It’s about damn time. Imagine what energy demands would be in the US if such a ban were put into effect!
BBC News | News Front Page | World Edition
via EU bans old-fashioned light bulbs.
Damn Kids, Must Be Drugs!
Current Mood:
Angry
That title was a common refrain for me and my best friends in my high school days. Our way of poking fun at the elder establishment and their ultimately futile attempts to curb our boisterous merriment.
Enough of the big words. The reason it came to mind was the following story, and the thought that I may well be the “elder establishment” (rookie class, mind you)
Location: My apartment complex
Event: Walking down the sidewalk
Destination: Laundry Room (DUN DUN DUN!!! – thrilling eh?)
Having wrecked my knee a few weeks back, I was hobbling along on a cane (I look like a fat bald House), when I crossed paths with a 20-something out for a walk with his newborn infant in a stroller.
“You mess yourself up?”, he inquired.
“Oh… yeah”, I allowed “I twisted my knee.”
“How’d that happen?” A natural response.
“Moving stuff that was too damn heavy.” I lied, I couldn’t bring myself to explain that it seems to have been triggered by the act of getting out of bed. How pathetic is that?
Now comes the part that makes me want to raise my cane like some gimpy Gandolf and cast the man in twain. “You on workman’s comp?”
“AHHHH!! WHAT THE F***!? Are you kidding? I think I’m going to VOMIT!” screams my inner Lewis Black. “Oh no.”, I say aloud “I’d have to be a lot worse then this for that sort of thing. If I can get there, I go.”
“Oh. Well, hope it get’s better”, he said, his face betraying an expression that he was quite aware of his faux pax as he departed.
It offended me in a number of ways. First my sense of self reliance, it was ridiculous to think that this would somehow render me inert. You could cut my legs OFF and I’d still find a way. It might take some time, but rest assured I would return.
It offended my sense of civic responsibility. Workmans Comp and other “safety nets” are just that, SAFETY NETS to be used in cases of EXTREME EMERGENCY. They are not a real world “pass go, collect $200″ – nor despite what some may think, is it a FUCKING career option.
As I tossed my whites and colors into the same machine with reckless abandon as I often do (it works out, eventually it all turns gray and it doesn’t matter anymore) I kept hitting on the thought “That’s whats wrong with youth today (It’s official I am my grandfather) – everybody out for the quick buck “I got a boo boo, pay me”. FUCK THAT.”
So, thanks nameless neighbor. Thanks for re-enforcing the stereotype. And thanks for taking me for some White Trash free ride junkie, who’d rather sit on his ass and get paid to do nothing, then put in an honest day’s work.
HARUMPH! 
Look what a little KaMu brought me!
Current Mood:
Esctatic
A couple of posts ago I tried to help out a friend by doing a little advertising of a short sale she was running on character sketches – so now that I have mine I thought I’d share what I got. If you were on the fence before, this ought to get your splinter loaded butt moving 
As some may know I have dabbled in the dark arts of Fan Fiction and in doing so I have created a few characters. However, the Art is not strong in this one, so I was never happy with anything I drew myself. Â Enter A.H. Greenwood and her mad skillz -
She took this:
And combined/refined them into this:
…and you missed it…. tsk tsk. Seriously this is Grade A win with a side of sauteed fabulous.
So, next time it comes up shoot her your idea or photo for that mater or just contact her with whatever project you might be kicking around right now. A.H.Greenwood’s Website HERE <-NOW…. no RIGHT NOW…
A day in the life… Combo Organ Resurection
Current Mood:
Cool
I don’t know how much of a habit this will become, I guess it will depend on how it’s received… In any case, let’s run it up the flag pole and see who salutes, as they say.
For those of you who don’t know it, I make my living fixing old keyboard instruments. Rhodes, Wurlitzer, Hammond B3, that sort of thing. I basically rip them apart and reconstruct them from the bits and pieces – it’s a bit like those “Hot Rod” shows you might have seen, where they take an old rust bucket and restore it to being like new again. Save some original stuff, toss other stuff and replace it with new stuff.
Well, every now and then I get something interesting, the past two days were spent on one of them, and I thought I’d share.
Doric Organ - photo from combo-organ.com
The patient in question was a new one for me, a combo organ made by Doric in Italy. Combo organs were big in the 60’s and 70’s – they make a unique sound (often called cheesy) – and were basically small cheap portable electronic organs in the days before Synthesizers and Samplers. These were in many of the bands of the time, probably one of the most recognizable names would be The Doors, though that was a Gibson combo organ.
Other more well known names would be Vox and Farfisa and I seen a ton of them over the years.
This one however was a Doric. It arrived completely inoperable and with a few “improvements” 
thrown in. A lesser known instrument, dead as…. dead, no technical information and only a theoretical idea of how it even works (Did I mention I do this for a living?) PERFECT.
I dove in with usual zeal – casting off the unworthy (the aforementioned “improvements”) and jettisoning the potentially LETHAL (someone had hacked in a replacement power cord that could have easily gotten a musician or unwary child killed) I brought it back to life.
A quick tuning and a few adjustments and it’s back to it’s old self, with the exception of an IEC power cord (like a PC has) – it hadn’t been physically abuse so it looks pretty much like the picture and sounds…. well…. cheesy.
MISSION ACCOMPLISHED.
Get a Character Sketch or Groovy High Contrast Avatar
Current Mood: Esctatic
A good friend and a great Artist is having a “get me some scratch” sale.
Watch FOREIGN TV on your computer!
Current Mood: Cool & Esctatic & 
Happy
Wow, a subject that I am actually writing about, and not composing a diatribe on the can only to decide it isn’t that important!
A nifty little app that’s new to me, called KeyHole TV.
Out DAMN ITALICS!!
Current Mood: Cool
Correct appearance of the FS9 default GPS screen
This is oldish news, but since it took A LOT of hunting and luck to find the answer again – I wanted to make a post for posterity (and to help me find the answer again if I need it)
PROGRAM: Microsoft Flight Simulator 2004 (FS9 FS2004)
PROBLEM: GPS text changes to an Italic font after installing Windows XP Service Pack 3 (SP3)
SOLUTION: Restore old version of Arial Black font.
PROCEDURE:
- First, get the old TTF font file. Click “Start”, then “Run”, then type %windir% in the text box and click “OK”.
- Now look for a directory (folder) named $NtServicePackUninstall$, doubleclick it to open it.
- Now look for ariblk.ttf.
- Right click the TTF file and choose COPY.
- Right click your desktop and click PASTE.
- ariblk.ttf is now on your desktop.
- Second, we remove the offending SP3 version of the font. Surf to http://support.microsoft.com/kb/314960 and follow the directions for deleting a font. The one you want to remove is Arial Black, aka ariblk.ttf
- Now follow the instructions at http://support.microsoft.com/kb/314960 and install the ariblk.ttf FROM YOUR DESKTOP. Be sure “Copy fonts to Fonts folder” is checked.
- Once done, you can delete ariblk.ttf from your desktop and check FS9 to verify the GPS text is correct again.
You break it you bought it, use at your own risk, discontinue use if rash developes, No Shirt, No Shoes, No Service (pants optional), blah, blah, blah…
Flying Tigers Group VA Promotional Video
Current Mood: Cool & Happy
Get the Flash Player to see the wordTube Media Player.
Written, filmed, narrated, and edited by me. Yes, that’s my voice – no alterations – that’s what I sound like. 
FTG is a Virtual Airline group. Basically is a place to commune with fellow vPilots and to fly “real” flights in Flight Simulator.
25 Random Things About Me.
I was “tagged” for this by a friend over on Facebook, but I decided to post it here since all my posts here go over to Facebook. Killing 2 birds and all that…
Rules: Once you’ve been tagged, you are supposed to write a note with 25 random things, facts, habits, or goals about you. At the end, choose 25 people to be tagged. You have to tag the person who tagged you. If I tagged you, it’s because I want to know more about you.
(To do this, go to “notes” under tabs on your profile page, paste these instructions in the body of the note, type your 25 random things, tag 25 people (in the right hand corner of the app) then click publish.)
- I own fish.
- I play Flight Simulator.
- I like Anime.
- I like to learn about other cultures so I can try to see things from their point of view.
- I wish I wasn’t so introverted.
- I often wonder what my life would have been had I not been blinded in my right eye and had followed though with my plans to join the USAF after high school.
- I used to white water canoe, hike, and go camping.
- I miss my wife.
- I used to be in a band.
- I play organ, piano, and guitar with varying degrees of incompetence!
- I wonder what you *really* think of me.
- I want to return to Yellowstone one day (went there once before as a child)
- I’d love to be Anthony Bourdain, well I’d love to have his job anyway…
- I wish I had lots of money, but mostly so I could give most of it away.
- When I remember my Grandfather, I feel I have done nothing with my life. He was always pleased with me, but compared to the things he did – I haven’t done squat.
- I wish I could draw better – I get these great compositions in my head, but I can’t put them on paper.
- I wonder what you’re wearing right now. (OK, sorry, that’s my weird sense of humor – I swore I wasn’t going to, but I can’t help it!)
- I am lactose intolerant – which for some reason sounds so lame…
- I participated in the restoration of historic pipe organs in and around Baltimore – I am quite proud of that.
- I had two kids – and I’m quite proud of that t00, not entirely satisfied, but proud none the less.
- I regret the last thing I said to my wife (now deceased) or rather how I said it. How many of us expect to leave for work and never see their loved one conscious again?
- I’m never sure how much I should talk about things like #21 – it’s a big part of me, I feel compelled to share it, yet I fear it will drive others away… very confusing.
- Shortbread cookies are my kryptonite.
- I wish knew how to ride a Motorcycle.
- I had no idea this list would be so hard… *dies*