Everything Neat!

New York, New York..Pt.1

2008-09-23T22:43:00.002-04:00

The Big Apple! The home of the statue of Liberty, Madison Square Garden, and who doesn't love Saturday Night Live? Some people say you need to go to New York at least once in your life.

On October 4th i get to make my first trip to New York and I'm very excited!! I will be going there for a Mafialife Gathering (Mafialife is an online game i play) at Suzi Wong in New York City. The game admin and one of it's sponsors reserved the entire VIP section for the game and friends of the game. I also might be staying a couple extra days which will allow for some site seeing.

I did a little research and came up with a list of "must sees" while i am there.

Statue of Liberty
Times Square
Broadway
Central Park
The Brooklyn Bridge
Ground Zero
Ellis Island
Empire State Building
Grand central Terminal

I'm sure there is more than this, but i can't wait to see the great city.
If you have any recommended sites please do comment readers. I want to make my trip to New York as Memorable as possible.

Stay Tuned on October 5th when i reveal the sites i saw in New York and give my own personal take on the big apple. There will be Pictures :)

Don't Just Delete Spam...Fight It

2008-09-21T16:01:00.000-04:00

Spam is one of the biggest annoyances on the web. Thanks to intelligent technologies many client based and web based email have filters which separate known or potential spam from the mail you want. I have been deleting spam for over 10 years, as have many other annoyed internet users. But what i found out today is going to change my ways.

In my Information Tech Class we were talking about the Internet and the World Wide Web, also covering online annoyances. One of the most harmful types of spam email is Phishing. An example of a phishing email is say you get a mail from what looks to be your bank. This mail even includes your bank logo and looks very professional. This type of mail will ask you to confirm your account number/pin number and so forth. Do not trust these mails... if you do it could cause a lot of financial harm and even lead to identity theft. Always call your bank/credit card company if you receive a mail like this to make sure it is legit and that they sent it.

Normally when people come across spam, such as phishing mails, they just delete them. Leaving these cancers in the internet society a chance to send more phishing emails to more innocent and perhaps gullible people. But if you knew there was a way to Fight these emails and the people who send them, would you do it?

Well there is and my professor revealed it to our class today. You can forward all types of spam mail to the following address

Spam@uce.gov

They can find the source, track down the ones sending these harmful emails and even prosecute them.

We all enjoy the internet and we all know it is full of annoyances and dangers. I feel it is our responsibility to fight such things to make it safer for the future. So if you encounter spam email that comes to you with an ill intent..don't just delete it..Forward it.

Celeb Reality has done it this time

2008-09-20T18:00:00.000-04:00

Usually when you think of Celebrity Reality TV shows, you think of washed up celebrities who are looking for another shot at fame..or just another way to pay their bills. Personally for me they are fun to watch and very dramatic. But i think Celeb Reality is going to get a run for their money when "Paris Hilton's My New BFF" hits MTV.

Potential BFF's will be living in a house to compete for the grand prize: to be best friends with Paris Hilton. Come on now...who doesn't want to be friends with one of the most searched Icons on the internet? After months of going through possible BFF candidatees Paris has narrowed it down to 18 possibles..16 girls and 2 boys.

I suspect this show is going to be full of alliances, backstabbing and a WHOLE lot of drama. I personally do not admire Ms.Hilton, but this sure is going to make for good reality television and i will be watching.

You can go to MTV.com to check out more on the upcoming series and even watch the casting special.
The show airs September 30th at 10PM on MTV

Southern Style is a Rip Off...

2008-09-19T14:36:00.001-04:00

No, I'm not talking about the fine folks from the south, I'm talking about the Sandwich from McDonalds.

I eat at McDonalds rarely, and usually when i do i get a double cheeseburger, but the other day i decided to try something different. I ordered their New Southern Style Chicken Sandwich. The sandwich itself is around 3 dollars and they don't give you what you pay for. Wanna know what this sandwich consists of?

1. Plain bun
2. A breaded chicken fillet
3. two pickles

Oh, were you expecting more on this "southern style" sandwich? Sorry to tell you that that's it. No condiments, nothing else. just a bun, chicken and two effin pickles. What the hell is so southern about that.

Next time i want a chicken sandwich from McDonalds i'll just get a McChicken; It's a dollar and atleast it comes with mayonaise. To say the least their new sandwich is a disappointment and not worth the money.

Fall TV

2008-09-17T22:08:00.002-04:00

IT's that time of the year again where all of our favorite shows come back to television. There are so many they are hard to keep track of unless you have a list. And you wouldn't want to go missing your favorites shows season premier now would you?

Here is a list of the shows premeiring this Fall starting with September 18th. Hope it helps :)

Thursday, September 18th
Survivor (CBS) -- season 17
Smallville (CW) -- season 8
Supernatural (CW) -- season 4
It's Always Sunny in Philadelphia (FX) -- season 4
Friday, September 19th
20/20 (ABC) -- season 31
Sunday, September 21st
In Harm's Way (CW)
Valentine, Inc. (CW)
Easy Money (CW)
Monday, September 22nd
Dancing With the Stars (ABC) -- season 7
*Boston Legal (ABC) -- season 5
The Big Bang Theory (CBS) -- season 2
How I Met Your Mother (CBS) -- season 4
Two and a Half Men (CBS) -- season 6 -- Frankly, Angus T. Jones is getting a bit old to be considered a Half.
Worst Week (CBS)
CSI: Miami (CBS) -- season 7
Heroes (NBC) -- season 3 ... well, technically season 2.5, plus season 3
Tuesday, September 23rd
Opportunity Knocks (ABC)
Dancing With the Stars (ABC) -- Results edition
*Eli Stone (ABC) -- season 2 -- Hey, I may actually be able to review this one!
NCIS (CBS) -- season 6
The Mentalist (CBS)
*Without a Trace (CBS) -- season 7
The Biggest Loser (NBC) -- season 6...Family edition
Law & Order: SVU (NBC) -- season 10
Wednesday, September 24th
*The New Adventures of Old Christine (CBS) -- season 4 -- So much for the Seinfeld curse
Gary Unmarried (CBS)
Criminal Minds (CBS) -- season 4
CSI: New York (CBS) -- season 5
Knight Rider (NBC) -- See my comment on 90210.
*Lipstick Jungle (NBC) -- season 2
Thursday, September 25th
Ugly Betty (ABC) -- season 3
Grey's Anatomy (ABC) -- season 3
My Name is Earl (NBC) -- season 4
The Office (NBC) -- season 5
ER (NBC) -- season 15 ... and the last. Plus, Carter comes back.
Saturday, September 27th
48 Hours Mystery (CBS) -- season 12
Sunday, September 28th
Extreme Makeover: Home Edition (ABC) -- season 6
Desperate Housewives (ABC) -- season 5
Brothers & Sisters (ABC) -- season 3
60 Minutes (CBS) -- season 41
The Amazing Race (CBS) -- season 13
Cold Case (CBS) -- season 6
*The Unit (CBS) -- season 4
The Simpsons (FOX) -- season 20
King of the Hill (FOX) -- season 13
Family Guy (FOX) -- season 7
American Dad (FOX) -- season 4
Little Britain (HBO) -- The American version.
Dexter (Showtime) -- season 3
*Californication (Showtime) -- season 2
Monday, September 29th
Chuck (NBC) -- season 2
Life (NBC) -- season 2 premiere...Episodes will also premiere on October 3rd and 6th.
Wednesday, October 1st
Pushing Daisies (ABC) -- season 2
Private Practice (ABC) -- season 2
Dirty Sexy Money (ABC) -- season 2
Friday, October 3rd
*Wife Swap (ABC) -- season 5...Sigh!
*Supernanny (ABC) -- season 5...Double sigh!
Ghost Whisperer (CBS) -- season 4
The Ex List (CBS)
Numb3rs (CBS) -- season 5
*Everybody Hates Chris (CW) -- season 4
*The Game (CW) -- season 3
Sanctuary (SciFi)
Sunday, October 5th
America's Funniest Home Videos (ABC) -- season 19. Don't they call this YouTube now?
Monday, October 6th
Samantha Who? (ABC) -- season 2
Thursday, October 9th
CSI (CBS) -- season 9
Testees (FX)
Eleventh Hour (CBS)
Kath & Kim (NBC)
SNL Thursday Night Live (NBC) -- Election specials until the end of October
Life on Mars (ABC)
Friday, October 10th
*Life (NBC) -- time slot premiere. It's all very confusing, even to the promotions person connected with the program.
*The Starter Wife (USA) -- Technically season 2, but really full season 1.
Monday, October 13th
My Own Worst Enemy (NBC)
Friday, October 17th
Crusoe (NBC)
Crash (Starz)
Wednesday, October 29th
Stylista (CW)
Thursday, October 30th
*30 Rock (NBC) -- season 3

Sorry Francis Scott Key.....

2008-09-16T20:34:00.002-04:00

I've heard bad renditions of our National Anthem, time and time again. Whether it was at a school event or on National Television; I have seen the worst of the worst..until yesterday. Kat Deluna sang the National Anthem on Monday Night Football and totally rooooooned it.

You might be saying.. "well who the hell is Kat DeLuna???" I regret to inform you that i can not answer that. I have never heard of her, never heard her music... Until Monday Night Football. From hearing her sing the song, i can understand why I have never heard of her.

The National Anthem is a not a song that you can do in your own way. You can't make it over dramatic, or try to sex it up. It's a patriotic song and your not singing on stage in front of a bunch of teeny boppers.

Her voice sounded terrible, she went of tone and off beat several times... actually it would be easier to just say she butchered our National Anthem. Sure she may sound fine or her CD's, but a lot of magic can happen in a recording studio. As far as performing live i hope she doesn't have an world tours set up yet..Not unless she plans on lip syncing everything.

In my search for the YouTube video of this atroscity i found out that this is not the first time Kat has butchered the National Anthem. She also sang our National Anthem at a Boston Celtics play off game. Her job was not better than her recent Monday night appearance. Makes me wonder if the NFL even knew about that.

If you are one of the few Americans who didn't watch Monday Night Football, here is the video of it. Check your ears during so you can make sure they aren't bleeding. Enjoy.

Did You Ever Wonder?

2008-09-15T22:00:00.002-04:00

Have you ever been expecting something in the mail and it doesn't ever show up? I've had this happen to myself a few times. Everyone always suggests that maybe it was "lost" in the mail. But what if they're aren't being lost;rather stolen.

Here's what go me thinking.

A Scottish mailman was caught with 20,000 undelivered letters in his flat.

Come on now...tell me you wouldn't be ticked off if you found out some mailman was holding your letter hostage.

Better yet, tell me you would be mad to find out why he is keeping the 20,000 letter to himself:
He was was busy with his studies and he felt overtaxed. I can envision 20,000 people chasing after this man old school style with torches and pitchforks.

I know this is not an American story, but doesn't this make you wonder if your letters are not being stolen, rather than being lost?

Source

My Take On Palin

2008-09-15T17:26:00.002-04:00

I normally don't talk politics, but i figured i'd take an opprotunity to dabble in it a bit. One of the main reasons i don't talk politics is that i feel all politicians are the same deep down; they just work on different platforms. I watched Sarah Palins Speech at the RNC in St. Paul Minnesota, just to get an intial feel for her.

I am all about women's rights and i would love to see a woman in the White House, but I'm not impressed with Palin. For a few reasons. She used her personal life and family for gain. such as pointing out that her son and nephew serve our country. Congratulations Mrs.Palin, you are now have something in commone with the thousands of mothers or military service men and women. When i hear a speech from someone who may possibly be second in command in the entire country, i want to hear about your views, what you plan to do and why.. Not your family history.

Sarah Palins only credential is that she has been in local government. She has done great things of course for Alaska, but does this means shes fit to take over the entire country if john McCain falls ill or dies? No, because there is a huge difference between goverening a state and leading an entire nation.

Now we come to my favorite part of the entire speech where she is talking about Senator Obama. And she mentions that the victory is almost insight for iraq, something or other and he just wants to give it all up. Here's a question for Palin regarding that: what exactly have we accomplished in Iraq other than catching and sentencing their leader to death. All we have is a pile of dead bodies and a country still in poor condition. Billions of dollars tied up in a war that has no point to it. And you want to tell us that victory is insight? I have no further comment on that horse pucky.

I think she has potential to one day be a great leader, but at this moment in time..No i would not feel confident with Sarah Palin in our White House.

Here is the speech Via YouTube, Feel Free to check it out :)

On This Day...

2008-09-14T16:27:00.002-04:00

Events

1971 - The World Hockey Association was formed.

1979 - Abba began their first North American tour in Edmonton, Alberta.

1985 - The first episode of "The Golden Girls" aired on NBC

On This Day...Birthdays!!

1944-Jacqueline Bisset

1968-Bernie Williams (MLB)

1977-Fiona Apple

....For more fun daily history check back tomorrow :)

BullShit!!

2008-09-14T16:03:00.003-04:00

LOL, no I'm not about to go on some sort of rant if that's what your thinking. It was a show my boyfriend introduced to me called Bullshit with Penn and Teller. I am very picky about television and what i watch. My boyfriend has turned me on to a lot of good shows in the past such as: Arrested Development, Lost, Medium, Life, The Office and even scrubs.

He sent me a link to a video site that has full episodes that you can watch online. He said "watch Bullshit, i think you'll like it", and as usual my boyfriend was right. I am now hooked on this show after watching 2 episodes. This is my first time ever watching anything by Penn and Teller and they do a good job with this show. Their is a lot of energy and it can be raw at times, but truthful.

In a nutshell they take something that is very popular or things that people believe/buy into and point out all the bullshit.

The first episode is about psychics that talk to the dead. You know, they have the live shows and interact with their audience by displaying that they are talking to their passed over loved ones. I do believe that some people have psychic abilities, but i've always been a skeptic of them being able to communicate with the dead. This episode of Bullshit exposed so many things and even included snippet interviews with professionals who are out to debunk these performace artists.

After watching i was actually sickend by these people; exploiting grieving people what a shame.
So whether you are a beliver or a skeptic i think you should atleast give this episode a look, might clear the air a little bit.

ScribeFire!

2008-09-14T07:05:00.002-04:00

Just when i think Firefox can't any better i stumble upon addons like ScribeFire. It is Greeeeeat for bloggers. You can be on any page, open scribefire and you can still surf the web while blogging. Even as you switch through tabs, Your ScribeFire stays open and you can keep on blogging.Best of all if you accidentally close the scribefire, you can open it back up and none of your writing is lost!

It's Crazy how FireFox has made so many addons that makes the internet experience so much more than just surfing. I haven't been using it long, but to me it seems to be a keeper.If you have Firefox 3.0 and your a blogger i suggest getting it. It's convenient and very easy to use.2 thumbs up for ScribeFire.

On This Day...

2008-09-13T18:40:00.003-04:00

Events

1788: The Congress of the Confederation authorized the first national election and declared New York City the temporary national capital.

1990: "Law & Order" premiered on NBC.

1997: Funeral services were held in Calcutta, India, for Nobel peace laureate Mother Teresa.

On This Day...Birthdays!!

1857 - Milton S Hershey, chocolate manufacturer

1971 - Richie Anderson, NFL running back (NY Jets)

1974 - Travis Knight, NBA center (Boston Celtics)

....For more fun daily history check back tomorrow :)

Did Anyone Learn Anything From Katrina?

2008-09-13T13:33:00.004-04:00

Did over 100,000 people not watch their televisions during and after Hurricane Katrina? Did they not see the torment it caused people, the destruction, a community left in peril and crisis? Apparently so.

Over 100,000 people in the path of Hurricane Ike paid no attention to the warnings that making an attempt to ride out the storm was very dangerous and could bring death. In the case of Katrina, many people could not leave because they were poor and had no place to go; i don't believe this to be the case here. I can not speak for 100,000 people but I'm sure the majority of these people were capable of leaving, but didn't do so out of ignorance.

The Gulf Of Mexico, in which Ike has traveled through, is a prime spot for hurricanes to grow more powerful; They power themselves on water and heat. This was proven went Katrina hit the Gulf and grew into a giant. How did they not see this destruction coming?

Go ahead and call me cruel, mean or heartless; i have not one ounce of pity for the people who chose not to leave. A hurricane is nothing like a tornado or an earthquake because it doesn't happen all of a sudden. You can actually watch a hurricane progress and see how bad it's going to be. Most Importantly you have time to prepare and evacuate.

Granted you can not stop a hurricane from happening, damange will incur, but why make situation worse.

Due to the ignorance of over 100,000 people authorities have mobilized massive search parties to find those that ignored the warnings. This of course i imagine is going to cost thousands of dollars among god only know how much property damnage the storm has caused.

In closing, don't ever underestimate Mother Nature,you are not special and your not magically going to come out unscathed if you choose to stand face to face with collosal giants such as Ike. If your area issues a mandatory evacuation, just do it.

Worlds Biggest Cup Noodles

2008-09-12T22:29:00.011-04:00

If you've never had cup noodles, odds are is you've never been to college. They are cheap and somewhat filling; perfect for college students. When i went to college i took a bunch of them with me, they were quick to make and eat between classes.

As far as quality of the Cup Noodles, I'd have to say for what you pay it's not that bad.

So i was wandering in the store the other day when i came across the worlds biggest Cup Noodle (at least that i know of). So i had to get one. I purchased the beef flavoured Souper Meal (that is the actual name) and shared it with my boyfriend. It took 5 min to microwave and was delicious.

So they are quick to make and eat, cheap...but how good for you is it?

This large Cup Noodle has a whopping 270 calories!! So if your trying to watch your figure, you can enjoy this tasty quicky but don't indulge!

To learn more about this product visit

Nissin Foods

Ghost Hunters

2008-09-12T22:05:00.011-04:00

Do the things that go bump in the night interest you? Have you ever seen something and then it's not there anymore? Do you want to understand why these things happen? Then do i have a great show recommendation for you all!

Ghost Hunters on the Sci-Fi Channel

Follow the TAPS team on their cases to historical places and even homes to find out what is really lurking in the shadows. TAPS goes to several locations and conducts professional investigations. They use methods such as EVPs (Electronic voice phenomena) Thermal imaging, and regular digital camera to catch evidence.

Their main goal is to debunk the stories and occurrences of the places they go to. This is so they don't go in and have their heads play tricks on them; basically they are going in unbiased.

I've seen and heard some pretty freaky things on this show among learning a few things too. It's not a show for everyone, but if your not a believer at least give it a gander.

Here is the latest episode courtesy of Hulu

Quizlet

2008-09-10T01:56:00.006-04:00

For me, finding this site was a breath of Fresh air!!

I am a college student and i attend college online, so there is a lot of Independence involved. To be successful in an online college you have to be motivated and you have to have discipline. So as a online student i am always looking for ways to study better.

I went on a search tonight to find a site where i could use flashcards and make other various games and i found Quizlet.

You enter terms and definitions and it generates flashcards, a test including multiple choice, true/false and fill ins.

I made a set for my IT Class for Unit 2: Computer Fluency. it consists of 35 terms and definitions, and it's helped me greatly and I've only be on the site for an hour tops.

Feel Free to check it out, especially if you are a student; there are other sets you can browse from other users, you might find something that helps you.

My Unit 2

Ugggggh, Tom Brady

2008-09-07T21:51:00.005-04:00

And to think he was my first round draft pick and now more than likely he is going to be out for most of the season, if not all of it. There is word that he has a torn ACL and if that is the case he is done for the 2008 football season.

He was just recently taken off of the Patriots injury report for an injury in his right foot. No one really expected him to skip out on the season starter against the Chiefs. Brady has a starting streak of 128 games.

Then what do you know, in the first quarter he was pulled out of the game for another injury. Although the Patriots lost Brady early in the game, they persevered without him. This leads me to believe that they will have a good season regardless if Brady is MIA or not.

I think Brady should have thought less about his starting streak and more of his physical condition. I personally don't think he was ready to go back on the field. It would have been better on his part if he would have waited to play until he was back at 100%. Sure he might have missed out on the first few games of the season, but at least he would have been able to play a majority. Doing what he did, gave him a few minutes to play in the season. You weigh that out and do the math.

I hope Brady has learned a lesson from this.

Recommendation: Awesome Music Site!!

2008-09-07T00:32:00.005-04:00

I am on the computer a lot and i LOVE to listen to music while I'm online. I hate downloading; even legal. I don't have a super duper computer, so I'm a little limited on memory.

So i like sites that let you search songs, even add them to play lists or favorites. It's a perfect way for me to listen to the songs i love without having to take up disk space or constantly having to put Cd's in my disk drive.

For a while i was using ProjectPlaylist, which i believe is a part of MySpace. I was happy with it until one day i logged into find that out of 80 songs only 4 would play. The rest of them turned red and skipped through them. I was very unhappy; i spent a lot of time to find these songs and make my play lists.

So i did a little searching and found a site that i am so far very pleased with: Grooveshark. It has the same concept as projectplaylist. You can search songs and add them to play lists. you can also just add them to your favorites.

I've been using Grooveshark for about a month and i have yet to come across a song that doesn't work, nor have any of my songs gone missing. I also have 100% success on the songs i find, so imagining you can find anything.

If your looking for a site to listen to free music on, i highly recommend you at least give it a try

The VeriChip

2008-09-07T00:03:00.009-04:00

Brought to use by Applied Digital Solutions, the VeriChip. This is not new,but we are having a discussion about it in my Intro to Information Technology and i think it's a great discussion piece.

To put it short it is an implantable radio frequency Identification. It is implanted under your skin and contains a special 16 digit number; think of it as a bar code. When scanned by the right device it can give you vast amount of information about a person. Anything from medical records to financial. It can also be used as a tracking device.

Now that i have explained what the VeriChip is and what it can be used for, I'm going to pose a question (one of which was asked in my unit discussion). Would you put the VeriChip in your child?
In our discussion there was nothing but negative comments although i was able to understand their point. It's not fair to just go implanting devices in children, it should be their choice.

So i offered a positive view on how putting the VeriChip in a child would be helpful.
I am going to quote myself from my unit discussion board:

" I have noticed a lot of negative comments about placing VeriChips in children. I for a change of pace am going to show it in a positive light.

I am not a parent, but i one day hope to be. The thought of even having a child is scary; not because of the responsibility or the pains of labor, but because of the society we live in.

You have to face facts, the word is full of creepy people and pedophiles. Do yourself a favor and go to your states government site and find out how many registered sex offenders are in your neck of the woods.

I live in a very small town in NW ohio, this is a place where you would take one look and say "what a nice safe place to plant my feet and raise my children". Don't judge a community by it's cover.

Me and my manger at work one day during break, looked out of curiosity on our states site, just to see how many sex offenders in our area. To our surprise, there was over 20.

My towns populations classifies us technically as a village. What do you think it's going to be like in higher populated areas?

In my personal opinion a parents main priority is to keep there child safe from harm. Sometimes when bad stuff happens, you have no control over it.

I think the VeriChip in children is a great idea. Think of all the missing children that could be found using this technology. I'm sure you'd appreciate the idea more if you went through the event of having a missing child. Its a Nightmare for any parent.

I am not sure if the VeriChip is a removable piece of technology, but if it's not i recommend they go to some great length to make it where you can remove the device. That way when your child is older and better fit to take care of themselves, at least safety wise, you can have it removed."

It is indeed a very controversial issue, and this is the sort of stuff i like to dig further into and create quality conversation/debate.

Any thoughts?