Wednesday, December 21, 2011
Let's Catch Up
It has been a while but here I am. Christmas is coming and I'm tickled pink because I love getting together with all of our family members at my house on Christmas Eve. I can hardly wait to see them all again. Interestingly enough my Christmas list is simple as hell to fulfill. All I want is donations to charity. Give money to St. Jude Children's Research Hospital, Smile Train and anything you love. That makes me happy as can be. Do it!!!! All the best and Be safe and have fun!
Friday, July 15, 2011
Brain Games
Just had a physical with my Doctor and told him about a couple of minor issues I had and he sent me to have an MRI of my brain and a visit with a Neurologist. Thankfully all is well. Nothing unusual or disturbing and I just got home from the Neurologist's office where I had an EEG of my brain. He wanted that because the issues were related to Migraine symptoms. Not anything to do with headaches since I never have headaches. The Migraine thing is electrical patterns in your brain and they trigger certain events. Headaches for some folks and visual issues like temporary blindness in an eye, hallucinations (not the LSD kind) and dizziness. Nothing like that is going on in my brain any more.
I am so happy because the EEG is perfectly normal. Nice to know and I'll be sleeping better not laying there worrying that I have Alzheimer's disease. That's an issue because it was what my mother died from. That's a trigger for me to be concerned because it could be hereditary and now I know I have nothing to worry about. and all my concerns are remedied. That makes me happy as a puppy with a filet mignon.
I am so happy because the EEG is perfectly normal. Nice to know and I'll be sleeping better not laying there worrying that I have Alzheimer's disease. That's an issue because it was what my mother died from. That's a trigger for me to be concerned because it could be hereditary and now I know I have nothing to worry about. and all my concerns are remedied. That makes me happy as a puppy with a filet mignon.
Wednesday, May 18, 2011
Linux Update
Just to help make things clear I did post on the ThinkPad and the Linux distro I'm running on that tired old toy is Puppy Linux. It's the best one for it because it is so small and efficient. It creates a RAM disk and everything loads into memory. Running that way it is blindingly fast. Hardly any I/O to the hard disk. So, now you have it, the next fun OS to use bringing the old hardware back to life.
Go to www.puppylinux.com to learn more about it and get it if you want to play. Have fun!
Go to www.puppylinux.com to learn more about it and get it if you want to play. Have fun!
Sunday, March 27, 2011
Operating Systems
Not too many folks may think this is interesting but we almost all use computers. I love them. I have 2 desktop computers I built. That is a term for the big ones not the Laptops. Neither of them sit on the desktop since they are in cases we refer to as towers. On the floor vertical. I also have 4 laptops. I use Microsoft Windows 7 on the main desktop and I added an external HDD (hard disk drive) that I installed an OS (operating System) called Linux. It is a Unix derivative originally developed by a gentleman named Linus Torvalds. Thanks Linus.
There are many kinds of Linux which are distributions that are referred to as distros. The ones I use are Ubuntu, PinguyOS and SUSE. All in all the reason for using them is that 2 of the laptops are pretty old. With WinXP they were so slow that they were almost unusable. Not saying anything bad about Windows it is a great OS and I love it. But once I tried Linux they were like brand new computers. They boot up quickly and the performance is great. My old IBM ThinkPad is over 10 years old and it now rocks. It was getting so slow and bogged down I was getting ready to recycle it. Once I loaded Linux on it the darn thing came back to life. That is nice since it is the one I use when travelling on the motorcycle and I post on the trip. Go back in the archives to August of 2005 and you'll see them. Lots of pictures as well.
The other nice thing is that Linux is what is referred to as open source. That is free and has tens of thousands of software programs also free. They keep it going with a large community of developers that write everything for free. They keep it going from contributions we make and also from corporations that buy Enterprise distros. All good.
There are many kinds of Linux which are distributions that are referred to as distros. The ones I use are Ubuntu, PinguyOS and SUSE. All in all the reason for using them is that 2 of the laptops are pretty old. With WinXP they were so slow that they were almost unusable. Not saying anything bad about Windows it is a great OS and I love it. But once I tried Linux they were like brand new computers. They boot up quickly and the performance is great. My old IBM ThinkPad is over 10 years old and it now rocks. It was getting so slow and bogged down I was getting ready to recycle it. Once I loaded Linux on it the darn thing came back to life. That is nice since it is the one I use when travelling on the motorcycle and I post on the trip. Go back in the archives to August of 2005 and you'll see them. Lots of pictures as well.
The other nice thing is that Linux is what is referred to as open source. That is free and has tens of thousands of software programs also free. They keep it going with a large community of developers that write everything for free. They keep it going from contributions we make and also from corporations that buy Enterprise distros. All good.
Monday, January 17, 2011
Martin Luther King
Today is Martin Luther King Day. Hats off to him for all he did to get civil rights going forward. Ever since I was a kid I have been watching him and admiring his intelligence, courage and principals. He did so much to change the face of society from segregation to what it is supposed to be. I have never understood racism. It made no sense to me. That goes back to 1954. Yes, I actually thought about those things as a little kid.
I remember when the Govenor of Alabama, George Wallace, tried to continue segregation and was a total racist jerk back when I was in High School. I always felt that Martin Luther King should have been honored for his efforts. In fact, he was back in 1964 when he was awarded the Nobel Peace Prize for his efforts to change thngs in a non-violent way.
I always thought that he was very inspirational. I actually get a tear in my eye when I think about him and how we lost a seriously noble person when he was murdered. All the best to you Martin.
I remember when the Govenor of Alabama, George Wallace, tried to continue segregation and was a total racist jerk back when I was in High School. I always felt that Martin Luther King should have been honored for his efforts. In fact, he was back in 1964 when he was awarded the Nobel Peace Prize for his efforts to change thngs in a non-violent way.
I always thought that he was very inspirational. I actually get a tear in my eye when I think about him and how we lost a seriously noble person when he was murdered. All the best to you Martin.
Saturday, January 15, 2011
Hot Sauce
Yes, I actually like hot sauce. The Tabasco Chipotle is so good I could just drink it from the bottle. I also love the Cholula regular and chipotle flavors. For some really interesting flavors Slap You Silly User Friendly Habanero hot sauce is delicious. The thing that gets me confused about hot sauce is that there are so many people that seem to use hot sauce that is insanely hot. All about the heat not the flavor. I see that on Man v. Food all the time. He eats hot wings that are basically a test of your tolerance of pain. Not a goal of mine.
I took a business associate out for lunch once and he brought a bottle of hot sauce that was so hot it was completely inedible. I used a toothpick to get one drop and put it on a piece of meat. Ate it and had a burn so bad I couldn't even taste anything afterwards. Not what eating is all about. I think they make those hot by adding capsaicin extract which is the chemical that makes peppers hot. They produce it in a concentrate that is added to different hot sauces to make them hotter. Seems dumb to me.
Personally I use it to add complexities and additional deliciousness. . . I like the smoky flavor of the chipotle. Go to Buffalo Wild Wings and try the Honey BBQ wings and they are sweet and chipotle smoky. I also love the Louisiana brand hot sauce (LHS). It has a nice vinegar peppery flavor that is a nice complement to lots of things. It really makes anything tomato based exceptionally good. V8 juice, Clamato, tomato soup and plain tomatos. Slice them up and sprinkle on a liberal dose of LHS and bingo!!!! Yummy!!!
I took a business associate out for lunch once and he brought a bottle of hot sauce that was so hot it was completely inedible. I used a toothpick to get one drop and put it on a piece of meat. Ate it and had a burn so bad I couldn't even taste anything afterwards. Not what eating is all about. I think they make those hot by adding capsaicin extract which is the chemical that makes peppers hot. They produce it in a concentrate that is added to different hot sauces to make them hotter. Seems dumb to me.
Personally I use it to add complexities and additional deliciousness. . . I like the smoky flavor of the chipotle. Go to Buffalo Wild Wings and try the Honey BBQ wings and they are sweet and chipotle smoky. I also love the Louisiana brand hot sauce (LHS). It has a nice vinegar peppery flavor that is a nice complement to lots of things. It really makes anything tomato based exceptionally good. V8 juice, Clamato, tomato soup and plain tomatos. Slice them up and sprinkle on a liberal dose of LHS and bingo!!!! Yummy!!!
Monday, January 10, 2011
Motorcycle Riding
Yes, it is something I love to do. I have been for over 48 years. I raced motorcycles for 12 years. I am good at it and I love riding around on backroads so I can stay away from all the distracted drivers on the roads today. It is so dangerous out there. Most motorcyclists (I'll call them riders to reduce the typing I have to do) are a bit distracted as well. You really have to keep yourself focused on everything that is a threat. I took a ride a while back and a guy in a car tried to kill me. Luckily for me I have that racing background and was alone on the bike (picture below).
It has ABS (Anti-lock Braking System) which I exploited to save myself. He was in the oncoming lane at an intersection waiting to turn. Once I got to about 40 feet away he turned left in front of me. I decided to use the technology the BMW has and hammered the brakes and swerved to the left to avoid him. I swerved back around behind him after passing his back bumper and was on my way alive and undamaged. I did scream at him and he gave me the friendly I'm sorry wave. Murderous bastard.
Had it been some less experienced rider on a big cruiser or touring bike I think things would've turned out a bit more sadly. Those types of riders and the bikes don't have the skills or ability to make those kinds of maneuvers. I do and no limping around for months or donating organs (which would be a privilege for me).
But, that is the point, be observant. Keep looking around, move your eyes. Look at the drivers to see what they are doing. Plan ahead. I call that "threading the needle" I did it that day and it saved me. Know where the needle is and where to go to do it. Never focus on the car turning in front of you. You will most likely suffer from what we racers referred to as rock fascination syndrome. If you are racing through a corner or down a straight and see a rock you tend to fixate on it and then you hit the darn thing. Look where you want to go and you'll do it better. It worked for me that day.
The really fun thing for me is on the backroads. Lots of interesting things to see and that is the reason I ride. Sitting on my bike on an Interstate (what we call the 'Slab') is too boring. The pictures in my older posts in the Archive section are great examples of that. I can hardly wait for the weather to change so I can get going again.
Had it been some less experienced rider on a big cruiser or touring bike I think things would've turned out a bit more sadly. Those types of riders and the bikes don't have the skills or ability to make those kinds of maneuvers. I do and no limping around for months or donating organs (which would be a privilege for me).
But, that is the point, be observant. Keep looking around, move your eyes. Look at the drivers to see what they are doing. Plan ahead. I call that "threading the needle" I did it that day and it saved me. Know where the needle is and where to go to do it. Never focus on the car turning in front of you. You will most likely suffer from what we racers referred to as rock fascination syndrome. If you are racing through a corner or down a straight and see a rock you tend to fixate on it and then you hit the darn thing. Look where you want to go and you'll do it better. It worked for me that day.
The really fun thing for me is on the backroads. Lots of interesting things to see and that is the reason I ride. Sitting on my bike on an Interstate (what we call the 'Slab') is too boring. The pictures in my older posts in the Archive section are great examples of that. I can hardly wait for the weather to change so I can get going again.
Satellite TV
After my observation on commercial TV I did a little more thinking about the Satellite Pay TV I subscribe to. Interestingly they all (yeah, cable & satellite) offer hundreds of channels to watch. I have almost fifty of them that are shopping networks. So, here I am paying a ton of money to watch lots of shopping channels. That is a serious groaner. Paging through them and the PPV (Pay Per View) ones is a total PITA (Pain In The A#$)for trying to look for something that is actually interesting to watch. Get to channel 32 and up to 200 and all of the ones between are shopping and PPV. As I get older and my memory is deteriorating it gets harder to memorize the many locations in the guide to go to. But, I do okay.
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