Okay, guys. Since this site has been neglected for a while, I'm just going to start posting whatever I darn well please for the time being. Maybe when things start to move again we'll move back to the topic-based posts, but for now it's FREE FOR ALL!
All you guys are welcome to post whatever you want as well. Ja ne.
Showing posts with label yume wa hen. Show all posts
Showing posts with label yume wa hen. Show all posts
Sunday, November 20, 2011
Thursday, March 3, 2011
TOPIC: Glasses.
Oh noes! Beth forgot to post a new topic! Thankfully for all of us I'm here to pick up the slack. This month's topic is eyeglasses. Write something that kinda centers around eyeglasses. A story about someone losing their glasses, a poem about glasses, even a rant about how you hate glasses would work. Lemme see what you've got! Ja ne.
Thursday, November 4, 2010
TOPIC: Mystery
It's new topic time! This doesn't have to be a whodunnit murder mystery (though I think those would be interesting), anything mysterious will do. I think we all can have fun with this one. Ja ne.
Monday, November 1, 2010
The Kendo Lesson.
After Kozue had finished her conversation with Kasuga-sensei, she returned to her classroom to retrieve her bag. As she went, she could detect a faint whiff of smoke. Following it took her right to her own empty classroom. She slid the door open and was shocked to find an open book on her desk with its pages burnt. She rushed to it and found it to be the book she had been reading. Someone had burnt the book as an elevated form of bullying. She had endured so much of it until now, but she felt this one had gone too far. She reached her hand out and touched the burnt cover, tears starting to run down her cheeks and anger swelling in her chest.
“Again?” came a voice from behind her. She didn’t have to turn to know it was Emily. “You can’t keep letting them do this to you.”
“What do you expect me to do?” Kozue said. “I can report it, but I can’t prove who did this.” Then, more to herself than to Emily, she said. “Why my book, of all things?”
“They mean to break you,” Emily said. “Anyone could see that ridiculous attachment you have to your books. You’ve been syphoning off Imai-kun’s attention and they don’t like that. Not only do they feel you are unfit to be their competition for his affections, they also see you as an easy target.”
“Imai-kun’s only curious because I’m weird,” Kozue said, her face turning red, both from anger and from the mention of Imai’s name. “He couldn’t possibly see me as anything but a plain girl who doesn’t know how to socialize.”
“Is that what you think?”
Kozue rounded on Emily, her face angrier than Emily had ever seen it. “And what am I supposed to think? I’m ugly and completely socially inept! What other reason could there possibly be?”
“You’re not ugly, though I’ll admit your social skills are quite lacking. Besides, even if you were ugly, does that mean that you have no entitlement to any happiness at all? You think that just because you don’t know how to mingle with other people you have to take the crap you’re given? Grow a backbone, Sonoda! If you at least fought back they wouldn’t see you as such an easy target.”
“Fight back with what? Are you suggesting I beat them up, or kill them?”
Emily sighed. She reached out and grabbed Kozue’s hand and pulled her toward the door. “Come with me,” she said.
Kozue was confused and had no idea what Emily was on about, but she grabbed her bag and allowed herself to be lead from the classroom. “Where are you taking me?” she asked.
“To the kendo clubroom,” Emily replied, and shortly they were there.
Emily brought her to the center of the room and fetched two shinai, handing one to Kozue.
“Maybe you won’t be so spineless if you learn how to use one of these,” she said.
Kozue looked down at the shinai and said, “I appreciate what you’re trying to do, but this isn’t going to help.”
“Nonsense. My confidence comes from kendo. Even though I’m a foreigner, I’m the best kenshi this school has seen in ages and I haven’t lost a match yet. I haven’t even shown any willingness to draw my sword yet, but still no one dares to tangle with me. I’m not saying you have to use this against them, but it may give you the backbone you need to stand up to them.”
“It’s no use...”
“Dang it, Sonoda, this is the kind of attitude that makes you such a pushover! If you aren’t going to even defend yourself, I might as well do you a favor and take you out myself!”
She swung her shinai in a high arc and came down on Kozue with considerable force, but was surprised at the ease in which Kozue blocked the blow.
“A pushover, am I?” Kozue said. “You have no idea who you’re talking to. If the ability to use as sword was all I needed, then I wouldn’t have any problems.” She looked sharply into Emily’s eyes, a dangerous look on her face like Emily had never seen. “Very well, kenshi-san, we’ll see how you fare against me!”
With a swift motion, Kozue pushed Emily back with enough force to knock her flat on her back. In her surprise, Emily had almost forgotten to pick up her shinai when she got to her feet again. Before she could think, though, Kozue was already on a second attack. Blow after blow, Kozue’s shinai was nearly impossible for Emily to block. She moved with a speed that Emily had never thought possible. Within seconds, Emily’s shinai was across the room and Kozue’s was right in her face.
“The sword is all I know,” Kozue said. “I don’t know how to deal with people on a social basis, but even I know I can’t just simply kill them.” Tears started to well up in Kozue’s eyes. She dropped her shinai and fell to her knees, her hands covering her face. “I can’t do that, you know? Because I can’t do that, I feel so lost! It’s the only thing I know and it’s useless to me! I... just don’t know what to do!”
Emily’s shock hadn’t worn off yet, but the sight of Kozue’s tears at least reassured her that she was the same person she had brought into the room to start with. Those skills were definitely not those of a normal high school student and she was shocked to see such immense strength and such heartbreaking frailty residing in the same person.
Emily was at a loss and all she could say was, “Who are you, really?” but Kozue didn’t respond. A person whom Emily thought she knew had just proved her how wrong she was on an epic scale.
Kozue eventually calmed down and rose from the floor. To Emily’s great surprise, Kozue quickly pinned her to the ground and had a tanto right to her throat. Kozue's eyes were as cold and deadly as the steel of the blade.
“You know my secret. Because it’s you I won’t kill you now, but rest assured I will if you let this slip to anyone.”
It was this statement that tipped off to Emily that she was in way over her head in a way she hadn’t been aware of moments before.
© Copyright 2010 Eric Williamson
“Again?” came a voice from behind her. She didn’t have to turn to know it was Emily. “You can’t keep letting them do this to you.”
“What do you expect me to do?” Kozue said. “I can report it, but I can’t prove who did this.” Then, more to herself than to Emily, she said. “Why my book, of all things?”
“They mean to break you,” Emily said. “Anyone could see that ridiculous attachment you have to your books. You’ve been syphoning off Imai-kun’s attention and they don’t like that. Not only do they feel you are unfit to be their competition for his affections, they also see you as an easy target.”
“Imai-kun’s only curious because I’m weird,” Kozue said, her face turning red, both from anger and from the mention of Imai’s name. “He couldn’t possibly see me as anything but a plain girl who doesn’t know how to socialize.”
“Is that what you think?”
Kozue rounded on Emily, her face angrier than Emily had ever seen it. “And what am I supposed to think? I’m ugly and completely socially inept! What other reason could there possibly be?”
“You’re not ugly, though I’ll admit your social skills are quite lacking. Besides, even if you were ugly, does that mean that you have no entitlement to any happiness at all? You think that just because you don’t know how to mingle with other people you have to take the crap you’re given? Grow a backbone, Sonoda! If you at least fought back they wouldn’t see you as such an easy target.”
“Fight back with what? Are you suggesting I beat them up, or kill them?”
Emily sighed. She reached out and grabbed Kozue’s hand and pulled her toward the door. “Come with me,” she said.
Kozue was confused and had no idea what Emily was on about, but she grabbed her bag and allowed herself to be lead from the classroom. “Where are you taking me?” she asked.
“To the kendo clubroom,” Emily replied, and shortly they were there.
Emily brought her to the center of the room and fetched two shinai, handing one to Kozue.
“Maybe you won’t be so spineless if you learn how to use one of these,” she said.
Kozue looked down at the shinai and said, “I appreciate what you’re trying to do, but this isn’t going to help.”
“Nonsense. My confidence comes from kendo. Even though I’m a foreigner, I’m the best kenshi this school has seen in ages and I haven’t lost a match yet. I haven’t even shown any willingness to draw my sword yet, but still no one dares to tangle with me. I’m not saying you have to use this against them, but it may give you the backbone you need to stand up to them.”
“It’s no use...”
“Dang it, Sonoda, this is the kind of attitude that makes you such a pushover! If you aren’t going to even defend yourself, I might as well do you a favor and take you out myself!”
She swung her shinai in a high arc and came down on Kozue with considerable force, but was surprised at the ease in which Kozue blocked the blow.
“A pushover, am I?” Kozue said. “You have no idea who you’re talking to. If the ability to use as sword was all I needed, then I wouldn’t have any problems.” She looked sharply into Emily’s eyes, a dangerous look on her face like Emily had never seen. “Very well, kenshi-san, we’ll see how you fare against me!”
With a swift motion, Kozue pushed Emily back with enough force to knock her flat on her back. In her surprise, Emily had almost forgotten to pick up her shinai when she got to her feet again. Before she could think, though, Kozue was already on a second attack. Blow after blow, Kozue’s shinai was nearly impossible for Emily to block. She moved with a speed that Emily had never thought possible. Within seconds, Emily’s shinai was across the room and Kozue’s was right in her face.
“The sword is all I know,” Kozue said. “I don’t know how to deal with people on a social basis, but even I know I can’t just simply kill them.” Tears started to well up in Kozue’s eyes. She dropped her shinai and fell to her knees, her hands covering her face. “I can’t do that, you know? Because I can’t do that, I feel so lost! It’s the only thing I know and it’s useless to me! I... just don’t know what to do!”
Emily’s shock hadn’t worn off yet, but the sight of Kozue’s tears at least reassured her that she was the same person she had brought into the room to start with. Those skills were definitely not those of a normal high school student and she was shocked to see such immense strength and such heartbreaking frailty residing in the same person.
Emily was at a loss and all she could say was, “Who are you, really?” but Kozue didn’t respond. A person whom Emily thought she knew had just proved her how wrong she was on an epic scale.
Kozue eventually calmed down and rose from the floor. To Emily’s great surprise, Kozue quickly pinned her to the ground and had a tanto right to her throat. Kozue's eyes were as cold and deadly as the steel of the blade.
“You know my secret. Because it’s you I won’t kill you now, but rest assured I will if you let this slip to anyone.”
It was this statement that tipped off to Emily that she was in way over her head in a way she hadn’t been aware of moments before.
© Copyright 2010 Eric Williamson
Thursday, September 2, 2010
TOPIC: Music
Music is rather difficult to convey in writing because it's something that is heard, rather than related in words. It's nigh impossible to truly convey the power of music in words, but that's not going to stop us from trying, now is it?
Write something about music. It could be about a piece of music, a person's feelings about a piece of music, your own lyrics to music, or whatever you want. Above all, enjoy it! Ja ne.
Write something about music. It could be about a piece of music, a person's feelings about a piece of music, your own lyrics to music, or whatever you want. Above all, enjoy it! Ja ne.
Monday, February 1, 2010
Anomalies.
Now it is time for a new topic. A topic by me! Ha ha ha! Qu4k3 wi7h ph33r, n00bs! Seriously, though, the topic is about anomalies. Not just any anomaly, of course, I mean something that just should not be (or at least is perceived that way). Often times when we write about things that are happening that are earth-shattering, our characters don't quite respond to it in a way that is truly realistic. If someone found they could shoot linguine from their eyes, the response isn't going to be "whoa, that's way cool!" They'd probably go into shock. Ya know, like when someone dies out of the blue and you just didn't see it coming. So that's it. Write about something weird and the reactions of at least one character to the weirdity. Ja ne.
Wednesday, July 29, 2009
Things to know before you buy a computer.
1. How much money you have to spend.
How much money you have is the absolute deciding factor in what you get (unless you have money coming out your ears). Brand new computers generally range from $200 to $25,000 so what you can fit in your budget is supremely important. Please keep the price of the software that you need in mind as some of that can be quite expensive.
2. What software you need to run.
A computer’s sole purpose is to run software. Some are more demanding on hardware than others. Computer games are the most demanding thing most people do with their computers, and if this is what you do, you must configure the computer accordingly. Computers designed for gaming are usually expensive and very dependent on a good graphics card. Other software, like web browsers, office software like word processors and money management software don’t require as many resources and can be pretty much run on any new computer.
3. What operating system you want.
The operating system you want is also extremely important. Linux will run on anything and is very flexible and fast, but it is hard to use and the learning curve is enormous. Windows is fairly easy to use and compatible with most software out there, but it has a history of stability problems. Mac OS X is very powerful, easy to use, stable, robust, and comes with some of the best software in the industry, but it may not be compatible with all of the software you want to run (though dual booting with Windows is an option these days).
4. What features you need.
Do you need a computer that is mobile? Do you need a good price to performance ratio? Are you going to need things like a webcam, printer, scanner, camera, mp3 player, or other devices for your computer to interface with? How many USB ports are you going to need? Will you need Firewire, parallel ports, serial ports, or a Bluetooth module for the devices you need? Do you need an optical drive (CD/DVD/Blu-ray) or can you do without one? What about floppy drives? If you have a laptop, is it going to need all the features and power of a desktop, or will it need to be thin, light, and highly mobile? Will you need to play movies on your computer? Do you want to watch them in HD? Will you be using the computer to play music? Will you need quality sound? How much storage space are you going to need? Whatever you do, don’t buy a laptop only for use in the home. That’s a lot of money for a feature that’s not even being used (mobility). Laptops are great for students who want to take them to class. Laptops are also good for LAN parties, but you’ll need one powerhouse of a laptop to even begin to compete with the guys that have gaming-grade desktops.
5. The computer’s display.
In certain respects, the old CRTs are still the best computer displays out there. However, any new computer will come with an LCD display (if it comes with one at all) which, even though CRTs perform better, this still isn’t a bad thing. It is very important that you try out many computer displays to find one that suits your eyes in terms of resolution and size. Bigger monitors usually have higher resolutions. For example, a 24 inch monitor usually has a resolution of 1920x1200 pixels. This is good enough to display full HD 1080p (which is 1920x1080). Some 17 inch laptop displays also display at this resolution. Is this going to make the text too small for you to read easily? Would a smaller resolution suit you better? Would a tiny 10 inch screen bother you? What resolutions do the software you run support? Most require at least 1024x768. Keep this in mind.
6. Tech support.
Do you know enough about your computer to fix your own problems, or are you going to rely on friends or tech support to fix your computer if it breaks? If you’re in the latter group, a computer company with a good record for tech support (Dell and Apple are two of the best for that) along with an extended warranty is what you want to look for. Some computer companies only offer tech support for as long as the warranty is active (which is usually only two or three years). Do not buy a used computer and actually expect to get tech support. Chances are you won’t get it. If you buy from a company like Dell that lets you pick from a 1-year up to a 5-year warranty, consider that five years is a long time to have a computer and you should get the warranty for the length of time you intend to keep the computer. Also keep in mind that tech support may vary even within the same company depending on what computer you buy. Dell, for example, offers the best tech support to small and medium businesses. All SMB (small/medium business) support is right here in the US, so you don’t have to talk to someone in India. Dell Optiplex and Latitude computers have lifetime phone support, while the others only last as long as the warranty is active. Apple also has a lot of tech support based here in the US.
7. Can you build your own computer?
Building your own computer has many benefits. The price to performance ratio is the best there is in home-built computers (except for laptops, where building your own doesn’t really get you any benefits). Can you even build one yourself? Do you know what parts you will need inside the case? Keep in mind that home-built computers don’t get tech support. If the thing breaks, you’d better be able to fix it yourself or know someone good enough with computers that can that is willing to help you (or that you can pay for).
8. Don’t get scammed.
Do your homework. A lot of retailers sell lots of different kinds of computers. Best Buy, for example, sells a large variety, but they handle all warranties and tech support themselves. In the case of Dell computers, this is a bad thing. Dell’s tech support is better than Best Buy’s. In other computer’s cases, this may actually be a good thing. As far as tech support and computer repair goes, avoid Best Buy’s Geek Squad whenever possible. They charge an arm and a leg for things that are fairly easy to do (they charge $50 to install RAM, which is really easy to do yourself). Most importantly, DO NOT TALK TO A SALESMAN TO FIND OUT WHAT YOU NEED! You should know what you want long before ever talking to a salesman. Salesmen don’t know anything about computers and will do anything to sell you something that is far more expensive than you need.
9. Learn what a computer is and what it does.
I kid you not, there are people who call in for tech support that don’t even know that the computer needs electricity to run or that it has an on/off switch. If you are one of these people, I recommend taking some time to learn what a computer is and what it can do for you. A computer is only as good as its user. Also take a little time to learn some basic computer jargon. Learn what words like hard drive, optical drive, processor, memory, motherboard, operating system, bit, byte, malware, antivirus, background process, keyboard, mouse, software, power supply, application, monitor and network mean. If there is any of those words that you don’t know what they mean, it’s time you learned. They’re very basic and fundamental terms that could mean the difference between getting your computer fixed, and really annoying the support tech and making him wish you would die after the call is over because it is your incompetence that caused the call to run on for four hours. Please, PLEASE, learn the difference between memory and the hard drive. One of the most frustrating things for me is when people have nice computers, but all they ever use is Microsoft Word and Internet Explorer. Your computer is capable of so much, it seems a complete waste to buy one just for that.
10. Learn about protection.
We’re pretty much all aware of the presence of malware these days. For those of you who don’t know, malware is an umbrella term that covers viruses, adware, and spyware. Bad stuff. It is possible to live quite happily without these ever becoming a problem and also not having to use antivirus software or antispyware software (which can be a major pain and consume valuable resources) to keep them out or get rid of them. My computer, for example has no protection, and also has no problems with malware. This is because I know how to not get viruses in the first place. Delete questionable emails without opening them. Do not go to online gambling sites. Many online gaming sites that don’t have gambling are still riddled with viruses. Avoid programs like BitTorrent or Limewire. The programs themselves are safe enough, but who knows whether or not what you’re downloading is really what it says it is. Avoid programs like Kazaa, Weatherbug, and MyWeb. These programs are riddled with spyware. Above all, avoid porn sites like the plague. Your soul is not the only thing damaged by that stuff. It’ll wreak havoc on your computer too. One of the most important things you can do is back up your data. I recommend backing up your data to both optical media and external hard drives in case you have to wipe your hard drive because of corrupt files on your computer, viruses, or failed hard drives. Depending on how important your data is, you might be well off to have backups offsite. For example, when the World Trade Center was destroyed in 2001, many companies that were based in there were up and running the next day because they had backups that were located elsewhere. Some companies lost their files forever because they had no backups, or the backups were inside the buildings that collapsed. These companies never survived. Seriously people, back up your data! I can’t tell you how many calls I’ve gotten from people who are seriously miffed that they will lose all of their data because they didn’t back it up. Don’t be one of those people. Important data to back up may include music files, Power Point or Word documents, financial files from programs like Quicken, photos, movies, projects from programs like AutoCAD or Photoshop, etc. Anything on your computer that you can’t afford to lose or can’t replace if it was lost. Above all, just remember that you never know when your computer will be lost, broken, stolen, or infested with a virus. People with children or are accident prone will probably want to purchase insurance or specific warranties that cover accidental damage for their computers. Remember, computers don’t last forever. If you’re still holding onto a computer that is more than five years old, it’s time to replace it. Even a cheap new computer that only cost $300 will likely outperform your dinosaur.
© Copyright 2009 Eric Williamson
How much money you have is the absolute deciding factor in what you get (unless you have money coming out your ears). Brand new computers generally range from $200 to $25,000 so what you can fit in your budget is supremely important. Please keep the price of the software that you need in mind as some of that can be quite expensive.
2. What software you need to run.
A computer’s sole purpose is to run software. Some are more demanding on hardware than others. Computer games are the most demanding thing most people do with their computers, and if this is what you do, you must configure the computer accordingly. Computers designed for gaming are usually expensive and very dependent on a good graphics card. Other software, like web browsers, office software like word processors and money management software don’t require as many resources and can be pretty much run on any new computer.
3. What operating system you want.
The operating system you want is also extremely important. Linux will run on anything and is very flexible and fast, but it is hard to use and the learning curve is enormous. Windows is fairly easy to use and compatible with most software out there, but it has a history of stability problems. Mac OS X is very powerful, easy to use, stable, robust, and comes with some of the best software in the industry, but it may not be compatible with all of the software you want to run (though dual booting with Windows is an option these days).
4. What features you need.
Do you need a computer that is mobile? Do you need a good price to performance ratio? Are you going to need things like a webcam, printer, scanner, camera, mp3 player, or other devices for your computer to interface with? How many USB ports are you going to need? Will you need Firewire, parallel ports, serial ports, or a Bluetooth module for the devices you need? Do you need an optical drive (CD/DVD/Blu-ray) or can you do without one? What about floppy drives? If you have a laptop, is it going to need all the features and power of a desktop, or will it need to be thin, light, and highly mobile? Will you need to play movies on your computer? Do you want to watch them in HD? Will you be using the computer to play music? Will you need quality sound? How much storage space are you going to need? Whatever you do, don’t buy a laptop only for use in the home. That’s a lot of money for a feature that’s not even being used (mobility). Laptops are great for students who want to take them to class. Laptops are also good for LAN parties, but you’ll need one powerhouse of a laptop to even begin to compete with the guys that have gaming-grade desktops.
5. The computer’s display.
In certain respects, the old CRTs are still the best computer displays out there. However, any new computer will come with an LCD display (if it comes with one at all) which, even though CRTs perform better, this still isn’t a bad thing. It is very important that you try out many computer displays to find one that suits your eyes in terms of resolution and size. Bigger monitors usually have higher resolutions. For example, a 24 inch monitor usually has a resolution of 1920x1200 pixels. This is good enough to display full HD 1080p (which is 1920x1080). Some 17 inch laptop displays also display at this resolution. Is this going to make the text too small for you to read easily? Would a smaller resolution suit you better? Would a tiny 10 inch screen bother you? What resolutions do the software you run support? Most require at least 1024x768. Keep this in mind.
6. Tech support.
Do you know enough about your computer to fix your own problems, or are you going to rely on friends or tech support to fix your computer if it breaks? If you’re in the latter group, a computer company with a good record for tech support (Dell and Apple are two of the best for that) along with an extended warranty is what you want to look for. Some computer companies only offer tech support for as long as the warranty is active (which is usually only two or three years). Do not buy a used computer and actually expect to get tech support. Chances are you won’t get it. If you buy from a company like Dell that lets you pick from a 1-year up to a 5-year warranty, consider that five years is a long time to have a computer and you should get the warranty for the length of time you intend to keep the computer. Also keep in mind that tech support may vary even within the same company depending on what computer you buy. Dell, for example, offers the best tech support to small and medium businesses. All SMB (small/medium business) support is right here in the US, so you don’t have to talk to someone in India. Dell Optiplex and Latitude computers have lifetime phone support, while the others only last as long as the warranty is active. Apple also has a lot of tech support based here in the US.
7. Can you build your own computer?
Building your own computer has many benefits. The price to performance ratio is the best there is in home-built computers (except for laptops, where building your own doesn’t really get you any benefits). Can you even build one yourself? Do you know what parts you will need inside the case? Keep in mind that home-built computers don’t get tech support. If the thing breaks, you’d better be able to fix it yourself or know someone good enough with computers that can that is willing to help you (or that you can pay for).
8. Don’t get scammed.
Do your homework. A lot of retailers sell lots of different kinds of computers. Best Buy, for example, sells a large variety, but they handle all warranties and tech support themselves. In the case of Dell computers, this is a bad thing. Dell’s tech support is better than Best Buy’s. In other computer’s cases, this may actually be a good thing. As far as tech support and computer repair goes, avoid Best Buy’s Geek Squad whenever possible. They charge an arm and a leg for things that are fairly easy to do (they charge $50 to install RAM, which is really easy to do yourself). Most importantly, DO NOT TALK TO A SALESMAN TO FIND OUT WHAT YOU NEED! You should know what you want long before ever talking to a salesman. Salesmen don’t know anything about computers and will do anything to sell you something that is far more expensive than you need.
9. Learn what a computer is and what it does.
I kid you not, there are people who call in for tech support that don’t even know that the computer needs electricity to run or that it has an on/off switch. If you are one of these people, I recommend taking some time to learn what a computer is and what it can do for you. A computer is only as good as its user. Also take a little time to learn some basic computer jargon. Learn what words like hard drive, optical drive, processor, memory, motherboard, operating system, bit, byte, malware, antivirus, background process, keyboard, mouse, software, power supply, application, monitor and network mean. If there is any of those words that you don’t know what they mean, it’s time you learned. They’re very basic and fundamental terms that could mean the difference between getting your computer fixed, and really annoying the support tech and making him wish you would die after the call is over because it is your incompetence that caused the call to run on for four hours. Please, PLEASE, learn the difference between memory and the hard drive. One of the most frustrating things for me is when people have nice computers, but all they ever use is Microsoft Word and Internet Explorer. Your computer is capable of so much, it seems a complete waste to buy one just for that.
10. Learn about protection.
We’re pretty much all aware of the presence of malware these days. For those of you who don’t know, malware is an umbrella term that covers viruses, adware, and spyware. Bad stuff. It is possible to live quite happily without these ever becoming a problem and also not having to use antivirus software or antispyware software (which can be a major pain and consume valuable resources) to keep them out or get rid of them. My computer, for example has no protection, and also has no problems with malware. This is because I know how to not get viruses in the first place. Delete questionable emails without opening them. Do not go to online gambling sites. Many online gaming sites that don’t have gambling are still riddled with viruses. Avoid programs like BitTorrent or Limewire. The programs themselves are safe enough, but who knows whether or not what you’re downloading is really what it says it is. Avoid programs like Kazaa, Weatherbug, and MyWeb. These programs are riddled with spyware. Above all, avoid porn sites like the plague. Your soul is not the only thing damaged by that stuff. It’ll wreak havoc on your computer too. One of the most important things you can do is back up your data. I recommend backing up your data to both optical media and external hard drives in case you have to wipe your hard drive because of corrupt files on your computer, viruses, or failed hard drives. Depending on how important your data is, you might be well off to have backups offsite. For example, when the World Trade Center was destroyed in 2001, many companies that were based in there were up and running the next day because they had backups that were located elsewhere. Some companies lost their files forever because they had no backups, or the backups were inside the buildings that collapsed. These companies never survived. Seriously people, back up your data! I can’t tell you how many calls I’ve gotten from people who are seriously miffed that they will lose all of their data because they didn’t back it up. Don’t be one of those people. Important data to back up may include music files, Power Point or Word documents, financial files from programs like Quicken, photos, movies, projects from programs like AutoCAD or Photoshop, etc. Anything on your computer that you can’t afford to lose or can’t replace if it was lost. Above all, just remember that you never know when your computer will be lost, broken, stolen, or infested with a virus. People with children or are accident prone will probably want to purchase insurance or specific warranties that cover accidental damage for their computers. Remember, computers don’t last forever. If you’re still holding onto a computer that is more than five years old, it’s time to replace it. Even a cheap new computer that only cost $300 will likely outperform your dinosaur.
© Copyright 2009 Eric Williamson
Monday, December 15, 2008
Topic: Love
So it is up to me, once again, to bring you our bi-monthly topic. Posting a topic like "Christmas" is too predictable, considering the time of year. I'm going to keep it a little more open by making the topic "Love" which is, among other things, one of the very foundations of Christmas. I wanted to post a topic that didn't necessarily have to include Christmas but was easy enough to make into a Christmas-themed work. So it's time to open our hearts and let the love (and tears) flow! A very Merry Christmas to you all! Ja ne.
Wednesday, October 1, 2008
TOPIC: Space Opera.
TIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIME for the new topic. For years, I've always wanted to write a space opera (you know, like Star Trek, Star Wars, Star Ocean, StarCraft... pretty much anything starting with 'star'...). I know some of you don't like sci-fi as much as I do, and some of you don't even know the first thing about space travel, but now's the time to learn and like it! I'll leave this one fairly open, but it must be in space. No Earth, no alien planets. SPACE. It can be a short story, or an excerpt from a longer story, or whatever you like. Above all, enjoy it! Ja ne.
Monday, June 2, 2008
TOPIC: Establishing Setting.
Okay, so the next topic is being selected by me. It's important to know how to establish a good setting, so that's what this exercise will be about. Setting is about time, place, and circumstances. It could be as exotic as a faraway planet thousands of years in the future where the government has fallen, or it could be a simple grocery store down the street.
Setting isn't always important to a story, but it often helps in the writing process to have a firm grasp on what your setting is. Obviously, there are things that can happen on a faraway planet that simply couldn't in a simple local store. Really, the setting is like a character all it's own.
So write a detailed description of a setting you have in mind. Include location, time period, and specific circumstances related to the time and place. Have fun with it. Ja ne.
Setting isn't always important to a story, but it often helps in the writing process to have a firm grasp on what your setting is. Obviously, there are things that can happen on a faraway planet that simply couldn't in a simple local store. Really, the setting is like a character all it's own.
So write a detailed description of a setting you have in mind. Include location, time period, and specific circumstances related to the time and place. Have fun with it. Ja ne.
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