GUS (Gave Up Smoking) is a community support diary for Kossacks in the midst of quitting smoking. Any supportive comments, suggestions or positive distractions are appreciated. We avoid discussion of political issues. If you are quitting or even thinking about quitting, please -- join us! GUS Library at dKosopedia is organically evolving, and stocked with free-range information: quit-smoking links, helpful GUS diary writing tips, and the GUS buddy list.
OK, here we go. WE have constructed a rather amazing machine, in spite of ourselves and each other. This machine is the internet. I started trying to figure out computers and this internet thingy about, oh, 15 years ago. I still consider myself pretty much someone who should probably not mess around there too much. Boogey people and monsters under the bed reside there on that internet thingy.
At one point or others in life, we take all caution and throw it into the winds of change; DAMN the Torpedoes, full speed ahead.
This is the story of just one small self-deprecating individual's journey.
1BQ, 3rdGenFeminist, Abra Crabcakeya, addisnana, AfroPonix, aishmael, Alise, Alpha99, A Man Called Gloom, ambeeeant, American in Kathmandu, amk for obama, andsarahtoo, Anne933, anodnhajo, aoeu, aquarius2001, arcadesproject, Archie2227, arodb, Arthur Wolf (in memoriam), assyrian64, awkawk, b4uknowit, bamablue, BARAKABETH, barnowl, b barrie, bdizz, beatpanda, BFSkinner, bgblcklab1, BigAlinWashSt, Bike Crash, BirderWitch, BJKay, bleeding heart, blingbling65, blue husky, Blue Intrigue, BlueJessamine, bluestatedem84, BoiseBlue, Brahman Colorado, breedlovinit, BrenP, BrowniesAreGood, bsmechanic, buddabelly, burrow owl, BusyinCa, Carol in San Antonio, CathodeRay, cee4, Cen Den, ChiTownDenny, ChocolateChris, ChurchofBruce, cinnamondog, citizenx, Cleante, Code Monkey, codobus, Coldblue Steele, Colorado is the Shiznit, coloradomomma, commonmass, Common Sense Mainer, congenitalefty, coppercelt, dadanation, dangoch, Dauber, Dauphin, demkat620, Dexter, Diana in NoVa, Dickie, DiegoUK, Dingodude, dirtdude, distraught, djMikulec, dolfin66, donnamarie, Donna O, dotsright, DRo, droogie6655321, duckhunter, Eclectablog, Eddie C, EdgedInBlue, effervescent, elbamash, El barragas, el vasco, ericlewis0, Everest42, Ex Con, fhamme, Fineena, fiona2, fishhawk, Flea, FlipperWaves, flumptytail, fritzi56, FrugalGranny, Garrett, Gator, gchaucer2, GDbot, Geiiga, Georgianna Darcy, glpaul, GN1927, gooderservice, gooners, gravlax, greylox, grndrush, GrumpyWarriorPoet, gzodik, Haole in Hawaii, HappyinNM, henlesloop, HeyMikey, hideinplainsight, High Tide, hiliner68, hold tight, hulibow, I love OCD, Im a frayed knot, imisa, Indexer, indubitably, indyada, Interceptor7, inventor, I said GOOD DAY sir, itsbenj, Jahiz, JamesEB, janl1776, JayinPortland, jayjaybear, jbou, Jeffersonian Democrat, jmadlc55, jmonch, Joe's Steven aka Steven, john07801, johngoes, jsfox, JVolvo's Mom, jwinIL14, kai99, kailuacaton, kat herder, Kelly of PA, kestrel9000, khloemi, Khun David, Kitsap River, kittania, Kodiak54, Kristina40, Ksholl, LABWITCH, Lady Kestrel, ladypockt, Lahdee, langerdang, LarsThorwald, LA rupert, last starfighter, LaughingPlanet, Laurie Gator, Lipstick Liberal, litoralis, lmdonovan, lockewasright, longislandny, luvsathoroughbred, maggiemay, magicsister, mango, Marc in KS, marknspokane, maryabein, Matt Esler, mdemploi, Micburke, michael1104, MillieNeon, Minerva1157, MinervainNH, Missys Brother, mjbleo, MnRaindog, Morague, Mr Bojangles, mrsgoo, mskitty, msmacgyver, MsWings, nannyboz, ncsuLAN, NearlyNormal, Nedsdag, Nick Zouroudis, notgivingup, NY brit expat, one pissed off democrat, operculum, OrangeMike, Ordvefa, OverTheEdge, pager, paige, PaintyKat, paradox, parryander, Pennsylvanian, phrogge prince, Positronicus, post rational, Proud Mom and Grandma, psycho liberal, ptolemynm, Purple Priestess, PvtJarHead, racheltracks, randallt, real world chick, red mittens, Reepicheep, regis, relentless, revelwoodie, revsue, Rex Manning, rexymeteorite, RiaD, rickeagle, ridemybike, rightiswrong, rincewind, rkex, roadlion, Roger Fox, Rosebuddear, roses, rscopes, Rudini, Safina, SallyCat, Sark Svemes, sboucher, scooter in brooklyn, Scrapyard Ape, seenaymah, sfbob, sgary, Shahryar, sheddhead, Shifty18, shmuelman, shopkeeper, slowbutsure, smartcookienyc, smeesq, snoopydawg, snorwich, SnyperKitty, SoCalHobbit, sofia, soonergrunt, sostos, sowsearsoup, SpecialKinFlag, spmozart, spotDawa, SpotTheCat, StateofGrace, Statusquomustgo, stiffneck, sunbro, Super Grover, tallmom, Tay, tdslf1, teknospaz, theatre goon, The Eyewitness Muse, TheGeneral, TheStoopingRabbit, TigerMom, tiredofcrap, TomP, tonyahky, Toyotabob7, Treefrog, triciawyse, trs, trueblueliberal, ttanner, Tulsonian, Turn VABlue, Turtle Bay, Tyto Alba, uc booker, UncleCharlie, Unduna, Unforgiven, ursoklevar, USArmyParatrooper, VA02 femocrat, Vacationland, valadon, Vayle, Vetwife, vgranucci, waytac, webranding, weelzup, Wes Opinion, Whimsical Rapscallion, willy be frantic, willy mugobeer, Wood Dragon, wolfie1818, Wordsinthewind, Wreck Smurfy, x, xopher, yet another liberal, Zotz
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I found a program a decade or so ago that helped me play music from CDs, or my harddrive, or much later, from the internet. Winamp by Nullsoft. Not perfect, but nothing is, yet, but not bad and that is the one I learned first. It had a great visualization program that came with it, Milkdrop. Milkdrop tries to make a visual representation of the music you are listening to in realtime. Synesthesia, why would we want to create that program? Anyway, Milkdrop got better over time and the beat code is now near perfect. I spent much time pursuing the fantasy of becoming a Video Disk Jockey and I listened to music for many hours while trying to learn all the programs.
Winamp now has a subprogram, SHOUTcast, that gives you access to myriad internet radio stations from across the world. Every genre, every culture, every country. How cool is that? This was becoming the realization of my "then" fantasy that Music is the Universal Language that speaks to the non-verbal side of OUR brain where we can not misunderstand each other,.....more or less.
I started to listen to one radio station over the internet, Groove Salad from SOMA FM. An entire new Universe of musical ideas was exploding before my very ears, an eargasm. I soon flopped around the submenus of the Winamp program and noticed that I could Copy the name of the song [File]currently playing at Groove Salad and then paste it over in this new thing called You Tube, which even now is barely over 6 years old.
People from the whole world are posting music, and music videos, over at U2b. Some of this music is classic from 50 years ago or more. Some of course is classical compositions from before any of us were born and is the best in its class. Some is incredibly creative interpretations of some of those compositions.
Your Universe is now MUCH larger than you were afraid of before.
Before I forget, SOMA FM, is a collection of about a dozen internet radio stations that are commercial free, which means that we have to donate some of our money so that others can listen to them till they get their feet back under them. You know where the next $50 I save from not smoking is going. I can get a T-shirt that says "SOMA FM" and help keep them on the air. I mean really, they have an AI [artificial intelligence] DJ, there, announcing the songs, who comes on once a day or so and says "Every since I was a lowly little Pearl script, I have wanted to be a DJ on Soma radio" It is an inside joke for computer nerds but who cares. Whatever.
To summarize before this gets too leggy, this is a never ending story but we can now start to see that we are in control of the end chapters and we have the right, ..NO!.., the obligation, to determine the ending. From my tiny corner here I see that WE shall succeed.
This diary is not perfect, but I think it is OK enough.