The CRTC (Canadian Radio-television and Telecommunications Commission) has been given the OK to allow your internet service provider to monitor your upload and download usage and DING you for anything above what they consider normal usage.

True, some users won’t be affected. Those would be the light users: no Youtube, no Netflix, no iTunes movie rentals, no torrent users, no video chatting, Skype or VOIP users.

Everyone else will pay more. Now, I understand it costs these big network companies one cent to deliver one GB of data to you. What do you think you will be charged? Anywhere from $1.15 to $4.00 per GB. Some users who have embraced the future and live a full digital life can expect to pay hundreds of dollars per month: for something that costs pennies.

Take action, Canada. Learn more, write your MP, look for petitions online. We could have the best internet solution in the world, were it not for this and other stupid cash grabs.

I’ve been battling a chest cold, head cold and sore throat for over a week now and the moment has come when I’m feeling very sorry for myself. Miserable, pathetic, lethargic with a touch of ennui. In short, I feel like death warmed over. It’s a long shot but if someone could buy this LEGO set for me and have it sent to My Sorry Ass Laid Up On A Couch, then know it would go an extremely long way in making this flu-hell tolerable: because I’d be building the LEGO Death Star. Thank you, that is all for now.

When Apple introduced iTunes 9 back in September of 2009, they quietly removed the “Shopping Cart” option for Store purchases.

“Who cares?” you say.

Fast-forward to 2010 and the new Mac-specific App Store. You login. You accidentally click on the page (because maybe the page loaded too slow, or it didn’t scroll properly, or because your computer lagged, or you have a hair-trigger mouse finger). This accidental click is over a “buy” button.

You’re committed. There’s no alert prior to slicing a bit off your credit card. There’s no confirmation, no popup alert, no “are you sure” question. But here’s the kicker: in the iTunes Store, you might be out a buck or two. In the App Store, you could be out a whole lot more.

Your kid/enemy/cat could max out your credit card, maybe?

For me, somehow the App Store thought I clicked the “buy” button for Keynote. Because after rooting around in the App Store (it was 5 minutes new on my Mac after getting the 10.6.6 Snow Leopard update) I found Keynote in my dock.

In fact, I first thought Keynote came with the 10.6.6 update. It shared the same modified date as the App Store, Front Row, Time Machine and Front Row) so I thought “Hey, that’s neat!”

Pause.

“Wait a minute…”

Sure enough, my credit card was dinged the $19.99+ taxes.

Using the email form for Billing Inquiries, I quickly shared my concerns and fired them off into the ether. UPDATE: Apple has refunded my lost $19.99+ taxes and I’ve deleted Keynote; fair is fair.

I wonder how much money Apple earns with this 1-Click and All Sales Final purchase policy. As much as I love Apple for its innovation and the quality of its products, I hate them for 1-Click.

Dear Appple,

Please re-introduce the “Shopping Cart” option for Store purchases. My money is precious and if you say you cannot help remedy accidents that happen in your stores then are you also saying I need to shop elsewhere?

Love, Carl

Made by flyingpickles^NinjaMoped.

Stop Motion from Dreamhack Winter 10 (Insert Coin)

Goodness comes in many forms, to many people throughout their lives. This, to me, is one such fine example. I don’t (yet) know who produced this, but I do know why. Thank you!

An interesting photo from NASA’s Deep Impact probe shows sun-lit “snow” in the area of Comet Hartley 2. Upon closer inspection, one can see Christmas cheer on it’s way to planet earth.

Photo from http://science.nasa.gov/science-news/science-at-nasa/2010/18nov_cometsnowstorm/

LEGO® STAR WARS™: BOMBAD BOUNTY – enjoy!

Top Gear, Series 13 Episode 2 in the segment entitled “What is the perfect car for 17-year-olds for £2,500?” you can watch the boys attempt to purchase and secure “insurance for a 17 year old” within the hallowed (and very cool) Top Gear offices. At the 00:02:57 mark, while Hammond makes some point I now forget, you can also see in the background behind him The Stig.

At the photocopier.

Quietly photocopying his face. Er, helmet.

Brilliant.