Thursday, December 29, 2005
Quick Review: Maxwell House Instant Coffee
Mmm... that tastes good.
Update: Oh yeah...
Update: Just right.
Update: Oh yeah...
Update: Just right.
Blog Update: I'm a Winner!
I got my first comment today and as it happens, it's from a friend. This momentous occasion provides me with the opportunity to plug his neat (In a geeky nerdo way.) website. Visit: beretta42.org. The direct link to his blog is here.
Why My Teams Lose: Introduction
Look, I'm a Cleveland sports fan; we know about losing. No team I support has won a championship during my lifetime. This feature is going to reveal my madness as I describe the heartache that comes with following the Cavs, Browns and Indians. These will probably be the only posts on this site that will include profanity.
Yes, I know that the Indians have a good team, the Cavs have Lebron and that the Browns have... uh, whatever it is that they have; but I'm totally pessimistic on the chances of these teams winning a championship. This is not to say that I won't be watching and cheering all along, I will. My lot, as I'm sure that many of you suffer from, is to be suckered in. I read sports blogs, watch Sportcenter, listen to my local sports-talk radio programs and watch as many games as I can.
Be prepared to read and possibly view my swings from joy to desperation. Because, one thing you can bank on is, that my teams lose.
Yes, I know that the Indians have a good team, the Cavs have Lebron and that the Browns have... uh, whatever it is that they have; but I'm totally pessimistic on the chances of these teams winning a championship. This is not to say that I won't be watching and cheering all along, I will. My lot, as I'm sure that many of you suffer from, is to be suckered in. I read sports blogs, watch Sportcenter, listen to my local sports-talk radio programs and watch as many games as I can.
Be prepared to read and possibly view my swings from joy to desperation. Because, one thing you can bank on is, that my teams lose.
2006 Backpacking Trip
I'm looking at going to the Hoist Lakes foot trails at the Huron national forest in Michigan. The sections of the trails that I would like to hike are a little over fifteen miles long in total. It is a loop trail. The topography is pretty tame; unlike sections of the North Country trail that I did earlier this year or the hellish mountain climbs in the Monongahela national forest's Otter Creek wilderness I slogged through in 2004.
I have already started a directory, updated my "To Do" list, created an itinerary and gathered some initial forest information (links and PDFs). Not sure when to go. Maybe late April early May. Hope I get my radio back by then.
Think I'll finally buy that L.E.D. flashlight I've been pining for the last year. Getting excited...
I have already started a directory, updated my "To Do" list, created an itinerary and gathered some initial forest information (links and PDFs). Not sure when to go. Maybe late April early May. Hope I get my radio back by then.
Think I'll finally buy that L.E.D. flashlight I've been pining for the last year. Getting excited...
Wednesday, December 28, 2005
Ka-Ching!
One of my clients was so happy with the work we did she gave us a hundred dollar tip. Being self-employed can be very discouraging at times, but doing good work and being rewarded for it makes the complaints and rejection bareable.
My Radio is Broken
In May of this year I purchased an Eton (Grundig) FR-300 AM/FM/WX radio. It has a dynamo that can charge the batteries and power the radio without batteries. I also use it to do electrolysis for the production of chlorine to use in water purification. The crank is no longer functional.
I like this product alot, and it's still under warranty, so I'm sending it in. The warranty center is located in Palo Alto, California. Hopefully it won't take to long to get back. With spring right around the corner, it will soon be time to start cleaning, repairing and organizing my backpacking equiptment.
Maybe I should start a weather observation project to be able to predict the weather in case of radio failure. I'll need a themometer, barometer and possibly an anemometer.
I like this product alot, and it's still under warranty, so I'm sending it in. The warranty center is located in Palo Alto, California. Hopefully it won't take to long to get back. With spring right around the corner, it will soon be time to start cleaning, repairing and organizing my backpacking equiptment.
Maybe I should start a weather observation project to be able to predict the weather in case of radio failure. I'll need a themometer, barometer and possibly an anemometer.
Tuesday, December 27, 2005
Poems for Manly Men: If
I'm starting this feature with Kipling's "If." It first appeared in 1909. A man teaching his son the virtue of moderation, and what it takes to be a man. Manly Men can read "If" by clicking here.
The Apolitician: Iraqi Democracy
The recent election in Iraq and the political turmoil surrounding it's results make me think about how lucky I am for being born an American. The domestic politics of the day can make it seem that every executive, legistative and judicial decision will effect the fate of the nation. Editorials pro and con on every proposal, suggestion and utterance of our elected and appointed representatives can give the impression that we're tettering on the ledge, ready to take the plunge and lose our liberties, traditions, rights, ethics, heart or morality. Is this federal republic that brittle? Is our democracy so weak? Is our future one of the great empires of the past; decline and then end, or is America that shining city on the hill that President Reagan spoke of? Should this be a debate between pessimism and optimism, or between the ideologies of socialism and capitalism. Which ideology is pessimistic and which is optimistic?
The socialist might say that capitalism is the pessimistic ideology because it says man is materialistic and his greed must be used to advance the country. The capitalist may reply that no, capitalism is optimistic for that very reason, because it trusts the indivdual to organize his affairs and that socialism is pessimisitic because it takes those desicions due to lack of faith in him. No, the socialist will retort, that capitalism has kept the individual from understanding the social sciences and that the socialist is optimistic because he believes he is smart enough to do the right thing for the largest number of people.
Yikes! This is going to get circular real fast. Let's say that both ideologies have aspects that can be argued to be optimistic and pessimistic. What does history say about these ideologies? Let's look at two well known examples of both ideologies: the United States of America and the Soviet Union. Wait, the modern socialist will say, the Soviets were not a pure example of socialism because they didn't follow the ideology properly. The capitalist will say America isn't a capitalistic society because it has a lot of socialist policies.
Well, I think we've arrived at Utopianism, the ideology of the perfect society. Can that work? The argument appears to be mired in the definition of terms. Are we all postmodernists now? Is the subjective definition of terms and argument how people operate?
I guess we could kill each other until one ideology wins and then enforce that outcome on people who change their minds or are born with different ideas? With dictatorship, we could perpetuate that victory of ideology, by imprisoning or killing dissenters. This doesn’t sound good. Is there another way to resolve the differences between ideologies and govern countries? Have we arrived at democracy?
Wait a minute; doesn’t this argument mean that we should support the mission in Iraq? I’m not sure, but we are going to learn a lot about democracy and ourselves through the war in Iraq.
After writing this, I feel certain that I’m very fortunate to have been born an American, and that I hope the Iraqis can find some of that fortune as they form their democracy.
The socialist might say that capitalism is the pessimistic ideology because it says man is materialistic and his greed must be used to advance the country. The capitalist may reply that no, capitalism is optimistic for that very reason, because it trusts the indivdual to organize his affairs and that socialism is pessimisitic because it takes those desicions due to lack of faith in him. No, the socialist will retort, that capitalism has kept the individual from understanding the social sciences and that the socialist is optimistic because he believes he is smart enough to do the right thing for the largest number of people.
Yikes! This is going to get circular real fast. Let's say that both ideologies have aspects that can be argued to be optimistic and pessimistic. What does history say about these ideologies? Let's look at two well known examples of both ideologies: the United States of America and the Soviet Union. Wait, the modern socialist will say, the Soviets were not a pure example of socialism because they didn't follow the ideology properly. The capitalist will say America isn't a capitalistic society because it has a lot of socialist policies.
Well, I think we've arrived at Utopianism, the ideology of the perfect society. Can that work? The argument appears to be mired in the definition of terms. Are we all postmodernists now? Is the subjective definition of terms and argument how people operate?
I guess we could kill each other until one ideology wins and then enforce that outcome on people who change their minds or are born with different ideas? With dictatorship, we could perpetuate that victory of ideology, by imprisoning or killing dissenters. This doesn’t sound good. Is there another way to resolve the differences between ideologies and govern countries? Have we arrived at democracy?
Wait a minute; doesn’t this argument mean that we should support the mission in Iraq? I’m not sure, but we are going to learn a lot about democracy and ourselves through the war in Iraq.
After writing this, I feel certain that I’m very fortunate to have been born an American, and that I hope the Iraqis can find some of that fortune as they form their democracy.
Happy Birthday Mom
Today is my mom's birthday. I wanted to tell her happy birthday and that she is the best. She opened her present on Christmas Eve, but I wanted write this to tell her what she means to me.
Dad became sick in the early 80's. My parents got divorced after the hell of mental illness took it's toll on the sick and those that care for them. She sheilded me from the maddening saddness of his sickness and raised me almost totally by herself. Our family struggled through money problems, lost jobs and all the rest that single parenting brings, but I never felt we were poor. She worked hard and did her best and I want to thank her for it. I look back on my childhood and remember nothing but happiness and peace.
As a teenager, I was a lost kid, but she still loved me and her caring kept me from becoming a lost man. Learning the extent of my dad's illness and experiencing the effects of it as an adult shook me and made me realize how hard it must have been on her. She still is there for my dad and helps take care of him. My father's sister calls her a saint.
Twenty-six years after we first met she is still there for me. She did a good job.
She is a saint and I hope she is happy on her birthday.
Love,
Your Son
Dad became sick in the early 80's. My parents got divorced after the hell of mental illness took it's toll on the sick and those that care for them. She sheilded me from the maddening saddness of his sickness and raised me almost totally by herself. Our family struggled through money problems, lost jobs and all the rest that single parenting brings, but I never felt we were poor. She worked hard and did her best and I want to thank her for it. I look back on my childhood and remember nothing but happiness and peace.
As a teenager, I was a lost kid, but she still loved me and her caring kept me from becoming a lost man. Learning the extent of my dad's illness and experiencing the effects of it as an adult shook me and made me realize how hard it must have been on her. She still is there for my dad and helps take care of him. My father's sister calls her a saint.
Twenty-six years after we first met she is still there for me. She did a good job.
She is a saint and I hope she is happy on her birthday.
Love,
Your Son
This is the End...
Monday Night Football
I'm twenty-six and can't remember a single MNF game except the Jets and Pats game last night. Not sure if that means anything in particular.
I'm twenty-six and can't remember a single MNF game except the Jets and Pats game last night. Not sure if that means anything in particular.
Quick Review: WRT54G
I received this as a Christmas gift, it was purchased from the Wally's World in Strongsville, OH. Check Froogle for price comparison. Here's Walmart's page. And here's the Linksys page on it.
Setup:
Easy. Linksys is advertising a "secure, easy setup." That is a fair description. Rating: 8/10.
Configuration:
Simple interface. Nice hex key generator. Remember to use complicated passphrase for generation of key (No passphrases like "doggy"). Rating: 7/10.
Features:
Lame firewall options. Rating: 5/10.
Overall: 20 out of a possible 30 points. It's good; not very good.
Setup:
Easy. Linksys is advertising a "secure, easy setup." That is a fair description. Rating: 8/10.
Configuration:
Simple interface. Nice hex key generator. Remember to use complicated passphrase for generation of key (No passphrases like "doggy"). Rating: 7/10.
Features:
Lame firewall options. Rating: 5/10.
Overall: 20 out of a possible 30 points. It's good; not very good.
My Backpacking Website
It's not a blog, but I like it. There are photos, notes and information on my backpacking trips, descriptions and howtos for projects that I've done and my backpacking equiptment list.
Visit Scooterpacker for some number of your backpacking needs.
Visit Scooterpacker for some number of your backpacking needs.
Hello World...
This is my first blog post. Huzzah! I feel special. This blog is simply to keep my friends and family updated about my exciting fast-paced life. There will be no cute cat or baby pictures.
I am Scootran and I enjoy work and other things(ed-- Wow! That's informative). Well, that's it for now.
So... welcome to Scooterstan. Enjoy yourself.
I am Scootran and I enjoy work and other things(ed-- Wow! That's informative). Well, that's it for now.
So... welcome to Scooterstan. Enjoy yourself.
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