The Halfway House

For all you facebook addicts

2009-08-06T16:06:00.002-04:00

Symantec - Keep your data safe

2009-07-14T10:12:00.002-04:00

http://viewfromthebunker.com/keepyourdatasafe/

A Symantec sponsored site was designed to give tips on how to keep yourself and your data safe online. It's an interactive site that allows you to select an image and flip it over for the tip. The tips cover security issues such as shredding paper documents to purchasing and paying bills online. Some of the cards offer links to sites with further information on the tip you are reading. Looks to be a very useful and creative tool for user training in information assurance.

The love song of J. Alfred Prufrock By T.S. Elliot

2009-04-16T12:54:00.011-04:00

The love song of J. Alfred Prufrock by T.S. Eliot is a poem about the inner struggle that J. Alfred Prufrock, the protagonist, has with himself about going to a tea party. The poem has a negative and fearful tone about the protagonist’s view of himself in the universe, comparing ones self to some of the great icons of the past. The poem is a dramatic monologue that reflects the views of his inner self and indecisiveness that everyone can relate to in unfamiliar surroundings.

The first part of the poem describes the dreary and dark path he must take to get to the tea party. Lines eight and nine "streets that follow like a tedious argument" "of insidious intent" gives the reader a look into the narrators negative thought process. In line one "let us then you and I" shows he is in a discussion with himself over the fact that he is ready for the tea party. Then he begins to talk about time, that there is plenty of time "to create" the narrator is becoming indecisive as he starts to procrastinate, leaving for the tea party. This indecisiveness leads to his downfall as he begins to debate his own self image (a middle aged man with a bald spot) and how women have treated him as if he was nothing in lines forty to sixty. Even the servants snicker when they take his coast in line eighty five. The poem ends with a description of drowning which, due to his indecisiveness, he feels he deserves and reflects the decision he ultimately makes.

The poem's theme is negative, and describes the self consciousness this protagonist feels towards his own image, and the fear of putting himself before others at a social gathering. Feeling that if he puts himself before others he will upend "the universe" telling himself he should be content with his place in society. He also attempts to compare himself with past icons such as John the Baptist (describing his bald head upon a platter), Lazarus, and Hamlet, feeling as if he falls well short of these great men, line one eleven "No! I am not Price Hamlet, nor was meant to be". These are all worst case scenarios that show how ridiculous his thought process can be when making a decision, a thought process we are all familiar with.

The poem describes the inner turmoil of J. Alfred Prufrock who while considered the protagonist could also be considered antagonist as he argues with himself over the decision he has to make. The poem titled "The love song of J. Alfred Prufrock" shows that the protagonist is very much interested in meeting women he can love. It also gives the reader on first glance of the title, the idea that this will be a love poem to a woman from a confident, slick man. Instead, the reader is treated to an unconfident man who feels small in a big universe, afraid to open up for the world to see, fearing the criticism he will receive. In the end T.S. Elliot gives the imagery of J. Alfred Prufrock walking on a beach, eating a peach giving in to the fact that women will not sing their mermaid song to him, as he drowns in his own indecisiveness.

Never let me go by Kazuo Ishiguro

2009-04-10T21:55:00.009-04:00

Never let me go by Kazuo Ishiguro is a science fiction story set in England during the 1980's and 1990's. Although the timing is set in the recent past its backdrop is an alternate universe with many alternate and social developments mentioned in the story. The story has a linear timeline narrated by the protagonist, Kathy H., which flashes back to her past memories growing up in a place called Hailsham. The story is very detailed and well constructed dropping hints about the core meaning as the story progresses through the narrators view. It hits on a morale issue of the alternate universe, presenting a different point of view, in opposition to the reader’s reality. The author uses several Gothic elements as imagery in his story, using the natural elements, sex and other dark imagery, to present a dark interesting story.

The alternate universe begins in the late 20th century in England with the protagonist Kathy H. taking the reader to a place called Hailsham. The author may be presenting this place as mythical in the name. By separating Hailsham into "hail" and "sham" the meaning of the words could be viewed as a "hail" or hello and "sham" as false or fake. Kathy describes driving around England unable to find Hailsham, making the reader question Kathy's honesty. Due to scientific advancements in the story several of the key characters are clones, referred to as "students" at Hailsham. The people that take care of them are known as "guardians" and could be considered teachers. The clones are created to be "donors" and so naturally don't have a long lifespan, as these donors are called upon to provide their organs for humans, presenting the morale dilemma of the story.

The story timeline is mostly linear, but has flashbacks through most of the story giving the reader Kathy's view of past events. These flashbacks tend to jump around, especially in the first half of the book at Hailsham, keeping the reader in the dark, revealing key elements in a methodical purposeful way. This method leaves the reader guessing, slowly revealing the core meaning of the story, but making the story easy to follow and interesting.

The morale issue is revealed near the end of the story when Tommy and Kathy attempt to put off donating organs, for a few years, by demonstrating their love for one another. To do this they confront one of their old guardians, Emily who was the head guardian at Hailsham. Miss Emily reveals that she and Madame, another character at Hailsham that collected the student’s art work were the founders; Hailsham had existed because they wanted to provide a better environment for the clones and to prove that the clones being produced as donors were not soulless creations of man. The initiative was received for a while but eventually was shut down due to a scientific break through that had the potential to produce clones superior to man. In the end society didn't care to know that the organs the received were being provided by clones with souls. This issue makes the reader question their own morality, and how they would feel in this situation.

Several key elements point to a Gothic theme in the story. Sex is mentioned in several places in the book, often encouraging the clones to take part in, as they were unable to reproduce. There are several dark moments in the story for example: The rumored attempts of students leaving Hailsham and the consequences of those actions. The guardians are described as wearing black, and seem to engage in conversations with an unseen figure. The use of natural elements such as rain, fog, wind, and scenes near water used at the end of the story. The Gothic elements provide a sense of mystery and can reiterate the dark emotions and mysterious theme of the book.

Never let me go is a thought provoking read; that hits on a subject we may deal with in the future. The linear story uses Gothic elements and is presented in a detailed methodical way that is easy to follow and understand. The story compounds the events that take place between birth and death, and the acceptance of purpose in the mystery of life.

To Improve Your Eyesight, Fire Up the Shoot-'em-up

2009-03-30T14:52:00.001-04:00

To Improve Your Eyesight, Fire Up the Shoot-'em-up

Posted using ShareThis

Bet on Bluebell in the 5th

2009-03-20T13:46:00.003-04:00

On Joe Posanski's blog he asked the following question regarding tipping:

1. Are you supposed to tip the concierge for giving you directions?
2. Are you supposed to tip the valet parking person on the way in or on the way out or both?
3. How much are you supposed to tip for restaurant takeout food?
4. Are you supposed to tip the person who shows you to your seat at shows or sporting events?
5. Shouldn’t they put the gas tank on the same side of every single car?
6. If someone you barely know is telling you a story he/she already told you, is it OK to stop them mid sentence?
7. Why do planes allow people to recline their seats ALL the way back? Shouldn’t there be some rear-view passenger rights?
8. Why do some flight attendants insists that you raise your window shade for takeoff and landing? I have spent way too much of my free time trying to figure that one out.
9. Is it a passenger right and/or responsibility to turn in a seat mate who does NOT turn off all electronic devices for landing? Or is there some sort of “Airplane Omerta” that we are supposed to adhere to?

I don't travel for a living, however I have traveled quite a bit with a majority of my family being out of state, so here are my thoughts:

1. No, if mapquest is free then why should I tip someone for information readily available, especially with the explosion of iPhones and other handheld devices. Now if I'm getting a tip on a good restaurant, a tip on the best or esaiest way of getting to my destination then you could tip.
2. Way out, make sure your car is in good standing before tiping.
3. I don't tip. I've never worked in the restaurant business but I assume cooks don't get much if any of the tips.
4. I never have. They get paid to watch the show/game. As a doorman working at a movie theater I never got tiped for showing people where their movie was playing. I did however get to watch movies for free and take home loads of popcorn.
5. No, I don't like putting limits on creativity and although a small detail I think forcing companies to conform to putting a gas tank on one side would limit creativity just that little bit, and possibly start a snowball effect of limitations.
6. Usually I'll join in with them during the story they're telling me, making them feel like what they're telling me is interesting and usually they'll finish the story anyways.
7. It's part of the sell. Being 75 inches tall the airline commercials I remember are the ones where the guy is leaning back all the way falling asleep.
8. I've never had this experience, I want to say I've closed it before and fallen asleep, but I can't remember a specific time I've done this. Usually I'm in an aisle seat.
9. I figure if the electronics are strong enough to mess with the airplanes electronics then their would be some kind of indication from the cockpit and another announcement made.

What are your thoughts?

The curious case of Forest Gump

2009-02-24T10:52:00.003-05:00

Love the editing.

Joe Posanski's blog pointed me to it.

Discussing James Joyces "Araby"

2009-02-13T10:29:00.004-05:00

James Joyce's "Araby" is a complex initiation story that follows the quest of a young boy in Dublin during the early 1900's. The story has several elements with a religious symbolic meaning. The reading of Araby can be complex and hard to decipher, but hits on something we all experience in life.

Araby is an initiation story that follows the protagonist, an unnamed boy, as he makes the journey to impress his best friends sister. The story is read as if the author was an older, wiser man reflecting on a childhood experience. The protagonist makes a promise to bring his love interest, his best friend's sister something back from the Araby. Along the way he runs into several real life issues that delay his journey, and begin to eat away at his enthusiasm. His first delay is when his Uncle arrives home late from work, which is close to the closing time of the Araby. Determined to complete his journey he leaves for the Araby. Upon his arrival at the train that will carry him to the Araby, he finds that the train is delayed and soon grows impatient, which he describes as "an intolerable delay" (pg. 885). Upon reaching the Araby he unsuccessfully finds a six penance entrance "Fearing that the bazaar would be closed" (pg.885) he is forced to spend more money than planned on the entrance fee. Once inside he finds only a few stalls still open, at one of the stalls he finds a woman that is only offering her services out of duty rather than what he expected. He responds with the same enthusiasm, and only fakes interest in the items at the stall. After he retreats from the stall the lights go out and he is filled with the feeling of disappointment, anger and helplessness. The boy had dreams of impressing this girl, and thought of nothing else all week, at one point according to the boy "I answered few questions in class, I watched my master's face pass from amiability to sternness; he hoped I was not beginning to idle." (pg. 884). The boy treated this as trivial in fact referencing his journey too "the serious work of life" (pg. 884). This shows that the boy had taken to his journey very seriously and in the end set himself up for a huge disappointment, feeling angry and helpless at not being able to complete what he had set out to do.

The story has several symbolic religious elements in the story. The house he moves into was previously owned by a priest. The game he plays in the market with his aunt he refers to the parcels he carries as a chalice. His best friends sister tells the boy she is unable to go to the Araby because of a prior commitment to a "retreat that week in her convent." (pg. 884). These elements point to the upbringing of James Joyce as a Catholic, and his feelings towards religion. The chalice could be interrupted as a upholding of religion, while the retreat could be interrupted as a method of oppression used by the church.

The point in the story where the boy and his best friend are playing outside and his best friend is called in by his sister can be confusing, especially when the story jumps from the present to a memory. At this point the narrator begins to reminisce about his past encounters with his best friends sister "I kept her brown figure always in my eye and , when we came near the point at which our ways diverged, I quickened my pace and passed her" (pg. 883). He then is pulled back into reality when she finally speaks to him. This could be read as a dream from the boys desire to speak with her, to fulfill some kind of quest to win her adoration. The story is very well put together, with intelligence and symbols meant to take jabs at the real world issues of that time. These elements can make it confusing to read in the perspective of our present time.

James Joyce put together Araby in a very complex way that can confuse the reader, but has several under lining meanings. The subtext takes the shape of religious symbolic elements, presenting the authors views on the issues of that time in a passive way. The story also hits on an experience we all have, an experience in which we've built anticipations for, only to be disappointed in the end, leaving us feeling vulnerable, angry and helpless.

All Clean team

2009-02-13T08:24:00.001-05:00

Position Players:

1. Ichiro Suzuki (RF)
2. Ken Griffey Jr. (CF)
3. Alber Pujols (1B)
4. Frank Thomas (DH)
5. Lance Berkman (LF)
6. Chipper Jones (3B)
7. Cal Ripken Jr. (SS)
8. Roberto Alomar (2B)
9. Jason Kendall (C)

Pitching Staff:

SP Greg Maddux
SP Randy Johnson
SP Curt Schilling
SP John Smoltz
SP Tom Glavine

CL Mariano Rivera
Setup Trevor Hoffman
Lefty Billy Wagner

Notes:

- Yes Jason Kendall unless I can think of someone better, because Pudge and Lo Duca are both on the steroid list, and Russel Martin is too young. I guess I could of taken Matheny or Ausmus for their defense, but Kendall was the better offensive catcher in the late 90's.

UNIX time

2009-02-12T14:27:00.002-05:00

Here's something that I might only find cool...

http://coolepochcountdown.com/

The All Steroid Team

2009-02-12T10:23:00.003-05:00

We'll start off with the hitters and go in a batting order:

1. Brian Roberts (2B)
2. Gary Sheffield (RF)
3. Alex Rodriguez (SS)
4. Barry Bonds (LF)
5. Mark McGwire (DH)
6. Jose Canseco (CF)
7. Ken Caminiti (3B)
8. Jason Giambi (1B)
9. Ivan Rodriguez (C)

Pitchers:

SP Roger Clemens
SP Kevin Brown
SP Andy Pettite
SP Denny Neagle
SP (Since they're taking PED's they don't need a 5th)

CL Eric Gagne
Setup John Rockera
Lefty JC Romero

Notes:

- Interesting Brian Roberts doesn't have that big jump year until 2005 when he hit .314 with a .387 OBP with 18 HR's (the previous year he hit 4 and never more than 5 before that) and an OPS+ of 139. Since then all these stats have gradually declined while his stolen bases has increased.

- I used A-Rod at SS because that's the position he played when he admitted to using steroids.

Clean verse Unclean

2009-02-12T10:19:00.005-05:00

So spring training for baseball is almost here and it can't come soon enough with all the off field news coming up.

Listening to Dan Patrick this morning Dan begins to discuss an All Steroid team verse an All Clean team. So I thought this would be a great blog entry, and since I haven't posted this month and I'm attempting to post atleast once a month this is a great idea. So over the next two posts I will be putting together my own All Steroid team and my own All Clean team.

The time frame will be the mid 90's to 2003 which could be considered the peak of the steroid era.

For the All Steroid team I will be using all admitted, implicated, positive tested, and those mentioned in the Mitchell report.

For the All Clean team I will use everyone else, unfortunately some players could be switched to the Steroid team in the future.

http://thesteroidera.blogspot.com/ has got a great list of the players on their site, plus other interesting information dealing with steroids.

For player statistics I will be using http://www.baseball-reference.com/

A DH will be included so as to keep the pitchers and position players separate.

New Years resolution

2009-01-12T09:05:00.002-05:00

I am not a very big new years resolution person. Why should you wait to for the new year to make a resolution? It's a great concept and I'd love to see numbers on how many people actual do follow through on new years resolution. I think the key word people need to focus on for resolutions is the word new, not year. This is possibly the highest rate resolutions are made during the year, but the 1st of January is not the only time of year that you can make a resolution and stick to it. When not when anything new happens in your life why not make a resolution then?

I started smoking full time after I got into the military, I had smoked maybe a pack a month and never had gotten hooked. In the military however I gradually worked up to about a pack a day, and I knew I needed to cut back so my first attempt was a sensation course the military offered, and that actually worked, but only for 3 weeks. Several times after that I would attempt to quit especially after nights when I had been hacking up a lung all night long. I even tried quitting for a girl, but that was over shortly after we broke up.

At this point I had tried several times to quit with the patch, the gum, pills, cold turkey, a woman and water. I was still smoking full time my dad, who had been a smoker for 15 years, had told me that he had quit by drinking a massive amount of water, that hadn't worked for me either. However their was one thing that had worked, something so small I hadn't even realized it, I had quit smoking in my new car.

My first car was a 1990 Ford Ranger, that only lasted me a year after buying it, I sold it for a few hundred and went and got a loan for my current car a 2000 Honda Accord. When I bought me and my buddy, who also smoked, made the decision not to smoke in the car, because my truck had looked trashed after smoking in it for a year. So I had quit smoking in my car, and it didn't bother me not to be smoking in my car, because usually I could get where I was going and have a cigarette then.

I switched from the west coast to east coast after 3 years at my current duty station, and when I did I decided that i wouldn't smoke at work and would allow myself evenings and weekends. This worked for me as well, I'd be fine during work, but the minute I got home I'd need a cigarette. My next step obviously was to quit smoking in the evenings, and I did that after I got out of the military, to the point now where I only smoke on the weekends.

I have had small bumps in the road during the whole process, but as a whole It's worked very well for me and I'm looking forward to finally being done with the habit. My final step will be when my daughter is born.

To each their own, this process may work for you and I've only applied it to smoking, I'm sure it can be used for other things. It is a long process, but I feel it's much easier to transition as you enter a new environment, your habits haven't been set yet, therefore your old bad habits can be easier to drop. I did have the advantage of entering new environments every few years, but you don't have to move to put this into effect. Every little change in life can be used, such as getting a new car or having a new family member enter your life, switching jobs, or maybe just taking a different route to work. In essence it's in with the new and out with the old.

So new years, the reason for this post, the reason why I don't set a resolution anymore is that new years is a habit, it's their every 365 days a year so you know it's coming again. So in fact new years isn't something new it's just another new day. Just like the 31st will turn into the 1st every couple months, new years is just a new number not a new environment.

In case your wondering I've found the nicotine lozenges to work the best for me, you have to suck down water like crazy but I feel their the most effective for me.

Personality strength test

2008-12-22T13:55:00.004-05:00

So via another blog I read I found a strength survey from VIA over at www.viasurvey.org

Here's how I scored:

Your Top Character Strength

Honesty, authenticity, and genuineness
You are an honest person, not only by speaking the truth but by living your life in a genuine and authentic way. You are down to earth and without pretense; you are a "real" person.

Your Second Character Strength

Citizenship, teamwork, and loyalty
You excel as a member of a group. You are a loyal and dedicated teammate, you always do your share, and you work hard for the success of your group.

Your Third Character Strength

Humor and playfulness
You like to laugh and tease. Bringing smiles to other people is important to you. You try to see the light side of all situations.

Your Fourth Character Strength

Judgment, critical thinking, and open-mindedness
Thinking things through and examining them from all sides are important aspects of who you are. You do not jump to conclusions, and you rely only on solid evidence to make your decisions. You are able to change your mind.

Your Fifth Character Strength

Perspective (wisdom)
Although you may not think of yourself as wise, your friends hold this view of you. They value your perspective on matters and turn to you for advice. You have a way of looking at the world that makes sense to others and to yourself.

There's also a survey their for children, and a shorter survey for those with not as much time. To access these survey's you'll need to fill out a registration form, which took me about 30 secs to fill out, so it's nice and easy.

"Who throws a shoe...honestly?!?"

2008-12-22T10:25:00.005-05:00

(Pulled from several locations on the internet)

Secunia

2008-12-12T11:06:00.003-05:00

This tool is amazing, I've installed this at home and it's your one stop shop for all your software updates. This tool will tell you when you're programs are in need of patching, and in a day and age where keeping your computer patched and up to date is essential to security, this is the best thing since the invention of the wheel.

It's a simple program to install, and so far it's free, but I imagine like all good software eventually it will come with a price.

http://secunia.com/

Be wary of emails with Obama in them....

2008-11-06T09:15:00.003-05:00

No this is not a political topic, this is a computer security topic, I've read from several sources that there are emails floating around regarding our new President Elect Barack Obama. The email's have been sent out with links to news video's regarding obama, DO NOT download these links even if they look legit, there is a very good chance that they could be malware.

What's amazing about these attacks is the fact that they have what looks like legitimate links to websites and downloads, such as "america.gov" and adobe flash player. These are in fact not the case and can seriously harm your computer and your personal information. Even with anti-virus protection this malicious software appears to be able to go undetected. So be vary careful with what you are opening and downloading from these emails, if you choose to do so.

News Links:
PCWorld.com
SCmagazineus.com

Just recieved these campain photos in my inbox

2008-11-03T08:45:00.006-05:00

I retract my previous post!

2008-10-29T08:27:00.003-04:00

So it appears that the E-Voting machines are in fact hackable, and it is a possibility that those people in West Virginia, and now Texas, and Tennessee could of had their votes changed. But that's not what I'm going to talk about, I'm going to talk about the E-Voting machines themselves in this article. Which it appears a debate is starting to warm up, about these machines.

I am for these machines, even though they are easily hackable and not perfect, they are in fact the future. It also appears that these machines have enough checks and balances in place to make sure you are in fact voting the way you want to vote. You are given several options to confirm your vote, which is something a hanging chad can not do, with a print-out of your vote, for you to keep, being your final vote.These machines could be so bad that you don't even get reports of votes being changed, and people could be voting and having their votes changed without their knowledge.

I do applaud the Princeton University for researching this flaw and bringing it too light, even though I disagree with the release of documentation on how to hack these machines. This is a step in the right direction to improve and secure these E-Voting machines.

World Series for people that can't sleep...

2008-10-28T13:41:00.003-04:00

Tom Verducci is one of my favorite writers, and he's posted an article on Bud Seligs Game 5 decision last night, and while I don't have a problem with the calls made regarding Game 5. I do have issues with the start time of the game. Here's my email to Mr. Verducci:

While I agree with you that Bud Selig did the best that he could, and I for the most part like Bud Selig. I am very annoyed at the fact that I go to work every day with only 5 to 6 hours of sleep because I want to watch the World Series. Saturday night was the only night I didn't catch the end of the game because of a rain delay and I had church the next day.

I don't see how any kid stays up to watch the World Series. I remember watching the 91 World Series as a kid at 3am in the morning. However that was because I was living in Germany at the time and my mom knew I wanted to watch the World Series so she'd wake me up and allow me to skip school one day to catch one of the games. I just think it's unfortunate that the youth of today and my kid on the way, will be at a disadvantage when trying to watch a World Series game because a game doesn't start before 8pm EST even on a Saturday.

This is what I was thinking as I listened to Bud Selig explain the rainout situation. I wasn't upset that the game had to be suspended I was upset that it was around 11PM EST and the game was only through the 6th inning. Now if the game had start at 7PM, and I mean the game started not this pregame stuff, then the game would of had 3 hours and 40 minutes to complete, instead of the 2hours and 10 minutes it ran. Now I've looked around too see if it had been raining at 7PM EST in Philly but was unable to find any details on that, so it might be a moot point. But regardless this 8:29PM EST start times are just degrading the game, pushing away current fans and future fans. Thus putting the future of baseball in jeopardy.

Two Holiday computer security issues to watch for.

2008-10-23T13:01:00.003-04:00

1.) Searches for "Halloween Costumes" can lead to sites that will get you too dl malware such as AntiVirus 2009 which is a fake antivirus program that has you "buy" a copy of it's software. Even if you are smart enough to pick up on the scam, removing software like this can be a bit of a pain.

Suggestion: Get mozilla firefox and get the add-ons NoScript and WoT. NoScript won't allow scripts to run that you don't want run. WoT is a rating tool used by it's add-on users that can give you a hint too how safe the site is. Green means go Red means enter at your own risk, and if you do click on a Red rated site it gives you an option to back out. If you go with out either of these you can spot these bogus sites by their lack of a description or a description with un-readable characters.

2.) Their are scam airline emails going out saying that your credit card was used to purchase some tickets on an airline, then it has you go through a process where you put your infromation in. With Thanksgiving right around the corner it's no suprise that this email scam has popped back up again.

Suggestion: Call your bank, credit card company, etc. and check on any charges that may have been made.

Learn2Vote

2008-10-23T08:40:00.003-04:00

So I'm reading PCWorld.com today and it appears some new E-Voting machines have gone rogue and are switching votes on users. OR their are still people out there that still don't know how to use an electronic device, noooo! not in this day and age. OR the E-Voting machines are Republican. OR the Democrats have conspired to keep us from moving forward in technological advancments and have us stick with the chad system.

I'm leaning towards user error, however I will admit their is a small probability that someone voted for Obama and the printout said McCain. The tech's however were unable to replicate this error and have recalibrated the systems anyways. The E-voting machines themselves have several checks in place for you too confirm your choice:

"you have voted for McCain are you sure?"

yes

"are you really sure you want to vote for McCain?"

yes

"Are you really really sure you want to vote for McCain? this is your last chance"

Yes

"Confirmed"

NO wait!

You also recieve a print-out of your choices at the end of the process. This is supposed to decrease human error and avoid another hanging chad situation's, but apparently there are a few people that have found a way to beat the check. Their are in fact only a few people who have managed to run into this issue, in which case they have been able to change their vote to their canidate of choice.

I don't think this is an attempt by Rebulicans to get votes changed by the E-Voting system in favor of McCain. Their would of been a lot more votes changed and I doubt you would of seen them changed in the first place. I'm fighting the urge to say that this is an attempt by those few people to discredit the E-voting systems, and/or possibly trying to get more votes for their canidate.

I will give them the benefit of the doubt and say that this is a computer error in which case a new voting system will require some time to get the bugs worked out. In any event their were techs standing by to investigate the issue, and the voters were able to get their correct vote cast.

This is the future people please Learn2Vote!

If you....

2008-10-10T10:48:00.003-04:00

Drive a vehicle with advertising for your own business, it's best not too be a jerk on the road.

I'm sick of seeing these vehicles with "Ernest's pressure wash" on them, cutting me off. I've thought about calling these numbers and complaining but i figure with the way they drive, they wouldn't really care what I have to say.

NLCS Dodgers vs Phillies

2008-10-09T14:13:00.003-04:00

Everyone wants the Dodgers to win, and thus are predicting it, soley for the purpose of a Dodgers vs Red Sox World Series, for the Manny returns to Boston story line. I've had enough of the story line already and I think if we do get a Dodgers vs Red Sox world series, the story line will have already been beaten too death. Leaving everyone in the media too start crying about everyone else talking about it too much.

The story line has already been beaten into the ground and usually when this happens, the other team wins. So I will be predicting that the Phillies take in in 7. =D

School won't let kid go to class because of haircut

2008-10-09T11:07:00.000-04:00

The 'Ray-Hawk' is sweeping the Tampa-Bay/St. Petersburg area, and one young fan was suspended from school because of the haircut. The boy is a die hard Rays fan and actually had blue dye in his hair over the weekend, but washed it out before he want back to school, because he knew that would be a problem at his school. However he still recieved a suspension for the haircut. The claim is that the "offensive haircut" can be a distraction to students and it can be hard for teachers to get control of the classroom. My first thoughts are that a teacher, to gain control of the classroom, can and should in fact make mention of the haircut and have a short few minutes to discuss on it and how the Tampa-Bay Rays are doing. It is after all the first time since the Rays organization has been in the postseason. Instead they decide to take him out of class and sit him in an all day in-suspension class room, where he is unable to speak or do anything. On top of that they did not even contact his parents until later in the day. They gave him and his parents the option of either shaving his head or can continue to sit in suspension until his hair grows back. I've read a few different articles and it appears the boys parents have decided to pull him out of school, and will be moving to either his old school or a different school that doesn't have a problem with the haircut.

Honestly this school has it's priorities mixed up, and decides to deny this kid of education because of his haircut. The rule book never specifically said mohawk either it stated "The district's dress code forbids hair styles that could be a distraction to students". Now they've made a small haircut supporting the local team, into an even bigger distraction that will effect the entire school.

RUN YOUR UPDATES!

2008-07-25T12:19:00.003-04:00

A DNS exploit has been found that will re-route simple internet addresses too phishing and other malicious websites.

From PCWorld.com:
http://www.pcworld.com/businesscenter/article/148854/attack_code_released_for_new_dns_attack.html

Run your windows update, or your automatic update. The patch released for home users is KB951748, you can go to your control panel, add remove programs and make sure show updates is checked to make sure that you have that. Your ISP is the main culprit and should be patching the issue.

You can go to Dan Kaminsky's website, he's the one that found the vulnerability and check to see if your are vulnerable to the DNS attack.

http://www.doxpara.com/

Review: Meet the Spartans

2008-07-22T15:07:00.005-04:00

If you've got nothing better to do for a little over an hour, want to disconnect from the world, and dumb down yourself then go get 'Meet the Spartans'. Luckily I had nothing better to do and I've got the unlimited blockbuster movie rentals deal through the mail.

At times this movie made me laugh out loud, and other times it made me shake my head and wonder who thought that scene was funny. I truly feel sorry for the people that actually paid to go see this in the movie theater, because at the ridculous prices, for a ticket, snacks, and drink this movie is only 84 minutes long. Most of the good jokes are at the end, with the credits. The gag reel did make me feel a bit better about renting this movie. The special effects are half-assed, but who needs special effects when you have Carmen Electra (Bay Watch), and Kevin Sorbo (Hercules)! And yes Kevin Sorbo makes a Hercules mention, which made me roll my eyes.

Be prepared for a lot of jokes about homosexuality, 2007 summer movies, american idol, and Paris Hilton. Overall I've seen worse (Overboard with Adam Sandler *shudder*) but not much worse. The movie had it's moments, and luckily it didn't waste too much of my time to watch, I thought it'd be atleast a 2 hour movie, but it spared me the torture.

Rating: I feel dumber for watching this movie

5-hour MLB All Star Game

2008-07-16T11:51:00.003-04:00

I had no intention of actually watching the All Star Game, I did watch the first couple innings as I had some chores to do around the TV (also because I wanted to rout for my man Lance Berkman). Then I went upstairs and listened to the game on ESPN radio as it went into extra innings. Then it got interesting with no outs and the bases loaded in the 10th inning and Aaron Cook got out of it (The AL was batting in the bottom of the inning a hit wins it). I decided after that, that I would go back downstairs and finish out the game no matter what! So after some great defense and pitching, a Popsicle or two the game finally ended at 1:39 in the morning with a sac fly (I was actually hoping to see what would happen if both teams ran out of pitchers) .

A few gripes I have with the whole thing:

- The start time was definitely west coast bias, 8:35PM EST, 5:35PM PST, and I'm a bit annoyed that Bud Selig has fallen in love with the evening events for Baseball.
- Joe Buck using the "he could end it here line with a swing of the bat" line in a dramatic voice as the pitch is being thrown, over and over and over again, trying too hard to make a dramatic call.
- Tim McCarver unable to recognize the difference between Brad Lidge's fastball and his slider, and maybe that's a tribute to how filthy Brad Lidge is.'
- The NL lost again =(

Work Art 2

2008-06-16T17:05:00.009-04:00

Here are some fliers I did at work, I only used two as the other two seemed in-appropriate for work. Suprisingly I don't think anyone in my office has seen 'Office Space'

Finally a study done by someone who actually understands gaming!

2008-06-12T12:26:00.003-04:00

from pcworld.com

http://www.pcworld.com/article/id,147009-c,games/article.html
"Video Game Addicts Are Not Shy Nerds"

It's good to see Daniel Loton, an Australian psychology gradute who has played video games, conducting a study on video gamers and their social habits.

Out of the 621 adults who responded to an online survey only 15% were considered "problem gamers" which are those people who spend more than 50 hours a week playing games (which I must admit I've done in the past). However only 1% of those gamers appeared to have poor social skills. The AMA (American Medical Association) last year made statements the MMORPG gamers were "somewhat marginalized socially, perhaps experiencing high levels of emotional loneliness and/or difficult with real life social interactions.

I find most surveys about video games laughable, but it's good too see new surveys coming out disclaiming the nerdy, shy, anti-social gamer label. Now excuse me, I must retire to my mothers basement, the sun hurts my eyes.

Producing for Media Arts

2008-06-11T10:52:00.007-04:00

So last semester I took one class "Producing for Media Arts" it was a course about being a producer in the film industry. Our final was a 3-5 minute presentation to "producers" about a script we wrote as part of the class. I aced the final and had a lot of fun in the course, as well as learned a lot about film industry which I would love to get into.

And now I present my script "Timed Run":

EXT. HOUSE IN THE WOODS

We see a 10-12 y/o two story house at the edge of some thick woods.
It is a late fall cloudy day with some light fog, and has
the appearance of recent rainfall.

We ZOOM in slowly as we see the front door open and a young-man
steps out, wearing all black work out gear. Around his neck hang
some ear piece headphones attached to a music device that is
strapped to his right arm. In the background we here the
phone start to ring. The man thinks about going back in to
answer the phone, hesitates a moment then closes the door.

CUT TO

EXT. FRONT YARD OF TOM'S AND LAURA'S HOUSE

He begins to stretch in the front yard, as a mid-size car pulls
up into his neighbors driveway. You can see a middle-aged
woman in the car as she puts the car in park, and gathers
her things that lay in the passenger seat. She steps out of
the vehicle, she wears a nurses uniform. She notices TOM

LAURA
Well good afternoon Tom. Looks like
you'll be going out for a run in
this dreadful weather.

As TOM continues to stretch he looks up at Laura.

TOM
Dreadful?!? This is the perfect
weather to run in! It's nice and
cool! You should come join me.

LAURA laughs and begins to walk towards her front door.

LAURA
I think I'll pass, just be careful
not to slip on anything. I'd hate
to have to find a new neighbor.

TOM smiles, and shrugs.

TOM
Suit yourself.

TOM pushes play on his media device and we can hear music begin
to blare from the earphones as he plugs them into his ear.
LAURA has reached her door and unlocked it and gives an
awkward wave as she tries not to drop anything she's hold to
TOM, as he begins to jog off towards the woods.

CUT TO

EXT. RUNNING IN THE WOODS

The view is at ground level pointing at an angle down a open
leaf covered path leading into the woods. A big running shoe
steps in front of the shot, and disappears as we see TOM
come into view as he's begun his run into the woods. We
switch to a side view of TOM running along the path as he
follows the winding trail, jumping and sometimes skipping
over fallen trees, rocks, and brush.

CUT TO

EXT. SABERTOOTH IN THE WOODS

Something flashes out of the corner and as he turns his head to
look, he suddenly slips on a wet rock and goes crashing to
the ground. He lays there for a moment, then slowly gets to
his feet, brushing himself off and looking around. He then
hears a low growl coming from behind him, he freezes and
slowly begins to turn around. Behind him stands a sabertooth tiger,
a look of disbelief is on his face as he watches the tiger
for a moment. The tiger turns it's head slightly to right.
Close in view of the tiger's calm eyes, and then the equally calm
eyes of TOM.

The tiger suddenly growls, which startles TOM as he takes
off running, not taking the path he currently was on. The
tiger chases after TOM. Switch between views of TOM running
and the tiger running.
Ahead we see a clearing of the woods.

TOM exits the woods, into an open field, he looks behind him to
see the tiger has stopped it's pursuit and stares at him
from the edge of the woods.

CUT TO

EXT. NORTH BRIDE IN CONCORD - REVOLUTIONARY WAR

Location: North Bridge in Concord

As TOM turns around, he runs into a soldier wearing a red revolutionary
British uniform. They both stumble to the ground, TOM looks around
confused and sees several other British soldiers in rank
staring at him.

BRITISH SOLDIER
Hey! What do you think you're
doing?
TOM speechless gets up and starts running again.

BRITISH SOLDIER
HEY! come back here!

The soldier stands up grabs his musket, and fires at TOM.

Our view is obscured by the sudden puff of smoke.

TOM feels the breeze of the bullet as it misses him, he
looks to his left and sees several militiamen preparing to
fire at the British. He looks back to the British soldiers
to see them as well preparing to fire. TOM looks up at the
sky as if praying then dives for the ground.

MILITIA OFFICER
FIRE!

BRITISH OFFICER
FIRE!

Bullets whiz over TOM's head, we hear TOM's music playing. After
the barrage TOM quickly gets up and runs into the woods,
behind him clouds of smoke screening him from either side.
We see the British begin to advance unorganized onto the
militiamen, as they begin to fall back.

CUT TO

EXT. STONEHENGE AND MERLIN

Location: Stonehenge

Rain begins to fall, and we can see the day ever slightly turning
into night.

TOM stops and looks around as if trying to find something recognizable.
The rain is pouring now and to his left he sees some
lightning that illuminates an open field. He begins to run
towards the open field. As he clears the field, on top of a
slight slope he says a circle of stones, with men clad in
weapons, and armor from the dark ages. Several horses are
tied up on the left side of the circle. TOM begins to creep
towards the circle of stones and men, unplugging his ear
phones. He sees what appears to be a ritual with a tall gray
bearded man mumbling and holding a sword over his head atop
a rock in the middle of the circle. Below him kneels a man
not wearing any weapons or armor but clearly identified as a
warrior. As he tries to get closer to hear what the man is
saying one of the men turns his head and spots TOM. TOM
freezes, hoping the man didn't see him, we see the man staring
directly at TOM as he now begins to turn around, as he's
doing this he begins to draw his sword as he steps towards
TOM. TOM takes off again for the woods. The man that spotted
TOM grunts and turns back around to watch the ritual again.
as TOM reaches the woods he turns around, just as the the
old man speaks loudly.

MERLIN
ARTHUR RISE! I MAKE THEE PROTECTOR
OF THESE LANDS.

He sees the men watching the ritual begin to gather their things.
The man that spotted him turns and begins to walk toward the
direction TOM ran. TOM ducks back into the woods, as the
rain begins to lighten up.

CUT TO

EXT. CIVIL WAR BATTLEFIELD

Location: Civil war battlefield

Tom slows down in the woods, and looks around as it begins
to lighten up again is if it's day. The rain has stopped by
now as TOM spots an opening in the trees again. He
approaches the opening slowly this time, creeping. As he
reaches the end of the woods he gasps as he sees what
appears to be the verge of a civil war battle. Blue coated
Union soldiers on the left and Gray coated confederate
soldiers on the right. A snap is heard behind TOM as he
slowly turns around, to see a Union soldier on a horse
staring at him.

UNION SOLDIER
What are you doing here boy?

TOM begins to slowly back up, unable to utter a word.

UNION SOLDIER
You look like a spy...have you come
to spy on us boy?

TOM still unable to speak shakes his head. Hey turns and begins
to run towards the open field.

UNION SOLDIER
HEY! Come back here!

The Union soldiers, digs his heels into his horse and begins to
take off after tom.

CUT TO

EXT. RUNNING THROUGH THE BATTLEFIELD

TOM clears the woods, and looks back to see the horse chasing
him. Around him confused looks as both the Union and
Confederate soldiers try to figure out what's going on. Some
begin to jeer, then some begin to cheer. Both sides begin to
get louder now as we see the horse gaining. Laughter can be
heard now, and just when the horseman is about to reach TOM
we hear the crack of a rifle comes from the Confederate
side, and see the horse rear back, and fall. TOM having
ducked to the ground rolling with his momentum gets up
quickly and runs to another set of trees.

We see a cloud of smoke from where the shot came from, as it clears
we see a Confederate soldier holding the rifle that just
killed the Union soldier.

We see a view of the battlefield as TOM reachs the woods,
and then see the unorganized sputter of rifle fire as both
sides begin to engage each other. TOM doesn't even look back
and continues to run as it again begins to get dark.

CUT TO

EXT. THE FUTURE

TOM sees a fire up ahead and hears some voices, he slows to
a jog, then a walk as he makes his way through the brush
towards the fire. The fire sits behind a mobile home, as we
see several people standing around drinking and having a
good time. TOM notices them as his friend, we see a smile cross
his face as he moves towards the group. The back door to the
mobile home opens and he stops instantly as he sees himself
stepping outside, laughing with one of his buddies whose
following him. TOM quickly ducks off to his left, one of his
friends turn as they think they hear something, then shrug
it off and take a sip from their drink. TOM ducks behind a
tree, just in hearing distance of the party. On the ground
he notices a 17th century gold coin, which he picks up and
places in his pocket.

CUT TO

EXT. MOBILE HOME BACKYARD

Our view is from behind a tree at a distance from the group of
people. Future TOM enters the circle of friends who have
surrounded the fire pit, and they begin to talk and laugh.
Then it quiets down as you can see a serious conversation
begin to take place. Then the conversation becomes a bit
more harsh, until suddenly one of TOM's friends throws a
punch at him. TOM moves out of the way, but falls to the
ground with his buddy, and they begin to wrestle each other.
Throwing jabs, and punches when they can.

The other people let the fight go on for a bit, then move in to
separate TOM and his other friend. They continue to try to
go at one another.

TOM
SCREW YOU STEVE!

STEVE
COME ON TOM IS THAT ALL YOU GOT?

Separated you see the guy holding TOM back talking to him trying
to calm him down. TOM walks away, towards his car.

TOM
Fine! I'm out of here.

TOM heads to his car, fumbling with his keys he unlocks the door
and gets in. He starts the engine and then tears off, back
past the people standing around the fire. He passes the
other TOM standing behind one of the trees.

CUT TO

EXT. TREE NEAR BACKYARD

TOM watches as the car passes him and zooms off down the
dirt driveway, and then takes a sharp right onto a gravel
rode, and tears off again. TOM looks back to the people as
if trying to listen to what they're saying, when suddenly a
loud crash is heard. TOM looks up were he had just seen
himself leave, and immediately takes off running.

CUT TO

EXT. TOM CRASH SITE

TOM reaches the crash site, his car had crashed into a big truck.
TOM approaches the driver side of his vehicle window slowly,
and looks in. He seems himself bent over the steering wheel
his eyes wide open but not moving. A shout is heard from behind
him as he sees his friends approaching quickly. He takes off
down the road, clearly upset, and disappears into the night,
ducking into some woods, he continues to run.

CUT TO

EXT. FRIENDS CRASH SITE

His friends reach the crash site and watch as someone takes off
into the woods. Steve is the first one too the driver side
of TOM's car.

STEVE
Bill check the other drive.

BILL nods, as he rushes over to the other driver. STEVE
looks upset as he focuses back on TOM, he's unable to speak
as, SAM, another friend joins him, and looks at TOM shocked.

SAM
SOMEONE CALL 911!

CUT TO

EXT. WOODS NEAR TOM'S HOUSE

We see TOM running as the sky again begins to lighten up, only
this time its cloudy and foggy again. TOM suddenly comes
crashing to the ground again, he lays their for several
minutes clearly upset. He slowly picks himself up, and looks
around, he then pukes. As he wipes away the puke from his mouth
he looks up and sees his house and begins to walk towards
the house. Now we see TOM in some serious thought as if
trying to comprehend what just happened. He stops for a
moment and looks around as if expecting something to happen.
We hear birds chirping. TOM makes his way slowly towards his
house.

CUT TO

EXT. LAURA'S FRONT YARD

LAURA suddenly comes out of the house and takes a look at
TOM who has the appearance of someone whose just been beaten
up. Scratches, and bruises are scattered across TOMs arms,
legs and face.

LAURA
Tom! are you alright? It looks like
you got into a fight with a bobcat.

TOM
Saber tooth tiger actually...

LAURA looks quizzingly at TOM, and beckons him inside.

LAURA
Tom why don't you step inside and
I'll patch you up right quick.

TOM nods and heads into Laura's house with her.

CUT TO

INT. LAURA'S HOUSE

We see TOM enter the house as LAURA disappears into another room
and returns with some alcohol, swabs and bandages. LAURA has
TOM sit down, TOM has a dazed look on his face as if trying
to figure out what just happened. LAURA begins her work on
TOM cleaning and bandaging the scraps and scratches.

LAURA
Looks like you were in a bit of a
fight. What happened?

TOM
Honestly I don't know, one minute
I'm running the next

TOM goes quiet again, cringe as some alcohol hits one

LAURA
Well it appears running isn't as
health or safe as everyone says it
is.

TOM chuckles, as he begins to lighten up a bit.

TOM
You're telling me! I don't know
what happened there...well I did
fall down pretty hard.

TOM begins to stare off into the distance.

LAURA
There all done. I hope that wasn't
too painful.

TOM
Thanks. I owe you one.

TOM stands up and groans as he feels the stiffness of his muscles
begin to kick in. He heads out the door.

TOM
Thanks again Laura! I'll see you
around.

LAURA
Bye Tom!

CUT TO

EXT. TOM'S FRONT YARD

As TOM walks across Laura's yard into his yard with a smile on
his face, he catches something out of the corner of his eye.
He turns too look and thinks he catches a glimpse of what
appears to be a saber tooth tiger. He pauses for a moment
looks around, then shakes his head and walks to his front
door.

CUT TO

INT. TOM'S HOUSE BY THE PHONE

TOM enters his home, the phone is ringing, he takes off his shoes,
and heads over the phone to pick it up.

TOM
Hello?....Oh hey Steve what's up?

As TOM is listening he sticks his hands into his pocket and then
curiously pulls out the gold coin. He stares at it for a
moment. Then looks up at the camera, with a sly smile.

TOM
Sure! I'll be there!

END

I aced my final =)

Work Art

2008-06-03T23:24:00.002-04:00

Here are some creations I made at work for my WoW guilds forums. Obviously most of them are inside jokes, but I thought they were cute....I mean beastly