Ronalfy.com | Life is a Blog. I wanna write it.

Group Writing Project – It’s Peeve Week 3 Time

Ronald Huereca — Sat, 29 May 2010 20:16:08 +0000

The last time I did a Peeve Week on this blog, it was back in June of 2007. That was three years ago! It’s now time to have another one.

What is Peeve Week?

A “peeve” is a cause to be annoyed, irritated, or resentful. Peeve Week allows readers such as yourself to contribute in order to get your favorite (or least favorite) peeve off your chest.

For each day of Peeve Week, I will publish five peeve-related posts. It’ll be a lot of fun to see what others have come up with.

Why You Should Contribute

Now you may be wondering, “Why in the heck would I write for this site?”

First, you will receive long-term traffic. The various Peeve Week posts have been viewed several hundred thousand times. Yes, they have been insanely popular, especially with search engines. Will the posts be popular right away and receive tons of comments? Sorry, no. But long-term, they will.

This site has been around since 2002, and for some reason, Google loves me and some articles rank #1 (or are on the first page) on Google for certain keywords. This is a nice side-effect of having a lot of content that’s unique and not keyword targeted (Google seems to like that).

Second, I plan on placing some advertisements on the Peeve Week posts this time around and do a revenue share with the author. No promises yet, but the chance to make some money is there.

Third, after Peeve Week 3, I’ll take the best and timeless articles (most qualify) of all the Peeve Weeks and publish them as a free e-book that you can give away to your own readers.

Topics

In the past, I have laid out a topic for each day of Peeve Week. This time around, I’m eliminating this requirement. Write whatever is on your mind.

How to Contribute

At the end of this post, I’ll post a list of slots. Simply leave a comment, tell me what you’re going to write about, and I’ll get in contact with you.

After you have sent me the article, I will mark the slot as “claimed.”

When is Peeve Week?

In the past, I’ve set a set date for Peeve Week. For this one, I’m only going to start Peeve Week once I have received all articles. So the sooner you get them in, the sooner Peeve Week starts.

If you take too long though, I may drop you for another writer.

Writing Guidelines and Rules

Keep Posts Timeless

If you browse through the other Peeve Week posts, you’ll quickly see why some of them are so popular after all these years: they’re timeless. Meaning they’re as relevant now as they were three or four years ago.

Here’s a good explanation on how to write so your content is timeless.

Post Length and Content

I highly recommend a post with at least 400 words with care taken to ensure proper grammar and spelling. You may link to relevant sites that have to deal with the post topic.

Once your post is received, I will edit it to match my site and the Peeve Week format. You will be sent a proof before publishing.

It shouldn’t have to be said, but spammers will not be tolerated.

Keyword marketers will be turned down. We want personality, not advertisements.

Make it Funny or Controversial

Take a look at my Tattoo post. It still gets 150 page views a day and has been viewed over 80,000 times. It’s controversial, has a good image (supplied by myself), and is fairly timeless.

Another example is Is Love at First Sight Sex at First Light. It is hilarious, and still gets a nice amount of page views.

Now you don’t have to be funny or controversial, but by nature, the posts are rants. Let your personality and emotion show through your writing.

Posts are Exclusive

Posts should be exclusive to this website. The main reason? Search engines frown on duplicate content.

Posts are Submitted Under Creative Commons

In order to publish the e-book, all work must be licensed under Creative Commons.

The Posting Schedule

Here is the planned posting schedule. Note that your slot will not be marked as “claimed” until you have sent me an article.

Monday
- 0600: Your Name Here
- 1000: Your Name Here
- 1400: Your Name Here
- 1800: Your Name Here
- 2200: Your Name Here
Tuesday
- 0600: Your Name Here
- 1000: Your Name Here
- 1400: Your Name Here
- 1800: Your Name Here
- 2200: Your Name Here
Wednesday
- 0600: Your Name Here
- 1000: Your Name Here
- 1400: Your Name Here
- 1800: Your Name Here
- 2200: Your Name Here
Thursday
- 0600: Your Name Here
- 1000: Your Name Here
- 1400: Your Name Here
- 1800: Your Name Here
- 2200: Your Name Here
Friday
- 0600: Your Name Here
- 1000: Your Name Here
- 1400: Your Name Here
- 1800: Your Name Here
- 2200: Your Name Here

Contribute Already

Leave a comment and tell me what you want to write about. I’ll e-mail you directly and once you send me your article, I’ll mark your slot as claimed.

I’ll then set up our revenue sharing agreement, if that should come to fruition (fingers crossed).

Glee and Lada Gaga

Ronald Huereca — Sat, 29 May 2010 18:06:04 +0000

I’ve had a few requests to post the Glee versions of Lada Gaga songs, so here you go!

Bad Romance

Poker Face

Craigslist eBay Fraud – Buying a Car

Ronald Huereca — Fri, 28 May 2010 22:01:31 +0000

One of my friends brought this story to my attention when he checked out Craigslist to purchase a car.

The First e-mail

From: “emma4jefferson@msn.com”
First of all I want to thank you for your interest for my 2003 Toyota Tacoma Double Cab SR5,automatic transmission,silver.

Only 89,500 miles,beautiful condition in and out. Paint shines ,zero dings/dents,no accident.

Non-smoker,always garaged and covered.

It comes with all the documents needed for registration and clear title.

I sell it at this price($2,740.00 ) because I have been divorced recently and i don’t have driver license.

Now the truck is in my property and as a woman i don’t need it. This truck is in excellent working conditions, no scratches, flaws or any kind of damage, slightly used in 100% working and looking conditions and comes with a clear title.

From the beginning you have to know that for the payment I request only secure pay, I prefer the payment to be done using eBay services.

We will use a safe payment method because I am affiliated at eBay and I have a purchase protection account for $20,000.00

The final price that I want for this truck is $2,740.00 including shipping and handling.
If you are interested in buying it please provide me your full name and address so I can initiate the deal through eBay.

I will wait your answer very soon.
Emma Jefferson
Sent via BlackBerry by AT&T

Editor’s note: It’s rather obvious this person doesn’t speak English as a first language according to their writing style. Red flag? Perhaps. Also, it’s my experience that when people have stories about why they’re getting rid of something in such good condition at a dirt-cheap price, they’re usually full of shit.

Author’s note: We asked to test drive the vehicle and for the VIN to run CARFAX.

The Second e-mail

From: “emmajeffercson@msn.com”

Author’s note: (notice, different email address)

I’m sorry to disappoint you but the car is already at the shipping company in Orlando, Florida sealed and ready for the shipping.

I have a contract with eBay so this deal must go through them.

I’m very busy with my job and I’m getting off the town so I can’t meet in person with you so this is the reason why I chose to sell my car over the internet.

According with the eBay you have 5 days from the time you receive the car to inspect it and decide if you want to keep it or not.

If you want to buy it please email me your full name and address for shipping so I can initiate the transaction through eBay.

After that they will contact you for all necessary information about this transaction
(terms,buyer protection,payment instructions,invoice,etc.)
Thank you
VIN Number: 5TEHN72NX3Z166407
Sent via BlackBerry by AT&T

Editor’s note: Again, the broken English. And “according with the eBay” strikes me as odd.

Author’s note: We ran CARFAX and the vehicle does indeed exist.
We asked for the title and registration and for her eBay username.

The Third e-mail

From: “emmajeffercson@msn.com”
Glad we can do business. I’ll start the registration process with Ebay and you will receive the information you need from them shortly, via email.
VIN Number: 5TEHN72NX3Z166407

The Invoice

The Listing

Price and Shipping Info

The Fourth e-mail

Author’s note: Received this email from “motors@contact-ebay-live.com”, reply-to “motors@ebaycheckout-inc.com”

Case ID: 65B4T137L3W13
Dear Customer,
Please tell me if you have received the invoice for payment. Once we receive the fax from you that will include the payment details as explained above, we will instruct the seller to start the shipping process. We will hold the payment until you send us your confirmation that you are satisfied with the product you received. As soon as we receive your confirmation we will release the payment to the seller. You will receive further details regarding the shipping process (courier information, tracking method, expected delivery date) after the payment confirmation.

*NOTE It may occur that your e-mail doesn’t support HTML language and that is why you haven’t received the invoice from us. Please check your bulk/junk/spam/ messages, the invoice may have ended there because of the ever increasing filters of the e-mails nowdays.
Sincerely,
Michael Kennell
eBay Safe Harbor
Customer Specialist

The Red Flags

Obviously, the broken English (at least for me) was a huge red flag. The second was the sob story regarding why the truck was selling for so cheap.

Secondly, the seller claimed the truck was on her property, but stated later that it was moved to a warehouse.

The final red flag was that payment was required through Western Union.

For the invoice and final e-mail, the messages were forwarded to spoof@ebay.com. eBay confirmed that both e-mails were in fact fraudulent.

Lessons Learned

Be careful. If you receive any official correspondence, be sure to check the “from” and “reply-to” headers in your email.

If you are unsure of the e-mail, send the e-mail to the business’s anti-fraud division. In eBay’s case, it is spoof@ebay.com.

Lada Gaga Telephone Parody

Ronald Huereca — Wed, 19 May 2010 00:33:21 +0000

I absolutely ‘dare’ you to watch the “Telephone” video by Lada Gaga.

If you are not staring in total disbelief by the end of the video, there is something insanely wrong with you.

Lada Gaga Telephone Video

And, the Parody

To fully appreciate the Parody, you must watch the entire original video. Yes, the original sucks. Yes, it’s long. But, the parody is so worth it and you won’t “get it” unless you watch the original.

Exclusive ‘Ronald Huereca’ Interview

Ronald Huereca — Thu, 06 May 2010 02:13:02 +0000

One of my long-term online buddies (Bes) asked me a few months ago if I’d be willing to do an interview.

Why in the world he would want to interview me is beyond me, but I digress.

What resulted is a pretty in-depth interview regarding my tragedies and successes.

The interview is long, but worth the read IMO (after all, it’s about me!).

The Best Advice I Can Give

Ronald Huereca — Tue, 04 May 2010 06:57:47 +0000

Don’t Let The Things You Own End Up Owning You

Material possessions are a blessing, not an entitlement.

Since everyone dies eventually, it’s rather pointless to spend one’s life accumulating as many material possessions as possible.

People Don’t Change

Behavior can be altered. Appearances can be modified. But deep, deep down, that person will always be the same, for better, and for worse.

Don’t Change for Anyone

You are you. And there’s no one else quite like you, and that is fantastic.

Don’t let others influence who you are. They’re not worth it.

Be content with who you are.

Know your weaknesses. Know your strengths. Rejoice in them.

Don’t Try to Change Anyone

By trying to change someone, you are essentially telling the person, “You’re not good enough for me the way you are.” It’s a gross form of rejection disguised as, “I’m trying to help you.”

Forcing change will only result in resentment and conflict.

Instead, learn to accept those around you and adapt to each person and personality.

Take Control of Your Feelings

There is only one person in charge of your feelings, and that is you.

You choose to get angry. You choose to be offended. You choose to be happy.

Don’t let the actions of others affect your emotions. Don’t let circumstances dictate your mood.

You are in control of your thoughts and emotions. Why give that power to someone else?

Like a Prayer

Ronald Huereca — Sun, 02 May 2010 16:48:17 +0000

One of my all time favorite Madonna songs is “Like a Prayer.”

Here’s a few variations, starting with the original.

The Gold Standard

The Glee Version

TV Version

iTunes Version

And Finally, the Punk Version by Rufio

A Product That Insults Our Intelligence

Ronald Huereca — Sun, 25 Apr 2010 03:12:28 +0000

American culture is that of cleanliness. I’m rather proud of my germaphobic culture.

However, there is a point of crossing the line.

I was fine with automatic toilets, auto-dryers, auto-soap-dispensers… To me, it was more of a convenience rather than something freeing me from “germs.”

However, I saw a product with the tagline, “Never touch a germy soap pump again.”

I was immediately reminded of one of those Nationwide commercials, “Guys, I just gagged!”

Seriously? Never touch a germy soap pump again? Really? How in the world have I gotten through my 28 years without such a product?

So why is our intelligence being insulted because of this product? What happens after you touch a germy soap pump? You *gasp* wash your hands.

What happens if you use the “touch-free” soap pump? You *long pause* wash your hands.

Am I missing something here?

My Ultimate Second Monitor – Explained

Ronald Huereca — Sat, 24 Apr 2010 06:26:15 +0000

Due to the many questions regarding my set up of my ultimate second monitor, I felt a post explaining my set up may assist some people wanting the same results.

Here goes

You need a laptop with a DVI output

To connect to a HDTV, you need a laptop with a DVI output. Don’t have one? Stop reading. There’s nothing you can do further.

You need a DVI-HDMI cable

In order to connect your laptop to your HDTV, you need a DVI to HDMI cable.

The DVI side will connect to your laptop, and the HDMI side will connect to your TV.

You need a headphone jack to RGA cable or Wireless Headset

You need a headphone jack to RGA cable. The 3.5mm connector will plug into your headphone slot on your laptop. The Y connector will connect to the left/right channels of your speaker system.

Alternatively, you can buy a wireless headset, which I would highly recommend if you plan to chat with fellow gamers.

You need a wireless mouse/keyboard

Why bother getting all set up on your HDTV if you’re constrained by the laptop’s keyboard and trackpad? A wireless keyboard/mouse is a must.

You need a USB hub

Plan on connecting your wireless headset and wireless mouse/keyboard to your laptop? You’re going to run out of USB ports fast. Get a USB hub for the necessary extra ports.

An external hard drive

Games take up “a lot” of space. Getting a USB-powered external hard drive is a cheap and effective way of handling the storage needed. If you choose this option, the USB hub is a must.

Okay, I got all the equipment, now what?

As some of you noticed, I’m playing my games on a Mac Book Pro. I use Bootcamp to run Windows 7, and use Steam as my game downloading service (if you don’t use Steam, you are really missing out).

What I’ve done is I installed Steam on my external hard drive, that way all the games I download/purchase from the service end up on the external hard drive as well.

Since my Mac Book Pro likes to go into overhead mode when playing intense games such as Modern Warfare 2 or Left for Dead 2, I place it on top of two barbells (to aid cooling). Your laptop may suffer the same fate, and this technique has worked well for me.

I have Windows 7 configured to run multiple monitors, and I run it in the “mirrored” state. My resolution is 1280×1024, which looks funky on my laptop, but looks absolutely splendid on my HDTV.

Conclusion

Here’s what you need to mimic my set up:

Connect your laptop’s DVI output to your TV’s HDMI input (via a DVI/HDMI cable).
Use a USB hub to connect your external hard drive, wireless mouse/keyboard, and headset (ideal) to your laptop.
If you want to use speakers instead of a headset, use a 3.5mm to RGA cable to connect from your laptop’s headphone jack to your left/right channels of your speaker system.
Run your multiple-monitors wizard and be sure to duplicate the displays. I have my resolution set at 1280×1024, which works for my TV.
If you choose to use Steam as your platform, be sure to install Steam directly on the external hard drive if you don’t want the massive game files using up your precious laptop space.

Hopefully that should answer some of the questions mentioned in the comments on My Ultimate Second Monitor.

Oh, Amazon, You Shouldn’t Have!

Ronald Huereca — Fri, 23 Apr 2010 15:27:37 +0000

So I was recently in the market for an Airport Extreme Basestation (to get “N” capabilities on my wireless network) and I was doing some price comparison.

For anyone who’s ever shopped for an Apple product, it’s only a few bucks here and there, but hey, any savings helps.

When I saw the price on Amazon.com scratched out with a promise of a lower price if I “added the item to my cart”, I was slightly optimistic.

And when I added the item to my cart, I was floored with how generous Amazon.com really was. How, sweet, ya know?

Amazon Airport Extreme