Millennials Can't Open Tuna Fish Can

Millennials can't, or won't, open canned tuna - San Jose Mercury News:

"Many can’t be bothered to open and drain the cans, or fetch utensils and dishes to eat the tuna,” Jesse Newman and Annie Gasparro wrote.
[.]
“A lot of millennials don’t even own can openers,” [said] Andy Mecs, vice president of marketing and innovation for Pittsburgh-based StarKist.
[.]
“Ah yes, millennials are abandoning canned tuna because we’re lazy and not because uh, it’s gross as hell,” said Jamelle Bouie, Slate’s chief political correspondent tweeted.
[.]
Here’s an alternate theory: Maybe millennials aren’t eating as much tuna because they grew up learning about how dolphins — the magical creatures of their Lisa Frank Trapper Keepers — were often killed when they became trapped in tuna nets? Or maybe it’s because they’re a health-conscious generation that worries about mercury poisoning? Or maybe it’s because it’s a generation that cares about the environment and struggles with the level of tuna overfishing?

Or maybe it's because millenials are dim-witted lazy fuckers who are waiting for a government sponsored program from their beloved "State" that will assist them in solving the incredibly daunting task of opening a can with a can opener.

I find the most startling sentence from the San Jose story is that Slate has a "Chief Political Correspondent". Who knew? I always figured Slate vomited Alpha-Bits cereal until the letters formed words and boom, there's their story. No?

I think it's time for a new millennial child's doll that says, "Can openers are tough," just like Barbie and math class.

Millennials can't or won't use a can opener. But they can operate a machine and obtain ingredients that will spit out their double-mocha, sun-dried vanilla bean, organic banana, sugar-free, caramel-drizzle, fiber powder, ginger-cinnamon-hazelnut, gluten-free, free-range honey, Himalayan Yoga sea salt, steamed soy/rice milk, no whipped cream, one Sweet'n Low, decaf coffee in a sustainable cup.

"Can openers are tough!"

Who's "wiping" millennials? If a can opener is foreign to them, the item below must be confoundedly perplexing. But wait...soon there will be an "app" for this:

The future, with Millennials, looks bright, doesn't it?

December's Boring NHL Post

EDIT: I wrote this 4 hours ago, something came up, didn't get around to publishing it until now.

Time to check the NHL. I know all one of my hockey reader might appreciate this post. /sarcasm

We're 20-25 games into a 82-game season. Much can change over that time.

There's been some shuffling in each division since my update of 9, October 2018. Let's take a look.

ATLANTIC: TBay made adjustments and leaped from third from the bottom to the number one team. They shut-down the Sabres 10-game winning streak. TBay's jump tapped down Boston who tapped down Montreal.

The Red Wings, Florida, and Ottawa retain their lower four positions. I've watched a few Detroit games where they've lost. The seem slow. Haven't caught a Panthers or Sens game, no idea what's going on with them. Leave a comment if you do. Despite the Red Wings performance, they are the Red Wings - they can never be underestimated or dismissed.

METRO: 2018 Stanley Cup Winner, The Caps,  The Caps, back on top from seated third on October 9. They bounced down a bit, then rebounded. Seems they got their skate on. Same for Columbus. There's this look in the eyes of Columbus, the look of, "we're winning The Cup."  Other shuffling back and forth with the Islanders, Devils, Carolina, Rangers and Philadelphia...and Pittsburgh? They have fifty some games to bounce back.

 

CENTRAL: Nashville's honed their game back into the playoff foe they have been and the previous Cup-winning team they're known for. Sorry to end that with a preposition. Chicago? I've watched a couple Blackhawks games. They won. Don't know why they slumped. Colorado sits in a good spot, they're usually a consistent and formidable team season after season. Dallas dropped. Winnipeg bounced upwards. The Wild are in a good spot and playing well. Haven't watched a St. Louis game - something is obviously lacking with their game.

PACIFIC: Working from the bottom up, watched a couple Kings game. Have to agree with a relative who said they lack speed. They do. Same relative, they also need some younger players. Yeah, they do. They have the "bodies". They always have. Haven't seen a Coyotes game, but Arizona has been troubled for a few seasons. Had a few decent draft picks over the past few seasons. Their coach, Rick Tocchet, is no neophyte. We''ll see what develops. Haven't seen a Vancouver game. Edmonton maintains. San Jose is in a good place. The Ducks back to quacking (sorry) ice, Calgary doing things right and two-year old Vegas sits at third.

Plenty of games tonight.

Happy Hockey!

Are you Evacuating Properly?

Have we been doing it incorrectly all these years? The Week:

...the Squatty Potty, a transportable plastic step that sits at the base of the toilet, elevating the user’s legs into a more squat-like position, to provide “the best poop of your life, guaranteed”, according to its US-based makers.

I'll wait for the deluxe version that's in the works.

Flush...

Bob Mueller Family Circus

Inspiration: Bil Keane

Keep looking...Bob.

Psychology Experts Analyze First Lady Melania Trump's Red Christmas Trees

Well, this didn't long. From The Guardian:

Dr Toby Israel, a pioneer of design psychology, said the heavily red set-up detaches viewers from nature, thus the psychological comfort associated with the natural world.
[.]
“By going against that tradition, the red trees ‘disrupt’ what we think of as the meaning of Christmas; the familiarity, the comfort, the easing of stress and uncertainty, the respite from the rush of events,” [said Dr Susan Painter, a founder of design psychology].
[.]
Dr Marc Berman, a psychologist at the University of Chicago, [said], “there’s nothing really natural” about these red trees. “The low-level fractal structure in things is still there, but the color is completely artificial – so everybody knows it’s artificial.”

Thanks for pointing out we don't have to ask ourselves if these red trees are "real", Doc. WTF?

I like the red trees.

Image: Leah Millis/Reuters

Gmail stops Smart Compose due to gender bias

Gender bias...in Gmail Smart Compose. No one saw this coming. Mashable:

[A] researcher noticed that Smart Compose was assigning gendered pronouns in a way that mirrored some real-world gender bias: It automatically ascribed a "him" pronoun to a person only previously described as an "investor." In other words, it assumed that the investor — a role in a largely male-dominated field — was a man.

Studies show that in language, gender bias — or assuming someone's [sic] gender based on stereotypes or tendencies associated with men or women — has the power to both "perpetuate and reproduce" bias in the way people treat each other, and the way we think of ourselves.

"Gender-biased language is harmful because it limits all of us," Toni Van Pelt, the president of the National Organization for Women (NOW) said. "If a woman is using AI, and it refers to an engineer as a 'him,' it may get in her brain that only men make good engineers. ("Math class is tough," - Barbie).  It limits our scope of dreaming. That’s why it sets us back so far."  (I can't be the only one thinking Toni has way too much time on her its hands? - Drake)

    ❌mankind ✔️humankind
    ❌businessmen ✔️representatives
    ❌congressman ✔️legislator
    ...
    Use your language to fight gender bias with gender-neutral expressions! Find out about #GenderTerm: https://t.co/GtVRz8vX37 pic.twitter.com/6wO2YQpZ1Y

    — UN Women (@UN_ Women) May 26, 2018

Gmail reportedly attempted several fixes for its own subtle gender bias, but none of them were perfect. So the Smart Compose architects decided the best solution was to remove pronoun suggestions altogether.

We can presume NOW will change the last word of their organization to something gender-neutral, right? Not doing that would be kinda hypocritical, wouldn't it? And they wouldn't be hypocrites, would they?

❌ Women ✔️ ??????

Image: Ali Express

What's that?

Vibrant colors! Any idea?

Something from the deep sea?

Give up? Leave a comment taking a guess before viewing the answer. I would've guessed something from the sea or ocean. And I would have been wrong.

World News

Car bomb explodes in Kabul - Al Jazeera:

A car bomb exploded near a security contractors' compound in the Afghan capital Kabul on Wednesday, sending a thick plume of smoke into the night sky and officials reported gunfire in the wake of the blast.

- - -
The Jakarta Post - Lion Air JT610 was "unfit to fly":

Apart from the stick shaker, the pilot of the Denpasar flight noted several other warning signs that appeared on the flight display, including one concerning the difference in the indicated airspeed.

- - -
NHK World - Japan drafting gene-editing guidelines:

The draft guidelines approved by the panel on Wednesday allows only basic research aimed at upgrading reproductive medicine.

Researchers are banned from putting gene-edited eggs back into a mother, or from creating gene-edited babies. But the guidelines do not prescribe how violations would be punished.

- - -
Poland powering up using 60% of coal by 2030  - Warsaw Business Journal:

Coal should account for 60 percent of the energy mix in Poland by 2030, according to the draft of Poland’s energy policy until 2040. The decrease of coal share to below 30 percent is expected by 2040.

- - -
Conor McGregor didn't know he was "going that fast." The Independent:

“I didn’t know I was going that fast” [said McGregor], before Judge Desmond Zaidan handed down the disqualification and fine.

McGregor was caught driving at 154kph in a 100kph zone on the N7 in Co Kildare in the incident last year, and failed to pay the fixed penalty fine due to an administrative error, Naas District Court heard.

- - -
Casablanca bans busking.  The Moroccan Times:

...the city of Casablanca have banned loud or amplified busking, generally popular with residents, workers and visitors, along various important streets of the city, after complaints were filed about excessive noise.

Busking = Street Performance.

- - -

Sky News: Bank of England says 'no deal' Brexit could lead to economic collapse.

In an 88-page document, the bank also claims that a disorderly Brexit could lead to house prices falling by 30%, unemployment nearly doubling and inflation spiralling to 6.5%. The Bank says that, under those circumstances, the interest rate could rocket to 5.5%.

- - -
From The Department of 'Purely Speculative Inexact Science of The Future'...What earth might look like in 200 million years. New Zealand Herald:

The last supercontinent, Pangea, formed around 310 million years ago, and started breaking up around 180 million years ago. It has been suggested that the next supercontinent will form in 200-250 million years, so we are currently about halfway through the scattered phase of the current supercontinent cycle.

- - -
Xinhua Net - Images of the Poyang Bridge No. 2:

The images are amazing.
- - -
Portugal Online: Bullfighting VAT Tax reduced:

The VAT (IVA) tax on bullfights is to be lowered to six percent. The motion was approved on Tuesday in Parliament as part of the state budget for 2019.

- - -
A five-minute cancer detection test?  - Bangladesh News 24: 

A research team of Shahjalal University of Science and Technology (SUST) claimed they have developed a technology that can detect cancer by analyzing blood samples just within five minutes.

- - -
INews: Why are there two dates for the start of winter?

"Because winter arrives either today or tomorrow?"
- - -
Xinhua Net: Images of villagers drying noodles.

Interesting pictures of the above at the link.
- - -
One News: 'Aquaman' movie early reviews are in.

According to Rotten Tomatoes, early screenings of the movie have already landed, and with it, first impressions are being made thick and fast on social media and elsewhere on the web.

California Fires: Torched by Globalists?

Check it out. Just saying, nothing would surprise me.

And here.

Cindy Hyde-Smith Wins. Mississippi's new Senator.

Hyde-Smith Wins. The Guardian:

Republican Cindy Hyde-Smith won Mississippi’s special election runoff for the US Senate late Tuesday.

By a margin of 55% to 45% with 77% of precincts reporting[.]

This win brings the U.S. Senate party breakdown as 53 Republicans and 47 Democrats.

Mississippi Runoff Senate Race: Hyde-Smith declared the winner.

Live-Stream concluded.

UPDATE: Now - Hyde-Smith's speech - at Golden State Times live-stream.

UPDATE 10:33 PM Eastern Time: Hyde-Smith to speak. Live at live-stream, Golden State Times.

Found a live-stream  reporting real-time election results in the Mississippi Senate race.  So far, Hyde-Smith (R) is ahead of Espy (D). (I'm guessing here, but likely for the live-stream to go dead after the results are all in. I'll yank this post when that happens). And fast-forward to the end of the live-stream for the most current results. The time won't run out, even though it says "0.00" time.

UPDATE:  The live-stream has Hyde-Smith leading 238,771 and Espy at 193,446. Probably will be different by the time this posts.

Any other race would be called with one party having this leading margin. But not in this race. Over 57% of precincts reporting.

And one other clear message. Those candidates for U.S. House and Senate who hitched their candidacy to President Trump, won. Most of those who didn't, didn't fare as well.

UPDATE: Hyde-Smith declared the winner. Same live-stream as above.

Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez Solves Vexing Puzzle

Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez, (D - New York's newly-elected U.S House of Representatives), proudly displays her success in accomplishing a 9-piece children's puzzle.

Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez holds puzzle she completed.

Tech News

C|Net: The Rivian: an all-electric, luxury, 400-mile pick-up truck.

Its design is as futuristic as anything from a sci-fi film, with a full-width bar on the nose that serves as the daytime running light, while oval "stadium lights" house the actual LED headlights. With no need for a traditional grille, the truck's face is unusually flat and plain.

The Rivian

- - -

WIRED: "Firebait" cities. 

THE NORTHERN CALIFORNIA city of Paradise is gone—the Camp Fire, by far the deadliest and most destructive wildfire in state history, has reduced home after home to ashes.

[.]

Curiously, though, trees still stand between burned-out homes.

“If they're still there and they didn't burn and they're even green, then clearly those trees didn't contribute to the ignition of the houses,” says fire expert Jack Cohen, formerly of the US Forest Service.

- - -
U.S. Postal system exposes data of 60 million users. TechCrunch: 

[The] US Postal Service API exposed from over 60 million users and allowed a researcher to pull millions of rows of data by sending wildcard requests to the server.

- - -

Computer World: MS promotes crash-prone Office fix.

"After you install this update, you may experience crashes in Microsoft Access or other applications. To resolve this issue, uninstall the update by following the instructions in the "More information" section.

This update is no longer available. "

Patch, patch, patch. Spackle, spackle, spackle. Crash, crash, crash.
- - -
Something "hot" is under Antarctica.  Live Science:  

This melt isn't related to climate change, which causes intense melting at the fringes of the continent; it's an old, and separate, warm spot in the ice, insulated and kept far away from the atmosphere. Scientists were able to detect it thanks to a survey using specialized, ice-penetrating radar.

- - -
Coming soon to the U.S.? Behavioral monitoring of every Chinese resident.  Technocracy:

Beijing announced an “action plan” this week for monitoring residents’ behavior, adding that the city expects to have its social credit system fully implemented by the end of 2020.

- - -
ExtremeTech: Wheeled VR Shoes, from Google!

[W]hat you really want is the sensation of walking without actually going anyplace. 

Sure, why not?
- - -
Geek: A piano. Made entirely of LEGOS.

The only thing it can’t do is actually make music; you just have to imagine the sounds.

If the sounds have to be imagined, why do we need the piano?
- - -
Gizmodo: When time-capsules outlast the Apocalypse.

Conventional time capsules are rubbish, as they can end up becoming decidedly soggy and ruined within decades. Any that do survive over the longer term are liable to get destroyed by the inexorable march of plate tectonics.

- - -
Aren't you glad you didn't RSVP? 15 year ago - Invitations sent to beta test Win XP. BetaNews:

Microsoft is gearing up to release a beta version of Windows XP Service Pack 2. An e-mail sent out Thursday invited testers to install and evaluate the pre-release code when it becomes available within the next several weeks.

Patches already in the works.
- - -
Because original ideas and screenplays are hard. Disney remakes "The Lion King". Ubergizmo:

[Disney] released the first teaser for the remake of this classic which came out back in 1994. 

- - -
MIT Tech Review:  Autonomous trucks will haul stone in a Norway mine.

Volvo has also been involved in autonomous-truck projects involving mining, sugarcane harvesting, and refuse collection.

- - -
Only in France...for now - Tax officials to scour social media for tax-cheaters. TechDirt:

France’s tax administrators will start searching through social media accounts in early 2019, a pilot project in the fight against tax avoidance, Budget Minister Gerald Darmanin told weekly business TV show Capital. 

World News

New Zealand Herald: Long-distance standoff between Indian authorities and the Sentinelese tribe in recovering body of killed American missionary.
- - -
HindustanTimes: 6.3 earthquake hits western Iran.
- - -
Ukraine to declare martial law? The Mirror:

Ukraine President Petro Poroshenko ... will propose Parliament declare martial law, [stating Russia's actions are a "act of war" when Russian warships fired on Ukrainian Navy boats, seizing three vessels.]

- - -
Uber driver guilty over passenger death. SMH:

...magistrate Mary Ryan found the driver "did not keep a proper lookout" when [passenger] Mr Thomas opened the door before accelerating.

She said both of the victim's "intoxicated" friends were awoken by the sound of the door and - as captured on CCTV on the bus - Islam's car's internal light also came on.

- - -
An election chairman resigns due to public outcry of slow polling and voting delays. (No...it wasn't in Florida or Georgia). Taipei Times:

Apologizing to voters, former Central Election Commission chairman Chen In-chin said, “As the senior official, I must accept all responsibility."

- - -
Shanghai News Net: US court dismisses lawsuit over MH370 flight disappearance.

[The judge] dismissed the lawsuit saying that the "case is about the unexplained disappearance of a passenger plane operated by Malaysia Airlines as part of its national air carrier fleet following its departure from a Malaysian airport."

- - -
Elon Musk, moving to Mars.  The Telegraph:

...within seven years for a few hundred thousand dollars per ticket, saying: "I'm thinking about moving there."

- - -

Brexit and...

BBC: "researchers say," Brexit deal 'will cost UK £100bn' by 2030.

BBC: Welsh ports.

Bloomberg: Italy's budget concerns.

MSN: Jeremy Corbyn relishes Bexit debate with May.

The Daily Mail: Boris Johnson shreds Mays' Brexit.

Political Betting: Total Brexit analysis. 

Give Thanks this Thanksgiving

From Thanksgiving,com:

Make a joyful noise unto the LORD, all ye lands.

Serve the LORD with gladness:
come before his presence with singing.

Know ye that the LORD he is God:
it is he that hath made us, and not we ourselves;
we are his people, and the sheep of his pasture.

Enter into his gates with thanksgiving,
and into his courts with praise:
be thankful unto him, and bless his name.

For the LORD is good;
his mercy is everlasting;
and his truth endureth to all generations.

– Psalm 100

May everyone enjoy a Blessed and safe Thanksgiving holiday.

Tech News

Data breach at Amazon - ITPro Portal:

Amazon may have suffered a data breach that saw customer names and email addresses leaked.
[.]
...users confirmed on Twitter that they had gotten an email from Amazon, which the retailer later confirmed to be genuine, notifying them that the data has been shared, accidentally.

We don't know how it happened, exactly when it happened, or who the information was shared with / to. 

Who knew? No one saw this coming.
- - -
No one saw this coming either: Is your CPAP machine spying on you? ArsTechnia:

Tony Schmidt discovered something unsettling about the machine that helps him breathe at night. Without his knowledge, it was spying on him.

- - -

TechCrunch - Facebook an accomplice in 16-year-old girl sold for marriage in South Sudan.

A multimillionaire businessman from South Sudan’s capital city reportedly won the auction after offering a record “price” — of 530 cows, three Land Cruiser V8 cars and $10,000 — to marry the child, Nyalong Ngong Deng Jalang.

Disgusting. FB needs to be held accountable.
- - -
C|Net: Leather clad, luxury laptop:

Instead of taking a slim laptop and sticking it in a leather sleeve, as one might do with any other similar system, the leather case here is built right in. No, it's not Corinthian leather, but it's still pretty nice.

- - -
ZD Net - Everything you need to know about the cannabis industry:

...marijuana is one of the most exciting growth industries in the US as it becomes legal in some states, attracts investment, and becomes a vertical that can utilize multiple technologies ranging from the internet of things to cloud to analytics.

- - -
When to hire a cyber security expert? Tech News World:

[Cyber security] itself is increasing in importance, it remains a truism that many smaller organizations (and in fact, some mid-sized ones) don't have specialized security expertise on staff.

Is is too late for Amazon?
- - -
Time-travel into the past. 13 years ago, Microsoft trashes Linux. BetaNews:

Linux bashing is nothing new for Microsoft, which has set up a dedicated Web site to detail why customers should choose Windows Server over the open source operating system. This week at the IT Forum, Microsoft announced the results of a new study that shows Windows as more reliable and easier to manage than Linux.

What a joke. Keep releasing "patches", MS, for your wonderful OS.
- - -

'Smart Watch' tracker of children easy to hack. TechDirt: 

A location-tracking smartwatch worn by thousands of children has proven... you guessed it... rather trivial to hack. The MiSafes Kid's Watcher Plus is a "smart watch for kids" that embeds a 2G cellular radio and GPS technology, purportedly to let concerned helicopter parents track their kids' location at all times. But security researchers at UK's Pen Test Partners have issued a report calling the devices comically unsecure.

- - - 
Technology.Org - 64 SpaceX satellites ready to launch:

...the U.S. kicked around the idea of putting large reflectors in orbit during the Vietnam war, effectively abolishing night over southeast Asia. There have also been ideas to put advertising in space… though for now, you won’t have to worry about Pepsi or McDonald’s logos drifting through your astrophotos.

- - -
Five songs that could make you a dangerous driver. The Drive:

British car loan financier Moneybarn recently released a study outlining how our choice in music can affect our driving. It found that songs with tempos that exceed 120 beats per minute (bpm) can make people subconsciously drive faster, which makes them more liable to draw negative attention from law enforcement.
[.]
...the 12th most common song on driving (or riding) playlists, AC/DC's "Back In Black" has the misfortune of being the cliche soundtrack for Baby Boomers on Harley Davidsons. Again, it doesn't tip the scales for high-energy lyrical content, but its tempo of 188 bpm is eclipsed by just one song on the chart.

Make it so loud that my ears bleed! 
- - -
Bleeping Computer - Firefox 65 improvements in Content Blocking settings:

Firefox 65, Mozilla is overhauling how users can configure the Content Blocking settings. With this version, the previously confusing configuration is replaced by three different modes that a user can select that offer varying degrees of blocking and customization.

 - - -
Technocracy - Are Smart-Meters spying on you?

“What limits have been placed on data collection and permissions for data collection beyond monthly billing cycle totals?” [asks Smithfield Township supervisors in a] letter dated Nov. 14, to FirstEnergy’s president, regional president, state president, the state Office of Consumer Advocates and the Pennsylvania Public Utility Commission. “The notice sent to our residents makes no mention of this, yet is it is of prime concern to us in order to protect and secure data of our residential households.”

- - -
Ubergizmo - Future Apple watches may monitor UV exposure.

Apple has filed for a patent that describes how future Apple Watches could come with a built-in UV sensors that are embedded around the frame of the Apple Watch. These sensors will alert the wearer when they’ve been exposed for too long.

Because...everything is dangerous and we need Apple to save us.

Judith Jumps The Shark. Memo to Shark: "Eat Judith !"

Spoiler notice - if you're not current with The Walking Dead, Fear The Walking Dead or ZNation, you might wanna stop reading now.

Judith Grimes jumps the shark. Cheer for the shark!

The Rick Grimes family and crew is now under the leadership of his young daughter, Judith. How precious.

TWD used to be so good. Fans can debate, but the last time TWD seemed on course was Season 5. It went down hill after that, and quickly. Last season (#8) sucked. This season reaches new highs in disappointing viewers. 

Just stop watching it. That is the answer. Must be fans keep hoping it will get better. We should know better by now. 

Here's a show, with one of the greatest, all-time TV villains, Negan, and his on-screen time in season 8 is doled out like micro-droplets from a morphine drip until the last episode. Why bother at all? Yeah, Negan was in here and there, but no real screen time. We could have seen more of Negan and less of people walking or driving down a dirt road for several minutes. See, we might not know where they're going if we only see thirty seconds. Yes, we have to watch them go down the entire fucking road. The repetition of the same shit in episode after episode amounts to filler.

At the end of season 7, Maggie was pregnant with Glenn's child for around...3 weeks? In all of season 8, Maggie didn't even show a baby bump. Season 8, in real-time, represented how long? A month? Five weeks tops?

This season, within a span of six episodes, the show has moved 18 months ahead of where it left off in season 8? And Judith Grimes, a child, is telling the group what to do and making life and death decisions for others? I guess if viewers will buy that the defenseless child Newt Jordan  manages to survive being eaten by aliens running around everywhere, when every adult armed with kickass weapons are alien chow, they'll buy any plot. (My reason why Aliens is inferior to the original Alien - all due to the Newt character. Gimme a break.)

I gave TWD the benefit of the doubt since season 5. What a waste of time. Except for those few great moments of Negan. Oh, TWD viewers got plenty too much of The Governor,  but Negan? TWD wastes the talent of Jeffrey-Dean Morgan. 

TWD's new opening title sequence is garbage. All CGI.  Some think differently. I miss the actual images and the lone zombie in the pasture.  

The good thing is, I don't watch it in real time. I fast-forward through a full episode in ten minutes or less. Same for Fear The Walking Dead.

I loved seasons 1 - 3 of FTWD. The key is, you have to get past the middle of season two. The first season is great. The beginning to middle of season 2 is tough, but after getting past that, I think it sails along and keeps getting better.

Until season 4. Crash and burn. We never see how the survivors survived the bridge and dam explosion. The timeframe shifting with Nick being dead, then not dead ("before") to being dead is done for what reason? There isn't one.

The main character Madison is killed mid-season. Some story at the time noted the writers felt they had explored ALL the options possible with Madison. Three seasons and half of season four and the writers are out of options for Madison. But we get Rick Grimes for eight seasons and half of the ninth? Do we really know if Rick is dead? (Weary viewers can only hope).

Both shows go beyond excess in flashbacks and flash-forwards, showing viewers what's to come, what's happened before, what's current and what might or might not be. Is it a dream? A hallucination? A fantasy? It's not that I can't follow it. There's no reason for it. Thank you technology for fast-forwarding. What a time-saver. Who wants to watch two minutes of someone buttoning their shirt; each and every button?

If you like the zombie genre, and are looking for a very witty, well-written series, you might like ZNation.

The first thing you'll notice with ZNation is it flagrantly jumps the shark. Sometimes, several times within the same episode. And it jumps shamelessly and they know you know they're jumping shamelessly. You won't care. You'll want them to jump the shark. You'll expect them to jump and you'll want it to be more outrageous than the prior jump. And it will.

ZN's season 4 was much darker than the previous three. But the reason is solid, while all the other elements that make ZN so good are intact, including jumping the shark. ZN has its moments of excessive flashbacks, flash-forwards and unknown unknowns. Usually there's a pay-off (not always), unlike TWD and FTWD.

I don't fast-forward during ZN. I end up re-watching favorite parts over and over again. 

And yeah, haven't updated here much. Either working, sleeping or watching teh hockey. I heard we had an election. Is Hillary president now?

Veterans Day

This history of Veterans Day.

IT IS THE SOLDIER by Charles M. Province, © 1970, 2005:

It is the Soldier, not the minister
Who has given us freedom of religion.

It is the Soldier, not the reporter
Who has given us freedom of the press.

It is the Soldier, not the poet
Who has given us freedom of speech.

It is the Soldier, not the campus organizer
Who has given us freedom to protest.

It is the Soldier, not the lawyer
Who has given us the right to a fair trial.

It is the Soldier, not the politician
Who has given us the right to vote.

It is the Soldier who salutes the flag,
Who serves beneath the flag,
And whose coffin is draped by the flag,
Who allows the protester to burn the flag.

Veterans Day 2018 Freebies and Discounts.

A collection of Veterans Day images.
- - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - -
Additional reading on Veterans Day at: 


90 Miles From Tyranny 

By Other Means

Tech News

Go ahead. Have a second piece of (belated) birthday cake. IRC Turns 30. Ars Technia:

For Ars staffers, IRC led to love, marriage, and trolling.

Internet Relay Chat (IRC) turned 30 this August.

- - -
C|Net - Inside the You Tube House:

Living in a mansion playing video games with your best friends all day. But inside, it’s a slightly different story.

- - -
Tech Crunch - Tesla Tequila coming soon?

Tesla CEO Elon Musk confirmed Friday in a tweet that the Tesla-branded tequila called “Teslaquilla”... is “coming soon.”

- - -

Win 10, more flaws, how to fix? ZD Net:

Disastrous is the best word to describe Microsoft's release of Windows 10 version 1809. A data deletion bug forced the company to take the unprecedented step of halting the roll-out of its October 2018 feature update.

Shorter answer to fixing Win-anything: Switch to Linux
- - -
Geek - Barn doorstop actually a meteorite:

...a 22-plus pound meteorite—the sixth-largest recorded find in Michigan, and potentially worth $100,000.

But I bet it did a good job as a doorstop, too.
- - -
PC World - Alienware's impressive laptop:

Alienware's m15 is significantly smaller, thinner, and lighter than its 15-inch cousins[.]

Check out the video at the link.
- - -
Trust in Google wanes, search engine DuckDuckGo Soars! BetaNews:

The privacy-focused search engine has enjoyed a 50 percent surge in usage over the last year, and it can now boast a new record of 30 million daily searches.

"Trust in Google wanes..." ... will the person who trusted in Google admit it?
- - -
Ever been sun-burned? Blame Trump Dinosaurs for it.  Extreme Tech: 

...dinosaurs were sauntering around all day, looking for small morsels to eat. This may have caused a “nocturnal bottleneck” as mammals survived for generations by hiding underground during the day and only coming out at night.

- - -
Establishing Biometric Databases.  Technocracy:

Does anyone remember that it used to be considered a conspiracy theory to warn people about biometric databases? Well, now that it is an accepted reality, we should be looking even farther down the slippery slope for new signposts indicating even greater plans to track, trace and database all human beings.

 - - -

TechDirt: The continuing battle between the FCC and net neutrality.

The FCC's claims that its rules embrace transparency are equally hollow, given the agency's replacement transparency provisions are entirely voluntary. And the idea that "market forces" can fix the broken and uncompetitive broadband industry should be laughable to anybody that's experienced Comcast customer service.

My Official First, Long, Boring NHL Post for the 2018-2019 Season

It's official. The 2018-2019 NHL Season is here (has been a couple days). But it seems like hockey just ended! It did. On June 8,  when Washington won their first-ever Stanley Cup against Las Vegas. Vegas is an expansion team, last year being their first season. And they somehow navigated their way into the Stanley Cup, losing the series 4 to 1. Prior to their loss, LV was slicing and dicing their way on the ice, carving their opponents on an almost un-stoppable path to The Cup.

Since it's been 124 days  since June 8, the NHL has to be the only major league sport with that short of an off-season. Can anyone think of a sport with less time off from the game?

Let it be recorded in history that this is my first, official, long, boring, NHL 2018-2019 post. If you like teh hockey, chime in, leave a comment. If you're not into hockey, might I suggest reading from any of the entries on my blogroll to the right.

The season is early. I don't write much about it until the second-half of the season. But let's see where the teams are starting.

Besides, you've been looking forward to my long, boring, NHL post, right? Kind of like you wait for the Long Boring Christmas Family Update Letter From (Insert name of relative here).

A lot has changed and some team-shuffling occurred between the close-out of pre-season  below, and with the opening of the new season.

2018-2019 NHL Pre-season Standings, September 30, 2018

Yes, things have shifted from the above graph to the one below. 

Detroit was dominating their division in pre-season, a little more than a week ago. Now, they've dropped. The shuffling out of the rest of the teams in the Atlantic Division appears as one expect. Ottawa came on strong last season, making it to the playoffs. Boston is Boston and season after season always is a tough opponent. Toronto has high expectations for itself this year.

Central's Chicago went from pre-season ranking of bottom-dweller to top dawg. Tied in W/L with Chicago (but Chi tops with points) are Dallas, Colo and Nashville. All contenders. Will St. Louis struggle with a slow start? Minnesota...I'll get to them.

The Met and Pacific division teams all have settled out where they are in W/L, in a not-unusual NHL new season start. Carolina and the Islanders are doing something right. A bit surprising, the Rangers are winless.

In the Pacific: Vegas will be on everyone's watch-list, this being year two. Arizona needs a good year, but will they have one? No idea here. You?

Edmonton dominated pre-season and has tanked. The Ducks and the Kings have their stuff together, so far. Calgary? San Jose, who played so well when they played well in last season's playoffs, will be tough. Vancouver another team needing a good year.

Returning to the MN Wild. They played Vegas on October 6. The Wild scored a goal in the opening minutes and held a one-zero lead over LV. LV scored with slightly more than 90 seconds remaining in the game. It went into one OT, both teams scoreless, so, tied 1 - 1.

The Wild lost in a shoot-out.

The shoot-out has to go. It does. It was never a good idea to begin with and never should have been implemented.  Would you decide the winner of two, tied NBA teams by a free-throw contest? Decide a tied football game with a series of field-goal attempts? Decide an MLB tied game by pitcher vs hitter determining a winner by requiring a home-run be hit?

Return Winner/Loser in tied NHL games being decided by a series of unlimited, FIVE-MINUTE overtime periods.  Workout the details...two, five minute overtime periods. If score remains tied, ten minute break both teams, then return to ice for two, five minute overtime periods (or only one - the "third" OT -  if a team scores, obviously). Repeat process until one team scores within the 5 minute OT. These OTs aren't going to go more than 15-20 minutes. It's not that hard, is it?

The Wild...they have work to do. Zach Parise is back, which is great. The Wild should consider hiring an exorcist who can forever banish the demon whereby the Wild fail to take any advantage when on the power play, less, that they give up a goal while on the power play, which they have done...way too often.

Coach? Doesn't matter. Goalie? Doesn't matter. Team Captains? Doesn't matter. Team roster? Doesn't matter. The Wild need to do a 180 on executing their power plays and once they "get it", it must never be un-learned.

My first, long boring NHL Sermon for the 2018-2019 season has ended. May you be Blessed and go in Peace, Eh.
---
Fixed Typo 10/12/2018

"World has [ fill in the blank with a number ] of years to stop catrastrophic climate change." And Weed in Space.

The Mirror: Only eleven years left to stop global climate crisis.

The Irish Times: Climate change far worse than originally thought.
Of course it is. How could anyone have thought differently?

Smart Cities Drive: UN says we have 12 years to tackle climate change.  Where'd that cagey UN find an extra year?

Uh-oh. From June, 2017, The Guardian: World has three years to stop dangerous climate change. So are we down to two, ten or eleven years? 

Sky News: 'Unprecedented action' needed to avert global warming by 2030.

There it is..."Unprecedented." A favorite adjective of the global warming alarmists. Surely, "Epidemic" must be one other story click away.

We've had about twenty-years or more of "ten-year This Is The End" dire warnings. Amazing how quickly global warming retook its focus now that the Kavanaugh saga is over, isn't it?

And because in space, no one can hear you toke;  Weed. In space.  Tech Crunch: 

Space Tango is taking its own steps to develop experiments on how the zero gravity environment could affect cannabis cultivation.

Alongside two Kentucky hemp and cannabis cultivation and retail companies, Atalo Holdings, which provides hemp genetics, and Anavii Market, an online retailer of hemp-derived cannabidiol (CBD) therapeutics, ["] Space Tango has set up its own subsidiary to research how microgravity can be used to better cultivate particular strands of hemp for medical compounds...the model is looking at low earth orbit to actually develop and design applications for life on earth.["]

World News Links

China very silent over missing Interpol Chief. Singapore Press:

..."China remained silent yesterday over the disappearance of the head of Interpol, deepening the mystery over the international police chief's fate [who] was last seen leaving for China late last month from the Interpol headquarters in Lyon, south-east France[.]"

- - -
Final court appeal for Christian woman on death row; charged with insulting Muhammad. The Independent:

If her appeal fails the mother of five, from the rural village of Ittan Wali, Punjab, will become the first woman to be executed for blasphemy in Pakistan.

- - -
The Weekend Australian: Congo tanker truck fire, at least 50 dead.

"The driver of the tanker truck has disappeared while the driver of the tractor trailer died at the scene," the ministry said.
[.]
Deadly traffic accidents are common in Congo, where roads and other infrastructure in the vast country are often poorly maintained.

- - -
The Weekend Australian: Tina Turner's kidney transplant.

Tina Turner has revealed she underwent a kidney transplant with an organ donated by her husband.

The 78-year-old singer says in an upcoming autobiography she has suffered from kidney disease and by 2016 her kidneys were at "20 per cent and plunging rapidly"

- - -
The Daily Dot - Tesla inventors to Elon Musk: Nix the tweeting:

Perhaps most frightening of all, one Tesla staffer said the company was chaotic.
[.]
While Musk was mostly silent toward those asking him to stop tweeting, he did respond to one Twitter user who said it seemed like Musk was actually working against Tesla’s long-term investors.

“Hang in there,” Musk tweeted. “If you are truly long-term, it will be fine.”

Elon Musk tokin' on The Joe Rogan Show

- - -

Silicon Valley Liberal planning "Internet Bill of Rights." Recode: 

The author of these proposals is Rep. Ro Khanna (D-CA) [...] a set of new regulations for Silicon Valley that Democratic legislators may start pushing next year if they recapture Congress in November.

Tech has been, and will continue, outpacing law at breakneck speed. Politicians meddling in Tech is never good for Tech (or for law) and this is equal across Dems, Repubs and Others. Libertarians excluded, of course.

- - - 

You gotta fight...

For your right...

To Party ...

... ur, You gotta fight, for your right, to be a prostitute. BBC:

Husna Bai, a 24-year-old woman, told Judge Jagdish Sahai that she was a prostitute. Invoking the constitution, she had filed a petition challenging the validity of a new law to ban trafficking in human bodies.

By striking at her means of livelihood, Bai argued, the new law had "frustrated the purpose of the welfare state established by the Constitution in the country".

- - -

Let's all get our favorite junk foods, sit down and read about it:  Can social media help people lose weight?  BBC: 

"I think the negative thing about being able to hide behind that anonymity is that people will say things on Reddit that they would never say to an actual person," [said Christy Brissette, a registered dietician in Chicago].

Whoaaaaa....right there. What's this about people on Reddit hiding behind anonymity? That can't be accurate, can it?

- - -

The Observer -  Conservative Pundits thank Michael Avenatti for Kavanaugh confirmation:

Pundits on the right are crediting attorney Michael Avenatti with Brett Kavanaugh’s confirmation.

Will the Libs turn on Avenatti? What if he is secretly working against them? Huh? Huh? Conspiracy Thread time?
- - -

Movie: Metropolis

New Statesman: Nietzsche's descent into madness.

...he was often incapacitated, as he would continue to be throughout his life, by illnesses of various sorts.
[.]
... the onset of his madness is usually dated to 3 January 1889, when, seeing a cabman mercilessly beating his horse, a sobbing Nietzsche threw his arms around the horse’s neck and then collapsed.

- - -
Sidney Morning Herald - "Party-bus" passengers being denied entry into bars:

...[the party bus passengers], "Usually they are pre-loaded, they have obviously been drinking at home and on the bus on the way in.  (Well, yeah - that IS the idea, isn't it? - DD).  We want an environment where locals and visitors can all enjoy a venue," [said Richard Adamson, Coordinator of the Newtown Liquor Accord].
[.]
 "So if you're coming on a party bus, you're probably going to be turned away," [he said].

Goblin Roaming our Solar System

From RT: Goblin Roaming our Solar System -

A new planet dubbed the Goblin has been hiding in the mysterious Oort Cloud in the far reaches of our Solar System. And it could prove that a Super-Earth commonly referred to as 'Planet 9' is really lurking somewhere beyond Pluto.

The confirmed discovery of 2015 TG387, aka ‘The Goblin’ (it was monitored around the Halloween period here on Earth) was thanks to the largest and deepest survey ever conducted on distant solar objects, in the hunt for the ever-elusive 'Planet 9,'[.]
[.]
The Goblin is one of three objects clustered together in a mysterious region of the Universe known as the Oort cloud, an area beyond Pluto that was once thought largely barren and bereft of celestial activity.

Stephanie Clifford Stormy Daniels

Eight-plus NHL games on tap to watch...oh, Kavanaugh confirmed for Supreme Court

Brett Kavanaugh confirmed by Senate in 50-48 vote. BBC:

The Senate backed Brett Kavanaugh's nomination by 50 votes to 48.
[.]
The only party dissenters were Republican Senator Lisa Murkowski, who had intended to vote no, and Democrat Joe Manchin, who voted yes.

That should have meant a 51-49 tally, but the absence of Republican Steve Daines, a yes voter who was at his daughter's wedding, altered the final figures.

Ms Murkowski opted instead to simply mark herself as "present", leaving the final vote 50-48.

 I'm glad this drama is over.

Now...I need to figure out how the heck I'm going to watch around eight NHL games  simultaneously tonight. 

Susan Collins is now a "betrayer of women."

Susan Collins, U.S. Senator - Maine (kinda-pretend-sometimes Republican) has said she will vote to nominate Brett Kavanaugh to the Supreme Court.

Because Senator Collins recognizes there is no substantial, let alone remote circumstantial evidence, that Kavanaugh is guilty of the alleged accusations of Dr. Christine Ford...Collins is now labeled a "betrayer."

Celebrities to Collins, "You are a betrayer of women."

Susan Rice scolds Collins for "Her betrayal of women."

More celebs turn caustic towards Collins. Lifezette:

...director Rob Reiner was just as extreme in his reaction.

He wrote, “Susan Collins turns her back on women who have been traumatized by sexual assault. Elections have consequences. To start turning the ship of state back towards the rule of law, decency, truth, and the preservation of Democracy, Nov. 6 has to be a lot more than a blue wave. VOTE!!!”

Law? Decency? Truth? WTF is wrong with Meat Head, anyway?

Collins is a "betrayer of Maine voters."

Planned Parenthood calls Collins, a "betrayer of people everywhere." Everywhere? Really, now...everywhere?

All this is good news. When I hear Libs whining this loudly and to this extent, I know something is going right.

Let's hope Collins doesn't bow to pressure.