Men On Boats
6 years ago
Friday, January 16, 2009
cat stevens
What i've been doing most of this evening...my first animated gif. I was stoked to see that you can upload them to flickr. Here you are, my terrible attempt at making an animated gif try to be funny. I cannot get it to start from the launch so just wait I guess till it cycles through.Fail boat I know...
Sunday, January 4, 2009
Christmas of yesteryear
About as close as a holiday picture gets with me..
Soak it up people, soak it up.
Soak it up people, soak it up.
Friday, January 2, 2009
New Years 09
MegaNeil hosted New Years festivities for 2009. They are some of the most hospitable people, thanks guys.
Thursday, January 1, 2009
CA's New laws
Motorists
It will cost $50 to obtain a 30-day extension to pass the state's smog check if a vehicle flunks the first time.
Judges will now consider a lower blood-alcohol threshold to determine when repeat drunken drivers must install breath-alcohol analyzers in vehicles.
Law and order
It will be illegal to publish the home address and other personal information about animal researchers and their families with the intent of causing harm. The measure passed in response to the firebombings of the homes of two UC Santa Cruz researchers in August.
Regulators can disconnect the phones of “bandit” taxis that have not been licensed or inspected.
Recyclers will have to take thumbprints and record driver's licenses from those selling copper, aluminum and stainless steel, which have become increasingly popular commodities for thieves.
Consumer protection
Banks and other companies no longer can offer gifts to college students in return for completing credit card applications.
Reselling products that have been recalled is prohibited.
Sweepstakes promoters cannot falsely claim someone has been singled out for participation, ask for money to receive a prize and send out “last chance” warnings that are untrue.
New standards of care are in place for animals sold in pet stores, such as cage cleaning.
Consumers will have new rights in placing freezes on credit reports, including requirements that companies comply within three days.
Health
Emergency medical technicians must undergo criminal background checks.
A board to regulate and certify massage therapists will be established.
Insurers must cover HIV testing.
Insurers no longer can reward employees or underwriters with bonuses for canceling policies after claims have been filed.
Miscellaneous
Beer makers can give away promotional items valued up to $3.
Marriage license forms will enable a man to take his wife's name.
School administrators cannot punish high school newspaper advisers who refuse to censor some student-written material.
Homeowners with solar panels cannot force neighbors to trim or remove existing trees, even if the foliage shades the panels.
Small roadside fruit stands can now legally sell homemade jam and other items to consumers.
Life vests must be provided to children shorter than 4 feet tall who play in amusement park wave pools. Most parks complied after 4-year-old Carlos Flores drowned at Great America theme park in Santa Clara in 2007.
School cafeterias and vending machines cannot offer meals and snacks laden with trans fats starting July 1.
Newly bought teethers, rubber duckies and bath books may be safer: toys made for those 3 and younger cannot contain more than a trace of phthalates – chemicals added to plastic that make products soft and flexible.
One of the most attention-getting laws makes it illegal to send text messages while driving.
“Most people understand text-messaging is just not compatible with safe driving,” said Joe Farrow, commissioner of the California Highway Patrol.
But it is now OK for the directionally challenged to attach a GPS device to the windshield.
Forget sticker shock – how about smog shock? New cars must carry stickers showing how they rank in terms of pollutants and greenhouse gas emissions on a scale of 1 to 10.
“This label will arm consumers with the information they need to choose a vehicle that saves gas, reduces greenhouse gas emissions and helps fight smog all at once,” said Mary Nichols, chairwoman of the state Air Resources Board.
It may be last call for some charity bingo parlors. One of the most heavily lobbied bills prohibits electronic bingo games that mimic slot machines, a victory for Indian gaming tribes. In return, some larger charities, including the Catholic Church, can launch remote-caller bingo that connects games statewide via audio and video with bigger payouts. Smaller charities that rely on the machines worry about a huge drop-off in income.
Lawmakers also are watching our waistlines. Chain restaurants with 20 or more locations must offer nutritional guides, including calories, starting July 1.
At last check, lawmakers could not turn water into wine. But they have made it easier to know what's in both. Bottled-water companies must reveal the source. Vintners cannot claim a Sonoma County heritage unless 75 percent of the grapes came from the county.
The Capitol was marred by bitter disputes that delayed the budget and thwarted compromise on a number of measures. As part of the fallout, Gov. Arnold Schwarzenegger vetoed nearly one out of three bills that came across his desk, rejecting more than 400.
“There were lots of bills that died because of fiscal issues or hostility between the houses” of the Legislature, said Bill Magavern of the Sierra Club.
However, environmentalists secured passage of a landmark global warming measure that includes a mix of rewards and regulations to curb sprawl, provide affordable housing and encourage public transit use.
It will cost $50 to obtain a 30-day extension to pass the state's smog check if a vehicle flunks the first time.
Judges will now consider a lower blood-alcohol threshold to determine when repeat drunken drivers must install breath-alcohol analyzers in vehicles.
Law and order
It will be illegal to publish the home address and other personal information about animal researchers and their families with the intent of causing harm. The measure passed in response to the firebombings of the homes of two UC Santa Cruz researchers in August.
Regulators can disconnect the phones of “bandit” taxis that have not been licensed or inspected.
Recyclers will have to take thumbprints and record driver's licenses from those selling copper, aluminum and stainless steel, which have become increasingly popular commodities for thieves.
Consumer protection
Banks and other companies no longer can offer gifts to college students in return for completing credit card applications.
Reselling products that have been recalled is prohibited.
Sweepstakes promoters cannot falsely claim someone has been singled out for participation, ask for money to receive a prize and send out “last chance” warnings that are untrue.
New standards of care are in place for animals sold in pet stores, such as cage cleaning.
Consumers will have new rights in placing freezes on credit reports, including requirements that companies comply within three days.
Health
Emergency medical technicians must undergo criminal background checks.
A board to regulate and certify massage therapists will be established.
Insurers must cover HIV testing.
Insurers no longer can reward employees or underwriters with bonuses for canceling policies after claims have been filed.
Miscellaneous
Beer makers can give away promotional items valued up to $3.
Marriage license forms will enable a man to take his wife's name.
School administrators cannot punish high school newspaper advisers who refuse to censor some student-written material.
Homeowners with solar panels cannot force neighbors to trim or remove existing trees, even if the foliage shades the panels.
Small roadside fruit stands can now legally sell homemade jam and other items to consumers.
Life vests must be provided to children shorter than 4 feet tall who play in amusement park wave pools. Most parks complied after 4-year-old Carlos Flores drowned at Great America theme park in Santa Clara in 2007.
School cafeterias and vending machines cannot offer meals and snacks laden with trans fats starting July 1.
Newly bought teethers, rubber duckies and bath books may be safer: toys made for those 3 and younger cannot contain more than a trace of phthalates – chemicals added to plastic that make products soft and flexible.
One of the most attention-getting laws makes it illegal to send text messages while driving.
“Most people understand text-messaging is just not compatible with safe driving,” said Joe Farrow, commissioner of the California Highway Patrol.
But it is now OK for the directionally challenged to attach a GPS device to the windshield.
Forget sticker shock – how about smog shock? New cars must carry stickers showing how they rank in terms of pollutants and greenhouse gas emissions on a scale of 1 to 10.
“This label will arm consumers with the information they need to choose a vehicle that saves gas, reduces greenhouse gas emissions and helps fight smog all at once,” said Mary Nichols, chairwoman of the state Air Resources Board.
It may be last call for some charity bingo parlors. One of the most heavily lobbied bills prohibits electronic bingo games that mimic slot machines, a victory for Indian gaming tribes. In return, some larger charities, including the Catholic Church, can launch remote-caller bingo that connects games statewide via audio and video with bigger payouts. Smaller charities that rely on the machines worry about a huge drop-off in income.
Lawmakers also are watching our waistlines. Chain restaurants with 20 or more locations must offer nutritional guides, including calories, starting July 1.
At last check, lawmakers could not turn water into wine. But they have made it easier to know what's in both. Bottled-water companies must reveal the source. Vintners cannot claim a Sonoma County heritage unless 75 percent of the grapes came from the county.
The Capitol was marred by bitter disputes that delayed the budget and thwarted compromise on a number of measures. As part of the fallout, Gov. Arnold Schwarzenegger vetoed nearly one out of three bills that came across his desk, rejecting more than 400.
“There were lots of bills that died because of fiscal issues or hostility between the houses” of the Legislature, said Bill Magavern of the Sierra Club.
However, environmentalists secured passage of a landmark global warming measure that includes a mix of rewards and regulations to curb sprawl, provide affordable housing and encourage public transit use.
Wednesday, December 31, 2008
eve of the new year
Trip back home went well, great to be home now. Sleeping in your own bed is amazing, especially after six nights being deprived from it. Great to see friends and family especially. Until next time! I got some cool presents from people, my sister even acquired some hand-made goods that are really intriguing. This will be my last entry until next year, I have loads more photos to upload from our trip but I will leave you with a couple random hdr's I just finished a few minutes ago.
Monday, December 22, 2008
cats cats cats
Here are a couple more cat photo's, Like I ever get tired of these right... Look at Abby playing fetch!
Friday, December 19, 2008
Breath easy my friends..
AP • New York Times • MSNBC • USA TODAY • AP Hi Tech
Music industry drops effort to sue song swappers
Dec 19, 6:08 PM (ET)
By RYAN NAKASHIMA
LOS ANGELES (AP) - The group representing the U.S. recording industry said Friday it has abandoned its policy of suing people for sharing songs protected by copyright and will work with Internet service providers to cut abusers' access if they ignore repeated warnings.
The move ends a controversial program that saw the Recording Industry Association of America sue about 35,000 people since 2003 for swapping songs online. Because of high legal costs for defenders, virtually all of those hit with lawsuits settled, on average for around $3,500. The association's legal costs, in the meantime, exceeded the settlement money it brought in.
The association said Friday that it stopped sending out new lawsuits and warnings in August, and then agreed with several leading U.S. Internet service providers, without naming which ones, to notify alleged illegal file-sharers and cut off service if they failed to stop.
It credited the lawsuit campaign with raising awareness of piracy and keeping the number of illegal file-sharers in check while the legal market for digital music took off. With two weeks left in the year, legitimate sales of digital music tracks soared for the first time past the 1 billion mark, up 28 percent over all of last year, according to Nielsen Soundscan.
"We're at a point where there's a sense of comfort that we can replace one form of deterrent with another form of deterrent," said RIAA Chairman and Chief Executive Mitch Bainwol. "Filing lawsuits as a strategy to deal with a big problem was not our first choice five years ago."
The new notification program is also more efficient, he said, having sent out more notices in the few months since it started than in the five years of the lawsuit campaign.
"It's much easier to send notices than it is to file lawsuits," Bainwol said.
The decision to scrap the legal attack was first reported in The Wall Street Journal.
The group says it will still continue to litigate outstanding cases, most of which are in the pre-lawsuit warning stage, but some of which are before the courts.
The decision to press on with existing cases drew the ire of Harvard Law professor Charles Nesson, who is defending a Boston University graduate student targeted in one of the music industry's lawsuits.
"If it's a bad idea, it's a bad idea," said Nesson. He is challenging the constitutionality of the suits, which, based on the Digital Theft Deterrence and Copyright Damages Improvement Act of 1999, can impose damages of $150,000 per infringement, far in excess of the actual damage caused.
Nesson's client, Joel Tenenbaum, faces the possibility of more than $1 million in damages for allegedly downloading seven songs illegally, which Nesson called "cruel and unusual punishment." The case is set to go to trial in district court in Massachusetts on Jan. 22.
Brian Toder, a lawyer with Chestnut & Cambronne in Minneapolis, who defended single mother Jammie Thomas in a copyright suit filed by the RIAA, said he is also set to retry the case March 9 after a judge threw out a $222,000 decision against her.
"I think it's a good thing that they've ended this campaign of going after people," Toder said.
"But they need to change how people spend money on records," he said. "People like to share music. The Internet makes it so easy. They have to do something to change this business model of theirs."
Music industry drops effort to sue song swappers
Dec 19, 6:08 PM (ET)
By RYAN NAKASHIMA
LOS ANGELES (AP) - The group representing the U.S. recording industry said Friday it has abandoned its policy of suing people for sharing songs protected by copyright and will work with Internet service providers to cut abusers' access if they ignore repeated warnings.
The move ends a controversial program that saw the Recording Industry Association of America sue about 35,000 people since 2003 for swapping songs online. Because of high legal costs for defenders, virtually all of those hit with lawsuits settled, on average for around $3,500. The association's legal costs, in the meantime, exceeded the settlement money it brought in.
The association said Friday that it stopped sending out new lawsuits and warnings in August, and then agreed with several leading U.S. Internet service providers, without naming which ones, to notify alleged illegal file-sharers and cut off service if they failed to stop.
It credited the lawsuit campaign with raising awareness of piracy and keeping the number of illegal file-sharers in check while the legal market for digital music took off. With two weeks left in the year, legitimate sales of digital music tracks soared for the first time past the 1 billion mark, up 28 percent over all of last year, according to Nielsen Soundscan.
"We're at a point where there's a sense of comfort that we can replace one form of deterrent with another form of deterrent," said RIAA Chairman and Chief Executive Mitch Bainwol. "Filing lawsuits as a strategy to deal with a big problem was not our first choice five years ago."
The new notification program is also more efficient, he said, having sent out more notices in the few months since it started than in the five years of the lawsuit campaign.
"It's much easier to send notices than it is to file lawsuits," Bainwol said.
The decision to scrap the legal attack was first reported in The Wall Street Journal.
The group says it will still continue to litigate outstanding cases, most of which are in the pre-lawsuit warning stage, but some of which are before the courts.
The decision to press on with existing cases drew the ire of Harvard Law professor Charles Nesson, who is defending a Boston University graduate student targeted in one of the music industry's lawsuits.
"If it's a bad idea, it's a bad idea," said Nesson. He is challenging the constitutionality of the suits, which, based on the Digital Theft Deterrence and Copyright Damages Improvement Act of 1999, can impose damages of $150,000 per infringement, far in excess of the actual damage caused.
Nesson's client, Joel Tenenbaum, faces the possibility of more than $1 million in damages for allegedly downloading seven songs illegally, which Nesson called "cruel and unusual punishment." The case is set to go to trial in district court in Massachusetts on Jan. 22.
Brian Toder, a lawyer with Chestnut & Cambronne in Minneapolis, who defended single mother Jammie Thomas in a copyright suit filed by the RIAA, said he is also set to retry the case March 9 after a judge threw out a $222,000 decision against her.
"I think it's a good thing that they've ended this campaign of going after people," Toder said.
"But they need to change how people spend money on records," he said. "People like to share music. The Internet makes it so easy. They have to do something to change this business model of theirs."
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