av8ur.com

OS - Operating System: To the lamen computer user it’s usually Windows. It’s the software that controls the hardware inside your computer and allows you to point and click your way to your favorite sites like av8ur.com

OS X: The operating system commonly used by MAC users. I know next to nothing about OS X so don’t ask.

LonghornVista: The future ‘windoz’ platform. The ‘upgrade’ from Windows XP. I don’t know if it will be released before time for a Service Pack 3 to roll around for XP. I openly admit that I use Windows still for various reasons…the most important being the ease of use, compatibility with any software/games I wish to use, and the for knowledge I already have towards troubleshooting issues I run into. The time I don’t spend on the learning curve of Linux is spent elsewhere in keeping my ship clean and free of free loaders (spyware, ads, etc). I know..I know. I don’t want to run dual OS’s, and I don’t have any funds for an extra computer to learn and explore Linux….but that may change in the coming months if my “real life” schedule permits it.

Linux: The iron horse of stable operating systems. Simple, utilitarian, and did I mention simple? I may actually know more about OS X than I do Linux…in fact I’ve never even SEEN Linux in operation. It’s a sad sad truth that I must correct - and probably my best fill would be to drive all the way to Shelby, NC.

So why am I put these definitions and confessions up here? Justin hooked me on Maximum PC Magazine - and I being someone who isn’t big on reading I’m happy to say that I can’t put the thing down. It’s a real page turner. The articles aren’t long..they aren’t boring..and they aren’t bullshit. This article in particular has inspired me to write this entry - for anyone whos familiar with the Steve Jobs / Bill Gates story and who might be tired of Windoz Woes you should get a chuckle out of the whole concept that this article conveys. Hopefully this exert will make you wanna read more..

Make no mistake, a large-scale launch of OS X for all PCs is inevitable. Apple’s current position is just a smoke screen in order to build a software application base and work out kinks in its driver model. After five years of planning, Jobs and company have launched their first assault on Windows. I bet we’ll see a full-on war by the end of 2006. Will Longhorn be enough to repel the Apple invasion? Only time will tell.

OS X on my computer? No way - but you might decide you’d prefer it over Windows. Maybe you hate Windows and swear by anything other than funding gas for Gates new yacht.

I just hope the spotlight which will be placed on these two operating systems (OS’s for you n00bz) won’t dwindle away at the success of Linux. It has always been and shall probably be for a while THE underdog. Whats makes them the strong silent type is that the OS is focused on stability vs. frills. That policy is what makes them the victor and the loser. Simplicity and Stability over ease of use (for the lamen).

I know one thing though..they may start installing MAC OS X on computers but you’ll never see one of those MAC one button MICE. Jesus christ I’ve never encountered anything so retarded in my life.

I may just go get myself a copy of XP Pro with my student discount before I graduate - and avoid the whole battle in the coming year. I need a format anyways and am tired of using…stuff I shouldn’t be using.

**Update
It has come to my attention that Longhorn is now being called Vista….if they only knew how clunky Vistas really were (in memory of Tonka 1 and Tonka 2)

I’m headed to Washington, DC this weekend for the first time to see some sights. Gonna visit the Air & Space Museum, one of the mints, and some of the memorials. I really wanted to visit the White House but you’ve gotta have a 6 month advanced group ticket yada yada. Oh well.

Should be fun anyways

I have a tough decision to make though - something that can adversely affect the rest of my career. I have to choose between taking the State Bureau internship or the US Marshal internship. This is really hard - and I don’t find much hard!

Atlantic Firearms sells legal semi automatic M4’s. There are different variations..this one is my favorite. Made by Olympic Firearms.

It’s sooo beautiful!!! Too bad I don’t have a thousand bones to drop on this

This is where I wanted to be some day…either seat…but the left would have been nice.

Isn’t it a warm picture? Mans achievement and natures grace all in one?

This dream never really worked out for me…so I hope law enforcement does. I’m starting to get nervous about this internship and job working out - all in the next 4 to 5 months.

How to Not Get your Ass Kicked By the Police

I just wanted to give a quick plug to an extension I use with Firefox. It’s called Forecast Fox (scroll down) and it’s extremely useful for anyone who uses their browser daily and likes a quick forecast. The customizable display is minimal but informative..RIGHT UP MY ALLEY! The screenshot above (click that joker fools!) shows you my configuration and its mouseover effect. You can always click the icons for an instant full window readout of current and future weather from Accuweather.com.

With all that said - I should be getting paid for this plug.

So lets review…

Firefox 1.0.6 (get this or get virtually mugged)

Forecast Fox (get this, or..)

I had no idea Hong Kong was so dense. Here’s the picture caption.

View of Hong Kong Island and Peninsula Kowloon, it is divided by Victoria Harbour. The old Kai Tak airport and Kwun Tong Typhoon Shelter can be seen also. The glorious of Kai Tak still there but the end of runway 13 became an Oriental Golf City; the apron near Wai Fat Road became public bus parking area.

So Megan and I were in Taco Bell eating earlier this eveningfternoon and I was reading an article on the anti-terrorism progress in London. Then I read this..(paraphrased because I can’t find the article online)…

Suspect pursued into Subway, tackled and shot 5 times. Witnesses say he was not carrying any bags of any sort, but the thick padded jacket he had one seemed odd for the Hot weather

For one thing - Metropolitan Police carrying guns, let alone rifles, is a pretty big deal and really shows the general feeling over there. Secondly - for an organization that doesn’t carry weapons on a regular basis it’s really important to instruct them on we in American Policing call the “Force Continuum”. The Force Continuum is basically the procedure any law enforcement officers uses and dictates the terms in which deadly force may or may not be used.

So when I read this I was pretty shocked - these officers (undercover) chased this guy down and blew his brains out in front of some Tube passengers because he had on a thick jacket. Crazy? Anyone reading this should be reasonable enough to agree that it’s ok to shoot and kill someone who you truely think is gonna run into that Subway car and blow himself up thus killin innocent people. If you don’t agree you are stupid and I stand behind that.

So I read this…I’m shocked…and I hope that when they opened his jacket they found a bomb strapped to him. It was a risky move to shoot in the first place if he had a bomb on him…but whats the less of two evils? It was at this point I decided to blog about this…

So I come home to find the article only to find this..

Man Killed in London Not Linked to Blasts
By PATRICK QUINN
Associated Press Writer

LONDON — Police identified the man who was chased down in a subway and shot to death by plainclothes officers as a Brazilian and expressed regret Saturday for his death, saying they no longer believed he was tied to the recent terror bombings.

Friday’s shooting before horrified commuters prompted criticism of police for overreacting and expressions of fear that Asians and Muslims would be targeted by a “trigger-happy culture” after two well-coordinated attacks in two weeks.

The man shot at the Stockwell subway station was identified as Jean Charles de Menezes, 27. Witnesses said he was wearing a heavy, padded coat when plainclothes police chased him into a subway car, pinned him to the ground and shot him in the head and torso.

Hours after the shooting, Police Commissioner Ian Blair said the victim was “directly linked” to the investigations into attacks Thursday and July 7. In the latter, suicide bombings on trains and a bus killed 56 people, including four attackers.

Police initially said the victim attracted police attention because he left a house that was under surveillance after Thursday’s bungled bombings, in which devices planted on three subway trains and a double-decker bus failed to detonate properly. Stockwell is near Oval station, one of those targeted.

“He was then followed by surveillance officers to the station. His clothing and his behavior at the station added to their suspicions,” police said Friday.

But Saturday, a police official said on condition of anonymity that Menezes was “not believed to be connected in any way to any of the London bombings.” The official requested anonymity because no official announcement had been made.

“For somebody to lose their life in such circumstances is a tragedy and one that the Metropolitan Police Service regrets,” a spokesman said on condition of anonymity, which is police policy.

However, police did not explain what went wrong. Citing a need to keep the investigation under wraps, the authorities refused to give any indication whether Menezes had done anything wrong at all….

There was no bomb! He probably wasn’t a terrorist! A criminal perhaps..

He walked out of a building under surveillance - he disobeyed police when they tried to stop him (presumably before he got anywhere close to the Subway). He got a bullet in his head.

I understand the stress associated with making sure more bombs aren’t set off - ecspecially in a place where it’s happend within 7 days of each other. I understand use of force, and I understand making a last ditch effort to stop someone who you think it about to kill a bunch of innocent people…

I just won’t understand if the Metropolitan Police don’t learn a lot from this and change these immediately.

Don’t think this is a big deal? Wait till it happens on the streets of America to someone who has a mental disability.

Ohhh yeah Anna!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

“Scottie” died today

This is guy who made catch phrases about ‘warp speed’ and ’ship power’ cool to say. *salute*

I’ve seen this image around a few times - and always take it for granted that most people don’t normally look for this kind of stuff as much as I do. Here’s an exert from the explanation..

Last September a Thunderbird F-16C crashed just after takeoff during an airshow performance in Idaho. The pilot managed to eject 0.8 seconds before impact and walked away with only minor injuries. As one might expect at an airshow, there were many cameras trained on Thunderbird #6 when the accident occured. Even so, this photo showing the $21 million jet just before impact is quite remarkable.

As a side note, the accident investigation report concluded that the accident was caused by pilot error. The pilot misinterpreted the altitude required to complete the “Split S” maneuver. He made his calculation based on an incorrect mean-sea-level (MSL) altitude of the airfield. The pilot incorrectly climbed to 1,670 feet above ground level (AGL) instead of 2,500 feet before initiating the pull down to the Split S maneuver.

Want more?

Cockpit Cam

Flightline Cam

This maneuver as described in the info is called a Split-S - I use it regularly to get jerks off my 6 and to regain lost speed and altitude if I follow thru with it.

Ladies and Gents - Disney World from Space - just zoomed in ;).

Thank you Google Earth and Google Sightseeing

I highly recommend you check these out. I was familiar with the google satellite maps, but Anna put me on to the program. Thanks