None of your business.

Arthur Guinness started brewing ales initially in Leixlip, then at the St. James's Gate Brewery, Dublin, Ireland from 1759. He signed a 9,000 year lease at £35 per annum for the unused brewery.

I'm sure that whoever owns the property that the Guinness brewery is on really really regrets that their ancestor agreed to such a deal but an agreement is just that, an agreement. It seems like some people get a better deal all the time. Take for instance the family that won the big lottery just this past weekend. Sure its a big family but that's a hell of a lot of money to go around, $250+ million. Sure would be nice to get a share of that too wouldn't it? But looking at the other side of things I can imagine that their life will be hell for some time with the number of people soliciting for a slice of that pie. Those that have a worthy cause, or perhaps feel that life had unfairly treated them and they deserve a break at the expense of someone else.

Going back to Sir Arthur Guinness and his 9000 year lease, a free market society is what allowed that to take place. The land owner felt at the time that was his best option, since the brewery was already in place but vacant, the previous tenant either going bankrupt or moved on. Probably the former. Now if that same family interest owns similar properties today, and a lessee came forward and said I want the Guinness deal, they would first be met with laughter and then shown the door. Times were different back in the 1700's. That 35 Pounds a year was probably a very good deal for the land owner. Keep in mind that over 100 years later even a $50 a year income was about average in the US.

So if one of the potential lessee's couldn't get the Guinness deal then a free market society allows that person to move on to another location. See unlike governmental regulations that are to ensure that the government treats all people in a like manner, land owners aren't so tightly restricted. With exception to discrimination of race, gender, place of origin and sexual preference, and of course price gouging, a land owner can elect who they will rent to and by what terms.

Of course you could always accept what my dad told me, if it doesn't' concern you then its none of your business.

Lunch time

So here I sit, just finished my Qdoba Queso burrito, I swear those things are a pound and half, and waiting for the parts guy to stop by. So whats new for today? Barbaro was put down this morning, which is sad when you see any athlete, human or animal, loose so much while striving to win. And yes horses are athletes as much, if not more, as humans. Its hard to believe that a broken leg would result in having to euthanize a horse but once it's explained its a wonder that a horse can walk much less run.

I've not done a lot in Second Life lately, some of its WoW, some of it is the drama created within. I guess that's inevitable but really is it worth it? When I look at the big picture of things and how a trivial thing within in imaginary world can result in so much disruption for far too long. Its not someone not playing by the rules, that's usually dealt with and forgotten. Instead its transferred from imaginary world to real world. I know that sometimes things seem to appear to hurt one's pride or self esteem but honestly look at the root of the problem or disputes and you can't help but to wonder. One of the things that I liked about SL over other games is the majority of the subscribers are adults. One of the things that I hated about WoW, and still see a bit of, is the majority of the subscribers are children and act that way. It's amazing how people think that $15 a month entitles them to so much more than what $15 will buy. Its about 6 gallons of gas or 15 items off the value menu at McDonalds. So with SL I thought I would see more mature attitudes but I guess not. Maybe that's a reflection on us as citizens. It used to be that if you didn't like the way something was being run you would either find a place that you did or start your own to your liking. Now its easier to complain until you get your way. Hmmm.... how WoWish.

Well my parts have arrived so I'll wrap up here and continue later.

Too much huh?

I know I went into the area of though too deep, or atleast politics. Hope you didn't get scared off. Really though its one of the things that I do at work to distract me from the mundane. I have the radio on and while I'm usualy listening to the Don and Mike show but that only occupies 4 hours. Other times its ESPN or NPR. Sometimes I'll play MP3's or even videos. But James how can you work while watching videos? Such mysteries may never be known.

So.... what to ramble on today? Not really a lot pressing on my mind as of late. Woefully distracted by WoW, a newly installed Linux OS that I'm trying to crash my way through and other RL events like bills, taxes and oh bills.

So as you see nothing interesting really. At least to the majority of people out there. One word about Linux that I want to say is that it's come a long damned way since the last time I've used it. While that was only a quick dabble in it and then abandonment I knew enough at the time to realize it wasn't the easest of things. Through the help of an experianced friend I went to this link and took the linux test. It came up with Ubuntu Linux as my best choice. Well let me tell you that it installs easy, it looks damned nice and comes with a lot of programs that will let you run your computer as you would like. Now I'm trying to set up an FTP server and probably a web server as well. If Linux interest you but you don't know want to make the complete dive into it, get a Live CD edition of it. Live CD's boot from the CD and let you test drive the system before installing. Great way to see if your hardware is compatable, and most cases it is now.

Anyhow I'll end here as I've said enough techno babble that you're either asleep, moved on or just have that blank stare where you didn't really retain what you just saw. If something else does pop up then I'll post later.

The editor spell check doesn't seem to be functioning today so if its a spelling error or typo then oops.

Before I get too non-political

OK I know I'm on a political rant here but I might was well keep it up and say what I must say. Troop Surge. I'm going to rationalize this for you from the prospect of a person that was against the invasion from the start.

OK lets sum up the situation quickly, First there is a serious lack of stabilization in that country. We have a political power that is highly corrupted at conflict with itself, add in 2 major religious sects that are doing their damnedness to kill each other and bring down the current government to establish one of their own. The security in the area sucks, you can have a perfectly safe area on one street and just around the corner, literally, you have entered a high danger zone.

To remove ourselves from that country as it stands now will, at best, create a place that we were led to believe existed 4 years ago. A land where evil was born and bred, with the end result in sending waves of marauding terrorist to attack us here at home and abroad. Or it will turn the whole region into a free for all where extremist groups will roam the land looking for anyone to gun down, much the way Beirut was for the 70's and 80's. Hell it still may be that way, just not as newsworthy as it used to be.

So the only way there is a chance in hell of stabilizing that area, calming the people and regaining control is to put more feet on the ground. I'm not happy about it but its a necessary evil. If you have a riot you bring in more forces and then you locate the leaders, the instigators of the riot. At that point its a political problem.

The solution will have to be military AND political. Not one or the other.

A smattering of things

Well I just caught a bit of the State of the Union address. I'm reminded by a History Channel series that was on a couple of years ago regarding the best US President ever. It was a vote left up to the people, those that could call in or vote online, and the final vote showed that the people thought Ronald Reagan was the best US President. I'm sure that much of the influence of votes came from peoples memory and that of their parents. What surprised me was that Abraham Lincoln wasn't first or second, but third place. The reason I suppose is that Abe lived too far back in history and the second place finisher, George Washington, well everyone knows he was almost godlike. Because our schools and money have said so. Think about the $1 bill. Its the most commonly handled denomitaion of currency, so there's Georges likeness. Not that its a bad thing, I'm just saying most people don't realize what it is that Lincoln did for the US.

As the end of the Civil War was in sight, Lincoln gave an order to his generals. The north, tired of a long fight in a war they did not start, was eager to punish the people of the south. But Lincoln looking into the future realized that punishing the south would do nothing more than prime the country for another war at a later date. So in a speech, he was a great speaker and writer, he ordered his generals to start collecting weapons from the rebel forces and offer them amnesty if they agreed to never again take arms up against the Union. "We must welcome our brother back into the fold", he said. This simple command and act is what has kept the US together since.

This act alone is what I believe makes Lincoln the greatest president ever. He took a country that was at war with itself and set the path to reconstruction, to forgive the southern soldiers. Really the only person that received any punishment at all, was Jefferson Davis, the President of the Confederate States, and his punishment? Exile. Something to think about, 4 years of war in which more Americans died than in all other wars combined and the only punishment sentenced out was to exile the man which led them. In doing so it kept the country together as those that were loyal followers of their State (which was a big thing back in those days) were not excessively punished.

I wonder if such a rational thinker could have a similar influence today, either here in the US or elsewhere. In a way I wonder if the new majority party of our government has enough fore site to not go ecstatic with power and get a 'it's payback time' attitude. I seem to recall that at the last change of power in 1994. If there's ever been a time for a Lincolnest attitude, its now. Lets welcome our brother back into the fold...

What not to buy

OK a bit about myself, I rebuild transmissions for a living. Automatics, standard, foreign and domestic. I've worked on, and fixed mind you, a large variety of transmissions through the years. But I have this tip to offer you folks.

If you're looking at a new or used SUV or pickup, avoid the 2002 and up Ford Explorers & Rangers. Most of what I've seen with the transmission on that vehicle looks good, a big improvement over the older models. However there is one flaw with the design, and it can't be fixed, only repaired for a future failure. That fault lies in the band servos, the pistons that apply the intermediate and overdrive bands. In order to put a larger diameter piston, thereby allowing a bigger engine to be used, Ford placed the servos at an angle that when they are applying the bands there is a constant downward force. Steel rod with an wide groove pushing with a hell of a lot of force against the aluminum housing. We in the transmission industry have found the failures to occur any time up to 60,000 miles. Not many make it beyond that mileage. Now I say it can't be fixed because the only 2 options are to replace the case or to bore out worn area and install a hardened bushing to restore the correct fit. That's it, the physics are just too much to engineer out of it. I'm not sure how long the aftermarket bushing setup will actually run, its a quality part but there's just not a lot of high mileage feedback floating out there. But eventually they too will fail.

So if you have a desire to go SUV shopping keep this in mind when your looking. Incidental a slight variant of this transmission is also used in the Lincoln LS and a Jaguar model. Yes they too have this problem.

A Quickie

Just a few things to put up while I'm conjuring up other thoughts. I have some its just putting them to words that don't' make you move on to the next blog is whats hard. Too in depth I think.

Anyway I was talking with a friend the other day and gave out my categorizing of friends theory. So I'll share that with you. Keep in mind that it needs work and there are times of exceptions. Also keep in mind that if you think I came up with this because of you, you are 100% wrong. I formed this theory over 15 years ago.

You can group your friends into two categories, Assets and Liabilities.

Liability friends are those that; Call you when they need a favor, but seldom call when they don't. They try to one up you on what ever is going on in your life at that time, if you are sick they are sicker, if you are happy they are happier. They go through long periods of time where you don't' hear from them and suddenly they're back and just as needy as before.

Asset friends are those that; Call you when you need a favor, and don't judge you if that favor is embarrassing. They take joy in your joyfulness or sorrow when you are sad. They call or drop a note to say hi out of the blue, with no alternative motive. They drag you out of your slump to get you an ice cream and Cheer you up. They offer advice when its needed and even give it when its might hurt feelings.

As you can see they need some work, obviously you cant' lump everyone into these groups and some people will fit into both at some time. Some clean up work will have to be done at some point, so you can leave a comment if you have any.

WoW update

Well after a 40 minute install and another 20 minutes to get the patch I was all set to go in. No, wait, not quite. First there was the 2 mb patch that took almost 20 minutes to install. Finaly got that and went to reactivate my account.

kicked it back over the credit card. OK I know the cards good so I figure their servers are busier than hell. Well I have to run to the store so I'll pick up a 60 day pre pay card. That way I'm commited yet... not entirely to it. So when I finaly return home, it was walmart - you can't leave with just one item, I find Lanae on her computer and in game. So I go to use the shinny new pre-pay card and find that my earlier attempts were sucessful. crap. now I"m commited to another 30 days. Bitches.

Ok so now theres a new blood elf Sorcerer on the loose. I still have a hard time with the slowness of the game, seems like even at higher levels you're moving in molassas. Oh and so much for waiting on a guild, was recruited around 10 minutes in. It as Lanae's co-workers guild. I guess I should have thought about that earlier.

As I sit here

OK its 9:18 am and I'm begrudgently installing the WoW expansion. First off after the event last night I had to reinstall the original game and what a slow pig that is. Luckily for me I had burned all my Cd's to a single DVD so no disk swapping. But the expansion at first had issues and canceled itself then it was just damned slow. I didn't spend all that cash on DVD drives that run slow. So for the past 40 minutes its been installing. Oh there it is...

Yet do I really want to jump in? I have to resubscribe and locate the world that every ones on, ect... then have to admit that I was wrong when I said I'll never play WoW again. Don't' get me wrong its not a bad game. The graphics are a nice change from what is available elsewhere, bright, clear and really not laggy at all considering the detail available. The content is good as well. So what didn't do it for me? I guess the social aspect of it. Some of the quest are not solo able and some of the creatures you have to fight you need a group to do it or wait until you are almost too high of a level to complete that quest. But dammit 7 million people can't be wrong can they? Maybe I was too quick to judge it the second time I unsub'd.

Yeah twice I did it. Both times for the same reason, socially inept James had a hard time dealing with the being alone in a world full of people. Literally. OK maybe it was both times I started I was herded into a guild by friends from other games and always felt to be the outsider. So when the guild started to fall apart, which seems to be a given that all guilds will rise and fall, James the outsider was kind of left out in the cold.

So plan for this run is to not join a guild until I find one I want to join, if at all. So the /LFG channel will be utilized, once I get over my shyness.

Side note, why does the SciFi promos for Battlestar Galactica give me the feeling that this is the last season? I remember that the original series was hoped by the producers to last 10, even 20 years, but the viewing public found it entertaining only 3 years. Could the remake also be subject to this? Its still highly captivating to me, even if Aka calls it a 'soap opera for guys'. What does she know, she's a girl. Its more like a Greek tragedy to me. Every advancement is met with a setback of near devastating effect.

OK off to Wow, the Burning Crusade.

First Real Blog...

Ok writing to me isn't difficult, nor is discussing ideas, anyone that's heard me DJ knows I like to ramble, but unguided writing isn't my strong point. I need an agenda, a purpose to write. So this blog might become a intermittently updated, as time and undisturbed thought permits.

So here goes.

I had thought about subjects that I wanted to present my opinion on but to start off a blog I guess I should first do the obligatory thanks to all that read this and for those that are in Second Life® I really want to say thank you for allowing me to be a part of your second life.

Ok, first thought.
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=sJOoz4EFswE

I'm a linking because it seems the embedded link on youtube is broken. That or I don't' know what I'm doing. Probably the latter.

First off the pre-Vietnam days must have been terribly frighteningly to Americans. To have such a fear and misunderstanding of people to put together and release this public service announcement must have been overwhelming. Its hard to think of what it was like living in those days. I can only imagine its how the Bush administration reacts to all things concerning national security. And honestly I can do without that mentality deciding how I'm going to go about my daily life. If the government needs to open my mail then they can go roust up a judge and get a warrant signed. That's what all the real cops do. I'm sure that crap load of refinance now offers and you've been approved for XYZ credit card mailing can wait an extra day for the gman to get his warrant.

But I'm being cynical. Back to the link though its funny to look at things now but can you imagine the effect that had on The Beaver? Gee Wally, hows the gerbil get out?

'till next time kiddies...

Comming soon....

Check back later as I round together some thoughts & find the time to put them in written form.