Saturday, March 12, 2005

Be careful what you say on AIM, you never know who might be eavesdropping

Apparently AOL has changed it's terms of service for AOL Instant Messenger (AIM) that give AOL the right to use anything and everything you send through AIM in any way they see fit, without informing you of it. Here's an article written about it on another blog. This is worrisome for most, but I'm not personally concerned since I'd never have a conversation through AIM that I'd be worried about someone seeing. If you use AIM for communication that needs to be secure and private you are a fool - it's NEVER been a secure communication tool. If you just chat with friends or family and don't send sensitive information via AIM, you shouldn't have to worry about this at all. That said, this change is still bothersome. The section of the new terms of service that states "by posting Content on an AIM Product, you grant AOL, its parent, affiliates, subsidiaries, assigns, agents and licensees the irrevocable, perpetual, worldwide right to reproduce, display, perform, distribute, adapt and promote this Content in any medium. You waive any right to privacy." is just a horrible invasion of privacy if you ask me. Think there's any hope they'll change their mind about this?

Thursday, March 10, 2005

My brother - luckiest man alive!

My brother works for a audio-visual presentation services company - basically they develop and produce events (incorporating stage lighting and decoration, audio, multimedia presentations and many other services) for clients such as Microsoft, Burger King, various automakers shows at the Detroit Auto Show, and other events. Sure, you say, that's cool. But why is he the luckiest man alive, you ask? Well, the recent event he's working on is for Burger King and their partner in a new promotion - Lucasfilm. My brother's company will be doing a big event for Burger King, part of which involves a screening of Episode III before it is released in theatres. That in and of itself is very cool, but there's more. To setup the event and coordinate all the different aspects of it, he'll be attending a meeting with executives for all parties. Held at Skywalker Ranch (Here's another link with more pictures and additional info about the ranch). Now that is cool - I'm very jealous!

Wednesday, March 09, 2005

Survivor : Palau casting scandal

Don't know if this is true or not, but I wouldn't put it past the producers of Survivor - Wanda Shirk, one of the first two people eliminated this season, has raised allegations that 7 contestants originally cast for the show were cut and replaced with professional models selected by the producers. The interview is online at tvguide.com (you need a subscription to their site to read it), or you can read an article on realitytvworld.com about the whole scandal, and how CBS is, of course, refuting her claims. In the article, CBS spokesperson Colleen Sullivan tells Reality TV World that "Wanda's allegation is simply untrue. I spoke with casting and not ONE modeling agency was contacted." So I guess it comes down to who do you believe, CBS or Wanda?