Ronalfy.com

500 Words - Airing Insurgent Videos

I was rather perplexed when my friend told me about a sniper video that had aired on CNN International. I was perplexed because the video depicts insurgent fighters in Iraq sniping U.S. Soldiers.

According to a blog entry about airing the video, David Boss defends the decision to air the video. The video was deemed “newsworthy” because October was a deadly month on Iraq, with most of the deaths (of U.S. Soldiers) being from sniper fire. Continue Reading…

And Why Haven’t You Claimed Your Gravatar?

For the loyal readers that comment on my posts, you may have noticed the question mark next to your comment. The question mark means you haven’t claimed your Gravatar. Continue Reading…

A Little Under the Weather

Consider this post to be a structured rant regarding my health, my website, and other things I can think of to apply headings to.

Feeling Sick

Last week I was prescribed some antibiotics to combat what the doctor thought was an infection. I never had an allergic reaction to antibiotics before, so I figured I was okay. However, after a week of taking the pills, I have been having symptoms resembling that of the common cold. I have sniffles, sore throat, coughing, headaches, ear aches, pain in the lower-back, and some other lesser symptoms. I feel bad about all this because I took some time off last week due to exhaustion, and now I have to take time off again. My boss is being really supportive, however, and would rather have me feeling better as soon as possible. Continue Reading…

Flags of Our Fathers Review

I have probably read the book Flags of Our Fathers three or four times. I have lost count. The book starts off by introducing the readers to the six flag raisers, follows the flag raises through boot camp, and to the island of Iwo Jima. The book then focuses on the three remaining flag raisers and their efforts to raise money for the war. After the “war bond” campaign, the book goes into what happened to each surviving flag raiser.

Continue Reading…

Invent This - No Parking Ever

We’ve all seen them. Those people in vehicles that think that the “No Parking” signs don’t apply to them. With little help from the store-owners, as well as law enforcement, it seems that the people parking in fire-lanes and no parking zones have won. No longer.

What I am about to propose is something daring that’ll make a person parking in a no-parking zone think twice. What I propose is a website dedicated to those who want to rid the world of those evil parkers.

The website will be entirely based on user contributions. It’ll showcase on the main page people caught in the act. By caught in the act, I mean people in their vehicles that have violated a no-parking zone. Continue Reading…

Ten Book Titles to Scare Off People

I was recently inspired by a recent Fox News Out There column that described a Canadian company that designed self-help book covers for those that want to be left alone. One of the examples was “How to Murder a Complete Stranger … and Get Away With It.”

I have come up with my own ten potential book titles for those that want to be left alone, whether you’re in a bookstore, airport, coffee lounge, or employee break-room. Within each of the book titles I will give the plot points for each book. These book titles are satirical and shouldn’t be taken seriously. Continue Reading…

It’s Almost Boss’s Day

Boss’s Day is on October 16th. Quick! Go buy your boss a present! And right before you give the present to your boss, find some brown make-up and apply it to your nose.

Or you can be like me and refuse to partake in a retail/greeting card holiday.

It is rather redundant that Boss’s Day was founded by a woman who had a father for a boss. Was one holiday for dad not enough? It is of note that Boss’s Day was established in 1958 and Father’s Day wasn’t officially recognized until 1972.

Threatening the President is a Federal Offense? Really?

Apparently a fourteen year old girl named Julia Wilson threatened the President on her MySpace page sometime last spring. After learning that threatening the President is a Federal Offense, she took the threatening image down.

The girl and her mother are now criticizing the Secret Service for the “harsh” questioning. Within this post, I will critique some of the girl’s grievances pointed out in the Fox News article. Continue Reading…

God Doesn’t Hate Fags

Earlier this week I wrote a critique on a woman who was interviewed on Fox News. She was from Westboro Baptist Church, and their website has the inviting address of GodHatesFags.com. There are many, many things I can critique about this church, but one thing I wanted to break down was their statement about God hating “fags.” Continue Reading…

Should We Judge Who Deserves Death?

I was very troubled by an interview I saw on Hannity & Colmes the other night. Shirley Phelps Roper (Westboro Baptist Church) was on the show defending why she was going to protest at the funeral of the little girls that were killed at an Amish School in Pennsylvania. Within this post, I will analyze some of her statements and point out the logical inconsistencies. Continue Reading…

Invent This - Eliminate Acronymese

Whether you’re reading a Government document, technical manual, engineering documentation, or an internal memo, acronyms make a document virtually unreadable unless the person reading is intimately familiar with each and every acronym listed.

I have personally had to read draft after draft of documents that have acronyms defined on the first page, but never defined thereafter. I have found myself reading a paragraph over and over, having to flip back to the first page so I could loosely interpret what the author is trying to say. Continue Reading…

500 Words - Good Fences Make Good Neighbors

You just bought a house. Unfortunately, the properties to the left and right of your house are not separated by a fence. As a consequence, there is little to no guidance on where the property lines cross. Neighbors infringe upon your lawn, dogs leave nasty surprises, and the neighborhood kids play tackle football in your backyard.

At first, you liked the idea of people visiting your property. In fact, you actually felt good that people found your property that inviting. However, your property was soon vandalized, and some of the neighborhood kids actually entered your house and began removing items without your permission.

After much thought and debate, you decided against the will of your neighbors to erect a fence separating your property from theirs. You tried to get their assistance because the fence would be riding the property lines. The neighbors wouldn’t have it and claimed that you were going to scar the neighborhood with your unsightly fence. Your security, however, was more important than the neighbors’ concerns.

You soon erected a fence against the neighbors’ wishes. The neighbors claimed that you have now permanently damaged any relations you had with the neighborhood. You don’t care because dogs are no longer pooping on your lawn, kids are no longer breaking in, and unwanted visitors are kept off your property. Continue Reading…

500 Words - You’ve Just Lost My Business

I was in Best Buy when I overheard the following conversation at the Geek Squad counter:

Geek Squad: So, I understand you would like some data extracted from your hard-drive?
Man: Yes. What’s all involved with that?
Geek Squad: We have to pull out your hard-drive and remove the protective warranty sticker.
Man: So how much will that run me?
Geek Squad: Approximately seventy dollars.
Man: What? Seventy dollars just to pull out my hard-drive? That’s robbing me blind!
Geek Squad: Sir, if you do it yourself, you will void the warranty of your system. We are an authorized service repair shop, so if we do it, your warranty is still intact.
Man: That’s ridiculous. You’re charging me seventy dollars for something I can easily do myself.
Geek Squad: Sorry sir. That’s the price we are charging for the service. You get the satisfaction of having your warranty intact and having the service done by professionals.
Man: That’s not good business. In fact, that is just ridiculous. I can go elsewhere and have it done for much less.
Geek Squad: Sir, our prices are very competitive. In fact, you may find that we are cheaper than most places. And a lot of those repair places are not authorized, so you’ll pay them and have your warranty voided.
Man: I can’t believe you guys are unwilling to work with me.
Geek Squad: I’m sorry sir. That is what Geek Squad charges.
Man: Well, you’ve just lost my business.
The man and his woman leave Best Buy. Continue Reading…

First External Article Published

I’ve hit somewhat of a milestone today — a small milestone, but a milestone nonetheless. I’ve written my first article for someone else’s blog. The blog is called Devlounge, and it is a site dedicated to designers and web developers.

If you would like to check out my article, please click the link below:

• Designers - Protect Your Content

Layout Update

I have updated the main layout of my page. To get around some rather “hacky” layout fixes, I’ve decided to eliminate my sidebars and make the site less cluttered.

I’ve added in four menu items at the top — each item has its drop-down menu. As a result, the site is less cluttered, and you can decide which content you wish to pursue without me trying to overwhelm you with options.

If you like the change, please let me know. If you don’t like the change, please let me know. I can always go back to the old theme.

Take care,

Ronalfy