In honor of Dr Kenneth Jernigan

As you may know my wife Terra has been participating in the American Cancer societies relay for life. I didn't get involved because I decided I could be more affective helping her raise donations etc. Now though the time is at hand and we decided both of us would participate in the event.
I wanted to do something different increase awareness concerning blindness and at the same time assist in the fight against cancer. Two great causes under one banner.
I found an affective way to unite

the causes by sharing with you the arbituary of one of the most influential men of our time especially in the area of civil rights for the blind.
Check it out.
https://www.kintera.org/faf/donorReg/donorPledge.asp?ievent=171407&lis=0&kntae171407=848459FAA6394704ABA4341DAF089D45&supId=149734618

God Bless:
Mike

Monday night football oops!

I joined a football pool this year, it's a free one has prizes and is lots of fun. Unfortunately the Atlanta Falcons didn't even come to play last night Saints 23 Falcons 03 yikes! So close and so far away, Even though my team didn't win I could've gotten a point for picking the right score. I picked 27 the score was 26--guess some things just aren't meant to be.
I did pretty well overall for the week I picked 10 winners my loosing picks were buffalo, Atlanta,Detroit and Arizona. I have picked 30 winners and 16 loosers overall which isn't bad. but I'd have been happier if Atlanta had at least made a game of it. The scarriest game was Cleeveland Baltimore but the Ravens pulled it out. It took a while forthe offense to get warmed up but it finally happened.
Speaking of offense, do you need more traffic at your website?
Here's my favorite offensive weapon, it will get your offense off the ground in a real hurry
http://www.trafficswarm.com/go.cgi?521323
My website http://www.mikesmaze.net
Used traffic swarm to start the ball rolling, we've been online since June 15 and we're generating on average about 1,200 a day in visitors, some days we have 3000 or more our lowest day is about 750.
I remember not to long ago 400 visitors was an excellent day!
Now traffic swarm can't take all or even most of the credit but they helped us get on the ground running!
So if you need web visitors to your site check it out.
Also again don't forget to join my search chip friends!
http://www.searchchips.com/its_mike

God Bless:
Mike

New and improved! it's search chips!

Remember I mentioned a site I've won some prizes at called search chips?
http://www.searchchips.com/its_mike
Anyway they have changed, now in addition to winning instant fandango movie tickets and Amazon gift certificates they are giving away some great rewards in exchange for points their members acrue.
Here's what you can win or earn as stated at the site
What you can winAmazon Gift Certificate (0 Chips)Instant Win - Amazon.com gift certificates are the perfect solution for any specialoccasion. From celebrating birthdays, graduations and weddings to inspiring...More detailsFandango Gift Certificate (0 Chips)Instant Win - Fandango Bucks is the best way to give the gift of movies! You canuse them on Fandango.com toward the purchase of any movie, any...More detailsIpod Shuffle (6,000 Chips)Time to mix things up. Meet iPod shuffle, the unpredictable new iPod. What will itplay next? Can it read your mind? Can it read...More detailsIpod Nano (10,000 Chips)Take everything you love about iPod and shrink it. Now shrink it again. The pencil-thiniPod nano packs the entire iPod experience into an impossibly...More detailsCanon Camera (15,000 Chips)The simple to use EX-Z60 offers 6.0 megapixel images and a 3X optical zoom packedinto a slim body enhanced by rounded edges. The camera...More detailsPSP (20,000 Chips)The PSP system's dazzling widescreen LCD brings gaming to life. Whether reachingyour personal best or locked in wireless combat, you'll...More detailsIpod Video (20,000 Chips)Witness the evolution of the revolution. First it played songs. Then photos. Thenpodcasts. Now iPod plays video, changing the way you...More details09/21/06
See what I mean? With the holidays coming up or maybe a birthday you can really impress someone without spending a dime! He/she will never know you earned that gift at search chips--it will be our little secret Right?
Points are fairly easy to acrue, 20 a day just for doing a couple minutes worth of searches and 10 points for each friend you get to join. Hurry though December is all most here.

again my site is at:
http://www.searchchips.com/its_mike

Thanks and God Bless:

Mike

Oh wow! search chips

Remember the site where I won several prizes earlier this year? Well they have changed the format slightly. You can still win prizes for searching if your a member, these include fandango bucks and amazon gift certificates, but the best is yet to come so listen up!
Search chips is doing something different they now allow you to earn rewards for points you acrue.
Below I'll put the list of prizes and rewards you can win.
Hopefully you will join and become my search chips friend
http://www.searchchips.com/its_mike
What you can winAmazon Gift Certificate (0 Chips)Instant Win - Amazon.com gift certificates are the perfect solution for any specialoccasion. From celebrating birthdays, graduations and weddings to inspiring...More detailsFandango Gift Certificate (0 Chips)Instant Win - Fandango Bucks is the best way to give the gift of movies! You canuse them on Fandango.com toward the purchase of any movie, any...More detailsIpod Shuffle (6,000 Chips)Time to mix things up. Meet iPod shuffle, the unpredictable new iPod. What will itplay next? Can it read your mind? Can it read...More detailsIpod Nano (10,000 Chips)Take everything you love about iPod and shrink it. Now shrink it again. The pencil-thiniPod nano packs the entire iPod experience into an impossibly...More detailsCanon Camera (15,000 Chips)The simple to use EX-Z60 offers 6.0 megapixel images and a 3X optical zoom packedinto a slim body enhanced by rounded edges. The camera...More detailsPSP (20,000 Chips)The PSP system's dazzling widescreen LCD brings gaming to life. Whether reachingyour personal best or locked in wireless combat, you'll...More detailsIpod Video (20,000 Chips)Witness the evolution of the revolution. First it played songs. Then photos. Thenpodcasts. Now iPod plays video, changing the way you...More details09/21/06

See what I mean these are cool rewards not just junk. You can acrue 20 points a day doing searches and 10 points for each friend you get to join so points rack up fairly fast maybe even in time for the Holidays! Save money and impress that special someone he/she will never know you did it with search chips!
That will be our little secret right?

again my site is at:
http://www.searchchips.com/its_mike
God Bless:
Mike

Eulogy to a great site!

Seems like just a few years ago but it was probably 1997 or 1998 I think a sweepstakes friend Robyn was in the running for a couple million dollars from a site called jackpot.com. Wow and guess what she went along with seven other finalist and won herself something like $40,000 and a trip to Las Vegas! I made up my mind then and there to do my best to duplicate her feat!
Didn't quite succeed but it was a fun ride!
It is sad to see jackpot go, in part because I had some great wins there
more than $1000 between my wife and i,over the years, and the anticipation of winning the really big lotto prizes as well as some of the lucky loot gifts.
Once they posted an add on job
Once I saw a job opening they listed on jobtrak.
At the risk of losing my ability to play and win there I applied for the position, didn't make the grade that time but it was fun trying! I would've really enjoyed working for them sweepstakes was amd still is a great hobby and my college degree is in journalism/speech communications so it would have afforded me the chance to work in Public relations.
I thought as a job candidate if selected I would have been able to help increase site traffic and loyalty.
On a personal level it could have helped me develop invaluable skills which could have significantly
impacted my

standard of living--as in give a man a fish and he eats for a day, teach a man to fish and he eats for a lifetime! But that wasn't meant to be so I continued playing, consoling myself with the hope that some day I would win the big lotto prize or perhaps the scratch off card in slots so actually I would earn much more than I'd have ever gotten paid working there.
My failure to win employment in this case became a challenge to win
just as Robyn's first introduction to the site had been.

Twice jackpot opened a world of winning posabilities for me, well actually three times if one counts the job interview.

One other thing I liked about!
jackpot if you happen to be blind and use a screen reader jackpot was more accessible than most.You couldn't play bingo or black jack or solataire but you could do the lotto, the slots which although borring after about 100 spins provided some good wins, and the email game was really good to us.Uproar was more unaccessible like iwon is mostly and pogo is.It's a problem of I think it's called OCR and lots of the traffic exchanges are creating the same problem, I use those to promote my site.Anyway you have to "pick the highest number" Match the number" or write the numberin the image into the box.This they say "prevents cheating"It also prevents blind folks using a screen reader from enteringScreen readers can reag text but they can't read numbers in images. How I wish this wasn't so, in the late 1990's I had an opportunity to work for an insurance company in the San FErnando Valley. They paid $2,700 to $3,500 a month to start but screen readers can't read hand written fax's which agents sent to the call center on a daily basis--and I couldn't get the company to do job trade offs so that job went bye bye!It's really frustrating to be a top candidate, even to see the test scores and know they want to hire you then to be kicked in the face by "technology" but it happens.

To bad with the advances in technology being so wonderful that we take one giantstep forward than we're forced to take five backwards.Lots of guys will have jobs that didn't hopefully because they can fill out forms,and they will listen to audio or watch video with the best in sound and graphic technology at their disposal we will even crack programs likeJava, can't begin to imagine thefreedom that will allow me, access and power point too as well as so many other microsoftprograms will become accessible, not front page though, lol.
but so far as games to win prizes are concerned its going to be limited to Searchchips msn search and iwon prize machine.Good bye jack pot you will be missed.Thanks for the prizes and all the good times even thanks for some of the borring ones as well. And thanks for letting me have the satisfaction of seeing my wife's amazement after months of saying "you will never win there, it's rigged!"
Than one morning about 1 a.m she discovered she won her first email jackpot prize.Just goes to show if you don't think you will win keep trying that next click, spinor scratchoff or sweepstakes entry for that matter might be the one that changes your life at least temporarily but maybe forever.
Best regards:
Mike
ps this "more than amazing title came back I changed my name to man of the maze but another bloggeing glitch, some day I'll fix it hopefully but till than man of the maze and "more than amazing are interchangeable I guess. lol

Autumn is here

Yep automn is really here, football is back with a venggance. I haven't done any college stuff yet but my pro picks are about 20 in the win column the last two weeks, won't win the superbowl prize with that but will keep trying.
Another thing I like about autumn is Schwan's Autumn ice cream Pumpkin ice cream filled with prelimes to die for!
Terra my wife is doing a relay for life September 30 to help the american Cancer Society. If you would like to help by pledging check out her webpage:
http://www.acsevents.org/relay/ca/lancaster/terrap
or you can find a link at our web page
http://www.mikesmaze.net
Speaking of our page it's doing really well. We're consistently getting between 747 and 1,500 visitors a day and sometimes as many as 3,000 a day. It's really amazing to see so many people visiting from all over the world, Israel, Egypt, France, Germany, India, England, Netherlands, Sweeden, Canada, China and many other nations I unintentionally am leaving out!
We try to keep adding and improving the site as more article suggestions and ideas come to us.
For those who need Spanish we have a spanish section now too!

We always welcome new guests so check out:
http://www.searchchips.com.
To win prizes you need to be a member. If you want you can join my search chips friends listcontact me by email at mike@mikesmaze.net and ask for the link.
I will post it later on in a new entry as well.
I guess though I better run for now.
God Bless:
Mike

t

California Wildfires

Hi all we are putting some scanner feeds for san bernadino fires in the crossroads section of mike's maze look in the section labeled emergency. If you want to monitor them come over to http://www.mikesmaze.net
Mike

It never rains in Southern California!

Well it seems that way anyway. Really hot today. If anyone has some online scanner resources for firefighters I'd appreciate posting those links. I will than add them to the emergency section of crossroads at mikesmaze.net. If you have real player here's a link for you.
http://www.bigbearscanner.com/
It's police but if the two fires in San BErnadino merge it will be a good information source I suspect.
Another unrelated site I have posted there is for hurricane watchers
http://www.hurricancity.com/
Jim Williams has a class site. If a hurricane aproaches the US he's live with audio maps video etc. he also maintains an archive of previous hurricane footage you can check out but to use the archives you need to pay his subscriber fee which I think is $20 a year now. For the current hurricane coverage comming soon as it does every year there is no charge. It's really better than the weather channel in many respects.
I watched it during Katrina Wilma and some of the other hurricanes last year.
I might duplicate these postings in the Ham shack on my site but for now the emergency stuff will be at the crossroads section.
http://www.mikesmaze.net
If you have links for the emergency section let me know by emailing
mike@mikesmaze.net
Also if you visit this site which is primarily a christian resources site and you like what you see or hear please feel free to spread the word. I and my wife Terra are trying to keep the site updated but it's a balanceing act currently because we are also working to build our web traffic.
Terra has changed her site to a site for children and it's linked as the kidz klub.
She will be adding a lot to it as time goes on but during the past week she's been really busy getting ready for college.
If you want to check Terra's site ddirectly without going to mike's maze go to:
http://www.ff4w.net
Thanks and God Bless:
Mike

If you need website traffic, this really works!

Well I've been doing the traffic swarm thing for a little more than a week signed up a downline person and I see it working. Progressively each day as I build credits my site traffic is on the increase. I see it in my site stats as well as the stats on traffic swarm they actually tell you how many people they have sent to your site.
They don't give a daily breakdown but they do give a total.
Another really neat aspect of traffic swarm is you can post competeing adds about your url. This allows you to find out what advertising works best for you.
Here's the link if you want to join me.
http://www.trafficswarm.com/go.cgi?521323
You can earn lots of credits surfing I earn 600 700 a day at least, they have a lotery where you can win credits and using search boxes or link boxes which I haven't yet can also increase your sites visability.
If you are into the internet business thing you can check out lots of them while your surfing to get credits lots of interesting tools too like "audio generator which lets you record directly via the phone unto your site. Lots of this stuff you can test for free.

I'm just getting started but maybe together we can find the answers to our questions and collectively increase web traffic.
If you go to my website
www.mikesmaze.net you will see I'm not making money not even going there just trying to generate traffic for my site.
It's actually harder because I am "selling" using the term loosely an intangible.
Despite this we're getting a really good response when you consider my site has only been up and running since June 15 officially and I'm still compleeting sections of it.
Some of the areas I will be working to finish are the "kids corner" "the ham shack" and the "crossroads a section filled with helpful links and resources of all Of course I plan on adding to the other sections as well articles lectures sermons and music etc as I find interesting stuff.
So check out the site if you like but even if you don't join me in generating traffic and let's see your site gain visability as mine is now doing.
again the link to join me is:
http://www.trafficswarm.com/go.cgi?521323
Thanks
Mike
ps hopefully today I'll be adding a phone number where you can leave voice mail messages for those who don't want to email.

Charge! oh but leave the credit cards at home.

Guess those Los Angeles Dodgers lost again today to the red Hot Minasota Twins--but like The Seattle Mariners found oout after beating the dodgers twice they are still good enough to come back. I think they might even win two of three from the twins because 17 of 19 games is a lot.
Terra and I went to as you remember the Dogger game last Thursday. We hopefully will go back on July 3, but not sure they are giving away rally towels.
If you go to the stadium or any major league park for that matter be sure to take something to nibble. We bought two pretzels, two "dodger dogs and two sodda's for a grand total of $25!!!
I used to have a cafeteria and if I could only have gotten buy with those prices!
Buy the way that site I ask about in the last post trafic swarm appears to be a blogger friendly if not endorsed site. Saw blogger.com there a day or so ago. I don't know when we will be able to post my refferal box but if you want to sign directly under me just email me mike@mikesmaze.net.
But if such things elude your memory Terra is in my down line and I'm sure she can use the site.
She's always got something happening at
http://www.ff4w.net
She has all the details for becoming a member.
Now that I've helped Terra here's a plug for those dodgers who broke my bank see ya next time
Vote Now! for NomarNomar needs your votes!There are only three days left to vote. Show your Dodger pride and send Nomar to Pittsburgh for the All-Star game!The voting deadline is Thursday, and Nomar still needs your votes! The latest voting results were released today,and Nomar still trails Carlos Delgado in voting for the All-Star game. Even thoughNomar is trailing, there is still hope. Many fans wait until the last minute to vote,so the majority of the races are decided in the FINAL WEEK! That's this week, Dodgerfans. So there is still a good chance that you can move Nomar up the leaderboard!Nomar leads the N.L. in batting average and his stellar season should not be overlooked.If you haven't yet voted, please go to dodgers.com and vote 25 times per e-mail address...andif you have more than one e-mail address, you can use your other one, too!:: MEET A 2006 DODGER ALL-STAR NOMINEE ::If Nomar's move up the leaderboard and sizzling hot season aren't enough, then howabout a chance to meet one of the Dodger 2006 All-Star nominees? Simply fill out25 ballots online, select the Dodgers as your 'favorite' or 'other favorite' team,and you will be automatically entered for a chance to meet a Dodger All-Star nominee!Vote Now!

Some day maybe

Well back to the drawing board. I just changed my title. had a bunch in mind and who knows this might change too but we'll see. This blogging thing is all new to me. The audio makes things easier but it's not always convenient so I write. I need to write anyway, good practice.
For now though I am just trying to change my title feature so I work it properly than get the articles in a more decent format.
Seems to be working so for now guess I'm off packing for that trip to the valley tnan down to dodger stadium and yes I can say down because right now with what 100 plus temperatures we're in the
High Desert-
-No wonder Trishia Yearwood loves
Georgia rain so much-
-now I understand exactly.
My wife loves Tricia and she is great.
Of course so is my wife--
but back to Trishia

We saw her last year at the Hollywood
Bowl she ended with Over the rainbow with a fireworks accompaniment so Dorthy,
a I mean Judy Garland she
did you proud!
We were suposed to see her in concert
again in october I think but after her
father's death that particular
concert was cancelled so at
least we got the Bowl.


Follow that with Jamie O'Neil at the Spring Fling last year at Magic mountain and we did okay.
Bye for now.
Mike

Mike's Mouth 99% conversation 1% inspiration!: If only

Mike's Mouth 99% conversation 1% inspiration!: If only

If only

Well here I am again and although I picked the right teams in basketball and Hockey can't take that money to the bank. The heat should've played the lakers--lot's of bad blood there but the Mav's did a great job of making the NBA finals fun to watch and who knows Maybe next year.
Congradulations dwayne wade.
Now it's off to see the Los angeles dodgers play the Seattle Mariners. Wow remember the days of Randy Johnson? I won't talk about the dodger golden years but they too had their share.
After the game tomorrow we are going to see a concert by "The Spiders" hmm is that a new version of the "Beattles?" It would be fitting, in 1965 I think it was as an 11-year-old kid I went to that famous beattles concert, they were there with a group called "The circles who wrote a song "Turn Down day" and another hit "Red rubber ball" I think I saw another artist there perhaps during that same concert what was his name Bobby Head? he sung a song called "Sunny"
Does Terra know I'm writing this, she's playing "we are the Champions by Queen and that was another concert I remember going to back when queen was "the hot group and the concert was "News of the world" but back to the beattles concert it was memorable because of lots of things first because that was the first time I ever ate pizza I think we went to a place called piece-a-pizza.
It was also a weird time because it's the first and only time I ever saw folks get really crazy at dodger stadium, setting fires in trash cans chasing a car with the decoys while the beattles exited via another route.
Two other quick things one is this Los Angeles needs a professional football team--it won't be to long before that time of year is upon us again and yes we really do need a new team!
USC this year has to be Number one! all year long.
.
another thing in my things to think about found this company that promotes websites called traffic swarm, write me and I'll refferre you. Anyway this is a network siteI guess they post your banner to "millions" of potential visitors and increase your hits. Do you think that works? and what about automated search engine sites know any good ones?
Well I'm away for now but will be back befor you know it.
Mike

Hmmmm, it's just another day in the nighborhood

n
Mike's Mouth 99% conversation 1% inspiration!

Hello, in case you haven't guessed, it's mike! This is interesting. I've played arround with blogging before but never took it all that serious but now check it out the new improved me!
About me briefly: I live in Rosamond, CA pretty close to Edwards airforce base, sonic booms more often than one can imagine and maybe not so often anymore, Space shuttle landings.
I'm 52 years old, living with my wife Terra and our cat trixie. Both humans are Christians and our cute cat, well she's innocent. Not sure how she'd handle baptism with her aversion to water but I bet we could persuade her for a few seconds--just long enough to get bit and scratched. All for the love of Omaha Steak treats!
Anyway today was interesting, this "security" thing that prevents automated entries is not good. I finished my profile as every good blooger does put in my password and username when suddenly on my screen terror of terrors the screen read Please type in the letters or words from the image you see. Oops! See? Well not exactly I'm blind so I use a voice screen reader called window-eyes produced by http://www.gwmicro.com
so back to the image what could I do, felt like the kid in the Mr Wizzard cartoon.
I did the only thing I could of course, "Honey! I said You know gotta make nice when you want a wife to do something right? Anyway Terra comes in and well she says just as cool as a cucumber "Sweetie I know you need the words from that image but aren't you forgeting something? You don't have a monitor--remember you gave it to your mom."
You know she was right but she still saved the day this time with her computer in the other room.
But these images don't let screen readers not window-eyes or jaws for windows either one read them.
Some of the more advanced sites like gmail let you click on and listen to the number letter sequence. Others though try to blur the sound as if it were a printed page.On the page you can if you can see squint and see the image but some of the sites put lots of sounds in the background so even sharp ears the whale couldn't decipher what was being said. They do this for sweepstakes, contests, paying bills and signing up for email and it's crazy. I wish there was some other way so people with screen readers could without screeching for "honey" their neighbor or perhaps even the mailman read this stuff! Yes it might be a neat way to meet folks but that helper you just invited in to read your screen because you just had to get things done might be your next burglar or a cereal killer--we only have 11 boxes of cereal to kill so what's up with that.
Maybe someday I'll get a startrek computer--end of problem.
Now I've bented feel better?
By the way on a more serious note I have a website:
www.mikesmaze.net
it's a christian site, has lots of articles and some audio to help you navigate the twists and turns we call life. If you want to read some interesting incites on prophecy come and check out an amazing writer who explains bible prophecy. His name is David Vaughn Eliot, and he's written a rebuttal to commonly excepted futurist interpretation of scripture called "Nobody left behind" He has some featured articles and some audio classes, the current one is about Jesus prophesied first coming in the book of psalms.
The site will also contain a page of resources with links for all kinds of stuff,resources of interest to everybody and special listings of resources for folks who are blind and need adaptive help.
a ham radio page with articles of interest to amateur radio enthusiasts like myselfwill also be available. My Call sign is KD6WNI.
Their will also be a page listing sweepstakes contests and winning opportunities I think are cool.

Here are two examples:
1. If you need a gmail address we have some invitations
www.mikesmaze.net
also I use a very cool new search engine for prize lovers called
Search chipsI'll post a link shortly so you can become Mike's search chip friend!
Well it's time for Mike the mouth that never stops to close for now.
Have a fantastic weekend.
Mike