On Fire

Having Wireless Internet Problems?

2006-08-31T16:49:00.000-05:00

Just about a week ago my dad's computer absolutely couldn't get on the internet. It's a desktop and it is using a Linksys 802.11B wireless PCI card connected to a Linksys router. The computer used to be able to connect and then something happened and it just wouldn't do it. It either gave a "Limited or No Connectivity" error, or the IP address would be all screwy. My computer was hooked up to the same network and could connect fine. I tried running the Winsock fix and installing the XP patch but this of course didn't work. My dad tried reinstalling the card which also did nothing.
I didn't think there was anything left to do. I was stumped.

But, (you knew the but was coming somewhere) there was one thing that we could do that turned out to fix it. We upgraded the firmware on the router. It was pretty simple and, bodaboom-bodabing, it worked. It connected and could get online. I felt the need to write this because nowhere on the internet after my searches did I find anything saying to upgrade the firmware on the router. And I also want to say that even if it seems it can't be the router since a different computer works fine, it can be the router.

Xanga Tweaks for Firefox

2006-01-27T19:33:00.000-05:00

The following is a short guide to make some handy changes to the user pages on xanga.com.

Remove the Top Ad

The best way I have found to this in Firefox involves a two-step process. First, the extension Adblock needs to be installed. After installing that extension, browse to any user's xanga site. In the bottom status bar there should be a button that says "Adblock". Click that. Find the source that reads: "http://www.xanga.com/scripts/jadfc.js". Highlight that and click OK. Refresh the page. The ad should be gone.

Now, we have to get rid of the 130 pixel space at the top. This requires the Grease Monkey extension. After you have that, you need to install this script. That script just removes the div tag that is the reason for the 130 pixel space. After that script is up and working the Xanga pages no longer have an ad at the top!

Add an RSS Button

Now I just learned this recently, but every user's Xanga site has its own RSS feed. Xanga doesn't really tell anyone this, but there is a simple Grease Monkey script which will make the RSS feed much more prominent. It will add links to the RSS feed on the page and attach the feed to the page so that the feed icon shows up in the address bar. All you have to do is install this script.

Well there you have it. Two simple Xanga.com tweaks that I think make the blogging service much better.

My Thought about College

2006-01-23T22:41:00.000-05:00

Maybe the main reason for needing a college degree for so many jobs is the want of power. The people who went to college and spent money to earn a degree don't want to hire someone who hasn't. So even though the degree might not be absolutley necessary, it is still required.

My Latest and Greatest Idea

2006-01-06T16:41:00.000-05:00

The Six Month Calendar

Twelve month calendars are the worst. What do you do in November and December when you want to write something down for January? Hope you remember it? Write it somewhere else? Add another calendar behind it and hope your magnet supports it? Why would you ever need to see 24 months at once? Well my great idea is for someone to invent a six month calendar. Then you would just always have two calendars up on your fridge and you would always have a good range of months to work with. Every so often you would just remove the old one and add a new one. Want to know what you did two months ago? No problem. Want to write something down for February in November? No problem. What a great idea.

Best Freeware Program

2005-12-22T20:29:00.000-05:00

I have decided that the Clipboard Recorder is the best freeware program. Period. It makes my computer so much more friendly than it was before. I don't understand why Windows doesn't come with functionality like that. If Vista doesn't, than no one should buy it, for any reason. That's how special this program is.

What it does is save everything that you copy. Then you can still paste the most recent thing you have copied with ctrl+v, or you can press ctrl+alt+v and see a list of all the things you have copied. Scroll through the list by pressing v, and you can paste whatever you want. Also it saves your copies even after restarting.

This program is awesome.

Protect My Speech

2005-12-22T11:50:00.000-05:00

I wonder if I can copyright everything I say. I mean people copyright what they write, draw, film, sing, and make, so couldn't I get a copyright for what I speak?

Now, I don't know if you know this or not, but this post stems from the recent news that Warner/Chappell Music is forcing sites with songs lyrics to remove the lyrics, on the basis of coypright infringement. So, they think it is illegal to publish the words that an artist is singing during a song because the song is copyrighted. Wait, it's illegal to write what someone else says. Hmmmm, that sounds like a good basis for a copyright on what I say.

Think about it. Based on Warner/Chappell Music's actions, no one could write down what I say. No magazine, newspaper, internet site, or other written media could report what I said. If a news station wanted to do a segment about my speech it would have to be all auditory. No telepromters or written scripts could be used. That would significantly reduce the publicity of my words. Now imagine people of Congress of the President with copyrights on what they say. If they messed up with their speech somehow, no one could write it down, and I'm sure they would figure out a way to make the copyright laws extend to verbal reproductions of their speech.

What a mess! The media would only be able to cover stories about people if the person in the story gave them permission to use their words. Freedom of speech would exist, as long as you don't try to say what someone else said.

I can't believe Warner/Chappell Music is allowed to try to stop all song lyrics from being posted on the internet. With only a little stretch of the concept a ridiculous outcome could be achieved.

Working Too Much

2005-12-14T15:56:00.000-05:00

I don't feel bad for anyone who says he (yeah I know he/she) works too much. At least you get paid. I work way too much for basically nothing. I'm in high school. I get up at 6:30 to be at school for a 7:45 bell. Then it's classes all day until 2:33, with only a half hour-wait-twenty-five minute lunch. Now, three days a week I get to go home after that. But, the other two days I work after school so I can earn at least a little money. I'm at work for two hours. So, twice a week I get home at 5:15-5:30. Now add that up. I work a total of about 34 hours. I get paid $28 for that.

Now, if you're thinking, "Oh, I could live with being home at 3:00 three days a week," you think I come home and sit around until the next day. I don't. I come home and work so I am prepared for the next day. Some days I work a vast majority of the time I am home. Today I probably spent about four hours writing notes and studying. I am still not totally ready for tomorrow. Luckily, today I didn't have to work. Yesturday I did and I still spent about two hours reading for school. Now, during the course of an average week I probably have one day without homework (Friday), two days with about an hour of extra work, one day with two hours of work, and the last day with 3 hours of homework. Adding everything up that's about 41 hours a week I spend working. I only get paid $28.

Now remember, that does not include any after school activities besides a job. I played a sport this fall. Thats two hours after school three days a week, three hours one day a week, and six hours one day a week. I did not have a job then. Added up, that's 45 hours a week. I got paid $0 then.

I especially don't feel bad for teachers. They are at school about the same time we are; maybe they get there a little earlier. But, they only have to teach three classes a day. I have to attend four classes per day. There is also a period called Seminar at my high school. Students work, but teachers don't have to teach. Teachers can assign whatever they want in their classes; meaning they have to grade whatever they want. In my hardest class, the entire grade is based around 12 tests. I might spend upwards of 20 hours to prepare for this test. It takes the teacher only a half hour to grade it. Remember: teachers get paid to be at school, students don't.

I'm not saying an education isn't important or that it is not worth working for. But I do not feel bad for people who work a lot and get paid more than $28 a week to do it.

Please Sue Me

2005-12-13T18:55:00.000-05:00

1+1=3. Abraham Lincoln was our first president. The Earth is flat. Water is made of carbon. Romeo and Juilet was written by George Bush.

I support Wikipedia.

The website about someone trying to sue Wikipedia shouldn't exist. Not that it can't exist, because if it couldn't then what they are trying to do to Wikipedia would be OK and we would be going in a circle. Anyways, Wikipedia is a fantastic source of information. It gives detailed information on just about every topic in the world. There probably is some incorrect information on the site somewhere. But, that is probably true for many other factual websites as well. It's hard to imagine that every single article from every highly credible news organization is 100% perfect.

There are two big stories on Wikipedia that have drawn attention for being edited with wrong information. There are (as of this typing) 863,719 English articles on Wikipedia. If that percentage of highly publized mistakes was enough to completely discredit an entire entity, the standards in America would be extremely high. I do not believe the standards are that high here.

The anti-Wikipedia website cites incorrect information as a reason for the lawsuit. If that is all it takes to sue something, I think that he will need to start many many many more lawsuits. Also, he claims that he shouldn't have to login to change incorrect information. At least at Wikipedia he can change the information. Up above are many incorrect statements that he cannot change. I wonder if he will sue me.

I like the new rule that an username is required to change content. It's really not hard to get an username, and it might help stop random changes while still allowing someone who wants to make a change to do so with ease. The new rule wasn't really a big hit to the free flowing information atmosphere at Wikipedia.

Lastly, there should be absolutely no way for a lawsuit of this kind to hurt Wikipedia legally. The first ammendment right of free speech should cover every website, protecting whatever written content is on it.