Windows 7

Version 1 of Windows was released in November of 1985. Since then there have been versions 2, 2.1, 3, 3.1, NT, Windows 95, 98, 2000, ME, XP, and Vista, along with a few others thrown in.

This month Microsoft released Windows 7 beta which is a testing version of the next operating system which we'll see in final form later this year. I have downloaded it to my HP laptop and now dual boot to Windows XP or Windows 7 beta.

I did not like Vista, along with most of the world, and Windows 7 looks and acts very much like Vista but with some nice new features. I'm keeping an open mind while testing it and will keep you posted on my opinions. It will be discussed at greater length in Cyber News.

Captain "Sully" Sullenberger

Captain "Sully" Sullenberger is now a household name, and he deserves to be. He made a one of a kind emergency landing last week in New York's Hudson River. Remarkable and miraculous were the results as all 155 people lived through it.

Being a retired pilot I have even more of an appreciation for the skills and focus of this man than the average person.

I received the above picture in email and can't give appropriate credit to the person who authored it, but it is thought provoking. Thank you Lord for Captain Sully and his dedicated crew. We salute you!

Look for his first interview on CBS's 60 minutes on February 8th.

Super Bowl & God

Tampa Bay here we come! Wow, what an exciting play-off game. Kurt Warner is an outstanding athlete and a leader. He has to be admired for that and the fact that he does not hide his faith in God. 89% of Americans believe in God, so why is the majority letting a small number of unbelievers take God out of our society?

There are many references to the following if you type "Atheist Holy Day" in Google and it's also floating around as an email. I don't know if this is truth or fiction, but I find it to be most interesting.

FLORIDA COURT SETS ATHEIST HOLY DAY

In Florida , an atheist created a case against the upcoming Easter and Passover holy days. He hired an attorney to bring a discrimination case against Christians, Jews and observances of their holy days. The argument was that it was unfair that atheists had no such recognized days.

The case was brought before a judge. After listening to the passionate presentation by the lawyer, the judge banged his gavel declaring, "Case dismissed!"

The lawyer immediately stood objecting to the ruling saying, "Your honor, how can you possibly dismiss this case? The Christians have Christmas, Easter and others. The Jews have Passover, Yom Kippur and Hanukkah, yet my client and all other atheists have no such holidays." The judge leaned forward in his chair saying, "But you do. Your client, counsel, is woefully ignorant." The lawyer said, "Your Honor, we are unaware of any special observance or holiday for atheists."

The judge said, "The calendar says April 1st is April Fools Day. Psalm 14:1 states, 'The fool says in his heart, there is no God.' Thus, it is the opinion of this court, that if your client says there is no God, then he is a fool. Therefore, April 1st is his day. Court is adjourned."

Arizona Cardinals

There's plenty of excitement in the air here in Phoenix for the possibility of the Cardinals playing in the Super Bowl! The win over the Panthers was exciting enough, then the Eagles beating the Giants meant that we would fight the play-off game on home turf instead of in New York.

I mentioned (with tongue in cheek) to my friends a month ago that "Wouldn't it be something if the big game was between the Cardinals and the Steelers," and now that just may come true.

So, two big games next Sunday. The Cards and the Eagles, and the Steelers and the Ravens. Of course the two winning teams will match up in Tampa Bay on February 1st for Super Bowl 43. GO ARIZONA!

3 Things Today

To start off your new year why not sit back, relax, and watch this powerful presentation.

Have you heard about Google's new service? It's information for your telephone or your cell phone. Just dial 1-800-goog-411. Say the city, the business or type of service you are looking for and they will connect you, for FREE! Here's a short video from Google that explains it all.

For you football lovers here's the play-off schedule for this weekend. We will certainly be watching the Cardinal-Panther game Saturday night!

Christmas Week

Well, Christmas 2008 has come and gone. Sure hope you had a nice one. We traveled to Houston for the holidays to be with part of our family and had a great time.

One of the interesting things about about our trip were signs along the way. I combined three photos that I took and as you can see the price of fuel continues to fall. The lowest for regular was $1.16 in Las Cruces, New Mexico. Diesel was $1.97 and at a station in Arizona it was $1.91. What a difference from July when we paid $5.20 when pulling our RV to Colorado!

I just had to shoot the exit sign to Gary, New Mexico, and can you believe that across the State of Texas they raised the speed limit to 80 mph! You know that most people always drive above the limit so that means you'll see a lot of folks becoming NASCAR drivers! I don't know who was responsible for passing that law, but for me that's too fast to be safe. Hit something at 90 mph and you don't stand much of a chance of living!

On a better note, I hope that 2009 will be the best year of your life. Happy New Year!

Spike O'Dell

My friend Spike O'Dell spent most of his life on the radio. It all started in 1977 at a small station in East Moline, Illinois, and within a few years he ended up at Chicago's WGN. Yesterday he made his last broadcast as morning personality and I had the privilege of being there.

The show originated from the Metropolis Performing Arts Center in Arlington Heights and the theater was packed. I flew in Thursday and flew back home Friday afternoon. It was two days of action packed fun, and the weather was beautiful on both flights. Beautiful except for 15 degrees in the "windy city" so it was awesome coming back to sunny Arizona where the temperature was over 70.

While doing research for an article in the Quad City Times the editor found this picture of Spike on my Photo Site and asked permission to use it. It was used, along with a couple of other shots that I took at various stations, in the article that was published Friday.

I took the above photo during the show and also shot a few minutes of Video with my little Sony camera. You can click on the picture for a larger view.

When the broadcast concluded at 9 am Spike threw his earphones into the audience, signed autographs for hundreds of people, then jumped into his car and drove to his new home in Nashville where he is retiring.

So many memories with my friend over all these years, especially when we were both in the Quad Cities.

Here's a toast to you Spike!

Certainly you are joking!

Do you know this man? His name is John Thain and he is the CEO of Merrill Lynch. He has my vote for the biggest _ _ _ _ on earth! What this character has done is beyond my conception of reality.

The taxpayers bailed out the company that John heads, to the tune of $10 billion dollars, and that's spelled with a capitol B. Now Mr. Thain has asked the Board of Directors for a $10 million dollar bonus!

Run the company into the ground, ask for a bailout, then ask to be rewarded? Personally, I don't know whether to laugh, cry, or vomit! I can't find words of how ridiculous, absurd, outrageous, and utterly insane this is! Details from Fox News.

Arizona Sunsets

Some of the most beautiful sunsets in the world are in Arizona. It was almost dark when I took this shot a mile from our house. Was it through someone's window? No, I added that, but who wouldn't want this view every evening.

After taking this photo we stopped and filled our stomachs with oriental food. Now you'll have to pardon me as I have to check some data.

The Love of Photography

The more you have a passion for something, the more you are constantly aware of it. And so it is with me and photography. Every where I go I see places and things as a picture.

While walking through our living room today, the late afternoon sunlight was streaming though a window accentuating the beauty of an arrangement.

I grabbed my camera, captured the sight then added a few effects using different programs on my computer. You can click on the photo for a larger view and I also posted it on my Photo Site.

Happy Thanksgiving!

I have discovered a new drink and thought I'd pass it along to you. It's Lipton's Diet Citrus Green Tea. I'm not a lover of water which you should drink plenty of each day, but I'll drink this and I love it, besides it's good for you. That's got nothing to do with nothing but what the heck.....

From our house to your house, may Diane and I wish you a very Happy Thanksgiving! We all have so much to be thankful for and our lives are greatly enhanced when we are grateful.

Click on the Photo for your piece of pumpkin pie!

Digital Cameras

I recently purchased a Canon SX110-IS point & shoot digital camera for day to day use. I have an expensive Nikon D80 with a lens that cost as much as the camera. It is a sophisticated piece of equipment with advantages over this one, but the Canon costs 1/10th as much. On most occasions this camera will do the job and probably take as good a picture as the Nikon, or any other expensive DSLR for that matter. For comparison, I walked outside and took the same picture with each camera using the same settings. You will read a full explanation in the upcoming December edition of Cyber News. You can also click on the photo of the Canon for a larger view of the back and the beauty on the LCD.

Take a look at the two photos and you decide if one is better or if they are equal, then come back here for the answer. Don't read any further.......

Did you pick Test A or Test B? Both pictures are almost identical in content, and both were hand held. I had Diane sit down in front of my monitor and asked her opinion. After quite a few minutes of deliberation she picked Test B. Test A was taken with the Nikon which cost over $2,000. Test B was taken with the Canon which was $249. Believe me after that little test I'll use my new friend with confidence!

Bill O'Reilly, Christmas, & Spam Calls

I was shopping at COSTCO yesterday and picked up a copy of Bill O'Reilly's new book "A Bold Fresh Piece of Humanity." It didn't break the bank as it was only $14.00, and when I got home I couldn't put it down until I had read the whole thing. Interesting, informative, and entertaining. I enjoyed it because I could see a lot of my life in his. If you like Bill you'll love his new book!


On another note, I think it's time for us to seriously consider how much money we should spend on Christmas. This can be a very stressful time of the year because we feel compelled to fulfill the thousand wishes of our children and grand kids. They don't need every item that they see on TV and we don't need more debt on our credit cards! Be honest and explain that there isn't enough money for their entire wish list. Scale down, spend less, enjoy family, and everyone will be happier!

While writing this my cell phone rang. I didn't recognize the number but answered it anyway and it was a recording about having my carpets cleaned. It's one thing getting these calls at home but I detest this on my cell phone and I'm steamed! Pardon the pun.

There is a way to hopefully put this to a stop and here's how to do it. You can call 1-888-382-1222 from your cell phone, or go to this web site to register all your phones, which is exactly what I did.

Email Virus

As mentioned in Cyber News, one of the purposes of this blog would be to keep you up to date on computer stuff during the month.

Here is an example: There is an email virus floating around and I have actually received it myself. It makes you think it's from UPS and asks you to fill out information so you can retrieve a package at your local UPS office. If you fall for it you get bit with a virus! Keep alert for these kinds of emails and don't be gullible.

Details from Snopes.

Magazine Cover Shot

I took this photo last Saturday evening while attending a Hot Air Balloon Festival west of Phoenix. It was a beautiful day and we had a fun afternoon shooting the colorful balloons. See the last 6 shots in my Balloon Gallery.

We were munching on a cheeseburger and fries when we noticed the beauty of the sunset. I grabbed my Nikon, walked about 100 yards from where we were sitting and snapped some frames.

Using Paint Shop Pro X2 for a little post editing fun, I created a magazine cover in which I escalated my photo talents. I only wish I was a Master Photographer, but I'm learning and it wouldn't be much of a challenge if you started off knowing it all. Arizona sunsets are breath taking and I always look forward to the next one. I also look forward to the next pleasing photograph that comes from my camera.

Find Happiness Today

I receive a motivational email each day from a man named Ralph Marston. Most of them are inspiring and "food for thought." Here is today's message:

What is the path to true happiness? How far must you go to
find happiness?

You need not go very far at all. For happiness is always
inside you, ready whenever you are.

No object, no person, no circumstance will make you happy.
You are always happy when you decide to be.

The good things in life do not cause happiness. It is
precisely the other way around.

Allow happiness to flow out from you, and the good things in
life will surround you and fill your world. Choose to be
happy, with no conditions imposed upon that happiness, and
you'll create the ideal conditions for your life.

Happiness is a beautiful gift you can give yourself no
matter what. Give it freely and it will change your world.

You can visit his website at http://greatday.com/

I hope you find happiness today!

French Fried Green Beans

Now I'm a few years older than the average guy, but never in my life have I had french fried green beans....until last night. I've had them in a casserole, but never made like french fries.

We met some friends at TGIF for happy hour. We do this every Friday night at a different place here in Phoenix, and believe me there's lots of places to choose from. In a two mile stretch near our home there are more restaurants than anywhere in the world.

So this was our first visit to Friday's and the hostess recommended that we try their french fried green beans. We did and we couldn't get enough of them. Umm good....give them a try sometime!

This morning I was playing around with some photos that I took last month in the Smoky Mountains. I came across one that was really a "throw away." It was way over exposed and I almost hit the delete button, but that's the nice thing about a good photo editor is that you can take a bad picture and turn it into something that looks pretty good. So I darkened it, tweaked here and there, gave it a paint effect and put a frame on it. Not bad....

Click on it for a larger view.

The Weather & Internet Scam Alert

The biggest reason why we live in Phoenix is the weather. Today's forecast is for plenty of sunshine with a high of 76. That's my definition of joy.

South Dakota today had 4 feet of snow with 50 mph winds. Now that's my definition of miserable!

There's no doubt about it, sunshine just puts you in a better mood.

This morning I walked around the house with my camera shooting this and that. One of my shots was a painting hanging on the living room wall. I imported it into my computer, modified it somewhat, gave it a painted effect, added borders and a frame and here's the final product.
You can click on it for a larger view.

OK, so much for the weather and fun stuff, but now I have to warn you about new email scams since the election of Senator Obama. Details from PC World.

Have a nice weekend!

A New Future for America

November 4, 2008 is an historic day for our Country. America has spoken and elected Senator Obama as its 44th President.

John McCain gave an elegant concession speech saying that America now needs to be strong and work together for common goals. Senator Obama gave an outstanding acceptance speech in which his words were the same.

We have come a long way and each of us must have a positive outlook for our Country. We must become one people, one voice, one nation.

We are all glad the campaigning is over. Now let's get on with our lives, and build an image of the world we want to live in!

Welcome Cyber News Readers

People on the Internet have been blogging for years and I'm just getting on the band wagon. The word Blog is a derivative of Weblog, kind of like a Captain's log on a ship. It's essentially a diary and you can write about anything you like.

I originally started this for a few family members and some friends so they could see the progress of a recent trip we took with our RV.

After the trip I thought maybe this would be a good way to supplement Cyber News with timely comments about things we write about. Whether this is a good idea or not only time will tell.

Thanks for dropping by. Stop back again and I'll keep an eye out for you. If you're reading this and haven't seen Cyber News, here's the link.