Saturday, November 29, 2008

Don't forget your passwords


I obtained a new pan and tilt camera that I started to install yesterday afternoon and then the nightmare started. I have 5 computers, 1 X-box, 1 music/video server, 6 cameras, 1 access point, 1 router, 1 security system DVR, 1 cable modem, and 3 network switchs. All work within and in conjunction with my home network. Most are pass worded to keep the hackers out. Most use the same password and username, so why could I not log into my router???? After trying every password I have used in the past I gave up after 2 hours. I reset the router with the famous push of the paper clip. The act erases all the critical settings that I had stored making everything work, and pouf there gone. But now at 3pm the next day I have reconfigured all the settings and plugged in all the numbers that makes it go. Please see my new camera and give it a test drive. Pan and tilt is for you to just look around my radio/computer room.
Best to use Internet Explorer (IE) but it will work with FireFox. (kinda)
Use Username guest
Use Password guest
http://98.226.84.179:1024/main.cgi?next_file=main2.htm

http://webcam.wb9otx.com/cam/broadband.htm
or
http://webcam.wb9otx.com/cam/
then click "Broadband"

A few people have stated that they can't find the link. You should clear the cache in your browser. Find out how.

Friday, November 28, 2008

Thanksgiving Gathering


It's not just families that are getting together this Thanksgiving week. The three brightest objects in the night sky -- Venus, Jupiter and a crescent moon -- will crowd around each other for an unusual group shot. Starting Thanksgiving evening, Jupiter and Venus will begin moving closer so that by Sunday and Monday, they will appear 2 degrees apart, which is about a finger width held out at arm's length, said Alan MacRobert, senior editor at Sky and Telescope magazine. Then on Monday night, they will be joined by a crescent moon right next to them, he said. Look in the southwestern sky around twilight -- no telescope or binoculars needed. The show will even be visible in cities if it's a clear night. "It'll be a head-turner," MacRobert said. "This certainly is an unusual coincidence for the crescent moon to be right there in the days when they are going to be closest together."
Read More

Monday, November 24, 2008

Who hijacked a Boeing 727


D. B. Cooper is the name attributed to a man who hijacked a Boeing 727 aircraft in the United States on November 24, 1971, received US$200,000 in ransom, and parachuted from the plane. He was never apprehended. The name he used to board the plane was Dan Cooper, but through a later press miscommunication, he became known as "D. B. Cooper". Despite hundreds of leads through the years, no conclusive evidence has surfaced regarding Cooper's true identity or whereabouts, and the bulk of the money has never been recovered. Several theories offer competing explanations of what happened after his famed jump, which the FBI believes he did not survive.

The nature of Cooper's escape and the uncertainty of his fate continue to intrigue people. The Cooper case (code-named "Norjak" by the FBI) remains an unsolved mystery, and along with Malaysia Airlines Flight 653 is one of the world's few unsolved cases of aircraft hijacking.

The Cooper case has baffled government and.......... read the full story

Saturday, November 22, 2008

John F. Kennedy assassination November 22, 1963


The assassination of John F. Kennedy, the thirty-fifth President of the United States, took place on Friday, November 22, 1963, in Dallas, Texas, USA at 12:30 p.m. CST (18:30 UTC). John F. Kennedy was fatally wounded by gunshots while riding with his wife Jacqueline Bouvier Kennedy in a Presidential motorcade. The ten-month investigation of the Warren Commission of 1963–1964, the United States House Select Committee on Assassinations (HSCA) of 1976–1979, and other government investigations concluded that the President was assassinated by Lee Harvey Oswald. This conclusion was initially met with widespread support among the American public (1964–66), but polls conducted after the original 1966 Gallup poll show as much as 80% of the public hold beliefs contrary to these findings. The assassination is still the subject of widespread speculation and has spawned numerous conspiracy theories, though none of these theories has been proven. In 1979, the House Select Committee on Assassinations (HSCA) found both the original FBI investigation and the Warren Commission Report to be seriously flawed. The HSCA also concluded that there were at least four shots fired and that it was probable that a conspiracy existed. Later studies, including one by the National Academy of Sciences, have called into question the accuracy of the evidence used by the HSCA to support its finding of four shots. Read the full story from Wikipedia

Hijacked


On November 17, 2008, the U.S. Navy announced that the Sirius Star had been hijacked by Somali pirates. Lt. Nate Christensen, a spokesman for the U.S. Navy's 5th Fleet, said the pirates hijacked the very large crude carrier at about 10:00 a.m. on Saturday, November 15, while it was southbound, about 450 nautical miles (520 mi/830 km) southeast of the coast of Kenya — the farthest out to sea Somali pirates have struck. The attack also made Sirius Star the largest vessel ever to be hijacked.[6] It is estimated that for the pirates to reach the Sirius Star, they must have voyaged south for three to four days.

At the time of the attack, the ship was carrying a full load of 2 million barrels of crude oil — more than one-quarter of Saudi Arabia's daily oil production output, and worth at least US$100 million and was bound for the United States via the Cape of Good Hope. According to officials from Puntland, the pirates anchored Sirius Star at the Somali port of Harardhere, contrary to early reports from the United States Navy that the ship was anchored near Eyl..... Read the full story

Wednesday, November 19, 2008

Gettysburg Address November 19, 1863


The Gettysburg Address is a speech by U.S. President Abraham Lincoln and one of the most quoted speeches in United States history. It was delivered at the dedication of the Soldiers' National Cemetery in Gettysburg, Pennsylvania, on the afternoon of Thursday, November 19, 1863, during the American Civil War, four and a half months after the Union armies defeated those of the Confederacy at the decisive Battle of Gettysburg.

Abraham Lincoln's carefully crafted address, secondary to other presentations that day, came to be regarded as one of the greatest speeches in American history. In just over two minutes, Lincoln invoked the principles of human equality espoused by the Declaration of Independence and redefined the Civil War as a struggle not merely for the Union, but as "a new birth of freedom" that would bring true equality to all of its citizens, and that would also create a unified nation in which states' rights were no longer dominant.

Beginning with the now-iconic phrase "Four score and seven years ago...", Lincoln referred to the events of the Civil War and described the ceremony at Gettysburg as an opportunity not only to consecrate the grounds of a cemetery, but also to dedicate the living to the struggle to ensure that "government of the people, by the people, for the people, shall not perish from the earth".
The only confirmed photo of Abraham Lincoln at Gettysburg (seated), taken about noon, just after Lincoln arrived and some three hours before he spoke. To Lincoln's right is his bodyguard, Ward Hill Lamon.

Despite the speech's prominent place in the history and popular culture of the United States, the exact wording of the speech is disputed. The five known manuscripts of the Gettysburg Address differ in a number of details and also differ from contemporary newspaper reprints of the speech.
From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia

Download the Speech in MP3 format
http://www.fiftiesweb.com/usa/gettysburg-address-jc1.mp3

Sunday, November 16, 2008

Support our troops


Support our troops and their families. Every Thanksgiving and religious holiday that you enjoy with family and friends, please remember that there are literally thousands of soldiers, sailors, marines and airmen far from home wishing they could be with their families. Thank God for our military and the sacrifices they make every day. Without them, our country would get it's ass kicked.

Friday, November 14, 2008

Nellie Bly


Elizabeth Jane Cochrane
Nellie Bly
Investigative Journalist

Born May 5, 1864, to Judge Michael Cochran and Mary Jane Kennedy Cochran, part of the large Cochran family of Apollo, Pennsylvania, Elizabeth Jane Cochrane revolutionized journalism for women. She is better known by her pen name, "Nellie Bly," which she adapted from the Stephen Foster song, "Nelly Bly." Daring and innovative, she gained world fame when she beat Jules Verne's fictional character Phileas Fogg's record for traveling around the world in 80 days by more than a week, departing on November 14, 1889 and returning to New York on January 25, 1890.
Read more at:

http://home.att.net/~gapehenry/NellieBly.html
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Nellie_Bly

Wednesday, November 12, 2008

Veterans Day - the day after


It was a little cool and a brisk breeze was blowing, but even with a sprinkle of rain this did not prevent a record turnout to the programs that were hosted by South Ripley Senior & Elementary Schools. Being in the programs as a Flag bearer with the honor guard I was not able to take as many photos as I have in past years. I did take a few at the Veterans Monument on the square tho. Amy Linkel, Assistant Principal of the Elementary School was kind enough to share one that she captured and emailed to me. I have posted these photos to the web at:
http://picasaweb.google.com/jack.demaree/VeteransDay2008#
The Marine in two of the photos is PFC Everage, he has just completed his first phase of training and when training is completed he will be assigned to the White House. We may get a glimpse of him on TV, watch for him in the news. All and all it was a very warm reception brought forth by the people and students of our County of Ripley. Thank you from all Veterans.

Sunday, November 09, 2008

Veterans Day - November 11






D-Day
Memorial








Photo by: Carl Taul

On the 11th hour of the 11th Day of the 11th month, the guns of World War I fell silent

Read more at:
http://www.military.com/veterans-day/history-of-veterans-day.htm
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/National_D-Day_Memorial

South Ripley High School students will provide a Veterans breakfast on Tuesday, Nov. 11 at 8:15 a.m. with a program following at 9 a.m. At 10 a.m. South Ripley Elementary will hold a program. At 11 a.m. a memorial service will be held at the Ripley County Veterans Monument on the courthouse square, public invited.

Friday, November 07, 2008

South Pole - from the archive 1/8/2004


I have been interested in Antarctica for a long time and read about anything I can find on the subject. My interest came about quiet by accident in 1980. You see I am a Ham Radio Opperator and while dialing my receiver across the twenty meter band I heard the word Lawrenceburg. This is a town about twenty-five miles from where I live. To my surprise the call sign this fellow was using was KC4AAA, this told me he was located at the South Pole. When he signed off with the station he was in conversation with I called him, he answered and told me his name was Pat and his home town was Lawrenceburg, Indiana. This was the start of a friendship with his family and Pat. I would connect my radio to the telephone lines so Pat at the Pole could talk to his parents and other friends here in the states. Other people at the pole would want me to do a phone patch as it was called to their friends also. Pat and I had a schedule two times a week starting at midnight, if I remember correctly that was three in the afternoon at the pole, they were on the same time as Christchurch, New Zealand. Sometimes other stations on the Antarctic continent would call and want me to run phone patches for them after Pat and I were finished. I was leaving the house for work at four A.M. at that time so it was pretty hard on me not getting much sleep, but I loved doing it. I did this phone patching for the fellows at the Pole for two years. I could tell you some very interesting stories about things that took place in that two year period, two stick out in my mind very vivid. I received a call about three in the afternoon, I had just walked in my home from work. The voice on the phone was very low and I could tell from the tone something was wrong. The young lady in a very quivering voice ask if I was the one that talked to the South Pole, I told her yes. She said she had to get a message to her brother there and could I do it. I told her I thought I could but it depended on the radio propagation and the time of day. Sometimes it is not possible but I would try that night. I ask what is your brothers name and what do you want to tell him. She began to cry. I knew it was going to be bad news. After a time she finally said tell him Mom has died. She gave me the details to pass on. I told her I would do my best to get the message through to her brother and I would call her back when I delivered the message. That night at 11PM I started calling on our sched frequency as I thought they may just be listing early. At about 11:45 my time I heard, "WB9OTX this is KC4AAA go ahead". It was my friend Pat, I told him the name of the man and that I had very bad news for him from his sister. I wanted Pat to tell him but he said he would call him on the all-call (intercom) and have him speak over the radio to me. This was one of the worst moments in my life when Pat told me he was at the radio listening and for me to go ahead with the message. I told him about his Mother in the same words as his Sister had told it to me. I felt very bad about telling him this as I knew nothing could be done to get him out from the continent and back home. Nothing comes or goes from the Pole in the Winter-Over period except radio waves. I told him I could call his Sister and run a phone patch to her, but he said no. He told me to call her in the morning and tell her he had received the message and to be strong. I called his Sister the next morning and told her what he had said. She thanked me over and over again. I ask her how she got my telephone number, she said the National Science Foundation gave it to her. To this day I have no Idea how or why they had my name and phone number. Remember, "big brother is always listening".

One more story I remember that I want to tell, but I am out of time so it will have to wait till tonight or tomorrow.

To be continued ………….


More South Pole
After reading the last post and seeing the little typos and how long it was, I promise to keep this one shorter. The typos just go with this Blog, so get over it.

To continue on with story number two, I think it was the Winter of 82 at the Pole. This makes it June or July here since the seasons are reversed or opposite in the two hemispheres. On one of our scheds Pat told me they were going to have an air drop. This had never been attempted before because of the great distance and weather conditions the planes would encounter coming and returning from New Zealand. The planes would be a pair of C-130s with no skies, as there would be no landing and hopefully a round trip. The planes would have to be mid-air refueled coming to the Pole and returning to Christ Church New Zealand, so you see it was quite a complicated trip to organize. I think we talked about it for more than a month. The families of the men (and one woman) were contacted and told they could send one package. Each person at the Pole could make one request for anything in reason. Most wanted some type of food ranging from ice cream to kiwi fruit, did I say ice cream, yes he wanted chocolate flavor. Pat told me I could send a package also, so I sent some things about Ham Radio and a 5 X 7 photo of myself. I told him to hang it above the radio to keep the mice away and do you know it worked as there has never been a mouse in the radio room to this day. I hope it is still hanging there. The packages were to be sent to New Zealand for relay on the air drop. The day came and all the crew were lighting flairs (it is dark for about 3 months) to mark the drop zone and trying to call the planes that were coming. I was at my radio listing and could hear the Pole calling the planes and I could hear the planes call the Pole, but neither could contact each other. I called the Pole and told them I could hear both of them. The planes were on a frequency that I was not allowed on, but they were also listening on the Ham frequency so they could hear me. I transmitted in the Ham band and I listened on the military frequency, this is called operating split. It worked very well. I relayed the location and arrival times to the Pole. It worked great and I have to tell you I thought I was really something being able to relay the como for this big adventure. It all went off without a snag, there were a few things that took place when the planes made the drop, but I am sworn to secrecy, I can say they were pretty low to the ice when they kicked the freight out of the planes.(nuff said) To end this story and get the point across that I wanted to make. All the crew got sick about a week or two after the air drop. There are no germs as we call them at the Pole because it is just like the inside of your freezer here at home, its just too cold for them. All the packages and food were carrying loads of bacteria and viruses attached to them. All was brought inside the dome that is heated and spread to the crew. Almost all came down with a nasty cold or worse. No one thought of this, but that ended all future air drops. I always think of the story ‘War of the Worlds’ that is what killed the aliens that were from Mars you know. They could not tolerate the germs here on earth that we are all immune to.

I hope you enjoyed reading this, as most people know little about the South Pole. I will tell you that things have changed with all the satellites and Internet. The crew at the Pole now can communicate just about as well as you and I do now from our homes here in the good ‘ol USA. But back 15 years ago and longer, the Ham Radio fellows sure provided a wonderful service to the stations in the Antarctic and I am very proud to be one of them.

THE END

Thursday, November 06, 2008

"MP3 Fugitive" from my archive 1/4/04


I think this is the lady that was removed from the plane in France that was bound for Cincinnati. She was trying to conceal an MP3 player under her clothes. After a complete strip search of her floppy drives by the Home Land Security crew she was released. She will remain under investagation for copy right violations by the RIAA. One of the HLS personel was quoted, "from our records we knew she had an active Napster account, this was the tip off".
http://wb9otx.com/blog/archive/2004_01_04_archive

FM Broadcasting - Edwin Howard Armstrong


Nov. 6th 1935 – Before the Institute of Radio Engineers in New York, American electrical engineer and inventor Edwin Howard Armstrong presented his study on using frequency modulation for radio broadcasting.

Edwin Howard Armstrong
(December 18, 1890 – January 31, 1954). Armstrong was the inventor of frequency modulation (FM) radio.

Edwin Howard Armstrong
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Edwin_Howard_Armstrong

The Birthplace of FM Broadcasting, Alpine, N.J.
Armstrong Tower
http://www.fybush.com/sites/2005/site-050610.html

Wednesday, November 05, 2008

Under Barack Obama


She Won't Need To Worry About Paying For Her Gas And
Mortgage Under Barack Obama.


Tuesday, November 04, 2008

May God Help Us

and I mean this

Today is the Day "VOTE"


John McCain (born 1936) is the senior United States Senator from Arizona and presidential nominee of the Republican Party in the 2008 United States presidential election. During the Vietnam War, he nearly lost his life in the 1967 USS Forrestal fire. In October 1967, he was shot down and held as a prisoner of war until 1973, experiencing episodes of torture; his war wounds have left him with lifelong physical limitations. Elected to the U.S. House of Representatives in 1982, he served two terms, was elected to the U.S. Senate in 1986, and was re-elected in 1992, 1998, and 2004.





Barack Obama (born 1961) is the junior United States Senator from Illinois and presidential nominee of the Democratic Party in the 2008 United States presidential election. Obama is the first African American to be nominated for president by a major political party. Obama graduated from Columbia University and Harvard Law School, serving as the president of the Harvard Law Review. He served three terms in the Illinois Senate and taught constitutional law at the University of Chicago Law School. Obama delivered the keynote address at the 2004 Democratic National Convention and was elected to the Senate in November 2004.

Sunday, November 02, 2008

Nov 2nd 1947 "Spruce Goose" first/last Flight


H-4 (HK-1) Hercules
After the first two uneventful taxi runs, four reporters left to file stories but the remaining press stayed for the final test run of the day. After picking up speed on the channel facing Cabrillo Beach near Long Beach, the Hercules lifted off, remaining airborne 70 feet off the water at a speed of 135 mph for around a mile At this altitude, the aircraft was still experiencing ground effect.

Hughes had answered his critics and the hearings ended, but the aircraft never flew again, and to this day it is not clear whether the aircraft was really airworthy. Hughes himself had his doubts. The aircraft was maintained in flying condition until Hughes' death in 1976.
Read more

Saturday, November 01, 2008

Versailles Halloween Parade & Contest



















Thursday night's Halloween contest and parade went very well. There were about 100 people in attendance for the event. I played 50 - 60 music over the PA for about 1 hour before it started with much complaint from the kids. The weather was very good with temperatures in the 60s. I took pictures of all the winners and will turn them into the newspaper this morning. I hope they print them. Here is a photo I took of the best of show. Isn't she cute ?