I am on a broadband connection this week, but it is nothing like my connection at home. So I decided to look for some ways to speed up my web browser. Fortunately, I use Firefox, so it is highly customizable.
I found a great article on Free Republic, that really speeds up my web browsing experience. I have included it below for your use.
1.Type “about:config” into the address bar and hit return. Scroll down and look for the following entries:
Normally the browser will make one request to a web page at a time. When you enable pipelining it will make several at once, which really speeds up page loading.
2. Alter the entries as follows:
Set “network.http.pipelining” to “true”
Set “network.http.proxy.pipelining” to “true”
Set “network.http.pipelining.maxrequests” to some number like 30. This means it will make 30 requests at once.
3. Lastly right-click anywhere and select New-> Integer. Name it “nglayout.initialpaint.delay” and set its value to “0″. This value is the amount of time the browser waits before it acts on information it recieves.
Our leaders in Washington have failed us, and now the U.S. sits in a major economic crisis. It’s time for our politicians to grow up or leave office. We need new energy sources, and we need to start them now.
Just because Chuck Schumer thinks that the future does not matter, it does not mean that it is true. Democrats are blatantly selling out our futures because they only live and plan for the present. If you are a democrat, it’s time you support candidates who are not just contrary-to-the-GOP candidates. Make sure they do plan for the economic security of the future.
If you are a Republican, be choosy with your support. Don’t throw it away to a candidate simply because he or she has an ‘R’ after his name. Make sure they have support real values that will make America better.
Vote only for the candidate that truly supports a strong economy, more energy, and a free future for our nation.
In case you have never seen a flash mob, you are in for a treat!
Flash mobbing is the new sport of choice for many of the under forty generation. The idea is to plan a large crowd to simultaneously do something out of the ordinary. Flash mobbers can be in groups from a dozen, all the way up to thousands.
Just as quickly as a flash mob appears, it disappears. Take for instance the mobs in this video. Well, I don’t want to spoil anything, so here it is:
You may not have realized this, but corn, gold, and oil are not the only high priced commodities in the world markets. Rice, a staple of many families worldwide, has become so expensive that families are rationing what they have.
You see stories such as this one, describing the dismal situation around the world.
Just in case you are in the Marshall area and are looking for a newly remodeled home, check out this one.
Our house is now listed for sale for $54,900. It’s a really good deal for a house close to Southwest Minnesota State University, US Bank, Schwan’s, Universal Forest Products, and other major employers.
Their is a trail that loops around Minneota and part of it goes right by the house. During the five years that we have owned the house, we updated wiring, updated the bathroom/plumbing, added a whirlpool tub, added new closet space, remodeled the bedroom, remodeled the laundry room, put on new siding, and put on new roofing.
We also did landscaping, replaced windows, and more.
It is in move in ready condition, and is perfect for newly employed college students, retirees, or new families.
Around April 15th, most aware of their tax burden. But by the middle of summer, we are usually worried about other things.
Even though we are crippled by taxes throughout the year, we don’t see the true amount until the numbers are crunched in April. After the taxes are processed, we receive a refund. Ironically, some people think this is a gift from the government. In reality, it’s more like a thief returning your possessions after being caught with your stuff.
I was looking at the issues page at BobBarr2008.com and I saw that he said the following:
It is not enough to eliminate the income tax. We also must repeal the 16th amendment, which authorizes Congress to levy an income tax. Without doing so, there would be an ever-present danger that a future Congress would attempt to bring back the income tax on top of the Fair Tax or any other alternative to the income tax.
I tend to agree with him, but on one exception. I do not feel that it is the U.S. congresses role to tax us at all.
Ideally, no individual citizen, or business entity, should ever be put under the burden of the United States government except in cases where the individual is directly working with, or working against, the Federal Government. Then, they should only be regulated to the extent of their relationship with the federal government.
Right now you are probably asking how the federal government could raise funds if it could not tax the citizens. The answer is simple. The federal government should levy funds directly from the states.
Think about it. The United States is part of numerous alliances that are paid tribute to support their bureaucracies, yet we don’t pay a NATO tax or U.N. tax. This is because the U.S. government shields its citizens from these entities. In the same way, a person’s state should shield its citizens from the federal government. When the people of a state pay direct taxes to the federal government, they give up their state’s sovereignty.
Right now, tremendous portions of our nation’s regulatory needs are duplicated at the state and federal level. One of the largest instances of this is the department of the Internal Revenue Service. The IRS audits and monitors over 130 million individual tax payers. That statistic does not even include businesses. Each state also monitors those tax payers.
So with just individual tax payers (no businesses), and with services duplicated, there are in over 260 million people that are contacted and monitored by various government entities. This means that a lot of money is wasted on the duplication of services.
A better solution would be to have the states collect whatever taxes are needed, then pay the Federal government. Then the states will receive a bill from the Federal government, and it is up to them to find a way to pay it. If they wish to charge income taxes, that is OK. If they prefer consumption taxes, that is OK too.
This “market” of tax collections will allow citizens to find a place where they feel most comfortable with the tax system, and will reduce the regulatory (read “harassing”) power of the federal government. It will restore the concept of federalism to our republic.
Well, it’s official. Jessica and I are the very proud new parents of a baby girl!
The baby’s name is Abigail Ellen Pearson. She was born at 2:12 pm on May 6, 2008. Abigail measured at 20.75 inches long and weighed 7 pounds 6.4 ounces.
At first, she was only happy if she was being held. But now that we have acclimated her to the idea of sleeping in the bassinet, she seems much happier.
I noticed that Abigail is able to distinguish voices and sounds. She is even able to see you make faces at her. Yesterday, I copied the sounds she was making when crying, and she stopped and listened. Then she did it again, and I copied. She smiled a big smile for me. I think she thought it was funny. Today, Jessica stuck her tongue out at Abigail, and the baby responded by sticking her tongue back at Jessica!
Just a quick note, Jessica is being induced tomorrow morning! So we will be having our new little baby girl sometime tomorrow.
The hospital does not have wireless internet, so no “live” blogging will take place , but you can expect an announcement sometime on Wednesday with all the details!
Some people bike to save money, but I bike for other reasons. In fact, if you get serious about biking, you will probably spend more than you could save.
Then, why do people bike? I go out on the mountain biking trails to give myself a challenge. I love the adventure. Clearing a log jump is no small feat, getting the courage to do so is even more of a challenge. Conquering an extremely steep or an unusually large hill is something to be proud of. It is something that is achieved over time, and is seldom something that comes without practice and training.
I also mountain bike for the fun. My friends and family do the same and it makes for a fun summer activity. Its great to explore new trails with people you know. Some of my most fun experiences last summer were on backwoods trails with some of my family members.
Finally, there is no disputing that mountain biking gives you quite the workout. I love the hills. In fact, without the constant hill climbs, it would not be much of a course. The constant climbs build your leg muscles and your cardiovascular strength at the same time.
About a week ago I was biking at South Valley Park in Inver Grove Heights. Even though it is a paved trail, the hills are a killer workout. Actually, they are some of the best hills I have ever seen on a paved trail.
Anyway, my derailleur had a slight problem with the hills. Eventually my chain fell off. I put it back on, but it fell off again. Then I made it out of the hills and began to bike some more. My derailleur was no longer shifting onto the correct cogs.
I called my wife. She came and picked up my bike and I. It was a good thing I brought my phone with. I had only brought my phone in case my wife went into labor, but it served another good “emergency” purpose. After picking up my bike, we went to get a bite to eat. We then went to REI and checked out new bikes.
My wife thought it would make sense for me to buy a higher quality, non-department store bike since mountain biking has become something I really enjoy. Thus began a very educational and interesting process.
I knew some features I wanted. For example, I was certain I wanted a hardtail (No rear suspension). But I needed some people with more experience to give me even better suggestions. I talked to some people at my work (Thanks Charlie Sinks and Pete Stopfer!), and they had a lot of good suggestions.
I learned that there were a few more features I really wanted on my bike. I found that a lockout suspension would greatly benefit my ride on long hills and on smooth surfaces. This was something I never thought about until Charlie said he really enjoyed his lockout on his new bike. He had a RockShox Dart 3, and it seems like a good one.
I also found out that disk breaks are awesome. I never really thought about how much breaking power you lose on a wet road. Since normal breaks work near the edge of the tires, they are more likely to be slippery. Disk breaks are in the center of the wheel, which prevents much of the wetness from ever reaching them.
My choices were greatly narrowed by the above features. I was able to begin to compare features in more detail. One big choice remaining was whether to go with a traditional 26″ rims, or to purchase a 29er. It was a tough choice.
I really don’t know anyone who regularly rides a 29er, but Pete said he rode one at Minnesota River Bottoms in South Bloomington. He said he liked the feel, but it was a little tight on the turns. I can see how that would happen. Three inches diameter on your wheels mean a lot in tight situations.
Today I had the opportunity to compare the 26er to the 29er. I will say that they were both pretty nice bikes. I took them on the mountain bike course at the Bloomington REI. It was great, but I needed more. I found an abandoned lot next to REI and really challenged the bikes. Curbs, holes, and hills shed light on the feel and the flaws of each of them. From the lot, I moved to the road, locked out the suspension, and tested the “road-bike” feel.
The 29er won me over on everything except the sharp turns. Even there, it made up for the difference in that you could take normal turns at a higher speed. The road test was most impressive. I felt like the bike was ready to take off and fly with the acceleration I got on the 29er. Finally, the 29er survived the head-on curb test. It seriously felt like a medium bump instead of a curb.
My mind was made up. I went back inside and decided to purchase the 29er (Thanks to my wife for being so generous!). This is a bike that you can learn to love (and it does not take long). For my size, I bought the 19 inch. So here are the specs on my new 2008 Marin Alpine Trail 29er:
Have you ever gone to a website’s login page, typed in your user name and password, only to find that Firefox does not ask to save your password. This usually happens with banks, credit card companies, etc.
The problem is not with Firefox. The issue actually arises from the Javascript used on the website. Many companies feel that they create a more secure environment for their users by not allowing passwords to be saved.
Sometimes, the risk of a Mozilla Firefox password list being compromised is incredibly low. Sometimes, you may just not care about securing your passwords. The risk should be up to you.
So how do you save those “unsavable” passwords in Firefox?
Save the Javascript to enable password storage. Drag the following link to your bookmark bar: Enable Password Saver.
Whenever you come to a website where passwords can’t be saved, just click on the “Enable Password Saver”.
Finally, enter the password as normal, and submit the form.
Firefox will ask if you want to save the password. Tell it you would like to do that!
We celebrated my brother in law Jon Myrvik’s 42nd birthday on Saturday. It was pretty fun. Our family has a running joke about him being like a monkey.
For his birthday we had a “monkey” themed cake. A mild tragedy ensued…
I sent the following letter to the editor of my local newspaper (MN Sun Newspaper - South St. Paul, West St. Paul, Inver Grove Heights, and Mendota Heights). Unfortunately, they chose not to publish it. They never actually gave a reason why they refused to publish it, but it was interesting that the only opinion on the Minnesota Tax Increases was published by a Democrat from the Minnesota House of Representatives.
Fortunately, I can go around MNSun’s censorship and publish this on my blog. Feel free to copy any or all of this letter and get the word out on this.
Dear Editor,
I do not think that I have ever been as disappointed in our state government as I am today. Today, our representative, Joe Atkins, along with many others in the Minnesota House and Senate voted to impose one of the largest tax increases in Minnesota history.
While nobody likes to have their money taken from them, it especially hurts when you know that just one year ago the state of Minnesota had a multi billion dollar surplus. Instead of being frugal in the good years, our state representatives squandered that surplus on various pork projects throughout the state in order to give favors to supporters.
Due to the tremendous growth in spending last year, along with a stuttering economy, we find ourselves in a major deficit. This is a problem that could have been avoided if our leadership had planned for the long run. Even the week before the vote on the tax increase, Democrats were not trying to find ways responsibly cut spending. Instead, they were giving away money to every earmark project they could think of. I suppose this was to ensure the need for a tax increase.
Today, we are faced with higher fuel prices, increased unemployment, and a weak dollar. With our economy running on fumes, the DFL proposed the worst solution to the problem. They thought that the best course of action would be to take more money from the working middle class families of Minnesota.
The tax increases that were passed by the Senate and House include a gas tax, a sales tax, and a vehicle registration fee increase. It’s funny, because I thought that the DFL said that they were going to go after the rich. Instead, they proposed increasing taxes where it would hurt the middle class the most. Contractors, couriers, even commuters will be hurt by these increases.
I know that Representative Atkins followed the lead of his party when he voted for the tax increases, but it would have been nice if he chose to do what is best for his community instead. I think that it is time that we push for a change in leadership in the Minnesota House and Senate. It is time that we elect people who put our community, and its families, before the DFL party platform.
I was just looking at RobsNotebook.com and came across a really good solution to a common problem with Wordpress.
Lately, I have been getting a lot of error messages on my blog that said “MySQL server has gone away.” I looked through the Godaddy support forums hoping to find a solution. Unfortunately, I did not.
But then I found RobsNotebook.com and they had a page dedicated to this problem. It turns out that it is caused by the SQL connection being open for too long. Essentially, Wordpress does not close the connection every time.
Godaddy’s (or insert your own host here) configuration of MySQL tells it to time out after a certain period, and that can happen in the middle of your call to the database.
RobsNotebook.com has provided a php file that you use in wordpress and just replace your existing file. He made it so easy that it takes only about 5 minutes to put in the solution.
P.S. I verified that the php page was correctly coded and had no “funny business” on it, but as the file could change at any time, it is always good to look through it for yourself whenever you download and use PHP from the net.
, but you can expect an announcement sometime on Wednesday with all the details!
I really don’t know anyone who regularly rides a 29er, but Pete said he rode one at Minnesota River Bottoms in South Bloomington. He said he liked the feel, but it was a little tight on the turns. I can see how that would happen. Three inches diameter on your wheels mean a lot in tight situations.
Pete on 
Mike on