Thanks to Amy - grandson Hogan~
Hogan is getting good at that self portrait thing!

tuning up

The rest did...

November 27, 2009 Fri

Why is it Black Friday, exactly, anyway? Seems pretty nice to me - wife home, sunny, pleasant, great leftovers ~~

With the family a bit spread out this year (geographically - and certainly physically after dinner), we enjoyed a more intimate evening with Dick and Laura, Niomi and Janet and Ivey, and Cassady. Barb, Paul and Anna later, on their third stop!

We did get in a few tunes -

happy dogs by the fire~

November 25, 2009 Wed

Well, let's see, what have we to be thankful for?

Well, we're thankful there are no more failed hard drives laying around. The going success rate leaves something to be desired... oh, well - one out of three?

The other two would seem to be fried, and won't give up anything. Worse, the (larger) local computer store has gone out of business - no help there. One of two, that we had here in town -- the other remains, but has been closed for the last several weeks.

EDIT: re-discovered the missing computer store - some one had moved their 'We've Moved' sign. Now it's two blocks away, instead of ten! Yay!

Some statistics for the Year 1909:

Fuel for this car was sold in drug stores only.
The average life expectancy was 47 years.
14 percent of homes had a bathtub.
Only 8 percent of homes had a telephone.
There were only 8,000 cars and 144 miles Of paved roads.
The maximum speed limit in most cities was 10 mph.
The tallest structure in the world was the Eiffel Tower.
The average wage in 1909 was 22 cents per hour.
The average worker made between $200 and $400 per year ..
A competent accountant could expect to earn $2000 per year, a dentist $2,500 per year, a veterinarian between $1,500 and $4,000 per year, and a mechanical engineer about $5,000 per year.
More than 95 percent of all births took place at home.
Ninety percent of all doctors had no college education. Instead, they attended so-called medical schools, many of which were condemned in the press AND the government as 'substandard.'
Sugar cost four cents a pound.
Eggs were fourteen cents a dozen.
Coffee was fifteen cents a pound.
Most women only washed their hair once a month, and used Borax or egg yolks for shampoo.
Canada passed a law that prohibited poor people from entering into their country for any reason.
Five leading causes of death were:
1. Pneumonia and influenza
2. Tuberculosis
3. Diarrhea
4. Heart disease
5. Stroke
The American flag had 45 stars. The population of Las Vegas, Nevada, was 30.
Crossword puzzles, canned beer, and iced tea hadn't been invented yet. There was no Mother's Day or Father's Day.
Two out of every 10 adults couldn't read or write and only 6 percent of all Americans had graduated from high school.
Marijuana, heroin, and morphine were all available over the counter at the local corner drugstores. Pharmacists claimed, 'Heroin clears the complexion, gives buoyancy to the mind, regulates the stomach and bowels, and is, in fact, a perfect guardian of health'.
Eighteen percent of households had at least one full-time servant or domestic help.
There were about 230 reported murders in the ENTIRE U.S.A.
95 percent of the taxes that we have now did not exist in 1909.

November 23, 2009 Mon

We took in this 5 or 6 year old machine today - the owner shall remain nameless. The hard drive would seem to have failed - won't know for sure until tomorrow. However, part of the problem becomes immediately apparent upon removing the side cover - several year's worth of dust.

Your local computer store/radio shack sells cans of compressed air - and this is where you use it - inside your computer. At least every few months, blast that dust out of there, before it becomes this deep/thick. That coating of dust will cause your machine to run hot, amongst other things, and heat inside your computer is the cause of many a failure.

CLICK HERE

We visited Eric and Debra's Blog, to borrow this picture. In the description, Debra notes that this first ride in quite awhile was exhausting... we believe her.

November 21, 2009 Sat

RIP Chico, 1997 - 2009

Here are two of them, sitting with Ann this morning~~

November 20, 2009 Fri

It seems like every 24 hours another system has pushed through the area bringing high winds and some rain -- and very little sunshine. However, the pavement is dry at the moment and the temperatures are pushing over 50 - this might bode well for some to wield (read, two wheeled - a voice recognition glitch) time later in the day.

Thanks to Richard, who remembered to pull out a camera yesterday, in the middle of his teaching responsibilities at the Senior Ukulele Ensemble.

Doing what he does so well...

another great turnout! - Thanks to Barb for the brownies, and here are - Best Birthday Wishes!~

November 19, 2009 Thu

Sure has been a rainy, windy and somewhat dismal week. Although the temperatures are staying pretty mild, except for one night in the 30s, we would like to see some dry pavement.

Amongst other things, we've been trying to restore functionality to an external hard drive belonging to a friend. If you've ever lost anything on your computer due to a crash or other failure, then you know the value of backing up your files. We harp on this frequently.

Our friend had the right idea -- purchase an external hard drive. She moved her valuable files to the external drive. It might have been a better notion to 'copy' those files to the external drive. Then they would exist in two places. In the land of computer backup, we say: one is none, two is one, and three is backed up. An example of three might be, the files on your computer -- backed up on two external hard drives. We also use an online backup facility (Carbonite) that has paid for itself once, already.

In my friend's case, the external drive failed. It might be worth noting that improper shutdown seems to be what caused the problem. Failure to use the 'Safely Remove Hardware' feature of Windows. The manufacturer of this external drive was pretty implicit in their instructions about following that procedure. Simply turning the unit off probably caught it in the middle of something, with the result that the information on the disk might be lost.

However, as a public service we would like to caution novice hunters not to fall for the old, Hunting Cap Trick...

Here is a link to a seldom viewed page from January, 2004 - it got lost in the shuffle.

November 17, 2009 Tue

Sunday and Monday brought more rain, and the big winds. Turns out wind makes small dogs nervous at night...

Managed to get in some rehearsal time both days - a good thing. Started reading one of those 'can't put it down' books - Plan B 3.0 by Lester R. Brown. Mobilizing to Save Civilization.
It came highly recommended, and YOU should get a copy.

What were we doing five years ago? Posting old pictures of my brothers~~ Photo by Ann Smock

November 14, 2009 Sat

Out and about yesterday. Good thing, too - got a bit chilly overnight, into the thirties. Well, it is November...

But, it was sunny and pleasant and about 50 when we took these~~
Everybody has to take out the garbage...

This is humor... of one sort~

Then, the nice fellow at the auto parts 'splained it to me:
Each time the battery charge level falls below a certain point (from sitting in the shed) it counts as a 'cycle' to bring the charge back up the next time it is started - which would often require a 'jump'. By attaching a battery tender that will trickle charge to add juice BEFORE the level gets that low (and then shut itself off), I've been able to extend battery life considerably. IE, this is the third year on the present battery. (thanks, Kurt!)

battery tender wired directly to battery terminals via this small cable

November 12, 2009 Thu

Thanks to Jack - a timely Trivia kind of quiz, all about Thanksgiving - well, and turkeys. So far, eight is the score to beat...
Which ought to tell you something! CLICK HERE

HERE is the link

Here is a great website of their music, with lyrics. Other musicians, too.

November 10, 2009 Tue

A Game! Thanks to Kurt~~
Aim and shoot - Spacebar to reload

Remit has found additional photos of the bridge being constructed at the Hoover Dam - thanks!

Soon, the following email went out to everyone in his address book, including me, of course. Since he is a jokester and we jest back and forth alot, and since the email was from his legit address, I took it as 'humor' - bad grammar, spelling, punctuation and all, and wrote him back. Except he didn't get the reply, the scammer did - and promptly wrote me back. I was still thinking it was him, and here's how the exchange went...

This is what came from his address, and started things off.

James R (his real last name was in the email) wrote:
Hope this finds you well and i believe everything is okay with you.I had a trip to London for a workshop/seminar. Unfortunately the seminar committees bus that was conveying us to the invitees hotel had a brake failure and collided with a produce supply vehicle and burst into flames,i escaped with minor 1st degree burns and in the ensuing inferno,i lost my travel documents and certificates of immeasurable value.By a stroke of luck,passing paramedics on their way to the scene of a robbery happened to see us and called for a back up vehicle to convey the survivors to the hospital and the dead to the mortuary.I would have put a call through to you but unfortunately my phone got lost in the incident as well.

I'm gradually recuperating but as fast as my health is recuperating, so is my health bill accumulating. I even need to undergo a skin grafting operation but the funds are withholding me.I would need you to help me with about 1800Pounds to help me in settling my hospital bills.I should expect to see you on my return and hope i resume fully hale and hearty.

My hope on you as i pray this message gets to you as i am using the matron in charges PDA.
Regards Jim

While I was laughing and wondering where he got the idea, I wrote back:

Dear Jim,
Oh my. I do hope you remembered to convey my regards to the Queen.
Were you able to grab any celery off the produce vehicle?
You know that is so good for your digestive system.
Sorry to hear about the first degree burns. Was that on top of the scarring from your previous injury? You remember, when you went to stomp on that burning bag of shit on your front porch that I threw there as a joke and your pants and then your lower torso caught fire?
Don't worry about that cheap ass Iphone you lost in the accident - those are a dime a dozen, anymore. I'll be glad to send you two or three -- give them to your friends. Oh, sorry, I forgot -- you don't have any...
That knocking on your door is the overnight messenger I sent with a check for $10,000. Consider it an advance on the million that will follow. Always glad to help out whenever we can.
In the future, remember what I've always told you -- Spend it like you've got it. Never take a bus when you can rent a limo.
I know your recovery might not be as timely as if you hadn't tested positive for HIV and H1N1, but you will be in my prayers -- or you would be, if I believed in that sort of thing.
Thank you for thinking of me in your time of need.
I'll be sure and do the same.
Your chum
david

+++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++

Well, when the following arrived, I just assumed Jim was getting into the spirit of things:

I am glad you are willing to help me,i have been down in spirit ever since the incident because my cell got lost as well, send the money through western union.So all i want you to do is send the money to me here through western union money transfer and i will get it.This is my information below which you will need to transfer me the money.

Jim R
45 Kensington High St -
London W8 4PT
Write me immediately, so i know when the money has been wired,scan and send me the western union money transfer receipt or just write out the details on the receipt and send to me. this mystery is enough..
Regards,
Jim

++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++

This cracked me up, right down to the London address. Still believing I was going along with the gag, I sent back the following, along with a 'receipt' I found online:

Bear up old friend, help is on the way.
Below is your receipt = the nearest office was in Buckingham. Did you move recently? Or are you still in the halfway house? I seem to have an old address for you.
As always, I remain your faithful servant
das

Well, soon came a response from 'Jim' -

thank you for your help and your effort toward my situation.kindly help me write down the details i cant see wat is written in the western union receipt.

++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++

At this point I was starting to wonder why Jim was carrying this so far, and wrote my sis, asking her if she was following the whole thing?
She responded:

Jim got some email that said it was from yahoo and said he had to verify his account and asked him for his email info including his user ID, Password. He responded, and we think this is the result.

Mardi

+++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++

At this point I finally realized what was going on. Jim was being scammed - my emails weren't even going to him, but to the scammer. They had to notify Yahoo, cancel his account, etc. Which they did, and got control back, and a new password.

Hopefully, none of his other contacts actually bit on the phony 'request'!

I couldn't resist, and sent one last response:

Dear Sir or Madam,
Just show up at the nearest Western Union office and give them your name and this number:
4277866IMnIdiot2day
They will be glad to help you out the same way you came in.
das

+++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++

So - be careful out there! Any email that purports to be from a website that you do in fact use, and wants you to 'verify' your account info by opening an attached file - is likely a scam. What they refer to as, 'phishing'.

If you are in doubt, go to the website in question via your normal channels, using a new browser window.

If they need any info from you, there will be a legitimate message waiting there.

November 08, 2009 Sun

Hope you had a good weekend. I know the folks in the Midwest enjoyed a pleasant fall day with temperatures in the 60s. We didn't do quite as well, high 40s - but the rain held off after about noon. The sun poked you through at times late in the day -- out here they call that, sun breaks.

This is a trend throughout the winter in the great Pacific Northwest. The days begin cloudy and about 40, breaking up and turning nice in the afternoon.

thanks to Doreen~

David A Smock

November 07, 2009 Sat

After a damp start it finally cleared up and the sun poked through -- just before the rains came again. Still mostly mild, in the fifties. The grass is really taking off. This year we are seeding, and using fertilizer/weedkiller in an effort to catch up with the Joneses. We'll see...

Here are some views from around webland today -
These guys would be glad to give their disabled friends a tow, if they could only get a line to them...

This incident happened in Oshawa, Ontario, Canada at the CP Railway yard which ships out new General Motors vehicles. One of the carmen who attaches and detaches the auto rack cars uncoupled a string of them without having some hand-brakes applied. The Oshawa railway yard has a slight incline - when the cars were uncoupled from the locomotive they started to roll down the hill. The auto racks smashed through the bumping post, then through the fence, and continued right into a massive car park where GM stores new vehicles that have just come off the production line. It was reported that over 300 new vehicles with zero mileage were damaged...

CLICK HERE to try your luck

November 06, 2009 Fri

Here are views about town this day - the rains let up long enough to get out and about on two wheels~~
This would be the pilot house for the new Candies boat - it's being worked in the next yard over~

Here's a post from the Federal Trade Commission, regarding Cell Phones and Do not call lists...

Despite Re-Circulating E-mail, It is Still Not Necessary to Register Cell Phone Numbers

As the number of phone numbers on the National Do Not Call (DNC) Registry surpassed 139 million, the Federal Trade Commission today reiterated that despite the claims made in e-mails circulating on the Internet, consumers should not be concerned that their cell phone numbers will be released to telemarketers at any time in the near future. In addition, according to the agency, it is not necessary to register cell phone numbers on the DNC Registry to be protected from most telemarketing calls to cell phones.

The truth about cell phones and the DNC Registry is:
* Contrary to the e-mail, cell phone numbers are NOT being released to telemarketers, and you will NOT soon be getting telemarketing calls on your cell phone.
* There is NO deadline by which you must register your cell phone number on the Registry.
* Federal Communications Commission (FCC) regulations prohibit telemarketers from using automated dialers to call cell phone numbers. Automated dialers are standard in the industry, so most telemarketers are barred from calling consumers on their cell phones without their consent.
* The national associations representing telemarketers have stated that their clients do not intend to start calling consumers’ cell phones.
* There is only ONE DNC Registry. There is no separate registry for cell phones.
* The DNC Registry accepts registrations from both cell phones and land lines. You must call from the phone number that you want to register. If you register online, you must respond to a confirmation e-mail.
* While the telecommunications industry has been discussing the possibility of creating a wireless 411 directory, according to the FCC, even if a wireless 411 directory is established, most telemarketing calls to cell phones would still be illegal, regardless of whether the number is listed on the federal government’s National Do Not Call Registry.

November 05, 2009 Thu

We would like to also wish John's (as in, John Marx Smock) wife, Caroline, a very happy birthday -- which was on Tuesday, the third.

Many happy returns!

Blustery. Mild, grey and windy. About 60. Falling barometer.

Perhaps not the best day for tree felling, you might think - but, no - down it comes!

The rather large (but poorly placed) pine in Richard's back yard, is no more.

These guys were good!

Interesting. Taverns would seem to be of the feminine gender... La Lantern, perhaps?
Note Cassady's likeness~
This is a Facebook thing, you may feel free to ignore it...

This is where Leo and Lily sit and wait when they know it's time for Ann to come home~

Thanks to Jack -- a great reaction time test! All you have to do is push the button on your mouse.

November 04, 2009 Wed

Hey! This is a special day - my (remaining) little sister has her Birthday!

Happy Birthday!
Martha Louise might be getting close to those years we refer to as: Advanced

The above celebrated personage sent the following photo, of Louie the cat, with the caption:
'Damn, more nose hairs...'

Which is a funny picture - except we know it wasn't taken in a woman's part of the Bath Area, which would normally look more like this:

Moving on...

Thanks to Nick -
How good to see our students studying their physics. In this case, Bournoli's Principles regarding gravity and the flow of liquids in a tube...

Further evidence of - the wearing suspenders at home syndrome...
Caption: happy birthday to Mardi!

This rather weighty brass plaque will be mounted to Ann's headstone. Yeah, ugh. My sentiments, exactly.

November 02, 2009 Mon

The weekend was so pleasant that we plunged ahead with the honey do list, adding the trim that was missing around the doorways in the dining room. The pieces had been painted months ago and only lacked proper installation around the door frames.

When we did the living room doorways we had taken 8 foot sections over to Dick's and ripped them on his table saw. This time we jury rigged using the five dollar garage sale circular saw that was used to build Joe Dunn's chicken coop. The idea is, fasten the old saw to the bottom of a piece of wood, and turn the whole thing over - Presto - tablesaw. We forgot to take pictures yesterday, so here it is in the shed.

One advantage of doing all the cutting in the backyard is that sawdust cleanup becomes much simpler than it would be in the house. It just sort of disappears into the grass...

Thanks to Amy, Hogan on Halloween - Brett in the background~

check your powers of observation

November 01, 2009 Sun

Now, it's the whole dang year running up to its own demise. Oh, well -

Welcome to the November Blog, from davesmock.com - those same folks that bring you~~ railroaddave.com ~~

A quick reminder - there are several useful links at the top of this page - including one to the recently scanned photos and slides. Click the down arrow by the box called links. Clicking the down arrow on the box on the upper left - blog archive - gives access to previous months of this page.

The blog is now officially six years old and running daily.

We left off at the end of last month bemoaning the fact that there was no easy fix for the low light problem at the mudroom sink. This sink is where the doggies get bathed, and more to the point - get their nails trimmed. A mis - cut here results in blood, dog yelling, and general unpleasantness. Ann does this rather delicate job, and I'd like her to have it go as easily as possible.

Adding light to this area has been on the 'honey do' list for longer than we care to admit. No longer!

This was the only light back there, and it was located away from the sink - as well as only being rated for 60 Watts.

Axes? Yes, and they do love to use them... Maybe you can use those minutes to put that fire out yourself - do you have your fire extinguishers nearby?

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