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- April 17, 2017
- Oh our carnal whims
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C-net had a piece on building your own sex bot.
A company called Abyss Creations has a life sized product called RealDoll in conjunction with an AI called Harmony which purports to be the first step in building your own robotic sex partner.
It seems that the AI component is not an Android nor IOS app so it must be downloaded for use in the paramour appliance and the entire notion of a $10K sex toy is personally abhorrent.
I suppose I have adequate provisions otherwise.
So you can preorder the head (which contains the AI) and the body won't be really "robotic" but it will still be quite receptive to your advances should you find yourself one of those intercourse challenged individuals — of which those in my field obviously predominate.
Otherwise, why on Earth would this and Roxxxy (the other robotic slut) be a requirement by persons adequate to provide the makers of these products an income; as they obviously appear to be. So much for conversation ... you know, courting, sparking and all that.
As interpersonal relationships slowly sink into some warm hairy foam rubber sex robot orifice all I can say is:
"Dude ..."
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- April 16, 2017
- He is Risen
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Matthew 28
1 In the end of the sabbath, as it began to dawn toward the first day of the week, came Mary Magdalene and the other Mary to see the sepulchre. 2 And, behold, there was a great earthquake: for the angel of the Lord descended from heaven, and came and rolled back the stone from the door, and sat upon it. 3 His countenance was like lightning, and his raiment white as snow: 4 And for fear of him the keepers did shake, and became as dead men. 5 And the angel answered and said unto the women, Fear not ye: for I know that ye seek Jesus, which was crucified. 6 He is not here: for he is risen, as he said. Come, see the place where the Lord lay. 7 And go quickly, and tell his disciples that he is risen from the dead; and, behold, he goeth before you into Galilee; there shall ye see him: lo, I have told you. 8 And they departed quickly from the sepulchre with fear and great joy; and did run to bring his disciples word. 9 And as they went to tell his disciples, behold, Jesus met them, saying, All hail. And they came and held him by the feet, and worshipped him. 10 Then said Jesus unto them, Be not afraid: go tell my brethren that they go into Galilee, and there shall they see me. 11 Now when they were going, behold, some of the watch came into the city, and shewed unto the chief priests all the things that were done. 12 And when they were assembled with the elders, and had taken counsel, they gave large money unto the soldiers, 13 Saying, Say ye, His disciples came by night, and stole him away while we slept. 14 And if this come to the governor's ears, we will persuade him, and secure you. 15 So they took the money, and did as they were taught: and this saying is commonly reported among the Jews until this day. 16 Then the eleven disciples went away into Galilee, into a mountain where Jesus had appointed them. 17 And when they saw him, they worshipped him: but some doubted. 18 And Jesus came and spake unto them, saying, All power is given unto me in heaven and in earth. 19 Go ye therefore, and teach all nations, baptizing them in the name of the Father, and of the Son, and of the Holy Ghost: 20 Teaching them to observe all things whatsoever I have commanded you: and, lo, I am with you always, even unto the end of the world. Amen.
Holy Bible, King James Version - Comments (0)
- April 16, 2017
- NHDD (National Healthcare Decisions Day)
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I haven't given the end of my life much thought. The realization of inevitability and the fact that I will not be cognizant of anything pretty much leaves it to those others who will be contending with my final considerations and though it doesn't bring me any comfort to ignore my demise and disposition — this is the way it's been for a long time now.
In addition to taking my Bible and boning up for the final, I've been reading up on living wills, durable powers of attorney, and various other documents the responsible decedent will have prepared prior to the finale.
There is even a day set aside for such considerations and I've been looking over those materials as well.
In the end I feel that those I leave behind will be better served if I make those arrangements prior to going on out for the count because if those who remain are unaware of my final wishes ... how can I expect any of them to be honored ?
In the United States we have an initiative called NHDD (National Healthcare Decisions Day whereby adults should make plans for health care crises before they occur.
It's aim is the provision of a written record of wishes in an effort to prevent those difficult decisions rife in those moments of serious illness ... when there may not be adequate ability to communicate leaving next of kin to try and guess those wishes in these times.
At this time patients should make arrangements for their personal wishes regarding critical care and end of life. Health care providers should also take the opportunity to discuss those matters with their patients.
Healthcare advanced directives, healthcare proxies, durable powers of attorney, last will and testament, living wills are all tantamount to the provisioning requirements of healthcare decisions others must make for you if you cannot handle these matters yourself.
There are numerous resources available which will empower your family to handle healthcare decisions in accordance with your wishes. End of life planning is not a morbid afterthought to life, it is a thoughtful handling of those matters which we all will eventually face, either prepared or not.
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- April 15, 2017
- World Art Day
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Art is that expression by people which attempts to create beyond existence.
It is the imparting of skill and imagination to various visual forms that include but are not limited to sculpture, painting, poetry, music, and various media combinations with the intent being a projection of beauty or emotion by the artist to the viewer.
Often I find my skill lacking so I engage programmatic help toward the end of illustrations and so forth with which I attempt to add impact to this blog. The notion of placing pen to paper and drawing has not been lost on me in the past. Likewise I have crafted a spot of poetry here and there. But barring moments of inspiration which are far and few between, my appreciation of art eclipses my talent in the area many fold.
Today is World Art Day. Sharing the birthday of polymath and artist Leonardo da Vinci it celebrates the fine arts internationally under the auspices of the International Association of Art (IAA) to promote awareness of creativity on a global scale.
It is a world wide art festival if you will aimed toward the promotion of art for art's sake and value to the cultures of humanity upon the Earth. Happy World Art Day to you !
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- April 14, 2017
- It's My Birthday
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Today marks the 62nd anniversary of my birth. I view the day with a touch of marvel having made it far beyond my 30s when I felt I would "live fast, die young, and leave a beautiful corpse". Far removed from that 'party animal' I once was my life's view is quite conservative these days compared to my liberal youth and I find myself wondering just what remains in store for me.
Life certainly has proceded far beyond my expectations and I wax solemn at this day I find myself farther down the road and having outlived the majority of my friends. It's also a time for me to remember family who have also departed. It's a sad notion that we must view the end of life as an important part of existence — but so it is as we endure those changes it brings to us all.
My pursuit of new friends to replace those who have passed has not gone as it should have ... primarily due to my failure at pursuing those social interactions which might have encouraged more of them and my diminished need for company in general.
However wanting I become I also hold value in that solitude which affords me the opportunity to pursue those emerging and evolving technologies which pay the bills and add interest to what otherwise could be quite the drab life.
Whatever the future holds for me down the road I am satisfied in the knowledge that I have been successful in life beyond my personal expectations and it's been quite a ride thus far as I proceed into the remaining unknown.
Happy Birthday to me !
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- April 13, 2017
- United Airlines: Balls That Drag the Ground
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I have been left to ponder the recent United Airlines debacle whereby a passenger was forcebly removed from a flight for the accommodation of airline employees.
The man's character has been assailed and the chief executive of the airline appeared contemptuous of those who enable his enterprise to operate, the paying customer.
Be all of this as it may ... and I don't propose to understand every subtle nuance or root of the rage instilled in so many of we the paying customers of the United States of America: I feel that the penalities I've been hearing bantered about in the various news threads in the vicinity of two and three quarter million dollars imposed by the US Department of Transportation is chump change comparatively speaking and there should be more painful consequences in light of the eggregious handling of this matter by the airline.
I think some two and a half billion is fair because they should be made to feel the pain of consequence when it comes to how they deal with the public in general. The pittance fine from DOT is insufficient toward that end.
Furthermore, Oscar Munoz, their mouthy disrespectful chief executive should likewise be made to pay for his flippant public responses and utter contempt for the treatment of the paying passenger who he characterized unflatteringly having never met the man nor really having any inkling as to his character.
He may not step down, and likely the airline will not be made to suffer any real consequences of their actions but one thing is certain ... I don't have to endanger myself by traveling with them ever in the future.
Overbooking is one thing. Removing paying customers to transport employees is quite another.
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- April 12, 2017
- J Geils RIP
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Since I enlisted in the Navy, one of my favorite musical groups has always been the J. Geils Band. Beginning in the brass section during his education, he formed the J Geils Band which had influences based on rhythm and blues, soul, and rock.
John Warren "J" Geils Jr
February 20, 1946 – April 11, 2017
American guitarist
Founder, J Geils Band
They enjoyed good commercial success early on but various conflicts and tensions caused their break up in 1985. Their commercially successful music included the albums Love Stinks, Freeze Frame with the song Centerfold ... and my personal favorite of all times Monkey Island with it's piano riff for the ages.
It was at this time there was a hiatus whereby Geils immersed himself in auto racing and mechanical pursuits.
In 1982, he relocated to Groton, Massachusetts. The town celebrated him — proclaiming J. Geils Day on December 1, 2009 in his honor.
Yesterday, the Groton Police conducted a well-being check on him finding him unresponsive at his home. At the age of 71 he was pronounced dead from natural causes.
Rest in peace.
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- April 12, 2017
- Another Staycation
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So I have commenced a week of off time I call my staycation ... you know, because I don't really get to go anywhere. This leaves me with the options of putzing around in the yard and vegging out in front of the teevee ... of which I plan to do both.
Today I'm headed over to Mom's to address a couple of things she wants to get done. We may have to run the lawn tractor given the wooly appearance of her yard that sprouts up before we know it.
Seriously, not much going on here and the time is already flying. I'll be back at work before I know it !
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- April 11, 2017
- Kelihos botnet Targeted
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I often find myself ridiculed by others who would scoff at my rather draconian security measures compared to many others out there who don't even bother to learn their firewall implementations and exploit countermeasures because they don't want to limit access to the public domain.
Well, I have often said that the internet has evolved into a very unfriendly place with others out there attempting to hijack your equipment and purpose it to do their bidding in the form of exploits they attempt to plant on any unsuspecting server farm.
One such exploit is the Kelihos botnet.
The Feds are after this massive botnet which has been responsible for millions of annual spam emails sent internationally with the arrest in Spain of one Peter Yuryevich Levashov, 36, a Russian who allegedly was it's operational kingpin with activity spanning the past seven or so years.
A global network of malware infected Windoze machines spamming adverts for counterfeit pharmaceuticals and fraudulent stock offers as well as stolen password lists lead to the action which consisted of court orders and a multiple jurisdictional search warrant obtained by the US which permitted replacement of infected servers with others controlled by the federal authorities.
So when you read of exploits and malware taking out a friend or coworker you might want to reconsider your position on security and the public facing server. Too many of us are pretty naive when it comes to security and the stakes can be quite high from a personal investment in time and funds perspective.
I would hate to incur the down time associated from a reinstall, restore from backup, and reconfigure ... if I can avoid the need.
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- April 10, 2017
- Siblings Day
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I have three siblings; two brothers and one sister.
None of us are very close although my sister tries really hard and my eldest brother makes the attempt. My youngest brother not only does not socialize with me but has gone out of his way to harm me in the past.
This leaves me somewhat ambivalent regarding sibling relationships and certainly any celebration of siblings in general.
Today is such a celebration. Siblings Day, aka "National" Siblings Day is some what of a newer holiday honoring the relationships of siblings. It recurs each tenth of April but lacks the national status of a Father's Day or Mother's Day.
It is my understanding that many states issue proclamations recognizing Sibligs Day and that the movement in the United States is becoming one of International scope with obvservations now spreading to Australia and India.
Regardless, Happy Siblings Day to you !
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- April 9, 2017
- How I wish I cared about Star Wars ...
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Star Wars. The movie. I saw it when I was in the Navy and yes I enjoyed it on the big screen. However, I never "became one" with it, the characters, the force or any part of it, really.
So when the sequels and prequels started rolling out I rather half heartedly look at a few of the offerings but don't really recall watching any of them from start to finish.
Being a worker in technology you'd be surprised (or perhaps not) at how many of my cohorts just think it's blasphemy not to love Star Wars.
I'm so sorry, but there's only a so much Tusken Raider, or Jar Jar Binks, or even Yoda or Obiwan I can take and the stark reality is I simply became bored with it early on and passively resisted anything Star Wars from it's beginnings in 1977 through the 2017 Jedi mess currently making the rounds. Perhaps I just became R2D2ed out.
The tragic loss of Carrie Fisher is not lost on me.
That pivotal cast member who can no longer be part of the dramatis personae is relegated to the holographic existence of Michael Jackson, Biggie Smalls, and Tupac Shakur ... as well as pre-existing takes.
So I am left feeling such the outsider ... like some elderly Simon Birch who has just killed Rebecca Wenteworth with a fly foul ball. All I can do is say "I'm sorry".
Though I can appreciate the immensity of the work and the intricacy of the plot and superb development of the characters — I just don't want to go there in reality.
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- April 8, 2017
- Retail Seems to be Going Away
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Looking over Bloomberg this morning I read an article regarding the rapid decline of retail in America.
Commission - Sanone - Building as a mirror
by Thiridian on Deviant Art
It seems that the bulk of online growth is being acquired by Amazon.
Other online and even brick and mortar establishments are filing bankruptcy as a casualty of the internet retail presence represented by the big box ecommerce concerns.
I have been noticing the absence of tenants in several of the local malls with the predominant shopping venues being Walmart and other discount houses ... only Walmart isn't the low price mecca it once was in my opnion.
Then there is the closure of innumerable chain store locations in addition to the cobwebs where some of my local favorite tech outlets once were.
Alas, we keep buying our tech from China and wondering why they are taking over the world.
I keep wondering why I can't buy a pair of shoes anywhere but online anymore. I go into Walmart and they have nothing that isn't at least two sizes too small.
We are asking for it and we will soon get it ... that universal lack of choices resulting from those monopolies we make.
There doesn't appear to be a lot of concern either based on my interaction with cohorts and acquaintances.
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- April 7, 2017
- The BrickerBots are coming ...
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As if things couldn't get worse on the internet, there is a new malware called BrickerBot out to turn your IoT devices into "bricks" much like the cold clay varieties used to build barbeque pits, walls, and the like.
This malware ruins some linux based routers by corrupting their storage mechanisms and scrambling the kernel (hardware control) parameters rendering the device totally unusuable.
The problem lay primarily in the unsecured device on the public domain. Being the security freak I am I ensure that there is good password implementation and ALWAYS turn off remote management in all my routing hardware up front.
However, I know those who leave the factory default passwords in place and are vulnerable to this exploit.
This crap was detected by the cyber-security firm Radware and seems to be targeting a Linux distro called BusyBox which provides a stripped down version of Unix based tools at the disposal of the creeps who would have their way with you.
The two varieties of this malware are BrickerBot.1 and BrickerBot.2 with their goal being permanent denial of service. I intend to double up on my security vigilance when new hardware goes online.
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- April 6, 2017
- Tartan Day
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As a part of my Scottish heritage today I celebrate Tartan Day. This marks the signing of the Declaration of Arbroath c. 1320.
This was a Latin document submitted to Pope Pope John XXII declaring Scotland a sovereign state with the right to use military force if attacked.
Locally, a celebration called Tartan Day South is held at the Columbia Speedway in Cayce, SC.
This event has just transpired and consisted of games, speakers, and various shows held at venues in and around the city.
As for me, I celebrate in spirit but I'm afraid my days of engaging in the rather robust games of strength the celebration entails is rather beyond me at this stage of the game.
I wear the tartan of the Johnston clan.
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