A winter memory

The first winter related memory that comes to mind brings back an incident that happen many years ago. I had all but forgotten about it until I read the prompt. I was stationed at Whidbey Island Naval Air Station in the state of Washington. It was in the middle of the week, I remember because we were on a Vancouver Run, which meant that myself and a couple of the guys were making a mid week run to Vancouver BC to have a bit of fun.



We left the base shortly after we had finished work for the day. Luckily we were not on the duty detail so we were free until the next work period. As we made our way to Vancouver the weather had started to take a turn for the worst, a snow storm was building up. Things were touch and go as we passed cars that had ran off the road. By now you could not tell where the pavement ended, or where the snow covered mud began. Fortunately a Greyhound type bus was headed in the same direction we were going. It had little trouble makings its way through the snow, and so we followed it until we were able to make it on our own. We made it to Vancouver and had a great time.



That would be a neat little story except it is not complete. On the way back I became very tired and sleepy while driving through the snow. It had started to come down pretty good. I can still recall seeing the snow flakes dancing in the reflective glare of the headlights as they lulled me to sleep. There was little else as scenery other than the snow. Someone volunteered to take the wheel while I took a nap. I reluctantly agreed. As a habit, I never let anyone drive my car, but this was a matter of safety. Off to sleep I went, taking the back seat as my refuge. I had drifted off into another world in no time. After being sound asleep for a while I was awaken by shouts of distress. As I raised my head to see what was going on, all I could see was snow flakes pressed against the windows as we spun out of control in what seemed like a never ending spiral.



We finally came to a complete stop and everyone got out of the car. Luckily we did not hit anything . I was very relieved. I said, Okay I will take it from here, and then I looked around, and said to myself, "where exactly is here"? There were no cars coming or going, everything was heavily covered with snow and the worst part was that there was no definite way to determine which direction we were previously headed. So we had to back track the spiral in the snow. I will never forget that night. It was a 50/50 chance of getting it right, fortunately that is what happen. It was miles and miles of anguish before we were able to determine if we were on the way back to the base, or on the way back to Vancouver BC. Thank God we made the right choice.

The Spirit of Ubuntu

A most incredible things has happen,.. well at least to me. Today, I believe that I have come full circle in my quest to find an excellent operating system.

I was first introduced to the world of computing by way of Microsoft computers and its software. The first new computer that I purchased for myself had windows installed, and it was the only OS I had ever known. After using windows for years, I started hearing rumours about other operating systems. I was fine with what I had so I paid little attention to it. Then the problems with my Microsoft windows started to increase to the point where I was ready to at least look at an alternative. I had tried using an Apple or two but was not really impressed, and some of the prices seemed a bit much for the product.

My first introduction to Linux was by way of Ubuntu 7.1
Ubuntu (philosophy), an ethical concept of African origin emphasising community, sharing and generosity;

Ubuntu was given to me by a friend that said that I should really give it a try. At first it was just a disk that I would bump into every now and then. After a while, I finally decided to check it out. It was somewhat impressive I must admit, but I had grown accustomed to windows and at the time I was not seriously thinking of using any other operating system.

Times have changed and so has my view of windows as an operating system. After having repeated problems with Microsoft windows, which I loved but was costing me dearly, I was finally ready to move on. Since that time I have tried close to twenty or so different Linux operating systems. I have experienced varying degrees of success which would range from 100% satisfaction to about 50%. I was satisfied with the best of what I had found and could have easily lived with it, but there was always a little something missing which kept me searching until I found the Ubuntu Super_OS.

I downloaded and tried the Super_OS, and it is justly titled, for it is indeed a Super OS.

It currently fills the gap and and delivers all of the things that I could have asked for from an operating system. I am finally humbled by the grace and beauty of Ubuntu, especially with the true meaning of its philosophy. One cannot help but want to share something as elegantly beautiful as this.

I was touched by the presentation of Nelson Mandela as he revealed the essence of the word Ubuntu which is included in the Ubuntu package along with a host of things that are far too numerous to mention, and they all work perfectly together. It truly gives one hope to be able to experience just a small portion of what the human experience could actually be, if we all worked together in the spirit of Ubuntu.
.

"Oh I forgot to mention that it is totally free, as well as all the programs and updates".
For more information check out this address - http://hacktolive.org/wiki/Super_OS

A 12 seconds surprise was just the start.

A 12 seconds surprise
It is hard to explain something that is totally unexpected. I happen to find a most charming person sharing the good news of winning a T-shirt from Palo.com. I found her to be genuinely warm, self confident and comfortable with sharing herself with the world.

A Twitter surprise
Intrigued by what I had discovered, I searched elsewhere to see if I could find out more about this mysterious new person in my life. I was totally surprised to find out that she is very popular and has a huge following on Twitter. It appears that I am not the only one who thinks that she is wonderful.

Miamism
As the many facets of this most intriguing person began to unfold I was constantly discovering new things about her life here in Miami.

Her name, Ines Hegedus-Garcia.

Enrique Garcia & Ines Hegedus-Garcia

are Husband and wife, and partners in real estate. They are the foundation of Miami’s Ultimate Real Estate team – focused on providing exceptional customer service and unmatched marketing expertise while thinking of you.

From a warm an engaging smile delivered by a 12 seconds video, I have discovered a person that has given me greater insight into a whole new realm of possibilities that surely would have been missed. If you want more sunshine in your life, get to know Miamism.

About Me:

My name is James Joseph Kemp,

I am a native Floridian, born and raised here in the South Florida Sun. I am a Navy Veteran. I worked on A6A intruder aircraft as an Aviation Electrician at Naval Air Stations, and aboard aircraft carriers. I am an electrician by trade. I am also an artist who have had a couple of art shows here in South Florida. I play several musical instruments, and have traveled as a musician in various groups. My hobby now is computers. I love to work on computers; repairing a broken computer and bringing it back to functionality is very
rewarding. I also love helping my friends and family with their computers.
The reason I started this blog:

In my about me section of the blog: Surf Security 101, that I posted on June 23, 2008, I mentioned that I was an Artist. This blog will allow the readers to check out a few examples of the work that I have done over the years. Lately, I have not taken the time to express myself on canvas, as most of my time is consumed by other interest.

This blog will allow me to share some of my works of art with those who have found their way onto this blog site.

Message from Surf Security:

As a community of Internet users, it is up to all of us to make the Internet a safer, and more enjoyable place to surf. By informing others of safer ways to surf the Internet we can make a difference. With your help, we can make safe surfing a reality.

Be well informed and surf secure.......

JJK for Surf Security

Surf Security 101

The Surf is up , but are you ready for safe surfing?
The Internet can be a wonderful place of discovery and adventure, not to mention the incredible educational resources that are available for anyone who has access.

There is something of interest for just about everyone. But ever lurking
beneath the innocent looking waves of colorful tempting information...... are the sharks and predators who are out to seek and destroy the innocent and unsuspecting surfer. You can almost hear the sound effects from Jaws, in the background as a fresh initiate wades headlong into the murky waters of the World Wide Web.

The horror stories are many for the new initiates as they encounter firsthand experiences with the malicious entities that beckon,"Click Me,...Click Here",
......."You are just one mouse click away from diaster".

This is where you come in with the knowledge that you have acquired, and the knowledge that you shall acquire.You will become a most valuable asset for many innocent surfers who are just getting their first view of the vast digital horizon that awaits them.

By posting your experiences for the newcomers to blogs such as Surf Security 101, you will help others to avoid common mistakes, that are sometimes very costly.

The dangers are many, but that should not spoil your fun, providing that you know how to surf safely. Everyone is familiar with some of the major players in the Anti-virus game. Norton Anti-Virus is one of the most notable anti-virus programs around. Every new PC usually has some sort of protection that comes preinstalled on your system. It is usually bundled in with a host of preinstalled trial programs. The trial period typically last about three months and then you are without protection unless you subscribe to the service provider. At this point most of us continue to surf, while ignoring the constant nagging pop-ups that keeps reminding us to pay up for a new subscription or else.

I will not even attempt to name all of the possible things that could potentially harm or infect an unprotected PC. Needless to say, you will need some type of protection from the ever present dangers that lurk in the dark domains of this ever growing world wide cyber society.


"Virtual Systems"


The most effective way to protect your system is to isolate it from all possible dangers. Fortunately we are moving into a new era of virtual computer technology. This new virtual technology will change the way we approach security concerns as we surf the Internet. It will allow us to surf the Internet as usual, but isolates our systems from potential harm by creating a virtual partition from which you will access the Internet. This new technology will create a virtual drive on your system, or work in a RAM environment.(Random Access Memory)

Imagine if you will; You are aboard the Starship Enterprise, you don't have your computer with you, so you go to the "Hollow Deck" to use a virtual computer. You download your information to your flash drive and you are on your way. Essentially this is what happens on your PC when you use a virtual program for protection. Whatever you encounter while surfing; Trojans,Worms Viruses, or spyware, they will not be allowed to come into contact with your C:drive. All of your activities will occur in a virutal reality that vanishes when you reboot or turn off your machine. The state of your machine will be as it were, prior to going online.

The new virtual protection systems will allow you to continue all of your activities as usual, but without the inherent risk of infection from malicious software. (Malicious software is developed for the purpose of destroying or harming your computer.)

You can rest assure from constant threats, once you have a virtual protection program in place. There will be minor adjustments that you will have to make in order to save your documents while you are surfing in the virtual environment, but that is nothing in comparison to the security that it will provide............
"Now you can surf the Net without fear for your computer's safety, or kicking out the big bucks for never ending subscriptions.

A few programs that are currently available, and has a free personal edition are: 1.Returnil 2.Sandboxie 3.Altiris

My personal favorite is Returnil. It is the only one that I can personally vouch for. It was the first one that I encountered and it worked like magic for me. I didn't really have a need to try the others. They may work equally as well. The best way to find out about a product before you install it, is to look for a forum that list the pros and cons of it. This is an excellent way to stay informed, and it allows you the chance to make a well informed decision.

Once you have a virtual system installed, you can check out new programs before you actually install them on your hard drive, without compromising the safety of your system.


"Surf Secure and be well informed"............Ram Rocks "Surf Security 101"