What are your odds of being sued by the RIAA

Digg: “Interesting article examines the probability of being sued by the RIAA. The result looks good for file sharers.”

Secret Doors.

Neatorama: “The Hidden Door Company specializes in making secret, hidden doors for your house! They come in various guises like wine racks, bookshelves, cabinets and so forth…

Link “

Nigerian Letter scammer convinced to carve replica Commodore 64

Boing Boing: “Cory Doctorow: The 419Eater website chronicles the incredible story of a guy who baits ‘Nigerian Letter’ scammers by telling them he has no time to help them free their dead relatives’ seized assets because he is so busy sending out $150,000 scholarships for talented carvings to display in his galleries. He actually convinces a 419 scammer to produce a detailed replica of a Commodore 64 computer with the lure of a big cash payout — then blows him off with a twist ending worthy of The Big Con. Link (via Waxy)“

Star Wars 1979 drunken driving public service announcement

Digg: “Following on the success of 1977’s Star Wars, a PSA featuring (presumably) the cantina on Tattooine was released in an effort to curb drunk driving.”

Traveller Tip

Tricks of the Trade: “If you’ve ever traveled, chances are you’ve lost/misplaced/forgotten your cell phone charger at some point. If you are at a hotel when you realize this, go to the front desk and ask if they have a spare. People forget their cell phone chargers all the time while travelling, and the hotel is likely to have an entire box of ‘left behinds.’ And, if you find one that fits your phone, they will almost always let you keep it.”

Mod Windows XP Home to XP Pro

Lifehacker: “If you’re a Windows XP Home user who wants to upgrade to XP Pro the violated EULA way, brother site Gizmodo’s got the registry changes to do so.

Warning, though: Not being a XP Home user, I haven’t tried this, so attempt at your own risk. Also, apparently this modification makes installing Service Pack 2 impossible, and running an unpatched Windows system is a VERY BAD IDEA. But still. If any of you Home users give it a try, do let us know how it goes. — Gina Trapani
HOWTO Change Windows XP Home to Windows XP Pro“

Customizing your BSOD

Digg: “Ever wanted to change the messages displayed by BSoD’s to something more interesting (e.g. instead of ‘A problem was detected on your computer and windows has been shut down…’ it says ‘Windows suddenly decided to hate you’ ? Read on :)”

How to Photograph Fireworks

Digital Photo School: “Fireworks are something that evoke a lot of emotion in people as they are not only beautiful and spectacular to watch but they also are often used to celebrate momentous occasions. I’ve had many emails from readers asking how to photograph fireworks….”

Create a new random identity by hitting reload

Boing Boing: “Cory Doctorow: The Random Identity Generator creates a new plausible person every time you reload the page. They’ll also sell you bulk random identities at $1 per 2,000.

Tim C. Whipple
324 Hillcrest Avenue
Southfield, MI 48075 Email Address: Tim.C.Whipple@pookmail.com

Phone: 734-687-8295
Mother’s maiden name: Beer
Birthday: February 2, 1943

MasterCard: 5165 6364 9855 9856
Expires: 4/2007

Link“

Stem Cells Cure Paralyzed Rats

Slashdot: “An anonymous reader writes ‘According to an article on Forbes as well as other sources, ‘Scientists have used [embryonic] stem cells and a soup of nerve-friendly chemicals to not just bridge a damaged spinal cord but actually regrow the circuitry needed to move a muscle, helping partially paralyzed rats walk.’”