What is your opinion?
Thursday, May 24, 2007
Several more Rose pics...
Here are a few more rose pics that i took this afternoon. I have several more that are starting to bloom.
What is your opinion?
What is your opinion?
RIAA Wants to Hack Your PC
This story was on Wired Magizine several years ago by Declan McCullagh, but i thought that it needed to be retold
! This just show the absurdity of their actions!!
WASHINGTON -- Look out, music pirates: The recording industry wants the right to hack into your computer and delete your stolen MP3s.
It's no joke. Lobbyists for the Recording Industry Association of America (RIAA) tried to glue this hacking-authorization amendment onto a mammoth anti-terrorism bill that Congress approved last week.
An RIAA-drafted amendment according to a draft obtained by Wired News would immunize all copyright holders -- including the movie and e-book industry -- for any data losses caused by their hacking efforts or other computer intrusions "that are reasonably intended to impede or prevent" electronic piracy.
In an interview Friday, RIAA lobbyist Mitch Glazier said that his association has abandoned plans to insert that amendment into anti-terrorism bills -- and instead is supporting a revised amendment that takes a more modest approach."It will not be some special exception for copyright owners," Glazier said. "It will be a general fix to bring back current law." Glazier is the RIAA's senior vice president of government relations and a former House aide.
The RIAA's interest in the USA Act, an anti-terrorism bill that the Senate and the House approved last week, grew out of an obscure part of it called section 815. Called the "Deterrence and Prevention of Cyberterrorism" section, it says that anyone who breaks into computers and causes damage "aggregating at least $5,000 in value" in a one-year period would be committing a crime.
If the current version of the USA Act becomes law, the RIAA believes, it could outlaw attempts by copyright holders to break into and disable pirate FTP or websites or peer-to-peer networks. Because the bill covers aggregate damage, it could bar anti-piracy efforts that cause little harm to individual users, but meet the $5,000 threshold when combined. "We might try and block somebody," Glazier said. "If we know someone is operating a server, a pirated music facility, we could try to take measures to try and prevent them from uploading or transmitting pirated documents."
The RIAA believes that this kind of technological "self-help" against online pirates, if done carefully, is legal under current federal law. But the RIAA is worried about the USA Act banning that practice -- and neither the Senate nor the House versions of that bill include the RIAA's suggested changes. Glazier said that the RIAA was no longer lobbying for the language provided to Wired News -- "that's completely out" -- but instead wanted to ensure that current law remains the same. But Glazier said he could not provide a copy of the revised amendment he hopes to include. Legal scholars say that the original amendment the RIAA had been shopping around to members of Congress raises privacy and security concerns.
"It could lead to some really bad outcomes, like a program purposefully intended to delete MP3s that misfunctions and erases everything on a disk -- ooops," says Marc Rotenberg, director of the Electronic Privacy Information Center. "Think a repo man smashing windows and knocking down doors to pull out the 27-inch color TV when you've missed a couple of payments."
Peter Swire, a former top privacy official under President Clinton and now a professor at Ohio State University, says he hopes there would be public debate on any such proposal.
"On its face, this language would allow a deliberate hack attack by a copyright owner against the system of someone who is infringing the copyright," Swire said. The draft amendment is overly broad and poorly-written, says Orin Kerr, a former Justice Department lawyer now at George Washington University. Says Kerr: "It would deny victims their right to sue copyright owners and their agents if they engaged in vigilante justice by hacking or other means in an effort to block online music distribution."
"Another troubling thing is that they appear to be trying to limit their liability for consequential damages," says R. Polk Wagner, an assistant professor at the University of Pennsylvania's law school. "What if their efforts caused your hard disk to become fatally corrupted?" An aide on Capitol Hill who had been contacted by the RIAA was even more blunt, dubbing the amendment the "RIAA's License to Virus" proposal.
For its part, the RIAA is still trying to get a copy of its revised amendment -- that it would not provide a copy of -- included in the anti-terrorism bill called the USA Act. "It didn't make it into the Senate bill," says the RIAA's Glazier. "So the great work of the Senate staff to fix this unintentional problem didn't get through. Now we're in the House with the base language that could have these unintended consequences." On Friday, the House voted 339-79 for the USA Act, which eases limits on wiretapping and Internet monitoring. The Senate approved the bill on Thursday.
Because neither the House nor the Senate versions of the USA Act include either variant of the RIAA's amendment, the association's lobbyists will focus on a possible conference committee, which would be appointed to work out differences with the Senate. Another possibility is that the Senate could enact the USA Act when senators return this week, automatically sending the bill to President Bush for his signature.
Bush has asked Congress for the additional surveillance and detention powers as a response to the deadly Sept. 11 terrorist attacks on the World Trade Center and the Pentagon.The text of the original RIAA amendment says that "no action may be brought under this subsection arising out of any impairment of the availability of data, a program, a system or information, resulting from measures taken by an owner of copyright in a work of authorship, or any person authorized by such owner to act on its behalf, that are intended to impede or prevent the infringement of copyright in such work by wire or electronic communication."
It also immunizes from liability actions that "are reasonably intended to impede or prevent the unauthorized transmission" of pirated materials.
What is your opinion?
! This just show the absurdity of their actions!!WASHINGTON -- Look out, music pirates: The recording industry wants the right to hack into your computer and delete your stolen MP3s.
It's no joke. Lobbyists for the Recording Industry Association of America (RIAA) tried to glue this hacking-authorization amendment onto a mammoth anti-terrorism bill that Congress approved last week.
An RIAA-drafted amendment according to a draft obtained by Wired News would immunize all copyright holders -- including the movie and e-book industry -- for any data losses caused by their hacking efforts or other computer intrusions "that are reasonably intended to impede or prevent" electronic piracy.
In an interview Friday, RIAA lobbyist Mitch Glazier said that his association has abandoned plans to insert that amendment into anti-terrorism bills -- and instead is supporting a revised amendment that takes a more modest approach."It will not be some special exception for copyright owners," Glazier said. "It will be a general fix to bring back current law." Glazier is the RIAA's senior vice president of government relations and a former House aide.
The RIAA's interest in the USA Act, an anti-terrorism bill that the Senate and the House approved last week, grew out of an obscure part of it called section 815. Called the "Deterrence and Prevention of Cyberterrorism" section, it says that anyone who breaks into computers and causes damage "aggregating at least $5,000 in value" in a one-year period would be committing a crime.
If the current version of the USA Act becomes law, the RIAA believes, it could outlaw attempts by copyright holders to break into and disable pirate FTP or websites or peer-to-peer networks. Because the bill covers aggregate damage, it could bar anti-piracy efforts that cause little harm to individual users, but meet the $5,000 threshold when combined. "We might try and block somebody," Glazier said. "If we know someone is operating a server, a pirated music facility, we could try to take measures to try and prevent them from uploading or transmitting pirated documents."
The RIAA believes that this kind of technological "self-help" against online pirates, if done carefully, is legal under current federal law. But the RIAA is worried about the USA Act banning that practice -- and neither the Senate nor the House versions of that bill include the RIAA's suggested changes. Glazier said that the RIAA was no longer lobbying for the language provided to Wired News -- "that's completely out" -- but instead wanted to ensure that current law remains the same. But Glazier said he could not provide a copy of the revised amendment he hopes to include. Legal scholars say that the original amendment the RIAA had been shopping around to members of Congress raises privacy and security concerns.
"It could lead to some really bad outcomes, like a program purposefully intended to delete MP3s that misfunctions and erases everything on a disk -- ooops," says Marc Rotenberg, director of the Electronic Privacy Information Center. "Think a repo man smashing windows and knocking down doors to pull out the 27-inch color TV when you've missed a couple of payments."
Peter Swire, a former top privacy official under President Clinton and now a professor at Ohio State University, says he hopes there would be public debate on any such proposal.
"On its face, this language would allow a deliberate hack attack by a copyright owner against the system of someone who is infringing the copyright," Swire said. The draft amendment is overly broad and poorly-written, says Orin Kerr, a former Justice Department lawyer now at George Washington University. Says Kerr: "It would deny victims their right to sue copyright owners and their agents if they engaged in vigilante justice by hacking or other means in an effort to block online music distribution."
"Another troubling thing is that they appear to be trying to limit their liability for consequential damages," says R. Polk Wagner, an assistant professor at the University of Pennsylvania's law school. "What if their efforts caused your hard disk to become fatally corrupted?" An aide on Capitol Hill who had been contacted by the RIAA was even more blunt, dubbing the amendment the "RIAA's License to Virus" proposal.
For its part, the RIAA is still trying to get a copy of its revised amendment -- that it would not provide a copy of -- included in the anti-terrorism bill called the USA Act. "It didn't make it into the Senate bill," says the RIAA's Glazier. "So the great work of the Senate staff to fix this unintentional problem didn't get through. Now we're in the House with the base language that could have these unintended consequences." On Friday, the House voted 339-79 for the USA Act, which eases limits on wiretapping and Internet monitoring. The Senate approved the bill on Thursday.
Because neither the House nor the Senate versions of the USA Act include either variant of the RIAA's amendment, the association's lobbyists will focus on a possible conference committee, which would be appointed to work out differences with the Senate. Another possibility is that the Senate could enact the USA Act when senators return this week, automatically sending the bill to President Bush for his signature.
Bush has asked Congress for the additional surveillance and detention powers as a response to the deadly Sept. 11 terrorist attacks on the World Trade Center and the Pentagon.The text of the original RIAA amendment says that "no action may be brought under this subsection arising out of any impairment of the availability of data, a program, a system or information, resulting from measures taken by an owner of copyright in a work of authorship, or any person authorized by such owner to act on its behalf, that are intended to impede or prevent the infringement of copyright in such work by wire or electronic communication."
It also immunizes from liability actions that "are reasonably intended to impede or prevent the unauthorized transmission" of pirated materials.
What is your opinion?
Wednesday, May 23, 2007
Server Space...
Well, it looks like that i am going to have server space again for our family website. I have been talking to a person in Houston Texas that is going to let me have some space on his server. We are working on a trade for the space. So, with any luck, i will have a proper TheRmstringers.com up by the weekend.
What is your opinion?
What is your opinion?
Tuesday, May 22, 2007
My Roses...
Here are a few pics of roses that i grow in my back yard. These just happen to be blooming...
What is your opinion?
What is your opinion?
Clif and Lindsey
I just wanted to say CONGRATULATIONS on their Engagement last night. More to come...
My 2 days off...
I needed these days off. I was Totally drained from working the 4 days straight and doing the 2 biking rids. Sunday night i actually fell asleep at work! I never do that. I have several things to do today such as blow off the house with my pressure washer and cut the grass. IT is very high again from all the rain and fertilizer that i put on it during the early spring. I also sprayed some weed killer on it yesterday as well as bug stuff. I do not want crab-grass this year...
I need to go and get some of this work done. we have a big weekend as it is Memorial Day holiday and we are going to finish painting the other two bedrooms upstairs and get all that sorted out for company this summer. And besides, we are tired of the mess!
What is your opinion?
I need to go and get some of this work done. we have a big weekend as it is Memorial Day holiday and we are going to finish painting the other two bedrooms upstairs and get all that sorted out for company this summer. And besides, we are tired of the mess!
What is your opinion?
Sunday, May 20, 2007
This morning...
Well, I got off work at ~7.15am and then proceeded to go to Powhite Park to ride bikes. Mark and my friend Mike. It was Mike's first time to ride Powhite and only his second time to ride bikes in that type of environment. Our friend Jeff called in and said that he would not be able to make it.
We started slow and went to the top so we could take him down the 1/2pipe. He really enjoyed it and then we went to some other trails and all in all, we rode about 4.5 miles! It was a good time and I found out that he was from Texas and lived in San Antonio and some other interesting facts about him. So, needless to say, we all hit it off very well!
I got home around 10.15am ad took a shower and then went to bed. When I started ridding bikes about 8-9 months ago, I weighed around 185-190 lbs. When I got on the scales Wednesday, I clocked in at 172lbs. It sounds like a Bow-Flex commercial, but I am going to be 36 in 2 months and I will be in perhaps better shape than I have been in many years. I play hard, but I get good benefits from it so I will continue.
What is your opinion?
We started slow and went to the top so we could take him down the 1/2pipe. He really enjoyed it and then we went to some other trails and all in all, we rode about 4.5 miles! It was a good time and I found out that he was from Texas and lived in San Antonio and some other interesting facts about him. So, needless to say, we all hit it off very well!
I got home around 10.15am ad took a shower and then went to bed. When I started ridding bikes about 8-9 months ago, I weighed around 185-190 lbs. When I got on the scales Wednesday, I clocked in at 172lbs. It sounds like a Bow-Flex commercial, but I am going to be 36 in 2 months and I will be in perhaps better shape than I have been in many years. I play hard, but I get good benefits from it so I will continue.
What is your opinion?
Former Jasper County Constable Sentenced To Prison
A Jasper County constable that was arrested last year in a drug sting operation in nearby Hardin County has been sentenced to five months in federal prison. The sentence handed down on Wednesday by United States District Judge Thad Heartfield also orders Fred Peters to serve another five months of detention at his home after he is released from prison.
Former Constable of Precinct Six Fred Peters was arrested after allegedly being caught in the act of buying methamphetamines in a sting operation last year. Photo by Michael Love
Peters, 60, of Evadale, who served as constable of Precinct Six in the most south part of Jasper County was arrested in July of last year at a motel in Silsbee, after officers witnessed him buying methamphetamines. The arrest came as the result of an investigation conducted by the Drug Enforcement Agency, Beaumont Police, Silsbee Police and the US Attorney’s Office.
What is your opinion?
Saturday, May 19, 2007
Just Very Strange...
I saw this article while i was on FARK. I wanted to post a pic, but it looks like the computers here at work will not allow that at the moment. Here is the link to the pic: http://i12.tinypic.com/6glewkj.jpg
The family of 95-year-old Zhao from Zhanjiang city, China are hoping that doctors will be able to explain the 5 inch horn that is growing out of her forehead. Local media describes the horn as curving down "like the stalk of a pumpkin".
The mysterious growth started three years ago. "At first, it was only a mole, but it gradually grew and became like a horn. It causes me no discomfort, but blocks part of my view," said Zhao.
What is your opinion?
The family of 95-year-old Zhao from Zhanjiang city, China are hoping that doctors will be able to explain the 5 inch horn that is growing out of her forehead. Local media describes the horn as curving down "like the stalk of a pumpkin".
The mysterious growth started three years ago. "At first, it was only a mole, but it gradually grew and became like a horn. It causes me no discomfort, but blocks part of my view," said Zhao.
What is your opinion?
5.20.2007 Powhite Park...
We are gonmna do a morning ride at Powhite Park at 8.00am. Some friends from work and my normal riding group are all going to meet and do a 2 hr ride. I will let you know how it comes out...
What is your opinion?
What is your opinion?
Friday, May 18, 2007
LastFM, Emmylou Harris and Wachovia CanalWalk
Just a quick note before i start getting ready for work. LastFM is getting some very cool badges for websites and Blogs. I just added 2 new badges to replace the old style ones that i had for a long time.
I have to work all weekend so i hope to be able to put out some posts that are of some substance. Tomorrow is the Wachovia Canal Walk and i will miss it because i have to work and that sucks. We went last year and it was very fun with Food, Drinks and Bands and also for a great cause.
Emmylou Harris comes to canalWALK!!
For more than 30 years, 12-time Grammy Award-winning artist Emmylou Harris has flowed effortlessly between musical genres, achieving popularity in pop, folk, country and alternative styles of music. The common bridge is an exquisite vocal style and a gift for discovering the heart of a song.
What is your opinion?
Wednesday, May 16, 2007
My Partial List of Bands...
Bands I Have Seen as of 5.9.2007 This list is not complete as of yet…
Billy Ocean, Freedom Jam,
Sting, The B-52s, Maynard Ferguson, Two Tons of Steel
Depeche Mode, Eric Johnson, Rage Against the Machine Tool
The The, Brand New Sin, NIN, Jimmy Dickens
Nitzer Ebb, Book of Love , Lords of Acid, Primal Scream, Twin Hype
Seal, Babes in Toyland, The Guess Who, Vince gill
Primus, Alice in Chains, Dinosaur Jr., Fishbone, Porter Wagoner
The hunger, Arrested Development, Front 242
Bouffant Jellyfish, Saul Williams, Firefall, Billy walker
Spin, Sprawl, Bad Mother Goose, Billy Goat, Robert Earl Keen
Pink Floyd, The Orb, The KLF, Sunflower, Timmy T, Po Dunk
Machines Of Loving Grace , Bamboo Crisis, Stabbing Westward,
7-Mary 3, Candle Box, Pilot, Information Society, SNAP,
TTK, MBM, Ethel Meat Plow
Xymox, EMF, Kicking Herald, Daddy Freddie, Ten Hands
Skinny puppy, Tank Hog, Monster Magnet
Download, Butthole Surfers, Quiet Riot
Twilight Circus Dub Sound System, Jonny Lang
Dink, quicksand, The Offspring, Henry Rollins, BS&T,
KMFDM, Blue Man Group, Type-O-negative, Celtic frost, ,
The Orb, Faith no More, No Use for a name, Charlie Daniels Band
I will add more as I remember them soon as I am waiting for a radio station to get back to me.
What is your opinion?
Billy Ocean, Freedom Jam,
Sting, The B-52s, Maynard Ferguson, Two Tons of Steel
Depeche Mode, Eric Johnson, Rage Against the Machine Tool
The The, Brand New Sin, NIN, Jimmy Dickens
Nitzer Ebb, Book of Love , Lords of Acid, Primal Scream, Twin Hype
Seal, Babes in Toyland, The Guess Who, Vince gill
Primus, Alice in Chains, Dinosaur Jr., Fishbone, Porter Wagoner
The hunger, Arrested Development, Front 242
Bouffant Jellyfish, Saul Williams, Firefall, Billy walker
Spin, Sprawl, Bad Mother Goose, Billy Goat, Robert Earl Keen
Pink Floyd, The Orb, The KLF, Sunflower, Timmy T, Po Dunk
Machines Of Loving Grace , Bamboo Crisis, Stabbing Westward,
7-Mary 3, Candle Box, Pilot, Information Society, SNAP,
TTK, MBM, Ethel Meat Plow
Xymox, EMF, Kicking Herald, Daddy Freddie, Ten Hands
Skinny puppy, Tank Hog, Monster Magnet
Download, Butthole Surfers, Quiet Riot
Twilight Circus Dub Sound System, Jonny Lang
Dink, quicksand, The Offspring, Henry Rollins, BS&T,
KMFDM, Blue Man Group, Type-O-negative, Celtic frost, ,
The Orb, Faith no More, No Use for a name, Charlie Daniels Band
I will add more as I remember them soon as I am waiting for a radio station to get back to me.
What is your opinion?
Bike Ride Today...
Well, i came in from work and i got about 3.5 hours of sleep. Not a lot but i guess that it was enough. Mark and I went to Pocahontas Park and we did several new trails called Lake View and Lake View 2. They go around the lake that is in the park. They were mainly Red and Blue trails, so they were not very hard. We got there at around 1.15pm and we left at 4.oopm. All total we rode about 11.66 miles!! This is our personal record at this time. I hope to go riding on Sunday Morning at Powhite around 7.45am, as I will be getting off work.
I took an extra shift tomorrow night (i was off) but i cannot pass up the Over Time hours. It will make for a long 4 days, but with me trying to get on with Qimonda at this time; it will look good due to my cooperation with what needs to be done.
Well, I am going to sign off for now. I will have some more stuff to talk about over the next few days.
What is your opinion?
I took an extra shift tomorrow night (i was off) but i cannot pass up the Over Time hours. It will make for a long 4 days, but with me trying to get on with Qimonda at this time; it will look good due to my cooperation with what needs to be done.
Well, I am going to sign off for now. I will have some more stuff to talk about over the next few days.
What is your opinion?
Tuesday, May 15, 2007
The RMStringers.com
Well, our website is back up and running. It is not on dedicated server space like it was before. I went and purchased a FlickR Pro account so I could have unlimited sets and groups as well as no limit of pics. The basic account has just a 200 pic limit and if you are like me, you take a lot of photos.
My domain name has been parked at www.Enom.com for the last few months and I am in a battle with Registerfly as I bought server space for 1 year and then something happened to their company. I have about $20 in credit that I cannot get back from them as well as the 1 year contract for server space. It sucks! And They SUCK!! You cannot get them on the tele or via fax nor email. I xfered my domain to Enom and that is how I decided to get the FlickR Pro account. SO all texts and stuff like that will be on the FlickR page on the picture captions. I will tell about the adventures on the Blog. So if you want to stay up with us, subscribe to the RSS feeds that I offer on my blog.
What is your opinion?
My domain name has been parked at www.Enom.com for the last few months and I am in a battle with Registerfly as I bought server space for 1 year and then something happened to their company. I have about $20 in credit that I cannot get back from them as well as the 1 year contract for server space. It sucks! And They SUCK!! You cannot get them on the tele or via fax nor email. I xfered my domain to Enom and that is how I decided to get the FlickR Pro account. SO all texts and stuff like that will be on the FlickR page on the picture captions. I will tell about the adventures on the Blog. So if you want to stay up with us, subscribe to the RSS feeds that I offer on my blog.
What is your opinion?
Parachutes...
An airplane was about to crash.There were 5 passengers on board, but only 4 parachutes –
The 1st passenger said, “I am Kobe Bryant, the best NBA basketball player. The Lakers need me, and I can’t afford to die.” So he took the 1st pack and left the plane!
The 2nd passenger, Hillary Clinton said, “I am the wife of a formerU.S. President, a NY State Senator and a potential future president.And I am the smartest woman in American history…..... so America ‘s people don’t want me to die.“She took the 2nd pack and jumped out of the plane!
The 3rd passenger, Ted Kennedy said, “I am a US Senator… the democratic party needs me and my liver still has some good years left.” So he grabbed the pack next to him and jumped.
The 4th passenger, Billy Graham, said to the 5th passenger, a 10 year old schoolgirl, “I am old and frail and don’t have many years left,... and as a Christian I will sacrifice my life and let you have the last parachute.”
The little girl said, “That’s okay. There’s a parachute left for you! America’s smartest woman took my school bag.”
What is your opinion?
The 1st passenger said, “I am Kobe Bryant, the best NBA basketball player. The Lakers need me, and I can’t afford to die.” So he took the 1st pack and left the plane!
The 2nd passenger, Hillary Clinton said, “I am the wife of a formerU.S. President, a NY State Senator and a potential future president.And I am the smartest woman in American history…..... so America ‘s people don’t want me to die.“She took the 2nd pack and jumped out of the plane!
The 3rd passenger, Ted Kennedy said, “I am a US Senator… the democratic party needs me and my liver still has some good years left.” So he grabbed the pack next to him and jumped.
The 4th passenger, Billy Graham, said to the 5th passenger, a 10 year old schoolgirl, “I am old and frail and don’t have many years left,... and as a Christian I will sacrifice my life and let you have the last parachute.”
The little girl said, “That’s okay. There’s a parachute left for you! America’s smartest woman took my school bag.”
What is your opinion?
Monday, May 14, 2007
Wet Graduation Pic...
It was a very rainy night on May 12. We all got totally soaked
trying to get from the parking garage to the chapel.This is a pic of the duke chapel inside. It is built in the Gothic style of all the European cathedrals.
All of the pics inside were taken without a flash. During the ceremony, they were not allowed.
What is your opinion?
Sunday, May 13, 2007
This Weekend...
I have many pics from this weekend and i will be posting them on FlickR. I just moved to a FlickR PRO account and i will be redirecting our personal website to a fickr page tonight. I will post a few pics to the blog as well.
It was wonderful seeing my whole family this weekend. We saw my brother graduate from Duke Divinity School with a Masters degree and and he is leaving for Texas tomorrow. The weather was a mess!! We were under a flash flood watch all yesterday evening and we got soaked running to the Duke Chapel. We got up and went to church where he used to preach. It was a very good time and it was nice to visit my family.
More Later with Pic goodness.
What is your opinion?
It was wonderful seeing my whole family this weekend. We saw my brother graduate from Duke Divinity School with a Masters degree and and he is leaving for Texas tomorrow. The weather was a mess!! We were under a flash flood watch all yesterday evening and we got soaked running to the Duke Chapel. We got up and went to church where he used to preach. It was a very good time and it was nice to visit my family.
More Later with Pic goodness.
What is your opinion?
Friday, May 11, 2007
Graduation!!!
We are off to Durham North Carolina to meet my Dad and Sister and Stepmother to see my Brother (Clifton) graduate from Duke University Seminary. He is going to be posted to a church in Austin Texas as a Youth minister. I am very proud of him and I will miss him dearly. We will stay the night in Durham and go to church on Sunday with the Family and then make our way back to Midlothian…
Have a good weekend!! I will post with pics when I get back.
Thanks,
RMStringer
+++++++++++++++++++++++
"We are all geniuses when we dream"
- E.M. Cioran
Body Mods...My Thoughts.
Hey folks, don’t get me wrong, I am all for someone expressing themselves. I have a tat and I had my ears pierced for nearly 20 years. All my stuff is covered up and I don’t ware earrings anymore (not by my choice, by my wife's) At some point all these people will have to become productive members of society and how the hell can they do that when they have enough metal in their head to set of metal detectors at the nearest airports or stick to an electromagnet??
What do they expect to do?? We don’t need 1,000,000 tattoo artists in the world. How can they go to a normal workplace and get a job as a doctor or lawyer looking like a scrap metal yard. When I was younger I thought that it would be "cool" to be a "freak" and now that I am older, I am glad that I NEVER went through with it. Some of these people are like a counter-culture to the counter-culture. They go to the FAR EXTREAM!!! Who or What are the rebelling aginst??
You tell me and we will both know...
What is your opinion?
More Body Mods..FREAKS!
Well here is another installment of my Body Modifications...
Why and What do these mods do??
Enjoy!! :-) LOL!!
What is your opinion?
Funny Spoofs...
All of you know that i am not a big I-Products person. Tonight i found a few more funny Apple spoofs as well as some other funny stuff. I hope that you like them...
What is your opinion?
Thursday, May 10, 2007
My Truck Fixed...YEAH!!
So i got a call today telling me that my truck was all ready for me to pick up. I was like WOW, already? So i went to get it today at around 3pm. They did a super job and it even came with a warrenty. It really did not look like much damage was done to my truck, but i am really happy that i got it fixed.
Here is the place that did the work.
"A" Autobody
10305 Hull Street Road
Midlothian, VA. 23112
Phone: (804) 674-1173
Fax: (804) 674-4909
So if you live in Richmond and need body work done, give them a call. I was really impressed.
What is your opinion?
Wednesday, May 09, 2007
Step 8 and 9 and 10...Part 5 in the series.
Step 8 - Made a list of all persons we had harmed, and became willing to make amends to them all.
Well, here it comes. I had to make a list of all the people that I had harmed and had to make nice with them. You mean to tell me that I have to go and apologize to them?? Yes I do and I did. This was a hard step to do as well. I had to humble myself to another person and admit that I was wrong and sorry for what I had done. But wait What if I was not willing to go and talk to them or to tell them I was sorry? What if they had moved on and lost touch? What if they were dead? What if they were alive and they did not know that I did something to harm them? That is where Step 9 comes in; Made direct amends to such people wherever possible, except when to do so would injure them or others.
Step 8 was part of it, but Step 9 was an action step. So say that you were dating a person and you cheated on them but they did not know about it. According to Step 8, you need to make amends to them. Step 9 says to do it, but not to harm or injure them. So would telling your girlfriend that you cheated harm her? Yes it would. So this is where a “Living Amends” comes in. The amends process in this instance was for you to not do the action anymore, to not cheat on her and thus, you make amends for the offending action.If someone had moved on or died, it would be impossible to talk to them, so you can write a letter, read it, and then destroy it. You have to make every possible means to contact that person, but this is a way of doing it.
One person that I held resentment to was a very close friend. I went to talk to this person and their reaction was very indifferent to me. Some people will not want to talk to you about what you did or they did, but you will have made the effort and that is the main objective. Some people will be glad that you wanted to talk to them and will be very receptive about the issue. But the main thing is that you will have made the effort on your part. Remember you can’t control other people’s actions, only your own with the help of God.
This process does not have a time limit set for it. It can take some time to complete, but it needs to be done to get all the mess that you have created in your life cleaned out. You have heard of Spring Cleaning? Just think of this like that. You are getting out all of the old BS that has built up over a period of time that has been eating at your soul. When you get some of this off your chest, you will feel so much better, I sure did.
After having done this step, you will move on to Step 10 - Continued to take personal inventory and when we were wrong promptly admitted it. You will have to become a more analytical person about your actions and become aware of how you interact with other people. If you come across like an asshole to a person, look at why that happened and then go to them and apologize for that act. I had to the other night at work. I offended a lady and she made mention to a coworker about it. I had to suck it up and go and talk to her and make amends or apologize for it. She was like thank you. So, it works.
I am going to stop here. I am not ready to discuss the next step with you as it is a very hard one to do and these last 2 steps are a mouthful to comprehend and work on. God Bless and have a wonderful evening or day depending where you live…
What is your opinion?
Well, here it comes. I had to make a list of all the people that I had harmed and had to make nice with them. You mean to tell me that I have to go and apologize to them?? Yes I do and I did. This was a hard step to do as well. I had to humble myself to another person and admit that I was wrong and sorry for what I had done. But wait What if I was not willing to go and talk to them or to tell them I was sorry? What if they had moved on and lost touch? What if they were dead? What if they were alive and they did not know that I did something to harm them? That is where Step 9 comes in; Made direct amends to such people wherever possible, except when to do so would injure them or others.
Step 8 was part of it, but Step 9 was an action step. So say that you were dating a person and you cheated on them but they did not know about it. According to Step 8, you need to make amends to them. Step 9 says to do it, but not to harm or injure them. So would telling your girlfriend that you cheated harm her? Yes it would. So this is where a “Living Amends” comes in. The amends process in this instance was for you to not do the action anymore, to not cheat on her and thus, you make amends for the offending action.If someone had moved on or died, it would be impossible to talk to them, so you can write a letter, read it, and then destroy it. You have to make every possible means to contact that person, but this is a way of doing it.
One person that I held resentment to was a very close friend. I went to talk to this person and their reaction was very indifferent to me. Some people will not want to talk to you about what you did or they did, but you will have made the effort and that is the main objective. Some people will be glad that you wanted to talk to them and will be very receptive about the issue. But the main thing is that you will have made the effort on your part. Remember you can’t control other people’s actions, only your own with the help of God.
This process does not have a time limit set for it. It can take some time to complete, but it needs to be done to get all the mess that you have created in your life cleaned out. You have heard of Spring Cleaning? Just think of this like that. You are getting out all of the old BS that has built up over a period of time that has been eating at your soul. When you get some of this off your chest, you will feel so much better, I sure did.
After having done this step, you will move on to Step 10 - Continued to take personal inventory and when we were wrong promptly admitted it. You will have to become a more analytical person about your actions and become aware of how you interact with other people. If you come across like an asshole to a person, look at why that happened and then go to them and apologize for that act. I had to the other night at work. I offended a lady and she made mention to a coworker about it. I had to suck it up and go and talk to her and make amends or apologize for it. She was like thank you. So, it works.
I am going to stop here. I am not ready to discuss the next step with you as it is a very hard one to do and these last 2 steps are a mouthful to comprehend and work on. God Bless and have a wonderful evening or day depending where you live…
What is your opinion?
Tuesday, May 08, 2007
Type-O-Negative Set List Pic
Thankx for anakin032 that attended this show for granting me access to his pics. Here is the set list that was played!!!
My Truck
I put my Tacoma in the shop today to get fixed. If you remember, i got hit last week going to work. They gave me a "rent-a-car" loner to use. IT is a 2007 Ford F-150 Extended cab 4x4. It is not your usual rental. I guess they thought that i needed a truck, not really sure. i hope to have mine back by Friday.
This weekend we are going to Durham to see my Brother graduate. My Dad, Sister, Step-Mother are all flying in for the event. Due to my new work schedule, i will be able to stay Saturday night!!! It will be good to see all of them.
I am a bit jealous of my brother as he will be moving back to Austin in June. I will miss visiting with him and doing stuff as we were never able to do things like that when we were younger. On the same side, i am very happy for him to be able to go back to Austin and be a Youth Minister there. His girlfriend will also be going back to Texas...
Well, i ma out for the night. More over the next to nights as i have work.
What is your opinion?
This weekend we are going to Durham to see my Brother graduate. My Dad, Sister, Step-Mother are all flying in for the event. Due to my new work schedule, i will be able to stay Saturday night!!! It will be good to see all of them.
I am a bit jealous of my brother as he will be moving back to Austin in June. I will miss visiting with him and doing stuff as we were never able to do things like that when we were younger. On the same side, i am very happy for him to be able to go back to Austin and be a Youth Minister there. His girlfriend will also be going back to Texas...
Well, i ma out for the night. More over the next to nights as i have work.
What is your opinion?
Monday, May 07, 2007
Antivirus Software I Use is NOD32
How do you determine whether antivirus software works? The main purpose of antivirus software is to identify and block viruses and trojans that are circulating in the wild. It doesn't matter which virus software can recognize "the most" viruses, or whether it detects all viruses in a test collection consisting mostly of non-functional viruses, viruses that haven't been in circulation for years, or artifical viruses that were created solely for testing purposes. Neither does it matter how many copies the software has sold or how many companies are relying on its protection. Antivirus software only works if it can deal with real-life viruses that make their way into your inbox, your browser, or your network right now.
Virus Bulletin magazine is a technical journal on developments in the field of computer viruses and anti-virus products. VB test antivirus software on a monthly basis and awards products that that detect all "In the Wild" viruses during both on-demand and on-access scanning in certain Virus Bulletin tests with its VB100% award. More details on what this award is all about can be found at http://www.virusbtn.com/100/whatis.html
The WildList - http://www.virusbtn.com/WildLists/ - that is used to test the antivirus programs is a cumulative list of viruses that are active and in circulation as reported by 64 virus information professionals, therefore representing a real-world environment of virus threats that any antivirus program should be able to deal with effortlessly.
What's really interesting are the comparative results of the VB 100 tests as you can see at http://www.virusbtn.com/100/vb100sum.html. This statistic shows how many times an antivirus program was submitted for testing, how many times it succeeded to detect all "In the Wild" viruses during both on-demand and on-access scanning, and how many times it failed. To make the results easier to interpret, I created a small table with each program's stats, and calculated the success ratio of each software by figuring out the percentage of how much the program succeeded out of all the times it was tested. Check out the results:
What is your opinion?
Virus Bulletin magazine is a technical journal on developments in the field of computer viruses and anti-virus products. VB test antivirus software on a monthly basis and awards products that that detect all "In the Wild" viruses during both on-demand and on-access scanning in certain Virus Bulletin tests with its VB100% award. More details on what this award is all about can be found at http://www.virusbtn.com/100/whatis.html
The WildList - http://www.virusbtn.com/WildLists/ - that is used to test the antivirus programs is a cumulative list of viruses that are active and in circulation as reported by 64 virus information professionals, therefore representing a real-world environment of virus threats that any antivirus program should be able to deal with effortlessly.
What's really interesting are the comparative results of the VB 100 tests as you can see at http://www.virusbtn.com/100/vb100sum.html. This statistic shows how many times an antivirus program was submitted for testing, how many times it succeeded to detect all "In the Wild" viruses during both on-demand and on-access scanning, and how many times it failed. To make the results easier to interpret, I created a small table with each program's stats, and calculated the success ratio of each software by figuring out the percentage of how much the program succeeded out of all the times it was tested. Check out the results:
It's interesting to see that not a single program was able to take care of all viruses any time it was tested. But the scary part is to see the success ratios of the programs tested. NOD32 stands out with a success ratio of 93%, failing only once in the 16 times it was tested, making it by far the most reliable antivirus software in this round-up. Other known software like PC-Cillin, AVG, Panda, McAfee, and InnoculateIT look pretty pathetic in comparison.
Of course this is only one possible test scenario of many, and it is not the ultimate test, but it is a very good and realistic representation and gives a good indication of antivirus software capabilities.
As far as virus detection is concerned, NOD32 so far has worked very well for me. All 3 components did reliably and consistently identify and block known viruses such as Sircam, Anset, and Badtrans, as well as the Eicar test virus that came in via Outlook 2000, were saved on my hard drive, or were attempted to be downloaded.
What is your opinion?
Concerts i Have Seen...
I am working on a list of shows that i have seen in my life time. I will post them soon.
What is your opinion?
What is your opinion?
Type-O Show...
The opening band was called Brand New Sin. They were good and i purchased their Cd set, 3 for $10!!! Not bad. They were very heavy, but listenable. The next band was called Celtic Frost.
They were the HEAVIEST BAND THAT I HAVE EVERY HEARD!!! It sounded like they never finished a song or started another one!! Drudge and more drudge followed by lyrics that you could not understand followed by more drudge!! Funny enough, some of the boys from Type-O came onstage and sang a few lyrics with them.
Around 10:12, the stage was clear and "Its A Small World" started playing??? Then it went black and the boys came out playing a cover of The Beatles - Magical Mystery Tour in Type-o style of course. Followed by These Three Things, The profits of Doom, Hey Pete, Christian Woman, Love you to death, and a new Track called Anguish. Peter drank his Merlot during the show and there was the proverbial "mosh pit" as with most of these shows. Peter's vocals were on just like the album, but i have to agree with the article, his appearance has diminished with the abuse to his body with drugs and alcohol. The one 6'5'' steel used to be in superb shape, he now look like a middle aged man letting his body go.
The finished the show with Black #1 with the other members of the opening acts coming on stage and singing the chorus with Type-O. The show let out at around 12.00 midnight. I was back home around 3am this morning. Very happy that i saw them, but a little more deaf!! What did u say? i cant hear you...
The mix of the music was very strange to me, much like their new album. The drums on the album were very thin and wispy, in concert they were very overbearing and almost too loud. Because of this, they sometimes drowned out Seel's vocals He spoke to the crowd several times and the chant "You Suck" was shouted several times during the show. They had very strange intermissions during the set and would walk off stage and then come back on. To me, it looked Steel was on Coke as i would see him snort throughout the entire as like in trying to clear the drainage from the back of his nose from the coke drainage. He admitted in the article i posted about 2 weeks ago that he has had a cocaine problem. He might still have it, or his allergies were just acting up...
I am glad to finally go and see them in concert and especially glad that it was with my brother.
What is your opinion?
They were the HEAVIEST BAND THAT I HAVE EVERY HEARD!!! It sounded like they never finished a song or started another one!! Drudge and more drudge followed by lyrics that you could not understand followed by more drudge!! Funny enough, some of the boys from Type-O came onstage and sang a few lyrics with them.
Around 10:12, the stage was clear and "Its A Small World" started playing??? Then it went black and the boys came out playing a cover of The Beatles - Magical Mystery Tour in Type-o style of course. Followed by These Three Things, The profits of Doom, Hey Pete, Christian Woman, Love you to death, and a new Track called Anguish. Peter drank his Merlot during the show and there was the proverbial "mosh pit" as with most of these shows. Peter's vocals were on just like the album, but i have to agree with the article, his appearance has diminished with the abuse to his body with drugs and alcohol. The one 6'5'' steel used to be in superb shape, he now look like a middle aged man letting his body go.
The finished the show with Black #1 with the other members of the opening acts coming on stage and singing the chorus with Type-O. The show let out at around 12.00 midnight. I was back home around 3am this morning. Very happy that i saw them, but a little more deaf!! What did u say? i cant hear you...
The mix of the music was very strange to me, much like their new album. The drums on the album were very thin and wispy, in concert they were very overbearing and almost too loud. Because of this, they sometimes drowned out Seel's vocals He spoke to the crowd several times and the chant "You Suck" was shouted several times during the show. They had very strange intermissions during the set and would walk off stage and then come back on. To me, it looked Steel was on Coke as i would see him snort throughout the entire as like in trying to clear the drainage from the back of his nose from the coke drainage. He admitted in the article i posted about 2 weeks ago that he has had a cocaine problem. He might still have it, or his allergies were just acting up...
I am glad to finally go and see them in concert and especially glad that it was with my brother.
What is your opinion?
Saturday, May 05, 2007
More Bike stuff.
I bought some more stuff for my bike. I got some nice gloves and a Lizard skin for my bike as well.
The Lizard Skin Chain Stay Protector is made from durable SuperTex Fabric! Wraps around your chainstay to protect from nicks and chips. Does not interfere with cable routing.
The Lizard Skin Chain Stay Protector is easy to install. This keeps the chain from hitting the frame and putting dings and scratches in it.
The Gloves are from Pearl Izumi.
Gel-Lite Race Glove
•Direct-Vent construction for superior palm ventilation
•U-Bridge pad placement protects the ulnar nerve while bridging the median nerve
•Shock absorbing Gel-Lite inserts eliminate road vibration
•Sublimated nylon/spandex back fabric provides great stretch and moisture transfer
•Silicone screened palm for a performance grip
•Direct inject graphics that won’t wear off over time
•Reflective piping for added visibility
•Content: Palm: 90% Polyurethane/10% GelBack: 80% Nylon/20% Spandex, Wiping Surface: 100% Polyester
Use simple detergents with no additives:Never use detergents with fabric softeners, perfumes or any additive type product. The general rule of thumb is the simpler the better. Many detergents with additives leave "surfactants" behind on a fabric's fibers that inhibit the technical performance. Typically the best detergents to use will have "Clear" or "Free" in their names. Don't pour the detergent directly onto the clothing, put it in the washer first, when you start the water. If something is not functionally working, but is not dirty, try rinsing it twice in warm to hot water. This will help get rid of the harmful surfactants. Read the care content label:On the inside of your garment, or on the hangcard, there are instructions for the care of that individual piece. On garments this will be on a side seam or back seam label. Follow those directions. On finer fabrics, use a "Gentle" cycle. Close all zippers, attach "hook and loop" closures on gloves You can use the dryer, carefully: If you use a dryer be sure to use a lower/ warm heat setting (Do NOT use a commercial dryer or a "Hot" setting). This will often restore the fabric and help the water and wind repellent qualities. If in doubt, hang the clothing to dry.
I would like to get me a set of the Lizard Skin Fork Boots. They help Keep Trail Grit and Moisture Out of Your Forks with Lizard Skin Fork Boots. Unlike Thin Stock Rubber Boots, Lizard Skins Won't Ride Up or Rip. The Lizard Skin Fork Boots are One Size Fits All.
What is your opinion?
Type-O-Negative...
THIS TIME TOMORROW...Baltimore MD, CLUB SONAR!! 7:00pm!!! CONCERT!!!!
What is your opinion?
More RSS stuff.
I found a website that has a FREE RSS reader!! I have used one for several years now, also if you use MS Outlook 2007, it has RSS feeds capabilities built inot the program as well. So does Internet Explorer 7. When you go to a site and you hear a little chirp, that tells you that the site has RSS feeds on it.
The page i found is RSSReader.com Also, here are links to download the RSS readers for free.
RSSReader.ZIP or RSSReader.exe The download page has some instructions on it, so here is that link as well: RSSReader Download Page
I hope that this helps you in getting set up with a reader and trying to look about more RSS feeds on many more websites.
What is your opinion?
The page i found is RSSReader.com Also, here are links to download the RSS readers for free.
RSSReader.ZIP or RSSReader.exe The download page has some instructions on it, so here is that link as well: RSSReader Download Page
I hope that this helps you in getting set up with a reader and trying to look about more RSS feeds on many more websites.
What is your opinion?
Moutain Bike Parts...
I am going to get a new set of pedals for my bike. They are called the Crank Brothers 5050 X Flat Pedals.
The Crank Brothers 5050 X Flat Pedals are an innovative new platform pedal design from Crank Brothers. Features removable, hardened plates on each side and multipl pin locations for easy customization. The Crank Brothers 5050 X Flat Pedals also feature removable plates allow access to the pins from the reverse side while retaining multiple useful pin locations.
The Loose ball bearing spindle is repackable. Innovative removable plates allows total customization of pedal. Sliding removeable plates allow access to traction pins Each pedal has 18 pin placement locations per side, allowing total customization Plates are replaceable and are made out of a heat treated 6061 Aluminum for durability Material (Spindle): CromoThread: 9/16"Weight: 634g
What is your opinion?
Crazy tag lines...
I am a member of www.Slashdot.org. There are some very funny taglines on there. Here are a few of them:
"I perceive the universe as a single equation, and it is so simple!" - Reginald Barclay
Linux: a more elegant weapon for a more civilized time.
Life was hell, then I discovered Linux...
"Best be the idiot that has learnt, than the genius who won't."
Eat the rich, the poor are tough and stringy
What is your opinion?
The other night I told my kid "Someday, you'll have children of your own." He said "So will you."
'Yes, firefox is indeed greater than women. Can women block pops up for you? No. Can Firefox show you naked women? Yes.'
You moved your mouse. Please restart Windows for changes to take effect."I perceive the universe as a single equation, and it is so simple!" - Reginald Barclay
Linux: a more elegant weapon for a more civilized time.
Life was hell, then I discovered Linux...
"Best be the idiot that has learnt, than the genius who won't."
Eat the rich, the poor are tough and stringy
What is your opinion?
Friday, May 04, 2007
RSS Readers
Here is a list of RSS Readers that one can use to subscribe to feeds from this blog or any number of sites that use and have RSS Subscriptions.
RSS Readers
RSS and Atom files provide news updates from a website in a simple form for your computer. You read these files in a program called an aggregator, which collects news from various websites and provides it to you in a simple form. But what aggregator to use? Here are some choices:
Top Picks
Web: feeds.redditCheck all your feeds from any web browser. Plus, vote on items and get recommendations about other feeds you'll like.
Mac OS X: NetNewsWireThis elegant Mac-like aggregator is easy to use and powerful.
Windows: SharpReaderSimple, but gets the job done.
Linux: StrawThe best aggregator for GNOME.
Runners-Up
AmphetaDeskA news aggregator you access through a web browser. (Mac/Win/Linux)
FeedDemonA more complicated aggregator for Windows. (Win)
FeedReaderLike SharpReader, but sporadically updated. (Win)
NewsGatorRead the news from within Microsoft Outlook. (Win)
NewsWatcherBased on Scopeware technology. (Win)
News Is FreeLets you create your own customized news page with feeds from the sites you're interested in. (Web)
NovobotA smart headline viewer and news ticker that can also process almost any website. (Win)
Radio UserLandA full-stregth news-reading application, on your desktop. (Mac/Win)
rss2emailReads RSS feeds and sends each new item to you as an email. (Unix)
dynamicobjects spacesDisplays RSS feeds in an Outlook-like interface. (Mac/Win/Lin)
What is your opinion?
RSS Readers
RSS and Atom files provide news updates from a website in a simple form for your computer. You read these files in a program called an aggregator, which collects news from various websites and provides it to you in a simple form. But what aggregator to use? Here are some choices:
Top Picks
Web: feeds.redditCheck all your feeds from any web browser. Plus, vote on items and get recommendations about other feeds you'll like.
Mac OS X: NetNewsWireThis elegant Mac-like aggregator is easy to use and powerful.
Windows: SharpReaderSimple, but gets the job done.
Linux: StrawThe best aggregator for GNOME.
Runners-Up
AmphetaDeskA news aggregator you access through a web browser. (Mac/Win/Linux)
FeedDemonA more complicated aggregator for Windows. (Win)
FeedReaderLike SharpReader, but sporadically updated. (Win)
NewsGatorRead the news from within Microsoft Outlook. (Win)
NewsWatcherBased on Scopeware technology. (Win)
News Is FreeLets you create your own customized news page with feeds from the sites you're interested in. (Web)
NovobotA smart headline viewer and news ticker that can also process almost any website. (Win)
Radio UserLandA full-stregth news-reading application, on your desktop. (Mac/Win)
rss2emailReads RSS feeds and sends each new item to you as an email. (Unix)
dynamicobjects spacesDisplays RSS feeds in an Outlook-like interface. (Mac/Win/Lin)
What is your opinion?
Mack's Survival School...
Mack Hall is a friend of mine, more than that, he was a school teacher of mine in 6th and 7th grades in Kirbyville Texas. This article is reprinted with his premission. He writes a column in the Jasper News Boy and The Beaumont Enterprise news papers.
Mack Hall
mhall46184@aol.com
Mack's Survival School
Last summer a fellow from New Jersey paid a survival school $3,175 to force-march, humiliate, starve, dehydrate, and kill him in a Utah desert. The school says they push folks "past those false limits your mind has set for your body."
Well, yes, dead is pretty much past any limits, false or otherwise.
This is from the school's 'net site:
Your destination on a BOSS Field Course is not a physical place; it can't be plotted on a topo map. Somewhere along the many miles of sagebrush flats, red rock canyons, and mesa tops of Southern Utah — somewhere between the thirst, the hunger and the sweat — you'll discover the real destination: yourself. (http://www.boss-inc.com/02front.html)
You'll surely want to travel a few thousand miles and pay a few thousand dollars to put your life in the hands of someone who writes turgid sell-o-babble like that.
A quick browse through the 'puter will dig up dozens of survival (if you survive) schools, each with its catalogue of cliches' appealing to the sort of geek who lives in a basement with his collection of shirtless-guys-wearing-headbands movies.
One school even advertises lessons on how to kill a sheep with a knife, a life-skill we've all desperately wanted to learn in case America is invaded by extremist ewes with blood-lust in their eyes and death on their little hooves.
There are entirely too many, um, men who suffer the pathetic need to join an organization where they will be bullied and humiliated, and where they can do secret handshakes and call each other Brother and Comrade. If your son wants to join a fraternity, ask him why he wants to pay money to some other idiots to strip him naked and beat him up so they'll be his friends.
But I have my own fantasy of a personal training school, one that can whup me into the shape I want. Indeed, I have sketched out a rudimentary curriculum for Mack's Survival School:
1. Sleep deprivation exercise: whenever the alarm sounds off in the morning a crack squad of ninja clock-assassins wearing discount-store camouflage knee-pants made in China will garrot it into silence with a length of piano wire so that you can sleep another hour or two. After all, what's really important in life: food, clothing, and shelter, or self-fulfilment, and, like, oneness with nature and stuff, pushing your personal envelope where no envelope has gone before?
2. Preparing clear fields-of-fire: whenever the yard needs mowing, your comrades will chant "No, it doesn't! No, it doesn't!" over and over, and will flash seductive pictures of reclining chairs before your weary eyes.
3. Man as hunter: intensive sessions on studying menus. Hey, if God meant for you to run down a sheep and cut its throat, He would not have invented restaurants.
4. Finding water in the desert: intensive preparation and practical exercises in asking wait-staff for a glass of water. Advanced course: turning the water-faucet the right way.
5. Staying dry in a thunderstorm: stay in the house.
6. Sleeping dry in a thunderstorm: go to bed. In the house.
7. Protection against predators, human and animal: lock the door. Sleep with a revolver by the bed. Memorize the secret code for 911.
8. Crossing the desert: drive your car.
9. Finding your way across country: stay on the road. Duh.
10. Signalling to your comrades: dial the telephone.
11. Primitive shelters: just wait for the next hurricane and score yourself a blue FEMA tarp.
12. Route hiking: from the couch to the refrigerator and back.
13. Discovering who you really are: look in the mirror.
14. Building a fire: strike a match.
15. Making a difference in the world: go get a job.
Now, then, folks, you'll find yourself and you will survive my course. Now just send me the money.
What is your opinion?
Mack Hall
mhall46184@aol.com
Mack's Survival School
Last summer a fellow from New Jersey paid a survival school $3,175 to force-march, humiliate, starve, dehydrate, and kill him in a Utah desert. The school says they push folks "past those false limits your mind has set for your body."
Well, yes, dead is pretty much past any limits, false or otherwise.
This is from the school's 'net site:
Your destination on a BOSS Field Course is not a physical place; it can't be plotted on a topo map. Somewhere along the many miles of sagebrush flats, red rock canyons, and mesa tops of Southern Utah — somewhere between the thirst, the hunger and the sweat — you'll discover the real destination: yourself. (http://www.boss-inc.com/02front.html)
You'll surely want to travel a few thousand miles and pay a few thousand dollars to put your life in the hands of someone who writes turgid sell-o-babble like that.
A quick browse through the 'puter will dig up dozens of survival (if you survive) schools, each with its catalogue of cliches' appealing to the sort of geek who lives in a basement with his collection of shirtless-guys-wearing-headbands movies.
One school even advertises lessons on how to kill a sheep with a knife, a life-skill we've all desperately wanted to learn in case America is invaded by extremist ewes with blood-lust in their eyes and death on their little hooves.
There are entirely too many, um, men who suffer the pathetic need to join an organization where they will be bullied and humiliated, and where they can do secret handshakes and call each other Brother and Comrade. If your son wants to join a fraternity, ask him why he wants to pay money to some other idiots to strip him naked and beat him up so they'll be his friends.
But I have my own fantasy of a personal training school, one that can whup me into the shape I want. Indeed, I have sketched out a rudimentary curriculum for Mack's Survival School:
1. Sleep deprivation exercise: whenever the alarm sounds off in the morning a crack squad of ninja clock-assassins wearing discount-store camouflage knee-pants made in China will garrot it into silence with a length of piano wire so that you can sleep another hour or two. After all, what's really important in life: food, clothing, and shelter, or self-fulfilment, and, like, oneness with nature and stuff, pushing your personal envelope where no envelope has gone before?
2. Preparing clear fields-of-fire: whenever the yard needs mowing, your comrades will chant "No, it doesn't! No, it doesn't!" over and over, and will flash seductive pictures of reclining chairs before your weary eyes.
3. Man as hunter: intensive sessions on studying menus. Hey, if God meant for you to run down a sheep and cut its throat, He would not have invented restaurants.
4. Finding water in the desert: intensive preparation and practical exercises in asking wait-staff for a glass of water. Advanced course: turning the water-faucet the right way.
5. Staying dry in a thunderstorm: stay in the house.
6. Sleeping dry in a thunderstorm: go to bed. In the house.
7. Protection against predators, human and animal: lock the door. Sleep with a revolver by the bed. Memorize the secret code for 911.
8. Crossing the desert: drive your car.
9. Finding your way across country: stay on the road. Duh.
10. Signalling to your comrades: dial the telephone.
11. Primitive shelters: just wait for the next hurricane and score yourself a blue FEMA tarp.
12. Route hiking: from the couch to the refrigerator and back.
13. Discovering who you really are: look in the mirror.
14. Building a fire: strike a match.
15. Making a difference in the world: go get a job.
Now, then, folks, you'll find yourself and you will survive my course. Now just send me the money.
What is your opinion?
Data Compression Tests
In this day and age of "High-Speed" internet and P2P programs where people can download entire collections of music and pictures, there are many choices in compression. What i mean by this is what program you can use. I am sure that many of use have used WINZIP. Another one is called WINRAR. I use Winrar and 7-zip on my personal computer as with both of those, i can open most any file that i encounter. Here is the link to the article that i read.
Compression Comparison Guide Rev. 2.0
There are many others as you can see on this table.
As you can see, the data compression software that was used to test are a selection of old stalwarts, as well as current popular formats. But instead of just testing them at the default settings, we are going to examine each data compressor at their fastest and best compression settings as well
Here are the data sets that were used in this test.
To obtain an accurate idea of how well each compressor will perform in real world, we have specially created a data compression benchmark. The fileset consists of 10 standard categories covering all the common file types as well as a special category. All categories have a size of at least 200,000,000 bytes. compressed by nature (e.g. MP3, MPEG, JPEG, etc.), we have only one thing to say - when you assume, you make an ass out of u and me. As you will see later, the results of some of the newer compressors will surprise you. They can attain really amazing compression results even with files that are thought to be impossibly hard to compress. We wouldn't have discovered that if we did not test and merely assumed, would we?
Overall, WinRK was the champion at compressing the filesets. It had an average compression rate of 23.2%. It was 9% better at overall compression than its closest rival, SBC Archiver which had an average compression rate of 21.3%. The poorest compressors overall, at default settings, were the trio of WinZip, gzip and ARJ32. They only had average compression rates of about 13%.
However, gzip was the undisputed speed champion. It only took just over 121 seconds to completely process the complete fileset collection which weighed in at over 1.6GB. It was over a third faster than the runner-ups, ARJ32 and WinZip.
The other compressors were pretty slow at their normal compression settings. However, WinRK was extremely slow, compared to the others. It took almost 1.5 hours to compress the entire fileset collection
The compression efficiency rating is a simple way to evaluate the efficiency of each data compressor. This way, we can see which compressor can save the most space in the least time.
Please note that a higher efficiency rating does not mean the compressor is better. It just means the compressor has a better compression-to-speed ratio. A more efficient compressor is, of course, always more desirable than a less efficient one.
The most efficient data compressor for the aggregated results was gzip. Its super-fast compression speed, coupled with its average compression rate allowed it to become the undisputed overall efficiency champion. ARJ32 and WinZip were also very efficient compressors. They were more than twice as efficient as their nearest rivals, StuffIt and bzip2.
The other compressors may have been good at certain files, but overall, they were pretty inefficient. The most inefficient compressors overall was WinRK by a large margin . No matter how good it was at compressing files, its extremely slow compression speed totally killed its efficiency ratings.
Here is the conclusion from the Article:
WinRK was the best compressor in most filesets it encountered. So, it was not surprising that it was the overall compression champion. However, its performance was offset by its abysmally slow performance. Even with a really fast system, it still took ages to compress the filesets. On several occasions, it took more than 18 minutes to compress just 200MB of files. Thanks to this flaw, it had the dubious honour of being the most inefficient compressor as well.
SBC Archiver, which was just slightly poorer than WinRK at compression was much faster at the job. Although it was nowhere near the top of the speed rankings, its faster speed allowed it to attain a moderate efficiency ranking.
WinRAR, which is a favourite of many Internet users, displayed a surprisingly bland performance at default settings. Although it had a pretty good overall compression rate of just under 19%, it was very slow at its default settings. That made it the third most-inefficient compressor. Surprising, isn't it?
In contrast, another perennial favourite, WinZip which had a lower overall compression rate of 13% managed to attain a much higher efficiency rating because it was able to compress the filesets much faster than WinRAR. Quite surprising since many users have abandoned it for WinRAR in view of its rather dated compression algorithm.
StuffIt is a dark horse. It has a pretty good compression rate overall but with an unimpressive compression speed. However, its amazing performance with JPEG files cannot be denied. JPEG files is undeniably StuffIt's forte. No other compressor even comes within a light year of it.
gzip and ARJ32 are both the fastest and the worst compressors of the lot. They have unimpressive overall compression rates but more than make up for it with their tremendous compression speeds. Therefore, it isn't surprising to see them garner the top two spots in compressor efficiency. However, we would still recommend GUI alternatives like WinZip. It is almost as efficient as gzip and ARJ32 and far more user-friendly.
Based on our results, we can only come to one conclusion. If you do not like to change the settings of your data compressors and want a good, fast and user-friendly data compressor, then WinZip is the best one for the job.
What is your opinion?
Compression Comparison Guide Rev. 2.0
There are many others as you can see on this table.
As you can see, the data compression software that was used to test are a selection of old stalwarts, as well as current popular formats. But instead of just testing them at the default settings, we are going to examine each data compressor at their fastest and best compression settings as well
Here are the data sets that were used in this test.
To obtain an accurate idea of how well each compressor will perform in real world, we have specially created a data compression benchmark. The fileset consists of 10 standard categories covering all the common file types as well as a special category. All categories have a size of at least 200,000,000 bytes. compressed by nature (e.g. MP3, MPEG, JPEG, etc.), we have only one thing to say - when you assume, you make an ass out of u and me. As you will see later, the results of some of the newer compressors will surprise you. They can attain really amazing compression results even with files that are thought to be impossibly hard to compress. We wouldn't have discovered that if we did not test and merely assumed, would we?
Overall, WinRK was the champion at compressing the filesets. It had an average compression rate of 23.2%. It was 9% better at overall compression than its closest rival, SBC Archiver which had an average compression rate of 21.3%. The poorest compressors overall, at default settings, were the trio of WinZip, gzip and ARJ32. They only had average compression rates of about 13%.
However, gzip was the undisputed speed champion. It only took just over 121 seconds to completely process the complete fileset collection which weighed in at over 1.6GB. It was over a third faster than the runner-ups, ARJ32 and WinZip.
The other compressors were pretty slow at their normal compression settings. However, WinRK was extremely slow, compared to the others. It took almost 1.5 hours to compress the entire fileset collection
The compression efficiency rating is a simple way to evaluate the efficiency of each data compressor. This way, we can see which compressor can save the most space in the least time.
Please note that a higher efficiency rating does not mean the compressor is better. It just means the compressor has a better compression-to-speed ratio. A more efficient compressor is, of course, always more desirable than a less efficient one.
The most efficient data compressor for the aggregated results was gzip. Its super-fast compression speed, coupled with its average compression rate allowed it to become the undisputed overall efficiency champion. ARJ32 and WinZip were also very efficient compressors. They were more than twice as efficient as their nearest rivals, StuffIt and bzip2.
The other compressors may have been good at certain files, but overall, they were pretty inefficient. The most inefficient compressors overall was WinRK by a large margin . No matter how good it was at compressing files, its extremely slow compression speed totally killed its efficiency ratings.
Here is the conclusion from the Article:
WinRK was the best compressor in most filesets it encountered. So, it was not surprising that it was the overall compression champion. However, its performance was offset by its abysmally slow performance. Even with a really fast system, it still took ages to compress the filesets. On several occasions, it took more than 18 minutes to compress just 200MB of files. Thanks to this flaw, it had the dubious honour of being the most inefficient compressor as well.
SBC Archiver, which was just slightly poorer than WinRK at compression was much faster at the job. Although it was nowhere near the top of the speed rankings, its faster speed allowed it to attain a moderate efficiency ranking.
WinRAR, which is a favourite of many Internet users, displayed a surprisingly bland performance at default settings. Although it had a pretty good overall compression rate of just under 19%, it was very slow at its default settings. That made it the third most-inefficient compressor. Surprising, isn't it?
In contrast, another perennial favourite, WinZip which had a lower overall compression rate of 13% managed to attain a much higher efficiency rating because it was able to compress the filesets much faster than WinRAR. Quite surprising since many users have abandoned it for WinRAR in view of its rather dated compression algorithm.
StuffIt is a dark horse. It has a pretty good compression rate overall but with an unimpressive compression speed. However, its amazing performance with JPEG files cannot be denied. JPEG files is undeniably StuffIt's forte. No other compressor even comes within a light year of it.
gzip and ARJ32 are both the fastest and the worst compressors of the lot. They have unimpressive overall compression rates but more than make up for it with their tremendous compression speeds. Therefore, it isn't surprising to see them garner the top two spots in compressor efficiency. However, we would still recommend GUI alternatives like WinZip. It is almost as efficient as gzip and ARJ32 and far more user-friendly.
Based on our results, we can only come to one conclusion. If you do not like to change the settings of your data compressors and want a good, fast and user-friendly data compressor, then WinZip is the best one for the job.
What is your opinion?
Childhood Memories...
I saw this the other day while I was reading on the net. When I lived in Kirbyville Texas and attended grade school there, we had a big slide like this on out playground. I remember a kid was on it and the little edges were not totally closed to the slide and when he was going down it, his fingers got caught in between the slide and edge and they got cut. I think that they made some changes to the slide after that, but I can’t remember. Below is a map of Kirbyville Elementary School and also the middle school. The one to the north is the elementary with the playground being to the northeast. I took this image off of Google Maps.
For people that read this site i aperciate it!!
What is your opinion?
Emails.
After this weekend, no more emails will be sent out to you. If you want to read the blog, you will have the address and know where to go to read posts. The address is http://renigade.blogspot.com
Also if you want to subscribe to the blog, you can use the RSS buttons on the right hand side. Here is the link to be able to subscribe to the posts if you wish. http://renigade.blogspot.com/feeds/posts/default
You will need a RSS reader to get this feed or use www.Rojo.com or some other site like that.
Thankx for helping me get my site up and running.
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RMSTringer
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RMSTringer
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Thursday, May 03, 2007
Today...
It has been a rainy, cool day here in Midlo. Very dull weather here and it is in fact raining now. I still have to grill steak tonight so it doesn't go bad. Well, night shift kicked my ass this week. I worked all weekend on days and then Monday and Tuesday nights. I was BEAT yesterday morning!!
We also went to Hayes Furniture and bought a new bedroom suit for Chel and a futon for our spare bedroom. All that will be brought here on Tuesday afternoon.
What is your opinion?
Tuesday, May 01, 2007
My Blog...
I enjoy writing this blog. It is sometimes hard to keep the contect good all the time. but i try.
I think that it is neat to see how many people i can get to read this site. I have signed up to many different blog services and when i post a new entry, i use some of the services to "ping" and say that a new post is ready to be read. I keep stats on my site to see how many hits and people have read it that day and also where in the world that live.
http://www2.clustrmaps.com/counter/maps.php?url=http://renigade.blogspot.com is the link to use to see where people have read my blog all over the world। Please take time to come to my site and read it, not just the emails or the RSS feeds that can be signed up to. I like to think that i keep interesting and neat topics on the site for all to enjoy and learn from.
Thank you.
What is your opinion?
What is your opinion?
Neat Website....
You know me. I like to browse the web for neat pictures and nice website. I found a site called www.redorbit.com and i do not remember how i found it. It has got some very neat stuff to offer like Tech News, Science News and stuff like that. I like to use Google Earth to make overlays of GPS data when we go Moutain Biking. I found some very nice new satalite photos of some US cities and other places on Reborbit.
Here they are.
Blatimore MD:
This ASTER image of Baltimore was acquired on April 4, 2000, and covers an area of 17 by 20 km. Baltimore is the largest city in Maryland and one of the busiest ports in the United States. Its economy focuses on research and development, especially in the areas of aquaculture, pharmaceuticals, and medical supplies and services. Before European settlement, the site of Baltimore was inhabited by Native Americans of the Susquehannock tribe. The town was founded in 1729 and named for the barons Baltimore, the British founders of the Maryland Colony
Machu Picchu:
The ruins of Machu Picchu, rediscovered in 1911 by Hiram Bingham, are one of the most beautiful and enigmatic ancient sites in the world. While the Inca people utilized the Andean mountain top (2800 m elevation), erecting massive stone structures from the early 1400's, legends and myths indicate that Machu Picchu (meaning 'Old Peak' in the Quechua language) was revered as a sacred place from a far earlier time. The Inca turned the site into a small (12 square kilometers) but extraordinary city.
Nasca Lines:
This ASTER sub-image covers an area of 14 x 18 km, and was acquired on December 22, 2000. The data were processed to create a simulated natural color presentation. The Nasca Lines are located in the Pampa region of Peru, the desolate plain of the Peruvian coast 400 km south of Lima. The Lines were first spotted when commercial airlines began flying across the Peruvian desert in the 1920's. Passengers reported seeing 'primitive landing strips' on the ground below. The Lines were made by removing the iron-oxide coated pebbles which cover the surface of the desert. When the gravel is removed, they contrast with the light color underneath. In this way the lines were drawn as furrows of a lighter color.
Washington DC:
Washington DC:
Washington, D.C. was imaged by ASTER on June 1, 2000 in this 14 by 13.7 km sub-scene. The combination of visible and near infrared bands displays vegetation in red, and water in dark grays. The 15 m spatial resolution allows us to see individual buildings, including the White House, the Jefferson Memorial, and the Washington Monument with its shadow.
What is your opinion?
Monday, April 30, 2007
Internet Radio...RIAA Style
Radio's Tangled Web
April 30, 2007 - As you read these words on your monitor, there is a decent chance that you’re also streaming a little online radio. After all, with an estimated listenership of approximately 50 million Americans per month, Internet radio has become a go-to destination for a fuller spectrum of music, an alternative to FM’s mind-numbing monotony. And if you are one of those listeners, mark May 15 on your calendar: it might well be the day that the music dies.
The RIAA NAZIs are at it again. I reported a story on this a few months ago. Well, it looks like they are going to go and turn the music off. The average person running a web station will not be able to pay the HUGE fees that are being leved aginst them. A lot of people just stream music on the internet from their houses and if this happens, This will block many people from music that they would have never have listened to otherwise.
"Last month the trio of Library of Congress judges that oversees copyright law’s statutory licenses decided that May 15 will be the date royalty fees owed by Web radio operators will be recalibrated. The Copyright Royalty Board changed rates from a percentage of revenue to a per-song, per-listener fee—effectively hiking the rates between 300 and 1,200 percent, according to a lawyer representing a group of Webcasters. "If this rate does not change, it will wipe out the vast majority of Web radio," Tim Westergren, founder of the music discovery service Pandora, tells NEWSWEEK. "If this stays, we’re done. Back to the stone age again." (Royalty Board Chief Justice James Sledge declined to comment on the case, which lawyers say they intend to appeal.)
What is your opinion?
Today, this afternoon.
Well, I was on my way to work and I was on Old Hundred Road going East towards Hull Street when I had to slam on my breaks. A driver in front of me stopped to let some one turn, I did the same, but the driver behind hit my bumper!! It only scratched my bumper as he hit my receiver hitch and right side bumper, but his car was really messed up!! The police came and all that jazz. What a way to start the new week!! Oh well, I will get it fixed as I my truck is new and I want it to look good.
What is your opinion?
What is your opinion?
Sunday, April 29, 2007
A New Better Way...another insight into me.
cor·ol·lar·y (kôr'ə-lĕr'ē, kŏr'-) n., pl. -ies.
-A proposition that follows with little or no proof required from one already proven.
-A deduction or an inference.
-A natural consequence or effect; a result.
adj.
Consequent; resultant.
[Middle English corolarie, from Latin corōllārium,
money paid for a garland, gratuity, from corōlla, small garland. See corolla.]
***************************************************************
-A proposition that follows with little or no proof required from one already proven.
-A deduction or an inference.
-A natural consequence or effect; a result.
adj.
Consequent; resultant.
[Middle English corolarie, from Latin corōllārium,
money paid for a garland, gratuity, from corōlla, small garland. See corolla.]
***************************************************************
Perhaps what I intend with opening up myself about my life is to give a few suffering people our there HOPE!! Perhaps the corollary to all of this is a new better way to live. The Big Book talks about in great detail. If you were like me, I had better living thru chemistry for over 1/2 of my life. At some point you, if you are/were like me, need to try it! Is it easy?? HELL NO!! One point that I would like to make is that when I was out drugging, I had some "good times" but were they real and was I living on life's terms? NO! I was living on my terms that every once and a while came into accordance with "normal" life. I did not like living life on its own terms. It was and still is a hard lesson to learn. I still try to "buck the system" but life will push back. I know better now than to try to live any other way by trying to implement some of what I have talked about in the last several Recovery Posts. Were not done with the 12 Steps or my series, we still have a long journey to traverse.
Living life in its terms for me is a journey. I would say that I have had some really crappy days in doing that. But I would also say that in this time, some of my worst days in sobriety have no been as bad as my "best" days of living polluted. Sometimes, I relive those days, remember the sensations and experiences. Some were scary that involved very bad places where I could have been killed. So I can say that in sobriety, I have not had to go there again. So even if my day has gone all to hell, I can say that I will not be in that bad spot again. I mean don’t get me wrong, some of my polluted days were times that some people dream about but would never do!
I lived very hard in that 1/2 life and I think that if I had to do it over and was given a second chance, I really can’t say that I would have done it differently. The reason why is all of those experiences make me who I am today. A person is the sum of his experiences and if I had not lived like that and gone thru some of that stuff, then I could not sit here and try to give some suffering people reading this little page a glimmer of hope. I do not know if anyone reading this get anything out of it, but I can hope.
During my "Spiritual Awakening" that I had in LAHA, I was told some very powerful things. It happened with my counselor and me during a one on one secession. I will not go in to all the specifics, but one I will say is that I was told that I will reach and help people that only I can talk to. An addendum to this is one day in church, many months after this, I was told the same things, that I will/am supposed to help people that only I can reach. It scared the hell out of me that day and I shook for several hours after that event, but I had a different understand of life after that fact. We all have something to contribute to the greater scheme of things; we just need to find it. It is by The Grace Of God that I did not end up in jail or Dead, I truly and whole heartedly believe that because there were many situations where that could have happened.
So I just felt like giving more information to you my readers. Please do not think that I have the answers as I am still finding them out my self. Life is a journey and not a destination, we are here but a small time compared to the grand scheme of things. I was given a second chance by God, by my wonderful wife Sondra with her, none of this would have been possible. I love her dearly and I still screw up royally, but all I can do is ask for forgiveness and try to live better…
Living life in its terms for me is a journey. I would say that I have had some really crappy days in doing that. But I would also say that in this time, some of my worst days in sobriety have no been as bad as my "best" days of living polluted. Sometimes, I relive those days, remember the sensations and experiences. Some were scary that involved very bad places where I could have been killed. So I can say that in sobriety, I have not had to go there again. So even if my day has gone all to hell, I can say that I will not be in that bad spot again. I mean don’t get me wrong, some of my polluted days were times that some people dream about but would never do!
I lived very hard in that 1/2 life and I think that if I had to do it over and was given a second chance, I really can’t say that I would have done it differently. The reason why is all of those experiences make me who I am today. A person is the sum of his experiences and if I had not lived like that and gone thru some of that stuff, then I could not sit here and try to give some suffering people reading this little page a glimmer of hope. I do not know if anyone reading this get anything out of it, but I can hope.
During my "Spiritual Awakening" that I had in LAHA, I was told some very powerful things. It happened with my counselor and me during a one on one secession. I will not go in to all the specifics, but one I will say is that I was told that I will reach and help people that only I can talk to. An addendum to this is one day in church, many months after this, I was told the same things, that I will/am supposed to help people that only I can reach. It scared the hell out of me that day and I shook for several hours after that event, but I had a different understand of life after that fact. We all have something to contribute to the greater scheme of things; we just need to find it. It is by The Grace Of God that I did not end up in jail or Dead, I truly and whole heartedly believe that because there were many situations where that could have happened.
So I just felt like giving more information to you my readers. Please do not think that I have the answers as I am still finding them out my self. Life is a journey and not a destination, we are here but a small time compared to the grand scheme of things. I was given a second chance by God, by my wonderful wife Sondra with her, none of this would have been possible. I love her dearly and I still screw up royally, but all I can do is ask for forgiveness and try to live better…
What is your opinion?
Saturday, April 28, 2007
Part 4...Steps 4-7
It would be hard to write about just one of these Steps, so i put Step 4-7 in this part as they are all together.
Step 4 - Made a Searching and Fearless Moral Inventory of Ourselves.
DO what? A searching and FEARLESS MORAL INVENTORY?? Ok this is going to suck I said. During this step we have to look at ourselves and that is not fun at all. We have to look at all the things that we have done bad and things that we had done to hurt other people and also things that other people had done to us that we did not like or had resentment over. Because, as they say, An addict having a resentment is like tacking poison and wanting the other person to die. To people like us, resentments are not a good thing. They lead to fear, anger and then an excuse to go out and use again.
Take for instance, one might say me and the girlfriend had a fight, I am going to go out and get messed up to show her!! No your not!! That is just an excuse. In this step, you have to look at your part in the events. You might say that I am resentful at _______ because they did this to me. But what was your part in that event. Did or have you treated them like you should have? And how does this affect you? In your relationship with that person? Does it hurt your Pride? Make you Fearful? Does it hurt your Self-Esteem? All of these questions will have to be answered during this step.
My 4ht step was about 2-3 pages front and back on a legal size pad. It was very emotional time writing this because me and my sponsor had to do this. It is part of the healing process. See the problem is that if you don't be truthful on this, sleeping Demons will come back to get you at a later date. If you have done something that you think is so shameful and that you don't want anyone to know about it; get it out!! For the most part they have done the exact same thing or even worse! Not being truthful in this step can be setting yourself up for some hard times and even perhaps a relapse…
In doing this we had to learn a new way to deal with ANGE and FEAR! Most of my troubles came from me. I tried to control everything and everyone and when things did not go my way, I pitched a fit! I was the director and they were my puppets only that was not the case. I that it was, but it was not and I had to place my Fears on a list as well to go over with a fine toothed comb. See, we are fearful of things that we can’t control. I became fearful of doing drugs, even though that is what I knew I had to do to get to feeling better (Spiritual Malady) but the guilt was a killer as well after the fact!
This step is also a very personal one that you, me, I, have to do alone. My sponsor helped me, but I had to do it and take a long, hard look at what made me tick and I did not like what I found. I will not go into some of the things that I did, but suffice to say, they were not pretty. This is a most important step because in doing this, you clean your steps and try to get a grasp of what the hell you have done in your life. The next Step 5, Admitted to God, to ourselves and to another human being the exact nature of our wrongs. You have to open up and tell someone else like your sponsor, a minister, a total stranger, just what you have done in your life and how you have wronged people and your part as well as what people have done to you and what your part was in that as well.
I cried my eyes out during this because of a lifetime of hate, anger, resentment, wrongs to me and from me came out!! It was very painful but very healing at the same time…
The paper that you made during Step 4 is a guide during Step 5. I used it to help me remember the things that I had written down, but also new things emerged from my subconscious, stuff that I had so tucked away that I had forgotten about came out and when it was all over after a good cry, I felt better than I had in many years. Getting out the quilt and remorse, resentments, fears was very liberating.
Next step is Step 6 Were entirely ready to have God remove all these defects of character. After Step 5, I was totally ready to get all that crap out and give it up to God to take away from me. This is where the Serenity Prayer comes in:
“God grant me the serenity to accept the things I cannot change; courage to change the things I can;and wisdom to know the difference.”
Just knowing this and using this well help you in everyday life. Because, remember that you cannot control everything that is and will happen to you.
I had to do Step 7 Humbly asked Him to remove our shortcomings. This was the last part in from the last several Steps. It is also a necessary Step to be taken in this cleansing process. Another good prayer I forgot was in the 3rd step. It is as follows:
God, I offer myself to Thee--to build with me and to do with me as Thou wilt. Relieve me of the bondage of self, that I may better do Thy will. Take away my difficulties, that victory over them may bear witness to those I would help of Thy Power, Thy Love, and Thy Way of Life. May I do Thy will always! Alcoholics Anonymous, p. 63
So you see, the Step 4-7 is basically a continuous step and they all need to be done in secession. One cannot be done with out the other. Next time, we will move to Step 8.
What is your opinion?
Step 4 - Made a Searching and Fearless Moral Inventory of Ourselves.
DO what? A searching and FEARLESS MORAL INVENTORY?? Ok this is going to suck I said. During this step we have to look at ourselves and that is not fun at all. We have to look at all the things that we have done bad and things that we had done to hurt other people and also things that other people had done to us that we did not like or had resentment over. Because, as they say, An addict having a resentment is like tacking poison and wanting the other person to die. To people like us, resentments are not a good thing. They lead to fear, anger and then an excuse to go out and use again.
Take for instance, one might say me and the girlfriend had a fight, I am going to go out and get messed up to show her!! No your not!! That is just an excuse. In this step, you have to look at your part in the events. You might say that I am resentful at _______ because they did this to me. But what was your part in that event. Did or have you treated them like you should have? And how does this affect you? In your relationship with that person? Does it hurt your Pride? Make you Fearful? Does it hurt your Self-Esteem? All of these questions will have to be answered during this step.
My 4ht step was about 2-3 pages front and back on a legal size pad. It was very emotional time writing this because me and my sponsor had to do this. It is part of the healing process. See the problem is that if you don't be truthful on this, sleeping Demons will come back to get you at a later date. If you have done something that you think is so shameful and that you don't want anyone to know about it; get it out!! For the most part they have done the exact same thing or even worse! Not being truthful in this step can be setting yourself up for some hard times and even perhaps a relapse…
In doing this we had to learn a new way to deal with ANGE and FEAR! Most of my troubles came from me. I tried to control everything and everyone and when things did not go my way, I pitched a fit! I was the director and they were my puppets only that was not the case. I that it was, but it was not and I had to place my Fears on a list as well to go over with a fine toothed comb. See, we are fearful of things that we can’t control. I became fearful of doing drugs, even though that is what I knew I had to do to get to feeling better (Spiritual Malady) but the guilt was a killer as well after the fact!
This step is also a very personal one that you, me, I, have to do alone. My sponsor helped me, but I had to do it and take a long, hard look at what made me tick and I did not like what I found. I will not go into some of the things that I did, but suffice to say, they were not pretty. This is a most important step because in doing this, you clean your steps and try to get a grasp of what the hell you have done in your life. The next Step 5, Admitted to God, to ourselves and to another human being the exact nature of our wrongs. You have to open up and tell someone else like your sponsor, a minister, a total stranger, just what you have done in your life and how you have wronged people and your part as well as what people have done to you and what your part was in that as well.
I cried my eyes out during this because of a lifetime of hate, anger, resentment, wrongs to me and from me came out!! It was very painful but very healing at the same time…
The paper that you made during Step 4 is a guide during Step 5. I used it to help me remember the things that I had written down, but also new things emerged from my subconscious, stuff that I had so tucked away that I had forgotten about came out and when it was all over after a good cry, I felt better than I had in many years. Getting out the quilt and remorse, resentments, fears was very liberating.
Next step is Step 6 Were entirely ready to have God remove all these defects of character. After Step 5, I was totally ready to get all that crap out and give it up to God to take away from me. This is where the Serenity Prayer comes in:
“God grant me the serenity to accept the things I cannot change; courage to change the things I can;and wisdom to know the difference.”
Just knowing this and using this well help you in everyday life. Because, remember that you cannot control everything that is and will happen to you.
I had to do Step 7 Humbly asked Him to remove our shortcomings. This was the last part in from the last several Steps. It is also a necessary Step to be taken in this cleansing process. Another good prayer I forgot was in the 3rd step. It is as follows:
God, I offer myself to Thee--to build with me and to do with me as Thou wilt. Relieve me of the bondage of self, that I may better do Thy will. Take away my difficulties, that victory over them may bear witness to those I would help of Thy Power, Thy Love, and Thy Way of Life. May I do Thy will always! Alcoholics Anonymous, p. 63
So you see, the Step 4-7 is basically a continuous step and they all need to be done in secession. One cannot be done with out the other. Next time, we will move to Step 8.
What is your opinion?
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