Poking Badgers with Spoons

The US Constitution - Lest we Forget!

noreply@blogger.com (Altered Concepts Designs) — Wed, 24 Mar 2010 20:16:00 +0000

We all need to be reading this more frequently...

The Constitution of the United States of America, with the Bill of Rights and all of the Amendments; The Declaration of Independence; and the Articles of Confederation

Viva la Revolucion!

noreply@blogger.com (Altered Concepts Designs) — Tue, 23 Mar 2010 22:03:00 +0000

Never would have thought a revolution was possible in our lifetime in the US. Now I am not so sure. A LOT of VERY conflicting, diametrically opposed opinions and views, and unhappy people in this country, and not a lot of signs of reconciliation. Seeds of discontent grow eventually grow roots.

To broad brush a topic such as this with dogma and cliche does not do anyone justice, but the issues reach far beyond what can be written (and read) in a reasonable time. In all reality, there are a lot of very controversial things going on and a policy of refusing any concession to the other political camp. This is a death spiral Coke-versus-Pepsi fight. I understand why strong-arm tactics are used because it sometimes is the ONLY way to break a log-jam, but I don't like them either way.

Governments FUNDAMENTALLY are not driven to create prosperity. Governments do not make money, governments do not provide returns to the people, governments SPEND money given to them through TAXATION. When decisions are driven by political motivations rather than common sense and reason, bad things will happen.

Government has no place in private industry in my opinion, their base mode of operation is to wrangle for political power, not to seek prosperity for all. Sweetheart deals to keep extremely poor performing automobile plants open in the interest of protecting a politician's reelection don't do anyone good. Why are we being outperformed in much of the auto (and other) industries? We've allowed government to get involved, cutting political deals, that have dramatically NEGATIVE impacts on costs. Every time they touch an industry... well, let's just say it is the "Anti-Midas" touch.

If anyone thinks for one second that the government can fix the environment, fix the economy, or fix healthcare, they are flat wrong. The government can influence and enforce behaviors, but ultimately the power must reside with the people. Left to their own devices, people as a whole will naturally seek a path of most benefit to themselves - the fundamental principles that made our country great.

With things provided for you, people won't work and sit back and are content to live within the box provided for them by the gubberment.... When you introduce RISK (not being paid) to a person, they will naturally want to reduce that risk. And when rewarded for their work, they are more motivated to work more.

I don't for one second think the problems of this country are easy to solve, but I am quite certain that a government can not compel you to achieve, only to sustain.

Kids Sleep in the Most Awkward Positions!

noreply@blogger.com (Altered Concepts Designs) — Mon, 13 Jul 2009 04:06:00 +0000

What happens when Cha-Cha has been outside all day and is too tired to scream and run anymore...

Even after we moved him to my Dad's lap, he remained asleep! And, in this most awkward position!

Kid is such a pistol, he MUST have been worn out to do this!

Advice on Buying Laptops

noreply@blogger.com (Altered Concepts Designs) — Wed, 13 May 2009 00:47:00 +0000

Since I work with computers as a computer security consultant and a long time software developer, I am VERY FREQUENTLY asked information on what kind of laptop to buy for home, small business, etc, etc, etc... So, I decided to resurrect my blog presence with a short guide and a couple of suggestions. Let me say that this article is personal opinion only. I am not paid for this advice, do not represent any particular company, etc. So, if you have a bone to pick with what I say - keep it to yourself. This is just my opinion and this advice has worked pretty well for several friends of my wife and I.

The first "Coke versus Pepsi" fight is between PC and Mac. With all due respect to the mud-slinging commercials from both Apple and Microsoft, to me it boils down to one thing: personal preference. They both have their pluses and minuses:

PC Pros

- More easily supported

- Generally Cheaper

- More available Software

- More peripherals

PC Cons

- Less Stable

- Often performance bound

- More susceptible to security threats (because more people try to attack them, not because one is better than the other.

Mac Pros

- Stylish

- Very Stable

- Easy to Use

Mac Cons

- More expensive

- Only can buy hardware from Apple - no third party

- Peripherals and Software are harder to come by

That said, I actually own both. Now I know there are other solutions out there like Linux (which I also have), but if you are actually reading this and wanting Linux (and know how to use it), then this guide is not for you. You are a techno that already knows this stuff. You use 10 year old laptops covered in stickers, but also have a gaming machine worth more than your car. You read technical blogs all day, surf the net to smash on n00bs in the latest game craze, and you hack like nobody else's business.

For the rest of the world... I generally would favor PC's these days for a "first timer" though I will say it is by a very narrow margin. Simply because there really is more support available out there to you. I actually prefer my Mac as a work machine but do have to do a bit more to get drivers, find compatible hardware, etc. So, this article will focus on PC laptop choices.

I am not a big fan of celeron processors. I would look for something with an Intel Core Duo or an AMD, even for a laptop. Minimum Specs I would look for with a "general purpose" business machine:

1- Nothing less than 2GB of memory
2- Processor in a 2.1GhZ class or better
3- 160 GB hard drive SOUNDS good, but often ends up being too little as biz grows - I outgrow them quickly. You can either get external USB drives (you can 750 GB - 1 TB for < $200 today), or I would get a laptop with a hard drive of 250 GB or better.

4- Video Card (even if you don't want to do gaming, a good video card is important for all kinds of things like photos, videos, etc)

As for operating system, Vista is doing pretty well these days, but needs to be tuned for a laptop. All that visual stuff to make it look "purty" slows laptops down, that are designed to run with a minimum of batter possible. When you get your laptop I can help you through this configuration a bit. I have Vista and XP, either in my mind is still a good choice.

I will pass on one thing... I just got a HP TX2-1020US TouchSmart 12.1-Inch Laptop (2.2 GHz AMD Turion X2 Ultra ZM-82 Dual-Core Mobile Processor, 4 GB RAM, 320 GB Hard Drive, Vista Premium). I use it as my general "office" machine for email, documents, light browsing, etc. It is a good size and has good performance characteristics. Before someone that knows HP chokes on that last statement, let me say that HP is well known for it's "bloatware" which means extra software that bogs down performance to an annoying level. Clean all that junk off, and it runs pretty darn well. It is also a touchpad laptop - meaning you can use your fingers or stylus on the screen which is surprisingly awesome. It has 4gb memory, 2.1 processor, and a 320gb hard drive. A nice machine for the money. Middle of the road laptop that runs really well.

Some keep asking me about these 8.9 and 10" laptops like Acer Aspire One 8.9-inch Mini Laptop (1.6 GHz Intel Atom N270 Processor, 512 MB RAM, 8 GB Solid State Drive, Linpus Linux Lite) White
and

ASUS Eee PC 1002HA 10-Inch Netbook (1.6 GHz Intel Atom Processor, 1 GB RAM, 160 GB Hard Drive, 10 GB Eee Storage, XP Home) Brushed Aluminized

These are great value, but are very small and really meant for very light usage. They have their place, but if you are going to do any serious writing on this tiny keyboard, it is kind of like being a Tyrannosaurus Rex and picking up food from the ground... They also have too small of screens meaning web browsing is complicated - most pages today are 1028x768 or greater resolution and these screens are 800x600. I wouldn't get anything less than a 12.1" laptop for general use.

Extras ( Some things to think about ):
1- Webcam is nice for small business for video chat. The HP I mentioned has that.
2- Bluetooth (HP does NOT have that) - good if you want to use your phone or a bluetooth headset later
3- Wireless - absolutely essential these days, 802.11a,b,g, or n
4- Fingerprint reader - the HP I have has one, and I like it. Security features can help protect your business data
5- External USB Drive - Get one to back up your business data. Laptops fail more than desktops from all the jostling around - and "not so nice on technology" husbands increase this risk :) You don't want to lose your business because of a failed hard drive. Back up frequently and often
6- Docking station - good to leave an external monitor, usb drive, mouse, power supply, etc plugged in to your home or office so you can easily dock/remove your computer.
7- External monitor - laptops suck when it comes to doing anything more than cursory documents, email, etc. External monitor will greatly reduce strain on the eyes.
8- If you are going to travel, look for an extra battery or an auto/air adapter for your laptop.

9- SD Card Reader - sometimes integrated in laptops. Makes it easy to transfer files from your camera to your PC.

For software:
1- Don't forget a virus scanner... don't leave home without it.. seriously :)
2- You can do a lot with free office utilities such as OpenOffice, Star Office, etc. If your spreadsheet/document needs are light, they would work fine. If you send/receive a lot of Word documents at all, you should consider a basic edition of Microsoft Office

3- For instant messaging, I avoid Yahoo, AOL, and MSN all together - too many bots, odd-balls, viruses, etc and most communications are wide open (unencrypted) - as a security person I can stand this. I prefer Skype, and I get the Business edition. It's free, encrypted, and includes not only chat, but also video and voice (Skype is primarily a free voice over IP solution). You can call land line phones in a pinch as well (low cost of around $.02/minute last time I checked), and you can do some fun stuff like drag and drop file sharing. I use it extensively for business these days. A headset and video camera round this out nicely.

4- Everyone likes photos: I use Picasa at http://picasa.google.com, and it's online web album http://picasaweb.google.com. Flickr (http://www.flickr.com) is also pretty popular, though I have not used it.

5- For EDITING your photos, there are plenty of pay versions out there, and sometimes you just need 'em.. But for most folk's needs (and even many specialized needs, you really can't go wrong with The Gimp (goofy pulp-fiction style name aside) at http://www.gimp.org

6- For web browsing, I use both the new Google browser and Firefox. Sometimes ya just need good 'ol Internet Explorer, though. If there is ANYTHING you can do, always watch out when you install new software, and avoid installing any toolbars like the plague. They wreck performance, take up window space, and can even introduce very difficult to resolve issues on your computer.

Maintaining your Shiny New Toy

1- Keep your virus scanner going

2- Get a registry cleaning solutions like Registry Mechanic and use the "compact registry"tools - but I do NOT let it leave a registry monitor active on my machine all the time. Registry mechanic also has a "performance"option that helps you minimize the number of services loaded on your computer, meaning faster performance" http://www.pctools.com/registry-mechanic/

3- Anti-spyware: I usually recommend TWO. Windows Defender comes on the OS these days, so that is a start. I also like either SpyBot or AdAware Free

4- Run Disk Check, DeFrag, registry clean/compact, and virus scan at least monthly

Security

Something everyone needs to think about these days:

1- Use the Windows firewall or one that comes with your virus scanner.

2- Never "direct connect" to the Internet - use network devices, access points, etc that have a firewall built in

3- Use that virus scanner

4- NEVER open attachments that you are not ABSOLUTELY sure what it is, and use the automatic virus scanning feature in your anti-virus software

5- USE passwords, and NEVER give them out, and use something difficult like Egw3n3!#, something not easily guessed. Don't write your passwords down, and never use those "auto-login" or "remember me" features - anyone with access to your machine can use your accounts.

6- Create a free email account on Yahoo, Google, Hotmail, whatever. Whenever a site asks for your email address, give them that address. Periodically go in and clean it out and look for anything important to cut down on spam, etc. Use this email also to register software, register for websites, etc. People that give your email or sell it is how you get tons of spam, using this technique saves me lots of frustration. I created a folder called "permanent storage" that I put important stuff like account info, serial number from registered software, etc in there. That way I always have it... Keep your personal email as your personal email for friends, family, etc. and never use it to register for instant messengers, websites, accounts, free stuff, etc.

Anyway, this is a ridiculously long post, but hopefully useful ... and won't have to do this again every time someone asks me now ;)

Constituation Fatally Flawed???

noreply@blogger.com (Altered Concepts Designs) — Mon, 27 Oct 2008 19:22:00 +0000

This pretty much sums it up for me. Is the Constitution perfect? By no means.. But it is still the foundational and guiding document on which one of the greatest nations ever to be on this wide Earth was founded, was built, and thrives on still today.

Fatally flawed? Listen to this audio bite on Obama: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=11OhmY1obS4

Just yet another example of an inexperienced leader with grand vision and poor foundation and understanding has no business leading our nation. Yes, we can use change in our Constitution, but to suggest that it is fatally flawed, and these fatal flaws somehow still resulted in our great nation and it's place on the world stage is just irresponsible.

ARGH! Wake UP Americans!

noreply@blogger.com (Altered Concepts Designs) — Fri, 24 Oct 2008 14:49:00 +0000

Change without direction isn't always good. I find it amazing how we have a presidential candidate running on CHANGE, but oddly enough he refuses to tell us what that is. He says America needs saving from itself and government, and he will change the world. Have we forgotten Stalin, Lenin, Hitler, Castro and a long line of other leaders that also promised change? Not to compare Obama to these folks, but never forget that they weren't seen as monsters until they put their plans for "change" into place.

I am actually embarrassed today to see so many people swoon for this guy... He still, two weeks to election, refuses to tell us what he actually has in plan for America besides the "tax" issues.. which scare the crap out of me. I find it amusing that he says 95% of Americans will get a tax break... his math is scary. Let's not forget that 20% of these don't pay taxes anyway, and his sliding scale isn't adding up. Taxing the "rich" is a fools move. Rich folks make money, create jobs, and move economies. Why in the world would we look at this guy and think taxing us more makes sense?

His thinly veiled tax cuts are like wearing a feather glove over an iron fist. Don't forget who that iron fist is aimed at.... you and I ....

Read this article as well: In the worst economic crisis since the great depression, we are in such need of solid leadership. Ideas of "redistributing the wealth" and Obama's continued and long standing history of relationships with radicals and people that do NOT have our best interest in mind is very clear, and should scare us as Americans.

What scares me is how many people see and know this, but don't even CARE because they see Obama as a saviour. Are we that blind today?

Voting for Obama is like the chickens voting for Col. Sanders. Folks, wake up.... he does not have your best interest in mind.

And if you think this makes me a major McCain support and far right wacko, think again. I'm voting for McCain because he is NOT Obama...

Senator Obama, if you get elected, you will be my president, and I will support you... for now I must say that you scare me to no end. I only pray that you don't have half of what you say in your mind as an actual plan and that you have the conviction of spirit and honesty with yourself to not let your ideals and radical ideas to destroy the spirit of this great nation. For all of our warts and flaws, we are a great nation, and trying to bring us all to the lowest common denominator blows my mind. We are great because great people can be great and make us great. Your policies have NEVER succeeded, and to think otherwise is just foolish.

Shame on YOU Government

noreply@blogger.com (Altered Concepts Designs) — Tue, 30 Sep 2008 13:13:00 +0000

Shame on Wall Street for getting us into this mess - Greed runs all
Shame on us for not spending wisely
Shame on Congress for politicizing this to make sure they get their guy into office
Shame on the President ... they knew this was coming ...
Shame on creditors that KNEW they would create this mess but did it to line their own pockets...

The thing that makes this WORST OF ALL is our government heads and two-party dominant system that would rather see our entire economy fail and chaos and shambles if it means they can get their guy in office.

Check this out... Want to REALLY fix the economy?

Let these banks fail, and criminally procesute the people that got them into this mess, don't give them a DIME for creating this
If there is a bail-out, let it be to buy back CONSUMER debt and wipe the slate clean.
Set a 10k limit on ANY credit card for a person, and require them to pay at least 10% of the balance every month - keep us OUT of significant debt
With more money in our pockets and not paying these banks, we will spend, spend, spend and grow the economy from the inside out

This is ridiculous... and we should fire everyone in congress... every last hand-wringing, scheming, partisan fool out there, and start over...

Any person that desires to hold office should by no means be allowed to take it, and I think we should go back to the Roman Senate practice: You PAY for your seat at the Senate...

Never forget that governments serve because the people allow them to serve....

Poodlehead is Open Water Certified!

noreply@blogger.com (Altered Concepts Designs) — Thu, 25 Sep 2008 11:32:00 +0000

A few weeks ago, Poodlhead went to Huntsville and finished her open water scuba certification. This is her story....

Poodlehead has had some anxiety over this. My parents bought us both a full set of SCUBA gear last Christmas (including my 9 year old daughter), but it took until August for her to finally finish up her certification. I finished mine up earlier this year after MANY delays due to family illness, scheduling issues, etc. In fact, we were both scheduled to do it the same day, but Poodlehead got super-sick and couldn't dive. She was kind enough to let me go ahead and do it, but it still took months for her to finish as well :( She's not one for cold, dark places, and I had bragged about this awesome quarry up in Huntsville that is really warm, lots of neat fish, and GREAT visibility. She was finally convinced it would be OK to try it there, and off we went! Of course THAT day, visibility was HORRIBLE and temperature was starting to drop from previous highs... Now HUSBAND has anxiety that wife will flip.

She did fantastic, however, and handled the very poor visibility conditions like a champ, and I think all in all she really enjoyed it!

Poodlehead hanging out waiting to demonstrate some skills... Looks nice and relaxed!!

On the surface manually inflating BC after a simulated "emergency" ascent...

Removing and replacing her BC at the surface...

Underwater Dancing??

Instructor and Students - Thanks to Britt at http://www.betterdiver.com!

"Shark Feeding" Huge catfish... we swam up to about 8' from the surface and my dad tossed in cat food to bring in the fish..

This is "Bob" he rules the roost.. you can identify Bob by the big patches of white scars on his top and side from growing up TO rule the roost... Unfortunately this picture doesn't show his battle scars.

Proud Hubby!

One of her fellow students acting out...

Hubby and his sister underwater...

Nana - Hubby's mother...

Pickin' on Little Girls

noreply@blogger.com (Altered Concepts Designs) — Thu, 14 Aug 2008 14:07:00 +0000

Picture says it all.. I am way too intense for this match... ;)

Start Your Morning Right!

noreply@blogger.com (Altered Concepts Designs) — Wed, 23 Jul 2008 15:58:00 +0000

Let's talk about something serious...

It's very important to start your day out right, say with a good bowl of cereal!

It always makes me feel so happy!

One of these days...

It will make sure I grow up big and strong!

Water Park Fun

noreply@blogger.com (Altered Concepts Designs) — Wed, 23 Jul 2008 15:09:00 +0000

What more joyous time for a kid than summer at a water park? Here we were in Gulf Shores, AL... my son, middle daughter, and then nephew in the back on the same slide... Great day overall!

At the end of the day, my brother and law and I were on the tall slides... after several hours of domestication, it was time to be guys for a bit :) Charging up the tall tower on three different occasions (gotta do 'em all, right?), the lifeguard tells us, "They are about to shut the water off.. you need to keep going fast!!" I had visions of the water being turned off when I was halfway down and letting friction and gravity take over... not a fun thought!

And here is cha-cha... apparently being regurgitated by some very colorful fish:

And special thanks to Bobba (Grandma) for making this all happen! She graciously paid for the whole day :)

And here's cha-cha after a very long day...

Lessons from a Father to His Son

noreply@blogger.com (Altered Concepts Designs) — Mon, 21 Jul 2008 14:52:00 +0000

Teaching the important stuff in life, like proper ice cream cone licking techniques:

End to a LOOONGG Week, and a question as to who REALLY holds the power in the US Government?

noreply@blogger.com (Altered Concepts Designs) — Fri, 11 Jul 2008 00:57:00 +0000

OK, I know it is only Thursday, but to me the week is already over. THAW and I started out Monday after a long holiday weekend (July 4th) by going to the Dave Matthews concert on Monday in Atlanta. After quite a long night, I had to get up early in the morning, tired and slightly hung-over, and catch a plane to Washington DC, leaving wifey to unfortunately have drive home by herself.

So, get to DC, and meet up with the guys from work. Well, we decide to go to a top notch DC steakhouse, and I can't even think about drinking more alcohol, so I opt for tea and water. Too MUCH tea and water and I end up wide awake until too late in the night! Caffeine..

Oh, and on top of that, my company and another are in a bit of a tizzy, and I'm stuck in the middle since I work for one (duh), and I'm good friends with the owner of another. Of course both of them call me continuously to get pissed off and yell at me, when I made it clear I would have NO part in that decision as I have a conflict of interest.

About to sit down to dinner, and after the 18th call from my friend, I decide I can't put it off so I answer with, "Bob (we'll call him Bob), I am about to sit down to dinner with colleagues, I have 30 seconds." 23.8776 minutes later, he is still ranting and raving, and I finally gather up the intestinal fortitude (despite being EMPTY), and tell him to piss off, I have to eat. Get back to one of the best steaks I ever had, and on top of that someone else picked up the tab! Thank goodness.

The next day, we spend all day in meeting on capitol hill. What a great experience that can be, walking underneath the bowels of the US capitol from meeting to meeting, taking the crazy trains under the US capitol, getting quizzed by endless security guards (we WERE in suit and ties, I can understand why they were suspicious), and talking to senate staffers, house staffers, senators, congressman, cleaning staff, the list goes on.

It strikes me at that very moment between one of the Senate buildings and House office buildings, walking through all of the support halls in the capital (where the food, post office, business offices, coffee services, etc are constantly buzzing like angry Africanized bees): Where is the REAL power in the US government?

Right there, my friends. Think about it... If they wanted to cause major problems, they could make it impossible for anything at all to get done (not like much happens anyway sometimes!) The could mess with the air conditioning, spike the food, forget ice in glasses, stop up the bathrooms, trip over TV cables, and all sort of general mayhem. When congress was working on something they likes, they could serve their favorite dishes, make the coffee just a bit better, pump more 02 into the rooms to make them happier, and perhaps even offer them foot massages....

My friends, that is real power, and it is not the suits we see constantly wrangling on C-SPAN

How American are YOU!

noreply@blogger.com (Altered Concepts Designs) — Fri, 11 Jul 2008 00:57:00 +0000

You Are 86% American

You're as American as red meat and shooting ranges.

Tough and independent, you think big.

You love everything about the US, wrong or right.

And anyone who criticizes your home better not do it in front of you!

How American Are You?

Slippery Idiots in Spring

noreply@blogger.com (Altered Concepts Designs) — Tue, 01 Jul 2008 19:23:00 +0000

We went to a slip and slide party back in May at a friend's house. I captured a bunch of video from the event using a moderate quality Flip Video Camcorder. I had posted it a while back, and it looked pretty bad. So, I finally had a chance to do some edit and post with Sony Vegas Pro 8, using Cinescore. Overall, I think it came out pretty decent, especially considering my terrible video skills and slightly intoxicated filming state :) I sent the whole thing to YouTube, which also adds in a lossy compression, but overall it doesn't look too bad. I thought the Polka music fit the scene quite well....
Check it out!

Garage - AFTER

noreply@blogger.com (Altered Concepts Designs) — Fri, 27 Jun 2008 15:58:00 +0000

So, my THAW (Totally Hot A** Wife) decided she has had enough of the garage. She decided to expose the whole thing to the world, including pictures, at http://heck-poodlehead.blogspot.com/2008/06/line-in-sand-has-been-drawn.html. So.. I thought it only appropriate to show the AFTER from several days of work, about 300 lbs of junk thrown out, all the old wood removed, etc. I still have to finish my workbench and go through a few boxes... but some funky stuff better be happening after all this work ;)

Supreme Court Strikes Down Gun Ban in DC

noreply@blogger.com (Altered Concepts Designs) — Thu, 26 Jun 2008 15:26:00 +0000

Well, what do you know? Apparently sane minds have prevailed and remembers that the job of a judge is to adjudicate the law, not make it. In what is sure to be a historic ruling, despite being a 5-4 split, the Supreme Court has ruled that the Washington DC gun ban is unconstitutional: http://www.foxnews.com/story/0,2933,372041,00.html

While I AM a gun advocate, having been raised as a responsible gun owner from a VERY early age (I still VIVIDLY remember my father taking me outside to the garage with a toy pop-gun and threatening to saw it into little pieces if I ever pointed it at anyone or anything alive again, stuck with me 30+ years now), I do support better legislation for responsible firearms ownership. I do not believe that the government should restrict the rights to own firearms, except in the case of criminals or those with significant mental issues. I do think that requiring training and demonstration of skills is a good idea. Waiting periods, restricting ammunition types, firing rates, etc... all of these are pointless and useless. They will not deter crime. Training, however, at least helps reduce accidents, also helps people understand when and why firearms should be used, and to keep them from doing something stupid (shooting themselves, an innocent, or having the gun snatched from them and used against them if it doesn't work).

The point that gun opponents don't seem to get: Pacifism does not breed peace. Criminals do not buy guns, and criminals love people that don't have guns. Why is it that nearly every major evil regime in the 20th century until now has started with a concerted effort to DISARM the people? Governments serve at the pleasure of its people, and they know that. Take away their ability to denounce, and absolute power corrupts absolutely, every time.

Gun control does not work. Period. Sure, you can show me all kinds of statistics to justify your opinion 50 times by this evening. I am sure I can also find some expert somewhere in the world that has spent their life's work to produce research and statistics on why child molestation is perfect acceptable as well. I can not remember the source, but the quote goes, that statisticians use statistics like drunks use lightposts. Both use them for support, and neither for illumination.

All the numbers in the world do not dispute facts. Gun control has NEVER reduced crime, in fact it has in nearly every case allowed it to flourish. Guns will be in the hands of criminals any time, any place. Law enforcement can not be everywhere at once, and it there is a chance it may be up to you to defend yourself, or more importantly your family.

Thanks to the Supreme Court, there is at least some measure of validation of this point. I am all for firearms training, and wouldn't even mind required training before someone gets a firearm (like most states require hunter's safety courses before giving hunting licenses), and especially I want someone to have training before they are allowed to conceal carry.

While there are exceptions and many irresponsible gun owners, you should be happy people like me and my family are around... we help keep irresponsible gun owners and criminals in check. No, I am not a cop, nor do I wish to pretend to be one, or act like one, or anything else. But, I have a beautiful wife, two amazing girls, and a fantastic son. There are far too many people in this world that just simply do not care enough about human life. To deny that is to deny that you need air to survive. No matter how nice you are, some people in life just plain suck.

You will not see me, or anyone in my family, brandishing a firearm, using it to help influence an argument, prove a point, etc. I was put into an uncomfortable position one night when an unruly gentleman confronted my wife when we were out. Unfortunately it resulted in the first physical altercation I've had in over 10 years. I had a gun on me at that time, and there was absolutely no motivation to even try to pull it, the situation did not demand that use of force. That is called measured, cool, and reasonable response to a situation. People need to be trained, need to think through their responses, and be prepared to DEFEND only if necessary.

Garage Day Blues... or.. Procastinators Unite! Tomorrow!

noreply@blogger.com (Altered Concepts Designs) — Thu, 26 Jun 2008 03:50:00 +0000

Argh... well, I've put it off as long as I can. Wife is now holding out on me until I clean the garage. Can not begin to describe how irritating this whole thing is. That garage is the bane of my existence. Sure, I'm not well organized sometimes, and messy, but it isn't helped by everyone (yes, including me), dumping stuff all over the place. I take the brunt of the blame, and probably bear most of the responsibility, but at the same time. Coming in and SEEING a mess is a bigger deterrent to fixing it than putting it away in the first place.

Doesn't she know I have ADHD and I LIVE by being disorganized? I swear.. trying to organize me is like trying to ask an orangutan to sing opera. He might give it a shot, but all you will really get out is a bunch of hand flapping and dirty noise. No, I am not organized. Yes, sometimes I am lazy (ok, often), but I get the things done that are important, and I take pride in being successful and seeing results in other areas where I really can excel.

While I am sure she hates this about me, and justifiably so, it is who I have always been to my core. Don't really know how to fix it, the fixes often end up being worse than the problem, because I get wrapped around the axle and end up a grumpy grumpity grump.

Fuck the garage, I want to go play marbles instead.

Damn.. My Hot Wife is FUNNY

noreply@blogger.com (Altered Concepts Designs) — Thu, 26 Jun 2008 03:45:00 +0000

I just got a huge kick out of this post from her, featuring my dad (Papa Tree), me (Daddy Tree) and my son (Little Apple). She cracks me up sometimes:

http://heck-poodlehead.blogspot.com/2008/06/apple-and-tree.html

Smoke and Politics

noreply@blogger.com (Altered Concepts Designs) — Thu, 26 Jun 2008 02:30:00 +0000

Ok, not what readers might be thinking... I fired up the 'ol smoker today.. Actually its a new smoker. I was using a vertical smoker run on propane, and I finally decided to graduate to a charcoal and wood style. I picked up a Chargriller with a side firebox recently, and I must say, I'm impressed! Its a lot more work, but well worth it at the end of the night when we ate. Overcooked the ribs a bit, but I'll remember not to place them on that spot of the smoker again. Otherwise, great fun!

Started about 8 this morning with a pork butt. I used some Kingston charcoal to get a good fire going, then added in natural wood lump charcoal and hickory chunks. I think I would like to use hickory logs next time, they'll last longer and won't require me checking on them every few minutes.

Added a chicken and ribs around noon. Everything came off the smoker at 4:30, and it was delicious!

I used that vinegar sauce from an earlier post for a marinade and mop, as well as a bit of it over all the meat once I pulled it (oh yes.. it fell apart when touched with the fork). Then, I came up with a variant on the Coke BBQ Sauce - I'll call it my "Ass-Kicken Coke BBQ Sauce." Check it out:

Ass-Kicken Coke BBQ Sauce

¼ cup of coca cola
10 oz of tomato paste
1/3 cup of ketchup
2 cups water
1 cup brown sugar – packed
1/3 cup of lemon juice
1/4 cup pineapple juice
1/3 cup cider vinegar
1 Tbsp onion powder
2 tsp of minced garlic
1 tsp allspice
2 tsp cajun spice
1/2 cup Worcestershire sauce
1 tsp salt
1 tsp coarse ground black pepper
1/2 tsp liquid smoke or bacon drippings
2 tsp crushed red pepper, or more if you are brave
¼ tsp powdered ginger

Bring to boil, then simmer 1 hours, allow to cool. You can experiment with more lemon juice, pineaple juice, a bit more brown sugar (makes it thicker in its final state), or add some more red pepper. A bit of cayenne pepper might really turn things up for ya :)

So, why "Smoke and Politics?" I had plenty of time to think on some earlier posts, and more things today regarding the upcoming election. I don't know about you all, but I am already sick of it. Every day polls come out that tie the candidates, give one a huge edge, another gives someone else and edge, every question imaginable is asked to the point of annoyance, ack! Sick of it already.

That said, this is an important election. I am not that happy about any of the candidates at the moment, but I certainly know I will not vote for Obama. Definitely not a fan boy, I think we don't KNOW who he is yet. His voting record is very liberal, his rhetoric appeals to emotion quite well (a classic fallacy in logic), but we still haven't really heard him say anything. I hope the man actually develops a message rather than trying to inspire "hope." Hope in what? I have NO idea at this point.

As for McCain, I at LEAST think he would be a good commander in chief. His voting record is a little sketchy, but as a former soldier I appreciate the hell out of a commander in chief that understands what it means to fight and die for your country, and doesn't make that decision lightly. I also think McCain has proven himself to be a formidable statesman, and he seems to be well respected around the world. At this point, he has my vote. But, things can, and do, change...

While in many ways I am sure I have made my decision, I would at least like to think I have given a fair weight to both candidates once its time to write an X on the line for one or the others. Oh, stay the hell out of the race you vote stealing independents, third parties, and "altruistic" glory seekers. This election ought to be about a solid and CLEAR choice of a leader. Spoilers in the last several elections have made it REALLY tough for a candidate to truly call a mandate from the American people. Get stuffed, find another venue for your message. Yes, I'm talking to you, Nader, Bloomberg, possibly Hillary, Perot, and whomever else is thinking about it. Not time for you to make a stage here, wait until the next election and run an actual campaign! We don't need an independent candidate!

OK - Gadget Freaks Unite - Nokia N810

noreply@blogger.com (Altered Concepts Designs) — Wed, 25 Jun 2008 18:40:00 +0000

This is just too cool. I recently picked up a Nokia N810 Internet Tablet. I did not get the Wi-Max edition as it was not available at the time, and Wi-Max hasn't hit all that huge around me just yet. That said, this is a very cool device. I'll post a larger review later on, but suffice it to say I just paired this with a wireless Apple keyboard, and am now typing on the blog through the N810 with it. This will be a great for me as I work professionally, it will keep me from dragging the laptop out on each and every excursion. Really enjoying this so far...

Update - The Nokia N810 has Maemo linux on it. I haven't started hacking at it yet, but I know there are versions out there that include popular security tools such as Wireshark, Metasploit, etc. I might get there one of these days, but I have regular computers for that. I like this because I can carry it along with the new keyboard, and it's super-light, small, and does just about evertything I need when I'm on the road - email, web, etc. I can connect it to Wi-Fi 802.11b/g networks, and if those aren't available, I pair through my phone. Perhaps a bit slow when going through the phone, but still plenty good for email and light web browsing.

It also has a GPS built in. Now for navigation, you are supposed to buy the Wayfinder options, which is ~$130 for 3 years, not too bad of a deal I suppose. I will likely stick with my Garmin for heavy navigating, but it sure would have been nice to have this during my Pitt-of-hellsburgh trip recently!

I highly recommend one of these for students, professionals, tinkerers, or kindred gadget hounds like me :)

And here is the keyboard I got for it:

Some of my Favorite Recipes

noreply@blogger.com (Altered Concepts Designs) — Tue, 24 Jun 2008 17:05:00 +0000

There was a call for recipes on a few blogs my wife reads, so I posted some there for her. These are they, for those that read this one instead:

Here's two of my fav BBQ sauces I've put together:

Vinegar Based Sauce

1 ½ Cups Cider Vinegar
1 cup ketchup
½ cup of brown sugar
1 tsp. salt
½ tsp. crushed red pepper
¼ teaspoon of liquid smoke
1 tsp of Cajun
1 bay leaf

mix in a container thoroughly and let sit overnight to fuse the flavors together. Shake/mix before serving.

Coke BBQ Sauce

¼ cup of coca cola
6 oz of tomato paste
1/4 cup of ketchup
2 cups water
¾ cup brown sugar – packed
¼ cup of lemon juice
1 Tbsp pineapple juice
¼ cup cider vinegar
1 Tbsp onion powder
2 tsp of minced garlic
1 tsp allspice
1 tsp cajun spice
1/3 cup Worcestershire sauce
1 tsp salt
1 tsp coarse ground black pepper
¼ tsp liquid smoke or bacon drippings

Bring to boil, then simmer 1 hours, allow to cool.

Great BBQ Pork Rib Recipe

What can you do with these? Try this recipe for a good 'ol Southern Style rib recipe, blended with a few deep south influences.

1 x rack of Baby Back pork Ribs

Turn the rack over an peel off the backstrap (the white film that cover the back).

Make a wet rub w/ 1Tbsp of minced garlic, a few dashes of liquid smoke, 1-2 Tbsp of the Coke sauce (or vinegar sauce, this recipe uses both but you can just use vinegar).

Rub in coarse ground black pepper and a dash or two of salt, the above wet rub, then wrap up in plastic wrap and then aluminum foil, let sit overnight in the fridge.

Get your smoker going, about 225 degrees and a good hickory smoke is perfect. Unwrap and add the ribs, cook about 3-3.5 hours, and baste with the vinegar sauce at about 2 hours. I recommend hickory, but you can also use Mesquite. For a little added flavor put in some applewood smoke pellets, and in a water pan, pour half a can of your favorite beer, 1 cup apple juice, and about 2-3 cups water, replenish as necessary.

Remove ribs and wrap up inside aluminum foil with a light covering of vinegar sauce, and return to the smoker. This is the key step to really lock in the flavor and the juices. In about two hours your ribs should be really done. You can check by looking at the ribs in the aluminum foil, if they are starting to pull back from the bone , you are golden.

Wrap them back up, if you unwrapped, and let sit for about 15-20 minutes, unwrap and serve. You can pull the meat from the bone or serve it lip smacking good.

Should work well with beef ribs as well.

Ah yes, and then here is another favorite for Spinach and Artichoke dip:

1/4 cup olive oil
2 Tbsp of canned spinach, drained.
12 oz of light sour cream
2 cans of Artichoke Hearts, Drained
2 cans of green chili
1 Tbsp minced garlic
1-2 tsp of salt
2 tsp of black pepper
1 package of shredded Parmesan cheese

Preheat oven to 350 degrees. Mix all ingredients together, but leave out spinach and 1/2 of the package of cheese. Blend all ingredients (with a blender or a food processor) until smooth. You can add a touch of water if you want. Now I just go ahead and add in the spinach now, because its easier, but it comes out looking like baby food and people tend to avoid the dip until someone tries it... others wait until its poured into an oven safe dish and then stir in some of the canned spinach to make it look at little more appealing.

Cover the rest of the dish with the remaining cheese. Cook covered for 25 minutes, then uncovered for 10-15 more. This gives the top a nice light brown color without scorching the cheese.

Less healthy, but tasty options:

1- Use two packs of shredded Parmesan cheese
2- Add a bit more salt to taste
3- Use melted butter instead of olive oil, or a little of both.
4- Use full fat sour cream

Hey LIBERALS! Read THIS!!

noreply@blogger.com (Altered Concepts Designs) — Tue, 24 Jun 2008 16:06:00 +0000

OK... I woke up today and found my soap box conveniently stored under the bed for me. So, I got out, ran around the block five times, pushed the block back under the bed, and picked up my soapbox to face the day.

I was listening to some radio program yesterday talking about Obama's tax plans. There is this constant criticism of "the rich" and a socialist idea of "redistributing wealth." I don't care WHAT they call it, but if they look to increase taxes on those that have money, and have worked hard to get it, t only to give to those that supposedly "can not work," then that is.... ladies and gentlemen, socialism Of course that is only a bad thing to you if you don't like socialism. Never mind that it has NEVER worked in any regime so far. If you tax those that do well, making it harder for them to make money, they lose motivation to do so... but on to my next point.

This whole notion of tax breaks for corporations being, "evil." Wake the collective fuck up America. Businesses employ people. Successful businesses employ MORE people. MORE people employed means MORE people that can work, MORE wealth for all of us, and economic prosperity available to all. As the leader of a corporation, your ONLY job is to increase shareholder value. Companies do business where it is CHEAP to do business to maximize profits. Why are we sending more jobs to India, China, etc? Because its CHEAPER to do business there, because a bunch of bleeding heart whiny liberal idiots here have a notion that everyone by birthright should be in a fancy home, fat and happy with all the food they can eat, free medical care, and a high quality of life, all for doing nothing if they so choose to do so. Who pays for this? We do, the taxpayer. Taxpayers that have to pay more taxes have to make more money to maintain the standard of living to which they have EARNED. If they have to make more money, they have to work jobs that pay more, and if companies don't have to pay them more, they send those jobs overseas where it is cheaper, and then these people are out of a job, and the worthless deadbeats living off the fat of the land have less fat to live on.

Now, I am NOT insensitive. There are people that legitimately can NOT work. There are people that need help, and they should be encouraged to get it. I do not mind in the least helping out with this section of the society. But, don't make it so that too many people qualify. I read the other day that we are quickly hitting the point where more people than not are collecting government benefits. A matter of simple economics, pay out more money than you put in, you will go broke. Simple.

The next argument I am sure some are chomping to use: Big business is bad for the little guy. Well, this is the land of opportunity. The little guy or small business is only constrained by their own imagination and market choice.

If you choose to be a florist with 20 major florists in town and you have no differentiators, you are shot from the beginning. If you choose to go into left-handed-underwater-basket weaving, you are stupid to have gotten into that business. But, if you have a drive to be successful and be the best at what you can be, the big business BUY your brands and market position, and make you even more wealthy, you can then start a new business, hire more people, more people make more money, and everyone contributes to the greater good. Greater good is often used as a tenet of the socialist systems, but that is not possible if you are paying out more than you are taking in. Do the simple math. Right wing or left wing can not deny the laws of physics and the absolutes of earning and paying out money.

Yes, I agree.. sometimes commercialization looks rough, but keep in mind that the court of public opinion and market economics drives what companies should do. If their research says, "small-home-town-shops are the thing," then THAT is what they will build. The reason people go to chain stores... they save money, and they are easy. If I can get in, get out, and save a few $$, then I have more time w/ my family and more money in my pocket.

So, wake up, America. This idea of increasing taxes on the "wealthy" and the idea that we should get rid of tax cuts for big corporations... this is a terrible idea and an absolute death knell to a shaky economy. We should be motivating people to MAKE money right now, and making it easier and cheaper for businesses to DO business. That in turn creates more jobs, higher wages, and greater prosperity.

If some idiot in Congress or our executive branch is able to get through this "windfall profits" tax, or to establish "reasonable profits" for corporations... hold onto your hats. These are the greatest flops of a past administration (Carter, 1976-1980, who I respect as a statesman, but executive policy wasn't all that hot). If you make it MORE expensive for companies to do business here, they can not meet their bottom line objective, increase shareholder value. They will NOT sell oil and do business here in the US until we are paying $12/gallon.

Then, all the bleeding heart liberals and socialists can cry foul all the way to the unemployment line.

Wake up...

Man Versus Child - The Innagural Post

noreply@blogger.com (Altered Concepts Designs) — Mon, 23 Jun 2008 15:04:00 +0000

For those that have met my son, they know he is quite the mess. Actually, he is a great kid, but quite active! As a security person, I've spent the last 17 years of my life learning how to break into things. Well, at 3 years old, he is better than I am!

I'm always amazed when I travel around and people tell me how their son is so terrible, and that their stories will be so much worse than mine. Well, I will tell you now, I haven't lost one of those contests yet. Between this blog and my my wife's, I think reader's will quickly see why....

Here he is as "super bouyancy boy." He loves the water but still not quite ready for it yet. So here is he is in swim vest, arm floats, goggles, and oh yes.. singing opera... I think right after this he tried to spray sunscreen in his eyes again. He doesn't really learn well sometimes :)

I love ya Cha-Cha...

Ode to Vitamin-R

noreply@blogger.com (Altered Concepts Designs) — Sat, 21 Jun 2008 23:13:00 +0000

Oh ye wonderful little tablet. Offering recovery from hangovers, compensation from poor sleep, hours of high strung work, and general cleansing of a tortured spirit that has the channel change in one's head 20 times per second.

I have never loved nor hated a medicine as much as this. It is far too easy to take, and far too easy to take too much. It can make your heart race, your body temperature always feel hot, and sweat profusely. But it can also help limit that damn remote for the channels in my head that fly faster than the Concorde jet. Where is the return line at that damn factory?

ADHD - it stands for Attention Deficient Hypera... Hey look at the chicken! I think you get the point. I first started taking it in 2000, but quit a couple of years later, not wanting to really be attached to it. But what a lovely disorder. I can't read a paragraph without re-reading it twice, or staring at the walls, or stopping to pick up my guitar, sending an email, solving world hunger... wait, what the hell was I talking about?

That's pretty much the scene of my life. I also have an enormous metabolism, which means that any med I take I either have to take a whole lot of it at once, or a bunch during the day. The beauty of this little pill is that while it DOES help, it pretty much guarantees you won't be able to go to sleep when you want to, even if you feel tired. Thank you very little, vitamin-r.

But, what would I do if I didn't have it? I'll tell you. Rather than the channel changing 20 times per second in my head, it really only goes about 3-5, and I can deal with that. Also, mood swings are real popular with ADHD. I actually think I'm a really decent guy and pretty nice, and most people in this world would say that about me as well. But of course I do have a flash temper, and it just happens faster than I can realize that I even do it. I do wish that people in this world would realize that I do feel pretty bad about it when I have one of those episodes and end up tearing into someone. They probably walk away thinking I'm an ass when that really is not me in the least.

That said, there are some great things to embrace with this disorder. My brain thinks faster than 99% of the people on the planet, and as an idea guy, that is a tremendous trait to have. Often people just as smart or smarter than I come to the same conclusions I can, but I get there far faster than others. I can also dog-cuss someone that really does piss me off faster than, well, you get the picture. But, with this disorder has come what I consider to be one of my few true talents in public speaking. Other than an incurable problem with speaking too quickly, I tend to be able to embrace the channel changing and be able to not only speak and read slides, but also to write down questions and thoughts, and all the while "reading" the people in the audience and changing the message on the fly based upon how they are reacting.

So, in all, its a big PITA with the mood swings, and some days the channel changing is unbearable making the mood swings and focus issues even WORSE. But, luckily I've got the good 'ol vitamin-r to help smooth the way, and it even helps make those few skills a bit more finely honed.

When you come to the realization that doctors are really just high paid plumbers, you remember that YOU have to dictate your care, but you should still listen to what your doctor has to say (hey, I listen to my plumber when it comes to issues that might result in backflow of sewage). The doctor I have right now is TREMENDOUS, and has really helped me get my head back on straight again with this disorder. I can't say the same about the other doc. So, if you have this disorder and haven't gotten a handle on it yet, keep with it. Find a new doc, learn new techniques, but better yet, learn to embrace the strengths that it can bring as well and use that to your advantage.