After three semesters here, I think I have found the perfect balance between academics and extracurricular involvement. I have been getting good grades, especially in that class I failed last semester. As a matter of fact, made a 65 on a test last Thursday, and the average was a 58. I also got a 96 on a EE 319K (Introduction to Microcontrollers) test. I hope that I can keep this up.

Do you remember this article a while back? I promised to talk a little bit more about the “bad guys,” and all I have to say in reply is this: We hackers* are not the bad guys — YOU are the bad guys. Just because you cannot think of ways to make your product more useful to others does not mean that you should prevent others from doing so.

Speaking of bad people, I am very surprised that the RIAA and MPAA (collectively known as the MAFIAA) have not been classified as terrorist organizations yet. This is particularly true of the RIAA because they recently established a new web site where those accused of sharing music files can settle out of court for a “substantial discount.” I see the MAFIAA’s acts as terrorism because they are

• Stifling domestic innovation, thus making it more difficult for the US to maintain its #1 spot as the world’s economic leader
• Sabotaging our economy through the coercive use of DRM
• Disenfranchising our citizens of their rights, particularly their rights to have a fair trial
• Victimizing innocent people

I see their actions as being no better than that of a suicide bomber — the bomber knows that he’s going down, so he might as well take as many as possible with them. These people can be described as children, college students, grandparents, and other people who are simply unable to defend themselves. I normally do not wish curses against people, but I hope that:

1. They get the wrong person
2. The person countersues and turns the lawsuit into a class-action lawsuit that cannot be settled\
3. Those who were wrongfully accused are elgible for double the legal fees encountered and double the amount they were originally sued for
4. The lawsuit dips into the executives’ wallets, rendering them as poor as everyday folk

In summary, we need a ruthless person who will stop at nothing to reciprocate everything the RIAA has done to people.

* I define a “hacker” as someone who likes to take things apart, study them, make them better, take full advantage of them by ethical means.