always missing something...

December 21, 2004 by Eric Richardson

I hate that last minute panic of trying to figure out if you've remembered everything you need to take on a trip. Normally I forget my phone charger, but that's already packed. I need to doublecheck that I grab both my wifi and bluetooth cards, but other than that I can't think of anything I'm missing at the moment.

And that worries me. I'm always missing something...

But for now all there is to do is throw on some RL Burnside, pack up the last bits, and get ready to head downstairs.

Update (10:35): Of course, right after I wrote this I remembered two things I had forgotten. Those are now taken care of.

back, but not for long

December 21, 2004 by Eric Richardson

I have to be quick this morning, since it's 8:35, I leave for the airport in two hours, and I haven't packed...

The trip to Vegas was good. Traffic especially agreed with us; both trips were around 4.5 hours.

Now I have to empty my bag and pack my suitcase all at the same time. And then I have to go take care of getting a check to the place where I park since I won't be around for the first couple days of the new month.

I'll have ample Internet access (and will likely be using my computer for warmth... high of 13 on Friday), so no downtime this time.

and i'm out

December 16, 2004 by Eric Richardson

It's going to be quiet here for a few days. Kathy and I are headed to Vegas for a few days to meet up with some of the people she spent a semester in France with, and Vegas and I don't seem to get along when it comes to finding free internet. It seems the Tropicana has it poolside, but I'm not too convinced I feel the urge to make it all the way there just for that. I'll be bringing the laptop to maybe pound on eThreads2 stuff in the downtime, but I have a feeling it won't be connecting up with the outside world.

Then Tuesday I fly back to Michigan for just over two weeks. It'll be my first trip back in a year. I can't say I'm looking forward to the weather, but it's always good to take a trip back to family.

I just hope the wind stays down tomorrow. Otherwise the mountains could get exciting.

understanding cd piracy

December 16, 2004 by Eric Richardson

The Daily News today has a story talking about a big raid yesterday on cd counterfeiters (the LA Times has a short bit on the same topic). The numbers claimed in the story are pretty big:

In the largest counterfeit movie and music bust in U.S. history, pirated DVDs, CDs and video games representing potential losses of $200 million to companies were confiscated Wednesday in raids in Los Angeles and Orange counties, officials said. ... In Wednesday's raids, law enforcement officials seized approximately 120,000 music CDs and 79 unauthorized CD stampers valued at approximately $50 million, according to the RIAA's preliminary estimates.

Now, I'm never one to trust the numbers the RIAA, MPAA, or the software industry like to put out for losses. They never miss a chance to drum things up. That said, this is exactly the type of piracy that they need to be stopping.

One thing in the article caught my attention...

"Each stamper has the capability of producing more than 50,000 CDs and DVDs," Lopez said. "We're talking about every kind of music and video you can think of. The quality of this merchandise was very high." ... Spertus said the investigation, culminating a lengthy undercover operation, was particularly difficult because the probe focused on companies with stampers capable of producing a disc every three seconds.

I know vaguely the difference between stamping and burning, but the article makes it sound like the stamper is a piece of machinery. So I did a little googling. I found several good sites explaining the cd making process (this site is one, though a little technical). Basically these stampers are negative plates that are inserted into stamping machines in order to get the proper data onto the disk. You need a negative, obviously, since a ridge on the stamper will put a pit in the cd, etc.

So these "79 stampers" are really just 79 metal plates. Still illegal, but a lot less massive-sounding.

Fortress Medici/Orsini

December 15, 2004 by Eric Richardson

Over at herbie the love blog (why am I so boring at naming?), kenny has good piece on the fortresses that are the Medici and Orsini.

There are a pair of luxury apartment buildings in downtown LA, with more on the way, built to look like vaguely Italian-type buildings, except that they're massive castles. They're impenetrable from the outside except for the small openings for visitor parking (where visitors can't actually park, unless they're there to see a leasing agent). A couple of my friends live in such buildings. Let's call them The Medici and The Orsini, because those are the silly, pretentious names that they actually have.

I have friends who live in both buildings, but I've never actually been inside them. I've walked and driven by, though, and definitely agree with the analysis of their street presence.

(Thanks to Jonah and the great LABlogs digests for the pointer)