Happy Labor Day!

I just saw a post in a frequently visited forum where one of the resident Leftists said Labor Day was in honor of and a celebration of Socialism. 

Good grief.

No, it's a celebration of the American worker...who has his/her job because of capitalism. Even govt. workers have their jobs because of the taxes paid from the work of taxpayers.

Goodbye, Facebook

Got this email yesterday:

Account Scheduled for Deletion
   
Hi Mike,

We have received a request to permanently delete your account. Your account has been deactivated from the site and will be permanently deleted within 14 days.

If you did not request to permanently delete your account, please login to Facebook to cancel this request:

https://www.facebook.com/login.php


Thanks,
The Facebook Team

---

I had deactivated my Facebook account several times over the course of the last few days but kept getting signed in, mostly by forums which use the Facebook comment module, but I had also signed in (and reactivated it) to let a few of my friends know about my decision, those who didn't have my email address.  I didn't want to make some grand announcement, just like those who proclaim "I'm leaving this group!".

There are multiple reasons, the main one being that of privacy and how Facebook tracks you across the Internet, namely with the aforementioned comment module.  Also, I found that Facebook had closed several groups and pages I followed and the only reason they had done so was because they were pro-conservative or anti-liberal/progressive. Their site, their rules, their reasons, but I don't have to put up with that and refuse to do so.  Privacy is rare on the 'net but I won't surrender any more than I need to.

Another important reason was an annoyance; why would people send you a friendship request and then ignore you?  They wouldn't even like a post of mine much less leave a comment under them.  Now, I don't desperately need the attention, but I would comment or like a post on their pages because I wanted them to know I was reading them and I KNOW they had time to at least click the "Like" button because some of them posted multiple times during the day. 

And, speaking of posting, right before I decided to get off Facebook, one woman I know posted 27 different links in the course of fifteen minutes.  That was a record but it was nothing to see a dozen or more posts in a day from her and thanks to Facebook's strange algorithm, they filled up my feed and I didn't see anything from anyone else.   I use an AdBlock extension plus a nifty Greasemonkey script from FB Purity that let me customize my feed, but Facebook was always changing some script to defeat the way I wanted to view their website. It just got to be a hassle.

Anyway, it was astounding how often some folks would post; an old classmate would post dozens of photos of a grandson's baseball game and while  I understand her excitement, I'm not sure why she expected ME to have the same enthusiasm.  I also didn't want to see endless photos of another woman's puppy - sure, it was cute, but not any cuter after 50 photos of the same damn dog.  I also didn't care about someone posting they were eating at a particular restaurant, esp. if they didn't do a review of the food or post a photo of it.

While Facebook is a good way to keep up with old friends and kinfolk, what's wrong with an email now 'n then? I know nobody is going to write a letter and they'd rather text than actually talk to someone but Facebook is akin to trying to be a sniper using a 12 gauge shotgun...you're going to scatter your shots so far apart you'll be lucky to hit anyone.

So, adios, Facebook.  I didn't waste a LOT of time using it, but I wish I had that time back. Oh well, live and learn.

Suck It, Photobucket

I was doing as I normally do when I check email, replying to a few in my inbox, checking the recipe newsletters, reading some sales circulars from Amazon and a local grocery store, then went into the Spam folder to clear it out.

I always scan the subject titles and the addresses just in case something important has been accidentally flagged as junk when I saw one from Photobucket.  At first I thought it was Spam, but it seemed to be from the website, so I opened it to find this:

WE NOTICED THAT YOU HAVE BEEN USING
PHOTOBUCKET FOR 3RD PARTY HOSTING*

*What is 3rd Party Hosting?

Photobucket defines 3rd party hosting as the action of embedding an image or photo onto another website. For example, using the tag to embed or display a JPEG image from your Photobucket account on another website such as a forum, Etsy, eBay auction listings, a blog, etc. is definitively 3rd party hosting.

And some other crap, mainly that they wanted to charge me some insane amount to provide hosting for my graphics.  Now, I use the Blogger albums they provide for any jpegs, but they don't support animations and I use some in posts in here, as well as the day-date calendar and border.  I also use the service for forums that don't supply image hosting for non-paying users like me (read: cheap bastards like me)

I didn't get a notice until this one that they were changing their TOU (terms of use).  Since they had always supplied the code, the HTML to embed images, I always thought it was OK, but apparently it's not now.  My "library" with Photobucket is only 1% full and they used to show a bandwidth meter and it was always set at around 10% or less, so I never worried.  I did keep an eye on it after having a few websites directly link to images and got a warning from Photobucket that I was over the limit, so I made it private and that was the end of the thieving. 

There are lots of people complaining about it online and I don't blame 'em.  Some people relied upon it for their image hosting, esp. people uploading them to Amazon for reviews and people trying to sell things on eBay. Now their entire websites and/or posts are affected and have this placeholder where their photos used to be:

So, if you see that in any older post or on the animations I use for things, then that's the reason. I've already signed up for a new free image hosting service and hope they'll not go the same route as Photobucket...which I predict is going to go out of business soon, because I think - as do many others - that they're in financial trouble and this is one last grab for some quick cash.

Anyway, I'll be doing the changeover soon, hope it works.  If not, I suppose I can live w/out any flashing signs or animated GIFs.  I'm sure the readership of this pathetic excuse for a blog won't suffer any...how could it?  We're only something like the 12,784,987th ranked blog in the world, after all.

ultracrepidarian

ultracrepidarian

adjective [uhl-truh-kerp-i-dair-ee-uh-n]

1. noting or pertaining to a person who criticizes, judges, or gives advice outside the area of his or her expertise

2. an ultracrepidarian person

---

I see a LOT of ultracrepidarians every day while online.

The Internet is full of 'em; childless people who know what's best for your child, people who comment about politics yet only listen to one side of an issue and just about every conspiratorial nutjob there is on the World Wide Web.

Politics, Religion and Food

I just got through reading an article linked to on Facebook - I won't link to it in this post because that's not the gist of this rant - but it was how we (people) should have a more plant-based diet.  I wouldn't disagree with that, but articles like that always start off some vicious arguments and there were plenty under the piece.  I've found that often the comments are more entertaining than the article.

That's something I've noticed since I've been online for these last 17+ years;  of course, politics and religion have always sparked some contentious debate, a long time before there were forums and message boards, but I'd say the next most hotly discussed topic is food. (and movies, TV shows and music would be close behind)

In fact, one of the first times I was ever savaged online was in a chat room and someone mentioned they were making a pineapple upside-down cake.  I mentioned that I don't care for pineapple and I was attacked before they let me explain that I have an allergy to pineapple, that it makes my throat itch. (as do several other tropical fruits, such as kiwi fruit, papaya, and sometimes oranges)

The next time I saw a "food fight" break out was over whether to put chili in beans.  The recipe said "real Texans" would never dream of it.  Personally, I don't care for beans in my chili, but I'm also a "real Texan" and enough of one to not stick my nose into someone's business - if they want to put beans in their chili, then that's fine with me.  If they invited me to dinner and their chili had beans in it, I am also enough of a Texan to not criticize my host.  No, I'd eat it and probably would ask for seconds.

(funny - I don't really like beans in my chili, but I put a can of chili - Texas Wolf Brand - when I make beans)

I recently saw a dispute over goulash, of all things.  The recipe wasn't even titled "Hungarian" but the comments got heated over just what was "authentic".    Call it what you like, call me ignorant for calling it that, but just don't call me late for supper!

I can semi-understand arguing about politics and religion, esp. if someone insults your candidate/party or your faith, but to argue about food?  Ridiculous.  I wish I could draw - I'd make a graphic of God wearing an Obama t-shirt while eating a cheeseburger as He was kicking Barney Frank and Nancy Pelosi down to Hell along with the Muslims.

That way I could piss off the Republicans, the vegans, the gays, the Democrats, and the radical Islamists in one fell swoop.

I might even draw Him with a pistol stuck in His belt, just to piss off the gun-grabbers.

Obeng Lucy

Hi sweetie, How's going on ? I'm obeng Lucy by name , single Woman never married with no Kids. I'm the honest type, sincere, upfront, affectionate, passionate and God fearing . I just came across your profile , I have to admit that I really enjoy reading it and your picture looks interesting. I'm looking for a serious man to start a serious friendship which is going to lead to something wonderful in the near future. I know you will be wondering where I got your email , please don't look scared, I copied your username on the dating site and paste it in goggle search and it really turn out that your username is the same as your email address so predict that would be you exact and I decided to send you an email , I really want to get to know you in any way because I like your profile. Take care and be looking forward hearing from you with a smile. Lots of kisses and hugs. Until your next..

obenglove609430@gmail.com

Dear Obeng Lucy,

You might have seen my profile, but there's no information under it and any photo I had associated with it was that of a horny toad.

No, my user name ISN'T the same, not in here and since I don't belong to any dating sites....

"honest type, sincere, upfront, affectionate, passionate and God fearing"

SURE you are!  Why aren't you spammer/scammers REALLY honest?  "Hello, my name is Matinga Dubuko.  I am a 33 yr. old man,  live in Nigeria and am only pretending to be a woman in order to dupe you into sending me money or sending you a link with my "sexy photos" so that you'll click it and then download some malware that will take over your computer and email accounts and all your passwords."

"Please don't look scared..." Oh, I'm not.  I would love to meet you in person and take a sledgehammer to your hands so you'd never be able to send out this crap ever again.

The caption on your shirt says it all:  GREED.

19 Items

The article on MSN caught my eye:  "19 items no man over 40 should wear".  I'd link to it, but for some reason - probably since I stay signed into Bing all the time - it looks like it has my own account particulars in the URL.  I'm sure you can find it if you're that interested, along with hundreds of other, similar articles that are as equally worthless.

Oops, gave away my opinion of the article far too soon.  Here are the 19 things and my own comments under each:

The Parka:  This one is just plain silly.  I'd say the only reason to not wear a parka is if it's in the summer...unless you're in Antarctica, then I'm sure it would be acceptable.

Wide-leg trouser:  I don't get this one.  I don't think I have any trousers that would fit this description, but just exactly how wide is considered "wide"? What if you have wide legs?

The Fanny pack: I can understand this in a way because they look a little silly on just about anyone, no matter their age.  OTOH, there have been times when I wished I had a fanny pack. If I see a 50-yr. old man wearing one, I'm not going to point and laugh.  Maybe he needs one to pack along all his medications he has to take...or maybe it's to keep plenty of condoms on hand because he needs a lot of 'em.  Plus his Viagra.

The Gilet:  I have several of these and love 'em.  They're perfect, along with a sweat top or long-sleeve shirt on cool days that suddenly get colder.  At least your core body temp. can be maintained.  I think they look cool, plus have pockets which are handy when you don't have any in the top you're wearing under it.

The Soccer jersey:  I suppose the equivalent that I could relate to would be a football jersey and while they're probably not the ideal thing to wear to a nice restaurant, there's nothing wrong with wearing them to a party or esp. to a football game.  I would draw the line at having my own name on the back of the jersey or even a player's name, even if he was one of my favorites.

The Bomber jacket:  This is a silly prohibition;  bomber jackets look cool.  Chuck Yeager is over 90 and he still looks great in one.  Then again, he's actually flown bombers, so...I don't have one, but if I did, I'd wear it all the time and only take it off to slap someone who told me I was too old to be wearing it.

The Beanie:  No, not the idiotic ones w/ a propeller on top, but a close fitting sock cap.  I have several and it sometimes gets so cold here that I wear one and put another, larger sock cap on top of it.  I'd rather be ridiculed for being too old to wear one than have my old ears freeze off.

Thongs:  Finally, something I can agree with, but only for me.  I hate those things...the footware, not the skimpy undies young women wear.  Old women probably shouldn't wear those, but more power to 'em if they wanna. Personally, I don't like thongs on anyone's feet, but if they can handle that strap between their big toe and the next, then good for them. 

Speedos:  Again, something I can agree with and I personally don't think they look good on men of ANY age, but that's just me.  Maybe if I was gay.....

Leather trousers:  And again, I agree, but it's more of a comfort thing for me and also because I'm a clutz and slob and often spill things on my clothes. 

Oversized suits:  Well, they're out of style, aren't they?  I dunno.  Don't care, either.

The rock band t-shirt:  Well, I still like rock and roll, but I don't have any band t-shirts.  I'd wear one if someone gave it to me as a present, but I'm not paying 25 bucks to advertise a band that has more money than Carter has liver pills.  (I guess that last bit really tells my age, huh?)

Y-fronts:  I had to go look up the definition.  I think 95% of my underwear fits that style, even the longer leg boxer/briefs I sometimes wear.  I like the support.  I don't own any "tighty-whiteys" as they're sometimes called;  mine are all in various colors, even camouflage.  I have a few boxer undies, but unless my pants are really loose fitting, they bunch up and are uncomfortable.  Why would anyone care what kind of undies I'm wearing, anyway?

Hoodies:  Screw 'em, I like hoodies.  They're nice to wear on a cool day and the ability to put the hood up or down makes it nice, esp. when the cold wind starts blowing down your neck.

Baseball cap: I wear one all the time...well, not to bed, but you'd BETTER wear something on your head here in the Texas Panhandle.  During the winter, they keep your head warmer than nothing at all and in summer, they keep the sun from frying your brain.  I wear 'em in the house sometimes;  that way if someone comes to the door and I want to let them in, I tell them I just got home and if I DON'T want to let them in, I tell 'em I'm just going out.  (learned that from an Andy Capp comic strip, BTW)

Skinny jeans:  If you're skinny, then wouldn't your jeans be skinny too?  I hate tight jeans, so I don't wear 'em.

White trainers:  White TENNIS shoes, as I call 'em.  I have a pair, but when they started getting stained, I started using them for yard work or the like.  I'll buy another pair someday and for now, keep on wearing my brown and black pairs.  I'd like to have more colors, too.

The leisure suit:  From the example shown, I wouldn't be caught dead in one, not now or when I was 20 yrs. old.  I DO wear sweats a lot and screw anyone who thinks I'm too old to wear them....I'm too old to care what they think.

The novelty tie:  Ehh....not much on ties, but if someone wanted to wear a funny one to work as a nod to Casual Fridays in the office, then fine by me. I wouldn't wear one with kittens or copulating couples, but wearing a red tie with Christmas trees during the holiday season or a green one with shamrocks for St. Patty's?  Lighten up, sheesh.

Follow the Money

Note:  The following is meant to be a mini-rant and a bit of trivia but is also a semi-snarky review of the new Fox series Minority Report based upon the 2002 hit movie.

---

I was torturing myself watching the fourth and latest episode of Minority Report last night when I noticed something strange;  when a man is attempting to buy some fake I.D.,he plops some banded currency on the table, then reluctantly throws down some more on top of it.  The scene went by fairly quickly, but not so quick that I couldn't make out the face on the $500 bill:

(click for larger view)

Yes, that's President Obama on the bill and it proved to me that Hollywood is indeed full of leftist partisan hacks.  Andrew Jackson notwithstanding, I've always thought the portraits on American currency were intended to be of good Presidents or at least of people who made a significant contribution to society.

Why Obama?  If he deserves to be on a bill, then - in all fairness - so does G.W. Bush;  after all, both of them certainly spent enough money, printed more than their fair share out of thin air, too.

Be that as it may...and I certainly didn't mean for this to turn into a political rant...I believe that's the last episode I will watch.  If Minority Report had been anything but a ubiquitous, poorly done police procedural show (albeit set in the future) I would have given it a proper review. 

My recommendation?  If you're watching it now and enjoying it, please be my guest and continue doing so.  I just don't think it's going to last long, that's all.  What's wrong with it?  Oh, if I only had enough time and space to list the things.  I had high hopes for the series, but IMHO (and according to the ratings), it doesn't have much of a future, especially considering how many Obama dollars much money it's got to be losing. The show is visually appealing, the special effects are pretty good and the acting isn't horrible...but not even the gorgeous Meagan Good can save this series.  The potential was there but it was wasted.

On a related note:  I noticed a woman on the hundred dollar bill, so I took a screen shot, rotated it to get a better view but still didn't recognize the face, but did see it was Australian currency. (or maybe American money honoring Australian notables)  Thanks to the world-wide interwebs, I was able to find out the woman was Dame Nellie Melba, a noted opera singer of the late Victorian era and the early 20th century. I had never heard of her.

My only hope is that if the world lasts to the time this TV series takes place, we'll honor folks like her much more than we do those such as President Obama.

I'm Alarmed

Note:  This will be the first in what I'll call "Behind the Times"  posts...ones that are so big, a single post would take up the entire page or most of it.  Instead, I will backdate them so they won't appear in the normal order, but instead will date the post at the top of them, like this:

---

Sept. 17, 2015

Surely, by now you've seen or read this story:

Muslim teen Ahmed Mohamed creates clock, shows teachers, gets arrested

The world is outraged over this and I am outraged as well...I'm outraged at the outrage. Here's why:

A couple of yrs. ago, a 10 yr. old boy from Ohio was suspended from school for making a "gun" with his thumb and finger and a yr. before, a 7-yr. old kid from Maryland was suspended for nibbling a Pop Tart in the shape of a pistol. Both of those children were white.

Since those incidents, there have been multiple incidents of children being suspended for bringing Bibles to school or for reading them during supposedly "free reading periods" or recess and there wasn't nearly the uproar that this "It's a clock, not a bomb!" thing has generated.

So, little Ahmed builds a clock and puts it in a pencil box that looks just like a miniature suitcase, brings it to school, shows it to his engineering teacher. The teacher says "Good job." but advises him to not show it to other teachers. What does the kid do? Well, he puts it in his backpack and totes it around school all day, has the alarm go off in the middle of a class, then fumbles around with it and then wonders why people were upset?

What if it HAD been a bomb and everyone was told "It's JUST a clock!" Trust me, that would have ruined everyone's day. "There were no explosives inside along with the clock." Well, it's a school w/ a chemistry lab and even though it's been nearly a half century since I was a kid in school (barely passing Chemistry), I guarantee you I could walk into a school laboratory storeroom right now and cobble together a few chemicals that would kill or seriously injure dozens, maybe hundreds of kids and teachers. Heck, I could probably do that with what's under my kitchen sink (or anyone else's) right now.

People are griping about how silly it is to get worked up over something so innocent as a homemade science project, as well as how "rampant" racism/Islamic phobia is in Texas. Well, there wouldn't have been all this outrage 14 yrs. + 1 week ago, but that all changed on 9/11. No one then considered box cutters all that dangerous, either....maybe accidentally cut your finger with one, but no one thought about flight attendants and pilots having their throats slashed with them (by Muslims, no less) and the planes commandeered and flown into buildings.

As far as I'm concerned. perhaps there WAS a bit of overreacting to this incident, but the catch phase these days is "better safe than sorry".

There are a few things that bother me about this story, though: The clock doesn't look like a clock, not from the photos I've seen. It looks very crude, just like the guts of bombs we've all seen on TV and in the movies. He's clever enough to build the device, yet not clever enough to know that it resembled a TV/movie version of a time bomb? He's ingenious enough to build the thing, yet doesn't understand how to set the alarm? Gimme a break.

Why did the kid build his clock and put it inside what amounts to a miniature briefcase? Why not hollow out an old book, that would have been way cooler, esp. if he had used a book with "time" in the title. I saw several comments under the New York Times article from Boston and Massachusetts residents about how racist Texas was, how stupid we are, how the rest of the country needs to build a wall around the state to keep we inbred bigots and our guns in. Well, you ignorant Beantown asshats, what if some kid (white, brown, black, pink or purple) brings a pressure cooker to Home Ec class "What's in there, Jim?" (or Jane) "Aw, just a TV I made." Seems to me as though people in that part of the country would be a little more sympathetic to the possibility of a homemade bomb.  BTW, what was the skin color and religion of the two brothers responsible for the Boston Marathon bombing?

As I mentioned before, his teacher told him not to show it to anyone else and probably told him why. (but little Ahmed didn't mention that little tidbit in the post-incident interviews)

There's a picture of him in handcuffs, standing there dejected with a look of disbelief that this is happening to him. I think he was smart enough to recognize a photo op when he saw one...or maybe his daddy coached him on how to look. I'm no conspiracy theorist by any means, but this all just sounds a bit too "scripted" to suit me.

The family has already hired a lawyer. (wow, THAT was fast!) Now he'll get a hefty sum for his civil rights being violated and in three/four years, his scholarship to M.I.T. will be waiting...a full ride. He's already been offered jobs by Twitter and Facebook,invited to the White House and to bring his clock.  (where I'm positive the Secret Service will go over the clock with a fine-tooth comb and use explosive-sniffing dogs)

I could rant a LOT more about this, but I'm already tired of it.  I hope this blows over soon; then we can get back to the really important stuff, like whether Bindi will win this season on Dancing With the Stars, the size of Kim Kardashian's butt or whether Caitlyn Jenner wears a push-up bra.

Me?  I'm just gonna worry about how the Cowboys will do Sunday against the Eagles.  It has just as much importance in the scheme of things as does anything else...at least it does to me.(hey, I have a right to skew important priorities, just as much as the next person!)  If Dallas allows Murray to rush for a hundred yards, loses the game and the Philly fans cheer if a Cowboys player gets hurt, then I'm gonna go on social media and rant and rave about the injustice of it all.

Yeah, sure.

Forbes Haiku

I was looking for some financial-related information and saw a link to Forbes.com and thought I could probably trust the information I would find there since I've read a lot of other articles on the site and it's all been good advice.  They have a "splash page" before the link, the content of which I don't see because of my ad blocking add-on on my Firefox browser.  I have to wait on a countdown clock for a few seconds before I can proceed to the article, but it's no problem, much less annoying than an advertisement. 

Yesterday, though, I got this message on the splash page:

I'm fairly certain that doesn't fit the definition of a Haiku, but that's not my complaint; rather, it's trying to shame me in such a "cutesy" fashion.  Sorry Forbes, I hate to deprive you of ad revenue, but many sites go overboard with their adverts, slowing the page load times even with my fairly fast connection and often having multiple flash ads which sometimes hangs up my browser.  I also don't like places like Facebook following me all over the 'net...that's why I use an adblocker.

I wrote a reply, not in a Haiku, but a short verse.  I can't post it because I have a few words in it that rhyme with "Haiku".  It DOES have a little bit to do with "love", though.

Wrong Place, Wrong Shirt

First, let me say I usually like to post the link where I found a particular 404 page, but even though I just found this one a couple of days ago, I've already forgotten where it was and I didn't save the URL.  So, I went to TinEye, the image search service, uploaded the image and found 85 matches.  Apparently it's used all over the 'net and not just on the site where I found it. (whatever that was)  I saw it was also used in a progressive political site to disparage "tea baggers".

("tea baggers", the progressive pejorative used for conservatives, not just the ones who adhere to the TEA (Taxed Enough Already) Party "platform", which is basically lower taxes and smaller govt.  You can count me in as a "tea bagger" then, even though the term first came into being as a homosexual sexual practice.  I'd much rather be gay than a progressive, anyway. It's obvious that progressive political site is run by and frequented by ugly, bitter, man-hating lesbians)

Anyway, I thought this one was clever. (click graphic for larger view)

Yep, I'd say the guy is definitely in the wrong place.  With - or without-  a shirt like that, I'd rather be in Hawaii.

Jerry, Pay the Man!

Let's get a deal done, Mr. Jones...take off the tag and pay the man.  I know you have to watch the cap, but how often does a talent like this come along?

He needs to be a Cowboy for life.

Seeing Red

The color red does not make bulls go crazy; bulls are color blind. The bull is likely irritated not by the color, but by the cape's movement as the matador whips it around.

I am not an expert on color, but the recent Internet fixation on the color of "the dress" is making me angry as a bull. (If you're not aware of it, good for you, but if you'd like to know, just Google "the dress" and you'll find out.  It's received much more attention than Monica's blue dress. (and you'll need to Google THAT, too, because I'm sure not gonna link to any stories about it.)

Your Crock I Block

Since I've been using various adblocking extensions and social media and content blocker on my Firefox browser, I've been getting these types of messages on the pages:

(click for larger view)

Sometimes I get a "guilt" type message "This website exists because of the revenue we get from ads, so please disable your adblocker."

Well, 'scuse me, but I wouldn't mind a banner ad or two (or three or even four) placed within the page, but it's when you serve up several dozen ads and scripts that slow the loading down to a snail's pace...and I have an above-average fast connection...well, that's when I begin to get annoyed.

As the above graphic shows, sometimes the extensions and add-ons I use do interfere with the videos, so I disable them for a one-time viewing of what it was I wanted to see, the re-enable them before I leave the page.  I don't mind them trying to make a buck off their website, but I DO resent having to wait a minute or longer to see what it was I came to the site to see.   I also don't like it when a video auto-plays.  I have used a script blocker before to stop that, but while I can whitelist sites I regularly visit, it gets old going to new ones and having to adjust the settings.

I'm resigned to having Facebook follow me all over the 'net, but I draw the line at other social media scripts and image bugs you put on your pages, not to mention the zillion ads you seem to think you have to have to pay the bills.    

DOES TYPING IN ALL CAPS

REALLY, REALLY ANNOY YOU?

IF SO, THEN YOU SHOULD JUST GET THE HELL OFF THE INTERNET!

Seriously, I just saw - for at least the ten thousandth time since I've been online - someone getting angry at someone else for posting in all-caps.  There can be several explanations; they could be posting with their phone and that's the only way they can see it or maybe it's too much trouble to capitalize just the first letter of a sentence or maybe they have vision problems and that's the only way they can see what they're typing (I know several people like that) or...and this has happened to me...they have a faulty keyboard on their computer and it's stuck on Caps Lock.  

The only reason I can think of to legitimately complain about is that perhaps the person simply wants to draw attention to him or her self...but how would you know that, so it's best to just shut the hell up. Maybe they're suicidal and want someone....ANYONE...to listen,  want to feel as though they're not totally worthless and that life really is worth living.  What if your complaining about them typing in all caps drove them over the edge, how would you feel then?

You probably wouldn't give a crap, though, would you?

So, if you have to be so anal and butthurt and waste your time and everyone else's in pointing it out, maybe you have more problems than THE PERSON TYPING IN ALL CAPS!!!!

Surely you can find something better to bitch about - the economy, the environment, the way your favorite team has been playing, which ever party is the opposite of the one you generally vote for...hell, you can whine about this rant for all I care, but good grief, quit complaining about someone typing in all caps.

GOT IT, YOU SNIVELING LITTLE ASSHAT?

CURRENT CAPCHA CRAP

I went to reply to a comment under a post and saw this:

I noticed this new - and much better than previous versions - verification process on other Blogger blogs I frequent, but this was the first time I had been required to do it on my own blog.  At first I thought it was just a setting that needed to be changed, but apparently it's not something I CAN change, so I'm sorry for the extra step.

I have required OpenID or a Google account in order to post, but that's just to keep my blood pressure down and not have to delete asshole anonymous comments from anyone who wants to criticize me or something I've posted in here.  I don't intend to be offensive in here and don't think I am, but it IS my blog and if someone wants to curse me out or rebut what few controversial things I've said, then they can get their own damn blog and do it there, not in here.

So, again, I'm sorry for the extra step.  I wish I could change it, but at least it's fairly easy to read and is only 3-4 digits to type in.  Maybe this will keep the spam I get now 'n then to a minimum.

We Are Doomed

Texas Tech's new student political organization PoliTech goes to campus to see how much our students know about their nation's politics! You might be surprised.
 

No, sorry to say, I'm not surprised, but I am more than a little disappointed that young people in Texas are so ignorant of history and current events.

I'm hopin' that most of them are paying out-of-state tuition.

FYI, I knew every answer, even the pop culture ones, but then again, I'm smarter than any of those being interviewed.  That crap can't help but sink in from all the reading I do, but at least I paid attention in history class and don't get my news from Jon Stewart or have my political opinions shaped by South Park or Saturday Night Live.

conk

conk \ kongk, kawngk \ verb

1. to go to sleep (usually followed by off or out )
2. to break or fail, as a machine or engine (often followed by out ): The engine conked out halfway there .
3. to slow down or stop; lose energy (often followed by out ).
4. to lose consciousness; faint (usually followed by out ).
5. to die (usually followed by out ).

---

I was just about to conk out just a few minutes ago when I heard a loud noise across the street.  I got up, looked out and saw some bright lights on the sidewalk, like Christmas tree lights and a man crouched down watching them.   They are really some weird people.  (and I say that bravely since I know they don't read this blog.) Some of their kinfolk moved in several years back and started mowing their front lawn around one in the morning - they had their cars with head parked out in the middle of the street, the headlights on and pointing towards the yard. (one of the very few times in my life I've ever called the cops on neighbors.  Again, they don't read this blog)  I don't mind weird people since I are one, but sure I don't like loud ones.  I'm a quiet weirdo.

Not sure where the loud noise came from, but last weekend I heard gunshots from down the street, several in a row as if someone had emptied the magazine. I called the cops after five minutes, but mine had been the only complaint.

Just another typical night in the neighborhood.

How 'Bout Them Websites?

After a revamp of the Dallas Cowboys website, I found that some of my bookmarked deep links were broken.  No big problem, I just found the particular pages again and added them to my favorites.  I had some problems with the videos not playing, but somehow that problem corrected itself.

I have issues with websites changing things just for change's sake and especially when the new design isn't better and most especially when it's worse.  The Cowboys used to win awards for best design, but not in a long time.  Now the site is too "busy" looking and chock-full of ads* - particularly annoying are the ones that play before each video. 

*Yeah, like Jerry Jones REALLY needs the money.  The site has always been ranked at or near the top of all NFL sites in traffic and according to one site, is worth $13,140,000.  One of the talk show hosts mentioned that there were at least 20,000 people on the site Monday morning during the show. ("at least", because he said the meter was pegged at the max of 20k)

I have an ad blocking extension on my Firefox browser as well as one that disconnects from third-party modules and ads, but the videos wouldn't play with the ads at the first of the videos blocked.  No problem, I disabled my extensions, but I'd still get a nag screen saying "We noticed you have adblocker software installed, for best results please disable them...." blah blah blah.  The best thing about the new design of the site is now the videos will play with my extensions enabled.  I'm sure they'll "fix" that before long.

The Cowboys Are Making Me Angry!

Well, not the team, but the Dallas Cowboy website. (I don't get angry at how the 'Boys play; I used to get furious but these days I don't let it bother me, at least not for long. That's why there's a switch or button to turn the channel or station to something else or just turn the game off.)

Here's the reason I'm annoyed; I have a couple of add-ons on my Firefox browser: AdBlock Edge and Disconnect. The AdBlock Edge lets me block most ads on sites I visit and the Disconnect does just that, disconnects from social media and other things.

I had to "cut" the following graphic in half, then "stitch" back together in order to fit it in this post. It takes up the entire top part of the screen when I visit the DC website. (click any image for larger view)

The thing is, I DO have my adblocker turned off:

And, as you can see, I've also "whitelisted" the site on the Disconnect add-on:

Now, I know many websites rely upon advertising revenue in order to stay online and to remain free to the viewer. However, I doubt the Cowboys are relying on the revenue stream in order to keep the website up. -snicker-

I wouldn't have any ethical problems blocking the ads but I can't view any of the videos onsite unless I DO disable my add-ons; there's always an advertisement at the first of each and every video and if they're blocked, the video won't load. I don't watch all the videos there, but I do like to watch The Break and Talkin' Cowboys. For a while, I was just downloading the audio portion and listening to it later, but there are times when I want to watch and listen to the show live. I've never called in, but I might want to or send an email in hopes they'll read and answer it during the show.

So, what really annoys me is that they detect I have adblocking add-ons and chastise me for it....even if I have them disabled!  I used to have another add-on that would do away with those "nags" but it quit working several browser updates ago.  I COULD block the nag with my adblocker, but I'd be right back to not being able to view the videos.  It's a Catch-22 situation.

Catch-22, not this 22, Emmitt Smith.  He was hard to catch.