A Copier by Any Other Name

So I now do IT for copiers and printers. I do a LOT of troubleshooting for users with printing issues. But most of the time it boils down to: Bad User/Doc Settings.
It is the user not telling the printer what to do properly. It is the printer not getting the right kind of document. Just a bunch of mixup all around.
Make sure. Make sure before you click print that the settings are right.
My 2 cents for the day.

Short but Sweet

In a small town in Eastern Oklahoma is a small city.
This city of about 3000 residents has a high school.
The high school has an Agri Department.
I spent the morning hanging out with the guys that teach in that department.
These guys are great. Friendly. Open. Nice.
Willing to laugh, smile and give you the time of day.
Are all farmers this nice? I've not known many in my day.
But they were nice to me as I struggled to setup a small network printing option and get their SMB scanning working, despite several generations of equipment and software.
But I got it. And they weren't ancy or nervous about me doing so.
Kudos to you guys.
Keep up the good work.

Elbow Begoings and Biofreeze

My friend, Biofreeze.
I'm not even sure when we met. It must have been after I turned 30, at least.
There's got to be some kind of nature's law: Man turns 30, he will start to have creaky joints. In my case it is my left elbow, mostly, and my lower back. The back is another blog, so we'll leave it at that.
The elbow, oh, the elbow.
It was 1993. February. I was on an island outside of Gothenburg, Sweden. We had gone out there for a day to see the sights, climb a big hill and have a picnic.
I thought I was being silly and cool by walking on the water - well, it was frozen Atlantic Ocean water, but water it was. Ice. And after a bit, I bit it. Fell on my side, my left side. Most of my elbow caught the brunt of the fall. Now, I was 20. Didn't think I could ever get hurt. And it didn't. Not until a few months later. Went to the much vaunted but still socialist hospital. Did xrays and said nothing was broken. But here I am two decades later with a bum elbow that can tell me when it is going to rain and if the temperature is changing drastically up or down. When the barometric pressure hits, my elbow throbs.
Not to mention when I type for more than an hour at a time. Which I have done frequently in the last 20 years. I've had a couple of American doctors tell me I damaged the ulnar nerve sheath that holds the nerve going through my elbow. It will get swollen and - POP! It will make my whole left hand go numb.
Not good for a typist. Or a cello player. Or any other instrument player.
So now Biofreeze and I met up one fateful day in my doctor's office. I had used TigerBalm, Aspercreme, and several others. Biofreeze works. It makes the pain either go away - or in some cases makes it tolerable. It also helps my lower back after two back surgeries. But that's another story.
Biofreeze, you're not just a blue gel. You're ... my ... friend. Thank you for being my friend.
*Said in hommage to Red Solo Cup, of course*
So there, internets. Behold my friend. The wife uses it on her back - or more importantly she makes me rub it on her back. Hm. Maybe I should get her to rub it on my elbow... yeah...
Later.

The Dead Rise...

Wow. I thought the blog thing was over. Now I am rethinking it.
Gonna revitalize it. Going to try and blog 3 times a week.
Ricoh. Savin. Star Wars. Geekdom. Nerdhood. IT. Scouting. Tablets. Phones. Family. Faith. Just some of the things I'm gonna blog about. Work related, family related, geek related.

Thinking about doing three blog posts a week. One related to IT. One related to Copiers/Printing. One related to Family/Scouts/Nerd/Geek stuff. A good MWF thing.

We'll see, internets. We'll see...

Me. In Talihina, Oklahoma on a tall hill. Right after Scout Camp, June 2014

I'm Baaaaaack!

So.
2013.
On a new iPad.
Have a new job.
In a new Boy Scout troop.

Things have changed. And I plan on blogging more.
Heh. Not that anyone has been following this.

So here's to you, internets, for listening.

A New Year, A New Back

So I'm finally back on the blog. Back surgery is not fun. I had a ruptured disc that was removed.

But enough about that.

Two Things. I love my wife. She's so beautiful. I could list all the several attributes that make me go all mushy about her, but as we approach our anniversary, I'm constantly reminded of her smile. It got me early.

I also love my kids. I like it how Max snuggles up next to me in chuch when he is cold. I love Sally's giggle. I love Joey's hugs.

I wish I could win the lottery so I could stay home with them more.

This new year I have a few goals, but one of them is to have fun more with my kiddos. And my wife. :)

Christmas Shopping Countdown

It's Christmas Season.
Blarg on those that say that Thanskgiving is overshadowed. Blarg.
I'm already looking at things for the family.
Last year, I took the kids shopping and got a foreshadow of what they wanted.

They liked sunglasses. Joey liked his a lot. We didn't end up getting them until the summer, but it was funny seeing them all wearing them.

Stay tuned for more Quest 2008: The Search for Gifts!

Please Vote

I'm voting tomorrow.
I've been encouraging others to do as well.
Please vote. Make your voice heard.
Cynicism and negative comments don't help this country.
That's all I have to say about that.

Swingin fun

Here's a pic of Joey being swung by his big brother Max.
I love my boys. They're crazy.

I get my stitches out of my fingers today. Whoo ho0!

why I'll vote for obama

So.
My wife asks me who I'm gonna vote for on Election Day.
Senator Obama.

The overly simple answer is that he's the Democratic candidate.
Okay. But there's more. I don't like John McCain. He's a Bush sycophant and something I'd call "CheneyLite(TM)". Another rich, white, smug Repub who doesn't inspire me at all.
Don't get me wrong. I'm not just voting for Obama for simple reasons. I'm not voting for him because he's black, or that he's not Hillary Clinton, or that he's not a Republican. All those factors never entered into it -- I voted for Obama in the primaries.
No the reason, I think, is because I do believe he represents change. Change of ideals, strategy and leadership. Dubya has led this country for the past 8 years -- and we have 2 wars, massive debt and financial messes, and a large pool of quotes for comedians to use for their jokes. The man didn't inspire me when he landed on the aircraft carrier and stupidly declared the misison over, he didn't inspire me in all the speeches I've watched - including the one on the rubble of the Twin Towers.

McCain looks like to me as another 4 years of this. And I don't want that.

I trust Obama more. Maybe because he's younger, more in touch with the normal American.
Obama's plans? When I read his plans, I get the feeling that he's going to both succeed and fail at some of his promises. All candidates do. But I get the oily, slick feeling of getting fleeced by a used car dealer when I listen to McCain.
Last thought: when I watch the SNL parodies, I get this feeling that Obama isn't parody-proof. Far from it. The guy that imitates him has his voice and speech down pat. But I laugh much more at McCain.
Why?
Maybe because the truth is more funnier than the reality. And the reality is that McCain is not fit to lead. Obama is. And that's all I have to say about that.
:)
Wow. I need to post more.

Heather is Online!

My wife just made her own blog!

http://happyheatherhappenings.blogspot.com/

Now we get to ... BLOG together.
Heh.
That sounds vaguely naughty. :)

Diabetic Musings

One of my coworkers husband was diagnosed with Type 2. And now she's asking me all kinds of questions. Just remember 2 things: Exercise and balance diet.
There. That's it in a nutshell. And I've been both good and bad on both at different times.

Latest Republican Debate 2-2-08

Given the craziness of my coworkers and the absolute racism, prejudice and sexism I hear from them about the Democratic candidates, I find myself wanting McCain to get the nomination just so the Republicans won't win.

This past week I heard distinctly from the 'friends' that I work with that no Muslim black man would be president, and Hillary would destroy the country.

First of all, the Muslim thing is just a smokescreen for the racism. It's easy to point to SENATOR Obama's middle name and throw their hands up and roll their eyes muttering "I knew it!" It distracts from the fact that his father was Kenyan and his mother was white. I've had discussions with my coworkers that made me want to peek in their lunchboxes for the white sheets.

And I resent that SENATOR Clinton is referred to only by her first name by everyone, including her campaign. I didn't see signs at the other candidate rallies that had just Mitt, Barack, John, Rudy and the like plastered everywhere. And to refer to a SENATOR like that sure makes me rant online.

You know, I haven't said this in about a week. Blarg!

English as THE Official Language of the USA

Just a few thoughts on this topic that seems to come up now and again.

It just comes across as a racist attitude, to me.
I saw it so much in Sweden.
"You don't speak my language, so you are the filth of the
world" type of attitude.

The French and the Russians have that attitude even more so.

The Japanese actually take offense if you try and learn their
language and don't do it well, but if you try hard, they honor
your efforts.
My cousin Ross could probably tell you what Arabic speakers
do if you learn theirs.

And what do Americans do?
Slap that attitude on a pointless bill and then
polarize the issue by claiming their side is right.

Bifurcation at it's best.

Like it or not, this world's languages are many.
English, Chinese and probably Spanish need to be
taught in our schools if we want to compete in the
global economy. Heck, if we go by simple numbers, we
should be teaching Mandarin, Hindi, English, Spanish
and Arabic. Not necessarily in that order.

Stamping our 2-year-old foot and lashing out at the
rest of the children, demanding that everyone play
with ONLY us sure sounds like a spoiled brat to me.
Trying to butter up the issue by waving the patriotic
flag at me only points out that our forefathers fought
for our freedom, not for a Germanic Anglo-Frisian
language. Then tacking on attacks against senators
that saw through the rhetoric and propaganda?

Blarg. In a word.

Is anyone that doesn't speak the "Official" language
isn't an "Official" citizen?

So if I don't drink the official drink, wear the official clothes,
live in the official neighborhood, have the official hair color and drive the official vehicle then I'm not an official consumer?

If I don't read the official website of my favorite author,
am I not getting the official information? What about
the official website of my favorite movie?
Newspaper? Magazine? Non-Fiction text?
Cookbook? Tennis shoe? Peanut Butter?
Toothbrush? Or the official of anything?

This 'official' thing is starting to look like the another
word that looks like it.

Offal. Or just another stupid buzzword that marketers
use to sell us another piece of junk.

Just what does this accomplish? Abby So Lute Lee Nothing.
Just gives the PCs another racist feather in their cap
to lord over the unwashed masses.

Still reminds me of the "Nyah, Nyah, Nyyah-Nyah, Nyah"
attitude of "I'm gooder cause I'm edumacated in English and you aren't"

Again, Blarg.

Official sites:


The Official US Time
http://www.time.gov/



The Official Peanuts
http://www.snoopy.com

The Official Earlobe
http://www.jeffbolton.net/music/ear/


The Official Light of Doom
http://www.lightofdoom.com


The Official Peanut and Peanut Butter
http://www.nationalpeanutboard.org/


The Official Star Wars
http://www.starwars.com


Blarg, blarg, bargity blarg.

Shopping Thoughts

I just had one of those: What in the blue blazes am I
doing moments that I had to share.

Heather was at Wal-Mart doing christmas shopping for the kids.

I was at work.

She called me on her cell, asking about a certain toy for Sally.

I logged on to Wal-Mart's website and proceeded to 'virtually'
shop along side her as she walked down the
toy section. I could see the prices were the same as the stuff
was on the shelves, and so I could offer
input as to what would be a good idea, etc.

Then I realized that, by using a cell phone, computer, internet
and all that plethora of technology, we had
taken Christmas shopping into a new realm.

One that was, oddly enough, fun. But not something I'd
want to do all the time.

Side note: one of my last-ditch reasons of not having a
cell phone was that  I didn't want to be the clueless guy
at the grocery store walking up and down the aisles, saying
into his phone things like "They have crunchy, not creamy"
and "They have three blue ones but only one green one"
and the like.

Fast forward to now: I'm that guy. Much to my chagrin.

Awarding Awards and Soccer Muses

I'm making some soccer awards for my son's soccer team.
I have a few thoughts.
I am trying to balance the "Politically Correct" terms:
Best Defensive Player instead of Best Defensive Man

And the stupid awards. You know. "Most Improved" and "Best Kick" and the like.
I came up with
Best Striker, Winger, Defender, Keeper, Sweeper, Forward, Stopper. But I had to go with "Best All-Around Player" for one girl because she was good at everything. I almost used "Best Team Player" but couldn't. I don't want to do "Pat on the Head" awards.

I've seen those. Stupid. Best Sportsmanship awards fall into this category. I like the MVP awards only when the team votes on it, not the coaches or the league. I'm trying to decide who should be nominated for that.

Coaching soccer with kids is fun. I've had to deal with the petty issues. Divorced parents causing tension on the sidelines, obnoxious parents, kids that aren't motivated, weather, etc. I've liked seeing their eyes light up when I teach them a new skill or new thing -- and they get all excited, running and playing.

My two favorite things to play with them are two games. One is "Hit the Coach". Pretty simple. I give everyone a ball, mark out a spot on the field (usually the mid-field circle or a goalie box) and then let them try and hit me. It's a good workout. They can really kick hard, and it teaches them to strike quickly instead of waiting to kick. The other game is "Everybody Against the Coach". I can sometimes get away with this on half a field. Everyone plays against me. Oh, I let them make a few goals. I use my stopwatch countdown timer to give them a timeframe. And when some kids start to dominate the scoring, I'll say "Ok, the next 5 minutes only Max and Zoe can score -- everyone else has to help them or pass the ball to them." And then I force the other players (by pressing the defense on the others) to pass the ball to the designated strikers and we all get a learning experience out of it.

Ahh, Under-8 Soccer. I love it. My son is on the team and I've not really had any favoritism things. He's a good keeper and I think he'll want to play that position as he gets older. :)

More later.

CD Minded

Big Daddy Weave.
I'm not a big, huge fan of Christian based rock.
But when I find something that is cool, I tend to listen to a lot of it.
Big Daddy Weave. I was given their 2002 Album, "One & Only."

While it did have a bit of Blues Traveler mixed with a hipper Eric Clapton and tang of Sting, I felt that some of the album started to repeat itself. I really enjoyed the standout songs: "In Christ" , "Audience of One" and a few others. I liked lead singer Mike Weaver's voice -- but I enjoy the album more when he mixes it with other singers more. His lead solos are good, but a dozen tracks of it tends to get a bit grating. His harmonies with Jay Weaver blended well (are they brothers?) and the lyrics on "Audience of One" start off with a kneeling, gentle prayer that makes the guitars backing Mike's voice up soar over the melody.

This is where this band shines. I hope they can keep the message of their music on the same level as here: Not so overpowering that the music is left behind. I'm going to go check out their newer stuff...here.

Blogging Bloggers Bludgeoning

Here I am, two, no three months since my last post.

I feel bad.
My cousin has a blog. http://wjw.blogspot.com
He's been blogging forever.
Even did it on his church mission. (the sneak... the white handbook has nothing about blogs, the sneaky sneak. Oh, it's a "online journal". I likey. Wish I had done so)

So here I am, trying to blog more.
I think I will.

Today I'm slated to go and work out.
I've lost 54 pounds since June. Maybe that's what I'll use for an excuse of not blogging. :) http://www.jrmc.org/us/weightloss.html
My ultimate goal is 80 lbs. I think I can manage it -- but won't finish before the program ends. I will continue to work out though. Got addicted.
Love running with my son's soccer team. We've been playing "Everyone Against The Coach" and "Hit the Coach" as fun games. I get a good, 45-minute workout against eight 7 year-olds.
More to come.

Second Shift Tastings

So here I am, working a second shift.

Not that it isn't a smart idea, mind you. Why some higher ups decided to make our department work a second shift is beyond me. Idiots. They have NO idea what goes on in this department and how we make things work.

So here's my question to the cyberspace person who stumbles across this blog, if ever. Does the size of your company automatically coincide with the amount of common sense you seem to not show?

Two incidents.

One: My company decides that we're not working fast enough, so they decide to make us work 2 shifts. Not only is this stupid, it has slowed down the workflow. Gag. They didn't even ask us our opinion. So now if I work the night shift, I find myself with jobs that can't be completed because Customer Service goes home at 5pm ... and I'm still here working after that.

What comet struck the head of my boss up the chain? Who is he listening to? Why is he/she/them/it not even caring about the strain this puts on my family and my coworkers??
Gag. I haven't been this close to looking for a new job since I left the newspaper buisness 4 years ago.

Two: Adobe shipped Creative Suite 3 with bugs. I know all programs have them... but then you'd guess a company as big and 'user friendly' as Adobe would be open to all bug reports. Not this time. I've left emails, messages and even bug reports. No answer.
And it cuts into my design work having to mess with this bug. Arg.

You can see the Adobe Forum here.

I'll stop ranting. Working this late (8:32pm) is hard on ya when you haven't done it in 4 years. Blarg.
Here's to hoping this blog is more updated. And more positive!

Book Review: "Prowl" by Gordan Runyan

Title: Prowl
Author: Gordan Runyan
Type: Christian military fiction
Publisher: Deo Volente

There is a problem with military fiction that is an “either/or” conundrum. You get either too many details or not enough and characterization and plot lines suffer.
Dale Brown, Tom Clancy, W.E. Griffin and the like seem to balance it well, although Brown is all Air Force, Clancy mostly Navy and Griffin is stuck in W.W.II and Vietnam.
“Prowl” doesn’t really suffer from trying to bridge a Christian fiction novel and a Tom Clancy-like Navy-submarine thriller — it does focus on the great characters — but it sometimes bogs down in the details.
Central to the story is Machinist’s Mate First Class Mark Reed and his wife, J.L. Their relationship, a not-so-strong-because-of-long-Navy-voyages-relationship, is rocked even more as Mark heads off on another 90-day cruise on a submarine. It’s a career-building cruise for Mark, but viewed as a marriage-breaker for newly-saved J.L. Apparently her Christian conversion set them apart even more, making the drama of his emergency cruise even more heavy.
You see, someone murdered a sailor on Mark’s new sub. Only everyone doesn’t know it was murder — they think it was a stress-induced suicide.
And to make things even more complicated, North Koreans have a secret sub that Mark’s sub, the U.S.S. Omaha, is sent out to find — and a traitorous, American hacker-turned-spy has given the North Koreans a way to sink the Omaha.
And to pile more on to the plot, J.L. and her friend, Rita, get involved in a shoot-out in Hawaii with some North Koreans and are chased by a fake FBI agent that is looking for Rita — who really is an undercover-spy.
Oh, and by the way, J.L. is pregnant and Mark is in danger of finding the murderer still on board the sub.
Sound complicated? Yowza!
This book works more than it doesn’t work. It falls into the technothriller trap of giving WAY too many useless details about submarine life that don’t quite make sense, except to sailors that have lived on one. It also assumes the reader has some idea of Navy terminology and life — something that is a bit irritating.
What works is how the Christian element doesn’t overpower the storyline and actually feels right. And even if you aren’t Christian, it is an interesting sub-plot to the story.
The action builds well and doesn’t get lost. The book really times its punches just right and the main characters don’t come across as know-it-all superheroes. They’re real people living in a crazy story, yes, but the action doesn’t feel too outlandish.
This is a good read. The only hurt is the plethora of sub details, but it is a great romp and worth the time to read it.
Dale's Book Grade B+