Monday, November 16, 2009
Zoiks!
Hi ho Ranters!
Well, I received the dog shock collar in the mail on Saturday. For those interested, here is the link to the collar I ordered. I ordered the collar because my son was physically drug by our dog and we needed an effective method of curing that behavior.
Anyways, we put the collar on the dog and first sign of deviant behavior, the wife presses the shock button and calls "heel". Nothing happens, so she turns up the power setting from two to three. Next time the dog pulls on the leash, the wife calls "heel" again and presses the zapper and again nothing happens. So eventually, she gets the setting up to 6 then realizes that she was not holding the zapper button down long enough. So, she presses and holds the button and the dog yelps and jumps. But, then she did what she was told! My wife immediately turned it back down to 2 where it was much more tolerable, but still annoying and the dog was doing well. A few more times and we can probably turn over the controls to my son (evil laugh placed here).
The only thing I would question about the shock collar was that it had a positive button. What's that for? You are supposed to get your dog positively attune to this sound? It's like pressing the tone and the dog realizes, you could have zapped it instead?
Oh well, the collar got a lot of positive feedback on Amazon. Hopefully it will work out for the long term.
Until next time Ranters!
Wednesday, November 11, 2009
Quackery! Pure Quackery!
Tuesday, November 10, 2009
Rants from the homestead
Let's take a little divergence from my usual UFO alien meets bigfoot in a bar routine. I just want to share a piece of my day with you. I usually get up at 4 am and leave for the gym a little after 5. My wife sometimes gets up at 5 or 6 am. This morning, she wakes up at 5 am. Here is part of our morning conversation:
Me: Good Morning
Wife: Morning
Me: Whats wrong?
Wife: I don't know
Me: I forgot to tell you, I have tomorrow off from work
Wife: Darn! Well, don't take this wrong!
Me: How can I possibly take that wrong?
Wife: Well, you're going to mess up my whole day.
Me: Again, how can I possibly take that wrong?
Me: I'm planning on sleeping in.
Wife: Oh no you're not. If I have to get up at 5, then you're going to get up!
Me: I'm sorry I'm messing up your plans, but I had to get up early during the weekend. I need to catch up on my sleep.
Wife: So, I never get to sleep in!
Me: You wake up later than me almost everyday, and you get to take naps during the day! I don't think my boss would take it very well if I took a nap in the middle of the day. By the way, how did this conversation become about you? It is about ME sleeping in on my day off!
Wife: EVERYTHING is about ME! The sooner you learn this, the better it will be for you.
So Ranters, do you think I was totally off base here? I think this could be a Carly Simon song! You know the one. No, not "Nobody does it better"! ... Definitely not "Anticipation"!
Oh well, until later Ranters!
Sunday, November 8, 2009
The Aliens are coming! The Aliens are coming!
Thursday, July 9, 2009
OpenSource Rant
Hi Ranters!
I've been on a kick to lower monthly expense here at the MAD Pelican house. With losing my job (then finding another one- but at a reduced wage), I need to use technology for what its true potential really is... lowering expenses while enjoying the same things.
First thing I did was increase the bandwidth to the household by switching from DSL internet to Cable. You ask why? Isn't it more expensive? Well, yes and no. my DSL and telephone is $71 per month. My new Cable internet is $59.95 per month. You probably are saying... So? Are you going to sign up for their $24 internet
VOIP (Voice over IP) phone? Well, no. I am going to use a product that has been out since 2005 and has GREAT reviews... Ooma. I've ordered it, but it hasn't arrived yet. Ooma is an easy to set up VOIP system that is completely free after you buy the hub. I will also port my existing phone line to this system so that hopefully, my family won't be negatively impacted.
Second thing is that I want to get rid of my DVR. Don't get me wrong, I love my DVR... My family loves the DVRs, but there are three major drawbacks to my DVRs. -- First, there is a monthly fee (about $11.90). Second, there if something goes wrong with it, they have you reformat the drive and start over -- even though you have some great movies and shows on it. ...And finally, if you switch from your Satellite/Cable operator, they want the machine back (so you lose everything). Oh and as a bonus, if you stay with the same company, you can only record so much before your disk is full!
No more! I want the ability to:
- record and keep what I'm recording,
- stop live tv, and
- be able to add storage as I want!
I wanted to investigate the possibility of using Mythtv as a replacement for my DVRs, so I went to my usual sources... Wiki, Youtube, and blogs (oh My!). Reading the Wiki of Mythtv was like reading the an IBM redbook. Some good information, but dry, boring, and not very well written text. This was definite
ly not a project for a novice! Not to mention that I would need a dedicated server running the Linux operating system (AARG!!!! All of my servers are Windows XP!). Now, it becomes more complex, there are four main distros (configured versions on different flavors of Linux). Most people would probably have given up by now, the satellite DVR is looking better and better. Also Tivo is only $12.95 per month!
This brings me to my rant of the day (all this is just the set up to your
rant? I could have been watching my soap operas!!!) Open Source! It is GREAT to get free software, but there is a price you DO have to pay! ...and keep on paying. Most people responsible for Open Source projects would like you to use their software, but really don't want to be tied down to explaining everything to you. You have to really dig in and read allot. After you get in, it is not easy getting out... You start speaking their language, understanding their logic. ...And you get involved in this community that really has no concern that you don't really have a personal life. All that matters is the project! Your life is the project! Setup and forget is not a mantra for Open Source. Setup, configure, update, update, tweak, read some more, and attend some conferences are the life of Open Source users. So, with that s
aid, I can be satisfied with the satellite companies DVR, or purchasing Tivo, or purchasing other knockoff products (such as Replay). But, where would be the challenge? So, over the next few months, I'm going to build one of these machines (actually a couple of them -- one backend and a couple frontends).
Wish me luck, because I know that I'm just asking for trouble!
Monday, June 29, 2009
Did Michael Jackson Follow Elvis?
Saturday, June 27, 2009
Out of Work in Charlotte!!!
Monday, January 5, 2009
Rants from a MAD Pelican… Episode 1. Begin with the End!
We have lived through the year 2000 scare. We also tolerated the May 5th 2000 (planetary alignment hysterics). Not to mention the Nostradamus “end of the world” predictions. It seems like every time we turn our head there is another gloom and doom prediction. Now is no different!
Presenting …. From the makers of the Nostradamus year 2000, planetary alignment/planetary pole shifting, comes The End of the World Part Deux. … This time, it is going to happen! (in 2012 December 21st to be exact).
(a little scripting joke – if you don’t understand it, I’ll explain it some time).
It is hilarious to listen to the same crazies that are either genuinely afraid or are trying to sell you something, describe these events. Here is a clip from Fox’s Geraldo Rivera show. These guys are actually quite sad! What happens IF the world does come to an end? Can you tell me “I told you so!”? If the world does come to an end, THAT will be the ONLY thing I dread! Oh, wait, IF the world DOES come to an end, and I’m on the world when it comes to an end, doesn’t that mean I will come to an end? So, in the immortal words of Rosanne Roseannadanna – “Never Mind!”.
If you want to read some more about the 2012 Dooms day prophecy, here are some links:
http://articles.latimes.com/2008/nov/03/local/me-mayan3
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/2012
http://www.december212012.com/
Or, if you have better things to do, I will definitely understand!!!
So ends this version of the show!
So say we all!
Till next time, Rant at you later!
Pelican Joe.
Please send ideas for future rants to:
Email – PelicanJoe@gmail.com
VoiceMail – 704-464-P-Guy (6489)
Welcome to Rants from a Mad Pelican! -- the Blog
This is where I rant about anything I want. You may ask who I am. Aren’t we all asking that question?
I go by the handle Pelican Joe.
Then you may ask why Pelican Joe? Is there something wrong with your nose?
Well, no. There is nothing wrong with my nose! I got the handle originally on a kayaking website. My kayaks are made by Pelican International. So, I’ve used this handle for a while.
So, you may be saying to yourself "Is this show is about the ranting of a middle aged father named Joe that has kayaks made by Pelican International?" Then I would have to say, you are mighty astute (or, I might say talking to yourself is a sure sign of insanity!)!
Now, before you turn me off, saying “I really don’t care about a middle aged dad!”. Let me say that I will try to keep the show and this blog a little off-balanced.