Disconnected Thought Bones

Well, it's finally time for my "weekend".

How do I feel about my first week at work? Well, I'll be damned if I ever work in fast food again. I mean I can stand it but fuuuuck is it hard going. My restaurant is under-staffed so I do the work of 2-3 people. Worst of all McDonalds really does feel like a place run by kids. I mean I think the oldest employes that are actually at the store during the day are mid-20's at best. I say this after having taken a really horrible spill on the steps due to an overly wet floor on my way home. Infact that's the worst thing: everything is always wet, greasy and grimey. I feel like I've been skating all day when I get home.

Going from odd-jobbing tech support to full time mindless burger droid is a bit of a change. But ultimately I like having an occupation rather than no occupation. Although I'd love to be using my mind and expertise more. At least now I'm having a genuine shitty job experience.

I really like the people I work with however. Everyone is really courteous, friendly and sincere. There's also a couple from Ottawa who've been here for 4 months but are unfortunately returning to the motherland in a week.

Dad leaves for the ship tomorrow PM. I did grocery shopping today and am trying my best to eat well. Having free meals on break at work will kill me however. Trying to decipher a healthy meal off a McDonald's menu is, well, impossibe. If it's not the fat, carbs or sugars it's the sodium. You can be sure that all menu items contain near leathal doses of one or all of the previously mentioned. And knowing how the food is made further turns me off. There aren't any specifically consistent atrocities really but many little ones that come up every so often. Like how the Filet of Fish bun is steamed in the same unit as the Hot Cakes giving the bun a distinctly cakey taste. Or how the raw meat handling gloves are really only symbolic as they often develop holes, aren't replaced and often your hands come out smelling of raw meat regardless. The same hands used to dress the various menu items.

Anyhow, it's early.

Hold Shift Key; Go to Jail

Keyboard Manufacturers Named in DMCA Suit

German-based media giant Bertelsmann Group has launched a 400 million dollar lawsuit against major hardware manufacturers, alleging they traffic in banned circumvention devices that can be used to illegally copy their music CDs. It says that the Digital Millenium Copyright Act entitles it to protection from devices that can be used to circumvent its technological protections against piracy. Specifically, it demands compensation for the inclusion of "Shift" buttons on standard computer keyboards.

It's a bummer this isn't a real suit 'cause it'd work real well in setting precident that the DMCA is an utterly retarded act. Don't get me wrong as I'm all for intellectual property but current copyright law is bullshit designed to protect established business rather than foster innovation. Maybe in a time where the economy in America stinks and boatloads of cash are floating across to the occupation in Iraq it's necessary to be more conservative.

Or maybe not. It's all about fair use and protecting everyone's right to have intellectual property. Not just those who have teams of lawyers and huge pre-existing IP assets.

Don't Trust Your Friends. Re: LJ Crush Meme

I'd like to thank Anonymous Consulting for finally putting the last stab in LJ memes for me. I think it's totally awesome that internet marketing is moving from mildly annoying pop-up ads and banners to insidious viral marketing.

Of course nobody cares because the effect of this kind of market research has no immediate visible effect. Infact I would agree that it's "cheap, effective, infectious and not totally annoying" in it's current state. However I'm sure once this consulting firm gets larger clients the demands to invade people's privacy and regard people's blogs and journals only as potential honey pots to be raided. My trust was already breached when what seems liked an inoccuous Meme was actually the collection of data to be sold back to me at $4/hit.

Sorry, I ain't buying.

It's not totally unlike Tele-marketing really. And the result of supporting viral blog marketing only supports the collection and co-relation of personal data to better pigeon-hole you as a potential source of revenue. Again there's no immediate result from taking a silly quiz that shows how many boys and girls have crushes/ex-crushes on you. But how long before GM, Ford or VW start asking you how many cars you own or when you plan to buy in said quiz? Not long I figure until a plethora of data about you is legally in their databases co-related to your LJ username.

I don't have any mis-conceptions that it's preventable but it's gonna really suck having to wait another 10-15 years before legislation preventing spam and viral marketing from effecting my life is put into order. I mean it's only now in 2003 that there's a no-call list in the USA and it wasn't until the 90s (I believe) that Canada got harassment protection from telemarketers.