Drak

VLC is fine. It is very popular in France and has a lot of features. It works in both Linux and Windows. I tested video players and found that MPC-HC in Windows and Smplayer in Linux both seemed faster at playing high-def videos, but if you have fast hardware, speed of decoding may not really matter at all. I also find VLC's menu bewildering. It took me ages to find things. However, VLC seems to allow fine-grained control for the true audio- or videophile. Avast is good, too. I used it for years. However, third-party anti-viruses expire. Then the user must take action or else be without an anti-virus. A lot of users do not take action. People are busy. They are working on other things. They will go for years without an anti-virus. That is why I recommend Microsoft Security Essentials. It never expires. Another thing with Avast is false positives and the generally higher level of noise, alerts intended to get the user to buy more stuff. That can be annoying. But Avast may have a better track record with catching viruses. Also, the forum at the Avast web site is excellent, with knowledgeable people that can really help solve problems. Either Avast or MSE would be fine, as long as they remain active and running. If a program works for you, that's really the bottom line. MalwareBytes is useful, and a ton of people all over the world use it, but it's going to be useful after someone is already infected. I don't know whether it is really possible for the program to remove malware like it claims in every case, but it probably can remove some malware. With infected machines, I usually just reinstall Windows or move to Linux. LibreOffice may indeed be better than OpenOffice, because it is being actively developed. From what I understand, a lot of the developers jumped ship from OpenOffice a couple of years ago. LibreOffice is now the standard for most Linux distributions, which have abandoned OpenOffice. Yes, I would recommend looking into LibreOffice and replacing OpenOffice if you like the sound of it. Read about LibreOffice on Wikipedia.

Click "Read Full Entry," below, to view the illustration. In this ten-minute blitz game, I played the White pieces against a New Zealander of a similar rating as mine. Black is just two moves away from resigning. What is my next move? The answer is below. In this game, as usual, I played the Drunken Knight. My opponent adhered to Classical principles by opting for a strong center occupied by pawns, while I went the hypermodern route. The board above displays the fifteenth move. I haven't analyzed this with a computer--I never do--and haven't studied it for long. There may be a better move for White for all I know. If so, let me know what you find via a comment. 1.Na3 d5 2.g3 e5 3.Bg2 c6 4.b3 f6 5.Bb2 Be6 6.d3 Bd6 7.Nf3 Nd7 8.O-O Ne7 9.c4 O-O 10.cxd5 cxd5 11.Nb5 Bc7 12.Nxc7 Qxc7 13.Rc1 Qd6 14.Qd2 Rac8 15.Qa5 a6? Poor fellow did not see the threat at all. 16.Ba3 At this point, he loses a piece, and that came as a shocker, resulting in an early surrender. 1-0

I've been fighting viruses all my life. As a kid, I got cold viruses. As a young man, friends died or got sick from the HIV virus. Now, my friends get computer viruses. These are good people, intelligent, creative types that have their computer taken away from them by a malicious trick played by lowlife scum. I hate viruses and I hate virus writers because of what I have seen happen to my friends and family. To my knowledge, my computers are virus-free. I only say to my knowledge, because one never really knows. If a state government wanted to bug me or anyone for that matter, they could, and there's not much that could be done about that without spending a lot of time and effort on passwords, encryption and the like. I am too lazy to bother with any of that, and since I am not engaged in espionage, I imagine governments have better things to do with their time than spy on me. I am only really confident that my computers remain free of common, garden variety viruses. To experience my level of security should be easy. I will break my strategy down into five steps. 1. First of all, try to avoid downloading and running anything. This is a really basic principle. If Windows pops up a warning saying, "Do you want to allow / run / permit," then choose No. There are some things that are okay to run, but it's not easy for a non-technical person to determine what those things are. The default answer should be no. Also, if you are the admin setting security at your home or office, novice or minor users should not be granted access to install software. There is too much risk. 2. Use Firefox as the internet browser and install the add-on "NoScript." This add-on gives the user control over the scripts a web site can run. It pesters and annoys, but only the first time a new web site is accessed, because it will remember any permissions the user grants. This simple precaution of asking the user for permission first makes surfing to unknown sites safer. Only when a site is deemed trustworthy need a user permit scripts. An element of consent is introduced into the equation. Blindly accepting any and all scripts, the default behavior of web browsers, is not a particularly good idea. Keep the Flash player updated. 3. Do not download and run any pirated software, ever. That includes operating systems. Pirated software used to be safer about ten years ago, but now hackers are trying to make a living out of the scene. There is a reason that hackers make pirated software available, and it is not out of the goodness of their hearts. There are not many Robin Hoods out there. Just because software scans virus-free does not mean it is virus-free. Please. Running an .exe of unknown origin betrays a spectacular level of trust in strangers. Besides, software is not that expensive anyway. If you're on a budget, then use Linux and free software. Linux is far more secure than Windows. If in doubt as to which version of Linux to use, choose Xubuntu or Linux Mint XFCE. Look them up. Download today and replace Windows, if you're already infected. 4. If you don't have an anti-virus or can't afford one, then download and run Microsoft Security Essentials, a free anti-virus offered by Microsoft. I use it. It is efficient, effective, and stays out of the way. P.S. If you go the Linux route, you will not need an anti-virus. Ever. Just forget about anti-viruses in that case. 5. Don't continue using any email account that gets spammed to death. Either install filters to weed out or redirect into different folders incoming mail, or else create a new, virgin email address and only tell your close friends about it. If you receive 20 - 30 email messages per day and they all arrive in the same folder, chances are you will click on some phishing attack sooner or later and compromise your computer's security. Spam works because humans are careless and click on things by accident. So do whatever you have to do to avoid spam. Sometimes the simplest way is to discontinue using an email account and create a new one. People tend to use web pages to check their mail these days, but this is not desirable, because it is slower, and one becomes dependent upon a specific mail provider for things like filters. I use the Thunderbird mail reader and have created a vast number of filters to delete or redirect incoming mail, so that the only things I see in my Inbox are vitally important messages from my friends or family. I seldom ever see spam, but if I do, a new filter will be installed that very day. I think about a year ago, I received a spam in my Inbox, but it was something to which I had inadvertently subscribed. Remember, the three main vectors to virus infection are email--internet browser--downloaded software. It is also possible to get infected via the local network or by inserting an infected flash drive into the computer, but those scenarios are less common. I have seen both happen, but most people are infected through something they did on the Internet and because they had taken insufficient precautions. All of the above suggestions are precautions. ------------------------- Recommended Software List Operating System: Windows 7+. I recommend using Xubuntu or Linux Mint Xfce as a free and secure alternative to Windows. The software below is available to Linux, with the exception of MPC-HC and Notepad++. Internet Browser: Firefox, because it is a configurable and extendable browser. Install the Add-on "NoScript." Internet Search Engine: DuckDuckGo claims to respect user privacy and can be easily configured, but Google remains king for finding obscure things. Mail Reader: Thunderbird. With this powerful tool, you can check all your many email accounts with a single click, without using your browser at all. Need a good, free word processor and complete office suite? Download the latest version of LibreOffice. Text editor: Notepad++ Video Player: MPC-HC for Windows, Smplayer for Linux.

When I was a boy in third grade, my grandmother had persuaded me the old South had been a glorious and righteous heaven on earth for good people. The Klan was okay in the early days, a bunch of Confederate veterans trying to right wrongs, etc. The Civil War was a misnomer, it was actually the War of Northern Aggression. That is what she believed. In art class at school, I painted the Confederate flag, because it seemed beautiful to me, and maybe it is objectively, just as the swastika taken by itself without any historical connotations. The teacher had each of us show our painting to the class, so I did. After class, a black girl who was on friendly terms with me looked at my work and only said, "I like your drawing," but did not make eye contact and didn't smile, and I felt funny about it. Later, when I got home, I talked about the flag and about history with my father. He did not agree with grandmother at all. I never drew the Confederate flag again, and I never thought the same about the old South. One reason to avoid the flag is that there are painful memories for people of color. It is kind to think about their feelings, and unkind to remind them of the past or give them any reason to suppose that we want to bring the problems of the past back into the present time. The flag was a war flag, and there were many deaths and much suffering in the war.

During my sabbatical, I assumed the role of shaman, with a daily diet of cannabis from dawn to dusk, a regimen known as "wake-and-bake" among initiates. The holy sacrament of the old religion remains a precursor to spiritual awakening. I imagined powers unseen or poppycock, depending upon one's opinion. I do not remember much of it now. Weed offers a sip of the waters of Lethe, "sweet and blessed forgetfulness, mercy of the gods," so useful to those bedeviled by memory. What stopped my use was

How did I feel when my father died? The truth is I felt some relief. I loved my father, but his mind was not all there anymore. Age, dementia, mental illness, and stroke had taken their toll upon his once active mind. Some twenty years ago, we had ceased to really communicate well, like we used to in the glorious past, after his worst breakdown, the one that terminated his marriage to my mother. I still talked to him from time to time, but it was as though we spoke through a shortwave radio. The

As I sat on his sofa, he paced his living room like a caged lion, full of energy, smoking and talking and gesturing with his hands, an expressive and emotional man of thirty. Though offering polite replies to questions, I paid attention to less than half what he said, my thoughts diverted by the naked lipsticked and blue-wigged mannequin in the middle of his kitchen, the usernames and passwords scrawled in plain view on sticky notes beside his desktop computer, and the empty bottles secreted on

In his final moments, the forces of darkness made such a deafening din that he could no longer hear anything beautiful. Fleeing from real or imagined terrors, he turned at last to Death, the one magic all mortals can make, but only once. We may extinguish our light, but then there is darkness, and from the darkness, there is no return. He sleeps the long sleep. Blessed silence prevails, as he had imagined before his final act. In the Fortress of his Sepulchre, no longer does he dread the arrows

Qd8 is perfectly reasonable, inviting a trade of Queens with an eye on Black's material superiority. However, White can simply scoop up Black's defenseless pawn on a7 with impunity, evading the trade. There is a better move.

You should perhaps let the author of the story know of your reaction. I don't know whether to advise you to publish your secret or not. You may be using a real name, in which case that's a highly personal decision. But you can still write about it. Nobody says you have to share right away, here, or even under the nym you are using. You can always publish as Mr. or Mrs. X. From what I understand, plenty of folks do. I find writing therapeutic and somehow euphoric, like a drug, you know, so I recommend it to you, because it doesn't have side effects and is pretty much free, and society will think you're somehow deeper or ambitious just for trying. Although when I told a pastor I was writing, she just grinned with full teeth in a condescending way and said nothing, and I took that reaction to mean, "we've all been down that road before, and there's no way you can get anywhere by writing," and she might be right about that.

Unfortunately, Qd6 loses Black's rook.

That is fine, but there is a better move. Thank you for your comment. I have added a Wikipedia link that explains algebraic notation.

Yes. Those reactions are useful. You can harness that energy. Emotions can power you through an entire story or essay.

So this is why people go to the gym! lol

I've grown to love the Condal style of chess pieces, even the odd bishop that lacks a cross. The Condal bishop resembles somewhat the bishop of the Staunton chess set. Both seem to be wearing headgear of some kind. The headgear is the same as a medieval knight in full plate armor would wear, hence the confusion, but the knight in this set is represented by a horse, the most integral part of a knight. Medieval knights are mounted infantry first of all. A knight without a horse is just infantry. Some players call the knight in chess the horse.

This is definitely a classic post. One for the ages. I don't know whether we are going to have a whole lot more closet cases going forward, in our wonderful new world, but who knows. I think outing someone who is going out of their way to harm gays is not only justified but necessary, and sets the an instructive example for others. Ain't it weird that some of the worst homophobes were themselves homo? There is something profoundly dishonorable about that.

Click "Read Full Entry" in order to see the picture, above. This is my best recent blitz game. I played Black against a higher-rated player with a time control of ten minutes. With Black to play, what is the best move? White resigned two moves later. The entire game is below. Decide what you would move as Black and then compare your answer against mine. The chessboard displays move #21. Do you agree with my choice or do you find a better move? The algebraic notation used below is best explained by Wikipedia's article. Modern players use algebraic because it is actually simpler. Everyone knows just what the e4 square is. It is the same square White's pawn moves to when he plays P-K4, but it always remains e4, regardless of whether White or Black is moving. Algebraic notation never varies based upon whose move it is. That is why players prefer it. Here I play what I call the Drunken Knight opening with Black. I like it because it always puzzles my opponents and breaks them out of book straightaway. I have been told that other players call the opening Sodium, maybe because they find it causes high blood pressure. Note that the chessboard above displays move #21, with Black to move. 1.e4 Na6 2.Bxa6 bxa6 3.d4 Bb7 4.Nc3 g6 5.Nf3 Bg7 6.O-O c5 7.Be3 Nf6 8.e5 Ng4 9.h3 cxd4 10.Bxd4 Nh6 11.Re1 O-O 12.g4 e6 13.Bc5 Re8 14.Bd6 f6 15.exf6 Bxf6 16.Qd2 Nf7 17.Bf4 e5 18.Bxe5 Bxf3 19.Bxf6 Qxf6 20.Rxe8+ Rxe8 21.Qxd7 Bc6 22. Qxa7?? White ignores the looming threat and grabs a pawn. White's best reply is the passive, dismal Qd3. 22. Nd5 looks promising, but is refuted by 22. .. Qxb2!, which wins at least a rook and a pawn for a bishop. The game continued: 22. .. Qf3, at which point White realized the error of his ways and resigned. 0-1.

I browsed that article, but it turned out to be a bit more in-depth than I expected. I think Gates is doing good things with his charities to fight various diseases around the world. According to his Wikipedia article, "On December 9, 2010, Gates, investor Warren Buffett, and Facebook founder and CEO Mark Zuckerberg signed a commitment they called the "Gates-Buffet Giving Pledge." The pledge is a commitment by all three to donate at least half of their wealth over the course of time to charity." That's pretty generous, but I notice only three billionaires opted for that route. Ain't it awesome? I hope the gubbamint is doing the smart thing and stockpiling gas in the Strategic Reserve or whatever. It's kind of a shame though to realize the Saudis are doing it all just to shock America's budding industry, the shale or whatever it is they tapped up in the Dakotas. Well, we've seen boom-and-bust before in the Old West, towns that came and went when gold was found.

Oh yeah, I wanted to share this article about a Cornell student that got popped for smack (sorry, couldn't resist), but bounced back and graduated. She's all about the white privilege, but I think it's a nice story of redemption and renewal.

The practitioners of S&M are at least candid about what they like, whereas there are a lot of people that seem to get pleasure from the misfortune of others by various means such as pranks like the ones you described earlier in the forum. I think the Germans have a word for it, schadenfreude, I used to play around with various telemarketers and debt collectors that called my telephone, and that was a form of S&M probably too. They were trying to get money but wound up getting pranks instead. Now that I've gotten to be an old man and all, I just screen calls using a software program.

Well put, James. I hope that won't be the case, but with that old rotten egg, Putin, one never knows.

While shopping for wedding rings for my husband and myself, palladium made my short list, but in the end, something stuck in my craw. I'm the type of geek that likes to learn the gory details, for better or worse, and just had to read the Wikipedia entry for this metal I had seldom heard of save in the commodities page. Turns out palladium is mined heavily in Russia, where the politicians manipulate the price on the world market to benefit Russia. The same can be said of platinum, by the way. Well, that's a huge problem for me, because Russia is not playing nice with the gays right about this time. Gays are being scapegoated and prosecuted just for being gay. It's not right, and I don't want any of my gay dollars going to Russia if I can help it. For that reason, I opted for another metal, one that Russia hasn't cornered, good old-fashioned gold.

In general, I think the article above identifies a common pattern. It is way easier to abstain in a pleasant environment, not completely devoid of stress but at least nourishing to the mind and soul. When a fellow gets bored, stressed or depressed, that is the danger zone, and temptation is always around the corner. I have found this to be the case as well, because I was a binge drinker for much of my career, always buying a bottle of booze or a twelve-pack for the weekend. I began to really despise alcohol when I noticed that it made me grumpy and irritable and unpleasant to the people I cared about most. You know, if booze only made one mean to mean people, that would be okay, wouldn't it, because mean people deserve it, but instead, alcohol just causes collateral damage. I believe alcohol opens a gateway for evil to come into our world. I'm with Mohammed on that, I guess. When I changed jobs, I found that it was not difficult to simply quit drinking. I turned instead to cannabis, and it was relatively harmless, but certainly does slow the mental faculties and reduce one's energy levels. Now I'm pretty much sober, although I will confess to the occasional lapse, especially when under stress. I am glad I never tried coke. My brother tried to introduce me to that stuff, back when I was a teenager, but there were too many articles in the media about overdoses back in the day. Also, there is something about intranasal insufflation that appalls me. It's a dangerous mode of taking. Out of caution or whatever, I stuck with booze and weed, but stayed away from the hard stuff. Part of it was to defy my parents, because they were always telling me that marijuana would lead to heroin, speed, coke, etc., due to the "gateway drug" theory, and I wanted to prove them wrong. Anyway I relate with your posts, james, and say Right On for being out and open about addiction. It is a difficult thing, and we all have addictions of one kind or another, whether recognized or not. Addiction, especially alcoholism, is a big issue in the gay community. I think it may be because people are lonely, but there are other factors too.

Jesus was at least as gifted in speech as Oscar Wilde, but lived in a crueler age. In his whole career, the bachelor prophet uttered not a single word against homosexuality, unlike some who later spoke in his name. At the end, he was betrayed with a kiss. When the Roman soldiers stormed the Garden of Gethsemane to arrest him, he was not alone. Let us review Mark 14:51, 52: And there followed him a certain young man, having a linen cloth cast about his naked body; and the young men laid hold o

Only because I sought her advice, the Dear Lady sent a message, but like all her emanations, it could not be perceived in fullness until I transmuted. When immersed in a cloud of smoke, I conceived and wrote the following: Even when immersed in the darkness, in the ebb of life, when all hope seems lost--do you know? or have you forgotten again?--Mortal, even then. . . thou art cradled in the arms of the goddess. The light surrounds you, and no harm can come to you. Thou art joined to the light