What the hell happened on Lost??!

Best explanation of Lost I have read can be found at http://spaceandtime.wordpress.com/2010/05/24/the-best-lost-finale-explanation/

Basically..

1. EVERYTHING THAT HAPPENED ON THE ISLAND ACTUALLY HAPPENED:

2. THE FLASH-SIDEWAYS UNIVERSE WAS THE IN-BETWEEN (PURGATORY) BEFORE FINAL REST

3. THE ISLAND IS “THE FIRST ISLAND”, AND A DAMN MYSTERIOUS PLACE

Read more at the link above!

Minidisplay to HDMI adapters that support audio for new macbook pros!

Hey so Apple sells tons of accessories for much more than they can be found at other places. They also make tons of products that require these accessories because of their proprietary technology. Best example would be the Apple Ipad that doesn't even have a usb port and therefore all accessories like keyboards and camera need to be purchased direct from Apple. Truly ingenious on their part but a horrible thing for consumers. Anyway, I was looking at getting an minidisplay to hdmi adapter that supported audio for my new macbook pro 13 inch. Sadly, even the one from the apple store didnt even support audio and was $40 bucks. Luckily for me, ebay saved me tons of money. I was able to order one from Hong Kong and have already proven it does support audio for only $8 total. Huge saving and less money to apple while keeping more to myself. Always a good thing. Heres the link: http://bit.ly/dhPUZf

You can find many more sellers or equally working adapters. Just google and you'll be directed to forums with ppl verifying that the adapter will work. Best of luck to saving you money and getting you the goals you want at fractions of the cost

Activision Does Not Mess Around?

----- Forwarded Message ----
From: "abuse@rogers.com" <abuse@rogers.com>
To: XXXXXXXXXXX
Sent: Fri, May 28, 2010 8:32:37 AM
Subject: Rogers EUA Management Team Notice

Dear XXXXXXXXX

Rogers Cable (Rogers) has received a notice stating that activities associated with your IP address are infringing copyright in material(s) owned or exclusively licensed by others.

The full notice is appended to this e-mail below.

Under section 4(d) of the Rogers Yahoo! Hi-Speed Internet End User Agreement (EUA) and Acceptable Use Policy (AUP), you are prohibited from using the Rogers Yahoo! Hi-Speed Internet service to engage in illegal activities, including activities that infringe copyright. Copies of our EUA and AUP are available at:

http://na.edit.client.yahoo.com/rogers/show_static?.form=terms&.intl=ca

Where there has been a violation of our EUA and/or AUP, including the unauthorized distribution of copyright-protected material, Rogers has the right to take appropriate action against you.

If you have any questions about the attached copyright notice, please contact the sender of the notice using the contact information provided in the notice. Please do not reply to this e-mail.

We trust you will comply with our policies and all applicable laws in using the Rogers Yahoo! Hi-Speed Internet service.

Rogers EUA Management Team
Sincerely,

EUA Management Team
Rogers Yahoo Hi-Speed Internet

http://info.yahoo.com/legal/ca/rogers/terms/all/
01411573



-----BEGIN PGP SIGNED MESSAGE-----
Hash: SHA1

Mark Ishikawa
BayTSP.com Inc.
PO Box 1314 - Los Gatos, CA 95031
Phone:: 408-341-2305 fax:: 408-341-2399
activision@copyright-compliance.com

E-mail: mailto:activision@copyright-compliance.com?subject=RE%3A%20Notice%20ID%3A%20290%2D6535727%20Activision%20Foreign%20Notice

Notice ID: 290-653XXXX

ISP: Rogers Cable Communications Inc.
BayTSP Reference Number: 290-653XXXX
IP Address: 174.XXX.XXX
Date of Infringement: 17 May 2010 23:10:12 GMT

Dear Rogers Cable Communications Inc.:

BayTSP represents the intellectual property interests of Activision that publish interactive games for video game consoles, personal computers, handheld devices and the Internet in the United States and in other countries. BayTSP is authorized to act on behalf of Activision whose copyright and other intellectual property rights it believes to be infringed as described herein.

BayTSP is providing this letter of notification to make Rogers Cable Communications Inc. aware that the IP Address identified below is using the services and systems of Rogers Cable Communications Inc. to infringe the exclusive copyright and other rights of one or more Activison works. This notice is addressed to you as the agent designated by Rogers Cable Communications Inc. to receive notifications of claimed infringement.

Through the Berne Convention and other international treaties covering intellectual property rights, BayTSP believes that its members' rights in such entertainment software products are entitled to the full protection of the intellectual property law as well as other relevant laws of your country.

Based on the information at its disposal on 17 May 2010 23:10:12 GMT, BayTSP has a good faith belief that the subscriber using the IP address 174.1XX.X.XX is infringing the copyright rights of one or more Activision works by copying and distributing unauthorized copies of game products (through peer-to-peer or similar software/services), in violation of applicable copyright laws, through internet access that Rogers Cable Communications Inc. provides directly to the 174.1XX.X.XX or through a downstream provider that purchases this access for 174.1XX.X.XX. The copyrighted works that have been infringed include but are not limited to:

Title: Call of Duty: Modern Warfare 2
Notice ID: 290-6535727
Infringement Source: BitTorrent
Infringement Timestamp: 17 May 2010 23:10:12 GMT
Infringement Last Documented: 17 May 2010 23:10:12 GMT
Infringer Username:
Infringing Filename: Call.of.Duty.Modern.Warfare.2.PROPER-SKIDROW
Infringing Filesize: 11887427091
Infringer IP Address: 174.1XX.X.XX
Infringer DNS Name: CPE00XXXcfeaXXX-CM001ac318f962.cpe.net.cable.rogers.com
Infringer Port ID: 0
Infringer Bay ID: XXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXX



The unauthorized copies of game product are listed and/or identified thereon by their titles or variations thereof, game-related listings/references/descriptions, or depictions of game-related artwork. Such copies, titles, game-related listings/references/descriptions, depictions, and material that is the subject of infringing activities are hereinafter referred to as "Infringing Material."

Given this infringing activity by 174.1XX.X.XX, BayTSP urges Rogers Cable Communications Inc. to cooperate with its efforts to protect the intellectual property rights of its members companies and immediately do the following:

1. Notify the account holder of the Infringing Material.
2. Remove, or disable access to, the Infringing Material detailed above.
3. Take appropriate action against the account holder under your Abuse Policy/Terms of Service Agreement, including termination of a repeat offender.

Please inform us whether you will remove or disable access to the Infringing Material as requested. Rogers Cable Communications Inc. or the account holder may contact BayTSP at the above-listed contact details, with email preferred. Please include the above-noted Reference Number in the subject line of all email correspondence.

Thank you for your cooperation and prompt response in this matter.

Sincerely,

Mark Ishikawa
BayTSP.com Inc.
PO Box 1314 - Los Gatos, CA 95031
Phone:: 408-341-2305 fax:: 408-341-2399
activision@copyright-compliance.com

Anti-glare Screen Protector Review

You can check out my video review of the Rasfox Anti-glare at http://www.youtube.com/user/ahbitheman1

I was able to obtain the screen protector for $12.99 USD on ebay. This was a lot cheaper than other alternatives such as moshi ivisor (http://www.amazon.com/iVisor-Anti-Glare-Protector-Macbook-Unibody/dp/B0029TSTT4) or powersupport's screen protector (http://www.powersupportusa.com/product/show/anti-glare-film-for-macbook-pro-15) which are approximately $30 even on ebay. While the Moshi screen protector is easier to apply, this is because it does not actually fully stick to the screen. Instead, it is slightly raised with only the sides attached to the screen. The powersupport screen is almost exactly like the one I have yet the one I have is half the price. Application of the screen is harder but when done correctly, no air bubbles are visible and you have a strongly attached film over your screen.

The Results

The anti-glare properties do indeed work well. I no longer can clearly see my reflection in the screen in even minimal lighting. The rougher surface area is similar to the unibody of the macbook itself and so is less prone to fingerprints and scratches. The only downfall is the typical red, green, blue small dots seen when viewing a white screens. I highly recommend this add on if you work in well lighted areas as well as outdoors but if you are doing photoediting and video editing where colour is important, you may just have to deal with the glossy screen or perhaps upgrade to the 15 inch model and add the extra high-res matte screen finish. Nevertheless, 13 bucks in a great price for the results!

4/5 Stars

Cellphone Retention Plans In Canada

Cellphone plans in Canada are among the highest in the world. We all know this when looking at our phone bills. This is due to multiple reasons including our large land mass and small population. Either way, the big three (Rogers, Bell and Telus) still make tons of money while we are forced to sign 3 year contracts and well over $70 for voice and data plans.

Hopefully this is something you already know about, but from my experience, few people do. If you have been a customer of the big three or the cheaper companies owned by the big 3 (Fido, Solo, and Koodo), you can likely renegotiate your plan by calling them and asking to speak to the retention department. In many cases you can only access this retention department by calling in and asking to cancel your contract. When I negotiate with them, I typically just call Rogers (my cell phone provider) and tell them that I was talking to a retention agent but got disconnected. This usually works and allows me to bypass having to pretend I want to cancel. NOTE: Don't do this on a Sunday as retention is closed on that day.

There are many strageties to how you can negotiate with your cell phone provider but the best way is to be kind, calm and knowledgable. Understand what things they can offer you before even calling. The best way to do this is to access this thread on redflagdeals.com (http://forums.redflagdeals.com/merged-hot-deal-rogers-wireless-customers-111887/)

This particular thread is for Rogers customers but there are other threads for Bell and Telus. People typically post their plans and what their providers can offer them. You can also join the site and post yourself to get any particular questions you have answered by the many people there.

It should be noted that many of these deals require you to sign a 3 year contract, but honestly, you'll never get any better deals without this method unless you have some crazy corporate plan. Furthermore, if the plan you negotiate is good, you can easily get out of that 3 year contract and actually sell your plan and make a profit!! Therefore, the whole locked in 3 years isnt that bad.

Also, another tip I should mention is that if you do plan to get a retention plan and are eligble for a new customer upgrade on your hardware device (that is, you get the new customer pricing on a new phone) DO IT. As even if you don't need the phone, you can sell it on Kijiji or Craigslist and make a profit which can then help pay off future bills. The highest and easier phone to sell is the Iphone 3GS 32 gig but you'd have to sign a data plan to do this so this step is not a great idea if you don't want a data plan.

An idea of what retention can do for you. Here's my plan

250 Daytime Minutes (Unlimited weekends)

Unlimited Incoming Calls

Unlimited Text Messenging

Voicemail

Caller ID

Unlimited Evening Calling starting at 5pm

6 GB data plan including tethering

100 Canadian Long Distance Minutes

Total Cost including Ontario tax = $45.25 (it was under $45 total but Rogers just increased 911 fee by 25 cents)

Hope this helps some. READ that thread link posted above!!

UPDATE: A new forum with more details on what to say has been started on Redflagdeals.com. Read the first few pages. Its helpful!

http://forums.redflagdeals.com/rogers-wireless-retention-plans-933329/

Pros/Cons of Macbook Pro 2010 and Tips

Here are a few positives things I realized while using the macbook pro:

1. Always been a PC user and hated the idea of macs, but the 13 inch MBP is actually one of the best computers price wise out there for its specs and design (especially with student discount). Can't say the same for the larger screen models

2. Run's fantastic. I do however have a solid state drive (SSD) in it so it's not fair to truly compare to other PC's. OSX is easy to use and the multi touch features are a huge way to improve time usage.

3. Bootcamp to install Windows is great. Nothing beats have 2 OS's at your disposal on one machine.

4. Battery life is superb. OSX can give me 8 hours with actual usage (I bet I could squeeze 10 if I tried turning off bluetooth and diming the screen more) and Win7 64 bit gives me about 4 with probably max at 5 hours. Most PC laptops with a true processor and not an ultralow voltage one will advertise 4-6 hours but really only give 2-3 with actual usage.

5. Graphics are great and suitable for gaming. I can run COD4 at 1280x800 resolution (which looks great) and its more than playable.

6. It just looks great and is silent unless running intensive apps or lying it on your covers or something for a while. It's true you pay a premium for apple products but they look and feel great (only pc laptop that can compare is the sony vaio z but thats a whole other price range).

7. High resale value as it's EASY to sell apple products.

Some negatives

8. Lacks core i processor though they did that for solid reasons which I'd have to agree on. You can find articles online

9. Glossy screen but most laptops have that

10. The lack of inputs is very frustrating. Two usb ports hasn't hurt me yet but I think it will later down the road and mini display port proprietary technology is something I hate apple for.

11. I notice that due to the aluminum casing the laptop is pretty cold almost everywhere except for 1/4 of the bottom of the laptop where the processor lies. When it gets hot only that 1 part is actually hot. Understandable but a little weird.

Tips

Don't buy apple care from apple or anywhere except like ebay. At apple its like $299 on ebay its $100. Same goes with accessories. I tried to buy a screen protector and hdmi adapter from apple. Quoted me at $100 bucks. Went on ebay and bought both for $25 (not the same brands but both do the same exact job anyway).

You can use cracked software as easily as you can for a PC. And you can also download torrents.

DO NOT buy a SSD (if you choose to add one like I did) from apple. The one they use is shitty and it's cheaper if you choose one yourself and just do it. It's extremely easy to do. I've had no experience upgrading a drive except for my PS3 lol and I did it all easily.

This post was originally to answer someone's question that they had personally msged me. I decided I should share it with the rest of the world!

Check out my youtube channel featuring video of results with my new Corsair R120 SSD and my macbook running COD4

http://www.youtube.com/user/ahbitheman1