Way I'm funding a Sandy Bridge CPU

On Christmas 2011, I should be able to fund a ASUS LGA 2011 motherboard, 8 GB of DDR3 RAM while my parents will buy the 8-core Sandy Bridge CPU. I know that this is the reason people are waiting to upgrade their 4 cores.

There are Larrabee (GPU) characteristics in the Sandy Core so it will be cheaper, and better at 2D desktop acceleration at lower price points then without Larrabee characteristics. L3 cache of 20 MB or 2.5 MB per core. The Radeon HD 5970 is good for another 2 years. If the Sandy Bridge CPU is out of the question by December 2011, I'll settle for the latest high-end XFX Radeon GPU or combine birthday money with it.

Meanwhile, I'll upgrade my Android 1.7 Anchos 7 to a Android 2.2 Archos 10 next Birthday and sell the old one off Amazon! Or if my parents cannot afford a Sandy Bridge CPU, I'll convince them to combine birthday money and Christmas presents towards one.

Christmas Stuff

NZXT PHAN-001WT Phantom

Intel 980x 12 MB L3 at 3.3 GHz
Corsair XMS3 8GB PC12800 DDR3 1600MHz Kit 2x4GB
750 GB HDD SATA 2x
RAdeon HD 5970 Black Edition from last year
Cooler Master Hyper N520 Copper Heatpipe CPU Cooler (C283-1202 )
Corsair HX850W 850W Modular Power Supply
ASUS P6X58D Premium Intel X58 Socket LGA1366 MB
NZXT PHAN-001WT Phantom Full-Tower Case - E-ATX, ATX, MicroATX, 5 x 5.25" Bays, 7 x 3.5"Bays, 200mm LED Fan, White
Noctua NF-P14 FLX Case Fan - 140mm, SCD2, SSO Bearing
Lite-On IHAS124-04 Internal DVD Writer - DVD+R 24X, DVD-R 24X, DVD+RW 8X, DVD-RW 6X, DVD+R DL 8X, SATA

Footage (MPEG4 AVC)

OpenSuse Beta should hold until March 2k11

LXDE 0.5.6 screenshot
Gnome 2.32.2 screenshot
KDE 4.6 screenshot

KDE 4.6 beta 2
Gnome 2.32.2
LibreOffice 3.3
XFCE 4.6.2
LXDE 0.5.6
2.6.37 RC5
Firefox 4.0 beta 7
Opera 11.0
VLC 1.1.1
Winamp 5.6

WINE programs never crashed running 5 hours.

OpenSuse 11.4 Milestone 5 will boot from YAST with all XFCE, LXDE, KDE, and Gnome installed. FXCE won't show up even though programs will. Expect it to freeze up when memory gets exceeded (with 512 MB of RAM), and if you have 768 MB or 1 GB of RAM than you have no worries. The crashing is 100% RAM related. Wants to go into "Fast boot" than its slow boot fail-safe kicks in after 20 seconds.

To avoid crashing, I looked up "Resolution" in KDE menu search-box and used KDM to change the resolution to 1280x768 with those PCs on 512 MB of RAM. This crash phenomenon is known to happen in KDE 4.4.4 in OpenSuse 11.3

KDE 4.6 beta 2 looks cool by itself. No more kernel lock to increase performance by 10%! LXDE stilll a great desktop shell, and didn't crash. Best for 512 MB of RAM PCs.

Gnome 2.32.2 never crashed yet. LibreOffice looks and acts like OpenOffice. no complaints. Had to install VLC to play audio codec.

best Cities in North America for careers

Happiest, most healthiest cities to live.

#20 San Francisco, Calif.
#19 Lexington, KY
#18 Norwich, Conn.
#17 Lancaster, Pa.
#16 Minneapolis, Minn.
#15 Raleigh, NC
#14 Santa Cruz, Calif.
#13 Killeen, Tex.
#12 Cedar Rapids, Iowa
#11 Naples, Fla.
#10 Oxnard, Calif.
#9 Ogden, Utah
#8 Washington, D.C. Metro Area
#7 San Jose, Calif.
#6 Santa Barbara, Calif.
#5 Santa Rosa, Calif.
#4 Provo, Utah
#3 Honolulu, Hawaii
#2 Holland, Mich.
#1 Boulder, Colo.

Say away from bankrupted California. I heard one of my classmates was going to bolder, Co. Can't afford the plain ticket and rentals.

Best places to restart career

15. San Francisco, CA
14. Minneapolis, MN
13. Boston, MA
12. Des Moines, IA
11. New York, NY
10. Tulsa, OK
9. Denver, CO
8. Pittsburgh, PA
7. Nashville, TN
6. Seattle, WA
5. Washington, DC
4. Midland, TX
3. Dallas, TX
2. Omaha, NE
1. Houston, TX

Stay away from bankrupted California and drug war overrun South Texas


THE CITY THAT HAS THE BEST OF BOTH WORLDS IS....MURDERAPOLIS. Otherwise, you can move to Utopia (San Fransisco) if you can handle extreme weirdness.

Kawasaki Ninja from 1990s are cheap.

I saw a 1993 Kawasaki Ninja GPX 600cc for $1950 with 9000 miles on it 250 miles away. Sounds like a great deal. I am the last person on facebook my age who hasn't owned a motorcycle yet. I believe I heard from Rance (knows cell), a former BSA Eagle scout, that owning a motorcycle is one of the only ways to start a relationship and keep a girlfriend these days. It looks like I'll take his word for it.

The Perfect Storm II (2010)

19 years ago, I was stranded on Halloween 1991 in a Jeep Cherokee going trick 'n treating about 2 miles from my house. I had to walk to a neighbors. They made a movie called "The Perfect Storm" starting George Clooney which was the Northeaster section of the same storm.

Now tonight, we're having deja-vu of the Northeaster Storm in Late October to November 1991. Tonight is going to be historic in Wisconsin.



http://www.ncdc.noaa.gov/oa/satellite/satelliteseye/cyclones/pfctstorm91/pfctstorm.html

I now officially have two associate degrees, but it isn't anything to get excited for. This is because no employer takes 2 year ppl.

Australia isn't bankrupt yet

I think we already passed the bankrupted stage.

The USA has serious socio-economic problems such as a nearly 10 trillion dollar debt which equates to roughly $40,000 debt per person. Lack of health insurance coverage causes 18,000 unnecessary American deaths a year. Women are 70 percent more likely to die in childbirth in America than in Europe Being that the USA is about 15 times as populous as Australia, makes the fact that the USA is #1 in the world for GROSS DOMESTIC PRODUCT.

In Australia a citizen only has a .0000006% shot of becoming a billionare,... in the USA a citizen has a .0000013% shot at becoming a billionare! Twenty percent of Americans think the sun orbits the earth. Seventeen percent believe the earth revolves around the sun once a day.

The United States has lost 1.3 million jobs to China in the last decade

In Australia, overall, almost half (46%) of men and women reported having experienced an assault and/or sexual assault since the age of 15.

Twelve million American families--more than 10 percent of all U.S. households--"continue to struggle, and not always successfully, to feed themselves." Families that "had members who actually went hungry at some point last year" numbered 3.9 million"

The USA's poverty percentage is currently between 12 and 15% with roughly 40% (about 120 million people) will fall below the poverty line in the next 10 years. Not only this, but according to the human poverty index, 20% of americans lack functional literary skills and 17% of people fall below 50% of the median income.


According to the" The Human Development Index (HDI) is an index combining normalized measures of life expectancy, literacy, educational attainment, and GDP per capita for countries worldwide. It is claimed as a standard means of measuring human development, a concept that, according to the United Nations Development Program (UNDP) refers to the process of widening the options of persons, giving them greater opportunities for education, health care, income, employment, etc. " Australia has , FOUR Australian cities are in the top ten (Melbourne 2nd, Perth 4th, Adelaide tied at 7th, and Sydney tied at 9th). The list shows five Australian cities gracing the top 50, the first US city to appear on that list is Honolulu which ranks 28.

The USA has 1,867,059 acres of productive rich land, one of the richest nations in natural resources!!!

Australia has only 468,502 acres of arable land! That is pretty limiting!


One in every 911 people in Australia go bankrupt.
Around 20% of all bankruptcies in Australia are business related (not personal).
50% of Australian bankruptees owe less than $20,000, and 12% have been bankrupt before.
Australian People under the age of 40 are the most likely to be declared bankrupt.
Personal reasons (like illness) and economic conditions are the two biggest contributors to Australian business filing for bankruptcy.

OpenSolaris has been closed source.

Made a new partition with Gparted and installed Solaris 11 UNIX Express which has gnome 2.30.2 on it. Compiled a opensolaris Openoffice 3.2.1 on it. One of the new features is it boots up faster and the ZFS file system has encrypting file system.

OpenSolaris 2009.06 was using 111b kernel/Gnome 2.26. Solaris 11 Express is using the 151a kernel. Uses 446 MB with one tab in Firefox open.



Theoretically more stable than Linux

Always wanted to own a Wallaby

Wallabys are a pouched mammal, that are just as expensive as dogs. Wallaby eat grass and plants. I'll have to find cheap lettuce and feed it every day.

I can get friends just by owning one. Having the most bizarre/strange mammal in a 5 mile radius anyhow.


Found a breeder in Minneapolis.
tammy.mason@state.mn.us


http://wallabymania.110mb.com/

Top 10 Presidents

1. Ronald Reagan

2. Abraham Lincoln

3. Thomas Jefferson

4. Grover Cleveland

5. Calvin Coolidge

6. George Washington

7. John Adams

8. James Polk

9. James Madison

10. John Quincy Adams

US Airforce revolutionizing price dilemmas with "the Condor cluster "

The US Airforce spent $2,000,000 on used old PS3s, and then installed Linux on 1760 PlayStation 3. It is 5% to 10% the cost of an actual supercomputer. It is the 33th most powerful supercomputer. It is much more economical than a supercomputer in energy consumption.

Another 64-bit PC costed $148

I bought the best motherboard brand possible, ASUS, and replaced a malfunctioning Soyo Dragon Black Edition motherboard running an Athlon XP 2400 with 512 MB.

I had an extra Athlon 64 X2 4800+ and 3 GB of DDR2 laying around. I got the ASUS M2N68-AM Plus motherboard. Afterward, I installed Windows 7 and OpenSuse 11.3 on it yesterday. That PC has a bunch of freeware games, Roms, and advanced audio coding archives on it. People normally buy Serial SATA Power Data to 4 Pin IDE+SATA Data Cable for your IDE hard drives now-a-days which cost $5.

Went Deer hunting with uncle

I went up to northern Wisconsin to hunt white tail, because the white tail population is huge here. I brought my used weatherby mark v 300 rifle. Weatherby does have a 1.5" guarantee. The one-piece bolt body is fluted and there is a shroud at the rear of the bolt to prevent escaping gas from exiting from the rear of the bolt into the shooter's face in the event of a blown case. There are three gas escape ports in the side of the bolt to let gas escape in a safe direction. The Mark V Magnum action was designed for maximum strength, and indeed it was billed as the world's strongest action, a title it still claims today. Weatherby's wood stocks are reinforced with a steel bar in the pistol grip, and steel pins are located throughout the action mortise and epoxied in place to increase structural integrity. The Mark V Deluxe features a select Clara walnut stock with a rosewood forearm tip and grip cap set off by line spacers made from thin slices of maplewood. The pistol grip and forearm are checkered in a French skip-line point pattern, and there is a maplewood diamond inlay in the pistol grip cap. A durable high gloss finish shows off the wood to maximum advantage. Weatherby Deluxe stocks incorporate a cheek piece and a small amount of cast-off for quicker and more precise mounting. The butt area is generous, and the recoil pad is top quality.

Playing Torchlight: becos I'm casual now

Runic Games is a post-Flagship Studios developer that made Hellgate London. Like the PC game FATE from 2005 (which I haven't played yet), it is cloning Diablo II hack and slash gameplay. If the best Diablo 2 clone was Dungeon Siege 2, Torchlight is in the top 5. I'm level 20. The $8 game comes with the 1.15 patch if you would rather not download 450 MB patch.


Geforce GTX 280 screenshot, 6 GB of RAM, C2Q Q9550.

I recommend it to any mainstream RPG Fan whose lost their hardcoreness, yet became Wii casual in preference. I am also playing Vanquish on PS3 and gotten 10 hours into the adventure. It's fun. I kick a lot of butt in it

Reviews

Top ten SCI-FI films of 2000s

Lets get one thing straight. I'm not a Daxter loving, Mad Men loving, and Oprah Winfley loving liberal. I I pick this decade, because Hollywood would have already been post-Independence Day, Post-Alien Resurrection, and Post-Matrix.

1.) The Dark Knight

2.) Batman Begins

3.) Iron Man 2

4.) Iron Man

5.) Spiderman 2

6.) Spiderman

7.) Spiderman 3

8.) Transformers

9.) Star Trek (2009)

10.) End of Evangelion or
Eva: We Are [Not] Alone

It isn't beginning with Children of Men, and doesn't have District 9 in it. The movie scores are way better too.

Obama shrinking gamer population

When I post two most valuable games like Panzer Dragoon Saga, and MUSHA (Genesis), there was a 'mute' response. If it is anything other than Xbox 360, then I expect a mute response.

It has to be Microsoft or Apple due to karma maybe? This Microsoft or Apple fanboy ideology sucks.

It's obvious People use Netflix or torrent, because even $10 DVDs are too expensive.

They emulate roms on their iPad in order to save even more money. Other people cut all videogame spending to save money for their 3G/4G connection. It's ultimately about funding 3G/4G service. Then they use the 3G to take pictures with their 8 MP camera on their iphone/Android and post it on their facebook thru 3G/4G ultimately killing the gaming industry.

Dieing collections

I have been surfing around the Internet for why comic books died. I learned that Marvel Comics went to bankruptcy in the 1990s in 2008 and movies generated all the profit they needed. The comic books used to be 4 color pathlets which are cheap to make and those have been collectible. When Marvel and DC increased the colors to 64 colors, the magazines began to die in the late 1990s. Magna is never a good decision. Books stores used to carry competitions of Marvel comics before they stopped doing this also.

Right now it is 25 to 35 year olds buying videogames and they been doing this since Nintendo entertainment system.

Google Chrome OS is NOT Ubuntu in an sense it does Ubuntu things

Google Chrome OS may be Ubuntu under the hood, but it isn't Ubuntu with Gnome. It will be a ninchi. My mother won't like Chrome OS. Maybe other moms like Chrome OS. If somebody asks, it does everything Ubuntu would do except for the GUI aspect.

…Supposedly, Google’s Chrome Netbook is expected to be made by Inventec and will be shipping 60,000 to 70,000 units in their initial shipment. After this Chrome notebook is announced, the source that spoke with Digitimes reports that Acer and Hewlett-Packard will follow up with products in December. Both follow-up products will be manufactured by Quanta Computer.

I doubt that Chrome OS can outdo Ubuntu in the desktop market anytime in the future. It may make it into the top 10 linux distros, but it won't have the huge impact like Google says it will.

Most addicting videogames

1. Tetris
2. Mario Kart 64
3. World of warcraft
4. Goldeneye 007
5. Grand Theft Auto 3
6. Super Smash Bros. Melee
7. Super Mario Kart.
8. The Legend of Zelda Ocarina of Time
9. Super Mario Bros.
10. Super Mario Bros. 3
11. Grand Theft Auto Vice City
12. Final Fantasy VII
13. Legend of Zelda A Link to the Past
14. Guitar Hero
15. Super Mario 64
16. Donkey Kong Country
17. Legend of Zelda
18. Halo 3
19 Call of Duty Modern Warfare
20. Call of Duty Modern Warfare 2
21. Street Fighter II
22. Pac Man
23. Mortal Kombat
24. Street Fighter IV
25. Civilization III
26. Secret of Mana
27. Diablo 2
28. Diablo
29. Guild Wars
30. Starcraft

Linux Poll (select yours)

Those really old pcs, you got something 'ICEWM' would be installed on

Running LXDE inside openSUSE 11.3 (first time it came out) 388 MB used at 1680x1020

Sunwah screenshots


LXDE


LXDE




Is Android on your gizmo your only Linux?
http://snappoll.com/poll/350131.php

Greatest Videogame Villians

25. Ares (God of War)
24. GlaDOS (Portal)
23. Kane (Command & Conquer)
22. Mother Brain (Metroid)
21. M Bison (Street Fighter)
20. Kefka (Final fantasy VI)
19. Psycho Mankis (Metal Gear Solid)
18. Heihachi Mishima (Tekken)
17. Wario
16. Andrew Ryan
15. The Master (Fallout 3)
14. Darth Malak (Knights of the Old REpublic)
13. Sweet Tooth (Twisted Metal)
12. Wario (Wario Land)
11. Arthas Menethil (World of Warcraft
10. Albert Wesker (Resident Evil Code Veronica)
9. Shao Kahn (Mortal Kombat)
8. Ganondorf
7. Bowser
6. Diablo (Diablo 2)
5. Dr. Breen (Half-life 2)
4. General RAMM (Gears of War)
3. The Joker (Batman)
2. Darth Vader
1. Kerrigan (Star Craft)

Toy Industry going bankrupt in few years

I've seen all the really low prices on toys, because they're no longer fashionable! Here are what children want these days.

The top 10 toys for Christmas 2010, according to the report are:
1.) iPhone 4 (14%)
2.) iPod touch (13%)
3.) iPad (12%)
4.) Kinect for Xbox (6%)
5.) Zhu Zhu Pet Hamsters / Kung Zhu Hamsters (5%)
6.) Flip Video camera (4%)
7.) Toy Story 3 Jet Pack Buzz Lightyear (4%)
8.) PlayStation Move (4%)

What’s more amazing is that 39 percent of children in all age categories surveyed wanted Apple products, while 17% of 5-8 yeaer old’s wanted something from Apple, 50% of 9-12 year olds wanted an Apple product and 13-16 years olds requested Apple products 66% of the time.

With 2,138 children polled the numbers should be a pretty accurate demographic for U.S. Children.

You know what? This toy industry going bankrupt thing was already predicted in a videogame called Syberia from 2002 and it got 9.1. I came across it reading Secret of Monkey Island Special Edition and Monkey Island LeChuck's Revenge Special Edition. I do not own the Xbox version.

Macintosh-like screenshot

I made the same shot 5 years ago on here! There is a theme in OpenSuse Linux to achieve a dock also. I wouldn't pay for MAC for the dock menu.

Properganda in the streets

Last night saw New York’s Times Square turned into a shrine for Microsoft’s Kinect. In an opulent/obscene (delete as you see fit) display of corporate wealth, the company booked the entire square for its launch of Kinect, and put on a spectacular show.

While rapper Ne-Yo led hundreds of dancers through a routine, every one of the jumbotron screens in Times Square displayed Kinect advertising. Traffic through the whole area was blocked, and queues reportedly stretched for three blocks. Those at the front had waited since Monday to be first.

Kotaku has a few shots of the event in progress, so go >here for more. It looks like some sort of modern Nuremberg Rally for soccer moms, but you can’t argue about Microsoft’s commitment to force-feeding Kinect to the whole of the civilized world.

Microsoft recently announced it was aiming for 5 million Kinect sales by the end of 2010. On this form, you can actually see them pulling it off.

Needs a F-22E Strike Raptor before next decade

Better get Lockheed Martin's rear into gear and build something comparable to the PAK FA! Be sure it's called the F22E Strike Raptor.







General characteristics

* Crew: 1
* Length: 19.8 m (65.9 ft)
* Wingspan: 14 m (46.6 ft)
* Height: 6.05 m (19.8 ft)
* Wing area: 78.8 m2 (848.1 ft2)
* Empty weight: 18,500 kg (40,785 lb)
* Loaded weight: 26,000 kg (57,320 lb)
* Useful load: 7,500 kg (combat load) (16,534 lb)
* Max takeoff weight: 37,000 kg (81,570 lb)
* Powerplant: 2× New unnamed engine by NPO Saturn and FNPTS MMPP Salyut of 175 kN each. Prototype with AL-41F1 of 147 kN each,[61] definitive version with new engine >157 kN[61]
* Maximum Fuel weight: 10,300 kg (22,711 lb)

Performance

* Maximum speed: 2,100 - 2,600 km/h (Mach 2+) (1,305 - 1,625 mph) ; at 17,000 m (45,000 ft) altitude
* Cruise speed: 1,300 - 2,100 km/h (808 - 1312.5 mph)
* Ferry range: 5,500 km (3417 miles)
* Service ceiling: 20,000 m (65,616 ft)
* Rate of climb: 350 m/sec (68,900 ft/min)
* Wing loading: 330(normal) - 470(maximum) kg/m2 (67(normal) - 96(maximum) lb/ft2)
* Thrust/weight: 1.19 at 30,000kg weight. 1.37 at 26,000kg [59]
* Maximum g-load: 10-11 g

Armament

* Guns: None on prototype. Apparent provision for a cannon (most likely GSh-301).Possible two 30mm cannons
* Hardpoints: Two internal bays estimated at 4.6-4.7 metres by 1-1.1 metres.[64] . Other sources suggest two auxiliary internal bays for short range AAMS and 6 external hardpoints

Avionics
N050(?)BRLS AFAR/AESA built by Tikhomirov NIIP and based on Tikhomirov NIIP N035 Irbis-E . It will be the second aircraft based AESA Radar to be built by Russia, the first being the Phazotron NIIR ZHUK-A Radar in the MIG-35.

Designed armament

Two Izdeliye 810 Extended beyond visual range missiles per weapons bay. Multiple Izdeliye 180 / K77M beyond visual range missiles. K74 and K30 within visual range missiles can also be carried.
Two KH38M or KH58 USHK air-to-ground missiles per weapons bay. Multiple 250–500 kg precision guided bombs per weapons bay, with a maximum of ten bombs in internal bays
Other possible loads include one 1500 kg bomb per weapons bay or two 400 km+ range anti-AWACS weapons on external hard-points. A maximum weapons load of 7500 kg is reported.




General characteristics

* Crew: 1
* Length: 62 ft 1 in (18.90 m)
* Wingspan: 44 ft 6 in (13.56 m)
* Height: 16 ft 8 in (5.08 m)
* Wing area: 840 ft² (78.04 m²)
* Airfoil: NACA 64A?05.92 root, NACA 64A?04.29 tip
* Empty weight: 43,430 lb (19,700 kg)
* Loaded weight: 64,460 lb (29,300 kg)
* Max takeoff weight: 83,500 lb (38,000 kg)
* Powerplant: 2× Pratt & Whitney F119-PW-100 Pitch Thrust vectoring turbofans
o Dry thrust: 23,500 lb[199] (104 kN) each
o Thrust with afterburner: 35,000+ lb (156+ kN) each
* Fuel capacity: 18,000 lb (8,200 kg) internally, or 26,000 lb (11,900 kg) with two external fuel tanks

Performance

* Maximum speed:
o At altitude: Mach 2.25 (1,500 mph, 2,410 km/h)
o Supercruise: Mach 1.82 (1,220 mph, 1,963 km/h)
* Range: >1,600 nmi (1,840 mi, 2,960 km) with 2 external fuel tanks
* Combat radius: 410 nmi (471 mi, 759 km)
* Ferry range: 2,000 mi (1,738 nmi, 3,219 km)
* Service ceiling: 65,000 ft (19,812 m)
* Wing loading: 77 lb/ft² (375 kg/m²)
* Thrust/weight: 1.08 (1.26 with loaded weight & 50% fuel)
* Maximum design g-load: -3.0/+9.0 g

USAF poster overview of key features and armament

Armament

* Guns: 1× 20 mm (0.787 in) M61A2 Vulcan 6-barreled gatling cannon in starboard wing root, 480 rounds
* Air to air loadout:
o 6× AIM-120 AMRAAM
o 2× AIM-9 Sidewinder
* Air to ground loadout:
o 2× AIM-120 AMRAAM and
o 2× AIM-9 Sidewinder for self-protection, and one of the following:
+ 2× 1,000 lb (450 kg) JDAM or
+ 8× 250 lb (110 kg) GBU-39 Small Diameter Bombs
* Hardpoints: 4× under-wing pylon stations can be fitted to carry 600 US gallon drop tanks or weapons, each with a capacity of 5,000 lb (2,268 kg).

Avionics

* RWR (Radar warning receiver): 250 nmi (463 km) or more
* Radar: 125–150 miles (200–240 km) against 1 m2 (11 sq ft) targets (estimated range)[105]
* Chemring MJU-39/40 flares for protection against IR missiles.

Top 30 RPGs

Greatest RPGS of all time

1. Star Wars Knights of the Old Republic
2. Mass Effect 2
3. The Elder Scrolls IV Oblivion
4. Diablo II
5. Dragon Age
6. Final Fantasy VII
7. Neverwinter Nights
8. Mass Effect
9. Fable
10. Deus Ex
11. World of Warcraft
12. Star Wars Knights of the Old Republic II
13. Final Fantasy IX
14. Fallout 3
15. Final Fantasy XII
16. Kingdom Hearts
17. Guild Wars
18. Baldur's Gate Dark Alliance
19. Baldur's Gate
20. Final Fantasy VI
21. Paper Mario The Thousand Yaer Door
22. Bioshock
23. Neverwinters Nights 2
24. Final Fantasy Tactics
25. Final Fantasy X
26. Earthbound
27. Chrono Trigger
28. Final Fantasy IV
29. Chrono Cross
30. Xenogears

Minnesota Twins season in review

The Minnesota Twins had a pretty good year in their new ball park. They won 94 games, won the American League Central division, and made the playoffs. This team spent 127 days in first place, built a lead as big as 12 games, and went 48-26 after the all star break to lock down the divisional title. They did so by beating up on their divisional rivals; they only went 9-9 against the Detroit Tigers but were 38-16 against the Chicago White Sox, Cleveland Indians, and Kansas City Royals.

The Twin offense is led by Catcher Joe Mauer. He has another great year as he hit .327 with 9 home runs and 75 RBI. As a team they scored 781 runs for fifth best among the 14 AL clubs. Their team BA was .273 good enough for third amongst the AL teams. However they only hit 142 home runs and that is certainly due to their new home and not playing in the homer dome. The really good number here is they struck out only 967 times while drawing 559 walks.

Their pitching staff gave up 671 runs, and the staff ERA was 3.95. They were led by Carl Pavano who went 17-11 with a 3.75 ERA. As a staff they had the least amount of walks (383) of the entire American League. They struck out 1,048 batters which was just the 10th best number among AL staffs. Their closer, Joe Rauch, converted 21 saves and had a 3.12 ERA.

All in all this is a pretty solid club. Let us not forget they played half the season without Justin Morneau. However the Twins are proving that one of the better ways to win in the AL is with a strong rotation and great defense. This team gave up 1,493 hits, but only allowed 671 of those runners
to come around to score. That is a very impressive number.

Birthday Present

Guess which series has David Duchovny, Gillian Anderson, Robert Patrick in it?

Two years ago, I bought the best SCI-FI TV series, Star Trek TNG ( not really battlestar galatica). Today I'm getting the 2nd best SCI-FI series where The Gray making a cameo appearance. The first movie was pretty good. The 2nd movie was disappointing.


A lot better than Warehouse 13 or star trek voyager!

Here's my Jack-o-lantern this year.

PlayStation 3 closing in on Xbox 360 in console race

Sony’s PlayStation 3 console is now a mere 3 million units behind Microsoft’s Xbox 360 in the pathetically named Console War™. According to newly released data from each platform holder, PS3 has sold 41.6 million units worldwide, compared to Xbox 360’s 44.6 million units.

Recent sales make happy reading for Sony also: since May 2010, 5.6 million PS3s have been sold, compared to 4.3 million Xbox 360s.

This isn’t necessarily a surprise. Previous reports have indicated that the PS3 was slowly overturning the Xbox 360′s headstart, and now one analyst is predicting Sony’s tortoise will grab second place (behind Nintendo’s all-conquering Wii) from Microsoft’s hare by the end of 2012. Take the mic, EEDAR’s Jesse Divnich:

“Worldwide, Sony will eventually take the lead from Microsoft, likely by the end of 2012. North America is a tougher challenge, and as we have seen lately Microsoft’s lead is widening. I don’t know if the PlayStation 3 will ever overtake the Xbox 360 in North America. Maybe 2014? 2016?”

Of course, as Divnich later points out, third place doesn’t seem so bad this generation. While Nintendo’s GameCube suffered from its third place finish in the last console generation, it only sold around 22 million units. With years left in the tank, both the PS3 and Xbox 360 have almost doubled that, and have a better software tie-in ratio (that is, how many games every console owner is buying).

So, could this be the first console generation where three platforms sell 75 million+ units each? The Wii’s already made it!

Opera 10.6 is unpopular, yet better than firefox.

It doesn't lag like firefox, and it has ad block and flashblock. You can clear all your data with one click. Just have both so when firefox decides to repeatably crash. Opera to the rescue.

opera:config#UserPrefs|EnableOnDemandPlugin
^ blocks flash via URL bar

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

Also I imagine that Bluray is good for Playstation and bad for movies. DVDs are better due to saving 40% on everything. If you have a 1080i camera (and they're under $200 now), just murder the bitrate to 1 Mbps and 80 kbps he-AAC and 2 hours fit on DVD. 1080i is a good resolution. I don't know what is clearer, 720p at 2 Mbits or 1080i at 1 Mbit. It'll look like Satellite transmissions.

1 Mbit meets transparency with 2010 AVC encoders.

Selecting your first Motorcycle

In a motorcycle market where motorcycles for the street are more specialized than ever, there is one category of motorcycle that is strangely under represented compared to, say, forty years ago. That category is motorcycles best suited to the beginning rider.

When I started riding, there were many new and used street bikes in the 80-125cc and 150-250cc classes well suited to beginning riders. All of the big four Japanese manufacturers (Honda, Yamaha, Suzuki, and Kawasaki) offered such bikes new, as did several smaller Japanese and Italian makers. Triumph had their 200cc Cub, and even Harley-Davidson, through their Aermacchi subsidiary, offered small displacement motorcycles for the beginning rider.

In the 1960's and 1970's, 50cc to 125cc motorcycles were considered "small," the 150-250cc motorcycles were intermediate, the 350cc to 500cc motorcycles were midsize bikes and 600cc and larger motorcycles were "big" bikes. Today, a 250cc motorcycle is considered small and a 600cc motorcycle mid-size. Even a liter bike (1000cc) is no longer considered "big" in a world of 1250-2000cc heavyweight motorcycles. I have read articles in the motorcycle press about the Yamaha V-Star 1100's, calling them "middleweight" cruisers!

This escalation toward bigger motorcycles has benefited older and more experienced riders, who now make up the largest share of the market, but it has left the beginning rider seeking to purchase his or her first motorcycle with fewer and fewer choices. An illustration of the problem is that the lightest weight and smallest displacement motorcycle Harley-Davidson makes in 2010 is the (approximately) 550 pound, 883cc Sportster. It is purchased by many entry level riders.

When I started riding, the 883cc Sportster was the hottest motorcycle you could buy, the ultimate ride for the experienced rider. This illustrates how skewed the market has become. While there are many faster and more powerful motorcycles today, I assure you that an inexperienced rider can get into big trouble very quickly on an 883 Sportster. Recommending 600cc and larger bikes to beginners is like sending children out to play on the freeway and the results are both predictable and (often) tragic.

There are still motorcycles that are suitable for the beginning rider and I am going to take a look at some of them in this article. Cruisers and standards are usually a better choice for the beginning rider than sport bikes. Modern sport bikes do what they do extremely well (which is go around corners--or a racetrack--at high speed), but they are often not very good for much else. Cruisers and standards are more versatile, at home on city streets, country lanes and the interstate. They are suitable for commuting, weekend rides, the occasional longer trip, are generally easier to maneuver at low speed (where a tip-over is most likely) and are a little less likely to encourage overly aggressive riding.

Low maintenance shaft or belt drives are advantageous on any motorcycle. Cast aluminum wheels, tubeless tires, triple disc brakes and self-adjusting valves are other worthwhile features found on some of the motorcycles discussed below. Self-canceling turn signals and anti-lock braking systems (ABS) are important safety features that should be standard on all street bikes; unfortunately, neither is offered on most entry level motorcycles. I will try to mention the above features where applicable.

My opinion is that small to medium displacement (125-250cc) motorcycles are most appropriate for new riders. They are generally lighter and easier to maneuver, easier to balance, cheaper to repair if damaged in a spill and less likely to get the beginning rider into trouble. It might be worthwhile to pay attention to the seat height figures given for the motorcycles below, as it is reassuring for most inexperienced (and also experienced!) riders to be able to put both feet on the ground when stopped. Light weight is an advantage, as is a low center of gravity, particularly for low speed maneuvering.

Unless otherwise noted, all of the motorcycle specifications used in this article were taken from the Cycle World Buyer's Guide. More detailed specifications on most of the bikes are available on the various Motorcycles and Riding Online "Motorcycle Comparison Charts." The motorcycles specifically mentioned below are examples of suitable motorcycles in various displacement classes. They are not the only possible choices, so if you find a similar machine from a major manufacturer that is not mentioned below, it is also probably a satisfactory first motorcycle.

The bikes listed below should be reasonably available on the used market and your first motorcycle should definitely be a used bike, unless you simply have money to burn. Your first bike is how you learn to ride, it is NOT supposed to be your dream bike or your ultimate ride. Virtually no one, despite their best intensions, keeps their first motorcycle for a long time, so it might as well be purchased used to minimize the cost of later trading it in for something else.

125cc Class

A beginning pilot would not expect to learn to fly in an F-16 fighter or a wide body jetliner, so why do beginning motorcyclists expect to learn to ride on a 600cc sport bike or a heavyweight cruiser? Ideally, I would like to see beginning riders buy a standard 125cc motorcycle for their first street bike. There is a reason that so many Motorcycle Safety Foundation courses maintain their aging fleets of 125cc Hondas for their entry level classes.

These bikes are especially well suited to beginning riders of smaller than average stature, limited upper body strength, or limited confidence in their ability to master this new activity. Even very experienced riders find use for a small bike. One good friend of mine owns (at last count) seven motorcycles, including a couple of Harleys and a couple of hot sport bikes, but his daily "in town" ride remains a 30 year old Honda 90 trail bike.

A 125cc street bike can accelerate briskly off the line, is fast enough to keep up with city traffic, will cruise at 50 mph and handles like a "real" motorcycle, not a scooter or a trail bike. If it falls onto its side, most riders can right it without assistance. In military aviation terms, a 125 makes an ideal primary trainer.

Of course, few riders will be satisfied with a 125cc machine in the long run. However, for the new motorcyclist's first few thousand miles, one of these lightweight machines will make a fine commuter and primary trainer. No matter what motorcycle a new rider buys first, within a year or two he or she will want to try something different. Most riders own several motorcycles before they find the bike they like best. Burn those last two sentences into your brain. Your first motorcycle is a trainer, not a "keeper," no matter what you buy! Unfortunately, Harley-Davidson, Victory, Moto Guzzi, BMW and Triumph offer nothing in this class.

The discontinued Honda CB 125S was just about the perfect first motorcycle. The CB 125S was produced for many years. A friend of mine used to let me ride hers, which was a late 1970's model. This lightweight standard looked and handled like a real motorcycle, which it was. It was powered by a 124cc four-stroke single cylinder engine and the final drive was by chain. The wheels were laced. Stopping power was provided by a front disc and rear drum brakes. There was even a helmet lock. Top speed was about 67 mph. The last year I can find it catalogued in the Motorcycle Price Guide was 1984. That year it cost $898 brand new.

Unfortunately, only Kawasaki (with their Kawasaki Eliminator cruiser) among the Japanese "Big Four" has recently imported a 125cc street bike into the U.S. (It is no secret that the big profits are in big bikes.) The Eliminator's decent suspension allows it to handle and corner well. It is powered by a 124cc air cooled, single cylinder motor. There is a 5 speed transmission and chain final drive. The brakes consist of a disc in front and drum for the rear. The seat seight is 26.8 inches and the dry weight is 290 pounds. Top speed is about 60-65 MPH. The gas tank holds 3.4 gallons, enough to go a long way on this economical motorcycle.

250cc Class

With the demise of the 150-200cc class, the next step up in displacement is now the 250cc class (15 cubic inches). Today a 250 is considered a "small" motorcycle, but I am old enough to see them as "middleweights," which they truly are. Ideally, a 250cc class motorcycle is what the rider who has learned primary riding skills on a 125 should move up to. In military aviation terms, a 250 is your basic trainer.

A 250 is a versatile machine, fairly powerful, moderate in weight, acceptably fast. If necessary, it can cruise on the freeway at 65 mph for reasonable periods of time. A 250 is not a touring bike, although I once rode one from Eugene, Oregon to Los Angeles, California (a round trip of nearly 2,000 miles). A person can get into a lot of trouble on a 250, but for the beginning rider of average size, strength and confidence it can be an excellent trainer. A 250 street bike (not a dual sport) is just about the ideal size commuter bike for any rider, regardless of experience; it is fast enough to stay out of trouble and easy to handle and park.

The major American and European makers have not offered any street bikes in this class for a long time, but the Japanese have. In a sport bike there is the Kawasaki Ninja 250. There are good numbers of Honda Nighthawk 250 standard and CMX250C Rebel cruisers available on the used market. Suzuki is represented by the GZ250 cruiser. From Yamaha came the sharp looking Virago 250 cruiser. All of these 250's have four-stroke motors and all rely on conventional telescopic front forks and chain final drive. The average weight of these bikes is about 300 pounds. All are available in reasonable numbers and at reasonable prices on the used market.

For the aspiring sport bike rider, the Kawasaki Ninja 250 is the obvious, and often only, choice. It has a high revving, dohc, 248cc inline twin engine and a six-speed transmission. The rear suspension is provided by a mono-shock. (All of the other 250's discussed here have conventional twin rear shocks.) It also comes with cast wheels, disc brakes front and rear and a full sport fairing. The gas tank holds a whopping 4.8 gallons. The Ninja's dry weight is 304 pounds. It is the fastest and best handling of the modern 250's, with a top speed of about 100 mph. It's 29.3 inch seat height and sport bike ergonomics will be the main drawbacks for most beginning riders.

For the person who wants the versatility of a standard motorcycle, the Honda Nighthawk 250 is about the only choice. The Nighthawk is attractive and practical. Its 234cc sohc parallel-twin engine and 5-speed transmission gives it adequate performance. Its laced wheels and drum brakes front and rear should make it economical, but its list price was actually somewhat higher than the other 250's, $100 more than the Virago and $400 more than the Ninja. The gas tank holds 4.3 gallons, enough to go a long way on a 250. The Nighthawk's seat height is the same as the Ninja's and taller than the other 250's, at 29.3 inches. It weighs 287 pounds.

The best selling motorcycles today are cruisers, which explains why there are three recent cruisers in the 250cc class. The Honda Rebel was that company's entry. The same engine and transmission that powers the Nighthawk powers this mini cruiser. Strangely, the Rebel cruiser has a shorter wheelbase than the standard Nighthawk, but weighs in 19 pounds heavier (at 306). It gets a disc brake in front, which is a real improvement, and laced wheels. Fuel capacity is 2.6 gallons. The seat height is only 26.6 inches and the center of gravity is lower than the Nighthawk's.

The Suzuki GZ250's 249cc sohc single cylinder motor gave it a reported top speed of 76 mph; I would expect a little more horsepower from the Honda 234cc inline twins, and the Yamaha 249cc V-twin. However, there is no denying that singles are fun. A disc in front and a drum in back provide braking and the wheels are laced. The GZ250 cruiser weighs 301 pounds and has a generous 3.7 gallon gas tank. Seat height is 27.8 inches.

To my eyes, the Yamaha Virago 250 was the best looking of the 250 cruisers. The overall visual impression is of a true middleweight motorcycle. Its 60 degree sohc V-twin motor and five speed transmission provides adequate thrust and a little more character than the Honda and Kawasaki inline twins. A V-twin usually has a lower center of gravity than does a vertical twin. The Yamaha came with laced wheels and a disc brake in front; like the other cruisers, it has a rear drum brake. The Virago's gas tank holds 2.5 gallons and the bike weighs 301 pounds. The seat height is 27 inches.

500cc Class

With the nearly complete demise of the 350-400cc class, 500cc (30 cubic inch) bikes are now the next common step up in displacement from the 250's. To again put it in military aviation terms, a 500 is analogous to an advanced trainer. A 500cc street bike used to be a large middleweight motorcycle. Marlon Brando rode a 500cc Triumph Speed Twin in the seminal motorcycle movie The Wild Ones, which was inspired by the Hollister incident back in the 1950's. Not many outlaws today ride sweet 500cc twins!

Once the most competitive class in sporting street bikes (much as the 600cc class is today), the 500cc class has become sort of a sales backwater. Nevertheless, there is a reasonable selection of both new and used bikes available.

The typical 500 has most of the same advantages possessed by the 250's, only more so. A 500cc bike offers more of everything compared to a 250, including greater weight. The adult beginning rider of average or larger than average size, strength, and confidence will be well served by a 500cc machine as long as he or she has a reasonable amount of self-control. The average weight of the 500's discussed below is 388 pounds, 88 pounds more than our average 250.

A 500cc bike is fast enough to run with the big boys, although it will be working harder at any given speed than a 600cc or larger displacement motorcycle. This is very attractive to most prospective buyers, but bear in mind that a beginner can also get into trouble more quickly than he or she would on a 250. Until 2001, 500cc was the maximum displacement allowed in Gran Prix racing (there are also 250cc and 125cc classes). While a 500 can be among the most versatile of motorcycles for the solo street rider, it can also be a very high performance motorcycle!

A typical 500cc street bike probably has a top speed of around 100 mph and can cruise for extended periods of time above the legal speed limit on the highway. It is still light enough to be a good commuter bike in the city and relatively easy to park. Most 500's have enough acceleration to blow away all but the quickest cars in an impromptu "stoplight Grand Prix." 500's traditionally have the handling and brakes to back up their acceleration and speed, if the rider has the experience, self-control and judgment to use them properly.

New or recently manufactured 500cc class bikes are available from Kawasaki, Suzuki and Yamaha in Japan and Royal Enfield in India (formerly of the UK). The same brands are prominent on the used market, along with the discontinued Buell Blast. The major European manufacturers no longer offer entry level 500cc street bikes, which is a pity. (500cc Grand Prix race replicas are not good first bikes!)

Perhaps the standout in the 500cc class, at least from the perspective of the first time buyer, is the Buell Blast. The Blast was designed as a sport-standard specifically for the adult entry level buyer. It has an ohv 492cc single cylinder motor designed to be as maintenance free as possible. The transmission is a rugged five-speed. In fact, the whole motorcycle is designed to be as maintenance free as possible. Valves never need adjusting, there is a single 40mm CV carburetor, the choke is automatic, the final drive belt never needs adjusting, the 16" cast alloy wheels run sticky tubeless tires and so on.

Everything about this motorcycle was designed to be fun and unintimidating. Included are disc brakes front and rear with two piston calipers, optional seat heights of 25.5 inches or 27.5 inches, a dry weight of only 360 pounds and a 2.8 gallon gas tank. (Sufficient since the mileage approaches 70 miles/gallon.) The primary load bearing frame member is a rectangular steel backbone, which also carries the oil supply for the dry sump engine. Suspension is by conventional telescopic front forks and a rear mono-shock.

The Blast's reported top speed is 95 mph. Stability is good and the handling is quick and razor sharp. As delivered, the Blast is so quiet and smooth that it almost does not seem like the big single that it is. However, a Vance & Hines replacement header/muffler, coupled with a low restriction air filter and a re-jetted carb, will fix that.

The Kawasaki Vulcan 500 LTD is a typically styled middleweight cruiser. It shares the same basic 498cc dohc inline twin as the Kawasaki 500cc sport bike, but the Vulcan's motor is tuned for more midrange torque and less high RPM horsepower. The transmission has six-speeds. Fuel/air mixture gets to the engine through two 32mm carburetors. The frame is a conventional mild steel cradle. Suspension duties are handled by telescopic front forks and twin rear shocks. The wheels are laced, and the brakes consist of a disc in front and a drum in back. The Vulcan 500 has a teardrop shaped gas tank that holds 4 gallons of gas and a tank mounted speedometer. Seat height is 28.1 inches. Claimed dry weight is 439 pounds.

From Suzuki we have the Suzuki GS500E sport-standard. It is powered by a 487cc dohc inline twin fed by two 33mm carburetors. There is a six-speed transmission and chain final drive. The frame is a perimeter type and conventional telescopic forks and a rear mono-shock handle suspension duties. Disc brakes front and rear stop the three spoke cast aluminum wheels and tubeless tires. The gas tank holds 4 gallons. Seat height is a tall 31.1 inches. Claimed dry weight is 372 pounds and the wheelbase is 55.5 inches. The Suzuki GS500E is one of the best equipped bikes in the class and it is usually quite reasonably priced on the used market.

Yamaha's Virago 535 cruiser, discontinued after the 2001 model year, is more radical looking than the Kawasaki Vulcan 500. A smooth 70-degree sohc V-twin engine that displaces 535cc powers the chopper-esque Virago. This engine is fed by two 34mm carburetors. Power reaches the rear wheel through a five-speed transmission and shaft final drive, the only shaft drive in the 500cc class, a big plus. The backbone type frame uses the engine as a stressed member. The raked front forks share suspension chores with dual rear shocks. A disc brake in front and a drum brake in the rear stop the laced wheels. Self-canceling turn signals are both a convenience and a safety feature. Dual shorty slash cut mufflers enhance the chopper image. The 28.3 inch seat height allows most riders to reach the ground with both feet. The 401 pound dry weight is average for the class and the low center of gravity makes low speed maneuvers less stressful.

All of this sophistication and style once put the Virago 535 at the top of the 500cc cruiser class. It remains one of the best beginner bikes in the class and it is still available on the used market.

600cc Class and larger

The question here becomes whether these powerful machines are ever good first bikes, and if so, under what circumstances? To use my military aviation analogy for the last time, starting with one of these machines is like trying to learn to fly in a combat aircraft. The most typical accident for the beginner on a new 600cc sport bike is caused by a loss of control the very first time the bike is ridden, usually within a couple miles of the dealership from which he or she bought the bike. This is not an encouraging statistic. These are not machines for the youthful or immature rider. The lure of power and speed represented by such machines will almost certainly overcome the self-control and limited skill of such riders, often with tragic results. If you are not over thirty, a mature and responsible thirty, do yourself and your loved ones a favor and learn on a lighter, easier to control, less powerful motorcycle.

A 600-650cc machine (650cc equals 40 cubic inches) does give the heavy rider, the new street rider who has extensive experience on dirt bikes, or the person who anticipates doing a lot of two-up riding (couples, for instance), a more powerful alternative to the bikes previously discussed. Motorcycles of this size will generally be heavier and more difficult to maneuver at low speed. They can be a handful in conditions of reduced traction (like gravel or dirt roads). They will cruise at high speeds for extended periods of time and can be used for touring with appropriate accessories. Because they generally cost more either new or used than the bikes previously discussed, they may have more features and more accessories may be available. The dry weight of the bikes profiled below varies from 350 to 495 pounds, averaging 423 pounds.

Even more powerful 750cc and larger motorcycles are, in my opinion, suitable for very few beginning riders. I regard them as beyond the scope of this article. They may be suitable for adult riders returning to the sport after a long layoff, but such riders are not first time buyers and usually have a good idea of what sort of bike they want. I will mention a few 600-650cc class motorcycles with this warning: FOR MATURE ADULTS ONLY! (You know, the over 40 crowd.)

The 600cc class Honda Shadow VLX represents that company's middleweight cruiser. It is the smallest bike in this group in displacement. There is a standard model and a somewhat spiffier Deluxe model. The latter has chromed cases and cylinder heads and two-tone paint. The VLX is powered by a 583cc sohc V-twin engine, which delivers its power though a five-speed transmission and chain final drive. The wheels are laced. The front brake is a disc and the rear brake is a drum. The gas tank holds only 2.9 gallons. The height of the comfortable seat is a low 25.6 inches, excellent for those of short stature. Wheelbase is 63.2 inches. Dry weight is given as 445 pounds. The VLX is handsome and practical, but not lavishly equipped. As with most Honda models, it is well represented on the used market.

The Yamaha V-Star 650 is available in two models. There is the more aggressive looking V-Star Custom and the more retro appearing V-Star Classic. Both are well appointed and handsome bikes. These are large machines for middleweights and they share the following specifications. Power comes from an air-cooled sohc V-twin displacing 649cc. There is a smooth five-speed transmission. The wheelbase of both is 64 inches. Both are built on the same Softail-looking frame with concealed rear shocks. The fuel capacity of the attractive teardrop tank is 4.3 gallons, with the instruments mounted on top a-la H-D. The front brakes are discs and the rear brakes are drums. The wheels are laced and the back tire is wide. Features of both include chrome engine/transmission cases and cylinder heads, shaft final drive and self-canceling turn signals. However, there are significant differences between the two.

The Classic, particularly, looks like a heavyweight motorcycle. The Classic's chrome headlight is larger, the seat is thicker and the fenders are longer and wider than the Custom's. The front forks are fully shrouded by chrome covers and the laced front wheel is fatter and smaller in diameter. Seat height is 28 inches. Dry weight of the Classic is a portly 495 pounds, very heavy for a 650 and especially a 650 ridden by an inexperienced rider.

The Custom is, to my eyes, the most attractive of the middleweight cruisers. It looks a lot like a chromed-out Harley Softail Standard. The dry weight of the Custom is 460 pounds, so it is also a heavy 650. It features a slim "cycle" style front fender and a bobbed rear fender. The laced front wheel is larger in diameter, narrower and held between conventional (un-shrouded) forks. The seat is thinner and lower; seat height is only 25.6 inches. The principle drawback to these excellent V-Stars from the beginner's standpoint is their considerable weight. Both models sold well and are available at reasonable prices on the used market.

The discontinued Suzuki Savage 650 is an unusual midsize cruiser in that it is powered by an air-cooled, sohc, 652cc single-cylinder engine, rather than a twin. This big thumper is very light in weight, at only 350 pounds dry. The wheelbase is 58.3 inches. This is a true 650 at a 500's size, weight and price. The seat height is a reasonable 27.6 inches. The belt final drive should be virtually maintenance free. Other specifications are more mundane. The transmission has five speeds, the slender gas tank holds only 2.8 gallons, suspension is by telescopic forks in front and conventional dual shocks in back, the wheels are laced and the brakes consist of a disc in front and a drum in the back.

The Savage comes with a low sissy bar and passenger backrest, buckhorn handlebars and a bobbed rear fender. These are features that many riders purchase as accessories for other bikes. The Savage 650 is clearly one of the best buys on the used market.

The Kawasaki W650 is a different kind of retro bike, a standard easy to mistake for a late 1960's Triumph Bonneville. Kawasaki claimed that the W650 was inspired by their own 1960's vintage W1 twin (itself a knockoff of a pre-unit construction BSA 650), but anyone who has seen a W1 knows the W650 looks nothing like that and very much like the vastly more popular Bonneville. The tank, tank badges, rubber knee pads, rubber fork gaiters, cases, exhaust system, seat, fenders, headlight and paint job all reek of Triumph influence. This is not bad thing, as the 1968-1970 Triumph Bonnevilles are widely regarded as some of the most beautiful motorcycles ever built.

Whatever its heritage, the W650 is a versatile all-around motorcycle and one of my personal favorites. It is not a typical first bike. It is more likely to be purchased by a canny old pro than an inexperienced beginner. It is the kind of bike discriminating riders settle down with after owning several previous machines.

The W650 offers classic styling and modern reliability, without oil leaks. An air-cooled vertical twin with a 360-degree crankshaft powers it, again like a classic Triumph. However, this Kawasaki twin has a sohc and displaces 676cc. The slick shifting transmission has five speeds and final drive is by chain. There is a kick starter, as well as electric starting. The gas tank holds 4 gallons. A W650 weighs 430 pounds, quite a bit more than a 650 Bonneville's 386 pounds. That includes the weight of a front disc brake, although the rear still has to make do with a drum brake. The W650's seat height is 31.5 inches, but the bike is narrow, which helps the rider's feet reach the ground.

It is not a particularly cheap 650, as it is a highly desirable bike on the used market. However, it is an easy to ride, good handling, well equipped motorcycle and one of the top choices for a rider returning to motorcycling after a long lay-off.

Top 11 Modern Country CDs

1.) No Fences - Garth Brooks


2.) Ramblin Man - Waylon Jennings


3.) The Woman in Me - Shania Twain


4.) Storms of Life - Randy Travis


5.) Breathe - Faith Hill


6.) Guitars, Cadillacs, Etc., Etc. - Dwight Yokam


7. Emmylou Harris - Red Dirt Girl



8.) Home - Dixie Chicks


9.) Come On Over - Shania Twain


10.) Alison Krauss & Union Station Live


11.) For My Broken Heart - Reba McEntire


12.) Blue Clear Sky - George Straight'


13.) Killin' Time - Clint Black

Decode Chinese video (highly recommended)

If you download this 2 MB application, you can both encode decode chinese video. China is the 2nd largest economy so you better get it.

http://code.google.com/p/avs-transcoder/downloads/list

EBEs in River Falls, WI

They all seem to show up in River Falls more often than other places, because Daniel Brandenstein, Astronaut went to University of River Falls, WI.

http://www.ufowisconsin.com/county/reports2006/r2006_042_riverfalls.html
http://www.ufowisconsin.com/county/reports2005/r2005_0044_river%20falls.html
http://www.ufowisconsin.com/county/reports2003/r2003_0616_pierce.html
http://www.nuforc.org/webreports/029/S29242.html
http://www.nuforc.org/webreports/039/S39224.html
http://www.nuforc.org/webreports/001/S01879.html

EBE flying an UFO!

EBE Flying an UFO 2

EBE Flying an UFO 3
Elseware

http://www.nuforc.org/webreports/059/S59242.html
http://www.nuforc.org/webreports/065/S65069.html
http://www.nuforc.org/webreports/032/S32959.html

Flew it

Flew my $250 Hanger 9 Piper Pawnee today out in the field! Better than nothing






Specs
Wingspan: 80 in (2032mm)
Overall Length: 55.8 in (1417.3mm)
Wing Area: 942 sq in (60.77 sq dm)
Flying Weight: 8–9 lb (3.6–4 kg)
Engine Size: .46–.52 2-stroke; .62–.82 4-stroke
Motor Size: E-flite Power 46 Brushless Outrunner
Radio: 5+ channels
Servos: 7 standard servos (6 for electric option)
Trim Scheme Colors: Turquoise (HANU898), Midnight Blue (HANU885), White (HANU870)
Wing Loading: 20–22 oz per sq ft
Prop Size: 10–14 in
Spinner Size: 2-1/4 in
Hardware Included: Yes
Speed Control : E-flite 60-Amp Pro Brushless ESC
Recommended Battery: 4S 3850–5000mAh Li-Po

Let's privatize roads!

President Obama's stimulus plan, the government will spend billions of your dollars building new roads and fixing old ones. They say they'll do it efficiently. ush hours from hell are not natural phenomena. They're manmade -- more precisely, politician-made. Private companies did a profitable project in California on Highway 91. Instead of building a brand-new road, a private developer added two lanes in the median strip of an existing highway. Many people are horrified by the idea of leasing roads to businesses.

More toll roads are a must to generate money for both companies and government. They both have their share of poll roads. It'll be like freight trains paying tolls.

The republican party needs to build more toll roads for us. Construction companies need to further develop tolls not in the government budget. It's common sense. Time is money.

China will pass us by if US won't expand toll roads.

Christmas Wishlist

A new PC like the SystemMax Crossfire X58



Core i7 980 @ 3 GHz, 8 MB L3
12 GB DDR3
1 Terabyte SATA II HDD
Crossfire Radeon HD-5770.
850W PSU (should be 1000 watts)
DVD-RW
Windows 7 Home. (owns 7 Ultimate)
31 pounds


The AMD Phenom X6 will equal Core i7 950 in benchmarks (6 core v. 4 core), but I have yet to find a Radeon HD 5970 for it. I rather have a six core Phenom X6, and have a Radeon HD 5970 and don't know where the customize button is.
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

Hannspree ST329MUB 32" LCD TV | 1080p | 16:9 | 1300:1 Native | 10000:1 Dynamic | 4 HDMI

Fantasy Football vs. Deathmatch vs. Capture the flag

I think my Uncle is casual about fantasy football. I just told them that people play Madden NFL. It's a clever marketing for their game (inside it you know), but my Uncle is doing it off Yahoo so he's non-hardcore. I watch the Vikings and Packers tomorrow on TV. Say if I had a girlfriend, it wouldn't be fantasy football excuses. I sure hope he knows Fantasy football has become what it’s supposed to be: building a team entirely out of best players, and “guiding” them to victory. There isn't anybody stupid enough to use their original weapon in deathmatch or capture the flag in Unreal Tournament 3? You instead go for the flak cannon or rocket launcher or sniper rifle and who cares about the other weapons. You get fragged more with the other weapons.

Watching the real NFL sport prevents stupidity. Sports games are not necessarily smart either, because I never actually enjoy beating Madden due to everything randomly generated. Gears of War III, or Resistance 3, or Bulletstorm or Unreal Tournament or Team Fortress or Battlefield 3 or Modern Warfare are a better option for multiplayer, because you're never stupid when highest on the ladder. In real life, you even have bragging rights. I used to play well on Unreal Tournament and Unreal Tournament 2003 LAN parties in middle school, high school, and 2004 before LAN parties were defunct. All my print screened ladder scores were lost over the years.

Greatest Videogame characters

14. Sonic the Hedgehog
13. Niko Bellic
12. Pac-Man
11. Donkey Kong
10. Cloud Strife
9. Solid Snake
8. Duke Nukem
7. Kratos
6. Ryu
5. Mega Man
4. Samus Aran
3. Link
2. Mario
1. Gordon Freeman

Lets Dispense **** Really high gold prices....SCAM!

Ready to bet on the price of gold? If you think it’s going to head upwards you might want to stop by your local Gold Bar dispensing ATM machine and make a withdrawal.

The Gold ATMs look like a standard ATM, standing at approximately 6 feet tall, but unlike your standard ATM with these machines you either insert your bank or credit card and purchase gold in 1 gram, 5 gram, 10 gram and 1 ounce units.

Okay so only 35 machines are expected in the U.S. by the end of 2010, but it shows how strong gold prices have become during the current economic climate.

Each ATM will be internet connected and will be updated with gold prices in ten minute increments, ensuring the latest gold prices are honored when you make your transaction.


Were there any TV ads when gold prices were low. Of course not. They're doing them when gold prices are super high. i say don't do it. The US needs the dollar anyway. People will buy into this scam!

DeSoto, WI

Cheap camping at Blackhawk Park, in DeSoto, WI (E590 CTY RD BI). Mississippi back-stream flooded the campsite and some campsites were under water. I was here with a friend.

I meet the Airforce requirement for 71 inches/age.

Best community award

The award goes to Gamespot, because this gaming website has the entire gaming blogging community who won't troll on your page, and cannot say anything personally negative; else they're banned like I was four times! At least for right now. Facebook and Twitter don't have the users on-board who care enough about your page and I'm one of those people. Gaming seems to be a pre-req for IT. Anyone can have the first relies in the least amount of time compared to any forum of any non-college genre. Facebook is dieing as we speak, beginning to look as discerted as Myspace. Overall this all makes Gamespot look ahead of its time. Gamespot's best days aren't behind it.

Bought Archos 7 8GB Home Tablet with Android 1.6

I bought one of these yesterday, because I didn't like the price $500 price of the Apple iPad 16 GB. It was only $149 with tax.



All Archos 7 plays Youtube and flash videos if you use the Skyfire browser.

Of course, there are drawbacks. I wouldn't give it a low rating, because it's missing features that only come with $500 tablets.

-The screen is resistive, and occasionally doesn't register your tap. This improves with time, if you turn on the click-on-tap sound setting.
- You download Android applications which are free / cheaper than iPads.
-The chip is supposedly slower to lower the pricepoint. I haven't noticed this much.
- Android runs on Linux kernel.

It plays AVC, DivX, Xvid, Quicktime, JPEG. Now for whatever reason if I go to a coffee shop, I can look good. On my 'date' in Caribou Coffee in mid-2005, I brought a PSP just to show JPEG slideshows to her, but we didn't become friends. She was in Physics and had nothing in common. PSP is all I have portable-wise other then a 32-bit Core Duo Acer laptop with Ubuntu 10.04.1 since 2006!

I can keep this in my vehicle and socialize it as people would do iPad, and get similar reactions. It's cheaper to replace than a lost laptop.

RedHat/Canonical Ltd team up against Sunwah

China, which likes to take the cheapest way out, has ran its entire economy on Sunwah and to a lesser extent Red flag. The US Government is using both Redhat and Ubuntu just to meet China's benchmark.

Linux is more secure than MAC and Windows. Maybe its time to dual-boot Linux?
EASEUS Partition Master 6.1. seemed to work on every Windows box I come across. I run OpenSuse for myself and Ubuntu for family who don't like OpenSuse.
Basics

Book Collection

Title	Author	Author l-f	Additional Authors	ISBN	ISBN13	My Rating	Average Rating	Publisher	Binding	Number of Pages	Year Published	Original Publication Year	Date Read	Date Added	Bookshelves	Bookshelves with positions	Exclusive Shelf	My Review	Spoiler	Private Notes	Read Count	Recommended For	Recommended By	Owned Copies	Original Purchase Date	Original Purchase Location	Condition	Condition Description	BCID
Iain's Blog: The Ebook edition	Iain Campbell					5	5	archive.org (creative commons license 3.0)	ebook	5788	2014	2014												0
Freedom's Right: The Social Foundations of Democratic Life	Axel Honneth				9780745669434	0	3.5	Polity Press	Paperback	450	2014	2013												1			unspecified
Only Ever Yours	Louise O'Neill					4	4.26	Quercus	Paperback	400	2014	2014												1			unspecified
Critical Disability Theory: Essays in Philosophy, Politics, Policy, and Law	Dianne Pothier				9780774812047	0	4	UBC Press	Paperback	336	2006	2006												1			unspecified
The I in We: Studies in the Theory of Recognition	Axel Honneth				9780745652337	0	3.6	Polity Press	Paperback	240	2012	2012												1			unspecified
Pathologies of Reason: On the Legacy of Critical Theory	Axel Honneth		James Ingram		9780231146265	0	3.82	Columbia University Press	Hardcover	222	2009	2007												1			unspecified
1984	George Orwell		Erich Fromm		9780451524935	4	4.09	Signet Classics	Paperback	326	1950	1949												1			unspecified
Critical Social Theory	Gary M. Simpson				9780800629168	0	4.43	Augsburg Fortress Publishing	Paperback	196	2001	2001												1			unspecified
The Routledge Companion to Critical and Cultural Theory	Paul Wake		Simon Malpas		9780415668309	0	3.25	Routledge	Paperback	342	2013	2013												1			unspecified
A Summary of Christian Doctrine, New King James Edition	Edward W.A. Koehler		Brent W. Kuhlman		9780758600172	5	4.88	Concordia Publishing House	Paperback	437	2006	2005												1			unspecified
UnSouled (Unwind, #3)	Neal Shusterman				9781471118104	4	4.21	Simon & Schuster UK	Paperback	404	2013	2013												1			unspecified
UnWholly (Unwind, #2)	Neal Shusterman				9781442423688	4	4.28	Simon & Schuster Books for Young Readers	ebook	416	2012	2012												1			unspecified
Unwind (Unwind, #1)	Neal Shusterman				9781416912040	4	4.21	Simon & Schuster Books for Young Readers	Hardcover	335	2007	2007												1			unspecified
Ruins (Partials Sequence, #3)	Dan Wells				9780062071101	4	4.05	Balzer + Bray	Hardcover	464	2014	2014												1			unspecified
Fragments (Partials, #2)	Dan Wells				9780062071071	4	4.15	Balzer + Bray	Hardcover	576	2013	2013												1			unspecified
Partials (The Partials Sequence, #1)	Dan Wells				9780062071040	4	3.95	Balzer + Bray	Hardcover	468	2012	2012												1			unspecified
The Pathologies of Individual Freedom: Hegel's Social Theory	Axel Honneth		Ladislaus Löb		9780691118062	0	4.43	Princeton University Press	Hardcover	84	2010	2010												1			unspecified
The Struggle for Recognition: The Moral Grammar of Social Conflicts	Axel Honneth				9780262581479	0	4.12	MIT Press (MA)	Paperback	240	1996	1992												1			unspecified
Christian Dogmatics (4 volumes set)	Francis Pieper		Theodore Engelder		9780570067153	5	4.44	Concordia College	Hardcover	0	2003	2003												1			unspecified
A Dictionary of Cultural and Critical Theory	Michael Payne		Jessica Rae Barbera			0	3.62	Wiley-Blackwell	Kindle Edition	833	2013	1996												1			unspecified
The Name of the Wind (The Kingkiller Chronicle, #1)	Patrick Rothfuss				9780756404079	0	4.55	Penguin Group DAW Hardcover	Hardcover	662	2007	2007												1			unspecified
The Wise Man's Fear (The Kingkiller Chronicle, #2)	Patrick Rothfuss				9780756404734	0	4.55	DAW Books	Hardcover	994	2011	2011												1			unspecified
The Power Broker: Robert Moses and the Fall of New York	Robert A. Caro				9780394720241	5	4.51	Vintage	Paperback	1344	1975	1974												1			unspecified
One-Dimensional Man: Studies in the Ideology of Advanced Industrial Society	Herbert Marcuse				9780807014172	0	3.98	Beacon Press	paper	320	1991	1964												1			unspecified
Allegiant (Divergent, #3)	Veronica Roth				9780007524273	4	3.64	HarperCollins Children's Book's	Hardcover	526	2013	2013												1			unspecified
Insurgent (Divergent, #2)	Veronica Roth				9780007442911	5	4.17	HarperCollins Children's Books	Hardcover	525	2012	2012												1			unspecified
Divergent (Divergent, #1)	Veronica Roth				9780062024039	5	4.34	Katherine Tegen Books	Paperback	487	2012	2011												1			unspecified
Mockingjay (The Hunger Games, #3)	Suzanne Collins				9780439023511	4	4.03	Scholastic Press	Hardcover	400	2010	2010												1			unspecified
Catching Fire (The Hunger Games, #2)	Suzanne Collins				9780439023498	5	4.31	Scholastic Press	Hardcover	391	2009	2009												1			unspecified
The Hunger Games (The Hunger Games, #1)	Suzanne Collins				9780439023481	5	4.4	Scholastic Press	Hardcover	374	2008	2008												1			unspecified
Pride and Prejudice	Jane Austen		Anna Quindlen		9780679783268	5	4.23	Modern Library	Paperback	279	2000	1813												1			unspecified
Watchers	Dean Koontz				9780425188804	0	4.13	Berkley	Paperback	624	2003	1987												1			unspecified
A Practical Guide to Fedora and Red Hat Enterprise Linux	Mark G. Sobell				9780133477436	5	4.08	Prentice Hall	Paperback	1300	2013	2008						I installed Scientific Linux 6.5 on a pc and this has Red Hat Enterprise Linux 6.4.<br/>The commands and tutorials still apply to Scientific Linux 6.5. The best Red Hat author (Doctor Mark Sobell). Red Hat is great when you need a consistent kernel version (2.32.431) in order to maximize stability						1			unspecified
The Sociology of Religion	Max Weber		Ephraim Fischoff, Ann Swidler		9780807042052	4	3.82	Beacon Press	Paperback	384	1993	1920												1			unspecified
Economy and Society: An Outline of Interpretive Sociology	Max Weber		Claus Wittich, Guenther Roth		9780520035003	4	4.03	University of California Press	Paperback	1470	1978	1922												1			unspecified
Pet Sematary	Stephen King				9781416524342	4	3.81	Pocket Books	Paperback	576	2005	1983												1			unspecified
The Stand	Stephen King		Bernie Wrightson		9780385199575	4	4.31	Doubleday	Hardcover	1168	1990	1978												1			unspecified
It	Stephen King				9780451169518	4	4.09	Signet	Paperback	1090	1987	1986												1			unspecified
The Human Division (Old Man's War, #5)	John Scalzi				9780765333513	4	4.05	Tor Books	Hardcover	431	2013	2013												1			unspecified
Zoe's Tale (Old Man's War, #4)	John Scalzi				9780765316981	0	3.73	Tor Books	Hardcover	335	2008	2008												1			unspecified
The Last Colony (Old Man's War #3)	John Scalzi				9780765316974	0	3.99	Tor Books	Hardcover	320	2007	2007												1			unspecified
The Ghost Brigades (Old Man's War, #2)	John Scalzi				9780765354068	4	4.06	Tor	Paperback	347	2007	2006												1			unspecified
Forever Peace (The Forever War, #2)	Joe Haldeman				9780441005666	0	3.71	Ace	Paperback	351	1998	1997												1			unspecified
The Norton Anthology of American Literature, Package 2: Volumes C, D, and E	Nina Baym				9780393929942	5	4.21	W. W. Norton & Company	Paperback	2870	2007	2002												1			unspecified
The Norton Anthology of American Literature, Volume a: Beginnings to 1820	Nina Baym		Robert S. Levine		9780393934762	5	3.71	W. W. Norton & Company	Paperback	949	2011	2002												1			unspecified
The Norton Anthology of American Literature, Volume B: 1820-1865	Nina Baym		Robert S. Levine, Wayne Franklin, Philip F. Gura, Jerome Klinkowitz		9780393934779	5	3.93	W. W. Norton & Company	Paperback	1756	2011	2007												1			unspecified
The Norton Anthology of American Literature, Volume E: Literature Since 1945	Nina Baym		Robert S. Levine		9780393934809	5	4.4	W. W. Norton & Company	Paperback	1248	2011	2011												0
Ameritopia: The Unmaking of America	Mark R. Levin					5	4.29		Kindle Edition			2012												1			unspecified
The Neoconservative Persuasion: Selected Essays, 1942-2009	Irving Kristol				9780465022236	0	3.71	Basic Books	Hardcover	416	2011	2011						a leading conservative, Irving Kristol, inspired many Fox News Channel commutators like Charles Krauthammer, Sean Hannity and Bill Kristol. Neo-conservatism is very popular approach in United Kingdom and Europe.						1			unspecified
Neoconservatism: The Autobiography of an Idea	Irving Kristol				9780028740218	0	3.74	Free Press	Hardcover	512	1995	1995						a leading conservative, Irving Kristol, inspired many Fox News Channel commutators like Charles Krauthammer, Sean Hannity and Bill Kristol. Neo-conservatism is very popular approach in United Kingdom and Europe.						1			unspecified
Lutheran Study Bible Hardcover	Anonymous				9780806680590	4	4.08	Augsburg Fortress Publishers	Hardcover	2112	2009	2009												1			unspecified
Harry Potter Boxset (Harry Potter, #1-7)	J.K. Rowling				9780545044257	0	4.73	Arthur A. Levine Books	Hardcover	4100	2007	1998												1			unspecified
The Giver (The Giver #1)	Lois Lowry				9780385732550	0	4.11	Ember	Mass Market Paperback	179	2006	1993												1			unspecified
Study Bible-NIV	Anonymous				9780310939122	5	5	Zondervan Publishing Company	Leather Bound	2340	2008	2008						Wisconsin Evangelical Lutheran Synod banned the 2011+ NIV study bible so I bought this old school version.						1			unspecified
The Enemies Within: Communists, Socialists and Progressives in the U.S. Congress	MR Trevor Loudon		Rodney R Stubbs		9781490575179	0	0	Createspace	Paperback	704	2013	2013												0
The Liberty Amendments: Restoring the American Republic	Mark R. Levin				9781451606270	5	4.24	Threshold Editions	Hardcover	272	2013	2013												1			unspecified
The MacArthur Study Bible - English Standard Version (ESV)	Anonymous		John MacArthur		9781433504006	5	4.72	Crossway Bibles	Hardcover	2144	2010	2010						The current flagship Cavlinist study bible.						1			unspecified
Visual Communication: Images with Messages	Paul Martin Lester				9781133308645	0	3.92	Wadsworth Publishing Company	Paperback	466	2013	1994												1			unspecified
Why Nations Fail: The Origins of Power, Prosperity, and Poverty	Daron AcemoÄŸlu		James Robinson		9780307719218	0	3.92	Crown Business	Hardcover	544	2012	2012												1			unspecified
The End of Prosperity: How Higher Taxes Will Doom the Economy--If We Let It Happen	Arthur B. Laffer		Stephen Moore, Peter Tanous		9781416592389	0	4.07	Threshold Editions	Hardcover	352	2008	2008												1			unspecified
Return to Prosperity: How America Can Regain Its Economic Superpower Status	Arthur B. Laffer		Stephen Moore		9781439169384	5	4.17	Threshold Editions	ebook	336	2010	2009												1			unspecified
Concordia Self-Study Bible, Reference Edition	Robert Hoerber				9780570005292	5	5	Concordia Publishing House	Hardcover	2199	1992	1987						Used at the LCMS churches before 2009						1			unspecified
Beginning PC-BSD: Frugal Unix for Power Users	Dru Lavigne				9781430226413	5	4.5	Apress	Paperback	400	2010	2010						PC-BSD froze up less than Linux Mint. I was looking for a PC-BSD Unleashed. It's sad that there isn't more PC-BSD books out there.						1			unspecified
Ubuntu Unleashed 2013 Edition: Covering 12.10 and 13.04	Matthew Helmke				9780133135244	5	4.67	Sams	ebook	880	2012	2012												1			Like new
Unix and Linux System Administration Handbook	Evi Nemeth		Garth Snyder, Trent R. Hein, Ben Whaley		9780132117364	4	4.43	Prentice Hall	ebook	1327	2010	1900												1			unspecified
The Lost World (Jurassic Park, #2)	Michael Crichton				9780752224411	3	3.61	Alfred A. Knopf, Inc.	Mass Market Paperback	448	1995	1995												1			unspecified
Jurassic Park (Jurassic Park, #1)	Michael Crichton				9780307348135	3	3.85		Mass Market Paperback	480	2006	1990												1			unspecified
Lutheranism 101	Scot A. Kinnaman		Laura L. Lane		9780758625052	4	4.28	Concordia Publishing House	Paperback	309	2010	2010						It's the LCMS sunday school textbook.						1			unspecified
For the Life of the Church: A Practical Edition of Pastor Walther's Prayers and Addresses	C.F.W. Walther		Charles P. Schaum, Rudolph Prange		9780758631398	0	4.25	Concordia Publishing House	Paperback	193	2011	2011												1			unspecified
Spirit of the Reformation Study Bible-NIV	Anonymous				9780310923626	5	4.82	Zondervan Publishing Company	Leather Bound	2222	2003	2003						excellent Calvinist study bible.						1			unspecified
Wesley Study Bible-NRSV	Joel B. Green				9780687645039	4	4.54	Abingdon Press	Leather Bound	1568	2009	2009												1			unspecified
Dialectic of Enlightenment: Philosophical Fragments	Theodor W. Adorno		Max Horkheimer, Gunzelin Schmid Nörr, Edmund Jephcott		9780804736336	4	4.08	Stanford University Press	Paperback	304	2007	1944												1			unspecified
How to Interpret Literature: Critical Theory for Literary and Cultural Studies	Robert Dale Parker				9780199757503	5	3.83	Oxford University Press, USA	Paperback	354	2011	2008						It got me thru American Literature						1			unspecified
Armor	John Steakley				9780886773687	5	4.11	DAW	Mass Market Paperback	432	1984	1984						On a top 10 list of military science fiction						1			unspecified
Absolute Freebsd: The Complete Guide to Freebsd	Michael W. Lucas				9781593271510	5	4.4	No Starch Press	Paperback	736	2007	2007												1			unspecified
Critical Theory: A Reader for Literary and Cultural Studies	Robert Dale Parker				9780199797776	5	4	Oxford University Press, USA	Paperback	896	2012	2012						It got me thru American Literature						1			unspecified
WELS & Other Lutherans (Second Edition)	John F. Brug				9780810022287	5	4.6	Northwestern Publishing House	Paperback	282	2009	1995												1			unspecified
Basic Economics: A Common Sense Guide to the Economy	Thomas Sowell				9780465022526	5	4.23	Basic Books	Hardcover	689	2010	2000												1			unspecified
The Joy of Hate: How to Triumph over Whiners in the Age of Phony Outrage	Greg Gutfeld				9780307986962	4	4.06	Crown Forum	Hardcover	226	2012	2012												1			unspecified
Mugged: Racial Demagoguery from the Seventies to Obama	Ann Coulter				9781595230997	4	3.99	Sentinel HC	Hardcover	261	2012	2012												1			unspecified
Lutheran Service Book: Pew Edition	Concordia Publishing House				9780758612175	4	4.23	Concordia Publishing House	Hardcover	1024	2006	1931						I forgot the lyrics...						1			unspecified
Using Critical Theory: How to Read and Write about Literature	Lois Tyson				9780415616171	4	3.55	Routledge	Paperback	348	2011	2011												1			unspecified
Astronomy Today, Volume 2: Stars and Galaxies	Eric Chaisson		Steve McMillan		9780136155508	0	3.78	Benjamin Cummings	Paperback	544	2007	2002												1			unspecified
Astronomy Today [with MasteringAstronomy]	Eric Chaisson		Steve McMillan		9780321586971	0	3.93	Benjamin Cummings	Hardcover	777	2008	1931												1			unspecified
The Art of Being Human	Richard Janaro		Thelma Altshuler		9780205605422	0	3.46	Longman	Paperback	656	2008	2008												1			unspecified
The Big Short: Inside the Doomsday Machine	Michael Lewis				9780393072235	5	4.2	W. W. Norton & Company	Hardcover	264	2010	2009						The best book on Wall Street months before the recession hit. Its a Wall Street history book.						1			unspecified
American Government and Politics Today, 2011-2012	Steffen W. Schmidt		Mack C. Shelley II, Barbara A. Bardes, Lynne E. Ford		9780495910664	4	3.56	Wadsworth Publishing Company	Paperback	720	2011	1989												1			unspecified
Barack Obama and the Enemies Within	Trevor Loudon		Rodney R Stubbs		9780615490748	5	4.6	Pacific Freedom Foundation	Paperback	690	2011	2011						Committees of Correspondence, New Party.						1			unspecified
The Protestant Ethic and the Spirit of Capitalism	Max Weber		Michael D. Coe, Talcott Parsons, R.H. Tawney		9780486427034	4	3.86	Dover Publications	Paperback	320	2003	1904	2007/03/19					This book explains why calling yourself a Lutheran is a dirty word. Reason why places I work in the past use words "Nondenominational" possibly due to Critical Theory and author Max Weber! Anyone with first & fourteenth Amendment dilemmas should own a copy.						1			unspecified
Critical Theory Today: A User-Friendly Guide	Lois Tyson				9780415974097	4	3.93	Routledge	Hardcover	465	2006	1998						It got me thru American Literature						1			unspecified
The Heritage Guide to the Constitution	Edwin Meese III		David F. Forte, Matthew Spalding, Matthew J. Franck, Edwin Meese, III		9781596980013	5	4.62	Regnery Publishing	Hardcover	475	2005	2005												1			unspecified
The U.S. Constitution: A Reader	Hillsdale College Politics Faculty				9780916308360	5	4.62	Hillsdale College Press	Paperback	790	2012	2012												1			unspecified
Concordia: The Lutheran Confessions	Martin Luther		Philipp Melanchthon, Paul Timothy McCain		9780758617200	5	4.64	Concordia Publishing House	Paperback	1036	2009	1580						It's great to know how to interrupt Martin Luther's Concord without going braindead.						1			unspecified
The Apocrypha: The Lutheran Edition with Notes	Edward Engelbrecht				9780758625472	5	4.8	Concordia Publishing House	Hardcover	384	2012	2012						I love this "in-between bible" literally between old and new testaments.						1			unspecified
The Lord Will Answer: A Daily Prayer Catechism	Concordia Publishing House				9780758606860	4	3.82	Concordia Publishing House	Hardcover	489	2004	2004												1			unspecified
Treasury of Daily Prayer	Scot A. Kinnaman		Henry V. Gerike, Todd A. Peperkorn, Arthur A. Just Jr., Nathan W. Higgins, David H. Petersen		9780758615145	5	4.58	Concordia Publishing House	Hardcover	1495	2009	2008						The improved ESV daily prayer.						1			unspecified
Over a Torrent Sea (Star Trek: Titan, #5)	Christopher L. Bennett				9781416594970	4	3.74	Star Trek	Mass Market Paperback	354	2009	2009												1			unspecified
Fallen Gods (Star Trek: Titan, #7)	Michael A. Martin					3	3.5		Kindle Edition			2012												1			unspecified
Sword of Damocles (Star Trek Titan #4)	Geoffrey Thorne				9781416526940	4	3.68	Pocket Books/Star Trek	Paperback	370	2007	2007												1			unspecified
Orion's Hounds (Star Trek: Titan, #3)	Christopher L. Bennett				9781416509509	4	3.72	Pocket Books	Mass Market Paperback	379	2005	2005												1			unspecified
The Red King (Star Trek: Titan, #2)	Andy Mangels		Michael A. Martin		9780743496285	0	3.6	Pocket Books	Mass Market Paperback	362	2005	2005												1			unspecified
Taking Wing (Star Trek: Titan, #1)	Michael A. Martin		Andy Mangels		9780743496278	4	3.67	Pocket Books	Mass Market Paperback	359	2005	2005												1			unspecified
Synthesis (Star Trek: Titan, #6)	James Swallow				9781439109144	4	3.87	Star Trek	Mass Market Paperback	391	2009	2009												1			unspecified
Lost Souls (Star Trek: Destiny, #3)	David Mack				9781416551751	4	4.27	Pocket Books	Mass Market Paperback	440	2008	2008												1			unspecified
Mere Mortals (Star Trek: Destiny #2)	David Mack				9781416551720	4	4.18	Pocket Books/Star Trek	Paperback	433	2008	2008												1			unspecified
Gods of Night (Star Trek: Destiny #1)	David Mack				9781416551713	4	4.1	Pocket Books	Mass Market Paperback	400	2008	2008												1			unspecified
Greater than the Sum (Star Trek: The Next Generation)	Christopher L. Bennett				9781416571322	4	3.71	Star Trek	Mass Market Paperback	350	2008	2008												1			unspecified
A Singular Destiny (Star Trek)	Keith R.A. DeCandido				9781416594956	4	3.8	Star Trek	Mass Market Paperback	384	2009	2009												1			unspecified
Star Trek: Typhon Pact: The Khitomer Accords Saga: Plagues of Night, Raise the Dawn, and Brinkmanship	David R. George III		Una McCormack		9781476733340	4	4.22	Pocket Books/Star Trek	ebook	1000	2013	2012												1			unspecified
Zero Sum Game (Star Trek: Typhon Pact, #1)	David Mack				9781471109638	3	3.77	Simon & Schuster UK	ebook	352	2012	2010												1			unspecified
Paths of Disharmony (Star Trek: Typhon Pack, #4)	Dayton Ward				9781439160831	4	3.63	Pocket Books/Star Trek	Mass Market Paperback	455	2011	2011												1			unspecified
Seize the Fire (Star Trek: Typhon Pack, #2)	Michael A. Martin				9781439167823	3	3.55	Star Trek	Mass Market Paperback	493	2010	2010												1			unspecified
Zero Sum Game (Star Trek: Typhon Pact, #1)	David Mack					4	3.77		Kindle Edition	352		2010												1			unspecified
Plagues of Night (Star Trek: Typhon Pact, #6)	David R. George III				9781451649550	4	3.94	Pocket Books/Star Trek	Mass Market Paperback	400	2012	2012												1			unspecified
Raise the Dawn (Star Trek: Typhon Pact, #7)	David R. George III					4	4.11		Kindle Edition			2012												1			unspecified
The Struggle Within (Star Trek: Typhon Pact, #5)	Christopher L. Bennett				9781451651423	3	3.5	Gallery Books	ebook	80	2011	2011												1			unspecified
Star Trek: Voyager: Full Circle	Kirsten Beyer				9781416594963	4	4.02	Pocket Books	Paperback	561	2009	2009												1			unspecified
Unworthy	Kirsten Beyer				9781439103982	4	4.1	Pocket Books	Mass Market Paperback	370	2009	2009												1			unspecified
A Song of Ice and Fire - A Game of Thrones, A Clash of Kings, A Storm of Swords, A Feast for Crows, A Dance with Dragons (A Song of Ice and Fire, #1-5)	George R.R. Martin				9781780484259	0	4.61			5216		2000												1			unspecified
A Game of Thrones (A Song of Ice and Fire, #1)	George R.R. Martin				9780553588484	0	4.44	Bantam Spectra	Mass Market Paperback	835	2005	1996												1			unspecified
Gardens of the Moon (The Malazan Book of the Fallen, #1)	Steven Erikson				9780765348784	0	3.81	Tor Fantasy	Mass Market Paperback	666	2005	1999												1			unspecified
Dust of Dreams (Malazan Book of the Fallen, #9)	Steven Erikson				9780765316554	0	4.32	Tom Doherty Associates	Mass Market Paperback	816	2010	2009												1			unspecified
The Crippled God (The Malazan Book of the Fallen, #10)	Steven Erikson				9780593046357	0	4.39	Bantam Press	Hardcover	921	2011	2011												1			unspecified
Toll the Hounds (Malazan Book of the Fallen, #8)	Steven Erikson				9780765310088	0	4.31	Tor Books	Hardcover	832	2008	2008												1			unspecified
Midnight Tides (Malazan Book of the Fallen, #5)	Steven Erikson				9780553813142	0	4.31	BANTAM PAPERBACKS	Paperback	940	2005	2004												1			unspecified
House of Chains (The Malazan Book of the Fallen, #4)	Steven Erikson				9780765348814	0	4.3	Tor Fantasy	Mass Market Paperback	1021	2007	2002												1			unspecified
Memories of Ice (Malazan Book of the Fallen, #3)	Steven Erikson				9780765348807	0	4.35	Tor Fantasy	Mass Market Paperback	920	2006	2001												1			unspecified
Deadhouse Gates (The Malazan Book of the Fallen, #2)	Steven Erikson				9780765310026	0	4.24	Tor Books	Hardcover	864	2005	2000												1			unspecified
Reaper's Gale (Malazan Book of the Fallen, #7)	Steven Erikson				9780593046319	0	4.33	Bantam Press	Hardcover	928	2007	2007												1			unspecified
The Bonehunters (Malazan Book of the Fallen, #6)	Steven Erikson				9780553813159	0	4.39	Bantam	Paperback	1231	2007	2005												1			unspecified
The Moon Is a Harsh Mistress	Robert A. Heinlein				9780340837948	4	4.16	Hodder & Stoughton	Paperback	288	2005	1966												1			unspecified
Stranger in a Strange Land	Robert A. Heinlein				9780441788385	4	3.86	Ace Trade	Paperback	528	1991	1961												1			unspecified
Catch-22 (Catch-22, #1)	Joseph Heller				9780684833392	0	3.96	Simon & Schuster	Paperback	453	2004	1961												1			unspecified
Old Man's War (Old Man's War, #1)	John Scalzi				9780765348272	4	4.21	Tor Books	Mass Market Paperback	314	2007	2005						On a top 10 list of military science fiction						1			unspecified
Semper Mars (Heritage Trilogy, #1)	Ian Douglas				9780380788286	3	3.76	Harper Voyager	Paperback	384	1998	1998						On a top 10 list of military science fiction						1			unspecified
Starship Troopers	Robert A. Heinlein				9780441783588	5	3.97	Ace Book	Mass Market Paperback	264	1987	1959						On a top 10 list of military science fiction						1			unspecified
Ender's Game (The Ender Quintet, #1)	Orson Scott Card				9780812550702	5	4.28	Tor Science Fiction	Paperback	324	1994	1985												1			unspecified
The Forever War (The Forever War, #1)	Joe Haldeman				9780060510862	4	4.12	Eos	Paperback	278	2003	1974						On a top 10 list of military science fiction						1			unspecified
The Hobbit & The Lord of the Rings	J.R.R. Tolkien				9780345538376	0	4.58	Ballantine Books	Paperback	1652	2012	1954												1			unspecified
Holy Bible: Reformation Study Bible (ESV)	Anonymous				9780875526430	5	4.64	P & R Publishing	Hardcover	1948	2005	2005						A Calvinist study bible.						1			unspecified
Esv Study Bible, Personal Size	Anonymous				9781433524615	5	4.77	Crossway Books	Hardcover	2560	2011	2007						1st place on most top 10 study bibles lists. It has some Calvinist-leaning notes.						1			unspecified
The Book of Concord: The Confessions of the Evangelical Lutheran Church	Martin Luther		Philipp Melanchthon, Robert Kolb		9780800627409	5	4.64	Fortress Press	Hardcover		2000	1580						ELCA Book of Concord.						1			unspecified
The Lutheran Difference	Edward A. Engelbrecht				9780758626707	4	4.17	Concordia Publishing House	Hardcover	602	2010	2010						Lutherans never had a stable value system to call their own. They borrow values from Catholics and act like Catholics. This book reestablishes the Lutheran value system for the ELCA Catholic defector.						1			unspecified
Lutheran Book of Prayer	Concordia Publishing House				9780758608598	4	4.37	Concordia Publishing House	Hardcover	263	2005	1951												1			unspecified
Concordia: The Lutheran Confessions -- A Reader's Edition of the Book of Concord	Martin Luther		Philipp Melanchthon, Paul Timothy McCain		9780758613431	5	4.64	Concordia Publishing House	Hardcover	800	2007	1580						Keeps reminding me what Lutheranism is. There is this radical Lutheranism (ELCA) and moderate Lutheranism (LCMS) and I keep forgetting.						1			unspecified
Law and Gospel: How to Read and Apply the Bible	C.F.W. Walther				9780758616883	5	4.78	Concordia Publishing House	Hardcover	514	2010	1981						I would be lost without it.						1			unspecified
Luther's Small Catechism, with Explanation	Martin Luther				9780570015352	5	4.24	Concordia Publishing House	Unknown Binding	268	1991	1529						I used this book to easily show what marriage is supposed to be, because some lefty organization I was at thought otherwise. I blamed the book, not myself per se. Owned since 1999.						1			unspecified
The Lutheran Study Bible: English Standard Version	Anonymous		CPH Editors		9780758617606	5	4.77	Concordia Publishing House	Hardcover	2372	2009	2009						Brilliant book, yet it has been four years since the editors updated the notes on this bible. I know the editors were working on "The Apocrypha: The Lutheran Edition With Notes" (also own / also brilliant) so I am giving them both 5 stars. I wish LCMS had these books when I went to confirmation. Church was using the 1987 NIV Study Bible Concordia edition which I had to buy at Northwestern Book Store in 1999.<br/>						1			unspecified

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