The Ballad of the Greys

 

 

The Ballad of the Greys Lyrics

------------------------------

 

Please Lord if I'm abducted, don't let it be the Greys,

the short little guys with the big black eyes from a galaxy far away;

I've heard the horror stories, being taken in the dead of night,

laid out on a table like a Christmas turkey,

I'm afraid I'd die from fright.

 

They can paralyse you with their eyes and levitate you out of bed,

pull you right up through the ceiling and start messing with your head;

Now if they would just stop at that I wouldn't mind too much,

but I've heard they'll probe you up and down and you won't like

where they touch.

 

The witnesses say they're a humourous bunch and by that I'm quite

surprised, do they watch all the reruns of I Love Lucy and

The Best of Saturday Night Live?

I don't wanna be a live experiment; father children in a place unknown,

but they'll splice your genes and make grotesque things;

leave my tadpole guys alone.

 

Please Lord if I'm abducted, don't let it be the greys,

the short little guys with the big black eyes from a galaxy far away;

I've heard the horror stories, being taken in the dead of night,

laid out on a table like a Christmas turkey,

I'm afraid I'd die from fright.

 

When Eisenhower signed the treaty, he never thought they'd stay,

maybe hang around long enough to mutilate some cattle and they'd

be on their way;

We built them underground bases and they're feelin' right at home,

like that Dreamland in Nevada where the antelope and aliens roam.

And Art Bell knows what's going on, they probably give him rides for free;

for all we know he's one of them, that's why he's on radio...

and not ... TV.... (think about it).

 

Please Lord if I'm abducted, don't let it be the greys,

the short little guys with the big black eyes from a galaxy far away;

I've heard the horror stories, being taken in the dead of night,

laid out on a table like a Christmas turkey,

I'm afraid I'd die from fright.

Laid out on a table like a Christmas turkey, don't let me die tonight

The Prime Directive

 

The Prime Directive

What it REALLY means

 

(To the tune of "Supercalifragilisticexpialidocious")

 

(Chorus)

To boldly go where none has gone, that is the task before us.

Even though the major networks seem to have ignored us.

We've been around for quite a while, and all the fans adore us.

I wish we'd get a decent script, the novelty will floor us.

 

um-diddle-iddle-iddle um-diddle-la

um-diddle-iddle-iddle um-diddle-la

 

The first rule taught at Star Fleet is that we don't interfere

Because we'll warp new cultures, and we'll get them hooked on beer.

We know how to get 'round this rule, wherever we may go.

'Cause we auction off the broadcast rights for all repeats they show.

 

(Chorus)

 

The second rule at Star Fleet is that you should be above

The feelings when a sexy alien wants to make love.

Of course there exceptions, like the 'Cap' and 'Number One'.

'Cause we all know sex assures that high ratings will be won.

 

(Chorus)

 

The third rule taught at Star Fleet is that violence doesn't win

And if you should destroy life forms, you made a mortal sin.

But that won't stop us from revenge on those who are the worst

We'll beam off ol' Luxwanna, with her molecules dispersed.

 

(Chorus)

 

I'm now a captain of my own and now I understand

That rules that have been carved in stone and lies go hand in hand

I've broke the rules a thousand times, I feel like such a jerk

But I'll never break the record of the famous James T. Kirk

 

(Chorus)

 

(fade)

Author unknown, (for obvious reasons)

Tech Teach - Jan 2026

 

Tech Teach for January 2026

 

Hi Everyone!

 

Hope you all are enjoying the new year and had a nice Christmas.

 

Got a call a couple days ago about WhatsApp, a texting app for Android and iOS, asking about copying text and photos from chats.

 

So, here goes.  I’ll start with copying a text from WhatsApp on Android.  I don’t have that app on iOS, the instructions might be similar.

 

Open WhatsApp.

Scroll to the text you want to copy.

Hold your finger on the text for a second or two.  At this point the text box should turn green.

Tap the three vertical dots in the upper right of the screen and then tap Copy.

At the bottom of the screen, there should a note that pops up saying the text has been copied.

Open the destination app, such as Gmail.

Scroll to the body of the text (you can add a recipient and subject later), just below the Subject line, and tap in the body of the text so the cursor appears.

Between the keyboard and body of the message, there should be an oval with the start of the copied text.  Tap the oval and the text should appear in the body of the text.  Once this is done, the copied text will no longer be in the clipboard.  You will have to start over from the top of the steps.

 

To copy a photo from WhatsApp:

Open WhatsApp and scroll to the photo you want to copy / save.

Tap the photo so it fills the screen.

Tap the three dots in the upper right of the screen and select Save.

There should be a message at the bottom of the screen saying “Saved successfully.”

To check, open the Gallery app.  The photo you just saved should be the first file.

Now, you can open Gmail and attach the file from the Gallery using the paperclip icon and send to your recipient.

 

The three dot / overflow menu has other options you can try that might useful.  Here’s a few:  Edit, Share, Save, View in Gallery, Rotate, Delete.

 

Also, here are instructions for checking / backing up WhatsApp for both Android and iOS.  WhatsApp uses your Google Account for storage, which offers a total of 15GB shared with all the apps and Gmail itself.  If your Google Account is too full, WhatsApp may not be able to save a backup.

 

For Android (Google Drive/Local Backup)

1.    Check Backup: 

Go to WhatsApp Settings > Chats > Chat Backup. See the date of your last Google Drive or local backup.

2.    Uninstall: 

Delete the WhatsApp app from your phone.

3.    Reinstall: 

Download WhatsApp from the Play Store, open it, and verify your phone number.

4.    Restore: 

When prompted, tap Restore to get chats from the backup; don't tap Skip if you want them back.

For iPhone (iCloud Backup)

1.    Check Backup: In WhatsApp, tap Settings > Chats > Chat Backup. Check the last backup date.

2.    Uninstall: Delete the WhatsApp app.

3.    Reinstall: Download WhatsApp from the App Store, open it, and verify your number.

4.    Restore: Tap Restore Chat History when prompted during setup.

Transfer from Old Phone (No Backup Needed)

1.    Open WhatsApp: on both phones and go to the chat transfer option (Settings > Chats > Transfer Chats to Another Phone).

2.    Scan QR Code: Follow prompts to link phones (may use Wi-Fi/camera) and scan the QR code on the old phone with the new one.

3.    Start Transfer: Keep both phones unlocked and near each other until the process finishes.

Other Methods

·         Check Archived Chats: 

Open WhatsApp, go to Chats, scroll to the bottom and tap Archived. Tap a chat and select Unarchive.

·         Check Replies/Quotes: 

In a chat, scroll up to see if someone replied to or quoted a deleted message, as those quotes might remain.

·         WhatsApp Doesn't Store Data: 

Remember, WhatsApp doesn't keep your messages on their servers, so backups are crucial.

 

 

Also, a friendly reminder to run your anti-virus and anti-malware software, plus run those pesky Windows Updates.  And if you can, make your back ups.

 

Still not much good news on the hardware price front.  RAM and storage is still expensive, with most items only going up in price.  DDR5 memory (the newest for desktop computers) is still running between $300 and $400 for 2x 16GB (32GB), while a 1TB NVME solid state drive is now pushing $145.

 

Newegg has had a few good prices on laptops.  Some Acer models running Intel i7 or AMD Ryzen CPUs for just under $600 depending on hardware.  In the links, the i7 has 16GB of RAM and 512GB SSD, while the Ryzen has 32GB of RAM and a 1TB / 1000GB SSD.

 

If you found this email useful, please let me know.  And forward to anyone you think might benefit.

Any questions or comments about a topic, feel free to reply.

 

Email is the best way to contact me, second best is text my personal cell at:

820 899-0808.  Unfortunately, I’m not very good at looking to see if I have voice mail / messages.  I do check the texts and email fairly frequently.

 

Snuff Out The Light

 When a woman acquires a certain age

And the men who adored you no longer swoon It pays to avoid the sunlit days And live by the light of the kindly moon But the moon grows old just like us all And her beautiful years are done So now she prays through endless days To take her revenge on the sun When I was a girl at my daddy's side Papa, the royal mortician Revealed to me in secret signs The mark of the magician And daddy was no dummy Did outrageous things with a mummy And often the stiffs that he would drive Would look better dead than they did alive I studied well I learnt the trade I thought my looks would never fade If I could find that recipe To give eternal youth to me It was always my ambition To use papa's tuition And gain some small remission From the vagaries of time Every little ray of sunshine robs me of my youth Who to blame? Who the one? Who to curse? You know the only on to blame Would be my enemy the sun Snuff out the light, claim your right To a world of darkness Snuff out the light, neophytes Of a world of darkness Supai baby, turn me on Every wrinkle soon be gone I could squeeze myself with glee The promises you made to me I've really stopped at nothing Murder, treachery and lying Whatever it takes to keep my looks You really can't blame a girl for trying Snuff out the light, claim your right To a world of darkness Snuff out the light, neophytes Of a world of darkness Snuff out the light, claim your right To a world of darkness Snuff out the light here tonight Apparitions of eternal darkness Spiraling in circles through the night Creatures of beguiling blackness No more squinting in the light Bats and owls and coiled sea dragons Crocodile and carrion beasts Swirling in the growing darkness Join us in the coming feast Spectre wraith and apparition Spirit demon phantom shade Salamander serpents, dog-faced devils Dance and watch the dying sunlight fade