Sunday, January 31, 2016
Saturday, January 30, 2016
Cover Your Ears and Eyes
This is grotesque and unsettling and it shouts insults in the face of Americans that are sympathetic to the plight of illegal immigrants. If you follow the link below, you will see the video I've embedded, also below. Before you watch the video, please keep in mind that it is rated R.
Warning! Has F-bombs!
Link to the story about the videoNever A Fanboy
How Grease Beat the Odds and Became the Biggest Movie Musical of the 20th Century
I think I am the only one in the world that cannot stomach Grease. I think that I saw it when I was too young. Because of this, I just never embraced the hype. I cite it as an awful movie and why I despise musicals.
I also realize after reading the article that the backstory of the movie is interesting enough to share.
Knew It Would Happen
I think that it was bound to happen - the men's basketball team lost at Maryland on Thursday night. Maryland had an impressive home court undefeated streak going in to the game and it will continue to be impressive. As I watched the game, I had a weird sense that they would not win. Jarod Uthoff had a poor shooting game and the shots wouldn't go in the basket. When Iowa did get the advantage in the second half, Maryland had an impressive answering play.
This article tells the team's reaction to the game:
http://www.thegazette.com/subject/sports/hawkeyes-disappointed-not-deterred-after-maryland-defeat-20160128?utm_campaign=5524169206979a86030d07e1&utm_source=boomtrain&utm_medium=email&bt_alias=eyJ1c2VySWQiOiJjNGI5YzcxOC1jMDVkLTRhYTgtOGViMC05NmU0ZWNiYjg1YTIifQ%3D%3D
Such Filth
For the family, I am sad.
In pretty much any other situation, it would be funny; that's the reason for the funny stuff label.
Friday, January 29, 2016
I'm Thankful For Every Breath
To recap, I was laid off Tuesday.
It sucks.
I don't like this.
I feel insecure about the future and I wish I knew what it has in store for me.
I know that I have to offer this up to God and that He doesn't give me more than I can bear. Daily Mass is now in my schedule - I went Wednesday, Thursday, and will go today (it's 8:13 AM, Mass is at 9 AM).
With that said, I can safely state that I have a few opportunities in motion. I don't want to jinx myself and write long dissertations on this blog about this opportunity and that opportunity and that third opportunity over there. I'd rather reserve those hopes for essays to be captured within my personal journal.
I did start another spiral notebook on Wednesday to capture the thoughts I have about this journey. Traditionally, I only purchase 200 page, college-ruled, spiral notebooks. The one I purchased at Wal-Mart is a 150 page, college-ruled, spiral notebook. I am writing each day what occurs to me, starting a new page each day regardless of whether I filled the previous page. I am doing that because I had a lyric in my head. It's from a band called P.O.D. and the song is "Alive."
Editor's Note: Before being laid off, an email with the subject "Performance Review" was received. Like Sheldon's hatred for Will Wheaton, hatred for PRs has been verbalized!
It sucks.
I don't like this.
I feel insecure about the future and I wish I knew what it has in store for me.
I know that I have to offer this up to God and that He doesn't give me more than I can bear. Daily Mass is now in my schedule - I went Wednesday, Thursday, and will go today (it's 8:13 AM, Mass is at 9 AM).
With that said, I can safely state that I have a few opportunities in motion. I don't want to jinx myself and write long dissertations on this blog about this opportunity and that opportunity and that third opportunity over there. I'd rather reserve those hopes for essays to be captured within my personal journal.
I did start another spiral notebook on Wednesday to capture the thoughts I have about this journey. Traditionally, I only purchase 200 page, college-ruled, spiral notebooks. The one I purchased at Wal-Mart is a 150 page, college-ruled, spiral notebook. I am writing each day what occurs to me, starting a new page each day regardless of whether I filled the previous page. I am doing that because I had a lyric in my head. It's from a band called P.O.D. and the song is "Alive."
Editor's Note: Before being laid off, an email with the subject "Performance Review" was received. Like Sheldon's hatred for Will Wheaton, hatred for PRs has been verbalized!
Wednesday, January 27, 2016
Gambling With The Voters
In an unsurprising move, Donald Trump has declared he won't get fair treatment during the Thursday night debate on Fox News because the debate is being moderated by Megyn Kelly. Even when he declares he's not going to do something, he gets attention. This is the debate prior to the Iowa caucuses on Monday night. NBC News has declared that this is a "Big Debate Gamble" and I agree. Of course, Ted Cruz has issued a 1:1 challenge to debate Trump, which, of course, Trump isn't taking seriously.
Read more here and here.
Read more here and here.
Tuesday, January 26, 2016
Regarding That
Not that long ago, I posted about the pending layoffs at my employer - Not Entertaining News - and so, with that as background, I am saddened to say that I was laid off today. This AM, when I came in to work, I had a 10 AM meeting request with my manager. Turns out so did two of my co-workers. We were led to HR and did what had to be done. Thus, I am at home, in the den, at 2:29 PM when I normally am not home from a day at work until around 4 PM.
I admit it's a bit surreal. I went through something similar in my career and I was confident I would not have to go through it again - ever - in my career. Kevin, whom I've known for 17 years, has been through several layoffs in his career and yet - here's where I make lemonade from lemons - he has always found a way to bounce back.
I know I will bounce back too.
I admit it's a bit surreal. I went through something similar in my career and I was confident I would not have to go through it again - ever - in my career. Kevin, whom I've known for 17 years, has been through several layoffs in his career and yet - here's where I make lemonade from lemons - he has always found a way to bounce back.
I know I will bounce back too.
For Months
The organization known as Planned Parenthood (PP) has been under attack for the last several months by Republicans. Video released to the media shows PP employees discussing business. PP has been on the defensive, stating repeatedly that the videos are the result of editing and not true. A lawsuit by PP in Texas went to a grand jury. The grand jury indicted the people that filmed the video. http://www.nbcnews.com/news/us-news/texas-grand-jury-indicts-two-probe-anti-abortion-videos-n504116
Royal Rumble Results
The 2016 of the WWE PPV Royal Rumble was Sunday night. As usual, the Monday night after a PPV is typically a good Raw episode. Last night's will be remembered for the following:
- Spoiler alert, Triple H won the Royal Rumble so he is now the WWE Champion. He goes on to Wrestlemania to face someone. Vince McMahon, his daughter Stephanie, and Triple H came out to start the episode and announced that the they (the stable known as "The Authority") would evaluate all of the wrestlers and then decide who will be in the next PPV (Fastlane) main event and that that winner would go on to Wrestlemania to face Triple H.
- AJ Styles, who I enjoyed watching in TNA and Ring of Honor, fought Chris Jericho. It was Styles' first ever Raw match. Styles won, which is good. Jericho is a part-time wrestler and probably only going to be on Raw as long as it takes for Fozzy, his heavy metal band, to be ready to record another album. I will say, though, Styles looked a bit rusty in the ring. I don't think there was good chemistry between the two. The camera showed Jericho calling out the next move during the match, which is bad. That said, there were a couple of moves that impressed me based upon the decades I have watched hundreds of pro wrestling matches. The best was when Styles was in the Walls of Jericho submission move (which must really hurt as Styles' body was bent in a way that I could never be bent) and crawled across the ring to break the hold instead of tapping out. A jaded viewer like me never sincerely thought Jericho was going to get the victory against Styles, especially since Styles probably required a good sum of money. What would have been interesting would be to have Bubba Ray Dudley, who Styles fought in TNA, come out and either congratulate or beat down Styles after the match. Instead, Styles offered Jericho a handshake - which is what the wrestlers in Ring of Honor do before a match - which Jericho reluctantly accepted. It would be interesting to see Styles / Jericho become tag team partners with an eventual betrayal by Styles to make Jericho the face and Styles the heel.
- The Rock showed up and wow, he's entertaining. As he was doing his promo, he noticed some fans dressed up as other professional wrestlers - The Undertaker, Hulk Hogan, The Rock, and Macho Man Randy Savage - and said, into the microphone, "This is where we leave the script." It was an impromptu move and the Rock, charismatic as ever, pulled off the segment. When the New Day (Big E, Kofi Kingston, and Xavier Woods) came out to interrupt him, he asked why they were the tag team champions when they had llama penises on their forehead. The crowd ate it up and started chanting, "llama penis!" It was genuinely funny. The Rock stated that he would be at Wrestlemania and, when he said that, the thought flashed in my mind that Triple H and The Rock had an uneasy promo a while back about who won more matches between them. I thought it was going to be a setup for The Rock v. Triple H at Wrestlemania.
- For the main event, it was Roman Reigns / Dean Ambrose v. Sheamus / Rusev in a tag team match. Reigns / Ambrose were referred to as "brothers in arms" by the WWE announcers a couple of times during the match. After Reigns got the win, I sincerely thought that The Authority would put Reigns v. Ambrose in the Fastlane main event as a way to screw with Reigns even more. Instead, The Authority announced that the Fastlane main event would be a triple threat match, announcing that it would be Roman Reigns, Dean Ambrose, and -- here's where I thought they would name Sheamus -- Brock Lesnar. After the announcement, the camera focused on the reaction from Reigns & Ambrose because, now, they have to fight each other for the chance to face Triple H at Wrestlemania 32. Even though we've seen the "friends fighting friends" angle before, I'm predicting the WWE announcers will follow the storyline that in order to fight Triple H, Reigns not only has to fight Lesnar, an enemy, but also his friend, Ambrose. I must say, the way WWE pulls this angle off will be very interesting.
Monday, January 25, 2016
Here's My Theory
There is all sorts of turmoil in the political world.
On the Republican side, Donald Trump declared he could shoot someone and wouldn't lose any voters.
On the Democrat side, there's a movement to legitimize Bernie Sanders as a viable candidate. Of course Bill O'Reilly has an opinion. He had a recent Talking Points memo as well as a column about Candidate Sanders - I included links at the bottom of this post. There was a point in the 2016 campaign season when Hillary Clinton was considered "a sure thing" previously. In 2008, she had that same status until Obama entered the race. Now, in 2016, she was considered "a sure thing" but some don't see it like that anymore. There have been a lot of controversy about Benghazi, the email server, and other things. What has been spinning around in my mind is that there are actually 3 Democratic candidates at this moment: Clinton, Sanders, and O'Malley. What happens if Clinton does have to exit the race (though I personally don't see that happening)? O'Reilly's theory is that Sanders doesn't have a chance as a Socialist Democrat winning the election. If you play out that theory to fruition, what happens if the DNC figures that out? Then their only "current" choice is O'Malley.
I only bring this up because I read a headline that said NYC mayor Michael Bloomfield is considering a presidential run. It's awfully late in the process to be "considering" it - the Iowa caucuses are two weeks from today (Feb 1). So that makes me think, why would anyone be considering a presidential run when there is no infrastructure in place for the candidate? Editor's Note: This paragraph is inaccurate. Bloomfield is not a Democrat - he is an Independent. Additionally, the third link at the bottom of this post describes the steps he has taken, which are more substantial than I stated.
The only answer, today, is that the potential candidate believes, as O'Reilly does, that Clinton will have to drop out, Sanders will be considered a longshot, and O'Malley doesn't have the name recognition. That's a dangerous presumption - who knew Obama's name prior to him jumping into the race?
I do know that the campaign season is running full speed ahead.
On the Republican side, Donald Trump declared he could shoot someone and wouldn't lose any voters.
On the Democrat side, there's a movement to legitimize Bernie Sanders as a viable candidate. Of course Bill O'Reilly has an opinion. He had a recent Talking Points memo as well as a column about Candidate Sanders - I included links at the bottom of this post. There was a point in the 2016 campaign season when Hillary Clinton was considered "a sure thing" previously. In 2008, she had that same status until Obama entered the race. Now, in 2016, she was considered "a sure thing" but some don't see it like that anymore. There have been a lot of controversy about Benghazi, the email server, and other things. What has been spinning around in my mind is that there are actually 3 Democratic candidates at this moment: Clinton, Sanders, and O'Malley. What happens if Clinton does have to exit the race (though I personally don't see that happening)? O'Reilly's theory is that Sanders doesn't have a chance as a Socialist Democrat winning the election. If you play out that theory to fruition, what happens if the DNC figures that out? Then their only "current" choice is O'Malley.
I only bring this up because I read a headline that said NYC mayor Michael Bloomfield is considering a presidential run. It's awfully late in the process to be "considering" it - the Iowa caucuses are two weeks from today (Feb 1). So that makes me think, why would anyone be considering a presidential run when there is no infrastructure in place for the candidate? Editor's Note: This paragraph is inaccurate. Bloomfield is not a Democrat - he is an Independent. Additionally, the third link at the bottom of this post describes the steps he has taken, which are more substantial than I stated.
The only answer, today, is that the potential candidate believes, as O'Reilly does, that Clinton will have to drop out, Sanders will be considered a longshot, and O'Malley doesn't have the name recognition. That's a dangerous presumption - who knew Obama's name prior to him jumping into the race?
I do know that the campaign season is running full speed ahead.
Too Good = Not Bad Enough
I only include a reference to this story because my brother lives in Rogers, MN.
http://radio.foxnews.com/toddstarnes/top-stories/basketball-team-benched-for-being-too-good.html
http://radio.foxnews.com/toddstarnes/top-stories/basketball-team-benched-for-being-too-good.html
Special Opportunity
To recap, the University of Iowa football team had a sensational season. They were undefeated in the Big 10 regular season. Following that accomplishment with two tough losses - a very tough MSU team and an outstanding Stanford team - does not erase the accomplishments achieved.
Shifting to the basketball court, with 11 games remaining in the men's basketball season, the University of Iowa team is undefeated. It is already a special season for this team to be 7-0. Despite losing an exhibition game early in the season (which is not reflected on their overall record), this group of young men has defied the odds. Their first game was against MSU. This team defeated MSU at Carver-Hawkeye Arena. After that game, a lot of the media focused on the fact that MSU's star player, Valentine, did not play. Thus, in their fourth game, they traveled to East Lansing, MI, for a rematch with MSU. This group of players defeated MSU on their court. Both prior and after that game, a lot of the media focused on the fact that no University of Iowa men's basketball team had won on the MSU basketball court since 1993, which was a few days after the death of an Iowa player named Chris Street. With yesterday's victory at home over Purdue, it looks like Thursday's game against Maryland takes on additional importance. Maryland lost, 74-65, to MSU. By extension, Iowa should win the game because, after all, Iowa defeated MSU twice. Nothing is a given, though.
The point of these two recaps is that the University of Iowa football completed a special season and, as of this moment with a 7-0 record, the men's basketball team looks to have a special season. The women's basketball team is having a tough year - their current record is 13-7 (overall, 3-5 in conference games), including a 90-73 defeat at Purdue yesterday.
Shifting to the basketball court, with 11 games remaining in the men's basketball season, the University of Iowa team is undefeated. It is already a special season for this team to be 7-0. Despite losing an exhibition game early in the season (which is not reflected on their overall record), this group of young men has defied the odds. Their first game was against MSU. This team defeated MSU at Carver-Hawkeye Arena. After that game, a lot of the media focused on the fact that MSU's star player, Valentine, did not play. Thus, in their fourth game, they traveled to East Lansing, MI, for a rematch with MSU. This group of players defeated MSU on their court. Both prior and after that game, a lot of the media focused on the fact that no University of Iowa men's basketball team had won on the MSU basketball court since 1993, which was a few days after the death of an Iowa player named Chris Street. With yesterday's victory at home over Purdue, it looks like Thursday's game against Maryland takes on additional importance. Maryland lost, 74-65, to MSU. By extension, Iowa should win the game because, after all, Iowa defeated MSU twice. Nothing is a given, though.
The point of these two recaps is that the University of Iowa football completed a special season and, as of this moment with a 7-0 record, the men's basketball team looks to have a special season. The women's basketball team is having a tough year - their current record is 13-7 (overall, 3-5 in conference games), including a 90-73 defeat at Purdue yesterday.
Sunday, January 24, 2016
Maybe
Donald Trump stated that illegal immigrants would be sent to the country that they came from; liberals went nuts about a lack of compassion. President Obama began raids to gather illegal immigrants and now Democrats in the Senate want those raids to stop.
Once again, if the correct phrase that describes you starts with "illegal" .... Good for Obama to do what the law says.
New Fad
On Facebook, you can go to this site and it will automatically generate a little story. This is mine, but I won't post it on Facebook because first, it's not true - I am 5 years sober - and b, there's a typo: alot is always a lot.
------------- -------------------
This is Paul.
Paul feels sad.
Paul drinks alot.
Paul doesn't pretend to be drunk to make phone calls to his ex.
Paul is smart.
Be like Paul.
--------------------------------
I had a weird dream about babysitting for some young kids. It was a bratty little girl and she turned on the garden hose and flooded the basement. I opened the door in a corner to let the water out. No more pints of chocolate chip cookie dough ice cream before bed!
Also, Karen and I drove to Cedar Falls on a whim. We surprised Mark and Susie (first) and then Megan. We went to 5 PM mass at Saint Joseph and then went to Toad's, a bar on Main Street, for supper. We stopped by Megan's dorm room and then, on the way to Mark and Susie's house, there was a college girl naked in front of an open window. I told Mark to slow down. My nephew, 15, Jonathan said, "Thank you!" Megan was embarrassed by this incident.
I am up this morning after the aforementioned nightmare, sitting on the couch in the basement with Sadie.
Saturday, January 23, 2016
Question
This is why I love Lars Ulrich and Metallica. In the midst of writing a song, they are trying to craft songs that their fans will love.
Final product sounds like this:
Final product sounds like this:
Friday, January 22, 2016
Thursday, January 21, 2016
Looking Good
Recent controversy swirled around Metallica after word came out that their lawyers sent Sandman, a Canadian Metallica tribute band, a legal document, asking them to cease and desist playing Metallica songs. Lots of links are not included in the list below, just three that provide the main perspectives that need to be remembered:
- From Metallica: https://metallica.com/blog/news/381189/wednesday-night-note
- From the Sandman Facebook page: https://www.facebook.com/photo.php?fbid=10153910517387990&set=a.10150542469677990.436348.504287989&type=3
- Of course, once this information was released, many music news websites reported this information: http://classicrock.teamrock.com/news/2016-01-14/metallica-back-tribute-act-faced-with-legal-threat
Not Entertaining News
Direct quote from the CEO of our company:
"As I said in November, these changes will, unfortunately, involve job losses. We expect to reduce the size of the total <snip>Company_Name</snip> team by around 10% (that’s around 4,000 full time equivalent roles), by the end of 2016."
"As I said in November, these changes will, unfortunately, involve job losses. We expect to reduce the size of the total <snip>Company_Name</snip> team by around 10% (that’s around 4,000 full time equivalent roles), by the end of 2016."
Wednesday, January 20, 2016
Currently Future
I'm betting against reaching the milestone that the couple in the link below reached. They have been married for 82 years. Karen and I will need to be married on 8/7/2075. If I haven't passed away, I will be alive for 105 years, 8
months, & 3 days. Karen will be 106 years, 3 months.
Just contemplating the idea of what will our country be like in 2076? Thinking about how America is trying to solve "big issues" and then considering that there will be 15 elections between now and 2076. Think about the differences in American life between the first president (George Washington) and James Buchanan, the 15th president. I won't have to deal with any of the issues, but Alex & Megan will (hopefully) - Alex will be 78, Megan will be 80. Here's a list of the first 15 presidents:
Here's the link: http://insider.foxnews.com/2016/01/19/nicholas-rafeala-ordaz-celebrates-82-years-marriage-102nd-birthday
Just contemplating the idea of what will our country be like in 2076? Thinking about how America is trying to solve "big issues" and then considering that there will be 15 elections between now and 2076. Think about the differences in American life between the first president (George Washington) and James Buchanan, the 15th president. I won't have to deal with any of the issues, but Alex & Megan will (hopefully) - Alex will be 78, Megan will be 80. Here's a list of the first 15 presidents:
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1
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George Washington
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2
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John Adams
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3
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Thomas Jefferson
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4
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James Madison
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|
5
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James Monroe
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6
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John Quincy Adams
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7
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Andrew Jackson
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8
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Martin Van Buren
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9
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William Henry Harrison
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10
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John Tyler
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11
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James K. Polk
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12
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Zachary Taylor
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13
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Millard Fillmore
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14
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Franklin Pierce
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15
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James Buchanan
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Here's the link: http://insider.foxnews.com/2016/01/19/nicholas-rafeala-ordaz-celebrates-82-years-marriage-102nd-birthday
WinterJam 2016
It's coming up on the one year anniversary of hearing For King & Country play this song in concert. The first time was in Des Moines, IA, as part of Winter Jam 2015. The second time was in Indianapolis, IN, as part of NCYC. If Alex and I were going to Winter Jam 2016 this Friday night in Des Moines, it would be the third time. As of this moment, we are not planning to go to Winter Jam 2016.
On a somewhat related note, my dentist office has Christian music playing on the speakers as background music. As my dental hygienist was doing her magic, I heard this song on the speakers. It made me smile.
This is not my video, but it's what I saw in Indy.
On a somewhat related note, my dentist office has Christian music playing on the speakers as background music. As my dental hygienist was doing her magic, I heard this song on the speakers. It made me smile.
This is not my video, but it's what I saw in Indy.
Scam
Spend over $100 - Amazon has it for $119! - and you will not need a computer to convert VHS to digital!
Uh.
No.
Per the Amazon website - link below - there is a 4 GB internal memory card. I converted 1 hour of a Mini-DV tape to digital and it was 13 GB. Of course, I really don't know if the conversion settings I used are typical or of a higher quality than "normal."
Here's the link.
Uh.
No.
Per the Amazon website - link below - there is a 4 GB internal memory card. I converted 1 hour of a Mini-DV tape to digital and it was 13 GB. Of course, I really don't know if the conversion settings I used are typical or of a higher quality than "normal."
Here's the link.
Tuesday, January 19, 2016
Consistently Wishing For the Same Unicorn
I don't believe in unicorns, but I somehow still believe that the a$$holes that write viruses and malware and other sh1t that takes over a PC should turn away from greed and being not nice and, instead, use their (obvious) talent for good, to improve the planet I share with them. That's the least they could do. I get it - making $ is nice and all, but my goodness, if my 78 year-old mother-in-law got the virus explained in the article below and she was told that she had to pay $ in order to see pictures that Alex and I assembled and backed up and created a backup CD for her, she'd probably want to pay it. She has no clue what a "bitcoin" is - I barely know - so there'd be chaos.
Read about it here: http://features.en.softonic.com/the-first-ransomware-of-the-year-reaches-a-new-level-of-threat
Read about it here: http://features.en.softonic.com/the-first-ransomware-of-the-year-reaches-a-new-level-of-threat
Monday, January 18, 2016
Recording Preview
With Louis and Jean here, I recorded the democratic party debate. Here are the spoilers.
Clinton and Sanders duel on Wall Street and healthcare in Democratic debate http://flip.it/Z9n8p
Sunday, January 17, 2016
Why I Don't Subscribe to the ICPC
From Iowa City Press Citizen Iowa takeaways: Wagner's emergence, Uthoff's goofiness http://dmreg.co/1Rv6Slx
Wagner finished with five points in Sunday’s 82-71 win — four more than the he scored combined in spot duty in Iowa’s first four Big Ten games. He’s forced his way into Fran McCaffery’s rotation with defense and hustle plays.
Democrat Debate
http://m.townhall.com/tipsheet/mattvespa/2016/01/17/questions-for-hillary-that-probably-wont-be-asked-during-the-last-democratic-debate-n2106069
Will It Never End
Newsted left. His choice. A decade and a half later and it is still relevant? How?
Robert Trujillo has been in the band for several years. Let's enjoy the present.
http://loudwire.com/jason-newsted-out-of-metallica-anniversary/
I Am Winner
The Secret Is Out: Iowa Is One of CBB's Best After Sweeping Michigan State | Bleacher Report (via http://ble.ac/teamstream-) http://teamstre.am/1OujS53
Time Warp
One of my earliest memories of seeing Dave Weckl play drums is when he played with Chick Corea and John Pattitucci at The Maintenance Shop in Ames, IA. I wasn't actually at this concert, but I remember salivating when I saw it on PBS. I was a senior in high school (1988) and using electronic drums in a single set with acoustic drums was just beginning to gain popularity. I also remember how I loved seeing the use of a floor tom to the left of the hi-hat. On youtube, there are two parts of this concert posted. I hope the third part gets posted someday. FOUND the rest of the drum solo song! Here!
I do know I have this concert on a VHS tape which could be converted to digital and uploaded. This is my favorite part of the two videos below.
But for the moment, here are parts 1 and 2.
I do know I have this concert on a VHS tape which could be converted to digital and uploaded. This is my favorite part of the two videos below.
But for the moment, here are parts 1 and 2.
So There was This Mistake
Ha ha ha ha! Ha ha ha ha! Ha ha ha ha! Ha ha ha ha! Ha ha ha ha! Ha ha ha ha! Ha ha ha ha! Ha ha ha ha! Ha ha ha ha! Ha ha ha ha! Ha ha ha ha! Ha ha ha ha! Ha ha ha ha! Ha ha ha ha! Ha ha ha ha! Ha ha ha ha! Ha ha ha ha! Ha ha ha ha! Ha ha ha ha! Ha ha ha ha! Ha ha ha ha! Ha ha ha ha! Ha ha ha ha! Ha ha ha ha! Ha ha ha ha! Ha ha ha ha! Ha ha ha ha! Ha ha ha ha! Ha ha ha ha! Ha ha ha ha! Ha ha ha ha! Ha ha ha ha! Ha ha ha ha! Ha ha ha ha! Ha ha ha ha! Ha ha ha ha! Ha ha ha ha! Ha ha ha ha! Ha ha ha ha! Ha ha ha ha! Ha ha ha ha! Ha ha ha ha! Ha ha ha ha! Ha ha ha ha! Ha ha ha ha!
President Obama made a mistake!! Almost too ironically for belief, while pointing out this mistake, the author of the article, linked below, has a typo!
Many in the press had a field day when George W. Bush made similar gaffes. One light-hearted one occurred when Queen Elizabeth was visiting the United States in 2007. White introducing the monarch, Bush noted that she had met with 10 presidents during her reign. “You helped the nation celebrate its bi-centennial in 1776…1976,” he said, then paused, looked over at the queen and winked and smiled.
"White introducing the monarch" should have been "While introducing the monarch".
This article didn't need to be written - it's that simple. Let he who is without sin be the first to cast a stone. It's bullshit articles like this that make me ashamed to lean towards the conservative movement in America.
http://www.westernjournalism.com/watch-the-totally-embarrassing-moment-obama-cant-remember-this-major-detail-about-america/
President Obama made a mistake!! Almost too ironically for belief, while pointing out this mistake, the author of the article, linked below, has a typo!
Many in the press had a field day when George W. Bush made similar gaffes. One light-hearted one occurred when Queen Elizabeth was visiting the United States in 2007. White introducing the monarch, Bush noted that she had met with 10 presidents during her reign. “You helped the nation celebrate its bi-centennial in 1776…1976,” he said, then paused, looked over at the queen and winked and smiled.
"White introducing the monarch" should have been "While introducing the monarch".
This article didn't need to be written - it's that simple. Let he who is without sin be the first to cast a stone. It's bullshit articles like this that make me ashamed to lean towards the conservative movement in America.
http://www.westernjournalism.com/watch-the-totally-embarrassing-moment-obama-cant-remember-this-major-detail-about-america/
Saturday, January 16, 2016
Saturday
Since it now appears that my personal favorite candidate, Carly Floriana, isn't going to convert the masses to her logical solutions, I am forced to consider alternatives to support. I don't see Donald Trump as a candidate that can defeat Hillary Rodham Clinton. That said, I think that Ted Cruz and Marco Rubio should leave the self-proclaiming bullshiter Donald Trump in the dust by forming a coalition. If they can't declare a truce, I do like how Chris Christie's making his infrequent time to speak on camera be a simple message: I will defeat Hillary Rodham Clinton.
That all said, I like the way Ted Cruz has responded to the controversial comment about New York values: /lastresistance.com/15782/ted-cruz-kicks-liberals-to-the-curb-with-apology-for-his-new-york-values-comment/
Others, not so much: http://crooksandliars.com/2016/01/cruzs-follow-new-york-values-wingnut
Comic Geeky Heavenly Schedule
Here are the 29 superhero movies coming out in the next 5 years
http://flip.it/i6RGY
Friday, January 15, 2016
Surrounded by Hawkeye
At the Iowa City West boy's basketball game, Alex found current Iowa Hawkeye men's basketball player.
Junior Prom
I got this in an email this AM from a music publicist. No idea if the band "Junior Prom" is worthy of my time or not. I was just captivated by the marketing angle. There was no such thing as "junior prom" when I was in high school. There was prom and you went your senior year. My prom is not something I really think about anymore. It was what it was.
Wednesday, January 13, 2016
New External Hard Drive Options
I want to purchase a new external hard drive. I see two options:
- wireless, as described on http://www.howtogeek.com/235283/what-is-a-wireless-hard-drive-and-should-i-get-one/
- wired. This 5 TB external hard drive is on sale for $109 while a 4 TB external hard drive is on sale for $117.99. Is shipping available or not?
Yes, He Said That
Transcript of what was said:
Conservatives react to what he said:
Reaction to the official response to what he said by Nikki Haley:
So, yeah, that covers what he said and what people have said about what he said.
Conservatives react to what he said:
- http://www.redstate.com/2016/01/13/state-of-the-union-barack-obama-2/
- http://www.redstate.com/2016/01/12/post-redstates-state-union-coverage-will-left-empty-honor-150-mexican-civilians-killed-guns-involved-operation-fast-furious/
Reaction to the official response to what he said by Nikki Haley:
So, yeah, that covers what he said and what people have said about what he said.
Tuesday, January 12, 2016
Bowie
I didn't think I was being overly calloused when I didn't really feel sad when I learned of David Bowie's death. I truly was not a fan. Sure I have 4 of his albums in my collection:
Editor's Note
After publishing the above, I saw this in my Fox News First Daily Politics daily email:
Saying you liked the music of David Bowie would be like saying you liked Chinese food. There are so many kinds and so many variations within the kinds that there is something for everyone. Glam, rock, Motown-style soul, dancehall, the deep dark depths of Berlin, electronica, pure pop, proto-punk, funk, epic poetry and even the coveted goblin disco king demographic. That means that there is room enough for everyone to have their own favorite song. As music lovers of all kinds mourn Bowie’s passing, his remarkable catalogue is a reminder of perhaps one thing above all others: The real luxury of career success is the chance to take risks. RIP.
That's fair. I would have to state that the song that is linked to an example of "dancehall" would be my favorite Bowie song:
- The Very Best of 1969 to 1973
- Best of Bowie [US/Canada Bonus CD] Disc 1
- Best of Bowie [US/Canada Bonus CD] Disc 2
- Rise & Fall of Ziggy Stardust and the Spiders from Mars [Bonus Tracks]
Editor's Note
After publishing the above, I saw this in my Fox News First Daily Politics daily email:
Saying you liked the music of David Bowie would be like saying you liked Chinese food. There are so many kinds and so many variations within the kinds that there is something for everyone. Glam, rock, Motown-style soul, dancehall, the deep dark depths of Berlin, electronica, pure pop, proto-punk, funk, epic poetry and even the coveted goblin disco king demographic. That means that there is room enough for everyone to have their own favorite song. As music lovers of all kinds mourn Bowie’s passing, his remarkable catalogue is a reminder of perhaps one thing above all others: The real luxury of career success is the chance to take risks. RIP.
That's fair. I would have to state that the song that is linked to an example of "dancehall" would be my favorite Bowie song:
After THAT
I went to bed early - around 9 PM - so I didn't see the ending of WWE Raw when Brock Lesnar attacked Roman Reigns and others. Instead, I read about it this in this article: http://teamstre.am/1PTv9P4
Sunday, January 10, 2016
The Donald
I think that the Republican party was destroyed when the current group of republican presidential candidates all announced that they were running. There was no possible way half of these candidates had a chance to win. John Kasich? Rand Paul? All that they have done is muddy the water. Even Mike Huckabee, who I personally like, hasn't been in the mix.
Couldn't Grasp The Problem Until
I was spinning my wheels last night. When I run my DOS batch files, I use %TODAY% as a parameter to create a folder with the current date. What I ultimately end up doing, though, is manually creating a sub-folder with the time stamp of the first file that is created and then manually moving the files that were created into it. If I don't do that, I overwrite / replace the first set of TXT files the second time I run the DOS batch file.
So, armed with the knowledge that DOS is all-powerful, I wanted to automatically create folders based upon the date and time so that it would be done automatically. I love automation. Don't make me do something manually when I know there is a way to do it through a DOS command or a macro or something. I want to save time any chance I get.
I started poking around and came across the sites listed below and, armed with that knowledge, I began writing my own commands. What FINALLY got me to a mental breakthrough was when I observed the DOS window as it ran. The first command created a folder with the date and time, the second ran a DIR command that generates a TXT file in that folder. Then it goes to the second DIR command but because "current time" has changed between the first DIR and the second DIR, DOS puked and said, "I can't find a folder that has the "current time of the second DIR command" in it. Then the third DIR command ran and it was looking for a folder with the "current time of the third DIR command" in it, but the only folder that exists is the folder with the "current time of the first DIR command" in it.
What finally got me over the hump was analyzing the DOS commands more closely. These commands are from the second link:
@echo off
@echo Backing Up Server1
mysqldump -A -Q -R -c -e --lock-tables=FALSE -uXXXX -pXXXX -hX.X.X.1 > c:\backup\01.sql
@echo Backing Up Server2
mysqldump -A -Q -R -c -e --lock-tables=FALSE -uXXXX -pXXXX -hX.X.X.2 > c:\backup\02.sql
@echo Backing Up Server3
mysqldump -A -Q -R -c -e --lock-tables=FALSE-uXXXX -pXXXX -hX.X.X.3 > c:\backup\03.sql
set folderdate=%date:~7,2%-%date:~4,2%-%date:~10,4%
mkdir c:\backup\%folderdate%
set foldertime=%time:~0,2%-%time:~3,2%
mkdir c:\backup\%folderdate%\%foldertime%
move c:\backup\*.sql c:\backup\%folderdate%\%foldertime%\
Notice how this command - mkdir c:\backup\%folderdate%\%foldertime% - is not done at the beginning of the commands - it's done at the end! A-ha! I had my order reversed. I need to run all the DIR commands I'm going to run and then create a folder with the date and time in it.
This is a work-in-progress, but here are the links:
So, armed with the knowledge that DOS is all-powerful, I wanted to automatically create folders based upon the date and time so that it would be done automatically. I love automation. Don't make me do something manually when I know there is a way to do it through a DOS command or a macro or something. I want to save time any chance I get.
I started poking around and came across the sites listed below and, armed with that knowledge, I began writing my own commands. What FINALLY got me to a mental breakthrough was when I observed the DOS window as it ran. The first command created a folder with the date and time, the second ran a DIR command that generates a TXT file in that folder. Then it goes to the second DIR command but because "current time" has changed between the first DIR and the second DIR, DOS puked and said, "I can't find a folder that has the "current time of the second DIR command" in it. Then the third DIR command ran and it was looking for a folder with the "current time of the third DIR command" in it, but the only folder that exists is the folder with the "current time of the first DIR command" in it.
What finally got me over the hump was analyzing the DOS commands more closely. These commands are from the second link:
@echo off
@echo Backing Up Server1
mysqldump -A -Q -R -c -e --lock-tables=FALSE -uXXXX -pXXXX -hX.X.X.1 > c:\backup\01.sql
@echo Backing Up Server2
mysqldump -A -Q -R -c -e --lock-tables=FALSE -uXXXX -pXXXX -hX.X.X.2 > c:\backup\02.sql
@echo Backing Up Server3
mysqldump -A -Q -R -c -e --lock-tables=FALSE-uXXXX -pXXXX -hX.X.X.3 > c:\backup\03.sql
set folderdate=%date:~7,2%-%date:~4,2%-%date:~10,4%
mkdir c:\backup\%folderdate%
set foldertime=%time:~0,2%-%time:~3,2%
mkdir c:\backup\%folderdate%\%foldertime%
move c:\backup\*.sql c:\backup\%folderdate%\%foldertime%\
Notice how this command - mkdir c:\backup\%folderdate%\%foldertime% - is not done at the beginning of the commands - it's done at the end! A-ha! I had my order reversed. I need to run all the DIR commands I'm going to run and then create a folder with the date and time in it.
This is a work-in-progress, but here are the links:
Ten and a Half Hours Down, Under One and a Half to Go
I think this is pretty sweet! The base version of my music files is located on an external hard drive called G. On G, I have a "foldered" directory and a "notfoldered" directory. Even though I have many duplicates hovering around like gnats in both of those directories, I kicked off a freeware called FileSynch before I went to bed last night to synch my G drive to my E drive (another external hard drive). Then, because I typically transport my G drive with me to and from work so I can listen to music (instead of carrying in a shoebox of CDs like I used to), I am going to kick off a synch job that will make my H drive (on the MyCloud drive) and the E drive in-synch. At that point, I will have three copies of my music files. The master will be on the G, a second copy on the E and a third copy on the H.
The synch job to put E and G in line has ran for this amount of time: 10:30:50 and there is 1 hour 15 minutes remaining, as shown below.
Here are the results. There is not enough room on the E:\ drive so I need to free up some space. But not now - It's time to go to 11 AM Mass.
The synch job to put E and G in line has ran for this amount of time: 10:30:50 and there is 1 hour 15 minutes remaining, as shown below.
Update!!!!
Here are the results. There is not enough room on the E:\ drive so I need to free up some space. But not now - It's time to go to 11 AM Mass.
Saturday, January 9, 2016
Humbly Admit Victory
Love these drum covers. "Hot For Teacher" is one of those tunes that I have heard since 1984 and have never really seriously tried to play.
Josh Gallagher is a stud. Be sure to hear what he says at the end of the video - it's funny.
Domenic Nardone is one of my new favorite drummers. He has several videos on his youtube.com channel, including this video in he recorded in 2011 when he was 46. I'm 46 now! I really think his set has a gorgeous look to it. The red looks great!
Domenic Nardone also has this video of one of my favorite Police tunes, "Message in a Bottle."
It also appears he is playing in a cleverly titled band called Harry Mulligan.
Josh Gallagher is a stud. Be sure to hear what he says at the end of the video - it's funny.
Domenic Nardone is one of my new favorite drummers. He has several videos on his youtube.com channel, including this video in he recorded in 2011 when he was 46. I'm 46 now! I really think his set has a gorgeous look to it. The red looks great!
Domenic Nardone also has this video of one of my favorite Police tunes, "Message in a Bottle."
It also appears he is playing in a cleverly titled band called Harry Mulligan.
Friday, January 8, 2016
Never Done X, Can't Opine About X
I am sick of the way the Conservative media jumps all over stuff President Obama says, especially about gun control. At a town hall meeting, the President listened to a rape victim tell her story and he went on (and on) about how owning a gun doesn't necessarily keep you safe. Then, at the end of the article, it's made into a big deal that he's never owned a gun.
BIG WHOOP!
Does that automatically mean that he is not able to have an opinion about guns? No man has ever had an abortion but I certainly think men can have an opinion about them, no? Once again, I am not extremely passionate about gun control so I'm not really pro-gun or anti-gun. I think it's an important issue to debate and discuss rationally, but, frankly, I rate it under other issues, such as the national debt and illegal immigrants.
To read the article about the town hall meeting, with an embedded video of the discussion, go here.
To read an entirely separate article about this bombshell admission, go here.
BIG WHOOP!
Does that automatically mean that he is not able to have an opinion about guns? No man has ever had an abortion but I certainly think men can have an opinion about them, no? Once again, I am not extremely passionate about gun control so I'm not really pro-gun or anti-gun. I think it's an important issue to debate and discuss rationally, but, frankly, I rate it under other issues, such as the national debt and illegal immigrants.
To read the article about the town hall meeting, with an embedded video of the discussion, go here.
To read an entirely separate article about this bombshell admission, go here.
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