Frogs in the throat

Internet Apartheid

noreply@blogger.com (Sami Rautiainen) — Thu, 27 Nov 2008 16:49:00 +0000

Continuing with an old rant.

I was installing a new computer at work. VISTA operating system.

Note: If you are a VISTA user, please turn off your computer, go to a Mac store and buy a Mac. You are a Mac user, not a PC user.

I have been using PC since MS-DOS 3.36. I have used to have every command in English. I think I had Finnish F-Prot back in the day, but otherwise I have used to have all the applications in English. One language in one computer. I like to have it neat. I have if my right-click menu (the shell commands) are in n+1 different languages.

99% of all programs are first in English and then translated into local languages. All updates come first in English, then in other languages. Therefore it is also more handy to have all the applications in English.

Today, with beautiful Internet Exploiter 7 I tried to download FireFox, update drivers and such. Of course our Führers of the internet have decided for me that I speak fluently the language of the country I happen to be currently.

It was impossible to have Live Messenger in English from MicroSoft webpage. It was difficult to find English FireFox from Mozilla site. It is virtually impossible to have English in any huge company's webpages. They think for you and rule that you need to be fluent in the language of the country you are currently in.

What if I visit China and need to reinstall my FireFox? I do not even recognize the letters, little alone find where to change the language, since there is no link saying "English".

All the big companies limit your internet experience to the country you are currently visiting thus creating a new form of apartheid.

International pages are verboten. Everyone should stay in their own countries. No travelling allowed before we have one-world language.

Look at your application window. What is the link/menu on the top right-hand side? Correct, it is Help. How is it impossible for these people to have a simple link "English" on the top right-hand corner of their webpages - right next to the search field?

Since English is the major language in IT business, there should be an option to see the page in that language. At least that way the person who does not speak any of the pre-decided languages well, that person can at least stagger towards his/her own native language.

I can hardly wait to install FireFox and NoScript. At least that way some of the less-sophisticated pages get fooled and show the page in default language (English). But the more sophisticated pages, MicroSoft webpages in the lead, decide the language according to ISP, methinks. Not according to my preferences.

Oh yes, Google has some sort of simple single-search option to change the language to English. It just every now and then decides that hey, you should search pages only from local Google, not the international Google. What if I want to have as wide search results as possible? Can I please search webpages outside the Netherlands?

Google.nl and Google.com do return different results.

And no, I do not want to buy that Dutch product you are offering me.

Change?

noreply@blogger.com (Sami Rautiainen) — Tue, 04 Nov 2008 20:13:00 +0000

What Frogthroat hopes for:
Obama 322 electoral votes.

But what Frogthroat fears is going to happen:
McCain 51.3%

Google Fisting Japan

noreply@blogger.com (Sami Rautiainen) — Mon, 20 Oct 2008 19:06:00 +0000

Checking something from Google maps. But hey, what's that? ...Do I see correctly? It even has the thumbnail a tad North from Palau! Go check it out.

Greetings from Africa

noreply@blogger.com (Sami Rautiainen) — Thu, 09 Oct 2008 18:04:00 +0000

A friend of mine, Mr. Y went to East-Africa. He brought some souveniers from there:

After applying some vaseline, that little bulge opened up and this one came out:
Tumby fly larvae is apparently not a myth, but actually real. And it left a nasty hole:
A picture of another larva, this one is a big one:

A family portrait:
If you go to Africa, remember vaseline.

Pictures by Mr. J. All rights reserved.

Aphorism Of The Day Pt.27

noreply@blogger.com (Sami Rautiainen) — Wed, 24 Sep 2008 21:02:00 +0000

People are like rubber bands.
If you push them, they bounce back.
If you pull them, they will stretch.

International Talk Like a Pirate Day (again)

noreply@blogger.com (Sami Rautiainen) — Fri, 19 Sep 2008 17:46:00 +0000

Ahoy there matey!

It be a fine day today, for it be the International Talk Like a Pirate Day!

Oh aye, stop swabbing the deck, hoist yer Jolly Roger and join me in the local tavern to wet our whistles with grog, or are ye yellow bellied mutinous scurvy son of a dog scared? Arrr! Me throat is dry. That be it.

Blow yer man down!

Ossetia - Last Straw on the Camel's Back?

noreply@blogger.com (Sami Rautiainen) — Fri, 08 Aug 2008 19:08:00 +0000

War broke between Georgia and Russia! For quite some time now they have been ruffing their feathers. When it is Georgia saying they shot down invading Russian planes, and when it is Russian planes shooting down Georgian planes. The latter was already very scary; Georgia was laying down some serious accusations.

Soviet Union, and before that Russian Empire was already uniting those areas. They have lived so long as one, which has made them so intertwined, they cannot possibly fight each other without fighting also against themselves. One could almost argue Georgian and Russian people are the one and the same people. But that is not completely true. There are very unique areas and people, but as I said they are very intertwined.

However, I try not to have strong opinions on international incidents if it doesn't affect global peace. Especialy if the countries who are violated bow down even if they are not too weak to defend themselves. But there are areas of the World that nobody cares about. Most likely because there are no merchandise, power or money to be made.

It is kind of a good thing USA is fighting war in Middle-East. USA might be hesitant to give military aid to Georgia and open one more front. The Bear of Russia still got big paws. Plus USA - Russia relationship has been a bit tense because of the missile shield. Sometimes USA makes an offer Russia must refuse. Sometimes it is Russian's turn. Even UN has had its share of gnashing of teeth. Hopefully that makes UN to try to keep NATO off from this.

I would not like to see UK joining this thing. Especially when UK has demanded something absurd from Russia already in the recent past. Not that it would not be right for UK to get what they wanted, but when it means one country must bend their own laws to do so, it is just too bold to demand.

You see, the incident might cause global unrest. I hope USA will not send troops to Georgia. Even if they would like to, in this case it is a positive thing they are already fighting a war and their currency is in decline. There must be a peaceful way. I hope UN can find a diplomatic way for this. And hopefully USA and UK keeps a low profile. And perhaps if USA announces they will delay their missile shield project Russia might calm down a bit. The power Russia and USA have behind them, I do not care who is right. If they clash, it only matters who is left.

Autovorarephilia

noreply@blogger.com (Sami Rautiainen) — Tue, 29 Jul 2008 19:49:00 +0000

I got it!

It has been bothering me for a long tiome. What the heck Bernd Jürgen Brandes was?

Train of thoughts: Carnivore... vore... eater... vorare... in Italian it is "to eat" methinks. No! Munchare is. Vorare is like ... devour? Must be in Latin something more extreme, methinks... I guess it means to "hotkaista*" um... to "wolf" down something... Vorarephilia ... eaten-philia. ...devouring-philia... A person who likes to be eaten or eat someone. What was Herr Brandes then? Vorarephile, yes, but also Autovorarephile! ...Is that a real word? And thus I managed to label even him.

* Hotkaista is a Finnish word for ... um... eat in greed? How do you translate that?

Where's My CDs?!

noreply@blogger.com (Sami Rautiainen) — Tue, 15 Jul 2008 19:19:00 +0000

XPSP3 stable version is out. Decided to download and install it. Then I though, why not integrating the SP3 with my XP CD with no SP.

...copied XP CD to HDD. Fine.
...extracted the files from the SP3 .exe file. Fine.
...extracted the boot image from the CD. Fine.
...slipstreamed the SP3 to the XP files. Fine.
...created an ISO file of the package. Fine.
...opened CD burning software and chose to burn the image. GODDAMN! ¤*&#§¤%€#! I'm outta CDs!

I'm even out of DVDs. Haven't burned a CD in couple of years. I guess it's time to go to a CD-r shop.

Why does it have to rain today?

noreply@blogger.com (Sami Rautiainen) — Wed, 02 Jul 2008 12:07:00 +0000

Rains. On a day when I would have nothing else to do, except to go outside and enjoy the sunshine. Figures.

I guess I'll order in. Cannelloni e birra. And watch the Godfather.

Aphorism Of The Day Pt.26

noreply@blogger.com (Sami Rautiainen) — Sat, 28 Jun 2008 10:06:00 +0000

Q: What becomes of a person with borderline disorder if he/she eats a wrong kind of mushroom?
A: Shamanic-depressive.

My Human Right to Doubt

noreply@blogger.com (Sami Rautiainen) — Thu, 26 Jun 2008 22:06:00 +0000

The Great Ape Project has a good point. More humane treatment for our relatives.

But there is a humangous risk in it. The way I think about every new change is to think a way to abuse it. The way to begin to understand security is to awknowledge the risks. In order to be safe, you have to understand how your rights could be abused.

I do not know, whether they mean they should have the same rights to live freely as we do, or same kind of right to live freely as we do. Is it human rights, or 'human rights'?

If this indeed becomes a landmark legislation to enshrine human rights for chimpanzees, gorillas, orang-utans and bonobos, and we are still free to capture great apes and put them in the zoo, what stops me to capture you, dear reader, and put you in a zoo against your will? If they enjoy the same human rights as we do, I should be able to do the same to you as to our fellow human chimpanzees. Or are you more equal than a chimp in front of the law, if it is the same human rights law?

Don't get me wrong, I am not against animal rights. I am against demeaning our own rights.

There is a declaration that you can sign at the Great Ape Project webpages, but I will not sign that before I know for sure what kind of lawtwisters we are talking about. Same kind of rights, no problem. I am all for that. The same rights? No way. We can barely respect each other. I do not want to give anyone a chance to compare my rights to any non-Homo Sapiens Sapiens for as long as we treat any animal the way we do.

I want to know more about this, as this should be a step forward for animal rights, and not a step backwards for human rights. If you know better than I do, or do not care to read the fine print, feel free to sign the declaration here.

George Carlin: Another Dead Hero

noreply@blogger.com (Sami Rautiainen) — Mon, 23 Jun 2008 18:14:00 +0000

22. June, 2008 George Carlin was taken to a hospital for some chest pain. He died at the age of 71.

I will miss him.

Aphorism Of The Day Pt.25

noreply@blogger.com (Sami Rautiainen) — Tue, 17 Jun 2008 16:10:00 +0000

Good girls go to Cannes.
Bad girls go straight to video. (Or AVN Awards...)

Aphorism Of The Day Pt.24

noreply@blogger.com (Sami Rautiainen) — Sat, 14 Jun 2008 18:06:00 +0000

With Lockhart Dickens you can Freud Jung Kant.

Few More Hours Of Waiting...

noreply@blogger.com (Sami Rautiainen) — Thu, 12 Jun 2008 22:05:00 +0000

The polls have closed. 9am GMT they start the counting. Then we will know whether Ireland will become the newest state of the proud United States of Europe.

Flickr & Deliberate Self-Dumbing

noreply@blogger.com (Sami Rautiainen) — Wed, 04 Jun 2008 19:14:00 +0000

O hai. I has a flickr account. It spiik lolspeak nau. If flickr offer me an cheesburgar me quits flickr an put computar in mai bukkit. K thx bye.

What is wrong with people nowadays?! Ok, I understand that in chats you want to communicate quickly, hence the short abbreviations. But this lolspeak is just dumb. Why would someone deliberately practice to become dumber and write crappier than before? If that is "cool" (sorry, don't know the 'hip' word what to use nowadays instead of 'cool') just make it easier for you. Next time with q-tip, when you feel resistance, don't stop.

What a Waste of Bomb Threath

noreply@blogger.com (Sami Rautiainen) — Tue, 27 May 2008 18:42:00 +0000

Today I finished my work and was planning to take the train, go near Amsterdam Arena and go to see Indy4 (No, not the Fate of Atlantis, but the movie. Crystal skull thingie... I guess there's 13 of them. Ssssh... don't tell me anything about it. Don't want to know before I see it.) Of course the train was late. So was the next one. And one train had stopped right after the station. Something was wrong.

Then I heard there was a bomb threat at Central Station of Amsterdam. I got all exited. To the city centre it is! Panic, chaos and most likely a false alarm! And I had my camera! (Plus, if something would happen, I know first aid. And as a medic in the army we kinda learned how to quickly temporary fix big holes in people.) But how to get there? Bus to Schiphol? Naw, too full and how to get to centre from there?

Finally, after 30mins of waiting, got to train that goes to Amsterdam Zuid, where I was not going. But good enough. Can switch to metro and then to tram and go to city centre. And to Central Station. My ticket wasn't towards there, but that was the only train that wasn't gonna go through city centre, thus it was moving. Got off at Zuid.

But the Dutch are sometimes so Dutch that I have hard time describing how Dutch they are. Of course there was absolutely no information why the trains were not going. But that's normal. If a train is 20 minutes late and another train comes, it is usual not to inform about it and daily there are people in wrong trains. This time it was even more Dutch than that.

Got off from the train, and of course they had put ticket check on the station. Three passages, two guys in each passage, except one of them had only one guy. I though I just explain to the guy that the trains were not going so I took a wrong train. As I was going, the guy in front of me had the same story. Boy that ticket inspector had a devilish smile when he started to ask the guy's ID. But, just the right moment for me to just wave the ticket of mine and pass. The guy was so concentrated on ... ehm ... making the other guy bend over and giving it to him unlubricated that he didn't pay any attention.

I thought that was a bit odd. Considering all trains were on halt because of a bomb threat. But I still paid my metro ticket and was going to the stop. Of course there was the metro company's inspectors! Are you friggin' kidding me? During a friggin' bomb threat they make sure no-one explodes without a proper ticket! Lucky me, I got the ticket.

I saw police officers on the pier where I was waiting, so I asked them what was going on.
- A delay, but it's over.
- Yeah, but what's the reason.
- Just a delay.
- Ok, I heard a rumour that there was a bomb threat.
- Oh, that one... yeah, just a small luggage that was left unattended but it is gone now.

Yeah, thanks for informing the public. Especially if it was a false alarm, and I would read it from tomorrow's paper anyways. I guess you can't trust anyone who's title starts with "Poli". Got to my metro, and surprise, surprise! Ticket inspectors came from the next stop! To a packed metro! Do they enjoy pain? Just what I need when I am crammed into a sardine-tin and have some lady's elbow, size of a Christmas ham, in my mouth.

And all of this because some tourist forgot his luggage on the friggin' pier when he jumped to train to Schiphol. And so very Dutch, who think they are a world-wide power, to think that someone really would like to bomb Central Station. Who? Terrorists? They friggin' live in Amsterdam and their families need the train to go to work! And what kind of message would that be? Dutch soldiers in Middle-East, so we kill a lot of tourists and our own people? Get serious.

Den Haag would be more suitable target anyways for political attack. It's not like there is any separatist movement in the Netherlands to whom an attack on civilians would be of any help.

So:
* Was late coming from work. (But that's more of a rule anyways with NS.)
* No info why the trains were late. (That is their code-of-silence at NS, so it's normal also.)
* Three friggin' times I was checked for the ticket during a friggin' bomb threat.
* And there wasn't even a bomb, but Dutch egoism since they can't see they are not as big and bad as some other countries who are the invading hordes in the Middle-East.

Plus it feels like thunder is coming, so it's moist, hot, pressurised and sweaty.

But I guess it was a good thing the threat was a false alarm and no-one was hurt. I still wanted those pictures.

Aphorism Of The Day Pt.23

noreply@blogger.com (Sami Rautiainen) — Wed, 21 May 2008 21:58:00 +0000

If your life is like dancing on roses, remember to wear shoes.

Aphorism Of The Day Pt.22

noreply@blogger.com (Sami Rautiainen) — Tue, 20 May 2008 21:00:00 +0000

Popped into my head today:

Q: When you take the trashbag from under your sink to throw it outside, what do you call that gooey stuff that drips from the bottom of the bag?
A: Naples-syrup!

7 Deadly Sins, Part 1: Pride

noreply@blogger.com (Sami Rautiainen) — Mon, 19 May 2008 18:19:00 +0000

I feel proud. One of my photographs was selected as the Reader's Photograph of the Week.

Already a second time in a short while when my photograph has been in a newspaper.

One down, six to go.

Finnish Imago Outside Of Finland

noreply@blogger.com (Sami Rautiainen) — Fri, 02 May 2008 12:06:00 +0000

Finnish have always been very sensitive about the image about us in foreign countries. We can't even decide anything before Sweden makes the first move. So yes, I think we have to bring out our most educated, sophisticated and wisest side out more agressively.

Like this guy.

(Yeah, I have said I don't like to linke this kind of nonsense before, I still don't, but this just shows how smart we Finnish really are.)

Children As A Tool Of Control

noreply@blogger.com (Sami Rautiainen) — Sat, 12 Apr 2008 03:08:00 +0000

I read from the news today that Kate and Gerry McCann plead for European 'amber alert' on abduction. Is this the step one?

This post is not about the abduction of Maddy. Abductions should not happen. But the horror scenario I've been ranting about on forums and in real life might've taken the first step.

Here is a quote of my post on a certain forum on 2006:

This is so beautiful way to make people to trap themselves - children. We can introduce a (RFID) chip which is 'only' a passive one, that can be activated to locate a missing child when radio signal hits it. (You can already have this kind of chip on your dog.) Just to protect the children from being lost, kidnapping, etc... The children grow up with the chip in the hand and it is easier to introduce a similar chip, but with credit capabilities. It is easier to get a parent to get a chip on child's arm to protect the child than to get the parent him/herself to get a chip to pay his/her bills.

We are used to having chips in the products we buy, that trigger the alarm should we nick the product from the store. If you buy any program, you have to nowadays register yourself in order to get any support. Windows checks wether your copy is legal when you enter their website. More and more small invisible/transparent control and tracking devices are introduced into our lives, some of them to prevent illegal activities, some of them to make our life 'easier'.

Before all of this we first got a bank card, then a credit card, a library card, Tesco-card, AH-bonus card, a driver's license, a social security card, an ID-card, what have you - this is the situation today. When we get introduced a combo-card (perhaps approximately at the same time as the passive chip), with all of this in one, it will make it easier to handle. Only, this will bring an issue. What if someone steals it or if you lose it? How about that chip? Then you can pay your bills, borrow your library books, open your doors, start your car, etc. with just a touch of a finger. And why not? You are used to have the passive locator chip in your hand anyways.

Now, with either active or semi-active chip, which draws the power from either kineticly from your movements or directly from your nerve system, you can even set up a little electric field around your skin. You cannot see, feel or notice it in any way. It doesn't interact with your current electrical devices, but what you can do is you store the data you want to show to other people. To connect into someone's chip, you just simply need to touch the skin of another person. From your reader, which can be for example your watch, you see the data the other person wants to give out. For example in a club you touch a pretty girl's hand while walking by and you can read what languages she speaks, is she single, what type of guys she likes, etc.. (Less human interaction and less 'failures' in it, you can see if the girl can potentially be interested in you even before you say one word to her.) Of course for police or doctor, who would have higher authorization to view more detailed information, the doctor could see your medical status and police could see your prior criminal offences. This field, or the RFID in combination of your thumbprint could be used to pay, borrow, open, etc. with just a touch of a finger.

Not only they can see where you shop, what you shop and when you shop, it will be possible to see and even control where a person is at any given moment. Control - if you have your personal ID embedded into you and you can open your car door, why wouldn't be possible to lock a door (even just) for you as well? A similar system for cars is in use today in few places. You have your chip on your windshield and when you drive past a toll bridge, it automatically detects your card, charges your bank account and opens the gate. This means that for example in Singapore they already know where people's cars are at any given moment.

Effective control is disguised as security. Most effective control is the type people demand upon themselves.

Ok... I will stop now and go to put one more layer of tinfoil into my room...

I was a bit agitated while writing this, so nevermind the all out crazy stuff and the parts that are figment of my imagination. Just think about the core-point.

And if that Amber-Alert comes to UK, where pets already have to have RFIDs, it takes only one media campaign where any famous person blurts out "but our pets are better secured than our children"...

Although I am not trying to say that this Maddy case wouldn't be horrible, I am still saying that this can be abused. If this kind of Amber-Alert turns into Red Alert and RFIDs go under the skin, with this media hype no-one is going to say anything against in the fear of being labeled as a supporter of child abduction.

Freedom Of Speech Is Stronger Than Privacy In Finland

noreply@blogger.com (Sami Rautiainen) — Tue, 01 Apr 2008 19:24:00 +0000

(This is a small referate of my Finnish rant.)

Finland has just decided there's no need for privacy.

Our Foreign Minister sent couple of text messages to a girl. When he was interrogated for it by the media, he paniced and denied the whole thing. Mistake, yes, but is denying a small flirt in his private life with a woman really big enough mistake to let him go? There are bigger mistakes in Finnish politics that led to no-one's dismissal.

The woman was an erotic dancer. So she was employed and she pays her taxes. As long as the job is legimate, should it matter what the job is? Better an erotic dancer than a CEO of a large international company. The latter would compromise the integrity of the Minister's position. Even two politicians dating would be scary thing to hear, especially if they are in different parties.

FM Kanerva used his work mobile to text few text messages. 200 SMS' is hardly excessive. If I join my mobile phone company's some music plan, I would get 200 free SMS' per month as an extra. Big deal. Mr. Taxman knows he has the mobile and charges him because they expect him to use it for his private calls, too.

Many of the messages were during the evening or during the night. So he didn't even spend company time to send those.

He has a woman he lives with, though. But as the text messages didn't lead to anything sexual, it is not so immoral he would have to be fired. This whole discussion about faithfulness should be between him and Elina, the woman he lives with.

The Finnish media has been quiet lately when it comes to news. First the domestic "news" side was full of our PM's woman adventures, now it has been completely stacked with the ex-FM's text messages. Finnish people have become more and more like Brits and the Americans. We do not care about real news. We want a show.

And of course media has no morals anymore. People want gossip, media sells gossip. It's not like they do this for charity. Too bad the private side suffers. Private things like this should not be published. Especially if the other side does not want that. I do like freedom of speech, but I'm not talking about that now. I'm talking about ethics, which were wolfed down by the freedom of speech.

The people want a show so badly, it gives the media the power to get even our Forgeign Minister fired.

I hope there's no more sex scandals in Finland for a while. I want to read some news for a change.

A Fit(na) Over Nothing

noreply@blogger.com (Sami Rautiainen) — Sun, 30 Mar 2008 21:08:00 +0000

Geert Wilders has now released the anti-islam infomercial "Fitna" on his political party's, PVV, webpage. I watched the Google video version and I must say that is a disappointment.

The muslim nation is of course angry. Geert has repeatedly said the Islam religion is violent and demands blood of all those who oppose them. To show Geert is incorrect, the muslim nation has calmly and peacefully burned Dutch flags, treathened the Netherlands and EU with punishment and has put a death-penalty on Geert.

How can Geert publish such lies that Islam is a violent religion? Islam is the last one to come from the three branches of christian religions. Israel has never killed anyone who doesn't deserve it. In Christian-God's name there has been no killings over nothing. The crusades were just peaceful recruitment rallies. Therefore it would be amazing if Islam as the youngest of them all would all of a sudden turn into violence.

Although the rest of the movie is muslim people - including imams - calmly explaining that muslims should peacefully kill non-muslims, there is one thing that might justify even some anger. He has no respect towards copyright laws!

In the beginning and in the end there is a picture of Mohammed by the Danish artist, Kurt Westergaard. It is the original artist who has the copyright in the first place. Therefore this is something that might enrage Danish.

Other than that, the movie contains basically parts of Quran and what some imams and other muslim-leaders have said. This cannot be why muslims are burning flags. This is their religion. Maybe not all of it, but at least a part. Geert was careful even with the ripping of the pages. He does not show he rips a page off of the Quran. And the ripping sound, he explains, is from a telephone book. If this would've been anti-christianity infomercial, he probably would have no problems ripping, peeing on and finally burning Bibles.

The movie was a bit American infomercial-like. People who do not like Geert's ideas might say it's propaganda, but I don't see any specially different from every other point of view made nowadays. For me it was a big disappointment. I've read the news and I've seen the responses from some extremist-muslims to many many things so there was nothing really shocking and nothing really new. The movie itself probably doesn't make people think that much. I hope the media hype and the reactions do. But I doubt that, too.

I would recommend that Geert removes the picture of Mohammed. Although there are several images of Mohammed in arab-worlds, it is clearly blasphemy for a western-pig to make or show an image of the prophet. If a picture of Mohammed has to be there, rather use a picture by a muslim-artist.

Most importantly we must stop Geert. He is a constant reminder that there are people who dear to think even those things that are not allowed for us to think. And foolishly he even excercises his right of an opinion. If this goes on, people might start to think there is something called "freedom of speech".

"I disapprove of what you say, but I will defend to the death your right to say it." - Evelyn Beatrice Hall, Author, The Friends Of Voltaire, 1906.