samcarstensen.com

Google Voice rolls out call feature in Gmail

noreply@blogger.com (Samuel Carstensen) — Thu, 26 Aug 2010 17:35:00 +0000

Beginning this morning, Google is introducing a Google Voice call feature to the Gmail interface. The feature brags free calls North American numbers and "insanely low rates" to most other numbers. This roll-out also adds the call feature to the Google Voice interface (voice.google.com)

Screenshot: Google Voice comes to Gmail

Google Voice allows users to choose a new phone number or use an existing phone number with which to manage their account. I decided to select a new number through which I am able to route all phone calls to any or all of my telephones (home, business, mobile, etc.). Google Voice also allows me to set curfews on the number, sending certain calls straight to voicemail. The free service offers a web interface that stores text messages, voicemail recordings, and voicemail transcriptions. Although the service is very much in a beta form, it represents substantial competition for services like Skype. The seamless integration with Google Contacts and convenience of having all major communication services (email, IM, Video, SMS, & Voice) in one window is exciting.

Screenshot: Call feature in Google Voice

Screenshot: Call Widget in Gmail

Now, time to go test the audio quality!

US News boosts UC Davis School of Law to #28

noreply@blogger.com (Samuel Carstensen) — Tue, 13 Apr 2010 22:19:00 +0000

Leaked images of the 2011 edition of US News & World Report's "America's Best Graduate Schools" confirm that UC Davis is now ranked in 28th place. This is a substantial jump from Davis's 2009 ranking at 35th place (still listed on US News's website). Needless to say, this 1L is happy with the news.

The rankings page:

In other news, UC Hastings, a competitor school across the bay in San Francisco, has been ranked in 42nd place in the 2011 issue. Formerly, Hastings had been ranked at 39th place (still listed on US News's website).

Additional pages from the 2011 edition of "America's Best Graduate Schools" have also been uploaded to Flickr.

Related Stories:
Above the Law: U.S. News Rankings Leaked? This Happens Every Year.

URGENT! PLEASE HELP: Friend Stuck in Africa!

noreply@blogger.com (Samuel Carstensen) — Tue, 29 Dec 2009 18:00:00 +0000

UPDATE: Congressman Tom McClintock's office is working with Aaron and the International Adoption arm of the Department of State.

Dear Readers,

This morning, a good friend, Aaron Klein tweeted that he is stuck in Africa due to some miscommunication with the US Visa Office. Aaron and his wife are in Addis Ababa, Ethiopia with their newly adopted daughter, 8 month old Emma. The US Visa Office forgot to send a required fingerprint form to Addis Ababa, Ethiopia. Time is of the essence since they are scheduled to begin their trip back in 24 hours.

If you are a member of Congress or if you have a contact in the federal government, please e-mail Danny Klein (dk@danielkleinca.com) to see how you can help.

Click here to follow (@aaronklein) on Twitter.

To read more about Emma's adoption, please visit: www.aaronklein.com.

Here are the tweets from Aaron this morning:

"Latest update: McClintock office on the case. Any other congressional office contacts, e-mail dk@danielkleinca.com" (~9:30 AM on Tuesday)

"Stuck in Africa. Need a few congressional offices to advocate to fed govt. If you have a contact, e-mail dk@danielkleinca.com" (~9:00 AM on Tuesday)

"Emma's visa has not been issued. US National Visa Center didn't fwd required fingerprint docs to Addis." (~5:00 AM on Tuesday)

"Approaching the US Embassy in Addis Ababa, Ethiopia. I expect to see United States Marines any moment now!" (~3:00 AM Tuesday)

"Potential hitch...agency saying one doc may not have arrived yet. Staff is working very hard to ensure it doesn't delay our flight home..." (~12:00 AM Tuesday)

Twitter Hacked by "Iranian Cyber Army"

noreply@blogger.com (Samuel Carstensen) — Fri, 18 Dec 2009 07:02:00 +0000

UPDATE: Twitter is back online now. See below the screen shot for Twitter's nondescript explanation of the event.

(Screenshot Credit: Venture Beat)

Exact wording from the hacked page:

THIS SITE HAS BEEN HACKED BY IRANIAN CYBER ARMY

iRANiAN.CYBER.ARMY@GMAIL.COM

[Light blue Arabic text translated:] "Hezbollah is victorious"

[Red Arabic text on flag translated:] "Yassin" and "the feast of peace."

[No translation is available for the white Farsi text below the flag]

U.S.A. Think They Controlling And Managing Internet By Their Access, But They Don’t, We Control And Manage Internet By Our Power, So Do Not Try To Stimulation Iranian Peoples To……………

NOW WHICH COUNTRY IN EMBARGO LIST? IRAN?USA?

WE PUSH THEM IN EMBARGO LIST ;)

Take Care.

As an affected Twitter user, I immediately sent a message to the Gmail address requesting an official statement or press release regarding the event, but I received the following error notification:

A quick search using the email address against current Twitter users shows that there is a corresponding Twitter account for IranianCyberArmy. However, the account has since been locked by Twitter. UPDATE(10:15 AM PST): Inquiries to the profile now receive the following response from Twitter: "Sorry, that page doesn’t exist!")

Updates from Twitter's status page:

We are working to recovery from an unplanned downtime and will update more as we learn the cause of this outage.
Update (11:28p): Twitter’s DNS records were temporarily compromised but have now been fixed. We are looking into the underlying cause and will update with more information soon.

The concurrent updates from Twitter employees weren't too helpful either:

Sean Cook (Manager of Mobile Operations): "well frick."
John Adams (Ops Engineer): "whack-a-mole" (???)
Evan Weaver (Software Engineer): "Stumbling around in the dark."
John Kalucki (Mover and Storer of Tweets): "*blink* *blink*"
Alex Payne (Fungineer): "Well, this is a thing."

Although curious users might like to hear the employee's take on the situation, I bet it is against company policy for Twitter employees to tweet about security breaches. However, it is highly doubtful that this was merely "unplanned downtime" that resulted in a "compromise" of DNS records!

A few news writers issued early warnings to users about changing their Twitter passwords. While this is always a good recommendation, it is not a critical precaution any longer since Twitter assures us that this was a case of DNS redirection. Such a hack can be performed without even breaking into Twitter's actual servers, but rather by changing Twitter's settings with its ISP. It is highly unlikely that the hackers were able to obtain any private user information.

Following the attack, "Iranian Cyber Army" quickly become a trending topic on Twitter and remained popular for the next few hours. This led to the following quip from user FunnyOrDie:

After hacking Twitter the Iranian Cyber Army is the #1 trending topic. Did we all just help the terrorists win?

Follow the official Twitter feed and the Twitter blog for future updates.

Nevaeh's Hope - New Maternity Home Ministry in NorCal

noreply@blogger.com (Samuel Carstensen) — Mon, 30 Nov 2009 01:08:00 +0000

Please watch the following clip about Nevaeh's Hope and consider supporting this ministry today!

Visit the Nevaeh's Hope website.
Become a fan of Nevaeh's Hope on Facebook.
Follow Nevaeh's Hope on Twitter.

Planned Parenthood Director Resigns After Watching an Abortion Procedure

noreply@blogger.com (Samuel Carstensen) — Tue, 03 Nov 2009 01:53:00 +0000

(h/t: Breitbart)

For additional information, see KBTX's local story.

Planned Parenthood's scare tactics make this story even more fascinating. They currently have a temporary restraining order against Ms. Johnson and are in the process of seeking a permanent injunction. I understand and agree that the patients' names and contact information should be kept confidential. After all, even Ms. Johnson acknowledges this. But the restraining order and injunction seem to cloak the universe of information Ms. Johnson had access to while she served as a Director at Planned Parenthood.

What else is Planned Parenthood trying to hide? And why is this so urgent to them?

You Could Be Next!

noreply@blogger.com (Samuel Carstensen) — Tue, 27 Oct 2009 05:41:00 +0000

(H/T: @karinenotkaren)
(Credit: Unknown)

Obama's latest Health Care push through Facebook?

noreply@blogger.com (Samuel Carstensen) — Fri, 04 Sep 2009 05:37:00 +0000

It is now considered viral. I personally don't know where the line lies between annoyance and virility. But for what its worth, it is popular.

In fact, I refuse to even re-post the actual text on here (to increase their Google search volume), so I took a screen shot of it:

It sounds like it came from TOTUS, whose mouthpiece is Barack Obama, (POTUS). Lately, BHO has been referencing to those who have to "go broke" when they get sick. So, this appears to be stolen right out his playbook.

After reading so many of these status updates today, I was convinced that I had to respond. And so I did. I consulted a few individuals more eloquent than I and then stumbled upon this status update from a Nashville mom:

No one should die or suffer because expansive government bureaucracies are inefficient and unresponsive, and no one should have their natural liberties abridged by an all-powerful state operating under the pretenses of compassion. If you agree, please post this as your status for the rest of the day and tomorrow.

I think this is very suiting and a well worded response.

Oh, I should add that I will not be annoyed if I see this all over Facebook in the morning!

Samuel

Site Update: Comments Allowed for All*

noreply@blogger.com (Samuel Carstensen) — Fri, 20 Mar 2009 20:20:00 +0000

Dear readers,

It has come to my attention that the comments feature was only available to Open ID users. Please note that this has been changed. Everyone can submit comments to articles now! You may have noticed the asterisk in the title. This refers to the continuing comment approval requirement. Due to the controversial and inflammatory truth posted on this site, I have found it necessary to review comments. I make every attempt to review them within the hour they are submitted and will only delete entries on the basis of profanity or other objectionable innuendo. In the rare event that I receive dissenting comments, I will still publish them (as long as they pass the profanity test)!

Thank you!

Samuel Carstensen
Site Administrator

The Mona Lisa Project - Sex Abuse Cover-Up at Planned Parenthood - Part 4

noreply@blogger.com (Samuel Carstensen) — Fri, 20 Mar 2009 02:45:00 +0000

Visit Live Action for the full press release. Please consider supporting the incredible work this organization is doing to expose the truth.

Highway robbery can never be justified

noreply@blogger.com (Samuel Carstensen) — Thu, 19 Mar 2009 19:20:00 +0000

The House of Representatives has passed a bill that would apply a federal tax of 90% to many of the bonuses that AIG gave to it executives last week.

Even if the Obama administration admits that it erroneously allowed $165 million in taxpayer funds to go to AIG executive bonuses, it cannot justify its latest measure to use taxation to get it back. Taxing any aspect of any citizen's income at 90% percent is highway robbery. I agree that it is only a fraction of their income, but the idea is that the federal government has decided to step in and effectively capped their earnings by taking the remainder of their bonuses!

Do the math! The federal government is going to tax 90%, but state and local taxes will also take at least 10%. Representative Rangel (D-NY) even went so far as to acknowledge that he "figured that the local and state governments would take care of the other 10 percent."

At some point, we have to question the Democrats use of the principle that the end will justify the means.

At first glance, we recognize that the end is not a even a end that can be justified. Their goal is to return the money that AIG has "misused." However, this money was specifically given with the allowance to be disbursed in this matter. When AIG handed the checks out, they knew full and well that they were operating in accordance with the stipulations that the bill contained. Once the money was received by the executives, it became their personal property.

Secondly, we realize that the means are completely immoral and they can never be used to justify any end action. The attempts of the Democrats to "recover" the money only show their moral inconsistency, at best. The truth is that they have lost their moral compass and they no longer feel any obligation to maintain every American's right to the pursuit of happiness. This is clearly evidenced by their immediate action to tax the bonus back! The fluidity by which the government has acted to take back money which was given to citizens in the course of a private business is extremely disturbing. Taxation, when used to confiscate wealth, is entirely immoral.

Thirdly, why has this erupted into such a firestorm? Because the people became infuriated. The same American public, who had previously taken the hook line and sinker, realized that the bail out programs had backfired. They wanted their $165 million back! However, this latest taxation measure will not do so. Once the bail out package was signed, it became part of the greater budget. Those monies are already earmarked for government use. At least, if they had been given to the executives, they would have ended up in the hands of citizens! But alas, they are now part of the federal budget. We will never see that $165 million as a part of lowered taxes or a tax refund.

The $165 million was gone once the Democrat majority voted to give it to AIG. This latest measure is just an exchange of hot air and will do nothing to quell the root problem to which Americans seem to be waking.

By the way, Dodd has now blamed the Obama administration for specifically requesting that he add the amendment protecting contractual bonuses!

Preserving the Contract: Why AIG Executives Cannot Be Forced to Return the $165 Million

noreply@blogger.com (Samuel Carstensen) — Tue, 17 Mar 2009 23:50:00 +0000

The following is an answer that I scrawled throughout the afternoon in response to various conversations I've had about the latest attempts of the Obama administration to block AIG from paying the $165 million in bonuses to their executives. With that in mind, please understand that this is a rough post and that some of the thoughts expressed may be incomplete. If you find any of the latter, let me know!

When the ship is sinking, we should not do business as usual.

But that does not mean we abandon the principles on which our country was founded in order to recover monies our politicians have already delivered? The mere erosion of the values and their charter would represent the greatest advance toward the destruction of our "ship." The concept of a contract is absolutely fundamental to the way our nation operates. The longevity of the United States of America can actually be attributed to the boundaries the Constitution has put on the government's interference with contracts between its citizens.

I feel very somber in writing that this is the first time that I have ever "supported" any aspect of the bailout. In fact, you will find me at the forefront of every other battle fighting against Obama and the Democrats who are destroying free market principles in their unabashed support of bureaucracies that should have failed years ago.

However, the idea that the government would intervene in any private contract for any other reason than those that make a contract viable (meeting of the minds, consideration, agreement, and competence) is absolutely reprehensible.

As we observe the problem at the surface, we must recognize the true cause. Over $173 billion has been given to AIG since September of 2008. The Democratic majority in Congress decided that it was in our best interests to support a failing organization with an unrecoverable amount of cash. In order to "guarantee" its success and to sustain the support of their constituents, they even tried to put as many strings on the check as they could (a half-hearted disguise which backfired as we'll see). Even though the liberal legislature and the Obama administration fully supported these measures, they have suddenly expressed disdain (and feigned suprise - these were scheduled bonuses with full disclosure) for the latest bonuses given to executives, totalling $165 million.

So what happened? Did AIG cheat the system? Well Chris Dodd, considered one of the masterminds behind the bailout, would like you to think so. He doesn't want you to look back to the actual language in the bail out legislation. Mr. Dodd wrote a specific exception which requires us to ignore the contractual bonuses! From page H1412 of the Final Stimulus Bill, “SEC. 111. EXECUTIVE COMPENSATION AND CORPORATE GOVERNANCE:

'(iii) The prohibition required under clause (i) shall not be construed to prohibit any bonus payment required to be paid pursuant to a written employment contract executed on or before February 11, 2009, as such valid employment contracts are determined by the Secretary or the designee of the Secretary.”

Jim Geraghty, from the National Review, further explains that "This amendment provides an exception for contractually obligated bonuses agreed on before Feb. 11, 2009, which exempts the very AIG bonuses Obama is condemning every single chance he gets. The amendment is in the final version and is law."

With this legislation, we set into action a chain of events which led to the executives receiving $165 million in taxpayer funded bonuses. Unfortunately, this cannot be reversed. The law was executed when the money was given. We cannot repeal the law and take the money back. More importantly, we cannot require AIG to break its contracts with its employees in order to get our money back.

Thank you, Senator Dodd. As Jim Geraghty points out in his article (link), re-election may be hard for Mr. Dodd considering he has just angered three quarters of the nation.

The 2% Illusion - (WSJ Op)

noreply@blogger.com (Samuel Carstensen) — Thu, 26 Feb 2009 20:54:00 +0000

A must read from the Wall Street Journal which brings impact to the astronomical price figures that have been assigned to Obama's current $4 trillion estimate of 2010's budget (it most likely will increase with the number of proposals that are still on the table).

FTW,

"A tax policy that confiscated 100% of the taxable income of everyone in America earning over $500,000 in 2006 would only have given Congress an extra $1.3 trillion in revenue. That's less than half the 2006 federal budget of $2.7 trillion and looks tiny compared to the more than $4 trillion Congress will spend in fiscal 2010. Even taking every taxable "dime" of everyone earning more than $75,000 in 2006 would have barely yielded enough to cover that $4 trillion."

Barack and I

noreply@blogger.com (Samuel Carstensen) — Fri, 07 Nov 2008 21:33:00 +0000

With the election results almost all in, it is clear that Barack Hussein Obama will be the 44th President of the United States of America.

Reflecting on the positions that he touted on his campaign trail, I cannot say that I am happy with the Obama win. However, the feelings that I choose to espouse will not change this reality. In fact, if I am to be who I say I am, I must retain a respect for the law of the land and recognize Barack as my President. To remind me of an even higher calling, 1 Timothy 2:1-2 calls for Christians to pray for their leaders ("for kings and all who are in high positions").

Should there come a time when Barack openly supports positions that are contrary to my values and what is best for our country, I need to also be ready to stand and be counted. As an American, I have been given unique rights which provide the opportunity to give dissent. It is not hard to imagine all of the opportunities that will present themselves in the next four years. After all, there were even similar opportunities during the last conservative presidency!

When those days come, we will pray with added fervor and act with zeal.

Rush Limbaugh succinctly phrased his reactions on his show today:

"Barack Obama is my president of the United States. I couldn't care less where he was born, what his name is, how old he is, or the color of his skin. He's not black. He's not white. He's not Asian-American or Mexican. He's not Chavez's brother or Islamic. I don't see Americans as members of groups. I see individual human beings. It is his ideas I am terrifically, tremendously worried about."

I couldn't agree more. The worry that I have is not grounded in utter despair, but a constant reminder of how easily detrimental ideas can be accepted by the undiscerning masses.

YES on Proposition 8 (Prop 8) your rights

noreply@blogger.com (Samuel Carstensen) — Mon, 03 Nov 2008 18:52:00 +0000

Planned Parenthood Admits Infanticide, Obama Defends

noreply@blogger.com (Samuel Carstensen) — Thu, 30 Oct 2008 17:30:00 +0000

Listen to Barry Obama's endorsement of Planned Parenthood's continued practice of infanticide. Yes, you read that right. Infanticide, intentionally causing the death of a live infant.

Want To Go Green? Have Fewer Children

noreply@blogger.com (Samuel Carstensen) — Thu, 28 Aug 2008 17:36:00 +0000

There are dozens of ways to go green; however, one study proposes a controversial option for families to minimize their carbon footprint. Welcome to the newest excuse to "family plan."

read more | digg story

Biden dislikes File Sharing, Net Neutrality and Encryption!!

noreply@blogger.com (Samuel Carstensen) — Mon, 25 Aug 2008 19:32:00 +0000

Recovering from Obama's suprising veep pick last week, generation Y is waking up to the realities of Biden's political positions. Most notably, his few words on the internet and technology have many of us avid net users reeling, imagining what a world would be like without file-sharing and encryption (privacy and security for internet activity and email).This November, Generation Y may not be such a clean sweep for the ObamaBiden camp!

read more | digg story

China's Own News Agency Lists Gymnast as 13

noreply@blogger.com (Samuel Carstensen) — Fri, 15 Aug 2008 20:15:00 +0000

Just nine months before the Beijing Olympics, the Chinese government's news agency, Xinhua, reported that gymnast He Kexin was 13, which would have made her ineligible to be on the team that won a gold medal this week.

read more | digg story

Cops complicit in homosexual deviancy

noreply@blogger.com (Samuel Carstensen) — Fri, 08 Aug 2008 22:30:00 +0000

"Consider how liberal government authorities like Mayor [Gavin] Newsom have corrupted the men in blue by stipulating that police not prosecute public nudity and indecency at homosexual festivals...

read more | digg story

Biofuels has made 30 million people worldwide poor

noreply@blogger.com (Samuel Carstensen) — Wed, 25 Jun 2008 20:01:00 +0000

Oxfam says so-called green policies in developed countries are contributing to the world's soaring food prices, which hit the poor hardest.

read more | digg story

The Audacity of Death

noreply@blogger.com (Samuel Carstensen) — Tue, 10 Jun 2008 21:58:00 +0000

According to Barack Obama, Gianna Jessen shouldn't exist...

read more | digg story

New Sites Make It Easier To Spy on Your Friends

noreply@blogger.com (Samuel Carstensen) — Wed, 14 May 2008 17:42:00 +0000

If you are still relying on Google to snoop on your friends, you are behind the curve...

read more | digg story

Musicians! Meet the new kid on the block who just might become your new best friend!

noreply@blogger.com (Samuel Carstensen) — Tue, 13 May 2008 22:30:00 +0000

Virtual instruments may be going the way of recorded music: free and online. We've seen plenty of sites that let you make or mix music in a rudimentary way, but none that offer the deep feature set of Hobnox AudioTool. This free online electronic music studio lets you compose...

read more | digg story

Dramatic Farewell Email (Proof of Paul Hastings Layoffs)

noreply@blogger.com (Samuel Carstensen) — Tue, 06 May 2008 17:07:00 +0000

This departure memo, sent by an associate leaving the San Francisco office of Paul Hastings, is extraordinary. It also confirms the rumors -- which have swirled about for quite some time, but without confirmation until now -- of associate layoffs at PH.

read more | digg story