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Wednesday, July 28th, 2004
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1:17 pm - SCUBA Certified
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This past weekend, July 24 and 25, 2004, I finished my Open Water SCUBA Certification.
Saturday was a simple and interesting day. The location of our first two dives was at the Frederick W Day located about 15 miles off of the coast of Charleston, SC. This particular wreck is a freighter "which sank in 1914 with a cargo of cement bags that soon hardened to form the base of a 200-foot-long reef. It's a beginner-friendly site that tops out at 40 feet and hits a max depth of 54 feet."
The seas on this day were fairly calm but we still had two folks end up getting seasick. Once under the water, all of us were in fine shape though. I wish I could have seen more of this artificial reef, but alas, the purpose of the dives were to perform my underwater skills; mask clearing, regulator recovery, etc.
Sundy was a much more exciting day for a number of reasons. The first one was that the seas were much rougher than the day before. In fact, that day was an apparently rough day for diving. Fortunately, nobody got seasick. There were some green faces, but no "fish food". The location for this particular dive day was the Charleston 60. The Charleston 60 is located in 60 feet of water is a 200+ foot barge containing various items, including, from what I am, missle casings.
By far this was a much cooler site to dive. The visibility was better, the current was a great, and the wreck looked like a wreck. Our first dive of the day had us do some more skills, such as mask removal. It was pretty uneventful. We did get to circle the wreck some, but not for too long. It took us a while to get to the bottom with our group and we quickly ran low on air.
The second dive was far superior. My dive partner and I did our underwater navigation and then we were able to go off on our own now that we had completed our training. Annemarie (the SO) was waiting for us and the three of us started to circle around the eastern side of the wreck. That is when the very very large school of fish swam overhead of us. From underwater, it looked just like a cloud had blocked out the sun. They were just hanging out, probably looking at us as much as we were looking at them. It is fascinating how they shift around our bubbles too! I also came across a very large conch shell but I left it be.
That is what my SCUBA diving wish is all about. Getting down there and seeing what I can't see from the surface. I'm hoping to go out again very soon.
If you are interested in SCUBA, then checkout Charleston SCUBA. That is where I went to get trained and that group did a very good job with us on the charter.
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| Friday, July 25th, 2003
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4:09 pm - Scratch that last one!
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I got both IMAPS and Openwebmail to work together. No new web client. All is good!
current mood:  happy
current music: Anberlin - Cold War Transmissions
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3:37 pm - Icewalker Has IMAPS
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Today has been an interesting day. Today, I took my web server, file server, database server, and room heater, and installed an IMAPS server on it today. Now I can take all of my mail from work and "store" it on a remote site. I'm kind of bummed because my webmail client isn't quite compatible but I'll get around that soon enough. :-) Gotta love Debian!
current mood:  determined
current music: The Kry - All Over Again
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| Tuesday, July 22nd, 2003
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4:56 pm - Another Good End to a Day
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Well it started off bad, but today ended well. With 674 fields, and 3,936 records, I was able to import all of this text data into a mysql database. There were a few snags along the way but thanks to vi, regex, a command line, and a way cool database in the form of mysql, this didn't take nearly as long as I thought it would! So I'm happy! With all this extra free time on my hands now, I may go play golf! :-)
Nah, Tribes 2 baby!!!
current mood:  jubilant
current music: Evanescence - Haunted
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3:45 pm - Another /. Post rejected.
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With all of the hoopla lately about Copyright, Pirates, the RIAA, and Congress, I decided to rant a bit on my livejournal. So here I was in my usual coding mood, jamming out to Live's latest album, ogg of course, and all I could think was, "I wish they weren't an RIAA band." Then it hit me, why aren't CD's marked as RIAA affiliated works? I mean, if part of the money I'm paying is going to the RIAA, shouldn't I know this? If you ask me, I think some of our legislators should force the issue as well! That way, we, the people, can know for sure if the CD is really an RIAA CD. And that way, it's easier to boycott the CD, the RIAA, and the artist without having to carry a list in our back pockets everywhere we go. It's easy to boycott Wal-Mart because you can't miss the behemoths taking up all that land. But it's not so easy to boycott an RIAA CD. And the online world should be able to mark these for us easily!
What does the US, or world, think of this idea?
current mood:  amused
current music: Anberlin - Foreign Language
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| Monday, July 21st, 2003
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5:54 pm - Multiple Mood Monday
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I need a way to put more than 1 mood on this thing.
Anyway, after fighting for like three days with this really old, really crappy, really outdated, older than dirt, database done in FoxPro (ie 16bit app), I finally got the data in a form that will work. As in auto-magically it will work. Everytime! Well, I hope everytime. Who records a time in 08:10a format anyway? Where's the all important m???
So the job is finished. The script is completed! It shall run from now until eternity every 10 minutes pumping out an ical 2.0 compliant file! :-)
$ uptime
--> 17:45:29 up 320 days, 3:00, 2 users, load average: 1.00, 1.00, 1.00
current mood:  accomplished
current music: Evanescence - Taking Over Me
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| Sunday, July 20th, 2003
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11:05 pm - Rise Against the Tide!
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With all this broo-ha-ha (is that a word) on the Internet about
DirecTV suing just about everybody
The RIAA suing folks for their life savings
Runaway Bought Nonrepresentative Representatives
P2P networks coming under fire
And more laws that only reiterate already existing laws (isn't GW Bush the head of the Enforcement arm of the Government?)
I figured I would chime in with some questions, an analysis, and some advice! So go get a beer, this one should be good!
Firstly, let me see if I can get some facts straight. Sometime during the late 1970's, the Entertainment Industry got into this huge tizzy about Videocassete Recorders, specifically the BetaMax and wanted them outlawed. Essentiallly, the giants would say, "You're stealing our stuff because you can now time shift and not watch our commercials. Besides, you need to watch when we want you to watch! Don't touch that dial!" But lo and behold, this case went all the way to the Supreme Court of these here United States and those grumpy old men (sorry fellas) said in not so many words, "Go Home!" No, really, they said, and I quote, "It's not a good idea for copyright owners to have an effective veto over new, evolving technologies, since they will often try to suppress those technologies to protect their monopolies." Whoaaa! Somebody help me off the floor! Now that is what I call a groundbreaking statement!
Needless to say, because of the Supreme Court's forsight, you and I and the rest of the world can record TV shows on our VCR's and create a closet full of archived material that none of us will ever watch again. But the nifty thing is, the very technology that the giants tried to squash into oblivion has done nothing but pad their pockets! So ... Uh ... What happened?
Now, onward a few years to the Internet Age. Here we are again, same ole story, different times, and definitely different technology. But basically the same premise. And should I add that corporate america is suing the pants off of every one of it's customers instead of each other this time! You know, I seem to recall a phrase that went something like, "Those who forget history are doomed .... yada yada yada".
Technology today makes the 80's (enter the CD) look like the 70's (Disco) and we all know how bad that is! Today, EVERYTHING is digital and with bandwidth coming out of our ears, it's so easy to make the digital dream available to anybody. I mean it's like the 60's all over again except this time the commune is the Internet! I mean come on, I have a web site sitting in my bedroom, it's so easy! And I'm all about sharing man!! Grroooovy!!
Anyway, back to my point. I guess the question to ask is this, is it legal to record a TV Show? Yes, I know everybody does it, but is it truly legal? I think if I were to ask Jack Valenti of the MPAA, he would say,"No!". But that's just my opinion! I'm not sure what his stance on this question would be! Maybe he will email me or post a comment and let me know.
But, let's assume for a second that recording a television program IS LEGAL since I know of no specific law prohibiting me from doing so ... yet. And this is probably a good thing because my Mother has like every single episode of Airwolf on VHS. Go Pirate Mom! Anyway, now that I have all of these eps on VHS tape, what's stopping me from converting it to something ... um ... more modern? I can use current technology to transfer that recording to a digital format. And that format could be a VCD, SVCD, DVD, AVI, MOV, whatever!
So Jack Valenti, am I still legal? Hmmm, maybe I shouldn't ask him. So folks, am I still legal? Just remember, as far as we know there is no law that says I can't record a show. And keep in mind that I haven't distributed anything!! I've only made an SVCD for archival purposes. So I can only assume that this recently made SVCD is still legal for me to own. Should it matter that it's digital vs analog? Now I can watch Airwolf from my DVD player on my HDTV! Yeah Baby Yeah!
Well if it is legal for me to make my own SVCD, then why is it ILLEGAL for me to download the same thing? Or is it? Hmmm, kind of makes you wonder doesn't it. The MPAA definitely says it is illegal and I must admit, that there is a certain, oh I don't, a crossing of the line. But these television shows were broadcast in the clear (no I don't mean Sopranos) and I can watch them and record them, and make an SVCD of them, including Sopranos. So why can't I just dowload it??? Better yet, why don't you Corporate Types make it available for download anyway? I'll write about that idea later!!!
Math lesson! My whole theory stands on the case that of if a=b and b=c then a=c. But apparently the law courts don't work that way, but we already knew the law courts (and our elected representatives) weren't logical anyway.
And what about MP3's (actually I prefer OGG)? I have ... carry the 3 ... carry the 5, oh I give up, something like 40 kg worth of music CD's sitting in boxes. I have so many that I can't store them all in those crappy CD racks that music stores try to sell us. All of these CD's were legally purchased by the way! And since I own the CD (or do I?) why can't I have an mp3 as well? What if I am too lazy, or just don't have the technology to make my own mp3 or ogg! Is it illegal for me to download a song that I already have on CD? Hmmm, I do believe that certain folks would say, "Yes!" This could get interesting with all the lawsuits out there now! Did the folks have a legal version already?
But what about this new copy protection technology (give me a break)? Thanks to the DMCA, our Not-So-Representing Elected Officials have made it illegal for me to make my own! Fair Use is a moot point it would seem. But why is it now illegal for me to make my own mp3 to put on my Rio or to have on my computer while I work for 8 hours a day? If the CD is copy protected, I am literally being told how I can listen to this music! Is that right? Should I be told what I can and can't do with music I bought?
And what happens if the cops raid my place when Jack reads this? What happens when they find all of those SVCDs? All of those MP3's and OGG's that I have made? Well, if you ask Jack Valenti or the RIAA, "That boy is just a no good pirate stealing from the poor hungry mouths of the arists! He should be incarcerated and the key thrown away! And while we are at it, we are going to take all his stuff and raid his bank accounts too!"
"But you can fight them in court," you may say! Yeah right! The average Joe American (that's you and me) doesn't have the money to fight these guys in court. It's all about who can afford the lawyers now! And the RIAA and the MPAA are banking on that. It's an intimidation factor and they are literally scaring people into their way of thinking! "Our Way or JAIL! No compromises! Oh and we get to the change the rules when we want!"
Well, jail it is I suppose. But we are not talking Minimum Security here. No No! A Cybercrime gets you up there with the big boys, the murderers, the rapists, the serial killers! Regardless of right or wrong, I will more than likely get the book thrown at me even though I haven't technically or literally broken any laws. Kind of a funky little country we have here I think.
And our president, well don't even get me started on him. He is after all in charge of the Executive Branch of the Government. It's his duty to make sure existing laws are enforced. But since they are not, the Corporations are screaming for more. And he's not opposed to it either. He's just one more person to worry about. He likes big corporations! The bigger the better! They have more money for contributions! Hmmmmm, any corporation that has the power of the RIAA and the MPAA should be feared! Any person who wants even larger "Big Business" should be feared!
Remember folks, the Constitution will soon read .... "Of the Corporation, For the Corporation, and By the Corporation!" Get used to it!
Or you can be like me! Get up you couch potato and Fight Back!!!
First, quit watching so much TV! Quit buying RIAA sanctioned music CD's! Quit going to the movies! Yeah I know. It's tough! But think about it! There are nothing but reruns, regurgitated boy bands, and sequels out there anyway! Want good music? Go to a bar, amphitheater, or what not, and support your local bands. Want a movie, look in that closet and find something you already bought! Want real entertainment, just go out and people watch. People are funny!!!
The only CD's I buy now are from Indie Groups who don't have anything to do with the RIAA! I would bet you that that is where the 5-10% of the RIAA business is going anyway! Of course, they will never admit that because reporting that statistic would undermine their desire to control the industry. And you'll never see this in Congress, "No Mr. Chairman. Our sales are not down because of P2P file sharing. Our product is crap and the American people have decided to buy better quality stuff from their local artists instead." Hehehehe!
The control that these media groups has is called a Monopoly and the last time I looked that WAS ILLEGAL ... for now anyway. Give them a bit more time, a bit more contributed money, and Congress will pass enough laws to allow their little monopoly to be used to crush the Indie groups too! Pretty soon, blank CD's will be taxed to pad their pockets even further. And for no good reason!!! Remember, everything, the industry, your mind, your time, has got to be their way! Copy protected CD's are just the beginning! Suing the American Public is just the beginning!
The Elected Representatives ... well they will continue to turn a blind eye to the wrongs being committed by large corporations against the people of this country as long as the contributions continue to roll in! But they can't collect those contributions if they are not in office! So I urge all people, to take a good look at your Elected Representatives. Scrutinize any legislation they approve of! Write to them everyday if you have to! If they don't listen, make them listen! The Elected Representatives of this country can be removed from office if they fail to serve the people who put them there!!!! THE PEOPLE HAVE THE FINAL SAY!!!
"FOR THE PEOPLE, OF THE PEOPLE, AND BY THE PEOPLE!" That's You! That's Me! Take back what is yours!
current mood:  irritated
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| Saturday, July 19th, 2003
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10:33 pm - It's Here, It's Here!
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Today, my passport arrived. "Yay, his passport arrived! Yay!" Exactly 9 days after dropping off the paper work at the East Bay Post Office! Now that is fast!!!
current mood: jubilant
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| Friday, July 18th, 2003
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4:37 pm - Just Because
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Don't ask me why, but I'm in a really really foul mood today. It could be some emails I have received lately. It could be my job. It could be that friggin jack hammer beating on the concrete in our building, thus reverberating throughout the entire structure. Or it could just be that today is friday and I feel like I have way too much work to do and I will most likely end up doing some over the weekend.
current mood: irritated
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| Wednesday, July 16th, 2003
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9:53 pm - The Icewalker Cometh!
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So I'm a gaming nut. I admit it! There I said it! What kind of geek on the edge would I be if I didn't do the gaming scene?!
My latest game of choice has been my old game of choice ... Tribes 2. Yup, I'm the same Icewalker that fragged you the other day. I'm the same Icewalker that stuck a mortar up your ... well you get the point. But lately, I have been disappointed. In a word ... noobs! There have been just a few too many noobs on the servers lately. I mean, some guy actually asked us what team he was on! Paaaleeeaaaazzeeee! And with all the noobs, I just can't seem to accomplish my goal of ultimate destruction in the gaming world that I'm so desperately trying to avoid in the real world. UH, OK, maybe I should come back to reality.
So anyway, I just spent a hour or so creating some mayhem on a Seige Server, thorougly enjoying myself except for the noobs that don't understand strategy! I mean, come on. This is not just another first person shooter we are talking about here! Peeps have roles. Peeps have duties! Communication is essential. Lack of communication means defeat! When the pros are in there playing, we seige the fortress in like less than 4 minutes. Tonight, we couldn't get past the first obstacle in 4 minutes. -=*SIGH*=- Maybe I'll have better luck next time.
That's about all I had to say. Another hour wasted! Gotta love it.
current mood:  devious
current music: Starfield - Over My Head
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4:23 pm - What The ????
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So I'm all freaked out because I received some praise today! Not once, not twice, but like 4 times. I think people were afriad I may go "Postal" soon. Even after my vacation. Definitely was in a "Postal" mood before that trip.
And to all of my Postal Workers out there! I think you are doing a great job and keep up the good work! No offense on the "Postal" stereotype!
current mood:  surprised
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| Tuesday, July 15th, 2003
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3:23 pm - My First Journal Entry
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Well what can I say ... I've joined the rest of the plugged-in world. I've Kicked! I've Screamed! I've gouged out the eyeballs of the infamous "THEY"! And yet, I'm still here! I'm officially plugged in! -=*SIGH*=-
I did try to fight it. I have been a computer weenie for years ... add the 3 carry the one ... yup about 13 years now! That of course doesn't include my Apple IIe, may it rest in peace. In the second beginning the Great God Gates looked out upon the motherboard of creation and said unto me, "Learn DOS you bozo"! Quite a few dir's, format's and copy's later, the Great God Gates revealed unto me, Winblows, Oh I mean Windows 3.1! {Sorry your lordship}. And boy did I love paint! Don't believe me? --> see this! Yup, I was a paint weenie! But life was good! Why should it matter that there was better software for doing my chemistry homework on a MacIntosh than on my dearly divined Windows 3.1!!! What did it matter that before, I could click and drag, before I learned DOS. This is WINDOWS! It has to be better!
And so life was getting good. But for a moment, my faith wavered as I ventured into Graduate School and found myself sitting in front of that oh so lovely SGI IRIX machine with it's humongous 21" Monitor! "Oooooh, Windows doesn't have this", I proclaimed! But the God Gates heard me and as my faith was near the breaking point, he gave unto me, Windows 95! "Please forgive me my Master! For I have swayed from the path of righteousnous and fell to temptation! I humble myself before thee!"
Forgave me he did. {Insert your own Yoda voice if you choose}
For years, I didn't look back for I feared my Master! I was content (I told myself). I had my Windows (I told myself). I had my Paint! Yeah Baby Yeah, Paint! And I still had my fast Pentium 100 with 17" Monitor and 1.6 Gig hard drive! Life was good!!!
Then an epiphany of such large proportions, not unlike that of a comet smacking you at 30,000 mph, hit me square in my little eyeballs! I had seen the light, and it was RED! RED HAT LINUX that is! That inconspicuous little box. I don't know. Something deep inside made me buy! To attempt to play. To attempt to veer from my path! For the path was worn and crowded and I longed for the open spaces!
And how can I described the jubilation of seeing that oh so wild interface, reminiscent of my IRIX days. And all of my old goodies from Graduate School! Pine, oh how I missed you! vi, where have you been? How I have missed you all.
And as the thunder boomed, The great God Gates tried to smite me with Windows 98! But alas, I had resisted! No more Paint! No more Office! No more viruses! For now, I am FREE!!!!
Oh wait ... dangit ... I just realized I have plugged myself in! Oh! Uh! But! Hmmm! Where is the freedom in this again?
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icewalker's journal
