web, technology, design, etc

This story is amazing.

It started on September 1st 2008 when one of leprosoruim.ru blog users escorted to school his younger sister and noticed some teacher he found kind of hot. He took a few pictures of her and published them on leprosorium.ru blog, with the following comment:

“Yesterday I took my sister to her 1st grade, then got flu, all the night I felt like a vegetable, now I’m OK, more or less, I can walk… but this is not important, I wanted to ask something:  The best school in Butovo, elite, this is her first teacher:” Continue reading →

Yes, let them fail.

These lenders, who were cheating the system with “Bad credit? Not enough income? No problem!” mantra.

These bankers, who were wrongly transforming sub-prime mortgages into prime mortgages (in other words, presenting junk as quality).

…and these house buyers who bought homes with little or almost no way to pay. They knew that they cannot afford to buy a house. They knew that APR will jump and they will not be able to pay it. They were neglecting common sense, they were too greedy or too stupid.

How to fix all this mess? I say, let them fail. All of them.

People need to take responsibility for what they have done. People should pay for their own mistakes. They were hoping to take profits solely, weren’t they? Then why they are not taking losses solely? Let them face consequences of their actions.

Why me and other taxpayers should pay for somebody else mistakes? I don’t want to. Estimation of total bail out cost is close to 1 trillion (some say $700 billion, some say $500 billion, others say one trillion). There are about 130 million individual taxpayers and 110-120 million of them have nothing to do with housing bubble. We will pay 7-8 thousand dollars each.

What would happen if we let them fail?

Certain banks will collapse, but not all. Many houses will be foreclosed, they will lower housing prices to the level it would make sense (simple: if you rent the house it should pay up mortgage and provide enough for maintenance and generate some profit).

Example: house, which you may want to rent for $2000 per month, should have mortgage payment much less than that, about one thousand, which makes the price assuming 30-year mortgage at 8%, about 140 thousand. Many people would argue, that they would prefer to buy a house and pay a thousand per month. Well, after this crisis, surviving banks will not offer “zero-down” mortgages, they will probably ask 20 to 30% down. Most probably, banks will also take into account other debts and they will prefer customers with little or no credit card debt.

Now, ask yourself, how many households will be able to pay about $40 thousand in cash for down payment and have almost no other debts, especially credit card ones? I doubt that could be many. That means, big chunk of nowadays “home-buyers” will not have other than renting option in future.

Let them be responsible for what they have done.

Google officially announced Google Chrome, a new internet browser and explained in a form of comics, what it is and how it is going to work.

I’m sure that within a year Google Chrome is going to take 5 to 10% of the market, and within five years will take more than 50%.

This is why:

1. Today, most of what people use is in the web and the only one company is dominating in the internet space, Google.
2. Google Chrome is going to address real problems which users experience: performance, security, usability.
3. Google has literally “all the web” at its disposal for testing, so Chrome suppose to be the most reliable browser.
4. Google Android project uses the same core Chrome uses, Webkit.
5. Google makes sure that Javascript will be fast in Chrome. Really fast. Much faster than we experience in other browsers.
6. Chrome adapts to user behavior and makes really easy to use favorite websites.
7. It’s integrated with GMail.
8. It’s going to be an Open Source project.

10:10 am, intersection of Lawrence Expwy and Homestead Rd. (Santa Clara)
A coach bus (6-wheeler, creme color), hit 3 cars: Jeep Wrangler, Toyota van and Toyota Matrix; nobody seemed to be injured, however, the bus didn’t stop, crossed intersection on red light and kept going. See picture for details. There was no license plate on the back of the bus.

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The same car, different soldiers…

See all 34 pictures of “Shadows of Lenin” →

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According to South Ossetia source, US citizen was captured along with other Georgian saboteurs in South Ossetia .

Source:

“According to our sources in Tskhinvali, in Zar town, which is situated on the “road of life”, - Zar road,  there was captured a group of Georgian saboteurs. One of them, it was discovered, is a citizen of US, afroamerican. Most probably he is one of the NATO instructors. Currently, he is transferred to Vladikavkaz for interrogation about his presence on the territory of South Ossetia Republic.”

Quote:

По сообщениям из Цхинвала в районе посёлка Зар, который находится на ”дороге жизни” - Зарской дороге, были захвачены в плен группа грузинских подрывников. Одним из них, как оказалось, является гражданин США афроамериканец. Скорее всего это один из инструкторов НАТО. В данный момент он переправлен во Владикавказ для выяснения всех обстоятельств его нахождения на территории Республики Южная Осетия.

Journalist Michael Romanov just returned from Tskhinvali, South Ossetia, where he and 27 his collegues were when Georgian army started the attack with heavy artillery fire, tanks and infantry.

In his blog he just wrote a post, “I am alive”:

“All Russian journalists (27 people) are in Vladikavkas now. We have moved in one caravan. They did fire at  us with RPG, but no one was not wounded seriously. There is only one of us who keeps staying in that hell, Ruslan Gusarov from NTV. Alone. Without camera-man. I pray for him.

All details will be later. Photos also. Believe me, I have enough to show.

Currently, I can say only one thing: do not believe TV. Neither Russian, nor Georgian (means, Western). There are much more victims.

We returned during the night. I should have write this post the same night, because most of you were worried. But we all got really drunk on our way and in the hotel.

Thank you all, I’ve received more than 200 SMS. Sorry, I couldn’t reply to much - the connection was through Georgian operator, too costly.

P.S. Sasha Sladkov (”Sweety”), military journalist from 2nd channel is wounded as well his group. Also, arm and leg of journalist of KP (Komsomolskaya Pravda - P.S.), Alexander Kotz, were shot through. ”

Quote:

Все российские журналисты (27 человек) находятся во Владикавказе. Мы выехали колонной. В нас стреляли из гранотометов, но никто серьезно не пострадал. В этом аду остался только энтэвэшник Руслан Гусаров. Один. Без оператора. Я молюсь за него.
Все подробности потом. Фотки тоже. Поверьте, мне есть что рассказать.

Сейчас могу сказать только одно: не верьте телевидению. Ни российскому, ни грузинскому (читай: западному). Жертв намного больше

Мы приехали ночью. Надо было написать этот пост ночью, потому что многие за нас волновались. Но мы вчера нахерачились и по дороге, и в гостинице.

Спасибо всем, я получил больше 200-т СМС. Простите, что многим не отвечал - связь была грузинского оператора, деньги сжирались мгновенно

PS. Ранен военный обозреватель 2-го канала Саша Сладков (”Сладкий”) и его съемочная группа, сейчас он в госпитале. Также прострелили руки и ногу журналисту КП Александру Коцу

This is how media lies about Georgia, Russia and South Ossetia.

Lie (2nd link from top on reddit):
Georgia: Russia has invaded and we are under attack
1,400 reported dead. Georgia to withdraw troops from Iraq for use in South Ossetia.

What does this article tell you? That Russia invaded Georgia and killed 1400 civilians. Right? Wrong.

1400 civilians, children, women, elders, were killed by Georgian army. That’s the fact.

Georgia did attack Tskhinvali, a capital of South Ossetia (a territory, like Kosovo, which wanted to be independent) last night. They used heavy artillery, missiles, tanks, air forces and infantry. That’s the fact.

Immediately after it started, Russia called an urgent UN meeting to discuss this situation and work on resolution. That was blocked.

It seems, like even if Russia did everything according to UN procedures before starting to defend its citizens, many media agencies can not wait to roll out massive lies about what happend. No wonder, some readers demostrate readinness to follow.

Some of the comments from, apparently, unconscious readers:
“SO RUSSIA GOES INTO THIS PLACE AND KILLS INNOCENT CHILDREN AND CIVILIANS AND WE ARE TO STAY OUT OF IT? I DON’T THINK SO. THAT RUSSIAN PRESIDENT IS AN ANIMAL. NO CHILD DESERVES TO BE SHOT OR BOMBED WHERE THEY LIVE! THEY SHOULD HAVE GIVEN WARNINGS TO THE INNOCENT PARENTS TO TAKE THEIR CHILDREN OUT FIRST. ANIMALS!”

- No, Russia does not go to war, Russia didn’t kill civilians. In fact, Russia was trying to protect civilians from Georgian army and lost 10 men. Apparently, animals are on the other side.

“I hope Georgia defeats the Russians. I hope the UN decides to take their thumb out of their behinds and do something for once. The US should sell a few nukes to Georgia and help Georgia put an end to the reds once and for all…”

- Russian military forces present in South Ossetia according to UN mandate. They are legitimate there, as per UN.

“Russia shouldn’t send their troups because Georgia is independent country and have all rights to controll all Georgian teritory. I hope that war (agression on Georgia) will end soon.”

- Georgia is independent contry, as well as South Ossetia. Georgia has no rights to perform henocide against South Ossetia people. I hope this will be understood some time soon.

“Those terrible Russians! Shame on them! Invading a small and badly out–numbered country like Georgia. You wouldn’t get the ‘civilised’ Americans and Brits invading small, badly out–numbered countries like Iraq, Afghanistan and Ireland. Would you…? What a sickening bunch of hypocrites.”

- Georgia invided South Ossetia and attacked Russian peacekeeping forces. That’s the fact.

Everybody seems to know that mobile area is “the next big thing”. Start-ups are popping up like crazy trying to develop something “mobile”: mobile social network, mobile dating service, mobile contact list, etc.

I happen to know a few US start-ups in this area which either failed or on the way to fail. Why is that? What is it with US which makes it so hard? We know how cell phones are popular in Asia and Europe, how people get addicted to mobile network there. Why can’t US experience the same? Let me get to the point and explain why US is simply not ready for mobile revolution. Continue reading →