Hero Inc.

It’s been quite a while since I have posted anything concerning my computer and with the new purchase I made a few weeks ago, maybe I should share a pot luck of computer related news.

• After two years of threatening, I finally broke down and purchased a new computer. I was mainly looking for something that was better than my old Dell, which by this point is about 6 years old. The new machine, dubbed Black Panther, is running Mandriva Spring 2008 and is turning out much better than I had hoped it would.
• The new computer was minus a few extra PCI slots so I had to purchase a new wireless device. I went with the Linksys Compact Wireless – G USB Adapter. I had read on a forum before purchasing that it worked well with Linux distrobutions. The forum was right and the Compact G worked out of the box with Mandriva.
• With the new install, I was missing many commercial and non-commercial components that I would need to return my new machine to the way I had my old Linux desktop setup. One of the key items was the libdvdcss library which allows me to burn the DVDs I have purchased in order to watch my movies on the road. Of course, with libdvdcss, I would need transcode so that K3B could correctly rip and encode the files. I think I might be getting better at this search online for linux answers thing.
• Compiz Fusion running on a faster system is simply a must. It provides the great visuals that all of those Mac fanboys rave about. I personally love the cube and ring effects. The beauty of it all is that it is FREE!!!!
• Once my system was up and running I wanted to setup Amarok with MySQL instead of SQLite since I had heard of the amazing speed one would gain with the change. However, when I tried to install MySQL via the RPM in Mandriva I encountered a problem every time. It seemed my root MySQL account was already given a default password and I didn’t know it. I tried numerous installs but received the same issue. After a few searches, I came to discover that the MySQL RPM for release candidate 2008.1 release candidate 1 contained an issue if the computer was labeled “localhost”. I read up on the bug and followed the wonderful instructions of one Oden Eriksson and my problem was solved rather quickly. First stop MySQL and Amarok, next stop MythTV.
• I found a great website when I was searching for how to record my desktop. The website has many web videos that show you how to do different things. I was even fortunate to see one about asterisk which I was looking to work with at work in a few days.

I think I got a little link happy in this post but I did warn from the start that it was going to be a pot luck of sorts.

The other day at work, I received a random message over IM from a user I did not know. The user in question was someone I had met in a previous life on the internet when I was part of the e-fedding world. I know I’m going to regret this post later but oh well.

What is an e-fed?
Well, before there was fantasy football, fantasy baseball, or fantasy anything, there was fantasy wrestling. That’s right. Wreslting. I’m talking about Ric Flair, Hulk Hogan, and Sting. That kind of wrestling. According to wiki, an e-fed is a fictional wrestling promotion where the basic premise is that a player creates a character and manages his or her career.

Over my e-fedding career, there were two different ways to play but both shared a common aspect. The first e-fed I joined utilized a piece of software that would simulate wrestling matches. That’s right people. There is software out there that would simulate a wrestling match based on the type of match and the wrestlers that were placed into that match. You could setup all different types of matches (ladder, four way, Last Man Standing, etc.) as well as wrestler types (grappler, high flyer, technician, etc.). Most of the matches were very redundant due to the limits of the software. It was still cool at the time. The second type of e-fed I joined did not use the software. For each weekly event and monthly “PPV” writers would scribe the entire match and any other aspect of the show. This could be attacks in the backstage area, interviews, or vinettes. As you can imagine (if you are even trying), shows were constantly postponed due to the amount of time it would take to write these events. I tried to write a few here and there but I wasn’t any good.

The overall common component of both types was the aspect of role playing. Once you created your wrestler, you had to bring the wrestler to life through promos or interviews. These are just online postings where you build up your fight for the week or whatever feud you are currently involved in. There were limitations on what you could say or do in an interview to keep the fantasy as “real” as possible (i.e. no using wrestlers that were not your own). There was a point in time where I was having to write a promo a day for 4 days a week to prepare for my weekly match. Each promo could have taken me about 2 hours to write, which isn’t fun when Word suddenly crashes on you and you have to type it up again from scratch.

Who were my characters?
When I first started out, I created a tag team known as Snakebite (Viper and Venom). They basically had no personality and died rather quickly in my eyes but thanks to the software of the e-fed they were slightly above a jobber. Soon I began a feud with the resident outsiders of the federation and I needed a new “big guy” to combat the size of this wrestler known as Oz. I, therefore, created X who was almost 8 feet tall. I wasn’t very creative in the beginning. There was also Mondo for a short period of time but I actually ended up killing him off to make way for another character.

By killing off Mondo, I was able to create a storyline where Mondo’s brother would enter the federation in order to enact revenge on those responsible for Mondo’s overdose. Mondo’s brother was originally known as Cryus “The Virus” Fury. For those movie buffs out there, yes I did steal the name from Con Air. Cyrus was a loner who was more of a homeless bum. I modeled him after another real wrestler, Saturn. His style was hardcore and it allowed me to write for a darker style character.

Around the same time as Cryus, Buddy “Man of Action” Lee was born. This single moment is probably the start of the hero complex, but that’s an argument for another day. Buddy Lee was the hero everyone wanted and needed. He was the ultimate face that the crowd would love. With entrance music by Foo Fighters “My Hero,” I had finally found a character that I could really get into. After a few months, I was tired of writing for a face because of the limitations. When Buddy Lee moved to a heel status, he took on an arrogant, “I’m better than the entire world” attitude as well as the moniker “Mr. Hero.” On occasion Buddy Lee would use Cryus as a lackey and a tag team was formed, The Hero Selective. Both Buddy Lee and Cyrus held multiple tiles with Buddy Lee coming out ahead in the singles category with World titles in more than one federation.

	Name	Buddy Lee
	Hometown	Calgary, Alberta, Canada
	Wrestler Type	All Rounder
	Entrance Music	Foo Fighters “My Hero”
	Catchphrase	I am the Hero of All Heroes, your Paragon of Virtue, and the TRUE Man of Action.
	Finisher(s)	Buddy Lee Bomb, (Gut-Wrench Powerbomb), Herosault (Moonsault), Herovation (2 Powerbombs and a DVD)

	Name	Cyrus Fury
	Hometown	Chicago, Illinois
	Wrestler Type	Hardcore
	Entrance Music	Chevelle “Family System”
	Catchphrase	Feel my FURY!
	Finisher(s)	The Fatality (Reverse Inverted DDT that drops the opponent’s back onto a knee)

Now to make sure those videos from the TWF never show up. Man, how old was I?

For those west coast readers, I’m talking about University of South Carolina and not University of Southern California.

Yesterday, I made my way to San Francisco to visit May knowing that I would be missing some of the UGA/USC game. I was hoping the game would be locked up before I had to get on the plane but that was not the case due to being televised on CBS and the fact that we always play USC close. While riding MARTA, I’m getting game updates via the blackberry and text messages from my buddy David. This is not the ideal way to watch a UGA game but it was working better than nothing.

By the time it was set to board my flight, the game was just beginning the 4th quarter with UGA up 14 to 7. When I found my seat, the flight attendant asked if I needed anything. I jokingly responded that an update to the game would be nice. She responded by saying that she’d check with the pilot but I might also want to see if it could be found on the XM radio system. I quickly found the SEC channels and the channel for the game. However, since we were still on the ground, they had not switched the audio system over to the XM system due to possible pilot announcements. I was hoping that once we pulled away from the gate audio would begin, but that was not the case. Before we were forced to turn off electronic devices, I was given one uplifting moment when David informed me that we had recovered a fumble in the endzone to prevent USC from scoring.

As the plane pulled away from the gate, I stared intently at the flashing XM radio system. With no audio playing in my ears, all I could read was:

199 SEC            UGA14 USC7            4TH QUARTER

Heading to the runway I kept hoping audio would kick in. When we were about 10th for take off, I knew that I would not make into the air with a result.

199 SEC            UGA14 USC7            4TH QUARTER

Every time the message flashed, I had a heart attack in fear that it would say UGA14 USC14. The message continued to flash and I’m hoping to see any kind of news but at least good news.

199 SEC            UGA14 USC7            4TH QUARTER
199 SEC            UGA14 USC7            4TH QUARTER
199 SEC            UGA14 USC7            4TH QUARTER
199 SEC            UGA14 USC7            4TH QUARTER
199 SEC            UGA14 USC7            4TH QUARTER
199 SEC            UGA14 USC7            4TH QUARTER
199 SEC            UGA14 USC7            4TH QUARTER
199 SEC            UGA14 USC7            4TH QUARTER
199 SEC            UGA14 USC7            4TH QUARTER
199 SEC            UGA14 USC7            4TH QUARTER
199 SEC            UGA14 USC7            4TH QUARTER
199 SEC            UGA14 USC7            4TH QUARTER
199 SEC            UGA14 USC7            4TH QUARTER
199 SEC            UGA14 USC7            4TH QUARTER
199 SEC            UGA14 USC7            4TH QUARTER
199 SEC            UGA14 USC7            FINAL

Man, that was a close one. I’m hoping my flight back next week during the start of the UGA/Arizona State game is not as detrimental to my health.

Sitting at work struggling to complete your day? Looking for something to inspire you. I’m not talking about the speech from Braveheart or a motivational poster that lacks motivation. I’m talking about the ultimate playlist. A playlist designed to help you conquer the world. Just listening to each song will create that fire you need to do ANYTHING.

In no particular order, here is the Inspirational playlist I’ve built as it stands today:

• “Your Most Valuable Possession” by Ben Folds Five
• “Everybody’s Free (To Wear Sunscreen)” by Baz Luhrmann
• “We’re So Far Away” by Mae
• “The Final Countdown” by Europe
• “Holding Out For A Hero” by Bonnie Tyler
• “Don’t Stop Believin'” by Journey
• “Eye of the Tiger” by Survivor
• “Hearts On Fire” by John Cafferty
• “Carry on Wayward Son” by Kansas
• “Life” by Our Lady Peace
• “My Hero” by Foo Fighters
• “Everlong” by Foo Fighters
• “Viva La Vida” by Coldplay
• “Family System” by Chevelle
• “Right Now” by Van Halen
• “Hallelujah” by Paramore
• “Theme from Superman” by John Williams
• “O Fortuna” by Carmina Burana
• “Pioneers” by Bloc Party
• “Song 2” by Blur
• “Stronger” by Kanye West
• “Foreplay/Long Time” by Boston
• “Harder, Better, Faster, Stronger” by Daft Punk
• “Remember To Breathe” by Dashboard Confessional
• “Yellow Brick Road” by Raine Maida
• “One Day More” by Colm Wilkinson (Les Miserables)
• “Handlebars” by Flobots
• “Man in the Mirror” by Michael Jackson
• “We Are The Champions” by Queen
• “Don’t Stop Me Now” by Queen
• “Let Go” by Frou Frou

Listen. Inspire. Conquer.

Side Note:  Why do the great songs of the 80s offer such great inspiration?  Was the great montages?

The other night I headed to a friend’s apartment to watch the Alabama/Clemson game. My friend’s apartment complex has an access gate like most complexes do these days. The problem here, which is probably the same problem at most gates, is that they are often broken or refuse to call. I always struggle to get this gate to open and I usually have to wait for someone else to go in so that I may follow them into the complex.

I knew from my own gate that the gate would open with the correct four digit combination. Most complexes allow individuals to create their own code for cases where they do not have their gate beeper with them. Well, on this night I decided to try something new. I decided to try basic combinations to see if any “default” codes would open the gate. I only needed to try two basic combinations before the gate would open for me. After telling my friend this, I was informed of two other combinations that I might want to try on other gates as well. The next time I went to his place, I tried one of the two new combinations and the gate opened with ease, yet again.

I tried the combinations on my gate and found one that worked as well. It seems that probably most apartment complexes that are surrounded by a gate will either have a default code or they allow their renters to put in a very basic code that is easily guessable. Currently, I’ve only tested this theory on two different gates (from two different apartment renters). I want to expand this theory to see if one of the four “default’ codes will let you past most gates.

The following codes are the default codes I have been trying:

• #0000
• #1234 (Worked on one gate)
• #5555 (Worked on two gates)
• #9999

If you happen to try the codes and they work, please let me know.  I understand why “default” codes and passwords exist in the world, but I struggle sometimes with the common sense that is needed to get people to change them.  I’ve never believed in apartment complex gates, but now I really think they are worthless.