Disqus - Latest Comments for ThePete

Re: Adult Swim Make Cartoons, Not Bombs

ThePete — Thu, 01 Feb 2007 15:35:57 -0000

I love that some media outlets are blurring out the middle finger. It looks nothing like a human hand flipping the bird--it's amazing that a few glowing dots in a pattern have that kind of power to offend.

Re: Tell me there’s nothing seriou…

ThePete — Wed, 20 Aug 2008 16:03:24 -0000

I checked out the post on Jezebel bit couldn't find the comments (iPhone issues, probably) but I did see the way they couched the story--it almost seemed sarcastic, but even if it is, many folks don't understand how bad HFCS and even refined sugar is, so in the end I wish they were more clear. After all, it's not like sugar and HFCS are healthy on their own, right.

Re: Best Asus Eee PC hack so far

ThePete — Sat, 22 Dec 2007 05:32:40 -0000

Ah, you saw that, too, huh? Honestly, that kind of hack seems like something I could actually do--now that I've got my XO, I feel like a touch screen is *definitely* something it should have...

But I think I'll wait until I can used to it first before I start seriously contemplating hacking it.

Re: MacBook Air is still too big

ThePete — Tue, 15 Jan 2008 15:22:10 -0000

Meh, I'll pass. Not moved by thin. Moved by small.

Re: Home on a Tricycle : TreeHugger

ThePete — Tue, 15 Jan 2008 15:30:16 -0000

Yes, but does it have a bathroom???

My only problems with it are:

1) sleeping with legs stuck out is bad/unsafe

2) getting around via bike is environmentally friendly, but not human-energy friendly. Perhaps there's a compromise?

3) electricity. How do you watch TV or surf the 'net?

Re: Take a picture of yourself everyday

ThePete — Thu, 21 Feb 2008 04:30:17 -0000

Hey, I did this last year--it was hard. Of course, I wasn't doing it mugshot style, so maybe that's easier. I managed to pull it off, but I didn't have an easy way to upload the pictures and name/number them automatically. As a result, I don't have them all in my Project365 Flickr set, but you can check them out here:

http://flickr.com/photos/thepete/sets/721575944...

Man, I've got 65 more pictures to label and tag! Arg!

Good luck with it--I look forward to checking out the pics as they pile up!

Re: What’s with all the give-a-way’s?

ThePete — Fri, 11 Apr 2008 15:08:53 -0000

Haha, dude, you're going to give away a ball sack?

Righteous.

Re: What’s with all the give-a-way’s?

ThePete — Fri, 11 Apr 2008 15:28:12 -0000

Just entered that WiBrain contest--thanks for the link! :)

Re: What’s with all the give-a-way’s?

ThePete — Wed, 16 Apr 2008 05:47:45 -0000

COME ON THIRTY!!!

And I actually like Jenn's idea to find something more woman-oriented. Perhaps one of those mousepads with the boobs-for wrist support?

http://biggirlunderoos.blogspot.com/2007/04/por...

Re: 2007/10/17/meebo-firefox-extension/

ThePete — Thu, 18 Oct 2007 00:54:53 -0000

Am I just missing something? This extension is stupid. It doesn't reside in the sidebar alone--all it does is give you an interface but forces you (as far as I can tell) to always have the Meebo site open in a window. This is the stupid part. The reason I've stuck with Adium is so that I don't have to keep yet another window/tab open all the time. I have no problem finding the Meebo window/tab when I'm at someone else's computer, so the way this extension works now is not a problem.

Sorry, don't mean to be the black sheep, but seriously--wouldn't this extension make sense if it didn't require the Meebo site to open when you use it?

Re: Update to Tumblr Finally On the Way

ThePete — Thu, 18 Oct 2007 19:10:31 -0000

A WordPress plugin is all I'm looking for with Tumblr. Think "Twitter Tools" for Tumblr. That would be nice. Hell, make a microblogging tools plugin that would function for all of the fun microblogging sites (Jaiku, Pownce, Tumblr, etc.)

Re: 2007/11/01/macs-viruses-trojan/

ThePete — Thu, 01 Nov 2007 16:48:55 -0000

So, any idea of how many Macs are actually infected? Seems a bit alarmist.

Blueflame: What could possibly be a better use of my time than looking for porn? The doctor says it lets me get my aggressions out.

KIDDING.

But seriously, isn't that sentiment a little like blaming the rape victim for dressing like a slut?

I do think Kevin is right. Getting educated about how to protect your machine is as important as knowing what areas of town you shouldn't go into if you're new to an area. It's just common sense. Yes, the authorities should spend a bit more money on going after spammers and virus/trojan spreaders than they do file-sharers (damn housewives!), but it's not like we, as users, can't be a bit more careful about where we stick our digital peepers.

Re: 2007/11/02/liberated-films-for-sale/

ThePete — Fri, 02 Nov 2007 19:14:46 -0000

So, why are they selling? A "lack of time"? What does that mean?

Re: 2007/11/26/amazon-subscribe-and-save/

ThePete — Mon, 26 Nov 2007 08:35:53 -0000

So, it's like subscribing to specific grocery items? Wow, that assumes you're a machine that consumes precisely the same amount of a particular item every so often. Seems odd to me, but hey, this comes from the guy who gave us the $400 book-reader, so, I suppose I should yield to his wisdom?

Re: 2007/11/26/dont-censor-me/

ThePete — Mon, 26 Nov 2007 08:49:34 -0000

I both agree and disagree with Vince, there--no comments should be censored. If you don't like 'em ignore 'em. Easy as that.

And yeah, it's totally hypocritical to even have a legal term "hate speech". I'm against calling them "hate crimes" too. To me your motivation to commit a crime shouldn't--just that you committed the crime is enough. Hate speech is the same thing. Say what ever you want unless it offends people. I blogged on a couple of cute blond girls who sing racists songs a while back and got all sorts of people saying they shouldn't be allowed to record their music. I hate their music, too (not only is it racist, it sucks), but stop them from expressing themselves? When did the USA become the USSR? Check out that blog post and its 50+ comments here: http://urltea.com/278q

Re: 2007/11/26/epa-google-earth/

ThePete — Mon, 26 Nov 2007 09:18:09 -0000

Hey, you think Erin Brockovich "would've" loved this? She's not dead, so why don't you ask her:

http://www.brockovichblog.com/

Just a suggestion...

Re: 2007/12/04/the-mpaa-shows-pirates-how-its-done/

ThePete — Tue, 04 Dec 2007 14:19:17 -0000

Chad:

Mashable being annoyed that their intellectual property is being stolen and masqueraded as someone else's is completely different from bootlegging a movie or TV show. When someone does that, they're not turning around and saying "Hey, dude, check out this movie I made, it's called the Sixth Sense and it RAWKS!"

It's one thing to protect your IP when you need every penny you can get AND when someone else is taking credit for your work. It's something else when you're just greedy as hell and can't handle the thought of a handful of people getting your product for free (as if you'd think twice about going with the cheapest source for something you wanted).

Capitalism breeds the urge for the cheapest. Don't blame bootleggers for being smart businessmen. Not that I'd know anything about any of this stuff.

Re: 2007/12/04/wikipedia-where-theres-democracy-theres-oligarchy/

ThePete — Tue, 04 Dec 2007 14:39:20 -0000

Kyle: language is a set of symbols with definitions generally agreed upon. English, in particular, is a big mess and can often be misused even by supposed experts in it. The main concept of language, by my definition, is to express concepts to others. So, even though he didn't use precisely the right words you'd like doesn't mean his paragraph is gibberish. It means that you're a bigger stickler for English than he is. It's obvious what Stan means, so just move on.

The very fact that you're probably disagreeing with me right now is proof that I'm right.

All that aside: Stan, I disagree with your suggestion that "a higher degree of influence and power will always be retained by the selected few". This suggests a secret conspiracy (whether it's done through an email list or not) is always moving behind everything. That also suggests that people aren't capable of governing themselves (because we're lazy). I think Americans as we are now are lazy, but I think if we were actually trusted to run things, after a while, we'd work it out. Color me anarchistic, but I don't see the "select few" doing a very good job of running planet Earth. Maybe they should practice what they preach over at Wikipedia and we'd see how it works.

And yes, Kyle, I know all conspiracies, by definition, are "secret." I only added the word to make sure that was understood by anyone not familiar with the precise definition.

Re: 2007/12/05/facebook-5/

ThePete — Wed, 05 Dec 2007 13:33:56 -0000

Sorry, I had some trouble concentrating on your post with those annoying "Whack-A-Virus" ads for ZoneAlarm on *either* side of your content. I'd get a flash ad blocker, but I actually want to support sites like Mashable. After that mess with Engadget and their flash Mac ads a few weeks back you'd think ad-people on the 'net would understand how ads can turn people off and therefore turn them away from their products.

That aside, I agree that Facebook isn't dying, but it is for me. I'm one of those people that finds it to be like MySpace if it were run by the Stepford Wives (the original creepy ones, not the cheesy "funny" Nicole Kidman ones). Too "perfect" on the surface and completely flawed once you look deeper.

Getting bitten by zombies?

Human pets?

Pokes and super pokes?

wth is this crap?

Beacon or no, Facebook is dying to me.

Re: 2007/12/05/netflix-usps/

ThePete — Wed, 05 Dec 2007 13:41:33 -0000

I'll happily accept a hiked fee for Netflix just so long as the USPS is charging the same to Blockbuster. I like the services and don't mind paying for them.

However, the USPS is full of it. They're "struggling" to make money--hiking the price of stamps every so often, they've made doing business on eBay almost impossible by hiking their Priority Mail rates and making them inconsistent, and when I go in there, there's never enough tellers and they're generally rude.

I'm not surprised they're having all of their problems. The USPS needs some serious new management.

Re: 2007/12/06/wifi-networks-report-obscene-images/

ThePete — Thu, 06 Dec 2007 12:37:55 -0000

Clearly, Ron Paul hates children.

KIDDING.

I don't think this law will survive its first test. Who can afford to police their own network? Hell, even a "closed" network isn't that hard to crack, right? So, everyone who provides free wifi at coffee houses (or anywhere else) will just throw a password on and move on. People can still buy a coffee, get the password and traffic in child porn all they like.

It's not about these bastards pretending that they know the 'net, it's about these bastards pretending they're doing their job. This is just another "law" that makes them look busy but signifies nothing.

So, CountRob, don't worry so much about the coffee shops and libraries taking away free wifi. There's a difference between "free" and "open".

Re: 2007/12/10/youtube-well-pay-some-of-our-producers/

ThePete — Mon, 10 Dec 2007 15:27:05 -0000

Yeah, I'm kind of amazed that people just keep making content for YT without realizing they're working for free. Don't they know what those writers in Hollywood are striking for?

If the studios were smart, they stop making shows all together and buy themselves a chunk of YT or another video-hosting site that doesn't pay it's content-providers.

Re: 2007/12/10/jaxtr-growth/

ThePete — Mon, 10 Dec 2007 23:51:10 -0000

Looks like Utterz.com and GrandCentral.com mashed together with a nickname appropriate for a guy who masturbates a lot.

Re: 2008/01/18/internet-outage/

ThePete — Fri, 18 Jan 2008 14:36:20 -0000

Chad, GNN is still around?

o_O

That aside, it seems to me like this might be a lesson in how technology can fail.

I mean, really--if this really were some sort of conspiracy targeting the most popular site, wouldn't MySpace have been nuked?

Man, how sweet that would be!! ^_^

Re: 2008/01/18/internet-outage/

ThePete — Fri, 18 Jan 2008 15:08:24 -0000

Kat: I think that's just normal for MySpace. ;)

I want them to go DOWN... ALL THE WAY. :)

I'm kidding, of course--I honestly don't want to wish ill on anyone. But I would laugh if it happened--like a super-villain.

Re: 2008/02/11/entire-wikipedia-on-your-iphone/

ThePete — Mon, 11 Feb 2008 12:04:24 -0000

How about Wikipedia for devices other than the iPhone? Do that many people use the iPhone? I see them, but I still see more Razors, Sidekicks and Blackberries.

Re: 2008/02/11/piracy-better-than-them/

ThePete — Mon, 11 Feb 2008 12:36:57 -0000

In today's economy where money seems to be worth less and less every day, gas seems to cost more and more every day, more and more people can't afford to pay for things like movie tickets and music.

Humans seem to need (or at least be addicted to) art (even bad art). So if they can't afford to pay full price they make the smart business choice and go for the cheapest price they can find.

It's OK for record executives to make the most money they can, but it's not OK for the consumer to save as much money as they can. This seems unfair since, record company executives make more money than their acts and the CDs they put out mostly suck. Why are they rich off of generally sucking when they could and should just be scraping by?

The solution to me is obvious: the record companies need to make less money and offer more value.

If you want to continue charging $15 for a CD, then make it worth it. Make sure all the songs on it are good. Include cool premiums, like keychains, toys or other cool items. I disagree with Stan's suggestion to add more digital content since it will be pirated along with the music. The extra stuff has to be only available by buying it in stores.

I do agree that evolution is the key here--like it or not, the consumeristic environment is changing. Evolve or die, sadly.

Complaining that consumers are "greedy" or "selfish" or "disrespectful to the property of others" won't change the fact that consumers are reacting to their own environments and adapting. They don't want to go without so they're evolving, too.

I'm sure everyone wants their favorite bands to survive and feed their families. But don't blame "pirates" for not wanting to pay what, to many, are absurd prices for generally lackluster product. Wasn't it Radiohead, just last year, who made more money letting consumers pay what they wanted than they would have if they'd released their CD in stores?

Stop defending the old ways and let's all evolve together.

Re: 2008/02/14/youtube-videocracy/

ThePete — Thu, 14 Feb 2008 14:58:17 -0000

Does YouTube share ad revenue yet?

That's the one thing that truly baffles me about that site--it seems like so many people use provide content and you get so little back. I've actually stopped using it for that reason.

It's just turning into one of those free press-release sites only for video press releases.

Re: 2008/02/22/grandcentral-blogger/

ThePete — Fri, 22 Feb 2008 16:37:40 -0000

You know, I've been blogging for the better part of a decade and I've *never* thought "That's what my readers want! A way to leave me voicemails!"

I'd MUCH rather see them integrate GC into Gmail. That's the logical thing to do.

I'd pee myself if that happened.

Re: 2008/03/27/chris-pirillo-gnomepal-drupal/

ThePete — Thu, 27 Mar 2008 07:15:39 -0000

I'm glad I'm not the only person who found drupal daunting. With the number of people who use it I thought sure I'd have a lot less trouble with it, but in the end, it was just like you said, Stan--I found it just too confusing to use and gave up.

I don't know what those Drupalians are thinking.

Let's home Chris hits this one out of the park.

Re: 2008/03/31/chris-pirillo-last-day/

ThePete — Tue, 01 Apr 2008 03:23:31 -0000

If only it were true...

:P

Re: 2008/04/11/guy-bono-net-access-eu/

ThePete — Fri, 11 Apr 2008 13:14:53 -0000

Yeah, I think this is a good thing. The main reason people let Bush have a second term is because Americans don't read enough. Getting out onto the 'net and reading what the rest of the world thinks of Bush, then reading some blogs from people in Iraq really gives you a different perspective.

Information is necessary for a democracy, which is why a handful of uber-powerful corporations having the ability to shut your connection to it is so scary.

I'm starting to think the EU is doing stuff maybe a little better than the US in the freedom-for-its-people department. At least in theory...

Re: 2008/04/11/guy-bono-net-access-eu/

ThePete — Fri, 11 Apr 2008 16:20:58 -0000

All right, so no drinking ever again if you steal a single glass of water. No eating ever again because you pinched an orange from a storefront shelf.

Still think your black & white view of the world is the best to have?

And for the record, I don't think most people would mind if you stopped by for a glass of water or even a meal. Last time I had a friend stop by I *offered* them something to drink. Free of charge, even. Perhaps if the media companies could stop being so tight with their bank accounts we'd not feel like we were being raped every time we bought a $20 CD that cost them a few bucks to make (including artists' royalties). Here's a tip: if we ALL lighten up on the greed, we just might see a few problems go away.

Re: 2008/02/11/piracy-better-than-them/

ThePete — Sun, 04 May 2008 15:13:40 -0000

Wow, Greg--nothing like coming into a conversation three months later with a pretentious and sarcastic argument.

So far, the only contrary argument that I think has any merit at all is Iron Flatline's--it's true a lot of the shmoes do lose out. But they too have to evolve. They can hire themselves out as the band's web designer or something else--bands still need advertisement. They're still needed, they just need to contact the band or their manager directly instead of getting hired by some rich record executive.

As for Iron's argument about the rich record executive cliche, I don't know what you've seen, but I've walked down Sunset and Hollywood boulevards and seen some hot convertibles driving by with well-dressed men and beautiful women in them. I suppose they *could* be just tourists.

;) But seriously, I worked in Hollywood for over 10 years, off and on, and the cliches are accurate. It's an industry rich with pretend gatekeepers who make more money than they should based on the amount of talent most actually have.

Meanwhile, Sam I Am makes this hilarious argument about how we need to "get back to human decency". Yeah, you let me know when that happens, man. Look around the world--from top-to-bottom, there are plenty of examples of a serious lack of human decency. The guy in the White House thinks it's cool to torture. All bootleggers do is copy media.

And have a look back at history, too, and see how prominent 'human decency" even is. Were we *ever* decent?

Am I saying that we should give up and just be a horrible species? Of course not--but don't blame the poor when they get tired of paying too much for things that are supposed to make their lives better. The rich are in a position to set a good example, yet we all know they don't.

I love it when people think making a buck is a god-given right and is so much a part of freedom that exploitation and borderline amoral behavior is OK. Most of all, I love how the "let's evolve together" comment I made was completely ignored by the defenders of the faith. OK, cool--let's keep things *exactly the same*.

I think I'll leave that little "Notify me" box unchecked this time 'round. This argument is oooold and, frankly, a little useless when the cons don't want to, you know, change...EVER.

Re: HOW TO: Add Facebook Connect to Your Blog in 8 Minutes

ThePete — Fri, 12 Dec 2008 01:25:23 -0000

Haha, saw this post on my iPhone just after crawling into bed, but the iPhone wouldn't play the video. Luckily I had my old PowerBook on my nightstand. Of course, the video is choppy and unwatchable on my 2004-era PowerBook, so I tried finding Facebook Connect on Facebook itself, and couldn't. Hey guys, text is always a nice backup to reach the most users. Of course, Facebook could also be a bit less insanely cluttered with features, too, but hey, I'm just wishing upon a star, here. :)

Re: Don’t Skip the Iron Man End Credits: Samuel L. Jackson’s Nick Fury Appears After

ThePete — Sat, 03 May 2008 02:05:29 -0000

Uh, I went to a screening last night with Jon Favreau (the director) in attendance. He and Robert Downey Jr. introduced the movie. No Nick Fury appearance at the end and I waited until the end because there was supposed to be a Q&A after, but there wasn't. If Fury was in any prints, you'd expect it to have been in one Favreau showed up with.

Re: Don’t Skip the Iron Man End Credits: Samuel L. Jackson’s Nick Fury Appears After

ThePete — Mon, 05 May 2008 15:07:11 -0000

Gah, I'm doubly annoyed--I spent $20 for that screening of Iron Man at the Aero with Jon Favreau and not only did he bail on the Q&A but somehow the print he provided was missing the surprise ending!!

Thanks Mingeh for posting it! Though the captchas at RapidShare are insane.

I do think that this clip should have waited until the end of the sequel, but hey, if they're thinking about introducing an Avengers movie-series, that's fine with me. :)

Re: Cool Stuff: Iron Man Spotted at the Arclight

ThePete — Mon, 05 May 2008 15:33:32 -0000

Hey, Peter--I beg to differ on the "coolest theater outside of The Alamo Drafthouse" claim. I've never been to the Drafthouse, but I think your definition of "cool" is substantially different from mine. The Arclight is the poshest theater in LA, for sure but "coolest"? I'd have to go with the Chinese or the Egyptian or even the Fox Village. All have more personality. The Cinerama Dome (part of the Arclight) is a *great* theater, but it's definitely not *cooler* than the Chinese or the Egyptian.

Sorry to get all picky... as one LA-based Pete to another, I mean no disrespect. :)

The Iron Man suit does look pretty cool, though. :) They had a Silver Surfer outside the theater for last year's FF2 that was pretty cool and I have pictures from the full-size Orc and Ring Wraith they had for the LOTR triple feature. Hm, so maybe in the sense that they always get the cool 3D sculptures they're cooler than the Chinese or the Egyptian... I'm going to have to mull this one... ;)

Re: Cool Stuff: Charles Schulzâ€™s The Watchmen

ThePete — Mon, 05 May 2008 19:14:14 -0000

Doh:

http://thepete.com/who-watches-the-watchnuts

I knew I'd seen this joke before...

Re: Cool Stuff: Iron Man Spotted at the Arclight

ThePete — Mon, 05 May 2008 20:46:02 -0000

Ahhh, OK, that's the one theater in Hollywood I haven't been to. :\ So you could have me there, Mike! Seeing as I'm moving from LA in a week, I should probably try to see something there before I go. I have heard good things about that place.

Re: Ben Stiller, Paramount Learn That You Never Go Full Retard

ThePete — Thu, 07 Aug 2008 12:20:30 -0000

1) I don't think it's right to force a filmmaker or studio to change the contents of their film to suit the needs of ANY group. Freedom of speech is just that. If it hurts your feelings, sorry, but that's the way life is sometimes. It's hard for all of us in some way or another (and easier for some, whether disabled or not).

2) I don't think that a Ben Stiller movie should be considered anything but "commentary" or "satire" (please note the quotes). It's one thing to be a genuinely talented parodist like Mel Brooks. Then you can claim lofty goals like slamming Hollywood for exploiting the disabled to make a quick buck, but when you're the guy who made "Meet the Fockers" I'm thinking you should probably apologize and shut the hell up (but don't change the movie, just don't pretend like you're making "One Flew Over the Cuckoo's Nest").

3) Of all the things activists get upset about, I'm thinking one of a thousand dumb-ass movies to come out of Hollywood this year is NOT one of them. Want to bitch about an something related to intellectual disability? How about Bush? We don't let blind people drive cars, do we? How about getting this guy in the White House some help instead of being cruel and telling him he'd make a great leader?

But seriously, there are plenty of other, more worthy things to get upset about than insults to people who got the short end of the stick in life. If being made to feel like less than you are is the worst thing going on in your life, then you're doing pretty well in my mind.

Hell, my people don't have an advocacy group--there's no Scottish/Irish/British-American Advocacy Group (SIBAAG) that can represent my interests in the media. Talk about unfair!!

Re: More Corruption from the Democrats (should have been) Republicans

ThePete — Sun, 14 Jan 2007 14:08:48 -0000

Maybe I'm missing something, but isn't Doolittle a Republican? How is this "more corruption from the Democrats"? Or maybe you're one of those sarcastic parody sites that pretends to be something it's not? You Pajama-types baffle me sometimes.

Re: More Corruption from the Democrats (should have been) Republicans

ThePete — Mon, 15 Jan 2007 12:35:05 -0000

Ah, OK--cool. Thanks for the honest admission and change in post. I feel like these days it's less about Democrat Vs. Republican and more us regular folks Vs. politicians. I'm an indy because I can't stand either party. To me, saying "bipartisan" is just another way of saying "pro-big-government."