Comcast vs. BitTorrent

For those who may have Comcast as their ISP for cable broadband, there are a couple of things you may want to know. First, Comcast has been publicly documented as trying to quash BitTorrent uploaders which has caused quite a backlash. Recently, however, it has come to my attention that Comcast is also trying to strangle out file sharers as well.

After several trials of using BitTorrent with Azuerus as the download manager, Comcast is seemingly dropping "passive" client connections. So if you start your BitTorrent download and leave it - with no active internet activity aside from the downloads - for anywhere from 15 minutes to a couple of hours, Comcast is dropping your DHCP account leaving you offline until you notice the problem and power-cycle your modem (or release\renew your ipconfig).

After realizing this was happening, I coded a very small EXE that utitlizes the Web Browser control supplied by Microsoft dating back to Visual Basic 5.0. The executable acts as any other browser but selects about a half-dozen websites and actively navigates them roughly every couple of minutes. Since using this EXE, Comcast "drops" have become minimal if non-existent. The last round of tests included 6 rather larger torrents (from 700mb to 4.09gb) and Azureus was able to continuously download all files. Comcast had not "dropped" the ISP connection in well over 3 days of passive downloading (mixed with our new "active" executable that is).

For those with Comcast, you can contact me and I'll be happy to give you the specs for the EXE or even provide a working copy: comcastsux@gooutcheap.com

Superbowl Best Bets

With the Super Bowl coming up this Sunday, America braces for what is sure to be a long, boring crapfest filled with East coast douchebags and networks like the Eastern Seaboard Programming Network fellating Tom Brady and the Manning family ad nauseum. With the 24/7 coverage however comes an opportunity to make some coinage on some lesser known prop bets this week. Just do a little research, keep your eyes glued to the 498 channels with live Super Bowl coverage and you're bound to glean some inside scoop. Here's some of the more profitable prop bets I have found:

- Announcers to mention Archie\Eli\Peyton Manning OVER 3.64 Million times in 5 hours broadcast laying 190 to win 100
- Framed pictures of hunky Tom Brady OVER 1,290 laying 320 to win 1.99
- Peyton Manning stealing Eli's spotlight by coming out of the closet laying 30 to win 50
- Rex Grossman fumbling the snap from center laying 50 to win 50
- Richard Seymour acting like a dickhead laying 500 to win 30 cents
- New England fans acting all smug and douchey laying 1000 to win a nickel
- Number of times audio catching Giants fans yelling "Hey Brady suck on dis!" OVER 7,200 laying 200 to win 100
- Pacman Jones starts a fight in a strip club during the game laying 3,000 to win a dollar
- Bill Belichik being arrested for being Zodiac laying 20 to win 150
- Randy Moss has to choke a bitch laying 50 to win 10

As far as the game goes I have to say that New England is by far the better team. Offensively I'd take Tom Brady and Randy Moss over Eli Manning and Plaxico Burress. Defensively I'd take Seymour and Asante Samuel over Michael Strahan and Sam Madison. On Special Teams I'll take Gostkowski over "Third Tynes a charm." So basically, if you're looking for a prediction, I'll give it to ya:

Tom Brady and the Pats winning the Super Bowl is like sex with Kobe Bryant - yell and scream all ya want it's still gonna happen. Pats 27, Giants 21.

Coen brothers steal more awards

If any of you watched that crapfest turned crtically aclaimed piece of shit, "No Country for Old Men" the Coen brothers managed to make another pointless movie, devoid of plot, devoid of feeling and turn it into gold shit. *** SPOILERS AHEAD ***

A Coen brothers movie is sorta like watching a Tarantino movie minus witty dialogue, fast-paced plot, well-developed characters, and less action. Hell, even Llwewellyn's, who they tried yet painfully failed to center the movie around, final shooutout was almost an afterthought. We see him threatening the main psychopath (the 2nd of three main characters), see some half-assed "detective" work by some "other" bad guys, and suddenly we arrive on the scene long after anything of interest has taken place. Main character: dead. While that was really neat and tidy.

Basically this movie was one long, tiring look at people who we had nothing invested in and no real reason to care what happens to them. Instead of playing some kickass, Texas ranger Tommy Lee Jones comes off as a geriatric emo kid. Anton, the main psycopath, kills people but relies on some code they allude to but never explain and really who gives a fuck. The guy drives some 100+ miles during the movie with nothing but a "bug-detector" device to find the stolen money and just happens to 1) drive in the exact direction as the guy running, and 2) get the bug detector in range to find the hotel and the room the money is hiding. That's some great fucking writing right there!

In conclusion, "No Country for Old Men" was about 60 shades of stupid and the Coen brothers failed to fall back on retarded accents and dialogue like they did in Fargo.

T.O. 'L Cats

Out of respect for T.O. and his amazing season, I just wanted to commemorate what he's done for the NFL. And by respect I mean "complete and utter disdain." And by amazing I mean "absolute FAIL." And by commemorate I mean "incessantly ridicule." And by NFL I mean "douchebaggery." Now that we got that out of the way, I bring you T.O. 'L cats:









Please feel free to E-mail me your own or post in the comments!

Early pictures from the Cubs Convention

Despite it was held last weekend in the near freezing cold, Cub fans came out in droves to show love to their team. Even better came the news that Chicago would continue to be owned by the Tribune Company .. and - of course - every other team in Major League Baseball!

I'm going to hell

This picture makes me laugh and sums up everything I have ever said about rap music: