Hey Dude, You Are Still the Man

Yes. I really miss my Dad. Life can be tough, so naturally his guidance still helps me love our God...even in despair.

Gone? Me thinks not.

Duality

Here at the beach house there was a love hate relationship concerning Apple in the early years of this blog. Then Apple changed in a positive fashion to their latest operating system based on FreeBSD. Shortly thereafter they switched to Intel processors. Their market share has more than doubled since making these wise changes. It's really not about the hardware though. They have always manufactured great products. Jobs finally decided to enter the mainstream of computerism.

The very first job I had in the industry was a salesman/tech for Apple. My disdain with things orchard started years ago when Steve Jobs made the claim that Apple was faster than PCs. Absurd and very undignified. This was during the Power PC chipset incarnation and hyper threading or dual core were not terms familiar to fanboys. Shucks, multi-tasking plumb evaded them. Now this is not to say that Apple computers weren't nice products. They were and are to this day. But fast as a PC?

Today the market has changed. No doubt a business can run on Apple networks, but it is far more cost effective to use the PC format. Heck, the cost of software alone is a huge savings. So, as technology evolves it'll be fun to watch this healthy competition. In the meantime, something new is learned every day about the iPad. An iPhone is a dream. Hope it comes true one day. But trade my Toshiba Qosmio laptop for a MacBook? That won't happen. I leave every morning armed with a PC and an iPad. You don't have to pick sides in this age old debate. It's okay to like both!

Yet to Come Part 1

Several major changes will happen during the next 300-400 days. Well, this is all possible if the Mayans are/were wrong about December 21, 2012.

Windows 8 will be available at retailers in October.

The highly anticipated (for years now) Guild Wars 2 will crank up late August.

For some goofy reason beyond my power of understanding, Google will pull the plug on the iGoogle homepage November 1, 2013.

Flash will be out of the mobile business in a few months.

There will be 3 new models of the Kindle Fire arriving before the holiday sales.

A 7" iPad is now being developed in Brazil for some reason. It should be available before the end of year. Hey Tim Cook! Give those jobs to the legal citizens of the USA!

Mozilla has announced no further support of Thunderbird, a great email client. Simple solution - use GMail.

Hopefully, we will once again become a nation united. Sad that the socialist leaning incumbent is uniting the country under a banner of hate and disappointment - for him.

Tomorrow's Post: A few personal predictions about hardware trending in the near future. Be sure and catch my take on SSDs. Don't know about SSDs? Links will be there for your enjoyment and pleasure.

Fallen and Almost Didn't Get Up

After a round of back problems and making a decision that I WOULD NOT have back surgery without a second opinion (that probably won't make any difference) several weeks have passed in a muscle relaxer stupor. After staying off the meds for a few days I was busy moving equipment around and tripped over an open computer case. If not squeamish the picture below shows the results. It starts at the bottom of my kneecap and continues down for about 9-10 inches. Pretty huh? Eat your heart out Gwyneth Paltrow, Mila Kunis, Naomi Watts and Kate Beckinsale! After tearing it open at the top again on Saturday, I am off my feet for a few days to let this knit back together.

Most of my life I've been a blessed man and not suffered a great deal physically. Of course some that know me seem to think the same is not true when applied to the mental aspect. On occasion I am bothered by an old wound that hinders walking a bit, but other than the blood pressure/stroke problems down through the years that have been controlled by meds most of the time, it hasn't been that bad. That said, the last few years have been hell.

One malady after another. Yes I am familiar with whine mode, turbo whine mode, and warp whine mode. Ladies and gentlemen, brothers and sisters, let me tell ya that warp whine can be found at the beach house most any time of the day or night. If you drive by don't think those horrible sounds you hear are the neighborhood possum, Sid, whuppin' up on a cat or dog. Just might be me trying to stand up, roll over in bed or tie my shoes.

K, dropping out of warp back to normal. Hey, it's not all bad. I have lost over 50 pounds! You know, sometimes you just have to accentuate the positive...

If it's Not Too Dear

Made it. Actually got up at 7:30AM and mowed about 2/3 an acre with push mower. LOL, chest pains were anxiety stuff. Thanks for concern. Phone is working, but battery life short. Gmail (aka email), Google Talk, TS, etc.

It is GREAT to be alive and in Mississippi!!! Thanks to everyone for the birthday wishes n stuff.

Phone Stuff

K, phone is working. Sorta', kinda'. It's a V5 (maybe even V3) Razr that had the dust blown off it. Have jiggled the iPad charge cord enough to get about half a charge. So some things are better. I think.

Just to mention in passing, chest pains are bothering me. Hope it's anxiety from all the recent frustration. Really want to make it alive until at least 4:40AM tomorrow. That way Music Monday has meaning, lol.

Phone and iPad

Latest cell phone has been a Samsung. I really like it. It was a gift and had some really nice features, accessories, etc. Well, yesterday as equipment was being carried in from the truck I dropped it. Didn't realize this had happened until a few hours later. It was in a case, but moisture does strange things to electronics. Wiped off, shaken and put back together it worked until late last night. It quit suddenly. Makes me sick. Blackberry style phone that was pristine. No scratches, all buttons worked and the range was great. Now I am desperately trying to find an old phone to replace it.

Anyway, please contact me by email and I will update here when phone connectivity is back in working order. Sheesh! When does it stop? Just found out the charging cord for my iPad is kinked and it won't charge. Guess saying 'when it rains it pours' is redundant at this time. Hope the Walmart sells replacements...

EDIT: Folks, I have around 4% charge on my iPad and am having a hard time finding that Apple charge cable at a decent price. If it's a TRUE emergency I can use the iPad to talk briefly. Every time I receive a call that app is a pig. Please email, am trying to check it every hour.

EDIT2: Teamspeak is online.

It's Spring!

Vernal equinox. The daylight equals the same amount of hours as the nightime. Flowers bloom, weather warms and you might hear the crack of a bat at the local baseball diamond. Enjoy the mild temperatures. Summer is just around the corner.

"A little Madness in the Spring
Is wholesome even for the King."
~Emily Dickinson

Beach House Update

I am a whiner. Health issues turn me into a complete nuisance and utter bore. After several weeks of misery and anxiety attacks it looks like life may be returning to its sub-normal state. One issue that has bothered me is eyesight. It's hard to be happy plagued with multiple problems, but there is light at the end of the tunnel presently and I can see it.

Thanks out to everyone for their prayers and well wishes. Thanks to all for their patience with me. My major goal is finishing several projects in the coming week. Diligence is in play. No matter the obstacles, 2012 has to be a better year. God help me with health and age issues. Voters please help me with stress issues by voting NObama out of office come November.

"I asked my doctors if I'd be able to play singles tennis and they said I could. That made me very happy since I haven't played in five years."
~Walter Cronkite

Happy St. Patrick's Day!

"I think it frets the saints in heaven to see
How many desolate creatures on the earth
Have learnt the simple dues of fellowship
And social comfort, in a hospital."
~Elizabeth Barrett Browning

Happy Leap Day!

"Never underestimate your problem or your ability to deal with it."
~Robert H. Schuller

Fat Tuesday

Ever wonder about this Mardi Gras thing? It's a let your hair down party that is a last day of indulgence before the start of Lent. Lent? A period of penance and prayer before Easter. Among other activities King Cakes are part of this annual celebration. Talk about a sugar coma! Grand dessert that traditionally had a baby Jesus figurine in it and the person that finds it supposedly is blessed with luck for a year. To learn more about King Cakes visit NOLA.com

With the advent of the ridiculous dumbasses suing McDonalds because the coffee they clumsily spilled was hot (can i get a big well, DUH right here?), the figurine is now packaged separately in most cakes. You know the person that sued Mickey Ds with the coffee spill is a village idiot, but the damn judge and lawyer should be tarred and feathered then shot into the sun on a rocket or, at the very least, sacrificed to a volcano. Back to the subject, King Cakes come in many flavors. I favor...hmmmm....all of them! Blueberry may be the best, but raspberry is also tasty. Wait, the apple rocks too. So does the lemon. And the strawberry. Just try one, you'll like it!

Mardi Gras means Fat Tuesday. The celebration goes back to the time when the Romans embraced Christianity and incorporated a pagan festival into the Roman Catholic rites. Mardi Gras came to America in 1699 with the French explorer Iberville. Mardi Gras had been celebrated in Paris since the Middle Ages, where it was a major holiday. Iberville sailed into the Gulf of Mexico, from where he launched an expedition up the Mississippi River. On March 3 of 1699, Iberville had set up camp on the west bank of the river 60 miles south of where New Orleans is today. This was the day Mardi Gras was being celebrated in France. In honor of this important day, Iberville named the site Point du Mardi Gras.

The center of activities is New Orleans. Needless to say the town is jumping with a Carnival atmosphere. Used to love going, but that was in my younger days. BTW, a word to the wise: If you think you can attend and drink like a fish or act like a pagan please stay home. The NOPD will put your silly butt in jail if you don't obey the law. That said, if you have never been it is interesting. Not for the prudish though.

Mardi Gras is followed by Ash Wednesday which is the beginning of Lent. Holy Saturday is April the 7th this year and will conclude the fasting period. The huge festivity that takes place in New Orleans every year has garnered world wide acclaim. Gambinos is the baker's standard when it comes to King Cakes. They ship overnight and I can certainly testify their product holds up during the trip to your table. The cake pictured at the very beginning of this post is a Gambinos. If in North Mississippi, Kroger supermarkets usually stock these goodies this time of year. Hurry though, they sell out!

Wow, now I must go have another cup of Mello Joy coffee and finish my breakfast grilled cheese sandwich. Shucks, I might even have two.

"Never celebrate until you are really out of the woods. They might be behind the last tree."
~Billy Wobblynife

Saturday at the Beach House

Spent the better part of today replacing a router at the beach house. At first it seemed that a quick swap had worked. Due to port forwarding and triggering a second router was used. Not a waste of money though. The router used in the first attempt will be converted into a needed access point repeater.

The use of a second and different router was necessary due to intricate settings for the VOIP known as Teamspeak. Recently, a power surge destroyed a very solid server that has been the home of this great communications platform. After much girlyman crying and whining the service has returned. It was all good then the router started to slowly die. At the end I was restarting it every 10 minutes or so. This is a 24/7 service and is physically hosted in our computer lab by the new and improved server. Restarting a router every few minutes is not an option.

It has been replaced with a DD-WRT router gifted to the cause by Ashy. Another great rescue. TYVM Ashy. The beach house intranet has a few glitches, but further calibration should tweak it to maximum. The Teamspeak system is gosh darn awesome. Oh yes, if you are a member of our Teamspeak family please upgrade your client software to the latest version. If you are considering using a DD-WRT modified router being strong willed, having the ability to read and maybe some Xanax all help. This is not for the faint of heart.

Life is full of mysteries. One that never ceases to amaze me is how I can plan a little 'me' time and the world will just not tolerate it, lol.

"What lies behind us and what lies ahead of us are tiny matters compared to what lies within us."
~Thoreau

Luddite at the Beach House?

Texting is a way of life and many folks embrace it. Luddite here. Some phones need to have a huge magnifying glass shipped with them. Okay, if you intend a phone keyboard for usage as a means of data input then why make it so small? Two fingers can cover my WHOLE keyboard. I mean literally. God blessed me with large hands and I like them, yes I do. My present Samsung phone is super otherwise. Great battery, range and clarity. Thank you MJ. The iPad virtual keyboard is much easier but still no substitute for a full size QWERTY board. Okay, getting off on a tangent. Back to a phone's primary purpose.

If you think you are too busy or too good to hold a conversation on the phone with me then why even consider my resources? I spend more time answering text messages by email every day, because people won't answer phone calls. Returned a call one day and instead of answering the phone, they sent a text -> 'Wht u need?' This time I did text back -> 'Absolutely nothing.' Then I enjoyed the rest of the day listening to and singing along with an Edwin Starr hit from the 70s. Say it again y'all! (insert evil grin here)

Yes, there are times when text messages are needed. If I am under a desk or in an attic pulling cable my phone is usually left with my tools. This is a habit I acquired that prevents wasted hours trying to find a cell phone in an attic full of insulation. Did it twice. And contrary to what some folks have posted here, I do answer phone calls. If you call from an unidentified number I won't answer. But I will call back. It's a phone spam thangy. On the rare occasion I don't call back to an unknown number leave a text that helps with identity. In other words mention your name.

Other day a local number flashed on caller ID. It hadn't been identified. I was extremely busy working and ignored it. Then a text came in -> 'Dude, this is Josh (aka Joss) Whedon and buying laptop for the Firefly biz office. Need ur help.' Picked up the phone, saved his info and returned the call. Handy usage. He bought a really nice Toshiba BTW.

We all get busy. There is definitely a need for texting. Then there is a need to interact with voice communication at times. C'mon folks. Do you really think I can cure a computer problem by texting back and forth from a keyboard that was intended for fingers smaller than those of a large germ?

Please, can't we just all get along? Text me when you have to...call me when you need detailed info. K, I probably just wasted valuable time even writing this post. But, I feel better. My calm doesn't seem nearly as damaged.

"There is a limit at which forbearance ceases to be a virtue."
~Edmund Burke

Here's another classic love song. If you feel these lyrics touch your heart about somebody, please, count yourself fortunate. And don't screw it up. Get that big box of chocolates.



LYRICS:
Changing my life, with your love, Has been so easy for you,
And I'm amazed, every day, and I'll need you.
'Til all the mountains are valleys, And every ocean is dry, my love.

I'll be yours until the sun doesn't shine, 'Til time stands still
Until the winds don't blow, When today is just a memory to me, I know.
I'll still be lovin, I'll still be lovin you. I'll still be lovin you.

Never before did I know, How lovin someone could be,
Now I can see, you and me, for a lifetime.
Until the last moon is rising, You'll see the love in my eyes, my love.

I'll be yours until the sun doesn't shine, 'Til time stands still,
Until the winds don't blow. When today is just a memory to me, I know.
I'll still be lovin, I'll still be lovin you.

I'll be yours until the sun doesn't shine, 'Til time stands still.
Until the winds don't blow. When today is just a memory to me, I know.
I'll still be lovin, I'll still be lovin you. I'll still be lovin you.

I'll still be lovin...I'll still be lovin'...I'll still be lovin you
I'll still be lovin...I'll still be lovin'...I'll still be lovin you....

"There are four basic food groups, milk chocolate, dark chocolate, white chocolate, and chocolate truffles."
~Billy Wobblynife

Sunday Afternoon Thoughts

K, with a mobo change plus other hardware replacement, the Teamspeak server is back online. Thanks to Elvis the Butler an Asus server motherboard was found. Still in need of an OS for the backup server and it will be finished. Presently, finishing the application and file server that was scheduled for December is the prime focus. Mr. Butler delivered a second motherboard that should finish this project. TYVM Elvis and you too Mrs. Elvis. There's also a network traffic shaping problem that should be resolved tomorrow evening. Rob, I haven't forgotten you either. Beach house stress level should be livable by week's end!

Several ppl have asked why don't I play WoW or SWTOR. Well, they both cost money. And at this moment I don't have any extra time. Besides, I am a guild leader in Guild Wars. It has been a somewhat rough ride, but I'm sticking. When Guild Wars 2 goes retail later this year, work and personal goals should be stable. So thank you for the offers. As work stabilizes Cybersouth should see some changes and then we'll spend some time gaming. A man's gotta' know his limitations. A man's gotta' know his priorities.

Ashy has a stress test and some sort of heart scan scheduled tomorrow. He's in a better mood since the heart cath was moved to the back burner. I am praying for him. Hope you are too. Nice to hear concerned folks care. TY Kristi, Felecia, David, Chris, Tina, Maryke, Dean, and others for your prayers. He's a good guy and needs our support.

"When life knocks you to your knees, and it will, why, get up! If it knocks you to your knees again, as it will, well, isn't that the best position from which to pray?"
~Ethel Barrymore

Letters, We Get Letters

Received a blasting email about yesterday's post. If you are a liberal and have thin skin it's probably a good idea not to visit here. If you have thick skin and understand all here is written with IMHO taken for granted then suit yourself. Oh yes, one other item; don't bother sending anonymous email. If you want to thrash me at least "man up" and use a name. Make one up, I don't care. Anonymous is now permanently deleted in GMail. A simple filter is used.

Several people have inquired about this site being rebuilt. When the beach house web server crashed it carried with it previous site templates. Chyna Moon gifted me with several banners or headers. The last one was favored by readers. They were all great. Chyna is one of the most talented people I know. The template can be re-constructed, but I am trying to find a backup of those headers. Have the original, seen above, and know that the others exist. May be on my Linux machine. Hope the massive links list is there too. People have asked that it be brought back. Working on it.

Current projects will be finished and then time will be spent on constructing 'CySo' again. Please put our friend Ashy in your prayers. He is hospitalized. Looks like a heart cath is on order for Monday. Please join me in asking God to watch over him. He's a super friend to many techs and others in North Mississippi. Have a great Saturday and if you are local stay warm!

"Opinions alter, manners change, creeds rise and fall, but the moral laws are written on the table of eternity."
~Lord (John Emerich Edward Dalberg) Acton

Baboons or Weasels? Or Both?

Harry Reid

We all know that idiots exist. You know the people that elected NObama. They can elevate their sub-standard mental profile by voting Republican in November and ousting this non-American, Muslim, teleprompter dependent that will climb a tree and lie when standing on the ground and telling the truth serves him better.

Nancy Pelosi

Why this renewed distress? Please go read an important article at The New American. Harry Reid is a baboon's ass. Two states I'll never visit again are Nevada and California. These are the citizens that elected Reid and Pelosi. Just plain nuts. And they probably have no shame. Most NObama people do not know the meaning of the word shame.

Don't like my attitude or what you read here? Then you have no business on this site. Take your liberal baboon worshiping goofball miserable self elsewhere. Oh yes, Nancy Pelosi is the stuff that Reid and his fellow apes fling on others.

God Bless America and all the God fearing Republicans. God help the dumbasses that support NObama.

"The will of the people is the only legitimate foundation of any government, and to protect its free expression should be our first object."
~Thomas Jefferson
3rd president of US (1743 - 1826)

Small Light at Tunnel's End?

Yes, there's a nerd inhabiting the beach house. Multiple computers online, iPad at the ready, jump drive on a lanyard around my neck, a mega hacked wifi router, shirt pocket protector with backups at the ready, closet and clothes hamper full of geek t-shirts, lotsa' cargo shorts and sneakers, no cable TV, but the highest tier of cable internet service. The Big Bang Theory on CBS, Thursday night, 7:00pm Central time via off-air antenna is a favorite at the beach house. Watching this show provokes LOL, ROFL and ROFLMAO.

Hope no one ever looks through the window and finds a fat old geek laughing heartily and no one else is in the room. Can we say Funny Farm? Think about it. When was the last time you were alone and actually laughed out loud? A current project is cleaning up the computer graveyard that has taken over my home. It's slow, but progress is being made. All that can be done at times is laugh about how and why this happened: A mind is a terrible thing...to waste.

There's a bandwidth allocation problem with a local client that seems to be grasping at resolution possibly even as early as next week. This has been a long tedious battle, but nice folks get the uber effort. After this is accomplished work begins on rebuilding their Blade 2900 dual Xeon server and bringing it online within the existing network. This machine can walk the dog, compact the trash, and vacuum the floor simultaneously.

I've had a friend's backup gaming machine for a year and have had it ready to go twice. My obsessive compulsive nature freaked it out because the cable routing inside the case didn't suit me and the correction effort took out a hard drive, etc. Another time my window air conditioner went ka-blamm and blew grease everywhere including all over the case of this machine. Have new case and hope to finish it in the next few days. Please pray for me.

There is a file server still being tuned for delivery. It was supposed to be online in December of last year. It will be benched again tomorrow. This Server will go on the network of one of my great friends. All the delays make me feel like a geek failure. But, I will finish it. It will also run like a dream machine. There is the constant problem with Murphy's Law when it comes to the Teamspeak Server. Again, on the bench tomorrow.

All these tasks shall be completed unless death takes me. Speaking of that, last week saw major stress. My blood pressure gave way to the craziness. No more out of control like that - really don't need to stroke out again. Slap me around, kick my fat butt, but please don't try the guilt trip thangy. My aversion to coercion is notorious. And please vote Nobama out of office come November.

On top of all this, trying to get my truck repaired and running is akin to making peace between Israel and Palestine. Not having wheels sucks! K, enough of the warp whine. It's time to take medication and look at pretty lights on the battery powered whirligig I carry in my laptop backpack. This one is green in color. Don't believe me? If I have my laptop with me, and most of the time I do, it is easy to put it on display. And no, you can't have it. My toy!

Peace out.

"I look to the future because that's where I'm going to spend the rest of my life."
~George Burns

Beach House Needed Item

Does anyone know where these can be purchased?

"If it weren't for the fact that the TV set and the refrigerator are so far apart, some of us wouldn't get any exercise at all."
~Joey Adams