A very “popular” scam on the Internet is known colloquially as the “1-800” scam. It works something like this…
You’re browsing the Internet, and everything is going fine, when all of a sudden a quacking siren and a voice tell you “Your computer has been hacked! Don’t turn it off or you will lose all of your important data!” Or, you may see something that looks like a Microsoft “blue screen” error, with the text telling you to call a 1-800 number to let a “Microsoft technician” fix the issue. Don’t fall for it–it’s a scam!
Should you call those 800 numbers, you’ll be connected–not to Microsoft–but to a con man! They will sound convincing. They will be urgent that you MUST let them log into your computer remotely, and then they’ll “fix it” for you. They will show you all kinds of “errors” or “IP addresses from all over the world of people who are spying on you.” These tactics are very misleading. They will try to get you to give them a credit card number, and offer you a yearly maintenance plan–usually costing several hundred dollars.
Should you get one of these blue screens or other screens requesting you call an 800 number, don’t do it! At that point, you haven’t opened yourself up to trouble. Restart your web browser, or restart your computer. ONLY AFTER you’ve called the number and let the scammer take remote control of your computer are you in danger. Once they’ve logged in, they have access to everything on your computer. At that point, you are best served contacting your computer pro and asking them to do a clean up. If you go deeper, and give the scammer your credit card or bank account info, then you need to take bigger steps, and cancel the card and/or alert the bank. It’s better to not get in too deep to begin with. Don’t fall for the scam. Don’t call. Just reboot and start again.
Last August 8th I started a new position as a town clerk for St. George. As part of those duties I contribute to the town’s newsletter. I offer the “Town Tech Tip” every month. The way our town website works, however, means the articles are only posted for a month. Once the new newsletter is posted the old ones go into the archives where no one can get at it. I’m going to archive them here in case they may be useful to someone.
I recently posted on Facebook about my daily Bible reading, and how I was about to start the book of Revelation. I mentioned how #RCSproul said Revelation was a picture book about Jesus, not a puzzle book that needed code breaking. My friend William R Allison Jr. said “It’s Jesus doing the revealing. And it’s Jesus being revealed. Don’t miss Jesus looking for black hawk helicopters…” That inspired me. I’m going to keep track of how #Jesus reveals Himself in Revelation. Who does HE say that He is in His prophecy? I’ve decided to post my findings here. These are not ALL the ways that Jesus is described in the Revelation to John, but the ones that spoke most to me in my daily reading.
“…Jesus Christ the faithful witness, the firstborn of the dead, and the ruler of kings on earth.” ~Revelation 1:5
“…one like a son of man, clothed with a long robe and with a golden sash around his chest. The hairs of his head were white, like white wool, like snow. His eyes were like a flame of fire, his feet were like burnished bronze, refined in a furnace, and his voice was like the roar of many waters. In his right hand he held seven stars, from his mouth came a sharp two-edged sword, and his face was like the sun shining in full strength.” ~Rev. 1:12-16
What was John’s response to seeing this Jesus? “When I saw Him, I fell at His feet as though dead.” Note also that from His mouth comes a sharp two edged sword. I think that’s some important imagery and will come up again.
“…I am the first and the last, and the living one. I died, and behold I am alive forevermore, and I have the keys of Death and Hades.” ~Rev. 1:17-18
Jesus said that He is “…the first and the last, who died and came to life.”~Rev. 2:8
He is “…the holy one, the true one, who has the key of David, who opens and no one will shut, who shuts and no one opens.” ~Rev. 3:7
Jesus speaks to the church of Philadelphia, and in the very next verse He says “‘I know your works. Behold, I have set before you an open door, which no one is able to shut.” We know who the door is, right? If not, see one of John’s other writings, namely his gospel, chapter 10 verse 7.
“…the Amen, the faithful and true witness, the beginning of God’s creation.” ~Rev. 3:14
“The only other place in the Bible where ‘Amen’ is used as a name is Isaiah 65:16.”#rcsproul study note.
Most Bibles translate Is. 65:16 as “God of truth. The underlying Hebrew words are “Elohim amen.”
I’m not much into tattoos. If I were, “Faithful and True” would be on the “to get” list.
“…the Lion of the tribe of Judah, the Root of David …a Lamb standing, as though it had been slain, with seven horns and with seven eyes, which are the seven spirits of God sent out into all the earth.” ~Rev. 5:5-6
“And I looked, and behold, a white horse! And its rider had a bow, and a crown was given to him, and he came out conquering, and to conquer.” ~ Rev. 6:2
There is some question as to the identity of the rider on the white horse. Some people think this is #Jesus, and the opening of the first seal initiates the rapture of the church before the great tribulation. Some people think this the antichrist, the beast, who comes into the world to destroy. Still others think this is a symbolic rider (like the other three) representing political power and the might needed to make war. I am not certain of the identity of this rider. But, if your theology leads you to believe this is Jesus, I offer it up as a #jesusinrevelation moment.
#Jesus is meek, and lowly, come not to be served but to serve. All true. But! When He returns again, He will set things right, renew His creation, and punish the wicked. He will be “…one who is to rule all the nations with a rod of iron…” ~Rev. 12:5
“Then I looked, and behold, a white cloud, and seated on the cloud one like a son of man, with a golden crown on his head, and a sharp sickle in his hand.” ~Rev. 14:14
#RCSproul made an interesting observation on this passage. There could be TWO harvests occurring. In one harvest, #Jesus is harvesting grain, and right after that an angel harvests grapes. The grapes are then thrown into the winepress of God’s wrath. Luke 3:17 records John the Baptist saying “His winnowing fork is in his hand, to clear his threshing floor and to gather the wheat into his barn, but the chaff he will burn with unquenchable fire.” Thanks RC! I had never noticed that before.
“…He is Lord of lords and King of kings, and those who are with Him are called and chosen and faithful.” ~Rev. 17:14
“Then I saw heaven opened, and behold, a white horse! The one sitting on it is called Faithful and True, and in righteousness he judges and makes war. His eyes are like a flame of fire, and on his head are many diadems, and he has a name written that no one knows but himself. He is clothed in a robe dipped in blood, and the name by which he is called is The Word of God. And the armies of heaven, arrayed in fine linen, white and pure, were following him on white horses. From his mouth comes a sharp sword with which to strike down the nations, and he will rule them with a rod of iron. He will tread the winepress of the fury of the wrath of God the Almighty. On his robe and on his thigh he has a name written, King of kings and Lord of lords.” ~Rev 19:11-16
“I am the Alpha and the Omega, the first and the last, the beginning and the end.”~Rev. 22:13
The title “Alpha and Omega” is also used by God the Father in Rev. 1:8 and 21:6.
“I am the root and the descendant of David, the bright morning star.”~ Rev 22:16
We’ve come to the end… “He who testifies to these things says, “Surely I am coming soon.” Amen. Come, Lord Jesus!”~ Rev. 22: 20
was back working for Jason Philbrook at Midcoast Internet Solutions. Todd Caverly had DSL at his home in Warren, and could have three email address. His business was about to bust out something big, and he wanted to be upgraded to UNLIMITED email address. I found a plan that offered 1000 email addresses, but was at my desk looking for a better plan.
Someone then dropped off a package at my desk. I opened it and found three pairs of shoes and a note. I remembered that I bought some shoes on ebay that were poorly made, so I complained to the Chinese seller. They responded by sending three pairs of replacement shoes (all different styles) and a nice apology note.
Suddenly the office building was full of old women. Jason was holding some meeting for Littlefield Memorial Baptist Church–some women’s conference or something. Jason was leading a meeting in the big conference room and left word that he was NOT to be disturbed. I needed to get him for something, so I stood up to wander near the room to see if I could get his attention. Once I stood up I realized I had no pants on. Actually, I was naked from the waist down. I began to run through the building–full of old ladies–trying to hunch over and pull my shirt down, looking for a pair of tighty whities to cover my nakedness. Old ladies were gasping in shock.
I’ve mentioned before how I’ve really stopped using this site for my occasional postings, and instead I’m mostly posting on Facebook (https://www.facebook.com/billyrhythm). I wish there was a way for me to move all my content from there to here, but alas every way I’ve tried thus far has failed.
Facebook used to have a “notes” section, where you could post longer musings–stuff longer than “I had fish for dinner.” I wrote a note on this day in 2014 detailing my purchase of the #goldsparkleludwigs. I’m leaving that note here now for posterity.
In 2012, an investment of mine paid off, and I decided to cash in. I was left with enough money to buy myself a little present. I decided I wanted a lifetime gift—something I could look at and say “Remember when…” I decided a new drum set would make sense.
I wasn’t rich off this deal. I had about $2000. That’s a nice drum set, but it’s pretty easy to spend two grand. But, if I was careful, I could probably get something worthwhile. I thought about the music I play, and what drums I already own. I decided I wanted a maple kit, as maple’s a good wood for all kinds of music. I decided I wanted “traditional” depths; no “power” toms. And, if I could get something that would cover both jazz and rock, I wouldn’t have to keep switching kits depending on what kind of gig I had.
After looking around, and asking for some advice at drumforum.org, I decided a Ludwig Classic Maple was the answer. A 20” bass drum is right between an 18” jazz kit, and a 22” rock kit. A 12” rack tom works for rock and jazz. Most jazz sets come with a 14” floor tom, and most rock sets have a 16” floor. So, like the bass drum, I decided to play the middle ground and get a 15.”
Next up was color. Since I was looking for a kit I could play at all gigs, I couldn’t go too wild. But I didn’t want to be too understated either. Natural wood was out; a plastic covering was in order. Sparkles are timeless. Silver sparkle is nice, but not wild enough. Black sparkle? Nah. Black is too boring. How about gold sparkle? I’m a sucker for orange. Ludwig gold sparkle Classic Maple.
It was decided.
I called my friend Shane of Drum Center of Portsmouth, a Ludwig dealer. He gave me a quote, and he was within budget. I’m not sure why I didn’t just order. But I didn’t. And in the meantime…
While cruising the ebay listings, I found a gold sparkle Classic Maple Luddy. The guy selling it said he just got a deal with another drum company, and so he was selling his Ludwig kit. It had a 22” bass with FOUR toms: a 10”, a 12”, and 14” and 16” floor toms. Those tom diameters are fairly common “fusion” sizes, but this kit was different: no power depth toms! And it came with the matching snare AND a matching canister throne. The guy was even adding a tom stand and a snare stand to sweeten the deal. I watched the auction. It closed, and no one bid. I sent him a message. “If you’d take $1500 and include the shipping, I’ll take it.” I countered with $1500 and $50 shipping. Score! I bought it on 11/16/2012.
Only one thing wrong, though. A 22” bass is pretty big for small stages and for jazz. I wanted something smaller. At first, I thought I could use the 16” floor tom as a “jungle” bass drum. I’d add some spurs and a removable tom mount, put the drum on a bass riser (made specifically to turn floor toms into “bass” drums), and call it good. It took quite a while to find a bass drum riser that worked on a standard tom rim. And, I didn’t want to drill into the shell; I didn’t want to add any extra holes. More patience and watching ebay, and the right part came along. When it arrived, I tried it. It didn’t fit well on the 16” drum. And, it didn’t sound great. Too high in pitch, and too resonant. Bass drums in rock need thump; jazz has a little more life in the drum, but still not just a tom tom turned sideways. I would have to keep looking.
I continued to peruse ebay, waiting for an 18” Ludwig floor tom. I figured if I found something beat up, I could fix it, and recover it in gold sparkle so it would match. The problem was, lots of people were interested in 18” Ludwig floor toms. They would sell for $400 or so. I’d have to add another $100 to get the gold sparkle to make it match. That put me in budget, but I really didn’t want to spend that much for a used drum. And, I didn’t want to take a perfectly good drum, and ruin it. I needed a beat-up donor drum. The right one just didn’t come along.
After about a year passes, I think “Why don’t I just bite the bullet and buy new?” I called Shane at Drum Center NH again, and asked. “What’s a gold sparkle 18” floor tom from Ludwig cost?”
$499, shipped to me.
I waited a year looking for just the right drum so I could save $99? Forget it. “Shane, I’m in.”
So now it’s here.
All the gold sparkle drums a guy could possible need. I can run it as one stupid big kit with two rack toms and three floor toms, or run it as two separate kits: a 10”, 14” kit with 18” bass (like a traditional bop kit), or a 12”, 16” rock kit with a 22” bass.
This morning I raised the US flag to full staff. It had been lowered in honor of military and civilian victims killed in a terrorist attack as the US left Afghanistan. At work the other day, some co-workers and I were talking about our departure from the region. We all agreed that we’re no mid-east political emissaries. We’re computer fix-it people, not foreign policy experts. But all of us, regardless of political stripe, felt like we exited poorly. Leaving US citizens there, leaving US war materiel there to be plundered, it just doesn’t seem like the wise thing to do. If doesn’t feel like the right thing to do. And yet, that’s the call the US government made.
As I raised Ol’ Glory to her full height, I clipped the Gadsden flag onto the pole below her. Recently, the Gadsden flag has been flown by alt right groups more as a symbol of hate and anarchy. I don’t ascribe to those ideals. Instead, I prefer the historical view of what that flag means. Here’s what Ben Franklin said about the snake iconography:
“[The rattle-snake’s] eye excelled in brightness, that of any other animal, and that she has no eye-lids. She may therefore be esteemed an emblem of vigilance. She never begins an attack, nor, when once engaged, ever surrenders: She is therefore an emblem of magnanimity and true courage. As if anxious to prevent all pretensions of quarrelling with her, the weapons with which nature has furnished her, she conceals in the roof of her mouth, so that, to those who are unacquainted with her, she appears to be a most defenseless animal; and even when those weapons are shewn and extended for her defence, they appear weak and contemptible; but their wounds however small, are decisive and fatal. Conscious of this, she never wounds till she has generously given notice, even to her enemy, and cautioned him against the danger of treading on her. Was I wrong, Sir, in thinking this a strong picture of the temper and conduct of America? The poison of her teeth is the necessary means of digesting her food, and at the same time is certain destruction to her enemies. This may be understood to intimate that those things which are destructive to our enemies, may be to us not only harmless, but absolutely necessary to our existence … ‘Tis curious and amazing to observe how distinct and independent of each other the rattles of this animal are, and yet how firmly they are united together, so as never to be separated but by breaking them to pieces. One of those rattles singly, is incapable of producing sound, but the ringing of thirteen together, is sufficient to alarm the boldest man living.”
And so the Gadsden flag flies over #downtownspruceheadamerica not as a symbol of hate. I’m not proclaiming allegiance to any former president. Instead, I’m doing my little symbolic act that the Taliban will never see (but a symbolic act that is good for my soul). I’m trying to say “I don’t agree with how the US did this. And Taliban, you think you’ve won. And by our actions, it sure does seem like you won. But here in this house, and many other places in the US, the actions of our government don’t speak for the people of the United States. Don’t think this one action is how we Americans do things. Don’t feel empowered. Don’t tread on us.”
I woke up at 4:30 this morning. I laid in bed until 4:45, but then just couldn’t take it. I sat up, tired. For just coming off a weekend, I sure wasn’t feeling great. I grabbed my phone, and headed for the bathroom, for the scale, and for my walking gear with the dog. Oh, and for my morning Facebook check in.
And that’s when I got the news Wayne Delano had died unexpectedly.
So much of what Wayne Delano means to me can be found in this one minute clip. Allow me to elabortate.
First, listen to Wayne’s solo. Many serious Jazz players are intent on moving the art form forward. Jazz looks back, yes, but it’s never content; it is always wanting to have the boundaries pushed. Wayne Delano was that kind of player. Harmonically, he was the best midcoast Maine had to offer. His choice of notes was all about pushing, pushing, challenging, changing. Wayne wasn’t going to play a beautiful melody for the sake of nostalgia. Instead he was going to take that melody and flat the ninth and turn it inside out and shove it back in your face, flauntingly asking “How you feel about that Bub? You dig?”
Wayne was also great at pushing my boundaries. He truly made me a better player. He forced me to be. He found out I could read a bit, and so would include me when he wrote a chart. (Yes, Wayne would write his own charts, and even write his own tunes.) He would write a typical melody/chord change chart, and include the drum kicks in specific places he would want me to hit. In the clip, you’ll see I’ve got a music stand. You’d never know when Wayne would pull something out and have you play it right there on the bandstand.
I remember one Friday at work I got a call from Wayne. We would be playing this little pizza/seafood joint that evening. The Elm Street Grille had great pizza, a dedicated Friday night jazz crowd, and you played for food and almost no money. Anyway, Wayne called and said “I feel like playing “Spain” tonight.” I was all like “Oh no you aren’t.” But he did. It really didn’t go well, but he had enough faith in me to at lease give it a try. I can’t tell you how many songs I added to my repertoire through Wayne.
He’d make me play openings too. “OK, let’s play (insert some uptempo song here). Sixteen bars of drums upfront. One, two, one two three four.” And like that, it was up to me to kick the band off.
Aaron Clarke is the son of David Clarke, fellow bandmate with me in the Wayne Delano Quartet. Thanks to Aaron I have this clip I’ve shared. Aaron also said that attending a concert of Wayne’s was like “having a three hour masterclass five feet in front of you.” That’s so true. This clip shows that as well. Wayne would push me to do things I didn’t think I could do. I learned so much playing with him.
Rest in peace, God speed Wayne. I hope I’ll be seeing you again.
Christians will sometimes say something like “You know, I’ve read this verse tons of times, and yet today it said something different to me! I’ve never thought about it that way.”
Perhaps it’s too much Linus around this time of year. Or perhaps it’s just the ol’ Baptist upbringing. The Christmas story always sounds best in the King James Version, right? I mean, who doesn’t want their Christmas story to be “Authorized”? I can tell you from memory what the angels told the shepherds: “For unto you is born this day in the city of David a Savior, who is Christ the Lord.” Right? You know that verse right?
Today, in studying for teaching my high school Bible class, I read the Christmas story in Luke 2 from the New Living translation (NLT). I’ve asked the students to read the NLT as I think it’s easier for them to understand 21st century English rather than 17th century Elizabethan. The NLT renders that verse
The Savior—yes, the Messiah, the Lord—has been born today in Bethlehem, the city of David!
Luke 2:11
Just the way that translation renders the text: the Savior! the Messiah! the Lord! For some reason it carries so much more weight when written that way. It seems so more emphatic. He’s THE Christ. THE Lord. THE savior. THE messiah.
Sometimes just seeing that verse with the words moved around a little bit–still saying the same thing, just in a different order–changes the emphasis so much. I was blessed to read that verse that way this morning.