Vista Quirks

I really don't have much time to write, but I am always annoyed when I try and unzip large files. It takes forever using Windows Vista's built-in zip utility. If you don't believe me, check out this screenshot:

This is a 60MB file and it's extracting at 7 bytes/sec. Doing some quick math: 62,914,560 bytes (60 MB) / 7 bytes = 8,987,794.29 seconds to extract. To make it a little clearer, that's 149,796.57 minutes or 6,241.52 days or 17.10 years. Get the drift? I could sit here till I'm almost hitting a mid-life crisis and the file would still be extracting. This is also not the first time this occurs. Whoever wrote this part of the OS seriously needs to get fired. Zipping and unzipping is a frequently used process and it should be more efficient than it currently is.

The other quirk that I want to briefly mention is the incompatibility with lots of software. Now, this really isn't Microsoft's fault. I should be blaming all 3^rd-party developers. You had nearly one freakin' year to test your product (that's how long Vista was in beta). Why can't you get your apps to work?! Anyway, hopefully all goes well this weekend. I'll be in Detroit competing in a national IT competition. I've been downloading all the software I need. I have no idea if it all works. I think I'll figure that out while on the plane (watching The Office Season 3). Goodnight and farewell.

Internet Pornography – Can It Be Stopped?

This is a heated topic and I know that many people may disagree with my beliefs; nevertheless, I think it is an important topic that must continue to be discussed. CP-80 is an organization that is fighting online pornography and is hoping to change the way that the Internet is structured. Like most media outlets, adult and pornographic content is filtered into specifics channels and viewing periods that are viewable through paid subscription services. The Internet is different—there are no regulations in place. Any time such a measure if brought forth in the United States, critics harp about free speech and regulation of the Internet. What CP-80 is trying to do is create a similar environment to the one that we find in television: channel pornographic contents onto specifics ports.

Think of it as Pay-Per-View for the Internet. Currently, most Internet traffic is run on port 80 (or port 443 if viewing encrypted/secured web sites). CP-80 wants to set up additional ports (there are 65,536 in case you're wondering) for adult-only material. For example, take the range 10,000 – 10,999 and make these adult-only ports. Web sites like Playboy.com could still continue to maintain their web site on port 80, but all pornographic content would reside on a different port number. Therefore, when ordering Internet service from your cable/phone provider, you could request port 80 material. If you were so inclined to view pornographic material, then you could request additional ports (i.e., addition PPV channels).

I wish CP-80 the best of luck in their fight. It will be a long and difficult quest, but one worth traveling/fighting for. South Korea recently made headlines when it announced that its government is cracking down on foreign porn sites. For a more detailed story, please visit the Korea Times or the International Herald Tribune.

Festival of Holi

So, I'm not Hindu, but if life were like this past Saturday evening, I'd be converted. :-) I attended the festival of Holi two years ago, but I arrived too early. I arrived around 4pm and stayed for a couple of hours. Unfortunately, the color throwing festivities did not place until later in the evening and my date wasn't interested in hanging out for another hour. We also happened to be dressed up, so we didn't want to get dirty.

Anyway, this year was much better. I went with a small group of friends and we had a blast! Some friends went early and purchased bags of colored powder for us. It was a good thing too because the bags were sold out by the time we got there. It didn't help that we parked one mile away. I must say, the walk kinda felt like it a pilgrimage.

If you don't know what the Festival of Holi is, it is a festival to signify the end of cold, wintry days and the arrival of hot, summer days. The bon fire and the burning of the demon represent the destruction of evil (see http://www.colorsofindia.com/holi/aboholi.htm for more info). The colors represent goodwill and cheer. It is a celebration, after all. For non-believers, it's a great time to celebrate with Hindus and to throw colored powder on your friends and random strangers. After 10-15 minutes of powder throwing, all the powder is gone and people start dancing and singing. The words of this prayer (correct me, if I'm wrong) are:

HARE KRISHNA HARE KRISHNA

KRISHNA KRISHNA HARE HARE

HARE RAMA HARE RAMA

RAMA RAMA HARE HARE

I don't remember when these words were first sung (i.e., before the color throwing or afterward), but they are repeated several dozen times. It was entertaining to see a bunch of white people celebrating since most of the individuals are not actual Hindus. I do appreciate the worshippers allowing us to participate in this joyful occasion, though. If you happen to be in the Provo area next Spring, please stop by the festival, you won't be disappointed. For more information, please visit the Utah Krishna's web site.

Identity Theft

Yesterday, I was walking home from campus, minding my own business, when I came across a person standing on the southwest corner of 800 North and 200 East. For those of you not familiar with BYU, this is a major intersection which a lot of students use to get to campus. The person had a sign advertising free lunches to those willing to listen to him. I already a nice lunch planned, so I decided that I'd talk to him on the way back (I had to return to campus for an afternoon class).

When I spoke with the guy (college age student), I find out that he was having students sign up for a credit card. He said that I could cancel it at any time. Anyway, he was giving people some money for signing up. Maybe BYU students are a little too trusting of people like that. If I were a bad person, I would use this opportunity to steal identities. Seriously, you fill out a form for a credit card and it has all the personal information one needs to steal your identity. If you pay people $5 to fill out the form, you could get a fair amount of naïve students to fall for your scam. Then you sell them on the black market.

Anyway, I'm not recommending you do this, but it's amazing how careful one has to be.

Guitars Unplugged = Love Songs with Delilah?

So, I attended BYU's Guitars Unplugged (GU) this past Saturday. The show began with some relationship-inspired songs. However, it then continued with this type of songs. I started wondering if I attend the correct show. It began to sound more like "Love Songs with Delilah" or "Lovesongs On The Coast" by KOST 103.5 FM (in Southern California). Fortunately, this genre only last for part of the show.

GU did not provide me with a list of acts, so I can't refer to any particular contestants. This year, I was impressed by the number of female acts in the show. There were female-only bands and mix (i.e. male/female) bands as well. Surprisingly, some of my favorite acts were the female-only bands. Not only did they have great voices, but they were kinda cute. Not the best looking people that I've seen, but a good voice definitely makes a girl more attractive. I must also say that I enjoyed some of my friends' bands. They include Tyler Howells and his song, "Why Do Girls Choose Punks" and The Ease.

A comment must be made about the MCs at the event. Could they be any more "awkward"? Poor Josh felt so stiff throughout the event and Nicole (I think that's her name) wasn't very flattering. I did like her British accent—but was that her only qualification? Maybe one day, BYU MCs will actually be funny. Not today, though.

March Madness

March Madness has come again and my friends are all asking me to join their pools. No joke, I've had at least one dozen requests during the past week or two. What have I done with most of these requests? Edwin Starr's memorable song "War" comes to mind. In case you don't know what I'm talking about, let me refresh your memory:

War, huh, yeah

What is it good for

Absolutely nothing

Okay, so brackets are important to many of friends; they are fun to create, but seriously, who really knows what they're talking about? Each year, there's at least a few upsets and most teams that win are the higher seeded teams. I think most people just pick the higher seeded team. I guess I am being a little unfair about the whole thing. I do have some friends who really know what they're talking about, but they seem to be the exception. After all, how easy is it track 64 teams?

I have a simple methodology when creating my bracket (which I am yet to do). I pick the team that I recognize. I may not know too much about the team, but I've at least heard of it. If there are two teams that I recognize, then it depends. Generally, I'll choose the higher seeded team, but occasionally, I like to go for the "underdog." I put this in quotes because I don't know if they're really the underdog. Sometimes a team is seeded lower, but actually be better. In BYU's case, though, I generally give the one round in the tourney before I drop them. Unfortunately for BYU, they seem to have a curse about them. They may have a great season, but they are pretty consistent about blowing it in the tourney. I expect them to beat Xavier on Thursday, but it's going to take a lot of prayers for them to beat Ohio State.

You might be wondering what the point of this blog entry is… I leave that for you to decide. It's time for me to create my bracket.

Spike TV

I'm at home in California watching TV while fixing my friend's laptop. It's been a relaxing day—I spent the morning playing some tennis and lounging by the pool. Anyway, Spike TV has got to be one of the greatest channels alive. It is the epitome of male testosterone. Looking at the TV Guide presents the following line up this Saturday afternoon: World's Wildest Police Videos (from 2:00pm – 6:00pm), When Animals Attack III, When Animals Attack IV, When Good Pets Go Bad, and When Good Pets Go Bad 2.

Oh, these TV show titles are just hilarious. It's even funnier to watch the show. I just saw two robbery attempts at convenience stores. The first robber was foiled when trying to grab cash from the register. The clerk repeatedly slammed the register shut; watching the would-be crook's facial expressions was to die for. The next video showed a robber with a metal rod (about 18 inches). He thought that it would intimidate the clerk. However, the clerk seemed to have a golf bag and starts attacking the would-be robber with the clubs. Eventually, the robber flees after being smacked a few times with various clubs.