This is like a chapter right out of the dictator’s handbook…

Arab Times Online

PESHAWAR, Pakistan, July 30 (AFP) – Hundreds of Muslims in Pakistan’s staunchly conservative northwest have set ablaze dozens of TV sets following a cleric’s ruling that watching television was a sin, police said Saturday.

Yeah, my copies of Windows XP are all valid and original, but I don’t appreciate M$’s evil plot to manage my system any more than the next guy. This is amusing:

Microsoft “Genuine Advantage” cracked in 24h

Before pressing ‘Custom’ or ‘Express’ buttons paste this text to the address bar and press enter:
javascript:void(window.g_sDisableWGACheck=’all’)
It turns off the trigger for the key check.

Even more amusing is the amount (or lack) of time it took M$’s efforts to be so easily overcome.

I’m often chastising people for running their computers with little or nothing between them and the internet. Most times, these people came to me complaining about their poor service or inability to do things on the internet. Well, I can only do so much over the phone, but I do my best and preach the sermon of responsible and safe internet connectivity that usually falls on deaf ears.
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Ok, so it’s not funny if you’re not properly protected from such things, but I am… erm… well covered (pretty much to the point of paranoia).
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This topic-less post is pinned to the top as an open invitation for visitors to comment on (almost) anything. This is also a great place to add comments for articles that are otherwise no longer open for commenting, or to add a link to your own blog. Ads will be mocked, then rendered impotent.

Very appropriate headline… thanks, http://chrenkoff.blogspot.com/2005/07/congratulations.html Chrenkoff!

WASHINGTON, July 28, 2005 – For the fourth straight year, the Environmental Protection Agency has recognized the Defense Department as a leader in pest management strategies.

(Click Image to visit Cox & Forkum)
The idea of a “melting pot” is that people are supposed to learn to blend in… I guess that’s too much to ask these days, where everyone expects to retain all the rules, ideas, and mannerisms of their “native” lands, and disregard the accepted norms and mores of these United States.

The final hardware menagerie assembled to recover data from 10-yr-old (and older) DAT tapes (click image for a better view). The real story will be what I find on those tapes. Hopefully: A backup of the comic-database that I have since re-created, but with only a portion of the data the original contained; data files from the BBS I created and operated in the 80’s and 90’s; program files and archives from the extensive download and file-trading system operated as part of that BBS; http://www.fidonet.org/ FidoNet stuff; personal records, emails, games; who knows?
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There’s a recent stink in North Carolina between the ACLU and the courts. The http://www.wral.com/news/4771279/detail.html ACLU wants the courts to accept alternate religious texts alongside the bible for witnesses to be sworn on. What strikes me as interesting is that the ACLU is supporting any religious texts in the courtroom. Aren’t the ACLU known for their anti-religion stance? Or is that only anti-christian? Maybe I’m the confused one here, but I digress…
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For all the observations and writings on terrorism and Islamic fascism by “Western” reporters, bloggers, and concerned citizens, none carries the weight of someone who can speak from the personal experiences of a Muslim living in am Islamic nation. Sadly, when such voices try to speak out, they are too often shut down or killed outright – usually with the support of (or in fact, by) their government.
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Having served on active duty in capacities that brought me in direct contact with the http://www.access.gpo.gov/uscode/title4/chapter1_.html “Flag Code” (Title 4, US Code, Chapter 1), I often make note of the ignorance displayed by people trying to be patriotic while in fact abusing the flag. I happen to be among the apparent minority of Americans who know what the code says and try to follow its intent.
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One commentor at http://www.publiuspundit.com/?p=1409 Publius Pundit hit it right on the nose: “Sexually frustrated terrorists’ worst nightmare”.

WTNH.com – Pounding a beat, pistol in hand, an Iraqi woman soldier is a novelty in Baghdad

(Baghdad, Iraq-AP, July 23, 2005 6:05 PM) – Pounding her Baghdad beat, wrapped in a bulletproof vest and brandishing a pistol, Sgt. Bushra Jabar definitely stands out in the new Iraq.

She’s the only woman in the Iraqi Army unit patrolling the Kharkh district in the heart of the capital.

As I mentioned http://jonathanmurray.com/greymatter/archives/00000701.htm awhile back, I now own another domain. I’ve been playing with an idea for a brighter, simpler layout, and could use some feedback. http://www.jonathanmurray.com/index2.html Have a look and tell me what you think?

Here’s some good advice from the venerable Chris Rock on http://www.ifilm.com/player/?ifilmId=2458063 How to NOT get your ass kicked by the police.
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