I did not realize how particularly unique my skill set was until I started the search for more people like me to help spread out work load. Before you think this is going down the line of an arrogant "I'm so awesome" rant, you should understand that I really don't think so and I am certainly hoping it is not true. I need clones.
Actually, building a clone army is a pretty awesome thought, but really I just need a few good men, um… people… to share the work load. The company I spend most of my waking hours producing activity for is growing by leaps and bounds and our team just can't keep up to the business volume. Sure, that's a happy problem, but its still a problem.
The team I am part of work with some of the most brilliant minds on the planet and we are creating better, faster ways for other companies to market their products, deliver information and enable communication globally. I am one of five who demonstrate, integrate, and implement the fastest multi-protocol messaging system in the world. Five people who's installed clients transport on the order of six billion digital messages every day. Five. We could use a little help.
Message Systems is approximately 100 brilliant engineers, marketing experts, sales professionals and software developers spread across 6 countries. We have installed products in the USA, Canada, China, India, UK, Brazil, France, Italy, etc, etc.. pick a country, the world loves us. We can transport digital messages to your email inbox or mobile phone or web browser or instant messenger and we can do it at over a million pieces per hour.. per server. We can do it in plain text or in vibrant full multi-media and we can save production costs at the same time.
With all that awesomeness, there is a need for some very special people to help us present it, sell it, integrate it, and support the customer through the early days of an implementation. While we also need sales people and software developers, I particularly am looking for what my friends and I call "the new renaissance men." We need individuals who are just as comfortable in a sales presentation as they are writing a PERL script. They need to understand business operations and also have intimate knowledge of RFC2822 (and all its friends). These people can discuss the impact of the debt crisis effectively with a sales prospect over dinner, then sit down and write 200 lines of PHP or PERL or Python to demonstrate how our products can solve that client's problems.
We are looking for entrepreneurial, self starters who have a passion for Information Technology. We are looking for that geeky kid who got laughed at in school for building a home made rocket complete with digital telemetry… until it worked. We need people who can learn a new programming language, write a script to demonstrate a function, and present it as a solution sale to a prospect… in 3 days.
These are the men and women of the new renaissance. They cross disciplines easily and consume information like water. They can write code, sell ice cubes to Eskimos, and have hobbies like painting or writing that are closer to professional work than hobby. They are often published writers, guest speakers, inventors, or that guy at the end of your block who can just fix anything.
If you are this person and you are stuck in a mindless code-monkey role and screaming to get out. Please contact me. If you know someone like that please forward this to them. If you live with this person, do them and yourself a favour and put this in front of them. We need clones.
Send me your resume and I will get it to the right person. You can review the current official career posting here or just go to www.messagesystems.com/careers and take a look at some of the other positions we have open. We are looking for the best, brightest individuals. We don't need 100 generic people to pound keyboards we just need a few good miracle workers.
Be awesome. Change the world.
Wednesday, July 27, 2011
Saturday, June 18, 2011
Fixing my Keurig B60 coffee maker
I love my Keurig B60 coffee maker but every once in a while it fails me. I am not the only one, Google is full of searches for "how do I fix my Keurig coffee maker". Most of the time I can slip in a coffee packet (K-Cup), push the button and get a perfect cup of coffee. However after a few months of stellar performance, it will sometimes sputter and die with only a few teaspoons of coffee in my cup :(There are several different symptoms and fixes with these things. Lets make sure you are fixing the right thing here.
Symptom 1: Coffee brews and pours into a mug, but makes less than expected. This gets progressively worse and can get down to a trickle.
Fix: This is most likely just water scaling from hard water. You should descale the machine first and if that does not fix it, try my fix below.
Symptom 2: Water will not draw from the tank to fill the maker.
Fix: This is again a scaling issue and the Machine should be descaled, but you will want to clean the water intake in the base of the machine with a vibrating or ultrasonic toothbrush first.
Symptom 3: Coffee was brewing normally, then suddenly stops. Water seems to draw from the tank then cycles out just as quickly but never pours any coffee.
Fix: This is most likely a clogged dispensing valve which is what I am fixing in the instructions below. This can happen from hard water build up but it is more often caused by coffee grounds getting lodged in the valve.
I have taken this little guy apart a few times to fix it and I thought I would share how in case you have one of these too. The B50 through B100 seem to have similar architecture so it should be similar for most of those models but this one is specifically a model B60.
What you will need:#1 Phillips screwdriver
#15 Torx driver
canned air
long tweezers
small cable tie
cable snips
Broken Keurig B60 Coffee Maker
Unplug it. There are heaters, pumps, sensors, etc here that are powered and could be potentially dangerous. Right under the top cover there are a few sensors and switches as well, so unplugging first is prudent. It is also important to remove any coffee packet that may be left in the machine and leave it out until the fixing and cleaning is done.
Remove the top access handle. Remove the two Torx screws at the handle pivot points. Before you lift the handle off, use it to open the top like you are going to load it. Now take the handle off.
Remove the lower cover. There are two black screws holding that in place. This just gives you room to get to the upper screw you need to remove next.
Looking up under the front of the top cover, there are two silver screw - remove them. Be careful with these as they are easy to drop and lose. It is a good idea to use long tweezers for taking these out and re-installing them as well.
You should now have 3 sets of screws - don't mix them up.
Push the hood back and lift - it should come off easily. If it gives you any resistance, you probably have it open too far, close the top slightly and push back, then lift.
At the front of the unit there is a hose that terminates into a valve that eventually injects hot water into the coffee packet. Carefully snip the cable clamp and remove the hose.
There are two silver screws holding this valve in place, remove them and the whole assembly will drop out.
Clean out the outlet side with caned air or high pressure water. Be careful, this is really sharp and is normally the part that pierces the top of the coffee packet so it can just as easily pierce your hand.
If this is the problem you will likely find bits of coffee or hard water deposits built up in here. after it is cleaned out you should be able to blow air through from the hose connected side easily.
Reassemble in the reverse direction. Attach valve, then hose and cable tie. Screw in the upper cover (may need tweezers for this), then the lower. Screw in the access handle.
Now plug it back in and run it without a coffee packet so that clean water flows through the system. You may want to also take this opportunity to descale your Keurig and if you have hard water like we do, use an electric toothbrush (the vibrating kind) to clean out the water intake.
You should now have a working coffee maker again.
Thursday, June 9, 2011
A robot that can make robot parts...
and other stuff
I saw this on the Colbert Report last night (thanks Stephen) and I have to (*have to*) have one! I can not believe I have not seen this in my news feeds yet. Every robot building shop needs one of these.
What am I ranting about? The Maker Bot Thing-O-Matic! [http://www.makerbot.com/]
This thing is tres cool, mon ami. Of course it makes other stuff too, but the first thing I imagined when I saw this on Colbert was custom gears sets, then the elusive artificial Phalanges I have been wanting to mould, then my mind went crazy with possibilities.
If you are a gear-head (robot builder/hacker) then you have probably come across the situation where the gear set on the motor in your hand is not the one you need. The search begins to find a replacement gear that will give you the reduction you need, but hours of driving between scrap yards and surplus stores yields nothing. Now, you can just make one.
In fact, you can make just about anything. Gears, hinges, struts, eyelids, shields, faceplates, actuators, fingertips, grippers, spacers, levers, buttons, bumpers, and more.
The alternative has been the CNC milling machine where you can cut the shape you need out of a block of material. There are desktop varieties like this one but they are expensive and can waste a lot of material. The Maker Bot Thing-O-Matic creates an object from scratch using hard plastic thread feed. This is the same plastic used to make Lego and when was the last time you broke one of those?
For $1300 USD, this is a must-have for any custom developer / bot-hacker / gear-head shop.
Be awesome. Change the world.
What am I ranting about? The Maker Bot Thing-O-Matic! [http://www.makerbot.com/]
This thing is tres cool, mon ami. Of course it makes other stuff too, but the first thing I imagined when I saw this on Colbert was custom gears sets, then the elusive artificial Phalanges I have been wanting to mould, then my mind went crazy with possibilities.
If you are a gear-head (robot builder/hacker) then you have probably come across the situation where the gear set on the motor in your hand is not the one you need. The search begins to find a replacement gear that will give you the reduction you need, but hours of driving between scrap yards and surplus stores yields nothing. Now, you can just make one.
In fact, you can make just about anything. Gears, hinges, struts, eyelids, shields, faceplates, actuators, fingertips, grippers, spacers, levers, buttons, bumpers, and more.
The alternative has been the CNC milling machine where you can cut the shape you need out of a block of material. There are desktop varieties like this one but they are expensive and can waste a lot of material. The Maker Bot Thing-O-Matic creates an object from scratch using hard plastic thread feed. This is the same plastic used to make Lego and when was the last time you broke one of those?
For $1300 USD, this is a must-have for any custom developer / bot-hacker / gear-head shop.
Be awesome. Change the world.
Friday, May 20, 2011
It's the end of the world as we know it
According to Harold Camping's 2011 end times prediction, the rapture begins tomorrow May 21st at 6PM precisely. Pack appropriately and don't be late or you will miss the bus.
If you are not already marked as one of the 200 Million select pre-millennial Christians signed up for the rapture, please disregard the above notice - you are going to burn in the aftermath ... or you will be able to make your tee-off time at the club - the prediction is not really clear for the non believers. In any case the rapture is apparently scheduled for Saturday at 6PM so it will be very convenient for everyone to make it and not miss any work in case Mr. Camping is wrong... again.
If you ARE planning on being all rapture'd up and accepted into the heavenly fold on Saturday, it is not too late to take care of those you leave behind. You can always sign over the deed to your house to me and I will make sure it is appropriately used to house the sadly fallen remnants of this world. After all, you will not be needing it after 6:01PM Saturday anyway. That goes for your cars and bank accounts too. Really. Honest. I will make sure your no-longer-needed worldly possessions are well taken care of. Just write up a quick note saying that all your worldly possessions will be signed over to Tom Mairs as of May 22nd 2011, and send that with copies of your property deeds and vehicle insurance to Tom Mairs, Suite 341, 7620 Elbow Drive, Calgary, AB, Canada, T2V 1K2. Really, I promise.
Lou Reed's "Busload of Faith" plays in the back ground as I write this. Ominous?
I was recently in the Mayan Riviera and had a chance to talk with locals about the December 2012 predictions, end of the world issues, and misconceptions. Apparently Hollywood is good for business but they don't listen very well. I am looking forward the the sunset season of 2012 and the dawning of a new age as they have predicted. Quite frankly I am more apt to believe Mayan scholars over crackpots like Harold Camping. In the later case, I think there is a misinterpretation where "end of the world" should be read "end of the way we live". There is definitely something afoot in the universe, but I prefer to think it is a good thing, not the fire and brimstone version.
Of course Canadians have know about the end of the world for a while - just ask the boys of Great Big Sea. It's all a matter of perspective. Take a pill Harold, the world will still be spinning on Sunday so you can go to church and apologize to everyone. If I am wrong, ...well, ...it's been a great ride. :)
Be awesome. Change the world.
If you are not already marked as one of the 200 Million select pre-millennial Christians signed up for the rapture, please disregard the above notice - you are going to burn in the aftermath ... or you will be able to make your tee-off time at the club - the prediction is not really clear for the non believers. In any case the rapture is apparently scheduled for Saturday at 6PM so it will be very convenient for everyone to make it and not miss any work in case Mr. Camping is wrong... again.
If you ARE planning on being all rapture'd up and accepted into the heavenly fold on Saturday, it is not too late to take care of those you leave behind. You can always sign over the deed to your house to me and I will make sure it is appropriately used to house the sadly fallen remnants of this world. After all, you will not be needing it after 6:01PM Saturday anyway. That goes for your cars and bank accounts too. Really. Honest. I will make sure your no-longer-needed worldly possessions are well taken care of. Just write up a quick note saying that all your worldly possessions will be signed over to Tom Mairs as of May 22nd 2011, and send that with copies of your property deeds and vehicle insurance to Tom Mairs, Suite 341, 7620 Elbow Drive, Calgary, AB, Canada, T2V 1K2. Really, I promise.
Lou Reed's "Busload of Faith" plays in the back ground as I write this. Ominous?
I was recently in the Mayan Riviera and had a chance to talk with locals about the December 2012 predictions, end of the world issues, and misconceptions. Apparently Hollywood is good for business but they don't listen very well. I am looking forward the the sunset season of 2012 and the dawning of a new age as they have predicted. Quite frankly I am more apt to believe Mayan scholars over crackpots like Harold Camping. In the later case, I think there is a misinterpretation where "end of the world" should be read "end of the way we live". There is definitely something afoot in the universe, but I prefer to think it is a good thing, not the fire and brimstone version.Of course Canadians have know about the end of the world for a while - just ask the boys of Great Big Sea. It's all a matter of perspective. Take a pill Harold, the world will still be spinning on Sunday so you can go to church and apologize to everyone. If I am wrong, ...well, ...it's been a great ride. :)
Be awesome. Change the world.
Thursday, April 21, 2011
The robots are back!
Ah... Yes... Spring!... Birds are singing , plants are blooming, snow is melting, and robots are roaming. Robots? Really? YES!
May 14th 2011 will mark the 22nd Western Canada Robot Games and will be held at the Calgary AeroSpace Museum. I am so excited. Young and old robot enthusiasts all over western Canada are gearing up for the event, building robots, testing them in home-baked arenas, competing with friends and looking forward to game day. The Robot Games is run by the Western Canadian Robotics Society (WCRS) which has been around since about 1990 and started in Calgary, Alberta.
When I first connected with the Western Canadian Robotics Society in 1997, the annual games were already 7 years old. You can read about the games early history here. There were only about 40 actual members back then and robotics was a very new frontier. Today, there are thousands of members in the on-line community and many show up for the weekly build events and meetings. By 2004 I had become so involved that I landed a seat on the executive (VP) and had an opportunity to help plan the games - I can tell you it is no small task. As much work as it was to put on the event, it was ten times more fun to be there and watch amateur robot builders create something cool. It was extremely rewarding to help young students learn electronics, mechanics, and physics, then build a working robot and watch it compete for prizes in the ring.
Even if you are not able to get to the games, you can get a lot of value out of watching the web site or joining the society. The members are always working on something cool and interesting, particularly at this time of year. One of the most popular events is mini-sumo where you build a robot to fit inside a 10 cm cube, then have it compete autonomously in a ring with another person's similar bot - the goal being to push the opponent out of the ring. This one is fun for builders and spectators alike. A few years ago I had an opportunity to work as a judge at the games and the mini-sumo competition was like being at a UFC title match. Extremely exciting.
I have been building robots for almost as many years as I have been building computers (that's a really long time) and it is great to see clubs like this grow and gain new followers every year. Robotics is no longer in it's infancy, we no longer have to tear apart old hardware to salvage components (although that is still fun) and we no longer have to make up new circuits to do what we want (also still fun). Being a roboticist does not mean you need a degree or special knowledge any more, you just need a passion for cool things that move. There are numerous resources and clubs that can help you experiment with robotics any time any where at any skill level. I once taught a class of 10 year old students how to build working robots for less than $20 each and in the process taught them electronics, physics, mechanics and design philosophy - all in about 3 days. The result was priceless.
If you want to compete at the games there is still time, but you need to register now. If you want to be a spectator, I am sure there is room for you. If you are just interested in finding more about robotics, take a look at some of the cool links below.
http://www.robotgames.com/
http://www.asmac.ab.ca/aerospace/default.asp
http://www.jcminventures.com/
http://www.solarbotics.com/
http://www.parallax.com/
http://www.robotshop.com/
Be awesome. Change the world.
May 14th 2011 will mark the 22nd Western Canada Robot Games and will be held at the Calgary AeroSpace Museum. I am so excited. Young and old robot enthusiasts all over western Canada are gearing up for the event, building robots, testing them in home-baked arenas, competing with friends and looking forward to game day. The Robot Games is run by the Western Canadian Robotics Society (WCRS) which has been around since about 1990 and started in Calgary, Alberta.
When I first connected with the Western Canadian Robotics Society in 1997, the annual games were already 7 years old. You can read about the games early history here. There were only about 40 actual members back then and robotics was a very new frontier. Today, there are thousands of members in the on-line community and many show up for the weekly build events and meetings. By 2004 I had become so involved that I landed a seat on the executive (VP) and had an opportunity to help plan the games - I can tell you it is no small task. As much work as it was to put on the event, it was ten times more fun to be there and watch amateur robot builders create something cool. It was extremely rewarding to help young students learn electronics, mechanics, and physics, then build a working robot and watch it compete for prizes in the ring.
Even if you are not able to get to the games, you can get a lot of value out of watching the web site or joining the society. The members are always working on something cool and interesting, particularly at this time of year. One of the most popular events is mini-sumo where you build a robot to fit inside a 10 cm cube, then have it compete autonomously in a ring with another person's similar bot - the goal being to push the opponent out of the ring. This one is fun for builders and spectators alike. A few years ago I had an opportunity to work as a judge at the games and the mini-sumo competition was like being at a UFC title match. Extremely exciting.
I have been building robots for almost as many years as I have been building computers (that's a really long time) and it is great to see clubs like this grow and gain new followers every year. Robotics is no longer in it's infancy, we no longer have to tear apart old hardware to salvage components (although that is still fun) and we no longer have to make up new circuits to do what we want (also still fun). Being a roboticist does not mean you need a degree or special knowledge any more, you just need a passion for cool things that move. There are numerous resources and clubs that can help you experiment with robotics any time any where at any skill level. I once taught a class of 10 year old students how to build working robots for less than $20 each and in the process taught them electronics, physics, mechanics and design philosophy - all in about 3 days. The result was priceless.
If you want to compete at the games there is still time, but you need to register now. If you want to be a spectator, I am sure there is room for you. If you are just interested in finding more about robotics, take a look at some of the cool links below.
http://www.robotgames.com/
http://www.asmac.ab.ca/aerospace/default.asp
http://www.jcminventures.com/
http://www.solarbotics.com/
http://www.parallax.com/
http://www.robotshop.com/
Be awesome. Change the world.
Saturday, March 12, 2011
A Call To Arms
This is not a subscription request, nor a demand for violence, but rather a shout out to all caring people who want to do something but don't know how. Around the world, Earth's citizens are fighting tyranny, fighting natural disaster, fighting cold and starvation. Local governments are either causing the problem, or helpless to resolve it. The United Nations is spread thin as it is and typically powerless to stop unjust military regimes anyway. The international Red Cross is only able to help if they have the money and resources and protection to do their job.
There is a new world order that has been quietly building in the networks and connected devices around the planet. This new power is not driven by any one government, or corporation, It has no borders and it has no leader, only a hive collective mind share of followers. Us.
You and I are the new world order. In the world of interconnected devices that constitutes the Internet, we are free to transcend borders and politics, we can voice our opinions and watch true democracy flourish. Highly popular things rise to the top and things less important fall in popularity based on your opinions, clicks, views, shares, tweets, hits, posts, and likes. We are the new People of Earth. We are the new power that all old style governments need to come to terms with. We have the power. We ARE the power.
Now you have an opportunity to turn those clicks into a real world effect. We can rise up as an army of people and share our voice and our dollars and our efforts to help our other fellow humans through their struggles regardless of the government walls you are trapped behind.
The recent series of earthquakes in Japan, New Zealand, Haiti, Chile, Pakistan and Argentina have left a wake of destruction. Most recently (still) Japan is weathering a storm of violent earth quakes, dealing with Tsunami aftermath and the threat of a nuclear melt down. You can help the relief effort there by donating to the Red Cross simply by texting ASIA to 30333. This will bill your phone account $5 and donate it to the International Red Cross for efforts to help in Japan [ http://www.redcross.ca/article.asp?id=38380&tid=001 ]. If you cant do it by text, click on the link and do it on-line. These are the people on the ground with their hands in the mud helping people survive. You can help with a single text or click, or just share this blog post with someone you think can help.
If you are one of the 10.8 Million people who like Zynga's Frontierville, for every Kobe Cow you purchase in the game, Zynga will donate the full value, approximately $5USD, to support relief efforts in Japan. If everyone who "liked" Frontierville bought a Kobe Cow for the game, Zynga could donate nearly $56 Million! You can read more on Zynga's efforts here http://tinyurl.com/6zgprpn but Zynga is not the only internet property helping the world cause. RockYou, Facebook, and PopCap are only a small sample of responsible Netizens who understand the power behind this army of good we have created. If you read blogs, play games, or communicate on the Web, look for placed that will help you donate or help in some other way.
The political upheaval in the middle east is also something you can be involved in. You don't have to be any particular religion or political view to know that what is happening in the middle east / North Africa is just wrong. From a human rights point of view, the oppressive tyranny of the old world must end, and it is happening rapidly at the hands of desperate people fighting for what they know is right. In the end, the truth will win out, in large part due to the fact that this medium, the Internet / SMS / global network will no longer allow the truth to be hidden or clouded. In the process, many of these freedom fighters will be killed or severely injured. The UN and western governments are virtually powerless to help because of politics, but we can. We have no borders, we have no limits and we have friends on the ground. Again, the International Red Cross is able to take donations for their efforts to heal, and protect the innocent. Click through here to help [ http://tinyurl.com/6j23rg3 ].
The bottom line is that you do not have to sit there and wonder "what can I do?" Now you can just do it and the interconnected global systems of communication devices we have make it possible for you to help people "on the ground" get the job done regardless of the political borders we have built around ourselves.
If you really want to be one of those people in the heart of the action, on the ground, helping with your own two hands, then you can get connected to those efforts on the we too. Check these out:
http://www.redcross.ca/article.asp?id=021912&tid=001
http://worldrelief.org/Page.aspx?pid=1725
http://ochaonline.un.org/
http://www.comfec-cefcom.forces.gc.ca/pa-ap/ops/fs-fr/dart-eicc-eng.asp
We are the new world order. We are the power. We are the people of Earth and we need to help, protect and serve each other regardless of the political boundaries and physical walls that separate us.
Be awesome. Change the world.
There is a new world order that has been quietly building in the networks and connected devices around the planet. This new power is not driven by any one government, or corporation, It has no borders and it has no leader, only a hive collective mind share of followers. Us.
You and I are the new world order. In the world of interconnected devices that constitutes the Internet, we are free to transcend borders and politics, we can voice our opinions and watch true democracy flourish. Highly popular things rise to the top and things less important fall in popularity based on your opinions, clicks, views, shares, tweets, hits, posts, and likes. We are the new People of Earth. We are the new power that all old style governments need to come to terms with. We have the power. We ARE the power.
Now you have an opportunity to turn those clicks into a real world effect. We can rise up as an army of people and share our voice and our dollars and our efforts to help our other fellow humans through their struggles regardless of the government walls you are trapped behind.
The recent series of earthquakes in Japan, New Zealand, Haiti, Chile, Pakistan and Argentina have left a wake of destruction. Most recently (still) Japan is weathering a storm of violent earth quakes, dealing with Tsunami aftermath and the threat of a nuclear melt down. You can help the relief effort there by donating to the Red Cross simply by texting ASIA to 30333. This will bill your phone account $5 and donate it to the International Red Cross for efforts to help in Japan [ http://www.redcross.ca/article.asp?id=38380&tid=001 ]. If you cant do it by text, click on the link and do it on-line. These are the people on the ground with their hands in the mud helping people survive. You can help with a single text or click, or just share this blog post with someone you think can help.
If you are one of the 10.8 Million people who like Zynga's Frontierville, for every Kobe Cow you purchase in the game, Zynga will donate the full value, approximately $5USD, to support relief efforts in Japan. If everyone who "liked" Frontierville bought a Kobe Cow for the game, Zynga could donate nearly $56 Million! You can read more on Zynga's efforts here http://tinyurl.com/6zgprpn but Zynga is not the only internet property helping the world cause. RockYou, Facebook, and PopCap are only a small sample of responsible Netizens who understand the power behind this army of good we have created. If you read blogs, play games, or communicate on the Web, look for placed that will help you donate or help in some other way.The political upheaval in the middle east is also something you can be involved in. You don't have to be any particular religion or political view to know that what is happening in the middle east / North Africa is just wrong. From a human rights point of view, the oppressive tyranny of the old world must end, and it is happening rapidly at the hands of desperate people fighting for what they know is right. In the end, the truth will win out, in large part due to the fact that this medium, the Internet / SMS / global network will no longer allow the truth to be hidden or clouded. In the process, many of these freedom fighters will be killed or severely injured. The UN and western governments are virtually powerless to help because of politics, but we can. We have no borders, we have no limits and we have friends on the ground. Again, the International Red Cross is able to take donations for their efforts to heal, and protect the innocent. Click through here to help [ http://tinyurl.com/6j23rg3 ].
The bottom line is that you do not have to sit there and wonder "what can I do?" Now you can just do it and the interconnected global systems of communication devices we have make it possible for you to help people "on the ground" get the job done regardless of the political borders we have built around ourselves.
If you really want to be one of those people in the heart of the action, on the ground, helping with your own two hands, then you can get connected to those efforts on the we too. Check these out:
http://www.redcross.ca/article.asp?id=021912&tid=001
http://worldrelief.org/Page.aspx?pid=1725
http://ochaonline.un.org/
http://www.comfec-cefcom.forces.gc.ca/pa-ap/ops/fs-fr/dart-eicc-eng.asp
We are the new world order. We are the power. We are the people of Earth and we need to help, protect and serve each other regardless of the political boundaries and physical walls that separate us.
Be awesome. Change the world.
Monday, March 7, 2011
My My Myan Stones
Every year I enter the NYC Midnight Short Story Challenge. This is a writing competition where you are pitted against other writers around the globe in 2 rounds. Round 1 gives you 8 days to write, edit, and submit a short story where the genre and subject are picked randomly. The winners of each genre category are then put into a final round were you again write on a genre and subject that are randomly picked for you... but this time it needs to be completed in 24 hours.
The following is my round 1 entry for 2011. Genre was "Fantasy", Subject was "A Bank Robbery". The reality was that I thought about it for 7 days, and actually wrote it in the last 24 hours - I'm a rebel that way. I hope you enjoy it, comments are welcome.
SYNOPSYS: There are ancient things we do not understand, and fools who fool with them are destined to pay the price. This is the story about one ancient legend finding a modern home.
- - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - -
41… 16… 78…
Ryan finally took a breath before whispering, "I love that sound". He stood up and backed away from the TI-9000 Secure-Safe so the rest of his crew could step in and empty it's contents.
"Nice work, squirrel". Sarge had come up behind Ryan and was supervising the crew extract cash and jewels from the safe. "I think you beat your best time". He looked at the stop watch in his left hand, then back toward the safe. "30 seconds… 20… 10… Done - Lets go!"
Less than a minute later, all four men were stepping onto the street heading for the van they had parked around the corner. As Ryan closed the van door, he heard the store alarm sound in the building they had just left.
Sarge did not look impressed. "That should have been a 10 minute delay, Booby. My watch says that was only 8."
The 19-year-old blonde surfer and tech specialist who had rigged a time delay on the store alarm gave Sarge an apologetic shrug. "Sorry boss, I'll make sure it is longer next time."
Back at the warehouse where they planned their jobs and divided the take, Ryan headed for the bar fridge to get a soda. He liked to just sit back out of the way and let the others count the split.
And that's the way life was for Ryan Schel. Sarge had been the only parent Ryan had ever really known. His parents had both died in a car accident when Ryan was only 2 years old. They did not have a will or any close family but Sarge was closer than a brother to Ryan’s father and agreed to take him in. Sarge always had a tendency to save lost puppies and rescue orphans - God only knows how a guy like that ends up robbing jewelry stores and banks for a living.
Bobby joined the crew after installing a satellite dish service for Sarge. Somehow the conversation had turned to alarms, and cameras and how Bobby could hot-wire, hack or fix anything electronic and the rest is history.
Ryan did not really know anything about Driver except that he drove the getaway car every time - and he could drive anything. One time he had to improvise and ended up hot-wiring an ambulance, another time, the job required a city dump truck, which again was no problem for Driver. He was talented, but the guy never said a word, and he disappeared completely between jobs. Ryan was not even sure if even Sarge actually knew Driver's real name.
A few weeks passed before Sarge called the crew together again. This time is was a bank job. Ryan liked the bank jobs because the vaults always posed some unique challenge. Even though many of the vaults were similar, they were usually installed with different options and trips. In this case, it was a fairly standard time lock, spin tumbler with two-inch bar-bolts. These had ten-inch thick doors, which Ryan always thought was foolish since all he really needed to do was move a 1/16th inch pin in the lock and it all just opened up real nice. It would still take a few minutes and he would need extreme quiet to hear the tumbler, but it was definitely doable.
Cracking the vault door was a lot harder than getting into the safety deposit boxes inside. While Bobby and Driver were packing up cash, Ryan was picking the locks on each of the boxes. "Left, right up, and…" - each one was basically the same with a bit of jiggle and a dash of personal magic, each opened as easily as if he had the key. "... and twenty... last one".
Bobby and Driver had already started emptying the boxes starting at the other end of the vault, where Ryan had unlocked the first one, so he started to work on emptying the boxes from his end. Sarge was standing at the vault door, somehow watching his crew work, keeping an eye on the bank door, and counting down the time from his stop watch. "That’s 10 minutes now. Lets move, people."
Ryan was at the 3rd box when he noticed it. The glow was faint, but it was there, painting the edges of the box opening a dull orange. He only realized he had stopped moving and was just staring at the box when Sarge's voice startled him. "What's goin' on Squirrel?"
"Ah… nothing." Ryan reached out and pulled the box open, made a twisting motion to dump its contents into the duffle bag, but nothing came out. Turning it back over he saw 2 small black stones inside. He trued the dumping motion again, but nothing came out. Thinking they had stuck to the bottom of the box, Ryan reached in and picked them up with his hand, but they lifted surprisingly well - they were not stuck to anything.
"Time" Sarge snapped, " Lets go!"
Driver and Bobby had managed to clean out all the other boxes while Ryan was working on the one box with the stones. He quickly tossed the stones into the duffle bag, zipped it and headed out the vault door with it. A minute later the team was in the van pulling away and before they hit the first corner Ryan could hear the bank alarm sound. Bobby threw a big grin at the sound of the alarm as he looked at his watch. "Perfect timing".
Ryan smiled back at Bobby "Nice work, kid".
Bobby just said "Thanks", but a second later followed it with "looser".
Ryan was startled by this unexpected comment. "What did you say?"
Bobby looked confused. "Thanks, man, I just said Thanks".
Ryan let it go, thinking he may have just heard wrong, but it sounded very clear. Later, back in the warehouse dividing the take, Ryan stood back against the wall watching the others make the split. He shoved his hands in his pocks and leaned back into the wall, but then felt something in his hand. He wrapped his hand around the small warm object in his pocket and pulled it out. There in his palm were the two small stoned from the vault. The same stones that he had tossed into the duffle bag. - the bag that Driver and Bobby were pulling cash out of 30 feet away. Ryan was now completely freaked out. "Hey Sarge, I'm gonna get some air" he quickly said as he headed for the door. Passing the big garbage can by the front door, he tossed the stones in, double-checked that they were really in there and headed out into the parking lot.
Ryan took a look around, checked his pockets for the stones (not there) and drew in a deep breath. It must have just been a mistake; he must have slipped them into his pocket by accident. That’s what it was. No weirdness here.
“You ok squirrel?” Sarge had come up behind him.
“Yeah, I just needed some air”, Ryan lied.
Sarge put a hand on Ryan’s shoulder, “Come back in, we’re just about done and Driver wants to leave.” He smiled, and turned, the Ryan heard him say “High maintenance brat.”
“Excuse me? What did you say?” Ryan had stopped, completely in shock at Sarge’s comment.
Sarge had turned back to Ryan. “What’s wrong with you? You’ve been acting strange since the bank. I just asked you to come in ‘cause Driver wants to get out of here. Now get your ass back in there so we can get this done.”
Ryan waited for a few seconds, then heard Sarge’s voice say “This kid is gonna make me nuts”… but his lips never moved. It was like Ryan was reading his mind. Hearing what Sarge would not say out loud. Sarge was just staring at him, waiting for Ryan to move. “Well?” That time his lips actually moved.
“Yeah, right…” Ryan was not sure what was going on, but did not want to sound like a lunatic explaining it to Sarge. He headed back into the warehouse, but as he moved his leg, he felt something in his pocket. Something small. Actually, two small stone somethings. Ryan was sure that you could actually see the hair sticking up one the back of his neck, as he turned completely white. He reached into his pocket and pulled out the 2 small black stones.
It only took a few minutes to split the take, so Driver and Bobby could leave. Sarge offered Ryan a ride, but Ryan turned him down and headed down to the library instead.
On the way there, he passed a number of people, each one said something to Ryan as he passed. Each one was derogatory or rude and in each case the people did not actually speak.
When he reached the library, he located one of the empty study desks and put the stones out on it. He carefully examined them and found them to be completely smooth, perfectly black with the exception of a small dot in the top center of each stone. There seemed to be detail to the dots. Ryan located a powerful magnifying glass in the resource section and placed the stones under it. “X” was on one and “H” was on the other. They appeared to be carved into the top of the stones with mechanical precision.
Ryan’s curiosity was stronger then his fear of weirdness, so he started searching for references to the stones, the initials, pairs, and anything else that might have led to some answers. Several hours later he found it.
The computer screen showed
Ref: “The Mayan Book of Life.”
… recounts the adventures of the Twins, Hanahpu and Xbalague. These twins’ constant pranks angered the gods of the underworld. To punish the twins, the gods captured them and imprisoned them in two small stones for eternity.
There was also a news article from June 1968, describing how an American explorer, James Tilley, had discovered the fabled stones in a Mayan temple, but was never able to produce them to the Museum for cataloging. He apparently lived right here in town. Ryan was willing to bet that this explorer banked locally too.
Another quick search produced an address for the intrepid explorer and it was definitely local. Ryan quickly hailed a cab and gave the driver the explorer’s address. Ten minutes later he was paying the cabbie and looking up at the old brownstone with the address that matched his search.
After 2 presses of the door buzzer, an old male voice answered. Ryan explained that they needed to speak. “Mr. Tilley, I think I have something that belongs to you, please let me in”.
James opened the door to the extent that the door safety latch would allow and spoke through it. “What do you want?”
Ryan knew he would sound crazy if he tried to explain, but if this were really the guy, he would recognize them. He pulled the stones out of his pocket and opened his hand in front of James.
“oh my God… Where did you find those?” James’s eyes had grown quite large and he was suddenly quite eager to open the door for Ryan.
“I found them in a garbage can”, Ryan lied. I did some research and I think they belong to you.
As James Tilley opened the door for Ryan to come in, the stones disappeared from Ryan’s hand. James smiled a bit as he felt the stones materialize in his pocket.
An hour later James was still recounting his story of how he found the stones and how the legend was really true. How the twins in the stones were still playing tricks on whoever possessed them. How they were stolen from him by a collector and that he had not seen them since.
Ryan left the stones with James and never spoke of them again to anyone, ever.
The following is my round 1 entry for 2011. Genre was "Fantasy", Subject was "A Bank Robbery". The reality was that I thought about it for 7 days, and actually wrote it in the last 24 hours - I'm a rebel that way. I hope you enjoy it, comments are welcome.
- - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - -
TITLE: My My Myan Stones
SYNOPSYS: There are ancient things we do not understand, and fools who fool with them are destined to pay the price. This is the story about one ancient legend finding a modern home.
- - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - -
41… 16… 78…
Ryan finally took a breath before whispering, "I love that sound". He stood up and backed away from the TI-9000 Secure-Safe so the rest of his crew could step in and empty it's contents.
"Nice work, squirrel". Sarge had come up behind Ryan and was supervising the crew extract cash and jewels from the safe. "I think you beat your best time". He looked at the stop watch in his left hand, then back toward the safe. "30 seconds… 20… 10… Done - Lets go!"
Less than a minute later, all four men were stepping onto the street heading for the van they had parked around the corner. As Ryan closed the van door, he heard the store alarm sound in the building they had just left.
Sarge did not look impressed. "That should have been a 10 minute delay, Booby. My watch says that was only 8."
The 19-year-old blonde surfer and tech specialist who had rigged a time delay on the store alarm gave Sarge an apologetic shrug. "Sorry boss, I'll make sure it is longer next time."
Back at the warehouse where they planned their jobs and divided the take, Ryan headed for the bar fridge to get a soda. He liked to just sit back out of the way and let the others count the split.
And that's the way life was for Ryan Schel. Sarge had been the only parent Ryan had ever really known. His parents had both died in a car accident when Ryan was only 2 years old. They did not have a will or any close family but Sarge was closer than a brother to Ryan’s father and agreed to take him in. Sarge always had a tendency to save lost puppies and rescue orphans - God only knows how a guy like that ends up robbing jewelry stores and banks for a living.
Bobby joined the crew after installing a satellite dish service for Sarge. Somehow the conversation had turned to alarms, and cameras and how Bobby could hot-wire, hack or fix anything electronic and the rest is history.
Ryan did not really know anything about Driver except that he drove the getaway car every time - and he could drive anything. One time he had to improvise and ended up hot-wiring an ambulance, another time, the job required a city dump truck, which again was no problem for Driver. He was talented, but the guy never said a word, and he disappeared completely between jobs. Ryan was not even sure if even Sarge actually knew Driver's real name.
A few weeks passed before Sarge called the crew together again. This time is was a bank job. Ryan liked the bank jobs because the vaults always posed some unique challenge. Even though many of the vaults were similar, they were usually installed with different options and trips. In this case, it was a fairly standard time lock, spin tumbler with two-inch bar-bolts. These had ten-inch thick doors, which Ryan always thought was foolish since all he really needed to do was move a 1/16th inch pin in the lock and it all just opened up real nice. It would still take a few minutes and he would need extreme quiet to hear the tumbler, but it was definitely doable.
Cracking the vault door was a lot harder than getting into the safety deposit boxes inside. While Bobby and Driver were packing up cash, Ryan was picking the locks on each of the boxes. "Left, right up, and…" - each one was basically the same with a bit of jiggle and a dash of personal magic, each opened as easily as if he had the key. "... and twenty... last one".
Bobby and Driver had already started emptying the boxes starting at the other end of the vault, where Ryan had unlocked the first one, so he started to work on emptying the boxes from his end. Sarge was standing at the vault door, somehow watching his crew work, keeping an eye on the bank door, and counting down the time from his stop watch. "That’s 10 minutes now. Lets move, people."
Ryan was at the 3rd box when he noticed it. The glow was faint, but it was there, painting the edges of the box opening a dull orange. He only realized he had stopped moving and was just staring at the box when Sarge's voice startled him. "What's goin' on Squirrel?"
"Ah… nothing." Ryan reached out and pulled the box open, made a twisting motion to dump its contents into the duffle bag, but nothing came out. Turning it back over he saw 2 small black stones inside. He trued the dumping motion again, but nothing came out. Thinking they had stuck to the bottom of the box, Ryan reached in and picked them up with his hand, but they lifted surprisingly well - they were not stuck to anything.
"Time" Sarge snapped, " Lets go!"
Driver and Bobby had managed to clean out all the other boxes while Ryan was working on the one box with the stones. He quickly tossed the stones into the duffle bag, zipped it and headed out the vault door with it. A minute later the team was in the van pulling away and before they hit the first corner Ryan could hear the bank alarm sound. Bobby threw a big grin at the sound of the alarm as he looked at his watch. "Perfect timing".
Ryan smiled back at Bobby "Nice work, kid".
Bobby just said "Thanks", but a second later followed it with "looser".
Ryan was startled by this unexpected comment. "What did you say?"
Bobby looked confused. "Thanks, man, I just said Thanks".
Ryan let it go, thinking he may have just heard wrong, but it sounded very clear. Later, back in the warehouse dividing the take, Ryan stood back against the wall watching the others make the split. He shoved his hands in his pocks and leaned back into the wall, but then felt something in his hand. He wrapped his hand around the small warm object in his pocket and pulled it out. There in his palm were the two small stoned from the vault. The same stones that he had tossed into the duffle bag. - the bag that Driver and Bobby were pulling cash out of 30 feet away. Ryan was now completely freaked out. "Hey Sarge, I'm gonna get some air" he quickly said as he headed for the door. Passing the big garbage can by the front door, he tossed the stones in, double-checked that they were really in there and headed out into the parking lot.
Ryan took a look around, checked his pockets for the stones (not there) and drew in a deep breath. It must have just been a mistake; he must have slipped them into his pocket by accident. That’s what it was. No weirdness here.
“You ok squirrel?” Sarge had come up behind him.
“Yeah, I just needed some air”, Ryan lied.
Sarge put a hand on Ryan’s shoulder, “Come back in, we’re just about done and Driver wants to leave.” He smiled, and turned, the Ryan heard him say “High maintenance brat.”
“Excuse me? What did you say?” Ryan had stopped, completely in shock at Sarge’s comment.
Sarge had turned back to Ryan. “What’s wrong with you? You’ve been acting strange since the bank. I just asked you to come in ‘cause Driver wants to get out of here. Now get your ass back in there so we can get this done.”
Ryan waited for a few seconds, then heard Sarge’s voice say “This kid is gonna make me nuts”… but his lips never moved. It was like Ryan was reading his mind. Hearing what Sarge would not say out loud. Sarge was just staring at him, waiting for Ryan to move. “Well?” That time his lips actually moved.
“Yeah, right…” Ryan was not sure what was going on, but did not want to sound like a lunatic explaining it to Sarge. He headed back into the warehouse, but as he moved his leg, he felt something in his pocket. Something small. Actually, two small stone somethings. Ryan was sure that you could actually see the hair sticking up one the back of his neck, as he turned completely white. He reached into his pocket and pulled out the 2 small black stones.
It only took a few minutes to split the take, so Driver and Bobby could leave. Sarge offered Ryan a ride, but Ryan turned him down and headed down to the library instead.
On the way there, he passed a number of people, each one said something to Ryan as he passed. Each one was derogatory or rude and in each case the people did not actually speak.
When he reached the library, he located one of the empty study desks and put the stones out on it. He carefully examined them and found them to be completely smooth, perfectly black with the exception of a small dot in the top center of each stone. There seemed to be detail to the dots. Ryan located a powerful magnifying glass in the resource section and placed the stones under it. “X” was on one and “H” was on the other. They appeared to be carved into the top of the stones with mechanical precision.
Ryan’s curiosity was stronger then his fear of weirdness, so he started searching for references to the stones, the initials, pairs, and anything else that might have led to some answers. Several hours later he found it.
The computer screen showed
Ref: “The Mayan Book of Life.”
… recounts the adventures of the Twins, Hanahpu and Xbalague. These twins’ constant pranks angered the gods of the underworld. To punish the twins, the gods captured them and imprisoned them in two small stones for eternity.
There was also a news article from June 1968, describing how an American explorer, James Tilley, had discovered the fabled stones in a Mayan temple, but was never able to produce them to the Museum for cataloging. He apparently lived right here in town. Ryan was willing to bet that this explorer banked locally too.
Another quick search produced an address for the intrepid explorer and it was definitely local. Ryan quickly hailed a cab and gave the driver the explorer’s address. Ten minutes later he was paying the cabbie and looking up at the old brownstone with the address that matched his search.
After 2 presses of the door buzzer, an old male voice answered. Ryan explained that they needed to speak. “Mr. Tilley, I think I have something that belongs to you, please let me in”.
James opened the door to the extent that the door safety latch would allow and spoke through it. “What do you want?”
Ryan knew he would sound crazy if he tried to explain, but if this were really the guy, he would recognize them. He pulled the stones out of his pocket and opened his hand in front of James.
“oh my God… Where did you find those?” James’s eyes had grown quite large and he was suddenly quite eager to open the door for Ryan.
“I found them in a garbage can”, Ryan lied. I did some research and I think they belong to you.
As James Tilley opened the door for Ryan to come in, the stones disappeared from Ryan’s hand. James smiled a bit as he felt the stones materialize in his pocket.
An hour later James was still recounting his story of how he found the stones and how the legend was really true. How the twins in the stones were still playing tricks on whoever possessed them. How they were stolen from him by a collector and that he had not seen them since.
Ryan left the stones with James and never spoke of them again to anyone, ever.
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