Cybersouth

Music Monday - Nikki Can Sing!

2012-01-30T05:27:00.013-06:00

Great tune posted several years ago. It's worth a second listen. This is a super example of how the blues can inspire a person to reach a state of happiness. From 2008, she's really young (14 when this video was made!), but belts out this classic blues/jazz number like an old soul. Take a few minutes and give an ear to something pretty...and something powerful.

Awesome, huh? Prepare to be blown away. She covers Nora Jones and this is from a 2011 performance. Nikki knows no sour notes.

God has certainly blessed this child. Beauty can be in the ear of the listener.

Even though the clock seems to spin backwards embrace life and love beauty. Pretty good tunes, huh?

"Music is the poetry of the air."
~Richter

Yet Another TS Update

2012-01-29T15:45:00.003-06:00

While the Teamspeak service provided by the beach house is being brought back to life, Mudslingr and Beagle and the Purple Giraffe have generously offered their Teamspeak Server for a few days. There is no charge and the set up is easy. A simple search and one click should put you back in the net communications biz. Please call me or email cybersouth@gmail.com to get the ins and outs of jumping to this server temporarily. Only takes a few minutes and you are back online! Even has a Guild Wars channel.

K, have to acquire a network card for the Teamspeak unit. The other machine is history, but the Ashy Alienware server is going to rock! Presently I have no mode of transportation so it is tough to collect everything needed. That should all change in the next few days. Believe it or not even with all the potholes in this road of life, it seems that progress is being made. Prayer works.

"A moment of patience may ward off a great travesty. A moment of impatience may ruin a whole life (or computer)."
~Bill Wobblynife

Status of TS Server

2012-01-28T20:02:00.001-06:00

Bear with me please. I should have the new Teamspeak server online in the next few days. Had to work today and just don't feel like facing another machine presently. Please remember I am old, fat and known to hang out with the lunatic fringe at times. It's time to crawl in bed with my iPad and drift off to la-la land dreaming those tremulous dreams Jimmy Buffett sings about at times. Now where is my Pina Colada glass?

"How long a minute is, depends on which side of the bathroom door you're on."
~Zall's Second Law

Great Utility to Aid Removng Programs

2012-01-27T06:28:00.009-06:00

Recently a fight took place at the beach house. Actually I should say the fight continued. Since before the Christmas holiday I have been battling Windows because I grew tired of Windows Media Center trying to take over my computer. Please read this disclaimer: There is absolutely nothing wrong with Windows Media Center and if you have need of it please use it in good health with my unwavering endorsement. Hope you read that carefully. Please don't email me raising hell about how wonderful Windows Media Center makes your life and how I should be ashamed to disgrace Microsoft. The program is great. It's just that there is no use for it at the beach house.

I couldn't turn around without this Windows program popping up a message saying that I needed to install it. Upon further investigation it became a challenge to uninstall this program. Come to find out Microsoft and many other people believe that it cannot be uninstalled only disabled. After many attempts using various tools gleaned from many websites, I did stop it from popping up the "you WILL install Windows Media now, swinehound!" message. Alas, it replaced it with the following goodie:

The gauntlet was on the ground before me. Being the hardhead I am, the challenge was on.

Contrary to what appears to be common belief, it can be removed. Don't bother using normal channels. It took a semi-voodoo uber tool to make this nuisance go away. It's called Unlocker. Please, please , please understand you download this at your own risk. The beach house is not responsible if you screw up by using it and end up with a FUBAR result. This is a awesome tool used properly and a nightmare used improperly.

If you happen to have this Windows Media Center problem, please email me; cybersouth@gmail.com. I'll gladly answer with details. Fair warning - it does involve some registry hacks and the removal of a few Windows system files. Also, people worked hard producing this neat utility. They ask for a simple $5.00 donation if you like the product. So be a good person and send them at least half a sawbuck. I did.

Geek on folks! Peace out!

"Never let a computer know you're in a hurry."
~Bill Wobblynife

Random Thursday - Defacing of the Pinwheel

2012-01-26T07:31:00.002-06:00

Some things in life I cannot abide. If I ever meet the GEICO jerk that came up with the pig screaming we, we, we, the end result of said meeting will most likely go awry. I literally turn the channel.

Don't have much use for that Brit lizard either. Does England even have lizards? Ireland has no snakes! The Green Isles probably do have lizards. In that case they need to send the GEICO one home. Needless to say I wouldn't have GEICO insurance if they paid me.

And I like whirligigs. That screaming pig sliding down a rope screaming we,we, we, desecrates the coolness of a fun item. Mayhem dude and Flo irritate me to a lesser degree. What's up with all the bad insurance commercials anyway?

Got a favorite commercial to hate on with grand vehemence? Click on Comments below and let inquiring minds know.

Today's rant deserves two quotes;

"With no ads, who would pay for the media? The good fairy?"
~Samuel Thurm

"Let advertisers spend the same amount of money improving their product that they do on advertising and they wouldn't have to advertise it."
~Will Rogers

Blizzard Entertainment's Great Idea

2012-01-25T05:13:00.006-06:00

Here is a really cool idea about how to help children with medical problems. Blizzard Entertainment, parent company of World of Warcraft, is auctioning off retired blade units they collected when upgrading their backend servers. The server blades are encased in a plastic display with the WoW logo etched on it. Game aficionados can hang these on the wall and be the envy of their fellow gamers. Kudos,props and hats off to the folks at Blizzard! You can find more info at EBay.

"Lord save us all from... a hope tree that has lost the faculty of putting out blossoms."
~Mark Twain

TS Update

2012-01-24T06:38:00.001-06:00

No doubt the Teamspeak server experienced heavy power surge trauma, UPS included. Diagnosis? Deader than a hammer. Fortunately we have a backup unit which should be online in the next few days. This is thanks to Ashy for donating an Alienware unit. TYVM, TYVM. Parts are ordered to finish. It will be dual core, have 4 gigs of RAM. ASUS mainboard, so on and so forth. Anybody have a spare UPS? Even one with a bad battery.

"And computers are getting smarter all the time: scientists tell us that soon they will be able to talk to us. (By they I mean computers: I doubt scientists will ever be able to talk to us.)"
~Dave Barry

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Music Monday - Is it Us?

2012-01-23T00:00:00.009-06:00

(TEAMSPEAK clients please see EDIT below)

First incarnation (very old with Eric Tagg, co-tunesmith)

Second incarnation with Phil Perry singing, pretty awesome!

Kenya (and Grady too, lol) sings, this smokes me!

3 generations of great music centered around the same song and a great talent. Lee is a magnet. Hope you stayed until the end of the last video; Kenya is righteous and knows how to end a beautiful song. Pwn!

EDIT: TEAMSPEAK CLIENTS - During the bad weather last night the Teamspeak web server took a major hit. It is on the bench and so far it has been determined that the network card, video card and monitor are casualties. The SCSI drives are spinning up but it cannot see the network without a NIC. I am searching my bonepile to see if I can find another card. It looks like the ASUS motherboard may be gone too. Ouch! Server boards are a massive drain on the pocketbook. Please bear with me. I have the back up server in pieces and should be able to reassemble it. I'll edit this post again when the machine boots later today or tomorrow.

Music Monday Spoiler?

2012-01-22T20:24:00.005-06:00

There will be 3 videos tomorrow. I love Music Monday. This is a tribute to a fusion jazz musician that has soothed my soul in the background during prayer to God Almighty. Thank you Lord for the buff! Thank you Captain Fingers for making life kewl at times. This music makes me happy. Check it out n let me know...

Anti SOPA Senator

2012-01-20T15:19:00.001-06:00

I didn't contact Roger for permission to publish this email, but I bet he's okay with it. After a lot of research he has constantly spoken AGAINST this legislation on the Senate floor.

Thank you for contacting me regarding the Preventing Real Online Threats to Economic Creativity and Theft of Intellectual Property Act. I am glad to have the benefit of your views on this issue.

Senator Patrick Leahy (D-VT) introduced S. 968 in the Senate on May 12, 2011. This bill would allow the U.S. Department of Justice to seek a preliminary court order against web sites that it determines are peddling copyrighted material and counterfeit goods. Currently, this bill has been reported out of the Committee on the Judiciary and awaits action by the full Senate. Be assured I will keep your views in mind as Congress considers legislation affecting online copyright infringement and the protection of intellectual property.

Please do not hesitate to contact me if I can ever assist you.

With best wishes, I am

Sincerely yours,

Roger F.Wicker
U.S. Senate

Go Big Guys

2012-01-19T23:21:00.001-06:00

Yesterday many web entities protested the SOPA and PIPA garbage being considered by our legislative body. Rock on Wikipedia, Google, Reddit, Mozilla, etc. Good job guys and thanks out to everyone that contacted their Congresspeople!

Google Logo Blacked Out

2012-01-18T06:32:00.004-06:00

If you go to Google and see the cheerful logo blacked out, there is probably nothing wrong with your machine. Google supports all things anti-SOPA and is showing solidarity with many other internet entities in this protest. Today was singled out to show the opposition to garbage legislation that will be voted upon next week. The true problem with SOPA and PIPA is being 'lightly' touched today. If this legislation from the bowels of hell passes, the internet will belong to the government. Your free usage of things webwise will be gone. Seriously folks, you need to contact your Senators and Representatives and tell them your rights and privacy are important. The fools that support SOPA should not be re-elected. I for one, would like to load them all on a space shuttle and shoot 'em into the sun.

Please vote for the Republican nominee this fall. Nobama needs to go!!!

Psych 101 or Congress 101?

2012-01-18T04:28:00.007-06:00

My verdict is still out on limiting terms, but careful study of your current Congresspeople is always important. IMHO, for the state of Mississippi, Senator Wicker is doing a very good job while Senator Cochran sorely needs help and probably shouldn't be re-elected.

If you start with a cage containing five monkeys and inside the cage, hang a banana on a string from the top and then you place a set of stairs under the banana, before long a monkey will go to the stairs and climb toward the banana.

As soon as he touches the stairs, you spray all the other monkeys with cold water. After a while another monkey makes an attempt with same result ... all the other monkeys are sprayed with cold water.Pretty soon when another monkey tries to climb the stairs, the other monkeys will try to prevent it. Now, put the cold water away.

Remove one monkey from the cage and replace it with a new one. The new monkey sees the banana and attempts to climb the stairs. To his shock, all of the other monkeys beat the crap out of him. After another attempt and attack, he knows that if he tries to climb the stairs he will be assaulted.

Next, remove another of the original five monkeys, replacing it with a new one. The newcomer goes to the stairs and is attacked.

The previous newcomer takes part in the punishment...with enthusiasm. Then, replace a third original monkey with a new one, followed by a fourth, then the fifth. Every time the newest monkey takes to the stairs he is attacked.

Most of the monkeys that are beating him up have no idea why they were not permitted to climb the stairs. Neither do they know why they are participating in the beating of the newest monkey. Finally, having replaced all of the original monkeys, none of the remaining monkeys will have ever been sprayed with cold water. Nevertheless, none of the monkeys will try to climb the stairway for the banana. Why, you ask? Because in their minds...that is the way it has always been!

Thanks out to EdC for this way kewl observation on the current state of government. Please vote for the GOP Presidential candidate this November!

"I consider the foundation of the Constitution as laid on this ground that 'all powers not delegated to the United States, by the Constitution, nor prohibited by it to the states, are reserved to the states or to the people. To take a single step beyond the boundaries thus specially drawn around the powers of Congress, is to take possession of a boundless field of power, not longer susceptible of any definition."
~Jefferson

Dark

2012-01-17T23:45:00.004-06:00

Tomorrow, the English Version of Wikipedia will go dark in protest of the garbage legislation concerning the internet. If you do visit, Wikipedia will give you a list of your Congresspeople that is triggered by zip code input. Folks, it's a shame that idiots create this horrible junk and that we have to further deal with the ravings of lunatic Senators and Representatives. This wasted time could be put to good use instead of combating Congresspeople that should NEVER NEVER be re-elected. My hat is off to the Wikis and their positive stance against SOPA and PIPA. Hey, if you want to see an example of the dark side of Congress, this is pretty much it. To think we have stood by idle and let these fool people try to force this abomination on us. Sheesh!

Music Monday - Rit and Friends

2012-01-16T07:09:00.004-06:00

There is more talent on this stage than exists in some countries! I've watched this video for years and finally a decent version has arrived. The audio is really good and the video will do full screen and look good at 1920X1080 on a 32" monitor. From the trumpet intro to the powerful finale they are all smiling and making awesome music. Turn up the volume and clear the area around your desk. You'll probably wanna' dance!

"All music is folk music. I ain't never heard a horse sing a song."
~Louis Armstrong (aka Satchmo)

Short note

2012-01-15T14:07:00.001-06:00

Due to illness and life, work is behind. My resolution on the 1st was to be diligent about work and stay on schedule. Well, it didn't happen. I am at work today and will probably be here until Monday AM. Please forgive my not posting.

BAMA #1

2012-01-09T21:45:00.007-06:00

Pseudo Coach Miles is Goofy in a world of Disney college football and Pluto Jefferson should be banished from LSU football forever. Minnie Mouse would have been better. Jarrett Lee on the bench? Good job Crimson Tide! Yes my pick, believe it or not an Ole Miss fan pulling for LSU (?!?!??!?!), lost. It's a family thing. Congrats out to all the Alabama players, coaches and especially fans. Nick and team know how to play football. No doubt I was wrong and admit it. Roll Tide #1, you deserve it.

Music Monday - Good Tune

2012-01-09T06:41:00.001-06:00

Intro is overblown, bear with it, nice rendition of a classic rock tune.

Attempt Concerning Java

2012-01-07T11:30:00.003-06:00

It is late Saturday morning and I am trying to drink a cup of coffee. After a few sips it's apparent my stomach is not quite ready for caffeine prime time. I can't remember anytime in my life an attack of a gut busting virus laid me down for 4 days. Back in the day hangovers might have put me down for a few hours, but never more than a day. Well there was that one time...nevermind, another story another time. Thank the Lord He saw fit to let me survive all that idiocy. Am sore all over and still not at my best when on my feet. But the race to the bathroom every few minutes seems to have stopped. Hope so. Maybe Obama'a black choppers will go away and quit spreading mega-pestilence on the beach house. Did I really type that or just think it?

Have a pleasant Saturday. Maybe things here will turn back techno tomorrow. Three posts whining about a stomach ache? Enough I say!

"Nearly all men can stand adversity, but if you want to test a man's character, give him power."
~Lincoln

Dual Port Eruption Saga Continues

2012-01-06T07:50:00.011-06:00

K, some advice. If you think you are over the latest stomach virus floating around, give it one more day. If you become active too quickly it will make a comeback with a vengeance. Experience speaks. Here are some further ideas about handling this nasty, nasty illness -> WikiHow. Believe me folks you want this out of your system ASAP! Exercise patience with people experiencing this malady. The wiki link has good advice and the feet being elevated seems to help. Check it out.

"The sufferings that fate inflicts on us should be borne with patience, what enemies inflict with manly courage."
~Thucydides

The Ralph and Buick Episode

2012-01-05T08:20:00.003-06:00

Forgive me for being gone a few days. The stomach virus that's infecting the local area jumped off the top ropes and body slammed me to the mat. Started early Tuesday. I didn't feel good, but by 3:00pm the large gut was in a constant state of hurl. Whew! Get somewhere and be prepared if your stomach is queasy. Most of this down time was spent in the 'throne' room.

During the next few days I will be catching up on work that was already behind. It is my great desire to bring about stability and not have projects hanging over my head. Still a bit under the weather, but there's so much to do and my life has to get back on schedule. In spite of Obama this year is going to be better than 2011. So show some love n please give me a chance. Thank you, thank you very much!

"By perseverance the snail reached the ark."
~Spurgeon

Music Monday - Good Music Still Shows Up on Occasion

2012-01-02T02:40:00.003-06:00

There is not a bad tune on this album. Get your free account at iTunes and spend five bucks to download Ori's Fire.

K that was a nice soulful tune. Now it's time to turn up the heat! FYI, Orianthi's the one with blue fingernails (insert evil grin).

"Whatever you are by nature, keep to it; never desert your line of talent. Be what nature intended you for and you will succeed."
~Sydney Smith

2012, Let's Make It Happy

2012-01-01T03:27:00.002-06:00

Maximize the start of a new year and actively campaign against his re-election. We must unite and vote for one candidate and make sure we go to the booths in November. Folks, the United States cannot endure as a viable nation on this planet if he gets 4 more years. Pray. Pray for our nation, our freedom, and the future of our children.

"I have never been able to conceive how any rational being could propose happiness to himself from the exercise of power over others. To compel a man to furnish funds for the propagation of ideas he disbelieves and abhors is sinful and tyrannical."
~Thomas Jefferson

Eve of a New Year

2011-12-31T10:38:00.000-06:00

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

2011-12-30T04:21:00.002-06:00

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!

2011-12-29T04:39:00.001-06:00

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

2011-12-28T05:17:00.005-06:00

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

2011-12-27T06:46:00.001-06:00

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

2011-12-26T05:50:00.001-06:00

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!

2011-12-25T21:57:00.011-06:00

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

2011-12-24T17:29:00.000-06:00

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

2011-12-23T14:00:00.003-06:00

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

2011-12-23T04:10:00.005-06:00

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

2011-12-22T05:42:00.002-06:00

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

2011-12-21T02:06:00.000-06:00

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!

2011-12-20T06:30:00.004-06:00

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

2011-12-19T00:24:00.003-06:00

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

2011-12-17T00:39:00.019-06:00

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

2011-12-16T04:26:00.003-06:00

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

2011-12-15T04:39:00.001-06:00

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)

2011-12-15T00:35:00.007-06:00

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

2011-12-14T05:14:00.003-06:00

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

2011-12-14T02:35:00.010-06:00

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

2011-12-13T04:49:00.004-06:00

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

2011-12-12T00:01:00.003-06:00

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

2011-12-10T23:28:00.001-06:00

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?

2011-12-09T21:51:00.010-06:00

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

2011-12-08T05:37:00.014-06:00

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

2011-12-07T04:57:00.006-06:00

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

2011-12-06T05:05:00.005-06:00

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

2011-12-05T06:17:00.005-06:00

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

2011-12-03T09:38:00.007-06:00

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

2011-12-02T07:20:00.011-06:00

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

2011-12-01T03:12:00.001-06:00

More cowbell!

Middle of the Night Post

2011-11-30T02:21:00.007-06:00

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

2011-11-29T07:00:00.001-06:00

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

2011-11-28T05:54:00.001-06:00

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

2011-11-25T07:09:00.000-06:00

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!

2011-11-24T00:12:00.036-06:00

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

2011-11-23T06:31:00.004-06:00

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

2011-11-21T02:43:00.008-06:00

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

2011-11-14T07:42:00.006-06:00

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

2011-11-12T07:30:00.001-06:00

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

2011-11-10T15:59:00.000-06:00

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

Wednesday Notes and a Great Funny

2011-11-09T05:00:00.007-06:00

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

2011-11-07T05:15:00.002-06:00

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

2011-11-06T06:02:00.000-06:00

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

2011-11-03T18:34:00.006-05:00

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

2011-11-01T02:33:00.038-05:00

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

2011-10-31T04:30:00.001-05:00

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

2011-10-30T06:17:00.003-05:00

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

2011-10-24T05:49:00.002-05:00

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

2011-10-22T06:35:00.010-05:00

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

2011-10-20T06:15:00.024-05:00

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

2011-10-17T03:10:00.006-05:00

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!

2011-10-16T03:35:00.008-05:00

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!

2011-10-14T06:04:00.001-05:00

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

2011-10-13T04:20:00.002-05:00

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

Deo adjuvante non timendum

2011-10-11T06:24:00.002-05:00

Ann Barnhardt. <-- Take a look at an awesome perspective of today's world. Kudos Ann, kudos!

Big TYVM out to Rob for a super link!

"The cause of America is in a great measure the cause of all mankind. Where, say some, is the king of America? I'll tell you, friend, He reigns above."~Thomas Paine

Music Monday - Song Got the Dude Fired!

2011-10-10T03:04:00.001-05:00

RIP Steve

2011-10-06T04:56:00.005-05:00

"Remembering that I'll be dead soon is the most important tool I've ever encountered to help me make the big choices in life," he said. "Because almost everything -- all external expectations, all pride, all fear of embarrassment or failure -- these things just fall away in the face of death, leaving only what is truly important."

Steve Jobs spoke these eloquent words while delivering the commencement address at Stanford University in 2005. He will be missed. As you look at your iPhone, Ipod, iPad or Mac today please say a prayer for his family.

Though not always supportive of many of Steve's decisions, during the past few years I've gained respect for this man and his many innovative gifts to the world of technology. I even have a Mac on my network. It's been with me for almost 5 years. Today the machine's name will be changed to JOBS.

"If we really think that home is elsewhere and that this life is a 'wandering to find home,'' why should we not look forward to the arrival?"~C.S. Lewis

Music Monday - Hotty Toddy!

2011-10-03T06:56:00.003-05:00

In 1962 the Billingsley, Litkenhous and Sagarin Polls were famous and football fans anticipated their results. All three declared Ole Miss the National Champions after they defeated Arkansas, the only non-Texan member of the SW conference at the time. The deciding final score was 17-13 in the Sugar Bowl. At that time there was no National Championship procedures. Oh yeah, Arkansas later rejoined the mighty SEC. The Rebels had a young quarterback name Jim Weatherly. Now you may ask yourself, why is college football being discussed on Music Monday? Well, that young quarterback from nearby Pontotoc Mississippi graduated from the Colonel's Campus and embarked on a career in the music industry. His songwriting career has produced many hits. Gladys Knight and the Pips had two mega hits with Jim's tunes. One is Midnight Train to Georgia. The other is this great hit beautifully covered by the talented folks that hang out at Daryl's House. Take a few minutes to listen please:

BTW, great music can be heard at Beagle's site. She inspired several to start posting 'Music Mondays'.

"To stop the flow of music would be like the stopping of time itself, incredible and inconceivable."~Aaron Copeland

Another Day Wasted, Thanks Quick Books

2011-10-01T18:57:00.012-05:00

Techs are a different breed of cat. The world changed somewhere and the bullied, misaligned dweebs, nerds, dorks, and geeks became the popular crowd. This actually happened quite some time ago. My recent debacle with the weird problem about a Microsoft update FUBARing the standard fonts brought out some of the best! Thanks out to everyone for all the help. Yes, it has been somewhat resolved, but Microsoft needs to 'man up" and issue an admission of their mistake. They also need to correct the problem. Actually this has probably happened covertly so as to avoid the guilt, lol!

Still desperately trying to make Windows 7 machines recognize XP Pro as a data server for Quick Books Pro. In a business scenario QB Pro is a necessary evil in my considered opinion. They are a horrible nasty company with little bitty support people. Their suppport techs are rude, crude and all in need of lessons in manners. QB experts spend mega bucks participating in annual seminars to help people use this software. They are certified independent contractors and all I've met are nice people. They don't even like the QB support techs. Anyway, anyone that has any advice, know-how, voodoo, or general knowledge about this problem please contact me.

"Software is usually accompanied by documentation in the form of big fat scary manuals that nobody ever reads. In fact, for the past five years most of the manuals shipped with software products have actually been copies of Stephen King's The Stand with new covers pasted on."~Dave Barry

Two Puzzles Via Microsoft

2011-09-30T04:35:00.003-05:00

Seems like I've been up all night researching how to create a peer to peer network with XP Pro playing the role of server and the workstations are Windows 7 Home Premium. Yes, I realize that 7 HP is not intended for the workplace. Last network I fused together were all 7 Pro 64 bit. Sweet! Anyway, I did not supply the workstations only the server. It was all set to go then we found out that Quickbooks Pro 2011 would not run on older Windows Server operating systems so the machine was reverted back to its original OS XP Pro. If your machine will be networked please spend a few dollars more and buy a machine with either Windows 7 Pro or Ultimate. You won't regret it. This has turned out to be a proverbial nightmare. Am a member of the MSDN group and finally found a detailed explanation of resolving this problem in one of their forums. Any input will be appreciated. Will keep you posted with the results.

And now for something completely different. On another network I am constantly plagued by a 'return of the glyph' syndrome. Have a Windows 7 machine and an XP machine that during reboot change all English language fonts to a unicode like set of glyphs, symbols, etc. After much research I think it's time to go back to a restore point one last time, save the data then 'format C:' plus a re-install of the operating systems. This has plagued me for several weeks and I am tired of reading a bunch of voodoo suggested that just doesn't work. Please don't start in about it being viral or malware. I have scanned extensively and deeply. Besides, most of the forums indicate a problem with a Windows update. BTW, Microsoft won't get their heads out of the sand and address this problem which leads me to believe that it may well have been their SNAFU. Looks like the update erases all fonts. It all started with an Office 2010 installation. Very puzzling and frustrating. Has anyone else experienced this problem? Please please please talk to me if you know anything concerning this matter.

Nerds Having Fun

2011-09-28T04:49:00.008-05:00

We had an absolute blast at the LAN Party during Labor Day weekend. The group was small, 6-10 players, but the fellowship and food were awesome. Good to see everyone. Even better that people were smiling. Tina I am so glad you are doing better after a long bout of harrowing medical problems. Seeing you smile, laugh, cut up with the rest of us was a great joy. Chris, take care of her my brother. Why even say that, lol! We all know you will. It was good to see the young ones playing. Hey Brandon! You can use my laptop to LAN party anytime! Maddie, it was super to see you and watch you play the great game of Guild Wars.

Felecia graciously opened her home and we cooked burgers and dogs. Tina brought her famous LAN Dip and Felecia made the best cole slaw I've ever eaten! Em sent outstanding cookies and Fel's baked beans were just about too good. Thanks out to Charlie for all the great help and the loan of an awesome grill. Thanks to Jim too for all the assistance! And thanks to everyone for chipping in and bringing stuff. What a great time! It really helps to spend time with good people. Robert sure helped people in Guild Wars and everyone seemed happy. Welcome to the group Casey! BTW, he has a great site that is new and leans towards conservative politics and a positive attitude towards life. I highly recommend it -> Pieces of Mr. Dixon's Mind.

Everyone stay casual and enjoy Wednesday!

Music Monday - JB's Volcano

2011-09-26T03:30:00.000-05:00

It's always fun to see this song performed live. Just a fun tune that puts smiles on faces.

2011-09-15T23:15:00.000-05:00

The present format and banner are temporary. A new banner , very much like the old one, is hopefully on the way. The actual page structure will change as will the layout. Things like links and archives will have their own tabs. It's taking time due to pulling info off a very old drive that is close to its last spin. Easy to read and easy to navigate. That works, doesn't it?? Hope so, because it's a general direction for now...

Music Monday - Favorite Song by Favorite Singer

2011-09-12T01:00:00.000-05:00

The Good Lord knows I've heard this song many times. And by different people. It was written many years ago (circa 1974) by a very famous songwriter named Jimmy Webb. Linda Ronstadt did it and so did Judy Collins. Then I heard it during a Celtic Woman broadcast.

Lisa Kelly sings like no other. So soulful, so beautiful, so moving. Earlier this year I had a chance to hear this classic ballad performed live by Lisa and there was not a dry eye in the house as the crowd thundered applause afterwards. The words are haunting, the melody mystical, and her voice must be admired by angels.

This thrills my soul all the way down to the depths of my heart.

"What lies behind us and what lies before us are tiny matters compared to what lies within us"
~Emerson

Continued Construction

2011-09-11T06:32:00.000-05:00

As is apparent changes are still underway. Different elements are being implemented and the end result will certainly have a different look. Thanks to everyone for the supportive emails!

What Patti Davis Said...

2011-09-08T01:46:00.005-05:00

Last night's Republican debate took place at the Ronald Reagan Library in Simi Valley, an expansive space containing a former Air Force One jet. If you walked out of the hangar-like building and turned left, went up a path past a wide grassy area with a canyon below and miles of sky above, you would reach my father's burial site. On the stone tomb you would read these words: "I know in my heart that man is good, that what is right will always eventually triumph, and there is purpose and worth to each and every life."

My father said that, and other memorable things, with an earnestness, a resonance, and a sincerity that came from a deep well within him. Note to Mitt Romney, Rick Perry and especially Newt Gingrich, you can invoke my father's name until your tongues fall out, but you will never be anywhere near his shadow. This isn't a political pronouncement on my part. I didn't agree with all of my father's positions and policies, and I would never consider myself a political commentator. I'm the daughter of a man with deep character, who left a huge imprint on this world. He lived a large and meaningful life and I learned over many years that I had to share him with America. But before that, before politics and the presidency, I listened to his stories about being a poor boy in the Midwest, about standing up to racism and learning from his parents that God has a purpose for everyone and everyone is precious in God's eyes.

That character is what drew people to my father, whether or not they agreed with his politics. That character is what we are starving for, that many of us had hoped we would find, but are now disappointed that we are not finding in President Obama. I think my father, if he were here, would also be disappointed in this administration. But here is the important part: he would never have expressed that with anger and vitriol and snarky soundbites. The Republican candidates tonight appeared to be auditioning for a reality show, not for the lofty position of leading America through and out of these terribly troubled times.

Ironically, the one man on stage who did comport himself with dignity, John Huntsman, is now being dismissed as having not made an impact. The moment he brought the discussion back from airport security to the sweeping poverty and economic panic that is gripping this country was, I thought, profound. It was something my father would have done. But that moment isn't making the news. The zingers like Perry's Ponzi scheme comment, in reference to Social Security, are getting more attention. Maybe the candidates should have wandered over to my father's gravesite before going on stage. Maybe they should have lingered over the words carved in stone there.
The moment that would have broken my father's heart was the moment when applause broke out at the mention of more than 200 executions ordered by Rick Perry in Texas. It was stunning and brought tears to my eyes. This is what we've come to? That we applaud at executions?

I remember the first time my father ordered an execution when he was Governor. He and a minister went into a room, got down on their knees and prayed. The real shame of our times is that there doesn't seem to be anyone on the political horizon with that compassion in his or her heart.

I'd like to say 'Rock On', but such a statement is a bit trite isn't it? Should we worry about Perry's policies or the simple fact that our great nation is being executed? Tell me...inquiring minds want to know. God bless the United States.

"The problem is not that people are taxed too little, the problem is that government spends too much."
~Ronald Reagan

Return of the Beach House Ramblings

2011-09-05T04:21:00.003-05:00

After a much needed break for various reasons, plans are being formulated for a return with several changes. More will follow...

Music Monday - JST, She's Hot

2011-07-11T06:11:00.002-05:00

Yes, there is a fascinatiion around the beach house with women guitarists. It was inevitable they'd come into their own in a male dominated area of music. Women do a far better job of expressing emotions than men and the guitar is the epitome of musical instruments with which to deliver a wonderful mix of feelings and talent. Well, hold onto your socks! Joanne Shaw Taylor delivers.

This is not a very good video, but she manages to shine through the low tech effort. There are many offerings on YouTube. Here's another that was recorded in Clarksdale, Mississippi:

Watch her carefully. She's gonna' hit the charts not with a bullet but a cannonball.

New music sharing site available; Jamendo. There are over 300,000 selections from around the world. You can download and stream. I did a search in the Blues category and was blown away. Check it out and let me know what you think!

"I've said that playing the blues is like having to be black twice. Stevie Ray Vaughan missed on both counts, but I never noticed."
~B. B. King

Spoiler for Tomorrow's Post and Edits Notification

2011-07-10T04:46:00.006-05:00

Please bear with me. There is a new quest cycle open in Guild Wars and it's a big deal to players. There have been problems initially, but ArenaNet is striving to quickly correct the bugs. This is definitely not uncommon in any MMORPG.

In order to be brief let me reference this past Friday's Post, July 8, 2011, titled New Guild Wars Chapter. There are now 3 edits in this post that have information about bug fixes and changes in one of the 20 quests which has been a source of frustration. Fellow players may be interested. It concerns the Minister Cho's Estate quest. There is a link to guildwiki too. Friday's post has now doubled in size, LOL.

Got a great Music Monday tomorrow with a really cool link about a legal file sharing site that has over 300,000 downloadable tunes. Good stuff and it's artists from all over the world. Best new music site I've seen in years. Drop in and check it out.

Stay casual or become casual. Both work to brighten a stress filled existence. Later.

"Patience is the ability to count down before you blast off."
~Admiral Akbar

Saturday AM

2011-07-09T06:17:00.000-05:00

One interesting thing about this site is that it always produces a different result every time it is used. Still fun in a weird way. Try it and see what you think.

I write like
Arthur Clarke

I Write Like by Mémoires, journal software. Analyze your writing!

Comment moderation has been changed back to normal. We are going to try this with hopes that the 12 year old 'Anonymous' child will not return with his filthy mouth. Seems people everywhere dislike the vulgar and profane.

"It often happens that the real tragedies of life occur in such an inartistic manner that they hurt us by their crude violence, their absolute incoherence, their absurd want of meaning, their entire lack of style."
~Oscar Wilde

New Guild Wars Chapter

2011-07-08T05:05:00.010-05:00

The Winds of Change campaign is now available in Cantha. This the second in a set of three adventures that link the games Guild Wars and Guild Wars 2. Go to GuildWars.com and read more. It seems likely that this segment will involve following Miku again. There will be new clothing and a new line of weapons called Imperial. It'll be good to be back in Cantha. Seems the majority of players I know like this area less than the other two continents. What's your favorite area? Why? Cantha is the beach house favorite region.

There is a variety of scenery in the land of the Dragon Emperor. Tropical islands, snow covered alps, a sea made of pure jade, a vast city that reminds me of Hong Kong, plains where monsters and rewards are everywhere, a huge dark forest that contains the hardest mission in the game = Eternal Grove HM, all combine to make a mystical land which reflects the flavor of Cathay. You can obtain really neat elite armor, Canthan, Kurzick and Luxon. There is more Guild Wars info at GuildMag.

It will be good to discover new adventures and areas. Cantha is the smallest continent and seems very 'alive' to me. Tyria, sometimes called the First Continent, is huge with a variety of landscapes. Elona is very much a desert region with some tropical, forest regions. It's all great fun.

EDIT 1: Minister Cho's Estate quest: Be careful and take your time. This is NOT fun and the guildwiki reflects the same opinion. Remember to pull groups towards you so groups are separated. It takes a long time and the goofball peasants you are rescuing heal your enemies!!! The last one is the hardest. Beware the Assassin that quickly starts pounding her. You have to negate that 'Sin or your good efforts will be futile. All peasants must survive. I had hoped for fun quests that entailed new experience content, but all quests so far involve the same enemies with higher levels in the same old areas. Enemy aggro is horrible. I wanted to see new stuff and travel to unknown areas. BTW the game is real buggy right now and so far Miku is nowhere in sight.

EDIT 2: Minister Cho's Estate quest: This SUCKS!!!!! If someone has pointers please share. I haven't the time nor the capacity to continually bang and grind in an event where then fun has been bled out of it. Read all the wiki discussions and it still eludes me.

EDIT 3: K, the Minister Cho's Estate quest was updated at 2:00AM Sunday morning. It's still hard. You cannot "rush" this quest. I used a summoner's stone and a Spiritway team - one Aura MM, a Ghostly Might Communing Rit and SoS Channeling Rit. This is the core group most frequently used throughout the game and the one used to attempt this quest initially. The team of four was ramped up with buffs to +10. My Necro prime broke tradition and traded Soul Reaping mes mage garments for Curses armor. Invoked a Spiteful Spirit build that utilizes Cry of Pain (Sunspear Mesmer skill) and Web of Disruption (non attribute Mesmer skill). Very efficient since Arcane Echo is used in most SS builds hence the secondary being Mesmer. It was very cold and calculated unlike the initial offering. The summoned NPC even survived. Be sure and take out all foes surrounding the peasants and don't leave the area until the Canthan peasant is no longer in your party. Make sure the three peasants stay alive until they disappear from your team party list. They do not follow you. Return to KC and receive reward from Initiate Zei Ri. It is best not take the HM Bukdek Byway quest at this time. Immediately go to Seitung Harbor. See Initiate Tsuriai for the next quest. Go to guildwiki.com for further clarification. Click on the discussion tab at the top of th Minister Cho's Estate quest page to see other players opinions. It helps. During this quest patience and pulling are the keys to success.

Meanwhile, good luck in the game!

"Obstacles cannot crush me. Every obstacle yields to stern resolve. He who is fixed to a star does not change his mind."
~Leonardo da Vinci

Random Thursday - Hands On

2011-07-07T06:46:00.000-05:00

"I have six locks on my door all in a row. When I go out, I lock every other one. I figure no matter how long somebody stands there picking the locks, they are always locking three."
~Elayne Boosler

Ebooks and Tablets

2011-07-06T05:28:00.005-05:00

Own a Kindle, iPad, or other tabletpc? Want to convert ebook files to work with your device? This program is free to use and will convert say a PC ebook file to an iPad file. Not using a PC or an iPad? Don't worry, be happy. This freeware app works with over 200 devices. Besides, any software company that has a sense of humor can't be too bad. This nice attitude is apparent on their site. Check it out at Hamstersoft.

Speaking of tabletpcs, here are several reviews of some top contenders. Tablets are becoming a necessary item in every geek's bag of tricks. Take a look at GizmoCrunch Tablets Review. Also, HP and Dell offer entries too. Visit any of their sites and there's sure to be an ad about their products that will gladly direct you to various reviews. Needless to say, these reviews will be positive with great prejudice, LOL.

My favorite so far is the 32 gig Toshiba Thrive. Still want to have one in my hands to be 100% sure that Thrive is the best bet. If Toshiba holds to their reputation of building superior products this tablet should see great success. My Toshiba Qosmio laptop is definitely the all time favorite device in the beach house geek bag. For now, the Toshiba Thrive only connects with wireless printers. Word out on the web indicates that several apps are in the making to correct this small problem. Besides, cloud printing is an alternative.

Stay casual.

"We've got to learn hard things in our lifetime, but it's love that gives you the strength. It's being nice to people and having a lot of fun and laughing harder than anything, hopefully every single day of your life."
~Drew Barrymore

Correcting Mistakes

2011-07-05T05:53:00.000-05:00

People that spam comments are a sick bunch. There is now a heavy duty filter in place and I've been moderating comments. Doing my best to stay on top it, but it's hard to review posts every day. The filter should help quite a bit. Hopefully, we can return to unedited comments in a few days. Really hate to do it, but may ban folks that don't use a nickname. The 'powers that be' also said if I have another rash of people posting just to create turmoil and using profanity they will start tracking IP addys. That really sucks. Takes a lot of fun out of blogging. Moderation is bad enough. The recent harsh comments are under review. I am afraid we did a great dis-service to one Anonymous poster who just happened to get caught in the dust up. Sorry Anonymous person.

Nicknames are easy. Just make up something. Look around the room, call yourself an everyday item like Cellphone, Headset, your pet's name, Jalapeno, CDScratch, etc. No profanity or off colored names that slander someone's faith can be used. Blogger even gets ill about such usage. K, not much of a post today. Up all night and need rest. Stay casual. Later.

"Never go to a doctor whose office plants have died."
~Erma Bombeck

Music Monday - 4th Funk!

2011-07-04T00:21:00.047-05:00

Okay, I was a 'down with disco' 70s dude. But some music of the disco era was downright awesome. At the time it was all about Southern Rock surrounding me. Secretly I was a closet dancer. How can a person sit down while listening? Really liked this tune the first time I heard it and was absolutely flabbergasted when I saw them!

Rockers should not be quick to judge the music or the group. The dark haired fellow on the left that does the guitar intro is Bryan Bassett. After Wild Cherry, he went on to play guitar with Foghat, then Molly Hatchet, then Foghat again. He still performs with Foghat today.

"The hardest arithmetic to master is that which enables us to count our blessings."
~Eric Hoffer

46 States & 4 Commonwealths = 50 States

2011-07-02T06:40:00.016-05:00

Happy JULY 4TH Weekend!

Gotta like Joey!

"There, I guess King George will be able to read that."
~John Hancock