Party of One

Andy touched a topic today (don't really know when he wrote it, but it posted today) that touched a bit on something I've been applying a small amount of brain power to: the two sides of political battles of late.

In recent times, and probably since the beginning of time, the leftist folks have always hated those conservative, selfish bastards. I was once one of those leftist folks for a few days, and then I realized that I didn't ever like being in a category, just "one of those" as I was in the U.S. Army. I wrote sometime last year about labels and how I don't really like them, but I fit in with more liberals than I do conservatives. I like mostly the "world view" they have, though some liberals are downright hippies who would rather have an anarchy and not bathe.

But I don't think that was what I wanted to write about tonight. There was something I wanted to point out in the midst of all the Republicans saying "...it's those fucking Democrats who want to open the gates and let all the poor aliens in to eat all our food and take our jobs" and the Democrats saying "...those damn Republicans just hate all the Mexicans."

It's this (actually, it's questions):

• Which party is it that wishes for everyone in the world to be healthy and happy?


• Which one is going to get global conservation right so I don't have to invent a bubble for Anika to live in?


• Is there a party whose leaders don't lie, cheat, or steal?


• Which one accepts humans as they are?

Don't get me wrong - I'm all for the United States and its conservation, but do we have to ignore the political and social health of every other country while we do it? I believe that's why <insert name of popular terrorist organization> hates us. Well, that and we're mostly Christians.

So here we are, blasting each other with words and slashed tires. Republicans think Democrats are just a bunch of gay hippies, and Democrats think Republicans are Chevy-driving gun-toters. Or something like that. I believe President Bush, deep down, wants all conflict resolved. I think he'd really be okay if there were no wars and everyone was healthy, he could solve starvation and the spread of disease in Africa, and the world was perfect. I am willing to accept that G.W. would be fine with that, if that were all we had to worry about.

I believe this right/left bashing has to do with other issues that the two parties (in general) don't agree on. These days it's religion, the definition of life, and the definition of marriage, to sum it up. There's also the war and our involvement about the globe, but two guys wanting to get hitched gets better ratings.

This post is long enough, and I really forgot where I was going with it, so I may try to sum it up here:

The United States of America grants freedom to its citizens, and I interpret that freedom to be the liberty to choose and do whatever I want to, so long as it does not take away from someone else (okay, that leaves some gray lines, but fewer of them.) I won't really associate myself with a party because no individual fits every idea of his/her association. I am Ben: The Party of One.

Update: I just can't let this one go for some reason, but I don't want to keep babbling:

Republicans/Conservatives have their general characteristics, including, but not limited to: conserving the "American way," firearm support, support of the death penalty, opposition of abortions and homosexual marriage.

Democrats/Liberals have their general characteristics, as well, including, but not limited to: saving animals, conserving Earth, banishment of firearms and the death penalty, support of a woman's choice to abort, and the union of whomever.

The right-wing folks fight for my right to carry a firearm, but also to keep drugs out of my hand. In my opinion, that's conflicted freedom. I personally don't like guns, so I'll go witht the Liberals on that one, including the drugs. I've never even tried marijuana (hell, I can barely spell it), but I'd like to think I could if I wanted to grow it, roll it, and smoke it without the police busting down my door, marching past the arsenal of firearms, confescating my weed and throwing me in jail.

This is too complicated. Free but not free? Protected from self?

Daughter: Defined

I had a great time this morning with the all-inclusive responsibility of getting my daughter up and going with me. I have never done this before, but I must say I did a fair job with her hair:



She ate bread, as you may see. Let me assure you that this is a regular thing. We could have just as easily had oatmeal or grits, but this morning time was of the essence and bread was handy. She ate 85% of it on the way to Tifton. With milk.

I can't say enough about how she's so much more fun every day. Her vocabulary is growing and she loves to read (which reminds me that we need more books; Hand Hand Fingers Thumb is getting very ratty). As she becomes more active and responsive, she is beginning to tell us what she likes and doesn't (and the doesn't category certainly gets more drama applied to it) and bringing a more accurate definition of who she is. She used to be just "Anika, our daughter." Now the definition has changed, and it's "Anika, our daughter who gets in and out of bed by herself, doesn't like sour cream, loves to laugh for the fun of laughing, stomps in rain puddles, and fancies popcorn with mommy and daddy."

How to Add Hexadecimal

(Also titled as "I'm bored today.")

The MAC addresses on the LAN and WAN side of most home routers are exactly one increment apart. All we have to do is add one (1) to the value of the LAN MAC printed on the bottom of the router. Sometimes, though, we have trouble doing that addition in our head because the LAN MAC might end in F, the highest hex digit, meaning more than one digit in the number will change, kind of like 899 will roll over to 900 when adding one. So, there's an easy way to do this:

Start your calculator (using Windows XP in this example).



Switch to Scientific mode:





Change the base to "Hex."



Enter the hexadecimal value



Since the number 1 is the same in hex as it is in decimal, we don't have to do any conversions to increment this value by one. Just add one (1) by clicking the "+" and the "1" and the "=." Your new value will be displayed.



Cross-posted at techpickle.org.

How do you Spell That?

Anika is nearing the 18-month milestone and it gets more interesting every day. I put our daughter to bed and was helping Beth with her mathematics. I was on one knee at her desk, drawing a heptagon, when I saw Anika casually walk out of her room and smile at me.

"Shouldn't you be in the bed?"

"Yeah."

"Well why aren't you in it?"

"Ishy-ishh-lilll-lillsh-la-dat."

"Oh. Okay. Now go to bed. I love you. Night-night."

I walked her into her room and she put her bears to sleep before laying down herself. She's such a lovely little girl.

She was up five minutes later.

"Hi," she said.

"Hi," I responded, "Aren't you supposed to be in bed?"

"Yeah..."

And so goes the almost nightly ritual. Hope you're enjoying this as much as I am.

Big Brother in Mountain View

I read an article at techdirt about Amazon.com getting in trouble over a magazine it had available related to cockfighting. Amazon.com says it's not liable because it's actually sold through a third party, and it's in their agreement that it is the responsibility of the actual seller to offer legitimate goods (or something like that). Anyway, in the comments were several other definitions of cockfighting that I don't need to mention, along with other complaints about Amazon.com and how they sell kiddie porn in Japan.

Someone provided a link to an example of this (which, of course, was in Japanese) and I, being curious about this claim and also in complete confidence that I would not see what this comment had implied, I followed the link to a book at amazon.co.jp.

Obviously, the person wasn't fluent in Japanese, and, to be a bit cliche, "judged a book by its cover." He didn't bother reading into it to see what it was all about. I think his comment about this 'book of kiddie porn' had something to do with "forcing her to take her clothes off."

Thanks to Google, I can read Japanese (BETA). Nothing on that translated page had anything to do with sex or violence. The front cover was admittedly a bit suggestive, but from what I gathered it was a book of pictures of a 12-year-old during summer. If you want to read the translated page (I swear it's not even legitimate pornography), click here.

Boy, that was long. All I really wanted to say is that since I've been to Google and translated one page to Japanese, it's throwing Japanese sources into my news column in the Google sidebar. Isn't that just creepy?

News Supported by Ads, or Ads Drawn to with News?

I read stories on Forbes every once in awhile, and every time I do I get frustrated with just how much of the page is dedicated to the actual report or story. See for yourself:

Troubleshooting Home Networks

We all know about wireless networks, and that most of us
should have our own router if we want to use more than one computer on the same
Internet connection. What a lot of
people don’t understand, though, is that being “connected” to a wireless
network doesn’t always mean that we’re connected to the Internet.style='mso-spacerun:yes'> For example:

 

Tech Support:style='mso-spacerun:yes'> “Thank you for calling technical assistance,
how may I help you?”

Customer:style='mso-spacerun:yes'> “The Internet is broken.”

Tech Support:style='mso-spacerun:yes'> “How are you connecting to the Internet?”

Customer:style='mso-spacerun:yes'> “I have a wireless thingy in my closet.style='mso-spacerun:yes'> My computer says I’m connected and the signal
strength is ‘Excellent,’ but it still says ‘Page cannot be displayed.’”

 

This can happen for a number of reasons.style='mso-spacerun:yes'> Let me try to help you understand what the
problem usually is. We’ll start with a
basic overview of how home networks are usually set up.

 

If you have high-speed Internet access, your connection to
the Internet at home is likely through a cable or DSL modem.style='mso-spacerun:yes'> The modem is the device connected directly to
the TV cable (cable modem) or telephone line (DSL modem) and does the needed
modulation/demodulation for communication over your Internet Service Provider’s
(ISP’s) network (don’t get discouraged at this point – I know those were some
foreign words.) Techies like to refer to
this as the wide-area network, or WAN.
Your connection has an IP address, that is, an assigned set of numbers
used by the Internet to route traffic to your house.style='mso-spacerun:yes'> Much like a phone number, but obviously a bit
different. I won’t go into the details
here, but I will say that your ISP usually assigns one IP address per customer,
and it always is given to the device connected directly to that modem.style='mso-spacerun:yes'> Also, this IP address is what we call your
“public” address.

 

Those of you who use more than one computer at home
simultaneously probably have some sort of router.style='mso-spacerun:yes'> We will assume that you’re hip and have a
wireless router, and probably a laptop with which you roam about your home.style='mso-spacerun:yes'> Your wireless router is connected directly to
your modem, which has been granted that single IP address from your ISP.style='mso-spacerun:yes'> Now routers have lots of places to plug in
cables, but we’re only going to look at two of them.style='mso-spacerun:yes'> On the back of the average wireless router,
there are five RJ-45 connections (these look like wide telephone jacks).style='mso-spacerun:yes'> Four are right next to each other, and one is
separated from the pack.

 

That lonely RJ-45 connection is usually
labeled “Internet,” “WAN,” or both.
It is the WAN (remember, wide-area network = Internet Service Provider’s
network) interface, and should have a network cable (usually included with the
modem and with the router) connected from that port to the modem.style='mso-spacerun:yes'> This is the extent of your connection
directly to the Internet. Everything
after this concerns your internal home network, or local-area network (LAN).

 

The other four ports (the RJ-45 connections) are referred to
as the LAN. It doesn’t matter which port
you connect your computer to; they’re all the same.style='mso-spacerun:yes'> Just pick one.style='mso-spacerun:yes'> You’ll need another one of those network
cables to connect your computer to the LAN.
If everything is on and working properly (and you’re all paid up with
your Internet provider), you should be able to access the Internet.

 

Okay, here we go…

 

This home router can do some pretty cool stuff if you really
think about it. It creates a whole other
network, just for you, and it allows everyone connected to it to use that one
single Internet connection. It grants
each computer an internal, or private, IP address so that it can manage each
connection separately. After granting
the IP addresses, it uses something called network address translation (NAT) to
properly route communications to and from the Internet for each user.style='mso-spacerun:yes'> For all your computer knows, it’s connected.style='mso-spacerun:yes'> It is not connected directly to the Internet,
but it is connected to your home network, or the LAN.

 

This picture I’m painting concerns a “hard-wired” connection
(remember the cable from the computer to the router?), but the same goes for a
wireless connection. The status could
show “connected” and the signal level could be “Excellent,” but that’s only
your connection to your router, not the
Internet. You could think of your
router as a “gateway” to the Internet through which all traffic must pass. I’ve
gone through all of this to say that if
your router can’t access the Internet, no one in your house can, either.

 

There are a couple of reasons this could happen:

 

Reason #1: style='mso-bidi-font-weight:normal'>Your
modem is offline. Large networks,
especially cable and DSL networks, are exposed to many
elements and are fairly fragile. They
are susceptible to radio interference, heat and cold, lines being cut by
construction workers, lawn mowers, bad landlords, and the occasional car
knocking down a telephone pole.
Maintenance on the cabling that runs through your neighborhood can also
affect your service.

 

You can tell that your modem is online just by looking at
it. Cable and DSL modems always have a
series of indicator lights used for showing its own status.style='mso-spacerun:yes'> One light that is pretty standard is the one
labeled “Power.” If this light is not
lit, check the following:

 

1. That
   the modem is plugged into an electrical outlet,
   and the cord is firmly in place in the power connector on the back of the
   modem.


2. The
   electrical outlet you are using is live.
   Is there a tripped circuit breaker in the house? style='mso-spacerun:yes'> Is the power out? style='mso-spacerun:yes'> You can even go so far as taking the
   modem to another room just to plug it in and check the power connection. style='mso-spacerun:yes'> If none of this works, it could be that
   the power supply for your modem has gone bad, or the modem itself has
   ceased to live. Most customers
   rent/lease the modem from the ISP.
   Call tech support to get a replacement.

 

If the light is on, continue your investigation:

 

Some modems have a standby mode which breaks the
connection. If there is a standby button
on your modem, press it and see if the lights come back on.style='mso-spacerun:yes'> I know that Motorola modems have a separate
light used to indicate the modem is in standby mode, but I’ve seen an RCA modem
that shuts off all the lights when in
standby.

 

Usually there is a light labeled “Online” or “Ready.”style='mso-spacerun:yes'> If it is not on, or if it is blinking at a
steady rate, there is a problem with your ISP’s network.style='mso-spacerun:yes'> Before calling tech support, try this:

 

1. Make
   sure the telephone line (DSL) or cable (Cable Modem) is connected to the
   modem and to the outlet in the wall.


2. Unplug
   the power cord from the modem.


3. Wait
   20 seconds.


4. Plug
   the power cord back in and let the modem initialize.

 

That often solves the problem, but not always.style='mso-spacerun:yes'> I recommend at this point that you wait about
an hour (if you haven’t done so already) before calling tech support.style='mso-spacerun:yes'> There may be maintenance in the area or some
other type of outage, and your ISP likely knows about it.

 

If that worked and your modem shows that it is “Online,”
congratulations.

 

If it was online to begin with, we can assume then that the
problem lies elsewhere, and it is not a problem with your ISP.style='mso-spacerun:yes'> It is a problem with your network.

 

Reason #2: style='mso-bidi-font-weight:normal'>Your
router can’t access the Internet.
When the power goes out at my house and comes back on, everything comes
on at the same time, including the modem and my router.style='mso-spacerun:yes'> When the router comes on, it looks to the
modem for access and starts asking for its IP address.style='mso-spacerun:yes'> The problem lies in this:style='mso-spacerun:yes'> it can take up to five minutes for a modem to
connect to the ISP and come online again.
During this time, the router can simply give up asking for an address,
because nothing is responding while the modem is situating itself.

 

So, what needs to happen is for the modem to come online, style='mso-bidi-font-style:normal'>then the router to power up and get
access right away.
Here is the fix-all for this situation:

 

1. Shut
   down everything. Turn off all the
   computers, and remove power from the modem and the router.


2. Wait
   two full minutes.


3. Apply
   power to the modem only.


4. Wait
   for the modem to initialize and come online. style='mso-spacerun:yes'> This could be a few minutes.


5. Apply
   power to the router. It will
   initialize and connect within about 30 seconds.


6. Start
   your computer(s). All should be
   well.

 

If this is not done in the prescribed order, it may not
work.

 

Reason #3: style='mso-bidi-font-weight:normal'>Your
router still can’t access the Internet.
Lightning can be a real pain sometimes.
I’ve seen computers that have fallen prey to lightning strikes hitting
the cable networks, which in turn can ruin the modem, the computer, or
both. Check the lights on the modem
related to PC or LAN. This is the
connection from your modem to the router.
The corresponding light on the router is usually labeled “Internet” or
“WAN.” They should both be class=GramE>on, and possibly flickering.
If not, try the following:

 

1. Try
   another cable between the router and the modem.


2. Connect
   a computer (must be powered on) to the modem and check the PC light on the
   modem. If it still does not light,
   the modem is likely at fault.


3. With a
   network cable, connect a computer (again, it must be on) to the
   Internet/WAN port on the router and check the light. style='mso-spacerun:yes'> If it does not come on, it may be the
   router, or both the modem and the router.

 

Reason #4: style='mso-bidi-font-weight:normal'>Logical
Problems at the ISP. I won’t
call them hackers, because most hackers aren’t evil.style='mso-spacerun:yes'> I will refer to evil hackers as Technologically-Advanced
Rogue Degenerates, or TARDs.style='mso-spacerun:yes'> Sometimes those TARDs
have a field day with someone, and try to crash whatever ISP their victim may
be using. You might be on the same ISP,
or even be that victim. Other things can
happen though, such as a server crashing or a
disgruntled employee gone mad. These
things we cannot help, but rest assured that someone is working on it.style='mso-spacerun:yes'> Call tech support just to see what the
problem is. Also, you might want to make
sure your payment wasn’t late.

 

Conclusion

 

As you may imagine from reading this far, many things must
be in place for the Internet to work and for your home or office network to
operate. I probably haven’t covered
absolutely everything in this article, but from my experience, this covers the
majority (and I mean majority, like 97% for home users) of the problems related
to Internet access that I had to help customers correct while I did technical
support at an ISP. I still encounter these
same things with the people I meet and serve, and not much outside of this ever
arises in the residential arena.

 

Many things can affect wireless networks, radio interference
being the main culprit. Other factors
can affect connectivity, but that is not the scope of this article.style='mso-spacerun:yes'> I will soon write about wireless network woes
in another post here.

Cross-posted at techpickle.org.

Shout Out

My good friend Andy and I go way back.

No we don't.

We just know each other but never talk. I included him the other day when I blasted out a mass-mail announcing the move from blogger and never heard from him. I did confirm today, though, that he does check his e-mail, because the link on his site has been updated. To return the favor, I added his RSS feed to my Random Feed box in the sidebar.

Andy is such a professional blogger that I forget he's also an Army officer. He wins awards, gets invited to write at other blogs, and is summoned to interviews. He is very insightful, as he was when we used to hang out. He knows a lot of stuff (and now I assume does a heck of a lot of reading) and seems to be quite concerned with the political state of the world.

He has become somewhat of a celebrity as his hit counter is nearly 250,000 at the moment! I realize that's not many for a popular website, but if you'll look at the latest count at my blogger site, you'll see a vast difference. Keep it up, Andy, and feel free to comment here anytime.

Improv Night at the G8

Actually it was morning, but I missed it!

See, the irony is that what they need to do is get Syria to get Hezbollah to stop doing this shit and it's over."

-George W. Bush

Update: I appreciate the fact that Bush actually thinks about what's going on. Seems to me he has to be forced to explain himself every time he's in public, and that he doesn't actually consider much in private. This shows that Bush seemingly cares about something and proposes a solution, or something close to it.

Update II: I saw some of the video and while I haven't changed my mind that Bush actually thinks about what's going on, he still isn't very professional, even in an event in which all leaders are known to be audited by their every move. I mean, he was smacking his food with his mouth wide open when he said "...get Syria to get Hezbollah to stop doing this shit and it's over." One can barely understand him! That's not to be a judgement on his entire character as an American president (jury's still out on that one).

And the fact that he didn't want to speak at length because it was a long trip home is just plain shitty. If he's got something to say, then damnit, he should go right out and say it, because after all, he is the "leader" of a global superpower, isn't he? Shouldn't he have some clout at these meetings?

Having Babies to Escape Poverty?

A new study in the UK has found that teenage pregnancy is better than a dead-end job. While I'm not a teenage girl nor do I even know one at this time, there are better ways of fixing one's future than having a baby in high school.

I knew one girl in high school who got pregnant. She didn't choose to get pregnant (she did, however, choose to have sex, but did so without the intention of bearing a child^*) and was criticized for the entire time she carried. It was big news in my town; the girl dated one of my brother's friends and we saw her almost every day. She did quite well through the pregnancy and the birth, finished high school and is reportedly living a life above poverty. I don't think she's better for it. More experienced, yes. Better off than having gone to college, no.

But times as they are, I'm not sure exactly what they think in middle school these days. The world's technology keeps us so connected to each other electronically that we're very removed from the real world, especially when one is young and impressionable. If life sucks so badly that a young teenage girl would rather have a baby than find another way to make herself succeed, parents need to be just a little bit more involved.

My mother is the executive director of a children and youth organization down in this area. I'm sure she'd have something to say to these kids pregnant at 13.

Then again, given the same educational environment I had in middle and high school, I might have chosen to have a baby and seek assistance from the state. That's exactly where my education led me, until the Army recruiter stopped by my work one day. The Army saved me, in a way. I didn't know what a bachelor's degree was when I finished high school. The majority of the teachers didn't give a crap where we ended up because they thought they already knew (and as you may guess, no one was success-bound.) I honestly don't know who the school counselor was, and I vaguely remember some kind of broad assessment telling me to work with my hands. That's it. All through high school I could see the end of it and nothing past. Nothing was there to prepare me for college; no one mentioned the possibility. I don't remember ever being challenged there; no real goals were set, temporary or long-term. I suppose I was destined for the Army, as the girls were destined for pregnancy, shitty marriages and the rest of their lives confined to one region of the United States.

Teachers need to wake the hell up, and parents need to open their eyes. Who's gonna take care of you when you're too old to wipe your ass, the high-school dropout you ignored?


_{* to my knowledge.}

Numero Uno

I used to do like many others and put my own name into Google from time to time. And probably like so many others, I failed to find myself on the first page. As far as I know, I'm the only Ben Rehberg in this country, and I should show up in at least the first ten listings!

Well, I do now. I've had this domain since 2003 and it's never seen very much activity until now. The blog being here makes a bit of noise every time I update it, and when my friends change the links to here, Google and the other engines will crawl this site a bit more.

Oh, and the "Earlier Entries" box is filling up. I was right - ten posts.

Of All People!

Pete Coors? Who would have ever imagined he was a drinker?

Hot Enough

I remember back in the early 80's when I lived in Nebraska someone saying that the sidewalk that summer was "hot enough to fry an egg." I don't remember this very vividly, though; I was five or six years old.

Now I've heard that some of the more powerful laptops today emit high levels of thermal energy (read: they get hot). This HP TC1100 tablet PC gets pretty warm sometimes, and I think my Dell Inspiron 1100 actually started to cook the meat on my palms if I typed at it long enough.

Well, here's news. Engadget says someone actually cooked an egg on a new MacBook. Literally hot enough.

Now here's a moneymaker: underwear that protects you from your laptop! Watch your packages, boys.

Mission Complete

It was 9:17 this morning on my atomic clock when I saw and heard confirmation of "wheels stop" on Discovery at Kennedy Space Center. They traveled 5.4 million miles, repaired the heat shield using a 50' boom, and returned the space station's crew to a full complement.

I wish I was there. That stuff sounds like so much fun, it might not seem like so much work (though it is a full ton of it). I currently have a job that isn't very challenging; the only exception to that is finding something to do when there's no training. That can prove taxing; which is why I'm home this morning watching the space shuttle land on NASA TV via Akamai/Yahoo:



I think now I'll work on some more work-related stuff here, where it is comfortable and more user-friendly.

As I Sit...

Discovery will land in a couple of minutes. I am still fantastically amazed at the level of engineering employed in these missions. I just heard "...wiggle the right data probe" just after they announced the shuttle was moving at Mach 4.6.

I'm not picking on them. I love those people.

Little trivia: STS-41B (Challenger) was the first shuttle mission to land at Kennedy.

More Video Fun

Launch in external player

I don't know why Firefox doesn't display this video the same way that IE does. The code instructs the browser not to play the video automatically, but Firefox obviously doesn't listen. If you're using Firefox, I'm sorry, but you're going to just have to sit there and watch it every time you open this post, or just press stop.

On the other hand, if you're not using Firefox, there's a link to get it at the bottom of the sidebar.

NEWS

This is the new location for Random Thoughts, a blog by Ben Rehberg. This post will remain at the top of this blog until October 2006.

I think I'm all done with the build here. Those of you who link to Random Thoughts should think about changing the link! Random Thoughts will not be updated as of July 16, 2006. The official link to here is http://www.benrehberg.com/

Thanks for visiting!

Update: This post was at the top of my blog created with bBlog and is only included here for purposes of completeness.

What's Wrong?

There never is anything in the "Earlier Posts" section. The call to display this list is "{recentposts skip=10}." Hm. Maybe I have to have posted at least ten entries to this blog before it displays "earlier posts." Especially since the first eight or so have been posted during the same 24-hour period.

Sunday Morning

The calendar thing is a bit tricky. I don't even know how to call it up. I'm also having problems with the landing page at benrehberg.com. I can change my web server to serve up the blog when you go to www.benrehberg.com, but for some reason it's not working. I put a quick redirect page up front (first time I'd ever needed one; it took five minutes when it should have taken 30 seconds).

I've notified my readers at Random Thoughts to update their links, and I'll send an e-mail to a select few whom I know have links to me.

In other news, It's Sunday. It is going to be a slow day today because I was up until nearly 4 a.m. getting this blog configured. My wife is building a tent out of sheets for our daughter, and my parents are coming over. They're getting ready to move in the middle of next month and they're in a hissy on what to do with all of their stuff.

I would be too. My dad built the place he's currently in and still has all the equipment needed to keep it up. He's moving from a 3000 ft^2* home on 25 acres to a three-bedroom apartment in the city. I really feel for them.

Sorry I don't have any global news today. It's Sunday, people. Get to church.

Just kidding.

_{* estimated square footage and acreage.}

Easier Than I Thought

All is moved from blogger. The archives of Random Thoughts can be found here. Happy reading!

This Blog has Moved

Hi. I'm moving my blog to my personal site, benrehberg.com. I'm tired of wondering what the hell to do with the place and I have wanted to control my own blog for a while now, so I'm copying Scott and moving to my own domain. Please update your bookmarks. The official URL is

http://www.benrehberg.com

Don't forget it.

Thanks for visiting! See you there!

Now I just need to figure out something to do with the other two domains...

Third Post

This is the third post to this blog, and I can't tell if the "Earlier Posts" section is being filled out. Anyway, it's very late and I think I'm going to call it a night.

Maybe I'll play with the calendar before I go...

Testing... Testing...1.2.3.

I am just testing the image posting thingy. I have to host my own pictures now and this is how it's done:



She's so darn cute! Enjoy!

Update: I had to shrink this image because it was HUGE. The main window didn't resize it. I could have resized the image display with HTML, but scaling the picture allows a faster page load. I still kinda like this. Now if I could just get my AdSense ads on here...

Update 2: Done with AdSense placement...

I Finally Found It!

I finally found this damn thing! I've been wanting to display a good-looking blog at the front of benrehberg.com for a long time now (because I am a horrible web designer and don't have the patience) and I got it!

It took the right Google search to find this, and setup was easy! Scott, you really should try this. It's called bBlog, and it does everything for you. It has everything, so far as I can tell, including trackbacks, commenting, and RSS feeds. Random Thoughts is no more from this point on, unless I really screw this thing up.

Update (9/5/2006) Looking back, it wasn't such a grand experience. Judging by the fact that you're now reading this same post powered by Blogger, I have failed in my endeavor to escape the masses, but succeeded in my goal to have my blog here at my site instead of rehberg.blogspot.com. Thank you very much.

Review: Brokeback Mountain

I finally saw Brokeback Mountain and I can see why the conservatives and other homophobes hated it or refused to see it at all. It was a slightly slow movie, but interesting throughout. I found it interesting that there wasn't even a kiss before the first (ahem) love scene. That struck me as just plain weird. Every love scene in every other movie has the two in question lip-locked as they tear each other apart.

One has to admit that it took a bit of acting ability to pull the two main roles off. I mean - I'm no homophobe (nor am I homosexual), but it would be tough for me to make it look genuine while kissing another man, caressing him as if he were my wife. That's probably because I'm a geek, not an actor. Props to them.

And I honestly forgot that Heath Ledger is Australian and has an obvious natural accent. He did a magnificent job with the speech for his part. Jake Gyllenhall didn't have to change too much to play Jack Twist (he looks funny with a mustache), but he did a great job. I always thought for some reason that he is older than I am, but he's actually younger than my wife is. For someone to pull off this type of role at age 25 is just fantastic.

Even though most of the filming took place in Alberta, I could still believe it was Wyoming. The scenery in this film was a catalyst for my desire to move back out to the West.

The story - I don't know what to say about the "love story" aspect of it. It has certainly attracted a lot of attention, hasn't it? The controversy is what made me want to watch it even more. It's the same reason I just had to read The Da Vinci Code. Minus the homosexuality, Brokeback Mountain was like any story and could have even been about two women, filled with unabashed emotion and tenacious love. I think there's more than one real story of a 20-year extramarital affair out there. Some things are just irresistible; it's part of being human.

All in all, I think the movie was good. However, I'm going to buy Anne Proulx's book that includes this short story so that I may read the actual

Tentacle

So I haven't been consistent with my blogging - so what? I have a life. It has now slowed to the point where I can write more often, but I don't necessarily do more thinking. Since there is no cognitive energy to spend, there is not much to write.

Seems lately that I'm writing a lot about not writing.

But here's something I didn't know - Ken Lay was on vacation in Aspen when he died. Aren't people supposed to have a bit worse time while awaiting sentence? Anyway, screw him. He was that successful and threw it all away to greed (or ignorance, if you believe him). Now thousands of people are out of their pensions and investments, and Ken just cuts out and dies. What a dick.

News on some people who need a break, though - astronauts. I wanted to be one once. Now I'm too tired.

Escape Plan

I must find a way to get out of South Georgia. I'm of the "If you can't beat them, leave" train of thought, and it's time I found a way to do that.

I want more choices.

I want more diverse people.

I want technology more readily available.

I want more money for what I do.

I want to hang around with more geeks.

I have only thought of one thing to do first: finish a four-year degree in a computer-related field. I have started just that and will be looking for more ways to get out while I'm pounding my brain away.

I'm also on track to take the CompTIA Network+ certification exam in a couple of months. It's not a fantastic credential, but it's a good start. For those of you who visit here often enough to read this post, leave some serious comments (Justin) giving me some ideas.

Bad Man, Good Warez

I did something the other day that I don't do very often; in fact, I haven't done it for years. My friends may think I'm crazy or stupid, but I'm my own man and I make my own decisions. This time I went against the grain to do the unthinkable. I dove in head-first...

...and actually paid for a piece of software.

I downloaded the trial version of TechSmith's SnagIt 8, used primarily to capture screenshots, but it is way more than a simple replacement for [alt+prtscrn]. This thing is awesome. It can take full screenshots or just a piece of a window, capture menus (even the right-click context menus!), and even capture a video of on-screen action. Isn't that just the best thing in the friggin' world? In addition, it comes with a simple editor that isn't so bland. It is easy to use and allows one to lay stuff over the image (arrows, text boxes, etc), and do shading, scaling, and perspective/shear changes. These things are instrumental in creating effective presentations and instructional documents.

So I chose to purchase it since the trial is only 30 days long. I thought I once found a crack for it, but the download turned out to be a virus. Oh, well. Now I don't have to worry. I got it at the Government rate ($30) because I will primarily use it to create instructional material for my job.

Before you close this blog, I'm not getting paid for loving this program, nor am I being compensated for writing this slight praise. I have merely found a program that I can use the hell out of and that works as prescribed, and thought you might be looking for such a tool.

Anika's New Bed

It's not a new bed, actually, but it's the first conversion it was designed for. It is now officially a "toddler bed" and we are slightly worried about Anika getting out of it. So we put up the camera to see how she does it without breaking her neck.

Launch in external player

A New Verb! Yay!!

From TechDirt:

Attention English Teachers: Google Is Officially A Verb: Every summer, it's always fun to see what new tech-related words make it into the Oxford English Dictionary as official 'words.' A few years ago, it was things like 'blog,' 'cyberslacker,' and 'egosurf.' This year, however, the Google lawyers probably won't be all that thrilled to discover that Google has now been included as a verb. Yes, that's right. According to the Oxford English Dictionary, it's now perfectly legitimate to say you 'Googled' something. From the standpoint of Google, however, this could take them a step closer to losing the trademark on their own name, as it starts to fall into more common usage. Can Google sue the Oxford English Dictionary?

I love this language sometimes. The company isn't ten years old yet and its name is officially a verb in the English language. Sergey and Larry must be thrilled, but Eric Schmidt is probably a bit concerned about the Google name. I'm not concerned; I never had to pay to use "Google" as a verb to begin with. I don't think this will affect their trademark.

Crappy Fan

I'm such a shithead. I can't believe I missed the launch of STS-121 yesterday.

I always wanted to be an astronaut, but I guess I can't pay attention long enough.

It doesn't help that I don't watch television.

Stay the Hell Inside

Georgia's 'shoot first' law, others take effect this weekend. - Gwinett Daily Post

Apparently it is now legal to protect yourself with a weapon if you or your family is in imminent danger. This is good.

Though it was legal already, I think more people might just start carrying rifles and handguns in their Chevrolets for "protection." Then the next black man who approaches them asking for bus fare will take a dirt nap. They'll claim he "looked threatening" and was unwanted in their presence. They will then drive to the next Wal-Mart and shoot another "suspicious" black person for free. This is not good.

I might mention that I am not a black person. I hate racism, and find that I would rather hang out with many more black folks down here than the white ones. Some of them are finally over the Civil War and don't hate me because I'm white. A lot of the white people still use the word "nigger" as it has always been used - in degradation of people of African descent. They are the ultra-conservative type who can't get out of the trailer they parked in their mama's backyard. Their ignorance makes me sick.

Sorry - I meant to stay on topic.

Hell, I might be in danger myself in any public place. I don't look like anyone I know who supports the NRA (a huge backer of this new law), so I might just get blasted by some bearded fella' with a barbecue-stained Dixie Outfitters shirt on.

"Zach Ragbourn, spokesman for the Brady Campaign, a Washington D.C.-based gun control advocacy group, said supporters of the measures have been unable to point to an instance where someone defending themselves in public was prosecuted. Therefore, opponents argue the law is unnecessary. " Good point.

Oh, and Georgia isn't the only state that makes an effort to tell you that it's legal to protect yourself. "Georgia is now one of eight to 12 other states to follow through with a law of their own this year," stated the article.

How to Annoy a Liberal

A couple of days ago I saw a bumper sticker that said "Annoy a Liberal: Live - Succeed - Be Happy." I couldn't agree more. Actually, it's the same thing liberals tend to do. Does that mean we annoy the shit out of ourselves? No. It means that this bumper sticker is incomplete. So I'll let you in on how to really annoy a liberal:

1. Be selfish. "God bless America, and no place else." What? They just blew up a power plant that will ultimately lead to the death of many innocent people? Oh, never mind. It wasn't here, so fuck 'em. I can still turn off the TV, climb into my 2-ton commuter, and stop by Starbucks on the way to work this morning.

2. Succeed by fucking other people out of what they earned. I'm not saying that liberals don't cheat, but when they do, I don't think so many people are affected. I'm not talking about sharing mp3 files and screwing the music industry - that doesn't heavily affect our quality of life. I'm talking about squeezing everything you can out of your customers when selling cars, movie tickets, oil, and even razors. Stop making so much money and keeping it. Oh, and did I mention easy credit?

3. Waste resources. See 2-ton commuter mentioned above.

4. Support any type of war. That speaks for itself. Apparently, war kills people and doesn't really solve anything. It creates more hate. I'm for the death of certain leaders, but not for the death of the innocent people under their rule.

Online Sickness

I'm trying to think of some pointers to mention, but I can't even think of a subject that I actually have some pointers on. I'm really just bored, and I've seen nearly everything on the Internet this week that I could think of looking up. I wanted to know more about Assembler, the most basic programming language for microprocessors. In my studies, I discovered that I need to know more about computer and processor architectures, and ended up winning a book on eBay for 99¢. While I'm waiting on this book, I'll research the best book for learning about computer architecture overall, and maybe pick one of those up. I'm kinda worried about starting college and stumbling through a Computer Science degree without learning anything. Studying ahead may help.

I also want to build my own controllers for different projects like home automation and robotics. I believe I can build a Linux system that can monitor things like the temperature and human presence in the house. I've found Single-Board Computers (SBCs) that can run Linux for about $100. However, those systems are far more advanced than what I'd like to have, so I may have to build one. I've seen this done before by Computer Engineering students, and I'm sure I can find what I need in a book at the university.

Shopping online has become very fun these days. With places like pricegrabber.com and resellerratings.com, one can complete a quick investigation on a store or a product very quickly. A lot of the early adopters to a new product (like the Bluetooth headphones I want) will post very helpful reviews of it. These are very helpful (one lady with a fat head didn't like the way the headphones fit). It's great. Price shopping is fun, too, because you can see what most retailers are charging for the item. Amazon.com lists these headphones at about $127 (a fair price if they sound good), and some other place is selling them for $189! The same thing! Ha!

If it isn't apparent in this post, I am very bored and really need something to passionately write about. Although it is raining, and I've been meaning to look for a rainsuit...

Summer Cleaning

Even though it's something of an Autumn theme, I decided it was time to change the layout again. To all the readers I lost whilst on furlough, welcome back, and I hope you like it.

I recently turned on the FM radio again and listened to NPR yesterday. They were talking about Warren Buffet's gargantuan gift to the Bill & Melinda Gates Foundation. Now if you haven't been following this, Bill Gates will step down as Chief Software Architect of Microsoft Corporation, supposedly in 2008. He will stay on as Chairman, but that's about all he'll have to do with the company he co-founded. Gates wants to concentrate his efforts toward his charity, the Bill & Melinda Gates Foundation. Good job, Bill.

Warren Buffett is the world's richest stock trader. He apparently knows his shit. From what I heard from a caller on Talk of the Nation, he had plans for his wife to distribute his wealth after he died. That didn't work out too well, because his wife died a couple of years ago. They say he did a lot of thinking and finally decided to give (at today's price) over 31 billion dollars to the Gates Foundation. I think it's so many billion every year for a number of years, but it's still a great gift. I haven't done all of my homework on the foundation, but I volunteered at a YMCA in Colorado Springs that had a computer lab worth $10,000+ all furnished by the Bill & Melinda Gates Foundation. I think they're probably doing a lot for people who can't afford these things, and with Buffet's gift they'll have a lot more to do.

Another caller complained that if Microsoft hadn't overcharged us in the first place, their money wouldn't have to be put back into society. I've got an answer or two for that one:

1. If you got to keep your filthy money, sir, you would have spent it on gas or candy bars, and it wouldn't, sir, help society for you to have a fatter ass or go on vacation. Your money would have never left the country to help those in need.

2. You bought a product that you use every single day and now would have trouble living without. IM me on Windows Messenger and we'll talk about it. Switch to Linux, sir, and do without a tech support number and have fun configuring your printer and synching your PDA all by yourself.

That's all I really have. I'm certainly not a Windows fanatic, but many people would be completely lost without this OS. It's all they know due to its fantastic success with the PC over the years. I could get into that later, I guess. I love Linux as much as the next guy, but it's certainly not for the masses just yet. Whatever you think about Gates or Buffet, kudos to them anyway.

As I Stumble About my Imagination

I've been confronted with an issue that hasn't even come up yet, and I can't stop thinking about it. I've been asked how interested I am in a position in Atlanta. I really want to go up there because of the city life, but at the same time, Beth and I have become rather settled in South Georgia.

Given the perfect situation, I would jump at the chance. I love the city, though it is an expensive and sometimes dangerous place. I just don't think it would be a smart choice right now. Beth and I are already accepted in our academic programs, and are set to begin study this fall. On top of that, we've got day care lined up for Anika, and we are almost settled in our new house.

Having gone to Atlanta, I know nothing of the school systems there, day care facilities, or even where to live. A lot would have to be worked out in order to make it, and I would have to have a significant raise. All of this thought and bumbling and I haven't even been offered a position. All I know is that I'm favored to be offered it if it comes up.

I love the thought of it, though: the possibility of working from home, the visibility I may get as a result of working in the area and with certain people it's good to be seen by, and actually having something to do every day. The more actual consulting I can do, the better and more enjoyable my job will be. Don't get me wrong - the people in South Georgia definitely need help, but with the resources I could have in Atlanta, I could certainly get more done and inflict more positive change in how our infrastructure benefits the organization.

We (my coworkers and I) are approaching an entirely new way to do something that our organization holds paramount. A development team has been called in, many meetings have been held, and things are finally beginning to roll with the development process. I have asked the one in charge that my team be fully involved in the development process, from conception to back-end processes, all the way through to the interface design. This is very important to my team for many reasons. We need to be involved to understand the inner workings of this mountain of software, so we are able to test it thouroughly, train the workers effectively, and troubleshoot it with clear confidence.

So I would like to be there while all of this is happening, not down south where we are all left out of the loop as we were in the last roll-out. So I've got some thinking to do.

I Found my Word

and it is "choleric." It happens to be the word of the day today, and I saw it above my Gmail.

I am easily angered by many things, and my sensitivity to these triggers varies greatly depending on many different factors. I'm like a bomb sometimes, and Beth never really knows how short the fuse is.

I think I'm getting better, though. I'm starting to become more conscious of my patience and releasing my imaginary grip on things over which I have no control. Like this blog. I started the year off right, and blogged every day like a good little blogger, and then nothing. I became too busy and got quite upset with myself for not living up to what I had said.

But I have absolutely no control over how many hours exist in one day, or how much sleep I'm going to need on a regular basis. I also have no idea what to write about every day. Since I don't take the time to read the news, I don't have cable television, and the whole of me doesn't care about celebrity news, I have nothing left to say except that I'm tired and want to go to sleep at the end of a day.

"...and that's all I have to say about that."

Slight Change

As I've been in my car for several weeks, I have proven that it is hard to start a consulting business when you're on the road with your day job 90% of the time. So, I will start targeting small businesses where I can log in remotely and help them over the telephone when I'm away.

That's really all I have for you right now; I'm looking for experiments in hacking wireless networks and wireless equipment. Maybe I'll tell you about it, and maybe I'll just be too busy.

Soda and Mentos

Who would have thought? Some guys just have all the fun. I was going to make a video myself after I read the reports, but these guys are just way ahead of me.

Want Something to Do?

I just read this month's Mr. Modem's Desktop column in Smart Computing and learned a brand-new Windows XP keyboard shortcut. Press the Windows key and the Pause/Break key to bring up the system properties dialog box. That's all, but it's new to me.

Also, at the end of his article he points the reader to here, an interesting yet visually unappealing simple game. Hold the red square away from everything else for as long as you can. Enjoy.

It Certainly is Thursday.

My advertisement is supposed to hit the paper today. I think I'll carry my phone to listen for it.

I'm very excited about the possibility of building my own business and being the root of my own success. Actually, if I could just get one call to pay for the cost of the advertisement I'd say I was on top. It would be nice to not have to actually be anywhere if there is no work to do. I struggle with that every day.

I will make it.

I've Only Got 15 Minutes

I thought I'd drop in and say a few words before I continue my life without spare time. It will get even more hectic later this week, when my advertisement runs for the first time offering technology help to those who read the American Classifieds.

I remember Justin telling me that he just ran a small ad in the Thrifty Nickel offering car stereo equipment and service, and he got a few calls now and then. I think my market is somewhat bigger, but that won't guarantee ten calls a day. I ran the ad for two weeks and we'll see what kind of response I get. I may have to just post signs locally and maybe walk around passing out cards.

In case you don't know what I'm talking about, I am offering after-hours and weekend in-home technical help (mostly computers and A/V equipment) for people who can't get their TiVo to work, or Grandma who needs help with her new webcam.

When I installed cable modems for a local ISP, I noticed that many people have a lot of gear that they don't really put to use. They bought it because it was cool, but never figured out just how to get their money out of it. I also noticed that people had needs that could be fulfilled with devices they didn't know existed. Now I'm here to help.

In other news, I finally found a deal worth taking on an LCD monitor. So I bought two. This is so much better than the gargantuan displays I had before. I think I just freed up a square yard of desk space (which, of course, will become more space to put shit, not actually enhance productivity).

My 15 minutes is up now. I will try to visit more later.

Skipped

I didn't blog in April? Even with taxes and shit?

Oh yeah. I bought a house and moved into it April 1. Oh well.

eBay Item Not Sold: Ford : Mustang (4622911722)

Well, no one bought the car. Maybe next year I can get a motorcycle.

I should really take this car and do something with it. With just a little more work it'll be a great ride, and then I can start making it look good. I've just got to make a decision about it - I've been wishy-washy for the past year about it, deciding to sell, then to keep it, then to sell it, then I put it in the shop 'cause I'm gonna drive it all the time...

It's not exactly economical. The thing actually gulps gasoline. Then again, it wasn't designed to go "putt-putt" and sip fuel. It is a classic musclecar, designed and built several years before the gas crisis in the 1970s. It's my favorite automobile. I wanted a Mustang since I was about six years old, and for about fifteen years I shopped. Beth spent my money on it in 2000 when I was at NTC and I've been dumping money into it ever since.

I fell asleep at the wheel in June 2002 and spent until July 2004 getting it all back together. Overall I think I did a pretty good job. I just drove it about 110 miles yesterday without incident. There are a few more things to work out, but they're fairly trivial. The alternator needs some attention and I need just a couple more steering parts replaced. I am now trying to decide what the next big project is for it.

The power steering is still being a pain in the ass. The pump needs to be replaced and the hoses should be rerouted - they keep burning up because they're too close to the exhaust. After the steering is all done and the suspension is solid, I think it will be time for new tires. At that point I'll probably replace the rims too. That should drastically improve the ride.

I'll have to do a couple of things to the engine for maintenance, like the slight leak in the water outlet and the oil leak I think is coming from the distributor. There's also the wiring for the temperature and oil sensors - that's the only original wiring left in the engine compartment - it needs to be replaced as well.

After that it's probably off to the machine shop for the engine. With the engine out I can clean everything up front and get it ready for the new powerplant. The engine will go back in with new headers, so that should solve my power steering line problem. I'll probably go with an electric fuel pump, too.

Then I'll finish the interior and start sending it to the body shop every once in awhile to concentrate on a piece of whatever needs attention. Beth's been told to call Overhaulin' and tell them to steal my car, but I don't think she's had the time.

Like I said: I just need to decide that this is what I want. If I'm so damn emotional about it, I think I should keep it and finish my baby. All said and done I should have about $30K invested which will never be returned, but I'll have one damn sweet ride. And a daughter in college.

Happy St Patty's Day

From www.inograph.com:

If anyone wants to buy my car,

It's item number 4622911722 on eBay for the next seven days. With any luck, this will go better than that CD-ROM drive I tried to hock for $5.

I love this car, but it's time to prioritize. I've put so much into it, and still have so much left to do that it's overwhelming. Besides, I don't have a garage at the new place, and don't see having a good spot for it anytime soon. I want it protected, not rotting.

I think I'll get a new one sometime in the future, but right now I need to consolidate my vehicle usage. And get a motorcycle.

Dilemma Solved

I got this new computer and it's really great. It starts up in under a minute! I even dual-booted it last night with Fedora Core 4 64-bit edition, and the boot loader works like a charm. At startup, I can choose whether to boot Windows or Linux.

The only problem I see right now is the video. I have never been a fan of onboard video, but it made for a good affordable motherboard, and obviously works. I'm using it to view this editing session. The only thing is that it sucks. I can't even scroll down a webpage smoothly, or move windows about the screen without a delay and choppiness.

I'm surprised, though, that I can play a DVD and it looks just fine. But if I can't move my damn windows around, something's amiss. So I think I have solved that problem this morning. I ordered a new video card. It should be here next week, and I can install it at my leisure.

I'm telling you this because I really don't hang around people who care about this kind of stuff. I've got to tell someone, so it might as well be the common passers-by on my blog. That's what it's for, isn't it?

While I'm here, I might as well tell you about my recent upgrade. In 2001, I finally put together my first computer. I had done upgrades and teardowns and stuff like that before, but this was my first from-scratch build. I bought the cheapest shit I could find for this, too, since I was still in the Army and always short on cash. I bought the case locally ($40), ordered a cheap (and I'm talking cheap, $37!) motherboard, and found a 667MHz Celeron processor in Denver for about $50. I got the memory, network card, and video card from the same local place as the case. Later I got the sound card at Best Buy.

I got home and put it all together. It finally worked, and I enjoyed it for some time. I had actually built the thing to play my flight simulator, but I was silly in thinking that a 667MHz Celeron could do that. Anyway, there I was.

It finally went into retirement mode when I got my laptop two years later. It really became a file and print server and never got put to use after that. When my laptop started showing its age (and my wife started using it for school) I was seeing a need for a new desktop, but I didn't want to spend the $2K for the one I wanted. I decided to upgrade my existing system.

This was very easy with the exception of buying the parts. I don't ever want to spend money, but I found this sale at a shop in Valdosta and got a new motherboard with onboard video, sound, and firewire, an AMD Athlon 64 processor, and one Gigabyte of RAM for about $350. That was all I needed (until today). I got the upgrade done in about an hour, loaded Windows x64 Edition in about another hour, and I was set. I loaded Fedora Linux last night, and everything is working out.

I better get to work. Someone's got to pay for this.

I Just Voted for Al Gore

Something else I didn't know: Al Gore is on the board of directors at Apple Computer. I just voted my 1.2 shares to keep him there.

There's a new study going on sparked by the iPod's popularity on the use of earbuds and their relation to hearing loss. Most of us remember the stink Sony caused in the 80's with their Walkman, and I don't think that ever came to any conclusion. It really is all about personal usage. I don't use headphones all that often except for when I work out (that's actually closer to twice a month).

Some lady got killed last month when she was running while listening to music on an iPod. She got hit by a truck. The headline I read was something like "iPod Blamed in Death," while it really could have been caused by any device, or stupidity, or bad driving. Again, it's about how you choose to listen. I believe a rock concert or forgetting your earplugs on the firing range is more detrimental to your hearing than Busta Rhymes on an iPod.

Happy Birthday, Sir

Today is Albert Einstein's birthday. He would be 127. Also on this day Gorbachev was elected in 1990, and Jack Ruby was sentenced to death in 1964.

Time for Change

I intend to redo the sidebar soon. I'm not happy with the status of my reading list, so I think I'll take it off and just put it at benrehberg.com. Whoever wants to find the list can go there and look. I plan to make it easy to find, and easier to read. Ads will be placed in the sidebar as well, closer to the top. The only ads on this site are at the bottom of the page. Scroll down and tell me if you've ever seen them.

I don't know when I'll do this, but I've made the decision and will take action soon.

I say this as if it matters to the reader whether I change the sidebar. I think I've gained the readership of maybe ten people in the past two years, most of whom never comment. I know I never really write anything very compelling or deep in thought, but if I could get some kind of dialogue I'm sure I'd become more interesting.

I think if I kept a certain theme about my posts I could reach out to more people; people like me. But that wouldn't be me, now, would it? Sticking to one general topic? Doesn't sound right. Couldn't be Random Thoughts if they weren't random.

Separation

Being the guy who didn't keep up with the story, it sounds to me like this Dubai company's ports deal fell through because we're a bunch of racists.

"We will not settle for any solution that doesn't completely eliminate the role of the United Arab Emirates in our ports," Schumer said.

Doesn't this sound like we hate their country and "we don't like their kind 'round here?" We suck. It's like the whole United States is becoming South Georgian.

Not Trivial in the Slightest

We're going to place an offer on a house tomorrow. The last one we liked got away from us because we couldn't act soon enough.

It's a brand new house. The plastic protective sheet is still attached to the dishwasher.

It is a good size home with three bedrooms and two bathrooms, and it sits on a 20,000 (100' X 100') foot² lot. I'm not sure what that is - hang on - Google says "20 000 (sq feet) = 0.459136823 acres." The house doesn't cover much, so the yard will seem big enough. At least I don't have to buy a riding lawn mower.

I think I've made my mind up about my motorcycle. I have tentatively decided on the Yamaha ZF6. It is of nice size, but not too big; I can probably pick it up if I drop it. It's also not too small - there shouldn't be any trouble keeping up with my brother and my dad on their larger bikes on road trips to wherever. I will certainly be posting here the day I get it.

The house is listed on realtor.com right now. They may take it off as we get further in to the process. The MLS is 63300. Very excited, but very scared we are.

Don't Miss This

Please pass on my growing auction products. I always offer the good stuff to my friends a couple weeks before i put them on ebay. thanks

http://justinsmonthlydeals.blogspot.com

and check out my Z-site at
http://my300zbaby.blogspot.com

another invention by Justin

Music in a Bottle

Ok, so I am a weirdo! I was drinking my beer tonight…as I do every night, and realized I always hold my mp3 player and beer in the same hand. Now maybe most people don’t sit outside drinking beer and listen to music…but I bet a lot do. Now here me out, I remember as a kid that games to win something from the bottom of a soda can actually meant something. Mountain dew was great! At the bottom of the can it told you right away if you won something or not….not this bullshit code entering, thanks for entering our survey, you will never win shit stuff!
People want instant gradification, and I say…GIVE IT TO THEM! My idea is to build a small mp3 player into some/every can or bottle that has a 1/8” headphone jack receptical on it and it will play a tune or two for free. Of course it will have a commercial in there, but that’s the beauty of it. Everybody wins…the seller, buyer,marketer, and the promo people! I am telling you, this is the future. One thing I have learned in school is that advertising/promoting is getting so HARD now adays. Fuck, I bought Oakley ski glasses last week that have flip-down earpods in them that play music from a tiny mp3 player built into the nose piece!
Next month somebody will invent a beer label that transmits a shortwave signal to a buyers glasses…like mine, that will give a free song and a commercial….think about it!
Ben, you have to help me invent this. It is soooo simple, yet only month/years away! Well, at least I documented it here on the web tonight….Justin weis…father of commercial beer labels!lol. (L.F.M.A’S) LOW FREQUENCY MUSICAL ADVERTISEMENTS….see..i am a fuckin king! Check out my high tech prototype!…lol

I have a whole line of accessories too. Like a watch that decodes and plays the music when within 1 foot of the beer/pop bottle or can. It would be stylish yet functional. It would have a head phone jack on it, but also a small speaker to play at a moderate volume.

Moving Soon?

This is post 199 in almost two years. Horrible, I say. Horrible.

I'll admit I haven't been very dedicated to my blog (or reading other blogs) lately, but I swear I've been busy. The weeks are filled with traveling and working, preparing for and conducting training, and finding time to sleep. The weekends are full of house hunting and varied attempts at visiting family. I helped my brother move last weekend and was reminded of how I hated moving.

So here I might outline the things I'd do differently this time from the times I've moved in the past:

I will buy boxes. If I have to move myself, I'll use the hand truck I bought last time and move everything I possibly can in a box. Books, movies, clothes, gadgets, wires, everything. The stuff that's already in drawers? Take it out and put it in a box. If I can't put it on the hand truck, it better be one piece and as big as a box. I bought five small "book boxes" today when I had to move my office, and I'll get a feel for the number and type of boxes I'll need for the coming adventure when I pack my books in them.

I will save up the newspaper. Last time I moved I had to drive to town to get an Atlanta newspaper (the Sunday edition) to pack the dishes and other breakables and it proved to be not enough. I now have almost a month's worth of The Wall Street Journal packed into a container in the garage. I promise I'll have ample packing material this time, with some to spare for my parents' move later.

I will have plenty of money in preparation for the move. I felt very embarrassed that I couldn't afford the truck from Colorado. We were just about broke at the time, and my dad came to the rescue. Enough said.

I will begin preparation early, even if someone says I'm crazy. This I do not want to be caught in: It's the day of the move and we're going nuts trying to figure out where the oscillating fan will fit in the truck. The U-Haul is due back in three hours and we haven't even left yet. There are still the computers left to go, too, and there's been no mention of all the clothes still in the hamper. I will be ready to load the truck the moment it's backed up to the garage. That's the reason I'm buying boxes before we even deliver our 30-day move-out notice to the leasing agent.

I'll go now to prepare for training tomorrow.

Speaking of Reading Lists

I am failing miserably due to the complete lack of attention I have to this list and that pile of books.

Oh, well. Maybe I'll divert everyone's attention by buying a motorcycle this year.

Hey, Nice Rack!

I thought that might get your attention.

Another week begins tomorrow, filled with more disadvantaged users of advanced technology largely wasted on the stubborn. I'm not feeling very helpful. I am, however, staying in a Hampton Inn this evening, just outside Fort Stewart, Georgia, in Hinesville. Justin knows where that is. He was stationed here years ago.

I finished The Google Story on the way here (it was about a three-hour-drive) and found it very interesting. Most of the audiobooks I've listened to I've also vowed to buy in hard copy. I've done that with only one so far, and just shelved the book; it was the 9/11 Commission Report. I'm not about to read that again anytime soon.

The Google Story is an interesting one, and the perspective it provides makes me want to study math and go work for the search engine. I doubt that will ever happen. They're too big now, and with its large size comes all sorts of trouble to work for, like the government. That's all I have to say about that.

I'm now on to another audiobook, Linked: The New Science of Networks. It is very interesting in its sociological take on many things. I thought it would be more technologically-centered, but it takes a more social approach to networks and studies on them. I have been unable to listen to it at a faster speed; there is a lot of information that must be taken slowly. Looks like I'll be in this one for the entire eight hours and eight minutes. The link to the current audiobook is always at the end of my reading list.

Back for Today

"Headless Chicken" could be used to describe me lately. This blog has definitely taken a spot on the back burner. I have today, however, managed to start a small programming project and begin an article on it. I've been working on a layout for articles that I write to post at benrehberg.com. The project is just a simple program to find prime numbers, and discusses the different methods of efficiency in finding them with a computer. I think that this program is a good measure of processor and memory speed in terms of number-crunching.

The script finds and lists all prime numbers between five and one hundred million. This poor little AMD 350! It's been at least five hours and it has only searched just over nineteen million. It may not finish before I have to leave tomorrow afternoon. The tablet is almost done with it - they both started within a minute of each other and the tablet is almost at 73 million.

Anyway, I've started an article and am getting the layout down for it. See what I've done so far and tell me if you like the layout. It's simple. I used the same dimensions as the blog.

The Foldable Keyboard

Since I've been posting video lately of my daughter, I thought I'd create something on my own to show you. So I'll show you my new keyboard. The video is on my website, more specifically here.

If you want one, send me your name and address, $35, and wait two weeks. I accept PayPal. This keyboard is available with a PS/2 or USB interface.

The Quitter Speaks

"I quit every game that I play" -John Mayer

I've been pretty busy lately, and I must apologize for not continuing my saga this week. I'll be gone all through next week too, so don't expect a whole lot.

I need some ideas for what to do with techpickle.org. I have the site and plenty of space, and I can't really come up with a theme. I just thought of perhaps publishing some of my schoolwork there, and while that would be quite informational, it would not be something everyone could use.

Religion

Although I was raised Catholic, I think I make a much better Buddhist. I have never been big of guilt based religion and I don't really like being preached at. Talking to me and debating is fine. Maybe even making suggestions as to what some part of the Bible says. But, please don't tell me what it says.

That is why I think I make a good Buddhist. If you ignore the fact that I like a good drink now and then, have the patience of a person with irritable bowel syndrome, and am pretty arrogant, I am an excellent Buddhist. I am also not very good at the whole meditation thing, but I am trying. It is not my fault that someone yells outside and I get mad and want to strangle them for destroying my inner peace.

I will keep everyone updated and let you know when I have found enlightenment.

This One is Better

Scott Found This

And my name was not interesting enough, so I substituted a name to make it fun.

Google Pack

I am adding a new software recommendation to all my clients: the Google Pack. It is a package of free software and everything on it is on my list of recommended titles (this infamous list has never been published). Using the Google Pack, however, helps the user update the software as needed. The Google Pack includes:

• Adobe Reader
• GalleryPlayer HD Images
• Google Desktop
• Google Earth
• Google Toolbar for IE
• Mozilla Firefox
• Picasa
• Lavasoft Ad-Aware SE Personal
• Trillian
• RealPlayer
• Google Talk
• Norton AntiVirus 2005
• Google Pack Screensaver

Again, this is all free, and the Norton AV client comes with six months of virus definition updates. You can't beat that. This is a serious collection of useful software tools and applications.

Better yet, you can build your own pack. You can select from the list the software you want and the Google Updater will install what you have chosen. You can install or uninstall anything you want from the pack just by opening the Google Updater. You can't go wrong with these trusted titles. The software from Google is always awesome to use, especially Google Earth. I haven't really gotten into it, but the visual effects are astounding. Give it a try:
http://pack.google.com/pack

Update: It's only available for Windows XP.

Apple's Skin Flute

Apparently in Korea, scientists have come up with a way to replace your earphone cords with your own skin. I guess this could lead to implantable earbuds paired with a wristwatch-style iPod or similar device. Wouldn't that be cool? We wouldn't ever need car stereos or home theater sound systems! All we need is a bluetooth adapter installed in the big toe and we don't ever have to touch our cellphones again!

I may be joking, but I actually love this idea. I hate carrying anything in my hands, and I loathe holding a telephone up to my ear. I battle with headphone cords constantly as I listen to my iPod every day. I also favor the integration of our bodies into technology, or vice versa, within limits of course. I'm not sure I want a GPS transmitter in the top of my head or a government-mandated tracking device in the anus, but it would be nice to be able to communicate with an integrated phone.

I think it would be really cool if the chips could actually draw power from your body as well. Then we'd only need to eat right to keep a good charge.

Now there's an idea.

The new diet - eat right, get plenty of exercise, and rest peacefully or you can't use the telephone. It could be fashioned so that if the owner eats a jelly donut, he or she can't talk on the phone for two hours or until they've run a half-mile.

Of course this integrated system would have us running around seemingly talking to ourselves, looking like a bunch of crazies. The bluetooth headsets are already making people look like fools (no offense - I have small ears and can't wear one) as they walk around chatting to their imaginary friends, who probably wear the same Star Trek earpiece too.

In that case, forget I said anything.

good man

Thats what I like to see! A man who chases his dreams.I hope e-bay is as good to you as it has been to me. I must say this though...it takes work. Look at my account. I started it in 2002...i had a rating of (3) untill 2004. I moved up a whoppin 2 points between 03 and 05. Suddenly, last month, i decided that i was tired of hearing about it on the news, good or bad, and i wanted a piece myself.
I know all the bad stuff, and I know how to sell,...its business!
in one week I listed 6 items, in one week i sold 2.
in one week i listed 3 items, in one week i sold 1
in one week I listed 4 items, in one week i sold 2
in some weeks, i list and sell nothing!

*Total listed is MUCH higher than total sold.
*Most people get discouraged after a few 'non-sales' and give up!
*Most people think they know e-bay, but they really dont. (5-min classes are available for free)
*You can sell almost anything for a profit if you know what you are doing!(if you dont, it will cost you .35 every auction...and maybe more)

Power Seller

I'm trying to sell this drive on eBay. The bidding starts at $5. If you want to go for it, the item number is 8764218806. Enjoy.

This is really just an experiment. The drive, I assure you, is real, but I have never sold anything on eBay and been successful in making money. I really just want someone to use it.

The last thing (actually, the only other thing) I sold there was a psychology book, and I ended up paying more to ship the damn thing than I charged for it.

I Bought Google Yesterday

Maybe now they'll let me hang out with them. As of yesterday I am the proud owner of 0.3265 share in Google Inc.

That's over $100.

Someday I'll get up to one share, and maybe two, but then I'll wait it out until retirement.

Guess What Today Is

Enough said. It's been a good year, too.

Super Bowl Sunday

"Anika, this family really doesn't watch football. Why don't you go pick out a movie?"

Please stay Ben

ok, so i was quick to jump the fence this week....I am sorry. Ben, you cant just quit the site! We need your voice and wisdom. After all, you breathed life into this whole thing after all. You created us....now guide us!
I hate blogs that just whither and die.....such a bloody bore.
Stop flipping through books that dont interest you anayway, and yap with us crazy and wild yeldings that just want to know your outloook on life! C'mon fucker, i just got a bunch of people to add this link as 'favorites' and need to see some interesting talk.

lottery

ok, so here is a bit of fuckin wonderful and mind boggling news! Our 4-state lottery has hit an all time record high this month of 190 million dollars. I usually buy a ticket when it hits 90-100 million (which is every other month). I never win...lol. I was totally floored today though, when i asked what the "actual payout" was. If i won the 190 million tommoro and asked for a lump sum....ya..I WOULD GET 80 MILLION!!!!! 110 million goes to ...THE GOVERNMENT!!! WTF???? at that rate, we should not be in debt at all! Hell, we could have wars for the fun of it right?
we only have a 4 state lotto, and it reaches over 100 million all the time, and one lucky bastard wins like everyother month....so where the hell is all this "tax money" going from lotto? I our 4 state 'tax' winning of 110 million, added up with the other state 'tax' lotto winnings added up correctly, we should have no deficet at all!!! please explain this to me...please.

Labels Again

I had lunch the other day with my brother and the rest of the SWAT team. I was chastized for being a liberal. They didn't like my sideburns and told me the place didn't have tofu. I found it interesting that they were so nice to the staff at the Mandarin, a fairly nice Chinese restaurant.

I am reading The Brethren tonight, and on page 238 of the paperback there was a sentence that caught my interest:

"A liberal is a conservative who's been arrested."

In other news, I'm thinking of quitting this blog. However, I just downloaded the president's State of the Union Address from audible.com, so I may find new inspiration in it. I didn't even know he was speaking the other night; I'm not certain whether our television still works. I don't think it's been on in weeks. We're getting smarter by the minute.