Ramblings, opinions, and general meanderings from the Deep South

Friday, April 30, 2004

Spyware/Adware Trauma

I am going to state two cyber truths. You MUST download and install Spybot Search & Destroy. You MUST download and install Ad-Aware. Then check for updates EVERY time you get on the internet. Check for these updates when you first open your Internet Explorer, Mozilla, etc. If you don't do this and keep rolling the dice you will lose to Incredifind and the other smarmy spyware/adware people. If you have any problems installing please contact me. I will gladly help. Spybot S&D is a wonderful program and you should send money to Patrick Kolla for this neat utility (I did). Lavasoft is the owner of Ad-aware and their basic version is free too. They sell upgrades. Links are posted.

It is so frustrating that there is free software out there and people don't use it. All the harping in the world here at Cybersouth does not magically make these programs leap out and install on your computer. It takes around 15-25 minutes to install both of these super utilities. My frustration comes not from the fact that they are gathering information that's on your PC and where you go on the web. It comes from PCs slowing down and finally doing weird things, like crashing, from all the junk that someone else has decided you need on your machine. Would you like for a door to door salesman to come into your house and go through your personal belongings at random? Well, that's about the same as these jerks invading your cyber privacy. Don't let them do it! Defend your rights!

For a brief respite I am going to go LAN Party in spite of all the interference that is being thrown in my path at the last minute. It may mean being up all night, but this event is going to happen.

"Do not go gentle into that good night."
-Dylan Thomas

Thursday, April 29, 2004

Another Darth bites the dust along with some students

It's late and my daughter, son-in-law and I have been testing the Unreal Tournament LAN setup. Lets see...Count Dooku, War Groupie and Darth Booger did battle and they kicked my Booger butt. The server is performing flawlessly. We have 3 machines on line besides the server and even the laptop is doing a great job. Several more machines will be brought on line and we are expecting the hardcore gamers to bring their on "rods", LOL. Now we just need to hope for a pretty evening on Saturday.

The booger eating RIAA are at it again. This round is 477 suits and most are college students at the following schools:

Mansfield University
Brown University in Providence
Rhode Island
Emory University in Atlanta
Georgia Institute of Technology
Gonzaga University of Spokane, Washington
Michigan State University
Princeton University
Sacred Heart University of Fairfield, Connecticut
Texas A&M University
Trinity College of Hartford, Connecticut
Trinity University of San Antonio
University of Kansas
University of Minnesota
Virginia Polytech Institute

I hope someone takes down their page and hacks their web doo doo so horribly they fall off the earth and die. I loathe anyone that works for or with these creeps.

"Collective fear stimulates herd instinct, and tends to produce ferocity toward those who are not regarded as members of the herd."
-Bertrand Russell (the RIAA Nazis are DEFINITELY outside the herd)










Wednesday, April 28, 2004

The Good, The Bad, and the Butt-Ugly

THE GOOD: The first Beach House LAN party is happening this Saturday. The boss is out on jury duty and our office manager may have to take off. When it rains it pours. But, there are good people involved and all the ducks will line up. We are going to setup the server and network tomorrow night for a trial run. Hope the weather holds out. If you are out and about stop in and say hello. Start time is 4ish in the afternoon. Burgers n chips, casual type affair.

THE BAD: Yet another Incredifind Removal tip has been added to the link list. Seems the general attitude on the web is to outlaw spyware/adware. Congratulations to Utah for taking such a stance. New York! Make sure Michael Balboni's anti-spyware bill passes. Hope everyone else follows. How did we stand by and let these Nazis do this to us?

THE BUTT-UGLY: John Kerry.

"Leave all the afternoon for exercise and recreation, which are as necessary as reading. I will say more necessary because health is worth more than learning."
-Thomas Jefferson

Tuesday, April 27, 2004

Let's dance...under the moonlight, this serious moonlight

I like David Bowie. This article reflects the spirit of an artist that has no intention of suing his fans. BOWIENET is David's official site and it is well done, easily navigated and full of info. Ziggy Stardust is a definite white hatter!

Here's a kewl page ->The RIAA Sucks. Much info here about the music thugs. Be sure and read the quote at the very beginning of the article. Always knew Joni Mitchell was intelligent. And someone has even written a song about these jerks; here are the lyrics. This is cute and apropo.

Here is a list of musicians that are selling their music online. This was gleaned from the EFF site.

Alanis Morissette
Ani DiFranco
Beastie Boys
Beggars Banquet
CD Baby
Chuck D
David Bowie
Einsteurzende Neubauten
Green Day
Ice T
Janis Ian
Justablip Records
Kristen Hersch
Less
Matador Records
Michael Franti/Spearhead
Paula Cole
Pearl Jam
Phish
REM
Sinombre
Smashing Pumpkins
Sonic Youth
Streaming Geeks
They Might Be Giants
Ween
Wilco
Wonderlick

Remember, every time you purchase a CD at the local store you are supporting the RIAA. Buy directly from the artist online!

"Is it not strange that sheep's guts should hale souls out of men's bodies?"
-William Shakespeare



Monday, April 26, 2004

Be sure and read the quote today

The RIAA has company. Please read Caesar Fisher's article over at Ars Technica titled "The kids can't add, but they'll know the industry's stance on copyright." This is a perfect example of why all these entities should cease to exist. Dethrone all of them. There's a line from the MPAA that says, "If you don't pay for it, you've stolen it." Wow, wonder when they bought tickets to a movie? Or popcorn? At the prices demanded at the theater, this is robbery!

It's my considered opinion that you are given some weird drug at the city limits of Hollywood and usage is mandatory. It influences your liberal bone and you have to act a fool or they will run you out of town. Hey Hollywood, Hitler's dead and Satan hasn't completely taken over yet. But he's working on it. Amazing, here we are a democratic society and we let the Music Nazis and the Movie Mafia walk all over us. Alec Baldwyn, Mr. Susan Sarandon, Sean Penn, etc., will never been seen on the beach house tube again and there's a long, growing list of these cretins. You can have your opinions about politics, social issues, religion and so forth, but don't besmirch the United States or the President in public because you are under the influence of the idiot drug issued at the border. The RIAA and MPAA are probably passing it out.

Was going to reference an article in the San Jose Mercury News about spyware, but since they dropped a cookie (two popups followed quickly) on my PC without permission to hell with them. How close is San Jose to Hollywood? Along the same lines yet in a positive manner take a look at Michael Balboni, New York State Senator of the 7th district. Just Google search and he's all over the place. This dude is taking care of business. Created harsh laws to deal with terrorism (you go Mike!), defends the rights of children, and is dead set on ridding us of these cyberthugs. Wonder if our Mississippi lawmakers can hear their constituents?

"Science may have found a cure for most evils; but it has found no remedy for the worst of them all -- the apathy of human beings."
-Helen Keller








Sunday, April 25, 2004

Rainy Sunday

Many things to do, but the day was spent as a victim of the couch monster. One of my meds was doubled so woozie has been the operative word today. Besides, it rained this afternoon. Hope it rains tonight so the dog won't bark all night long. What a nuisance. Sorry, if it belonged to me I'd stop it from annoying everyone.

Time to go to bed and read for a while. Everyone have a nice easy Sunday night.

"If you don't like the weather in Mississippi, just wait a few minutes."
-Billy Wobblynife

Saturday, April 24, 2004

Incredifind? Glimpse of cybertorture

Here's another nightmarish tale of Incredifind damage - Computer Cops. Also, I stand corrected (thanks bondo): eUniverse is the driving force behind all this Incredifind/Keenvalue manure. Write to your Congress and ask that this company be investigated. Support good legislation to ban adware/spyware in your state. Tell your friends and neighbors about this horrible invasion of privacy. Wonder why no one has taken down eUniverse's page? And if you did something like that would you be considered a white hat hacker or a gray hat hacker? IMHO, no one that gives these jerks a dose of their own medicine can be considered black hat hackers!! Hmmmmmmmm...questions, questions.

"The true rule in determining to embrace or reject anything is not whether it has any evil in it, but whether it has more of evil than of good. There are few things wholly evil or wholly good."
-Lincoln

Friday, April 23, 2004

Not Fonda Kerry!

Why would anyone in their right mind vote for Koward Kerry? Why would anyone in their left mind vote for this creep? FreeRepublic has some VERY interesting info about this demoncrat. All I ask of my democratic friends is to go read this article. It is about his positions on different bills and how they relate to different southern states. Also check Real Heroes Voices to get a true picture of how this idiot has done things that border on acts of treason. Let's give our President 4 more years and send Mr. Kerry to the giggle house where he belongs. Being a Vietnam veteran I fume at anti-American activities. Mr. Kerry, you better not show up at the Saltillo Beach House. I WILL kick your sorry ass.

"The man that hath no music in himself, nor is not moved with concord of sweet sounds, is fit for treasons, stratagems, and spoils. The motions of his spirit are dull as night, and his affections dark as Erebus. Let no such man be trusted."
-William Shakespeare

Thursday, April 22, 2004

More relief for Incredifind victims

Computing.net posted a very interesting string of information about the ills and woes of the hated Incredifind on April 16, 2004. The key player here is viruskiller101. It seems there has been some success disposing of this horse manure other than the long, tedious manual removal. Keenvalue is the company that wrote Incredifind. Haven't actually used this approach so you are on your own. If you are having Incredifind problems it's definitely worth a look. Computing.net has been a great source of 'fixes' down through the years. Take a look at what viruskiller101 has to say and let me know. These suggestions will certainly be used here in the future.

It's off to the doctor to keep an appointment scheduled a week ago, rescheduled for Monday and then rescheduled again today. One of these days I'll learn to do that which is right or die knowing my health was not a primary consideration. Gee, think I should take control of my life so I can continue to have one?

"The groundwork of all happiness is health."
-Leigh Hunt

Wednesday, April 21, 2004

Momentary lapse of evil

I'm not due back in Wal-Mart for four months now. Actually made two trips there yesterday. Without a major incident. Seems that someone had sequestered the evil children that live there for some nefarious reason. Probably schooling the brats from hell on how to torture old people or giving them screaming lessons. Yeh, right, as if they need lessons! It's easy breathing for months (try to go only once every two months). Odds are on the 'big' that I don't last that long.

Received several emails about the War of the Cucumbers. Most are of the mind to leave them out of the diet, but one person suggested eating only English cucumbers. No plans are made to put the things back into the diet anytime soon. Murf from Kentucky was vehement and apparently has had a like experience. Tuna, peanuts, cucumbers, what's next? Why couldn't it be beef liver or candied yams or pumpkin pie?

The War of the Voles continues. Have a worthy Wednesday!
"Every evil in the bud is easily crushed: as it grows older, it becomes stronger."
Cicero (B.C. 106-43)





Tuesday, April 20, 2004

First voles 'n now cucumbers are attacking

Monday was a bust. Early Monday morning, the deadly cucumber, onion and tomato salad attacked and won. Whew! Just glad to be alive. Now I must add yet another food to the list of things banished. About 2 years ago it was discovered that tuna salad was a no no. Grew up eating tuna and have always loved it. Have eaten some grilled since then and it had no ill aftershock. But, there's no need in taking a chance so tuna is on the banned food list. Now cucumbers are added. Hope this is a one instance thing because they make a salad jump! Yet, I certainly didn't think so this time yesterday.

Everyone have a kewl Tuesday and beware yo' foodstuffs!
"Go thy way, eat thy bread with joy, and drink thy wine with a merry heart; for God now accepteth thy works."
N.B.: "Eat, Drink and be merry." See also Luke 12:19
-Ecclesiastes 9:7

Sunday, April 18, 2004

Howling night things

Just watched an older Saturday Night Live when Dennis Miller was anchoring Weekend Update. Miller's latest approach (more conservative and supportive of President Bush) has made me let him back in the fold. In days past I would actually turn the channel if Dennis was on and left someone's house once because they were watching him do his liberal bashing of the GOP. Anyway, he's proof that some folks in Hollywood can deal with the real world. Enjoyed this episode of SNL and one thing stuck out; a quote of A. Whitney Brown. Please remember this is circa 1986. Mr. Brown said, "Iraq having nuclear weapons is like a termite having a chain saw." Poignant and funny.

Sleeping soundly I awoke to the neighbor's dog barking like crazy. There's been too much activity at night on the streets here it seems. Or this dog is psychotic. He barks at something randomly every night and it coincides with REM sleep. But hey, it's 3:15am and the birds are singing their tailfeathers off. Go figure. Could it be that the windows are open and I've just noticed things that have happened all winter? Can't remember last summer, but the air conditioning was whirring, so forth, so on, yada yada.

Rambling now and it's quiet at the beach house. Time to go back to bed and dream of warding off the waves of barbaric voles attacking. Maybe the psychotic dog can be enlisted to fight on my side. Make him a general and call him Hun, as in Attila. Fadin' fast. Peace out...

"Women and cats will do as they please, and men and dogs should relax and get used to the idea."
-Robert A. Heinlein (don't know if this is politically correct, but it's the truth!)

Saturday, April 17, 2004

Let's hit the lake!

New sponsor on the page. Mississippi Marine and Outdoors is located just east of the Barnes Crossing Mall which is located at the north end of Tupelo, Mississippi. They sell a world of boats, motors, skis, lifejackets, marine supples, yard tools, duck hunting stuff - well just click on their logo and go look at the site! Bill, Greg, Bill, Jarrett, Tim, Stephanie, Misty, Courtney and the rest of the crew will help you with smiling faces. This is a fun bunch that know their stuff. Hats off to a local business doing things in a positive fashion. Prejudice? You betcha! Like these folks!

"You can learn more about a man in an hour of play than in a lifetime of conversation."
-Plato



Good service or bad service - people make the difference

It's early and the sun is about to rise. Many yard projects today and it's about time to confront whatever is living in the dank, dark back corner of my garage. What a mess out there. Enough to make a grown man cry.

There is a written explanation over at SouthernPhried that outlines the downloading and install of AVG Antivirus. Several fellow geeks are working on graphical presentations of how to install AVG, Spybot S&D, and Ad-Aware. Hope this helps. Comments and email are welcome.

Flopping in bed a few minutes ago the overwhelming need for caffeine time hit me and, after grinding some awesome Odyssey coffee beans, the plan was to watch a program on the History Channel. Then found my upload capabilities traveling at the speed o' light and had to sit down and take advantage of it. VistaIIIMedia is busy working around town and I'll just bet this is in conjunction with the two-way upgrade underway. This day and time it's rare to find a company that goes the extra effort to help their customers. VistaIIIMedia does. Most just don't give a rat's butt about subscribers, clients, customers, etc. Nice to talk to people that have manners. Please keep up the great work y'all.

Hope Comcast doesn't buy them. Then we will have to deal with evil Renee, Renoo, Renaud (sp? - something like that, she probably spells it in some demon fashion) in Alabama that was mentioned in the March 30th post. Brian Roberts (head muckity muck at Comcast)!! I am still inviting you to call, email, snail mail, fly down (there's a joke!) so we can talk about your rude phone answering CSRs in Huntsville or Tuscaloosa. Wasn't always this way. When service for this area was based in Tupelo people were nice (BTW, Comcast folks in Tupelo are still nice and polite). And I know that the vast majority of folks are nice and polite in Alabama. Renee, get some help. Watch Dr. Phil. Join a 12 step program to overcome crudeness. Or move. Don't think she was born in Alabama. Do you care Brian? Apparently not. It is sad to see a company that installed their very first cable system in Tupelo now neglecting its roots. Most folks are not unhappy with the service; just the hateful phone attitude.

The sun is almost up and time to shift into positive gear. Now I must go fight the War of the Voles. Later y'all.

"Parents are usually more careful to bestow knowledge on their children rather than virtue, the art of speaking well rather than doing well; but their manners should be of the greatest concern."
-R. Buckminster Fuller

Friday, April 16, 2004

Spyware/adware just plain sucks

Evil never rests. Found another Incredifind victim yesterday and just walked away from a machine that is ate up with spyware. Why do people put this barnyard material on their PCs? The one from yesterday is on the bench at the shop and after removing over 800 instances of spyware it seems happier. Next, we get to remove virus infections. This one was about to go under, but it may be saved. The one on the bench here is not gonna make it. I am trying to recover some files and the hard drive is on its last leg. Wish the hard drive would last because this machine may be the most infected yet. We'll never know. Hey, employees of Keenvalue/Incredifind how does it feel to kiss the devil's butt every day? Hey, employees of any spyware/adware company how does it feel to be a cyber terrorist? Guess your children are really proud of what you do for a living. . .

"What is evil? - Whatever springs from weakness."
Nietzsche (1844-1900)



Tuesday, April 13, 2004

USB? USB? I want my USB...

Does everyone else have as much trouble with USB devices?!? Why do they suddenly disappear? I'd appreciate any voodoo you do to make these aggravating over-rated serial ports work. At least parallel ports for printers worked. And it may be the inexpensive all in one Lexmark, but seems there is constant trouble with these devices. K, kudos to Apple. Firewire is better. Has anyone paid attention to how many IRQs are used when installing a USB 2 card? Try 3.

Hep me! hep me!

"It's not the personal confuser; it's the user!"
-Techs all over the world

Monday, April 12, 2004

Monday moanings and merriment

Concerned parents ask about good sites for children and I've finally taken the time to browse one that is recommended and now I am on the train. It's Yahooligans. Safe site that has many educational games and other things that interest children. Hey, take a look. Nice that Yahoo is being responsible to the small ones of this world.

Great non-partisan site for "locals" is Mississippi Political. Nice clean looking site with a way kewl links page. If the Magnolia State is dear to you check this out. I like it.

Finally the two Incredifind wounded machines are healed and heading home. Hope someone is reading that has clout with state law makers and reports this hideous cyber malady. Keenvalue is the parent company. They try to come off as harmless and it's just not that way. I've a growing list of clients that feel the same way. Sometimes you just happen across something that reaffirms the fact that evil exists in the world.

Raining and chilly in paradise, but the local weather voodoo docs are mojoing for a casual weekend. Time to plant.

"The rain is famous for falling on the just and unjust alike, but if I had the management of such affairs I would rain softly and sweetly on the just, but if I caught a sample of the unjust out doors I would drown him."
- quoted in My Father Mark Twain, Clara Clemens

Sunday, April 11, 2004

Friends, family and hoppin' furry creatures

Thanks so much to Molly and 'Hoppa for the nice comments yesterday. Just when wondering if anyone cares, friends show up and overwhelm me with support. Nice to know that people are concerned and shoring me up in this gruelling effort to overcome stress and high blood pressure problems. There is a plan and it'll be worked. Keep them thar cards n letters a comin!

My uber daughters are awesome. Love them both dearly. Emily has put her page back together and it can be found here. Next time a fast upload connection is experienced it'll be posted in the links as Beagle's site. She also writes a journal, but it is private. Kristi is so busy at work I don't know how she copes. They call several times a week to check on things. Both of them are founding members of SouthernPhried. I am truly the luckiest Dad on planet earth.

Have a superduper Easter. Bugs Bunny for Easter Rabbit! As that great Canton, Mississippi, philosopher Tim Irving says, "Hey, don't see ya today? Go ahead n hide those eggs without me!"

"Above all the grace and the gifts that Christ gives to his beloved is that of overcoming self."
- St. Francis of Assisi

Saturday, April 10, 2004

Call on Congress about Incredifind

Wow! It's nice to have internet connectivity. The dial up modem has been removed from this machine so I am exclusively dependent upon cable modem. No connection since Wednesday, but I haven't really tried a lot. Besides, could have installed a winmodem and used my dialup account. Needed the break. Trip to the doctor meant a change in meds and a strict lecture about diet. Rest will work wonders. Stress still sucks and those that support it suck even more.

I won't redo a machine and not install all the updates, AVG, Ad-Aware and Spybot. Just asking for trouble if it's left to the client to do these things. Trying to get someone to do updates is hard enough. So, without my high speed download capability I've been dead in the water for a few days. Have two PCs that Incredifind and various virii laid to waste. Such a sad state of affairs that we have Keenvalue/Incredifind cretins in the world. Back in the day they would have been subject to nefarious hacking and cracking. Nowadays everyone is scared to do anything about even the most evil junk on the net. Thanks, RIAA, ACLU and the rest of you liberal horseasses. I just bet the Incredifind jerks are not intelligent enough to stave off an offense. Hey, look at what they do for a living. Make others miserable. Please, please use the procedures in the tips that are listed at the bottom of the links to remove this spyware from hell. Haphazardly deleting files will end up in a format. Find a good popup murder program (Google Toolbar and AnalogX's POW! are both great), install Ad-Aware and Spybot Search & Destroy, and write your political representatives and ask that Keenvalue be investigated.

The wisteria that parasitically leeches the huge oak in the front yard is blooming and shedding. Looks like a purple blanket out there. It's a beautiful day in paradise with an easy, light breeze. Ignore the smucks, grinches, doodoo heads of the world and have a pleasant day.

"All that is necessary for the triumph of evil is for good men to do nothing."
-Edmund Burke (1729-1797)


Wednesday, April 07, 2004

Incredifind in the Dock Empire? NOT!!

If I become Emporer of the Known Universe heads will roll. Spyware/adware people will be shot on site and spammers gutted n' left to die. Haven't thought up anything horrible enough for the virus writers, but diligently working on it. The Incredifind/Keenvalue sleazes will be hunted down first. EOTKU, has a nice geeky ring to it.

I'm outta meds n' have to be at the doctor tomorrow. Casual I ain't today.

"It is better to be violent, if there is violence in our hearts, than to put on the cloak of nonviolence to cover impotence."
-Mahatma Gandhi

Tuesday, April 06, 2004

The Good, the Bad, and the Butt-Ugly

Good: Nice to arise, sign on, and immediately get an AVG update. Download speed is still slow, but it was a "go" on the first try. After years of recommending this program and making it one of my first links it's nice to see things returning to normal. An advantage of AVG is that their definitions seem to precede the other antivirus programs. Comes in handy during the next work day. Please remember, UPDATE YOUR VIRUS DEFINITIONS. If it fails, don't walk away like a wimp. Keep trying. Not downloading definitions can end up costing mega bucks!

Bad: Two machines are on my bench and they have something in common. Incredifind was found on both PCs and even though one had previously been worked on by a different tech and returned to the customer it still has problems. The fix? Both hard drives have to be formatted. The reason. Someone tried to delete things without using the formulated steps in the two links listed. We need laws to stop this madness. There are more emails and traffic concerning Incredifind removal here than any other topic. If anyone knows of any Incredifind/Keenvalue removal TOOL please let me know.

Butt-Ugly: Please stay away from Norton Internet Security. NOT Norton Antivirus. The antivirus program all by itself is fine (still prefer AVG). After an hour researching and 5 printed pages later from the NIS parent site, Symantec, I was able to salvage a laptop that has to attach to a network on a daily basis. Don't harp on me about this program. It won't do any good. It's evil and should be taken off the shelves. It will prevent networking, email and internet connection. Don't buy this hunk of junk. It has no resident uninstall program and the 5 pages that explains how to remove it are buried in the site. Also, if you are attempting to remove it the 15 or 20 registry edits they recommend are not enough. You have to do more. A mess if there ever was one. Wish Peter Norton still drove that train. Such garbage would never reach the consumer.

It's Tuesday and the beach house demeanor is Eastwoodish.

"The real problem is in the hearts and minds of men. It is easier to denature plutonium than to denature the evil spirit of man."
-Albert Einstein







Monday, April 05, 2004

Don't tread on Google, rocket scientist boy

Last week's post of Technology (Every Wednesday) finds Kevin Maney saying, "But, you know, much as I couldn't live without it, Google stinks." This article can be found at USA Today. He rants on about how we are all gonna' give up all our personal info and let it be merged with online engines so as to make our lives easier. No wonder I have not been reading what this 'rocket scientist' has to say. He further dictates this will happen by 2010. He has many comments and has become a self-appointed Nostradamus of things Google. Seriously, I am not making this up. Go read it.

After some discussion about this with the local geeks and nerdlings most have been left guffawing and horse laughing as I walked away. One fellow web surfer made the remark, "He's in the money section of this rag and that's frightening!" In all fairness, let it be said that the American public may not be as paranoid as your average geek. Yet, I find some satistfaction that 100% of the people that read the copy I have believe that it's barnyard material. Yes, I carried the article around all weekend (thanks Marshall, for the heads up!). Mr. Maney is certainly entitled to his opinion. Those folks that are still in shock about identity theft may disagree. To accomplish such goals our rights to privacy will disappear. May the Good Lord help us make sure such things don't transpire. He probably composed this little ditty on a Darth Jobs computer. Go figure...

"If you don't know how to use Google then practice, practice!"
-Billy Wobblynife

Sunday, April 04, 2004

AVG rocks!

Good to have AVG back in working order. The Avast! utility was a bust. There's more info at Southern-Phried. The uninstall sucked. They tried to leave registry entries and that's not tolerated. Didn't take long to find out AVG is a superior product. Glad they are returning to normal as far as definition downloads.

It's a beautiful day and much work is on the schedule for the afternoon. Plant a tree, put flowers on the table, grab some rays, fire up the grill or reinstall that great yardware utility - the hammock. Every one have a great first day of daylight savings time!

"If a man insisted always on being serious, and never allowed himself a bit of fun and relaxation, he would go mad or become unstable without knowing it."
-Herodotus (484 BC - 430 BC), The Histories of Herodotus

Saturday, April 03, 2004

This is not a long one

It's been an 'oh my aching back kinda' day'. Glad to see AVG getting better. Such a beautiful day. Hated to waste today lounging around, but there's tomorrow! Hope everyone has a great weekend.

"Adversity is the first path to truth."
-Lord Byron, Don Juan

Thursday, April 01, 2004

A fix, a complaint, a war, and a movie

The AVG download site "fix" is posted at Southern-Phried. The instructions are exact and very boring. This did not help in my venture to acquire a virus definition download so I am now running Avast!. It's different and under observation.

There are many pictures waiting to be posted and I will probably be in overkill mode the next time my upload speed is good. Florida Molly emailed recommending, "quit being a bitch and stop whining." LOL! Okay, my faith is in the VistaIIIMedia people to bring two-way cable modem to the thriving metropolis of Saltillo, MS. Talked to one of their techs yesterday and he was well-mannered, precise and took the time to explain the situation. Even wanted to call one of their uber techs to do a service call and see about possible hardware problems. God Bless them, they are trying to help. So I need to cease and desist my 'girly-man whining' as Molly so graciously put it.

Mississippi State University has information on voles and moles. I am still fighting the War of the Moles/Voles. My mammoth ears have to be planted this weekend and I am dead set on keeping these nasty critters away! Moth balls are said to be a great cure for this problem and humane as well. Results will be reported.

Came in last night, turned off the phones, turned off all the machines (except the server), cranked up the home theater and watched a tremendous movie; Secondhand Lions. Michael Caine, Robert Duvall and Haley Joel Osment turn in spectacular performances. Heartwarming tale that gently reminds us of mankind's superior qualities. One of those movies that delivers, big time. Watch it alone, with your significant other, your Mother, your children, your dog or your goldfish. This is good cinema without rap music, profane rantings, explicit sex and disgusting gore. Yes, it is almost sappy. I cried some and laughed a lot! There is still some good in this rude, ill-mannered world.

"To measure the man, measure his heart."
-Forbes