In abstract

Yesterday disaster was averted. A young man broke into his parents gun safe and took two pistols and an AK-47. He stashed the machine gun in a bathroom on the upper floor of his high school. What did he plan on doing, aside from the obvious? We hear stories similar to this one all the time, except this was where my older two daughters attend school. That brought it all home for me. My kids were in danger and the school was in lockdown.
But don't take it from me, here's the local news blurb.

Here is where several things went right.

The parents of the boy notified authorities right away. Nothing like your parents confronting you at school about the two Glocks in your backpack. The school went into lockdown and the boy was apprehended without a shot being fired.

Can I breathe a sigh of relief now?
In a statement to police, the boy said he planned to make some demands over the school intercom. What those demands were specifically, we won't know for sure.
First off, he's a boy. A troubled teen. My daughters confirmed he is a 17 year old sophmore with special needs. That must be taken into account considering the serious nature of what he did.
My question: Why is a gun the first answer to a problem when it should be the last?
Was he having trouble at school with grades? Bullies? A girl? Could he have had a problem with the school cafeteria selection?
All of these problems could be solved without the use of firearms. His parents are gun collectors. You don't buy an assault rifle on a whim. So how did the boy get into the gun safe, and or bypass the trigger locks? I'm assuming they have a secure storage area such as a safe, 
One of my rules is that no system is foolproof.
Parents have gun. 
Child thinks 'toy,' and wants said gun. 
Child will figure out a way to get the gun. 
The question is how difficult are you, as a parent, are going to make it? The easy way would be to put protective locks on the pistols. Put the rifle in a gun safe. Under the bed or in a corner doesn't count.
If the boy is clever, he will look over his Dad's shoulders to get the combination, or find out where the keys for the locks are.
If you are a cautious parent, you make sure the combination is known only to one or two people... and no one is behind you.
Of course you don't have to have the weapons in the house, but that's just me.

The popular opinion that isn't

Gather around people, we have a little ground to cover. In this last week Dan Haseltine, the lead singer of the Christian band Jars of Clay, took to Twitter with the following:

Not meaning to stir things up BUT... Is there a non-speculative or non "slippery slope" reason why gays shouldn't marry? I don't hear one.

This was copied from Dan's Twitter feed. Needless to say, the backlash has been... predictable? Amazing? Disappointing?
Yes, to all three.
Predictable because I knew the knee jerk reaction would be: "In the Bible it says..." By that same token, ham and pork chops should not be eaten, you can make slaves of your neighbors. (Do they mean Mexicans or Canadians? I always get that mixed up.) And you are within your rights to stone that slut down the street to death.
Amazing, because the loudest opponents have closed minds. They can't change their opinion and refuse to allow anything or anyone to deviate from their narrow definition.
And sadly it is Disappointing, because so many of my friends are in non traditional relationships that work. Personally, I've seen two people in love build a life together and it lasted much, much longer than a 'straight marriage'. You can't legislate love.
In an effort to avoid controversy and anything resembling a stand, Christian radio stations have taken Jars of Clay off their playlists.
Where have I heard before? Oh, yeah. The Dixie Chicks. Remember them? They were critical of President Bush and subsequently got blacklisted from country stations all over. Looking back, fans and the music industry now have nothing but respect for Natalie, Martie, and Emily.
Show some backbone people, there's nothing to be afraid of.
Giving LGBT people the freedom to marry whom they choose does not take any of your rights away.
For straight people in a marriage, this will not change anything.
For single heterosexual people, this will not change anything.
This goes under my first rule: Your rights begin where mine end. Your freedom does not take anything away from mine.
Get over it people.

Last week I found the next step in getting my book published and my writing career established. I found a small publishing house that specializes in Texas based authors. Hooray, you say. But there's a slight catch: the story has to be professionally edited. Not to worry, I found a professional editor. After exchanging e-mails, web sites and synopses, I feel confidant that this is the way for me to go. This morning I let my wife read the exchange I had with the editor and she agrees with me: it's a lot of work and money, but it is the way to get the book out. The editor is willing to work with me and requires 1/3 of the money up front. She charges 14.00 a page, which I've heard in literary forums as standard. I've looked at her web page and checked her out. She's legit and not a scammer.
For my part, I'd have to come up with the money. Fourteen dollars a page at 499 pages comes to just shy of 7 grand. 2,500 of that up front. So my wife and I sat down and came up with a few ways to make that happen. If you want something bad enough...
My resume is already out and there are a few job positions which seem workable. Depending on my schedule I can work two jobs. One keeping the lights on, and the other going directly toward the editing. I should note I get a whole lot of bang for my buck. There are network connections and critiques of work. Character analysis and marketing development.
In short: this is it. Now I have to make it happen.
For now TR is sitting on Amazon with a self publishing company as a hard copy, awaiting purchase.
There is no one button, instant fame and fortune. We all wish there was.
A long uphill struggle, but it will be worth it.

Working for a living

Thanks for joining us this evening, my name is Will Malone and here's a recap of the important events.

• My Spurs are in the playoffs and Mark Cuban is a ninny.
• I still don't care what the Kardashians are doing and I have no idea what Justin Bieber or Lady Gaga sound like. I heard the good stuff, why settle?
• Bill Nye and Neil deGrasse Tyson are rock stars of the science set.

Standard rules I use on the blog:

• I will not use the names of my friends or strangers. Public figures/celebrities are fair game.
• This is not the place to promote political agendas or propaganda. I encourage fair discussion as long as you sign your name to the post. No Trolling people.
• As much as possible, I will try not to bring negativity in by telling you about sucky things in my work and life.
• I will concentrate on the positive.
• Find the good. In people, in events. Perpetuate the positive. Award and commend the people who do good things.
• Tell people they are awesome, even if they don't believe it themselves.
• The battle of flowers/ Fiesta begins Friday. I feel a barbecue about to happen. Memorial day tradition at my house: A toast to the brave veterans who served our country followed by 'You bring it, I'll grill it.'
• Philosophical discussion is encouraged after wine is served.

New rules can be added as needed.

What's the rush?

Every now and then, we need to lift our heads up and look around. Perhaps it's to get our bearings, maybe we take a breathe before diving back into the daily grind. Last week, I needed a reminder about how things are changing.

A blemish?

The Cassini spacecraft took this shot of Saturn's rings not too long ago. (The BBC article is dated the 16th.) That little bump in Saturn's A ring is 20% brighter than the ring itself. Scientists believe it is in fact a new moon. Nicknamed Peggy and if confirmed, it will become the 63rd moon to orbit the ringed giant. Peggy is roughly 1207 km (750 miles) by 9.7 km (6 miles) wide. This is why I'm such a big advocate for the space exploration. We caught a moon being formed on film... by accident!

Now the question remains: will it gain mass enough to escape the rings, or will it be pummeled by the icy ring itself? Of course, if it gets free of the ring, Peggy has to watch out for her 62 bigger siblings. Simply put, we don't know what is going to happen, but aren't we lucky we had a robot there to capture it by chance?

By the way, the current NASA budget kills the Mars explorer Opportunity and Lunar Reconnaissance missions. Just as Mtv doesn't play music anymore, NASA doesn't do space. The bean counters are killing space exploration. We have over a dozen crafts on their way or currently orbiting planets and moons. From Mercury to Pluto... and yes, this costs money. NASA's budget is 1.295 billion dollars and shrinking.

There is money and technology to be made out there. This is the new frontier. Putting a processing plant on the moon would certainly help our manufacturing base. A solar station at Liberation point 5 would give the earth cheap abundant energy. A colony on Mars would ease overcrowding here on Earth and ensure our survival as a race. We could be harvesting asteroids out by Jupiter and have an abundance of riches. We simply have to get there.

I just Googled a study done by the Midwest research institute of Kansas City, Missouri. The study concluded that the 25 billion in 1958 dollars returned 52 billion through 1971... and it is still growing. By the time 1987 rolled around, the payoff stood at 181 billion. That's a discounted rate of return of 33%.

The payoff is much bigger than people realize.

21.6 billion in sales and benefits

352,000 skilled jobs created or saved

355 million in federal corporate income tax.

And this was only between 1976 and 1984.

I posted this picture a few weeks back. Do you still think NASA doesn't effect everyone? We could be out among the stars right now. I would like you to call or write your Representative and demand an increase to NASA's budget. Want the link? 

Make the call. Want a better life? Write to congress. Want to see unemployment go down? You know what to do.

We work best when there is something to do, a goal in reach, and it's right at your fingertips.

Sunday night nerd fix

For the last few years I've been finding reasons not to watch Game of Thrones. For starters it was on HBO, and our budget wouldn't stand premium cable channels. I didn't know if the series was any good. By the time I heard what critics were calling the show, it was too late to watch it because I felt it was something you had to see from episode 1 or you wouldn't know what was going on.
So we got rid of the Time Warner cable a few years back. Last year we got rid of the satellite dish. In our consolidating budget, getting rid of our land line and switching to AT&T U-verse has been a generally positive experience. It's within our budget (Always a plus for me.) the picture is good and we have a nice selection of things to watch. The way it worked out was HBO was bundled with one package and it worked out to be ten bucks cheaper than if we went without it.
Then I found out about their on demand programs that were free. Two weeks back I began watching Game of Thrones from the beginning and I'm glad I did. To sum it up in one word: Awesome.
Now on to the other problem: I've set up the recorder to tape Cosmos, Game of Thrones, and another new series called Turn. They are all on at the same time. So my Sunday consists of watching one while the other two are recording, then watching them immediately afterwards. Makes for a late night getting to bed when I have to get up early for work the next morning.
A quick glance over my shoulder. Family Guy, the cartoon that comes on before Cosmos, is halfway over. People say it's funny. I've tried to watch it and found it... lacking. There's lots of other words I could put there. Juvenile, low brow, asinine. I don't get these cartoon shows the same way I don't get Duck Dynasty. The appeal of these shows baffle me. For my money I'd rather be entertained, informed, and engaged.
I rate Mythbusters up there as higher quality television than the Simpsons. After watching Cosmos, I find myself being hopefully optimistic about humanity.
A long time ago I took a film class at the community college. Some of my classmates were railing on Spielburg and how he made cinematic fluff like Jurassic Park. (That alone should tell you how long ago it was.)
My reply was simply this: 'Amistad.'
The class turned to me with this questioning sneer. Time to back up my statement.
"Spielburg makes movies that sell a lot of tickets, but movie enthusiasts like ourselves look down on them. He makes those movies in order to have the money to make the movies that matter to him. The Color Purple. Amistad. Empire of the Sun. These movies did not do as much in the box office as E.T., but I would argue they're equally if not more important films."
This shut everyone up. I think the teacher gave me a passing grade on that alone. At the very least I gave the hipsters something to think about before they categorically dismiss it.    
   

Can and can't

For the last week I've been having a dilemma. After my mediation with the EEOC, I expected Lowe's to give me the kid glove treatment... at least for a while. The agreement in the mediation, which I'm not allowed to discuss, would have meant that I keep my job and they would in turn leave me alone.
This lasted less than a week. For the last few days I've found myself  back in my old department. Several people got fired. One person had Reserve duty. Another guy went in for surgery. Today I worked straight through without getting a break or lunch or being relieved.
How does the saying go? An emergency on your part does not constitute a crises on my part.
In all fairness, who could have predicted management would have to fire two department managers and a guy who was there when the store opened five years ago? They're hiring, but getting rid of people quicker than they're being replaced. Hence, calling me late Monday night and asking me to cover Electrical. Alone.
Wanna know the best part? The guy running electrical now is having a worse time than I was. In the few days I've been in there, I noticed a few things. By themselves they're little things, but they quickly add up to major inventory problems. I've spent the last year actively ignoring the shrink budget for the store, but tonight I'd take a peek at it just to see if the current department manager is doing as poorly as I was. The powers that be at the time really made me feel like I was screwing up and couldn't do anything right. It really plays with your head. They really do a head trip on you in retail. There's a whole psychological factor in it. Every retail store would be in trouble if the employees suddenly decided to stand up for themselves. I'm guessing this is why everyone is against unions. Bullying the workers seems to be the way business operates. This is no way to run things. The last store manager actually laid out the corporate plan one afternoon. They want Lowe's to be run by only part time employees. The way they have it figured, it would cost them less if they had the entire work force be part time and temporary. 
The flaw as I see it is that part time employees equal part time loyalties. I've noticed the most dedicated workers are the ones that feel the company is taking care of them. If a business decides not to take care of its' employees, than the workers will not look out for the best interests of the business.
Start thinking long term, business type people.

much to do

There's a lot going on around town and at my house. We're gearing up for my daughter graduating high school. The battle of flowers is coming up this Friday with Fiesta next week. I'm gathering material for a weekend full of projects / things to fix. Travelers Road is now on Amazon as a paperback. Yippee!

A BBC article noting the 40th anniversary of Dungeons and Dragons floated across my desk this morning before I left for work, now I can't find it. I almost made myself late this morning because I was skimming the article. In the piece they were talking about religious groups taking offense and denouncing it as evil and the devil's work. An old friend of mine nailed it right on the head many years ago. "Those people who try to act as if it's real, aren't wrapped too tightly in the first place."

Thanks Charlie, that sums it up very nicely. As we make our way in the world, I notice things aren't neatly divided into good and evil, black and white.The more I think about it, people aren't truly evil. No one wakes up in the morning and says; 'Let's strangle puppies today.' We do things with varying degrees of self centeredness. The more selfish you are, the bigger an asshole you can be to others. When people find out I role play, the reactions are a mixed bag. From, 'Oh really?', on to crying out 'Die Spawn of Satan!'

Listen up people: it's a mind exercise. It is pretend. Cops and Robbers, Cowboys and Indians, but with a heck of a lot of extras. Pen, paper and imagination. But most of all, it's harmless. People fear what they don't understand and some do everything they can to close their mind to imagination. The most depressing thing about the article? They suggest D&D is going mainstream. The horror... the shock. Dare I say trendy?
Yeah, those Hobbit movies and Avengers fighting across the screen? We nerds had that all those years ago and you're just realizing it now? Noobs...
Now if they will just come out with a Dragonriders of Pern movie, I'll be happy. 

Createspace

A quick Saturday morning post. For the last week or so I've been working on getting Travelers Road to Createspace, a  print on demand publisher.
Createspace is a subsidiary of Amazon and while TR is available immediately on its web page, the book will become available on Amazon in 5 to 7 business days.
Part of the delay was my reluctance to go into more debt in order to see my book published. I didn't want to shell out the bucks to have a box of books sit in my garage. The other part was I needed to see a distribution and advertising model I could work with.
Big box stores tend not to stock self publishers. They're not stupid, Places like Barnes and Noble are around to make money. Buying in bulk allows them to sell books cheaply to the mass market.
Agents and publishers are always looking for the next big thing that will make or break their company, but how to spot the diamond among the quartz?
That's been the heart of the matter for the last few years. Going alone through the front door of a big publisher leads straight to the recycle bin.
In going to a few workshops and conventions, I've met agents and agencies. After talking to them, I get the impression they're a timid crowd. They don't want to be the one who picks an author who then tanks sales thereby bankrupting their company.
So here I sit: Critiquing people online in writing groups, freelance writing for small businesses, working a Clark Kent job and self publishing.
There are numerous small publishers, finding them is more than a Google search, it's actual footwork. Next to my keyboard are several cards and papers with names and addresses. Leads I must follow up in the quest for the printed word.
Travelers Road is on sale for 18.00 and in a few days you'll be able to find it on Amazon. If you are an independent retailer, you can order TR to stock on your shelves. Why is it so expensive? For the reasons I listed above, buying, as well as printing in bulk. The more you make or do, the cheaper it becomes. This is a one off, hence the price. I added afterwards, dedications and acknowledgements in this version. I even spotted a grammatical error or two along the way. A few of my friends bet me this would never get off the ground. Pay up chumps. All kidding aside, this is a milestone event I can look back at. Many people I know haven't changed in the last 20 years, never stepping out of their comfort zone in a personal quest to become a better human being.
This is me finding my beat and leading the march to success. At this time I'd like to thank all the people who tried to prevent me from becoming what I am. By testing me, I rose above the limits others set. And guess what? This is only the beginning. Now that I've blazed the trail, more stuff is going to follow. Let the other guys catch up to me.

credit

Forgot to post the source of my info. Here's the NPR link.

and here's another

Finally, one from the Today show.

heartbleed and stuff

While I'm waiting for the pie crust to thicken up in the fridge, I'm going to quickly jot this down.
Being between a couple of worlds gives me rare insight into what's going on around me. One of these worlds is the tech world and the mainstream one. For the most part I end up explaining the tech stuff to the scientifically challenged.
On March 14, 2012 someone introduced a bug to a piece of software to a very popular program. Nobody knew it existed until last week. The program, open SSL, is used by nearly every business on the web. Do any online banking? Play any online games? Buy anything over the internet? Then you've used open SSL.
Quicker than you can say 'Patch that hole', nearly every major corporation did. Did anyone notice a software update from Micro$oft last night? Yep, that was it.
'But Will, what about all the stuff I purchased the last two Christmases with my MasterCard?'
Chances are, if you haven't had any random purchases like a trip to Cape Town and Beluga caviar for 200 of your friends, then you're good. Simply change your password and you'll be okay.
In the immortal words of Douglas Adams: Don't panic.
Change the password on your computer.
Don't freak out.
Try and stay off of public Wi-fi's for a week.
Finally, if you want to check on a site to see if it's okay to visit, enter is here to test for vulnerabilities.   

Taking the next step

This is going to be a short one folks. Chimaeracon was last weekend and a good time was had by all. That said, I need a day off to recover from my day off. 12 hours of sleep would be nice, but that isn't in the cards.
One of the cool things that happened is I got a chance to network with fellow geeks. I even met an aspiring author who gave me a clue as how to take my book to the next level.
Let me back up for a second. For reasons I can't talk about, my tenure at Lowe's is drawing to a close. The good news is that I have a few prospects lined up. So in the meantime, keep smiling and shut my trap.
On to the good stuff.
My book has been out as an e-book for a while now and tonight I sat down with Createspace, a subsidiary of Amazon, to put Travelers Road in book form. 
Yep, a real live paper and ink book that can be ordered by retailers across the nation. It's even got the little stripy lines on the back. I got a semi-decent cover on it. Better than the green and black thingamajig I had before. They are reviewing it as I write this and I'll let you know when it's available. What I liked is the marketing and advertising tools that were set up. This way I can get the word out and even start hosting events at local bookstores. Now my goal is to put something else beside my novel. Gotta get on that stick. Perhaps next con I'll be the one behind the table signing books. One can hope.

The Code originally posted July 26, 2013

How we behave is a good indicator of what kind of person you are. Do you act outgoing and friendly? How is your handshake? Where are your eyes looking when you talk to someone. What does your body language say to others? I want to tell you about a man I just read about. James Owens is a public speaker and he's published a few books on the cowboy way and how it applies to modern life. How many of the following guidelines do we follow in our day to day life?

• Live each day with courage
• Take pride in your work
• Always finish what you start
• Do what has to be done
• Be tough, but fair
• When you make a promise, keep it.
• Ride for the brand
• Talk less and say more
• Remember some things are not for sale.
• Know where to draw the line.

A lot of us live our lives by these rules and don't think twice about it. Some of those rules are harder than others, it's all situational.
Even getting out of bed and facing the day can take all kinds of courage. Always face your fears. You may face them on your own terms, but face them nonetheless.
People can say you have a strong work ethic because you take pride in your work, even if that job is bagging groceries. Do it and do it well. Don't leave a job half-assed.
You may not enjoy it, but there are unpleasant things that will always have to be done. Those grease traps aren't going to clean themselves.
If you are a parent, you know all about being tough, but fair. I said something to my oldest child before she left this morning. My wife thought it was uncalled for, perhaps it was. I'll stand by what I said though and try not to look like a hypocrite. That means I'll be doing some chores around the house this weekend.
When I say I'm going to do something, I make an honest attempt to accomplish it. If for some reason I'm unsuccessful, I usually find my way back to the person I spoke with and explain what happened. You'd be surprised at what happens when you do that.
The first time I read the sentence about 'riding for the brand', I had to think about that one. My take on that one is about being loyal. Part of my speech to new people I work with goes something like, 'If you are going to work here, then work.'
We could all do with talking less and saying more. I've touched base on that other times, but it is worth repeating.
I could fill a whole blog post on things I can't put a price on, and so could you if you think about it.
Knowing where to draw the line depends on the situation. When I find myself saying, 'Enough!' that is where the line gets drawn. No more of this wishy-washy stuff. Tell yourself: Here, Now. That is when things get done.

Water water everywhere

My friends over at the Planetary Society sent a fascinating picture my way. Europa is one of Jupiter's moons and scientists thought there was a possibility of water being underneath all that ice. So Hubble took some pictures to see what it could find.

Not a bowtie

What you're looking at is water vapor. Why is water shooting out of Europa's south pole like cheap beer? Let me put this in layman's terms.
Jupiter has a tremendous amount of gravity. One of the reasons we humans are still around is that Jupiter is acting like this huge space hoover, sucking up a lot of stray asteroids.
The most distinguishing features about Europa is that it has 'tiger claws'. Seriously, this poor moon looks like a mean tom cat went to town on it. At first there is no determinable pattern to these claw marks. They're all over the place. Tiger claws might be a cute name, but I'll tell you what they look like: Stretch marks.


Jupiter pulls. Europa's ice cracks. Water shoots up, instantly freezes and Hubble detects the spray as it erupts skyward.
We know other moons are volcanic. The most stunning example is another of Jupiter's moons, Io.

Those pock marks? Sulfuric volcanoes 

 Right now there is a plan to send a robot to Europa, possibly to drill through the ice and peek at what is underneath. What will we find? Tiny Jovian Plankton? A race of alien squid like creatures? Nothing at all? won't know until we get there.

There is a graph on this next link for the proposed NASA budget for fiscal year 2015.  I can't simply slice into this because it's a PDF. It's an all or nothing deal. The sixth page down on this pdf has a bunch of blue stripy lines with a red and black line across the top. Take a look. Got it? The general trend is funding is being cut every year. Missions have already been scuttled. We won't be exploring the outer planets anytime soon. That means forget about anything beyond Mars. This is a shame, because some of these projects are things we can only do once in a lifetime. Orbits have to be just right for spacecraft to visit.
There is one more link I'd like you to click on. This link is to urge your congressman or senator to maintain funding for the space agency. On that page Bill Nye has an open letter to President Obama. Please click on it and urge your representative to support exploring the solar system.
This is the next big step for humans. The nation that steps out and claims the next moon base or Martian outpost will not only command the resources of an entire planet, but will ensure that country plays a pivotal role in not only scientific achievement, but in technology.
Yesterday I posted a picture of the Hubble telescope and how it helped in earlier detection of breast cancer. Go ahead and take a look. Think about that for a moment and decide for yourself if this is all worth it. Many of us know a loved one with breast cancer. Wouldn't it be worth it if we could use the technology and resources out there for the benefit of mankind.
As of this writing the Chinese, Russians, and Indian governments have designs on putting bases on the moon. Now who do you want to ask permission to build a rocket or leave the planet? If history is any teacher of events, the countries that had the colonies/ ports of entries, controlled the commerce to the new world.
Think of it as paying the cost to be the boss.
The next new world isn't over the horizon, it's literally straight up.

Just saying...

NASA needs to let the public know it does stuff like this. Now do you see why I try to promote science to you people?

April Fools

Some jokes are better than others. A few cross the line between hoax and prank. Others take on a whole new dimension. Here's a few of my favorite ones that I've seen and think they're hysterical.
There's the spaghetti harvest

Too bad I can't post videos here.
I'm going to have to Google this one from Johnny Carson if I can find it.
Oh, I did. Johnny, you are the master prankster.

The Taco Liberty Bell.

Terry Jones and his flying penguins.

There's a lot of stuff I want to show, but I need to find the links. There simply isn't a picture of a left handed whopper or Alabama legislators changing the numerical value of pi.

Why do we like to pull pranks like that? If I had the resources, I'd pull stuff like that more often. I remember doing some pretty funny stuff in the past. Must be an irony deficiency.
Carry on folks.