Open mind

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Posts by Open mind

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  26

  Site issues: Dec 30 Update

  by Simon in

  1. forum
  2. announcements

  first of all, some apologies - i had planned to spend the last couple of days getting everyone signed in to the new site and sorting account issues out but i wasn't getting over the flu as i thought, i got worse.

  i've probably had 4 hours sleep in the last few days.

  anything that requires too much thinking isn't going to happen right now.

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  Open mind

  I think Simon's just doing his part to discourage any more people moving to the Great White North!

  : )

  
  

  Take care of yourself Simon. 

  
  

  om
  
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  Testing to see if I can start a post at all

  by Open mind in

  1. jw
  2. friends

  i tried starting a thread with a picture of an irreverent nativity scene and i guess the hoooly spirit must have stopped it.. .

  now just seeing if i can start a thread at all.. .

  om.

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  Open mind

  Thanks, neverendingjourney,, for that tour down JW crazy-think memory lane.

  
  

  And thanks to TTATTElder for doing the picture testing.  I'm using Firefox and unable to post pix from my hard drive.  Maybe I'll give Chrome a whirl.

  
  

  om
  
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  10

  Testing to see if I can start a post at all

  by Open mind in

  1. jw
  2. friends

  i tried starting a thread with a picture of an irreverent nativity scene and i guess the hoooly spirit must have stopped it.. .

  now just seeing if i can start a thread at all.. .

  om.

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  Open mind

  Just bumping this for today's crowd.

  
  

  Has anyone been able to successfully post a picture from their hard drive directly to this site without going through a service like PhotoBucket?

  
  

  om
  
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  10

  Testing to see if I can start a post at all

  by Open mind in

  1. jw
  2. friends

  i tried starting a thread with a picture of an irreverent nativity scene and i guess the hoooly spirit must have stopped it.. .

  now just seeing if i can start a thread at all.. .

  om.

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  Open mind

  Yep. This worked.

  
  

  I'm using Firefox and trying to copy a photo from my hard drive. The site goes into an iterminable "upload".
  

  
  

  Any suggestions?

  
  

  om
  

  
  

  
  
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  10

  Testing to see if I can start a post at all

  by Open mind in

  1. jw
  2. friends

  i tried starting a thread with a picture of an irreverent nativity scene and i guess the hoooly spirit must have stopped it.. .

  now just seeing if i can start a thread at all.. .

  om.

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  Open mind

  Hello,

  
  

  I tried starting a thread with a picture of an irreverent nativity scene and I guess the Hoooly Spirit must have stopped it.

  
  

  Now just seeing if I can start a thread at all.

  
  

  om
  
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  36

  Site issues: Dec 27 Update

  by Simon in

  1. forum
  2. announcements

  here's the current status:.

  performance improvements have been made to make things slicker.. the "remember me" issue should now be fixed.. sign-in captcha can be affected by ad-blockers so consider disabling those.. sign-in email is case-sensitive - until i update this consider using your forum username instead.. ie stalls on "queued for processing" when posting a topic or reply but the post has been made (just navigate to active or refresh the topic if replying).. i will be working through issues today and contacting anyone who had sign-in issues to check if they still have problems.. many thanks again for your patience while we work through these teething problems..

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  Open mind

  Thx for the replies Simon and for all you do here.
  
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  36

  Site issues: Dec 27 Update

  by Simon in

  1. forum
  2. announcements

  here's the current status:.

  performance improvements have been made to make things slicker.. the "remember me" issue should now be fixed.. sign-in captcha can be affected by ad-blockers so consider disabling those.. sign-in email is case-sensitive - until i update this consider using your forum username instead.. ie stalls on "queued for processing" when posting a topic or reply but the post has been made (just navigate to active or refresh the topic if replying).. i will be working through issues today and contacting anyone who had sign-in issues to check if they still have problems.. many thanks again for your patience while we work through these teething problems..

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  Open mind

  Hi Simon. 

  
  First off, thank you so much for maintaining this site over the years.  It was an absolute mental lifeline for me when my JW blinders were first coming off. 

  
  

  I have a few questions about the new site format. If you've already done an FAQ thread for it, please point me in that direction.

  
  If not, here goes:

  1.   Are the Public vs. Private sections of the site a thing of the past?

  
  2.  I've noticed in poking around at various threads that a lot of the images seem to be gone.  Was that intentional? Example: moshe started a thread about a caption contest for some picture that had something to do with OUTLAW.  From the replies, the picture must have included a bear, but the picture isn't visible anymore.

  
  3. Is there any simple way to see more Threads per page?

  
  

  4.  Is there any way to see the exact date a thread was started?  Eg: I posted a thread the first day my wife openly started looking at anti-JW sites on the internet.  It's been a bit of a personal diary for me, but now all I can see is "Posted 5 years ago".

  Thanks again Simon for all your hard work here. 

  
  All the best to you and Angharad in 2015!

  om
  
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  35

  Where is Everyone????

  by truthlover in

  1. jw
  2. friends

  missing a lot of the oldies and goodies -- is this site so new, no one has signed on yet?

  i am confused... but then, i will have to wait and see what happens.. somehow - change is not the best option but we adjust..have most of the users gone to other locations?.

  tl.

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  Open mind

  Here!
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  14

  Encinitas Congregation Encinitas CA.

  by exwhyzee in

  1. jw
  2. friends

  anyone from that hall?.

  we attended a memorial for a long time friend there this past weekend.

  it was my first time in a kingdom hall since memorial 2008. as per usual, the people were lovely but the message had gaps and left me feeling somewhat blank and cold.

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  Open mind

  Wishing you and your wife the very best, whatever paths you choose.

  If you're ever popping through our area, we'd love to see you.

  om and ms. om

  Happy Festivus! (or whatever you do this time of year)
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  21

  Bicyclists

  by poppers in

  1. social
  2. physical

  i'm wondering what sort of biking shoes and pedals you are using.

  i'm a road biker, so i enjoy speed and distance riding, and am upgrading my shoes and pedals.

  anyone have experience with specialized road shoes with the boa stem?

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  Open mind

  Here's some bicycling wisdom from one of my favorite bike sites. They're stuff is really old and simple, but way too expensive for my budget. Maybe someday.

  http://www.rivbike.com/kb_results.asp?ID=60

  Tips for Happy Riding

  Learn right away that the front brake is the most effective one, and to never lock the front wheel in dirt (or on the road, but it's more likely in dirt). Learn how far you can lean over without scraping a pedal.

  Learn to keep the inside pedal UP when you corner, and learn to ride safely in all conditions. Be the master and commander of your own bicycle.

  Signal your approach to pedestrians, especially if they're old, and a bell is better than "On your left!" If no bell, try clacking your brake levers. If all you got is "On your left!" that's fine, but if you ride a lot on paths, get a bell.

  At least one ride in 10, go without your sunglasses and gloves. Sometime next month, put some double-sided cheap-style pedals on a good bike and ride in non-cycling garb. It works shockingly well, and sends a good message to would-be bicycle riders.

  Carry an extra tube you can give to somebody with a flat tire and just a repair kit.

  If you're a guy, don't try to be a mentor to every female cyclist you meet.

  Don't ride in shoes you can't walk through an antique shop in.

  Don't wear clothing that makes your sweat stink even more.

  Don't think you'll go faster in a significant way if you and your bike become more aerodynamic.

  Put a $20 bill inside your seat post or handlebar and hold it there, somehow.

  Don't ride until you're confident you can fix a flat.

  If you ride more than one bike, have a set of bring-along tools for each one. Learn how to remove your rear wheel (put the chain onto the small cog, etc.).

  If you ride in a group, bring food for you and somebody who forgot to.

  Go for a one-hour ride underdressed sometime, because it's good to be really cold on a bike every now and then.The reverse (overdressing in hot weather) is not necessary!

  Never blame your bike or your health or anything else if you're the last one up the hill or in to the rest stop.

  If your brake hoods are black, wrap your bars with a different color tape, so it doesn't look like a one-piece set-up.

  Never let your chain squeak.

  If you pass another rider going up a hill, say more than "Hi," but if it's a woman and you aren't, don't assume she wants to chit-chat. Treat her as you'd have a generic guy-rider treat your wife/daughter/girlfriend.

  If you're a woman and it's a guy, you can chit-chat all you like, they won't mind.

  If you see another rider approaching you from the rear and trying to catch you, let it happen. Fun is more important than fast.

  Don't put any cyclist up on a pedestal, except Lon and Freddie.

  Sometimes, bring normal food on your ride. Sometimes bring none. If you're reasonably well-rested and have eaten anything at all in the last eighteen hours (and are not diabetic), you should be able to pedal your bike for two to three hours without supercharging your system with carbohydrates. Believe it or not, carbs really do make you fat, and are necessary only for long, hard rides.

  Shoot photos on your rides and give them away.

  Feel comfortable mixing high tech and low tech, old and new parts and technologies, and don't apologize to anybody for it.

  Compliment other people's bikes, especially if they're new.

  Buy the cheapest helmet that fits well.

  Try seersucker shirts for hot weather riding, and long-sleeved ones are best.

  Don't underestimate fig bars. If you get a new widget and like it, don't "swear by it."

  Don't always shop by price and never ask for discounts at your local bike shop. Every time you go into a bike shop, spend at least $2, and if you ask a question and get good advice, spend $5.

  If you buy a rack, don't ask for free installation.

  Don't assume your bike shop is making money.

  Ride only when you feel like it.

  If you know a fast new rider, don't say, "You really ought to race."

  If you see a stocky woman rider, don't suggest she race track.

  Have at least one bike you feel comfortable riding in a downpour.

  Ride in weather that keeps other cyclers indoors.

  Never keep track of your pedaling cadence.

  If you have a normal loop or ride, count the number of times you shift on it; then the next time you ride it, cut that in half and see if it makes any difference.

  Learn to ride no-hands and to hop over obstacles, but not simultaneously.

  Never hit a pedestrian. In traffic, be visible and polite. Don't feel as though you must be a role model for all other riders; be polite for selfish reasons.

  If you have several bikes, set them up with different equipment but always ride the saddle you like best.

  Don't try to keep up with faster descenders if you're not comfortable descending.

  Never apologize for buying something that's not quite pro quality by saying, "I'm not going to race or anything."

  If you buy a stock bike, do something to it that makes it the only one exactly like it in the world.

  Don't think it's important to match front and rear hubs or rims.

  If you borrow somebody else's bike, for a short test or a long ride, say something nice about it.

  Always bring a pump.

  Build at least one wheel.

  Wear out something.

  Don't ever describe any bike, no matter how inexpensive or dilapidated, as "a piece of crap."

  If you get a fancy bike assembled by somebody else, allow them a scrape or two, especially if the bike is really expensive.

  *****************************

  om