Mana's Blog

Just chuckling at being called weird here today. ^^; Of course, I think it's a good thing... but this is not what I really want to talk about ....

This is about .... SPYWARE >.<; the scourge of all that is computer. I know how to inoculate myself and prevent such things, but many people I had to fix their computers with (aunts, uncles, friends, neighbors, complete strangers) are chuck full of them.  Though it is a nice lil bit of side income, it does piss me off that people ACTUALLY program such software to mess up your computer just to get their advertisements. If I had my way, I'd be able to take them on a field, me on a tower, and play sniper. ^^;

Anyhow, before I start showing basic ways to show how to remove them, I am making a disclaimer. I'm not gunna be responsible for any damages that these things may do to your computer.....

Now, for those that want to know how to get rid of these sorta things... well...

download the following things:

color=#0000ffhttp://download.com.com/3000-8022-10289035.html - Spybot Search & Destroy
color=#0000ffhttp://download.com.com/3000-8022-10214379.html - Lavasoft's Ad-aware

And follow the approriate instructions for those, making sure they're updated and everything. They should wipe out most things.. but there is one special thing called CoolWebSearch that is the most persistant spyware.. that requires some special instructions on here http://www.spywareinfo.com/~merijn/cwschronicles.html (look at teh bottom) You probably want to make sure your computer is updated... and download this patch here from Microsoft; it closes the loophole that almost all CWS variants use: http://www.microsoft.com/technet/security/bulletin/MS00-075.mspx ... x.x;

I will probably post more innormation as I go along with  this... I still got some more computers to fix .. -.-

That was one interesting picnic yesterday around my area. In and out rain at the Filipino-American festival (which is a dead giveaway on my ethnicity now) that goes on at a park in my area every July 4th. This year, I didn't go and see fireworks this year; had to lay down for a while. It's not because of the food I ate there, but it's because I get kidney stones every so often.

Not much of a worry; I get that sorta stuff checked every so often and I've gotten used to such a thing coming out almost every month. .... Besides, I feel uncomfortable partying on a Sunday night, knowing I got work the next day, Monday. (Place I work at does not have today off).

Speaking of work, I better go now ^^; *poof*

Mana isn't going to blog another thing today (since he'll be gone all day for festivities, and Lottery Post only does two posts a day ;) ) but he does have this to say.

May God Continue To Bless This Great Country, the United States of America

Keep our soldiers that are fighting for freedom around the world in our prayers.

(and ... be safe when lighting fireworks. ::Almost burned his hand lighting one last year::)

Before I start, I apologize if people misunderstood my entry yesterday about people saying bad things about the place. I love this place to death and I didn't like how someone could have said something bad about this place. *blush* I guess that was something that should be left behind; there will always be those that will hate the place, but there will be alot more that will love it.

---- now for a bit of more history of me ----

Made me think a bit on some of how I tick. Over the last few years, I shifted into one culture and into another. If you tagged me four years ago, I would not be saying that I would be opening a business, look like how I am, doing what I am doing now. I'd be going "yeah right" and moved on.  I was a very lost little gangsta' (and in some ways, I'm still am). I saw some of my friends in my neighborhood get into things that they shouldn't have gotten themselves into, and I've somewhat been involved in such bad things.

I still do not know what made my mind click... I guess a mixture of learning, growing up, church, family, and my real friends influenced me... and then the choices I make made to counter the bad things helped. I shifted away from the 'gangsta' lifestyle and into ... what I have today. I still have some remnants of what's left of my old side, some things bad and some things good.

I guess I have a strong sense of standing up for people, despite my small stature and size, and sometimes it does get to a fanatic's level. I dun like seeing friends get beat up; i've been in situations that woulda just fizzled out if I dun step in. Mmn.. I guess I still have to learn that with here, and with many other places. ...

Not a whole lot for me today... I basically just ate at a Japanese resturant with my family. Had an aunt come down here to visit.

Finally was able to get all the monies gathered for Otakon, a Japanese anime convention in Baltimore, and now we all have to do is just wait ... wait ... and wait until the day we go.

Hmn...

::Lights candles and tells a story.::

I've just noticed the little box in the corner of the left side of LotteryPost that said "Site Info, Rank, etc." and clicked it. Gone over to Amazon.com and poof some reviews. Now that I look at it, I see fairly straight on reviews, but there's a couple reviews that caught my eye, due to their negativity.

Let's start with the one you'll probably see right away:

The people giving this web site high marks don't know whats really going on. The site administrator has no credility in any discussion concerning the lottery.He's a first class shyster. Go to any official state lottery web site and you'll find a warning that any overseas web site that sells lottery tickets are illegal and a scam.

On the Lottery Post home page, on the left where it saids click a game to play, there's a link to a company called Niles International, Inc. with a post office box in The Netherlands. You can setup a credit card account and for double the amount you pay for a ticket at a official state lottery retailer you play the lottery. The caught is they hold the ticket. Yes, they will credit your account if you win a couple of hundred dollars. If you win a million dollar jackpot, they claim they will meet you at the state lottery headquarters and personally hand you the ticket. Yea Right!! No one has ever won and been paid a jackpot in this matter and never will.

This is illegal and a scam. The Lottery Post administrator, Todd, gets 10% of the link sales. Profits from state lottery sales go to worthwhile projects within your state. Keep the money there. Don't give it to a illegal company in The Netherlands and some sleaze bag from New Jersey running this lottery site.This site is worthless and does'nt deserve your support in anyway.

Remember to note my goth background to be a little bit skeptical myself. However, this person seems to be screaming alot about the ads that are aside from the main area, and are often un-obtrusive. Todd is alot more knowledgeable than one would think from looking at the site. As for the companies, I don't really have a need for them, but looking at the close text, they're legitimate. Of course, no one has won big though them, because you gotta actaully win big first? ^^; From those that have used their services, they can safely tell you that they are legitimate.

Now for the second comment:

The site breeds mediocrity at best. I've been an avid lotto players for more than 10 years and visited many sites. I found this site to be very little innormative and lacking in some solid contents. The posts generated should stick to the contents of lottery rather than free for all type of conversations. After all, the site was intended for lotto players, not a free for all chat room which it seems like it is.

Well, this one I can't blame too much on, but coming from a background of video game, roleplaying, and cosplaying forums (and especially a omnibus anime forum such as Gaia-Online.com), it's not terribly off, even for the type of audience, which is a much older crowd than I myself hang out with more regularly. The internet forum is a place to get together nowadays, and it isn't immune to the internet floatsam and jetsam either.

For those that are looking at this site based on the negative reports, please consider my thoughts, even though I may be only a 20 year old goth who is "into that Japanese animation" stuff. Sure, we have ... me ... on this place that seems a little off, but I do have quite an interest in gambling and lotteries as well. Not all goths wanna slash their wrists and write poetry in candlelight ya' know. ^^; You may have different backgrounds, but if you have that interest in lotteries, it is a great place to at least observe and participate.

And that's Mana's two cents.

::Puts out the candles.::

As I look at my lottery ticket, and see at least one lil win, I feel quite accomplished. $2 is heck of a lot better than nothing  Out of all the tickets I'm holding for people, only mine got something.

Mn... other than picking up lottery tickets for various people and watching them in hopes of the millions, I listen to my anime stuff ... and a song that I'm listening to, .hack//sign's "The World", quite fits me right now.

You are here alone again
In your sweet insanity
All too calm, you hide yourself from reality
Do you call it solitude? Do you call it liberty?
When all the world turns away to leave you lonely

The fields are filled with desires
All voices crying for freedom
But all in vain they will fade away
There's only you to answer you, forever

In blinded mind you are singing
A glorious hallelujah
The distant flutter of angels
They're all too far, too far to reach for you

I am here alone again
In my sweet serenity
Hoping you will ever find me in any place
I will call it solitude when all my songs fade in vain
In my voice, far away to eternity

I'm actually quite in a good mood, despite having to be cooped up at home due to no work today and a thunderstorm. *Smirk* I'm still cruising around these forums as well as some others, while talking with my friends about the store. Nothing too much in progress with that quite yet. ^_^ Right now though, I will be beating my tele in; the cable keeps going on and off and whatnot.... Ah well!

Now to hope there is a roll-over for the jackpot! ^^;

Mana's Ramblings #0001
::Disclaimer: This is someone who probably is oddball and strange, but it's who I am, and what I am. This disclaimer is always seen when a rambling is posted.::

I recently posted on a thread about God and gambling (https://www.lotterypost.com/thread/90344) and since I was going to post my ramblings on why I play the lottery (and some other things), I will also post my bit of thoughts on that for the record on the blog.

My thoughts on gambling and God
The verses "He that hasteth to be rich hath an evil eye, and considereth not that poverty shall come upon him" (Proverbs 28:22) and "He who oppresses the poor to get gain for himself, and he who gives to the rich will surely come to want" (Proverbs 22:16) I believe can be more applied to those excutives in companies like Tyco and Enron and their extravegant lifestyles at the expense of their workers and investors. With gambling, you have at least a KNOWLEDGE that it's going to most likely get lost; you're not investing, you're getting yourself entertained.  Of course, if all you circle around is chasing that dollar in the expense of everyone else, than yes, it's bad, just like the executives at Tyco and Enron. (And in my opinion, professional gamblers don't count, like Doyle Brunson doing poker, that's his job and he knows ... "when to hold em' and when to fold them". n.n ::Would love to be the first goth to hit the final table at the World Poker Tour, but that's a different entry on this blog::)

*copypaste* However, there is *RESPONSIBLE* use of money.  I *try* to do my tithe because I believe that "... it isn't my money, it's God's money." God can take away money as fast as he can give money to. It's a concept that I'm slowly learning. I don't necessarily have an income right now due to my situation, but I know it's something that I must do once I begin picking up on that. God wants us to spend our money wisely. I think of the lottery and gambling as entertainment that has a possible income, and I know I'll probably lose the money, but it's a chance in there if you play at all.

Now, why does this scary guy play the lottery?
There's three sets of numbers that I currently played for this drawing of the Mega Millions (which by the way, is the only one I play).

1 - Quick Pick/Easy Pick
2 - Sets of numbers derived from the dates of anime conventions I attended this year
3 - My insane mind and a recurring dream

The third one is the one I want to elaborate about. Though I won't state the numbers that I play for that one (they're as sentimental as they are for obvious purposes), I will state the circumstances that I get those numbers.

I would consider my mind as a very haunted and scary place, with many things that run left and right, and sometimes strange things as well. One of these strange things is a reoccuring dream I have been recieving for ages now. I also have something similar in my dreams, which is that it takes place in the same location: a gigantic giga-mall with -everything- in it.

Anyway, back to this reoccuring dream. It probably began a few years ago. I float in the middle of the empty atrium in the mall (it was closed, and is at night) and three women appear, one dark skinned with silver hair, one light skinned wth blonde hair, and one short kid with black hair. (I would like to note that they are from an anime called Oh My Goddess! o.o, must be watching too much anime then) I get pointed to a jumbotron in the mall that seems to be showing lottery results of some kind. The numbers since then have been burned in my mind, especially because it showed a lottery game that was not familiar to me at the time (I think the only lottery that even had a "special ball" was Powerball at the time I had the dream) ... and it was burned in my head forever.. Since then, I do get haunted by variations of the same dream with the same results.

Knowing my mind, it could be playing games on me, but I play those set of numbers every time at least, because I believe the only way to get rid of it is to hit something with that. I'm not completely fanatical, but I always have something set aside *just* for that set (I do multi-drawings), as it does alleviate my head for the time being.

I guess that would be all from the scary vaults of Mana's mind... as that is the end of that dream, my story, and my thoughts. I hope you enjoyed this little tidbit of Mana's inner workings.

Well, I guess you'll probably hopefully hear from one of the lottery posts's youngest posters (20 years old, I am). As some may see me, when I get around to posting here, I am quite a busy one. I'm involved in a business being made in this area... and well, I'm all into the goth thing.

*Smirk* though ... I do love all sorts of gambling and lottery is no exception.  With the Megamillions at $290 million (half of course being when I get the lump sum), I always have all kinds of dreams to do with the money ... help the new anime business that I'm with my friends with, go to more conventions, do what I've always done, just with more frequency. Because of my already notarity in the anime circles, I have not much of a problem fending off "fanboys" and "fangirls" .... plus looking the way I am, I don't think fending people RL wise would be hard, but probably the phone would be ringing off the hook (so that's when you change your number)

And with that thought from Mana, here's a sweatdrop.

Ooo.. a blog.  I didn't know this thing had a blog.

::Smirks:: The gothic lottery player now has a blog here? heehee.. Okay.  I guess I go now.