Sunday, June 24, 2007

Skull Candy - Ear Buds

So far, i am blown away by them!! They totally go into my ear and are very comfortable. I purchased them at Best Buy.

When all you want to hear is your music, Skullcandy’s exclusive noise eliminating sleeve makes it happen. Smokin’ Buds deliver the frequency range and fast response found in full-size headphones in a direct-to-ear package all the while isolating you from external haze:
9mm driver
Ear fitting noise reduction sleeve
Direct-to-ear high fidelity acoustic
In-line volume control
Travel case



I am very impressed with them so far. i got them for the vaca i am going on.





I also have a pair fo these:
I like them, they are just to big for my ear cannal.

Philips - Ear-Bud Headphones with Virtual Surround Sound
HE592 Reflected-speaker design;
flexi-grip connection;
15mm neodymium speakers;
asymmetric cabling system






























What is your opinion?

Mack: Chariots Afire

 

 

 

Thanks to Mack Hall for giving me this.

Chariots Afire

 

An unknown functionary at the Vatican has published a fifty-page book on how to drive in a Christian fashion.  I do hope this will enjoy wide circulation in the streets around the Vatican, where, I am told by an accurate observer, motorists customarily speed down the crowded streets with one hand on the horn and the other displaying a single-digit sign of, oh, Christian greeting.

 

Vatican documents are never brief; indeed, no ecclesiastical scrivener employs five or ten words when six hundred and sixty-six will do (oh, I'll bet that sends 'em to the latest bishop's letter, calculator in hand...).  However, this document is summed up as (I wish I were making this up) "The Drivers' Ten Commandments."  Having taken two terms of Latin, I humbly submit a translation following each item:

 

1. You shall not kill. Translation:  Put down the cell phone, the coffee, the baby, the plate of ribs, the beer, and the makeup, and put both hands on the wheel.

 

2. The road shall be for you a means of communion between people and not of mortal harm.  Translation:  Hey!  I said put down the cell phone, the coffee, the baby, the hamburger, the sody, and the makeup, and put both hands on the wheel.

 

3. Courtesy, uprightness and prudence will help you deal with unforeseen events.  Translation: Hey, are you deaf or something?  Put down the cell phone, the coffee, the baby, the basket of fried chicken, the cigarette, and the makeup, and put both hands on the wheel.

 

4. Be charitable and help your neighbor in need, especially victims of accidents.  Translation: Except in Austin, where thou shalt be beaten to death by a mob for doing so.

 

5. Cars shall not be for you an expression of power and domination, and an occasion of sin.  Translation:  Oh, yeah, an old man in an almost-paid-for Ford Escape is definitely an alpha-male-hot-time-on-wheels.

 

6. Charitably convince the young and not so young not to drive when they are not in a fitting condition to do so.  Translation: The young? Man, when you see how their parents drive you marvel that teens drive as well as they do!

 

7. Support the families of accident victims.  Translation:  Oh, gosh, we dumb people would never have thought of that!  Thank you, anonymous Vatican functionary, for enlightening us! 

 

8. Bring guilty motorists and their victims together, at the appropriate time, so that they can undergo the liberating experience of forgiveness.  Translation:  They tried that in Austin.
 
9. On the road, protect the more vulnerable party.  Translation:  When you're around a chip-truck driver, that's you. 

 

10. Feel responsible toward others.  Translation: Don't actually do anything responsible, just feel that way.

 

I wonder what sort of document on driving Osama Bin Laden's staff would turn out.

 

-30-

 

 

 




Finally, jetpacks!!!

I'm a big fan of retro-futurism, ie the future we were promised but never got (jetsons, flying cars, jetpacks, hotels on mars, robot butlers, etc).
A lifelong dream of mine gets that much closer to reality!

Read on:

To some extent, everyone's in the market for a jet pack. But since Bell Labs built the first rocket belt (the correct, if less exciting, name) in 1953, potential buyers have been stymied by two problems: Rocket belts aren't for sale, and even prototypes run on modern-day fuel (as opposed to whatever the Jetsons use) — which means rocket belts can weigh upwards of 100 pounds, with only enough fuel to stay aloft for under a minute. Now, a pair of companies have solved one of these problems — rocket belts are for sale.

Mexican start-up Tecnologia Aeroespacial Mexicana (TAM) offers its custom-built TAM Rocket Belt for $250,000, which includes flight and maintenance training. On a full tank of hydrogen peroxide the belt weighs 124 to 139 pounds (the bigger the pilot, the bigger the belt), and provides 30 seconds of flight. TAM's sole competitor is Jetpack Inter­national, a Colorado-based company that sells what it calls "the world's longest-flying jet pack." Technically speaking, it's true — the hydrogen-peroxide-burning Jet Pack H202 can stay in the air for 33 seconds, 3 seconds longer than TAM's model. The H202 weighs 139 pounds, and is competitively priced at $155,000, flight classes and all.

Jetpack International founder Troy Widgery is the first to point out the drawbacks of current short-flight rocket belts. "If something goes wrong, you can get killed," Widgery says. "Thirty-three seconds of fuel makes an inexperienced pilot twitchy." The solution? Ditch the rocket belt, and build a bona fide jet pack (okay, jet belt). Widgery plans to release the T73 Turbine by the end of the year; it's a $200,000 model that will burn jet fuel, allowing it to stay airborne for 19 minutes. Not to be outdone, TAM is working on a propane-burning jet belt, though it hasn't said when it will be available. While swapping inert hydrogen peroxide for propane or Jet-A fuel has obvious drawbacks, jet belts would be, for many, a childhood dream come true. "With 19 minutes you can take things slower," Widgery says. "You aren't spending the whole flight thinking about where to land." We'll take his word for it.

Photo Sharing and Video Hosting at Photobucket

Also, this is a GREAT BLOG to check out:

Paleo-Future. Click it!

What is your opinion?

Hello Bob's Readers!

As stated by Bob himself, I am JJ. Bob and I went to high school together and have been friends for years now. We used to terrorize spanish class (where I think Bob's name was Ramone?) & Band & we were in typing together I think.

I will not bore you with a bio of me.

I will update for you here, live and direct, as the mood strikes me.

Photo Sharing and Video Hosting at Photobucket


What is your opinion?

The Blog...

I will be on Vaca starting on the 29th of June and returning on July5th. I have invited a very good friend of mine to guest host my blog and do several posts for me while i am gone. His name is Jimmy Freeman and you will get to know him during that week. I have also set up mobile blogging with the use of my cell phone. So i will post a few pics hear and there during the week as well. Have a good evening and i will get a few posts out this week before i leave...

Thankx.


What is your opinion?

Test

Friday, June 22, 2007

Some Interesting Pics...





You know that i like to post some interesting pics that i find on the net every now and again. Here are some more for your viewing pleasure...
What is your opinion?

Real Tallent...




That must hurt her hands...
Very useful skill...



These people have what it takes to make it to the top of my Dumbass of the week posting...


What is your opinion?

Thursday, June 21, 2007

A Modern Parable...

A Japanese company ( Toyota ) and an American company( Ford )decided to have a canoe race on the Missouri River. Both teams practiced long and hard to reach their peak performance before the race.

On the big day, the Japanese won by a mile.

The Americans, very discouraged and depressed, decidedto investigatethe reason for the crushing defeat. A management team made up of senior management was formed to investigate and recommend appropriate action. Their conclusion was the Japanese had 8 people rowing and 1 person steering, while the American team had eight people steering and one person rowing.

Feeling a deeper study was in order, American management hired a consulting company and paid them a large amount of money for a second opinion. They advised, of course, that too many people were steering the boat, while not enough people were rowing. Not sure of how to utilize that information, but wanting to prevent another loss to the Japanese, the rowing team's management structure was totally reorganized to four steering supervisors, three area steering superintendents and one assistant superintendent steering manager. They also implemented a new performance system that would give the one person rowing the boat greater incentive to work harder. It was called the 'Rowing Team Quality First Program,' with meetings, dinners and free pens for the rower.

There was discussion of getting new paddles, canoes and other equipment, extra vacation days for practices and bonuses. The next year the Japanese won by two miles.

Humiliated, the American management laid off the rower for poor performance, halted development of a new canoe, sold the paddles, and canceled all capital investments for new equipment. The money saved was distributed to the Senior Executives as bonuses and the next year's racing team was out-sourced to India .

Sadly, The End. Sad, but oh so true!

Here's something else to thinkabout: Ford hasspent the last thirty years moving all its factories out of the US, claiming they can't make money paying American wages. Toyota has spent the last thirty years building more than a dozen plants inside the US .

The last quarter's results: Toyota makes 4 billion in profits while Ford racked up 9 billion in losses. Ford folks are still scratching their heads.

IF THIS WASN'T SO SAD IT MIGHT BE FUNNY !!!!

Thanks to LCDC Mike Sieverson for this little story.

What is your opinion?

Today’s Corporate World…

It appears that in today’s corporate world that there is not more stability in friends, and family, or community. In today’s market where the little fish get eaten up by the big fish and then everything has to be restructured, one looses the idea of community. With corporate acquisitions that occur yearly, one cannot even begin to think that a city or town can be called home. The big companies want to give their employees the perception that where they live for practical purposes is “home" even if it is a fleeting notion at best.

When a company moves from one town to another there are all types of repercussions that happen. When I lived in Indiana, the company I worked for relocated me from Texas to Merryville. They came to where I was living and packed all of my belongings and placed them on a big truck and shipped them to my new address. I got there about a week before my stuff got there. I was given some money to help with getting things set up, lights, water, cable, phone, and electricity and had some left over to make a savings account.

I was up there for about three months and then the economy went south (Took a down turn) several of the steel mills closed their doors and the whole area was in jeopardy as well as my new job. I was the last one hired because they could not make up their minds about me. I would have been better off if they had not made a job offer in the first place and I would have been ok with that.

Anyway, I made friends up there and tried to make a life there as well. In three short months, my life was gone. I got released from all obligations from the company and was on my own. So with what money I had left, I had to pack up a few belongings and race back to Texas ahead of The Blizzard of 2000 in the Mid West. When I got home, thanks to my Grandmother, we flew back to Indiana after the snow storm and I sold a few items and moved the bare essentials back home with me. I was a little wiser for having been through that ordeal. It only prepared me for what was to come later in my life…


What is your opinion?

Wednesday, June 20, 2007

Vacation....





Next week…

We leave for vacation to Florida. I am eagerly awaiting this as I have never been to MGM Studios. I want to go and see this at night. Illuminations: Reflections of Earth as it looks wonderful and this. The Wishes™ Nighttime Spectacular. I have always loved fireworks! Pleasure Island sounds like fun for us adults!!

All in all, it looks like we are going to have a very fun and good time!! I have been to Disney in Florida before with my High School Band (jasper) and also with my family 2 other times. This will be my first time with my family. What comes around goes around as the saying goes.

Spaceship Earth Pavilion is one of my favorite rides at Epcot in Disney. I remember it well as a child. Step into the world-renowned geosphere to witness milestones in communications vital to man's survival. Ride Spaceship Earth to the further reaches of the solar system, and then visits a post-show to see your photo on the digital branches of the Network Tree.



What is your opinion?

Tuesday, June 19, 2007

Pocahontas State Park Trails.

Here is the new GPS of Lake View 1&2 that i promised you today.
We rode on these trails on Sunday morning and we did 9 miles
with 970 feet of elevation chages.



This is the old data. It is off the Qalla Road entrance.
It shows the Red, Blue, and 2xRed trails.






This is a FlickR link to us to see all the pics and stuff.
http://www.flickr.com/photos/rmstringer/sets/72157600393338093/




What is your opinion?

Monday, June 18, 2007

Bush Gardens Rides for Big Kids...


Griffon carries riders up 205 feet, then hurtles them 90 degrees straight down at 70 mph.It is a good ride, not up to the Hype like they say.

Experience the world's tallest, most twisted inverted roller coaster. Alpengeist reaches a height of 195 feet and a speed of 67 mph. Alpine "skiers" are launched on the most chilling ride of their lives as this snowbeast twists an innocent ski lift into six staggering inversions and a 170-foot drop. I do not think that it isw still the tallest. It was a very good ride!!

at speeds approaching 50 mph. The "Wolf" rambles through natural terrain and dense forest, suddenly dropping a sheer 99 feet to nearly skim the Rhine River below. It reminded me of XLR8 at Astro World in Houston texas. Not really that fast, and it looks dated. The big drop was nice.

The pulse-quickening journey plummets passengers a total of 825 feet. Apollo's Chariot boasts nine drops, the first of which plunges passengers down 210 feet of steel track. You will experience periods of weightlessness, or "air time," as you race up and down the camelback humps at 73 mph. Very good ride!! I was surprised. Very compareable to "Super Man" at Six Flags New England in Massachusetts.

Reaching 13 stories into the air with a 114-foot drop, this "creature" offers a spine-tingling, breathtaking ride at speeds up to 60 mph. Very good roller coaster in the classic sense and a good one to start off your day.

Bush Gardens in Williamsburg Virginia.

There are some neat 4-D rides like Corkscrew Hill and Pirates there with motion and animation to make the experience better. My only gripe about the park is that there were not enough food places to eat. In the different regions they had about 1 major restaurant with several treats & sweets places. In most other parks I gone to, they have several places to eat. The lines were very long to get food. That was the only downside that I can see.
What is your opinion?

God's Will...

This has been bothering me a lot lately. People always talk about God's Will. I know from my own life and that of 12-Setep you are supposed to submit to God's Will. How do you know what that is? Me, My Wife and Daughter have been together this coming December 5 years (married) we have been together a total of 7 this summer and have known for over 20 years. We went to the same high school.

Over the last 5 years, we have moved 5 times to different stated for her company. We always hoped that the "next" move would be the one that would bring us happiness. We moved from Houston to Austin, Then to Highlands Ranch Colorado. From there we moved to Gardner Massachusetts; she worked in Boston. From then we moved to Midlothian Virginia. We made up our minds to stay here until our daughter got out of high school. Now, with things so up in the air, we are perplexed.

We try to go to church and to follow God's Will, but it is hard. When we lived in Colorado, we were members of St Andrews United Methodist Church Were really in tune I think and we loved going to the church because of the worship and the church itself. It was very wonderful but like all things, we moved to Massachusetts and it was very hard to get back into church because of the size of the church there. We so longed for St. Andrews that we, I guess, missed out on a very small church that we could have helped bring life back into had we just given it a chance. For you see, St. Andrews set the bar very high.

Well, Midlothian in my mind has some very good churches. Some would I dare say compare to St. Andrew in my mind. They have lots to offer and have a very progressive message in tune with today. It has been hard for my wife as they are not St. Andrews. I hold no fault against her for this as I miss it also, but we have to move on.

When she accepted her promotions, was that the Will of God? We made friends in Colorado and in Massachusetts but we left them. Our lives a little better for knowing them and theirs also for knowing us. My brother whom I talk about a lot is a Man of God, a Preacher in the Methodist Church. Even though he is 10 years younger then me, I rely on his wisdom to help guide me and he is more than ready and willing to be up to the challenge when I ask. I know that I do not pray as often as I should and as for what His Will is and what we should do. It is a hard practice to get into and when you do it, if you stop it is really easy to no continue.

Are all of these trials and tribulations part of God's Will for us? And if so, what is His Will to be for us on the next leg of our journey? How do some of you deal with this subject? Or do you even think about it.


What is your opinion?

Sunday, June 17, 2007

A few more pics...


Me and Jeff all banged up!!

Mark on the trail!!

Mark in the creek crossing!

What is your opinion?

Fathers Day...

I just wanted to wish all the fathers around the world, Have a Happy Fathers Day!!



What is your opinion?

Our Ride This Morning...



So this morning we went on a bike ride to Pocahontas Park. It was Jeff, Mark and I. We had to do an early ride as I have to work tonight. We got there around 8.15am and proceeded to go to the trail. We went down some nice trails that lead us to the main trailhead. On the way, I was going fast down one of the hills and I tried to scratch my nose. Boy was that a mistake!!

My wheel turned to the left and I kept on flying down the hill. It was almost like I was sliding into home plate!! My right forearm is all scratched and my left knee is all torn up. I was bleeding and had a trail of blood all the way to my sock. The bad part about all of this is that I was not trying to do an obstacle! It was just a wide open road. I am sore, but my pride was hurt more than anything. We decided to continue with the ride as planed. I was not going to let a wreck keep me from getting my exercise and fun for the day.

Mark and Jeff both now have Clip-Ins and Egg Beaters for their bikes; so needless to say, I was not the only one that had a few accidents today. Mark was the next one and Jeff followed in wrecking. Jeff’s knee was as bad as mine. Mark did not get bumped as bad as we did, but he did take a few spills.



That is a pic of me going in a little creek that runs across the trail that we were riding today. We rode on Lake View 1 and 2. Mark and I did these before and we did about 12 miles but we got lost and had to ride over the dirt roads in the park to get back. We were a bit smarter this morning and found our way to the car.

All in all, it was a very good morning ride with us doing 9 miles and 970 feet of elevation changes. We did the ride in a total of about 2.5 hours.


This pic is me going over what would be considered a normal obstacle in the parks that we ride in. These are present in all of the parks that we ride. Some of them a re bigger than this, but most are about this size. I will post on Tuesday all the GPS data of these new trails that we rode today.



I went home and cleaned up, doctored myself and then got some much needed rest!

What is your opinion?

Saturday, June 16, 2007

Friday, June 15, 2007

Another Recovery Memory...

It was back in 2002 when I first tried to get clean. I remember going to several NA meetings and I thought that I liked them. So after a month or so, I asked a person to be my sponsor. His name was Wes or Officer Wes as he is known.

We decided to meet on the next after at a local cafe to discuss The 12 Steps and how I was going to go threw them with him. He gave me his number and told me that if I needed to talk or call him in a weak moment for me to do so no matter what time it was. That is what a sponsor is supposed to do for your information.

I thought that I was doing well and he and I proceeded to work me through the first 3 steps and we would meet regularly at his house or at the cafe. Then came that dreadful day after I had 3 months of sobriety that I had the dreaded "R" word...Relapse! For you see, that can happen if you do not totally put you whole body into the program of recovery. It happened because I still thought that I could drink and get away with it. I could not. For I thought that even though I new alcohol was not my problem, I could still drink like I was ok. For just placing one altering chemical into my body restarted the mental, physical craving that happened to me when I would ingest and use cocaine. Even though alcohol is legal, it is still a drug, plain and simple.

So if you are out there in Recovery land, do not delude yourself by think that you can drink but no do drugs. IT WILL NOT HAPPEN.

Also so as to not piss anyone off about the anonymity issue, I called him to ask if I could use his name in this blog post. He was most grateful to let me do it...


What is your opinion?

Some more FREE Music...

Several months ago i posted about an artist named VXC or if you will VXCasualty. One in the same. He has a few more new tunes for your download. His record lable is called LSDXM.

"Vxcasualty is an experimental trance project with psychedelic and ambient elements produced using Propellerhead Software's Reason" - Last.FM

New Music:
Mothra Organica is a directory with new music.
vxc&dysphor - untitl..> is also new.
http://vxc.lsdxm.com/demonology_EP_2007/
Index of /02-07/earthbound direct link to directory.

These are direct links to these tracks.
http://vxc.lsdxm.com/gateway_drug.mp3
http://vxc.lsdxm.com/brain%20floss.mp3
vxc - now, then!.mp3
vxc - friable.mp3

These are his old links:
vxc - 5-meo-wtf/
vxc - shadowcaster/
vxc - singles/
vxc - synapse/

What is your opinion?

Blog on the net...







It always seams that I am trying to generate new traffic for my Blog by singing up on new free services. You can see all the badges that I have on the left side of my blog. It is a personal thing that I like to do. I could go the route of Ad-sense from Google, but I do not want to sell out and place advertising on my site. I could also do the pay-per-click but that is not what I am about. I have had over 4300 hits since I started actively promoting my site sometimes last December. Not bad figures if you ask me. The picture is a map of where people all over the world read my blog. I just think that it is neat when someone from India leaves me a comment on my blog. The internet is a wonderful tool that all should be able to enjoy!!

I do not under any circumstances condon censorship in any way, shape, or form!!

The internet should be kept free and clear off any and all censorship because no single country owns the internet. I know that there is a lot of that going on around the world like in China where FlickR is being banned from viewing because some pics got on there of the Tiananmen Square student demonstrations of 1989 and the China government has blocked the site.

This is much like the on going issue here in the USA about Net Neutrality. I for one have signed up to help save the internet and stop censorship of the internet. If you value reading this blog in a different country, you should also want to do so as it might get banned. They could ban the whole www.blogger.com service for all we know. That would piss off a bunch of people including me. Lets all just play nice together and enjoy the internet like it is supposed to be used for, free and with no censorship.





What is your opinion?

Stress Level...


With things like they are today, many people including myself are very stressed out. How do you deal with stress? Do you meditate, or walk, jog, or workout? I for one like to go mountain biking. It is great exercise and also a great way to blow off steam! There is nothing like going riding with my friends and doing about 8-10 miles in the great parks that are around the Richmond Metroplex.

I can tell when I get too stressed out. I get very edgy and snap at people for no or little reason. Little things piss me off and I do not like that. I am a high energy person to begin with, so being on the high side of that level is almost too much to deal with. With so much uncertainty in our lives, minor things tend to be as they say the straw that broke the camels back.

I think that when we focus or obsess on small issues that it tends to make them bigger than they actually are. I know that my wife often tells me to no obsess about an issue and it will not be that big. I understand what she is saying, but it is sometimes hard to do that.

At my job, we are contractors, actually we are sub-contractors. We have had 4 positions open up in the Automation department and we did interviews. I worried about them for a few weeks before they happened. I was able to land a job; the benefits are great and the total package would be much better than what I currently have. SO I had the interview over a week ago and now I am worrying about who is going to get the positions...

I hope that the stress level will subside next week when we find out who get the positions. So it would seam that life has many actions for me to stress over. It just depends which one I have to concentrate on at that moment. Tell me how do you deal with stress…
What is your opinion?

Wednesday, June 13, 2007

Ubuntu Linux...



I have been test out this install of Linux for the last few days. It is called Ubuntu. So far, i am really impressed with this as i have messed with SUSE linux before, but did not like it. I run an all Windows network and as such have had no need to test this before. I just thought that it would be neat to try.

The first thing that impressed me was how easy it was to install!! It took only 15 minutes to do a complete install and if there were other applications that you want, just do an update and you will get them. The second thing that impressed me was the ability of Ubuntu to open up my widows network! It found both groups, the MS Home and Work Group. Secondly, it was able to open up the shared drives that i have on my network with no problem and to also xfer files from them to the Linux computer. We have a shared printer on our network. All the computers in the house can access it. So, i decided to try to add a printer to the Ubuntu box and it found the printer and installed it. I tried a test page and it worked like a charm. I guess that is why Dell is selling Laptops with Ubuntu installed on them.

The computer that i installed it on is an older computer with a 1ghz Celeron processor and 512mb ram. It has a 20gig and a 60gig set of Hard Drives in it as well. I will keep messing with this over the following months and let everyone know what i think. It is different as you have to use command line stuff alot, but also it has a wide array of software applications that are prepackaged as well. There are several different installs that you can do with it. I did the Desk Top Edition. I also found a Multimedia Package called Ubuntu Studio. I might upgrade this install, I just don't know. I will let everyone know if i do this as the desktop looks very nice.





Well all, that is it for now on my adventures in Linux land. Have a good evening...







This is a great place to go and ask questions about Ubuntu. It is galled the Ubuntu Search Engine.




What is your opinion?

Tuesday, June 12, 2007

US States Renamed For Countries With Similar GDPs



I thought that was very interesting for everyone to read and look at.

Gross Domestic Product (GDP) is a convenient way of measuring and comparing the size of national economies. Annual GDP represents the market value of all goods and services produced within a country in a year.

Put differently:
GDP = consumption + investment + government spending + (exports – imports)
Although the economies of countries like China and India are growing at an incredible rate, the US remains the nation with the highest GDP in the world – and by far: US GDP is projected to be $13,22 trillion (or $13.220 billion) in 2007, according to this source. That’s almost as much as the economies of the next four (Japan, Germany, China, UK) combined.

The creator of this map has had the interesting idea to break down that gigantic US GDP into the GDPs of individual states, and compare those to other countries’ GDP. What follows, is this slightly misleading map – misleading, because the economies both of the US states and of the countries they are compared with are not weighted for their respective populations.
Pakistan, for example, has a GDP that’s slightly higher than Israel’s – but Pakistan has a population of about 170 million, while Israel is only 7 million people strong. The US states those economies are compared with (Arkansas and Oregon, respectively) are much closer to each other in population: 2,7 million and 3,4 million.

And yet, wile a per capita GDP might give a good indication of the average wealth of citizens, a ranking of the economies on this map does serve two interesting purposes: it shows the size of US states’ economies relative to each other (California is the biggest, Wyoming the smallest), and it links those sizes with foreign economies (which are therefore also ranked: Mexico’s and Russia’s economies are about equal size, Ireland’s is twice as big as New Zealand’s). Here’s a run-down of the 50 states, plus DC:

1.California, it is often said, would be the world’s sixth- or seventh-largest economy if it was a separate country. Actually, that would be the eighth, according to this map, as France (with a GDP of $2,15 trillion) is #8 on the aforementioned list.
2.Texas’ economy is significantly smaller, exactly half of California’s, as its GDP compares to that of Canada (#10, $1,08 trillion).
3.Florida also does well, with its GDP comparable to Asian tiger South Korea’s (#13 at $786 billion).
4.Illinois – Mexico (GDP #14 at $741 billion)
5.New Jersey – Russia (GDP #15 at $733 billion)
6.Ohio – Australia (GDP #16 at $645 billion)
7.New York – Brazil (GDP #17 at $621 billion)
8.Pennsylvania – Netherlands (GDP #18 at $613 billion)
9.Georgia – Switzerland (GDP #19 at $387 billion)
10.North Carolina – Sweden (GDP #20 at $371 billion)
11.Massachusetts – Belgium (GDP #21 at $368 billion)
12.Washington – Turkey (GDP #22 at $358 billion)
13.Virginia – Austria (GDP #24 at $309 billion)
14.Tennessee – Saudi Arabia (GDP #25 at $286 billion)
15.Missouri – Poland (GDP #26 at $265 billion)
16.Louisiana – Indonesia (GDP #27 at $264 billion)
17.Minnesota – Norway (GDP #28 at $262 billion)
18.Indiana – Denmark (GDP #29 at $256 billion)
19.Connecticut – Greece (GDP #30 at $222 billion)
20.Michigan – Argentina (GDP #31 at $210 billion)
21.Nevada – Ireland (GDP #32 at $203 billion)
22.Wisconsin – South Africa (GDP #33 at $200 billion)
23Arizona – Thailand (GDP #34 at $197 billion)
24.Colorado – Finland (GDP #35 at $196 billion)
25.Alabama – Iran (GDP #36 at $195 billion)
26.Maryland – Hong Kong (#37 at $187 billion GDP)
27.Kentucky – Portugal (GDP #38 at $177 billion)
28.Iowa – Venezuela (GDP #39 at $148 billion)
29.Kansas – Malaysia (GDP #40 at $132 billion)
30.Arkansas – Pakistan (GDP #41 at $124 billion)
31.Oregon – Israel (GDP #42 at $122 billion)
32.South Carolina – Singapore (GDP #43 at $121 billion)
33.Nebraska – Czech Republic (GDP #44 at $119 billion)
34.New Mexico – Hungary (GDP #45 at $113 billion)
35.Mississippi – Chile (GDP #48 at $100 billion)
36.DC – New Zealand (#49 at $99 billion GDP)
37.Oklahoma – Philippines (GDP #50 at $98 billion)
38.West Virginia – Algeria (GDP #51 at $92 billion)
39.Hawaii – Nigeria (GDP #53 at $83 billion)
40.Idaho – Ukraine (GDP #54 at $81 billion)
41.Delaware – Romania (#55 at $79 billion GDP)
42.Utah – Peru (GDP #56 at $76 billion)
43.New Hampshire – Bangladesh (GDP #57 at $69 billion)
44.Maine – Morocco (GDP #59 at $57 billion)
45.Rhode Island – Vietnam (GDP #61 at $48 billion)
46.South Dakota – Croatia (GDP #66 at $37 billion)
47.Montana – Tunisia (GDP #69 at $33 billion)
48.North Dakota – Ecuador (GDP #70 at $32 billion)
49.Alaska – Belarus (GDP #73 at $29 billion)
50.Vermont – Dominican Republic (GDP #81 at $20 billion)
51.Wyoming – Uzbekistan (GDP #101 at $11 billion)

This map was suggested by Morgan via strangemaps@gmail.com, and can be found here. Please note that the GDP data used for this comparison are not necessarily the same as those used in compiling the original map.

What is your opinion?

To Kill An American....

Thanks to LCDC Mike Sieverson for sending this to me.
I wanted to send this to my Blog for all to read...

Written by an Australian Dentist....and too good to
delete....


You probably missed this in the rush of news, but
there was actually a report that someone in Pakistan
had published in a newspaper, an offer of a reward to
anyone who killed an American, any American.
So an Australian dentist wrote an editorial the
following day to let everyone know what an American is.
So they would know when they found one. (Good one,
mate!!!!)


"An American is English, or French, or Italian, Irish,
German, Spanish, Polish, Russian or Greek. An American
may also be Canadian, Mexican, African, Indian,
Chinese, Japanese, Korean, Australian, Iranian, Asian,
or Arab, or Pakistani or Afghan.


An American may also be a Comanche, Choctaw, Cherokee,
Osage, Bl ackfoot, Navaho, Apache, Seminole or one of
the many other tribes known as native Americans.


An American is Christian, or he could be Jewish, or
Buddhist, or Muslim. In fact, there are more Muslims
in America than in Afghanistan . The only difference
is that in America they are free to worship as each of
them chooses.


An American is also free to believe in no religion.
For that he will answer only to God, not to the
government, or to armed thugs claiming to speak for
the government and for God.


An American lives in the most prosperous land in the
history of the world.


The root of that prosperity can be found in the
Declaration of Independence , which recognizes the God
given right of each person to the pursuit of
happiness.


An American is generous. Americans have helped out
just about every other nation in the world in their
time of need, never asking a thing in return .


When Afghanistan was over-run by the Soviet army 20
years ago, Americans came with arms and supplies to
enable the people to win back their country!


As of the morning of September 11, Americans had given
more than any other nation to the poor in Afghanistan
.   Americans welcome the best of everything...the
best products, the best books, the best music, the
best food, the best services. But they also welcome
the least.


The national symbol of America , The Statue of Liberty
, welcomes your tired and your poor, the wretched
refuse of your teeming shores, the homeless, tempest
tossed. These in fact are the people who built America
.


Some of them were working in the Twin Towers the
morning of September 11, 2001 earning a better life
for their families. It's been told that the World
Trade Center victims were from at least 30 different
countries, cultures, and first languages, including
those that aided and abetted the terrorists.
So you can try to kill an American if you must. Hitler
did. So did General Tojo, and Stalin, and
Mao Tse-Tung, and other blood-thirsty tyrants in the
world. But, in doing so you would just be killing
yourself.  Because Americans are not a particular
people from a particular place. They are the
embodiment of the human spirit of freedom. Everyone
who holds to that spirit, everywhere, is an American.

 


My Gary Fisher Wahoo Bike...

So after having my Wahoo for over 6 months, I really like it. It is not for the casual rider. The bike geometry is very different from the Schwinn bike I used to ride. If a person purchases a Gary Fisher bike, they really have to want to ride. The bike has a very sharp front end and as I like to say, it is in attack mode or attack stance. The front tire and fork is very sharp compared to other bikes. The forks are adjustable and I like to keep them very loose to absorb impacts better.

The gear changers are very responsive and tight. With just a little motion, the gears will change. The seat I bought (Bontranger) in conjunction with a good pair of padded shorts helps keep my butt from getting too sore on extended rides. I changed the pedals to a pair of Crank Brothers 5050 this weekend and I really love them. The Lizard Skin I bought really helped make the ride very quiet because it padded the chain from hitting the frame. There are a few more things I would like to get for my bike, but that will happen in time.


So all in all, I would say that I am very happy with my bike and that I am glad that I bought a Gary Fisher bike. I did try several other kinds of bikes; Trek and Specialized were the other two bikes I tried. They just did not feel as good to me as the Gary Fisher did.



What is your opinion?

Moutain Biking and Health Benefits...

Last year about November I went to the doctor for a physical. He did all the blood work and all that stuff. My results came back good. My blood pressure is about 127/80 and my Triglycerides are about 189 which are in the good range. He said that I needed to loose some weight. At that time, I was about 185-190 and I am 5'8'' He suggested that I ride my bike more and that it would help. I said ok. I was going to try to anyway as I like to do it.

A few weeks ago, I realized that my pants were fitting very loose. They are a 34 waste. So after noticing that, I got on the scales after I took a shower and was amazed. I weighed 172!! I got on them on Sunday night and I was 169. I am on the first belt hole and all my 34 stuff fits me very loose. So with out even trying to loose weight, I have done it. I do not diet!! I eat what I want to and also at work I walk an incredible amount because of the size of the Fab that I work in. I walk an average of 10,000 steps a shift! So you see the reason that I do not diet. I am a very finicky eater! I only like cretin things.

I would like to ride about 12-15 miles a week, but my work schedule is very demanding at this time so that is not possible. I did however ride over this weekend a total of 16 miles! Riding on a trail is not like riding on the road or surface streets. Trail riding is much more demanding because of the terrain. I am very proud of what I have accomplished with my mountain bike ridding. It is great fun and I reap some good benefits from it! Don't get me wrong, I do get sore in my legs and my lower back from riding, and I have had a few wrecks, but it is all worth it.

What is your opinion?

Monday, June 11, 2007

Patent Bending Ding-a-ling!

This sounds like BIG BUSINESS to me...

The ITC blows up the cell-phone market.

Paging U.S. Trade Representative Susan Schwab: Please call us on your cell phone. And better do it fast because cell phones may soon be harder to come by thanks to one of the dumber rulings ever by the U.S. International Trade Commission.

By a 4-2 vote on Thursday, the ITC decided to ban the import of any new cell phone model produced with certain microchips made by Qualcomm. ITC Chairman David Pearson dissented on grounds that the ban was antithetical to the public good, which is certainly true. But the import ban is effective immediately, and this means that President Bush, through Ms. Schwab, has just 60 days to set the ruling aside before it becomes permanent. There's an overwhelming case for doing so.

The ITC's power to ban foreign-made, patent-infringing products goes back to the infamous Smoot-Hawley Tariff of 1930--which ought to be a hint that this is a bad idea. The fear was that American intellectual property would be stolen by foreign firms, which would use U.S. patents to produce goods overseas without paying royalties and then ship those products to the U.S. The law was never intended to substitute for domestic patent-infringement suits in federal courts between two American companies, which is the story here.

The patent holder in this instance is California-based Broadcom, which has sued Qualcomm for infringement. Broadcom owns several patents relevant to the production of certain cell phones sold by Sprint, Verizon, Alltel, as well as T-Mobile and AT&T. In other words, pretty much every large cell phone operator in the country sells at least some phones that contain the allegedly infringing chips.

The ITC tried to soften the blow of its ruling by grandfathering existing models and applying the ban only to future models. This was presumably a nod to the extraordinary breadth of the ban: Nobody, including Broadcom, actually makes competing chips in the U.S., so an import ban is tantamount to a total ban. However, anyone who's shopped recently for a cell phone knows that the future arrives fast in that industry, with new models coming all the time.

The ITC ban is in effect a bar to innovation by these U.S. companies--a fact recognized both by Chairman Pearson in his dissent, and by the administrative law judge who originally heard the case and refused to issue a broad ban in October 2006. Moreover, Broadcom is already suing Qualcomm in federal court over these very same patents. There is thus no need for the ITC to muscle in, except to expand its own bureaucratic turf in the patent field. The ITC's separate process was created only as a way to deal with patent infringers who were beyond the reach of U.S. courts.

This case is part of a larger legal patent quagmire that now has Congress entering with its own reform proposals. Uh, oh. So far, the proposals are a jumble of good and bad ideas, and that's before the boys on Capitol Hill start mulching in earnest. Everyone from Big Pharma to federal judges and small inventors is up in arms about something in the House and Senate twin bills. The only people not howling seem to be the lawyers, who no doubt assume that any big reform will require years of litigation and millions of billable hours before anyone is sure what in the name of invention it really means.

Our own sense is that the patent system needs two things above all: better patents and less litigation, and the two are related. The U.S. Patent Office needs to raise its standard of patent quality, so that patent-holders and potential licensees both know that any patent is likely to be valid and upheld by the courts. Better patents also mean less costly litigation, because a patent that is both of high quality and clear purpose is much less likely to go to trial than one that is dubious, or too broad, or of uncertain application.

Better patents depend most of all on a Patent Office that gives its examiners the right incentives--which means rewarding them for issuing quality patents rather than disposing of patent cases. The courts can help too, and recently they have been. Last month's Supreme Court decision in KSR v. Teleflex put down a marker on the "obviousness" of inventions that ought to be relevant to patent examiners who are considering whether to grant an application.

If Congress really wants to help, it could start by refusing to let companies like Broadcom use the ITC as a legal backstop at the same time they're suing in federal court. In the meantime, let's hope Ms. Schwab uses her power to overrule the ITC in this case and save American cell phone companies and consumers from needless harm.


What is your opinion?

What is Net Neutrality?

I just made my voice heard on the net neutrality issue. IF you value the Internet, you should also.

"Net neutrality" is an issue that will shape the future of the Internet.

Save The Internet.

NetCompetition.org

Network neutrality is the principle that Internet users should be in control of what content they view and what applications they use on the Internet. The Internet has operated according to this neutrality principle since its earliest days. Indeed, it is this neutrality that has allowed many companies, including Google, to launch, grow, and innovate. Fundamentally, net neutrality is about equal access to the Internet. In our view, the broadband carriers should not be permitted to use their market power to discriminate against competing applications or content. Just as telephone companies are not permitted to tell consumers who they can call or what they can say, broadband carriers should not be allowed to use their market power to control activity online. Today, the neutrality of the Internet is at stake as the broadband carriers want Congress's permission to determine what content gets to you first and fastest. Put simply, this would fundamentally alter the openness of the Internet.

What is the Current Status of Net Neutrality?

Net neutrality is a major issue as the U.S. considers new telecommunications laws. The U.S. House of Representatives passed its telecommunications bill, H.R. 5252, in May, without adequate net neutrality protections. Now the fight has moved to U.S. Senate. On June 28, the Senate Commerce Committee passed its own telecom bill, S. 2686. While an amendment to the bill that would have added meaningful net neutrality safeguards failed 11-11, this tie vote marks a significant political victory and gives the effort new momentum. The debate now shifts to the full Senate, where advocates will be working to get strong net neutrality language is any bill that the Senate considers.

What is your opinion?

Sunday, June 10, 2007

This weekend...

Well, yesterday i took my Wife riding and we did 3.5 miles. It was on the streets. Afterwards, Mark and I went riding in one of the new housing editions and we made some jumps out of boards and stuff. It was fun and i caught some great air!!


This morning, Mark, Mike and i went to Pocahontas and we did the Blue, Double Red, and the Red trails. All in all, today we rode over 9 miles and all total for the weekend it was about 17 miles total for 2days. We went to the Comic Book show today and i got some of the Micronaut back issue that i have been looking for and they cost $1 an issue. Not a bad price!!




Back to work tomorrow...


What is your opinion?

Saturday, June 09, 2007

Thunder Storm Last Night...

I was able to get a few lightning photos last night. i have never tried this. So, give me a few comments...

Virginia 5.22.2007 043

Virginia 5.22.2007 033

Virginia 5.22.2007 018



Virginia 5.22.2007 012

What is your opinion?

Friday, June 08, 2007

I TB Drive...

Remember when a 2 GIG drive was BIG?

Read This!!!

Struggling for to store all those photos, videos and music files? Philips might have the solution, with the launch of the SPD5130 external hard drive, packing in one terabyte of storage.
The new drive features an ultra-fast eSATA interface that is six times quicker than USB 2.0 and a small footprint, due to it beings a single-disk unit, as opposed to the double-drive devices usually seen with this capacity. There's also a 32MB buffer for reliable transfer, an extra thick shell for quietness and a suspension system that protects from knocks.

One terabyte, if you're not sure, should store around one million photos, 250,000 songs or six weeks of uncompressed video. It will be available to buy in Europe and the US in May, priced at the equivalent of 449 Euros.

What is your opinion?

Thursday, June 07, 2007

Interview Today...

Well it happened!! What a load off my chest! I had my interview today with the Tech Sup of 300mm Automation. The other person in the interview was the 200mm Tech Sup. I got some interesting questions asked of me.

All in all i think that it went very well. I only got 4.5 hrs of sleep today, so this weekend i am off and i will get some much needed rest! I feel much better because the interview is over...

We hope to hear something back in about 1 week.


What is your opinion?

WWWOOORRRKKK!!!

For the last few weeks, i have been working like 70+ hours a week. Can you say BURNOUT?? I am very tired and i want to go and see my wife and daughter. I have been able to see my wife about 5-7 hrs during the week over the last few, SO IT SUCKS!! I get to see my daughter in the afternoon when i get up and she is in from school. I am tired and i want to go home...



What is your opinion?

Wednesday, June 06, 2007

Mr. T...



Nuff Said!!!



What is your opinion?

Dumbass of This week...6.6.2007


Talk about your Body Mods...

If this is real, that person needs their head examined and placed in a mental institution. No one in their RIGHT MIND would really do that!!



What is your opinion?

Tuesday, June 05, 2007

Men's Restrooms...


Where I work, there are about 2000 people all together working the 4 different shifts. There are Men and Women's Restroom facilities all over the buildings.

Having said that, two things come to mind. One is how come at any given time that I want to go and use the head it is being cleaned? There are about 3 restrooms that I will use because they are not very high-traffic and stay fairly clean, or as clean as they can be with so many people.

There are about 5-8 cleaning personnel that work at night and do janitorial duties from cleaning the floor to emptying out trash cans. About 2 of them clean the bathrooms. Now given that so many people use them, they can get very dirty! It makes me wonder what some of these people's bathrooms at home look like. Look at the pic and you can see that the urinal is a very big opening. HOW CAN YOU MISS?? It is like a 2 foot circumference!! With piss all over the floor it is disgusting!! They had to totally rebuild one of the bathrooms here. It was shut down for over a month. You would walk into it and smell mildew and mold. YUCK!!

I wonder how the female bathrooms get around here? I know that they do not have urinals and problem have twice as many commodes. I am sure that they are very nice and pretty and smell good compared to ours. There is nothing worse than coming in to use the restroom and have the smell of stale urine hit you when you use the urinal!! Pee smells bad enough, but stale pee, I mean, come on.

Now, back to your regular scheduled biobreak...

What is your opinion?

Work Stuf...

Well, i interview for the 300mm AMHS position at Qimonda on Thursday at 4.30pm!! I am very excited at the prospect of getting a job here...

Keep me in your prayers...


What is your opinion?

Monday, June 04, 2007

Moving Night Shot.


Moving Night Shot., originally uploaded by RMStringer.

I was trying to get a shot of the US Air force memorial from across the river. I was standing at the Ben Franklin Memorial and it was too far to shoot free hand. I tried anyway and moved the cam while the shot was taking. This is what happened.

Our Personal Website

Today, i got our website back up and running. The URL = www.thermstringers.com


What is your opinion?

Sunday, June 03, 2007

My New Blog...

This one will always be my Main Blog to post on. I liked the name so much"Random Falling Trees" that i decided to make a blog about it!! I will post pics of fallen trees around the area i live and work. It will be a funny, strange new blog. It will be mainily a photography blog. So, give me some time and i will get some pics up on it soon!!

What is your opinion?

Random Falling Trees...


Folks over the last 7 years I have lived and traveled all over the USA. I have been to Yellowstone several times. I have been to Devils Tower and to Mt. Rushmore. I have skied in Colorado, New Mexico, and Massachusetts, but no where have I ever lived where we have random falling trees!

We go to several parks and ride our bikes along the trails and paths. You can see that people have used trees to make obstacles to ride over and they are fun. But to go riding on a regular basis and see that trees have fallen since the last time perhaps due to wind, poor soil condition, disease, or root structure is just amazing to me.

I know that some of this is natural and it will happen where ever you live and that it is a part of the natural process. I drive down Genito Road on my way home and it is very wooded. I see new fallen trees at least every 2-3 weeks in the wooded sides of the road. We road in Powhite Park several times in the last month and there were new fallen trees on some of the trails and others that were about to fall. Way is this?? If you drive down Charter Colony Parkway and look in the woods, you will see lots of fallen random trees that I have been told were from a hurricane Isabella that occurred several years ago. It looked like some one just at random took and pulled up the trees for no real reason.

Why would one tree withstand the force and one next to it succumb to it? I mean the base of the tree about 6 feet apart. And further more, it seams like the residents do not mind that they just lay there and rot on the ground. Trees are responsible for more power outages than one would imagine. Take a good storm that comes thru a wooded area and the power lines are not cut back; there you go, a limb has just takes out a power line. Why in fact in Texas where my mother used to live, a tree fell on her car and crushed it and on a separate occasion, a big limb fell out of another tree and tore down the power lines to her house. This in turn caused the house to catch on fire and burn to the ground. That sucked!!

So in guess what in am trying to say is watch out for Random Falling Trees...
What is your opinion?

Saturday, June 02, 2007

In The Dumbass File Today...Height restriction signs aren’t just a suggestion

Trucker sheers off roof driving too-big-rig length of Lincoln Tunnel

A damaged truck rests in a lane outside New York's Lincoln Tunnel on Thursday after a driver, whose rig was 6 inches too tall for the tunnel, drove its entire 1.5-mile length, peeling the trailer's roof and ripping off decorative ceiling tiles.

NEW YORK - A truck driver whose rig was 6 inches too tall for the Lincoln Tunnel drove its entire 1.5-mile length, peeling the trailer’s roof completely and ripping off decorative ceiling tiles.Flashing signs and officers using a loudspeaker had warned the driver, and it was unclear why he didn’t heed them, according to the Port Authority of New York and New Jersey, which operates the tunnel.

“He misjudged the height of the tunnel, and once he was inside it he didn’t realize the damage he was doing,” said Roy Guzman, the safety director of the trucker’s employer, U.S.A. Logistics Carriers of McAllen, Texas.

The driver, from Texas, was charged with nine misdemeanor moving violations.The central tube of three in the tunnel heading into Manhattan was closed for about 90 minutes after the accident early Thursday, but reopened just before the morning rush hour.

On the rare occasions when other trucks have scraped the tunnel’s ceiling, the drivers have stopped, Port Authority spokesman Steve Coleman said. Police then let air out of the trucks’ tires, so the rigs can be backed out.

I am going to make this a new post every week.

What is your opinion?

Red Fridays...

Red Friday's
 
 Soon, you will see a great many people wearing RED every Friday. The reason? Americans who support our troops used to be called the "silent majority". We are no longer silent, and are voicing our love for God, country and home in record breaking numbers. We are not organized, boisterous or overbearing.

Many Americans, like you, me and all our friends, simply want to recognize that the vast majority of America supports our troops. Our idea of showing solidarity and support for our troops with dignity and respect starts this Friday - and continues each and every Friday until the troops come home, sending a deafening message that ... every red-blooded American who supports our men and women afar, will wear something red.

By word of mouth, press, TV - let's make the United States on every Friday a sea of red, much like a homecoming football game in the bleachers. If every one of us who loves this country will share this with acquaintances, co-workers, friends and family, it will not be long before the USA is covered in RED and it will let our troops know that once "silent" majority is on their side more than ever, certainly more than the media lets on.

The first thing a soldier says when asked "What can we do to make things better for you?" is, "We need your support and your prayers." Let's get the word out and lead with class and dignity, by example, and wear something red every Friday.

Check out the Casa D' Ice RED FRIDAY Gear on our web site. Proceeds from all RED GEAR will be donated to (a Veteran Group soon to be named after the legalities are worked out and signed).

 
Thanks to LCDC Mike Sieverson for forwarding this to me.
--
RMSTringer
+++++++++++++++

Friday, June 01, 2007

A Post About Posting...

I know that people read my blog all over. I just wonder why it is that no one ever wants to leave comments. I welocme you feedback and replies. I want you to post and let me know what you think and if I am doing a good job or not.

So PLEASE people, leave me a little comment to let me know how i am doing.

Thankx,
RMStringer
***************
Owner, Operator, Bob's Thoughts

What is your opinion?

An Intimate Celestial Bond

If you want to Purchase any of my music(s), Please go to https://djrenigade.bandcamp.com/ 1st Track For The New Year! #DownTempo #RenigadeCi...