So, I finally got to see Van Halen in concert a bit late in life, but it was at least Van Halen and not Van Hagar. I got the second show 2-2-0-08 in Sunrise Florida at the Bank Atlantic Center.. As you will know (and if you don't know, you won't be reading this post), the band now comprises not one, not two, but three Van Halens. Joining the line-up on bass guitar is none other than Eddie's 16 but turning 17-year-old prodigy Wolfgang. The opening act was Ky-Mani Marley, the 11th of reggae legend Bob Marley’s 13 kids -- he ain't Bob that's for sure, and that concludes my comments on that.
Now, before I get on to the concert, I can say that pretty much all guy teenagers in high school all dream of being a rock star. We all wanted to play guitar, drum, or whatever in a headline act to sold-out stadiums. It's the ultimate fantasy. (Why do you think the game Guitar Hero is so successful?)
So, here's Wolfgang, on stage, with a band that is beyond famous and has one of the world's best guitarists in it. And Wolfgang, he being no slouch himself and widely regarded as on his way to being a legend like dad, stands around on stage looking mopey and unhappy barely cracking a smile and for all appearances looking like he's going through the motions. In fact, he didn't look like he even wanted to be there until the encore when Jump started and he smiled and even jumped around a bit. He definitely acted the role of the stereotypical, mopey, goth, teenager. Good old Wolfie is talented, but it's still weird seeing someone who looks about 15 on stage. It's not like this was Hannah Montana or something. Lighten up Wolfgang!
Next up, I have a serious complaint. This is no reflection on Van Halen. The acoustics for this show were some of the worst I've ever heard at any concert in my life. The sound engineer should be fired. Other reviews posted on-line echo similar sentiments. There's nothing wrong with loud, it is after all a rock concert. However when the sound is bouncing around so much you can't hear the vocals at all, you need to turn it down. The sound engineer is supposed to go around the arena before the show and make sure the sound is adequate everywhere and adjust volumes and/or speaker positions. He failed miserably and this considerably affected my enjoyment of the show -- and judging by the comments of everyone around us, most everyone felt this way.
Our specific seats had a fantastic view. Unfortunately, row 21 of section 107 in the BankAtlantic Center is one of those with the glass partitions and the space in front was too small. This is made worse by the steel support beams holding the glass. It was unspeakably uncomfortable, enough so that one of our party threw in the towel and left early. My knee is still sore today from being pressed into a metal support bar all night. I'd mention the lack of air conditioning but about halfway through the concert, it finally kicked in.
David Lee Roth is still his legendary Diamond Dave self. He doesn't move as fast, but he's still got the look, the attitude, and more importantly the sound. He hit all the notes, and I do mean all of them even on Jamie's Crying. He seems to actually be having fun and not wanting to kill Eddie. I'm glad about that, though I doubt it will last.
Eddie Van Halen still owns the guitar hero of our time award. He's probably one of the greatest guitar players ever and he was amazing. The sound he made come out of that guitar ranged from the sublime to the earth shattering and everything in between including a car (or motorcycle depending on your view). He's a legend and earned it.
Alex Van Halen (Eddie's brother) was amazing on drums and was definitely having more fun than anyone else on stage. He also got a huge solo which brought the roof down.
Wolfgang Van Halen taking over for Michael Anthony was awesome. He really was. His sound is a bit different, of course, but nobody will find fault with him on his skills. His voice, maybe. His sound is different than Anthony's and you can notice it in some songs, and his voice is noticeably different. Other comments on Wolfie appear at the top of the page.
1- You Really Got Me
2- I’m The One
3- Runnin’ With the Devil
4- Romeo Delight (a bit of The Who’s “Magic Bus” sprinkled in)
5- Somebody Get Me a Doctor
6- Beautiful Girls
7- Dance the Night Away
8- Atomic Punk
9- Everybody Wants Some
10- So This is Love?
11- Mean Street
12- Pretty Woman
13- Alex's extended and obviously awesome drum solo
14- Unchained
15- I’ll Wait
16- And the Cradle Will Rock
17- Hot For Teacher
18- Little Dreamer
19- Little Guitars
20- Jamie’s Cryin’
21- Ice Cream Man
22- Panama
23- Eddie’s extended thrashing guitar solo including selections from Spanish Fly, Cathedral and Eruption
24- Ain’t Talkin’ Bout Love
25- the encore was Jump
We also got the added side bonus of watch the hot chick in the luxury box in front of us tease all the guys by trying to flash her boobies but not quite spilling the goods. It was amusing because she was hitting on every guy in the box (about 8 of 'em) -- and there was one guy who obviously not interested and she was all over him. I guess that's two shows for the price of one.
Thursday, February 21, 2008
Wednesday, February 20, 2008
WikiLeaks Shuttered but NOT gone
A federal judge has shut down the entire site "WikiLeaks" over one single post of over 10,000 and their ISP has complied. This is wrong on several levels. In an effort to help them out, I have two alternate links via IP address and a mirror site that still allow access to the site.
I rather think this is an idiot judge who has his head shoved too far up his ass. But, in the spirit of the Internet, I thought it would be appropriate to help spread the word until the regular site comes on-line. I am certain you will see some anonymous hero hijack the DNS entry and redirect it soon. Until then use the links above.
If you want to read more, here's a short excerpt from the AP article:
I rather think this is an idiot judge who has his head shoved too far up his ass. But, in the spirit of the Internet, I thought it would be appropriate to help spread the word until the regular site comes on-line. I am certain you will see some anonymous hero hijack the DNS entry and redirect it soon. Until then use the links above.
If you want to read more, here's a short excerpt from the AP article:
SAN FRANCISCO - A federal judge has set off a free speech tempest after shutting down a U.S. Web site for posting internal documents accusing a Cayman Islands' bank branch of money laundering and tax evasion schemes. The Bank Julius Baer & Co. said in papers filed in U.S. District Court in San Francisco that a disgruntled executive fired for "misconduct" stole the documents and illegally posted them on http://wikileaks.org. The bank also said a number of the documents have been altered, but it didn't provide details. The bank, based in Zurich, sued Wikileaks and its San Mateo hosting company Dynadot on Feb. 6, alleging the Web site had posted stolen and confidential financial data.
On Thursday, Dynadot agreed to shut down the site and bar Wikileaks from transferring the domain name to another host. "This is akin to seizing all the copies of the New York Times, locking the doors and ordering the landlords not to let anyone back in the building," said Julie Turner, a Palo Alto Internet attorney.
Wikileaks said in a statement that shutting down the entire Web site - instead of narrowly ordering the removal of the disputed materials - amounts to unconstitutional "prior restraint" by the government of an entire publishing organization. "The order is clearly unconstitutional and exceeds its jurisdiction," Wikileaks spokesman Julian Assange said in the e-mail statement issued from Paris on Monday. "Wikileaks will keep on publishing."
David Ardia, an Internet speech expert at Harvard Law School, said a court has never before ordered an entire Web site shut down over a document dispute. He said it struck a nerve. "This is a prior restraint in the most extreme fashion," Ardia said. "This is a judge who doesn't have a good understanding of the Internet."
Tuesday, February 19, 2008
Ding Dong, HD-DVD is Dead
Stick a fork in it, because it's over. It's official. Today, Toshiba has announced that HD-DVD is no more and will be relegated to the bin of history. For the first time, consumers have won in receiving a quality product instead of the cheaper product. Blu-Ray is here to stay and coming within the next year we will now have Lord of the Rings in Blu-Ray! I could go on and on, but you can go look at my previous blog posts (click the Blu-Ray or HD-DVD tags at the bottom of this post to get a listing).
The studios are thrilled, though many might consider that a downside. The hardware manufacturers are thrilled. Everyone is happy. Expect a massive roll-out of titles in about six months, and by Christmas you should see prices on releases drop. This will also spur on the availability of actual BDVD+RW drives for your computer at an affordable level as well as drives that are speedier.
Who's left holding the bag? Toshiba and Microsoft. I feel sorry for Toshiba. Here's an article that appeared today of some interest. It's one of many that have come out, indicating how thrilled they are at the announcement.
"While we are disappointed for the company and more importantly, for the consumer, the real mass market opportunity for high definition content remains untapped and Toshiba is both able and determined to use our talent, technology, and intellectual property to make digital convergence a reality," Atsutoshi Nishida, president and chief executive of Toshiba, said in a statement.
Universal, one of the two remaining HD-DVD camps has announced a switch to Blu-Ray effective immediately. New titles will come out on HD-DVD and they will release their back catalog as well. Only Paramount remains and an announcement is expected at any moment.
The studios are thrilled, though many might consider that a downside. The hardware manufacturers are thrilled. Everyone is happy. Expect a massive roll-out of titles in about six months, and by Christmas you should see prices on releases drop. This will also spur on the availability of actual BDVD+RW drives for your computer at an affordable level as well as drives that are speedier.
Who's left holding the bag? Toshiba and Microsoft. I feel sorry for Toshiba. Here's an article that appeared today of some interest. It's one of many that have come out, indicating how thrilled they are at the announcement.
"While we are disappointed for the company and more importantly, for the consumer, the real mass market opportunity for high definition content remains untapped and Toshiba is both able and determined to use our talent, technology, and intellectual property to make digital convergence a reality," Atsutoshi Nishida, president and chief executive of Toshiba, said in a statement.
Universal, one of the two remaining HD-DVD camps has announced a switch to Blu-Ray effective immediately. New titles will come out on HD-DVD and they will release their back catalog as well. Only Paramount remains and an announcement is expected at any moment.
Saturday, February 16, 2008
Another Rough Day
This one for Erin who was the victim of an attempted mugging at the mall.
The Higgi called in sick to the game. So I called Erin from work to plan dinner. Last night (Friday) we were planning to meet for dinner. She called me and changed from Food Court #1 to Food Court #2. Then Thomas decided to go with us for dinner. Then she called me again to change to Cheesecake Factory for dinner.
I arrived first, Thomas arrived a few moments after me, and she said she was pulling into the mall momentarily. She asked us to get the table and wait for her. We did indeed.
We were seated way in the back, so I called her to tell her. I got her voicemail, which was odd, but perhaps she was on the phone. Another 10 minutes went by and I called again. No answer. I was a little concerned considering there was parking aplenty.
A few minutes later the phone rang, she said she was robbed and hung up. As you can imagine that didn't sit well. I called her back and asked where she was, but she didn't say other than to say she was with security and to just wait and she'd come by. With no way to actually find her (the mall is enormous if you've never been to Sawgrass Mills), we decided we'd order without her and just wait. She finally traipsed in some time later covered in mud.
What happened? A young female (probably a teen) came up to her in the parking lot and asked if she had a dollar. Erin replied that she didn't carry cash. Then when Erin tried to put her phone in her pocket, the female hit her wrist had to make Erin try and drop her phone. Erin did but started to chase the crook (crookette?) but Erin slipped in the mud and lost her. Thankfully Erin is okay and nothing was taken. Mall Security was unable to find the perpetrator nor were the police. She, understandably, ditched the game -- at least the Panthers won in her honour.
Me, I awakened at 310am with violent and explosive diarrhoea and vomiting. Felt like food poisoning. Not sure it was dinner (Orange Chicken on a bed of rice with Snow Peas from the Cheesecake Factory) or lunch (a pork sandwich and baked beans from the hitching post). I might have to throw away my orange chicken leftovers. I probably shouldn't eat it though it was very tasty.
Erin came over and we did geeky computer things together. Yay. I even updated the Panthers Hockey Message Board to phpBB version 3.0 -- woo-hoo!
I still have the frequent diarrhoea, though calling it that implies there is some substance to it. More like pure water. Where it's all coming from I have no idea. Sorry. You didn't want to read that did you.
The Higgi called in sick to the game. So I called Erin from work to plan dinner. Last night (Friday) we were planning to meet for dinner. She called me and changed from Food Court #1 to Food Court #2. Then Thomas decided to go with us for dinner. Then she called me again to change to Cheesecake Factory for dinner.
I arrived first, Thomas arrived a few moments after me, and she said she was pulling into the mall momentarily. She asked us to get the table and wait for her. We did indeed.
We were seated way in the back, so I called her to tell her. I got her voicemail, which was odd, but perhaps she was on the phone. Another 10 minutes went by and I called again. No answer. I was a little concerned considering there was parking aplenty.
A few minutes later the phone rang, she said she was robbed and hung up. As you can imagine that didn't sit well. I called her back and asked where she was, but she didn't say other than to say she was with security and to just wait and she'd come by. With no way to actually find her (the mall is enormous if you've never been to Sawgrass Mills), we decided we'd order without her and just wait. She finally traipsed in some time later covered in mud.
What happened? A young female (probably a teen) came up to her in the parking lot and asked if she had a dollar. Erin replied that she didn't carry cash. Then when Erin tried to put her phone in her pocket, the female hit her wrist had to make Erin try and drop her phone. Erin did but started to chase the crook (crookette?) but Erin slipped in the mud and lost her. Thankfully Erin is okay and nothing was taken. Mall Security was unable to find the perpetrator nor were the police. She, understandably, ditched the game -- at least the Panthers won in her honour.
Me, I awakened at 310am with violent and explosive diarrhoea and vomiting. Felt like food poisoning. Not sure it was dinner (Orange Chicken on a bed of rice with Snow Peas from the Cheesecake Factory) or lunch (a pork sandwich and baked beans from the hitching post). I might have to throw away my orange chicken leftovers. I probably shouldn't eat it though it was very tasty.
Erin came over and we did geeky computer things together. Yay. I even updated the Panthers Hockey Message Board to phpBB version 3.0 -- woo-hoo!
I still have the frequent diarrhoea, though calling it that implies there is some substance to it. More like pure water. Where it's all coming from I have no idea. Sorry. You didn't want to read that did you.
Thursday, February 14, 2008
Lost Explained, Plumbers, Travertine Marble, and Macs
There have been so many theories on LOST, I've lost track. This one which I found via Stumble-Upon today is absolutely stellar. It works. Makes sense. It's a very long post so make sure you have time to read and think. It's got some holes but I really, really, like this one.
Today, the plumber came to fix the ballcock on my guest bathroom toilet. Actually he replaced the whole mechanism because it had a small leak. I only mention this because it's not often you get to say ballcock when there's not a dirty joke involved. I wish I could work in a badminton reference and say shuttlecock. I can't. So I won't say shuttlecock.
My shower work is done. My three day semi-expensive job turned into a ten day long ordeal. However, the old shower was ripped out. The leaky shower-pan was replaced -- and a good thing because it was developing a mould collection. The new shower has authentic travertine marble tiling. I like it except for the light fixture (which I'll replace) and the door (too short for my tastes). I am pleased, though. I missed being in my bathroom because it was just weird being the guest bathroom for so long.
My new Mac is chugging along nicely except for the firewire issue. What firewire issue you may ask. Well let me tell you then :) An edited version of what I sent to Apple's Engineering Department:
I thought it was just me having problems but then I've since had other friends with similar problems. We have a technology provider that deals directly with Apple an I spoke the Apple Rep. A few days later they called back and confirmed there ARE problems on a wide scale and they're "checking into the cause but are leaning towards the monitor having faulty hardware."
Now, on to the nitty-gritty. This bug manifests itself as follows.
To rule out other issues, ALL OTHER EXTERNAL DEVICES BOTH USB AND FIREWIRE (except mouse and keyboard obviously) were removed from the chain: CPU, Monitor, Hubs, everything.
This problem is specifically related to the 23" new cinema display and the firewire port/hub built in to the new Intel 2x4core3.2ghz. This machine is about a week old as is the monitor. Hot off the press. All external devices were previously plugged into a dual-core G5 with similar specifications and functioned normally.
What happened is that if you plug the monitor into the rear firewire ports an external firewire HD (800 or 400) will eventually overload the system and disable the entire firewire bus on ALL ports. I tried two different external firewire drives (on the 400 and 800 ports in front and back of the machine with NOTHING plugged into the monitor but the monitor plugged into the machine's rear port (tried both ports). I also tried various cables.
Apparently the internals of the machine have one shared bus and even though the system is powered it can't handle an external drive. The drive in question is one of the 1-TB Western Digitals (I'm not using their drivers -- just the default Apple stuff).
When you access the external drive and open it, you get the root directory for that drive, but then when you open a folder the drive over-spins and then powers down. Checking in System Profiler shows that the Firewire Bus cannot be read. All firewire devices stop working. You must POWER DOWN THE SYSTEM to recover. Moving down to 400 didn't help.
I tried this with two different Firewire Drives. Happily the data was not too badly damaged by the unexpected power down. DiskWarrior to the rescue.
At first I thought I had an isolated incident with my specific machine or monitor being bad which is when I slowly begin trying to isolate it by removing equipment from the equation. (I have firewire external Sony AIT, iOmega ZIP, Memorex DVD+RW drives in addition to the HD. Since USB is unaffected I left those out of the equation and unplugged).
So after narrowing it down to the monitor and hard drive, I went to Google (gotta love Google because it knows everything) and typed the error message about the bus being unreadable. There are *TONS* of matches and everyone is having firewire bus problems but nobody has apparently isolated it yet. But it's my observation and gut feeling that there is an endemic problem with the monitor's firewire using too much power from the machine *OR* the machine's firewire bus is insufficiently powered. The fact that it powered down the drive and rendered the bus dead supports this hypothesis. (Or, more likely, a combination of an issue between the Mac and the monitor.)
This information is VERY good and solid and tested carefully. It's not perfectly tested but Apple ABSOLUTELY, POSITIVELY has an issue. The hard drive worked fine on my G5 Mac (2x2ghz) in the same FW800 port with ALL the above devices attached. That rules out the machine handily.
Continued testing causes repeated bus power downs and will continue to damage my hard drive which is why I don't want to keep testing my drive.
It's some sport of an electrical issue with bus power over your firewire chain. I suspect that with all those ports on the machine plus the monitor added in, the stress is too much and it gives up.
I will, shortly, have a lot more Mac hardware for sale including (possibly) a Cinema Display, a Dual Processor G5, and more. Contact me for details.
Today, the plumber came to fix the ballcock on my guest bathroom toilet. Actually he replaced the whole mechanism because it had a small leak. I only mention this because it's not often you get to say ballcock when there's not a dirty joke involved. I wish I could work in a badminton reference and say shuttlecock. I can't. So I won't say shuttlecock.
My shower work is done. My three day semi-expensive job turned into a ten day long ordeal. However, the old shower was ripped out. The leaky shower-pan was replaced -- and a good thing because it was developing a mould collection. The new shower has authentic travertine marble tiling. I like it except for the light fixture (which I'll replace) and the door (too short for my tastes). I am pleased, though. I missed being in my bathroom because it was just weird being the guest bathroom for so long.
My new Mac is chugging along nicely except for the firewire issue. What firewire issue you may ask. Well let me tell you then :) An edited version of what I sent to Apple's Engineering Department:
I thought it was just me having problems but then I've since had other friends with similar problems. We have a technology provider that deals directly with Apple an I spoke the Apple Rep. A few days later they called back and confirmed there ARE problems on a wide scale and they're "checking into the cause but are leaning towards the monitor having faulty hardware."
Now, on to the nitty-gritty. This bug manifests itself as follows.
To rule out other issues, ALL OTHER EXTERNAL DEVICES BOTH USB AND FIREWIRE (except mouse and keyboard obviously) were removed from the chain: CPU, Monitor, Hubs, everything.
This problem is specifically related to the 23" new cinema display and the firewire port/hub built in to the new Intel 2x4core3.2ghz. This machine is about a week old as is the monitor. Hot off the press. All external devices were previously plugged into a dual-core G5 with similar specifications and functioned normally.
What happened is that if you plug the monitor into the rear firewire ports an external firewire HD (800 or 400) will eventually overload the system and disable the entire firewire bus on ALL ports. I tried two different external firewire drives (on the 400 and 800 ports in front and back of the machine with NOTHING plugged into the monitor but the monitor plugged into the machine's rear port (tried both ports). I also tried various cables.
Apparently the internals of the machine have one shared bus and even though the system is powered it can't handle an external drive. The drive in question is one of the 1-TB Western Digitals (I'm not using their drivers -- just the default Apple stuff).
When you access the external drive and open it, you get the root directory for that drive, but then when you open a folder the drive over-spins and then powers down. Checking in System Profiler shows that the Firewire Bus cannot be read. All firewire devices stop working. You must POWER DOWN THE SYSTEM to recover. Moving down to 400 didn't help.
I tried this with two different Firewire Drives. Happily the data was not too badly damaged by the unexpected power down. DiskWarrior to the rescue.
At first I thought I had an isolated incident with my specific machine or monitor being bad which is when I slowly begin trying to isolate it by removing equipment from the equation. (I have firewire external Sony AIT, iOmega ZIP, Memorex DVD+RW drives in addition to the HD. Since USB is unaffected I left those out of the equation and unplugged).
So after narrowing it down to the monitor and hard drive, I went to Google (gotta love Google because it knows everything) and typed the error message about the bus being unreadable. There are *TONS* of matches and everyone is having firewire bus problems but nobody has apparently isolated it yet. But it's my observation and gut feeling that there is an endemic problem with the monitor's firewire using too much power from the machine *OR* the machine's firewire bus is insufficiently powered. The fact that it powered down the drive and rendered the bus dead supports this hypothesis. (Or, more likely, a combination of an issue between the Mac and the monitor.)
This information is VERY good and solid and tested carefully. It's not perfectly tested but Apple ABSOLUTELY, POSITIVELY has an issue. The hard drive worked fine on my G5 Mac (2x2ghz) in the same FW800 port with ALL the above devices attached. That rules out the machine handily.
Continued testing causes repeated bus power downs and will continue to damage my hard drive which is why I don't want to keep testing my drive.
It's some sport of an electrical issue with bus power over your firewire chain. I suspect that with all those ports on the machine plus the monitor added in, the stress is too much and it gives up.
I will, shortly, have a lot more Mac hardware for sale including (possibly) a Cinema Display, a Dual Processor G5, and more. Contact me for details.
Tuesday, February 12, 2008
Fraud Case Update Part Two
My money is back in my account as of this morning. YAY!
However, there's more. Because my old on-line banking account was locked out because of fraud, I had to go to the branch (my local branch) to reactivate it with the new account. Well guess what, kiddies? There was a new on-line account created so someone could monitor my account online.
To avoid revealing evidence, I'll skip the details. However, this got caught when they asked me my security question and we found the answers were all changed. Tomorrow, I will advise BankAtlantic of these new details. It gets curiouser and curiouser. The lady at BankAtlantic was kind enough to let me know they log IP addresses. That will be useful.
I've also never used phone banking. Honestly, I didn't even KNOW there was such a thing. However on 1 February 2008 there were two phone banking calls as well. Obviously not by me. Too many red flags with too much information to be anything but an inside job.
I'd really like to thank my friends who showed support, offered to lend me funds temporarily, took me out to eat, and all that sort of stuff in addition to the moral support. I won't update this story again until I get some real news, but this was of enough interest to share with all of you.
However, there's more. Because my old on-line banking account was locked out because of fraud, I had to go to the branch (my local branch) to reactivate it with the new account. Well guess what, kiddies? There was a new on-line account created so someone could monitor my account online.
To avoid revealing evidence, I'll skip the details. However, this got caught when they asked me my security question and we found the answers were all changed. Tomorrow, I will advise BankAtlantic of these new details. It gets curiouser and curiouser. The lady at BankAtlantic was kind enough to let me know they log IP addresses. That will be useful.
I've also never used phone banking. Honestly, I didn't even KNOW there was such a thing. However on 1 February 2008 there were two phone banking calls as well. Obviously not by me. Too many red flags with too much information to be anything but an inside job.
I'd really like to thank my friends who showed support, offered to lend me funds temporarily, took me out to eat, and all that sort of stuff in addition to the moral support. I won't update this story again until I get some real news, but this was of enough interest to share with all of you.
Monday, February 11, 2008
Thoughts and Prayers to Richard Zednik
Richard Zednik of the Florida Panthers last night took a skate to the carotid artery and almost lost his life. He skated to the bench, glove covering his neck -- a move that doctors say may have saved his life. Imagine 5 seconds more and he'd have possibly bled to death.A totally freak accident. Horrific to see. There are some horrific photos and as bad as poor Zednik looks, the shock on his face evident, the pools of blood all over, the reaction of the audience is the real horror. The on AP shot shows peoples' faces and you can just tell they're realizing "this guy isn't going to live."
Happily, Zednik will make it. The Panthers hired a jet to fly his family to Buffalo.
I am a bit shocked that they stopped the game for 10 to 15 minutes and then cleaned the ice and resumed. I'd have cancelled it. Yeah, we lost. A forfeit would have been fine. No real fan would have said word one.
I've been hard on Zednik this year until the past few games. But he'd awoken from his slumber and was playing well. I hope he can, one day, return to the game.
I must warn you some of the links below contain graphic text, horrific photos and/or gruesome video with enormous amounts of blood.
- http://tinyurl.com/yqvt9r <-- two photos / one graphic -- The Full AP article
- http://tinyurl.com/ysgy85 <-- Boston Globe with photo blood all over ice
- http://tinyurl.com/ytueuj <-- ABC with gruesome photo and link to video of the play
- http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=hzU5z8byUkI <-- You Tube of the play just before to two minutes after (2mins)
- http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=nzhuviXi3hc <-- from the time he hits the bench until the game resumes (10 mins).
- http://tinyurl.com/2vgzrt Zednik makes the Wall Street Journal
A very complete collection of Zednik Videos (various angles, etc) and photos.
http://www.postchronicle.com/news/original/article_212129784.shtml
Some of the above images are especially gruesome in nature.
This isn't the first time he left the ice on a stretcher. When he was with the 2002 Montral Canadiens....
http://tinyurl.com/ytvcxz <--- photo only
Feel free to add your link (TinyURL please) and commentary here. Support Zednik by posting a get-well message at the Panthers official website and/or our message board on this thread.
This post was updated 12 February 2008 with additional links. For the most up to date information check the Panthers Message Board under the above mentioned thread or the Official Press Release thread on the board.
Fraud Case Update
This is an update to my previous post. I can't reveal much more yet due to an ongoing investigation and the fact I don't want to compromise it. This will take quite awhile so don't expect much more than what you read here for months.
Happily, I should have my money back within 48 hours. I didn't even have to ask, which made me happy. I will keep my account at BankAtlantic based on their actions.
The case is being investigated by both the FBI and US Secret Service as well as the Broward County Sheriff's office. I will be fully cooperating. I will not release any further information at this time. Draw whatever conclusions you feel appropriate based on these statements.
Happily, I should have my money back within 48 hours. I didn't even have to ask, which made me happy. I will keep my account at BankAtlantic based on their actions.
The case is being investigated by both the FBI and US Secret Service as well as the Broward County Sheriff's office. I will be fully cooperating. I will not release any further information at this time. Draw whatever conclusions you feel appropriate based on these statements.
Thursday, February 7, 2008
Eric Defrauded. Police Called. People Arrested.
First, I want to assure you I will gladly and fully cooperate in any investigation and gladly testify and cooperate in any way. I want the people who did this to stay in jail for a very, very long time.
Here’s what transpired so far. This is edited to remove details from an ongoing investigation.
On the morning of 2-7-08 I received a call at work from Marvin at the Bank Atlantic in Lauderhill, Florida. He asks if I’ve written checks to Renee Johnson and Eldora Golden. I tell him no. He asks me again if I’m absolutely sure because I had also written one yesterday. I tell him I didn’t write one yesterday either. He says he’ll call the police and call me back.
Around noon I speak to Marvin because I hadn’t heard back. He said they were arrested by Detective Charles Smith. I leave a message but don’t hear back. Marvin also tells me to call the Metro-Dade Police (where I live) which I also do. I leave work early because I am too upset to concentrate. They come to my home around 330 or so. The detective asks for my Lauderhill case number which we don’t have. He calls Detective Smith but gets no answer. Then he’s directed to the BSO who finally tells him it was actually processed by Detective Alexis. The Miami Detective (Werente) asks me to call Detective Alexis and get some information while he does some paperwork. I then put Detective Alexis on the phone with the Metro Detective. They talk while I sit and try not to panic any worse.
Both Detetives Alexis and Werente we very nice considering I was pretty shaken and in an especially cranky mood over this. I’m glad everyone was patient with me.
At this point all the paperwork still shows one check because the bank informed me and Detective Werente when he called from my house that only the one check was cashed. However when I get to the bank, their computer shows three checks are cashed effectively wiping out most of the account. Eventually I hope to recover this, though the banks says it will take up to 30 days.
I had originally suspected Maid Brigade’s cleaning crew because someone obviously got a hold of a paper check. I don’t use paper checks and I’ve only written a few in six months and half were to Maid Brigade. Most of my banking is done using on-line checks.
I had the fax copies of the checks used to defraud. My original checks were Smithsonian Space Logo checks and are small. These checks are completely different colour, shape, and size.
Now, here’s the kicker. The fake checks are encoded with my HOME address. My PO BOX address is on my real checks. None of my financial data is sent to my home address with the SOLE exception of Bank Atlantic and the IRS. I don’t give anyone my home address. Even my utility and credit card bills go to my PO BOX address. I think we can rule the IRS out as a feasible suspect. That leaves a Bank Employee with access to my data. That also explains the signatures and the fact someone got checks printed with the right check numbers, MICR encoding, and such.
Further when Detective Werente and I called in the afternoon trying to get information from the bank for his paperwork, they also said an ATM card was issued on the account. That requires a social security number because they're debit cards. That information can only come from the bank. It certainly rules out the maid service. I still have my original checks with these numbers in my possession.
Upon returning home I checked my other financial accounts (credit cards, credit reports at the three major credit bureaus, and so forth). There were no unusual transactions or information on any of them. This doesn’t appear to be identity theft. It does appear to be criminal fraud in cahoots with someone at the bank with access to my information.
Renee Johnson is a minor and will be released into the custody of her parents. Eldora Golden is an adult and is being held on Grand Theft charges. On Saturday morning I will go to the Lauderhill PD and swear additional complaints and agree to press felony charges.
I am sure this isn’t done, but this is accurate up to now.
Here’s what transpired so far. This is edited to remove details from an ongoing investigation.
On the morning of 2-7-08 I received a call at work from Marvin at the Bank Atlantic in Lauderhill, Florida. He asks if I’ve written checks to Renee Johnson and Eldora Golden. I tell him no. He asks me again if I’m absolutely sure because I had also written one yesterday. I tell him I didn’t write one yesterday either. He says he’ll call the police and call me back.
Around noon I speak to Marvin because I hadn’t heard back. He said they were arrested by Detective Charles Smith. I leave a message but don’t hear back. Marvin also tells me to call the Metro-Dade Police (where I live) which I also do. I leave work early because I am too upset to concentrate. They come to my home around 330 or so. The detective asks for my Lauderhill case number which we don’t have. He calls Detective Smith but gets no answer. Then he’s directed to the BSO who finally tells him it was actually processed by Detective Alexis. The Miami Detective (Werente) asks me to call Detective Alexis and get some information while he does some paperwork. I then put Detective Alexis on the phone with the Metro Detective. They talk while I sit and try not to panic any worse.
Both Detetives Alexis and Werente we very nice considering I was pretty shaken and in an especially cranky mood over this. I’m glad everyone was patient with me.
At this point all the paperwork still shows one check because the bank informed me and Detective Werente when he called from my house that only the one check was cashed. However when I get to the bank, their computer shows three checks are cashed effectively wiping out most of the account. Eventually I hope to recover this, though the banks says it will take up to 30 days.
I had originally suspected Maid Brigade’s cleaning crew because someone obviously got a hold of a paper check. I don’t use paper checks and I’ve only written a few in six months and half were to Maid Brigade. Most of my banking is done using on-line checks.
I had the fax copies of the checks used to defraud. My original checks were Smithsonian Space Logo checks and are small. These checks are completely different colour, shape, and size.
Now, here’s the kicker. The fake checks are encoded with my HOME address. My PO BOX address is on my real checks. None of my financial data is sent to my home address with the SOLE exception of Bank Atlantic and the IRS. I don’t give anyone my home address. Even my utility and credit card bills go to my PO BOX address. I think we can rule the IRS out as a feasible suspect. That leaves a Bank Employee with access to my data. That also explains the signatures and the fact someone got checks printed with the right check numbers, MICR encoding, and such.
Further when Detective Werente and I called in the afternoon trying to get information from the bank for his paperwork, they also said an ATM card was issued on the account. That requires a social security number because they're debit cards. That information can only come from the bank. It certainly rules out the maid service. I still have my original checks with these numbers in my possession.
Upon returning home I checked my other financial accounts (credit cards, credit reports at the three major credit bureaus, and so forth). There were no unusual transactions or information on any of them. This doesn’t appear to be identity theft. It does appear to be criminal fraud in cahoots with someone at the bank with access to my information.
Renee Johnson is a minor and will be released into the custody of her parents. Eldora Golden is an adult and is being held on Grand Theft charges. On Saturday morning I will go to the Lauderhill PD and swear additional complaints and agree to press felony charges.
I am sure this isn’t done, but this is accurate up to now.
Sunday, February 3, 2008
Bill Belichick -- Classy All The Way
CONGRATULATIONS TO THE GIANTS specifically for keeping the Miami Dolphins the only undefeated team in the modern NFL. I am pleased on many counts but that's the one that matters to me the most. The legacy remains and will remain for a long, long period of time.
This was the first time I can remember deliberately rooting for a New York team, but the cause was great. And Jimmy Johnson gets to eat crow.
The Patriots didn't win, didn't cover the spread, and I wish to point out that Bill Belichick is all class* -- walking off the field before the game was over. I can understand the confusion going on the field because the clock was ticking down towards zero, but he knew it wasn't officially over once he got there because the referees told him. He left the field anyway: a sore loser. Or, in his case just a loser -- and a cheating one at that.
* Classy in a Paris Hilton sort of way.
KTFBG.
This was the first time I can remember deliberately rooting for a New York team, but the cause was great. And Jimmy Johnson gets to eat crow.
The Patriots didn't win, didn't cover the spread, and I wish to point out that Bill Belichick is all class* -- walking off the field before the game was over. I can understand the confusion going on the field because the clock was ticking down towards zero, but he knew it wasn't officially over once he got there because the referees told him. He left the field anyway: a sore loser. Or, in his case just a loser -- and a cheating one at that.
* Classy in a Paris Hilton sort of way.
KTFBG.
Saturday, February 2, 2008
Eight Cores of Bliss
I have on my desk a 3.2ghz dual quad core Xeon MacPro running Leopard* 10.5.1 with 2gb of RAM and a total of 2TB of hard drive space (around 1/2 full already, thanks) plus dual SuperDrives and Airport and Bluetooth.
The switch has been painful as all hell. I didn't realize I could boot back into 10.4.11 which was my original plan. That created some issues with stuff that doesn't work with 10.5. I'm slowly working around them. My lack of access to Claris Resolve files will continue to be a pain because 10.5 cannot access OS9 and neither can Intel Machines. I am working on a solution.
The upgrade from Adobe CS2 to CS3 was a real chore since the transfer process didn't go smoothly. Three freaking hours, dammit. It gave me something to do whilst the contractors tore apart my shower (which will continue for the next week) to fix the shower pan.
Tomorrow I shall probably put one hard drive back in the original Mac so it works. That dual 2ghz G5 shall be on sale soon for interested parties. Still pretty damned fast.
Had dinner with Erin. Called Jose who was distracted and Tom after that. Discussed new mobile phone purchase that is pending. Just trying to get the iSync stuff up to date before I do that.
* Blech
The switch has been painful as all hell. I didn't realize I could boot back into 10.4.11 which was my original plan. That created some issues with stuff that doesn't work with 10.5. I'm slowly working around them. My lack of access to Claris Resolve files will continue to be a pain because 10.5 cannot access OS9 and neither can Intel Machines. I am working on a solution.
The upgrade from Adobe CS2 to CS3 was a real chore since the transfer process didn't go smoothly. Three freaking hours, dammit. It gave me something to do whilst the contractors tore apart my shower (which will continue for the next week) to fix the shower pan.
Tomorrow I shall probably put one hard drive back in the original Mac so it works. That dual 2ghz G5 shall be on sale soon for interested parties. Still pretty damned fast.
Had dinner with Erin. Called Jose who was distracted and Tom after that. Discussed new mobile phone purchase that is pending. Just trying to get the iSync stuff up to date before I do that.
* Blech
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