iOrchard iNews

My love hate affair with Apple continues. Can you imagine me working in an Apple store? My first job in the computer business was selling and repairing Apple II+, IIe, and Lisa models. Don't remember the name of the store (it's long gone), but the owner was a Yankee cheapskate name Rob PooPeel or something like that. He might have had a thriving business if he'd adapted to southern culture and realized that he actually didn't know as much as his "ignert hillbilly" neighbors. Oh well, some of the finest folks I know are from up north so Poopeel is part of a very small minority. Yet, they do exist. Enough. Back to Apple.

The vast majority of tech types in this area were flabbergasted when Tupelo High School went Apple. Bill Gates needs his butt kicked for not beating them to the punch. I did what any tech type would do in such a case and acquired an Apple. It runs the latest OS and I used it to learn the quirks involved. After many folks were duped into embracing Apple by the Tupelo School Board, I tried to adjust. Guess the sporadic negativity towards the orchard down through the years is where I need my butt kicked. Some long time favorite clients of mine (pulled over 5 miles of cable on their property when the home was built - really didn't want the job and had subcontracted to someone else that left the country so I finished the job to ease their anxiety and desperation) whom I actually considered good friends, went Apple and I've seen them one time in the past 2 years. That was a chance meeting at a local retailer. Oh well so much for loyalty and friendship. No doubt they could have saved money by seeking tech help locally, but they chose to drive to Memphis for purchases and problem solving. Used to read here all the time. Money says they'll never see this article. Enough whining about spilled apples, no doubt life continues...and I wish these folks continued success and happiness.

Contrary to orchardites belief they are godlike machines, Apples have problems just like PCs. They DO become infected with virus problems of all kinds and spyware. You just don't hear about it as much since Apple only has 3% penetration in the world market while Windows machines own 90%. The build concept is very much the same as the mighty PC. But, they are slow, new to multi-tasking, EXTREMELY limited in the software area. There is not now nor has there ever been any type of retail Apple computer that will even come close to my Toshiba Qosmio X505. And it's a laptop! If you are a gamer, forget Apple. The less than 1/10th of 1% Apple online gamers almost always load Linux onto their machines and then run WINE in order to game. Sounds like a lot of trouble? Believe me, it can be a nightmare.

Why the old skeleton drug out of the closet and dusted off? Well, it is my considered opinion the smartest move the people at Apple have made to date was going Intel as far as processors. Now they are forgoing even that! Sheesh! You can read about it at Compterworld. Karen Gaudin (pronounced Go-dan), the person who penned this article, seems to think it is a huge problem for Intel. Homey don't think so. Homey does think it is a megazilla problem for Apple. They finally get it right and now they are about to ruin a good thing because bottom line greed has them. It always has dominated this company. Wake up Apple. Get off those ridiculous desktop, laptop prices and sell more machines! Quit lying about only Apple parts work in Apple computers so folks will consider buying your products. Take some of that profit and use it to expand your software market. Microsoft Office for Apple still outsells all other Apple software applications combined, ROFLMAO!

In closing it must be mentioned they have done a wonderful job with cell phones, music devices and their tablet reader device. I'd love to own one of each. Just too expensive. I'd rather eat.

"You will know that forgiveness has begun when you recall those who hurt you and feel the power to wish them well."
~Lewis Smedes

Geek Manna from CBS

Chances are if you visit here often you are probably a huge The Big Bang Theory junkie. It's on CBS TV Thursday nights. The producers are the same people that do (or did?) Two and a Half Men. The cast consists of three Doctors of Physics, One Rocket Scientist and four absolutely gorgeous women. This is my favorite sitcom of all times. I laugh out loud every time it's on the air. Although I didn't like her at first Amy Farrah Fowler cracks me up. Last night she introduced us to a smoking monkey. Watching Amy walk in high heels had me ROFL.

Anyway, if you missed it CBS has loosened their grip and you can watch it online. Go to CBSTV. Usually the last four episodes are available. Most shows on ABC TV are made available the next day. The CW TV network also posts full episodes one week after the air date. Have to have my Smallville, Supernatural, Vampire Diaries "fix" once a week. TVLand also posts episodes. Another way to watch various programs and movies is HULU. Crackle is another great TV and movie site. Hulu does have a paid subscription area, but a vast array of shows and movies are free. The rest of the sites mentioned are also free.

Have a casual weekend.

"Rock, paper, scissors, lizard, Spock. It's very simple. Look -- scissors cuts paper, paper covers rock, rock crushes lizard, lizard poisons Spock, Spock smashes scissors, scissors decapitates lizard, lizard eats paper, paper disproves Spock, Spock vaporizes rock, and as it always has, rock crushes scissors."
~Dr. Sheldon Cooper (aka Jim Parsons)

It Starts Tomorrow

False Photos

Beware of emails that claim to have photos of Bin Laden dead. These may be from a known source too. So don't even open any photos or visit any site that claims to have these faked, photoshopped pics. You may be duped into the scam because the email address looks familiar. Various instances of virus infections may occur. Some scams are installing the nightmarish desktop hi-jackers. So stay safe. Avoid anything like this. I've received two suspicious emails and deleted them immediately without opening. Just because the Navy Seals ganked the most notorious criminal doesn't mean there aren't others out there.

"We cannot overstate the sacrifice our military personnel - all volunteers - are making to ensure the security of their fellow Americans."
~Carl Levin

Valuable Password Tool

Through extensive googling and slight exploration a meter to measure your password strength, PasswordMeter.com, has been found. This is a GNU license and free to use. Just click on the link, for now. This software is made available by MetaBetaGeek.com. Am presently researching the possibility to embed it here permanently. Also trying to rack my feeble mind and remember how to do it. MetaBeta Geek was good enough to post a download of the meter. Now I must stir my memories of HTML and see if I am capable of attaching the meter legally to Cybersouth. Here's what it looks like:



Please click on the image for a larger more detailed view. After viewing the image you will understand this application's value. Close the expanded image and you will return here. Nice job and I hope it can be used on Cybersouth. His article about developing this software is interesting. He also has other unique tools. And hey, he's a blogger! Kudos MetaBeta!

"Treat your password like your toothbrush. Don't let anybody else use it, and get a new one every few months."
~Clifford Stoll

Music Monday - Shorty & Orleans

This is an extremely talented group. Every time I hear them it's a completely different style. From jazz classics like St. Jame's Infirmary and When the Saints Go Marching In to downright funnkadelic to fusion jazz to smooth avant garde riffs of creativity. Each and every one of them has talent down to their toes. It's obvious that David Letterman likes them and so does the audience. If you like this first video, scroll down and listen to all 27:20 minutes of the 2010 ACL live performance featuring Ivan Neville on keyboards. Awesome!



Gettin' down to funky town.



For more full episodes of Austin City Limits go to PBS.org. Be sure and click on the + sign beside More Full Episodes. There are 50 available.


"If New Orleans is allowed to die, a crucial part of the world's music heritage will disappear."
~Ray Davies

Good Guys 1, Satan 0 - Osama Bin Laden Is DEAD!!!

Around 9:40PM Geraldo Rivera on FoxTV News announced that Bin Laden was killed earlier today due to a concentrated effort of various U.S. forces and the government of Pakistan. His body is in our possession and familial DNA testing has confirmed it's the agent of Satan for sure. This is the no good creep that masterminded the cowardly sneak attack that killed thousands on 9/11/2001, when hijacked planes flew into the World Trade Center and Pentagon. It is rumored he was killed just outside of Islamabad, Pakistan in a well organized firefight.

Our President called a press conference at the White House for 9:30PM and still hasn't shown up 45 minutes later. Why even bother? Seems like he could at least get his act together long enough to be on time for something this important. Just another shun of U.S citizens by the sitting President. Please remember this slight towards his fellow countrymen when going to vote in the next presidential election. My gratitude goes out to our devoted troops and also the efforts of the Pakistani government.

Still watching the newscast while typing this post. Obama is still a no show on Osama one hour later. It's sad that I am posting this before he even gives a fat rat's ass about his time schedule. After all, he DID call the press conference and asked the media to be there at 9:30PM.

EDIT: He finally showed up 1 hour 5 minutes late. He even alluded to the idea that he planned and led the operation. Our military found him, structured an efficient attack where no American or civilian lives were lost and then THEY killed the evil jerk. Mr. President! Get real. You don't even know how to be on time!


"The path of the righteous man is beset on all sides with the iniquities of the selfish and the tyranny of evil men. Blessed is he who in the name of charity and good will shepherds the weak through the valley of darkness, for he is truly his brother's keeper and the finder of lost children. And I will strike down upon those with great vengeance and with furious anger those who attempt to poison and destroy my brothers. And you will know that my name is the Lord when I lay my vengeance upon thee."
~Interpretation of Ezekiel 25:17 by the character Jules Winnfield (played by Samuel L. Jackson) in the movie Pulp Fiction

Saturday Roundup

The volunteer response to help with the Smithville Tornado tragedy has been awesome. Word to the wise; DON'T go over there without first contacting the proper authorities such as the Red Cross. They will briskly turn you away if you don't have any real business being there. This is the second deadliest Tornado in U.S. history and it was rated F5. This is the highest level of tornado destruction and is sometimes called by stormchasers - the Finger of God. I am sure the folks in Smithville will appreciate your prayers.

The Sony Playstation network has now been down for 10 days. U.S. Homeland Security is actively assisting them in the effort to re-establish network connectivity. Congress is looking into the security breach and there will be a hearing May 4th. No doubt that the Sony people are working to get it back up ASAP. Heck, they have to be losing money! Just read a brief article about this problem at CanadaNow.

Don't put off until tomorrow what you can do today. Locally we have super weather, but the rain will be back tomorrow. Let us pray it will not be violent. Got to repair lawn mower, then mow this jungle. May arm myself to fight off all the carnivores I've heard prowling around. Some effort has to be made to turn this pig sty back into a presentable Saltillo Beach House. And it's Anniversary time in Guild Wars. In game goodies abound. Hey, don't poke fun. It keeps me home, not burning valuable gasoline or spending money foolishly. For all my fellow Kudzu Dragons guildees and Guild Wars friends, the Dragon Teamspeak Server is back online. The web address changed so please email me or phone for the new info.

Stay casual.

"A rain dance is scheduled Saturday night, weather permitting."
~H.D. Murphy

Smithville

God help these distraught people. Some of the clip crushes my heart. I've had to pause several times to try and subdue the sobbing. This is where I go to the VA clinic and the town is a treat to visit. A quiet, peaceful place and the people are nice and polite. After my appointments a stop was always at Mel's Diner to get at least a cup of coffee. I've eaten there many times. Good food. No more.

It absolutely makes my skin crawl to know there are assholes that were looting last night. Don't just shoot them, use gut shots so they die slowly and in great pain. These creeps will rot in the bowels of hell. And yes, I realize my anger issues need to be held in check - am working on it.

Hats off to MyFox in Memphis for covering this story and lending dignity to a news medium that many times goes for the impact. Ernie, the reporter, had the good grace to let local people recount this tragedy. When the man in the ball cap, standing outside the demolished Mel's Diner, told how he lost his Mother I sat here and cried. Still trying to shake the hollow feeling in my chest.

Overwhelming Devastation in Smithville: MyFoxMEMPHIS.com

"The supreme prayer of my heart is not to be learned, rich, famous, powerful, or good, but simply to be radiant. I desire to radiate health, cheerfulness, calm courage, and good will. I wish to live without hate, whim, jealousy, envy, fear. I wish to be simple, honest, frank, natural, clean in mind and clean in body, unaffected, as ready to say I do not know, if it be so, and to meet all men on an absolute equality, to face any obstacle and meet every difficulty unabashed and unafraid. I wish others to live their lives, too - up to their highest, fullest, and best. To that end I pray that I may never meddle, interfere, dictate, give advice that is not wanted, or assist when my services are not needed. If I can help people, I'll do it by giving them a chance to help themselves; and if I can uplift or inspire, let it be by example, inference, and suggestion, rather than by injunction and dictation. That is to say, I desire to be radiant - to radiate life."
~Elbert Hubbard (this may be my best quote ever)

Random Thursday - Have Talent? Use It

Take a few seconds and tell me if you laugh. I did:




"The reason the golf pro tells you to keep your head down is so you can't see him laughing."
~Phyllis Diller

Subtle Changes

The beach house laptop is a Toshiba Qosmio X505. I absolutely love this computer. Sometime in the far off future, it will be upgraded to 8gigs of memory and a second drive will be installed - Crucial C300 128gig SATA III SSD (solid state "hard" drive). Don't get me wrong, it is a max gaming machine now, no doubt , I am proud of it. This laptop will always be special because it was a gift from my oldest daughter's family. They knew I couldn't afford one, hence the wonderful gift. Then to make things even better both my daughters' families purchased an uber backpack to house it while being transported. Yes, they are all super and wayyyy to good to me. Can we say blessed?

The latop's outer shell is a black piano finish with red trim. The inside is black with a gray carbon fiber texture embedded. It's also trimmed in red including the mouse buttons. It has red LEDs and a keyboard light bar that is red. When I say red I mean red as in glowing, almost flaming. Here is a picture of it:



That's an 18.4" mega screen, it has a lightning fast Intel multi core CPU, full size keyboard, awesome Dolby surround sound, 12 cell battery, a 1gig DDR5 hardware NVidia video card (!!!!) that can access another 1.3gigs of onboard memory, 4gigs of RAM expandable to 8 and a 1/2 terrabyte 7200, 3.0 hard drive which is huge and fast for a laptop. It also has a second hard drive bay which will eventually house the SSD device. Sorry to brag, but this is an uber machine and I highly recommend it. Had a problem with the video card at first. Toshiba replaced it under warranty and it was only a week out of commission. It's quiet, runs cool (temps are much like a desktop gaming machine), has a fantastic display and travels at the speed of light. This is my 5th Toshiba laptop and the problems have been minimal.

Some changes have been made. I use this as a Welcome screen:



and this is my destop background:



Both are red in order to match the secondary color of the machine. Here's an awesome link - Windows 7 Logon Changer. It's opensource and freeware, but the owner will gladly take donations...and deserves them.

Tomorrow I will do my best not to brag, blow or boast. Please indulge me. I am a grateful, sentimental old man...and not worthy. Thanks goes out to all of you for being so good to me. Stay casual folks.

"Goodness is achieved not in a vacuum, but in the company of other people, attended by love."
-Saul Bellow

Arrgghh! Cell Phone Plunder

How's your cell phone security? Don't know? Might be a good idea to find out especially if you have a "smart" phone. It's sad, but the thieves are rampant amongst the forest of cell towers. Techno criminals besmirch the good names of pirates throughout history, i.e.: Blackbeard (Edward Teach), Cap'n Morgan, Sir James Couch, Anne Bonny, William Kidd, Jean Bart, Jimmy Buffett, Captain Hook, Dread Pirate Roberts, Sinbad, Pierre & Jean Lafitte, Dockvudu, Sir Francis Drake (yes, he was a buccaneer), Blacksails Lee Taylor, Pirate King Jack Sparrow, Inigo Montoya, Dragor Rogue, Mary Read, Black Bart and many more. All these folks seem like citizens compared to the creeps that use technology to violate privacy. Excuse the tangent, but I do like famous pirates and know a few.

One site recommended to insure mobile security is Webroot. This is the company that makes SpySweeper protection software. They've been around for a while and have good products. Only negative is they will part you from some of your pieces of eight (money). Their prices are usually very reasonable. Try the software section of Newegg for awesome buys or make your purchase on their site. There is a free Android App which can be found at the bottom of the Webroot page linked above.

Thanks EdC for a great link. In closing let me recommend the Rum Boogie, matey!

"If you were waiting for the opportune moment...that was it."
~Jack Sparrow to Will Turner

Music Monday - Tupelo Honey

This is an older video, but it's downright awesome! Van is in a class all his own. Pee Wee's Sax solo goes from ultimate mellow to extremely hot. Today''s musicians should listen and learn...



"I'm 30 years old now and one of my few regrets is that I don't have music like this for my time. My God can we get someone to sing to the soul like this anytime soon?"
~bretpip (YouTube comment about this video posted 3 days ago)

Happy Easter

Remember the season's reason and enjoy celebrating with family and friends. Please go ahead and hide the eggs without me.



"Let the resurrection joy lift us from loneliness and weakness and despair to strength and beauty and happiness."
~Floyd W. Tomkins

Saturday Roundup

The Playstation network is still down. Anyone have a clue? Apple is suing Samsung and Samsung is suing Apple. When is Apple NOT suing anyone? Windows 7 hit the 350 million mark in sales. It's been determined by a poll of 400,000 people at Slashdot that Mac users are more liberal than PC users. I own a Mac but it hasn't been used in weeks. That makes me a PC user. Hey, nothing wrong with Apple computers, but the company is, well, just darn weird. Also, most of the folks at Slashdot are Apple users. Go figure. All in all, it's a pretty good site.

Have a casual Saturday.

"And he departed from our sight that we might return to our heart, and there find Him. For He departed, and behold, He is here."
~St Augustine

?

It is surprising to note that there were no comments about the post on Wednesday.

Random Thursday - Wavey the Crocodile

Craig Ferguson is running loose and on your TV!



Like Jimmy Fallon, but Craig is the late late night show king. IMHO.

"The political and commercial morals of the United States are not merely food for laughter, they are an entire banquet."
~Mark Twain

Another Reason I Love Mississippi

Deepest sympathy goes out to the family of SSGT Jason Rogers for their loss. This decorated Marine was taken by combat defending the United States of America. Recently, funeral services were held in Brandon, Mississippi. He was buried with full ceremony and the crowd was estimated to be in the thousands. Semper Fidelis.

To the treacherous Westboro Baptist church group from Topeka: You goons will regret your anti-American actions!!! Jerks like this bunch are proof that Satan exists. Huge congrats out to my fellow Mississippians that thwarted these diabolical protest efforts. If the rest of the country would get off their scared asses and follow suit then this bunch of creeps and cowards might think twice before spewing forth Satanic diatribe.

What happened? Read the explanation posted on an Ole Miss sports message board then watch the video:

A couple of days before, one of them (Westboro protestors) ran his mouth at a Brandon gas station and got his arse waxed. Police were called and the beaten man could not give much of a description of who beat him. When they canvassed the station and spoke to the large crowd that had gathered around, no one seemed to remember anything about what had happened.

Rankin County handled this thing perfectly. There were many things that were put into place that most will never know about and at great expense to the county.

Most of the morons never made it out of their hotel parking lot. It seems that certain Rankin county pickup trucks were parked directly behind any car that had Kansas plates in the hotel parking lot and the drivers mysteriously disappeared until after the funeral was over. Police were called but their wrecker service was running behind and it was going to be a few hours before they could tow the trucks so the Kansas plated cars could get out.

A few made it to the funeral but were ushered away to be questioned about a crime they might have possibly been involved in. Turns out, after a few hours of questioning, that they were not involved and they were allowed to go on about their business.



Thanks out to GregD for a great link!

"Friendship is a sheltering tree."
~Samuel Coleridge

Are You Ready?

The year is 2016 and the U.S. has just elected the first woman as well as the first Mississippian as president.A few days after the election the president-elect calls her father and says,

'So, Daddy, I assume you will be coming to my inauguration?'

'I don't think so. It's a 16 hour drive, your mother isn't as young as she used to be, and my arthritis is acting up again.'

'Don't worry about it Daddy, I'll send Air Force One to pick you up and take you home. A limousine will pick you up at your door.'

'I don't know. Everybody will be so fancy. What would your mother wear?'

'Oh, Daddy', replies the president-elect, 'I'll make sure she has a wonderful gown custom made by the best designer in Washington.'

'Honey,' Dad complains, 'you know I can't eat those rich foods you and your friends like to eat.'

The President-to-be responds, 'Don't worry Daddy. The entire affair is going to be handled by the best caterer in Washington, I'll ensure your meals are salt free Daddy, I really want you to come.'

So Dad reluctantly agrees, and on January 20, 2017, the first woman and first Mississippian is being sworn in as President of the United States.

In the front row sits the new president's Dad and Mom.

Dad notices the Supreme Court Justice sitting next to him and leans over and whispers, 'You see that woman over there with her hand on the Bible, becoming President of the United States.'

The Justice whispers back, 'Yes I do.'

Daddy says proudly, 'Her brother played football at Ole Miss.'

Thanks Ashy for a new twist on a great tradition!


"Hotty Toddy starts with the simple question - 'Are you ready?'

The crowd responds:

Hell yes!
Damn Right!
Hotty Toddy, Gosh almighty
Who the hell are we?
Hey!
Flim Flam, Bim Bam
Ole Miss, By Damn!"

~Beach House Dictionary

Gypsy Soul

Zac is the Jimmy Buffett of the present generation. First thing I noticed were super vocal harmonies. The song has great content and the performance is awesome. It's a comfort to hear someone that can play, sing and has something to say, instead of some vulgar creep that is a no talent trashmouth spitting out garbage and demeaning women. There are many versions of this song on YouTube including a live solo performance by Mr. Brown.



"Searching is half the fun: life is much more manageable when thought of as a scavenger hunt as opposed to a surprise party."
~Jimmy Buffett

Gaming - Warning, Profanity and Violence

If you are an online gamer this will be funny if you can stand a little profanity:



BTW, if you'd like to view some trailers of movies coming to the theater soon check out Hoppa the Geek.


"The problem with the designated driver program, it's not a desirable job, but if you ever get sucked into doing it, have fun with it. At the end of the night, drop them off at the wrong house."
~Jeff Foxworthy

Tech Desires

The subject yesterday promoted some conversation later about advancements in technology. Plasma arc speakers have been on the drawing board for years, and the medium has come along at a steady pace. There are many things we'd all like to see that started in the maze of dreams and realities called science fiction. Tom's Hardware just published a very interesting article about sci-fi inspired things we would like to see made available. This is a good site that has a mass of knowledge. If you haven't visited, it might behoove you to click on this link and take a look. If you get a chance tell me what you think about the desires, predictions, Tom's site, etc.

1. When a distinguished but elderly scientist states that something is possible, he is almost certainly right; when he states that something is impossible, he is probably wrong.
2. The only way of discovering the limits of the possible is to venture a little way past them into the impossible.
3. Any sufficiently advanced technology is indistinguishable from magic.
~Clarke's Laws of Prediction

Random Thursday - Speaker of Light

This blows me away! The concept of plasma arc speakers is akin to magic. Yet here is proof that they do exist. Paralyzes a few brain cells trying to wrap my mind around music coming a beam of light...or in this case plasma. Nowadays, you can watch the video on a plasma TV and listen on plasma speakers. The song is too long, but is an excellent pop music demonstration of the dynamic range involved.



What's next? A real light saber?

"If GM had kept up with technology like the computer industry has, we would all be driving $25 cars that got 1000 MPG."
~Bill Gates

Read Any Good Books?

You don't necessarily need a Kindle or an iPad to read online books. A PC will work just fine. Here's a great link to locations of free online books: How-to-Geek. This is a super article that is well written and easy to navigate. If you are interested in literature online take a look at this informative post.

"He that can compose himself, is wiser than he that composes books."
~Benjamin Franklin

IMHO Dream Interpretation and Green Lantern

Had a terrible dream. Thought I woke up in Hell. It seemed I was having a conversation with two ghouls. The three of us were sitting around a big pot and they were stirring something really nasty. There were mutters of, "Double double, toil and trouble, fire burn and cauldron bubble." Then after a bit of panic I realized it was just the Joy Behar show on television and she was interviewing Rosie O'Donnell. I cannot abide these two liberal fat ass idiots. Do they ever quit flapping their jowls? To call them pigs is an insult to swine everywhere. Pigs aren't that brainless. This is all bad enough, but how did the TV end up on a channel broadcasting this garbage? It must have switched when I rolled over on the remote. It took medication to calm me down. Whew! What a nightmare!!

For more information concerning dreams please visit Wikipedia.

Here's a 4 minute trailer for an upcoming "must see geek movie." Try to watch in 720p. Bet Sheldon Cooper will be there opening day (lol). It will be in theaters June 17th:



"Vision without action is a daydream. Action without vision is a nightmare."
~Musashi

Music Monday - RDJ, Yes!

Another facet of the Robert Downey, Jr., gemstone. If you are a YES fan give this a chance. That's Jon Anderson singing in the chorus. He is the lead singer of the group YES and the original lead on this beautiful song. He also wrote it. The video portion is also awesome. Sometimes it amazes me as to what you can find on the internet:



What next? Think he will do a cover of Ozzy and company's Iron Man?

"I am moved by music, and certain things just make my day."
Bobby Sherman

Chrome? Chromium? Are They the Same?

Question arose yesterday about the difference between the Chrome Browser and the Chromium Browser. They are definitely not the same even though they share some common core components. Chrome is a browser maintained by Google. It is free to download and blazing fast. It wins most benchmark tests and is the preferred browser at the Beach House. BTW, I still leave IE9 as default. When I go to the web I hit the Chrome button though. K, I must return to the subject - Chromium is an open source project based on Chrome's code. It will constantly change, sometimes up to 15-20 times a day! Being open source, anyone can download and make changes. If you know code then it might be fun. Might not. Now you ponder, which do you use and why?

Chrome, by Google, is your best choice. It is far more stable and is maintained by a group of professionals. Chrome is stoic on the surface, powerful under the hood. Most major browsers, IE9, Firefox, even Opera to some extent, have adopted the signature start page structure first introduced by Chrome. It is seamless on high speed broadband and works efficiently with most internet servers. Awesome if you use GMail, the best email service in the solar system. BTW, don't kid yourself. Chances are your personal address "email server" is probably utilizing GMail in some shape form or fashion. Anyway, Chrome and GMail work well together. Oh yes, it must be mentioned that a well composed iGoogle page is awesome for a home page. Very easy to construct too.

Here is how to open iGoogle and below is a short tutorial on how to edit an iGoogle page. You will need a Google account, which is free and has an easy sign up page. Please make sure the sound is on and click the arrow:

The Chromium logo is shades of blue and the Chrome monicker is made up of all the colors in the Google logo. Unless you are adventuresome and don't mind crashes Chromium probably doesn't belong in you arsenal. Chromium can cause major problems. So use Chrome instead. On purpose I did not link to Chromium. If you are savvy enough to run it then you know how to find it.

"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

Smell the Wisteria

Today is a better day. Med delivery may be a mail problem. Being an ultimate example of "white coat syndrome" also comes into play. If stressed, anxious and wired will further my paranoia then it's understandable. Good Lord, please let me live till Monday, lol!

Enjoy the weekend. The weather is here n wish you were beautiful (it's a quote from a Jimmy Buffett song). Summertime in the Deep South! Love it now and will hate the heat come August.

"In the summer I can't sit on my porch."
~George Young

Chrome and Herr Doktor

It seems I am not alone in my findings concerning web browsers. USA Today has some opinions that parallel my recent article. Check it out.

I really do not like dealing with things medical. For some reason the authorized VA clinic is not responding to a simple request and calling in 6 days of medication. I have an appoinment there Thursday of next week. Are they practicing for Obamacare's elimination of the elderly by with holding drugs?

My frustration stems from changes in eyesight which is related to these prescriptions. May be time to change clinics. Wish I could afford to choose another facility. Maybe tomorrow will be better.

Random Thursday - Some Rockers Love Country

"We need to go back to the way it was 30 years ago, when everybody had Grandma and Grandpa, and we were willing to pass moral judgments about right and wrong."
~Steven Tyler

What is an APU?

Auxiliary Power Unit? Not. That's a device that is used in aircraft redundancy systems. It also has several other meanings. In the world of computerspeak it means Accelerated Processing Unit. This is a term that is closely aligned to CPU or Central Pocessing Unit. You know that doo-dee-watt thangy that resides under the big heatsink whatcha-mah-jig under a spinning propeller usually in the center of motherboarding razzle dazzle thangy. Not enough technotalk? Here's an explanation from AMD (which means Advanced Micro Devices) that is easy on the brain:



While Intel still leads in market shares, AMD has come into their own, since they sped up and cooled down their CPU/APU line. Many gamers prefer AMD. Many prefer Intel. Okay, I am not afraid of a can of worms. Which do you prefer, Intel or AMD? And why?

"Acronym = Noun - A word formed from the initial letters of other words (e.g., LASER, IMHO, CPU, APU, SNAFU, TARFU, FUBAR)."
~Beach House Dictionary

Guild Wars Email and Doris Day's Son

Got an interesting scoop from Mudslingr. If you are a Guild Wars player be sure and delete the email going around that has something to do with GW2. There are several versions of this fake message that supposedly originates from Guild Wars Home. Remember, ArenaNet produces Guild Wars properties and NCSoft owns ArenaNet. These are the only ppl I would trust concerning Guild Wars emails. Anyway, if you play Guild Wars certainly you know the standard drill about opening suspicious emails. It's simple. Don't do it!

More about yesterday's post. I know for a fact that John Kay, lead singer of Steppenwolf, is ->NOT<- Doris Day's son. She only had one child and he was born in February of 1942. Doris Day's son's name? ->Terry Melcher<-. Fame? Was a member of the Rip Cords that was an old one hit wonder during the early Beach Boys era. Song? Hey, Little Cobra which is a car song not a song about a snake. Terry went on to produce most of The Byrds material. He also worked with Paul Revere & the Raiders, Wayne Newton, Mark Lindsay (also lead singer for Paul Revere & tR), Pat Boone, Glen Campbell, Ry Cooder, Taj Mahal, and many more. Terry occasionally made guest appearances on albums with many people including the Beach Boys.

A bit of bad press hit him when Charles Manson and his goons committed their horrible murders. He was not a member of the 'Family' or anything like that, but had turned down several songs that Manson had written. He and girlfriend Candice Bergen had rented the house at one time where Sharon Tate and others were slaughtered by Manson's henchmen and henchwomen. Some say that Manson was trying to seek revenge concerning Melcher because of the rejections. Not true. Manson Family members claim there is no basis to this fabrication. Yes, that question probably pops in all our minds, "Should we believe anything Manson Family members say?" Melcher went on to co-write Kokomo the smash hit single performed by the Beach Boys. He was also producer of their album Summer in Paradise. This is notable because it was the first album ever recorded with ProTools (therefore, it was the first digitally recorded album). BTW, Melcher won a Golden Globe award for Kokomo. He passed away in 2004 after a long bout with melanoma. He was 62.

So, no, John Kay is not Doris Day's son. Good tale though. Remember to watch those strange Guild Wars emails and thanks out to Mudslingr for the warning.

"Talent is God given. Be humble. Fame is man-given. Be grateful. Conceit is self-given. Be careful."
~John Wooden

Music Monday - Hesse Would Be Proud

If I am not mistaken the keyboard wizard is the original. Very good live recording of a classic rock song. John Kay delivers an outstanding performance. And no, he is not Doris Day's son. He was born in Germany, moved to Canada at a very early age and has fronted Steppenwolf, the CANADIAN rock group, since the beginning. Kick back, turn it up and enjoy some more Heavy Metal Thunder. Hard to believe this song has been around since the sixties!



"If I were not a physicist, I would probably be a musician. I often think in music. I live my daydreams in music. I see my life in terms of music. ... I get most joy in life out of music."
~Albert Einstein