It is AMAZING

Please read this blog post at http://everythingworth.blogspot.com/ to see it properly.

Watch this video 2 times. Strange? Yes. Amazing? Yes.

When I watch a video like this I think to myself.. "how the hell did he come up with this idea?" I needed to investigate.

He has a website at http://www.brandonhardesty.com where he has TONS of videos. He clearly has way to much time on his hands... but then again here I am blogging about his restarted videos so what does that say.

Anyway... he is very talented. There are at least 50 reenactment scenes that he has done on youtube. This one may look familiar:

And here is one for the ladies -

Lastly.. this one is the best

And so in conclusion... I have discovered something AMAZING!

Trick or Treat... bitch

The mildew smell came from under the stairs. It could have been mold or humidity, I figured it would work itself out. Over a few weeks, it got worse and we needed to fix it quick.

Phase 1. Determine the problem.

Armed with a flashlight I went in for a look. The exposed basement wall was suspect so some industrial strength gray sealant was prescribed. For extra measure, I even put in a dehumidifier. If it were mold, mildew or humidity, consider it fixed... easy.

A few days went by and the smell got even worse. My next suspicion was "animal".

The exterminator showed up and found "droppings". The droppings were "of the squirrel variety, and very old". His professional opinion was to clean up the old poop and it would go away.

Phase 2. The Cleaner
After reading everything about squirrels I knew what the cleanup was going to consist of. The poop carried disease so precautions were in order... and god forbid they were still around.. I took a golf club.



After I pulled down the insulation.. TONS OF SHIT fell down all over me. The smell was thick. The old squirrel space looked like a battle ground, and after shoveling shit for 30 minutes I found how they had made their way in. There was a opening chewed through the back wall. Thank god they were long gone.

Phase 3. Know your enemy
Next day at 4am I heard scratching within the walls of the house... and there was new poo on the floor. You could hear them if you put your ear to the wall.

How the HELL did the exterminator miss this one! With the insulation removed the smell was now vomit worthy. I was convinced they called the other neighborhood squirrels to shit in my house as part of their mobility plan.

The next morning I called the exterminator and he said he would get rid of them for $350 EACH SQUIRREL. Can someone please explain to me how the hell someone comes up with that price? A baby costs the same as an adult? Its a morbid thought, but why not go by weight or something? Or speed? $350 a squirrel!!! By my calculations, I had at least 4, possibly up to 6, of these bastards running around. That could cost over $1,500 bucks!!! Honestly, who would pay that.

Well.. at least I could justify a war budget now. There was no way in hell I was paying this guy.

Off to Home Depot for supplies.

1. Poison
2. Steel Wool
3. Rat Traps
4. Shovel
5. Foam sealant
oh yeah.. and a pellet gun.

Phase 4. Game Time

The next morning it was on. I stuffed steel wool and foam into every opening in the front of the house. Rat traps were set and poison planted in the walls. They were watching me do this, I could feel it.

I must have hit them where it hurt because the next morning was.... unique. At around 10am I walked outside to check the traps and was greeted by a squirrel army. In the middle of my yard stood a single squirrel on two legs. He looked like Splinter from TMNT, and it was almost as if he were going to walk over to discuss our feud over tea.

On two legs this monster stood at least a foot high, walked a couple of steps toward me, and started SCREAMING at an incredible level.

As this situation unfolded the only thing that went through my mind was... WTF. This was so loud it was just embarrassing. The other squirrels were watching from nearby trees, and so were my neighbors.

OK, so what do you do in this situation? Do I get my gun? How screwed up would that be. The new guy on the block walks out of his house in a robe at 10am with a coffee and pulls a rifle to kill a squirrel for screaming? He wanted to be a martyr ... he wanted to get me arrested.

Could you imagine if I shot this little shit for screaming at me, and the my neighbors call the cops! I evict the squirrels and they get me arrested. How f'ed up would that be.. I see their tactics. Nice try shithead.

So... standing in my robe with a coffee being screamed at by a large rodent on my front yard, and my neighbors watching, I checked my empty traps and went back inside.

They won this battle.


Phase 5. Trick or Treat?

This is now a game of wit.

Luckily, I have a keen connection with animals like this, because like me... they will eat anything. They were clearly well versed in the ways of negotiation and public protests. But I know their weakness.

Today is Halloween.. and the stage is set for the perfect trick or treat. It had been a few days since my last standoff with Splinter. He was now on the top of my most wanted list.

Which brings me to my message.

Dear Squirrel Army,
You probably have some covert squirrel outfit hacking into my FIOS, so listen closely. You are exposed. I have plotted your living space and know where you sleep. Your attempts at strong arming your way into my house have failed. Your screaming tactics are old and I have outsmarted you. Remember the other day when I was watching "Man on Fire" in my living room.. I'm sure you were watching.. listening.. crawling.. well there is one scene I want you to recall. Remember John Creasy's line? "I'm gonna kill 'em. Anyone that was involved. Anybody who profited from it. Anybody who opens their eyes at me." Think about that.
Let me show you how I negotiate. Trick or treat BITCH. You want a martyr.. you got it.... WHO IS NEXT.

Splinter - KIA 10/31/2009

Blind Crossing

Driving to work, FatScott saw a blind man who was having trouble crossing traffic.  He did the right thing by stopping, and man humbly mouthed the words "Thank you".  In response Scott waves back to him.
classic.

Net Neutrality

First, let me apologize about the non-fun posts lately.. but this is important.

Net Neutrality has been an issue for a while now, and I'm going to do my best to cut through the bullshit. Its really an interesting topic, but many people put twists on it for one reason or another. I hope I do it justice.

In essence, Net Neutrality is a movement to prevent "fill in your Internet providers company name here" from filtering what information you can access on the web. Yes, it happens.

Let me give some examples.

• If your Internet company offers a phone plan (verizon) and you want to use Vonage instead, the Internet company can block your ability to use a competing phone service over their Internet network.
• If there are webpages which your Internet company doesn't want you to see, they can block it from your access.
• If your Internet company doesn't like a website you are hosting on your home Internet connection, they can block it from everyone.

This DID happen, and does happen... but it has been a real tech thing that has not gotten much attention. Last year Comcast was filtering content because it claimed that users were using too much of their Internet. http://news.cnet.com/8301-13578_3-10004508-38.html

A bill was introduced to Congress this week, pushing for the government to enforce Net Neutrality. Here is a link directly to the bills language - http://www.opencongress.org/bill/111-h3458/text

The big question here is - Should the government care if companies are filtering the Internet to their customers? If a company is doing that, wouldn't the open market fix that issue by the customers leaving the provider? What does this have to do with the government at all?

Its an interesting issue.


I would argue the worst thing that could happen is that if in the future Internet looked completely different depending on which Internet provider you use. Imagine a provider offering pricing packages where Internet access cost different depending on what websites you were going to! Imagine needing to purchase the "xbox gaming package" or something similar, where your Internet provider would not let you use the online multiplayer without paying them for that "service" first. What if they wanted to kill a new company which may pose a threat to the providers business by simply blocking all Internet access?

This is becoming a big issue because the Internet providers are slowly changing their businesses. In the plans were things like "healthcare subscriptions" where a healthcare providers Internet traffic would get priority over everyone elses, hense making their connections faster. This of course will cost more money for that customer. The proposed bill would prevent this type of filtering / prioritizing, and as a result hurt the revenue of Verizon (in this case). Read about it here.

But then again, this is exactly how we work with TV right? If you want to watch HBO.. pay for it. In the case of the Internet, maybe the website you want access to will get a cut of the profits after you change your Internet subscription level.

"absolute power corrupts absolutely", which is why Monopolies are bad. So what happens to the places in America where there is only one Internet provider?


Also, what happens if this commercialization trend catches on in America while the rest of the world still enjoys free and open Internet? Will our own commercial restrictions based around profit prevent unrealized innovation? Hey.... would Google ever have been created if the Internet providers were filtering?

I guess for me to draw a real conclusion on this topic I need to put my capitalistic ideals aside and look at this from a more selfish viewpoint. OK.. got it. much easier to think this way. Just give me my fast Internet with unlimited access to everything and leave me alone. :)

When rules do not apply

AOL had America fooled into thinking they were the Internet. Phone companies filter what type of applications you can run on your cell. Apple or Microsoft run every computer in your life. But it goes beyond just that.

You are part of the system. You operate by the companies rules and pay for the applications and information they allow you to have, in the context which suits them best. They hold your accounts hostage, control your software and you thank them for every update they make you pay for.

There is a monster awakening. In dark corners where rules do not apply and programmers are not limited by laws or budgets. In labs and basements around the world, freedom of information is being built. It has no boundaries and is more powerful than any country or government. You can't stop it.

Controlled by everyone, there is no accountability or address. We all own it. It is public domain.

"Information is the currency of democracy." - Thomas Jefferson

Everything will change. There will be no restrictions. The hobby programmer will have just as much ability to publish an idea as a multi billion dollar corporation. There is no agenda.

Companies are just starting to battle this front they cannot see. An idea and a freedom outside of their comprehension. There is no money to be made or bonuses on the line. Expect them to hold you tighter and squeeze for every penny to fund the fight of your inevitable freedom.

Many noticed the unprecedented attack on Apple's iPhone this week, which was promptly followed by an echoing "WTF" across my neighborhood. What you witnessed was a first punch.

The "punch" was delivered from Google, and planted directly in the face of Apple. Google, a supporter of the Linux movement, recently got denied access to publish an "app" for the Apple iPhone. The days of censorship and restrictions for company interests is now up for public debate. But this is just the start.. and its bigger than phone apps.

Lets take a look shall we?

Here is the typical iPhone "app for that" commercial. It was a Google "app" that was rejected. You can read about it here : http://mashable.com/2009/07/28/google-voice-banned/

Behind the scenes for the past few years Google has been working with the Linux community on making Linux run on a phone.

Now, you can either use iPhone... or a Linux based phone that you can do anything on without restriction. Your choice.

People, what I am talking about is not a phone or some stupid app. Think bigger. At this very moment you are restricted in what you can do, and the true potential of what can be. Linux WILL change the way the world works. It has no rules.

It may be early still... but just be aware that is is there. Very interesting stuff.