Steve's Journal

Hee hee hee

Thu, 01 Mar 2007 00:50:53 GMT

At this moment, I am speaking to you from a brand new Vista machine!!! It's awesome, and while I should admit, it's not as dope as the hype makes it out to be, it's pretty fucking dope.

Check out Vista!!

Keeping It Real...Sorta

Sat, 17 Feb 2007 22:53:36 GMT

So I guess I'm updating just for the sake of updating. Plus, I promised Mike I'd update so he can have some activity on his friend's page. It's not a pity update though because I guess I have some stuff to say, though it's not important stuff. Nevertheless, I'll try to make this journal post as interesting as possible to make up for my horrible lack of updatiness. I just realized, however, that I'd be a really bad sea captain.

Let's see, first things first. Stacey...I have the pictures from Costa Rica on DVD and made a slideshow. It's about five minutes long and about a gig in size, which is way too large of a file to place on the internet. So you're going to have to come back from South America to see them.

As for those wondering how Costa Rica went, I'm about two months overdue, but here goes. It was green, temperate, expensive, exhilarating, wet, buggy, rocky, bumpy, cold-at-times, rainy, magical, really high, and entirely altogether absolutely without-a-doubt fun. Costa Rica.

January was pretty blase so I'm not going to talk about it. February's been pretty cool so far, but I can think of a huge reason why this is one of my least desirable months (it lasts the whole month). But I'm not complaining. February's been good to me, I suppose. Yeap, good ol' February.

So that's pretty much it. I still can't do math and the world is still going to end soon, so be prepared. Until next time (if there is one)!!!

Hey Yall, Happy Holidays from the Rich Coast!

Tue, 26 Dec 2006 21:27:43 GMT

Hey, it´s me, Steve, talking to you from the beautiful countryside of Costa Rica. Hope you all had a wonderful Christmas. I´ll tell you all about it when I get home at the end of the week. Have a safe and happy New Year. Oh yeah, they´ll be lots of pictures too.

Peace niggaz.

P.S. - Right now, I´m in Monteverde. Look for me on a map!

Death in the Family

Mon, 20 Nov 2006 22:45:37 GMT

The air is brisk as I make my way down the sidewalk and it bites into my nostrils when I inhale the bay air too deeply. In the distance, the Golden Gate bridge stands solemnly, high against the gunmetal gray horizon. A second later, I make a left, walk up a ramp, and enter a building. Almost immediately, I am bombarded by the sickly-sweet miasma of death and dying. It's always there, the smell. It's not a physical smell, like coffee or fire or dust, but it's there; a stench to be catalogued deep within the human psyche and stored until a later time. You never forget it.

I find myself in the lobby of a convalescent hospital staring down at an old woman in a wheelchair who is staring blankly back at me - or through me. I'm not quite sure. It doesn't matter: I am quickly distracted by a pair of caged birds in the corner and I walk over to them. The birds are both yellow and strikingly beautiful. One is hanging upside down. They are chirping, vocalizing, singing lonely arias to the wonder of the world outside.

"How ironic," I think to myself as I take a seat in the front entrance area.

A moment later, my entire family enters the room and one of my uncles approach the desk. "11B please," he requests, and the nurse behind the clipboard hands him a pen. "Sign in please. It's down the hall and to your left. Room 11." My uncle thanks him and we begin pacing down the corridor towards Room 11. A moment later, a Filipino female nurse intercepts us at the "T" and in the most matter-of-fact way I've ever seen, says, "She's dead."

My family frantically rushes down past all the doors and enters Room 11. Separated by curtains on both sides, my great-grandmother lies in repose. My own grandmother begins bawling and crying out for her mother. It is the saddest thing that I have ever seen. The rest of the family waits outside - silent. Not a word is spoken, only sober stares and the furrowing of brows is exchanged. I walk back into the room and begin taking pictures. Her body is still warm.

I don't take these pictures because I suffer from some sort of psychological perversion, but rather to celebrate the final moments of a life that is more than worth celebrating. Mee Yuk Chow, 98 years old, mother, grandmother, and great-grandmother. Though the body may pass, the spirit will never die.

In order to pay respect to the impulsive nature of nature, these photos are offered as is. They have not been processed nor corrected. Taken with a Pentax 35mm film camera and 50mm Pentax prime.

Batman!

Fri, 22 Sep 2006 04:58:42 GMT

This one's for you, Mike.

I'm Back

Wed, 30 Aug 2006 06:57:08 GMT

Hey, I'm back. I know it's been a while since then, but here are some pictures from when we went to Laughlin earlier this year. It was a lot of fun. I made it a point to try and take a pic of people getting out of the water. They look stupid. Haha.

Mike looks like Tony Shalhoub.

Jeez

Mon, 14 Aug 2006 19:19:26 GMT

I'm into technology...all the time. I can't get enough of new gadgets, gizmos, and doodads. But what really amazes me is the abundance of piece-of-shit electronics that are out there these days that offer the user absolutely no manual control over any of their features. It's a reflection of our entire culture of mass consumerism, laziness, and general lackadaisicalness to learn about new things. Walk into any Best Buy, and you are confronted with a million types and makes of digital cameras and camcorders. I guarantee you at least 90% of the cameras available offer the customer no features for adjusting things, for example, like shutter speed, aperture, focus. Do the camera companies think we are stupid? Why offer a fully automatic machine without even allowing the user to customize his or her own merchandise? This is garbage. Most point&shoot cameras available right now are pieces of trash. I cannot believe any person in their right mind would spend the $200-$500 on these junk electronics. Don't waste your money.

There are some exceptions. Oplympus, for example, offers a line of decent (and well priced) cameras which anyone can use, as do most higher end D-SLR cameras from the major camera companies. I reckon, however, most people are not willing to spend $1000+ on a camera. The point is, if you're going to purchase a camera, always make sure you can adjust the settings to the Nth degree or somewhere close to that. Things to look for in a good digital camera: manual control of exposure, aperture, zoom ring, focus ring, and no shutter lag. Oh and always make sure your camera can shoot in RAW format. You may not need it now, but someday, you might want it. JPEG is way overrated.

In regards to camcoders, Panasonic makes some of the most versatile ones available. Models like the Panasonic GS250 are nice compact camcorders which offer the user both the ability to control manually or automatic. Anyone from a 8 year old to a professional filmmaker will find this camera useful. And it's really small. Things to look for in a good camcorder: manual focus ring around the front lens, full control of the shutter speed and iris (aperture), and long optical zoom.

So I hope this helps. Stop wasting money on junk and spend your money on stuff you can actually use!

Interestingly Enough

Tue, 08 Aug 2006 09:05:56 GMT

Specialists find scientific explanation to phenomenon of living dead

Haha

Sat, 05 Aug 2006 21:18:43 GMT

I'm so sure!

More DVX Footage

Mon, 31 Jul 2006 21:49:02 GMT

I've been having alot of fun with the camera and I love cutting random footage together in Premiere. Here's a recent one. Never mind the greeking, it's just filler text. Warning: Contains some questionable material.

(Right-Click and Save-As)

DVX-Treme!

Mon, 24 Jul 2006 22:42:16 GMT

I got my DVX this past weekend and have been filming nonstop. Here's some of the stuff I've cut together recently.

Shay eats a burrito. Shay eats a burrito from Alberto's.

Dennis and Mikie hanging out in my front yard.

Rabbit gets smothered by my mom.

Congrats, congrats

Sun, 25 Jun 2006 06:13:05 GMT

SO my other cousin got married today and iwt was gunner than I anticipated. Althuo0pugh there was a few shaky monents due to that bicth ass aunt of mine, the rest of the party was an aboslute blast. I wish yall many years f happiness. I guess I'm next, I'm the youngest, so I havbe to get arried and throw a fucking party that kills all of theirs. Fa sho nigga. Oh yeah, I'm in fucking IDAHO! Yeah potatoes, horses, and blonde moustaches. FUcking great. Peace.

We're fucking ourselves...slowly...slower!

Thu, 15 Jun 2006 08:26:03 GMT

The progress we have achieved as a race has reached a point where we have begun to regress. Ouch for us!

Americans are such hypocrites...I love America and will continue loving it even as we are being vapourized in a flash of light brighter than a thousand suns! God bless.

Oooh, ooh! And look at the date year at the end of the article!

HAHAHAHAHAHAHAHA!

Sat, 10 Jun 2006 21:58:42 GMT

And the lizard was angry at the elephant and the elephant was angry at the lizard. The lizard calls buns boring and jumps on top of the elephant. He squeezes mustard down the elephant's trunk and the elephant's eyes fill with mustard until they explode from out the pupils. Hahahahahahahahaha!

Fuck Yeah!

Thu, 08 Jun 2006 09:06:55 GMT

Kicking ass and taking names!

Al-Zarqawi Gets It

A Guide to the End of the World - Don't Panic, Prepare!

Tue, 06 Jun 2006 10:31:22 GMT

While many of us bandy about with one another, get lost in our day to day routines, and continue to trudge on in an otherwise meaningless existance, most of us are blissfully unaware of the physical, spiritual, and geologic maelstrom building momentum beneath our feet and around our very persons. Any number of causes can trigger a major cataclysmic event, the question is: How ready are you to face the trials of man and survive? Will you be able to continue living once civilization has all but crumbled into small pockets of humanity? What will you do when governments have ceased to exist, utility services have stopped functioning, and you are left to fend for yourself and those you love? Are you prepared? What precautions have you taken?

Not to fear, your old pal Steve is here to help. It is only a matter of time before something catastrophic occurs and the human race, or at least the human race in your immediate vicinity, is reverted back to the stone age - or worse. The point is, you cannot predict when thing like this will happen, you can only prepare for it in the event it DOES happen. And preparedness for any given situation drastically increases the likelihood of survival to you and those around you.

First, let us view some possible scenarios that are realistically feasible in the near future.

Pandemic - With such a small global community in these modern times, the possibilty to transmit contagions on an intercontiental scale has become a reality due to the continued evolution of air transit. Organisms native to the deepest jungles of Africa, South America, or Asia now have the capability to traverse oceans in less than 24 hours. Thus, the human race is presented with this new threat - no longer the epidemic, but the looming presence and increased likelihood of the pandemic. Presently, the news has raised a great deal of hubbub about Influenza A, Strain H5N1, otherwise known as the "Bird" or "Avian" Flu. This strain of flu is typically very vicious and harbors a mortality rate ranging from 43% to 64%. Essentially, it's a 50/50 chance of whether you are going to live or die if you contract this infection. So just because it sounds far away, happening to people you couldn't care less about, don't dismiss it entirely as baloney because it could be at your doorstep tomorrow or tonight for that matter. Just for statistics sake, in between 1918 and 1920, a worldwide outbreak of Spanish Influenza killed somewhere along the lines of 40 Million people. To give you a sense of perspective, the entire metropolitan area of Los Angeles is home to a mere 17 Million people.

Earthquake/Flood/Hurricane/Volcano/Extreme Weather - What better foe of man than his own mother? Since the beginning of this world, the elements have played an integral role into shaping this planet into what it is. It has also posed an inherent problem for humans who wish to survive. We are but parasites on this planet we call mother Earth and her fits of rage, though only an occasional threat, came with the whole kit and caboodle. Whether you live in an earthquake zone, flood area, geologically active boundary, or places with a higher propensity for dangerous storm fronts, be aware of the looming threat because they WILL happen and if you are caught with your backside in the breeze, you're going to be in a world of hurt. Know your region, the dangers it poses, and prepare accordingly.

Foreign Object Striking Earth - One of the major concerns in the scientific community is the possibility of a foreign object, or bolide, from deep space striking the Earth. The repercussions of an impact event can potentially affect everyone on the Earth and is perhaps the one, singular, reasonably believable, agent that has the ability to destroy all life as we know it. The history of the planet Earth is pockmarked (pardon the pun) with mass extinction events, some believed to be caused by meteoroid, asteroid, or comet impacts. These extinction events partition the layers of pre-history we as human beings, have come to seperate with such distinction. The close of the Cambrian Period was marked by an extinction event, as well as more recently in our own Holocene period. While weather, climactic change, and massive methane emissions may have caused some of these, the most famous, or more correctly, most notorious was the Great Permian-Triassic Extinction Impact that killed off the mighty dinosaurs 251 mya. Given, some creatures did survive, paving the way for mammalia to prevail at the end of the day, but if an object of that size or larger falls from our sky again, and it will happen again, don't count on living to tell your grandchildren about it. However, smaller objects, while still capable of causing major climactic and cataclysmic damage, can be survivable and may be seen through with a strong will and the proper skill sets.

Act of Man/Scientific Blunders - Aside from an outright nuclear exchange, man also has the ability to destroy the Earth and all matter surrounding it, however improbable it may be. By using powerful particle accelerators, human beings are able to harness energy, that before these modern times, were deemed to be previously unattainable. As with the Relativistic Heavy Ion Collider (RHIC) at Brookhaven National Laboratories in New York, and the Large Hadron Collider (LHC) at CERN Laboratories in Geneva, Switzerland, scientists have already created miniature black-holes within these accelerators. Thus far, they have remained contained, but the dangers of decontainment could very well destroy the world. During these experiments, the leak of so-called strangelet particles could eat into the earth, resulting in a chain reaction, eventually vapourizing the planet. The strangelets fall under a category of material in the universe called "strange matter" which when it comes in contact with conventional matter, due to gravity compresses it into further strange matter, causing a horrible domino effect, ending grimly in the death of our planet and ourselves. If this ever happens, nothing we could ever do to prepare for any disaster can help. We all die. Fortunately for us, the fruition of such a nightmare is quite unlikely.

Act of God/Spiritual Advent - The incursion of a Messiah figure into our ecosystem could seriously foul up the gears of civilization. If this Messiah happens to take his followers to his happy place and leaves the rest to their own devices, those left behind are, in essence, on their own. Upon his absence, evildoers will no doubt take advantage of the situation and begin massive wars on or against his behalf. This will continue to happen until he returns for everyone else, or at least those that remain alive. If you are one of these people, believer or non-believer alike, then you must know how to survive until His final arrival or indefinitely (depending on your belief system).

Now let's take a look at some things you should have in your home in case anything does happen.

- Two Weeks to Six Months worth of food and water. Depending on what you are preparing for, you may need to adjust your stockade accordingly. If you live in California, earthquake supplies usually call for anywhere between three days to about two weeks. If you plan on preparing for pandemic, or asteroid, be ready to stock up for at least six months to a year. Chances are, after the worst of the distaster occurs, services like utilities and emergency response will probably no longer exist or be effectively hampered for a long time. Nor would you be able to walk down to the supermarket for neccesities. Bottled water works best, as does canned or dehydrated food. Remember, however, that dehydrated food requires water and if you reside in a primarily arid environment, it would be in your best interest to start hoarding canned foods that are higher in water content. E.G. - Canned corn in water, peaches, etc...

- Water purifier/filter and collection basins. You will eventually run out of water, but if you have the ability to collect and clean water yourself, this should not pose a serious problem.

- Stove, fuel, firestarter. One of the primary things that seperates man from animal is fire. It is also one of the major connections to civilization. If you are lost in the woods at night and are scared, one of the first things it is suggested you do is to build a fire. While this may be more psychological in nature (aside from signaling rescuers), nothing uplifts the human spirit more than heat, light, and a warm meal to keep the grips of savagery at bay.

- Flashlight and batteries. A few good flashlights are very important in the event power is lost. Human beings are generally very sight-dependant and to be lost in the dark can pose a psychological as well as a physical hazard. There are some very good LED and Xenon flashlights that can be acquired by the average consumer that meet and often exceed the necessary utility factor. Also, wind-up or pump flashlights negate the need for baterries. These are also useful but are usually not bright enough for conventional use. Good flashlight brands to look out for are Surefire, Petzl, Gladius, and Inova. Even the brightest Mag-Lights which, for some reason, everyone seems to believe are the best lights available on the market, pales in comparison to these far superior handhelds.

Radio and Walkie Talkies. Contact with your neighbors is essential to form a lasting community bond of trust and give one another a general sense of situational awareness. This will also keep you in contact with the world and may get you out of some tight spots. Of course always store extra batteries and, if possible, have a wind-up radio as well. Ham radios are an unusual luxury, as are the less powerful citizen band (CB) radios. Feel fortunate if you own or encounter such equipment.

- Tools. These are important for obvious reasons and most of us already own them. Items like shovels, screwdrivers, axes, screws, nails, ratchets, hoes, pliers, hammers, bolt cutters, bolts, ropes, etc... are important in the continued survival and those surrounding you. Power tools are not recommended unless you own a generator, which typically run off gasoline, which will be scarce in the post-apocalyptic world. Garden tools are also recommended in the event the situation allows self-sufficient sustinence farming. Keeps seeds of various edible plants readily available.

- Latrine. Hygine will be very important after the world ends because there will be no doctors to treat you in case you are injured or fall ill. Locate your latrine carefully, ensuring none of the waste materials will contaminate the water table, potentially contaminating your own water source. Plumbing will most likely no longer exist. Sterilizing it with bleach or lime will stymie dangerous bacteria buildup and prevent disease.

- Firearms and ammunition. While this may be a touchy subject with some people, defending oneself is just as important a step to survival as is eating or drinking. This does not grant you the freedom to run amuck hijacking people's stockpiles, but in the role of personal defense, it would be smart to keep weapons to stop others from hijacking yours. Some of the more useful firearms, and you should own at least one of each calibre include: 12 gauge shotgun, .223 or .308 rifle, .22 rifle. Most of these are utility calibers and ammunition is normally plentiful. Hanguns are less recommended as they don't have as much utilitarian use as rifles and shotguns, but if you own them, all the better. My suggestion would be to keep 500 to 1000 rounds per weapon, stored, of course, in a safe place. Useful guns to look into include: Ruger Mini-14 (.223), Remington 870 (12 ga.), Ruger 10/22 (.22), Kalishnakov type rifle (7.62x39mm), AR-15 type rifle (.223).

Well, that's pretty much it for now. Remember that this is just a primer and should by all means be supplemented by your own research and judgement. Be safe, use your common sense, and don't let the apcalypse catch you off-guard.

Steve

It is beginning

Tue, 23 May 2006 11:06:14 GMT

"And I looked, and behold a pale horse: and his name that sat on him was Death, and Hell followed with him. And power was given unto them over the fourth part of the earth, to kill with sword, and with hunger, and with death, and with the beasts of the earth." - Rev. 6:8

A sign of the times perhaps? Very strange indeed.

I thought I was alone on this

Thu, 04 May 2006 09:59:48 GMT

For those of you that know me well, you may know what I'm talking about when I mention the number "33" or "333." If you don't know what I'm talking about and haven't actually witnessed any of this "333" business, which I might add is crazy uncanny and sometimes scary, then skip this one cause it's a long story and I don't feel like explaining. It'll probably sound like a bunch new-age nonsense anyways. I don't really believe in any of this, but I thought it was kind of interesting. Source

Number Sequences From The Angels

The angels do their best to get our attention and to communicate with us. In this way, they help us heal our own lives. However, we often discount the signs they give us, writing them off as mere coincidences or our imagination. The angels say: "We can't write our messages to you in the sky. You've got to pay attention and believe when you see any patterns forming in your life, especially in response to any questions or prayers you've posed". When you hear the same song repeatedly or see the same number sequence, who do you think is behind this? Your angels, of course!

Number Sequences

Your angels often communicate messages to you by showing you sequences of numbers. They do this in two ways. First, they subtly whisper in your ear so you'll look up in time to notice the clock's time or a phone number on a billboard. The angels hope you'll be aware that you're seeing this same number sequence repeatedly. For instance, you may frequently see the number sequence 111, and it seems every time you look at a clock the time reads 1:11 or 11:11.

The second way in which angels show you meaningful number sequences is by physically arranging for, say, a car to drive in front of you that has a specific license plate number they want you to see. Those who are aware of this phenomenon become adept at reading the meaning of various license plates. In this way, the angels will actually give you detailed messages. Here are the basic meanings of various number sequences. However, your own angels will tell you if your situation holds a different meaning for you. Ask your angels, "What are you trying to tell me?" and they'll happily give you additional information to help decode their numeric meanings.

Number 33 - Christ-like, healer, compassionate, protected, blessing, teacher of teachers, martyr, inspiration, honest, monk, Angels of healing and guidance.

333 - The Ascended Masters are near you, desiring you to know that you have their help, love, and companionship. Call upon the Ascended Masters often, especially when you see the number 3 patterns around you. Some of the more famous Ascended Masters include: Jesus, Moses, Mary, Quan Yin, and Yogananda. The 333 sign also shows that the Ascended Masters agree with your thoughts and feelings and could be interpreted as a Cosmic 'Yes!' to questions you have asked or ideas you may have.

Umm, yeah...

Sat, 29 Apr 2006 10:24:27 GMT

I just finished watching the movie Paradise Now on the cable and I've gotta hand it to the filmmakers...I really don't know what to think. Jeezus Christ. It's like everything I've ever believed or was told was thrown right out the window and I actually found myself caring for these guys. You can't put a human face on something so monstrous and get away with it. But the filmmakers did, and well too. At any rate, it's an extremely wonderful movie - but only as a movie. I have no sympathy for these things, because, to me, they don't even deserve to be called people.

Blah Blah Blah, Yakkity Schmakkity

Tue, 11 Apr 2006 00:45:06 GMT

We updated the song, there's more stuff on there now. Check previous post to download again!

New Rhodesia

Mon, 10 Apr 2006 08:58:25 GMT

Here's an mp3 of a project I was working on for the thing Sean, Joey, and I are doing. This piece is titled "New Rhodesia," but there are many more to come. I must warn you, there are some timing issues. Each of these songs will chronicle Zimb-Rhodesian Race Wars which will take place in the year 2245CE. These will also be known as the Third and Fouth Chimurenga, or Bush Wars. In this future, the world is run by a universal government (yes the UEF) and establish sattelite regimes and puppet governments on every continent. In Africa, the UEF has established all-White bastions of civilization throughout every country. Rebel native forces begin attacking these settlements and sporadic infighting ensues. The white UEF settlers, seeking to protect their interests and resources, begin instituting a widespread apartheid regime to control the natives, however, they do not have the resources to effectively police the entire population. They are quickly undermined and the remaining settlers relocate to a walled fortress in Zimbabwe called "New Rhodesia." UEF world militaries are slow to respond to the crisis and the settlers are left to fend for themselves. Thus begins the Race Wars. This is the story of both sides.

Download Here

Sheehanded Me the Shit End

Mon, 10 Apr 2006 07:33:13 GMT

Well, for those who didn't know, I'm going to Texas this Thursday to camp out in a ditch in Crawford at Camp Casey. My friend, Shay, is the political advisor to the bitch that runs the place, and I'm going along for the ride because I'm thinking this is going to turn out to be an awesome photo op. Let me clear the air first, I am in no way affiliated with the going ons there, nor do I endorse their political ideaology, but I do feel that this is something I cannot let pass me by. It would be a sin to allow this trip go undocumented. I mean it's not ground breaking stuff, but it certainly is for me.

Chugga Chugga CHunk Chunk

Sat, 01 Apr 2006 00:23:05 GMT

I've got a new post down at F/Stop about Chris's project to fix his Rice Rocket. There are pictures there.

Howdy Howdy Howdy

Thu, 30 Mar 2006 19:56:56 GMT

I've kind of moved over to Blogspot at this address: F/Stop

But not really. I'll still make updates there so check in sometimes, but here is where I'll post all my other personal updates and junk.

The Many Faces of Joey

Tue, 28 Mar 2006 11:28:45 GMT