A Slower Pace

There is a lot of hubbub about legislation that is threatening online internet freedoms — SOPA – Stop Online Piracy Act. This is another lamely veiled attempt to control what goes on amongst the internet. While it pretends to be upright and wanting to protect copyrighted material, it’s actual application isn’t very well thought out (imagine that — coming from politicians) and it aims to more control rather than to actually care about the root cause of the issue. But I digress.

Many tech bigwigs such as Google, eBay, Yahoo, etc are against this bluthering legislation for good reason. However, many of them are very upset because one of their own, GoDaddy, is actually supporting SOPA. And there is quite a movement to actually boycott GoDaddy and not do any business with them.

Well, I say “It’s about time! Welcome to the bandwagon. What took you so long?”

You see, this blog used to be hosted by GoDaddy. When I started writing this blog over 7 years ago, I wanted to focus on writing, not the technical aspects of hosting, domain registration, DNS servers and the like. There weren’t too many easy choices back then which led me to GoDaddy. However, that was before the trampy, soft porn advertising that now oozes from what I now refer to as “HoDaddy”. And while my spiritual and family values have strengthened and grown more conservative, HoDaddy’s have become looser than a thrift store turtleneck.

Now please don’t paint me as some sort of prude. I can appreciate a beautiful woman and I know that sex sells. However, to dress down or nudify (is that a word?) women and parade them on a daytime or prime time broadcast during NASCAR or football insinuating nothing other than raunchiness, is crass. It makes the Victoria’s Secret and beer commercials look mild and tame in comparison. I guess to compete with “Jersey Shore” and “Desperate Housewives” this is what we as a society have devolved to. I’m sure others have spoken out about this and I am sure that HoDaddy will be bested and surpassed by someone else soon. But I don’t have to pay into it. And I don’t have to expose my kids to it on daytime TV.

So almost 2 years ago I decided to make my own personal dollars speak for me. I gladly departed HoDaddy and found a web hosting company that aligned with my values and morals. A friend connected me with one of their friends who runs American Discount Web Hosting. Dawn is the owner and not only provides a great value, but also has awesome customer service and practices the values and morals I cherish. She is a great Christian businesswoman and if you have any web needs I highly suggest you give her a call. Especially if you are looking at alternatives to GoDaddy , er, HoDaddy.

As for the rest of y’all technies, while you and I are not doing business with HoDaddy for different reasons, welcome aboard.

Here are some media articles on the topic:

PCWorld article

LifeHacker – Ditch GoDaddy’s SOPA-Loving Butt

LifeHacker’s GoDaddy Jump Ship Checklist

…..Dan at aslowerpace dot net

Wow! The video below was shared on a dear friend’s Facebook page. What a great way to start off Friday…..and the Christmas weekend.

…..Dan at aslowerpace dot net

This is impressive. It is a very good story on determination, creativity, hope and perseverance. Go watch it.

…..Dan at aslowerpace dot net

220 years ago our precious Bill of Rights were ratified for our young country. Unfortunately, other than slaughtering the first amendment on religious, speech, assembly or press freedoms, most people probably don’t know how or where these fit into our modern day of life. Below is the full text and link — something to get better acquainted with. Another good resource and link is the Cato Institute.

Congress of the United States begun and held at the City of New-York, on Wednesday the fourth of March, one thousand seven hundred and eighty nine.

THE Conventions of a number of the States, having at the time of their adopting the Constitution, expressed a desire, in order to prevent misconstruction or abuse of its powers, that further declaratory and restrictive clauses should be added: And as extending the ground of public confidence in the Government, will best ensure the beneficent ends of its institution.

RESOLVED by the Senate and House of Representatives of the United States of America, in Congress assembled, two thirds of both Houses concurring, that the following Articles be proposed to the Legislatures of the several States, as amendments to the Constitution of the United States, all, or any of which Articles, when ratified by three fourths of the said Legislatures, to be valid to all intents and purposes, as part of the said Constitution; viz.

ARTICLES in addition to, and Amendment of the Constitution of the United States of America, proposed by Congress, and ratified by the Legislatures of the several States, pursuant to the fifth Article of the original Constitution.

Note: The following text is a transcription of the first ten amendments to the Constitution in their original form. These amendments were ratified December 15, 1791, and form what is known as the “Bill of Rights.”

Amendment I

Congress shall make no law respecting an establishment of religion, or prohibiting the free exercise thereof; or abridging the freedom of speech, or of the press; or the right of the people peaceably to assemble, and to petition the Government for a redress of grievances.

Amendment II

A well regulated Militia, being necessary to the security of a free State, the right of the people to keep and bear Arms, shall not be infringed.

Amendment III

No Soldier shall, in time of peace be quartered in any house, without the consent of the Owner, nor in time of war, but in a manner to be prescribed by law.

Amendment IV

The right of the people to be secure in their persons, houses, papers, and effects, against unreasonable searches and seizures, shall not be violated, and no Warrants shall issue, but upon probable cause, supported by Oath or affirmation, and particularly describing the place to be searched, and the persons or things to be seized.

Amendment V

No person shall be held to answer for a capital, or otherwise infamous crime, unless on a presentment or indictment of a Grand Jury, except in cases arising in the land or naval forces, or in the Militia, when in actual service in time of War or public danger; nor shall any person be subject for the same offence to be twice put in jeopardy of life or limb; nor shall be compelled in any criminal case to be a witness against himself, nor be deprived of life, liberty, or property, without due process of law; nor shall private property be taken for public use, without just compensation.

Amendment VI

In all criminal prosecutions, the accused shall enjoy the right to a speedy and public trial, by an impartial jury of the State and district wherein the crime shall have been committed, which district shall have been previously ascertained by law, and to be informed of the nature and cause of the accusation; to be confronted with the witnesses against him; to have compulsory process for obtaining witnesses in his favor, and to have the Assistance of Counsel for his defence.

Amendment VII

In Suits at common law, where the value in controversy shall exceed twenty dollars, the right of trial by jury shall be preserved, and no fact tried by a jury, shall be otherwise re-examined in any Court of the United States, than according to the rules of the common law.

Amendment VIII

Excessive bail shall not be required, nor excessive fines imposed, nor cruel and unusual punishments inflicted.

Amendment IX

The enumeration in the Constitution, of certain rights, shall not be construed to deny or disparage others retained by the people.

Amendment X

The powers not delegated to the United States by the Constitution, nor prohibited by it to the States, are reserved to the States respectively, or to the people.

…..Dan at aslowerpace dot net

I am partial to this brand.

…..Dan at aslowerpace dot net

Good stuff to know today.

…..Dan at aslowerpace dot net

I have really enjoyed watching Tim Teboe grow and mature from his role in college to his leadership in the NFL. Take a quick look at this interview and listen to where he is coming from. It is indicative of a servant disciple who is unashamedly Christ focused, humble, and with priorities that are in the order they need to be. He is human and he will make mistakes (which I can guarantee the media will vilify him for) but right now he is on a path with Christ and right where God needs him to be.

I look forward to continue watching his career — with the NFL and as Christ’s disciple with a high visibility platform to spread the Gospel and good news of salvation through Christ.

…..Dan at aslowerpace dot net

The video below is appropriate today because it is a day of rest, a day of worship and a day made for the Lord. The adorable little girl belts out a very inspirational version of “The Lord’s Prayer” in song. Enjoy!

…..Dan at aslowerpace dot net

In today’s marketplace there are many companies, outfits, organizations, and corporations competing for various slices of the marketplace pie. And with the economy being the way it is, the consumer has a bit more clout and discretion on where those disposable (and not-so-disposable) dollars go. Unfortunately, there are still companies out there that just don’t get it. They believe that the customer is there for the company rather than the other way around. Some companies miss the point that it is not about money, but rather it is about a product or service that ultimately the customer is seeking. Fulfill that customer’s need and you go a long way towards, not only making a sale or transaction, but opening the door for future transactions.

So when I come across a company or organization that does this well, I am going to start writing about it and putting it here on my blog so you, my reader, can also benefit from possibly allowing these great companies fulfill your needs as well.

This whole idea of sharing great companies out there came about from a recent web order I had placed a week or so ago. Here on the A Slower Pace property, we heavily rely upon our Invisible Fence to keep our beloved dogs around the house. And with three dogs, we go through collar batteries at a quick rate. Unfortunately, they are $8-12 bucks if you get them from Invisible Fence. However, after doing some hacking research a few years ago, I discovered that the battery cells could be “liberated” and replaced using a standard 3V lithium battery. And after doing a little more research, I found a great web site that sold these batteries at $3 rather than the price gouging $8-12. What a deal! In fact, this web site – Zbattery.com – not only has great prices, but also has a PDF that describes the battery liberating instructions. But that is just the beginning of it.

I have been ordering from ZBattery.com for several years now. I place an annual order for the dog collar batteries as well as occasionally order batteries for my SureFire tactical light and other electronics. They have great prices, value and quick service. I had never given it much thought nor appreciation until my most recent order. I had ordered 12 of the dog batteries and only received 11. I looked through the packaging and dunnage to make sure I did not miss anything and then sent them an email last Sunday. To be easy, I asked if they would either send me an additional battery or (knowing that shipping might be more than the battery itself and cost ZBattery more money) a refund to my credit card. Very quickly, they not only responded to my email, but also sent me a replacement battery that arrived Tuesday. Now that is service!

As they say, it is not how someone (or a company) handles the good things – it is how they handle the bad things where character is revealed.

Thanks ZBattery! I will continue to be a battery customer for a long time.

NOTE: I did not receive anything for writing this message. ZBattery doesn’t even know I had written it. But if you have any battery needs (and with today’s electronics, don’t we all?) go over to ZBattery.com and order what you need. I can assure you – they probably have it.

…..Dan at aslowerpace dot net

This so happens during my conference calls. Pretty funny!

Humor is funniest when it hits so close to the truth.

…..Dan at aslowerpace dot net