B44 - Windows XP - Cursed Cursor

Hi,

Well I'm on a rant this morning.... Maybe it's just me but I'm fucktrated (one of my new words and you're welcome to use it) with the new windows XP... mainly with the way the "dumb" cursor works, or rather, doesn't work. With my old Windows '95 once you clicked on something you had a small hour glass that would rotate, indicating that things were working.... With the new & improved (?) XP, the cursor sits there like a dummy and leaves you wondering as to what in the hell is going on or is not going on? Did I click? Do I need to double click? Is it loading? Is it taking me somewhere else? Is my system frozen? What? What? Talk to me?

So I wait.................and wait..................and nothing happens........ So I click again.... and wait some more and still nothing happens... Impatient I click a few more times.... Still nothing......... All of a sudden 15 windows start popping up.... and they're all copies of the same page, file or program.......... AHHHHHHHH!!!!!!!

Delete... curse &^%$#@ ..... delete *(^&%$#)@..... delete and curse some more &&*^%%##
Fuckstration!!!!!! I feel that the (&%&#@%) does help in getting the message through as it then begins to open windows virtually on command or until it feels that it wants to test my patience again.... Why did they do away with something that was useful????

John

Tags; Rant, Fustration, Computer, Cursor,

B43 - Stress Management question

Hi everyone,

I just received and e-mail question from a college student wanting information on stress management. My answer was spontaneous and brief and I feel prompted to share it with you, so here it is.

***********************************

Subject: Stress Management
Question -
Dear Mr. Rieger:

I am a college student in Philadelphia, and I am writing an article on ways to reduce and manage stress for a Feature Writing class I am currently taking.

I'm wondering if you can explain to me a few helpful tips to reduce/manage stress. I'd appreciate any information you can give me; however, I would love to know about any special “best kept secret” tips that are either overlooked, “outside of the box,” or aren't commonly known by the public.

Thank you in advance! Please feel free to contact me if you have any questions or would like to discuss these tips.

Sincerely,
123 ABCDEF

***********************************

Answer -
Hey 123,

Ahhhsooo Grasshopper! The best kept secret is simply one word, "DENIAL" and that you will find ... "inside"... the box.

Shenreed


PS: Now doesn't that simple phrase speak volumes.... Embellish on it and you have what you're looking for and more. :)

"Food for thought"
John


For more thoughts on denial.... check out the Message Board

B42 - Podcasting (Blogging in audio)

Hi Again,

I'm sure you've noticed the sleek little "Audio Player" in the side bar and if you've played it you will also sense my frustration in trying to get it working but now that I've "clued in" I'm beginning to see new possibilities for this form of web media.

Beside recording audio messages in an MP3 format that can be emailed or downloaded, Odeo also has podcasting, similar to blogging except that it's in audio. What I'm thinking of doing next is to create audio files that I could not only podcast (Blog) them, but also write a brief with a link that I could post on this Blog or/and on my Message Board. Humm, as I typed that I can also see that I'm going to have to resurrect "Dragon Naturally Speaking" a voice activated program that changes audio to written text, as that will save a lot of typing.

Well I'm off to do some more exploring and experimenting and I'll let you know what I find.

John

Another tool that I feel I'll be using is from Audacity for adding music background and special audio effects on my podcasts.

B41 - Spyware, Viruses, Trojans, Malware, Worms, etc.

Hi again
Recently I've had to do some computer realted problem solving and it's been a learn as you go process. My solutions to "slow downs" and "freezes" has been to purge my internet cookies, files and history and then run "disk cleanup" then "disc defragment" and finally run Registry Mechanic and then re-boot the system. My computer would work fine for a few hours or maybe days and then it would begin do the same thing. I had been careful to scan any files I downloaded so what else was and is going on?

In my ignorance I figured that if I had Norton and PC Spyware doctor that I was safe and protected - WRONG. It's not that they don't work, it's that they don't catch everything that's out there on the Net. So I began to search the net for information and other spyware to help my computer fend off these attacks. After a myriad of searches and reads I decided to download a free program called Spybot - Search & Destroy. I wouldn't go into the details of what happened as you can read that at the following Spybot S&D Forum post "Download with a "Surprise"

I was pleasantly surprised that I got a quick reply from a "real person" so I decided to download the program again and this time it worked. I posted my results and again I got a reply from a real person and I also got links to the real information that I was looking for called The Spyware Warrior that also provides a "List of Rogue/Suspect Anti-Spyware Products & Web Sites" and it was last updated Apr 23 2006. That also linked me up to another site called The Adware Report with tons of information.

I feel that there are a lot of people out there that are ignorant like me when it comes to computers and the internet. What we don't see, hear or know can hurt us or rather our computers. That's why I'm posting this piece, to share some "tools" of knowledge to arm ourselves against the forces that desire to cause harm. This "war" or being attacked is far from over but I'm beginning to separate the truth from the illusion of truth.

Hummm. I find it's interesting that there is this parallelism between the computer being attacked and we "humans" being attacked and in both cases, it's energy that is involved.

Humm, more food for thought.
John

B40 - Sermon, Rant, or the Truth (Take your pick)

Hi again

Well I might call this post " Sunday Sermon" or "Rant" even though it's only Saturday.

I'm again being activated by religion or rather religious BeliefS. Maybe this is all a test to see if I'm going to go back to my old programs and try to be nice and understanding according to their religious point of view, which from personal experience, is a confusing no win situation. Although an email sparked this post, the story line is one I've heard over and over and so I will combine their stories.


This morning I got an email from a person asking for my opinion and advice on depression, but instead of talking about their feelings, the first words they wrote were that they were devoutly religious, "born again" Christian and a follower of the Lord years and that "being saved" was the best thing that has ever happened to them. They then went on to say that they have been through a lot of “mental” changes over the past few years and that they have been having a hard time really caring about anything or anyone anymore and were not sure what has happened to them. They were no longer motivated and were constantly over-eating and depressed; in stark contract to how their life used to be so which was disciplined and controlled. They hope and pray that things will change or they constantly tell themselves that they will change even though they know that they won't. That they are on a merry-go-round and can't seem to get out of the cycle and can't stay motivated and focused long enough change the life that they are experiencing. And then they conclude by saying that they know they are sinners and weak, because they are human but that Jesus died for their sins and that God forgives them because they are saved.

My reply was to the point.
I'm not confused, but I know you are. If you have been a devote follower of the Lord for years as you say you are, and that it's the best thing that ever happened to you, then why are you asking me for help, shouldn't you be talking to your Lord and following his advice or at least the advice of your religious institution.... no matter what.

Secondly, by your asking (ME) for help.... you are also silently insinuating (in denial and not saying it out loud as then you would hear your own judgments) that the lord isn't doing his job right and that his will is not what you want, and that you know how to do his job better than he does, which is actually saying that you want to be God in his place. So make up your mind and either walk your religious "Babble" that you keep saying is so great, or get off the BS box and get real. I'm not going to waste my time (but I still am in writing this e-mail) with religious people who always have a convenient "out" by quoting the bible or by blessing, or praying for my deliverance and denying the real issues when confronted with the truth. The favorite Christian "out" of having to take personal responsibility for their actions and feelings is to wash them away (denial) and be cleansed, by giving them up to the lord. They then deny that they have any of the issues that they brought up and insist that if their suffering is Gods will, then so let it be as their glory will be in Heaven. Yadda, yadda, yadda. And once they’ve blessed you, know that any further conversation you attempt is then considered the work of the devil.

Another area of confusion that comes up during these conversations is the difference between mental and emotions problems. Mental relates to the mind, to thinking and ideas as in (2 + 2 = 4), while emotions, including depression, relates to the way one feels about experiences. But that’s another topic.

Have a nice day, Amen! (And I quietly step off the soap box)

John

PS: This post is related to one I posted earlier on my issues with religion and Being a Hypocrite

B39 - Earth Changes

Earth changes are not only coming, but they are happenig now. Most people and especially governments don't want to face the truth that these changes are upon us. Governments and the Media also deny and supress any major Earth change information claiming that they don't want to create fear and panic and so only report what they can't avoid or can't deny reporting. Global warming is NOT what I'm talking about.

Here is a US Government site that I'm sure will interest you, especially since it contains seismic data from over 80 sites around the world. You can get it at he following link. Live Internet Seismic Server
Once there, click on "go directly to data" or click on this link Seismic Data (Note: To enlarge the chart, left click on the image.) The Links are wortking fine... the government servers are off line.. Hummm?

There is also a lot of other info on this site that is not made know to the general public... I have copies of seismic activity going back a couple of years, of days when there was HUGE activity at every site around the world... I mean off the scale. Those were days when I knew that something was going on with the Earth as I could feel it.

The horizontal lines are a time line reference but they can also give you an idea of the magnitude of the seismic activity. Each chart represents the activity for the whole day and each one of the 24 horizontal lines represents a one hour

The movement of the vertical lines from left to right on the chart indicate the time and duration of the seismic activity during a one hour period. The chart is also divided into six - 10 minute segments covering one hour.

If there is little seismic activity (Volcanoes and Earthquakes) the time line is almost flat or slightly wavy. If there are strong vertical swings or the graph is almost all black with scribbly lines, that means that there is MAJOR seismic activity in that area. The after shocks are shown on a different time line. What I find interesting is that a lot of these activities are occurring at the same time.

I'm not posting this to frighten you but to make you aware of what's happening in the world around us. I'm not the message, just the messenger.

John

PS: Here are four more related websites you may find of interest:
USGS Maps ... The Virtual Times ...USGS Data ...Earth Changes TV

B38 - Wellness expo (People are awakening)

Hi everyone,

Just thought I’d add my comments as to some of the Earth/people changes that I’ve recently felt and experienced.

I went to a wellness expo in Moncton, New Brunswick, the 2nd annual in this Bible thumping Eastern part of Canada. As far as New Age is concerned, people down East (as they are termed) are fifteen years behind the times, but even though they are behind the times in getting started in a New Age movement, they are just as current as those in Ontario or British Columbia as the material hasn’t really changed. My first psychic fair/ wellness expo was in Ontario back in ’90 and this one was not really different SSDD. (Same “Stuff” Different Day). A lot of the same info and material is still re-cycling itself while some has taken on a new twist or is being combined with other modalities. Most of the people that had booths at the expo are what I consider your typical Old World “BOX” mentality, that is, they go by the book or another’s word or teachings, just like the thumpers. They have adopted other people’s ideas as their truth and now they’re trying to recruit and sell that idea or product, either as the spiritual truth or as a magic bullet to cure all illness.

But, having said that, there was one thing that I did notice that was different in that I was drawn to speak to people running six different booths and in each case I picked up what was going on with them, either emotionally, physically or both. I spoke to these people from the Heart and I felt them connect with me and while they were still caught up in the “box” mentality, I could feel them trying to find a way out. Even though they didn’t know what they were looking for I could feel they knew there was more, and that what they were doing was only a part of the picture. I could feel that they were genuinely curious as they asked me who I was and also to tell them more; they were awakening even though they were not consciously aware of it yet. I also noticed a difference in the crowd or rather in a small portion of the crowd as they too were searching and it was nice to make eye contact with them and feel the connection, and even though nothing was said, nothing had to be said, as everything was felt.

That’s it.

John

PS:
Last year I went to a similar expo in Kelowna. BC and by comparison, I'd say that BC has 10 times more New Age stores and related busisness than does Ontario. That will also give you some idea of where Eastern Canada stands as far as alternative, New Age is concerned. But having said that, that doesn't mean that the people in BC are any more spiritualy evolved than the rest of the Canada, because they are still feeding off the same old info that I talked about earlier, it's just that there are a lot more places to get it and a lot more people intested in alternatives and not the traditional beliefs and the Bible as is the case in Eastern Canada.

Also, when I was at the Kelowna expo surrounded by throngs of New Agers, I only talked to and connected to two people. I compare that to this experience and I feel that it's not the New Age info or movement per say, but that there has been a energy shift this past year in the people themselves regardless of their exposure to alternative ideas or practices.
"More food for thought"