DeeGardner.com

You better start dreaming.

You are here: Home / Home

Facebook and Twitter DDoS attacks

by Leave a Comment

After trying to tweet and post stuff to facebook today I realized they were having problems. Then I saw the report from the WSJ – “Twitter Says Hit By ‘Denial of Service’ Attack – WSJ.com http://bit.ly/YcjHD” I have also checked a couple of other sites that do a bunch of reporting on Social Media and they are all a buzz.

It brought me to ask the question, “what if twitter and or facebook” was just gone. If twitter was gone, well, life would go one without much of a deal. I would however, be quite sad if Facebook went away. I have reconnected with a bunch of cool people from my past. And I see it as a great way to stay connected with these people and keep connected with people as I meet them.

We will see how it all plays out, I wonder if North Korea, or Iran has something to do with it. If they do I hope our government and other government put an end to that kind of non-sense.

We may just have to go back to e-mail. But I think Google wave will help with some of the new age of communication.

Inspiring Leadership Statments

by Leave a Comment

Here is some inspiration from very successful people.

“It is a well-known fact that those people who must want to rule people are, ipso facto, those least suited to do it… anyone who is capable of getting themselves made President should on no account be allowed to do the job.” (Douglas Adams)

“If your actions inspire others to dream more, learn more, do more and become more, you are a leader.“ (John Quincy Adams)

“No man will make a great leader who wants to do it all himself, or to get all the credit for doing it.” (Andrew Carnegie)

“Management works in the system. Leadership works on the system.” (Stephen R. Covey)

“A leader is best when people barely know he exists, not so good when people obey and acclaim him, worse when they despise him….But of a good leader who talks little when his work is done, his aim fulfilled, they will say, “We did it ourselves.” (Lao Tzu)

“I am more afraid of an army of 100 sheep led by a lion than an army of 100 lions led by a sheep.“ (Talleyrand)

“A boss creates fear, a leader confidence. A boss fixes blame, a leader corrects mistakes. A boss knows all, a leader asks questions. A boss makes work drudgery, a leader makes it interesting. A boss is interested in himself or herself, a leader is interested in the group.” (Russell H. Ewing)

“Becoming a leader is synonymous with becoming yourself. It is precisely that simple, and it is also that difficult.” (Warren Bennis)

“Leadership and learning are indispensable to each other.” (John Fitzgerald Kennedy)

‘The best executive is the one who has sense enough to pick good men to do what he wants done, and self-restraint to keep from meddling with them while they do it.” (Theodore Roosevelt)

“Management is doing things right; leadership is doing the right things.” (Peter F. Drucker)

“Nothing so conclusively proves a man’s ability to lead others as what he does from day to day to lead himself.” (Thomas Watson)

‘Only one man in a thousand is a leader of men — the other 999 follow women.“ (Groucho Marx)

“You do not lead by hitting people over the head – that’s assault, not leadership.” (Dwight D. Eisenhower)

Filed Under: Uncategorized

Refiner of Silver

by Leave a Comment

I heard this story in church last Sunday. So I thought I’d look on the internet to see if I could find the author. I found this story in many places, but could not find an author. If you may know where the original story came from please let me know.

There was a group of women in a Bible study class. One day they were studying Malachi in the third chapter they came across verse three, which says: “He will sit as a refiner and purifier of silver.” This verse puzzled the women and they wondered what this statement meant about the character and nature of God. One of the women offered to find out about the process of refining silver and get back to the group at their next class.

That week this woman called up a silversmith and made an appointment to watch him at work. She didn’t mention anything about the reason for her interest in silver beyond her curiosity about the process of refining silver. As she watched the silversmith; he held a piece of silver over the fire and let it heat up. He explained that in refining silver, one needed to hold the silver in the middle of the fire where the flames were hottest as to burn away all the impurities.

The woman thought about God putting each of us through the furnace of affliction – then she thought again about the verse, that he sits as a refiner and purifier of silver She asked the silversmith if it was true that he had to sit there in front of the fire the whole time the silver was being refined.

The man answered “yes”, he not only had to sit there holding the silver, but he had to keep his eyes on the silver the entire time it was in the fire. If the silver was left even a moment too long in the flames, it would be destroyed.

The woman was silent for a moment. Then she asked the silversmith, “How do you know when the silver is fully refined?”

He smiled at her and answered, “Oh, that’s easy. When I see my image in it.”

Which reminds me of the scripture in Alma


Alma 5: 14, 19
14 And now behold, I ask of you, my brethren of the church, have ye spiritually been born of God? Have ye received his image in your countenances? Have ye experienced this mighty change in your hearts?
• • •
19 I say unto you, can ye look up to God at that day with a pure heart and clean hands? I say unto you, can you look up, having the image of God engraven upon your countenances?

Helping out and Providence smiles down

by Leave a Comment

Most of the time I am happy that the weekend is coming and I am going to be able to sleep in a bit. But I was a little bit trepid about what was going to happen. I had volunteered to help one of my friends move on Friday night. I had also volunteered to help a family move from a third floor the apartment complex were where we live. I had volunteered for both before I knew when they were going to happen. I just happened that one was on Friday Night and the other one was at 7AM. I knew the one Friday night would be well attended and would not be too difficult. I was worried about the 7AM deal. A couple of months ago I was asked to help with a move a person into a third story apartment. It ended up taking 4 hours, because there just were not enough people. I was worried it was going to be one of those deals. But I went to the move on Friday night hoping to be able to beg some of the guys to help me the next morning. There was not a great response. But there were a few. Luckily I had Roman and I let Sessel spend the night so he could help too. We went on Saturday morning and about 6 other guys showed up which made a total of 11 there moving. It only took about 30 minutes. Really not too bad. Then at the end of the move one of the guys volunteered to take anyone who wanted to go boating. I wouldn’t have taken up the offer, but it was a blessing for the two teenage boys I had drug along. So we were able to spend a couple of hours on the lake.

I really counted it as a blessing to me and my son who would have not had the chance had we not participated in the moves.

Update on the Tour de France and getting old

by Leave a Comment

It seems that today was the day that Lance discovered he doesn’t have what it takes to win the Tour. Also Tom Watson, who is 59, made a magnificent run at the British open. Only to falter on the last hole to force a playoff that he didn’t win.

For me being forty I was cheering on both of these guys. I guess it gave me hope that maybe I can bring back some of the physical stamina I had reached as a younger man. But today, like these guys, I feel older and less relevant.

It is a good thing because it makes me humble and keeps me from even thinking I can have the pride I once had.

I am just reminded I am tired. I will keep moving forward.