YoEddy's Place

Become a Google-a-holic!!!

2008-05-08T11:22:00.001-06:00

I honestly think that we could solve a good portion of the problems in this world if people would learn to use the Internet as a tool to enhance better learning and survival skills. I'm a Google-a-holic. I Google everything because I want to know if others worldwide might have an answer to my problem. I'm a trusting guy...until something breaks. Just yesterday, I get an ABS/Brake light that came on in my Audi. I get home, call a dealership, and they immediately tell me that I need an ABS control module replaced at the tune of 7 bills! How could they know that without even seeing it? Years ago, and maybe after a second opinion, I would have had no choice but to get the work done and take it like a man. I get home, hit Google, type in ABS light AND Audi A6 and get all kinds of user forums that proceed to tell me that an 11 dollar brake switch under the brake pedal might be stuck. What the heck, I'll give it a shot! I go out to my car, fiddle under the driver's console like a mechanic probably would and PRESTO! The $700 bill turned into 5 minutes of my time on Google...FREE advice that paid off. I've done this with my water softener, sprinkler/irrigation system, electronics firmware updates, PC repairs, and dozens of little handyman fix-its around the house. Years ago we were at the mercy of service technicians...not that they're all bad people...nowadays we just have more tools at our fingertips to keep them a bit more honest. Go back some years ago before the Internet was in everyone's home. School reports had to be done at the library and we'd spend countless hours digging through the friggin card catalogue and microfilm!!! No wonder I eeked by in school!!! What a PITA! I wonder how many people don't even bother to research anything on the web...or even worse...don't KNOW HOW to research the web. I see a lot of common sense value in search engine education and hope that it gets taught at some level during our kid's education...boy that sounded like an old person talking.

Truth be known, I would bet that the top 5 reasons for using the Internet for the majority are YouTube, porn, music, MySpace, eBay and Craigslist....ok that's 6. I'll admit it, eBay and Craigslist are sites that I troll, but I sure have become a smarter consumer regarding values and what the "right price" is. Most of us probably partake in such websites and activities (I don't wanna know), but what's sick is that there are hundreds of thousands that sit in front of their screen 24/7 and may eventually become video addicts, criminals, bankruptcy candidates, victims of Internet scams and crimes, and people that get wrapped up counting the number of virtual friends that they have on MySpace only to find out that they don't have any real contact or friendships outside of their PC. On the flip side though, there are many brilliant millionaires out there that figured out e-commerce and web based advertising...ironically, those are probably the porn site owners that continue to feed and corrupt the minds of society. Yet perfectly legal and legit in our country!

Boy that was a bowl of sunshine wasn't it?! LOL!

Mama Said Knock HD DVD Out!

2008-04-20T13:30:00.004-06:00

For those of you that remember the movie "Tron", the animation to the left completely describes what happened in the last few months between Sony (Camp Bluray) and Toshibia (Camp HD DVD).

So I'm one of those guys that occasionally gets sucked into the "early adopter" electronics arena, and unfortunately for me, I picked the losing team in the HD DVD / Bluray format war...and did I mention how bad it sucks to be on the losing team? Last November I picked up Toshiba's flagship XA2 model for a screaming good deal, and over the past few months I've built my HD DVD library up to around 40 discs. I was excited about this new format...so much in fact, that I got my brother, mom, and grandfather into the format as well. After the Thanksgiving holiday, Walmart ran a deal on the Toshiba A2 player for 99 bucks, and our family decided to all chip in and get my grandfather into the "HD life" for Christmas, as he recently purchased a shiny new LCD HDTV and has always been an electronics buff himself. Looking back on this great deal, methinks it was more of a fire sale/inventory clearing initiative on Toshiba's part because they obviously knew something that they didn't want the public to know. Marketing in it's rawest form baby! Anyway, my bro was the next to hop on the bandwagon, and then Mom. HD life was looking swell, and then right after the Christmas holiday at CES...Toshiba received the death blow that put them down for the count. Warner Studios made their HUGE announcement that they would be siding exclusively with Bluray. Being that they are the largest studio in the industry, that meant that the water was going to start spilling over the bulkheads on the HD DVD ship. Bluray having Disney, Fox, and now Warner meant that the other studios would follow suit, and sure enough, that's what happened within a matter of weeks. HD DVD was now abandoned, spit upon, and beaten down, and those few hundred thousand players that were sold worldwide would eventually become paperweights...depending one's level of involvement in home theater I suppose. Needless to say, I felt like absolute crap getting my family and friends into this...oh well...so is the life of a format war gamble.

Over the last few weeks, I've been looking for the fire sales on eBay, Best Buy, Circuit City, Hastings, etc. I think I've bought every HD movie that I want in my library...bout 40 titles give or take. I went out a couple of weeks ago and was deeply saddened to see that Circuit City and Best Buy have wiped their shelves clean of the HD DVD media that I and so many others grew to love...only Bluray was to be had now. Looks like I'll have to pick up The Matrix and Twister online since Boise retailers are completely HD DVD free.

It was a fun ride and a good fight Toshiba, and I'll continue to enjoy my HD library and XA2 player at least until it breaks and is out of warranty. Once that happens, I guess I'll be forced to switch to the Blu side. Or I'll just wait until Hi Definition media becomes a downloadable format. I would be that 'disc' format is on it's way out sooner than we think. As the Internet pipeline continues to swell, it's a safe bet that players will become more like PC's and downloadable high definition media will be the future. That being said, I would also imagine that the interconnect companies like 'Monster Cable' are a bit concerned that this game could turn into a wireless world as well. Serves them right...$160 for a friggin HDMI cable...how do they sleep at night?!?!?!

Cheers!

He that will always bleed "Red"

A Brain Dump...

2008-04-19T00:15:00.004-06:00

Holy "Lost track of time" Batman!!! I can't believe this many months have blown by, and not a single word has dripped onto my blog. I'm sitting in my living room after a long day of getting over a week's worth of what appeared to be bronchitis, my son's baseball game, work, a couple of double cheeseburgers from Mickey D's for dinner, and a very loud movie night of Star Wars with my family.

Anymore the days seem to blow by like minutes on the clock. These late nights are usually when I reflect on life...good and bad, and how easy come easy go life can be. Oh yeah, here's a little nugget that you all probably didn't know...I always have to listen to music while I write, and tonight's selection is "Unforgotten." Some of you will recognize it...others will not.

Unforgotten.mp3

I'm sorta in the mood for a massive brain dump...so here goes:

While I look back over the last few months, I just realized my Ethan is already 9 years old, and my Ryan is going to be 6 in July. I've been with HP for 8 years now and I've seen how wonderful and evil corporate America can be. I've watched many friends come and go over the years for whatever reason. I've lost my grandfather and grandmother in roughly a year's time. My cousin (early 20's) suddenly passed away and I watched my Aunt cry more than I ever could imagine. I've watched gas prices infuriate the masses. I watch my OCD levels fluctuate and learn from it...some things just don't matter, while other things just have to be my way. I'm so fortunate and thankful that my current manager realized and believed that I could 'do it.' I've consumed waaaaaaaay too much unhealthy food, and ironically, this has been the year I've been the least sick. I've seen new dimension within my family, that I need to take part in, regardless of what others think. I've been angry and don't know why. I can cry at the drop of a hat...depending on the day. I watch my boys...and smile. I watch my boys...and want to pull my hair out. I learn things about my wife and our marriage every day. I'm comfortable with my gray hair. I'm a slave to the automobile, and perceive that washing them makes them run better. I realize that my lawn will never be green enough. I realize that I am a good father for my boys and a good husband for my wife. I realize that I need to do more for my boys and my wife. I've made significant change in my role at work...and it was recognized by many. I've watched my website grow over the last 4 years and at the same time fail...hockey just ain't what it used to be. I've watched my love for hockey slowly fade. I've watched money cause so much happiness, and at the same time, so much pain with many. I've been to so many puppet shows and have seen the strings. I've realized that EVERYTHING will eventually get old and lose it's luster...no matter what it is. I finally understand that I have achieved major milestones in my life...and I realize that I have a long way to go. Within the last year, I've learned not to take everything on myself, and that there are others that want to help me succeed. It's not 'always' my fault. I'm kinda diggin the full beard. Why is everyone so far away from me? I realize that I've had close calls, and that I can't take the most important things in my life for granted. Can I honestly answer the question "Who am I?" Is it for me, or is it for someone else? If it isn't right for me, could it be right for someone else?

That's just tonight...you should see the really crazy nights! LOL!

Happy Holidays and get ELFED!!!

2007-11-25T00:21:00.001-07:00

Ok...I hope this spreads like fire because if I'm going to reveal my ugly mug, so should all of you! My sister Jill sent this over to me with her dancing muchkins (gotta see Aaron though Jill...LOL!), so I had to get onboard and do the same!

Copy and paste the link below into your browser to see us in action!

http://www.elfyourself.com/?id=9597298299

Unconscious Guitar Hero!

2007-11-09T23:59:00.000-07:00

Guitar Hero Hell is about to be unleashed in our house this Christmas if Santa thinks we've been good this year. My kids and wife are getting a taste of the XBox360 demo and I honestly think Kim gets sucked into it's tractor beam the most! Whenever we hit a Best Buy or Circuit City, Ethan has to give GH a run on the demo machines that are set up, and he's already drawing small crowds...atta boy Son!!! A chip of the ol block mirroring my days from the 80's arcades. I thought I was pretty good strumming along through Pearl Jam's "Even Flow" at Medium difficulty, but there are humanoids out there that get so unconscious with this game, it makes the good players look like weak amatures.

I thought I'd seen the real rockers in action, but get a load of this dude...oh yeah he can brag all he wants! The level of concentration is insane. How many hours does one need to play to get to this level?

Barf-O-Rama Part II

2007-10-08T21:12:00.001-06:00

So I love Disneyland...always will. I like the visuals, and the rides are just as good now as they were when I was a kid...although I hate to see some of the classics getting a facelift to keep up with today's version of Disney. At any rate I'm sure I'll want to visit Disneyland well into my old age.

Why the Barf-O-Rama Part II title? The video below is probably the most stomach ripping ride I've ever seen, and just watching the video almost makes me hurl.

You could not pay me to ride something like that. How could that even be close to being fun? I view it more as violent punishment, and how those riding didn't upchuck is beyond me. Hope you enjoyed the ride! ;)

Barf-O-Rama

2007-10-03T13:22:00.000-06:00

I know, I know, it's been a while since my last update, but I've had a lot going on over the last few weeks with the hockey season upon us...site work that is. Yes Fall is here, my favorite time of year. Let's see, Hockey, leaves turning colors, temperatures falling (thank goodness, I'm sick of Summer heat!), the holidays, a break from yard work (even though I love it), family gatherings, good movies in the theaters, movies in our home theater, all kinds fun stuff!

I'm just warning you now, the following is a little on the disgusting side, so don't tell me I didn't warn ya!

HOWEVER, this time of year also seems to bring out the flu, and this time we were hit with the barf monster. We've all had a spell of it, and there's nothing worse than the smell of puke, especially when it's not your own. Out the nose is the worst though. No matter how much you blow, sneeze, etc, the raunch just doesn't go away. Not sure why the kids feel they have to show us what was blown out of their nose into the tissue after getting sick, but when there's something the size of a golf ball sitting in the Kleenex, I guess I'd be amazed too! The kids got the worst end of the stick this time in terms of the puke fest. Mommy and Daddy got the worst end of the cleanup. The couch, our bed, the floor, the bathroom, you name it...it was barfed on! The washing machine was on non-stop, and a Felix Unger like me is going to scrub, and scrub, and scrub, and scrub, and scrub, until every germ is annihilated. I remember back in high school, my sister blew chunks in my back seat, and the barf managed to get into every seam, under the seat, in the seat, and lemme tell ya, that was not cool. I think my car smelled like hurl for 3 months because I only cleaned so far. Finally, my Mom couldn't stand it anymore and helped me get the rest of it out and restored that nice used car smell that it once was. Thanks Mom! The 80's classic "Stand By Me" pretty much sums up our experience with "Barf-O-Rama"...my favorite scene of the movie by the way! Enjoy, but you probably shouldn't watch if you just finished a big meal!

Evil Knievel Brothers

2007-09-04T19:50:00.000-06:00

We had a great time up in the mountains this past Labor Day weekend, although the time flew by as usual. What did we do? What else? Get the dirt bikes out and tear up the trails! It would be impossible to head up to Smith's Ferry without getting a ride or two in...especially if my boys have anything to say about it. In fact, I would be a dead man if they didn't get to go on their ride. A couple of months ago, I ended up hurting my back, and we made a trip up to the mountains...unfortunately I couldn't ride...that is until I couldn't stand it anymore. I couldn't stand the looks of disappointment on their faces, so I hobbled out to the bike and took a 10 minute ride with them...needless to say it made their weekend worth it...mine too. :)

Ethan is in his 3rd year of riding and you'll notice in the video below that he's already trying to master the Superman stunt...granted he's on the ground, but his feet are behind him and off the pegs...little stinker!! He took a spill last weekend on a gravel road and ripped the hide off of his arm and has a raspberry on his knee...when we get a little gutsy, a gravel road will always keep us honest and bring us back to earth. ;)

Ryan has ridden with me for the last couple of years and is about ready to get up his nerve to try out the little 50cc bike. He likes to try to start the little bike like Daddy starts his, but I don't think he's quite sure about riding on his own yet, but I'm bettin by next summer, he'll be ready to get after it! That's ok though, I like ridin with my little saddle partner!

Cheers!

Chasing Ghosts

2007-08-30T21:15:00.000-06:00

Folks, stop me now...I'm getting obsessed. We have yet another movie about the glory days of 80's video game competition, arcades, and some of the biggest nerds of our time. Seeing these places and reading about the "good ol days" is really taking me back in time. I've been playing a LOT of MAME lately, and I'm REALLY wanting an arcade cabinet in my house. It doesn't make it any easier either when my boys are helping fuel that fire. There's a guy down the street from me that has an old 'Joust' machine sitting outside of his garage, and I'm half tempted to go over and ask him if he's looking to get rid of it. Craigslist has a Donkey Kong Junior machine here in Boise for like 200 bucks, and the guy claims that it's fully playable. I'm really scared what may happen if I'm to buy a house with a large basement. The gameroom possibilities are endless! Anyway, another 80's video game flick is coming soon...oh the life of us geeks that could actually get chicks because we rocked an Asteroids machine! I remember the first time Kim watched me play Donkey Kong...she was putty in my hands after that. ;)

Cheers!

The King of Kong

2007-08-25T20:22:00.000-06:00

It's finally here...The King of Kong...a movie that will be the APB to all video game nerds of the 80's...and yes I'm proud to say that I was one of them! I took my game playing to a whole new level...I had to win, and I would spend as many quarters as I needed to in order to accomplish the goal. I could beat pretty much any of my arcade junkie pals. Competition in it's rawest form! I was, and still am a Donkey Kong freak! I probably could retire today if I had all of the quarters back that I dropped into that friggin machine. I had it on Atari 2600 and ColecoVision, but they never held a candle to playing the authentic arcade version.

Watch the preview...these are the hardcore competitors that reached levels that I couldn't even imagine! Ok so I'm a nerd, deal with it!

Cheers!

School starting again...or is it life?

2007-08-24T12:34:00.000-06:00

But NOT for me! I already did my time in academic prison...geez how many years was it again? Way too many it seems, and for those of you that are doctors, you REALLY ARE special people, and you deserve the big sweet dollars that you earn. Especially proctologists...how does one decide to specialize in constipation issues, rectums,
hemorrhoids, and an environment that's always going to smell like crap? Forget helping people with their problems, it's ALL money there...it has to be!

I'm a Marketing guy, and if memory serves, many of us in my graduating class seemed to resemble the famous photo to the left of Mr. Belushi just a few months prior to graduation...we were so fried!

You become almost institutionalized, like a prisoner...it's hard to imagine a life without sitting in a classroom and spending a huge portion of your time outside of college writing papers, working on projects, or cramming for finals. Free time to do what I want??? What will that be like? Oh it's called a full time job? What do you mean I have to work a 40+ hour work week and apply everything I learned in school? Oh it's called life...did I forget to take that class?

Even though I'm in the working world and out of the school life, you're never REALLY completely out of it. Life is one big school. I've reached some major milestones some areas but am still miserably failing in others. I figure I'm holding a cumulative 'C' in my book. As long as I'm aware and working towards improving in my areas of weakness, that's what matters today.

Anyway, back to school...and speaking of which, those "Back to School" ads on TV still seem to build up a slight case of the runs. I guess certain triggers that messed with my nervous system years ago will never go away. Just remembering everything that I went through from grades K-12, not to mention the other 5 of college to get that little piece of paper, was certainly enough for me. My boys are still so fresh and eager get to school...make it last fellas! You know, the excitement of riding the bus, snack time, recess, the newness and uncertain feelings of girls chasing you, and the kid that cuts a loud one in the back of the classroom...all happy times.

Then Junior High and High School...not that it was all bad, but you remember, peer pressures, zits, showering with the guys (I was the late bloomer, so that SUCKED), being tired all the time, your heart being broken by the girl of your dreams, fitting in, and the guy that cuts a loud one in the back of the classroom...we've all been there.

We all live and learn, some go to college, some don't, and that's ok...it's all about balance, and what works best for each of us. The world's
competitive, we all know that. I know corporate executives that make insane amounts of money and have achieved numerous educational milestones, and I know guys that make sandwiches and barely made it through high school. Both types go home and find their own definition of happiness and satisfaction. Some are street smart, some are
book smart, and some of us fall somewhere in the middle. Whatever makes your life happy is what you need to pursue...bottom line.

Cheers!

Bring the boys back home...

2007-08-15T20:18:00.000-06:00

For those of you that have kids...you understand the need for the occasional break. Don't get me wrong, I love my kids more than life itself, but when they've been out of school long enough for the summer break, and the fun meter has reached it's max, they start to get bored, and consequently get into mischief, which turns into trouble.

You know what I mean... "Mom!! Dad!! Ethan called me an weirdo!"...ten seconds later..."Mom!! Dad!! Ryan won't stop hitting me!!"...ten seconds later...*SLAM* *SMACK* the fight's on, then someone ends up crying, then mom and/or dad have break up the brawl, then someone gets grounded or put to bed early...we've all been there, and if you haven't...get yourself some kids and try it on for size. It's a LOT of work, but the reward is something that words cannot describe.

Our boys Ethan and Ryan have spent a ton of time with their 6 grandparents this summer, and this week my folks took them up to the mountains. The silence in our house is almost deafening...so nice, but yet so empty. It's strange to come home and have the house perfectly spotless with no messes to clean up, no fights to break up, etc...again, we'll get into my OCD discussion at a later date. When they leave, Kim and I have made it a ritual to hit a few dinner and movie outings, because we're so excited to be able to go to "grownup" restaurants and flicks for a change instead of the crappy playland food and Disney...not that I dislike the latter by any means...sometimes it's just time for a change of pace to realize that yes, we are adults.

After a couple of days though, we find that most of our conversations revolve around how much we miss the boys, and how we can't wait for them to get home. When they're not home, I start to realize that they aren't going to be at home forever, and I start worrying about the number of years they have left before they leave home, if I've been a good parent, am I doing everything that I can for them, am I preparing them for success, am I reading to them enough, am I building their self confidence, am I supportive in everything that they do, am I a good role model for them...the list goes on and on. I think about what I would do if something happened to them...an accident of some sort...what would I do, and would I ever recover, do I have any regrets? Wasn't that a bucket-o-sunshine to read? Sorry about that, but I think my previous posting planted that seed. See what I mean? You can't wait to have some mommy and daddy time, but it's only a matter of hours until you're dying to get them back!

Just like any other addiction, your kids will pull you down that road too...you'll realize it when they're not around. ;)

Cheers!

River Wild...well sort of...

2007-08-12T18:48:00.000-06:00

So I'm not the most outdoorsy guy in the world. I have a web page and like video games...that right there should tell you that I'm not cut out for the next episode of "Survivor." Don't get me wrong, I don't mind being in the great outdoors, but it usually has to be on my terms...meaning, perfect temperature, I have absolutely nothing else on my agenda, and the event has to be well planned out with some structure and activities...I'm OCD like that, but that's another story for another day.

Anyway, over last year, Kim and I decided to try out luck at the world of river rafting. Nothing too wild and crazy, just a little summer activity for Ethan (8 years old) and Ryan (5 years old) to get into with us. Kim and I went down the Payette river with my dad, sister, and brother-in-law a few years ago, and we all had an absolute blast. It's pretty rough in spots and we managed to get plenty wet, but it's not something I would take my kids on at their current ages.

Anyway, last year we bought our gear and took a few runs down the Boise river, which for the record is probably the easiest river to navigate and for the most part is waist to shin high in depth...not much rougher than a mill pond, Below is the roughest part of the entire ride...nothing terrifying by any means:

Anyway, a couple of weeks ago we decide to take a quick run down the Boise, and little did we know...it was gonna get wild. I had my shoes off and my swimming suit drawstring not done up...no big deal...it's the Boise River right? Well, under the Broadway bridge there's a sign that informs rafters to keep right since there's a set of rapids that could pull you into the brush...not a good thing with a raft. I'm looking around and as we make the turn to head into the first swell, another raft to our right picked up speed and all of a sudden we t-boned the side of it flipping our raft completely over backwards. Keep in mind, this water comes out of the bottom of Lucky Peak reservoir further up the river and felt like absolute ice when we went in. Unfortunately for all of us, this was a deep part of the river and the rapids were sweeping us all away. When I came to my senses and realized that this was not going to be cool, I immediately grabbed onto Ryan and had to hold onto someone else's tube. Ethan on the other hand was about 20 yards away from me and terrified as he floated further and further away from me screaming for me to come get him. Oh yeah, thank freakin goodness the kids had life jackets on!!! I saw Kim, but she eventually disappeard down the river.

As I'm trying to get my sons gathered up and calmed down, I'm still in some very swift water and I noticed that I'm feeling a little more 'natural' than normal downstairs and suddenly realized that my swimming suit, you know, the suit that I had mentioned was NOT cinched up?...was down around my ankles. I became quite the contortionist in freezing cold water while holding onto my kids, and getting banged up in the rocks...but come hell or high water, I was NOT going to wind up on the shore suitless, even though I would have impressed the masses. ;)

With the help of other VERY concerned rafters, many came to our aid and finally the boys and I made it to the shore, and we finally met up with Kim. Other than a few bruises and damage to one of my toes everthing turned out ok...well, other than the future therapy my boys will probably need to get them back on the river...heh heh!

It's somewhat embarrassing to say that all of this 'drama' went down on the Boise River, but you never know what can happen in the water. I'm so thankful that my kids had their lifejackets on, otherwise I could have been in the horrible situation of "which child do I go after first?" How does someone make that choice? Life can change in the blink of an eye...you never know when your clock is gonna get punched...it was a nice wakeup call.

More than anything, I'm just glad Boise didn't open the newspaper and see a naked man holding his terrified boys after a rafting accident on the EASIEST river in Idaho!

Cheers!

And so it begins...

2007-08-10T23:53:00.000-06:00

So I'm Jason, you know, the guy that owns and designed the website Anything Goes Hockey Fights (http://www.hockeyfighters.com/) ...yeah that guy. I've never played hockey in my life, nor have I ever been known as a person that fights. The closest I've ever been to being a hockey player is firing up my XBOX360 and living the experience through a video game. I'm not even a person that likes violence...well, except on the ice to a degree, and what I mean is, if someone gets injured...I don't like that. Was I throttled a lot as a kid? Not that I can recall. I just like a good toe to toe, where a couple of guys defend their territory with the fists, and then skate to the penalty box for 5 minutes...not sure why, I just do.

Below is a great video of my #1 hockey hero, Bob Probert and his biggest rival of all time, Tie Domi. For those that aren't familiar with hockey pugilism, many people think that these guys flat out hate one another...not always the case. There is a certain code of respect that most of these guys live by as seen below:

As you can see, sometimes theres a reason to fight in a hockey game...plain and simple, and I'll always be an advocate for fighting in hockey. I don't like street fights or bar fights, and I REALLY have a problem with people that bully the inferior to the point of physical harm. I'll never understand why people wind up that way. Probably because they were smacked around as kids or they've bottled up a lot of frustration that they never resolved and that's how their aggression is let out. At any rate, I'm a really nice guy, and I hope to see a few familiar bloggers and forum buds from AGHF.

Cheers!