Jan
28
Recently MegaUpload.com, one of the world’s biggest (if not the biggest) file sharing websites, was taken down by the FBI. Due to it’s extensive use as a means of distributing software, music, videos, etc. illegally, it became a target for the government in an attempt to crackdown online piracy. MegaUpload wasn’t necessarily designed specifically for piracy reasons, it was just a way to share any file with anyone online. The government tried to argue that the reason they cracked down on MegaUpload was because copyright claims were being ignored when artists would ask MegaUpload to remove the illegal content.
Now, when users attempt to go to MegaUpload.com, they are greeted with the standard FBI warning:
The owner of MegaUpload had an estimated 50 million USD in assets seized by the FBI (which is strange to me seeing how he’s located in New Zealand). He was believed to have been making over 40 million USD a year in revenue from MegaUpload alone. There are pictures floating around online showing his cars (with license plates like MAFIA, POLICE, etc.) being hauled off, as well as pictures of his very large state which even has giraffes roaming the property.
In terms of file sharing websites, there are many alternatives to MegaUpload available, and new ones will probably emerge now that MegaUpload has bitten the dust.
What I’m concerned about is if the crackdown on these types of websites will continue. That isn’t to say I spend my time online searching for copyrighted content to steal, but one of my most frequently visited websites is Grooveshark.com, which I have written about before. Grooveshark is a fantastic website where you can find high quality versions of almost all music and stream it free of charge. I’m not entirely sure how they are able to financially compensate the artists or if they are even trying to, but the latter could end up making Grooveshark a target for the FBI in the future if they aren’t.
Jan
22
Guest post from: Steve Delaney
We didn’t do much for New Year’s this year. Every other year that I can remember we were out and about. We usually go bar hopping with our friends dressed in our most glittery attire. Unfortunately, my husband had to work on New Year’s Day this year because it was after a weekend. We ended up having a low key New Year’s Eve. We watched the ball drop in Times Square on directv georgia. We watched the whole New Year’s show. I made a great dinner of prime rib, garlic mashed potatoes, and green beans. We enjoyed a bottle of wine and then a glass of champagne. We went to bed by twelve thirty. Even though our New Year’s Eve was low key, I really enjoyed it. We spent a lot of quality time together. Who knows, I think that I would actually be content next New Year’s Eve doing the same thing. I just hope that the next artist that they have at Time’s Square is not Justin Beiber. I am just a little too old to be a huge Beibs fan.
Jan
14
I started playing World of Warcraft again when the most recent patch 4.3 went live on the servers and the game is still pretty fun even after all these years. Graphics wise, the game is not competitive anymore with newer games such as Skyrim and the upcoming Guild Wars 2, but WoW still has the gameplay that those other games fail to surpass. What many people don’t realize about World of Warcraft is that the game is not focused on the leveling a new player would spend their first few months doing, but what you spend your time on after hitting the level cap. Raids and Player vs. Player (PvP) are the primary ways of spending time on the game after hitting the level cap.
With the release of 4.3, raids are now available to more casual players. You no longer need to make WoW a job by dedicating 8pm-12pm 4 nights a week to progression raids. The way this was accomplished was by making an alternative version of the current raid tier available for a queue (much like one would queue for a battleground). The queue would take the person into a raid with 25 other players, and together they fight to clear a toned down version of the raid. The raid difficulty is called LFR (looking for raid) and provides gear slightly better than what one could obtain through heroics, including a scaled down version of the currently available tier. This type of gear was not always fully available to players in previous content.
PvP hasn’t changed all that much recently, but it still holds entertainment value. However, I think PvP more than anything exemplifies a lot of the problems WoW faces with class balance, as certain classes hold a distinct advantage over others in a majority of PvP content. Blizzard is slowly but surely addressing these imbalances, but probably slower than one would like if their main focus in the game was PvP. The argument Blizzard uses against adjusting class abilities for PvP is that there would be consequences for the same classes people use in raid environments. That said, players playing ranged classes have had a distinct advantage over melee (most of the time) for some time now in both PvE and PvP so it remains unclear why Blizzard has waited so long (and continues to wait) to tweak things out a bit better.
Despite it’s popularity, convincing someone to play World of Warcraft has been seemingly impossible to me. It can consume a lot of time if played compulsively, but the same can hold true for any game. Lately, I find myself playing it not only for the content but for the social aspect as well. Sometimes it’s nice to go on and communicate with some friends in a non-IM environment.
Jan
8
The best boots that you will find anywhere, that are good for just about anything, are not found in the, United States, Canada, or China for that matter. They are found at the Blundstone boots factory in Tasmania, Australia, that has been pumping out these amazing boots for about one hundred fifty years now. Blundstone Boots are the very finest quality, and fit just right without any of the hassles that come with laces and plain rubber duck boots. They feature a unique elastic design that features an elastic piece of fabric running up the middle of your ankle to the top and allows for a wonderful fit, and easy taking on and off, with minimal damaging friction. They also stay on very well because as soon as your foot is through the elastics squeeze firmly but no where near to firmly to your legs. These boots are so subtle you probably won’t know you are wearing boots until you are in a situation that requires boots!
Blundstone Alternatives
If you’re simply looking for a good alternative to Blundstones, there are a number of Australian boot designers to choose from. Here is a short list of reputable brands that are worth considering when searching for an alternative to Blunnies:
Jan
8
 If you need a powerful aquatic non-selective weed killer Rodeo weed killer could be the stuff for you. Rodeo weed killer is great for any kind of aquatic weed control. If you need to clear out a lagoon infested with weeds and other plants to make it usable or to control the stench it gives off this stuff is perfect. It is non-selective meaning it will kill all green things in a high enough concentration, and is supposedly safe for most living things that do not carry out photosynthesis. I have used this on a body of water so thickly full of weeds and other aquatic vegetation you could barely tell it was water any more. I hit it with some Rodeo herbicide and it cleared right up. It was so thick however I soon had another problem to deal with, and that was the stench of thousands of decaying plants in water under the hot sun. Make sure you plan the cleanup part as well as how you are going to clear the body of water!
Rodeo Weed Killer, King of Aquatic Weed Killers
Did you know that you can control weeds in ponds, lakes, swamps, and any other body of water as easily if not more easily than controlling them on your land? Rodeo weed killer makes it a snap and it gets into the soil quickly making quick work of just about any green vegetation growing in the water as it is a non-selective aquatic weed controller. This weed killer is also great for ponds and swamps because it works on shrubs, bushes, and grasses commonly found along the edge of ponds and swamps. If your pond is getting reclaimed by the land it is time to hit it with some Rodeo weed killer. A word of warning however, while it is very easy to use, one must, I repeat MUST have a plan to get the dead weeds and plants out, otherwise you are going to end up with a toxic dead soup that stinks like you can’t even imagine and will be inhospitable to life.
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