Month: February 2009

ExactFile (Formerly FileCheckMD5) Updated

ExactFile 1.0.0.15 was posted last week. This is, I hope, a “feature complete” beta. The “Create TestFiles Applet” function is finished, making the old FileCheckMD5 program completely obsolete.

The ExactFile web site has been updated with lots of details about the software, including a list of checksum methods currently implemented.

ExactFile is a file integrity verification system I have developed, which works much like md5sum / sha1sum / sfv / fsum / etc., replacing my old program FileCheckMD5. It’s no longer just a MD5 checker. It supports a variety of checksum (hash) algorithms, including MD5, SHA1, CRC32, and others; is multi-threaded; and Unicode complaint. It also includes a simple method for “stamping” your CD-ROM and DVD-ROM deployment folders so that they can be tested (validated) by an end-user just by double-clicking a file on the CD.

Gun bans in the US to help Mexico?


Not entirely unexpected: Obama to Seek New Assault Weapons Ban. A couple of short points to consider:

  • The former “Assault Weapons” ban did not lower violent crime, and when it expired, violent crime did not increase.
  • There is no such thing as an “Assault Weapon.”  It is a figment of a politician’s imagination; a term invented to squelch debate on a subject. Most of the guns banned by the former law were not functionally different from “hunting weapons.” Also, ammunition magazines that can hold more than 10 rounds are illegal under the ban. Somehow, according to politicians, having 11 bullets in your hand gun to defend yourself is considered “too much,” but 10 is okay. (Arbitrary and illogical.)

But this has all been said before. Left wingers have an irrational fear of firearms, and now they are in a position of power to implement policy that appeals to their base. It doesn’t matter that the policy is emotional and infringes on the Constitutional rights of Americans.

So here’s the “funny” part, if this can ever be considered “funny.”

Holder (the Obama administration mouthpeice for infringment of Constitutional liberties) said:

“I think that will have a positive impact in Mexico, at a minimum.”

So, get this straight: Our president wants our Second Amendment rights infringed and one of the rationales is that it will help Mexico — a country where gun laws are doing nothing to stem rampant crime and corruption. Got that?

On a related note, I’m reading John Lott’s book Straight Shooting. A nice easy read, it’s a collection of a bunch of articles he’s written over the last few years on gun control topics.