Happy New Year!

Pending and Permitted Shale Gas Well Pad Sites Grand Prairie, TX (December 18, 2012)

Grand Prairie, TX Shale Gas Pad Sites and Well Information Updates (12.18.2012)

To find the location for the documents above you need only go to the City of Grand Prairie, TX website.  Click on the tabs as shown below:



  Departments & Services/Services A-H/Gas Drilling.  Yes. That's it!  

And you can find it in alphabetical order between  

Garbage Collection and the  

Graffiti Hotline.  Click on over there and see for yourself. 

 It's a BIG Yee Haw!

City of Grand Prairie, TX Website

Ladies - Get a bike that fits, please

Biggest mistake ladies make when buying a bike  -  buying an ill fitting bike. Happens over and over, even good cyclists buy bad bikes. Rule number one.....

1. NEVER buy a man's bike, ever, ever ever ever, no matter what the guy says in the bike store, always ask if this is a women specific bike or a man's bike

2. DO you homework before going, there is a new thing out, it's called the Internet!!! use it and do your homework

3. See my post on bike gears and get yourself a bike that you will use over and over and over

4. check out a few different bike stores, there is no need to spend a ton of money, a good bike can be had for around $1400, you are saying holy cow, that much, hey do you want this hobby or not, think how much other hobbies cost over a few years time, skiing, golf or a vacation, $1400 is cheap in comparison

5. higher costs for a bike are determined by the quality of gearing, not necessary to buy top of the line

6. frame, wheels etc all go into the cost of the bike

7. NEVER LET THE bike store owner tell you that you do not need easy gearing, trust me, YOU WILL NEED IT

See you on the road!!!

New Year's Plea for cyclists

Hey folks,  I have not died nor have I have I given up riding the ole bike. Just had a few setbacks - torn rotator cuff and broken ankle last May and surgery to fix it. Rotator cuff surgery this month, 4 month recovery and hopefully back to full time cycling. But I have squeezed in some riding since the broken ankle.

So why crank up the old blog now - well when I am out biking by myself, I get a chance to think about lots of things. Mostly biking things. Mostly safety issues when biking.  My motto - MAKE YOURSELF SEEN ON THE ROAD, RIDE DEFENSIVELY

So here goes my whining for the New year.........

1. ya just might be an unseen cyclist if you go out in an all black outfit, no one can see you, moron! get some day glo yellow or green, dress like a bumblebee

2. ya just might be an unseen cyclist if you have no light on your bike, get a good light, not some cheap blinkie light - use it day and night, I highly recommend the Dinotte 300R





3. ya might be an unsafe cyclist if you do stuff on your bike that you would not do in your car  such as riding up alongside waiting cars at a red light, stay in LINE, be like a car, take your place in line

4. ya might be an unsafe cyclist if you ride in large groups and make yourself one big pain in the neck on road, ever try passing a line of 15 riders on a back road in your car, come on man, split the group or pullover if you have a parade behind you

5. ya might be an obnoxious cyclist if you pass a rider and do not announce yourself,  now many of you guilty folks in this regard have never been passed, so you have zero idea how it feels

6. ya might be an unsafe cyclist if you ride in groups and forget to avoid riding down the center of the road, stay alert and stay safe

so my advice, stay safe, make sure the cars see you and know what you are doing and where you are going, use hand signals, get lights, get bright clothes so STAY ALIVE and bike courteously, share the road means just that - share the road, it goes both ways

Holiday Madness in North Texas (December 2012) *UPDATES*

Saturday Afternoon in the North TX Burbs

(Photo Courtesy of the Fish Creek Monitor ~ November 17, 2012)

This is the Construction Area for the Camp Wisdom Road Horizontal Directional Drilling (HDD) Site

 (AKA Pipeline Boring)

(No City or State Rules for Signage, Fencing or Inspections)

We're told by the Construction Manager that under that broken wood is a 40-45 Deep Hole. 

This is all for the Installation of the Gas Gathering and 

Transmission Pipeline Systems

in SW Grand Prairie and SE Arlington, TX.

  

It's All Within a Few Feet of Our Suburban Neighborhoods.





*UPDATE: For the Curious In the Audience* 

 During the week, Boots Smith Oilfield Services is doing this (click on the screen if it appears blank in your browser).  All of it under our streets & neighborhoods! 

**************  

Oh, in case you missed it, here's the Recent Industry Pornography  Obscenity

on Display in Fort Worth, TX and we hear it was/is up on the Dallas North Tollway, too. 

Downtown Fort Worth, Texas (November 2012)

 

As that Famous Philosopher Yogi Berra Often Said:

"It Ain't Over Til It's Over."

Looking forward to our Christmas program on Monday! Thanks to all for providing refreshments.


Would you take a few minutes to participate in a mid-year evaluation of our campus?

Please understand the intent of this survey...
The information gathered will be shared with Tutors where appropriate.
The information gathered will be used to improve different aspects of our campus, to make it stronger and healthier.
The information gathered will be used to help our campus make decisions for the future.

Please remember, if you have any frustrations or serious concerns, speak with me or a tutor in addition to completing the survey.

I will be sending the link to take this survey by email rather than putting the link on this blog. I'll be gathering all the responses by January 4th. I greatly value your feedback and appreciate your willingness to complete this survey! Thanks!

Surfacing & Best Buy?

Good news here. I have just received information that the "Microsoft Surface" which is basically only available at Microsoft's website will be available through third party retail outlets, including Best Buy starting in January. In addition to the easier availability the newer model of the "Surface" will come with Windows 8 Pro or to Windows 8 RT. I of course recommend the Pro vs. the RT.

It's important to remember that the "Surface" is the first piece of computer hardware made by Microsoft itself. This in itself is exciting. Once you have Windows 8 Pro operating on a Microsoft Surface I believe that this tablet will truly be a wonder.

Stay tuned for more dedicated readers.....

Don't Be Fooled This Holiday Season

The holiday season brings unsolicited email messages pretending to be from delivery services such as FedEx and UPS.

Ignore these! Do Not Click on any links in these email message.

If you do you will probably be sent to a malicious website.

Tip! If you do receive a message from FedEx or UPS and you are worried about a delivery contact the delivery provider directly. Do not respond through the email message.

This is a sample malicious message from FedEx.

Training Session 7

Thank You to everyone who attended today's technology training. For those of you who could not attend here is the slideshow we used.

You can make the slideshow full screen by selecting the outward arrow box on the far right of the bottom toolbar.

 

Time is Running Out for Windows XP

The Time To Upgrade is Now

Did you know that Windows XP has fewer than 500 days left to live?

The 11-year-old operating system will exit support April 8, 2014. What this means is that if you are still using Windows XP after April 8, 2014 Microsoft will no longer support the operating system which includes no more security patches.

Why are so many people continuing to use Windows XP anyway? Well I believe there are a couple of reasons.



1. Windows XP which was released in 2001 was a really good, crisp and easy to use operating system. It worked mostly the same for both consumers (at home) and corporate (at work).

2. Microsoft's follow-up, "Vista" (2006) was clunky, buggy and therefore never enjoyed wide acceptance in the marketplace. In addition the corporate world never adopted Vista which left out a huge customer base.

3. By the time Windows 8 arrived in 2009 many consumers had lost confidence in Microsoft due in large part to "Vista" and many simply delayed or refused to upgrade to Windows 7. This is unfortunate because Windows 7 was an excellent improved over XP and obviously Vista.

4. Windows 8 is only now premiering and it brings major changes to the Windows interface.

As a result of all of this Microsoft is ending support for XP and the pricing for Windows 8 upgrades have been set very low (about $40.00) in order to entice as many users as possible to finally move off of XP.

Recent blog on Philadelphia Homeschool by Gwen Fredette...

Lord, I’m weary

by gwenfredette

"I'm always up with at least one kid every night.  It's night after night of interrupted sleep."

"It's one thing after another all day long."

"I feel like I never get out; I'm always stuck at home."

"My kids are always complaining; it's so draining."

"No matter how many times I explain it, my kid just doesn't understand this subject."

"My kids get on each other's nerves all day long."

"My house is always a wreck."

"I never get any time to myself."

"I'm tired of homeschooling my children!"

"Lord, I'm weary!"

Child of God, are you frustrated, disappointed, exhausted?  Leading your children is no easy task.  It may be comforting to know that you are not alone!   I believe most homeschool moms have felt the way you do, at least at some point in their lives.  There are also many noble examples in scripture of those who struggled with the children in their care, and who felt the same way you do now:

Moses: Exodus 17:4  "Then Moses cried out to the LORD, "What am I to do with these people?  They are almost ready to stone me."  Day after day, month after month, year after year, Moses had the difficult job of listening to the grumbling and complaining of the children of Israel.  God called them a "stiff-necked people" (Exodus 32:9) because despite the numerous times God provided for them and brought them through trouble, they always seemed to have something to complain about.

David:  2 Samuel 13:21 "When King David heard all this, he was furious."   King David was broken-hearted as he witnessed his children fighting, competing, and trying to hurt and destroy each other.

Paul: 2 Corinthians 11:27-29 "I have labored and toiled and have often gone without sleep;..... Besides everything else, I face daily the pressure of my concern for all the churches.  Who is weak, and I do not feel weak?  Who is led into sin, and I do not inwardly burn?"  Paul had the burden of preaching the gospel to the Gentiles, his "spiritual children."  His job responsibilities included teaching people who did not want to listen (Acts 13:49-51), dealing with conflicts in the church (Philippians 4:2), people falling asleep while he was trying to preach (Acts 20:9), explaining things over and over to people who didn't understand (Acts 3:1 -4), and being stuck in a house for long periods of time (Acts 28:16).

Jesus Himself:  Matthew 23:37 "O Jerusalem, Jerusalem, you who kill the prophets and stone those sent to you, how often I have longed to gather your children together, as a hen gathers her chicks under her wings, but you were not willing."  Jesus had the unfortunate task of gently reminding his disciples not to take the best for themselves (Mark  10:35-40), not to argue with his decisions (Mark 8:31-33), and not to doubt his words (John 20:27-29).  Daily the children of Israel didn't want to listen to him, or only listened because of what they could gain for themselves.

Child of God, has God called you to homeschool?  God knows your heart and feels your weariness.  He has seen your tears and your struggles.  He knows the task before you is great, but He will give you His strength to complete it.

Here are some words of encouragement for the weary:

Psalm 56:8 "Record my lament; list my tears on your scroll -- are they not in your record?"

Psalm 32:4; 8 "For day and night your hand was heavy upon me; my strength was sapped as in the heat of summer....(The Lord said) I will instruct you and teach you in the way you should go; I will counsel you and watch over you."

Psalm 71:12 "For he will deliver the needy who cry out, the afflicted who have no one to help."

Isaiah 40:29 "He gives strength to the weary and increases the power of the weak.  Even youths grow tired and weary, and young men stumble and fall; but those who hope in the LORD will renew their strength.  They will soar on wings like eagles; they will run and not grow weary, they will walk and not be faint."

Galatians 6:9 "Let us not become weary in doing good, for at the proper time we will reap a harvest if we do not give up."

Weary Child of God, don't give up!  God has plans for your family.  May you be encouraged by His words to you today, and may He carry you and your precious children in His arms, renewing your strength as well.

Happy Birthday Text Messaging

Happy Birthday text messaging! Although text messaging could be traced all the way back to 1920 when RCA introduced the first "telex" service the text messaging we have all relied on for years was born on December 3, 1992. It was on this day that Neil Papworth used a personal computer to send the text message "Merry Christmas" via a Vodaphone network to a cellular phone.

Fast forward to 1995 when paging services starting appearing everywhere. It was during the mid and late 1990's that text messaging really exploded. Just watch a movie or TV shows from this time period and you will often see the characters with pagers on their hip. These text messages were usually limited to 160 characters. Often after reading the text message the recipient had to then go find a phone. Just think about that!

As cellular phones became available and affordable in the late 1990's "pagers" started disappearing as text messaging become a service of the cellular phone itself. The popularity of smartphones in the mid 2000's ended the reign of pagers altogether.

Even with all the technical changes and enhancements since 1992 "text messaging" itself has continued to grow in it's use and with many of us is actually used more then actually using mobile phones for their primary purpose, "talking".

Services such as "Twitter" are an out growth of that very first text message way back on December 3, 1992.

Think Before You Click

Did you know that many programs--especially those that are free install additional software on your computer? First it is important to know why they do this. They do this as a form of advertising, and they may make some money off of it.

This situation gives you an additional responsibility, especially if you care enough to keep your computer running efficiently. If you're not careful about how you install software, you can end up with a lot of unwanted programs. In addition to causing your computer to slow down these programs leave messes all over your PC.

Here is one of the biggest questions I get. “Bill, why don't antivirus programs block these programs from installing unwanted software?” Well it is because these programs are legal, and because, annoying as they are, they're not anywhere near as bad as real malware or out and out viruses. In addition these unwanted programs don't hide their existence.

What's very important to know is that, in almost every case, you can install the program you want and bypass the unwanted add-on programs. You just have to pay attention while installing and stop clicking before you think.

A good practice when installing programs, especially free ones is that you should never select the "Typical" or "Automated" installation--which will almost certainly be the default. Select the Custom installation or a similar option. Then read each option through the install process and unselect any unwanted programs or add-ons from the install. Not only will you find you can unselect unwanted applications but this is where you can stop the madness of having multiple internet explorer toolbars and search windows. These also will slow down your internet browser.

In the end, the only way to protect yourself from installing unwanted programs and internet browser add-ons is by first, selecting the “advanced” install and unchecking any unwanted options. Think Before You Click!