beforeyoukillyourcomputer.com Saving computers one at a time from their owners

Went to my 20th High School Reunion in New Orleans, recently, and thought I’d share some pictures. I wasn’t sure what to expect since I’ve been away for so long and was worried about the town since Katrina hit. There’s no one you speak to that doesn’t have some story of the storm and bad times but the spirit is still there and strong. There are problem areas but there is hope and the city is recovering.

Go John Ehret Patriots and Go New Orleans!

NASA engineers will be holding their breaths Sunday, as a digging robot attempts a precarious landing on Mars’ surface.

NASA’s Phoenix Lander was launched in August and has traveled 122 million miles to Mars. It is a $457 million robotic spacecraft — equipped with a backhoe, cameras and a compact chemistry lab — that will attempt to find out whether the cold, forbidding surface of Mars could once have been warm enough for microbial life to exist on the planet.

Phoenix is scheduled to land Sunday evening at 7:38 p.m. ET. It must first separate from its rocket and then survive a harrowing seven-minute descent at 12,600 mph. It will then slow down to 5 mph to land in one piece on the planet’s unexplored north pole.

Mars has attracted more space missions than the rest of the solar system’s planets, but nearly two-thirds of all Mars missions have failed in some way.

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I’ve read or heard somewhere that the 2/3 value is true but the encompasses more than just the American attempts, whereas the American attempts are more of a 50-50 shot, still not the average you’d have high hopes for but better than 33%.

The Miami Dolphins choose Michigan offensive tackle, Jake Long.

Chris Long, a defensive end from Virginia goes to the St. Louis Rams.

Looks to be a “Long” couple of days, good days if your team comes out well in the Draft.

Is it September yet?

If you haven’t seen this video, it’s a horrendous crash from today’s speed qualifying for the Texas Motor Speedway race on Sunday at 2pm Eastern. It’s incredible that Michael was able to walk away from the crash with little to no difficulty. It is amazing how far NASCAR has come in the past years since Dale Earnhardt left us.

Edit:  Follow-up Interview

Updated, 6:45 p.m. | The actor Heath Ledger was found dead this afternoon in an apartment in Manhattan, according to the New York City police. Signs pointed to a suicide or an accidental overdose, police sources said. Mr. Ledger was 28.

At 3:31 p.m., according to the police, a masseuse arrived at the fourth-floor apartment of the building, at 421 Broome Street, between Crosby and Lafayette Streets in SoHo, for an appointment with Mr. Ledger. The masseuse was let in to the home by a housekeeper, who then knocked on the door of the bedroom Mr. Ledger was in. When no one answered, the housekeeper and the masseuse opened the bedroom and found Mr. Ledger naked and unconscious on a bed, with sleeping pills — both prescription medication and nonprescription — on a night table. They moved his body to the floor and attempted to revive him, but he did not respond. They immediately called the authorities.

The police said they did not suspect foul play. Ellen Borakove, a spokeswoman for the office of the city’s chief medical examiner, Dr. Charles S. Hirsch, said that employees of the office were at the apartment and that an autopsy would be conducted on Wednesday. Around 6:30 p.m., city workers rolled Mr. Ledger’s body, in a black body bag on a stretcher, out of the building.

Paul J. Browne, the Police Department’s deputy commissioner for public information, initially said that the apartment was owned by the actress Mary-Kate Olsen, but later reversed himself and said that was not the case.

A representative of Ms. Olsen said that the apartment did not belong to the actress. “It is not her apartment,” the representative, Annette Wolf, a publicist for Ms.

Say it isn’t so. A first-person shooter contributing to someone acting heroically and possibly saving a life? This can’t be. All I have heard from the media lately is how video games make you want to go on rampages. In this case, though, as long as the story is confirmed to be true, someone finds himself acting heroically because of what he learned in a video game. Sadly, you won’t hear about this on the evening news. If it bleeds, it leads. IMHO, a good deed should lead but I guess there just isn’t room for anything else with all the Britney Spears drama. Way to be, Paxton Galvanek. We salute you!

Silver Spring, MD (January 17, 2008) - A longtime America’s Army player became a first responder at a tragic car accident last November by employing life saving techniques he learned by playing the America’s Army game. Twenty-eight year old Paxton Galvanek was able to evaluate and treat the victims at the scene. Paxton credited the combat medic training he completed in the popular America’s Army online PC game with teaching him the critical skills he needed to react appropriately in this crisis situation. This is the second time an America’s Army player has reported successfully using medical skills learned through playing the game to respond in a life-threatening situation.

In order to assume the role of combat medic in the America’s Army game, players must go through virtual medical training classes based on the actual training that real Soldiers receive. The creators of America’s Army developed the training scenarios with young adults in mind, recognizing their need to be able to respond in emergency situations.

Randydeluxe Jordan of the popular World of Warcraft podcast The Instance, looks at a unique personalized item available with Shane McWilliams, Program Manager of the XPS M1730 WoW Edition development team (off camera).

OK, no on the human sacrifice and probably not on the mass hysteria but dogs and cats living together…

A STRAY kitten in the US has found a new mother in a golden retriever, who began producing milk for the little feline after hearing its cries.

Honey - the golden retriever - had not given birth in 18 months, but after her owner, Jimmy Martin, brought home the kitten, she suddenly found herself playing the role of mother.

“She started licking her and loving her. Within a couple of days, Honey started naturally lactating,” said Kathy Martin, Jimmy’s wife.

“The kitten took right to her, and she started nursing her.”

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As an avid Florida State football fan living in the beautiful state of Alabama, it is now my official football fan duty to tease my Bama friends a little.

FSU > Bama : 21 - 14 Sports Story

Give me a break. I’ve seen more nudity in a Walmart Superstore and I have to tell you, the quality wasn’t anywhere near as good.

Alicia Silverstone is too hot for TV – in Houston, that is.

The actress shed her clothes for a PETA ad championing vegetarianism set to debut in Texas Wednesday, but Comcast Cable pulled the 30-second spots from the airwaves.

In the commercial, Silverstone, 30, steps out of a swimming pool, unclothed and sharing the benefits of a vegetarian lifestyle…

According to reports, the PETA ads will still run on television in Dallas.

and.. on men’s computers everywhere - for a few minutes anyway until we get bored.

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