Further notes:
=::+ openSuSE- is nearly perfect, but some knuckleheads at KDE tampered with Configure Desktop. KDE's normally quick, easy and centrally located tweak zone for all things desktop appearance related got busted into two locations and over-simplified. Icons now can't be substituted individually (sometimes they could before, sometimes not, no biggie). There was a rendering conflict bleeding into the visible range in the window decorations, but downplaying all the desktop effects, which came ENABLED out of the box (yuck) fixed the mess. Still, there was no reason for them to change anything, except somebody needed a paycheck. I have to respect their tenacity in holding onto their positions no matter what they had to do during these rough financial times. They made some improvements- They stayed on the team when in the past the developers would have been cut - an improvement over losing them.
=::+ Happy as can be with new OS version, and finally made it sleek and stable. Akregator is loaded and everything is in there without a bottleneck during feed fetches. System is optimized for dynamic educational and political writing at a frenetic pace. It's cherry as can be. :)
=::+ bTW- Mitt Romnrey is not a member of a cult, per se, or at all really. He's a member of the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter Day Saints, the Mormon Church. It's way too big to be a cult, sort of like OWS. It's a denomination! [I know big words] The nastiest things I write I do so with dry humor in my heart and mind. Folks may think it's all serious. It's all comedy from where I'm sitting.
=::+ Fate/Stay Night - Saber was a woman, and Shirou fell in love with her. But then she won the Holy Grail War and became King Arthur, and he was dreaming of his love with Shirou. Also, Ep. 23 -"Fiend! You got him with your gay bulge!" Srsly? It happened. That was a twist. Personally I prefer Shyamalan's twists over "the gay bulge," but I didn't ask for the twist, I didn't see the twist coming, that's why it's a twist, etc. So, Guinevere goes to throw Caliburn in the lake and Arthur(ia) reclines and thinks fondly of the Holy Grail War, and then fuckin' dies. Sigh. I lost a night of sleep to finish watching that...
In all fairness, the entire lengthy series Arturia's voiceover is a tenor soprano woman and she's Shirou's servant. She calls him master. He occasionally walks in on her in the shower bath, finds her very sexually appealing and falls in love with her. I get the sense that there's an uncut Fate/Stay Night out there, the director's secret stash under the floorboards maybe, that shows her buxom nude body in one of the many scenes where it would be possible. It's not like there's anything even remotely ambisexual about their attraction. As far as abnormality goes there is only the master-servant relationship, which wasn't abnormal or far out there for thousands of years from place to place.
The weird gender bending scene, if I inte5rpreted it correctly and if it was translated properly, seemed to be an afterthought. In fact, it may very well be an error in the subs. Regardless, it's minor as hell. The series wasn't fantastic, but it also didn't feature abnormal sexuality at all.
The following wraps up my thoughts on this series. Look up "Fate/Stay Night gay bulge" on YouTube if you want to check that out. It's a weird thing to say in the middle of a battle.
Germany Laments Russia Failure
German Chancellor Angela Merkel will meet with Dmitri Medvedev during his last visit before Vladimir Putin returns to the helm of Russia as their President. Medvedev will step down and assume a role as Russia's Prime Minister. The widespread hope that modernization of the Russian economy would lead to democratization and improved human rights has been all but extinguished. Germany lent massive support to a Russian capitalism conversion only to see little real change in the area of government.
European nations, and Germany in particular, bestowed limited aid and political favors with an eye on trade rather than real reforms. Western nations failed to approach the issues of judiciary independence and free speech. At the same time Russia looked at the resource and trade needs of Europe as a check against the bargaining power of those nations toward bringing the superpower in line with modern human values.
The past saw Germany and greater Europe forgo the use of soft power in trade as a means to urge that Russia work on legal improvements, that they reign in organized crime and separate the court systems from administrative micromanagement, among other things. Besides human rights violations Russia often ignores international accords on the environment in practice. The ruling structure remains solidly intact and notably remiss in spending money on the nation's physical needs. Roads, buildings, schools and hospitals crumble while money continues to flow into national coffers, but, more so, corruptly into private bank accounts and the pockets of politicians. The needs of the people are only slightly less ignored than the country's ecosystems.
Medvedev did nothing that would have diminished the role of senior government officials, in any sector, nor anything that would have impacted the earnings of the aristocracy. He functioned with minimal autonomy from former President Putin, who stepped aside from running Russia in title only. In the strictest sense Putin relinquished governance while Medvedev served, but very shortly Putin will take on full leadership in every way once more, not just as the man with all the strings.
The Russian military never suffered any lack of attention in Putin's absence, and the issue of nuclear weapons regulation also gave Europe nothing to find positive. Nuclear weapons wrangling will return to familiar patterns with Putin once again bearing the title of President. Those negotiations mostly take place with the United States, with Europe sitting idly and nervously on the sidelines. The U.S. and NATO's anti-ballistic missile defense system, planned with illegal nuclear weapons programs in the Arab world in mind, drew firm opposition from Russia. The Europeans divided on the issue depending on their interpretation of Russia's response and their trade status with the neighboring superpower.
Another situation that Europe hoped would gain steps to resolution was the Transnitria desire for independence from Moldova, a 20 year old affair. Europe hoped to establish a European Union-Russian Political and Security Committee to address civil and military matters with crises in mind, and believed membership in such an organization would be attractive enough to use as leverage on Transnitria. Mrs. Merkel proposed the initiative, but it accomplished nothing.
Even though nothing firmly progressive ever transpired during Medvedev's term he had, at least, a somewhat more open mind. Vlad is coming back, and all the hopes for change have vanished. Instead of Westernization analysts expect agitation over NATO and the small struggles for autonomy in the tiny former states of the USSR. Putin desires the exact opposite of what Germany and Europe wanted. He wants to expand his style of government further west, and develop the Eurasian Union from the European model. To the east of Europe leaders do not see the bright illumined faces accompanying a Russian Renaissance. Times are murky and gray as clouds roll back in, accompanying Vladimir Putin back to the peak of the Kremlin and Moscow.
[worst error score in ages]
European nations, and Germany in particular, bestowed limited aid and political favors with an eye on trade rather than real reforms. Western nations failed to approach the issues of judiciary independence and free speech. At the same time Russia looked at the resource and trade needs of Europe as a check against the bargaining power of those nations toward bringing the superpower in line with modern human values.
The past saw Germany and greater Europe forgo the use of soft power in trade as a means to urge that Russia work on legal improvements, that they reign in organized crime and separate the court systems from administrative micromanagement, among other things. Besides human rights violations Russia often ignores international accords on the environment in practice. The ruling structure remains solidly intact and notably remiss in spending money on the nation's physical needs. Roads, buildings, schools and hospitals crumble while money continues to flow into national coffers, but, more so, corruptly into private bank accounts and the pockets of politicians. The needs of the people are only slightly less ignored than the country's ecosystems.
Medvedev did nothing that would have diminished the role of senior government officials, in any sector, nor anything that would have impacted the earnings of the aristocracy. He functioned with minimal autonomy from former President Putin, who stepped aside from running Russia in title only. In the strictest sense Putin relinquished governance while Medvedev served, but very shortly Putin will take on full leadership in every way once more, not just as the man with all the strings.
The Russian military never suffered any lack of attention in Putin's absence, and the issue of nuclear weapons regulation also gave Europe nothing to find positive. Nuclear weapons wrangling will return to familiar patterns with Putin once again bearing the title of President. Those negotiations mostly take place with the United States, with Europe sitting idly and nervously on the sidelines. The U.S. and NATO's anti-ballistic missile defense system, planned with illegal nuclear weapons programs in the Arab world in mind, drew firm opposition from Russia. The Europeans divided on the issue depending on their interpretation of Russia's response and their trade status with the neighboring superpower.
Another situation that Europe hoped would gain steps to resolution was the Transnitria desire for independence from Moldova, a 20 year old affair. Europe hoped to establish a European Union-Russian Political and Security Committee to address civil and military matters with crises in mind, and believed membership in such an organization would be attractive enough to use as leverage on Transnitria. Mrs. Merkel proposed the initiative, but it accomplished nothing.
Even though nothing firmly progressive ever transpired during Medvedev's term he had, at least, a somewhat more open mind. Vlad is coming back, and all the hopes for change have vanished. Instead of Westernization analysts expect agitation over NATO and the small struggles for autonomy in the tiny former states of the USSR. Putin desires the exact opposite of what Germany and Europe wanted. He wants to expand his style of government further west, and develop the Eurasian Union from the European model. To the east of Europe leaders do not see the bright illumined faces accompanying a Russian Renaissance. Times are murky and gray as clouds roll back in, accompanying Vladimir Putin back to the peak of the Kremlin and Moscow.
[worst error score in ages]
Deaf, Blind and Soulless
No matter how many times we change our representation and exercise our rights as voters the ruling elite in Washington DC ignore voter demands and stifle all change. No matter how clear we state our grievance, that the system as it stands dooms the people to economic hardship, Congress and the White House refuse to seriously address the problem, and business continues as though nothing at all has transpired. When will our so-called leaders get the message, from all of us, that change is not about rhetoric, it's about action? This year? Right after the next election? That sounds so familiar. One must wonder about the holdup, and not just the holdup in which the wealthiest portion of our country took money from the rest of us to stay at the top.
When will elections stop being contests to see who can most magnificently deceive the voters into believing action will be taken and start being milestones of reform? The answer could be revealed to be never and it would surprise so few. What percentage of struggling voters does it take for the struggle to become the number one issue and not a statistic at the end of a pointer? 50 percent? 65%? Does the term "all of us" mean anything to politicians, or have they become so blinded by power that words have lost all meaning? All equates to "in totality," but that would be technically incorrect, as there is that little percentage that owns almost everything.
Most politicians aren't even part of the 1%. Some are like pets of the obscenely rich. When it gets cold outside the fat cats can yawn at the windows, at us, as we clamor to be let into the system that is now based on exclusion and predation rather than inclusion and benefaction. If they start to become self aware, corporate headquarters can always dispense tasty treats and scratch their backs. Meanwhile, we might as well fall for the trick where the door is held open briefly but is only a trap. Sometimes we get hit on top of the head with an anvil, other times a skillet hidden in the snow brains the hasty.
Wait! There's a telegram! It's from Acme! It says, "You're too late to duck." Boof! A sledgehammer to the solar plexus just knocked the wind out of somebody. When will we ever learn? If only it was as easy to recover in real life as it is in the cartoons. In real life we freeze to death in the cold. The safe bet is those protests will end soon. It gets cold outside, without homes, without jobs. without real hope. Actually, it gets cold anyway, but you get my drift.
99.9% Horrific
Not many people in that single percent at the top who own almost everything have had to bite the bullet, literally, and pull out a jaw tooth with a pair of pliers because they didn't have the money to go to a dentist. Maybe none of them have ever had to consider doing such a thing. The back tooth at the top on the right side was intact enough for the pliers to clamp down, although it had broken twice in a month and the exposed surface had rapidly dwindled during that time. Every time it was jarred for any reason a mind altering, sharp explosion of pain caused me to gasp and clench my eyes and fists shut. During the worst part of the initial economic crisis of 2009 I lost my job and had no income whatsoever. On top of that I was in a part of the United States where the concept of a charity hospital was alien and unexplored, and even in Baton Rouge, where there is a charity hospital, getting a spot of dental work has been described to me as nearly impossible.
So there I was with a broken tooth in the back of my mouth, at the top, that made eating akin to torture. Drinking water a slightly different temperature than my mouth could set off shock inducing waves of agony. I forgot and drank something cold and screamed for a couple of minutes, but I only did that once. I made the decision to take the matter into my own hands for fear of losing my mind.
I gripped my only pair of pliers and attempted to squeeze the engagement jaws on the tooth. That firm pressure caused waves of light to radiate in my eyes themselves, with or without my eyes closed, and dragged a low moan from my throat. I took a large mouthful of whiskey and held it, which burned and had it's own pain signature, but which was unquestionably necessary. The second and third attempts fared no better. I did not have the cold blooded tenacity to move the tooth, until I decided the whiskey was my savior and finished off a pint as though it were a shot. One minute and a half later I grabbed the tooth between the jaws of the pliers and wrestled with it, though I squealed, my features contorted and my awareness was consumed entirely by consideration of the tooth and the tool.
I managed to tear that tooth out of my mouth before my motor functions degenerated beyond functionality. The bleeding was significant but nothing like I thought it would be. I immediately felt relief from the nerve that had taken control of my life for over ten days. Fearing a dry socket I jabbed an Exacto knife a short way into the gums surrounding the prior location of the tooth, but as soon as I struck the devil nerve that still sent out signals from that location I desisted. I packed it with a couple of cotton balls soaked in whiskey, thankful to God there had been money enough to purchase the alcohol.
The ordeal ended that night. The next day I was able to eat cautiously and within a couple of days the socket had healed. There's still nothing in that spot far in the back of my mouth. I never forgot about that. I had never wished for the money to see a dentist so hard in my life. In the end, thanks to economic realities, I was forced to handle it myself, with what I had at my disposal.
I wonder how Meg Whitman would fare in such a situation. The top executives at Morgan Stanley might pay to see someone stuck in such a predicament. The nation's most successful investment bankers make it no secret that they have the killer instinct when it comes to human interaction. Many of them would toss a young man or woman to the wolves in a heartbeat, literally, to be torn to shreds by teeth and claws, and in the past would have had no qualms about standing up for that ideology. Many have spoken of being ruthless with pride, although at this stage in American history even the most dilettante veteran of hostile takeovers and obscene derivative profit taking might defer such pronouncements, and the savvy would definitely demure for the time being. Such discussion could prolong the little commotion called Occupy Wall Street.
I have complete awareness and understanding of the alpha male, warrior businessperson mentality, the outlook that deems climbing over the bodies of broken competitors the mark of a great person, a success story. Of course my "complete awareness and understanding" comes only from what I've read in books and is really laughable considering my background. I have a familiarity with the way some business philosophy has been described, would be a better way to put it. The entire myth was created to lead such people down a path littered with material reward, but mostly to make the authors of such philosophies a small heap of their own money. Nevertheless, the philosophy exists and the path is real. That path is not something I know about, nor would I want to.
I am thankful that compassion makes up a large share of my character. I would not wish the pains I have felt on the greediest, most corrupt men, and women, in this nation. They don't deserve the wisdom I have gleaned from my experiences. That tooth ache was nothing compared to the pain so many have felt when they lost everything because of the corrupt practices of those "warrior businesspeople." My pain was caused by nature, but every day during economic crises somebody loses everything they have worked for their entire lives. That pain builds from and on deep emptiness, from complete lack, from a vacuum of capital ability. That pain is deep and wide and the men and few women who value financial success and the accompanying power of it are responsible in a huge number of cases. Those responsible parties in such cases can be like participants in an economic genocide, and that philosophy is built on reasoning very closely akin to the war crimes of ethnic cleansing: The strong should thrive and eliminate the weak, the loathsome, who are merely objects on the path to the glory of the chosen few.
Philosophies touting social natural selection can be very serious, very dark and disturbing, just like all the indicators of our day and age that point to the chances the masses have of ever getting ahead. Many of us are the victims of class destruction. In the long run the reduction of oneself to just being a part of nearly everyone actually hinders empowerment, one might think.
-
-
-
[The errors were particularly painful. Failed to proof first]
Almost permanently deleted this... have a blinding migraine.
So there I was with a broken tooth in the back of my mouth, at the top, that made eating akin to torture. Drinking water a slightly different temperature than my mouth could set off shock inducing waves of agony. I forgot and drank something cold and screamed for a couple of minutes, but I only did that once. I made the decision to take the matter into my own hands for fear of losing my mind.
I gripped my only pair of pliers and attempted to squeeze the engagement jaws on the tooth. That firm pressure caused waves of light to radiate in my eyes themselves, with or without my eyes closed, and dragged a low moan from my throat. I took a large mouthful of whiskey and held it, which burned and had it's own pain signature, but which was unquestionably necessary. The second and third attempts fared no better. I did not have the cold blooded tenacity to move the tooth, until I decided the whiskey was my savior and finished off a pint as though it were a shot. One minute and a half later I grabbed the tooth between the jaws of the pliers and wrestled with it, though I squealed, my features contorted and my awareness was consumed entirely by consideration of the tooth and the tool.
I managed to tear that tooth out of my mouth before my motor functions degenerated beyond functionality. The bleeding was significant but nothing like I thought it would be. I immediately felt relief from the nerve that had taken control of my life for over ten days. Fearing a dry socket I jabbed an Exacto knife a short way into the gums surrounding the prior location of the tooth, but as soon as I struck the devil nerve that still sent out signals from that location I desisted. I packed it with a couple of cotton balls soaked in whiskey, thankful to God there had been money enough to purchase the alcohol.
The ordeal ended that night. The next day I was able to eat cautiously and within a couple of days the socket had healed. There's still nothing in that spot far in the back of my mouth. I never forgot about that. I had never wished for the money to see a dentist so hard in my life. In the end, thanks to economic realities, I was forced to handle it myself, with what I had at my disposal.
I wonder how Meg Whitman would fare in such a situation. The top executives at Morgan Stanley might pay to see someone stuck in such a predicament. The nation's most successful investment bankers make it no secret that they have the killer instinct when it comes to human interaction. Many of them would toss a young man or woman to the wolves in a heartbeat, literally, to be torn to shreds by teeth and claws, and in the past would have had no qualms about standing up for that ideology. Many have spoken of being ruthless with pride, although at this stage in American history even the most dilettante veteran of hostile takeovers and obscene derivative profit taking might defer such pronouncements, and the savvy would definitely demure for the time being. Such discussion could prolong the little commotion called Occupy Wall Street.
I have complete awareness and understanding of the alpha male, warrior businessperson mentality, the outlook that deems climbing over the bodies of broken competitors the mark of a great person, a success story. Of course my "complete awareness and understanding" comes only from what I've read in books and is really laughable considering my background. I have a familiarity with the way some business philosophy has been described, would be a better way to put it. The entire myth was created to lead such people down a path littered with material reward, but mostly to make the authors of such philosophies a small heap of their own money. Nevertheless, the philosophy exists and the path is real. That path is not something I know about, nor would I want to.
I am thankful that compassion makes up a large share of my character. I would not wish the pains I have felt on the greediest, most corrupt men, and women, in this nation. They don't deserve the wisdom I have gleaned from my experiences. That tooth ache was nothing compared to the pain so many have felt when they lost everything because of the corrupt practices of those "warrior businesspeople." My pain was caused by nature, but every day during economic crises somebody loses everything they have worked for their entire lives. That pain builds from and on deep emptiness, from complete lack, from a vacuum of capital ability. That pain is deep and wide and the men and few women who value financial success and the accompanying power of it are responsible in a huge number of cases. Those responsible parties in such cases can be like participants in an economic genocide, and that philosophy is built on reasoning very closely akin to the war crimes of ethnic cleansing: The strong should thrive and eliminate the weak, the loathsome, who are merely objects on the path to the glory of the chosen few.
Philosophies touting social natural selection can be very serious, very dark and disturbing, just like all the indicators of our day and age that point to the chances the masses have of ever getting ahead. Many of us are the victims of class destruction. In the long run the reduction of oneself to just being a part of nearly everyone actually hinders empowerment, one might think.
-
-
-
[The errors were particularly painful. Failed to proof first]
Almost permanently deleted this... have a blinding migraine.
On Plutocracy Panic
In his New York Times op/ed Paul Krugman detailed the whining and the screeching of the GOP political elite as they flail about knowing that Occupy Wall Street has got their number. He pointed out one of the funnier reactions:
Pretending, for a moment, that Senator Paul made his remarks out of a sense of good sportsmanship, then let us by all means play along. It's time to seize iPads. For poor people those devices aren't as useful as knee pads, but since we wouldn't be getting elbow pads at the same time anyway, to greatly lessen the discomfort of taking it from the wealthy on all fours, we might as well settle for the Apple gadgets. Some of us have no use for knee pads alone, anyway. Those of us who don't lend our mouths to the whims of the 1% for the sake of lining our pockets won't be able to stop the reaming, but we sure as hell don't have to be on our knees. We are forced to bend to pick our lives up from the dirt every time the top tier reaps too many digits of capital from derivatives, but we aren't obliged to pay lip service to the lofty aristocrats who bought representatives of the people body and soul. We owe no obeisance.
Senator Rand Paul should probably guard against the watchful eye of real conscience instead of feigning concern for items he likely doesn't even use. Every moment Eric Cantor barks complaints about all the complaints, another moment that could have been spent drafting real compromise and real solutions has passed by and disappeared. His party's warfare against civil liberties, common sense and decency in government obligations has been far more like true combat than the last ditch effort of everyday folk to save the dying American dream.
There can be no class warfare against the 1% at the top. Not only aren't there enough of them to count as a class, but there is no way to wage such a struggle. The infinitely privileged have purchased all the seats to the event, and the chairs sit empty. They have written all the rules requisite for participation, and refuse to even let them be read. They put a fence around the battlefield, and unless you're THIS tall you can't even get in. The warfare was over before it became a concept.
Krugman has a keen way of stating the painfully obvious. It would be a great Christmas present to wake up one year and find a piece by Krugman that lights up the room and the reader's thoughts. What a present if Krugman focused on the unbearable surplus of jobs, the overflowing ranks of the middle class, the staggering optimism of the masses and the undying spirit of friendship between the wealthy and the wealthier in this nation, and the other three people about to be empowered enough to reach that state as well. I can dream. I have hope, and it's not something from a speech. Of course I'm not stupid either, I just like to believe we as a people can pull off the impossible, if we 100% set our minds to it.
My favorite, however, is Senator Rand Paul, who for some reason worries that the protesters will start seizing iPads, because they believe rich people don’t deserve to have them.It's only funny if one suspends for a moment the knowledge that Senator Paul is serious. Rand Paul likely does believe that the protesters may commence physical assaults, or robbery, as he is describing, and humor does not mesh with that notion.
Pretending, for a moment, that Senator Paul made his remarks out of a sense of good sportsmanship, then let us by all means play along. It's time to seize iPads. For poor people those devices aren't as useful as knee pads, but since we wouldn't be getting elbow pads at the same time anyway, to greatly lessen the discomfort of taking it from the wealthy on all fours, we might as well settle for the Apple gadgets. Some of us have no use for knee pads alone, anyway. Those of us who don't lend our mouths to the whims of the 1% for the sake of lining our pockets won't be able to stop the reaming, but we sure as hell don't have to be on our knees. We are forced to bend to pick our lives up from the dirt every time the top tier reaps too many digits of capital from derivatives, but we aren't obliged to pay lip service to the lofty aristocrats who bought representatives of the people body and soul. We owe no obeisance.
Senator Rand Paul should probably guard against the watchful eye of real conscience instead of feigning concern for items he likely doesn't even use. Every moment Eric Cantor barks complaints about all the complaints, another moment that could have been spent drafting real compromise and real solutions has passed by and disappeared. His party's warfare against civil liberties, common sense and decency in government obligations has been far more like true combat than the last ditch effort of everyday folk to save the dying American dream.
There can be no class warfare against the 1% at the top. Not only aren't there enough of them to count as a class, but there is no way to wage such a struggle. The infinitely privileged have purchased all the seats to the event, and the chairs sit empty. They have written all the rules requisite for participation, and refuse to even let them be read. They put a fence around the battlefield, and unless you're THIS tall you can't even get in. The warfare was over before it became a concept.
Krugman has a keen way of stating the painfully obvious. It would be a great Christmas present to wake up one year and find a piece by Krugman that lights up the room and the reader's thoughts. What a present if Krugman focused on the unbearable surplus of jobs, the overflowing ranks of the middle class, the staggering optimism of the masses and the undying spirit of friendship between the wealthy and the wealthier in this nation, and the other three people about to be empowered enough to reach that state as well. I can dream. I have hope, and it's not something from a speech. Of course I'm not stupid either, I just like to believe we as a people can pull off the impossible, if we 100% set our minds to it.
Sunday Morning: Better
Coming Soon
Chapter 17: Smudge on a Clean Slate
October 12, 2011
- NY Times article pointed out by Matthew Yglesias says that the Pearson Foundation has been funding international trips for education commissioners for what they call strictly educational purposes - to give the commissioners ideas for improving their schools from schooling models in other countries. The Pearson Foundation may have a generous streak a mile wide in its charter, but they surely want to sell books. At the very least they are counting on the recipients of their good will to drum up positive word of mouth for their company. It's a shame that the microscope for this sort of practice has to be on an educational company considering the vast world of lobbying sleaze out there. Possible that Pearson Foundation's travel agent got scooped by one of their competitors- En garde! Have at thee with this negative publicity!
- The largest European hacker club, the Chaos Computer Club, claims to have discovered and analyzed a piece of malware written and used by German police. It's the typical Big Brother program for a totally invasive breach of privacy. The German government spyware intercepts data used on Internet telephony. It has no protections against being hijacked however, and can easily be used by a third party to have it do whatever they like: turn on and use webcams, or connected microphones, and easily capture screenshots of browsing and emails. German officials voiced denial. They couldn't be proud that not only does the malware have morally and legally corrupt implications, it's a shoddy piece of work as well, since anyone can use it
- The Value Voters Summit straw poll contained an error in one of the multiple choice questions. The question asked which issue was the most important to the voter in deciding who to support. One of the answers was "Protecting one man one women marriage." Rick Perry gained the assistance of Robert Jeffress in spotlighting Mitt Romney's cultist religious beliefs, that church physically linked to the Utah badlands and canyon country and forever associated with polygamy in the minds of any who have learned about the sect. "One man one women marriage:" Legalizing polygamy once again could be part of a hidden agenda at Mitt Romney headquarters, where jealousy fans the flames of anti-Chinese sentiment. Romney: "So many Chinese women, so only one marriage, so not available."
- Not long ago Ars Technica ran a story enunciating a heap of very bad things about RSS, but the specifics weren't quite as large as the story. At the end the biggest definite negative was that RSS interrupts normal work flow. Updating feeds draw your attention away from a task at hand, and it can take up to fifteen minutes to fully resume the interrupted state of complete attentiveness. There was a brief section concerning the feeling that one is shirking work when confronted with the number of unread items at the top of an RSS reader, a number which never, ever goes down at any rate even close to the speed at which it goes up. The sense of an unmet obligation nags at the edges of one's awareness, and that can cause a slowdown in normal productivity.
Speaking of RSS, the front page link to Ars' RSS feeds is broken right now, which is why this story emerged here. This while Ars tries to sell personalized RSS feeds. 2011. Personalized RSS feed. 2D dating. Anti-depressant sales up. Topics relative to each other. - Right wing conservative talk about the end of the era of constant scientific progress means little as the progress rolls on. New chips: 20 times faster than DDR2, less volatile due to decreased electrical demand, more stable than NAND flash memory. Out soon.
Mozilla Firefox will be updated silently. Users will have to understand that consent for update is given when they begin using Firefox. User input actually drove the decision. People have wearied of constant update announcements regarding their browser. The move to silent upgrades won't happen until 2012. - Andrew Sullivan pays homage to some opinions found in the National Review Online, a piece written by Peter Thiel. Thiel hypothesizes that technological breakthroughs have come to an end and that our economic outlook has shifted accordingly. Facts have muffled the pomp and circumstance surrounding a move to green technology. The glorification of solar energy, environmentally friendly solutions to energy problems and all things green is a portrait of loss. The movement has failed. Futuristic agriculture isn't solving hunger. According to Thiel we have reached the end of progress and buzz now surrounds negative news rather than a slowdown in positive news. Economic news has returned to strictly economic trends as scientific discussion fades into obscurity.
"National Review Online" article, negativity, overweight Fertile Crescent descended marginally taboo sexual deviant - all factors that point to a yawn inducing Sunday afternoon non-news event. The Luddites in the GOP got an early Christmas present. It's an article saying their dreams have come true, that the development of new technology has ceased. Never mind Thiel created the story just to be contrary. Scientists, programmers, engineers and businessmen have never been hotter to make breakthroughs happen than they are right now, which is a constant state of deep seated yearning to make history and have a name that lives forever. Thiel, however, should be commended for bringing peace to some troubled oldsters afraid of a mandatory conversion kit that would sodomize their Studebakers, having them run on squeezed out Church's chicken napkins instead of good old fashioned liver friendly gasoline (gasoline is just for drinkin' now that cars run on stove drippings!).
I wrote what follows, but I respect Andrew Sullivan immensely. His posting of the material without a countering argument got on my nerves. This ad hominem response was uncalled for, and not my style.Andrew Sullivan probably wanted to share a story about how long he gazed wistfully at a picture of Peter Thiel wearing a baby blue polyester sport coat in a speaking engagement for The League of Thermodynamics Deniers. It's difficult for Sullivan to be honest on a normal human level, however, so he brought us the uplifting words that our forward motion as a scientific culture has halted. So we are to go back to basket weaving in between gathering berries for the life prolonging paste our women will pound out. Hey, at least it wasn't Sullivan's NRO article.
- Learn how to make Matroska files just so there are no lingering questions about Matroska in one's mind: Matroskatoolnix. Also, that way mkv can be demuxed and the audio chopped up for personal use, in chunks small enough to escape the ire of any person or agency. A person created the software. His name: Bunkus. His real name. Fun stuff. What a start...
- Kaiji is available in a batch, it's just not public. It's the Triad subs. That oh-so-popular private dowhatchit has it courtesy of elshaitan. [Your topic may set off alarm bells in your own head if it contains references to an imaginary terrorist and fringe software that many people fail to understand legally- but seriously, it's a cartoon. K?]
- This life is out there. Life on the edge wears on the human mind after a while. Difficult: Presenting one's self as subsisting on the edge of society as a loner and a qualified judge of social extremes while living in a house with multiple kids and their mother, who all have or have access to video games, computers, HD cable with premium channels, dvd's, cars, music, plentiful food, stocked liquor cabinet, multiple full bathrooms, comfortable beds, pets of multiple species and square footage enough to always have personal space. I will not pretend I'm not here, nor will I pretend to be a permanent fixture in this demographic. I have to say, "One day I'm here, baby, and then I'm gone."
This beautiful life is not of my creation, nor can I truly say that it is my own. I'm just passing through on my way to my own beautiful life. It is beautiful, though. I can find no rational criticism for the comfort filled existence that includes all of the commercial trappings so clamored for by both the haves and the have nots, except maybe to urge saving money over spending it, and trimming the excess whenever possible. Even that criticism can't find a foothold here, where the family budget is never in the red and there are always desires that aren't being fulfilled. The home is comfortable, but it is not hedonistic or excessive.
In my own truly spectacular existence, as all life should be considered when we are blessed enough to wake up on God's green earth, or even in the sky or below the ground, I depend on open spaces, cleanliness, simplicity and intellectual sanctuary: the cultural comfort of books and art. The difficulties of poverty are something I imposed upon myself long ago with a religious decision I took very seriously. Spirituality and meditation take the place of television. I refuse to drive, instead choosing to savor the feel of nature on my skin and the sounds of the open world in my ears. I prefer to total the tea instead of dull the senses, although imbibed spirits have their uses in certain places and times. Experiencing what mainstream America considers the good life has not swayed me from my belief that the good life doesn't depend on things. Wellness comes from the inside, not from the outside. To have it is to never be a have not. - Questioning the value of attempting visual appeal to both genders: Today I posted sexually suggestive pictures of both a woman and a man. I wonder if the pictures influence a surfer at all. The presence of a photographed nude male may provoke a negative response more than anything. I decided it likely detracted more than adding promotional benefits. I forgot it was there, even though I put it up early this afternoon. When I saw a naked male ass I was taken aback. Then I remembered, I did it to lure in a woman casually flipping through websites. One can speculate it would appeal to the homosexual male, but heterosexual women might find it notably out of place to see a nude male on a man's website. Some would jump to conclusions, others may be more inclined to take a look inside. It's not the normal thing, and that appeals to me, but not enough to make it a permanent feature.
- Posting inside of a morning post now considered a failed experiment. Nobody is checking here without electronic prompting. So, you know who you are, if you feel spammed because of the number of RSS stories from here, then unsubscribe. I won't even know you're gone. I don't pay extra for that information. :) Starting tomorrow every blurb will be published separately, like every other site does, unless it is part of a feature that offers multiple news items at one time.
MST3K Candidacies
- Rule 1: Prime numbers do not exist without a witnessing consciousness and are not independent of human awareness; no numbers are.
Rule 2: Talk about Horrible Subs as though Tyler Durden's life depended on it.
Rule 3: There are no rules. - Emerging Saturday theme: "This is not what it is."
Alexandra Petrie refers to Occupy Wall Street protesters as these people, criticizes everything she can, refers to them as "us" and "we." She attempts to ride the coattails of the movement for any success she can get while at the same time demonstrating the incredible wit with which she can dispatch the ignorance of the protesters to futility. Her column picks at every dangling thread of Occupy Wall Street using language that pretends she empathizes, or is even a part of the movement, Ms. Petrie, how hip art thou?
In Mitt Romney's campaign platform dealing with foreign affairs, the plan proposed with regard to China is not to build an anti-Chinese coalition, but rather "to strengthen cooperation among countries with which we share a concern about" that country. As Daniel Larison points out, Romney proposes to do all the same things as Obama with less tact and more antagonistically. It's not anti-Chinese, it's pro-weapons buildup, to be used against China, in case.
Laura Ingraham refers to herself as being together with the rest of us "who yearned for history" in the election of a black man to the presidency. Right after that she goes on to discuss how Herman Cain would really be the first black President, because Obama is mixed race. Ms. Ingraham has worked out the race thing for everyone, and we should be thankful. We might have thought Barack Obama was a black man if it weren't for her. What a classy dame.
These re the things that are what they are, not that aren't what they are, even if the author tells us that they are most definitely not what they are. Then there are industry shills masquerading as pundits who don't even bother to pretend they aren't what they are. Neil Stevens speaks out against Net Neutrality without any backing argument. He should have just said, "I'm against everything I am paid to be against. Down with the FCC and the law, especially Net Neutrality, because.. down with Net Neutrality!" Here's a gem, however: Obama himself is manipulating numbers on behalf of the FCC in order to steal from normal Americans. I knew it!
Dishonesty is beginning to ramp up. Attacks lacking context but long on criticism are on the uptick. It's a big election year coming. For many of these writers the facts aren't nearly as important as influence. But don't ask them. They'll answer that the facts are not what they "look more like." How does one do look more like? It doesn't make sense, correct? Neither do a lot of Republican statements as of late. [1:20 P.M.] - Encountered graphs and charts showing just how royally we, the 99% of the people who own the tiniest fraction of wealth, have been getting screwed for decades. It would be easy to cart them over here with a little of the old copypasta action, and that may still happen later. For now here's a link to the very depressing numbers and the glaring reality of how the wealthy have been sticking it to us.
- Mystery Science Theater Three Thousand has always been one of those things I wish I had gotten the idea for first, like Technologic by Daft Punk. It's so simple, but ground shaking in the way it affects some people's thoughts. I have no desire to do the same thing as MST3K, as far as movies go. There are a number of animated features and series that cry out for mockery, however. Some of them almost mock themselves and just need a little help.
Woke up, got out of bed, dragged a comb across my head, somebody spoke, went in two, a scream, red: the news, blew whistle, stopped possible copyright infringement like a boss -- DoJ law-yer - more up when I get up (I despise having a Beatles song in my head - busted lyrics are an attempt to get it out. Humming B. Spears works sometimes). At least I beat noon with something. I know what to do - tell the truth. What I meant:
Fair Use- Ta Da!
Mekong Delta - Mekong Delta : tech/prog thrash ::
[Required = you have 24 hours to listen to that, and you must review it. Delete afterward, and don't come here looking for material. It's not here, and the link'll be gone later.]
Spasiboputinuzaeto? {shrug}
- The 3 A.M. Test: Rick Santorum cheats. Rather thank waking up to find out what emergency faces the United States at three o'clock in the morning, Rick Santorum will be wide awake and waiting for the call. "I will be up and ready ... I will know what's going on in the world around us." Part of that matter is that late night at the White House proves the only time sex games are possible, and more Presidents have been up and bushy-tailed at that hour than some voters might think. Santorum wouldn't be able to put on his furry costume if he didn't stay up late. Steve Benen said that it often sounds as though Santorum is in the middle of a conversation with himself. Now we know why.
- The award for Unspoken Fact with Biggest Impact in a Blog Post Title goes to Morgan Fox for "Department of Justice Takes Steps to Subsidize California Gangs; Threatens to Shut Down Medical Marijuana Dispensaries." It also wins runner up for longest title of a post of all time. Shorter: Feds Go After Medical Marijuana. Gangs are not mentioned in the short piece. I was very disappointed. I wanted to know which gangs would be most lucrative to join from a federal funding standpoint. [8:33 P.M.]
. - Rick Perry spoke at a Value Voters Summit today in Washington D.C. A charismatic Baptist from one of the nation's megachurches introduced him. Robert Jeffress took aim at one of the people standing between Perry and the Republican nomination, Mitt Romney. Jeffress repeatedly commented on Mitt Romney's belief in Mormonism saying that no devout Christian would vote for a Mormon. Jeffress called Mormonism a cult; Mitt Romney, cult member - the Jefress target message. White Christians are still welcome to support Rick Perry, unless they have ever spoken with a brown person. It is hoped that new supporters will be protestant, but nobody is saying it quite that way.
While at the summit Rick Perry declared that "every human being is entitled to life." He presumably meant that in a ramp up to a vociferous anti-abortion advocacy. He definitely did not mean that people like Troy Davis should be allowed to live. That position would be open to an examination of real evidence, and would be too easily manipulated in front of voters, who often only get a sound bite of information about a candidate before they make up their minds. Human being, it should also be noted, in Rick Perry's mind may not apply to people outside his demographic.h/t NRO
- Nate Silver threw up some data on Occupy Wall Street news coverage. Every time the police do something to the protesters coverage goes up. In a very real sense if the police left protesters completely alone the interest in the story would have withered and died. Without conflict and excitement there would have been nothing to sell the story for this length of time. That simplification of the 538 article removes a lot of information - the corners have been rounded down until all that's left here is a little pink crazy ball (sniff). Nate's analysis, it appears, has been moved, and now takes place under the New York Times umbrella. [3:15 P.M.]
- People are waking up to the fact that the 99% who have very little in the way of wealth is ALL OF US. We are the megamajority. The tiny, tiny percent at the top counts on bilking us to remain super, super wealthy, and as long as we don't empower ourselves they can do so. There will be no class war in a true American awakening, because we're very nearly EVERYONE. We are the 99%.
- Driftglass and Blue Gal have a new podcast called The Professional Left. It's really a breath of fresh air. The got a great new thing going, and I found out about buzzsprout. It's 100% win. [5:15 P.M.]
The sad: OpenLeft is closing down. Bowers and Stoller were still there. David Sirota departed two years ago or so. I do not want to belittle anyone who wrote at that great site. OpenLeft will be missed. A lot of times when a fresh outlook was needed I could find there. I don't know a silver lining tothis as I just found out. I hope there is one. Goodbye, OpenLeft. [9:20 P.M.] - The Russian President has a birthday. Followers and detractors alike decided to thank him, for everything. The weather has been nice. Thank you, Putin, for everything. The hospital saved my life after I was stabbed in the leg by syndicate members. Thank you, Putin! Twitter was inundated with birthday wishes for President Putin: Spasiboputinuzaeto. They used an exclamation point, but it's just not that exciting here. The translation is so simple, but it can't be done using public translation software. The mystery of what the word on Twitter meant was solved as soon as someone asked a Russian speaker.
- Inside Scientology's Super Power Building... where worshippers of the controversial religion will be told they can become superhuman. Don't believe everything you hear. The place resembles the set of a game show, one that has an extra helping of futuristic gimmicks. Scientology preaches that the Earth is the target of an invasion by aliens, who are likely already here. That hostile race of extraterrestrials is responsible for a wide range of the problems faced by humanity. Luckily Scientology will be so busy cranking out superhumans the rest of us will easily be saved. On the day when Scientology ubermensches save us we will all owe L. Ron Hubbard our undying gratitude, in some of our cases right after an apology for referring to the religion as sheer lunacy.
- Soundtrack: Stein's;Gate Future Gadget - "Butterfly Effect" - Abo Takeshi and Murakami Jun composed a lot of the music. The soundtrack provides a depth to the audio experience that can easily be missed while watching the show. There's so much going on emotionally in the video that some of the finer aspects of the experience almost get lost. Conjecture: Some people watched the show and didn't think of changing their own world at all. I pondered having a moe scene in the unlikeliest of all places - never gonna happen, not even with a dozen D-Mails to Stan Lee after Akira came out. [12:25 P.M.]
- "Jenkins, front and center!"
"Yes, sir!"
"What's going on with you? You used to be our go-to guy for the... for this... has something been bothering you Jenkins?"
"I'm not sure I understand you, sir."
"Blue Team is kicking our ass all of a sudden. We're only down by an average of fifty points every week. We traced all the numbers, and it turns out what we're missing is your fifty point a week consolation prize."
Jenkins face turned red. "I'd prefer not to discuss that, sir."
"I understand it's private, private, but you're used to going through that every week. As long as they're giving out fifty points to accompany the embarrassment, we'd like you to go ahead and do your 'hand race,' as the GI Janes call it. It's for the good of the unit."
"I feel very uncomfortable with that request, sir. There's a girl that I'm interested in. The only reason I was doing it was because of how long I had been single."
"Well, then, consider it an order instead of a request."
"Are you ordering me to -cough- choke my chicken?"
"It's for the good of the unit."
"What unit? Do you mean the platoon or... I don't even feel comfortable with this conversation."
"Dammit, soldier, we haven't won the week in 3 weeks, and all because you like a girl. You ned to get back into the saddle when you get back into that bunk of yours at night and win the prize for most pathetic soldier again. We need that fifty points!"
"What about Woodson or Luc Dong? They're pretty pathetic. One of them is probably on the verge of winning that prize already."
"Jenkins, you have demonstrated that you know the competition to get this fifty points like the back of your hand. Don't let us down, son. And that girl will never find out, I promise you. Nobody outside of our barracks will ever know what you do in there at night."
"I'm going to request a transfer."
"That's fine soldier. Glad to hear it. Now run along. And don't forget to do us proud tonight!"
[noon]
[Late start... got lost in the middle of the night, seriously. That doesn't happen very often. There's a first time for everything.]
Mail Rules on Appeal, Protesters Beaten
- Cory Maples, on death row in Alabama, may not even be able to tell somebody about the shameful state of his legal representation during the appeals process. He did not have any attorneys to inform him of the lack of an attorney. Tuesday morning Justices Scalia and Kennedy both took note of the lack of normal justice in Maples case. The local judge assumed Maples would not appeal, even though that meant death. Maples attorneys in New York quit, but the notice got mixed up in the mail. Maples missed a deadline, and therefore his right to appeal. A local attorney was in name only, which provided no legal help to Maples of any kind. Even if in name only, shouldn't there be something that accompanies an attorney's name? A bare sliver of human compassion? Perhaps not.
It's off to the execution for the convicted double murderer, once a drunk, an addict and mentally unstable. Nobody needs to tell Mr. Maples they can only kill him once. He can rest assured that the position of executioner never fails to be filled when it is time for the job to be done.
There is no new information nor any real opinion in this reference to the story. The stark lack of defense for Mr. Maple at this stage peaked a morbid interest. Here's a man waiting to die while law school alumni pass in and out of his case with no interest and without doing any work on his behalf. It could be said that Mr. Maples fell through the cracks of the appeals process, which is odd considering there aren't normally any cracks in the appeals process to fall through. At least he gets fed while he waits for his appointment with state sponsored vengeance. It could be worse. He could be the victim of starvation torture while he waits (the bright side). - Police began beating people with batons last night. Things began to get ugly after dark. There are two diaries at the Moulitsas Zuniga site to take a look at: Arrests/Kettling and Video of Baton Beatings. Both entries have video. There's nothing like starting the morning off with news of police violence, including video, to remind a person just how nasty law enforcement can become if crossed. It's a good idea to avoid spitting on sidewalks, looking nervous, looking too suave, avoid eye contact, make eye contact, wear sunglasses, and many other things if those things help prevent one from being beaten with baton(s). Some of us hear the word and think of home, so this is great news. PTSD: It's not just for Baton Rouge anymore.
- Akregator in use for first time since 2009. 150+ feeds to be employed again (sheer tedium putting them all back together - now in day two {I forgot how many tech feeds I had}); cross linked Twitter feed imminent Blahg blah blah - lots of work for only the satisfaction of maybe influencing someone, hopefully teaching someone something. It's what there is that I can do to help change the world for the better.
- Tor with polipo and vidalia: Just under a meg of language and syntax that means so much. Inevitably someone will say, "What do you have to hide?" The question really should be: Why would it be considered problematic to remain anonymous while visiting places like Facebook and Google? Do we wear nametags everywhere we go in public? Not wearing them is approximately the same thing as using a proxy online. The anonymizing programs work great on this Deutschland Linux operating system as well.
Spraycan terrorism - so vile!
Did someone out there think Nazi when they read Deutschland? I couldn't type this fast enough to prevent myself from thinking someone would think it (en bee fore). New association: Proxy = Nazi. It even rhymes. It is totally meaningless, except that it is dictatorial at a level reminiscent of the Nazis to seriously consider banning proxies, a discussion that took place in the US House of Representatives under our 43rd President. [5 A.M. the 6th] [Und vee just vant dem to produce silence nao - no moar demands, just the mt mediocrity of failed problem solving, becuz is less dangerous.] - Unpacked this afternoon. Like, ker-azy, cats. Wiped out from lack of sleeping while adjusting to new surroundings. Sharing space with a young lady. She has many ferocious stuffed animals. It was pretty wrecked and now it's as clean and tight as a well oiled machine. The old biomachine needs rack time, tho'. Fading fast... [6 p.m.]
- I have to say, that is one gorgeous paint job. I label such things to the extreme because early in my political writing career I was lambasted for supporting graffiti, and graffiti artists in some cases. A few people at Daily Kos handed me my ass on a platter for saying that graffiti can improve the value of a property and that it's over sensationalized as a crime. From their reactions one might have thought I referred to Christianity as "that hoax" and boasted of definitive proof of Jesus' homosexual promiscuity (crosses self).
I could do stupider things. I could promote this website to high school girls in person, but I don't really like the idea of dying from an extended swirly because I forgot about the sexual content and some dad got the wrong idea. That might be bad. - And now, her (one of those Suicide Girls):
"Ultra sonic sound comin' out your speaker." - The crowd chants, "Maiden! Maiden!" Chico begins to think he made a big mistake. He can still taste the cabinet below the kitchen sink. A feeling of love attempted to spread throughout his midsection, but the intro to "Two Minutes to Midnight" hits the auditorium with such a fearsome roar the feeling turns first to nausea and then an overwhelming urge to touch people, hard.
Chico starts a mosh pit during one of the technical solos. People in the immediate vicinity are embarrassed for him and others want him gone. He flings one of his elbows just a little too far and a 52 year old heavy metal fan knocks him clean-the-fuck-out. It turns out ecstasy is no defense against somebody who really knows how to throw a punch. Chico wakes up a few minutes later in the dumpster outside. The good news was that he was still rolling. The bad news was only getting started...
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