Followup on the man defending his home in the UK

A short time ago, I posted a story about a man and his family came who home from church services in Britain and they were all attacked in their own home by a knife wielding burglar. Long story short, the police arrested the homeowner for beating the burglar and let the real criminals go.

Today, that error was overturned.

“The Lord Chief Justice freed a father jailed for attacking an armed burglar, saying the case demanded mercy in the face of a national outcry.”

The Lord Chief Justice said ‘There are some situations which guidelines cannot and do not cover. This is one of them and today the sentence of the court must address and balance the ancient principles of justice and mercy. In this case the call for a merciful sentence is intense.”

It’s good to see that a focused public outcry still works. And good going Lord Chief Justice! Well done on a sensible interpretation of the law!

Here’s the link to article on the DailyMail.

Verizon to be the carrier for the upcoming Apple Tablet

Apple’s not-so-secret tablet is about to be unveiled next week. And from the looks of things, Apple has chosen Verizon to be the exclusive carrier for their new product!

Apple Tablet

Apple Tablet

Hey AT&T! Have you been paying attention? Do you see how things are about to get real ugly for your bottom line?

Instead of upgrading your rusty old network to keep iPhone customers happy, you decided to say things to your paying customers like You don’t have enough towers to handle the phone”… and to do things like charge your unlimited customers for using the network in an unlimited manner… and even get nailed by Consumer Reports as “the worst carrier in the Unuted States.”

So now that you fumbled the ball for a relatively simple thing, you’re going to be benched for the upcoming big game.

Verizon is not only about to take a huge chunk of AT&Ts iPhone customers away, but is now going to be the only US company to carry Apple’s new tablet.

I can’t wait!

Here’s the exclusive article on The Street about the Verizon / Apple deal.

iPhone – A free application a day website

There’s a new website called “Free App A Day” that has something new and free every day for your iPhone.

Unlike other sites that just promote what is already free, the “Free App A Day” site apparently requires developers to submit their application for the daily giveaway. Plus the website has a decent criteria for featuring an application. The rules say that… “applications must be polished apps to be promoted by FreeAppADay.com… needs to have at least 3 stars with at least 20 reviews from users… [and] always a plus if your application was reviewed by other iPhone websites or featured by Apple.”

Not bad!

The applications are only featured for 24 hours, so if you see something you like, grab it before the price jumps back to what it was before.

Here’s the link to the “Free App A Day” website and here’s a link explaining who they are and their mission statement.

Free Software : AnySoft PDF Password Remover

It looks like AnyBizSoft is giving away a copy of their PDF Password Remover software for free until February 24th!

According to the website,the software will… “remove password(s) from your encrypted PDF file(s)” one by one or in batch mode on the PC. It even works under Windows 7.

PDF Password Remover

PDF Password Remover

All I had to do was click to download the software, then click the GET KEY CODE button next to the download button. After I put in my email address, I got a license key a few seconds later.

Not bad! And free is always good.

I can see where this software could come in handy. There are plenty of online PDF converters, but if you don’t want to go to the trouble of going online to convert a series of locked PDFs, or if you don’t want someone else keeping a copy of your PDF documents, a local application would be much better to work with.

Here’s the link to the company’s giveaway website.

NASA is selling the space shuttles. The main engines are free if you pay shipping.

OK, this is just all sorts of surreal.

NASA is selling the Space Shuttle Atlantis, Endeavour and Enterprise this Fall. For $28.9 million a piece.

This is a perfect example of why I need to be a billionaire. Because if I was a billionaire, I would snatch each one of these shuttles, hire each and every one of the original creators of the space shuttles back, retrofit all the space shuttles with brand new parts and updated computer components, and launch them all again (in tandem) to build a real, habitable and structurally sound space station. Maybe give away three tourist tickets to an engineering or middle school for some kids to come along with every launch.

But some Las Vegas schmuck is probably going to grab them and stick it on top of his casino. Or on top of some restaurant somewhere in Armpit, USA.

As a bonus, NASA is GIVING AWAY the space shuttle’s main engines. All you have to do is pay shipping and handling.

Not kidding.

Decades of engineering miracles so great that they were taken for granted… now available to the general public.

Blasphemy.

Here’s the link to the MSNBC article.

Recall : Everything from Parkers Farm

Parkers Farm is now yanking every single one of their products off the shelves! It seems that listeria got into just about everything they have. Even if you’re healthy, listeria will give you “high fever, severe headache, stiffness, nausea, abdominal pain and diarrhea” just because it can. Plus it can “cause miscarriages and stillbirths among pregnant women”, which isn’t funny at all.

If you did some shopping at…

“Hy-Vee, Cub, Rainbow, Byerlys, Lunds, Target, Whole Foods, Jewel, Dominicks, Marsh, Price Chopper, Shop Rite, Nash Finch, Sams Club, Costco, Safeway, Kroger, Wal-Mart, [or] Aldi.”

…and picked up anything with a “Parker Farm or Parkers label” in the list below, you really should chunk it ASAP.

~~~12 ounce & 16 ounce peanut butter in square plastic containers (tub with snap on lid), regular and organic varieties are creamy, crunchy, honey creamy and honey crunchy with sell by dates on or before 12/31/2010.

~~~34 ounce peanut butter in round plastic containers (tub with snap on lid), varieties are creamy and crunchy with sell by dates on or before 09/30/2010.

~~~7 ounce bagel spreads in white plastic containers (tub with snap on lid), varieties are garden veggie, wild berry, strawberry, apple cinnamon and honey walnut with sell by dates on or before 06/30/2010.

~~~12 ounce & 14 ounce dips & spreads in square plastic containers (tub with snap on lid), varities are jalapeno nacho, pimento and salsa con queso with sell by dates on or before 09/30/2010.

~~~8 ounce, 12 ounce and 16 ounce cold pack cheese in round or square plastic containers (tub with snap on lid), varieties are sharp cheddar, bacon, onion, smoked cheddar, Swiss almond, horseradish, garlic, port wine, and swiss & cheddar with sell by dates on or before 12/31/2010.

~~~16 ounce salsa in square plastic containers (tub with snap on lid), varieties are hot, mild, garlic, black bean and fire roasted with sell by dates on or before 04/30/2010.

~~~32 ounce salsa in plastic jugs (clear jug with screw cap), varieites are hot, mild, garlic, and black bean with sell by dates on or before 04/30/2010.

~~~128 ounce salsa in plastic jugs (clear jug with screw cap), varieites are hot, fire roasted, mild and garlic with sell by dates on or before 04/30/2010.

~~~8 ounce, 9 ounce, 10 ounce Balls & Logs (in film overwrap), varieties are sharp cheddar, port wine, smokey bacon, ranch, garlic, jalapeno, pimento, spinach, jajik, beer and chorizo with sell by dates on or before 01/05/2011.

~~~5#, 5.5#, 10#, 30# Parker Farm cold pack cheese (white tub with snap on lid), varieties are sharp cheddar, onion, bacon, smoked cheddar, swiss almond, horseradish, garlic, port wine, and swiss & cheddar with sell by dates on or before 09/30/2010.

Other labels affected by this recall:

~~~16 ounce Happy Farms cold pack cheese in round plastic containers (tub with snap on lid), varieties are sharp cheddar, port wine and swiss almond with sell by dates on or before 12/31/2010.

~~~8 ounce Kroger cold pack cheese in round plastic containers (tub with snap on lid), varieties are sharp cheddar, port wine and swiss almond with sell by dates on or before 12/31/2010.

~~~8 ounce Central Markets cold pack cheese in round plastic containers (tub with snap on lid), varieties are sharp cheddar, port wine, swiss almond, horseradish with sell by dates on or before 12/31/2010.

~~~14 ounce Central Markets salsa con queso in round plastic containers (tub with snap on lid) with sell by dates on or before 09/30/2010.

~~~16 ounce Central Markets salsa in round plastic containers (tub with snap on lid), varieties are sharp cheddar, port wine, swiss almond, horseradish with sell by dates on or before 04/30/2010.

~~~8 ounce Dutch Farms cold pack cheese in round plastic containers (tub with snap on lid), varieties are sharp cheddar, port wine, swiss almond, horseradish, and swiss & cheddar with sell by dates on or before 12/31/2010.

~~~7 ounce Dutch Farms cream cheese spreads in round plastic containers (tub with snap on lid), varieties are strawberry, wild berry, honey walnut & apple cinnamon with sell by dates on or before 06/30/2010.

~~~8 ounce Crystal Farms cold pack cheese in round plastic containers (tub with snap on lid), varieties are sharp cheddar, port wine, swiss almond, bacon and jalapeno cheddar with sell by dates on or before 12/31/2010.

~~~8 ounce Heluva Good cold pack cheese in round plastic containers (tub with snap on lid), varieties are sharp cheddar, port wine and horseradish cheddar with sell by dates on or before 12/31/2010.

~~~8 ounce Amish Classic cold pack cheese in round plastic containers (tub with snap on lid), varieites are sharp cheddar, port wine, swiss almond, horseradish with sell by dates on or before 12/31/2010.

~~~10 ounce Amish Classic cheese balls & logs (in film overwrap), varieties are cheddar, port wine, ranch, smokey bacon, beef n onion with sell by dates on or before 01/05/2011.

~~~128 ounce San Pablo salsa in plastic jugs (clear jug with screw cap), varieites are fire roasted and mild with sell by dates on or before 04/30/2010.

~~~12 ounce Century Resources cold pack cheese food (tub with snap on lid), varieties are sharp cheddar, horserdish, bacon with a sell by date of xxx9 (the first 3 digits aren’t important, but the last digit must be a 9)

~~~12 ounce Century Resources pimento spread (tub with snap on lid) with a sell by date of xxx9 (the first 3 digits aren’t important, but the last digit must be a 9.

~~~8 ounce and 12/12 ounce Century Resources cheese ball & log (in film overwrap) sharp cheddar with a sell by date of xxx9 (the first 3 digits aren’t important, but the last digit must be a 9)

~~~12 ounce Century Resources salsa con queso (tub with snap on lid) with a sell by date of xxx9 (the first 3 digits aren’t important, but the last digit must be a 9)

~~~4#, 5.5# Block & Barrel cold pack cheese (white tub with snap on lid), varieties are sharp cheddar, swiss almond, horseradish, port wine and pimiento spread with packed on dates on or before 12/30/2009.

~~~30# Block & Barrel sharp cheddar cold pack cheese (white pail with snap on lid) with packed on dates on or before 12/30/2009..

~~~5# Cobblestone cold pack cheese (white tub with snap on lid), varieties are sharp cheddar, port wine, swiss almond, horseradish with sell by dates on or before 06/30/2010.

~~~30# Cobblestone sharp cheddar cold pack cheese (white pail with snap on lid) with sell by dates on or before 06/30/2010.

~~~5# Biery label cold pack cheese (white tub with snap on lid), varieties are sharp cheddar and port wine with sell by dates on or before 09/30/2010.

~~~~~~5# Dierks Waukesha cold pack cheese (white tub with snap on lid), varieties are sharp cheddar, port wine, horseradish, swiss almond with sell by dates on or before 09/30/2010.

Here’s the link to the FDA recall.

Recall (Warning) : Alli purchased over the internet

First off, if you’re buying drugs off the internet, quit that foolishness right now. You’re poking a big hungry dragon with a very short stick.

Second, it turns out that some Alli purchased over the internet is actually counterfeit! The fake Alli doesn’t have any “orlistat, the active ingredient in its product. Instead, the counterfeit product contained the controlled substance sibutramine. Sibutramine is a drug that should not be used in certain patient populations or without physician oversight.  Sibutramine can also interact in a harmful way with other medications the consumer may be taking.”

Aside from looking completely different from the real thing…

Fake Alli

Fake Alli

… buying drugs off the internet is really dangerous. For all you know, the people selling drugs off the internet are pouring Draino in the capsules and sealing it with lyme.

Here’s the link to the FDA warning article (with photos!).

Recall : Seventeen dietary supplements from MuscleMaster.com

Whoops! You gotta be careful! Those pesky steroids will get in everything!

Musclemaster.com is recalling seventeen of their dietary supplements because it seems that some steroids got in there somehow. Whoda thunk? So hurry up and go buy them now put the following items in the trash…

Advanced Muscle Science Dienedrone, 60 caps
Advanced Muscle Science Liquidrone, 60 ml
Anabolic Formulation M1, 4AD, 60 caps
Anabolic Formulations 1, 4 AD, 60 caps
Anabolic Xtreme Hyperdrol X2
Anabolic Xtreme 3-AD, 90 caps
BCS Labs Testra-Flex, 90 caps
Competitive Edge Labs M-Drol, 90 Caps
Competitive Edge Labs P-Plex, 90 caps
Competitive Edge Labs X-Tren, 90 caps
4Ever Fit D-Drol, 60 caps
Gaspari Novedex XT 60 Caps
Gaspari Halodrol Liquigels, 60 gels
iForce 1,4 AD BOLD 200, 60 Caps
iForce MethaDROL, 90 caps
iForce Dymethazine, 60 caps
Monster Caps, 60 caps

Und vhat iz zee mattah veef stheriodz? Just ask Arnold! Or Mark McGwire! Or Hanz and Franz!

Here’s the link to the FDA recall notice.

iPhone review : Voltron

Voltron 01TL;DR version : Voltron was fun, but overpriced and a bit too repetitive for my tastes.

Long version : I just got around to getting some games on the iPhone, and one of the recent ones I picked up was “Voltron : Defender of the Universe

The game really is fun… for awhile. The controls for the game are overlaid NE, NW, SW and SE buttons and there’s also a missile button, a special attack button, and a “swipe” button. The cutscenes are actual clips from the original cartoon, and there’s a real kick in being one of the main lions, running around defending planet Alura from bad guys.

Voltron 02

Voltron 02

You have unlimited missiles and each lion has a special attack to use. And after every lion completes their mission, you are treated to a cutscene of  Voltron forming just like the original cartoon series had. Then you get to be Voltron and stomp all over that level’s Robeast. The game even stays true to the original cartoon storyline with the Robeast sequence and Voltron’s semi-evolution.

But the whole game gets repetitive real fast.

There’s no real change in being any of the lions. Each level has you a one of the lions needing to fulfill a particular task and then get to a “finish” marker, but the levels can be beaten by just racing to the finish marker most of the time.

Although you have unlimited missiles, they often fly off target and completely miss who you were shooting at. You can “swat” away enemy missiles and bad guys and can beat just about everyone without firing a shot, but you better be facing the right direction at the right angle or otherwise the “swat” won’t work and your lion will take damage.

About midway through the game, the designers drop in a completely unnecessary tool for the bad guys… lasers from space. You can’t shoot the orbital laser ship down, and they never run out of power. They randomly target an area around your lion and fire at you. About 8 hits and you’re dead. Believe me, this gets annoying very quickly.

And then, when you are Voltron, the game turns from an overhead view to a Mortal Kombat style game. You can duck, block, strong attack, weak attack and special attack your opponent. But you can’t move anywhere. And most of the bad guys can be beat with constant button mashing.

Voltron 03

Voltron 03

You do get awards you can post on facebook for various things you do in the game. Plus you can go back and be a robeast you have defeated in the Robeast arena later on.

The nostalgia value is great. But those damn lasers and repetitive actions make the replay value pretty near zero for me. The game is priced at $3.99, but I think it’s really worth $1.99.

Overall: 3 out of 5