Phantom

Maybe we could get more funding if we get Dr. Oz to promote it as a weightloss system

Uhh... they released a new photo of Pluto... the previous one was out of focus but this one is perfectly in focus... Time for a new arms race! Edit to add: Photo didn't upload correctly

Of course you would

Is Richard Gere around?

What you do is go to the settings of AdBlock and there's an option to white list domains and all you have to do is add gayauthors.org to the list and boom there you go! Except it won't be a boom more like a mouse click... same difference at times though

I was wonder what the odoriferous smell that seemed to come from the sky was....

While I was MIA from Gay Authors (Stupid life events getting in the way) I took a lot of technology classes offered by Microsoft and CompTIA to keep myself up to date on current technology and what not. Because of this I ended up changing my college major from a BS in Information Technology heavy in the security field to a B.S.Ed Career and Technical Education/Business, Computer, and Information Technology Education Program (Long winded title for Information Technology Teacher). I'm still attending Community College primarily to get my core courses out of the way and doing a transfer to Temple University. Well that's the program I'm in but could change depending on what other colleges are offering with a program like that (my academic advisor recommended that particular program). To sum it up at age 29, I finally know what I'm going to do in life and complete this goal, become a professional student and then a Computer Science teacher. The prospect of going through this program and becoming a teacher is very exciting but at the same time, very nerve wracking. I know I'm getting practice by teaching basic computer use workshops but still the idea of working full time as a teacher in a Primary or Secondary school is very harrowing. I know it's something that i want to do but at the same time I wonder if I can do it. I guess time will tell and I hope it tells me that it's what I am meant to do (As the saying goes, If you enjoy your job you never work a day in your life). On a final note, the main reason I was MIA for a bit from here was mainly because I was going through physical therapy for my back due to an injury I got. It got to the point that I could barely move or bend without serious pain affecting my back and knocking me through a loop, Two CAT scans, and most recently an MRI, later I was referred to a Pain Management Clinic run by Penn Medicine and now am going through more treatment for my back. As it turns out the injury I had that caused discs in my back to get screwed up and also land me with two cysts in my inner spinal column that are pressing on the messed up discs. This time around I'm getting steroid shots in my back and doing intensive aqua physical therapy in the hopes that we can fix my back without getting invasive since the next step would be back surgery to correct the problem. Wow. This turned out to be a long blog... but hey Caver Lector (Latin phrase for reader beware haha)

Depends on the browser you're using but in the settings/options menu of most modern browsers there's an option called "Do Not Track Me" which 'limits or rejects' cookies from sites (Most major sites don't follow this but there are some that do). I know Google Chrome, Internet Explorer (and the new browser for those updating to Windows 10 when it's released called Edge aka Project Spartan) and Mozilla Firefox. I'm not sure about the others but there's probably an option there as well. You can also get different addons/extensions for your browser like AdBlock that stops the adds from showing BUT should you do this make sure to white list GayAuthors.com as they get revenue for adds on the site. That's just my little lesson but remember google is your friend and can explain/show more Eric Edit To Add: Just saw what Carlos Hazday posted about phone tracking. What most people don't know that even if you turn off your location tracking you can still be tracked either by cell tower triangulation or by the phone company sending an override if they are provided a warrent and such. A phone can also be activated to track even if it's turned off... all a cell company has to do is signal the phone to go into a maintenance mode and from there it can be tracked. Just some more info PS: Don't quote me on the phone stuff but there are some sites regarding privacy settings and such that explain about phones and tracking and such.

I'm still shudder at the memory... I'm just glad it was an easy grab and pull and didn't have to get more... invasive

Yep TetRefine is right. If you've been searching for different things, reading articles about different topics, or really anything with key buzz words, google Ad Sense will pick up on it and display an ad it thinks is relevant to you. The best way to avoid marketing like that is to periodically clean out your internet cache, cookies etc. If you do that you get the generic stuff related to the site you're on than what you've been reading on the web. Now for a quick lesson There are two ways to avoid this, one is to regularlly clean up your browsing history and start fresh at least once a week (I have a program on my computer that does it automatically when I close the browser so I never have to worry about it). The second way is to browse in incongnito/hidden mode. That mode, while not allowing items to be downloaded onto your computer that can allow Ad Sense to see what you have seen, doesn't prevent tracking and such by the website, ISP's etc. Eric

One time the toilet in the bathroom was backed up big time, couldn't flush it or anything without it spilling over (it was only no.1 thankfully). I went out and got drain-o and tried that... no luck... So I went downstairs to go again (I had a lot of coffee that day heh) and found the same predicament. Since both toilets were backed up and the common thing linking them was the sewer main, I knew what I had to do... I went out to my shed and got a snake and wrench and prepared myself to go down into the crawlspace where the sewer main ran. When I came upon the offending object I was hit with really noxious sewer gas smell and almost passed out. So I crawled out of there, back to my shed and got a face mask (I'm a handyman and do a lot of handy work around my house and neighbors when they need it), sprinkled lavender essential oil, and went back down into my crawlspace. Ready for anything now I saw what was going on, the sewer pipe was leaking a bit from the overspill pipe which meant my worst nightmare, the pipe itself was clogged and I had to unclog it manually. So I loosened the overflow pipe, stuck the snake in there and pretty much jiggled the stuff causing the block. I heard my roommate yell that the toilets were draining which meant the clog was gone but I kept hitting something so I used the snake's grabber thingy and pulled out the offending object. As it turns out it was a used tampon that my sister must have flushed while she was here and I cringed because of how bloated it was with not only some of mother nature's presents on it but the fact it retained some no.2 excrement's and stunk to high heaven. I took that and threw it out in the trash. I know it's not necessarly all in the bathroom but it is highly bathroom related and very very gross. Thankfully I got the clog because I've seen what an untreated clog in the sewer main can do if to much pressure builds up in one and it's not a pretty site and leads to a shitty time to fix and clean up.

I've changed my vote from Xbox 360 to Other. Why other you may ask/wonder/not care... well it's because I built myself a PC gaming monster rig (Intel i7 3.5ghz processor, 32 gigs DDR3-12800, Dual GeForce GTX 970 Dual SLI setup, Nvidia 3D Vision ready 24" monitor with Nvidia 3D glasses, etc) that also doubles as an emulator for various consoles like SNES, N64, etc. Basically I can run any computer game at top form and yet still play Super Mario Brothers on SNES without having to leave my chair lol!

I cringed when I opened my email to see the mass invite to our companies Charity’s Night Out. As I read through the email and see which restaurants have been chosen for each charity, I balked at the words ‘mandatory attendance required unless otherwise excused by your supervisor.’ I hated social functions and I hated eating out at restaurants so I sent off a quick email to Emily, my supervisor, telling her that I couldn’t make it because I didn’t know of anyone to go with or to invite with me.

You hate blind dates and avoid them like the plague. Unfortunately, you didn’t find yourself a date for one of the most important events you company is holding. When your boss finds out, she says she has the perfect date for you. When you ask she simply says your date is “something special.” What is your blind date like?

Think I'll give Prompt 430 a try... but the penguin calls to me sooo....

So I'm back after an extended soul searching, life reaffirming, dealing with government idjits period (and brain searching, seriously if anyone finds my brain please tell it to come home!! My skull's getting cold and lonely) I've decided to come back to a community that's been there for me in the past and continue to lend my support for Gay Authors. In the time that I was gone I noticed that a good friend of mine has passed away and I was sadden to see the post about Trebs. He was in so many words that Jiminy Cricket to me and helped me through so much when we first met on GA. I'm sad to know that he's gone but I know he's still around because this site he helped to make is here and providing people with a creative outlet, social forum and a place to just be yourself. Other than that I've got nothing new going on. I'm still dealing with government idjits trying to get disability for my back (which if you do or don't know is completely messed up from a past incident) and working with the EEOC on a claim I filed against an employer for discrimination. I've started back to school part-time and, drum roll please, will be teaching a computer course twice a week in the fall for those who need to learn how to use one or refine their skills (as a volunteer... seeing if teaching is for me). Oh and I'm still in school... going for my BS in Information Technology and, if I think it's for me, becoming a Computer/Technology teacher for either high school or on a community college level. Then again, who knows where the tides of life take us. Eric

Well... I think the theroy behind this is more simple then a psychological explanation... When it comes to meat, wine, etc the motto is Aged to Perfection... and I think we can add gerontophilla to the list

Thinking about this topic about getting personal data hacked or stolen online I realized that we kinda skipped over another area of security that some people don't realize, your garbage can. There's been stories in the news of people's who's identities have been stolen from bills, credit card offerings, Medical Bills and other sensitive stuff that they either didn't shred, just ripped in half and at times even after shredding. Seeing these stories got me to thinking and I made myself what I call a burn pile where any document that has sensitive material on it that I don't need or expired or what have you, get thrown into that pile. Once it builds up I make myself a nice little bonfire in my fireplace or firepit, depending on the season. For example tonight was the night I got my fireplace going and was able to destroy things down to ash. Literally there is no way to recover any information when it's nothing but blacked cinder. I even got a picture of it at work.

I use a random password generator with Norton and save them so that when I show up on a website, it automatically populates the passwords based on what the site requires and lets you store them automatically as a login that populates on the site your logging into. Now for it to populate, you have to have the toolbar running and type in the password for the 'password vault'. Also if I'm on the go, I have a norton app that saves the passwords and lets me type them in without having to memorize them. Finally, if all else fails, I write down all my logins and passwords on paper and keep it in a safe place so if Norton or something were to go down, I still have access to it. While it's not foolproof (see Heartbleed) It's a pretty safe and secure method. Just remember when someone tells you it's impossible with not just only computer security but anything in general, Nothing is impossible, just highly improbable.

I have to say it was very deep and emotional. You could feel the emotion with each passage. Thank you for posting it and sharing your feelings!

Woo hoo congrats!!

Well, I've recently upgraded both my laptop and tablet to Windows 8.1 (well, 8.1 update 1 but as we all know it's a service pack so nice try Microsoft) and I'm finding that I'm liking the revision that they did. It brought back more of the desktop experience which is what a lot of people like and missed with the original Windows 8. So to me Microsoft, with the latest update, turned it into Windows 7 with a brand new start menu interface. Now don't get me wrong I am by no means a Microsoft fanboy but I will give props where props are due. Over the past couple of years I've used all three desktop operating systems (Linux, Windows and OSX) and two major mobile systems (Android and iOS) and have found pros and cons with them all to which this blog is about (I'm feeling super geeky today haha). So this blog is going to be all about the desktop operating systems: Windows Pros: Most common operating system used and allows a seamless transition in terms of knowing how to use it, from one computer to another IF they're using the same version of Windows Going from desktop system to a mix of cloud and desktop (one drive) Most software and peripherals are designed with Microsoft in mind Heavily used in large corporate environments, medical fields and government areas Heavy integration now with Office 365 and Windows to make it seamless Many MANY games are designed to be used with Windows Has its own App store for windows compatible software Windows Cons: Unless you have a good Security Software system you're more susceptible to viruses Does not play well with other operating systems unless you know how to 'make it work' (heh Tim Gunn reference) Media store (like iTunes, Amazon or eMusic) is just plain horrible. Even naming it zune just shows how bad it is (and for those who don't know or even heard of Zune, it was a media player that Microsoft made to compete with the iPod and its now dead but the name lives on UGH!) Heavy and professional music editing software, while able to work on Windows doesn't play well at times and many professionals prefer to use Apple for that reason Internet explorer, one of the worst internet browsers to exist in my opinion, and should have never been allowed to exist (if you have it I implore you to use Google Chrome or Mozilla Firefox!) Has its own App store for windows compatible software running in the Metro/Start Menu interface Apple Pros: A very stable system needing very little attention and extremely user friendly At the forefront with a lot of new technology and ideas While security software should be installed, it's not as susceptible to viruses like windows is Excellent and pretty much designed for editing media such as movies, pictures and music Safari proves to be a pretty good contender for a built in web browser Excellent built in media player with access to iTunes (one of the most popular places to buy and purchase media) Uses Sandbox to prevent non-signed applications from being installed unless it is directed by the user Has its own App store for apple compatible software which can be installed on any apple computer that is linked with your apple ID Apple Cons: Uses a lot of peripheral technology which makes a lot of things incompatible with other operating systems until they are released (e.g. Thunderbolt, lightning connector, 30pin designed only for iPods and tablets Not a lot of software compatibility between the two and cannot run windows applications without either having a OSX compatible release or running or running Bootcamp or inside a virtual machine Until apple started using Intel, it was nearly impossible to get any windows applications used thanks to the PowerPC processor they used instead Apple's version of office leaves much to be desired with when compared to Microsoft Office Heavy integration with iCloud with provides Windows users and Android users a portion of the power that it provides those with out iOS devices or OSX Uses it ownership of iTunes to market the latest and nicest apps on the Apple App store Cannot easily change your apple ID Not a lot of games are compatible with Apple but most gaming companies are fixing this Linux Pros Follows the Free and Open Source Software (FOSS) doctrine which allows users with the heavy tech knowledge to go in to the actual operating system, tweak it to their needs or improve it Uses a community based ideal to allow people from all over the world to use and modify it easily Easier to set up for server applications (many companies use enterprise versions of Linux to run websites, servers and backbone infrastructure to allow communication between all operating systems using the SAMBA suite (open source implementation of SMB protocols) Just like OSX, it is not as susceptible to viruses and malware but still like I mentioned its always good to have a good security software system enabled There is a variety of 'flavors' to use for the interface. Everything from graphic oriented to minimalist design Some companies (like Dell and HP) offer it as an alternative to Windows and offer support with it as well Offers app stores on some Linux systems that contain the FOSS Linux Cons Most software used by OSX and Microsoft are not compatible with Linux unless use an emulator like WINE and even then it might not work Updates and security fixes depend on the different Linux flavor you use and how often it can be updated Some companies have chosen the path to offer two types of their Linux product, one that is entirely FOSS and the other that costs money due to proprietary drivers that cost money to include to play various media, drivers and other items. Some streaming media companies do not support Linux (Netflix is one example) while some do (Hulu and Pandora are the two that I know of) Cross-compatibility with documents and media sometimes result in either corruption or messed up formatting. Integrated media sales platforms are either non-existent or provide a very limited selection (best one to use is either amazon or eMusic) So as you can see there are many pros and cons to the various desktop systems while my lists provide a brief glimpse into the pros and cons, of them it is by no means a comprehensive list and I could be wrong on some points so if I am or you have something to add, please feel free to add your comments in this blog. I also want to add that the next blog will deal with Android, iOS and Windows mobile operating systems which should be just as interesting if your technosavvy. The last thing I add, because there are people who feel strongly about the systems individually, I do not want flame wars appearing in the comments. Any that do will be deleted and reported per the GA rules. One final point if you have questions or need help with something with any of the systems listed above please let me know by contacting me at phantom.586@outlook.com and I'll help you best I can. I do this for a living as a band 1 technician for a very big company (which means help desk and troubleshooting). Cheers and thanks! Eric aka Phantom **edit to add: Thanks to an anonomyous reader for pointing out errors and edits that I missed **

Why not call it what it is... 'The reason why your cable bill is going up even more now building'

As you may or may not know I've been absent from GA for a bit and recently came back and not only re-connected with people but am making new friends in the process. Awhile back I was working as a youth support specialist for at risk (read really really super bad) youth. At first the job was good and I was able to work with some but as time went on, the general trend of the kids changed. About a year into the job I was involved in what we call an intervention where we have to basically get an out of control kid back under control using Safe Crisis Management Techniques (basically different holds we were taught by an instructor to prevent a child from hurting themselves) where I was injured pretty bad. The kid that was out of control managed to get me off balance and threw me back into a metal water main where it messed up my back pretty bad. Fast forward four months and I was back on the job but was assigned to a different unit. This unit consisted of shelter kids, the type that run away or were picked up by the police. Needless to say it was different then the type of kids that I worked with and unfortunately let my guard down. There was a kid who was picked up by the police and dropped off with us and that's where things went bad. The kid was quiet and followed our instructions until the time it came for us to search his belonging for contraband. At I was about to the kid pulled a knife on me and told me to get away from him. He slashed it at me a few times before I managed to knock it from his hand and get him restrained using a physical intervention. After that I started to have severe panic attacks, depression and flashbacks so I went to see a counselor about it where I was diagnosed with PTSD. For those who don't know what PTSD (Post Traumatic Stress Disorder) is, it's a condition brought about by a traumatic event and can change you in ways that you wouldn't imagine. For me I get flashbacks if I'm in a certain type of area, I hear radio chatter on a walkie talkie, someone comes up from behind me and surprises me and other things. These flashbacks always make me see and hear things that happened at the youth detention center. Other times it sends me into a major panic attack that can sometimes require medical intervention. The other symptoms that's happened is that I hate being in crowds unless I have someone I know and trust with me, I can't be in a locked building unless I know I can get out because I have a key or something like that. The worst of it is I have a hard time meeting new people face to face because I don't know if they're dangerous or not. Even with all of that I still am the same person I've always been; sarcastic, funny, intelligent and willing to help someone in need. I came back to GA mainly because I missed interacting with the people here and learning from everyone no matter where in the world they are. I find it relaxing and well... therapeutic in a sense but most of all fun. So now you know why I vanished for a bit and came back. If you ever want to ask questions or anything let me know I'm always willing to talk and provide people with insight with a personal PTSD and anxiety. Cheers!

Gotta hand it to you this was a really nice story... Kinda true to life with how some people go about asking for a date haha. I really think you should write some more