I'm " Mail @ Jeff - Relf . ME " in Seattle, Early 2015, born in Seattle, 1960.
＜Here＞ is photo of Me.  ＜Here＞ is my location, in Seattle. 
＜My C# macros, to automate Visual Studio 2013＞
My Win8 Registry Settings to change font faces/sizes.
＜My ranking of Usenet authors＞.
The posts I read first, sorted by author:
  ＜Comp.OS.Linux.Advocacy＞, ＜Sci.Physics＞

＜My posts to Usenet ( since February, 2012 )＞.
■
How is it that older "black holes" are 
a thousand times more massive than the younger ones ?

SDSS J0100+2802's black hole weighs in at 12 billion solar masses.
It has a redshift (z) of 6.3; it's 12.9 giga·years old 
-- 900 million years after the Big Bang.

Astronomers have uncovered more than 200,000 of these "black holes" 
dating as far back as 700 million years after the Big Bang.

Gravity is equal and opposite to 
all other forms of "exergy" ( energy that can do work );
so, as other forms of exergy die, gravity dies with them.

The Universe is consuming eXergy --
same as you, me, and everyone/everything else.

As it does so, entropy increases --
i.e. everything smooths out, becoming less lumpy. 

As matter dissipates ( per entropy ), 
spacetime expands exponentially ( per General Relativity )
because spacetime is an extension of matter itself.

So your ＜past light cone＞ has a finite size, a beginning.

For those living near SDSS J0100+2802's
12 giga·solar·mass black hole, 12.9 giga·years ago,
the start of their past light cone ( their big bang )
began much earlier than the start of HUMANITY's big bang.

There's no way to prove it,
because you can't travel back in time;
still, it's sure to be true.

Einstein never believed in "black holes" and, now,
Steven Hawking doesn't either.

Quoting "Nature.COM", January 24, 2014, 
"Nature.COM/news/stephen-hawking-there-are-no-black-holes-1.14583": ＜＜

  Stephen Hawking: 'There are no black holes'.

  Notion of an 'event horizon', from which nothing can escape,
  is incompatible with quantum theory, physicist claims.  ＞＞

Dark Energy is just entropy.

  "wikipedia.org/wiki/Entropic_force" says: ＜＜

    Other fundamental forces have been 
    argued recently to be entropic in origin,
    including Coulomb's law, the electroweak 
    and strong forces, and dark matter and dark energy. ＞＞

  Quoting "arxiv.org//abs/1009.1506": ＜＜

    In Verlinde's entropic force scenario of gravity, 
    Newton's laws and Einstein equations can be obtained 
    from the first pinciples and general assumptions. ＞＞＜＜

    The numerical result also yields an accelerated 
    expanding universe without invoking any kind of dark energy.  ＞＞

The start of the known Universe, the start of the Big Bang,
is merely our (subjective) cosmic horizon.

There/Then the redshift (z) is infinite --
i.e. FROM OUR POINT OF VIEW, clocks there/then aren't ticking
and the good ol' yardstick is infinitely long,
so that everything there/then appears to have zero length.

From our point of view.

Way over there/then, it's a different story, of course.

For more details, see: ＜The Cosmological Horizon＞
■
What is the life of a bug worth ? ! not much.

Because humanity ·always· breeds exponentionally, like bugs,
crime, war, and mass·extinctions are inevitable.

This non-profit, educational torrent ( a video ) 
documents how man is melting 99% of the world's glaciers:

  Chasing Ice (2012) 720p BrRip x264 - YIFY

    National Geographic photographer James Balog 
    was once a skeptic about climate change. 
    But through his Extreme Ice Survey, he discovers...

  https://kickass.to/chasing-ice-2012-720p-brrip-x264-yify-t7888367.html

qBitTorrent downloads it for you.
Zoom Player Max ( $30 ) plays it.
■
"The Net interprets censorship as damage and routes around it."
-- John Gilmore, TIME magazine, December 1993.

Usenet is particularly good at "damage control", maybe the best.
John Gilmore created the alt.* hierarchy.

What's more, ·very· few know what Usenet is,
much less how to search it -- it's the original "dark net".
It was the first, 36 years ago, and it will be the last.

Recently, I paid Amazon $10 for an album.
At least one[*] of the songs is damaged; 
only the first few seconds will play.

  [ *: I add albums to my ( semi·random ) play list and, 
    slowly ( as they come up ), I delete any songs I don't like.
    I delete the file, not just the playlist entry. ]

To download the songs I paid for, I had to install Adobe Flash
and special Amazon software; even then, IE10 ( Windows 8 ) wouldn't do it.
Not so user·friendly, I think.

Since then, I uninstalled Adobe Flash and the Amazon software.
Never again will I buy a song from Amazon; silence is preferable.

As for "Obama" ( the FCC/net police ), law makers and the courts...

Today, the government controls the internet
by jailing those who run illegal websites.

For example, "ThePirateBay.SE" went offline
( and never fully recoverd ) after Fredik Neij was jailed.

Since then, "KickAss.TO" didn't just fill the void,
they became ·far· better than ThePirateBay ever was.
And so it goes, again and again; ever since Napster.

I want my ISP to give me an open line;
e.g. 100 mega·bits per second, unlimited giga·bytes.

I do ·not· want them going beyond that;
i.e. I don't want them to care about how I use the data.

In theory, that's what Obama's "net neutrality" law is about.
■
The future is just as fixed as the past.
Randomness is ignorance, nothing more, nothing less.

God is nature, nothing more, nothing less.
Science is the best religion.

Because the illusion of free·will requires ignorance,
people worship it ( ignorance ), clinging to the shadows.

For more details, see: ＜Einstein's religion, pantheism＞
■
In FireFox, my "Search-Bar" has 21 Search "Providers" ( i.e. methods ).  
  ＜screen·shot＞

To install one of the following search methods,
hit Ctrl·Shift·K ( to open the JavaScript Console ),
paste the JavaScript into the bottom line, then hit "Enter".

  Search for a Torrent ( KickAss.TO ):
    KickAss.TO/usearch/{searchTerms}/?field=time_add&sorder=desc
    javascript: window.external.AddSearchProvider("http://Jeff-Relf.Me/Kick.XML");
  
    [ Recent Comedy Shows:  KickAss.TO/tv/genre/comedy/ ]

  Search for a Torrent ( thePirateBay.SE ):
    thePirateBay.SE/search/{searchTerms}/0/3/0
    javascript: window.external.AddSearchProvider("http://Jeff-Relf.Me/pBay.XML");
  
  Search for a Torrent ( RarBg.COM ):
    RarBg.COM/torrents.php?search={searchTerms}
    javascript: window.external.AddSearchProvider("http://Jeff-Relf.Me/Rar.XML");

  Google, Google ranked:
    www.google.com/search?q= {searchTerms} &num=50
    javascript: window.external.AddSearchProvider("http://Jeff-Relf.Me/G.XML");
    
  Google, Last 3 Months, Google ranked:
    www.google.com/search?q= {searchTerms} &num=50&tbs=qdr:m3
    javascript: window.external.AddSearchProvider("http://Jeff-Relf.Me/rG.XML");
  
  Google WikiPedia:  
    www.google.com/search?q= {searchTerms} site:WikiPedia.ORG &num=50
    javascript: window.external.AddSearchProvider("http://Jeff-Relf.Me/Wiki.XML");
    
  Google images:  
    images.google.com/images?q= {searchTerms}
    javascript: window.external.AddSearchProvider("http://Jeff-Relf.Me/Images.XML");

  Google.DEFINE a word or term:  
    www.google.com/search?q= define:{searchTerms}
    javascript: window.external.AddSearchProvider("http://Jeff-Relf.Me/Spell.XML");

  Find a word or term in the "Urban" dictionary:  
    UrbanDictionary.COM/define.php?term= {searchTerms}
    javascript: window.external.AddSearchProvider("http://Jeff-Relf.Me/U.Dict.XML");

  Find a word or term in a normal dictionary:  
    Dictionary.COM/search?q= {searchTerms}
    javascript: window.external.AddSearchProvider("http://Jeff-Relf.Me/Dictionary.XML");
    
  Thesaurus:
    Thesaurus.COM/search?q= {searchTerms}
    Thesaurus.XML

  Google a YouTube video:  
    www.google.com/search?q= {searchTerms} site:youtube.com &num=50
    javascript: window.external.AddSearchProvider("http://Jeff-Relf.Me/YouTube.XML");

  Google Newspapers:
    news.google.com/news/search?q= {searchTerms}&scoring=n
    javascript: window.external.AddSearchProvider("http://Jeff-Relf.Me/nG.XML");

  Google.MAPS:
    maps.google.com/maps?q= {searchTerms}
    javascript: window.external.AddSearchProvider("http://Jeff-Relf.Me/GM.XML");

  Google MicroSoft ( for help ):
    www.google.com/search?q= {searchTerms} site:microsoft.com
    javascript: window.external.AddSearchProvider("http://Jeff-Relf.Me/MicroSoft.XML");

  IP to City/Domain 1:
    http://whatismyipaddress.com/ip/{searchTerms}
    javascript: window.external.AddSearchProvider("http://jeff-relf.me/IP.1.XML");

  IP to City/Domain 2:
    http://www.infosniper.net/index.php?ip_address={searchTerms}
    javascript: window.external.AddSearchProvider("http://Jeff-Relf.Me/IP.2.XML");

  Google "Alt.Free.Newsservers" (a Usenet newsgroup), Last 2 Weeks, newest first:  
    groups.google.com/forum/#!topicsearchin/Alt.Free.Newsservers/{searchTerms}|sort:date
    javascript: window.external.AddSearchProvider("http://Jeff-Relf.Me/GG.XML");

  Find post by its Message·ID ( it seldom works ):
    groups.google.com/forum/#!search/messageid:{searchTerms}
    javascript: window.external.AddSearchProvider("http://Jeff-Relf.Me/G+mID.XML");
■
Sex is overrated.
"Wives" are too expensive and hookers will kill you for a cigarette.
■
My Logitech g600 mouse has 39 logical "Buttons".
I control them using This is Lua script, and "Logitech Gaming Software".
■
"War and Crime" is about breeding more than the next guy;
and, for that, you need guns.  It's (ugly) evolution.
"Arrogant, Breeding Morons" are vicious animals.
■
When running my source code, it looks like this:
[ 3840 x 2160, Windows 8 ]

 · Fast/Mindless Monoply, · Fast/Mindless Chess,
 · The Console/Keyboard, · Reversi, · Solitair, · Mario.
//  //  //  //
  
＜X.CPP, Visual C++ 2013, x64＞ produces, ＜X.EXE＞,
my Windows 8 "Start Button", "terminal/console", newsReader,
email·client, web/image downloader/viewer, backup/diff utility,
"Chess, Uki, Mario, Solitair, Monopoly" games, etc.

The "help/settings file" is ＜Here＞.

"MS Mincho", with "DejaVu LGC Sans Mono" and "nSimSun" exceptions,
are the "Unicode Console" fonts -- required.
If they don't exist, warnings are issued using "Consolas" ( Vista ).
//  //  //  //  

＜DirectX.CPP, Visual C++ 2013, x64＞ is a small (one-file)
example of how to:
· Make all Fonts/Glyphs the same width (double·width is allowed).
· Rescale Graphics/Glyphs when a window changes size.
· Use DirectX 11.1, Direct2D 1.1, DirectWrite, and Direct3D.
· Draw to a back buffer at a high fps (frames per second).
· Draw properly scaled/smoothed .JPG files, hardware accelerated.
· Draw to/from/within bitmaps.
· Discover if a font exists or not ("FindFamilyName()").
· Discover if a glyph exists in a font ("HasCharacter()").
· Discover the width/height of a glyph ("GlyphWH()").

Your startup folder should have, e.g., "Pics/LowRes.JPG" ( 100px wide/tall ) 
and "Pics/Chess.PNG" ( a 3840 x 2160 screenshot, Jeff-Relf.Me/Chess.PNG ).
All coordinates are in hard⋅pixels (D2D1_UNIT_MODE_PIXELS).

Note: This code needs Windows 8 or later.

"MS Mincho", "DejaVu LGC Sans Mono", "nSimSun", and "Arial Unicode MS" 
are the fonts being tested.
All but Arial are "Unicode Console" fonts.

＜A 3840 x 2160 ScreenShot＞. 

To record "debug/WM_*" messages, use ＜Debug.CPP＞.

"X.EXE", above, is a more complex, yet still simple, example.
■
To change the location of the special "Documents"[*] folder...
[ *: a.k.a. "My Documents", a.k.a. "Personal" ]

See, "http://Jeff-Relf.Me/Win_8_.REG.TXT".  

;  Use Short, Friendly Paths, all under "C:\__" ( Home ).
;
;  First, "Right·Click Properties -> Location -> Move" each special folder.
;
;  Make Sure "MyDocumentsLocation", "Shell Folders"/"Personal",
;  and "User Shell Folders"/"Personal" ( below ) agree with each other.

;  The line, below, is for Visual Studio 2013.
[HKEY_CURRENT_USER\Software\Microsoft\VisualStudio\12.0]
"MyDocumentsLocation"="C:\\__\\Sys"
"VisualStudioLocation"="C:\\__\\Sys\\AppData\\VisStudio"

[HKEY_CURRENT_USER\Software\Microsoft\Windows\CurrentVersion\Explorer\Shell Folders]
"Startup"="C:\\__\\Startup"
"SendTo"="C:\\__\\SendTo"
"AppData"="c:\\__\\Sys\\AppData"
"Local AppData"="C:\\__\\Sys\\AppData"
"Local Settings"="C:\\__\\Sys"
"Local AppDataLow"="C:\\__\\Sys\\AppData\\LocalLow"
"Cache"="C:\\__\\Sys\\AppData\\IE-Tmp"
"Desktop"="C:\\__\\Sys\\AppData\\Desktop"
"PrintHood"="C:\\__\\Sys\\AppData\\PrintHood"
"NetHood"="C:\\__\\Sys\\AppData\\NetHood"
"Cookies"="C:\\__\\Sys\\AppData\\Cookies"
"Recent"="C:\\__\\Sys\\AppData\\Recent"
"Start Menu"="C:\\__\\Sys\\AppData\\Start Menu"
"Programs"="C:\\__\\Sys\\AppData\\Programs"
"History"="C:\\__\\Sys\\AppData\\History"
"Templates"="C:\\__\\Sys\\AppData\\Templates"
"Favorites"="C:\\__\\Sys\\AppData\\-Crap-"
"My Pictures"="C:\\__\\Sys\\AppData\\-Crap-"
"My Music"="C:\\__\\Sys\\AppData\\-Crap-"
"My Video"="C:\\__\\Sys\\AppData\\-Crap-"
"Personal"="C:\\__\\Sys"
"{A520A1A4-1780-4FF6-BD18-167343C5AF16}"="C:\\__\\Sys\\AppData\\LocalLow"
"{374DE290-123F-4565-9164-39C4925E467B}"="c:\\__\\Downloads"

[-HKEY_CURRENT_USER\Software\Microsoft\Windows\CurrentVersion\Explorer\User Shell Folders]
[HKEY_CURRENT_USER\Software\Microsoft\Windows\CurrentVersion\Explorer\User Shell Folders]
"Startup"="C:\\__\\Startup"
"SendTo"="C:\\__\\SendTo"
"AppData"="c:\\__\\Sys\\AppData"
"Local AppData"="C:\\__\\Sys\\AppData"
"Local Settings"="C:\\__\\Sys"
"Local AppDataLow"="C:\\__\\Sys\\AppData\\LocalLow"
"Cache"="C:\\__\\Sys\\AppData\\IE-Tmp"
"Desktop"="C:\\__\\Sys\\AppData\\Desktop"
"PrintHood"="C:\\__\\Sys\\AppData\\PrintHood"
"NetHood"="C:\\__\\Sys\\AppData\\NetHood"
"Cookies"="C:\\__\\Sys\\AppData\\Cookies"
"Recent"="C:\\__\\Sys\\AppData\\Recent"
"Start Menu"="C:\\__\\Sys\\AppData\\Start Menu"
"Programs"="C:\\__\\Sys\\AppData\\Programs"
"History"="C:\\__\\Sys\\AppData\\History"
"Templates"="C:\\__\\Sys\\AppData\\Templates"
"Favorites"="C:\\__\\Sys\\AppData\\-Crap-"
"My Pictures"="C:\\__\\Sys\\AppData\\-Crap-"
"My Music"="C:\\__\\Sys\\AppData\\-Crap-"
"My Video"="C:\\__\\Sys\\AppData\\-Crap-"
"Personal"="C:\\__\\Sys"
"{A520A1A4-1780-4FF6-BD18-167343C5AF16}"="C:\\__\\Sys\\AppData\\LocalLow"
"{374DE290-123F-4565-9164-39C4925E467B}"="c:\\__\\Downloads"
■
In Windows 8, "High Contrast" themes (skins) are
the "easiest"[*] way to change the colors of your apps and such.
[ *: it's easier then WindowsStyleBuilder, but not easy ]

Normally, I use this Theme:

   Jeff-Relf.Me/_Best_.Theme.TXT

For the Control Panel, I use this Theme:

   Jeff-Relf.Me/_Control_Panel_.Theme.TXT

To switch Themes, I use the drop·down "toolbar" ( menu )
that I added to my taskbar ( set to my "C:\__\TaskBar\" folder ).
So far, it has:  ＜＜

  _Best_.Theme
  _Control_Panel_.Theme
  reStart File Explorer  .LNK
    
    cmd /C "taskkill /f /im explorer.exe && start explorer.exe"

  Win_8_.REG  ( Jeff-Relf.Me/Win_8_.REG.TXT )
  X  .LNK   ( Jeff-Relf.Me/X.HTM )   ＞＞

With my themes, you must tell IE ( Internet Explorer 10 )
to NOT use Windows colors ( Internet Options -> General -> Colors ).

Also, in "Internet Options -> General -> Accessibilty",
use this style sheet: ＜＜

  :Not(#▲) { -ms-high-contrast-adjust: none !important;  }  ＞＞

FireFox ·will· display background images in websites,
provided you modify the source code... good times.

But, this is fine with me, because my "userContent.CSS"
changes ·all· the colors of ·all· websites.

This borks websites, as you can imagine; so I make 
"@-moz-document" exceptions[*] and/or click "View in IE".
To see my changes to "userContent.CSS", I click a "ReStart FireFox" button.

[ *: it aint easy, see "Jeff-Relf.Me/userContent.CSS.TXT".

  "^(?!https?://[^.]*?.google).*" matches non·Google URL's.

  ＜＜  Float: None !important;  Position: Static !important;  ＞＞
  stops shit from overlapping, blocking stuff behind it.
  Google Maps, and Google's fly·out menus, can't have this style/CSS. ]

  "^(?!)" means: "Any URL that doesn't start like this".

  "https?" matches "http" and "https".
  Here, the "?" matches "one or less" "s" letters.

  "[^.]*?" matches "www" and "map", i.e. the sub·domain, before the dot.
  Here, the "?" stops the "[^.]*" from being "greedy";
  otherwise, the parser might skip past the first match.

  Note, '^' and '?' have MULTIPLE uses, depending on the context.  ]
■
"Mass" is dissipating and, with it, space·time too.
This is called "Entropy" ( heat/energy that can NOT do work ).

As General Relativity shows, space and time are defined by
the distribution of "mass" ( the stress·energy tensor ).

Entropy ratchets up as "eXergy"
( heat/energy that CAN do work ) is consumed.

So "Lambda|Dark Energy" is just entropy.

Also, "Cold Dark Matter" (CDM) is just "unseen mass".

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Lambda-CDM_model
■
The best code ( for me, and only me ) 
is the code I designed and wrote myself.

As a programmer, text comparison is like water;
i.e. it's an essential, -daily- thing.
So I wrote my own diff routines ( X.EXE ).

Diff scans ( comparing "Tokens"[*] ) from four directions
at once ( top, bottom, left and right ), using 8 pointers.
[ *: "Lines" in files, and/or "Words" in lines ]

At it's heart, and right off the bat, it skips past
the unchanged part at the beginning and ends.
I call this "the Pinch".

Then it "peels off" ( and logs ) the differences at the ends...
stopping when it finds two matching Tokens...
Pinching and Peeling, from the edges to the middle.

The resulting logs are then sorted and printed...
both the lines in the files and the words in the lines...
green for the new stuff, red for the deleted stuff.

Although the algorithm is simple, the finer deatials are not.
Nothing in the upper half can match anything in the lower half,
for example; "a b" is not equal to "b a" -- it's been shuffled.

＜Here＞ is some example output.

The core of it looks like this:

LnP F, _F ;  LnA BBx, EEx, _BBx, _EEx, BB_Sync, EE_Sync, _BB_Sync, _EE_Sync ;

#define Same？  ( F && _F && Eq( F, _F ) )

#define  Same⋁Sync   ( Data⋁( F, EEx, EE  ), Data⋁( _F, _EEx, _EE  ), Same？ )
#define  Same⋀Sync   ( Data⋀( F, BBx, BB  ), Data⋀( _F, _BBx, _BB  ), Same？ )

#define  Same⋁Pinch  ( Data⋁( F, BBx, EE  ), Data⋁( _F, _BBx, _EE  ), Same？ )
#define  Same⋀Pinch  ( Data⋀( F, EEx, BBx ), Data⋀( _F, _EEx, _BBx ), Same？ )

#define EoFS_Dwn  ( S = BB_Slow <= EE_Slow, _S = _BB_Slow <= _EE_Slow, F = BB_Fast <= EE_Fast, _F = _BB_Fast <= _EE_Fast )
#define EoFS_Up   ( S = EE_Slow >= BB_Slow, _S = _EE_Slow >= _BB_Slow, F = EE_Fast >= BB_Fast, _F = _EE_Fast >= _BB_Fast )
#define Top_Fast  ( BB_Fast = BB_Slow, _BB_Fast = _BB_Slow )
#define Bot_Fast  ( EE_Fast = EE_Slow, _EE_Fast = _EE_Slow )
          
Data⋁( LnP &P, LnA &PP, LnA EE ) { while( ( P = ++PP >= EE ? 0 : *PP ) && !*P );  }
Data⋀( LnP &P, LnA &PP, LnA BB ) { while( ( P = --PP <  BB ? 0 : *PP ) && !*P );  }

int SyncDwn( LnA BB, LnA EE, LnA _BB, LnA _EE ) {
  BB_Sync = EEx = BB, _BB_Sync = _EEx = _BB, EEx--, _EEx-- ;  return Same⋁Sync && Same⋁Sync ;   }

int SyncUp( LnA BB, LnA EE, LnA _BB, LnA _EE ) {
  EE_Sync = BBx = EE, _EE_Sync = _BBx = _EE ;  return Same⋀Sync && Same⋀Sync ;   }

Pinch( LnA BB, LnA EE, LnA _BB, LnA _EE ) { 
  BBx = BB - 1, _BBx = _BB - 1 ;  while ( Same⋁Pinch );
  EEx = EE,     _EEx = _EE ;      while ( Same⋀Pinch );  EEx++, _EEx++ ;  }

Peel( LnA BB, LnA EE, LnA _BB, LnA _EE ) { int rv, Top, Bot, S, _S, F, _F ;  LnP t, _t ;
  LnA  BB_Slow, _BB_Slow,  BB_Fast, _BB_Fast,   EE_Slow, _EE_Slow, EE_Fast, _EE_Fast ;
  Top = Bot = 0, BB_Slow = BB, _BB_Slow = _BB, EE_Slow = EE, _EE_Slow = _EE, Top_Fast, Bot_Fast ;
  ·Top:    if ( Top ) goto ·Bot ;  EoFS_Dwn ;  if ( !S && !_S ) { Top = 1, BB_Sync = 0 ; goto ·Bot ;  }
  if ( F && _S ) if ( SyncDwn( BB_Fast, EE, _BB_Slow, _EE ) ) { Top = 1 ; goto ·Bot ;  } else BB_Fast++ ;
  if ( S && _F ) if ( rv = SyncDwn( BB_Slow, EE, _BB_Fast, _EE ) ) { Top = 1 ; goto ·Bot ;  } else _BB_Fast++ ;
  if ( EoFS_Dwn, !( F && _S || S && _F ) ) BB_Slow += S, _BB_Slow += _S, Top_Fast ;
  ·Bot:    if ( Bot ) goto Skip ;  EoFS_Up ;  if ( !S && !_S ) { Bot = 1, EE_Sync = 0 ; goto ·Top ;  }
  if ( F && _S ) if ( SyncUp( BB, EE_Fast, _BB, _EE_Slow ) ) { Bot = 1 ; goto ·Top ;  } else EE_Fast-- ;
  if ( S && _F ) if ( rv = SyncUp( BB, EE_Slow, _BB, _EE_Fast ) ) { Bot = 1 ; goto ·Top ;  } else _EE_Fast-- ;
  if ( EoFS_Up, !( F && _S || S && _F ) ) EE_Slow -= S, _EE_Slow -= _S, Bot_Fast ;
        
  Skip:
  if ( Top && Bot ) {
    if ( !BB_Sync && !EE_Sync ) BB_Sync = EE, _BB_Sync = _EE, EE_Sync = EE, _EE_Sync = _EE ;
    else if ( !BB_Sync ) BB_Sync = EE_Sync, _BB_Sync = _EE_Sync ;
    else if ( !EE_Sync ) EE_Sync = BB_Sync, _EE_Sync = _BB_Sync ; return ;  }    goto ·Top ;  }
■
Console2, a better "DOS Console",
runs CMD.EXE in the background, like a daemond.

Console2 works well with Unicode,
provided you tell -both- the default DOS console 
and Console2 to use the "DejaVu Sans Mono" font.

Japanese glyphs work too,
despite the fact that DejaVu doesn't have them.

But you must change Windows' Registry first:

  ; ReBoot to effect any change to "HKEY_LOCAL_MACHINE".
  [HKEY_LOCAL_MACHINE\SOFTWARE\Microsoft\Windows NT\CurrentVersion\Console\TrueTypeFont]
  "0"="DejaVu Sans Mono"

Also, "7z.EXE" ( like Zip.EXE ) works well with Unicode.

With every invocation of CMD, "Init-CMD.BAT" runs; to wit:

  > @chcp 65001
  > @prompt $P$_$g

  [HKEY_CURRENT_USER\Software\Microsoft\Command Processor]
  "autorun"="C:\\__\\_Source\\Init-CMD.BAT"

Console2's settings are stored in "Console.XML",
which I edit by hand, using Visual Studio 2013,
my text editor; like this:
 
  ... rows="115" columns="143" ... 

  font name="DejaVu Sans Mono" size="14" 
     bold="0" italic="0" smoothing="2"

    color use="1" r="222" g="111" b="111"

Console2 settings for my 185 dpi 
( set to 144 dpi ) 4K/UHD monitor:
http://jeff-relf.me/Console.XML.TXT
■
Lots of people are on uppers, like Caffeine or Adderall.
Lots of people.

As a result, they blabber on·and·on about themselves,
without the slightest concern about their audience.
Truly, they don't know their audience.

If they were TV's, you'd switch the channel;
but, because they're people, you think up excuses/lies,
-- anything to exit, without offending.
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-- On ＜Usenet＞ --
Please don't help "Eternal-Noobs.Orgy" censor out
"Content-Type: Text/HTML; charset=UTF-8" posts.

Mixing Fonts is -not- a crime.
WikiPedia and CraigsList allow -Simple- HTML.

Consolas is my text font but, beyond that,
I use "MS Mincho"; ScreenShot: http://Jeff-Relf.Me/X.PNG

Low·Cost, Text·Only servers are 
the fastest and most reliable; to wit:

  http://usenet.blueworldhosting.com
  http://glorb.com/usenet.php

When not overloaded, 
$5/life binary servers are good too; to wit:
  usNews.BlockNews.NET:119, News.US.Usenet-News.NET:119

If you don't download binaries, it's more than enough gigs. 
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My "Jeff-Relf.Me" domain·name costs me $20+ per year, paid to GoDaddy.
＜cPanel hosting＞[*] costs me $30 per year, paid to "PacificHost.COM".
[ *: http://www.pacifichost.com/web-hosting.shtml ]

cPanel allows unlimited, "Catch-All" email addresses ( aliases );
e.g. "Usenet＠＠Jeff-Relf.Me".
[ To set it up, just ask me or PacificHost
  http://www.pacifichost.com/contact-us.shtml ]

That's unlimited "transfer" ( gigabytes ), unlimited disk storage,
unlimited sub·domains, password·protected folders,
＜yaml filtering ( to block select email aliases )＞[*], etc.
[ *: http://Jeff-Relf.Me/filter.yaml.TXT ]
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The peer-to-peer nature of the Internet, BitTorrent, 
Usenet and email, is what makes them so robust.

Multiple clients accessing a single server
does little to negate that fact.

When you've got 10 servers to chose from,
and when you can run your own server, if you want,
the loss of any one server doesn't matter so much.

Peer-to-Peer is robust; 
Usenet is nearly indestructible.
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My ( now ex ) wife wanted more kids ( six, in fact ),
and I did not ( I was done at two ); so she divorced me,
took money ( for child support ) and married her new lover
( because he was a "good Mormon" and I was an atheist ).

I decided I wouldn't be her slave, (Child Support) laws be damned.
[ Note: Child Support laws are good, I just fucked up, badly ]

Lesson learned: If they can take it from you, it isn't really yours.
Money and kids aren't really yours.
Dreams, Skills and Free Time matter more.
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Some of the Usenet threads/topics I've been in:
  ＜Alt.Free.Newsservers＞, ＜News.Software.Readers＞,
  ＜Comp.OS.Linux.Advocacy＞, ＜Sci.Physics＞

＜Here＞ is my web presence, last 3 Months, Google ranked, not by date.
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Photos of my rooming house ( I'm the manager ):
  Front of House, Back, Bath, the Kitchen, a Room.
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I don't need a jet to get "jet lag".

If, today, I sleep from 6 AM to 2 PM;
then, likely, it'll be 9 AM to 5 PM next week.
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Once, I could use Google to see who was talking about me... no longer.

Usenet is like those "Bum Fight" videos, it's a free for all.
As such, it's not worth indexing; in contrast, Wikipedia ·is· worth indexing
-- Google likes it, because it's moderated, filtered.

So Google has been pulling out of the "Usenet search" thing, slowly;
worse, no one wants to take their place... no one.

Effectively, Google now confines your search to a particular newsgroup.
But it only tells you what thread you're in, not where in the thread,
and it's sorted by the age of the thread's most recent post.

You can use Google Groups to point to a Usenet article, like this:

  https://groups.google.com/forum/#!original/News.Software.Readers/dId7J3Kp3Hk/01ZkN9-Q8vUJ

Which is a link to the source, header and all, unformatted.

But, when you hit the big "Back Arrow" button,
it places you on the proper article, in the thread/topic,
properly formatted, on the proper page of the thread/topic ! !

It's so slow ( the JavaScript ), FireFox asks me if I want to continue.

Search by Message-ID never really worked,
and you can't really seach all of Usenet ( it's VERY poorly indexed ),
but you can still find/link to your articles, in your newsgroups.

Articles that spawn a huge thread/topic, lots of replies,
are more likely to be indexed, so they appear in a normal Google Search.
Few posts meet that criteria, so don't get your hopes up.

Low·Cost, Text·Only servers are the fastest and most reliable; to wit:

  ＜Blue World Hosting＞

When not overloaded, ＜some binary servers＞[*] are good too; for $5/life,
you get more than enough gigs, assuming you don't download binaries.
[ *: "usNews.BlockNews.NET:119" and "News.US.Usenet-News.NET:119" ]
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Usenet isn't WikiPedia or CraigsList, so Google doesn't fully index it.

Apparently, the first post of a long/interesting thread is well indexed.

You can improve a Google search by 
limiting yourself to more recently indexed pages.

Take, for example, ＜This Search＞[*].
[* "Jeff Relf" on the web, last 3 months, Google ranked ]

   Note the URL:

     Google.COM/search?q= "Jeff-Relf.ME" | "Jeff Relf" &num=50&tbs=qdr:m3&filter=0
       
       Links to my website (Jeff-Relf.ME) are boosted above "Jeff Relf".
       "|" means "OR".
       "filter=0" shows more results; duplicates are NOT filtered out.

       "tbs=qdr:m3" gives me the last 3 Months, Google ranked.
       Nicely, the "indexed date" is listed for each search result.

Search Usenet, last 2 Weeks, like this:

  Google.COM/groups/search?q= "Jeff Relf" &num=50&sitesearch=google.com&scoring=d&as_qdr=w2
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I close apps I'm not using, to free my mind;
don't even want them "pinnned" to the taskbar, as icons.

I never see the "Start Screen" ( Windows 8, Metro ); I boot to
the desktop where only X.EXE greets me, instead of the start button ( Win7 ).
I re·boot once every few months, I suppose.  My 30 watt, full-size desktop PC
is diskless and fanless, including a 500 watt fanless power·supply.

My app launcher/toolbar now ·TOTALLY· stops newly launched apps
from stealing the "foreground" ( i.e. the keyboard/mouse focus )
and blinding me with that nasty "Black to White", bright flash.

For a taste (yuck!), see below. "⏉Win" is the Top·Most window.

  #define ⏉modeOn  ( prev＠⏉ = ⏉mode = 1, ⏉most( HWND_TOPMOST ) )

  #define Norm  ( ⏉mode = 0, ⏉most( HWND_NOTOPMOST ) )  // No Top Most.

  #define ⏉most( TM )  (  \
    SetWindowPos( Win, TM, 0,0,0,0, SWP_NOMOVE | SWP_NOSIZE ),  \
    LockSetForegroundWindow( TM == HWND_TOPMOST ? LSFW_LOCK : LSFW_UNLOCK ) )

  #define ⏉  SetForegroundWindow(Win)

  #define ＠⏉  ( _＠⏉ = ( ⏉Win = GetForegroundWindow() ) && Win == ⏉Win )

My launcher must rapidly request the Foreground, 30 times a second;
otherwise, Windows takes it from me without notice, the fucker.
 
  Windows tells me that I've lost the keyboard/mouse AFTER the fact,
  not before, so I have to bombard it with SetForegroundWindow() ASAP.
  This seems wrong, of course, but I see no alternative.

Moving the cursor to Win8's taskbar stops this "Top·Most, Bombarding",
giving me easy access to my newly launched app, sans White·Flash.
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« Jeff Relf was the programmer for the project and 
  contributed to the design of administrative processes. »
  −− BankExec™ 2013 Decision Manual (PDF)

To this day, and beyond, I'm coding BankExec™.  21 years now.
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FireGestures JavaScript to magnify images 1.667 times

" var node = FireGestures.sourceNode ;
  if ( ! ( node instanceof HTMLImageElement ) )  return ;
  node.width *= 1.66666667 ;  ".

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Who I am ( Personal info )

I was born in Seattle at the start of 1960.

My dad, after being a WWII pilot ( catching the very end of it )
became a tool and die maker, first in partnership with Jeff Fluke,
later on the team that designed and built the 747.

My dad's dad ( Gerald Relf ) was a banker for the Federal Reserve.
Back in the day ( in Seattle, 1940 ), 
bankers sat around a table and exchanged each bank's bags.

My mom's dad ( Robert Grass ) was a Washington state senator
and a lawyer, working out of what was, at the time,
the tallest building west of the mississipi, the Smith Tower.

Seattle has always been a boom/bust town
and Boeing had hit hard times in 1971,
people were leaving en masse.

Also, being Mormons, my dad felt the Seattle/University drug scene
had engulfed two of his kids... one of my brothers is/was
a paranoid schizophrenic... so, in 1972, he moved us to Utah.

My first programming was on HP/TI calculators starting around 1973-74.
By 1976, I was programming the HP 67 with it's magnetic strips.

Me ( Jeff Relf ), back in 1976, when I was 16 ( Orem Utah ).
My mom, dad ( Bill ), and a brother ( Pete, age 18 ), in 1976 ( Orem Utah ).

My dad's mom ( age 73 ) holding her GREAT·grand·daughter, in 1976 ( Seattle ).
My sole sister ( Diana, then 22, Seattle ) and her first daughter.

My brother ( Bill Jr. ) born in Seattle, 1956, in Provo Utah.

Here is a photo of Sarah ( Wallace ) Pruse ( my friend )
visiting her daughters, Gianna and Ginette.
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Work:
    
  JianXin Huang < HarryQH< @> HotM Ξ ail . COM >  // Seattle
  ChipH<@>UW . EDU  //  Tucson
  TSchrank<@>ABA . COM  //  Washington DC

Family:
    
  Diana ( Relf ) Harkcom < dHarkcom <@> gM Ξ ail.COM >  //  Kirkland WA
  Peter.Relf<@>EMC . COM  // Sandy Utah

Friends:
    
  Melaney Petty < Spam4mel<@>gM Ξ ail . COM >  // Seattle
  Sarah ( Wallace ) Pruse < ICantForTheLifeOfMe<@>Ya Ξ hoo . COM >  // Tampa
  Michael Brickler < MBrick02<@>Ya Ξ hoo . COM >  //  Eagle-Rock VA  24085
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