Eve of a New Year

Be careful out. The life you save may be my own. Enjoy, but don't drive drunk!

"Slàinte mhath"
~Gaelic toast to goood health

Interesting iPad Info

The beach house is presently all about learning to use Tablets and iPads. Don't believe the hype that all iPad apps cost mega bucks. Not true. Most are free. Another falsehood - You must have FLASH to enjoy movies or even surf the net. This has been a very minor problem. If you enjoy TV via internet there is even a free app for huluPlus! Caught up on Craig Ferguson antics last night via iPad.

If you are a new user downloading the manual from Apple might be advantageous. It's a .pdf file and has really helped. Several good articles are out there to get a noob started. Google search for iPad user, iPad noob, free iPad apps, etc. Tremendous devices.

"For a successful technology, reality must take precedence over public relations, for Nature cannot be fooled."
~Richard Feynman

Random Thursday - Chuck Ordered a Big Mac at Burger King...and Got It!

After watching this clip try to search for -> Chuck Norris <- at Google and hit the I'm Feeling Lucky button.



Need more Chuck? Check out Chuck Norris Facts.


"Chuck Norris can capitalize numbers."
~CNF website

Good Email Circulating

Thanks MJ for a good email!

SOME OF YOU MAY APPRECIATE THIS AND SOME OF YOU MAY NOT.
THE ONES THAT DON'T NEED HELP!

*If any of our presidents had doubled the national debt, which had taken more than two centuries to accumulate, in one year, would you have approved?

*If any of our presidents had then proposed to double the debt again within 10 years, would you have approved?

*If any of our presidents had criticized a state law that he admitted he never even read, would you think that he is just an ignorant hot head?

*If any of our presidents joined the country of Mexico and sued a state in the United States to force that state to continue to allow illegal immigration, would you question his patriotism and wonder who's side he was on?

*If any of our presidents had pronounced the Marine Corps as Marine Corpse, would you think him an idiot?

*If any of our presidents had put 87,000 workers out of work by arbitrarily placing a moratorium on offshore oil drilling on companies that have one of the best safety records of any industry because one foreign company had an accident, would you have agreed?

*If any of our presidents had used a forged document as the basis of the moratorium that would render 87000 American workers unemployed would you support him?

*If any of our presidents had been the first President to need a Teleprompter installed to be able to get through a press conference, would you have laughed and said this is more proof of how inept he is on his own and is really controlled by smarter men behind the scenes?

*If any of our presidents had spent hundreds of thousands of dollars to take his First Lady to a play in NYC, would you have approved?


*If any of our presidents had reduced your retirement plan holdings of GM stock by 90% and given the unions a majority stake in GM, would you have approved?

*If any of our presidents had made a joke at the expense of the Special Olympics, would you have approved?

*If any of our presidents had given Gordon Brown a set of inexpensive and incorrectly formatted DVDs, when Gordon Brown had given him a thoughtful and historically significant gift, would you have approved?

*If any of our presidents had given the Queen of Englandan iPod containing videos of his speeches, would you have thought it a proud moment for America ?

*If any of our presidents had bowed to the King of Saudi Arabia would you have approved?

*If any of our presidents had visited Austria and made reference to the nonexistent "Austrian language," would you have brushed it off as a minor slip?

*If any of our presidents had filled his cabinet and circle of advisers with people who cannot seem to keep current in their income taxes, would you have approved?

*If any of our presidents had stated that there were 57 states in the United States, wouldn't you have had second thoughts about his capabilities?

*If any of our presidents would have flown all the way to Denmark to make a five minute speech about how the Olympics would benefit him walking out his front door in his home town, would you not have thought he was a self-important, conceited, egotistical jerk.

*If any of our presidents had been so Spanish illiterate as to refer to "Cinco de Cuatro" in front of the Mexican ambassador when it was the 5th of May (Cinco de Mayo), and continued to flub it when he tried again, wouldn't you have winced in embarrassment?

*If any of our presidents had burned 9,000 gallons of jet fuel to go plant a single tree on Earth Day, would you have concluded he's a hypocrite?

*If any of our presidents' administrations had okayed Air Force One flying low over millions of people followed by a jet fighter in downtown Manhattan causing widespread panic, would you have wondered whether they actually got what happened on 9-11?

*If any of our presidents had failed to send relief aid to flood victims throughout the Midwest with more people killed or made homeless than in New Orleans, would you want it made into a major ongoing political issue with claims of racism and incompetence?

*If any of our presidents had created the position of 32 Czars who report directly to him, bypassing the House and Senate on much of what is happening in America, would you have ever approved.

*If any of our presidents had ordered the firing of the CEO of a major corporation, even though he had no constitutional authority to do so, would you have approved?

So, tell me again, what is it about Obama that makes him so brilliant and impressive? Every statement and action in this email is factual and directly attributable to Barrack Hussein Obama. Every bumble is a matter of record and completely verifiable.
AND NOW--
HE ACTUALLY WANTS US TO RE-ELECT HIM.
WAKE UP AMERICA 2012 IS UPON US.
.

"I have the consolation of having added nothing to my private fortune during my public service, and of retiring with hands clean as they are empty."
~Jefferson

SOPA Sucks - Act II

Somebody needs to beat the hell out of Lamar Smith! C'mon Texans. Get rid of this jerk!

EDIT: Apologies to my Texas friends. Seems I should quit pointing fingers and look in my own back yard! Sen. Thad Cochran (R, MS) was a co-sponsor. Oh yes, he will get an email or two...



What is this Satan sponsored bill?



Bravo Master of Many Things!!



"In a political sense, there is one problem that currently underlies all of the others. That problem is making Government sufficiently responsive to the people. If we dont make government responsive to the people, we dont make it believable. And we must make government believable if we are to have a functioning democracy."
~Gerald R. Ford

Music Monday - OBG Barracuda

Awesome rock tune, by awesome musicians. Ahhhhhhh.......back in the day, lol.



"Education without values, as useful as it is, seems rather to make man a more clever devil."
~C.S. Lewis

It's Christmas!

May joy dwell in your heart and the aches of your soul subside. Now I've got to run and get back to the magnificent 64GB, WiFi, 3G, iPad2 that was gifted to me in great shock yesterday. Oh yes it will be discussed again. Thanks out to the Johnson family and biz for a wonderful, wonderful surprise. This is literally the "Mac Daddy!"

New TS Addy

New Teamspeak addy is

207.68.230.194

Use existing values for ports, etc.

Metrocast is busy upgrading in order to double our speed. If you have a brief interruption, just stay calm and reboot the service. Instead of growling, think about how tremendous they have been in the past. We can certainly bear with a few days transition to go from 10 down - 1 up to 25 down - 2 up. Besides, you have to talk to Ashy or me (Server Admins) and how many times has fussing or whining ever caused us to change? LOL!

Hope this helps!

Go Daddy No Longer Endorses the Dark Side of the Force

The dazed and confused finally became lucid after the money chain was jerked. You can read their announcement HERE. Thanks out to Richi Jennings on Google+ for posting the info. Go Daddy bears watching though. They may do something else stupid like support Nobama. And yes, I agree with the quote.

"Too little, too late for Gone Daddy!"
~Richard Arnold (comment on Richi Jennings' Google+ post)

Low Daddy

What is Go Daddy, besides evil?

Go Daddy is an Internet domain registrar and Web hosting company that also sells e-business related software and services. In 2010, it reached more than 45 million domain names under management.[2][3] Go Daddy is currently the largest ICANN-accredited registrar in the world, and is four times the size of its closest competitor.
~Wikipedia

If you are using these jerks please stop. You are doing business with a company that supports the IP Protect Act/SOPA. When confronted with a boycott that is underway Go Daddy basically told everyone, "Kiss my ass." Please people, the IP Protect Act/SOPA will force us to eventually stop using the internet. Read more at ArsTechnica; GoDaddy Faces boycott over SOPA support. This type legislation is a major threat to our privacy and rights as individuals. And please please please vote Obama out of the White House next November. Our country is in a mess and getting worse while he is in office.

Pertinent Cybersouth FTSBH (from the saltillo beach house) reading can be found in posts made on December 14th and 20th. Go to the BLOG ARCHIVE on the right hand side of this page and click on the appropriate date. Here you can also find any post made at Cybersouth FTSBH since April 2003.

"All things may corrupt when minds are prone to evil."
~Ovid

Random Thursday - That Darn Cat

This is certainly not mainstream tech help, but what the heck, it's Christmas.



"Cats are smarter than dogs. You can't get eight cats to pull a sled through snow."
~Jeff Valdez

The Weather Inside is Frightful

How about some stress relief? Go to the Google Search Page. In the box type - Let It Snow - . Click the button or press Enter. Snow flakes will fill the screen and your monitor will become covered with frost. When it appears, hit the Defrost button and the frost will go away leaving a gentle snowfall. Not really tech help. Well, maybe it is...

"Blow, blow, thou winter wind
Thou art not so unkind,
As man's ingratitude."
~Shakespeare

IP Protect Act, Downright Evil!

Creep of the Year, Harry Reid

People never cease to amaze me. For instance, who is the madman that put the lala virus in all of Nevada's water supplies? Oh yes, it has happened. I have it on good advice from my space alien friends. You may be asking yourself, "Now why is Dock trying to PO a whole state?" Here's why - they need to stop re-electing that village idiot Harry Reid!! God help the poor conservatives in Nevada. Folks you can sit on those fat asses and not pay attention to what this evil agent of Satan is serving up in Congress if you like. I won't. He is trying to destroy our rights as free people by butchering the internet. This plus the SOPA baboons mixes for a nightmare straight out of hell. Here's what Senator Ron Wyden (D-OR) had to say about S.968, aka the IP Protect Act:

"The primary architects of the Internet and our leading cyber-security experts have made it clear that this legislation will undermine the key technologies that prevent fraud and protect consumers on the Internet. Our nation's leading first amendment scholars have made it clear that this bill poses a serious threat to speech and civil liberties for all who use the Internet. And our nation's leading technology employers warn that this bill presents a clear and present danger to innovation and job growth in an area that is going to be a major source of new jobs for this century."

Always good to know that conservative Democrats exist. Restores my faith in humanity. They are rare this day and time. For further reading please check out ArsTechnica. There are several links in the article that will inform you about these outrageous attempts at squashing freedom. Please let your Congress People know your concerns and if you see Harry Reid throw dog poop on him then tell the goon I said, "Hi."

"In matters of style, swim with the current; in matters of principle, stand like a rock."
~Thomas Jefferson

Music Monday - Domino

No, it's not the classic by Van Morrison. It's a super song though, co-written by Katy Perry. Jessie is good looking, has a super voice and should achieve more great musical heights. This song makes me wanna' dance!

Get More: Jessie J, Domino - LIVE Montage, Domino - LIVE Montage, Free Music Videos

EDIT: Wondering whose name is in the Hollywood Walk of Fame Star? Here's a hint - 'JB' and not Jimmy Buffett, lol.

"Hide not your talents, they for use were made. What's a sun-dial in the shade?"
~Benjamin Franklin

Today's Link Is In The Third Paragraph

My desktop is out of commission. Several motherboard capacitors went Mt. Vesuvius on me this past weekend. My time spent building and repairing computers is quickly coming to an end. Therefore, some still useful hints and tips will be passed on from time to time about various areas of repair. If you have the money don't experiment. Let a pro take care of the problems. A good tech will have the necessary tools, software, and knowledge to repair devices. In the long run this is probably the best bang for your buck.

Whew! Just finished a motherboard repair and had to rest for a while. Max stress job. For me anyway. When there's no coinage for a replacement, you try to utilize what is available or go without. Going without a desktop at the beach house is the same as taking a hammer away from a carpenter or hiding the Bible from the preacher. Burned a Hiren's Boot Disk from an .iso file. Will probably wait until tomorrow to use it.

What or who is Hiren? Go find out. Click on Hiren. Back now? Can we say AWESOME? I certainly can. If you are not well experienced nor have some Windows technical training you need to stay away from this fantastic download. Let me reiterate: If you don't know how to create a disk from an .iso file, please pass on this one. It is a BOOT disk and starts in DOS mode or faux DOS mode if you please. Danger! Will Robinson! Danger! This is a wonderful repair tool for many things, but in the wrong hands it can wreak havoc on a machine. Use at your own risk.

Hope this helps!

Genius may have its limitations, but stupidity is not thus handicapped.
~Hubbard

GTK

Are you a Googleite? I am. They are miles ahead any other web portal. I really like the iGoogle home page. It's easily customized and the navigation is downright simple. Google offers many services, like Google mail (aka GMail), Picasa (we don't need no stinkin' Photoshop!), Google Maps (where u want to go today or any other time) Chrome Browser (surf the net at the speed o' light), Google Earth, Google Calendar, Google Translate, Google Docs, Google Talk etc. You can download these and more at Google Products. Not just great stuff, but also free! They now have another great service -> Good To Know. You don't really have to be Google crazy to see the value in this newer offering. Just click on the link and take a look. Bet you learn something.

Hope this helps!

"Life isn't fair. It's just fairer than death, that's all."
~William Goldman, The Princess Bride

Testing Internet Speed

Two good sites that measure speed:

Metrocast of Mississippi Speed Test

Ookla Speedtest.net

Metrocast's test is straightforward and a one button click produces results. Obviously, it's tuned towards the locale. Yes Comcast people, it works fine with your ISP. Ookla Speedtest.net is about as good as it gets. You can customize it to fit most any area. I highly recommend running a traceroute or contacting your ISP to find your real server info and using it. For instance, even though I live less than 100 miles from Memphis, TN most of my internet traffic is routed through Atlanta, GA. So using the Atlanta Speedtest server performs better and this will mean more accurate results. Make an account and save your info. This site has depth. Please be careful. Watch out for embedded ads that try to mimic the style of the site and look like they are part of Speedtest.net.

Use these links with caution. Cybersouth is not responsible for any problems you create. Hope this helps.

"But what we call our despair is often only the painful eagerness of unfed hope."
~George Eliot

Random Thursday - Another Song to Play at My Funeral (if somebody will bury me, lol)

After this enjoying this fantastic musical group live in concert earlier this year (TYVM MJ & Joe), it's a pleasure to see Celtic Woman more animated in this new DVD. Amazing. They seem to grow more gorgeous every time I see them. If you expect awesomeness and superior talent you won't be disappointed. If your bandwidth and PC can take it increase the resolution to 1080p and expand to full screen.



Lyrics

Of all the money that ere I had, I spent it in good company.
And of all the harm that ere I've done, alas was done to none but me.
And all I've done for want of wit, to memory now I cannot recall.
So fill me to the parting glass. Goodnight and joy be with you all.

Of all the comrades that ere I had, they're sorry for my going away,
And of all the sweethearts that ere I had , they wish me one more day to stay,
But since it falls unto my lot that I should rise while you should not,
I will gently rise and I'll softly call, "Goodnight and joy be with you all!"

Oh, if I had money enough to spend and leisure time to sit awhile
There is a fair maid in this town that sorely has my heart beguiled
Her rosey cheeks and ruby lips, she alone has my heart in thrall.
So fill me to the parting glass. Goodnight and joy be with you all

"Ah, music. A magic beyond all we do here!"
~J.K. Rowling

SOPA Sucks

Okay, our country is run by mad, rabid lunatics whose heads stay where the sun doesn't shine. If you are not familiar with SOPA you might want to check it out. A good place to start is User Talk: Jim Wales. Among other things, Mr. Wales is the founder of Wikipedia. Be sure and check out some of the comments. It came to mind that President Reagan saw the end of communism when he said, "Tear down that wall Mr. Gorbachev." Are the government goobers testing to see if this oppressive way of life can be implemented on many levels once again?!?!?

How did this slip by all of us? You can bet I will ask Senator Wicker! Everyone should contact their elected officials and protest mightily. With SOPA "protecting" we certainly don't have to worry about 'keeping our enemies close' since they will be right in the middle of our business. Thanks out to Slashdot for a very important link.

"There's no trick to being a humorist when you have the whole government working for you. I don't make jokes. I just watch the government and report the facts."
~Will Rogers

GW Info

Here's two videos concerning the GW2 Mesmer Profession. Ritualists and Assassins might find it interesting too. Awesome looking. Just hope they don't nerf or skill balance it out of existence.





Here's the link to the official announcement: GW2 Mesmer. Below are the official videos that show some of the skills:

Not a Mere Drip

Ever since Chrome rocked the internet crowd - interest in a new browser has been minimal. But a new variant of a well known browser is making a splash. So far I like it. Splash is an appropriate word since the new browser is Waterfox. As my bookmarks (favorites) are synced and speed comparisons begin to show up it''ll be easier to give an opinion. IE certainly has real competition, but is still the most popular.

Waterfox 8.0.1 is 64 bit and requires Microsoft's Visual C++ 2010 Redistributable Package (x64). It's a simple install and can be downloaded here. It's also linked at the Waterfox download page. You'll find links to Flash 11, Silverlight 5, and 64 bit Sun Java there too. Download at your risk. If you become TARFU don't complain here.

Hope this helps!

NOTE: Guild Wars participants: Mesmer will be confirmed as the 8th profession in GW2 tomorrow.

"Cyberspace. A consensual hallucination experienced daily by billions of legitimate operators, in every nation, by children being taught mathematical concepts."
~Gibson

Music Monday - My Heart and My Spirit

Just listen:



"Beauty is in the eye of the beholder and it may be necessary from time to time to give a stupid or misinformed beholder a black eye."
~Miss Piggy

Modus Operandi

Thanks out to Maryke for a great pix!

In the long run the pessimist may be proved right, but the optimist has a better time on the trip.
~Reardon

Merry Christmas?

Interesting thing happened today. I had to cash a small check in a bank where I have no account. This is rare thing for me. I needed to buy cheap, non-nutritious food to keep my fat ass fat and also put fuel in the truck. Usually hats are not part of my wardrobe. I did have one on and the lady asked me to remove it and was very nice. She pointed to several signs posted in the bank. They supported her hat removal thing. She was courteous. She smiled and wished me a great holiday season. I said thank you.

Then, with the hat removal thing in mind which seemed like Regions Bank's wimpy parallel to an attempt at uber control, I made a decision. "Ma'am, I wish you a Merry Christmas. Certainly I hope the holiday season finds you well. I also wish you good tidings of comfort and joy if you are not celebrating the birth of Christ. But, I am a Christian and not shy about it. Take my Christmas wish however you like."

This is Regions Bank? Telling me how to dress? I'll not to be back. It was a convenience thing just to get cash to eat. Regions Bank charged me a few dollars to extend a transaction that consisted of them making good on a check written on THEM. Hmmmm, concept of legal tender no longer exists, huh? The man whose face is on that dollar bill handed to me would have wasted the place like Bunker Hill if he had faced such indignant treatment. Does un-American attitude come to mind?

As I walked towards the door I heard, "Merry Christmas Mr. West and thank you." I stopped and smiled with a nod. I knew Regions Bank was history. It felt good to keep walking and know my idiot ass attitude had a positive result.

Regions Bank sucks. Their teller did not.

"Hope is the thing with feathers, that perches in the soul, and sings the tune without words, and never stops at all."
~Emily Dickinson

Random Thursday - Africa Redux

Ashy asked about this version of Africa. It was used here some time ago. Fascinating alternative to the song posted this past Music Monday. Very creative, bordering on brilliant in my opinion. Turn it up or use a headset if possible. The audio quality is very good.



"Music hath the charm to soothe a savage beast, but I'd try a revolver first."
~Josh Billings

Windows Media Center Glitch

Is Windows Media Center opening at random? There is a trojan infection going around that can cause this behavior. It is also a known problem that the Windows people acknowledge. First run your updated anti-virus software. Then run your updated anti-spyware tools. Then run an updated CCleaner.

Not using CCleaner? Might be a good idea to start. Download it at Piriform. There are three columns in the center of the download page. Click the free column (the one on the left) and download from Piriform, it's a trusted sight. After the initial installation be sure and click the Options button towards the upper left on the opening page and then click the Cookies button. Save the cookies for sites you trust. Email me cybersouth@gmail.com if you have questions.

Windows Media Center still aggravating you? Here are 3 solutions provided by the folks at Microsoft. I implemented the first two solutions before reading the forum and finally used number 3 to resolve the problem:

1. Disable the Windows Media Center Services
Click Start, type services.msc and pressEnter
Find Windows Media Center Extender Service and double click it
On the General tab, change Startup Type to Disabled and click OK to close that window
Repeat steps 2 and 3 for Windows Media Center Receiver Service,Windows Media Center Scheduler Service andWindows Media Center Service Launcher
Close the Services window and reboot

2. Disable Windows Media Center via Group Policy (Note: This is not an option for Windows Vista Home Premium users)
Click Start, type gpedit.msc and press Enter
Under Computer Configuration, navigate to Administrative Templates > Windows Components > Windows Media Center
In the right pane, double click the only policy (Do not allow Windows Media Center to run)
Select Enabled (sounds weird but this will indeed prevent WMC from running) and clickOKto close that Window
Close the Local Group Policy Editor and reboot

3. Disable Windows Media Center via the registry
Click Start, type regedit and press Enter
Navigate to HKEY_LOCAL_MACHINE > SOFTWARE > Policies > Microsoft
Right click on Microsoft and choose New >Key
Name the key WindowsMediaCenter and press Enter
Right click on the key you just created and choose New > DWORD (32-bit) Value
Name the DWORD MediaCenter and press Enter twice
Change the Hexadecimal value to 1 and press OK
Close Registry Editor and reboot

You can go to the forum from which the 3 solutions were gleaned here: Microsoft Answers.

Hope this helps! Download and perform these tasks at your own risk. Cybersouth is in no way responsible if you FUBAR your machine. Besides, seeking legal action to get money from me is like drawing blood from a turnip. Since neither is there, can we say impossible? You might have more luck with that turnip thangy.

"Experts agree that the best type of computer for your individual needs is one that comes on the market about two days after you actually purchase some other computer."
~Dave Barry

God Bless the United States of America

Please, please take just a few minutes and listen to why this man WILL be the next President of the United States. Just play it in the background if you're busy and hear what is said. Better yet, grab a cup of coffee or your favorite beverage and spend some important quality time honoring our fallen Veterans and your fellow Americans by listening to a true God fearing American that can and will put our country back on the right track. It's concise, easy to understand, very much to the point, no holds barred and he even makes the crowd laugh. Yes, my hat is in his arena. There are some old problems that the Satan driven mega evil MSNBC stooges harp on continuously like rabid shrews. Newt has made mistakes. He's human, remember? Everyone in the race has some positives and negatives, but most anyone running will be better than the present office holder. Thanks out to my friend EdC for another tremendous link. I truly think that this video will be a part of history.



"To compel a man to subsidize with his taxes the propagation of ideas which he disbelieves and abhors is sinful and tyrannical."
~Thomas Jefferson

"The strongest reason for the people to retain the right to keep and bear arms is, as a last resort, to protect themselves against tyranny in government."
~Thomas Jefferson

"It is incumbent on every generation to pay its own debts as it goes. A principle which if acted on would save one-half the wars of the world."
~Thomas Jefferson

Music Monday - Africa

An awesome live performance. Toto really rocks. As a group they are very tight, engineering is spot on, and individual brief solos present their tremendous talents as musicians. This is what modern music is all about! The photos that are included are from a farm in South Africa that is the residence of a friend of mine. Can you imagine a giraffe wandering around the lower 40? How do you like the old Willys jeep? Is that kewl transportation or what? Thanks 'Crystal' for the great pixs. The last photo is a long shot down a dirt road either on or near Crystal's farm. You see three faint spots in the road ahead. When you zoom in you find three lions lounging in the road!

"God gave us memories that we might have roses in December."
~James Barrie (Neverland, on SyFy, concludes tonight. Great mini-series so far.)

Teamspeak Adjustment

Attention: TS3 clients. New addy -> 24.245.123.130. Same ports same pswds,etc. Just change your address in the Teamspeak Client software and leave other settings alone. You can also do a search in the Teamspeak Server list and it will load your settings. Be sure and do a save. There are multiple users online using the service at this time. Trust me, the service is running at optimum settings so if problems are encountered please check your settings. If all else fails please contact me via phone. Reason for change? Replaced a failed power supply and updated for security reasons. Sorry for the inconvenience. Always nice to have an extra server class PS in stock. BTW, UW, lol.

SideNote: The new Celtic Woman DVD, Believe, will be broadcast for the first time tonight on some PBS stations.

Letting Go of Anger Can be Tough

Being politically correct is a communist plot inspired by Satan and his terrorist henchmen to undermine the weak and ignorant. It's not politically correct to say such a thing??!?! OMG! What shall I ever do? Let's try again. How about, "Kiss my fat ass you bunch of wimpy jerks??!?!?!" Folks, get over it. Look up the word manners in the dictionary and if you can wrap your mind around the definition then seek to improve politeness (with reasonable measure - some people are idiots and good manners won't prevail, but if we all strive to be nice it'll help). This world has enough problems without gangsta rap, racist tirades, liberal boohoos and whines, elitist rhetoric and dumbasses that have no clue about anything yet think they know it all. That last group really makes the hair stand up on the back of my neck.

Last time there was a major check it was discovered that I too, am an individual human with rights, feelings, hope, desires and goals. This country is in a horrible mess. People are starving. Some will suffer at the hands of the "righteous" self appointed life-judges. They think those that are poor should freeze or die of heat stroke. Why? The goofball administration now in place has all but committed treason. After being elected they have continually attacked the American way of life. "Yep, just go right ahead and turn off their electricity. We could care less if they live or die," said the power company to the poor. So, it's time to quit being part of the problem and become an ingredient in the solution.

Before this current administration took office, I had never known real poverty. Fear was something that haunted my dreams of Vietnam, not the queasy feeling now sometimes felt upon first awakening. Poverty was something that I knew existed, but never experienced. Damn it! Being hungry sucks. Especially when one is a fat ass. Not knowing if your refrigerator will be running when you get home is terrifying. To think that precious pack of bologna and other cheap consumables may spoil is a real problem. Not a day goes by without people being thrown out of their dwellings. This is not because they are lazy, but because they worked hard all life long and then had the rug jerked from under them.

Even though I am a Republican and believe our great nation can turn around after the election, I am also a Republican with concerns about my fellow humans. Next time you enter that grocery store or supermarket and are able to purchase good, healthy food for your family take a minute to stop and think. There's a sister or brother out there that just might need YOUR helping hand. Find a way to contribute to the human race. Children, including yours, are watching...

"The democracy will cease to exist when you take away from those who are willing to work and give to those who would not."
~Thomas Jefferson

More cowbell!

Middle of the Night Post

I can't sleep. It's been a while since I've written anything about Guild Wars. Yes, I still play and try to check in daily. I've a farming system that's made to find consumables and virtual money. It involves a few minutes per day. I'll try to post a more detailed plan of attack if anyone is interested. Ahhh, if only my real world was as rich as the virtual world. Diligently fighting the current economic crisis and struggling to pay bills and money owed, I feel guilty about spending too much time in Guild Wars. But, it is the cheapest entertainment (besides reading - I am halfway through the second Game of Thrones book) around.

Guild Wars has no monthly fee. The complete game cycle of 4 chapters can be purchased for under 40 bucks today. Under 30 if you shop. You will need a substantial PC to play. Most any new PC class computer has high enough specifications. Sorry, Apple friends. Guild Wars, like many popular games, will run on only the PC platform. If you own an Apple and know how to WINE or run any of the other emulations then the problem is solved. WINE gives Apple users the capability to run Windows Operating Systems on their machines. It also works beautifully with Linux machines too.

Morgana & Zevon in the Kudzu Dragons Guild Hall

Guild Wars is an older multiple player online game that has been around for years. It is the second most popular game in this genre. World of Warcraft still reigns number one at this time. WoW is good game that has improved down through the years, but there is a substantial monthly fee. Start up, the initial purchase, is also rather expensive. For my money, Guild Wars is awesome. For years they had a goober named Izzy Cartwright that changed the skills around, but they've curbed that dog thank goodness. He is responsible for a large number of players leaving the game. The Kudzu Dragons Guild has had several players either leave or suspend play due to his shenanigans. As my friend Ashy always says, "Every village has an idiot." Izzy's main problem was catering to PvP (combat against other live players) and ignoring PvE (players solo or in groups against the ingame characters). Needless to say the PvE players are a vast majority in this virtual world.

Anyway, if you think you want to play let me know. I keep up with the best places to buy the game and am a member of a small, but active guild, the mighty Kudzu Dragons. We have several players, as mentioned above, that have suspended play and plan on returning as the advent of GW2 approaches, which may be soon. Several of our members have maxed out the game and still play. All our guild members are willing to help each other. Some clarification; we all will help if we have time. Sometimes we are just not online long enough to participate in long ventures. However, we have been known to plan ahead. Usually Tuesday and Thursday nights plus weekends are good. Let us know if you need a max group to aid and abet. We can plan a mission or quest.

Arcturus the Mesmer & direwolf "Big Bad"

One great advantage of being a Kudzu Dragon is that we own our own TeamSpeak server. We also have a great Server Admin. Ashy keeps this service running smoothly. It is in the throes of upgrade, but we expect no downtime due to this enhancement. This service provides Voice over Internet Protocol and is provided free to members. It's nice to use an inexpensive headset (20 bucks or less at the local Wal-Mart) and be able to talk to people halfway around the world. It's an easy install, setup and very user friendly. You'll think people are in the next room! It's a great tool for online gaming and sometimes gameplay is idle due to the hilarious conversations.

The K Dragons also have super LAN parties throughout the year. We usually convene on Saturday and play until whenever. This is a physical gathering that has a nice family atmosphere with great food and much laughter. We are children friendly so you can bring the younglings. Our foreign friends also check in online for gameplay and fun.

Contact me at cybersouth@gmail.com if interested. A good time will be had by all!

Transportation

I have friends in South Africa. Think I'll contact them and see if they will send me one of these for Christmas:



Thanks out to EdC for the great link!!

"Everything in life is somewhere else, and you get there in a car."
~White

Music Monday - Sara

Music from Daryl's House never ceases to amaze me. This is a classic with Mr. Hall playing in the band and Jimmy Wayne singing lead. So refreshing that real music is not forgotten. Take that, all trash mouth rap idiots!!



"Words make you think a thought. Music makes you feel a feeling. A song makes you feel a thought."
~Harburg

IMHO

Please check this article about Gun Control. I encourage everyone to vote in a united fashion to remove the current chief exec from office. I also encourage anyone that votes for him to seek help for your damaged brain problem. Anyone that disagrees is encouraged to leave here immediately and never return.

"Blessed are the people whose leaders can look destiny in the eye without flinching but also without attempting to play God."
~Henry Kissinger

Thanksgiving: I Miss You Dad, Love Ya Mom!

The following is a comment that shook my soul:

my dad passed away in april this year.. and i swear i hear and see his echo in my 3 year old daughter.. every time i feel robbed and cheated at his passing i stand and just look at Piper..just for a minute, then i pick her up and cuddle her like it's my last cuddle, kiss her on the forehead and tell her i love her. and think of my dad. i just hope Piper loves me as much as i loved dad.. i love to hate this song..
Training1700

This is for someone. No, not my daughters. Not their children. Sometimes you have to let go. We shall all pass. Rejoice and be glad we cannot see any further. God made it that way. Rejoice and be glad we can love after death. God let it be that way. Rejoice and be glad there is truly a thing called peace. Κύριε, ἐλέησον.



Is a quote necessary today?

Fellow Weyr Members

Long live Pern. Anne McCaffrey passed from this life at the age of 85. She was a constant source of imagination, entertainment and enthralled me over and over with her books. Of course the Dragonrider books were my favorites and probably influenced my fascination with dragons as much as did Merlin, the Arthurian mage. Yes I do realize that dragons and probably Merlin too are mythological. Anne was not. She was prolific and always great fun to read. I think there is a movie in the making based upon her dragon books. Read more about this great science fiction writer and pioneer at Wikipedia.

"Live as if you were to die tomorrow. Learn as if you were to live forever."
~Mahatma Gandhi

Music Monday - Let Me Be What's Underneath

Sometimes the music of mind overwhelms our narrow look at the big picture. It's then that courage has a chance to inspire greatness. How many times we get back up...



Have I said lately how VEVO is base, crass, intrusive and needs to learn lessons from Google?



Take all my vicious words
And turn them into something good
Take all my preconceptions
And let the truth be understood
Take all my prized possessions
Leave only what I need
Take all my pieces of doubt
And let me be what's underneath
Courage is when you're afraid,
But you keep on moving anyway
Courage is when you're in pain,
But you keep on living anyway
We all have excuses why
Living in fear something in us dies
Like a bird with broken wings
It's not how high he flies,
But the song he sings
Courage is when you're afraid,
But you keep on moving anyway
Courage is when you're in pain,
But you keep on living anyway
It's not how many times you've been
knocked down
It's how many times you get back up
Courage is when you've lost your way,
But you find your strength anyway
Courage is when you're afraid
Courage is when it all seems grey
Courage is when you make a change,
And you keep on living anyway
You keep on moving anyway
You keep on giving anyway
You keep on loving anyway
~Orianthi

Music Monday - Lord Have Mercy

Anyone that knows me realizes I have two daughters that are gorgeous, extremely intelligent, full of life, embracers of things familial, awesome people in general and both seem to rejoice in that which is geekified or nerdistic. Sorry, it's just not possible to be humble when the subject matter comes to them. So I often visit beagle's site and review her favorites in music. She recently posted Broken Wings, another Mr. Mister music video. The video posted here today has poor visuals, but awesome audio. Inspirational, to say the least:



Lyrics:

The wind blows hard against this mountain side,
across the sea into my soul
It reaches into where I cannot hide,
setting my feet upon the road

My heart is old, it holds my memories,
my body burns a gemlike flame
Somewhere between the soul and soft machine,
is where I find myself again

Chorus:
Kyrie eleison, down the road that I must travel
Kyrie eleison, through the darkness of the night
Kyrie eleison, where I'm going will you follow
Kyrie eleison, on a highway in the light

When I was young I thought of growing old, o
of what my life would mean to me
Would I have followed down my chosen road,
or only wished what I could be

"Music is the shorthand of emotion."
~J.R.R. Tolkien

Whiny Boy Reporting In

Thinking about changing my name to Malady Mike. First of the week a slight back altercation, not major. I did slow down and not stress it too much in order to recover and complete work that has to be done. I get over it, start moving stuff and working around the beach house. Within 30 minutes I managed to step on a nail. It hurt then and still does now. In the center of the arch in my right foot. Just writing this makes it hurt. I am such a wimp. Also managed to catch a stomach bug going around. Should have seen me hopping on one foot towards the 'throne' room and barfing. Wait, no, glad you didn't see it. So now I am out a pair of shoes and may just throw the stinking clothes away.

Yes, whining abounds at the beach house. People keep offering to help me do stuff, but I have to accomplish recovery from the mess I've created. Besides, I know what needs to go and stay. Don't want anyone suggesting I be on TV for hoarding, lol. Anyway, a huge TY to everyone, but I'll ask when the time comes. Right now the inability to walk hinders me so I am going to put in some hours on a network we are changing. That should take my mind off the silly stuff.

Thing's are tough and being broke really really sucks. Yet I have faith that the Good Lord has some mission for me. Still grateful for my life, even the sad times. Hopefully I can recover from the stabbing foot pain and be granted a few decent days. I am praying!

"Many people pray to be kept out of unexpected problems.Some people pray to be able to confront and overcome them."
~Toba Beta

Short note

When we talk on cell phones, Teamspeak, Google Talk, etc., please hang up afterwards...

Wednesday Notes and a Great Funny

The asteroid is leaving our area of space. Makes me happy. So please don't panic when the sirens go off at 1:00pm CST today. FEMA and several organizations will try to sync the warning signals throughout the country for a few minutes. TV and radio will be interrupted in conjunction with the sirens.

Firefox 8 is now available for download. It seems quicker and there's been no problems so far. Good browser. If anyone knows of a lightweight browser that works well on older XP PCs and has good security please let me know. Have a friend that is searching for such an application.

Want a good laugh? A really really good laugh? Take a look at Want to Be a free thinker but still a nice person. This is a blog written by a Mississippi native that now lives in Great Britain. I am not too happy that she seems to be an atheist, but she may not be happy with my United Methodist Church affiliation. Anyway the letter from Target to Mrs. Harris about her husband's conduct is one of the funniest things I've ever read! Thanks out to Richi Jennings, one of my Google+ friends, for a great link!

"Yesterday is history, tomorrow is a mystery, today is God's gift, that's why we call it the present."
~Joan Rivers

Music Monday - Thru the Grapevine

Classic treated properly.



"Music is the Voice that tells us that the human race is greater than it knows."
~Napoleon Bonaparte

About the Size of an American Aircraft Carrier - DON'T PANIC

YU-55 will pass between the moon and earth on Tuesday the 8th around 5:28pm CST. This particular asteroid has been tracked since 2005 and scientists say that it poses no danger. You will need a telescope with a diameter of 6" or greater to view it since our neighboring satellite will be in a gibbous moon phase. For those interested Leonid meteors will be visible at random times after midnight November 13th thru the 20th. Look towards the constellation of Leo for best viewing. This will be the shower's peak period.

"Keep looking up!"
~Jack Horkheimer

Repost

I deleted the original post. It was done in a fit of temper after watching pro Obama diatribe. While viewing, it suddenly dawned on me that Rachel Maddow is not on Fox News, but a regular among the halfwits that thrive over at the evil MSNBC. MSNBC is the worst channel on TV and I will delete it so I never have to feel that filthy again. Please excuse my rant and vulgar language. I really don't like liberals.

"I am not one of those who in expressing opinions confine themselves to facts"
~Mark Twain

Fly

Thought this had been pushed up before now. God knows watching without the huge tears is not an option. Know what? NEVER ask me. Just pray for the families. I miss my brothers...those fallen in every way.

POSTED Thursday, September 11, 2008
I am alone. And very very sad. Out of all my Vietnam friends that stayed in touch down through the years Myles K. Magnus was the next to last to survive. Now there is one - me. Myles and I spent an afternoon together a month or so ago and he was in tremendous spirits. He was laughing and we talked about the future. He was looking forward to a retirement consisting of a very well planned life of leisure. He was a hard worker all his life. He had recently retired from FedEx and counted Fred Smith as a personal friend. His is survived by his wonderful wife, Deb. Let me say something my friends; if every wife could be like Deb the world would be a far far better place. She has the right stuff.

Myles stayed in touch ever since our return from the land of purple haze and agent orange. Our conversations were upbeat most of the time and there was a lot of laughing. He was so in love with Deb. This I admired so much. Two wonderful people traveling through life and being a real couple. True love. Gosh it was a joy and a privilege to see them together. It breaks my heart that I cannot be in West Texas to at least offer aid and support. She never complained about Myles habit of reading constantly. His level of intelligence was off the scale. I have been influenced by his massive knowledge and strength of character. He had no enemies. This can go on and on.

Must go finish the shedding of tears and experience the inevitable grief. He will be missed by so many people. Thank the Good Lord he passed away in his sleep. I know he was at peace. Prayers out for Deb and everyone whose life he has touched. I loved him like a brother. Still do.

"The fear of death follows from the fear of life. A man who lives fully is prepared to die at any time."
~Mark Twain

Music Monday - Mayer Hawthorne

This appearance was last Friday night. Very good video with great audio. Nice treatment musically. The horn section is part of Letterman's band conducted by Paul Shaffer. Nice easy uptempo tune!



"Life is one grand, sweet song, so start the music."
~Ronald Reagan

Strokes Can Be Different

I've tried facebook twice now. Just not my thing. Everyone encouraged me to try it again. I did. Once again it was simply unsocial. Whether you admit it or not it seems we are all egocentric to some degree. Also, how would you feel if the only way you could communicate with me is coming here and interacting? Pause, pause, think, think, pause, pause. Just doesn't work does it? I wouldn't do it and certainly don't expect anyone else to adhere to such a silly policy either. Facebook made me feel that way. (EDIT: After further reflection, some folks may want to communicate with me this way!)

No doubt Cybersouth FTSBH can resemble a barnyard. Manure of male cattle has been slung here quite often. It's all in fun and for some goofy reason my fingers find time to put a post here occasionally. Some folks don't even read the posts. They scan to make sure there is not an obit involved then leave. That's fine. Some come here, skim every other word, then whine and complain. Even tell lies. That's fine too. If a comment really pisses me off I delete it. Actually, it has crossed my mind to do away with comments completely. Few rarely say anything and there's not any fear that bandwidth will be a problem because of massive hit counts.

Anyway, I am glad to be gone from facebook. It was very depressing to see people posting there on a regular basis that are supposed to be friends yet I haven't had phone calls from a lot of them in months. Well, I am adjusting. There's comfort in solitude. Permits more time for local fauna entertainment. Time to take meds, lol. Later.

"If I cannot understand my friend's silence, I will never get to understand his words."
~Powell

Music Monday - Take Time to Laugh

This video may hold the record for guest appearances by celebrities. See how many you can name and enjoy a good laugh. BTW, Toby is one of my favorite conservative Democrats. If he'd run against Nobama...



Okay, I tried but couldn't resist. This video could also be titled, "Brang me anuther beer, Momma." Toby makes me laugh.



"In order to be a true music lover, you have to appreciate all kinds of music."
~Leigh Bursey (apparently, and fortunately, Leigh never heard rap)

Enter Sid, the Vicious

Last night I heard noises. There was stuff being moved on the veranda. Then I heard the most blood chilling howl and got up. Being startled awake and in a drug induced stupor, legal pain meds for back, it all seemed surreal and then I became more concerned with deciding if I had awoken or was in dream state. The next scream proved I was awake.

As I peeped out the window to my surprise there was an overgrown marsupial flailing the devil out of Hateful, the neighborhood cat. Now Hateful is a pretty good cat, he's just constantly mad as hell. Can't blame the cat, he's been hit twice by cars. Not very smart either. Still, poor thing has to eat. So people around here feed him. There's even been an occasional visit to Pet Smart to buy him food.

When I opened the door it startled all fauna and Hateful made a blurry retreat up the huge Magnolia. The huge possum looked around somewhat bewildered. Then he did something that made me realize he was definitely a descendant of Arnold's. He made a middle finger gesture at me with his possum paw and then waddled off and scurried up the Oak tree. I saw his ancestor do this many times.

Knowing Arnold all those years and watching his antics was great fun. Hopefully, Sid will be the same. Yes, that's his name, Sid. Since he made a lewd gesture I decided to name him after Craig Ferguson's cussing rabbit on late night TV. Now we've got to see if he despises all the other neighborhood animals and loves bar-b-que grill tipping. If I hear of any old Ford Escort station wagons being turned over then it's for sure the genes of Arnold strongly survived.

You have to be cautious around Possums. They'll bite and scratch like crazy if provoked. They have been known to be rabies carriers. So don't mess with them in the wild. Occasionally people do raise them and they can be docile. Needless to say Sid won't ever be qualified to enter the ranks of a petting zoo.

Now I have to put the broom back on the veranda and reattach the water hose. Hey, simple tools of the trade when doing late night possum watching. Well...you need these things if you want the other animals to survive. Now it'll be fun to see if he has a "mom" tattoo on his arm like Arnold. Ahhhh nature, always full of surprises.

"The assumption that animals are without rights and the illusion that our treatment of them has no moral significance is a positively outrageous example of Western crudity and barbarity. Universal compassion is the only guarantee of morality."
~Arthur Schopenhauer

One Ringy Dingy Two Ringy Dingy

Recently my phone battery discharged. It was inactive for an unknown period of time. After recharging I turned it on to find two garbled messages. One was something about an Apple Macbook possibly and the other did not come through at all unless it happened to be about Teamspeak. There was an entry of "TS" at one point, but this may have been coincidence. Anyway, folks I've asked everyone time and time again to pick up the phone and call me. If you are concerned about an involved conversation, yes I can be longwinded, then tell me that you are making a 'text' phone call. You won't even have to say goodbye. I will be brief as possible. It takes longer to type the text than say the words. Depresses me that people apparently don't like my voice and avoid verbal conversation. I am sorry about missing the messages. This has been a recurrent issue since we had a block put on my phone not to receive photos. The block may in some weird way be the source of the problem. Who knows? Probably not. First guess is the strange cell tower network in Saltillo. Phone phreaky!

If you receive a bill increase of say 30 or 40 bucks per month because people constantly send you pictures (that you've nicely requested not be sent) then what else can you do but block them? I don't have a digital plan. Can't afford it. I don't receive pictures. Can't afford it. I look at that 30 or 40 dollars a month as gasoline or cheap unhealthy food, both in short supply. So please don't blatantly attempt to muck up this situation because you have more income or just don't care. Hmmm, okay those that have forgotten the spoken language keep texting. Better than nothing. Back to the subject at hand: I loathe not having money. Thanks to Nobama and this rotten economy many of us are living well below our normal comfort level. Still, at least I am not in some God forsaken place like North Korea or Iran. Oh yeah, if you don't like my negative take on the current administration or gathering places of foreign idiots and fools please get the hell off my page.

Recently the beach house was blessed with a gift. "What," you ask? New cell phone, a sorely needed device. It's a Samsung Strive which is super nice. Thanks MJR for coming to my aid once again. I like it in spite of the fact the keypad was designed for a person of sub-Hobbit stature. The keys are about .25" square. The tips of my fingers are barely small enough to manipulate most elevator buttons and certainly can't use these keys. This reduction in size is pretty much the norm in all cell phones. Aside from the small keypad input device, this little non data plan phone is awesome. Looks good, feels good, easy to read, stores a ton of music, has pleasant tones and an extremely long battery life. It suits me after 7-8 years of using Motorola Razr phones. And another bit of info: If possible ALL texting n such on this phone would be shut down. If I can ever afford a nice data plan and phone to match where the touch screen actually can be used by my clumsy fingers then it's almost a sure thing my opinion will change. So please please call me or send an email to cybersouth@gmail.com.

This, sadly, is a necessary post. Somehow this will mean to some folks that they need to stop communication with me. Here's the proverbial nutshell - Look, I'm no spring chicken. Death has its eye on me and I've managed to skirt around it a few times in this life. Time and "luck" are running out. Feel guilty here? Then good. You should. I am looking out for others and myself. Here's the deal: You'll kick yourself in the ass once they've mixed my ashes with mule manure and sprinkled it out of an airplane over the left wing liberal section of the Democratic Party National Headquarters. Certainly no offense meant to my intelligent, conservative Democratic friends. Yes, the ones that didn't vote for Nobama. Anyway, you might want to talk to me just so you won't have to say stupid stuff like "I wish I'd told him so n so' or 'damn, he's gone and I can't bitch at him about that' or 'sorry devil died to keep from paying me.' The voice of experience is speaking. BTW, the mule manure thangy came from some creative thinking to avoid being dug up and bitched at some more or having to do some work after death. Let's face it, there's a chance of a bad lingering odor but once I am dead, hopefully there will be peace smelly as it may be...

In closing, just remember those famous words of Elvis the Pelvis aka Hound Dawgy, "We can all use a helping hand once in a while...so could you pass me another helpin' of those mashed potatoes n gravy? Thank you. Thank you vuurry much!"

Music Monday - Father and Daughter

For fans of Celtic Woman: Hulu now offers several full length concerts by CW including the Christmas Special. Presently the videos are listed under 'Clips', but click on one of the windows and you can watch the complete concert. Go to HULU - Celtic Woman. BTW Hulu Rocks!!!!

Three of my favorite musicians favored us with a wonderful ballad, Melissa, at the 2007 Farm Aid Concert. Warren Haynes is the lead guitarist. Surprise - he only plays and does not sing. Warren was front man for Gov't Mule and had great influence on Grace Potter's early career. What's to be said about Dave Matthews? Dude is extraordinarily talented. Of course that's Rock and Roll Hall of Famer Gregg Allman taking center stage. Folks, this is worth a few minutes of time. Really a super performance by all:



Thought I would give everyone a chance to listen to Gregg's daughter, Layla, sing an extremely tough song to cover. She does a good job. Too bad there's not a good live video. She sings really great in most YouTube offerings of live performances, but the video in all of them sucks...so far:



"We can all make music individually. But we are smart enough to know that the music we make together is far better."
~Peter Buck

Microsoft and Me? It's All Good and Loveydovey!

Friends can sometimes be awesome. In a recent discussion it was pointed out that my past few comments about Microsoft were rather harsh. Yes, they were. At the time I was frustrated and angry because of all the research that was poured into two problems concerning Windows and their update procedures. One problem is prevalent (487 million hits on Google) the other not so much (maybe 500,000 Google hits). The point of contention was that I was thrashing a company that actually brought us out of the dark ages of computers and saved us from the $3,000.00 to $5000.00 machines Apple had in mind and tried to market during the beginning. Can we say Apple Lisa? Remember those? Lisa was short for "Local Integrated Software Architecture" and also the name of Steve Jobs daughter. Yes yes, I remember the Apple I, II and IIe. I actually sold and repaired them. Another story another time in a galaxy far far away in the distant past

A decent PC will run well under a thousand bucks today. Don't expect a powerful gaming machine or one that handles heavy duty autocad. But, even such specialty machines can be purchased for under $2,000.00. Yes, I can take constructive criticism. I cannot abide BS which is usually someone talking just to hear their jaws flap. So, even though I won't edit out my thoughts from this past few weeks, I will acknowledge gratitude towards Microsoft for making Windows and Office available. An observation: If they want to sell Windows 7 it might behoove them to NOT make XP harder to network. Leave it alone. To move people to purchase Windows 7 cut the prices by 1/3. Just has to be a profit there! Everyone will upgrade as is desired in Redmond. Stop putting Home Premium on new linear architecture builds (Dell, HP, etc.) and start using Windows 7 Pro. It's the one in the blue box not the green one - that's Home Premium. Shucks, most of us have some type of network so why not show folks how this wonderful operating system really Rocks! Pro is outstanding. Actually Home Premium is too if you have only one computer and don't plan on expanding. I know very few ppl that have only one PC on a high speed internet connection.

Buy the blue one!

So smooches and kisses to Microsoft for making strides in the right direction down through the years. Thanks for making computers more affordable. Thank you Linux (the flavors that are still free) and FreeBSD for giving us open source possibilities. Heck, thank you Apple for finally crawling out of that cave and using Intel processors. Oh yeah, all the iStuff too. And thank you Google for the awesome Android platform with the ga-zillion free apps. K, enough. This list could go on and on and I am well aware that I have left out many others. I do endorse Microsoft and encourage everyone to update to Windows 7, especially the 64 bit Pro version.

BTW, during my recent extensive search several Microsoft techs informed me that if your machine can run Windows 7 upgrading to Windows 8 will be easy. Your present hardware configuration running Windows 7 will be fine for Windows 8. Sorta like Windows 2000 to XP.

"There's nothing wrong with anger provided you use it constructively."
~Wayne Dyer

Nice Video - Short Too!

This is absolutely enlightening, profound, poignant, refreshing...oh heck take a minute to watch, listen and come away a little better!



"If you thought that science was certain - well, that is just an error on your part."
~Richard Feynman

Two Problems Resolved

Last week I had two problems plaguing me. One was a problem networking a Windows XP Pro machine with two Windows 7 Home Premium PCs. The other was a constantly returning glyph or sign language possibly written by the wizard Saruman in the 3rd age of Middle Earth during his Uruk-Hai period. Well folks, Windows Updates were to blame for BOTH problems. "It's sad that the ppl at Microsoft won't admit their mistakes," said an MCSE tech while answering a question in a forum.

Apparently one of the Updates wipes out a critical IRPstack entry in the registry. Why? Windows wants you to ditch XP and go Windows 7 (not a bad idea) and sneaks around like a damned terrorist and sabotages XP. Well, they didn't get away with it. Several techs volunteered the 'fix' in the MSDN developers group forum. Yes, I am patiently waiting for this info to disappear when the snakes in Redmond find it. Sheesh! Misery heaped on other folks because the greedy bastards want to make a buck. That downright stinks. Shame on you Microsoft. If you are having trouble networking XP and 7 please send me an email. The address is in the last paragraph.

Another Update destroys the font structure in Windows 7 under the right circumstances. Word is a 'fix' is being put in place covertly to resolve this problem. Nothing is more frustrating than to do a restore and then a few days later all English language looks like gobbledegook. This becomes most prevalent when trying to install Microsoft Office 2010. Immediate fix is to restore and turn off Automatic Updates (really a bad idea but necessary in this case). Please get in touch with me if you want a step by step work around. Email address is below. This thing is a major pain. Of course you can format C: and load the OS only. Then do ALL Windows updates first. Next? Install everything else. Using this approach somehow avoids the Frodo Glyph problem.

Email? Addy is cybersouth@gmail.com. Spammers beware. My filters are awesome. I never see your garbage. It is forwarded directly to Google for their use. Heck, wasted words. The creeps will send it anyway, lol! Hope the above remedies will cure ailing PCs.

"Always do right. This will gratify some people and astonish the rest."
~Mark Twain