Yummy Wakame Weblog

Although it seems like Sony BMG has been paying for its devious inclusions on certain records for quite some time, it looks like the joint venture will now be coughing even more dollars to compensate those affected. US regulators have now said that the company "agreed to reimburse consumers up to $150 for damage to their computers from CDs with hidden anti-piracy software," which comes on top of allowing customers the ability to exchange the album if they so desire. Moreover, Sony BMG must now "provide an uninstall tool and patches to repair the security vulnerabilities on consumers' computers" for another two years, and if its hand hadn't been slapped enough, it can no longer "collect information for marketing purposes" nor "install software without consumer consent." Great, we're elated that someone up there understands that this DRM gauntlet isn't the way to go, so why are we still fighting the agenda in so many other areas?

~ Engadget

Club Bounce
For BIG curvy girls and the guys who love 'em.

Wow. Some lucky groom is in for a lifelong journey of daily treats!

(Video link updated so it should work!!)

I guess this one wasn't suitable for America's Funniest Home Videos...

Go on!

(I remembered to upload it this time!)

And I for one am going to give it a try!

CNNMoney.com

At MacWorld, a little company called Parallels won awards for the latest version of its hit product, which enables you to run both operating systems at the same time on a Macintosh. It's a major breakthrough. While the last version of Parallels allowed you to run both operating systems at once, it still required you to switch back and forth between the two. Now, however, Parallels' Coherence product, which the company says will ship by mid-February, lets you keep multiple windows open on your desktop, just as you normally would, running a variety of applications. Except now you can switch between windows running Windows and Mac applications just as if they were all Mac.

This is the fruit of recent major advances on x86-based computers in the technique called virtualization, a technique for isolating aspects of computing performance - sometimes hardware and sometimes software - so multiple functions can be underway simultaneously, while reducing the risk they will interfere with one another.

When Apple switched a year ago to using the same standard x86 processors that other PC companies use, it opened the door to all this progress on virtualization. Apple CEO Steve Jobs has always been adamant about controlling the hardware on which his software operates, but because of Apple's switch to x86 his ability to maintain that control is now diminishing.

...Both companies' products specifically aimed at the Mac will remain self-consciously crippled in order to satisfy Apple's demands that users not be encouraged to put Mac OS on a non-Apple machine. But pressures seem to be building in a way that Apple and Jobs will increasingly have a hard time controlling.

Greene says one reason VMware's Mac product is delayed is that it was so time-consuming to get Apple's cooperation and blessing. "We were trying to do it the way they wanted to, but in hindsight we should have just gone ahead," she says. "I wonder what Steve Jobs is going to do, because there is so much pressure to run Mac OS on non-Macs. There's no technical reason not to do it. He's so proprietary about everything, yet it could be a very strategic move for him to make." Beloussov, for his part, agrees.

In June 2005 I broke the news that Michael Dell wanted to ship Mac OS on Dell machines. Last week in an e-mail he confirmed to me that his thinking hasn't changed. "We would offer MacOS," he wrote, "if customers wanted it and Apple would license it on reasonable terms...It's Apple's decision."

If you have a Q and are struggling to pick up a U - here's a real word that doesn't need one:

qat
noun
the leaves of the shrub Catha edulis which are chewed like tobacco or used to make tea; has the effect of a euphoric stimulant; "in Yemen kat is used daily by 85% of adults".

aka Khat

Wikipedia:

Khat (Catha edulis, family Celastraceae, Ge'ez ጫት č̣āt; Arabic: قات), pronounced "cot" and also known as qat, gat, chat, and miraa), is a flowering plant native to tropical East Africa. Believed to have originated in Ethiopia, it is a shrub or small tree growing to 5–8 m tall, with evergreen leaves 5–10 cm long and 1–4 cm broad. The flowers are produced on short axillary cymes 4–8 cm long, each flower small, with five white petals. The fruit is an oblong three-valved capsule containing 1–3 seeds.
Khat contains the alkaloid cathinone, an amphetamine-like stimulant which causes excitement and euphoria. In 1980 the World Health Organization classified khat as a drug of abuse that can produce mild to moderate psychological dependence, and the plant has been targeted by anti-drug organizations like the DEA. More...

Let today's lesson begin:

What a great postcard. It reminds me so much of someone I adore.

I only once ever experienced this exact feeling. The last leg of Hadrian's Wall, I was walking completely alone through the wilderness for almost an entire day... I felt like I could carry on walking forever, just me and my backpack which had become a comfortable home, and I even wondered if I had to go back to my 'old' life or if there was some way I could pull it off. Of course instead of just enjoying being alone, I wanted to share this great feeling with you guys and I tried to leave an audioblog... it would have been the best saved memory of my life, if I could have just remembered to press "#" before closing the phone.

Here's another post secret I feel so close to.

I'm sure you'll find something in there just for you too.

I'd be hiding a great secret if I said I haven't had one or two major realizations from reading Psychology Today. It's full of excellent tips and shows you how to build skills for getting further in life by breaking down obstacles within yourself and working around others. This article on dealing with difficult people is one I'd particularly like to share because it is the one that crops up so frequently in a world where we are so closely packed together in life's little rat cage.

'... our immediate response to the verbal slights or manipulative barbs of a difficult person is often to fight back. Your immediate reaction is, "I can't stand this crazy, insulting behavior."

We too quickly jump to our own defense when we feel insulted. We do so because we have evolved a hypervigilant concern for our standing among peers. This focus on status makes sense as a play for dominance and power, qualities that translate into real mating options. The need to retain status is an example of Neanderthink. This knee-jerk demand for status can push us to get outraged and to lose focus on larger goals, such as keeping your job or your mate. We want to prove that we are correct—but doing it angrily and intolerantly can hinder your major objectives. Dominance at every turn is good, but not a necessity...'

... 'Sure, you need to stand up for yourself, but do so without demanding that you be above criticism at all costs. Remind yourself of your long-range goals: saving time, energy, hassle and maybe even your own hide...'

Staying Rational When Confronting the Difficult Person

(more...)