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All things 56k

This blog you see here has been the temporary home for 56knerd for the past 7 months. Right now I'm working on bringing it back to its 56knerd.com home. I really like the Blogger CSM, so I migh stick with it. If it doesn't work out then I'll go crawling back to MT 2.6.

Also, I'll be working with Dewey on content for his new site. If you're lucky, you will see content by Dewey on 56knerd. and, if I ever get off my lazy ass, there will be a 56knerd podcast.

Let the fun begin.

I *heart* Batman Begins

A cut and paste from a forum post I made.

Clearly, this is the best Batman film that has ever graced the screen. I wasn't expecting the film to be this good, and I believe it really dated Tim Burton's masterpieces.

Out of all the superheros in existence, Batman has always been my favorite one. This is the Batman film I've been waiting 24 years to see. In Batman (1989) you didn't get to see how Batman became such a great fighter or where he got all of his cool toys.

He was just there.

I loved the first hour of the film. I loved the exploration into the Bruce Wayne character. I loved the supporting cast. I loved the scene with Gordon and a young Bruce Wayne. I loved the scenes of Batman scatching people out of no where. I loved the look of modern Gotham. I loved the, "calling card," scene.

I really loved this film.

The soundtrack. Actually I didn't really notice a soundtrack because I was too taken by the film. Danny Elfman is missed, but Elfman is a part of Burton's vision of Batman. Zimmer and Howard's work is way better than John William's work on Revenge of the Sith. In fact, this film is better than the last Star Wars outting. I did buy the soundtrack yesterday, and it is very good. The Batman theme is repetitive, much like the theme to Signs, but no where near as exciting as Elfman's. Maybe they held back on this one? Maybe it will be more fleshed out in the sequel?

I'm already looking forward to the sequel and to seeing this film again.

and again.

Now, remember kids.

If you buy a CD that wants to run some stupid program that forces you to listen to the music through their special media player...

Remember that your SHIFT key is there for you, and it will never beak up with you.

I wonder who got the bright idea to invest a lot of cash into something to have it easily bypassed by a key.

Album of the Year!

The year is already half way over with, and I've already found this year’s album of the year. Consider yourself lucky because I’m about to share this amazing discovery with you. I’m pregnant with excitement right now.

The Winner is…

Coldplay X&Y

You listen to Coldplay? Yep, I sure do. In fact, I listened to this marvelous band before their first album reached the shores of American. That was five years ago. See how cool I am?

Really, it’s not something to brag about.

But, no, honestly, this album is great. X&Y is far better than their last two outings. To sound cliché, this band has no where to go but up.

Go get it now.

An Awesome Time for Podcasts!

In the next few months, Apple will release iTunes 4.9, which will come with a built in podcast aggregator, making it easier than it already is to subscribe, listen, and transfer podcasts to your iPod. iTunes will make the standard process of entering the URL for a podcast feed look archaic.

The new version of iTunes will feature a podcast directory that looks very much like the flagship iTunes Music Store (iTMS). In this directory, you’ll be able to browse through thousands of different podcasts giving you the ability to download and or subscribe to at the click of a button. You will no longer need a separate program to do all of that work for you.

I feel that this will make it even easier on users, and it will help push this new medium forward.

More information from the AP @ Yahoo!

At a technology conference on Monday, Jobs previewed iTunes version 4.9. The software allows users to click on and subscribe to different podcasts, then automatically delivers the shows to any connected iPod — far less cumbersome than the third-party applications many listeners now need.

The newest iTunes will include a directory of podcasts, and creators will be able to register their shows with Apple's iTunes Music Store.

"We think it's going to take podcasting mainstream, to where anyone can do it," Jobs told the gathering of software developers.

Jobs' support for podcasting could make the phenomenon more popular, particularly if the iTunes store becomes the Internet's de facto repository of podcasts. Since its launch two years ago, the store has sold more than 400 million songs.

Last month, Jobs said podcasts on iTunes would initially be free. But he's been coy about whether Apple would allow podcasters to sell premium content through iTunes — a move that would make Apple's music service compete against Audible.com and other sites that feature unique content.

Watch this

It amazes me what people find on this plasted thing called the internet.

Those crazy foreign people

/\/\ | ( |2 0 $ 0 |= 7 | $ 1337

Microsoft always seems to amaze me. They have a guide for parents to teach them what leet speak ( 1337 $|>34|< ) is and what some of it looks like so parents would understand their child's in game demonic tounge. What is leet speak exactly? It's a way for online gamers to "work around" the language filter. You can't say stuff like cock or piss in some games so you have to say ( 0 ( |<> | $ $.

When playing World of Warcraft, it's a way for people to communicate with players of the opposing faction because when they type something to us it gets translated. Instead of seeing

Venkors: LOL! I got you!

they see

Venkors: [Orcish] KEK! Lok tomo tookie!

so we say

Venkors: 1 0 1! | 6 0 7 '/ 0 |_|

Back to the write up. I think Microsoft did a poor job when making this guide because it is very incomplete and very misleading.

Case in point

Leet words possibly indicating illegal activity:

warez" or "w4r3z": Illegally copied software available for download.

"h4x": Read as "hacks," or what a computer hacker does.

"sploitz" (short for exploits): Vulnerabilities in computer software used by hackers.

"pwn": A typo-deliberate version of own, a slang term that means to dominate. This could also be spelled "0\/\/n3d" or "pwn3d," among other variations. Online video game bullies or "griefers" often use this term.

First off when someone says "pwn" to someone they are not doing anything illegal and they are not bullies or griefers (people who do things to bring grif to someone). By telling parents this, if they ever hear their child say "pwned," they will automatically think their kids are doing something naughty and that they bully people.

This is not the case.

When I play games with my friends, I always say things like "Wow, that guy just pwned me," or "Did you see me pwn that guy?" We do use it in the context that we dominated a player or we were dominated in some way. Is there anything illegeal about it? Are we bullies because we went against and defeated a player who lacked any skill at all and they handed us an easy win?

Microsoft seems to think so.

Also, haxors is the more common word used and it's not h4x but whatever.