Quote

I really like this quote. I would fit it in my screen name but there is a limit to the character length on that.

“To every thing there is a season, and a time to every purpose under the heaven: A time to be born, and a time to die; a time to plant, and a time to pluck up that which is planted; A time to kill, and a time to heal; a time to break down, and a time to build up; A time to weep, and a time to laugh; a time to mourn, and a time to dance.”
~Ecclesiastes 3:1-4~

Nope, I don't read The Bible or go to church. I found this quote as the default message for a screensaver. Cute.

Another quote, which saved my life, comes from The Active Listeners at KHS. I hope they know that their ideas and help are very much appreciated. “Be who you want to be, not who others choose to see.”

Effectively, it means that you should live your life how you want it and how you like it, not how everybody else does (friends, relatives, even just a stereotype on a group of people). So, goodbye, Firefox!

Another one that ties into this one quite well is the idea that we should be individuals - we don't all have the same jobs, ambitions, dreams or choices as anyone else - so what we do ourselves is out own decision - we don't need to compare ourselves against others. One of the very interesting things you can get out of this is the idea of the fact that we all have our strengths and weaknesses - we may see someone else who does better that we do (in our own opinion), and we may feel terrible because of it, maybe sometimes like you wish for things, or even that you think you can't cope with life anymore, but if you think outside the box, you would probably have noticed that they also have weaknesses - and you have strengths where they fail to succeed as far as you. There are many pressures that are put on us, especially when we start to notice the world in a much bigger view and find purposes for actions, responsiblites and that weird thing called money(!). So just think of this idea, this quote, this perspective, this concept. It's a life-saver.

And... TV *is* inspiring, e.g. The Simpsons. Yes, very funny, but it also includes some very touching speech:

Lisa: This is our pet. We can question his integrity and disposition, but we can't question his heart. Are you trying to teach us that the way to solve a problem with something we love is to throw it away?
Homer: [weeping] Oh, Lisa. If they're ever going to pull the plug on me, I want you in my corner, honey.

Retrieved from http://www.snpp.com/episodes/7F14.html, episode 'Bart's Dog Gets an F'.

	xxSunshineOnARainyDayxx wrote: SXC playgirl youre a bitch, why dont you get a life and go annoy someone else? Nov. 24 | Delete
	SXC•··Playgirl··•1 wrote: GGGGGEEEEEEEEKKKKKKKKK GET SOME FRIENDS ~!! Nov. 12 | Delete
	Jasmine_Dude17 wrote: Hi! Im bored! Wooohooo! Its sunday morning! YAY :D! ***Burn The Chavz*** Hmmmm! Bye xxxxxxx Nov. 6 | Delete
	xxSunshineOnARainyDayxx wrote: hey i like this one- "I wish I was a glow worm cos a glow worm's never glum- how can you be grumpy if the sun shines out your bum?" obviously thats why i have it as my msn name lol- not quite the same but hey... Nov. 3 | Delete

Off-Topic for Today: Who is LOL?

I have finally made a post that relates to my life! This blog, and maybe some others I will post, will contain 'random stuff'. Generally, just ideas for the day or something.

Firstly, I ordered a PS2 game on Saturday 22nd, 'Enter The Matrix', and it finally came a week later! I ordered it from Amazon.co.uk (of which I highly recommend) and from a new seller on their site, saying it was 'Like New'. Anyway, so when it came, they spelt my name wrong on the package (I'm just finding as many ways as possible to disrespect the seller), the casing was all tatty, and even worse, there were fingerprints all over the shiny part of the disc! It was really dirty! And I mean *really* dirty! So in that case I sent my feedback to the seller today with a low rating of 1/5. I eventually cleaned the CD up with instructions I got with my Dell Computer: "use a soft, lint-free [something that leaves no fibres on the surface] cloth and wipe from the centre to the outside, NOT in a circular motion" and it cleaned it up really well (thank you little cloth on my glasses case! lol). So, in conclusion, I learned to never buy from a new or lowly-rated seller from Amazon. Simple.

Second - it's my sister's birthday tomorrow, and I had to get her a card. I, of course, went to the new Tescos, but when I got there, there were no cards that said 13 on them! I thought about being practical and buying two cards, one with 6 on it and another with 7 (funny lol), but I didn't have enough money :( I got a Sister card in the end anyway :)

Reality Bytes: Protect your Computer from the Internet

Here are a few details of a report that The Gadget Show did that might interest some of you out there...

Viruses can come from emails, software downloaded from the Internet, or even just leaving the Internet on.

Users should be careful of software like e.g. Kazaa because some shared files may just be viruses.

The Gadget show also did an example of how dangerous the Interent is:

They set up a new computer - no protection installed or actiavted, Windows XP Pro with basic SP2 installed

During the first 45 minutes there wasn't a lot of crticical spyware or viruses installed.

A few minutes after, a zero-day exploit (worm that takes advantage of a security vulnerability as it becomes better known e.g. in media) infected the computer with the worm 'Sasser' (with the override program lsass.exe - the original is a Windows logon program) - it was then detected by the file management and task/process status logger and started to majorly affect the computer.

All the viruses together opened 500 internet connections in the network, and over 36,000 files were created and changed on the computer's hard drive, in just that time.

The energy resources were dramatically reduced to a point on the computer where the Operating System completely failed to load and 'died' - it was infected with so much malware that it was not possible to start or use the computer anymore without professional support.

And... BBC's Click Online programme (I seem to talk about that so much I must be an advertiser) also did a similar test - and it took the computer only 8 seconds to become infected with the Sasser exploit! View the report.

So that's how dangerous the Internet is. Shocking. And it's only getting worse with new viruses released every day. So here are a few links you can visit to help protect your computer from those Internet hazards:

1) Get a firewall installed before connecting to the Internet - they recommend Zone Alarm.

2) Install all the Windows Updates and optionally the Microsoft Updates.

3) Install a Anti-Virus software protection. They recommend a FREE program - avast! antivirus.

If you want to find out about other protection or security software, I have some suggestions on my Programs and Software page on my website. Click the links for 'System Maintenance' and 'Security & Settings'.

I also have a link to Symantec Security Check, that will analyse your computer for possible vulnerablities and then give details on how to solve them. This includes threats from viruses (you can choose to do a full scan of your computer), outdated virus definitions and protection software products, hacker exposure, Windows vulnerability and trojan horse check. Just simply install the ActiveX when prompted. The Security Scan option will take about 2-3 minutes to complete and then give you details of all the ports and whether they are open, closed, or in stealth. Don't worry about port 80, because that one allows access to the Internet!

And... on the subject of security, The Gadget Show also did a report about accounting passwords. You can visit this page to safely test how strong your password is and then read the tips below your result to learn how to make it stronger. You have to actually click the Submit button to confirm your password entry. Microsoft have also set one up here.

Plus... a link to an alternative of passwords - Passfaces. It sounds weird, but it is actually more secure and safe to remember a face of someone in a whole crowd of possibilities rather than a set of letters and numbers.

Spyware

Read the report that Click ("Online") did about spyware here.

You can also watch an example of how spyware infects your computer here.

	moi_me_hehe wrote: Cool site :) The law and order thing for the ages of 16, 17 and 18 i found interesting lol! (sad i know) Byee ~*Louise*~ Oct. 29 | Delete
	Zoë xoxox wrote: You are amazing. EVery blog I've ever seen (including my own) is about random crap that nobody cares aboot. But ures is amazing. Well done x Oct. 27 | Delete

"Euro English"

This is an old message that was passed on to me (yes, I know it's chain mail, but it's not threatening and it's funny).

Euro English

The European Commission has just announced an agreement whereby English will be the official language of the European Union rather than German, which was the other possibility. As part of the negotiations, the British Government conceded that English spelling had some room for improvement and has accepted a 5- year phase-in plan that would become known as "Euro-English".

In the first year, "s" will replace the soft "c". Sertainly, this will make the sivil servants jump with joy. The hard "c" will be dropped in favour of "k". This should klear up konfusion, and keyboards kan have one less letter.

There will be growing publik enthusiasm in the sekond year when the troublesome "ph" will be replaced with "f". This will make words like fotograf 20% shorter.

In the 3rd year, publik akseptanse of the new spelling kan be expekted to reach the stage where more komplikated changes are possible.

Governments will enkourage the removal of double letters which have always ben a deterent to akurate speling. Also, al wil agre that the horibl mes of the silent "e" in the languag is disgrasful and it should go away.

By the 4th yer people wil be reseptiv to steps such as replasing "th" with "z" and "w" with "v".

During ze fifz yer, ze unesesary "o" kan be dropd from vords kontaining "ou" and after ziz fifz yer, ve vil hav a reil sensibl riten styl.

Zer vil be no mor trubl or difikultis and evrivun vil find it ezi tu understand ech oza. Ze drem of a united urop vil finali kum tru. Und efter ze fifz yer, ve vil al be speking German like zey vunted in ze forst plas.

If zis mad you smil, pleas pas on to oza pepl.

	PhotoDirect wrote: lol, that is hillarious! I like it Oct. 22 | Delete
	SatanicPoopCan wrote: Haha, yes it made me smile. Ooh, go water bearers <3. Just passing throughhh. byee;x Oct. 21 | Delete

General Things and Stuff

I hate...

FIREFOX BROWSER AND MSN TOOLBAR - tabbed browsing is just so f**king difficult to use. Someone serious like me needs to switch between windows and webpages easily, not grouped together. Same for the 'Group similar taskbar buttons' on the Windows XP start menu/taskbar. In which case, I disabled that annoying feature. I am dreading Internet Explorer 7!... Firefox will always be second best in my eyes - I only have it installed if I have problems with IE (like Norton Internet Security bugging the Internet Access thing again).

APPLE - don't even go there. Wasting my time already. The iPod aswell. Give me an EMP (electro-magnetic pulse) and I'll wipe the entire range of Apple products out. Goodbye, Steve Jobs! This is uncalled for, Apple make decent, innovative products and Steve Jobs was wonderful.

DOGS - I'm allergic to them so stuff 'em. *turns into Cruella DeVil* "Skin their coats. All of 'em! Dirty mongrels!" I'm no longer allergic and I love dogs.
-- on the subject of sister and mother looking up websites to adopt a Cavalier King Charles.

SPIDERS - just remember them as being 'small beasts with too many legs'. Uurrgghh...

NEWS UPDATE! - The Sun has produced an article saying that 80% of UK 25-35 year-olds are scared of spiders!

Here's some other random stuff I was thinking about...

MSN Video - some really funny short clips from all over the media. Updated quite often.

Your Rights at 16 Years of Age - haven't they missed out 'Allowed to buy a lottery ticket'?

Wikipedia definition of Chav - it's official, Asbo and Chav have both entered the dictionary (see BBC News).

M4A.com - The new, better quality, smaller resulting file size and LEGAL (free) audio file type than MP3 or MP4. This website gives all the info about the new sound/music format and explains why it's better than MP3.

Here's some quote off some guy who was on Jack Dee Live At The Apollo:
I'm not talking 'floppy disc', I'm talking 'hard drive', 'major ram', 'memory stick'...

Here's another really interesting set of 'facts' that Jasper Carrott talked about in one of his shows:

Children are a lot like old people:

they only eat mushy food

they both require medication (Carrott's example was 'teenagers and old people use drugs')

when talking to them you have to pronounce your sentences clearly otherwise they don't understand you

they make very big holes in your pocket, e.g. injections

Amazing that, isn't it?

	Luca wrote: I wouldnt say firefox is crap. I used to use it too! But stick with Internet Explorer for ya basic web browsing needs. For the extra plugins (eg: Isohunt plugin) then go for firefox Msn toolbar sucks. u got that rite Nov. 20 | Delete
	devilsdreamer wrote: Firefox kicks:P You silly young child of the age of 15 :P haven’t you grasped the accessorising possibilities of firefox. Tis mucho better compared to the joys of IE. Oct. 25 | Delete

"Don't mess with Agent Smith, Mess with MSN Messenger"

Here are a few things I posted on my website... I think I will move them over to here permanently.

Mess-Names.com - Some really good and funny names you could use for your screen name.

Web Messenger - A web-based version of MSN Messenger to use on computers that don't have the real thing installed. This online utility would only be really good if it wasn't blocked at school, as my friend pointed out!

Advert Banner Removers - From this page, choose the appropriate download for your version of MSN Messenger, then save to [C:/Program Files/MSN Messenger]. With the patch, you will be able to remove the advertisement banner, 'Add a Contact' bar, search bar and buttons, all buttons, and much more! Patching MSN gives you the ability to customise all of its features, makes it look less cluttered, and have extra tools! Mess.be - Not my favourite website due to the bad interface, but it has some little surprises hidden in the 'mess' (get it??? lol), like an image list of all the emoticons (see right) and some hidden ones as well! (e.g. (xx) is an X-Box)

	-bossplw- wrote: ur popular =P Oct. 10 | Delete
	Clicketyclick9 wrote: hi like the space my addy is g_l_u_g@hotmail.co.uk plz add me luv lottie Oct. 8 | Delete
	ellie wrote: hey nice space ? no pics ov you tho ! add me 2 msn > ellyD_2k5@hotmail.co.uk Oct. 8 | Delete

[ARCHIVE] Reality Bytes: When Technology Turns Bad...

This article has been archived and updated to a newer version, however, this blog is intact for reference reasons.

I had problems when playing my downloaded AVI files (The New Series of Doctor Who, if you want to know) on Windows Media Player tonight. They kept playing and making a green shuddering like the Matrix or something - so I knew it had to be the Xvid Codec that I recently installed. But when I uninstalled it, there was no video, just sound could play!

So I looked around for some free Xvid/DivX codecs and finally came across DivX Play Bundle 6.0.3. It now plays my files perfectly and without any shuddering. Download the Windows XP/2000 version at this link or download the Windows ME/98 version (v2.6) at this link (direct download links).

I also have another link some of you may find useful - anybody who downloads movies will know that playing incomplete files is a useful thing, but some users will also know that Windows Media Player can't play incomplete files... so I used Google to find a free player and here it is: the VLC Media Player. Direct download here. VLC can play many audio/video formats, including DVD/CD and even streams. See this page for the full features list.

I hope this comes in use to someone else who may have the same problem. Enjoy!

Luca wrote:

hey, i had the same problem. I downloaded this codec to that YOU suggested then it f*cked up n it went all green. I uninstalled it then it went bk to normal. u were just unlucky m8

Luca

Oct. 11 | Delete

Feeling Ill, Tired or Depressed? Remember: It's All In The Mind...

I was ill a week ago with that weird bug "going round". Here's a life-changing tip to beat it, and all the viruses or diseases you catch in the future.

Stay strong in the mind... that's what I do. I denied every second that I was ill, even thugh I had some of the worst pain. I said to myself "no, I'm not ill, I'm not wasting my time, I'm gonna do something with my life."

And I felt much better when I thought that. I did orginally 'feel' I was dying, but I denied it.

I had: aching feet when twisting them, a very sore throat when swallowing and when waking up in the morning, a very bad cold and lots of phlegm, a constantly blocked nose, general headaches, tiredness, mild depression, slight lack of concentration, striking pains in my head from my ear to my throat (possibly an infection), mouth ulcers, constantly flaking skin on lips, increased acne, difficulty sleeping, a lack of appetite, and aching pains down my legs, on my back, on my chest and down both arms.

But I beat all that. Every single 'feeling', I was able to eliminate, forget about, not bother thinking or waste my energy on. I would like to say something very sensitive to previous events that have happened (I am solving them with help from and thanks to the Active Listeners, Connexions Advisor Julie Kay and Angie Pearson) on this space, but it is not a good influence to mention it. You can probably guess - it was at a highly critical stage of thought. But at a certain point, my ambition - my adrenaline - just starting pumping - a desire to escape the world of stress, isolation in a world of illness - and become stronger. And I just instantly became more alive. I just felt so much better. And you can do the same.

And the weird thing is... I didn't take any medicine that week. Okay, maybe some Soothers for my sore throat, but no pain killers. No anti-virus. Just pure spirit.

So when you're sitting in bed thinking that you're gonna die, and that the world around you could do better without you, as they don't seem to care anyway, you feel terrible, and you can only imagine yourself becoming weaker, remember what I have told you here. Think of the things you could be doing. Don't waste you're time and life just sitting there! And if you can't think of anything that makes you happy, then you haven't lived.

I have a feeling there's gonna be a debate, controversy or complaint about this, or at least someone against me or who thinks I'm strange or annoying to state life-changing things that I don't have any evidence on. But just remember what I have written. The truth. The hopeful truth. A useful note from a reliable, trustworthy and generally situation-serious friend. Thanks for reading, and I hope you have learnt something. If you haven't - don't worry - it's your life.

	Rockin_N_Rollin_Sha-Sha wrote: wow... pretty wise thing to do... cool space Oct. 5 | Delete
	Patrick wrote: yeh you could do that or get some medicine and a couple days off work/school :D Oct. 5 | Delete

An iPod, a Game and a Download

Visit this page to view a collection of images about how to destroy your new iPod nano. Seriously. Chuck it out your car window, drive your car over it, drop it and chuck it in the air. Scratched, smashed, shattered, dented.

If I could trackback to someone's blog entry, I would, but I can't. In which case:

I found out about a new PC demo game to download. It's called 'Total Overdose: A Gunslinger's Tale in Mexico' by Edios Interactive (same producers as the Lara Croft: Tomb Raider Series). The download link page is here. Apparently it's a cross between Grand Theft Auto San Andreas, True Crime: Streets Of LA and The Matrix. Although a 309MB download, it is probably worth a quick play. I really enjoy a good shoot-em-up game.

Plus... you can download it easily with a very useful program called Net Transport. Website here. It can download from normal HTTP, FTP, MMS and RTSP - yes, that's right, it can download movie/video clips streams! It allows you to pause/resume a download no matter where it last finished, it also allows you to quickly download a link or all linked sources (images, scripts, flash, whatever) on one page by clicking a command on IE's contect menu (when you right-click), and can even detect (monitor) certain file types that Microsoft Internet Explorer attempts to download (like ZIP or EXE). Very useful program. And best of all, it's free.

Reality Bytes: MSN Messenger Problems???

What the hell does "There has been a catastrophic error. Please stand by." mean??? My MSN Space hasn't been hacked has it??? Why not just say "Busy atm. Brb soon" hehe lol

And... I tried logging on on today, and it says it can't log me in. The little rotating yellow/green icons rotate, but it won't let me in! After curiously clicking the Troubleshoot button and loading the test, it says "The gateway appears to be offline." What does that mean? But when I clicked Restart it logged me in in the background.

Update 22/10 - I opened MSN Spaces from the button in MSN Messenger and a page loaded saying 'Service Unavailable'!

Update 26/10 - MSN Spaces was closed down at midday to reopen a few hours later. The message 'The MSN Spaces

network is being upgraded and is temporarily unavailable. Please try again later' was shown almost every time I tried to access another page on the website. But I luckily managed to get some of my new content uploaded.

Update 05/11 - MSN Spaces shows this message: "Sorry, we are unable to complete your task at this time. The MSN Spaces service is experiencing difficulties. Please try your task again later." Sort it out Microsoft!

Update 09/11 - I may have figured out why the message I posted just before this one was appearing. It so happens that I have an advertisement blocker installed, with g.msn.com (MSN's redirection/advertisment server) on my Blocked list. I have moved it onto my Allowed list for now seeing that I have most of the adverts blocked.

	-x_im_not_okay_x- wrote: grr.. msn.. that happens to me .a lot. Nov. 5 | Delete
	ChinchySxymilkshake wrote: kwl nice simple like simple tlk some time Oct. 3 | Delete
	Lickable_Lolly_Pop_Lady wrote: hey add me if u want n we cn chat cya around x x Oct. 2 | Delete