Social engineering has sunk really low…
Someone could think that the strategies currently executed by cyber-criminals to extort personal information are sophisticated, dangerous and antivirus software-proof. Maybe it’s just like this, however it’s as much true that next to the fine technique the aforementioned criminals still use dirt cheap tricks against which there wouldn’t theoretically be any need for the antivirus at all. It would be enough to have one’s own brain always turned on when in front of the screen.
Wallpapers on the spotlight: Trine 2
Along with the official announcement of Trine 2 release, during the E2 2010 Atlus unveiled screenshots, a teaser trailer and some artworks of the game. All the stuff regarding the sequel to the marvellous puzzle-platformer developed by the Finnish company Frozenbyte has been collected for the latest post in the Videogames highlights series, while the topic of today’s post will be one of the aforementioned artworks which in my humble opinion is worth the evaluation by any fan of games and fantasy in search for a new wallpaper to decorate one’s own virtual desktop with.
Naruto: Shippūden episode 165 - Nine-Tails, Captured!
The clash between the enigmatic Pain and a Naruto completely changed by his last training on Mount Myoboku goes on tirelessly. The Konoha ninja is able to knock down almost all the bodies controlled by Pain by exploiting all of his most powerful and effective techniques (and tactics), killing another one thanks to the enormous potential of the nature energy he is now able to canalize and finally being neutralized by the last remaining Pain. This episode too doesn’t lack shocks, incredible deaths and big talks about peace and war.
Mercedes-Benz.tv: “Sorry”
I don’t like advertising, in any conceivable form and I try to keep it away from this site as much as possible. And yet I have to admit that exceptions to the rule of banality, mediocrity and stupidity celebrated by advertising do exist. Just take this TV commercial by Mercedes-Benz for instance, a very short cutting including black humor, tale snippets, suspense, poetry flashes. Of course it’s just an illusion, that in fact goes away at 32nd second just when the German car maker logo appears and the brainwashing commanding purchase, consumption, death begins. Bittersweet…
Marco Travaglio - Il Pompiere della Sera
In Italy journalism is long-gone, and that’s a fact. And so? So greetings to Marco Travaglio and his video-column Passaparola, which arrives at the 100th installment today by picking holes in that pathetic tool of the soft propaganda that is Corriere della Sera. Which would be the “most authoritative newspaper of Italy”. Just ridiculous…
Naruto: Shippūden episode 163 - Explode! Sage Mode
This week’s Naruto Shippuuden episode is really spectacular! 
The mephitic Pain attacked the Leaf Village with all of his frightening strength, killing many key characters of the anime and eventually tearing down Konoha with some sort of cold atomic explosion. This is when Naruto goes on stage, having just completed his training on Mount Myoboku and learning the secrets of the Sage Mode - the same one used by his defunct master Jiraiya. And the training results are immediately noticeable when Naruto attacks Pain with all of his usual, exploding rush…
The Mario Galaxy Orchestra performs Super Mario Galaxy 2 main theme
I don’t like (Super) Mario that much, but I respect and prize the creative genius of Nintendo and Japanese designers like Shigeru Miyamoto. Very likely the Wii will be the first Nintendo console I will purchase in my life once I will be relocated in my new house, and considering the musical score beauty showed by the following video clip I’d say that the first games to buy will just be the two Super Mario Galaxy.
The job of your dreams
No doubt here, I want to go work for Blizzard. I’m pleased with everything, even cleaning the toilets
It…could…work!
One of the things that more took my time, in all these days of guilty and unforgivable absence from the blog, was tinkering with hard disk cloning programs and tools to work with partitions. Actually it would have been better, considering my latest misadventure with magnetic HDDs, to deal with the matter way before - for instance at the beginning of the reinstallation process of my software after having purchased the new laptop. Anyway the fact is that I spent the last week (excluding the weekend) trying backup and partitions manipulation tools, and the previous one integrating the useful documentation already collected about the subject.
And after Dante’s Inferno… Renzo & Lucia
Not content to have delighted gamers worldwide and above all those of Italian origin with Dante’s Inferno, smart asses at Visceral Games/EA are ready to take the video games market by storm with their new announced “masterpiece”: Renzo&Lucia. Inspired by the historical novel I promessi sposi by Alessando Manzoni, Renzo&Lucia makes use of the most modern gaming technologies to bring back to life the dull novel we all forcedly read at the school times. And frankly speaking by looking at the following fake (author unknown) I don’t know if I have to laugh or cry. Anyway I hope EA won’t really pick up the idea, ’cause they have already proved to be capable of doing everything…
Fun with Winamp
While I am busy installing new processors (wetting my pants because afterward the PC doesn’t work anymore), getting utility software I didn’t suspect the existence about and wasting time with really funny little games, some sort of computer epiphany happened below my unbelieving eyes. In very poor words I’ve downloaded and adopted the last version of Winamp, once again choosing it as the predefined player for running everything is music and discovering that now MilkDrop profits by the graphic card shaders for a visual experience that’s difficult to replicate otherwise.
More people than water
The news isn’t that fresh, and the topic doesn’t get attention in this period of holidays, presents and thoughtless spending by whom can still afford them (with debts). Nevertheless it’s a problem that everybody, sooner or later, will have to deal with in the upcoming future. Fresh water supplies are, already today, inadequate to satisfy the demand, and in future it will be worse and worse considering the growing needs of those real demographic atomic bombs generally listed under the “developing countries” definition.
Snapshots #3: high definition, high emulation
While I’m still in the throes of digesting a four days Christmas food stuffing, waiting for the will to (re)start to write something meaningful on these pages I yield to the last dessert made up by variously assorted snapshots. In particular they cover PlayStation 2 emulation with PCSX2 and high definitions rips, two of the many things that where forcedly precluded to me before my new laptop fortuitous purchase due to the lack of adequate hardware equipment.
Naruto: Shippūden episode 141 - Truth
Hi there everybody, long time no see huh? 
I’m not dead, the blog is not dead nor is the will to post, let’s just say that I’ve taken a little, forced break because of the lack of serenity in my life and the resulting difficulty to focus on amusing and yet demanding activities like writing some text on these pages. On the other hand Christmas is here, the most shitty period of the year full of hypocrisy and chocolate crap to sweeten the most sensitive palates. So better enjoying the last episode of Naruto Shippuuden’s sixth season, where the secrets unfold and Madara reveals the truth about Itachi’s past and the real motivations that drove him on his cursed pathway. Provided this version is the “real” truth, anyway… AnimeCrazy.net (alternative hosting); Episodes list on Wikipedia; Naruto on Sir Arthur’s Den.
Marco Travaglio - Il più amato dagli italiani (The most beloved by Italians)
Taken from the Voglio Scendere blog as usual. Now more than ever, even though I don’t always agree with the opinions he expresses, I completely support Marco Travaglio’s work. Many rejoiced when they saw Silvio Berlusconi’s face covered in blood on YouTube, I cheered much less than I had expected by myself. Then berluscones managed to make me dismiss the desire for human mercy for a wretch considering himself as a god, while then he pays prostitutes to spend a night in company and takes iron sculptures in his face. It’s sad, more than disgusting.
My new Western Digital 1 Terabyte external HD
Here is my latest e-commerce purchase: a Western Digital branded external hard disk (USB 2.0 compatible) with 1 Terabyte of nominal storage space. The recent mourning still burns and to be sure this time I’ve spent almost 120 Euros (HD + basic case + shipping costs) to buy a no-frills HD doing the only thing I’m interested to, that is keeping my data (partitions images first of all) and keeping them well, as just one of the few storage brands I trust can do.
Snapshots #2: calm & havoc
Someone will find it unlikely, but I’m still dealing with the system restore a month after (and waiting to upgrade to Windows 7): to have to download the newest version of any program every time (maybe waiting for hours on eMule) makes you tired hence I’m going forward with the work only within snippets of time and sometimes during weekend. Conversely, after the old crap of the last time, I’m currently falling prey of the almost uncontrollable desire to get and play to whatever taste like “contemporary”.
Marco Travaglio - Minchiate (Bullshit)
Taken from: Minchiate - Passaparola - Voglio Scendere. Enjoy.
Marco Travaglio - La mafia non esiste, Berlusconi e Dell’Utri invece si (Mafia does not exist, Berlusconi and Dell’Utri do instead)
I’m starting to be tired of the logical accuracy of Travaglio’s reasoning, because by following his chronicles you end up being afore two possibilities: either you get a machine gun and make a trip to Palazzo Chigi (where the government is) to give Berlusconi some of that “civil war” he babbles about in front of the cameras, or you stay behind the screen by sending out a silent scream of wrath against these pieces of shit. Luckily tomorrow TV will switch to the DTT system in Campania, maybe RAI won’t be accessible anymore and I will return to intensely think about my two obsessions, ie computers and pretty chicks. Because there will be many other occasions in the future to get angry about that Berlusconi mafioso…
Naruto: Shippūden episode 137 - Amaterasu!
Just a few words to introduce the episode because I still have to eat the cake, play to Braid and try the just downloaded Serious Sam HD: Sasuke and Itachi go into the heart of battle, unleash their secret weapons and more generally they beat the hell out of each other. Good show, anyway, even though the drawings quality doesn’t impress me that much. And now excuse me while I have better things to do AnimeCrazy.net (alternative hosting); Episodes list on Wikipedia; Naruto on Sir Arthur’s Den.
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