If a 91 year old grandmother can use Linux anyone can.

(From the Lewiston Morning Tribune's front page)

Note: Please note that Johnson neglected to mention that the OS used was Linux. I'm greatfull this made front page news on Christmas day. Maybe it will help support our business and Youth Center.

Original article: www.mindblowingidea.com/Article.pdf

Family gets grandma a laptop for Christmas

Dec. 25--POMEROY -- Merry Christmas, Roberta Breithaupt. Here's your laptop computer, bought by your missionary son in Japan, sent back to the United States and refurbished right here in Pomeroy by your grandson Justin Breithaupt.

"She's going to be 92 pretty soon," Justin says of his grandmother. "The relatives have asked that she have a laptop so she can recline in her bed and still listen to her Christian radio shows and type letters."

His grandmother used to have a typewriter, Justin recalls. Then she got a desktop computer. But she's spending more time in bed, thus the need for a laptop.

"When she got the computer, she wouldn't go back to a typewriter."

While his grandmother has adapted to the computer world, Justin says he's always been immersed in it. "I've been doing computers all my life. Before I was in college, after I was in college, I've been doing computers."

A graduate of Walla Walla Community College, Justin, 24, says he's in the process of channeling his affinity for computer technology into a business that is the product of a calling.

"The sign out front says U.S.A. Computer Tech and Rescue, but we also call it the Pomeroy Youth Center."

In addition to selling new computers, refurbishing old computers and repairing both, Justin has opened the doors of his fledgling business to area youth. "The main goal is I let kids come in and play video games and use the computers after school. It's kind of a Christian youth center, more than a computer business."

Justin says he's trying to make enough money on the computer side to eventually go nonprofit and concentrate on the youth center idea -- complete with a video arcade and games he's created. "I plan to stay here. A lot of people think that you can't start something in Pomeroy, you can't survive, that businesses can't keep going. But I've got some program ideas."

The business is located on Main Street in a former welding shop that's stood dormant for years. Justin heats the cavernous building with wood. "My chain saw went out when I was cutting, so I've got to save up to get a new one."

Being an entrepreneur during a recession, Justin concedes, is a taxing proposition. But he keeps going back to the notion of a calling. "I never hear God's voice. It's more like thoughts and feelings. I was waiting for a definite answer, so I kept praying and praying about it." "

The prayers were answered, he claims, on Aug. 16, 2008, when he traveled to Moscow with a friend to meet a religious prophet who happened to be in town. "I went up there, and there was this lady (not the prophet) nobody even knew. And she came over to me and told me I needed to start my business and the Christian youth center. I thought, wow, I couldn't have asked for a better answer."

So Justin says he returned to Pomeroy, started renting the old welding shop and remains determined. "I have strong feelings that we need to be independent of the government as far as what we rely on and what we do. I think we need to be very independent."

And thanks to the woman he met, Justin says, he's heeded the calling. "She told me, 'When God tells you what to do, don't question it. Do it.' So that's what I've been doing and it's working out."

Which means, of course, that Justin's grandmother will get her newly refurbished used laptop computer today. "She's one of the oldest residents in Pomeroy and she's operated a desktop computer since 2007," Justin says as he continues to set up the laptop. Steve Breithaupt, who's working as a missionary in Japan, bought the computer and sent it home.

"I'm just loading the operating system on it, making sure the wireless is going to work, all that kind of stuff," Justin says. "It's not as vulnerable (as) other systems, except when older ladies push wrong buttons. It's the most universal bomb-proof operating system out there."

And hopefully, Justin says, his business will remain recession-proof and prove to be an asset to the community. "One of my uncles asked why I don't go to Seattle and work for Microsoft or one of the big companies. For me, that would be the easy way out."

His niche, Justin insists, is to stay put, find a way to buy the old welding shop, remodel it, go nonprofit and follow the calling.

"This is what I'm supposed to do. I'm not supposed to abandon this town and abandon these people."

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Johnson may be contacted at djohnson@lmtribune.com or (208) 883-0564.

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Copyright (c) 2009, The Lewiston Morning Tribune, Idaho

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Blue Ray

It's Illegal To Watch Your DVDs

By Justin Breithaupt

What? Is that really true? It depends on what you watch your DVDs on and if they are Blue Ray or standard DVDs. I met a man who spent a great amount of money on a High Definition TV, and then on a Windows 7 Laptop with a connector for his TV. He bought these products with the understanding that he could watch his Blue Ray DVDs on his High Definition TV. When he stuck in his Blue Ray DVD into the Laptop it played fine in the Laptop Screen. He then purchased a cable for his TV and plugged it in. The DVD immediately stopped playing and a message came up on the screen letting him know it is not legal for him to watch his movie on his TV because it is copy written and protected by law. He could have been a potential criminal copying and selling illegal copies of his DVDs. The RIAA and Microsoft decided that my honest friend who bought his devices and movies legitimately should not have the right to use these devices to watch his movies any way he likes. This is only the beginning. According to the article I read here:http://www.defectivebydesign.org/mpaa-drm-tv the MPAA wants to take away our rights and abilities to record live TV to watch later and take control over all our devices we use to watch video and listen to audio in our home including Satellite receivers, TVs, VCRs, DVD Players, etc. The list does not end. What should come as more of a shock is that Microsoft is getting sueed by many other countries in anti-trust lawsuits for doing these things they have already done to us. Our Government officials however have decided not to sue or stop Microsoft for doing these things to us. Of course it's not just Microsoft. It's also Apple and Sony as well as anyone who produces Blue Ray DVD players. It's not the manufacturer's fault that they do this of course but rather the ones who legally force them to build these restrictions into their hardware. Does anyone remember when DVDs first came out? You had to have a program like WinDVD in order to decrypt the encrypted video so you could play it. You had to pay for this software if you didn't get it with your computer. Microsoft tried to convince everyone that without this player it was illegal to watch DVDs. We who use Linux knew better. We made and used libdvd to watch our DVDs without any restrictions. We could also download copies of them directly to our computers to watch later as it should be. Like DVDs use to be Blue Ray also does not play on Linux. Back to my customer who bought the Blue Ray DVD hardware and High Definition TV. I decided to try to watch the Blue Ray DVD on his TV using Linux. I figured I would have total control over his Laptop if I used Linux and I was right. After installing Linux onto his Laptop I discovered that there was no DVD player that could play Blue Ray for Linux but that each Blue Ray DVD contains an encrypted password that unlocks the content of the disk. You can find these keys on sites like these: http://forum.doom9.org/showthread.php?t=120988 . Using DumpHD (found here: http://forum.doom9.org/showthread.php?t=123111 ) with the keys I was then able to strip off all the encryption and download the content of the entire Blue Ray DVD to his Laptop Hard Drive. This took 20 Gbs for one disk. Using VLC I was then able to watch the extracted video on his HD TV which was the original intent when he purchased the equipment. Ridiculous isn't it. I'm not even sure if what I did to watch that video was legal or illegal and to be perfectly honest I don't care because it's a violation of our freedom of speech. If we can't listen then what is the use of free speech?

So I encourage you not to buy Blue Ray DVDs or DVD players and don't support any of the companies I mentioned that contribute to this ridiculous struggle for control. Also please go tohttp://www.defectivebydesign.org/mpaa-drm-tv and follow the instructions to send a letter to the FCC to stop any more of this nonsense.