I’m a Carnivorous Hippie. Deal with it!

thx. Julia

I have a vacation coming in a couple weeks here. Can wait, don’t wanna…

Money, sucks. (Not that I’m in a pinch or anything, but have you ever noticed that the more you have of it, the more things there seem to be to do with it?)

*waves magic wand* “The Perfect Car” appears out of void, titled and paid in full. *says ‘woot’*

Sounds good, (but I did hear it first, Jill {I can prove it too.})

What? Too fragmented? Deal with it.

words…

– loss -
loss of thought and loss of want
loss of speed over the bump
loss of need to be the one
loss of family, only son
loss of fear
loss of dread
loss mind
loss of head
———-
– gain -
gain of ears and listening
gain of able, willing knees
gain of will and wish and want
gain of trumpets triumphant
gain of power without bend
gain of glory without end
———-

A Bloggers Product Review: Windows LiveWriter

to be a regular feature? who knows?…

Dad emailed me a couple hours ago with a recommendation (not his own, mind you, he was just passing it on as he knows I blog) for Windows LiveWriter, an Offline/Stand-alone blogging app. Now, I’ve messed with a few of these in my days here at RMI, and have always ended up right back at Bloggers’ simple, online interface. But I figured what the heck, I have a couple test blogs lying around, I’ll d-load it and give it a shot. What follows is what I emailed back to Dad…

thanks dad, there are quite a few of these out there now, but I’m downloading it for a look-see. Generally I try to stay away from MS stuff, they really just bug me, and I’ve tried a couple already that I didn’t really care for, but you never know, so I’ll check it out.

Then I went and checked it out…

OK, tried it out. It lost right out the gate. It’s an official windows install, so it made all kinds of registry changes (you know what that looks like, approving spybot popups). Then it installed an IE toolbar, which told me two things: First that it is IE only, and Second that it’s one of those toolbar driven apps (which I dislike greatly). So having to use IE and have a toolbar while I’m at it is blech.

But I finished the install anyway, and set it up, and made a post to a test blog that I have going, I pretty much posted what I just wrote to you. The interface is meh, very average and has some of those Vista-ish touches (happened to be the ones I don’t like).

This Picky Power Blogger gives Windows LiveWriter 2.5 out of five stars. It will do what you need, but not in a very power-user friendly way.

Now I’m going to blog most of this email on my real blog…

So there you have it… A Bloggers Product Review (which is a pain to type so I shall acronymize it as BPR..)

More on Tomorrows World…

In my Daily Dime post a couple days back, I talked about Tomorrows’ World. A couple of my friends were quick to verbalize their lack of faith in mankind regarding my semi-Utopian short story, Todd even wrote a rebuttal of sorts. (Todd, Cuyler, there’s a link at the end of this that is for you, read the rest if you like, but the link is where my point comes to fruition) I will admit that the story is VERY idealist in nature, but I think that it is the idealists that are our worlds dreamers, and that without them, without the dreamers, humanity is doomed.

Part of my story was based on the idea of Open Source [hereafter referred to as OS] Software. Wikipedia says the following about it:

Open source describes the principles and methodologies to promote open access to the production and design process for various goods, products, resources and technical conclusions or advice. The term is most commonly applied to the source code of software that is made available to the general public with either relaxed or non-existent intellectual property restrictions. This allows users to create user-generated software contentcollaboration. through either incremental individual effort, or collaboration.

In short, that means that people are sharing their work and letting others build it, and build on it.

OS started out small, with only a few hardcore geeks sharing small programs with each-other. It has grown over the years though, and now if you wish, you can run a very very modern computer (yep, even a name brand one) on free, OS operating systems and applications. (Though I use Windows right now, I do have several apps that are OS, the two most noteworthy are OpenOffice.org and Paint.net) So, if you wanted to, you could be Microsoft free, and do it for free… the knowledge has been shared, and we all benefit from it.

By the way, if you’re reading this with your Mozilla Firefox browser, you’re using an OS application.

So the software world is off to a good start, but what comes next? How do we open minds to more options? Well, I think that Creative Commons is what comes next. Creative Commons are basically a set of licenses for creative types that allows them to choose how people can use the things that they make, whether it’s photographs, words or intellectual property. I use a CC license on this blog, and it allows people to make works that are a derivative of my work, as long as they don’t use it to make money, and they publish it under an identical license. CC has opened the doors for people to share their ideas easily and without fear of misuse.

Ok, so we have Software, ‘The Arts’ and Intellectual Property taken care of, big deal. What about physical stuff? What about stuff like the cellphones I mentioned in my story, and cars and other things that make the world go? Well, this is what… Open Source Hardware …Sure it’s small, sure it’s just a start, sure it’s only a few hardcore geeks sharing with each-other, but isn’t that where we started with OS Software?

That, is Tomorrows’ World.
That is why I have some faith left in humanity.
Let’s do this.

- Sincerely, The Lovers, The Dreamers, and Me…
(thirty points for anyone who knows the allusion there…)

The Super Short Sunday Daily Dime: A Riddle

———-
A Riddle
– Gabe Thexton –
———-

My head is on the ground,
I’m scuffed and kicked around,
Someone hears the sound,
And takes me home,
They keep me in a glass prison,
There are many others like me here,
What am I?

———-
You are viewing a Daily Dime short story.
Visit http://dailydime.ning.com for more details.
Your authors this week include: Arthur, Steph, Cuyler, Todd, Steve, and Myself.

The Daily Dime: A Bit ‘o’ Confusion

Trying something a bit different, and I missed the deadline…

———-
A Bit ‘o’ Confusion
– Gabe Thexton –
———-

At ten this morning
Ben said the he got a phone
Call from Alyssa and that she seemed rather
Distressed. He asked her what ever was the matter and she said
Everything was the matter. He asked what
For example and she said
Goodness knew, she was too confused to even think straight
He told her to calm down and take a few breaths. He’d be over
In a
Jiffy, and by the way did she know where the
Karo syrup might be
Laughing for the first time during the call, she said that the neighbor
Melissa had borrowed the remainder and would bring a new bottle over
Next week sometime. They hung up and Ben headed for Alyssa’s
Office, he
Parked in the garage and mentally reminded himself that he was parked in section
Q
Remember it, remember it, remember section Q he
Said over and over in his head
There wasn’t anyone in the office so he went on
Upstairs unannounced, he heard the sounds of someone
Vacuuming. He walked in, she didn’t see him, he spoke loud
What are you doing?
Xuxa said that vacuuming is theraputic in an interview she did.
You watch Univision? How much of that do you understand without subtitles?
Zilch.

———-
You are viewing a Daily Dime short story.
Visit http://dailydime.ning.com for more details.
Your authors this week include: Arthur, Steph, Cuyler, Todd, Steve, and Myself.

The Daily Dime: It had nothing to do with the bus

First, a quote: “Is there anything bad about being a professional shit blower upper?”

———-
It had nothing to do with the bus
– Gabe Thexton –
———-

It started out like Sin City, and I was pissed. Black and White, off kilter camera, all I could think was ‘Who does this? Who rips off a movie so completely?’ That’s when the light hit me in the eyes. I really couldn’t see anything, I forgot that I was mad at the movie. I grabbed the armrest hard, I think I spilled someone’s Milk Duds, the only thing that was registering were the voices and their words…

“That’s him.”

“Third row there?”

“Yeah, you got the light right on him.”

“Alright.” I heard trumping feet.

“You there, get up, come with me.”

“Who, me? Never woulda guessed, thought that light was for someone else.”

“If yer gonna be a smartass about it I can make it much less comfortable.”

“Whatever you say.” I got up and turned right, out of the light and away from his voice.

“Thisaway you moron.” I glanced down, it was clear, I leapt over the row in front of me, then over the next one and into the aisle. I was at full speed, I turned the corner, headed down the ramp. ‘I should have gone for the exit.’ I thought to myself ‘Too late now.’ I slammed through the first door and turned to go out the second. I put my hand out to open it and it swung back away from me, into the hallway. My hand went straight through a large Coke, pummeled some nachos, and I practically decked the biggest guy I’d ever seen in my life. He fell over and I kept running.

I split the double doors and tore across the parking lot, saw a bus pulling out and made straight for it. The driver slowed and I got on. I sat down and watched the cop out the window, he hadn’t even seen me get on the bus, it was a clean getaway.

“What movie did you see?” I turned and looked at the petite black haired girl sitting across from me.

“Well, I didn’t get to watch the whole thing.”

“The bus?” she asked, knowingly.

“Yeah, the bus.”

“Well, did you at least like what you saw?”

“Not really.”

“No? Why?”

“Well, it started out like Sin City and I was pissed.”

———-
You are viewing a Daily Dime short story.
Visit http://dailydime.ning.com for more details.
Your authors this week include: Arthur, Steph, Cuyler, Todd, Steve, and Myself.

Limits

I’ve decided that my evening computer time will be limited to the time that my battery on the laptop lasts. I think this will be a reasonable limiter. I don’t always use the whole thing anyway, but it should help reduce my frequent overdoses. Baby Steps, baby steps…

Waiting for midnight, hoping that my refunds will magically appear in my bank account (last year Turbo Tax didn’t like my acct., this year it took) via direct deposit. Twill be a beautiful day if they show up. I might do something wild like buy a car or something…

WOOT! They’re both there!

*starts singing*
I’m in the money, I’m in the money…

The Daily Dime: Tomorrows’ World

Do you remember being in class, and the teacher assigning an in-class writing assignment? If you were at all like me, you probably sat there not wanting to do it, and feeling as though you were being unjustly pressured to put something down on the paper. Well, to be honest, that’s how I feel tonight. Funny thing is, there’s a catch, I’m the teacher and the student now. So now you get to see the kind of stuff I churned out in 20 minute writing sessions. And for nostalgias’ sake, I’ll even give myself a topic, like the one that was always hidden behind the pull-down world map. “Tomorrows’ World“

———-
Tomorrows’ World
– Gabe Thexton -
———-

In the year 2017, things on Earth look pretty much the same. The main difference is what has come to be called the ‘Information Genesis’. Around 2010, as technologies merged, bringing information and entertainment together in increasingly simpler forms, mankind began seriously looking at colonization. The Free Colonies Project brought together collective knowledge in a way that we’d never seen before.

The project came to the realization that colonies would not be sustainable for any length of time unless they had available to them the collective knowledge of man. After all, you could only send so much technology with a colony ship, what were they to do when the need came about for new communications devices, or new engines and motors. You couldn’t really send up teams of experts in every field, that would make the undertaking much more massive.

The result was an effort to compile all knowledge. Companies surrendered every bit of outdated information they could, no-one wanted to look like they were hindering the progress of man. Soon the open source movements found their way into larger corporations and some of them began opening up more current tech. The race was on and, in a movement that is unprecedented in the history of our planet, knowledge became free. The database of human knowledge exploded, with the FCP, WikiWorld, Google Planet, and others working together to prepare for the future.

By 2016 it was all coming together, the Information Genesis was being assembled. In late March of 2017, global leaders gathered for the Celebration of Coalescence. The entire planet celebrated. Now, merely a month later, we are assembling our first colony ship…

———-

This all kinda just came out, but I have been thinking about this for a while now, if we are to ever seriously look at leaving this planet and sustaining a colony elsewhere, something like this would need to happen. Idealist? You bet. Utopian? Almost. Worth aiming for? Absolutely. – Hope it makes you think… – Gabe

———-
You are viewing a Daily Dime short story.
Visit http://dailydime.ning.com for more details.
Your authors this week include: Arthur, Steph, Cuyler, Todd, Steve, and Myself.

The Daily Dime: I Painted Today

———-
I Painted Today
– Gabe Thexton –
———-

my fingers gripped the brush
a pencil scrawled white canvas stared at me
I drove the brush into the paint
I slid it across the surface
and I had begun.

the freedom of colors gave a rush
the potential of an empty canvas set me free
thoughts of what it will be, not what it aint
strokes aimed with purpose
this would be fun.

layers later a final touch
I stood and stepped back again to see
from brightest bold to squarely faint
surely not worthless
my contribution.

———-
You are viewing a Daily Dime short story.
Visit http://dailydime.ning.com for more details.
Your authors this week include:Arthur, Steph, Cuyler, Todd, Steve, and Myself.

The Daily Dime: Tacos

Arthur has joined the ranks this week. Stop by Phantoms And Shadows to read his words.

———-
Tacos
– Gabe Thexton -
———-

Quentin ate fewer tacos today then he ever has.
As far as he can remember that is.
He still bought the normal dozen, but ate only four.
Something had his appetite, he couldn’t be sure what.
He grabbed the box and headed for the door.
“Later guys.”
“See you tomorrow Q?”
“I dunno Jack, I’ve got eight left.”
“Tell ya what, leave ‘em here, and we’ll eat ‘em and you can come get the balance in fresh ones tomorrow.” Quentin smiled at him.
“That’s why you guys are the best. Deal.” He set the box on the counter, and walked out the door.
The world exploded with light and sound.
No-one ever ate the tacos.
Quentin never went back for more.
The war was on and tacos were far from the minds of everyone.
The destruction was massive.
Thirty years later the site was cleared and a park was constructed.
There’s a tree where the taco box last sat.
April sits under the tree every day and eats her lunch.
Savory smells waft through the park from the taco stand on the corner.
She thinks it’s the smell that makes her crave tacos every day.
She bought and ate eight of them one day.
She felt guilty and relieved at the same time.
And though the smell is always good, April doesn’t crave tacos anymore at lunch.

———-
You are viewing a Daily Dime short story.
Visit http://dailydime.ning.com for more details.
Your authors this week include:Arthur, Steph, Cuyler, Todd, Steve, and Myself.