Hell Yeah Bitch! .com Wishes You a Happy New Year
On behalf of all of us at Hell Yeah Bitch! .com, (its a little known fact we have a staff of 100s of people…yes, we are underachievers.) want to wish you a happy new year. We’ve been through a lot of growth this year and several design changes (Sorry about that.), and we hope that we will continue to grow in the new year. Keep reading and keep (or start) commenting, we’ll do the best we can to make sure we keep throwing new crap up here. Most of it should be worthy of reading.
…and I promise, less design changes in 2006.
Thanks.
Dan is Released from his SBC Shackles
When I got the nastygram in the mail a few days ago I realized that I had let my little feud with SBC go on a little too long. The note was along the lines of “pay us our protection money now or we’ll fuck with your credit for the next 7 years” or some crazy nonsense. This led to a wonderful conversation with a SBC representative about my bill (who actually spoke real English, imagine that).
Me: “You sent me a nastygram”
SBC: “Pay your bill”
Me: “No. I haven’t had service for a while”
SBC: “That’s because you’ve not paid your bill”
Me: “No, my DSL stopped working because of noise on the line, I called SBC, they did some sort of test and said that the fault was on my side of the wiring. I tested my line at the NID (where SBC’s wire ends, and my local wire starts) and there was static there too. Someone from SBC came out while I was at work and said that he could not hear any noise on the line. I called back, said that was bullshit and I wasn’t going to pay anything until I have service. That was a few months ago. Now I’m talking to you.”
SBC: “Oh. Well, I’m sorry to hear that. If you want your service reinstated we’ll need $180 plus a reconnection fee.”
Me: “No. Being an SBC customer is as enjoyable as being a leech sucking on Wil Wheaton’s left nut.”
How To: Windows Security Hole #3739234098
Nitesh Dhanjani, doesn’t post as often as most others do on the O’Reilly blogs, but when he does, its always good. Take today’s for instance. Want to see the power of the newest un-patched (as of this writing) expolit of Windows’ “Picture and Fax Viewer Metafile Overflow Vulnerability”? Nitesh shows you the way…Exploiting the Windows XP/2003 Picture and Fax Viewer Metafile Overflow Vulnerability
I’m not going to bother quoting it. You can click the link if you want. But its truly interesting, powerful and scary for those of you that have Windows boxes at home. (I don’t by the way [insert Nelson from the Simpsons laugh]).
Now don’t go and do anything bad with that ok?
Textpattern, WordPress or stay with MovableType?
Where are the posts?!
First off, get off my back! Secondly, I spent my day touching up the new design that I guess everyone likes because no one has said anything and playing (read: banging head against wall) with WordPress and Textpattern. Yeah, I’ve been thinking about switching away from movable type (the backend blogging software we use here at the site) again. Mainly because this site is just getting big enough, 700+ articles and 500+ comments, that the rebuilds are killing me and wordpress and textpattern don’t need to rebuild. I tried playing with the dynamic aspects of MovableType today too, but I wasn’t impressed.
So after wasting my day and getting frustrated with test installs, is HYB moving blogging software? Nope. Not now at least. Textpattern just wasn’t 100% what I’m looking for. I’m not sure why, but it just didn’t feel like it was what I needed. However, textpattern was closer to getting me to move than WordPress, everyone’s favorite. The major problem? WordPress’ MovableType importer in their 2.0 version sucks completely. It doesn’t import the comments correctly or update the number of comments for each article correctly (the “comments_count” field) and it doesn’t import any of my keywords at all. The last one isn’t a “bug” though…I looked in the code, they just ignore the keywords.
If wordpress would fix their importer, I might switch to them. I’m currently entertaining thoughts about just fixing the importer and moving, but I’m not sure if thats worth the trouble. MovableType is really fine, its just those damn rebuilds… Maybe I’ll take a peak and see what it would take to fix the importer.
Anyone know of someone who has already done this work? No? I didn’t think so. Anyone out there feel like convincing me to move to Textpattern or WordPress? Anyone have any thoughts on anything at all? Are you hungry?
Editor’s Note: Wow, I just read this post and it might be the most “bloggy” post I have ever put up there. Talk about a random thought stream. I promise some real content tomorrow.
The New New Site Design
Consider this a “public beta”. I have opened the door to the HYB testing site for the new few days to allow those that care to take a look at a new design I’m working on for Hell Yeah Bitch! .com. Since the last redesign was so universally hated, I hope this one goes over better. It has a chance, considering it looks absolutely nothing like that last one. I tried to get away from the usual “blog” look, hopefully I got it right.
To get to the beta site, take a left at the Burger King and head to: testing.hellyeahbitch.com Take a look a leave a comment here (For those of you reading this post on the beta site, leave a comment on this post by using the absolute link here.)
The only thing I don’t like about this design is the logo looks horrible now. Suggestions? If you are good at Photoshop or GIMP please throw together a quick logo idea for us. I would love to think our readership will will shower me with some great ones and we can do a vote on which is the best. However, my hopes are not high. Email all submissions to mike at hellyeahbitch.com
Thanks guys. Ok, now let me have it!
Mike’s Predictions for 2006
It seems bloggers have to do one or both of the following things at the end of every year or someone will take their Blogger account away: Recap the current year, or give a list of predictions for the next year. Since I just got a call about them taking my seldom used Blogger account away from me (you never know, I might need it.), I better get to it! I present to you my predictions for 2006:
1. Jason Calacanis will continue to go on and on about Weblogs Inc, AOL and rival Gawker. Only his employees will care.
2. After the new year, things will get crazy at MacRumors with all the Mac World buzz. Someone will find a video or picture which will be about as grainy as the Loch Ness footage and it will claim to be the first look at the new Intel Mac that will be faster, have a cheese grater built it and give you a hand job if you feel sad. Thankfully the footage is even grainer during the hand job demonstration.
3. There will be another comic book movie released (not in the Spiderman or X-Men family) and everyone will be very excited about it until someone actually watches it.
4. Windows Vista will be released but in their rush to get it out, Microsoft will eliminate the following items: Security, the ability to open multiple windows, and your only wall paper can be a the Time magazine cover will the Gates’ on it.
5. …wait what? Scratch that last one. Vista won’t come out.
6. Jessica Simpson will fall in love with me and then I’ll have to think of a way to let her down gently.
7. BoingBoing will post 238 unicorn pictures.
8. Google will make something new. People will go crazy talking about it. When its released people will scramble to sign up, followed by 1000s of blog articles about how its “The greatest thing ever!” or how bad “It sucks!”
9. Everyone will chill out a little bit on Podcasts.
10. It will rain. At least once.
There you have it. If I’m right: I told you so. If I’m wrong: I can’t believe you remembered these predictions.
Getting Tip-sy With Phaticon #001
Editor’s Note: We are trying out a couple of new things with this post. The first thing is “tips” for different random computer things for our less techno-savvy readers (and maybe some of the savvy ones too.) The second thing we are trying out is a new writer, who’s name is sadly Mike, so that we’ll have to do something about that.
Please leave any comments or thoughts you have on either of these additions in the comments. Also, if you have any ideas what we can call “New Mike” because we can’t have two Mikes, and I was here first so I win this battle.
Since Dan and I can’t seem to shut up about Macs all the time, we thought it would be nice to have the first tip be about Windows. Enjoy.
Change the registered organization and/or owner of XP
Okay so you bought a used PC from someone and it still has their name under the General Tab on the System Properties. It can be annoying to see someone elseís name on there when it should be yours. After all, you own the PC. Maybe the PC belonged to you and a significant other that you are no longer with. Now you can get rid of that name and add yours with this tip.
Please use this Registry edit at your own risk. You should make a backup copy of your Registry everytime you change registry files.
- Open the Start menu, click on Run, then type regedit and click OK.
- Find the following registry key: HKEY_LOCAL_MACHINE\SOFTWARE\Microsoft\Windows NT\CurrentVersion.
- Find the string value RegisteredOwner, then right-click Modify and edit the value. This is the value where your name goes.
- Click OK.
- Find the string value RegisteredOrganization, then right-click Modify and edit the value.
- Change this value to the Organization that you belong to if this applies to you.
- Click OK, exit the Registry editor and reboot your system.
Now your name will be displayed in the System Properties as it should be. I know this tip really isnít useful as it quite pointless, but at least now you can change the name of the Owner and/or Organization of your PC. You can see from mine that I changed it to Tardmonkey. This is an easy edit for this type of thing.
Charlize Theron Flaunts It
We do a lot of tech-based content on Hell Yeah Bitch! .com, but I’m of the mind that sometimes you’ve got to get your head out of the nerd books and read and look at something else. Case in point, Charlize Theron was recently interviewed and photographed (a lot) for Flaunt Magazine. Just Jared has the whole shebang, articles and pictures up on his site.
Take a break from your geekery and read about (and look at) one of the hottest broads in Hollywood.
Editor’s Note: Sorry for the title re-tred, but what else are you going to title this post? Its really the only option.
Take Better Pictures
Now that the holidays are so close you can smell them, I think most of us could use a little refresher on how to take better photos. So here is a nice little article from PushStop.com on how to do just that.
If we could just all follow these tips, flickr could be a much better place.
Link: Better Holiday Photos
Follow Up: Adamn Curry AND Jimmy Wales Like Themselves, What a Shocker
This is a follow up on a piece a wrote on December 1st, 2005 entitled “Adam Curry Likes Himself, What a Shocker”
I told you. I thought it was no secret that most people like themselves, but when I told that shocking truth on this very site not long ago, people responded with “I see your point” and nothing further. People were amazed and shocked that Adam Curry would have the gall to go and edit his own entry in Wikipedia. Here’s what I said before:
So you make a encyclopedia that anyone can edit. Very hippie, very peace and love, very cool…and also very dumb if you can honestly tell me that you never thought this would happen. Of course this is going to happen! This isn’t the first time, this won’t be the last time, and in fact, its probably happening right now. People are going to want to get themselves in the world-renowned Wikipedia, what a shocker, and if they are already in it, people will want to get a bigger piece of the pie. I thought this was known, I thought this was assumed, but for some reason, someone busted Curry editing the Podcast article a few times and now people are whining and making lame titled blog posts about it.
That part about how “it happens all the time” and “its probably happening right now”? It turns our that was more right that I, and my detractors, thought. It just so happened that the next person with their “caught” editing a editable encyclopedia was the founder himself Jimmy Wales. This according to Wired News:
Public edit logs reveal that Wales has changed his own Wikipedia bio 18 times, deleting phrases describing former Wikipedia employee Larry Sanger as a co-founder of the site.
Hmm. Interesting. To this I once again say: Who cares? Its an editable dictionary people! If it can be edited, it will be edited…and if there is an entry about you, you are probably going to want to go in and tweak it to your liking. No big surprise, no big deal. I don’t want to write my last article over again, but really. Why is everyone getting all pissed off about nothing? Anyone can edit it the thing…if its not what the community believes to be true, its changed back or to something else. Rinse. Repeat.
I’ll leave you with one last quote from the Wired Article:
While he said that Wikipedia generally frowns on people editing entries about themselves, there is no hard and fast rule against it.
Links:
Wired | Wikipedia Founder Edits Own Bio
Hell Yeah Bitch! | Adam Curry Likes Himself, What a Shocker