waiting list

richard clarke is worried that this country isn't taking potential Cyber War seriously. it wouldn't surprise me if that were true; some of our leaders are beyond out of touch with reality. at any rate, i put myself on the list for his book at our local library. i'm number 13.

oh, the memories...

remember fireflies? i haven't seen fireflies in decades. i don't know if it's living in a certain part of the country, or not spending much time outside in the dark, or what.

so i am interested in this company called humble earth. they make fireflies. once we get our yard (or garden) landscaped, i might invest in some of these little things.

our landscaper calls her projects 'gardens'. i like her and i think she has wonderful ideas and lots of knowledge. but a really complete garden takes a lot of money. our budget is pretty small, so we have kind of a skeletal thing starting to happen, but i'm going to see what i can do to fill things out a bit.

regardless, once the garden is put in place, we may be spending a lot more time outside, hence the fireflies. we'll see.

how much is the bed?

did you read about hotels that are starting to nickle-and-dime you to pieces? apparently they're taking a page from the airline book.

a european hotel chain has started charging for maid service, a fresh towel, a tv. and american hotels are watching the situation to see if anyone blinks an eye.

i don't think i have a problem with charging a reasonable amount for goods and services, but if you just want to increase prices because you can, and it gives the ceo a 7-figure salary, screw you.

we can stay home. we can use a camp ground. we can sleep in the car. back in the 40s it wasn't unusual for traveling people to sleep on benches in the city parks.

read the article so you are at least aware you might be charged for something.

security?

back in the cold-war era it wasn't unusual for families to stock their basements with provisions or even dig a well-insulated bunker in case the bomb got dropped.

i just saw where a company in california is promising a place in a nuke-proof bunker in the mojave desert -- for a price. you better hurry if you want in, though. there are 132 spaces and half are already gone.

apparently $50,000 will get you a bunk in a 4-person room. whoa. pricey. but the company hasn't started getting the place ready yet. sounds almost like a shyster deal.

religion

i read a recent article about muslim culture which led to several thoughts. first i should say that i know very little about muslims and, with my very full life, don't have much time to devote to or interest in increasing my knowledge of them. i should also say i was brought up to be accepting of differences in cultures and religions.

that said, my first thought in reading the article was if france wants to ban the burqa and that bothers you, maybe you should live somewhere else.

my second thought was disgust about this statement, "when the taliban ruled in afghanistan, women were not allowed to wear high-heeled shoes since 'the sound of women's footsteps could excite men.'" ANY group that contrives rules because something a woman does might make men lose control is a very sick group lacking in responsibility and maturity.

it's like the whole adam and eve thing, where everything you can think of is all eve's fault. just grow up for pete's sake. honestly, there are so many problems with and because of religions.

a concern

i'm in future shock. apparently nowadays kids expect to be able to have cell phones at school. and to use them, even in the middle of class.

personally, i think that's disgusting and evidence of our society being on the decline, i.e. if something is taking the place of education, we are at risk as a nation.

there's a school in maryland that is having to fight to have cell phones banned from class. apparently parents "appreciate being able to contact their children during the day." to me those parents are disGUSTing! and it seems this is something which is happening across the country.

if i were a parent, i would be looking around to see which schools had high test scores, which ones had firm policies on cell phone use, and then if there were any jobs in the area. i wonder if it works any better (the old-fashioned way) in small-town america.

it's a dragon ... no, a boat ... no, a castle ...

do you like looking at clouds? i do, and i miss seeing some of the wonderful formations which are created in the midwest. check out this site, though, for some excellent shots of cloud formations seen from space. it's a neat way of looking at them.

all sorts of problems

today, class, we are going to discuss 'how to have sex in outer space.' this activity brings new challenges in space, so we'll start by opening our books to page 8. remember that lab practice is tomorrow morning at 9 a.m.

what about food poisoning?

today, class, we are going to talk about 'how to go to the bathroom in outer space.' this skill will require finesse and practice so be sure to follow our instructional video carefully.

different cultures

babies. there's a new movie, that i believe was just released, about babies. the film maker followed four babies from different parts of the world during their first year. i imagine there are some cute parts, and some icky parts, and some things which will make me wonder how humans have survived. i'd like to see it on the big screen.

culture shift

it's interesting how getting older not only gives me wrinkles, but it subtly affects my perception. i saw a headline this morning -- A 'Legit' Pirate Bay Makes Sense In Theory, If Not Practice.

i visualized a white-sand, turquoise-water, curved, private beach and wondered if someone was going to do a pirate-themed area with hotels, ship rides, walking-the-plank things, and so on. what a cute idea, i thought.

it's actually about peer-to-peer internet file sharing of music, movies, software, etc.

*sigh*

eat a little bit of everything

i'll bet most people do not realize how good cinnamon is for them. the husband showed me an article in aarp magazine which talks about a number of spices, but i like cinnamon and garlic so i'll go with them first.

> cinnamon helps you stay focused; eat a teaspoon on your oatmeal at breakfast.
> garlic is good for your heart but may also protect against brain cancer; put garlic in your tomato sauce.
> ginger helps keep migraines away; grate 3 teaspoons in a cup of boiling water, wait 10 minutes, strain and drink.
> saffron helps combat mild depression; add 1/2 teaspoon to the water when you cook 2 cups rice.
> turmeric might protect against alzheimer's; add curry powder to your chicken salad.

i still have an article the husband e-mailed me in 2006 which stressed the importance of eating a mixture of honey and cinnamon. the article makes simply outrageous claims, but whether they work or not, they're harmless. and as fast-food, tv dinners, and take-out has become so ubiquitous, a lot of old-fashioned eating-smart dogma has gone by the wayside. maybe it would be good to try some of the old ways.

pull up those bootstraps...

i've always thought one of things america does best is figuring out practical solutions. sometimes the little guy has an excellent solution, sometimes a cowboy, sometimes a bigwig, and sometimes great ideas never get heard and no one benefits.

i just read where the government is giving inventors and idea people a chance to show what they've got. Strategy for American Innovation encourages government agencies to use prizes and challenges for people to come up with excellent solutions. solutions though, not ideas as how to do something. the solution must work and it's up to you to design and create it and prove it can do what you say it can. apparently nasa has been using this approach and has had results.

it's an interesting article, whether you're an innovator or not. if you're good with ideas, read it.

gahkk!

everyone has been so taken with facebook. when it first started, i thought i'd give it a try. i didn't really see anything about it i thought was earth-shaking, and i did not like the fact you had to give your name and birthdate, but i stayed with it. since then soooooo many people have gotten on the train.

i don't spend time with facebook. i never got into it especially since the whole paradigm is so invasive. at my age, privacy is a core concept. and it seems like every time i turn around there's another news article about losing privacy in facebook.

the most recent thing i saw mentioned how facebook's ceo doesn't believe in privacy. wait ... what? i'm sitting here picturing a distinguished, grey-haired, tall, 65-yr old saying he doesn't believe in privacy. foolishness.

i finally saw a picture of mark zuckerberg. the kid is 26. no wonder he doesn't believe in privacy. he didn't grow up with all the concerns my generation had. and have you looked at a facebook page lately? i looked at mine for the first time in a long time -- no one cares about privacy. there's no concern. none. they're all ... i went here, and i like this, and i did that.

so what's keeping me from just closing down and pulling out? well, it's the only way i have to connect with or see what a number of people are currently doing. that proves one of the rationales for facebook, but still ....

just do it

it's interesting, the disparate information you can get in the news. for example california is worried about whether or not to insist men wear rubbers when performing in an adult movie. and now health experts have decided being outdoors can increase your mental health. at the same time, that huge mess down in the Gulf is noted as a 'grave scenario' (do they notice the play on words?).

disparate and yet .... no brainers. i mean, come on. use some common sense, get pro-active, and do what you need to do without fussing.