Raven's Journal

Testing Java client

I wish my headache stopped.

I need to vote after my class today.

I received my JJ coffee mug, and it looks very nice. The logo looks really good on it.

I highly recommend others considering purchasing some JJ products.

Our fridge died. We have a newer used fridge until our brand new low end fridge arrives.

http://www.1up.com/do/feature?cId=3145154&did=1

If I deal with one more "administrative" BS issue, I will fucking scream.

Before you try to view that awful photo, I must explain a few things. First, the couple in question is attempting to dress up as an undead warlock and succubus. A succubus is a demoness who seduces mortals. Therefore a succubus is supposed to be sexy. The costume is very close to the look in the game, but this succubus isn't sexy. Matter of fact this succubus makes me ill. If you have a beer gut and love handles bigger than your breasts, don't wear see through fabric.

http://www.blizzcon.com/imageviewer.shtml?http://www.blizzcon.com/photos.shtml,/images/screenshots/,303,317,http://www.blizzcon.com/photos.shtml

No, you can't install software. No, I won't install some random piece of software on our machines.

I don't care if it is for your senior project. I don't care if your professor requires it.

Don't be an asshole because I won't allow you to install some random piece of software on a general purpose lab computer in the open lab.

First, I purchased a large JJ coffee mug for work. I think I am officially the first person to buy a product with the JJ logo. I thought it would make a nice work mug, plus I may get Luke a few users out of it.

Second, I hope to release the alpha of the Java JJ client soon. I want to work out a few minor GUI problems (mostly add a keystroke event) and get updating working. I am going to release the client under some open source license. I haven't decided which one to use yet.

Luke's a bit tired today. I drove him to class and he was calling everyone a "douche."

I shouldn't laugh but I am laughing. Luke is always in a horrible mood on Halloween. Now for future reference, he's in a good moon on his birthday (which happens to be in May). Someone asked him if his hatred of Halloween is because it was his birthday.

LOL. Shit, I wish Evan had said that to him in person. No really, I do wish that.

Why? 'Cause Luke would have kicked him in the balls. For some reason, I think Evan is one of those guys who cries and moans after a good ball kicking.

A student complained that a piece of software called Aspen is not installed in the main lab. One class (which has at most 30 students) uses this software. This software breaks another piece of software called AutoCAD which is used by ever engineer and their mothers. We installed Aspen in a side lab, and therefore broke AutoCAD for only one lab.

The student stated I was "screwing her over for a couple hundred of engineering students." Yep, I am screwing you over for a couple hundred engineering students.

I must quote a Vulcan proverb, the needs of the many outweight the needs of the few.

Douche. That sums up my response. What a big, spring rain douche.

http://www.cnn.com/2005/LAW/10/28/screaming.scammer.ap/index.html

Here's the text of the article:

GRAND RAPIDS, Michigan (AP) -- The ringleader of a scheme that bilked investors out of millions of dollars was sentenced to 25 years in prison Friday, but not before the screaming defendant was removed from the courtroom.

Janet Mavis Marcusse was convicted of defrauding 577 people of $12.7 million and laundering the money through bank accounts opened under the names of nonexistent churches. Marcusse presented her scheme as a way for investors to capitalize on the tax-free status of churches.

Marcusse, 49, spoke for more than an hour at the hearing, accusing the government of setting her up. She walked away from the lectern as U.S. District Judge Robert Holmes Bell began issuing her sentence, prompting the judge to order U.S. marshals to bring her back, prosecutor Mike Schipper said.

Marcusse yelled repeatedly at the judge while she was restrained, saying "I don't recognize you" before she was removed from the courtroom, Schipper said. Bell sentenced her and ordered the court reporter to give the defendant a copy of the transcript, the prosecutor said.

"It's unfortunate that she was unable to maintain the decorum of the court and show the respect to Judge Bell that Judge Bell showed her by allowing her to speak for over an hour," said David L. Kaczor, a federal public defender assigned to help Marcusse prepare her defense. She had refused to be represented by a lawyer.

Prosecutors said Marcusse led a ring that preyed on investors including many retirees who lost their life savings. There were victims throughout the United States, but most were from western Michigan.

Paul Stinger, 63, of Spring Lake, lost about $150,000 in the scam. He had retired from his production job at Steelcase Inc., a Grand Rapids-based maker of office furniture where about a quarter of the victims worked, but he now has a construction job to make ends meet.

"I lost everything," he said. "I have no retirement."

Marcusse was convicted in June of 61 counts, including conspiracy, mail fraud and money laundering. Seven others convicted in the case were sentenced this month to prison terms ranging from five to 20 years.

Marcusse was living in Grand Rapids when the investigation started but fled with her investment records to the Branson, Missouri, area in 2002. She remained a fugitive until 2004, when authorities tracked her to a cabin in a wooded area of rural Missouri, prosecutors said.

Marcusse accused the government of tampering with witnesses and other prosecutorial misconduct. Schipper called the allegations "absolutely baseless."

1) Screaming at judge will not help your case.
2) Have a lawyer.
3) She defrauded people. A lot of Steelcase workers in the area were be laid off and she took advantage of them.
4) I hope her prison girlfriend is nice to her.

I did a slight security update to the server. Damn, that upgrade felt good. Wow, someone once said he didn't have a problem with me having root.

Charging for pirated music is wrong. If someone steals a copyrighted work, and turns around and charges someone else for the work it's wrong.

I pay for music, I assume it's legally mine. If I purchased something and found out it wasn't mine, I'd be pissed. I'd nail the fucker to the wall, I'd send law enforcement after his or her ass.

Charging people for stolen MP3's is no different than charging people for any stolen good. If the person knows the work is stolen, I feel that act is a crime itself. For example, if I buy a TV off the back of a truck, I know it is most likely stolen. I know I am buying stolen goods. I know that I am committing a crime.

Now is music, art, books, etc... really property? Yes, it is. Most nations have copyright laws to protect intellectual property for a reason.

Movies, music, etc... are licensed to individuals through the sale of media. I do feel that I am purchasing a license to the content. I don't feel that labels and movie studios should prevent me from enjoying the content I paid through. I don't agree with copyright mechnicisms that prevent some operating systems from playing a disc or keep other DVD players from viewing a disc, etc... Such behavior gives whiny 13 year olds yet another excuse to pirate the material.

Now I won't say I haven't pirated music before. I did and I stopped because digital music services appeared and give me little reason to bother. I never burned my entire MP3 collection (which would have been several discs) and sold copies to people on the street for five dollars.

If we want to stop the RIAA from getting a cut on blank CD's and cassette, don't pull stupid shit like create a pay music service for pirated music.

The title has nothing to do with the entry. Just checking if Evan can read.

Ok, why would you insult someone on an online forum (which is text based) by claiming he or she couldn't read? It's like listening someone give a speech and calling him mute!

To quote a TV character, "What a dumbass!"

For former and current employees of the Division of Student Affairs at WMU...

Can't get my email
Have a virus
And spyware
Don't have tech support

I need my email
Seriously I really need some help

And I need to print
No one is printing

Anyone help me, please
Somone help me
Student techs are overworked.

A Catholic high school in Sparta, NJ is banning blogging for all students. Here's my two cents...

First, if the school does not want students to blog on school computers, block the sites on their firewall. The school has every right to block a website on their computers.

However, telling students what to do on their home computers is wrong. Students will be expelled if they don't take their blogs down.

I had a CS student ask me how to extract rar files in Linux. Yes, he thinks rar files are superior to any other archive file format. Now there is a package to decompress rar files, but why?