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Greetings, Quotaholics:
Megaupload is in trouble with the US government for file sharing. It
was begun March 21, 2005 and had been working quite well. It was founded
in Hong Kong and ran a number of different services related to file
sharing and viewing.
Yahoo
News reported on some of the ramifications of this type of file
storage/sharing.
On January 19, 2012, the US Justice Department seized the domain names
after indictments and arrests of the owners on charges of copyright
infringement. The arrests were made in New Zealand when police there,
in cooperation with a US Federal prosecutor’s request, arrested four
Megaupload executives. Three of the men arrested are from Germany and
the fourth is from the Netherlands. Also seized were $17 million in
assets.
Megaupload uses Carpathia Hosting for file storage. The hosting company
will allegedly begin deleting files on Thursday because of non-payment
by Megaupload. There will be, according to sources, no regard as to
whether or not files so deleted are in violation of any copyright laws,
real or imagined. Files will simply be gone.
Megaupload.com is not accessible at the present time. There is a really
cool picture full of official government seals stating the domain name
has been seized and giving the legal numbers for the laws allowing this
seizure.
People who stored their files on Megaupload cannot get to their files
to retrieve them because the site is blocked by the US government. They
cannot save their files from deletion because they can’t access the
site. Megaupload isn’t paying the bill to store them, since they are
shut down. The files, regardless of what sort of files, are simply going
to disappear.
Cloud storage has been touted as a way to protect against file loss.
If your computer crashes and you have your files stored in the cloud,
which means in a server out in the "sky", such as those at
the hosting place, then you won’t lose your data. However, those people
who stored their files with Megaupload, are in fact, going to lose their
files.
Megaupload has as part of the FAQs regarding their service, that they
are not responsible for the files people store there. People who put
their files up there needed to be responsible for any backup measures
they needed and the service isn’t responsible.
The site was to be used for sharing files and not for long term storage
of files, however many people did use it for that purpose. So, how does
this measure up against other cloud storage websites?
Dropbox is the cloud storage place I use. I have been there for a couple
years. What did they have to say? They said I better have my own backup
system in place because even though they love me and all, they aren’t
responsible for my files, I am.
Box, Rapidshare, Google Docs, Amazon Cloud Drive, and Microsoft SkyDrive
all said the same thing. They really want you to use cloud computing
cuz it is real safe and all, but you are responsible for having a backup
system and good luck to you if anything with their servers goes awry.
If you don’t, and there is a system failure of any type, tough. That’s
it. Just tough.
Carbonite, which charges $60 for a year’s subscription for file storage,
wasn’t quite so harsh. If something goes wrong, they can’t get your
files back, but they might - just maybe - give you a $60 refund. Or
not.
Nasuni actually guarantees the safety of your files. However, it is
exclusively for business use and therefore isn’t really an option for
the casual user. There is no mention of the cost of the service.
If you want to really protect your files, according to Yahoo, you should
store them in at least three different places. You should have them
on your computer, on an external hard drive, and use one of the cloud
storage services. That way, if something goes amiss, your backups may
still be available.
Do you use any cloud storage services? Do you have backups of your important
files? (I just made sure that the things of great importance are on
at least two different place and when I finish writing this, I will
put them in a third place.) Have you ever read all the fine print of
any of these online places?
If you wish to comment on Megaupload, Hong Kong, New Zealand, Germany,
and the Netherlands issues as they relate to the US, please feel free
to do so as well.
Securely,
Comment
On This Article |
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| Today’s
Quotes |
Forgiveness is a funny thing. It warms the heart and cools the sting.
- William Arthur Ward
Those who expect to reap the blessings of freedom, must, like men, undergo
the fatigue of supporting it. - Thomas Paine
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| Today’s
Chuckle |
The Old Man And The Beaver
An 86-year-old man
went to his doctor for his quarterly check-up…
The doctor asked him how he was feeling, and the 86-year-old said, “Things
are great and I’ve never felt better. I now have a 28 year-old bride
who is pregnant with my child. So what do you think about that Doc?”
The doctor considered his question for a minute and then began to tell
a story.
“I have an older friend, much like you, who is an avid hunter and never
misses a season.”
“One day he was setting off to go hunting. In a bit of a hurry, he accidentally
picked up his walking cane instead of his gun.”
“As he neared a lake, he came across a very large male beaver sitting
at the water’s edge.. He realized he’d left his gun at home and so he
couldn’t shoot the magnificent creature. Out of habit he raised his
cane, aimed it at the animal as if it were his favorite hunting rifle
and went ‘bang, bang’.”
“Miraculously, two shots rang out and the beaver fell over dead. Now,
what do you think of that?” asked the doctor.
The 86-year-old said, “Logic would strongly suggest that somebody else
pumped a couple of rounds into that beaver.”
The doctor replied , “My point exactly.”
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| Life
Sentences |
A slavish bondage to parents cramps every faculty of the mind.
Every political good carried to the extreme must be productive of evil.
I do not wish women to have power over men; but over themselves. – all
from Mary Shelley, English author, who died on this day in 1851
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| Image’n
That! |
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| My
Most Embarrassing Moment
My Scariest Moment |
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Speak right up!
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| Cliff’s
Notes
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Pets
People will make a pet of just about anything. I have met people
who have had several exotic pets. I even know a person in the
veterinary business that gets to handle all sorts of non-traditional
pets. Even the veterinarian that has the practice owns a Coatimundi.
Some exotics make good pets. The Coatimundi is one of those, I
suppose, although I don’t think I wish to have one. From what
I am told it is gentle, loving, and sometimes playful without being
too dangerous.
We have heard of the magicians who own white tigers and keep them as
pets. It was all over the news when one of the tigers attacked
one of the performers and mauled him almost to death. It wasn’t
the first time. For them it was, but, for others it has happened
many times. Usually it is a one-time event as the tiger will most
probably prevail to the point the performer is either disabled or killed.
I know, if it were to happen to me and I survived, even with only a
couple scratches, I would alter my program and the tigers would be finding
a new line of work.
I have owned many exotic animals, so I am not against it at all.
I am concerned for the animals though. Most people find the attraction
for a unique type of pet too hard to resist. When they have the
pet at home, either they are needing too much care, they grow too big,
or they are unable to take them with them when they are away from home
for extended periods and they get rid of the pet. If released
into the wild after being reliant on humans, they often are unable to
fend for themselves. Sometimes they are released into a habitat
that simply does not support their dietary needs even if they are able
to feed themselves.
I have investigated owning some exotic pets. I was looking at
sugar
gliders as a possibility when my wife didn’t want another dog after
ours died. I am a pet person, but cats were not an option because
my son had developed an allergy to them, so exotics were a focus to
replace our dog. I learned quickly that there is a lot of work
associated with sugar gliders. There is also a lot of cost.
The pet itself runs anywhere between $150US and $600US for a single
animal. Add to it the cost of cages and accessories, and the cost
of food, and the overall cost of ownership is rather high. I chose
not to get one.
I learned my lesson a long time ago. I’ve owned an alligator,
a black hawk, a myna bird, and a chinchilla. Some faired well
and thrived. Some I had to give away or sell as I simply could
not care for properly. Sadly, a couple died in my care, which
saddened me deeply as I was trying very hard to keep them safe and happy.
That has been the most affecting aspect of owning another exotic pet.
I don’t want them to be harmed in any way due to my neglect or ignorance.
Here’s your quiz:
Have you considered having a non-traditional pet, or know someone who
does?
If you have had one, or would have one, what animal would you own?
Have you ever had a pet you simply could not keep?
Pets - Sometimes It Is Hard To Know Who Owns Who
Cliff (the High-Tech Redneck who doesn’t rate a fancy ’signature pic’)
Comment
on this article |
Kirsten’s
Krazy Kaleidoscope |
Email Kirsten
“If I had my way
I’d make health catching instead of disease.”
~ Robert Ingersoll ~
On Friday morning, my younger son James came down with a stomach bug.
He was very upset about this, because Friday was a professional development
day in the school board, which meant that James was wasting a precious
day off school by being sick.
By the time bedtime rolled around on Friday night, James seemed to be
fine. By Saturday, he was eating normally and doing typical James things.
Since no-one else seemed to be sick, we just assumed that James had
eaten something that didn’t agree with him.
In the early hours of Sunday morning, my older son George got sick.
About an hour later, I got started. Throughout that night, George and
I were huddled on the couch together, feeling equally miserable and
grabbing bits of sleep whenever our ailments would allow. When my husband
left for a meeting with a client on Sunday morning, I was clutching
onto the edge of sanity.
By ten thirty on Sunday, George and I had stopped - um, doing what people
do when they have stomach bugs. we still felt dreadful - we were exhausted
from a night of being awake and sick. By then, James was thoroughly
recovered, and this sweet, sweet boy took it on himself to take care
of me and George. He spent the day fussily bringing us bottles of water
and making sure we were covered up with blankets.
By the time we woke up on Monday, George and I were both feeling a lot
better, but still not quite back to normal. Both of us stayed home.
I tried to meet an unexpected work deadline with a migraine, and George
lay on the couch and slept. On Monday night I started to think I might
live.
At around the same time, my husband got sick. It was his turn to hunker
miserably on the couch while trying - and failing - to get any sleep.
Twenty-four hours later he seems to be fine.
This bug - whatever it is - has hopefully reached the end of the line,
at least in my family. Tonight, we sleep. All of us.
Kaleidoscopically yours,
Kirsten
Comment
On This Article |
| Lucille’s
Lunacy |
Happy Groundhog’s Day From Me And Jimmy
There are times when you wonder what tree your ancestors fell from.
I always considered my family to be civilized, respectable people. Most
of us are. In fact, the ones I’m going to tell you about could usually
claim that distinction. One of my father’s brothers was coming home
from work when he saw a groundhog scampering along the side of the road.
He caught it, took it home, and he and my aunts made a pet of it. Its
name was Jimmy, and to hear my aunts tell it, he was sooooo cute.
Jimmy used to sit on the kitchen sink and watch my aunts do the dishes.
He rode on my uncle’s shoulders. He was friendly, and everyone in the
family adored him.
One day, Jimmy escaped from the house. He strayed across a busy street,
and got hit by a trollie. One of my uncles found him, and the whole
family was sad. I’m sure their first impulse was to bury him, but one
of my uncles got a bright idea, and he and the rest of the boys changed
their minds.
You see, Jimmy offered an interesting culinary opportunity. They had
eaten squirrel, deer, and duck, but had yet to sample the pleasures
of baked groundhog. Jimmy, I was told, tasted delicious with a little
salt and ketsup. He had, after all been fed on nothing but the finest
nuts and grains for months, and it was only natural that his meat would
be tender and juicy.
My dad had a friend who raised a pig. Arnold would follow him around,
come when he was called, and in many ways showed that he was at least
as smart as a dog. Unfortunately, he did what most members of his species
do, and grew to weigh over 500 pounds. My dad’s friend finally had Arnold
butchered. One night, after a few beers had been consumed, my dad’s
friend was telling us about Arnold. He told us how hard it was to send
him to the butcher, but he was so big, he didn’t know what else to do.
“And you know, whenever I had a pork chop from arnold, or we fried up
some of his sausage,I’d try to eat it, but it just wouldn’t go down.”
It was then that my dad told us about Jimmy, and my crazy uncles, who
probably would have advised Dad’s friend to just try Arnold with a little
salt and ketsup.
Comment
On This Article |
| Poet-Tree |
The "Maltese Falcon", launched in spring 2006, is the biggest,
riskiest, fastest, most technologically advanced, single-hulled sailing
mega yacht in the world. This "sailboat" is 289 feet long
(almost the length of a football field), and is owned by Tom Perkins
(who was once married to Danielle Steel). The vessel would not be sailed
by computer. "No way Bill Gates is controlling my boat," he
likes to crack. "I don’t ever want to have to press Control-Alt-Delete
to restart, to make my boat go." (Wired Magazine)
I’ve never been in a sailboat. I did stand up in a canoe once… and
the wind caught me!
Let’s try this one:
I once knew a sailor named Dan…
Hints:
Here’s a great new rhyming/composition tool. http://www.writerhymes.com/
There’s also a great rhyming dictionary at http://www.rhymezone.com/
Limerick rules. http://freespace.virgin.net/merrick.sheldon/limerickrules.htm
Submit
Opening Line
Submit
Limerick
I
once milked a goat with six tits
A job that sure gave me fits
My hands are quite small
So I couldn’t grasp them all
Besides, goat milk gives me the shits!!
- Bonnie >^..^< |
I
once milked a goat with six tits…
It ’bout drove me out of my wits
I emptied the four
And still had two more
But I was tired and just called it quits.
- Rick in Roanoke |
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Reader Comments |
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Re: Chemicals
Around
here, people seem to last into their 80s or 90s unless the Big C from
the agro-chem miasma gets’ em, which seems to be the usual way to
go. I’m worried about all the usual industrial poisons (although,
as a fiberglass worker, I was edified to learn that my own body produces
acetone, so things are not always as bad as they seem.) Now, I’m more
worried about the wide dispersal of unknown solvents and other chemicals
in fracturing rock formations to release natural gas. This is seen
as the fuel of the future decade or so, but it could easily leave
vast areas with poisoned groundwater. Some famous cases near here
have produced many dead animals, and tap water that can be lit as
a gas flare. However, the cause that I put time into is the really
long haul - doing something about Uranium and all its by-products,
which will still be causing cancer and mutations if mankind gets a
hundred times older than it is. Around here, some dirt-poor tribes
are being bribed to accept high level waste on the theory that it
can be contained, when the nearby mines are still abandoned and leaking.
- Bob of the North
I remember back in the mid
to late 60s you could purchase a canister of DDT that could be attached
to the power lawn mower so you could spray the lawn while mowing the
grass. Two types were available, one was a spray can that was attached
to the dek of the mower and operated with a line that you pulled to
release the chemical. The other (the one I used) was attached to the
mower exaust. You unscrewed the muffler and put the canister on in
its place. When the mower was started you would fog the area as you
mowed. You needed about 2 canisters to cover the average lawn. The
“fog” would hang over the area for several minutes so you would walk
trrough it several times as you made your passes over the lawn plus
the fact that it was blowing in your face the whole time. Thank God
I only used it once. - Rick in Roanoke
Welcome
Back
Welcome
back, Rick in Roanoke. I wondered if you had fallen off the edge of
the Earth! - Bruce
Re: Tea
Party
Bruce,
well first it’s from The Huffington Post, which is ranks with Move-on.com
for truth. - Tom
Re: Tea
Party
My
daughter is 40 now, but I have two 11 year-old granddaughters and
do worry. However, they are being brought up attending church and
with two active parents. My daughter was not sexually active until
she was engaged at 20. I was not really pleased, but she was old enough.
She and the boy did get married and I now have a 17 year-old grandson
to worry about. Yes, I would put my daughter on birth control if she
was going to be sexually active, but we would also have discussions
about std’s. - Pam
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Disclaimer- All quotes printed in this publication are believed to be
accurately attributed, but no guarantees are made that some incorrectly
attributed, or even outright false quotes won’t get in here from time
to time. I assure readers that I will do my best to weed out incorrect
quotes, and will print a retraction as soon as I become aware of any errors.
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