RANT: Christmas is about life

Wednesday, December 24, 2014

http://www.wsj.com/articles/seventy-years-on-an-executed-boy-is-cleared-of-murder-charges-1418876410

Seventy Years On, an Executed Boy Is Cleared of Murder Charges
George Stinney, a Black 14-Year-Old, Was Sent to the Electric Chair for Killing Two White Girls
By ASSOCIATED PRESS
COLUMBIA, South Carolina—More than 70 years after South Carolina sent a 14-year-old black boy to the electric chair in the killings of two white girls in a segregated mill town, a judge threw out the conviction, saying the state committed a great injustice.

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Once again, we have another glaring example about the death penalty.

There’s no such thing as a “reversible error”.

Humans make mistakes. Humans are corrupt. Humans are stupid.

SO why would we EVER think that our “system of injustice” would not be flawed?

Project Innocence only looks into cases where the prisoner is alive and look how many errors they find!

Argh!

Merry Christmas.

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GUNS: Companies that ban concealed carry

Tuesday, December 23, 2014

http://therighttobear.com/where-not-to-spend-your-hard-earned-money-these-companies-have-banned-guns/

*** begin quote ***

These companies have apparently forgotten the numerous criminal shootings that have taken place in commercial settings, many of which could have been cut short if a customer with a gun had been able to respond. In fact, the Texas concealed carry law was passed in response to a 1991 shooting in the Luby’s Cafeteria in Killeen, in which 22 lives were taken. 

  • AMC Theatres 
  • Buffalo Wild Wings 
  • California Pizza Kitchen 
  • Chuck E. Cheese 
  • Costco 
  • Disney World 
  • Goodyear 
  • IKEA 
  • Panera Breads 
  • Peet’s Coffee 
  • Sonic 
  • Target 
  • TGI Friday’s 
  • Toys-R-Us 
  • Waffle House
  • Whole Foods

*** end quote ***

I won’t be spending my money with them.

They have right to restrict who they will do business with.

And, so do I.

Unfortunately, some of these I really like.

But, like my list of Hollywood “celebrities”, “from my cold dead hands”.

Argh!

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POLITICAL: We’re the bad guys

Monday, December 22, 2014

http://ncc-1776.org/tle2014/tle801-20141214-02.html

A is A: A Thing is Itself 
by L. Neil Smith

*** begin quote ***

“Americans don’t torture people,” My uncle and grandmother explained, something that, sadly, couldn’t truthfully be said of us today.

*** and ***

The third excuse is pure, epistemological silliness: that you can obtain useful information by systematically mistreating people. They may hold out for a while, but eventually they’ll break down and tell you exactly what they think you want to hear. I know that I certainly would. And our many “successes” in Aghanistan illustrate that pretty well. The government, to my knowledge, has never offered an example of torture saving the day—and there are so many unanswered questions about the killing of Osama bin Laden, it is too contaminated for such use.

I was brought up by my mother and father believing that only the bad guys torture people. The Spanish Inquisition, Italian fascisti, the Nazi German Gestapo, Darth Vader threatening Princess Leia with a floating torture machine. And guess what, Rush. My mom and dad were right.

We’re the bad guys.

*** end quote ***

Sadly, there’s no excuse for this.

Time to roll back the warfare / welfare state.

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INSPIRATIONAL: Preparing to get Alzheimer’s?

Sunday, December 21, 2014

http://www.ted.com/talks/alanna_shaikh_how_i_m_preparing_to_get_alzheimer_s

Alanna Shaikh: How I’m preparing to get Alzheimer’s

When faced with a parent suffering from Alzheimer’s, most of us respond with denial (“It won’t happen to me”) or extreme efforts at prevention. But global health expert and TED Fellow Alanna Shaikh sees it differently. She’s taking three concrete steps to prepare for the moment — should it arrive — when she herself gets Alzheimer’s disease.

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Here’s something that I fear.

While it would not be a financial disaster because of Long Term Care insurance, it has to be a terrible way to “exit stage left”.

Any of these diseases that rob you of your mind or your physical abilities are tragic.

If we had “scientific research” done without Gooferment involvement, then I believe we would be curing these diseases. Instead, the money is wasted. And, worse, than the wasted money, is the waste in human capital.

Argh!

Separation of Scientific Research and State!

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POLITICAL: Gooferment grants monopolies

Saturday, December 20, 2014

http://www.smartertravel.com/blogs/today-in-travel/cash-on-arrival-new-game-plan-for-airport-atms.html

Beware the New Airport ATM Scam
December 9, 2014 12:26 pm by Ed Perkins

*** begin quote ***

A representative of the Civil Aviation Authority, the agency that monitors consumer issues in air travel in Britain, told me that the retail foreign exchange folks have cut deals with airport management to oust the real banks and give retail foreign exchange outfits a monopoly, for which privilege they pay fat fees to the airports. A representative of ABTA, the association of travel agents and tour operators and U.K. equivalent of ASTA, summed it up by saying, “The worst place to exchange currency is at an airport.” This consumer issue hasn’t loomed large on the British scene because locals can, in fact, withdraw pounds with no fees; the practice hits only visitors.

*** end quote ***

Anything it can get away with!

Argh!

I’m sure it in EVERYTHING that Gooferment does!

Screw the little guy.

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EVLYNN: Yet another bad day

Friday, December 19, 2014

“Tears shed for another person are not a sign of weakness. They are a sign of a pure heart.”
― José N. Harris, MI VIDA: A Story of Faith, Hope and Love

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SECURITY: Use unique passwords at every site

Thursday, December 18, 2014

http://arstechnica.com/staff/2014/12/ars-was-briefly-hacked-yesterday-heres-what-we-know/#p3

Ars was briefly hacked yesterday; here’s what we know
Readers, please change your passwords.

by Ars Staff – Dec 16 2014, 4:52pm EST

*** begin quote ***

Log files show the hacker’s movements through our servers and suggest that he or she had the opportunity to copy the user database. This database contains no payment information on Ars subscribers, but it does contain user e-mail addresses and passwords. Those passwords, however, are stored in hashed form (using 2,048 iterations of the MD5 algorithm and salted with a random series of characters).

Out of an excess of caution, we strongly encourage all Ars readers—especially any who have reused their Ars passwords on other, more sensitive sites—to change their passwords today.

We are continuing with a full autopsy of the hack and will provide updates if anything new comes to light.

Thanks to everyone who offered their support!

*** end quote ***

LASTPASS ensures a unique password every time.

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HARDWARE: Keurig machines have security and a design flaw

Thursday, December 18, 2014

http://hackaday.com/2014/12/10/dead-simple-hack-allows-for-rebel-keurig-k-cups/

DEAD SIMPLE HACK ALLOWS FOR “REBEL” KEURIG K-CUPS
by: Rick Osgood
December 10, 2014  

*** begin quote ***

Unfortunately newer versions of these machines have a sort of DRM, or lockout chip. In order to prevent unofficial k-cups from being manufactured and sold, the Keurig machines have a way to detect which cups are legitimate and which are counterfeit. It appears as though the machine identifies the lid specifically as being genuine.

It turns out this “lockout” technology is very simple to defeat. All one needs to do is cut the lid off of a legitimate Keurig k-cup and place it on top of your counterfeit cup. The system will read the real lid and allow you to brew to your heart’s content. A more convenient solution involves cutting off just the small portion of the lid that contains the Keurig logo. This then gets taped directly to the Keurig machine itself. This way you can still easily replace the cups without having to fuss with the extra lid every time.

*** end quote ***

BUT, (and there is always a BIG butt), after the big “bio film” revelation that Keurigs are “un clean able”, why would anyone buy one?

Ewww, yucky!

And, who know what breeds in that bio film contaminated water reserve — the green meanies?

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MONEY: A grandparent’s obligation?

Wednesday, December 17, 2014

https://personal.vanguard.com/us/whatweoffer/college/vanguard529

Saving for college—trust Vanguard to help you reach your goal

*** begin quote ***

Keep your money for college—not taxes

When you invest in a 529 plan, your earnings grow tax-deferred, so more of your savings goes toward your main goal—financing a college education.

Why the Vanguard 529

  • Low costs
  • Our expenses and fees, among the lowest in the industry, allow more of your money to work for your child.
  • Easy investing
  • Choosing an age-based option and
  • an automatic investment plan (AIP) could mean almost no work for you.

Experience

  • We’re a leader in direct-sold 529 plans: Vanguard investment options are offered in 28 plans totaling more than $25 billion in assets.*

*** end quote ***

Holiday gift giving season is upon us.

I’m not only a fat old white guy injineer, but a Bahhh Humbug type who’s hero is old Ebenezer (who I think was given a bad rap!).

Grandparents, assuming you want the best for this grandchildren, have an obligation to “fill in” for the parents. Parents have to do the day to day things, under pressure and time constraints. Us old <synonym for multiple instances of  flatulence> — and I include myself in that category — have the luxury of seeing the “whole road” since we are far closer to the end than the beginning.

What one thing do parents overlook or can’t afford — other than there own retirement?

Yup, saving for their kids education. 

Now in our day and age, I know I got a present and a savings bond. Sometimes the savings bond WAS the present. One uncle gave me a FIFTY DOLLAR bond and a big <synonym for donkey> navel orange! I remember that one. But the savings bond is a joke now days. It’ll never pay for tech school or college.

So, rather than throw money away on presents that will NEVER be remembered, I’m agitating for 529’s.

Specifically the Vanguard 529 Nevada plan because of the “age adjustment” option and the very low fees.

While YMMV, this gift would be wasted. Even if it’s forgotten.

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POLITICAL: Can we afford NASA?

Tuesday, December 16, 2014

NASA’s $349 million monument to its drift
Construction of a test tower in Miss. continued long after the rocket project was scrubbed
http://www.washingtonpost.com/sf/national/2014/12/15/nasas-349-million-monument-to-its-drift/?wpmm=AG0003409

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You have to read this one!

Another example of the Gooferment being immoral, ineffective, and inefficient!

So here we have a multi-decade multi-billion boondoggle.

Argh!

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