Sometimes you need to check the users IP address and want to use Javascript to do so, bu Javascript has no way of getting that info. That’s why I’ve created a simple script that allows you to access the IP via JavaScript.
Simply copy this to your HTML:
<script src=”http://skidvis.com/myip.aspx”></script>
That will return a simple JavaScript variable named myIP which contains the users IP address.
Image by Getty Images via Daylife
If you’re a CNN reader you’ve noticed that Omaha, among other places, had some seriously crappy weather last night. After many early morning tornado alarms, I awoke to discover that my part of town was actually hit! My home was spared, but many homes had some serious issues to deal with today. Downed trees, shredded roofs, and the occasional missing trampoline were some of the things I noticed this morning as I, as well as many others, drove up and down the streets.. taking in the wreckage like we were looking at homes decked out with Christmas lights, funny too since a tornado resembles an upside down Christmas tree.
I find it slightly humorous that this happened, as just last week I was going on and on about how it couldn’t happen here due to some scientific this and that. I’m not saying that there’s a flaw in my scientific this and that, I know exactly the loophole that the tornado took.. but at least I know now that no home is really safe.
I’m pretty lucky that nothing happened to my house, I’ve been thinking of trying to sell it.. and I can’t help but feel sad for all those around me who’ll probably have to tap into their summer vacation funds to end up repairing the damage delivered by good ol’ Mother Nature while they slept.
Image via Wikipedia
So this weekend I checked out White Noise 2. White Noise 1 starred Michael Keaton as a guy whose wife dies and soon he gets involved with EVP (Electronic voice phenomenon), an event where people believe ghosts are talking to us by TV or radio.. cuz, you know, everyone gets a broadcast tower on the other side. Anyhoo.. White Noise 1 totally blew.. so I don’t know why I would watch a sequel, but I did. Probably because Nathan Fillon is in it.. you know, the cool cat from Firefly/Serenity. Katee Sackhoff is in it too.. you know, Starbuck from the new Battlestar Galactica series. Maybe that’s why I watched it.. no way the two of them would volunteer to be in a bad flick.. right?
The movie starts off pretty good.. Nathan’s a happily married guy with a wife and kid he absolutely adores. One morning they head off to a diner for breakfast, mom and the boy start feeling ill and some wacko comes over and fills the two of them with lead.. sparing Nathan and then popping himself in the noggin. 3 months pass and Nathan, of course, watches enough home movies to depress himself to the point of suicide. He takes every pill he can find in his home and that’s all she wrote, until his homeboy calls him gets the “I’m sorry, I just killed myself, please leave a message” voicemail greeting and calls 911 just in time to save the guy.
After dying for about 10 seconds, he comes back to life given the new superpower of seeing when someone is going to die. Like anyone, he decides to use his power for good and stops 3 people from dying. So far, I’m actually liking this movie, but then things take a turn.. he starts seeing ghosts, the devil comes into play and it turns into another BS-POS ghost flick with an ending so retarded I had to go outside and pee on the neighbors rose bush to feel normal again.
If the writers had taken two steps to the left this movie would have been awesome, but again, just like with Transformers, Bad Boys 2, and countless other movies.. the writers eat some mushrooms and rush the endings by forcing out the biggest, shiniest turd they can muster and ruin a perfectly good idea.
Image via Wikipedia
I don’t read, but I own over one hundred books. I want to read, but I just don’t have the books with me when I’m in a position where I can finally read. Reading does wonders for a person.. you can learn about any subject, you can study writing patterns and styles to make you more articulate, you can escape to another place, time, or world and leave your stress behind, all while bettering yourself, becoming more literate AND at the same time stimulating your brain to reduce your chances of senility. Lots of great reasons to pick up a book, but life often gets in the way.
As you know, I like to write. Since I like to write, I’m often overcome by guilt for not reading enough.. which would explain why I own so many damned books.. some which I’ve never even cracked open. I have good intentions, but I just keep putting it off for one more day.
I just received my Kindle from Amazon.com yesterday. The Kindle is a great device.. it allows me to carry over 200 books with me wherever I am.. eliminating my excuse of not having books when I’m in the perfect situation to read. I love having the ability to switch from a technical guide to a fictional story with merely a few clicks. It’s a great device that’s finally going to alleviate some of my writer’s guilt.
Image via WikipediaThroughout the day, people walk into my hole in the wall, grab a seat, and proceed to inform me of the injustices in their existance. I sit there and take in what they have to say, I’m a very good listener. Once they’re done releasing, I process the information and spit out a procedure to reduce their angst.. at least until the next crisis.
Most people thank me and let me know that I’ve helped. It’s hard to say whether I helped by merely listening or if it was my suggestion that turned the tide, but it’s apparent that I do make a difference. After all, if I didn’t help then they wouldn’t turn to me as often, right? Well.. they could just keep showing up because my office is a good hiding spot.. but I’m optimistic and quite narcissistic.. so I’ll stick to my happy thoughts.
For the longest time in my life I was just like them. I would constantly let all the little things in life affect me in an overly-dramatic way. I was angry, depressed, and generally unhappy. I’m not like that anymore, I’ve realized that life is short and noone gets out alive. If we look back on the things that were stressing us in the past, most of us will agree that it wasn’t as bad as we thought it was at the time. I recall being in basic training when I was in the military.. how afraid I was, how much I thought I would fail and have to head home with my tail between my legs. For six weeks I lived in terror, however once it was over I missed it and realized it was so simple to get through.
Life, as we know it, is simple. We choose to complicate it when we should just be enjoying it. The boss has unreasonable demands? The dog pooped on your favorite shirt? The car is making a weird noise? Your friends are dumb enough to want Hilary for president? You suck at Call of Duty 4? So what? It’s nothing you can’t handle if you put your mind to it. So just handle it and put it behind you so you can go enjoy a nice walk in the park, letting the sun’s rays soak into your skin while you listen to the birds chirping away as they focus what’s really important.. survival.
Enjoy your life.. the only person that can make you miserable, or happy, is you.
