Today the FA charged 6 Arsenal players, 2 Manchester United players, Arsene Wenger and Arsenal as a club with various offences, following the incidents after the match between Arsenal and Man U. on Sunday. The charges are as follows:
Arsenal
1. Arsenal have been charged with misconduct for failing to ensure the proper behaviour of their players.
2. Arsenal manager Arsene Wenger has been asked to explain comments regarding Ruud van Nistelrooy made after the match
3. Ashley Cole – improper conduct
4. Martin Keown – improper conduct and violent behaviour
5. Lauren – Two counts improper conduct, and two counts of violent behaviour.
6. Jens Lehman – improper conduct
7. Ray Palour - improper conduct and violent behaviour
8. Patrick Viera – improper conduct (in addition to getting sent off)
Manchester United
1. Ryan Giggs – improper conduct
2. Cristano Ronaldo – improper conduct
All parties have 14 days to answer to the charges.
Arsenal may be docked points for their part in the fracas, as was the case in 1990, when a similar, but more severe incident occurred between the same two clubs. Gordon Taylor, the chief executive of the PFA, has warned the FA not to think of points deductions in this case, but most people believe that this will not happen. However, there is a feeling that this will happen. Gordon Taylor has said that points should be deducted until repeated warnings have been made, and possibly ignored. However, Arsenal’s disciplinary record has been scrutinized again and again, and they were non-repentant, and did nothing to improve it. Even former Arsenal players have criticized them. I was particularly disappointed in Martin Keown, with 20 years of international experience, acted like a five year old child, taunting Van Nistelrooy after he missed his penalty.
So right now, Man U. plans to fight to have the charges against their players reviewed, while Arsenal is still considering what to do, though Wenger has apologized publicly(why did he wait so long though?). The FA is planning to make the punishments process more efficient, fines don’t work against today’s super rich players, and what Arsenal will probably do is appeal against some charges in order to stagger the bans, and ensure that not all 6 players are suspended at the same time, a situation the FA does not want to happen.
I strongly suspect(and believe) that the FA should deduct points from Arsenal owing to their previous dismal disciplinary record, their arrogance and the fact that they have showed little or no remorse over this and other disciplinary incidents. And with the bans for all these players at the same time, that will mean they will find it difficult for about 3 matches or so. So I think with the competitiveness of teams like Chelsea and Liverpool, the title will be out of their grasp.
Man U did not play well on Sunday. They lacked the world class midfield play of a David Beckham or Paul Scholes. Van Nistelrooy has hit a dry patch, similar to that experienced by Michael Owen last season, evidenced by all his missed high-profile penalties. And with Solksjaer out, they will lack a top-class striker.
All this means only one thing. The premiership will be a two horse race again this season. But it won’t be the usual two teams. It will be Chelsea and Liverpool, my dark horses. Liverpool is just 3 points behind the leaders and with 3 wins in a row are gaining ground fast…………….
I rest my case.
19.9.03
Don’t call me today……..
That's right, today Nigerians are protesting against high tarrifs from the mobile phone companies by switching off their phones. The mobile phone companies will loose millions today, as no one is making calls. Someone in my office who tried to be smart by not joining the protest, just discovered he can't call anyone, all their phones are off !! So he's joined us.......
I spend on average about N6000(Nigerian Naira) a month on my phone bills. This works out at about 30 (British) pounds a month. I used to spend an average of this while I was in the UK for my mobile phone, however in Nigeria this only allows me to talk for about a total of 30 minutes !! That's right, 50 naira a minute........which is a rip-off. In the UK, I had 1550 minutes off peak and I had to use the phone a bit to get a bill of 30 pounds..........This is plain unfair, and it's a rip-off......plain and simple. To top it all up, the service is appalling. In the UK, if your call is dropped for any reason, and you call the same number back immediately, you get the first call for free(On Orange anyway). When I moved from the university to my uncle's house in Liverpool, the coverage there was poor, and my calls kept getting dropped. My phone bill dropped to about 20 pounds per month, until the mobile phone sorted out the problem a few months later. And on top of all this, calls in Nigeria are charged by the minute as opposed to by the second. That means a 1 minute 1 second call and a 1 minute 59 second call cost the same.
The Nigerian governement awarded mobile phone licenses in 2001 to three companies....MTN, Econet and NITEL. MTN has now become the largest mobile phone network in Africa, as Nigerians bought over a million lines from them alone. They now have more subcribers in Nigeria, than their home country of South Africa. They make over 1 billion Naira in a day....(136 Naira to the dollar, 220 Naira to the pound).
The Nigerian government has not helped with the low tarrifs, so the people have decided to take matters in their own hands. Let's force the prices down and improve the services.
I spend on average about N6000(Nigerian Naira) a month on my phone bills. This works out at about 30 (British) pounds a month. I used to spend an average of this while I was in the UK for my mobile phone, however in Nigeria this only allows me to talk for about a total of 30 minutes !! That's right, 50 naira a minute........which is a rip-off. In the UK, I had 1550 minutes off peak and I had to use the phone a bit to get a bill of 30 pounds..........This is plain unfair, and it's a rip-off......plain and simple. To top it all up, the service is appalling. In the UK, if your call is dropped for any reason, and you call the same number back immediately, you get the first call for free(On Orange anyway). When I moved from the university to my uncle's house in Liverpool, the coverage there was poor, and my calls kept getting dropped. My phone bill dropped to about 20 pounds per month, until the mobile phone sorted out the problem a few months later. And on top of all this, calls in Nigeria are charged by the minute as opposed to by the second. That means a 1 minute 1 second call and a 1 minute 59 second call cost the same.
The Nigerian governement awarded mobile phone licenses in 2001 to three companies....MTN, Econet and NITEL. MTN has now become the largest mobile phone network in Africa, as Nigerians bought over a million lines from them alone. They now have more subcribers in Nigeria, than their home country of South Africa. They make over 1 billion Naira in a day....(136 Naira to the dollar, 220 Naira to the pound).
The Nigerian government has not helped with the low tarrifs, so the people have decided to take matters in their own hands. Let's force the prices down and improve the services.
18.9.03
Did anyone watch the match last night ??
Arsenal were outplayed, outclassed and outGUNNED.
Arsenal were left feeling black and blue, in the worst home defeat of matchday one in the champions league. (Black and blue...Inter's colours....hahahaha)
Inter Milan 3 - Arsenal 0
Actually, that should be Arsenal 0 - Inter Milan 3, because Arsenal was at home !
Nigerian wonderboy striker Obafemi Martins capped a fine performance with a goal.
Need I say more ????
Arsenal were left feeling black and blue, in the worst home defeat of matchday one in the champions league. (Black and blue...Inter's colours....hahahaha)
Inter Milan 3 - Arsenal 0
Actually, that should be Arsenal 0 - Inter Milan 3, because Arsenal was at home !
Nigerian wonderboy striker Obafemi Martins capped a fine performance with a goal.
Need I say more ????
17.9.03
Deluge of football……
I just had to comment on this one.
My family has been using the Multichoice (Mnet) Satellite TV service from South Africa for over 10 years now. While it's not the best satellite TV in the world, it's the only option we have in Nigeria, and it's not half bad compared to local TV. With TV shows like 24, Friends, CSI and Waking the Dead(BBC), it's actually doing very well compared to what is available in other parts of the world. With competition on the way in the form of 21st Century Technologies Fibre Optic Cable TV, which will have largely American content, Multichoice is making efforts to improve their offerings, in what has become their largest market. Yup, even though it's stupidly expensive, Multichoice now has more subscribers in Nigeria than in their home country of South Africa !!
Multichoice's strengths however have always been their sports coverage. They have been offering live coverage of the Priemership for almost 8 years now. This was first offered through ESPN's Monday Night Football, and now via their sports channel Supersport, which now has 3 different channels.
When I got back from England earlier this year, it was nearing the end of the Premiership season. And I was amazed at what I found. I had known that we got to see more live football in Nigeria than in England, but this was ridiculous ! Supersport was showing two live matches at a time, you actually had to choose which one you wanted to see !! When Liverpool lost to Man City and West Ham beat Chelsea(last season), I actually missed all the goals because I was flicking the channels !!!
Anyway, last night, they gave us a deluge of football. An overdose. For the Champions League, we now have to choose between 4 different matches !!! Last night we had Man U v. Panathanakios, Chelsea v. Sparta, Rangers v. Stuggart and Real Madrid v. Marseille, all LIVE AT THE SAME TIME !!?!? How does a man choose? The temptation to flick the channels is strong, but I've discovered that the best thing is to choose one match, and stick with it. They show highlights from all the other matches at halftime and at the end of the game.
Tonight, the same thing, I have to choose between 4 live matches. THIS IS TORTURE !!!
My family has been using the Multichoice (Mnet) Satellite TV service from South Africa for over 10 years now. While it's not the best satellite TV in the world, it's the only option we have in Nigeria, and it's not half bad compared to local TV. With TV shows like 24, Friends, CSI and Waking the Dead(BBC), it's actually doing very well compared to what is available in other parts of the world. With competition on the way in the form of 21st Century Technologies Fibre Optic Cable TV, which will have largely American content, Multichoice is making efforts to improve their offerings, in what has become their largest market. Yup, even though it's stupidly expensive, Multichoice now has more subscribers in Nigeria than in their home country of South Africa !!
Multichoice's strengths however have always been their sports coverage. They have been offering live coverage of the Priemership for almost 8 years now. This was first offered through ESPN's Monday Night Football, and now via their sports channel Supersport, which now has 3 different channels.
When I got back from England earlier this year, it was nearing the end of the Premiership season. And I was amazed at what I found. I had known that we got to see more live football in Nigeria than in England, but this was ridiculous ! Supersport was showing two live matches at a time, you actually had to choose which one you wanted to see !! When Liverpool lost to Man City and West Ham beat Chelsea(last season), I actually missed all the goals because I was flicking the channels !!!
Anyway, last night, they gave us a deluge of football. An overdose. For the Champions League, we now have to choose between 4 different matches !!! Last night we had Man U v. Panathanakios, Chelsea v. Sparta, Rangers v. Stuggart and Real Madrid v. Marseille, all LIVE AT THE SAME TIME !!?!? How does a man choose? The temptation to flick the channels is strong, but I've discovered that the best thing is to choose one match, and stick with it. They show highlights from all the other matches at halftime and at the end of the game.
Tonight, the same thing, I have to choose between 4 live matches. THIS IS TORTURE !!!
Finally, Microsoft scores an own goal !!!
The score is now Linux 2 - Microsoft 1, as Microsoft scores a spectacular own goal.
Microsoft CEO Steve Ballmer on Monday conceded that 'his company is under attack from "thieves, con artists, terrorists and hackers".' in a speech to the Churchill Club, a gathering of Silicon Valley businesspeople in Santa Clara, California.
In response, the Redmond, Washington, software giant plans to develop new means for thwarting such attackers and aims to shut down the invasions before they wreak the havoc seen with recent viruses such as MSBlast.
To do this, they plan to work closely with security companies such as Symantec and Network Associates. With last week's disclosures of three vulnerabilities in Microsoft Windows, I think this will count as an own goal in our ongoing battle on this blog, Microsoft v. Linux.
I'm trying very hard to be objective in this discussion, and since I've never used Linux before, I'll need some Linux users to leave comments on this.
But the Penguin's nose is in front..............
Microsoft CEO Steve Ballmer on Monday conceded that 'his company is under attack from "thieves, con artists, terrorists and hackers".' in a speech to the Churchill Club, a gathering of Silicon Valley businesspeople in Santa Clara, California.
In response, the Redmond, Washington, software giant plans to develop new means for thwarting such attackers and aims to shut down the invasions before they wreak the havoc seen with recent viruses such as MSBlast.
To do this, they plan to work closely with security companies such as Symantec and Network Associates. With last week's disclosures of three vulnerabilities in Microsoft Windows, I think this will count as an own goal in our ongoing battle on this blog, Microsoft v. Linux.
I'm trying very hard to be objective in this discussion, and since I've never used Linux before, I'll need some Linux users to leave comments on this.
But the Penguin's nose is in front..............
Say hello to feedback !!
Been trying to figure out for ages how to get the feedback feature on my blog, and after using the support feature on BLOGGER, they gave me some third-party tools I could use. I settled for Blogspeak, and if you look at the blog carefully, you'll see that you can now leave feedback/comments on every post. All you need to do is place some HTML code in the blog template.
This will do one of two things. Either I will see that my blog is read by all my friends who claim they check it every day.......or I will find out quite painfully that no one reads my blog.
Which will it be?
This will do one of two things. Either I will see that my blog is read by all my friends who claim they check it every day.......or I will find out quite painfully that no one reads my blog.
Which will it be?
16.9.03
Start the revolution !!
I went to this site and found out what kind of revolutionary I was.......I was expecting a more exotic answer, but this is all I got.............
What revolution are You?
Made by
altern_active
What revolution are You?
Made by
altern_active
15.9.03
Victory at any cost?
Liverpool notched up another 3 points in the race for the premiership this weekend, but the victory can only be regarded as bittersweet, as two key players left the field with broken bones, and are out till next year at least.
Milan Baros - was injured after being tackled by Markus Babbel, who ironically is on loan to Balckburn from Liverpool. The Czech striker supreme broke his ankle and has already has surgery, he had a plate inserted. Gerrad Houllier however said he did not hold Babbel responsible.
Jamie Carragher - was tackled by Lucas Neil, a two-footed tackle that was so reckless and X-rated, Neil received a straight red card. Houllier is angry with Neil and Souness, for the tackle and for not apologising immediately.
When the game had finished I wish Graeme Souness had come up to me and said 'sorry, it was a bad tackle'," Houllier told the Liverpool Echo.
Lucas Neil was actually angry with the ref for sending him off !! Souness waited till Monday to apologize. For a tackle to break the leg of a player wearing shin pads is crazy to say the least. Neil has been called a coward for the tackle in some sections of the media. But the irony is that while Carragher is out for 6 months at least, Neil only has to face a three match ban. Carragher has even said "I hope I'm walking again before my ten-month old son". (How sweet!)
In a similar case in France where a player injured another with a bad tackle, which forced him out of the game for two months, the French FA banned the player responsible for the same length of time. Maybe the English FA should look at this. But then if they did, Roy Keane would not yet be playing after his no infamous, vicious (and delibrate!) tackle on Alf Inge-Halaand a couple of years ago!
But the trouble didn't even end after the whistle ! Houllier became embroiled in a heated exchange with Blackburn's ex-Liverpool midfielder David Thompson and with Graeme Souness during the game after Thompson seemed to aim a punch at John Arne Riise when the referee wasn't looking. Riise needs to go and do something about this, just last week he got into a fight with John Carew while training for the NOrway game and got sent home after the scuffle (and since Riise didn't, I guess that means he was not at fault!!).
So we won, but at a terrible price. But the battle continues......with Diouf, Heskey, Mellor and even Le Tallec available to partner Owen up front, we don't seem to have too much of a problem. Finnan will finally be able to prove his worth after his transfer from Fulham with Carragher out for 6 months. What's left is for Liverpool to recall Babbel from loan as cover. It's only fair.......
Milan Baros - was injured after being tackled by Markus Babbel, who ironically is on loan to Balckburn from Liverpool. The Czech striker supreme broke his ankle and has already has surgery, he had a plate inserted. Gerrad Houllier however said he did not hold Babbel responsible.
Jamie Carragher - was tackled by Lucas Neil, a two-footed tackle that was so reckless and X-rated, Neil received a straight red card. Houllier is angry with Neil and Souness, for the tackle and for not apologising immediately.
When the game had finished I wish Graeme Souness had come up to me and said 'sorry, it was a bad tackle'," Houllier told the Liverpool Echo.
Lucas Neil was actually angry with the ref for sending him off !! Souness waited till Monday to apologize. For a tackle to break the leg of a player wearing shin pads is crazy to say the least. Neil has been called a coward for the tackle in some sections of the media. But the irony is that while Carragher is out for 6 months at least, Neil only has to face a three match ban. Carragher has even said "I hope I'm walking again before my ten-month old son". (How sweet!)
In a similar case in France where a player injured another with a bad tackle, which forced him out of the game for two months, the French FA banned the player responsible for the same length of time. Maybe the English FA should look at this. But then if they did, Roy Keane would not yet be playing after his no infamous, vicious (and delibrate!) tackle on Alf Inge-Halaand a couple of years ago!
But the trouble didn't even end after the whistle ! Houllier became embroiled in a heated exchange with Blackburn's ex-Liverpool midfielder David Thompson and with Graeme Souness during the game after Thompson seemed to aim a punch at John Arne Riise when the referee wasn't looking. Riise needs to go and do something about this, just last week he got into a fight with John Carew while training for the NOrway game and got sent home after the scuffle (and since Riise didn't, I guess that means he was not at fault!!).
So we won, but at a terrible price. But the battle continues......with Diouf, Heskey, Mellor and even Le Tallec available to partner Owen up front, we don't seem to have too much of a problem. Finnan will finally be able to prove his worth after his transfer from Fulham with Carragher out for 6 months. What's left is for Liverpool to recall Babbel from loan as cover. It's only fair.......
Williams Sister shot dead - And she’s Nigerian (almost)
The eldest sister of Venus and Serena Williams was shot dead late last night in Compton, Los Angeles. I was very surprised to find out that she has a Nigerian(Yoruba) name - Yetunde Price. 'Yetunde' means that 'Mama (an elderly woman in the family) has come back'. Usually, when a female child is born shortly after an elderly woman in the family dies, the girl is named 'Yetunde'. When an elderly man dies and a boy is born he is called 'Babatunde'. This is a common practice in Africa, and different tribes have their own version of this. (For example, we have 'Nnanna' for males and 'Nena' for females in the Igbo tribe)
How she came to be called 'Yetunde', I'm not quite sure. She is the daughter or Mr. & Mrs. Williams, although she took her mother's maiden name just before their parents bitterly divorced a few years ago. The mother of three herself has recently divorced her own husband.
Yetunde has been described as the Williams' sisters 'Rock' and 'Role Model'. Some new reports say she was 'left in the ghetto' while her sisters 'lived the life' in their Beverly Hills mansion. Some claim she has paid the ultimate price for growing up in Compton.
What is clear is that while her sisters were making millions playing tennis around the world, she was working a $7 an hour nursing job in Compton. Several times, she refused to take handouts from her sisters, deciding to pay her own way and only taking money for airline tickets when going to watch the play. Recently, she took a job as a part time Personal Assistant to her sisters, which gave her some capital to start a salon in Compton.
A man has since been arrested in the hunt for her killer.
How she came to be called 'Yetunde', I'm not quite sure. She is the daughter or Mr. & Mrs. Williams, although she took her mother's maiden name just before their parents bitterly divorced a few years ago. The mother of three herself has recently divorced her own husband.
Yetunde has been described as the Williams' sisters 'Rock' and 'Role Model'. Some new reports say she was 'left in the ghetto' while her sisters 'lived the life' in their Beverly Hills mansion. Some claim she has paid the ultimate price for growing up in Compton.
What is clear is that while her sisters were making millions playing tennis around the world, she was working a $7 an hour nursing job in Compton. Several times, she refused to take handouts from her sisters, deciding to pay her own way and only taking money for airline tickets when going to watch the play. Recently, she took a job as a part time Personal Assistant to her sisters, which gave her some capital to start a salon in Compton.
A man has since been arrested in the hunt for her killer.
12.9.03
Footie’s back !!
Finally, it's time for some FOOTBALL action. After watching England manage to defeat Liechtenstein, I can only wonder if they'll manage to get the point they need to qualify automatically for Euro 2004 when they play Turkey. The team did not play too well, and I think the Turks will win.
Anyways, it seems we are about to get Abramovich number 2. A Venezuluan billionaire called Gustavo Cisneros is trying to take over at Aston Villa. This guy is even richer than our free-spending Russian who's spent about 111 million pounds on Chelsea's players alone, and manged to persuade Peter Kenyon, a lifelong Man. U. fan to ditch Man. U. and become the CEO of Chelsea village. Does this mean we'll see this, and maybe even more at Villa? Well, Doug Ellis, the Villa chairman has vowed he will not be pushed out. But this may be good for football, which has seen a serious 'recession' in the transfer market due to falling revenues. But I don't think this will help everyone, just the clubs with crazy, billionaires who can afford to splash out millions of pounds for 'fun'.
Anyway, Liverpool plays Chelsea tomorrow, and I'm gonna miss the first half, I'll be at work. But I hope to catch the second half. Thankfully, I can monitor the game on the web using either SKy or BBC(or both) to get the latest scores.
I've been a fan or Barry Ferguson for a while, and he's about to play his first game for his new club Blackburn, against my favourite club, Liverpool. The guy has something wrong with his head though. He thinks he's gonna play in the Champions league with Blackburn. Next season. Poor chap.
Anyways, it seems we are about to get Abramovich number 2. A Venezuluan billionaire called Gustavo Cisneros is trying to take over at Aston Villa. This guy is even richer than our free-spending Russian who's spent about 111 million pounds on Chelsea's players alone, and manged to persuade Peter Kenyon, a lifelong Man. U. fan to ditch Man. U. and become the CEO of Chelsea village. Does this mean we'll see this, and maybe even more at Villa? Well, Doug Ellis, the Villa chairman has vowed he will not be pushed out. But this may be good for football, which has seen a serious 'recession' in the transfer market due to falling revenues. But I don't think this will help everyone, just the clubs with crazy, billionaires who can afford to splash out millions of pounds for 'fun'.
Anyway, Liverpool plays Chelsea tomorrow, and I'm gonna miss the first half, I'll be at work. But I hope to catch the second half. Thankfully, I can monitor the game on the web using either SKy or BBC(or both) to get the latest scores.
I've been a fan or Barry Ferguson for a while, and he's about to play his first game for his new club Blackburn, against my favourite club, Liverpool. The guy has something wrong with his head though. He thinks he's gonna play in the Champions league with Blackburn. Next season. Poor chap.
Grid computing
I did an M.Sc project at the University of Liverpool called "Distributed Processing Using a Platform independent Language" where I used Java to implement some genetic algorithms on a heterogenous computer network. It was really tough but interesting.
Well since then, stories about distributed computing or grid computing always seem to catch my attention (thanks to all the research I had to do!). Like this one. After the SETI and Folding@Home projects, the UK Met office in conjunction with 3 universities plans to follow suit and use idle PC processing power from users on the internet to help predict world climate in 50 years. They hope that they can 2 million people to sign up on their website. Unfortunately, I don't think I can sign up, it would be a drag on my office's network.
More of that !!!
Really, really, really bored
Some people get bored. Really bored. Now in Nigeria, this is an easy problem to solve. There are no credit cards, and no one will give a loan to 'consolidate all you existing debts'. The very act of survival will give you something to do.
But unfortunately in the UK, it's easy to eat everyday, or live beyond your means. Then you can turn round and blame the government for your problems. But hey, what happens when you get bored?
Take this chap. He had a debt of 15,000 pounds. He's a student. And he's on summer holidays. So what happens? He's bored. And he's broke. So he decides to 'protest'. I was in the UK from 2001 - early 2003 and witnessed many protests for the government to bring back Student Grants. But this guy, this single bored, broke fellow decided to do something novel.
He used his nose to push a monkey nut through the streets of London. I saw this on the news and couldn't help but wonder why this boy is not in a mental institution. Well, while I was at work, I found that he actually completed his 'task'. He rolled that nut for 7 miles, thruogh bird poo, some people spat in front of him, dirt, oh my God. What a really jobless, misguided youth.
He had hoped that Tony Blair would wipe out his 15,000 pound debt. But Blair didn't even greet him at Number 10. Thankfully, he was given a cup of coffee. Then he said "I'm off to have a bath".
Good on ya Mark. Good on ya.
But unfortunately in the UK, it's easy to eat everyday, or live beyond your means. Then you can turn round and blame the government for your problems. But hey, what happens when you get bored?
Take this chap. He had a debt of 15,000 pounds. He's a student. And he's on summer holidays. So what happens? He's bored. And he's broke. So he decides to 'protest'. I was in the UK from 2001 - early 2003 and witnessed many protests for the government to bring back Student Grants. But this guy, this single bored, broke fellow decided to do something novel.
He used his nose to push a monkey nut through the streets of London. I saw this on the news and couldn't help but wonder why this boy is not in a mental institution. Well, while I was at work, I found that he actually completed his 'task'. He rolled that nut for 7 miles, thruogh bird poo, some people spat in front of him, dirt, oh my God. What a really jobless, misguided youth.
He had hoped that Tony Blair would wipe out his 15,000 pound debt. But Blair didn't even greet him at Number 10. Thankfully, he was given a cup of coffee. Then he said "I'm off to have a bath".
Good on ya Mark. Good on ya.
Bling, Blaine !!!
Someone sent me a mail in the office today that really got to me as a Liverpool fan:
“ David Blaine has given up his controversial stunt.
He was told that 44 days doing nothing in a box is not going to break
the record which is currently held by Emile Heskey at 4 years.
For Real Doe! â€
Very funny innit? Anyways, I thought he had given up for real, but now…he’s still there. How could a man do this to himself? He’s going to stay in a 7x7x4 box for 44 days with no food, just water…..why? That must be boring to watch as far as I’m concerned, but people seem to be paying attention. He’s even got a model for a girlfriend who’s actually allowing him to so this, she’s even defending him!! I trust my own girlfriend, if I ever even thought about it……………..
Anyway, my conclusion is that David Blaine is an illusionist, and as far as I’m concerned, he’s doing something to make us think he’s there for 44 days with no food. Either it’s all an elaborate trick……..or the water he’s drinking is laced with something. So my guess is, yes, he’ll make it. He’s even predicting that towards the end, he’ll go out of his mind. You’re already more than halfway there David. And I won’t be surprised if he does go out of his mind, it’s all in the script !!! Innit ?
At least, he got woken up by drummers on Sunday morning, and apparently even got 'flashed' by drunk women. mmmmmmmmmmm
“ David Blaine has given up his controversial stunt.
He was told that 44 days doing nothing in a box is not going to break
the record which is currently held by Emile Heskey at 4 years.
For Real Doe! â€
Very funny innit? Anyways, I thought he had given up for real, but now…he’s still there. How could a man do this to himself? He’s going to stay in a 7x7x4 box for 44 days with no food, just water…..why? That must be boring to watch as far as I’m concerned, but people seem to be paying attention. He’s even got a model for a girlfriend who’s actually allowing him to so this, she’s even defending him!! I trust my own girlfriend, if I ever even thought about it……………..
Anyway, my conclusion is that David Blaine is an illusionist, and as far as I’m concerned, he’s doing something to make us think he’s there for 44 days with no food. Either it’s all an elaborate trick……..or the water he’s drinking is laced with something. So my guess is, yes, he’ll make it. He’s even predicting that towards the end, he’ll go out of his mind. You’re already more than halfway there David. And I won’t be surprised if he does go out of his mind, it’s all in the script !!! Innit ?
At least, he got woken up by drummers on Sunday morning, and apparently even got 'flashed' by drunk women. mmmmmmmmmmm
Windows vs. Linux……what a day !!!
Why o why? Every time I try to help Microsoft, they go ahead and mess themselves up. Just after the study from yesterday that claimed it was cheaper to keep existing Windows clients than migrate to Linux, I had a horrible ‘anti-Microsoft’ day!!
First of all, my computer was hit by the MSBlaster worm first thing in the morning. How can an IT guy’s system go down? Well, when the warning about MSBlaster came out, I managed to patch all the systems on my network……except mine, just a simple, but cruel oversight. So I spent an hour or so trying to figure out how to get rid of it. Luckily for me the Windows Update patch was on our network, or I’d have been in real trouble. Anyways, after doing that, I found this neat(and free!) scanning tool, that checks which systems on your network are vulnerable to infection by bugs such as MSBlaster.
So I scanned the network and found 11 PCs were still ‘unpatched’ and went through the motions of patching them all. After that it was 12 noon, time for lunch, right? No !! I get to my table and as soon as I wave my mouse, I am greeted by an email warning of a newly discovered vulnerability with Windows PCs, and the likelihood of Blaster-like worms coming up in a matter of days. This meant I had to re-“patch†every single PC on the network. So here we go again, downloaded all the relevant patches from Microsoft’s site and around 6pm, began patching all the systems again. I left the office at a few minutes to 8pm, but hey how else would people know I work in IT?
Just finished patching this morning, and guess what? September 11th (Yesterday) ‘memorial’ virus warnings!! ARGGGGHHH !!! This time, I composed a mail to all users on the network, the memory of cleaning up Sobig.F virus from a PC just yesterday fresh in my mind. Now, everyone is calling me “Mr. Virusâ€, but would you blame them?
Linux has none of these problems. No viruses, no worms, nothing. So what do I do award them a point in the ongoing battle? Not quite. For all these Microsoft problems, Linux has some ongoing problems of their own, in the form of the lawsuit mayhem I’m still trying to understand. So penalty points to both sides.
I'm still a little confused about the Microsft/Linux cost issue. Ernie Ball, the world's largest maker of guitar strings (endorsed by leading musicians including Eric Clapton and Metallica) had a run-in with Microsoft and decided to switch to Linux.(In one of my previous posts) Anyway, the CEO Sterling Ball has gained some popularity after the success of this, and he's invited to speak at Technology conferences. He claims that it's cheaper for them to run Linux. So who do we believe? A transcript of an interview he did with CNET.com is here. So, there is life after Microsoft after all.
The score is still tied…………..Linux 1 – Windows 1. But only just.
First of all, my computer was hit by the MSBlaster worm first thing in the morning. How can an IT guy’s system go down? Well, when the warning about MSBlaster came out, I managed to patch all the systems on my network……except mine, just a simple, but cruel oversight. So I spent an hour or so trying to figure out how to get rid of it. Luckily for me the Windows Update patch was on our network, or I’d have been in real trouble. Anyways, after doing that, I found this neat(and free!) scanning tool, that checks which systems on your network are vulnerable to infection by bugs such as MSBlaster.
So I scanned the network and found 11 PCs were still ‘unpatched’ and went through the motions of patching them all. After that it was 12 noon, time for lunch, right? No !! I get to my table and as soon as I wave my mouse, I am greeted by an email warning of a newly discovered vulnerability with Windows PCs, and the likelihood of Blaster-like worms coming up in a matter of days. This meant I had to re-“patch†every single PC on the network. So here we go again, downloaded all the relevant patches from Microsoft’s site and around 6pm, began patching all the systems again. I left the office at a few minutes to 8pm, but hey how else would people know I work in IT?
Just finished patching this morning, and guess what? September 11th (Yesterday) ‘memorial’ virus warnings!! ARGGGGHHH !!! This time, I composed a mail to all users on the network, the memory of cleaning up Sobig.F virus from a PC just yesterday fresh in my mind. Now, everyone is calling me “Mr. Virusâ€, but would you blame them?
Linux has none of these problems. No viruses, no worms, nothing. So what do I do award them a point in the ongoing battle? Not quite. For all these Microsoft problems, Linux has some ongoing problems of their own, in the form of the lawsuit mayhem I’m still trying to understand. So penalty points to both sides.
I'm still a little confused about the Microsft/Linux cost issue. Ernie Ball, the world's largest maker of guitar strings (endorsed by leading musicians including Eric Clapton and Metallica) had a run-in with Microsoft and decided to switch to Linux.(In one of my previous posts) Anyway, the CEO Sterling Ball has gained some popularity after the success of this, and he's invited to speak at Technology conferences. He claims that it's cheaper for them to run Linux. So who do we believe? A transcript of an interview he did with CNET.com is here. So, there is life after Microsoft after all.
The score is still tied…………..Linux 1 – Windows 1. But only just.
11.9.03
Windows vs. Linux……the story continues
OK, there is apparently a new study that proves that Microsoft is cheaper than Linux, and this time it’s an independent study, so we have to ‘try’ and believe them. It claims that only people using Microsoft’s older desktop operating systems will save money by switching to Linux will save money, most of the added costs come in form of training, labour and external services. The report does indicate however that using Linux for the server end of the network saves you money everytime. The main problem I see with using Linux in a workplace like mine is that certain applications may not be available to run on Linux, for example payroll software, accounting packages, project management software, the very thought of it all makes me cringe with fear.
However, Sppadic who is now a confirmed Linux disciple sent this in yesterday, and you guessed it, it’s an article extolling the many attributes and the recent success of Linux. Certain high profile Linux desktop deployments are mentioned in the article, particularly the City of Munich in Germany and the regional government in Extremadura, Spain.
So I guess the score is Linux 1 – Windows 1.
And the crowd goes crazy……………………..
However, Sppadic who is now a confirmed Linux disciple sent this in yesterday, and you guessed it, it’s an article extolling the many attributes and the recent success of Linux. Certain high profile Linux desktop deployments are mentioned in the article, particularly the City of Munich in Germany and the regional government in Extremadura, Spain.
So I guess the score is Linux 1 – Windows 1.
And the crowd goes crazy……………………..
Music to my ears………
Concerning my previous post about the people who were handed lawsuits for sharing music on their systems, if you can remember(or bother to scroll down) there was a 12-year old girl who was also handed a lawsuit. Well, it seems to have turned out OK for her, because a trade group representing 6 of the biggest file sharing websites has promised to pay her fine for her!! They just saved her mum from a HUGE bill…..(and if she was Nigerian, they saved her from a spanking).
And in the darkness blog them……..!!!
Good news for all bloggers !! Our friends at Google who bought up blogger.com have decided that certain features available only to paying �bloggers� are now free for all !! So we get all these features for free. I can see that my interface has a few added items, which means it�s all SYSTEMS go�������..
10.9.03
Windows vs. Linux……and the winner is…….
In the continuing Windows vs. Linux war, both sides continue to claim victory at different times. Micrsoft has many enemies, and are constantly at war with everyone. Sppadic, a good friend of mine was a big Microsoft fan when I left Liverpool in March 2003. Today however, the Communications and Signal Processing group where he’s doing his Ph.d have converted him to a MASSIVE fan of Linux. I have continuously tried to win him back to Microsoft, but he continues to sing praises about all things Linux.
Anyways, today I read on the Internet about how a study proved that Windows was cheaper to implement than Linux. After reading it, I realized that it was a Microsoft-sponsored study, and only 12 ‘small’ companies were surveyed. Come on, did you actually think we were going to fall for that? I suddenly remembered something I read a few weeks ago about a small-sized firm switching from Microsoft to Red Hat Linux after an ugly experience with Microsoft over licensing issues. The result? He’s saving money, big time. And no problems with viruses, crashing, etc.
A few weeks ago, the MSBlaster worm used a well-publicized vulnerability of Microsoft Windows to ‘sneak’ into computer systems worldwide and brought many networks to their knees. Well, guess what? According to one person who tried everything he could to get rid of the worm from his computer, there was only way one way. He switched from his Windows PC to his Apple Mac.
So slowly but surely, Linux is winning me over. (Sppadic stop smiling). I’m currently working as a network administrator on a network with 50 clients. If I mention the word ‘Linux’, my boss goes on the offensive immediately, the mere thought of having to configure all the systems and train all the users scares me too. The workload will be………a lot. But one day, Microsoft may just send me over the edge and I’ll flip. Currently, I’m now 55% Microsoft, 45% Linux…..and the balance is still shifting towards Linux on a daily basis.
Any thoughts? Email me if you agree or even dare to disagree with any of my opinions.
Anyways, today I read on the Internet about how a study proved that Windows was cheaper to implement than Linux. After reading it, I realized that it was a Microsoft-sponsored study, and only 12 ‘small’ companies were surveyed. Come on, did you actually think we were going to fall for that? I suddenly remembered something I read a few weeks ago about a small-sized firm switching from Microsoft to Red Hat Linux after an ugly experience with Microsoft over licensing issues. The result? He’s saving money, big time. And no problems with viruses, crashing, etc.
A few weeks ago, the MSBlaster worm used a well-publicized vulnerability of Microsoft Windows to ‘sneak’ into computer systems worldwide and brought many networks to their knees. Well, guess what? According to one person who tried everything he could to get rid of the worm from his computer, there was only way one way. He switched from his Windows PC to his Apple Mac.
So slowly but surely, Linux is winning me over. (Sppadic stop smiling). I’m currently working as a network administrator on a network with 50 clients. If I mention the word ‘Linux’, my boss goes on the offensive immediately, the mere thought of having to configure all the systems and train all the users scares me too. The workload will be………a lot. But one day, Microsoft may just send me over the edge and I’ll flip. Currently, I’m now 55% Microsoft, 45% Linux…..and the balance is still shifting towards Linux on a daily basis.
Any thoughts? Email me if you agree or even dare to disagree with any of my opinions.
9.9.03
Death by a million tracks…….
It’s finally happened. We’ve all been wondering what the recording industry would do to people who downloaded music on the web through sites like Kazaa. And this morning, we all woke up to the news that 261 people have been charged with illegally sharing music on their computers, including a 71 year old grandfather and a 12 year old girl. The Recording Industry Association of America (RIAA) has filed lawsuits against them, and those found guilty could be made to pay $150,000 per song. Now let’s see, A friend of mine has about 20 GB of music on his system, that means he could pay………..and a certain research group in a uni I went to, with 14 GB you could be next !!!
The RIAA has been accused of being heavy handed, but they insist that more lawsuits are to follow. They are also expected to announce an amnesty for people who admit they have downloaded music illegally, as long as they promise to delete all the music on their systems and stop the ‘evil’ practice. The music industry blames sharing of music online for falling CD sales worldwide.
Boso cries “FOULâ€. First of all, sharing music is a global thing. By punishing Americans, this has no effect on people like me in Nigeria, who know that no American lawsuit can touch me. So should we just move the massive music databases to Nigeria? (Or any other ‘offshore’ location). And these lawsuits are a joke. An interesting article by Peter Cochrane calculated how long it would take to sue all music-swappers. In the US alone, we have about 60 million music swappers. And if they sued 60 of them per day, they would need one million days, or 2,739 years to sue them all. The music industry needs to move into the 21st century and figure out how to start selling music online. They’ve been ripping us off for years, it takes less than 20c to make a CD and they sell it to us for $20. Things move back into the consumers hands, and they panic.
Finally, they claim that CD sales are down. Not so according to this. In the UK extreme competition has driven CD prices to the lowest levels ever, and now CD sales are at record levels. Profits are down, but who cares????????
They claim that copying music has affected the sales of music. I think that the real reason is that the music is not as good as it used to be, all we get is crap music, and the really good ones are those that are sampled from oldies……..I think good music will still sell.
STOP PRESS: Finally someone who agrees with me !! Will Strugeon of silicon.com also agrees that good music still sells well. He also believes that people use downloaded music to decide before they buy. Read it here.
The RIAA has been accused of being heavy handed, but they insist that more lawsuits are to follow. They are also expected to announce an amnesty for people who admit they have downloaded music illegally, as long as they promise to delete all the music on their systems and stop the ‘evil’ practice. The music industry blames sharing of music online for falling CD sales worldwide.
Boso cries “FOULâ€. First of all, sharing music is a global thing. By punishing Americans, this has no effect on people like me in Nigeria, who know that no American lawsuit can touch me. So should we just move the massive music databases to Nigeria? (Or any other ‘offshore’ location). And these lawsuits are a joke. An interesting article by Peter Cochrane calculated how long it would take to sue all music-swappers. In the US alone, we have about 60 million music swappers. And if they sued 60 of them per day, they would need one million days, or 2,739 years to sue them all. The music industry needs to move into the 21st century and figure out how to start selling music online. They’ve been ripping us off for years, it takes less than 20c to make a CD and they sell it to us for $20. Things move back into the consumers hands, and they panic.
Finally, they claim that CD sales are down. Not so according to this. In the UK extreme competition has driven CD prices to the lowest levels ever, and now CD sales are at record levels. Profits are down, but who cares????????
They claim that copying music has affected the sales of music. I think that the real reason is that the music is not as good as it used to be, all we get is crap music, and the really good ones are those that are sampled from oldies……..I think good music will still sell.
STOP PRESS: Finally someone who agrees with me !! Will Strugeon of silicon.com also agrees that good music still sells well. He also believes that people use downloaded music to decide before they buy. Read it here.
Computer modelling and Bushmeat. Say what?
I couldn’t believe it, computers and bush meat. For those of us who love the protein-enriched stuff you can only get back in Africa, check out how computer models will ensure that we can be eating bush meat for years to come here.
Chelsea does it again
Haven’t blogged in a while, I’ve been really busy and all. I had my name omitted from the National Youth Service Corps call-up list, so I’m stuck for another 6 months or so, my life ‘technically’ on hold. However, I strongly believe for there has to be a reason for this, God knows what He’s doing.
Anyways, let’s get back to basics. And how better to start than the story of the century? Chelsea’s Russian revolution has just completed a major coup. Bigger than all the multi-million pound players they’ve signed. They just ‘stole’ Peter Kenyon from Man.Utd. Kenyon was a major player in making Man. U. the financial success they are right now. Before him, Martin Edwards had a salary cap in place. Kenyon’s removing of this cap meant Man. Utd. could keep players like Beckham, Keane, Scholes, etc. He handled the signings of Rio Ferdinand, Veron and the great Ruud Van Nistelrooy. And he’s taking to Chelsea his massive influence and respect in footballing circles. What does this move mean? Chelsea want the big time. And they’re not waiting for anyone….they want it, and they want it now……..
Anyways, let’s get back to basics. And how better to start than the story of the century? Chelsea’s Russian revolution has just completed a major coup. Bigger than all the multi-million pound players they’ve signed. They just ‘stole’ Peter Kenyon from Man.Utd. Kenyon was a major player in making Man. U. the financial success they are right now. Before him, Martin Edwards had a salary cap in place. Kenyon’s removing of this cap meant Man. Utd. could keep players like Beckham, Keane, Scholes, etc. He handled the signings of Rio Ferdinand, Veron and the great Ruud Van Nistelrooy. And he’s taking to Chelsea his massive influence and respect in footballing circles. What does this move mean? Chelsea want the big time. And they’re not waiting for anyone….they want it, and they want it now……..
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