chicodawg.com

An article I wrote in May, 2007 (over a YEAR ago) is recently getting the attention of some blog readers, namely motorcyclists, who read (somewhere) in that article that I would commit murder (attempted murder, manslaughter, or whatever you want to call it) against a biker. Apparently, I need to clarify a few things and hope to do so with this follow-up. If you are unable to read, please have someone dictate this to you so that it makes sense. But read each line, not just the in-between lines.

There are a few points to remember which I’ll mention right at the start:

1. It takes skill to operate a motorcycle.
2. It takes responsibility to operate a motorcycle.
3. I love motorcycles, the freedom of the open road, the feel of the wind, even the many designs and customizations, and add whatever other excuses are out there.
4. As mentioned in the previous article, I give extra room to motorcycles when I see them. I do not open my car door to force a bike to hit it, or swerve into a lane occupied by a motorcycle.

I am not responsible for a motorcyclists failure to ride responsibly, or the motorcyclists lack of skill. A study performed by the University of Southern California analyzed accident data involving motorcycles in 2006. That year, almost 5,000 people were killed riding motorcycles. Nowhere in the study did it state that myself, or chicodawg.com, was the cause of these fatalities! So, don’t point your finger at me.

“As I drove along a rural 2-lane highway in a semi-truck (a few years ago), a small dot appeared in my left mirror. It was a motorcyclist - a “2-wheeler” as we call them - who sped up alongside my 53-foot trailer and decided to do a wheelie while passing me. Once past, he(?) slowed down and was soon alongside the trailer again. He sped up, doing a wheelie again, and passed me. He must have been showing off. He showed how ignorant and stupid he was.”

According to some of the comments I received, this type of riding is normal and accepted by most bikers. As motorists of larger vehicles, we are supposed to smile and allow these daredevils to do as they please. Motorcyclists have more rights than we do and we must do whatever is necessary to make them safe.

“While at a stoplight on a 3-lane road, a biker rode up between myself and another car which was in the next lane. When the light changed green, the biker cut in front of me and sped off in my lane. Hope he got there in time!”

Motorcycles are in the same classification as emergency vehicles (with lights and sirens on)…yield the right-of-way to them. In fact, you should have moved out of their way before the light changed green. When you see a motorcyclist on the dashed line separating the lanes of traffic (for the “rest of us”), they are in a hurry and more important than you…let them go!

Keep reading…on to page 2

Here is an update and more comments about a previous article I wrote entitled “Understanding TAPS” which was 3-pages long and set in a somewhat chronological order. The original article outlined my interests and what transpired when joining a local paranormal clique. This article is a follow-up.

TAPS Con 2008 is over and as I mentioned previously, the TAPS Con 2009 event is already taking reservations. I did not go to this event. As I mentioned previously, no planning meetings were held for the staff of TAPS Con prior to (late) June. I guess the coordinators either wanted to take full credit for their hard work (why share the spotlight?), or they felt it just wasn’t necessary to get the volunteers together early and work out the details of this major convention. From what I have heard, this lack of planning was evident at the July 19-20 event. I read comments that the hotel itself, while spectacular, historic and “grand” on the outside, was moldy and slightly appalling on the inside. Some rooms for the guests were disgusting and unkempt. Maybe the “good” rooms were taken by the more-respected VIPs of Taps Con? Another comment reflected on the event itself, claiming it was unorganized and (the staff) had no idea what was going on. What a shock.

On the Friday of the Taps Con weekend, I decided to spend some time in the #ghosthunters chat room on IRC (hosted on Starchat servers). As mentioned in the previous article, although I could access TAPS and sSpirit websites, I appeared to be banned from sSpirit’s forums - for no violation of their terms of service…just “because” they could. Friday, I discovered that I was now banned from the #ghosthunters IRC chat area. What was interesting about this? There was no prior notice. Of course, they are not required to notify anyone, but what is funny is that a guest can get in the room and use foul/adult language and they get a warning first (”Stop it or else!”). The moderators stomp their feet, so to speak, and show they are forces to be reckoned with. But, the guest is given a chance to straighten up. I, on the other hand, was banned. There was no reason given by the moderator I chatted with and the channel owner (WiccanVixen aka Nancy Planeta of sSpirit, Taps Con, Taps Family Radio, TAPS, etc., etc.) was busy finalizing the weekend’s well-organized event - Taps Con 2008. She was not on IRC to give any insight or reason. So, I had to investigate my own reason for being banned. I visited the Ghost Hunters chat website and read the Room Rules, as follows:

1. No bots or cloning.

No problem there. I actually respect that, however, the ghost hunters chat room moderators decided to place a trivia bot in the channel.

2. No Idling (Limit: 4 hour with no activity) No longer enforced.
3. No flooding, repeated sentences, sounds or pop-ups.

#2 is no longer enforced and #3, never did that anyway.

4. No advertising, unless permission is granted by a moderator.

Hmmm…This one may have gotten me (see below)

5. Room content is for guests 18 years old or older.
6. No use of excessive CAPS. It’s considered yelling and rude.
7. Do not ignore channel moderators.
8. No harassing other chatters and/or moderators.
9. Do not impersonate a TAPS member, person of fame and/or a moderator at any time.
10. No inappropriate nicks or links.
11. This is an English speaking room only.
12. This is not a dating service or pick-up chat room. Personal stats are to be kept to Private Messages.
13. Before you Private Message (PM) someone, you must get prior approval.
14. Decisions made by room moderators are final.

Still with me? I’ll explain #4 and some more on the next page. Go to page 2 to continue…

I decided to update a couple of “important” past articles. The latest update on “Understanding TAPS” will be posted soon. But, I have received Emails and comments about the articles listed below, so I wanted to post an update for those first.

(Oldest to Newest)

1. As I mentioned previously, in the post titled “…and I got it back”, I received my money back from the Ultimate Wealth Package “deal” and I did NOT put money into any further schemes.
2. For the Best Buy And The 15% Restocking Fee article - I actually understand their need for the restocking fee. It keeps people from “renting” merchandise from them and I, for one, do not usually pick-up items from the shelf that appear to have been pre-used. I still shop at Best Buy also. It’s funny because, unlike the child-like actions received (or not) from TAPS and sSpirit Florida/Paranormal, Best Buy still lets me in their store. I’ll get another article posted soon to update the situation with TAPS, sSpirit and Real P.R.O.O.F.
3. The Tampa Bay Rays stadium is on “hold” for now. But, it’s interesting that all-of-a-sudden they are tops in the league…the “ones to watch”.
4. Ah, yes…the Craigslist ad and the previous driving job. I posted a lengthy article regarding a moving and hauling company I worked BRIEFLY for and their lack of payment and other troubles. After getting an attorney involved, I was finally paid in full!
5. The new Knight Rider is coming back and I’ll probably watch it, even though it is way too overboard.

Anyway, I know there are people reading my blog and I appreciate it. The statistic counter is over 10,000 and growing. The stats are based on actual visitors, not merely page loads like some sites use (every time you visit or reload a page, it increases their counter…that’s not right!)

You may not be commenting on every article, but at least at some point you are reading this, and that is really cool. Although, I’d prefer to hear from you and get your feedback on stuff posted here…just keep reading at least! Thanks.

(If by "taps" you think I’m talking about a dance style, think again.) 

I’m talking about The Atlantic Paranormal Society (TAPS), based in Warwick, Rhode Island, with chapters, er, "families" across the U.S.  TAPS is recognized world-wide for their "research" into the paranormal (ghosts) as seen on the popular Sci-Fi (cable TV) series "Ghost Hunters".  TAPS was founded by Jason Hawes and Grant Wilson. 

Fans of the show, or ghost enthusiasts, call themselves a part of this organization by the formation of the TAPS Family.  TAPS Family and the "real" TAPS are supposedly separate entities (no pun intended) - TAPS is not legally responsible for any TAPS Family member.  Basically, TAPS Family sets their own hierarchy of officials, creates their own criteria for membership and handles any complaints.  They are affiliated to some extent.  However, don’t attempt to contact TAPS about TAPS Family and don’t try to connect with TAPS through the TAPS Family - only the upper echelon of TAPS Family will have access to the Hollywood-esque TAPS members.

My family and I watch the show.  I am not a fanatic, though.  I do not have dreams of walking hand-in-hand with Jason, Grant or the other stars.  The show is entertaining and intriguing.  The idea of researching the paranormal has always been of interest to me, although I remain skeptical of this possibility.  At some point, earlier this year, I decided to pursue this interest and located a group in the Tampa Bay area.

In March, 2008, I contacted Real P.R.O.O.F. with an interest in becoming an investigator.  Real P.R.O.O.F. does not claim affiliation with TAPS, which is fine by me.  I later Emailed Real P.R.O.O.F. a photo I took of a church in Asheville, North Carolina.  The photo is interesting.  It was eventually posted on their website.  Responses to my interest in joining Real P.R.O.O.F. were slow and I eventually looked for another group.  I found sSpirit Florida.  This group is a TAPS Family member.  Not only that, but the founders of sSpirit are also in the "upper echelon" of TAPS Family, TAPS Family Radio and the Ghost Hunters chat room on IRC. I may be missing other high-ranking titles, but these are the known ones.

sSpirit’s website included a "Join Us" form and not long after submitting my information, a telephone interview was scheduled.  I spoke with Nancy, one of the founders of the group, who was also busy with preparations for the 2008 TAPS Con being held in Clearwater.  By March 23, the newly-formed "team" was scheduled to meet for the first time on April 12th, at the location of TAPS Con - the Belleview Biltmore Resort in Clearwater.  TAPS Con is a big event in the paranormal TV world, with seminars, ghost hunts of the hotel and special appearances by celebrities.  As we were told during the meeting in April, the "team" would be a part of TAPS Con, as volunteers to help during the convention.  After the meeting, we were taken to the 4th and 5th floors of the Biltmore to do an impromptu ghost hunt. I recorded digital audio and took over 100 photos of the darkness.

(there are more pages, select page 2 below)

(insert a "thumbs down" picture here)

I watched, with anticipation, the new Knight Rider 2-hour premier last night on NBC.  After watching the promotional teasers leading up to foro poquercartas en el pokerjuegos cartas pokeraprende a jugar pokerjuego de poker para descargarpoker runjuego de cartaslos mejores cuartos del pokerpoker pc games,strip poker games,poker gamescomputer poker gameel pokerjuegos poker,juegos de poker,juegos cartas pokerjuegos on line pokertexas holdem gratisstreap poker onlinejuegos de poker online gratistop poker onlinejuego de poker pcjuego de poker onlinepoker torneos gratispoker lineastrip poker pcpoquer de dadosdescarga pokerdescarga juego de pokerhow to play pokerjugar card studpoker en linea libre7 card stud gratisstreep poker on linedouble bonus poker downloadtorneos de pokerjugar texas holdemwww polli poquerbonus de poker en lineajuego al instante internetpoly pokerpoker online españoljuego poker gratuitoroulette lineainternet casinosganar dinero verdadero portal internet,ganar dinero,ganar dinero verdadero pagina internetjuego interactivo lineajuegos de ruletasistemas ruletapromocion casino onlinecasino compremio paginas internetjuegos webganar premios portales web this "event", I was counting on seeing a blockbuster… on TV.  The two hours were a let down.

I’ve read on other sites that fans were put off by the car the series producers decided to use - the Ford Mustang Shelby Cobra (whatever letter combination you can use to further alienate this particular car from any other version, the VCRX-S56 something?).  I personally think the Mustang is a classic whether it was built in 1964 or 2008.  It has stood the test of time.  I really don’t care if the red animated lights on the hood are beaming from a Pontiac Trans-Am or Ford or Lamborghini or whatever.  Here’s a simple fact: In the old series, a working-class American could actually AFFORD the car (sans high-tech computer system) in Knight Rider.  I doubt most people at a dealership can even get close to a version of this Mustang without alarms and bells going off.

I had a problem with the car’s believability.  In the old 80’s series, before CGI (computer graphics) defined EVERYTHING we see on TV, the car was somewhat believable.  Yes, it talked and could hold a conversation.  Yes it had a computer (wireless!) that made it functional.  Yes it was bullet-proof.  Ok, we have computers in cars today and on some cars, if the computer malfunctions and stops working, so does the car.  We have bullet-proofing.  But in this new "3000" model, the car can morph.  This effect turned me off.  Need a spoiler on the trunk?  Got it.  Need to change paint colors?  Done.  Bullet holes get repaired almost instantly… by the car.  At least for me, this was too over the top to hold my interests.  Cool?  Yes, of course.  But, other than its computer being hacked into (another cheap plot), this car cannot be destroyed.  Actually, I’m waiting for the episode where it morphs into a human and walks away.

Then, to spread out the 2-hours of computer imaging, there was a cheesy love story brewing between the fresh-out-of-acting-school main character (it isn’t the car) Justin Bruening, playing Mike Tracer, and Sarah.  I think she’s the mother of John Connor in Terminator?  I don’t know, I lost interest.  Anyway, Deanna Russo plays her part.   The show was more about them, a half-plot, and what the show’s design team learned in computer graphics college than about the car.  Tracer, by the way, turns out to be Michael Knight’s son, played by the original, not computer generated, David Hasselhoff.  Hasselhoff attempts to awaken the audience with his appearance near the end.  This worked, but it was too late.  Maybe when the car morphs into a human, it’ll start dating Sarah and make the show interesting again.

I was also put off by the voice of the car.  In the TV trailers leading up to this event, the voice of the car was more like a deep version of the old KITT (car).  During the actual movie/show, however, the car sounded no different than a human…without feelings of course.  Val Kilmer provided the voice for the new KITT.  In the 80’s series, William Daniels was the voice - and sounded like everything you would expect a car to sound like, and then some.  Daniels sounded like he put more into the voice than Kilmer.  Kilmer read the lines but that was about it.

And then there’s the theme song.  Typical for just about every program on TV these days, it was some sort of instrumental rock.  It had a taste of the original version, then that quickly smeered away.  The show continuously snapped us out of the 80’s - the show’s original concept and design - and back into the 2000’s, except for the idiotically-futuristic things this car was capable of.

My guess is, NBC was directing this piece, like most shows on TV these days, for those who were not born in the 80’s.  That’s fine.  Call it something else, then.  Don’t bring back an original ahead-of-its-time classic, redo 95% of it,  then put your stamp on it.  Didn’t CBS do that with "The Brady Bunch" - the title wouldn’t work for today’s audience so they renamed it to Big Brother?