tyche

dzJeepchick, Would you like that as wallpaper for your computer, and if so what is your screen resolution? Craig Tyche

dz, you're BAD! I sent the link to my wife.

Please extend my best wishes to Bamse and his dad, too. I'm glad he's OK, and that his dad's injuries are restricted to a couple of broken ribs. That could have been a LOT worse. ANY blowout at speed is bad, but a front (and especially a front right) is just plain nasty. Bamse shouldn't feel bad about not controlling it, as one almost has to anticipate that it's going to happen to manage ANY control. I've been through enough "interesting experiences" on the road to know (delivery driver, semi driver, bus driver, and transportation coordinator) just how fast things can happen and how bad they can be.

They consider you family. And poor, deprived family at that. They're bringing it home to save you from starvation.

I just sent the link to my wife's computer. She enjoys off-beat humor, too.

ROFLOL Nice try. Craig Tyche

Actually, I'm not sure I've seen it. And I honestly couldn't remember what-all vehicles you had. Plus, going opposite directions on Fountain Hills Blvd, even at a stop sign, one doesn't always have time to get very specific in observation. Isn't it enough that I at least thought of you, first? Craig Tyche

Well, that left out MY guess. LOL Now I'm REALLY curious. Craig Tyche

I BEG YOUR PARDON! I'll have you know that, at 65, I'm very good. Good, hell, I'm GREAT! (I'm a frosted flake) Seriously, though, I don't get it wrong. I just don't always get it right. HOWEVER, I've some defense (after nearly 45 years of marriage to my best friend). I ASK first. Craig Tyche

To A Blond On Seeing One In A Black Jeep Grand Cherokee I see you, in your Grand Cherokee, as you look at me (suspiciously) in my Jeep. Or perhaps it's the Jeep that you look at, orange, with large tires and the word "Mountain" on its side. I see you look, just as you accelerate away from the stop sign, in the other lane. I see you and try to wave, and then you're past. Did you see? Did you realize that I accepted your Jeep as valid, as worthy of respect as a Jeep? Or was it too fast? Did you slip past without noticing? I see you, in your Grand Cherokee, and know your comfort. And why not? My son owned one, for a while, and I knew its comfort, and its perks. Do you wonder if a JK can be so? It is, and more. Its comfort, its room, its abilities: to go where I want to go, do what I want to do. I see you, then I don't. And I'm not sure. Do I know you in another form (or forum)? Are you a member of the Offroad Passport Community? And did you try to recognize me by my Jeep, Looking for an emblem on the side? I see you, in your Grand Cherokee, and wonder what you saw, and what you surmised. And wonder if you are who I think you are. And can only quote that oft repeated phrase the source of which most people don't know: "O wad some Power the giftie gie us To see oursels as ithers see us! It wad frae mony a blunder free us, An' foolish notion: What airs in dress an' gait wad lea'e us, An' ev'n devotion!" With apologies to Robert Burns and his poem: To A Louse On Seeing One On A Lady's Bonnet, At Church >WAVE< Craig Tyche

People call me an old goat (well, alright, it's my kids), but I refuse to be chained to a transmission. :-D

Bandit1, I sympathize with your quest for more off-roading capability in New York State. As I no longer live there I can't in good conscience sign the petition. However, I remember only too well the excuses that were made. New York State accepted the insurance companies excuses that the owner of the property should be held responsible for accidents/damage incurred on off-road runs, thus making it expensive for land owners to open the property up to off-road vehicles of any type. Even snow-mobiles and such were beginning to feel the pinch, though not as much if they had property of their own that they could use. New York State, itself, refused to pay for such insurance, thus had to close the land to off-road use. I really doubt that you will be able to reverse that decision as the insurance companies have a large lobby. However, I DO wish you the best and hope that you can do something, since my son (also a Jeeper) still lives in New York State. Craig Tyche

macinyart, Years ago (back when I was using SysVR4 UNIX on a company computer) I heard about a UNIX virus. It was an honor system virus. The recipient was supposed to email it to everyone he/she knew then delete is operating system and reboot. Yes, it was a hoax. But it underlined the security of a UNIX or UNIX-like system. It is still the most effective Linux virus around, and even someone new to computing can see how stupid it is and resist it. Craig Tyche PS:: For those that are truly paranoid (I'm not quite there yet) there is SELinux (SE stands for Security Enhanced), developed by the National Security Agency (your tax dollars at work). It isn't a distribution, but rather a set of additions on top of an existing Linux distribution, and is available with most (if not all ) major Linux Distributions. To give you an idea of how effective it is, make one tiny mistake in setting it up and you will NEVER be able to get into your system. The only recourse, then, is to reformat the hard drive and reinstall everything (I know. LEARN from my mistakes. Hee hee) CAE

It's been a LONG time since I handled a Windows machine. At that time Zone Alarm was about the best firewall. It did not only emails and downloads, but did REVERSE fire walling (nothing goes out except to where you want it to go). As for anti-virus protection, I was using PC-Cillin (BTW, that was at work. I'd convinced the company I worked for to install them both on all the company computers). The ones such as Norton, McAfee and Symantic, according to reports at the time, were throwing too many false positives, and allowing too many new viruses to get through before they got the signatures to be able to eliminate them. You might look into whether ClamAV has a Windows version (it does, I just checked. See: http://www.clamav.net/lang/en/about/win32/ ), or check out AVG. AVG has (or at least used to have) a free version for Windows, though their paid version is much better. The best anti-virus protection I've found so far, though, is to NOT run Windows. I've been running nothing but Linux since 2004 and NEVER get viruses. The reason is simple - no viruses are written for Linux. Modern Linux distributions don't run in administrative mode, therefore viruses can't attach themselves to the operating system and cause havoc. (In addition, most modern Linux distributions - or at least the most popular ones - come with a web browser, email client, and a full range of software that includes an office productivity suite, graphics tools, multi-media tools and players, etc. The cost ranges from the cost of the media plus shipping and handling (somewhere in the range of $3 to #10) to FREE (I'm of Scottish descent. I LIKE that word: FREE). Many are very simple to install, plus you not only get updates to the operating system but to any installed software. And there are support groups for some of the major distributions. Hope this helps, Craig Tyche

Diane and George, Just a suggestion (if you haven't already done so): 1. Get a GOOD firewall. (I have 2, actually. One hardware - my router acts as a firewall - and one software) 2. Get a GOOD anti-virus program that will scan your emails (and attachments) and any downloads you intend to make. Alternate suggestion: Get an operating system that is not as susceptible to virus attacks, such as Linux. Craig Tyche

Diane, It's possible to use a LiveCD Linux distro to save off anything important, then wipe the drive and reinstall (even that "other OS - Windows). :-D Craig Tyche PS: Sorry for the late post, but we just got back from shopping, dinner, and a show. CAE

Does he have CD/DVD capability on the computer (I known you're saying that the Operating System is down)? If so, it's possible to still use the computer using a LiveCD. Several exist that would allow him to at least have rudimentary use of it without touching the hard drive, including Ubuntu and Fedora distributions of Linux.

ob1jeeper, Ah, yes. Wickenburg. Home of the famous Hassayampa River: Those who drink its waters bright-Red man, white man, boor or knight, Girls or women, boys or men Never tell the truth again I've been up there. In fact, the first time was driving the 2002 Jeep Wrangler X up there, and beyond that on (I think it was) route 89. That poor little Jeep probably still has my wife's fingerprints in the "Oh, GOD!" bar over the glove compartment. I just thought it was a nice casual ride with plenty of pretty scenery.

dzJeepChic, THANKS! I will. That was an added benefit that I wasn't expecting.

Sitting right next to Ares, when I picked it up, was the 2 door version in the same color. I can only presume that the PR didn't get the information right. Also, not to knock the PR information, the window sticker (which I still have in my glove box) calls it a Wrangler X. I have no doubt that the Sport package was put on it, as it has the Freedom Panels (removable roof panels) which Red also had. They're nice, by the way, on those days when I can make use of them. However, being red-haired, blue eyed, and having fish-belly white skin I DO have to take some precautions about being in the sun too long, even out here where I'm NOT as susceptible to being sunburned. (New York State, being close to the Great Lakes, has moisture in the air that lenses the sun's rays, much like using a magnifying glass to burn paper). Also, unlike the PR splurb, this has the Sahara steps rather than the tubular rails (so did the 2 door one sitting next to me). As an aside, a couple looking for a Jeep Wrangler were walking around it when I came out to get the existing mileage (25 miles) and were disappointed when I told them it was sold. However, I pointed to the OTHER side of Ares, where Red was parked so I could transfer personal items out of it, and suggested that they look at that. I know. I've heard it before. I'm a BAD BOY. (Me and Lou Costello)

dzJeepChic, Mountain Edition is mostly in trim, like the black vinyl on the hood, the decals on the hood, and the decorations on the front seats. However, it's basically an X with Sahara steps on the side, and with Rubicon tires. It also has a different axle than Red had, but I don't have the specs handy to be able to tell you what one. The best thing, from my wife's point of view, is that it's a 4 door and the color she likes. We have grandchildren, and it was difficult to get them in Red. But with the 4 doors there's no problem. Plus, with the longer wheelbase, is more comfortable riding than Red was (and WAY more comfortable than Warthog was). It also has more space in back with the rear seats up than Red had with the rear seat folded up. And, instead of fold and flip, the back of these just lays down, increasing the space right to the back of the front seats.

theksmith and peshaw48, Thanks for the kind words.

The first Jeep I owned was a little 4 cylinder Wrangler. Unfortunately, I don't have any pictures of it. The second one was a 2002 Wrangler X that I named Warthog, because of it's inverted dish-pan nose and the two tow hooks on the front like tusks (it also had the maneuverability and control of the A10-TII, also known as the Warthog). Shown here at Red Rocks. My wife was nice enough to pose with it. We'd gotten it in Buffalo, New York, and my wife was worried about it being warm enough in the winter. Little did we know that we would have a worse problem. 2 years later we moved to Arizona, and I spent 3 years driving AZ summers (MONSOON!!!) with NO air conditioning. However, the Jeep came in useful the day that a HMMWV tour car broke down in the center east bound lane at Shae and 134th street. I towed it up hill and around a corner to get it out of traffic. Subsequently, the back of the Jeep sported the bumper sticker "Hummer Recovery Unit". When I retired, my wife took pity on me (I know, I'm pitiful. So we got a 2008 Wrangler X and, of course, it was red (beginning to see a pattern, here?). Compared to the 2002, it was a monster. It was also a Jeep pretending to be a luxury car compared to the 2002. Yes, we had it off-road, just a few months after getting it. My son came out from NYS, and proceeded to put Arizona pinstripes on it at a Jeep Jamboree that the dealership put on. Like the first one, it became the family "emergency vehicle" (I've had tow straps, first aid kit and the trucker triangle reflectors in all of them, so far). Though this one didn't warrant the award that the first one got it still served me well. Now - the next one deserves a bit of an introduction. My wife has always liked the coppery-orange color that some vehicles have had. So, one Saturday when I took Red to the dealership (WARNING: NEVER TAKE YOUR WIFE WITH YOU WHEN YOU GO TO A DEALERSHIP TO GET A CAR SERVICED) for an oil change, I happened to notice an orange 4 door Jeep on the corner by the stop sign. We took Red in and got the service started, and she said, "Oh, let's just go take a look at it". I should have been forewarned right then, but I guess I just wasn't thinking. So, we took a look, and on the way back she said, "I wonder if . . .". At that point I obtained an ouie from the low, decorative concrete wall I was stepping over. The upshot was that we never drove Red again. And that's the sad story of how we ended up with a 2010 Jeep Wrangler Unlimited, Mountain Edition with a color (Mango Tango) that was close to some of the sands of Mars. With that color, we obviously had to give it a good name. Mars was the Roman God of War. Ares was the Greek God that corresponded to it (and preceded it). Meet Ares. Yes, we've had it off-road. The picture here was at a Jeep Jamboree 3 months after we bought it. Further evidence can be found at http://www.youtube.com/user/tycheent

dzJeepChic and Number7, Thanks for the welcome. BTW the Jeep in the avatar is the one I drive. The orange color is a bit hard to miss (but I keep hoping that the AZ drivers will ). It's kinda the same color as some of the sands of Mars (if you've ever seen the NASA pictures). And, despite its apparent size and length, it is remarkably agile.

Arizona is an interesting place to live, particularly for one who comes from a state that frowns on full-sized vehicles going off-road. There are more trails out here and more places to go than I would have believed possible. And, it's almost too late for me. I'm a retired CAD operator and one time driver and transportation coordinator who had to deal with all types of weather on all types of roads. Sun, rain, snow, wet leaves (don't laugh, they're as bad as black ice), in-town red lights every 2 blocks, out of town county roads in poor repair (and sometimes not even plowed when I took a bus out to pick up clients), gravel driveway with potholes so deep that it ate one employee's front axle, things like this led me to want to have a dependable vehicle that could handle anything. I'm now on my fourth Jeep Wrangler. This current one is a 2010 Unlimited Mountain Edition, automatic transmission so that my wife (with 2 artificial knees and an artificial hip) would be able to drive it. It's already been off-road courtesy of a Jeep Jamboree put on by the dealership from which I purchased it (evidence of which can be seen at http://www.youtube.com/user/tycheent ) 3 months after I purchased it. This is an event they hold every year, usually in early October when the temperatures go down. Temperatures in the Valley of the Sun (Phoenix Metro area in the Sonora desert) can range upwards of 115 degrees Fahrenheit in the summer. That's why this particular Jeep has air conditioning, the first vehicle I've owned that did. Eventually, I'll be looking around for more trail driving to do, but easy stuff. I don't mind a bit of a challenge, but my wife (who I hope to convince to go with me) is a little put out by steep hills and really rough terrain. Besides, I'm not as experienced as my son who, living in New York State, likes to go mudding and thinks any hill that's less than a 45 degree angle is flat.