Sue, Sue, Sue some more...

So in quite an entertaining move, Microsoft is going after 235 F/OSS projects for various patent violations, now...I'm not supporting or arguing with the lawsuit as I am certainly not a lawyer. However, as a slashdot user has pointed out...

In the article, it explains why Microsoft chose this route: Since FOSS is (nominally, if not practically) written by a loose band of volunteers, and because they don't really sell the software (with some exceptions, but generally mostly they give the software away and sell the support), it is extremely difficult to track them all down and make them pay royalties. It is much easier to just threaten the major corporate users (who are extremely risk averse). To quote Neal Stephenson, "Microsoft is ten times smarter than your average government, a hundred times more aggressive, and bound by no particular rules."

In the old days, we called this extortion.

It will be an interesting one here, thats for sure. But you can't argue too much with that logic, it could go way too well in Microsoft's favor.

The weather is mighty entertaining...

The weather up here just can't seem to make up its mind. It was 75 degrees out side just last week and now its mid-50's and overcast. We had snow before that! I don't mind the sun, the wind, the rain, the snow, the sleet, or even the hail. I do, however, hate it when the weather jumps all over the place. I never know what type of clothes to wear or wash or when to grab a jacket. Just check the webcams at MTU to see what I'm talking about. Here is the view cam for those not wanting to follow the link.

HD-DVD Keys and Revolts

Dear internet,

Alrighty now, I'm not questioning the ridiculosity of requesting people to remove a series of hexadecimal digits from websites and such, but I am sure as hell questioning the "civil disobediance" reaction occuring on social news sites (ala. digg.com).

I know, I know, you're all mad that mean 'ol digg yanked your post/account posting a code of questionable legality before its even been disputed in court. Ya'll realize that Digg is covering its butt here, right? Just because we all know that its retarded to claim copyright on a number does not mean that the MPAA or RIAA, or other-acronym-out-to-screw-everyone isn't going to lean hard on Digg with a million dollar lawsuit? This is all a little silly if you ask me because at this time of night, I just want to read my news for the day and conk out....but no everybody had to mob digg and ruin my reading.

Thanks for being that guy internet

P.S. - I think you might want to ask this little guy for a hand in your rampant rebellion, he seems about your level.
P.P.S - You're doing it wrong !!

End of the Year

Hooray! Tomorrow is the last day of the semester (short of exams) and today is the last day I have to sit through an OS Lecture of Confusion. We finished our last program last night around 11:30 and I went home and conked out for the night (after reviewing my psuedo-GTD steno pad of scheduling +1). Now I only have 1 paper, 1 quiz, and 1 analysis left to write and life will be good (until I realize I haven't studied enough for exams that is).

Without further adieu, here's a picture of a confused polar bear.

Another late night

There's nothing that says 'oh boy, how I love college' quite like leaving the lab at 4:30am. You might say 'bah, thats lot late, it's early' and I might respond with a hearty '#$@#%'.

This time it's an implementation of the working set algorithm using CSIM on Solaris. I have a few problems with this.

• The working set algorithm is not a page replacement algorithm, despite what the assignment description/book say.


• We are working with a dual 300mhz Ultrasparc w/256mb of RAM for 66 students


• The prof/students keep asking/answering questions using ambiguous terminology

I'm pretty well convinced that this program will end me(as well as bring the class average closer to the need for a curve *pray*).

Office Violence

I'm sure this has been posted about to death but damn is it ever funny. Got anyone in your office you'd like to do this to?

Junk food...

This is an interesting look at an alternate (to beer that is) explanation to the freshmen 15 (or for an over-achiever like me, the freshmen 60). It would seem that one can buy as much as 480% the calories of "junk food" for a dollar as one can buy fresh vegatables. This would certainly be a sideline contributing factor considering the typical financial situation of your average college student. It also reflects on the dismal profits available to family farms these days. How long till we are eating Jetson's style once-a-day meal ticket pills for $0.89 a pop, eh ?

Edit: Forgot the linky...

http://www.nytimes.com/2007/04/22/magazine/22wwlnlede.t.html?_r=3&oref=slogin&oref=slogin&oref=slogin