I have no faith

Gas price shoots 5$

noreply@blogger.com (Faithless tiesto) — Tue, 15 Jul 2008 01:57:00 +0000

Yeah, my friends the gas price gets higher again, but no that's the problem... The real problem is that the planet looses more and more petrol, so what will we do when all the petrol resources will be exhausted ?

We will, maybe, use Electric Cars, cause that's the alternative, but it's a ignored part of the business ! But Why ? Why? Why we don't switch to them..? Why we don't save the planet ? Cause we all know gas consumption means CO2 and CO2 means Pollution and Pollution means HEALTH PROBLEMS ! Maybe others debated this problem too, but I want to do it here, now, myself, even none will read it, but i feel better I did it, yeah, you must know the feeling, to do something right ! To do something at least for yourself, if not for others to. Now.. back to the subject. I found on the internet some old statistics, wich nowdays must be higher...

Car emissions kill 30,000 people each year in the U.S. (2, 1998)

Most ozone pollution is caused by motor vehicles, which account for 72% of nitrogen oxides and 52% of reactive hydrocarbons (principal components of smog). (7, 1990)

Oh yeah, we could reduce the World pollution by a high level ! Just, if we switch to those damn Electrical Cars..

But why don't car manufacturers don't manage to invest too much on this segment ? In my opinion, it's a political problem, cause there are some states that are rich in petrol and if the whole industry will be electrified those will lose their main financial resource. They will lose millions or billions.. but hey.. Health has it's price, right? And, those are our money also, right ? So it could stand in our hands to fight against this Global problem !

Just think a second, you may say this guy is an idiot, it maybe not an original article, but as i said before, i feel better now, that I did it !

P.S. There is a nice quote "Guns don't kill people.People kill People".. it could apply here to if you imagine that cars were invented by us, the humans, and we can do something about it, but I don't know, we maybe are blind, or maybe we don't want to do it !

Preventing DNS Poisoning in Linux

noreply@blogger.com (Faithless tiesto) — Sat, 12 Jul 2008 05:13:00 +0000

If you don’t think the recent discovery of the DNS cache-poisoning flaw is bad news and needs to be addressed as soon as possible, let me repeat what Paul Mockapetris, DNS’ (Domain Name System) inventor, had to say about this security hole: Patch your DNS servers right now.

CERT can tell you about the technical details of DNS cache-poisoning, here’s what an attack on a DNS server can mean to you according to Dan Kaminsky, a researcher at security services firm IOActive: The vulnerability could allow attackers to redirect Web traffic and e-mails to systems under their control.

In other words, you click on your bookmark for Google and you end up at a site that looks like Google but is loaded down with malware. Or, you go to what looks like your bank site, the URL is the right one for your bank, but when you enter in your account ID you’ve just given it to a rip off artist.

With violated DNS servers you will be unable to trust the Internet. None of your net-based programs — e-mail, Web browser, media-player, whatever – would be trustworthy.

The only solution is to update your DNS servers and to do it now. Almost all the major operating system vendors have already released patches for the problem.

For Linux servers in specific, that means you need to upgrade BIND. If you’re still using BIND 8, or, God-forbid, any earlier versions, since these are hopelessly outdated, you should upgrade to BIND 9.

BIND 9 is years old but some ISPs and companies are still using it. Yahoo, believe it or not, according to Kaminsky, is still using BIND 8. There are several things that work in BIND 8, but which will fail in BIND 9. This circa 2001 story from O’Reilly on Upgrading to BIND 9: The Top Nine Gotchas does a good job of covering them.

If you’re using an older Linux distribution for DNS, you may need to update BIND by hand from the source code. ISC provides the following patches: BIND 9.5.0-P1; BIND 9.4.2-P1, and BIND 9.3.5-P1.

The good is that this will stop hackers from exploiting this security hole in their tracks. The bad news is that you will see a performance hit. So, if you’re running a site with say over 10,000 DNS hits per second, get ready to start adding DNS servers to handle the load. There are beta versions of BIND that combine performance and safety, but they are just that: Beta. I wouldn’t switch to them at this time.

If you’re using a modern Linux distribution, use your automatic update feature to bring DNS up to date. For further information on specific distributions, follow these links:

Debian

Fedora 8

Fedora 9

OpenSuse/Suse

Ubuntu

I looked for, but was unable to find, pre-packaged fixes for PCLinuxOS. That said, I’m sure there will be patches available for all three distributions within days, if not hours.

Users of these distributions should keep an eye on their sites and update their systems the minute a patch becomes available. If you’re using any of these Linuxes for major DNS work, go ahead and push the ISC patches through. You really don’t want to fool around with this security hole.

Ultimately, to better protect your Internet connectivity, you need to move to DNSSEC, which, as the name implies, adds security features to DNS. First, though, get your current DNS systems secure with the new patches, and then move to DNSSEC. It’s more important to be safe right now and then worry about a long-term security plan rather than delay defending your DNS servers until you have a handle on DNSSEC.

Fedora, Slackware, Debian... and Philosophy

noreply@blogger.com (Faithless tiesto) — Sat, 12 Jul 2008 05:03:00 +0000

I have been quiet about Linux this week because I have been busy trying several new versions. In the process, I have learned quite a bit more, and started to think about the philosophy behind Linux, operating system choices, and Free / Open Source software in general.

The first thing that became clear to me this week, although I already knew it on a more superficial level, was that Linux distributions run across a sort of a scale from easy to install and use to complex to install and requiring a lot of manual setup and configuration. What I have tried, and written about, so far were at the "easy" end of the scale - Ubuntu, openSuSE and Mandriva. What I have been trying this week are at the other end of the scale - Fedora, Slackware and Debian Linux. In very general terms, what they all have in common is that the "easy" ones are usually based on one of the "complex" distributions, and then the authors of the distribution have done a lot of the hard work of setup and configuration, put a lot of effort into simplifying and automating the installation procedure, and added some/many/most of the most common packages. The goal of it all being that an "ordinary" user can install one of the "easy" distributions, and end up with a computer that is ready to use when the installation is done.

The things that I ran into when installing these latest three Linux variants are illustrative of what a good job the "easy" distributions are doing. All three of these asked me questions during the installation that I seriously doubt I could have answered (or even understood in some cases) if I didn't have a lot of years of Unix experience. All of them were "missing" one or more packages that I had taken for granted previously, such as Firefox or OpenOffice, and were missing drivers for one or more of the devices integrated in my laptop.

That's all well and good, and in general it's healthy for the Linux world, both because it gives the users a choice (if you don't want to know about or deal with operating systems, just install one of the easy ones and forget about it; if you are or want to be a Linux expert, install one of the base distributions and fiddle with it all you like), and also because they all tend to keep each other on their toes, there is a spreading of good ideas through the community, and such.

However, I just ran into something with Debian that really made me stop and think, and which fits nicely with something else I had been thinking about with Linux distributions in general. After I finished the installation, I was surprised to see that Firefox wasn't installed. No sweat, I thought, I found it in the Synaptic package manager and installed it. Except, what it turned out to have done was created a link from "firefox" to something called "iceweasel". Hmmmm....

It turns out that at some point there was a disagreement between those behind the Debian distribution, and those behind Firefox (Mozilla). They were unable to work out their differences, so the Debian distributors took the open source code for Firefox, made some (presumably small) changes, and produced what they call "iceweasel", and included that in the Debian Linux distritution. Not only that, but rather than just leaving Firefox out of Synaptic, they included a dummy object with lets you call firefox, but get iceweasel.

Now, one could argue that this kind of thing is perfectly in line with the letter, and perhaps even the spirit, of Open Source Software. But the problem is, this potentially splits the Firefox user base (which I suppose makes Microsoft happy), and it confuses the end users. I suppose the firefox/iceweasel name was supposed to be cute and indicate what was going on, or where iceweasel had come from, but perhaps it was a bit too cute, or a bit too obscure for me, because the connection completely escaped me until I researched it on the web a bit. Worst of all, though, is the question of what happens to iceweasel now? I can guarantee you that having two versions of something, no matter how (supposedly) identical or equivalent they are, is certain to diverge over time. The release of Firefox 3.0 is a perfect example - will there be an iceweasel equivalent, or a new iceweasel derived from Firefox 3.0? What about changes, bug fixes and such that are made to iceweasel, will they be fed back into Firefox? I don't want to be too negative, but it looks to me like the potential for the whole thing to go pear-shaped is very high.

Thinking and writing about firefox/iceweasel made me realize that to some degree, similar things are happening with Linux in general. It is undoubtedly a good thing to have groups like Ubuntu and Mandriva putting a lot of hard work into making "easy" Linux distributions out of "hard" ones. But my interest in this from the beginning has been to see if the "average Windows user" could install and use Linux. How should such a user determine what version to use? How many versions will the market support? This is where you get into the really messy end of proprietary software, where the "proprietor" controls all or most of what you get, and thus can guarantee a consistent experience, as opposed to Open Source Software, where most anyone can do what they want, but what you get in one place might look, feel and work totally differently than what you get in another, even though they are both called "Linux". That, of course, leads to people who try one version, have a bad experience, and write it off completely. Certainly, there are not many people who have the resources and patience to try installing a number of versions, to see which ones work best (or worst) in a specific situation.

Perhaps this is much ado about nothing, my concerns are misplaced and the way this is going is really the best thing for Linux right now. I certainly don't have a better idea. But I would love to hear some explanations and opinions, either way.

Liam Finn - I'll Be Lightning

noreply@blogger.com (Faithless tiesto) — Thu, 10 Jul 2008 16:33:00 +0000

’ll be Lightning has a gloriously homemade feel that works well because the performer is A, a talented songwriter, B, has a lovable voice, and C, the confidence of A and B. Liam Finn delivers his often wistful, sensitive tunes with a big pop heart and a bucketful of sweet melodies. And he’s not scared to rock out behind the drums when he feels like it. The opening Better To Be is a decent indicator of the album - charming vocals and good natured hooks combining with ease and subtlety. Lead Balloon is up-tempo raw rock-pop led by his funky drum break-beat. Fire In Your Belly is crushingly beautiful, and Lullaby has a soothing hint of Brian Wilson in Pet Sounds mood.

Three years ago Finn moved to London from his native New Zealand with his band Betchadupa. He soon realised being in a rock band was restricting his musical desires and split from the band. Coupled with the break up of a long term relationship it became the inspiration for much of this impressive debut album. Live, Finn and his co-performer Elisa Jane (daughter of Australian pop legend Jimmy Barnes) record guitar, keys and bass loops, filling out the sound and freeing him to leap behind the drums and thump away happily. The album captures this loose and highly listenable spirit - just wrap your ears around the glorious late 60’s psychedelic love and peace inspired title track.

Oh, and by the way, I forgot to mention, his dad’s Neil Finn from Crowded House.

Madonna’s man confesses love

noreply@blogger.com (Faithless tiesto) — Thu, 10 Jul 2008 16:28:00 +0000

Alex Rodriguez allegedly confessed his love for Madonna at the beginning of this year.

The New York Yankees baseball star – whose close relationship with the singer is a factor in his recent split from wife Cynthia, her lawyers claim – told a pal he was besotted with Madonna as they had dinner at a restaurant in January, during which Alex spent most of the evening texting her.

His friend told Us Weekly magazine: 'He kept smiling, acting as if he was a little kid. He told me it was Madonna he was texting. I was shocked. He proceeded to say he was in love with her. I thought he was kidding but he wasn’t.'

Just a few weeks after the dinner, Alex – who has two children with estranged wife Cynthia – confirmed how much he had fallen for Madonna, telling the same friend: 'She’s my f***ing soulmate.'

Madonna – whose own marriage to director Guy Ritchie is allegedly on the brink of collapse - has previously denied any involvement with the sportsman, insisting they are just friends. She was also furious her alleged relationship with Alex had been labelled an "affair of the heart" by a lawyer for his wife.

A source involved with the divorce said: "Madonna is outraged. She told his wife Cynthia's lawyers not to make any more statements about her - in short, shut up."

Cynthia's legal team served her spouse with divorce papers earlier this week. Despite not being named in the documents, Cynthia's lawyers are still attributing some of the blame for the break-up to Madonna. One of Cynthia's legal representatives, Earle Lilly, said of Madonna and Alex: "The correct analysis is a relationship.

Some people categorise an affair as sexual infidelity. We're not claiming that - it's an affair of the heart."

Madonna’s spokeswoman yet again played down reports the singer and Guy – who raise three children together – were set to split.

10 Of the World's greatest voices on YouTube

noreply@blogger.com (Faithless tiesto) — Wed, 09 Jul 2008 16:11:00 +0000

Here these wonderful voices singing :

#1

#2

#3

#4

#5

#6

#7, 8, 9

& #10

People Get Dumber ?

noreply@blogger.com (Faithless tiesto) — Wed, 09 Jul 2008 16:06:00 +0000

I Found This Video Named "Gay Heterosexual Love" on YouTube

Clubbing History

noreply@blogger.com (Faithless tiesto) — Wed, 09 Jul 2008 11:19:00 +0000

Clubs or Nightclubs are a brand of the 20th Century and has an interesting history

Early Clubs

During US Prohibition, nightclubs went underground as illegal speakeasy bars. With the repeal of Prohibition in February 1933 nightclubs were revived, such as New York's Stork Club, El Morocco and the Copacabana. In Harlem, the Cotton Club was a popular venue for white audiences. Before 1953 and even some years thereafter, most bars and nightclubs used a jukebox or mostly live bands. In Paris, at a club named Whisky à Gogo, Régine laid down a dance-floor, suspended coloured lights and replaced the juke-box with two turntables which she operated herself so there would be no breaks between the music. The Whisky à Gogo set into place the standard elements of the modern discothèque-style nightclub. In the early 1960s, Mark Birley opened a members-only discotheque nightclub, Annabel's, in Berkeley Square, London. However, the first rock and roll generation preferred rough and tumble bars and taverns to elegant nightclubs, and the nightclub did not attain mainstream popularity until the 1970s disco era.

The 1970's Disco Era

By the late 1970s many major US cities had thriving disco club scenes which were centered around discothèques, nightclubs, and private loft parties where DJs would play disco hits through powerful PA systems for the dancers. The DJs played "... a smooth mix of long single records to keep people "dancing all night long""[1] Some of the most prestigious clubs had elaborate lighting systems that throbbed to the beat of the music. The largest UK cities like Liverpool, Manchester, London and several key European places like Paris, Berlin, Ibiza, Rimini also played a significant role in the evolution of clubbing, DJ culture and nightlife.

Some cities had disco dance instructors or dance schools which taught people how to do popular disco dances such as "touch dancing", the "hustle" and the "cha cha". There were also disco fashions that discotheque-goers wore for nights out at their local disco, such as sheer, flowing Halston dresses for women and shiny polyester Qiana shirts for men. Disco clubs and "...hedonistic loft parties" had a club culture which had many African American, gay and hispanic people.

In addition to the dance and fashion aspects of the disco club scene, there was also a thriving drug subculture, particularly for recreational drugs that would enhance the experience of dancing to the loud music and the flashing lights, such as cocaine (nicknamed "blow"), amyl nitrite "poppers" , and the "...other quintessential 1970s club drug Quaalude, which suspended motor coordination and turned one's arms and legs to Jell-O". The "massive quantities of drugs ingested in discothèques by newly liberated gay men produced the next cultural phenomenon of the disco era: rampant promiscuity and public sex. While the dance floor was the central arena of seduction, actual sex usually took place in the nether regions of the disco: bathroom stalls, exit stairwells, and so on. In other cases the disco became a kind of "main course" in a hedonist's menu for a night out."

Famous 1970s discothèques included "...cocaine-filled celeb hangouts such as Manhattan's Studio 54 ", which was operated by Steve Rubell and Ian Schrager. Studio 54 was notorious for the hedonism that went on within; the balconies were known for sexual encounters, and drug use was rampant. Its dance floor was decorated with an image of the "Man in the Moon" that included an animated cocaine spoon. Other famous discotheques included The Loft, the Paradise Garage, and Aux Puces, one of the first gay disco bars. By the early 1980s, the term "disco" had largely fallen out of favor in North America.

1980s London & Europe

During the 1980s, during the New Romantic movement, London had a vibrant nightclub scene, which included clubs like The Blitz, the Batcave the Camden Palace and Club for Heroes. Both music and fashion embraced the aesthetics of the movement. Bands included Depeche Mode, Human League, Duran Duran, Blondie, Eurythmics and Ultravox. Reggae-influenced bands included Boy George and Culture Club, and electronic vibe bands included Visage. At London nightclubs, young men would often wear make-up and young women would wear mens' suits.

The largest UK cities like Liverpool, Manchester (The Haçienda) and several key European places like Paris (Les Bains Douches), Berlin, Ibiza (Pacha), Rimini etc also played a significant role in the evolution of clubbing, DJ culture and nightlife

1990s and 2000s

In Europe and North America, nightclubs play disco-influenced dance music such as house music, techno, and other dance music styles such as electro or trance. Most nightclubs in the U.S. major cities play hip-hop, house and trance music. These clubs are generally the largest and most frequented of all of the different types of clubs.

In most other languages, nightclubs are referred to as "discos" or "discothèques" (French: discothèque; Italian and Spanish: discoteca or more common antro (In Mexico and Latin America); German: Disko or Diskothek). In Japanese ディスコ, disuko refers to an older, smaller, less fashionable venue; while クラブ, kurabu refers to a more recent, larger, more popular venue. The term night is used to refer to an evening focusing on a specific genre, such as "retro music night" or a "singles night."

After the fall of communism in the Czech Republic, "nightclub" or "night club" became a common euphemism for a brothel. Therefore this word is not used in its original meaning.

(Cluubers at a Foam Party)

As a bad part, there were also acidents..

Since Accidents at nightclubs can occur for many reasons. The most disastrous accidents were fires at well-visited nightclubs, so fire safety prevention has to be taken with great care.

23 April 1940 - Rhythm Night Club Fire, 209 killed at nightclub fire at Natchez, Mississippi, USA;
28 November 1942 - Cocoanut Grove fire, 492 killed in a nightclub fire at Boston;
8 March 1973 - Whiskey Au Go Go fire, 15 killed after firebombing at Fortitude Valley, Brisbane, Australia;
2 August 1973 - Summerland disaster, 51 killed at fire at Summerland leisure centre at Douglas, Isle of Man;
28 May 1977 - Beverly Hills Supper Club fire, 165 killed and 200 injured in fire;
14 February 1981 - Stardust fire disaster, 48 killed and 214 injured at nightclub fire at Dublin, Republic of Ireland;
5 April 1986 - Bomb attack on La Belle discotheque, Berlin, Germany, 3 killed, 230 injured;
February 1990 - Stage collapse at a discotheque at Bilbao, Spain, 13 injured;
25 March 1990 - Happy Land Fire, 87 killed in a nightclub fire at Happy Land, New York City;
20 December 1993 - Kheyvis Fire, 17 killed in a nightclub fire at Buenos Aires, Argentina;
18 March 1996 - Ozone Disco Club fire, 162 dead and 92 injured at a nightclub in Quezon City, Philippines;
30 October 1998 - Gothenburg nightclub fire, 63 people killed, 200 injured in a nightclub fire at Gothenburg, Sweden;
13 October 2001 - Stage toggled at Zapata discothèque Stuttgart, Germany, several people hurt;
21 December 2001 - At Club "Indigo", Sofia, Bulgaria, in an early party for minors, the huge crowd pushing their way to get in colapses down the frosty stairs and crushes 7 children (ages between 10 and 14) to death;
2002 - several people climb in a nightclub at Oberhausen, Germany, on a 120kg heavy loudspeaker box and fell down with the box, 4 killed;
12 October 2002 - 2002 Bali bombings, 202 killed by large bombs;
7 December 2002 - Cowgate fire, Edinburgh, Scotland;
20 February 2003 - The Station nightclub fire, 100 killed at nightclub fire at Warwick, Rhode Island;
8 December 2004 - A shooter in Columbus, Ohio shot and killed guitarist "Dimebag" Darrel Abbott and two other people, also wounding band manager and a fan in the audience;
30 December 2004 - República Cromagnon nightclub fire, 194 killed and 714 injured in a nightclub fire at Buenos Aires, Argentina;
31 December 2005 - a circular crossbar fell down from the roof of a nightclub at Ibbenbüren, Germany, 4 people hurt;
18 June 2007 - Gatecrasher One Fire, Sheffield, England

Apple's MobileMe To Go Live Wednesday

noreply@blogger.com (Faithless tiesto) — Wed, 09 Jul 2008 07:43:00 +0000

As Apple prepares for the much-anticipated launch of the iPhone 3G, the company said it will roll out its MobileMe wireless syncing and online storage service sometime Wednesday evening.

"As part of the MobileMe launch, www.mac.com will be taken offline at 6 p.m. PT on Wednesday, July 9th," read a message on the company's Web site. "MobileMe will be available as soon as possible during this maintenance window."

Introduced at Apple's WWDC conference last month, MobileMe is a cloud storage service that will enable push e-mail and real-time synchronization of contacts, calendar items, and other information between multiple devices without a need for a Microsoft exchange server.

"Think of MobileMe as Exchange for the rest of us," said Phil Shiller, Apple's senior VP of worldwide product marketing, during a presentation.

The service will work with the iPhone's calendar, contacts, and mail applications in addition to working with Mail, iCal, and Address Book on the Macintosh and Outlook on Windows. Users will be able manage their accounts through Me.com from any Web-connected device.

Users will also be able to use MobileMe to store and share photos, videos and other data wirelessly. MobileMe will be replacing the existing .Mac data storage and syncing service, and the company said existing members will automatically be transferred to the new service.

During the scheduled maintenance, .Mac members will not have access to services except for .Mac Mail accessed from an iPod touch, iPhone or desktop application.

A one-year subscription to MobileMe will cost $99 for 20 GB of storage, and users can purchase additional storage.

Liberty Parade 2008

noreply@blogger.com (Faithless tiesto) — Tue, 08 Jul 2008 22:40:00 +0000

On 19 July on the free beach between Venus and Saturn from Romania, there will be a event named Liberty Parade, 2008 Edition, since it is 8 years old. It is based on Dance Music, last year's main guests were Brian Cross & Robbie Riveira.

The event has 2 stages:

1. The party-people come to a start-up point and load up in 3 trucks or on the street and begin a ride to The Liberty Parade Arena.
2. The party itself at the Liberty Parade Arena.
The entrance it's free !

This Years LineUp will be:

On the trucks :

- Vali Barbulescu
- Dj Ludo
- Paul Damixie
- EMIL Lassaria
- NTFO
- Lucian Barbulescu
- Christian Green
- Liviu Hodor
- Vika Jigulina

Main Guests :

- Carl Kennedy
- Dirty South
- Dennis Ruyer

This Years Anthem of the event is made by Activ & Dj Optick and it's named "Be Free"

(The Anthem & The event Overview)

The Skinny Jean: A Brief History

noreply@blogger.com (Faithless tiesto) — Tue, 08 Jul 2008 20:40:00 +0000

Skinny Jeans, whether you love them or loathe them, they’re everywhere. But where did they come from?

1950s and 1960s fashion:

Jeans became the symbol of rebellion and passionate youth worn by the sex symbols of the day. James Dean, Marlon Brando, and Elvis wore their jeans straight and slim. Although women in the 50’s didn’t often wear jeans; Audrey Hepburn, Sandra Dee, and Marilyn Monroe wore the 50’s fashion of slim, close fitting pants that had the same sexy silhouette as today’s skinnies. By the 60’s women’s jeans were more common (even though the zipper was in the back) and they continued to have that skinny silhouette. The look could be super sweet like the girl next door, or sexy and rebellious like those greaser chics in the musical and movie of the same name. Rock and Roll was coming of age and tight jeans were the uniform.

1970s Fashion

The essence of Rock and Roll stays strong in skinny jeans despite the fluff and flash of the Disco era. When we think of 70’s fashion, we think of elephant bells and groovy flare jeans; but dig a little deeper and you’ll find the beginnings of the punk movement and the skinniest jeans in history. Tight from the waist to the ankle, safety pins were often used to keep them snug around the body and increase that bondage appeal. Think of The Sex Pistols and The Ramones as prime examples. Vivian Westwood had her own shop selling this “anti-fashion” to the ultra hip crowd.

1980s fashion

Flash Dance collides with Spandex to bringing a whole new look to the denim scene. Tight jeans were definitely in for women and men. Tight and stone washed, (still no stretch in denim) 80’s fashion is where tapered leg jeans really made their mark, and the style lasted well into the early 90’s. Remember those oversized sweatshirts and the colorful leg warmers? Pat Benetar, Chrissie Hynde and The Rolling Stones, all the serious rockers wore their denim tight (without the leg warmers of course).

1990s Fashion

While mainstream fashion heads toward the boot cut, skinny jeans recapture their cool. No longer popular in 90’s fashion, tight jeans could still be found on the music scene. The Rolling Stones were still rolling along, and underground Punk with its Goth cousin were entrenched in tight skinny jeans (anti-fashion once again). Ever wonder why “Rock n Roll” is so often mentioned in reference to jeans? For mainstream America the skinny jean had taken a disturbing turn, evolving into tapered leg styles and even the horrors of faux denim leggings (some people just have trouble moving on).

2000-2003

Denim is everywhere, after years of boot cuts and flares, the skinny jean looks suddenly fresh and new. Here we are again, but skinny jeans didn’t just pop up over night. It has taken a while to hit the mainstream. In fall of 2002 cutting edge designers were showing skinny jeans scrunched over high heels and tucked into boots. Stella McCartney, Versus (Versace), and Rock and Republic are all showing skinny jeans. By 2003 the trend becomes even more prevalent on the runways and all the premium denim brands are on board. You have to admit, it looks great on those runway models.

2004-2005

The Power of celebrity is omnipotent, if Kate is wearing it, it’s got to be good.
Designers are still pushing the skinny, and the trend catches on in London. Visitors to High Street feel totally out of date in their tried and true boot cut jeans. JBrand Jeans is launched in LA, producing straight and skinny jeans in dark washes with minimal detailing. Celebrities such as Kate Moss, Angelina Jolie, and Sienna Miller embrace the new trend and look fabulous in it. Our very own fashionista, Ada, bought her first pair of skinny jeans in 2005, but mainstream America is still slow to catch on. Lucky Brand Jeans introduces skinnies to their customers only to watch them languish on the store shelves.

2006

The Skinny Jean is all the buzz! It’s hard to wear but you know what they say: “No Pain, No Gain”. It’s here, it’s there, it’s everywhere! Suddenly Americans are seeing Skinnies in every store. Almost all denim brands offer at least one version of a skinny, cigarette, or super straight. There are other jeans out there, but these are the ones that are on the top of everyone’s list. Stores are pushing the new look, and everyone from fashion editors to bloggers are writing about this new trend. Early in the year news reports are varied, predicting that this is a style that just won’t catch on with mainstream America. But by the fall season you can get your skinny fix everywhere from the trendiest boutiques to the local discount store. The skinny is definitely at the peak of popularity right now.

How long will the style last? What’s next? Let’s look to London and see, is that a wide leg jean?

Harry Potter Gay?

noreply@blogger.com (Faithless tiesto) — Tue, 08 Jul 2008 19:39:00 +0000

Take a look at this one :

He could also be emo ! :lol:

History of aviator sunglasses

noreply@blogger.com (Faithless tiesto) — Tue, 08 Jul 2008 19:24:00 +0000

Aviator sunglasses are a style of sunglasses that were developed by Ray-Ban in 1937.

They are characterized by dark, often reflective lenses having an area two or three times the area of the eye socket, and metal frames with wire temples which hook behind the ears. Contemporary models are often polarized.

They were given their name due to their oblique teardrop shape, which matched those of the smoked-lens flying goggles which Ray-Ban was then selling to the Army and Navy. One undesirable result of wearing these goggles was the mismatched tan (dark on the face, white around the eyes) which developed—the oversized aviator sunglasses would hide the white areas, while allowing a limited amount of sunlight through, thus allowing the skin to tan. Though the early goggles were replaced by 1941, the sunglasses had become popular, especially with Naval aviators. Army/Air Force aviators preferred the smaller, more-squarish American Optical straight-temple glasses, which can be put on and removed even while wearing a flying helmet. The design was also popular as the bar across the bridge of the nose allowed Army and Navy members to keep a cigarette on it.

"Ray-Ban Aviator sunglasses
(RB3025 004/58)"

Legend claims that the need arose for aviator-style sunglasses because military pilots found that sun and glare protection would be helpful to aid them during day missions and dogfights.However, pilots of the time did not wear sunglasses while flying. The popularity of the glasses sky-rocketed as many celebrities began wearing the style of sunglasses. Notable wearers include M. Shadows, Val Kilmer, Tom Cruise, Michael Jackson, Britney Spears, Madonna, Hunter S. Thompson, Irwin Sparkes, Johnny Knoxville,Freddie Mercury, Steven Tyler, Axl Rose and Kanye West.

"F.W. Hunter, Army test pilot, Douglas Aircraft Company plant at Long Beach, Calif."
(1942)

The large lenses are not straight as in eyeglasses but bulge out slightly. The design attempts to cover the entire range of the eye and prevent as much light as possible from entering the eye socket from any angle. While still popular with military and civilian aviators alike, the sunglasses work quite well (and were seen as fashionable in the 70s and 80s) and have been taken up by the non-flying civilian population. Law enforcement officers have also taken a liking to the glasses for many reasons,including their excellent cancellation of glare and prevention of eye contact. The design was originally intended for shooting.

"General Douglas MacArthur wearing Aviator sunglasses"

Baby Joy for Giant Panda - Twice!

noreply@blogger.com (Faithless tiesto) — Tue, 08 Jul 2008 14:59:00 +0000

China welcomed the first baby pandas born in captivity since the devastating May earthquake – and it was twins.

The mother -– 12-year-old Guoguo -- is taking the birth of her twins in stride, carrying the 170-gram bundles of joy in her mouth. But it could have gone very differently. Earthquake Panda Baby

When disaster struck, 18 panda enclosures at the Wolong panda research center were destroyed, and and pregnant Guoguo escaped. Altogether, 63 pandas were living there, one was killed, another is still missing.

Photo © China Photos/Getty Images

Giga-byte, Chunghwa to Launch Linux M528 MID in August

noreply@blogger.com (Faithless tiesto) — Tue, 08 Jul 2008 14:46:00 +0000

Taiwanese electronics maker Giga-byte Technology has teamed up with mobile phone service provider Chunghwa Telecom to launch the M528 mobile Internet device in August, a Giga-byte representative said.

The M528 is a small, handheld device with a 4.8-inch touchscreen that runs a Linux OS and uses an 800MHz Intel Centrino Atom microprocessor as its calculating engine. It's part of a new breed of handheld devices the PC industry hopes will catch on as a way for people to surf the Web from just about anywhere. What makes it different from a mobile phone is its larger screen. The biggest mobile phone screens, even when the entire face is used, still top out at around three inches.

The M528 will be packaged with 3G (third-generation telephony) service from Chunghwa Telecom when it launches in Taiwan, for HSDPA/HSUPA (High Speed Downlink/Uplink Packet Access) Web surfing. The device can also access the Web via Wi-Fi 802.11b/g.

The Giga-byte representative said the price of the handheld hasn't yet been determined since it will be bundled with a 3G contract. The hardware may be priced lower to entice users to sign up for Chunghwa's service.

The M528 weighs just 340 grams and is 152 millimeters by 80mm by 22.5mm. It has a Qwerty keypad with a backlight that slides out from underneath so people can use their thumbs to type messages or Web addresses.

The handheld is built for multimedia. It comes with a 4G byte SSD (solid state drive) to store music, photos and other data, an earphone, and a 3-megapixel auto-focus camera on one side, with a 300k Web cam on the front for video chat.

The device can transfer files wirelessly via Bluetooth 2.0 and it also has USB and other ports, as well as a micro-SD card slot.

Announcing openSUSE 11.0 Alpha1

noreply@blogger.com (Faithless tiesto) — Mon, 07 Jul 2008 11:33:00 +0000

With the new year beginning we kick start major development into the next version of openSUSE: openSUSE 11.0 (roadmap). A very early alpha version, Alpha 1, is now available for download and testing.

{OpenSUSE 11.0 Alpha1 Installer)

Despite many other products being developed in parallel to Factory, we have seen a heavy stream of development on it, so it is really worth a try if you have time for testing. Note, however, that it is not suitable for production systems.
Changes since openSUSE 11.0 Alpha 0

We have seen 1026 package check-ins since Alpha0 and countless bugs fixed. The main changes against Alpha0 are:

* Sat Solver integration
o Michael Schröder’s “sat solver” library is now the default package solver for libzypp, so make sure you doublecheck the selected packages - there might be suprises ahead. Please note that we need test cases for things that look funny to you (wiki link)
* Heavy changes to the appearance of the Qt installation (ported to qt4)
o Note that it’s still in draft state and your feedback is welcome
* KDE 4.0.0
* perl 5.10
* glibc 2.7
* NetworkManager 0.7
* CUPS 1.3.5
* Pulseaudio

Most Annoying Bugs

Due to the huge amount of changes, there are also several noticeable bugs:

* The new solver does not yet have a “ignore this requirement” choice, i.e. it’s not possible to create a broken system. We’re still discussing if this is a bug or a feature :)
* the CDs lack a huge amount of software. Many packages had to be taken out to make way for others. The CDs should still have a a completely working desktop, however.
* the Qt port and its theme are early releases and create noticeably more flickering and drawing glitches, e.g. the progress bar is only visible on some installations
* jpackage packages are broken and one package will complain during installation - just ignore
* the installation crashes at the end when creating the x11 proposal: in this case, your desktop will still have a working X config, it just might not be the perfect one. You may need to call sax2 after it happens
* PPC cannot be installed as the bootloader config can’t be written out. However, you can get a working PPC system when updating from alpha0

Media and Download

Please refer to OpenSUse Software Developer for direct links to all the available media.

Have a lot of fun!

Openmoko's Neo FreeRunner Smartphone Really Is Open

noreply@blogger.com (Faithless tiesto) — Mon, 07 Jul 2008 11:16:00 +0000

Openmoko has taken the wraps off its Neo FreeRunner, a Linux-based smartphone based on the company's open mobile-computing platform. Before you yawn about reading yet another product-introduction story -- especially about a handset that lacks 3G capability -- what sets the Neo FreeRunner apart is that it really is open, literally and figuratively.

The company's black, oval-shaped smartphones are built for users to actually open. For example, buyers will be able to take the unit's casing apart to get at the electronic circuitry. Openmoko says it will even supply the tools to make opening the device a snap.

And the handset's flexible development platform will allow designers to create Linux-based mobile applications for specialized markets, Taiwan-based Openmoko said. The goal is to empower developers and consumers alike to personalize their devices, much like a PC.

Under the Hood

Measuring 4.75 x 2.44 x 0.73 inches and tipping the scales at 6.5 oz, the Neo Freerunner sports a 2.8-inch touchscreen with a display resolution of 640 x 480 pixels. Underneath the hood, the handset integrates chips for connecting tirelessly with functions and services compatible with the Bluetooth 2.0, GPS and Wi-Fi (802.11 b/g) standards.

The handset uses a 400-MHz ARM9 processor, 128MB of WSDRAM and 256MB of NAND Flash memory. Though there is no camera, the smartphone has two three-axis motion sensors and a microSD expansion-card slot.

The Neo FreeRunner is a tri-band GSM device that comes in 850/1800/1900-MHz and 900/1800/1900-MHz forms. To find out which Neo to buy, Openmoko suggests that prospective buyers first determine the GSM bands supported in their home markets.

Customization Options

On the software side, the new handset can dial numbers, send and receive SMS text, and record personalized contact information. Openmoko expects to supplement these with downloads, beginning with the release next month of a software suite that will include some location-based applications.

However, the biggest software news is that developers will be able to tap Openmoko's Free and Open Source Software (FOSS) community and create unique versions of the smartphone. For example, developers and users alike will be able to install and run new operating-system firmware that will add custom-tailored Linux software applications.

Wireless carriers and other large-scale customers will even be able to physically customize the device through the use of CAD files made publicly available under a Creative Commons license. This should make it easy for industrial designers to visibly alter the phone's look and feel through the use of alternate materials and finishes.

The Neo FreeRunner, with a suggested retail price of $399, will be available for purchase from Openmoko's Web site beginning Friday. Distributors in the European Union, India and North America should begin selling the new handset on Monday.

Manny Pacquiao: Best Boxer On The Planet

noreply@blogger.com (Faithless tiesto) — Mon, 07 Jul 2008 06:29:00 +0000

It is safe to say with pure honesty on my part, now that Floyd Mayweather has officially retired from the ring … that Manny Pacquiao has emerged as “pound for pound” the best boxer on the planet today.

read more | digg story

10 Best Hacking and Security Software Tools for Linux

noreply@blogger.com (Faithless tiesto) — Mon, 07 Jul 2008 06:26:00 +0000

Linux is a hacker’s dream computer operating system. It supports tons of tools and utilities for cracking passwords, scanning network vulnerabilities, and detecting possible intrusions. I have here a collection of 10 of the best hacking and security software tools for Linux.

read more | digg story

The 500,000 Artifacts of George Washington

noreply@blogger.com (Faithless tiesto) — Mon, 07 Jul 2008 06:20:00 +0000

Archaeologists announced on Wednesday that they had unearthed George Washington's boyhood home at a site not far from Fredericksburg, Va. Over the course of a seven-year excavation, the researchers found more than 500,000 artifacts. How can there be half a million artifacts at one site?Almost everything you find counts as an artifact, as long as it was made or impacted by people. The objects comprise more than just materials from George Washington's home; archaeologists excavated a full acre of land, and the items they collected spanned 10,000 years of history—from rocks used to sharpen prehistoric stone tools to Civil War-era buttons. The collection does include an expensive tea set thought to be owned by the Washingtons and a pipe bearing a Masonic crest, but most of the objects are far more mundane, like nails, broken glass, or cracked egg shells. The only artifacts that weren't removed from the site are remnants of old buildings—either architectural fragments that are still intact or foundation stones that were weighed and left at the site.Once the artifacts are excavated, the archaeologists clean, examine, and identify them in the lab. Each item is cataloged in a computer database with a number and an "address" that denotes where exactly it was found. Most are then put in a plastic bag, placed in a protective box, and shelved in a storage room—with the finds organized by their original location at the site.It's standard professional practice to store all these artifacts. (It isn't unusual for an archaeologist to collect millions over the course of a career.) If an archaeologist leaves an object at the site after it has already been dug up, the artifact can't be easily reanalyzed by future researchers. So even if an archaeologist were only interested in George Washington's old toys, he or she would still be expected to carefully collect, catalog, and store anything found closer to the surface. A researcher who violates these rules can be investigated for misconduct and removed from the Register of Professional Archaeologists.An archaeologist must also ensure that there are "adequate curatorial facilities for specimens and records" before he starts digging. That is no easy task, and the need for so much storage space has led to what some in the field have called a "curation crisis." Keeping millions of objects has become increasingly expensive: A 2003 study by the National Park Service found that some museums charge as much as $1,000 per box for storage. That has led to a discussion of whether and how collections should "deaccession" (i.e., get rid of) objects like tin cans or old soil samples.Got a question about today's news? Ask the Explainer.Explainer thanks R. Berle Clay of Cultural Resource Analysts Inc., David Muraca of the George Washington Foundation, and Dean Snow of Penn State University.

read more | digg story

Move Your Business from Windows to Linux

noreply@blogger.com (Faithless tiesto) — Mon, 07 Jul 2008 06:17:00 +0000

If the cost of Windows is getting your small business down, consider shifting to Linux.

read more | digg story

Prices rising again according to BBC News

noreply@blogger.com (Faithless tiesto) — Mon, 07 Jul 2008 05:56:00 +0000

Rising food and fuel prices are set to top the agenda for leaders of the world's major industrialised nations as they start a key summit in Japan.

The hosts had hoped climate change would be a top issue at the meeting of the Group of Eight (G8) nations but the global economy is sure to dominate.

At the opening lunch, African leaders will set out the effect price rises are having on the world's poorest people.

The summit is also expected to tackle the difficult issue of Zimbabwe.

Food focus

The G8 summit has opened at a resort on the northern island of Hokkaido.

Leaders from member nations - Britain, Canada, France, Germany, Italy, Japan, Russia and the United States - will be joined by counterparts from some 15 other countries, including eight African states.

Japan has spent a record sum of money and deployed about 20,000 police to seal off the remote lakeside town of Toyako for the three-day talks.
The impact on the global economy of price rises and other shocks such as the credit crunch have eclipsed other concerns, correspondents says.

The BBC's political editor, Nick Robinson, who is travelling to the summit with the UK prime minister, says Gordon Brown will join other leaders in calling for the doubling of food production in Africa.

Our correspondent says the G8 may call for the creation of a panel of international experts to advise on how to predict and hopefully avoid another crisis like this.

The EU has already been spelling out plans to alleviate the food crisis.

European Commission President Jose Manuel Barroso told reporters on the sidelines of the summit the proposed 1bn euro ($1.6bn, $800m) fund to help poor farmers in developing countries would come from unused EU subsidies.

It could help improve farmers' access to seeds and fertilisers, and could provide "safety net measures for the most vulnerable", he said.

The G8 leaders may also face tough questions on aid commitments to Africa.

Three years ago they promised to double aid to the continent by 2010 - but campaigners say they are falling far short of that target.

As well as discussing development issues in Africa, the G8 leaders are widely expected to condemn Robert Mugabe's controversial re-election in Zimbabwe last month.

As he headed to the summit, UN chief Ban Ki-moon said he would discuss the crisis with African leaders there.

Zimbabwe's political parties should "work out an arrangement so that they can really bring back democratic rules, the rule of law and peace and stability in their country", he told the French news agency AFP.

Malaysia summit

A number of other bilateral meetings are taking place on the sidelines of the summit.

Mr Bush, attending his last G8 summit, and Russian President Dmitry Medvedev, attending his first, are expected to discuss the US plan for missile defence installations in the Czech Republic and Poland.

Mr Brown will also have talks with Mr Medvedev.

Meanwhile, the charity Water Aid has told the G8 that the single most effective measure it could take to prevent the deaths of millions of children in poor countries would be to build toilets and provide clean water.

Hundreds of protesters again marched through Sapporo on Sunday, the city closest to the venue, on the eve of the talks to demand G8 leaders take action on global warming, poverty and rising food prices.

The demonstration, which followed a similar protest on Saturday, was heavily policed and ended peacefully.

Violent anti-globalisation marches have marred past G8 meetings.

As the G8 got under way in Japan, leaders of the world's largest Islamic nations assembled for what is being billed as the D8 summit in Malaysia's capital, Kuala Lumpur, with the issue of inflation high on the agenda there.

Dell vs. Mac

noreply@blogger.com (Faithless tiesto) — Mon, 07 Jul 2008 05:22:00 +0000

Lol

Rape Protection... lol

noreply@blogger.com (Faithless tiesto) — Mon, 07 Jul 2008 05:20:00 +0000

Jean Paul Gaultier's Caged Belles

noreply@blogger.com (Faithless tiesto) — Mon, 07 Jul 2008 05:10:00 +0000

Paris - Half the passages in this week's haute couture show by Jean Paul Gaultier had birds' names; several were simply entitled cage, befitting a collection where many of fashion's most beautiful models hit the runway bound in wire traps or metal frames.

This menagerie like show in Paris felt like a march of latter day Joan of Arcs, but bound for a demimondaine nightclub not a battle at Orleans. Flared coats in pale mink or redingotes in velvet came wrapped in the steel normally hidden underneath pinafores; sleek bomber jackets were enclosed by bondage gear.

There was a Fifties silhouette to this fall 2009 collection, exemplified by the prim to the knee skirts and raglan shouldered jackets. Russian uber beauty Natasha Poly in a mauve suits with curly cut outs looked liked she walked out from a scene in "Gentlemen Prefer Blondes."

And it would not be a Gaultier show without his fetish Barnstormers jodhpurs and tough chic down jackets - these too encased in metal.

However, though one could not fault the quality or the rich imagination, one could bemoan the sense that the clothes did not look terribly new; the feeling that this great designer was ploughing an already ploughed furrow.

Curiously, there were many empty seats at this show by Jean Paul, once the biggest draw in Paris, or for that matter anywhere on the international fashion circuit.

That's why, when leaving Gaultier's headquarters, the overriding impression was of a designer in need of a fresh creative impulse - of a bird that needed to be set free.