President Bush wants to Drill for new Oil Reserves...

... But the Democrats in Congress are staunchly against it. Why? They say it will not serve as any short term solution. Ok so what, it is a long term aid. Drill, lets see what happens. Better than not doing anything! Read the President's Speech, and tell me what part doesn't make sense. I remember when I was younger, Americans used to expect more for each generation. Todays Congress expects us to do with less. Thats un-American at its core. Americans never did turn tail and say it can not be done, but our Congress only knows that one word. NO.

Al Gore - Uses MORE Energy than a Year ago!

This is actually hard to believe, but seems true. Al Gore, champion of smaller carbon footprints, has allowed his to grow from last year! He is using 10% more, while preaching everyone else should conserve.

In the past year, Gore’s home burned through 213,210 kilowatt-hours (kWh) of electricity, enough to power 232 average American households for a month.

Amazing! While he urges us to save and reduce, his mansion burns away at unprecedented rates. Now I don't mind listening to those who believe that we should conserve, and I respect the efforts they take to meet their own goals. But when a 2 faced jack rabbit like Gore eats more power than most people on the planet use, while urging we cut back... Well I do not respect or listen to nonsense from fools. Only fools follow fools.

John Coleman - Weather Channel Founder Speaks on Global Warming

This is a must read for everyone. John Coleman, founder of the Weather Channel, spoke out publicly to the San Diego Chamber of Commerce recently . This is what he said which has been reposted on the KUSI website from San Diego! The facts are astounding, and I agree, Al Gore should be sued in a Court of Law.

FREE One Year NRA Membership!

The NRA has decided to give away a prize to active and inactive military personnel:

On behalf of the nearly four million members of the National Rifle Association of America, thank you for serving our country! We deeply appreciate your sacrifice, and would like to offer you a complimentary one-year membership in the NRA as a token of our gratitude and respect. Your membership will include all regular benefits of membership, including a subscription to your choice of our three flagship magazines.

Iraq Safer than Detroit!

From Ann Coulter, a brilliant observation:

According to a CNN report last week, for the entire month of May, there were only 19 troop deaths in Iraq. (Last year, five people on average were shot every day in Chicago.) With Iraqi deaths at an all-time low, Iraq is safer than Detroit -- although the Middle Eastern food is still better in Detroit.

Another Idiot, NBC's Brian Wilson

Yes, Brian Wilson has proclaimed that America is broken. Yes another broken news anchor, he said this to Ohio State College Grads on Sunday. The implications are that this fool believes that America is fumbling and misguided. Well lets see, we are the last bastion of hope and freedom in the world, Socialism far outweighs Democracies per country, and the liberal media has yet to offer real news... instead they insist on editorializing their own one sided views to audiences who are sick and tired of being told what to think and do. NBC should be ashamed to have such a close minded liberal sponge regurgitate news and views to College Grads, who have already been indoctrinated in "Socialism works better than Democracy" group think. I am calling for the resignation of Brian Williams, he should be put to pasture.

Boring Apple iPhone Announcements

Apple unveiled a new 3G Apple iPhone, due out in July. It is faster, easier to program apps for, and many new games have come out. GREAT, whoop de do. I myself could care less. I don't plan on an iPhone in my future, $199 or not, and for Apple to clog up the Keynote with all and only iPhone apps, well, who cares? Ok ok, I know alot of you do. You LOVE the iPhone. I just don't care to do all my computing on a small hand held thing. I prefer a large screen and keyboard. What's next, Apple will ante up and sell us a super small HD display movie screen that we can carry on our ear or nose? I just don't want a miniaturized computing environment. Yeah, I own a cell phone, hardly have it turned on really. It is just for emergencies. Matter of fact, I was thinking of canning it. I would have rather seen an iPhone with a keychain on one end. Many other mini cell phone companies already have the features we want. I do not want ebay selling on a phone. eBay is dying out anyway in lieu of free sales sites. Ok iPhone has some cool features, but here is yet another company trying to sell us something we do not need. What a cool gee whiz toy or feature, but really, I do not care. Time to save some money for the new taxes liberals will be placing on us if Obama the Great wins the Presidency.

Green Gasoline Replacement - SwiftFuel

Robert X. Cringely tells us about an astonishing Gasoline replacement. SwiftFuel is made for Aviation from a new idea, a crop of Sorghum. China is moving to it to replace Ethanol. Robert hits on another great brain child even though I actually feel the Gasoline crisis is arbitrary and controlled by greedy politicians and past politicians who are making a mint on the so called Green movement. Anyhow, it would still be great to find an alternative to Gasoline, that can cohabit with it, so we can transition America to not just reduce our foreign oil dependency, but eliminate it. In the meantime, we should be drilling our current resources and using it, while we transition and develop this new source of fuel.

What we need in Politics Today!

Take a look at the following 2 paragraphs. Read them, and then compare this ideology to the 3 baboons running for president!

"We, the members of the New Republican Party, believe that the preservation and enhancement of the values that strengthen and protect individual freedom, family life, communities and neighborhoods and the liberty of our beloved nation should be at the heart of any legislative or political program presented to the American people." We good so far? "Our task now is not to sell a philosophy, but to make the majority of Americans, who already share that philosophy, see that modern conservatism offers them a political home. ... The job is ours and the job must be done. If not by us, who? If not now, when? Our party must be the party of the individual. It must not sell out the individual to cater to the group. No greater challenge faces our society today than ensuring that each one of us can maintain his dignity and his identity in an increasingly complex, centralized society.

"Extreme taxation, excessive controls, oppressive government competition with business … frustrated minorities and forgotten Americans are not the products of free enterprise. They are the residue of centralized bureaucracy, of government by a self-anointed elite. Our party must be based on the kind of leadership that grows and takes its strength from the people. Any organization is in actuality only the lengthened shadow of its members. A political party is a mechanical structure created to further a cause. The cause, not the mechanism, brings and holds the members together. And our cause must be to rediscover, reassert and reapply America's spiritual heritage to our national affairs. Then with God's help we shall indeed be as a city upon a hill with the eyes of all people upon us."

So what do you think? Sound like a leader? That was from Ronald Reagan - American Patriot. Captured from RushLimbaugh.com.

George Hoffer - Idiot! So called Economics Professor?

Now here is exactly the kind of fodder that makes me laugh so hard I fall out of my chair. This so called Economics Professor has made a silly and uneducated statement, and actually believes it.

"The SUV craze was a bubble and now it is bursting," said George Hoffer, an economics professor at Virginia Commonwealth University whose research focuses on the automotive industry. "It's an irrational vehicle. It'll never come back."

What an Idiot! I can out think this professor when I am half asleep. Obviously he has some agenda against large vehicles. A Truck or SUV is an irrational vehicle? Have you ever tried to pull a boat with a Prius, professor? How about take a load of trash to the dump in a VW Beetle or Honda Civic? Maybe take your camper into the mountains behind a Kia or Toyota (insert any car name here).

Trucks and SUVs are not irrational. Only the garbage you spew from your truly uneducated mouth, is irrational. Trucks, Cars, SUVs, all serve a purpose. To go off road, you need a truck. Ever hear of a FARM? Know what that is? They plant stuff in the ground, grow it, and take it to market in TRUCKS. Moron!

People prefer larger vehicles, for safety, room, better view of the road, more towing capacity, and better load hauling capacity. I own a Dodge Ram, used to own a Ford F-150, and would love to have a Ford Expedition. I like the space inside that allows me to buy something, and save the fee I would have to spend to have the item delivered. I am independent. I do for myself with a truck. I don't need anything from anyone. I don't rent U - Hauls, and I don't ask insane people like you to pay for my truck, I do it. I buy what I want, for my purposes, and no matter what brainwashing technique you use today, I will continue to buy and use what I want to, regardless of gas prices. It is idiots like you who lack basic understanding of supply and demand economics. Stop whining.

Thanks to environmental whackos like you, we lack refining capacity (our "green" laws have halted any new development of refineries). We have not drilled in any US territories for more than 30 years, professor. Matter of fact, while developing nations begin to drill off of our coast line, in International Waters, we sit idly by drinking our Starbucks coffee, and lamenting simpler times when we used oil lamps to read by, and a horse drawn buggy to gather daily food stuff.

Idiot! I would love to debate you in person on a national TV or radio show. Your ignorance would be far too easy to capitalize on, professor, you fool. Back in the 70's large vehicles were king. Our dependance on foreign oil made things tight, and that will happen again. large vehicles resurged, people preferred them. They only used small vehicles out of economic necessity. Eventually we will begin digging in US land for Oil, and when that happens, and we finally face facts, even larger trucks and cars will be the product of our folly. History always repeats itself, but you know that, you are a Professor!

Dvorak, Correct Again, Green Tech about Making Money!

John C. Dvorak has hit it right on the head once again. The push for Green Technologies is driven by profits, not some utopian idea to "save" the planet. Thanks god for Capitalism, and the drive it gives Americans to outperform any country on the planet. If not for Capitalism, we would have a third world economy too.

One of the interesting ironies of solar power is that many of the major petroleum companies are the biggest investors in solar. They concluded that they are energy companies, not oil companies, and they are using their profits from oil to invest in solar. BP has one of the finest solar portfolios. In India one of the big oil companies, Reliance, looks to be headed into the semiconductor business for this reason. Hey, these guys have made some serious money over the past few years, so they can afford these investments.

IRS Tax Rebate Stimulus Plan

So when is your Tax Rebate coming from the Feds? Sometime in May? Yes, and this article from the IRS explains just how and when yours will be processed.

Cleveland - Christmas Story House

Hi Gang, I was away for several days in Cleveland, Ohio. I attended the NA08 Logistics Conference. Great to be back, but I thoroughly enjoyed myself. I was tasked with finding some possible software solutions for warehouse operations. I found some. The real story though is Cleveland. Cleveland is a magnificent city. I read that Ohio is struggling with trying to lure people back to the city. Seems that taxes are out of control, and many businesses have closed up and left. Cleveland used to be a heavy manufacturing town, but much of that has been supplanted to China and Japan in lieu of lower costs and salaries.

They are working very hard to bring the city back. Most people who work there, leave after work, and the city becomes somewhat of a ghost town in the evenings. Some restaurants and activities do occur, but many of the local shopping venues are barren and empty after work. One mall, the Galleria closes at 5pm.

I found it a friendly city, with very pleasant people. They have the Cleveland Browns and Cleveland Indians and Cleveland Cavaliers in the city limits. Low traffic problems, waterfront activities, Rock & Roll Hall of Fame, great food at all of the various restaurants, and a great spring breeze from Lake Erie.

My favorite thing was visiting the Christmas Story House. It is on the southern outskirts of Cleveland. If you saw the classic movie, the house used in the film has been rehabbed, and you can tour and enjoy the internals of the house. The movie was originally filmed outside on the grounds of this house, but the inside scenes were filmed in a remote Ontario sound stage. However, the man who purchased the home has gone to great lengths to approximate the same look and feel the movie had. It is uncanny at the effort taken to provide details that were never actually inside the house. Complete with the Leg Lamp in the window!

Vice President - Great Lines at Annual Radio & TV Correspondents Dinner

April 17, 2008 appearance at the Annual Radio & TV Correspondents Dinner

Welcome to Maryland!

Boneheads, funny sign but true.

Apple Mail - Crappy - Definite BUG

Check this out, some smart person on the Apple website found my email problem. Seems that when he takes his website address out of the tag line area, his mail sends ok. So I tried it and it worked for me. Obvious bug, and another example of Apple problems. If Microsoft had this issue, the media would pound them, and someone would want to sue.

Re: Suddenly cannot send email through any SMTP server
Posted: Feb 20, 2007 11:07 PM

Hi,

Hope I'm not side-tracking people here but I've discovered a link between e-mails not sending and having my website address in my signature.

After reseting my POP accounts, if I include my website address in my signature (which is hosted by the same SMPTE server that I receive my mail through) then the e-mail won't send. It looks like it has been sent but it doesn't get through.

As soon as I remover the website address from the signature, the e-mails get through. Even if I slightly misspell the address, it will get through. But as soon as I put the web address back in the signature, anywhere in the signature, the mails don't get through..... very strange!

Mac Book Pro 15" Mac OS X (10.4.8)

Apple Mail - Crappy

Yes indeed, you read that correctly. I really get sick and tired of zealots claiming that Apple is far superior in all ways. The Apple Mail application has an underlying crappy design and is buggy. How do I know? I am unable to send email. I receive just fine. I have diagnosed it with their connection doctor (a cool utility in itself), and all is well. Then I remove the smtp server setting, close mail, reopen and then re-enter the smtp server setting. Nope, nothing works. Yeah, I have gone over my settings again and again. Here is the kicker, Microsoft Outlook Express works great! Thats right, it just plain works, from my PC laptop. Settings are all the same for servers and account info. The difference is it has been rigorously tested and software assurance levels have been reached by some form of process that makes sure simple things just work. Apple gets so high and mighty that they don't consider their Mail app would have any issues. Well just consider it, if I contact tech support they will send me "how to setup my server settings in 5 easy steps", swoon over how it may be my server or ISP service, or just plainly think I don't know how to click on buttons, drop down boxes or icons. What crappy software! The worst thing is I actually like Mail, I just need it to work!

Obama Steals Reagan Quotes

Want to hear the original person who spoke about change, and "Yes We Can"? This is one of the best speeches I have ever heard, and this is what America is all about!

Roy Spencer on Global Warming

Learn the REAL science behind Earth's climate from Roy W. Spencer, Ph.D.:

We live in an invisible atmospheric sea of water vapor, Earth's primary greenhouse gas. Our atmosphere could hold much more water vapor than it does, which would then lead to a much warmer Earth -- but it doesn't. So, why is the greenhouse effect limited to its current value? We don't know; scientists simply "assume" that it magically stays that way.

Current computerized climate models that predict large amounts of global warming only do so after making very crude and uncertain assumptions about how the Earth's natural greenhouse effect is maintained. In the following article I will explain why I believe that modern science can not say with any level of confidence how much of our current global warmth is caused by mankind without knowing why the Earth's greenhouse effect is limited to its current value.

In the following article I will explain why the answer to this question must be through the operation of precipitation systems, for only they can remove water vapor from the atmosphere. Even though all climate models DO contain the "average effects" of precipitation systems -- this is NOT the same as knowing how precipitation systems interactively regulate the climate system.

WalMart Stores united under ONE web address

WalMart has a new site online which gives you plenty of info on local community, opportunities, and health. What an American success story WalMart has become. The recipe for success: Give people low prices and good quality. America responds. Go to their site to learn more about this terrific company.

iPhoto Can NOT Burn a Windows Compatible Disc?

Thats right, Apple has decided that iPhoto, their photo library and editing application that comes bundled with the Mac, can not burn a Windows compatible disc. Yeah, the Mac can itself. If you use Finder you can create a disc that Windows pals can see. But if you stay in iPhoto, which is what Apple encourages, you are out of luck. Just another short sighted decision from Apple. Windows computers only make up about 90% of the computer market. No wonder. I hear how brilliant these Apple programmers are, but I keep uncovering missing features and bone head design issues. What's up with that?

Red Skelton - What is the Pledge of Allegiance

Red Skelton, famed Comedic Clown had a serious point to make about what the Pledge stands for. Please listen to this whole thing, it is short, and well worth the time.

10 Proven Gas Saving Tips!

1. Use only the manufacturers recommended octane. High test is a huge waste of money in 95% of all cars and trucks made in the last 10 years.
2. Drive like you have an egg under your gas pedal. Drive smoothly, no quick take off's.
3. Gas mileage decreases rapidly at speeds above 60 mph. Each 5 mph you drive over 60 mph is like paying an additional $0.10 per gallon for gas. Observing the speed limit is also safer.
4. You can improve your gas mileage by around 3.3 percent by keeping your tires inflated to the proper pressure. Under-inflated tires can lower gas mileage by 0.4 percent for every 1 psi drop in pressure of all four tires. Properly inflated tires are safer and last longer.
5. Keep your vehicle as light as possible.Get rid of all that junk in your trunk!
6. You can improve your gas mileage by 1-2 percent by using the manufacturer's recommended grade of motor oil. For example, using 10W-30 motor oil in an engine designed to use 5W-30 can loweryour gas mileage by 1-2 percent. Using 5W-30 in an engine designed for 5W-20 can lower your gas mileage by 1-1.5 percent. Also, look for motor oil that says "Energy Conserving" on the API performance symbol to be sure it contains friction-reducing additives.
7. Fill up every other day when prices are spiking.
8. Combining errands into one trip saves you time and money. Several short trips taken from a cold start can use twice as much fuel as a longer multipurpose trip covering the same distance when the engine is warm. Trip planning ensures that traveling is done when the engine is warmed-up and efficient.
9. Replacing a clogged air filter can improve your car's gas mileage by as much as 10 percent. Your car's air filter keeps impurities from damaging the inside of your engine. Not only will replacing a dirty air filter save gas, it will protect your engine .
10. Don't drive 20 miles out of your way to gas up because you heard from a friend or website that gas is cheaper over there.

Can Apple Maintain Software Properly Anymore?

Apple released a Security Update for Mac OS X today. Seems that people are already experiencing problems! The command line SSH utility that allows one to login to a mac remotely, is aborting on an error. I now have to ask this question. We know Apple can design nice devices, from computers to ipods and all in between, but are they able to maintain support over a long period on those devices? My initial response is no, Apple is not capable of providing world class, top notch support over a long period for their software products. Apple only knows how to create new stuff, not maintain the old stuff. It is no surprise, software code grows by leaps and bounds when feature glut happens. Mac OS X 10.5 is laden with all kinds of new features, many of which do not immediately enhance anything for the end user. Eye candy is great, pretty little icons, woa, cool. But reliability, something the Mac was known for over the last 10 years, has diminished. Microsoft is usually the butt of jokes when it comes to flunky buggy software, but Apple has been sharing the limelight, much of it due to this new 10.5. I am not impressed. Matter of fact, I want 10.4 Tiger back! But Apple doesn't allow 10.4 to be loaded on newer hardware. It is a monopoly of sorts internal to the catacombs of Apple. A way to force you to upgrade to the new OS. If Microsoft did that they would be taken to court. Hmm, maybe a class action suit would do the trick here.

Indiana Jones Movie May 22nd

My favorite! Wow, Indiana Jones will be back on the BIG screen May 22nd, Memorial Day weekend. Many years ago, I recall dragging my mom to Raiders of the Lost Ark, a seemingly dirty dusty boys movie, which I was sure she would hate. Ended up that the movie was so very good with much action, great characters, mystical ancient curses, and just alot of fun! We both loved it. Indiana Jones has endured many generations and Harrison Ford deserves much of the credit. Harrison's Indian Jones persona touched with sarcasm and riveting musical score is simply a huge hit to all ages. Karen Allen even reprises her role as Indy's flame from the past. I can NOT wait until May when I will go see this movie, probably a few times. There are not many movies fans go to the theater to see over and over; Star Wars, Raiders, and hopefully this one, Indiana Jones and the Kingdom of the Crystal Skull.

Florida Fools In Yet Another Voting Fiasco!

I have had enough of Florida. They couldn't vote properly in the Bush vs. Gore election in 2000, they didn't know how to punch holes in cards making detached CHADS. Then in 2004 Florida residents claimed the election was stolen due to thrown out ballots, apparently surreptitiously taken from polling sites, by unnamed assailants. It matters not that representatives from each party were there, but wether they were alive is another question. NOW we have Florida residents who simply can not find their polling place wasting $2500 to keep open a ghost town of a polling place. Perhaps the 68 registered voters in the Prospect Bend neighborhood can not read. Maybe they are all disabled? Or maybe they simply forgot to change the calendar from February to March, thinking leap year actually takes a whole month versus a day every 4 years. I don't know, maybe they just didn't give a hoot. But whatever the issue Florida residents have, they very well deserve sorrow, our heads bowed, and our hearts heavy with the prospect that some of them reproduce. What an utter shame and disgrace Floridians exhibit to the rest of the United States and the World. What a mess everything else must be in Florida.

Severn Maryland WalMart Opens - Well Received!

A new Super WalMart just opened here in Severn, Maryland on March 6th. Of course, we had to go visit for the Grand Opening! The store was simply amazing! We were greeted by a person handing us a MAP of the store!



It housed 4 acres of merchandise and food. The layout was simple, well thought out and easy to navigate. The store had a familiarity to it. Many of the other local WalMart stores in the area seemed to be setup in similar fashion. But this store added the Market on the left side. It beat just about any normal super market in square footage and product variety. Add to that the comparable prices, and you have a win-win situation. Of course, it was clean. I mean really clean. This store lacked the tile floor, but seemed to have a coated cement floor for the aisle ways. It gave the air of warehouse, but with a department store flare. It has a drive through pharmacy pickup, huge amount of shopping carts - 2 for everyone easily - fresh cooked chicken and meals section, every single register was open - more than 22 lanes - 4 different associates asked me if I needed help with something. Friendly people behind each section/counter/department, selection-selection-selection! Even though it was busy and "crowded" the aisles were so large it didn't seem like it, but the parking lot proved against that theory, almost the whole lot was packed save for a few end spots way out there. Not one grouchy person could be found who works there. Some of the help in the lunch meat department were slower than I would expect, but simply because they were new, I think. This WalMart has a Lube and Tire section for auto maintenance, a very large lawn & garden section, and a large selection of HDTVs and exercise equipment. I was not as impressed with the Toy section, which seemed smaller than I would have expected. But I did find a nicely priced Roddy Piper action figure. Cheaper than eBay right now. So they still score points. (Shown below)



All in all this store was a pleasure to shop in, and a huge success. Right off of Interstate Route 97 at the Quarterfield Exit, it is easy to get in and out with a dedicated stop light and direct access to Route 97. Looking forward to many years of service there, and have to give a large hand of approval to the transition team who closed down the Crain Highway store the night before. Wow!

John Coleman, Weather Channel Founder, Advocates Lawsuit Against Al Gore.

And yes, so do I. The Weather Channel founder has proclaimed that TWC has lost its track by advocating a stance on Global Warming that is untrue.

“[I] have a feeling this is the opening,” Coleman said. “If the lawyers will take the case – sue the people who sell carbon credits. That includes Al Gore. That lawsuit would get so much publicity, so much media attention. And as the experts went to the media stand to testify, I feel like that could become the vehicle to finally put some light on the fraud of global warming.”

Amen Brotha!

Natural Gas ONLY Major Heat Source in World, Proclaims Will Wagner

Thats right crew, I myself have proclaimed that Natural Gas is the only major home heating source in the World? What makes me such an expert? The audacity! Well, I can look at current world events and the answer is simple. Take for instance the standoff between the Ukraine and Russia. Russia has been cutting the Ukraine natural gas flow in an attempt to stem the democratic tide. if there were alternatives like our Global Warming wackos believe, this tactic would not only fail outright, but wouldn't even be tried. Russia would be wasting time using this tactic if there were all kinds of "green" alternatives that the Ukraine could use. Since there are no alternatives, we must admit that Natural Gas is the ONLY Major Heat Source in the World. Take that Al Gore you pinhead.

True Intellectual - William F. Buckley Dies @ 83

William F. Buckley, a true intellectual of our time, has passed away. If you research his life and achievements, you can only be in awe at how dynamic an individual he was. How really brilliant his thought. As with all of the great people in our lives, he will be missed!

Compact Fluorescent Bulbs - Danger, Life Threatening!

Ok gang, the idiots in office in our US Congress have made the regular light bulb ILLEGAL after 2012. To many people this seems like no big deal, until you realize that the replacement Compact Fluorescent Bulbs are DEADLY! The Boston Globe has an article on what you will need to do to pickup after a breakage of one of these bulbs. The article notes small amounts of Mercury will be released into the air, and kids, pregnant women are at risk of death. So just what are small amounts? The amounts released could be 100 times the suggested limit by the same federal government. In the guise of saving the planet from Global Warming, we are being forced to bring toxic chemicals into our homes.

Apple Crashing Problem Revealed - Leopard Graphics Update

Well right here yesterday I accused iTunes of crashing my iMac. I may have been only partially correct, the underlying issue looks like it was the Leopard Graphics Update 1.0. I highly suggest that you pass on this update, and do not install it. It seems that the Graphics update, once removed, allows everything to operate as expected. It took me 1.5 hours to re-install, but I have to admit, it was very easy. Leopard saw my previous install and kept all information, then imported it into the fresh install. I was able to back up to the original 10.5, then I re-patched the system - leaving out the Leopard Graphics Update. Now all works as it should. Not sure what is in that Graphics Update, but it stinks. As I stated yesterday, this has happened a few time over the last year. I am opting out of taking updates right away. I will instead wait a few weeks, maybe then I will install new system wide updates. Application updates should be less difficult, but one never knows. Apple desperately needs a way to back up and remove previously installed updates, much like Microsoft has in Windows.

iTunes Crashes Again and Again

Well for the second time in a few months, iTunes has been upgraded, and along with that comes some kind of database or iTunes corruption problem. I don't use iTunes frequently, but I do use it to download podcasts. I have also imported some videos and such. So nothing major. BUT I wouldn't trust it to categorize all of my CD music, thats for sure. iTunes was just upgraded to version 7.6.1, and after that, I was unable to view my Podcasts. iTunes would crash and ask me if I wanted to reload or ignore. I reloaded it a few times and after that ignored. I can make iTunes crash at my will. Every time I touch the podcasts link on the left side under Library, it crashes. My only option is to move my iTunes library, and start new. A rebuild won't work. Anyway, I move the library, and it starts to work fine. But the hassle is anything I imported in the old library, now has to be moved or copied over to the new library. Not only that, but Coverflow is still causing it to crash. My custom artwork has to also be copied or imported new. This major problem happened before a few versions back, and a week later a new version was quickly thrown out to fix the problem. I am running Mac OS X 10.5.2, on an Intel iMac. This should not happen at all. Apple is supposed to be this great software company. I ask, do they even test their software upgrades? I have complained before, Apple needs to provide a method for removing patches and upgrades, a sort of rollback feature.

This is not the first time Apple has sent out buggy patches. My old Intel Mac got the audio noise bug from a software update in 10.4. I think I will no longer upgrade software as soon as patches become available. I may opt out for a few weeks to see what happens in the Mac community before accepting any future upgrades to Apple software.

Why Elections Are So Important - 2nd Amendment Ignored - Guns Confiscated

Many Americans wonder just why they need to vote, why they need to listen during political campaigns, and why people like me say the process is so important. This is a Video PROVING that the Government and Sworn Police Officers, can and will invade your home and personal property at any condition, and violate your rights. This can not be tolerated. Those rights must be fought for, and not simply taken for granted. If we are not vigilant, and support politicians who support personal liberty and freedom, we are in big do do.

HD-DVD Finished, Toshiba Pulls Plug

Seems that Toshiba has pulled the plug on any further development of HD-DVD Video formats. Those movie companies who placed stakes on this format are sure to take some kind of loss. One item that comes to mind is the Classic Star Trek re-release in HD-DVD. I opted to wait for it due to this continuing battle. Now I will have to wait for new versions supporting BluRay.

Save Windows XP Petition at InfoWorld

Windows XP is the operating system of choice for the majority of computer users out there. Indeed Mac OS X has taken some market share, as well as Microsoft's own Vista. But one sure fire way to force everyone to move to Vista is to make it mandatory. I have mixed feelings on this one. I would prefer to see Windows XP continue on. Mac OS X 10.4 was also forcibly closed and no longer available as a shipping option, in place 10.5 Leopard has been forced on us. I don't really see a difference between the two. Both XP and 10.4 were sound, reliable operating systems. But Vista and Leopard were the new alternative by their host companies. And both Vista and Leopard 10.5 had and still have some major problems. But Microsoft come under attack. Apple gets a free ride. I say if XP is allowed to continue, then we should push for 10.4 to be an option on new Mac Hardware. But that won't happen, and XP should be killed off, if Microsoft wants it to be killed off. They should instead fix Vista and customers would want it over XP, that that also won't happen. At least Apple has released 2 updates to Leopard since its release. Microsoft has issued one update. So what choice do we as consumers have? None.

Sad News - Phil Swisher Memorial

One of my best friends just passed away last Saturday. He was a loyal reader of my old bulletin board, some 15 years ago, as well as this webpage and especially my email newsletter. His contributions were endless, he would send me many links and story leads, as well as the usual jokes and adult humor. It was quite a shock, and I will miss his sense of humor, and all the pictures of his family, their events and grand children. He really made me feel like a family member. Please consider giving to his Memorial Page, the American Stroke Association. Phil suffered several strokes over the last few years, he was nursing his wife back from serious health problems, and always seemed to hang in there and bounce back. I thank him for all the great correspondence, and wish his wife and family my condolences. See you later my friend!

eBay Finally Lowers Fees!

February 20th marks a first for eBay. Fees for inserting an auction in the site will actually go down. No doubt due to online competition and slumping online sales. The rate fees schedule is as follows.

Starting Price Current Fee                    New Lower Fee
$0.01 - 0.99 (auction-style only)              $.20    $.10
$1.00 - 9.99 (auction-style & fixed price)     $.40    $.25
$10.00 - 24.99 (auction-style & fixed price)   $.60    $.35

Ford F-150 Test Drive

Hey there gang, I recently posted some information about the new 2009 Ford F-150. It has been a long time since I owned a Ford, so I decided to go take a test drive of a new 2008 F-150. Wow, what a difference since I owned my 2000 Ford, which I really liked. The new 2008 is fantastic. It was one of the most comfortable vehicles I have driven in a long time. The seats were very supportive and comfy. The FX4 4x4 that I drove had a sunroof, small back bench seat, and a backup camera. I thought the backup camera was very cool. I sat there a moment thinking, "just how to turn it on". Duh, you simply put the vehicle in reverse. The stereo was a 6 disc in dash CD changer, which sounded great. There was an input jack for MP3 player, but that was on top of the dash. I like the new console and floor shifter. Really gave me a car driving experience, but in a truck package. Very tall bed for hauling, 4x4 for snow and off road, and very nice seats. Loved just about everything about the truck. Now I just have to find a way to sell mine and at least break even. Any takers?

Want to know more? Check out this Ford Website called The Truth About Trucks. It goes over some of the positive design points of the new F-150. They also do a comparison against the Toyota and Chevy trucks. Quite funny and eye opening.

Right now I own a Dodge Ram, love it, but the smooth ride of the F-150 outdoes my 2007 Ram. I consider them both new, but the Ram just can not compare this time around.

Macbook Air - Taken Apart

The big news in computing recently was the debut of the Macbook Air. It is super thin, so thin it can be carried in an inter office memo pouch. Take a look at the Macbook Air Official Site, then go see the inside of the Macbook Air and all of its thin tiny parts!

Condemned on DVD - Stone Cold Steve Austin

We purchased and viewed the WWE Films / Lionsgate release called the Condemned. Reviews were mixed, and it didn't sound like a very good movie to see. BUT to my surprise, this one was great. It had a good story, was realistic, and had a character to root for. Steve Austin did a great job as an action star, and I urge you to go rent or purchase this one. That is if you like explosions, action, gun battles, fighting and good guys beating bad guys. It had some content that I wouldn't want the small kids to see, but was not done in poor taste. I have to give this one 4 of 5 stars for the action and main character.

New Ford F-150 for 2009

Seems Ford has made some updates to the sales dominant F-150. However, this new 2009 Ford seems to be the step child of the F-250 design standards. Seems like a copy in many ways. I guess one has to ask, why design the F-150 to look just like the F-250? Why not just stop making one, and plop a new label on the F-150? Maybe thats what they did?

One of the most interesting things is the cap-less fuel system. Hope they put some cushion in the seats! Both the newer dodge and Ford models have elected to copy imports and provide a still thin cushioned seat. Oh for the good old days when a seat was soft and comfy! I remember my 2000 Ford F-150, now that was comfort!

Overall though at first glance this truck looks the same as the old one from a distance.

New (Old) Enterprise in Upcoming Star Trek XI

I stumbled across some totally cool images said to be from the new Star Trek XI Movie coming out this Christmas. I am a huge fan of Trek, especially the old characters. Kirk and the gang are back, young, and we look into the beginning times of the favorite Enterprise from the old TV show.

Rush Limbaugh Non-Concession Speech!

Rush Limbaugh does it again, this is a very funny election coverage YouTube Video. In it, Rush notes that many have given up, yet he never will, no matter how much the Media says he has lost! Just Funny, yet a cross section into the biased coverage. Enjoy!

New 2009 Dodge Ram

Dodge has made some major refinements to the NEW 2009 Dodge Ram. The exterior is really impressive. The slanted front nose gives it a racing car style appeal. Added exterior storage was lacking in previous models, but that has been remedied, though the lines of the exterior storage may not be in the best place. Dodge sure knows how to make a vehicle look sporty, I must say! The interior has been updated with many extras and what seems to be a leather sports car appeal. Though the last few Dodge Trucks have slimmed the seats for a long hard ride, it is hard to tell with these pictures if the cushion in the seats have been increased as previous 2005 and older models. I can not wait to test drive one! If looks are any indication, this could be a fun truck to drive!




See the unveiling!

Fred Thompson Withdraws Presidential Bid.

Sadly Fred Thompson withdrew from the Presidential race. Shame! I liked his views most. I didn't like him because he was a slick speaker, or had gobs of money, or maybe because he had all kinds of hair brained entitlements to offer for your vote. I liked him because he believed in personal freedom and liberty. Not too many others to pick from that offer the same sensible ideas.

Thompson released this statement:
"Today I have withdrawn my candidacy for President of the United States. I hope that my country and my party have benefited from our having made this effort. Jeri and I will always be grateful for the encouragement and friendship of so many wonderful people."

Renown Idiot Randy Newman Attacks Bush at Apple Keynote - Open Letter to Apple

Renown idiot Randy Newman was on hand at the end of the Apple Keynote. He attacked our President. This is outrageous, and here is the letter I am mailing to Apple.


Apple
1 Infinite Loop

Cupertino, CA 95014

Dear Sirs;

I am a PC switcher, someone who has left the PC World for your "better" Apple products. At the last Keynote your company had on hand Randy Newman. This Bozo went on to attack our President. Like him or not, or his position, he should be given respect. I do not take kindly to personal attacks at a Keynote in which you should be sharing corporate news, not Liberal hate speech.

I expect an Apology from Steve Jobs for the boneheaded maneuver of catering to all the liberal high school teachers who believe that Bush caused 9-11 to happen, and even had a hand in planning it. Not to mention all the Global Warming idiots who insist SUVs are causing Global Warming, even though not one expert can nail down specific temperature rises over the last 5 years let alone 500 years.

To attack a President who beat his Liberal contenders, not only in 2000, against empty headed, debate losing Gore (as well as an empty headed member of your Board of Directors), but then to go onto beat John Kerry... Shows us that Bush must not be so dumb after all. Stop whining, and do your job, Jobs!

I expect Apple to continue focusing on computing products, versus politics. But if Steve Jobs ever wants to speak out again, he could always run for President himself, and show us how smart he really is.

Washed up Randy Newman could also run for office if he thinks he is better.

Will Wagner

Family Guy - Blue Harvest

The latest comedy show from Family Guy is available on DVD. The big buzz for me is that it comes with a digital copy you can import into iTunes or Windows Media. Now this is a great idea! For the first time a company, namely 20th Century Fox, decided to give the masses what they wanted. A digital copy, protected by license, that we can take with us, yet keep the DVD safe at home.

Congrats to Fox for taking the initiative to give customers more choices, spending the funds and resources to get it done, yet allow control of copyrights and license! Kudos!

Take a look at the Flash Widget below for Blue Harvest!

Ever Hear of the North American Union? VChip Under The Skin? Scary Stuff!

Ever hear of the North American Union? Probably not. But you should know, and you need to educate yourself quickly. This video is a must watch. If even half of this stunning documentary style movie is true, we are in big trouble! Prophecy is being fulfilled before our eyes, we are fortunate enough to bare witness to these incredible events!

Actual Beer Brewing Bender

This is quite funny. Futurama fans rejoice, now there is a full size Bender robot that is capable of brewing beer. Though one of a kind, it could lead to inspiration among other fans to replicate the smarty pants robot.

Light Bulbs Banned in 2012

What a circus! Government has stooped to a new low, by passing a law that will ban the famous incandescent light bulb. All in the guise of saving the planet from Global Warming nonsense. Our government leadership actually believe that these little light bulbs will do anything more than make the producers of the new lighting rich? Consider this, the current cheapo light bulbs cost about $.50 cents. The new mercury laden low power consumption bulbs cost at least $3.00 each. In 2012, you will be FORCED to swap out all of our light bulbs, or at least will only be able to purchase the new ones, which will eventually FORCE you to swap out your light bulbs. What a crock! Government has many more pressing issues to consider, or should be anyway, than decided what free markets can and can not sell to consumers.

What is next, actual banned of SUVs, or how about Coca-Cola, bleach, cigarettes, liquor, mowing grass? Whatever the thugs think should be banned, in DC, will be! And what are you gonna say about it? Will you say anything at all? Perhaps you will roll over like a herd of sheep, and simply be clean shaven and sent to pasture.

You say its no big deal? Not until this wacko environmentalism goes so far that we won't be able to stop it, and it could very well be the undoing of America. Enjoy your banned light bulbs while you can.

RIAA Gestapos Sue to Halt CD MP3 Ripping.

Yes sir, the Recording Industry Association of America (RIAA) is actually suing a private citizen for ripping CDs, his own personal CDs. John Dvorak shares my disgust. The RIAA wants to restrict your personal rights to music you have purchased, so they can control how and when you listen to it, provided you pay a fee each time.

John says "The irony here is that years ago, the VCR saved the film industry, despite Hollywood's attempt to ban the device. But those days are over. DVRs serve no useful purpose to the movie industry, so, in the movie industry's view, they must be eliminated. The broadcast industry has a similar attitude: People should sit and watch its products when they are told to watch them. Network broadcasters program a series of shows designed to lead into one another on a specific night for a specific reason. The industry sees no benefit in consumer choice or concepts such as time-shifting."

Ready for Pure Digital TV? - Bye Bye Analog!

If you have not heard yet, Analog TV signals are set to be turned off around the US, February 2009. This means that if you have rabbit ears or an older TV not connected to cable, you will lose your TV signals on this date. Newer digital signals will be broadcast, but only new TVs with a digital tuner, such as HD TVs, will be the only televisions that can receive signals. Take a look at the government TV Converter Box Program site if you want a coupon towards $40 off of a converter box that hooks to your old TV, to enable you to receive the digital signals. Be warned you have 90 days to use the coupon, so don't get it too soon. Also read to get more in depth information about this process.

2007 Holiday Gift Guide - 50 possible gifts for giving!

Time to find the perfect gift for that special person or persons. You might be able to find that gift in this listing. Take a gander, and check out the Bust of Elvis that speaks and sings. It is kinda scary, to me. It is called the Alive Elvis from WowWee Inc. Seems that Alive Elvis can communicate with you, and he has sensory equipment to keep his eyes on you. Yikes!

But my favorite one is the NEW USB Doomsday Device Hub. It looks like the device used to launch thermonuclear war. Gotta have it!

Vick's VapoRub on the FEET?

Ever hear of putting Vicks Vapor rub on your feet to cure or at least stem a cough? I got this from a friend and reader, then my wife said she had some friends who have tried it. News is, it works. Hard to imagine, seems weird, but if it works, why not. I have been down with a cold the last few days, and next coughing spell, I am gonna try it!

Some of us have used Vicks Vaporub for years for everything from chapped lips to sore toes and many body parts in between. But I've never heard of this. And don't laugh, it works 100% of the time although the scientists at the Canada Research council (who discovered it) aren't sure why. To stop night time coughing in a child (or adult as we found out personally), put Vicks Vaporub generously on the bottom of the feet at bedtime, then cover with socks. Even persistent, heavy, deep coughing will stop in about 5 minutes and stay stopped for many , many hours of relief. Works 100% of the time and is more effective in children than even very strong prescription cough medicines. In addition, it is extremely soothing and comforting and they will sleep soundly. I heard the head of the Canada Research Council describe these findings on the part of their scientists when they were investigating the effectiveness and usage of prescription cough medicines in children as compared to alternative therapies like acupressure. Just happened to tune in A.M.Radio and picked up this guy talking about why cough medicines in kids often do more harm than good due to the chemical makeup of these strong drugs, so I listened. It was a surprise finding and found to be more effective than prescribed medicines for children at bedtime, in addition to have a soothing and calming effect on sick children who then went on to sleep soundly. A friend tried it on herself when she had a very deep constant and persistent cough a few weeks ago and it worked 100%! She said that it felt like a warm blanket had enveloped her, coughing stopped in a few minutes and believe me, this was a deep, (incredibly annoying!) every few seconds uncontrollable cough, and she slept cough-free for hours every night that she used it. If you have grandchildren, pass it on. If you end up sick, try it yourself and you will be absolutely amazed by the effect.

Why are Macs More Costly, or Are They?

Lockergnome has a nice article on comparisons of the cost of a leading brand PC to the Mac Pro. The comparisons are to HP and Dell systems. Mac Pro is the high end Apple offering.

Now that you see the reason of Apple’s pricing, let’s move onto ownership. One big difference between a Mac and PC is the life they have during ownership. After you get a Mac, you might start realizing that the cost you paid for it will soon save you much in your wallet. The first thing you will come to notice is the software. Software on the Mac side is normally cheaper. I believe that the amount of software you buy for your computer can eventually equal or surpass the cost of the computer. Well this is just one reason why a Mac can save you money.

Interesting discussion on cost of ownership. Might be worth a thought when you are ready to purchase a new system this holiday season.

Wow, another Mac Leopard problem!

I see a new Leopard problem just about once every 2 days. This is a big one in my mind. Makes me glad I didn't upgrade to 10.5. As I stated earlier in a few posts, Leopard has had way too many issues. At that time there were 15 or so, now there has to be 20. Apple MUST correct these issues, and has tried with their latest patch to 10.5.1. But they are beginning to learn the pains of being successful. The more who use Apple computers, the more people who will be vocal and speak out. Oh and take their new OS through paces that Apple can not do themselves. I welcome Apple as a true contended to the Windows dominance. They still have a few things to augment. They need to lower the price of their computers, especially to grasp PC switchers. Perhaps they should market their low end iMacs as an alternative to the low end PC. Or better market the mac Mini as a direct PC replacement. For instance, add the stupid keyboard and mouse, and market it to supplant the PC box in a 30 day challenge promo. I just don't think they have done a very good job in this area. Marketing is good at Apple, as far as getting the word out about iPods. But they need a little more effort in the desktop area.


I think it is time for Apple to allow Mac OS X the ability to run on any PC platform. Windows dominance has been done with applications on top of their Windows operating system. Apple could do the same thing, especially since the iPod is the major stock pusher, not the Mac hardware. Still I do understand that Apple makes a double sell on the OS and the hardware when someone purchases an Apple computer. Perhaps they could ramp up the price of the OS, maybe double it, for the run anywhere version. I think this move has come and the time is right while Vista flounders. It will not be long before Microsoft gets their act together and fixes Vista. Once they do that, their 90 percent coverage advantage in the desktop software will really shine.

Dell XPS ONE, kinda like iMac, but BETTER!

Yeah, I am an Apple iMac guy right now, but this computer from Dell is a winner! It offers many features that the iMac does, integrated speakers, built in webcam, all in one design, one cord, wireless internet. But this new PC offers something the iMac lacks! Wow, a TV Tuner! It has a glass base, and is black. Looks great, has FULL feature remote, not just a one button remote like the iMac. It has the same Intel Core Duo 2 (Extreme version), 2 gig of memory... on and on. Did I mention the 8 slot memory card reader and USB slots on back and side. This is simply awesome! It really is a pound for pound winner when placed against the iMac. Only problem, it doesn't run Apple OS X. You gotta stick with Windows. But if you like Windows or have to use it, and don't want to switch to Apple, then this is my candidate for "Weblinksnewsletter Must Have". Dell has outdone itself, taken Apple's idea and made it even better. I want one for sure!

Star Trek Movie Room

This is a fun movie theater room. I would love to do this one day, make my movie theater room into the set of a Star Trek TV show. Thats what this home owner did. You can note the Trek-like seating and the bar off to the side, complete with Trek lighting techniques.

Vista Death - Mac OS X Glut!

Lockergnome hooked me up with a very interesting article from John C. Dvorak (as I have said in the past, one of my fav tech writers). Johns says that we are experiencing a Vista Death watch. He explains that Vista is nowhere near as popular as the installed base of Mac OS X users, and is a mere sliver of the installed base of Windows XP users. XP users are so fed up with Vista that they are moving back to XP. Windows just seems unable or unwilling to concentrate on their "core" software business. Vista is a gluttonous OS, and this should be expected, it is huge, has too much eye candy, and is expensive.

Now, I have been a Mac user for a few years now, so that qualifies me as being an advanced user, based on my system admin background in the PC world. Mac OS X for once, has followed in Microsoft's footsteps. They have placed all kinds of eye candy in OS X 10.5 Leopard, that the advanced user sees the functions as getting in the way. This software feature glut, I call it, has crept into the Mac OS. It was always standard with Windows.

Ok point: Apple has taken an incorrect detour with this last iteration of Mac OS X Leopard. They have decided that features and eye candy are more important than stability and bug fixes. Don't believe me? Take a look at the RSS feed (feed://docs.info.apple.com/rss/macosx.rss) from Apple on the sheer volume of bugs in 10.5. Not to forget that complaints on the semi-transparent menu bar, and the Dock. Oh Spaces, the virtual screen manager has many people worked up too, and Time machine is a little buggy, even if it is kool.

Apple should never follow Microsoft, but Apple should listen to us. I would prefer to see these cool new features have an ability to be toggled off. Mac OS X Tiger is sturdy, fast efficient, and gets the work done. Leopard is eye candy, and chock full of extras. I don't mean to be rude, but 10.5 should have been a 10.4 feature pack. Thats all it really is.

I see both Microsoft and Apple in trouble on this war to settle the eye candy debate. Vista is indeed so plum full of eye candy that gets in the way of doing work, email and web browsing, that many just can not take it anymore, and are dropping it for XP. I opted to pass on Leopard because of the same reasons. It didn't offer me a single thing I needed. Not one thing! Sure, it looks cool, and has many new tools and features, but nothing I can not life without. I would love a new iMac, but would load 10.4 on it if it would allow me, and I suspect it would.

Both of these companies have upped the ante. Not long ago, within the last 2 years, Apple always sold their OS based on speed, efficiency, and user experience. However Leopard took some of that away. They decided to please some, instead of everyone. Why not release each program as a small iTunes download?

Why not be able to purchase just Time Machine? If thats all one needs, sounds viable to me. How about Bootcamp, I want that as an extra, but don't need it, since I run Parallels. Let me but it for $20.00 if I want it. Or maybe give me a "triple choice". Buy any three software packages for a reasonable price, maybe $30.00.

Both companies are still entrenched in the old way of doing business, even though Apple is somewhat ahead in the Music category, they lack in many other places.

Booker T Joins TNA Pro Wrestling - Leaves WWE

This is a huge acquisition for TNA Pro Wrestling. One of my all time favorite in ring performers, as well as one of my favorite mic workers, Booker T, has jumped from WWE to join TNA. Booker T is a highly decorated and well respected pro wrestler, who was part of the old WCW, many Independent circuits, and lastly lately WWF/WWE. WWE talent seems to be very interested in TNA options, one of which is less travel and equal pay to what the famed WWE often pays performers.



One of the best things that has happened to pro wrestling, is this new competition. It gives wrestlers a real bargaining chip, it gives them more leverage for less travel and better working conditions. And since I am really into TNA right now, this will make it much more fun, watching Christian Cage, Kurt Angle and Booker T. WWE has to be concerned. All TNA needs now is Kane and Shawn Michaels. May never happen, but we can dream.

Global Warming Greatest Scam in HISTORY!

Straight from the ICECAP Blog from the Founder of the Weather Channel. Reposted here for record:

By John Coleman
"It is the greatest scam in history. I am amazed, appalled and highly offended by it. Global Warming; It is a SCAM. Some dastardly scientists with environmental and political motives manipulated long term scientific data to create an illusion of rapid global warming. Other scientists of the same environmental whacko type jumped into the circle to support and broaden the “research” to further enhance the totally slanted, bogus global warming claims. Their friends in government steered huge research grants their way to keep the movement going. Soon they claimed to be a consensus.

Environmental extremists, notable politicians among them, then teamed up with movie, media and other liberal, environmentalist journalists to create this wild “scientific” scenario of the civilization threatening environmental consequences from Global Warming unless we adhere to their radical agenda. Now their ridiculous manipulated science has been accepted as fact and become a cornerstone issue for CNN, CBS, NBC, the Democratic Political Party, the Governor of California, school teachers and, in many cases, well informed but very gullible environmentally conscientious citizens. Only one reporter at ABC has been allowed to counter the Global Warming frenzy with one 15 minute documentary segment.

I do not oppose environmentalism. I do not oppose the political positions of either party. However, Global Warming, i.e. Climate Change, is not about environmentalism or politics. It is not a religion. It is not something you “believe in.” It is science; the science of meteorology. This is my field of life-long expertise. And I am telling you Global Warming is a non-event, a manufactured crisis and a total scam. I say this knowing you probably won’t believe a me, a mere TV weatherman, challenging a Nobel Prize, Academy Award and Emmy Award winning former Vice President of United States. So be it.

I have read dozens of scientific papers. I have talked with numerous scientists. I have studied. I have thought about it. I know I am correct. There is no run away climate change. The impact of humans on climate is not catastrophic. Our planet is not in peril. I am incensed by the incredible media glamour, the politically correct silliness and rude dismissal of counter arguments by the high priest of Global Warming.

In time, a decade or two, the outrageous scam will be obvious. As the temperature rises, polar ice cap melting, coastal flooding and super storm pattern all fail to occur as predicted everyone will come to realize we have been duped. The sky is not falling. And, natural cycles and drifts in climate are as much if not more responsible for any climate changes underway. I strongly believe that the next twenty years are equally as likely to see a cooling trend as they are to see a warming trend. See John’s full blog story here.. See John’s forecast blog on the KUSI site here."

Baltimore Votes Democrats As Usual

The Democrats won unanimously, as well as Dixon, Democratic Incumbent for Baltimore Mayor. Seems that Baltimore is just thrilled with the crime, death toll, murder rate, and budget crisis. Baltimore will not improve until party lines are crossed and business friendly leadership comes to Baltimore. The results from the voters, rolled over to Democrats as usual, even though under Democratic rule over the last 35 years, nothing has really improved for the impoverished and the poor. Guess we will have plenty more of the same for the next many years to come. Oh well, it is no wonder Baltimore is crumbling from within. The last mayor who actually did good for Baltimore was Schaefer.

New iMac is WOW! Georgeous!

I must say that I have been very critical of new Leopard Mac OS X and the new iMac keyboard, but here are some very positive views abut the new iMac itself. I took some quality time out today to really check over the new iMac at COMP USA who had an older one and a new one on display, so I could analyze them side by side. I must admit that the new iMac is gorgeous. The screen resolution is the sharpest and clearest computer screen I have ever seen. The older Intel iMac is nice, but not even close to the fine dot pitch and clarity that the new aluminum Intel iMac has to offer. It is thinner, sleeker, and really looks good. It also seems to run a bit faster and smoother. I have to highly recommend the new iMac, even if I choose to swap out the keyboard and mouse.

Mac OS X 10.5 = BUGGY!

I have been keeping an eye on the bug reports straight from Apple's RSS Feed, and I am really sort of surprised that so many BUGS and problems are already popping up. Seems to be at least one or two a day. It is a safe bet to hold off for a few months until they all get worked out!

The problems range from hung systems at login, permission issues, account permission issues, invisible backup sets, inability to backup, and even a BLUE SCREEN after reboot. Yes the dreaded Blue Screen of Death, which is well known to Windows users. I see 12 problems listed over the last week. Thats just the ones that Apple has announced, and are able to correct. There are more than likely many more yet undocumented or misdiagnosed issues.

feed://docs.info.apple.com/rss/macosx.rss

Inspirational Young Man and his Dad!

Born without eyes, this young man is in a marching band and a musical genius. What an inspirational story, and proof that we can do anything. This young man brought tears to my eyes, as well as the actions of his dad! May god bless them both.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=-qTiYA1WiY8

Mac OS X Upgrade Leopard - Maybe, But NOT Now.

Hi gang, I have been mulling over the new Mac OS X Upgrade called Leopard from Apple. Sure, it is feature packed, and many of the items are fancy eye candy, and fancy fun applications. Take a look at the very cool Chat program that comes with it, in which you can use any "Weather man" effect and place a scene behind you while chatting. Only thing is that I have been unable to video chat anyone since I went to the mac. It just doesn't work for me. How about the new Finder Bar, has reflective shadows, ohh ahh. I actually like the changes in mail, with the ability to track and enter sticky notes and calendar reminders from mail. But it is not that hard to simply open iCal and enter an appointment. TimeMachine is their cool backup utility, but I already backup my data to an external drive. I just copy what I need, simple! "Spaces" is their multi desktop virtual server, so you can have 4 or many more desktops. Cool, but I never really liked multiple desktops. They are hard to keep track of for me. I can just shrink work and expand what I want in the same window, it is easier. Pound for pound every cool feature is something I really don't need. But here is the kicker! No where did Apple claim that Mac OS X Leopard is gonna run faster. For those of us with slower Macs, even those of you with G5 and G4 Macs, the obvious answer has to be a Big NO! I am sure Leopard will be kool, but unless it makes my computer faster, I don't want any part of it. If you have an old Mac, you may be better off buying a new one with the new OS pre-loaded. I don't like the new iMac as much as my current one. So sadly this user fell off the upgrade train on this one.

Rush Limbaugh Announces eBay Charity Auction

Complete Idiot Harry Reid, and 40 other buffoons from Congress actually signed a letter addressed to Clear Channel Radio, asking for censure of Rush Limbaugh. The Federal Government has NO authority to apply censorship to private citizens for speaking out in a political manner. This is real red Socialism going on, and you bare witness to a sad thing in America. However, Rush always wanting to do something positive for troops and their families, has placed this letter on eBay for auction. The proceeds from this charity fund raiser will goto the Marine Corps-Law Enforcement Foundation, who provides college for kids who have lost their parents in Iraq.

Take a look at the actual letter and see which Congressional Idiots want to be censorship hounds.

See the Inside of the Intel iMac

This is a pretty cool site. Basically this person has looked into a bunch of Apple products, iMacs, Powerbooks, ibooks, etc. This is a view of the iMac computer, taken apart, that not many of us experience, due to the fancy way the cases are fastened together, and also due to the fact many times the computers don't have upgradable parts or pieces that we can swap easily. That doesn't stop Kodawarisan though. Yup Kodawarisan is japanese for Kodawarisan, what else did ya think his handle meant, "great computer disassembler"?

American Leftists Attack Talk Radio

Dr. Walter Williams has an Op-Ed that is a must read for those interested in private property, rule of law and limited government. This editorial comes from a truly brilliant man, with high credentials, a professor of economics at George Mason University, and interested in founding principles of this nation. Oh and he is a BLACK Conservative. Ya gotta love that! The LIBS hate it.

See the Article.

11 Lies in Al Gore's Movie "Inconvenient Truth"

Leave it to the Doctor of Democracy to bring this story from the dark corners of the Media cover up machine. A British Judge has ordered that if schools show this fantasy movie to students, it must cite the truth on 11 major points of the movie. Woa, so the movie is misleading, what a surprise!

See a link to the info from Rush Limbaugh's Page.

Carter Calls Cheney a Disaster?

No way, former President Carter actually had the gall to call VP Cheney a Disaster? One of the worst presidents of the 20th century, and a failure himself, in economic, defense, and policies... Now thats calling the kettle black, what a guy! Carter is responsible for Iran and the troubles it is causing today!

My New iMac Keyboard Replacement

I recently had to purchase a new keyboard for my iMac. The keys were getting sticky, and were less responsive. I type alot on the keyboard, and expect a fluid soft touch that reacts to the touch. My new keyboard is exactly like the old one, but works better. I have had the keyboard for over a year, so warranty was out, of course. But I have had keyboards from cheap PC manufacturers last for 3-4 years. Not a huge big deal, but I would expect it to last a bit longer since Apple hardware comes at a premium price. Of course, maybe I just over work the keys. I don't have a very soft touch, but don't bang on it either.
Anyway, at least I was able to get one of the older style keyboards, that match my iMac, I really dislike the new aluminum cased flat keyboard.

WSJ: O'Malley an idiot!

From the Wall Street Journal!

Subject: FW: Wall Street Journal O'Malley, who will admit to voting for this idiot???

REVIEW & OUTLOOK:
Tax 'Fairness' in Action
October 1, 2007; Page A22

Every state has its problems, but we're especially glad this month that we don't live in Maryland , where Governor Martin O'Malley has been undertaking something close to a tax-increase-a-day tour.

In Ellicott City he proposed raising the sales tax to a rate of 6% from a nickel. The next day in suburban Baltimore he unveiled his plan to raise the top income tax rate to 6.5% from 4.75%. Last Wednesday in Landover he called for a doubling of the cigarette tax to $2 a pack. He has also endorsed a one percentage point hike in the state corporate income tax to 8%, new commercial real estate taxes, and a 12 cent hike in the gasoline tax to 35.5 cents a gallon. The Tax Foundation says Maryland already has the 23rd highest tax burden among the 50 states, but the Governor seems to be aiming for the top 10.

In all, Mr. O'Malley hopes to wrench $2 billion a year from Maryland workers -- in the name of filling a $1.5 billion gap in the state's $30 billion budget. The extra $500 million will finance new spending. "This is the biggest tax increase in Maryland history, by far," says Christopher Summers, president of the Maryland Public Policy Institute. But like a dentist with a drill in his hand, Mr. O'Malley says this won't hurt a bit. He claims his "reforms" will reduce the tax burden on 95% of state taxpayers, thanks to a lower tax rate on incomes below $15,000 and some tax credits. But of course everyone will pay the higher sales tax, unless they decide to shop in neighboring Delaware , which has no sales levy.

Mr. O'Malley's income tax plan is consistent with the Democratic Party's nationwide revival of its New Deal theme of the tax code as a tool for income redistribution. While nations over the globe move to flatter, simpler, pro-growth tax systems, the Governor is selling his proposal as a pain-free whack at the rich.

Trouble is, there aren't enough truly rich to finance his spending goals, so his real target is the not-so-upper middle class. His two new tax brackets of 6% and 6.5% will kick in at incomes of $200,000 and $500,000, respectively, for couples. We doubt many families in suburbs like Bethesda or Towson think an income of $200,000 makes them "rich."

The Governor also fails to mention that about two-thirds of the people he wants to hammer are small business owners -- the major employers in the state. He might acquaint himself with a new study by Barry Poulson of the University of Colorado which finds that states with either no income tax, or low flat-rate structures, have significantly higher income growth rates than states with steeply progressive tax rates.

It's a testament to Maryland 's spendthrift ways that Mr. O'Malley is doing this in the sixth year of a national economic expansion. Most states have budget surpluses, and two years ago under Republican Governor Robert Ehrlich even Annapolis was $1 billion in the black. But state spending has since exploded by nearly 18%, according to figures from the Maryland Taxpayers Association. Maryland spends $11,000 per student in the public schools, and $13,000 in the woeful Baltimore
school district. In five years the legislature has fattened school budgets by 59%, yet Mr. O'Malley and the education lobby are claiming poverty if taxes aren't raised.

Mr. O'Malley's fellow Democrats dominate the Legislature, so there isn't much doubt most of this will pass. The losers will be Maryland citizens, unless they move to another state, which we'd guess some of them will.

I voted for Ehrlich, I voted for a sound budget and less taxes, MD gets what it deserves!

Re: Bionic Woman Premiere Stunk!

“Bionic Woman” fell 30 percent during its second episode to a 4.0. No surprise here.

21 Foot Long X-Wing can FLY!

From the department of "Too Much Time/Money on your Hands" this admittedly cool X-Wing, which is life size, is awe inspiring when you just look at it. But factor in the idea that they say it can really fly, and we find yet again Science Fiction is way ahead of reality! Check out the images and the article here at Gizmodo.

New iMac NOT all that Stellar!

I converted from PC to Mac several years ago. Used to be a System Admin working IT in government. I decided to convert based on a challenge by a pal. 30 days later I was hooked. But this new iMac, the shiny silver unit with a black border, seems less polished (even though the aluminum allows for more actual polishing). The keyboard left me shaking my head. The flat keys are not comfortable, and the letters were not placed in the same place on each key. Unlike my current keyboard, where the letters are placed on the lower left corner of each key. They seemed to attempt to center the letter on each key, but some were off center. Doesn't look like a professional product to me.

Don't get me wrong, I love the iMac. I prefer an all in one computer, regardless of maker. My current Intel iMac is fantastic, and looks so much better than this "new" iMac. It just seems like a better appliance, and fits better into the family room or kitchen.

Apple is too concerned about catering to environmental wackos, who insist it be made of materials that are recyclable. Shame that Apple has decided to create something to appease, versus something that inspires.

Harry Reid Wrongly Attacking Rush Limbaugh

Thats right, the Senator Harry Reid has chosen to attack Rush Limbaugh. The charge is that Rush is calling the troops Phony. In the last few years I have listened to Rush he has only supported the troops. Know what? Reid has not been supporting the troops. BUT if you don't believe me, check out the Rush site.

I have been waiting for Rush to take an all out assault on these lying Dems, and looks like the planned attack on Rush could backfire. The Congressional Dems want Limbaugh removed from Armed Forces Radio (ala government censorship). But the backfire could be giving Rush a larger stage to rip the lying leadership in Congress a new poo poo.

All one needs to do is simply listen to Rush for a week, and you realize he is only speaking the truth, even when it goes against the Republican party. Refreshing!

Bionic Woman Premiere Stunk!

Right here I told you about the upcoming Bionic Woman series from NBC. I was looking forward to it. But to my dismay, it stunk! Obviously since Battlestar Galactica closed down, the reject actors and director has been given a chance to inflict harm on Bionic Woman. The camera work is all wrong. There are too many flash backs to things that are hazy and not a part of the original story line, as told from the beginning of the premiere. They are placing way too many hooks for future flashbacks and story lines in there. Just tell the story! They should have shown us from beginning to end how the Bionic Woman happened, not skip large parts of her rehab and experiences for SciFi flashy scene opportunities. It was way too over the top, and the story writers for the premiere must have been drunk, or absent on the last meeting to get the final story down. I like the main character, and she and the show had promise, but 2-3 more of these and the show will be cancelled. Just tell us a story, and ACT! Why does every scene have to have hidden meanings or secret plot loops? Blah!

O'Malley called Hillary Clinton in Drag!

Maryland Governor Martin O'Malley has been called Hillary in Drag. It is no wonder, since Bill Clinton, and Hillary Clinton have the very same ideals as O'Malley. Tax, tax, tax!

But that was not nearly enough for the Teflon Leprechan, whose inaugural address was filled with 1930s-era class warfare talk about the undeserving rich in the state, the haves and have-nots, the evils of corporations, bla, bla, bla. And all of a sudden, out of the blue, the state bureaucracy announced that, lo and behold, they are "projecting" a $1.7 billion budget deficit. "Huh? Where did that come from?", was the initial response of almost everyone.

It came from "projected" massive spending increases on the black hole of government-run school monopolies, which is essentially a giant payoff to the teachers’ unions that were instrumental in getting O’Malley elected and has nothing to do with "education" per se. Like all other states, the more Maryland spends on its rotten government schools, the worse they get in terms of student performance.

So in order to pay off his campaign debts with taxpayers’ money, O’Malley has proposed a surge of tax increases. His major objective, besides raising money, seems to be to incite envy and class warfare. With stern talk about the "unfairness" of "the rich" residing in the state, he has proposed increasing the state income tax rate from a flat 4.75% to 6% for families with incomes over around $200,000 per year and 6.5% for those with incomes above $500,000. In Maryland there is a state income tax and a local "piggyback" tax (isn’t that a cute and cuddly name for a tax?). The latter averages about 2.5%, which means that, for the families or small business owners with $200,000 in income, their tax rate will be 8.5%, much higher than in any of the surrounding states.

Maryland gets what it deserves! The idiots who voted for him won't have anything better in the near future, won't enjoy prosperity, and will not have a better life. They never have under a Democratic administration. They have been struggling through promises for over 35 years that government would help the little guy, and not one of the promises have come true.

Read the entire article at LewRockwell.com

Pixelmator Image Editor for Mac, Looks Promising!

Every once in a while an interesting piece of software is released, that might change the way we do business. Apple has been doing this for some time, but this gem is from another company, one that is not afraid to step on the toes of Photoshop. The Pixelmator has been released, and this looks very interesting. Download the demo Mac users, to see if you like it. If so, the $59 price tag won't break your bank!

Wacky Clown Dude - Erik D. Clown

This is a video of a guy my wife works with, who was supporting an employee appreciation day at work.

iMovie 08 Stinks!

Ok, so I have a small MOV file from a Sony digital camera, who cares what model, people always ask what model. It is a newer camera! I want to drop the MOV file into iMovie 08, but can not. I am also unable to import this movie. It is grayed out. So I goto my Movie folder, and only 1/3 of the Quicktime MOV files are not grayed out, and can be imported. It seems to only want to import the high quality files. Now I didn't see any warning or errors stating the files were low quality, even though I know they are. But I don't care, the files are from my archive, and keepers. I then proceed to search onto Apple's site (by the way the help files are more worthless than Microsoft's help files). Seems many people are having troubles just like me. But since Apple software is so easy to use, there is no advanced information on this problem from Apple. Some users claim that they have to export their MOV files to another format? Why, isn't MOV Apples format? Doesn't make any sense to me. So I expert to DV using Quicktime Pro, it then imports. BUT I have no sound. iMovie 08 just blew the doors off ease of use, and compatibility for me. Stay clear folks, iMovie 08 was not fully tested in the lab, and rushed to marked to justify the upgrade. I will contact Apple to see what the deal is, but I am NOT thrilled with this so called upgrade!

iMovie 06 just worked so much better, and could be relied upon. This new kludgy program can not. No amount of cool fades and transparent windows can justify this kind of nonsense.

Read some more from the Apple Blog

TNA Wrestling to 2 Hours!

TNA Wrestling is going to enhance the weekly Thursday night show from 1 to 2 hours. Dixie Carter, interviewed here, who is the TNA owner and President has made HUGE inroads into the Commercial Pro Wrestling World.

Fred Thompson 2008

Wow, Fred Thompson announced his candidacy for President. I just listened to his Official Announcement at his site, and everything he said, is exactly how I feel. This looks like a great candidate, and thankfully someone real we can think of voting for. Check him out for yourself!

Whoopi Defends Vick on Dog Mutilations!

Great liberal goddess Whoopi Goldberg defended low life Michael Vick on the Dog mutilations, fighting and murdering rampages that took place in his Virginia home. Whoopi claims that souther people think this kind of craziness is ok in their minds, to kill dogs, so he didn't know he was doing any wrong. So when that Rapist commits his crime against a female, since he doesn't know it was a bad thing, he should get let free huh? BUZZ, wrong answer!

Where Is the MEDIA and Politicians? The Jena Six Need Help!

It is truly a shame that race baiting and hatred still consumes so many people today. We have come a long way, but still have a long way to go. Check out this blog-cast and listen to how liberty and justice for all, is being ignored. Equality means equality for all. Not special rights for a color or creed. This crazy stuff should not be happening in todays free world... Not in America! This is the result of race baiters who use racism to get elected to office, and who use race to collect money and advantage at the expense of all of us. Yes, the liberal leaders who claim to champion the little guy, yet trample on the flag and our Constitution. Where are they now? They are silent!