Today, I added a second sidebar to my blogger blog. Previously, I had the classic Minima Dark template. I added the new sidebar on the left hand side because there was unused empty space on that side, and I wanted to put an add there (this was suggested by Google heat map for add placement).
These are the steps that you take to add the side bar:
1. Go to layout in your blogger account and click edit html.
2. Scroll down until you see the CSS line that says #outer-wrapper{
3. Change the width for this id to 850px.
4. In the id labeled #main-wrapper delete the line beginning with float.
5. Create the following class
/* Left sidebar
----------------------------------------------- */
.leftside {
width: 195px;
word-wrap: break-word; /* fix for long text breaking sidebar float in IE */
overflow: hidden; /* fix for long non-text content breaking IE sidebar float */
float: left;
padding: 5px;
margin: 10px 0 0 8px;
}
6. Scroll down until you see the following code:
<div id='crosscol-wrapper' style='text-align:center'>
<b:section class='crosscol' id='crosscol' showaddelement='no'/>
</div>
7. Underneath of this code add your own code that is the following:
<div class='leftside'>
<b:section id='leftsidebar' showaddelement='yes'>
<b:widget id='your widget' locked='false' title='' type='WidgetType'/>
</b:section>
</div>
Note: Your widget line will look different. This will also change your page elements section.
Source: http://testing-blogger-beta.blogspot.com/2006/09/adding-graphic-to-your-blog-header.html
Friday, June 26, 2009
Thursday, June 25, 2009
Can my Philips CDRW/DVD SCB5265 burn DVDs?
Much to my chagrin, I learned the answer to this question today. The answer is NO . I don't know why I wasted so much time in denial. The answer was pretty much in front of my face the whole time. I mean, if it could burn dvds, it would probably be called a Philips CDRW/DVD W. It does feel surprisingly good to be done my search for an answer despite spending such a long time searching for a different answer. Since I did waste so much time, I figured I would make this post and hopefully save some other people from doing pointless google searches for updated drivers and dvd burning software. I hope this helps.
Saturday, June 20, 2009
How to become organized
As I was trying to think about something to write about today, I asked myself what are some of my skills. One of the first ideas that popped into mind was organization skills. Thus, I dedicate my blog today to describing some tips to help people become more organized.
1. The definition of organization is a malleable one; each person has to make their own definition. You have to do what works for you. Improvisation is always a good skill. One of my favorite methods of organization is letting things fall into place.
i.e.: I use my desk as a shelf, I use my hamper as a desk, and I use my desk
chair as an easily accessible dresser drawer.
2. Memory definitely helps in staying organized, and I have a pretty good memory. However, if you don't have an excellent memory write things down may help. I have found that even if I never look at what I wrote down, the simple act of writing the important fact helps encode them into my memory.
2a. Another memory tip is to use a strange image, word, or a familiar setting to help remember things. You will be surprised how much you can remember if you link important facts with different items in a room of your house.
3. This is my last tip, and it is the most obvious. You can always just make a list of things that need to get done. In this fashion, the only thing you really need to remember is to continue looking at your list.
1. The definition of organization is a malleable one; each person has to make their own definition. You have to do what works for you. Improvisation is always a good skill. One of my favorite methods of organization is letting things fall into place.
i.e.: I use my desk as a shelf, I use my hamper as a desk, and I use my desk
chair as an easily accessible dresser drawer.
2. Memory definitely helps in staying organized, and I have a pretty good memory. However, if you don't have an excellent memory write things down may help. I have found that even if I never look at what I wrote down, the simple act of writing the important fact helps encode them into my memory.
2a. Another memory tip is to use a strange image, word, or a familiar setting to help remember things. You will be surprised how much you can remember if you link important facts with different items in a room of your house.
3. This is my last tip, and it is the most obvious. You can always just make a list of things that need to get done. In this fashion, the only thing you really need to remember is to continue looking at your list.
Wednesday, June 17, 2009
Epic: n. Clint Eastwood's performance in Gran Torino
Martin Luther King once had a dream. He dreamt that everyone would one day be treated as equals. Essentially, I take this to mean that King wanted people to become indifferent of race. Clint Eastwood's performance in Gran Torino shows quite a different path of promoting this equality in treatment.
Throughout the movie Walt, Clint Eastwood's character, uses racial slurs at almost any opportunity possible. Even the people that seem to be his friends, he insults. People he doesn't know he insults. Those that possess firearms are still victims of Walt's insults. However, through all this name calling, Walt does not loose his heart; rather, he seems to grow more loving. He demonstrates to a white kid that being natural is being cool. He demonstrates to a group of black kids causing trouble on the corner that one better possess the courage to back up their talk. He grows to love his Hmong neighbors more than his own family. He teaches the young man that lives next store to him how to earn an honest living as a construction worker in American society. Essentially, Walt demonstrates in the most bad ass way possible that it does not matter who you've killed, what gang you're in or how many possessions you have; the only thing that truly matters is that one is willing to have compassion for their neighbors.
Related Sites:
http://www.thegrantorino.com/
http://firefox.org/news/articles/2850/1/DVD-Review-Gran-Torino-2008/Page1.html
http://www.google.com/hostednews/canadianpress/article/ALeqM5i-AswLj9zT7bJFa6oKcO2SuFeY7w
http://wrapper.rottentomatoes.com/s?from=http%3A%2F%2Fwww.rottentomatoes.com%2Fm%2Fgran_torino%2F&siteId=6760&size=entryinterstitial&cKey=1683911337-978399881245270284969&docTitle=Gran%20Torino%20Movie%20Reviews%2C%20Pictures%20-%20Rotten%20Tomatoes
Throughout the movie Walt, Clint Eastwood's character, uses racial slurs at almost any opportunity possible. Even the people that seem to be his friends, he insults. People he doesn't know he insults. Those that possess firearms are still victims of Walt's insults. However, through all this name calling, Walt does not loose his heart; rather, he seems to grow more loving. He demonstrates to a white kid that being natural is being cool. He demonstrates to a group of black kids causing trouble on the corner that one better possess the courage to back up their talk. He grows to love his Hmong neighbors more than his own family. He teaches the young man that lives next store to him how to earn an honest living as a construction worker in American society. Essentially, Walt demonstrates in the most bad ass way possible that it does not matter who you've killed, what gang you're in or how many possessions you have; the only thing that truly matters is that one is willing to have compassion for their neighbors.
Related Sites:
http://www.thegrantorino.com/
http://firefox.org/news/articles/2850/1/DVD-Review-Gran-Torino-2008/Page1.html
http://www.google.com/hostednews/canadianpress/article/ALeqM5i-AswLj9zT7bJFa6oKcO2SuFeY7w
http://wrapper.rottentomatoes.com/s?from=http%3A%2F%2Fwww.rottentomatoes.com%2Fm%2Fgran_torino%2F&siteId=6760&size=entryinterstitial&cKey=1683911337-978399881245270284969&docTitle=Gran%20Torino%20Movie%20Reviews%2C%20Pictures%20-%20Rotten%20Tomatoes
Saturday, June 13, 2009
The Bing Bang Theory
Microsoft recently released a new search engine with hopes of increasing their profits in the search industry. Supposedly, www.bing.com offers an improved search algorithm and it is a decision engine in addition to a search engine. While I have not used this site too much, I did take a visit. I was caught off guard by the Miami background, and the links to Miami travel sites, Miami related television shows etc. Personally, I prefer the plain backgrounds of other search engines.
In regards to the decision engine title, I am not so sure what Bing offers that allows it to give itself that title. I believe that the links at the bottom of the homepage would just distract me from finding my search results or arriving at my decision more quickly. The only type of expert system that I seemed to notice was the page that loads upon clicking the travel link on the left hand side of the page. Other than this travel link, the rest of the site seemed to pretty much matched other search engines. However, the site does seem to be an improvement over Microsoft's Live Search. In conclusion, I view Bing as a site that offers an interesting and mildly entertaining search; however, I don't really foresee it making a big bang in the search industry.
Sources
http://www.microsoft.com/presspass/press/2009/may09/05-28NewSearchPR.mspx
http://arstechnica.com/microsoft/news/2009/06/bing-why-the-rebrand-was-necessary.ars
In regards to the decision engine title, I am not so sure what Bing offers that allows it to give itself that title. I believe that the links at the bottom of the homepage would just distract me from finding my search results or arriving at my decision more quickly. The only type of expert system that I seemed to notice was the page that loads upon clicking the travel link on the left hand side of the page. Other than this travel link, the rest of the site seemed to pretty much matched other search engines. However, the site does seem to be an improvement over Microsoft's Live Search. In conclusion, I view Bing as a site that offers an interesting and mildly entertaining search; however, I don't really foresee it making a big bang in the search industry.
Sources
http://www.microsoft.com/presspass/press/2009/may09/05-28NewSearchPR.mspx
http://arstechnica.com/microsoft/news/2009/06/bing-why-the-rebrand-was-necessary.ars
Tuesday, June 9, 2009
Who Cut The Cheese = Environmental Protection Agency
As a result of the Environmental Protection Agency declaring that animal flatulence contributes to greenhouse gasses, farmers with cows and other gaseous animals could begin paying taxes for such animals. Supposedly, this would require farms or ranches with more than 25 dairy cows, 50 beef cattle or 200 hogs to pay an annual fee of about $175 for each dairy cow, $87.50 per head of beef cattle and $20 for each hog (cbsnews.com). UPI.Com offers that this is just a rumor. They state that a federal official has proclaimed that no such tax will be passed. However, such rumors do leave room for worrying about the consequences of such taxes.
For instance, if the tax were passed, how would it effect consumers at the grocery stores? Also, people might wonder if this tax could lead to a similar tax on human beings. It would seem that all human beings have farted. Therefore, one would assume following the logic of the cow flatulence tax that there should also be tax for human flatulence. Clearly, it does not seem logical to have any animal tax for flatulence. It is natural for animals to exhaust thus, the gas has been present for as long as the animals have existed. Therefore, it would make more sense to attempt to eliminate other types of gas. Eliminating farming animals would not be great for the nutrition of the United States, and taxing farmers would not bode well for the United States economy. In conclusion, the idea of such a tax seems rather preposterous, and one can only hope that it does not become a reality.
Sources
http://www.cbsnews.com/stories/2008/12/05/tech/main4651448.shtml
http://www.upi.com/Odd_News/2009/01/15/Cow-flatulence-tax-nothing-but-hot-air/UPI-92231232051273/
For instance, if the tax were passed, how would it effect consumers at the grocery stores? Also, people might wonder if this tax could lead to a similar tax on human beings. It would seem that all human beings have farted. Therefore, one would assume following the logic of the cow flatulence tax that there should also be tax for human flatulence. Clearly, it does not seem logical to have any animal tax for flatulence. It is natural for animals to exhaust thus, the gas has been present for as long as the animals have existed. Therefore, it would make more sense to attempt to eliminate other types of gas. Eliminating farming animals would not be great for the nutrition of the United States, and taxing farmers would not bode well for the United States economy. In conclusion, the idea of such a tax seems rather preposterous, and one can only hope that it does not become a reality.
Sources
http://www.cbsnews.com/stories/2008/12/05/tech/main4651448.shtml
http://www.upi.com/Odd_News/2009/01/15/Cow-flatulence-tax-nothing-but-hot-air/UPI-92231232051273/
Sunday, June 7, 2009
How to Deal With Performance Enhancing Drugs
There is a lot of talk, banter, and controversy in modern sports about performance enhancing drugs. The morality of the athletes is questioned, and the sincerity and dedication of leagues are questioned. Drug tests, stricter penalties, lifetime bans, and fines are many strategies of deterrence that are used. Personally, I believe all of these strategies are quite ineffective at eliminating the overbearing shadow that these drugs have casted over sports leagues.
Why might I suggest this? The reasoning is as follows. Continually, I see baseball, and track and field athletes getting fined or suspended for using PEDs. I have even seen a suspension for PED use in car racing. The fact that these players are caught may seem like a step in the right direction. However, if the players were really receiving the message; then, we would no longer see suspensions or abuse. With suspensions continuing long after the initial uproar about steroid use, one has to deduce that current strategies of deterrence are not working too great. Furthermore, the continual attention that media draws to the violations of PED rules only serves to exacerbate the problem. Repeated claims like “this is the steroid era”, and “all performances of this time have to be viewed with skepticism”, certainly, do not make it easier for fans to regain full appreciation of athletes and their skills. Thus, it would make sense to declare that media attention and the current league policies are not the solution to the problem of PEDs harming the image of sports.
Since I have illustrated why I believe the current league policies on steroids are not working, I will now offer my own solution to the problem. Eliminate the league policies on PEDs, and allow law enforcement agencies to handle the problems as they see fit. The problem with leagues acting as intermediaries between athletes and the law is that it draws the media’s attention to the problem, and the media attention only serves to further taint the leagues image. If leagues do not interfere, then fans will not hear about the violations as often. Thus, leagues can work on rebuilding their images.
I can imagine people reading this might think this will lead to unfair competitions. However, this all depends on what one will qualify as unfair. These drugs allegedly enhance performance, and when used for medicinal purposes, the drugs aid in recovery. Yet, the baseball audience still has not seen any athlete using PEDs come close to touching Cal Ripken’s streak of continuous games played. If PEDs were such an advantage this streak should have been broken by now as athletes would be able to stay healthy more easily. Furthermore, there are plenty of clean athletes that continually out perform athletes using PEDs. Thus, I will leave my critics on this note. BELIEF and CONFIDENCE are the strongest tools that any athlete can possess. Surely, one can not enter a competition and expect to win if they do not possess confidence in their abilities. Athletes using PEDs are actively illustrating that they lack these most vital tools of confidence and belief through their use of the PEDs. For this reason, it is clear that fans and media give PEDs way too much credit because any athlete that has faith in their own abilities has no worries about their opponent that is using drugs.
Why might I suggest this? The reasoning is as follows. Continually, I see baseball, and track and field athletes getting fined or suspended for using PEDs. I have even seen a suspension for PED use in car racing. The fact that these players are caught may seem like a step in the right direction. However, if the players were really receiving the message; then, we would no longer see suspensions or abuse. With suspensions continuing long after the initial uproar about steroid use, one has to deduce that current strategies of deterrence are not working too great. Furthermore, the continual attention that media draws to the violations of PED rules only serves to exacerbate the problem. Repeated claims like “this is the steroid era”, and “all performances of this time have to be viewed with skepticism”, certainly, do not make it easier for fans to regain full appreciation of athletes and their skills. Thus, it would make sense to declare that media attention and the current league policies are not the solution to the problem of PEDs harming the image of sports.
Since I have illustrated why I believe the current league policies on steroids are not working, I will now offer my own solution to the problem. Eliminate the league policies on PEDs, and allow law enforcement agencies to handle the problems as they see fit. The problem with leagues acting as intermediaries between athletes and the law is that it draws the media’s attention to the problem, and the media attention only serves to further taint the leagues image. If leagues do not interfere, then fans will not hear about the violations as often. Thus, leagues can work on rebuilding their images.
I can imagine people reading this might think this will lead to unfair competitions. However, this all depends on what one will qualify as unfair. These drugs allegedly enhance performance, and when used for medicinal purposes, the drugs aid in recovery. Yet, the baseball audience still has not seen any athlete using PEDs come close to touching Cal Ripken’s streak of continuous games played. If PEDs were such an advantage this streak should have been broken by now as athletes would be able to stay healthy more easily. Furthermore, there are plenty of clean athletes that continually out perform athletes using PEDs. Thus, I will leave my critics on this note. BELIEF and CONFIDENCE are the strongest tools that any athlete can possess. Surely, one can not enter a competition and expect to win if they do not possess confidence in their abilities. Athletes using PEDs are actively illustrating that they lack these most vital tools of confidence and belief through their use of the PEDs. For this reason, it is clear that fans and media give PEDs way too much credit because any athlete that has faith in their own abilities has no worries about their opponent that is using drugs.
Saturday, June 6, 2009
Punchlines
Brace yourself for a few of the jokes that I have thought of over my few years in this world.
Why are they called cookies when they are baked? They should be called bakies
Who started calling chicken legs drumsticks? Didn't they know you are not suppose to play with your food? Their band probably wasn't successful because thier audience showed up and then left. Everybody got hungry when they saw them start to play with their drumsticks.
Knock Knock.
Who's There?
Doorbell.
Doorbell who?
Doorbell who hates knock knock jokes beacuse it feels left out
Who named the orange? It must be the only fruit named by its color. That person was really lazy. They were probably like watermelon, grape, apple, and pear are already taken. Screw it! I'm calling it orange. It's a good thing parents don't name children like that. Or at least not often. There's too many Matthews, a bunch of Justins, Andrew has been done. Screw it! I'm calling him White. I don't know anybody named White. If he has a sibling, their name will be Naval White.
You're always told not to run with scisors. How come nobody ever tells you not to run with a knife. A knife is a lot sharper than scisors. People might be dying out there because they haven't been told not to run with knives. Don't run with scisors, but; More importantly, don't run with knives.
Why are they called cookies when they are baked? They should be called bakies
Who started calling chicken legs drumsticks? Didn't they know you are not suppose to play with your food? Their band probably wasn't successful because thier audience showed up and then left. Everybody got hungry when they saw them start to play with their drumsticks.
Knock Knock.
Who's There?
Doorbell.
Doorbell who?
Doorbell who hates knock knock jokes beacuse it feels left out
Who named the orange? It must be the only fruit named by its color. That person was really lazy. They were probably like watermelon, grape, apple, and pear are already taken. Screw it! I'm calling it orange. It's a good thing parents don't name children like that. Or at least not often. There's too many Matthews, a bunch of Justins, Andrew has been done. Screw it! I'm calling him White. I don't know anybody named White. If he has a sibling, their name will be Naval White.
You're always told not to run with scisors. How come nobody ever tells you not to run with a knife. A knife is a lot sharper than scisors. People might be dying out there because they haven't been told not to run with knives. Don't run with scisors, but; More importantly, don't run with knives.
Friday, June 5, 2009
Yesterday
I went running yesterday. Well into my third week of training, yesterday's run was my longest. I logged 55 minutes. This was a bittersweet triumph. It was a bitter moment because I still struggled through despite my previous two weeks of training; it was sweet because I made an improvement. The run was at a pretty good pace for me too (about 7 min miles). That is pretty good since I usually just trot. Furthermore, J-Wizzle and I threw down some fierce freestyles. J-Wizzles rhymes be so hot that the dogs whimpered away.
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