Monthly Archives: June 2002

Wired

Tuesday, June 25, 2002

First of all, I've sorted out the bug in the distance engine that wasn't letting you track properly between international and North American addresses (and that is required, because of the proximity of Mexico and the US and things like that). I'd just reversed north and south or something lame like that. Anyway, I'm rebuilding it now and will get it done by day's end.

Now for the BBQ stuff. I've rewired my back yard properly for sound… There are four big speakers mounted around the yard. It actually sounds really great; way better than the old crappy speakers (if anyone wants them, take the old ones home after the BBQ; three of them are mostly working). The back yard now has a nice balanced surround sound feel to it:

I've also done what I always do: TOO MANY FIREWORKS. (Oh, wait — NO — you can never have too many). As always, expect a good show in that department. I've made sure to include Leeta in the picture below so you can see how big the boxes are:

Finally, on that note, I should say that while the Beer and Liquor stores are closed on Monday (so if you want some, get it on Saturday or Sunday, although Sunday is limited hours), KABOOM is open on Monday until quite late, so if you want to launch, please do bring fireworks. The more the merrier (just play safe).
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Feel free to quote me: "I'd rather be a warlord than a politician."

Monday, June 24, 2002

(Sorry, I just said that in a conversation regarding alliances and my past experiences with them, and I wanted to write it down so I didn't forget saying it…)

First of all, I have completed yesterday's image update, adding another nearly 700 images to the site, including a lot of cool stuff… BME, especially BME/HARD has been what I'd consider a “guy's magazine” (in that it was mostly pictures of guys), and when it came to multi-person play, a gay magazine. To my surprise, it's starting to swing the other way — an incredible number of heterosexual submissions as well as submissions from women are starting to come in. I'm going to write some bots when I get a chance to track how many submissions of what type are coming in… sort of a “bodmod trendtracker” for lack of a better term. I'm sure it will be interesting…

Anyway, we've been talking about “dream features” all day in the forum, so I thought now would be a good time to show you my current to-do list for IAM features (this is just partial, and leaves out the little housecleaning type stuff). Those of you who recommended the following, you know who you are — thank you:

  • Add (#) in IAM.alive when you have more than one message from that user — ie. glider (3) or something like that
  • Add nesting to iam.code (ie. {function {function}} etc.)
  • If color is set to +, then make it transparent (allowing one to underlay backgrounds across multiple page elements)
  • Add complaints / TOS violation reporter to forum delete dialog and to IM viewer and main page
  • Add “more…” button to pages so people can quick-add to buddy list, etc. (optional; via user settings)
  • Undelete forum messages by the person who deleted it and/or forum owner
  • Bring back invisible mode
  • Solidify fget/fset in iam.code
  • Make it so (aborted) message doesn't happen when you visit a buddy's page
  • Make sure FORUMS OVERVIEW list can't access banned forums
  • IM icon is not affected by Events Broadcasting (needs to increment counter)
  • Top forums list (hmmm….)
  • Buddy list renaming and sorting
  • Delete confirmation for iam.alive buddies
  • IM Buddy list should show when page was last updated
  • IM Buddy list should show when offline members were last online
  • Forum index buttons at top AND bottom
  • View forum posts in reverse order (user settings)
  • Turn on custom layout
  • PIXFULL should work for more than one picture
  • Increase size of ban lists (forms must be fixed)
  • Ability to add comment forums later
  • Edit names of sections in Mod-Tracker
  • Integrate MPEG support
  • Integrate BME submissions engine
  • Show favorite forums as drop-down menu
  • Include forum owner name in favorite forums list, and/or give the option of renaming them (management menu perhaps)
  • IM broadcast to everyone in your buddy list
  • IM broadcast via comma'd list
  • Email submission of diary entries (from PDAs, cell phones, etc.)
  • Do something a little better than xxxxxxx for deleted users
  • Clear IM buddy list on add so people don't get dummy lists
  • Add flags to Person type (so personals-esque searching is fast and easy)
  • Reset button on layout options
  • Ability to embed polls into diary entries
  • Create TOS panel option
  • Bring back option of non-archiving forums
  • Allow users to look at their own log files (logins, postings, etc.)
  • Search engines of all sorts (hmmm…)

The above has some obvious omissions… I'm trying to get IAM to the point where I'm happy with it as a “version 1.0″ level product. When that's done, I'm going to start making it so I can compile variations on it for potential licensing, as well as writing real documentation for it… After all, if I can do some sales on the IAM software (although I'd likely force them to let me host it for simplification of tech support), then this place can stay as free as possible.

As a few of you know, the new BMEshop software is a part of the IAM engine as well, so expect unbelievably creepygood service that only a Big Brother-esque entity could offer you. That said, you know my policy on “full disclosure” — as I am developing the BMEshop software, I'm setting it up so you can always look at your own log files, and know exactly what we know about you. In addition, you'll be able to delete anything you'd like from OUR logs, with the exception of the minimum amount of data we need for tax filing of course (how many companies let you do that?)… So… Yes, it will know a lot and will do a lot with it, but it will be with your consent (and it will stay in-house — no selling your data or anyhting like that). I'll talk more about that in detail in about a week.

Now… For tonight at least, as they say in the movies… “I'm done, stick a fork in me, it's been grand. This is Happy Harry Hard-on saying sayonara, over and out.”

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Work Work Working…

Monday, June 24, 2002

I'm working on another image update today. I don't think it's a huge update (we'll see in a couple hours), but it's got some really cool stuff… Maybe I'm getting delerious from lack of sleep and food, but I got a big kick out of this surface piercing project (I'm assuming it was done with a sense of humor). The full pix are in the update and I assume that the owner will be joining IAM soon, so if you want to talk to them about the project, watch the new members lists over the next week.

Also, I just wanted to quickly comment on the new Israeli plan for dealing with suicide bombers: blowing up the homes of their family members and throwing the survivors out of the country. Now, obviously suicide bombing is a problem that must be solved, and obviously there are many (but definitely not all, or even close to all) cases in which the family supports the bomber. That said: haven't we moved past the “by any means neccessary” stage in our political evolution?

I'm surprised that any Western nation would tolerate this type of stance — it's no better than a mafia thug, who when on trial vows to kill the family of any jurors if he is convicted. You can't punish a person for crimes committed by people they know as a deterrant if there was no direct involvement by that person. What's next, torturing the families of political dissidents? Oh wait, that's happening too in this wonderful world we've created.

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Thanks for the emails!

Sunday, June 23, 2002



From: HellaGoodAss@aol.com
Date: Sun, 23 Jun 2002 17:17:00 EDT
Subject: Re: Pinched, Poked, and Jeweled

I would just like you to know that I DID BREAK DOWN MY STORY IN TO PARAGRAPHS, you're site wouldn't let me. I think that the people that visit your WEBSITE are total ASSHOLES. I don't care that you did not write the suggestions, but I've been in your chatrooms, and the people in there are really discusting, and some people tell others lies about piercings like: "I'm a piercer, and you should do this if it gets infeted", or "Don't clean your piercing because it will get infected." I think you should look at what this assholes are saying. In my story I said that the woman before me that was getting her clit pierced was a white trash drugy, I never said that she was a white trash drugy because she got her clit pierced!!!!!! I also want to let you know I will NEVER visit your site again, and other people I have talked to will not visit your site either because of the people that visit your website. The kind of people that visit your website are: rude, hate the government, hate America, are VERY rude to people that have their OWN OPINION!!! I am sick of going into your website and wanting to talk to other people about piercings and have a person insult ME for not having anything else done exept my NAVEL and ears done. So now I REALLY KNOW WHY I ALWAYS DID NOT LIKE DECKED-OUT PIERCED ALL OVER THE PLACE PEOPLE: Because they are the ones that make this society shitty!!!

Thank you for the ASSHOLES,

Red

From: HellaGoodAss@aol.com
Date: Sun, 23 Jun 2002 17:42:52 EDT
Subject: Re: Pinched, Poked, and Jeweled

Note: The response below does not have paragraph breaks and is flawed with mispelled words; I hope that you can follow.

Do you all realize that your responses to "Pinched, Poked, Jeweled" are rather inflated and at worst preaching for everything that you seem to be opposed to. Look around you, genital mutilation is not the mainstream. Most see at is slovenly self destruction. She, the writer of "Pinched, Poked, and Jeweled," has every natural right to speak as she feels; that was her experience. You can simply choose not to include it in your website. Who are you to say how she should view and interpret what she sees? I was there with her and saw the women having her genitals pierced and let me tell, she looked like crystal freak. Is that not the norm? Additionally, before you, BMEZINE.COM, even validate these comments directed toward a TEENAGER please recognize the social disfuction that exists in your chatroom. Oh yeah, I find it funny that extreme piercers latch on to spelling and grammer mistakes. How many of them can even read beyond a fourth grade level anyhow? Oops, sorry to be judgemental, I thought that ad hominem arguments were the norm at BMEZINE.COM.

Rock on and keep on mutilating!!!

Concerned friend of "Pinched, Poked, and Jeweled"

I'll list all of the comments left, feel free to decide for youself if they were fair or not. It certainly doesn't seem unreasonable to me.

  • Break down the experience into paragraphs & resubmit.
  • You will need to use line breaks and paragraphs before this will get accepted.
  • poorly written, spelling mistakes and use paragraphs please.
  • Sorry. Try not to type your experience all in one paragraph.
  • Fist off denied for one paragraph I seriously suggest u proof read and edit before you resubmit.
  • Get some paragraphs. Also, spellcheck your experience. Capitalize the beginnings of sentences and all proper nouns. Also, don't fucking degrade someone else's piercings because you don't fucking agree with it. They are the reason sites like this exist.
  • You need to write your experience in paragraphs so it is easier to read and follow. Do this, a spell checker and try and re-submit
  • The fact that it's a single paragraph is automatic denial. You shouldn't judge someone else or their piercing either – there's nothing wrong with a genital piercing, open your mind doll.
  • before you submit your experience you need to proofread and make sure you separate it into paragraphs.
  • your layout is all screwey
  • *sigh*, please break the paragraph up, and try again
  • Please spellcheck this and give it paragraph breaks.
  • Addd some paragraph breaks and drop out the trash talking about the lady getting her “crutch” pierced and you might make it through. Of course I'm wondering why you pierced a (naval) orange and not your navel.
  • paragraphs
  • Correct the spelling, break it up into paragraphs, and don't insult the woman getting her clit pierced, you'd be surprised at how wonderful it is ;) It's a big world out there, kiddo, don't knock what you don't understand
  • It's naval, not navel.. please please please spell check, and yet again, separate into separate paragraphs.
  • we dont' accept “one paragraph” entries. they must be well written and have smaller, easier to digest paragraphs.
  • To start with, your experience is only in one paragraph. This is grounds for an automatic denial. You also have a few typos/misspellings to that need to be corrected. You may also want to leave out the…”So after the kinky, ugly, whitetrash lady was done gettin her cutchy pierced it was my Turn” I will never accept your experience unless you delete that part. Not only is it offensive, it is very close-minded. Just because someone is getting a piercing that isn't as mainstream as the navel, that gives you no right to use derogatory terms to describe them.
  • Over all poorly written, and all written in one paragraph
  • One word: paragraphs.
  • bad spelling, all one paragraph, no capitalizations…etc etc.
  • needs to be separated into paragraphs
  • I'd suggest you split your piece up into proper paragraphs, and take a look at the spelling – especially 'naval'. I'd also point out that it's likely to cause offence if you write in derogatory terms about other clients and their piercings.
  • Please separate this into paragraphs. You should also run this through a grammar check.
  • Thank you for sharing. I did enjoy your experience, but there are some layout and spelling issues to look at.

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So sue us.

Sunday, June 23, 2002

I just got this letter from an old friend (I've edited it for anonymity):

I'm a Red Cross volunteer. Because I'm pro-BME, i'm butting in where i don't belong. I learned in International Red Cross Class today that "misuse" of the Red Cross emblem is a criminal offense in the USA. I don't know what the charges are in Canada -- I just don't want to see you get screwed if another Red Cross member stumbles upon your site. They're really serious about this stuff. I think I'm supposed to immediately narc on you to National if i see a violation, but there's no way i could do that... you're part of HOME!!!

The url is here: https://www.redcross.org/emblem/history.html

Incidentally, I did ask in class (did not name iwascured), and learned that editing the emblem so that it's not the same does count as misuse. I swear, I'm not trying to be a bitch. I feel like crap, but would feel worse if I kept my fat mouth shut.

OK… the laws surrounding the Red Cross are two part. First there are the criminal laws which have to do with misrepresenting oneself as a member of the Red Cross. In the US, the law specifically states, “for the fraudulent purpose of inducing the belief that he is a member of or an agent for the American National Red Cross”. I don't think there's any doubt that iWasCured is a suspension group totally unaffiliated with the Red Cross… No one is confused about that, right?

The other part of the law is more vague; it bans the use of the Greek red cross on a white background. (A Greek cross is just a cross where the arms are perpendicular and the same length.) First of all, the variation of the Greek cross that iWasCured uses is quite different than the Red Cross one (which is built on a 3×3 matrix). In addition, the iWasCured cross usually appears on black backgrounds — the white background is not an element of their logo. Finally, the words “Red Cross” or “Geneva Cross” are never used, whereas we quite often overlay the word “Cured”.

There is certainly no fraud or misrepresentation going on, and I think we're quite clear on any potential trademark-esque violations. In looking over all the lawsuits I could find surrounding use of the Red Cross symbol, the only ones that were successful were ones that were obvious identity theft. So… I don't think you'll be seeing Phil et al in prison over this any time soon.

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