Way to go!

Way to go Brock Osweiler! The New England Patriots are no longer undefeated. And Tom Brady now has received his Well-Deserved Beating… At least if Payton Manning doesn’t come back, the Denver Broncos have a viable option….

At least, we know the reigning Super Bowl champs are mortal….

The Plus Sides of Windows 10….

It has taken awhile. And I kept switching from Windows 7, Windows 8.1 Pro Pack, and Windows 10 but I’ve finally settled on Windows 10 Professional. It has been said that The Anti-Christ skips every other generation when it comes to OS development. Windows 98 was the first really good operating system. Windows ME was the bastard child of Windows 2000 and Windows 98. And it sucked. It was call Windows Millennium Edition, but it should've been called Windows Malfunctioning Edition. I’m not counting Win2000 in this, as it was not developed for consumer use, and I never used it. Windows XP was great. I used it for the longest of times. Over 10 years. In fact, I still have a Virtual Machine of it for when I have to run something (like a really old game), and it won’t run on Win10. Then there was Windows 8. It was so bad that when Microsoft developed it’s successor that they skipped a number to distance it from Windows 8.

Anyway, here’s what I like about Windows 10:

• The app store. Google Play has it. Spamazon has it for Android. Why not Microsoft? This way, apps distributed by Microsoft (like calendar and email) can be updated without windows update.
• The apps. With Win7, for example, you could Netflix through Windows Media Center. With Windows 10, Windows Media Center is gone, but Netflix is available as an app from the app store. As is Hulu (I myself have upgraded to the ad-free Hulu Plus). And there are a few other video apps. There are also other apps. Like CNN, USA Today, several news organizations…..
• Facebook and Twitter have Windows 10 apps. Which means I no longer have to fire up my browser to respond when I get trolled on Facebook. Though as a side note, I’ve found the best thing to do when you do get trolled is absolutely nothing. They will go away if you just don’t feed them. Something I learned from Usenet…
• The calendar and mail apps. I just realized today that all I have to do is put my Google account (where I keep my contacts and my calendar) in, and now my Google contacts and calendar are automatically populated. Even with the latest version of Outlook 2016, I still have to use a third party app (I use GoContact Sync) to sync my Google Calendar & Contacts. Whereas with Thunderbird, it takes a couple of extensions, but once I install and configure them, I don’t have to do anything else…
• ISO support. During my misadventures on the internet, I’ve downloaded .iso images off the internet, and in the past, I’ve used Gizmo Drive to mount the .iso file like an optical drive to browse what I’ve needed (especially when I’ve installed Visual Studio Express). With Win10, windows explorer supports .iso images natively. Which is good, as I only have Nero 2015, and won’t be able to afford Nero 2016 for a while….
• The start menu. I liked the start menu in WinXP and Win7, and the ability I had to reorganize according to my tastes (and I had my ways of organizing it). With Windows 8/8.1, the start menu was replaced by the metro start screen. I hated it. With Windows 10, a compromise was reached. I have the start menu now. And though I can’t set up and rearrange the folders like I want, I can rearrange the Metro Style tiles as I see fit. And with the November update, there is extra space for tiles to make Windows 10 my own…

All in all, I’m still ‘moving in’ to Windows 10. I haven’t installed any of my Flight Simulators, or any of my MechWarrior games, though I think my Combat Flight Simulator and MechWarrior games will be destined for my WinXP virtual drive. It’s not something that is going to be done overnight. But I have all my hardware drivers installed, and Firefox. So, it’s a work in progress. But I’m still using it.

A winning record….

The Seahawks finally got a winning record today. Defeating Pittsburgh 30-39 today at the CLink. What has happened this season is when the Seahawks get to .500, they immediately go and lose at least two games. Which they then win again. Then they’ll lose again. But the streak is over. They won today.

They also won recently against the Forty-Whiners. At home. If they had lost that one, then there would have been calls for Pete Caroll to commit seppuku….

Ate too much….

Went to my sister’s house today for Thanksgiving. And I ate too much, as is standard procedure for Thanksgiving. And I made sure to make an extra trip to grocery store to be sure that I have enough fixin’s for the mandatory Black Friday Turkey sandwiches (not to necessarily disclose who my current employer is, but my current employment is retail related). I just had to have not one, but two gravy volcanoes.

But the high point of Thanksgiving at my sisters wasn’t the food, or the family. Tonight was the very first time that I posted a cat picture to Facebook. I don’t own a cat, but Duecie stepped up to the challenge and was the stunt cat….

On Grattitude….

Well, tomorrow is Thanksgiving. Supposedly a day to celebrate gratitude. I could go on about Pilgrims, Native Americans, and Soylent Green, but I digress. So here’s what I’m thankful for, in no particular order:

1. Family. Only one’s family can understand one’s insanity.
2. Co-workers (and my job). At work, it’s like a family. Almost. There are some that I don’t want to come home with me, but we all have each others’ backs.
3. My job. Hey, my bills aren’t going to pay themselves. And it’s a job that I like. And with recent developments (like have a set schedule), it has become something that I’m really grateful for. Oh, and the paid vacation, sick leave, and health insurance are nice, as well (there are some who would grumble about the insurance, but I remember not having any for many years…)
4. My friends. I have friends in Real Life. I have online friends. And they both mean a lot. Sometimes they’re friends both online and in real life. Then there are those that I can longer reach. But I’m still thankful that I got to know them when I did. Maybe someday I’ll connect with them again. But if that is not to be, then I still wish them well.
5. Health. Yes, I’m a Type I diabetic, and there are issues with that. My teeth aren’t in the best of shape. But I still wake up in the morning. I’m still vertical. And I still make it to work.
6. The future.

There is always room at the top….

More on the recent events in Paris….

After my last post, I’m still compelled to write more about it. We must not condemn Islam for this. I’ve seen too many ‘kill the Muslims’ posts on social media. To judge Islam by the actions of these terrorists is like the world judging Christianity by the actions of Westboro Baptist Church. We shouldn’t go blaming Muslims in general. I have friends who are Muslim. And this isn’t them.

When I was growing up (in the Cold War), I was a War Hawk. I wanted the Russians to be blown to smithereens. I never thought about the consequences, only the here and now. It wasn’t until Operation Desert Storm that I realized that with war, there is the aftermath. Even for a victor. Through the years, I’ve come across the spectrum, and now I’m a dove. War is evil. Violence is evil. Especially in the name of religion.

Before you go saying ‘go kill the Muslims’ just remember what the Good Book has said: Judge not lest ye be judged. Take a look in the mirror. If you’re so set on killing someone because they’re not a Christian, then you’re no better than ISIS. Historically more atrocities have been committed in the name of Christianity than Islam.

But having said that, it doesn’t make the terrorists’ actions in Paris right. Nor does it make any terrorists’ actions right. Nor any violence in the name of religion. Can’t people just get along.?

Neither should we be blaming the Syrian refugees, as I have seen again on social media. This is the same violence that they’re fleeing from. And people are blaming them for it?

More on this later. I have so many thoughts on this, but I have to clear my head…

Liberté, égalité, fraternité!

I’m not going to post any links to the recent tragedy in France. If you can read this, you probably have an internet connection, and you can probably find more current information than I can provide. Needless to say, violence is evil.

There is something fundamentally evil in the use of violence, especially in the name of religion. Just because everybody else uses it doesn’t make it any less wrong….

My thoughts are with the French people at this time. And with all the victims worldwide. There are times when I wonder in the words of Rodney King “Can’t we all just get along?”…

EDIT: yes I did rewrite this. The first post really just didn’t match my thoughts. And there are times when it’s really difficult to make out what you really want to say, yet you have to say something….

Another season is over….

The Sounders FC were in the playoffs. Notice how I used past tense. After winning the game at the Clink, they had to go to Dallas (in the MLS playoffs this year, the second round at least are in a round robin format). And they lost. By the exact same score, which means that based on aggregate goals, they were tied. And so it went to overtime. And they were still tied after overtime. And so they went to penalty kicks, which Dallas won.

So, the Sounders’ season is over. But every year since they’ve been in MLS, they’ve been in the playoffs. Something the Mariners and the Seahawks can’t say they’ve done. Though, I’d say that the Seahawks still have a chance…

Another sports season is over…..

The Kansas City Royals just won the World Series. In 12 innings. Given my past opinions regarding Major League Baseball, or The New World Order (Mind-Control Division), one would think that I really don’t care. Especially since the Mariners suck. But one should still consider the fact that it’s been 30 year since the Royals have won it all. And I actually remember the last time they won it. I was at my grandmother’s house, and the game was on the tv, and I just happened to be watching the last play. And even then, I wasn’t really interested in Baseball.

Maybe next year. Now begins the off-season. I know the Mariners will be doing some wholesale shit-canning  (as they call it ‘rebuilding’) in order to maybe not lose 100+ games next year…

They pulled it off

If you can’t tell, I’ve spent an aweful lot of time siting on my ass in front of the tv today. I can’t help it, its my day off…

Anyway, the Sounders FC just won 2-1 vs. FC Dallas in the MLS West Semifinals. They’re not advancing yet, since this part of the MLS playoffs are in a round-robin format. But we’re heading into Dallas with a 2-1 lead, which means we win with a draw in Dallas…

I’m feeling better

After my post last week, I went to work on Thursday and Friday. Both days, people noted that I looked unwell. Mainly it was the cough that was causing me grief. So, I call out again yesterday. Due to the hours of my scheduled shift, I would’ve had to get up at 1 in the morning, and that’s not something I want to do when I’m sick. Though I’m not really sick. The cough is just really annoying. It seems like it’s only in the middle of transaction does the coughing fit strike, and a cough drop doesn’t help it.

If you wouldn’t send your kids to school if they have the same bug that you do, then you should probably not go to work as well. I don’t know where I got the cold that started this all from, but I know which co-worker I got the cough from….

We’re Average! We’re Average!

The Seahawks won today, 13-12.This was the second win in a row. ANd in fact it was the second win on the road. There has been much improvement. First of all, we now have an offensive line. And we are finishing games. All 4 games that Seattle has lost this year have they have had the lead in the 4th quarter, but they just couldn’t finish it. It was a little bit scary at half time when Ricardo Lockette was sretchered off the the field. They said it was ‘just a concussion’, but ‘just a concussion’ is still pretty serious. I remember Jim McMahon leading the Chicago Bears (with the Super Bowl Shuffle). Now he has dementia from all those head shots. Bernie Kosar (from that same era), sounds like a drunk, but it’s from all those shots he took. But he’s not paralyzed, and he’s not dead.

For the first time since they’ve been in MLS, the Sounders FC have gotten past LA in the playoffs. Although last year, it was San Jose who sent them home. Anyway, they’re past California. They’ve been in MLS since 2009. And they’ve been in the postseason each time. The Mariners can’t put a winning season together. Unless King Felix can work 163 games straight….