joost: Web based

Finally a web based version of joost

Supergirl

Here's a pic of Smallville's new Supergirl:


She's not quite Micheal Turner's Supergirl:

But it's close.

Corporate Back stabbing

Sunday's Dilbert so corporate back stabbing at its finest.

Scarry Potter: Fandom gone to far

If you hadn't heard Harry Potter and the Deathly Hollows leaked online b4 the book was released. Leave it up to F@nboy$ to poke fun @ the leak:

SPOILER: To quote Sio Bibble "The death toll is catastrophic."

Custom Firmware 3.51 M33 Update #7

Team M33 is @ it again. This time with Custom Firmware 3.51 M33-7. Below is a list of changes in this version:

* Improvements in M33 NO-UMD driver (yeah, we know that sony one is better, but we still are working on our own driver to make it perfect as a challenge). The improvements:
- Fixed a bug that caused incompatibility with ATV Offroad Fury Pro, Steel Horizons,
Tony Hawk's Project 8 and probably more games.
- Speed loading has improved, now M33 driver imitates better Sony one.

* Automatic display fix for ta-082+ with brightness problems in 1.50 kernel.
- M33 will autodetect ta-082+ with brightness problems, and will correct brightness properly.

* Wlan fix is now done differently, patch is done in 3.51 kernel before going to 1.50 one.
- For those that don't read well the readmes: we never would include in our files a sony prx! The fix was and is done simply with code. The 3.40 mention was to notice that the problem was not a M33 bug, but a problem caused by Sony.

* 4th level of brighrness enabled on 1.5 kernel too now.

* An option has been added to recovery, "Hard Reset on 1.50 homebrew". Use this, only if the wifi fix doesn't work with your psp still. It makes homebrew boot a bit slower.

- M33

PSP Custom Firmware 3.51 M33-4

It was a said day when the PSP scene learned of Dark Alex's departure. It looked like the end of the OE line of custom firmware. Today Team M33 steps up to the plate with the newest version of their custom firmware 3.51 M33-4. Its great to seen someone step up to fill Dark Alex's shoes.

UPDATE: Just hours later and Team M33 has updated their firmware once again. Feel free to download 3.51 M33-5 @ your earliest convenience.

UPDATE 2: Days later and we have yet another update 3.51 M33-6. Also be sure to check out Team M33's official site: http://m-33.narod.ru/.

#1 on Google

How sweet is this we are currently the #1 and #2 hits on Google for the term piatech.

Streaming Video

I have to give it to YouTube for kick starting the internet video revolution. Many of you have probably heard of TV-Links, but that is only the tip of the iceberg. The site you want want to visit is OVGuide. This site is a index of a ton of sites just like TV-Links. My favorite of these sites is Joox. A majority of the videos on Joox are high quality stage 6 Divx encodes.

Digital Comics: The List

What is The List you may be asking yourself. The List is a listing of every comic that has been scanned to date. This is the 07/08/07 edition of the list. It is constantly updated, and can be found if you know where to look. Give the list a once over. I'm sure you'll be blown away by the magnitude of comics that have been digitally preserved up to this point in time.

Digital Comic Readers

.cbr and .cbz what are they and how can I read them? .cbr and .cbz are actually just renamed .rar and .zip files. .cbr = .rar and .cbz = .zip. There are a few really good cbr readers, however two stand far above the rest. First is a revamped and updated version of the software that started it all, CDisplayEx. This software is great if all you want to do is read the comics you've downloaded. Next up is ComicRack. ComicRack is great if you not only want to read your digital comics, but also organize them. Take your pick. Personally I've always been a fan of CDisplay, the software CDisplayEx is based off of. But CDisplayEx and ComicRack have me singing a whole new tune.

Digital Comics Preservation Newsgroup

in response to my earlier post about digital comics I decided to post a little bit on info on one of the key groups that makes digital downloads possible, DCP. You can always find their official latest releases available on their newsgroup, alt.binaries.comics.dcp and soon on the web at Komics-Live. Below is a copy of their official FAQ:

--------Begin Quote-------------
F.A.Q. 1.0002 Breezy Badger
(revisions no doubt will follow) Corrections? Additions? E-mail me.
|----------------------------------------------------------------------|
1. Who is DCP?

DCP stands for Digital Comics Preservation. Unlike mother nature and father time, we want comics to be around for a long, long time. Therefore, we work towards digitally preserving ALL comics we can find. This includes new comics, old comics, popular comics, small-press comics, and even a few fan made comics that only a handful of people ever saw. If it's a comic, we'll scan it.

A. But don't I also sometimes see cartoons and stuff?

Sure. If we find some kind of comic related media - newspaper articles, cartoons, funny song about Superman, etc... - we tend to preserve that too.

B. So do you guys follow the OYATM rule?

Nope. We scan it. We share it.

|----------------------------------------------------------------------|
2. Why is this newsgroup here?

Primarily for sharing files with each other. Many people can download from a newsgroup faster than they can from a p2p service.

A. So this isn't the only place you can find DCP scans?

Not at all. People tend to put them on Bittorrent, DC++, and irc all the time. Sometimes we do it, sometimes people do it because they want to share our stuff. It's cool. Sharing is what it's all about.

B. Can we use this group for discussion?

If you want to talk about a particular book with someone else, fine. If you want to talk about the geo-political ramifications of the current state of unrest in the world, go find a friggin' message board or crazy group of demonstraters. Political or religious postings will get you ridiculed, ignored, etc...
PLEASE refrain from criticizing other scanners' work, regardless of their group affiliation. Scanners spend their time and money producing content for you free of charge - if you're not going to thank them, you can at least refrain from insulting them and their work. If you really find a book so awful, then buy the book and scan it yourself!

|----------------------------------------------------------------------|
3. Do you only release DCP scans here?

Nope. DCP gets along really well with a lot of other scanners. If they
say it's OK, we'll post their scans too.

A. Can I post my scans here?

Sure, but don't call yourself a DCP'er if you do. You have to work towards that.

B. Can I post anything comics related at any time?

We used to ask that you please refrain from making posts on Wednesday - Friday so that the new stuff can get out uncluttered. However, a lot of people bitched and bitched, so that's no longer a "rule." It's generally a nice thing to keep in mind and posting a flood will probably make people hate you.

C. Can I repost your stuff other places?

Sure, but be respectful of the rules there. If they follow OYATM, then please don't post our scans that are less than OYATM. Also, please don't change the files. Renaming them is OK, but don't take out scanner tags or ad pages. Respect the scanner and respect the scan.

|----------------------------------------------------------------------|
4. Can I make requests (REQs)?

Try not to make any requests on Wednesday or Thursday or until late on Friday. During that period, people are focused on new scans. If you make a requests it will be ignored - not out of spite, but because no one pays attention to anything other than new comics during that time.

A. How many books can I request?

Use your best judgement. Asking for 100 issues of Legends of the Dark Knight may fill the hole in your collection, but I doubt anyone wants to take the time to post them all. Plus, people can't help others if they are spending all their time helping you. Be polite. Shoot for a handful at a time.

B. Can I request a flood?

You can, but that doesn't mean anyone will fill it. Read the answer above.

C. How often should I repost a request if it's not filled?

Once a year. It might take time for someone to find the books you want. Or, they may be filling other requests. Or, they may be busy scanning new books. Or, maybe no one has them right now. If no one has them after a couple weeks, send Mile High Comics your credit card information and get your scanner ready...

D. But what if I know it was posted last week?

Then you should download last week's post. If your news server has such poor retention that you can't get books a few days old, then you should pay for a better service.

F. What about pars?

Most people will post pars with the books. If they didn't, ask nicely and they, or someone else who downloaded it, will post some. If you need more pars, ask nicely and someone will help you out? See the pattern here? Ask nicely...

G. What if I know in my heart of hearts that a book came out this week, but I don't see the scan?

Wait. Wait. Wait. I know it's hard, but give it time. Books are scanned by people nice enough to spend their money on them and their time scanning them. Obviously, they will scan the books they want to first. Believe it or not, there are some who scan boooks that no one else wants to - just to make sure they get preserved even if they don't really like them. So, just wait and give it time. Sometimes, the skipped books will be picked up by a friendly scanner when he grabs next week's books, so give it a couple weeks before you start asking. Or better yet, get your cheap ass out of the house, and buy a friggin' comic and scan it yourself. Or just shut the hell up. Either way.

|----------------------------------------------------------------------|
5. Do you guys only post comics?

Nope. Some members like to encode cartoons, video game manuals, and magazines like Wizard or Knights of the Dinner Table. While none of these are comics and sometimes aren't comic related, we welcome these to our group as well.

A. Should I post all the cartoons in the world here?

Try not to. You can go to other groups to get cartoons. We'll post DCP encodes here.

B. Should I post other video game manuals here?

Try not to. The best place to post them would be in the group for that console. We'll post DCP scans here.

C. Should I post scans of all magazines here?

Try not to. The best place to post them would be in the groups for those magazines or topics. We'll post DCP scans here. However, if someone requests a CBG, KotDT, or Wizard and you can fill that REQ with a scan from somewhere else, knock your self out. Make sure you read the whole FAQ first though...

|----------------------------------------------------------------------|
6. Do you guys make PDFs?

Ugh. F' no. There are groups out there ripping off the comics that are scanned by your favorite DCP, OCD, HaCsA, RIP, etc scanners, and calling them their scans, repackaging them as PDF and sharing them via another distribution system. If you have any of these "scans" do yourself a favor and delete them and get the .cbr, .cbz, .zip, or .rar version, the way comics should be. Sharing PDF comics will get you ridiculed, ignored, etc... If you don't like it, grow up and get over it.

|----------------------------------------------------------------------|
7. How do I find out if a comics has been released? Or what if I want to request a scan, but I don't know if the actual comic book has come out yet?

_____ _
/ ____| | |
| | __ ___ ___ __ _| | ___
| | |_ |/ _ \ / _ \ / _` | |/ _ \TM
| |__| | (_) | (_) | (_| | | __/
\_____|\___/ \___/ \__, |_|\___|
__/ |
|___/ - Google your shit before asking
____________________________________________________________
|____________________________________________________________|
| Google Search || I'm Feeling Lucky |
+-----------------++---------------------+
--------End Quote-------------

Downloading Comics

Rich Johnson of the Web column, Lying in the Gutter, recently posted a great article on the pros/cons of illegal comic downloading and why major publishers should start selling digital versions of new comics. The full article has been reposted below (Source and copyright: LYING IN THE GUTTERS VOLUME 2 COLUMN 111)

DOWNLOAD OR BE DAMNED

This week, everyone's talking about digital downloading. Well, I am anyway.

It came to a head for me this week. We're getting our floors redone, so the bookshelves have to move.

It's just too much. And this is what is stopping me from buying so many more new comics that otherwise I would. I get rid of stuff all the time, hence the plaintive pleas to check my eBay listings I often append to this column. I often take trips to the local charity shops. They don't want any more now. And there's still way too much physical property.

I have money to buy new comics, I just don't have the space. Comics industry, I am not alone. Indeed, most creators tell me they download illegally just so they can get research for their work and keep up with the industry without filling their apartments.

You know how relieved I was when Top Shelf sent me a disc full of comics instead of a box full?

Now I don't like illegal downloading, though I have done it occasionally. So my solution is I don't buy what I'd like to read and spend the money on things like, well, new flooring for a start. If there was a better solution out there, then I'd happily make do with the old carpet.

Right now we are in the middle of the biggest comics industry boom we've ever seen. The movies have created a whole new audience for superhero properties, and an adult audience at that. But the cost and inconvenience of buying comics in the modern age has sent people to illegal downloads. 24 hours after Diamond ships comics to stores, they are available illegally and there's nothing the publishers can do about it.

The modern audience is gradually learning to read on screen. For kids it's second nature and the preferred medium.

So, publishers, please just make your comics available digitally, legally, for a fee. You could do it next week if you so wished. If you're worried about the comics you release digitally being pirated, well, yes. They already are. Hell, the First Look titles that get sent to retailers are torrented a week before the actual comics are published. And remember, published comics do not have any form of Digital Rights Management. It's a way of getting some money from the practice instead of no money.

"The Flying Friar" can be downloaded, for cover price, at www.richjohnston.com.

Marvel, DC, Image, Dark Horse, Fantagraphics, Oni, Top Shelf, follow suit.

UPDATED: While I personally don't condone downloading comics, sometime you have no other options. What else are you supposed to do when your local comic shop doesn't have the back issue(s) you need? You could maybe order them online if you can find them (my preferred method), but what if they also don't? Then your only option left is to download the issue until you can legally purchase it. I mean with sites like demonoid, Zcult FM (Tracker B & , Tracker N, and Tracker X), and Komics-Live. it only take minutes to download any comic we want.
Personally I vote ComicTunes (itunes 4 comics), but I doubt the major publisher will every band together for provide us with this great service. Hell if apple can make a profit charging only $0.99 a song, who's to say Marvel and DC cant charge $0.99 a comic and still turn a profit. Especially since they can still sell in in comics advertising.

Spider-man Back in Black

If you hadn't heard, Black suit Spider-man is back, and as badass as ever. The following is a outline of the Back in Black Event, in read order of course.

Spider-Man Family #1
Amazing Spider-Man #538
Amazing Spider-Man #539
Amazing Spider-Man #540
Amazing Spider-Man #541
Civil War #7
Mighty Avengers #1
Fallen Son: Death of Cap. - Avengers
Fallen Son: Death of Cap. - Spider-Man
New Avengers #27
New Avengers #28
New Avengers #29
New Avengers #30
New Avengers #31
Avengers: The Initiative #3
Friendly Neighborhood Spider-Man #17
Friendly Neighborhood Spider-Man #18
Friendly Neighborhood Spider-Man #19
Friendly Neighborhood Spider-Man #20
Friendly Neighborhood Spider-Man #21
Sensational Spider-Man #35
Sensational Spider-Man #36
Sensational Spider-Man #37
Sensational Spider-Man #38
Blade #10
Spider-Man Family #2
Spider-Man: Back in Black Handbook
Marvel Spotlight: Back in Black

A constantly updated list can be found at:
http://www.marvel.com/news/2.502.