“BitTyrant” promises faster downloads at the expense of the whole – Everyone loves to get something for nothing, but there is usually a hidden cost associated with any promise of gain without effort. Such is the case with a new BitTorrent client called BitTyrant, whose authors claim will increase download speeds by an average of 70 percent over standard BT clients.
This is a selfish bittorrent client, but not selfish in the way meaning it won’t upload. BitTorrent has always been about sharing, but by being selective who you share with, you can find peers who “share faster”. Many people disregard this as a cheat for bittorrent, but I would actually like to see the statistics. Being selfish doesn’t mean you won’t share just as much. In fact, I can see being selfish (but uploading just as much) having an overall positive effect to the system. So instead of people connecting across the world to find peers, peers will hopefully be around the same proximity, giving an overall speed increase. Also, by being selfish, the number of seeds will increase rather quickly, providing more traffic later on in the game. Of course the world’s not perfect and there are people who stop uploading immediately after the transfer is done, but I’d really like to see the statistics on how the system.
I haven’t had a chance to use it yet, but if you have, I’d like to hear how it has been for you. Do you notice a general speed increase? How does it compare to other clients such as uTorrent, BitComet, and Azureus?
Random Crap:
Today’s Japanese phrase is 歴史 (rekishi) – history. Nothing to specially about this phrase. I just heard it on Kanon and it sounded very familiar to the Chinese counterpart, which made me take notice to this word. At first I kept hearing rikshi, but I knew that wasn’t possible in Japanese. So I tried all the permutations: rikishi, rikeshi, etc. Finally had to listening to it carefully a few times before I determined it was an ‘e’ instead of an ‘i’.
Looking To Establish Enthusiast Credibility, Toyota Previews FT-HS Concept (from Digg) – Toyota appears hell bent on re-establishing its credibility among enthusiasts. With the euthanizing of the Supra and MR2, there’s been little in the automotive juggernaut’s stable to quicken the pulse, but recent announcements like Lexus’ forthcoming “F” lineup should help reinvigorate the brand with driving aficionados. As should the FT-HS Hybrid Sports Concept previewed here. This car looks sweet! Plus it’s a Hybrid!
NETS MADE BY SPIDERS FED ON DRUG-DOSED FLIES (from RayAlome) – These spiderwebs are woven by spiders on drugs such as LSD, msecaline, hashish, and caffeine. The caffeine one looks the worse, but apparently caffeine is a pesticide.
50 Reasons – why its great to be a Guy!! (from Digg) – Here’s a few I liked and found funny include:
- Your bathroom lines are 80 percent shorter.
- You get extra credit for the slightest act of thoughtfulness.
- You can be showered and ready in 10 minutes.
- Wedding plans take care of themselves.
- You can be president.
- Three pairs of shoes are more than enough.
- If something mechanical didn’t work, you can bash it with a hammer and throw it across the room.
Calf with two faces born at Va. farm – One of the newest arrivals at Kirk Heldreth’s dairy farm is drawing crowds. A calf with two faces was born Dec. 27 at Heldreth Dairy Farm, and word has spread in southwest Virginia as residents flock to his farm. Are mutations occurring everywhere nowadays? Or is it just being reported more?
Air Hockey (from Digg) – a fun little flash game. A bit difficult to control though, or maybe I just suck.
Samorost2 (from Digg) – I saw my brother playing this over winter break and it looked mildly fun. It’s one of those where you click random objects to advance to the next page. Sometimes you have to click on them in a particular order. A fun little short flash game.
Brainiac – Crane Game (from Geiger) – this video shows you how to beat the claw game. Apparently each crane has 2 settings, how many losses before a win and how strong the grip is. Interesting watch. I’d like to see it perform in person.
Japanese put their New Year resolutions in ink – I just wanted to point out that little girl’s calligraphy is amazingly good.
NowNow (from Digg) – a new service by Amazon.com where you ask it a question and real people will help you research for the solution and within 24 hours, you should will get up to 3 replies back. Pretty nifty. It currently requires an invite to try it out. If you’ve gotten an invite and have tried out the system, I’d like to hear your feedback.
Inventor of instant noodles dies at 96 (from RayAlome) – Momofuku Ando, the Japanese inventor of instant noodles — a dish that has sustained American college students for decades — has died. He was 96. My favorite instant noodles is still Nissin’s 出前一丁, which apparently is the company he founded. Favorite flavor is the original: sesame seed. Many people miscall instant noodles as ramen as they’re not the same thing. It can be called instant ramen. Calling instant ramen as ramen is like calling instant coffee as coffee.
Price Protectr (from Digg) – Ever buy stuff from stores that offer a 30 day price protection guarantee? If they lower their price within 30 days of when you purchased it, they’ll refund you the difference. Sounds great… except how often do you remember to the check price again? Now you don’t have to. Let Price Protectr do it for you! It’s free. It’s easy. It’s free and easy money. How often do you get that offer? A very useful service. I’ve used Refund Please and Amazon Price Drop Tracker and they’re quite useful. Amazon.com’s price drop policy is actually very easy to utilize. If within 30 days of your purchase, if Amazon.com drops the price on the item, you’re entitled for a refund of the difference. All it takes it just a short form to fill out. I wonder why they just don’t automatically refund you the amount. I guess that’d be asking too much. The stores that this new service supports include: Amazon, Backcountry.com, Best Buy, Circuit City, Costco, Future Shop, Jenson USA, Office Max, Sears, or Target.
Water Cooling Computers With A Swimming Pool (from Digg) – An interesting project where he pumps in water from his swimming pool to cool his system. He says there’s really not much to worry about the chlorinated water, but I still have a weird feeling about it. Plus the fact there’s also a bunch of other junk in the swimming pool.