blogteq

Apple releases Mac OS X 10.5.8: “Apple on Wednesday released the latest version of Mac OS X Leopard, 10.5.8, including improved AirPort reliability, improved Bluetooth device connectivity, and several security fixes.

(Via MacCentral.)

MacBook Pro Unibody with OCZ Vertex SSD: “ 

EXTREME LAPTOPPING:
‘mid 2009′ MacBook Pro
250G SSD vs 500G HDD

Posted Friday, June 21st, 2009, by rob-ART morgan, mad scientist
Updated July 23rd with Disktester random test

We posted our test results using the OCZ Vertex SSD in the Mac Pro but many of you wanted to see how fast the SSD runs in the Unibody MacBook Pro. We obtained the ‘mid 2009′ MacBook Pro 3.06GHz (17′) with the 500G 7K HDD CTO option. We tested it and then replaced it with the Vertex 250G SSD from OCZ. We included results for testing the same SSD inside the Mac Pro for perspective.

DiskTester’s random test measures the number of 4K random transactions the disk can make per second. Note the dramatic difference between the SSD and the fastest notebook HDD.

Guess where Sarah is?

Next 72 hours critical as wildfire threatens Lillooet – The Globe and Mail
Fire specialists from Australia and New Zealand among those coming to spell off exhausted crews in the province

(Via .)

Telus is the “#” key to go straight to beep. Rogers fido doesnt appear to have the dumb instructions (yeah im surprised too)

Bypass Cellphone Voicemail Instructions with One Star Pound – Voicemail – Lifehacker: ”

ANNOYANCES
Bypass Cellphone Voicemail Instructions with One Star Pound
By Azadeh Ensha, 3:30 PM on Thu Jul 30 2009, 43,950 views
Next time your call goes to voicemail, there’s no reason to contend with the insufferable 15-second instructional that precedes the beep. Here’s how to skip ahead and leave your message in peace without wasting precious minutes.

(Via .)

Gold, has been around for 5000 years: “

That barbaric 5000 year old metal, gold, is just $30+ from $1000 and just a few dollars more from its all time record high. I’m not familiar with any other asset that is this close to its record high and not coincidentally coincides with the dollar index being near its record low. Gold is now up 31% since Oct ‘07 when the SPX peaked at 1565. Because gold doesn’t have much industrial use (mostly electronics and dental, 8% of total demand), jewelry (33% of demand) and investment (59% of demand) are the two main sources of demand. India in fact is the biggest buyer of gold jewelry. With high prices discouraging jewelry purchases, the main source of buying this year has come from investments. Why would someone buy a piece of metal that yields nothing and doesn’t have much economic relevance other than looking nice in a necklace? Because it is perceived as another currency that is not a fiat one, because it historically has risen in line with inflation and because it’s perceived as some place of safety. If markets telegraph investor thoughts on the future, gold’s action is an interesting dynamic with the S&P 500 back to 1000 after a rally of 50%, the 10 yr bond yield at 3.70% versus its 47 year average of 6.90%, inflation expectations over the next 10 years below 2% according to the TIPS, an expected July CPI reading of -2.1%, the biggest drop since 1949 and a Federal Reserve that is made up mostly of those who think inflation is subdued and will be for the next few years.

“

(Via The Big Picture.)

A breather for Canadian dollar?: “While further gains are to be expected for loonie, it may have topped out in the short term, economists say

“

(Via The Globe and Mail – Front Page News.)

Motherlover

INTERVIEW: PETER MACKAY – Windsor Star: “

Washington Post

INTERVIEW: PETER MACKAY Windsor Star Canada is prepared to do its part to replicate in Pakistan what is now doctrine in Afghanistan: integrating development and diplomacy with military action. … US surge will curb violence, MacKay saysNational Post Al-Qaida, terrorists bit players in Afghan attacks 2004-2008: reportThe Canadian Press Black days in July for Afghan missionToronto Star Sarnia Observer all 2,333 news articles’»

“

(Via afghanistan canada – Google News.)

Best. Comment. Ever.: “

This is, without a doubt, the best comment ever on TechCrunch. Left by ‘J’ on MG’s latest iPhone rant about the Google Voice debacle. Beautiful.

AT&T: You want answers?

TechCrunch: We think we’re entitled to them.

AT&T: You want answers?!

TechCrunch: We want Google Voice on our iPhones.

AT&T: You can’t handle the iPhone with Google Voice!

Son, we operate on network that has walls. And those walls have to be guarded by carriers with restrictions. Who’s gonna do it? You? You, Verizon Wireless? We have a greater responsibility than you can possibly fathom. You weep for Google Voice and you curse AT&T. You have that luxury. You have the luxury of not knowing what we know: That pulling Google Voice, while tragic, probably saved the network. And our existence, while grotesque and incomprehensible to you, saves the network.

You don’t want the Google Voice on your iPhone. Because deep down, in places you don’t talk about at TechCrunch50, you want us protecting the network. You need us protecting that network. We use words like rate limiting, application approval and restrictions…we use these words as the backbone to a life spent defending something. You use them as a punchline.

We have neither the time nor the inclination to explain ourselves to a blog who writes and profits under the blanket of the very network that we provide, then questions the manner in which we provide it. We’d prefer you just said thank you and went on your way. Otherwise, we suggest you pick up a router and build your own network. Either way, We don’t give a damn what you think you’re entitled to.

TechCrunch: Did you order Google Voice taken down?

AT&T: We did the job you sent us to do.

TechCrunch: Did you order Google Voice taken down?

AT&T: You’re goddamn right we did.

Crunch Network: CrunchGear drool over the sexiest new gadgets and hardware.

“

(Via TechCrunch.)

BMW Quits F1 to Go Green, Hints at a Hybrid: “The automaker is leaving the sport to focus development time and money on sustainable cars. It says we’ll see something incredibly green at the Frankfurt auto show.

“

(Via Wired Top Stories.)

Love to see the Canadian CRTC get into this with rogers… Good luck…

FCC asked to investigate Skype for iPhone restriction: “An Internet advocacy group has asked the FCC to look into whether AT&T can legitimately restrict the use of VoIP applications on their cellular network.



“

(Via MacCentral.)

Bill Gates unplugged | Video on TED.com.

The Dream Apps » Involer.

Cool little invoicing app I found for mac..   Cheap at 20 bucks, and it does one of those little things that I always manage to mess up by misplacing old invoiced etc…

Badass!!

dont know if you guys have been checking out radioheadremix.com? look for the astral mix.. my fav…

These are some killer tunes from a guy involved in the Nimbus project… I would gladly have paid for them they are so good, but here I find them for free… Always amazes me how some of the best music is just out there free for the taking…

Thanks Guys!!

http://www.adamfg.co.uk/index.php/blog/show/Tired-Eyes-EP.html

New company focused on ecommerce and niche markets… More later

The politicos will say what they will, but watching the french conference this morning Sarkozy looked particularly uncomfortable. Russia is reaserting its dominance in the region, using a trumped up dispute with Georgia’s breakaway South Ossetia to send a strong message to all other countries in the region who would like to join NATO. Russia is like a 9 yr old school bully who doesnt feel like people are scared of him, and wants to prove how tough he is.

Telegraph link, Russia annexes a fifth of Georgia

Between, Iraq, Iran, and Turkey (having some kurdish problems) and Chechnyan problems and now the russians hammering Georgia, this is one unhappy part of the world.

How many of these apply to the US? Too many.

Dr. Lawrence Britt, a political scientist, published research on fascism in which he examined the fascist regimes of Hitler, Mussolini, Franco, Suharto and several Latin American regimes. Britt found 14 defining characteristics common to each fascist State:

1. Powerful and Continuing Nationalism – Fascist regimes tend to make constant use of patriotic mottos, slogans, symbols, songs and other paraphernalia. Flags are seen everywhere as are flag symbols on clothing and in public displays.

2. Disdain for the recognition of Human Rights – Because of fear of enemies and the need for security, the people in fascist regimes are persuaded that human rights can be ignored in certain cases because of “need.” The people tend to look the other way or even approve of torture, summary executions, assassinations, long incarceration of prisoners, etc.

3. Identification of Enemies/Scapegoats as a Unifying Cause – The people are rallied into a unifying patriotic frenzy over the need to eliminate a perceived common threat or foe: racial, ethnic or religious minorities; liberals; communists; socialists; terrorists, etc.

4. Supremacy of the Military – Even when there are widespread domestic problems, the military is given a disproportionate amount of government funding, and the domestic agenda is neglected. Soldiers and military are glamorized.

5. Rampant sexism – The government of fascist nations tend to be almost exclusively male-dominated. Under fascist regimes, traditional gender roles are made more rigid. Divorce, abortion and homosexuality are suppressed and the state is represented as the ultimate guardian of the family institution.

6. Controlled Mass Media – Sometimes the media is directly controlled by the government, but in other cases, the media is indirectly controlled by government regulation, or sympathetic media spokespeople and executives. Censorship, especially in war time, is very common.

7. Obsession with National security – Fear is used as a motivational tool by the government over the masses.

8. Religion and Government are intertwined – Government in fascist nations tend to use the most common religion in the nation as a tool to manipulate public opinion. Religious rhetoric and terminology is common from government leaders, even when the major tenets of the religion are diametrically opposed to the government’s policies or actions.

9. Corporate Power is Protected – The industrial and business aristocracy of a fascist nation are often the ones who put the government leaders into power, creating a mutually beneficial business/government relationship and power elite.

10. Labor Power is suppressed – Because the organizing power of labor is the only real threat to a fascist government, labor unions are either eliminated, or are severely restricted.

11. Disdain for Intellectuals and the Arts – Fascist nations tend to promote and tolerate open hostility to higher education, and academia. It is not uncommon for professors and other academics to be censored or even arrested. Free expression in the arts and letters is openly attacked.

12. Obsession with Crime and Punishment – Under fascist regimes, the police are given almost limitless power to enforce laws. The people are often willing to overlook police abuses and even forego civil liberties in the name of patriotism. There is often a national police force with virtually unlimited power in fascist nations.

13. Rampant Cronyism and Corruption – Fascist regimes almost always are governed by groups of friends and associates who appoint each other to government positions and use governmental power and authority to protect their friends from accountability. It is not uncommon in fascist regimes for national resources and even treasures to be appropriated or even outright stolen by government leaders.

14. Fraudulent Elections – Sometimes elections in fascist nations are a complete sham. Other times elections are manipulated by smear campaigns against or even assassinations of opposition candidates, use of legislation to control voting numbers or political district boundaries, and manipulation of the media. Fascist nations also typically use their judiciaries to manipulate or control elections.

Benito Mussolini – who knew something about fascism – had a more straightforward definition: “Fascism should more properly be called corporatism because it is the merger of state and corporate power.”

Abraham Lincoln stated, “I see in the near future a crisis approaching that unnerves me, and causes me to tremble for the safety of our country. Corporations have been enthroned, an era of corruption will follow, and the money power of the country will endeavor to prolong its reign by working upon the prejudices of the people, until wealth is aggregated in a few hands and the republic is destroyed.”