Preface

We ultimately celebrate the 4th of July, because the Declaration of Independence went to the printers on that day and it is the same day that readers saw it for the first time.

http://www.latimes.com/opinion/op-ed/la-oe-ellis-real-date-of-american-independence-20170702-story.html

For that reason, this show will be centered on being Independent and acting on your own

Unix

Ubuntu Mate Edition has been ported to GTK 3. However, X.org will need to be replaced at some point. Martin Wimpress is exploring the possibility of adapting the compositing portion of Mir to support Wayland.

https://plus.google.com/+MartinWimpress/posts/1ABQm823at8

Pop!_OS from System76 is an attempt to have an Ubuntu-based OS that they can have more flexibility in terms of modification.

https://system76.com/pop

https://www.ubuntu.com/legal/contributors

Overlooked Pop Culture

Total Nonstop Action wrestling is now Global Force Wrestling. The TNA brand has been damaged by mismanagement for a number of years. With the return of Jeff Jarrett at the helm, it seems that GFW will be the official brand name going forward. GFW may very well be a more marketable name at this point.

http://impactwrestling.com/impact-wrestling-acquires-global-force-wrestling/

Atari may be returning to the console business. They were among the early companies to have built on success in the video game industry. Though they stopped making consoles, they continued to put out software for various platforms and still earn some money.

http://us.blastingnews.com/gaming/2017/06/atari-teases-new-video-game-console-001783867.html

https://www.ataribox.com/

• Google Fiber: Still expanding, believe it or not. http://wfpl.org/portland-expected-louisville-first-google-fiber-neighborhood/
• They are placing more emphasis on Project Fi though: https://fi.google.com/about/
• They are also slowing down on Fiber expansion: https://www.pcmag.com/news/349044/google-fiber-halts-expansion-lays-off-employees
• AT&T: They are expanding in Kentucky. http://surfky.com/index.php/muhlenberg/news-muhlenberg/120737-fiber-optics-availability-enhances-opportunities-at-paradise-park
• Verizon: Looks like they’re starting to slowly expand as well…. http://www.telecompetitor.com/verizon-were-doubling-down-on-fiber-broadband-just-dont-call-it-fios/
• Mobile provider Ting is also slowly offering fiber in select cities (https://ting.com/internet) in addition to cell phone service.
• We’re still not in the top 10 for fastest Internet speeds in the world: https://www.fastmetrics.com/internet-connection-speed-by-country.php

Dad, I know I already called you on Sunday. I just wanted to wish you and other Fathers a wonderful belated Father's Day. --Thomas Holbrook II

• Out of mobile
• Microsoft has teamed up with Qualcomm for Windows 10 on ARM with an x86 emulation layer.
• AMD Ryzen inside of Dell computers.
• Ill-timed launc of the x299 chipset.

Ars Technica and Seeking Alpha explain the possible lawsuit situation in detail.

The problem with suing is that:

1. Connectix emulated x86 with Virtual PC for Mac.
2. Bochs, an x86 PC emulator, has existed for quite some time.
3. Other companies have tried to stop emulation, but haven't always been successful. Sony and Bleem! come to mind as does Nintendo.

Though not quite related to x86, the case of Tengen and Nintendo may or not be used as precedent regarding any future lawsuits. Finally, Tech Radar also explains why emulation is a legal gray area.

*The link will get you $10 in credit if you sign up for Digital Ocean. From there you can take their cheapest rig for a spin for two months.

System76's Meerkat is the system that Thomas has ordered. He configured it as follows:

• 2.9 GHz i5-6260U + Intel Iris Graphics (1.8 up to 2.9 GHz – 4MB Cache – 2 Cores – 4 Threads)
• 16 GB Dual-channel DDR4 at 2133 MHz (2× 8 GB)
• 32 GB M.2 SSD (Using as the OS and apps drive)
• 750 GB 2.5″ 7200 RPM Drive (Using as the data drive)

Thomas currently has Ubuntu Mate 16.04 installed on the SSD with his home directory on the traditional hard drive. Thus far, he loves it.

http://www.cio.com/article/3181734/linux/how-canonical-makes-money-from-ubuntu.html

Canonical is apparently offering extended support for one of their server products for a price. This could ensure profitability in the long term. Since they are a private company, there is no way to tell if they are currently profitable or are losing money.

AMD Ryzen launched this month with Ryzen 7.  AMD’s newest high end consumer chip.  Targeted primarily at the enthusiast level, the 8 core 16 thread 1800x is a beast, and in most multithreaded workloads, it beats out it’s direct competitor, the Intel i7 6900k, for half the cost.

Ryzen 5, the more mainstream chip is expected to release April 11th.

http://www.anandtech.com/show/11202/amd-announces-ryzen-5-april-11th

http://www.anandtech.com/show/11170/the-amd-zen-and-ryzen-7-review-a-deep-dive-on-1800x-1700x-and-1700

System76 has also started marketing ARM servers:

https://system76.com/servers/starling

Southpaw Regional Wrestling is a satire of the olden days of Professional Wrestling. There are four episodes that are available on WWE’s YouTube Channel. If popular enough, it could become a regular show on their network.

http://whatculture.com/wwe/9-things-we-learned-watching-southpaw-regional-wrestling

Verizon now has Unlimited Data packages.

• $80 for a single line. Two devices can be connected like a smart watch and tablet, and the price includes service and access charges with autopay and paperliss billing set up. Your employee discount may not apply to it.
• After 22 GB of data, you may get reprioritized during congestion. Mobile hotspot/tethering allows for 10 GB of data before throttling to 3G speeds (eat that Straight Talk!).
• Multi-line costs a bit more, but allows for up to 10 devices. It's also a better deal than AT&T's "Unlimited Data" (they have no hotspot or tethering included and are more expensive).

• Naka-Kon: March 10-12 at the Overland Park Convention Center.
• Stealthcon: March 25-26 at the Elliot Student Union on UCM's Campus.
• There's also a list of events by state.

The Reglue Project's fundraiser is coming to a close. See if you can help them by sharing the link or chipping in here.

Thomas was disapponited that Bill Godberg didn't win and is hoping AJ Styles won't be thrown away. Stephen Kelley liked the event as well, but found three different matches in the pre-show to be a bit weird.

We are now officially on Patreon. If you become one of our Patrons, you'll get exclusive access to our newsletter every month and more. Please consider becoming a Patron of The *Nixed Report today.

Thomas wrote an essay regarding President Trump and what can be done about it. He's also ahead of schedule, and already has the official Patreon page up and running. Those who want to support the show have a convenient way of doing so.

This Sunday is the Royal Rumble, and there are plans to coordinate with Stephen Kelley regarding reactions, analysis, etc of one of the biggest WWE events before Wrestlemania.

Finally, The Reglue Project is having their annual fundraiser. As of updating the feed of the show, they are at $900. Their goal is a humble $9,200. Those who can chip in, please do so. If you can't please share the link to their campaign every chance you get.

The LA Times has an interesting piece, and one of more controversial aspects involved the decision regarding the demonstrators at the refuge in Oregon. One unintended consequence though is possible precident that could benefit protestors of the Dakota Access Pipeline. Another controversial topic was the lead in the water in Flint, Michigan; an example of failure of local government.

For pro wrestling, it was the year of AJ Styles, the WWE World Champion. Video gaming also had some significant releases as well.

As for the future, prepare for more content on the YouTube channel. As for other ideas, you'll have to listen to the show....

Some of Shaggy's favorite moments of this year include marriage equality, PokeMon Go, VR becoming mainstream, and comic book movies. Examples include Batman vs Superman, X-Men Apocalypse, Captain America: Civil War, Suicide Squad, and Dr. Strange. He also found the exploding Samsung phones to be amusing.

Some of his least favorite moments include the deaths of Prince, David Bowie, Alan Rickman, Lemmy (Motorhead), Gene Wilder, and too many more to name......

Thomas gets Curtis's thoughts on this year in a separate segment.

Past Media Sins: https://thenixedreport.com/three-past-media-sins/

Unix

Microsoft Joining the Linux Foundation:

http://www.cio.com/article/3141918/linux/linux-has-won-microsoft-joins-the-linux-foundation.html

Visual Studio Code has been available for quite some time.

https://code.visualstudio.com/

By the way, Full WIndows 10 will be coming to ARM in 2017:

https://www.qualcomm.com/news/snapdragon/2016/12/07/windows-10-powered-snapdragon

Powershell vulnerabilities are an issue:

http://www.securityweek.com/windows-powershell-increasingly-abused-attackers

Powershell is also available on Linux:

https://azure.microsoft.com/en-us/blog/powershell-is-open-sourced-and-is-available-on-linux/

https://github.com/PowerShell/PowerShell/tree/master/docs/learning-powershell

Crossover Office 16 is Out:

https://www.codeweavers.com/about/blogs/jramey/2016/12/13/its-been-a-long-time-coming-and-weve-been-waiting

1.) Sparky Linux is now using httpshttp://distrowatch.com/weekly.php?issue=20161205

2.) What Time Do You Have?http://linuxlock.blogspot.com/2016/11/what-time-do-you-have.html

3.) New Router will soon be installed. Better range and higher speeds. It's dual band as well.

---------------------------Overlooked Pop Culture---------------------------

1.) AJ Styles retains WWE World Championship. Bray Wyatt and Randy Orton Smackdown Tag Team Champions.

2.) Gen James Mattis said Iraq was probably a "mistake."

https://theintercept.com/2016/12/05/iraq-was-a-mistake-said-gen-james-mattis-trumps-defense-pick/

3.) Remember that your time is important, and that moments, moments to be, or moments that could have been will not be obtainable once they pass. Stay tuned for some interesting updates over the coming weeks.

WWE has been changing direction as of late. Enzo Amore being naked in front of Rusev (appropriate censors applied of course) and Goldberg beating Brock Lesnar in less than 90 seconds at Survivor Series are among some of the interesting swerves that have happened as of late.

Do you believe the current direction is good? Feel free to answer here.

Forbes and Inquisitr have some speculation on Goldberg's future in the WWE.

Chrome OS users will have to have the Google Play Store available on their devices. As of the updating of this feed, Thomas actually has the Store available in one of the Canary builds. The good news is that more Chromebooks can run Android apps.

Ubuntu on Windows is an interesting propisition to say the least. It allows for people to run basic command line tools from a Linux-based environment natively on Windows. Another interesting part is the expansion of PowerShell to other platforms.

• Scott "Victor Thorn" Makufka and Lisa Guliani tore down other content creators and went so far as to claim that GCN was an affiliate of ABC.
• Sonny Crack, a Revere Radio Network host, called Guliani out for the assertion and recorded an adult themed satire about her.
• In response, WING TV went to the FBI.

Sources

• Conversation between Special Agent Steve Collins and Robb Revere.
• Story on Scott "Victor Thorn" Makufka's death.
• Killtown attempting to find out what happened all those years ago.
• An alleged e-mail from Lisa Guliani on why she left WING TV.
• Lisa Guliani apparently converted to Islam.

Thomas is running Ubuntu Mate 16.04 on his Pi 3 while Shaggy is running Arch. With the shocking event known as Brexit, a discussion was had on the Raspberry Pi forums with the general conclusion of waiting and seeing (long term will reveal more).

Overlooked Pop Culture

• Thomas has started another podcast. He's also working on saving up money.
• Shaggy has a new fan page and Google+ Page. He also acquired an old school NES.

Retrospective

• Thomas looks back on Episodes 26, 27, and 62
• Shaggy looks back on Episodes 54, 67, and 96

He's also kicking Striaght Talk to the curb as a new customer of Verizon. The phone? Galaxy S7. The data speed? Oh my...... His reasons for doing so are as follows:

1. MVNO's like Straight Talk may not necessarily support upgrading Android on their phones.
2. Mobile hotspot is not always available.
3. Lower priority regarding phone calls as opposed to being a mainstream carrier customer.

Shaggy recently had to adjust his overclocking on his main rig and he has played a bunch of Fallout 4. He also discusses his job's transition to open spaces as opposed to cubicles and how it has impacted communication with coworkers. Other topics include Bash on Windows and more.

Unix

Ian Murdock unfortunately passed away at the end of 2015. Thomas also realized that the GSM-based 4G LTE mobile hotspot from Straight Talk was a bad investment; the device works fine, but the problem of loading sites is out of Straight Talk's hands (site may not load under recent versions of Chrome due to recent security updates). Shaggy's System76 adventure was one of his favorite moments.

Even cheaper computers have arrived in the form of the Pi Zero and CHIP. GPU technology has also been improving with the AMD Fury X and NVIDIA Maxwell Second Gen.

Overlooked Pop Culture

Liquid water on Mars, Shaggy's top five games, and Thomas's move back to Warrensburg were also among the highlights for 2015. ABC also has a good rundown as well.

The University of Virginia has a detailed history of Wargamming, which has extensive roots.  Both beginners and experts can check out the miniwargaming YouTube Channel.

Some of the well known titles are as follows:

• Mage Knight (WizKids, 1999) (Now defunct, morphed into a board game!)
• Warhammer Fantasy/Warhammer 40,000 (Games Workshop, 1983/1987)
• Warmachine/Hordes (Privateer Press, 2003/2006)
• Flames of War (Fantasy Flight Games, 2002)

Other relevant links are as follows:

• Bell of Lost Souls: Tabletop News
• Faeit 212: GW News and Rumors
• Games Workshop Store Page
• Forge World UK
• Flames of War
• Privateer Press
• Mage Knight (Board Game)

• Science Alert article
• The treaty that prevents further exploration of the possibility of liquid water.
• Time Magazine article

1. Micro-transactions: Players are nickle and dimed, and the market is lucrative at the moment.
2. Other titles, story ideas, etc get abandoned: Konami sees mobile as the future of gaming, so say goodbye to Metal Gear Solid at this point.
3. It could lead to a recession in video games (though not necessarily a bad thing).

• Developed by 38 Studios, which was subsidized by the state of Rhode Island.
• Four playable races, three class trees, and 22 abilities per tree for customizability.
• Button mashing may be utilized, but strategy is also requried in this action RPG.
• Official Site here.
• The main character is known as the Fatless One.
• Available for console and PC (even on Steam).

Final Fantasy III

• Android Port of the 2007 DS release (PC Magazine).
• Turn based combat.
• Compass like image appears on the screen as the touchscreen is used for navigation.
• Tapping is well suited for choosing menu items and enemies to attack during combat. Navigation can get tricky at times however, especially if a tablet/phone's touch screen is a dud.
• Saves can be synced with the cloud, thus enabling resuming with a different device.

The Original: Bioshock.

Shaggy: My rationale behind choosing this game came from the fact that Thomas wanted me to pick a game either from console or PC. And I didn’t want to pick a title specifically geared toward one platform, because as I grew up I played primarily on a console. I grew up in the era where Nintendos and the SNES and the original playstation became prevalent, and the N64 to not bash on nintendo. I wanted to choose a title that showed the capabilities of a console, but also that could be played on a PC. Bioshock had a focus on the console rather than the PC because it was, and still is, a time when consoles were more popular than PC’s. The latest iteration in the series is Bioshock Infinite. Which takes a new spin on the world of Bioshock, and with the DLC integrates the original game. I have not personally played Bioshock 2, however it was developed by a different gaming studio instead of Irrational Games. The story for the second game was also not written or produced by Ken Levine, the mastermind behind the Bioshock games. Also, the latest game is available on Linux, and if you follow our podcast or even know a remote amount about us you know that we are all about FOSS. This shows the movement of PC gaming now, more gamers are wanting the ability to play their games on more than one platform and not be locked into a specific vendor.

WWE Immortals

Thomas: I’m a WWE fan, so when I saw this game for free, I installed it. The premise as a fighting game is simple. Tap for quick attacks, swipe for stronger attacks. Tap adrenaline bar for signature attacks. Certain levels have to be attained before finishers and gear become unlocked. Like most freemium games, there are helpful features that you have to pay for (recharging so you can enter additional matches as opposed to waiting for your characters to recover). There are online events in which you play against teams assembled by other players (it isn’t real time as far as I can tell….. the opponents appear to be computer controlled) for additional gear, Immortal Credits (that you can use to purchase other characters, enhancements, etc….), Reknown (which determines ranking in tournaments). Other games on consoles/desktops may have DLC, whereas mobile games may require you to pay for them.

Characters can be leveled up in two ways; level and legendary levels. Normal levels are obtained through experience, while legendary levels are obtained by acquiring duplicate character cards, which can be used as stat boosters. Having John Cena in the role of a Superhero (Evolved John Cena) and the Undertaker as a Necromancer makes the overall theme of the game unique.

Rare characters can be obtained through online and special challenge events.

Differences

Programming and wallet vaccuum aside, controls and compatibility are the main defferentiating factors.

Though mobile gaming can be attached to a bigger screen, compatibility may not always be there.One may accidentally press the home screen button, thus switching away from the game. Mobile network connections can be hindered by data coverage, allowance, and wonky SIM cards. WiFi and Ethernet are more stable.

Controls are definitely a difference maker. It’s more difficult to press the wrong button on a controller, mouse, and keyboard.

LibrePlanet has a good explaination of the issue at hand. Those wanting to make a comment can do so through the Federal Register's page. The link for leaving a comment is at the top and you have until September 9th. This issue is a reminder of the debate on the war against general computing. One piece arguing that it is happening can be read here and a skeptical response can be viewed here. Thomas concludes the show with WWE Immortals, a game he ia getting addicted to.

• Bernie Sanders (Democratic Primary)
• Donald Trump (Republican Primary)

Salon has an informative piece on why the two candidates represent the perfect storm in politics.  More citizens are becoming disillusioned with the status quo in politics.  The author notes that neither one of them would make for a good President, but someone will be paying attention with aspirations of their own for 2020.

Sanders is known for being a socialist who sees inequality in terms of income for working Americans. He is openly gay and has had quite the past that goes contrary to what many progressives might want (he’s pro 2nd Amendment for the most part). He touts himself as the anti-billionaire candidate.

Trump on the other hand is the rich man who appears to be nothing more than a vanity candidate on the surface. However, some of his positions do overlap with Sanders’.

Rand Paul, also seeking the nomination of the Republican Party nomination has accused Trump of being a fake conservative. Trump's changing positions aren't helping his case.

Political Disillusionment

Jonah Goldberg wrote a piece about the disillusionment against both major parties. Lee Fang of The Intercept also pointed out how Trump demonstrated the broken system of politics. Sanders has been gaining on Clinton as well (though the Black Lives matter demonstrators may have disrupted the process a bit).

Let’s say both candidates decide to run as an Independent. They would have a big problem on their hands. Just ask Gary Johnson.

There are privacy concerns due to Cortana and OneDrive being heavily integrated into the OS. Nevertheless, the OS seems to be interesting thus far. Thomas had to install the Windows 7 drivers for his Nvidia Geforce 7600 GS.

The main issues he ran into were HTML 5 video playback in IE and Edge (video didn't render properly, though audio played) and the cumulative update failing. Thr update wasn't mentioned in the show due to discovery after recording (resetting the installation solved the problem).

Shaggy was disappointed that he couldn't get the 64-bit edition of Java to work with his installation (he plays Minecraft and uses mods on a regular basis).  If his system ran idle, he had performance issues. Both upgrades were achieved through command line finagling.

Steam Consoles

A list of consoles can be seen here. By looking at the list, one can tell that they are glorified HTPC's. Shaggy believes that building a custom PC will give the user more value for tgeir money while Thomas can see the value of getting one for under $500.

Let's face it. Windows 8 was not well received.  A radical change to the UI bred contempt from customers and power users alike.  When news about "Windows 9," started surfacing, the Redmond Giant pulled the proverbial rug out from everyone's feet; they skipped 9 and went straight to 10.  

Shaggy thinks this is due to the backlash that Windows 8/8.1 had received.  In either event, Microsoft is attempting to unify their OS across computers, tablets, and phones.  Those who are runing Windows 7 SP1, 8, and 8.1 will be able to upgrade for free.

Be warned that home users won't have as much discretion regarding updates unless this utility is install for now (Pro users may have slightly more choice). Enterprise users will have the most control over the installation of updates on their systems.

Techradar has a good piece on it.

The company has also made Office available on Android as well and are unifying the look and feel on OS X as well.  Thomas speculates that it's only a matter of time before it's available on Linux-based platforms.

DirectX 12

Multiple GPU support via Multiadapter:

• Explicit: More complex than Implicit, but allows for multipel GPU's from different manufacturers (including integraded graphics).
• Implicit Think AMD CrossFire and Nvidia SLI.

AMD

Graphics Cards:

• Fury X: Came first.
• Fury: Stripped down version of the Furty X.

Both use HBM, which is faster than GDDR5 graphics memory.  They came out with Mantle, which is a low level API for graphics (influenced DX12), but it's now transformed into Vulkan, the successor to OpenGL.

Comeback Kids?

Microsoft has taken a beating over Windows 8, and AMD's stock has been down for quite some time.  However, both Thomas and Shaggy believe that both companies are poised to make a comeback in the near future.

Multi-state war game exercise. ABC, Fox, KOAT, and KXAN have articles. Local coverage here and here.

Concerns

• Private property
• Multi-state
• Posse Comitatus

USASOC Public Affairs Office

March and April press releases. Reporters barred.

Response

Joe Biggs of Infowars weighed in. National Guard in Texas and private individuals will watch. Alex Jones argues that it's incremental conditioning, not an immediate takeover.

Exercises

• Bold Alligator
• Robin Sage
• Derna Bridge
• Global/Vigilante Guardian

Trump

• CBS
• HuffPost
• Waffling
• Bankruptcy

Huffington Post Piece: http://www.huffingtonpost.com/phil-perrier/dusty-rhodes-bridged-the-_b_7625874.html

Hard Times Speech: http://genius.com/Dusty-rhodes-hard-times-promo-annotated

Highlights

• 3 time NWA World Heavyweight Champion
• Multi-time NWA World Tag Team Champion (and Six Man Tag Champion)
• Multi-time NWA World TV Champion
• Multi-time NWA United States Champion
• 2007 WWE Hall of Fame inductee.

Though his career was legendary, his main controversy was the fact that he wrestled while he booked (http://www.infinitecore.ca/superstar/index.php?threadid=17384).  Barry Windham disagreed with being in the main event while booking at the same time (https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=7ddviXaswVw).

Still, he was known for having a big heart.  An example was shared on Facebook by Homer Shadowheart on June 11, 2015 (https://m.facebook.com/story.php?story_fbid=10152724952496706&id=511676705).

• HTML
• Mostly Visual Basic
• Some Java (barely)

So far, he's learned how to print messages, perform calculations, and declare variables (which isn't as strict as other languages).

E3

Gamespot has as a comprehensive article on the announcements made this year.  Phillip Wesley of DMGICE had this to say:

"So far at E3.

Microsoft: We have Halo and Rare. You like Rare, right? Fine. How about a price drop. Do you like us yet?

Sony: We have old games, coming out next year, and we want you to pay to develop one of them. You're smart and intelligent, so you'll obviously not realize this is a scam.

EA/Activision/UBISoft: Hey. Sequels that look slightly better, but play exactly like the previous games aren't expansion packs. They are totally new games.

Nintendo: Here's a bunch of stuff for this year that requires you to actually make friends while you are in line for Amiibo. Please look at these sales, downloadable E3 demos, and Earthbound Beginnings.

SquareEnix: Mobile games are good, right? Oh, Kingdom Hearts is getting even more pretentious this time around. Also, I guess Dragon Quest exists for now."

Games Shaggy's Looking Forward To

• Games Shaggy is Looking Forward to:
• Deus Ex: Mankind Divided
• Kingdom Hearts III
• Fallout 4
• Star Wars: Battlefront
• Final Fantasy VII reboot
• Need for Speed reboot

Asus Zenfone 2 ZE551ML

More about the CPU: http://ark.intel.com/products/81195/Intel-Atom-Processor-Z3580-2M-Cache-up-to-2_33-GHz

GPU: http://www.notebookcheck.net/Imagination-PowerVR-G6430.110717.0.html

• 2.3 Ghz Intel Atom Quad Core
• 4 GB RAM
• Dual SIM
• 64 GB internal storage
• Dual-SIM
• 13 Megapixel back camera/ 5 Megapixel front camera
• http://www.gsmarena.com/asus_zenfone_2_ze551ml-6917.php

Low Powered Devices

Chromebit:

http://www.wired.com/2015/03/google-unveils-chrome-stick-turns-display-pc/

http://www.cnet.com/products/asus-chromebit/

Rapsberry Pi, Model B:

http://www.raspberry-projects.com/pi/pi-hardware/raspberry-pi-model-b/hardware-general-specifications

Intel Compute stick

http://www.intel.com/content/www/us/en/compute-stick/intel-compute-stick.html 

Apple Macbook with Intel Core M processor

http://www.apple.com/macbook/specs/

IoT

Windows 10: https://dev.windows.com/en-us/iot

Ubuntu Snappy Core: https://developer.ubuntu.com/en/snappy/

Learn Python as Your first language

http://learnpythonthehardway.org/book/ 

As a result, he has given Thomas his Raspberry Pi as he plans on getting the latest model.  They discuss various topics and give a preview of an upcoming topic for a future episode.

There's nostalgia and plenty of tech talk.

Resources

• NOAA/NWS Severe Storms Labratory (Prediction Center): Norman, OK.  Responsible for Weather prediction, advanced warning, and tracking.
• Weather Underground
• NWS (National Weather Service)
• Unisys Weather

Storm Chasing (Tornado Hunting)

• Stormchasingvideo (Youtube); Do livestreams, recap videos and chases.
• Pecos Hank: Youtube Channel here. Has a website too.
• TIV (Tornado Intercept Video)

Other Tool of Note

• Enhanced Fujita Scale

2014: Unusual Year

• Pilger, NE, Very Rare Twins, EF 4
• Coleridge, NE, (2014), EF 3-EF4

Other Events

• El Reno, OK, Largest Tornado Ever Recorded (2013) EF5
• Greensburg, KS, Massive EF5, destroyed the entire town(2007)
• Tri-State Tornado, MO, IL, IN, Deadliest event in recorded history (1925)
• Joplin, MO, EF4-EF5 Dispute, (2011)
• Moore, OK Event EF5, (2013)

Precautions

• Have a plan
• Consider purchasing a NOAA Weather Radio
• Know when the Season begins and ends in your Area
• Info

Tornado Myths

• Window Pressure Myth
• Big City Myth
• Mountain Tornados
• Freeway hiding
• Outrunning a storm

They went above and beyond this year.  Not only did they "mirror" their site, they also let people play Pacman through Maps, introduced Panda, and brought forth Dial-Up Mode for their Fiber service.

Microsoft

MS-DOS 1.0 for Mobile

Other Tech and Web-based

• Honda HR-V Selfie Edition
• Tumblr introducies Coppy!
• UCM changed their mascot from the Mules to the Squirrels!
• Amazon Dash button.
• Razer Project McFly.
• Corsair M63MM RGB (The "M" is for "Mechanical")
• CERN confirms the existene of The Force!
• ....and many more.

First off, if there is any portion of the show that doesn't come through very well, we apologize in advance.  Thomas had to conduct the interview using his Samsung Galaxy S4's speakerphone while recording on his RCA Android Tablet.

Pokerface is a controversial band whose views will cause them to be forever shunned by any major record label.  They agree with the legalization of marijuana, oppose the prison industrial complex, and are anti-war.  Topete identifies himself as a Christian, though he studies through resources available from independent pastor Arnold Murray, whose site is linked in the show notes.

The Band

• Website: http://www.pokerface.com
• Forum: http://www.pokerface.org/fx/

Upcoming Events

• Freedompalooza: Note that the link provides information from last year's event.  It's held around July 4th weekend every year and hosts band that are considered politically incorrect.
• Machine Gun Shoot: For those who are near Westpoint, KY.

Spirituality

• Shepard's Chapel: Ran by Pastor Arnold Murray in Arkansas.

Age of Disrespect

Worse than the dude who crapped on cars in Akron, Ohio, national park and landmark vandalism can do more then extensive damage; it can corrupt historical accuracy and eliminate endagered species of livingt hings.

Curtis's Background

• Nature lover
• Hiker
• Explorer of parks, monuments and landmarks
• Extensive Coursework in Geology, Hydrology and Physics
• Extensive Coursework in Western American Nature Writing and History

Creepytings

• The article from CNN
• IBTIMES has written a piece on her as well
• 21 Year old Casey Nocket appears to be cooperating with Oregon authorities.

Other Instances of Vandalism

• The Washington Post mentions the Roman Colosseum and goes into the history of vandalism in other landmarks such as Easter Island, Egypt's Luxor Temple, and Stonehenge.
• Joshua Tree Incident (February 2015)
• Seguaro Incident (s) (June 2013)

On top of that, here's an example of the stress that Rangers go through.

Historical Figures

• John Muir: Father of the National Park
• Edward Abbey: Park Ranger, Anarchist, Writer, and Awesome Crazy man.  His book, The Monkey Wrench Gang, would inspire radical environmental groups such as Greenpeace.
• John Wesley Powell: Explorer of the Grand Canyon, Civil War Vetern
• Stephen Mather: Father of the National Park Service and first Director

• 1.5 GHz Quad Core ARM Cortext A9 Processor
• 1 GB DDR3 RAM
• 16 GB Storage (can take a 32 GB MicroSD Card)
• 0.3 Megapixel front camera
• 2.0 Megapixal rear camera
• Micro USB (charges through that port)
• Keyboard folio case
• 10" diagonal screen (1024x600 resolution)
• 802.11 b/g/n Wi-Fi
• Headphone jack
• Mini HDMI port
• Runs Android 4.4 KitKat

Thomas currently has an ifrogz stylus to reduce smudging on the screen.  He also mistakenly purchased a Micro-HDMI to HDMI cable, so he won't be able to hook it up to his TV.

Shaggy is now the proud owner of a 128 GB Solid State Drive for his Macbook Pro.  It was quite a challenge for him to transfer all his existing information to the new drive.  Both hosts discuss upcoming projects and other tech-related issues as well.

bq's Aquarius e4.5 Ubuntu Edition has been released.  WebUpd8 writes that it's a great OS on average hardware.  It is just under $200 USD and has already been selling out.

bq has more info about the phone itself, which is just slightly better than a Samsung Galaxy S2.  The phone itself is for early adopters and is currently not available in the U.S.

Besthesda has announcede that they will have their first ever appearance at E3.  Speculation has been abound about what they could be announcing.  Polygon and Forbes are suggesting that a new Fallout may be announced.  The game studio has the habit of quietly working on things while refusing to confirm anything with the press.

Bonus content includes mentioning the Raspberry Pi 2.

Fans of Simon and Super Simon can thank Baer.  He created the game, originally called Follow Me.  When Milton Bradley bought the product from him, the name was changed.  The most modern iteration, SImon Swipe, can be found today on Hasboro's website.

There was ultimately a patent dispute between Magnavox and Atari, who Nolan Bushnell worked for.  Bushnell would ultimately be credited for creating the first arcade machine.

Though Baer doesn't care for violence in video games, he prefers not to force his views upon others as noted in an interview with Ars Technica.

A comparisson of the Odyssey to other consoles can be found here.  More info about Baer can be found here.

There's still some good things as noted by Common Sense Media.  We also had some scientific breakthroughs as well.

Though 2014 was a year of pain and transition, there were still some good points to it, which could lead to some interesting things this year.

Along the way, he has met some interesting people.

In much the same way, the rest of the world has experienced some growing pains as well.  Whether it's media coverage of any given topic without proper disclosure of potential conflicts of interest, controversial events that spiraled out of control, or the death of well known individuals, we all know that things will never be the same.

But that's where opportunity for growth comes from.  It's that transitionary period where things aren't quite the same and we have to adapt to new challenges.  Thomas has a few goals in mind for next year.

1. Convert all PDF magazines into HTML pages for easier viewing by March.  Having new issues in HTML with ads inserted while allowing subscribers to view new ones without ads while having first dibs (and exclusive audio and video content embedded).
2. Recruit more people for the podcast.  At least two more people to be precise.
3. Generate $600 from the website, whether it be from crowdfunding for hosting costs and paying contributors or other avenues.  A one off will be done before utilizing Patreon.

If the third goal isn't met by December 31, 2015, the website will be discontinued.  The *Nixed Report has existed since 2006, and it's time to take things to the next level.

Both Thomas and Shaggy work in retail, and during the holiday shopping season, things can turn nasty in a hurry.  This year, one of the strangest things happened in the early morning.

http://gta.wikia.com/Grand_Theft_Auto

Grand Theft Auto 5

New features include a first person mode, which comes with some controversy (not surprising).

http://nypost.com/2014/11/18/grand-theft-auto-5-allows-first-person-sex-with-a-prostitute/

There’s also improved graphics (blood is better).

http://arstechnica.com/gaming/2014/11/grand-theft-auto-v-next-gen-impressions-first-person-looter/

Bugs from older versions

San Andreas: http://www.ign.com/articles/2014/11/10/gta-san-andreas-steam-update-removes-music-creates-save-file-problem

Quality of Programming

Ubisoft: http://www.pennlive.com/entertainment/index.ssf/2014/11/ubisoft_unites_fans_in_sadness.html

It is malware that has been used to attack many countries.  Though the U.S. believes that the Russian government sponsored it, it has been used to attack Russia.  Kasperky has been trying to dissect the malware in its entirety, and have been the recipients of a nasty message via source code (i.e. “Fuck U, kaspeRsky!!!”).

It has since been updated to include the ability of reading device ID’s from USB devices as well.  Cisco routers and Windows systems are especially vulnerable, but Linux-based systems aren’t entirely immune.

Dell SecureWorks

http://www.secureworks.com/cyber-threat-intelligence/threats/blackenergy2/

“BlackEnergy, a popular DDoS Trojan, gained notoriety in 2008 when it was reported to have been used in the cyber attacks launched against the country of Georgie in the Russia/Georgia conflict.  BlackEnergy was authored by a Russian hacker.  A comprehensive analysis of the version of BlackEnergy circulating at the time was done in 2007 by Arbor Networks.  Although many versions of the trojan builder kit are in circulation on underground forums, the last release of the original BlackEnergy trojan available at the time of this writing seems to be version 1.9.2.”

This was in 2010. 

ITworld

http://www.itworld.com/article/2844937/blackenergy-crimeware-tool-threatens-linux-as-as-windows.html

“Malware has never been as much of a problem for Linux as it is for Window.  But BlackEnergy is a potent malware threat that has compromised Linux systems as well as Windows computers.  Recently the threat posed by BlackEnergy has grown as more information has been gathered about this insidious malware.”

ABC News

http://www.abcnews.go.com/US/trojan-horse-bug-lurking-vital-us-computers-2011/story?id=26737476

“A destructive ‘Trojan Horse’ malware program has penetrated the software that runs much of the nation’s critical infrastructure and is poised to cause an economic catastrophe, according to the Department of Homeland Security.”

“National Secuirty sources told ABC News there is evidence that the malware was inserted by hackers believed to be sponsored by the Russian government, and is a very serious threat.”

The History of AMD

This Wikipedia entry is quite helpful.

Recent Troubles

• Low Stock Price ($2.87 as of posting this to the feed)
• Change in CEO (currently Lisa Su) may have hurt their stock price.
• Catalyst Driver in GNOME 3 causing problems

Possible Ways of Making a Comeback

• Returning to profitability.
• Server Markets.
• Game consoles.
• ARM licenses.
• Graphics division.
• Zen Architecture.

http://www.forbes.com/sites/bridaineparnell/2014/10/07/rare­blood­moon­eclipse­will­be­visible-in­the­us/

http://earthsky.org/space/what­is­a­blood­moon­lunar­eclipses­2014­2015

http://www.amazon.com/Four­Blood­Moons­Something-Change/dp/1617952141/ref=tmm_pap_title_0?ie=UTF8&qid=1385072512&sr=8­1

http://www.usatoday.com/story/tech/2014/10/06/lunar­eclipse­blood­moon­wednesday/16810903/

http://www.paganspath.com/magik/moon.htm

http://paganwiccan.about.com/od/moonphasemagic/g/Blood_Moon.htm

http://www.gotquestions.org/blood­red­moon.html

http://paganwiccan.about.com/od/moonphasemagic/fl/The­Four­Blood­Moons.htm

http://wiccateachings.tumblr.com/post/82205038072/the­blood­moon­is­almost­upon­us­it­is-when­there

http://www.universetoday.com/110780/get­ready­for­the­april­15­2014­total­lunar­eclipse­our-complete­guide/

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Blood_Moon_Prophecy

http://www.budsas.org/ebud/whatbudbeliev/217.htm

http://khmerization.blogspot.com/2010/04/buddhas­full­moon­birthday­and­jewish.html

http://richardedmondson.net/2013/11/16/hagees­blood­moons­prophecyhoax­or­something­else/

https://answers.yahoo.com/question/index?qid=20091123133714AALj7tp

http://www.samsung.com/global/microsite/galaxys2/html/specification.html

Released 5-2-2011

Samsung Galaxy Note 3, Thomas's new phone

http://www.samsung.com/global/microsite/galaxynote3-gear/spec.html

Released 9-25-2013

Sony Xperia Z Ultra: Shaggy's new phone

http://www.sonymobile.com/global-en/products/phones/xperia-z-ultra/specifications/

Released 7-24-2013

LG G3, the phone Shaggy originally wanted.

http://www.lg.com/us/mobile-phones/g3

Theme Courtesy of BS.

Stephen Kelley once wrote for a video game website, and he noticed how things changed when the money started rolling in.  When banner ads for published games were on said site, nothing negative was said about such games until the ads were gone.  He was even asked to bump up a previous rating for a review, but he said no.

This Reddit thread summarizes the issue of relations between gaming press and video game companies themselves.  What Culture and Vox also have mentioned this scandal as well.

In short, Zoe Quinn, creator of Depression Quest, was accused of sleeping with a game journalist in order to get press for her game.  She was also accused of attempting to sabotage an initiative to help women design video games.

Throw 4Chan into the mix, and you have a lot of harrasment, which prompted this article. Breitbart also links to screenshots of controversial e-mails from various game journalists.  As to whether there's any truth to gender issues in video games, Maddox may just have the right answer. 

Intro theme courtesy of BS.

Government transparency, whether politicians want it or not, has happened.  From cell phone spying facilitated by the FBI and private companies to governments using technology to spie on dissidents, the conversation continues.

The Hacker's Manifesto comes to mind.

In more fun news, Microsoft plans to bring Minecraft to Windows Phone and they promise to make it better while keeping current features in place.

Hey, at least Netflix support for Linux is coming without user agent hacks and there's a simulated baby who is capable of learning new things!  Let's just hope they don't teach him the Urban Dictionary.

 

1. ISP's are able to tell if you're using Tor, so don't get cocky. 
2. Though Tor and VPN's are able to help protect privacy online, they don't make you invincible when it comes to the real world.  You have been warned.

• Privacy.io
• ProXPN
• Cyberghost VPN
• Private Tunnell

 

Ars Technica has a list of states that limit municipalities from implementing their own broadband. Extreme Tech also talks about Verizon throttling Netflix, even after paying for faster traffic.  Level 3 details the issue as well.

ESR himself talked about the corporate interests screwing the customer, yet has little confidence in government's ability to provide solutions.  One of the reasons could be due to Tom Wheeler's previous involvement the telecom industry. 

Though Google has caused more competition from their Fiber offering, they are also a business that wishes to make money. Furthermore, with the limited amount of Tier 1 providers out there, a grassroots solution may be the best one yet.  However, it will cost a lot of money just to get started.

Ubuntu Touch is also going through a delay of its own.

These delays may hurt the viability of other mobile operating systems.  Windows Phone 8 exists, but is nowhere near as dominant as Android and iOS.  Ironically, Bill Gates himself predicted the takeoff of mobile computing.

Speaking of iOS, despite battery drainage issues, version 8 seems to be intriguing in terms of new features.  As for whether mobile devices will replace desktops, both hosts concluded that they won't entirely do so. 

Though the rhetoric is vile, Maddox points out the issue of such things being mainstream. PSFK has a wonderful article about the subject matter as well.  The Geeks are Sexy website (which Maddox also trashed) also asks the question of whether it's a good or bad thing for such things to be mainstream.

Still, there are those to this day who have reservations about revealing what they're into at their job. Speaking of which, Cracked has an insightful piece on how things just aren't quite the same.

There's the question of whether there are those who are simply jumping on the bandwagon to look popular.  There are listed signs of somebody not being a "real nerd," which prompts the arguments over "nerd cred" (not to mention gender-based arguments that go back and forth). 

Then there's the issue of oversaturation and the end of originality.  This appears to have happened with Comic Con and other conventions that grow into large commercial events.  There are even those who ask if we're missing the point as well.

Still, at the end of the day, it seems more people are accepting of the things that we may have enjoyed growing up, and that's definitely a good thing. 

Not everything Facebook does is evil, however. 

An ex-employee has stated that Facebook tends to be buggy.  Sometimes, what appears to be glitches turns out to be fictional stories originating from Reddit.

It seems the power of the Internet can bring things to light, especially things that turn out not to be true. Cell phone cameras have also had a major impact, and as USA Today has noted, the current conflict is not quite the same as it was a few years ago.

There's also an MIT initiative to bring people from both areas together.

 We also get advice from Corey Moore on growing our audience. 

Thankfully, aliens did not abduct anyone, but Thomas finally has consistent Internet access, though service was activated days after the activation date and time.  This episode has no intro, but that's ok.  Thanks to RecForge Lite, we were able to record this episode on a Samsung Galaxy Note 3.

Ubuntu is running smoothly as well, and Thomas is going to stick with it for his distro of choice. Google also came up, and it appears that Android and Chrome OS are going to meet in the middle at some point.  There's already work underway to get Android apps working on Chrome devices.

Android L is also shaping up to be very interesting, and the theming is apparently going to be used in Chrome OS (Project Athena).

 We're experimenting with a new format for the podcast.  For the first part, we'll be talking about technology and Unix/Unix-like operating systems while the other portion of the show will be dedicated to overlooked pop culture.

Unix

The new Ubuntu is out, and we talk about how far it's come.  The press release for 14.04 is available here.

Overlooked Pop Culture

More info on the WWE Network is available here.

Here's a list of various April Fools pranks:

 

• Pocket-Lint.com
• TechCrunch

 

Stephen Kelley was recently at Planet Comicon in Kansas City and he enjoyed it.  Speaking of conventions, Naka-Kon recently happened.  Cosplacon and Anime Fest Wichita are coming up in June for those who are in Missouri and Kansas.

Several weeks ago, Steven Tompkins found an old copy of Red Hat 5.2 and an unopened Iomega Zip Disk. A video of it in action can be seen here.  More info on FWM 95 can be found here.  Zip Disks were a cool idea, but like Beta-Max, lost out to thumb drives.  It's not the only item that was ahead of it's time.

Oh well.  At least it wasn't an Osborne 1 computer. 

 Did you know that the Luck of the Irish was more of a derragatory remark instead of a compliment?  Did you know that St. Patrick didn't actually chase away a bunch of snakes?  There have been many myths surrounding this day, and the United States has reinvented yet another holiday in order to obtain an excuse to consume alcohol.

As it turns out, blue is more of the color of that day as opposed to green, so that special color for beer is a bit off to say the least.  The History Channel and History News Network lists plenty of myths surrounding this holiday.  At the end of the day, one thing is clear; at least it wasn't on a weekend this time.

Image courtesy of the GNU FDL . As always, we thank The Introvert for the opening theme.

We've all seen douchebags in various political offices throughout the years of our lives.  One example would be Rob Ford.  In an incident known as "Ass-gate," he apparently grabbed a candidate's behind in an inappropriate manner.  The bad part; he's Canadian.

So the U.S. Congress can get pretty ridiculous with fake fillibusters from Ted Cruz and government shut downs that border the ridiculous.  India puts them to absolute shame. Full on violence actually broke out over a disagreement with legislation.  Wow!

Silvio Berlusconi, the former Prime Minister of Italy, has thrown parties and been involved in so many scandals that he makes Richard Nixon look like an abosolute saint. His bunga bunga parties have landed him in the #17 spot of List 25's 25 Biggest Political Scandals in History.

...and of course who couldn't forget goold ole' Anthony Weiner. In face palm after face palm moment, he tried to run for mayor of New York despite scandals in which he sent pictures of nether regions to women half his age under the name Carlos Danger.  Due to that, he has been the butt of many jokes.  Even Infowars joined in on the fun.

For more political scandals and embarrassments, here's a list. 

There have been a number of recent discoveries that could lead to a change in paradigms.  One example in terms of energy is a fusion reactor, as reported by RT, Time, and NPR.  Did you know that there may be more than one universe?  This has caused some to ponder if we really live in a real life matrix.

What's even more interesting is that the earth may be older than anticpiated with the discovery of foot prints that were dated by one million years.  Said discovery was also reported by USA Today.  We may have no idea how old the planet is, but we do know when religion sprang up, right?  According to Smithsonian Magazine, wrong!  Also reported on Before It's News, it turns out that a temple in Turkey is shedding some light on the subject; the discovery is not new, but the hypothesis is now being made public.

Wired also has a list of the top discoveries from 2013. 

As always, we thank The Introvert for the intro theme. Image used from the public domain.

When you lack funds to get things accomplished, other people can be turned to for help.  On the Internet, this is known as crowdfunding, where money is raised by enough individuals who like what you're doing or support your cause.  The only questions are which site to use and what pitfalls to avoid.

Inc.com has an article to help people get started. If you're using Kickstarter, be aware of the recent security breach.  GoFundMe and IndieGoGo are two viable alternatives.  Just be aware that scammers get caught, so don't do anything foolish.

Success stories include StarCitizen, Ouya, Scott Hall, Cards Against Humanity, and more.

Examples of failures include Ubuntu Edge, Thorium, and the Ladies of Copblock Calendar.  Ubuntu Edge was more of a marketing ploy, but it's important to learn from Canonical; make your goals realistic!  Thorium failed, especially since their promo video was from a Google+ Hangout and was excessively long (make videos about five minutes or less).  The Copblock Calendar was successfully funded, but no calendars were produced; if something goes wrong, always have an exit strategy!

So when doing crowdfunding, always plan, plan, and plan some more.  Set realistic goals, make sure everybody is on the same page, remain as transparent as possible, and have an exit strategy should things go wrong. 

Mashable has a list of unique things about our Presidents, a few of which were Freemasons.  Lincoln never made it past the application process, but he was a pro wrestler.  Speaking of which, Lincoln has been criticized for his methods of conducting the Civil War.

Teddy Roosevelt was  apart of his own calvary, The Rough Riders.  Thomas Jeffersonslept with one of his slaves and Benjamin Franklin attended meetings of a group known as the Hellfire Club as a non-member.  Speaking of unorthodox thought, here's a surprising source of influence regarding the founding of the United States.

As always, we thank The Introvert for the intro theme. 

 One of the controversies involved  № 135-FZ: Propaganda of Non-Traditional Sexual Relationships Among Minors, or the so called "anti-gay" law.  Could a person be arrested for being gay?  Truth be told, things are a bit more complicated.

The short story is that a person in theory can not be arrested due to sexual orientation, but they can get into trouble for promoing such lifestyles to minors.  It's also interesting to note that same sex marriages are also prohibited.

 There's antoher take on this in The Guardian and Washington Post. 

PolicyMic has more details. 

 According to the CBC, an attempt of hijacking a plane failed.  There were also all sorts of technical difficulties.  Being trapped in the bathroom, discovering that cameras were in the hotel rooms, and more is making this event very interesting.

There were even pictures that were not even from Sochi that went viral. At least the Jamaican bob sledding team gets to participate.  Interesting event either way.

For starters, you might consider checking out W3Schools to learn some basic HTML, because you'll want to know some of what's going on behind the scenes so to speak.  Even if you're only using WordPress, Blogger, or even a social networking site, you may wind up having to use or look at pieces of code, especially if you're an AdSense publisher.

And whatever you do, be wary of companies that offer to pay you just to publish something.  What they tend to do is likely in violation of Google's Terms of Service, and if you're and Adsense Publisher, you'll likely get banned from using their service (and lose potential ad revenue).  Thomas was offered money to publish an "editorial" about this online casino, which has had complaints anyway.

World Wide Web image is under the GNU FDL and as always, we thank The Introvert for the intro theme. 

 He predicts that Chrome OS and devices that use it will be on the rise in addition to affordable computing.  This includes Chromebooks, all-in-ones, and other low powered devices such as the Raspberry Pi.  He also predicted that new media would be on the rise, and this report's summary seems to point that way.  Examples of new media would include the WWE Network, which was crapped on by an individual who does not understand the industry.

Steven Tompkins

Thanks in part to Valve, he believes that Linux-based gaming will be on the rise.  He also predicted that Chrome OS and Android may meet in the middle, especially since Intel is looking into entering the ARM arena of computing. 

Stephen Kelley

He sees a potential security threat at the Sochi Olympics.  He also sees Sony's Playstation 4 dominating the video game market as well as interesting things for something that will be called Playstation Now.

Featured image downloaded (150x150) from Dan Queiroz under CC BY 2.0 License.  As always, thanks goes to The Introvert for the intro theme.

To look at major events for 2013, End Memo is an excellent site.

Thomas focused on Edward Snowden and the Boston Bombings. Steven Tompkins talked about Steam OS and Valve's Controller as well as Ubuntu Edge.  Stephen Kelley mentions The Pope and the possibility of a new space race.  From this episode, we'll segway into 2014 predictions in the next episode.

Image courtesy of Christmas Stock Photos under Creative Commons. As always, we thank The Introvert for the opening them.

Steven Tompkins actually brought his Pi over so some pictures could be taken.

• One interesting project was creating a portable computer out of it. 
• Speaking of portable devices, here's an example of a tablet that's powered by the Pi.
• Here's a list of officially supported software.

 As always, we thank The Introvert for the intro theme.

• Stephen Kelley writes about British Science Fiction and is currently a contributor to The Layfield Report. 
• Steven Tompkins mentioned Steam OS, the Raspberry Pi, and is also considering acquiring a Playstation 4.
• Thomas has announced the start of his Distro Journey for 2014, starting with Fedora 20.

What are your project ideas for 2014?  Feel free to call in at 660-474-0345 and chime in.  You could very well wind up on the show.

• The specs of the XBox One and PS4 are virtiually identical with a small exception in the RAM type that's used.
• VGChartz has tracked their sales.
• Techland takes a look at the latest consoles.
• Steam Machines

•  Black Friday Death Count: The only link for this episode.  A tally of injuries and deaths has been kept since 2006.

Thomas Holbrook II and Stephen Kelley are retail veterans.  Stephen has moved on to another industry while Thomas remains in the trenches.  Both talk about their Black Friday experiences and weigh in on some of the changes this year.

• The Introvert's Fan Page
• The Trollolololol Song
• XBOX One users tricked into bricking their new consoles
• Warning to Scientology
• Suicide due to 4Chan
• C-Span trolled

• To start off on a light note, here's Maddox's take on Pepperoni.
• This is the link that prompted the topic idea.
• Here's an article from UPI talking about the same story, and it actually links to the European Patent.
• More surprising uses of E Coli can be found here.
• Speaking of Aspartame, here's the site advocating its use as well as the entry on Wikipedia.
• Though some have joked that cheese is made in an equally "nefarious manner," there is actually a variety of the popular food item that is actually bad for you. Suffice it to say that if a food item is no longer edible due to maggots dying, one probably shouldn't be consuming it in the first place.
• Any preconceieved notions about food are now quashed thanks to Cracked.com.

Video Game Easter Eggs and Glitches

• More indepth info on the Minus World in Super Mario Bros. is available here.
• In PokeMon Red and Blue, there exists a glitch referred to as MissingNo. (short for Missing Number).  By talking to the old man in Viridian City (or doing an in game trade with an NPC), then surfing the east coast of Cinnabar Island, this glitch will appear.  Other glitches allow the player to catch Mew as well.  The MissingNo. glitch does exist in Yellow, but is unstable (and may crash the game)
• Even modern PokeMon games have glitches.
• EA Games has messed up with one giant bug... requiring Internet access to play an offline game.
• THQ had serious issues with WWE '13.  Numerous sites have a comprehensive list of bugs, and the players were even blamed for at least one of them.

Bugs in the Linux Kernel and Ubuntu 13.10

With the release of Ubuntu came bugs. The first link listed is a duplicate of another bug that is marked critical, and similar problems have shown up in Arch.  No wonder Linus Torvalds has been contemplating working on stability and bug fixes for version 4.0.

Healthcare.gov

On the first day of rollout, very few people were successful in signing up.Potential security concerns also hampered the site's success.  To add insult to injury, it turns out that the company that spent three years putting it all together has not only failed before, but has also violated free and open source licenses by removing a copyright notice from the coding they used.  It looks like the UK may also be running into similar problems in the near future all in the name of keeping a campaign promise.

One of the biggest problems with continuing one's education is the expense in tuition alone.  Things are beginning to change as more college level courses are being offered online (for free in some cases).

• EdX:  Courses are offered by MIT, Harvard, Berkeley, and other prestigious universities around the world.  It is an attempt to innovate education in a manner that is consistent with non-profit organizations and in a manner that is sustainable.
• Coursera: Founded by computer science professors from Standfaord University, this site offers multiple courses free of charge.  Like EdX, other universities have joined up.
• Mooc List:  Lists courses that are available online free of charge.
• Here's a top 10 list from BDPA Detroit
• Since continuing education is a part of this episode, the 90/10 rule for colleges was mentioned.  More info on that rule is here.
• Mises Academy: It's important to note that emphasis is placed on the Austrian School of Economics as well as libertarian political and social theory.  Courses aren't free, but the prices are much lower than most universities would charge.

More information may be obtained by searching for "moocs" using your preferred search engine.

• Lost in Time: Wiped, Junked, but not Forgotten: The documentary explains how many episodes were lost while catching viewers up on the history of the show.
• Article from CNN
• Some of these episodes are now available on iTunes.

• Intro music courtesy of The Introvert.
• Ubuntu 13.10 is not seen as an essential update.
• Nvidia is starting to work with the Nouveau project.

Nielsen Ratings:

There are accuracy issues, but it's still around and there are changes coming up.

Save Young Justice and Geen Lantern Animated Series:There's a fan base trying to convince Cartoon Network to bring these shows back. 

One of their Facebook Fan Pages is here.

Jesse Ventura

Learn more about his conflict with Time Warner regarding Season 3 of Conspiracy Theory by clicking here.

The intro is from J.T. Bruce's album, The Dreamer's Paradox, which can be downloaded at jamendo.com.

 Keep in mind that we are ware of the latest developments regarding Swagger's arrest for DUI and Marijuana possession. The episode was recorded last week right after Episode 1. Seeing as how the weather in the midwest might get interesting again, it was probably a wise decision.

Those weren't the only experiments done however.  In 1917, the United States Radium Corporation had created glow in the dark paint that was radioactive, and the women working in their factories were exposed to a large amount.  The same corporation was involved in experimentation with a portion of the St. Louis population, but it wasn't the only Cold War era experiment taking place. There was MK ULTRA as well, which came to light after the Watergate scandal occured.

 Civilians aren't the only victims. Military personnell has been subject to experimentation as well. For more information, check out the show notes below.

Show Notes:

• KSDK in St. Louis:  For the September 2012 Report,  click here.  For the October 2012 Report, click here.
• For Dr. Lisa Matrino-Taylor's work, here's the link.  The full PDF is over 40 MB in size (838 pages).
• Radium Girls: Wikipedia article is here.  For United States Radium Corporation, click here.
• MK ULTRA: Wikipedia article can be accessed here.
• Other experiments: Full list at this link.
• Military personell experimented upon: Beyond Treason can be purchased here or watched here.
• Jacob's Ladder: More info at IMDB and the film can be purchased here.

On the Fox News Channel, Tucker Carlson has a few words about the University of Missouri's policy dvocating diversity. The guide includes Wiccan/Pagan holidays. Steve and Thomas discuss why ttacking alternative points of view lead to nowhere and offer suggestions as to how to begin alleviating the problem.

Links

Tammy Bruce and Tucker Carlson Misinterpret Wicca

Tucker Carlson on Fox and Friends Regarding Wicca at MU

Tucker Carlson Apologizes for His Remarks

Mizzou's Holiday Guide and Suggested Accomodations

Mitt Romney Facing Similar Misunderstandings During 2012

Yes, Even Scientology Has Holidays

• More information from Google
• Bars are already banning it
• Paul Joseph Watson's thoughts on it.
• Stop the Cyborgs.

The BBC has an official page about Orwell himself.  There's also a fan page.  Wikipedia article can be viewed here.

• Robot 6 Article: Kramer's denied bond this month due to the fact that he left the state against his original bond. This is the link that prompted Thomas to choose this controversy as the subject matter for this episode.

• In the Shadows (Atlanta Magazine): Some background on how it all started.

• Atlanta Journal-Constitution: More information on the recent denial of bond.

• Official Statement from Dragon*Con: As you can see, their hands legally tied at the moment.

 No matter where you search for computers and electronics, always keep in mind that caution is very important. Always ask for a receipt where applicable. If on E-Bay, check the seller's listing. If you're using Craigslist, always meet in a public place where other people are surrounding you. 

Whenever possible, make sure there is a paper trail.  If there is none, createone.

E-Bay: Website devoted to selling unwanted items.  You can even make a profit depending on what you sell.

Craigslist: Free online classifieds can be listed here.  This is a great place to obtain computers  and electronics.

If at a pawn shop, always take a can of air to whatever you buy.  You never know where it came from.

•  Child Bride: The very film that caused society to change in terms of setting age restrictions on marriage, thus limiting arranged marriage. (IMBD)
• National Child Abuse and Neglect Data System (NCANDS)
• Catholic Church Sexual Abuse (or check here as well as there's talk of possibly merging the two articles).
• Jimmy Saville sexual abuse cases. (BBC)
• The Franklin Coverup: Here's a link to the book from Amazon.  Author John Decamp is interviewed by Alex Jones, and though some may balk at the controversial talk show host, the transcript from prisonplanet.com should provide more than enough detail as to what the book talked about.  Those wanting audio may also consult YouTube.
• Jerry Sandusky. (NPR)

• McMartin Trial: Cost millions of dollars with no convictions.
• Doreen Irvine: Her testimony kept changing over and over again.
• Michelle Remembers: A book published that acted as a catalyst to the hype surrounding child ritual abuse.
• John Todd: An occultist who accused quite a few entities of abusing children while it may have turned out that he may have done so himself.

 Stephen Kelley has been the anchor of the proverbial ship who would always bring things back into focus.  The team's diversification has increased with the addition of Mitchell Brown, an individual with a background in student journalism.  In this episode, he talks about some of the more unpleasant experiences he encountered while writing for The Muleskinner and DigitalBurg.

Conflict with Matt Birdmeyer

Brown recieved negative criticism for covering third party candidates during the 2012 election.  When he asked to cover VP candidate Jim Gray's appearance on UCM's campus, he was referred to the DigitalBurg.

Part 1 of the e-mail exchange.

Part 2 of the e-mail exchange.

Headline and Photo Caption Fiasco

 Brown made the decision to stop writing for The Muleskinner after an inappropriate headline for an article on an up and coming student group made print (along with an equally inappropriate photo caption).  A retraction was not enough to change his mind.

•  Bachmann Retiring: Here's an article about Bachmann retiring, followed up with another one regarding her presidential campaign.  Though she hasn't ruled out running for another office in the future, ethics controversies regarding her presidential bid are the likely cause of her announcement.
• For something more local in the Show Me State, Jo Ann Emerson also stepped down from Missouri's 8th District this year, thus sparking the recent special election.  Some have argued that she wanted a bigger payday by working as a leader for a utility cooperative.  Her top contributers is very interesting.  Her stance on civil liberties was also weak.

Correction: Mitchell mentions a Rocky Johnson running for President under the Justice Party when he meant to say Rocky Anderson (he had wrestling on the brain).

Mitchell and Thomas offer their extended take on a local murder that occured in Warrensburg Missouri in 2012.  The PDF is available here.

 Relevant Links

•  Initial coverage from The Muleskinner/DigitalBurg.
• FOX4KC's coverage.
• Associated Press Article
• Attorney General Koster says renegging on bond is ok.

For those who aren't familiar with this topic, Episode 14 should help fill in the blanks.

Stephen Kelley calls in to tell us a personal story.  A couple of neighbors threw down in such a horrible manner that infants would have made the incident look like an MMA cage fight.  Needless to say, they were drunk.  Suffice it to say that he's glad he's no longer attending UCM.

• American Student Assistance
• Missouri Department of Higher Education
• Despite the financial state of universities, university presidents are apparently doing well.
• The 90/10 is also another point of controversy as there's been debate on whether it's caused more harm than good.

UCM Gen-Ed Requirements

There have been changes to the general education requirements, as outlined in this document.  According to Mitchell Brown:

• Faculty senate approved changes to science GenEds on February 22, 2012
• Required credits changed from 7 to 4.
• The new requirements went into effect in the Fall of 2013 (this semester)
• Somnath Sarkar, senate faculty member and chemistry professor, opposed the changes.

Edward Snowden

 It began with the release of information confirming that the NSA was collecting massive amounts of data from domestic phone calls and e-mails.  Snowden would eventually reveal himself to Glenn Greenwald of The Guardian.  The impact of the leaks have permeated pop culture as well as Congress.

• The Pirate Browser is a customized Tor browser bundle designed to bypass cencorship.  Brought to us by the same people behind The Pirate Bay, they recommend using a VPN for better privacy.
• The Tor Project originated from the military and the intent is to make traffic harder to track.
• A vulnerability in Firefox allowed Tor traffic to be traced anyway, so always make sure your browser bundle is up to date.
• Tails OS is an operating system designed to be run off optical media or a USB drive.  It's designed with privacy in mind.
• Also bear in mind that if involving oneself in illicit activities, the vulnerability increases when activity leaves cyberspace and enters the real world.

Though there are instances of isolated influence that causes the dramatic shift in the way law enforcement behaves, most of th einfluence comes from the very top, or in this case the Federal Government via grant money and laws.

Radley Balko's Rise of the Warrior Cop is available on Amazon.  The author has been interviewed by Reason Magazine.

2600 Magazine's Emmanuel Goldstein was also shaken to his core when he encountered elements of a police state during the Republican National Convention in 2004.