Billiards And Trucking = B.A.T.

14.1 Continuous Straight Pool - My new obsession

2009-09-01T13:07:00.000-07:00

A while back I ask the question on several pool and billiards forums "How do I practice break out shots?" and almost with out fail the answer came back from everyone and everywhere "Learn to play straight pool!"

I have been a closet fan of 14.1 since I first saw Oliver "The Machine" Ortmann beat Steve "The Miz" Mizerak in the U.S. Open or maybe it was actually referred to as the BCA Open Championship match at the Pick Congress Hotel in Chicago in 1989! The actual name would not and still does not matter that much to me, I would have gone regardless of what they called it!

I sat in the stands very close to Connie Chung who was a famous T.V. news personality in Chicago at that time. Of course she nor anyone else knew who I was. I went to see this match by myself using a free ticket which was given to me by a friend. (My friend bailed at the last minute in favor of some other engagement and I decided to not let that spoil my opportunity to witness my first pro pool match ever!) My friend Denise would probably be shocked to learn how my life has changed over the past 20 years since I saw that match. I have not seen or talked with her for almost 20 years now either.

Eleven years later in the summer of 2000, my wife and I met a couple playing pool on a bar table at a pub in Thousand Oaks, California. They ask us if we would join their APA 9 Ball team and we jumped at the chance to play league pool and the rest is history as they say...oops.....I have digressed....!

Here it is 2009 and I am learning to play 14.1 continuous straight pool and I have, as of August 28th, managed to make my first 25 ball run and I also managed to record that run on video. I NATURALLY uploaded it to youtube.com because I was so danged proud of myself for doing it. When I upload a video to my YouTube.com account now it is automatically announced on my Facebook.com Profile, my Twitter.com page and should also be linked to my blog here on Google Blogger.com. Nothing like tooting your own horn, huh?

So these videos got the attention of the gentleman who is responsible for the CueTable.com forum and Wei in return ask me to post my videos on his forum so we could talk about the shots. Naturally I jumped at that opportunity and got right on it. As a result of putting those videos up on CueTable.com another gentleman noticed. Non-other than David "Blackjack" Sapolis of DeadStrokeUniversity.com.

BlackJack and Wei both commented on my videos and gave me some excellent pointers on how to improve my game of 14.1! Now I need to get back to the table and start applying some of the advice these two super players have so generously supplied to me.

My next goal is to break 30!

Defensive Pool Shots in the APA

2009-08-18T16:17:00.000-07:00

We were playing 9 ball last Thursday in our APA league match and I was scoring while on the other team there was a skill level 5 scoring.
The other teams player was a skill level 4 and was hooked pretty badly. He proceeded to shoot an amazing 3 rails around the table and made contact with the proper object ball just barely after which the object ball touched the rail making it a perfectly legal hit and a great shot.
I mentioned to the skill level 4 that I was marking a "D"....that comment caused his captain to spring out of her chair and proclaim "That is ridiculous! He was just trying to hit the ball, he was not playing "D"!" I responded that because he did not hit the object ball hard enough to expect to make it or any other ball on that shot that it should be marked as a defensive shot.

I have heard this same discussion take place many times durning APA matches so I was extremely happy to see this great video show up on YouTube.com today. It is by none other than APA Co-Founder Terry Bell and it is extremely well done. Thank You Terry and all of the APA for your efforts in making this instructional video.

Chris Malta's 2009 Scambuster Road Trip

2009-08-18T14:39:00.001-07:00

I used Chris's advise regarding drop shipping long before most of the get rich ads you see on TV now.
He is really a smart guy so listen to this little video and then decide for yourself. Just be ware of all those scams to get your money if you do nothing else.
Chris Malta's 2009 Scambuster Road Trip

Shared via AddThis

Life and Pool

2009-07-18T08:10:00.000-07:00

I woke up a little after 6 AM this morning and could not go back to sleep so I decided to relax in the Jacuzzi for a little while and watch the sun climb into the sky.

As I sat in the 100 plus degree water and felt my aching joints loosen up and my slightly old muscles relax my mind began to drift back to the "good old days when times were hard". I started to remember a lot of the things my Mom used to tell me when I was a kid and we were dirt poor. My Mom has been gone for just a little over a year now and it is hard for me to believe, even now, over a year after her passing away, that she really is gone from this earth. I used to call her on Saturday or Sunday morning while I sat in the Jacuzzi and we would reminisce about the "good old days when times were hard" so it just seems natural for me to think of that and of her as I sat there in that warm, soothing, bubbling water.

I play a lot of pool and while I enjoy playing pool I have begun to relate the game of pool to life. I have heard many good pool players say that pool is more than a game, it is a way of life. Some of the older and greater players have said "The game of pool is like the game of life." The more I play the game and think about it in those terms the more I see just what those wise old pool players are trying to say. Maybe Tom T. Hall should have included pool in his song along with "Old Dogs and Children and Watermelon Wine....".

Pool is a game that is win or lose. It is a game that for there to be a winner there must also be a loser. As long as we play pool we will always have to accept that we will not always be the winner so it is simple logic that we must sometimes be the loser. As in life, the game does not always go the way we would like and we don't always have the ability to control the outcome. We are sometimes the fortunate recipient of an easy or lucky win so we must accept that sometimes we will be on the other side of that coin and be dealt an unlucky or unjust loss and we must know this will happen before it happens.

My zodiac sign is Libra and that supposedly means that I seek balance in all I do. I have come to believe that balance is important in all things and that is true in life and it is true in pool too. Me must have a good offensive game balanced by a good defensive game. We must win and we must also lose. We must pursue our dreams and all the time protect those things in life that are important to us. We must find balance between our commitments to family, career, personal growth, spiritual growth, present concerns and plans for the future. The Chinese have known these simple truths for thousands of years and call it Yin and Yang. Scientist refer to a law of physics that requires that for each action there must be an equal and opposite reaction. The Bible teaches us about the forces of good and evil.

In pool, as in life, we tend to learn more from the hard times or loses than we do from the easy times or the wins. That very well may be human nature but I sincerely believe that we can learn good lessons when we win and even better lessons when we lose. The real trick is to focus on the correct portions of the game or focus on the correct portions and events in life. Our life is what we focus on and there are good things happening even in bad times and so goes the game of pool.

APA 9 Ball South Coast Regional Championships - Sunday June 14, 2009

2009-06-27T11:58:00.000-07:00

It took a while to get the video and slides put together because I had a lot of challenges to over come that have absolutely nothing to do with pool or the APA.

Hopefully this little video is worth the wait. With no further ado, here is the recap of the "Terminal Velocity" run for the gold!

Meanwhile, my wife, Carol and I have survived a pretty rough fall on our patio last Saturday, June 20th which resulted in us both going to the emergency room at Simi Valley Hospital for treatment. Carol had 3 fractured ribs, a fractured collar bone and a fractured clavicle plus a small cut and bump on the back of her head. I managed to compile a broken nose and a pretty nasty cut that required14 stitches to my forehead and nose. That was all on Saturday afternoon so we both spend most of the day on Sunday just trying to rest and recoup.

I then on Tuesday June 23, 2009 did this to remember just how that fall happened. Guess who's silhouette this is and NO it is not Michael Jordan's!

APA 9 Ball South Coast Regional Championships - Saturday Matches

2009-06-15T10:41:00.000-07:00

The APA 9 Ball South Coast Regional Championship turned out to be a true pool player's tournament in all aspects of the game this past weekend at the Arena Sports Grill and Bar in Simi Valley, California. Pool players from all around the area converged on the Arena and the Grand Vista Hotel for a week end of fun and games but there were some very serious faces in the crowd too. Everyone was focused on the pursuit of a coveted APA National Championship qualification that would get their team admission to the once a year gathering of APA pool players from all over the United States and even other parts of the world as the APA continues to grow like a weed sprouting up all over Canada and now in Hawaii, Puerto Rico and other parts of the world.

Here is a little quote from the APA National Web Site:
"National Team Championships
August 21-29, 2009 Las Vegas, NV
The culmination of weekly APA League play is the APA National Team Championships, held annually at the Riviera Hotel & Casino in Las Vegas. This event consists of three individual National Team Championships: Open 8-Ball, Ladies 8-Ball and Open 9-Ball"

I have to tell you up front, I spent all my time watching as a spectator because neither of my teams qualified. I would much rather have been playing and I am reasonably sure my teammates on the Maximillians would say the same, but I enjoyed the next best thing.

That was cheering for friends and I specifically followed the efforts of "Terminal Velocity" because 5 of the 8 players were former and current teammates. I have watched them grow into some really good pool players and each one exhibits a unique view and perspective of the game. I am proud to call them my friends and seeing them win would be very close to "as satisfying" as being in the winning circle with the Maximillians. I was not the only spectator though! A lot of players were there to cheer for their friends and family.

There were smiles all around and everyone enjoyed the competition and companionship of the like minded. Pool players are not that different from anyone else but it does take a special gene to enjoy a sport like pool that dishes out the agony of the long hours mixed with the tenseness of stiff competition under the watchful eyes of your friends, teammates, opponents and league management all at the same time.

The matches heated up as the day went by. Phil and Taz had their hands full trying to keep all the tempers in check, but they always do a great job. Some players competativeness can blur their view of the rules, their actual vision or their perception of the events right in front of them.
The league operators are ready and willing to offer a cool head and a keen eye to help keep everyone moving along on the straight and narrow. Skill levels got adjusted and team captains had to rethink their strategies if they wanted to be still in the trophy chase on Sunday.

A few cocktails were consumed and great food was eaten, cheers and applause were made on good shots and moans could be heard following a bad roll or a close miss. Teams won and teams lost, laughs were heard from happy players and some tears were shed over loses. In the end all had a great time and most of them will be in that race again next year. Only a few can brag about winning and that is exactly what makes it all worth the effort for most.

Here is a short video that captures some of the good times:

The APA 8 Ball South Coast Championships

2009-06-08T13:04:00.000-07:00

The South Coast Region of the APA held the 8 Ball Championship at The Arena Sports Grill and Bar in Simi Valley, California this past week end of June 6-7, 2009. The 9 Ball Championship will follow next week end and also be held at the Arena. The Arena just happens to be my home court but my teams were not fortunate enough to make it this season and so The Maximillians have been relegated to the postion of spectators and sometimes cheer leaders for our friends who did make it. That is not all bad, but I believe I am safe to say that most of the players on The Maximillians would rather have been involved in all the sweat and stress that goes along with the race for those coveted spots at the APA Nationals.
A lot of 8 ball teams arrived at the Arena Saturday morning all full of excitement and anticipation. The prize for the 4 winning teams would be a trip to the APA National Team Championships in Las Vegas, NV Aug. 21 – 29 at the Riviera Hotel and Casino, and of course a lot of the cost of that trip is covered by the APA South Coast Region. When the clouds of chalk dust cleared only four lucky 8 ball teams would be making their plans for that trip in August. That means that, mathematically speaking, one team out of 8 would make it. Those are not bad odds either, so there was good reason for every single player there to be looking forward to the next 12 to 36 hours or so of 8 ball battles.

Of course pool would not be pool if there were not a few cocktails to be consumed. Heather had the situation well under control on that battle front. Double wielding a couple of Buds, Heather backed them up with a great smile as she did her part to lighten the mood of the competition which managed to get heated to a boiling point on several fronts at a time any way. The entire staff of the Arena ran around waiting on pool players and spectators non-stop with cold beverages and great food from the kitchen of the Grand Vista Hotel which is conveniently right next door to the bar.
Dan was on hand to make sure that APA members and other customers were all taken good care of as he ushered in a birthday party group and did what ever else it took to keep thing moving along smoothly. I even noticed him sweeping up some spilled pop corn from the floor at the end of the bar while the bartenders were busy catering to customers. Dan has gone above and beyond in making the APA welcome at the Arena and has encouraged many 8 ball and 9 ball teams (my own included) to make the Arena their home.

Taz and Phil were both there making sure the all the players and matches moved along according to schedule, at least as much as humanly possible. They really have these tournaments down to a science. While some players are kind of slow pokes and some matches drag on beyond belief it all seems to work out in the end when Phil and Taz are holding the reins. The DJ Booth seems like it was made for Taz and she takes full advantage of the control booth like setup to keep the tournament information updated and on target. She keys into her trusty laptop computer, the most recent match results and then post that info on the main Bracket Posters out on the patio where everyone and anyone can follow their own team or like in my case the team of friends who were still in the competition. In the APA all players handicaps are recalculated immediately after every match allowing the league to keep players and matches properly rated according to the APA Equlizer System even as matches develop throughout the day and evening hours.
Since there are no full time referrees on duty during these championship matches, someone has to be the judge when there is a possible rule infraction about to occur. Phil and Taz, as "Tournament Directors", share in the responsibility of over seeing the matches and either of them can be summoned by a player to observe a close hit. They must position themselves in a way that allows them to observe the shot then judge, based on APA rules, as to the legality of the hit. Some times a game, a match or even the championship itself can hang in the balance of outcome of a single such shot and it is very important that the call be made within the APA rules. As you can see in Phil's expression, it is a duty taken very seriously.

2 Year Old Pool Shark - Youngest APA Member

2009-06-05T11:32:00.000-07:00

This kid is only 2 years old and is already featured on ABC News and touted as the youngest member of the APA (American Pool Players Association).
He appears to have his own miniture pool table that is more his size but he also makes amazing bank shot (or kick shot) on a full sized pool table in this video.
Imagine having to play this kid when he reaches 21.

He is on YouTube too:

And of course he has his own web site to called Poolprodigy.com:

Of course with this kind of talent, this kid also played at the Rivera Hotel and Casino during the APA Tournaments in May of 2009. The local TV station picked up on Keith Odell and here is a piece they did about him.
http://www.ktnv.com/global/Category.asp?c=164911&autoStart=true&topVideoCatNo=default&clipId=3726344

Billiards And Trucking = B.A.T.: The APA Skill Level 9 - What does it take?

2009-06-03T10:31:00.000-07:00

Billiards And Trucking = B.A.T.: The APA Skill Level 9 - What does it take?

APA South Coast 8 Ball Tournament of Champions

2009-06-01T11:00:00.000-07:00

Eighteen APA 8 Ball Teams converged on The Arena Sports Grill and Bar at the corner of Enchanted Drive and First Street in Simi Valley, California this past Saturday May 30, 2009.
The APA South Coast 8 Ball Tournament of Champions got under way at 9:00 AM and everyone there had high hopes of finishing in the money plus locking up a berth in the following weekend's APA South Coast Regional to be also held at the Arena in Simi Valley.

League operators Phil and Taz Brooker were on hand to run this event in their usual efficient manner. Phil and Taz are a couple of the most dedicated and respected APA league operators in the nation. Phil proudly advertises the APA by driving a Pontiac wrapped in the APA Logo, Slogans and web addresses. The usual announcements about rules etc. were made then table assignments were made and the battles began.
All the teams worked hard to get here and they all pretty much felt that they were the team that would come out the winner. That is the way pool players think, after all! That is also one of the things that makes playing pool so great and playing team pool is a step up from just playing individually against your peers. Many times in events like this the team has to come before the individual and that is as it should be. "The good of the many must outweigh the good of the one." Of course there is a little bit of peer pressure when your team gets to participate in an event like the Challenge of Champions. Egos and reputations were worn on the sleeves for all to see and others to consider ways to meet the challenge.
The APA is an amazing opportunity for newer pool players to benefit from the knowledge and experience of many highly skilled players. There is the opportunity for newer players to experience the thrill of victory and the agony of defeat. Both are in abundant supply and ripe for the harvest by those lucky enough to compete.
Win or lose the game of pool is full of rewarding memories and should be viewed as a life time challenge to improve and become the best you can be both on the table and off. Friendship bonds are made over a pool table that can last a lifetime as well.

Of course winning is always more fun than losing and when a player pulls out a particularly tough match you can usually see the results in his (or her) face. Look at Mr. Moss of the "Tuesday's Gone" team. Can you tell he just won his match by looking at the smile on his face? His team went on to lose the match over all but for the few moments following his match the whole world was coming up roses. (**Note**I have been alerted by Marty - The Captain of "Tuesday's Gone" that their team did win that match and went on to collect the $1400 prize...Congratulations to the team and sorry about the error. Best Wishes in the Regionals, Tom)There were smiles all over the Arena because the pool was only part of the reason people gathered there. Competition on the pool tables was fierce for sure but the things most people will remember may not be the pool but instead simply the good time they had socializing with friends, family and even complete strangers who will some day become friends or even family in some cases. The smiles were plenty and they were not all just about winning either. Speaking of smiling faces....you have to know that bartender Christina manages to provide great service with a great smile to everyone. She doesn't even have to play pool to smile (although she does play a pretty mean game of pool too).

She has that smile for customers simply because she likes people and she doesn't have to win a game before she is able to share the smile with customers. It is people like Christina that make the Arena a great place to relax and enjoy your well earned leisure time.

Back to the challenge matches that heated up on 4 of the six 7' bar boxes at the Arena. These matches were for more than just qualifiers, there was some real money awaiting the victors. This is an excerpt from the APA South Coast web site about the Challenge of Champions:

"In addition to qualifying for the South Coast Championships, the top eight finishers in the Tournament of Champions will receive a good-sized monetary award. In each format, the top four teams will receive $1400 and each fifth-place team will receive $600!"

Finally we do have all those pool table warriors battling it out for the top dog spot and it would be impossible to describe all the tension, the excitement, the nail biting and the sheer joy of being involved in the competition regardless of which side of the action you found yourself. I have put together a small video to try to capture some of the stuff that make competing in the APA Challenge of Champions in 2009 so much fun. You can see why the spots are so coveted.

Although it may be hard to recognize many of the players in the video due to lighting I am sure that most of the players who gave me their expressed permission to include the footage will recognize themselves. Anyone else shown who may wish to NOT be included can contact me and I will edit them out of the footage with my sincere apology and utmost respect for your wishes.

CueTable Billiard Contest 2009 05

2009-05-30T15:21:00.001-07:00

This was a tuffy but I finally finished the video for the CueTable Billiard Contest 2009 05 this morning. Now I anxiously await the next challenge!

How much is a BILLION dollars?

2009-05-29T17:35:00.000-07:00

My friend Dan and I were talking about this very subject the other night after our pool match and today he emailed me this little thing that he found somewhere. It is so good I didn't feel right just sending it to the email recycle bin so here it is preserved for posterity on the World Wide Web.

Feel free to copy it or link to it here or pass it on to your friends and family and even to your favorite politician who could learn a truly good lesson if only he would.....

This is too true to be funny . . .
The next time you hear a politician use the word 'billion' in a casual manner, think about whether you want the 'politicians' spending YOUR taxmoney.

A billion is a difficult number to comprehend, but one advertising agency did a good job of putting that figure into some perspective in one of its releases:

A. A billion seconds ago it was 1959.

B. A billion minutes ago Jesus was alive.

C. A billion hours ago our ancestors wereliving in the Stone Age.

D. A billion days ago no-one walked on the earth on two feet.

E. A billion dollars ago was only 8 hours and 20 minutes,at the rate our government is spending it.

While this thought is still fresh in our brain...let's take a look at New Orleans ....It's amazing what you can learn with some simple division.

Louisiana Senator, Mary Landrieu (D) is presently asking Congress for 250 BILLION DOLLARS to rebuild New Orleans ... Interesting number...what does it mean?

A. Well... if you are one of the 484,674 residents of New Orleans (everyman, woman, and child) you each get $516,528.

B. Or... if you have one of the 188,251 homes in New Orleans, your homegets$1,329,787.

C. Or... if you are a family of four...your family gets $2,066,012.

Imagine, now $700 billion bailing out banks in the US.
That's enough to fund complete medical care for every man, woman and child currently alive in the US for 11 years !

50 billion to bail out the auto industry ?
Washington, D.C. <> Are all your calculators broken ?

Accounts Receivable :
Taxes
Building PermitTax
CDL License Tax
Cigarette Tax
Corporate Income Tax
Dog License Tax
Federal Income Tax
Federal Unemployment Tax (FUTA)
Fishing License Tax
Food License Tax
Fuel Permit Tax
Gasoline Tax
Hunting License Tax
Inheritance Tax
Inventory Tax
IRS Interest Charges (tax on top of tax)
IRS Penalties (tax on top of tax)
Liquor Tax
Luxury Tax
Marriage License Tax
Medicare Tax
Property Tax
Real Estate Tax
Service charge taxes
Social Security Tax
Road Usage Tax(Truckers)
Sales Taxes
Recreational Vehicle Tax
School Tax
State Income Tax
State Unemployment Tax (SUTA)
Telephone Federal Excise Tax
Telephone Federal Universal Service Fee (Tax upon Tax)
Telephone Federal, State and Local Surcharge Tax
Telephone Minimum Usage Surcharge Tax
Telephone Recurring and Non-recurring Charges Tax
Telephone State and Local Tax
Telephone Usage Charge Tax
Utility Tax
Vehicle License Registration Tax
Vehicle Sales Tax
Watercraft Registration Tax
Well Permit Tax
Workers Compensation Tax
Income Tax

STILL THINK THIS IS FUNNY???
Not one of these taxes existed 100 years ago...and our nation was the most prosperous in the world.

We had absolutely no national debt...
We had the largest middle class in the world...
and Mom stayed home to raise the kids.

What happened ?
Can you spell 'politicians!' ?
And I still have to press '1' for English.

I hope this goes around the US at least 1 billion times then we can talk about "How much is a Trillion Dollars?"

Pool and Billiards - Darts and Collectibles

2009-05-23T10:56:00.000-07:00

We have a whole new look at BigRigToys.com!

BigRigToys.com was established way back in 2002 as a computer science class project. My Instructor at Cal Lutheran required all of us computer science majors to create an E-Commerce site as our final class project in pursuit of our BS in CS degree and BigRigToys.com was mine.

Almost 7 years later and a whole lot of blood, sweat and tears later BigRigToys.com has been given a face lift to bring it into the current world of E-Commerce with a big bang and a little bit of flair.
Thanks to Nadine at NoFlakes Web Design we are not all about looks either. Behind that beautiful face lift are many new features that you will want to try out. The one we are particularly proud of is the "Shop Cues by Price" Section. We are all on some kind of budget and sometimes it helps to be able to see everything in one place that fits into that budget...doesn't it?...Take a look for yourself. You may fine that your budget will allow you to get a special cue that you had not previously thought possible.

Don't hold your breath too long because we are not done yet. We have plans for the future and we will be adding more products within the categories of Pool and Billiards, Darts and Dart Boards (both soft tip and steel tip) and Collectibles too. We already have collectible die cast trucks in the 1:64 scale model variety and collector plates depicting "Gone With The Wind" and "The Sound of Music" but we still plan to add more product and more variety too.

Then we also will be doing all kinds of little things behind the scenes to enhance your experiance when you visit us online. You should try out the BAT Forum right away. It's FREE and you can discuss your favorite topic with folks just like you or you can get some free advice on improving your pool game. Pool players and Truckers have always had a lot in common. Trucking is what we do for a living but pool and darts are some of the many things we do for fun. You will find a group that understands the work we do and enjoys the games we play. Give it a try, I'm sure you will meet people that will amaze you in one way or another.

Woopra - Lastest in Web Analytics

2009-05-05T10:31:00.000-07:00

I have web pages and I have a couple of blogs! If you do too then you have to see Woopra.

I have only known about Woopra for a few days now but let me tell you, it will change the way web masters analyze their web sites.

Woopra allows the web master to monitor in real time the visitors to a web site. It is so amazing that I will not even try to describe it here my self. I am embedding a video produced by Woopra to do that much better than I ever could.

See this for yourself, you will be amazed! Even if you are not into web building you will still find it mind blowing what can be done now with a little imagination and a whole lot of hard work behind the scenes by these folks.

Here is the Woopra 1.3 video:

Explanation of the current U.S.Tax System & Bail Outs

2009-03-20T09:30:00.000-07:00

My friend Charlie, in Chicago sent this to me and it really is the best explaination I have ever seen.

Give credit to economist Mike Gasior. Explains our current tax system.

A TERRIFIC ILLUSTRATION OF THE CURRENT U.S. TAX SYSTEM
Suppose that every day, ten men go out for beer and the bill for all ten comes to $100. If they paid their bill the way we pay our taxes, it would
go something like this:
The first four men (the poorest) would pay nothing.
The fifth would pay $1.
The sixth would pay $3.
The seventh would pay $7.
The eighth would pay $12.
The ninth would pay $18.
The tenth man (the richest) would pay $59.
So, that's what they decided to do. The ten men drank in the bar every day
and seemed quite happy with the arrangement, until one day, the owner threw
them a curve. 'Since you are all such good customers, he said, 'I'm going
to reduce the cost of your daily beer by $20. Drinks for the ten now cost
just $80.
The group still wanted to pay their bill the way we pay our taxes so the
first four men were unaffected. They would still drink for free. But what
about the other six men - the paying customers? How could they divide the
$20 windfall so that everyone would get his 'fair share? They realized
that $20 divided by six is $3.33. But if they subtracted that from
everybody's share, then the fifth man and the sixth man would each end up
being paid to drink his beer. So, the bar owner suggested that it would be
fair to reduce each man's bill by roughly the same amount, and he proceeded
to work out the amounts each should pay.
And so:
The fifth man, like the first four, now paid nothing (100% savings).
The sixth now paid $2 instead of $3 (33%savings).
The seventh now paid $5 instead of $7 (28%savings).
The eighth now paid $9 instead of $12 (25% savings).
The ninth now paid $14 instead of $18 (22% savings).
The tenth now paid $49 instead of $59 (16% savings).
Each of the six was better off than before. And the first four continued to
drink for free. But once outside the restaurant, the men began to compare
their savings.
'I only got a dollar out of the $20', declared the sixth man. He pointed
to the tenth man,' but he got $10!'
'Yeah, that's right', exclaimed the fifth man. 'I only saved a dollar, too.
It's unfair that he got ten times more than I!'
'That's true!!'shouted the seventh man. 'Why should he get $10 back when I
got only two? The wealthy get all the breaks!'
'Wait a minute,' yelled the first four men in unison. 'We didn't get
anything at all. The system exploits the poor!'
The nine men surrounded the tenth and beat him up.
The next night the tenth man didn't show up for drinks, so the nine sat
down and had beers without him. But when it came time to pay the bill,
they discovered something important. They didn't have enough money between
all of them for even half of the bill!
And that, boys and girls, journalists and college professors, is how our
tax system works. The people who pay the highest taxes get the most
benefit from a tax reduction. Tax them too much, attack them for being
wealthy, and they just may not show up anymore. In fact, they might start
drinking overseas where the atmosphere is somewhat friendlier.

This wonderful illustration of the current tax system in the United States
was created by the Dr. David R. Kamerschen, Ph.D. who is a Professor of
Economics at the University of Georgia. I like his explanation very much.

CueTable Billiard Contest 2009.03

2009-03-09T07:56:00.001-07:00

This pattern has to be one of the toughest I have played in this series of 9 ball run out contest.
I had to bank the one ball with high left to kill the cue ball and to also NOT move the seven too far and into the 9 ball area.
I then slow rolled the 2 ball and excepted the long cut down the rail on the 3 ball.
Next I shot the 5 with a pretty hard draw shot to get the cue ball off the side rail and back over for another long draw shot on the 6.
There is something about that long draw shot on the six that I almost always shank it and I did again...then I got lucky and it came around the table and into the corner where I was standing plus the draw on the cue ball gave me the shot I was looking for on the 7....after that it was an easy out on the 8 and the 9.
Great challenge pattern and thanks goes to Cuetable.com for coming up with this contest.

CueTable Billiard Contest 2009 02

2009-02-28T15:10:00.001-08:00

Finished this one this morning and it was a tricky one. Routine shots but the various shots necessary to make ALL 9 consecutively turned out to be more of a challenge than I expected. Great exercise in 9 ball. Try it for yourself if you don't believe me. Thanks to CueTable.com for presenting these contest and doing all the work to make them available to us all.

LA or LB - Temporary Access Permit for Occasional Truckers

2009-02-22T22:07:00.001-08:00

Temporary access permits for long haul truckers are now required by the Ports of Long Beach, CA or Los Angeles, CA if you are not affiliated with what the ports now recognize as "CONCESSIONAIRES"!

The temporary permit cost the trucker $100 and can be purchased online at the web site set up just for the purpose of collecting that $100.

It almost seems that the ports of Long Beach and Los Angeles want that web site to NOT be to easy to find so I have been trying to get the link out on several of my sources so that at least truckers who read or visit any of my regular haunts will at least know where to find a link.

Temporary Access Permit Web Site

This link is on my other web sites as well.

Learn to Play Pool in Ten Minutes -- billiards instruction

2009-01-28T08:53:00.001-08:00

Mike Page has done an amazing job of condensing the basics of the greatest game on earth down to 10 minutes. He clearly describes and illustrates important fundamentals of pool that I did not know after playing pool for over 30 years. When I finally did learn some of these things at the young age of 50+ years my game took on a whole new life of its own. You don't have to play for 30 years like I did to learn these things. Just watch this video and 10 minutes from now you will have a great leg up on most pool players who have not seen it.

CueTable Billiard Contest 2008 12

2009-01-10T20:43:00.001-08:00

This is my latest entry in the CueTable.com Video 9-Ball Run Out Contest. Even though I have already won and am no longer eligible to win the prize I still like the challenge. Doing this kind of video is great practice for me and has helped me improve my position play a great deal. Try it, you'll like it too.

Government Bailout & My encounter with Bloomberg News

2008-12-17T11:07:00.000-08:00

I recently responded via email to Bloomberg News regarding a story they were running on the internet about the U.S. Government's efforts to do a bail out of Citi Group.

Well, just a few days ago I received an email from a Bloomberg News reporter indicating that she wanted to ask me some questions about my email....I was elated that someone actually had read my original email....much less, would bother to contact me for more information or ask me for more information concerning my view and maybe even my opinion.

I agreed to a telephone interview and jumped into it with both feet!

I spoke with that reporter and basically spilled my heart and soul out to her. I was so passionate about my views that I was later concerned that I may have overstated my case. I then spent quite a bit of time contemplating whether or not I had done the right thing. I was concerned that I may have given the reporter the wrong impression of me and maybe even come off as some kind of radical nut. After a lot of soul searching about our conversation I finally came to the conclusion that it was probably not worth worrying about because I would probably never hear any more from Bloomberg News or that reporter anyway. I just put it out of my mind and literally forgot about it all together.

This morning I received an email from that reporter asking for my permission to quote me. She included the quote that she wanted to put in her story. The quote was probably 100% accurate but the one line she intended to use would give any reader a totally different impression of my view than what my view truly was. I immediately emailed her and questioned the intent of the use of that quote. I ask why they would want to use only that and not the balance of the comment which would make my idea and my view more clear. Why would they want to use the words out of context. That reporter either could not or would not answer that question. When I did not get a reply to my email I call her directly and ask her the same questions on the phone. She still either could not or would not answer me. She simply offered to remove the quote from the story and she referred to our conversation as an impass.

I told her that she DID NOT have my permission to quote me in the story if she insisted on taking my words out of context. I certainly did not want people to read her story with my name and my company name attached to that one line comment that would make Citi Group out to be the bad guy exclusively.

I suggested that she could quote me with my name and company name if she included the complete quote, not just the one liner. She indicated that she could not do that so I told her "Fine, do not use any part of the quote then." She agreed to take it out of her story.

That means that the readers of the Bloomberg News will probably never hear this suggestion unless they read it here on my blog. Here is the suggestion that Bloomberg News could not bring themselves to publish for what ever their reason......

I suggested to them:
If the U.S. Government feels they need to help Citi Group they should offer those billions of the tax payers dollars as loans to all the credit card and mortgage holders that owe money to Citi Group.

The government could stipulate that the money MUST be used to pay the credit card or mortgage debt owed to Citi Group. The tax payer could then pay the government back at the same 8% that they claim they are going to charge Citi Group.

Every one would win!
The tax payers would get relief on their mortgage or credit card debts.
Citi Group would get their money and could stop worring that people would stiff them by going bankrupt.
The U.S, government would get 8% return on the bail out money when the tax payer pays back the loan.
The whole U.S. economy would get a shot in the arm because fewer people would consider bankruptcy, people would have the opportunity to get back on their feet while still paying their obligations.

The government could then do the same kind of bail out with all the big car makers like GM and Ford and even extend this idea to the banks with troubled mortgages like WAMU, Bank of America, Wells Fargo and any other large company where they are concerned that the mortgage fiasco is going to put them out of business.

Folks, I am afraid that the U.S. Government will just hand over our tax dollars to those FAT cats at the credit card companies, those companies will continue to charge you and me ridiculous interest rates. Many of us will have to consider bankruptcy as a way out.

We will all lose if that becomes our only way out of this mess.

Wake up America.
Contact your congressman, you senator, your governor, your mayor, your representative who ever you believe them to be and ask them to do right by you. After all that is why you voted them into office in the 1st place, isn't it?

Musts vs. Shoulds: The Power Of Clarity And Purpose

2008-12-04T07:52:00.001-08:00

Hi,

I want you to take a look at: Musts vs. Shoulds: The Power Of Clarity And Purpose

Tom

CueTable.com Video Contest - 9 Ball Run Out - I Won!

2008-10-08T12:03:00.000-07:00

Finally I have actually improved my 9 ball positioning to a point that I can claim victory in a contest hosted by CueTable.com!
This was not an easy pattern and to make it even more gruelling I the temperature in my garage/pool room was about 90 degrees. Notice me wiping my forhead a few times before shooting...that was because I didn't want a drop of sweat to drip into my eyes while I was down on the shot. I have posted this video on The Bat-Forum, it is posted on YouTube.com and also it is posted on CueTable.com and now it is posted here. Am I proud or what? Well, in my defense two of those post were as per the rules of the contest but I am proud of having completed this run out as per the rules and even if I had not managed to win I would have been bragging about this accomplishment. That is what us pool playing computer nerds do!

I am still an APA 9 ball skill level 7 but am working on getting back up to 8 then on to a 9 someday.

BigRigTom's Billiards Buds Map

2008-10-03T09:55:00.000-07:00

This is a really cool trick from the world of Google Maps and GSP technology.

Get Your Frappr GuestMap!
Powered by Platial

Transferred My Domain & Closed My Yahoo Store

2008-07-28T08:56:00.000-07:00

I bought and opened my Yahoo Store site back in 2002 with great expectations of being a prosperous online merchant type person someday. Shortly there after I also purchased my domain name BigRigToys.com from Yahoo and pointed that domain to my Yahoo Store. I proceeded to build my dream web site. Kind of like that certain little ant, I had "High Hopes" but the rubber tree plant known as Yahoo has since dashed those hopes to pieces over and over and over and over....and over.....well you get my drift.

I finally reached the end of my rope on June 17, 2008 when I received an email from Yahoo Store notifying me that my Yahoo Store Plan monthly pricing would increase from $49.95 to $99.95 with my next monthly billing statement. That was on top of all the other charges Yahoo was already dinging me for every month. My total payment to Yahoo was averaging around $200 per month (often more than that) and had been for quite a while now. That extra $50.00 was the proverbial straw that broke the camel's back. NO WAY was I paying that! I called Yahoo Store Customer Support and after the usual wait on hold I finally talked to a customer rep who was polite but who ultimately told me to just accept the increase. There is nothing they can or will do about it. Even though I explained that I may have to close the store, his response was "Sorry to hear that."

My first thoughts were, "I will either find an alternative to Yahoo Store or I will close it down completely!" Screw all the hard work for the past 6 and 1/2 years! Screw all those dreams of someday really being a successful online merchant! Screw the good feeling from owning my own, online business! Screw Yahoo Store and all they have become! I was mad as hell and I wasn't going to take it any more! I started searching and as I searched I began to calm down and slowly but surely I started to think clearly and rationally again. I was and am still determined to learn from these experiences and improve my situation, overall.

I searched the Internet high and low! Where else is there to look for a website hosting company, anyway? I considered briefly a lot of options but what I was looking for specifically was someone who could just transfer my site in-tact to a different host and then give me a reasonable and stable monthly hosting cost. I needed shopping cart support. I needed some expert guidance. I needed someone who was willing to do it for a reasonable fee. I did not want a long term commitment. I did not want to wait days and days for someone to get back to me on the phone or worst yet via email. I did not want a big mouth sales person trying to convince me he was "God's Gift to Online Merchants". As I suspected that was not a small quest but like any blind squirrel looking for a nut I finally found one. At lease I thought I had found one. They claimed on their web site to be one. All the sales pitches on their web site said they could do it. The web site even claimed to be affordable and specializing in the transfer of Yahoo Store type e-commerce sites.

I skeptically contacted PowerfulHosting.com via the phone and BAM! I Got lucky on the 1st try. I got Dave Drekter in Santa Monica, California. Wow! I could drive down there if I REALLY needed to. He cautiously walked me through some of his recommendation on what to do and what I could expect. He took a quick look at my web site and further commented on what he thought would be a reasonable expectation on my part. Dave did all this without any pressure to make a decision on my part. It was like discussing the possibility with a friend who really didn't mind taking the time to explore all the possibilities. I was very impressed.

I took Dave's advice and continued to ponder the various options at my disposal. I continued to shop the web for other alternatives. I looked even higher and lower on the net for options. I just kept coming back to the offer made to me by Dave at Powerful Hosting. I kept thinking about the fact that I liked the way he handled my inquiries and everything sounded like exactly what I originally started out looking for.

I then received a message from Dave saying that her did a test down load of my site which I could look over and see if it looked like something I wanted to get more involved in. NO CHARGE! He want me to be sure before taking the leap. How great is that?

Still suspicious by my nature, I slowly began looking deeper into Powerful Hosting and began to study what Dave had done toward getting me started. On several occasions I called Dave and he actually answered the phone. Then he also answered my questions, no BS! I had several situations where I emailed Dave with questions, provided links and examples of issues and he responded so quickly that I again was amazed. Being the skeptic I am, I was just simply suspicious because I was raised to be suspicious so I kept pondering and procrastinating and then pondering some more. Through all of this and all the questions, emails and phone calls Dave was always responsive, patient and respectful while NOT pressuring me to make a decision and NOT trying to SELL me. I could not find anything I didn't like about the way this was going and that made me reluctant. I kept thinking, "I must be missing something! This is just too good to be true."

I decided to read up on the procedure for cancelling my Yahoo account and transferring my domain to another host. I wanted to be absolutely certain that I was doing the right thing and I didn't want to rush to a decision that I could later regret. Over several days of continued pondering I kept going back and looking up more information. I kept reading other peoples comments about Yahoo store and looking for advice on what I should or should not do.

While wandering around like Little Red Riding Hood in the deep dark forest, I stumbled across a page on the Yahoo small business that describes the basics of how to transfer your domain away from Yahoo. I am providing a link to that page for anyone who feels they need to read everything about the subject and try to gather all the facts. I am sometimes that kind of person, myself.
http://help.yahoo.com/l/us/yahoo/smallbusiness/cancel/cancel-04.html

Of course you will have to visit another page to read about cancelling your store plan. The link to that page is:

http://help.yahoo.com/l/us/yahoo/smallbusiness/cancel/cancel-01.html

Then again it directs you to another page with somewhat obscure instructions to click the "Cancel Plan" link under the plan you wish to cancel.....in other words you must sign into your store manager first but don't expect it to be that easy. I don't know how many links you'll find on your store manager page but I counted 65 on mine. There was NOT a "Cancel Plan" link anywhere to be seen. You must click the "Store Account Information" then scroll all the way to the bottom and you'll see the statement, "If you would like to close your store, please click here."! That is what they consider the "Cancel Plan" link and they hide it five levels deep and at the bottom of the page and then label it with "click here" which if you check on Google's advice regarding link tags....they tell you specifically that "click here" tags provide NO information to the search engines so they strongly recommend you use some kind of descriptive text tag if you want the link to be properly indexed and findable in the search engines. Maybe Yahoo would prefer you DON'T find that particular link....but they did feel some obligation to provide a link of some kind.

I clicked that "click here" button finally.
I closed my Yahoo Store!

I was then informed that I would be charged another month because I did not provide 5 days notice according to the "TOS Agreement" and they would take that money right away, close my store right away and in essence I got NOTHING for that last payment except the satisfaction of knowing it was the LAST PAYMENT to Yahoo! It was almost worth the cost. Peace of mind is priceless, after all!

A few details that I learned in this adventure are as follows:
1.) Yahoo sells domain names but they don't actually host them. That is done by a company name Melbourne IT at http://www.melbourneit.com.au/ Yep, that is correct they are in Australia!

2.) Yahoo Store does not directly provide credit card processing either. They usher you to a merchant account provider and depending on what you ask for this can get very expensive. Do your homework first. Be very careful when you choose a merchant account provider they ARE NOT all the same. The Merchant Account provider then takes you through what is called a "gateway provider". You still have to also have your own business banking account who can accept and work with that gateway. Thanks to Dave at Powerful Hosting I now am going through Authorize.net as my gateway to Wells Fargo who is my Merchant Account Provider and my bank. The Merchant Account Provider and the Bank do NOT have to be the same company, you may prefer to use different ones. Wells Fargo doing both simply works great for me but you should talk with several banks and other providers before you take that leap. The fees can be very complicated to compare and for me the big thing was how long does it take for the money from a credit card transaction to actually be deposited and available to me in my business bank account. Wells Fargo does the whole thing usually within 48 hours of the approved transaction. If you have a tight cash flow like I do, that can be a great benefit.

3.) Yahoo upgraded their store plans to what they now call merchant plan and are slowly pushing everyone toward that upgrade. Eventually anyone having the legacy store plan like I had will find it almost impossible to resist the upgrade pressure. That upgrade cost more which is just a fact of life so go into it with open eyes toward the future.

I received that notice from Yahoo about the $50 per month rate increase on June 17, 2008. On July 23, 2008 I notified Dave at PowerfulHosting.com that I had made my decision and I want to transfer my Yahoo Store to Powerful Hosting. It is now September 17, 2008, exactly 3 months later and ALL of the hard stuff is done.
My web site http://www.bigrigtoys.com/ has a new home. It is moved in, unpacked, all settled in and set up now we are ready to start to remodel it's new home. My sincere thanks goes to Dave for all his help in making the move an almost painless experience and the savings alone makes it a very worthwhile trauma that I do not regret in the least. There have been an enormous number of little tweaks, adjustments, minor modifications, re-organizing, uploading, downloading, re-writing and just plain old fixing stuff that didn't quite work right so don't think it was not a lot of work...it was! The important point I would like to make it that the move was absolutely necessary and critical to my site survival. Dave Drekter and PowerfulHosting.com of Santa Monica, Ca. made the whole thing possible. They also took most of the pain out of the process by doing a great job in every aspect of the transfer. I got everything I was looking for from the beginning and it has been a very satisfying experience from which I have learned a lot.
I hope if you have read this far you too will benefit from my experience.

BigRigToys.com is now set to move forward and if we succeed or not is entirely up to us now.
I don't regret having used Yahoo Store because I would have never been able to build my store the way I have if I had not gone through that process. I just would like to tell everyone "There is a better and less expensive way to achieve the same thing, you just have to believe it then go out and find it." It took me over 6 years to finally wake up, I hope you will be able to benefit from my experience and do it a lot quicker than that.

Update to this adventure which I thought was over....It is now October 3, 2008 and would you believe, I have had to contact American Express and dispute a charge to my account from Yahoo Small Business? They charged me another $89.00 on September 7th, 2008. When I called Yahoo to clarify the charge they informed me that there was a problem in their system which caused them to incorrectly access a charge to me on my credit card and because of the error in their system I may inccur additional charges! Can you belicve that? The customer service representative was polite and courteous whilc she told me she would escalate the issue to the systems engineers and she had no clue as to how long it would take to solve the problem. Meanwhile she could not refund the $89.00 either.
I told her if they would not refund, I would notify American Express to do a charge back to them and refuse any future charges from Yahoo. She again very politely told me that she could not do anything so if I wanted to notify American Express that may be my best bet. After spending over 45 minutes on the phone with Yahoo I then called American Express and in less than 2 minutes they solved that problem. WOW! That is all I can say. Hopefully my experience with Yahoo Small Business has finally come to a conclusion. I am now a completely independent web merchant with my fate in my own hands.....I think.....time will tell.