HP severs decade-long codevelopment alliance with Intel

Of course, that's not quite how the players put it in their press releases... amazing how they can put a positive spin on what is essentially a "distancing" of themselves from the ailing Itanic and it's never ending stream of red-ink.... the obvious key points to note are the comment "Terms of the agreement were not disclosed" and the fact that despite the up-beat press release, if HP really believed in the chip's future, would they be selling off the design division to Intel and paying ($3bn) for the privilege of divesting themselves of said division ?

The pro-Itanic crowd would say that this is simply a recognition that Intel are the silicon company and HP are the systems company... but that's only because that's the load of tripe that Fiorina (HP's CEO) has been feeding the masses since the ill-conceived takeover/merger with Compaq.

Intel Strengthens Investment In Intel® Itanium® Architecture With Hiring Of HP

HP Extends Commitment to Itanium 2-based Integrity Server Leadership, Invests $3 Billion Over Three Years

Of course, that's just my take on it.... ;-)

Barry Trotter & The Shameless Parody.

ELX.com.au (Australia) - Barry Trotter & The Shameless Parody (Paperback), Michael Gerber - ISBN 0143002880
This has all the hallmarks of something so funny it's almost tragic ! ;-)

Evil Dead, The - Collector's Edition on DVD.... buy it before they screw it up !

Evil Dead, The - Collector's Edition
Ok, we all know the classic Evil Dead, but you might want to buy a copy on DVD when the new release comes out in December.... before they screw it up royally with a remake !

Sure, they might get it right and they might even make it better, but it won't be the classic we all know and loved (?) will it !?!?!

The US govt sees freedom of speech on the internet as a real threat to the president ?

a word to the wise
I'd actually have to be LESS paranoid to be as paranoid as the writer appears to have become (not that I'd blame them).

Let's just say that I have known about both the Echelon project and the FBI's reach into Australia (and any other ally of the US) for a long time (think decade plus), so unless you haven't been paying attention you would have noticed that I make no posts (or even emails) of a potentially "risky" (in the context of this conversation) nature. In fact, you should have noticed that I may *say* certain things, but I never put them into print myself, rather I quote or link the writings of others. It is a rare occasion when I cannot find somebody to quote, so I have only ever once had to publish something myself. Maybe less than courageous, but probably prudent since anonymity on the 'net is a myth.

For the record, I have been advised that from a legal perspective, the disclaimer "we are not responsible for the posts of others on this site" (or words to that effect) is not a "get out of jail free" card and you can in fact be prosecuted in the US and extradited from Oz if it's bad enough, or prosecuted here if you fail to remove the offending post on FIRST notification from the Oz police (which may just be a phone call, so be aware).

The moral of the story is that post 911, we do NOT live in a totally free society and that Thomas Jefferson's quotation "the price of freedom is eternal vigilance" is more apt than ever. Note that you will have heard me say on many occasions that we have a "legal system", not a "justice system".... he with the deepest pockets usually wins. If you doubt of the lengths to which the US government may go to do things to a close ally, have a read of the history of the downfall of the Whitlam government in the 1970s after the arrest of Christopher Boyce....

For any law enforcement agencies out there, no, I don't advocate anything except the exercise of our democratic right to vote bad governments out of office and the right to express our displeasure in their failings of us the voting public in peaceful protest or print. ok?

Horsepower..... drool

ATI jumps on the AMD Athlon64 wagon
Nice toy.... now all we've gotta watch for is for the nice people at Alienware to pick it up and run with it... of course then I won't be able to afford it!

"The Elder Scrolls IV: Oblivion" (a sequel to Morrowind)

Bethesda Softworks Announces The Elder Scrolls IV: Oblivion
Ok, well only RPG game freaks will be interested, but with the release of Blizzard's World of Warcraft announced for 23rd November, we're all gonna need something late next year when we've finally conquered WoW (yeah, I know, "as if"!).
But still, with the very artistic and stylish presentation of Morrowind, expectations for Bethesda's next generation game will be high. The screen shots look very promising.

Teleportation and commuting

USAF investigating teleportation Ya gotta wonder... if any of the theories did pan out, then wouldn't that kinda make a dent in the whole commuting thing ?
So along with all the other technologies that would reduce dependency on fossil fuels.... can ya see what I'm hinting at ?

Welcome to the Lost Oracle's Blog

Diary of a baby : "Day 1. Tired after the big move".