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  • A Belated Thanksgiving

        I'm sure there are thousands of blogs out there listing the many things their authors have to be thankful for. Some, I'm sure, are thankful for their possessions, however few or many they may be. Others may be thankful for things that are not tangible like love, happiness, and a slue of of other feelings, I'm sure. In my situation, however, giving thanks for just about anything may perhaps be more difficult than for others due to the number of downturns my life has taken over the past year. I am, however, the type of person who's every lesson has been learned the hard way, and this past year has been a very humbling experience and has brought to light the many things I do have to be thankful for.

        Although you'll probably see family at the top of everyone else's "sincerely written" list, I have to say that being a part of the norm is no problem for me in this situation. I've always appreciated my family, and I've always been thankful to have one knowing there are people out there who can't say they do. It was when I left home to live life in the outside world for myself that I came to fully understand how important my family is to me, and how truly thankful I am to have them. Without the love and support they've given me over the past 23 years, I wouldn't be the man I am today. Furthermore, had they not been there for me over this past year I would be in much worse shape than I am now. To my parents, my brother, and all my relatives, a sincere thank you is the least I can offer.

       To double the fun of this immensely cliche list, I would like to make friends my second bullet point. Whether we become totally different people, or just try our best to appear normal while keeping our values in line, we all change slightly when our family's not around. This "alternate lifestyle", for lack of a better description, is that which we share with our friends. When our family members just don't understand how we're feeling or why, it's our friends that we go to knowing they'll be there for us like the second family they are. To all my friends, both online and at home, thank you all for being there for me in every way possible. You guys are the best.

        Family and friends. Both deserve so much thanks that in comparison nothing else even belongs on the list. There's an infinite amount of people out there who aren't as richly blessed as you are, no matter what your situation. Please, take a moment to consider the many things you have to be thankful for. With enough searching, I guarantee you'll find that you're much better off than it seems.

  • If the internet weren't around, what would you do with your time instead?

    I'd make every attempt to create the internet. What would life be like without Xanga?

       

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  • HA! It's mod time!

     My internet keeps crapping out (like, 3-5 times a day) and my router is always really really hot. I came up with the solution! (I hope) Here's a pic:
     
    Linksys Mod
     
    Addition (edit): I posted this real quick while I was on my way out the door for work last night, which is why there isn't much explination. My internet is CONSTANTLY dying. My modem dies all the time, and since most of my games are in Steam, which requires an internet connection, this poses a serious problem. I've noticed in the past that when the internet dies and I have to unplug my modem and my router for 30 seconds, that my router is quite hot to the touch. For a long time I've wanted to break it open and install a waterblock on the board in hopes that it might stay cool. Since these routers are always dying, I've purchased several of them over the years (hoping that getting a new one would fix the problem) and have a few extras still laying around. I grabbed an extra, and searched for a seam in the plastic for a good 15 minutes. After noting that these things are virtually indestructable, I decided to bust out the drill and mount an old 80mm case fan on top. There's a grid of tiny holes on the top and bottom of the router, and the grid is in the shape of a square that's exactly the right size for the fan to sit on. So I busted out my drill, very carefully punched four holes in the top, and screwed the fan into them. I worked last night, and I just woke up, so I'm not sure if the internet has died in the past 18 hours, but it's running right now (obviously). I'll post about the lasting effect later sometime, if I remember. Thanks for commenting, ~Josh

  • What's on your Christmas list?

        I'm a Christian. Christmas is about God and His message of giving is central to my Christmas activities, because in God's eyes giving is better than receiving. My Christmas wish list is as follows:

    1. Jobs for the Unemployed. Over the past few years, millions of people have lost their jobs due to the current economic state. I've gone from working 12 hour shifts 3-4 days a week, to working 8 hour shifts 5 days a week, and over 200 people will be laid off next year. I can't imagine the pain these people are going to face. I lost a lot of hours, and a lot of money with the switch to 8 hour shifts from 12 hour shifts, and my income is barely covering my bills which has been a very stressful transition, but every day I thank God I still have a job.

    2. Homes for the Homeless. Not only is the unemployment rate at an all time high (and still growing), but there are also millions of people who have lost their homes. My apartment is tiny, too small for the four of us that live here, but at least we have a place to call home. If I could I would invite as many affected people as I could fit to live here with me so that they might be able to share in the luxury of having a roof over their heads.

    3. Food for the Hungry. Losing hours and income has sincerely fractured my diet. Over the past few months I've lost almost 25 pounds, which puts me at 6'0", 143lbs. I'm making just enough to cover bills, and have been getting my groceries from the food shelf. With the unemployment and foreclosure rates skyrocketing alongside grocery prices, there's no doubt in my mind that there are millions of people out there who can't afford to feed their families, and are far worse off than me. In going from living at home and eating three good meals a day to living on my own and eating very little has been a very humbling experience. Don't take a single thing for granted, because there are people out there that can't afford even the little things. Thank God for your food, and keep these hungry people in your thoughts and prayers as if you were one of them.

    4. Gas for those who need it. I would like to add this one to this list, because I just went out to defrost my car and noticed that I'm out of gas. I remember the days when I would complain about how much it was costing to fill my tank, but now, even though gas prices are back to where they were before people started complaining, I don't have any money to put gas in my car. Losing money at work has really shown me some of the things I take for granted, and it's been a truely humbling experience. People need gas to get back and forth to work, and there are some people out there, like me, who just can't afford it.

        So before you go asking for everything in sight, and/or getting angry because there was a 5 minute wait on your McNuggets, take a moment to consider the condition of a good bit of Americans in this financial crisis.

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  • Should Big Tobacco start adopting the 30 kids who lose their moms to Tobacco daily? Why or why not?

    If "Truth" is so concerned about it, maybe they should start adopting the kids.

       

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  • Bandwagon Post: 5 Random Facts

    Well, I've been tagged multiple times to do this "5 Random Facts About You" post, so here goes.
     
    1. I'm Conservative (that means republican): How often have you heard that republicans are a bunch of rich, white, gun-toting, racists? Well, I may be white but I'm far from rich, I sold my gun on Craigslist a few months ago because I needed the cash (and I never really used it), I'm as far from rich as it gets, and I'm the only person I know who understands that the vast majority of the racists in this country are black (and/or liberal). Since this is a fun post and not a serious one (the kind of post I usually shy away from) I'm not going to get into it any further.
     
    2. I'm Christian: Anyone who reads my blog, even just once in a while, knows that God is a very important part of my life. I have written several bible centered posts, one of which was "featured" on Revelife (if you wanna call it "featured"), and I'm happy to share my beliefs with anyone who's interested. Not interested? It's your life and I respect your beliefs in the same way I want you to respect mine.
     
    3. I'm a mad [computer] scientist: There's nothing more rewarding than piecing together a computer one part at a time and watching as it fires up perfectly once it's put together. If I could have any job I wanted, it would be building computers the same way OCC builds motorcycles. Totally custom built case, wicked tricked out inards, lights, bells and whistles. I've seen some CRAZY mods out there, and I would like nothing more than to assemble a team of nerds and make it an art, much like OCC has done.
     
    4. I work nights: Many of you already know this story, but I work 12 hour nights (due to the crappiness of the economy, however, we're currently working 8 hour nights) making 55 gallon blue barrels. You know, the ones you see keeping docks afloat, or being used as garbage cans in parks and at fairs? Yea. That's not what they're made for, but most companies only use them once and then sell them to the city to recycle. They're actually used to house chemicals that are sensitive to air, water, leaking, what have you. So the next time you go to lick the inside of that big blue garbage can, think about what was in it before the Hefty bag.
     
    5. I play more video games than the average child: As I mentioned, I'm a mad [computer] scientist. I custom built a very expensive, top of the line PC for one reason: Crysis. That's right, my computer wasn't up to spec to run the game (much like everybody elses) so I took my $3000 tax rebate check and headed to NewEgg.com. $2500+ later, I had it, and it runs Crysis on "ultra high" settings. And everything else I throw at it, too!
     
    Well, that's five. I'll do the world a favor and skip the tagging. I've been tagged twice now, so I'm sure everyone else on Xanga has been tagged about this, too. I'll spare you. You're welcome. :) ~Josh

  • Oops...

    Against the advice of my better judgement, aka Rachel (my girlfriend), I overclocked most of my computer (as I mentioned in my last post) and I ended up pushing it too far, and pushing it incorrectly. When I realized that the blue screen of death was prepared for an epic battle, I fought with everything I had just to regain the freedom my computer once had. After several hours, the blue screen was defeated, and THEBOMB was liberated (that's the name of my computer, if you know what that means), and those left alive could finally get some rest after one of the bloodiest battles this world has seen. Of course, after I had pushed it too far, and in the wrong way, I came across the description of my Asus M2N32-SLI Deluxe Wireless Edition motherboard at Asus.com. I read the entire thing, hanging on the suspense of every word. This board is awesome! Oh, what I can do in the BIOS! I read up on each feature, both at Asus.com and all over the places google sent me, and couldn't wait to get home to try it again the easier, and more correct way. This board, as well as my last board (which was a POS), has an automatic overclocking program in the BIOS. Just select AI Overclock to 3%, 5%, 7%, or 10%, and it will automatically up EVERYTHING across the board correctly, and incramentally. I tried this method with my last board, which was an MSI K8T-Neo (which no longer exists), using the D.O.T. (Dynamic Overclocking Technology) program in the BIOS. After running at a blazing 3% faster than normal for 18 hours, it died, never to rise again. When I got a new computer (this one) I read up on this DOT, and found that it was a horrible attempt by MSI to match the features of Asus boards. Now I have an Asus board, I'm all read up on everything about this particular board (including as many EggXpert forum posts as I could find on the subject), I'm much more "in the know" about computers and technology, and I have a FULL understanding of what can and will go wrong if these sorts of things are done wrong. Rignt now, I'm running an AMD 6400+ @ 3.2GHz overclocked to 3.36GHz and I'm upping it with AI Overclock one percentage mark (of those listed) every 12 hours or so. With any luck, things should go my way this time.
     
    CPU-Z 11-12-08

  • I believe I've done it....

    I've overclocked most of my computer. I did some research, in forums and product reviews, of all my computer's components and found their limits and how to get them there. After a few hours of careful upping, I've overclocked both my GPU's, and pushed my memory from 6-6-6-18 to 6-4-4-12. I've downloaded all kinds of system monitoring programs, and noted that my temps (with the newly adjusted fan speeds) are not exceeding 50°C. I'm so excited! My Antec Nine Hundred is probably the most awesome case I've ever used. The fans, the airflow, the sheer awesomeness!! If only I could find words! And this heatsink!! Ohhh!! My CPU temps are around 37°C and only 8-10 degrees higher under full load!!! I might overclock the processor tomorrow, but I'm not sure I need to. It's a 3.2GHz Dual-Core, and that's pretty stinkin' fast as far a processors go. Either way, my system is running FarCry 2 at 75FPS, Crysis at 58FPS, and CS:S at 371.8FPS!!! WOWZA!!! Let me tell you, there's nothing, NOTHING, more rewarding than building your own computer. It's a lot of work, and it takes some serious research, as well as skill, but it is the most fun of all the hobbies I've ever attempted. Give it a try, if you can; you won't regret it.

  • A brief quote (edited)

    When we as a electorate nation give power to a man who has promised to escalate abortion on demand and empower beneath him a liberal, partisan congress that will implement his social agenda into national law without hesitation, we are undoubtedly asking God to make his voice heard and his wrath known in a physically tangible way.  Just as we were left defenseless on September 11th, 2001, so will we be again. This time, however, the devastation will be far, far worse. ~JandJinJapan (edited for coherence by vwagenjetta)

  • The Presidential Pension [edit]

    A President's pension currently is $191,300.00 per
    year, until he is 80 years old.

    Assuming the next president l ives to age 80, Sen.
    McCain would receive ZERO pension as he would reach 80
    at the end of two terms as president.

    Sen. Obama would be retired for 26 years after two
    terms and would receive $4,973,800.00 in pension.
    (read it carefully: $4 Million)

    Therefore, it would certainly make economic sense to 
    vote for McCain today.

    How's that for non-partisan thinking?????