Deneb Rhode

I am new at Xisto. I heard talk about of this forum, but initially I tought that was only for computer-related stuff and such. Now I finally decided to enter and found some great discussions around topics that were not only about computers. I am enjoying the forum very much--of course, I am new, I know, but i think the topics are very interesting and many of the opinions I have read were lucid and intelligent. In the part of tutorials I even found one about how to keep a fish bowl, what pleased me greatly. I saw that the tutorials are about many different things...In future I want to help with at least two about cooking--that simple tricks that we spend a entire half of our lifes wondering how to do and never do it right until someone teachs us. I want to share what I learned about in all these years. If the moderators/administrators allow me to put them online, I will do it ^^I am Deneb, a 33 years old female journalist (and cook in the spare time). I am from Brazil, and hope to enjoy this forum very much.Deneb

Recently I have looking for a laptop to me, but I noticed that most of them were imported--so utterly expensive, at least here in Brazil. Then I saw in the Internet that was possible to assemble a laptop of several pieces, as is common with desktop computers--the so-called "barebones". However, if is really possible, by some strange reason I don't see much of these "no-specific-brand" laptops being sold (and in the case of desktop computers, there are lots of them).I keep wondering if there's something that causes problems or malfunctioning in the assembling of a laptop made into a barebone--and even if I didn't have readed wrong the information that a laptop could be assembled into a barebone. I really would like to have a "pedigreed" laptop, but the prices here don't help: for a HP average laptop, I would pay the same that I could pay in two desktop computers.So...barebones are a good/possible idea in this case or not?Deneb

5-Skies of Arcadia (a.k.a Eternal Arcadia) A RPG that putted together a story of pirates/swashbucklers (that I love) amazing flying ships and air combats (RPG style, but I loved it), romance, comedy, drama, polictics, action, some sort of "polemic" stuff all of that wrapped into a marvellous musical score. Is wonderful \o/ 4-Metroid Prime: all was fun rebuilding the armor of Samus. I already finished the game several times and never got tired of it: indeed, in very annoying days (and my hay fever is giving me some lots of them), nothing better to relief tensions than made Samus fight again the "Beetle Bullfight". Game for brains and guns. 3- The Legend of Zelda series and Ogre Battle series: Yep, I couldn't choose what series i like it best. Zelda is Zelda, I still couldn't find a single bad game in all the series, I love to solve the puzzles, fight the battles and test my skills. Ogre battle was the amazing strategic series developed by Quest, about the polictical plots and bloody wars into the ancient lands of Zetegnia. One of the most intelligent stories I saw in games until today. 2- Harvest Moon: I love the farm/life simulation. Besides not all the games of the series were good (A Wonderful Life have several limitations and Save The Homeland was much graphics and few farming), the good HM games were *really* good indeed. I still didn't played the new one, "Harvest Moon: Magical Melody", but I am really saving money to get my disk or GameCube ^^ 1- Elite (version for MSX): Will be always the game of my heart. Is a spacecraft game, where the player assume the place of someone trying to make a life out interplanetary commerce. Not all the commerce was honest: itens such as slaves, drugs and firearms were available to sell and buy, and was also profits in attacking ships and stealing cargo (totally pirate-style). The playing world was enormous, nine galaxies with hundreds of visitable planets, each one with a distinct population. Was the choice of the player try to get rich walking the paths of a good citzen or not. I dream still today with a version of "Elite" for the modern consoles. Deneb

This is really a good solution: one of my cats uses the toilet and is a very good thing not to have to take the droppings to the garbage. She is not scared with the flush and even if there's a clean litterbox available, she still prefers to use the toilet. And yes, she never fell into the toilet, she have good balance. But this was spontaneous on her: she started acting like this by herself. I did not trained her (I don't know how to train: if I knew, I surely have trained the other 21 fellows of her to do the same. As I didn't, I still need lots of litterboxes--and lots of clay litter, of course).I keep wondering if is possible to train a dog to do the same. Dogs are easy to train...except in hygienical questions I have also two female dogs, love them really much, but I must admit: to clean the droppings of them is by far more disgusting than cleaning the cats litterboxes.Deneb

Chupacabra itself is a mythical creature. As Amanda said, just like the Bigfoot ^^But here in Brazil, the word "Chupacabra" gained a new meaning: is a gadget used by thieves of bank passwords, to steal passwords from the users of ATM terminals (and, of course, later steal their money in the accounts).As I saw in television, the thing is a strange electronic tool with many wires, that is attached to the bank ATM terminals. It uses to be really hidden (well, the thieves wo'nt want that everbody see what they are doing), but is still possible to find: indeed the father of a friend of mine found one at the ATM, instants before of entering his pasword.I confess I don't have any fear of the creature Chupacabras, but of these electronic Chupacabras that suck passwords from the bank, I really do have a huge fear! They can really bite my money, my accounts and even my credit cards if they catch me someday. Deneb

Is horrible, but I have seen worse things happening. In my country, at the celebrations os New Year's Day, I found the Emergency in the veterinary completely full, and several cases were dogs and cats with 3rd degree burns, most of them victims of fireworks launched TOWARDS or UPON them. Exactly: the people launch fireworks or tie alive animals to fireworks, and think is "funny" to see them jumping as the bombs explode.Is a brutal act, pure cruelty, and done by people that should be celebrating life...instead this, they decide to destroy the lifes of creatures that have not how to defend themselves. According to my veterinary, the people who does this kind of thing is not just made of teenagers, but also very grown-up people, married with children and such. Some of them also introduce the younger kids in this kind of "entertainment".And to consider: here the penalties for animal cruelty are really hard: to harm a dog, cat or bird is (in the law) crime punished with imprisionment and very heavy fines to the authors. But people STILL does these things. Horrible!Deneb

By some months by now I am being plagued by this stupid disease, and I found (yet) no way to get rid of it. I keep most of my time sneezing and with my eyes swollen. I am taking some medication to control it (cortico-steroids included) but I still saw no result.The worst part of all this is that many people that see me coughing and sneezing, try to blame my cats for my annoying health state, and saying that i should get rid of them. They don't deserve it! My cats are my beloved pets, and yes, I have tested for cat allergy and the response was negative, so I am NOT allergic to cats! I try to explain this to people and nobody listens to me, they pretend that I am talking in ancient Aramaic, and keep talking "ooooh, that's the proof that cats are a real danger to the health, look at yourself, poor creature!"What is causing my sneezes is another thing, and I still could not identify what could be. It has started with the end of the summer (second half of February) and is driving me nuts!!!I really HATE HAY FEVER!!! Deneb

The more strategic, the merrier ^^. can be RTS, I really enjoy games that make us think a lot, even the ones that, at a first glance look pretty simple. As example, I could remember the Ogre Battle series (unfortunately discontinued after Squaresoft have bought Quest), Harvest Moon series (most of them. I didn't liked A Wonderful Life and Save the Homeland. The other games of the serie, however, are really great), Pokem?n series (is VERY strategic, and is more backstage work than combat itself) and Advance Wars (I played really few, but was great ^^)And, of course, my favorite game of all the time: Elite! Living as a space pirate was amazing! There was strategy, FPS, money management, several weapons, lots of civilizations to visit...was great ^^ And to think that was a so old game, made for ZX-Spectrum (if my memory is not failing. I played it first at MSX, so to me is hard to remember the true origin)...but was so amazing, so strategic, so addicting...I miss really games like that oneDeneb