Archive for January, 2004

MyAss.B

Saturday, January 31st, 2004

Better watch out, Bill set a $250.000 reward on the head of the guy who wrote the MyDoom.B virus/worm (the original A version targets SCO anywayz). Currently beating the crap out of Sobig and MSBlaster, it’s gonna reign the charts for quite some time. Why ? Because most people are still DUMB. And most most DUMB country ? The United States of America. Roughly just 3% of the world population (correct me if I’m wrong), a big cut, hold your breath, THIRTY FIVE PERCENT, yes 35% of the current outbreaks originate from the US. They are the most dumb and click happy people (and don’t tell me it’s an accident, because you need FOUR mouseclicks to get infected, and even if those are accidents, you’re still stupid. And if you open executables on Kazaa, which only requires 2 clicks, you’re stupid too).
And while you may argue that they probably have the highest percentage of people online, it’s also online where you get warned first. Not to mention, read the paper lately ? Watch the news on the telly ?
So, if eventually the maker of MyDoom will be caught, it will turn out it was probably a scientist trying to map the IQ of the world demographically.

I forgot something..

Friday, January 30th, 2004

Somehow, this GenX MP3 Player/USB Stick 128 MB fell into my lap. This got me thinking… I already have some 64 MB on my iPAQ, which I upgraded with a 256 MB Secure Digital card, and I already had a normal 256 MB USB stick in my pocket. This totals to some 704 MB I wear with me almost all the time. I’ms sure even the Six Million Dollar Man wasn’t equipped that well, and can do nothing but be envious of me.
So, to build up some new never gauged before statistics, how much do you pack normally ?

Review: The Rundown (non-US title: Welcome to the Jungle)

Friday, January 30th, 2004

Everybody knows The Rock isn’t a genius actor, and everyone can respect that (as they respect him more so in the wrestling ring). His offerings so far have been the non-liner The Mummy Returns, quickly followed by evenly nonsensical The Scorpion King (as I remember absolutely _NOTHING_ about this movie, you can imagine the impact it made). Basically this makes it his second big role, and quite frankly, it’s very acceptable. The story itself is simple, but the action kicks in high gear from the word go. Simple one liners get thrown here and there, and keeps a smile on your face. Enter Seann William Scott, and the party is on. His natural comedic charm works well, as usual. A female, and a bad guy, and the formula is complete. Director Peter Berg uses his fast cut skills and throws in a few nice slowmo’, while The Rock takes care of the acrobatics and his trademark wrestling moves. For 90 minutes of brainless fun, it’s perfect.7½.

Review: Muse – Absolution

Wednesday, January 28th, 2004

Due to a tiny mishap (a server re-arranging its packets), I ended up with this album on my harddisk. What a waste of magnetic energy that was. Mostly rough guitar sessions, but also some slower ones with only a piano or light guitar and a bass riff, they all irritate the eardrums. It brings out pure and untainted rage, up to a point where you want to grab the throat of the singer and strangle the non-caring tinny uneven voice that would only have a purpose as a torture method for your neighbours.2-.

Off the hook…

Wednesday, January 28th, 2004

Yeah, it’s official, I’m really off the hook now. Regarding my post a few days earlier, this is their SUPER-lightning-jaw-dropping fast reply:

Betreft: UPC niet aansprakelijk Mwhahhaa, what a way to start a letter. Must be company policy, coz I didn’t accuse them of anything (not directly, anywayz) in the first place. All I asked for was a confirmation.

Geachte meneer, mevrouw Ung,

Naar aanleiding van uw brief van 21 januari jongstleden waarin u een verzoek indiende met betrekking tot het ontvangen van bevestiging omtrent uw zaak. Graag uw aandacht voor het volgende. Yeah well, I’m all ears.

Wij hebben uw brief in goede orde ontvangen. Only because I faxed AND mailed them.

Wij kunnen bevestigen dat wij uw klacht gegrond verklaren (coulance overweging). Het openstaande bedrag ad 87.48 hebben wij verrekend per 14 januari 2004. Aan de betalingsverplichting is voldaan en beschouwen deze zaak als gesloten. Took you ONLY TWO YEARS !! Coulance my ass.

Wij hopen u hiermee voldoende te hebben geinformeerd. Mocht u desondanks nog vragen hebben dan kunt u bellen met ons Contact Center op het telefoonnummer 0900 1580 (0,10per/min). Deze afdeling is bereikbaar van maandag tot en met vrijdag tussen 8.00 en 19.00 uur. Onze medewerkers staan u graag te woord. Not true, but luckily, I’ll never have to speak to them again.

Met vriendelijk groet,
UPC Nederland

Harald Kolmer
Regiodirecteur Regio Zuid Guess I’ll have to give them credit for this. They _did_ honor my request, that this should be signed by an high-up cheating bastard !

How Messy is it at my Work Today ?

Wednesday, January 28th, 2004

Rate 1 (sucks) to 5 (cool). Only rate the latest pictures, otherwise I can’t keep track of the average.

Total: 479 out of 144 votes > Average is: 3.326

work pic
My future VGA card. Fanless ! Hence, noiseless ! (Sapphire ATi 9800 Pro Ultimate 128 MB, probably somewhere around 4 holidays off my record)

And the nominees are …

Tuesday, January 27th, 2004

Just a day after the Golden Globes have been handed out, the nominee list for the 76th edition of the Academy Awards has been announced. Look at it here.
11 for The Return of the King. Earned. A few for Pirates, Finding Nemo, and a few more for Lost in Translation. Also very much earned.
But 10 for the ultra-boring Master and Commander: The bblablabalalsoboring long title ?? Hope they’ll sail away with NONE !

Golden Globes for …

Tuesday, January 27th, 2004

… mostly The Return of the King. Taking home the statues for best Picture/Drama and Director.

Other well deserved awards went to:
Original Song: Into the West – Annie Lennox for The Return of the King
Original Score: Howard Shore for The Return of the King
Screenplay – Sofia Coppola – Lost in Translation
Picture – Musical or Comedy – Lost in Translation
Actor – Musical or Comedy – Bill Murray in Lost in Translation
TV – Drama – 24
TV – Musical or Comedy – The Office (BBC) (first non-America to be nominated, first non-American to win)
Actor in TV – Musical or Comedy – Ricky Gervais in The Office (BBC)

Should’ve won too:
Actor: Kiefer Sutherland for 24 or Willam Peterson for CSI (beat out by stiff emotionless Anthony LaPlagia for Without a Trace)
Actress: Scarlett Johannsson for Lost in Translation/Girl with a Pearl Earring (beat out by Diane Keaton)

How Messy is my Desk Today ?

Monday, January 26th, 2004

Rate 1 (FR#^&% MESS !) to 5 (how very tidy !). Only rate the latest picture, otherwise I can’t keep track of the average.

Total: 979 out of 280 votes > Average is: 3.496

desk pic
An unkown guy is making a mess in my house !!!

US Box Office

Monday, January 26th, 2004

The Butterfly Effect (opens here 29 Jul) landed on the number one spot with $17.1 million, proving Ashton Kutcher has enough star power to carry a movie all by himself. Still doing well on nr. 2 is Along Came Polly with $16.6 million. Third is romantic comedy Win a Date with Tad Hamiltion, starring Kate Bosworth, a few unknowns and a bunch comedian cameos with only $7.5 million.

Review: Tru Calling 103 – 109

Sunday, January 25th, 2004

In the middle of this current run, they almost gave away the reason, explaining all the why’s and how’s of the mysterious things happening to Eliza Dushku’s character Tru Davies. However, it ended up backing away totally, and they moved on with some slightly changed character dynamics. Character development goes ahead, very slowly. That leaves Eliza to carry the show with stories that have a very clear and laid out script template. With already 9 stories following her hunches, with the first one always being wrong, you’d hope they (the writers/producers) would’ve figured out by now that we (the viewers) already figured it out. Time for a big change if they want to keep me from zapping to another download queue.

Review: Smallville 309 – 310

Saturday, January 24th, 2004

The WB is back for another 8 episode consecutive run, currently going head-to-head with Fox’s ratings magnet American Idol 2. The declining ratings aside, the new stories are showing another strong leap forward in writing. While the A-story of standard quality, the continuing B-stories keep it interesting. The Clark-Lana relationship evolves subtly with emotional direction and camera moves capturing the hidden glances and unspoken words, making the wait for next week’s episode even more harder.

How Messy is it at my Work Today ?

Friday, January 23rd, 2004

Rate 1 (sucks) to 5 (cool). Only rate the latest pictures, otherwise I can’t keep track of the average.

Total: 469 out of 142 votes > Average is: 3.303

work pic

3..2..1..SOLD!

Friday, January 23rd, 2004

After many days of negotiation, I had to resort to extortion, blackmail, and my other enigmatic personal qualities.
But here is it, a sale. Although a small one, coz the cheapo buyer is going to re-use a lot of stuff. This will teach him:

work pic

work pic

cHELLo

Thursday, January 22nd, 2004

Well, it seems I’m finally off the hook. After 2 years of fighting, the nightmare seems over. ‘Cept, I’m not totally sure. Read a few excerpts of my problems and complaints here.
So, the saying goes, don’t wake up sleeping dogs. Well, sleeping dogs that keep sleeping will eventually die. Horribly. Do the math, I’m a nice guy. So, here goes:

Geachte UPC,

Heden ontving ik een brief van de u en mij welbekende 3de partij Intrum Justitia. Ik quote:


Den Haag, 20-01-2004

Geachte mevrouw/heer.

In bovenstaande zaak kunt u de door ons verzonden aanmaning als “niet verzonden” te beschouwen.

Onze opdrachtgever heeft ons inmiddels verzocht de zaak te sluiten.

Wij bieden u onze excuses aan voor de eventuele ontstane overlast.

Hoogachtend,

Intrum Justitia

Elk normaal mens zou een luid vreugdekreet slaken en de zaak inderdaad als gesloten beschouwen. Ik ben anders, helaas. Met een gezond verstand, houd ik mijn adem nog altijd, spreekwoordelijk, in.

Ik vertel u, mijn psychiater heeft mij gediagnoseerd als zijnde lijdend aan aan UPC-complex. Een nieuw maar ondertussen ingeburgerd term. Mijn collega, moet u weten, had voor zowel zichzelf als voor bekenden UPC/Chello Internet via de Kabel aangevraagd. Problemen alom. Ook Intrum Justitia komt hier ter sprake. Ook onterecht. U raadt het nooit, maar een paar weken geleden vertelde hij me dat hij door zijn psychiater (niet dezelfde als de mijne) was gediagnoseerd met, en echt, u raadt het nooit, een UPC-complex. Maar ik wijk van mijn echte doel af.

Mijn ervaringen zijn over het algemeen genomen, allemaal slecht. Dus daarom wilde ik na de torenhoge kosten die de afgelopen 2 jaar zijn gemaakt, graag nog een postzegel besteden om een allerlaatste brief van u te ontvangen.

Mijn angst gaat vooral uit naar, bijvoorbeeld:
– U heeft Intrum Justitia verzocht de zaak te sluiten, MAAR u heeft een gemenere bulldog in de startblokken klaarstaan.
– Op een later tijdstip neem ik een ander product van u af (bijv. UPC Digital of Cinenova), en door een systeemfout komt alles weer opborrelen. Weer 2 jaar lang torenhoge fax/telefoon/brief kosten en de meekomende slapeloze nachten.

Mijn vraag is dus simpel. Graag een laatste brief, het liefst ondertekend door een hoge functionaris binnen uw bedrijf, ter bevestiging dat de zaak echt gesloten is. Deze kan ik dan inlijsten, en hoef ik hopelijk er nooit meer uit te halen (u weet wel, als bewijs, mocht er ooit een vervolg komen op de net afgelopen nachtmerrie). Het feit blijft dat ik eigenlijk geld terug moet krijgen i.p.v. geld moet betalen, maar dat terzijde. Liever een frisse start, dan een buidel vol met geld, zeggen we maar.

Met bonkend hart, verblijf ik,

KaNam Ung

Btw, don’t expect an answer soon, usually it takes 3+ months.