Ads Are Coming in Audible

     Audible is causing some big-time controversy by launching a new system to play audio advertisements within audiobooks, Audible Originals, and Podcasts. The advertisements will not be shown to subscribers who have access to one credit per month, which can be used to purchase audiobooks. However, non-paying members will have "ad-supported access to a limited set" of titles, with a maximum of eight ads playing within 24 hours. Audible did confirm that they are conducting the test in several countries but has not specified which ones.

     Although the providers were informed of the change and allowed to opt out of ads, the introduction of advertisements within audiobooks or podcasts will set a dangerous precedent, if they get their way, we'll be getting ads everywhere. If Audible does not receive backlash from the media and the public, then you can bet for sure that other companies to follow suit. For instance, Spotify, which owns Findaway, powers its audiobook catalog and could play audio ads within them to encourage paid adoption.

     Audible has stated that it is testing the new system to gain knowledge about the evolving needs of its customers and partners. Which of course is confusing English for what is really bullshit. The company's help page about the test reads, "Audible is dedicated to continuously optimizing how we deliver audio programming to listeners everywhere." The test is currently limited to non-paying members, and Audible has not specified which countries are part of the trial. However, the United States is the largest market where Audible operates.

     Everyone needs to really complain about this or we'll all be doomed to ads popping up everywhere interrupting our entertainment.

     If people don't take issue with this, every other entertainment platform will do the same.

Bram's Stoker's Dracula Reviewed

Bram Stoker's "Dracula" is an enduring classic that continues to captivate readers to this very day. It is a story of a once noble Count Dracula, who has become a centuries-old vampire who looks to leave his home and Castle of loneliness and desolation to find more life in London. The author's writing seems to really capture the landscapes he writes about whether it be in London town or in Romania's Transylvanian Carpathian Mountains.

Below are some of my favorite lines taken from the novel…

“Listen to them, the children of the night. What music they make!”

“There is a reason why all things are as they are.”

“We learn from failure, not from success!”

“The blood is the life!”

“I am all in a sea of wonders. I doubt; I fear; I think strange things, which I dare not

confess to my own soul.”

“Despair has its own calms.”

“No man knows till he has suffered from the night how sweet and dear to his heart and eye the morning can be.”

“Do you not think that there are things which you cannot understand, and yet which are; that some people see things that others cannot? But there are things old and new which must not be contemplate by men´s eyes, because they know or think they know - some things which other men have told them. Ah, it is the fault of our science that it wants to explain all; and if it explain not, then it says there is nothing to explain.”

“The sense of sleep was upon me, and with it the obstinacy which sleep brings as outrider.”

The story’s many characters all have great lines and the fantastic tale follows a steady path building to its ultimate climax. It is a great story that beautifully blends fact and fiction.

Overal this is a must-read for anyone who enjoys the way the English language was written long ago or just a well-crafted story. To this day it remains a timeless classic, and the book includes so much more than was ever depicted in the film version.

If you haven’t read this already I really recommend this for your book list and if you have it’s sooo good it’s worth a re-read as well.

The Best Rock Albums You Never Heard

Here’s a short list of some of the best albums ever recorded during the early part of the 70s and another from 1969. These are mostly under-the-radar types of albums that were very influential on young up and coming musicians of this period. Give these a try and I think you’ll find yourself some new rockin’ favorites.

Spooky Tooth - Spooky Two

Spooky Tooth - The Last Puff

Spooky Tooth - Witness

Badfinger - No Dice

Badfinger - Straight Up

Badfinger - Ass

Badfinger - Wish You Were Here

Humble Pie - Rock On

Humble Pie - Rockin' The Fillmore

Humble Pie - Smokin'

Humble Pie  - Eat It

Let me know what you think after trying these out. If you can think of something to add to this short list please add it in the comments section below.

Rock On!

Chinese Spying on US

The Chinese military has been spying and hacking US entities for many years. This is NOTHING new at all. They even brag about it on their CCTV newscasts. I just happened to be there when this story made the news. The Balloons are all that's new nowadays.

I'm certain that the US does the same things however, they just don't get on the news and brag about it like the Chinese do. I've included an article I saved from Chinese news years ago from a time that I spent there. It's a good read, and I recommend you copy and download this article.

There is an updated version of the article below at

https://www.theepochtimes.com/slip-up-in-chinese-military-tv-show-reveals-more-than-intended_1494740.html?ea_src=ai&ea_med=search&

Rock & Roll Hall of Fame News

           The Rock & Roll Hall of Fame nominating committee offers up the following for induction into the prestigious Rock & Roll Hall of Fame Class of 2023 nominees, and I really don’t know what to say about this list because I’m wondering just why these artists are nominated at all when there are many others more deserving still getting snubbed by the lame committees nominating and voting for these artists. It's an ordeal to endure year after year seeing more contemporary artists getting in while so many of the older ones are not getting the respect they deserve.

The Spinners

Iron Maiden

 Kate Bush

 Missy Elliott

 Cyndi Lauper

 The White Stripes

Willie Nelson

 A Tribe Called Quest

George Michael

Sheryl Crow

Rage Against the Machine

Soundgarden

Joy Division/New Order

Warren Zevon

Really? I would not vote for any of the above artists until respect is given to the more deserving artists that helped shape the music of our lives. The 15 I listed below are more worthy than the 14 the nominating committee put forth.

It looks as though it’s more politically selected with regards to whom they could get to perform so they could raise the advertising ceiling for licensing and broadcast rights.

We live not far from the great  Rock & Roll Hall of Fame but we’ve still never visited this museum. It’s too pricey and so many artists there really don’t belong there and so many others are disrespected and missing.

For more information on who exactly is voting our rock stars into immortality please visit this website - Rock and Roll Hall of Fame Nominating Committee | Future Rock Legends

Harry Chapin

Jim Croce

Gordon Lightfoot

Blue Öyster Cult

Bad Company

Cher

The Guess Who

Steppenwolf

Three Dog Night

Tommy James & the Shondells

"Weird Al" Yankovic

Uriah Heep

Suzanne Vega

Tori Amos

Peter Frampton

Maybe someday these committee members will get it right, until then I probably won't get too excited about any news from the Rock & Roll Hall of Fame. Even Ozzy Osbourne as a solo artist isn't in the Rock Hall, how lame is that?

United way FREE Tax Preparation 2023

    Get your Taxes done right, and get them done for FREE. The United Way has volunteers with more experience, training, and expertise than you’ll find trying to charge you a couple hundred dollars or more for the same service. You can call 211 and get answers to tax questions or you can go to their website at The United Way Tax Prep and enter your local zip code and find their tax prep locations nearest you.

    There’s the option of doing them yourself like Turbo Tax where you just enter all of your information and follow the easy steps, or you can choose to have your taxes prepared for you. Entering your zip code will give you options of where to go and take your W2s etc. This is a drop-off option, and as there are many people taking advantage of this FREE service you’ll probably have to drop off your files and wait a week or more for them to be completed and they’ll call you to pick up your paper versions. They’ll file electronically and give you a paper version, just remember to bring along a voided check with your banking information, routing number account number, and address.

    Filing electronically should get you your refund in about two weeks. Bonus perk, they will also do your city taxes for you as well.

    All in all, getting your taxes done right and also for FREE is more than a good deal even if it takes a couple weeks longer it’s worth it.

    If your family earns too much this FREE service will not be available so call the 211 number and see if you qualify.

What you need to remember to bring

1. Photo ID

2. Social Security Card

3. W2s

4. Voided Check with Banking info.

* If filing jointly and with dependants, you need their Cards and info as well.

Good Luck!

New Music from February 2023

 New Music from February 2023

1. Amber Arcades - Barefoot on Diamond Road

2. Tennis - Pollen

3. Maps - Counter Melodies

4. Andy Shauf - Norm

Here's a small selection of new music that is new this February. I recommend that you take the time to look these new albums up and check them out. I am still hoping that there will be more to come this month, but we'll have to wait and see.

Why You never Draft Ohio Sate QB's

This list is all the proof you need to make sure you never draft a QB from Ohio State. For the love of Football man, just not in the first three rounds. In round four or maybe later it might be worth taking a chance. But seriously here...just don't do it!

1941 QB Don Scott

1942 QB/RB Jack Graf

1943 QB Les Horvath

1955 QB Dave Leggett

1955 QB John Borton

1959 QB Frank Kremblas

1971 QB Rex Kern

1971 QB Ron Maciejowski

1974 QB Greg Hare

1976 QB Cornelius Greene

1982 QB Art Schlichter

1987 QB Jim Karsatos

1988 QB Tom Tupa

1992 QB Kent Graham

1996 QB Bobby Hoying

1999 QB Joe Germaine

2002 QB Steve Bellisari

2004 QB Craig Krenzel

2007 QB Troy Smith

2011 QB Terrelle Pryor

2016 QB Cardale Jones

2019 QB Dwayne Haskins

2021 QB Justin Fields

*1985 Undrafted Free Agent QB Mike Tomczak

From this list, only two players ever had sustained success. Tom Tupa as a Punter and Mike Tomczak as a backup QB with a number of NFL Teams.

STOP! Don’t use the popular YouTube App.

 STOP! Don’t use the popular YouTube App.

The popular YouTube App usually is one of the pre-installed apps on your smartphone, and even if it is not, you’ll most likely go to the app store and then download the YouTube app just like almost everyone else. So, just don’t do it! When you use the YouTube app no matter what you search for to watch and listen to you’ll be stuck having to suffer through unwanted ads. Before during and after whatever content you want to enjoy.

There is another way to watch videos or listen to new music without suffering through all of the YouTube ads, and that is, don’t use the YouTube app at all!

Instead, download from the app store, the Brave browser, and load YouTube through this and you’ll be able to watch and listen to whatever you want without seeing any ads at all.

Brave is the smartest choice for blocking ads. This browser was built specifically as an ad-free alternative to Chrome and has built-in ad-blocking abilities and anti-tracking tech. It also uses secure HTTPS almost everywhere on the internet. With no ads being loaded, that means a faster browsing experience compared to most other browsers.

I’m not saying you should ditch Chrome altogether, instead try using different browsers for different things. I use Brave strictly for running YouTube videos and music, but I still like Chrome for searching for information as needed.

Brave recently began a new opt-in ad service where you can allow online ads, and will even pay users who choose to view a small number of ads at regular intervals while they browse. Brave hopes the new system will change the way online advertising works, but web pages in the Brave browser will still be ad-free, even if you decide to get periodic ads, but I wouldn't do it if I were you. That would just defeat the whole purpose of using Brave at all. Fortunately, that is a choice that you are able to make. Mine is set at no ads at all 100%, and this works just fine for me.

Other alternative ad-free browsers include Opera and Firefox, but we don’t need to go overboard here and use too many browsers. I still highly recommend downloading and installing the Brave browser from the app store on your phone and run YouTube through that and you’ll enjoy all of what YouTube has to offer without any ads at all.

I would also recommend doing the same for your desktop PC and use Brave there as well.

Good Luck!

 

How to Fix Windows 10 Picture Thumbnails Not Showing in your Icons

Sometimes, thumbnails of your image files don’t show up in your File Explorer folders on Windows 10. You can see image file icons with .png or other file extensions, but no thumbnail preview of your photos no matter what your File Explorer folder settings are set at.

If you open your File Explorer options and the box is unchecked that says Always show icons, never thumbnails and you still can’t see photos instead of plain icons you just need to reset to factory defaults and go back and uncheck this box again. Sometimes it gets changed after an update or restart and your Windows 10 File Explorer settings are somehow changed to show only file icons and not thumbnails, or sometimes you are not able to preview your pictures in folders no matter if that box is checked or unchecked.

The simple fix to this little nagging problem that occurs every so often is to reset your File Explorer to factory defaults, and then uncheck Always show icons, never thumbnails from the view tab in File Explorer settings.

Just open File Explorer, then at the top where it says File, Home, Share, View, select View and then to the far right select options and select Change folder and search options. In the window that pops up select view and then uncheck Always show icons, never thumbnails.

So, even if you open File Explorer and see that Always show icons, never thumbnails are already unchecked and you still don’t see your picture preview in your icons just go ahead and check the box and then select restore defaults. Then close everything out and restart pc and go back and uncheck Always show icons, never thumbnails, and then select Apply. This may seem tedious and annoying and it is, but it works. 

It’s really that easy. Good Luck!

What enters the Public Domain in 2023

Public Domain Day was January 1st of this new year, and the list of notable works now free of copyright includes works from Hemingway, Wolff, Wharton, the complete Sherlock Holmes from Arthur Conan Doyle along with the children's classic Goodnight Moon. Also now in the Public Domain are some great old music like Puttin’ on the Ritz and some great films. Films of historical significance that are now in the public domain are Metropolis, and The Jazz Singer which was the first film with sound...it ushered in the new era of talkies and made silent films seem obsolete. All of the film studios had to adapt quickly and incorporate sound. Another great film that enters the public domain is Wings, and this film was the first to win the Acadamy Award for the film of the year.

Listed below are just a few selections of works to enter the public domain in 2023:

Books

Goodnight Moon by Margaret Wise Brown

The Tower Treasure (The Hardy Boys, #1) by Franklin W. Dixon

The House on the Cliff (The Hardy Boys, #2) by Franklin W. Dixon

The Secret of the Old Mill (The Hardy Boys, #3) by Franklin W. Dixon

The Bridge of San Luis Rey by Thornton Wilder

Men Without Women by Ernest Hemingway

Aspects of the Novel by E.M. Forester

The Colour Out of Space by H.P. Lovecraft

Twilight Sleep by Edith Wharton

Mosquitoes by William Faulkner

The Runaway Bunny by Margaret Wise Brown

Gentlemen Prefer Blondes / But Gentlemen Marry Brunettes by Anita Loos

Steppenwolf by Hermann Hesse

To the Lighthouse by Virginia Wolff

The Big Four by Agatha Christie

Amerika by Franz Kafka

The Gangs of New York by Herbert Asbury

The Future of an Illusion by Sigmund Freud

Modern Chess Openings by Richard Clevin Griffith and John Herbet White

The Daughters of Time by Josephine Tey

Death Comes for the Archbishop by Willa Cather

The Case-Book of Sherlock Holmes,” by Arthur Conan Doyle

Le Temps retrouvé by Marcel Proust (in French)

The Bridge of San Luis Rey by Thornton Wilder

Films

The Jazz Singer

Chicago

When Boys Leave Home

Uncle Tom’s Cabin

Wings

Tarzan and the Golden Lion

The King of Kings, directed by Cecil B. DeMille

The Battle of the Century, starring Laurel and Hardy

The Lodger, a film by Alfred Hitchcock

Metropolis, a film by Fritz Lang and Thea von Harbou

Musical Compositions

“Back Water Blues,” “Preaching the Blues” and “Foolish Man Blues” (Bessie Smith)

“The Best Things in Life Are Free,” from the musical “Good News” (George Gard “Buddy” De Sylva, Lew Brown, Ray Henderson)

“Billy Goat Stomp,” “Hyena Stomp” and “Jungle Blues” (Ferdinand Joseph Morton)

“Black and Tan Fantasy” and “East St. Louis Toodle-O” (Bub Miley, Duke Ellington)

“Can’t Help Lovin’ Dat Man” and “Ol’ Man River,” from the musical “Show Boat” (Oscar Hammerstein II, Jerome Kern)

“Diane” (Erno Rapee, Lew Pollack)

“Funny Face” and “’S Wonderful,” from the musical “Funny Face” (Ira and George Gershwin)

“(I Scream You Scream, We All Scream for) Ice Cream” (Howard Johnson, Billy Moll, Robert A. King)

“Mississippi Mud” (Harry Barris, James Cavanaugh)

“My Blue Heaven” (George Whiting, Walter Donaldson)

“Potato Head Blues” and Gully Low Blues” (Louis Armstrong)

“Puttin’ on the Ritz” (Irving Berlin)

“Rusty Pail Blues,” “Sloppy Water Blues” and “Soothin’ Syrup Stomp” (Thomas Waller)

There are more music and sound recordings in the public domain than I've listed and you can see more  at this link PD Info 

More information about works in the Public Domain can be found at this link  Center for the Study of the Public Domain. This link also has links to archived lists of works that entered the public domain in previous years.

Word of the Year from 2022

Already several weeks into the new year it is time to reflect on the year before and what was known as the word of the year from 2022.

The Oxford English Dictionary’s 2022 word of the year is - Goblin mode

‘Goblin mode’ – a slang term, often used in the expressions ‘in goblin mode’ or ‘to go goblin mode’ – is ‘a type of behaviour which is unapologetically self-indulgent, lazy, slovenly, or greedy, typically in a way that rejects social norms or expectations.’

Dictionary.com’s word of the year for 2022 is woman.

woman [ woom–uhn ]

noun

1. an adult female person.

Merriam-Webster’s word of the year for 2022 is a curious one in gaslighting. If you're curious as to what that exactly means their definition is as follows.

Gaslight​ing

1 of 2

noun

Gaslight​ing

1: psychological manipulation of a person usually over an extended period of time that causes the victim to question the validity of their own thoughts, perception of reality, or memories and typically leads to confusion, loss of confidence and self-esteem, uncertainty of one's emotional or mental stability, and a dependency on the perpetrator.

2: the act or practice of grossly misleading someone, especially for one's own advantage.

These words and phrases topped all related searches and were frequently used in media and print.

I’m a little surprised by these choices and they were not ones that I used more or out of the ordinary as compared with others. I would have thought that omicron would have topped someone’s list. 

Out of curiosity is there a word or phrase that you would have picked instead of these?