Category: Things that make you say hmmm?

Posted on

Holy Shit Batman… There’s a picture of a gun! Lets arrest everyone

Ok, this is sooooo over the top I can’t even wrap my head around it.

Aa Second Amendment montage good one

In general I like Canadians, I’ve even thought about living and working in the Great White North from time to time. Well after reading this article…

All I can say is NO FUCKING WAY!

My Brother is probably right… (As Usual about such things) Alaska might be a better choice of place to live, since he & I are both more about being left the hell alone to live our lives.

The article is from the thespec.com and details how a father was arrested, strip searched, his wife & 15 month old child detained and removed from their home, their other three children placed in protective custody by the Canadian child protective services all because his daughter Drew… YES you read that correctly DREW as in on paper with a crayon… a picture of a gun

Are you fucking kidding me?

As I read the article I couldn’t believe how crazy this whole thing was. I’ll tell you this If I was this guy… I’d have been way less that cooperative and After my release I wouldn’t be accepting an apology… I’d be seeking damages in a court of law.

Since when does ANY civilized country arrest someone without informing them of the charges?

In this case I had to keep reminding myself that we were talking about Canada, not some third world cesspool like Iraq or Iran where death squads do this kind of thing on a daily basis.

This behavior is exactly why the NRA screams every time some idiot mayor or city decides that the 2nd amendment doesn’t apply to them.

In fact reading stuff like this makes me want to join the NRA! Living as I do in the Peoples Republik of Kalifornia, I know it’s only a matter of time before some asshole in Sacramento will figure a way to suspend the 2nd amendment. Well they can try…

I’ve put snapshots of the article out here too so that if the Canadian government orders thespec.com to take the article down, out of embarrassment you’ll still be able to read it.

Frankly the Canadians should be embarrassed by their over-reaction.

TheSpec Man arrested after daughter draws picture of gun Page 1

TheSpec Man arrested after daughter draws picture of gun Page 2

TheSpec Man arrested after daughter draws picture of gun Page 3

Posted on

I guess I’m resistant to change.

I’ve been a computer geek for a very long time.

I’ve owned DOS machines, Windows machines, and Apple machines.

About 15 years ago I made the switch to Apple because I got sick and tired of dealing with not being able to just turn on my Windows computer and simply Work. (update this, download that, security patch this, reboot, patch failed, reboot, back patch out, reboot)

All I wanted to do was write a letter… 6 hours later I’m using a pen a paper because my computer is updating over a dialup line.

The Apples of the day provided a wonderful alternative and while they were very much more expensive, they worked without a lot of B.S. for 5 – 7 years. When you amortize the cost of the computer over that period, the cost per year of owning an Apple was much lower than the equivalent Windows machine.

I guess you could call me an aging Apple fan boi.

My current Apple machine is a 2008 MacBookPro. It’s been pretty reliable with the exception that it runs really HOT.

A couple of years or so ago I was speaking with an Apple Representative about this, and was told that my MacBook was in fact NOT a laptop. It was a portable computer and was best operated on a desk.

Oaaakkkyyy sure… whatever you say Apple. The fact that the machine got hot enough to discolor my dining room table suggests that the portable computer may not work best on a desk either… but that’s another discussion.

I disagreed then and disagree now. I think that Apple was engaging in pure sophistry. But other than running hot, I’m overall very pleased with the machine. The Apple koolaid is strong my friends…

Last year Apple released Lion. This is the most recent update to it’s OS X operating system. With that release comes iCloud.

iCloud is supposed to be THE best thing since sliced bread. All your music, and calendars, and contact information is in the cloud. It’s synchronized across all your Apple devices all the time. It’s MAGIC! It’s Wonderful, It’s the next big deal.

I’m unimpressed. It’s not a bad system. The integration between the OS and Apple Store, and iCloud is very nice, It’s just not for me, YET…

In point of fact I had the same synchronization between my computer, ipod, iPhone (when I had one), and iPad. The latter devices, iPhone & iPad were synced with my dot Mac account. All of them were synced when I connected them to my computer and frankly I was very happy with the arrangement.

Dot Mac morphed into Dot Me and the services remained pretty much the same. For me it was a no brainer to continue paying Apple 99 bucks a year for the convenience of having an email account, a web page, contact synchronization, calendar synchronization, and blog, all in one place under the auspices of  the mother ship… Apple.

With iCloud, in June 2012 we loose the Web page and the Blog. But it looks like the other features may be free I honestly can’t tell because there’s nothing clear and concise that says THIS IS FREE or THIS COSTS X.

I fucking hate the current marketing hype/spin/lack of information in favor of pretty graphics!

Since the rollout of IOS5 to my iPad, I’ve been unable to synchronize my calendar using Mac services. In fact a large number of appointments have gone missing.

To be honest, I suspect that the trouble is that I’m not running Lion, but the iPad is running IOS5. In all likelihood this trouble would be resolved if I upgraded to Lion.  I haven’t upgraded, and doubt that I will. Maybe the next version…

I don’t want to upgrade to Lion because I don’t want to incur upgrade fees on OTHER software that I own.

I can’t see paying for the Operating System and then paying an unknown cost to upgrade other software packages just to have compatibility with Lion but with no other functional benefit to me. No improvements to the packages themselves etc.

The Synchronization is a minor problem…


One that has a FREE solution.

It’s remarkably easy to integrate your Google Calendar and Gmail contacts with your Apple machine.

If you’re already using an Android phone it’s childs play.  Since I defected to an Android a year and a half ago, I haven’t been using dot Me calendars all that much anyway. The exception being professional appointments where the professional I’m working with has and uses Apple products.

After the rollout of iCloud and the troubles I started having with my iPad, I’ve asked all those professionals to use my gmail account instead. Works like a champ, Since I made those changes while the dust was still settling around Lion, iCloud, and IOS5 I haven’t seen a need to go back.

You see, I’ll pay $99 a year to have a decent web page, contacts, email, calendar, and blog hosted by Apple. I’m not going to pay $99 a year to have all my music, computer settings, contact information, and other stuff in the cloud. It’s not worth it to me, I can wait to synchronize via a cable. I’m known for my impatience but even I have limits.

Besides, I’m buying most of my music from Amazon as mp3s because of the DRM issues with some of iTunes music. Try playing iTunes protected music on your Android device… “Guess I’ll have to buy the White album again…“

All of this is especially true when I can have everything iCloud provides provided to me by GOOGLE or Amazon for free. One notable exception is iPad finder. I’m sure that a free solution to that is being worked on by someone.

I wonder how many people are thinking in this vein? I’m not going to be surprised if Apples revenue drops a bit in June when they don’t get the renewals on iCloud that they’re expecting.

Whatever were they thinking?

Posted on

Gas Prices

Ok,

I know I’m late to the bandwagon.

I was listening to the news last night and got to thinking about this whole gas mess.

The price of oil is being inflated due to fears and rising tensions with Iran. Ok I get that.

What I don’t get is that gas demand has been a bit light over the past couple of months, So if the demand has been light doesn’t that mean that the gas being distributed right now was purchased at the lower (Pre Iranian tensions prices)?

Wolfnew

If that’s true then why are we paying higher prices on fuel right now? Why is it likely that the high prices will continue conveniently through the Summer months?

Wouldn’t you expect for the higher price to hit us when the oil purchased during the tension actually hits the refineries, or was actually delivered to the gas stations?

I found myself thinking this way because there’s a pattern in gas prices that’s developed over the past decade or so.

Each and every Spring we see some crisis that affects oil prices. It’s like the oil companies go to a big hat and pull out an excuse randomly.

I’m all for capitalism, and all for people making money. BUT I completely reject the inconsistencies between the excuses oil companies give when asked why gas or heating oil prices are so high and record profits year after year.

If in fact the oil companies are hurting… then how can they post ever increasing profits? Shouldn’t we expect their profits to be flat, or only incrementally higher?

I, as I suspect a lot of people have begun to believe that Big Oil is lying through their teeth and actually playing with oil pricing as a means to drive up profits at the expense of the economy and the suffering of the American people.

I’m hoping when congress investigates the sudden disproportionate run up of gas prices this year, that someone at least takes the oil giants to task and calls them liars to their faces.

In the mean time… the only thing we as consumers can do is this…

Use as little fuel as we possibly can. Lets see if we can affect Oil company profits by purchasing as little of their product as possible. Leave those cars in the parking lot folks…

Of course the other alternative is…

Invade and conquer the Middle East then destroy OPEC and pump those deserts dry.

I didn’t say it was a GOOD alternative…

——– UPDATE ———-

Was out & about, the price for premium unleaded at several stations was 4.69 per gallon. There was one station advertising 4.85… needless to say the employees were sweeping and cleaning up the station because there was no-one else in the place.

I’m pretty sure we’re going to see $5 and above real dang soon…

 

Posted on

And we wonder why we’re in the fix we’re in.

I admit, I’ve been interested in the Presidential campaign.

One of the saddest things that I’ve seen recently (Aside from the candidates) is the comment section below “News” articles.

These reader/viewer comments are often startling in their venom, illiteracy, and obvious incomprehension of the topic at hand.

I’m no English professor. I regularly screw up punctuation. Sometimes I even allow a misspelled word to end up in public view.

But when I read something like this:

“Mit romney half of you he can take you there because of his back ground as a business man… Ron paul on the other hand his convencing is believable”

I am startled.

When I see additional comments in the same article like those below I’m afraid.

we have all seen the prank with the walking whined up dentures you set them down and then they flip flop .. click clack and chatter all over the place both sounding and looking totality ridicious … well meet Willard … GOP Please … guys enough ….

 

yes Mitt You an outsider alright how many Americans can give their children one hundren million dollars. The only things that out with Mitt is He not wanting to pay his equal share of taxes. and not supporting His country by putting His money in off shore by dodgeing taxs Liar

These are comments supposedly from “average” citizens. Two of the three are from states where the average educational level of the population exceeds Baccalaureate. These are three of 7 comments from the same article about Mitt Romneys address to the CPAC.

The first one is striking because, aside from it’s incomprehensible message, the writer also misspelled Mitt. For goodness sakes, the mans name appears in print multiple times in the article and it’s in the freaking headline!

These people are voting… One wonders if they are voting based on what they READ and understand, or what the talking heads on the news channels are saying.

If these people are representative of American Voters… It’s no wonder we’ve got the mess in Washington that we do.

Truly, the internet is the great equalizer. It gives voice to all village idiots at once…

 

Posted on

Alright I’m not a big believer in conspiracies BUT this makes ya think.

I’ve always been  someone that treated conspiracy theories and theorists the same way that you’d treat a addled old aunt.

You know, you can invite the old dear to the family Thanksgiving just make damn sure that everyone else knows not to say a word about any knitted products. And absolutely NO-ONE is allowed to wear sweaters.

The whole family knows if you get the old bird talking about knitting that no-one will be able to enjoy Thanksgiving day football.

Why? because the old girl will shout louder than you can make the TV about pearl stitches and the inferior quality of anything made anywhere except her house. Then you’ll get her dissertation on the poor quality of the yarns available. Followed up by her fateful meeting with Joseph Marie Jacquard and what a bastard he was to her.

However, as  I mentioned several weeks ago. I was at a friends home and he suggested that perhaps some of the conspiracy theories about 9/11 held merit. My folks taught me that you should listen to everyone even those people that you believed were completely insane or that you disagreed with so much that all you wanted to do was beat some sense into them.

So, I watched the show that my friend suggested. Then I watched another, the second one was much better than the first in that there was what I’ll call a smoking gun.

As I’ve perused Netflix I’ve noticed other documentaries. Normally, I’d have passed these documentaries by as complete hokum and not even sullied my television with their pseduo-science.

Indeed, some of them are complete wastes of time. after about the 4th Dramatic swell of music to underscore a specious argument, I’m done!

You want some fun… Watch Ancient Aliens, in addition to the guy that looks like a character from Babylon 5 who I personally find hard to watch with anything like seriousness. It doesn’t take a rocket scientist to take apart their “facts” and come to conclusions that don’t require alien visitation. I find myself watching the show because they mention really interesting archeological sites and finds, which I’ll go online and read about later…

Sometimes though, you stumble across things that really catch your attention.

The end of america header

In this category of attention grabbing, sphincter tightening, documentaries is one called;

The End of America

I’ve been wondering where the hell my country has gone for many years. I’d chalked my disconnected feelings up to dis-satisfaction with the changes that all countries and societies go through over time. You know, I’m getting older… I figured I was becoming my Grandfather waxing longingly about the way things were.

But then I realized the things that are concerning me are issues about what I was taught in school to be fundamental freedoms.

I’ve described myself as a constitutionalist conservative. When I say that, I mean that our constitutional freedoms are to be preserved at any and all costs, while at the same time government shouldn’t be up our asses all the time protecting us from … ourselves.

Freedom means that we’re allowed to make mistakes, we can choose to smoke, drink, fuck, or whatever else as long as in the exercise of your rights… you don’t infringe on mine.

So I’m for small, relatively un-intrusive government and completely equal rights & freedoms for everyone. Suspension or abridgment of any part of the constitution is a really big deal to me.

To date I thought I was alone in my concern that perhaps we as a country were standing on a slippery slope.

I thought that I was over-reacting to disparate events that I saw forming a disturbing pattern. (Yeah, I’m terrified of becoming one of those conspiracy theory nutjobs.)

Yet here is a documentary which isn’t about drama, or spooky music, or anything other than a lady named Naomi Wolf essentially giving a stand up talk about a book she wrote.

The points she makes are well made and can be documented. Whether the connections she makes between the points are valid is something that I don’t think we’ll be able to know until perhaps it’s simply too late to do anything about it.

I’m glad that she wrote the book, I’m glad I got a chance to see this documentary and It’s nice to know that perhaps I’m not one of the conspiracy nutjobs… just yet.

If you have the time, check out the documentary or the book. It’s worth while for you to evaluate and make your own decision especially in this election year.

I do wish that I’d never had that damn conversation with my friend in the first place. I’d have preferred to remain blissfully ignorant and uncurious…

NOT Really!

It’s being able to talk openly and honestly with my friends that has made me a much better person than I ever would have been if they weren’t in my life.