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	<title>Elliott C. Back</title>
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	<link>http://elliottback.com/wp</link>
	<description>Internet &#38; Technology</description>
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		<title>Apple&#8217;s iPad Tablet Sucks</title>
		<link>http://elliottback.com/wp/apples-ipad-tablet-sucks/</link>
		<comments>http://elliottback.com/wp/apples-ipad-tablet-sucks/#comments</comments>
		<pubDate>Thu, 28 Jan 2010 04:27:48 +0000</pubDate>
		<dc:creator>Elliott Back</dc:creator>
				<category><![CDATA[Apple]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[iPad]]></category>

		<guid isPermaLink="false">http://elliottback.com/wp/?p=3280</guid>
		<description><![CDATA[The big buzz of the day is Apple&#8217;s new iPad tablet PC.  For $499 you get a 10&#8243; version of the iPod touch, with apps that have been redesigned for the new screen real estate.  &#8220;With a screen this large, you can just see, more, of the web as you&#8217;re surfing.&#8221;  All [...]]]></description>
			<content:encoded><![CDATA[<p>The big buzz of the day is Apple&#8217;s new <a href="http://www.apple.com/ipad/">iPad tablet PC</a>.  For $499 you get a 10&#8243; version of the iPod touch, with apps that have been redesigned for the new screen real estate.  &#8220;With a screen this large, you can just see, more, of the web as you&#8217;re surfing.&#8221;  All the existing iPhone applications are promised to work out of the box.  The more expensive versions come with support for 3G (data only) and come unlocked (yay).  There&#8217;s one new built-in application, called iBook which let you purchase books from the libraries of 5 major american publishers (Penguin, Harper-Collins, Simon &#038; Schuster, Macmillan and Hachette Book Group), in open ePub format.  As the kindle DX sells for $489, if the screen brightness doesn&#8217;t hurt too much, it could be a potential competitor.  The 10-hour battery life is certainly enough to read a book in.</p>
<p><img src="http://elliottback.com/wp/wp-content/uploads/2010/01/iPad-front-and-back.jpg" alt="" title="iPad front and back" width="450" height="256" class="alignnone size-full wp-image-3281" /></p>
<p>Now, a list of things I don&#8217;t like (<a href="http://i.gizmodo.com/5458382/8-things-that-suck-about-the-ipad">here</a> is Gizmodo&#8217;s):</p>
<ul>
<li>1024&#215;768 screen doesn&#8217;t do 1080p, wide-screen video</li>
<li><a href="http://www.readwriteweb.com/archives/could_no_camera_be_an_ipad_killer.php">No Camera</a> built-in (no video chat!)</li>
<li>No multitasking</li>
<li>No 3G voice service (or even T-Mobile 3G)</li>
<li>No Mac OS apps (you get the iPhone/iTouch OS)</li>
<li>Wasted space in the bezel</li>
<li>No <a href="http://latimesblogs.latimes.com/jacketcopy/2010/01/apple-ipad-kindle-ibooks-amazon.html">Random House</a> books</li>
<li>iWorks costs $30</li>
<li>Twice as expensive as an iTouch</li>
<li>No chat built-in</li>
<li>No SD card or USB ports</li>
<li>No GPS</li>
<li>No Adobe Flash</li>
</ul>
<p>When you can go buy a svelte 13&#8243; Macbook Pro for just $1200, or 33% more than the top-of-the line iPad, why would buy an iPad?  If you already have an iPhone you won&#8217;t buy it, because in terms of strict functionality, the iPhone is a superset.  If you have an iTouch you may agonize about getting that extra screen real-estate.  A <a href="http://apple.slashdot.org/comments.pl?sid=1527002&#038;cid=30921390">commenter</a> on Slashdot summed it up best:</p>
<blockquote><p>It&#8217;s more than just an iPod touch that won&#8217;t fit in your pocket&#8230;it&#8217;s also an underpowered netbook with no keyboard. It&#8217;s the worst of both worlds!</p></blockquote>
<p>Oh wait, someone on <a href="http://www.reddit.com/r/reddit.com/comments/auw6b/the_ipad_sucks_there_i_said_it/">Reddit</a> too:</p>
<blockquote><p>Just yesterday I was looking at my iPhone thinking &#8220;Hmmm, I wish this thing didn&#8217;t fit in my pocket and couldn&#8217;t make phone calls.&#8221; Then I looked over to my netbook and couldn&#8217;t help but feel it would benefit from losing the keyboard and being made of 50% glass.</p></blockquote>
<p>Wait for version two.  The price will drop.  Then maybe it can be a sort of &#8220;upgrade my kindle&#8221; purchase.</p>
<p><strong>Update:</strong> Check out <a href="http://www.guardian.co.uk/commentisfree/2010/feb/01/ipad-therefore-iwant-why-idunno">Charlie Brooker&#8217;s <em>iPad therefore iWant?</em></a>.</p>
]]></content:encoded>
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		<item>
		<title>How to make a B-52 Shot</title>
		<link>http://elliottback.com/wp/how-to-make-a-b-52-shot/</link>
		<comments>http://elliottback.com/wp/how-to-make-a-b-52-shot/#comments</comments>
		<pubDate>Tue, 26 Jan 2010 03:41:55 +0000</pubDate>
		<dc:creator>Elliott Back</dc:creator>
				<category><![CDATA[Food]]></category>

		<guid isPermaLink="false">http://elliottback.com/wp/?p=3274</guid>
		<description><![CDATA[The ingredients in a B-52 are pretty simple: three liquors of different densities so that they float above each other, and look asthetically different hues and tones.  To get started, make sure you have a tall shot glass, and the following (or substitutes) handy:

1/3 shot &#8211; Kahlua
1/3 shot &#8211; Baileys Cream Liquor
1/3 shot &#8211; [...]]]></description>
			<content:encoded><![CDATA[<p>The ingredients in a B-52 are pretty simple: three liquors of different densities so that they float above each other, and look asthetically different hues and tones.  To get started, make sure you have a tall shot glass, and the following (or substitutes) handy:</p>
<ol>
<li>1/3 shot &#8211; Kahlua</li>
<li>1/3 shot &#8211; Baileys Cream Liquor</li>
<li>1/3 shot &#8211; Grand Marnier</li>
</ol>
<p><img src="http://elliottback.com/wp/wp-content/uploads/2010/01/making-b52-shot-step-1_sm.jpg" alt="" title="making b52 shot step 1_sm" width="450" height="678" class="alignnone size-full wp-image-3275" /><br />
<small>You can substitute Starbux Coffee Liquor for Bailey&#8217;s depending on your stock.</small></p>
<p>Now, the first step is pouring a generous third shot of the Kahlua into the shot glass.  As the densest of the three liquors, it will hug nicely to the bottom:</p>
<p><img src="http://elliottback.com/wp/wp-content/uploads/2010/01/making-b52-shot-step-2_sm.jpg" alt="" title="making b52 shot step 2_sm" width="450" height="678" class="alignnone size-full wp-image-3276" /></p>
<p>The second step is to pour ontop of this another 1/3 shot of Baileys.  The trick here is to pour <strong>very slowly</strong> and <strong>tilt the shot glass sideways</strong> at a 45 degree angle, like you do when pouring draft beer to avoid foam.  This should let your Baileys layer float on top of the Kahlua:</p>
<p><img src="http://elliottback.com/wp/wp-content/uploads/2010/01/making-b52-shot-step-3_sm.jpg" alt="" title="making b52 shot step 3_sm" width="450" height="678" class="alignnone size-full wp-image-3277" /></p>
<p>The third step is to do the same, but with the Grand Marnier.  As it&#8217;s the lightest layer, pour it even more slowly, and let it gently gloss ontop of the cream liquor.  If you want to finish the shot by lighting it on fire with a lighter, it&#8217;s best to pour the Grand Marnier all the way to the top leaving no space, otherwise it will be hard to light:</p>
<p><img src="http://elliottback.com/wp/wp-content/uploads/2010/01/making-b52-shot-step-4_sm.jpg" alt="" title="making b52 shot step 4_sm" width="450" height="678" class="alignnone size-full wp-image-3278" /></p>
<p>As a finishing touch, flambeé and drink with a straw, or in a single hair-singing gulp:</p>
<p><img src="http://elliottback.com/wp/wp-content/uploads/2010/01/making-b52-shot-step-5_sm.jpg" alt="" title="making b52 shot step 5_sm" width="450" height="678" class="alignnone size-full wp-image-3279" /></p>
]]></content:encoded>
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		</item>
		<item>
		<title>WooRank: A Free Website Analysis Tool</title>
		<link>http://elliottback.com/wp/woorank-a-free-website-analysis-tool/</link>
		<comments>http://elliottback.com/wp/woorank-a-free-website-analysis-tool/#comments</comments>
		<pubDate>Sun, 24 Jan 2010 22:29:27 +0000</pubDate>
		<dc:creator>Elliott Back</dc:creator>
				<category><![CDATA[My Blog]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[SEO]]></category>

		<guid isPermaLink="false">http://elliottback.com/wp/?p=3272</guid>
		<description><![CDATA[Over on TechCrunch there&#8217;s a flattering review of a new Website SEO Analysis tool called Woorank:
WooRank evaluates Web sites based on 50 criteria in an automated fashion, free of charge, and provides helpful SEO and other tips.  [...]   I gave the tool a spin and generated a report for techcrunch.com – turns [...]]]></description>
			<content:encoded><![CDATA[<p>Over on <a href="http://www.techcrunch.com/2010/01/24/woorank/">TechCrunch</a> there&#8217;s a flattering review of a new Website SEO Analysis tool called <a href="http://woorank.com">Woorank</a>:</p>
<blockquote><p>WooRank evaluates Web sites based on 50 criteria in an automated fashion, free of charge, and provides helpful SEO and other tips.  [...]   I gave the tool a spin and generated a report for <a href="http://techcrunch.com" title="http://techcrunch.com" target="_blank">techcrunch.com</a> – turns out we’re worthy of a WooRank of 82.4. [...] Frankly, that’s a lot of valuable information available free of charge.</p></blockquote>
<p>I gave it <a href="http://www.woorank.com/en/www/elliottback.com">a spin on my homepage</a>, and it gave up some valuable suggestions (as well as a score of 68.2, which isn&#8217;t too bad):</p>
<p><a href="http://elliottback.com/wp/wp-content/uploads/2010/01/woorank-my-site.jpg"><img src="http://elliottback.com/wp/wp-content/uploads/2010/01/woorank-my-site-450x206.jpg" alt="" title="woorank my site" width="450" height="206" class="alignnone size-thumbnail wp-image-3273" /></a></p>
<p>Among its suggestions are the following:</p>
<ul>
<li>Add meta-description and meta-keywords to every page</li>
<li>Put alt-tags on all images</li>
<li>Make sure the site validates</li>
<li>Use a 301-redirect on WWW</li>
<li>Get listed in the DMOZ/Yahoo directories</li>
</ul>
<p>While the information it offers up is useful, it&#8217;s almost exactly the same as <a href="http://websitegrader.com/site/elliottback.com">WebsiteGrader</a>, and less detailed on load-time, etc, than <a href="http://ismyblogworking.com/elliottback.com"></a>.  But, the way to go, of course, is to plugin your blog URLs into as many of these cookie-cutter analysis sites as you can, do some thinking on your own, and make a few tweaks.  Everyone has their favorite tools, so let me know of other free &#8220;SEO Analysis&#8221; sites in the comments.  If I like them, I&#8217;ll update this post.</p>
]]></content:encoded>
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		</item>
		<item>
		<title>Zales Sucks Too</title>
		<link>http://elliottback.com/wp/zales-sucks-too/</link>
		<comments>http://elliottback.com/wp/zales-sucks-too/#comments</comments>
		<pubDate>Sun, 13 Dec 2009 18:53:09 +0000</pubDate>
		<dc:creator>Elliott Back</dc:creator>
				<category><![CDATA[Fashion]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[Jewelry]]></category>

		<guid isPermaLink="false">http://elliottback.com/wp/?p=3270</guid>
		<description><![CDATA[After some trouble with buying rings at Kay I recounted that I found a better ring for a better price at Zales.  Problem solved, right?  I thought so too, especially since they promised a maximum of 10 business days to delivery on their invoice:

Item: 18028191
Description:	1/2 CT. T.W. Diamond Five Stone Band in 14K [...]]]></description>
			<content:encoded><![CDATA[<p>After some trouble with <a href="http://elliottback.com/wp/kay-jewelers-sucks/">buying rings at Kay</a> I recounted that I found a better ring for a better price at Zales.  Problem solved, right?  I thought so too, especially since they promised a maximum of 10 business days to delivery on their invoice:</p>
<p><img src="http://elliottback.com/wp/wp-content/uploads/2009/12/zales.png" alt="zales" title="zales" width="450" height="229" class="alignnone size-full wp-image-3271" /></p>
<blockquote><p>Item: 18028191<br />
Description:	1/2 CT. T.W. Diamond Five Stone Band in 14K White Gold (G-H/VS1-VS2), One Color, 4.0<br />
Quantity Ordered: 1 @ $599.00<br />
Shipping Method:	FedEx Express Saver<br />
Delivery Message: SPECIAL ORDER ITEM: Please allow up to 5-10 business days for delivery.</p></blockquote>
<p>10 business days from August 29th is this Monday, December 14th.  Worried because the item hadn&#8217;t yet shipped, I called Zales to ask them when it would ship.  What they told me was that, in spite of the 2-weeks lead time on their email, their supplier would actually take four weeks to ship the item.  So, I cancelled the item, and went uptown to the NYC diamond district where I picked out a ring with better characteristics, and watched it get sized and polished on the spot.</p>
]]></content:encoded>
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		</item>
		<item>
		<title>Hacked by r00tx0</title>
		<link>http://elliottback.com/wp/hacked-by-r00tx0/</link>
		<comments>http://elliottback.com/wp/hacked-by-r00tx0/#comments</comments>
		<pubDate>Thu, 10 Dec 2009 03:19:48 +0000</pubDate>
		<dc:creator>Elliott Back</dc:creator>
				<category><![CDATA[Hacking]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[My Blog]]></category>

		<guid isPermaLink="false">http://elliottback.com/wp/?p=3269</guid>
		<description><![CDATA[Today someone &#8220;hacked&#8221; my blog, and a lot of others on MediaTemple&#8217;s shared grid hosting, replacing index.php files randomly with:
haCkeD By r00t-x ~ r00tx0@gmail.com ~
Some script kiddie ran a sploit; apparently things are being fixed now:
We have completed the work necessary to secure our GRID infrastructure from this exploit.
We have also repaired the majority of [...]]]></description>
			<content:encoded><![CDATA[<p>Today someone &#8220;hacked&#8221; my blog, and a lot of others on <a href="http://weblog.mediatemple.net/weblog/category/system-incidents/1047-cluster05-storage-segment-1/">MediaTemple&#8217;s shared grid hosting</a>, replacing index.php files randomly with:</p>
<blockquote><p>haCkeD By r00t-x ~ <a href="mailto:r00tx0@gmail.com" title="mailto:r00tx0@gmail.com">r00tx0@gmail.com</a> ~</p></blockquote>
<p>Some script kiddie ran a sploit; apparently things are being fixed now:</p>
<blockquote><p>We have completed the work necessary to secure our GRID infrastructure from this exploit.</p>
<p>We have also repaired the majority of affected sites using our automated tools.  We will continue to run these tools throughout the night.  Please let us know if you see anything out of place and we will dig deeper.</p></blockquote>
]]></content:encoded>
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		<slash:comments>2</slash:comments>
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