Ramblings, opinions, and general meanderings from the Deep South

Sunday, December 31, 2006

End of Year Whines

Posting has been infrequent the past few weeks. This has been due to a problem with the template used for this site, end of year activities, an influx of back problems and welcomed out of town visitors. Please bear with me. Changes are being made and it's hopeful that their incorporation will be made without interrupting my daily drivel.

After being in a Flexiril haze for a day it seems that I can stay upright for a few minutes. It's ridiculous for a grown man to get in such a hurry he forgets his age and reverts to habits acquired when a teenager. Bend your knees and pick it up! Duh!

Outta' here. Y'all enjoy the New Year! If you see that old white bearded dude, tell him I just don't care anymore. The useless anticipation is not worth it. Ed MacMahon will never show up. Bah, Humbug!

"New Year's Eve, where auld acquaintance be forgot. Unless, of course, those tests come back positive."
-Jay Leno

Thursday, December 28, 2006

RIAA? Headquartering in North Korea Might Be Appropriate (Darth Kim May Not Want Them)

The damned RIAA baboons are at it again. Now they are pressing charges against a Russian company. Hey, dumbasses! Wake up! Russia is not part of the United States! They are a foreign country. Is there no end to this mafioso organization and their terrorist activities? Please, please, please voice your opinions to your Congresspeople and let them know these jerks are driving up prices on entertainment media in a most unecessary fashion. A good article explaining all about this idiocy can be found at ArsTechnica.

On a lighter note, happy birthday to Verdana and Mrs. DaddyDan.

"The secret of staying young is to live honestly, eat slowly, and lie about your age." ~Lucille Ball

Tuesday, December 26, 2006

Boxing Day, v2.0.1

Visited BestBuy today and thought time had turned back to last Friday or Saturday. People were everywhere and it finally dawned on me, when I saw the return line, why there were so many people in the store. Folks in England call today, the 26th, Boxing Day. Traditionally you take down the tree, box up the decorations and wait for next year. That's a good idea. We should make 'Boxing Day' a national holiday and adhere to this concept. Okay, that's a pipe dream. Probably best for me to accept that in the USA we call the 26th "Return Day".

It's still Christmas at the beach house and will remain that way through Friday...at least in the evenings. Happy "Return Day" everyone!

"Be always at war with your vices, at peace with your neighbors, and let each new year find you a better man."
-Benjamin Franklin

Monday, December 25, 2006

Tis the Season



Best wishes to all the beach housers!

"Christmas waves a magic wand over this world, and behold, everything is softer and more beautiful."
-Norman Vincent Peale

Sunday, December 24, 2006

Tone for the Eve

Please take a moment and journey to Southernphried and read A Christmas prayer.... This is a moving post that certainly reflects my feelings during this Christmas season. Thanks Grasshoppa, you have helped make my Christmas Eve. Prayers with you my friend.

"Fail not to call to mind, in the course of the twenty-fifth of this month, that the Divinest Heart that ever walked the earth was born on that day; and then smile and enjoy yourselves for the rest of it; for mirth is also of Heaven's making."
-Leigh Hunt

Saturday, December 23, 2006

Thank You, Tyler

Lot of cooking going on at the beach house. Using a fresh turkey along with a spiral ham to anchor the meal with a large pan of chicken and dressing for the main course. Traditional southern green beans will be served (bacon grease IS required - not an option) and rolls will probably harden on the table.

One dish that has constantly been applauded is a scratch cranberry sauce prepared from a Tyler Florence recipe. It can be found here. Actually saw Tyler make this on the Food Network and it is now a holiday beach house staple. I do add walnut pieces. This is one of those dishes best refrigerated overnight.

Why cooking on a geek site? Hey, we eat too. Besides a pregnant woman requested some things this year and this is my way of letting her know a trip to Dad's house will mean fav foods. Let me also mention her sister is one heckuva' cook too. May try some of these goodies at a LAN Party in the near future.

Now my lardass must waddle off to bed. Later.

"In the old days, it was not called the Holiday Season; the Christians called it 'Christmas' and went to church; the Jews called it 'Hanukkah' and went to synagogue; the atheists went to parties and drank. People passing each other on the street would say 'Merry Christmas!' or 'Happy Hanukkah!' or (to the atheists) 'Look out for the wall!"
-Dave Barry, "Christmas Shopping: A Survivor's Guide"

Friday, December 22, 2006

Shopping and DVDs

My Christmas shopping is not done. In all honesty it has not begun. Yes I've looked and made some decisions, but finding the right window to go out amongst the masses has been hard. It'll happen eventually.

Eric Bangeman has an interesting article at ArsTechnica. It is titled DVD players finally outnumber VCRS. In the article there is a reference to another interesting quote of Bill Gates, the chief mojo and head muckitymuck of Microsoft. Gosh Bill, those shoe soles smellin'?

Stay casual and try to avoid traffic mishaps. It's that time of year.

"And the Grinch, with his Grinch-feet ice cold in the snow, stood puzzling and puzzling, how could it be so? It came without ribbons. It came without tags. It came without packages, boxes or bags. And he puzzled and puzzled 'till his puzzler was sore. Then the Grinch thought of something he hadn't before. What if Christmas, he thought, doesn't come from a store. What if Christmas, perhaps, means a little bit more."
-Dr. Seuss

Thursday, December 21, 2006

Looking Out the Window

Yes, I am catching up on publishing. Still have a slight template problem and just not enough time to repair it completely. Am going to change some things and will gladly take recommendations if you can think of anything to improve this site. A border has been suggested and someone said more pictures will help. Still working on the installation tutorials for Spybot, GMail, AVG, etc. It is tough for me to sit down and produce screenshots, etc. without becoming distracted by the world.

Gosh to be 18 again...stay up day and night with endless strength and drive. Well, there's a lot to be said FOR NOT being 18 too. That was a year of hormonal madness and some are so stupid at that age. Certainly amazing how many stupid folks became intelligent when I reached the age of 30. Besides, possum watching wasn't even an option at 18. Nor was relaxing in a swing on the veranda. Shucks, it's actually good to be alive and the oldest geek in the state of Mississippi.

Enough mind meandering. Have a casual day.

"The aging process has you firmly in its grasp if you never get the urge to throw a snowball."
-Doug Larson

Wednesday, December 20, 2006

Free PDF Writer

Received an email inquiring about free PDF writers. This is the Portable Document File format that comes from Adobe. They let you download the reader version for free, but charge ridiculous prices for the version that actually creates documents in this format. Yes, this is two days in a row that I have slammed Adobe, but they deserve it. Their profit percentages have to be off the charts. Besides, how can you like a company that promotes Yahoo? Please remember, Yahoo is evil and infecting your computer with garbage from "adware" companies such as Claria and 180soultions. The death penalty is too good for these creeps.

Here's one of many free versions of PDF writers. It's called PDF4Free. Haven't tried it, but it has good reviews on the web. Sandy, if you download it (at your own risk, I must say) please give us a review in a few days, weeks, etc. Thanks for the inquiry.

"The larger the island of knowledge, the longer the shoreline of wonder."
-Ralph W. Sockman

Tuesday, December 19, 2006

Say Cheese

You've purchased that digital camera and are anxious to organize your holiday pictures to send to relatives, and friends. You installed the software and found it to be clunky, slow and a resource hog. You are intelligent enough to know that Adobe charges wayyyyyyy too much for PhotoShop. Besides, Adobe is trying to stick that damned Yahoo tool bar into your computer with their downloads and you don't want that junk.

How about the best photo organizer around? It's another super download from Google. You can download Picasa at no cost. This product has been around for several years. Mentioning it this time of year may make you photo opportunities more pleasurable. Hey, try it - you'll like it. At this price how can you beat it?

Hope this helps.

“There are no rules for good photographs, there are only good photographs.”
-Ansel Adams

Monday, December 18, 2006

Good Gift

Interested in playing GuildWars? BestBuy has the latest module, Nightfall, on sale for $24.99 through Saturday. The first two are still $49.99. I still think buying the original GuildWars is the best way to start, but all 3 are stand alone games. It's amazing that I have all 3 and still find new things to do in the original game. GuildWars Rocks. Thanks for the tip Mudslingr!

"Enjoy the little things, for one day you may look back and realize they were the big things."
-Robert Brault

Sunday, December 17, 2006

Corinth Movie Going Experience

Beagle, Mudslingr and I traveled to Corinth, MS, last night to see the movie Eragon. The movie was awesome, but please be made aware I have not read the books. Beagle loaned me their copies and they will certainly be read. Beagle said the movie moved too fast and left out key elements. She still liked it. Mudslingr enjoyed it too. It was a feast for the eyes, ears and emotions to me. Best dragon movie yet! We sat up for 2 hours after arrivng home just talking about it.

One of the main reasons it was so enjoyable was the trip 50 miles to Corinth, instead of fighting the sticky floor, rude people, loud vulgar yelling, cell phones going off, experience that only the mall theater in Tupelo can provide. The large stand alone Malco in Tupelo is fine, just avoid the mall. Definitely try the Malco in Corinth.

People were smiling in a very clean lobby, the concession stand was clean and efficient (even had Starbucks coffee drinks), the ticket taker smiled and said enjoy the movie and he was clean too. We sat down in comfortable seats in a clean theater and upon leaving used a VERY clean bathroom.

Rarely do I go out and this was a great trip. It's nice to feel comfortable and kick back when enjoying a a wonderful movie. On the way back it struck my mind that not one person said a vulgar thing while in the theater, Yep, there are some polite communities left. Thank God.

"Politeness makes one appear outwardly as they should be within."
-Jean de la Bruyère (1645-1696) French satiric moralist.

Saturday, December 16, 2006

Saturday? Wow! Only One More Day to Work this Week!

Gleeped this test from Beagle's page:

What type of person do you attract?
Your Result: You attract geeks!

Your stunning intellect and love of sci-fi and video games allures the geeks like nothing else. Maybe it is the sparkle in your eye that makes them want to text you, who knows. Geeks make good partners, but tend to be arguementative. If you are a TRUE geek magnet, you will know if that was spelled correctly, and actually care. If it is a bad-boy/bad-girl you are seeking, you are barking up the wrong tree, unless they are just 'bad' behind a PS2 console.

You attract artsy people!
You attract Yuppies!
You attract unstable people!
You attract rednecks!
You attract models!
What type of person do you attract?
Quizzes for MySpace


Of course it has as much credibility as the weatherman or Prince Mongo. Still, interesting that the answer is geeks. Take by clicking on the blue line at the bottom.

Saturday morning, a good night's sleep, slight Flexiril hangover, but no whineysickboy with back problems today. Chores this AM in the local area and then home to clean up this pig sty. It looks like there might be a trip to Corinth tonight. Eragon, possibly the block buster of the holiday season, is playing at the theater in the mall instead of the new Malco which has stadium seating. In the new theater you will be thrown out if you are acting like a fool or talking like a blabbering idiot. Leave your cell phone and and the good ole boys in the audience may toss you out the door too. The mall venue really sucks and is a recurring topic at TupeloForums. Hey, Corinth is a great town and I bet the crowd will be well behaved. So driving 50-60 miles one way to see a movie is worth it to us. They should sterilize the mall theater and post guards at every 3rd row.

Time to get jiggy with it. Enjoy Saturday.

"Life be not so short but that there is always time for courtesy."
-Ralph Waldo Emerson

Friday, December 15, 2006

Gaelic Boogie

Just watched Celtic Woman, A new Journey again. What a glorious celebration of music. This is what it's all about. The blend of classic Irish tunes and modern songs gives these women a chance to bless us with their extraordinary talent. They are more animated in this new show and the sound quality is awesome.

Lisa Kelly just melts me. I think she could sing anything and look gorgeous while doing it wearing just a flour sack. They are all pretty and talented. The new member, Hayley Westenra, sang Scarborough Fair and this haunting rendition left tears in my eyes. Mairead kept the crowd up tempo with tremendous violin. She's so cute and can't seem to stand still while playing.

Had a fellow tech comment on my opinion that rap is NOT music and highly disagreed. Well, each to their own. If you like vulgar, monotone, sometimes hate inspiring, most time grammatically incorrect loud cacophany then have at it. Cowboy Troy is okay and I can tolerate the Hammer. DON'T bring that other vulgar, negative garbage to the beach house.

Back in the day I did play keyboards in a rock band while attending college. Was also the lead singer, believe it or not, lol. I know how to read music and can recognize several classical composers just by listening to their style. There were several years of piano lessons and musical theory. My brother has been a professional musician all his adult life. He doesn't like rap either.

Bruce Willis said it best in The Last Boy Scout. He'd been shot and Damon Wayans asked if he was hurting. Bruce replied something like, "If you want to see me really hurt, just play some rap music." And hey, I wasn't real crazy about punk rock. Disco wasn't a favorite either. But there were a few good disco tunes and a few okay punk tunes. Haven't heard the equivalent in rap.

It's late, my 2nd Flexiril of the day is kicking in and it is time to rest. Later.

“I hate rap music, which to me sounds like a bunch of angry men shouting, possibly because the person who was supposed to provide them with a melody never showed up”
-Dave Barry

Thursday, December 14, 2006

Music in My Life

God has blessed me in many many ways. My daughters are awesome even though the oldest one has lost the ability to dial the phone due to pregnonophoneitis. My brother assures me this is a common affliction in our family. His daughter is the Mother (yes, Mother should always be capitalized) of three and she experienced the same malady while pregnant. Soon, this should pass.

Many ways I said: My eyes and ears were candy coated last night by the newest Celtic Woman show which aired on PBS. Just ignore the socialist TV hype and get coffee or refreshing beverage during the breaks. You can miss the last 14 minutes as well. Also, unless you are just dead set on sending PBS 75-150 bucks wait until next month and the CD, DVD, will be at Wal-Mart, Amazon.com, etc. at regular prices. Sorry, when Public Broadcast scrambled their signal years ago they lost my annual contribution. Scrambled signal=nonpublic.

Music is something that touches my soul. My heart soars when hearing talent this awe inspiring. These women are at the top of their craft. If your head is stuck in the boom, boom, boom of rap take a few minutes tomorrow night and let these Irish lasses (okay, the newest member is from New Zealand, but she has strong Irish heritage) teach you the true meaning of music.

Yep, it will air at 9:00PM on PBS (MPB) locally tomorrow night. Their ability to sing is beyond beautiful and it's easy to watch them. Great selection of music and the orchestra is phenomenal. When Mairead plays the violin sit back and hear the melodic feast. Orla plays a mean harp too.

Message to my youngest daughter: Can we go see Eragon Saturday or Sunday so I can watch this special again tomorrow night? Plz, plz!

"Beauty isn't worth thinking about; what's important is your mind. You don't want a fifty-dollar haircut on a fifty-cent head."
-Garrison Keillor

Wednesday, December 13, 2006

Teamspeak and the Jab Dance

The beach house network is experiencing changes. A second server will be brought online this weekend. Have a machine that will run FreeBSD and act as file server for the network. This will free up the web server of some duties which should improve Teamspeak capability.

It is foggy. There are miles to go before I sleep. Shucks, just glad it's not raining. The weather here is in the 60s and clear for a few days. If you haven't done the flu shot dance please fandango on down and help us all out. Don't spend the Christmas holiday sniffling.

"It is a wise mans part, rather to avoid sickness, than to wishe for medicines."
-Thomas More, Utopia

Tuesday, December 12, 2006

Update on the Updates

The second Tuesday of every month has been designated Patch Tuesday by the netizens of the world. So, what does this mean? If you have your Windows machine set to update manually, get to Microsoft's update page and secure your machine. Immediately. Don't risk infecting computers that have net interactions with your PC.

It's sad that there are evil people with time on their hands busy writing virus infections, spyware, malware, etc. Further sadness evolves from the fact that most of them are intelligent enough to be productive in a positive way. My guess is that that 8th circle in hell (see Wikipedia) will be full of bad hackers pissing on each others' legs. Maybe it'll help relieve the pain of the fire...momentarily.

Anyway, read about the latest updates at WashingtonPost.com.

"Parting is all we know of heaven and all we need of hell."

-Emily Dickinson

Monday, December 11, 2006

Cingular Still Sucks

Thanks to everyone for the response concerning the crude rude Cingular people at the North Gloster Street location next to Sam's. The emails are appreciated, and comments are still accessible for anyone that'd like to share a part of this horror story. It seems the two women (mentioned in the post December 5, 2006 titled Cingular? More Like Dingular...They Suck) have been having a field day inspiring hate and discord in our community. The Public Service Commission has forms online and the complaint process is underway. It is time to stop this abuse of the consuming public.

Help out, make a comment. Use a fictitious name or just don't use a name. Tupelo, Mississippi, does not need creeps like these two undermining a spirit of good will that exists in the local retail community.

"I would remind you that extremism in the defense of liberty is no vice! And let me remind you also that moderation in the pursuit of justice is no virtue."
-Barry Goldwater

Sunday, December 10, 2006

Schedule or Agenda?

Temps in the local area are going to be in the low 60s this next week. The rain is supposed to be minimal which makes for a great week to complete tasks long overdue. It starts today. Of course the 'where do I start' question is always there to help out its best friend...procrastination. As my good friend HarleyDave says, "It all starts in the kitchen." So my third cup of coffee will be consumed while washing dishes.

There's a trip to Baldwyn planned today (power supply in hand} and a laptop has to be reloaded with Windows. There's a network report due Tuesday that still needs work. Palm software needs to go on a different computer and W2K SQL Server needs installation on the server. Monitors have to be moved and backaches are not permissible this time of year. Gee, think I'll ever get the garage painted and cleaned up?

Wondering about Wii? It's selling. Check out the stats at FIN24. For the non-gamers, Wii (pronounced We) is the newest innovation of Nintendo. You remember Nintendo? The Mario Brothers/Donkey Kong people? It has modules that include physical interaction. They are handheld. Okay just go read about it at the Wii homesite. Look out XBox 360, there's a new player in the game. Will their be one at the beach house? No. PC gamer here and there is ONLY one game, GuildWars.

Isn't it amazing? Got thru a post without whineysickboy showing up. Enjoy Sunday.

"Tomorrow is the day when idlers work, and fools reform."
-Edward Young

Saturday, December 09, 2006

Saturday's Update

Yes, yes the beach house is still around. The template used for this site has some corruption and it is almost 100% again. As mentioned for years new pages for this site are being developed. Just had to slow down and redo some critical components. This is a work in progress that may become live very soon.

I apologize to the person that knocked on the door yesterday and was not greeted. Being in the throes of a really nasty cold you really didn't want me to open it anyway. Not because of the potential of spreading germs, but because of the whineyboy syndrome. Being sick is NOT desirable. I know, my friends have told me this over and over again. Besides, my ability to get out of bed was like a sloth climbing down from a tree.

Thanks to everyone that posted a comment about the Dingulars. Thanks for the emails. Please keep commenting about these lying, rude people.

"He who trims himself to suit everyone will soon whittle himself away."
-Raymond Hull

Tuesday, December 05, 2006

Cingular? More Like Dingular...They Suck

Cingular users in the Tupelo area, please help me. Don't buy anything from the Cingular store next to Sam's. I have had an ongoing problem with an earbud headset which has a factory defect and they refused to honor the warranty on it today. Research is being done to find out specific names and they will be posted.

Bought the first one in April. It broke and I bought another a few months later from a polite young man named Scott. After expressing interest in purchasing a second one he mentioned if I still had the old one it could be replaced under warranty at no charge. Returning the next week it was discovered they had none in stock and needing to leave one in the car prompted me to purchase a Motorola Blue Tooth.

Well the earbud failed again. It has two small pieces that keep coming out of the connecting device which makes it inoperable. Took it by the same location and they refused to replace it or credit me the cost towards another Blue Tooth device. So, they are liars and have violated warranty procedures. When this contract is up my business will go elsewhere. Their rudeness was also noted and an investigation is underway to prompt further action. A woman waited on me and it was apparent the manager, who was too "busy" to come out front and talk to me was female.

Since they do come under the category of communications a report is being filed with the Mississippi Public Service Commission. Look, this is a small cost item. It's also a matter of manners and truth. If anyone else has had problems with these crude people please let me know. It irks me to have someone stand there smiling and smirking while telling me they will not uphold their end of a bargain. You know in the old West that was grounds for a gunfight.

And no, I won't calm down. My politeness lasted until the walk out the door and no profanity or threats were used. My last words were, "Please let me have my headset and receipt, I'll find another way to handle this problem." Yes, rudeness prompted me to take action many years ago concerning a like matter and legal advice was sought on how to handle the problem. That incident took legal action and I won. The lawyer was so upset with the crudeness of this business he waived the fee! Will keep you posted.

“A little rudeness and disrespect can elevate a meaningless interaction to a battle of wills and add drama to an otherwise dull day.”
-Watterson

Monday, December 04, 2006

Back Pain and Slightly Lower

Nice to wake up this morning with only a slight Flexiril hangover. Great drug that eases back pain, but it is one of my least favorite to take due to the dazed and confused afteshock experienced the next day. I really don't know if it relaxes muscles or just knocks you out so you can't move and that enhances the recovery process.

Ahhhh, Monday. There's a slight chill in the air, the sun is shining ever so bright and there's only 7 more days to work this week. Several tasks have to be performed and then a trip home to finish stuff left undone this weekend.. Sometime during the day I have to walk. Have to return to the doctor next week and he's probably not gonna' be happy with my lardbutt. Lose weight; easier said than done.

There is something computerese happening that has floored me. I've mentioned it before and it looks like taxing of online gaming assets is a real possibility. Say it ain't so!!!!! Please, someone wake me up from this nightmare. This is so far beyond absurd my mental facilities break down in just nano seconds when considering the how and why.

Let's see, the horses' asses we elected can't find time to punish the spyware creeps, but they can tax non-tangibles won in a game!?!?! Damn it boys and girsl in the legislative branch!! It's virtual money and goods. Virtual I say!!! IT'S NOT REAL!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!! What will the fools tax next? Air? Thoughts?

It's now time to hobble to the vehicle and start the day. Sure am awake after reading about the above topic.

"In the absence of justice, what is sovereignty but organized robbery?"
-St. Augustine

Sunday, December 03, 2006

Pass Me Another Glass of that Whine, Please

The aging process is still one of the great mysteries. Yesterday had an agenda to perform some overdue tasks and as I moved a shelf someone snuck up behind me and hit me in the lower back with a 10lb sledge hammer. Well, not really. It did feel like it. As I did my best Charles Laughton/Hunchback imitation and slowly made it to the house and then to the medicine cabinet, my tripping while going up the steps didn't help.

When growing up lifting stuff was never a problem. If a muscle was strained it repaired quickly, especially if there was something fun to attend. Now older, overweight and overwrought, back problems suck. It's not just the pain. The wasted time drives me nuts. Sorry MJR, I'll have to replace that Baldwyn power supply in a few days. Sorry Kim, Killer and Kristi. Will finish the remote maintenance in a few days.

Under the influence of Flexiril since yesterday makes me groggy. Please forgive any errors. Good Lord willin' Monday will be a better day. My wimpiness is outta' here.

"There is still no cure for the common birthday."
-John Glenn

Saturday, December 02, 2006

Saturday Not in the Park

Still having repercussions with the nexusmedia "screensaver" download, but we're gaining on it. My ability to publish here has some problems too. Seems part of the template is corrupted. It'll be nice to return to routine, lol.

Battlestar Galactica aired a new episode last night. It was about relieving tension onboard a warcraft by holding a ship wide boxing tournament. Guess it's politically correct since male and females participated in the same arena. That's carrying it a bit too far, but it is still a great show. This may be the weakest episode of the series. Bet they get better.

Got to move some stuff around in the garage, haul off trash and do some cleanup. Enjoy Saturday. Later.

"Time is an illusion, lunchtime doubly so."
-Douglas Adams

Friday, December 01, 2006

Another Approach to Starshine

During a search for some friends, a screensaver that looks much like a fireplace was downloaded from nexusmedia. WARNING!!!! Don't do it!! After adjusting the settings and putting it in place the computer crashed. Several crashes later it was finally removed through the add/remove programs with the little gem of a message saying 'all components could not be removed.' Even though they claim no adware, spyware on their site it was strange to find several baddies like doubleclick, etc., in the AVG Anti-spyware scan.

For some reason people go nuts over screensavers and desktop backgrounds around Christmas. Hey, if you don't like my politically incorrect exemption of all the other holidays then that's just too bad. To me, being a Christian, it is the Christmas season. I have almost no qualms with anyone celebrating other religious or nonreligious rites as long as they aren't trying to harm anyone. Satanism and that Jihad-antiAmerica stuff are not condoned by the beach house.

Also, while on this subject, I do use the pagan tree as decoration. Heck, I even hide eggs at Easter which is a Christian holiday that has some pagan influence and sometimes shoot off fireworks on the 4th of July (nothing really religious here, just proud to be in the USA and also the birthday of my Father who passed away several years ago). There's been green beer swilled on St. Patty's Day. Memorial and Labor Day are prime times to Parrothead LAN party celebrating the deadly cheeseburger and online gaming. But we were talking about downloading screensavers weren't we, huh, huh?!?!

Please be careful when downloading ANYTHING. You know, it's strictly against the law for someone to enter your house, go through your things, get your checking account number, sift through your mail, etc. Yet, there are few laws that stop spyware companies from doing EXACTLY the same thing. IMHO, round 'em all up and put 'em on a rocket then shoot it into the sun. Make it a slow trip too.

From time to time the question comes up, "What is the greatest problem in the world of computerese?" Let me tell you friends, brothers, sisters, neighbors, and the rest of the people on the planet the worst problem faced concerning the world of average computer usage is spyware, adware, dungware, malware, or whatever you want to call it. Got to be a survey that tells us that more money is spent on spyware protection and removal than even anti-virus measures!

Whew! Out of breath! Just be careful out there fellow netizens. And if nexus media looks in here's a personal message: If I ever become Emperor of the Known Universe, you will have reserve seats somewhere towards the front of that Sunbound Rocket I'll be launching.

Time to take my evening meds. Later.

"The world is a dangerous place, not because of those who do evil, but because of those who look on and do nothing."
-Einstein