World AIDS Day - December 1, 2005

Today's event is not really history, but rather a worldwide day of rememberance. World AIDS Day is the international "day of action" for remembering those who have died and who still suffer from AIDS and HIV. I could spend 30 minutes trying to explain what AIDS is and the long history of it, but I would rather try and persuade you to remember this day by presenting you with interesting, even horrifying facts about the virus, and by relating famous people to the situation of hundreds of thousands of normal people around the world.

First, some facts about AIDS:

1. About 1,200,000 people are living with AIDS in the world and 300,000 of them may not know it.

2. The percentage of males with AIDS is much higher than that of females (70/30)

Find more facts here: http://www.whitehouse.gov/onap/facts.html

Secondly, here is a list of some famous people you may have heard of who have or had AIDS or HIV:

Freddie Mercury Arthur Ashe
Magic Johnson Isaac Asimov
Liberace Sgt. Leonard Matlovich

I am sure you have heard of Isaac Asmiov and Magic Johnson, hopefully Freddie Mercury, Arthur Ashe and Liberace, but the last is an unknown guy, who apparently fought for gay rights to fight in the military in the Vietnam War. I thought that was interesting.
List of HIV+ People

Last, I wanted to point you over to the World AIDS Day official site:
worldaidsday.org

technorati tags: AIDS, World AIDS Day, HIV, AIDS Day, Red Ribbon

November 28, 2005 - This day in HIstory

I'm starting something new that most of you will probably find stupid, mainly because we do it at school. We started doing a "this day in history" thing in American History, with Sharbel, and I hear that Dr. Bailey does it for them too. But I think alot of it is important, there are some stupid ones that really seem quite inconsequential and I'll try to stay away from those. But major battles, etc. I think can at least be observed.

Here's today's (I'm choosing from a Wikipedia list at: November 28

South African Airways Flight 295
South African Airways Flight 295, called the Helderberg, took of from Taipei, Taiwan, on it's flight to Johannesburg on November 28, 1987. The flight, carrying 140 passengers and 19 crew members, first had trouble as they were flying over the Indian Ocean. A fire in the Main Cargo hold disabled the plane and caused it to crash, killing all passengers and crew members aboard the aircraft.

Src: http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/South_African_Airways_flight_295

New Video iPod!?!

Many rumors are quickly flashing about the net over the new release of a possible video iPod. Apple is quietly sending out invitations to ANOTHER event next week. The video iPod is expected to coincide with the announcement of a new update to the iTunes software, to include video downloads in the music store.

This new release would certainly put all other video capable mp3 devices to shame. Of course, neither Michael nor Alan would be too pleased by this release, as it would probably be difficult to remove the DRM restrictions on any video bought from the iTunes Online Store, and place the video on another device.

Articles:
Apple Insider
Engadget
Gizmondo


this photo is most likely a fake

Also see my post on the new AIM Triton Beta on my blog.

Webmail Emerging

For the longest time, webmail has been a dark corner of the internet, only used when people don't have the money to spend on a real email account, or needed an account with which to register with sites sure to send spam.

With the release of Google's beta webmail app, Gmail, all of that changed. Webmail capacity grew to an unprecedented size. But the growth doesn't stop with Gmail. Other sites around the net are doing the same thing, just with less pulicity and diminished flare.

The 30gigs webmail service gives the user an account with 30 gigabytes of space, an extreme amount compared to Google's roughly 2 1/2 gigs.

But it doesn't stop there. Mailnation provides users with a TERABYTE of space! That's nearly one thousand times the amount Google gives.

Hurricane Katrina vs. Hurricane Rita, Who Would Win?

vs.
Hurricane Katrina's death toll and damage amount were no doubt astronomical, but Hurricane Rita's damage furthered New Orleans debt and flooding issues and its barometer pressure was the third highest in history in the Gulf Coast, beating out Hurricane Katrina. Both were category 5 hurricanes in the Gulf Coast Region. Which was worse?

News Update

Rumors of a major announcement tommorrow have been floating around. On TWiT John C. Dvorak (dvorak.org/blog) hinted at a major announcement. Is the announcement the release of the new Linksys WRT54GX2 (Wireless-G Router)? Or is it something more substantial than this, like a software release. Stay tuned for more!

Weekly Playlist for September 12-16

I fell a bit behind on my last one, sorry. This is a conglomeration of songs from the MBA "Rock Band" (pep band/football band/whatever band plays at the football games).


1. Artist - Blues Brothers
Album - Original Soundtrack Recording
Song - Gimme Some Lovin'
"Well my temperature's rising and my feet on the floor / Twenty people rockin' and they wanna go more"


2. Artist - Kool And The Gang
Album - Pulp Fiction Soundtrack
Song - Jungle Boogie
"Jungle Boogie / Help and Get Down / Jungle Boogie / Boogie Baby"


3. Artist - Chicago
Album - The Very Best of Chicago
Song - 25 or 6 to 4
"Wanting just to stay awake / Wonder how much I can take"


4. Artist - Marvin Gaye
Album - I Heard it Through the Grapevine
Song - I Heard it Through the Grapevine
"Do you plan to let me go / For the other guy you loved before?"


5. Artist - Three Dog Night
Album - Forrest Gump Soundtrack
Song - Joy to the World
"If I were the king of the world / Tell you what I'd do / I'd throw away the cars and the bars and the war / And make sweet love to you"

Many of the albums listed here are not the original album the song was released on, and some of the artists may not be the original artists. If you would like a copy of the song, please email me or comment below.

Hurricane Katrina

So whether we were directly affected or not, we have all been devastated by this hurricane in some way. Hurricane Katrina was a category 5 hurricane when it smashed into the coast last week. New Orleans was originally supposed to take the main hit, but Katrina veered in her path just slightly to save New Orleans from total destruction. However, that doesn't mean that Katrina didn't leave massive wreckage with New Orleans and other surrounding towns. People first sought shelter in the Superdome. I ask why they didn't flee the area. But anyways, the superdome lost part of its roof and leaked, now forcing thousands of evacuees to the Astrodome in Houston. Another effect of Katrina is that 80% of New Orleans is under water. The Speaker of the House of Representatives has made a comment of buldozing the city and starting over again. One clear effect of Katrina is gas prices. Gas prices are soaring higher than ever with no end in sight. In Georgia, the pricews have reached more than six dollars. This will leave all of our pockets near empty for weeks. One thing I ask is, despite being tqwo different types of tradgedy, which was worse: Hurricane Katrina or September 11? I'll leave that open for discussion.

RIAA Site Hacked

This has to be the BEST hack EVER!! I mean doesn't the RIAA deserve it?

RIAA Website (It's fine now)
Screenshot of the hack

DIGG story

Just so you know this is an old story here's some more on it:
mirror of full web site defacement
information

google image search: riaa hacked

Xbox 360?

The Xbox 360 is set to come out in time for this upcoming holiday season. But I ask, is it worth it? After reading this article, I hope you will too. Microsoft is making two different versions of the Xbox 360, a $300 version and a $400 version. The less expensive version is for sure not worth buying. Here's why. It does not come with the 20GB hard drive like the more expensive one does. This is crucial because without the hard drive, games from the previous Xbox system can't be played. That includes "Halo" and "Halo 2". The less expensive version also lacks the wireless controller capability, which is included in the more expensive model. And the new and improved graphics? Those don't come on the less expensive model either. Only on the nice model. Also included with the nicer model is a remote to allow for better use of the entertainment center. But it's not included on the less expensive model. You can however buy an external hard drive for the less expensive model for $50 or one wireless controller for the less expensive model for $50. Basically, Microsoft is selling the Xbox 360 for $400. Either keep the old model or get the full upgrade. It just doesn't seem worth getting the less expensive Xbox 360 model.