Monday, November 25, 2013
Remember when I wondered if Google was getting too big, and too inquisitive?
Now, does Google want your DNA? Do you realize how much that test would cost if it weren't subsidized? Why would anyone want to subsidize it?
I don't like the answer.
.
Monday, November 25, 2013
3803 I never got my penny
Monday, November 25, 2013
There's a huge world-wide Secret Santa network being set up through Reddit: http://redditgifts.com/about/.
I guess I'm a cynic, because I don't believe it at all. I don't believe the numbers of people, I don't believe the numbers of countries, and I especially don't believe that everyone will actually send decent gifts. I do, however, believe that this is one heck of an idea for gathering names and addresses, AND interests! Google ain't got nuttin on Reddit!
Back in the olden days of pen pals and love letters, there was something called a chain letter. You'd get a letter with a list of the names and addresses of five people. You were to send some token, like a penny or a postcard to the top name on the list, then make five copies of the letter with the top name/address removed and your name and address added to the bottom, and send it to five new people. In theory, each person would receive over 3,000 pennies.
I always always always sent a penny to the top name. Always. And since I had no allowance and felt so poor, I made ten copies of the letter (handwritten, of course, we're talking about the late '50s) and used my mother's stamps to mail them, hoping that I would get over 6,000 pennies back.
I never got a single penny or postcard. Never. Not one. No one I ever asked ever got a penny. The only people in the entire world who ever got a penny were, apparently, the ones I sent pennies to.
Way to feel like a patsy. Maybe this is what contributes to my cynicism.
...and then there were the kids who bragged that they didn't add their name to the end - they jumped the line and added themselves to the top, so they'd get pennies sooner. They didn't see the hole in that, no matter how many times I tried to explain it.
.
There's a huge world-wide Secret Santa network being set up through Reddit: http://redditgifts.com/about/.
I guess I'm a cynic, because I don't believe it at all. I don't believe the numbers of people, I don't believe the numbers of countries, and I especially don't believe that everyone will actually send decent gifts. I do, however, believe that this is one heck of an idea for gathering names and addresses, AND interests! Google ain't got nuttin on Reddit!
Back in the olden days of pen pals and love letters, there was something called a chain letter. You'd get a letter with a list of the names and addresses of five people. You were to send some token, like a penny or a postcard to the top name on the list, then make five copies of the letter with the top name/address removed and your name and address added to the bottom, and send it to five new people. In theory, each person would receive over 3,000 pennies.
I always always always sent a penny to the top name. Always. And since I had no allowance and felt so poor, I made ten copies of the letter (handwritten, of course, we're talking about the late '50s) and used my mother's stamps to mail them, hoping that I would get over 6,000 pennies back.
I never got a single penny or postcard. Never. Not one. No one I ever asked ever got a penny. The only people in the entire world who ever got a penny were, apparently, the ones I sent pennies to.
Way to feel like a patsy. Maybe this is what contributes to my cynicism.
...and then there were the kids who bragged that they didn't add their name to the end - they jumped the line and added themselves to the top, so they'd get pennies sooner. They didn't see the hole in that, no matter how many times I tried to explain it.
.
Sunday, November 24, 2013
3802 Toe
Sunday, November 24, 2013
I've done something to my toe.
There's a raised marble threshold at the bathroom door, and yesterday morning, walking into the bathroom in bare feet, I stubbed my index/second toe on my left foot on the marble. The kind of stub where the toe folds under itself.
It hurt really badly. I said some naughty words. But then after a few minutes it stopped hurting. I fiddled with it and it didn't seem broken or anything serious.
By late afternoon there was a red bar across the toe a bit above the base of the toenail, at that last joint. But it didn't hurt at all and there was no swelling.
Flashes of brief but intense pain woke me this morning.
It's driving me crazy now. NOT because of the pain - there isn't any pain unless I move it a certain way. The crazifying thing is that I can't figure out what that certain way IS, so I can stop moving it that way.
I can tweak it with my fingers, I can bend it up, bend it down, use it to grip and lift the front of the sandals, everything, with no pain. As long as I'm sitting there's no pain. But I can't walk without random electric shocks and sudden hit-my-toe-with-a-hammer surprises. (My kitchen is three yelps wide.) I'm not worried about it, just annoyed that I can't figure out what not to do, to keep it from biting me and let it heal.
Phooey.
Well, I don't think I would have been going anywhere today anyway. It's 26 degrees F out there, and very windy.
.
I've done something to my toe.
There's a raised marble threshold at the bathroom door, and yesterday morning, walking into the bathroom in bare feet, I stubbed my index/second toe on my left foot on the marble. The kind of stub where the toe folds under itself.
It hurt really badly. I said some naughty words. But then after a few minutes it stopped hurting. I fiddled with it and it didn't seem broken or anything serious.
By late afternoon there was a red bar across the toe a bit above the base of the toenail, at that last joint. But it didn't hurt at all and there was no swelling.
Flashes of brief but intense pain woke me this morning.
It's driving me crazy now. NOT because of the pain - there isn't any pain unless I move it a certain way. The crazifying thing is that I can't figure out what that certain way IS, so I can stop moving it that way.
I can tweak it with my fingers, I can bend it up, bend it down, use it to grip and lift the front of the sandals, everything, with no pain. As long as I'm sitting there's no pain. But I can't walk without random electric shocks and sudden hit-my-toe-with-a-hammer surprises. (My kitchen is three yelps wide.) I'm not worried about it, just annoyed that I can't figure out what not to do, to keep it from biting me and let it heal.
Phooey.
Well, I don't think I would have been going anywhere today anyway. It's 26 degrees F out there, and very windy.
.
Friday, November 22, 2013
3801 Soup eats?
Friday, November 22, 2013
I opened a can of soup, Campbell's, for lunch today. On the label were the words "Soup that eats like a meal".
My first thought was, "Soup doesn't eat!"
My second thought was, "Neither does a meal. So I guess that's true."
My head hurts.
.
I opened a can of soup, Campbell's, for lunch today. On the label were the words "Soup that eats like a meal".
My first thought was, "Soup doesn't eat!"
My second thought was, "Neither does a meal. So I guess that's true."
My head hurts.
.
Thursday, November 21, 2013
3800 Jasper and the calendar
Thursday, November 21, 2013
Jasper gets dry cat food all week. I try to buy food for him that's urinary tract friendly. I don't especially like the idea of feeding him dry food, but I think it's better for his teeth. Of course mice, chipmunks, and birds would be better for him all around, crunching the bones is the best thing for his teeth, but he has to kill them himself or he doesn't recognize it as food.
That's weird - that he does recognize unmoving kibbles in a bowl as food, but does not recognize a dead bird (a raw chicken wing, for example) as food. Especially weird since he was living on his own, feral, when I caught him. On the other hand, his "hunting" back then consisted of being cute in the parking lot of a long-term hotel, his prey being luncheon meat and cheese caged from lonely businessmen.
He gets canned food on Sunday mornings. Sunday treat. The little Fancy Feast fish flavors.
What amazes me is that he always knows when it's Sunday.
Back when I was working and had to be up by a certain time every day, my cat companion would always wake me at that time. Very handy if I'd forgotten to set the alarm or something. I haven't been working since long before I got Jasper, so he doesn't wake me. When I finally do get up, he follows me around until I go downstairs, then he politely reminds me that it's time to feed him, and doesn't mind waiting a bit, because there are always crumbs left in the bowl anyway.
Except on Sundays. On Sunday mornings when we get downstairs he wraps himself around my legs, and yells loudly NOW! NOW! NOW! (his meows sound just like that) and frantically leads and pushes me to the cabinet, cutting off my attempts to escape, until there's Fancy Feast in the bowl.
How does he know it's Sunday? There are no churches near here, no bells. No neighbors loading up the car to go to church. I'm normally up by 7 or 8 am, so I'd notice. There's nothing different from Saturday.
Ahah! I thought two weeks ago that I had figured it out. I watch "Sunday Morning" on CBS at 9 am, so on Sunday I turn the TV on as soon as I go downstairs. Sunday is the only day I turn the TV on in the morning. That's his clue!
Last Sunday I slept in. I've been sleeping late a lot lately, since my doctor put me on a powerful decongestant for my sinuses. Sunday, I didn't wake until after 10, and then only because he was jumping on my legs and yelling NOW! NOW! NOW! I thought the freakin' house was on fire!
He never wakes me. How did he know it was Sunday?
.
Jasper gets dry cat food all week. I try to buy food for him that's urinary tract friendly. I don't especially like the idea of feeding him dry food, but I think it's better for his teeth. Of course mice, chipmunks, and birds would be better for him all around, crunching the bones is the best thing for his teeth, but he has to kill them himself or he doesn't recognize it as food.
That's weird - that he does recognize unmoving kibbles in a bowl as food, but does not recognize a dead bird (a raw chicken wing, for example) as food. Especially weird since he was living on his own, feral, when I caught him. On the other hand, his "hunting" back then consisted of being cute in the parking lot of a long-term hotel, his prey being luncheon meat and cheese caged from lonely businessmen.
He gets canned food on Sunday mornings. Sunday treat. The little Fancy Feast fish flavors.
What amazes me is that he always knows when it's Sunday.
Back when I was working and had to be up by a certain time every day, my cat companion would always wake me at that time. Very handy if I'd forgotten to set the alarm or something. I haven't been working since long before I got Jasper, so he doesn't wake me. When I finally do get up, he follows me around until I go downstairs, then he politely reminds me that it's time to feed him, and doesn't mind waiting a bit, because there are always crumbs left in the bowl anyway.
Except on Sundays. On Sunday mornings when we get downstairs he wraps himself around my legs, and yells loudly NOW! NOW! NOW! (his meows sound just like that) and frantically leads and pushes me to the cabinet, cutting off my attempts to escape, until there's Fancy Feast in the bowl.
How does he know it's Sunday? There are no churches near here, no bells. No neighbors loading up the car to go to church. I'm normally up by 7 or 8 am, so I'd notice. There's nothing different from Saturday.
Ahah! I thought two weeks ago that I had figured it out. I watch "Sunday Morning" on CBS at 9 am, so on Sunday I turn the TV on as soon as I go downstairs. Sunday is the only day I turn the TV on in the morning. That's his clue!
Last Sunday I slept in. I've been sleeping late a lot lately, since my doctor put me on a powerful decongestant for my sinuses. Sunday, I didn't wake until after 10, and then only because he was jumping on my legs and yelling NOW! NOW! NOW! I thought the freakin' house was on fire!
He never wakes me. How did he know it was Sunday?
.
Wednesday, November 20, 2013
3799 Blowing my nose
Wednesday, November 20, 2013
Heard on BBC radio, in reference to attacks on women in India: "Each attack is more brutal than the next." Um, doesn't that mean the attacks are decreasing in brutality?
------------------------------
"The government didn't violate a convicted terrorist's constitutional right to a speedy trial when it detained him for five years at Guantanamo Bay before trying him in court, a federal appeals court ruled on Thursday" [not this past Thursday]. Details here. Basically, a federal court ruled that his right to a speedy trial was not abridged by his having been held at Guantanamo for more than five years without charges, during which time he was subjected to "enhanced interrogation techniques". From the WSJ Law Blog, "The circuit court agreed with a lower-court judge that the government’s decision to delay prosecution so it could extract valuable intelligence on al Qaeda was reasonable."
Let me get this straight. The court said that a speedy trial does not trump national security, so it's ok to keep this guy for five years of intense interrogation because he's a terrorist, BEFORE a trial to determine if he's a terrorist. In other words, if the authorities think you're guilty then you're guilty. He was convicted right off the bat, with no hearing and no lawyer, without a trial, by his captors. And this is ok?
I don't know about you, but that's scary, and even scarier that a federal court said it was ok. What if that kind of thinking spreads to other federal or state agencies?
Actually, it has been going on for a long time. If you are arrested on on drug dealing charges, or even if you are only suspected of illegality, the state/feds can confiscate practically everything you own and sell it, and keep the money, BEFORE your criminal trial. If it turns out you are not guilty, you don't just get your stuff back. It's a long expensive legal battle you can't afford and are unlikely to win. Too bad, so sad. Your property is long gone, you had been "convicted" and fined on mere suspicion. Look up "asset forfeiture" on Wikipedia.
--------------------------------------------
Ever wonder whence the expression "short shrift", meaning you were shrugged off quickly and not taken seriously? Not being Catholic, I didn't know that shrift is confession to a priest and the penance and absolution that follow. So if you were given short shrift, either your sins were minor, or you got a brushoff. Simple. Wow.
--------------------------------------------
Google wants to scan and digitize millions of books, the entire book, from research libraries as grist for their search mill. They'd already processed gazillions of books when publishers and authors' guild(s) protested that it was copyright infringement. It's significant that research libraries buy the books, and don't make money on them. Google has not purchased the books, and will make money on them through advertising on search results pages. Fair use? Not? I say no, get permission, but I'm not the judge.
If you're interested, the story's at http://mashable.com/2013/09/24/google-books-lawsuit/.
---------------------------------------------
I'm thinking Google is getting too big. They provide an lot of very expensive services for free (think of Google maps - how much must THAT cost?) and supposedly they get income from advertising, but, uh, when's the last time you were very aware of Google advertising? They are gradually taking over the internet, and then tying it all together (Blogger, Gmail, Chrome, you can't have a YouTube account anymore unless you also have a Google+ account, etc.) and they are asking for a LOT of information through those accounts and gathering more information from your activities on those accounts.
Advertising isn't paying for everything Google is doing, I guarantee that. Not even selling top ranking in search results. I am very suspicious.
Pretty soon for every house on those Google maps, they will have the names, ages, details, photos, interests, purchasing habits and preferences of all the occupants.
Who is funding all this, and what is the ultimate purpose?
.
Heard on BBC radio, in reference to attacks on women in India: "Each attack is more brutal than the next." Um, doesn't that mean the attacks are decreasing in brutality?
------------------------------
"The government didn't violate a convicted terrorist's constitutional right to a speedy trial when it detained him for five years at Guantanamo Bay before trying him in court, a federal appeals court ruled on Thursday" [not this past Thursday]. Details here. Basically, a federal court ruled that his right to a speedy trial was not abridged by his having been held at Guantanamo for more than five years without charges, during which time he was subjected to "enhanced interrogation techniques". From the WSJ Law Blog, "The circuit court agreed with a lower-court judge that the government’s decision to delay prosecution so it could extract valuable intelligence on al Qaeda was reasonable."
Let me get this straight. The court said that a speedy trial does not trump national security, so it's ok to keep this guy for five years of intense interrogation because he's a terrorist, BEFORE a trial to determine if he's a terrorist. In other words, if the authorities think you're guilty then you're guilty. He was convicted right off the bat, with no hearing and no lawyer, without a trial, by his captors. And this is ok?
I don't know about you, but that's scary, and even scarier that a federal court said it was ok. What if that kind of thinking spreads to other federal or state agencies?
Actually, it has been going on for a long time. If you are arrested on on drug dealing charges, or even if you are only suspected of illegality, the state/feds can confiscate practically everything you own and sell it, and keep the money, BEFORE your criminal trial. If it turns out you are not guilty, you don't just get your stuff back. It's a long expensive legal battle you can't afford and are unlikely to win. Too bad, so sad. Your property is long gone, you had been "convicted" and fined on mere suspicion. Look up "asset forfeiture" on Wikipedia.
--------------------------------------------
Ever wonder whence the expression "short shrift", meaning you were shrugged off quickly and not taken seriously? Not being Catholic, I didn't know that shrift is confession to a priest and the penance and absolution that follow. So if you were given short shrift, either your sins were minor, or you got a brushoff. Simple. Wow.
--------------------------------------------
Google wants to scan and digitize millions of books, the entire book, from research libraries as grist for their search mill. They'd already processed gazillions of books when publishers and authors' guild(s) protested that it was copyright infringement. It's significant that research libraries buy the books, and don't make money on them. Google has not purchased the books, and will make money on them through advertising on search results pages. Fair use? Not? I say no, get permission, but I'm not the judge.
If you're interested, the story's at http://mashable.com/2013/09/24/google-books-lawsuit/.
---------------------------------------------
I'm thinking Google is getting too big. They provide an lot of very expensive services for free (think of Google maps - how much must THAT cost?) and supposedly they get income from advertising, but, uh, when's the last time you were very aware of Google advertising? They are gradually taking over the internet, and then tying it all together (Blogger, Gmail, Chrome, you can't have a YouTube account anymore unless you also have a Google+ account, etc.) and they are asking for a LOT of information through those accounts and gathering more information from your activities on those accounts.
Advertising isn't paying for everything Google is doing, I guarantee that. Not even selling top ranking in search results. I am very suspicious.
Pretty soon for every house on those Google maps, they will have the names, ages, details, photos, interests, purchasing habits and preferences of all the occupants.
Who is funding all this, and what is the ultimate purpose?
.
Sunday, November 17, 2013
3798 Little Drummer Girl
Sunday, November 17, 2013
This is Nugget playing the bowl drums. The first selection (13 seconds) is from earlier in the week when it was just the two of us. It's short because the battery in my camera suddenly died (no warning!).
The second (26 seconds) was a few days later when her daddy was watching, too, and she seems a lot more restrained.
It was windy outside, and the wind sometimes catches the flap over the dryer vent and makes a banging noise. At the end of the clip, the flap banged and startled her, and she jumped up and ran for her daddy's legs.
[I don't understand why the Youtube logo is on the lower right. If you click on that, you don't get these videos. Blogger did that all by themselves, and these videos are not on Youtube. I don't understand.]
.
This is Nugget playing the bowl drums. The first selection (13 seconds) is from earlier in the week when it was just the two of us. It's short because the battery in my camera suddenly died (no warning!).
The second (26 seconds) was a few days later when her daddy was watching, too, and she seems a lot more restrained.
It was windy outside, and the wind sometimes catches the flap over the dryer vent and makes a banging noise. At the end of the clip, the flap banged and startled her, and she jumped up and ran for her daddy's legs.
[I don't understand why the Youtube logo is on the lower right. If you click on that, you don't get these videos. Blogger did that all by themselves, and these videos are not on Youtube. I don't understand.]
.
3797 Halloween Haul
Sunday, November 17, 2013
I forgot to mention what I gave out for Halloween this year. I wanted to do it up well because the kids missed Halloween last year because of the hurricane. I'm still reluctant to give out candy, but I discovered the A&P had boxes of small packages of nice name-brand cookies for a very reasonable price. So I got those. I also bought these on Amazon:
LED Finger lights (they're like little flashlights):
and Flashing gel LED rings:
I got them much cheaper than these specific linked ones because I bought them in higher quantity, and they were on sale for Halloween. There's a lot of folks selling them on Amazon, at a lot of different per-piece prices.
I sat on the porch all evening, so nobody had to ring the bell and freak out Jasper. The first fifty kids got a package of cookies and a ring (girls) or a finger light (boys). After I ran out of cookies (I did reserve some for little bitty kids who shouldn't get things-to-put-in-mouth-and-choke-and-lead-parents-to-sue), girls got a ring and boys got 2 finger lights. Plus I located the packs of cider powder from last year's non-Halloween, and everyone got one of them, too (just to get RID of them!)
My house was the most popular that night. There were flashing and glowing lights up and down the street, and as other kids on other streets saw them, they got directed here, too ("the house on x street with the wide porch"). I had asked the neighbors how many kids to expect, and was told "between 50 and 60, usually". I and my neighbors got at least 120 visitors. Some neighbors were annoyed at me for attracting so many kids. Others, parents themselves, thought the lights were a great idea - made the kids very visible.
The Nugget, well, that was a bit of a sad story. At first the activity on the street kind of frightened her and she didn't want to go out at all. Hercules had bought her a dinosaur rider costume for last year's non-Halloween, and he decided that she should wear it this year.
Nugget flatly refused to put it on.
She refused to go outside at all.
Daughter finally convinced her to go over to a playmate's house on the next street over, and carry the costume to show her. That was ok.
So Nugget ended up going trick-or-treating with her little friend, to a few houses on the playmate's street, carrying the costume. If you asked, she was a "dinosaur tamer".
I didn't get to see her that evening until she was all done and came to show me her haul.
.
I forgot to mention what I gave out for Halloween this year. I wanted to do it up well because the kids missed Halloween last year because of the hurricane. I'm still reluctant to give out candy, but I discovered the A&P had boxes of small packages of nice name-brand cookies for a very reasonable price. So I got those. I also bought these on Amazon:
LED Finger lights (they're like little flashlights):
I sat on the porch all evening, so nobody had to ring the bell and freak out Jasper. The first fifty kids got a package of cookies and a ring (girls) or a finger light (boys). After I ran out of cookies (I did reserve some for little bitty kids who shouldn't get things-to-put-in-mouth-and-choke-and-lead-parents-to-sue), girls got a ring and boys got 2 finger lights. Plus I located the packs of cider powder from last year's non-Halloween, and everyone got one of them, too (just to get RID of them!)
My house was the most popular that night. There were flashing and glowing lights up and down the street, and as other kids on other streets saw them, they got directed here, too ("the house on x street with the wide porch"). I had asked the neighbors how many kids to expect, and was told "between 50 and 60, usually". I and my neighbors got at least 120 visitors. Some neighbors were annoyed at me for attracting so many kids. Others, parents themselves, thought the lights were a great idea - made the kids very visible.
The Nugget, well, that was a bit of a sad story. At first the activity on the street kind of frightened her and she didn't want to go out at all. Hercules had bought her a dinosaur rider costume for last year's non-Halloween, and he decided that she should wear it this year.
She refused to go outside at all.
Daughter finally convinced her to go over to a playmate's house on the next street over, and carry the costume to show her. That was ok.
So Nugget ended up going trick-or-treating with her little friend, to a few houses on the playmate's street, carrying the costume. If you asked, she was a "dinosaur tamer".
I didn't get to see her that evening until she was all done and came to show me her haul.
.
Wednesday, November 13, 2013
3796 I am just unreasonable, I guess
Wednesday, November 13, 2013
Well, we're coming up on the fiftieth anniversary of the JFK assassination, and there are all kinds of shows and articles now on JFK.
The worship and adulation annoy me.
I'll tell you a secret.
Well, first I need to point out that I very rarely hate anyone. There are people that annoy me, people who stress me, people that I do feel anger toward, people whom I don't want to deal with, but I can't say I hate. I tend to play devil's advocate a lot. I try to understand where they're coming from, why they are as they are. Live and let live kind of thing. I don't like them, maybe I even actively dislike them, but I don't hate them.
The only living person I can say I truly hate is Dick Cheney. In my opinion, that man is pure evil, and the evil goes back a long long time. There are many many reasons for my hate. It's absolutely defensible. There is no redeeming or excusing him.
The only other person alive during my lifetime that I can say I have hated is JFK.
I have no idea why. I really don't.
From the very first time I saw JFK on TV, I hated him. He struck me as fake, privileged, conceited, entitled, blah blah blah, whatever. It used to drive me crazy when other women swooned over "how handsome" he was. I never "got" that. I found him to be actively wimpy, even ugly. His hairstyle verged on the jellyroll favored by the local hoods. His eyes were too close together and seemed dead to me. Worse, his marriage seemed fake, a marriage of social and political expediency on both sides. There didn't seem to be any love there. It seemed like everything about him was an act.
Ok, that's enough to dislike him, but my feelings went beyond dislike. For me it spilled over into active hate. I hated him. Still do.
Now, of course, I can point to various revelations and say, "See? I was right." But that's hindsight, might rise to the level of dislike, not hate, and can't be used to justify my initial hate. And you can point to all the wonderful things accomplished, but they're not enough to change my feelings.
I don't understand. I don't know why I would put Dick Cheney and JFK on the same level, but I do.
(Oddly, his brothers had many of the same characteristics, but I didn't even dislike, let alone hate, them. They were sort of ok, even though they used to dragoon high school girls for ski lodge parties. Yeah, I have personal knowledge of that. Somewhere in the distant past in this blog I talked about that.)
.
Well, we're coming up on the fiftieth anniversary of the JFK assassination, and there are all kinds of shows and articles now on JFK.
The worship and adulation annoy me.
I'll tell you a secret.
Well, first I need to point out that I very rarely hate anyone. There are people that annoy me, people who stress me, people that I do feel anger toward, people whom I don't want to deal with, but I can't say I hate. I tend to play devil's advocate a lot. I try to understand where they're coming from, why they are as they are. Live and let live kind of thing. I don't like them, maybe I even actively dislike them, but I don't hate them.
The only living person I can say I truly hate is Dick Cheney. In my opinion, that man is pure evil, and the evil goes back a long long time. There are many many reasons for my hate. It's absolutely defensible. There is no redeeming or excusing him.
The only other person alive during my lifetime that I can say I have hated is JFK.
I have no idea why. I really don't.
From the very first time I saw JFK on TV, I hated him. He struck me as fake, privileged, conceited, entitled, blah blah blah, whatever. It used to drive me crazy when other women swooned over "how handsome" he was. I never "got" that. I found him to be actively wimpy, even ugly. His hairstyle verged on the jellyroll favored by the local hoods. His eyes were too close together and seemed dead to me. Worse, his marriage seemed fake, a marriage of social and political expediency on both sides. There didn't seem to be any love there. It seemed like everything about him was an act.
Ok, that's enough to dislike him, but my feelings went beyond dislike. For me it spilled over into active hate. I hated him. Still do.
Now, of course, I can point to various revelations and say, "See? I was right." But that's hindsight, might rise to the level of dislike, not hate, and can't be used to justify my initial hate. And you can point to all the wonderful things accomplished, but they're not enough to change my feelings.
I don't understand. I don't know why I would put Dick Cheney and JFK on the same level, but I do.
(Oddly, his brothers had many of the same characteristics, but I didn't even dislike, let alone hate, them. They were sort of ok, even though they used to dragoon high school girls for ski lodge parties. Yeah, I have personal knowledge of that. Somewhere in the distant past in this blog I talked about that.)
.
Tuesday, November 12, 2013
3795 Piss me off!
Tuesday, November 12, 2013
Many years ago I reserved "(MyName).com" through NetworkSolutions.com, just in case I ever wanted a website for whatever purpose. It's just a few dollars a year to keep it, since I don't need a host yet, but if I ever decide to use it, it's there.
Warning: Don't go there!!!!!! Not for a while, anyway. I'll explain in a minute.
I have been getting emails since the first week of August at the rate of about one a week from Network Solutions reminding me that my reservation of (MyName) will expire soon and it's time to renew. Fine. I intend to renew. However, it doesn't expire until June 23, 2014! Sheesh, folks. Alright already! I'll renew in May, when I get the calendar reminder to renew, but not before then!
Network Solutions makes a few bucks by letting third parties advertise on my "under construction" page. Over the years it's been mostly legitimate fabric sellers, sari sellers, drum and instrument shops, stuff like that, which I didn't mind.
All these emails prompted me to take a look to see who's advertising there now.
Horrors!
It's dating sites, and NOT nice ones, either.
I have WOT (Web of Trust) installed on my system, and it went crazy. WOT tells you if a link is dangerous, if there's a possibility of viruses, spam, other nasty stuff, based on the comments of others who had gone there. (MyName) is apparently ok, WOT allowed the site to load, but the links on the page are NASTY!
Worse, if your cursor even passes over some of those links, without even a click, it looks like the link is taken, and some of those sites set off WOT. There may be dragons there!
Holy Crap! I don't want (MyName) to get that reputation!
This is majorly scary.
There is a way to change the construction page, and I'm going to have to do that, but it'll take some figuring out. And it might cost more.
Sigh.
Shut up, Network Solutions. The renewal reminders were ticking me off, but this whoring out (almost literally!) of (MyName), heretofore a sweet little lady, takes the cake.
--------------------------------------------
I highly recommend WOT. It's free. http://www.mywot.com/
.
Many years ago I reserved "(MyName).com" through NetworkSolutions.com, just in case I ever wanted a website for whatever purpose. It's just a few dollars a year to keep it, since I don't need a host yet, but if I ever decide to use it, it's there.
Warning: Don't go there!!!!!! Not for a while, anyway. I'll explain in a minute.
I have been getting emails since the first week of August at the rate of about one a week from Network Solutions reminding me that my reservation of (MyName) will expire soon and it's time to renew. Fine. I intend to renew. However, it doesn't expire until June 23, 2014! Sheesh, folks. Alright already! I'll renew in May, when I get the calendar reminder to renew, but not before then!
Network Solutions makes a few bucks by letting third parties advertise on my "under construction" page. Over the years it's been mostly legitimate fabric sellers, sari sellers, drum and instrument shops, stuff like that, which I didn't mind.
All these emails prompted me to take a look to see who's advertising there now.
Horrors!
It's dating sites, and NOT nice ones, either.
I have WOT (Web of Trust) installed on my system, and it went crazy. WOT tells you if a link is dangerous, if there's a possibility of viruses, spam, other nasty stuff, based on the comments of others who had gone there. (MyName) is apparently ok, WOT allowed the site to load, but the links on the page are NASTY!
Worse, if your cursor even passes over some of those links, without even a click, it looks like the link is taken, and some of those sites set off WOT. There may be dragons there!
Holy Crap! I don't want (MyName) to get that reputation!
This is majorly scary.
There is a way to change the construction page, and I'm going to have to do that, but it'll take some figuring out. And it might cost more.
Sigh.
Shut up, Network Solutions. The renewal reminders were ticking me off, but this whoring out (almost literally!) of (MyName), heretofore a sweet little lady, takes the cake.
--------------------------------------------
I highly recommend WOT. It's free. http://www.mywot.com/
.
Monday, November 11, 2013
3794 To blog or not to blog
Monday, October 11, 2013
More and more bloggers seem to be thinking of quitting, two just this morning, several have disappeared over the past year. Many have moved to Facebook or Twitter or whatever, but although that's a way to keep in touch with friends and family in a "I did this, then I did this" way, it's not the same as bogging in that blogging requires thought and introspection. Well, maybe not always, but often enough.
I have found that writing (blogging) clarifies my thinking. I'm forced to put my thoughts to the test of logic. "Does this make sense?" Sometimes the thinking doesn't make it into the blog, but the thinking wouldn't have happened without the blog.
Blogging has allowed me to look at things that have happened in a less emotional way, to look at things from several viewpoints, so I'm better able to come to terms with it. Blogging got me out of the hole I'd fallen into after Jay died.
Sometimes I have a strong reaction to some news. If I decide to comment on it in my blog, I have to do some research first, like finding the best link about it, some details, and sometimes along the way I discover that my first impression was entirely wrong.
Blog for yourself, not for others. When anyone says they have nothing more to say, they really mean they don't think others want to hear/read it, but they themselves actually have plenty to mull. And even only one or two lurking readers can keep you honest with yourself.
.
More and more bloggers seem to be thinking of quitting, two just this morning, several have disappeared over the past year. Many have moved to Facebook or Twitter or whatever, but although that's a way to keep in touch with friends and family in a "I did this, then I did this" way, it's not the same as bogging in that blogging requires thought and introspection. Well, maybe not always, but often enough.
I have found that writing (blogging) clarifies my thinking. I'm forced to put my thoughts to the test of logic. "Does this make sense?" Sometimes the thinking doesn't make it into the blog, but the thinking wouldn't have happened without the blog.
Blogging has allowed me to look at things that have happened in a less emotional way, to look at things from several viewpoints, so I'm better able to come to terms with it. Blogging got me out of the hole I'd fallen into after Jay died.
Sometimes I have a strong reaction to some news. If I decide to comment on it in my blog, I have to do some research first, like finding the best link about it, some details, and sometimes along the way I discover that my first impression was entirely wrong.
Blog for yourself, not for others. When anyone says they have nothing more to say, they really mean they don't think others want to hear/read it, but they themselves actually have plenty to mull. And even only one or two lurking readers can keep you honest with yourself.
.
Thursday, November 07, 2013
3793 Buy American! Um, how?
Thursday, November 7, 2013
If you prefer to buy American-made products, read the linked article.
Especially if you prefer Apple products, read the linked article.
http://mashable.com/2013/11/07/trapped-in-apple-supply-chain/?utm_medium=feed&utm_source=rss
Don't stop reading before you get to the story of Dhong.
And yes it's possibly, maybe even probably, true of every other "American manufacturer" to some degree.
It's not so much the simple taking advantage of that gets me. It's the taking of enormous profits on the ruined lives of others. How much of the price of that iPhone is manufacturing cost? How much is sheer profit? At what cost?
There "outta be a law" !
.
If you prefer to buy American-made products, read the linked article.
Especially if you prefer Apple products, read the linked article.
http://mashable.com/2013/11/07/trapped-in-apple-supply-chain/?utm_medium=feed&utm_source=rss
Don't stop reading before you get to the story of Dhong.
And yes it's possibly, maybe even probably, true of every other "American manufacturer" to some degree.
It's not so much the simple taking advantage of that gets me. It's the taking of enormous profits on the ruined lives of others. How much of the price of that iPhone is manufacturing cost? How much is sheer profit? At what cost?
There "outta be a law" !
.
Wednesday, November 06, 2013
3792 What happened to Bill?
Wednesday, November 6, 2013
I saw this picture of Bill Gates the other day:
(From http://mashable.com/2013/11/04/bill-gates-interview-human-health/)
The photo confused me. He's younger than I am, a lot younger, but he looks ten years older. His skin looks like he's spent every waking moment out in the sun, without sunblock, and we know that's highly unlikely. There's something wrong.
So I asked Google.
Nothing definitive or verifiable, nothing from reliable sites, just unverified rumors of Parkinson's Disease. Whatever. But I'm sure there's something going on with him. Can it be just stress?
Wandering around what turned up for "Parkinson" with various other search arguments, I am surprised at how many people in public life have Parkinson's.
Ten years ago it was brain tumors.
Almost like ... a fashion, or something. Strange.
.
I saw this picture of Bill Gates the other day:
The photo confused me. He's younger than I am, a lot younger, but he looks ten years older. His skin looks like he's spent every waking moment out in the sun, without sunblock, and we know that's highly unlikely. There's something wrong.
So I asked Google.
Nothing definitive or verifiable, nothing from reliable sites, just unverified rumors of Parkinson's Disease. Whatever. But I'm sure there's something going on with him. Can it be just stress?
Wandering around what turned up for "Parkinson" with various other search arguments, I am surprised at how many people in public life have Parkinson's.
Ten years ago it was brain tumors.
Almost like ... a fashion, or something. Strange.
.
Monday, November 04, 2013
3791 Beware of strangling sheets
Monday, November 4, 2013
We are doomed. Last night on "60 Minutes", Leslie Stahl (I think that's who is was) actually said in reference to the Guantanamo trials, "one obstacle after the next". I was horrified.
-----------------------------------
If you ever see an ad for "1800 thread count microfiber sheet sets", usually mentioning Egyptian comfort in the text, DON'T BUY THEM!
I bought two sets maybe five years ago, when they first came out, at a booth at a county fair, for just about $49 a set. The product name was "1800 Thread Count Egyptian Comfort Sheet Sets". The label said, "Enjoy the softness of Egyptian cotton", in large type. In smaller type it said "microfiber". I stupidly thought that meant they were Egyptian cotton. Egyptian cotton has exceptionally long fibers, so it is possible to spin it into finer threads, and I thought that's what the "microfiber" meant - very fine cotton thread - and that's how 1800 count was possible. (Remember, this was before microfiber dusting cloths were so common.)
Not true. Nowhere near cotton. They're a synthetic fiber.
The damn sheets don't really fit any mattress. Technically, they fit, the corners meet, but they don't stay taut. The bottom sheet gets baggy in the middle of the bed because the sides won't stay tucked under the mattress, making folds and slippery patches, badly enough that when you move your legs, the sheets can, like, wrap your legs. When you turn, the top sheet wants to tangle around you, too. Unlike real cotton, they don't have enough body to behave.
The only good part is the pillow cases. They can be good for your hair style, but they won't stay on the pillows. You have to pin the opening closed or the pillow escapes.
The people selling this crap imply that you'd pay up to $300 for sheets of this quality in a major department store. Bull poopy. No legitimate store will sell them, and nobody anywhere sells them for more than $39, usually between $20 and $30. Perhaps they figure nobody will sue as long as the price is ridiculously, embarrassingly, low.
See this online retailer: http://www.egyptianbedsheetsets.com/bed-sheets.asp
Note that NOWHERE do they say anything about synthetic fibers. These folks don't even mention the word "microfiber". You are purposely led to expect cotton, even though they don't actually say what they're made of.
BEWARE!
.
We are doomed. Last night on "60 Minutes", Leslie Stahl (I think that's who is was) actually said in reference to the Guantanamo trials, "one obstacle after the next". I was horrified.
-----------------------------------
If you ever see an ad for "1800 thread count microfiber sheet sets", usually mentioning Egyptian comfort in the text, DON'T BUY THEM!
I bought two sets maybe five years ago, when they first came out, at a booth at a county fair, for just about $49 a set. The product name was "1800 Thread Count Egyptian Comfort Sheet Sets". The label said, "Enjoy the softness of Egyptian cotton", in large type. In smaller type it said "microfiber". I stupidly thought that meant they were Egyptian cotton. Egyptian cotton has exceptionally long fibers, so it is possible to spin it into finer threads, and I thought that's what the "microfiber" meant - very fine cotton thread - and that's how 1800 count was possible. (Remember, this was before microfiber dusting cloths were so common.)
Not true. Nowhere near cotton. They're a synthetic fiber.
The damn sheets don't really fit any mattress. Technically, they fit, the corners meet, but they don't stay taut. The bottom sheet gets baggy in the middle of the bed because the sides won't stay tucked under the mattress, making folds and slippery patches, badly enough that when you move your legs, the sheets can, like, wrap your legs. When you turn, the top sheet wants to tangle around you, too. Unlike real cotton, they don't have enough body to behave.
The only good part is the pillow cases. They can be good for your hair style, but they won't stay on the pillows. You have to pin the opening closed or the pillow escapes.
The people selling this crap imply that you'd pay up to $300 for sheets of this quality in a major department store. Bull poopy. No legitimate store will sell them, and nobody anywhere sells them for more than $39, usually between $20 and $30. Perhaps they figure nobody will sue as long as the price is ridiculously, embarrassingly, low.
See this online retailer: http://www.egyptianbedsheetsets.com/bed-sheets.asp
Note that NOWHERE do they say anything about synthetic fibers. These folks don't even mention the word "microfiber". You are purposely led to expect cotton, even though they don't actually say what they're made of.
BEWARE!
.
Sunday, November 03, 2013
3790 Three kinds of sleeping men
Sunday, November 3, 2013
I was lying in bed this morning, snuggled under the blankets with Jasper curled against the back of my knees, and I was thinking about which side of the bed I choose to sleep on. I start on the left**, often roll over to the right during the night, then back to the left by morning. I guess it's because the table with the clock and my eyeglasses is on the left. At the country house, I sleep on the right, and pretty much stay there.
In my experience with sleeping with men (and I have a lot more experience than you'd even guess), I've found they seem to fall into three groups.
The first two groups don't consistently prefer one side over another. Their choice is based on the layout of the room, and in that they are consistent.
1. Some insist on sleeping on the side of the bed nearest the door. If you ask, that's what they say, that they want to be nearest the door. Even if you're sleeping in a strange place, like a hotel, they want to be nearest the door. Which side they sleep on changes with the room. I think of them as "The Protectors". These men also tend to walk toward the outside on sidewalks, and insist on opening doors for ladies.
2. Some want the side of the bed nearest the bathroom, and if you ask, that's what they say. The bathroom. I think of them as "The Piddlers". These guys tend to be a little bit self-absorbed and stingy.
3. Then there's the guys who always sleep on one particular side. If you ask, they say that they always sleep on the left (or right), with raised eyebrows, like "Duh? Is there any other possibility?" Mostly you don't have to ask. They simply state it as fact, no discussion allowed. I think it probably has to do with which side of their body they sleep on, and want to be facing out, or in, and know exactly where the edge is. These are "The Rigids". They like things a certain way, seldom break routine.
Of course this is just my experience, and some men are combinations or exceptions. The Man, for example, always sleeps on "his side" of the bed and is pretty Rigid in his habits (well, very rigid) and often his thinking, but in all else he is a Protector.
Do you prefer a particular side? Why?
--------------------------------------
**I'm never quite sure what people mean when they say "right" or "left" in reference to a bed. Is it as when you lie on your back on the bed? Or when you stand at the foot facing the head?
Seems to me that since the bed has a head and a foot, it would have a right hand and a left, so it would be like lying on the bed on your back. But The Man uses the opposite, and we all know he's never wrong.
It doesn't much matter what's correct, since the person speaking is not necessarily using it that way.
Later - We don't seem to have this problem with chairs. "Put the table to the right of the chair" means to your right, not the chair's right, and most people understand that. Oh, Good Grief! Does that mean The Man is right again!?
.
.
I was lying in bed this morning, snuggled under the blankets with Jasper curled against the back of my knees, and I was thinking about which side of the bed I choose to sleep on. I start on the left**, often roll over to the right during the night, then back to the left by morning. I guess it's because the table with the clock and my eyeglasses is on the left. At the country house, I sleep on the right, and pretty much stay there.
In my experience with sleeping with men (and I have a lot more experience than you'd even guess), I've found they seem to fall into three groups.
The first two groups don't consistently prefer one side over another. Their choice is based on the layout of the room, and in that they are consistent.
1. Some insist on sleeping on the side of the bed nearest the door. If you ask, that's what they say, that they want to be nearest the door. Even if you're sleeping in a strange place, like a hotel, they want to be nearest the door. Which side they sleep on changes with the room. I think of them as "The Protectors". These men also tend to walk toward the outside on sidewalks, and insist on opening doors for ladies.
2. Some want the side of the bed nearest the bathroom, and if you ask, that's what they say. The bathroom. I think of them as "The Piddlers". These guys tend to be a little bit self-absorbed and stingy.
3. Then there's the guys who always sleep on one particular side. If you ask, they say that they always sleep on the left (or right), with raised eyebrows, like "Duh? Is there any other possibility?" Mostly you don't have to ask. They simply state it as fact, no discussion allowed. I think it probably has to do with which side of their body they sleep on, and want to be facing out, or in, and know exactly where the edge is. These are "The Rigids". They like things a certain way, seldom break routine.
Of course this is just my experience, and some men are combinations or exceptions. The Man, for example, always sleeps on "his side" of the bed and is pretty Rigid in his habits (well, very rigid) and often his thinking, but in all else he is a Protector.
Do you prefer a particular side? Why?
--------------------------------------
**I'm never quite sure what people mean when they say "right" or "left" in reference to a bed. Is it as when you lie on your back on the bed? Or when you stand at the foot facing the head?
Seems to me that since the bed has a head and a foot, it would have a right hand and a left, so it would be like lying on the bed on your back. But The Man uses the opposite, and we all know he's never wrong.
It doesn't much matter what's correct, since the person speaking is not necessarily using it that way.
Later - We don't seem to have this problem with chairs. "Put the table to the right of the chair" means to your right, not the chair's right, and most people understand that. Oh, Good Grief! Does that mean The Man is right again!?
.
.
Wednesday, October 30, 2013
3789 Missing the target
Wednesday, October 30, 2013
There's this thing I'm seeing more and more of, where someone is keeping track of everything you look at online, and then selling that information to advertisers, who then focus on your "interests" for those ads over there on the margins. Targeted advertising.
Hey, folks, you're doing it wrong!
Like Amazon keeps track of what I've looked at or bought, and then makes suggestions, "just for me". Only what they show me are things I've already looked at or already bought! That makes no sense. I already have it, or I've already rejected it.
When I buy something on eBay, I get a message that "People who bought [what I just bought] also bought [pictures of of similar items]". Well, a couple of problems there:
1. There are NO other people who bought what I just bought. I bought the only one. You lie!
2. If other people bought these other things, they're already sold. What help is that to me?
If I search for toy ovens, for days afterward I am inundated with ads for toy ovens. Hey, I just bought one!
I have to draw on my eyebrows, and they frequently disappear within an hour, so the other day I searched for and bought a blond eyebrow pencil (actually a liquid with a fine brush to draw "hairs" with) that is guaranteed to last all day. I bought it from a particular beauty supply outlet. Now my margins are filled with ads from that outlet, not ads for any of their other products, but ads for the very same pencil I already bought. Duh?
Targeted advertising is crap. It's been poorly implemented by people who don't have enough brains to understand that people don't want to look at things they've already looked at. It's being signed up for and paid for by retailers who are no smarter.
Maybe people might be interested in things related to things they've looked at?
Like after I had looked at covers for the a/c units, maybe instead of throwing more a/c covers at me, you should suggest patio furniture or grill covers. After I bought one John Smith book, instead of suggesting I buy that book again, maybe you could suggest other books by the same author, or a different author in the same genre. After I bought the toy oven, maybe you could suggest other toys in the same age range.
I am especially disturbed by Gmail's scanning my emails for keywords. I mentioned to a friend recently that I had gotten chubby since last we met (Yeah, I've gone from the size 6 and S I wore three years ago to 10 and 12 and M, and at my height, that's really chubby), just that one line, and suddenly my sidebar on Gmail is full of ads for shops specializing in foundations and those sizes with the Xs in them (which I can't wear no matter how big I get because the proportions are off for my height, the shoulder seams reach to my elbows).
One of these days I'd love to write an email full of exciting keywords just to see what happens - but I don't want to draw the attention of the NSA.
.
There's this thing I'm seeing more and more of, where someone is keeping track of everything you look at online, and then selling that information to advertisers, who then focus on your "interests" for those ads over there on the margins. Targeted advertising.
Hey, folks, you're doing it wrong!
Like Amazon keeps track of what I've looked at or bought, and then makes suggestions, "just for me". Only what they show me are things I've already looked at or already bought! That makes no sense. I already have it, or I've already rejected it.
When I buy something on eBay, I get a message that "People who bought [what I just bought] also bought [pictures of of similar items]". Well, a couple of problems there:
1. There are NO other people who bought what I just bought. I bought the only one. You lie!
2. If other people bought these other things, they're already sold. What help is that to me?
If I search for toy ovens, for days afterward I am inundated with ads for toy ovens. Hey, I just bought one!
I have to draw on my eyebrows, and they frequently disappear within an hour, so the other day I searched for and bought a blond eyebrow pencil (actually a liquid with a fine brush to draw "hairs" with) that is guaranteed to last all day. I bought it from a particular beauty supply outlet. Now my margins are filled with ads from that outlet, not ads for any of their other products, but ads for the very same pencil I already bought. Duh?
Targeted advertising is crap. It's been poorly implemented by people who don't have enough brains to understand that people don't want to look at things they've already looked at. It's being signed up for and paid for by retailers who are no smarter.
Maybe people might be interested in things related to things they've looked at?
Like after I had looked at covers for the a/c units, maybe instead of throwing more a/c covers at me, you should suggest patio furniture or grill covers. After I bought one John Smith book, instead of suggesting I buy that book again, maybe you could suggest other books by the same author, or a different author in the same genre. After I bought the toy oven, maybe you could suggest other toys in the same age range.
I am especially disturbed by Gmail's scanning my emails for keywords. I mentioned to a friend recently that I had gotten chubby since last we met (Yeah, I've gone from the size 6 and S I wore three years ago to 10 and 12 and M, and at my height, that's really chubby), just that one line, and suddenly my sidebar on Gmail is full of ads for shops specializing in foundations and those sizes with the Xs in them (which I can't wear no matter how big I get because the proportions are off for my height, the shoulder seams reach to my elbows).
One of these days I'd love to write an email full of exciting keywords just to see what happens - but I don't want to draw the attention of the NSA.
.
Sunday, October 27, 2013
3788 I don't get some people's taste
Sunday, October 27, 2013
There's a bunch of women discussing the attractiveness of a Scotsman on "Cute Overload", here.
As one woman said, he's "a little long in the tooth, and portly to boot, but a full head of hair, nice smile, lovely accent", but still a candidate for the "Men of" calendar.
Yeah, I wouldn't mind meeting him. He has potential. And my taste in men runs to dark hair and eyes.
Then the commenters suggest who he reminds them of. One woman suggested Mr. Bates from “Downton Abby”, and others agreed. Many women have found Mr. Bates attractive, including me. (He's the one who went to jail on bogus charges. I'm unsure how much of Mr. Bates' attractiveness has to do with his appearance, and how much is the character's personality and our sympathy for his situation.)
Anyway, a few other women suggested who he looks like, and here's where I lost the connection.
Um, Benny Hill?
Johnathan Winters?
Uh, yeah, they all have squarish faces, and hair, and the proper number of eyes and noses, but the level of attractiveness is way off. Not even close! In fact, I have to wonder about any woman who finds either of those two attractive.
Hmmmmm.
I guess it's good that different women (and men) see and are attracted to different things. Otherwise a lot of us would never find a mate.
.
There's a bunch of women discussing the attractiveness of a Scotsman on "Cute Overload", here.
As one woman said, he's "a little long in the tooth, and portly to boot, but a full head of hair, nice smile, lovely accent", but still a candidate for the "Men of" calendar.
Yeah, I wouldn't mind meeting him. He has potential. And my taste in men runs to dark hair and eyes.
Then the commenters suggest who he reminds them of. One woman suggested Mr. Bates from “Downton Abby”, and others agreed. Many women have found Mr. Bates attractive, including me. (He's the one who went to jail on bogus charges. I'm unsure how much of Mr. Bates' attractiveness has to do with his appearance, and how much is the character's personality and our sympathy for his situation.)
Anyway, a few other women suggested who he looks like, and here's where I lost the connection.
Um, Benny Hill?
Johnathan Winters?
Uh, yeah, they all have squarish faces, and hair, and the proper number of eyes and noses, but the level of attractiveness is way off. Not even close! In fact, I have to wonder about any woman who finds either of those two attractive.
Hmmmmm.
I guess it's good that different women (and men) see and are attracted to different things. Otherwise a lot of us would never find a mate.
.
Wednesday, October 23, 2013
3787 My widgets
Wednesday, October 23, 2013
Today I learned how to take a screenshot. Windows 8 makes it really easy. There's my new widgets over there on the right.
It's 52 and raining here, and 47 and cloudy at the other house.
I don't need or want the bottom half of the calendar, with the big 23, but I haven't figured out yet how to get rid of it.
--------------------------------------
Later - Phooey. It's overlaying text on the right Blogger screen, so it's hard to read. Any smaller, and it would still be hard to read, but for a different reason. Tough. If you click on the screenshot, it should get clearer....
.
Today I learned how to take a screenshot. Windows 8 makes it really easy. There's my new widgets over there on the right.
It's 52 and raining here, and 47 and cloudy at the other house.
I don't need or want the bottom half of the calendar, with the big 23, but I haven't figured out yet how to get rid of it.
--------------------------------------
Later - Phooey. It's overlaying text on the right Blogger screen, so it's hard to read. Any smaller, and it would still be hard to read, but for a different reason. Tough. If you click on the screenshot, it should get clearer....
.
3786 Widget wacky
Wednesday, October 23, 2013
On my old Vista, I had "widgets" on the sidebar. A nice big analog clock, a calendar showing the whole month, gauges showing CPU and storage utilization, and two weather doohickies showing the temperature and conditions for both houses.
I loved them. Glanced at them all the time.
Microsoft got rid of them in Windows 8, ostensibly because they presented a security threat, but the forum consensus is that Microsoft wanted people to use those stupid cluttering apps. The ones you can't see when you're on the desktop.
So, I searched, and found several free widget programs. Again, the consensus is that the best and safest is from http://8gadgetpack.net/.
Installation was quick and easy. I got everything I needed, including two small weather gadgets, the ones that show temperature and atmospheric conditions.
Then I clicked on "options" to set the weather gadgets to my locales. The one for the city house was easy.
The country house was weird.
I asked it to search for Red Hook, NY, 12571 (that's a village upstate, near Rhinebeck, not the old dock area of Brooklyn, and what I had been using on Vista as being close to the country house).
It told me it couldn't find a weather station for Red Hook, but offered me Slingerlands as the closest. Slingerlands is way the heck up by Albany. Duh? Not even close!
So I shrugged and asked for Milan, NY, which is close and is in the same zip code as Red Hook, and has an airport, so I know there's a weather station there.
It said it couldn't find Milan, but offered me Red Hook as the closest. Duh?
I don't understand.
But at any rate, my widgets are all set up, and I'm happy.
.
On my old Vista, I had "widgets" on the sidebar. A nice big analog clock, a calendar showing the whole month, gauges showing CPU and storage utilization, and two weather doohickies showing the temperature and conditions for both houses.
I loved them. Glanced at them all the time.
Microsoft got rid of them in Windows 8, ostensibly because they presented a security threat, but the forum consensus is that Microsoft wanted people to use those stupid cluttering apps. The ones you can't see when you're on the desktop.
So, I searched, and found several free widget programs. Again, the consensus is that the best and safest is from http://8gadgetpack.net/.
Installation was quick and easy. I got everything I needed, including two small weather gadgets, the ones that show temperature and atmospheric conditions.
Then I clicked on "options" to set the weather gadgets to my locales. The one for the city house was easy.
The country house was weird.
I asked it to search for Red Hook, NY, 12571 (that's a village upstate, near Rhinebeck, not the old dock area of Brooklyn, and what I had been using on Vista as being close to the country house).
It told me it couldn't find a weather station for Red Hook, but offered me Slingerlands as the closest. Slingerlands is way the heck up by Albany. Duh? Not even close!
So I shrugged and asked for Milan, NY, which is close and is in the same zip code as Red Hook, and has an airport, so I know there's a weather station there.
It said it couldn't find Milan, but offered me Red Hook as the closest. Duh?
I don't understand.
But at any rate, my widgets are all set up, and I'm happy.
.
3785 Notice for all pet owners
Wednesday, October 23, 2013
If you have a dog or cat, and give them jerky treats, please read this:
http://news.yahoo.com/fda-seeks-pet-owner-help-dangerous-jerky-treats-120212167--politics.html
Mysterious illnesses and deaths. FDA is gathering info in an effort to identify the problem.
.
If you have a dog or cat, and give them jerky treats, please read this:
http://news.yahoo.com/fda-seeks-pet-owner-help-dangerous-jerky-treats-120212167--politics.html
Mysterious illnesses and deaths. FDA is gathering info in an effort to identify the problem.
.
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