Currently, the Electoral College system is uninspiring to Americans, at best, and disenfranchising many millions of others. Do you live in a “red” state or a “blue” state? If so, your vote may not really count. Ok, so, sure, it does count, but think of how many people stay home when they think they know what the result would be. Democrats living in staunch Republican states (and vice versa) have virtually no chance of having their say in a presidential election.

From NationalPopularVote.com: “The National Popular Vote bill would guarantee a majority of the Electoral College to the presidential candidate who receives the most popular votes in all 50 states and the District of Columbia. The bill would reform the Electoral College so that the electoral vote in the Electoral College reflects the choice of the nation’s voters for President of the United States.”

From this site I learned that 15 states have already passed the bill, and legislation has been considered in 44 states.

Giveaway of the Day link

Evernote Beta lets you capture any information from your real and digital life and then find it all easily anytime.

The latest version of Evernote, currently an invitation-only beta, gives users more options than ever before to create and find their memories - a Windows version (main download links), Mac version, Web version, Windows Mobile version, Mobile Web version, browser web page clippers, and more. All clients can be synchronized to one another via the web, ensuring that anything created in one place is accessible from all others.

In addition, all users now have access to Evernote’s powerful image recognition, which recognizes text inside of images so users can take camera phone snapshots of anything from whiteboards to wine labels.

Features:

• Access notes across multiple platforms: Windows, Mac (OS X 10.5), Web, Windows Mobile, Mobile Web Browser;
• Full synchronization across all platforms;
• Powerful image recognition and search for printed and handwritten text in images;
• Email and MMS snapshots and text from your mobile phone to your personalized Evernote email address;
• Windows and Mac clients allow local-only notebooks, which will not synchronize with the Evernote Service

Cable channel green-lights two-hour pilot ‘Caprica’

By Paul J. Gough

Hollywood Reporter

updated 12:07 p.m. ET, Wed., March. 19, 2008

NEW YORK - Sci Fi Channel’s “Battlestar Galactica” will live on with “Caprica.” At its “upfront” presentation to advertisers Tuesday in New York, the cable channel said that it has green-lighted a two-hour pilot for the prequel, which had been in development for two years.

Sci Fi also has given the go-ahead to “True Believer,” a two-hour back-door pilot created by Rosario Dawson and David Atchinson — who co-wrote the comic book series “Occult Crimes Task Force” — about a comic book enthusiast who hires a former superhero to teach him about crime-fighting. It joins “The Stranded,” a two-hour pilot of a Sci Fi/Virgin Comics joint venture.

The network also plans an “Alice in Wonderland”-based six-hour miniseries titled “Alice.” A two-hour comedy-drama pilot, “Deputized,” follows a man who fights crime around the galaxy after getting super powers.

“Caprica,” which is set 50 years before the events in the departing “Battlestar,” will begin production in the spring. It hails from the “Battlestar” masterminds Ronald D. Moore and David Eick.

As for “Battlestar,” the series’ final-season premiere will debut online nine hours before it airs on TV.

Sci Fi’s reality slate includes “Estate of Panic,” a series about seven people who compete to find millions of dollars at an estate, and “Brain Trust,” in which geniuses bands together to solve problems. The channel also announced new seasons of “Scare Tactics,” now hosted by “30 Rock’s” Tracy Morgan; “Mind Control With Derren Brown”; and “Ghost Hunters International.” And a May 18 special by NBC News correspondent Lester Holt will feature “Mystery of the Crystal Skulls,” about the real-life search for what the objects at the center of the latest “Indiana Jones” movie.

The channel also will expand its digital offerings with a game site launching in mid-April as well as “Battlestar” webisodes and a social game based on the show. An original Web series, “Starcrossed,” is planned to debut in the fourth quarter.

  

PLUS…you could win that MacBook Pro, or an Xbox 360, and a bunch of other great prizes.  Last day to get a valid entry to the contest is August 31, so create your free account on Rankaroo now!

Take a look at the brand new gallery I’ve compiled of Trapper Keepers and Trapper portfolios (folders) from the 1980s and 1990s.  It is permanently linked at the top of the page, or you can see it here.

The quest to unlock the iPhone from being inextricably tied to AT&T’s network has finally proved to be, um, extricable. (Is that even a word?) While the process is nontrivial, involving opening the iPhone and soldering and stuff, it’s doable in the right hands. You can browse the hardware hacking process starting with “What you need” on George Hotz’s blog (http://iphonejtag.blogspot.com).

The hard part, so it seems to me:

“The red line is covering the A17 trace. In order to trick the chip into thinking the flash is erased in the correct section, you will need to pull this high. Scrape away at the trace with something like a multimeter probe. Then solder a very thin wire to it. Be very careful. Only scrape away at that solder mask above that one trace. YOU DO NOT WANT TO BREAK THE TRACE. This is the hardest step in the whole process; the rest is cake. Also solder a wire to the 1.8v line. Connect to wire coming from the trace and the wire coming from the 1.8v to your unlock switch. Be careful, you only get one chance to do this right. Thanks again to Nick Chernyy for the picture.”

There’s also a fair amount of software-fooling-around-with. I won’t pretend to understand or explain it.

What it comes down to is that a fully unlocked phone should be able to be used on any GSM network. This is a bigger deal outside of the US. It’s not like you can use the iPhone on Verizon or Sprint, for example. Also, if you’re patient enough it’s very likely that you will be able to purchase an unlocked phone, or send yours to someone to do the dirty work, in the near future.

If you’re burning with desire for an unlocked iPhone, and your wallet is burning a hole in your pocket, you can bid for the second unlocked specimen on eBay.  Be forewarned - it’s already over $8k, with 6 more days to go!

Apple’s not gonna like this. Maybe they should hire George?

Hey, here’s your last chance to win a MacBook, a Wii, or an XBox 360, or several other prizes at rankaroo.com. To enter, use this special link to register for a free account. Then follow the link to enter the contest.

What kind of prizes can you win?
First prize | Ultimate Multimedia Pack

• 17″ MacBook Pro (Laptop computer)
• Cyber-shot DSC-T50/B Digital Camera + LCS-THG Custom-fit Leather Carrying Case + MSX-M1GN 1GB High Speed Memory Stick PRO Duo Media
• DCR-SR300 40GB Handycam® Camcorder DCR-SR300 + ACC-FH70 Accessory Value Kit + NP-FH100 InfoLITHIUM® H Series Super Stamina Rechargeable Battery Pack

Second prize | Crazy Gaming Paradise

• Nintendo Wii
• Xbox 360 with 20GB HDD
• 1 Nintendo DS Lite
• Sony PSP Entertainment Pack + Headset + Memory Pro Duo 4.0GB
• 1 Wii game + 1 Xbox 360 game + 1 Nintendo DS game + 1 PSP game

Third prize | Audio/Video Fanatic Experience

• 30GB iPod U2 Special Edition
• Apple TV
• DLO HomeDock Deluxe
• iMuffs MB210 Wireless Headphones (Black)
• DLO TransDock

Consolation prizes (4th through 10th place)

• XBOX 360 with 20GB HDD

Hurry, the contest ends August 31, 2007! Rankaroo is a great way to share web favorites and explore topics in depth. They even have battles! Check it out.

According to FOX Attacks, not only were they guilty of war-mongering, not to mention fear-mongering, but now they are clamoring for war with Iran! WTF? (Have I mentioned that I can’t wait until January 2009?)

Would you like some video evidence? I thought you would. Here’s a short video compiled by Robert Greenwald.

This is completely ridiculous. Is FOX News trying to run this country, nay, the world into the ground?

If this information disturbs you, you can join a petition/open letter to the other news outlets requesting them to not follow FOX News’ path, as they did for Iraq.  Over 40,000 have already signed.  Tell MSNBC, CNN, ABC, CBS, and NBC that Americans don’t want what FOX News is serving.

100% of the final sale price will support the Yellow Ribbon Fund. The Yellow Ribbon Fund assists injured service members and their families while they recuperate at the Walter Reed Army Medical Center and the National Naval Medical Center by offering free cab vouchers, hotel rooms, apartments, rental cars, job mentoring, internships and tickets to sporting and cultural events.

The auction ends September 3 at midnight EDT (9pm PDT September 2), so bid early and bid often. Just kidding, with eBay you don’t have to bid often.

You’ll also receive a WristStrong Bracelet, which supports wrist awareness. If you don’t want to bid thousands of dollars for Stephen’s cast, visit ColbertNation.com to purchase a WristStrong bracelet for $5 (plus shipping). Proceeds from the sale of WristStrong bracelets will also benefit the Yellow Ribbon Fund. OR…if you don’t want a bracelet or a used cast, and you’d like to contribute to the fund directly, you can do that too! You don’t have to support the war to support our troops.