Yummy Wakame

Yay! I finally got an invite to join the Wallop beta community. Its very very purty. I have 7 invites left to give out if anyone wants one… otherwise you can wait on a long long list and feel sorry for yourself for weeks like I did. The really fun part Im looking forward to is developing some widgets (called mods) when I can rustle together some free time.

Come and join me!

Nathan found this great article:

“Why do I see a message prompting me to ‘click to activate and use this control’ when I roll my mouse over a Flash animation?

This is a result of the latest Internet Explorer update.

Microsoft recently lost a legal battle with a patent holder about the way Internet Explorer displays OBJECTs and EMBEDs in webpages. Microsoft then decided to update its Internet Explorer browser with changes requiring user input to display and activate ActiveX based media. This affects all Flash animations but also other files such as QuickTime, RealPlayer, Java and Adobe Acrobat among others. It means users have to click the object first in order to activate its functions.

Luckily, there are ways for website developers to modify their website so that the user experience is not impacted by Microsoft’s changes. I have selected the easiest and most user-friendly option available at this time…”

Herewith a snippet of JavaScript code to fixeth the problem.

The epic tale of Savior and Judas, Good and Stupid, Fire and Ice, is being played out in the browser world today, and Internet Explorer’s new release has nothing to do with it…

Ice Weasel is a completely open source version of Firefox, which, purportedly, has copyrighted and licensed material in its code. According to the Wikipedia article (which is seemingly intended to be biased for Ice Weasel) the guys who have built the browser are bummed because Mozilla won’t let them use the Firefox name without using the Firefox logo, and they can’t use the logo because of their own rules. Vizzavi, Ice Weasel.

Right now Im so swamped with work the only way I can get it all done is to make sure my stress levels are super low. I’ve discovered it makes me feel very content to work from my bed instead of the desk especially on those days when Im going to be doing an all-nighter. And to make things perfect I like to listen to a good story while Im working so I dont get bored and frustrated working the long hours…

I found the perfect solution on Chapel Perilous - TV Links - a list of some of the major TV shows where you can watch reruns of Lost, Rome, Scrubs, The Office, X-Files and many others including some great cartoon shows. I started with Weeds and watched Season 1 and 2 over the last two days. Once I’ve gone through the whole list its going to be really hard returning to talk radio.

Happy watching!

If your siamese fighting fish keeps getting fin rot and youre trying to medicate it but it keeps coming back - here is a great article explaining why its happening and what you need to do to cure your fish and avoid reinfection.

Click here if you can’t see the video above.

Every time an online store is contacted by a bank and notified that fraudsters used someone elses card to purchase goods on a website, the store owner has to pay a huge chargeback fee for each fraudulent transaction.

My brother who works the backend for a large online store and monitors illegal activity says that bank effectively get the chargeback and the original fee and refund fee. Banks make a fortune off chargebacks - that’s why they all offer online fraud protection on their cards.

I think this is outrageous and should be totally illegal. The onus should be on the bank to monitor illegal activity on their own customers accounts and they should pay if they miss anything - anything else should be covered by the banks insurance.

If a transaction is cleared by a bank to purchase completely legal items on a legal online store, then the store owner should be paid what they are owed by the bank. You’d think it should be that simple… dream on.

Did you know that the the USA banking system has massive fraud problems - apparently many US banks dont even do a complete security check for the transaction online. The name could even be wrong and the transaction would still clear. Its absolutely shocking that banks are getting away with this and small businesses are paying for it.

The whole system is so screwed up and if we dont keep an eye on it, it could devastate online businesses.

Licorice Surprise

Ingredients:
1 black extension cord
1 wall outlet
5 mg. Ambien

Plug extension cord into wall socket near bed.

Plug other end of extension cord into clock radio on nightstand.

Take Ambien, fall asleep.

Sleep 3-4 hours.

Roll out of bed, wake up on floor.

See extension cord, think, What a big delicious licorice rope that is!

Chew on essentially flavorless cord until you get to the metallic center, where the surprise is.

This patch takes the annoying pixel blur off your sims when they get changed, hit the shower etc. Why Maxis deemed it necessary to censor the Sims in this way is beyond me since the sims have no genitals to speak of - not even nipples.

So anyway I’m posting it here for myself so I can easily find the patch again after a reinstall. I had to go through a long convoluted process of signing up with various forums to get my hands on it - and this is the only version Ive found that actually works 100%. Apparently its compatable with the expanstion packs too although I have yet to test it out when I get one.

Here you go… instructions included in the zip file.
Mac users - please see Tims comments below for further instructions.

Click here if you can’t see the video above.

Thanks Cait!

True story.

Future Phone offers US and Canadian citizens free international phone calls to over 50 countries. You only pay to dial the local access number in Iowa from your cellphone or landline, but these days most people get free local minutes anyway. Theres no fee, no signup or contracts and unlimited calls anywhere anytime. I wonder how they can offer this for free? I can’t wait to test this out tomorrow.

Thanks Julie!

Oh and that great pic is a Sarah Pulver original. I love love LOVE her art!

A while back I blogged useful search phrases you can use to find mp3s on google. Its a bit tedious. So I am thrilled to present you with a really easy way to do it. Simply bookmark g2p.org and search away!

All this and more found on ClickNathan’s secret blog.

Its called IMS - Irritable Male Syndrome.

“Irritable Male Syndrome,” that state of hypersensitivity, frustration and anger is now used to describe men who suffer from testosterone deficiency. And while the condition may have been around for ages, the diagnosis suggests that men may be just as vulnerable to the complexities of biology as women. “This is very common,” said Dr. Philip Aliotta. “Low levels of testosterone manifest in irritability, depression, weak muscles, loss of self-esteem. Men have no interest in the joys of life. Their libido has dropped. Their interest in intimacy is declining. Sexual function diminishes. Work performance suffers. Oftentimes they are misdiagnosed as being depressed.
—Jane Kwiatkowski, “Goodbye, testosterone,”
The Buffalo News, January 28, 2003

How do you treat IMS?
“It can be helpful to have counseling. Those men with low testosterone levels may need testosterone restoration. We know that exercise and diet also figure into this pretty significantly. I keep harping on this with people because low-carb diets are the rage. People don’t realize that if you have extremely low levels of carbohydrates, you’ll lower your serotonin levels and get irritable. And we know when you exercise vigorously, your testosterone level goes up and your feeling of well-being increases.”

Do you have IMS? Take the MSNBC Quiz

I’m so excited - Craft Magazine comes out this month!

“Volume 01: CRAFT is the first project-based magazine dedicated to the renaissance happening within the world of crafts. Our premiere issue features 23 projects with a twist! Embroider your skateboard, light up your clothing, felt an iPod cocoon, knit your own boots, stitch a robot, and more!

Coming soon! On newsstands October 17!“

And as if that isn’t a big enough treat, Craftivity - a book filled with “40 Projects for the DIY Lifestyle” comes out this month too!

Craftivity can be preordered on Amazon in time for Christmas! Check out this PDF of their fabulous sample page spreads!