I purchased a new laptop Sunday. After getting home, I began setting it up. Almost immediately, I was notified that it needed to be updated. Approximately two hours later, it downloaded the updates, checked them and started applying them. It was about 85% done when, inadvertently, I pressed the power button and the system powered down.
Honest, I didn’t mean to. It’s kind of the problem with computers. They don’t know if something is intentional or not. I waited a while, and then pressed the button again. The computer started, but not properly. It was about then that I wished I was working with my first computer. It was running on DOS 6.1 and Windows 3.1.
I used to reformat my drive and reload everything once a month. It took a little more than any an hour… and I was working with 3.5 inch floppies. If I didn’t have the latest version of software, it was of little concern.
Of course, I had to start all over with my new laptop. Actually, it was worse than that. Before I could start over, I had to restore the computer to the point it was when it was new. That took about an hour.
When the updates were done, HP decided it needed to update my bios and drivers, so I got busy on that, close to another hour. Then, as per the suggestion of HP, I created a backup copy of my system. By the way, they said I needed a minimum of a 16 GB thumb drive.
Again I wished for the good old days. My hard drive was 40 MB. It meant that the restore volume was more than 32 times bigger than the drive I was running my old system on. Fortunately, there is plenty of room on my new system drive… one TB. I’m not sure how long that will last. I am sure in a decade or two, I might need ten TB. I’m 70 years-of-age now. I likely won’t be around in a decade.
As I sat there watching my system generate the recovery volume, I pondered what all I have gained with my new system. Let’s see. I can now interface with many USB devices. My first system could only directly access 1MB if memory, actually, there was a limit of 640 KB, but there was something of a workaround.
The old system was limited to 8 bits, though my processor was able to run at 16 bits. As mentioned, I can store 1 terabyte. For all practical purposes, it is limitless. My DOS could only access a volume of 32 MB. The rest of the 40 MB had to be formatted as a separate logical volume.
Other than that, there really isn’t that much that I can do with the modern system that I wasn’t able to do with the old one. The fact is… if Windows 98 wasn’t so unstable, I would much rather use it as the new system, even with its limits. The biggest disadvantage of the new system is that the new system keeps trying to take control of my computer. Some might like that, I don’t.
However, there are other real disadvantages of the new system. I would like to format my system disk once a month, or at least every three months. With the current system, that is not practical. It might not even be possible.
As a computer professional, I learned one of the most important things a person should do with a computer is to perform backups on a regular basis. It would appear that Microsoft has gone out of their way to make this difficult if not impossible. At best, I can back up my data. Because of their registry files, backing up individual applications is not possible. This is especially important considering many programs are purchased on line.
(I paid quite a bit for one program. When I went from Windows seven to Windows 10, the program disappeared. It is gone. If I want it again, I will have to again pay for it.)
Maybe one of the most aggravating things with the new systems is that I can no longer write programs in Visual Basic 6. I can write in the newer versions but it is next to impossible to interface to the printers with the later versions of VB. (Even the Pros say as much.) I never wrote anything professionally, but I did write many programs for my personal use. By the way, they don’t work now either. In fact, when I went to Windows 7, I had to give up all my old software. I had to start all over.
I foresee, a big opportunity for the right person. If a person releases a Windows 3.1 look-alike, I will be one of the first in line to buy a copy. Anyone with an once of common sense would join me. We have gone from a system that helps us to a system that needs constant attention. Then too, we are always susceptible to all different kinds of malware. A windows 3.1 type system would not be subject to such things. …and, by the way, I could regain control of my system.
I might have to give up a few bells and whistles. Then again, I survived them before Microsoft took over my system. I think I could survive quite nicely without it all again.
As near as I can tell, it is a big hoax. They claim we need the bigger faster computers to run the software. On the other hand, we need the latest and greatest software to take advantage of the computer’s abilities. In the end, we have gained very little, other than, perhaps a headache.
All together, before I was able to use my new computer, I spent about 30 hours on updates and such. I certainly don’t want to go through this again. Maybe next time, I’ll just get one of those other little Chrome books. From what I understand, the things work right out of the box.
To me, the new systems are one of the greatest hoaxes of the modern era. Sitting, waiting on my new system was all it took to convince me of it. Apparently, I stand alone and I don’t think Microsoft is listening to me.
Well, I now have a spare system. I think I will use it to try out that other operating system, you know, the one that is free, Linux. I’ve kind of wondered about it anyway. Who knows, I might like it enough to replace Windows 10 on my new system and sat good bye to the Microsoft hoax.
Monthly Archives: March 2018
Unbelievable Stories of the Bible
I am now 70 years of age. I find that difficult to believe, until my hip starts acting up or whenever my angina reminds me of my little heart attack. Mostly, I can’t complain. In fact, if I were born a few years earlier, I would not likely have survived the Pneumonia I had when I was three. They would not have had the penicillin and I almost died even with the wonder drug.
At any rate, over the years I have heard my share of unbelief about stories of the Bible. Maybe the one story that most people bring up is the story about Jonah and the whale. (Not that it is that important, but it was a large fish, not a whale.) Actually, if you’ll excuse the pun, I have no problems swallowing that. If God can build the Universe, I imagine He could build a whole school of big fish if He had a mind to.
Actually, I believe all the stories in the Bible, from cover to cover. However, the one I have the most confusion with is the story of Sampson. Really, the man didn’t seem to have a brain in his head. Not only did he not foresee the possibility of Delilah telling her friends, he saw it at least twice and still trusted her. I’m not going to doubt the Word of God, but it still causes me to pause to think what kind of man Sampson was.
Regardless, I have heard them all, reasons for not believing the Bible. Did you know that God caused the earth to stop spinning for a day. It’s true. He can do that. It is even more difficult than you might realize. Can you imagine the sun heating the same side of the earth for 24 hours. Yet God seemed to resolve that problem too. I don’t know how he did that. Maybe he will tell me one day. Right now, I’m not going to concern myself with it.
My point is this, if you don’t want to believe in God, you will always be able to find a reason. Satan has provided you with more than a hand full of excuses. Indeed, I have been mocked for believing the Bible. Many have been mocked far more than me.
Then again, I am sure that they mocked Noah. …until it started raining.
If you don’t want to believe in God, just admit it. Don’t make excuses. I’m not impressed with them. I’ve heard them all. I’ve heard about the starving people in Africa. I’ve seen horrible people live while good people die. It happens. It sure would have been nice if someone killed Hitler, yet he lived and millions died. I don’t try to explain it. I certainly didn’t let it stand in the way of my salvation.
It is, to be sure, a matter of perspective. People who have not accepted Jesus as their Savior have chosen not to believe. It is their choice. It is not based on knowledge or proof. It is, as Paul called the cross, “a stumbling block to the Jews and foolishness to the gentiles (the rest of us). But to those who believe it is the power to become the sons (and daughters of God) ” (slightly paraphrased)
What I am trying to say is this. If you are having trouble believing the stories it is a small thing. If you reject Jesus as your savior, it is something you will regret for eternity. Let’s first get your priorities straight. If you do, you will find that the rest just falls into place. It will open your eyes and you will see things you never saw before and you will understand as you never understood before.
As Jesus said, “Unless a man be born again, he shall not see the Kingdom of God.” Obviously, it does have implications for after physical death, but it also applies to the here and now. Those who are born again (accept Jesus as their Savior) are immediately granted limited spiritual sight.
A Suggested Amendment
I have two ideas for amendments to The Constitution. In fact, they are so basic that I don’t know why they were left out of the original writing. I believe in requiring all bills to be read aloud before any vote on it. Maybe an exception can be made if 3/4 of the members vote to bypass the reading. It has two advantages. First, all the bills would be read and the bills would be much smaller.
Second, we should require a person to be able to read and comprehend at a sixth grade level before they would be eligible to vote in any election. It just might make a difference in the outcome of the vote, but it sure would improve our schools.
I would like to require a high school diploma, but coming up with objective national standards for diplomas would be difficult. Besides, there might be a tendency to fudge on the grades some.
A Word in Favor of Amazon Paperbacks
When I finally figured out how to get my books on paperback, I have been busy reformatting them and getting them set up.
I must admit I was very surprised by the quality of the books. The covers are nice and the paper is good quality, not newsprint. The binding is almost as good as a hardcover. As near as I can tell, with proper care the books ought to last a very long time.
So, for those that prefer reading on paper, you might want to consider ordering Amazon printed books. I suspect that they are slightly more expensive, but the quality more than makes up for it.
I would suggest this, even if you chose to read books by some other author. You would do well to order at least one, just to see what I mean.
Now I must get back to getting my next one ready for the press. Of the thirty-five books I’ve written, I am not yet half done.
Just in case you would like to see the books I’ve written, just put this URL in your browser. My books are not perfect or believable, but they are fun and maybe a little thought provoking.
Controllers and Floaters
The following is the premise of a group of my books about a group of people called floaters and another group called controllers. While neither group really exists, I do believe there are people who like to control other people. Some were called kings, some emperors, pharaohs, etc, they do their best to take control of all the world. They are also on a smaller scale. Some are politicians, some are businessmen, some lawyers. In the previous post, the controllers are the communists. Unfortunately, those protecting the Vietnamese gave up and let the communists come in and take control.
In the world I’ve created in my books, the controllers have natural enemies. They are called floaters. After you have read the below premise, you might decide you want to visit my little world. I think it is better than the real one. If only floaters were real. Maybe then, we would not have health care systems that require women to be covered for prostrate cancer. We would not require men to be covered for miscarriages.
The following is an excerpt from the foreword in the book, “Wolf.”
————————————————————————
There are controllers in this world. They are part of a large organization that want to control the world as well as each other. Some go into business and use the business laws to take control. Some go into politics. Others simply linger in the background and provide backing for those who are willing to do their bidding.
Though controllers use various methods and though they compete viciously with each other, they will unite in a minute for one purpose, to kill floaters. The floaters are the only people who can stop them from reaching their goals. As long as one floater lives, they know they cannot achieve world dominance.
For this reason, they will stop at nothing to kill any floater. For this reason, floaters must work quietly. They must never reveal who they are. If they do, they know that they will be hounded by the controllers until they are dead.
Not all controllers know about floaters. It is something they keep within the higher ranks. It would seem contrary to their desire to destroy the floaters, but if the floaters were revealed to the public, the controllers would also reveal themselves. If they and their purposes were revealed, it would make their goals unattainable.
—————————————————————————
Unfortunately, there are no floaters. At least some of us must take up our cause and fight for our freedom every day. If we don’t, the controllers will take it from us. They have already attacked our freedom of speech, religion and the right to use weapons to protect ourselves.
Most of us are like the farmer in my previous post. We are completely oblivious to the fact that the controllers, the real ones are after our freedom. One day we will wake up and find we are under the control of a controller who calls himself, president. He will take control by promising us free food, housing and phones.
For those that would like to browse my author’s page, simply enter the following URL in your browser.
One Farmer
While in Vietnam one day, I was in a truck. I wasn’t the only one in the truck. I guess there were about 14 of us. However, I was likely the only one who took note of a farmer in his field up to his knees in water. My guess is that he was harvesting his rice crop, but I don’t know.
Now, why would I take note of this farmer and what makes me write about him? After all, it was decades ago. Most people would have forgotten about the man a long time ago.
The fact is, the farmer was completely oblivious to what all was going on around him. He was too busy just trying to survive. There was one group of people who wanted to take control of his life, his and all those around him. Then there were those of us who were trying to protect him from the communists.
It is conceivable that someone might have told him, but he likely had no interest in it. First, he likely didn’t truly understand. Second, he likely felt he couldn’t do anything one way or the other. Third, he likely didn’t look far beyond the next day. It is hard to think politics when you have a wife and a couple of children who are facing starvation in the next few days.
Besides these two groups, there was another group, very far removed from Vietnam. They had goals too. They wanted an end to the war in Vietnam. They had little interest in the farmer or what might happen to him. I am sure the protesters are proud of what they did.
So it was, in a short time, the decision was made to withdraw. Decades later, I talked to a pilot who flew for the Vietnamese Air Force. When he left his country, he was flying a C-130 (a large cargo plane) that was overloaded and people were falling off the rear door as he went to the runway. Somehow, I suspect that the war protesters cared little about them either, or those who died at sea trying to escape the communists.
Today, I often think about that farmer I saw. I wonder what happened to him. I suspect he lost his farm, though he was likely required to continue working it. It’s the sort of thing the communists do.
On the other hand, he might have been one of the million or so that were killed by the communists. If he objected about them taking over his farm, it is the sort of thing they might have done.
…and, of course, the war protesters are really happy they prevailed.
I had no desire to go to Vietnam. I even had one year of exemption for college. I must admit, I was afraid. (That’s right, I was a scared marine) Fortunately, I spent my tour mostly at Da Nang air base. There were still some nights we were scared enough to go running for the bunker.
There is, however, but one thing I truly regret, that I was never able to help that farmer. After all, most of us would die without the farmers.
(Please note, this and the next post are loosely related. If you like this one, you might like the next.)
A Little Irritant
THE AR-15 IS NOT AN AUTOMATIC WEAPON!! It fires one bullet each time the trigger is pulled. That means it is semi-automatic. There are many who seem to have other ideas. It would be very nice if anyone reading this would tell others.
Some people who consider themselves experts on guns get it wrong continually, some within the government, some who teach in our universities.
As a Marine I qualified with the M-16 two years. I carried one in Vietnam for almost a year. I do know the difference between the AR-15 and the M-16. The M-16 has a three position selector: safe, semi-automatic and automatic. …and by the way, it and all automatic weapons are already illegal. The is no need to pass a law to make them illegal. The AR-15 looks the same as an M-16, but the selector has only safe and semi-automatic.
I know not many will read this. So please tell your family, friends and neighbors. You might tell your college professors too. There is no sense them remaining ignorant of the facts. Then again, they might already know. They might prefer the distortion of the facts just to sound more alarming. I have known them to do such things.
Thou Shalt Not Steal
I know there are all kinds of illegal robbery going around. I even had a would be thief walk into my house one night with a .45. Fortunately, he decided to leave when our two big dogs confronted him.
However, I would suspect, maybe, a bigger problem might be legal robbery. It happens all the time. We read about it in the papers and we hear about it on the radio. From time to time, a story is even on the TV. Someone robs someone and no one can do a thing. The theft is completely within the law.
I can’t prove it, but I have heard that legal theft is not new. In the day that our Savior walked this earth, there were lawyers who accepted fees from widows in the hope they would receive help. The lawyer provided very little help and abandoned her the moment her money ran out.
The priests refused to accept a sheep for sacrifices because of defects. However, they did accept the lamb and money in exchange for a lamb that was acceptable. Of course, everyone knew that the acceptable sheep was acquired from a man, maybe the day before, and the sheep the priest received in payment would be sold to a man in a day or two.
Only Temple currency was permitted for offering at the Temple. Naturally, there were money changers at the Temple that could take in any form of currency, in exchange for Temple currency. Naturally, for this, they took exorbitant fees.
The only time I know of where Jesus became somewhat violent was when he chased the thieves from His Temple, as he said, “You have made My Father’s House a den of thieves.” Because of this, regardless of anything else, we know that there were thieves in the Temple. We also know that it was likely legal thievery. Otherwise, they would have been tossed in prison. Instead they stole right out in open sight.
In the story of The Good Samaritan, Jesus also spoke of thieves that used force. However, I get the impression he hated the legal thieves more than those who used force. This is especially true for those who stole in His Father’s Name.
In the operetta by Gilbert and Sullivan, “The Pirates of Penzance,” the pirate king says he is more honest than the businessman. When he hoists The Jolly Roger, everyone knows what he is about. The businessman hides behind his nice suit and respectability and steals even more than the pirate.
Indeed, history is full of those who have used their offices or businesses to steal. Unfortunately, most of these have succeeded. They never went to prison. To this day, some are still respected. I am not going to go through all I know. It would take a book.
Let me just mention a few. Jackson stole land from the Indians. His picture is on the twenty-dollar bill. Many, after The Civil War, went down into the south to plunder. Lincoln tried to stop this but was assassinated. The pole tax and literacy laws grew from this. The KKK was not formed to kill the Blacks, but to stop the carpetbaggers. Eventually, the ransacking resulted in the “Solid South.”
Speaker of the House Hastert made a really great land deal because of inside info. Most of us would have gone to jail for that, or at least paid a big fine. There is no telling how much thievery the Clintons were involved in. Many congressional members made millions off of books that were never read. It is a left-handed method of bribery. The Bible has much to say about that (bribery) as well. Maybe, a few of you remember the house post office and banking system. (Eventually, that did end in the incarceration of one man, though hundreds were guilty.)
Perhaps the most prevalent form of legal thievery is welfare. This is where perfectly healthy man or woman draws money under the guise of inability to earn money. In truth they steal, not only from the feds, but, in truth, from people who really need welfare. This they with clear conscience because, by George, it’s legal. Moreover, there are some in the federal government that encourage such activity. Indeed, the bureaucracy depends on the welfare system; so they encourage the robbery, knowing it is dishonest. They are all members of a den of thieves and they know it.
May I use my imagination for just a moment? What would happen if all of a sudden the Lord took all those who actually work for living from this country. I think, possibly, we are talking major panic. However, if one day, people in this country get tired of working so that others can sit on their tails doing nothing, they, those who do the work, just might stop working. The effect would be the same.
The fact is thievery is thievery no matter what euphemisms you put on it. Those that steal are thieves and those that encourage them are just as guilty. Whether it is done at the point of a knife or as the result of some land grab, the thieves will answer for their sins. After all, the Lord did say, “Thou shalt not steal.” I don’t think he made any exceptions for those who hide behind the law. Those of you who practice law should take note of this. (I wonder how many have become multimillionaires because of the tobacco judgement. I wonder how many are now living in mansions because of asbestos… or baby powder. What percentage of our doctor bills are for paying lawyer’s fees? How many useful products will never make it to the marketplace because someone is afraid of the lawyers?
By the way, Jesus’ story of The Good Samaritan was a reply to a Lawyer’s question, “Who is our neighbor?” Even back then, they were looking for loopholes. The fact is that sometimes the law gets in the way of doing things that are good. Sometimes the law encourages those who do things that are bad.
The question is, what do we do about it? Let’s start by electing good honest people to public office. Personally, I think it would be a good idea to make sure they are Christian. Personally, I think it would be a good idea to elect people who have the courage and conviction to be publicly pro-life. I think maybe it would be a good idea if our representatives are not thieves or encourage thievery, regardless of the form it takes. If we would occasionally throw thieves in public office in jail, it would help. If we don’t, this nation is headed for a train wreck.
The Lord has blessed this nation from its birth. Why should He continue His blessings on a nation that treats Him and his people so badly? He doesn’t need to pronounce judgement on a crooked nation. It is a natural result. No nation can survive when its citizens look the other way while legal murder and robbery abound. This is true even for atheist nations. Why should we be better?
I have an Idea (2)
No need to build a wall.
Winston Churchill said that socialists need walls to hold people in. (my words, such as East Berlin) Capitalists need walls to keep people out. (my words, such as the US)
Solution: turn Mexico from socialism to capitalism. The US is already going from capitalism to socialism. At some point, people will stop coming north and start going south. (oddly, beach front property in southern California will again be affordable. Property in Baha California will be outrageous.)
To be sure, there is one problem with this approach. Getting the US to become socialist seems to be simple. Getting Mexico to become capitalist is likely a tad bit more difficult than impossible. It just might be easier to build the wall, though I’m not sure.
Thou shalt not murder
I don’t want anyone to get the wrong idea. The death of those kids in Florida is horrible. Moreover, the killer in this case almost got away. Had it not been for one observant police officer, the killer might have remained free for hours, if not days more. Conceivably, he might have even left the country. The mass murderer was already miles away from the school when he was taken.
I have, however noticed a pattern. Every time there is a mass killing with a gun, the media goes nuts, “We must get rid of guns, and right now. Never mind the second amendment.” Never mind that the next killer likely already has his gun or will find a way of getting one.
The fact is that killers don’t need guns. There’s no telling how many boys were killed by Rock Hudson, and he is upheld by society as a hero. (By the way, I refuse to see any of his movies because of it. Anyone who has a brain and really feels badly for murder victims should do the same.) He contracted AIDS and continued to practice his homosexual lifestyle, knowing he might infect the young men.
During the outbreak of AIDS, homosexuals, some who knew they might have AIDS, insisted on giving blood. Arthur Ashe (a prominent tennis player) became one of their victims when he was given a transfusion. The federal government was complicit when the CDC refused to believe that the disease could be transferred through the blood. To this day, there is no attempt to isolate people who are infected, though they finally figured out that they should do what they can to keep infected blood out of our supplies.
If they had adopted the proper infection procedures as soon as the disease was detected, it would have saved thousands, if not millions of lives. Well, they did get one thing they were after, billions of dollars on research. To a small degree, they have had some success. However, for most that contract it, AIDS is a death sentence. …and, by the way, I have not heard one homosexual apologize. (Lest someone remind me, drug abusers deserve some of the blame. In many cases, though, the drug users and the homosexuals were and are the same.)
Those doctors who perform abortions, especially late term abortions commit murder on a regular basis. Sometimes, the mother suffers physical damage as a result. Planned Parenthood likely has as much or more blood on their hands as Hitler. In defiance, they claim they are helping the mother. In truth, all they want is the money. If you doubt me, remove the money and see how long the practice continues. Abortion is a multi-million dollar industry that heavily lobbies congress, especially Dems.
Then, of course there is Obama. He withdrew the troops from Iraq and hundreds of thousands of people died. He is held in high esteem by many. Then there is Hillary. She killed four men by doing nothing. She just stood by and blamed it on a film. (Now that’s dumb.) I don’t understand. Why are they not in prison? The killer in Florida was a mass killer. Obama and his friends are wholesale killers.
Then again, their killings might not have been so bad. Their crime was different. They didn’t use a gun. Then to, they are democrats. They can get away with anything. Teddy and Jack Kennedy got away with murder, literally.
For those who would like to see what kind of books I write, check my author’s page:
http://www.amazon.com/author/story_teller
bfrhodes99 