A 'Radical' Plan To Cut Military Spending : NPR

NPR Thinks My 'Cut The Military Budget' Proposal is Radical!

Okay, maybe not mine specifically. But I did write about this topic back on April 10th. I might have accepted being labeled as a radical thinker, but now I have Ret. Army Col. Douglas Macgregor to back me up!

A 'Radical' Plan To Cut Military Spending : NPR

Hurray for Texas! - A Rant About State's Rights and the TSA

Until now, no state government has openly considered standing up to the TSA. Texas has given me renewed hope that the states will finally say - "Enough!" I hope they, and other states, pass this kind of legislation and enforce it.

The feds say they have the right to require TSA security measures and people have no right to refuse. What the feds cannot do, however, is stop a sworn peace officer in their own jurisdiction from arresting a TSA uniformed guard who has committed a felony. Some might argue they already have the duty to stop any form of public humiliation or physical touching of children by strangers, but that's another story.

The argument has already been made that if a person were to properly report a TSA pat-down as a sexual assault, most states already have existing laws that would require law enforcement to investigate and take suspects into custody.

Texas bill would make invasive pat-downs a felony - USATODAY.com

Still Think TSA Security in Airports is Acceptable?

The last time I flew anywhere was about a year ago, before the TSA went insane with their new-found powers. The experience was so frustrating, that when they did come out with their new policies of forced irradiation and sexual assault before last Thanksgiving, I swore I would never fly again unless those powers are evoked. I have already been exposed to far too much radiation due to my chronic medical issues, and I refuse to be treated like a criminal by overpaid idiots in blue uniforms.

Most of the people I know seem to feel I am overreacting, but there are many who shared my viewpoint. Well, maybe this video from former Miss USA, Susie Castillo, will convince others why this is so wrong.

Susie's Experience with the TSA Pat Down from SusieCastillo.net on Vimeo.

Why Marketing is Choking the Internet

Click image for original story by N.Y. Times

This screen shot from the N.Y. Times website exemplifies why I believe marketing is literally choking the internet. If you take a look at this partial screen shot, you may notice that there is an advertising banner at the top, a small ad in the bottom right quadrant, and a larger advertisement (partially cut-off) of yet another claiming the bottom right corner. There are buttons for social  media, buttons to "Add to Portfolio" - which portfolio? You gotta click to find out - bet there is an ad or marketing information, or the simple placement of those corporate names may be the sole purpose. It looks like maybe 30% of the screen is actually dedicated to the story itself.

The irony is that the story was about how Facebook is getting even cozier with the advertising and marketing industry so that they can sell even more marketing and make even more money than they already do. There was a time when web designers would be flamed for using too many animated gif images, or too many gaudy advertisements or the the hated "banner ads." So many people got up in arms over pop-up ads that an entire sub-industry popped up just to find ways to block those unwanted advertisements. But the marketing industry find ways around that. They still use spam. They still self-promote endlessly and shamelessly. Government is thinking about "don't track" legislation. Why does that even have to be legislated? It is wrong to track people's buying and browsing habits for no other purpose than to target more advertising at us. What good is having faster and faster internet access, when all it has resulted in is more and more marketing? Now I'm hearing more unwanted audio and video embedded as advertisements, many of which activate without warning if you accidentally mouse-over the ad! More often than not, when a page seems to freeze up momentarily, the little message bar always says something like "waiting for xyz-clickmasterz.com."

Now it seems like every single web page or blog - including my very own (modest I hope) - include some level of advertising or marketing, or the entire site itself is dedicated to marketing and self promotion. Who decided that everybody needs to constantly market themselves and why was that wisdom blindly accepted? Count how many ads you can find on a given web page. How often do you still get pop-up surveys or unwanted "offers to chat with an artificial customer service representative" - even though you have every pop-up ad blocker defense activated?

The latest trend I have noticed, and refuse to participate in, is the pollution of RSS news-feeds with even more marketing. I use a news feed to quickly collect, manage, and read my RSS subscriptions. Nobody has ever asked me if it is okay to embed additional marketing to each preview of the post. So now I am getting hit with marketing from websites I haven't even decided to visit, just so I can preview the headline and decide if it is worth reading or not. I wonder if anyone is tracking RSS subscription rates and can correlate the subscription rate with the amount of marketing success/failure. Is it really worth alienating your readers, just to include even more advertisements that nobody wants to receive?

YouTube is a classic example. It used to be a great place to find useful, funny, and entertaining videos. Now, your screen is filled with advertisements, and often you have to wait for a 7-8 sec video advertisement before you can view what originally interested you. Sure, you can click the "close" icon, but why do I have to do anything? If I have to click a button to skip an advertisement, I am much more likely to just skip the entire video and close the tab. I've unsubscribed to some feeds that had desirable content, but so much marketing and advertising that it just stopped being worth the effort.

Remember when google was a cute little underdog company that provided a novel, but very useful tool - the search engine? But then marketing and SEO appeared and ruined everything. Now, whatever result you are looking for is much harder to find because you have to weed through all the marketing. Try researching examples of Master painters from the 1600's. I guarantee you, the top ten listings are not going to be sites that provide some art history and examples of their art. Instead, 70-90% of the top results will be there because someone put those terms into the C.E.O. The results will be for sites that want to sell you books on Master painters, inexpensive prints and posters, expensive prints by artists who think their style is similar to one of the Masters, DVDs that will teach you to paint like a master. The list goes on. Don't believe me? Try it! I used a wide variety of search terms with modifiers and could not find anything remotely close to what I had hoped to find.

The internet and search engines are great information tools. But when useful information is no longer the focus, what does someone do if they aren't interested in buying anything?

Why Do Rich People Hoard Their Money?

SETI only needs $5 million - otherwise it will shut down for lack of funding. With all the multi-millionaires and billionaires out there, none of them were willing to step up and fund this? I don't understand why rich people seem to hoard and protect their fortunes in these "modern" days. There are people so rich, they will never ever be able to spend it in their life times. Yet still, they hoard.

Budget Cuts Shutdown SETI's Alien-Seeking Telescopes : The Two-Way : NPR

Apache by oneedo

This music video is fantastic! But frankly, I am more impressed with the animation than the music. The music is a part of the animation, so kudos to the band. But the animator, Rodney Selby is a genius!

Apache from oneedo on Vimeo.

Can I Scream About Existing Oil Subsidies?

I'm so dazed, I had no idea the oil companies were still receiving federal subsidies! How and why is this happening? Can I still scream about it, in-spite of my own ignorance? Hello?

Speaker John Boehner: Gas Prices Could Cost Obama Election; Cutting Oil Subsidies on the Table - ABC News

What Does van Gogh's Ear Have to Do With Gold Rush California?

What does van Gogh's ear have to do with gold rush era San Francisco? Not a thing it seems, other than this typo in the headline and the display of one of van Gogh's works.

I think the typo is "Gold Rush-ear" which should have read "Gold Rush-era" - and being easily confused as I sometimes am, my mind tried to put "gold rush" "ear" and "van Gogh" all together in the same thought.

So when I started to read the actual article, it made no sense! Is it just me? Is this some odd form of dyslexia? Early dementia?

You Have the Right To Do What You Wish, So Long As...

"You have the right to do what you wish, so long as the exercising of your rights does not infringe on the rights of others, nor causes others undue harm."


I have no idea if I read that somewhere or simply made it up, but I try to make this my philosophy on human rights. I know it is broad, overly simplistic, and perhaps not even appropriate in every situation. But I still do my best to adhere to this, and I really wish other people would as well. I think our world would be a much happier and pleasant place to live if we did.

I am a very strong believer in the original intent of the Bill of Rights and the U.S. Constitution. I have read and understand what the First Amendment says. Have you?

Amendment I

Congress shall make no law respecting an establishment of religion, or prohibiting the free exercise thereof; or abridging the freedom of speech, or of the press; or the right of the people peaceably to assemble, and to petition the Government for a redress of grievances.

The image above is of "pastor" Terry Jones, who infamously burned the Koran recently. Now he wants to hold a "rally" at the largest mosque in Dearborn, Mich. He claims he is exercising his First Amendment right. I don't see how the amendment was interpreted as saying "You have the right to burn the Koran with the specific intention of insulting an entire culture." Just like when people figured out that you can't yell "fire" in a theater just because you have the right to, people should be able to understand that you can't go around insulting other people's religions and trampling over their rights while doing so. When people put their own rights above the rights of others, innocent people are always the ones who pay the price.

Iron Man Gets Steampunk Makeover

This is one of the coolest examples of steampunk art that I have seen in a long time. I love his attention to detail.

Iron Man Gets Steampunk Makeover by Toy Modder | Underwire | Wired.com

One Year After the 2010 Gulf Oil Spill - Broken Promises

Today marks the one year anniversary of the 2010 BP - Gulf Oil Spill. I think we need a new naming convention. I prefer the (year) (responsible party) - (relative location) (type of disaster) format myself. I don't like the media's preference for calling it the "Deepwater Horizon" oil spill because it let's BRITISH PETROLEUM aka BP deflect responsibility away from itself.

As I often mention, I spent 6 years in the U.S. Coast Guard. I've seen first hand what a spill does to the environment. I know what crude oil looks like, smells like, and feels like. The first time I got some on my hands I thought it would never come off. It is nasty stuff, and we're not talking about cooking oil. The spills that I did witness were relatively small when compared to the 1989 Exxon Valdez - Prince William Sound and the 2010 British Petroleum - Gulf Oil Spills. But even the small spills I saw were devastating, so I can only imagine what these disasters must have looked like.

I know this though - crude oil in the water does NOT simply "dissipate" overnight or get gobbled up by their chemicals or bacteria. A great deal of it washes ashore where it either becomes a part of the environment or it is mopped up as much as possible by humans and then it is all disposed of in a landfill somewhere, still becoming a part of the environment, just not as obviously.

I believe the majority of it ends up on the sea bottom, and that's what I was telling people when the spill was still happening, but the amount washing ashore was not as bad as expected. Now scientists are discovering what I have already been saying. I have seen far too many images of dead ocean floors, with marine life smothered to death in a blanket of oil. Ever notice how vinegar and oil will separate into layers, with the heaviest going to the bottom?

BP promised to compensate the people who lost their livelihoods, businesses who could no longer do business, and everyone adversely affected by the oil spill. They promised to repair the damage and "make things right again." The U.S. Government made their promises too, including a promise to hold BP accountable. From everything I have read or seen in the news, BP still owes money to a lot of people and businesses; they were far too eager to call the job done and now appear to have abandoned clean up efforts entirely. They are off patting themselves on the back, figuring out how to work their taxes to best advantage. Meanwhile, the government hasn't done much of anything except make more empty promises.

A year later, and once again it is the struggling American that is paying the price for corporate greed and and our government's incompetence. Sadly, I would bet money that another major oil spill is not that far in our future. How long will it be before we are telling kids about the days when a person could actually go into the water and play?

Photo credit: Charlie Riedel/AP

Stop Fracking With the Water!

This animated public service announcement is great! Well done artistically, with an important message to convey.

GeoHot gives leftover legal funds to EFF, mocks Sony | Crave - CNET

I find it interesting that someone deemed a "hacker" with all the negative connotations used by much of our society - also happens to be a rare person of character and style. Not only did he stand up to Sony mega-corp, but he donates the remainder of his funds to the EFF, a non-profit organization I just happen to support.

I've never met GeoHot, but I tip my hat to him all the same.

GeoHot gives leftover legal funds to EFF, mocks Sony | Crave - CNET

How Did Social Media Become Our New Religion?

I have found myself buried in the digital world. I have accounts on most of the currently popular "social media" websites, and many others with more narrow focuses. I use news readers, always-on email, and a fast internet connection. I get tons of interesting, yet ultimately useless information coming at me from all sides. I waste far too much time trying to keep up with it all!

There is a positive side. I've gotten back in touch with long lost friends going back over 35 years. I'm in much better contact with friends and family than I used to be. I've gained access to a world of information at my fingertips. I'm more knowledgeable and better informed than I have ever been. It is quite addicting.

So I decided I need to take a closer look at my social networking and start pruning. Has anyone noticed how their logos are everywhere you look now? It seems that every advertisement, marketing piece, video clip - has at least one of their logos included somewhere? It used to be website URLs - but now they want more. I'm not going to go into specific details about which ones I left and which ones I kept. I think that is an individual decision a person needs to make on their own without interference. The point I want to make is that we all need to pay more attention to what we are paying attention to.

The first thing I realized was that they all make it extremely easy to sign up for their services. But when is the last time anyone talked about how difficult they make it to leave once they have you? OMG! Not only did it take much longer, but I've had to confirm, verify, and justify why I wanted to leave. I've been hounded by email asking me to stay or come back. I should be able to click one button, get a confirmation message, click okay, and be done with it.

Do you know what it feels like? Not that I have any direct experience, but it feels like I have joined some kind of cult, and now that I'm no longer willing to blindly support the cult, they are making it extremely difficult for me to leave. They simply don't want me to make that choice.

I chose to leave some of my social networking behind. They made it difficult. I still don't know the effect of "linked" accounts when a link no longer exists. At least in the old days you could simply stop visiting a website if it no longer interested you. Do you want to leave a "network"? It isn't as simple as deleting a bookmark or clicking "unsubscribe" - now you have to answer to someone.

So a friendly warning to anyone who reads this. If you are interested in social networking and have not yet gotten involved, then I warn you to use extreme caution and be very selective. If you are already embedded with social media, then my warning to you is to open your eyes and make your own decisions! It is not necessary, nor is it possible, to keep up with every social networking group, company, website, (or whatever wrapper they wish to use) that you might find interesting. If you are doing it for the purpose of marketing, you are wasting even more of your time and resources.

I'm breaking the bonds!


Image courtesy of Matt Hamm.

Why Are Air Traffic Controllers Making Excuses for Sleeping on the Job?

This excerpt comes from Yahoo! News. Link below for the entire story.

Much more common is taking a nap on purpose, they said. When more than one controller is assigned to the "midnight" shift, which usually runs from about 10 p.m. to 6 a.m., one controller will work two positions while the other one sleeps and then they switch off, controllers said. 

The arrangements sometimes allow controllers to sleep as much as three or four hours out of an eight-hour shift, they said.

FAA regulations forbid sleeping at work, even during breaks. Controllers who are caught can be suspended or fired. But at most air traffic facilities the sleeping swaps are tolerated as long as they don't affect safety, controllers said.

"We've been in denial about this problem forever so you have widespread abuse of a system," said Bill Voss, a former controller and president of the Flight Safety Foundation in Alexandria, Va. "We could have a far better system if we just admitted what is going on and put some structure around it."

 http://news.yahoo.com/s/ap/20110415/ap_on_bi_ge/us_sleeping_air_traffic_controllers


I can only speak for myself and those that I served with, but when I was a Radioman in the Coast Guard back in the 80's it was inconceivable to me that anyone would even consider purposely taking a nap while on duty, leaving the radio unmanned. It was a court-martial offense. As a radioman, we would often work rotating 12 hour shifts - 2 day shifts, 48 hours off, 2 night shifts, 72 hours off, and start all over again - listening to radio static from multiple sources, and depending on where you were stationed, you were frequently alone unless you hit the alarm and woke up the search & rescue crew. If you were sleepy, you drank lots of coffee. If that wasn't enough, you stood up and paced, or stuck your head out the window. Whatever it took, we had to stay awake and we did! We even had it set up so that if the radioman had to use the john (toilet) - we would flip a switch that activated the speaker above the stalls so you could still do your job(s). And yes, I once copied a mayday position on toilet paper. Fortunately, I always carried an extra pen in my pocket. Afterwards, I started carrying a notepad. (But I digress).

The point is, we were young men and women enlisted in the military. We didn't get paid much, and those in the military today still don't get paid much. But we did our jobs and we knew right from wrong. These air traffic controllers get paid very large salaries with huge pensions to look forward to. The least they can do is earn it.

Oh - and we never knew if we were going to have a slow watch or a frantic one. It was common for it to go from dead quiet to chaos. I used to communicate with patrol boats, cutters (ships), helicopters, fixed wing aircraft, civilians, the Navy, and other military and law enforcement agencies, all at the same time, all while coordinating with the officers in charge and keeping them informed. So I don't want to hear about how difficult or stressful their jobs are.

Is Crazy Just Another Word for Creative?

From Scientific American:

Albert Einstein picked up cigarette butts off the street to get tobacco for his pipe; Howard Hughes spent entire days on a chair in the middle of the supposedly germ-free zone of his Beverly Hills Hotel suite; the composer Robert Schumann believed that his musical compositions were dictated to him by Beethoven and other deceased luminaries from their tombs; and Charles Dickens is said to have fended off imaginary urchins with his umbrella as he walked the streets of London. More recently, we have seen Michael Jackson’s preoccupation with rhinoplasty, Salvador Dalí’s affection for dangerous pets and the Icelandic singer Björk dressed for the Oscars as a swan.

In our society, being "normal" is our goal - and yet, we nearly worship those who are so abnormal that they stand out as being "creative" or otherwise "special".

Finally! He Said "Defense Budget"

In his proposal, Obama forecast $770 billion in savings over the next 12 years through non-security discretionary cuts, and another $400 billion in that time frame from the defense budget.

Now if we could look at numbers a bit bigger than just $400 billion. Next, let's take a look at unnecessary foreign aid!


Read more: http://www.foxnews.com/politics/2011/04/13/gop-leaders-raise-alarm-tax-talk-obama-deficit-plan/#ixzz1JRkhHFhN

If Cats and Dolphins Can Get Along, Why Can't Humans Get Along With Each Other?

A cat and a dolphin are about as far apart as two mammals can be. Yet this great video shows that they can get along with each other. Why is it that we humans can't do the same with each other?


YouTube - Cat and Dolphins playing together: ""

Adobe Can Kiss My...

I recently participated in a user survey conducted by Adobe. I guess my contribution didn't add up to much because Adobe basically ignored everything I tried to tell them. I simply don't see how they can justify the prices they charge, and now they want to do me a favor by renting the software on a monthly basis at exorbitant prices. I really used to be a fan of Adobe, but as the years have gone by, so has their business model. Regular people just can't afford these prices anymore. So it looks like CS5 or possibly CS5.5 (haven't tried update yet to see if it is free or not) will be the version I stop upgrading at. Which is probably a good thing in the end. I've spent far too much time learning how to use their programs and keeping up to date with the latest versions. Now I can spend more time learning what I can do with the software.

Thanks Adobe! Maybe this is the kick I needed in order to move on.


Adobe Announces Creative Suite 5.5 and Subscription Service: "

Adobe announced the mid-cycle update for CS5 with feature upgrades to Premiere, Photoshop, Flash Pro and advances to HTML5 authoring in Dreamweaver.

The mid-cycle update also harkens the end to the Adobe 18-month update cycle for the Creative Suite. Going forward Adobe will be release major updates every 24 months with mid-cycle updates, like todays.

Adobe also announced a subscription service for its collections and tent-pole products. Users can subscribed on a month-by-month or a yearly basis. The prices are as follows:

Photoshop - $35 a month
Design Premium - $95 a month
Master Collection - $129 a month

Adobe is also pushing mobile development for iOS, Android and the BlackBerry tablet. Adobe says CS 5.5 will allow users to author applications for mobile devices using HTML5 and leveraging Flash Player.

"

Why Aren't Military Cuts on the Table?

White House: Obama to lay out spending plan - Yahoo! News

This is one of those topics that I simply don't understand. Our government nearly shut down because the politicians fight over how much to cut from the poor, retired, and disabled. Why is it I never hear a single politician say "Hey, let's look at cutting the budget of our biggest expenditure - the defense budget!"

In a real budget, you look at your biggest expenditures first for the biggest savings. But somehow, our military and defense system has become a sacred cow. So what if they lob million dollar missiles into Libya like a spoiled child tossing aside familiar toys. Come on!

I Think Jumping Cows Are Pretty Cool

I've always been amazed by the number of people who have never interacted with a cow or even a horse before. They really are intelligent animals and most people have no clue that they each have distinct and unique personalities. So I give credit to an exceptional cow, and also to the exceptional teen that was able to train the cow in the first place.

When Doomsday Arrives, Survive in Style - If You Can

When the Aliens Touch Down, Make for This Missile Base

This great article from Wired.com talks about a guy who bought a decommissioned missile silo and is converting it into a doomsday bunker for rich people. But two things occur to me that weren't addressed in the article.

(1) How will they control who does or doesn't "belong" there? Will there be an automated entry system, armed security? A secret password? It isn't likely that people who paid for their spot are going to calmly show up and wait in line, while those who didn't pay are going to shrug at the missed opportunity and go somewhere else.

(2) Little pig! Little pig! Let me in!
Not by the hair on my chinny-chin-chin!
Then I'll huff, and I'll puff, and...

Or to turn the perspective around, if rich people do figure out a way to keep the rest of us out, what is to keep us from locking them IN? I've been inside secure military underground bunkers. They all have small doors and low profiles. Block that little door, and perhaps a few ventilation access points - and anyone who is inside will never be able to get themselves out again. If you wanted to be really thorough and there is time, a couple truckloads of concrete would provide a permanent solution. Heck, we could build a shrine or make a time capsule for future archaeologists.

Budgets and the Federal Shutdown

Maybe it is just me - but this whole Federal budget issue drives me nuts. (Putting my state of California's own budget mess aside for the moment.)

Our politicians are really arguing about nickels and dimes but taking them from the poor, elderly and disabled; while most people just want to protect their own particular interests. Has anyone done the math to figure out what the savings would be if we got our military out of the Middle East Oil Wars? What about the exorbitant amount of taxes being thrown at Homeland Security? Does anyone else ever wonder what would have happened if all the money spent on the military and Homeland Security in the past 10-20 years had instead been spent on energy research and development? Maybe we could have kept our noses out of the Middle East, not incited so much hatred towards us, and not have become so dependent on them in the first place.

Q&A: Danger of government shutdown grows - USATODAY.com

Dog Survived Japanese Tragedy For 3 Weeks

With all the misery in Japan and around the world, it is good to know that good things can still happen.