Dregs of the Earth = Spammers

Posted by Greybeard on Mar 5th, 2007 in Technology and Music | Comments Off

Looks like the spammers are starting to zero in on the comments area of my posts.  I’ve been taking the time to delete them,  but I guess I’ll have to start looking at ways to Blacklist them.

~~GB

More adventures of the Video Cadet

Posted by Greybeard on Mar 4th, 2007 in Technology and Music | Comments Off

Finally got sick of trying to deal with Direct TV.  We tried every thing we could think of to get them to offer some,  any kind of deal where we could reasonably get HDTV over the satellite.  I finally gave up and called Charter Cable.  They gave me what sounds like a good price with HD included.  Much cheaper that Direct TV,  (and Direct TV kept telling me that HD wasn’t available in my area). 

Actually the TV signal was a little more that Satellite,  but included in the deal was their 3 meg. cable internet.  (sounds like a good replacement for my 256K DSL line)

Combining the two,  it costs me about 7 dollars a month more,  but I get HBO, Cinemax, and Showtime,  plus 10 or 11 HD channels,  and a big boost in Internet speed.

Yet to be determined: What kind of picture quality will I get?  One thing for sure,  it can’t be much worse than the picture I was getting over satellite.

Oh yeah,  and it in a month or so,  I’ll be able to add telephone service the package, with free long distance, for another 15 dollars.  (we see about that when the time comes)

To be continued:

~~Cadet Video

Flawed thought process VS anti-gun thought

Posted by Greybeard on Mar 3rd, 2007 in Shootist, Technology and Music | 0 comments

This all started with the ice storm, resulting in the power outage.  After about 24 hours without power, (no heat, little light, no Inet, no TV, etc.),  I decided it was time to hook up the generator.  My normal (pre-move up north) method was to 1. (most important!) Disconnect the house’s Main Breaker.  2. Roll the generator to the door of the pole barn,  and plug it into the power panel in the barn thru a dedicated 30 amp, 220V breaker.         3. Throw the barn’s main breaker  4.  Fire up the generator, and turn on a light in the barn.  5. Turn the barns main breaker back on, thus feeding power back to the entire house. 

This method worked quite well downstate,  for basic services. Since the main breaker was always disconnected first, there was no danger to the incoming powerline workers, and I had plenty of power to run my furnace,  a few lights,  my well’s pump, and a radio.  Even a small hotplate or coffee pot if need be.

When the power issue first popped up here in the great North,  it was summer time and wasn’t really much of an issue,  we used a few candles and ate sandwiches.  Winter,  changed the issue a bit.  It get’s cold up here!!!

(At this point we approach my ”flawed thought process)  Consider now,  I’m a retired Skilled Trades Machinist/Mechanic,  and a retired Novell Network Administrator, NOT , an electrician.  (Though I -have- apprenticed a few times with electricians)

Having not been overly concerned with the summer power outage,  I didn’t make time to set up the 220volt connection for the generator.  Needing the power , not having the parts, and not being able to get a truck out of the driveway,  I decided 110 volts would do.  Actually it would do quite well, because we don’t need the 220V for a pump at this house, (city water).  Taking proper safety precautions  to protect the linemen,  I pulled the generator to the open door of the garage,  and plugged the 110 outlet into a newly dedicated inlet on the garage’s power panel.  After all,  all I needed were a few lights,  power run the electricals on my “gas” furnace,  and power for the refridgerator/freezer. 

I started the generator,  flipped the proper breakers,  and bingo,  the furnace kicked on!  But wait,  why didn’t the refridgerator start up,  and why did only certain lights in the house work???  (flawed process arises)  It had to be a problem with the wiring in the house’s electrical panel!  I pulled the cover and checked all the connections,  then all the grounds, everthing looked good.  To my neophyte electrical mind,  (I supposed I didn’t really  think it through), something was totally weird!  I had put power onto the panel’s grid,  but only some of the breakers were able to use the power.  (Of course, the refridge was one of the dead breakers!)

IT HAD TO BE A PROBLEM DEEP WITHIN THE PANEL!!!   (flawed thought process, f.t.p.)

After grumbling way to long,  I called the electrician who helped me install the panel,  ready to gripe at him.  Using F.T.P.  I had to be right!   Yeah, well,  to make a long story a little shorter, he quickly explained;  the way the electrical panel is set up,  there are two power bars,  and if you follow the breakers vertically down,  every other breaker,  is on a different power bar.  (DUH!! that’s how we get 220volts, by combining the two 110 volt power bars with a  double space breaker)  (Begin to feel stooopid)  One of the two power bars was being fed by the incoming 110V from the garage,  thus powering every other breaker in the panel!!  (My downstate 220V connection was powering both power bars, thus, every breaker)  I swapped the breaker NOT powering the fridge,  with the one directly below it,  and bingo,  cold food!!

F.T.P. =  Thinking I understood how electricity powers my house,  in a bit greater detail, that I actually did.  Not logically thinking the entire problem through,  the basic problem was actually self evident to anyone willing to put a little bit of thought into it.

NOW,  the connection to Anti-gun freaks!

*People who think guns are bad -may- not be truly evil,

*People who think the Second Ammendment only applies to  the Military, might still be saved,

*People who think that getting rid of guns will end pain and suffering in the world, don’t necessarily have to be idiots,

*People who think a woman should submit to rape rather than defend herself are,,,,,, No,  this one doesn’t apply, these people are truly warped!

Through my bout with flawed reasoning,  I’ve become (just a tiny bit) more compassionate and understanding of people who hate guns.  Either through the thickness of their skull,  poor parenting,  brainwashing,  or just lack of understanding,  they are just not aware of the truths of the world.  With compassion and education they -may- be salvageable.

Long live the Second Ammendment and FREEDOM!  And a BIG THANKS the the Linemen and women who helped get our power back on!!!!!!!!!!

~~GreyBeard

Back from the Dark Ages

Posted by Greybeard on Mar 3rd, 2007 in News and weather | 0 comments

On Thurs. March 1st the weatherguys said there was a winter storm on the way and there would be some freezing rain, but “icing would be insignificant”.

Well,  Thursday night about 10pm the power went off,  due to about 2 inches of freezing rain on top of about 4 inches of snow.  The power came back on around 6 pm Friday.

INSIGNIFICANT!

The snowblower wouldn’t touch the stuff so we didn’t get the drive plowed out until about 4pm Friday.  All in all, it wasn’t that bad,  the temp. in the house stayed above 55 degree’s through the night,  and I fired up the generator to heat the house and cool the refridge on Friday.

If I get the chance,  I have  thoughts for a short essay,  about flawed thought processes,  that I may be able to post in a day or so.  (Like when someone is absolutely sure they know how something works,  but their confidence comes from a flawed, mistaken thought process)  I’m thinking, I may have a little insight into the crazy thought processes of -some- anti-gunners.

Stay tuned

~~GB

H.R. 1022 – A New Assault Weapons Ban…

Posted by Greybeard on Feb 28th, 2007 in Political, Shootist | Comments Off

Thanks to Glenn at Ballseye’s Boomers for this info:

H.R. 1022 (must fail in committee!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!)

“”…has been proposed and put forth by Representative Carolyn McCarthy. My understand is that in it she proposes to resurrect the old assault weapons ban, add on numerous types of firearms (that are sportsmans’ guns and really have nothing to do with being assault weapons – not that weapon type matters under the 2nd amendment, I am just mentioning what she wants to do), and add a 10% tax on ammunition by each round sold.”"

We need to nip this idea in the bud!!

Step 1:

You can go to the site at this link

 http://www.thepetitionsite.com/takeaction/409898348?ltl=1172617322

to file an online petition as your first step in opposition to said bill. Please note that the effectiveness of online petitions is highly questionable, so you must follow that up with emails, letters and or phone calls to your elected officials to oppose this bill.

Step 2:

The proposal is currently in the House Judiciary Committee,  chaired by Michigan’s rabidly anti-gun John Conyers.   You can email that committee by clicking here.

You could go even farther by calling each and every member on the committee,  and letting your own local representative know your dissaproval of this idea!  You can find your representative here.

This is the Liberal Majority’s first large bore round fired at our freedoms,  let’s make sure it doesn’t connect!!  Long Live FREEDOM!!!!!!!!!!  Long Live the Second Ammendment!!!!

>>GreyBeard