Category: Miscellaneous

Browsing the wikipedia I came across this little tidbit about Hotmail:

On 24 December 1999, MSN Hotmail, the free web based email service owned by Microsoft, became inaccessible for a couple of days when the domain name registration lapsed for passport.com – which Hotmail uses for user authentication.

The registration fee for the expired domain was paid by Hotmail user Michael Chaney on December 25 as a Christmas present to Microsoft and the 20 million users that were unable to access their mail.

Microsoft confirmed to Chaney a couple of days later that his $35 payment to Network Solutions did in fact solve the Hotmail outage problem. As a reward for Chaney’s quick thinking and generous move, Microsoft sent him a check for $500 and a copy of Visual Studio 6.0.

AL-QAEDA’S former South-East Asian chief, Omar al-Faruq, has escaped from a US military prison in Afghanistan. How bizarre can the war on terror get?

I came across a video comparing George Bush’s speaking ability over ten years. Maybe his decline in sentence by sentence speaking skill isn’t because of a presenile dementia, maybe the answer is in this (comedic) video: George Bush’s Speechwriter. (QT Mov)

Crazy animated gif that will keep you enthralled: The Blue Ball Machine.

I thought this photo along with it’s caption was worth a laugh. Here’s my own made up lyrics:

“And when she gets there she knows
all that waiting will make her old…”

I recently added Danah Boyd’s Blog to my feed list because she consistently writes very insightful entries. Today I read her excellent post on growing up in a culture of fear; I liked it so much I thought I would share.

How do youth come of age in this society? What good is it to restrict every social space that they have? Does anyone actually think that this is a good idea? Protectionist actions tends to create hatred, resentment. It destroys families by failing to value trust and responsibility. Ageist rhetoric alienates the younger generation. And for what purpose?

I received an email from a student from India that is an acquaintance of mine (he had dinner at my house once), whom is trying to raise funds for disaster relief after the huge earthquake in India and Pakistan. I thought this was a neat idea for a fundraiser:

Hello! I am a fourth year student here at the University of Lethbridge, and I am writing to advise you of an event coming next weekend, which I believe you may be interested in. Having been grieved by the recent tragedy in northern Pakistan and India, and by the meager international response, I (and several other concerned students) have begun planning a fund-raiser for Saturday, November 12th, 2005. We aim to hold a fantastic Amazing Race, modelled after the popular T.V. show! Teams will spend an afternoon racing across Lethbridge, completing challenges and discovering more about their community in an attempt to reach the final pit-stop first. Great prizes (including gift certificates to the Mongolie Grill, Montana’s, and other local businesses) will be awarded to the top three groups. The cost is only $9.00 for an individual, or $25.00 for a team of three to five. All proceeds will go to Samaritan’s Purse.

Please let me know if you are interested in participating, volunteering, or simply donating to this urgent cause. Moreover, if you could spread the word among your club members and the rest of the student body, that would be greatly appreciated! The success of this event, and the number of lives we can impact, depends upon your response.

Unfortunately I think I November 12th is when I’m going to be in Edmonton (area) visiting my sister, otherwise I would like to get some friends together and take part – a fun and exciting way to help people in need.

The San Fransico Chronicle has a series of stories they are running about the allure of suicide on the Golden Gate Bridge.

This image shows how many people have comitted suicide off the bridge and where they jumped at each numbered lamp post along the bridge.

Please leave a comment here if you’re into the whole backmasking thing. Have you tried it? What have you found? Do you think there is something to it, or do you just think it’s all a coincidence? This is the place to leave your comments on what you’ve discovered from your own experimenting.

If you don’t know where to start, Audacity is a great open-source, freeware audio editor for Windows, Macintosh, and Linux. Among its features is the ability to reverse audio files.

My friend Gavin writes short stories and posts them on the web so that we can indulge in a minute or two of his brilliance. I just read one of his excellent stories, The Jumper, and I loved it. If you don’t think it’s hilarious, you are probably an android.