Category: Rants

Adobe Glitch

Had a decent October and November. I shouldn’t feel pressed for things to say, but here at the end of the month I’m feeling the (self-imposed) deadline crunch manifesting as low enthusiasm. But for just such occasions: I have a digital note I use to keep track of blog ideas. But many of these ideas …

Continue reading

Hell Hitler

The King James version of the Bible has a fair amount to say about Hell. A single case in point: “And I saw a great white throne, and him that sat on it, from whose face the earth and the heaven fled away; and there was found no place for them. And I saw the …

Continue reading

I buy civilization

I saw Mister Silverado on the road a number of days ago. Full disclosure: I didn’t actually see the driver, but I’m highy confident it was indeed a, ‘Mister’. The window sticker, ‘TAXATION IS THEFT‘ is what made the encounter noteworthy. There are some trivial times in one’s life that a person fantasizes about having …

Continue reading

Power Begets Power

The people protesting the overturn of Roe v Wade outside of the Supreme Court are wasting their time. That battle has been lost at the federal level… (for now.) The American Taliban (formally known as the GOP) have sufficiently packed courts to ensure the enforcement of their crusade. (Grand Wizard Trump appointed one quarter of the …

Continue reading

Gun Defense In Memoriam

There is something seriously broken about the United States. It goes deep to the bone. A well regulated Militia, being necessary to the security of a free State, the right of the people to keep and bear Arms, shall not be infringed. ~ Second Amendment to the United States Constitution There are various readings of …

Continue reading

The Rings of Amazon

Let’s talk about Amazon’s upcoming series, ‘The Rings of Power’.  Recently, we’ve learned more based on a released teaser trailer and a vanity fair promo puff piece. Naturally, I won’t spoil anything if you aren’t versed in the subject.  Short Summary Don’t have time to read my ramblings? Understood. Here is my quick take: It …

Continue reading

Monuments for Slavery and Holidays for Freedom

Facebook, like most social media, has been a disappointment to me and I’ve taken to staying clear of it. But recently, after more than a half year’s absence, I did have an occasion to login and wish a friend well on a project. Naturally, I got sucked in… It wasn’t long before I came across …

Continue reading

It’s Just the Flu

In the last year, Covid has almost become the new, go to small-talk default subject, like weather. And so it was, that in talking with a work colleague, the person I was speaking with balked at the notion of getting a Covid vaccination. The person said, Covid is, ‘Just the flu’. And went on to …

Continue reading

Trump is Flushed but the Stink Lingers

The year that was 2020 was so challenging, it apparently decided to leak into January 2021 with an encore act called, ‘violent sedition in America in the interest of overthrowing a free and fair election’. I could vent and storm on Traitorous Trump and his minions until my fingers bled onto my keyboard. But after …

Continue reading

How Democracies Die

We’re counting down to the election. Less than a week away now. I think there is a palpable dread in the air. My take is: even if Trump is flushed from the White House, the damage that he and his toadies have done to this country may be a fatal wound. – It will certainly …

Continue reading

I Hope I’m Wrong

I’m writing this, having just learned that Justice Ruth Bader Ginsburg has died. Vladimir Putin’s puppet, Trump and Moscow Mitch will steal another position on the Supreme Court. Last weekend, I had an occasion to drive across Pennsylvania. I saw Trump signs out number Biden signs at a ratio of about 100 to 1. And …

Continue reading

Penny-ante

J. C. Penney's dressing room pincushion

I shop a lot with Amazon. A lot. – With few exceptions, I go to Amazon for 95% of my non-perishable purchases. But for some things, I still like to have an in-person experience. These things include: TVs and monitors (for first hand viewing of image quality), audio gear (hearing is believing), furniture  and vehicles …

Continue reading

Who Needs a Donation When You Can Like, Share and Pray?

Because I have brain cancer nobody wants to pray for me

I spotted this on a Facebook “wall” and found it nauseating. It made me angry. The post is exploitative and cynical on such a scale that it’s hard to believe that it wasn’t purposefully, carefully, engineered to be as misanthropic as possible. I did a little searching to see if I could uncover the story …

Continue reading

Mac Rumors

MacRumors Buyer's Guide - Macs

I’ve been using Apple Macs since I started on a IIfx more years ago then I care to recount. My current Macs (a 17″ laptop and a Mac Mini) are from 2010. They’re starting to show their age and I’d like to upgrade them. Alas, with the recent exception of the newly released MacBook Pro, Apple has …

Continue reading

Warning: Outdoors May Contain Nature

Disney World Caution Sign Alligators, Bees, Bacteria, Heart Disease, Pollen, Sunstroke, Etc.

Personal Tragedy or National News Fodder On June 14th, 2016, tragedy struck a Nebraska family when their two year old son was attacked and killed by an alligator at Disney’s Grand Floridian Resort and Spa. Five days later and this event is still making national headline news. As unadulteratedly heartbreaking as this is for the child’s family; as much …

Continue reading

Big Screen TVs Squashed by UHD

The Fellowship of the Ring on a Big Screen TV: Samsung UN75F8000 75-Inch 1080p 240Hz 3D Ultra Slim Smart LED HDTV

Bigger is Better if You can Stand it When I was a kid, the “cool” place to sit in a movie theater was in the very back row. As I got older, I realized that defeated much of the purpose of going to the movies: a larger than life BIG screen experience. By sitting at …

Continue reading

Travel Tip for Parents

A traveling tip for parental units: When the airport luggage carousel is jam pack surrounded with adults trying to get their bags, you’d be wise to move the little kiddies away from the machinery instead of letting them play with it, occupying a much needed spot. Alternatively: keep your mouth shut if your spawn gets …

Continue reading

All animals are equal, but some animals are more equal than others

Animal Farm Pig and Barn Wall commandments

Increasingly, politics leaves me infuriated. The October GOP induced government shut down and threatened debt ceiling default had me almost shaking with anger. This is a self inflicted wound that is the result of so many wrongs ranging from the control of the popular media by the rich few to political gerrymandering. I’m afraid that …

Continue reading

Baby’s First Logo

The Today Show gives a newborn its first advertisement seconds after being born.

On work days, in an effort to ease my transition from the river Lethe to the living world, I watch the morning news including the featured stories on NBC’s Today Show. And so I watched as they interrupted their morning banter with “breaking news”: a video that was tied to some story about birth. The …

Continue reading

Electric Libraries and Thigh-high Mud

Some days the internet is a wonder, where I feel my mind pulled at light speed through a nearly infinite maze of electric libraries and forums – each more interesting than the last. Other days, it’s a slog through thigh-high mud just to answer the door for a spammer or inane Facebook post. My evening …

Continue reading

The most powerful instrument

Vote

I’m happily voting for Barack Obama on Tuesday, November 6, 2012. Somebody who is close to me, – who votes conservative and who I dearly respect asked me the old Reagan question, “Are you better off than you were four years ago.”  The answer is, “Yes!” If the answer surprises you, let me draw an analogy. …

Continue reading

Facebook and Politics

I really enjoy your poltical Facebook posts, said no one ever. - Some Cards

Periodically, but during the voting season in particular, some friends will post, “I wish there was a hide political rant” button, or they’ll post a snarky image about politics and Facebook. They very well may be right. It’s easy to imagine sophisticated people sitting around a table at a dinner party exchanging political witticisms (“Well …

Continue reading

Shame the devil

CNN headline "The Supreme Court has struck down the individual mandate for health care. Mandate struck down" - June 28, 2012

When CNN was first created: the idea of 24 hour news held the promise of greater, in-depth news coverage. It has turned into tabloid reporting. I laugh when I hear people talk about the ‘liberal media’. All of these large media organizations are corporate owned and funded by other corporations. They serve the dollar, not …

Continue reading