There are many things I have wanted to write about this past week but by the time a get around to it they are missing from my memory. I really need to invest in a notebook or at least a notepad and take notes to refresh that memory when I finally get the opportunity to sit down at the keyboard. It is those little suggestions that come to your mind in the middle of the night, or while you are driving to work and you’re stuck in traffic, or you are stuck in a staff meeting; that is when you’re mind starts to wander and you receive some marvelous ideas.
I have a hard time staying awake in meetings. On the one hand I think that I am easily bored but on the other hand I think that I am on a constant go and when I come to a screeching halt to sit in a meeting I tend to fade out. I think that this has something to do with being on pace all the time, from the moment we rise till the moment our head hits the pillow we are doing something. It isn’t always something important. It isn’t always something of value. It is just something. When you get to those points we you have to do nothing, like standing in lines or sitting in meetings, the body and mind go into pause mode.
At work we have to appear to be busy, whither it is productive or not is another matter though I am always trying to be productive because it is in my nature to do so, even then there is always the effort to appear busy. This even comes at times when you have to sit and think your way through a problem; you have to do it in such a way that it appears you are busy. I am sure that this affects more than just those of us that live in a world of Dilbert.
This carries over into our home lives as we return home to find a list of daily and weekly chores awaiting our arrival. There is enough busy work backlogged to keep us busy for a month of Saturdays. No wonder we crash on the couch, flip on the TV and mindlessly surf the voids that use to provide some respite through entertainment. And when there is a commercial on, we can’t let that time go to waste so we are up doing little chores running to and fro or we start to channel surf looking for something to fill the gap between the program in an effort to ease our conscience for sitting there inert for the 2 to 3 minute exposure of advertising drivel.
When did we lose control of this thing we call the time of our lives? And how do we gain it back?
We used to hear about the time before TV when people used to sit around and have conversations. Now that seems to have been relegated to a chore and must be done only on a cell phone while commuting in the car.
People used to read books for personal education, entertainment, and enjoyment. There seems to be too much personal effort after a long laborious day to want to expend anything in that area. Besides it takes many, many hours to make your way through one whole book when you can throw in a DVD and watch the movie in a fraction of the time. I could probably watch all 7 Harry Potter movies in the same amount of time it takes to read one of the books.
So when it comes time for prayer and meditation, do we even allow ourselves the time for prayer and meditation? I mean, how much time does it take anyway? I can say my prayers in 30 seconds if I try. Or can I? It can take me a good 30 seconds just to call someone on the phone and leave a message on the answering machine. Why should my conversations with God be any less important than a daily call with a friend? And do we take the time to listen for an answer? Are our prayers truly a two way conversation, or are we just leaving a message on the machine?
I think that we need that eternal feedback from our Heavenly Father. It is an essential ingredient in the makeup of who we are. When we go without sleep are bodies feel deprived and try to compensate until sleep is mandatory. When we go without food for too long our bodies try to tell us through hunger pains that this condition cannot be a lasting one. When we go without spiritual nourishment, can we as easily read the signs of a deficit, and can we readily spot the damage done?
Perhaps that is why in those moments of sitting in meetings, inching along in traffic, standing in line, or nodding off to bed, when the world is put on hold and the pause button is pushed; perhaps it is at those times that the mind can truly reflect on things, ponder if you will, and there is enough calmness around that the inspirations of heaven can finally penetrate the noises and clamor of the world that it can reach my ears and my heart.
Perhaps that is why I shouldn’t just let those times come as a matter of chance, but should seek them out. Perhaps I should even schedule them into my daily routine. That way they will be a constant part of my life rather than a passing coincidence.
Perhaps you already know this, and I commend you if you do. After all, you did read this rather than doing something else. Perhaps it made you stop and ponder.
I know I did.
This is Ed Nef with a view from the Farr West.
06 December 2008
27 November 2008
Tips for playing in IWON part 5
Addendum:
I have been spending more time on IWON and learned a few more important things that I want to pass on to those that have read this far.
First, they started a fund raising team play concept. You can join a team of your choice that is usually associated with a national or local charity, then all the play you do will earn coins for you and a matching amount for your team. The team with the most coins at the end of the month wins $10,000 for that charity. There are some team favorites that are way in the lead and if you want to be on a winning team just look for one of those. If you want to play for something you believe in then look for a team that matches your interest.
I chose the Rails to Trails group as I like to ride my mountain bike and the Rails to Trails program has been a great source of trail riding. They convert old railroad tracks and lines to groomed gravel and sometimes paved trail ways. Great idea.
Each team has a page to chart the progress and includes a message board where members can encourage others and provide hints. One of the hints left by ‘moerlien’ has been a great booster to the number of coins I have earned this past month. He reported that you can go to the Diamond Poker game and without even playing a single hand you hit cash out and collect the 1,000 coins that you where spotted to play the game. Hit play again, and cash out again and you just added another 1,000 coins. Repeat as often as you like.
There is a cap on the number of coins you can earn each day. For the casino games that works out to 1,000,000. Then you can go to the other games and earn a max of 200,000 a day. You can also earn up to 20,000 a day for searches. Since you can only have one game open at a time, I have opened up Diamond Deal Poker in one window and have a search window open next to it. I then cycle through the play, cash out, routine while incorporating searches refreshes periodically. It still takes quite a while to max out your coin earnings for the day but at least this way it can be done if you want to.
A quick way to earn coins on the search is to enter something that it cannot find, such as “Farrwestview.blogspot.com”. Since it can’t find it, there isn’t anything to display so it doesn’t take a lot of time throwing up the page. You can then hit the search button immediately as the search box is automatically filled with the last search. Searches are only worth 30 coins but there is the chance of an instant win for searches so it is worth the effort.
There is also a bonus game on Diamond Deal Poker, and because you are going through a new game with each ‘cash out’, you will hit one of these bonus games every now and again. It is a picture of a safe where you scratch off the combination then try it to open the safe. After the game says 'Not this time', right click in the window but not on the flash objects and select refresh for the shortest way back into the game. I have now played many of these bonus games and still have not won anything on it.
In fact with all the extra time spent trying to collect coins I still have not learned any secrets that will allow me to actually win something of value. Remember what I told you about the odds of winning on this site, they are horrible. If you want to get a feel for what the odds are to win a lottery this is a good way to do it. Besides, the latest prize of choice is now a water bottle. Hardly seems worth it.
Of course all the coins you earn can be used to enter the sweepstakes. Since I have learned how to earn mega coins through the poker game, I better understand why my meager entries from before did me little good. There are others that know and use the coin gathering methods of the poker game. But not everyone does. After awhile it does get very boring. In fact, when this month is done and my efforts for the team are through I think I might back off of it all for lack of interest, but till then, go team.
Of the casino games, beware that only a few games will spot you coins. Some of the casino games will you the coins you have earned already from your pot. This may or may not be o.k. depending on how good you are at the games. I prefer to play on their money so only play the games that stake me. Also, the slot games do not let you cash out the stake immediately so you pretty much have to play out the original stake. And although Dog Deal Poker has the cash out function, it seemed to load and recycle slower than Diamond Deal Poker so I stayed with it for efficiency.
If you chose to collect coins this way you will notice that your player ranking on that game will be high and stay high. That is because the game ranking is based on your highest score for the game compared to other players of the game. Don’t worry about it unless you want to personally play that game. What will change and rather quickly to begin with is your overall player coin rankings. It is kind of fun to see where you stack up compared to others as well as set personal goals for advancements. You can see your rankings at anytime by going to your profile page.
That is also where you can compare your scores and rankings with other players. There is a way to make ‘friends’ on the site though I haven’t done anything with that and probably won’t. Not my thing I guess. Most games have a chat function attached and you can have friendly visits with other players that way.
I did discover one new game that is fun and can earn coins quickly and that is Sponge Bob Collapse. Yes that Sponge Bob. It is a tetris style game, fairly fast paced and I enjoyed it.
That is what it is all about anyway when it comes right down to it. Are you enjoying the play? If not, then there should be some kind of payback as it just became work, and with the odds of winning what they are this is not the kind of occupation you should be looking for. The payback has to be from the fun. So go have some fun.
This is Ed Nef with a view from the Farr West.
Click here to go to IWON Tips Part 1, Part 2, Part 3, Part 4, and Part 6 (SquareBob Spongepants Collapse).
I have been spending more time on IWON and learned a few more important things that I want to pass on to those that have read this far.
First, they started a fund raising team play concept. You can join a team of your choice that is usually associated with a national or local charity, then all the play you do will earn coins for you and a matching amount for your team. The team with the most coins at the end of the month wins $10,000 for that charity. There are some team favorites that are way in the lead and if you want to be on a winning team just look for one of those. If you want to play for something you believe in then look for a team that matches your interest.
I chose the Rails to Trails group as I like to ride my mountain bike and the Rails to Trails program has been a great source of trail riding. They convert old railroad tracks and lines to groomed gravel and sometimes paved trail ways. Great idea.
Each team has a page to chart the progress and includes a message board where members can encourage others and provide hints. One of the hints left by ‘moerlien’ has been a great booster to the number of coins I have earned this past month. He reported that you can go to the Diamond Poker game and without even playing a single hand you hit cash out and collect the 1,000 coins that you where spotted to play the game. Hit play again, and cash out again and you just added another 1,000 coins. Repeat as often as you like.
There is a cap on the number of coins you can earn each day. For the casino games that works out to 1,000,000. Then you can go to the other games and earn a max of 200,000 a day. You can also earn up to 20,000 a day for searches. Since you can only have one game open at a time, I have opened up Diamond Deal Poker in one window and have a search window open next to it. I then cycle through the play, cash out, routine while incorporating searches refreshes periodically. It still takes quite a while to max out your coin earnings for the day but at least this way it can be done if you want to.
A quick way to earn coins on the search is to enter something that it cannot find, such as “Farrwestview.blogspot.com”. Since it can’t find it, there isn’t anything to display so it doesn’t take a lot of time throwing up the page. You can then hit the search button immediately as the search box is automatically filled with the last search. Searches are only worth 30 coins but there is the chance of an instant win for searches so it is worth the effort.
There is also a bonus game on Diamond Deal Poker, and because you are going through a new game with each ‘cash out’, you will hit one of these bonus games every now and again. It is a picture of a safe where you scratch off the combination then try it to open the safe. After the game says 'Not this time', right click in the window but not on the flash objects and select refresh for the shortest way back into the game. I have now played many of these bonus games and still have not won anything on it.
In fact with all the extra time spent trying to collect coins I still have not learned any secrets that will allow me to actually win something of value. Remember what I told you about the odds of winning on this site, they are horrible. If you want to get a feel for what the odds are to win a lottery this is a good way to do it. Besides, the latest prize of choice is now a water bottle. Hardly seems worth it.
Of course all the coins you earn can be used to enter the sweepstakes. Since I have learned how to earn mega coins through the poker game, I better understand why my meager entries from before did me little good. There are others that know and use the coin gathering methods of the poker game. But not everyone does. After awhile it does get very boring. In fact, when this month is done and my efforts for the team are through I think I might back off of it all for lack of interest, but till then, go team.
Of the casino games, beware that only a few games will spot you coins. Some of the casino games will you the coins you have earned already from your pot. This may or may not be o.k. depending on how good you are at the games. I prefer to play on their money so only play the games that stake me. Also, the slot games do not let you cash out the stake immediately so you pretty much have to play out the original stake. And although Dog Deal Poker has the cash out function, it seemed to load and recycle slower than Diamond Deal Poker so I stayed with it for efficiency.
If you chose to collect coins this way you will notice that your player ranking on that game will be high and stay high. That is because the game ranking is based on your highest score for the game compared to other players of the game. Don’t worry about it unless you want to personally play that game. What will change and rather quickly to begin with is your overall player coin rankings. It is kind of fun to see where you stack up compared to others as well as set personal goals for advancements. You can see your rankings at anytime by going to your profile page.
That is also where you can compare your scores and rankings with other players. There is a way to make ‘friends’ on the site though I haven’t done anything with that and probably won’t. Not my thing I guess. Most games have a chat function attached and you can have friendly visits with other players that way.
I did discover one new game that is fun and can earn coins quickly and that is Sponge Bob Collapse. Yes that Sponge Bob. It is a tetris style game, fairly fast paced and I enjoyed it.
That is what it is all about anyway when it comes right down to it. Are you enjoying the play? If not, then there should be some kind of payback as it just became work, and with the odds of winning what they are this is not the kind of occupation you should be looking for. The payback has to be from the fun. So go have some fun.
This is Ed Nef with a view from the Farr West.
Click here to go to IWON Tips Part 1, Part 2, Part 3, Part 4, and Part 6 (SquareBob Spongepants Collapse).
22 November 2008
Don't take dumb advice.
That may sound like common sense but I am amazed at how much dumb advice is out there. And I have come across some of the dumbest advice yet from AOL sponsored pages.
When we hooked up the new computer to the internet, one of the default home pages was to AOL. It looked innocent enough at the time and so I just haven't taken the time to delete it. Besides any links to new or more or better information is a good thing for an info junkie like me.
The trouble is, they are nothing but fluff vendors. The page is full of teasers of the worst kind, the kind I get sucked into. Not all of them get me but there are enough that do to make me worried as to functioning of my crap detector. It really seems to be falling down on the job lately.
Anyway, the headline reads "Need to make some quick cash?". Well sure who doesn't? But I have seen these lines many times in the form of spam in my e-mail box. What could AOL possible have that might be of value? The following tag line reads "Clever ideas that fill pockets fast". That sounds great, take me there.
The link takes me to the next page that is titled "25 (Unconventional) Ways to make Quick Money". Unconventional huh, well that could be a good thing. After all it is unconventional that makes people stand out and excel. Dave Ramsey says "Live like nobody else now so that you can live like nobody else later". I like that.
Of course this list of things is not a simple list but a slide show of ideas so you have to remain in their pages exposed to their ads for the next 25 slides. O.K. I can live with that if you are going to give me something of value. Lead on.
First up, start your own part-time business from home. No bad but their suggestion is to become a dog walker, errand runner, driver or computer consultant. That is a pretty diverse selection and none that will produce quick money in the near term.
What's next? Take a part time job, again not bad advice, working for a living is always a good thing, but we are looking for unconventional ways to make quick money, not the tried and true methods.
The next item got me. They suggest you seek emergency assistance, in other words charity. There are certain times when things fail that charity can step in and provide a helping hand to get people over a hurdle, but too suggest this as a way to make quick money is pretty pathetic. What is AOL thinking with this one?
A couple of more good suggestions come next, such as 'Make stuff to sell', 'sell stuff on craigslist (which should also work on eBay), 'do odd jobs' (same category as taking a part-time job), 'find an online gig' (not sure what that is but sounds like part-time work through online sources), 'return past purchases', 'hold a yard sale', 'recycle scrap metal', 'become a temp' (another form of part-time work), 'take in a boarder', 'pawn your stuff' (though you will probably get more selling it yourself), and 'go scavenging' (using a metal detector, or collecting aluminum cans).
These are mingled with stupid things like 'rent out your parking space', rob the piggy bank to 'collect your change', 'sign up for medical tests' such as avian flu vaccine, 'tap your life insurance', and 'scalp tickets (legally)'.
But the dumbest suggestions of all are 'get a payday loan' (just visit the local loan shark), 'raid your IRA' (retirement is for old people), 'sell some body parts' (thankfully they limit this to blood and hair, but still), 'bank your sperm', 'sell stuff to motorists' (that's all we need more car to car vendors), and the absolute worst suggestion of all time 'Head to the Casino'.
Some of these ideas you can easily do and should if you are in need of additional funds. Some of the ideas will take some funds to get started, if you don't already own a metal detector you may have to lay out some funds to obtain one. Then you need to compare costs to revenue and decide if it is worth it.
The other ideas are foolhardy if not outright dangerous. If your retirement plans consist of lottery tickets then you are probably a prime target of this AOL article. If not, you will recognize it for what it is, crap. Get your crap detector in gear. The best way to do that is to educate yourself. Learn as much as you can about as much as you can. The more you know the more wisdom will follow. There are plecty of people out there willing to give you advice. With knowledge and wisdom you will quickly be able to discern the difference between the good and the bad. Profit from the good and avoid like the plague the bad.
This is Ed Nef with a view from the Farr West.
When we hooked up the new computer to the internet, one of the default home pages was to AOL. It looked innocent enough at the time and so I just haven't taken the time to delete it. Besides any links to new or more or better information is a good thing for an info junkie like me.
The trouble is, they are nothing but fluff vendors. The page is full of teasers of the worst kind, the kind I get sucked into. Not all of them get me but there are enough that do to make me worried as to functioning of my crap detector. It really seems to be falling down on the job lately.
Anyway, the headline reads "Need to make some quick cash?". Well sure who doesn't? But I have seen these lines many times in the form of spam in my e-mail box. What could AOL possible have that might be of value? The following tag line reads "Clever ideas that fill pockets fast". That sounds great, take me there.
The link takes me to the next page that is titled "25 (Unconventional) Ways to make Quick Money". Unconventional huh, well that could be a good thing. After all it is unconventional that makes people stand out and excel. Dave Ramsey says "Live like nobody else now so that you can live like nobody else later". I like that.
Of course this list of things is not a simple list but a slide show of ideas so you have to remain in their pages exposed to their ads for the next 25 slides. O.K. I can live with that if you are going to give me something of value. Lead on.
First up, start your own part-time business from home. No bad but their suggestion is to become a dog walker, errand runner, driver or computer consultant. That is a pretty diverse selection and none that will produce quick money in the near term.
What's next? Take a part time job, again not bad advice, working for a living is always a good thing, but we are looking for unconventional ways to make quick money, not the tried and true methods.
The next item got me. They suggest you seek emergency assistance, in other words charity. There are certain times when things fail that charity can step in and provide a helping hand to get people over a hurdle, but too suggest this as a way to make quick money is pretty pathetic. What is AOL thinking with this one?
A couple of more good suggestions come next, such as 'Make stuff to sell', 'sell stuff on craigslist (which should also work on eBay), 'do odd jobs' (same category as taking a part-time job), 'find an online gig' (not sure what that is but sounds like part-time work through online sources), 'return past purchases', 'hold a yard sale', 'recycle scrap metal', 'become a temp' (another form of part-time work), 'take in a boarder', 'pawn your stuff' (though you will probably get more selling it yourself), and 'go scavenging' (using a metal detector, or collecting aluminum cans).
These are mingled with stupid things like 'rent out your parking space', rob the piggy bank to 'collect your change', 'sign up for medical tests' such as avian flu vaccine, 'tap your life insurance', and 'scalp tickets (legally)'.
But the dumbest suggestions of all are 'get a payday loan' (just visit the local loan shark), 'raid your IRA' (retirement is for old people), 'sell some body parts' (thankfully they limit this to blood and hair, but still), 'bank your sperm', 'sell stuff to motorists' (that's all we need more car to car vendors), and the absolute worst suggestion of all time 'Head to the Casino'.
Some of these ideas you can easily do and should if you are in need of additional funds. Some of the ideas will take some funds to get started, if you don't already own a metal detector you may have to lay out some funds to obtain one. Then you need to compare costs to revenue and decide if it is worth it.
The other ideas are foolhardy if not outright dangerous. If your retirement plans consist of lottery tickets then you are probably a prime target of this AOL article. If not, you will recognize it for what it is, crap. Get your crap detector in gear. The best way to do that is to educate yourself. Learn as much as you can about as much as you can. The more you know the more wisdom will follow. There are plecty of people out there willing to give you advice. With knowledge and wisdom you will quickly be able to discern the difference between the good and the bad. Profit from the good and avoid like the plague the bad.
This is Ed Nef with a view from the Farr West.
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