The Next Blog Button: WTF?

At the top of most blogger screens you see a button that says "Next Blog". What thee heck is that? I always thought you could just go randomly to another blog, and thought it would be a good way to find new good blogs, but I think something is very definitely wrong with the Next Blog button.
It seems to me, with limited experimentation, that after the third press, the button is locked onto a theme. In other words, you press the Next Blog button once, you get a random blog, press it again, random blog. Third press, you get what seems random, but every press after that takes you to a blog with something in common with the third press blog. For example, I have found that if I hit a Spanish language blog on the third press, all the blogs after that are in Spanish. If I hit a religious blog on the third press, all the blogs after that are religious.
Just now, I pressed the next blog button, the third press was an art blog. After that, they were all art blogs. I would like to know how that works. Is there a reason it's like that?

I like to find new blogs to regularly read. The Next Blog button seems worthless. I have found the best way to find new blogs is to go to YOUR blog, look at the blog of someone who commented on one of your posts, look at the blog of someone who commented on one of their posts, Look at THAT persons blog.... and so on and so forth. I call it Bloghopping. I posted a post about it before but can't find it now.

I posted a thread in a Blogger Help forum about this, but haven't heard anything back.... Not losing any sleep over it.

Try it! - Try pressing the Next Blog button and let me know how it works for you. Do you agree? or is it just me?

The American: Very Poor Movie

Last night we watched the movie, The American, starring George Clooney. I was saying it was the "Worst Movie I Ever Saw" afterwards, but The Wife said it wasn't bad enough to be called the worst.

In the beginning of the movie, George Clooney is walking through the snow with a girl, and (for reasons we never know) a sniper fires at him (them). Clooney offs the sniper, and tells the girl to call the police. As she's walking away, he shoots her in the back for apparently no reason.

Clooney is a hit man, and his boss is calling him about "the drop". At the same time, another woman (the Hitgirl), calls Clooney to get a special gun made because she's an assassin too, and needs a special weapon for a special job.

While Clooney is making the gun for the Hitgirl, he falls for yet another girl. He likes her enough that he calls his boss and says he wants out of the hitman business. The boss says OK, and then (coincidentally?) calls the Hitgirl to kill Clooney.

Soooo, as the Hitgirl is getting ready to shoot Clooney (with the very gun Clooney made for her), the boss man shows up and apparently shoots her. Then the boss man inexplicably tries to kill Clooney himself. The whole thing is pointless. Why would the boss save Clooney then try to kill him? If he wanted the Hitgirl dead, why not wait till after she shoots Clooney and then shoot her? I didn't think the Boss wanted the Hitgirl dead, because she was supposed to do this big job later on, which we, the viewers, never know what it is.

Everything I have told you happens in the beginning, and near the end, of the movie. In between is nothing but drawn out boringness. The Wife and I kept thinking something was about to happen but it never did. And, I haven't told you the ending, so in theory, I haven't ruined the movie for you.

I would not recommend this movie, but if you DO want to watch it and tell me what the heck the point is, be my guest.

It's Saturday

Front Porch

We went out for Sushi last night. It was great!
Yesterday here it got windy and cold again. The wind is almost straight from the north. It's kind of odd, because in the afternoons you can go on our front porch, and it's shady and windy and cold. You can go on the back porch, in the afternoon sun, with the house blocking the wind and it is HOT HOT HOT!
I'm glad it's the weekend, except the wife has to work today. I'm going to try to fix her busted phone while she's at work.

Back Porch

25 Years Ago, the Space Shuttle Exploded

It was 25 years ago the space shuttle Challenger blew up. I remember the day. I was working at the US Naval Observatory. We came back from lunch a little late and the guys who stay and watch TV in the kitchen were still watching TV, which was weird, usually the TV is on at 12 sharp, off at 1 sharp. We asked what was going on and were told the space shuttle blew up. At first I thought the guy was making a bad joke, but there it was, on TV, again and again.

One of my first thoughts was about the first teacher going up on the shuttle. Christa McAuliffe. Her death made it twice as bad, I think. She was a civilian. I can imagine her as one of my grade school teachers and feel like I kind of knew her.

Christa McAuliffe

In the back row from left to right: Ellison S. Onizuka, Sharon Christa McAuliffe, Greg Jarvis, and Judy Resnik. In the front row from left to right: Michael J. Smith, Dick Scobee, and Ron McNair

Below is a video from YouTube.

25 years ago... I was almost exactly half the age I am now. It doesn't seem like 25 years, it doesn't seem like too much time at all.

Not the sharpest knife in the drawer.

Last night I went to sleep at 8:30, knowing it was a mistake, but unable to do anything about it.
I woke up at 1:40, and have been awake ever since. This behavior tends to snowball, because today, I'll get tired, and want to go to bed early, perpetuating the cycle. The only thing to do is punch through today and stay up till a proper bedtime.

Wordless Wednesday

Everybody else does it! Why can't I? Actually I just can't think of anything to post.
Today I'm getting the wifes car inspected, then going to help a future client upload a webpage. That is looking like the extent of my day.
I was looking though my pictures, looking for something to upload, this was about all I could come up with.

Also, 13 seconds of terror: Mascot Eats Cheerleader!

Tuesday pictures

These are some snorkel pictures from yesterday. The Wife and I went to the beach, and while she was hard at work on her tan, I went out for a snorkel at my favorite reef.

Lobster

Baby Turtle

Needle fish

Blue Tang

Grunts

What happens when you die?

I have wondered what happens to your blogs and accounts like Facebook when you die.

When I read a blog regularly and suddenly the owner quits posting on it, I worry that they died. Even when YOU skip a few days, I start worrying. How would I know? If you are a sporadic poster, I might worry later rather than sooner. But if you post every day, and miss a day, the thought crosses my mind....

I know someone who DID die, and his FB account is still there. People write creepy things.... Like "happy first birthday in heaven". That just bugs me out!

If I died, would the only thing people here would notice is I quit posting?

My pessimism make me laugh, "Ooops, So-And-So didn't post today, they must be dead!" It's not reeeeally like that, but a brief flash of "hope they're OK" the first day, Then after time, I figure they probably just quit their blog. (But the little voice always whispers at the end "or maybe they died!")

Has anybody ever thought of this besides me?

Fone Pix

Cruise ship at night

Closer

Iguana house down our street

The other window of the same house.

I wrote a po-eem:

I hooked my phone up to my machine,
to the one that has Ubuntu

From my phone I got these pix
That I would show to YOU!

My Lucky Star

When I was a kid, I remember looking at the stars and the moon with my Grandfather. I remember there was a perfect triangle in Orion, and one of them was red. I called that my lucky star, mostly because I could find it again and again and know it was the same star. Years later, I found out the star was named Betelgeuse.

A different one

Well, my lucky star is going to blow up. Really, I found this article in the Telegraph:

'Second sun' on its way

The Earth could find itself with a 'second sun' for a period of weeks later this year when one of the night sky's most luminous stars explodes, scientists have claimed.

The supernova could provide the biggest light show since Earth was formed, and will be so bright that night will become like day for one or two weeks, experts said.

Betelgeuse, which is part of the Orion constellation 640 light years away from Earth, is a red supergiant, meaning that it is nearing the end of its life and is due to explode.

When it does do, it will burn so brightly that the earth will appear to have two suns in the sky, the Daily Mail reported.

What is less certain is when it will explode.

Brad Carter, senior lecturer of physics at the University of southern Queensland in Australia, said the explosion could take place before the end of the year – or indeed at any point over the next million years.

It should be really cool to see, if it happens. Personally, I doubt it will, but it might!
It'd just be my luck to have my lucky star blow up!

BBC: Hunting without air on the sea bed

This guy is pretty cool, no fins. I don't really like him walking on the coral though.
It's a BBC video. but I got it from Live Leak.

The video is 3 Minutes 1 Second, Try to hold your breath as long as Sulban!

Productive

It has been a good week. I finished my Network Plus Course and finally got my website up. After almost two months of dealing with LIME's astounding incompetence, I went to another hosting company and had the site up in less than 24 hours. Hey LIME! If you can't do web hosting, just say you can't do web hosting!
My website is still pretty crude, but I'll be working on it more today. And I don't mind your input.

Weird Dream, Bad Brain Damage

Last night I woke up about 3 AM, went back to bed around 4, and just woke up with major brain damage after having a weird dream.
I was going diving. I had my dive gear and camping gear. I had a nice new pickup truck. The parking lot was on a hill, next to a river. I had to carry my dive gear over a bridge on the river, and up a big mountain on the other side. So I grab my stuff for the first trip and start across.
Half way up the mountain, was the dive shop. I checked in for the dive, and the person checking me in was an asshole. Can't remember specifically why, but he was.
There were a lot of suitcases and stuff in the dive shop, and old people. It was like a train station or airport. This one lady was struggling to put something in her suitcase, and I asked her if it would be easier for her if I laid the bag down flat for her She said yes, and I laid her suitcase down. When she opened it, I could see she had all these things like telescopes, except you could flatten them out for storage.
So then I start up the mountain to the boat. It was a weird, difficult, climb, through holes and stuff.
I got to the boat, which was nice, I found I had some of my camping gear, which I needed to take back to my truck, and one of the ladys collapsible telescopes. Plus I still had to get the rest of my dive gear. So I headed back down the mountain, carrying what still seemed like a lot of stuff. Had problems getting into the dive shop through the holes. Put the ladys telescope in her suitcase (She was nowhere around), the telescope fit only in its holder one way, and when I put it in, the label was upside down, compared to the rest of the telescopes. I tried to figure it out, but just put it back with the label upside down.
I lost my camping gear, found it, and was ready to head back to the truck to drop off the camping gear and get the rest of my dive gear. I told the asshole diveshop guy where I was going and that I'd be right back, and he says, real slow, "I'm pretty sure all six parking lots on the island are closed by now". Meaning I couldn't get to my truck. And I said, "Well, I can't do the dive then".

Then I woke up, with severe brain damage and desperate need of coffee, which I am drinking now.

15-story hotel in six days

Time lapse video

Six days. That’s how long it took to build this level 9 Earthquake-resistant, sound-proofed, thermal-insulated 15-story hotel in Changsha, China. Complete with everything, from the cabling to three-pane windows. The foundations were already built, and despite the frenetic pace of construction, no workers were injured. From HERE

Monday Again

It was a good weekend. We went out for sushi Friday night. The restaurant is weird, with cut-outs in the floor for your feet, and you have to get down and climb in. My back still isn't right after sitting there a few hours.
Football wise, it was an OK weekend, Green Bay and the Jets won, who I wanted. Chicago and Pittsburgh won, who I didn't.
We went and saw the movie Green Hornet in 3D, and it was good. They could have used the 3D part more, there is a lot of potential there.

NFL Football Underdog Fan

I was looking at my NFL Odds website, to get a feel of how things look, and I realized I'm for all the underdogs.

GO Baltimore Seattle Green Bay Jets!

NFL Odds Divisional Playoff Games - NFL Football Odds
Divisional Playoffs
NFL Game Odds 1/15 - 1/16, 2011

Date & Time	Favorite	Spread	Underdog
1/15 4:30 ET	At Pittsburgh	-3	Baltimore
1/15 8:00 ET	At Atlanta	-1.5	Green Bay
1/16 1:00 ET	At Chicago	-10	Seattle
1/16 4:30 ET	At New England	-9	NY Jets

Boring

UNIVERSAL BORING MACHINE

Yesterday I posted that it was Wednesday, even though it was Thursday. I really thought it was Wednesday, and the day was half over before I realized my mistake. I even read Diet Cokes Rocks's blog, and thought "It's Thursday there already in New Zealand? Seems kinda early!", but the light bulb never came on. I was kind of surprised nobody here pointed out my error to me.
So now it's Friday. As you can tell by my posts, my life has been pretty boring lately. And as you know, to me, boring is GOOD!

Over the hump day

It's Wednesday, over the hump day. Today I have a small computer job and then I have to collect some checks.
Then I have to study, I want to get at least one lesson done today.

Last night I went to bed at 9 PM and slept till 6:30 AM, that's an incredibly long time for me!
I had a high school friend come for a visit on a cruise ship. The very same ship my cousins were on week before last. I calculate that it had been 33 years since I saw her last. Now she has three grown daughters and a grandson!

I'm getting ready to look for another company to host my website. Our phone company/internet service provider seems unable.

This doesn't seem like much of a post. But it's all I got for now. Over and out!

Full Circle

I removed Zorin, and put Ubuntu back on, and I'm sticking with it. Ubuntu version 10.10 Netbook.
I started with Ubuntu, I messed it up trying to install Veetle player. People said I'd probably like Linux Mint better, so I tried it. I didn't really like it. Then I found Linux Zorin 4 Lite. I tried it, but it seemed like it was missing a lot of stuff, like a search my computer function. And the software manager showed me all these programs that were supposedly installed, but I couldn't find them. SO I switched back to Ubuntu on my netbook.

All I can say is, don't be afraid to try it. You can install it from a CD and test it out without changing anything on your computer. Just make the CD, then boot from the CD. After you like it, you can install it on your hard drive, again without changing anything on your Windows. You'll get a screen when your computer boots up, asking if you want to load Windows or Ubuntu (you can do this for any of the Linux's)

Linux isn't Windows. Linux is different, so don't expect it to be Windows. And Linux is older than Windows... Linux came from Unix, which was created in the 1960's. It is still around and still a very big and powerful Operating System

Nothing of Interest Here!

Yesterday I couldn't think of anything to post, and today I can't either.
Having terrible problems with the phone company getting my website up. Their incompetence is astounding.
I've been doing my lessons regularly, they seem to be going faster and easier. I have two 100%'s in a row. Maybe three.
I've been diving pretty much. And am supposed to go today, but really can't. I have friends coming on a cruise ship tomorrow, and I need to get the yard mowed.
I woke up at 6:30 this morning, which is really really late.
Below is a picture of a fake boat that looks like it is sinking but not. Too stupid.

Money Junky

It's about 3:15 AM. Couldn't sleep, so I'm up doing some more lessons on my Network + Course.
I've been posting every day, but I feel like I haven't posted anything at all in a long time.

Lately I've been doing a lot of diving. It is really great. Even as a young kid I wanted to be a scuba diver. I really wish I could make a living diving. A lot of people do it, but the money isn't generally good enough to pay the bills I already have. SO I'm locked into a high paying job in technology. Like a money junky. Wants to quit the habit, but can't.
That's supposed to be funny, anyone who reads this blog knows I'm not making any money these days, I'm living off of savings for the most part, trying to get my business off the ground. Even the easy things are turning out to be big obstacles. I've been trying to get my web site posted since December 6th, when I ran into technical problems which the phone company admits is their fault. I've been contacting them constantly, and finally got my first response from them last week. Maybe I'll get the site up soon.
Yesterday I went to my cigar store. The place was dead. Usually on Saturdays it's packed. Starting January first you can't smoke in there any more. It's like a gas station where you can't bring your car on the property. It was nice, sitting in there smoking a cigar, then a tourist walks in, and you end up having a conversation, smoking cigars. Hopefully they'll get this ventilation system and then we'll be smoking there again soon.
I feel kind of down right now. I was looking at some old pictures, and am missing the "good old days". Like last week. I know it's crap, these are tomorrows good old days, but I can't help feeling a little down, here in the middle of the night. Don't worry, by the time you read this, I'll be feeling all better!

Zorin

As you have been reading, I switched from Windows to Linux Ubuntu on one computer. I got many comments, several who said try Linux Mint. Well, I wanted to re-install Linux so that I could give it a bigger partition (and windows a smaller one), so I installed Mint. I didn't like it, I didn't like the way it looked for one thing. I thought it looked better than Ubuntu at first, after a while I didn't like it, and it made me like Ubuntus look more. Number two, I would install an astronomy program, Stellarium, and then it wasn't there. I'd install it again, and it just wasn't there. I can't explain it. It seemed like it was installing properly. That happened with another program, Penguin Freecell too, I believe. I never spent much time trying to figure out what was going wrong, I just got rid if it.
Then I heard about a Linux program called Zorin Lite. I installed it, and I like it, pretty much. One thing I don't like, is that it has "enhanced security" which means I have to enter my username and password. I was bitching before about just having to enter my password.
Anyway, I'm testing it now, but I think Zorin will be the one I keep.

Last of the Kittiwake Photos (for now)

Plaque

How I got there

The Bow

The Stern

On the Bow, looking aft

Bow from near the bridge wing

Looking forward past the bridge

Dived her today. It's a nice wreck to dive. It's too shallow though, you can stand on the wreck and be up to your chest in water. About 60 feet to the bottom.

Kittiwake Sinking Yesterday

I took these yesterday, the first four pics took about 4 hours, the rest of the pics took place in less than half an hour. She went down very fast once the gunwales went under.

USS Kittiwake

Pic from Wikipedia

The USS Kittiwake is scheduled to be sunk here today as an artificial reef. She served the US Navy from 1945 to 1994. I am sure many people love this ship, and it is kind of sad that this morning is her last day in the air. Ships are alive. I often think of my first ship from the Navy, the USS Somers. On the other hand, it is a good thing Kittiwake will be a reef, anyone can come and visit her, any time. Kittiwake will still see the day and night. The Somers was sunk as in 2800 fathoms of water. As a target. But she wouldn't sink. The US Navy couldn't sink her with its weapons, and after they gave up, they had to put people on board to sink her with explosives. So the Somers is down there in the dark and cold, and I don't like thinking about it. The Kittiwake has a much nicer fate, and anything is better than the scrapyard.

Read about the history of the Kittiwake HERE.

I took these pics of The Kittiwake off Seven Mile Beach yesterday, Jan 04, 2011.

Ubuntu follow up

Thanks for all the comments on my previous post.
Anonymous Coward: the program was Veetle, I use it with a TV program website I use, http://www.atdhe.net/ I did get it to install, and it screwed things up really bad. The machine wouldn't boot without warnings, killed my sound, and no fixes on the internet worked, so finally I "restored" the computer.
I was thinking, "The day I write good things about Ubuntu, it crashes on me". But I'm not giving up. I already put Ubuntu back on.
I might try Mint. The thing about Ubuntu is that it has a netbook version, which is what I have it installed on. (I got a free netbook, using my cell phone points)
I'm sure I will be whining here about my Ubuntu problems, like I whine about my Windows problems!!
Anyway, thanks again everyone, and don't be afraid to try it! My rule for new computer things is, "Can I Undo it?"

Linux Ubuntu

I am seriously thinking of making the switch from Windows to one of the Linux Operating Systems. The two most popular Linux systems are Fedora, and Ubuntu. I chose Ubuntu because one review I read said it is slightly more user friendly. Plus Ubuntu has a netbook version. And you can load Ubuntu onto a USB drive, and test it out by booting your computer from the USB. I tried that for a few days, then I went ahead and installed it beside my Windows XP.

Now it's been about a week and I'm thinking of removing Windows. Ubuntu is so much better in a lot of ways. For the most part, generic versions of all the most common drivers are built into the OS, so you don't need a hard-to-find manufacturers driver for each and every device in your system.

No anti virus program needed, (at least no one is telling me I need one.) No tons of apps running in the background, (look in your system tray, by the clock in the lower right corner of your screen.) All those icons show SOME of the programs running in the backgound that are consuming your computers resources, and most of them you aren't using and your computer doesn't need.

Another thing I mentioned before is Windows updates pisses me off. I install them after being harassed, Then I start getting harassed to install more as soon as I get done. Ubuntu releases updates every six months. I can handle that.

Plus there are tons of free programs available, for almost everything. I got a most excellent astronomy program. There is Open Office, which handles all Microsoft Office programs, free and built in.

I don't claim to know it all, I have barely seen the tip of the iceberg. I have a problem where I have to logon when the computer boots, and I have all the settings I can find set for "do not ask for password", but it still asks. I'll find it.

Most of the programs install the same way you are familiar with, click the install file. But I have one program, that I need to install by "running a terminal" which I haven't figured out how to do yet.

Windows is super screwed up, I think everyone agrees. Windows 2000 was the best Windows ever released, I don't care what anybody says. Windows XP almost was as good, and the most acclaimed, but you inexplicably have to reboot XP every week or so. (Windows 2000 would run forever and never need a reboot). Windows Vista sucks, non usable in general and NOT approved for business. (I got rid of Vista immediately, and went back to XP.)

We got ripped off being forced to buy Vista, now Vistas flaws pressure us to spend more buying Windows 7. How much is Windows 7? Too freakin much.

The problems I have with Ubuntu are minor, caused by me not knowing the system yet. Overall, Ubuntu is very good and it's free! Since I installed it, I haven't missed Windows. I have never yet had to go to a Windows computer to do something I couldn't do with Ubuntu.

79686

Happy New Year!

Last night we had a New Years Eve Party. It was good, with about 30 people.
We went to bed at 3AM, I set the alarm for 6:15, and reset it for 6:45 when it went off. I am diving this morning and have to leave in a few minutes, just guzzling a little coffee.
We have lots of food left over, including an untouched cheesecake!