Ziggy Prime's Daily Grind

Five years ago, I left Thalia Clan.

For those who were around then, for those still in Thalia, and for those who know me best, this was quite a departure from my path.

Twenty some off years ago, I began questioning my faith. At the time, my parents and I were in a church that had stumbled down the path of the charismatic. Speaking in tongues, jerking around, and all that. Like the kid I was, wanting to be part of the group, I played along. That’s right, I played along. I spoke in tongues. I jerked around. When the adults translated what I was gibbering into words of Faith in unfaltering English, it broke my faith. I mean, I knew I wasn’t saying anything, and I reasoned that anyone with the real gift of the spirit would have seen right through my act. As they didn’t, I realised that they were acting, too.
Over the next ten years, I sought out truth, and meaning. Where I found the Bible, I found an absence of anything but illogic and fear. In 1997, I gave up on Christianity.

In 1998, I was introduced to a group of people that a friend had been talking about for some time. He led me to believe that they were a group of freethinkers to whom sex was not that big a deal and “if I couldn’t laid in Thalia, then I couldn’t get laid.”

As one of the priestesses of the group came on to me at my first social, I figured they were correct. The hormones of a twenty year old override the spiritual search of said twenty year old.

But something told me to turn her down. Granted, in the short term, that was a bad idea; it led to her trying to ruin my life. But, in the long term, I think it was the best decision I made. Because I said no, I met my first wife, and we hit it off, getting married and having Young Springer.

“Wait,” the rabid pseudo-reader says, “I thought you hated your ex-wife.”

Truth be told, I don’t hate her. I did once, but I have let it go. I hate some of her actions, and her pettiness, her self-centered-ness, but I do not hate her. The marriage to her helped set the stage for my marriage to Mrs. Springer, and now most is right with the world.

Back to the story at hand. I joined Thalia, originally assuming it to be a groinal free-for-all, and several events bore that out. Over time, I felt what was really at the root of it. It was not sex, not really. It was togetherness; a group of like minded individuals, standing against the darkness, doing what they believed was right. The sex was incidental, and the lasciviousness was practiced by a small subset of the group. Looking for a quick boff, I found my faith again. Funny how that works out.

Over the next five years, I grew as a person, and became first a dedicant, and then an Initiate in the Storyteller tradition. It is one of the achievements that I am proud of, even today. My arm bears the mark that I gave myself (well, sort of. I paid for the guy who did it, anyway) to commemorate the event.

In 2002, my marriage fell apart, and my ex-wife left Thalia, and Paganism. Just before my divorce was final in 2004, I left Thalia as well. Other than a brief stint in another hearth, my time as a Pagan was nearing its end.

It is now 2009. I have attended a memorial for someone I knew in Thalia, and a lot of old feelings have come up. A lot of good feelings.

The problem is that I know that I barely knew the people who were serious about the faith, and now I find myself beyond the barrier of strong agnosticism. Logic has a funny way of closing the doors to the illogical, and I find myself having only slightly more faith in my former Pagan beliefs as I do in Christianity.

I have found that since I abandonned the idea of God that I had held for so long, everything else in my life is falling into place. There is no one that will do for me that which I need to do, so I am doing it for myself. And it is working.

Don’t get me wrong; there are people for whom Paganism is perfectly acceptable and healthy. I am just not one of those any more.

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World Builder from BranitVFX on Vimeo.

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Former Vice President Dick Cheney accused President Obama of ‘dithering’.

Yeah, the reality is much different, as we have come to expect from Bush cronies.

Robert Watson, Ph.D., coordinator of American Studies at Lynn University has documented some of President Obama’s accomplishments between January-August 2009.

1. $789 billion economic stimulus plan
2. Announced his intention to push for energy reform
3. Announced his intention to push for education reform
4. Announced plans to purchase fuel efficient American-made fleet for the federal government
5. Announced the long-term development of a national energy grid with renewable sources and cleaner, efficient energy production
6. Appointment of first Latina to the Supreme Court
7. Attempting to reform the nation’s health care system which is the most expensive in the world yet leaves almost 50 million without health insurance and millions more under-insured
8. Attractive tax write-offs for those who buy hybrid automobiles
9. Authorized construction/opening of additional health centers to care for veterans
10. Authorized discussions with Myanmar and mission by Sen. Jim Webb to secure the release of an American held captive
11. Authorized discussions with North Korea and private mission by Pres. Bill Clinton to secure the release of two Americans held in prisons
12. Beginning the process of reforming and restructuring the military 20 years after the Cold War to a more modern fighting force… this includes new procurement policies, increasing size of military, new technology and cyber units and operations, etc.
13. Beginning the withdrawal of US troops from Iraq
14. Better body armor is now being provided to our troops
15. “Cash for clunkers” program offers vouchers to trade in fuel inefficient, polluting old cars for new cars; stimulates auto sales
16. Changed the failing/status quo military command in Afghanistan
17. Closed offshore tax safe havens
18. Deployed additional troops to Afghanistan
19. Ended media “blackout” on war casualties; reporting full information
20. Ended media “blackout” on covering the return of fallen soldiers to Dover A.F.B.; the media is now permitted to do so pending adherence to respectful rules and approval of fallen soldier’s family
21. Ended previous policy of awarding no-bid defense contracts
22. Ended previous policy of cutting the FDA and circumventing FDA rules
23. Ended previous practice of forbidding Medicare from negotiating with drug manufacturers for cheaper drugs; the federal government is now realizing hundreds of millions in savings
24. Ended previous practice of having White House aides rewrite scientific and environmental rules, regulations, and reports
25. Ended previous policy of not regulating and labeling carbon dioxide emissions
26. Ended previous policy of offering tax benefits to corporations who outsource American jobs; the new policy is to promote in-sourcing to bring jobs back
27. Ended previous policy on torture; the US now has a no torture policy and is in compliance with the Geneva Convention standards
28. Ended previous practice of protecting credit card companies; in place of it are new consumer protections from credit card industry’s predatory practices
29. Ended previous “stop-loss” policy that kept soldiers in Iraq/Afghanistan longer than their enlistment date
30. Energy producing plants must begin preparing to produce 15% of their energy from renewable sources
31. Established a National Performance Officer charged with saving the federal government money and making federal operations more efficient
32. Established a new cyber security office
33. Established independent commission to make recommendations on slowing the costs of Medicare
34. Expanded the SCHIP program to cover health care for 4 million more children
35. Expanding vaccination programs
36. Families of fallen soldiers have expenses covered to be on hand when the body arrives at Dover A.F.B.
37. Federal support for stem-cell and new biomedical research
38. Funds for high-speed, broadband Internet access to K-12 schools
39. Held first Seder in White House
40. Housing rescue plan
41. Immediate and efficient response to the floods in North Dakota and other natural disasters
42. Improved housing for military personnel
43. Improved conditions at Walter Reed Military Hospital and other military hospitals
44. Improving benefits for veterans
45. Increased infrastructure spending (roads, bridges, power plants…) after years of neglect
46. Increasing opportunities in AmeriCorps program
47. Increasing pay and benefits for military personnel
48. Increasing student loans
49. Initiating a new policy to promote federal hiring of military spouses
50. Instituted a new focus on mortgage fraud
51. Instituted a new policy on Cuba, allowing Cuban families to return “home” to visit loved ones
52. Instituted enforcements for equal pay for women
53. Instructed all federal agencies to promote openness and transparency as much as possible
54. Limited salaries of senior White House aides; cut to $100,000
55. Limits on lobbyists’ access to the White House
56. Limits on White House aides working for lobbyists after their tenure in the administration
57. Lower drug costs for seniors
58. Making more loans available to small businesses
59. Many more press conferences and town halls and much more media access than previous administration
60. Negotiated deal with Swiss banks to permit US government to gain access to records of tax evaders and criminals
61. New Afghan War policy that limits aerial bombing and prioritizes aid, development of infrastructure, diplomacy, and good government practices by Afghans
62. New federal funding for science and research labs
63. New funds for school construction
64. Ordered all federal agencies to undertake a study and make recommendations for ways to cut spending
65. Ordered a review of all federal operations to identify and cut wasteful spending and practices
66. Ordered a review of hurricane and natural disaster preparedness
67. Paid for redecorations of White House living quarters out of his own pocket
68. Phasing out the expensive F-22 war plane and other outdated weapons systems, which weren’t even used or needed in Iraq/Afghanistan
69. Put the ball in play for comprehensive immigration reform
70. Reengaged in the agreements/talks on global warming and greenhouse gas emissions
71. Reengaged in the treaties/agreements to protect the Antarctic
72. Removed restrictions on embryonic stem-cell research
73. Renewed loan guarantees for Israel
74. Restarted the nuclear non-proliferation talks and building back up the nuclear inspection infrastructure/protocols
75. Returned money authorized for refurbishment of White House offices and private living quarters
76. Sent envoys to Middle East and other parts of the world that had been neglected for years; reengaging in multilateral and bilateral talks and diplomacy
77. Signed national service legislation; expanded national youth service program
78. States are permitted to enact federal fuel efficiency standards above federal standards
79. Students struggling to make college loan payments can have their loans refinanced
80. Successful release of US captain held by Somali pirates; authorized the SEALS to do their job
81. The FDA is now regulating tobacco
82. The missile defense program is being cut by $1.4 billion in 2010
83. The prison at Guantanamo Bay is being phased out
84. The public can meet with federal housing insurers to refinance (the new plan can be completed in one day) a mortgage if they are having trouble paying
85. The “secret detention” facilities in Eastern Europe and elsewhere are being closed
86. The White House and federal government are respecting the Freedom of Information Act
87. US Auto industry rescue plan
88. US financial and banking rescue plan
89. US Navy increasing patrols off Somali coast
90. Visited more countries and met with more world leaders than any president in his first six months in office

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I want to apologize to my regular readers for the service outage. I won’t go into too many details, but there were a few things that needed work while it was down.

That being said, welcome back!

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10. Homosexuality is not natural.
    As a matter of fact, homosexual behavior is found in 1,500 species, from primates to gut worms.
9. If you are not Christian, Islamic, or Jewish, you are a Pagan or a Satanist.
   Most Satanism is derivative from Abrahamic faiths… even the name “Satan” is taken from the Bible.
   Paganism is also a small subset of those who are not of the Abrahamic faiths. This opinion eliminates pretty much all Eastern religions, atheists, deists, and quite a few others. It stems from a misunderstanding of the basics of faith.
8. When discussing religion with a non-Christian, the Bible is acceptable proof of point.
   Well, no. If a work is considered to be, at best, opinion, and, at worst, myth, by your opponent, then using it as an authoritative source is silly.
7. If you don’t have a religion, you are an Atheist.
   This eliminates Deists, or anyone else who considers themselves spiritual and not religious. Atheism is the absense of belief in god. It is possible to believe in god without religion.
6. The rules of debate do not apply when debating religion.
   I have personally run into this one on more than one occasion. If you are trying to debate anything, even religion, you must follow the rules of debate and avoid fallacious arguments.
5. If I yell/use caps lock, they are bound to agree.
   Think about this in the reverse, and you can see how silly this is.
   Christian: I believe in Christ.
   Hellenist: THE GREEK GODS EXIST! THEY ARE REAL AND YAHWEH IS A MYTH!
   Christian: But the Bible…
   Hellenist: THE BIBLE IS A STORY MADE UP TO DENY THE REALITY OF THE HELLENIC GODS!

   See? Yelling/caps lock does not persuade, it annoys. This falls into the same realm as bad spelling, profanity (I recently had a Christian call me a “jackass” for not agreeing with him), and many other negative methods of communication. It does more to damage your credibility that anything else you say.

4. If I repeat myself enough times, they will agree.
   The sky is purple. The sky is purple. The sky is purple…
   Did that change your mind? No? Well, I’ll keep doing it…
   The sky is purple. The sky is purple. The sky is purple. The sky is purple. The sky is purple. The sky is purple. The sky is purple. The sky is purple. The sky is purple. The sky is purple. The sky is purple.
   Did that change anything? No? Then why do you think it helps your case?
3. If something is named or based on a Biblical source, it would not exist without the Bible.
   This is a fallacious argument. Let’s take the calendar, one this that has been pointed at in a recent religious discussion I participated in.
   The idea is that, without Christ, then we wouldn’t have the calendar, since BC and AD are both based on the supposed birth of Christ, and that Anno Domini, which means “after god” means that Christ had to be god, otherwise, why would people use Domini? Do you think they did not have calendars before Christ, or before the Gregorian calendar? Ever hear of BCE and CE? Yes, it matches BC and AD, but it is out of convenience. Our months were named by the Romans, so without the Romans, we wouldn’t have months? Some of our days are named for Nordic gods, so, therefore, by the same logic, they must exist, too?
2. Christianity is under attack from Secularism.
   This assumes that secularism is a movement, an organization, or a creed. It is none of these. Christianity is about 28% of the world population, followed by Islam at ~23%. For every two Christians, there is one who considers themselves as Atheist, Secular or Agnostic. By sheer numbers, the Christians outweigh Seculars. Even if they were “under attack” such a movement would be doomed. People love their security blankets.
1. The Bible has no contradictions.
   There are probably as many works detailing the contraditions in the bible as there are books in the bible. I am neither qualified enough nor learned enough to pick them all out. Wikipedia has several good articles on the topic, including Internal Consistency of the Bible, Biblical Criticism, and The Bible and History.

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Remember, remember the fifth of November,
The gunpowder treason and plot,
I know of no reason
Why the gunpowder treason
Should ever be forgot.</em></dd> </dl>

Two videos for the day:

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WARNING: There is adult language and imagery in this movie. Okay, the language is adult, but the imagery is not much better than would be passed around a middle school classroom. But, you have been warned.

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So, the book is plugging along at a good pace. I have, however, noticed something.

Unlike my previous writing, I find killing much easier. I think I blame/credit Scott Sigler with making death so much less objectionable to me than it once was. So far, there have been more than two hundred deaths in my book, two in detail, and I do not feel that bothered by it. I mean, the two detailed deaths (not gruesome – I haven’t gotten to that point yet) were characters, true, but they were created just to be destroyed. I do not feel guilty about it.

So, Scott, in homage to the effects you have had on my writing style, a taste of hell:

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Source

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Yes, peebles, it is NaNoWriMo time again.

Some of you might know what that means. For those who don’t, it means I will vanish for a month.The only people likely to see me are other NaNo writers, family, my wife, and those at work.

I am actually writing science fiction this time. I will post daily updates to Twitter, and, therefore, Facebook, so be of good cheer.

Now, to do some plotting and character development…

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Well, I tried. I honestly tried.

Currently, my home desktop has three operating systems: Ubuntu 64, XP 32, and XP 64. Last night, I picked up a copy of Windows 7 64 and tried to install into the space reserved for it, a 200GB chunk of unpartitioned space at the end of my main drive.

The results were, so far, less than stellar. After taking about 45 minutes to install, it rebooted… sorta. Luckily, it didn’t kill Grub, so I worked on the Grub config until I got it to boot into the Windows 7 partition. So, it configured, and configured… and then threw one of Microsoft’s pointlessly vague errors: “Windows cannot configure the hardware in your computer.”

Wait, what? What the heck does that even mean?

So, I rebooted from the DVD. I ran the check to try and repair the install. The result was even worse. The only issuev reported was the system booted successfully. Yeah, figure that one out if you dare.

I ran the install again. I had enough time to eat dinner with my wife while it tried to work. Again, it came up with the same error. Giving up for the night, I resolved to try again once the grading is done. (Due to a minor error, I’m going to have to regrade an entire class’s projects. Yay, fun.)

After all that, I tried to reboot. For some reason, Windows 7 hosed my XP 32’s install. I think it’s only the MBR, but I think it will take me some time to fix it. Time for a backup. Yay.

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It is my birthday. And so, here is a story:

One sunny day a rabbit came out of her hole in the ground to enjoy the fine weather. The day was so nice that she became careless and a fox sneaked up behind her and caught her.

“I am going to eat you for lunch!”, said the fox.

“Wait!” replied the rabbit, “You should at least wait a few days.”

“Oh yeah? Why should I wait?”

“Well, I am just finishing my thesis on ‘The Superiority of Rabbits over Foxes and Wolves’.”

“Are you crazy? I should eat you right now! Everybody knows that a fox will always win over a rabbit.”

“Not really, not according to my research. If you like, you can come into my hole and read it for yourself. If you are not convinced, you can go ahead and have me for lunch.”

“You really are crazy!” But since the fox was curious and had nothing to lose, it went with the rabbit. The fox never came out.

A few days later the rabbit was again taking a break from writing and sure enough, a wolf came out of the bushes and was ready to set upon her.

“Wait!” yelled the rabbit, “you can’t eat me right now.”

“And why might that be, my furry appetizer?”

“I am almost finished writing my thesis on ‘The Superiority of Rabbits over Foxes and Wolves’.”

The wolf laughed so hard that it almost lost its grip on the rabbit. “Maybe I shouldn’t eat you. You really are sick…in the head. You might have something contagious.”

“Come and read it for yourself. You can eat me afterward if you disagree with my conclusions.” So the wolf went down into the rabbit’s hole…and never came out.

The rabbit finished her thesis and was out celebrating in the local lettuce patch. Another rabbit came along and asked, “What’s up? You seem very happy.”

“Yup, I just finished my thesis.”

“Congratulations. What’s it about?”

“‘The Superiority of Rabbits over Foxes and Wolves’.”

“Are you sure? That doesn’t sound right.”

“Oh yes. Come and read it for yourself.”

So together they went down into the rabbit’s hole. As they entered, the friend saw the typical graduate student abode, albeit a rather messy one after writing a thesis. The computer with the controversial work was in one corner. To the right there was a pile of fox bones, to the left a pile of wolf bones. And in the middle was a large, well fed lion.

The moral of the story: The title of your thesis doesn’t matter. The subject doesn’t matter. The research doesn’t matter.

All that matters is who your adviser is.

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Dear sir,
I want to thank you for your submission to Weird and Wonderful Tales. Although your story was, indeed, weird, the editorial staff and I felt that the premise was a bit too implausible, even for fantasy fiction. This story went too far beyond the bounds of our own world to have much appeal to our readers.

Some of the sections we had the most issue with:

• The idea of an asteroid striking Nuyao millions of years ago was novel, but the supposition that anything would have survived an event such as you describe is implausible at best. The intense heat from the explosion would surely cook everything on the land, in the air, or in the sea.
• That the animals that survived were the fur covered milk-bearers was, again, implausible. Did you not know that they give birth to live young? Without the protection of an egg, how are they to survive the harsh conditions that would exist after the impact?
• The milk-bearers eventually losing their fur and becoming the intelligent “humans” was beyond belief, even for us. Millions of years of science have shown us that these creatures will never develop beyond their current state as pets and sometime pests.
• Finally, that these “humans” would form a world wide civilization powered by “oil” in less than a hundred thousand years was the final tooth, as it were. It has taken us millions of years to evolve to the point we are at now. Such a species, in their haste, would strip this world to its core for metals before learning constraint.

If you plan to make any future contributions to Weird and Wonderful Tales, please keep these sticking points in mind. No one’s scales are too thick to take a bit of constructive criticism.

Best regards,

Rongilan Garahra
Asst. Editor
Weird and Wonderful Tales
(To those good intentioned well wishers, this is a piece of flash fiction, not an actual rejection letter… read it closely if you are confused)

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• is looking crosswise at C code, and packing it in for the night… tomorrow is another coding day. #
  
• figured out the getchar() thingy, but can’t get the damn thing to compile on his Linux laptop. #
  
• is currently installing Server 2003 virtually as a development environment. Ah, it is good to be a geek… #
  
• is frustrated with teachers who throw curve balls at their students and want me to pick up the pieces. #
  
• is frustrated when his grammar am broken. #
  
• is flying solo for a bit… first time in a while. #
  
• is awake but shouldn’t be… solo is lonely. #
  
• is. #
  
• is suffering from early morning heartburn. I know their are antacids somewhere, but don’t have the energy to go box diving. #
  
• has been waiting for three weeks for a grade, and has students complaining at him after one week. #N280 #
  
• is all like stroke stroke stroke and not getting anything out of it except a calm monster. #
  
• hat den Hunger eines Bären. #
  
• Oh yes, enter me… that sounded a lot worse than it was supposed to. #stxcudaxt #
  
• is barely awake and has a nasty taste in his mouth. #
  
• I like this video by @alyankovic http://twitvid.com/EFE89 #
  
• RT @alyankovic GRAMMAR, people!!! http://twitvid.com/EFE89 #
  
• I like this video by @alyankovic http://twitvid.com/BF9B7 #
  
• is glad Mrs. Springer is home safe and sound. Man, the apartment was quiet without her! #
  
• just got back from Marsh with many bags of goodies. #
  

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The Daily Show With Jon Stewart	Mon – Thurs 11p / 10c
Rape-Nuts
www.thedailyshow.com
Daily Show Full Episodes Political Humor Ron Paul Interview

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Youtube
Songwriters: Berryman, Guy Rupert; Buckland, Jonathan Mark; Champion, Will; Martin, Christopher A J;

I used to rule the world
Seas would rise when I gave the word
Now in the morning I sleep alone
Sweep the streets I used to own

I used to roll the dice
Feel the fear in my enemy’s eyes
Listen as the crowd would sing
“Now the old king is dead! Long live the king!”

One minute I held the key
Next the walls were closed on me
And I discovered that my castles stand
Upon pillars of salt and pillars of sand

I hear Jerusalem bells a ringing
Roman Cavalry choirs are singing
Be my mirror, my sword and shield
My missionaries in a foreign field

For some reason I can’t explain
Once you go there was never
Never an honest word
And that was when I ruled the world

It was the wicked and wild wind
Blew down the doors to let me in
Shattered windows and the sound of drums
People couldn’t believe what I’d become

Revolutionaries wait
For my head on a silver plate
Just a puppet on a lonely string
Oh who would ever want to be king?

I hear Jerusalem bells a ringing
Roman Cavalry choirs are singing
Be my mirror, my sword and shield
My missionaries in a foreign field

For some reason I can’t explain
I know Saint Peter won’t call my name
Never an honest word
But that was when I ruled the world

I hear Jerusalem bells a ringing
Roman Cavalry choirs are singing
Be my mirror, my sword and shield
My missionaries in a foreign field

For some reason I can’t explain
I know Saint Peter won’t call my name
Never an honest word
But that was when I ruled the world

And for your viewing pleasure:

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One of the few drawings I made as a teenager that was of any skill was that of a Trank, a three legged tank that I based on the Tripods of the War of the Worlds, the White Mountains, and the mechs of Battletech.

There are now tranks.

THERE ARE TRANKS.

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• It was not uncommon for the tribe to be attacked during a storm. The driving rain made for a stronger element of surprise. #
• The shape did not move like a wild cat, nor a bear. The old woman motioned to the others, not wanting to face the unknown alone. #
• They looked out of the corner of their eyes, trying to not to reveal their individuality to the shape, relying on the group for safety #
• The shape stumbled into the opening of the cave, suddenly in sharp relief, revealing the dirty, bearded face of an unknown human. #
• If he had been injured, they would probably have turned him back out into the night, refusing to use their limited resources to heal him. #
• As it was, he was cold and wet, but otherwise intact. He sat on a dry spot near the door, and waited with the tribe for the rain to stop. #
• In the morning, the storm was over, and both the stranger and the tribe slept. She was the first one awake, and curiosity won out over fear. #
• will be halting the Twitter Novel for #NaNoWriMo. This is the year for my triumphant return. #
• If you don't "believe" in evolution, you are not allowed to have a flu vaccine this year, as they are based on evolutionary science. #
• Is 95% moved in and feels worse than when he was hit by a car when he was younger. #
• is constantly amazed when technology acts in ways it is not supposed to due to bad programming. Come on, people, do your jobs. #
• is both excited about and dreading this year's #NaNoWriMo. #
• wonders if any of his friends have ideas for what he should write this year? #NaNoWriMo #
• is feeling pretty good about life, love, and those around him. #
• wants to be president so he can abuse the constitution and get away with it the way Bush did. #
• is amused when someone with an ego too big for their britches tries to order me around. #
• 9/11 was a faith base initiative. #
• The September 11th attacks were a faith based initiative. #
• is opening boxes of books. It's like Xmas! #
• is a curse to coffee shops, apparently. This would be Number 5. #

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A recent revelation is leading me to believe that I may have to deal with someone who irrationally hates me. This is a person with whom I was friends with years ago who ended our friendship because she was led to believe that I was trying to break up the relationship between her and her significant other.

As it turns out, this individual is connected to people in my current life as well as people in my past with whom I am trying to reestablish ties. The revelation came when I saw her post a comment to someone I had thought unconnected with that past.

When last I communicated with this person, I was basically screamed at, accused of deviousness and selfishness. It was especially painful because I had once considered this person almost close as a sibling. Before the question is asked, I will respond. Yes, her relationship with her significant other is something I would be glad to see end – not for me, as I have no and want no stake in the outcome – but for her, her emotional and mental health, and for most people who care about her. That being said, it is none of my business and I want to be and will stay completely out of the situation. It may be possible to stay separate from the dramatic vortex that situation caused, but I am unsure whether or not other forces will conspire to make it rear it’s ugly head once again.

So, after that lengthy introduction, here are some of the tactics I will employ to keep this situation from blowing up if it does come to it.

1. Stick to the truth. Don’t be concerned with trying to prove it. Just maintain your belief in it and support for it.
2. Don’t give an inch. Irrational hate is usually born out of fear. If you act as the irrational person’s life preserver, they will latch on to you and not let go until you are a deflated hernia pillow.
3. Be kind, but don’t loan money. In other words, be nice, but not too nice. Be a friend, not a complete support system.
4. Don’t put up with the insanity. If they say something weird, don’t let it slide.
5. Make peace or make tracks. If it can’t be resolved, don’t let it fester, just let it go.

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Red Rabbit from Egmont Mayer on Vimeo.

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Well, we’re moved. We’ve moved from a seven room apartment to a three and a half room place, and, somehow, we were able to fit it all in. Of course, it looks like some place out in the west of the US, with huge mesas of boxes filling every square inch that is not a walkway, or the vertical surfaces we need to live, such as the couch, bed, and… um…. Well, actually, that’s about it. We got the desks cleared off, to some point, but there is still stuff there, so it is not exactly clean. There are CDs and DVDs on the coffee table, baskets of kitchen stuff on the dinette, and Addi’s new bedroom is full of boxes of books. Have I mentioned that I hate moving?

Granted, we found things that have been missing for a long, long time. I found an internal card reader I had repaired and lost, books and videos that had been missing for years, and a whole host of other things.

The real victims in this were my C programming projects and exams. I missed one project, and got an 89% on an exam because I couldn’t find my book. I shoul be able to swing a high B or a low A still, but we’ll see.

Of course, my muscles and joints are a mess. That was to be expected, as I worked as hard as I could (through some interesting, if nearly pointless, injuries).  My amazing desk chair, that had been getting long in the tooth, had to be sacrificed, partially due to the nine inch long gash I sustained when I sat down on it with the arms shredded to near worthlessness. I am healing, but the chair should be on its way to the incinerator for its crimes.

Mrs. Springer is doing well. Like a faithful and loving husband, I shouldered the brunt of the heavy labor. She did her part, no doubt about it; but I gladly stayed behind a few times, pushing harder than I thought possible, to get our old place clean and the stuff packed and out.

There were a few bright spots. I must admit, I like breaking things, and dropping things out windows has a special place in my heart as well. Two pieces of furniture needed to be broken down, as it shattered, to make them easier to drop into the dumpster, some three stories down. Strong arms and a pair of heavy fencing pliers made short work of an old coffee table and a backgammon table that we, and everyone else we asked, didn’t want. A lot of my misplaced frustration about the move went into each swing, and the two tables fell into wooden shrapnel quite quickly.

I want to say, once again, what a wonderful gift my wife gave me these two Christmases ago when she gave me an 80gb iPod classic. From the Scott Sigler novels to music, by way of Escape Pod, the combination of the iPod, a neck case (albeit, designed for an older iPod), and a pair of ear buds kept my mind off my creaking joints and screaming muscles. On top of that, I lost nearly ten pounds, although that is not as impressive as it sounds.

Finally, it is over, save for the unpacking. Next comes putting up shelves!

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• We have a child's metal desk and chair, coffee table, backgammon table for anyone who can get them by Wednesday. Call or message. #
• is alive, still, no thanks to the massive amount of stuff that needed to be moved… #
• I suggest I am so sorry but I cannot open the account. I would suggest that I will transfer you to cable for you to be further assisted.#bcs #
• is constantly amazed by the ego of some women… #
• is seriously considering doing something interesting with Twitter…. #
• Yes, I can. #
• Chapter One #
• In the beginning, it was a mother's grief that sparked the change in behavior. #
• Her name was a quick click of the tongue, followed by a throaty growl. #
• In modern time keeping, she was just over twenty, but among her tribe, it was a little odd that this had been her first pregnancy. #
• The reason was not biological; she wasn't homely or infertile. She was vicious. The first man who tried to mate with her had not survive … #
• She had sliced off his manhood with a sharpened stone. He had stumbled off, screaming and bleeding. The tribe found him the next day, ju … #
• His skin was gray and his hands were frozen over the bloody stump. Few men were willing to try the same after seeing the body. #
• It took a stranger to finally attract her affections. He wandered to the mouth of their cave during a particularly bad storm. #
• The night was fowl. The winds blew a steady wall of water at the huddled tribe. The fire was carefully braced against the onslaught. #
• An old woman looked to the entrance. In the mist, a faint shape could be seen. Whatever it was, more likely than not, it was dangerous. #

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It is a rare opportunity to see an author improve over time, even though it happens often. In this case, I feel as if I have seen the author Scott Sigler improve dramatically. I happened across his first book, Earthcore, in my search for more podcast books to entertain me while I worked. As you might remember, I gave it a less than stellar review on this blog, due to a variety of things that I felt stood out and nagged at me while I was listening.
His two more recent works, Infected and Contagious, show an improvement beyond what I have come to expect. Granted, the work still suffers from tiny (and, due to their size, far too many) chapters, and cliff-hangers at the end of each one; but, even with this minor issue nagging at me, the rest of the work more than makes up for such minor annoyances. I will not spoil either book for you, but I will say that if you have a strong stomach, these books/podiobooks are well worth a listen, maybe more than one. I actually pre-ordered the dead-tree version of Infected before I listened to the audio version, and, when I have some book money, plan on ordering Contagious as well as any further sequels (There is a strong rumor of a third book in the works). These books are a tour de force for Scott.
These are outside my normal realm, as I am more into pure science fiction without the horror element. Yes, Infected and Contagious are filled to the brim with blood, guts, exploding bodies, and the like; they serve the story. Unlike Hollywood trash like Event Horizon, there was a point and a purpose to the gore. So, here’s the breakdown:

	Infected	Contagious
Plot	B+	A
Characters	B	A+
Consistency	A+	A+
Flow	B-	A
Action	B+	A+
Science	A	A+
Interest	A	A+
Dialogue	B+	A+
Dramatic Arc	B+	A+
Overall	B+	A+

That being said, after listening to the Q & A show, I don’t particularly identify with Scott himself. His ego annoys me, even if I am beginning to like his work. On one hand, he reminds me a bit of Douglas Adams; well loved, but egotistical. On the other hand, I do think Scott has something that Douglas was never able to understand: the ability to let the work stand as it is, without trying to perfect it to death.
To sum up, Infected and Contagious are two of the best podcast books out there. Scott personally annoys me to an extent, but I don’t think that should reflect on his work. After all, if I associated the work of an author with his or her personality of opinions, I would be severely limited in my choices of literary entertainment.

Links to buy the books:

Infected

Contagious

(Please note: This is not a commercial blog. I don’t get kickbacks from Scott, Amazon, or anyone else. This post is purely my opinion.)

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• is sans Web but has something better. #
• "It is not our war, not our hate that makes us human. All animals hate. It is our humor." #
• "The path behind us is easy to walk. It is the path ahead which challenges us." #
• "Do not go blindly about your life; this is folly. The trick is to look at everything as a source of knowledge and understanding." #
• "A person is a person, no matter how small" #
• just had to remove someone from his past because of their shocking behavior. That's the way it goes. #
• just shot a C program out his rear end in an hour, using concepts not covered in class yet. Damn, it's good to be in the know. #
• feels like, thus far, moving is a stressful vacation. #
• Gd wants to stop evil, but can't? Then not omnipotent.
  Can, but won't? Then malevolent.
  Can, will? Then how evil?
  Neither? Why call him God? #
• is cool with the religious as long as they are cool with me asking tough questions. #
• To surrender to ignorance and call it God has always been premature, and it remains premature today.
  -Isaac Asimov #
• is a tool user once again! (Found his pocket knife!) #
• is almost through the Week of Hell… three major assignments, quizzes beyond number, and grading… need sleep… #
• SB on 38th, closed. SB on Capitol, full. Mojoe's it is! #
• All holy texts are creations of Man alone. Discuss the implications of this statement. #
• "Is it not a species of blasphemy to call the New Testament revealed religion, when we see in it such contradictions and absurdities?" #
• "It is not a God, just and good, but a devil, under the name of God, that the Bible describes." – Thomas Paine #
• "Of all the tyrannies that affect mankind, tyranny in religion is the worst." – Thomas Paine #
• "That God cannot lie, is no advantage to your argument, because it is no proof that priests can not, or that the Bible does not." #
• is amused that he is running a virtual Mac Plus through Wine… Mac emulated on Windows emulated on Linux… Now, to divide by zero… #
• lives in a science fiction future that people don't notice because they're boiled frogs… change came too slowly. #
• Is tired… Maybe too tired… #
• Is offline for a bit… Be back soon. #

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• is amazed that people still buy the bullshit being shoveled by those trying to defeat health care reform. I mean, really, death panels? #
• had a good day. Now, on to grading! #
• 867-5309 #
• Recession is over! #
• can't sleep… up early before a dental appointment. #
• is numb from the dental appointment, but it went okay, he guesses. #
• feels craptastic. #
• A name I didn't wish to see on the Litany of the Dead: http://www.cnn.com/2009/SHOWBIZ/Music/09/17/obit.mary.travers/index.html #
• is alive and doing okay for himself. And that's okay. #
• is occasionally the beauty in this world, and in humanity. #
• cleared off the dining room table. Arrr. #tlapd #
• Snarf snarf! #

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These people appear to be the 21st century version of PDQ Bach

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• is hanging out with his son and other peoples. #
• found a very, very old uncashed paycheck. Now to find out if it is still good. #
• just saw a guy with the Rebellion on his left arm and the Empire on his right #
• Just go for it and give it a try! Amateurs started Google and Apple. Professionals built the Titanic. #
• saw live turkeys today. What is it about animals that facinates us so? #
• is watching the world change for the better, again, hopefully. #
• This speech is making me again proud to be an American. #hc09 #
• has realized what went wrong, and that it was not totally his fault, and it makes things easier. #
• feels like he stepped in a hole and twisted his ankle… figuratively speaking. #
• is frustrated by friend's obfuscated posts, knows he does it himself, and still feels like he is being left in the dark. #
• is all like CHEESE! #

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The Cat Piano from PRA on Vimeo.

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I am unfortunate in that I have to occasionally deal with an emotionally manipulative person. (If you are afraid that I might be referring to you, most likely I am not, because worrying about my emotions on this matter is proof that you are most likely not emotionally manipulative)

That being said, I want to provide this list as a public service to my friends and readers.

Source

Emotional Manipulation is Also “Covert Aggression.” See: “Psychopaths: Wolves in Sheep’s Clothing”  Here is a list adapted from an article by Fiona McColl

1. There is no use in trying to be honest with an emotional manipulator. You make a statement and it will be turned around. Example: I am really angry that you forgot my birthday. Response – “It makes me feel sad that you would think I would forget your birthday, I should have told you of the great personal stress I am facing at the moment – but you see I didn’t want to trouble you. You are right I should have put all this pain (don’t be surprised to see real tears at this point) aside and focused on your birthday. Sorry.” Even as you are hearing the words you get the creeped out sensation that they really do NOT mean they are sorry at all – but since they’ve said the words you’re pretty much left with nothing more to say. Either that or you suddenly find yourself babysitting their angst!! Under all circumstances if you feel this angle is being played – don’t capitulate! Do not care take – do not accept an apology that feels like bullshit. If it feels like bullshit – it probably is. Rule number one – if dealing with an emotional blackmailer TRUST your gut. TRUST your senses. Once an emotional manipulator finds a successful maneuver – it’s added to their hit list and you’ll be fed a steady diet of this shit.
2. An emotional manipulator is the picture of a willing helper. If you ask them to do something they will almost always agree – that is IF they didn’t volunteer to do it first. Then when you say, “ok thanks” – they make a bunch of heavy sighs, or other non verbal signs that let you know they don’t really want to do whatever said thing happens to be. When you tell them it doesn’t seem like they want to do whatever – they will turn it around and try to make it seem like OF COURSE they wanted to and how unreasonable you are. This is a form of crazy making – which is something emotional manipulators are very good at. Rule number two – If an emotional manipulator said YES – make them accountable for it. Do NOT buy into the sighs and subtleties – if they don’t want to do it – make them tell you it up front – or just put on the walk-man headphones and run a bath and leave them to their theater.
3. Crazy making – saying one thing and later assuring you they did not say it. If you find yourself in a relationship where you figure you should start keeping a log of what’s been said because you are beginning to question your own sanity –You are experiencing emotional manipulation. An emotional manipulator is an expert in turning things around, rationalizing, justifying and explaining things away. They can lie so smoothly that you can sit looking at black and they’ll call it white – and argue so persuasively that you begin to doubt your very senses. Over a period of time this is so insidious and eroding it can literally alter your sense of reality. WARNING: Emotional Manipulation is VERY Dangerous! It is very disconcerting for an emotional manipulator if you begin carrying a pad of paper and a pen and making notations during conversations. Feel free to let them know you just are feeling so “forgetful” these days that you want to record their words for posterity’s sake. The damndest thing about this is that having to do such a thing is a clear example for why you should be seriously thinking about removing yourself from range in the first place. If you’re toting a notebook to safeguard yourself – that ol’ bullshit meter should be flashing steady by now!
4. Guilt. Emotional manipulators are excellent guilt mongers. They can make you feel guilty for speaking up or not speaking up, for being emotional or not being emotional enough, for giving and caring, or for not giving and caring enough. Any thing is fair game and open to guilt with an emotional manipulator. Emotional manipulators seldom express their needs or desires openly – they get what they want through emotional manipulation. Guilt is not the only form of this but it is a potent one. Most of us are pretty conditioned to do whatever is necessary to reduce our feelings of guilt. Another powerful emotion that is used is sympathy. An emotional manipulator is a great victim. They inspire a profound sense of needing to support, care for and nurture. Emotional Manipulators seldom fight their own fights or do their own dirty work. The crazy thing is that when you do it for them (which they will never ask directly for), they may just turn around and say they certainly didn’t want or expect you to do anything! Try to make a point of not fighting other people’s battles, or doing their dirty work for them. A great line is “I have every confidence in your ability to work this out on your own” – check out the response and note the bullshit meter once again.
5. Emotional manipulators fight dirty. They don’t deal with things directly. They will talk around behind your back and eventually put others in the position of telling you what they would not say themselves. They are passive aggressive, meaning they find subtle ways of letting you know they are not happy little campers. They’ll tell you what they think you want to hear and then do a bunch of jerk off shit to undermine it. Example: “Of course I want you to go back to school honey and you know I’ll support you.” Then exam night you are sitting at the table and poker buddies show up, the kids are crying the t.v. blasting and the dog needs walking – all the while “Sweetie” is sitting on their ass looking at you blankly. Dare you call them on such behavior you are likely to hear, “well you can’t expect life to just stop because you have an exam can you honey?” Cry, scream or choke ‘em – only the last will have any long-term benefits and it’ll probably wind your butt in jail.
6. If you have a headache an emotional manipulator will have a brain tumor! No matter what your situation is the emotional manipulator has probably been there or is there now – but only ten times worse. It’s hard after a period of time to feel emotionally connected to an emotional manipulator because they have a way of de-railing conversations and putting the spotlight back on themselves. If you call them on this behavior they will likely become deeply wounded or very petulant and call you selfish – or claim that it is you who are always in the spotlight. The thing is that even tho you know this is not the case you are left with the impossible task of proving it. Don’t bother – TRUST your gut and walk away!
7. Emotional manipulators somehow have the ability to impact the emotional climate of those around them. When an emotional manipulator is sad or angry the very room thrums with it – it brings a deep instinctual response to find someway to equalize the emotional climate and the quickest route is by making the emotional manipulator feel better – fixing whatever is broken for them. Stick with this type of loser for too long and you will be so enmeshed and co-dependent you will forget you even have needs – let alone that you have just as much right to have your needs met.
8. Emotional manipulators have no sense of accountability. They take no responsibility for themselves or their behavior – it is always about what everyone else has “done to them”. One of the easiest ways to spot an emotional manipulator is that they often attempt to establish intimacy through the early sharing of deeply personal information that is generally of the “hook-you-in-and-make-you-sorry-for-me” variety. Initially you may perceive this type of person as very sensitive, emotionally open and maybe a little vulnerable. Believe me when I say that an emotional manipulator is about as vulnerable as a rabid pit bull, and there will always be a problem or a crisis to overcome.

Now comes the hard part, dealing with the manipulator. Source

Manipulators work in covert ways. It is sometimes difficult to know that you are being manipulated, but then your frustration with this person grows over time and you know that something must be wrong with the relationship. You may feel pulled toward the manipulator, but then repulsed by this person at the same time. These relationships are generally conflict-ridden.

You may find yourself in a double bind. That is, if you go along with the manipulation, you feel angry – and if you drop the relationship, you feel guilty. It may seem that you can’t win. But there is a way out of the bind –

• Be aware of your own emotions within the relationship. Your emotions are your best tool for sensing that there is a problem between you and the other person. Examine whether you feel defensive, guilty, angry, or sympathy toward the other person. You may not have these feelings during the interaction, but afterward, when you are thinking about what happens between the two of you, these emotions might emerge.
• Define the emotion and understand the pattern. When you think about what happens between you and the manipulator, describe the emotions that you feel. Put your feelings into words. What specifically was said that led you to a certain feeling? How did you respond at the time? What was the effect of your response? (It may help at this point to work with a professional therapist who is trained to help you sort through this often puzzling set of questions.)
• When you have a good understanding of the pattern of interaction between you and the manipulator, ask yourself whether you want to continue with the relationship or not. Sometimes we find ourselves in toxic relationships, and if we aren’t getting anything positive from the relationship, it might be in our best interest to terminate it, or else place good boundaries around it (like limiting our time with the other person). Some relationships cannot, or should not, be ended unless there is a pattern of abuse present.
• Whenever a manipulation attempt occurs, right at that moment point it out to the other person. This is your way of taking control of the manipulation. There is no need to express anger when you give the manipulator this feedback. Do it assertively and calmly. The manipulator at this point might come back with a guilt trip or an angry response. Say something like, “I feel that you are trying to manipulate me at this point, and I am not going to go along with it. I would like a healthy interaction between us, so could you try to say what you need to say in a more positive and direct way?”

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Vol Libre from Loren Carpenter on Vimeo.

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• is having one headache after another with this ancient laptop… #
• was just accused of being an Atheist for questioning "biblical" values. #
• is sending this from his new LG Lotus. Excelsior! #
• seems to have become a lightning rod for internet arguments. Well, I draw the line. No more arguments! #
• is feeling useful again. #
• doesn't need no stinking GUI… #
• The actual figure is so long I cannot get it into a line, but I believe the figure 1 1/16 will be sufficiently accurate for poetry. #
• God bless Alan Turing. #
• has a bum toe today. Sux. I hate using the cane, but, there it is, staring at me. #
• just saw a Luvs commercial with cartoon babies at Woodstock. It was horrible. #
• just squeezed his car between a badly parked and an illegally parked car on campus. Some B permit had the gall to park in E nearly sideways. #
• Just so you know, if you start following my tweets, and your pic is PG13, R, or worse, you will be blocked. #
• has always had a lot of coincidences in his life, but this is getting ridiculous. #
• is beginning to understand that when things are built on a real foundation, they weather the storms. #

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• is staying home, because of pain and other things. The other things are much nicer than pain. #
• is happy today. The world looks a little brighter. #
• accidentally ate spinach. Hope it's not too painful. #
• is amazed by some people and their priorities. #
• stands at the cliff, feathers fluttering, waiting to take flight… #
• just tried to go to the Abbey but it is gone.
  A. <:p> #
• 's quick update: MJ: Dead, TK: Dead, MS in Poland: OMG, Schedule: LOL, Foot: Meh, New Game: Sims 2 #
• is having fun as a TA… thus far. #
• is really getting into being connected to everything. Bliss! #
• thinks being surrounded by freshman is a bit… disturbing. #
• is using Game theory to play a game… Join my mob! http://bit.ly/40mn7h #
• is getting a new phone. Squee! #

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In the end, isn’t this new media?

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Source: The Brothers Brick

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• has a broken toe, a part time TA job, and way too much computer crap. Anyone need cables? #
• is glad that his toe is rebuilding itself… he hated limping. #
• will start using Warehouse 23 for writing prompts. #
• SuperNews! Weird Al Yankovic Collabo-Jam Special at http://bit.ly/17XYL7 #
• Warehouse 23 find for the day:Several cinder blocks made out of marshmallow. http://www.warehouse23.com/ #
• may very well have gout. It hurts like a ball of jagged glass in the middle of my foot. #
• has gout, officially. Hurts like no pain he has ever experienced before.
  A. <:p> #
• took pills, gout is much, much better. Like, 95% of pain is gone. #
• is warning people: Friend me, and your friendling a left leaning Obama supporter. #
• is warning people: Twitter makes people speel werd. #
• is warning people, second time is a charm: Friend me, and you're friending a left leaning Obama supporter. #
• is feeling a bit embarrassed right now.
  A. <:p> #
• just had a bunch of puzzle pieces fall into place, all at once. He loves it when that happens. #
• is still in pain, but recovering. Trying to plan a movie outing. #

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Recently, I stumbled across this post by a fellow blogger. Now, I’ve had my share of both good and bad tech support, on both ends of the phone, so I have compiled the Ten Commandments of Tech Support. Every tech support rep and manager should read, be familiar with, and be able to recite these. In their sleep. Notes to follow.

1. You shall listen to the Customer.




2. You shall respect the Customer.




3. You shall not insult other Companies to the Customer.




4. Keep in mind the Customer’s time is valuable.




5. Honor your Company.




6. You shall not Pass the Buck.




7. You shall not lie to the Customer.




8. You shall not jeopardize the Customer’s Data.




9. You shall take Excellent Notes.




10. You shall not insult the Customer.

1. Listening is one of those obvious things the seems to be a skill lacking in tech support. When entering into the tech support contact(call, email, etc.), the primary source of information is the customer. Ignoring them, or just writing off the incident with pat answers is a) usually wrong and b) is likely to royally piss off the customer. Your job is to help, not to infuriate. The case of the gateway tech support call is a prime example, and my own dealings with Sony a few months back are another.




2. Respect. Yes, even if the guy sounds like he is an idiot or the woman sounds old enough to be your grandmother. They are calling you for help, yes, but they are your customers. They deserve your respect, even if only because they bought a product from your company. This does not mean making exceptions or breaking the rules; this means being human with them. Personally, I treat each customer as if they are my cousin. Cousin Customer. Someone you don’t see too often, but you care about their feelings and want them to be happy.
   I have heard calls where the tech support said something they thought was innocent or even funny, and it ended up really offending the customer. One such call, the customer was actually another employee whose job it was to monitor the quality of the tech support. One slip of the tongue had the tech support person escorted out of the building with her next stop the unemployment line. Be polite, and keep the majority of jokes to yourself. People can be offended by things you may think are funny.




3. This is a tricky one, even for me. Why, you ask, should you not make fun of some known-to-be-bad internet service or some rinky-dink&nbsp; anti-virus? The reason is simple. Being negative about something your customer chose puts them on the defensive. The relationship between tech and customer should be more akin to a team than a parent and a child. You are there to help them with their problem, not cast blame as to why the problem is happening in the first place. Frankly, it doesn’t matter who is at fault. Assign responsibility, not blame. Everyone hates Microsoft, but their problems have paid my paychecks for most of my adult life.




4. I have personally been in environments where the boss wanted us to keep our calls to under five minutes. Such time limits are pointless, and, frankly, counter-productive, but the bare fact of the matter is that your service should be as quick as possible. If a scan is going to take three hours, politely tell your customer that it will take three hours, and let them go about their business. Unless you need something from them, let them go. However, keep in mind Commandment #1. Don’t terminate a call when they are asking for more help.




5. This one should be easy, for the most part. Even if you loathe the people you work for (easier in this economic environment!), their welfare is tied to you directly. That, and you are renting your time to them. Bad mouthing the company you work for is a big no-no, and the reasons range from simple business sense to the possibility that they are monitoring your calls. Whether you refrain from self interest or from company interest, just don’t do it. Nothing good can come of it.




6. You may think it looks good on your company if you can blame another product instead of your own. It doesn’t. You better be completely sure of your facts before you point the finger; if it turns out to be your product causing the problems, not only does it make your product look bad, but you as well. This also ties in with #3 and #5. Don’t blame anything until you are 100% sure. Otherwise, your customer loses faith in you and your company.




7. Never, ever lie. As Mark Twain once wrote: “If you tell the truth you don’t have to remember anything.”
   Lying to the customer is a bad move, no matter the reason. Even if you end up costing your company money, even if you piss off the customer, telling the truth is always the best course.




8. Whether your customer is a grandmother or a Fortune 500 company, their data is the most important thing on their computer. Their computer could be a smoking ruin, but if you can get their data out, you are a savior. Before I do anything with a client’s data, I make a backup of the important stuff, and you should be well versed in backup procedures. I’ve had more than a couple jobs that backups were key to my continued employment. There is one thing you must always remember, though: databases are special. No matter if it is an Access 95 based database or the latest flavor of SQL, databases have to be either closed or backed up from within the database software. Open, active databases cannot be copied manually. If you do that, the backups will be useless. In other words, if you have a dying hard drive, turn off the database and copy it before you do anything. It’ll save you a lot of heart and headache in the long run.




9. Notes, notes, notes! I hate taking notes, but it is one of the more valuable tools. If you have a ticketing system, don’t be afraid to dump all the technical information into the ticket, and the more information, the better. If you work with other techs, they may know something you don’t, and something you would consider irrelevant may be the key to unlocking the mess. That, and if the boss asks you what you did, you can give a better answer than, “I don’t remember,” or, even worse, “You know, stuff.”




10. So important that I wrote it twice, in different ways. See #2 for more, but if you ever, ever insult the customer, you’ve lost the customer. I once had a customer yell at me for not assuming he wanted B when he very clearly asked for A. Even though he was mad at me for not being able to read his mind, if I had insulted him, it would have been wrong on my part. Instead, I handed him to my boss (who also owned the company) who told him off. It’s not a tech’s place to go off on a customer; if you want to do that, own your own company. The old story of a tech telling a client they were too stupid to own a computer may be funny, and it may be true, but it was still beyond the tech’s scope to say that.
    Your job is to help, not hinder. Insults hinder, they do not help. Therefore, avoid them.

There you have it. I will try to assemble the ten commandments for those who manage tech support next.

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• had a rather disheartening interview… not for himself, but for the industry as a whole. #
• will be posting his writing portfolio at http://www.aaronspringer.com #
• is at the Bean Cup in Greenwood. Come on down! #
• is taking a mental health day. #
• just saw District 9. Best scifi in a decade.
  A. <:p> #

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Placed behind cut due to error in autoplay code

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