Rubenerd

2009 UPDATE: My University Chronicles of Ruben blog ceased to exist a number a couple of years ago now, but as of now I still haven’t gone through and merged the posts into here yet. Until I do though, it’s still worth checking out PMWiki. 3 years later and I’m still using it!

<!–http://ruben.sg/wp-content/media/pmwiki.png–>

If your interested in wiki software, I've posted my official review of PMWiki on the University Chronicles of Ruben.

In summary, it's a great piece of software and is ideal for running locally on your own machine to organise uni notes and so forth, as well as being darned easy to backup because the data is created is contained in text files instead of in a myriad of MySQL tables.

pmwiki, wiki, mediawiki, wiki software, localhost

If you're a user of the Gmail notifier for Mac OS X (that little red envelope on your menu bar) then you should download the lastest (hehe, funny typo) version. Apparently now it's not called the Gmail Notifier, but the "Google Notifier" because it also includes information from your Google Calender.

google, google notifier, gmail, google mail, google calender, gmail notifier, mac os x, mac, apple

Ruben picks apart the useless spam he receives from the spamming spammers who spam him with their spammingly spammish spam. For all the spam he has picked apart, visit the spam category… sounds like a Monty Python routine.

Reliable workers at home required! Have some spare time to spend? Need to fill it with an easy work at home and get paid for it? We are looking for honest and trustworthy people to work from their homes! We offer a high income potential and an interesting activities with the right cause. No experience necessary. We will train. No start-up costs required.

Want to apply ? Send your resume to: [[address removed]]
Do you have additional questions? Don’t hesitate to contact us!

So you're on the hunt for reliable workers eh? The kind of reliable worker who reads spam email messages and takes them seriously? The kind of reliable worker who thinks that your sentence "and an interesting activities" is gramatically correct? And by "No start-up costs required" do you mean no costs for you or for me? Big difference there fellas.

I think it's ironic too that they claim they want honest and trustworthy people, when they themselves are sending out this so called job notice through a dishonest and untrustworthy spam message! And what the hell is a "partial-time job"? Is that something like a part-time job but one you are quite partial too?

If I've said this once I've said it a thousand times: spammers, it doesn't take a lot of effort to actually check your messages before you send them right? Morons.

spam, junk mail

If you are running Mac OS X Jaguar or later (including Intel Macs) you can run your screensaver as your desktop background!

Just type:

/System/Library/Frameworks/ScreenSaver.framework/Resources/
ScreenSaverEngine.app/Contents/MacOS/ScreenSaverEngine -background &

Remember to remove the carriage return after /Resources/!

mac os x, desktop, screen saver

According to CNET Australia, the first Blu-ray disc drive won’t play Blu-ray movies! The reason they give does make sense and you can understand why it's not really their fault, but it's still a tad silly. Is this Sony's Betamax 2.0? ;).

Bautista says that one of two reasons for this is the fact that commercial content is encrypted with High-Bandwidth Digital Content Protection (HDCP), which can only be decrypted using a HDCP-compliant graphics card that offers DVI or HDMI connections. Since there are currently no PCs for sale offering graphics chips that support HDCP, this isn’t yet possible.

The second reason, according to Bautista, is that BD playback software that can decrypt HDCP isn’t “released as a saleable item yet”. Today, the only HDCP-supporting BD playback application is the OEM version of Intervideo WinDVD BD that’s bundled with Sony’s VAIO VGN-AR18GP notebook. The AR18GP also offers an HDCP-compliant HDMI connector, which makes it capable of playing commercial movies without issue.

And when, when will these morons accept the fact that DRM doesn't work and is a waste of time and money? Time and money they should be spending on making their products better or creating more entertainment than locking down existing, tired content that violates fair use policy and marketing common sense?

CNET Australia: First Blu-ray disc drive won’t play Blu-ray movies

blu ray, blu-ray movies, drm, betamax, hdcp, cnet, cnet australia

Great reading if you love English comedy ;).

Nursing my sore ribs after too much Brit humor
By MICHAEL JOHNSON of TheColumnists.com

british comedy, english comedy, humour, pete and dud, peter cook, dudley moore, derek and clive

Ever wondered how many songs out there actually have the word "song" in their title and/or lyrics? I sure haven't.

A small portion according to Wikipedia:

Love Song – 311, Same Old Song And Dance – Aerosmith, Song of The South – Alabama, Adam’s Song – Blink 182, Song 2 – Blur, Redemption Song – Bob Marley, Old Soul Song (For The New World Order) – Bright Eyes, Song To The Siren – The Chemical Brothers, The Mariner’s Revenge Song – The Decemberists, The Last Song – Foo Fighters, Our Song – Goodnight Nurse, Song Cry – Jay Z, Song For America – Kansas, The Song Remains The Same – Led Zeppelin, The Rain Song – Led Zeppelin, The Lemon Song – Led Zeppelin, Immigrant Song – Led Zeppelin, The Wanton Song -Led Zeppelin, “Love Song” – Madonna (featuring Prince), The Love Song – Marilyn Manson, The Fight Song – Marilyn Manson, Download This Song – MC Lars, London Beckoned Songs About Money Written By Machines – Panic! At The Disco, The Nile Song – Pink Floyd, Crying Song – Pink Floyd, The Greeting Song – Red Hot Chili Peppers, The Zephyr Song – Red Hot Chili Peppers, Saddest Song In The World – Shihad, Leo Song – Shihad, Beat Song – Shihad, The Metal Song – Shihad, Kathy’s Song – Simon & Garfunkel, Song for the Asking – Simon & Garfunkel, This Cocaine Makes Me Feel Like I’m On This Song – System Of A Down, Highway Song – System Of A Down, Prison Song – System Of A Down, Love Song – The Cure, Swamp Song – Tool, Nigger Song – (John Frusciante), Song to Sing when I’m Lonely – (John Frusciante), My Song (B.B King), Song 3 – (Robbie Williams), Nans Song – (Robbie Williams), Ace of Spades song (Motorhead), Song to the Siren (Larry Beckett, Tim Buckley, Robert Plant), Skips Song (Skip Spence), Song For Whoever – The Beautiful South, Movin’ Out (Anthony’s Song) – Billy Joel,

I've got some more: what about The Song of the Emergent Nationalist (Bob Geldof), or This Song's Just Six Words Long? (Weird Al) or even The 30 Second Song (Scared Weird Little Guys)

songs, lyrics, song titles, wikipedia, fun facts, trivia

Marty Smith writes the Mouthing Off column in the Adelaide Advertiser every weekday, it's one of my favourite parts of the paper. On Thursday he had some beauties:

• Question: what came first, the ant or the picnic?
• “Just Divorced” – Car window sign
• “You know that horses are smarter than people. You’ve never heard of a horse going broke betting on people.” – American actor and humorist Will Rogers (1879-1935)

marty smith, adelaide, newspaper, quotes, adelaide advertiser, adelaidenow, will rogers

Of all the friends I’ve ever had, you’re the first!

bender, futurama, quotes, funny

What a blast from the past; just surfing around Wikipedia I came across the article for The Mary Tyler Moore Show!

Mary Tyler Moore is an American television sitcom that aired on CBS from September 19, 1970 to March 19, 1977. It was one of the most critically acclaimed shows—and one of the most beloved—in television history, as well as a breakthrough for leading female characters in television, due to the single, career-minded title character played by Mary Tyler Moore.

Possibly one of the best shows the United States has ever exported. Too bad it was filmed before my time so I couldn't have watched it in its heyday :(.

mary tyler moore, the mary tyler moore show, 1970s, sitcom