I ran across a site called RottenNeighbor.com today that apparently lets you place pinned notes on a replicated Google Map, giving people insight on a neighborhood. It sounds like an ideal benefit for deciding where you want to move and what type of neighbors you have. However, after browsing some locals here in Maryland, I’ve run across notations like:

“Do not mess with this neighbor - This neighbor has been know to shoot friends in the face and to have adversaries kidnapped and shipped off to gulags in Eastern Europe.”

“World Class Narcissit - Bragger, Self Absorbed, Moron, Voted Most Absent Minded in HS.” (this has no relevance, why was this even posted?)

“I have parties all the time, play my drums way too loud and let my pet python loose on the neighborhood children. LOL! You should see them run!!”

Though a lot of it seems to be trashing your own neighbors (or people you don’t like), and others seem like people just being idiots, I think it’s good to know what type of people might be living near you. People who are violent, consistent problems with neighbors, etc.

One major downfall I see is will a site like this be up long when people try to get items removed for slander (or whatever the written form of slander is called).

Identification Devices are producing a medical ID USB stick which is used to store your name and medical information — including medications, medical history, insurance info, and even living wills. iD does not require special software, and its data can be easily accessed by laptops in emergency vehicles.

This sounds like a great idea, and one I would get for my father if I wasn’t afraid of him losing it. I also wonder about whether this is something that certified professionals will be trained to look for, as I imagine it’s not always going to be out in the open like a medical ID bracelet or necklace.

Another tip I’ve heard spread around the internet lately, in case of emergencies, place a contact in your cellphone under the name ICE (In Case of Emergency), as the person you wish to be contacted. Many folks are trying to make this more mainstream so that medical professionals know to look for it.

Back in February 2007, I became privvy of some issues concerning my registrar Registerfly. This company controlled all of my major domains, including tawodi.org and adventmud.org. I don’t know all of the details even still, but some inner gears came loose within the company, and thousands of customers were unable to renew their domains. Some were losing business because their domain expired and they were unable to renew. Others still, had paid for their renewal and the money was accepted, but no renew was issued.

I started following sites like Registerflies and RegisterFlea which were anti-Registerfly sites that were keeping customers updated on the court process and shady business practices by Registerfly.

I immediately started copying down my Auth codes and updating my Whois information so that it all matched. Unfortunately for the next month or so, I was unable to “unlock” my domains, as Registerfly removed the ability to unlock from their customers. I still checked everyday, as I was reading through the forums, and many people were able to “unlock” their domains and transfer away.

Finally one day they worked, and I was able to transfer 2 of the 3 absolutely crucial domains I had to have. But I was still unable to unlock adventmud.org. No matter how many times I tried, even daily, it would not go through.

But I ran across an email (on another site) from Mike Zupke, that stated exactly what I needed to do. Submitting a request to ICANN with the information displayed exactly how they requested, in a matter of 3 days I could transfer my last crucial domain out of Registerfly. Especially since by that time, Registerfly had lost their accrediation with ICANN.

GoDaddy.com has come to the rescue of a lot of the Registerfly customers, and just recently are taking over all Registerfly domains. Fortunately I got out before all of that went down (and I had transfered to GoDaddy anyway), but I thought others might benefit from figuring out what could possibly be done to help their situation.

According to Yahoo, Staples will be accepting used monitors and computers as of today.

Staples said its program will ship the devices for domestic recycling by Vestal, N.Y.-based Amandi Services, which Staples calls “one of the country’s most experienced and innovative electronics recyclers.” Amandi complies with federal standards for electronics recycling and will take steps to ensure personal data stored on old computers aren’t compromised, Staples says.

Items like keyboards, mice and speakers will be taken for free, but televisions and floor-model copiers won’t be taken (and I’m not sure if they plan to start).

Still, it’s nice to have a place for such big items to go rather than filling up landfills.

If you’re like me, the majority of your clutter is paper. For me, it’s all kinds of paper clutter that causes me the most stress and creates havoc in my living space. From receipts to be documented, magazine subscriptions, to post-it notes I’ve plastered everywhere with reminders and ideas. Even having to keep track of a paper datebook is too much for me, where instead it will remain lost in the abyss of the unknown after only being a few days old.

However, for me it is absolutely critical to have an easy way to make notations and document information, otherwise short-term memory loss sets in, and the task at hand is forgotten for weeks, maybe even months. (And I’m only 26!). So what do you do to end the paper clutter yet still retain the ability to quickly keep track of your notations?

Fortunately 2007 promises to be the epitome of digitalized euphoria And for this, I am very grateful.

1. Eliminating the Datebook. Who wants to lug around a datebook all the time anyway? What happens if you forget it? Are you completely lost without it? Google Calendar is my savior when it comes to keeping track of my schedule. Not only does it eliminate the possibility of forgetting my datebook, but also having to carry it around with me everywhere.

2. Eliminating the Check Registry. I’ve never used a check registry in my life. I think I tried when I was 16, and it lasted about a week before I’d forget to put purchases in there anyway. Instead, when I make a purchase I put the receipt in my wallet, and when I get home I put the transaction in MS Money. That way I always know exactly how much I am spending, I have a list of upcoming bills, I can calculate income vs expenses and view pie charts of my transactions easily.

The problem with using MS Money is you are unable to access your transactions outside of your computer. However there are other alternatives such as Wesabe, Buddhi, and Clear Checkbook that let you keep track of your transactions online. Not to mention most banking sites also allow you to login to see you recent transactions in a pinch.

3. Optimize your Blog Reading Time. There are several blogs I read on a daily basis, but visiting all of them can be a hassle when I’m in a bind. Instead I use Google Reader to keep track of all of them in one tightly wrapped package. Not many people take advantage of RSS feeds yet, but they are invaluable for blog enthusiasts. They are like your very own “Buddy List” of blogs. (I may expand on this later)

4. Eliminating the Post-It Notes. I still carry a small pad of paper in my purse for when I’m in the car or don’t have access to a computer. But I no longer keep post-it notes pasted around my monitor. Instead I use a program called Sticky Pad, which lets me create color-coded post-it notes and have them display over my documents, or remain on my taskbar for later. Having easy accessibility is crucial for me, otherwise I will forget things quickly. A few other sticky note programs include, ATnotes and Stickies.

5. Eliminate paper Todo Lists. These tend to pile up, and like post-it notes, are just unattractive. Keeping your Todo list online, like the others, allows you to access it from anywhere. Programs like Todoist and Remember the Milk are great ways to keep track of everything you wanted to do today or this week.

6. Eliminate the Diet Journal. Keeping any form of paper journal is a task in itself. Being able to keep track and calculate calories on your computer is far easier. Fitday.com lets you keep track of what you eat online. Whether I’m at work or at home, I can easily put in the foods I eat on a daily basis and get a calculation of calories eaten as well as burned in my daily activity.

7. Creating Documents Online. I don’t really create many documents, everything I write up is usually posted in a blog of some kind. But I can’t ignore the usefulness of Google Docs. You can create .pdf’s of your documents by just clicking and saving, with an easy-to-use interface and the best part, online storage.

On March 24, 2007, there supposed to be a Shutdown Day which is essentially a day where people unplug their computer for a day. I don’t believe it’s anything to benefit the environment, but more of a way to tell if you’re addicted to your computer or not.

I’d miss my computer, yes, but I could certainly shut down. I’ve done it involuntarily many times when my computer crashed a few years back and when I go camping (which is actually a nice break from the digital world).

I would have a problem with not being able to catch up with the various friends (and my MUD) for a certain length of time, like a week, but my life would not be over because I didn’t have a computer. In fact it may improve with less responsibility.

Perhaps I just think it’s silly that so many people are dependant on such things. Of course I feel that way about many things (girls that require 10,000 pairs of shoes, make-up, etc).

Give me a break

This weekend was fairly productive, accented with a blizzard that moved in today. While outside admiring the pretty painted whiteness, my hawk, Comanche, decided to pay a visit on a nearby tree. I didn’t get any really good pictures though, damn branches.

I upgraded 4 different forums from old software that was no longer being updated as the company went completely commercial with their forum software, to a free software that -is- being developed, and is more secure (complete with captcha registration). This took several hours to convert all 4 forums, but in the end I think it’ll prevent tons of problems they were having previously. (If you’re looking for some free well-developed forum software, check out: simplemachines.org.)

I scanned in a bunch of Grove documents into .pdf format and hacked away at organizing the website files as well as the witan notes I have. I scrubbed the bathroom. And I did something that I kept debating with myself whether I should do or not. I deleted all 2,282 emails that have been sitting in my “Sent” folder to go through (just in case I needed them), and moved all 993 documents from my Inbox into a “_TOGOTHROUGH” folder, to which I’ve gone through so far reducing down to 529 emails. I’ll continue to hack away at these emails, complete tasks that have just been sitting there, and eventually delete the folder entirely.

I read somewhere that suggested moving everything out of your inbox into a separate folder, because it will make you more inclined to go through new documents coming in, in order to keep that inbox clear. And it’s definitely right. I no longer feel overwhelmed with a huge list of things “to be done” when checking my email, as it’s all tightly compacted away in its own folder. A folder which I can go through at my leisure to complete tasks. I’ve also rid myself of any obligation to respond to old emails that were missed. There’s no need to worry about them anymore anyway.

I have a player on my MUD that still uses a 28.8 modem. Not only did I not think those things even existed anymore, but it’s an indestructible flashback to
“Yo check this out guy, this is insanely great, it has a 28.8 bps modem.” “Yeah? Display?” “Active Matrix Man, a million psychadelic colors.” “I want it.” “I want it to have my children.” “It has a killer refresh rate.” “P6 chip, triple the speed of the pentium.” “And it has a PCI BUS, but you already knew that.”

I imagine with that, all he -can- do is MUD.

I talk about MUD’s once in a while, and I imagine most people have no clue what I’m talking about. Try to explain a text-based game to the current incarnation of gamers who are based off of World of Warcraft, GuildWars, Final Fantasy, and Half Life.

What could -possibly- be fun about playing a game based entirely around text?

One word: Immersion.

I play World of Warcraft on occasion. I can stand at the very maximum, an hour of it, though usually it’s half an hour, before I get bored of killing things over and over and over and over again. Sure the graphics are great. My night elf looks badass, and I get excited when I see the golden pillar of ambrosia “j00 just leveled” encompass my character momentarily.

But what happens after that? You start all over again to reach the next level. What happens when you get to 60? Or even worse, you’ve spent the $60 for the expansion just to get to level 70 with a new race? Are you kidding me? Do you know how many man hours that takes? So what happens when you get to 70? Raids and instances? Uber equipment? There’s nothing in these games to do except for grinding and farming.

This is why the text-based grandeur of the 80’s is far far superior than the uber conglomerate MMORPG’s mentioned above. You can actually level up your character, and change the world.

Such as the life on my own MUD, if you join up to be an Imperial Guard (an organization I’ve based largely off of the Roman Empire), you can not only enforce laws on other played characters, but when they’ve broken them, you can execute them (meaning they’re gone for good, and that player has to create a new character). Not only can you attack another city, but you can take it over and claim it as your own territory. You can take out the entire enemy force for good, and claim dominance over the entire continent. You can create a thief and manipulate information, gold, equipment out of unsuspecting allies. You can create a mage and cast spells on all of your friends, or use these spells to change the way you look, create items, create portals to other portions of the world. You can create a legendary character that is known throughout the world. You can worship the God of War, and actually become a high priest in his church, leading his religion and followers, and most likely even roleplay with the God himself. Everything you say or do affects the game as a whole, and you control everything that your character does, every skill that they can learn, every spell that they cast.

You can actually play a role, and have it mean something.

Or you can mindlessly kill your enemies for honor points over and over, as they repop into their new bodies, gather up their same equipment again, with names like “CuteChick” and “j00suck”. You can wait for the administrators whom you’ve never met, and will never know, to change the global storyline paragraph on their website, which actually means absolutely nothing in game, because nothing ever changes.

Know what the biggest mind-boggling difference is? MUD’s are free. You can get so much more, for free.

I’m sure there are many more ways I could hammer on about how superior MUD’s are to the modern day MMORPG, but really the only way to find out is to try it yourself. (But feel free to add to my list in comments :))