HARDWARE: CHROMEBOX; my experience

Tuesday, August 28, 2012

http://reviews.cnet.com/desktops/samsung-chromebox-series-3/4505-3118_7-35313576-2.html

Samsung Chromebox Series 3 review

*** begin quote ***

The Chromebox does support dual-display output, but right now it will only mirror the desktop image to both displays, rather than extending a single operating environment across multiple screens. Again, the system chooses the output resolution automatically, in this case opting for the highest common resolution between both monitors.

Along with connecting a monitor to the Chromebox, you must also provide your own mouse and keyboard. That opens up a larger discussion about device compatibility, which is less of an issue for the Chromebook considering its built-in Webcam and input devices.

Six USB 2.0 ports on the system (two in front, four in back) imply broad support for the vast ecosystem of USB devices. I did not expect the Chromebox to support every esoteric peripheral, but I was also surprised by how quickly I found devices that didn’t work.

*** end quote ***

MY experience mirrors the review with one big positive and one surprising negative.

Positive: This puppy doing gmail is FAST. Like an idiot savant, it renders web pages quick like a bunny.

Negative: I never realized how much I depend upon text expansion utilities. 

I’d buy a CHROMEBOOK to replace my obsoleted MACBOOKAIR. (That alone makes me a NEGATIVE Apple Fan Boy. What is the opposite of a FAN boy?)

So, I’m stuck. I am getting off the Apple “upgrade” treadmill. I’m burnt out on Microsoft problems. Not sure if Ubuntu will give me text expansion. 

Welcome to the “glue trap” or worse whatever.

Sorry, but CHROMEBOOK isn’t ready for me. BUT, if you have kids or old folks, it’s perfect and cheap!

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POLITICAL: Zero Aggression Project

Monday, August 27, 2012

http://www.downsizedc.org/about

Consumer Controlled Government
By Perry Willis (351 words)

Yesterday we explained how . .

The government is NOT the society, the country, the nation, the culture, the people, the traditions, or the land. Instead . . .
Government is merely a service provider, like Exxon or Microsoft.
Service providers are supposed to serve, not rule.
A government, properly understood, should be below you, NOT above you. Therefore…
Government should never INITIATE violence.

So we urged you to STOP thinking of The State as some magical, mystical entity, and instead think of it the same way you think of Walmart. Today we’ll take this concept further . . .

If Walmart does something you dislike you can FIRE IT and hire Kmart or Target instead.

Please notice that you don’t have to ask anyone’s permission to do this, and Walmart won’t do anything to harm you.

You have all the power. Walmart has none.

This is true for all service providers, except The State. Walmart must earn your support, The State does not. The State will harm you if you try to withdraw your business. Thus . . .

The State does what it wants, NOT what you want.

Can you vote to change The State’s management? Not really. That requires the permission of your fellow “citizens.”

We are all captive customers, held in bondage to the politicians and each other.

Does it need to be this way?

What if The State lost the power to hold its customers captive? What if The State could no longer INITIATE violence against its customers? Then it would have to earn your support.

You would have the control.

Notice that this idea says nothing about downsizing government. Government could be as big or as small as its customers want it to be.

This would be consumer controlled government.

Such a government would serve, not rule. It would be below you, not above you.

Do you want to explore these possibilities, and promote these ideas? If so, we need your help. We’re not like The State. We can’t force you to do anything.

We must persuade you and earn your support.

Please become either a Co-Founder or an Associate Founder of the Zero Aggression Project.

********************

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I’m a Founder. 

ZAP!

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JOBSEARCH: An oldie but a goodie

Sunday, August 26, 2012

Surf over to my “turkey farm” and review some of the key points. Regardless of why you have been out of the workforce, you have a “unique value proposition” to express. You can unlock same value for some one. If you can’t, what are you selling? You have to find out what that value is. Then, you craft a “unique sales proposition” (i.e., how do I get someone to hire me). Then, you build a resume and cover letter to that purpose.

I counsel “turkeys” (i.e., people who have gotten the axe from their employer). I’ve been axed several times. After the first time, it should NOT hurt. And, it certainly shouldn’t be a surprise. Happens to everyone. If it doesn’t then you’re playing your cards to tight to the vest.

Your letter and resume have to tell a story. They have to initiate a conversation. You want them to make the reader pick up the phone and say “how did you do that? can you do it for me?”.

It’s hard work. The hardest you’ll ever do. But, you’ll be motivated because you’re working for yourself.

I’ll close with one story. An “old” turkey (i.e., one who has been out of work for a “long” time) was sent to me for “help”. So, I looked at his resume with a three year hole in it. I naturally inquired, in my blunt cavalier injineer way, “been in jail?”. Mind you this was the resume he was sending out and didn’t understand why no response. He said “no, i was caring for my dying wife”. My jaw dropped to the floor.

He wasn’t telling his story. We fashioned a “job entry” that said something like “Care Giver, Medical Treatment Assistant, and Medical Billing Expert” with three bullet points. Recruiters hate holes in time lines; they suspect you’ve been in jail or worse off having the fun that they are not having. Any way, this turkey had a senior level IT job in an HR department working on their benefits billing systems in less than five weeks.

All I did was get him to tell his story. All you have to do is to tell yours. AND, express what you are going to do for the reader.

Good luck,
fjohn
just a big old fat turkey hisself

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MONEY: Error Employees Make

Saturday, August 25, 2012

http://www.ricedelman.com/cs/pressroom/pressroom_detail?pressrelease.id=3234

The Most Common Error Employees Make

For Immediate Release
August 10, 2012

*** begin quote ***

Unfortunately, only 9% of the nation’s 60 million workers who are eligible to participate in 401(k) plans contribute the maximum, according to the Employee Benefit Research Institute. The Plan Sponsor Council of America says only 5% of employees do so. And a recent survey by CouponCabin found that 73% of Americans aged 18–34 — the group whose long-time horizon offers them the best chance of creating wealth by retirement — don’t invest for retirement at all.

*** end quote ***

I’m not a “financial advisor”. Nor do I play one on TV. 

Remember the sources of my education: I’m just a fat old white guy injineer with: Law “degree” from watching Judge Judy; Medical “degree” from watching Doctor Phil; Building “degree” from watching “Holmes on Homes”; Investing “degree” from reading about Bernie Made-off; and creating caring human relationships from studying the movie roles of Gunny Ronald Lee Ermey!

And, while generally and usually agree with Ric, and by way of disclosure I am a Customer of Ric’s, I think I’d like to quibble with him a little.

Not that folks should be worried about the future and saving everything they can. He and Dave Ramsey together are good pundits. But I disagree with both around the edges.

But back to Ric and 401Ks.

There are at least three specific incidents where the 401K advice hits a boundary.

(1) Some 401Ks REQUIRE you to rollover into the company’s 401K. There is the infamous case of the guy who rolled a million dollar PGE IRA into Enron and is now living on welfare or social security.

(2) Some 401Ks are really “house organs”. The CFO makes a sweetheart deal and the employees get screwed. High fees, limited choices, and you name it.

(3) Some 401Ks are not worth chasing to get the limited match.

Then there are some TINFOILHAT considerations:

(A) The Gooferment desperate for money needs 13T$. The IRA / 401K holding is 14T$. All the politicians and bureaucrats have to do is to twist the arms of ~2500 “custodians” and give the “owner” an “enhanced social security benefit” and all their portables are solved. For YOUR OWN GOOD of course. (Yeah, it can’t happen here — the FDR gold grab, GM bailout, … … the Japanese Internment, Trail of Tears, … … yeah trust your Gooferment.

(B) The 401K is in dollar denominated assets.What if the Fed does QE3+4+5 … and we get a Carter stagflation? Remember 21% Treasury Bills that were losers in a 30% inflation world? The dollar has lost 99% of its purchasing power in 30 or 40 years at a few percent. No doubt that I like nickels, silver and gold.

All I’m saying is do trust. Have a Plan B, Plan C … and some bullion in your basement.

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FLASH: Mad Gunman 1 NYPD 10; and who’s more dangerous?

Friday, August 24, 2012

http://www.inquisitr.com/311349/bloomberg-confirms-one-dead-bystanders-accidentally-shot-by-police-in-workplace-shooting/

Bloomberg Confirms: One Dead, Bystanders Accidentally Shot By Police In Workplace Shooting
Posted: August 24, 2012

*** begin quote ***

In the gunfire on the street between Jeffrey Johnson and the NYPD officers, seven men and two women are said to have been hit, all are likely to survive their injuries.

*** end quote ***

On one private club / gun range I frequent, the Range Safety Officer (and, there has to be one on duty for the range to be open) is required by club policy to announce “LEO on the line” so that those on the line can retire to safety. And, the backup Assistant Range Safety Officer comes to the line to observe the LEO or LEOs on the line. Note the club’s ONLY THREE accidents have been when LEOs were involved. A regular member is ejected and loses his deposit if they or their guest violates a safety rule.

Further, most gun owners know that the cops don’t practice enough to maintain proficiency. Unlike the Marines and the Military Police who practice a lot.

So why are we surprise when civilians get hurt when the kops “protect and serve”?

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INTERESTING: Titanic sunk by a “cold water mirage”

Friday, August 24, 2012

http://www.smithsonianmag.com/science-nature/Did-the-Titanic-Sink-Because-of-an-Optical-Illusion.html

Did the Titanic Sink Because of an Optical Illusion?
New research may have found the reason why the ship struck an iceberg: light refraction
By Tim Maltin
Illustrations by Charles Floyd
Smithsonian magazine, March 2012

*** begin quote ***

An unusual optical phenomenon explains why the Titanic struck an iceberg and received no assistance from a nearby ship, according to new research by British historian Tim Maltin. Atmospheric conditions in the area that night were ripe for super refraction, Maltin found. This extraordinary bending of light causes miraging, which, he discovered, was recorded by several ships in the area. He says it also prevented the Titanic’s lookouts from seeing the iceberg in time and the freighter Californian from identifying the ocean liner and communicating with it. A 1992 British government investigation suggested that super refraction may have played a role in the disaster, but that possibility went unexplored until Maltin mined weather records, survivors’ testimony and long-forgotten ships’ logs. His findings—presented in his new book, A Very Deceiving Night, and the documentary film Titanic’s Final Mystery, premiering on the Smithsonian Channel at 8 p.m. on April 15—are distilled here:

1. The Titanic was sailing from Gulf Stream waters into the frigid Labrador Current, where the air column was cooling from the bottom up, creating a thermal inversion: layers of cold air below layers of warmer air. Extraordinarily high air pressure kept the air free of fog.

*** end quote ***

Fascinating. 

This video explains and rationalizes the reason that Titanic didn’t see the iceberg that sank it.

Human frailty. We don’t know what we don’t know and our paradigms fail us.

I wonder how many “optical illusions” have tripped me up over my life?

Argh!

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INTERESTING: India’s blackout is in the USA’s future

Thursday, August 23, 2012

http://www.popularmechanics.com/technology/engineering/infrastructure/
us-woefully-unprepared-for-a-blackout-like-indias-analysis-11413652

U.S. Woefully Unprepared for a Blackout Like India’s: Analysis
Two major blackouts last week left hundreds of millions of Indians in the dark. PM contributor Glenn Harlan Reynolds says despite its advanced grid, the U.S. needs major improvements in infrastructure and preparedness to be ready for a major power loss.
By Glenn Harlan Reynolds

August 6, 2012 2:16 PM 

*** begin quote *** 

Last week, India suffered two huge blackouts. Tuesday’s cut power to 370 million people; another one on Wednesday blacked out 670 million people, making it the worst blackout in the history of humanity.

Talking about this with a colleague, I said, “Don’t worry. That can’t happen here.” “Why not?” she asked. “Because we don’t have 670 million people,” I replied.

*** end quote ***

As a fat old white guy injineer, E-lect-trick-al for that matter, I know how fragile our infrastructure is.

A power outage for a week and we are in TEOTWAWKI (The End Of The World As We Know It).

Civilization will break down in a month.

Personally, I’m suggesting that only the Amish, the Mormons, and a few preppers will survive.

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MONEY: Polish Ponzi hurts; a lesson for the USA and the Federal Reserve System “dollar”

Wednesday, August 22, 2012

http://www.zerohedge.com/news/and-why-you-always-demand-physical

Aaaand It’s Gone: This Is Why You Always Demand Physical
Tyler Durden’s picture
Submitted by Tyler Durden on 08/14/2012 21:09 -0400

*** begin quote *** 

We have said it over and over, we’ll say it again. For all those who for one reason or another would like to boycott the broken markets, yet trade gold in paper form, please understand that all the invested capital is at risk of total loss and can and will be lost, commingled and rehypothecated, not necessarily in that order, with little to zero recourse and the residual claim on liquidating assets pushed to the very end of the queue. Because if Lehman, MF Global, Peregrine, and countless other examples were not enough, here comes Amber Gold: a gold-based investment ponzi scheme out of Poland, in which it is likely needless to say that the gullible investors never had actual possession of the gold. And when they tried, it was gone. All gone.

*** end quote ***

Why do you trust that someone else is watching your assets?

Argh!

Ponzi is the meme.

Social Security Insurance, fiat paper money that channels John Law, and any promise made by politicians and bureaucrats!

Cynical?

Nah, realist.

Save your nickels!

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SERVICE: GIST goes bye bye; don’t depend on anything in the cloud?

Tuesday, August 21, 2012

Gist
We started Gist in 2008 to make connecting with your key contacts faster and easier to help you create stronger business relationships. In February of 2011, we become part of Research In Motion (RIM) to bring the Gist vision to millions of BlackBerry customers. Since our acquisition we built the BlackBerry Playbook Contacts app and more recently, our team has been tasked with creating the native address book/contact manager for the next generation platform, BlackBerry 10.

In addition to our core focus on the Contacts app, we have been given expanded responsibility for everything social at RIM including BlackBerry Messenger, Facebook and Twitter apps and instant messaging as well as much of the identity platform, location services and user analytics features.

With all this responsibility, we feel even more empowered to deliver a truly unique and amazing experience for aggregating, enhancing and connecting you deeply with your key contacts. All of this feels pretty exciting, but you may have noticed limited innovation on the core Gist product offering over the last year. In an effort to make the most of our new focus, we have, with heavy hearts, decided to shutdown the stand-alone Gist service. Sigh.

As of today, we are no longer accepting new users and Gist.com will officially be closing on September 15, 2012. Click here to read the blog post and learn how to get your data out of Gist so you can transition to another service.

Thanks,
The Gist Team
http://www.gist.com

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Argh!

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MEMORIES: The Grand (Central) Hyatt; the visit makes me sad

Monday, August 20, 2012

This past week end I had occasion to stay at the The Grand Hyatt in NYC over Grand Central Station for work.

It was in the Fall of 1967 that I attended the Injineer’s Ball in that very same hotel with my beloved.

Made me very sad.

What can I say? If I knew then what I know now, would it have made a difference? If I knew then what I know now, could I have changed the course of history? Would I have lived with more zest knowing that the end was fast approaching?

Or, would by knowing, would something different have happened?

Argh!

In my Great American Novel, CHURCH 10●19●62, I postulated an etherial “probabilities” machine.

*** begin quote ***

(Upon having his name invoked, Saint TAQ checked the Eternal Possibilities Machine, which generates all the possibilities for use in creating the alternative worlds. In all those probability lines where those three survived to lead the survivors, everyone died. Marie never was in a place and motivated to open the water valve. No one else would have found and read the directions. Saint Taq petitioned the Lord to soften Jody’s heart to Marie’s pain. And vice versa.)

*** end quote ***

— CHURCH 10●19●62 (volume 1) page 45

Were I had such a thing to “know” the difference?

Argh!

Sadly, we’ll never know.

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INTERESTING: Sleep is not the cousin of death

Sunday, August 19, 2012

http://www.marksdailyapple.com/the-three-ss-you-must-get-right/

The Three S’s You Must Get Right

*** begin quote ***

You hear it all the time: “It’s not a diet, it’s a lifestyle change!” or “Fitness is something you live!” It seems like every health guru out there with a diet and/or workout plan says something to that effect. Unfortunately, if you fully subscribe to their prescriptions and do so for life, you’re still only changing what you eat or how you work out.

While that’s most of the battle, it’s not enough. Diet and exercise are simply vital components of a lifestyle. If you make a permanent modification to your diet and exercise without addressing the other things that encompass a “lifestyle,” you’re selling yourself short.

Which is why I believe it is necessary to focus on the other stuff, too. I’m convinced that good health, longevity, happiness, and weight management come down to far more than just diet and exercise.

*** and ***

Sleep

Sleep is not the cousin of death, and no, you shouldn’t hold off on sleeping until you’re dead. Sleep is restoration time. It’s when your body repairs itself. And, chances are, you’re not getting nearly enough of it.

Are you? How often do you get a “good night’s sleep?” Do you regularly wake up refreshed and ready to take on the day?

If you are like most people you are not getting good, regular sleep. You’re hitting the snooze button several times, fumbling for your coffee fix, and yawning at work. You’re staying up late with the TV going or you’re taking your laptop into bed.

It wasn’t always like this. For millions of years, up until about a hundred twenty years ago, humans all over the world enjoyed restorative, refreshing, regular sleep. When the sun went down, they either went to sleep or started getting ready for it. Life would wind down. Candles and fire were too costly to burn all night, every night, so nighttime meant bedtime.

*** end quote ***

This will be the hardest part of going primal.

I am NOT a good sleeper.

We’ll see.

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GOVEROTRAGEOUS: Consumer Financial Protection Bureau’s proposal

Friday, August 17, 2012

From: WSJ.com Editors <access@interactive.wsj.com>
Date: Fri, Aug 10, 2012 at 12:10 AM
Subject: WSJ NEWS ALERT: Watchdog Offers Mortgage Rules
To: reinkefj

__________________________________
News Alert
from The Wall Street Journal

A federal consumer regulator is expected to propose Friday the first set of national standards for the mortgage-servicing industry, which has been riddled with problems in the wake of the housing bust.

Under the Consumer Financial Protection Bureau’s proposal, loan servicers would be required to evaluate homeowners’ applications for loan-assistance within 30 days of receiving an application and would be barred from going ahead with a foreclosure until a final decision has been reached on a borrower’s application for help.

http://online.wsj.com/article/SB10000872396390444900304577579591114136230.html?mod=djemalertNEWS

 

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Talk about locking the barn after the whole herd has left the building!

I can’t wait to see the details of this.

Does it “charge back” the originator with the costs. IBM used to have a commission back out program when a Customer was “lost”. Needless to say, they lost very few Customers and, when they did, a sales team exited with the Customer.

Does it set standards for downpayments, ARMs, negative amortization, and balloons? In the “old days”, home mortgages were 50% down and 5 years max. Needless to say there were few if any defaults. Compare that to the NIJA no down no income no job applications of the subprome mess. Clearly these protections should apply to the Donald Trumps. He can stand the loss, but the “little people” need to be taught the lesson.

As a little L libertarian, if I have to have Gooferment, let’s at least try to pretend it can do something.

Argh!

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RANT: Obama White House’s cronyism

Thursday, August 16, 2012

http://news.investors.com/article/621355/201208071855/white-house-takes-workers-pensions-and8212-and-lies-about-it.htm

Did White House Commit Perjury About GM Bailout?
Posted 08/07/2012 06:55 PM ET

*** begin quote ***

Cronyism: In recent days, the scope of the Obama White House’s cronyism has become shockingly apparent. A trove of emails shows it deprived thousands of workers of their pensions to benefit unions, then lied about it.

The news site The Daily Caller has obtained internal government emails that show the U.S. Treasury Department, led by Timothy Geithner, pushed in 2009 to end the pensions of 20,000 non-union employees of GM’s Delphi auto parts unit as part of the auto bailout.

What’s truly outrageous is that, while those workers were cheated of their full pensions, union employees of the same Delphi company got their pensions paid.

This financially ruinous favoritism of union workers over nonunion workers is blatantly unfair, illegal and a violation of Constitutional guarantees of equal treatment under the law. And the reason is political.

By its own reckoning, organized labor spent nearly $400 million to get Obama elected in 2008, more by far than any other interest group. So it’s no surprise the White House punished nonunion workers and rewarded union members when it came time to “bail out” GM.

Total value of the auto industry bailout to the unions was, by one estimate, $26 billion. For the unions, their $400 million was money well spent indeed.

What’s disturbing is it now appears several White House officials may have lied about how this obvious favoritism came about. Looking at the record, Treasury and White House officials appear guilty not just of political malfeasance, but of perjury as well. On this, the Daily Caller’s email cache is damning.

*** end quote ***

Frau Reinke was always enraged about “losing” her 5k$ GM bond to the Gooferment bailout. 

We knew it was a corrupt bargain, but there was no recourse.

The public, bondholders, preferred stock holders, … … everyone got <synonym for the past tense of the procreation act.>!

She didn’t loose her “lunch money”. But it still hurt her.

The pensioners lost their “lunch money”!

That’s not right.

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MONEY: What is the value of a fiat currency?

Wednesday, August 15, 2012

http://www.silverdoctors.com/cnbc-are-fiat-currencies-headed-for-a-collapse/

Are Fiat Currencies Headed for a Collapse?
Published: Friday, 27 Jul 2012 | 5:27 AM ET
By: Lisa Oake
Anchor, CNBC Asia-Pacific

*** begin quote ***

Shockingly, CNBC even points out in the article that “Every single fiat currency in history has collapsed, this time will be no different.”

*** and ***

A fiat currency derives its worth from the issuing government – it is not fixed in value to any objective standard. That means central banks can print as much money as they want. If an economy is struggling, injecting more notes into the system juices activity but lowers the value of the currency in question.

Mark Mobius, Executive Chairman of Templeton Emerging Markets Group, says investors will soon start to demand fiat currencies be backed by gold or other hard assets.

“It’s already happening, you’re beginning to see that trend with central banks stocking up on gold. The estimate is that at least half of the buying is central bank buying. They are looking to the day when they can say okay, our currency is backed by gold and therefore we’re a strong country,” Mobius told CNBC Asia.

*** end quote ***

Argh!

All one has to do is study a little history and you have to be afraid.

Weimar Republic, Zimbabwe, Iraq — come immediately to mind.

We’ve been the guinea pigs in a hundred year experiment in a fiat currency. Now the free ride is coming to an end.

The fun question is how does it unwind?

With a thud!

Does the Carter-style inflation return? Or does it just start to accellerate, continue, and never stops until the value is zero?

When the wild ride starts, it’s too late to covert to hard assets.

Argh!

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SOFTWARE: Peanut Butter PC; better than nothing?

Tuesday, August 14, 2012

http://www.techrepublic.com/blog/window-on-windows/peanut-butter-pc-trying-to-keep-kids-safe/6428?tag=nl.e101

Peanut Butter PC: Trying to keep kids safe

*** begin quote ***

Bottom line

In summary, although Peanut Butter PC as a product offers a good idea for making the computer safe for kids, some youngsters with more crafty hacking smarts could get around the confines of the custom desktop and back into the cruel, unprotected world of regular Windows. Although this application serves as a decent roadblock for some that aren’t familiar with computers, it cannot be considered a replacement to parental supervision. It is always important to monitor your child’s usage of the machine, just in case someone does end up finding a way around the fence. At the price of $24.95, it might be worth considering after you give the software a test run via Peanut Butter PC’s 15-day trial.

*** end quote ***

Putting computing power in the hands of children is at best a calculated risk.

Perhaps, by putting it in their hands earlier, with instruction, examples, and SUPERVISION, can make it safer for all involved.

If I had a family, I’d put OPENDNS in the family’s router. That’ll help.

Reviewing logs is a good way to get to sleep at night.

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HARDWARE: Retire old hard drives?

Monday, August 13, 2012

http://www.donationcoder.com/forum/index.php?topic=31811.msg295493#msg295493

Should we pre-emptively retire old hard drives?
« on: August 02, 2012, 01:52:50 AM »

*** begin quote ***

We all know that hard drives can and will fail eventually, and often unpredictably and without warning. That’s why we make sure we back up regularly.

But here’s is a question I’ve been thinking about lately, and I don’t know the answer to:

Should we pre-emptively retire old but perfectly-working hard drives, and migrate data to a new drive? If so, after how many hours?

Or should we just run them into the ground until they fail?

Here’s a screenshot of one of my favorite tools (CrystalDiskInfo), showing smart data of my oldest drive, with 39,000 hours powered up:

*** end quote ***

What a GREAT question?

I’ve have NEVER heard it asked before. (And, I’ve been in and around it for a LONG time!)

I’ve been burnt by hardware failures a few times. Couple of times the hard disk died. Couple of times it was the supporting hardware.

(The disk might have well died. Thanks, DELL, for using a proprietary motherboard / disk drive combination. Couldn’t just take the good drive from a dead mother and slap it in another DELL as a primary or secondary. That consumed a HUGE number of hours of me, my hardware savvy tech friend, and DELL “technical support”. That one HURT! Turns out most of the backups I’d taken were corrupt. Good thing I’m a “belts ‘n’ suspenders” kinda guy. Had PRINTED copies of data. Paperless society my <synonym for donkey>!]

Cloud is the ultimate backup.(Another great business idea missed thanks to my “huevos muchos pequeño”!) But even that cloud solution can fail. What do you do if you can’t connect?

Argh!

Two of my more SPECTACULAR failures were, both times in a corporate setting — different employers — where I was REQUIRED to depend on centralized IT back up service, when I depended upon those others and … (wait for it) … one time my platform was “overlooked” and at the other place “ALL my backups for THREE <synonym for the act of procreation in real time> YEARS were corrupt”.

Double Argh! or is that (Argh!)**2?

Just writing this I’m now getting crazed because my current employer is another of those “you must use the centralize backup service” kinda places. 

(Note to self: ask them to restore some random file every week!)

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FUN: Tongue-in-cheek advice for Taylor Swift

Sunday, August 12, 2012

http://www.thedailybeast.com/articles/2012/08/04/advice-for-taylor-swift-for-her-romance-with-conor-kennedy.html

*** begin quote ***

Do: All the driving. Leave aside whether you believe in the mythical Kennedy Curse, thought to have plagued the family for generations. Think not of Mary Jo Kopechne, the would-be lady friend to Ted Kennedy who died at the bottom of a tidal channel in Chappaquiddick in 1969 after he took a wrong turn and drove them off a bridge. Think not of JFK Jr., who died in 1999 while piloting his own plane, taking his wife and sister-in-law with him. Think not even of Kerry Kennedy, who blamed a recent car wreck on a seizure. Teen boys are the most dangerous drivers in America, accounting for 30 percent of the total cost of motor vehicle injuries in the country. Why tempt fate? Better yet: Hire a chauffeur.

*** end quote ***

In my earlier “advice”, I was worried for “America’s sweetheart”, the poetess laureate of puberty. The Kennedy’s are not what I’d call a “model of faithfulness”. How they are labeled “Catholic” defies my common sense? But, then if I was a bishop, I’d be suing for false advertising. 

I pray that she comes through this with a worst some good song material. 

Argh!

Being an old “SWIFTIE” has its angst.

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LIBERTY: Gooferment involvement in “religion” leads to abuses

Saturday, August 11, 2012

http://www.lewrockwell.com/blog/lewrw/archives/117010.html

Religion and Libertarianism
Posted by Walter Block on August 4, 2012 03:22 PM

*** begin quote ***

Basically, I contend that contrary to “religion” being responsible for the Crusades, the Inquisition, the St. Bartholomew’s Day Massacre, the treason against the Waldensians, the purges in England, and the oppression in Geneva, to name but a few, it was the fact that these religious positions held a controlling interest in the State that resulted in the terror exacted upon innocents. For instance, Lutheran segregation in post-Luther Germany was a result of the marriage of church and State in that country, the oppression in England of differing religious positions was because of the involvement of the State in religion, Calvin’s oppression was because his religion WAS the State, and, most egregiously, the Vatican itself IS a State, to which over a billion souls worldwide pledge (unwittingly, in most cases) their allegiance, even before their own home countries.

Thus, while religionists have played a significant role in the history of the world, it’s always those people’s access to State power that results in persecution. For instance, you’ll never hear of Baptists, Quakers, or Amish oppressing other religions, as these groups (I am a Baptist) have never sought to control the political reins of any region or State. In fact, Rhode Island’s charter was premised on the Baptistic doctrine of Soul Liberty, a Biblical principle that I would suggest is the foundation for the concepts of Liberty as taught by John Locke and his intellectual descendants.

*** end quote ***

Interesting. 

I never thought of it this way. 

It’s not a “religious abuse”, but a “Gooferment” abuse!

Wow, I should have realized that.

# – # – # – # – #  2012-Aug-04 @ 21:06  

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RANT: U6 is 15%

Friday, August 10, 2012

http://www.cato-at-liberty.org/jobless-rate-climbs-to-8-3-percent-creating-more-anxiety-for-obama-and-the-left/#utm_source=feedburner&utm_medium=feed&utm_campaign=Feed%3A+Cato-at-liberty+%28Cato+at+Liberty%29&utm_content=Google+Reader

Jobless Rate Climbs to 8.3 Percent, Creating More Anxiety for Obama and the Left
Posted by Daniel J. Mitchell

*** begin quote ***

Can we finally all agree that Keynesian economics is a flop? The politicians in Washington flushed about $800 billion down the toilet and we got nothing in exchange except for anemic growth and lots of people out of work.

Indeed, we’re getting to the point where the monthly employment reports from the Labor Department must be akin to Chinese water torture for the Obama administration. Even when the unemployment rate falls, it gives critics an opportunity to recycle the chart below showing how bad the economy is doing compared to what the White House said would happen if the so-called stimulus was enacted.

*** end quote ***

http://portalseven.com/employment/unemployment_rate_u6.jsp

*** begin quote ***

What is U6 unemployment rate ?

The U6 unemployment rate counts not only people without work seeking full-time employment (the more familiar U-3 rate), but also counts “marginally attached workers and those working part-time for economic reasons.” Note that some of these part-time workers counted as employed by U-3 could be working as little as an hour a week. And the “marginally attached workers” include those who have gotten discouraged and stopped looking, but still want to work. The age considered for this calculation is 16 years and over …

*** end quote ***

U6 is 15%

FIFTEEN PERCENT!!!

Why is not the lead on every news report?

Argh!

# – # – # – # – #  2012-Aug-04 @ 17:31  

 

 

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POLITICAL: Maine fights a privately financed and managed toll road

Thursday, August 9, 2012

http://channel-surfing.blogspot.com/2012/08/the-natural-extension-of-bad-idea.html

Saturday, August 04, 2012
The natural extension of a bad idea

*** begin quote ***

A businessman in Maine wants to build a privately financed and managed toll road cutting east-west across Maine, saying it will make the state an important cog in the global economy.

*** end quote ***

Naturally everyone opposes it. Saying the “state”, if there was such a thing, will get stuck.

So, why can NOT the Gang, that pretends to be an organization called “the Gooferment of the purported area called Maine”, just require an insurance bond to restore the property to it’s original condition?

OH, they don’t WANT a solution!

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FUN: Dutch tourists

Wednesday, August 8, 2012

FROM LUDDITE:

Watch this one to the end … these Dutch tourists certainly lucked out when they came upon this!

click here: http://www.youtube.com/embed/f_gBWPs4r3U

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Even a stopped clock is right twice per day!

Luddite scores a funny one.

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TINFOILHAT: Was Obama a “foreign exchange student”?

Tuesday, August 7, 2012

http://www.theblaze.com/contributions/obama%E2%80%99s-college-classmate-the-obama-scandal-is-at-columbia/

Politics
Obama’s College Classmate: ‘The Obama Scandal Is at Columbia’
Posted on August 6, 2012 at 10:28am
Wayne Allyn Root is a former Libertarian vice presidential nominee. He now serves as Chairman of the Libertarian National Campaign Committee.

*** begin quote ***

I am President Obama’s classmate at Columbia University, Class of ’83. I am also one of the most accurate Las Vegas oddsmakers and prognosticators. Accurate enough that I was awarded my own star on the Las Vegas Walk of Stars. And I smell something rotten in Denmark. Obama has a big skeleton in his closet. It’s his college records. Call it “gut instinct” but my gut is almost always right. Obama has a secret hidden at Columbia- and it’s a bad one that threatens to bring down his presidency. Gut instinct is how I’ve made my living for 29 years since graduating Columbia.

*** and ***

My answer for Romney? Call Obama’s bluff.

Romney should call a press conference and issue a challenge in front of the nation. He should agree to release more of his tax returns, only if Obama unseals his college records. Simple and straight-forward. Mitt should ask “What could possibly be so embarrassing in your college records from 29 years ago that you are afraid to let America’s voters see? If it’s THAT bad, maybe it’s something the voters ought to see.” Suddenly the tables are turned. Now Obama is on the defensive.

My bet is that Obama will never unseal his records because they contain information that could destroy his chances for re-election. Once this challenge is made public, my prediction is you’ll never hear about Mitt’s tax returns ever again.

Why are the college records, of a 51-year-old President of the United States, so important to keep secret? I think I know the answer.

*** and ***

The first question I’d ask is, if you had great grades, why would you seal your records? So let’s assume Obama got poor grades. Why not release the records? He’s president of the free world, for gosh sakes. He’s commander-in-chief of the U.S. military. Who’d care about some poor grades from three decades ago, right? So then what’s the problem? Doesn’t that make the media suspicious? Something doesn’t add up.

*** and ***

Here’s my gut belief: Obama got a leg up by being admitted to both Occidental and Columbia as a foreign exchange student. He was raised as a young boy in Indonesia. But did his mother ever change him back to a U.S. citizen? When he returned to live with his grandparents in Hawaii or as he neared college-age preparing to apply to schools, did he ever change his citizenship back? I’m betting not.

*** and ***

If it’s okay for U.S. Senate Majority Leader Harry Reid to go on a fishing expedition about Romney’s taxes (even though he knows absolutely nothing about them nor will release his own), then I think I can do the same thing. But as Obama’s Columbia Class of ’83 classmate, at least I have more standing to make educated guesses.

*** end quote ***

Yup, you have to love it. Just ask then cup bono and you’ll understand why the media fails to do its scared duty. Why bother having “freedom of the press”, when the Fourth Estate does do its job?

Can you smell the cover up?

Who knew what and when did they know it?

If the fish stinks, then it’s rotten to the core.

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Wayne Allyn Root is a former Libertarian vice presidential nominee. He now serves as Chairman of the Libertarian National Campaign Committee. 

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Posted by reinkefj

GUNS: Would Supreme Court Justice Antonin Scalia say the same thing about “free speech”?

Tuesday, August 7, 2012

http://www.foxnews.com/politics/2012/07/29/scalia-opens-door-for-gun-control-legislation/

Scalia opens door for gun-control legislation, extends slow burning debate

*** begin quote ***

Supreme Court Justice Antonin Scalia said Sunday the Second Amendment leaves open the possibility of gun-control legislation, adding to what has become a slow-boiling debate on the issue since the Colorado movie theater massacre earlier this month.

Scalia, one of the high court’s most conservative justices, said on “Fox News Sunday” that the majority opinion in the landmark 2008 case of District of Columbia v. Heller stated the extent of gun ownership “will have to be decided in future cases.”

“We’ll see,” he said.

*** end quote ***

Now imagine if he said “free speech” legislation and “we’ll see”?

The Press and the Liberal would excoriate him.

Are there no “problems” with Free Speech? No KKK. No porn. No seven forbidden words. No lies on TV. No political promises, forgotten immediately upon election. Has no one died as a results of these? I think they have.

Free Speech has issues. But, we don’t throw away the Principle at the hint of trouble!

Gun deaths don’t come anywhere near the totals of military and civilian deaths in the UnConstitutional “wars” overseas we find ourselves ensnared. Nowhere near the total of abortions. Nowhere near car accidents. 

So, humbly, I suggest that Scalia is wrong. Flat out wrong. Remember one word “The Genocide Prevention Right”. The Gooferment can’t kill armed citizens without consequence.

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NEWJERSEY: Red Light Cameras Reinstated

Monday, August 6, 2012

http://southbrunswick.patch.com/articles/red-light-cameras-to-be-reinstated-9d2b85ce

Government
Red Light Cameras Reinstated
Cameras will issue summonses for offenses that occurred during the suspension period.
By Adam Bulger

*** begin quote ***

The days of blowing through red lights without consequence are coming to a close.

The red light cameras suspended last month throughout New Jersey have been re-authorized.

After a directive from the New Jersey Department of Transportation, 21 municipalities have provided re-certifications for the cameras. The announcement confirms the red light cameras’ yellow light timing, the issue that caused the state to suspend them, is in accordance with the formula specified in the legislation.

On Tuesday, June 19, the New Jersey Department of Transportation announced it was suspended ticketing from red-light cameras in 21 of 25 municipalities it approved to use the technology.

*** end quote ***

“Blowing thru”?

At worst, maybe folks cut the yellow too close. 

And, let me tell you, sitting at an intersection at 3AM, with no traffic, “restrained” from suing common sense, waiting for the Gooferment bureaucrat’s judgment about how much of my gas and time is wasted before I can proceed, I’ve oft been tempted.

I remember a time when in non-rush hour lights would revert to flashing red and yellow. 

Maybe not on Route 1 or 130, but certainly elsewhere would be fine.

So let’s examine the unattended ticketing?

What’s the purpose? Could it be to raise revenue?

Argh!

As a little L libertarian, if there’s an accident from some one “blowing thru” a light, then there has to be restitution to the victim. But when there is NO victim, then why is the State enriched?

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GUNS: Concealed carry SAVES LIVES

Saturday, August 4, 2012

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=KjH3ZMUks1o&feature=colike

Published on Jul 22, 2012 by TheHealthRanger

This video reveals an astonishingly easy way to stop massacres in mere seconds. It requires:

* No police or 911.
* No taxpayer expense.
* Can be deployed anywhere.
* Begins working in as little as five seconds.
* Protects innocent lives

Spread the word: Concealed carry SAVES LIVES.

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Pure and simple!

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POLITICAL: Winston Churchill’s bust

Friday, August 3, 2012

http://www.whitehousedossier.com/2012/07/28/wh-incorrectly-claims-churchill-bust-removed/

White House Busted!!
by Keith Koffler on July 28, 2012, 12:38 pm

*** begin quote ***

The White House incorrectly claimed that a bust of Winston Churchill was not removed from the White House when President Obama moved in, insisting with emphatic certainty that it had simply been moved to the residence but then retracting the assertion.

In a “Fact Check” post added to the White House website Friday, White House Communications Director Dan Pfeiffer scornfully dismissed as “100% false” the “rumor” that Obama had removed the Churchill bust that had presided over the George W. Bush Oval Office and shipped it back to the British.

Turns out Pfeiffer’s was the false statement.

*** end quote ***

What a bunch of amateurs in the White House. This was big news in the blogosphere when it was done. 

Did they think folks would forget?

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