Jared’s Blog

The RFID in new US Passports is easily spoofed. What’s a paranoid US denizen to do? Why smash your Passport with a hammer!

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I made the Digg homepage! I am a geek superstar! Not really, but after participating in Digg for over a year now, I finally managed to submit an article the masses deemed worthy of the front page. The article hits close to home for me as I just acquired a passport myself. I’m not quite sure if mine has the RFID tag in it or not because I’ve read several conflicting articles. Some say the change was made in October this year, some say January next year. If anyone could clear that up, I would appreciate it.

Sometime in June or July, Web Design From Scratch (a pretty good resource for web designers by the way) announced they’d be doing an impressive project: 50 Redesigns from Scratch. The idea was that they would take 50 sites (paid submissions and charities) and redesign them. Not only would the book be a before and after type of thing, but it would also explain the process. This kind of thing personally interests me because it’s a great learning tool. See how someone else does it, and then learn from it.

The site stated the book would be finished later in 2006. Every so often, I’d check the link above to see if there was any progress posted on the book, but alas, there never was. Today I figured I’d shoot over an email to see what the deal was. To my surprise, within an hour, Ben Hunt had responded. You gotta love the web community for being so accessible. Here’s his response

OK, it’s not *quite* the end of 2006….

The facts are: we’ve got about 12 redesigns done, so it’s not going to be published before the 31st! It will be in 2007 now, needless to say. We do have a publisher lined up, which is great. But I’m having to fit in the redesigns around other work, which slows life down.

I am aiming to write up the first 10 or so in PDF form very shortly. So please watch this space..

So there you have it.

Let’s look at a little word problem. Any 3rd grader could probably understand it, so don’t worry, it’s not hard.

Verizon Wireless offers data service on their phones with which you could access the Internet on your phone or you could connect it to your computer and use it to browse the Internet on your computer. Either way, the rate that they charge as quoted on their website and as quoted by their customer service representatives, is 0.02 cents per kilobyte (abbreviated as kb) for data usage in Canada. That is two tenths of one cent in U.S. Dollars per kb. How much would it cost you if you downloaded 100kb worth of data?

The answer is 2 cents. It’s simple math, right? Unfortunately, Verizon Wireless doesn’t think so. They’ll charge you a whole $2 for that usage. That’s 100 times greater than the rate they quote. Don’t believe me, then head on over to George Vaccaro’s site, VerizonMath. He was surprised to find his bill was 100 times greater than expected after he used his phone for data access in Canada.

What’s even more surprising is the problem wasn’t just with him and a few Verizon reps. There are others who have run into the same problem and Verizon reps and supervisors don’t see the difference. On George’s site, there’s a link to a 20+ minute recorded phone conversation in which he talks to 3 people (2 of them supervisors) who do not understand this simple math even after several clear explanations by George. If you listen to the entire thing, you’ll be ready to jump through your computer and bash these people’s heads into their desks. Frustrating is a gross understatement.
It’s inconceivable that a company like Verizon could make this big of a calculation error and then continue to make the mistake over and over again. Fortunately Mr. Vaccaro was vindicated and his charge was reversed, but how many others have been exploited by this miscalculation? Wireless providers have you by the balls (even if you don’t have them) and it becomes scary when things like this happen. I have T-mobile and have been happy with my plan, but then again, I don’t ever use data or even text messaging because it is too expensive.

I haven’t blogged in awhile and I really can’t decide on one topic, so this is going to be one of those boring “what I’ve been up to” entries.

The first thing that comes to mind is shows. I just took a peek at my calendar and over the last 2 months or so, I’ve hit up 7 shows. Going back to October, the number is 9, and I had another half dozen or so on my radar that I didn’t make it out to. Needless to say, I’m getting a little burned out on shows these days. I think I’m going to take it easy for awhile.

Ironically, tonight I’m heading to First Ave. to catch In Flames, one of my all-time favorite bands. They’re from Sweden. They kick ass. I saw them at Sounds of the Underground last summer and I can’t wait to see them headlining. But after tonight, I swear, no more of this show per week stuff!

Being as much of a music fan as I am, it’s really hard not go when bands are in town. I’ve got this obsession with checking bands of my internal list (One of these days maybe I’ll make a list of bands that I’ve seen and how many times I’ve seen them). It’s especially hard when I can most often get into these shows for free with Decoymusic. Rick is usually up for the shows as well because everyone knows that it’s not as much fun to go alone.

I had a funny conversation with my family last weekend while we were out for my mothers birthday. My sister, Brenna, isn’t known for having a whole lot of common sense, but my youngest sister, Hannah, is pretty sharp as am I. My reasoning was that I got all the good genes right away, then they had Brenna 4 years later which wasn’t enough time for the gene pool to replenish. Then with Hannah, they waited 7 years which was enough time. Everyone laughed. Had Brenna been present, she probably would’ve smacked me. It’s all in jest. I love both of them.

Mom also quickly reminded me what a nut case I am myself. She’s got a point there.

We just posted our Top 50 feature over at Decoymusic. Here’s mine.

This year, much like 2005, didn’t have me expecting much. There was only a handful of releases that I really thought would wow me. As it turns out, I was completely wrong.2006 also saw me fully embracing metalcore. I couldn’t get enough of it this year (yes, even all the As I Lay Dying rip-offs) and you’ll see that in my top 10.You may also notice my honorable mentions list is pretty long. What can I say, I thought a lot of albums deserved some attention this year, but couldn’t quite give them a spot in my list.

Honorable Mentions

36 Crazyfists - Rest Inside the Flames
A Static Lullaby - A Static Lullaby
Bigwig - Reclamation
Catherine - Rumour Has It Astaroth Has Stolen Your Eyes
Clifton - We Never Change
Destroy the Runner - Saints
Hawthorne Heights - If Only You Were Lonely
Himsa - Hail Horror
Ignite - Our Darkest Days
Into Eternity - The Scattering of Ashes
Katsumoto - Cadence
Killswitch Engage - As Daylight Dies
Lamb of God - Sacrement
Light This City - The Hero Cycle
No Trigger - Caynoneer
Rise Against - The Sufferer and the Witness
Thebleedingalarm - Beauty in Destruction
War of Ages - Pride of the Wicked

10. The Human Abstract - Nocturne

Nocturne was a complete surprise. Before I gave the album a shot, I had never heard of the band. It’s a fresh take on the metalcore genre that is quickly becoming stale. The generous use of clean, melodic vocals really makes this a standout record.

9. All That Remains - The Fall of Ideals

I was highly anticipating this release as I was in love with This Darkened Heart. From the moment that Labonte screams out on ‘This Calling,’ I knew I was in for a treat. Though The Fall of Ideals has been criticized as a neutering of All That Remains’ style, I think it is a very listenable release.

8. As Blood Runs Black - Allegience

Allegiance is another one that came out of left field and knocked me upside the head. It’s just the right mix of death, thrash, and metalcore. It definitely brings “the motherfucking ruckus.” It’s only weakness is it’s length.

7. After the Eulogy - Libertine’s Dream

I usually don’t put much stock in EP’s as I’d much rather hear a fully fleshed out release, but Libertine’s Dream was an exception to that rule. Every song on this album is solid. To make up for it’s length, I usually ended up listening to it several times over in one sitting.

6. Purified in Blood - Reaper of Souls

I usually take my metalcore with more metal than hardcore, but Purified in Blood just are the opposite. This is straight edge hardcore with a sprinkling of metal at it’s finest. I think breakdown of the year goes to these guys for Unmarked Graves. “Brutal” is the only word that can describe Reaper of Souls.

5. If Hope Dies - Life in Ruin

Having proven themselves with The Ground is Rushing Up to Meet Us, I was eagerly anticipating the release of the next If Hope Dies album. Needless to say, it met those expectations and even exceeded them in some cases. With the recent announcement that the band is going on indefinite hiatus, this may be their crowning achievement.

4. Saosin - Saosin

The hype for Saosin’s self-titled debut was immeasurable. Fortunately for the band, they put together a catchy, well-crafted release. The first few spins I gave the album left me disappointed, but I was coming from the standpoint that this was a progression of their previous EP. Instead, you must realize that this is somewhat of a new band. After doing that, I saw Saosin for what it is, a brilliant album.

3. In Flames - Come Clarity

In Flames have been around for a very long time. They’ve progressed quite far from their melodic death metal roots. This release marks both a return to their former style and a progression on their more recent albums. I had originally cast Come Clarity aside as just another In Flames album. Only after hearing some of the new material live, did I come to realize how good this album really is.

2. Underoath - Define the Great Line

Coming off the success of They’re Only Chasing Safety, a release that saw the band style evolve, Underoath were feeling the pressure. They not only managed to create a killer album in Define the Great Line, but they also managed to do it at a time when stress and media pressure was at it’s highest. They weathered the storm and are a better band and better people because of it.

1. Unearth - III: In the Eyes of Fire

III: In the Eyes of Fire is a blistering album packed with breakdowns and plenty of ferocity. Talent gushes from every single note. This album is a freight train barreling down the tracks at 100 miles an hour. Once it starts, it can’t be stopped.

When I was growing up, I can remember watching TV on Saturday afternoon with my dad. One of the shows he always liked to watch was The Joy of Painting with Bob Ross. Recently Revision3 relaunched and simultaneously added some new content to their network(?). One of those shows is called Pixel Perfect. It’s hosted by Bert Monroy, the Photoshop guru.
I didn’t think much of it. The first episode didn’t strike me as anything I’d watch on a regular basis, even though I do spend some time in Photoshop for both work and play. I wrote it off and forgot about it.
The other day, I was adding podcasts into iTunes on my new laptop (because I often listen to them at work and hey, iTunes comes installed by default) and I tossed Bert’s show into the list. I’ve since become a big fan. I’m saying it right now; Bert Monroy is the new Bob Ross. You can sit down and learn something useful, but it’s also fun to just watch him work. If you want to just watch the master use his skills, you can. If you want to follow along, you can. Best of all, it’s just a movie file on your computer, so if you want to pause, see something again while you’re following along, that is easily possible.