The Coffee Break

This was sent to me by a good friend and while I have never developed a taste for coffee, I do love the smell of it brewing though, I wanted to share the message which is a good one.

A group of alumni, highly established in their careers, got together to visit their old university professor. Conversation soon turned into complaints about stress in work and life.

Offering his guests coffee, the professor went to the kitchen and returned with a large pot of coffee and an assortment of cups * porcelain, plastic, glass, crystal, some plain looking, some expensive, some exquisite, telling them to help themselves to the coffee.

When all the students had a cup of coffee in hand, the professor said: "If you noticed, all the nice looking expensive cups were taken up, leaving behind the plain and cheap ones. While it is but normal for you to want only the best for yourselves, that is the source of your problems and stress.

Be assured that the cup itself, adds no quality to the coffee in most cases, just more expensive and in some cases even hides what we drink. What all of you really wanted was coffee, not the cup, but you consciously went for the best cups, and then began eyeing each other's cups.

Now consider this: Life is the coffee, and the jobs, money and position in society are the cups. They are just tools to hold and contain Life, and the type of cup we have does not define, nor change the quality of Life we live. Sometimes, by concentrating only on the cup, we fail to enjoy the coffee God has provided us."

God brews the coffee, not the cups.

Enjoy your coffee.

You're God's Best.

Just thinking out loud about life and death

With the everyday bustle of life in this modern age many of us don't often get the time to just sit and reflect on a given subject. I know that is the case in my life of computers and modern technology. I spend more time reading than most of my friends and family usually for learning or entertainment and one of the things I have learned is that acquisition of knowledge is different from reasoning and thought. Acquiring knowledge is but a tool to be used in the process of reasoning which is a vital part of making decisions and developing morals and ethics.

Having said that I was spurred to write this entry by a question posed to a guest on a recent talk radio show. I have been a long time talk show “junkie” preferring talk radio to music, particularly when in the car, for a number of years now. Through the grace of God and the work of the Holy Spirit I have become a Christian accepting Jesus Christ as my savior. Because of this I now listen to several talk shows hosted by Christian radio stations which is where this question arose.

The subject of the show was matters of life and death ranging from both ends of the scale starting at abortion and ending with euthanasia. A book was being discussed with the author about the current attitudes on the subject in our and the world's societies all from a Christian and biblical perspective. One of the first callers to the show asked this question.

“What is the difference between a man who has a terminal disease, cancer for example, who refuses to undergo chemotherapy or other treatments and another similarly inflicted individual having his doctor supply him with a dose of lethal drugs to be taken at a time of his choosing. “

Now the author of the book immediately sited Oregon's 1997 law permitting physician assisted suicide. So far the only one in the United States to permit such acts. She the proceeded to denounce it as an abomination and counter to God's law. This conversation went on for a few minutes until they moved on the the next caller who wanted to talk about abortion. What immediately struck me was that the question asked by the caller had been completely ignored. He didn't ask what the guest or host thought of Oregon's law he asked what the difference was between refusing treatment and physician assisted suicide. I don't know what the reason was but it seemed to me like many of the talk shows I listen to where politics is the subject and politicians “tap dance” around the questions they are asked giving the answer only to part of the question or changing the subject and answering a question they devise.

This started me thinking. After a few days I have to admit that I am still thinking and don't have an honest answer to the callers question. I have only my first hand experience to judge the subject by and it has left me with mixed results at best. Prior to Christ coming into my life this would have been a open and shut, black and white issue. I had always felt that there was no reason with todays medical technology to allow any human being to lay and suffer. Simply give them a shot and “put them to sleep” the same as you would do for any animal. This seems to be the attitude of our modern society and culture. If you are interested I just ordered a book on the subject called “The Party of Death: The Democrats, the Media, the Courts, and the Disregard for Human Life” by Ramesh Ponnuru that promises to be interesting.
I now see the issue in an entirely different light. I have come to understand that life is one of God's greatest gifts and not to be dismissed or taken taken away lightly. Earlier this year I was hospitalized in the intensive care unit and almost as soon as I was settled in hooked up to various lines and devices a doctor with a clip board came to my bedside and asked me if I had a living will. I responded that I did not and so he asked me if my condition were to deteriorate what measures if any I wanted taken to preserve my life. I immediately said that I wanted them to do whatever necessary to keep me alive which he said was a good decision based on my general physical condition and age. I think he even called me a “young man” which is questionable.

Still I wrestle with this question of how long do you allow a person to continue on when doctors tell you there is no hope that they will recover and you know this person is suffering in pain. You never know how you will react in these situations until you are actually faced with them. Until it touches you in a personal way you can only speculate on how it will affect you and the ones you love. I now have watched my mother die of lung cancer and my wifes grandfather die from emphysema and old age.

Not being able to breath is something I have always feared and one of my worst nightmares is dieing a slow death of not being able to get enough air to sustain the body. I could not give you an honest answer at this point in time what I would do if faced with that situation. I would hope that I would put my faith in God and let him decide when my time on this earth is done. In the meantime I pray that I am never required to take that test.

Doctors say that they can “manage” pain in terminal patients but it has been my experience at least with cancer patients that they reach a point where “managing pain” means being in a stupor unable to communicate with anyone around you and having little or no control over your body. I have thought about this also but have come to the conclusion that these circumstance may be harder on friends and family than the patient. Since we can not yet read minds we have no way of knowing what is in a persons thoughts or their level of consciousness when they reach that state.

I would find it hard to condemn someone who faced with uncontrollable pain that decided to end their own life or the life of a loved one. I would neither endorse nor participate in such actions but I would have the compassion to understand and would pray for those involved.

As usual I have gotten far to long winded. This is however one of the topics in todays world that I feel deserves thought and consideration. We are all mortal and will all face death at some point in the future some sooner than others. Christians have the comfort of God's promise of eternal life through faith in Jesus Christ. Others must decide how they will deal with these questions based on other criteria . In any case I hope that it is something that you will think about. That is all I'm doing at this point, just thinking out loud.

It is starting to look like a bathroom again

Despite the fact that our bathroom turned out to be very similar to the one pictured in the movie “The Money Pit” things are moving along well. The running gag in the aforementioned movie was no matter what the home owner ask to be done when he inquired about the length of time to completion the answer was “Two weeks”. So when Linda and I asked the contractor how long our bathroom would take and he responded “Three weeks” I wasn't sure if I should be happy or afraid. I had to explain to him why we both looked at each other on hearing the answer.

So far we are on schedule even though after starting the project is was discovered that it was going to be much more involved than what we had first planned. Right now I'm just looking forward to a nice hot shower in my own house in the near future.

Now if I only had an idea when I would be getting my bedroom back I can't tell you how comforting it would be.

My kind of humor

Some of my friends and family say I have a strange sense of humor. I can't imagine what gives them that impression but I will admit that there have been times when a statement someone made or a scene in a movie will just put me on the floor laughing only to discover that I'm the only one doing so.

I find as I get older that this “sense of humor” is changing and things I once considered rib splitting funny barely prompt a smile these days. In particular I shun humor that is hurtful to other people though I have to admit that is not always easy to recognize especially in this increasingly politically correct society that we live in.

Having said all of that let me point you to The Onion, one of the more sarcastic web sites on the Internet. This article was sent to me my a friend and with the local flavor I found it very funny but that is just me.

PNC Park Threatens To Leave Pittsburgh Unless Better Team Is Built

If anyone is looking for something for me for Christmas.......

Just in case you are starting your Christmas shopping a little early this year to beat the rush and just don't know what you want to get for me here is a suggestion. :-)


Panasonic to offer $70,000 plasma TV for Christmas


Secaucus (NY) - Christmas is less than half a year away and some of us may already setting up their wish list for their parents and spouses. If you are looking for something different this year, ditch that Porsche and consider the world's largest plasma HDTV.
Panasonic is delivering on its promise that it would be offering a 103" plasma TV, which is expected to be the world's largest plasma TV screen size when it hits the market. Large TVs never have been cheap at their market introduction, but Panasonic may be setting a record with a price that is high enough to qualify for the headline of this year's Neiman Marcus holiday catalog. The TH-103PZ600U will cost a stunning $69,995 and 95 cents, including a three-year in-home limited warranty - which is "unprecedented" in the industry, according to Panasonic.
"Panasonic didn't create the world's largest plasma TV as a technology demo for a trade show," said Andrew Nelkin, Panasonic's display group vice president. "We created it because, as worldwide sales of Plasma TVs continue on a meteoric rise, the market is seeking bigger displays on which people can experience the High Definition lifestyle.

Follow this link for the complete story.

Sometimes you just have to go with the flow (pun intended)

Due to some egregious errors in construction practices carried out by one of the previous owners, the upstairs bathroom at our house has been in need of serious attention for some time now. It is one of those things that you keep putting money aside for thinking one day we will have to tackle that project that remains on the rear burner due to the slow growth of the construction fund. Then one day some event occurs that provides a tipping point, in this case a leaking pipe, and you plow forward ready or not.

Now most guys would strap on their tool belts take up arms and meet this type of project head on. Among his many talents my Dad was a carpenter and could do any type of remodeling work in addition to turning out beautiful items made completely of wood. My brother has similar abilities having made a living at times with hammer and saw. I on the other hand joke about hanging pictures on the wall and discarding nails I pick out of the box because the “flat end” is facing the away from me so they must be for the opposite wall.

In the words of Harry Callahan “A man just has to know his limitations.” and I do. So several local contractors were contacted for bids on doing some repairs on my bathroom. I had been warned by all that kitchens and bathrooms were notorious hiding more than appeared on the surface and in this instance that turned out to be the case.

This is what the bathroom looked like several days ago.




And this is what it looks like now.


Needless to say this has made life very interesting around the Sprouse house. Like going to a nearby relatives home to get a shower each day. Well life goes on and all will be much better in the end, at least that is what they tell me. I'll let you know how it turns out.

The Lost Bomber

I mentioned this incident in a previous posting possibly on the anniversary date it happened. A good friend sent me the link to this story this morning and I just have to pass it along to the readers. I find it hard to believe in this day and age if the group mentioned in the story has indeed located the plane that they couldn't get some television show to finance bringing it up from the river. As they say on Fox News I'll report, you decide.

“In the middle of the afternoon on January 31, 1956 a B-25 bomber crash-landed into the Monongahela river near Homestead, Pennsylvania. All six aboard survived the impact, though two of them died before they were saved from the cold water. It was an unfortunate accident, and in the following weeks a search for the sunken plane was conducted.”

Follow this link for the complete story. Enjoy!

More information on “net neutrality”

I wrote not to long ago about “net neutrality” which I still consider a topic worth discussion. If it was one that interested you here is a link to a podcast from, This Week In Tech, where the subject is talked about in more detail and probably with a better explanation that I gave to you in written format.

While you are visiting the TWiT site you might want to look around at some of the other interesting things that are there. Enjoy!

TWiT Podcast Number 60

New kid in the blogaspher.

I have written about Redeemer Lutheran Church here on several occasions as it is an important part of my life and it serves Oakmont and surrounding communities. We have had several pastors at our church over the last few decades and each has been welcomed by both the congregation and the community. When our last pastor left for a teaching position at a Lutheran seminary we had several “interim” pastors in the pulpit while we waited for a permanent replacement.

That replacement came in the person of Rev. Jonathan Naumann who had been serving the Lutheran Church Missouri Synod in England for a number of years. I can't begin to tell you what a blessing it has been to have him come to our church. Now I may be somewhat prejudiced as this is the first pastor that we have had that is not only computer literate but also is eager to use technology not only in his day to day work at the church but also in spreading the Gospel to the glory of God.

This brings me to the subject of this posting. Dr. Naumann has joined the blogaspher and I look forward to reading his thoughts on what ever he cares to write about out here in cyberspace. I will put a permanent link to his blog in my links section and you can CLICK HERE to take you there directly. Enjoy!

Oh, and if you click on the first link in this posting you will be taken to the churches web site where you can learn more about us and find directions that will lead you to our house of worship. You are invited to join us any Sunday as we give thanks to God for the blessings that he has bestowed on us and our families. Please join us to hear God's word and enjoy Christian fellowship.

Call pap!

I had a really interesting phone call yesterday with my youngest son Andy. Seems that he got a call from his wife Katie at work telling him how her morning, which happened to be her birthday, started. She had just gotten out of the shower was dressed and blow drying her hair when she heard someone knocking on her front door. Did I say knocking, what I really meant was POUNDING with their fists. She could also hear voices outside and being alone at home with two small children she was understandably apprehensive as she raced down stairs to see what all of the commotion was about.

Imagine her surprise when she peeked out the window and saw two uniformed police officers standing at her door. Had something happened to Andy? Was this a drug raid on the wrong address? I'm sure many things went through her mind as she decided if she should open the door for these two. Deciding that the uniforms looked “official” and wanting the pound in the door to stop Katie opened the front door just a crack and asked “Can I help you?”.

The officers explained that they were on her door step knocking on her door because the following conversation had taken place at the Westmoreland County 911 dispatch center.

911: “911 what is your emergency?”

response: “Hi call Pap”

911: “This is Westmoreland County 911 do you have an emergency?”

response: “Call Pap”

This was followed by the sound of a phone being placed on the floor with no further talking or communications. Now for those not familiar with procedures at a 911 answering center this is how it works. If that dispatcher gets a call and loses contact with the caller they will first attempt to call the number back and speak with the someone. If the number is busy, doesn't answer, or remains open with no response they send the cavalry! That of course is what happened in this situation.

Not only had Autumn managed to get the cordless phone down from its base and dial 911 but then managed to hide the phone. Katie and the two officers had to search the first floor to find it and hang up with the dispatcher who was still holding on the other end of the line waiting confirmation that the officers were in control of matters at the residence. They were very understanding and I'm absolutely sure this was not the first time they had answered such a call and I'm reasonably sure it won't be the last.

The only thing I haven't figured out yet is if Autumn dialed 911 by accident, she hasn't had her second birthday yet, or if she had learned that number from one of the many “educational” DVDs that are in the family collection from Sesame Street. I wouldn't be surprised at either answer being correct. Either way Katie will always have a birthday remembrance and a story to tell each year at this time.



Aren't they little angels when they are sleeping? Truly one of God's blessings!

So what is Net Neutrality, why should you be worried about it and what does it have to do with the Fourth of July?

I try to stay away from “geek speak” topics on this blog reserving those writings for my Amateur Radio blog where I’m sure they are of more interest to everyday readers. This however is one of those areas of technology that crosses over into the realm of political and social impact on the end users of computers and the Internet. If you are reading this assume that you fall into both of those categories.

I have been involved with and had a presence on the Internet for a number of years now. Having been heavily involved with dial up bulletin board systems from about the mid 1970’s when personal computer users created a number of networks, like Fido Net, that relayed text based messages all over the country and in some cases to a number of other countries around the world. The “on line” community was only a tiny fraction of today’s with numbers in the thousands not millions. The ARPA Net, fore runner of today’s Internet, was something only available to researchers and the world of academia. If you were not involved in one of these fields or had a friend who was you simply had no access to this new “on line world” that had been created as part of a Department of Defense project. I was fortunate to have such a friend introduced to me through my radio hobbies. Before the World Wide Web existed I was running an old Convergent Technology Mini Frame in my basement. This was a computer that when new had sold for over twelve thousand dollars and I bought used for under four hundred dollars as computer hardware power increased and prices dropped. That computer had a feed from a local university giving me access to net news and email all of this was done though a dial up modems at speeds that would make me cringe today.

This on line world that I started out in was an entirely different community than what we know today. It was sort of like being in a club or church congregation. Not everyone knew everyone else that was out there on line but we all shared a common bond of a fascination with the new medium of electronic communications. There was also an unwritten and unspoken agreement among those in this world on how we conducted ourselves and dealt with each other. There was very little pornography and where it existed it restricted its self to a corner of the on line universe with appropriate signs posted warning those who entered that there were no restrictions on what they might hear or see if they entered. Likewise there were standards for what was permissible in the use of the written word when disagreements arose during discussion of topics of interest. You could argue until you were “blue in face/keyboard” as long as you kept the tone of the argument civil. Those days I fear are gone and at this point in time I don’t see their return on the horizon. Time and technology marches on.

With the entry of the general public into this on line world and the introduction of tools like email and file transfers into the business world the net took on an entirely different look and feel. While for the most part all of this growth and influx of new people has, in my opinion, been a very good thing it has not been without its down side. As the commercial side of the network grew and both new and existing businesses discovered that there was money to be made in this brave new world those who had dominated the field for decades started looking for ways to leverage their long standing place in the market to their advantage. I don’t have a problem with this as I think free markets are the best way that we have come up with so far to conduct commerce and ensure growth. Where I do have a problem with this system is when one person or company is able to use that advantage to squash competition. Without competition free markets can neither function nor survive. This brings me to topic today about net neutrality.

When the Internet became a household buzz word the number of companies that were willing to provide access to the network mushroomed. Local Internet Service Providers, or ISPs, sprang up everywhere. I’m not quiet sure how it happened but though some miracle the government for the most part stayed out of trying to regulate the network its self or the connections that provided access to the new “information highway”. The telephone companies being restricted from supplying on line content were happy to be the providers of the “data pipe” that the content flowed through.

Unfortunately after decades of being a monopoly in the business and a business model that provided huge revenue streams from minimal investments they found it hard to give up the easy money this model provided when real competition came along to challenge them. Through market pressure and some court decisions phone companies have been forced to deal with this brave new world but they are still not happy about it.

Looking longingly back at the “good old days” they keep trying to come up with new ways to charge consumers large quantities of money simply because they can. The latest such scheme to rear its ugly head is a proposal to restrict what will flow through the data pipe based on content.

On the surface they seem to make a reasonable argument that users who subscribe to iTunes or other services that take a lot of bandwidth should pay more in the form of a surcharge applied to those services which of course they would have to pass on to the end user their customers. Here however is the real story.

What the large players in the communications world want to do is create a tiered Internet much the way that cable service is tiered. For just $19 a month we will give you access to the “data pipe” which will let you send and receive email and have access to MOST of the World Wide Web. Ah, but you say you would like access to the Google search engine and perhaps a cluster of national and international news reporting services such as the Wall Street Journal and USA Today and the BBC. For that you will need to be in the next higher service tier. Don't worry, its ONLY two dollars a month more you won't miss two dollars a month would you? Especially for all of that additional content. Once that model is in place it will be only a matter of time before there are a large number of those tiers with the upper levels ones costing much more than the entry level ones.

As bandwidth and speed increase on the net you are going to see more and more goods and services supplied via your computer. A recent communications bill before the Senate had an amendment defeated that would have ensured net neutrality after a lot of pressure was brought to bear by lobbyists from the telephone industry. This is one of those areas where when the wheel squeaks you had better have either some very expensive grease, also known as campaign finance money, or a very large number of people especially those who vote that demand that the wheel be fixed correctly with the proper bearings.

One of the ways you can become one of those voices is to support the Electronic Frontier Foundation. (EFF) While I don't agree with all of the positions that this organization takes I feel they do good work and I support them both financially and by speaking in unison with them when I agree with laws or policies they try to influence. Of course you can also make your presence felt in other ways. Registering to vote and actually voting go a long way toward making yourself a force. Along with that you need to write and or call your elected representatives and let them know how you feel about issues that they will be voting on and that you indeed are aware of their voting record and consider it when you cast your ballet at election time.

This may seem like a lot in todays busy world with all there is to contend with on a day to day basis but it is just one of the prices that we pay for living in the free and open society that we have in this country. This being the Fourth of July, the date we celebrate birth of that freedom and independence I think it is worth considering. I hope you all have a very safe and happy Fourth of July holiday.