And getting pissed off at the way things are going in the not so good USofA. My latest pissy attitude comes form the rise in prices of cigarettes. For my brand which is also a generic brand mind you, the price went up $9.00us a carton. Now it cost $35.00us.
Why am I pissed about this? Because they don't and wont raise the price of Alcohol, which I don't drink. See, my smoking only kills me, whereas people who drink alcohol and drive kill other people. Hell, people who drink sometimes kill other people without driving. Ive never heard of a smoker doing either.
So to get around the high price of me killing myself, I've taken to loose tobacco and rolling my own smokes. I buy a 12oz bag of tobacco, the tubes as they call them [which are basically a pre made cigarette without the tobacco in it, with filter] and a 1 time purchase of the little machine which injects the tobacco into the tube.
The 12oz bag of loose tobacco cost me $25.00us and makes two cartons or 400 cigarettes. The tubes cost $2.45 a box of 200. The rolling / injecting machine is a manual one and cost a one time price of right at $7.00us.
So this basically means I get 2 cartons of cigarettes for less than I used to buy 1 for.
Next year I am going to try and grow my own tobacco. I'll let you know how that goes. Well until next time I feel the need, Take it easy or anyway you can get it.
12.7.09
Still alive.....
8.2.09
Neglected
Its been awhile since my last post. In fact almost a year has gone by. I have been busy working like most, and maintaining another website like some. It is a delicate balancing act that has consumed my time. When I started 'Depleted Cranium' it was going to be a place to post interesting material that I intended to keep separate from the Political type I post on my other site. However, with time being a factor I chose to....well basically and to the point.....ignore this blog. I ignored it for so long that I even had to search my boxes for the user account and password.
I haven't forgotten about this site and will in the future at least offer one post per month. Its the least I can do. So until next month [maybe] thanks for stopping by.
My main website- Not Another CONspiracy...maybe you've heard of it?
18.3.08
RCA DCM425 Cable Modem
Problems with your Modem? Me too. I might have figured out mine, maybe yours.
Elevated Modem
For the past few weeks I have had connectivity problems. I called,and called and called. Nobody could find the problem inside or outside. Then it hit me. Maybe the modem is getting hot. Why did I think of this? Well last month when I was paying my bill, a fellow in front of me had his modem and it had caught on fire. Yes on FIRE! It was melted and had he not been home who knows what may have happened.
Well today was the last straw for me. My RCA DCM425 cable modem no warmer to the touch than usual went off again. So I thought, it might have a safety knock off switch inside that acts just like a Breaker or Fuse in your house does when overloaded and becomes hot. It Knocks itself off to prevent a fire or damage to the device.
So I took the modem and Put it In the Freezer to cool it down for about 15 minutes. After the 15 mins, I reconnected it and booted it up. It has know maintained its connection. I elevated the modem instead of it sitting on the desk so air could circulate through it better. I also placed a small fan blowing directly on it keeping it that much cooler. So far this seems to have solved the problem.
The problem NOT SOLVED and there are many people unaware of it is, The Modem Overheats and May cause a fire in your home while you are Not there or sleeping. I pull the Power plug on mine at night, when not in use or I'm not home.
I do not think going to your provider will solve this, as they will only swap it for another just like it.
In my personal opinion, the RCA DCM425 is defective.
What can you do: [NOTE: Do this at your own risk. I will not be held responsible.]
* Do as I explained above to keep your Modem cool.
* When Not in use, unplug the modem. Do not use the Power button, this only puts it in standby mode.
* Go and BUY a different modem from your local store and replace it. If you do this, be sure to let your Internet Service Provider[ISP] know about this so you can give them theirs back. This will also reduce your Bill a couple of dollars.
* You may have to have them come out to your house and reconnect the service, if they have a WALLED GARDEN and you don't know how to access it to reconnect. **There may be a service charge for this**.
I'm going to use mine for a couple more days like this just to see for sure if this was the problem. It's been 3 hours now and no problems. Either way, in the next couple of days I will go buy one and replace it. I will post an update later this week letting you know if this solved the problem or whether it was just a temporary fix.
For the past few weeks I have had connectivity problems. I called,and called and called. Nobody could find the problem inside or outside. Then it hit me. Maybe the modem is getting hot. Why did I think of this? Well last month when I was paying my bill, a fellow in front of me had his modem and it had caught on fire. Yes on FIRE! It was melted and had he not been home who knows what may have happened.
Well today was the last straw for me. My RCA DCM425 cable modem no warmer to the touch than usual went off again. So I thought, it might have a safety knock off switch inside that acts just like a Breaker or Fuse in your house does when overloaded and becomes hot. It Knocks itself off to prevent a fire or damage to the device.
So I took the modem and Put it In the Freezer to cool it down for about 15 minutes. After the 15 mins, I reconnected it and booted it up. It has know maintained its connection. I elevated the modem instead of it sitting on the desk so air could circulate through it better. I also placed a small fan blowing directly on it keeping it that much cooler. So far this seems to have solved the problem.
The problem NOT SOLVED and there are many people unaware of it is, The Modem Overheats and May cause a fire in your home while you are Not there or sleeping. I pull the Power plug on mine at night, when not in use or I'm not home.
I do not think going to your provider will solve this, as they will only swap it for another just like it.
In my personal opinion, the RCA DCM425 is defective.
What can you do: [NOTE: Do this at your own risk. I will not be held responsible.]
* Do as I explained above to keep your Modem cool.
* When Not in use, unplug the modem. Do not use the Power button, this only puts it in standby mode.
* Go and BUY a different modem from your local store and replace it. If you do this, be sure to let your Internet Service Provider[ISP] know about this so you can give them theirs back. This will also reduce your Bill a couple of dollars.
* You may have to have them come out to your house and reconnect the service, if they have a WALLED GARDEN and you don't know how to access it to reconnect. **There may be a service charge for this**.
I'm going to use mine for a couple more days like this just to see for sure if this was the problem. It's been 3 hours now and no problems. Either way, in the next couple of days I will go buy one and replace it. I will post an update later this week letting you know if this solved the problem or whether it was just a temporary fix.
17.3.08
Windows Task Manager Not Working / Accessible- EXPLOIT
After seeing post after post on various security / computer forums where people are stating their task manager No Longer works, I decide to look around. I first suspected a virus disabling the Task manager to hide it's process from the user. Little did I know, it would be verified. So if you have this problem, it isn't your only problem. You more than likely have a Virus or some type of Malware.
This is Not a fix, It is a possible Reason.
Windows XP SP2 Taskmgr bug
http://core-security.net/archive/2008/march/index.php#14032008
Back in 2006 Izee of the EOF virus writing team discovered a possibility to crash the Windows Taskmanager. It was easily done by setting a REG_BINARY value in the Registry of Windows to 0x00. The key is the following:
HKEY_CURRENT_USER\Software\Microsoft\Windows NT\CurrentVersion\TaskManager:Preferences
If you set it to 0x00, 0x00, 0x00... the Taskmanager will crash on the next startup. I (skyout) have therefore coded an exploit and used it back in 2006 in one of my first viruses as a very basic technique to hide my process to the user. Then we waited for a long time without using this bug anymore. With the release of Windows Vista we tested it again and it was fixed. In 2008 now, exactly in February, I got in contact with Microsoft Germany and informed them about the bug. They told me, that they will work on it, but for weeks not even an email came back. Now it is time for making this public! Now this bug is open for every person and everyone can use it and put pressure on Microsoft to fix it.
Here you can find the exploit: [taskmgr_dos.c.txt]
29.2.08
polimedia.us / doingfine.org
How to ruin your reputation
by paperghost
Vitalsecurity.org
This is a really weird one - I've had quite a few people email me about this, thinking it might be along the lines of ye olde 419 scamme. Everything about it just looks a little odd, but it's more down to the people responsible for the marketing than the site itself. With that in mind, here's a cautionary tale with regards how your online rep can take a very sudden nosedive when you hire the wrong people to promote your website.
++++++++++++++++
Related posts on this subject:
The Right Way, The Wrong Way
Scamming By Spamming – They Just Won’t Quit!
Tips for safe blog advertising
419 scams
FlickrCentral/Discuss polimedia.us
27.2.08
B-2 and the Flying Wing
After the Crash of The Spirit of Kansas, a B-2 Spirit On 23 February 2008 shortly after takeoff from Andersen Air Force Base in Guam, I thought I would provide a little History of the Wing.
The B-2 might look futuristic, but the basic design isn't new at all, the same manufacturer Northrop did two very similar designs just after world war two, the propeller driven B-35 and the jet driven B-49.
Northrop B-35
The B-35 was America's first attempt at an all-wing heavy bomber. In the darkest days of World War II, when it
appeared that Nazi Germany might well conquer Great Britain and the Soviet Union, the Army Air Forces saw the
need for a large bomber with intercontinental range. Such a plane, based in the United States, must be able to cross
the Atlantic and hit Germany with a large bomb load. The XB-35 was required to carry a 10,000-pound bomb load
a distance of 10,000 miles. Four Pratt & Whitney R-4360 engines mounted internally, close to the leading edge.
Each engine drove a pair of counter-rotating four-bladed propellers by means of a long extension shaft and a complex
gearbox. The XB-35's first flight, on June 25, 1946, was a success. But that was about the only trouble-free flight the
bomber was ever to have. Numerous equipment failures had already delayed the plane's development by more than a year.
Only three B-35s were completed. The remainder of the initial test models were converted to jet power.
---------
Northrop B-49
With the wing development program falling farther behind schedule daily, the AAF entered into negotiations with Northrop during the summer of 1944 about the possibility of replacing the troublesome R-4360 engines with (General Electric designed) Chevrolet built TG-180-A7 jet engines and designated YB-49. The final YB-49 configuration was powered by eight Allison J-35-A-15 engines developing 3,750 pounds of static thrust.
Still without a production contract, Northrop explored the possibility of producing a B-49 derived photo-reconnaissance aircraft designated YRB-49. To make room for photographic equipment, extra fuel and flash bombs, the six engined aircraft carried two jet engines in pods outboard of the main landing gear under the wings.
Slower, shorter ranged than its progenitor, and not wanted by the USAF signaled the end of flying wing bombers in the U.S. until the advent of the Northrop B-2 bomber. No examples of the XB-35/YB-49 family exist today. The last YRB-49 was scrapped by December 1953.
--------
Northrop B-2
The first B-2 was publicly displayed on 22 November 1988, when it was rolled out of its hangar at Air Force Plant 42, Palmdale, California, where it was built. Its first public flight was on 17 July 1989. The B-2 Combined Test Force, Air Force Flight Test Center, Edwards Air Force Base, California, is responsible for flight testing the engineering, manufacturing and development aircraft.
The original procurement of 132 aircraft was later reduced to 75 in the late 1980s. In his 1992 State of the Union Address, President George H.W. Bush announced total B-2 production would be limited to 20 aircraft, with a total inventory of 21 by upgrading the first test aircraft to B-2A Block 30 standard. This reduction was largely a result of the disintegration of the Soviet Union, which effectively rendered void the Spirit's primary mission.
The cost of the B-2 program in 1994 dollars was reported at $737 million per plane; however, the total cost of the program with development, spares, and facilities averaged over $2.1 billion per plane as of 1997 according to the B-2 program office
The first operational aircraft, christened Spirit of Missouri, was delivered on December 17, 1993
Related Links:
http://www.airbornegrafix.com/HistoricAircraft/FlyingWings/XB35.htm
http://www.richard-seaman.com/Aircraft/AirShows/Edwards2005/B2/index.html
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/B-2_Spirit
The B-2 might look futuristic, but the basic design isn't new at all, the same manufacturer Northrop did two very similar designs just after world war two, the propeller driven B-35 and the jet driven B-49.
Northrop B-35
The B-35 was America's first attempt at an all-wing heavy bomber. In the darkest days of World War II, when it
appeared that Nazi Germany might well conquer Great Britain and the Soviet Union, the Army Air Forces saw the
need for a large bomber with intercontinental range. Such a plane, based in the United States, must be able to cross
the Atlantic and hit Germany with a large bomb load. The XB-35 was required to carry a 10,000-pound bomb load
a distance of 10,000 miles. Four Pratt & Whitney R-4360 engines mounted internally, close to the leading edge.
Each engine drove a pair of counter-rotating four-bladed propellers by means of a long extension shaft and a complex
gearbox. The XB-35's first flight, on June 25, 1946, was a success. But that was about the only trouble-free flight the
bomber was ever to have. Numerous equipment failures had already delayed the plane's development by more than a year.
Only three B-35s were completed. The remainder of the initial test models were converted to jet power.
---------
Northrop B-49
With the wing development program falling farther behind schedule daily, the AAF entered into negotiations with Northrop during the summer of 1944 about the possibility of replacing the troublesome R-4360 engines with (General Electric designed) Chevrolet built TG-180-A7 jet engines and designated YB-49. The final YB-49 configuration was powered by eight Allison J-35-A-15 engines developing 3,750 pounds of static thrust.
Still without a production contract, Northrop explored the possibility of producing a B-49 derived photo-reconnaissance aircraft designated YRB-49. To make room for photographic equipment, extra fuel and flash bombs, the six engined aircraft carried two jet engines in pods outboard of the main landing gear under the wings.
Slower, shorter ranged than its progenitor, and not wanted by the USAF signaled the end of flying wing bombers in the U.S. until the advent of the Northrop B-2 bomber. No examples of the XB-35/YB-49 family exist today. The last YRB-49 was scrapped by December 1953.
--------
Northrop B-2
The first B-2 was publicly displayed on 22 November 1988, when it was rolled out of its hangar at Air Force Plant 42, Palmdale, California, where it was built. Its first public flight was on 17 July 1989. The B-2 Combined Test Force, Air Force Flight Test Center, Edwards Air Force Base, California, is responsible for flight testing the engineering, manufacturing and development aircraft.
The original procurement of 132 aircraft was later reduced to 75 in the late 1980s. In his 1992 State of the Union Address, President George H.W. Bush announced total B-2 production would be limited to 20 aircraft, with a total inventory of 21 by upgrading the first test aircraft to B-2A Block 30 standard. This reduction was largely a result of the disintegration of the Soviet Union, which effectively rendered void the Spirit's primary mission.
The cost of the B-2 program in 1994 dollars was reported at $737 million per plane; however, the total cost of the program with development, spares, and facilities averaged over $2.1 billion per plane as of 1997 according to the B-2 program office
The first operational aircraft, christened Spirit of Missouri, was delivered on December 17, 1993
Related Links:
http://www.airbornegrafix.com/HistoricAircraft/FlyingWings/XB35.htm
http://www.richard-seaman.com/Aircraft/AirShows/Edwards2005/B2/index.html
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/B-2_Spirit
17.2.08
Another reason to Save Windows-XP
Yet another reason For Micro$oft toContinue distributing Win-XP. If you would like to help Save Windows XP, see the Banner at the top of this Blogs homepage, or use this link- Save Windows XP
Vista SP1 prerequisite updates send some PCs into endless reboot
Last week's updates prompt support complaints; problem first reported in December
By Gregg Keizer
February 17, 2008 (Computerworld) Updates that Microsoft Corp. began feeding Windows Vista users last week to prep PCs for next month's release of Service Pack 1 (SP1) have crippled some machines, according to messages posted to the company's support site.
Last Tuesday, Microsoft started sending Vista users two final prerequisite updates that are required before SP1 can be installed in March. The updates to the operating system's install components were delivered via Windows Updates, which automatically downloaded and installed them on the majority of Vista machines.
Users quickly started squawking.
In most cases, they reported that the final update hung while displaying the message "Configuring Updates Step 3 of 3 - 0% Complete," which was followed by a reboot of the PC. Which was followed by another reboot, and another. "[It] reboots ad infinitum," said Frank Melk on the Microsoft support newsgroup. A smaller number reported a different problem: After the update, their computer refused to boot normally.
Trying to boot into Safe Mode did no good, users said; the reboot loop cranked up then as well. "I am unsure as to what to do, because entering Safe Mode gives the same screen," Melk said. "Furthermore, I have no restore points saved, so going back to a known previous good config is no good either!"
Full Article @: ComputerWorld.com
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