November 2, 2003
Picture of the day:
October 30, 2003
For the last few days I've been messing with mIRC and I've come to the conclusion that IRC is much better than file-sharing networks for music files, but not really too great for games, movies, and etc.
IRC downloading guide:
#1: Download and install mIRC because it is the best and most used IRC client.
#2: You should change a few settings to setup IRC for file transfer. IRC was originally designed for chatting, so the default configurations are not setup for file transferring.
Go to Tools->Options. Then under Connect, you need to fill in your name,
email address (you can use a fake name/email), nickname, and alertnative
nickname. Then under Connect->Servers, for IRC network: choose
Undernet and for IRC servers: choose Undernet: Random EU server.
Then under Sounds->Requests, make sure Accept sounds requests is
checked and Ignore if a sound is currently playing is unchecked.
Then go to DCC, it will be easier for you later if you check Auto-get
file. Go to DCC->Ignore, and under Method: choose Disabled,
then uncheck Turn ignore back on in:.
Now click Okay. That should have setup all the settings that you will need for begin downloading files.
#3: This next part is rather complicated.
First, you need to connect to the network by going to File->Connect. Soon, you should be connected to the network; now you need to download the channels list. The Channels List button is at the top-left, the 4th button from the left. Press that, and then a window will popup. Press the button labeled Get List!. Depending on how many people are connected to the network, it may take a few minutes to get the full list. Eventually, near the top you'll see channels titled or described as "Warez, MP3, DIVX, Movies, or Games." Usually these channels have the most opportunities to download good files. Connect to one or more of them by double clicking on them.
#4: You are finally connected to a channel (basically a chat room). Now, here's the tricky part:
These channels are usually full of computer scripted bots. Very often, bots will differ from channel to channel. So you need to read through the spam and try to figure out how to use these bots. The easier bots (usually the mp3 collection bots) have a few commands. Typing @find "keyword" will have the bot search through its library for the "keyword". If they find a match, it will instant message you, often telling you that either it has the file and give you the name of it or it will tell you to can download its list.
If it tells you it has the file, then gives you the file name, they usually word it like: !Botname filename. Now, if you type !Botname filename in the channel that the bot is in (not in the instant message window), the bot will usually respond that it will send the file to you ASAP or that it will put you on its queue list (and send it to you when its your turn). If you pick a popular channel or bot, you may have to wait a while until its your turn.
Another important thing to know is how to get the bot's lists. To do this, just type @Bot's name in the channel. It should send you a .txt file (usually compressed) which contains the commands to download the files along with all the filenames.
Another important note is that sound files (.wav, .mp3, etc)go to "C:/Program Files/mIRC/sounds/" directory, while everything else goes to "C:/Program Files/mIRC/download/".
Well, that's the basics of file-sharing on IRC networks. If you have any questions, you can try to email me or instant message me.
October 22, 2003
Picture of the day:
October 20, 2003
Watched Texas Chainsaw Massacre.
Ken's Rating: 67%
October 17, 2003
Update to Nvidia vs rest of world.
Did further testing with Halo, except on my ATI Radeon 9700. Not only did the frame rates double, but I also was able to switch on all details (including the specular which is DX9.0) and still had it very playable. Something is very wrong with Nvidia. Not only is the Geforce FX 5600 Ultra a year newer than the ATI Radeon 9700, but it was also the same exact price.
October 15, 2003
Picture of the day:
A nasty
picture (not for children).
October 13, 2003
New Games
Beat Baldur's Gate 2: Shadows of Amn and Throne of Bhaal. They were pretty
good games. Anyway, I've already began Halo: Combat Evolved, but I prefer
to play the multiplayer instead of the singleplayer. Halo is pretty much
overrated; its exactly like Tribes 2 which came out at least one year earlier
than Halo. Not to mention, the singleplayer in Halo is pretty similar to
Half-Life or even Medal of Honor... nothing new.
Nvidia's Geforce FX
Anyways, now would also be a good time to rant about Nvidia.
You pay $200 for a Geforce FX 5600 Ultra because you expect it will handle
new video games that use DX9.0 (as it advertises), but when you go to play,
you get a pathetic 15-20 frames per second. Nvidia needs to clean up their
act; they can continue claiming that synthetic benchmarks are not an accurate
representation of the capabilities of their video cards... but now we actually
have the video games which also backs up the poor scores that the synthetic
benchmarks have shown us for about six months. It just annoys me how I had
to reduce the resolution down to 1024 X 768, turn Direct3D detail to a minimum,
turn off most graphic features off, but still have Halo barely playable
(unplayable when there are 20 aliens on screen). Supposedly, when Half-Life
2 and Doom 3 comes out, it will be much worse. Doom 3 uses Open_GL, but
somehow Nvidia messed that up too.
In summary, Nvidia have attempted to create an monopoly, sell inferior products at an inflated price, and also lie to their consumers.
October 8, 2003
Picture of the day:
October 1, 2003
Finally watched Underworld, which was a pretty good movie. I might add
more later or something.
Ken's Rating: 84%
September 25, 2003
The birds may sing, but campers can't unless they pay up...
Something is missing at Diablo Day Camp in Lafayette, Calif., this year. At the 3 p.m. sing-along in a wooded canyon near Oakland, 214 Girl Scouts are learning the summer dance craze, the Macarena. Keeping time by slapping their hands across their arms and hips, they jiggle, hop and stomp. They spin, wiggle and shake. They bounce for two minutes.
In silence.
"Yesterday, I told them we could be sued if we played the music," explains Teesie King, camp co-director and a volunteer mom. "So they decided they'd learn it without the music."
"They buy paper, twine and glue for their crafts -- they can pay for the music, too," says John Lo Frumento, Ascap's chief operating officer. If offenders keep singing without paying, he says, "we will sue them if necessary."
"At first I thought, 'You guys have got to be kidding,"' says Sharon Kosch, the council's director of program services. "They can't sing the songs? But it's pretty threatening. We were told the penalty can be $5,000 and six days in jail."
No more "Edelweiss" free of charge. No more "This Land Is Your Land." An Ascap spokesman says "Kumbaya" isn't on its list, but "God Bless America" is.
By: Lisa Bannon, The Wall Street Journal
View Article: South
Coast Today
September 24, 2003
Picture of the day:
(Look at the yellow sign)
