Okay folks, Friday night is the big night for Winter Solstice Celebration 2009 and for those who may not be familiar with my character "The Boogeyman" and what he's all about I thought I might provide some background. The Boogeyman is a "scapegoat" like character or rather the cloak of rags he wears is the actual scapegoat and he's just a cranky old man who is annoyed by all the people pestering him wanting to touch his cloak and unload all of their negativity, bad deeds or sins of the year. Sometimes he might even chase you a little bit. Touch the cloak if you dare but not The Boogeyman himself lest some of that negativity might bounce back on you.

History is full of scapegoat characters which absolved people of their misdoings be it the Pharmakos of ancient Greek religion, the original "scapegoat" of the Old Testament ritual of Yom Kippur which was symbolically burdened with the sins of the Jewish people then cast out to rid the nation of its iniquities or the Roman Lupercalia in which priests (Luperci) cut thongs from the sacrificial animals (goats and a dog), then raced around the walls of the old Palatine city, striking women (especially) as they passed with the thongs. A blow from the hide of the scapegoat was said to cure sterility. In early Roman law an innocent person was allowed to take upon himself the penalty of another who had confessed his own guilt. (Source Britannica Online)

There's even a wildly popular story of a dude that was made into a scapegoat to absolve a whole lot of people of their sins. They nailed him to a cross or something I hear. NONE OF THAT FOR ME THANKS! Who knows, maybe that's why The Boogeyman is so cranky. Maybe he's afraid somebody is going to do that to him. In any event, like I said, just transfer your negativity to the cloak, but watch out for The Boogeyman, he might get ya!

Boogey Boogey Boogey!


See you at Winter Solstice Celebration at Cathedral Of Hope!

Trick-or-Treat 2009

I did this by accident tonight and had to restore and reconfigure a bunch of stuff. DOH!

Hard Reset HTC Hero Android : HTC Hero Reset Procedure | DIGITAL BITS: "Hard Reset HTC Hero Android Phone – Procedure Trick


1) Turn off your HTC Hero completely.

2) Keep pressing the HOME key and Back key together for some while.

3) While pressing the Home and Back button, once press the power button.

4) Wait for a few seconds and you get a message on the screen asking for a confirm reset.

5) Now release the Home and back buttons press Menu.

6) Your HTC phone is now reset to its original state.

During this process, if your phone hangs, just remove the battery and try this procedure again. It definitely works."

Improve Battery Life for the Android Based HTC Hero Smart Phone | Gamaze.com

I just got my HTC Hero this past Saturday evening and am amazed at all of the features and apps this phone has compared to my old Samsung Rant. Still getting used to the touchscreen keyboard thing but I think with a little more practice it won't be so bad. Probably because I have been tweaking, installing apps and just generally playing with it so much I have of course been running the battery down quite a bit so I decided to find some battery saving tips and stumbled upon Mattias Hansson's blog:


Improve Battery Life for the Android Based HTC Hero Smart Phone | Gamaze.com: "It is easy to say that I’m a very satisfied owner of the HTC Hero since a couple of weeks. Overall, the smart phone is great and having the ability to run apps and processes in background gives it a clear edge over the iPhone. On the other hand, there are several areas where the Apple experience is just so much smoother. Without going into details I hope the rumoured couple of Android updates still this year will help ease these early misses."MORE...

Stone soup - Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia

Stone soup - Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia: "A kindly, old stranger was walking through the land when he came upon a village. As he entered, the villagers moved towards their homes locking doors and windows. The stranger smiled and asked, why are you all so frightened. I am a simple traveler, looking for a soft place to stay for the night and a warm place for a meal. 'There's not a bite to eat in the whole province,' he was told. 'We are weak and our children are starving. Better keep moving on.' 'Oh, I have everything I need,' he said. 'In fact, I was thinking of making some stone soup to share with all of you.' He pulled an iron cauldron from his cloak, filled it with water, and began to build a fire under it. Then, with great ceremony, he drew an ordinary-looking stone from a silken bag and dropped it into the water. By now, hearing the rumor of food, most of the villagers had come out of their homes or watched from their windows. As the stranger sniffed the 'broth' and licked his lips in anticipation, hunger began to overcome their fear. 'Ahh,' the stranger said to himself rather loudly, 'I do like a tasty stone soup. Of course, stone soup with cabbage -- that's hard to beat.' Soon a villager approached hesitantly, holding a small cabbage he'd retrieved from its hiding place, and added it to the pot. 'Wonderful!!' cried the stranger. 'You know, I once had stone soup with cabbage and a bit of salt beef as well, and it was fit for a king.' The village butcher managed to find some salt beef . . . and so it went, through potatoes, onions, carrots, mushrooms, and so on, until there was indeed a delicious meal for everyone in the village to share. The villager elder offered the stranger a great deal of money for the stone, but he refused to sell it and traveled on the next day. As he left, the stranger came upon a group of village children standing near the road. He gave the silken bag containing the stone to the youngest child, whispering to a group, that it was not the stone, but the villagers that had performed the magic.'"

Rotary screw compressor - Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia

Rotary screw compressor - Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia: "A rotary screw compressor is a type of gas compressor which uses a rotary type positive displacement mechanism. The mechanism for gas compression utilises either a single screw element or two counter rotating intermeshed helical screw elements housed within a specially shaped chamber. As the mechanism rotates, the meshing and rotation of the two helical rotors produces a series of volume-reducing cavities. Gas is drawn in through an inlet port in the casing, captured in a cavity, compressed as the cavity reduces in volume, and then discharged through another port in the casing. [1][1]

The effectiveness of this mechanism is dependent on close fitting clearances between the helical rotors and the chamber for sealing of the compression cavities.

Rotary screw compressors are used in a diverse range of applications. Typically, they are used to supply compressed air for general industrial applications. Trailer mounted diesel powered units are often seen at construction sites, and are used to power air operated construction machinery."

Ultimate Puller - Sensible Products We have one of these in the shop at work and it's been a big help sometimes getting stubborn squirrel cage fans off of motor shafts.

Always a good read, I have been a fan of Marshall Brain's How Stuff Works for years but only recently visited his official home page and learned of many of his other works. Surf on over and check it out for yourself. His page opens thusly:

MarshallBrain.com - The Official Home Page for Marshall Brain

Hello, and welcome to MarshallBrain.com. I am glad you have found your way to this site and appreciate your taking the time to visit.

I am best known as the founder of How Stuff Works. I started HowStuffWorks as a hobby in 1998 and it has grown to be one of the top Web sites in the country.

I am known for the Robotic Nation essays and the book Manna. The article How to make a million dollars is also very popular. I am known for my book for teenagers entitled The Teenager's Guide to the Real World, now in its tenth printing and selected for the New York Public Library's prestigious Books for the Teen Age list (review). I am also known as a member of the Academy of Outstanding Teachers at North Carolina State University, where I taught in the computer science department for 6 years.

MORE...

HTC Hero smartphone judged best gadget of 2009 | Mail Online

HTC Hero smartphone judged best gadget of 2009 | Mail Online

Troubleshooting Residential Electrical Problems - a DIY Strategy

Unreality - A Series of Michio Kaku Videos that Will Blow Your Mind |

Unreality - A Series of Michio Kaku Videos that Will Blow Your Mind |

Jolicloud OS seeks to move past browsers - Hack a Day

Jolicloud OS seeks to move past browsers - Hack a Day

Pumps

Hey! Be sure to check out Pumps and Pumping Information for an excellent new resource.

On this truly sad day, we welcome you to join us as we memorialize the passing of ‘Rama’ Christopher Wyatt. Rama was known to many as the generous, kind, massage therapist always willing to offer his healing hands to those in need. Many may know him by his laughter and song.

And boy how our Rama could wail out a tune. Born the son of Rock –A- Billy Legend and Hall of Famer Gene Wyatt, Rama had some big musical shoes to fill. In the recent months Rama has shared many stories and songs of his father’s music and life with us, Singing his heart out. We know in our hearts that Rama is across the veils now playing alongside his father.

He was a trickster, a romancer, a magician, a drummer, a father, a husband, a brother, and a dear dear friend to many of us who will miss him terribly for all our days.

You are welcome to join us as remember the life of our dear friend as we commemorate his life and his passing.

Maeven Eller Five

‘Rama’ Christopher Wyatt

9/7/63 – 9/4/09

Services begin at 7 p.m.

Cover dishes for feasting afterwards welcome

Sacred Journey Fellowship

(Formally known as Pleasant Valley Unitarian Universalist Church)

1215 Main Street

Garland, TX 75040

Miami banker gives $60 million of his own to employees - Miami-Dade - MiamiHerald.com

"Lots of bosses say they value their employees. Some even mean it.

And then there's Leonard Abess Jr.

After selling a majority stake in Miami-based City National Bancshares last November, all he did was take $60 million of the proceeds -- $60 million out of his own pocket -- and hand it to his tellers, bookkeepers, clerks, everyone on the payroll. All 399 workers on the staff received bonuses, and he even tracked down 72 former employees so they could share in the windfall."

READ MORE At - MiamiHerald.com

A DAY AT THE BEACH


Helpless from Keith Loutit on Vimeo.

Too much thinking 'can make you fat' - Telegraph

Ahhh, so that's my problem. I think too much! :-)


"Researchers found the stress of thinking caused overeating with heavy thinkers seeking out more calories.

The research team, supervised by Dr Angelo Tremblay, measured the spontaneous food intake of 14 students after each of three tasks.

The first was relaxing in a sitting position, the second reading and summarizing a text, and finally completing a series of memory, attention, and vigilance tests on the computer."


READ MORE At The Telegraph