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- October 4, 2016
- Google and the EU ... THE SAGA CONTINUES
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Ah, our good friends at Google are likely to be hit by fines courtesy of the EU antitrust regulators regarding the competition squashing android operating system these phone centric internet denizens use.
It is speculated that the fine will be much larger than initial estimates due to the continuing practices complained of back in 2011.
Their 150 page report states that 'the Goog' must cease and desist their practice of paying hardware manufacturers for preinstalling Google search as the primary search app on android devices.
They also seek to prevent Google from forcing smartphone manufacturers to preinstall their proprietary apps as well.
Shucks, I'd just like them to stop blocking sites which are up and running JUST because you don't let them index your site.
If you disallow google in robots.txt an android phone cannot reach your web site. This is quite a bit on the heavy handed side of things seeing that the site is there has all the requisite DNS records and is accessible otherwise.
I'd also call it gouging on a most eggregious scale.
Antitrust? I'd say so — but I'm real happy they fixed my geolocation so I believe I'll refrain from filing suit at the moment.
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- October 3, 2016
- A few thoughts as the hurricaine approaches
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There is a bit of anticipation regarding Hurricaine Matthew as it passes through the Carribean following an expected northward path likely to bring it into proximity with South Carolina.
While I don't relish the idea of anyone suffering flooding we could certainly use a spot of rain ... though the coast likely will get a lot more of it than they need — the rest of us have been a lot dryer this year.
So we will see what the end of the week brings in the form of tropical weather fronts and here's to hoping that we get moderately soaked.
Besides, I've had the roof cleared of leaves in the eaves in preparation for a lot more tropical storminess we haven't seen.
Barring any unexpected turns of Matthew during the interim I personally expect rain and a breezy circulation and hopefully that will be that.
However, as is the case with many tropical storms we in the midlands may not even see a piece of it.
We had a lot of flooding that would never reach me given the 300 year floodplain upon which I live. I'm well off the river behind a ridge called "Green Hill" and at the top of the street with all else falling "down" the street.
Unlikely that I will ever flood given both my position and perc test back when I was a septic tank owner.
Back when hurricaine Hugo came I remember egging it on with "Come on Hugo !" to which my good friend Dewitt told me to be careful with those wishes which may come true.
Turned out his hometown and much of the state suffered severe devastation while we in rural Aiken County at that time caught a good bit of high winds and less rain but that was it.
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- October 2, 2016
- Politico Reporting UN Attempt to Meddle in Election
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As is their propensity the UN has put forth a mighty faux pas whereby they called on citizens of the United States abroad to "stop Trump" via twitter.
Politico reports that this Thursday evening tweet went down at 9:14 pm urging US citizens abroad to use a voter registration tool on a page entitled "The October surprise that will end Trump" and in classic UN fashion the cowards deleted the tweet after some 20 minutes claiming it was a mistake.
Yet another blatant reason for the United States to leave the United Nations and eject these people and their exploitation from our country.
I was never a member of the John Birch Society but their admonition stating "get us out of the UN" certainly rings true in this age of international political meddling, the democratic dole in search of votes, and the progressive spin on taking from the worker and giving to the shirker and everybody else out for an entitlement handout.
The UN wants to rule the US. They want to impose controls on our citizens beyond their purview. Terminate this organization's presence in the United States and eject their foreign nationals seeking domination from our land.
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- October 1, 2016
- The Creepy Clown Craze
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The rampant news items of so-called 'creepy clowns' reeking havoc on various communities has grown a lot since those early Wasco, California days and the episodes there I wrote of a while back.
Now they're here in South Carolina and scattered all about with local law enforcement agencies becoming resolute toward ending this ridiculous trendy 'monkey see, monkey do' crap.
Now I recall the movie It based on the book by Stephen King with the clown Pennywise and that creepiness was bad enough on the screen.
Now we have a lot of "me too" imitators lacking one essential element: that supernatural spin required to escape a speeding .357 magnum hollow point slug that I would fire into their skull.
Suffice it to say that I am content to allow law enforcement to handle the problem. However, the reality remains that anyone so fool hardy as to pull some 'creepy clown' antics in an effort to scare me will likely find themselves on a coroner's slab shortly forthwith.
I'm not talking about the casual elevator encounter at work. I'm not talking about halloween costumes and such. Probably not this guy either.
I'm talking about the clown intimidating those persons in proximity. I'm talking about an obvious menace out for no good.
I don't like to feel threatened and I would likely be inclined to stand my ground in such a situation.
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- September 30, 2016
- Spammers Who Feel Slighted
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I have had a few incidents of spammers sending me follow up emails at work telling me how I haven't shown them the courtesy of a response to their emails sent to me.
One young man really got a bit testy in his admonition that appeared to be saying "it's the least you can do".
Having discussed this with my immediate supervisor he assured me that he gets similar communications from various "cold call" sales types and that I am under no obligation to return any email to any unsolicited commercial representative contacting me.
It would seem that while I should never be rude; I don't owe a spammer contacting me at work a single courtesy and will remain mum in all subsequent episodes as well.
I'm not totally rude, just mostly.
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- September 29, 2016
- Zen and the art of the QWERTY Keyboard
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The threads show evidence for the evolution of computing away from the standard QWERTY layout keyboard.
Microsoft is spouting that alternate input technologies such as those involving facial tracking, voice, and/or or gestures would ultimately take over — and that the "suboptimal" design of the QWERTY layout is a holdover from the 19th century and the notion of it's continued use was "bizarre".
The scuttlebutt went on to say how the computer use would likely assume a "full body experience" like sometimes appears at the movies.
While I'm always for a fresh approach, I also view the keyboard ... be it QWERTY, Dvorak, chord, or whatever will likely exist into the future until that time the conversation between people and machines becomes adequately relevant.
Full body input will likely have it's place in tactical applications and machine operations but the voice will likely be that ultimate evolution of which is spoken.
Me ... being a relic from the first days of minis, micros, and personal computing I will likely take my present 80 words per minute right on down the line until that moment I give up all computers forever.
I just don't see the keyboard technologies becoming eliminated in my lifetime — but the future is highly relevant to your age and how much time you have left in the mix ...
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- September 28, 2016
- Forays into Black Magic on the Rise
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Hmmmmm. Satanism. Black magic. The occult. Members of the catholic priesthood are claiming that the internet has inspired an interest in these as we pursue the 'dark side' of earthly existence.
Must be some new form of escape. Might be some attempt to go beyond these surly bonds where the few have the most and the most have the least.
I recall dabbling in "magick" a single time way back when and the sheer terror it invoked in my otherwise humble and safe home. I recall the setup. I recall the candles. I recall the icons and incantations I recited for the very purpose AND ...
I remember the consequences of that fateful foray into things with consequences for which I was unprepared naieve.
All I can say is there are things better left alone and my experiment into contact with the so-called "other side" remains high on that list for me personally.
Something about the sudden flicker of the candles in a closed room and the distinct and adjacent rustling noises really did a number on me.
So in the vein of stupid moves, of which I myself am guilty I can certainly profess that dabbling in these so-called "black arts" are indicative of the worst kind of trouble in a person's life.
I cannot agree with the church's declaration of an emergency need for exorcists however because Christ gave us power over all demons on this earth and that power certainly was effective in my particular case.
Suffice it to say that my first foray in to magick was also my last.
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- September 27, 2016
- Technocryptid Photography
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I absolutely love it. All these various photographs from the mars rovers and various others depicting what are alleged to be alien space crafts, skeletal parts, and various cryptids — many having astounding resonance with those images we have in our minds regarding these things.
Were I some closed minded individual I would certainly proclaim "balderdash" and scoff at these ...
but something in the nature of altered NASA photography and the other alleged secrets we are allowing our government to keep on our taxpayer dime causes me to remain the eternal skeptic.
Far be it from me to deny the existence of extraterrestrial presence upon the Earth when so much of what those in control do is absolutely counter to our collective well being and forward motion as a technologically industrialized world.
Those who would keep is in the dark for purposes of their profiting would do well to come to that stark realization that we are not all the blind sheep leading the blind that they might believe us to be.
Far above the racist banality of protests and accusations and trite faddish slogans there is that section of humanity which seeks advancement and pursuit of that greatness which eludes us in this universal quagmire of petty nonsense in which we are presently within.
That downward spiral which began with the burger flipper generation of the 80s have given rise to the pseudo intellectual millenials with their touchy feely lack of relevance and inability to communicate effectively or even get the gd pronunciation correct.
There by the grace of God go I for had I been the same as all too many of my peers I would have remained stuck in the 60s like so many of my peers.
Just so happens I have attained forward motion by sheer desire as well as association with those who were technically conversant ... and the occasionally interspersed incidence of luck I might add.
The illumanati core of that multinational oligarchy telling the government what they may and may not do just to support the wretched end of enriching their personal coffers has many of us just where they want us. Fat, dumb, happy, and in denial.
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- September 26, 2016
- Bitcoin Thoughts
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I was pondering my recent decision to abandon my intent to operate a full node on my network. This was the result of disturbing news on the chinese front whereby massive farms for the purpose of mining coin have been placed online.
I decided that the entire notion of bitcoin as a viable mainstream currency was flawed with that fallacy being the inevitable abuse in the underlying methodology.
The wallets remain too insecure. The notion of volatility is overwhelming. Couple this with the abrupt and massive failures of companies involved solely in the bitcoin realm becoming insolvent and the largest group of cyber criminals devoting massive farms toward the end of bitcoin wealth ...
The underlying consequences in the absence of the distinct lack of morality within the bitcoin culture lends credence to abandoning those full node operational parameters as well.
Even in the best case scenario operations can be taxing and my bandwidth and farm are pretty busy as they exist in the absence of a full node machine in their midst.
Seeing how I'd just as soon not become involved with such a shady bunch of people wanting anonymous transactions for bypassing those checks and balances required by the financial sector.
So much for my thoughts of operating a full node bitcoin server. Despite my initial optimism toward the project — bitcoin will not be a part of my future after all.
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- September 25, 2016
- Looking at Cell Phones
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Today mom and I are going to look a cell phones. She needs to escape the crooks at Boost Mobile who would just as soon rob her repeatedly as look at her.
When all you can do is provide support persons from third world countries lacking morals and hygiene for whom English is a second language not understood you pretty much cannot expect anything in the way of ethical treatment.
This sums up Boost Mobile quite nicely.
So now we're going to find a different phone with support centers in the United States and quit allowing Boost Mobile to victimize her.
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- September 24, 2016
- New IP Camera Server
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So I've finally received my new IP camera server and will get busy placing it online today.
It does a lot that the old one doesn't and the implementation is much newer as well.
I'm looking forward to the programmable motion detection and the stupendous number of cameras I can now have in various places on my network ...
not to mention the updated drivers which are a functional inclusion.
It supports 64 sources whereas the old one only supported 5.
I've been wanting the ability to place more surveillance around the house just so when people come they see the presence and think twice about casing the joint to rob me.
I'm going to take the old one to Mama's and set up her little camera surveillance configuration on wireless and get her a ddns IP so she can monitor her place from her phone.
This has been a while in the making and it's all very exciting to finally be coming to fruition.
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- September 23, 2016
- Pythons Overtake Florida Keys
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It was bound to happen. Those reptilian denizens of Okeechobee and the Everglades have now traveled southward and are inundating the Florida Keys adversely impacting the native animals and diminishing an already compromised habitat.
The Miami Herald reports that the first breeding Burmese pythons have been encountered in the Florida Keys.
The southern keys are already reporting iguana infestations of epic proportions. Maybe they'll end up with fewer chickens in Key West running all over the place.
Current discussions include the fact that total removal of all the Burmese pythons will likely result in more swimming in to continue habitation.
Lion Fish in the Atlantic, iguanas in the keys, pythons in the keys and points north ... the desirability of visiting grows less and less for me personally.
Not a reptile fan. Not a potential dinner for some 20 foot snake. I'll remain where it gets too cold for their survival thank you very much.
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- September 22, 2016
- Autumnal Equinox
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The first day of Fall is upon us ... not that the temperatures will really be showing it.
The Autumnal equinox occurs the moment our Sun crosses the equator – that imaginary line dividing the earth into two hemispheres – from north to south.
The opposite happens in March and is known as the "vernal" or spring equinox.
The significance of all of this to me is the approaching cooler weather (hopefully) and the advent of the holiday season ... which commences for me on October 31 and Halloween.
It's significance is personal and has been cultivated within me since childhood.
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- September 22, 2016
- Coldfusion Adventures at an End
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So the issues associated with CF 2016 at work involve changes made back in the CF version 9 to 10 era ...
and we skipped from version 9 to the 2016 release bypassing all that interceding learning curve as well.
It was all very simple but hard to find and grossly undocumented the entire while.
Today we pretty much put together the event oriented component required to make the new stuff work and although we're not a hundred percent there on the error trapping and fine points we know enough to make the stuff work again with minimal huhbub.
The humor of it all is how nothing at all worked then making a simple change turned the situation into one where there appeared never to be a problem.
The more you think you know the more you find out there are holes in your understanding.
The new install has broken a number of legacy apps which will require attention but the error logs are making those problem children known to us quite nicely.
Suffice it to say that I have a nice book with details on the way, God is in His Heaven, and all is again right with the world.
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