Toast Burnt

Visitng Vancouver, WA

2011-06-13T15:42:00.007-05:00

On June 30, 2011 at about 10:48pm (PST), I will be arriving in Portland, OR to visit the Vancouver, WA area. I will be there for an entire week and then return back to Austin, TX on July 6 at about 11pm (CST).

My concerns while I am away are:

1. How to keep my greenhouse plants watered in this 105 degree F heat we have here in Texas.

2. How to keep ensure my game server will stay up or get it back up in the event it goes down, unexpectedly.

3. If I will get a more spacious plane than last time...

And here is a convenient countdown for those involved in my life and the trip:

CST

IPv6

2011-06-08T14:17:00.005-05:00

Get ready for this! This blog applies to EVERYONE who has Internet. Soon we will all have a new IP address... Right now, most of us are still using an IPv4 address for our computer, routers, and other internet devices. However, since the growth of both the human population and the Internet's popularity, these addresses are quickly becoming exhausted. This is something that was foreseen in the late 80's, and IPv6 has been in place since around 1992.

The Technical Babble:

The new format will have 4 digits in each slot instead of 3 (ex.

2001:0db8:85a3:: vs. 200.123.456.789).  Also, it is not limited to just 4 slots; rather it has 8.  But the last 4 slots can be omitted (ex.

2001:0db8:85a3:: is the same as 2001:0db8:85a3:0000:0000:0000:0000). But to explain what is happening even easier...

What This Means to YOU:

IPv4 address can only support up to 2³² (4,294,967,296) addresses. That's 4.3 billion addresses...but the human population is now at 6.8 billion. Of course, not everyone on the planet has internet, but many people DO have more than one internet device. So it kind of balances things out so that we are seriously almost out of IPv4 addresses. Therefore, using IPv6, which can support up to approximately 2¹²⁸ (340 undecillion or 3.4×1038) addresses, will solve this. That number looks something like 3,400,000,000,000,000,000,000,000,000,000,000,000,000. And that would allow for each and every human on earth to have up to 5×1028 addresses, according to the 2010 population records. Most routers can already support the IPv6 changeover. On February 3, 2011, the last amounts of IPv4 addresses were released to be used, and thus depletion of IPv4 addresses will be completely official as soon as they are assigned by users.

The Wake-Up Call:

Today is IPv6 Day. The Internet Society, along with several large corporations, is having a

global 24-hour test of IPv6.

Minecraft Registration

2011-05-26T14:57:00.058-05:00

Please go to http://x.vu/create

That is the NEW registration/login site.

Thanks!

Welcome to the registration page for [AWESOME+PROTECTED] Xander Ortiz

Step 1.

- This registers you to our database and OPs and SOPs can confirm that you have done so.

Step 2.

Build something cool on our Minecraft server.

- This proves you are not a griefer and that you want to build on the server.

If you have done these 2 EASY steps, then you will be ranked Member. Just tell an OP, SOP, or Admin, and they will rank you after they confirm your registration. Happy building!

The Minecraft server address is:
http://www.minecraft.net/classic/play/7ad4530412e8eec3ba7bb6327cf8b446

FYI, to share this server with your friends who want to register, the short URL is:
http://x.vu/create
or
http://tinyurl.com/3h4cfap

If you have WOM, you will find us in the "A's". A is for AWESOME. :)

Donate $20 for a Supporter rank with lots of cool commands and privileges!

Creater rank can request personal worlds for FREE, or donate $5 per world.

All funds go to upgrading and supporting the server.

Get XanderOrtiz chat group | Goto XanderOrtiz website

If you lost your login password, click here to retrieve it.

New Member Chat
Staff Chat (password required)

Did you know...

2011-05-23T13:23:00.001-05:00

Soybeans contain a lot of estrogen and so excess should be avoided by males. If not, it may cause testosterone and prostate problems later in life.

ADDED NOTE:
It's not a proven fact yet, but studies are being done on it. This is why I said it "may" cause those problems. But it IS a proven fact that they contain a lot of phytoestrogen.

Osama bin Laden Dead - Now What?

2011-05-02T12:47:00.000-05:00

So late last night, President Obama announced that Osama bin Laden was confirmed dead. It took us almost 10 years to do this since the 9/11 attacks, but it is finally done.

So my question is: Now what? What do you think will happen now that this major terrorist leader of al Qaeda is gone, regarding the soldiers in Iraq and generally in the world? Also, what other major terrorist leaders remain to be captured?

Monday Riddle #6

2011-04-27T15:38:00.000-05:00

Sorry for the delay in Riddle Solutions. Busy week. But here's the answer to last week's riddle. I invite you to feel stupid now. ;)

Solution to Monday Riddle #5:

I never said that the second blind man couldn't talk. All he had to do was tell the cashier he wants the sunglasses.

Monday Riddle #5

2011-04-18T16:48:00.002-05:00

A man who could not talk went into a store to buy a toothbrush. He made a motion with his finger that looked like he was brushing his teeth, indicating that he would like to buy the toothbrush on the counter. The cashier understands and the man buys the toothbrush. Another man who is blind wants to buy sunglasses. What can he do to make the cashier understand he wants to buy the sunglasses without touching the glasses?

Solution to Monday Riddle #4:

Pick the door with the electric chair. Remember, the power is out? So yes, good job to those who solved it. Not a very hard one.

Monday Riddle #4

2011-04-11T16:38:00.000-05:00

You're in a mansion and the power's out. You see a green door and a red door. Pick one (it doesn't matter which.) Now you see a purple door and a orange door. Pick one (again, it doesn't matter which you pick).
Now you see a door with a golden handle and a door with a silver handle. Pick one.

You finally come to some signs on three doors.

One says "Death from drowning," another says "Death from machine guns," and the last one says "Death from electric chair."

Then you see a big sign off to the side that says "Or stay in the mansion and starve to death."

What do you choose and still live?

Solution to Monday Riddle #3:

The man said, "My head will be chopped off."
If the man said the statement was false, the young man's head would be chopped off, making the statement true. If the man said the statement was true, the young man would be strangled to death, thus making it false.

Blackle

2011-04-07T14:41:00.001-05:00

www.blackle.com

I won't hound anyone for not knowing yet about Blackle, especially because I was "in the dark" about it for a while too. Blackle is powered by Google, and it is designed with an ALL black screen and white text for the purposes of saving energy across the world. They have a constant counter of the estimated savings of power so far, but I once read an article that mentioned this isn't that accurate at all. It said that Blackle's count of power is based on CRT monitors, which are quickly being completely replaced by much more energy-efficient LCD and other new technology-based monitors.

I'm sure you've already figured out how it works by now, but for those who have not... The energy for showing a black screen requires an EXTREMELY less amount of electricity to produce rather than a white screen, which is composed of ALL colors. Black, of course, is the absence of color. It's basically a common sense idea put to good use.

Whatever the count, it is true that it saves energy for all who use it. And it's not meant just to save YOU money but also to help reduce our carbon-footprint in the grand scheme of things. As of this post, the energy saved count said "2,416,658.141 Watt hours saved." Enjoy!

Monday Riddle #3

2011-04-04T13:31:00.000-05:00

A young man walks through the forest.
He came to a bridge.
In front of the bridge is a large man carrying an axe.

The large man says, "If you want to cross this bridge, you must tell me a statement. If I think the statement is true, you will be strangled to death. If I say the statement is false, your head will be chopped off."

A few minutes later, the young man walked over the bridge, while the larger man stood pondering.

What was the statement the young man had given?

Solution to Monday Riddle #2:

Fill the 3-cup container with milk and then pour all three cups of milk into the 5-cup container. Fill the 3-cup container with milk again and then use it to fill the 5-cup container the rest of the way. The remainder left in the 3 cup container will equal one cup.

Funny Friday #6

2011-04-01T15:45:00.001-05:00

Life Hack #4

2011-03-29T11:44:00.000-05:00

Monday Riddle #2

2011-03-28T12:27:00.000-05:00

You have a jug of milk, and you need to measure out just one cup. How do you do this if you only have a three-cup measuring container and a five-cup container?

Solution will be revealed in next Monday's riddle. The answer to Monday Riddle #1 is: a hole. Congrats to those who figured it out.

Funny Friday #5

2011-03-25T16:02:00.000-05:00

My Dream's Interesting Ideas

2011-03-23T15:29:00.002-05:00

I consider myself to be a very deep thinker, and it's dreams like the one I had last night that show just how far that goes... In the midst of my dream, I encountered a midget who was angry at me for some reason. And in an effort to distract him, I asked if I could respectfully ask a question: "Do midgets have less pints of blood in their body than non-midgets?"

He got angry that I'd ask such a question, but then he realized he had never considered such an idea. I then added, "I've often wondered the same thing for people who lose a leg or something - does their body naturally start producing less pints of blood for the rest of their life?"

It was a pretty silly dream, but you have to admit... That's a pretty darn good question for being asleep. Any answers or suggestions?

Life Hack #3

2011-03-22T13:14:00.001-05:00

Those marks around the city actually MEAN something...

What appliances zap energy even after they're turned off...

Life Hack #2

2011-03-15T13:13:00.000-05:00

A lot of people seemed to enjoy these Life Hacks. You'll be happy to know that I have nearly a GB of these saved up. :)

Funny Friday #4

2011-03-11T15:20:00.000-06:00

Life Hack #1

2011-03-08T11:23:00.001-06:00

You may or may not have seen these already, but these are for those who have not. I may have just saved your life. :)

Solar Still

Water Filter

Hobo Stove

Riddle #1

2011-03-07T13:56:00.003-06:00

You can see it with the naked eye...

If you put it in a barrel, it will make the barrel lighter in weight.
...

What is it?

Pretty Good Joke

2011-02-28T10:23:00.000-06:00

Tom, Bob, and Steve were all on their way to Guiness' World Records.

Tom said, "I have the smallest head in the world! I'm going to beat the record!"

Bob said, "I have the smallest arm in the world!"

Steve said, "I have the smallest penis in the world; I'm going to beat the record!"

After going in to claim the new world records... They came out and talked about their success.

Tom, "Man! I beat the record; I have the smallest head in the world!"

Bob, "Awesome! I have the smallest arm in the world!"

Steve, with an angry look, "Who the HELL is Justin Beiber?!"

Compost Secrets

2011-02-23T11:10:00.005-06:00

FINISHED COMPOST in just 3 WEEKS!

It's about the time of year again when the fresh air and earthy smells get you inspired to grow your own vegetables and perhaps even recycle your scraps into compost. If you've never experienced this feeling or never tried either of the aforementioned activities, then you are missing out on a great life experience. I have been doing my own garden now for about 13 years, and my advanced experience ranges from conventional gardening to hydroponics to composting to soil amending to selling my produce and plants. I would like to reveal my secrets to all of you about how to get finished compost in just 3 WEEKS rather than an entire year. With the following 7 easy steps, I am turning out 30 gallons of fresh, organic compost every month, and I'm having to GIVE it away to friends. I pick up bags of leaves from neighbors' curbs, and the local Starbucks just gives away bags of used coffee grounds.

1. Your pile should be a minimum of 3' x 3' x 3'.

2. Use a bin made of chicken wire or preferably one of those black plastic bins you can buy at the store. Those bins absorb the suns rays and help trap in heat and moisture to speed up the breakdown process. I have 1 black plastic bin and one chicken wire bin. If using a chicken wire bin, be sure to cover the pile with a tarp to keep in moisture and prevent the nutrients from being leached away.

3. Layer your pile like so: carbon, nitrogen, carbon, nitrogen, carbon. Carbon being dead, brown materials such as dead leaves/grass, cardboard, paper, etc. Nitrogen being green organic material that will decompose such as green leaves/grass, vegetable/fruit scraps, used coffee grounds. (Just no meat, fats, or oils)

4. Keep your pile moist but not soaked. If you grab a handful and squeeze, it should maintain the mold of your hand without water coming out of it. If it doesn't take mold, it's too dry.

5. The biggest secret: turn your pile twice a week. Most people might turn their piles maybe once a month or none at all. The good bacteria in the pile will die off with lack of oxygen, but turning your pile will renew the oxygen throughout the pile. Personally, I keep 2 separate bins. I just shovel the entire pile into the 2nd bin, which ensures everything is properly aerated. It's a lot of work (good exercise), and the center of the pile is usually pretty warm which will further your sweating, but it's great exercise.

6. If you did everything right, by the 2nd week, most of the material will be no longer recognizable, and as you continue to turn the pile, you will smell fresh, rich earth.

7. By the end of the 3rd week, most of your pile should be ready to shovel out into buckets, bags, or your garden. The remaining parts can be left in your bin. They contain good bacteria that will speed up the next pile, so leave them in there as you start over at step one. Happy gardening!

Funny Friday #3

2011-02-18T13:12:00.000-06:00

TGIF!! This week was pretty long to me. Enjoy some pics to help you end this last day of hell!

Solid State Hard Drives - They've Finally Done It!

2011-02-17T16:49:00.003-06:00

Tired of hearing your hard drive spin inside your computer? Even the quiet ones aren't completely silent. Also, that spinning uses extra power that could be saved: if you invested in a SSD (Solid State Drive). By now, everyone probably owns a USB Jump Drive of some kind, but now you can replace your internal hard drive with the same kind of technology. It's a storage device that does not require spinning disks within itself. Also, you may remember when a 1 GB hard drive existed and was the same size as hard drives today (just much lighter). Now we have 32+ GB thumb drives that are a FRACTION of the size. In the picture above is a 120 GB SSD for only $230 at NewEgg. That may seem like a lot, but regular hard drives that size were once that price too. (It will come down in time)

Right now, they have all the various sizes of conventional spinning hard drives even up to 2 TB. However, I would never spend $8,200 for one. That is the current price tag at NewEgg right now. But it's a great advancement in technology.

The pros are that magnets do not affect SSD, the use 1/2 to 1/3 power, make absolutely NO noise, runs cooler, faster start up and data accessing times, no defragmentation required (my favorite!), and no moving parts means virtually no mechanical failures! I look forward to seeing the sizes in hard drives grow exponentially in the near future. I wouldn't be surprised if we saw a petabyte (1 PB) within the next decade (that's 1,000 GB)!

Sources:
120 GB at NewEgg.com
2 TB at NewEgg.com

Sometimes Alcohol IS the Answer...

2011-02-16T11:46:00.001-06:00

I'll just leave this here...

Buy this T-shirt here.