MS Windows time.

I noticed long time ago something about Microsoft Windows, be it 2000, XP, Server or any other Windows OS. Anytime I am installing anything, or copying a large file or folder a timer appears informing you of how long the process will take, the funny thing is the timer is never accurate, it is actually very inaccurate.

Take note next time you are copying a file, or installing a program (sometimes this displays a timer as well) the progress timer is quite interesting to pay attention to. Initially it might say there are 5 minutes remaining until the file is finished copying over, however a few seconds later (real world time) the timer will display a remaining time that has changed drastically from the original. So it may go from 5 minutes initially to maybe 2 minutes in the span of a few seconds.

Then a few seconds later it will change again, but not to a shorter amount of time remaining but to a longer time remaining then originally displayed. Probably it will change to 6 or 7 minutes, then drop again and basically continue fluctuating until there are about 20-30 seconds left. At this point it will actually display the correct time remaining.

But when the timer reaches 0 seconds left it will sometimes linger there for 20-30 seconds, basically lying to your face. It shows as being done, the status bar and the timer showing the process being completed, however the window displaying the status of the progress is still opened and you can clearly tell the computer is still processing this.

I call this Windows time, or Microsoft time, an inaccurate and totally untruthful display of time on your computer when it is performing certain operations. I would think by now, in 2007, Microsoft would of fix this, or come up with a way to implement a timer that does not lie to your face. I am sure they see it too when they use it at work, everyone sees it. I mention this to people sometime and when I do they usually pause for a moment, think about and agree with me, 'you're right, I never thought about that, but yea it does lie to you' is their usual response.

I guess people don't think about it at all, but I work with computers, and usually deal with Windows time everyday and it does get annoying after a while. Windows lies to people.

That's a big cannon you have there...

I thought I’d post a picture from Iraq. The funny thing about that picture is we just finished taking a squadron picture, meaning there were about 500 people there around the tank a minute or so before this. I asked our commander if he can take a picture of me messing around on the tank, he obliged. This is the result, mind you there are about 500 behind the camera staring at me and laughing.

And...you care why?

Why do people, religious people especially, care so much about how other people live their lives? On top of that most law makers are religious, some are “very” religious, and therein lies a problem, they make laws which interfere with people’s lives they do not agree with.

The best example (or the best one I can think of right now) is gay marriage. I personally do not care how people live their lives, who they have sex with, what position and so on. It is none of my concern it does not affect my life nor does it affect me emotionally nor physically. So why do some people, again, especially religious people seem so hell bent (for the lack of a better term) in controlling how gay people live their lives?

I want to know how two gay men living together and possibly getting married affects a religious person who most likely does not even live close to any gay people nor do they know any personally. First off the government should not be involved in telling people how to live their lives. That was one the ideas the founding fathers had, the government staying out of peoples lives. Yet today we have lawmakers who go on personal crusades against anyone who is gay and they invoke religious beliefs as one of the main reasons, quoting from the bible.

Isn’t there a separation of Church and State? I think we use to have that, but that has long been forgotten. What I usually hear from religious people is that gay people are going to hell and that is why it is wrong, the bible says it is wrong so they should not be gay. Ok great, but why do they care? Ok so it does say in the bible another man shall not lay with another man. How does that translate into lawmakers and the people who support them forcing their beliefs on others? If, according to them, and the bible gay people go to hell, why is it any of their concern? Why do they feel the need in their twisted logic to “save” gay people?

You do not see gay people telling religious folks how to live their lives or trying to pass laws against them. Hmm…interesting. The only answer I ever gotten is always “it is just wrong, it is immoral…and so on”. Ok in your opinion, great, it is your opinion, so why do you care if other people lead “immoral” lives? Never have I received a reply to this answer, they (religious people) just go to say the same thing usually or quote from the bible. Ignoring my question, how does it affect them?

I am not gay, I am married (no it is not a cover), I do not care how others live their lives. It does not concern me, if two men are happy together, good for them, and I mean that. If two men want to get married and live together, let them. It does not affect me, I do not care. I have been around many gay people when I was younger. (I use to live in San Francisco). Straight and gay people hanging out together, we were all friends, so we did what all friends do, hang out, and go to movies, dinner and so on. Never did I feel uncomfortable, never did I want to “punch the gay fuck in his mouth”, a line I hear all too often. The only thing I can come up with is that people are ignorant, but I knew that already.

However I still do not understand why certain religious groups (most religions) and the people, who follow those religions, interfere in other people’s lives. Maybe it does not make sense to me because I am of the total opposite mind set, which is “If it does not hurt me or someone else than why care”. I guess some religions feel the need to force their views on others.

The Iraqi scarf...

I thought I’d share a short story from Iraq that I think about every now and then. When I do think about the folks I met there, the Iraqi family, I wonder everyday if they are ok or if they are dead. Might sound cynical but with all the civilian casualties every day I would be surprised if one of these people I met hasn’t been wounded or killed.

The base I was deployed to is some 80 miles south of Baghdad, it is an Army base but Air Force, Navy and Marines are stationed there as well. Other nationalities are based there too, Italians, Romanians, Japanese and a few others.

The “residential” section of the base where our tents are, we had a laundry shop which was run by an Iraqi family. We also had laundry tents where you could do your own laundry but you could drop yours off to laundry shop if you didn’t have time. It was free, plus they did a great job and they were very nice.

When in Iraq I noticed the scarf the Iraqis wore the red-white or black-white checkered scarf. I also noticed that some of the Marines or security troops wore them around their neck. As we got into October and the day was becoming colder and the nights close to freezing and scarf like that would come in handy.

I asked one of the guys who worked in the laundry, most of them speaking good English, others were still learning. I asked if he knew where I could get the red-checkered scarf. At first he didn’t know what I mean or what I was talking about. I kept trying to describe it, he walked of for a second came back and held one in his hand and asked if this was what I meant. I asked him where I can get one.

At this moment I thought I made him mad, because through out conversation he was smiling and we were laughing at my inability to properly describe what I was referring to. Then all of sudden as soon as I ask where I could purchase one he got really stern and asked me why I wanted one. I told him I was very interested in different cultures, this being 100% true, while there I read several books on Iraqi history and customs.

The other reason was because it was getting cold, and my mode of transportation was an ATV. Imagine ridding on an ATV in the desert where there are no hills, its is flat, so even a wind of 5mph picks up the fine dust which you are driving through at 25-35mph. By this time of year it is cold in the morning, usually 55-60 degrees, and your neck is totally exposed. It does NOT feel good, really it doesn’t.

The third reason I wanted the scarf was just so I had something from Iraq that reminded me of the Iraq culture. Once I told him that, in not so many words because he understood the whole weather elements/sand thing. As soon as I mentioned the blowing wind and sand, he stated smiling again and came closer to me and said “I will have one for you tomorrow, come back tomorrow.”

The next day I went back to the laundry shop and he noticed me right away and called me over gesturing wildly for me to come over his way. It was quite comical since there were other military people inside dropping of their laundry they didn’t know what was going on and where staring wide eyed at me and the young Iraqi man. I walk towards the back of the shop which is not big to begin with anyway. He pulls out a red-checked scarf out a bag and hands it to me. I ask him how much he wants for it and he tells me it is free, that I can have it. I insist in paying him for it, but he insists on me having it for free. He gently smiles and says “take it, it is yours”. So I do and I thank him profusely, at this point I actually don’t know his name and he doesn’t know mine.

I ask him his name, and he says it is Alim, he asks my name and I tell him it is Filip. They told us in briefings not to talk to or interact with the foreign nationals working on the base, but I didn’t care. Not that I wasn’t brazened with it, this was actually the only Iraqi or foreign national I talked to or who knew my first name. So I didn’t see any harm in it.

A few days later I came by again and we got to talking and he told me that all these people working in this laundry, about a dozen people and the age ranging from about 15-55 it seemed, are his family. I was certain one of them was his brother because they looked alike but I didn’t even think the rest was his family. But after he told me it made sense, Iraqis are very family oriented and many businesses are run by the family.

We never really talked for long, not more than 10min and never did we talk about the situation going on all around us. I figure the last thing he needs is some white kid from America asking him about the war in Iraq when it is on HIS doorstep. Plus I figured if he wanted to talk about it he would bring it up, and he never did so I assumed that really was the last thing he wanted to talk about.

Another month went by and the laundry shop was gone, apparently their contract expired and the military was not renewing it. I felt so bad for them, I am sure they were making a decent living doing this, and now they didn’t have a job anymore. I wonder to this day what happened to them all after they left. I actually worry sometimes when I hear about the daily bombings if Alim was hurt or killed or any of his family was hurt. I certainly hope they are all ok and unhurt.

That is one thing that people seem to forget or ignore is Iraqi civilians are the ones who suffer the most as a result of this conflict. You rarely hear about them and their suffering all which is said about the civilians is numbers, how many were killed today and how many wounded. That is all they are, numbers, and people do not even seem to care. By some estimates over half a million have been killed or wounded in 4 years of war. Can you imagine half a million people being killed here in America?

I still have the scarf and I hung it up in my room, every day I look at it and remember Alim and his family.

Hate much?

Please don’t hold back, really let us know how you feel. I cannot believe people still harbor such attitudes these days. There is not much to say here, just that any rational and intelligent person should be able see it for what it is, hate and ignorance

Zombies...

I am a fan of many movies, many stories of fiction and non-fiction. But one genre of particular interest to me, or I should say one that stimulates my imagination in many ways is Zombie movies.

I first remember watching my first zombie movie when I was 7 or 8 years old. And I have watched the same movie then several dozen times, I was fascinated by zombies since then. When I got older I rented and bought any zombie movie I can find, some of the older ones are quite laughable, but worth watching anyway, well for a fan like myself they are. Any video games dealing with zombies I buy, which I thoroughly enjoy.

However one thing people might find interesting, or weird, or a little worrying is the fact that I actually came up with a plan on what to do if a zombie outbreak actually comes true. I actually sat down, and thought about this in serious detail. I have told the plan to my friends who really do not seem interested or alarmed in anyway, maybe because by now they know me to well to be alarmed or worried when I tell them something like this. Yes, my imagination can be quite vivid…pretty much all the time.

My wife thinks it’s cool and actually asked or put forth different scenarios to me and asked me what I would do or planned to do if A or B happened. So as to perfect my contingency plan or to correct it. I think her and I have very active minds, I believe this is healthy, but for the same reason, some people call us weird, creepy, strange different. Not so much know, but when I was younger, yea I got that a lot, and so did she. Anyway I digress…

So I thought I would post an outline of what my plan entails in case of a zombie outbreak. Here goes:

1) Acquire and load all firearms.
I own a small collection of WWII era rifles, M1 Garand, M1A carbine. Lee Enfield, Mauser K98, Moisant Nagant and a .22 semi-auto Marlin. Two of the WWII rifles also have a bayonet, I believe this to be a sufficient defense against zombies. My wife can wield most of these as well, the .22 semi-auto rifle is actually hers.

2) Secure our pick-up truck, warding of any zombies who attempt to approach.

This is self explanatory, you do not want to stay boarded up in your house, and it will only end in your death. Either you die slowly due to starvation or lack of water, or being eaten by zombies. Hopefully you have a reliable vehicle and hopefully it a decently powered one as well.

3) Pick up our friends with the truck.

Our friends live about 500ft down the road, they are a married couple as well, and they own several firearms as well. They own a shotgun, a 9mm Glock and a .38 revolver. So all in all we do have a lot of firepower against zombies. However if your friends or family do not live close by, hopefully someone else who you trust does. If not, this may be a little more difficult for you.

4) Drive to the Nation Guard Armory and acquire the 5ton military truck.
When you encounter hordes of zombies on the road, in urban areas especially, a regular civilian vehicle does not have the necessary horse power and mass to plow through dozens, hundreds of zombies. However a 5ton military truck, with a 250HP diesel engine should suffice in plowing through hundreds of zombies. Also, the National Guard armory happens to be only about 4 miles from my residence. Hopefully your Nation Guard Armory is close as well, if not attempt to secure some other form of vehicle which can get the job done.

5) Proceed to Wal-Mart and claim it as your own.

In the event of a Zombie outbreak, it is every man for him self. The purpose of securing a Wal-Mart is very important if you want to stay alive. There is food, clothes, more guns and more ammo including many other miscellaneous items that will be very useful through your stay there. Here I have to go into more detail however as securing a Wal-Mart and keeping it for your self is no easy task.

a) When you arrive with your friends to a Wal-Mart you will have to be ready to encounter hordes of Zombies and possibly normal people. You will have to take the place by force of course. As you drive up, attempt to take out as many zombies with your newly acquired vehicle as possible by the entrance you will be entering through. Park the truck in a way where it can block the entrance but you can still enter, thus securing your rear from surprise zombie attack. This way one of your teammates (friends) can stand on the bed of the truck (which is quite tall so no zombies will be able to reach that high) and provide rear security.

b) Once inside do not under any circumstances split up, that will end in certain death for all of you. You need to stick together to provide continuous cover for each other while you clear the store isle by isle. However, before you start clearing the store, you must lock it down. Which brings me to the next point.

c) Lock all the doors and secure them first before you attempt to clear the store of any zombies. It would be quite pointless to start killing zombies in the store when other entrances are still open, you’d eventually run out of ammo and die.

d) To secure the doors, don’t just lock them, you will have to make sure the door are not broken into easily, you can reinforce them later. Now just close them lock them and stick a table in front of it, basically any heavy object that can cover the door and temporarily hold it. If it is a glass door, like all Wal-Marts have make sure to stack furniture or other items to block those. Again, you can come back later once the store is clear and reinforce the glass doors or any other doors with a more permanent solution.

e) Once the doors are secure, start clearing the store of any zombies left. No doubt you will encounter many zombies just going around locking the doors. But trust me, there will be more, among the isles, in the warehouse, bathrooms, places you didn’t even think there would be a zombies, there probably is one. Again, stay together, cover each other, and move cautiously and deliberately.

f) Once you are sure the store is secure, go ahead and get some more ammo and guns. If after securing the doors you are running low, head for the section of Wal-Mart with the ammo, and replenish your supply. You can never have enough ammo, always have more than you think is enough.

g) If you followed these directions correctly, you should be safe inside, make sure to retrieve your friend outside on the truck if you haven’t done so already. Post guard (lookout) on the roof to keep an eye on the situation outside. You always want to have good intelligence on your surroundings. You are safe inside from the zombies, but you might not be from other people trying to get in.

h) Do not let anyone else in! If you let anyone else in you just fucked yourself. People act differently under stress or during an end of the world disaster situation like this one. It only takes one idiot to undo your perfectly carried out plan. It may be difficult seeing someone in trouble and you knowing that you can help them, but as I said one of the people you let it will no doubt be an idiot and get you all killed. Plus, more people means you will have to share you limited supplies on top of that you do not know what state of mind people are in. Someone can already be infected and slowly turning into a zombie and an un-needed risk.

i) At this point you can attempt to contact your family or anyone else you care for. Realistically, they are most likely dead or just assume they are. But it does not hurt to try and call them, but do not try rescuing them as much as you will want to, as soon as you go out of your crudely makeshift fortress your chances of being killed are almost certain. If they can get to you, this would be the one exception of letting someone in. However make sure to brief them on the situation immediately. However if one of them are infected (bitten) do not let them in, this will be a hard decision, but know that they are already dead at this point. Letting them in increases your chances of being killed by them when they do turn into a zombie.

j) The only thing left to do now is continue to survive. Do not cling to the hope of a rescue by anyone. Tune into a radio station (if any are on the air) for news and developments on the situation.

Hopefully with this plan I drafted you will be able to keep your self, friends and family alive. Just remember to be ready for any surprises and un-foreseen events. As Publilius Syrus once said “It is a bad plan that cannot be altered”.

So there it is, my plan for the event of a Zombie outbreak. Like I said, I do have an imaginative mind, and my mind is always pre-occupied with some thought or another, sometimes about what if A happened what would I do.

Reading a lot of military history books and serving in the military prepared me for being able to plan properly. I’ve had some planning and organization skills, but the military has improved these skills somewhat along with reading books on war ranging from the Roman era to present day has done the same to some affect.

I hope you enjoyed reading this, I did writing it and I hope a Zombie outbreak never becomes a reality. But in the event it does, I do hope this guide or plan with serve it purpose.

Think of the children

Recently a bill was passed which would insure children who have no current medical coverage. The bills total cost amounts to $35 billion, a high figure, but when one thinks of the purpose of this bill the cost should not be an issue.

The bill would help cover some 6.6 million children who do not have health coverage. Yet the President is threatening to veto this bill citing that it is too costly. Let me elaborate here and break his argument down, because some people might not see the irony and failed logic or the loss of compassion if there ever was any.

First, the fact that $35 billion is meant to ensure children whose families cannot afford to pay for their health care should be reason enough to give this money to them. No matter what the price, children should have health care no matter what. President Bush just asked for some $200 billion MORE for the Iraq war, yet he says that he will veto this children’s bill because it is too costly.

How dare he say that $35 billion is too much to ensure children? How is it even possible that this man can say this and people agree with him? I am certain that if some of these kids do not receive money for health coverage some of them will suffer life long illnesses or possibly death because their parents are unable to afford to take their kids to see a doctor.

How can someone deny a child health coverage? This is what this president has done. Not to mention how horrible health care in this country is anyway, people having to make enough money to be able to see a doctor. Pay for health insurance and still pay out of pocket for life saving, or elective procedures. If I get picked up by an ambulance I have to pay for it. How ridiculous is that, peoples health in the USA is for profit. These insurance companies make a profit from people’s misery by refusing to pay for their medical bills. But I digress…

So far, by some estimates this war (Iraq) has cost over a trillion dollars, yet $35 billion cannot be made available, according to the president to make sure 6.6 million children can go see a doctor.

This man has no compassion; he does not care about people who struggle on working in minimum wage jobs to support their families. Or even people who are middle class struggle to afford heath insurance for their family. He does not care that more and more people drop into poverty and cannot in turn afford health insurance for their kids or themselves. However he does believe $200 billion will help win the war, on top of the $380 billion he asked for earlier in the year not to mention the other billions of dollars that are spent every day on this war.

And what bothers me is there is no outcry, people do not seem to care one bit, and they do not seem to put two events together. He vetoes a bill to insure children; the next day he asks for $200 billion for a war so more and more people can die in Iraq. I don’t understand how people can still support this man.