’?
Did you think of the News of the World phone hacking scandal, Anonymous, LulzSec, Possibly Julian Assange or David Cecil AKA Evil, if you are geek enough then maybe it’s Kevin Poulsen or Kevin Mitnick. But you would be wrong, it’s not your fault you have been mind raped (start watching @ 3:05) by Hollywood and the media, they have everyone’s mind their bitch. [Read more...]
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LOL cats rot your brain and increases productivity
Posted on August 20, 2011 by Jingles | No Comments
“I Can Has Cheezburger” LOL cat memes might not rot your brain but a study entitled “The IT way of loafing on the job: cyberloafing, neutralizing and organizational justice” has found that cyberloafing can actually increase productivity instead of decreasing productivity. [Read more...]
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I'm Jingles, I'm like the Keith Miller of geeks, i.e. an all rounder, I'm a web scientist, an A+ certified (it means I'm not a “noob”) computer technician, and this is my blog. I'm your curator of all things awesome, cool and geeky on and off the net. More...
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