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I drove up to the Staples, MN area and met friends Glenn and Matt from Alexandria/Fergus Falls for a weekend of camping and riding. Thanks to Glenn and Matt, we had a simply kick ass camping spot! Just a few feet from the trails, LAKESIDE, and it even had its own ghetto pontoon! Thanks to Becca for driving up from Park Rapids to hang out with us for a few hours Saturday evening…
Until I write more here, enjoy the pictures below…
The Title says what my life has consisted of over the past few months since I have posted here. And you know what? Once again, I believe this is the best summer I’ve ever had. I told some friends down at the car wash last week that each year of my life has been getting better, and it is certainly holding true.
My goal at the beginning of Spring was to go quad riding every weekend when it started to get nice out. I have been holding pretty true to this goal. Since I haven’t posted to my blog in a long time, and I know, reader, that you are interested in my personal life very much, I have compiled a list of where we’ve went riding. Enjoy!
#1 April 16th: Inaugural Tri-County ATV Pit Trip – Went with GCExtreme (Glenn) and Matt from Alexandria. A guys Scrambler rolled down a hill and got handlebar damage. A very wet and sloppy day!
#2 April 24th: Tri-County ATV Pit – Went with LEP7MM (Dave), SkiDood, and other Lurkers from ATV Connection. A guy busted his knee rolling his utility quad on him with a big bracket on the back. He went to the hospital. Myself, I jumped over a hill smack dab into a dirt pile twice, almost spraining my wrist, and hurting my shoulder a bit.
April 30th-May 1st: OFF (Shoulder)
#3 May 5th: Parents Place
#4 May 6th: Inaugural Summit Pit Ride – Went with BlackRaptor (Chad) from ATV Connection, and his friend Jack.
#5 May 15th: Tri-County ATV Pit – Met up with MikeyClark and zbutcher (Shawn) and family from the ATV Connection. A guy rolled a utility quad down a hill, and then there was a stupid kid trying to start his quad with the electric started while it was drowned over the intake in a mud hole.
#6 May 27th: Parents Place
#7 May 30th (Memorial Day): Tri-County ATV Pit – A guy that raced GNCC down in Iowa was there.
#8 June 5th: Tri-County ATV Pit – Went with BlackRaptor (Chad). Both Chad and I clogged our radiators in a thick mud hole, and needed to run to Northfield to use the car wash pressure wassure. Chad’s Dad also showed up.
#9 June 12th: Tri-County ATV Pit – Met up with PreddyFast (Dave) from the ATV Connection. Mr. Bob Bartlett from Bartlett Racing showed up at the pit with his KFX700, and he let me ride it. Man, those four-strokes are sure torquey!
#10 June 18th: Tri-County ATV Pit – Went with my friend Jeremy. We had a Honda 450R sighting today (rare to see them actually riding them). We met TRLYFZ450 (Terry) from the ATV Connection Forums, and his son. They had a YFZ450 and a RCR Stage 1 modified Trailblazer 250. A guy with an Arctic Cat DVX400, that was ready to ship out to Iraq, let Jeremy ride the DVX400. Now he wants a sport quad.
#11 June 24th-26th: The Big Spider Lake OHV Trip – Went with GCExtreme (Glenn) and his brother Matt from the ATV Connection. This was one of the most fun trail rides I’ve ever been on. We put on 150 miles over about a day and a half. Some trails were slow and challenging, others were fast and open. A perfect place for a weekend getaway and camping.
#12 July 1st: Tri-County ATV Pit – My friend Adam just purchased a Raptor 660, and talked me into coming down to the pit on this Friday Night. Low and behold, I had an “incident”, but the quad continued on as if nothing had happened. We also met two local guys with Predators out there.
#13 July 2nd: Tri-County ATV Pit – Usual company: The dad with the banshee and the 12yr. kid with the Raptor 660. Those guys are awesome riders.
#14: July 9th: Summit Pit, the return to – Went with Adam and his Raptor, and met up with Chad, Jack, and Jack’s Girlfriend. We also took out my radar to get some top speed testing
#15: July 16th: Tri-County ATV Pit – The July heat is now upon us. It was about 96 with a dew point in the mid 60s. I only stayed out for an hour before packing it in. I noticed that the pit was smoothed out quite a bit.
#16: July 23rd: Summit Pit – Went with Adam and his Raptor again, as well as my friend Justin and his Dad’s Yamaha 250 Dirt Bike. We met up with Chad, Jack, and Jack’s Girlfriend, once again. Adam had an interesting splashdown in a mud hole. He was soaked. Justin did a pretty damn good job riding considering that he hasn’t done it in ages. I hope to get him back out here riding again soon!
#17: July 30th: Tri-County ATV Pit – Went with my friend Jeremy. Once again, the dad with the banshee and the 12yr. kid with the Raptor 660 were present. The guy with the Predator from the July 1st trip was there, and another utility quad that really seemed to enjoy the circle trail at the top of the pit was there. Jeremy and I made some 50-55 degree jumps, which we all proceeded to try. GREAT weather finally! Afterwards, I went to Rainbow Car Wash, and let Chris and Brian B. ride my quad in the Feed Mill Parking Lot. I had to do a donut in the parking lot myself…
#18: August 4th: Tri-County ATV Pit – Met up with Adam and his Raptor 660, and we played out there for a while Thursday night. We played cat and mouse with a YFZ450 and a Honda 450R (WOW!). The guy with the 450R actually rode it. Unlike most 450R’s I’ve seen.
Are you still with me? Good…
It’s been an awesome summer. Meeting new people, hanging out at the Car Wash (which amazingly has been pretty amusing), and improving my riding skill. It is hard for me to believe how much my riding skill has improved over the last few months of riding. I feel like I rode like such a pussy before April this year, and I feel like I actually know what I’m doing now. Now, my friend Chris W., has just purchased a Yamaha Banshee, and he’ll be going out with us too. Undoubtedly more fun to be had this month…
I’ll try to update my blog more often! But don’t hold me to that…
I’ll leave you with a Funny Quote from the ATV Connection forums about the difference between a dirt bike and a quad:
“As far as getting hurt on a bike versus a quad – I crashed on the 250F and broke my left leg and my ankle and separated my left shoulder so I sold the bike for the Raptor. Then I crashed on the Raptor and broke my right leg and ankle and dislocated my right shoulder. So it’s not a matter of how bad you are going to get hurt, it’s a matter of what side.”
Starky, Pro Rider, Inkster, North Dakota
I made my first trip back to Minnesota’s North Shore since 1999 this past Wednesday and Thursday. While some things have changed at Gooseberry Falls and Barker’s Island in Superior, Wisconsin, the serene beauty of this area of Minnesota is still very evident. I can’t wait to go back there again!
My friend Joe and myself went on this two-day trip to primarily go Geocaching. It was the perfect way to get off of the main drag for a while, and hit some areas on the North Shore I have never been before. On some caches like Troll Bridge, there are beautiful waterfalls just a few couple hundred feet off Hwy 61, but without turning on a short gravel road, you’ll never see them.
Besides finding about 12 caches or so, we toured the SS Meteor on Barker’s Island in Superior, Wisconsin, and took a cruise of the Duluth Harbor on the Vista King, which I haven’t done for many years. It was also Joe’s first time aboard a decent sized ship.
I also found myself getting emotional stopping by Iona’s Beach SNA, near Gooseberry Falls. When I was a kid, we used to go to a place called Twin Points Resort twice a year. After the owner, Iona Lind (we called her Grandma Lind) passed away, the operation folded up. In memory of her, and her son, the DNR preserved the area as a Scientific Research area, and also built a very nice boat landing nearby. The area holds many great memories for me. We used to stay in Cabin #2, which was the closest cabin you could get to Lake Superior. Our family used to have campfires down on this beach until sunset. The cabins were very quaint, but were priced right. Today, there isn’t anything left of the hotel or cabins, or the big 60s style “Twin Points Resort” sign that hovered near Highway 61, except for “Cabin #1”, which after 20 years, is STILL standing right on the beach. On Wednesday, just standing down on the beach, and throwing rocks in the lake, brought back an eerie yet welcome presence, as if I was replaying a part of my childhood that I will never live again. It took me several minutes of just standing there and taking in the view before I felt like I could talk about it, and then found myself choked up recalling my childhood experiences here to Joe. This area brought much happiness to my whole family.
Grandma Lind, if you’re reading, thank you.
I posted new pictures under the “Quad Riding” section from my trip to Summit Pit today. Thanks to Chad (blackraptor on ATV Connection) for inviting me along. This place has the best jumps. I had a blast!
Due to popular demand (one person), here’s a video I made in the Summer of 2005, back when I still rode my Polaris Scrambler weekly. Most of the excitement here is from the couple of Honda dirt bikes. Enjoy!
So, I was eager to get out on the quad now that the snow has melted, and riding season is once again starting. I am a member of the ATV Connection Forums, and there is several guys from Minnesota that are members also. GCExtreme (Glenn), his brother Matt, and myself set up a group ride for the Tri-County ATV Pit for this weekend.
Now, Glenn and Matt are two displaced Arkansasans now living in the urban Siberia of Alexandria, Minnesota. They have been here for only a few years, and their southern drawl still comes through strong. Glenn and Matt are both new to quad riding, but were ambitious to try the varied terrain that Tri-County has to offer.
We got geared up, and got out to Tri-County at about 10:30-11:00 a.m. or so, and it was just starting to rain. I unloaded my Scrambler 400, and Matt unloaded his Raptor 660 from the trailers. While we were waiting for Glenn to finish unloading his Honda 250EX, Matt and I headed down the main path between the parking lot and the pit at nearly full throttle … just testing out the waters for later.
After all three of us were ready, we headed into the pit.
The pit mostly consisted of sand and rocks. There is a trail that circles the top of the pit, and many steep decents (greater than 45 degree angles) that go to the bottom of the pit, probably 75-100 feet or so below. There are many U-shaped berms on these steep hills to whip around on, if you care to play with the benefit of centrifigal force. In the bottom of the pit, there are several smaller sand mounds to ride on and jump off.
We were taking it pretty easy in the pit at first, as everyone was adjusting to the new riding area. Naturally, when you get 3 guys with quads in a gravel pit, someone is going to start the progression to more challenging obstacles. Through the next few hours, we all had our close calls getting up on two wheels, almost rolling. As the rain picked up, the right hand grip on my Scrambler slid off when hitting a berm, almost making it a bad deal for me.
Easily, though, the award for the “closest close call of the day” went to Matt on his Raptor 660. I was following right behind him with my Scrambler on a large hill, about a 30 degree incline, with a grove of trees and brush just down to our left. Just as we were cutting sharp to the left to sidehill it uphill from the trees, Matt’s brand new Holeshot tires start setting up roosts of sand down the now rain-soaked hill. The damp sand on the hill is starting to give way! The more he gives it throttle, the more his rear end starts sliding downhill. Even though his front wheels are pointed uphill, he is heading down sideways, fast! I come to a pretty fast stop, just in time to watch his quad slide about 5 feet further down the hill, now to an area with about a 45 degree decline. The quad STOPS, with Matt still on it, just inches from rolling! Smart ass Brian, as usual, needs to make a comment, so I do.
“Need a new pair of pants?”, I ask. This was easily Matt’s closest accident ever, and he was definitely shocked at how fast it happened.
All three of us approach the Raptor with it’s front-right tire slightly in the air. For the next 15 minutes or so, we pull, push, and lift the Raptor out of its situation, and to a safer area. Naturally, since I was right behind him with my Scrambler, we need to do the same for my heavy ass quad. By the time we’re done, we’re pretty tired, and need to take a break!
By this time, it is POURING! You might think we are ready to leave, but we’re not. Matter of fact, we can’t figure out why there’s no one else down here having fun!
Finally, after another hour or so of follow-the-leader, muddin’, and havin’ fun, we finally see a few more quads in the pit. Ironically enough, another ATV Connection member, MN250R, had his Suzuki Quadracer LT500 out there, along with a friend of his with a newer Scrambler 500. These guys were insane, and obviously have been riding for quite some time. I saw the Scrambler go up large hills I’d never think of climbing. Unfortunately, it all caught up about 15 minutes later… Hitting some object buried in the dirt while coming down a hill, the Scrambler rolled 5 or 6 times, bent handlebars, broken plastic … amazing more damage wasn’t done. He was alright, but had some repairs to do in the pouring rain.
We called it quits at about 2:30 in the afternoon, loaded the quads back up, and headed home. We grilled out on my very-ghetto “gas grill on a big black barrel in the garage”, as pictured below. Unfortunately, because of the constant rain, I wasn’t able to get ANY action shots like I wanted to (although I came prepared for anything). I have included a few shots of Glenn, Matt, and myself below.
Overall, it was great fun, and my arms, legs, and back still ache as I write this. Once quad riding gets in your blood though, you know you’ll be back next weekend doing it all again! Thanks for coming down guys, and thanks for the good time!
Enjoy! — Brian
https://www.skywarn.us/features/stories#h.p_WxiJzBRTw2M_
Eyes on the Skies — Time Out!, By Pauline Schreiber, Daily News Staff Writer
FARIBAULT — When severe weather threatens, teams of volunteer skywatchers in different areas of Rice County prepare to go out in the field for observation.
Unlike the early days of skywatching, John Rowan, Brian Klier and Adam Bjorklund have modern technology to help guide their observations.
The three are members of the Faribault/Rice County skywatch group. The Lonsdale, Northfield and Morristown areas also have groups of volunteers ready to go into the field when a severe weather watch is issued by the National Weather Service.
Rice County’s Emergency Management Department trains skywatchers, and when severe weather threatens Rowan acts as the observations coordinator. He goes to the basement of the Rice County Law Enforcement Center and uses equipment that enables him to track the location of the skywatcher vehicles in the field, communicate with them verbally, and watch National Weather Service radar on computers.
Meanwhile, field observers like Klier and Bjorklund, with wireless, portable computer terminals in their vehicles, drive toward the inclement weather. They watch the National Weather Service radar report on their computer screens to determine where the severe weather is headed and drive to that location to observe the clouds.
“Why you still need ground spotters, even with the sophisticated weather radar they have today, is that radar can only predict where a tornado might be forming,” Klier said. “Radar can’t tell if there is a wall cloud, a funnel cloud or a tornado on the ground. That’s why skywatchers are still very much needed when severe weather threatens.”
Bjorklund demonstrated a portable wind meter, another tool used by field observers to report back wind speed, direction and barometric pressure. This information is helpful in determining where severe weather is headed.
Skywatchers report their sightings to Rowan. If a tornado, straight-line winds or other life-threatening severe weather is sighted, he reports the findings to appropriate emergency-management personnel, such as Mike Monge, Faribault’s director of fire and code enforcement; Rick Rabeneck, Rice County’s emergency management director; and emergency management supervisors in Lonsdale, Northfield and Morristown.
“Most of all of us are volunteers. The equipment we carry in our cars we buy. We do this because we enjoy watching the weather, and by doing so help warn people of the county so they can take shelter before a tornado or other severe weather hits,” Rowan said.
The skywatchers are helped by deputies, other law officers and firefighters who also take the county-provided skywatch training each spring. Even experienced skywatchers like Rowan, Klier and Bjorklund take refresher courses every two years. Rowan has been an weather observer for 14 years; Klier since 1990, when he was a junior in high school and his father piqued his interest; and Bjorklund for the past five years.
“We have footage of the 2000 tornado by Northfield that we use in our training,” Rowan said.
In 1998, on March 29, the night of the famous St. Peter tornado, another tornado touched down in the northwestern part of Rice County, including the city of Lonsdale.
Klier also remembers the night of the Faribault Heritage Days parade that same year, when he was out watching some very “serious weather” headed toward Faribault from the west. “They quickly canceled the end of the parade, but a lot of people got drenched with the heavy rains. There was also strong winds and dime-sized hail in places. It was quite the system.”
All three warned when people hear the severe weather sirens go off, they should seek shelter and not go outside and look at the sky.
“In this county, sirens are only sounded when a tornado or straight-line winds are coming our way,” Rowan said. “People shouldn’t be outside gazing at the sky. They need to take shelter.”
Tornadoes have occurred at all hours of the day, Klier said. However, right before supper time is when more form than any other time of day.
“We do this because we really like weather and enjoy watching it develop,” Klier said. “But, we also do it because we’re giving something back to the community, in a small way, by helping protect people.”
When the severe sirens go off, Rowan said, “people can turn (on) their radios … and listen to the weather advisory. They should not call 911. Unfortunately, too often, when sirens sound, people call 911. That ties up that emergency phone system. Instead, listen to the radio, or more importantly, take shelter. Go to the basement or into a room without windows. Take weather warnings seriously. The decision to sound sirens are not taken lightly. There’s a real weather threat when they go off.”
Weather week
Monday, April 18
Warning system: Severe weather warnings are prepared and issued by the National Weather Service. A severe weather or tornado watch means conditions are such that a severe thunderstorm, hail, straight-line winds or a tornado could develop. A tornado or thunderstorm warning means they are imminent and to seek shelter.
Tuesday, April 19
Hail and other damage: Nationally, the annual damage toll from hail alone is about $1 billion. Hail, thunderstorms, straight-line winds and heat waves cause extensive damage in Minnesota every year. High temperatures can quickly cause heat exhaustion, especially in children and elderly people.
Wednesday, April 20
Lightening: Last year, 90 Minnesotans lost buildings and belongings because of fires caused by lightening. The damage totaled $2.727 million. Lightening kills and injures more people than any other summer weather threat.
Thursday, April 21
Tornado Drill Day
The statewide tornado drill is set for this day. In Faribault, sirens will go off at 1:45 p.m. and 6:55 p.m. The first drill allows daytime employees and students to practice their emergency plans at work or school. The 6:55 p.m. drill allows evening and nighttime employees and families to practice emergency plans at home or work. Mock tornado watches will be issued locally at 9 a.m. for the first drill and at 4 p.m. for the evening drill. All agencies are responsible for giving the all clear notice when they have finished their drills.
Mike Monge, director of fire and code and services for the city of Faribault, and Rice County Emergency Management Director Rick Rabeneck encourage all businesses, schools, medical facilities and families to practice their severe weather plan. Friday, April 22
Flash floods: On average, five flash floods occur in Minnesota annually, most of them in June. Half of flash-flood fatalities occur in vehicles.
— Information from Minnesota Homeland Security and Emergency Management office.
Well, not that I’m surprised to be writing this again, but my new Schwan’s delivery driver didn’t make it to my place again on the scheduled delivery date.
If I can reminisce for a second: I have had Schwan’s delivery since I moved in to my place in 1999. I have always had cheerful and prompt delivery drivers, even though being a delivery person for Schwan’s is hard work, and it must be hard to keep that attitude at times. I always liked getting the special recipe pizzas, and who could forget the mouth-watering Chicken Rigatoni Alfredo Meal Kits! Much of the food was pretty spendy, but most times it was well worth it, considering you pay for delivery as part of your food, and you don’t tip the driver.
When your new delivery person doesn’t care about your schedule, and doesn’t show up at all, it is mighty hard to justify the expense of Schwan’s products.
Unfortunately, it’s the end of a legacy. SimonDelivers is here, and gives Schwan’s a run for its money. There simply isn’t room in this town for the two of them.
For your reading satisfaction, here’s the latest in Schwan’s “online chat”:
A Schwan’s representative will be with you shortly. Please wait for a response before typing in the smaller window below. Hello my name is Jessica. How may I help you?
BRIAN: Hello Jessica. How can I go upon cancelling delivery?
Jessica: May I have your phone number with area code first so I can access your account information?
BRIAN: 507-xxx-xxxx
Jessica: Am I speaking with Brian?
BRIAN: This is him.
Jessica: Would you like to discontinue your service or just one delivery date?
BRIAN: My new delivery driver missed delivery for the second time, and I really don’t mean to be critical, but I really need delivery on a set schedule. That is why I’d like to discontinue service.
Jessica: I apologize for the inconvenience this has caused you. I will forward this information to the local sales manager and ask that they discontinue your service at this time.
BRIAN: Thank you very much.
Jessica: You’re welcome. Did you have additional questions or concerns about navigating our site?
BRIAN: That is all for today.
Jessica: Thank you for contacting Schwan’s Home Service. Please let us know if we can be of further assistance by visiting us at www.schwans.com, or calling 1-888-SCHWANS (1-888-724-9267).
I have got to blog about this latest happening at work. I can’t find a more perfect example of how stupid someone can be. Also, perhaps, a reason why being a good Samaritan might not be worth the time or effort.
I was walking out to the parking lot, to get in my truck to head to Jefferson, when I noticed a trail of motor oil down the center of one of the aisles of the parking lot. This trail of motor oil was a continuous splatter a few feet wide, and curved off to the right where a maroon colored Chevy Astro Van was parked.
This, I had to see.
I walked over to the minivan, and looked underneath it. There was a huge puddle of motor oil underneath the engine, and it was still dripping as I was leaning down looking at it.
I thought to myself, I have to figure out whose vehicle this is, so I can warn them about them losing this huge quantity of oil.
I called Terri (Principal’s secretary) on my cell phone, and reported that there was this minivan in the parking lot with a trail of oil leading to it. She put out a building-wide E-Mail to alert anyone owning this minivan to call her right away.
Everyone I saw in the hallway, I was asking, “Do you know who owns the maroon minivan out in the staff parking lot?” Nobody knew who this mystery parker was. But I was bound and determined to find out, so I could do my good Samaritan deed for the year.
I called Terri again, and she hadn’t received a call from anyone, and no one in the office knew who it could be either.
Finally, I was on the way back from lunch, and a car, once parked near the elusive maroon minivan, was pulling out. I asked the owner, “Do you know who owns that maroon minivan over there?” I finally got my first clue. It could possibly be some guy working in the ESL (English as a second language) department.
I walked back into the Middle School, and once back to the office, I immediately called down to that department. The teacher in the room didn’t know off hand if anyone had a maroon minivan, but she would ask around and get back to me. Later, I received a voice mail that it wasn’t anyone in her area.
At this point, I was desperate. I got out a legal sized piece of paper, and wrote on it in red marker, “Do not start your engine! Oil Leak!”, with an arrow pointing straight down. I went back outside, and placed the note under this now famous minivan’s windshield wiper. I was now determined that the individual that had this Exxon-Valdez sized oil leak under their vehicle would be notified.
I called back to the main office an hour later to see if they had heard anything, and indeed they had! They had found the individual, we’ll call him Mr. Shitshispants, had been located, and was notified of his little car problem.
Ahhhhhh! It felt good to do something that saved someone the expense of a seized engine!
But, alas, this story is not over!
I received a cell-phone call from Andrea, my co-worker and friend, as she was leaving the building. Apparently, there was a vehicle blocking one of the exit lanes of the staff parking lot, with its hood up, two kids wondering around out, and the owner, scratching his head, trying to figure out what was wrong.
YOU GOT IT, LADIES AND GENTLEMEN! IT WAS MR. SHITSHISPANTS, AND THE MAROON COLORED MINIVAN! THIS BLOOMING IDIOT HAD IGNORED A BUILDING-WIDE E-MAIL, A NOTIFICATION FROM THE MAIN OFFICE, A SHEET OF PAPER UNDER HIS WINDSHIELD WIPER, AND AN OBVIOUS 2-FOOT WIDE TRAIL OF OIL LEADING DIRECTLY TO HIS VEHICLE….. AND PROCEEDED TO BACK OUT OF HIS PARKING SPOT, AND HEAD HOME. He made it approximately 25 feet, before his engine stopped.
In case I need to clarify myself further, there was a 2-foot wide trail of oil LEADING to this vehicle, and anyone with eyesight could put 2 and 2 together, and determine that their vehicle might have a SLIGHT problem.
I’ll be damned if I’m helping him anymore. This gentleman is supposed to be a teacher’s helper, and works one-on-one with kids everyday.
If you have a story of extreme stupidity worse (and funnier) than this, please share in my comments below!
Corissa: My name is Corissa, your Schwan’s Customer Service Representative. How may I assist you today?
BRIAN: Hello Corissa. My former Schwan’s delivery man’s last day of delivery was 2 weeks ago. My scheduled delivery is for tonight, but nobody has stopped by today.
Corissa: Could I have your telephone number starting with the area code so that I may look up your customer record?
BRIAN: 507-xxx-xxxx.
Corissa: Am I speaking to Brian?
BRIAN: This is him.
Corissa: I will forward your message to the local Schwan’s Department. Someone should be contacting you regarding your message. Is there anything more I can assist you with today?
BRIAN: That is my only concern today. It is disappointing because I had an order ready.
Corissa: I apologize for any inconvenience. Thank you for contacting Schwan’s Home Service. Please let us know if we can be of further assistance by visiting us at www.schwans.com, or calling 1-888-SCHWANS (1-888-724-9267).
BRIAN: Will someone be contacting me tonight, or will it be at a future time?
Corissa: Someone should be contacting you in the next two business days.
BRIAN: How will that help me continue my Schwan’s service with my scheduled stop tonight?
Corissa: I apologize that you were not serviced or contacted. I have forwarded your message to the local Schwan’s Department.
BRIAN: Is a credit or free pizzas too much to ask?
Corissa: I have forwarded your message to the local Schwan’s Department. Someone should be contacting you within the next two business days.
BRIAN: Thank you, Corissa. For my records, could I get your last time or an identification number?
Corissa: Unfortunately, I am not allowed to release that information. If you do have any concerns, please contact us at 1-888-724-9267.
BRIAN: OK, I don’t believe you have been any help to me whatsoever, but I do appreciate your politically correct talk. It nicely masks the inability to serve your customers. I will keep that in mind. Have a great night.
Our e-mail system is configured to use three Registered Black Lists (RBLs) to block as much unsolicited bulk e-mail as possible. These filters check all E-Mails going into the District before they get delivered to your mailbox. About 1300 pieces of spam get rejected each day! Even with this protection, it is very likely that you will still receive some spam. Here are some ways to deal with spam in your FirstClass account.
To take advantage of our RBL filtering, be sure you’ve created a “Spam” folder for your E-Mail, and that some messages are being routed to it. Don’t use your E-Mail account to sign up for “free” offers or contests. Read Privacy Policies on everything you sign up for that asks you for your E-Mail address, since you are often agreeing to let them send you e-mail. Don’t forward jokes or chain letter E-Mails. Create a Hotmail or Yahoo account to use when signing up for offers from companies you don’t entirely trust. The most important piece of advice is to never respond to SPAM, even to request that the sender removes you from the list. You are letting them know you have a valid e-mail address, and that you read messages going to it. Always delete SPAM right away. Also, be cautious with E-Mail attachments. FirstClass will automatically block most violent attachments, but always make sure you trust an individual before you open an attachment from them.
As I was installing my new Pace Edwards Jackrabbit Roll-top cover on Saturday, I came to the realization that I am officially ready for spring. As I was crouched over in the back of my new Chevy Silverado’s box, getting dripped on with melting snow from the carport, and hit in the face with the 10-15 mile-per-hour winds that made it feel like 10 degrees on my skin, I am thinking, what the HELL am I doing here?
I miss four-wheeling, and I can’t wait for muddin season again. My friend Joe says someone he knows is organizing a mud run at the County Fairgrounds for the month of March. If my truck passes the tech inspection, I’ll probably be up for it. If not, it’ll be a cool opportunity to make a new video.
This weather gets me depressed. Aren’t we supposed to be having another Indian Summer? Aren’t we about due for one? According to Sky-Max 5 chief meterologist Dave Dahl, it doesn’t look like it. 20s and 30s for highs again for the next 7 days, which sounds shitty into the start of March. I usually have the Camaro out by this time, and yet, the roads are still heavily sanded, and we haven’t dried out for weeks…
Piss on this roll-top cover for now. The thing doesn’t close because I need to re-shim the rails, and now there’s another half inch of ice and snow on the ground outside. I need a warm garage!
The deadly Asian earthquake may have permanently accelerated the Earth’s rotation, shortening days by a fraction of a second and caused the planet to wobble on its axis, U.S. scientists said Tuesday.
Richard Gross, a geophysicist with NASA’s Jet Propulsion Laboratory in California, theorized that a shift of mass toward the Earth’s center during the quake Sunday caused the planet to spin 3 microseconds, or millionths of a second, faster and to tilt about an inch on its axis.
http://www.cnn.com/2004/TECH/science/12/29/quake.wobble.reut/index.html
I have a new pet peeve.
Don’t you just love it when people use a very inticing statement or question as their screen name on MSN Messenger? The best kind of all, is the “Don’t Talk to Me” screen names.
Well if you don’t want people to talk to you, why do you even have your MSN Messenger loaded then? At least appear offline, for god’s sake.
I found a small cardboard sleeve containing the words “Free Gift Inside!” in my mailbox on Friday. Naturally, I ripped open the package, and inside was a DVD of “Top Truck Challenge ’04” and a Bronze Medallion with the words “FOUR WHEELER” on it. “Wow, this is kinda cool,” I thought, as I examined the case the DVD came in.
The Top Truck Challenge is a yearly contest that Four Wheeler magazine sponsors, that puts the most functional 4x4s and hybrid buggies to the test with several obstacles. Among the obstacles are a big mud pit, tank trap, and mini-rubicon.
I put the DVD on my shelf in the living room with the rest of my collection. “Pretty cool free gift,” I thought.
I was pretty much ready to throw the shredded cardboard carton away, when I noticed there was a few sheets of paper in there. One of them contained a “Merchandise Return Label”, and the other a letter. The usual “Thanks for being a subscriber” line, and then the “…please accept this DVD as a token of our thanks..”
What I didn’t expect, is what the letter continued to say…
It stated that I was free to try the DVD for 30 days. If I kept it, I’d be billed the amount of the DVD, and I would receive a new DVD every month that I could choose to keep or return.
“What the HELL?” I thought. “It’s a stupid TIME-LIFE Book plan, except I didn’t even ask for the plan to start!” I wasn’t happy, mainly because I had almost thrown away the piece of paper that told me that I was going to get screwed every month for the next year.
In able to return the DVD, I needed to return it in the same cardboard envelope they provided (now ripped, torn, and mangled), and attach the “Merchandise Return Label” to the front, as well as check a box “No Thanks” to the rest of their program.
If I hadn’t subscribed to their magazine through Ebay for a 5 YEAR subscription for $4.20, plus $2.95 shipping and handling back in 2002, I’d be REALLY pissed right now.
Revenge, I thought. How could I get revenge on these lowest-of-the-low rip-off artists?
Simple, their DVD didn’t contain CSS Encryption. Read between the lines, and you’ll see where I’m going with that.
I enjoyed the movie, and then sent it back in the mangled cardboard container, at their expense. I’m sure some of my friends will enjoy it in the months to come as well!
… And I kept my Bronze FOUR WHEELER Coin “just for trying it out”.
I got a call from Chris Thompson from the Faribault Daily News on Wednesday, and he wanted to talk with me a little about Internet “phishing”. I guess this is the new “public” term for those companies that E-Mail you, posing as your bank, EBay, or Paypal. I’m sure everyone has received at least some of this type of E-Mail lately.
After the talk, the next day, the paper contained a nice article in it, with a good amount of quotes, straight from my verbal style.
Most people I talk to about computer-related stuff in my work and personal life have only a modest skill level on this stuff. It is scary to most people after I explain to them that who an E-Mail is “from” is completely determined by what they happen to type in their E-Mail program as their name. Slightly more knowledgeable “phishers” can have an E-Mail appear like it came from any certain E-Mail Address (your E-Mail address even, or the President of the United States). Without the knowledge of “E-Mail Headers”, and some knowledge on TCP/IP, the recipient thinks these E-Mails actually come from the person that sent them. 
Like the article states, when in doubt, phone the company that sent you the message (to a Phone Number you are certain about) to be sure the message is legit. Most companies offer some sort of Abuse E-Mail address to forward these types of messages to for investigation and reporting purposes.
If you still have Thursday’s Daily News, check it out!
Thursday, December 23, 2004
Beware of ‘phishers’
By Chris Thompson
Daily News Staff Writer
FARIBAULT — Internet hackers are spending more and more time “phishing” for your personal information.
Phishing is the term coined by hackers who imitate legitimate companies — often financial groups — through unsolicited e-mails and bogus Web sites in an attempt to extract personal information. Responses to the e-mail or information submitted on the Web site often forward the user to another site made to look identical to that of a legitimate financial organization.
Information like bank account numbers, passwords or Social Security numbers are often asked for by requesting the user “update” or “validate” their account information.
According to the Federal Trade Commission (FTC), if personal information is divulged on the bogus Web site, operators can steal your identity and run up bills or commit crimes in your name.
A report by the Anti-Phishing Working Group — an industry association with members including banks, e-commerce providers and online retailers — states instances of bogus phishing Web sites have increased almost 30 percent since July.
“It’s a really hard deal because some of the e-mails that come out to people are quite realistic,” said Brian Klier, network/data services technician for the Faribault School District. “I guess the best piece of advice I can give is if in doubt, call the company and ask.”
Klier said it is not only home computer users that receive the solicitations for personal information.
“I see a lot of it coming through the (school) district so it’s as big a problem in the district as it is for me at home.”
Phishing e-mails and Web sites often use the exact logos and information found on a legitimate financial Web site, and a computer user can be easily misled by the copied site.
Klier — who monitors unsolicited e-mail for the district and works with the district’s e-mail system — said important information should never be sent through e-mail.
“The thing about e-mails … is there’s no way to tell just by looking at who it’s from, if the message really came from them or not,” Klier said.
If you think you have received a phishing request, it can be forwarded to the FTC for investigation at spam@uce.gov.
— Chris Thompson can be reached at 333-3132 or cthompson@faribault.com.
DVD Writers have become somewhat of an irritation for me over the last few weeks. Namely, the inability of any of the “popular” DVD Authoring products to produce any audio at all, when the project is complete.
I use a nice Canon ZR-20 Mini-DV Camcorder, along with Adobe Premiere 6.5, to produce professional looking video productions. I always create an .AVI file in Raw DV format as the final output. It is never a problem to convert this into any other format, such as DivX, Windows Media, etc.
…Until I tried to make a DVD out of it.
I tried MyDVD, TMPGenc DVD Author, _____, and NOTHING, I mean NOTHING I tried produced any output in the AUDIO_TS directory. After previewing the DVD Image file with Windows Media Player? As you might expect, absolutely no frickin’ audio.
The program that actually works?
Roxio Easy Media Creator 7. It doesn’t do as good of job encoding MPEG-2 as TMPGEnc Plus/Xpress does, but as far as authoring goes, I haven’t found anything easier to create titles, menus, and do simple editing on a video production. Not only that, but it burns well on a LaCie External Firewire DVD+R DVD Burner.
A big thumbs up to Roxio 7!
Do you have a GPS Receiver? How would you like to go on a treasure hunt to find hidden items in your local area? Check out http://www.geocaching.com. I will have more information on local hunts right here.
What is Geocaching?
Geocaching (pronounced geo-cashing) is an entertaining adventure game for GPS users. Participating in a cache hunt is a good way to take advantage of the wonderful features and capability of a GPS unit. The basic idea is to have individuals and organizations set up caches all over the world and share the locations of these caches on the internet. GPS users can then use the location coordinates to find the caches. Once found, a cache may provide the visitor with a wide variety of rewards. All the visitor is asked to do is if they get something they should try to leave something for the cache.
So what’s the big deal? You gave me the coordinates so I know where it is. Seems pretty easy.
It is deceptively easy. It’s one thing to see where an item is, it’s a totally different story to actually get there.
What is usually in a cache?
A cache can come in many forms but the first item should always be the logbook. In its simplest form a cache can be just a logbook and nothing else. The logbook contains information from the founder of the cache and notes from the cache’s visitors. The logbook can contain much valuable, rewarding, and entertaining information. A logbook might contain information about nearby attractions, coordinates to other unpublished caches, and even jokes written by visitors. If you get some information from a logbook you should give some back. At the very least you can leave the date and time you visited the cache.
Larger caches may consist of a waterproof plastic bucket placed tastefully within the local terrain. The bucket will contain the logbook and any number of more or less valuable items. These items turn the cache into a true treasure hunt. You never know what the founder or other visitors of the cache may have left there for you to enjoy. Remember, if you take something, its only fair for you to leave something in return. Items in a bucket cache could be: Maps, books, software, hardware, CD’s, videos, pictures, money, jewelry, tickets, antiques, tools, games, etc. It is recommended that items in a bucket cache be individually packaged in a clear zipped plastic bag to protect them.
Are there Geocaches in Southern Minnesota?
Absolutely! Actually, the majority of geocaches around this area are found in the rural parts of counties. There is a lot of them around the area! Here’s a link to the latest list of Minnesota geocaches: http://www.geocaching.com/seek/nearest.aspx?zip=55021&dist=100
I am interested! How do I sign up to find out more about geocaching?
Check out the Geocaching home page at: http://www.geocaching.com. For a list of Frequently Asked Questions, go to: http://www.geocaching.com/faq. You can sign up for a free account from the main page.
Who is this Guy? Well it’s me, Brian. I’m 25 years old and live in a small Southern Minnesota town called Faribault.
These are pictures from where I work. My office is at the Faribault Middle School. (Left: The Media and Technology Department’s Growing Office. Middle: Front Entrance of Middle School. Right: The Technology Center, where most of the new technology is piloted [pardon the old picture].)
To start with, I got my first career-field job as a Network/Data Services Technician with Faribault Public Schools in June 1997. My responsibilities are to maintain the enterprise network (which was installed in 1997), troubleshoot and repair PCs and Macs, and provide consultation to staff about computer hardware and software. I work 11 months out of the year. I really enjoy working here. It’s my dream — getting paid for something I enjoy doing. You can check out the website I designed for the district at
http://www.faribault.k12.mn.us.
You would not believe how much I have learned by working here!
Gunshot Alley, Faribo Town Square. Notice the graffiti on the wall near the edge of the photo.
The first job I ever had was at National Business Systems, which I worked for over 2 1/2 years as a Data Entry Operator part-time after school. I left many friends here, but I tried to stop in from time to time of course. NBS’s office closed here in December 2002, but it turns out that I get to see my old friends more than ever now — I meet up with them once a month for lunch.
The picture above is “Gunshot Alley”, to get into the back door of NBS. The name “Gunshot Alley” comes from several experiences we’ve all had here. One time, at quitting time (7:30 p.m.), I walked out into the alley and about halfway to the car, I could have sworn I saw a flare being shot into the air close-by. When I got back to the car, the car right beside mine had the passenger-side door left open, with NOBODY else around. I was also hearing other noises like leaves crunching under footsteps. The next day, the building maintenance worker had reported an attempted break-in at a utility entrance not unlike the one I was parked near. Hmmm… really makes you wonder!
I went to the Faribault Schools all the way from Kindergarten to 12th grade. Starting my Senior year of High School, I took classes at South-Central Technical College. I graduated from there in 1997 with a 3.5 GPA. I took the “Electronic Business Machine Technician” course, which consists of Computers, Networking, and Electronics Technology. I designed and created the website for them when I was there.
I am a changed person. I want to live life to its fullest. I want to be more independent. I want to be better at more things.
I’ve learned many new things over the past several years. I learned how to ride a motorcycle (alright, sort of), learned how to get my hands in grease fixing cars and trucks, and I got into snowmobiles and ATVs. I’m also an FCC-licensed Amateur Radio Operator, and I’m a member of the local radio club. During the summer, I assist local law-enforcement as well as the local National Weather Service office by spotting severe thunderstorms and tornadoes for Skywarn. Many weather warnings you hear on TV come from spotters from Skywarn. My amateur radio callsign is N0QVC. Listen for me on APRS on 144.39 or on the six-meter ham band. I also occasionally monitor the local two-meter repeater, 146.79.
This month, I am writing an article on Wireless Network Security. After working with 802.11b Wireless over the past few months, it is simply amazing how many simply keep their wireless network open for anybody that passes by!
Wireless equipment is now very affordable, and many people with technology in their homes and businesses are going out and purchasing equipment to build wireless networks. Are the majority of the people installing this equipment aware of the security risks with plugging it in without exploring your security options? The answer is absolutely NOT! Many “wardrivers” find that it’s very easy to simply take a laptop with a wireless network card, and use somebody’s Internet access — because 75% of wireless networks don’t use even the most basic security features offered.
I define Wardriving as the mobile roaming around a geographic area with a computer and Ethernet-compatible wireless networking equipment to determine available access points, or points where access to a wired network can be gained.
More simply, wardrivers drive around in cars with a laptop with a wireless network card and try to find places that use wireless technology.
If you’ve ever watched the movie “Wargames” with Matthew Broderick in the 80s, or were actively involved in hacking or even cracking 10 years ago, you may be acquainted with software to dial a range of phone numbers with your MODEM to find computers to “login” to. When the Internet wasn’t as popular as it is today, “wardialer” software was usually the first step to find computers to “play” with. The term “wardriving” was chosen because it describes the “roaming” to find networks, and a good number of “wardrivers” will attempt to gain access to these resources.
(coming)
Please be aware that this is only my opinion, and that I’m not responsible for any accidents or damages by following it. If you want a more tailored, custom solution for your residence or business, please contact me directly.
NetStumbler — The Most Popular freeware for Wardriving hands down. Works with Windows 95, Windows 98, and Windows 2000. Support for Windows ME and XP is coming. Their forum is an awesome resource, but please, read the FAQs and do searches before posting! Many of the members have participated in DefCon 10’s Wardriving Contest, and are probably among the most knowledgeable on 802.11 security that I know.
Ethereal — This is a freeware Packet Sniffer utility. You need a Wireless NIC that works in promiscuous mode (Sorry Orinoco Users).
External Antennas with a D-Link DWL-1000AP Access Point (a work in progress)
The Cantenna, 802.11b Networking with a Coffee Can (this REALLY works)!
