Village Gamer (Tami being the head person) recently started up a monthly event called VINO… it’s like a gathering of the geeks for Vancouver.  *smirk*  Industry professionals from all branches come together for an evening of discussion, eating, drinking, and all around a good time.  With December’s event (the second one) coming up fast*** (I hear rumours of DJ music or Rock Band, but that’s still in the works), I think VINO is well on it’s way to being a great monthly event.

While I’m discussing Village Gamer, it seems that Tami is finally being recognized as a major Canadian News Site for the industry… a few weeks ago, she received a press copy of Dragon Age Origins (which I am sure Tami will tell you is one of her favorite games right now).  I think this is indication of great things for Village Gamer… all the hard work that Tami is putting into the site and it’s content might finally be starting to come back.

All in all, it’s been an interesting few months around the household, and I can’t wait to see what the new year brings… I imagine February will involve a lot of time spent NOT in Vancouver, so maybe February will be the time to finish the garage…?

*** NOTE: this has been written over the past few weeks while at work, to keep from damaging my desk with my forehead… so some events have already come and passed.  Might help if I remembered to send my txt files home before logging the work computer off for the night, but when you’re struggling just to keep up, stuff like that is the last thing on your mind.

So, on a whim (well, not so much, as I had been eyeing them up since the first generation was released), Tami and I headed into Abbotsford to visit James Kavin at the Rogers store (at Sevenoaks Mall, great service) and see about getting the new iPhone 3Gs.  After much discussion with the service representative about various methods to have the phone added to my account, we figured out a way to make it work well for both myself and Mike (who will soon be inheriting a new-ish HTC Touch Diamond).

Opening the box and turning it on for the first time, I was somewhat surprised by the speed.  Mind you, I have not had an older-gen iPhone to compare it to, but having come from a Motorola RAZR3, then to a Blackberry Pearl 8100, then to an HTC Touch Diamond, the 3GS was (to borrow from Rogers motto) Rocket fast.  Thus far, on initial testing the only problems I have encountered have been (and I will try to go into some detail as to why they are problems to me):

• Applications do not seem to like running in the background.  What I mean here is, when you have an Instant Messenger program running, and you go back to your home screen… well, it logs you out.  Many of them now support Push, and will send you an SMS when you receive a message while “offline”, but I personally like just being able to cycle between programs without them actually closing.  Background processes in Windows Mobile was one of its obvious selling features for me.  Especially since I tend to log into SSH from my phone to manage our servers, and having it log me back out each time I look at a different screen gets a bit tedious.
• Only being able to obtain LEGAL apps for the iPhone through the iTunes store.  That’s great, but you know, sometimes I want to help support those “basement coders” just as much as the people who sit in an office developing all day.  You will notice that I highlighted the Legal part there.  Yes I know that there are ways to bypass iTunes when installing Apps… so there is no need for anyone to comment reply this post with a walkthrough on jailbreaking, or on cracked apps… it’s not something we support here, and I am pretty sure if you walk into any Rogers/AT&T store and ask them about jailbreaking your iPhone, you’ll end up getting a 15 minute lecture on why they don’t allow it on their service.  Let’s not even begin to get into the specifics on what sort of risks you face with bricking your phone by going through that route.
• The inability to “browse” the phone files, like you can with Windows Mobile.  I understand that Apple is protecting their product, and trying to keep the average user from turning their shiny new phone into a Frisbee or a paper weight, but sometimes I like to be able to simply click on a file from an explorer window, and select “delete” without having to go through a resource-heavy program like iTunes.
• Syncing is a bit of a headache.  If you happen to make an iTunes App purchase from your phone, you will need to first “transfer your purchases” from your phone to your iTunes… even if the purchases where made on the same account.  If you fail to do this, the purchased App won’t be on your phone after you sync with iTunes.  I would think that a better design would have allowed for iTunes to store your App purchase history on their servers so that it just knew what was already purchased from your phone.  Or maybe to have the iTunes only sync newer content in both directions, so that nothing actually vanished from either end.  Wishful thinking I suppose.I am sure there are problems that I can come up with over the phone (I have not yet noticed the often-reported overheating issue yet,  but working in an office with A/C and not putting the GPS to much use thus far is likely one of the main reasons why), but I hear food cooking and all thoughts just sort of go out the window at that point.

Some of the definite selling points for the phone are:

• The screen is large.  With the screen taking up 90% of the front of the phone, it makes it very easy to both navigate and read sites.  I found on the HTC that, while the screen was a decent size, a lot of sites required several zoom selections and a lot of scrolling in order to read even the most basic of sites.  iPhone is a winner here.
• The camera takes phenomenal pictures.  With a 3MP builtin camera, the pictures that I’ve taken are right up to par with the standard $100+ digital cameras you would find on the market.  I admit, it’s no SLR camera by any means, but when you need a camera fast, it’s a good way to go.  And now that they have brought about digital video recording as well, any superiority that the HTC had in this area has been lost.  Good move on Apple’s part.
• The GPS is awesome.  Being a typical male *cough*, asking for directions isn’t exactly my forte… and the HTC tended to take as long as 5 minutes to locate GPS satellites before it could tell me where I was.  Usually by that point, I would have either been mugged, or found a coffee shop to ask how to get back to “the good part of town”.  The GPS on the 3GS, for one reason or another that currently escapes me, takes seconds… the longest I have had to wait so far was just under a minute… and this was while in my office at work (yeah, I get bored in there sometimes and need a reminder that yes, I am still at work).  While it only comes with Google Maps integrated (I would have liked to see some sort of Tom-Tom-like interface that could tell me that I need to turn left at the next corner, instead of assuming I know how to read a map), the gyrometer that the 3Gs now uses allows for “on the fly” map rotation, allowing me to always know which way is actually North, based on the direction I am facing.
• A very large portion of iPhone apps are actually developed right here in Canada.  While this may not exactly be an iPhone or an Apple perk, it’s most certainly one for Canada.  Kudos to Canadian App coders!
• Many of the Apps are actually reasonably priced.  Yes, you do have to sometimes pay for the programs you want… but with the literally thousands and thousands of Apps available on iTunes, it wouldn’t be too hard to find exactly what you are looking for.  Sure, there are a few out there that are… well, I guess I could say unreasonably priced, but you encounter that anywhere you go.  I can justify the higher prices on some Apps by simply pointing out that you’re probably still saving money over buying new hardware that does the exact same thing… and only that thing.  So overall, you’re likely still ahead.  And if not, just be determined and keep hunting for a cheaper version.

Overall I am thus far very impressed with the investment.  While it is of course open to improvement (as any piece of hardware would be), it’s certainly a very sleek and smooth-working piece of equipment.  I would avoid just calling it a phone, as it’s become very obvious that we have since moved away from the basic cell phones that were strictly for calls, and the new “mini computers” that we get now.  Apple is well on their way towards dominating the cell market with this release, and I can’t wait to see what they can come up with next to top it.  Expect to hear more from me on this phone as things progress and I discover new and exciting ways to break an iPhone. 

Out of my own curiousity, what do you (the readers) consider to be a “must have” application for the phone, assuming you have one.  Don’t have one?  What would be a definite required application you would want on one if you did?

Tami and I went to see the new Tom Hanks movie the other night… Angels And Demons.  Now, while a lot of people are claiming this to be a sequal to The Da Vinci Code, the book (and the timeline) actually takes place beforehand.  I still haven’t quite figured out if the movie is, though.  They reference a few times his (Professor Landon) past dealings with the Church… now, whether this is hinting at the events of Da Vinci, or just some random past event, I can not say.  The movie as a whole though, I felt was very well done, if not somewhat rushed.  Not rushed in the sense of missing out on the plotline altogether, but just… rushed.  They movied quickly from one point to the next, leaving little time to actually digest what had just happened.  There were a few points in the movie that actually seemed blurred… while they are dealing with one point, a second and third get thrown out there as well, almost as an afterthought.  It all tied together nicely by the end of the movie though, and even left you guessing just a little as to who the “bad guy(s)” really are.  You think you have it all figured out (thinking that it’s some weak plotline just to make sales), then wham, big twist at the end and you’re left thinking “Oh my gawds, how did I miss that???”.  It even has you going over the movie again in your head, with the realizations that you did actually miss those little hints and clues that lead to the final outcome… as a single hint, it’s meaningless… but once you put them all together, it’s like the Fort Knox of secrets playing out.
I am curious as to how the Church is going to react to the movie.  Its not like it’s Anti-Christian or Anti-Vatican… there’s even a nice little piece at the end where Landon (Hanks) realizes that things aren’t really all that bad in Vatican City.  the movie definately does say a lot about the (alleged) secrets of the Vatican vaults, leaving one to wonder (yet again) just how much might really be hidden by the Church.

Anyhow, on to the personal part of my bi-annual post.  You know, the part that usually signifies the fact that I’ve been working on a post for around a week, and just never actually got around to posting it (this is, of course, one of those cases).  To put it simply, I feel like crap.  Have for about a week now, off and on.  I blame John at work.  Why?  He was sick, and I see him at work once in a while… therefore I have decided to make the connection between him bringing the plague to work, and myself now feeling “bleh”.  My blog, my right. 
These 4:30 AM morning are starting to wear thin… I know there are some people who like the idea of starting real early, and getting off work in the early afternoon as a tradeoff… I’ve never been a morning person, so this new schedule is REALLY starting to get to me.  Not to mention that I notice myself snapping at people more at work.  It’s not their fault that I’m not a “people person”, so I should probably be spending more time appologizing to them for my temper… but I noticed today that by snapping once, I actually managed to get something to happen the way I had planned it, as opposed to how the salesman decided to make it at the last second.  I think I just miss spending time outside, and less time locked down in a little office… even if it is one with windows.

At any rate, I have a real packed day tomorrow, so I should probably get this posted and head for a shower and bed.  Hope that my 2 or 3 readers are doing well, and managing to avoid the bug going around.  Take care of yourselves, and see you all again in a few months… you know, when I get around to posting again. 

DSL… Less than a week away.  Just a few more days, and we’ll be packing up the vehicle(s) to prepare our trip into Vancouver for DSL ’08, ready for an early morning departure.
Okay, maybe not really early… probably closer to 10 or 11… but you get the idea.  With some great prizes, and an amazing band who will be playing a live concert there on Saturday night, this will definately be an experience to remember.

I managed to get a few days off this past week… not exactly by choice, though.  Stepping off my firklift on Monday, I somehow managed to either twist wrong or bent wrong or something, because as my foot made contact with the ground, I got this sudden pulling/tearing feeling just below my shoulder blades.  Nice, huh?  It gets better.  Being the typical guy, I decided that whatever it was couldn’t have been too serious, and reported it to the shift supervisor, and kept on working to finish out the day.  Not one of my better ideas, but whatever.
So Tuesday comes along, and things are not happy.  By noon, it hurt to even move… my firklift seat didn’t really help the situation much, what with forklifts not having any shocks.  Headed to the chiropractors, and after some interesting tests, find out that I had 3 vertibre and 4 spinal ribs out of place that had to be “repositioned”.  Yeah.  OWW!  But wow, did it feel good after.  They couldn’t do anything about my neck for that visit, as its a WCB claim (and the neck is not part of the report), but my back felt great after.  Of course though, I can’t return to work until they say it’s okay, so here I am sitting at home at 11 AM on a Thursday waiting… and waiting… and waiting.
Meanwhile, I just know there’s stuff to be done at work, and that it’s probably superhellainsanebusy… and I’m here, waiting.  Even after I get out of the office, it’ll be close to 3 PM… by the time I got to work, it’d already be 4, and the place closes at 5:15 (can we say pointless trip?).  Theoretically, WCB will cover the 2ish days I’ll be off.  A slight redesign on the forklift would be nice too, as that seat really does NOT help any.
I’m not really sure if they follow this, but I would like to congratulate Matt and Rachel on settling on a (apparently) nice appartment to move into.  I say apparently, because as I write this, I have not yet seen the pictures and can only go on Rachel’s description on her livejournal.  Either way, congratulations you too!  I do NOT envy your next few weeks as you sort and pack and sort and move and sort and unpack and throw away and… well, you get the idea.

As you’ve probably guessed, this blog post was done over the course of… ogh, about a week.  So if you’re confused about the jumping around the calendar thing, let me straiten it up for you real quick.
Journey review: July 21st-ish
DSL blurb #1: July 24th
Back Owwie stuff: July 24th
DSL #2: July 29th
So yeah… about a weekish or so to get this typed.  I guess that’s just how I work.

At any rate, I doubt I’ll be blogging again this week.  I may post from the LAN, but I commit to nothing at this point.  If anything, I’m certain I will have pictures, video, and stories to post when I get back, so be sure to either subscribe to the blog, or check back regularly.  A good, sleep-deprived time is sure to be had by all. 

Later.

…

Are we ever?

Thanks to some incoming assistance from some friends, a lot of stress has been taken off our shoulders, allowing us to focus on other parts of the event, as well as the dozen or four other projects that all suddenly popped up.

Umm… yay?

So, we’ve gone to see a few movies since my last post.  Indiana Jones And The Crystal Skull, Hancock, and Wall-E (which we caught last night in Abby).  Thoughts?  I was actually impressed, for the most part.  I’ll explain a bit here, without spoiling the movies.

Indy.  Well, other than the weird-ish ending, it was a fairly well-done movie, I thought.  Yeah, they deterred from their usual topics of chasing after Xtian relics, and into a mythical outlook (or a different mythical outlook *wink*), and it’s sad to find out that the actual real life Crystal Skull(s) were found to be fake, but overall it was pretty good.  Shia LaBeouf could very easily take on Indiana’s legacy as a treasure hunter, and I think that the movie may have actually left that option open.  I guess it’s whether Lucas and Spielberg are in need of a new gold-plated Mercedes or not.
Speaking of gold plated… HOLY CRAP HANCOCK!!  I have heard a lot of bad reviews about this movie, but honestly, I came out of it happy.  Why?  Other than the fact that everything that Will Smith touches on a July long weekend turns to solid gold, it was like Superman with actual human traits… primarily the flaws.  Sure, one of the flaws was the ability to put back a 40 pounder of any hard alcohol like we drink water… then take out a sign or two while flying drunk… but it brings up the question “If you had the power to save people over and over and over… would you still do it when they stopped thanking you?”.  Throughout the movie, it also moves (somewhat slowly in points) towards the idea of one person being able to change the world.  Yeah, in this movie, part of that seems to involve destroying buildings, cars, trains, streets, people… you know, change the world one piece at a time.  Great ending though (no, I will not spoil it).  Some of it was disgustingly predictable, but overall, I enjoyed it enough that I would seriously like to see it again when it comes out on DVD.
Wall-E.  Great animation, although a bit more “cartoonish” than a lot of the Pixar movies we’ve seen lately, and a strong storyline that remains consistent throughout the movie.  The downside to the storyline?  Well, while the movie was obviously done to market primarily to kids, a lot of the storyline was a bit on the mature side for them (like a lot of “cartoons” now).  It weighed heavily on the Environmental impact humanity has made on the planet, and what it takes to make it better.  Now, this may spoil part of the movie, but it (the movie) also takes a quick jab at American Lifestyle… as people depend more on junkfood and machines, and less on such strenuous tasks as walking, what happens to their bodies?  Hover chairs, though… gotta get me one of those.  The movie touches peoples hearts a few times, like when Wall-E (obviously the main character) starts to… wait, can’t tell that without spoiling things.  Just be ready to tell the kiddies that everything will be alright… Pixar wouldn’t hurt their pocketbooks… I mean, their characters like that.  they did a nice touch of using live action “movie reels” inside the cartoon to give that feel of looking back on “old Earth”… something that, so far as I am aware of anyway, Pixar had not done for any of their other movies.
Oh, and you adults will also get to see a few mini-references to 2001-A Space Odyssey in the movie, so be watching (like you could miss these).

So what’s up in my personal life, other than DSL?  Well, some of the things, I can’t… actually… say.  Well, I can, but I would probably get in trouble and be moved to the couch until after the things are over… that’s a long time, and I’m not THAT into our new couch.  One of the things that I can talk about though, is how creeped out I was the other day at a customer that came into work… she was, I kid you not, airport security’s worst nightmare.  I mean, piercings in moderation is one thing (though not really MY thing), but DAMN, she probably breaks a sweat whenever she’s within 15 feet of a magnet.  She had, and I am not making this up, like 3 in her eyebrow, two in her lower lip, and two in her upper lip, she had both sides of her nose pierced, the center ring (why?  Well, why the hell not.. she’s already going for a 50/50 flesh to metal ratio), she of course had her ears turned into a pin cushion, and the trademark tongue piercing… and that was only what we could see (without asking, which I certainly had no intention of checking into).  Why would someone trash their body like that?  I mean, fine, pierce your ears… but know where to draw the line.  Maybe I’m just alone in thinking that when I look at someones face, I don’t want to be looking at shiny crap ON the face.  Plus, and I mentioned this earlier… imagine what damage could be done if they were to be near one of those big car magnets… or an older microwave.  So, how much do you want to bet that she screams and yells when she gets a paper cut or a sliver? 

At any rate… yeah, piercings and tattoos have never really appealed to me, and this example just made me… ick.  Other than that, it’s mostly SSDD syndrome in the NightStorm way of life.  Things are going well, and they’re of course going to just get better as time progresses.  Check back over the next few weeks, because there’s going to be some awesome announcements coming.  I wish I could make them now… but, well… couch.

Also, check out Tami’s blog (or villagegamer.net), as she’s reviewed a couple of great books on there in the last week or two (well, a lot more than a few, in a much greater length of time, but a couple stand out in my recent memory of 7 days… that’s about all I’m good for right now) that I suggest people check out.  Especially people who like, play, or live within 100 miles of someone who plays, video games.  That’s all of you, for the record.  Just in case you missed that.

 As the story goes, this video was made with an intended purpose… a focus on the War in Iraq.  The statement it makes though, reaches far beyond any one purpose.  This video should be viewed more as a way of life… a better way.  Is it possible that the World can really live this way?

 You decide.

 With each passing day, we have choices to make.  Do we turn left, or right.  Do we smile, or cry.  Do we point and laugh, or do we help the person up?  It doesn’t take much to reach out and make someone else’s life a little better.  Does it?  One World.  Our World.  Together.  Think about it.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=8WVCUEifZYI if it doesn’t work for you…

That’s my new way of life.  Something goes wrong, just move on.  It’s what got me to here, and it’s working out well so far. 

So, here we go.  My list of things I learned through 2007.

What have I learned this year?

• Greyhound sucks.  There is a reason it’s so cheap… that’s the only way someone would willingly spend more than 10 minutes on one of their busses.  Personally though, I don’t think it balances out.
• The best relationship is the one that you never really notice is there until it smacks you right in the face.
• Laying Linoleum sucks… especially when you are very limited in your supply and operating under a "learn as you go" method.
• "Home" isn’t always the place you live.  "Home" is the place you feel you belong.
• New Orleans rawks, and yes, Jino, Donna, Tony and Gail really are as cool in person as they are on the board.
• If someone acts like a nut, it’s very likely that the person truly is in need of mental care
• Suicide is nothing more than a cowards escape… which explains why only a coward would try it
• Once someone lies to your face once (be it about where they are, or who they are sleeping with), there is nothing to stop them from turning into nothing more than a pathological liar… the best thing you can do with a pathological liar is to get as far away from them as you can.
• Women with Russian ancestry are hot.  Or at least one of them. 
• Don’t ever replace the toilet.  If one ever requires replacing, just give up and get a new house.
• Being a "gamer" and living in a "gamer house" is probably one of the most expensive hobbies one can come across.  But at least entertainment is always readily available (assuming you can wrestle the controller out of some one’s hand long enough).
• So there’s this guy… Murphy… he’s not cool.
• Sometimes, it’s not about the destination, but in the journey you took to get there.

I’m here.  And I’m happy.  I hope you all are as well.  Take care.

- Me

   As I thought about it, my phone beeped at me. Hmm… could it be getting jealous of the attention the computer has been getting lately?? Nah… likely just some setting I haven’t found yet to make it stop. I went to Rogers Wireless the other day with Tami to check out new phone plans… turns out I was eligible for a new phone as well. Go figure. Got a Blackberry Pearl 8100 “smart” phone free. Not sure how smart it really is though, as it keeps doing what I tell it to and then getting mad when things break. It plays videos and music though, and has the expandable memory so I can fit lots and lots of junk on it, so I suppose it’s all good. I’m happy with it anyway.

   We went and picked up the family Christmas present the other day too. xBox 360 Elite. I’m impressed. I mean, I’m not much of a Console gamer by any standards (or gamer in general at the moment), but even I found myself messing around in xbox Live and thinking “Okay, I could like this”. We picked up a new Wireless Router to go with it, so it’s online right now. Feel free to add me to your friends list on Live (NightStormDraco), and perhaps I might even be able to figure out how to approve the request. Mike is downstairs right now “testing” it. So far, he’s approved of the purchase. In fact, I think he may have genetically bonded with the chair infront of the TV, as that is pretty much where you can find him now, since it’s been set up.

   What else is new in my life?? Well, the year is almost over. Gonna be time soon where I get to reflect on the events that have passed, and think to the Future that has not yet come. It doesn’t mean I live in the past… no, not in the slightest. I just like to spend some time thinking back on the year, and seeing what I can learn from it… so that hopefully certain fuckups won’t be repeated. I’m certain right now that one of them won’t. Trust is a massive factor in any relationship, and it’s nice to have finally found it. Honesty is another major factor, and I don’t think I can even begin to explain how it feels now to have someone that I can both trust and believe.

   Speaking of whom, Tami is gearing up to take on City Council again about opening a location here in town. I think she has a solid case this time, as the exact same center was recently opened near Toronto, and an article about it was posted in the Globe And Mail (she forwarded a copy to all Council members). We also have our sorta-annual LAN coming up sometime in the sorta-near future. Digital Storm Lan 2008 coming soon to Langley… or Vancouver… or, well… the Lower Mainland.

   I am so proud of her. She has such determination that I have never seen… when she meets an obsticle, instead of becoming discouraged, she takes it head-on and beats her way through it so she can proceed with the plan. And, when someoen says no to her idea, instead of just walking away from it, she goes at it from a different angle until they see it her way. I hope she knows how happy I am to be with her, and, as I said, how proud I am of her.

   Anyway… kinda got off on a multi-tangent. I suppose this counts as enough of an update, though. Hope all of you are doing well, and if I don’t make another post beforehand (though I likely will), I hope your Holidays are safe and happy. Take care, everyone.

- Me

Known as “Remembrance Day” in Canada, and “Veterans Day” in the United States, the meaning is the same. To remember those who made the ultimate sacrifice to assure our freedoms and, in essence, our very way of life that many now take for granted.

Do I support the war? No. There is nothing I would want to see more than our Nations sons and daughters brought home before they too loose their lives. But will I stand and honour them for their choices and their actions? Yes. An amazing artist (who has already made appearances here) wrote an astounding piece called “Soldier” as a tribute to these people, and has made it available for free to anyone who wishes to listen, watch, or use it.

I urge all readers (all what… two or three of you, counting the google bawts) to please take a few minutes to visit This Site and show your support for our armed forces all over the World, both active and retired. You can download the song and video at This Webpage… or you could just watch it down below.

Please do me a favour.  On November 11th, at 11 AM, please take a moment to think of the sacrifices that were made so that you could even take that moment. It won’t kill you.

Take care, everyone.

Some people say, I’m a fighter
Some people hate what I do
I stand for my country
I stand for you

I got a family that loves me
They respect what I do
Try telling your child you’re leaving
Believe me it’s a hard thing to do

So, If I die don’t judge me
Cause, I will not judge you
And If I die, please accept it
Cause, I will die for you

We have our reasons
Rules, morals and beliefs
I won’t slander your opinion
I’m just searching for peace

So, If I die don’t judge me
Cause, I will not judge you
And If I die, please accept it
Cause, I will die for you

I could… but I’m sure most of that will be released slowly in the coming months as the trial progresses and information reaches the WWW.  Besides, why read here when you can read it in any of the thousands of other sites that are focusing on the arrest (even though they are focusing on a site that was attacked for a week, more than one that was attacked for years, but whatever… an arrest is an arrest).  Instead, I think I’ll focus on a lighter note.

Morale.  What’s that, you say?  Well, when Greg was running free, we were under a constant threat of having our sites attacked again (and again, and again), causing yet more damage to the systems and loss of data and coding.  It makes it hard for anyone to want to actually do anything, when you don’t even know how long it will be there for.  With Greg’s arrest, it’s like a weight has been lifted.  People are more willing to talk openly, and to participate in conversations on the forums again.  The threat has been, shall we say, neutralized… at least for the time being.  I mean, there’s still thousands of botnet kiddies out there… packet monkeys riding on the coat tails of the original gods of the hacking world (read: Mitnick).  Taking one kiddie down hardly puts a dent in the global cause.  But it’s one less threat, and that’s good enough for me.

I guess in a way, I could be thanking Greg.  Not that I will, seeing as fate would have played out one way or another anyway, but just the same, his idiocy and stupid choice of actions did speed things up some.  What would I be referring to?  Well, while I had spoken to Tami some beforehand (one of the groups on my IRC was harassing her and her team on another network, so we had to chat to each other on a few occasions to bring peace to the groups), it was the actions of Greg that caused us to begin speaking to each other regularly.  IM, email, IRC, and the occasional 3 AM wake-up call on the phone (“Greg is on IRC, and the server load is going up..” “Okay, I’ll be there in a minute *yawn*”).  As I said, fate would have eventually played it’s part anyway seeing as I already knew Tami, but the fact that we were sort of thrown into a situation where near-constant communication was necessary was a bit of a silver lining to the dark cloud that was sitting over our community for 4 years.  That silver lining, I suppose, has turned into more of a gold ring. 

Anyway, just wanted to point out that even in the shadows of idiocy, there can always be a good side.  I also want to point out that while he was, in all examples given to the public so far, a few KB short of a MB (heh… computer reference), he was actually a very intelligent kid who held great promise if only he would have focused on something more productive instead of destructive.  On several occasions, he was invited to join Killanet as a productive member of the group, and to use his knowledge to help others instead of causing problems.  He, apparently, decided to choose the latter anyway.

On a side-note, I wanted to make a public display of thanks to the officers who worked on this case (who I am not sure if I can name or not, although one in particular always made me laugh while we were discussing the case on the phone, and I’m sure he knows I mean him), as well as Assistant U.S Attorney Matthew Segal and U.S. Attorney McGregor W. Scott for the time and effort they have put into this.  You all are, for the record, life savers.  Not to mention sanity savers (is that even a real term?).  Anyway, thanks everyone.  And thanks to those who actually cared enough to read this.

Anyone looking for updates on the case, please visit our home site, http://www.killanet.net, as that is where the updates will be posted.  That’s also where you can get hold of myself, or the other admins and staff, in regards to this whole mess.

Anyhow, take care everyone, and talk to you soon. 

- Me

Source
McGREGOR W. SCOTT
United States Attorney
Eastern District of California
Sacramento
501 I Street, Suite 10-100
Sacramento, CA 95814

NEWS RELEASE

FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE

INDICTMENT AND ARREST FOR COMPUTER HACKING

SACRAMENTO — United States Attorney McGregor W. Scott announced today the arrest of GREG KING, 21, of Fairfield, California, and the unsealing of an Indictment returned on September 27, 2007, charging KING with four counts of electronic transmission of codes to cause damage to protected computers.

This case is the product of an extensive investigation by the Federal Bureau of Investigation.

According to Assistant United States Attorney Matthew D. Segal, a prosecutor with the Computer Hacking and Intellectual Property section of the U.S. Attorney’s Office who is handling the case, the Indictment alleges that KING used a “botnet” to attack computer servers. A botnet is a network of infected computers that, unbeknownst to their owners, are compromised by a hacker and programmed to respond to a hacker’s commands. The infected computers are referred to as “bots,” “zombies,” or “drones.” According to documents filed with the court, KING allegedly controlled over seven thousand such “bots” and used them to conduct multiple distributed denial of service attacks against websites of two businesses. In a distributed denial of service attack, a hacker directs a large number of infected computers (“bots”) to flood a victim computer with information and thereby disable the target computer. On the Internet, KING was also known as “Silenz, Silenz420, sZ, GregK, and Gregk707.”

When agents went to arrest KING at his residence this morning, KING went out the back door of the residence carrying a laptop computer, depositing it in the bushes in the backyard. Agents obtained a warrant to search KING’s backyard and seized the computer. KING was arrested and is expected to appear before a U.S. Magistrate Judge in Sacramento at 2:00 p.m. today.

The maximum statutory penalty for a violation of transmission of damaging code to a protected computer is ten years imprisonment and a $250,000 fine. However, the actual sentence will be determined at the discretion of the court after consideration of the Federal Sentencing Guidelines, which take into account a number of variables, and any applicable statutory sentencing factors.

The charges are only allegations and the defendant is presumed innocent until and unless proven guilty beyond a reasonable doubt.

You can also read about it Here and Here (You can also download and read a full copy of the Unsealed Indictment at this link).

 Or, if you would prefer to just listen…

The singer is Shawn Hlookoff, and I’m sure the person I’m thinking of as I listen to this song knows that it’s them I am actually thinking of (Assuming they even are aware that this place exists, and have gone through the trouble of actually checking it) , so I’ll just say… I love you Tami (you know, in case there was that small shadow of doubt or something ).

And hey look, there’s lyrics too.  Just for those who are too lazy to listen to the song. 

When I first met you, I was shy
I could not talk, I was toungue tied
You had something that I couldn’t resist
It doesn’t get much better than this

Our first date was long ago
We did not rush, we took it slow
No one guessed we’d be a hit
It doesn’t get much better than this
It doesn’t get much better…

If you want a star, I’ll pull one down
If you need a lift, I’ll get you around
Every day I’m blessed by your kiss
It doesn’t get much better than this

We all share a perfect love
Sometimes it’s smooth, sometimes it’s rough
And we may have our differences
It doesn’t get much better than this
It doesn’t get much better…

If you want a star, I’ll pull one down
If you need a lift, I’ll get you around
Every day I’m blessed by your kiss
It doesn’t get much better than this

If you want a star, I’ll pull one down
If you need a lift, I’ll get you around
Every day I’m blessed by your kiss
It doesn’t get much better
Than this…

Uh huh.

Anyway, what’s up in my life.  Well, I’m happy… that’s something that is still fairly new in my life.  I moved back to BC after 7 years away, and am now with a wonderful woman named Tami, who has amazingly managed to fill in a very large hole in my life that started when I first moved from BC.  We haven’t picked a date for the actual wedding, but it’s coming sometime (she has the ring, so it’s got to ).  She was there for me through every problem I experienced while I was in Michigan, offering me advice and just being my emotional anchor… but it wasn’t until I was back in BC before I realized what was always there right in front of me.  Guys are slow like that.  I guess sometimes it’s all about taking chances.

I took another one of those the other night too (chances, that is).  On a whim, decided to see if I could find Tanis on facebook.  I had one hit, but there was no picture (and a security feature on facebook is that people can’t view your profile unless you are on their friends list).  I sent a random message to someone else on her friends list asking if it was really the Tanis I knew (linked a picture of her and I together), and amazingly, I am now back in contact with my best friend who I have not seen in 10 years.  It’s like everything is suddenly coming together, and making up for all the shit that I had to go through while I was gone.  Karma, perhaps, or just life saying “I guess you deserve a break for once”.

Still trying to adapt to being back in a city… well, sort of a city anyway.  The idea of being able to hear things at night is a bit of a blend between refreshing and annoying.  Its refreshing to hear that “white noise” in the background, but at the same time, I swear if the neighbours behind us don’t shut their little football up at night, the least of their concerns will be whether their drunk friend can find his car at 3 AM (last night… you had to be there).  It’s nice having stores nearby though… that’s something you really miss when you’re on Pender.  No need to get in a vehicle or spend an hour walking just to go get a pop or a snack.

Anyway, I guess that’s sufficient for a first post.  At the moment, I’m sort of more testing that this will actually post (yay for post to email!) and how it looks when/if it does.

Hope everything is going well for you all (those who care to actually read this).

- Me

Now Playing: Snow Patrol – Chasing Cars