You can’t outsmart me with my camera phone! 
Related to the previous post, I saw another screenshot from a DVD I wanted to post, this time I just used my BlackBerry 8320. See Nathan Phillips Square in all it’s glory, in Star-Trek!
Why is technology seem to be designed to prevent me from doing things that are perfectly legal but could be used for illegal activities? Examples:
The reason for this post? I was just watching a DVD that I OWN and that I PAID good money for. I saw something funny, a marking on the ground that indicated where the actor should stand and was not meant to be caught on camera. I wanted to post this on my blog to share with others; this obviously falls under fair use if not journalistic freedom. Are we so paranoid of this evil thing call piracy that we’re willing to give all our freedoms up to a handful of major corporations? Is it really such a big deal to prevent the average person from doing what they want since the real pirates (in every instance) have ways around all known protection measures? “If I can read it, I can copy it.”
I’m very annoyed. Here’s the error message I got and am just too lazy to rip the DVD for one screenshot:
Hey Hey Hey, it’s Riz in Elf form!
OfficeMax has this cool site where you can upload a picture of yourself and create a dancing elf. The really cool thing is that they’ve integrated an automated call in number that allows you to record a message which your elf will say while dancing!
Update, 9:50AM: Ok, I’m a loser, here is another one I made with Star-trek characters. And another one I made with The Office.
Over the last year I’ve increasingly been hearing about problems in Russia. Some include: the lack of a free press, consolidation of extraordinary power under Putin, and the inability to freely protest (which is what got Garry Kasparov recently arrested). If you want more details, listen to this podcast where Kasparov describes the problems in more detail. Here’s a new development related to the recent parliamentary election:
Nor was there any doubt that the poll was rigged. “The election was not fair and failed to meet standards for democratic elections,” concluded the Organisation for Security and Co-operation in Europe (OSCE) and the Council of Europe in a joint statement. Nothing was left to chance to ensure a high turnout. In Moscow your correspondent spotted several “tourist” buses stuffed with people from far-flung regions. They voted early and often. The buses were guarded by men in black leather coats and ski hats who, every few minutes, would let a small group out of the vehicle to cast their ballots. They would move to the next polling station and repeat the exercise. The “leader” of the group said the men were workers from a nearby factory. But, despite strict instruction to keep silent, some admitted that they were free labourers and came from as far away as the Kemerovo region, some 3500 km from Moscow. “We have been going around polling stations since lunch time,” grumbled one man, “and they have not paid us yet”.
What a sad state of affairs.
