If you have a Radio Scanner

You are welcome to listen on the 441.775 repeater anytime.
(Ripley County's Only Open to All amateur radio repeater)

Another Time Zone

Yesterday afternoon I was helping a friend install Verizon DSL service, It did not connect after trying everything in my bag of tricks. I knew better but I had no alternative, I called their DSL help line. The call was like most I have experianced in the past, "Mam I can not understand you", "Can you repeat that", "Could you say that again", and on and on. This gal was in literally another time zone. She told me the tech / repair man would call between 9am and 3pm on March 29th. One problem, it was 4:10pm March 29 when she told me this. I said,"what day do you think this is? she said something I could not understand, then ask if I had pets? I said no. She then stated the person at the location would have to be 18 years old, I replied, We are all old people that live here. I kept looking at my watch and the time was marching on and on. I had to be home at 4:30. This call took about 45 minutes but if she could speak and understand the English language it could have taken place in 20 minutes or less I'm sure. Here is a funny video that a friend sent, It just about sums up what takes place on the other end of your phone call.

RCRA is an Open Closed repeater ???

If you live within the boundaries of Ripley County Indiana and feel you are a victim of discrimination by living in Ripley County by the Ripley County Repeater Association, please contact the:

Office of the Indiana Attorney General
Indiana Government Center South
302 W. Washington St.
Indianapolis, IN 46204
Phone: 317-232-6201
Fax: 317-232-7979

Copied from the Ripley County Repeater Associations
club web page at:
http://www.146805.com
Please read the below paragraph very carefully to
understand it fully.


The 146.805 Ripley County Repeater Associations repeater is an "open" repeater system to all travellers and visitors who are amateur radio operators and live outside of Ripley County Indiana as well as all members of the Ripley County Repeater Association anytime day, night, Sunday night nets, weather nets, official emergencies and/or disasters. The 146.805 repeater remains a "closed" repeater to all non-members of the Ripley County Repeater Association except for Sunday night nets and/or weather nets when non members from any location may participate.

To my fateful viewers

For all my fateful viewers of my pages they (most) will not be viewable (is that a word) from Friday midnight 3/28/08 till 9 AM Sunday morning. This is because my Web host is moving from Kentucky to Columbus Ohio. They promise much faster service but we will see. They have gave perfect service in the past years I have used them. If you need a Web host I can certainly recommend IX Web Hosting. My Blog and public photo pages will still be online, but all others will be off-line. Tune back in Sunday after 9 AM ........ This will also effect all of the companies I do pages for, such as, SK Funeral Home, Filters Funeral Home, French Survey, Bosch Lights, BW Ball Hitch, John H Mann, The Master's Message, Ripley Computer Services and others...... Sorry, I know it will be a big disappointment to you.

1954 Milan Indiana State basketball Champs return home

I have just uploaded a 1954 8mm movie of the Milan Indiana State basketball Champs to YouTube. It was captured to 8mm by Bob Ashcraft, then from 8mm to VHS by his brother Charles Ashcraft. It then was converted to digital DVD and edited for YouTube by myself. There are very few movies of this historical event, I am very happy to present it for viewing and thank you to Bob & Charles.
See it on YouTube at:
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=2pEXDBhwrp4
It has also been added to my latest video page at:
http://wb9otx.com/youtube

Arthur C. Clarke 1917 - 2008

Clarke was born in Minehead, Somerset, England.^[12] As a boy he enjoyed stargazing and reading old American science fiction pulp magazines. After secondary school and studying at Huish's Grammar School, Taunton, he was unable to afford a university education and got a job as an auditor in the pensions section of the Board of Education.^[13]

During the Second World War he served in the Royal Air Force as a radar specialist and was involved in the early warning radar defence system, which contributed to the RAF's success during the Battle of Britain. Clarke spent most of his wartime service time working on Ground Controlled Approach (GCA) radar as documented in the semi-autobiographical Glide Path, his only non-SF novel. Although GCA did not see much practical use in the war, after several years of development it was vital to the Berlin Airlift of 1948–1949. He initially served in the ranks, and was a Corporal when he was commissioned as a Pilot Officer (Technical Branch) on 27 May 1943.^[14] He was promoted Flying Officer on 27 November 1943^[15] He was demobilised with the rank of Flight Lieutenant. After the war he earned a first-class degree in mathematics and physics at King's College London. ...... Read more:

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Arthur_C._Clarke

Laughery Creek flood Friendship / Versailles Indiana

I have added many new photos to the page. Friendship flood gallery
See a video of Laughery Creek at Busching Bridge near Versailles
Here is The National Muzzle Loading Rifle Association's Press Room photos:
http://www.nmlra.org/press.asp?Media=Photos&gallery=13
http://www.nmlra.org/press.asp?Media=Photos&gallery=14
http://www.nmlra.org/press.asp?Media=Photos&gallery=15

Easter

Easter is the most important religious feast in the Christian liturgical year. It is belived by the Christians to be the resurrection of Jesus, which Christians believe occurred on the third day after his crucifixion around AD 33. Many non-religious cultural elements have become part of the holiday, and those aspects are often celebrated by many Christians.
Read More at:
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Easter

First day of spring

The first day of spring this year (2008) is March 20. The equinox will be at 5:48 GMT. That's 10:48 AM EDT if I figure correct. In general, the four seasons correspond to the relative position of the Sun to the earth. Meteorological determination of Spring is calculated when the Sun passes through the equatorial plane. When going from Winter to Spring, the Sun is moving North, and as soon as the Sun crosses the equator, we call it Spring.

and Boy do I need it

TinySpell allows me to easily and quickly check and correct the spelling of words in any Windows application. It can watch your typing on-the-fly and alert you whenever it detects a misspelled word. It can also check the spelling of the text you copy to the clipboard.

TinySpell installs itself in the system tray for easy access. It comes with an American-English dictionary containing more than 110,000 words. It is a lifesaver for me. Here's the best part, "its free".

Versailles State Park / Friendship Indiana High Water

High Water at the covered bridge near the entrance of Versailles State Park.
This video was taken by my Son Ty, He was trying to get a photo of the Versailles Lake Dam, but couldn't get there because water was over the road.
Here are some photos taken by my friends Faith, Ty, & Ralph of the high water in Friendship,Indiana.

Click to play click again to enlarge.

Safari Web Browser

Safari 3.1 is out. I’ve been using Safari 3.x as my default Web browser for the past few weeks, and aside from a few client quirks (I’m not necessarily thrilled about its tab or window management) it’s been working quite well. In fact, so well that I have no issue in recommending that you folks use it as their default Web browser… on Windows or Mac OS X. One issue (same on FireFox) it will not display Active X scripts), not a big deal. Try it at:
http://www.apple.com/safari/download/
You should be using Safari or FireFox and not IE.

Google's new 411 service

If out in your car and want to call a business from your cell phone but you don't know the phone number or have a phone book in the glove box, try Google's new 411 service.

Google's new 411 service is free, fast and easy to use. Give it a try now and see how simple it is to find and connect with local businesses for free.
Try it:

Dial 800-466-4411
Say Versailles Indiana (if it states the wrong city say, "go back")
Say Ripley Computer
You will be connected

See a video at:
http://www.google.com/goog411/

1-800-GOOG-411 (from my cell phone I must leave off the 1)

1-800-466-4411

Save $200 to $450

I have been to several peoples homes in the past month and I've seen that people are writing letters with NotePad or WordPad. These two programs come installed with Windows. Although they will let you edit a letter most of the extra features are missing that you would have with a full blown word processor, But this comes at a price. Microsoft Word 2007 comes with a price tag of about $200.00. There are several Free programs that will do the job for you. One of the best is Open Office, another is AbiWord, both will open and save in Word format (DOC). Save between $200 and $600 by using either of these two programs. AbiWord is a free word processing program similar to Microsoft® Word. Open Office is suitable for a wide variety of word processing tasks. Create, Impress & Excel your Presentations, open Word, Excel & Power Point files, Read and write PDF files just like Adobe.

Open Office
AbiWord

Wearing of the Green

St. Patrick's Day is celebrated on March 17, his religious feast day and the anniversary of his death in the fifth century. The Irish have observed this day as a religious holiday for thousands of years. On St. Patrick's Day, which falls during the Christian season of Lent, Irish families would traditionally attend church in the morning and celebrate in the afternoon. Lenten prohibitions against the consumption of meat were waived and people would dance, drink, and feast—on the traditional meal of Irish bacon and cabbage. Read more at:
http://tinyurl.com/yqx3dd

Eliot Spitzer's Hooker

Photos Of Eliot Spitzer's Hooker
Meet "Kristen," the 22-year-old woman who brought down the governor. Read the story here
Please don't take everything posted to the Web as the gospel, check things out first, that may be a fake Rolex watch she is wearing. Look at those nice boats !

Passport law change

My wife and I have a passport that will expire soon. I went looking for the information on how to renew and found the proper forms in short order. Isn't Google great? The bigest hassle is the photo. The last time I had a professional photographer process the photos and Wow was that a shock when I said,"what do I owe you". Times have changed and now you can get them at CVS Drug for about $8.00.
http://cvs.pnimedia.com/passport_photos.aspx

Here is where you can obtain the form for new or renewal:
http://www.unitedstates.org/passport.php
The fee is a whopping $65.00 for new/renew.

Please Note: When traveling by air, all U.S. citizens must present a passport or a secure travel document to reenter the United States. This includes children.

When traveling by land or sea , oral declarations of citizenship at the border will no longer get you through a U.S. border crossing. As of January, 31, 2008 all U.S. citizens age 19 and older must present documentation proving identity and citizenship, such as a driver's license plus a birth certificate; those younger than 18 are only required to show proof of citizenship.

This documentation must include your name, your photo and your date of birth. To view a full list of acceptable documents go to the official site of U.S. Customs and Border Protection. Here, you'll also find some FAQs on required travel documents.

For more information, consult the official site of the U.S. Department of State.

AM Radio

Broadcast Band DXing has been a hobby of mine from 1951 till present day. I admit I do not pursue the hobby as I did when I was younger but I still slip the headphones on ever so often. I had what was called an "All American Five" broadcast band receiver. This is what most people had and was the most common radio receiver for home use in the 50s. Most had a wood or bake-o-lite case and only two knobs, one for volume and one for the tuning. Most had a set of screws on the rear, one for the antenna and one for ground. Most listeners did not use an antenna or ground but relied on the internal antenna that was called a loop stick. If you added a piece of wire to the antenna screw you could improve reception a great deal. Bigger is better, so I had a 100 foot wire attached to mine. I had a speaker attached that I put under my pillow so as not to disturb my Mom or Dad. (And they thought I was sleeping). I tuned most of the clear channel stations, these were stations that no others were allowed on the same frequency and most ran 50,000 watts of power. Some of these stations are listed below. WSM I must say was my favorite. To see some of the history of these stations click the link below:
http://www.oldradio.com/archives/stations/ccs.htm

650 WSM, Nashville, TN Home of the Grand Ole' Opry.
700 WLW, Cincinnati, OH WLW was a true US "Flamethrower.
890 WLS Chicago, IL One of my favorites when a teen.
1020 KDKA Pittsburgh, PA Among the very first broadcast stations in the US.
1190 WOWO Ft. Wayne, IN Originally a powerhouse on the 1190 channel

Later in years I used communication receivers. These had many knobs to twist, and I must tell you they worked much better than my 5 tube first radio. Today FM is the preferred mode, AM has sank to an all time low but if you want to hear far away stations AM is the way to go. With AM not popular it is hard to find a well made AM radio. Most do good to pick up a 50,000 watt station 50 miles away. There is only one radio that still has a sharp sensitive receiver, that being the GE Super Radio. RCA acquired the GE division that produced this radio for many years. This model came in as the RCA RP7887 Superadio III. It is the same as the former GE model. See it here:
http://www.universal-radio.com/catalog/spcialty/0547.html
If you are on a budget try looking at an old and I mean old car radio. You may find one at a junk yard. Hook it up to a car battery and put a long piece of wire on it for the antenna and you will have one of the best AM radios you can get. Listen late at night and tune not only the loud stations but the weak ones too. Listen to the far right of the dial for the weak low power stations. These are nick-named the "graveyard stations". Listen for a station ID and location. If you only get the call letters you can search the Web to find the location. Give it a try ......... its fun.
Here is a Web site with further information:
http://www.dxing.com/amband.htm

Tyson Auditorium page update

Thanks to Ken Sheets for sending inside photos of the Tyson Auditorium. I have added them to the page. See them at:

http://wb9otx.com/class_files/tyson.htm

Open DNS - Get It

I've Been using Open DNS for the past year. Its free, safe, and easy to set up. Navigating the Internet is now safer, faster, smarter and more reliably than ever before. Read more about it at:
https://www.opendns.com/

A nice rebate

As you may have heard the Bush Administration said each and every one of us would now get a nice rebate. If we spend that money at Wal-Mart, all the money will go to China. If we spend it on gasoline it will all go to the Arabs, if we purchase a computer it will all go to India, if we purchase fruit and vegetables it will all go to Mexico, Honduras, and Guatemala, if we purchase a good car it will all go to Japan, if we purchase useless crap it will all go to Taiwan and none of it will help the American economy. We need to keep that money here in America, so the only way to keep that money here at home is to buy beer, since those are the only businesses still in the US.

Thanks to L.S. for this important information.

Just a few Friends Page

Just a few Friends Page has grown with leaps and bounds in the short time it has been on the Web. I still have room for lots more pictures, so send me old or new pictures that you want to see on this page.
http://picasaweb.google.com/jack.demaree/AFewFriends
This page is "just for you"

Daylight savings time

Daylight saving time (DST)is the convention of advancing clocks so that afternoons have more daylight and mornings have less. Typically clocks are adjusted forward one hour near the start of spring and are adjusted backward in autumn. Modern DST was first proposed in 1907 by William Willett. Many countries have used it since then; details vary by location and change occasionally. Read more at:
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Daylight_savings
Remember "Spring forward - Fall back" Change your clock tonight.

"and you thought Ben Franklin thought of it".

The great blizzard of '08

----------> Click photo to enlarge <---------- Betty and I are snowed in, can't even get to the hi-way. There is a ban on driving, only cops and rescue are allowed on the roads. We have heat and electric, so we are doing OK.
http://webcam.wb9otx.com/cam/

*** Update ***
Sunday morning now, After much shoveling yesterday afternoon I was able to get to the state road. The ban on driving has been lifted. Betty left for church, she called to tell me 421 to Madison was fairly clear. With temps to reach 50 later in the week this snow will not last long. "welcome to Indiana"

Teresa Brewer

Teresa Brewer (May 7, 1931 – October 17, 2007) was an American pop and jazz singer who was one of the most popular female singers of the 1950s. Born Theresa Breuer in Toledo, Ohio, Brewer died of a neuromuscular disease at her home in New Rochelle, N.Y. at the age of 76

I remember Teresa as a young boy and loved the song "Music Music Music". I had a few records by Teresa when I was in the army, We played them till they were worn out. I'll miss her and the cute little smile. Read more about Teresa at:
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Teresa_Brewer


See more videos of teresa:
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=OQGapaI34Dw
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=KVKRfW7OlWE&feature=related
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=2rvxZT2SgSo&feature=related

Matt's Today In History

When I was in school I hated history class as it was covering to far in the past. There was nothing that I felt I would ever need in my life. I still think this way. What I think should have been taught started in about 1750 through 1945. We learned nothing of the war years that I consider to be so important. My kids know nothing of WW2 at all. History now is a love and I spend much time surfing the net for articles and stories of the past.

I have been listening to Matt's Today In History for some time and I thought I would pass this page on to you. You may like it, if you do bookmark it and check it daily to hear about the past.

Intro to his page:
Everything that came before us has helped to define the world we inhabit today. Matt's Today in History is a short podcast that brings you the story of an event that took place on today's date at some time in the past. From sobering to silly, from before the Roman Empire to the fall of Communism and beyond, we cover it all, a little at a time. We are all standing on yesterday. Begin your own journey of discovery with Matt's Today in History!
http://tinyurl.com/2vctcy

Here is a link to the History Channel's This Day In History page. A new short video each day at:
http://www.history.com/this-day-in-history.do

Tyson Auditorium 1950 - 2008

Read the tribute to Tyson Auditorium Versailles In. written by Ken Sheets and hear an audio file produced by Mike Perleberg of WSCH Eagle Radio.
This page is not fancy as it was rushed into view for the Web but I think it will serve the purpose. Scroll to the bottom for the sound bite.
http://wb9otx.com/class_files/tyson.htm
There is also a link from the Versailles High School Page at:
http://wb9otx.com/class.htm

Surf the videos on YouTube

One of the things I do is surf the videos on YouTube. I have a daughter Sandy Pickett that writes, sings, and plays about anything she picks up. Therefor I look for others that do the same. Some time ago I found a girl called Christine, AKA, Happy Slip. I thought she was quite talented and I have been keeping track of her progress and I may ad it looks like she has a bright future as a singer or may be an actress. You be the judge, see one of her videos here.
Happy Slip (Christine)
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=xCAeq5kE0Ko&feature=related


This is a video of the Cactus Cuties, very talented young ladies ranging in age from 8 to 13 singing The Star Spangled Banner. The performance was at the Texas Tech vs Texas basketball game January 20, 2008 in front of over 11,000 people. The Cuties are Andi, Baylee, Blaire, Madeline and Tatum.
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=QKCVS57j284&feature=related

Madeline Powell, a member of the Cactus Cuties
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=6ZxN6CbACPM&feature=related
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ol9LxY_LW0A&feature=related

Paul Pots "WOW, I know, I say it louder" (from GEICO)
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=1k08yxu57NA&feature=related

These people are just a few of the many on YouTube. I'm sure you will be seeing and hearing more about them in the future.

The Cactus Cuties sings the National Anthem

The video was banned from being embedded, So you will have to watch it on YouTube. Click HERE to watch it ..... sorry.

This is the way it ought to be done. I am tired of all those pop stars and hollywood types screwing it up. If you ain't leaking at the eyeballs after this you are a pinko commie. Ladies and gentlemen our national anthem the way it was meant to be... From my good friend Ralph. See his Blog


Ralph you couldn't be more correct. I know you were in the military and that plants a seed into your heart that I think others do not experience. I still get a lump in my throat when I hear the National Anthem or see the colors march by in a parade. I wish others could experience this feeling to. ...... Jack

Old "Old Timbers"

Thanks Goes out to Jane and Jess Westmeyer of Versailles Indiana for letting me place very old photos of Old Timbers located now inside the Big Oaks National Wildlife Refuge Madison, In. formally the Jefferson Proving grounds (JPG). These photos are large in file size and would be best viewed with a broadband connection. If you are using a dial-up connection please give the photo time to load to full view. See the album at:
http://picasaweb.google.com/jack.demaree/OldOldTimbers
See modern photos of Old Timbers and other sites inside JPG at:
http://picasaweb.google.com/jack.demaree/JPGBigOaks
This is a piece of history "just for you" ............ Jack