There's not really a blog today. Why don't we skip it until next week? Not much happened this week anyway. My cell phone plan failed to renew, because of the debit card theft problem. Oops. It renews in the middle of the night. That was supposed to happen on the 26th. I saw the text about it but didn't have a lot of time to mess with it at that moment. I ended up not doing it until today, when I was reminded again by an attempted call from a faceless stranger wanting to sell me something I neither need nor want. I ignored it as usual and then fixed the cell phone problem. Sadly, it won't renew until tomorrow. Happily, my new renewal date is the first of the month instead of the 26th. It kind of worked out, I guess.
Cell Phone Tip: Never answer a call from a number you don't know. They'll sell your number as a known working number to the other spammers. They'll never leave you alone. Real people will leave a message.
I got a couple of more videos made and uploaded. It takes a lot more time to make videos than you would think but not an excessive amount, or people wouldn't do it. The time goes into preparation, rendering, editing and uploading. With retakes or blunders, the video itself takes time, too, but it's one of the shortest parts of the process. Rendering is the absolute shortest so far. Without fast internet, I have to render at 480p. Later, I hope to move up to 720p or more. It'll take longer then.
I'm slowly making a list of topics to cover. I already had a list of ideas. I'm just writing them down now that I'm actually making the videos. I've done tons of practice. Making them is teaching me more. I'm slowly starting to feel more comfortable in front of the camera. I have one subscriber so far.
On a side note, I saw the pretty assistant manager at Walmart buying cigarettes. No! She's responsible, has it together and is going places. She doesn't need to smoke.
Have a great weekend.
Friday, March 31, 2017
Friday, March 24, 2017
Fiber Internet Over There
I've talked about my ISP and my internet woes. A quick recap:
My ISP received $175 million dollars from the federal government to upgrade internet speeds for customers. They did a little and pocketed the rest. I still have 1.5Mbps download. That speed is no longer even offered it's so slow. The slowest I saw on their site the other day was 6Mbps.
My electric company received about $33 million to install a fiber network. Everyone within a mile of the trunk was supposed to be hooked up. I'm less than a mile from it. They took my information. I created a login, etc. I was going to get 15Mbps for $34.95/month. They didn't hook me up. One day I got an email saying it would cost a fortune. I'll quote it here.
"...(the current cost of fiber is approximately $15,000 per mile for overhead lines and $32,000 per mile for underground lines), The average minimum cost of installation is $2,500."
Given my distance to the fiber line, it would cost me about $14,000 to $15,000 to be hooked up with an overhead line, including the $2,500 installation fee. Make sure you're sitting down and holding onto your hat for this next part. There was a story on the front page of the local paper this week about my electric company and the fiber line. They're still not hooking people within a mile of the trunk up like they promised, but they are hooking about 1,000 residents up. They'll get a choice of either 100Mbps for $49.95/month or 1Gbps for 79.95/month. Those are both upload and download speeds. Don't let your hat go yet. Installation is $100. Cost to run the line is FREE. What would cost me about $15,000, they're getting for $100. Did I mention they get the first month of data free, too? They get the first month of data free, too.
This is why people swear.
In other news, I got one of the YouTube channels off the ground. Straight Up Bible Study. It's just one video so far. The plan is to add a video every week or two and see what happens. I still cannot get the green screen effect to work, because of reflected light. It's so close. I think I need to be farther from the screen, but the space is so small I don't know if I can get it to work. My backup plan is to buy some cardboard boxes and paint a background that I could also use for the other channel. Another option would be to buy a backdrop like photographers use. Yet another option is to try to move everything in the room around to make space. Because of the windows, I'm not sure that's doable. It's looking like it'll get down to how much time and money I want to spend. I already need more wardrobe I can't afford. Or could I set it all up in another room? I'll have to figure it out soon. The plan is to sit in a chair not stand up.
My ISP received $175 million dollars from the federal government to upgrade internet speeds for customers. They did a little and pocketed the rest. I still have 1.5Mbps download. That speed is no longer even offered it's so slow. The slowest I saw on their site the other day was 6Mbps.
My electric company received about $33 million to install a fiber network. Everyone within a mile of the trunk was supposed to be hooked up. I'm less than a mile from it. They took my information. I created a login, etc. I was going to get 15Mbps for $34.95/month. They didn't hook me up. One day I got an email saying it would cost a fortune. I'll quote it here.
"...(the current cost of fiber is approximately $15,000 per mile for overhead lines and $32,000 per mile for underground lines), The average minimum cost of installation is $2,500."
Given my distance to the fiber line, it would cost me about $14,000 to $15,000 to be hooked up with an overhead line, including the $2,500 installation fee. Make sure you're sitting down and holding onto your hat for this next part. There was a story on the front page of the local paper this week about my electric company and the fiber line. They're still not hooking people within a mile of the trunk up like they promised, but they are hooking about 1,000 residents up. They'll get a choice of either 100Mbps for $49.95/month or 1Gbps for 79.95/month. Those are both upload and download speeds. Don't let your hat go yet. Installation is $100. Cost to run the line is FREE. What would cost me about $15,000, they're getting for $100. Did I mention they get the first month of data free, too? They get the first month of data free, too.
This is why people swear.
In other news, I got one of the YouTube channels off the ground. Straight Up Bible Study. It's just one video so far. The plan is to add a video every week or two and see what happens. I still cannot get the green screen effect to work, because of reflected light. It's so close. I think I need to be farther from the screen, but the space is so small I don't know if I can get it to work. My backup plan is to buy some cardboard boxes and paint a background that I could also use for the other channel. Another option would be to buy a backdrop like photographers use. Yet another option is to try to move everything in the room around to make space. Because of the windows, I'm not sure that's doable. It's looking like it'll get down to how much time and money I want to spend. I already need more wardrobe I can't afford. Or could I set it all up in another room? I'll have to figure it out soon. The plan is to sit in a chair not stand up.
Friday, March 17, 2017
Changing the Sabbath
A few posts back I mentioned some things I wanted to put in the non-fiction book. One of those was why Sunday isn't the Biblical sabbath. The main reason is that the Bible never says it is. A tradition has developed that Sunday is the "Christian sabbath", but it's only a tradition. Believers in the sabbath being Sunday say it's the Lord's day, and to honor the Lord it was changed. Or something similar to that. That's nearly all they have to stand on for the belief. The other thing they stand on is Revelation 1:10, which says, "I was in the Spirit on the Lord's day, and heard behind me a great voice, as of a trumpet." They point to this verse and claim the Lord's day is mentioned right there and that John was in the spirit on Sunday, and Sunday is the sabbath. In English it has to be interpreted that the Lord's day in this verse is Sunday. However, the Bible wasn't written in English.
In Greek that verse says, I became in the spirit on the day of the Lord. This is a reference to other books in the Bible.
Amos 5:18 Woe unto you that desire the day of the LORD! to what end is it for you? the day of the LORD is darkness, and not light.
Zephaniah 1:7 Hold thy peace at the presence of the Lord GOD: for the day of the LORD is at hand: for the LORD hath prepared a sacrifice, he hath bid his guests.
Zephaniah 1:14 The great day of the LORD is near, it is near, and hasteth greatly, even the voice of the day of the LORD: the mighty man shall cry there bitterly.
Joel 1:15 Alas for the day! for the day of the LORD is at hand, and as a destruction from the Almighty shall it come.
1 Thessalonians 5:2 For yourselves know perfectly that the day of the Lord so cometh as a thief in the night.
There are others and other references, but you get the point. The verse in Revelation doesn't refer to Sunday. It refers to the day of the Lord. There's no verse in the Bible saying God changed the sabbath to Sunday. Is the book of Revelation about Sunday, or is it about the day of the Lord?
So, why do Christians believe Sunday is the sabbath? Because of Emperor Constantine. He's the one who changed it, not God. The three largest demographic groups in the Roman Empire were sun worshipers. Constantine was a worshiper of the sun god Apollo and was also antisemitic. Changing the Christian sabbath was a political move that brought them in line with the sun worshipers and allowed persecution of Jews with less interference from non-Jewish Christians. After centuries of persecution, Christians were willing to compromise on the sabbath. The Catholic church was born. Constantine got to persecute Jews. It was a win-win for the emperor.
Why do Christians believe the sabbath is Sunday? Because Emperor Constantine said so.
There's more to it, of course. I've left out the role Satan played in all of this and how changing the true sabbath to Sunday can be traced all the way back to Genesis and Satan's downfall in Eden. But that's something for the book.
Have a great weekend.
In Greek that verse says, I became in the spirit on the day of the Lord. This is a reference to other books in the Bible.
Amos 5:18 Woe unto you that desire the day of the LORD! to what end is it for you? the day of the LORD is darkness, and not light.
Zephaniah 1:7 Hold thy peace at the presence of the Lord GOD: for the day of the LORD is at hand: for the LORD hath prepared a sacrifice, he hath bid his guests.
Zephaniah 1:14 The great day of the LORD is near, it is near, and hasteth greatly, even the voice of the day of the LORD: the mighty man shall cry there bitterly.
Joel 1:15 Alas for the day! for the day of the LORD is at hand, and as a destruction from the Almighty shall it come.
1 Thessalonians 5:2 For yourselves know perfectly that the day of the Lord so cometh as a thief in the night.
There are others and other references, but you get the point. The verse in Revelation doesn't refer to Sunday. It refers to the day of the Lord. There's no verse in the Bible saying God changed the sabbath to Sunday. Is the book of Revelation about Sunday, or is it about the day of the Lord?
So, why do Christians believe Sunday is the sabbath? Because of Emperor Constantine. He's the one who changed it, not God. The three largest demographic groups in the Roman Empire were sun worshipers. Constantine was a worshiper of the sun god Apollo and was also antisemitic. Changing the Christian sabbath was a political move that brought them in line with the sun worshipers and allowed persecution of Jews with less interference from non-Jewish Christians. After centuries of persecution, Christians were willing to compromise on the sabbath. The Catholic church was born. Constantine got to persecute Jews. It was a win-win for the emperor.
Why do Christians believe the sabbath is Sunday? Because Emperor Constantine said so.
There's more to it, of course. I've left out the role Satan played in all of this and how changing the true sabbath to Sunday can be traced all the way back to Genesis and Satan's downfall in Eden. But that's something for the book.
Have a great weekend.
Friday, March 10, 2017
Continuing Fraud Fallout
Last week I mentioned someone(s) had used my debit card to make some purchases. The bank caught the large ones and cancelled the card but let all the small ones go through. I had to go to the bank and dispute the charges. A week later I'm still waiting on them to be reversed. My new debit cards finally arrived today. To activate them, I need to use them with the pin numbers. Since they're brand new, I have no pin numbers. Looks like another trip to the bank.
My bank is a decent bank, but they don't seem to want to work with me on some things. I have two accounts, my regular account and the business account I opened last year that was mentioned in a previous blog. The business account is mostly unused. I'm adding small amounts to it for a project I hope to launch later this year, if nothing comes up. It was supposed to be a surprise, so act surprised later. They didn't want me to order a new card for that account. I did it anyway. About a month before this fraud on my debit card, I went into the bank to dispute something that looked like fraud. They tried to discourage me by saying the card would be cancelled. I said that was fine. They wouldn't let me do the dispute unless I tried to work with the vendor to get it resolved. So, I did that, and the "mistake" worked out. However, if the bank had let me cancel the card when I wanted to, the criminals would never have used it a month later. And who knows, maybe that dispute I had in the first place led to somebody leaking my card number. It's kind of mysterious how it happened. I have several suspicions but no real proof.
On to book things. I got a little done on the non-fiction book. I'm still not ready to start AoM, but I'm slowly getting there. I had an internet outage this week. I'm still waiting on them to upgrade my switch. It's no longer on the schedule, so hmm. I've been looking at wireless internet and satellite internet. Satellite is competitively priced and may be the way to go. It's just not unlimited and has lag time from the signal going up into space and coming back down that would be inconvenient or make some thing undoable. Wireless would be better but costs too much, although the prices are slowly coming down. We'll see.
Have a great weekend.
My bank is a decent bank, but they don't seem to want to work with me on some things. I have two accounts, my regular account and the business account I opened last year that was mentioned in a previous blog. The business account is mostly unused. I'm adding small amounts to it for a project I hope to launch later this year, if nothing comes up. It was supposed to be a surprise, so act surprised later. They didn't want me to order a new card for that account. I did it anyway. About a month before this fraud on my debit card, I went into the bank to dispute something that looked like fraud. They tried to discourage me by saying the card would be cancelled. I said that was fine. They wouldn't let me do the dispute unless I tried to work with the vendor to get it resolved. So, I did that, and the "mistake" worked out. However, if the bank had let me cancel the card when I wanted to, the criminals would never have used it a month later. And who knows, maybe that dispute I had in the first place led to somebody leaking my card number. It's kind of mysterious how it happened. I have several suspicions but no real proof.
On to book things. I got a little done on the non-fiction book. I'm still not ready to start AoM, but I'm slowly getting there. I had an internet outage this week. I'm still waiting on them to upgrade my switch. It's no longer on the schedule, so hmm. I've been looking at wireless internet and satellite internet. Satellite is competitively priced and may be the way to go. It's just not unlimited and has lag time from the signal going up into space and coming back down that would be inconvenient or make some thing undoable. Wireless would be better but costs too much, although the prices are slowly coming down. We'll see.
Have a great weekend.
Friday, March 3, 2017
A Dreadful Occurrence
I spent the time I usually spend on the blog at the bank filling out paperwork and handing over my debit cards to be shredded. Some nefarious rogue(s) used my debit card number overnight to make various charges. The bank caught it right away and blocked the larger charges. I had to go in person and dispute the smaller ones. I suspect this happened because of the Yahoo.com hack last year, but there's no way to really know. So, there's not much of a blog this week. However, I'll leave you with a news story I saw.
Kellyanne Conway sat on a couch, and Democrats were offended!
https://www.nytimes.com/2017/02/28/us/politics/kellyanne-conway-couch.html
When a woman can't keep her cold feet warm without offending Democrats, you know the time of the Democrat party is coming to an end. They're weaker than they've been since the 1920s. They were bankrupt in 1992. Bill Clinton's win that year saved them from dissolution. Obama propped them up for a while. It looks like they have no purpose any more. How much longer will they survive, when all they seem to be running on is hate?
Kellyanne Conway sat on a couch, and Democrats were offended!
https://www.nytimes.com/2017/02/28/us/politics/kellyanne-conway-couch.html
When a woman can't keep her cold feet warm without offending Democrats, you know the time of the Democrat party is coming to an end. They're weaker than they've been since the 1920s. They were bankrupt in 1992. Bill Clinton's win that year saved them from dissolution. Obama propped them up for a while. It looks like they have no purpose any more. How much longer will they survive, when all they seem to be running on is hate?
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