Written by hawtymcbloggy.com

As a female gamer, you hear a lot of different comments on Xbox Live from random players. It doesn’t take you long to realize that the majority of jerks on Live are not the most creative of people. You tend to hear the same comments over and over and often times verbatim. Each person thinks they are the first person ever to say that. Yes, you are that smart and original. And by smart and original I mean you are the one millionth dumb ass to say that to me.

To everybody that has said these things to females online in the past and to those of you that will be saying them in the future, please come up with some new material. I say this on behalf of all female gamers that frequent Xbox Live. These comments have been heard time and time again. You are not quite as witty as you think. But we all knew that already.

Top 10 Things Female Gamers Hear on Xbox Live

Are you a girl? You can’t be a girl. Everybody knows girls don’t play video games.*
I don’t expect that you would know much about girls as you obviously don’t interact with any. Ever.

Are you playing on your brother’s/boyfriend’s account?*
Well clearly it’s not my own. Everybody knows girls don’t play video games and thus don’t have their own accounts. I don’t even think Microsoft lets females purchase their own accounts actually. I think I read that in the fine print somewhere.

You must be a fat and ugly since you play video games.*
How did you know? But of course all males that play video games are ridiculously hot. Every last one of them. Including you.

Shouldn’t you be playing Barbie Horse Adventures?*
I’ve already beaten it over 10 times. I rock at that game! Just every once in a while I need a break from it.

Hey sweetheart/beautiful/baby doll. How you doing?*
So much better now that you are here, thanks.

Dude. Dude! Are you a girl? Will you be my friend? Dude, accept my friend request! Let’s hook up!*
Yes please! Because I really am that incredibly desperate for friends. And hook ups as well.

How old are you? Where do you live? Do you have a MySpace page?*
I will share all of that information with you as long as you promise to stalk me. Frequently.

Girls belong in the kitchen. Go make me a sandwich.*
I am in the kitchen making a sandwich. I just beat you playing with one hand.

Are you a boy? When are your balls gonna drop?*
They already did. And your mom tells me I have the manliest voice ever. Every night. At least twice.

You sound hot! I bet you’re hot. Are you hot?*
Absolutely.

Written by Brandon

These 10 commandments were given directly by Mark Zuckerberg to the people of the Internet, after he had set them free from MySpace slavery. And Zuckerberg spake these words, from his celestial kingdom, saying:

?I truly believe I am the Lord thy God. Behold, Facebook is upon thee??

?1. Thou shalt have no other websites before Facebook.?

I used to hate Facebook, but now I find myself there 4 or 5 times a day, most of those times without a real reason for logging in. Facebook is like a delicious beverage that somehow makes you thirstier, even as it tastes so good. It plays to the petty Highschooler in all of us, and since it has photos and tons of personal information, it?s that much juicier.

I take it back ? Facebook isn?t a beverage, it?s a steak. A filet mignon of gossip. It rules all.

?2. Thou shalt make for thyself an anti-MySpace profile picture.?

I think we can all get behind this decree. No weird poses to make you look less ugly (see Commandment #8). No extreme angles to accentuate your emo bangs. Just straight up, take-it-or-leave-it, Hot-or-Not? kind of photographic honesty .

See, in Facebook, you?re mostly average, which is okay, because at least you aren?t emo. Or a thirteen year-old.

3. ?Thou shalt learn about thy friends? relationships from Facebook, and Facebook alone.?

Seriously ask yourself how many times you?ve heard relationship news from Facebook first. And then you took Facebook at its very-convincing word and passed on the news to other people as if Facebook was Gospel.

What, Timmy?s engaged? Why the hell didn?t Timmy tell me? Oh, that?s right, he put in on Facebook.

Thanks, Timmy.

4. ?Remember the News Feed, and keep it creepy.?

The News Feed is the Internet?s closet approximation to a ?Bored College Student Wish List.? It?s like Santa?s ?Naughty and Nice? list, but meant for people who have the time to lurk online. Which, it seems, is almost everybody. Especially people you wouldn?t expect.

I?m not kidding, my Dad recently joined StumbleUpon. That?s one step too close to Facebook for me. Soon enough, even he?ll be lurking on Facebook and playing the omniscient character with the Bible of Useless Information.

5. ?Thou shalt limited profile thy father and thy mother.?

Intended segues aside, do you really want your parents seeing your whole Facebook profiles? I really do try to avoid this upcoming cliche, even modified versions of it: What happens on Facebook, stays on Facebook.

Wow, that?s awful.

I mean it, though. That?s why god invented the limited profile. To help you with those little white lies.

6. ?Thou shalt write inside jokes on thy friend?s Wall, so all can bear witness to thy popularity.?

Please, please avoid the urge to write jokes only you and your one friend in the entire world will understand on that friend?s Wall.

Think of the Wall as a digital tattoo for your friends. I have to see your friend?s Wall. Then I have to see your post. And when I read it, it makes me want to cry, but only because of its inanity.

7. ?Thou shalt poke members of the opposite sex until they finally have sex with thee, or block thee altogether, whichever comes first.?

Everybody?s done this. Well, maybe you didn?t get to the sex part, but I know you wanted to. And if you?re sitting there, shaking your head, saying ?Nooo, that?s not me,? then shame on you. Just admit it. You?ve poked somebody you wanted to have sex with, but maybe you didn?t quite get that far.

It?s alright. As long as you?re trying. Via Facebook. By virtually poking them with invisible data?

8. ?Thou shalt untag all photos that make thee look fugly.?

There are two types of people in this world: people who untag bad pictures of themselves on Facebook and people who are sane enough not to do that. And maybe those anti-Establishment types who don?t use Facebook, although we won?t worry about them.

I actually advocate the ?fugly? untagging process.

Nobody wants to see that. Nobody.

9. ?Thou shalt update thy status regularly, so that thy friends can know thy business at all times.?

Have you recently urinated? Why do I know that disgusting and useless bit of information? Because you told me. On Facebook. Awesome.

10. ?Thou shalt put thy address, screen-name, and phone number on thy profile, so that thou mayst be stalked.?

Raise your hand if you?ve ever been inappropriately contacted by someone who got your number or screen-name from Facebook. Now look at yourself. You?re a grown man or woman sitting at your computer, with one arm raised in the air for no reason at all.

What would your mother say if she saw you right now? She?d probably tell you Facebook is where all the perverts and child molesters ?chat? on the ?Interweb.?

And you know what?

She?d be right.

Facebook hath spoken.

Written by HR World Editors

In every job interview, the goal is to obtain important information while building a friendly rapport with the candidate. But some questions are just a little too friendly. Protect yourself and your company from legal trouble and embarassment by avoiding the wrong questions while still getting to the root of the concern behind the question. Read on for 30 ways to turn litigious questions into harmless, legal alternatives.

Nationality

Certainly, you want to be sure that a candidate can legally work for you, but it’s important to be careful how you ask. These questions address citizenship, language and other touchy subjects.

1. What you can’t ask: Are you a U.S. citizen?

   Although this seems like the simplest and most direct way to find out if an interviewee is legally able to work for your company, it’s hands-off. Rather than inquiring about citizenship, question whether or not the candidate is authorized for work.

   What to ask instead: Are you authorized to work in the U.S.?

2. What you can’t ask: What is your native tongue?

   Finding out about a candidate’s native language may seem like a good way to find out about their fluency, but you may offend applicants that are sensitive to common assumptions about their language. Additionally, as an employer, it’s not your concern how the applicant attained fluency in a language – just that they are fluent.

   What to ask instead: What languages do you read, speak or write fluently?

3. What you can’t ask: How long have you lived here?

   Familiarity with local culture may be important to the position, but it’s important not to ask about a candidate’s residency in the country or region directly. Rather, ask about their current situation, and they may volunteer information about their past along the way.

   What to ask instead: What is your current address and phone number? Do you have any alternative locations where you can be reached?

Religion

Religion is a subject that should be treaded upon lightly at the office, and even more so in interviews. Protect yourself from overstepping the boundaries but still get the information you need with these questions.

4. What you can’t ask: What religion do you practice?

   You may want to know about religious practices to find out about weekend work schedules, but it’s imperative that you refrain from asking directly about a candidate’s beliefs. Instead, just ask directly when they’re able to work, and there will be no confusion.

   What to ask instead: What days are you available to work?

5. What you can’t ask: Which religious holidays do you observe?

   Again, scheduling is important, but don’t risk stepping on toes to find out what you need to know. Simply confirm that your interviewee can work when you need them to.

   What to ask instead: Are you able to work with our required schedule?

6. What you can’t ask: Do you belong to a club or social organization?

   This question is too revealing of political and religious affiliations that candidates are not required to share such information with potential employers. Additionally, this questions has little to no relation to a candidate’s ability to do a job. For this question, it’s important that the wording focuses on work.

   What to ask instead: Are you a member of a professional or trade group that is relevant to our industry?

Age

Maturity is essential for most positions, but it’s important that you don’t make assumptions about a candidate’s maturity based on age. Alternately, you have to be careful about discrimination towards applicants nearing retirement. These questions will keep you in the clear.

7. What you can’t ask: How old are you?

   While it seems like a simple question, it’s in fact quite loaded. Knowledge of an applicant’s age can set you up for discrimination troubles down the road. To be safe, just ensure that the candidate is legally old enough to work for your firm.

   What to ask instead: Are you over the age of 18?

8. What you can’t ask: How much longer do you plan to work before you retire?

   Again, asking this question opens up discrimination troubles. While you may not want to hire an older worker who will retire in a few years, you can’t dismiss an applicant for this reason. Instead, see what the candidate’s plans are for the future; they may plan to work for a number of years.

   What to ask instead: What are your long-term career goals?

Marital and Family Status

These questions primarily concern women with children, but they’re applicable to everyone. Ensure that you don’t make assumptions, and avoid embarrassing candidates by using the following questions.

9. What you can’t ask: Is this your maiden name?

   This question, like many others, may seem innocent and simple, but it’s off-limits. A woman’s marital status isn’t something that’s required to be shared with employers. Instead, verify whether or not she’s gained experience using any other names.

   What to ask instead: Have you worked or earned a degree under another name?

10. What you can’t ask: Do you have or plan to have children?

    Clearly, the concern here is that family obligations will get in the way of work hours. Instead of asking about or making assumptions on family situations, get to the root of the issue by asking directly about the candidate’s availability.

    What to ask instead: Are you available to work overtime on occasion? Can you travel?

11. What you can’t ask: Can you get a babysitter on short notice for overtime or travel?

    Don’t make the mistake of assuming that a candidate has children or that they don’t already have proper child care plans. As with many other questions, the key here is to ask directly about availability.

    What to ask instead: You’ll be required to travel or work overtime on short notice. Is this a problem for you?

12. What you can’t ask: Do you have kids?

    This one is for positions in which the candidate may work with children. The added experience of children at home may be a bonus for you, but it’s not an employer’s place to ask about this. Rather, inquire about the candidate’s experience, and they may volunteer this information to you anyway.

    What to ask instead: What is your experience with “x” age group?

13. What you can’t ask: Who is your closest relative to notify in case of an emergency?

    Although not especially offensive, this question makes assumptions about the candidate’s personal life. They may not be close to relatives and instead prefer to list a friend or caretaker.

    What to ask instead: In case of emergency, who should we notify?

14. What you can’t ask: What do your parents do for a living?

    Asking a candidate about their parents can reveal a lot, but it’s not directly related to their future performance in a position. However, if you are trying to find out if your candidate’s family has traditionally worked in your industry, this question is a good way to find out.

    What to ask instead: Tell me how you became interested in the “x” industry.

15. What you can’t ask: If you get pregnant, will you continue to work, and will you come back after maternity leave?

    Ultimately, you want to invest your time in a candidate that will stick around, but you can’t ask a woman to share her pregnancy plans, or lack thereof, with you. Discuss her general plans for the future to gauge her commitment level, baby or not.

    What to ask instead: What are your long-term career goals?

Gender

Once you’ve reached the interview stage, a candidate’s gender is almost always clear. It is important, however, to ensure that you don’t make assumptions about a person’s abilities based on this information.

16. What you can’t ask: We’ve always had a man/woman do this job. How do you think you will stack up?

    Leave gender out of this question, and you should be fine. Inquire about th applicant’s ability to handle the job, but don’t ask directly about how being a man or woman could affect it.

    What to ask instead: What do you have to offer our company?

17. What you can’t ask: How do you feel about supervising men/women?

    This question, although it may seem like a valid concern, is not acceptable. The candidate may not have any issues working with the opposite or same sex, and you’ll seem crass for even bringing it up.

    What to ask instead: Tell me about you previous experience managing teams.

18. What you can’t ask: What do you think of interoffice dating?

    The practice of interoffice dating can be distracting, break up teams and cause a number of other problems in the workplace. But asking this question makes assumptions about the candidate’s marital status and may even be interpreted as a come-on.

    What to ask instead: Have you ever been disciplined for your behavior at work?

Health and Physical Abilities

Your employees’ health and abilities may be essential to getting the job done, but it’s important to avoid assumptions and discrimination. Stick to these questions in order to avoid embarrassment and legal troubles.

19. What you can’t ask: Do you smoke or drink?

    As an employer, you probably want to avoid someone who has a drinking problem or will take multiple smoke breaks throughout the day. It’s even a concern for insurance. Instead of asking about this directly, find out if they’ve had trouble with health policies in the past.

    What to ask instead: In the past, have you been disciplined for violating company policies forbidding the use of alcohol or tobacco products?

20. What you can’t ask: Do you take drugs?

    This question is just a simple confusion of terms. Your interviewee may think you’re asking about prescription drugs, which is off-limits. Make sure you specify that you want to know about illegal drug use instead.

    What to ask instead: Do you use illegal drugs?

21. What you can’t ask: How tall are you?

    In a labor environment, height may be essential to the job, but this question is too personal. As with many of these questions, it’s best just to ask directly about the candidate’s ability to do what’s required of them.

    What to ask instead: Are you able to reach items on a shelf that’s five feet tall?

22. What you can’t ask: How much do you weigh?

    This highly personal question is embarrassing for most and is not necessarily relevant to a candidate’s ability to do even a physical-labor job. Avoid making assumptions, and ask about abilities directly.

    What to ask instead: Are you able to lift boxes weighing up to 50 pounds?

23. What you can’t ask: How many sick days did you take last year?

    No one wants a flaky employee, but even the most dedicated workers get sick every now and then. Take a look at missed days as a whole to measure the candidate’s commitment.

    What to ask instead: How many days of work did you miss last year?

24. What you can’t ask: Do you have any disabilities?

    Disabilities, whether they’re physical or mental, may affect a candidate’s ability to do the job, but it’s critical that you avoid asking about them. Rather, find out if the applicant can handle doing what’s required.

    What to ask instead: Are you able to perform the specific duties of this position?

25. What you can’t ask: Have you had any recent or past illnesses or operations?

    Again, gauging commitment is important, but illness isn’t something that most people can help.The answer here is to make sure that the candidate can perform the job while avoiding questions about his or her physical abilities.

    What to ask instead: Are you able to perform the essential functions of this job with or without reasonable accommodations?

Miscellaneous

Avoid interviewing gaffes by sidestepping these questions about residence, legal troubles and military service.

26. What you can’t ask: How far is your commute?

    Although hiring employees who live close by may be convenient, you can’t choose candidates based on their location. Find out about their availability instead.

    What to ask instead: Are you able to start work at 8 a.m.?

27. What you can’t ask: Do you live nearby?

    If your candidate lives outside of the city your company is hiring in, it may be necessary to have them move to your area. But again, you can’t discriminate based on location. Rather, find out if the applicant is willing to move closer to the office.

    What to ask instead: Are you willing to relocate?

28. What you can’t ask: Have you ever been arrested?

    In sensitive positions, like those that deal with money, you may want to find out about your candidate’s legal fortitude. But ensure that you ask only directly about crimes that relate to your concern.

    What to ask instead: Have you ever been convicted of “x” (fraud, theft and so on)?

29. What you can’t ask: Were you honorably discharged from the military?

    A bad military record can be illuminating, but you can’t ask about it. Instead, ask about the candidate’s experience, and they may volunteer this information on their own.

    What to ask instead: Tell me how your experience in the military can benefit the company.

30. What you can’t ask: Are you a member of the National Guard or Reserves?

    Losing an employee to military service can be disrupting, but it’s critical that you don’t discriminate based on assumptions of a candidate’s upcoming military commitments. Find out what their plans are for the short term instead.

    What to ask instead: Do you have any upcoming events that would require extensive time away from work?

Written by CRACKED Staff, Tim Cameron

The English language is under assault by stupid people who use words they don’t understand, and is defended by pompous asses who like to correct those people. We’re not sure who to side with.

So, here are some words that you’ll see used incorrectly on a daily basis, and a helpful guide as to just how big of a dick you’d have to be to correct people on it. We have also included many pictures of these words being read by women with large boobs.

Irregardless

People think it means:
Regardless.

Actually means:
Not a damned thing.

This is not a word. Now, we have no problem with making up words (if a particular scent can only be described as “fartalicious,” we reserve the right to call it so). The problem with this one is “regardless” already means something isn’t worth regard (that’s why the “less” is there) so adding the “ir” to it means… it’s worth regarding again? Who knows.

Should you care?
If there’s ever a time to speak up, this is probably it. Mainly because this is one of those words used almost exclusively by people trying to sound smarter than they are. Remind them that when using fake words to at least try to use ones that have some kind of meaning, if they want to avoid unnecessary cockulance when speaking.

Dick Rating:
As in, “How big of a dick are you if you insist people use it the right way?”

Peruse

People think it means:
To skim over or browse something.

Actually means:
Almost the opposite of that.

Peruse means “to read with thoroughness or care.” If you peruse a book, you leave no page unturned. This makes sense when you consider the Middle English per use, meaning “to wear out or use up.” Unfortunately, if you “consider the Middle English” very often when speaking, you’re probably not exactly the life of the party.

Should you care?
You could make the argument that the way people use it is so far off from the original meaning that it’s worth fighting for, but there is almost no way to do it tactfully:

“What are you doing, Chris?”
“Oh, just perusing the report here before the meeting.”
“Well you better GET OUT THE MICROSCOPE, RETARD! HA HA HA HA HA!!!”

So, perhaps the best thing is to just lead by example and start using the word correctly yourself. But, this can create its own problems:

“Hey Sharon, What’s Chris doing?”
“Oh, he said he was perusing that new report.”
“Then why is he hunched over it with his tongue out, re-reading the opening page for the ninth time?”
“Gosh, I don’t know. I guess he must be clinically retarded.”

Dick Rating:

Ironic

People think it means:
Any kind of amusing coincidence.

Actually means:
An outcome that is the opposite of what you’d expect.

So, if a porn star moved to Virgin, Utah, that would be ironic. If the same porn star bought a house in Boner Knob, Montana that would not be ironic.

Should you care?
We realize this is a technical point. But, it’s almost worth taking a stand because the word has been abused to the point that it can mean anything.

“She always said she wanted to marry a dentist! And then she married Bob, who is a dentist! Isn’t that ironic?”

“I went on my cigarette break, but there was a No Smoking sign! Isn’t that ironic?”

“I just pooped in your aquarium! Isn’t that ironic?”

We have to draw the line somewhere, don’t we?

Dick Rating:

Pristine

People think it means:
“Spotless” or “as good as new.”

Actually means:
“Ancient, primeval; in a state virtually unchanged from the original.”

It’s therefore perfectly possible to have a pristine mountain of fossilized brontosaurus shit, but if you were to buff that mountain to a lustrous shine, it would no longer be pristine.

Should you care?
The meanings are close enough that correcting somebody sounds like grammar Nazi hair-splitting. That’s a shame, because there were lots of words that mean “clean” but none that have the exact same meaning as “pristine.”

If you use pristine correctly yourself, you probably won’t land yourself in too much trouble, unless someone buys your “pristine” house on eBay without realizing that it’s an authentic 14th century dung hovel complete with never-been-used plague rats.

Dick Rating:

Nonplussed

People think it means:
Unperturbed, not worried.

Actually means:
Utterly perplexed or confused. It comes from the Latin non plus (a state in which nothing more can be done).

The misunderstanding would seem to stem from people making semi-educated guesses as to the word’s meaning, which kind of sounds like it means “unruffled” or something like that.

Should you care?
If your roommate says:

“The doctor called about your herpes test. He sounded nonplussed.”

Then, yeah, it’s pretty important that you know what he meant. Either the doc wasn’t worried, or the doc was perplexed by the sight of some strand of alien herpes he had never witnessed prior, depending on whether or not your roommate knows how to use the word.

Though, if any of your friends actually start using words like “nonplussed” in conversation, regardless of the meaning, they may deserve a good cock punching anyway.

Dick Rating:

Bemused

People think it means:
Mildly amused.

Actually means:
Bewildered or confused.

If you were to say “I was bemused by your dead baby joke,” you wouldn’t be saying the joke was funny. You’d be saying that you completely failed to understand it. You were following the story up to and including the bit about the trowel, but you’d lost the thread way before the Ku Klux masturbation climax.

Should you care?
It’s hard to blame people for getting this one wrong, the word just sounds like it means, “sort of amused.” We blame the people who originally invented the word. You should probably let the new meaning take over unless, you know, you’re a dick.

Dick Rating:

Enormity

People think it means:
Enormous.

Actually means:
Outrageous or heinous on a grand scale.

War crimes are enormities. Extra-big bouncy castles are not.

Should you care?
This is one of those words you really don’t need to be using anyway, unless you’re giving a speech at the U.N. Just remember that if you say to your girl, “I hope you’re prepared for the enormity of my dick,” you’re implying that your penis is responsible for several acts of evil on the scale of ethnic genocide. This may or may not turn her on, depending on the girl.

Dick Rating:

Plethora

People think it means:
A lot of something.

Actually means:
Too much of something, an over-abundance.

It’s the difference between:

“Dude, I am jonesing to go snort a plethora of medicinal-grade barbiturates right now.”

And …

“Dude, I just snorted a plethora of medicinal-grade barbiturates, and now there are hundreds of terrifying arachnids crawling out of my penis. They all have human lips.”

Should you care?
As with “enormity,” you’re courting a certain amount of dickery by using “plethora” at all; most of the time, you can get the same point across by saying “a big ol’ shitload.” However, the original meaning of over-abundance is worth hanging onto, because it seems as if there’s no direct replacement other than “too many big ol’shitloads,” which doesn’t have quite the same degree of pith.

Interestingly, “plethora” once meant “an over-abundance of bodily fluids” so if you heard your doctor say this back in the 1700s, it meant they were about to stick a bunch of leeches on you.

Dick Rating:

Deceptively

People think it means:
Nobody is sure.

Actually means:
Nobody is sure.

Specifically, we’re talking about when the word is used with some other adjective. Like if somebody says, “The turd pool is deceptively shallow,” does that mean it’s deeper than it appears, or not as deep?

If you’re not sure, don’t feel bad. The American Heritage Dictionary asked their word experts and they said they had no fucking idea, either. So … nobody knows.

Should you care?
So, if you say (to a lady, perhaps), “I possess a deceptively large set of balls,” you could mean that your modest bulge belies the real heft of your testicles, which are actually so pendulous that you’re forced to strap them to your legs. However, you could also mean that you have tiny love eggs, and that your ball-shaped jean protrusions are actually caused by the hideous malformation of your wang. This is obviously something you want to avoid.

If ever there was a case to be made for clarity of language, this is it. If you use it at all, make sure the context makes the meaning totally clear. “My balls are deceptively large,” you could say, “because I have just inflated my genitalia with a bicycle pump.”

What this also means is that technically the usage is never wrong … or right. If you’re the type who just likes to correct people to be a dick, well, this one is a gold mine.

Dick Rating:

Written by Dan Griffiths

The PS3 aint perfect, but there are ways around some of its bad points

Got a PlayStation 3? For those of you that have picked up Sony’s shiny black plaything, we’ve put together a Digital Home top ten of tips that you won’t find in the user manual.

1) Play games from any country

Harbouring a desire to play Super Gaiden Ninja XI? Now you can. In fact, you can handily play any PS3 game from any country. On holiday in the States and spot the latest release at a bargain dollar-to-pound price? Help yourself. So far, at least, PS3 games aren’t being region coded. That said PS2 and PS1 games are so you can’t play a US title on a Euro console.

And let’s not forget that Blu-ray movies are region-coded so the barriers aren’t completely down yet.

2) The secret video reset

One of the most annoying aspects of the PS3 are its video settings. Take it up to the bedroom portable or round to a friend’s house and there’s a good chance that you won’t be able to see anything onscreen because your ‘new’ TV is running at a different resolution or using a different cable connection. And – because you can’t see anything – you can’t change it. Until now. Shut down your PS3 then restart by pressing and holding the power button. This will reset your PS3 to its most basic 480p graphics mode so you’ll be able to see enough to choose RGB SCART, component, HDMI or whatever from here.

3) See how much charge is on your pad

There’s no indication of how much charge is left on the pad itself. Instead it appears on screen during games. Press and hold the PS button on any joypad. An indicator will appear, showing your pad’s charge as a small battery. A full battery pic means a fully-charged pad. Neat.

4) Download game saves

Chances are someone out there has already beaten that boss for you and saved their game afterwards. Why not take advantage of it? Google ‘PS3 game saves’. There are hundreds of finished and half finished game saves scattered all over the internet. Download the save you want – it’ll come in a ‘PS3’ folder that you can lift onto a USB stick and put into your PS3. Go to the Game menu, choose your stick and the game save you downloaded should be right there. Press Triangle to copy it to your hard drive.

5) Make free video phone calls

You will need a USB headset (like the one you use for PS2 Socom) and an EyeToy camera. Plug in both via USB then go to your Friends menu. Choose a friend you’ve signed up earlier and press Triangle. Choose Start New Chat and type a message. Something like ‘Videochat?’ should do the trick. Now, providing they’re in front of their powered-up PS3 (perhaps you could text them to tell them to be in position?) then they’ll see your message and be given the option to accept your videochat.

Now, provided they too have a camera and headset, two windows will open, one showing you (so you can make sure you’re looking your best), the other displaying your mate. Best of all you can hit Triangle again and invite more people to join your chat – up to a maximum of six. And the cost? Not a bean above your usual broadband connection charges.

6) Browse multiple Internet windows

Open the browser (go to Network) and surf to a page you want. Now open up the menu with a press of Triangle and choose ‘Open In New Window’. Enter another URL and then do the same again. Keep going until you’ve got six windows open. Now press L3 (done by clicking down the left stick). You’re now in multi-page mode. Move the left stick to flick through the web pages as though they were bits of paper, then click L3 again to zoom in.

7) Upgrade your hard drive

We took the drive out of our PS3 and found it to be a Seagate Momentus 5400rpm 60Gb 2.5inch SATA drive. We swapped ours out effortlessly for a Seagate Momentus 120Gb 2.5inch SATA drive and it worked perfectly. Remove the cover flap on the bottom of your PS3 with a fingernail. Undo the blue screw and slide the drive over to the right and out of your PS3. Undo the four screws on the ‘caddy’ and remove the old drive.

Put your new drive in the caddy (it should be exactly the same size, of course) and re-do the four screws. Slot it back in and slide to the left to make the connections. Re-do the blue screw, pop the cover back on and restart your PS3. Say ‘yes’ to the message on screen and voila – new super-size hard-drive. (Go to Settings, System Settings, System Information to check).

8) Share your bought downloads

You can download anything you’ve bought from the store to five PlayStation 3’s. This is useful if you’ve got more than one PS3 (of course) and also if you’ve wiped your hard-drive and don’t fancy paying for the same download twice…

However, you can also choose to share your download with your mates. The PlayStation Store logs how many times each download has been downloaded by each user. On your mate’s PS3 Create New User and log onto the store with your ID. You’ll now be able to go to your download and see that you’ve already downloaded whatever it was that you paid for. You can now download it again, using another of your downloads and giving it to your mate for free. Or a small optional charge…

9) Force a PS3 to show your files

Put your photos in a folder called ‘PICTURE’ or your videos in a folder called ‘VIDEO’ or simply *force* your PS3 to look at your files on your stick regardless of what you called them or where you put them. Insert your stick and go to the menu option you want (Photos, Music, whatever). Press Triangle to bring up a menu and choose Display All. This will show every file on the stick. It even works for a plugged-in iPod, though the multi-folder structure you’ll reveal is a bit baffling. Still, your songs are in there if you’ve got the patience to find them.

10) Change your album art

When you import a music CD your PS3 automatically pulls down the album art and stores it with the tracks. Occasionally it gets it wrong, however, or it may simply not be able to find the art of your hipper, less commercial tracks. This is easily fixed however. Download a pic of the art you need as a jpg on your PC and put it onto a stick (in a folder called PICTURE, ideally). Copy it to your Photo menu (press Triangle). Now go to Music and select the album folder with the offending art. Press Triangle and select Information. Go to the Photo menu and select your new picture. Bingo.

PS?Top 10 PS3 Exclusives

Written by Carly Chynoweth

One in five people claim to have had sex in their office building. I did some asking around (and, of course, some looking on the internet) and discovered exactly where:

1. The boss’s desk. Some surveys suggest that up to 25 per cent of people have bruised their spines – or someone else’s – on their manager’s table.

2. All 25 desks in your office. Don’t think that you have the energy? Follow the example of this Australian woman.

3. Against a filing cabinet. It might be noisy and it’s possible that at least one of you will end up with handle marks imprinted in your buttocks; on the other hand, a naked break-dancing civil servant might jump out of the cabinet mid-way through, making the whole escapade less private but potentially more exciting, if you like that sort of thing.

4. The editing suite. Apparently this is the preferred place for trysting TV types, being warm, dark and well-covered with CCTV cameras.

5. On the rooftop or a balcony. Outside, no one can hear you scream. On the other hand, unless you work in the tallest building in the vicinity, plenty of people can see what you’re getting up to.

6. A sofa. Several people questioned in an informal Snakes & Ladders poll of people we thought might be quite naughty admitted bouncing on their boss’s furniture after hours. One person suggested choosing leather over fabric where possible.

7. Somewhere there’s food. Depending on where you work, this could be the canteen (mmm, gravy); the staffroom (particularly useful if you are dating a colleague although not recommended if you are also married to one); or the office tea-trolley. Really.

8. A disabled lavatory. More room than the average cubicle but still smells like a toilet.

9. The nurse’s room. A lock, an examination table and even some wet wipes.

10. In the middle of an open-plan office. Go on. Be a devil. But do plan ahead; you’ll need to think of something good to tell the recruitment agent the next morning when she wants to know why you left your last job.

Written by techlicious.tv

uTorrent is an efficient BitTorrent client, designed for Windows. It needs as little CPU, memory and space as possible and offers good functionality that advanced clients expect. It has most of the features present in other BitTorrent clients. There are various icon, toolbar graphic and status icon replacements available.

StrongDC++ is a free client for sharing in Direct Connect network. It is based on CZDC++ and has partial file sharing, download/upload speed limiter, safe segmented downloading and other interesting features. StrongDC++ is an Open Source so you can download a source code and modify it.

eMule is one of the biggest p2p file sharing clients around the world. It is based on the eDonkey2000 network but offers more features than the standard client. eMule is easy to configure, but also, with many options and controls, good for the advanced user. Thanks to its open source policy many developers are able to contribute to the project, making the network more efficient with each release.

LimeWire is a free file sharing Gnutella client for Windows, Mac, OSX, Linux. It allows you to search for multiple files at the same time and it is compatible with all major platforms and running over the Gnutella network. LimeWire is a fast, easy-to-use and open source code, so is freely available to the public.

Soulseek is an ad-free, spyware-free, just plain free file sharing application. It is good p2p software for finding non-mainstream music. It was created by a former Napster programmer, Nir Arbel. It’s virtual rooms allow you to meet people with the same interests, share information, and chat, so it is a great way to make new friends.

Azureus implements the BitTorrent protocol using java language. It comes with many features for both beginners and advanced users. Multiple torrent downloads, upload and download speed limiting, advanced seeding rules, only uses one port for all the torrents, and others. Azureus has many useful plugins and supported languages.

Shareaza is a multi-network peer-to-peer (p2p) file sharing client supporting Gnutella2, Gnutella, eDonkey2000 (eMule), HTTP, FTP and BitTorrent protocols. It has the ability to simultaneously download parts of the same file from multiple networks. Shareaza is the most sophisticated file sharing system you will find on the network.

Ares is a free open source file sharing program that enables users to share any digital file. It has powerful library organizer, built-in audio/video player, filesharing chat rooms. Ares automatically finds more sources and downloads files from many users at once.

BitComet is a BitTorrent client, which is powerful, fast and very easy-to-use. It supports simultaneous downloads, download queuing, selected downloads inside a torrent package, fast-resume, speed limits, port mapping, peer exchange and IP filtering. BitComet available in 43 different languages and the current preview release comes bundled with the BitComet FLV Player.

KCeasy is a windows p2p free and open source file sharing software which uses giFT. Its plugins allow giFT to support different kinds of file sharing networks. KCeasy is giving you all the files on Gnutella, Ares and OpenFT. KCeasy works only on windows but there are similar programs for other platforms.

Written by Daniel Kurtzman

The tragicomic presidency of George W. Bush, in his own words

50. “I promise you I will listen to what has been said here, even though I wasn’t here.” -at the President’s Economic Forum in Waco, Texas, Aug. 13, 2002

49. “We spent a lot of time talking about Africa, as we should. Africa is a nation that suffers from incredible disease.” -Gothenburg, Sweden, June 14, 2001

48. “You teach a child to read, and he or her will be able to pass a literacy test.” -Townsend, Tenn., Feb. 21, 2001

47. “I am here to make an announcement that this Thursday, ticket counters and airplanes will fly out of Ronald Reagan Airport.” –Washington, D.C., Oct. 3, 2001

46. “Tribal sovereignty means that; it’s sovereign. I mean, you’re a — you’ve been given sovereignty, and you’re viewed as a sovereign entity. And therefore the relationship between the federal government and tribes is one between sovereign entities.” –Washington, D.C., Aug. 6, 2004 (Watch video clip)

45. “I couldn’t imagine somebody like Osama bin Laden understanding the joy of Hanukkah.” –at a White House menorah lighting ceremony, Washington, D.C., Dec. 10, 2001 (Listen to audio clip)

44. “You know, one of the hardest parts of my job is to connect Iraq to the war on terror.” –interview with CBS News’ Katie Couric, Sept. 6, 2006

43. “The same folks that are bombing innocent people in Iraq were the ones who attacked us in America on September the 11th.” –Washington, D.C., July 12, 2007

42. “I’m the commander — see, I don’t need to explain — I do not need to explain why I say things. That’s the interesting thing about being president.” –as quoted in Bob Woodward’s Bush at War

41. “F*ck Saddam. We’re taking him out.” –to three U.S. senators in March 2002, one year before the Iraq invasion, as quoted by Time magazine

40. “Oh, no, we’re not going to have any casualties.” –discussing the Iraq war with Christian Coalition founder Pat Robertson in 2003, as quoted by Robertson

39. “I will not withdraw, even if Laura and Barney are the only ones supporting me.” –talking to key Republicans about Iraq, as quoted by Bob Woodward

38. “I hear there’s rumors on the Internets that we’re going to have a draft.” –presidential debate, St. Louis, Mo., Oct. 8, 2004 (Watch video clip)

37. “I know how hard it is for you to put food on your family.” –Greater Nashua, N.H., Chamber of Commerce, Jan. 27, 2000 (Listen to audio clip)

36. “Do you have blacks, too?” –to Brazilian President Fernando Cardoso, Washington, D.C., Nov. 8, 2001

35. “This foreign policy stuff is a little frustrating.” –as quoted by the New York Daily News, April 23, 2002

34. “We need an energy bill that encourages consumption.” –Trenton, N.J., Sept. 23, 2002

33. “My plan reduces the national debt, and fast. So fast, in fact, that economists worry that we’re going to run out of debt to retire.” –radio address, Feb. 24, 2001

32. “I don’t think anybody anticipated the breach of the levees.” –on “Good Morning America,” Sept. 1, 2005, six days after repeated warnings from experts about the scope of damage expected from Hurricane Katrina

31. “I would say the best moment of all was when I caught a 7.5 pound largemouth bass in my lake.” –on his best moment in office, interview with the German newspaper Bild am Sonntag, May 7, 2006

30. “They misunderestimated me.” –Bentonville, Ark., Nov. 6, 2000

29. “Because the — all which is on the table begins to address the big cost drivers. For example, how benefits are calculate, for example, is on the table; whether or not benefits rise based upon wage increases or price increases. There’s a series of parts of the formula that are being considered. And when you couple that, those different cost drivers, affecting those — changing those with personal accounts, the idea is to get what has been promised more likely to be — or closer delivered to what has been promised. Does that make any sense to you? It’s kind of muddled.” –explaining his plan to save Social Security, Tampa, Fla., Feb. 4, 2005

28. “For every fatal shooting, there were roughly three non-fatal shootings.

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And, folks, this is unacceptable in America. It’s just unacceptable. And we’re going to do something about it.” –Philadelphia, Penn., May 14, 2001

27. “I know the human being and fish can coexist peacefully.” –Saginaw, Mich., Sept. 29, 2000

26. “This is an impressive crowd — the haves and the have mores. Some people call you the elite — I call you my base.” ??’?’?â??’???’?“at the 2000 Al Smith dinner

25. “Families is where our nation finds hope, where wings take dream.” –LaCrosse, Wis., Oct. 18, 2000

24. “I know what I believe. I will continue to articulate what I believe and what I believe — I believe what I believe is right.” –Rome, Italy, July 22, 2001

23. “See, in my line of work you got to keep repeating things over and over and over again for the truth to sink in, to kind of catapult the propaganda.” –Greece, N.Y., May 24, 2005 (Listen to audio clip)

22. “People say, how can I help on this war against terror? How can I fight evil? You can do so by mentoring a child; by going into a shut-in’s house and say I love you.” –Washington, D.C., Sept. 19, 2002

21. “I wish you’d have given me this written question ahead of time so I could plan for it…I’m sure something will pop into my head here in the midst of this press conference, with all the pressure of trying to come up with answer, but it hadn’t yet…I don’t want to sound like I have made no mistakes. I’m confident I have. I just haven’t — you just put me under the spot here, and maybe I’m not as quick on my feet as I should be in coming up with one.” –after being asked to name the biggest mistake he had made, Washington, D.C., April 3, 2004

20. “You forgot Poland.” –to Sen. John Kerry during the first presidential debate, after Kerry failed to mention Poland’s contributions to the Iraq war coalition, Miami, Fla., Sept. 30, 2004

19. “We’ve got a lot of rebuilding to do. First, we’re going to save lives and stabilize the situation. And then we’re going to help these communities rebuild. The good news is — and it’s hard for some to see it now — that out of this chaos is going to come a fantastic Gulf Coast, like it was before. Out of the rubbles of Trent Lott’s house — he’s lost his entire house — there’s going to be a fantastic house. And I’m looking forward to sitting on the porch.” (Laughter) –touring hurricane damage, Mobile, Ala., Sept. 2, 2005

18. “The British government has learned that Saddam Hussein recently sought significant quantities of uranium from Africa.” –State of the Union Address, Jan. 28, 2003, making a claim that administration officials knew at the time to be false

17. “The most important thing is for us to find Osama bin Laden. It is our number one priority and we will not rest until we find him.” –Washington, D.C., Sept. 13, 2001

16. “I don’t know where bin Laden is. I have no idea and really don’t care. It’s not that important. It’s not our priority.” –Washington, D.C., March 13, 2002

15. “Rarely is the questioned asked: Is our children learning?” –Florence, South Carolina, Jan. 11, 2000

14. “Can we win? I don’t think you can win it.” –after being asked whether the war on terror was winnable, “Today” show interview, Aug. 30, 2004

13. “I just want you to know that, when we talk about war, we’re really talking about peace.” –Washington, D.C. June 18, 2002

12. “I trust God speaks through me. Without that, I couldn’t do my job.” –to a group of Amish he met with privately, July 9, 2004

11. “Major combat operations in Iraq have ended. In the battle of Iraq, the United States and our allies have prevailed.” –speaking underneath a “Mission Accomplished” banner aboard the USS Abraham Lincoln, May 1, 2003

10. “We found the weapons of mass destruction. We found biological laboratories … And we’ll find more weapons as time goes on. But for those who say we haven’t found the banned manufacturing devices or banned weapons, they’re wrong, we found them.” –Washington, D.C., May 30, 2003

9. “Those weapons of mass destruction have got to be somewhere!” –joking about his administration’s failure to find WMDs in Iraq as he narrated a comic slideshow during the Radio & TV Correspondents’ Association dinner, Washington, D.C., March 24, 2004 (Read more)

8. “If this were a dictatorship, it’d be a heck of a lot easier, just so long as I’m the dictator.” –Washington, D.C., Dec. 19, 2000 (Listen to audio clip)

7. “I’m the decider, and I decide what is best.

And what’s best is for Don Rumsfeld to remain as the Secretary of Defense.” –Washington, D.C. April 18, 2006 (Read more; listen to audio clip; watch video clip)

6. “There’s an old saying in Tennessee — I know it’s in Texas, probably in Tennessee — that says, fool me once, shame on –shame on you. Fool me — you can’t get fooled again.” –Nashville, Tenn., Sept. 17, 2002 (Watch video clip)

5. “Too many good docs are getting out of the business. Too many OB-GYNs aren’t able to practice their love with women all across this country.” –Poplar Bluff, Mo., Sept. 6, 2004 (Watch video clip)

4. “Our enemies are innovative and resourceful, and so are we. They never stop thinking about new ways to harm our country and our people, and neither do we.” –Washington, D.C., Aug. 5, 2004 (Watch video clip)

3. “You work three jobs? … Uniquely American, isn’t it? I mean, that is fantastic that you’re doing that.” –to a porced mother of three, Omaha, Nebraska, Feb. 4, 2005 (Listen to audio clip)

2. “Brownie, you’re doing a heck of a job.” –to FEMA director Michael Brown, who resigned 10 days later amid criticism over his handling of the Hurricane Katrina debacle, Mobile, Ala., Sept. 2, 2005 (Listen to audio clip; watch video clip)

1. “My answer is bring them on.” –on Iraqi insurgents attacking U.S. forces, Washington, D.C., July 3, 2003

Written by Brandon George

Learning to listen – I mean really listen – is the single-most important thing you can do to improve communication in your life. It’s unreal how many varied aspects of our lives are directly and indirectly controlled by our ability (or, most often, inability) to listen.

Our romantic relationships run into communication problems everyday. Friendships can get too one-sided and devolve into arguments about taking too much. Even consumerism is dependent upon listening – advertising and referrals help us determine what to buy and where to buy it.

What’s that you say? You’re a great listener? I hate to break it to you, but that’s what we all think. And, as is often the case, we’re all wrong. There’s a big difference between the “passive” listening we offer to others and the “active” listening we hypocritically expect from others. Active listening involves dedicating yourself to improving your listening skills. It involves making a point of being extra vigilant about your reactions, and extra aware of your tendencies.

Hearing is easy. All that takes is a set of ears. We’ve all got them, for the most part (sorry in advance to my sans-eared readers). Listening requires yours ears and your brain. Unfortunately, that doesn’t come naturally to many people.

Ask a crisis hotline volunteer what it’s like to listen. Better yet, become a volunteer yourself. These people get practice in the art of listening every day, and we’d all do well to follow their lead.

So, it stands to reason that if each of us works to become a better listener, everyone will benefit. It’s a sad fact that most people in this world like talking more than listening. I’m the same way. It’s hard not to be; nature and nurture work together to ensure that. But even if we’re hardwired to be self-interested and ego-sensitive individuals, there’s no reason we can’t learn to listen better.

Just like with anything else, becoming a better listener happens one step at a time:

1. Work On Your Body Language
Practice facing the person you’re listening to, maintaining eye contact with them, and maybe even leaning closer toward them. It’s easy for your body language to give off the impression that you’re not listening, so fight that by actively giving a speaker your full attention. If you do this, people will respond more positively to you because you’ll be giving them what they all want: a free therapist (the old-school psychoanalytic type, that is).

2. Analyze Speaker’s Body Language
While it’s helpful to be aware of your own body language, making sure to observe the body language of others is a powerful tool to encourage listening. A huge part of being a good listener is having the ability to empathize, to ask, “How might they feel about this, and can I put myself in their shoes?” By focusing on their body language, you’ll remind yourself that maybe others aren’t so different from you after all. When that comes, people will begin to open up to you even more, because you make them feel secure, cared for and important.

3. Don’t Interrupt
Seriously, let people finish. If you hate it when people interrupt you, do you really think others love it when you cut them off? Stop taking other people for granted. Even if you don’t think you do this, take a step back and re-examine your tendency to interrupt.

This is something I’ve struggled with – and will continue to, I’m sure – for so long. Hell, I’m even aware of it now and still I find myself interrupting people. Or, worse, ignoring them because I’m so concerned about interrupting them. When others see that you’re inviting them to speak, their first instinct will be to open up even more. It’s a positive reciprocal cycle: you’ll help them by acting as a sounding board, and they’ll be more apt to trust you, which leads to better relationships.

Interrupting cow.

4. Encourage Others to Speak
Karma works for listening, too. If you encourage others to speak, chances are you’ll reap the benefits of that somewhere down the road. Nod when others speak, or use affirming words like “Yeah” and “Right.” Doing these things triggers positive responses in others – you’re consistently reminding them that they’re being heard, which means they’ll appreciate your confidence and interest in them.

5. “Mirror”
Restate what you’re hearing from another person, and do it in your own words. Or, at the very least, precede your responses with, “I hear you’re saying?” or “It sounds to me like you?” Not only does this disarm people, it can prevent or defuse any misunderstandings, which is especially useful for potentially hostile situations. Learn the right times to mirror others. Better yet, learn how to do it so well that they won’t even know you’re doing it. See how much more engaging and productive your conversations are with people if you just throw them a bone and explicitly show them that you’re listening.

6. Avoid Arguments
As much as we’d all like to sometimes, we can’t go around picking fights – or even giving in to them. Find catharsis in restraint and in your temper. If you find yourself looking to avoid arguments, you’ll stop worrying about yourself so much and focus on the concerns of others. It will be easier to communicate with them on equal footing. This sets the stage for helpful, enjoyable conversations, as opposed to vengeful, invalidating ones.

7. Notice the Little Things
The key to any person’s heart is through details. Humans are naturally inclined to focus on a detail rather than the big picture. That’s because details resound more strongly within us – the more we know about something, the more we’re apt to empathize with it. This idea is especially true in advertising. We’re bombarded with over 3,000 unique ad messages every day, so how can advertisers get us to notice them? By giving us some detail about a product that we can use to humanize it, and make it more personal.

Remember, though, we first have to be interested in the product, so always make sure that you remind others how much you care about the little things in their lives. All it takes is the occasional remark or simple, unexpected gesture.

8. Don’t Try to Solve Other People’s Problems (unless they ask)
Men are often guilty of this, and I’m probably more guilty of this than any man on Earth. I was raised to be a problem solver. In my family, solving your own problems is a badge of honor. It’s a way to prove your ability to handle “real life.” And that’s great, up to a certain point. But as soon as you start venturing into the realm of solving other people’s problems, you’ve crossed a line if you’re offering unsolicited advice.

We all have problems. There’s nothing wrong with asking for help. Just don’t go donning your superhero problem-solver cape every time somebody tries to talk to you. Sometimes people just want to talk?and talk?and be heard. So remember to leave room in your heart and in your head for the restraint to be “there” for someone without trying to solve all their problems.

9. Don’t Judge
If someone isn’t honest with you, it’s probably because they feel you’re going to judge them and make them feel inadequate. Maybe you’ve done that in the past. If so, that stops now. Humans are naturally terrified of rejection, so it’s vital to give others the same kind of affirmation that we’d want for ourselves. Reassuring other people that you’ve got an open mind is a good way to avoid judging and to establish trust.

10. Be Honest
Honesty is everything. If I’ve claimed that anything is more important to listening than honesty, then I was wrong. Truth begets truth, but being truthful is so terrifying, because it means trusting others with the important facts of our lives. But how can you expect honesty if you yourself refuse total, brutal honesty. Sure, there are times when white lies are okay, and sometimes even the best choice, but in situations where you’re demanding the truth, you’d do well to offer the truth first. There’s no greater feeling in the world than knowing you can confide in someone. Well, except for knowing they can confide in you.

Keep these thoughts in mind. Practice them on a daily basis. There’s nothing people love more than being listened to. That’s in part why so many people visit therapists and counselors. The more objective, active and engaged listener you work to be, the more fulfilling your conversations will become.

All it takes is two ears, a brain, and a little effort and empathy.

I think we can all manage that.

These skills are crucial to workplace communication. Those who are interested in deeper study of workplace communication might consider coursework from a masters in organizational development program, such as that offered by Saint Joseph University online.

Written by Nate Weiner

So here I am, burning some brain cells and taking some time to relax playing a game on Kongregate, when a little window pops up in the corner of my screen and says “Kongregate is sending this to your Facebook profile: Nate played Desktop Tower Defense 1.5 at Kongregate.” Which immediately elicited a “Hellll no” from my mouth.

Maybe what shocked me was the way it was worded, essentially saying that Kongregate was sending the data without even asking my permission (even though there is a ‘No Thanks’ button in the corner) but needless to say, I was not too thrilled about my surfing habits showing up on my Facebook profile.

So I clicked ‘No Thanks’, and hopped over to Facebook and looked at the privacy settings for this new program. And found they give you the options of choosing ‘allow’, ‘notify me’, or ‘never’.

The problem however is, that even though you can choose whether or not it is made public that you visited these sites, Facebook still has the data regardless of your privacy settings. Now I don’t mean to sound like I’m tin-foil-hat-wearing paranoid, but that does seem to encroach a little past what Facebook’s role in my life should be.

I want Facebook to sit still and let me check out how many of my friends enjoy the movie Sleepover and look at pictures of people I didn’t like in High School. I don’t need Facebook extrapolating data about me as I go about my business on the web.

For those of you that don’t know, this is part of Facebook’s new advertising platform. Don’t get me wrong, I actually think Facebook’s new Beacon system is a great idea and a powerful tool for online advertisers. It is a great way to allow users to add more about their lives to their profiles. Unfortunately, it’s being done in a ‘you can opt-out’ manner, when it should be ‘you can opt-in’.

As this gets rolled out to more and more sites, the potential for this being taken advantage of is pretty high. Because each site in the program will send requests to Facebook each time you arrive, which in-turn would allow Facebook to catalog a good chunk of the sites that you are surfing.

So the easiest thing to do is just block it. I peaked at the javascript that controls the communication between the used site and Facebook and see that it’s quite easy to prevent the communication. (This assumes you use Firefox. If you don’t, just look around for ways to block specific pages in your browser):

1. Get Firefox
2. Download and Install the BlockSite plugin for Firefox.
3. After restarting Firefox select ‘Add-ons’ from the Tools menu.
4. Click the ‘Options’ button on the BlockSite extension
5. Click the ‘Add’ button
6. Enter http://*facebook.com/beacon/* into the input box
7. Click ‘OK’
8. Click ‘OK’ again and you are good to go.

If you look at the javascript that is used to make requests to Facebook, you will see that the requests are made to http://www.facebook.com/beacon/beacon.js.php so by blocking just the beacon folder, you are preventing the site from sending requests to Facebook without blocking the rest of Facebook.

Update: As someone anonymously noted below, you should block both facebook.com and www.facebook.com, you can do that by replacing ‘www.’ with the wildcard character ‘*’ (see step 5 updated above)