Try Everything

New Blog; New Adventures

2010-01-17T10:41:00.002-07:00

I'm not sure how much posting I'll do on Try Everything for a while. Although the title of this blog is also inspirational as we begin our journey, I'll be posting mostly over at Curious Souls. Check it out!

I still might post over here if there is something Ellen doesn't agree with on the other blog. :)

My First Security Hole

2009-11-10T17:42:00.002-07:00

http://www.google.com/search?q=inurl%3Aedit+inurl%3Anode+inurl%3Aorpheus

For those of you that use Drupal, you'll understand what this search result means. For those that don't, this means that I had a page on the Orpheus.org site that ANYONE IN THE WORLD could edit. Ooops!

Luckily, the person that found the hole (likely discovered through a Google search much like the one above) was very subtle with their hack. They took the logo image from my welcome page (http://www.orpheus.org/node/1) and linked it to a porn site. I only discovered the hack just today when I went to resize the image and I realized that it had a link attached to it.

"Hmmmm... I don't remember linking that image..."

*click*

"HEY-O!"

Fortunately, or unfortunately, I was at work at the time of the click and Websense protected my innocent eyes from anything naughty. But now I'm wondering if I'll get called into HR tomorrow for inadvertently trying to look at "Filtered Websense Category: SEX" while at work. Or will I get called into my bosses office for taking the 3 minutes to make a minor edit to a non-profit organization website while at work? Only time will tell.

To all those patrons that might have clicked on that link while it was live, I say: "Orpheus does not condone hacking websites."

Strangely Silent

2009-10-09T08:20:00.007-07:00

There is no A/C running on the train this morning. Two weeks ago, this situation would have been a Really Big Problem. Today it is not. The beautiful weather does not warrant the use of supplemental cooling systems.

The A/C normally provides a baseline level of sound so that when it is absent, an eerie sort of silence is revealed. All that you hear is motion and people. The clack-clack of the wheels on the tracks. The sniffles of noses. The muted whirr of the electric motors struggling against Newton's First Law of Motion. The squeak of tennis shoes on... whatever strange scientific miracle substance that makes up the speckled, palegreen floor.

The gentlemen to my left is brave enough to initiate a conversation on his cell phone. Because there is no other noise, everyone in our train car can hear every whisper. In his attempt to remain relatively quiet he needs to repeat himself often. He queries the other party "Did you get sumpthin to eat?" He asks this question four times. He makes another call, presumably to another party. "So, you get something to eat?" I can't decide whether I would be annoyed or comforted to have a friend whose function was to verify whether or not I ate breakfast each day. After all, it is The Most Important Meal of The Day^TM.

I'd tie up this post with something profound about "eliminitating the noise in our daily lives" or something silly like that but I gotta run. "Approaching station... Priest Drive and Washington... Exit to Left..."

Nearly Haiku

2009-10-08T15:53:00.001-07:00

It makes one wonder for what alternative purposes the ice scoop was being utilized.

Boycott China :: It Begins

2008-01-10T19:06:00.002-07:00

I officially have a 2008 New Year's Resolution:
I'm going to attempt to avoid buying anything "Made in China" this year.

Why?

Mostly because China censors their Internetz, poisons children, forces women to get abortions, takes US jobs and beats up their own citizens for filming them beat up other citizens. Also - because I like a challenge.

Thankfully, I've already purchased my Chumby and my XO Laptop; both made in China. I agree that it's going to be difficult to justify abstaining from some of these purchases, especially a product like the XO that, theoretically, is going to be doing so much good for the children of the world. There are certainly some very complex equations to solve in the global marketplace. But - for now - at least I will feel like I'm doing something to make the world a better place.

My First Non-Purchase

My first substitution was at Target. I wanted to buy a new beard trimmer after my previous one died on me. Like I normally do, I shopped around online for a while and settled on a model from Remington that had received good reviews. Notice that the country of manufacture is not listed in the product information. However, I had already decided to purchase this locally due to shipping costs, so no problem there. Off to the store... and... yep... Made in China. So, instead, I looked at the rest of the products on the rack and ended up with a model from Wahl that proudly declared "Assembled in the USA." It works fine, but yesterday I noticed on one of the plastic trimmer guides, stamped in tiny letters: CHINA.

Together Again...

2009-10-06T22:31:00.006-07:00

Sorry, blog. I know it's been a long time since we talked last. This is a bit awkward for me, but let me try to explain what happened.

I found Facebook. Facebook was so flashy, and had so many cool friends. Everybody loved Facebook and when she and I were hanging out, it felt like all her friends were my friends too. She knew everybody. She was the life of the party. It felt like everyone listened to what I had to say when I was with her.

And then there was Twitter. At first I couldn't figure out why she was so popular. She was just, like, a shorter version of you, right?! Then I realized that not only did Twitter have great friends, she had celebrity friends! OMG!! Shaq!! Oprah!! Danny frickin' DeVito!!! How could I not love her. I was caught up in a whirlwind! And then... When I learned that she was into "sharing" with Facebook... every man's dream, right?

So, blog. I know that it's been nearly two years since we last chatted. I know that I've neglected you for sexier technology. I know that I've treated you like crap.

And have you asked for forgiveness? No. You have just been here, patiently waiting for me to come back to you. No complaining. No talking about how I went astray. Here you are, welcoming me back with open arms. Hanging on to my every word in a saved draft, just in case my browser crashes. I may not be the most loyal man in the world when it comes to technology, but it's good knowing that I have someone I can depend on through thick and thin. I just want you to know that you were my first love. I promise that I'll try to do better, baby. I love you, blog.

Boycott China :: This is Tough!

2008-01-28T20:14:00.000-07:00

Ellen and I were at Target the other day. There were a few items on the list, but only two presented some difficulty.

Soccer Ball: All of them were MIC (Made in China) except for one. Made in Pakistan. Great. Now I get to support a guy that suspended his country's constitution, and threw their Supreme Court in jail. At least the country is a Republic, so their is hope that they can get their act together.

Power Strip: Everybody needs these. So much to plug in, so few outlets where you need them. At Target, ALL the power strips were made by one company, and all of them were... say it with me... Made in China. So - I bought one. Not even one month through and I have already broken the rules. *sigh* But - I'm going to keep going. And for every China purchase I make ($6.99 so far), I'm going to donate an equal amount to an organization that will directly help the Chinese people that have been oppressed by their government. I'm open to suggestions on this... Feel free to make one in the comments.

---

A few days ago, I did some online shopping at Amazon. I temporarily forgot all about my boycott and just added a few things to my cart without a second thought. One of those things arrived today and guess what... MIC. I went back to the original product description and the country of manufacture is nowhere to be found. This is going to be tough. I have an invisible enemy.

There are two more purchases arriving soon from the same shopping spree. Neither of them mention the country of manufacture in the description. I have a bad feeling about both of them, but maybe I'll get lucky. I'll keep you posted.

Examine

2007-12-21T22:58:00.001-07:00

Make for thyself a definition or description
of the thing which is presented to thee,so as
to see it distinctly what kind of thing it is,
in its substance,in its nudity,in its complete
entirety,and tell thyself its proper name,
and the names of the things of which it has
been compounded,and into which it will be
resolved.

For nothing is so productive of
elevation of mind as to be able to examine
methodically and truly every object which is
presented to thee in life,and always to look
at things so as to see at the same time what
kind of universe this is,and what kind of use
everything performs in it,and what value
everything has with reference to the whole,
and what with reference to man,who is a
citizen of the highest city,of which all other
cities are like families; what each thing is,and
of what it is composed,and how long it is the
nature of this thing to endure.

-Marcus Aurelius Antoninus

Energy Crisis

2007-11-30T13:31:00.000-07:00

I just went out for lunch (mmm... chimichanga). Before returning to work, I stopped in to use the restroom. My momma raised me right, so I always wash my hands when I'm done. I grabbed a paper towel from the dispenser and *wwwwwwwwwwt* out came another one right behind it.

Magic! Technology! Industry! Hooray! But why?

Unfortunately, these electronic dispensers seem to be nearly everywhere now.

Why waste the extra energy to spit out a paper towel?

Why create all that extra E-waste that someone will need to deal with?

Didn't the old "pull and tear" method work just fine?

What's next? Electronic toilet paper dispensers? Oh. Well. I guess that is next.

What a world!

Grand Unified Theory

2007-11-15T17:17:00.000-07:00

Today, I was reading a bit more about the Large Hadron Collider being built in Switzerland / France. It is slated to begin it's search for the "God Particle" in May 2008.

It's especially interesting to note the very small possibility that...

"...the LHC might trigger one of several theoretical disasters capable of destroying the Earth or even the entire Universe."

But, I suppose that it would likely be a better way to die than Global Thermonuclear War or getting hit by a car. Go science!

New Primary Fundraising Record for Ron Paul

2007-11-06T08:51:00.001-07:00

One day.
4.2 million dollars.
Over 37,000 donors.

Where is the media's curiosity? Why aren't they asking more questions?

Where is Ron Paul getting all of this support?
Why isn't it showing up in the polls?
Are the polls flawed?
Why does Ron Paul do so well in the straw polls?
Are the polls flawed because they do not call people that only own a cell phone?

Where is the investigative reporting?

Never Forget

2007-04-05T11:45:00.000-07:00

...that no plane hit this building...

Ask Questions.

Vasiliy Arkhipov and Stanislav Petrov

2007-09-22T11:33:00.000-07:00

A special message to those with very important buttons to push. Sometimes saving the world is up to you.

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Vasiliy_Arkhipov

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Stanislav_Petrov

Required Viewing.

2007-06-16T10:17:00.000-07:00

Here's another video that will surely change your perspective on the world. It's also a feature length film (2 hours) like Freedom to Fascism. It contains some of the same elements, but I think that it more clearly ties them together to paint a picture of the motivations and aspirations of those at the top running the show.

WARNING: The first 3-4 minutes has no video. Just listen.
WARNING: This film will challenge your religious beliefs.
WARNING: This film may make you think.

http://video.google.com/videoplay?docid=928518742089256264

Live, Die and Pay Taxes...

2007-03-24T17:55:00.000-07:00

Or maybe we don't have to pay taxes?

The following video is 1.5 hours long, so go get some popcorn first. The online version has been watched by over 2 million people and is currently rated 4.5 out of 5. I'm not advocating skipping your taxes next month, but I think the information in this video is extraordinarily educational.

http://video.google.com/videoplay?docid=-1656880303867390173

After watching, I hope you'll understand why I'm seriously considering voting for a REPUBLICAN from TEXAS in 2008. One reason why is because Ron Paul has signed this seriously needed pledge.

Thanks for reading, watching and learning!

9/11 Cell Phone Calls Were Impossible

2007-03-13T17:46:00.000-07:00

Still believing the 9/11 commission official report?

Read this...

Some responses to the research:

I have repeatedly tried to get my cell phone to work in an airplane above 2-3000 feet and it doesn’t work.

I write in praise of your report, as I have felt from day one that the cell phone ‘evidence’ was perhaps the flimsiest part of the story, and am amazed that nobody has touched it until now.

Responding to your article, I’m glad somebody with authority has taken the trouble to scientifically prove the nonsense of 9/11.

Of the 37 calls attempted, I managed to make only 4 connections - and every
one of these was made on final approach, less than 2 minutes before flare,
I.e., at less than 2,000ft AGL.

I find it highly unlikely that anyone could have used a cell phone on 9/11/01 at above 2000 feet.

Very Important Questions

2007-03-08T07:02:00.000-07:00

Do me a favor and go read this.

Then go sign this petition.

Then watch this video.

Then start asking questions.

I know, it's asking a lot, but it really matters to me. And you're my friend, right? Thanks, friend!

To paraphrase Thelonious Monk: "I’m famous. Ain’t that a bucket?"

2007-03-09T18:58:00.000-07:00

I made it to the "Digg Top 10" today. Here is the famous story.

It has begun.

2007-02-27T17:19:00.000-07:00

I now officially begin the 9/11 conspiracy talk on my blog. Let me preface this this post:

I have a hard time believing that the amount of people involved to keep secrets of this magnitude could keep it secret. But then again, there was the Manhattan Project...

I have a hard time believing that anyone could be as evil as it would be necessary to pull off such a stunt. But then again, there was the Reichstag...

I have a hard time believing that two 110 story steel buildings were brought down by controlled demolitions. But then again, I have a harder time believing that WTC7 not hit by any aircraft, was not. Watch this video for yourself.

Which brings me to today's post. Apparently, someone found some video of a little goof made by the BBC. They reported that WTC7 had collapsed 20 minutes before the event actually happened. Even after reporting the event, they go to a reporter in the field and what do we see? WTC7 still standing in the background. Read about it here. Watch the BBC report here.

Lucy, you have some 'splaaning to do!

Dell Customer Support

2006-06-28T07:46:00.000-07:00

I was trying to get a simple question answered today regarding a monitor for sale on Dell's website. After speaking with the clueless sales person for an hour, she transferred me to technical support. Technical support, of course, needs a service tag from a product, so I gave them the one from my laptop. Since this was a monitor related question, however, I was transferred to that department - - so I thought. In the transition I got this message:

We're sorry. We cannot continue processing your call. Please hang up.

What's that supposed to mean? The phone support equivalent of "bug off," I suppose.

UPDATE: I FINALLY reached a salesperson who was extremely helpful and went the extra mile to get the information I needed. She was really the first person I talked to at Dell that stepped a little bit "out of the box" and away from the standard script. Hats off to MaryN! I guess there are a few good apples out there after all. And the lesson here to Dell is to encourage employess to use all means necessary to help the employee rather than following call scripts. I went through enough "choose-your-own-adventure" menu options just to talk to a live person. I don't want it to seem like I'm talking to another computer when I finally do reach a human.

By the way - here is the new toy. This monitor was originally reported to have some display issues. I was trying to determine if the "fixed" revision A02 was shipping.

UPDATE #2: I got the wrong one! After all that, I got the A01 revision; the one with troubles. So... I sent the thing back and got a Gateway instead, which I love. So - boo to you again Dell!!!!

WTF?!

2007-02-01T15:44:00.000-07:00

Not what you think...

WTF = Where's the fire

This is a cool new feature on the Technorati blog search website that tells you WHY a particular search term is currently popular. In true Web 2.0 fashion, all the search term descriptions are user-generated.

I made one, just for fun. Try it out!

Eat Right

2007-02-01T14:40:00.000-07:00

Great article about health and nutrition and picking the right foods:

Click HERE.

Runner

2007-01-29T16:50:00.000-07:00

I ran my first 5K last Sunday. Holy smokes was it ever cold...
I wasn't sure what to expect, but I kinda enjoyed doing it and was satisfied with my time. I typically run a 10 minute mile (6 mph) in the gym, so this was only a bit slower than that.

I got 179th place and I beat Ellen! Woot! OK... so we ran together on purpose.

The results are in: http://www.arizonarunningeventsco.com/runtoremember07.htm

Darfur Wall

2006-12-08T07:32:00.000-07:00

I just flooded the house

2006-10-10T00:19:00.000-07:00

I thought you should know, world.