Tuesday, January 30, 2018
Don' Think Crypto Currency Is Affecting You?
Don't think that Crypto Currency affects you?
Think agai.
If you build your own gaming PC's or visit certain websites, digital money is causing an impact on your life.
I saw my NewEgg alert this morning, and it was down right depressing. NewEgg is a online retailer of computer parts and consumer electronics. I've been on the lookout for deals on components, as my daughter is taking classes for New Media and Digital Design. A PC having more horse-power is a necessity for her now. Motherboards are cheap. Prices of processors are dropping, as well as some other components - but not Random Access Memory sticks (RAM) or Graphical Processing Units (GPU's / video cards).
16GB of DDR4 was running anywhere from $150 - 230 - and that wasn't even high-zoot stuff either.
You could get 16 GB of G Skill for 68 bucks a few years ago. A friend of mine got an incredible deal on 32 GB of GSkill RAM three years back, for less than $135.
NewEgg didn't even have video cards on special, because they are having a hard time getting them in stock.
The AMD 580X I got for my wife's machine, last year, is $200+ MORE than what it launched at.
The super high end stuff is available; as is the rebadged, low end, 2 gen old crap. AMD 560X / 570X / and 580X's are no where to be had; nor are GTX 1050 / 1060 / 1070's. Basically the mid-range cards are gone.
Oooppps - sorry I was wrong.
The card I got the wife, is now 500 dollars more than what I got it for a year ago!
https://www.newegg.com/
What is causing this shortage of computer components, and causing prices to spike,you may ask?
Bitcoin mining.
http://www.tomshardware.com/
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The recent resurgence of cryptocurrency and the growing popularity of Ethereum has led to a massive shortage in the GPU market. Prices are oscillating wildly, and ...
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These mining farms are sucking up all of the RAM and GPU's for their shear parallel processing power. While initial mining PC's just used a low power ATOM processors to chug away mining Bitcoin, current mining machines use racks upon racks of multiple-GPU equipped motherboards.
The appeal of GPU's over the main processor of a PC is the amount of concurrent threads they each can handle per instruction clock cycle. A typical high end quad core, Intel processor can process eight threads at a time. Where as a video card can grind through hundreds, to low thousands, in the same time.
As you can see, a GPU absolutely gut stomps a CPU for shear processing power.
When Bitcoins were cheap and plentiful, it didn't make sense to dump a pile of money on high end equipment. Now that the perceived value of Bitcoin has launched through the roof, there are actually people mortgaging their houses to pay for crypto-mining PC's.
Thanks CUDA.......
You can forget about me building anything for the foreseeable future.
Now to top it off, it seems certain web sites are hi-jacking your computer, remotely through the ads on their pages, to cryptomine. The most prominent, that I frequent, is Drudge Report. This is an accurate article as well - as my boss looked into his PC's resource management. Network and processing power were being consumed whenever he left Drudge open. This doesn't seem to affect my PC, as I use add ons in Firefox such as Ghostery, AdBlock Plus, and Blur. SpyBot Search and Destroy might be helping me as well.
https://market-ticker.org/
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The reach of Crypto-currency is ever expanding, and like it or not, it is affecting your life.
In one way or another.
H/T to Leigh in Whitehall
There was a time in the entertainment industry when looks weren't the result of plastic surgeries and talent wasn't computer generated
One of the "hottest" dance scenes ever
Monday, January 29, 2018
The Man Who Is Working To End Black Genocide
I saw this story over at Kenny's. I read the header and clicked the link to continue reading. I was very surprised as I read the article that was linked. It was not what I was expecting. While I was aware of some of the things this man is doing, most of his contributions remain "unsung" and unrecognizable to the people he is trying to help the most. Click HERE to read the rest of the story.
Sunday, January 28, 2018
Saturday, January 27, 2018
Thursday, January 25, 2018
Shrapnel Damaged M1911 From "The Battle of the Bulge"
As the author similarly stated, I can only wonder how the poor G.I. carrying this piece might have fared.
Click HERE for the story and more photos.
H/T to Larry in Cullman
Tuesday, January 23, 2018
Monday, January 22, 2018
Kat West's death: What we know about the mother who operated an adult website
This is a story that is "burning up" the local channels and has even made national news. Calera is a small quite town below Birmingham. One never knows what goes on behind closed doors.
Read the story HERE.
UPDATE: BREAKING: Thousands of New Strzok-Page Text Messages Reference “SECRET SOCIETY” Within DOJ and FBI WORKING AGAINST TRUMP (VIDEO)
Sunday, January 21, 2018
Saturday, January 20, 2018
Friday, January 19, 2018
Happy Birthday General Lee
ROBERT E. LEE----211th Birthday Jan.19, 1807----Jan. 19, 2018
Today marks the 211th anniversary of the birth of Robert Edward Lee, best remembered as General-in-Chief of the Confederate army during the War Between the States. Living as we do in a day when history is oft forgotten — or deliberately rewritten and its monuments destroyed — it is worthwhile to consider the legacy of such an iconic American figure.
Robert E. Lee was born on Jan. 19, 1807, in northeastern Virginia, to Anne Hill Carter Lee and Revolutionary War hero Colonel Henry “Light-Horse Harry” Lee. The elder Lee was a cavalry leader under General George Washington who was later elected governor of Virginia, and then to Congress.
Sadly, Henry Lee’s reputation was tarnished by financial troubles, and he traveled to the West Indies when Robert was six years old, never returning. It was under these circumstances that Robert was raised by his mother, who instilled in him a strong sense of honor and duty.
In 1825, Lee received an appointment to West Point, graduating second in his class and entering the distinguished Engineer Corps. In 1831, he married Mary Anna Randolph Custis, great-granddaughter of George Washington’s wife Martha and her first husband, Daniel P. Custis. As a result of the marriage, the Lees inherited both land and slaves.
It was in 1846, during the Mexican War, that Lee first rose to prominence. Serving under Major General Winfield Scott, he received three brevets for gallantry for leading efforts to seize or avoid Mexican strongholds. In September 1852, Lee returned to the U.S. Military Academy at West Point as its superintendent.
In 1859, having returned East to settle the estate of his father-in-law, Lee was dispatched by the War Department to retake the federal arsenal at Harper’s Ferry, Virginia, which had been captured by radical abolitionist John Brown and his followers. Lee oversaw a detachment of U.S. Marines, who recaptured the arsenal with no loss of life.
Though the issue of slavery had been a contentious one for decades, the election of Abraham Lincoln in 1860 was the breaking point, leading several Deep South states to secede and form a new country, the Confederate States of America.
Lee was offered the rank of brigadier general in the new army of the Confederacy, but he declined. Around the same time, in April 1861, at the recommendation of his former superior, General Winfield Scott, Lee was offered command of the Army of the Potomac by President Lincoln.
This was a time of great anguish for Lee, who opposed both secession (along with Jubal Early and Stonewall Jackson, later generals under Lee) and slavery.
Of slavery, Lee wrote, “In this enlightened age, there are few I believe, but what will acknowledge, that slavery as an institution, is a moral & political evil in any Country.” Following the death of his wife’s father, Lee freed more than 100 slaves he’d inherited. Lee and his wife also established a school for slaves, a brave endeavor considering it was illegal to do so in Virginia.
Of secession, he wrote, “I can anticipate no greater calamity for the country than a dissolution of the Union. It would be an accumulation of all the evils we complain of, & I am willing to sacrifice every thing but honour for its preservation…”
It was under this cloud of conflicting loyalties and beliefs that Lee was called upon to choose sides in the coming conflict. In the end, his loyalty was first and foremost with Virginia. As Lee told a friend, “If Virginia stands by the old Union, so will I. But if she secedes (though I do not believe in secession as a constitutional right, nor that there is sufficient cause for revolution), then I will follow my native State with my sword, and, if need be, with my life.”
When Lincoln called for tens of thousands of Union soldiers to head south to preserve the Union by force (something James Madison, during the Constitutional Convention, said would be tantamount to a declaration of war against a state), the decision was made for Lee and thousands of other soldiers who had once worn Union blue. Virginia, which had previously voted 2-to-1 against secession, responded to Lincoln’s call-to-arms by voting 2-to-1 in favor.
Upon reading of Virginia’s secession and entrance into the Confederacy, Lee said to his wife, “Well, Mary, the question is settled.”
He wrote to General Winfield Scott, offering thanks and sincere regret, explaining, “I have, therefore, resigned my commission in the army, and save in defense of my native state … I hope I may never be called on to draw my sword.” Soon thereafter, Lee accepted a commission as a general in the Confederate army. “Let each man resolve to be victorious,” he told his officers, “and that the right of self-government, liberty, and peace shall find him a defender.”
Lee’s brilliance as a military leader is legendary. Like George Washington during the Revolutionary War, Lee fought an army far larger, better armed, better provisioned and better trained than his own. Also like Washington, Lee was revered and loved by his men.
In June 1862, Lee assumed command of wounded General Joseph E. Johnston’s army, renaming it the Army of Northern Virginia. It became the most victorious of all Confederate armies. With sharp and loyal generals like James Ewell Brown “Jeb” Stuart, James Longstreet and Thomas J. “Stonewall” Jackson under his command, Lee’s army continually out-smarted, out-maneuvered and out-fought the Union armies, even when badly outnumbered.
In the early years of the war, Lee’s armies achieved major victories in the Seven Days Battles, Shenandoah Valley, Second Manassas, Fredericksburg and Chancellorsville.
However, for the Confederate army, these victories came with a steep price. Though inflicting huge losses on the Union army, the South suffered losses of their own and, with far fewer soldiers than the Union army enjoyed, it became a war of attrition. Lee knew he needed to act boldly to win the war quickly and decisively.
With many in the North disillusioned after seeing a war they expected to be brief turn into a long and bloody nightmare, and calling for Lincoln to negotiate a peace with the Confederacy, Lee believed that dealing a devastating defeat to the North on its home soil would bring Lincoln to the negotiating table.
Lee’s first attempt turned disastrous when a dispatch with his battle plans was misplaced and fell into the hands of Union General George McClellan. The element of surprise lost, Lee’s army still fought fiercely at Antietam, in what was the single bloodiest day of battle, inflicting 12,400 casualties while sustaining 10,100 of their own. Though McClellan’s forces suffered greater losses, it was considered a loss for Lee, who was forced to turn back south.
Lee’s second and final attempt at victory on Northern soil occurred July 1-3, 1863, at Gettysburg. Though historians have long debated the particulars, the general consensus is that Confederate forces were plagued by poor communication, bad intelligence and the decision by Lee to throw everything he had at the well-entrenched Union army, regardless of the cost.
Lee spent two days trying to break the Union line with artillery bombardment and frontal assaults, leading to massive casualties for his army. Dismissing the objections of General Longstreet (and perhaps more importantly without counsel of the recently killed Stonewall Jackson), Lee ordered continued frontal assaults, resulting in his men being cut down by Union artillery from entrenched positions. The results were devastating.
On the final day of the battle, and again over the objections of Longstreet, Lee ordered Major General George Pickett on a frontal assault of Union General George G. Meade’s heavily fortified position despite having no artillery support. Pickett’s men fought valiantly for Lee, but it was a suicide mission. Those soldiers who did manage to break through the Union line were quickly repelled. At Gettysburg, Lee lost nearly a third of his entire army.
In a moment that displayed his true greatness, however, and why his men adored him, Lee did something that generals rarely do; he accepted blame. Riding among the retreating wounded, he lamented, “It’s all my fault … I am very sorry — the task was too great for you — but we mustn’t despond.” Later that night, speaking to a cavalry officer, Lee said, “I never saw troops behave more magnificently than Pickett’s division of Virginians.”
Gettysburg proved the turning point of the war. Short on arms and supplies, and casualties mounting, Lee was forced to retreat south and fight defensively for the remainder of the war. Later victories came with great loss of Confederate soldiers, and Lee knew he’d reached an end.
Though many of his commanders and soldiers urged him to continue fighting a guerilla war, Lee immediately dismissed such talk, and on April 9, 1865, with less than 10,000 soldiers remaining in his army and unwilling to shed additional blood in a losing cause, Confederate General-in-Chief Robert E. Lee surrendered to Union General Ulysses S. Grant (who, ironically, was also a slave-owner before the war) at Appomattox Courthouse, Virginia.
After the war, Lee became one of the chief proponents of reconciliation between North and South. He was paroled and later served as president of Washington College (now Washington and Lee University) in Lexington, Virginia, a position he held until his death on Oct. 12, 1870.
Lee was a true son of the Old South. Words like “honor,” “loyalty” and “duty” defined the code he lived by, while also making him a man of seeming contradictions.
Though some today condemn Lee for leading the Confederate armies, we would do well to consider how his former enemies saw him. Upon his passing, the following eulogy was published in the New York Herald:
For not to the Southern people alone shall be limited the tribute of a tear over the dead Virginian. Here in the North, forgetting that the time was when the sword of Robert Edward Lee was drawn against us, forgetting and forgiving all the years of bloodshed and agony, we have long since ceased to look upon him as the Confederate leader, but have claimed him as one of ourselves; have cherished and felt proud of his military genius as belonging to us; have recounted and recorded his triumphs as our own; have extolled his virtue as reflecting upon us for Robert Edward Lee was an American, and the great nation which gave him birth would be to-day unworthy of such a son if she regarded him lightly.
He conquered us in misfortune by the grand manner in which he sustained himself, even as he dazzled us by his genius when the tramp of his soldiers resounded through the valleys of Virginia. And for such a man we are all tears and sorrow to-day. … As a slaveholder, he was beloved by his slaves for his kindness and consideration toward them.
In his death our country has lost a son of whom she might well be proud, and for whose services she might have stood in need had he lived a few years longer, for we are certain that, had occasion required it, General Lee would have given to the United States the benefit of all his great talents.“
Robert Edward Lee was revered in his day for his military genius, and loved for his bravery, honor and loyalty. Though leading the fight in a losing cause, there was much about him that is worth emulating today — which is why we remember him still.
H/T to James King
Black Bonnet Girls (parody of Fat Bottom Girls by Queen)
This is from a comment of taminator013. It is funny. I don't care who you are.
Wednesday, January 17, 2018
New Jersey Student at UA: Falls Victim To The Deadly Combination Known As "Alcohol and Social Media "
She has since been expelled from the University of Alabama.
It was a balmy FIVE degrees Fahrenheit at my house in "The Heart of Dixie" this morning
We got a little snow yesterday, but due to the extreme temperatures the roads are a mess (almost all secondary roads and many primaries in north Alabama are officially closed). I think the high today is forecast to be 26 F. I was surfing on the "interweb" and saw this meme.
Then, I thought I'd go to YouTube and listen.
I keep telling myself, "take advantage of this day off and clean your garage". Honestly, I am trying to stay warm and "out of the rabbit holes". Really, I am.
Tuesday, January 16, 2018
The Doubling Of The Muslim Population And The Barbarism Of Islam Every Ten years In Europe
This is a CPAC video regarding the "silent invasion" of Europa. It is from March of 2016, but most relevant today. The video is not really that long. Watch it and then think about what the future holds for your children and grandchildren.
H/T to Robert in Cullman
Sunday, January 14, 2018
Saturday, January 13, 2018
Saturday Night Milk Bath.....
A blonde heard that baths in milk would make her beautiful. She left a note for her milkman to leave 25 gallons of milk.
When the milkman read the note, he felt there
must be a mistake. He thought she probably meant 2.5 gallons.
So he knocked on the door to clarify the point.
The blonde came to the door and the milkman said, "I found your
note asking me to leave 25 gallons of milk.
Did you mean 2.5 gallons?"
The blonde said, "No, I want 25 gallons. I'm going to fill my bathtub up with milk and take a milk bath so I can look
young and beautiful again."
The milkman asked, "Do you want it pasteurized?"
h/t to Joe
Friday, January 12, 2018
Friday Femme Fatale....
I have been a bit remiss about the blog lately. Things have been very busy in a positive way and there hasn't been too much free time. So, without further ado, here is a FFF post on a rainy warm night here in New England...
6:47 PM... Looks Like I Have To Do a Friday Femme Fatale Post To Push The Blog Over 14 Million Hits....
Only 569 to get to 14 million.
Thanks to all that stop by, comment and or send emails. Jeffery and I appreciate it .
Stop back at 8:30 if you like! :)
Irish.....
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