Friday, February 27, 2009

Brilliant Advertising from Ameriquest Mortgage

Normally I hate sharing anything that involves advertising, but for this I had to made an exception.  Whomever did the advertising for the Ameriquest Mortgage Company are fucking brilliant.  Kudos.

[flashvideo file=http://mitalis-videos.s3.amazonaws.com/dont-judge-too-quickly.flv /]

Time Warner Internet been getting DDoS attacked for a week, finally releases a statement notifying customers

[caption id="attachment_1542" align="alignright" width="350" caption="Picture speaks for itself"]Picture speaks for itself[/caption]

I can't help but laugh at my all friends whom are Time Warner customers.  Every once in a while I witness my friends disconnect from our VOIP service Ventrilo, Steam, and WoW at the same time.  It's just not one friend whom it happens to, it's 4 of them that all use the same ISP, Time Warner Cable.  They all disconnect and reconnect at the same time.  My one friend in particular Kyle, commented saying that he never had any major issue with them before, and they've been reliable for the most part.  Except for like 3 weeks ago when he couldn't connect to WoW at all.  But my other friends, Pio, John, and Ralph all seem to have connectivity issues on a regular basis.

Hell even my boss has Time Warner.  She came into the office this morning saying that she was unable to load her website and called our hosting provider Rackspace asking if our site was down, where they told her the connectivity issue was on her end.

Time Warner for the past week has been getting bombarded with DDoS attacks.  ISPs deal with this sort of thing all the time.  However given the magnitude of this attack, Time Warner has been having a hard time blocking it.  Seeing as the attack is still happening as we speak, their network has been going at a snails pace.  Time Warner finally had came out and released a statement as to what's been going on:
Official Statement From Time Warner Cable re: Southern California DNS Outages

Over the past 7 days, hackers have launched a series of DOS attacks on Time Warner Cable's DNS servers, affecting customer experience in our Southern California and National regions. Subscribers in those areas would have seen intermittent "page cannot be displayed" errors as their DNS queries timed out. The outage did not result in DNS services being 100% unavailable; the outage was limited to sporadic timeouts which appeared to be random events.

These attacks are not uncommon, especially for a network as large as ours. However, this particular series of attacks has been larger and more difficult to contain than similar attacks in the past. We suspect that the attackers are using "zombie computers," or hijacking unsuspecting subscribers' machines to perpetuate the attack without its owner's knowledge.

As of 6PM EST on February 24th, we have amplified and expanded early detection and response to this sort of problem.

Customers who want to prevent their computers from being used in this sort of attack should make sure that their anti-virus and firewall software are up to date.

We apologize for any inconvenience this may have caused. Please know that we are currently working with the help of law enforcement to bring these attackers to justice.

It's my guess that somebody out there isn't happy with Time Warner, and this attack is probably his way of getting revenge.

If you are still affected from this attack then the only suggestion I can give is to change your DNS servers.

I use a free resource online called OpenDNS.  You can change your DNS settings by logging into your router, and inputting in the numbers they provide.  This should at least get you around the DNS issues Time Warner has with thier servers.  This should let you view websites much quicker.

P.S. I in no way, shape, or form take responsibility if you screw up any settings attempting to change your DNS.

Thursday, February 26, 2009

Sprint's Blackberry team responds regarding MMS protocol

[caption id="attachment_1498" align="alignright" width="212" caption="Sprint Blackberries will never have true MMS for technical reasons."]Sprint Blackberries will never have true MMS for technical reasons.[/caption]

I find it quite frustrating that their Blackberry team even took those still running the Blackberry O/S 4.3 into consideration when they decided to implement MMS.  If O/S 4.3 didn't technically support the MMS protocol from the beginning, then these people shouldn't have had Sprint's half-assed MMS capability at the start.  If they're not willing to upgrade their phones for whatever reason, then they shouldn't be entitled to have these features.

In all honesty, I don't know why anybody would NOT want to update their phone.  O/S 4.3 lacked alot of standard things that had to be filled using third party software.  BBSmart E-mail Viewer was one of those programs that had to be used if you wanted HTML email.

Considering how other smartphones like the iPhone have been providing HTML email since the beginning, it's surprising that RIM didn't include something standard like this when they launched their Curve phones.

In any event, the Blackberry team from Sprint finally answered back about why MMS was implemented the way it is now:
4.5 software was not delayed due to MMS or PictureMail. As stated in previous updates there were some issues in the core code of the software we had to work on with RIM. We released the software as soon as they were resolved.

MMS for inbound messages is working as designed. While the user experience might require an extra click to access the MMS content, it is the best design that could be delivered with the current software configuration. Configuration of inbound MMS is not a per-device setting, and can only be enabled as a global setting.

In developing 4.5/MMS, we had to consider how the upgrade would affect all of our BlackBerry customers, particularly:

  • Devices with software versions prior to 4.5 would not be able to receive inbound MMS for Sprint.

  • Enterprise customer have certified configurations that would be impacted by a global change.

  • Users who are receiving messages before the software upgrade would lose the capability (if we switched to inbound MMS) and would be forced to call Customer Care for assistance in upgrading to 4.5. (not everyone is intimately aware of all the nuances of MMS features).


Using incoming SMS as a transport to get to PictureMail/MMS was selected because it worked best given the setup. It allows all users (4.5 or not) to receive incoming PictureMail or MMS messages with embedded content, even though the device did not fully support our MMS until after 4.5. We are continuing to evaluate how to get bi-directional MMS down to our devices, but our goal was to provide the best possible customer experience given the situation.

Bottom line: There is no switch to flip and enable inbound MMS for all capable users. We wish it were as easy as pulling a lever.

Arrrrrg.....

Source:

  • BuzzAboutWireless.com - Response from Blackberry team regarding MMS vs PictureMail

Wednesday, February 25, 2009

Company offers unmasking of Caller ID block

[caption id="attachment_1485" align="alignright" width="200" caption="1) You get a blocked call 2) You reject the blocked call, it is then rerouted through TrapCall's servers 3) TrapCall then forwarda the call back to you with the caller ID revealed. "]1) Ever get one of those annoying blocked or restricted calls? 2) Our ultra-high tech servers snap their digital fingers and the convenience begins... 3) A quick Snap! and the unblocked number is instantly sent to your cell phone. No software needed. [/caption]

A company called TrapCall, a subsidiary of TelTech Systems is offering a service (free or paid depending on what package you choose) where they can unmask numbers that are caller ID blocked.

Since the early 1990's, Caller ID, and Caller ID blocking has been around.  All phone carriers are required per the FCC to offer these services.  Those who choose to have their phone number blocked would at times have to unmask their ID for their call to get through by hitting "*67" before dialing the phone number.

However, the way TrapCall handles this process this is different.  Anytime you receive a phone call with Caller ID block, you are supposed to reject the call; at that moment, the call is rerouted through TrapCall's servers where then it's forwarded back to you with the phone number of the recipient.  This whole process is supposed to take up to 6 seconds.

At this time, the service is limited with certain phone carriers. AT&T and T-Mobile were listed among the carriers that TrapCall is currently supports.

Some organizations are not thrilled  about this service.  Cindy Southworth, director of the Safety Net Project at the National Network to End Domestic Violence said:
When Caller ID first came out, phone companies worked very closely with domestic violence advocates to make sure victims could make anonymous calls and this strips away that anonymity.

Anonymity matters in many cases, sometimes women are mandated by a judge to discuss where they're going to drop off the children for visitation and they have to make that call.  Now I'm advising victims to use a third party -- a mother, a sister or a friend -- to make the call and not to trust that their number really is blocked.

Teltech's (parent company of TrapCall) CEO Meir Cohen said this service was made with domestic abuse victims in mind.  "They been complaining that they have stalkers and are getting harassed, so we made a product to unblock Caller ID [so they know who is calling them]."

Revealing Caller ID isn't the only feature that TrapCall offers.  They also have additional services (part of their premium packages) that allow you to record your calls, blacklist unwanted calls, get alerts when you miss calls, obtain a billing names and addresses of the callers,  and transcribe your voicemail messages.  (The voicemail transcription is actually done by individuals not a machine, so beware if you decide to get this feature.)

Cohen also recommended using their other product, SpoofCard which allows you to change your phone number on caller ID so that the recieving end of the phone call will see a spoofed number rather then your actual phone number.

... Doesn't that ultimately defeat the purpose of TrapCall?  Personally I've never known of a company to provide a product that counters a service they offer.

Sources:

http://www.trapcall.com/

Tuesday, February 24, 2009

Photographing Police/Military Personnel now illegal in Britian

No Police PhotosA new British Anti-terrorism law went into effect on Feb 15th stating that any pictures taken of London police or military personnel can be deemed terrorist.

The basis of the law is to is to prevent real terrorists from taking pictures that would assist them in reconnaissance.  Several Civil Liberties groups have been fighting against Britain for years over measures passed that prevented people from being able to do things they once were able to.  In 2005 another law was passed that made it illegal to have demonstrations near Parliament.

Britain officials stated that the law is to protect police officers when conducting counterterrorism operations.  However with that said, many officers in the past have threatened those whom photographed them with arrest if they didn't put their camera away, now it's the law.

Jess Hurd, a freelance photographer was stopped by police when photographing a wedding of Irish travelers, which ironically was about how the travelers whom roam from site to site, often face harassment from the police.

Those choosing to resist arrest from the law could spend up to 10 years in jail.

For some reason, when I picture the concept of this law, I picture some lawmaker sitting down watching a movie of some professional stalker taking numerous pictures of his target, and then concluding: "Oh hey! He's a bad guy!  That must mean all people that photograph stuff are terrorists!"  That's bullshit.

I sincerely hope that our country doesn't reach this point where all our first amendment rights are taken away because of "terrorism."  It seems now whenever any lawmaker comes up with new legislation putting a ban or restriction on something "terrorism" is involved in some way, shape, or form.

Source:

Sunday, February 22, 2009

Blizzard... You guys are fucking greedy sell outs

Hey Guyz!  L3ts maik as much $$ as we can!




[caption id="attachment_1447" align="alignright" width="120" caption="This sidebar in my opinion is a pretty accurate representation of what Blizzard has become since the merge with Activision (devil picture of Kotick originates from Ars Technica)"]This sidebar in my opinion is a pretty accurate representation of what Blizzard has become since the merge with Activision[/caption]

Ok Blizzard, what the fuck...

Are those advertisements I see on the WorldofWarcraft.com website?  Why?  Why do you need ads on your website?  You make millions of dollars DAILY from recurring World of Warcraft subscriptions.  Why in the fuck do you feel the need to advertise third party shit to us when we already pay you money?  The only people that actually visit your website are those that play your game.  Is it because we're not paying you enough money that you need to come up with new ways to generate MORE revenue from us in other ways?  The fucking ads aren't even relevant to YOUR game!

I just don't get it.  You offered the option for us to change our character names for $10; you offered us the option to transfer between realms so we can play with our friends for $25; hell you even added in the option to let us change our character names, as well as their SEX for $25.  That's fine!  I can understand the reasoning behind these types of decisions because they're optional convenience fees, and they're also services that are revalent to your game.

When I saw the ads appear on your forums, I was hoping that this was a temporary thing.  The ads we saw then were at least somewhat relevant to what your game offered.

You guys decided to merge with Activision to where you guys now are now call yourselves Activision-Blizzard.  Activision alone made millions with popular games like Guitar Hero, and Call of Duty 4, and despite the success of these games, even their websites don't have ads on them.

You know what this means, it means you guys are fucking SELLOUTS.  None of your other websites like Battle.net, Diablo II, have ads advertising cell phones, credit cards or pizza.  Sure other websites have banner links to WorldofWarcraft.com, but I wouldn't count those as ads because it all ties together with your company offers.

It's not very hard to connect the dots here.  Ever since this merger, you guys have started doing things that the old Blizzard would never do.  Should I point the finger at the new CEO, Bobby Kotick?  Ars Technica pointed out alot of things that reflect upon this guy and upon reading up on these articles, I'd say that his way of doing business by milking out everything he can is certainly showing.

Ars Technica's excerpt on Bobby Kotick:
The only reason we care about him is that he makes a ton of money, and yes, that's great for business. I get that. But usually, when you put the devil in charge, you have the good graces to at least keep a smooth-talking demon or two around to deal with the press. With Kotick, he's very brazen about his need to squeeze every last dollar he can out of every franchise under the Activision Blizzard label. He wants to exploit his games. He wants to make sure he has a sequel every year, and don't forget the Wii and DS ports. Why have one StarCraft game if you can have three? Just because people are used to Battle.net being free doesn't mean you can't find some way to make more money from the service.

What's next? What other unnecessary method are you guys going to come up with to bring in more cash?  In-game advertising?   You might as well start now because you guys already seem to be heading in that direction.  You guys are the #1 successful gaming company in this nation, you made a 92% increase in net revenue compared to the prior year.  I don't like what I'm seeing here, the latest WoW patch 3.0.8 was a complete disaster, you guys seemed to have shifted your focus from quality, to "how much money can we make.?"

Thank god for Adblock on Firefox.

Oh did you notice how cluttered this particular blog post looked?  I had to make a point by doing exactly what Blizzard did to their website...  Looks like shit doesn't it?

Sources:

See?  I too can clutter up shit with shit that nobody will ever click on.

Thursday, February 19, 2009

The new Palm Pre phone has my attention

[caption id="attachment_1363" align="alignright" width="200" caption="Palm Pre"]Palm Pre[/caption]

CES happened happened not too long ago and one particular product certainly had its time in the spotlight.

Palm announced their new product which they showed off at CES, a smartphone they call the Palm Pre.  This was Palm's last ditch attempt to regain their ground since PDA's are being replaced with smartphones (iPhone, Blackberry, HTC Mogul, etc..).

The Palm Pre is scheduled to be released the late second quarter of this year.  Sprint will be the exclusive carrier for this phone upon launch.

Here are the announced specifications for this phone:

  • Operating System: Palm webOS

  • Network: 3G EVDO Rev A (GSM Network will also be included in a separate model to be released sometime afterward)

  • CPU: Texas Instruments OMAP 3430 Processor (almost comparable to the Intel Atom CPU  you'd find in todays Netbooks)

  • Display: 3.1 inch touch screen with a vibrant 24-bit color 320x240 resolution HVGA

  • Physical QWERTY keyboard

  • Email Capability: Microsoft Outlook w/ Microsoft Direct Push technology, POP3/IMAP, Yahoo! Gmail, AOL, etc...

  • Messaging: Integrated Instant Messaging, including, AOL/ICQ, Yahoo, Live, GTalk, SMS and MMS protocol

  • Built in GPS (GPS software will be reliant upon 3rd party software like Telenav or Google Maps)

  • 3 megapixel camera with LED flash and extended depth of field

  • Sensors: Ambient Light, accelemoter, and proximity

  • 3.5mm headphone stereo jack

  • Supported audio formats: MP3, AAC, AAC+, AMR, QCELP, WAV

  • Supported video formats: MPEG-4, H.263, H.264

  • Supported image formats: animated GIFs, JPEG, PNG, BMP

  • Wireless Connectivity: Wi-Fi 802.11b/g with WPA, WPA2, 802.11X authentication Bluetooth 2/1-EDR with A2DP stereo Bluetooth support

  • Memory: 8GB storage (approx 7.4GB available) USB Mass Storage support

  • Phone as Modem (tethering)

  • Charging Dock

  • Dimensions:

    • Width: 59.5 mm (2.34 inches)

    • Height: 100.5 mm (3.95 inches)

    • Thickness: 16.95 mm (0.66 inches)

    • Weight: 135 grams (4.76 ounces)




I would also like to note that this phone WILL support Adobe FLASH according to the Business Wire PR.  This feature alone is a huge selling point for me as alot of content that I frequently access uses Flash.  The negative is support for Flash won't be available upon release until the end of this year (or so what PreCentral.net says).

While my Blackberry is a great messaging tool, (despite the fact that Sprint has still borked the MMS capabilities) I would like the ability to do more with my phone if I can have that option.  You might say go with the iPhone, but I refuse because for starters, I hate AT&T with a passion, and second because the iPhone lacks a true QWERTY keyboard.  No mobile/smartphone in the U.S. currently has support for Flash, although this is also due to the limitation of hardware that most smartphones use.  The Palm Pre CPU (made by Texas Instruments) is supposedly capable of being able to handle 720p HD video, if that's the case then it shouldn't have any trouble processing/rendering Flash.

I like my Blackberry for the most part, however I'm a bit put off when  90% of the features my phone has can't be utilized due to the incompetence of RIM whenever they have server issues.  Last Friday was a perfect example.  I needed to go pick up a friend of mine, and I was relying on my phone to provide me directions to get to her place, at that exact moment, my phone lost data coverage and I was unable to pull up the location as to where she was.  I was really depending on my phone at that time, but was unable to do so, further complicating what should have been a simple task.

The details as to how the Palm Pre will be storing/recieving information through this "synergy" method that Palm keeps talking about still hasn't been announced.  After watching the CES preview of the Palm Pre, something tells me it's going to work the same way where all the data information runs through a centralized server, and streams whatever data you request to the phone.  If that's the case, I can only hope that their server infrastructure is better setup then RIM's.

That one annoying person you know online...

I'm sure everybody has that one friend on Facebook or MySpace that has a tendency to post several news/bulletins a day about some shit which 99% of us could give a crap about.  I certainly know of one person that does exactly this.  I just happened to stumble across this picture that I think fits their personality perfectly... In fact it might actually be their car.

[caption id="attachment_1423" align="aligncenter" width="550" caption="The car of that annoying person on your Facebook/MySpace (click image to view actual size)"]annoying-persons-car[/caption]

Wednesday, February 18, 2009

Facebook reverts their Terms of Service

[caption id="attachment_1414" align="alignright" width="183" caption="Facebook decided to save face and back out on overstepping thier boundaries."]Facebook decided to save face and back out on overstepping thier boundaries.[/caption]

It didn't take them very long to change their minds did it?  I totally made the call on this.   So basically Facebook reversed their decision claiming they have the right the license any information about you regardless if you choose to close your account.

It's pretty sad when a company like Facebook attempts to sell out those whom don't want to be a part of their community anymore.  All things considered, anybody who chooses to have an active Facebook account is agreeing to that Facebook can sell your information, but if you decide you don't agree with that policy anymore, then it should be your right not to want Facebook to sell out your information afterwards.

Ok now that that's settled, we can continue on with our normal lives.

Tuesday, February 17, 2009

Facebook's change in Terms of Service sparks backlash

[caption id="attachment_1369" align="alignright" width="250" caption="Facebook is still shady"]Facebook is Shady[/caption]

I mentioned a couple days ago about Facebook changing their Terms of Service stating that they can keep your information forever regardless if you cancel your account or not and sublicence your information to third parties if they wish to do so.

14 days later, after Facebook made those changes to their Terms of Service, people finally catch on about these changes and now alot of people are unhappy.  Facebook founder, Mark Zuckerberg further clarified the changes.
On Facebook, people post their information and control who they share it with.  When you choose to share your photos, messages, or status with your friends, you're granting Facebook a license so that the site can pass that information along to authorized friends.  Without that license, we wouldn't be help people share that information.

He continues on saying that the terms were changed this way because if a user chooses to close their profile, their friends still have that information about that user.
Even if the person deactivates their account, their friend still has a copy of that message... We think this is the right way for Facebook to work, and it is consistent with out other services like e-mail work.  This is one of the reasons we updated our terms was to make this more clear."

I'm personally calling bullshit on this.  I think it is the right of the individual to have the option to erase ALL information/history associated with their profile including any information about them that may be on their friends account.  This type of feature shouldn't be hard for them to implement at all, as any information your friends may get from you is pulled from your profile.   Rather then come up with his lame excuse, Zuckerburg should give the Facebook community that option if/when they shut down their account.

I'm going to be keeping my eye on this story as this event unfolds.  In all honesty, I'd be surprised if Facebook doesn't proactively change their minds, or add in

Monday, February 16, 2009

More Airport frustration

The movie below further iterates the frustration dealing with Airport protocol.  This woman apparently missed her flight to Los Angeles from Hong Kong. Probably due to the numerous security checkpoints.  Had she done what this guy did to get through security, she probably wouldn't have missed her flight.

[flashvideo file=http://mitalis-videos.s3.amazonaws.com/crazy-hong-long-woman-misses-flight.flv /]

Facebook: We can do anything we want with your information

[caption id="attachment_1369" align="alignright" width="250" caption="Facebook practices are shady"]Facebook is Shady[/caption]

Not that this sort of story comes as big news.  I've always had a good idea about how Facebook operates when it comes to what they do with your information, hence why my Facebook profile is basically an empty shell with almost nothing in it except for an out of date photo.  I only have a profile to begin with so that I can access my friends profiles and see what they're up to.

But Facebook recently made some changes to their ToS (Terms of Service).  I think people ought to be made aware of this as alot of people seem to just throw up anything about themselves that comes to mind.

Now what the rules used to be is if you decided at any point in time that you wanted to shutdown your profile, Facebook would automatically discard all the information about you... Well not anymore.  What's worse, is decide you shutdown your profile, Facebook can still take that information, and sub-license it to a third party.
You hereby grant Facebook an irrevocable, perpetual, non-exclusive, transferable, fully paid, worldwide license (with the right to sublicense) to (a) use, copy, publish, stream, store, retain, publicly perform or display, transmit, scan, reformat, modify, edit, frame, translate, excerpt, adapt, create derivative works and distribute (through multiple tiers), any User Content you (i) Post on or in connection with the Facebook Service or the promotion thereof subject only to your privacy settings or (ii) enable a user to Post, including by offering a Share Link on your website and (b) to use your name, likeness and image for any purpose, including commercial or advertising, each of (a) and (b) on or in connection with the Facebook Service or the promotion thereof.

You may remove your User Content from the Site at any time. If you choose to remove your User Content, the license granted above will automatically expire, however you acknowledge that the Company may retain archived copies of your User Content.

The following sections will survive any termination of your use of the Facebook Service: Prohibited Conduct, User Content, Your Privacy Practices, Gift Credits, Ownership; Proprietary Rights, Licenses, Submissions, User Disputes; Complaints, Indemnity, General Disclaimers, Limitation on Liability, Termination and Changes to the Facebook Service, Arbitration, Governing Law; Venue and Jurisdiction and Other.

Basically, any information you post online they keep forever, but you already knew that when you read their ToS before signing up right? ;)

Source:

Sunday, February 15, 2009

Fed up with Airport Security?

Are you fed up with having to take off additional clothing, emptying your pockets, and taking off your shoes?  Do what this guy does...

[flashvideo file=http://mitalis-videos.s3.amazonaws.com/fed-up-with-security.flv /]

Friday, February 13, 2009

Boy 13 years old impregnants 15 year old girl, have baby.

[caption id="attachment_1341" align="alignright" width="250" caption="A pretty accurate representation as to how I feel about this story."]A pretty accurate representation as to how I feel about this story.[/caption]

(Excuse me for just a moment while I bang my head on my desk and scream obscenities...) WHAT THE FUCK!  WHAT THE FUCK! WHAT THEEE FUCKKKKKK!!!! Where the FUCK were their parents when all this happened?

God damn man, people are really fucking stupid... First it's this stupid dumbass mother that decides to further impregnate herself (after having like 6 kids) with another 8 embryos, and now I'm hearing about this stupid shit.  But have no worry, this family doesn't live here in the U.S.  (Thank the living Jesus) We already have to pay for that dumbfuck of a mother that decided to shit out 8 additional kids.

[caption id="attachment_1342" align="alignleft" width="361" caption="You can see the young family here. Alfie holding his daughter Maisie, with girlfriend Chantelle. (I added the pacifier to Alife as I think he needs it more then Maisie)"]You can see the young family here. Alfie holding his daughter Maisie, with girlfriend Chantelle. (I added the pacifier to Alife as I think he needs it more then Maisie)[/caption]

Alfie Patten, whom is barely 13 years old (and certainly looks like an 8 year old) is the father of baby Maisie Roxanne.  The mother, Chantelle Steadman (who is 15 years old) gave birth to Maisie Roxanne on Monday, Feb. 16th.

A video clip shown on YouTube had Alfie answering questions about what they plan to do.  When asked the question as to how they plan to cope financially, he responded with "What's financially?" (Another moment please... **Continues to bang head on desk until blood can be seen**)

The person then reworded the question asking "What will you do for money?"  Alfie's responds with 'I don't know."

Alfie's dad Dennis told the Sun that he wanted to be the first to hold Maisie after the birth.  He tenderly kisses the baby and gives her the bottle. (Aww isn't that cute?.... No...Actually it's not, it's fucking disgusting that this shit happened to begin with.  God damn I would love to punch the three of them in the face, yes I'm including the baby too.)

Dennis continues on saying "He could have shrugged his shoulders and sat home on his Playstation." (That's what the stupid kid should have been doing that night instead of making babies with that bitch Chantelle.)

Chantelle said "We know we made a mistake but I wouldn't change it now.  We will both be good loving parent. I have started a church course and I am going to do work experience helping other mums." (Oh yeah because you already know SO MUCH about being a parent) "I'll be a great mum, and Alfie will be a great dad."

Neighbors of the now 15 year old mother claimed the kids of the Steadman family often 'ran wild' in the street while the parents did nothing about it.

Another neighbor that lives across the street from the Steadmans said Chantelle (15 year old mother) is treated like an adult, allowed to do whatever she wants.  She is not a young innocent girl who got pregnant with the first boy who came along."

Alfie and Chantelle used to live close to one another before the Steadmans moved.  Alfie was a frequent visitor  and would often stay overnight.

Despite the shock and outrage over this story, police revealed that nobody will be prosecuted over this pregnancy.

Sources:

Thursday, February 12, 2009

Updates on MMS for Sprint Blackberrys

The Sprint Blackberry team has responded.  Click here to see the post.

Update #5: SarahKS has acknowledged that alot of users are unhappy with the current implementation of MMS
Posted: 02-12-2009 07:48 AM

I notified the BlackBerry group that there are some Buzz members users unhappy with the experience. When I receive the response, I will post it.

Sarah
Buzz About Wireless Admin
Sprint

Update #4: I responded with the following:
Posted: 02-06-2009 04:51 PM

SarahKS, I can tell you EXACTLY what's wrong with the way Sprint setup the MMS experience:

The convenience of MMS was being able to send out a message including pictures, short audio clips, or even short videos without us having to figure out who the carrier of the recipient is, and what their phone carrier's email domain was.  We finally got that ability to send our MMS messages without that extra hassle.

Now the problem we have here is us Blackberry users not directly receiving our MMS... We're not directly getting our messages; instead we're getting an SMS notification saying "Hey, you have a message, click here to see it!" WE DON'T WANT THAT.  It makes the whole process counterproductive.

You guys are throwing hurdles for us and further complicating the whole process.  We shouldn't have to jump through hoops to get our messages.

Seriously guys, get with the program... I don't understand why you have to superimpose your own services on top of what the normal MMS protocol should be.  If you guys can't properly integrate your services with the way the process should be handled, then get rid of that service and let us receive these messages directly.

No other carrier complicates such a simple process as much as you guys do.-_-;;

Update #3: SarahKS responded with the following:
Posted: 02-06-2009 03:33 PM

Sorry for the delay in posting this. I did get confirmation about how MMS/Picturemail works on the Curve and Pearl.

The outgoing is MMS, the incoming is SMS (you get a link to PM).

Sarah
Buzz About Wireless Admin
Sprint

Update #2: SarahKS responded with the following:
SarahKS
Sprint Administrator
Posts: 446
Registered: 08-25-2008
Message 36 of 38
Viewed 10 times

I doubt that I can get an answer today, but I will ask someone from the Blackberry team to look at the issues and write up exactly what the experience is supposed to be.

Sarah
Buzz About Wireless Admin
Sprint

Update #1: I've put up an inquiry asking one of the Sprint representatives on the BuzzAboutWireless forum to find out what the intended way we're supposed to be receiving MMS messages:
Mitalis
Newbie
Posts: 6
Registered: 08-13-2008
Message 35 of 38
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SarahKS, can you find out if we're supposed to be receiving MMS messages as a SMS w/ a text link to the message?  I'm seeing messages sent to me as MMS going through my Sprint picturemail account, yet on my phone I'm still getting SMS texts with a link to the message.  It was my understanding that we're supposed to be receiving MMS messages with pictures/audio included.

More to come as soon as I recieve the info.

Tuesday, February 10, 2009

Sony releases their new stupid fucking piece of shit

Sony releases their new stupid fucking piece of shit that doesn't work.

[flashvideo filename=http://mitalis-videos.s3.amazonaws.com/sony-piece-of-shit.flv /]



All credit goes to the Onion News Network

Original link to the video: http://www.theonion.com/content/video/sony_releases_new_stupid_piece_of

Monday, February 9, 2009

Following up on MMS for Sprint's Blackberries

[caption id="attachment_1306" align="alignright" width="186" caption="Frustrated at the fact that Sprint still cannot properly implement MMS, a technology almost 5 years old into their Blackberry phones."]Frustrated at the lack of MMS[/caption]

I've been continuously posting on the official Sprint forums about the half-assed job they did implementing MMS for the Blackberries, hoping to get some kind of acknowledgment from Sprint.

Having the ability to compose and send out MMS messages to other people no longer isn't a problem; however the problem for us is that whenever we receive MMS messages, rather then actually getting an MMS message, we're getting a text message containing a link to go view our message online on the Sprint Pictures website.

It has always worked this way since Sprint first released the Blackberry phones... Granted then we didn't have the ability to send out MMS messages directly, but the link to go check your MMS messages always ran through the Sprint picture mail website.

It's pretty sad when there are official Sprint representatives that also have no problem sharing their frustration with the picture mail service.  One of Sprint's Admins halcyoncmdr posted his opinion on a thread labeled "Ditch Picturemail and Go to Full MMS" and had this to say:
To be completely honest I agree with this.

PictureMail has advantages, but overall it seems to cause more issues and slow things down when it can really just be avoided.

I say new devices should be true MMS capable utilizing a normal MMS system and just keep the PictureMail services around for a while for those with older devices that are PM and not MMS capable.

A couple people posted they have switched carriers as a result of this.  One poster going by the name RIM said:
I finally got fed up with Sprint and canceled my phone and now I'm with Verizon, it's a little more expensive but I definitely get better service.

As it stands now, Sprint has a huge problem when it comes to them trying to sustain customers.  Considering the shit I went through when I first tried signing up for service back in late 2007, I ask myself to this day why I decided to stay with them. In Sept. of '07, I shared my experience about the hell I went activating my service over at IntenseReviews.com.  I find it incredibly stupid that my old hybrid phone the Motorola IC902 (released Q2 of 2007) had true MMS, yet a newer Blackberry (released for Sprint May 2008) phone (which fully supports MMS with every other carrier) does not.  Who the hell made the call on that?  Whomever it was, I hope that individual was one of those people that was canned from their recent layoff.

Despite Sprint having the best plans for the Blackberry phones, I'm contemplating making a switch soon if Sprint doesn't get this shit fixed soon.

See this post to read the updates about the MMS implementation as they come in.

Thursday, February 5, 2009

MMS for Sprint Blackberrys is LIVE...Sorta

HOLY FUCKING SHIT IT FINALLY HAPPENED!  Sprint (unannounced) finally enabled the service book for the ability to send MMS messages.

I was randomly checking the Crackberry forums and I came across this thread labeled Mms!!! and I figured it was just some person asking when we'd be getting it.  But surprisingly he said it was working for him!

I checked my phone, and I didn't see the option to "Compose MMS" so I resent my service books, and checked again, and there was the option!

Now however, when receiving MMS messages, I'm still getting a link that I need to click on to view the message.  I believe this is probably why Sprint hasn't made any official announcements yet as they're probably still working out the kinks.

At least now I have the option of sending pictures directly to somebody's phone number without having to figure out what carrier they are and having to add an email address to send the attachment to.

Edit: SarahKS has posted on the forums about the way MMS is supposed to work.  The method of sending out the MMS is simply a matter of now selecting "Send MMS" on the Blackberry, however the method in which we receive will still come as a SMS text with a link to go on their Picturemail website and check your message.

I have a follow up  post regarding getting the receiving end of MMS fixed becuase the current implementation of MMS is just unacceptable.

See this post to read the updates about the MMS implementation as they come in.

Tuesday, February 3, 2009

WTF: Baby Pee Pee Wee Wee

Ok I cannot possibly say "What the fuck" enough about this product....

[flashvideo filename=/wp-content/uploads/2009/02/baby-pee-pee-wee-wee.flv /]



I'd be really surprised if this product has not yet  been banned in the UK.

Wells Fargo: We get bailed out-we go to Vegas

[caption id="attachment_1256" align="aligncenter" width="500" caption="Maybe I over exaggerated this a bit too much...."]wells-fargo-las-vegas[/caption]

Wells Fargo, which just received a $25 billion bailout of our taxpaying money is planning a "junket" in Las Vegas later starting Friday, Feb. 6th.  The bank, booked 12 nights at (probably one of the most expensive hotels) the Wynn, as well as it's sister hotel the Encore.

Wells Fargo claims that these conferences are a tradition, and the prior ones that took place included perks like all-expense-paid helicopter rides, wine tasting, horse riding, and even a private Jimmy Buffett concert that took place in the Bahamas for more 1,000 employees and guests.

While other banks have cut back employee perks, like Bank of America whom canceled their employee recognition outings, Wells Fargo will not.

Wells Fargo spokeswoman Melissa Murray said " “Recognition events are still part of our culture, it’s really important that our team members are still valued and recognized."

Boy this sounds familiar, didn't AIG do something similar?  I seem to recall their corporation giving all their executives bonuses as well as spa treatments.  I find it asinine that these corporations can get bailout money from us taxpayers and still continue on their "traditions."  Congress, the House or the Senate need to get off their asses RIGHT NOW and do something about this.  We've been bailing out major corporations now going on 3 months, and we're seeing this same bullshit occur over and over.

If this shit keeps up, I think we're going to need to give our country a new slogan:

America: Fucking over the taxpayers, one bailout at a time!"



EDIT: Well it appears after facing major criticism from everybody, they decided to reverse their decision on this situation, therefore everything above is irrelevant.

Source:

Sunday, February 1, 2009

I'm gonna shoot the neighbors pet

[caption id="attachment_1246" align="alignright" width="300" caption="WHY THE FUCK WOULD YOU OWN A ROOSTER IN A SUBURBAN RESIDENTIAL NEIGHBORHOOD?"]WHO THE FUCK OWNS A ROOSTER IN A RESIDENTIAL CITY?[/caption]

You see that picture?  That's going to be somebody's fucking pet the next time I hear that god damned thing.  I'm so damn irate right now, writing this as it's 7AM in the morning and I had plans sleeping in.  For the last two hours, I've heard this piece of shit rooster crow nonstop.  I'm so fed up with these out of control animals.  Every house surrounding me has some type of pet, whether it being a dog, or cat.  In this case, somebody a couple of houses down owns a fucking rooster.  Getting waken up early at the crack of dawn (especially on my day off) to a barking dog is bad enough, but when it's dogs AND roosters, what the fuck man...

Why a rooster you might ask?  That's a good fucking question which I wish I had the answer to.  All I know is ownership of farm animals (chickens, cows, pigs, sheep) are not permitted in my area for obvious reasons...  Because IT'S NOT A FARM.  So what reason why somebody need to own a rooster?  Well the only answer I could come up with is the asshole that lives there is probably too fucking lazy to buy an alarm clock and rather hear an authentic "cocka-doodle-do" then from an alarm clock.  I can assure you this shit is going to be coming into to an end sooner or later.  I went outside and listened to see who the douchebag is that owns the animal so I could get an address.   I've already called animal control and put in a complaint.  If they don't do something about it soon.  Well that picture above speaks for itself.

Is it asking for too much when I expect a little peace and quiet?  I mean it's bad enough hearing dogs and fucking firetruck/ambulance sirens going off 10+ times a day (due to the fact that I live nearby the stations) but I don't need a rooster thrown in the equation...

...GET OFF MY LAWN!