What's the Rumpus?

Wikipedia editors take down meticulously researched and cited article about the 17th century Dutch-Indian war known as the “Bicholim Conflict” after discovering it never actually happened. French ISP Free updates its DSL modems with an ad blocker that’s enabled by default. Sony Releases Major Album Solely To Extend Copyright Protection.  Politician holds a gun buy-back … Continue reading "Episode 127: Grand Theft Sock"

Give us a break!  We’re enjoying time with our families, so in the meantime enjoy another helping of Rumpus-style shennanigans.

For the holidays, it’s an outtake episode.  So tip back the eggnog and enjoy!

The Pirate Bay Is The World’s Most Efficient Public Library.  25-GPU cluster cracks every standard Windows password in <6 hours.  Over 13,000 petition White House to build a Death Star.  Jammie Thomas Takes Constitutional Argument To SCOTUS.  Is the Flickr API a National Treasure?  Australia police discourage use of Apple maps app after rescues.  California … Continue reading "Episode 124: Let’s Go to the Liberry!"

Kuratas, the 13-foot mech: unleashes your inner Ripley, costs $1.35 million.  Netflix Strikes Streaming Deal With Disney, Gains Exclusive Access To New Titles Beginning In 2016.  Telstra phone-theft bill shock shows roaming still broken.  Twitter Loses Ability to Properly Display Instagram Photos.  This Highway Tracks Random Bluetooth Signals To Estimate Travel Times.  Google Play Private … Continue reading "Episode 123: The Douchebag Jar"

MoMA adds video games to permanent collection.  Caviar Vending Machines in LA Malls.  P&G’s sachets make water from muck.  Japan Building 300MPH Magnetic Levitation Train.  Family First Learned of their 17-year-old Daughter’s Death through Facebook.  Oh Asia, you so Crazy! Show notes available at http://wiki.whatstherumpuspodcast.com/122

Proposed law scheduled for a vote next week originally increased Americans’ e-mail privacy. Then law enforcement complained. Now it increases government access to e-mail and other digital files.  Nudifier: Turn Any Photo Into a Hilarious Censored Nude.  WordPress To Accept Bitcoins.  Congresswoman asks Reddit community to help write bill targeted at bogus copyright takedowns.  Microsoft’s … Continue reading "Episode 121: Pirate Planet Captain"

Razer products now comes with spyware, uses Internet all the time, stop working when the connection drops.  How a Reddit Rage Comic Saved a Man’s Life.  Microsoft Has Software that will translate your speech into a different language, in your own voice.  The Whisky Sampler Advent Calendar.  Amazon Donates 2,000 Kindles To Wounded Veterans.  New … Continue reading "Episode 120: Jesus Turns Water into Whisky"

NetFlix Caught Stealing DivX Subtiles From Finnish Pirates.  Dude open sourced his DNA!  AMBER Alerts Show Up In Google Maps Now.  Kindle user claims Amazon deleted whole library without explanation.  Yahoo Will Ignore IE 10’s “Do Not Track”.  Wikipedia Is Nearing “Completion”.  Hurricane Sandy Makes Only Person in Line for Wii U Leave.  EFF And … Continue reading "Episode 119: Sorry, Link, your Wii U is in another Hurricane"

Sorry the audio is messed up from 1:00-3:30 and 4:30-9:00, we had some technical issues with recording software.  So we had to use a lousy copy of the audio during those parts. Dutch government gives itself the right to break into your computer and destroy it. Texas School ID Tracking Chips Protested By Parents And … Continue reading "Episode 118: Spagina"

Samsung creates F2FS file system for NAND flash storage, submits it to the Linux kernel.  US Air Force’s 1950s Supersonic Flying Saucer Declassified.  First Community Release of Diaspora.  Prince of Sealand Dies At 91.  Lone Packet Crashes Telco Networks.  DRM Could Come To 3D Printers.  Apple Sued Over Distinctive “Eye Closeup” Photograph Used To Promote … Continue reading "Episode 117: Sexbot Dinner"

A German liquor company called G-Spirits is promising customers that “every drop” of its line of alcoholic beverages has been poured on the naked breasts of a certified model.  Facebook: Federal online privacy rules would violate free speech rights.  French Central Bank password was 123456 (really).  3-D Printer Company Seizes Machine From Desktop Gunsmith.  BitCoin … Continue reading "Episode 116: Whiskey, Bitcoins, and Cow Genitals"

Neil Young reveals Pono music player, promises ‘the best sound anyone can get’.  Tesla Model S getting first ever over-the-air car firmware upgrade next week.  Criticized for overpriced parts, company gives away 3d schematics instead.  NotFound Project, Placing Missing Children Alerts on 404 Error Pages.  French government to use PostgreSQL and LibreOffice in free software … Continue reading "Episode 115: Teledildonics"

xkcd’s 13-Gigapixel Webcomic. IOS6 maps fail so hard, a Tumblr is born.  Open-Dyslexic is a new open sourced font created to increase readability for readers with dyslexia.  ‘Gangnam Style’ breaks Guinness World Record for most YouTube likes.  Richard Branson hopes to send hundreds of thousands of people into suborbital space in next 20 years, and … Continue reading "Episode 114: Map App"

The real source of Apple device IDs leaked by Anonymous last week.  Soon Advertisements Will Involve Forced Interaction.  Apple Sues Online Polish Deli Over Their Name, “A.pl”.  Former German first lady sues Google over ‘prostitute’ autocomplete suggestions.  GoDaddy reports massive outage was not a hack.  Why the First Laptop Had Such a Hard Time Catching … Continue reading "Episode 113: Like a Mustard"

Kim Dotcom: FBI can’t have Megaupload founder extradited without piracy evidence, NZ court rules.  Jimmy Wales threatens to encrypt Wikipedia if UK passes snooping bill.  Hacker steals $250k in Bitcoins from online exchange Bitfloor.  BitTorrent study finds most file-sharers are monitored.  Fox to Release Digital Movies Three Weeks Prior to Retail.  Bruce Willis Isn’t Suing … Continue reading "Episode 112: I’M IN UR EXCHANGE STEALING UR BITCOINS"

The Japanese invent a machine converts plastic back into oil.  Biodiesel From Sewage Sludge.  Kim Dotcom Declares War on Media With Bigger and Better MegaUpload.  California state legislature approves Location Privacy Act(via Phone Scoop).  World First Bionic Eye Implant Enables Blinds to Experience Some Vision.  Walmart Is Testing an iPhone Checkout System That Could Help … Continue reading "Episode 111: Awesome-Flavored Ramen"

Mark Zuckerberg reportedly forcing Facebook’s Android team to use app and see how bad it is.  How Hollywood Is Encouraging Online Piracy.  WikiWeapons: 3D printed guns for everyone.  The White House open-sourced their petition software on GitHub. Drunk Driver Caught on Motorized Picnic Table. Servers Ultimate Turns Your Old Android Phone Into a Tiny, Multipurpose … Continue reading "Episode 110: Taxidermification, Jetpacks, and Designated Picnic Table Drivers"

The Oatmeal is raising funds for the Tesla museum at Wardenclyffe.  Wikileaks reveals “TrapWire,” a government spy network that uses ordinary surveillance cameras.  Putting an end to the biggest lie on the internet.  Garry Kasparov Arrested and Beaten at Pussy Riot Sentencing.  Pixar open sources production animation code, patents.  iAMScientist Looks To Crowdfund Scientific Research.  … Continue reading "Episode 109: Loose Poopy is Best Poopy"

Peter Schiff Opens Hard-Money Bank. Iran Is Quitting the Internet Because It’s Afraid of America.  Curiosity landing removed from YouTube after bogus copyright claim by Scripps.  The Internet Archive Starts Seeding Over a Million Torrents.  MCA’s Will Bars Use of Beastie Boys Songs to Sell Crap.  Ukraine Officials Shut Down Demonoid to Impress the US … Continue reading "Episode 108: Wearing a Lab Coat and Space Goggles"

Digg relaunches as a general news site. ‘Dr. Horrible’ gets CW premiere date. Facebook Wants to Be Your Instapaper Now, Too.  Twitter does something really, really, really stupid – will they fix it?  FCC Tells Verizon It Can’t Force You To Pay $20 For Tethering Anymore. New Bill Nye The Science Guy Show Coming To … Continue reading "Episode 107: For Shame, NBC Olympics, For Shame!"

Is a Computer Worm Causing Iranian Nuclear Facilities to Blast AC/DC’s ‘Thunderstruck’ At Night?  Local residents deal with phantom garage door opener.  New Orleans music legend stands at own wake.  Buzzfeed retorts comedically to a McSweeney’s parody of their site.  A Hacker publishes how to open millions of hotel rooms with arduino in less than … Continue reading "Episode 106: Sushi Erotica"

Penny Arcade sells out.  Facebook continues plans to become the creepiest social network ever.  Digg bought for $500k.  Is the QWERTY keyboard near its end?  A Christian bookstore markets the biggest ripoff in the history of tablet computing.  AMC gives Dish network a proper slap in the face.  A member of European Parliament unintentionally leaks … Continue reading "Episode 105: The Sexy Episode"

The Internet declares it’s freedom.  Def Leppard is re-recording it’s entire back catalogue to screw Universal.  A German university is suing one of its former students over early graduation.  Will the ubiquitous Gideon bible be replaced by a Kindle?  Windows 8 upgrade priced at only $39.99.  The porn industry is positioning itself to be a … Continue reading "Episode 104: Carter Beauford has Two Arms"

Facebook decides your email address for you.  An Olympic dead heat finish stumps high speed cameras.  Scientists crack RSA’s SecureID 800.  Other scientists plan to hack Stephen Hawking’s brain.  Apple no longer claims to be immune to viruses.  Is Google Plus a ghost town or a developing company town.  Orbitz gives higher priced hotel rooms … Continue reading "Episode 103: Liking Something Makes You Hate It"

Charles Carreon sues everybody.  Learn a language for free with Duolingo.  An NYU student develops the best robot ever.  An old lady gets her retirement paid for by the Internet.  US regains title of best supercomputer in the world.  The Unity 4 3D engine will natively support Linux.  Apple is stealing ANdroid people with the … Continue reading "Episode 102: Petaflops is a Dirty Word"

Funnyjunk threatens The Oatmeal, Facebook’s CTO leaves 1 month after the IPO, Darth Vader robs a bank and gets away on a sweet BMX.  Researchers are taking a new approach to designing unmanned drones.  The creator of XML suggests a new HTTP error code.  ICANN reveals the requests for new generic top level domain names.  … Continue reading "Episode 101: Crash Proof Tomato"

The Department of Homeland Security detains a software developer because of his product.  A Sci-Fi staple is no more.  North Korea figures out a cunning way to distribute malware.  Gizmodo wants you to do their dirty work for them.  A cross platform HTML5 game has finally been released.  Steam to be released on Linux this … Continue reading "Episode 100: Gizmodo.com is a Douchebag"

During Adrian’s moving extravaganza, enjoy a little whimsy in your day with an outtake episode!

During Adrian’s moving extravaganza, enjoy a little whimsy in your day with an outtake episode!

During Adrian’s moving extravaganza, enjoy a little whimsy in your day with an outtake episode!

Hulu is designing a new model that will require you to already be a cable subscriber to view their content.  Seattle’s first SUpervillain threatens Seattle’s existing superhero population.  Microsoft dropping DVD/Blu-ray support for Windows 8.  NY Judge rules that IP addresses are not sufficient evidence to identify copyright infringers.  A new smartphone app allows you … Continue reading "Episode 98: All Hail Techno Viking!"

The 100th episode is coming up and we’re bring Ryder out of retirement for it!  Join us live on Ustream on June 3rd at 6pm EST for this auspicious event! This week, players attempt to destroy the economy in EVE Online.  A 92-year-old bootlegger sens thousands of films to troops overseas.  Axe Cop! is coming … Continue reading "Episode 97: Putin on a Ritz"

Play Frogger with real traffic and fake frogs.  DirecTV pulls a bonehead move and locks out a lot of their customers from their content.  Assassin’s Creed may have blatantly ripped off it’s content.  A bicyclist uses GPS to create meta art.  Man gets arrested for going through TSA checkpoint naked.  A group in the U.K. … Continue reading "Episode 96: Give Me Your Sweet Candy"

A new ISP that takes your privacy seriously.  Google launches “The Power of the Internet” campaign.  A study suggests that violent video games build cooperation and social skills, not violent tendencies.  Kidnap victim rescued with the power of Twitter.  NYC begins replacing pay phones with touch screen computers.  High scool juniors develop flavor strips for … Continue reading "Episode 95: The Superposition of Podcasting"

Viacom sues Youtube… AGAIN! Richard Clark shows his utter inability to grasp the fundamentals of the Internet.  Google finally shows us what augmented reality will look like.  The US Government uses the kiddie porn defense to keep the Megaupload Servers offline.  Dell acquires Wyse Technologies.  A Federal judge rules P2P users aren’t in a conspiracy. … Continue reading "Episode 94: Just the Good Ol’ Boys"

A high school senior in Indiana is expelled for a profane tweet. A UK gang netted over iTunes fraud. Qualcomm calls for an end to proprietary drivers. A fungus that eats polyurethane may be the end to non-biodegradable waste. Tron light cycles in less than 226 bytes. A gooey joystick for your smart phone. Alabama … Continue reading "Episode 93: No Foolin’!"

Facebook fights back against nosy employers. UK student extradited to the US for “pirating.” Congress wants your TSA stories. DoD networks are completely compromised. NetZero offers free 4G data. What do neutrinos and satellites have in common? Listen in to find out! Plus, a Recent Study, an Epic Fail, Oh Asia You So Crazy, and … Continue reading "Episode 92: That’s a Whole Lotta Fappin’"

The FBI can’t crack Android’s Pattern Lock. The Sanford Airport says no to the TSA. March Madness will be streamed to all of the Internet. Encyclopedia Britannica ceases production of encyclopedias. People are sending money to the RIAA and MPAA in droves, listen in to find out why. Homeless people in Austin, TX have become … Continue reading "Episode 91: Back to Our Pimpin Ways"

LulzSecs leader has been arrested, is this the end for the notorious group?  More and more employers and colleges are demanding you give them your Facebook password.  Reddit forms a PAC to oust Lamar Smith from office, and Mediawiki transfers all their domains away from GoDaddy.  Crowdfunding insvestors is moving closer to Congressional approval.  Warner … Continue reading "Episode 90: We Have a PhD in Plundering"

Find out how Futurama’s Bender became the head of the Washington D.C. School Board. A Frenchman sues Google. Are Railgun’s close to being a reality? The Chinese public wreck Google Plus for the rest of us. Facebook is spying on us. Go grocery shopping with a cart that follows you around. All this, plus an … Continue reading "Episode 89: Drunk on Champagne and Weird Bread"

HUD glasses, self-sanitizing water bottles, and 3D robot dinosaurs, oh my! We discuss these topics, plus is there a Kickstarter for Porn? All this, plus this week’s Epic Fail, Oh Asia You So Crazy, a Recent Study, and the Question of the Week makes a triumphant return! Show notes available at http://wiki.whatstherumpuspodcast.com/88

This week cancer robots have free range of Nevada highways, Pinterest makess money, EFF fights patents, and Google+ teaches you how to cook.  A fifth grader discovers a new molecule and Steve Jobs wins an award.   Tune in to find out what this week’s “Oh Asia, You So Crazy!” is and we’re bringing back … Continue reading "Episode 87: Super Secret Breakfast Bacon Hut"

The 3rd Annual BasementCast!  If you weren’t there, you certainly missed out!  There was a Bacon Explosion, homebrewed beer, and some interesting commentary on current events. Show notes available at http://wiki.whatstherumpuspodcast.com/86

Yet another outtake episode due to technical difficulties.  Next week is Basement 3.  Come join us at 5pm EST in the basement of 1201 College Ave in Houghton, MI!

Two weeks until BasementCast 3! Adrian is working on getting the live cast working for it so if you can’t be with us in person, you can be there via the Internet. This week, our fine and well-pedigreed hosts discuss SOPA’s big brother ACTA, 3D printing, a new free college, gnu (and blowjob) scanners, Super-WIFI, … Continue reading "Episode 84: Comcast Totally Sucks"

In this week’s episode, Adrian and James discuss the takedown of Megaupload and the raid of Kim Dotcom’s “lair”.  Anonymous shows what they think of the Megaupload takedown.  As if you hadn’t heard enough about SOPA, over 7000 sites participated in an Internet Blackout on Wednesday Jan 18th.  The repercussions of Wikipedia’s blackout were felt … Continue reading "Episode 83: herpderpodcast"

Google is caught misbehaving by Kenyan startup Mocality.  Buffalo buffalo Buffalo buffalo buffalo buffalo Buffalo buffalo. Reddit has decided to turn their SOPA Blackout into a Learn-In.  A new drug has been developed that may keep you sober no matter how much you’ve had to drink.  Amazon will begin collecting Indiana sales tax starting in 2014.  … Continue reading "Episode 82: Cancer Ink"

Join the Revolution! Apparently you can be sued for pirating a movie by the recording industry, even if you don’t own a computer or internet access – a retired woman in Germany found this out the hard way. We talk about SOPA and a workaround that could be used if SOPA is enacted. Universal Music … Continue reading "Episode 81: The Rumpus Revolution!"

A new beer cooler prevents unwanted photos.  The WtR crew takes a stance on Duckface.  Is the TSA on its way out the door?  The fate of WebOS is finally decided.  Internet censorship?  We say no thanks!  Siri is Apple’s broken promise to the world.  The Rick Perry campaign is apparently not very Internet savvy.  … Continue reading "Episode 80: I Used to be a Podcaster Like You Then I Took an Arrow in the Knee"