Feb/100
Free Communities – a past-time. Some are like zombies too.
Broke Kid - The Power of Free
nWarriors
What started as a free InvisionFree community under the name of DSWarriors, nWarriors has come a long way throughout many explosions and database blowups, template errors, and internal fueds. Now days, it’s the surviving group of misfits that remain. While the community has potential to grow, it keeps its friends that it has close. Just recently, the nWarriors community moved to BrokeKid.com. Even tho they are under a new domain, nearly all of the members of the nWarriors community still call it nW (or n-dub).
It’s a community that has lived on since the first inception of DSWarriors on August 14th, 2005.
Graphic Force
Graphic Force
I ventured throughthe ZetaBoards directory in search of a new place to hang, and stumbled upon a graphic community by the name of, guess what, Graphic Force — most commonly referred to as G-Force. It’s owner Archangel, formerly Syndicate and Oblivion, has strived to make it the best graphic community around with heavy focuses on a strong community, a wealth of resources, and frequent competitions.
Here recently, it was attacked by an exploit through a chat system shared between many ZB communities. Such is the life of a hacker and the discoveries of exploits. Archangel’s focus is not lost however, the core supporters of the community have been taking it with a grain of salt. After all, the majority of the losses were statistics. The community will regenerate, like a zombie. This hacker must not have seen a reliable resource on zombies, the hit film Zombieland, to know Rule #2, the Double-tap.
Jan/100
Obama struggling for approval ratings?
Obama delivers his Address to the Nation
Address to the Nation… thats me and you
With year one in the books for President Obama, he delivered his first address to the nation on Wednesday, Jan. 27th, 2010. He discussed issues such as the economy, health care reform, job creation, and how the original focus he campaigned for is not gone.
For some the campaign is a lost cause and all the promises Obama had made have all but disappeared since he took office last year. It started with the stimulus package and the AIG bailout with the “Too Big to Fail” clause. The government does have a transparency for the stimulus package, which can be seen here. We also must ask ourselves “Can we trust the government that this website displays accurate data?”
Wall Street up, Main Street down
We see the Dow Jones rise steadily, and the job market decline. Businesses layoff their “expendables” and keep the necessary. Those who become laid off go out job hunting and in most occasions, businesses aren’t hiring. The inexperienced worker or student without a degree under his belt must find a job, however those that do hire, require experience in certain fields. As of late, it depends on what part of the country a person is in to see how much the economy affects it. Some business may start hiring inexperienced workers on the west coast, but not the east coast. It’s all a matter of the state’s health and how it trickles down to the city a business is located in.
Is it smart to over extend you core qualified workers until more are found? Or is it a better idea to spend money on training new workers?
Some corporations have an answer, but the commonwealth must have a different answer…
With Love,
Locke
Jan/101
Feds say “No texting for Truckers and Bus Drivers”
It’s about time.
Phone down below line of sight. Possibly using through memorization of keypad or looking down.
Many states already have a texting ban through school zones and some have a texting ban while driving. As of Jan 26, 2010, truck drivers and bus drivers are prohibited from texting and driving with fines up to $2750. The last thing folks need is a trucker or bus driver with a bigger unit than most drivers to look down at a cell phone and run a stop light and T-bone a vehicle crossing the intersection. If the feds hope that this will keep these drivers from communicating, they’re far from reaching a goal. Truckers use CB radios all the time, whether it’s for meaningless conversation or to warn others about a state troop over the hill, communication wont cease.
Trucker uses CB while on the interstate.
Talking and driving
7 states (Florida, Kentucky, Louisiana, Mississippi, Nevada, Oklahoma, Oregon, and Utah) ban talking and driving via cellphone, even including hands free devices. Statistically, it cuts down on motor vehicle accidents. Does it stop people from talking? No. As mentioned above, truckers use CB radios. Theoretically, using a CB radio mic is the same concept of using a cell phone. Police also use radios while in pursuit. Some pursuits are high speed chases and could prove dangerous from the police side of it if they are talking to dispatch via radio and hit another motorist. So shouldn’t Police be prohibited, as well as truckers, from using radios?
It’s a lopsided government. We all know it.
For more info check out this link at NY Times.com.
With Love,
Locke
Oct/092
Selling out, or just creatively exhausted?
Music Review: Life Starts Now- Three Days Grace
Three Days Grace. Actually one of my favorite bands over the course of the last 5 years or so. Not only are they Canadian, but I loved their edgy, post grunge/alternative metal sound and Adam Gontier’s vocals on their self-titled debut album and then with One-X.
3 years later get their new album release, Life Starts Now. Now it’s expected that the music is radio-friendly, as it has been in the past, but it’s the edge that has made TDG who they are, with tracks like “Riot”, “Animal I Have Become”, the gem “It’s All Over”, or the radio hit “Never Too Late” (all from One-X). Life Starts Now doesn’t lack good songs… “Break”, “World So Cold”, and “The Good Life” are all solid, while “Lost in You” has radio hit written all over it, as I predict it will become (even tho I hate the song).
They just don’t have that same edge I’ve come to know and they don’t do anything new or ground-breaking. It sounds like TDG released a more mainstream-friendly version of One-X… The lyrics are so stale, and Adam Gontier tries his best to make them believeable and passionate (which he’s pretty skilled at).
7th grade lyrics, basic chord progressions, standard verse-chorus structure, and simple riffs… throw in some nice bridges and some nice solos, and it’s not bad. My fingers want to change the genre for this album in iTunes from Alternative Metal to Alternative Mainstream… but the difference is that the catchy qualities from One-X are missing this time. If you wanna make money, recycling lyrics like this might work for a big name like Three Days Grace.
Tho it’s not a terrible album, it’s lyrically and instrumentally tired (besides a few songs), and is simply a disappointment. And that’s what we have here, is an album with a handful of textbook radio hits, but nothing truly exceptional. An album that will expand their mainstream audience. And that’s what they want, right? It’s all about expanding and making more money =/
Life Starts Now is lacking in hard rock aggression, yet isn’t creative, original, or catchy enough to warrant itself as a mainstream sensation. I can sum up the entire album in two words… uninspiring and disappointing.
I think someone needs to remind TDG that life started years ago.
Bottom Line: Pirate me… 6 out of 10
Oct/092
Congrats to an old friend, the Flames, and a response
3:31am
Sports
Growing up in Canada, I’ve not only been a sports fan, but a hockey fan pretty hardcore, as in NHL. Penguins fan since I was young, but I was born in Calgary so naturally I’ve always been a Flames fan.
An old school friend from my days out there, Shane Gryzko, won a shoot-out at the Flames 2009 NHL home opener last night for $30,000! He had a 1 in 4 chance, and he also nabbed a couple Flames jerseys in the raffle.
Here’s the news from Shane himself on Facebook…
…and the score from the game, as Miika Kiprusoff stopped 39 shots as the Flames dominated the physical game.
On Objectivity and Emotion
This is a response to one of Rida Alvi’s bloggings earlier on Thursday. This is basically an extension of the discussion, while I’d say this is from a slightly different viewing angle, and could get a little philosophical… more perspectives on a topic always broadens the knowledge of the entire readership.
Humans can express their emotions, and yes, this does make us less robotic. But this is simply our animalistic side, our instincts and chemical reactions. What distinguishes us and makes us humans, in fact, is the ability to think and reason objectively, and this is a testament to how complex and advanced our minds are.
Our ability to be objective gives us the edge in nature because we can make logical decisions based on multiple inputs of data… emotions are definitely very human, tho, without them it’d be a pretty boring and disappointing life.
Emotions even jump in on the action, and are tied in well with objectivity. We use these emotional experiences to gain wisdom, empathize with peopl,e and understand their perspectives… then we use that experience to make better-informed, objective decisions thanx to our ability to feel emotions chemically in the brain.
So emotion and objective reasoning go together, they are integrated with each other to achieve the common purpose… to allow the brain to expand its knowledge.. become wiser and more experienced…
Congrats Shane on winning the shoot-out, I bet that was quite the experience. I’m curious as to who you were in the shoot-out against, like what type of people? lol…
peace
-James
Sep/091
TSU, musical substance, and stuff…
It’s been awhile since my last BK post, and I figured it’s time for me to get back into this blogging thing…. my ideas and thoughts need to breathe. This semester at TSU continues to roll along while I continue to procrastinate my projects and homework in my usual lazy capitalist fashion. I’ve definitely had my share of cop stories already and I’ve made several great new friends who add more richness to my repertoire.
Music
I was thinking a lot about how music creeps into the lives, convos, and social circles of all of us who listen. And when you’re listening to music all the time, things people say remind you of lyrics you’re listening to. Check out this blog, where Rida’s been posting frequent updates and cool stuff… it’s usually an entertaining read if you can get past the fact that she’s a woman and she blogs when she should be in the kitchen making me some lunch. In a convo the other day, she said something like, “maybe it’s a sign :3″ and my thoughts immediately jump to Breaking Benjamin’s Give Me A Sign from their newest offering “Dear Agony“, which is an excellent album for anyone who’s into their sound and alternative metal/hard rock. When I hear their single, I Will Not Bow, I always think of how she stands up for against the social norms (hence social deviant) for absolute truth and doesn’t buy any of the bull that this world wants us to adhere to. And so it becomes insightful to me and compels me to do the same and stay focused in my progressive approach to dissecting this world.
I don’t wanna change the world
I just wanna leave it colder
Light the fuse and burn it up
Take the path that leads to nowhere
I take this as verse as satire, as it explains the way we should NOT think. That’s the beauty, lyrics are so subjective and can apply to us in however way our minds decide to interpret the meaning. Even lyrics that seem like another crappy relationship song from yet another band can have abstract, personally relevant meaning- like this quote from a song called Here We Go off their “Phobia” album…
You wouldn’t like me
In context, it’s talking about a relationship gonna bad, cliche, etc… but it really has much deeper meaning when you take it a different way. Although I didn’t invent this meaning, it applies to my life perfectly. If I show my true self to certain people, they wouldn’t like me, cuz they don’t agree with my views, and they are closed-minded thinkers. So I have to mask myself sometimes to avoid being judged and to maintain a good relationship with some people. It’s a tragedy, really.
More Conjecture
Now that I’ve surpassed the threshold for word count on that subtle Breaking Benjamin advertisement, I can get paid and move on to another topic. I really don’t have much to say today, but I thought I’d talk about my potential business, Velocity TechNet. My cousin has committed about $4,000 in capital, so that leaves me to find an additional $2,000 in capital to be comfortable. Guess I need to get to writing the business plan that I’ve been procrastinating for so long, since I might have a need for it now (to easily pitch the idea to an angel investor).
If I want to succeed at entrepreneurship, I have to first analyze myself and decide if I have the tools to be a successful one. The CEO of Southwest Airlines identified 6 traits in successful entrepreneurs that cannot be taught. They are:
- 1. reasonable intelligence
- 2. good health
- 3. optimistic disposition
- 4. lengthy attention span
- 5. perseverance
- 6. a love of people
Most of these have to do with attitude, besides #1 and #2. Looking over these, I’d say I’m in good shape. Others might be able to verify that I actually have these traits. Of all these, I believe my weakest is number #4… not because of my actual ability to pay attention for long periods of time, but because of my procrastination, xD.
Tech
This is an awesome tool that enhances our privacy on the web… it’s called Vanish.
http://vanish.cs.washington.edu/
It’s a plugin for your browser that automatically destroys data in a set amount of time after it’s created. For example, you wanna post a Facebook comment, but you don’t want Facebook to be able to retain the information… highlight the text, right-click Vanish… and it will not be permanently stored on their servers. Works for pretty much any site…
Enough for today, time to go catch up with the world and indulge in some plants.
Aug/090
Both Broke Kids return to TSU
Yay for college! Yay for education! Nay for waking up early to drive so far for an 8am class!
TNT – We know drama
Jul/090
More stuff to think about…
The latest invitation
I was asked if I would like to participate in the Lipan VFD last night. I’m not too sure about committing to something like that. It’s not something to toy around with, like I do with most things or ideas. If I do sign up for it, I would definitely make sure not to back out of something like that. Not only does it look bad, but it’s definitely the mark of a quitter. I would definitely get frowned upon, and ultimately, I’m not sure if a few people would agree with me doing this. These few people have opinions that actually matter to me. If they disagree with it, then I might back away from it. If they say “do what you want, just do your best” then I might think some more about it. If they say I should go for it, then I may not hesitate at all. Like I said already though, I have to think about it some more before I make any move to pick up an application.
Some better business news…
Fellow Broke Kid James has had some better news as far as finances for the startup WISP business that has been in the works and developmental stages for quite some time now. Nohting is set in stone, so not very many details need to be put into the subject. The finances can go from better to worse or vice versa in a split second’s time. It all relies on a settlement and how much comes out of the settlement. In good faith though, the result of the matter wouldn’t change the hopes of my friend James, but it would definitely be a new start for him, and possibly me! Of course, I’m definitely the side kick here. There’s no way I’d be able to jump on something this huge with no knowledge of it all. 
A decision I made recently
I participated in the Tarleton State Marching Band – The Sound and the Fury in the Fall of 2008. It hs already come time to consider signing up again. Marching band was fun for me last year. It was a world different from high school marching band. College band is a little more strict than high school, but loads more fun. I had mixed feelings about the former Director of Athletic Bands being tossed out of the program. It seemed to me that TSU was getting rid of an excellent educator and a exceptional percussionist. I did lose weight during marching season last year too, which was an added benefit along with the credit hour of health. I need 3, which means I have to do marching band for at least 2 more years. 
Which brings me to my latest decision. I will do marching band for another year, regardless of the new teacher and the fact that I have to sacrifice thursday and saturday nights to TSU football games. I suppose calling them a sacrifice is a little harsh, I did have a great time in marching band and its something I’m glad I participated in, but it’s a lot of dedicated time. 
Accomodations
I must admit that I am a bit stressed, even though this is a year from now. I am stressed about not having adequate accomodations for my significant other next June. She isn’t as worried as I am, of course. I can’t help but worry though. There is a chance that she may be stuck in the dorms at college, but who knows. I might be able to pull something out of my sleeve last minute. 
At the same time, I can only dream at this point.
Who knows, she might save me instead! I’m starting to get hungry for lunch, so thats all for now!
-Michael
Jul/090
Life’s choices, opportunities, potential, and some follow-up
We’ll start here, with follow-up- on June the 3rd I posted a set of tasks that I was wanting to execute, a set of change… my room did see some major aesthetic changes and tho it isn’t quite finished yet (I fear my own closet) it’s much more comfortable and it felt like the first baby step needed to continue on with my quest for change. I did get my tattoo done, and it does need to be touched up, but I love it and you can see it over here on my Facebook. As for the rest… I still have much internal work to do- I did get a job at Subway ($7.25/hour is better den nothin xP) and I have been managing my money a little better (cash flow has a big reason to do with this xD). I have been writing stuff down more often, particularly internal epiphanies and eulogy-worthy thoughts. I never did follow through with learning the Chinese martial art Wing Tsun… instead I am learning Brazilian Jiu-Jitsu and Muay Thai, two MMA styles which are pretty cool. Thus, Change 2009 continues and it’s much harder to stay focused than I initially thought.
Now to the new stuff- I’m pretty much at a cross-roads in life. I’ve decided that I’ve got 3 different directions (that I can see, as a mere mortal) to go this fall.
Some of you over at nW might remember (before we traveled back in time) that I was wanting to start a wireless internet business over here in the boondocks of rural Texas, where they love their dial-up and their satellite. This has serious potential to come to fruition, and it’s my dream, to be an entrepreneur and provide these hic folk with friendly, innovative, wireless highspeed internet service. I’ll keep BrokeKid posted on my dream and let’s pray that I do get my opportunity to make an impact.
If this business venture doesn’t develop for whatever reason, I’d like to go back to Tarleton State University to finish my business management degree. The potential for this to happen depends quite a bit on Mr. Obama and his aid to us broke kids. I’ve got $1,000 for the fall semester, but I need about $1,500 more to go to school full-time.
My third option is a last resort. I’ve always considered military as short-term career because I believe I’ve got the mind and the test scores to land a pretty interesting job in a branch like the Air Force (or the Chair Force as some might call it).
Those are my potential directions for consideration this fall. Perhaps something I didn’t forsee will arise and I won’t be doing any of these 3 things. For today and until these opportunities present themselves, I’ll trying staying connected to the Vine and give myself the best chance to move mountains.
Side Notes
-SSJ3’s server- we’re in the process of creating a massive private server stocked full of information on anything for all of us broke kids to share and profit from.
-FL Studio- I decided to install it… it’s a digital audio workplace- in other words, a program to master, create, or edit music. I plan on learning its interface and using it to master music and make CD quality tracks for myself or my friends.
-I got a hardcover copy of Chris Anderson’s FREE by simply emailing him asking for one of the 150 he was giving away to promote his book. He even signed it, so I’m likin’ this.
Cheers,
-James
Jul/090
Life is full of surprises – never doubt it.
The heat, the job, the time…
I started my job at Contractor Millwork Services, Inc. for the 3rd summer in a row. It’s not all bad as I make it out to be. Any job sucks in the end. The shop is like working in an oven. It usually gets to about 104°F inside. If everyone drinks enough water, they’ll be fine. There are perks to working there after all. The hours are from 6:00 A.M. to 4:30 P.M., Monday through Thursday. I have a 3 day weekend.
I’m at a loss for information
I’ve been wondering about my new girlfriend will obtain U.S. Citizenship. I haven’t done much research on the subject, but I know I will have to eventually. She says she’s eligible for dual-citizenship as well. I find that kind of nifty, but I still require a passport for anywhere I travel.
I learn something new everyday
I attempted the guitar again. The C Major scale still hasn’t left my mind on the instrument, yet the correct fingerings have. My girlfriend is the only one in her family whose first name is of French origin. Her father is French, and he named her whilst her mother named the rest of the family. I have a new found interest in getting TCLEOSE certified, which means Texas Peace Officer status. I have a craving for watching all the old classic Disney movies. The IHOP in Weatherford, Texas officially has the worst service according to the Broke Kids of this blog. Denny’s in Weatherford, Texas severely whips IHOP at service and is now the best place to chill and play a game of chess and drink a gallon of coffee.
The vehicle issue
I bought a 1986 Chevy Silverado C10 1/2 ton truck yesterday. I walked in and paid cash for it. It doesn’t run good, and doesn’t start without help. I haven’t inspected or registered it again yet, as I need to fix it up and may cost an additional $400 dollars to do so. I have faith in Chevy’s though. I bet it won’t fail me once it gets running again. It’s got a few dents in the passenger side, has a broken tail light on the passenger side, and also needs new fuses, relays, alternator, plugs, plug wires, resistor plugs, battery, vacuum hoses, brakes, coils, and lastly, a new transmission is possible. It’s not as bad as it seems though. Its a good truck once it gets going.
It’s July 4th
Happy Independence Day… go shoot some fireworks if you don’t a burn ban in effect.
Good night everyone
-Michael
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