[Download Show #23 as MP3]
News
- MySpace to start charging
- MySpace claims that its advertising is not making enough money to support the infrastructure that literally has tens of millions of members.
- If they charge every member $1.99 to $4.99 per year MySpace could gross 1.76 billion dollars per year which is a major proposition.
- Its unlikely of course that all those who are members would pay the fee, but they are hoping that by keeping the price reasonable they can encourage many to support the company as their staff has grown exponentially in response to an almost unlimited level of attention from the media and government.
- RIAA to start charging per stereo, CD player, or television that can play music for in home music entertainment
- The RIAA announced this week that they would be charging for each device that could potentially play music
- They will start this "charge" on those they sue for downloading music off the internet, adding a surcharge of $5,000 per illigeally used device in an offender's residence
- Eventually they will move to "taxing" everybody
- Logic behind this is, if you have a computer and speakers in your house, then those speakers are probably used to listen to pirated music and thus subject to licensing terms that have yet to be dictated.
Software / Hardware / Power Web Picks
- Fun / Useful / Powerful Online Webtools
- Big Contacts - Web-based contact / team management interface
- Spresent - Flash based presentations
- Slide Aware - Powerpoint Intergrated Team Collaboration
- Stikkit - Post-it notes meet wiki. Similar to, but not as cool as Posticky.
- Teqlo - Mashup on crack. Requires FireFox v2.0 and Flash :)
- Xcellery - Collaborate on actual Excel files
- TimeAndDate.com
- Time Add - Add or subtract an amount of time in Years, Months, Days, Hours, Minutes, and Seconds from a given date and time.
- Date Difference - DateDiff for those programmer folks out there, basically enter a start and end date and get the difference.
- Useless Birthday Numbers - Find out when you're one million seconds old, and some other randomness.
- Other cool features include: International dialing codes, a world-time meeting planner, as well as many other tools.
- Real Quick Tip: Stop websites from resizing your Firefox Window [via Lifehacker]
- In Windows goto Tools menu and select Optioins (Edit menu and select Preferences on Mac/Linux)
- Then click on the Content icon
- Under the first little subsection there is an "Advanced" button. Click it
- You'll see a dialog that says "Allow Scripts to" at the top
- Uncheck the "Move or Resize Existing Windows
- Install Linux on Your Kids Computers
- Want to build a computer for your kids but do not want to spend the money to get a legal copy of Windows? Do your kids want to play some fun games, surf the net, and chat with their friends? Do your children listen to music and watch movies? Good news, you can do all of this on a nice simple Linux install.
- Download Ubuntu Desktop edition
- Burn the ISO to CD using Nero or ISORecorder
- LiveCD means, you can boot off the CD and use the OS without formating your computer. This allows you to make informed decisions like, are my kid's favorite website going to work? What comes installed by default? How much extra work am I going to have to do?
- To fill in some of the holes left by an Ubuntu Install, check out Ubuntu Guide for step by step instructions on how to install some of the software that is not included, or even install some of the more complex programs.
- Just by following instructions, you can have a Linux installation that will be just as easy to use and more secure than any Windows machine you could give your children. Also Linux runs excellent on that outdated hardware, so it allows you to retask an older machine quite easily.
- Some notes: Things like Java, the latest version of Flash, or even reading PDF's takes some extra setting up in Ubuntu, but Ubuntu Guides helps you fill in the missing links easily. The reason some software is left out is due to the license that a particular software might have. Ubuntu strives to stay as close to free/open source software that complies with the GPL (most popular open source license) and a lot of software does not fall under that license, causing it to be absent from a base Ubuntu install.
- Discuss the PS3 patch, "it's niiice"
- HDMI port on the 360 confirmed
Editorial ("Power Up")
- Fun April Fool's Ideas (It's still early so here are some last second ideas for your use)
- Green Milk - Use food coloring to die the milk green and serve it in your kids cereal this morning. Reaction: A quizzical look or perhaps disgust! Works GREAT with young kids.
- The Evil S's - Switch the salt for the sugar, works great for coffee drinkers or those who put it on their cereal. Reaction: A great face for a camera phone ringer.
- Sink Suprise - Turn the sprayer nozzle toward the front of the sink, put a rubber band around it holding the trigger, and wait! Reaction: Victim won't need extra coffee to wake up
- School Time Blues - This year April Fools falls on a Sunday, and while this one takes some sleep loss, early risers should find it's worth it. If your kids will be expecting something here's a good one. As usual, get your kids up for school, your make sure you and your wife are all ready for work. The kids will be a little slow getting dressed, but they make it to the breakfast table in time to eat--at least according to the clock. When breakfast was over, ask your children to open a curtain/blinds to the external window and have a sign that reads, 'It's 3 A.M.--April Fools!' Reaction: Kodak moment.
- Fun on the Fly A - A simple needle and thread become our tool for creating mischief. Our mission? Sew all of Dad's underpants together. This is easy enough as it requires only a few stitches at the side seams. Then they are neatly folded and placed back in his drawer. Reaction: It's fun watching him bite each pair off of the string with his teeth.
- Fun on the Fly B - Sew up the fly on a clean pair of underwear, make sure the victim drinks plenty of morning juice and coffee or tea, and wait. (This is especially effective if you know the victim uses large, public bathrooms, like the ones found in schools and office buildings.) The most challenging part: ensuring the victim selects the doctored pair in the morning. Reaction: At best--total embarrassment. At worst--we don't even want to think about it.
- Call of the Wild - Leave your victim a convincing sounding message (either on paper or on an answering machine) from a certain "Mr. Lyon," who has called about an urgent matter (a missed lunch date is good for extra laughs) and would like a return call as soon as possible. Mr. Lyon's number? The phone number for your local zoo. Reaction: I'm sorry, Mr. Lyon is busy at the moment. Mr. Elephant can talk, though! Santa Ana Zoo: (714) 835-7484
Real News
- RIAA Between a Legal Rock and Hard Place
- Judge Ruled that the RIAA either has to dismiss the case WITH prejudice or proceed with a jury trial
- RIAA has been dismissing cases without prejudice whenever someone decides to fight back
- This means if the case is dismissed with prejudice that the sued parties might be entitled to legal fees from the RIAA
- If the case goes to trial the RIAA has to prove to a jury using the same argument that failed against a judge in a previous case. Which means they have a high chance of losing the case. Thus setting a presidence.
- TheFoolsDay.com
- History
- Traditions
- Pranks
- Foolish Quotes
- Party games related to April Fools
*April Fools
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