For future reference, Arrested Development: Season 1 - 21.1GiB to 5.46GiB - 74% improvement. Next up: X-Files: Seasons 1 & 3 (I have quite a few yet to purchase - no media server would be complete without them).

URL: "Arrested Development" (2003)

Just a quick update on TV SERVE. The MCE works quite well in the den. However, it does run into problems streaming larger files due to the fact that the connection to the network is wireless. I ran a cable over to it in the attic, but haven't drilled through the ceiling yet to run the cable to the computer. I just finished ripping/compressing all 22 episodes of MacGyver: Season 1 and I figured I wanted a compression ratio for all the episodes I've done thus far. So here it is.

Series	Season	Episodes	Uncompressed	Compressed	Size(Un)/Episode	Size(Com)/Episode	Compression Ratio
MacGyver	1	22	39.3	11.8	1.786	0.536	70%
MI-5	1	6	15.8	2.86	2.633	0.476	82%
MI-5	2	10	?	4.95	?	0.495	?
Seinfeld	1, 2	20	18.7	4.46	0.935	0.223	76%
Viva La Bam	1	8	7.0	3.55	0.875	0.443	49%

URL: BB ~ Blake's Blog

Let's play a quick game of "Who said this?"

"I hate the Republicans and everything they stand for,"

And the answer? (Highlight the text in the box below)

None other than Howard Dean. What a shame he wasn't nominated to run for president. It sure would be interesting to see someone in a high office "HATE" 50% of the U.S. population (ok, so 50% is probably high, but maybe 40% - not sure). Maybe he really should be the head of the DNC. No better way to sabotage that party.

New York Daily News - World & National Report

You know, I'm really quite sick of listening to all the left-wing bloggers whine about everything the Bush administration has done. From Iraq to Sec. Rice to Social Security, I think it's really too early to tell if he's done a good job or a bad one. Take Iraq for instance. Who are we to sit on the sidelines, thousands of miles away, and try and dissect the war, the elections, the legitimacy? I still think it could go either way, but we're living right now while history is being made - either for the better or for the worse. Democracy could take root in Iraq and spread to other countries in the Middle East. This, along with Afghanistan, could be the start of a historical movement the likes of which has never been seen. On the other hand, Iraq could descend into chaos, a civil war could ensue, and most of what we've done there would be in vain. But you can't say at this moment what the final outcome of the war will be. There's no way to know which way Iraq will turn - which is exactly why I'm sick of all these bloggers who think that they know exactly what'll happen and therefore can bash the president, call him a liar, question his authority, and, in general, demonize him. Just because you didn't vote for him and just because you may not agree with what is going on in Iraq, I don't believe that we should be sitting here calling him names or comparing him to Hitler.

There used to be a time when presidents were trusted. When the American people believed that what he did was in their best interest. Unfortunately, with Nixon and Clinton tarnishing the image of the White House, those days are gone. Maybe for the better - more accountability is great - but maybe for the worse. Did it ever occur to anyone that the public outcry over this president could have led to the global outcry against him as well? If we stood united as a country and backed our president after he is elected, I believe our reputation throughout the world would increase tenfold. All the bitterness and infighting lends itself to a weak image of the country - and there's plenty of people out there who are more than willing to prey on any perceived weakness here at home.

URL: Iraqis Defy Threats to Vote for Assembly

Last weekend, I heard about this book that has clues to twelve jewels hidden throughout the nation (actually tokens are hidden, which are redeemable for jeweled critters). After searching for more information about the book (which is apparently sold out everywhere), I stumbled across a few more puzzles which eventually lead me to the page linked below. Elonka's list contains some very interesting codes and ciphers which have yet to be cracked even with all the computing power available today. The one that interested me the most, however, is Kryptos - a sculpture on the grounds of the CIA. Three of the four quadrants have been solved, yet one remains. It's quite interesting to read about and took up quite a few hours of my time last weekend. I just happened to have the tab still open in Firefox and decided to blog about it.

URL: Elonka's List of Famous Unsolved Codes and Ciphers