Time for some news.

Headset aids Parkinson's patients
"People suffering from Parkinson's disease seem to walk better when wearing a head-mounted display, according to a European research body."

'Virtual March' Floods Senate With Calls Against an Iraq War
I think this is a shame. If you want to protest the war, find some other way to do it.

Press 'Scan' to Play Old Albums?
"In November 1981, a music critic from The New York Times traveled to Philadelphia to test a local physician's amazing ability to recognize any piece of classical music merely by looking at the pattern of grooves on a vinyl LP. The critic handed Dr. Arthur Lintgen several label-less LPs, and was delighted to see him correctly identify the music within seconds merely by looking at the records' surface.

Now, a university student from Israel has written a piece of software that goes a step further. Ofer Springer has created a 'virtual gramophone' that plays LPs using an ordinary flatbed scanner."

Lawyers revise obesity lawsuit against McDonald's
"Lawyers who last month couldn't get a federal judge to bite on their claims that McDonald's food was responsible for making their clients fat went back to the counter for a second helping Thursday, filing a revised complaint accusing the fast food giant of making misleading nutritional claims."
I think this is just stupid. Nobody reads the nutritional information at McDonalds because everyone knows that that food is not the healthiest food out there. McDonald's is not responsible for obesity, it's the kids and parents that are responsible. Ordering a BigMac and Fries with a Diet Coke will not help either. This is just as stupid as the hot coffee and BurgerKing thing. No wonder the justice system sucks in this country. It is just flooded with these stupid lawsuits.

TV's beloved 'Mister Rogers' is dead at 74
"Fred Rogers, who became a nurturing television friend to millions of children for more than 30 years as host of the public television program "Mister Rogers' Neighborhood," died of cancer early Thursday. He was 74."
The neighborhood just won't be the same without him.

Monster.com warns of ID theft
"In an attempt to curb identity theft on its service, online career listing site Monster.com has begun warning its users of fake job postings bent on stealing personal information. "
You have to be careful out there.

Man Complains Bad Rope Spoiled His Suicide
Not even going to comment. Wait...I think I just did. D'oh!

School bus offers web on the go
"A teacher on the Isle of Man has come up with a novel use for the next generation of mobile phone technology."
Very cool.

Pioneer 10 Spacecraft Sends Last Signal To Earth
Well, she is gone.

Welcome to the all amazing, astounding, astonishing, awesome, awe-inspiring, Friday Five.

1. What is your favorite type of literature to read (magazine, newspaper, novels, nonfiction, poetry, etc.)?
I like thriller type novels. The kind Stephen King and Dean Koontz write. I also like John Grisham books.

2. What is your favorite novel?
I am not sure, I like "The Partner" but I also like "The Shining" by Stephen King. But if I had to choose one, it would be "The Painted House", another John Grisham book (only one written without lawyers in it).

3. Do you have a favorite poem? (Share it!)
The Raven by Edgar Allan Poe

4. What is one thing you've always wanted to read, or wish you had more time to read?
I want to finish the Left Behind series, both the adult and teen versions.

5. What are you currently reading?
"Seize the Night" by Dean Koontz.

I barely started reading Seize the Night by Dean Koontz and found this passage that really makes sense. Here it is. (I'm pretty sure this is illegal, so don't tell anyone.)

This is about a guy with xeroderma pigmentosum (say that 5 times fast) or XP (no, not the OS) for short. It's a rare disorder that leaves people dangerously vulnerable to light.

I must exist in shadows, while you live under exquisitely blue skies, and yet I don't hate you. I don't resent you for the freedom that you take for granted--although I do envy you.

I don't hate you because, after all, you are human, too, and therefore have limitations of your own. Perhaps you are homely, slow-witted or too smart for your own good, deaf or mute or blind, by nature given to despair or to self-hatred, or perhaps you are unusually fearful of Death himself. We all have burdens. On the other hand, if you are better looking and smarter than I am, blessed with five sharp senses, even more optimistic than I am, with plenty of self-esteem, and if you also share my refusal to be humbled by the Reaper . . . well, then I could almost hate you if you didn't know that, like all of us in this imperfect world, you also have a haunted heart and a mind troubled by grief, by loss, by longing.

Rather than rage against XP, I regard it as a blessing. My passage through life is unique.

He continues

I am twenty-eight years old.

To say that I am living on borrowed time would be not merely a clich, but also an understatement. My entire life has been a heavily mortgaged enterprise.

But so is yours. Eventual foreclosure awaits all of us. More likely than not, I'll receive my notice before you do, though yours, too, is in the mail.

Nevertheless, until the postman comes, be happy. there is no other rational response but happiness. Despair is a foolish squandering of precious time.

And that alone made it all worthwhile.

So my mom is sick right now. There must be this nasty bug just moving around, because I had it at the beginning of this month. My parents gave me Splinter Cell for the Xbox for my birthday. What a great game. Check out some more of my picks.

Today in Networking class we received our ladder racks. We get to "redo" the library networking closet. It's basically a mess, so we are going to try to make is standard and up to code. That kind of hands-on stuff is real fun. Beats reading, and reading, and reading...We just started assembly of the racks, but an hour isn't very long to do anything. (Guess which one is me in that picture.)

Finally, I have my wallpaper online. Tell me what you think by contacting me, or leaving a comment below.

I added a great link on this page. I think I have also made a little progress, I will now say that 3% of my site is 2% compliant. Don't open the bottles of champagne yet though, because I won't be 18 until the 26th of this month. Oh wait... the legal drinking age is 21, darn. Just kidding, who needs to drink, it isn't that important. I am just fine with my DrPepper and Pink Lemonade.

(Star Wars Theme Song)
In a blog, very, very near... It is the Friday Five. (Late again, by the way.)

1. What is your most prized material possession?
I would have to say the computer. I do everything on it, and with the internet at your fingertips, is an extremely valuable resource.

2. What item, that you currently own, have you had the longest?
Some kids books that I still have, and the usual baby stuff. (I guess.)

3. Are you a packrat?
It depends. I have a tendency to let things build up and collect. But that is from laziness, not because I am actively seeking junk.

4. Do you prefer a spic-and-span clean house? Or is some clutter necessary to avoid the appearance of a museum?
I like a little clutter. It makes the house feel more like home.

5. Do the rooms in your house have a theme? Or is it a mixture of knick-knacks here and there?
A theme, yeah right. Only rich people have themes. Just kidding, but no, my room is just a collection of some neat things that I have found and wanted.

(Best game show announcer voice.)
"And now, what do we have for the lovely lady as a parting gift, Rick?"
"Well Johnny, it is the Friday Five.
(Sorry it is a little late, but I was gone.

1. Explain why you started to journal/blog.
I orginally started it to announce new changes and additions to the site. Now, it has evolved much more...ah, I can't say that...it is still basically that and whatever else I decide to put here.

2. Do people you interact with day to day or family members know about your journal/blog? Why or why not?
Maybe to some extent, but most don't really have an interest in it.

3. Do you have a theme for your journal/blog?
Umm, yeah, for it to not suck. Do you think I have accomplished this?

4. What direction would you like to have your journal/blog go in over the next year?
I would like to make more posts, but I also would like more interaction with the comments.

5. Pimp five of your favorite journals/blogs.
C:PIRILLO.EXE
WIL WHEATON DOT NET
tHERE IS...OH...How come all those titles are in caps? Anyway, there is two that I most frequently visit. That's about it though.

I am proud to announce that about 2% of my site (basically this page) is 1% compliant (I have 405 errors to go) with the XHTML 1.0 Transitional standard.

One thing I forgot to mention. I am trying to get the error that is on this page resolved. It's really out of my control, but it's a mess between my counter and the comment system.

Update: Problem fixed.

This goes under the miscellaneous internet and computer category.

Ex-student accused of spying on campus
"A former Boston College student was indicted on Thursday for allegedly installing keystroke-recording software on more than 100 campus computers and accessing databases containing personal information on other students, staff and faculty."
Why do people do these things. Do they ever stop and think: "What if somebody did this to me?" No, if they did maybe they wouldn't do it. Always think before you do something. You don't want to go to jail.

Boeing's sky-high Net access takes off
"Connect to the Internet or read the duty-free gift catalog? Aircraft manufacturer Boeing is gearing up to answer that question for business travelers."
Boeing has smarts.

French Police Seize Mobile Phone Guns
So it's not computers and internet, but it runs on a battery...I mean...it runs on gunpowder. Oh well, they're the same, aren't they?

Robots That Suck
"Have they finally come out with a robot for the rest of us?"

Computer Users, Please Stand Up
"New Zealand researchers document the first case of what they call 'eThrombosis,' and what other researchers say is a simple matter of not stretching the legs. For all those moms who have ever shouted, 'Go outside and play!' at teens who sit for hours in dim rooms in front of the computer or TV, here's some more ammunition: Blood clots are afflicting chronic computer users who sit immobile for too long.
"In the first known case of what New Zealand researchers have dubbed 'eThrombosis,' a 32-year-old man who spent up to 18 hours at his computer suffered a massive blood clot that caused him to black out."
Whoa, I better watch out. Time to take a break.............Ok, I'm back now.

NASA Reportedly Hacked Hours After Columbia Was Lost
"A hacker group attacked and struck down servers at NASA's Jet Propulsion Laboratory just hours after the Columbia space shuttle was lost, according to a London-based security company. The attack, allegedly pulled off by a group calling itself the Trippin Smurfs, temporarily staggered nine servers running on the Sun Solaris operating system, according to a report issued by mi2g, a security firm based in England. The attack was fired off as a protest against the U.S.'s position on Iraq."
Have they no shame?

Sales taxes coming to a site near you
"Several large retailers this week began collecting sales tax on Internet purchases."
Let's all sing the happy tax song: Tax, tax, tax, tax, tax, tax, tax, tax, tax...

Survey: Personal use of Web at work offset at home
"At many companies, employees are told not to spend time surfing the Web on personal business. But according to a new study released yesterday, clamping down on Web use at work may not be in a company's best interest."
Hurra!

And, once again, ladies and gentleman, and whatever else might be reading this, it's...

The Friday Five
1. What did you have for breakfast this morning? If you didn't have breakfast, why not?
I had eggo waffles. The toaster makes a easy alternative to a waffle iron.

2. What's your favorite cereal?
Cinnamon Toast Crunch. Just because it is a kids cerial doesn't mean it doesn't taste good.

3. How often do you eat out? Do you want that to change?
About 3 times a week. But where the question says eat out, I say take out. It would be nice to change, but I think quite a few people know how that goes.

4. What do you plan on having for dinner tonight? Got a recipe for that?
Leftover Pizza.
Ingredients needed:
More than 1 day old Pizza from Pizza Hut.
1 microwave
Optional:
1 Biohazard suit (depending on how old that pizza really is)
Instructions:
Zap it till it is hot. Enjoy.

5. What's your favorite restaurant? Why?
I don't have a favorite. But if I had to pick one I would say Applebees, because it is just good food, and a good environment.

Well, this is a little late.

The Friday Five

1. As a child, who was your favorite superhero/heroine? Why?
Batman. It seemed more real. I mean, hey, it could happen. Maybe not the criminals, but Batman could. He is not some alien, just a real intelligent guy.

2. What was one thing you always wanted as a child but never got?
A Ferarri. I don't think I need to say anything else.

3. What's the furthest from home you've been?
Idaho, USA, visiting relatives.

4. What's one thing you've always wanted to learn but haven't yet?
How to speak Spanish.

5. What are your plans for the weekend?
Nothing. I'm sick.