NASA SUCKS
Friday, 7-29-05: Here is a little tech tip for you guys... I've had a couple emails about it so I'll just give it to all'y'all. There is a trojan called “se.dll” that will be found in your windows temp folder. AVG will find it, and you tell it to delete it and it does. But it will come back after a few seconds or minutes. Here is how to destroy it for good. Restart your system and tap F8 before it starts to load Windows so you boot into safe mode. If you have the option to go into Administrator there, go there. Go into Add/Remove programs and find something like “Search Assistant Uninstall”. Remove it. Then go to your C: drive and select TOOLS, Folder Options, View, and select the options to show all files. Then browse to documents and settings, select your user profile, Local Settings, Temp... and delete every damn thing in there. Also while you are here, back up to Local Settings again and select Temporary Internet Files and delete everything in there that you can but the index.dat file. Now close that out, then hit Start, Run, and type “MSCONFIG”. Then uncheck the SE.DLL and everything else you do not need to start up every time you start up. There you go. Here is why this works. Search Assistant keeps putting the se.dll file into your temp folder if it's missing. And you can't uninstall Search Assistant unless you are in safe mode's Administrator profile. There is a lot of misinformation around the web on how to get rid of this bugger... and none of it works. This does... because technically se.dll isn't really a virus but adware according to the technical terms of the day. The se.dll watches the internet and sees what you are doing and gives you popups according to keywords in your browser (IE). Nasty little bitch that keeps coming back unless you get rid of the source.
Thursday, 7-28-05: Grand Theft Auto's Hot Coffee: I find it humorous that Congress is up in arms over Grand Theft Auto's “Hot Coffee” scandal. Let me give you the back ground... Rockstar made GTA:SA with sex scenes. Then they decided to exclude those scenes. So instead of recoding the game, they make the game skip those scenes. The actual code is still there in the game. So to get those scenes you have to either be a programmer, or search for and download a mod called “Hot Coffee”. Once you install the mod and fix it so it doesn't crash your computer, the game doesn't skip those naughty bits. They show badly rendered and overly pixilated cartoonish boobies. And this is what Congress is pissed about. Never mind that its much easier to just download actual high resolution porn videos... which of course kids never do... no way. They are just pissed at Rockstar over GTA. No mention of games like Leisure Suite Larry which actually have much better cartoonish boobies. The problem with Grand Theft Auto, with it's “Mature” rating is that its intended for ages 17 and up. Our tax dollars are busy trying to put an “Adults Only” rating on the game... making it for ages 18 and up. Yeah, that one year makes all the difference don't it? The problem isn't with Rockstar making snarly games for grownups... the problem is with dumbass parents who buy or let their little kids buy a freaking game marked “MATURE”. These parents suck. But these parents don't have deep pockets like a company that has made millions of bucks off this game. This is all just stupid. Yeah, I like GTA:SA... I know a lot of guys that like it too. It's a cool game... but then again we are all adults. Mature. (don't argue that) The target audience for the game.
NASA: The Space Shuttle has got to go. It's a horribly inefficient system that doesn't do what the shuttle was supposed to do according to the original idea. Our space program would be much more efficient if we just advanced and developed the Mercury style space missions with bigger payload capacity.... Big rockets with a reentry pod. That's what we are pretty much what we are doing with the Space Shuttle anyways. The Shuttle is just a reentry pod with wings. We need a whole new shuttle concept... a redesign from the ground up for a real space shuttle that can take off from a runway, fly up into space, and then come back down and land on a runway again... refuel, and launch again. But NASA isn't the organization to do this. They are too out dated themselves. I'm all for privatization here. Especially when private companies could do a better job of it, cheaper, and without tax dollars. Space should be just like the air... open to anyone and not just the realm of the government. Email on this matter:
“Mornin George, I'm seeing where the shuttles have (again) been grounded. From an article at Wired-
"NASA has said all along that Discovery's mission was a test flight designed to check the safety of future shuttle missions. Parsons refused to give up on the spacecraft that was designed in the 1970s. "We think we can make this vehicle safe for the next flight," he said, declining to assess the long-term impact on the manned space program. "We will determine if it's safe to fly." Parsons REFUSES to give up on the shuttle. Were not giving up on them. They've operated past their usefullness IMO. They're done. I'm no rocket scientist, but Ray Charles could even see we need something new. New, as in a totally new design, or newly manufactured Enterprise Class examples while something new is being designed. I do not believe we can repeatedly keep hurling the same worn out, rebuilt over and over again examples into space, and expect to do so safely. NASA must bite the bullet, admit that it is its own greatest impediment, and start soliciting outside of the company for fresh ideas and innovation again. Ok, got that out of my system. On a somewhat happier note, I rented a CZ 100 at the range the other day. My opinions are mixed. It ran through 150 rounds of PMC flawlessly. No FTF, or FTE. Accuracy was quite good. Boring really. No unexplainable flyers, nice tight grouping in the center of the target. Worked just as good at 15 yards (range max) as it did at 7 yards. I'm quite pleased with it in this respect. The pistol was a used example for sale at the shop, and looked like it hadn't been cleaned in about 1000 rounds. The trigger is doo-doo. DAO, which I'm not really a fan of. It had a very long, mushy, extremely heavy pull. If they would un-fuck this trigger I truly feel that groupings would come down by probably 33%. It looks a bit funky, but I also love USP's. I can get used to a funky looking pistol. Gunshop wanted $400.00 for the used example I got to play with. Its a bit high for a weapon with something like a $440.00 MSRP. For the most part, I liked it well enough. The price will have to come down some, and they'll have to do something about the trigger before I even consider buying one though. Have a good one, Chase”
Oh yeah, the CZ-100 is an excellent handgun in all regards save the trigger. The trigger is truly the stuff of nightmares. It feels like a heavier version of the triggers on those toy guns that shoot the little plastic disks. If the trigger was better, then the CZ-100 would already be in my personal collection... it would be a world class weapon. It has a lot of good things going for it... but the trigger is just a ludicrous hurdle. Also, that price is way high. I've seen NIB CZ-100's down closer to 300... so shop around.
I've been asked why I am not hitting the discussion forums. I have no internet access anymore save here at work where those sites are blocked. I write my updates mostly at home and bring them to work on a USB Thumbdrive to update. I miss the forums and my community of friends there... but right now there is nothing I can do about it.
Maybe telling his wife "Just get the sword, bitch" was a bad idea. Maybe...
Brutus has some bad health issues right now. Check this out. My oil pressure is only ½ of what it normally is. And then that's only when I am at idle. Once I get rolling, the oil pressure starts dropping down to nothing. I've got very little power from the engine, maybe only a third of what it used to have. Since money is not my friend, replacing the engine isn't possible. Fixing the engine isn't even all that doable either, but I think the thing just needs to be replaced. So I'm getting a new rig... buying it for a buck from my wife's friend. It's actually in very good condition and looks almost new... but it's a mini van. Man does this suck. It's a Chevy Astro. I wonder if the engine could go into Brutus. Well, at least it's wheels. Will be able to roll out to SLC whenever I need to... better fuel economy and all that. Brutus will become a project/trail only rig. I'm depressed as hell about this. The only hope is that I can take this van and trade it for a something that doesn't make my dick shrivel up.
Saturday, 7-23-05: Yesterday I heard something that has been under my skin and irritating the hell out of me. “The Founding Fathers were all terrorists too.” I've actually heard this several times in the last couple weeks, and I'm sick of it. Let's get a grip on some definitions here first. Terrorists commit horrible acts of violence to cause as much pain, suffering, death, and fear as they possibly can. They are also total cowards and select as targets the weakest innocent people that they can find in large groups, preferably children. The Founding Fathers never did such a thing... in fact, back in 1776 no one did. Not even radical Muslims. The Founding Fathers were Revolutionaries. When they acted, they committed treason against the Crown, not against humanity. The Boston Massacre wasn't insurgents blowing up a community center... it was British Soldiers who panicked and fired some shots and killed a few people... the Boston Tea Party wasn't insurgents blowing up a passenger ship. It was an act of defiance where they just threw tea into the harbor to protest a tax. To my knowledge, no one was killed. When a terrorist protests something, lots of people die. To say that the Founding Fathers of the United States of America where terrorists is outrageously asinine. It shows a couple of things about the person saying it. For one, it shows that the person speaking is a complete moron. For the other, it shows that the person doesn't even have the basic understanding of history that is taught to 4th graders. And it also shows that they don't even know what a terrorists is or what the terrorist's goals are. In essence, any person saying that our Founding Fathers were terrorists is both pathetic and contemptible. Proper reaction to hearing such a statement is a stern lecture and a strong admonition to remain silent in the future.
This is part of the new Liberal Agenda... they are trying to rewrite history. They are trying to teach our kids that America is the problem child of the world. But why would they do this? I think it is to promote the idea that the UN is the only body suitable for governing the world. Now you and I do not think so... (understatement) but after a couple generations of historical reconstruction and modification of public opinion? Liberals want to weaken America and make it ripe for the UN's plucking... they want a World Government. They want a Communist world. These things must not be allowed, and such ideas must not be tolerated. Any weakness now means an opportunity for them in the future. A future when all the public educated children are totally ignorant of American History and why America is so important... not just for us, but for the rest of the world too. I am not an isolationist. I believe America is stronger by our close association with other Nations. I also think that these other Nations are stronger because it for the same reasons. Not just militarily, but socially intellectually and economically. The US has strong ties with Europe and Japan. These ties should remain and be strengthened. But regardless of how much we associate with Europe and Japan, we remain our own sovereign. And they remain also. We can appreciate other cultures and share democracy and all that jazz without giving anything up... like our freedom.
All of this makes me very concerned over the future. How do we combat this? Take a look at the kids around you. Buy them a history book... a good one. Read it with them. History is the #1 most important subject to teach your kids. With History of course comes reading and writing skills... understanding of economics and civics and social studies... everything builds off of History. Make it your foundation and instill in your children a deep love of History.
Friday, July 22nd, 2005: We hear on the news about the British police shooting one of the terrorists. They fired five shots and all five shots nailed the bad guy in the head. The bad guy was trying to run away too. That my friends, is some outstanding shooting. Kudos to UK law enforcement. Also reported is that the London Mayor promised no “profiling”. I would suggest they start profiling very hard, but that's just me. Same with New York, who are now doing random bag checks. Of course, while they are probably unofficially profiling like crazy.
Big Trouble in Little China is in the news? BTILC is one of my favorite movies. Haven't seen it for some time. Maybe I'll have to rent it this weekend. Jack Burton is my hero.
Harry Potter 6. Finished the book last night. It was good. I like the Potter series. It is a good example of a successful book that has great story telling but not great writing. That gives me hope. This book reminded me of someone I have not thought about in ages. The story has a plot line about who's dating who and that reminded me of my High School days in Tacoma Washington. There was a girl that I always wanted to ask out but never did because I was only dating the so called “popular” girls. One was a goody-two-shoes kinda girl, and the other as a Punk-Rocker chick who kissed like a wild animal on a fresh kill. This girl that I wanted to go out with... she was cute, but less popular because she was poor and her Mom was raising her and her sibling on her own. She was very sweet, quiet and very shy, but there was something about her that made her special... and that's why I wanted to hook up with her. She was her own girl and didn't care about what the others thought or did. Still remember her name. Candy Hart. I wonder what happened to her.
Another book I'm reading... Snow Crash. If you are a fan of William Gibson, you will love Snow Crash. Written by Neal Stephenson, the author of The Diamond Age, another book that is excellent. I'll have to read his other book now, Quicksilver. Snow Crash has some very interesting characters, and I am enjoying this book very much. Not as pop-culture as Potter, but it's an excellent book.
Windows Longhorn is now called Windows Vista. They say a rose by any other name smells as sweet. But in this case a turd still stinks like a turd. Yeah, it looks different, but don't let that trick you into getting this new version of Windows. Especially not as an upgrade. Totally different file system, graphics system, and recommended requirements that are just nuts. Look, if you want your old XP to look different, change the theme. If your XP is still working fine... leave it be. I strongly recommend only considering Long... er... Vista if you are buying a new system. And then again, I recommend Linspire Linux. If you have an older machine, Ubuntu or Gentoo Linux. Because if you are going to switch to Vista... you might as well switch to Linux because Vista is a totally different OS.
This weekend I am looking forward to blasting with this Ruger P345. I've got ammo waiting, time, I've found my digital camera (but not the connection cable, damnit) so I'm ready. Dead line for the article is the 29th, so I've got to wrap this up. Due to the move, the next CCM issue will go to print without an article from me. So I've missed the 1st issue and this next one coming out, but I've had an article in every other issue. Not a bad track record. I'm still looking for a certain pistol from Charles Daly and Para Ord.
July 20th, 2005: I read in the newspaper that Howard Dean has been in Utah speaking at Westminster College. I can not express enough how grateful I am that Dean did not become the President of the United States in 2004! I have a big problem with Dean, and since Dean is the mouthpiece of the DNC and by extension the mouthpiece for the Democrats, I have a big problem with Democrats too. I don't hate Democrats individually... but as a party I find them to be nauseating at best. Let's look a couple of statements that Dean made here in Utah, and see if you find the problem I'm seeing:
“Most Americans believe what Democrats believe.” No, Dean, they don't most Americans voted against your views in 2004 as evidenced not only by the reelection of President George W Bush, but by voting out Democrats from offices all across the country. Including the top Democrat in the Senate. People do not believe like you, Dean.
“A woman has the right to decide whether to have an abortion.” That may or may not be, but you keep using the word woman, but what happens most of the time is that “woman” turns out to be a 14 to 16 year old girl who's parents have a right to know that their daughter has ruined her life and is about to take another life. It's not about woman's rights – its about parental rights. We can't teach gun control and gun safety in public schools, but we can let you guys teach Sex Ed... and these are the results. Your twisting of the meaning of the word “Woman” lowers and belittles the title of Woman. If it was about the rights of a Woman, wouldn't that include the rights of a Mother?
“All people deserve public education.” I noticed, Dean, that you are careful to say all people instead of “All Americans”. No, “All People” do not deserve public education in American Schools... American Children reserve that right should they have no other better options such as private schools, home schools, or home schooling groups where the parents take turns or teach in teams the subjects they know the best. Illegal aliens are draining valuable resources from American classrooms, more and more every day.
“Government should be smaller and less intrusive.” Wait, Howard Dean the Democrat is saying this? To bad you don't believe a word of it. I don't ever remember any Democrat suggesting cutting any spending or government program outside of the Military. You've got to be kidding me. And he said this at Westminster College, where some of the smartest minds in Utah are taking business classes. Dean must think we are that stupid in Utah to believe that he means that.
“Elections must be tallied with accuracy.” By good and honest volunteers pulled from the membership of the Democratic Underground so they can count all the punch cards by hand.
“Social Security is a necessity.” So the Democrats can enslave and control the senior citizen votes for eons to come.
“Exclude no one from equal benefits – even if they are gay.” Okay, I believe this... it is only fair. However when you say no one, I am only guessing you are meaning “no American”. Again, I am concerned about paying benefits to illegal aliens. I don't think that someone who breaks the law by entering this country by illegal means and staying in the country under fraudulent conditions deserves equal standings with legalized American Citizens. But I do feel that should that same person go through the process of becoming a legal citizen, then they do get equal treatment and status. It is no concern of mine what anyone's sexual preferences are, or who they name as a beneficiary or who comes to visit them in the hospital. We have the right to freedoms such as Speech, Religion, Arms, Privacy... and to love who we choose to love.
“We are Americans first.” Damn straight we are. And we have a national history of rugged individualism that Democrats today do not understand.
“It is immoral to divide Americans.” But we are divided... into States. Currently there are 50 states, Porto Rico, and Canada. These states are individual sovereignties that are united under one cause... protection of the whole from threats outside and within.
“We are one family.” As patriots who love our country, we are a family. But Family is a term I do not like to hear used so lightly. Family means parents and children... not the guy across the fence or down the street. Mom, Dad, and the kids is the nuclear family and Brother and Sisters who have families of their own, uncles, aunts, and cousins are the extended family.
“We are a community... we have to be responsible for each other.” What? Stop the press. No. Not even close Mr. Dean. The Community might like to help each other, but the community is not responsible for the individual. This smacks of communism right here. Hillary Clinton's “it takes a village” comment doesn't work either. Yeah, I said “Communism”. Funny how the Democratic Underground's website has right on the front page “Ask Auntie Pinko”. This is the new direction of the modern liberal Democrat party... they are communists. Communists who defend adults who want to have sex with kids, who educate the kids about sex, and who want these kids to be able to have abortions without Mom and Dad knowing after they make sure Mom and Dad no longer have any guns. Communism is not and was not ever cool. Communism is a system of government that does not work. Let's look at how great communism worked out for Cuba... Cuba used to be a jewel. A paradise not far off the shore of Florida full of music and dance and food and gorgeous women... then comes the Communists. Today the streets are littered with the rubble from their crumbling buildings. The stores are all empty. The people are not dancing and singing and partying so much anymore... instead they are building boats out of 1950's trucks to try to make it to Miami so they can sing and dance and eat food again. Yeah, Cuba is great. Perhaps Doctor Dean has not read a little book about the Communists... it's about a Doctor too.
July 19th, 2005: I have to admit that the Ruger P345 has impressed me somewhat. I didn't want to like this gun at all... in fact, I was hoping to write a good bash on it. But I can't. It's actually pretty a solid pistol. I picked it up yesterday afternoon, and before I went to bed last night I had already written 1800 words on the article. This pistol is overcoming my bias. At least in the looks and feel department. I do point out some irritations, and the gun is not perfect by any means... but hey... Let's see how it shoots this weekend.
Moving out to Lapoint Utah has been a challenge for more than one reason. Not just the physical move, but everything else. Utilities, postal addresses.... I'm out in the sticks, yet I'm in virtual down town Lapoint, yet I have to have a PO Box instead of using the six figure physical address. The local power company requires new customers to come in and sign up in person. They take your photo. They just “want to know who you are”. Kind of creepy.
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