Latest Blogs

Mooning

data66 — Sun, 06 May 2012 01:44:20 +0000

Got your attention? Good. Mooning is not a matter for the feint of heart. It takes determination and patience. You have to wait for just the right moment. Mooning, if done in areas of bright light will yield unsatisfactory results. For the best mooning, one needs to be right out in the open with no obstructions. If done under the right lighting conditions (dark) and will full viewing, mooning can be exhilarating.

When one is viewing a massive full moon, it can be blinding if viewed with binoculars or telescopes so precautions should be taken. Now, imagine the effect of a Super Moon, seen lately on the news. You would NOT, I repeat, would NOT want to view a Super Moon with binoculars or any sort of magnification device.

Super Mooning, to our delight, is followed this time by showers. That's right folks, showers. These showers will have you seeing shooting lights! Almost a psychedelic effect and not caused by illegal substances either.

So, folks, let's get out there, tilt our heads to the sky and Super Moon while we watch the psychedelic lights. The rest of you can go see the Meteor showers combined with the fact that the moon is closer to earth and giving a nice show of it's own.

Baby Woolly Mammoth on Display

data66 — Sun, 15 Apr 2012 16:29:06 +0000

This is quite interesting to me. I feel for the mother that so long ago lost her baby at only 32 days of life. To watch your baby drown in icy waters and you know she could not save her. Scientists have watched elephants with their young and if the baby dies, they do mourn.

Part of me watches the video with a fascination of the past and archeological finds. It's one thing that has always interested me. Then I am also torn by the tragic loss that was endured by the animals at that time as elephants are a family oriented sort of mammal.

I am also torn with a feeling that we should not be displaying this dead baby yet see a wonderful opportunity for knowledge. It's so hard in situations like this to know what is right and proper to do.

Orkin Pest Control

data66 — Fri, 13 Apr 2012 10:33:09 +0000

I've been a customer of Orkin Pest Control for about 15 years or more. Their pest control works very well, their technician is super, their customer service sucks. My account experience for the past 2 years follows:

1. My tickets don't generate in the computer. I've had to call for service every time for the past 2 years. They keep saying it's a computer error but they don't know what the error is. They have a new computer system and can't fix it??? I was also told by the office manager that it's only my account. Then the tech said, no it's not, it's happening to other customers of his.

If you have a computer issue, you fix it. You don't tell a customer of 15 years that it's just their account and make it sound unimportant because it's just happening to their account and so make it seem like you don't give a darn.

2. This most recent call, they assured me that a tech would call me (tech for spraying the bugs, not for fixing the computer issue) that day and set up an appointment. I got no call. I found out that the tech's dad had an emergency and so he called the office to say he had to leave. I can understand him not calling me but the office should have called me as they knew I was awaiting a call. Especially since the last time I had to call 5 times to get a tech to come out.

3. For #2, I called the next day to say that no one had called me. The receptionist then asked the manager about it and he told her to tell me of the tech's emergency. Now, I had been trying for 2 years to speak with the manager but he was always "out to lunch" no matter the time of day. I did not want to badger him, I just wanted some answers. This time I just wanted to see if they had a solution to my computer issue. I note that I am always polite on the phone. No yelling, swearing or otherwise. He refused to speak with me. I then thanked the receptionist and said I would handle things. Which I did by calling Adams Pest control and setting up an account.

I then called Orkin back and said to cancel my account. "OK" was the response. A 15 year customer and "ok" is the reaction to a cancellation. Seriously? Even then the manager did not get on the line nor did he call me back.

The tech called me that night and convinced me to stay with Orkin since I had been there so long and he's an excellent tech. I could not leave like that with his dad now using hospice services and this technician did nothing wrong. So I suspended the new service with Adams and will see what happens next month.

This technician told Orkin the next morning that he had saved an account. Response - "but I just cancelled it yesterday". This apparently meant more work for them to re-open it. Wow. He should have gotten an "atta boy". Wow.

Needless to say, Orkin is going to be blasted all over the internet with this review. Word of mouth is a powerful thing but word of internet is even more so. Just because you're a big company does not mean that your small customers do not matter. We may be small, but we have numbers. Check your accounts and imagine if all of us small, insignificant customers leave. Imagine it. Yeah, this is going to your corporate franchise so you can be aware of it...Twitter, Facebook, Digg, etc.

Exploring Uranus

data66 — Sun, 01 Apr 2012 00:22:55 +0000

Uranus has the third largest radius and the fourth largest mass in the solar system. That says a lot. It is visible to the naked eye (naked being the key here) but due to it's dimness it was never recognized by ancient observers. Uranus has the distinction of being first to be seen with a telescope.

Uranus is an easy target to view with binoculars in urban areas. When using a telescope to view it, Uranus appears as a pale disk with distinct limb darkening.

Uranus is full of gas. Yup. The clouds that surround Uranus not only have methane but also contain water. The interior of Uranus contains ice and rock. Not sure how that got there but I'm sure one of the probes will discover the reason.

Numerous rings can be found surrounding Uranus. These rings consist of extremely dark particles which vary in size. It is thought that the rings are made from particles that resulted from high speed impacts.

When viewing Uranus, be prepared for numerous moons. If you like moons, then you'll be overjoyed when viewing Uranus. I've not been privy to the moons of Uranus but there are stories, oh yes, there are many stories.

The axis of Uranus is tilted sideways – an unfortunate configuration which makes it unique and caused a corkscrew magnetotail. Theories as to the cause of the tilt suggest that it collided with a larger object which caused the tilt and the tail. Perhaps it has to do with the Crooked Man that walked a Crooked Mile and found a Crooked Sixpence upon a Crooked Stile. Who knows?

The wind speeds of Uranus can reach 560 mph, which, when combined with the methane gas make for quite an experience.

There have been various probes to Uranus with an entry probe planned.

With all these features of Uranus, it's a wonder anyone can stay away.

ga

Bill — Tue, 21 Feb 2012 23:12:02 +0000

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Guardian Angels Continue to Hit the Streets in Response to DC Crime Wave: MyFoxDC.com

Bills cartoon career

Bill — Sun, 29 Jan 2012 21:56:54 +0000

I have worked on an on-line newspaper as a political satirist / editorial illustrator. I'll still do some drawings periodically, but rarely. Here are two of them. This paper dealt strictly with the immediate area, north east N.C. and south east Virginia.

Mandolins

Bill — Sat, 28 Jan 2012 11:17:56 +0000

I love playing mandolin. The A-Style accoustic is what I learned on, like this one. Even with thin fingers, I found it very difficult to get certain chords to sound clear. Being an 8 string, the courses are very close to each other. Figured I'd experiment and bought a Kentucky solid body 4 string electric. I find it much easier to not only form clear chords, but, even noting is easier, faster, and it has a great sound for doing rock music. I use a chorus box right now, but plan on experimenting with other effects. Who knows, I may be the next Jimi Hendrix!

Tony the Truckstop Tiger

data66 — Fri, 27 Jan 2012 23:06:40 +0000

Tony is a tiger living in a cage at a truck stop in Grosse Tete, Louisianna. He has lived in that cage for over ten years. This is a fictional account of what I imagine his life to be and is written from his point of view. If you are moved by Tony’s plight, please sign his petitions which can be found here http://freetonythetiger.wordpress.com/

Day 1

The feel of the grass as I quietly stalk my prey, its scent coursing through my body, sending shivers down my spine. I watch as it lingers within my site, unaware of my presence. The timing is right! I start the chase, keeping the fleeing animal in my sights as we bound through the tall grass. Its within striking distance and I make my leap…..

VROOOMMMM!!! HONK!!! GRRRRRRRRR!!!

I am awakened by the sound of these creatures that are always present. They make loud rumbling noises and emit scents that burn my eyes and throat. Getting up, I wander over to look at my surroundings and at the creatures that so offend my senses. They are much bigger than I, and they carry humans that sometimes come look at me. These creatures sit within striking distance and rumble and growl at me.

I walk on this hard surface, pacing back and forth, watching. Watching for a way out. Watching for these creatures to leave. Watching for something, anything, to get within striking distance so that I can have something to play with. Just watching.

And then I sleep. Dreams. Dreams come from someplace deep within me. Dreams of things I have never known but are a part of me. These are the primal essence of what I was meant to be. Roaming free, with the sweet wind filling my lungs, mixed with the scents of prey and preditor alike. Free, with the grass beneath my feet and the taste of pure, cool water from a pond or lake. Free to play, free to run, just free. Dreams.

Days 2 through 365 …see Day 1

Stella the Baby Dolphin

data66 — Mon, 23 Jan 2012 23:56:15 +0000

*Orginally published in my WordPress blog.

Dolphin drive hunting, also called dolphin drive fishing, is a method of hunting dolphins and occasionally other small cetaceans by driving them together with boats and then usually into a bay or onto a beach. Their escape is prevented by closing off the route to the open sea or ocean with boats and nets. The Japanese town of Taiji on the Kii peninsula is, as of now, the only town in Japan where drive hunting still takes place on a large scale.

This is a work of fiction to bring awareness to the plight of the dolphins.

Stella is a 2 year old Bottlenose Dolphin. Though she is starting to assert some independence, she is still close to her mother and relies on her guidance and the close bond they share. Her pod lives off the coast of Japan, near the town of Taiji.

On this day, Stella wanders off from her mother Still within sight of the pod, she feels safe while she explores her surroundings. She playfully chases a fish. She’s not hungry at the moment but just seeking amusement. She’s blissfully unaware of the imminent danger that lurks near her pod.

She bounds to the surface, jumps out of the water and splashes back down in. Spiraling, she speeds to lower depths, enjoying the feel of the water rushing over her skin. She doesn’t see the shadow of the boats on the water.

On the surface, the fishermen watch their prey. They see a young dolphin jump up out of the water but are not concerned with one small dolphin. Their attention lies elsewhere. They get into position to drive the dolphins into the cove.

Once in position, they start their hunt. They insert metal rods into the water and start banging on them to confuse the dolphins. Using this method, they force the dolphins into the cove. Once all of the dolphins are cornered, they close off the escape route with nets so the dolphins can’t escape.

Below the surface, Stella is alarmed by a loud noise that permeates her body and confuses her. She panics and makes a sound that will alert her mother to her dilemma. The noise that’s filling the water is blocking her from receiving a signal from her mother and her mother is unaware of Stella’s distress.

The pod, in a panic, moves into the cove. Stella’s mother searches for her and calls to her but is unable to locate her. Just as she turns to go find her, nets appear before her and block her. It is then that the noises stop and she hears the call of her baby. Frantically, she tries to escape and reach Stella but is blocked by the nets. She sends out a distress call to Stella, warning her of danger and to stay away.

The fishermen above see one lone dolphin trying to escape. If the dolphin continues in its assault on the net, it could dislodge and free the dolphins. This can’t be allowed, the harvest is too important. They usually wait until the next day to kill the dolphins but this one needs to be taken care of now.

Expertly, they hook the troublesome dolphin and pull it aboard. In an instant, they drive a metal pin into its neck and it dies within seconds.

Stella moves closer to her mother’s location, but still stays far enough away from the danger to be safe. She watches as her mother struggles to be free and hears her clicks as she tries to find a way out. Suddenly, her mother is pulled from sight and Stella hears her no more. Soon, the taste of blood fills the water and she knows that her mother will never again be at her side and she is alone.

She slowly swims away. Away from her pod, away from her home and away from her mother.

In the days and weeks that follow, Stella roams the ocean, looking for another pod. She has no way of knowing that she is the last of her kind. That her pod was the last of the Bottlenose dolphins. One young dolphin alone cannot survive.

On a dark day in October, 2010, the last of the Bottlenose dolphins is killed by a great white shark, ending her struggle to survive alone and sending another species into extinction.

Female Musicians

data66 — Sat, 14 Jan 2012 16:47:32 +0000

We can all look back, thanks to places like Youtube, and see some really great female singers/musicians. If you look, you notice that their popularity was tied to their talent. Some really great songs came from a time when the talent was the main focal point. It did not matter if they were rail thin, drop-dead gorgeous or doing outlandish antics for attention. They simply had talent and damn did they ever! The below examples are in our Video section. Yes, some are more colorful and flamboyant than others, but none had to resort to wearing meat clothes for attention.

The question to ask is, "If some of these singers were trying to break into the industry today, would they be able to?" Today, it seems that the "total package" includes a certain look and if you don't have it, it is much harder to achieve one's goals in this industry. There are some exceptions, Susan Boyle for instance. She had help with Britain's Got Talent. Had it not been for that show, she would never had made it into the spotlight. It would have been a shame too because she has a wonderful voice.

Please see this article, http://shareranks.com/6584,Best-Female-Singers-1910-1960, for more amazing female musicians as I only put a few in this blog.

Gimp

data66 — Tue, 10 Jan 2012 00:01:50 +0000

I use http://www.gimp.org/ for making whatever digital art, photo edits, etc that I want to make. It works well and is similar to Photoshop but it's free. There are a lot of tutorials for how to use it and for making some pretty cool art, icons, avatars, photo edits and improvements. My version is the Mac version but it works in other OS as well.

Gimp comes with a good selection of brushes and effects, filters, photo enhancements and other tools. If it does not have what you need “out of the box” you can find brushes, textures, filters and just about anything extra you need by searching online. It even uses Photoshop brushes so that makes it even more customizable.

Gimp also has an animation feature so if you're looking to do that, there are some tools for it though I've not done much with the animation aspect of Gimp.

I hope to add some Gimp tutorials in the future.

Fairyland

data66 — Fri, 06 Jan 2012 11:12:19 +0000

I wrote this in high school. Its my favorite. Its done in old style poetry.

Fairyland

Think of wild imaginings,

Fairies fly on silver wings.

Dream your dreams without remorse,

the white steed, that flying horse.

Find yourself sinking, so far away,

to the dreamland not many find today.

A place without war, hunger or pain,

a place where the only teardrops are rain.

Dream on my young friend, til the light touches dawn

when the cow's made his last jump and the moon's wandered on.

My Mom

data66 — Fri, 06 Jan 2012 11:02:48 +0000

My mom has cancer. Cancer. That's my boogeyman. The monster hiding under the bed, my nightmare. Cancer. When my doctors found precancerous polyps a few years ago, I ended up having to face the boogeyman. To know that he might be waiting for me some day. That's hard. Then I found out about mom's cancer. I just can't make sense of it. She has Lung and Pancreatic Cancer.

She doesn't deserve it.

I have a special relationship with both of my parents, each different from the other and each one equally important to me. Now one of the most important people in my life is being attacked by an internal monster that I can do nothing about or to help defeat. Cancer is torturous not only to the person with it, but to everyone that cares about that person.

My mom. It's so bittersweet to sit here and write this. Partly smiling with memories and partly tearing up with the knowledge of what she's going through and what she might face for treatments.

But, here's to my mom. Let me introduce you to her some, as much as I can describe how she is.

She's mom in every sense of the word. From baking cookies to playing games, reading stories (Little Red Riding Hood about a thousand times. You know after hearing it just a few you are about insane but she read it over and over for me as it was my favorite). She would bandage my "boo boos" and comfort me when I was sick like only mom can (no offense to dad). I could talk to her about everything.

She didn't yell and scream at me when I messed up. Like the time she came upstairs, opened my door and found the room covered in powder. (well, I had discovered that when I set down the powder, it poofed like a powder volcano, which was cool. So I Poofed the hell out of that powder. Not trying to make a mess and not even noticing that it was, just a kid thing to do.)

My mom is cooky, must be where I get it, and fun. She'll dance the Can-Can with her sisters, play practical jokes, laugh til she tears up while playing the old ET or Joust and just enjoy life. She gets a kick out of Animal Crossing too, I love to hear her laugh when we play.

And oh boy does she have some stories to tell about her and her sisters and their mishaps. One that comes to mind was when they were teens and my grandfather was asleep on the couch taking a nap. They took the opportunity to put his leg hairs in bobby pins. lol.

Mom is my best friend. She's beautiful (though she doesn't believe it), witty, smart, creative, a great cook, fun and fun-loving, and just a great woman.

I can't lose her. I just can't.

Mom:

"Did you ever know that you're my hero,
and everything I would like to be?
I can fly higher than an eagle,
'cause you are the wind beneath my wings.

It might have appeared to go unnoticed,
but I've got it all here in my heart.
I want you to know I know the truth, of course I know it.
I would be nothing without you." ~Wind Beneath My Wings

I love you so much.

Your Daughter,
punkin

Santa Arrested in New York

data66 — Fri, 30 Dec 2011 00:34:53 +0000

This just in:

Santa has been arrested in New York City. Following are the details.

While strolling down Broadway, Santa was heard saying, "Ho! Ho! HO!". A New York police officer nearby heard Santa and promptly arrested him for solicitation. Upon reaching the police station, Santa was questioned and things went downhill from there.

When asked what he does for work, he stated, "Kids sit on my lap and tell me what gifts they want from me. I tell them if they've been good, I'll give them something but if they've been bad they get coal." Santa was then charged with child molestation, contributing to the delinquency of a minor and extortion.

When asked how he gives them the gifts, his response: "I wait until everyone is asleep, then I go down the chimney." Charges of breaking and entering were added.

When asked how he gets around, his answer: "I have a sleigh pulled by eight reindeer. We travel around the world delivering gifts all in one night." Animal cruelty charges were added and the Humane society confiscated the reindeer. The FAA is considering charges of flying without a license.

When asked how he gets the toys, his response: "Well, my elves make them." He was then charged with running a sweatshop.

It is not known at this time if Santa will be released on bail. Stay tuned for further info.

New Gabb

data66 — Thu, 29 Dec 2011 20:12:33 +0000

Gabb.us is now upgraded to the new version but due to a big bug people will need to sign up again. I do have copies of old articles and things and can give access to the backup site for those that want to retrieve things. Yay! 2012 and a new Gabb. http://gabb.us