Interesting…

5 05 2009

I was looking through my old blog entries from when I first started blogging.  Primarily until a few years ago it was more of a personal journal, but now it’s more of a forum for my social commentary.  I came across something I posted back in February 2005.  It was the results of a political quiz, where you take the quiz and it tells you what party you tend to believe in.  This is the entry:

http://thesilent5.net/?p=101

I decided to take the test again and find out how I rate now.  It was interesting to see the comparison!

Kris in February 2005

You scored as Republican.

Republican
83%
Anarchism
67%
Democrat
58%
Socialist
58%
Nazi
33%
Communism
25%
Green
17%
Fascism
0%

Kris in May of 2009

You scored as Socialist.

Socialist
67%
Anarchism
58%
Democrat
58%
Communism
50%
Green
42%
Republican
25%
Fascism
8%
Nazi
8%

I knew I had definitely swayed from the Republican side, but I would have thought that I would be a little more Democrat. The Socialist thing doesn’t surprise me too much. Does that worry any of you?

It’s difficult to pin down what really changed in me or what happened to sway my view.  In the last few years I have switched teams on certain issues.  I realized that I only held onto the views because my family believed them, but something in me always instinctively wanted to disagree.

I remember the night my country started boming Baghdad, and I felt proud.  Looking back I am ashamed of who I was, to really believe that this was to secure safety for my country.  I have witnessed the party I used to belong to become the very evil they claimed to be fighting.  It’s disgusting to me that our society and government protects the corporations and businessmen that bilk and extort the lesser classes for all they are worth.  Wasn’t the American dream to become successful?  To be whatever you want to be?  Now it seems like the American dream is to start a company and begin raking in the money that you decieved out of the hands of others.  I can’t agree with the existing system, so yes, I have changed.  Interesting indeed…



Microsoft Announces Windows 7’s New Name

4 05 2009

In an effort to repair the damage done by Windows Vista, Microsoft began preparing another operating system.  Lazily named Windows 7, Microsoft decided to work more on the flaws of their operating system instead of its marketability.  This time there wouldn’t be any inspiring OS name like, Millennium or Vista.  Instead a quiet homage to one of their biggest successes, Windows 3.1.  Well that is all about to change.  It seems the OS name has been modified to embody the hopes that Microsoft has for it’s product to succeed and bring faith back to the Microsoft brand.  They believe this OS will fix all their problems, and restore the economic situation for the corporation.  The announcement will be officially made with a full page ad placed in the New York Times scheduled to run on Sunday.  This is the ad.

Windows Obama

To quote Randy Marsh of South Park Colorado, “Yeah!  Chaaaaaaaaaange!”

In all seriousness no matter what OS Microsoft decides to push on us, with whatever name, it’s going to be bad.  Unless they completely re-approach how their operating system works they will forever suck.  As fun as Vista is to try and trick your computer into working for you, Windows 7 will still give me the same problems.  Trust me I tried to keep an open mind…  I installed it on a VM and began testing it out, but quickly found that it’s the same garbage that vista was.  I hate using wizards to configure my computer, and hate even more having to consult actual wizzzzzzzzards to learn how to use your stupid OS.  Nothing is where it should be, or where previous Windows users are accustomed to.  Please Microsoft, if you have a control panel, make every system setting available in the control panel, and no more of the side bar crap either!  I also don’t want an OS for Dummies.  See gthing’s blog article about that.  http://gthing.net/windows-7-makes-me-want-kill-myself

To make my point, no amount of media love will give me confidence in your OS.  Please make a change, and not the same thing with a new face.



Swine Flu

27 04 2009

After spending the week in San Antonio, where a case of Swine Flu has been verified, I have been paying attention to what is happening.

This perfectly describes the pandemonium I have witnessed since looking online for it.



Definition of MLM’s

3 04 2009
define:MLM

Mormons Leveraging Mormons



I’m praying for you guys!

9 03 2009

We find you guilty of closing your torrents as soon as they finish.  Your sentence is unremovable Hungarian subtitles on everything.

I don’t know if any of you are following The Pirate Bay trial, but the prosecution and defense have both rested and now we are waiting on the Judge’s ruling.  I’m not necessarily in favor or piracy, but I am in favor of copyright reform, and consumer rights when it comes to digital media.

Wait, what am I talking about?  I am in favor of piracy.



Only 2 Months Left!

6 03 2009

This is obviously something I have been looking forward to for quite some time, and this new trailer only got me more excited!  The new Star Trek film will be released on May 8th, and it can’t come any sooner for me.  It is easily the thing I have looked forward to most this year.  It even beat out 10 digit dialing being rolled out in Utah for this nerd!

I propose a mass viewing of this film.  Who is in?



What the….????

27 02 2009

Dear John L. Valentine.  You are an elected official, not a morality enforcer.

Mr John L. Valentine a Utah State senator from my home town of Orem, UT has proposed S. B. 187 which will be debated on the floor after a unanimous committee vote.  The bill would require all restaurants in Utah to remove anything resembling a bar, and would force bartenders to mix drinks behind a 10 foot wall.  Mr. Valentine is said the bill is intended to remove anything that resembles a bar from restaurants.

I can’t say I see a reason.  Again, I don’t drink, but I still fail to see how this is a good thing.  On top of this ridiculous addendum to Utah’s already too strict liquor law, this bill would also make it illegal to appear drunk.  Not legally drunk mind you, but to appear drunk.  I don’t know about you, but half of my elders quorum appear drunk by the end of the Sunday church block. I believe that all this bill would do is convince restaurant franchises like Applebee’s, Chili’s and TGIFriday’s to throw in the towel when it comes to expanding in Utah.

Utah has just made progress too, by eliminating the requirement to be a private club to serve alcohol in clubs or bars, but then this pops up.

If you don’t believe me, read for yourself.  You can find any bill at the state web page, Utah.gov.

Here is a link to the bill in question: http://le.utah.gov/~2009/bills/sbillint/sb0187.htm

It gets really good between lines 1418 and 1434.

Oh, and here is Douche-bag Valentine’s email addy.

jvalentine@utahsenate.org

Please tell him what you think.



Slumdog Millionaire and How the MPAA Failed Us…Again

5 02 2009

Yesterday I had the opportunity to watch the Oscar nominated film, Slumdog Millionaire.  Every January I attempt to watch each film nominated for best picture.  One of the unfortunate things about living in Utah County is the fact that most films nominated for best picture often don’t play here, same goes for independent films.  Some are even lucky to play at the Tower Theater in SLC.  The Tower does a great job of running these films, but sometimes I still miss out.

So far I have only seen two best picture films in their entirety, and one film was so boring I had to abandon my first attempt.  Slumdog Millionaire was definitely not the one I had to try to watch twice.  I was thoroughly engaged by the film from the first scene.  Director Danny Boyle has a habit of doing that to me with the first 5 minutes of a film.  Sunshine and 28 Days Later are prime examples of that.  I highly recommend it to all my friends, but this is not why I’m writing this article.

It’s no secret to many of my distaste for the MPAA and the system of rating films in this country.  Here are a couple of facts to chew on.

  1. The American rating system is the only ratings system in the world in which the identities of the raters themselves is unknown.  There is no system or ability to keep the MPAA in check without these identities.
  2. There is no standard for rating films.  The 2 F-word rule is a myth, proven by many films rated PG-13 or even PG which contain numerous uses of the F-word.  Nudity is not an automatic R which has been proven.  Doc Hollywood, Titanic, Airplane!, Sixteen Candles, and National Lampoon’s European Vacation are all examples of films with exposed female breasts, which received a rating of PG-13 or less.  Sixteen Candles and Airplane! were rated PG.  The PG-13 certification did not exist until late 1984.
  3. Films are rated based on the opinion of the rater themselves.  They give their rating opinion, but again don’t have any standard or guideline to follow.
  4. Films ratings can be appealed by the director or producing company.  However when making your appeal you are not allowed to use previous films as a reference to make your case.  If you fail you can edit your film and resubmit it for rating.

Slumdog Millionaire was given an R certification by the MPAA, and I am hard pressed to find a reason.  There is absolutely no sex, and no female nudity (there is a brief moment where you see the naked rear of a boy).  ZERO F-WORDS, in fact very little language, and no violence in which any blood was depicted.  This is an inspiring story about love and dedication.  Far less abrasive than the borderline PG-13, The Dark Knight.

There have been many accusations made by independent film makers, claiming that there is a double standard for studio films as opposed to Independent films.  Slumdog happens to be an independent production.  Film makers allege that the relationship between the big studios and the MPAA garners leniency on their films.

One example is Matt Stone and Trey Parker.  You may know them as the unruly creators of South Park.  Before South Park was in production they made an independent film called Orgazmo, about an LDS missionary turned porn star to earn enough money to get married in the Mormon temple.  Orgazmo was initially given an NC-17 rating.  When they asked the MPAA what could be edited from the film to earn an R certification, the MPAA said couldn’t be specific because they wanted to avoid being labeled as a ‘censor group’.  However when they created the film South Park: Bigger, Longer, and Uncut they again received an NC-17 rating, but this time they were backed by Paramount and they got specific instructions on what to cut to earn an R rating.  Interesting enough when they created Team America: World Police they purposely included obscene footage to put them over the top to receive an NC-17.  They then edited the the film as they originally intended and got an R certification.

I believe that if the makers of Slumdog Millionaire weren’t rushed to release the film, to be a contender for the Oscars, they would have appealed the certification and won.  This film is a classic example of the kind of movies that we need more and more of, and it should be accessible to a broader audience.  I’m tired of frivolous movies that don’t seem to have an underlying moral.  If one more Saw movie is made, I think I may just have to give up hope on the minds of this nation.  We need more thinkers and less takers.

I may have mentioned this before, but a great documentary on the MPAA ratings system is available called, This Film Is Not Yet Rated.  Please approach it with strong caution as it was given an NC-17 rating itself.  Don’t say I didn’t warn you.



My Most Anticipated Album of 2009

4 02 2009

Manchester Orchestra - Mean Everything to Nothing

If you like this band or even like music, which I’m pretty sure all of you do, you will be compelled to add this one to your regular rotation schedule.  I’m hoping to get my hands on an advanced copy, to review for you.

The album is due out April 21, 2009 and will contain these 12 glorious tracks.

  1. The Only One
  2. Shake It Out
  3. I’ve Got Friends
  4. Pride
  5. In My Teeth
  6. 100 Dollars
  7. I Can Feel A Hot One
  8. My Friend Marcus
  9. Tony the Tiger
  10. Everything to Nothing
  11. The River
  12. Jimmy Whispers (hidden track)

If you really need to get a taste of what is to come on the new record hop on over to Spinner.com today for the MP3 of the day.  Track 3, I’ve Got Friends, is the featured MP3.  Here are the necessary links:

Article

MP3

Track 7, I Can Feel A Hot One, was featured on their limited EP Let My Pride Be What’s Left Behind.  I only hope you were as lucky as I was to get my hands on the that one.



[kr5is@thesilent5.net ~]# yum list updates

7 01 2009
Loading "fastestmirror" plugin
Loading mirror speeds from cached hostfile
 * rpmforge: ftp-stud.fht-esslingen.de
 * base: mirror.hmc.edu
 * updates: mirrors.tummy.com
 * centosplus: pubmirrors.reflected.net
 * addons: linux.mirrors.es.net
 * extras: mirrors.tummy.com
Updated Packages
Got_A_New_XBox.i386                      360.2.0.el5_2.2        updates
Need_A_Vacation.i386                     2.0.6-6.el5_2.2        updates
Yeah!_Obama!.i386                        1.20.2008.el5.rf       rpmforge
Linux_CentOS_Is_Cool.i386                1.0.3-4.el5_2          updates
Im_A_Phase10_Addict.i386                 1.0.3-4.el5_2          updates
Looking_For_New_Job.i386                 5.0.el5_2              updates
[kr5is@thesilent5.net ~]# yum update Linux_CentOS_Is_Cool
Loading “fastestmirror” plugin
Loading mirror speeds from cached hostfile
 * rpmforge: ftp-stud.fht-esslingen.de
 * base: mirror.hmc.edu
 * updates: mirrors.tummy.com
 * centosplus: pubmirrors.reflected.net
 * addons: linux.mirrors.es.net
 * extras: mirrors.tummy.com
Setting up Update Process
Resolving Dependencies
–> Running transaction check
—> Package Linux_CentOS_Is_Cool.i386 0:1.0.3-4.el5_2 set to be updated
–> Finished Dependency Resolution
Dependencies Resolved

=============================================================================
 Package                 Arch       Version          Repository        Size
=============================================================================
Updating:
 Linux_CentOS_Is_Cool    i386       1.0.3-4.el5_2    updates            12 M

Transaction Summary
=============================================================================
Install      0 Package(s)
Update       1 Package(s)
Remove       0 Package(s)

Total download size: 12 M
Is this ok [y/N]: y
Downloading Packages:
(1/1): Linux_CentOS_Is_Cool-1.0.3-4.el 100% |===============|  12 MB    00:02
Running rpm_check_debug
Running Transaction Test
Finished Transaction Test
Transaction Test Succeeded
Running Transaction
  Updating  : Linux_CentOS_Is_Cool         ######################### [1/2]
  Cleanup   : Linux_CentOS_Is_Cool         ######################### [2/2]
Updated: Linux_CentOS_Is_Cool.i386 0:1.0.3-4.el5_2
Complete!
[kr5is@thesilent5.net ~]# ./lic.sh

It may be obvious to some that I have been using way too much Linux these days. I remember hearing that one of the signs that parents should watch for if they suspect their child is a hacker, is a word called Linux. Apparently Linux is a hacker’s operating system. I think today’s parents have more to worry about than their children being hackers. I have seen both movies, which taught me immensely bout the life of being a hacker. Using Hollywood as my social and political encyclopedia has yet to fail me!

I promise a few chuckles if you read through and can understand the commands above. I recently had to run updates on my server. Something like 76 of them. I thought it would be cute sweet to start an article that way.  It sure beats the snot out of update.exe!

In my recent escapades with Linux I runined a SQL database server at work by deleting one of the 3 root user authentications.  Who knew.  I managed to fix it and restore all the tables to the original state, and felt pretty dumb for a day or so.  Not only did I have to completely reinstall MySQL, but Qmail and other products that are used by my client.  It’s not one of my finest moments.

While I have been mostly doing all this for work, I have had some time to use it on my own server which you are utilzing right now.  It’s actually a VM on a Virtual Server.  I really want to host my own server instead of running on someone elses.  But that takes money, and more money.  While I like how affordable Linux servers are, I still don’t think I can bring myself to use it as a full time client.  I love my Mac OS X way too much.  But I know I can have some awesome things going on between a Linux server and a Mac OS client.  My brain has been a flutter with ambitious thoughts.  None of which I have the skills to pull off -yet.  But there are a few things I have to do first.

  1. Teach Myself PHP
  2. Learn More Linux
  3. Learn how to code and compile programs for Linux
  4. Create a Linux Mail Application to Compete with MS Exchange’s Features
  5. Go Down In History as a GNU Hero

Ambitious?  Yes.  Possible?  Unlikely.  But I can dream can’t I?

Linux is fun, but chew on this.  Contrary to what Microsoft wants you to believe, the world runs on Linux.  Not as many computer run Linux as the primary operating system, but most of the web pages you visit are running on a Linux server.  The vast majority of servers online are Linux servers.  I guess hackers do run the world!