The difference between a good airport and a great airport is how comfortable and convenient they make your travel. Last year when I flew out of Charlotte and Nashville, I was able to use the FREE wireless Internet service at these busy airports. I updated my sisters and my children with a few emails. I made myself a valuable employee by doing a little work. Before I knew it, my flights were ready to wing me across the country.
Today I called RDU to see how far into the 21st century they have progressed. Yes, they have wireless Internet connections. Great! ...for a fee of $10. What! Why? With wireless so prevalent and inexpensive, even the McDonald's in my area have free wireless access.
Maybe if I arrive several hours ahead of my flight, I could justify this ridiculous charge. Yet, why does RDU charge? Mainly, because they can get away with it. They have so many business travelers passing through who need the service. It's like having your own unlimited supply of water and then charging people for drink during a drought.
Oh well. My flight will take almost 8 hours. I know my laptop battery won't last the trip. I'll just bring several books and my sketch pad.
Getting online isn't going to make me a million. But then getting online shouldn't cost me a million either.
Saturday, December 23, 2006
Friday, December 22, 2006
Wireless .... Rabbit?
Now I have seen everything ... a rabbit that connects to the Internet to read your e-mails out loud to you, let you know if your stocks are rising or falling, tell you the latest headlines, announce the time, give you a weather forecast, etc. All this while twirling its ears and flashing lights on its body. The Nabaztag (Armenian for rabbit) is a 9-inch tall white plastic rabbit from a French company called Violet. Once you have your own Nabaztag, you sign up online and customize what you want your rabbit to do once it connects to the Internet. I don't know if it uses rabbit ears for antennas but I do know that it is wireless. This will probably be next year's got-to have gadget.Nadolig LLawen
I don't know if you noticed how much you miss someone until they are gone forever. No way to share things that you used to share with each other. No way to have your questions answered. This has been my regrets since my parents have died. Sometimes I wonder which could be worse, being orphaned before you had a chance to build memories with your parents or being orphaned after you have built a wealth of memories?
Anyway, I was doing good until I received a card from my aunt in England. Much of my mother's family is related to Wales in some fashion --- through marriage, by ancestry. I never took the time to explore those links as I wish that I could now. There were stories that Mom would tell me from time to time.
And now I have a card that says "Nadolig LLawen", literally "Christmas Merry". How do I say this? I have lost a part of my roots. Fortunate for me, there is the Internet.
At urbandictionary.com, I found "The 'LL' in Llawen is intranscribable in English, but is produced by pressing the front and sides of the tongue to the top of the mouth and simply exhaling, so a sound similar to the 'ttl' in settle, but without the harsh 'T' sound, is produced."
I hope that you have a very merry "Nadolig LLawen" and "A Blwyddyn Newydd Dda" May you build some good long lasting memories with your family.
Anyway, I was doing good until I received a card from my aunt in England. Much of my mother's family is related to Wales in some fashion --- through marriage, by ancestry. I never took the time to explore those links as I wish that I could now. There were stories that Mom would tell me from time to time.
And now I have a card that says "Nadolig LLawen", literally "Christmas Merry". How do I say this? I have lost a part of my roots. Fortunate for me, there is the Internet.
At urbandictionary.com, I found "The 'LL' in Llawen is intranscribable in English, but is produced by pressing the front and sides of the tongue to the top of the mouth and simply exhaling, so a sound similar to the 'ttl' in settle, but without the harsh 'T' sound, is produced."
I hope that you have a very merry "Nadolig LLawen" and "A Blwyddyn Newydd Dda" May you build some good long lasting memories with your family.
Wednesday, December 20, 2006
Leaner, Meaner Blog
I have begun reviewing all 350+ entries of this blog. Time to purge the crap posts as well as added better tags. The goal? Increase readership, increase page ranking, have more fun and become more creative with this blogging process. I will begin similar work on my other blog as well. All part of my New Year's resolution....
Monday, December 18, 2006
My New Disclosure
TO MY READER:
1) This blog covers a variety of topics: technology, business, entertainment, politics, personal thoughts, etc. The posts that you read here, including sites that I provide links to, exists because I find them of interest or I think that they might be of interest and of benefit to others.
2) Sometimes my posts are rewarded by comments, sometimes by cash, but mostly by silence.
[update May 2012: I will try to mark my unpaid posts with a period at the end of the title. "Try" being the operative word.
update Dec 2012: Since I've been receiving very few assignments, I have discontinued working with content mills. My posts no longer earn money.]
3) My disclosure does not absolve you of your responsibility as a reader. You can not accept what I write as absolute and perfect. If you have only one duty while you are alive, that duty is in protecting yourself by investigating all claims further before acting on them.
4) While I work to check the validity of everything I write about, I am not omnipotent and may not have all the facts. That is where you, the reader, comes in. Please leave comments when you find errors, even grammatical ones. This will help me create a better blog for both of us.
1) This blog covers a variety of topics: technology, business, entertainment, politics, personal thoughts, etc. The posts that you read here, including sites that I provide links to, exists because I find them of interest or I think that they might be of interest and of benefit to others.
2) Sometimes my posts are rewarded by comments, sometimes by cash, but mostly by silence.
[update May 2012: I will try to mark my unpaid posts with a period at the end of the title. "Try" being the operative word.
update Dec 2012: Since I've been receiving very few assignments, I have discontinued working with content mills. My posts no longer earn money.]
3) My disclosure does not absolve you of your responsibility as a reader. You can not accept what I write as absolute and perfect. If you have only one duty while you are alive, that duty is in protecting yourself by investigating all claims further before acting on them.
4) While I work to check the validity of everything I write about, I am not omnipotent and may not have all the facts. That is where you, the reader, comes in. Please leave comments when you find errors, even grammatical ones. This will help me create a better blog for both of us.
Add Air Into Your Shower?
While an aerated shower head is nothing new, Australian researchers have come up with a way to put a wet shell around a bubble of air. They are claiming that their new device allows you to shower using about thirty percent less water. By installing a small Venturi tube into a standard showerhead, they are able to create a partial vacuum that sucks air into the water stream thus forming tiny bubbles in the stream. All these researchers need now is business partners to take their invention to the market.
Friday, December 15, 2006
New Trend: Self Serve Fast Food?
I sure that you have been to a McDonald's or Burger King or any one of the fast food restaurants and dealt with the counter person who has an attitude about their job. Have you just wanted to reach out, grab them by them Mc-collar and explain a few facts to them? Well, you might not be able to do that any longer. Jack-In-The-Box is trying out a self-serve kiosk where you place your order by pressing a few buttons. That's going to take the fun out of things, isn't it?
Home Brewing
Way back when I had a life and time to enjoy it, one of my most enjoyable hobbies was that of home brewing. Like baking a tasty cake, there is an art form in brewing your own beer. Do all the steps right and you have something better than you can get at the stores. Mess up just one small step in the process and you'll know it. I had forgotten those wonderful adventures (like when I had a vat of fermenting cherry beer exploded in the storage room) until I happened across BrewingKB.com. And now I'll be exploring their site to see what it will take to make a pint or two of my special brew.
things could be worse...
From the "things could be worse" department, a computer glitch causes Viagra to be prescribed instead of Zyban to patients who are trying to quit smoking.
"The "glitch" caused the system to select sildenafil, the generic name for Viagra, when GPs tried to select Zyban, a drug that suppresses the part of the brain that experiences nicotine cravings, reports The Times."
Many patients complained that they couldn't get either drug to stay lit. Those smart enough to swallow the Viagra pill reported that they could never "get to the part where they could light up a cigarette anyway."
"The "glitch" caused the system to select sildenafil, the generic name for Viagra, when GPs tried to select Zyban, a drug that suppresses the part of the brain that experiences nicotine cravings, reports The Times."
Many patients complained that they couldn't get either drug to stay lit. Those smart enough to swallow the Viagra pill reported that they could never "get to the part where they could light up a cigarette anyway."
Thursday, December 14, 2006
Discouraging Day
In March of this past year, I overpaid the irs $18,000 to end a ten year battle with them. I had to get liens removed so I could conclude the divorce proceedings. My CPA assured me that I would get it back less the amount for my 2005 tax bill. No problem. But it has been a battle ever since. The irs has been claiming that they didn't owe me anything. Today I received a letter threatening levy and property seizure for the 2005 tax bill which they have now inflated to $5000. My CPA wasn't in today but his assistant simply said to pay and then they could try to get my money back. Like I have $5000 sitting around. I am so discouraged about this and everything right now. Sometimes I wonder why I even make the effort to get out of bed. Oh well. just a slight case of the holiday #$%$^@#@#$ blues.
Wednesday, December 13, 2006
77 Ways to Learn Faster, Deeper, and Better
Here is a great site if you are thirsting for more knowledge, if you are working on improving yourself and your life. This great article, called "Hacking Knowledge: 77 Ways to Learn Faster, Deeper, and Better" covers Health, Balance, Perspective and Focus, Recall Techniques, Visual Aids, Verbal and Auditory Techniques, Kinesthetic Techniques, Self-Motivation Techniques, Supplemental Techniques, as well as sections on "For Teachers, Tutors, and Parents" and "For Students and Self-Studiers". Learn it, love it, live it....
A Ring For My Girlfriend
My girlfriend has been hinting around for a ring this Christmas. And I have looked at several beauties --- rings that is, not my girlfriend. Wait, I mean my girlfriend is a beauty too, but I was looking for rings, not girlfriends. I already have one and one is enough. Girlfriend that is, not rings. ANYWAY, I think that I have found the perfect ring for her and it comes out of a pink chocolate case that also has a built in camera and MP3 player and ... Of course, I'm talking about phones for girls. Were you thinking about something for her finger? What?! Do you know how hard it is to make a phone call on a diamond? I don't care how clear the gem is, it can't be done! No, I think one of those sleek phone with customizable ring ... tones from Mad4MobilePhones is what she wants. A ring for each of her sexy fingers. And if I'm wrong, I get my own ring tone ... in my ears when she boxes them.
Tuesday, December 12, 2006
Free At Last ... almost
I have not worked at my pizza delivery job in almost 30 days now. You don't know how good it has felt to not have to throw on my monkey suit as soon as I got home from my main job. While I have been busy with other important activities these past couple of weekends, I haven't missed spending all day Saturday and Sunday running myself and my car to death for minimum wage. It is possible that I may have to return back to the pizza place next month. For now, I am going to enjoy this break in a three year 24x7 nose-to-the-grindstone nightmare. Do you blame me?
Controlling confusion?
Researchers have been investigating what it is that causes us to forget things. You might think that memories fade over time, some more quickly than others. Yet, what brain researchers at the University of Wisconsin-Madison have found is that it is more from other thoughts and memories that actively interfere with parts or even an entire memory. Like when you remember a movie but can't quite remember the name of the lead actor. If this is the case, how then to we control this self induced confusion? I'll search and see what I can find...
Jelly of the Month Club
December is usually an interest month at my main job. During the first week, the assistant to one of the VPs would go around to the guys to sign up those who wanted to play golf with the upper management and the owners. This Christmas get-together would mean having the following Friday afternoon off for this activity. Of course, the women in the office weren't happy about not being asked. And there was a little resentment for having to working while the boys played. So a couple of years ago, the women were given appointments at a local spa during that same afternoon as their Christmas get-together. Saturday would be the Christmas party for all and life would go on.
This year is different. Owners and the most of upper management are about to retire. All year we've watched them cutting expenses here and there, like firing a few long time, loyal workers. Monthly profits remained relatively constant since the savings was being funneled into their holding company. Hmmmm, I wonder why? No matter, as part of the savings this year, not only was "Family Day" canceled, there will be NO Christmas party! However, everyone at the top loves to play golf. So yesterday all salaried people were given the choice to play golf or get a $50 gift certificate. It's said to be a show of appreciation for the unpaid overtime that we've put in this year. For many of us, that overtime would be measured in weeks. So, um, thank you? There's also a rumor that both salary and hourly workers might get a certificate to Jelly of the Month Club later on this month. The way things have gone on around here, I'm thinking that the flavor is going to be KY.
This year is different. Owners and the most of upper management are about to retire. All year we've watched them cutting expenses here and there, like firing a few long time, loyal workers. Monthly profits remained relatively constant since the savings was being funneled into their holding company. Hmmmm, I wonder why? No matter, as part of the savings this year, not only was "Family Day" canceled, there will be NO Christmas party! However, everyone at the top loves to play golf. So yesterday all salaried people were given the choice to play golf or get a $50 gift certificate. It's said to be a show of appreciation for the unpaid overtime that we've put in this year. For many of us, that overtime would be measured in weeks. So, um, thank you? There's also a rumor that both salary and hourly workers might get a certificate to Jelly of the Month Club later on this month. The way things have gone on around here, I'm thinking that the flavor is going to be KY.
Monday, December 11, 2006
american right litigators, wesly snipes and irs
I read a story a couple of days ago about how Wesley Snipes pleaded not guilty in his tax case. What caught my eye was that he is getting his tax advice from lawyers with American Right Litigators. A few years ago, I used the same company who is radical in their approach in dealing with the irs (I know I'm supposed to capitalize but why give crooks any more recognition that they deserve). In any case, I didn't have the financial resources to continue. So I had to overpay the irs by $25,000 to get things settle for my divorce. I have yet to get that money back but my new cpa says he is working on it ... or so he has been since March. I hope Mr. Snipes has better success than I have.
creating video blogs
The blog world began when someone said, "Let there be text." The people rejoiced and it was good. But then they cried out, "Let us have sound." and podcasts came forth. As the bandwidth did multiple, the multitudes shouted, "Let us have moving pictures with our sound." Lo, video blogs sprang from the bosom of the Internet. Yet the people did lament, "How do we make a video blog?" And yea, folks of Blogger put forth a tutorial at http://www.freevlog.org/tutorial/. And it is good.
Saturday, December 09, 2006
Is That Email To Good To Be True?
The last thing that you need dancing through your head this holdiay season are nightmares of someone who scammed your personal information. Read my article about how to protect yourself from emails that promise to make you rich. Consider it my small gift to you. Let me know if it helps or if you have further suggestions.
IRS Blocks Aid to Families of Dead Firefighters
It's bad enough that there are people who risk their lives to keep the rest of us and our families safe. It's sad when they lose their lives during that battle to protect us. But isn't it a crime when our own government steals the money that we have given to help the families of those fallen heros? Case in point is the money raised to help the families of the five fighters who died in October. IRS is preventing it from getting to those families unless it can get a cut of it.
Silver Bells
You go outside at night and everything is shiny and sparkly. My neighbors have actual silver bells that they place in their car for the holidays. These bells from Germany once belonged to the grandmother of my neighbor. My neighbor is in her seventies and plans to pass this heirloom on to her daughter. I think that it is great to invest in memories like this. But it also got me thinking about investing in silver itself as a commodity. I understand that demand for silver has outpaced the supply since 1990. Shouldn't this make for a good investment? In doing a little research, I found that Monex Deposit Company (MDC) will let you purchase silver or other precious metals. You can arrange for personal delivery or have your investment stored at an independent bank or depository. And MDC has been in business for over thirty years. As a possible money maker, I think silver warrants further investigation.
Friday, December 08, 2006
Miss Those Special Times With My Children
When my children were young, we would make our own Christmas decorations. I fear that my ex has most of them buried in that environmental controlled building known as her sister's barn with a lot of my other valuable stuff. If you have children, perhaps you know about the joy of creating special knick knacks and of the fun of being together. Anyway, here is a great site for creating 3D snowflakes. Enjoy!
More Gifts Ideas
When my son was very young, I bought him one of those electric cars. You know, the one that cost over a hundred dollars, you drive, wreck and not worry about the auto insurance. What did my son do on that joyous morning? He played with the box. That taught me an important lesson. The next year, he got another box and I got a hundred dollars' worth of Gin. The lesson is that you got to give appropriate gifts that are great. So what gifts are you going to give? Come on now! The clock is ticking! The days are flying by! Christmas is approaching faster than a drunken fat man on an icy hill. May I suggest holiday gift baskets from GourmetGiftBaskets.com? The price is great and the selection will handle anyone on that list of yours. If nothing else, having the founder appear at the corner of your screen and talk to you is worth the visit! But hurry!!!
Iran Fears YouTube.com
China is not the only government fearful of what its citizens might do if they have a little knowledge. Iran recently sought to protect its power by preventing its citizen from accessing YouTube.com "on the basis of the Islamic Republic of Iran laws". I know this is the 21st century but there are still power structures that need people to blindly follow ...
Thursday, December 07, 2006
A Very PPP Christmas
A year ago, if you had told me that I would be making money with my blog, I would have given you my extreme skepticism for a Christmas present. But in the past five months I have made a little over nineteen thousand dollars, with another three hundred on its way. This has made my end of year budget much easier to deal with. And I will be able to give better presents to my family and friends. Hopefully, this market will continue and next year I can treat myself to a goodie or two. Of course, that will depend upon how naughty or nice I am. ;)
Wednesday, December 06, 2006
Increasing My Page Rankings
The pressure to become popular was such a pain for me in high school. Early on, I just gave up on the idea and concentrated on surviving my school work. But it was a small high school --- only 450 students. So in a couple of years, I had become recognized for my percussion playing in the HS band and for my advancement into senior mathematics during my sophomore year among other things. As I think back on those days, my rise in popularity in high school was easy compared to task of raising the popularity of my blogs. In fact, I feel like I'm simply running against a brick wall as I work on my Google page rankings. What am I doing wrong?
Today I happened across this article entitled The Best Way to "Increase Link Popularity". After reading that, the gates of heaven opened up and angels sang. Well, not that dramatic. But I have a better idea of what I've got to do and a better understanding of the process. Let's see how quick I can raise my page ranking now!
Today I happened across this article entitled The Best Way to "Increase Link Popularity". After reading that, the gates of heaven opened up and angels sang. Well, not that dramatic. But I have a better idea of what I've got to do and a better understanding of the process. Let's see how quick I can raise my page ranking now!
Tuesday, December 05, 2006
BuyMeBlog
Now that I'm in the blogging world, I have met quite a few very interesting people. One of them is Colleen who recently created BuyMeBlog about the best and worst shopping deals that are on the Internet. For example, she wasn't too keen with JC Penny's sheets. While she liked the 330 thread count, they began to pill on her. Wait a minute. I know that I'm just a guy but wait a sateen minute. My sheets have only one thread that's woven over and over on itself. But 330 threads? That's not a sheet, that's a mattress! And what's this pill? Sometimes I get carried away and my sheets end up in a ball. But to get them in a pill ... wow! And with 330 threads no less! No wonder she wasn't happy. Fortunately Colleen found what she wanted with a king sized 600 thread count sheet. 600 threads? King sized must mean how high it is on the bed!
But there is more on her blog than just thread counts. She has also written about windows (that I bet are blocked by those king sized sheets) and about knives (so the family can cut their way through the sheets to the windows no doubt). I'm looking forward to reading more of her shopping experiences. And if you give a sheet about shopping, I'll bet you'll want to visit her site too. When you do, tell her that I said hi!
But there is more on her blog than just thread counts. She has also written about windows (that I bet are blocked by those king sized sheets) and about knives (so the family can cut their way through the sheets to the windows no doubt). I'm looking forward to reading more of her shopping experiences. And if you give a sheet about shopping, I'll bet you'll want to visit her site too. When you do, tell her that I said hi!
Backscatter At The Airport
Coming to an airport near you soon, it's ... BackScattering TV. Been amazed when security makes you stand in a cabinet so they can look at you like this -------->
Don't be alarmed! It's for our protection. Your image is not to be printed or saved or posted on the Internet or traded. That's what the government said in written statements. And I believe everything they say. In fact, there are plans to blurry out the naughty bits. We don't want the security personal enjoying their job too much. Besides, you have nothing to hide now do you?
Monday, December 04, 2006
Protected Audio Into Plain MP3
Imagine if you bought a CD and the company would only let you play it on one specific CD player. You couldn't play "your" CD on your car system or your computer or on any other CD player. This is pretty much the deal when you download music from iTunes or Wal-mart, et al. Thanks to Digital Rights Management (DRM) and music companies fearing that they're not making their investment a million times over, you are stuck to play "your" song on one and only one device. Yes, yes, there are pirating issues that this is all suppose to thwart. In end, DRM does nothing but frustrate the honest person. That's not the goal of technology. Click here to read about converting protected audio into unprotected MP3. This link is provide for educational purposes only!
a way around the Great Censorship Wall of China
You have probably heard about how the Chinese government has been forcing Google, Yahoo, Microsoft and others to censor their web sites. After all, has else can a government protect itself? And with billion potential customers, these companies are choosing to comply albeit reluctantly. All except Wikipedia that is. Since Wikipedia isn't concerned with making money with their site, the Chinese government has no way of forcing them to comply. And I don't think blocking the site is an option...
Sunday, December 03, 2006
No iPods for North Korean Children This Year
The US government is working to put trade sanctions against North Korea that include iPods, Rolex watches and jet skis. The bad news is that these sanctions may be in place before Christmas. The good news is that the North Korean children don't celebrate Christmas per se. The bad news is that the sanction list is mainly high dollar items. The good news is that the North Koreans are too poor to afford anything on the list anyway. The bad news is that their leader, Kim Jong Il, isn't poor. The good news is that he and a few other friends and family are the only ones to affected by the sanction. The bad news is that I have no more good news. And the good news is that I have no more bad news....
Internet search engine by faces
Near the end of September, I read about a Swedish researcher, Jan Erik Solem, who plans to launch unique search engine based on people's faces. He has developed patented methods that create 3-D models from 2-D pictures. So theoretically, instead of searching on text, you can search by pictures. While I have found the site itself at PolarRose.com, it is still under development. The idea sounds great so I'll be checking back. Hopefully it will be online soon.
Saturday, December 02, 2006
Vote for My Friend's Entry
My good friend, thedawnsters, has entered a photo contest at photographycorner.com. In my opinion, her photo "Opposite Eyes" is the best one of all the selections. But don't take my word for it, go to http://www.photographycorner.com/forum/showthread.php?t=48966 and vote for yourself!! Voting will end approximately midnight GMT (7pm EST), on Sunday, December 3rd, 2006. If you're not a member, you'll need to register first to see the pictures and vote.
nearly famous?
Does making it into print make you famous? Because of PayPerPost, I have done two interviews. The last one was for Dan Tynon of PC World magazine. Yesterday, I received an email from his editor asking to set up a time to have my picture taken for the article. While I'm not photogenic, I am willing to risk the effect on someone's camera. Still, is the article going to be a favorable one? Is it going to help me? Will I soon be dancing with Paris Hilton, jetsetting with Bill Gates, chatting with Oprah? Me, a mere mortal? Time will tell ...
13 Dec 2006: Update to story is here
13 Dec 2006: Update to story is here
Friday, December 01, 2006
Business and Life Coaching
Sometimes in running a business or in keeping track of your busy life, you get sidetracked and lose the focus needed to achieve your goals. Here is where a good business or life coach comes in handy. It is amazing how well another set of eyes, another constructive voice, another reassuring set of hands can help in getting your life or business back on a more rewarding journey. A bio of a coach can be found at www.actioncoaching.com/jonathanjordan. You may find yourself wondering what Mr. Jordan can do for you. Depending upon how much guidance, support and encouragement you want, you'll probably want to visit his site.
Thursday, November 30, 2006
On Target
When I was visiting my sister during the Thanksgiving holiday, we traveled to a small town that had a Target store. What caught my attention was that there was a huge target painted around the store's entrance, and the bullseye directly on the doors. I'm not saying that their customers have a depth perception problem, but there were outlines of bodies on various parts of the target were people had missed the entrance. It didn't help when the greeter at the door screamed "Bullseye!" as you entered the store.
Wednesday, November 29, 2006
Christmas in CA
is looking to be more of a sure happening. My sister has arranged for tickets, free ones at that. I talked with my brother-in-law about picking me up at the airport. So far, it all looks good. I wish that I could stay longer but we'll all have a good time in spite of the short stay. Now I just need to figure out presents and how much of a hassle the security will be. I don't think I'll take my laptop. The battery will be dead long before I reach the half way point. ::: sigh ::: Flying used to be fun.
Monday, November 20, 2006
Brazil Model Who Battled Anorexia Dies
Here we are in one of the most prosperous time in the world's history. We almost celebrate this fact with shows about obesity in the world. At the same time, we have women who are starving themselves to death in the name of beauty and fashion.
I worry about my daughter and my sisters and my female friends who sometimes get carried away about how they look and how much they weigh. And then you read or heard about a story like this: "Brazil Model Who Battled Anorexia Dies".
The only good thing that I learned from this story is that some fashion shows are now starting to ban models with body-mass-index less than 18. A BMI of 18.5 or less is considered underweight!
Please, please, take care of yourself. I much prefer a woman with the warmth of a little plumpness than an icy cold stick figure of death.
Here's a calculator to figure your Body-Mass-Index.
I worry about my daughter and my sisters and my female friends who sometimes get carried away about how they look and how much they weigh. And then you read or heard about a story like this: "Brazil Model Who Battled Anorexia Dies".
The only good thing that I learned from this story is that some fashion shows are now starting to ban models with body-mass-index less than 18. A BMI of 18.5 or less is considered underweight!
Please, please, take care of yourself. I much prefer a woman with the warmth of a little plumpness than an icy cold stick figure of death.
Here's a calculator to figure your Body-Mass-Index.
Coffee!!
The three greatest inventions in the world are the wheel, fire and coffee machine! In fact, if we did not have the espresso coffee maker, men with tiny cups in South America would have nothing to drink. And there is nothing worst than an empty cup of coffee. Well, almost nothing. Having a bag of ungrounded coffee bean and no water would be close. Have you ever awakened to the smell of whole beans? Just not the same as that intoxicating aroma of freshly brewed Cappuccino. I'm assuming that you don't work in a coffee warehouse. And if you do and are waking up while on the job, you obviously are not sampling your company's wares.
But what of the rest of us? It's a new century and we no longer need to be has-beans. It's time to learn how to "expresso" ourselves! And how do you learn about expresso and cappuccino machines? Coffee-machines.cookery-guide.info is a great source to get grounded in! The Coffee Guide Team has put up guides on the different types and latest styles of coffee machines, ways to compare prices, and help in choosing popular models from leading brands. You can even buy online. I wonder if this team has coffee breaks? How wired are they at the end of the day? Oh well, they have put together a great site. From what I understand, it only took them two hours to do three days worth of site building. Got Coffee?
But what of the rest of us? It's a new century and we no longer need to be has-beans. It's time to learn how to "expresso" ourselves! And how do you learn about expresso and cappuccino machines? Coffee-machines.cookery-guide.info is a great source to get grounded in! The Coffee Guide Team has put up guides on the different types and latest styles of coffee machines, ways to compare prices, and help in choosing popular models from leading brands. You can even buy online. I wonder if this team has coffee breaks? How wired are they at the end of the day? Oh well, they have put together a great site. From what I understand, it only took them two hours to do three days worth of site building. Got Coffee?
You can't have it your way...
...at least, not in Spain. As Burger King was about to release their new Double-Cheese Bacon XXL, the Health Ministry of Spain is working to stop BK from advertising it's 971 calorie monster. Apparently, Burger King had signed an agreement to not promote huge serving meals as part of a "Spanish initiative against obesity". The mind is weak and we don't want to tempt anyone into overeating now do we?
Credit Card Search Engine
If you want to lose my business, just start to overcharge me or put small fees in my bill. Make me feel that my years keeping my business with you and not with your competitors means nothing. This is how a couple of my credit card companies are treating me. The game is that they raise the interest rates, then I have to call to lower them. In doing so, I have to listen to a spiel on some other service that they want me to pay for. Forget it! So I have located a search engine focuses only on Credit Cards. And the site is organized into credit cards for Low Interest, Balance Transfer, Cash Back, Airline Miles, Gas, Rewards, Student, Business, Fair or Average Credit, and for Bad Credit. This is a great financial site to bookmark! We all need some leverage with our greedy credit card companies.
Friday, November 17, 2006
Christmas Season was Officially Started ...
... by the mobs of people kicking and fighting and shooting so they can plunk down $600 (plus tax of course) for one of the 400,000 Play Station 3 released yesterday. Yeah, Yeah, supply and demand, realistic graphics never seen seen the release of PSP 2, gotta have, gotta have ... until the next hottest gaming system arrives. Merry Christmas!
Tuesday, November 14, 2006
No Rube Goldberg Here
Thank goodness that PPP opportunity for a Rube Goldberg has been filled. I had my device almost completed, almost ready to stun the world with its unbelievable complexity in taking a simple candle and popping up a $100 bill. A device so ridiculously convoluted that members of congress said, "Its almost as good as we are! Someone call a committee!" Thank goodness that hard work is its own reward. That's what was on the poster: "Missing: Hard Work! Reward if found!" There was a number but it was too much work to write it down.
Sure, I had a few slight setbacks in the design but nothing that a fire extinguisher and a call to 911 couldn't fix. But alas, you will never see that breathtaking video --- breathtaking not because of the odor -- breathtaking because ... its what we do to live; inhale, exhale, watch breathtaking videos and repeat. Rube Goldberg, I'd salute you but I first need some rope, a couple of wheels, a fan, a candle, a vacuum cleaner, a few balls, some farm animals, ....
Sure, I had a few slight setbacks in the design but nothing that a fire extinguisher and a call to 911 couldn't fix. But alas, you will never see that breathtaking video --- breathtaking not because of the odor -- breathtaking because ... its what we do to live; inhale, exhale, watch breathtaking videos and repeat. Rube Goldberg, I'd salute you but I first need some rope, a couple of wheels, a fan, a candle, a vacuum cleaner, a few balls, some farm animals, ....
PSP3, completely with problems
There are over 8,000 games for the PlayStation 2 and the PlayStation. Today, a spokesperson for Sony said that 200 have problems running on the PS3. Some have no sound when played while others freeze up. These problems were found only after Sony had its sellout launch on Saturday. After three years of designing, didn't they test for these legacy issues? Ahhh, that's what consumers are for!
Monday, November 13, 2006
Sleep Safe, Your Government is On Duty
Thank you, thank you, to the US Federal Attorney for making sure that BetOnSports won't take any more bets from any one in the United States. Of course, this is just the civil case and they still working on criminal prosecution. Thank you, for keeping legal gambling from interfering with our America ways. Thank goodness, BetOnSports didn't try to become a 51st state. That would have really muddy that waters, wouldn't it.
U.S. Settles Case Against BetOnSports
U.S. Settles Case Against BetOnSports
When To Toss It
While I'm putting this post for all to read, this is more for my own reference. I have items in my fridge and I have no clue when to throw them out. AOL had an article today that answered my very questions. Here is their recommendations (which surprisingly includes makeup:
soda, regular-
Unopened: In cans or glass bottles, 9 months from “best by” date.
Opened: Doesn’t spoil, but taste is affected.
diet soda (and soft drinks in plastic bottles)-
Unopened: 3 months from “best by” date.
Opened: Doesn’t spoil, but taste is affected.
coffee, canned ground-
Unopened: 2 years.
Opened: 1 month refrigerated.
juice, bottled (apple or cranberry)-
Unopened: 8 months from production date.
Opened: 7 to 10 days.
ketchup-
Unopened: 1 year.*
Opened: 4 to 6 months.*
maple syrup, real or imitation-
Unopened or opened: 1 year.
soy sauce, bottled-
Unopened: 2 years.
Opened: 3 months.*
* After these times, color or flavor my be affected, but the product is still generally safe to consume.
peanut butter, processed-
Unopened: 2 years.
Opened: 6 months; refrigerate after 3 months.
tuna, canned-
Unopened: 1 year from purchase date.
Opened: 3 to 4 days, not stored in can.
mayonnaise-
Unopened: Indefinitely.
Opened: 2 to 3 months from “purchased by” date. (After this time, color or flavoring may be affected, but the product is still generally safe to consume.)
salad dressing, bottled-
Unopened: 12 months after “best buy” date.
Opened: 9 months refrigerated.
olive oil-
Unopened/Opened: 2 years from manufacture date. (After this time, color or flavor may be affected, but the product is still generally safe to consume.)
vinegar-
Unopened/Opened: 42 months
windex-
Unopened/Opened: 2 years.
metal polish-
Unopened/Opened: at least 3 years.
wood polish (Pledge)-
Unopened/Opened: 2 years.
mascara-
Unopened: 2 years.
Opened: 3 to 4 months.
foundation, oil-based-
Unopened/Opened: 2 years from date of manufacture.
foundation, water-based-
Unopened/Opened: 3 years from date of manufacture.
lipstick-
Unopened/Opened: 2 years.
soda, regular-
Unopened: In cans or glass bottles, 9 months from “best by” date.
Opened: Doesn’t spoil, but taste is affected.
diet soda (and soft drinks in plastic bottles)-
Unopened: 3 months from “best by” date.
Opened: Doesn’t spoil, but taste is affected.
coffee, canned ground-
Unopened: 2 years.
Opened: 1 month refrigerated.
juice, bottled (apple or cranberry)-
Unopened: 8 months from production date.
Opened: 7 to 10 days.
ketchup-
Unopened: 1 year.*
Opened: 4 to 6 months.*
maple syrup, real or imitation-
Unopened or opened: 1 year.
soy sauce, bottled-
Unopened: 2 years.
Opened: 3 months.*
* After these times, color or flavor my be affected, but the product is still generally safe to consume.
peanut butter, processed-
Unopened: 2 years.
Opened: 6 months; refrigerate after 3 months.
tuna, canned-
Unopened: 1 year from purchase date.
Opened: 3 to 4 days, not stored in can.
mayonnaise-
Unopened: Indefinitely.
Opened: 2 to 3 months from “purchased by” date. (After this time, color or flavoring may be affected, but the product is still generally safe to consume.)
salad dressing, bottled-
Unopened: 12 months after “best buy” date.
Opened: 9 months refrigerated.
olive oil-
Unopened/Opened: 2 years from manufacture date. (After this time, color or flavor may be affected, but the product is still generally safe to consume.)
vinegar-
Unopened/Opened: 42 months
windex-
Unopened/Opened: 2 years.
metal polish-
Unopened/Opened: at least 3 years.
wood polish (Pledge)-
Unopened/Opened: 2 years.
mascara-
Unopened: 2 years.
Opened: 3 to 4 months.
foundation, oil-based-
Unopened/Opened: 2 years from date of manufacture.
foundation, water-based-
Unopened/Opened: 3 years from date of manufacture.
lipstick-
Unopened/Opened: 2 years.
Friday, November 10, 2006
Curse the Dark, or Light a Flashlight
Let me help you see the light, especially now that daylight savings time has made things a little bit darker. And there is nothing worse than being caught in the dark. Ever grabbed for a flashlight when you need it most and not have it there where you need it? Fortunately, there is no reason not to have flashlights handy when you can get good deals at OpticsPlanet.net. They have all the best brands such as SureFire, Streamlight, and Pelican. You might not be familiar with them, but many Police, Firefighting, military, and hunters do know about them. For home use, you can use something smaller like LED flashlights or even the handy hands free light. You can have a lot of fun with their night vision equipment. Got gifts? Well, now you have a source for some great socking stuffs (and I don't mean feet). With all the dieting going all, you can call this your 'light' Christmas. Your special someone already has a enough flashlights? Well, don't despair because OpticsPlanet also carries flash light accessories such as extensions, gloves, glass globes for lanterns, pouches and beamfilters (to name but a few). Buy enough and you can get discount pricing, as well as FREE UPS on order over $29.95.
Recall of Acetaminophen
Quality control did its job and caught metal flakes that were in those generic Acetaminophen tablets. When they find something that dangerous, the FDA has to be notified. As a result, the FDA has issued a recall on that popular headache medicine. Its not as worrisome as the news makes it sound. Still, it is good to know we have policies in place just in case.
Thursday, November 09, 2006
"script unresponsive" in Firefox 2
I was finally able to get my Airset site working in Firefox 2. The culprit was this option in Firefox:
javascript.options.strict = true
Click this link to see how to turn it to false. Doing so fixed the 'script unresponsive' error that I was getting. This page describes this setting and has a link to a page describing the tests Mozilla performed with it: http://kb.mozillazine.org/Javascript.options.strict
Hope this helps you!!!
javascript.options.strict = true
Click this link to see how to turn it to false. Doing so fixed the 'script unresponsive' error that I was getting. This page describes this setting and has a link to a page describing the tests Mozilla performed with it: http://kb.mozillazine.org/Javascript.options.strict
Hope this helps you!!!
HealthCare Organizational Management
Successful management of Healthcare is like that of any successful business. People must be dealt with in effective manner, problems have to be solve efficiently and without undue cost. Fortunately, Phillips DiPisa Thought Leadership Library maintains a library with important subjects such as "hospital succession management, the role of the Chief Medical Officer, and diversity in healthcare workforces". As a leading health care executive recruiting firm, their articles focus on what you would think is common sense in build a strong workforce: train your people, promote qualified candidates from within, creating effective plans for your organizations, etc. Yet, many organizations neglect the basics and lose talented people as a result. So checkout these articles. I think that you will find they apply very well in many businesses besides healthcare as well. What better way to tackle the bottom line than with a strong workforce.
Tuesday, November 07, 2006
Do you have your Daddy's smile ...
...and does he want it back? Apparently we all have unique facial expressions that weren't learned. Rather they were inherited from our parents according a recently study that included blind people.
Monday, November 06, 2006
Meaning of Flowers
As a guy, I do not usually give too much thought behind the meaning of flowers. I give them as a meaning of my express of love or appreciation or of the occasion. But what we think as givers isn't necessarily the same as what our recipients think or feel about our gift. Fortunately for us, ProFlowers (whom I use a lot) has put a guide to Flower Meanings on their web site. To call this guide comprehensive is an understatement! I just wanted to say "I love you" with a rose. But like the word 'love', each different rose conveys a unique meaning. It's almost overwhelming. It makes me feel an unrefined oaf. "Pretty Lady, here pretty flower. hee hee hee" Which plant covers unrefined? Weed? Perhaps, sugar?
flight pattern visualizations
If you didn't know that these were flight patterns, you would almost thinking that you were looking at modern art. But they are simply our race across the sky. A visualization of our sojourns to work, to play, to bad times, to good ones.
No Grunting Allowed
I've been a a few gyms with tough but common sense rules: no throwing weights, no extreme yelling, etc. But one gym has a "no grunting allowed" rule. And one violator was escorted out by police for issuing a grunt while hoisting 500 pounds. Never mind 500 pounds, I've grunted after learning the ridiculously high admission price at some of these fancy gyms!
Sunday, November 05, 2006
Blockbuster vs Netflix
With my budget, I haven't bothered with cell phones or cable or satellite TV. But I do enjoy movies, so I settled for a membership to Blockbuster Online. Three movies out at a time and I can pick up two additional movies a month at the local store. Three movies can last me a good while. With my schedule, I can watch a half hour here, ten minutes. It's like having an extra long commercial break (known as my life) in between viewings. Yet, even with my lengthy view time, there seems to be a longer time getting my next movie from Blockbuster. Sometimes it has gone as long as ten days. When I complained to them about this, I got three movies the very next day ... THE VERY NEXT DAY. Since then it has returned to slow delivery schedule. My friends that have Netflix seem to have quicker turn around times. So I was considering a move to Netflix ... until a couple of days ago. I got an email and then a notice in my movie about Blockbuster's new policy. I can now return my online movie to a local store and pick up a new movie while waiting for my next movie to be shipped. Definitely something that Netflix can't compete with. Let's see how good of a deal this works out to be. Ok, Blockbuster, you have my business for a little while longer.
Christmas in CA
My sister Annette lives in California. We last saw each other four years ago while we took care of my mother's estate. Since then she keeps threatening to kidnap me from my jobs so that I can visit her and her family. But you know that you can't kidnap the willing. So I've been thinking about a surprise visit. My company is closed during the week of Christmas. Southwest airlines has an Internet special rate for flights on Mondays and Thursdays. My flight would be $360, well almost $400 with all the extra governmental charges. Since Monday is Christmas day, perhaps I can show up on her doorstep with a Christmas bow plastered to my forehead. (I'll tell her that I was in India and my third eye blossomed.) That would be cool, wouldn't it! My excitement has died down considerably though as I worked the numbers for my budget. The way my life has gone lately, there are too many unknowns at the moment that might extort funds from me.
My sister Simonne lives in Tennessee. Her and her husband are planning to be in California with Annette during Christmas. I told her about my plan but not about the financial obstacles. She mentioned that her husband would be driving back to Tennessee with their daughter after Christmas. She wondered if the two unused return tickets would be available for my use. What a great idea! We'll know later if this is possible. Annette might be in for a Christmas surprise yet. Fortunately, she doesn't know about this blog!!!! Shhhh, don't tell her!
My sister Simonne lives in Tennessee. Her and her husband are planning to be in California with Annette during Christmas. I told her about my plan but not about the financial obstacles. She mentioned that her husband would be driving back to Tennessee with their daughter after Christmas. She wondered if the two unused return tickets would be available for my use. What a great idea! We'll know later if this is possible. Annette might be in for a Christmas surprise yet. Fortunately, she doesn't know about this blog!!!! Shhhh, don't tell her!
Saturday, November 04, 2006
web apps and browsers
I discovered something today as I was trying to post into Blogger and running Google's spreadsheet application. They don't like you to be signed on under different email addresses. I created a GMail address to test GMail and the Google's doc/spreadsheet apps. But I use a yahoo address for my Beta-Blogger account. But if you open both apps in one browser (in my case, Firefox 2), which ever email address is used last sign onto the application becomes the default email for both apps. Which means you lose access to one or the other. My fix? I had to open Internet Explorer for the spreadsheet and use Blogger from within Firefox. What a pain until I figure that out. Hopefully this will help you...
Christmas Planning
One major item on my to-do list today is planning everyone's gift. I am using Google's online "Docs & Spreadsheets". This way it doesn't matter where I am, I can access my spreadsheet at home or at work or even shopping if the store has Internet access. The thing that I like about using Google's apps is that I can share my document or spreadsheet with other people. They can read-only or have access make changes. This helps planning considerably. Hope you find this help!
Friday, November 03, 2006
A Real Day Off
While working my second job tonight, one of my co-workers told me about his family. His main job is that of soldier. He is one of the few people that I work with that has an excellent work ethic. I am fortunate to know him because if he had a higher rank, he wouldn't be working a second job at D's. At his pay level, he needs that second job to take care of his wife and four children. And because of it, he made a request of me tonight that was a bit of a dilemma. He is scheduled off this weekend but wants, rather, has a strong need to work it. So he asked if he could work in my place. I work these additional jobs to get through the financial hangover of my divorce. But the hassle and cost of working this job are coming close to not equaling the payout. Are his young family's needs greater than mine at this point? After some thought, I believe they are. So I agreed. Of course, any changes in schedule have to go through the manager who was not in such agreement. His concerns are with the business. My army friend only has a couple of weeks experience and this is a payday weekend. Yet, I don't know how, we were able to convince our manager to go along with the switch. And tomorrow will be my first weekend off! By 'off', I mean that I have no other schedules to meet. I had last weekend off so that I could spend time with great friends. This weekend will be different because it will be me alone and I haven't had that in months! I seemed to have lost 'me' while trying to meet everyone's needs. This weekend is a much needed recover time.
Video Game Scams
The stores don't even have Wii or Playstation 3 yet but the scams to sell these hot items have started. Sony put out a warning about Web sites that are promoting pre-orders on discounted or bulk shipments of the Playstation 3 game system. These promotions are not connected with Sony in any legitimate way. I understand that Nintendo is having the same problems with these illegal web sites.
who's right on this one?
I just read about a study that concluded certain anti-smoking ads may cause teens to smoke. The Cancer Council Victoria in Melbourne, Australia, concluded youngsters 12 to 17 years of age were less likely to see smoking as harmful after viewing the ads produced by Philip Morris USA. A spokesman for the company said, "We have found nothing through our research to indicate that the study's conclusions are valid." The study appears in the December issue of the American Journal of Public Health.
Thursday, November 02, 2006
dream jobs
There is a book about dream jobs that I haven't had the chance to read yet. But I was thinking about unusual jobs that you probably don't hear very much about.
Lobster Repair Technician: Do you think that lobsters at the restrurant look that well all the time? Imagine the tussle they get into trying not to become the next dinner --- eye stalks get ripped off, legs get pinched off. And someone has to put them back together in a sellable fashion.
"Correct Me If I'm Wrong" Consultant: Ever talk with someone and they say "Correct me if I'm wrong." Suddenly you find yourself burdened with the responsibility of being a know-it-all. If so, why not make money with this consultancy is thrust upon you.
Pip Finder: Though she seems ageless, Gladys Knight has been around for quite a while. Her backup singers are always able to keep up and must be replaced. This is your job to find Pips to go "whoo-whoo".
Lobster Repair Technician: Do you think that lobsters at the restrurant look that well all the time? Imagine the tussle they get into trying not to become the next dinner --- eye stalks get ripped off, legs get pinched off. And someone has to put them back together in a sellable fashion.
"Correct Me If I'm Wrong" Consultant: Ever talk with someone and they say "Correct me if I'm wrong." Suddenly you find yourself burdened with the responsibility of being a know-it-all. If so, why not make money with this consultancy is thrust upon you.
Pip Finder: Though she seems ageless, Gladys Knight has been around for quite a while. Her backup singers are always able to keep up and must be replaced. This is your job to find Pips to go "whoo-whoo".
Wednesday, November 01, 2006
Drive-In Movies
I spent my high school years nestled in the curves of the White Mountains of New Hampshire in the small town of Gorham. Even though there was less than three thousand people in the town, we had a drive-in movie theater perched on top of Gorham hill. The drive-in was like a huge, white flag, just inviting people from the surrounding counties to stop and visit --- which they did. It would open just after Memorial day and close just before Labor day every year. I have a lot of fond memories of my friends and my family making a big deal out of going there. It wasn't so much about going to see the movie as it was about socializing and building kinship.
A few years ago, when I returned to Gorham to bury my mother, I found that the drive-in had also passed on. Its remains had been covered by streets and new houses. The only thing left are the fond memories of those who shared its cinema glow. I miss those days.
A few years ago, when I returned to Gorham to bury my mother, I found that the drive-in had also passed on. Its remains had been covered by streets and new houses. The only thing left are the fond memories of those who shared its cinema glow. I miss those days.
Power of Silence
The saying goes that it is better to remain silent and be thought a fool, than to open your mouth and remove all doubt. Of course, this doesn't apply to blog but there is a lot to be said in the power of being silent when in the presences of others. Apparently, one religious leader has used this idea very effectively in building his cult. By his silence and his gaze, he is able to easily wield power over his congregation. I guess this is better than a lot of religious leaders who guilt everyone into following them. Still, how exactly does he do this?
My Muscle ... Car
Using the term, muscle, loosely, we have my muscle car in the making and my arm muscle. (I enlarge the text on my arm so that you can read it.) While you will not see me in any Muscle Cars competition any time soon, you can watch the "Muscle Car Marathon which will air Nov. 24 at 9am EST on Speedtv". Yes, I am getting paid for this piece so, like any good commercial, let me say that this post sponsored by Speedtv.com. 
NBA's New Basketball in Foul Trouble?
NBA switched from the traditional leather basketball to one made of microfiber composite. Since then players have been complaining that it bounces more erratically and takes more effort to get the same distance. So physicists at the University of Texas-Arlington have done some preliminary testing and have found differences between the two types of basketball. But these tests are preliminary. The methodology of the tests and the samples are questionable at the moment. So probably more testing will be done. Of course, I would think that the NBA didn't change balls without doing substantial testing beforehand. So what has changed between the prototype balls and the ones in current use?
Tuesday, October 31, 2006
Controlling Your Hunger ...
"Scientists discover hunger gene" They claim that this gene works throughout both the body in detect hunger and the brain with it's timing in sending hunger signals. Of course, this gene is being experimented on in mice --- modified is the word. It would be interesting to learn to what degree that the scientists made this modification. Hopefully, this research will carry over into people as a reversible correction to overeating.
Scientist Finds 100 Million-Year-Old Bee
"A scientist has found a 100 million-year-old bee trapped in amber, making it possibly the oldest bee ever found."
1) Scientists couldn't explain what the bee was doing in Amber. Amber was reluctant to tell her age, so the scientists went on carbon-dating ... which makes it easier for them to date women. In Amber's case, they'd rather date carbon.
2) Preserved along with the bee, were the words "no chans of rane todae". Scientist claimed that this was the worst spelling bee and the worst dry spell that they had ever seen.
1) Scientists couldn't explain what the bee was doing in Amber. Amber was reluctant to tell her age, so the scientists went on carbon-dating ... which makes it easier for them to date women. In Amber's case, they'd rather date carbon.
2) Preserved along with the bee, were the words "no chans of rane todae". Scientist claimed that this was the worst spelling bee and the worst dry spell that they had ever seen.
Monday, October 30, 2006
Jump in Site Visitors
At my other blog, it has gone from 10 visitors a day to over 100 for today. Apparently, my other blog was picked up by LangaList newsletter. This is a great computer newsletters written by the guru of PC, Fred Langa. With over 140,000 subscribers, I wonder if this will boost my site into Google Page Rank finally.
"The Sky Is Falling" vs "No It's Not"
On one hand, you hear stories about another species disappearing. And then you learn that they've discovered two new ones. One day, an environmental group screams that "Humanity Using Resources Too Fast". And then a group of scientists state that "the world is not running out of oil". There are those things that we can control and those that we can't. Hopefully, find the right answers is under our control.
My Disclosure Policy
To keep everything on my blog in the clear and to maintain an honest relationship between my posts and my readers, I visited the Disclosure Policy Generator at disclosurepolicy.org. By going through six simple steps, they automatically generated a disclosure policy for my blog which I am posting for your benefit. To wit:
----------------------------------------------------------------------
This policy is valid from 30 October 2006
This blog is a personal blog written and edited by me. This blog accepts forms of cash advertising, sponsorship, paid insertions or other forms of compensation.
The compensation received may influence the advertising content, topics or posts made in this blog. That content, advertising space or post may not always be identified as paid or sponsored content.
The owner(s) of this blog is sometimes compensated for providing opinion on products, services, websites and various other topics. Even though the owner(s) of this blog may receives compensation for posts or advertisements, I will always give my honest opinion, findings, beliefs, or experiences on those topics or products. The views and opinions expressed on this blog are purely the bloggers' own. Any product claim, statistic, quote or other representation about a product or service should be verified with the manufacturer, provider or party in question.
This blog does not contain any content which might present a conflict of interest.
----------------------------------------------------------------------
To get your own policy, go to http://www.disclosurepolicy.org
----------------------------------------------------------------------
This policy is valid from 30 October 2006
This blog is a personal blog written and edited by me. This blog accepts forms of cash advertising, sponsorship, paid insertions or other forms of compensation.
The compensation received may influence the advertising content, topics or posts made in this blog. That content, advertising space or post may not always be identified as paid or sponsored content.
The owner(s) of this blog is sometimes compensated for providing opinion on products, services, websites and various other topics. Even though the owner(s) of this blog may receives compensation for posts or advertisements, I will always give my honest opinion, findings, beliefs, or experiences on those topics or products. The views and opinions expressed on this blog are purely the bloggers' own. Any product claim, statistic, quote or other representation about a product or service should be verified with the manufacturer, provider or party in question.
This blog does not contain any content which might present a conflict of interest.
----------------------------------------------------------------------
To get your own policy, go to http://www.disclosurepolicy.org
New Technology Turns Food Leftovers Into Electricity, Vehicle Fuels
The next time your mom gets on you to 'clean your plate', just tell her that you are doing your part for the environment. That's right! UC Davis research and technology demonstration facility is turning food leftovers into electricity. Of course, they are just now starting with restaurants in the San Francisco Bay Area. But if this technology proves itself, you won't have to worry about leftovers again!
Thursday, October 26, 2006
More Beer, Please
"The conference, “Beer: To Your Health!” convened by the University of Maryland Center for Food, Nutrition and Agriculture Policy (CFNAP), was the first of its kind in the United States to focus on the health benefits of beer."
I like it! They are reporting that daily moderate consumption of beer (or other alcoholic beverages) MAY BE healthy. Of course, this is in line with various other industry (like milk) promoting the daily consumption of their product (like dairy) MAY BE healthy. But I'm not knocking beer. I would love to get back into brewing my own as I once did. Still, the key words are "moderate consumption" and "may be". This deserves a follow up.
I like it! They are reporting that daily moderate consumption of beer (or other alcoholic beverages) MAY BE healthy. Of course, this is in line with various other industry (like milk) promoting the daily consumption of their product (like dairy) MAY BE healthy. But I'm not knocking beer. I would love to get back into brewing my own as I once did. Still, the key words are "moderate consumption" and "may be". This deserves a follow up.
Wednesday, October 25, 2006
Powering Your Home with 19th Century Technology
In 2008, you may be able to power your home using a dish that resembles a large satellite dish. Advances in technology and material allows the sun to be focused onto a Sterling engine and generate about 1.3 kilowatts of energy. Even though, this is planned for commercial release in 2008, it will still be more expensive than relying on the power company.
Blind Web Surfer Sues for Accessibility
Sometimes I just don't know what to think about the lawsuits that come about. For example, Target is being sued by a blind man because he claims that their web site is unaccessible under the "Americans With Disabilities Act". He uses text-to-speech type software and isn't able to read all of the site. Target's lawyers response that the law applies only to physical locations.
Good grief! Is Target the only store that blind people can shop at online? Are lawyers that hungry for money or power that they have to create issues that should not be issues?
Good grief! Is Target the only store that blind people can shop at online? Are lawyers that hungry for money or power that they have to create issues that should not be issues?
Today's Page Strength Ranking
I checked my Page Strength rating at http://www.seomoz.org/tools/page-strength.php. I'm still at a Strength 2 / 10. The analysis is "Your website/page is a relative unknown. Search engines and humans are (for the time being) infrequent visitors. Consider the accessibility of the URL, the desirability of the content and your marketing efforts online; all can have great impact on your reach. "
* Links pointing to full URL: 6%, Source: Yahoo! Site Explorer 9
* Links pointing to domain: 7%, Source: Yahoo! Site Explorer 13
* Position at Google for first four words of title tag on target URL: 45%, Source: Google 5
* Age of Domain: 100%, Source: Wayback Machine 2681 days old
* Links from domains with .edu TLDs: 0%, Source: Yahoo 0
* Links from domains with .gov TLDs: 0%, Source: Yahoo 0
* Alexa Rank 10%, Source: Alexa 1473743
* Domain name visibility A count of results at Google for a search for your domain, showing URL visibility rather than incoming link count. 12%, Source: Google 103
* Internal Link Percent The percentage of pages on the domain that link to the target url. If the target URL is the same as the domain name, this is usually 100%. 100%, Source: Yahoo Site Explorer 100.00%
* Number of links according to Technorati 22%, Source: Technorati 5
* Number of search results for URL search at del.icio.us 0%, Source: del.icio.us 0
* Listings in DMOZ (ODP) 0%, Source: Yahoo 0
* Links found in Wikipedia 0%, Source: Yahoo 0
* Google Pagerank of full URL and Domain 7%, Source: Google Full URL: 1 Domain: 1
Surprisingly, I discovered that I have a Google PR of 1! I don't know why my other site hasn't broken 0 yet, even though it has many more links to it. I'll figure these metrics out yet!
* Links pointing to full URL: 6%, Source: Yahoo! Site Explorer 9
* Links pointing to domain: 7%, Source: Yahoo! Site Explorer 13
* Position at Google for first four words of title tag on target URL: 45%, Source: Google 5
* Age of Domain: 100%, Source: Wayback Machine 2681 days old
* Links from domains with .edu TLDs: 0%, Source: Yahoo 0
* Links from domains with .gov TLDs: 0%, Source: Yahoo 0
* Alexa Rank 10%, Source: Alexa 1473743
* Domain name visibility A count of results at Google for a search for your domain, showing URL visibility rather than incoming link count. 12%, Source: Google 103
* Internal Link Percent The percentage of pages on the domain that link to the target url. If the target URL is the same as the domain name, this is usually 100%. 100%, Source: Yahoo Site Explorer 100.00%
* Number of links according to Technorati 22%, Source: Technorati 5
* Number of search results for URL search at del.icio.us 0%, Source: del.icio.us 0
* Listings in DMOZ (ODP) 0%, Source: Yahoo 0
* Links found in Wikipedia 0%, Source: Yahoo 0
* Google Pagerank of full URL and Domain 7%, Source: Google Full URL: 1 Domain: 1
Surprisingly, I discovered that I have a Google PR of 1! I don't know why my other site hasn't broken 0 yet, even though it has many more links to it. I'll figure these metrics out yet!
for the drummer
It has been over 20 years since I sold my drum set in preparation for the birth of my daughter. I had invested 15 years of learning and practice and becoming profient enough to become recognized and requested. But some things are become more important and I don't regret giving my music.
There are even these drum sticks for iPod
Maybe I'll treat myself with the mousepad and get on down with it!
Now, my children are grown and I am getting my life back. Buying a new drum kit is still a ways away. But the Internet knows how much joy I got from playing. Today, it teased me by showing this mouse pad for drummers
There are even these drum sticks for iPod
Maybe I'll treat myself with the mousepad and get on down with it!
Tuesday, October 24, 2006
Monday, October 23, 2006
Guilty Pleasure
Ok, Ok, I never thought I would ever use the phrase "Guilty Pleasure" but I caught the first four episodes of "Heros" on NBC. I can see why they renewed the season after the first episode. I don't know how I'll find the time to catch the show on a regular basis. I have an old VCR but still. This is one of those shows that will on my DVD list.....
Ms. Dewey's search engine
Perhaps you're tired of Google's search engine. Maybe you're in the mood for something less professional, even a little abusive. Then you need to visit "Ms. Dewey's Search Engine". It's barely functional as a search engine but very entertaining.
Sunday, October 22, 2006
Purple Tomatoes?
Remember a few years ago when colored ketchup was the rage? We had ketchup with green or purple food coloring dye. If you like that, just wait two more years and you'll find purple tomatoes. They'll be purple of the same pigment that is in blueberries with the same health benefits as the berry. They're not genetically modified, just a hybrid with a variety from a wild species of South America. I can't wait...
Back to Blogging
I felt that I needed to take a little break from writing, especially when I began dreaming about blogging. I guess it's like getting into the swing of daily exercising, getting into habit of writing can become just as addicting.
There has been so many thoughts and ideas and discoveries that I've come across in passed few days. It has been difficult not to dash to a computer to blog. These urges tend to pass mainly because there hasn't been a computer available to dash to. I really need to break down and get a digital voice recorder; one that has software to transcribe sounds into text. Chrsitmas is coming ... HINT, HINT!
There has been so many thoughts and ideas and discoveries that I've come across in passed few days. It has been difficult not to dash to a computer to blog. These urges tend to pass mainly because there hasn't been a computer available to dash to. I really need to break down and get a digital voice recorder; one that has software to transcribe sounds into text. Chrsitmas is coming ... HINT, HINT!
Thursday, October 19, 2006
One Month in This Blog's Life
About one month ago, I added this blog as one of my resources for PPP. You can see how traffic has jumped. 
As of today, Sitemeter's stats for this site are:
PAGE VIEWS
Total: 1,075
Average Per Day: 40
Average Per Visit: 2.0
Last Hour: 8
Today: 31
This Week: 279
What is missing are your thoughts and comments! What do you enjoy on here? What do you think? Does any of these posts help you?
As of today, Sitemeter's stats for this site are:
PAGE VIEWS
Total: 1,075
Average Per Day: 40
Average Per Visit: 2.0
Last Hour: 8
Today: 31
This Week: 279
What is missing are your thoughts and comments! What do you enjoy on here? What do you think? Does any of these posts help you?
no*ollow me?
If you've been visiting my site, you'll noticed that the widgets that were on the right side are now gone. I've to removed for the moment because of a little thing called 'no*ollow' tag. I explain it in more detail on my other blog in a post titled, "no*ollow tag silliness". They will return as soon as I solve this 'no*ollow' issue.
Oct 21st UPDATE: Short of censoring the word, I've had to substitute a * for the letter f in the word 'follow' because of the extent of the tag silliness. You gotta' laugh ....
Oct 21st UPDATE: Short of censoring the word, I've had to substitute a * for the letter f in the word 'follow' because of the extent of the tag silliness. You gotta' laugh ....
Wednesday, October 18, 2006
Unusual Businesses Ideas That Work
I love this web site: "Unusual Businesses Ideas That Work". It is constantly updated with ideas that people are making money with as businesses! Today's installment is "How To Sell Something You Know Nothing About". You might think that sounds more like the workings of government but not in this case. Definitely a site to bookmark!
HGH revisited
In an earlier post, I talked about a Human Growth Hormone (HGH) supplement. In doing a little more research, I found a couple of methods that demonstrate how the reduction in HGH effects your body.
Let's start with the elasticity of the skin. Take one hand, have it completely flat with the palm facing towards the ground. With your other hand, pinch about a half inch of skin on the back of the flattened hand. When you release that pinch, count how many seconds it takes to recover onto the back of your hand. If you are under 30, the skin almost instantaneously snaps back into place. The older you are, the more agonizingly slowly this process becomes. The claim of several HGH supplements is that they will restore this elasticity to youthful levels. Of course, you should be aware that if you are dehydrated, you will get similar results.
Another test is to stand on one leg, close your eyes and count how many seconds you can remain upright before losing your balance. This is an easy task for those under 30. While some people in their fifties are considered fortunate if they can last 20 seconds.
If you're going to take these HGH supplements, I would suggest using these tests and annoting your condition before hand. Take several more measurements over the course of a few weeks and compare them to see if you are getting results from the supplements. I'd like to hear from you and compile an unofficial tally here on this blog.
Let's start with the elasticity of the skin. Take one hand, have it completely flat with the palm facing towards the ground. With your other hand, pinch about a half inch of skin on the back of the flattened hand. When you release that pinch, count how many seconds it takes to recover onto the back of your hand. If you are under 30, the skin almost instantaneously snaps back into place. The older you are, the more agonizingly slowly this process becomes. The claim of several HGH supplements is that they will restore this elasticity to youthful levels. Of course, you should be aware that if you are dehydrated, you will get similar results.
Another test is to stand on one leg, close your eyes and count how many seconds you can remain upright before losing your balance. This is an easy task for those under 30. While some people in their fifties are considered fortunate if they can last 20 seconds.
If you're going to take these HGH supplements, I would suggest using these tests and annoting your condition before hand. Take several more measurements over the course of a few weeks and compare them to see if you are getting results from the supplements. I'd like to hear from you and compile an unofficial tally here on this blog.
Toupee or Not Toupee
Ted Dansons, star of TV and Movies, put his toupee up for auction to help out Steve Irwin's foundation. It fetched a $1,000,000!! I couldn't help but think what would happen if it were one of our crazier PPP posties that had bought it...
"So what did you do with your payperpost money?"
"Oh I bought Ted Dansen's wig for my Chihuahua. It makes a nice coat for him."
"Oh, instead of a human wearing an animal, it's the other way around. Interesting. Does he like it?"
"Oh yes! At first I thought that he would wig out. But he only started to chew on it. So I stopped him. I don't want him to get a hair lip."
"Well, I'm rooting for him. Say, you know one million dollars is a lot of money for a hair piece."
"Oh I know, I know. I kept saying to myself toupee or not toupee? Then I won and I found myself staring at it! There was no autograph or anything in it! You would think there would be something that said 'Ted Dansen wore this.' Maybe a tangle lock with note or personalized cowlick. But no! So I started thinking to pay or not to pay. It was a very Shakespearean moment and stuff."
"So what did you do with your payperpost money?"
"Oh I bought Ted Dansen's wig for my Chihuahua. It makes a nice coat for him."
"Oh, instead of a human wearing an animal, it's the other way around. Interesting. Does he like it?"
"Oh yes! At first I thought that he would wig out. But he only started to chew on it. So I stopped him. I don't want him to get a hair lip."
"Well, I'm rooting for him. Say, you know one million dollars is a lot of money for a hair piece."
"Oh I know, I know. I kept saying to myself toupee or not toupee? Then I won and I found myself staring at it! There was no autograph or anything in it! You would think there would be something that said 'Ted Dansen wore this.' Maybe a tangle lock with note or personalized cowlick. But no! So I started thinking to pay or not to pay. It was a very Shakespearean moment and stuff."
Tuesday, October 17, 2006
Virtual World, Real Taxation
Leave it to your friends in government to figure out ways to take your money. In previous posts, I talked about the pretend worlds of "Second Life" and "Entropia Universe". As in real life, they have an economy of buying and selling goods and services. In fact, a true model of laissez faire capitalism at the moment. But there are those who are studying the idea of attacking that pretend money with real taxation. Of course, they'll want to take your real money for their coffers ...
cell phones for all
According to a study, 80% of the world's population has a mobile phone service. Wait a minute, hold the phone! According to poverty studies, isn't about 25% of the world living in proverty? That means some of them have cell phones. What are they doing paying for the service? What are they doing with their phones? Do they call each other? "I'm so hungry." "Me too." "Maybe we can order pizza." "I would but I just paid my phone bill." I think some numbers are askew somewhere...
Monday, October 16, 2006
www.widgetbox.com
Beside the usual 'links' and 'archives' listed on the right of my blog, you'll notice a few other goodies called widgets. For example, I've placed one that lets you donate a dollar or two to a really good cause (me!) and a clock and a guitar chord player. You can find these and other cool free widgets for your web site or your blog (unless you are using LiveJournal) at http://www.widgetbox.com/.
A Happy USB Birthday
I couldn't believe it when I saw it but you can now celebrate your birthday via your USB port on your computer....! Completely with hat, mouse pad and lights!! Guaranteed to embarrass any co-worker!
Stamps that are just in time for Christmas
A few years ago a physicist, Kenneth Libbrecht, published high-resolution microscope images of snowflakes. The detail of each snowflake was amazing. I guess the U.S. Postal Service thought so as well. Last week they issued four new 39-cent commemorative postage stamps based on Libbrecht’s images.
Sunday, October 15, 2006
Marine life stirs ocean enough to affect climate
I've noticed that there is nothing that happens around us, no matter how minute, that isn't felt far away either in time or distance --- the butterfly effect. There is a huge integrated complexity to our universe. While it may seem random, sometimes I think that there is an order behind it just waiting to be discovered. Not some much an intelligence but predictable principles in play behind the mystery in our lives. That's why I found this article so fascinating. This is the kind of discovers that I would love to be a part of ...
Injunction against a "Bully"?
From the maker of "Grand Theft Auto" comes a game where you get to be the bully in a private school. Of course, you get to use all the nastiness that comes with being a bully. It's only a game. Just an innocent, albeit violent, game. "It's worse than that!", says anti-video game and super brother's keeper of us all, Jack Thompson. So far, he has convinced a judge in Florida to consider stopping the sales of the game. Free speech issue? Perhaps. The game has a mature rating, and most parents certainly use this guideline when buying games for junior. Maybe the courts don't think the parents are doing a good enough job. I guess we'll find out on Tuesday how much influence Mr. Thompson has on the judge.
Saturday, October 14, 2006
when quitting is a good thing...
I am sooooo close to quitting my pizza job that I can almost taste it! Not the pizza, the quitting. And I have to tell you it is so much more delicious than the pizza. So I think about the $600 a month that I would give up. Then I consider the $1000 worth of aggravation that it costs me ... tough decision. It doesn't help that the bigger aggravation of Christmas is only a few weeks away. And $600 is $600 that I don't have. ::: sigh ::: So close ....
Friday, October 13, 2006
'Second Life' 3-D Digital World Grows
Earlier, I wrote about Entropia Universe. There is another social online world of avatars known as "Second Life". Similar to Entropia but without being able to pull out money from this virtual world.
""Second Life" now has more than 800,000 denizens, of whom more than a hundred are earning a real-world, full-time living there, selling things like virtual land, clothes, jewelry, weaponry and pets, or by offering virtual services, notably sex."
Link to Second Life can be found here
""Second Life" now has more than 800,000 denizens, of whom more than a hundred are earning a real-world, full-time living there, selling things like virtual land, clothes, jewelry, weaponry and pets, or by offering virtual services, notably sex."
Link to Second Life can be found here
International game laboratory created
I guess this goes to show how important gaming has become in our lives:
"Researchers from the United States and Singapore are combing efforts to develop world-class digital game technology."
"Researchers from the United States and Singapore are combing efforts to develop world-class digital game technology."
Thursday, October 12, 2006
making $$ online with Entropia Universe?
I guess I'm still trying to figure this one out. I understand the fun of playing online games such as Warcraft. But after a hard day at my jobs, I don't know if I can go into another world and work some more. Is the money easier? Perhaps. Take a look at this story: "Teen pays siblings' college fees by selling virtual weapons"
CNET has a news video on their site about it: Video: Make real money on virtual planet Calypso
Wikipedia has a good summary of the game.
And here is the world in question: Entropia Universe
CNET has a news video on their site about it: Video: Make real money on virtual planet Calypso
Wikipedia has a good summary of the game.
And here is the world in question: Entropia Universe
Boil an egg without water?
You must be yolking... Yet this is what a British inventor has done by using the heat from four halegon lamps. Granted, your three minute egg now takes six minutes to reach perfection but at least you didn't boil any water...
great headlight restoration cleaner!
Six weeks ago, I wrote about a headlight restoration product. I ordered it, used it and was immediately impressed. Now three weeks after using MDWholeSale's headlight cleaner, how have my headlights held up? GREAT!!! See for yourself:
This $27 cleaning product saved me from buying $200 headlight assembly. I can't say enough good about this product and about mdwholesale.com. They definitely have a product for headlight repair! If you have cloudy headlights, you definitely need to buy this excellent headlight restoration cleaner!!
| before | after | |
| driver side beams |  |  |
This $27 cleaning product saved me from buying $200 headlight assembly. I can't say enough good about this product and about mdwholesale.com. They definitely have a product for headlight repair! If you have cloudy headlights, you definitely need to buy this excellent headlight restoration cleaner!!
Wednesday, October 11, 2006
What makes fingernails on a chalkboard so irrate?
Vanderbilt psychologist Randolph Blake won a prize recently for looking into why sound of fingernails on a chalkboard is so disturbing. In analyzing the sound he found similarities to primate distress calls. Why is this important? Click the link and read the article... :)
that time of the year again
"It was a dark and stormy night. Suddenly two shots rang out!" Well... not so much 'rang out'... more like 'guzzled down' as tequila often is. And it wasn't night, it was more like a sunny autumn morning. A chilly wind whipping through the trees, violently ripping off the leaves from their strong hold and sending them in a silent scream towards the earth. Ah, but they didn't die in vain for they took root and gave birth to the election signs that one finds scattered along the road way. This year looks to be a bumper crop too! Yet in all this peacefulness lies a terror. Beasts that will come forth just after Halloween and utter those terrifying sounds, "Hello, I'm from the government and I'm here to help." Now you understand the need for two shots .... minimum!
Tuesday, October 10, 2006
10 reasons people make stupid decisions
I came across this great site that gives ten reasons why people make stupid decisions. In the comments that follow his posting are a few more great reasons that should be added to this list. Learn it, (don't) Live it, Love it.
Monday, October 09, 2006
Made My First Commercial
PayPerPost had an opportunity to make a commercial for them. I used what limited resources that I had and the results are here. What do you think?
Friday, October 06, 2006
Microsoft takes on Apple with Zune
...although analyst are saying that Microsoft will lose money. Unit for unit, Zune has the same capacity and price as the iPod. However, the Zune is bulker and has shorter battery life which may lead to its downfall. We'll see what happens when the Christmas shopping season kicks in.
new AOL software?
Now that AOL has jumped on the free service bandwagon, it has rolled out its portal program "OpenRide". Here is the first review that I've found about it: AOL's OpenRide. As for myself, I can't get it to work behind my company's firewall so my review will have to wait until I get home.
Thursday, October 05, 2006
One of the World's Best Investor for the Private Citizen
David Swensen got his Ph.D in economics from Yale and then spent five years on Wall Street. Twenty one years ago, he returned to Yale to run their endowment program and what he did with it is nothing short of phenomenal. He has averaged a 16% return over those 21 years! NPR.org did an article on him and included tips from his book, Unconventional Success, which is full of advice for the average investor. Worth reading!!!
Do you really need that new gaming system now?!
Sony's Playstation 3 and Nintendo's Wii will be sold just before Thanksgiving. And, as usual, supplies will be limited. So Gamestop and EB Games will be taking preorders within the next week or two. But do you really need to get that new system that was rushed through manufacturing? Look at Xbox 360. People who were among the first to buy it are having problems with the units as well as getting it repair under warranty. Microsoft has only recently agreed to repair units bought before January 1st of this year.
You know, we don't always need to be the first to get version 1 of everything. Let the market settle, let the bugs get fixed and let the price drop to more reasonable levels. Being first isn't always better.
You know, we don't always need to be the first to get version 1 of everything. Let the market settle, let the bugs get fixed and let the price drop to more reasonable levels. Being first isn't always better.
Branson to popularize space travel
Branson constantly amazes with his businesses: Virgin Records, Virgin Phone service, Virgin Airways. And he plans to build a space travel business as reported here:
"Branson unveils part of spacecraft, seeks to popularize space travel" I can't wait! Hopefully it will be in the next few years!
"Branson unveils part of spacecraft, seeks to popularize space travel" I can't wait! Hopefully it will be in the next few years!
Wednesday, October 04, 2006
Amazing the Power that is of the Earth
"Alaskan storm cracks giant iceberg to pieces in faraway Antarctica" Can you believe that a storm in Alask caused such an ocean swell that it travel over 8000 miles in six days to the Antarctic and STILL had enough energy to crack an iceburg! I imagine that a lot of surfers are wishing that they could have ridden that wave. Take about hang time! Our planet is an amazing place.
When you're not in the top ten ....
... you have to try harder. I say that because, by 2:00 pm today, I had made it into the top ten posties of PPP. By the time I got home at 6:30, I was out of the list. So close yet so far ... The day is not done but still, I felt like I accomplished something and now lost it. Back to the writing board...
Iranian video game targets U.S. tanker
I guess that it's to be expected that, in the propaganda battle, each side would target their youth and appeal to them through videos. We in the US have our games that battle all sorts of evil in the world. Now Iran has its version of battling evil. "The game, "Counter Strike," invites players to plant two bombs on the oil tanker to sink it and make the strait of Hormuz impassable, the Jomhouri-ye Eslami daily reported."
Will simply reveal the aggressiveness of the teen years and make things better in the world? Kinda doubt it ....
Will simply reveal the aggressiveness of the teen years and make things better in the world? Kinda doubt it ....
Tuesday, October 03, 2006
Security fix for older, unsupported Windows
Last week, Microsoft rushed out a patch to fix a serious security flaw in XP and Internet Explorer Browser. Unfortunately, not all of us are using Windows XP. Some of us are still working with as Windows 2000 and ME and even Windows 98! GASP! Are we to remain vulnerable to hackers? Not according to CNET. They report that
Security pros patch older Windows versions.
Security pros patch older Windows versions.
Honda gives frightened parallel parkers a hand
If you hate parallel parking, Honda is working to win your business. They have developed a automated parking-assist system and will be selling it for about $450.
Monday, October 02, 2006
Think that Gambling Prohibition ...
... will work as brilliantly well as the alcohol prohibition of the 1920's? On Saturday, Congress (mainly Republicans) hustled through a bill that outlaws US banks and credit card companies from processing online bets. President Bush is expected to sign the bill this week.
Being an election year, I guess this is one way to appease the religious voters. We'll see if Democrats can stop this and do it their way: by taxing it to death. Either way, if you're a responsible gamer or a gambler, what are you going to do?
Being an election year, I guess this is one way to appease the religious voters. We'll see if Democrats can stop this and do it their way: by taxing it to death. Either way, if you're a responsible gamer or a gambler, what are you going to do?
New Set of ... Air bags?
"A woman in the northern Bulgarian town of Ruse survived a car crash thanks to her silicon breasts which acted as an airbag, Standart newspaper reported Monday."
Keeping you abreast of breaking news, I want to be very *up front* with this one. We all know how breast implants can cause auto accidents by guys rubber-necking for a view. But this is the first time I have heard of anyone getting implants as a safety feature. I have heard about how certain parts of the chest area can 'cut glass' under certain circumstances. As far as protecting you from breaking glass, well that's something else. If I were to choose between getting hit in the face by an air bag or getting slapped from staring at some body's "air bags", I would have to pick a bust in the mouth as a much more pleasurable option. Anyway, when they asked that woman if she was any worse for the accident, she said that she had the breast time of her life. I hope that I never get too old and suffer from mammary lost.
Keeping you abreast of breaking news, I want to be very *up front* with this one. We all know how breast implants can cause auto accidents by guys rubber-necking for a view. But this is the first time I have heard of anyone getting implants as a safety feature. I have heard about how certain parts of the chest area can 'cut glass' under certain circumstances. As far as protecting you from breaking glass, well that's something else. If I were to choose between getting hit in the face by an air bag or getting slapped from staring at some body's "air bags", I would have to pick a bust in the mouth as a much more pleasurable option. Anyway, when they asked that woman if she was any worse for the accident, she said that she had the breast time of her life. I hope that I never get too old and suffer from mammary lost.
Microsoft will sell a cheaper XBox 360 ...
... in Japan.
That's does us in the US a lot of good! Japanese get to buy their 360 for $255 and we'll get it for ... whatever Ebay has it for, I guess!!
That's does us in the US a lot of good! Japanese get to buy their 360 for $255 and we'll get it for ... whatever Ebay has it for, I guess!!
Friday, September 29, 2006
CNET's Best Free Security and Spyware programs
Here is CNET's latest list for the best in free Security and Spyware software. I use most of them myself and highly recommend these programs!!
latest free software
latest free software
Anousheh Ansari returns to earth
Anousheh Ansari, the first woman space tourist, returns to Earth. In her blog, she talks about several interesting events in being the first space tourist, including difficulties of space hygiene
Welcome home, Ms. Ansari! Bet that shower will feel good!
Welcome home, Ms. Ansari! Bet that shower will feel good!
the state taketh
The state owes me $2500. You would think that it would be easy and honorable for them return what they have taken from me. But no, I have had to work with my CPA for a over a year to try and resolve this issue. And then last month the state said that I OWE them $1000 and began garnishing my wages this month. So frustrating! This week, I began to draft a letter to my representatives in the state government and the state secretary of the treasury. To my surprise, the account department at my job received a letter saying that they stopped the garnishment. No explanation. I haven't even heard from my CPA as to why this change. Is it a good thing? You would think so, but as much grief as I've gone through, I just feel suspicious...
Wednesday, September 27, 2006
getting out of debt!
The self proclaimed King and Queen of debt have a blog about how they are paying off their debt. Not only have I bookmarked this site but I've also tagged it to myweb.yahoo for everyone to find. Wereindebt.com talks about their personal battle with their debt and includes several excellent links to debt reduction sites and blogs. This is what I've been looking for, information to reduce my outstanding balances in the quickest time possible. If you're coming out of a back breaking divorce or your spending has gotten out of control, this may be the link for you!
Tuesday, September 26, 2006
Who will be first, Carolina or California?
Early Monday morning, both sides of the border between North and South Carolina felt the earth move. A couple of weeks ago, Florida felt the same earth temors. So I’m going to start buying up water front property in the Carolinas now! Well, of course it’s not water front … not just yet! But if I can get a couple weight watchers convention scheduled with a Richard Simmon’s “Sweatin’ to the Oldies” reunion in both states, I figure that I’m three or four jumping jacks away from having the Carolinas break off into the Atlantic. Take that California, you skinny bunch of tofu eatin’ nuts! Who's shakin' it now?
Earthquakes in the USA - Past 7 days
Recent Earthquakes - Last 8-30 Days
Earthquakes in the USA - Past 7 days
Recent Earthquakes - Last 8-30 Days
saving on life insurance
Going through my divorce, I agreed to maintain the current amount of life insurance (term) BUT I was able to make my youngest the beneficiary. Of course, I wanted to have something for my two oldest but my premiums with my current companies wouldn't allow it. So I went through Accuquote and was able to find triple the payout at half the cost! You should look into this if you need to save some money while looking out for your family.
hit or miss
I can't believe how lucky I was today in my writing opportunities. If I hadn't been sick, I would have missed two chances that totaled $45. Part of the problem is the popularity of the program. With over 3000 members now, it doesn't take much to fulfill a posting quote. After that, all that remains are opportunities for high effort with a reward of low pay. How motivating is making $2 for an hour's work? Still, two dollars is two dollars. For motivation, the bigger picture of building two bucks upon two bucks until a hundred can be made. And with a hundred ... well, that's almost a month's worth of grocery, or a couple of week's worth of gas. Still, it is frustrating to know that I may be missing out because of other factors. It is a matter of working smarter, not harder.
Chamonix-Valley
I spent my high school years nestled in the White Mountains of New Hampshire. During my sophomore year, we had an exchange student from France. While he enjoyed our skiing and rock climbing adventures the Presidential mountain range, he would continually regale us with tales of majestic mountains of Chamonix Valley, France. I had forgotten all about his stories until I came across the mention of Chamonix on the Internet. Thanks to the Wide World Web, I was able to visit this site and see how truly majestic it is. I even used Google Earth to zoom around the mountain range and the town. Since it is part of the Alps, you can easily see how it is the extreme skiing capital of the world! Extreme? How about death defying! And yet very enticing to try:
Anyway, it has a beauty that I need to visit while I still can. Next year maybe? We’ll see…
Anyway, it has a beauty that I need to visit while I still can. Next year maybe? We’ll see…
Monday, September 25, 2006
enjoy yourself!
It's wonderful to have a government so concerned with your money and what you do with it. Here's my part to be a rebel. Are you a responsible adult? Is the money that you earned with your blood, sweat and tears yours? Well, here's a gaming site looking for adults who don't need to be told how to live their lives:
Sunday, September 10, 2006
Praying Mantis Porno
The female praying mantis is known to eat the male during mating. This explains why there are very few praying mantis porno movies --- that money shot is a killer! Imagine having to direct the love scenes. In the heat of the moment, she whips around and tears the head off of her lover. "Cut! Cut! You know what I mean! Stop filming! Look, Love, I need less anger, more passion. Think you can do that? Very good. Now, I need another actor. Alright, you guys, quit cowering in the corner. This is your big chance for stardom (especially if you survive.) You! You with the T-shirt that says 'REAL MENTIS PRAY' Get over there and show what a real man...tis is made of! What? ha ha Yes, I know I definitely will when she rips your head off. Never mind that! Just get your huge bulging ... eyes over to her and let's make a porno!!"
Tuesday, August 29, 2006
Tuesday, August 22, 2006
Sunday, August 20, 2006
live as a god
To float above life's adventures,
to be untouched by daily dramas,
to be unscathed by my worries,
to see the grander scheme.
To know that I die an achiever,
and my children full of pride,
my friends bettered for my living,
strangers' fortunes because I was.
How else can I justify my existence,
how else can anyone benefit from my breath,
how else can my life continue,
if not for a greater path?
to be untouched by daily dramas,
to be unscathed by my worries,
to see the grander scheme.
To know that I die an achiever,
and my children full of pride,
my friends bettered for my living,
strangers' fortunes because I was.
How else can I justify my existence,
how else can anyone benefit from my breath,
how else can my life continue,
if not for a greater path?
Friday, August 18, 2006
What the Devil?
"Prince of Darkness Is Misunderstood", Says UCLA Professor Dust off your bible for this one!
NPR : A Magician's Quest for the Perfect Card Cheat
I've always loved doing magic and watching it. Here is a cool story that I heard on NPR this morning: NPR : A Magician's Quest for the Perfect Card Cheat
Artificial muscles may enable more lifelike color displays
Available in 8 years! Wonder where I'll be by then?
Thursday, August 17, 2006
US first nation to witness climate change exodus study
US first nation to witness climate change exodus study What got my attention was a comment made on the site of this article. You go, Dave!
"On 17-Aug-2006 by Dave
1. It was the flood that caused the exodus, not the hurricane. The hurricane was not that much different than others, it is just that it hit populated areas.
2. Global warming is real, otherwise we would still be in an ice age. However, Greenland used to be green, and England used to be known for its wine. The earth has natural "super" seasons.
3. Everyone seems to discount Solar activity/weather.
4. Many don't realize that water vapor is as much or more of a Greenhouse "gas" than CO2.
5. Leftist anti-capitalists are for the most part the one's behind the whole global warming alarm. Scientists do not know all there is to know about Global Warming either, even though some act as if they do.
7. In 1976 Newsweek article?, scientists were telling us to tar the artic snow to absorb the sun to stem "global cooling," which was the alarm back then.
8. All societies problems can be traced to Wal-Mart. Wal-Mart is responsible for all the evil in the world. (Joke, of course.)"
"On 17-Aug-2006 by Dave
1. It was the flood that caused the exodus, not the hurricane. The hurricane was not that much different than others, it is just that it hit populated areas.
2. Global warming is real, otherwise we would still be in an ice age. However, Greenland used to be green, and England used to be known for its wine. The earth has natural "super" seasons.
3. Everyone seems to discount Solar activity/weather.
4. Many don't realize that water vapor is as much or more of a Greenhouse "gas" than CO2.
5. Leftist anti-capitalists are for the most part the one's behind the whole global warming alarm. Scientists do not know all there is to know about Global Warming either, even though some act as if they do.
7. In 1976 Newsweek article?, scientists were telling us to tar the artic snow to absorb the sun to stem "global cooling," which was the alarm back then.
8. All societies problems can be traced to Wal-Mart. Wal-Mart is responsible for all the evil in the world. (Joke, of course.)"
Wednesday, August 16, 2006
politics be damned
We live in a great nation and in great states. Where else can you fight to get back money that your government has taken from you because there is hope that you will get your money back. As of March of this year, I overpaid the Federal government over $20,000. I overpaid the North Carolina government by $2,500.00. Yesterday, I get a letter from our wonderful state revenue department informing me that my wages would be garnished $300. Today, I receive a letter from the IRS saying that I owed but $5,000. Coincidence? This is the result after six months of filling paperwork and getting the run-around at these revenue departments?????
I am learning that government bureaucracy and incompetency has nothing to do with political parties. Those traits are shared by both parties. It is frustrating to have your hard earned dollars taken, not earned as business are required to do, not asked for as moral charities do, but taken as a common thug would do so. Yes, thank god, we live in a country were our freedoms are protected … so long as we give up our freedoms to have this protection.
I am learning that government bureaucracy and incompetency has nothing to do with political parties. Those traits are shared by both parties. It is frustrating to have your hard earned dollars taken, not earned as business are required to do, not asked for as moral charities do, but taken as a common thug would do so. Yes, thank god, we live in a country were our freedoms are protected … so long as we give up our freedoms to have this protection.
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