I'm terribly sorry for the "vow of silence" lately but I've been working on this Memogate thing. We've got some amazing interviews lined up for this weekend, so stay tuned... this'll be good.
/rizzn
Music on the Turntables Currently: - Cowboy Beebop Ballad Of A Fallen Angel
After the interview with Nick from downhillbattle.org last night, the save betamax campaign has over 1000 new members as of the time of this writing. I can only hope that this is a result of my interview this weekend, or that I played a part in it.
To get involved in this groundbreaking opposition to this legislation, go to: http://www.savebetamax.org/.
Music on the Turntables Currently: Rizzn Do'Urden - Riz Mix 6.5 - Unfinished Business
I haven't really done much commentary on this film, at least not on the website. I downloaded the DVD a while back, but I never actually burned it or watched it. I just haven't had the time. I have read selected transcripts, however, and I have read a lot of commentary, both positive and negative.
Recently (last month), Fahrenheit 9/11 was shown on Cuban television. This was a very lightly covered news story, but it has real significance. Cuba is an enemy state, first of all, and allowing F911 to be released there is just as bad as allowing the terrorist group HAMAS to be an investor in your film.
One of the more interesting quotes from MSNBC's article on the Cuban release was an American college student Abigail Nelson (learning Spanish this summer in Havana) noting, "Michael Moore and Fidel Castro see the world eye-to-eye."
This Monday, Michael Moore made a lengthy entry in his blog. The subject of the post was why he would not be seeking the Oscar this year. Of course it was mostly filled with self-praise and other such stuff, but the meat of it was the following:
"The only problem with my desire to get this movie in front of as many Americans as possible is that, should it air on TV, I will NOT be eligible to submit Fahrenheit 9/11 for Academy Award consideration for Best Documentary. Academy rules forbid the airing of a documentary on television within nine months of its theatrical release (fiction films do not have the same restriction)."
"Therefore, I have decided not to submit Fahrenheit 9/11 for consideration for the Best Documentary Oscar. If there is even the remotest of chances that I can get this film seen by a few million more Americans before election day, then that is more important to me than winning another documentary Oscar. I have already won a Best Documentary statue. Having a second one would be nice, but not as nice as getting this country back in the hands of the majority."
"The deadline to submit the film for the documentary Oscar was last Wednesday. I told my crew who worked on the film, let's let someone else have that Oscar. We have already helped to ignite the biggest year ever for nonfiction films. Last week, 1 out of every 5 films playing in movie theaters across America was a documentary! That is simply unheard of. There have been so many great nonfiction films this year, why not step aside and share what we have with someone else? Remove the 800-pound gorilla from that Oscar category and let the five films who get nominated have all the attention they deserve (instead of the focus being on a film that has already had more than its share of attention)."
Academy Award Documentary rule V.3 clearly states: "No television or internet transmission shall occur at any time prior to, or within the six months following, the first day of the qualifying run or the festival win. Any documentary which is transmitted anywhere in the world in any version as a television or internet program within that period will automatically be disqualified from award eligibility."
The truth of the matter is that Michael Moore had lost his eligibility on two counts way before his decision earlier this week to remove himself from the running.
The Cuban television release of his film prevents him from qualifying, but even before the film came out in theatres, he was disqualified. I wish I had sources on this but I clearly remember either iFilms or some similar outlet presenting a screening of the movie when I suppose MM thought that he wasn't going to get wide theatrical release (shortly after Disney blocked release of the film in theatres).
This is clearly a move by Michael Moore to simply pander to his left-wing audience. Does this lend him credibility? Not really. He's just good at being an idealogue, a figure head. Very savvy as a move, but also very transparent.
/rizzn
I just found out that teh first Presidential Debates will be held at the Univeristy of Miami. I applied for my press credentials today. We'll see if I get approved. If not, then I'll probably just hang out outside and try not to get arrested.
/rizzn
Music on the Turntables Currently: - (miami indymedia radio)
There have been a number of hackers in the news over the hurricane/holiday weekend. I haven't really been staying on top of this with all the hurricane coverage (as well as the ongoing debate between DJ Colonoscopy and myself), but here's what I've found recently:
Teen Hacker Controls Ebay
By : Tuesday 07 September 2004, 12:30
GERMAN POLICE HAVE arrested a 19 year-old hacker who claims he managed to control the local domain of E-bay.
Apparently, the hack happened at the end of August when the teen managed to direct punters on the eBay.de site to a different domain name server (DNS).
What is scary is that the hacker is not exactly an expert, and had found the instructions on how to fudge the transfer when he stumbled across a web-page. The teen decided to request a transfer for several sites including Google.de, Web.de, Amazon.de and eBay.de for a laugh and was amazed when it worked.
According to the police spokesman, the teen didn't want to cause damage and was a little shocked when he was told that he had managed to become the new owner of eBay.de.
The domain has now been returned to its rightful owner and the would be hacker is finding himself charged by Inspector Knacker of the Yard.
None too happy about the fact that Verizon has deliberately crippled Bluetooth on the Motorola V710, Jonathan A. Zdziarski is offering a bounty to anyone who can successfully hack the phone and restore the OBEX and OPP Bluetooth features which have been disabled. What do these do, you ask? Well, OBEX lets you transfer files between the phone and a computer, while OPP lets you send phonebook entries and other info to another phone or Bluetooth-enabled car (using a Bluetooth headset with the V710 works just fine). Useful features don’t you think? The prize is up to $882.72, a sum of money we’re hoping will be enough to tempt at least one kindly hacker into getting this done.A hacker's tales from years in the Big House
Mercury News
Reformed hacker Kevin Mitnick spent five years in the Big House for breaking into corporate computer systems. Given his insider experience, he might want to start a career as a prison consultant now that Frank Quattrone, Martha Stewart and a whole new passel of white collar criminals are headed to the pokie.
In a recent interview, Mitnick, who got out of prison in 2000, said he did time with plenty of well-heeled inmates, including a judge and a senator, financier Ivan Boesky and Barry Minkow, founder of ZZZZ Best Carpet Cleaning -- the Enron of 1987.
Don't try to tell these guys that crime doesn't pay, though.
Mitnick said he had coffee one day with Boesky, whom he described as ``aloof.'' Boesky asked him what he was in for. After Mitnick explained, he said, Boesky asked him how much money he made off his crimes. When Mitnick replied he hadn't been in it for the money, Boesky was aghast. ``You're in PRISON, and you didn't try to make any money?'' Mitnick recalled Boesky asking him. ``Isn't that stupid?''
Being known as a computer hacker didn't ease Mitnick's time in prison, he said. Some guards suspected he had ``mystical powers'' and could take over the prison's computer network -- even though the terms of his sentence barred him from using computers for years. Once, in the prison law library, Mitnick said he sat down to work at a programmable electric typewriter and a nervous guard whisked him off to a disciplinary office.
``He immediately came over to me as if I was hacking into Norad,'' recalled Mitnick. ``It was comical.''
Joe Montana, Mac acolyte: Apple Computer's lead pitchman, Steve Jobs, was unable to make the launch of the company's new iMac G5 desktop computer in Paris last week.
So, Apple picked up a veteran pitchman who has hawked Schick razors, Coors beer, Fruit of the Loom underwear and Disneyland: legendary San Francisco 49ers quarterback Joe Montana.
Montana happened to walk into Apple's San Francisco store last week as executives unveiled the new, all-in-one iMac. Honest. Apple executives insisted that Montana's impromptu appearance was purely coincidental and not a publicity stunt.
Montana listened in on a press briefing, and then began extemporaneously extolling the virtues of the Mac. He said he uses Apple's video conferencing feature, iChat, to talk to his daughter. Sometimes, they even set a place for her at the dinner table, he said.
Needless to say, Greg Joswiak, Apple's vice president of hardware products was ecstatic about the encounter and Montana's enthusiasm for the iMac. ``That was my highlight.''
Dealmaking on the run: Technology veteran Eric Benhamou got more than a good workout with running partner Dan Kolkowitz. He found a new company to invest in and yet another job as chairman.
The two chatted while on long runs about Kolkowitz's latest venture idea. After more research, Benhamou was ready to invest some of his time and money in San Jose start-up Swan Labs, where Kolkowitz is the vice president of engineering.
Swan Labs specializes in products to boost the performance of software applications over wide-area networks.
``I became very convinced quickly that the market was going to be large and growing fast,'' said Benhamou, now Swan Labs' chairman. Benhamou Global Ventures also was part of the company's $15 million first round of funding.
Now a slot is opening up in Benhamou's busy schedule: This fall he plans to step down as the chairman of PalmSource. He already serves as chairman of 3Com, Cypress Semiconductor and palmOne.
[and finally, a post to prweb probably from Mortland himself]
Infamous Video Game "Hacker", Mortland Calls it Quits
(PRWEB) September 6, 2004
It was on September 9th 2002 that SEGA Public Relations Officer Jeff Millian said that video games had been taken to far. He was very right. 2 years ago an unidentified hacker (now known as Mortland) caused over $16,000 thousand dollars in damage and financle loss to Sonic Team, developers to the hit video game Phantasy Star Online. The attack was web based and downed the developer’s server for 3 days. It was later discovered that it was in retaliation to a disagreement between the company and Mortland pertaining to the recognition of September 11th victims. “It was when the company said, “Were not in the business of grieving and making holidays†that I decided to down there servers†said 17 year old Mortland in a statement to a local newspaper on September 11th 2002.
That was 2 years ago. To date Mortland has taken down 32 web forums, vandalized over 20 websites, and has been kicked off the servers to 11 games. “I’m just using the game to its full potential, it’s a shame no one else does.†Said Mortland who has finally decided to call it quits. Now at 19 and finishing up his schooling in Boise Idaho from studying Nursing, he has decided to enjoy the finer things in life. “I was always hating everyone, I was sick of everyone. But now I have simply decided to ignore them all and divorce my self from the human race. It worked out really well.â€
When asked about the level of intensity agenst the sites that he attacked he responded, “When your pumped full of drugs all the time you do things for the stupidest reasons, I guess I just like messing with video gamers.†“I mean that isn’t how it always was, There were good reasons to some of my messages agenst some of the people I hit.†“I think I will try going into entertainment soon write now.†“I am just writing random thoughts on my web blog that you’re all welcome to visit at http://www.crazylife.org/~mortlandâ€.
There was a lot of water damage at the office, mostly in the electronics... had to repair the phone system and the server room. Good thing we disconnected all the computers and servers.
Jeff Man from rantradio.com sent me this video during the show... check it out.
http://rizzn.net/video/HurricaneFrances.wmv
Here's my "remix":
http://rizzn.net/video/hurricane frances_extended.wmv
/rizzn
Now playing: Brian Kenney Fresno - Bobby Salazar!
