So I was jogging on the trail with Darren today, while listening to one of my favorite podcasts by the toally e-famose Molly Wood, Tom Merritt, and Jason Howell (today with Natali Del Conte).  It just so happens that we decided to rest on a bench when I heard this email come up on their conversation:

Not sure how much you picked up from NME but I shamelessly think this story is pretty sweet.

My podcast Hak5, a show that’s been blending underground hacking and mainstream IT since 2005, has been picked up by Revision3. PR: http://revision3.com/blog/2008/08/14/revision3-adds-hak5-program-to-hit-lineup/

Also my girlfriend Shannon (who will be premiering on Hak5 this season) and I are big BOL fans. We’re such huge dorks that we synchronize our iPod Shuffles so that we can listen to you guys while jogging together. Wouldn’t it be crazy if we heard you mention this while we were on the trail?

Love the show, Darren the hacker from Virginia

Oh. My. God.  For MONTHS we’ve joked about calling in and leaving them a voicemail about our cute jogs while listening to Buzz Out Loud, and Darren actually emailed them!  I have to say, I was completely stoked to hear congratulations from one of my fav podcasts. Thanks BOL… Love the show!

Listen to the Buzz Crew’s awesome episode at http://www.cnet.com/8301-11455_1-10019325-10.html

SAN FRANCISCO, CA – August 14, 2008 – Revision3, the TV network for the Internet generation, today announced that it is bringing Hak5, a home-grown hit series fusing underground culture and mainstream IT, to its weekly lineup of pop culture shows. Covering everything from network security, open source software and forensics, to Do It Yourself projects and the homebrew scene, new episodes of Hak5 will launch today on Revision3 at www.revision3.com/hak5.

“Back when we launched Tekzilla, a few fans accused us of ripping off Hak5’s brick-encrusted set. The correlation was spurious, but rather than alienate the industry’s top hackers, we decided it would be better to team up with Hak5 instead,” said Jim Louderback, CEO of Revision3. “Seriously, it’s great to have such a hardcore hacking show round out our coverage for tech fanatics everywhere. And given the street cred of the Hak5 team, I’d rather have them with us than against us.”

Hak5, known as a hybrid of technology and geek humor, has been put together by a band of IT ninjas, security professionals and gaming enthusiasts since 2005. Within its first few months on-air the show had become a hit among tech enthusiasts as well as mainstream media, and currently attracts fans from around the world.

“With this partnership we intend to focus solely on delivering the kind of unique and high quality content our loyal viewers have come to expect”, said Darren Kitchen, Producer, Hak5. “We’re excited to become a part of Revision3’s great lineup of shows – and to extend our devoted audience in the near future.”

The first Hak5 show will launch on Monday, September 8th. Episodes will be hosted by Darren Kitchen, Matt Lestock and Shannon Morse (<–Thats me!) and will appear regularly every Wednesday at 12 p.m. EST.

About Revision3
Revision3 is the first media company that gets it. Born from the Internet, Revision3 is a TV network for the web, creating and producing shows for a new audience: passionate fans who want to watch shows about technology, modern culture and music that entertain, educate and help to expand their life experiences.

The company was founded in 2005 by technology visionaries Kevin Rose, Jay Adelson and David Prager, because they couldn’t find anything they wanted to watch on traditional television. The company is now led by Internet TV pioneer Jim Louderback. With more than 35 million downloads to date (and 4.2 million per month), Revision3’s programs can be found everywhere from Revision3 to a wide range of platforms, including Apple iTunes, Hulu, DivX, YouTube and PyroTV. Shows can be watched on any device, from a cell phone to an Apple Nano, on a computer or a TV.

For more information or to schedule an interview, contact: Sarah Hawes, 212 255 8455 or sarah@rosengrouppr.com.

http://revision3.com/blog/2008/08/14/revision3-adds-hak5-program-to-hit-lineup/

I just received this email from someone in my distant family, and it’s pretty obvious they don’t support Barack Obama like I do.  My suspisions lead me to beleive they don’t support him because he’s black… but that’s just my suspision.  I’d like to share this with you, because whether they like it or not, it actually had some positives in there for a democrat like me. :)  Read on if you wish, but if you don’t agree, please don’t flame.  I’m making an opinion here.

We are witnessing a political phenomenon with Barack Obamaof rare magnitude. His speeches have inspired millions and yet most of his followers have no idea of what he stands for except platitudes of ‘Change’ or that he says he will be a ‘Uniter’. The power of speech from a charismatic person truly can be a powerful thing. Certainly Billy Graham had charisma and both his manner of speech and particularly the content changed millions. On the extreme other hand, the charisma of Adolph Hitler inspired millions and the results were catastrophic. Barack Obama certainly is no Hitler or a Billy Graham, but for many Americans out there feeling just like a surfer who might be ecstatic and euphoric while riding a tidal wave, the real story is what happens when it hits shore.
Just Some of What Defines Barack Obama:

* He voted against banning partial birth abortion.
* He voted no on notifying parents of minors who get out-of-state abortions.
* Supports affirmative action in Colleges and Government.
* In 2001 he questioned harsh penalties for drug dealing.
* Says he will deal with street level drug dealing as minimum wage affair.
* Admitted marijuana and cocaine use in high school and in college.
* His religious convictions are very murky.
* He is willing to meet with Fidel Castro, Hugo Chavez, Kim Jung Il and Mahmoud Ahmad inejad.
* Has said that one of his first goals after being elected would be to have a conference with all  Muslim  nations.
* Opposed the Patriot Act.
* First bill he signed that was passed was campaign finance reform.
* Voted No on prohibiting law suits against gun manufacturers.
* Supports universal health-care.
* Voted yes on providing habeas corpus for  Guantanamo detainees.
* Supports granting driver’s licenses to illegal immigrants.
* Supports extending welfare to illegal immigrants.
* Voted yes on comprehensive immigration reform.
* Voted yes on allowing illegal aliens to participate in Social Security.
* Wants to make the minimum wage a ‘living wage’.
* Voted with Democratic Party 96 percent of 251 votes.
* Is a big believer in the separation of church and state.
* Opposed to any efforts to Priva tize Social Security and instead supports increasing the amount of tax paid.
* He voted No on repealing the Alternative Minimum Tax
* He voted No on repealing the ‘Death’ Tax
* He wants to raise the Capital Gains Tax.
* Has repeatedly said the surge in Iraq has not succeeded.
* He is ranked as the most liberal Senator in the Senate today and that takes some doing.
If your political choices are consistent with Barack Obama’s and you think that his positions will bring America together or make it a better place, then you will probably enjoy the ride and not forward this Email. If you are like most Americans that after examining what he stands for, are truly not in line with his record, it would be prudent to get off the wave or better yet, never get on, before it comes on shore and undermines the very foundations of this great Country. We have limited time to save America or the Supreme Court as we know it. Inaction is action.If you agree this is important, pass it on.

WOW!  Obama did maryjane in college?  Who knew?!  But my big question is, WHO DIDNT?!  Honestly, everyone I know has tried it and didn’t keep using.  Big freakin deal.
And I really appreciate a President saying he beleives chuch and state should be separate… Um.. Isn’t that written somewhere?
I dunno… and about this war thing. What are we doing over there? No wonder our economy is in the shit hole right now, we’re spending all our tax dollars on the big offices in dc and this crappy war. C’mon guys, come back home, there’s no reason for ya’ll to be over there anymore… I know a lot of guys over there who are sick of it
Maybe some of my readers dissagree, and thats great!! Comment! I’d love to hear a few words on the matter
But this is just how I feel. A guy who’s completely opposite of Bush might take the office, and I’d be happy to vote for him. Sure, a lot of people aren’t happy that he did some weed or went to a crappy chuch. Big deal. Don’t define a person by the chuch he does or doesn’t go to… Don’t define a person by whether or not they did drugs in college and high school… isn’t that the time you are finding yourself?
Ya know, America, maybe we can make this place a better place.  I’d like to see a minimum wage that can be lived off of.  I’d like to see a girl being able to make her own choices about pregnancy. I’d like to see a president try to bring peace by talkin’ about it.
But, obviously, that’s just my opinion.

I dont recall ever being in an earthquake, but some of my friends up in St. Louis experienced one on friday.  The New Madrid Seismic Zone let loose a 5.2 earthquake at the early hours…  Kind of weird, in the midwest we aren’t used to hearing about earthquakes!!  The last big one was in 1812!

Here’s the Wiki link about the April 18, 2008 earthquake (Weird coincidence that it’s on the same day -different year- as the San Fransisco earthquake!).

On another note…

I got a Palm Centro!!!  Finally!  Great phone I must say.  It’s my very first smart phone, so I’m finally breaking my way into things a bit more tech savvy.  Yay for stuff I can afford!!  I’ll post a review of it once I get the feel for the phone/apps/etc…  I’ve just had it two days, so I don’t know if it’s the perfect phone or not quite yet.  I’ll keep ya posted!

I don’t know whether net neutrality is getting serious right now or not, but I’ve been hearing a lot of talk about it.  It’s kind of confusing to me…  From what I understand, net neutrality basically means consumers (thats me and you) are free to use the internet as we wish through whatever service provider we decide to use.  If we go for the same package, we get the same speed for the same webpages, no matter whether we use it for BitTorrent, youtube, or just email.  It’s freedom at it’s best.

Those that are against neutrality are those big communication companies who have tons of supporters and people that give them big money.  Those people that give them lots of money get fast websites, fast connections… fast everything.  Those that don’t give them lots of money get slow connections and websites.

Now, seeing that I’m a ultra geek who likes to watch videos, download tons of stuff, write blogs (duh) and whatnot, obviously I’m for net neutrality and internet freedom.  I don’t want to have to pay some big company who already has too much money, some of my cash that I need to save because Im a poor ass college student.  I don’t want my favorite podcasters having to pay a larger fee for their internet connection so they can keep their current bandwidths.

The internet started free, and it should remain free (once you’ve payed your monthly bill, of course).

Check out Amber Mac’s video blog about her view on net neutrality in Canada.

And here’s 90 day Tania and her friends talking about net neutrality in Europe.

It’s true!

The Hero of Time (The Legend of Zelda) is an full-length, independent Zelda movie being made by a small group of producers and film buffs called “BMB Finishes”. They have been working on this movie for nearly three years, and it is now nearing completion. It is a fully independent production. All of the people making the movie are big fans of the Zelda series, and they have put a ton of creativity and effort into this film.

Here’s a link!

And this is the trailer!

I don’t care how b-rated it looks.  It’s a low budget indy movie, and anyone who’s got the motivation and time to make a movie about my favorite video game pretty much deserves my 2 thumbs up.  I can’t wait til this is out.

For all of you from the US who have seen commercials for freecreditreport.com, don’t beleive it. I repeat: IT IS A LIE. I received a small fee of 14.95 on my credit card a few days ago, and today I called to find out why. Apparently I signed up for a credit monitoring charging program when I got my FREE credit report. As I do not recall seeing this in their terms and conditions, I called to cancel my apparent ‘membership’. The nice lady from another country cancelled my membership, but she didn’t refund my money. I asked for a supervisor, but she said he doesn’t take calls. I got her name, and she told me a confirmation number would be in my email soon. So then I went to the Better Business Bureau to file a complaint. After looking around that site I found out they have had thousands of complaints just like mine! And they’ve been fined Twice for a million bucks!

My suggestion: Get your credit report from another site. Don’t do business with CiC Triple Advantage (the head business of fcr.com). They are fraudulent, scammers, and deceivers.

Ugh. I’m so pissed off.

…but being surrounded by sorority girls while on this plane is not. Kind of weird, actually. The flight attendant saw the girl beside me wearing greek letters. She goes, “Oh, you’re in blablabla, cool!” Then turns to me and says, “What sorority are you in?” I was like… wtf, are you serious? None. Sorry, I’m not about to throw away my money on a big pretty house to live in, so I can party and deal with drama. Naw, not for me.

I had a great Spring Break. Full of technolust. Fer realz.

I’m willing to say that Williamsburg Virginia is worth a visit. It’s beautiful. Although, dealing with all the other tourists in kinda a pain in the ass, but what can you do? There is so much colonial history, so many things to experience… Just go there

Battlestar Galactica Season 3 just came out on DVD, so Darren got a pre-ordered copy. We basically played couch potato and watched almost the entire season, just in the nick of time for Season 4. It’s been a while since I’ve obsessed about a tv show…

  Rock Band is AWESOME! Just puttin’ that out there.

Much Hak.5 tech lovin went on this week as well. J!NX had a $5 off sale for 3 days, so not only did I spend some cash, but DK pimped his t-shirt on teh site as well. J!NX also started a EXP and Gold membership thing. It’s quite fun! Yay for RPG’s! The taping of episode 3×09 occurred yesterday, all day. We ustreamed all day for viewers. I learned how to use the broadcasting box thing… as well as how filming generally goes for each episode. All in all, the best spring break I’ve ever had!

I thought I’d write a little opionated review of this new game, since I recently played it a few weekends ago.

Smash Brothers Brawl had a huge cult following and almost all my friends were excited about the new game for Nintendo Wii.  Darren reserved his copy and we waited in line while playing Tetris DS (and I pwned him, btw) while chilling inside the mall.  I’ve never been a big Smash Brothers gamer, but I’ve played my fair share of each of the games.

The first thing I noticed was the graphics.  The graphics kick ass, and I love the special effects whenever you use your final attack during a battle.  The characters are beautiful, and the cut scenes are made so well.  Nintendo is really starting to show off what the Wii can do as far as graphics go with this game, as well as with Mario Galaxy.

When you first play the game, I suggest playing with various controllers to figure out which one you would want to use.  I personally like the Wiimote + nunchuck, but Darren used the Classic controller.  It really just depends on your style.

There’s SO MUCH to do in this game.  When you play Brawl (playing against up to 4 people without an internet connection), you can unlock new characters and basically try out each of the available characters and maps to find your favorite.  I did not play any of the other battle modes, but I did take some time to check out the trophies, stickers, and maps you can make.  I really have no clue why there are stickers and trophies in this game other than to raise your e-peen, but  they are interesting to look at non-the-less.  There are a few minigames which are fun, but didn’t peek my interest that much.  My favorite thing to do, other than playing Brawl tourneys, was creating my own maps.  Really cool!  There’s lots of different ways you can create a map, and you can even choose your favorite music.

Apparently you can play this game online with other people, but since my Wii isn’t hooked up, I wasn’t able to do this.  O wells

All in all, it’s a great game and I suggest it to anyone who likes old school style battle zone type games.

I am so sick of the bad weather in Missouri… It’s March 4th, and by now we should be having really nice weather. Spring Break is just weeks away. Two days ago, we had 78 degree F weather. Today, it’s 30 degrees. I’m tired of it! I’m tired of school being cancelled because of the snow. I probably sound crazy, but I really hate school being cancelled once a week because of the weather around here. When I lived in Alaska, we had four feet of snow, and we toughed it out. I walked my little kid ass to school, in the snow that went above my head. If Alaska can do it, I think we can too. You know, I’m paying MSU to take these classes, my family has given them a lot of money to put me through education. The MSU website says the roads are bad… they look pretty damn fine to me.

Maybe I’m just pissed off because I want to graduate on May 16, and not have the school decide to tack on an extra week of classes. Maybe I want to graduate on May 16, so I can actually attend my graduation, and my little sister’s graduation one week after that. Maybe I’m pissed off because I stay up late studying for a test last night, that is now postponed til next Tuesday. And now I have a test to study for over the weekend, while my boyfriend will be here visiting, instead of getting it done with this week.

Oh wait- MAYBE I’m ticked because although Missouri State University cancelled classes because THE ROADS ARE BAD, the DID NOT close the Plaster Student Union, because kids still need their food! Maybe thats why!? I still have to drive my little Honda Civic up to the school and park it in one of the parking lots that have not been shoveled, so I can go to work in the Student Union. And of course, Thomas, the manager of the PSU, INSISTS Domino’s stay open until 11pm, giving my car enough time to get snow shoveled all around it, making my time tonight even harder to get out of a parking lot.

Or maybe I’m just annoyed because I just drove up to the school, to find barely a sole around there.

So Missouri State University- If you decide to cancel school, please do me a favour and post this information early in the morning or the night before… NOT AT 11AM When I have a class at 1230!

Does this weather look bad to you? It looks quite fun to me.