GW's Scribbles

Download a 12 sided calendar

http://www.ii.uib.no/~arntzen/kalender/
Very cool!

Button Maker

http://kalsey.com/tools/buttonmaker/

I’m sure you’ve seen various rectangle images that show some combination of RSS standards, like this:

Well, if you visit the site above, you can make your own buttons, with your own colours, with your own words. Just to test it, I put my name in and moved the separator bar:

Keep in mind that the buttons are only 80 x 15 pixels, so if the words are too long, it won’t fit. For example, I could barely fit Merry Christmas into a button:

MSN Messenger Web Version

http://webmessenger.msn.com/

I don’t really use Messenger that much, but it is useful to talk with some of the younger people at Church, so I usually have it running. Within the last week or so MSN has launched a web only version.

Feel free to add me to your contacts list:

Daddy, How was I born?

Chris sent me this…

Cyrus says: Daddy, how was I born?

Dad says: Ah, my son, I guess one day you will need to find out anyway!
Well, you see your Mom and I first got together in a chat room on MSN.
Then I set up a date via e-mail with your mom and we met at a cyber-cafe.
We sneaked into a secluded room, where your mother agreed to a download from my hard drive. As soon as I was ready to upload, we discovered that neither one of us had used a firewall, and since it was too late to hit the delete button, nine months later a blessed little Pop-Up appeared and said: You’ve Got Male!
And that’s the story, Virus…I mean Cyrus.

Search and enjoy: 7 search toolbars reviewed

Check out this review by CNet:

If you’re still going to the Google or Yahoo home page to do Web searches, you’re missing half the fun–and you’re unnecessarily exerting your fingers. Toolbar plug-ins for Microsoft Internet Explorer–and now Firefox–make it easy and fast to look up Web references without having to type in another URL.

DVDs For Sale

I’ve went through my collection of DVDs and grabbed a bunch that I haven’t watched for a while to sell (all prices in CDN$). Let me know if you are interested.

• The Simpsons: The Complete First Season ($20)
• The Simpsons: The Complete Second Season ($20)
• What Women Want ($5)
• Nine Months ($5)
• Mickey Blue Eyes ($5)
• The Mask ($5)
• EDtv ($5)

MicroSolutions RoadStor

MicroSolutions RoadStor is a multi-function device that acts as a portable CD Writer to allow you to back up your digital media cards while away from your computer. It also gives the user the ability to view a slideshow of their images on a television screen, view DVD movies, and listen to CD’s or MP3’s. While connected to your computer, the device is a USB 2.0 external CD-Writer/DVD Player.

Read the full review at http://www.pcin.net/help/hardware/roadstor.php

Microsoft Baseline Security Analyzer

http://www.microsoft.com/technet/security/tools/mbsahome.mspx

MBSA is a free tool that Microsoft provides to scan your system for updates and other security vulnerabilities. It provides links to the updates necessary, along with other instructions to secure your system. I’ve had several problems after implementing these instructions. I followed the instructions accurately, and the steps worked. The problem is that the instructions don’t warn you about possible things that could “break” by following the instructions. I had 2 different web sites break because parent paths were disabled (as suggested by MBSA). I’ve previously had problems after running the IIS Lockdown tool (as suggested by MBSA).

The point is, be sure you remember what changes you make, as you may have to go back and undo them.

Church Bulletin Bloopers

A co-worker of mine, Louise, sent me these:

• Bertha Belch, a missionary from Africa, will be speaking tonight at Calvary Methodist. Come hear Bertha Belch all the way from Africa.
• The Fasting & Prayer Conference includes meals.
• The sermon this morning: “Jesus Walks on the Water.” The sermon tonight: “Searching for Jesus.”
• Our youth basketball team is back in action Wednesday at 8 PM in the recreation hall. Come out and watch us kill Christ the King.
• Ladies, don’t forget the rummage sale. It’s a chance to get rid of those things not worth keeping around the house. Don’t forget your husbands.
• The peacemaking meeting scheduled for today has been canceled due to a conflict.
• Remember in prayer the many who are sick of our community. Smile at someone who is hard to love. Say “Hell” to someone who doesn’t care much about you.
• Don’t let worry kill you off – let the Church help.
• Miss Charlene Mason sang “I will not pass this way again,” giving obvious pleasure to the congregation.
• For those of you who have children and don’t know it, we have a nursery downstairs.
• Next Thursday there will be tryouts for the choir. They need all the help they can get.
• Barbara remains in the hospital and needs blood donors for more transfusions. She is also having trouble sleeping and requests tapes of Pastor Jack’s sermons.
• The Rector will preach his farewell message after which the choir will sing: “Break Forth Into Joy.”
• Irving Benson and Jessie Carter were married on October 24 in the church. So ends a friendship that began in their school days.
• A bean supper will be held on Tuesday evening in the church hall. Music will follow.
• At the evening service tonight, the sermon topic will be “What Is Hell?” Come early and listen to our choir practice.
• Eight new choir robes are currently needed due to the addition of several new members and to the deterioration of some older ones.
• Scouts are saving aluminum cans, bottles and other items to be recycled. Proceeds will be used to cripple children.
• Please place your donation in the envelope along with the deceased person you want remembered.
• The church will host an evening of fine dining, super entertainment and gracious hostility.
• Potluck supper Sunday at 5:00 PM – prayer and medication to follow.
• The ladies of the Church have cast off clothing of every kind. They may be seen in the basement on Friday afternoon.
• This evening at 7 PM there will be a hymn singing in the park across from the Church. Bring a blanket and come prepared to sin.
• Ladies Bible Study will be held Thursday morning at 10 AM. All ladies are invited to lunch in the Fellowship Hall after the B.S. is done.
• The pastor would appreciate it if the ladies of the congregation would lend him their electric girdles for the pancake breakfast next Sunday.
• Low Self Esteem Support Group will meet Thursday at 7 PM. Please use the back door.
• The eighth-graders will be presenting Shakespeare’s Hamlet in the Church basement Friday at 7 PM. The congregation is invited to attend this tragedy.
• Weight Watchers will meet at 7 PM at the First Presbyterian Church. Please use large double door at the side entrance.
• The Associate Minister unveiled the church’s new tithing campaign slogan last Sunday: “I Upped My Pledge – Up Yours Enjoy!

SimpleOCR

http://www.simpleocr.com/
“Use SimpleOCR to add accurate character recognition capabilities to your custom software without the complexity and expense of runtime licensing.

• SimpleOCR is the only OCR API that’s Royalty Free. Save hundreds on every runtime license
• Get the SimpleOCR application for free
• Competitive OCR accuracy
  Recognizes many documents better than its high-cost competitors
• Implemented as a C++ library with ActiveX wrapper included for easy integration
• Based on WOCAR by Cyril Cambien”