Holiday Season, Friends, and Resolutions

Well, like wild fire Christmas blazed on past. It's now boxing day and all of the build up ended in a present opening climax. I was actually pretty surprised that I received a gift this year that I actually wanted, haha. I received a combo printer/scanner/photocopier from my parents and my kids. I was floored when I opened it as this was to be a pretty slim Xmas.

My girls loved their gifts and are still going crazy over what Santa brought them: Ipod and Phone Camera (Santa must be a Techy). They are presently outsided sliding in the snow on the new sleds that I bought them.

All and all this turned out to be a wonderful time, we spend time with friends and family and we had a great time of it.

On behalf of my family to everyone out there in blog land, Merry Christmas and Happy New Years. For those of you non-Xmas folks, Happy Holidays.

I'm hoping the next year brings more smiles than misery though.

Rob

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World of Warcraft: The Game you Love to Hate

Like 9.3 million of us around the world I'm one of those that enjoys playing World of Warcraft as my choice of entertainment. I don't watch tv much anymore, I prefer a more interactive form of entertainment.

I have made many friends in-game, and I have had quite a bit of fun as well. However, recently things have started to get stale for me as far as the game goes. The imbalances with certain classes, the fact that 95% of the player base will never be able to experience most of the Raid content, constant changes to class balance, gameplay, and items, and the lack of any real customer support have turned me off of the game.

If you read the forums it is one big morass of unhappy gamers and it doesn't seem that Blizzard really cares. Many of their fixes are poorly thought out, poorly implemented, and pretty much a waste of everyones time and energy. A good example of this is the afk solution, putting the onus on reporting of the AFK'ers on the players themselves. If that weren't bad enough they allow those with the AFK debuff to maintain and keep the honor that they accrued up until they were reported. It's ridiculous.

I don't know too many players any more that are playing the game for enjoyment, they play because they are either addicted, it's part of their routine, or they spent so much time leveling their characters they don't want to give them up.

Now some people do enjoy the game though, and I think for the most part those folks are newer to the game and still enjoying the initial fun that the game offered to the rest of us. The newness that an MMO of WoW's stature gives to those looking for a fun Onliine experience.

I've decided that I'm most likely not going to continue my subscription, that gives me another 2 months of play time, and if things haven't changed by then I'll go and try something new.

It's funny because this game was allot of fun at one time, the communities were all enjoying it, the pvp aspect was a blast, and it was full of laughs and fun. Now it's work, grinding for rep/honor, pointless quests, ridiculous requirements for mounts/epics, and content that no one but the most well geared can even begin to explore.

Until then I'm going to play and try and find something enjoyable to do while I'm there.

- Rob

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A Battle of Wills - I Surrender

Lately I've noticed that my eldest daughter Jecynda has been much more argumentative with me in respect to bed times, doing homework, play time, and items.

I thought maybe at first that maybe she was angry about something and this was her way to deal with it. So earlier today I decided that the two of us would have a talk. I drove us down to the mall and we did some shopping, we sat at A&W and had a bite to eat, and then we stopped off for an ice cream and sat down. I decided to talk with her then about what was going on and what she thought we could do to solve the problem.

It was then I found out, that I was the problem. She didn't like my rules and thought that she was old enough now for some of them to be changed. Her list of demands were:

1) Go to sleep at 10pm rather than 9pm
2) Do homework when she feels like doing it and not at 7pm
3) She wants her room changed to more reflect herself
4) Be allowed to stay out past 9pm with friends
5) Allowed to go to the mall in the afternoon with her friends

Most of these demands were things that I would be a bit more flexible with had she not been giving me some attitude when she told me about them.

This is where the Battle of the Wills began. I was getting pissy at her attitude and she was getting frustrated with my getting pissy with her attitude.

So, I took a deep breath and made the following compromises with her.

1) Weeknights she can go to bed at 10pm as long as I have no trouble getting her up in the morning.
2) Homework gets done before bedtime, she has the freedom to choose when.
3) I gave her a week to come up with a list of changes for her room, and then we would discuss that.
4) 9pm is the latest she is allowed out at, there is no compromise here.
5) She can go with her friends to the Mall on the condition she is back at school on time, her homework is done, she doesn't do anything stupid like stealing, or anything else peer pressured teens tend to do in those situation.

We agreed on these things, and we'll see how it goes.

Of course after we arrived home and she started to play, I thought to myself: "My little girl is growing up way to fast." And that's when I needed some Daddy sad time, and retired to my room to reflect on how fast the time is flying by.

- Rob

Infamy and Pillows (repost)

I'm reposting this in this blog, because it cracks me up.

It started out innocently enough. I was tired from the days work and decided to take a manly type nap (Emphasis on Manly type Nap...not one of those wussy naps). The girls were playing downstairs so I ventured down to let them know that I was going to take a nap for a bit and to wake me if they needed me. "Yes, Daddy," was the unanimous answer.

It was at that point I should have realized that evil was afoot.

I wandered back up stairs, and lay down in my nice comfy bed. I hadn't slept much the past few nights for some reason and it had caught up to me pretty harshly. So before I knew it I was out and dreaming of nude jello wrestling...err...ignore that.

The first I realized I was under attack was the woomf of a pillow to the side of the head, a few feathers lodged in my nose causing me to sneeze crazily. The second pillow caught my sneezing frame right in the solar plexis, and a third to the side of my face.

The laughter finally brought me around long enough to be aware of the injustice being dealt upon me. Another smack to the forehead and one to the nose and I was up grabbing wildly for a weapon. My hands grasped a lamp....errr...put that back down, the damage would have been severe, and picked up a stuffed giraffe. *note*....it's not mine...it was Marrissa's...errr...she left it in there....yeah...that's it.

I aimed carefully while being battered and let fly my first sortie. It missed. I got creamed again by a flurry of strikes. One of the pillow corners smacked me in the eye and my eyes were watering. I couldn't see at all. Next thing I know the attack is over, the air is full of feathers, and the silence was spooky. I heard the thumping of feet, the slamming of a door, and the locking of the bathroom lock. The quiet giggling of the girls told me they were in hiding and with that the battle was over, and I was defeated.

However......the War had just begun.

Viva la Daddy!!!!

I'm Back, Life Until Now

Wow, again another long period of time passes before I start publishing to my blog again. First I have to say that the past 7 months have been added to the the top three worst years in my life.

I was laid off, I went through two relationships that didn't work out for various reasons, my car had a head gasket go and will cost roughly 1300 to fix, my daughter broke her arm, I had my gall bladder removed, Xmas will be very slim this year, and I lost a few close friends.

I have also drudged up quite a few old memories of the murder of my brother which was very difficult to do but also a bit therapeutic and necessary. I spoke with one of the investigators from that period and we emailed back and forth about the events that led up to and past the time of the murder. The course cases, the cover up by the Canadian Military because it was a French - English racism topic that the gov't didn't want Canada to hear about because of the stresses that referendum talk was having on the public.

So last month I sat down and I decided that life isn't going to run me over without a fight. I decided it was time to take matters into my own hands and to get out of the path I had been following. My first decision was career wise.

Career Decision: Over the past 15 years I have been in IT, I have worked for several companies some large and some small. I have always moved up the ladder when I switched companies and I have always excelled at my positions. Recently I began working with a smaller company out of Mississauga, Ont and things were apparent very early that it wasn't a good fit for me. I won't go into reasons why but let's say that the management system needed some work. After a year of working there it was pretty well known that my feelings about the company were very negative, I didn't want to be there, and when the opportunity came up I took a lay-off. I was very confident that i could find another position very quickly. However, 6 months later and I'm still looking. There are many jobs available but nothing within my area that would be worth pursuing. I didn't want to have to uproot the girls, move, find babysitters, apartment searching, and a host of other things at that time.

So my decision was to join the Air Force as an ATIS tech. It's a spec trade which means advanced promotion and pay as well as being something that will use my IT background. I passed the aptitude test with flying colors and my interview went very well. I'm on to the medical check and if that works out, I'm in. I will go to my 10 week basic training in early Jan or late Dec. I'm in the poorest shape of my life, but I've been told it won't be an issue, they make you get back into shape, lol.

Relationship Decision: I dated two ladies over the last year, one I miss very much but she lives in Bathurst and it was just too far for us to commute to keep things going. The other more recently was just a disaster and I'm actually glad it's over. Mainly for the safety of my girls than anything.

I have decided that I'm going to take a break from dating for awhile until I have my life worked out better, my own apartment/house, and to allow my girls to mature a bit more before they start meeting those I'm dating. My girls have a tendency to become quickly attached to people and it hurts them if things don't work out.

Outlook Decision: My outlook on life over the past year has changed dramatically. I have gone from being a happy, caring, humorous, and loving person to someone who is completely jaded on Life, Religion, Politics, and People. I have distanced myself from many of those I once called friends for varying number of reasons and with some I feel the justification for doing so is still sound. However, for those that I distanced myself from that was due to my hiding behind a mask of self-hate and depression, I have written to and apologized in my own way. I do so because it's the way i can move forward without having guilt about decisions made in haste or for the wrong reasons.

I have vowed to start being positive about life again, giving people the benefit of the doubt, and to get out more. To enjoy life again.

Allot has changed for me over the past years, my life has been one big pile of nonsensical crap and it all stems from the major events in my life never having been dealt with properly by me. I have been an emotional wreck for over 10 years. The death of my brother, the loss of someone I cared for deeply, the break up of a relationship to someone that I deeply loved, the battle for my children, and the list goes on. I needed help dealing with these issues and I never took the time to get it. That changed recently and it is really going a long way to help me cope with my emotions. No wonder I couldn't watch a sad show without balling my eyes out.

So, with these goals and the life plan I have set out I will battle on. Hopefully, the next year will bring some peace, love, and understanding my way. If not, then at least I'll know I went down fighting.

Me.

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US Dollar Hegemony and What it means to Canada

An interesting conversation happened between an American friend of mine and myself. We started to talk about the dominance of the American Dollar in foreign markets and the hegemony that exists. With news that the Russians may start excepting the Euro as their new "oil" dollar and the fact that Iran has stated publicly that it will do so as well has caused fear to start rippling through the American banks, Investors, Corporations, and of course the Government. With American debt and spending so high, the weak dollar, and lack of leadership it is a fear that any informed American should take seriously.

Now my question is how will this affect Canada, and our finances. As I am not an Economist or really have any financial background I was wondering what this would mean for our economy. Some say that our dollar is growing in strength and that we will be fine. If the American dollar falls below ours, we will be even better off. So, maybe Canada should consider using the Euro as our "oil" dollar as well. I'm all for ending the dominance of the American dollar and in so doing weakening the power they wield over the rest of the world.

I asked my friend one time what he was most fearful of being an American. He answered, "At this point everything scares me. I can't get away from the media and their doomsaying, I can't get away from feeling that even though I'm far removed from the cities that our small town will be attacked. It's better to ask me what I'm not afraid of, that would be a much smaller list."

I thought to myself....How sad is that really. Here are some great articles on the American dollar hegemony.

THE INTERNATIONAL FORECASTER editor Bob Chapman writes: In a move that would have massive repercussions in the global balance of power, last week Russian President Vladimir Putin said Russia could switch its trade in oil from US dollars to euros.

This news has not appeared anywhere in the western media.

Mind you, the comments were made at a joint news conference with German Chancellor Gerhard Schroeder in Yekaterinburg, where the two leaders conducted two-day talks.

We believe this is the beginning of a move by European elitists to replace the US dollar as the world's reserve currency.

A Russian move in this direction would boost the euros gradually growing share of global currency reserves and could prove to be catastrophic for the US ... it would end the US license to do as it pleases throughout the world.

http://forums.canadiancontent.net/international-politics/34891-us-dollar-hedgemony.html

The End of Dollar Hegemony

Before the U.S. House of Representatives 02/15/06

By Ron Paul

02/16/06 "ICH" -- -- A hundred years ago it was called “dollar diplomacy.” After World War II, and especially after the fall of the Soviet Union in 1989, that policy evolved into “dollar hegemony.” But after all these many years of great success, our dollar dominance is coming to an end.

It has been said, rightly, that he who holds the gold makes the rules. In earlier times it was readily accepted that fair and honest trade required an exchange for something of real value.

First it was simply barter of goods. Then it was discovered that gold held a universal attraction, and was a convenient substitute for more cumbersome barter transactions. Not only did gold facilitate exchange of goods and services, it served as a store of value for those who wanted to save for a rainy day.

Though money developed naturally in the marketplace, as governments grew in power they assumed monopoly control over money. Sometimes governments succeeded in guaranteeing the quality and purity of gold, but in time governments learned to outspend their revenues. New or higher taxes always incurred the disapproval of the people, so it wasn’t long before Kings and Caesars learned how to inflate their currencies by reducing the amount of gold in each coin-- always hoping their subjects wouldn’t discover the fraud. But the people always did, and they strenuously objected.

This helped pressure leaders to seek more gold by conquering other nations. The people became accustomed to living beyond their means, and enjoyed the circuses and bread. Financing extravagances by conquering foreign lands seemed a logical alternative to working harder and producing more. Besides, conquering nations not only brought home gold, they brought home slaves as well. Taxing the people in conquered territories also provided an incentive to build empires. This system of government worked well for a while, but the moral decline of the people led to an unwillingness to produce for themselves. There was a limit to the number of countries that could be sacked for their wealth, and this always brought empires to an end. When gold no longer could be obtained, their military might crumbled. In those days those who held the gold truly wrote the rules and lived well.

That general rule has held fast throughout the ages. When gold was used, and the rules protected honest commerce, productive nations thrived. Whenever wealthy nations-- those with powerful armies and gold-- strived only for empire and easy fortunes to support welfare at home, those nations failed.

Today the principles are the same, but the process is quite different. Gold no longer is the currency of the realm; paper is. The truth now is: “He who prints the money makes the rules”-- at least for the time being. Although gold is not used, the goals are the same: compel foreign countries to produce and subsidize the country with military superiority and control over the monetary printing presses.

Since printing paper money is nothing short of counterfeiting, the issuer of the international currency must always be the country with the military might to guarantee control over the system. This magnificent scheme seems the perfect system for obtaining perpetual wealth for the country that issues the de facto world currency. The one problem, however, is that such a system destroys the character of the counterfeiting nation’s people-- just as was the case when gold was the currency and it was obtained by conquering other nations. And this destroys the incentive to save and produce, while encouraging debt and runaway welfare.

The pressure at home to inflate the currency comes from the corporate welfare recipients, as well as those who demand handouts as compensation for their needs and perceived injuries by others. In both cases personal responsibility for one’s actions is rejected.

When paper money is rejected, or when gold runs out, wealth and political stability are lost. The country then must go from living beyond its means to living beneath its means, until the economic and political systems adjust to the new rules-- rules no longer written by those who ran the now defunct printing press.

http://www.informationclearinghouse.info/article11946.htm

Some further information on the subject:

http://www.informationclearinghouse.info/article12346.htm
http://www.informationclearinghouse.info/article8411.htm

My Switch to Linux (Ubuntu) and other Happenings

Heya,

First I have to get something out of the way here. Yayyy for Paris "The Tramp" Hilton to get jail time and actually have to do it. How sick are we of these spoiled rotten rich celebrities getting off with literally murder and doing no time. Now if only the courts could do the same for white collar crime, things would be much more fair in the US.

Now that it's off my chest, back to my original blog topic.

I recently made the switch from Windows XP/Vista to Ubuntu Linux and I'd like to walk all of you through how easily this was done, and how extremely happy I really am with this switch.

First the reason for the switch: If any of you have tried Vista yet, then I probably don't need to tell you it's a resource heavy, piece of shit. You need to buy a high end computer to run the damn thing and even then it's slow, clumsy, and STILL filled with security holes. Not to mention the ton of spam, viruses, hacks, trojans, malware, worms, spyware, etc. I had had enough and decided to see what all of the Linux hype was about.

I tentatively downloaded and installed the Ubuntu 6.0 Live CD and tried it out. I was messing around with the installed software and came across one particular program that just absolutely blew my mind: AmoroK.

AmoroK is a music jukebox type of application, but is far off the best I have ever had the pleasure to use. Not only will it show compatible artists and songs (as well as rate them), it will also provide you album covers, search for the lyrics, give you the artists wikipedia information, play and record your Last.fm song information, and a zillion other things. 10/10.

Then I started finding other programs and applications that were just far better than there Windows counterparts. It was then that I saw a youtube video for Beryl/Compiz. These are desktop effects that are encorporated now by default in the new 7.04 Feisty Fawn Ubuntu distribution, and it absolutely BLEW my mind.

Here is the link: Beryl

After this I installed it as a dual boot with my Windows XP and started playing with it. I began Themeing the Desktop and such, and that was so easy and cool, that there was another high score for Ubuntu. Once I had my complete Desktop the way I wanted with all the sweet 3D backgrounds, desklets, and effects going I was content.

I then found a way to run my Windows XP through VirtualBox (VMWare type app (only I found it much better)) I decided to take the leap and create just the Ubuntu install with Winxp in a virtual window. I very very rarely use Windows now.

One of the things that I initially found daunting was the command line options (although really you do not need to use this, there are gui icons for everything) I found that installing applications were a joke, here's an example of my entry that installs everything I need:

sudo apt-get install mozilla-thunderbird gftp kftpgrabber nfs-common vlc par2 unrar xmms xmms-mad xmms-skins sun-java5-plugin sun-java5-bin ubuntu-restricted-extras libk3b2-mp3 ntfs-config libxine-extracodecs xine-ui mplayer mplayer-skins kubuntu-desktop xubuntu-desktop azureus klibido

Now this may look complex, but actually all it consists of is a listing of the apps and such that I want to install in one line. The command itself is simply: sudo apt-get install (then just start listing the applications you want to install) and BOOM....it installs them. No hunting all of the damn web for applications then having to download, then install, then delete the containers. No spyware added to the installs to support the distribution...easy as pie.

If you don't like using the command line (which you will after you get used to the idea) you can use the Synaptic Package Manager, which is a one stop shop for so many applications it's hard to believe you can't find something that you are looking for.

Here are a few basic screenshots of my desktop, you can't see all of the effects, but it's an idea:
This is the basic desktop cube, I actually have 3D effects enabled and I changed my background to black to make the picture come out better.

And this is the desktop, again without any of the effects for better picture taking.

Now the greatest part of all: It's all FREE...as in doesn't cost you a penny. It is all open source software. No spyware, no viruses, no need for AV/Firewall running in the background, easy as hell to use, much prettier and more customizable than Windows, more powerful, and hella faster.

I HIGHLY recommend that if you have not tried Linux to give it a go...the Community at http://ubuntuforums.org are amazing. If you have questions or ran into a problem there are thousands of people ready and willing to help out.

www.ubuntu.com give it a go: There are two flavors, Kubuntu and Ubuntu (KDE/Gnome user interface respectively) If you don't know the difference between the Desktops, then go with Ubuntu initially.

Wow, Almost a Year.

Where has the time gone? I can't believe my last post on here was almost a year ago...holy crap.

Blogging for me was always a way for me to help clear my mind of things that were going in my life and the world around me. A way for me to express my opinion openly and to vent about issues that bothered me. After blogging for awhile I was also very lucky to meet alot of people that either agreed with me or disagreed with me, and we formed a community. I really think that's the greatest part of writing a blog.

I've switched blog sites so many times that I've actually lost track of where I have posts and where I don't, lol. However, I have decided that although some sites offer things others don't, it's time for me to pick one and keep it. This is going to be it.

I will be updating this as I go. I will also find the time to start reading others again, for the time that has past that I have not, I have missed out on alot of information, opinions, and views. I think it's terribly important to read those because it reflects on how I portray and see things. It adds clarity.

So, I'm back.

Seth