Just in case I forget - Batch convert PDF to JPEG using Adobe Acrobat Pro

Choose Advanced > Document Processing > Batch Processing to open the dialog.

1. Click New Sequence.
2. Name the sequence in the field that displays.
3. In the Edit Batch Sequence dialog that displays (lots of dialog boxes here!) click Select Commands to open another dialog named Edit Sequence. There are a list of commands at the left. Scroll through and find one that is fairly innocuous, such as Flatten Layers and click Add to move it into the active command list. Click OK to return to the aforementioned Edit Batch Sequence dialog.
4.Click Output Options.
5. In the Output Options dialog, click the Export File(s) to Alternate Format button, click the dropdown arrow and choose JPEG.
6. Click OK twice to return to the original Batch Sequences dialog.
7. Click Run Sequence to try it.

Courtesy of dbaker at http://www.acrobatusers.com/forums/aucbb/viewtopic.php?id=2934

Not so idle scribble

Today (June 21st) is the most wonderful day of this time of year. It’s the summer solstice, first day of summer, and Atheist Solidarity day. It ultimately is a day of protest, celebration, and awareness-raising. Only in solidarity can atheists create a world in which atheists everywhere can be open about their lack of belief in god and not fear any harmful consequence. I want to take time to celebrate the day by officially “coming out” of the atheist closet. From here on out (and for some time already) I am going to rely on reason, logic, and evidence for my decision-making. I’m not the one who believes in invisible creatures like fairies, ghosts, goblins, demons, angels, and a god who is running around reading all of our thoughts and judging every little thing we do. I’m not the one who believes in childish concepts like heaven and hell. I’m not the one who requires the threat of eternal damnation in order to act ethically.

I am one of 25 million freethinkers in this country who will not follow blindly and who feel free to demand proof, or at least logically sound theory. The fact is that there is nothing shameful about atheism. Rather, it should be viewed as a major accomplishment. Most people stick with the religion in which they were raised, never thinking or examining the reasons why. Those that switch religions (or sects of a particular religion) often never truly question the belief in a god. Those that do should be proud that they have searched and reached an educated conclusion, and so am I.

As an atheist, I have broken out of the cycle of doing what I’m told because someone says God says so. I think for myself, I am self reliant, and I am responsible for my own actions and decisions.

Call me atheist, agnostic, freethinker, whatever. I am Leisel, and this is me. Like it or not, I am what I am.

Thank you for your time. And as always, I mean no offense.

The fact that a believer is happier than a skeptic is no more to the point than the fact that a drunken man is happier than a sober one. The happiness of credulity is a cheap and dangerous quality. ~George Bernard Shaw, Irish playright

Finished my scarf, and another random picture

What do you think? If I made $6 for every hour I worked on this scarf, I would have made at least $50! Too bad no one will buy a scarf for more than $15...

Anyway, here are the pics.

(I'm so ugly in this picture because I showered a few hours earlier, and didn't do my hair or face yet)She's not sleeping. She's just multi-tasking watching tv and "talking" on my phone. I thought this was a really funny sight, so I am sharing it with you.

Routines vs. Spontaneity

One side:

"Routines are the glue that bonds life."

Routines give life a pace and a palette, a clock, a timber and tone. Like it or not, we are creatures of habit. Even if we try to break routines, the attempt to break them is a routine in itself.

I feel that for some people, routines are a difficult thing to keep to. There are also people who need routines to feel safe or secure. I place myself in the middle. I wash my drinking glasses the same way every time. I have a little routine for brushing my teeth. Yet, putting all these little routines into one big routine is difficult for me.

Now the other side:

"The essence of pleasure is spontaneity"

One person put it this way: "Routines are the tar-baby that bonds and gags life"

Having a life that is too routine and structured isn't healthy; as human beings, we do most of our growing and developing when faced with new challenges and situations.

On the other hand, a life with no consistency isn't healthy either. Many things in life only become truly rewarding after many hours of effort (or discipline, routine, whatever you want to call it).

My thoughts on this side is that my whole purpose of living is to be happy and keep from getting hurt. So by living spontaneously, I add more excitement into my life. Routines look dull and unexciting to me. Granted, reckless spontaneity can be dangerous and can hurt me, but I plan on avoiding anything reckless.

In conclusion, here is my final thought on routines vs spontaneity: I have no reason to live the same day twice. Why would I want to fill my days doing stuff I've already done? There is so much to learn! So much to discover! However, my little routines are my way of finding perfection. I'd have to say the weight of importance for these two ideas are 25%-Routine 75%-Spontaneity.

The state of man

As far as I can tell, the general population has reverted back to barbarianism and "survival" mode every time there is a war. With each war, we jump back (but not quite as far as we did the last time) to the times of the caveman. In this "two steps forward one step back" motion, every man becomes a hunter, and only the fittest (or meanest) survive.

I believe these events are part of what has prevented the immense advancement of the people in the areas of science, humanitarianism, and religion. If we did not put the gears in reverse every 10 years or so, we'd have affordable transportation for everyone, there would be a job for everyone, the world would know how to create food and share the bountiful crops, everyone would be closer in mind and spirit and we would not need the government to tell us what is right and what is wrong. Don't tell me that this is what life will be like in heaven, because I am a thinker and I use logic and evidence, and I don't see evidence for heaven.

Why do we have to be so greedy? Why can't we all just get along? Why can't we respect the life choices of each other? Do we really lead such uneducated lives that the only thing we can talk to each other about is what so-and-so is doing and how we feel about that? From now on (and hopefully I have done this in the past), I will give of myself and what I have to better the family, community and world, I will hold no grudges and I will not judge.

Lately I've been feeling like I am sleep-walking all day. My days have become pretty routine. Although they vary in the little things (when I wake up, what I do while Annie's napping, etc) everything is pretty much the same. I get up, make breakfast, wash dishes, do my daily chores, and then hang out with Annie until lunch and nap time, and wait until she wakes up and hang out some more until James gets home at which time I make dinner and then we watch TV until bed. Don't get me wrong, this is the life I wanted my mom to be living when I was little. Our house is clean, Annie is having fun with her mommy, the dishes are always done, all that fun stuff. I'm bored though.

When I was taking classes at the university, I hated having to get up and leave Annie and sit by myself in classrooms learning things I saw no use for. I decided that not only did Annie need me at home, I needed me at home. I just wasn't happy there. So after last spring, I "quit" school. I'll go back someday, but I had other things I wanted to do right now.

One thing I've noticed is that if I stay in my pajamas any later than 7am, I tend to feel lazier than if I had gotten dressed before then. I have no excuse to not get dressed, my laundry is always done. If I wasn't feeling so lazy all the time, maybe me and Annie can take advantage of our Treehouse and Dinosaur Park memberships. I suppose, then, my next goal should be to always be "ready to go somewhere" by 7am. I think I can do that.

I loves you!

Man is born to life, not to prepare for life.
-Doctor Zhivago

Religious hatred?

A couple of days ago I received an email that had been forwarded many times. The text of this email is as follows:

-Begin email;

This is short...please read.

A really pretty stamp with butterfly & hearts... they didn't have heart when they bombed us. Did they?

USPS New 44 -Cent Stamp Celebrates a Muslim holiday.

If there is only ONE thing you forward today... let it be this!

President Obama has directed the United States Postal Service to REMEMBER and HONOR the EID MUSLIM holiday season with a new commemorative 44-Cent First Class Holiday Postage Stamp.

REMEMBER to adamantly & vocally BOYCOTT this stamp, when you are purchasing your stamps at the post office.
All you have to say is " No thank you, I do not want that Muslim Stamp on my letters! "

To use this stamp would be a slap in the face to all those AMERICANS who died at the hands of those whom this stamp honors.

REMEMBER the MUSLIM bombing of Pan Am Flight 103!

REMEMBER the MUSLIM bombing of the World Trade Center in 1993!

REMEMBER the MUSLIM bombing of the Marine Barracks in Lebanon !

REMEMBER the MUSLIM bombing of the Military Barracks in Saudi Arabia !

REMEMBER the MUSLIM bombing of the American Embassies in Africa !

REMEMBER the MUSLIM bombing of the USS COLE!

REMEMBER the MUSLIM attack on 9/11/2001 !

REMEMBER all the AMERICAN lives that were lost in those vicious MUSLIM attacks!

Pass this along to every Patriotic American that you know and get the word out! Honor the United States of America !

-End of email.

I am angered by this email. I like to think that I was raised with a great concept of racial and religious tolerance (thanks Ma & Pa!). I want to address the anger I feel in this entry.

First off, all Muslim's are not terrorists! Most of them are not. The Muslim religion teaches that there is one God (like the Christian churches teach) and that religion started with Adam (like Christians). The word "Muslim" literally means "One who submits (to God)". Do Christians not believe in submitting to the will of God? It seems to me that the root of each of our religions are very much the same.

The email makes the argument that Muslims were responsible for all these terrorist attacks on the US. I disagree this these claims. The terrorist attacks were carried out by Al-Qaeda. Al-Qaeda is a terrorist organization that is against Christianity and anything American. There are some Muslim oraganizations that Al-Qaeda considers "too American" and they are against those Muslim organizations as well. My point; Just because they are Muslim doesn't mean they are Al-Qaeda.

Secondly, If we expect the world's population to be tolerant of our religious beliefs, are we not expected to tolerate theirs as well? What if the President decided to print a series of stamps featuring great authors such as C.S. Lewis and Dan Brown? C.S. Lewis was known for his conversion to Christianity and his writings that suggest Christian themes. Dan Brown is known for his writings of a certain symbologist who does not believe in God. Would the Christian population refuse to buy these stamps because of Dan Brown? Would the Atheist population refuse to buy these stamps because of C.S. Lewis? I think not.

Last of all, we cannot refuse to purchase these stamps just because the Muslim religion is Islamic and not American. In 2008, the USPS started printing a series of Chinese New Year stamps. Were there any emails going around telling us to refuse to put these stamps on our envelopes because they were Chinese?



I suppose you may argue that the stamps are different because one is racial and one is religious or because the Chinese haven't hurt us like the Islamic group has; my position on that argument is that we need to love everyone, regardless of their race or religion. I'm sure there's something in the US Constitution that supports my stance on that, but I haven't read it through yet.

Did you happen to notice the stamp has the website "zazzle.com" prnted on it? Zazzle.com is a place that you can custom design t-shirts, stamps, postcards, and the like. The stamp in that email was a custom designed stamp (not officially commissioned by the President of the USA). In 2001, Pres. Bush did commission a stamp to commemorate the Eid Muslim Holiday. This was done a month before the Sept 11 attacks. Someone had taken an email written years ago and re-wrote it to apply to the current President.

This is the real stamp, reprinted several times as the postage rates went up:



Link for reference: http://www.factcheck.org/2009/09/muslim-stamp/

Thus concludes my real thoughts about the email I found in my inbox. If I have been horribly misled or need to reconfigure my feelings on this issue, please leave a comment and let me know what you think. The same goes for those who agree with me. I am open to learning new things every day.