Did you know about whatsmyipaddress.com where you can find out instantly what your I.P. address is?
How about downforeveryoneorjustme.com? You can plug in any web address and find out if the website is down or if it's your connection or internet provider that is preventing you from getting to that website.
And hidemyass.com -- did you know you could use this free web proxy to travel the internet with your identity hidden?
How did I find out about these websites?
Well, I run several websites using Godaddy.com hosting services. This morning as I was working on ...With Intent to Commit Horror, the browser suddenly couldn't access the website at all. It looked as if the entire site had crashed.
When my wife called GoDaddy, they had her use whatsmyipaddress.com to find out what I.P. Address we had.
Then he had her use downforeveryoneorjustme.com to see if Intent was actually down or if it was something that prevented us from seeing it. The website told us that Intent was still up and running -- which was a great relief to me.
Finally we used hidemyass.com to verify that the website was up and that for some reason we were being blocked from seeing it. Sure enough I was able to see and interact with ...With Intent to Commit Horror.
Minutes later, GoDaddy had fixed the problem and I could access Intent without a proxy. Happiness is restored.
And I learned about three great websites in the process.
Sunday, December 28, 2008
Saturday, December 20, 2008
Why I missed a couple day's posts
I took Wednesday off to take my autistic/albino son to the eye doctors. It was actually a whole family affair. It was a long drawn out affair because my son hates the eye drops that dilate the eyes and was uncooperative from that moment on.
The next day my wife and daughter were sick. My daughter got a morning appointment and we discovered she has pneumonia. That is a nasty illness to have at seven years. When I got home with Little Miss Sickness, I had to turn around and fetch my son from school as he was covered in spots and the school nurse was certain he had scarlet fever.
My wife had the next doctor's appointment. I was worried she'd have pneumonia because her symptoms seemed to mirror my daughter's. Well she only had strep throat. Not good but not the big P, either. Finally I took my son to the doctor. To my relief he did not have scarlet fever. He was having an allergic reaction to the Amoxicillian that was prescribed last week to fight the strep that both kids had.
Afterward I had to get medicine from a pharmacy that had never heard of the benefits of good customer service. I wasted a lot of time waiting for meds.
By the time I got home I was too beat and too miffed to focus on writing a post. So I let it slide. I am sorry I posted nothing (except for a pre-made post in Buy Books the Holidays) until today. However I felt no post was more desirable than a post of poor quality.
So let me ask you, did I make the right call?
The next day my wife and daughter were sick. My daughter got a morning appointment and we discovered she has pneumonia. That is a nasty illness to have at seven years. When I got home with Little Miss Sickness, I had to turn around and fetch my son from school as he was covered in spots and the school nurse was certain he had scarlet fever.
My wife had the next doctor's appointment. I was worried she'd have pneumonia because her symptoms seemed to mirror my daughter's. Well she only had strep throat. Not good but not the big P, either. Finally I took my son to the doctor. To my relief he did not have scarlet fever. He was having an allergic reaction to the Amoxicillian that was prescribed last week to fight the strep that both kids had.
Afterward I had to get medicine from a pharmacy that had never heard of the benefits of good customer service. I wasted a lot of time waiting for meds.
By the time I got home I was too beat and too miffed to focus on writing a post. So I let it slide. I am sorry I posted nothing (except for a pre-made post in Buy Books the Holidays) until today. However I felt no post was more desirable than a post of poor quality.
So let me ask you, did I make the right call?
Monday, December 15, 2008
Down with the Sickness
Once again my family is sick -- except for me. My son ran a fever of 102 and my daughter is about to cough up a lung or two. My wife, always dealing with chronic pain on the best of days, seems to be coming down with the fever-sickness that led to strep in both my kids.
Me? I seem to be untouchable.
I have sinus problems -- always have and I have a good system for keeping them in check. Beyond that, the only sickness I seem to get is self-inflicted -- such as the inability to fall asleep before 4:00am and having to wake up at 7:00am.
Obviously its that good old undead constitution. Not much viruses can do with reanimated tissue. Except . . . maybe become undead themselves?
And if they're undead, can antibiotics even slow them down any more?
Is that what is laying low my family for the past few weeks?
Me? I seem to be untouchable.
I have sinus problems -- always have and I have a good system for keeping them in check. Beyond that, the only sickness I seem to get is self-inflicted -- such as the inability to fall asleep before 4:00am and having to wake up at 7:00am.
Obviously its that good old undead constitution. Not much viruses can do with reanimated tissue. Except . . . maybe become undead themselves?
And if they're undead, can antibiotics even slow them down any more?
Is that what is laying low my family for the past few weeks?
Wednesday, December 10, 2008
Been Busy
This has been a pretty busy week.
I added blogging duties at Buying Books for the Holidays to my list of things to do -- not because I have the time but because I really believe in the message of that particular blog. So I'm making time for it.
Amy gave the best expression of what BBFH is all about here.
Some of the material I contribute will be reprints from The Lair and With Intent but some will be new stuff. When I asked Amy of My Friend Amy what she'd like me to do for BBFH, she said graphic novels. So I'll be giving you bunches of lists of graphic novels.
Beyond that, I'm getting ready to make massive changes to the library blogs (You can see most of them here.) The library is purchasing a new theme which will allow more flexibility in how the blogs look. I'm looking forward to it but it will be a lot of work for me in the start of the new year.
I guess you can call that job security.
I added blogging duties at Buying Books for the Holidays to my list of things to do -- not because I have the time but because I really believe in the message of that particular blog. So I'm making time for it.
Amy gave the best expression of what BBFH is all about here.
Some of the material I contribute will be reprints from The Lair and With Intent but some will be new stuff. When I asked Amy of My Friend Amy what she'd like me to do for BBFH, she said graphic novels. So I'll be giving you bunches of lists of graphic novels.
Beyond that, I'm getting ready to make massive changes to the library blogs (You can see most of them here.) The library is purchasing a new theme which will allow more flexibility in how the blogs look. I'm looking forward to it but it will be a lot of work for me in the start of the new year.
I guess you can call that job security.
Monday, December 1, 2008
Buy Books for the Holidays
Because I haven't quite taken on enough work to fill a full 36 hours of my 24 hour day, I am now posting at the Buy Books for the Holidays blog which was started by Amy of My Friend Amy and several of her book blogger friends. My first post will probably go up either tonight or tomorrow.
Do you have questions about finding books to buy for a loved one this holiday season? Sto by Buy Books for the Holidays and ask out legion of experts. We'll help you help the book publishing and book selling industry out.
Do you have questions about finding books to buy for a loved one this holiday season? Sto by Buy Books for the Holidays and ask out legion of experts. We'll help you help the book publishing and book selling industry out.
Thursday, November 27, 2008
Happy Thanksgiving
On this national day of giving thanks, it is nice to take a moment to pause and reflect on all the wonderful things you have.
So many in this great country have lost so much and in the last few months their numbers, sadly, have increased. And the coming year may test us even further . . .
Still I have so much to be thankful for. My family -- my wife and children, a house I can call my own, a job that offers me security and has taught me so much, the internet which allows me to reach out and help people find books, my love of reading and the wonderful authors eager to write their stories for me to read.
Happy Thanksgiving.
So many in this great country have lost so much and in the last few months their numbers, sadly, have increased. And the coming year may test us even further . . .
Still I have so much to be thankful for. My family -- my wife and children, a house I can call my own, a job that offers me security and has taught me so much, the internet which allows me to reach out and help people find books, my love of reading and the wonderful authors eager to write their stories for me to read.
Happy Thanksgiving.
Tuesday, November 25, 2008
Outta Gas
The last few days have been very busy and taxing. We undead rats have such delicate constitutions that a few doctor trips, grocery trips all over (looking for the cheapest prices) and cleaning house for the holidays has really thrown me off.
For ...With Intent to Commit Horror I was a day late with the gift for the horror writer post and late with the re-post of the After Dark Horrorfest movie.
On The Lair of the Undead Rat I got the Spotlight post done on time but I totally missed the Monday Movie post. Part of the reason is that I'm still not sure if I want to move away from horror movies and do the other stuff I've been watching like Iron Man or Speed Racer. If I did that, I'd move the horror movies to With Intent which is already comfortable with the horror theme.
What do you think I should do? Keep With Intent just horror literature or branch out into horror movies?
For ...With Intent to Commit Horror I was a day late with the gift for the horror writer post and late with the re-post of the After Dark Horrorfest movie.
On The Lair of the Undead Rat I got the Spotlight post done on time but I totally missed the Monday Movie post. Part of the reason is that I'm still not sure if I want to move away from horror movies and do the other stuff I've been watching like Iron Man or Speed Racer. If I did that, I'd move the horror movies to With Intent which is already comfortable with the horror theme.
What do you think I should do? Keep With Intent just horror literature or branch out into horror movies?
Saturday, November 22, 2008
I'm Claiming Myself on Technorati
Hello there ladies and germs.
As part of my effort to integrate my Blogger account into the Undead Rat Family of Products (or whatever it is that I'm doing), I'm claiming this blog on Technorati. To do that I have to publish this page for their bots to scan. This page has to have this code:
Technorati Profile
Go figure.
I don't pretend to understand it I just jump through the hoops.
Thank you for your indulgence.
As part of my effort to integrate my Blogger account into the Undead Rat Family of Products (or whatever it is that I'm doing), I'm claiming this blog on Technorati. To do that I have to publish this page for their bots to scan. This page has to have this code:
Technorati Profile
Go figure.
I don't pretend to understand it I just jump through the hoops.
Thank you for your indulgence.
Friday, November 21, 2008
Begin Again
The last few months have been a time of transition for me. First by re-tasking The Lair of the Undead Rat and then re-vamping ...With Intent to Commit Horror, its taken weeks to begin to put the pieces into place.
Now I'm left with a Blogger, Vox and LiveJournal accounts which used to be just reprints of the horror blog. Although the occasional cross post or reprint won't hurt me, I've recently been told that Google doesn't like cross posting all over the place. So what do I do with these accounts?
I'm not sure what I'll do with the Vox account but I'll keep the LiveJournal account which is displaying a feed of the horror blog and will soon, hopefully, add a feed for The Lair.
Blogger, however will be The Undead Rat's personal journal. I've changed the template, added some gadgets and starting with this post I'll be adding new content that you can't get anywhere else.
We'll see how well this works.
Now I'm left with a Blogger, Vox and LiveJournal accounts which used to be just reprints of the horror blog. Although the occasional cross post or reprint won't hurt me, I've recently been told that Google doesn't like cross posting all over the place. So what do I do with these accounts?
I'm not sure what I'll do with the Vox account but I'll keep the LiveJournal account which is displaying a feed of the horror blog and will soon, hopefully, add a feed for The Lair.
Blogger, however will be The Undead Rat's personal journal. I've changed the template, added some gadgets and starting with this post I'll be adding new content that you can't get anywhere else.
We'll see how well this works.
Friday, July 4, 2008
A Serialized Novella: In Seeing
This month Gary A. Braunbeck, an Ohio based horror writer, teams up with Horrorworld to make a special limited time presentation just for you. The novella called In Seeing: A Story of Cedar Hill will be serialized in three installments this month.
In Seeing: A Story of Cedar Hill
Click here to read it at Horrorworld
As the next part is published on the website, the last part is archived if you're a johnny-come-lately, you can still read the entire story between the 21st and August 1st when it disappears.
Yes, that's right, after July 31, it all goes away, possibly for good! At this moment there is no word about future publication of this story. That decision seems to rest with Horrorworld owner and manager Nanci Kalanta. I'm sure a strong showing on the website (i.e., a lot of people drop by and read it) will improve its chances to see print publication.
What is Cedar Hill?
Cedar Hill is Gary Braunbeck's the fictionalized Ohio town based loosely on Newark, Ohio and a few other places where he lived. It is a town where the economy is depressed, industries are failing and "getting out" is almost an impossibility.
It's also a town where the supernaturally weird happens . . . a lot. Some people live their lives surrounded by the weird. Others find themselves catastrophically touched by it only once -- but once is enough. Many people fall between the extremes.
Gary has over a hundred short stories and novellas as well as four novels set in Cedar Hill. His novel Keepers introduces you to the mysterious bowler hat wearing people (are they people?) called the Keepers, which you meet in the first installment of In Seeing.
The latest novel Coffin County is the story about how the supernatural came to Cedar Hill. The next novel, slated for publication in 2009, promises to be the story of the final fate Cedar Hill and the supernatural forces that inhabit it.
In the meantime, read and enjoy In Seeing and pop over to the Cedar Hill Story Cycle List on the sister-website ... With Intent to Commit Horror for a list of the books that chronicle Gary's beleaguered town.
(Cross-posted on . . . With Intent to Commit Horror and OhioWriters.net and The Lair of the Undead Rat)
In Seeing: A Story of Cedar Hill
Click here to read it at Horrorworld
- Part One runs from July 1-11.
- Part Two runs from July 11-21.
- Part Three runs from July 21-31.
As the next part is published on the website, the last part is archived if you're a johnny-come-lately, you can still read the entire story between the 21st and August 1st when it disappears.
Yes, that's right, after July 31, it all goes away, possibly for good! At this moment there is no word about future publication of this story. That decision seems to rest with Horrorworld owner and manager Nanci Kalanta. I'm sure a strong showing on the website (i.e., a lot of people drop by and read it) will improve its chances to see print publication.
What is Cedar Hill?
Cedar Hill is Gary Braunbeck's the fictionalized Ohio town based loosely on Newark, Ohio and a few other places where he lived. It is a town where the economy is depressed, industries are failing and "getting out" is almost an impossibility.
It's also a town where the supernaturally weird happens . . . a lot. Some people live their lives surrounded by the weird. Others find themselves catastrophically touched by it only once -- but once is enough. Many people fall between the extremes.
Gary has over a hundred short stories and novellas as well as four novels set in Cedar Hill. His novel Keepers introduces you to the mysterious bowler hat wearing people (are they people?) called the Keepers, which you meet in the first installment of In Seeing.The latest novel Coffin County is the story about how the supernatural came to Cedar Hill. The next novel, slated for publication in 2009, promises to be the story of the final fate Cedar Hill and the supernatural forces that inhabit it.
In the meantime, read and enjoy In Seeing and pop over to the Cedar Hill Story Cycle List on the sister-website ... With Intent to Commit Horror for a list of the books that chronicle Gary's beleaguered town.
(Cross-posted on . . . With Intent to Commit Horror and OhioWriters.net and The Lair of the Undead Rat)
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