As I am installing Windows Vista on a test box, I can’t help but read the .NFO file and think, “What lazy, inept bastard decided that THIS was a good idea?”

Honestly, if you aren’t going to have the decency to seed an OS at Piratebay.org that will NOT require product activation, the what is the point of seeding the damn file in the first place? You may as well seed a torrent that sends you to Microsoft.com for the download!

If the slacker community doesn’t seriously ramp up their efforts, I am going to start BUYING software and OSs! And when I say that I mean REAL software and applications, not JUST my World of Warcraft subscription!

One thing I did notice is that it looks like Piratebay is abandoning their quest to purchase Sealand…but they are forging ahead on their hopes to purchase or found some kind of country somewhere. I joined under an assumed name in the event I decide to participate in the forums.

In the meantime…I will continue testing and will continue to peruse various .NFOs until I find what I am looking for…

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Taylor Killian, 18, was arrested in Westerville, Ohio and charged with inducing panic, public indecency, resisting arrest and disorderly conduct.

What did he do to be charged with these crimes? He greased up his body and ran around the school cafeteria wearing nothing other than a full beard and long hair. Taylor was completely nude assaulting the school cafeteria. When a school administrator ordered him to stop, he “made a sexual gesture” and kept charging about.

What I admire most about this alleged crime, is that he was hit with a stun-gun and kept on charging groups of students huddled into a corner until he was hit a second time with a stun-gun…at which point he was subdued and arrested.

School officials report he was a good student and “made his school’s honor roll in each of three grading periods during the 2005-06 school year.”

In our world of terrorism, sexual assaults and high-school shootings, I applaud this kid’s prank. It’s too bad he didn’t do it when he was 17, because now he will be prosocuted as an adult for the crimes with which he is being charged.

When police questioned him later, he simply said, “It just seemed like a good idea at the time.”

Indeed. Now THAT’S an Honor Student bumper sticker I will put on my car!

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In honor of the upcoming Superbowl, eightandfive.com brings you the trailer for original Hunter S. Thompson film, “Where the Buffalo Roam” starring Bill Murray and Peter Boyle in a fantastic journey into the madness of Gonzo journalism while covering the 1972 Superbowl.

If you can’t stand football, and you would rather watch something other than Minnesota’s royal Prince…then you should check out “Where the Buffalo Roam.” After all, you can always DVR the halftime show!

Where the Buffalo Roam - 1 min, 45 sec.

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So, I visit the Rants and Raves section of Craigslist Minneapolis every once in a while and enjoy reading the posts. Sometimes I reply and sometimes I get responses to my replies. Some guy was ranting about how global warming is nothing to worry about and how the “lefties” want to destroy the economy and such. Well, I replied. The fool didn’t realize how the CL system works and instead replied directly to me.

Here is the text of the little flamewar that developed between us. It is quite funny and normally I don’t engage such people, but since my job sucks and I am bored at work…well:

First he sent a link to this story:
http://www.worldnetdaily.com/news/article.asp?ARTICLE_ID=53902
(Notice the link? I knew immediately that I was dealing with “one of them”.)

My reply: “Nice try, but people like you are getting left behind. And thank God that is the case, finally.”

His reply: “Like I said, you can’t argue the facts and therefore lose the debate in a shutout.”

My reply: “Can’t argue facts? What are you talking about? For every scientist you cite, I can cite 10 more that disagree with your scientists. What is the point of even debating you when it is going to be a stalemate each time? All I know is your kind is being left behind and humanity will be better for it.”

This is where it gets good…I imagined him frothing at the mouth, TV tuned to Fox News and Rush Limbaugh blabbering in the background.

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Stephen Colbert explains exactly how the new at&t was created after the government broke up Ma Bell back in 1984. I especially like his description of the Cingular logo!

Colbert Outlines at&t Transaction

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I don’t want to bring down the level of the content here on 8&5. Unfortunately, and for reasons that I can’t begin to fathom, I feel compelled to post this video. For the sake of my conscience, though, I’m including a warning. Anyone with an aversion to 90’s action stars, stone-washed denim, or pup tents should look away.

“Sir, do you have a license to carry that?”

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I just found out “Sneaky” Pete Kleinow died of Alzheimer’s on January 6th at his home in California. Who is Sneaky Pete? Well, if you like The Flying Burrito Brothers, you know him as the genius behind the pedal steel guitar. The man played the pedal steel unlike anyone else at the time and continues to influence musicians today.

But the pedal steel was only a part of his history. He also worked on and wrote the theme song for the animated series “Gumby”; he also did special effects for “The Outer Limits“. His work didn’t stop there, however, as he worked on Star Wars: The Empire Strikes Back, Gremlins, The Right Stuff, The Terminator and The Terminator 2.

What a cool life he led.

Here is Sneaky Pete in action, he is in the black Nudie Suit.

“Christine’s Tune (Devil in Disguise)”

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Two generations ago Nintendo introduced the world to the analog thumbstick on the Nintendo 64 Controller (1996) and changed the way video games were interacted with. It gave console players an intuitive controller that allowed for more complexity than they’d experienced before. At the same time PC gaming was experiencing a revolution with the now standard mouse and keyboard coming into their own as incredibly deep and also intuitive game interface devices. Roughly one year later Sony introduced the Dual-Analog Controller to their Playstation and created the best controller that will ever be made that doesn’t feature motion sensing (I would probably consider the 360 controller the best if it weren’t a complete rip-off, an argument can be made that it’s wirelessness differentiates it enough to garner it the top ranking but I disagree. Leave a comment if you’re still pissed).

Whether Sony realized it or not their dual-shock effectively mimicked and simplified the keyboard/mouse pc standard and allowed Microsoft’s Xbox to step into the market with Halo and Halo 2. The games that most effectively used the dual shock style controller and allowed Microsoft to compete in a market where they could have easily failed.
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I am sorry, but this story is hilarious. I only wish I would have figured this out before this culprit. It seems someone in Blue Earth, Minn., has figured out how to trigger the area emergency sirens.

From the Fairmont Sentinel article:

BLUE EARTH — A $1,000 reward is being offered for information leading to the arrest of whoever is setting off Blue Earth’s emergency sirens.

Late on two separate evenings during the past couple of weeks, the civil defense sirens have sounded several times, alarming residents throughout town.

“I’m sure you’re all aware of the instances,” Blue Earth Police Chief Dean Vereide told the City Council on Monday evening. “We have no information on who’s doing it, but we suspect how it’s being done.”

A possible remedy for the dilemma was unanimously approved at a cost of $4,100. Alpha Wireless, the company that sells the radios to set off the sirens, will install a digital secure siren system meant to prevent anyone from tampering with the system in the future. In the meantime, the sirens have been shut off.

Turns out the sirens are operated via radio signal, and someone was broadcasting the correct trigger tone on the same frequency the sirens listen to. Sort of like the old phreakers who used blue boxes — or a Cap’n Crunch whistle — to get access to the telephone system in the ’70s and ’80s. It sort of warms my heart that people can still exploit antiquated systems on which the sirens operate.

Now the question is, what if it was Alpha Wireless setting off the sirens late at night? This is a very easy way to make an extra $4,100, isn’t it?

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