‘Til All Are One

The unholy combination of work and study have devoured me over the past month.

One point of mention is an interview I had with James Purser for Open Source On The Air. Having never been interviewed before, I was rather nervous. I was also waiting to be accepted or declined as an Ubuntu Member at the Community Council meeting, which only increased my anxiety. It also didn’t help that it was past 10pm, and I was suffering from a lack of sleep. If I sound dopey, please keep those points in mind. With that disclaimer announced, I think I conducted myself quite well.

In other news, I’m glad to hear that my nomination of Elkbuntu for the Linux Australia People’s Choice Community Member of the Year Award (wow, that’s a mouthful!) was heeded. Congratulations, Melissa! I am looking forward to drinking that beer!

Link of the day: Paris Hilton vomits while singing

Are you aware of the condition known as Service Support Termination Trauma (SSTT)? View this Novell Public Service Announcement to find out more.

Just some entertaining links:

• Is this evidence that Google has lost its way?
• Create your own ninja message, and more
• The greatest error message of all time?
• What not to do in a server room
• The Daily WTF
• Quote Database
• The Bastard Operator from Hell (BOFH)

I wrote this in response to a Slashdot article about the Windows spyware programme Gator:

PRESS RELEASE: MICROSOFT INNOVATES IN NEW VERSION OF INTERNET EXPLORER

Store all your passwords, financial data and other personal information on a central server! Never again will you have to remember a password or PIN, since you can conveniently access all your data from a Microsoft server*! Microsoft have made it so easy for you by uploading all your data automatically, no questions asked! In addition, we use our patented Malware(TM) advanced artificial intelligence to analyse your movements online and offer services tailored just for you! To make this as pleasant an experience as possible, we even share your data with third parties so that you are only offered services that suit your interests.

"Microsoft has always strived to deliver the best value for money in the industry," reported Tom Rort of The Gartner Group. "Microsoft products pay off big time for me! I’d give this release a rating of five dollar-signs," said Mary Swindle of The Aberdeen Group.

Once again, Microsoft has shown its commitment to looking out for the best interests of its customers.

* cost of retrieval is $US9.99 per transaction, and since Microsoft already have your financial data, we conveniently deduct the money from your bank account automatically.

Another Jackass copycat injured

" AN 18-year-old was in critical condition after jumping from a five-storey building in an apparent imitation of a stunt from the television show Jackass.

" The youth was attempting to jump into a pool from the roof of a condominium when he missed, shattering both legs, police said. "

Man Advertises ‘Son for Sale’ on Internet

There are some things you just don’t joke about. Like selling your son over the Internet. A father in Scotland did just that: "Hyperactive kid for sale, good at vacuuming, not great at washing dishes because he’s too short. Guaranteed to annoy," the ad read. The father only wanted eight bucks for the 5-year-old. A Web surfer in Canada noticed the ad and contacted Scottish authorities. The father/seller said that he posted the ad about two years ago as a joke then forgot about it until police came knocking. He’s been told to remove the ad. Besides, his son, now 7, is tall enough to wash the dishes.

For sale: One annoying tw*t of a girlfriend

In a similar vein to the previous link…

US hospital searches for Klingon interpreter

" A REPORT ON CNN claimed that a US hospital is frantically searching for someone fluent in Klingon.

" The hospital, in Multnomah County, needs an interpreter for mentally ill patients who apparently won’t speak any other language. "

It looks like this since has been called off, and it turns out that the original story was blown out of proportion.

Black People Love Us!

Warning: not for the satirically-impaired

Rugby team fined for lack of black players

" South Africa’s Golden Lions Rugby Union (GLRU) have been fined R30,000 (2,400 pounds) after they were found guilty of not fielding enough black players in their team. "

Unfortunately, this one isn’t satirical at all.

Haha, made you look!

" Rumors of their demise were greatly exaggerated, one could say, when CNN accidentally made publicly available obituaries of several international figures who are in fact still among the living. "

Read the article at CNN and see the obituaries at The Smoking Gun.