the knowledge bowl: Dear thepublicblogger, why did you follow my blog?
I found this post to be both a succinct and eloquent description of our global WordPress community.
YOKS
“She looks like George Burns”
It’s the glasses …
Norwegian π-rat
Yarrrr … Cat-Beard the Norwegian π-rat has a theme song 🙂
An email of a Russian dashcam video leads to the discovery of music by Two Steps From Hell and their Archangel album.
Song # 13 is Norwegian Pirate:
It is currently my 3.14159th favorite song of all time.
I Have A Dream
[Author’s note: This post is a continuation of the Welcome to the Future series of essays. If you haven’t read Welcome to the Future, I suggest that you start >> HERE <<]
Excerpted from Welcome to the Future
Negrophobia
I was a lower-middle income white kid of Norwegian-Italian parents. I lived a sheltered, segregated life with white neighbors and white classmates. I am not sure how it happened – my parents, if alive today, would vehemently deny they were racist – but I developed a fear of black people, Negrophobia. I never knew any black people personally as a kid. All I knew about them was what I saw and heard on the news. Black people were angry. Very angry. They were angry at white people. They were angry at my mom and dad. They were angry at me!
1963
The sixties were turbulent times. Anyone interested in learning more, will find a wealth of information on the Internet. I won’t begin to try to elaborate on it here, beyond a few simple points. First that the American Negro, the Blacks, the African Americans were righteously angry at being treated as less than human, both socially and economically. Second that my enlightenment regarding the truth began with my leaving home for college and has continued to this day.
Racism is a terrible thing. That seems like such an obvious statement now. Yet as I was growing up, the United States was in the throws of coming to grips with state sponsored racism. One hundred years after the Emancipation Proclamation that led to the abolition of slavery as a legal institution, the American Negro was still socially and economically enslaved.
One of the great leaders of the American Civil Rights Movement was the Reverend Martin Luther King Jr. One of his most memorable speeches was given during the 1963 March on Washington, 50 years ago on August 28.
I have a dream that my four little children will one day live in a nation where they will not be judged by the color of their skin but by the content of their character.
I have a dream that one day … little black boys and black girls will be able to join hands with little white boys and white girls as sisters and brothers.
Watch the full speech below:
Another part of my enlightenment regarding the Civil Rights movement was listening to folk music, Pete Seeger, in particular. Even now as I research this essay, I am learning so much more than I had known before. (The Internet truly is magical) Pete Seeger popularized We Shall Overcome and it became the anthem of the American Civil Rights movement.
Pete Seeger talks about the history of We Shall Overcome:
This is the famous Carnegie Hall recording by Pete Seeger. It is part of the Mrs’ favorites playlist that she has been listening to on her new Bose speaker:
We Shall Overcome – The Complete Carnegie Hall Collection is available on iTunes, Amazon, and most of the usual places. Cat-Beard highly recommends this and the Mrs absolutely approves.
Where was I? Ah yes, the more you know about a person or people the harder it to harbor unfounded fear. The more I learned about the history and circumstances of African Americans the more I was filled with the same righteous anger and sense of brotherhood. How could I fear someone I respected?
Color Blind
In the same way that my Dad made sure that I would never be afraid of thunderstorms, the Mrs and I did our best to raise our two sons to be color blind. To our joy and pride, it worked. Both my sons introduced me to Rap (or is it Hip Hop? sadly I’m not hip enough to know the difference). My collection includes, but is not limited to, in no particular order: Jay-Z, Ludadcris, Lil John (Yay-ya), Chamillionaire, Trick Daddy, and Everlast (yeah, OK, so he’s not Black). I find both the rhythm and the lyrics of Rap compelling even if the language is a bit rough. I will never truly understand what it is like to grow up as an African American now or in the 50s and 60s, but through music I have a glimpse into the soul (pun intended) of the Black experience.
2008
From a woman on a bus
To a man with a dream
Chorus:
Hey, wake up Martin Luther
Welcome to the future
Hey, glory, glory, hallelujah
Welcome to the future
Brad Paisley – Welcome to the Future
What makes me the most proud about the Presidency of Barack Obama, is not Barack Obama himself. What makes me the most proud is that White America elected him, not once – but twice. I’m sure that the vast majority of Black America voted for him, but that alone would not have won him the Presidency. Barack Obama was elected by White voters.
One of the things I am conscientiously avoiding in this blog is pontificating on matters of politics and religion. Although it is true that I have strong positive feelings toward President Obama, this post isn’t about Barack Obama. This post is about how far we have come as a nation and as a people to have elected a Black man to the White House. In 1963 this would certainly have been a far distant dream.
Hey, wake up Martin Luther
Welcome to the future
Hey, glory, glory, hallelujah
Welcome to the future
2013
So here we are fifty years after Martin Luther’s I Have A Dream speech. Are things different? Unquestionably. Are things better? Depends on who you ask, but I would argue that race relations in America are better that they were fifty years ago.
Do White people still suffer from Negrophobia? Sadly, yes. Recent events in Florida testify to this. Frightened people do irrational things. Are there still too many arrests for DWB? I think Jay-Z would say yes. Are too many African Americans in prison for possessing drugs that are now legal in some states? You decide.
As a nation and as a people we still have a long way to go, but I remain optimistic. As for myself, I regret that I don’t have any close Black friends. I have African American, African Trinidadian, and African African friends at work, but no one I socialize with outside of work. Then again I don’t socialize much outside of work. I have a few close friends that I see outside of work, but I really don’t have much free time after work and what little free time I have tend to guard jealously. It must be the Introvert in me 🙂
Next >> Convoy
D’OH !
My previous two posts, Quiet and Introvert, seem to have struck a nerve …
and then it occurred to me … wait a minute … didn’t I read that Introverts are likely to be writers?
Quiet
So I’m talking to Ye Olde Kid Sister about the Huffington Post article on Introverts and she recommends Quiet by Susan Cain.
So I launch iBooks (did I mention that I do everything on a first generation iPad? The one Ye Olde Kid Sister gave me for Father’s Day, lo these many years ago) and I buy Quiet. So now I am reading Quiet and What Happens To Us and wondering why I have no time to write …
The first story in the book (the last screenshot) is especially timely considering that this Wednesday marks the 50th anniversary of Martin Luther King Jr.’s I Have A Dream speech.
Introvert
As if it weren’t already painfully apparent to me, I appear to be an introvert.
http://www.huffingtonpost.com/2013/08/20/introverts-signs-am-i-introverted_n_3721431.html
Prez joins fight for Pit Bulls
Hey Maggie,
Check this out …
Not only did the Obama family introduce Sunny the puppy to her adoring country, but the White House also came out against breed-specific legislation — regulations and laws that restrict ownership of dogs by breed, pit bulls being the most common target. …
http://www.huffingtonpost.com/2013/08/20/obama-breed-specific-legislation_n_3785911.html
What Happens To Us
No writing for a while. I am reading What Happens To Us by David Groves.
I am only at Chapter 2 and I am hooked. I am now at Chapter 11. This is quite the riveting, high intensity story.
Click on the book image below to go to its Amazon page.
Get the Kindle App for iPad
David Groves talks about What Happens To Us
Justice for Ethan
This makes me very sad.
From change.org
My big brother, Ethan Saylor, was a 26 year old man with Down Syndrome who died in the custody of three off-duty Frederick County Deputy Sheriffs on January 12th, 2013 over the price of a movie ticket. Our family is hurt and left with many unanswered questions. We’re calling for an independent investigation into Ethan’s death.
Ethan’s crime? He wouldn’t leave a movie theater because he wanted to see Zero Dark Thirty one more time, but didn’t pay for the second showing. When he refused to get out of the seat for the next show police attempted to pull him out of his chair and he resisted. Ethan’s aide asked the police to wait and that Ethan would calm down shortly if they left him alone. She specifically told them that touching him would just escalate the situation. They didn’t listen.
One deputy pulled Ethan from his seat and began struggling with him. Then two more off-duty deputies joined in, wrestling Ethan and trying to handcuff him. Then they “took him down,” falling in a heap with Ethan at the bottom. Witnesses say they could hear him crying and calling for our mom. Then he stopped breathing and went into cardiac arrest. In just a few moments he was dead – eventually ruled a homicide by asphyxiation.
Click on the picture above to find out more and have the opportunity to sign a petition.
YOU’RE AT GEORGIA TECH, YOU CAN DO THAT
The full speech referenced by Ye Olde Kid Sister:
Why I like Apple
Any sufficiently evolved technology is indistinguishable from magic. – Arthur C. Clark
Usually I compose offline, read / edit / reread / edit … POST / reread / “how did I miss that?” / edit / POST / reread / aaarrrggghhhhh! / edit / POST / reread / [expletive deleted] / edit / POST …
This time I am doing it live. So what you read … NOW … may be totally different from what you read …
…
…
…
NOW.
So as you read this, don’t assume that you are reading the final version.
Now if you follow the web at all, especially if you follow the geek tech sites, you know that the world is in the midst of another “Apple vs …” kerfuffle. I really should strive to use kerfuffle more. Anyway this time it is Apple vs Samsung, or perhaps Apple vs Google, since the Android operating system used by Samsung is made by Google. Last time it was Apple vs Microsoft.
Now perhaps forty-eight percent of all Internet traffic is devoted to Apple, Apple vs Samsung, Apple vs Google, Apple’s innovation or lack thereof, AAPL stock price, Apple’s cash horde, Apple this, Apple that …
OK I just made up that forty-eight percent figure, but you get the idea.
I am not going to tell you why should like Apple. I actually don’t care what you like. That sounds callous, maybe there is a better way to put this. If you like Samsung, Android, Google, Microsoft, or even if you HATE Apple, that’s fine. Just don’t reply with a flaming attack on me or Apple because I will just delete it. I am not here to pick a fight. AND it is my blog. Ready? OK Let’s go!
Why I Like Apple
Ignoring for a minute that I have always liked Apple, I probably like Apple most for all of the reasons the Apple-haters hate it. It is a closed ecosystem. What do I mean by this? Apple makes the whole thing. Well OK they design all of it and have many of the parts made or assembled by other international subcontractors, but they control the entire process. They make the hardware. They make the operating system, they vet the apps, they sell content. The end result of this kind of cradle to grave design to delivery system is that, by and large, it just works.
I work with non-Apple hardware and software all day long every day usually trying to figure out why it doesn’t work (it’s my job). When I get home at night I just want to use something to surf the web, read and respond to email, watch videos, listen to music, read a book, maybe play a game, write fiction or essays, and update my blog. I do not want or need an open system that I can hack, jailbreak or otherwise reconfigure. I just want it to work.
Enter the iPad
Too make a long story short, my kid sister, who is now on olde woman (she is so going to kill me, Muahahaha), got me an iPad for father’s day three? four? years ago. The very iPad upon which I am typing now. Did I mention that I maintain this blog 100% on an iPad? It is a very olde iPad by iPad standards. It is first generation. Next month or so, Apple will announce the fifth generation iPad in time for Christmas. Every generation of iPad has roughly doubled the performance of the previous generation, so my olde decrepit iPad is truly an ancient outdated slab of uselessness. And did I mention that I just downloaded 2001 A Space Odyssey onto it? And I maintain all of my finances, bank, 401k, stocks, etc. using it?
OK let’s make a short story long. So my sister who had an iPhone (I still don’t have an iPhone, I have an olde battle-scarred Samsung “dumb as a stump” flip phone) called me a few years back to tell me she just got the new iPad. Mrs and I had her on speaker phone so we joked with her thanking her for getting me an iPad for Father’s day which was coming up. Well she felt so sorry that the all time geek of the family didn’t even have an iPhone, that she got me an iPad for father’s day. This iPad. Woo Hoo!
(standby more to come … later … It is 1:21 AM here… Will pick up tomorrow … See it isn’t finished yet)
[8:12 AM Wed. … Just a quick addition, adding the A. C. Clark quote at top and a few more lines below]
Where was I? Oh yes, the iPad. So my sister got me the first iPad not long after it came out. It was the perfect example of “it is interesting, but do I really need it? would I really use it?” I was skeptical. It was really really cool and all, but just how useful would it be? I certainly never would have bought it for myself.
I CAN NOT LIVE WITHOUT THIS THING. I use it for everything. Well at least everything that it is capable of doing (it can’t cook or clean house, but I would use it for that if I could). In no particular order: I maintain this blog. (using it now). I check email (personal and business), I get my news on the web, I get my weather, (with the help of Google, Bing, Wikipedia, WordPress) I ask it questions and it gives me answers I can use, I read articles and videos about how to do stuff, I listen to music, I watch TV, I watch movies, I read books, I learn, I satisfy my curiosity, I take it with me everywhere, it runs all day long.
(uh oh … Gotta run … Later … More to come)
[updating off line now]
I manage my finances, pay my bills, actively manage my 401k, manage my stock account, track prescription drugs and medical EOBs, play games usually in versus mode with a friend. Now obviously Apple doesn’t provide all of these services, but the iPad easily and seamlessly accesses all of them.
My friend who is dyslexic, uses his to read web articles to him. He stated that this has allowed him to learn more faster than ever could before.
Wife’s iPad
Eventually the Mrs discovered my iPad. And by discovered, I mean she confiscated my iPad for her use. Last year I got her an iPad of her own, a gen 3 “iPad with Retina display”. It blows mine away in terms of performance and image quality. Apple released the gen 4 last fall and will release gen 5 this fall. Wife’s iPad has 4x the performance of mine. Gen 5 iPad should be 4x performance of her’s. Which would be 16x the performance of my poor olde iPad.
I had her iPad engraved at the sweatshop factory.
[Wife’s name]’s iPad
Keep’a yo hand’s off
She loves it. I put her favorite game, Mahjong Solitaire on it. Loaded her favorite music to it. We soon discovered that she could stream SiriusXM oldtime radio to it. Then we discovered free podcasts on iTunes of all of her favorite oldtime radio shows. I got her a set of the Bose over-the-ear noise-canceling headphones. I set her up with a Google news icon. Just this weekend I set her up with a playlist of her favorites. She frequents the hospital monthly to bi-monthly, so she takes the iPad and headphones to keep her company.
The Mrs is the poster child for technophobic anti-computer Luddite. Yet, she loves her iPad. She recommends it to everyone she meets. She follows the news from Google news. Checks and replies to emails. Talks to me via iMessage, keeps her doctor appointments on it. Tracks her temperature on it. Follows the weather, listens to music and radio drama.
iLove iTunes
Much of what I have discussed isn’t unique to Apple. iTunes on the other hand is Apple. This is where A. C. Clark’s magic really begins. The iTunes store was announced ten years ago in April. Recently it surpassed it’s 25 billionth song download on February 6th, 2013.
Click on the image above to see detailed download history.
iTunes Match debuted on November 14th, 2011. With iTunes Match, all of your music is available all of the time on all of your devices, whether or not you purchased your music from iTunes. For a small annual fee, Apple provides access to all of your music. If you did not purchase your music from iTunes and iTunes identifies a better quality version on iTunes, you get access to the better version. The beauty of iTunes Match is that you can download all or part of your music at anytime to any of your devices … or you can stream your music via WiFi or a cellular connection without downloading it (or any combination thereof).
I subscribe to iTunes Match. Mrs and I have full access to all of our music and playlists anywhere, any time we have WiFi access. This is seamless magic.
Did I mention instant gratification? … What was that song by you know who? … Oh yeah, that’s the one. … iTunes has it? Downloading now …
Apple App Store
Similar to iTunes Match, any app you buy at the Apple App Store, is always available for re-download. So if I need to clean out some space I can delete apps knowing that I can always download them again.
iBooks and iTunesU
Similar to iTunes and App Store. Delete books to clean up. Download again as desired. Nice backlit reader with fully adjustable text. Good for olde eyes.
More instant gratification. Think about book … Find book … Downloading now …
Bluetooth
More magic. You just read a review of the Bose Mini Bluetooth speaker. It connects easily and reconnects automatically, or at worst at the push of a button. Same with Bluetooth in my car. I can set up a music playlist, leave my iPad in my brief case, and automatically start listening when I startup the Prius.
WiFi
Access to the Internet is automatic with our iPads. Whether at home or at the hospital, or Starbucks, or our local breakfast cafe once set up the iPad remembers and automatically reconnects when in range.
Although I am doing my part for global carbon dioxide production by going paperless. I sometimes need to print out coupons, so I bought a cheap HP WiFi printer. Connection of the iPad to the printer was seamless and easy. Yet more magic.
No Worries Mate
Is your antivirus software up to date? Would you know? One the things that iPad (actually iOS) haters hate about iPad is the “app sandbox” design concept. This is what I love most about the iPad.
If you use a computer, and if you are reading this you are probably using a computer, you know that you can use a file browser (Windows Explorer) to view / copy / paste / delete files just about anywhere on a Windows computer. Same is mostly true for the Mac. If you can view / copy / paste / delete a file or executable, so can a hacker, virus, worm, spyware, etc. The iPad is different. Each application runs in its own dedicated storage space. Take for example the web browser Safari. It and all of its data all live together in the same directory. It can not get out of its prison. Viruses can not install themselves on an iPad. It just can’t freakin’ happen.
I don’t have, need, or use antivirus software on the iPad. The only danger is a rogue developer writing a malicious app. That is where the Apple iOS App Store comes into play. This is again a sore point with Apple Haters (haters gotta hate). Apple has strict and draconian control about what can be published on the App Store. This means that an app gets tested by Apple to confirm it is not malware or spyware. I like this. I have enough to worry about. Yeah, yeah, every so often you hear that someone has snuck something snarky onto the Apple App Store to prove it can be done, but really … no worries.
An iPad can be “jailbroken”. This is a process whereby the owner can be granted full access to the underlying OS as the “root” user. However you can now no longer download from the App Store and will need to find a different site. There are many sites, but making sure that you are now getting safe apps is your responsibility.
If you want to poke around in your iPad, monitor storage space, performance, memory utilization, etc. I highly recommend System Status by Jeri Techet, available at the App Store. 
In Conclusion
iPad … Cat-Beard Tested, Momma Approved
Be seeing you …
[Final upload Wed. Aug. 21, 2013 @ 7:15 PM … While drinking wine at the bar of a neighborhood Italian restaurant waiting for my take out order … final (?) edit 8:03 PM … Three glasses of wine … Final proof read by Mrs at 9:00 PM … Final upload at 9: 40 PM]
[Woke up unexpectedly at 4 AM On Thur. Aug. 22nd, 2013 … adding more edits and thoughts]
… or what you read … NOW
Momma’s got tunes
Bose SoundLink Mini
Cat-Beard Manor is rocking’ the kasbah. Over the weekend I surprised the Mrs. with a new toy. She recently discovered playlists on her iPad, and, being a shut-in, having access to her tunes and/or oldtime radio podcasts (or SiriusXM oldtime internet radio) is critical. Last year I got her a set of the Bose over-the-ear noise-canceling headphones (which we both love). But she doesn’t always want to have to wear headphones and the single speaker on her iPad is a bit anemic.
The sound on this new wireless Bluetooth battery-operated speaker is really good. It fills the room and the whole house with plenty of volume.
Click on the image above to go to the Bose website or click the video below to watch a CNET review.
Cat-Beard recommended, Momma approved.
Be hearing you …
Next >> Why I Like Apple
2001
I started this essay a while ago, but I never finished it.
If you haven’t read Welcome to the Future, I suggest that you start >> HERE <<
Excerpted from Welcome to the Future
In 1968, a year before Neil and Buzz first frolicked on the Moon, Metro-Goldwyn-Mayer released Stanley Kubrick’s epic 2001 A Space Odyssey. I begged and pleaded with my dad to take me to the Miami showing which debuted in 70mm ultra-widescreen Cinerama – the IMAX of its day. The 142 minute long movie was unique in its realistic depiction of space flight, with ground breaking special effects and a powerful musical score. It was equally unique in its use of long periods of silence to portray the vast distances and length of time required to travel to Jupiter. The original showing even had an intermission. 2001 opened to mixed reviews. My dad and I mirrored the critical and public sentiment. He thought it was long and boring. I thought – and still do – that it was the greatest science-fiction movie ever made. If you have seen 2001 A Space Odyssey you know what I am talking about, if not Wikipedia, the Internet Movie Database, and numerous fan sites do a much better job of describing it than I ever could. If you like science-fiction and have never seen 2001 you really owe it to yourself to see this film.
Recall that in the ’60s and ’70s there was no such thing as VHS tapes, DVDs, or digital downloads. If you wanted to see a movie you either went to the theater to see it, or hoped it would be shown – cut and commercial-filled – on TV. Fortunately 2001 enjoyed frequent returns to theaters after its 1968 release, albeit in 35mm format on a much smaller screen. It enjoyed a cult following in part due to the spectacular light show at the end of the movie. I saw 2001 A Space Odyssey every time it came back to the theater, often multiple days in a row, often multiple showings in a row. I lost count of the number of times I had seen it after my twenty-second viewing. My dream was to someday be rich enough to have my own home theater and a film copy of 2001 that I could watch whenever I wanted.
2001 A Space Odyssey depicted the video phone, video tablets, and the quintessential sentient computer, HAL 9000. The technology may not have existed yet when I was a kid, but the ideas did and I wanted all of it. I dreamed of video phones and personal communicators. I dreamed of having my own computer that could answer any question I posed of it. I dreamed of the future.
2001
Despite the Y2K (year two thousand) “panic”, the new millennium did not actually begin until January 1, 2001. That is because there was no year zero. The current calendar starts with year 1 A.D. (alternatively C.E.). Thus 2001 marked the beginning of the new millennium. This is why Kubrick and Clark chose the name 2001 A Space Odyssey.
As a teenager in 1968, I envisioned the year 2001 to be the dawn of a fantastic new world. In 1968 the world of 2001 was thirty-three unimaginable and somewhat frightening years in the future. Who would I be in 2001? Where would I live? What would I do? Would I be married? Would I have children? Would I be alive? What would the world be like? Would we have permanent settlements on the Moon? Would humanity even be alive?
If you could have somehow teleported my teenage self from 1968 to 2001 (perhaps via a souped-up DeLorean), I would have been amazed at how much had changed. Yet I would have been even more amazed at how little had changed. Listen to the Merry Minuet by the Kingston Trio, circa 1959:
First notice how little has changed since 1959. Second despite the dark humor, please realize that fear of nuclear annihilation was ever present throughout my teenage years. I personally think that global nuclear annihilation is less likely now than it was fifty or so years ago, but I am less optimistic regarding localized nuclear engagements or terrorist attacks. I actually think that although our fears have subsided, the real danger may have increased.
I plan to address Negrophobia and U. S. race relations more in a later post, but I think it is safe to say that much has changed both in the U. S. and around the world since the 1960s. For some folks, things are better, for others maybe not so much. Still I remain hopeful and optimistic. Much more to say in future …
Epiphany
I’d have given anything to have my own PacMan game at home.
I used to have to get a ride down to the arcade. Now I’ve got it on my phone.
Brad Paisley, “Welcome to the Future”
A month or two ago I had an epiphany while driving into work (possibly listening to some obscure “teenhood” song playing on my iPad streaming via Bluetooth to my Prius sound system). The epiphany was that everything I could have hoped for as a kid had come to pass. I have my own human-enhanced computer database that can answer any question I put to it (so does everyone else, but I will gladly share). I have near instant access to any book, song, or movie from my childhood, teenhood, present, and just about any other era. I have my own computer/vidscreen/music player/communicator that I carry with me at all times. I have HAL 9000 as the wallpaper of my iPad.
And just because I can … I now have 2001 A Space Odyssey on my iPad.
By the way, the stock symbol of the company I work for is … HAL. I’m not making this stuff up.
Headers
My Headers post got three likes and three votes (one from my wife) for A (sunrise over the Earth). As you can see by the header at the top of the page, I am really partial to the sunrise over the Earth header. Hmm, I wonder why?
And as icing on the cake, number one son graduated high school in the Class of …DUN DUN DAHHH, DA DANH … 2001. I mean seriously how cool is that.
Next >> Momma’s got tunes
6/14/13 To My Humans
This is the “real” Maggie
I adore you.
I love you despite your imperfect points
Your bad habits, your flaws.
In my eyes, they do not exist.
I am devoted to you.
I am faithfully yours,
No matter what happens
Whether or not you get that job
Or what the future might bring.
I am protective of you.
I would lay down my life for you,
If you were in danger
For my life is empty and meaningless
Without you in it to love.
I love our everyday adventures,
And every new experience
All the time we spend together,
Even if we don’t go anywhere at all.
I miss you when you are away.
I watch the door anxiously,
Or wait at the window
Listening for the sound of your car
Or the jangling of your keys.
And when it is time for me to leave this world,
View original post 45 more words
The Containers
[This is an excerpt from a future chapter. To start at the beginning go >> HERE << ]
Copyright © 2013 by Christian Bergman, All rights reserved.
They walked into the center of the shipping containers. Jess looked around at the shipping containers stacked and bolted three-high and hoped that they would be tall enough. Under MAN’s supervision, the twenty-four, 40 ft. shipping containers had been arranged in a rough octagon. Seven of the corners had been sealed off by butting the containers on one side of the corner up against the containers on the other side.
The remaining corner had a small gap just big enough for a person or Z to fit through. At the far end of the three stacked shipping containers on the right side of the gap (facing in) was a large D10 dozer. Once the Zs were inside the ring of shipping containers, the dozer would push the stack of shipping containers forward to seal the gap. The dozer operator would be accompanied by two heavily armed guards for protection.
The mast of a boom crane projected up and over the center of the enclosure. Zs were extremely finicky, only live prey would do. Prior attempts to lure Zs with dead animals or butchered meat we’re dismal failures. A human lure in a climbing harness would be attached to the hook of the boom crane and lifted to safety once the gap was closed off.
On top of the containers men would lie on their stomachs hidden from the outside. Each would have a rifle or a shotgun (or both), but would not use them unless things got out of control. The idea was to catch the Zs alive. Like the dozer operator the crane operator similarly had two heavily armed guards for protection.
A large cargo net lay on the ground enclosed by the containers. Once the human lure was safely extracted, a second boom crane located outside the containers on the opposite side from the first boom crane would lift the net capturing the Zs snared within. With the net full of Zs suspended outside of the container enclosure, the capture team would bind their feet and hands with zip-tie cuffs and put bags over each of their heads. MAN had plenty of practice as a Navy Seal with this part of operation. And, yes, two more heavily armed guards for the second boom crane.
Luring the Zs to the trap was a simple enough matter. Waiting at the beach was a dirt bike with driver and passenger in radio contact with MAN at the containers. They would cruise the beach looking for Zs. Once they found them, they would lure them back to the containers. The “bait” attached to boom crane would stand just outside the gap then run into the enclosure to lure in the Zs, allowing the motorcyclists to escape to safety. At the last possible minute the “bait” would be lifted to safety and the dozer would seal the entrance. The net full of Zs would be hoisted off the ground and, when conditions were safe, lowered to a position just above the ground outside of the enclosure. The whole operation would be easy peasy.
Maggie
[This is an excerpt from a future chapter. To start at the beginning go >> HERE << ]
Copyright © 2013 by Christian Bergman, All rights reserved.
Jess and Eddy were ushered into the Seaside through one of the side doors that was not boarded up. With one guard leading the way and another following, they climbed the six fights of stairs to MAN’s penthouse operations center. It wasn’t originally a penthouse; MAN had simple commandeered three rooms in a row and knocked the walls out. The lead guard knocked on the door and announced their presence. After a short wait they were led inside. Almost as soon as the door closed behind them, Jess was ambushed by a large white pit bull who almost knocked her over trying to lick her face. “Hi Maggie,” Jess managed to get out between slurps, “has MAN not been giving you enough luvins?” Jess began scratching Maggie’s ears. Eddy’s shin was almost fractured by the strength of Maggie’s wagging tail. He backed away from the love fest while he could still walk.
Jess and Maggie had been fast friends since the day Maggie wandered up to them on one of their supply runs. Jess and Eddie agreed that the lab was no place for a dog, but they couldn’t just leave her to be Z bait either. Luckily they knew the perfect person to look after her, Matthew Augustus Nobel. MAN beamed when they presented the pit bull to him. “What will you name her?” Jess inquired.
MAN didn’t blink an eye. “Maggie,” he replied. Man never did tell them why he named her Maggie, but they knew better than to question MAN too deeply. Maggie soon had run of the Seaside. She was a natural Z detector. Whether it was by smell or hearing or keen eyesight she could detect the presence of a Z up to forty yards away.
Zombie Jamboree
While waiting for the next installment of Day 42 (DayZ of DiZeaZe) … that would be Day 46 … you might enjoy this musical interlude from the late 50s.
Be seeing you …
Headers
Header Survey …
Which one looks best?
A
B
C
D
Day 45
This is an archival version. Please visit The Nudist War for the current version.
https://contrafactual.com/the-nudist-war/
This was the original forth chapter of the Nudist War. I am leaving it here for historical reference. The current version may be found at:
[Author’s note: This is the fourth chapter. To start at the beginning go >> HERE << ]
Copyright © 2013 by Christian Bergman, All rights reserved.
All people, places, and events are fictional … except when they aren’t.
– Day 45 –
Jess awoke to the sound of thunder. She opened her eyes and turned to look at the alarm clock. It’s luminous face showed 6:30 AM. She reached over to her laptop and brought up one of the outside security cameras. The video and audio indicated that it was raining heavily. “At least the weather is still normal,” she thought before turning off her alarm, rolling over, and going back to sleep.
100,000
Over 100,000 people have applied to Mars One to be selected for a one-way trip to Mars.
Would you go?
pain in the…face: part five
I will be reblogging these first person accounts of shingles as an incentive to those of us in our 50s and 60s to get the herpes zoster vaccine …
Although they don’t recommend it for folks under 60, I personally know of several folls who got it in their 50s.
I am a happy, positive person for the most part. I don’t worry about things I can’t control. It would be nice not to have experienced the effects of two major illnesses, especially the herpes zoster. I live with many more after effects from that disease than I do Wegener’s granulomatosis, which, ironically, is the more serious (potentially fatal) disease of the two. But live with those after effects I do.
The charge doctor at the regional hospital where I had initial treatment for shingles told me, “You’ll wear a beard after this,” in reference to the scars. I mumbled some obscenity under my breath at his blunt comment, which he delivered with a smirk. He was right, though it isn’t to hide scars so much as to distract others so they don’t bring up the reality I live with 24/7, something I am aware of without outside reminders!
It…
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pain in the…face: part four
I will be reblogging these first person accounts of shingles as an incentive to those of us in our 50s and 60s to get the herpes zoster vaccine …
I understood that the postherpetic neuralgia (source of the “pain in the face”) ended after a time, but that the longer from onset of herpes zoster till treatment began, the more nerve damage there was. The more nerve damage there was, the longer the healing time. Oh, yeah. And some people never got over the pain. I predicted I was one of the latter! I mean, I tend to attract the worst, the least common, the most unusual manifestations of what can go wrong with the human body!
By August of 2007, the continuing pain affected my ability to work. I left work early on some days because of pain attacks, and the frequency alarmed me, although it all fell within my allowed sick time. I had a total of five weeks vacation a year plus holidays by that stage of my work life, and often I used vacation time…
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pain in the…face: part three
I will be reblogging these first person accounts of shingles as an incentive to those of us in our 50s and 60s to get the herpes zoster vaccine …
The rule of thumb is the faster you seek treatment for herpes zoster, the sooner the damaged nerves heal, and the sooner the pain subsides. I didn’t know what the mess on the right side of my face was, but thought it was a drug reaction to an antibiotic my dentist gave me after root canal surgery. This story has no happy moments! Sorry. Root canal. At least it’s something normal people have done, not one of these one in a million or 39 examples in 150 years of records (or whatever it was) deals!
The chain of events is a blur. All I know is I made an appointment to see my doctor, the veteran MD who’d never seen a worse case of herpes zoster in all his years practicing medicine. It was a week or more after onset before I saw my doctor, plenty of time for the…
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pain in the…face: part 2
I will be reblogging these first person accounts of shingles as an incentive to those of us in our 50s and 60s to get the herpes zoster vaccine …
When the first tooth fell out, I contacted my dentist. By the time I saw him five or six teeth joined their little brother. I placed them in a Zip-Loc bag in case he needed them. I guess I thought he could use them in a prosthesis or something. Pain does odd things to how one thinks and reacts. He took the teeth. (He’s a nice guy, and probably didn’t want to tell me there was no point to this exchange.)
He contacted an orthodontist, who examined my mouth, which now lacked six of the 32 normal tooth count. He researched the odd condition, and noted I was only the 39th known person to experience this condition because of herpes zoster. The records went back to the 19th Century. Yes, once again, I was a case study for a specialist who called in all his interns for a chance to…
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pain in the…face: part 1
I will be reblogging these first person accounts of shingles as an incentive to those of us in our 50s and 60s to get the herpes zoster vaccine …
I suffered a shingles attack (herpes zoster) in October-November 2007. It left me disabled and scarred, and postherpetic neuralgia still plagues me each and every day.
You know it’s bad when your doctor, a veteran with over 30 years’ experience, states, “This is the worst case of herpes zoster I’ve ever seen.” Yeah, not the second or third worst. Not just your garden variety stuff: The worst. Should I be proud?
The pain is everything you’ve ever heard it is. At one point I called on God or Satan to end my pain. I screamed out a challenge: “I will follow whichever one of you ends this pain!” (Thank God I live by myself!) Neither showed up. Neither sent a representative. I suspect the goat sacrifice wasn’t adequate. Perhaps they were going for a human sacrifice.
After two, three weeks of hospitalization, first to contain the herpes zoster, which affected…
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The Naked Z
This is an archival version. Please visit The Nudist War for the current version.
https://contrafactual.com/the-nudist-war/
[Author’s note: This is an excerpt from a future chapter. To start at the beginning go >> HERE << ]
Copyright © 2013 by Christian Bergman, All rights reserved.
Unlike the Zombies of legend, Zs were living creatures with all of the bodily functions of their human counterparts. They were still physically human. They ate meat and drank water. They urinated and defecated. Their reproductive organs and hormones still functioned. Mentally however they were very much different. The HZV virus killed off all of the higher brain function that give us our humanity. Gone were all of the traditional human emotions: Anger, Disgust, Fear, Happiness, Sadness, and Surprise. What was left was an enhanced reptilian cortex and nervous system. Imagine a warm-blooded crocodile in human form with a voracious hunger, human speed, and near superhuman strength.
Do to its increased metabolism, a Z was always hungry. Eating was always first and foremost on its mind. A Z was a strict carnivore with a taste for living flesh. It would eat anything and everything as long as it was alive and kicking. Attempts to lure a Z with butchered meat usually failed unless the Z was extremely hungry with no other option. Even then the meat had to be fresh and warm. Without food for a long enough period of time, it was not uncommon for a pack of Zs to turn on the weakest member of the pack, usually a child, a woman, or a senior. As time went on a Z pack tended to thin down to only the strongest, healthiest males and females.
Only after the need to feed was fully satisfied did the last remaining animal urge express itself. Fully fed male and female Zs had been observed to copulate aggressively for hours, with the entire pack participating in the unholy orgy. This and the requirements of the daily bodily functions meant that most Zs had no clothing. In fact the presence of clothing on a Z was an indication that the Z had metamorphosed within the the last 48 hours. Of all the ways that Zs differed from the common Zombie mythology, the naked Z was the most surprising.
Zand and Zurf
This is an archival version. Please visit The Nudist War for the current version.
https://contrafactual.com/the-nudist-war/
[Author’s note the following is an excerpt from an upcoming chapter of Day 42 (DayZ of DiZeaZe)]
Copyright © 2011 by Christian Bergman, All rights reserved
Eddy sped silently along the beach road in the late afternoon sun. It was a beautiful day. The sky was a clear dark blue. The fall air was cool, yet the sun on his face and arms was warm. The day was nice enough that Eddy had rolled down the windows once he was on the open road and relatively safe. He enjoyed the smell and feel of the salt air and admitted to himself that the fresh air was in fact just what he needed. Up ahead on the beach, running in the same direction he was driving, a pack of Zs seemed almost at home. On another beach, at another time, they might just be a group of nudists out for an afternoon jog. Eddy slowed down to watch them, marveling at their beauty. The Zs looked for all the world like lean healthy athletes competing in a mixed gender, multi-age Greek marathon. He took his foot off of the accelerator and his car silently paced them. Between the sound of the surf, the whisper quiet of the electric car, and their intent focus on the seagulls ahead of them, the Zs paid no attention to Eddy. This detente between the Zs and Eddy seemed to last forever until Eddy noticed several of them pointing at him. “Uh oh, time to go,” Eddy muttered as he powered away from them. Quick as the Zs were, his car was quicker.
Day 44
This is an archival version. Please visit The Nudist War for the current version.
https://contrafactual.com/the-nudist-war/
This was the original third chapter of the Nudist War. I am leaving it here for historical reference. The current version may be found at:
Copyright © 2013 by Christian Bergman, All rights reserved.
All people, places, and events are fictional … except when they aren’t.
– Day 44 –
“Urrrrargghh glurrrppp … urrrrargghh wrrraccch.” The sound of vomiting came from the behind the restroom door.
“You OK in there?” Eddy asked. It was 4:00 AM. Dr. Edmund Hillary had been up since midnight after getting a much needed six hour nap. He had just come out of the lab to get some coffee and empty his bladder (not necessarily in that order).
The WordPress Family Award
CONGRATULATIONS
I received my first award today and I feel honored. (Can I put this on my resume? – lol) Because it is my first award, I’m not sure what to write. I’ve been blogging for three months and prior to that had not done any writing for many years – not counting historical research papers for college.
Smilngbug http://smilingbug.wordpress.com/ nominated me for the WordPress Family Award. Please visit her blog here: http://smilingbug.wordpress.com/2013/08/06/a-wordpress-family-thank-you/
Thank you, Smilingbug for nominating me for this award.
As a condition for accepting the nomination, I am presenting 15 awards to deserving bloggers.
This part is difficult. I follow many more than 15 bloggers and I add new blogs to my reader every day who also deserve the award. I am posting 15 blogs that I read regularly but want the rest of you to know that I enjoy your blogs as well. Some of the blogs make…
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OCTOMORE 10 FIRST RELEASE
(Click on the image above to go to the official web page)
I have it. It was a gift. I have good friends.
Whiskyreview #48 Bruichladdich Octomore 5_169 59.5%
My “whisky buddies” at work chipped in and bought me a bottle of the Octomore 10, 2012 First Limited Release, PPM 80.5 as a gift for my new assignment. It’s good to have friends. 🙂
Octomore is Bruichladdich’s contribution
to the ‘peat-war’ going on on Islay right now. It all started back in 2009 when both Ardbeg and Bruichladdich started peating their whiskys to hell and back, and since then there’s been an ongoing rivalery on which of the distilleries can bottle the peatiest whisky with the highest ppm. Looks like Bruichladdich is winning ppm-wise, but having tasted both I find the Supernova from Ardbeg to be a bit peatier on the nose and palate. But then again, what does it matter!? It’s not about phenol parts per million, but about enjoying what’s in the glass whether it’s peated or unpeated. So let’s get on with the review..
Nose: Fresh and citric, not as peaty as expected. More elegant in a way, but don’t worry, there is plenty of peat indeed. Heather, sweet licourice, salt and smoked cheddar cheese. Some earthyness as well and some…
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Two Steps From Hell
I lied. I’m blogging again. This time in a new category. Music. Epic Music.
If you watch movie trailers you have heard their work. If you watch movies you have heard their work. Click the image below to go to their website.
An email on a Russian dashcam video, leads to a reposting on Contrafactual, on which I note that I like the soundtrack of the video. JeonicDe replies that it is Strength of a Thousand Men by Two Steps From Hell, which I download from iTunes in the form of their Archangel album. I am listening to it as I compose this post.
Download Archangel to your iPhone and Bluetooth it to your car stereo. Your daily commute will be heroic. Or listen on head phones as you commute on the train or bus. Your commute will be epic. Or listen at night with a good Single Malt. Your relaxation will be majestic. To quote the Two Steps From Hell website:
MUSIC MAKES YOU BRAVER
1 August 2011
My heart goes out to weggieboy.
Cool, thanks!
Cool, thanks!
JS
Woo Hoo
Cool, thanks! So much in so little. So terse. So Scalzi.
…
So I sent John Scalzi the following email
Hi John,
Attached is the second post from the blog I started last month. I blame you.
Cheers,
Chris Bergman (aka cat-beard)
PS I have been managing to post semi-daily and already have a small following.
with my second ever post attached (John Scalzi)
What great four-week anniversary present. 🙂
Cool, thanks! JS … YES!
Blogging is …
Tomorrow is the four-week anniversary of Contrafactual.com
Hard to believe isn’t it. Well it is hard for me to believe. I have 38 followers! [52 as of August 20] Take a look at the stats below.
I owe a huge debt of gratitude to Opinionated Man for reblogging my Aberlour A’bunadh post. But OM just opened the door for me. It is to you dear readers to whom I owe the greatest debt of thanks. You read my posts and found them interesting enough to follow, and like, and comment on.
Blogging is like a nuclear reaction. Not a nuclear bomb, but a self sustaining and growing interaction. Spreading by word of mouth, growing exponentially. Like the ping pong ball examples below, but self regenerating.
Blogging is also a human search engine, in many ways better than Google or Bing. When I was emailed the link to the Russian dashcam video, I posted it thinking it would be interesting to you. I liked the music, but would not have anyway to find out what it was. However JeonicDe read my post, watched the video, saw my comment, and told me … no us, all of us … that it was by the group Two Steps from Hell and the song was Strength of a Thousand Men. He even posted an embedded video of the music. I then went to iTunes and down loaded it. Instantly. How cool is that.
I grew up in a world where NONE of this existed, as did many of you depending on your age. Do you ever stop to Stand and Stare at the beauty and miracle of this. This is the basis for my unfinished essay Welcome to the Future . So much of my childhood dreams and fantasies have come true in ways I could never have guessed.
I started this as a way to practice my writing and get feedback on it. What I didn’t expect was to establish a global network of people I would otherwise never have met. This is something I could never have anticipated.
But it is now time to pay the piper … not you, me, well maybe you. I need to get back to writing. More writing. Less blogging. For a short while. So for a short while I will take a break from blogging to focus on writing (with the odd break to follow your blogs).
In the mean time you might take a look at my revised About, Contra…what?, and Topics Pages.
Be seeing you …
Next >> 2001
Driving in Russia
I just got this in an email. I spent the better part of the ’90s working off and on in Siberia. Today Russian drivers mostly have dashboard videos. This is from the site vk.com/dashboard Auto Video. The title, Второй день рождения, translates as “Last Christmas”.
I really like the background music.
cb
Site Maintenance
Sorry for the current dearth of fresh writings. I have been catching up on my followers, listening to Philosopher’s Stone, and doing some site maintenance.
Be seeing you …
Philosopher’s Stone EP Release Today
Last night I purchased Philosopher’s Stone from iTunes. Check it out. You might find that you like too.
cb
It’s Arrived! The Philosopher’s Stone EP Release is right now!
Listen & Download here
Philosopher’s Stone EP on iTunes
Thank you, thank you, thank you
I am overwhelmed. Figuratively … and literally.
My first Thank You goes to Opinionated Man who kindly reblogged my post on Aberlour A’bunadh. One of my passions is Single Malt Whisky and though I am not an expert, I know what I like. OM stated on his About page that he likes Scotch and even listed two of my early favorites, Famous Grouse and The Macallan. It was only natural that I suggest other options that I find even more delicious.
My reblogged post introduced many, many new visitors to my site. This is where I am literally overwhelmed. I am trying to visit each and everyone of your sites to take a look and personally thank you for stopping by. It may take me a while.
For now, please accept this Thank You until I can do it in person.
cb
Be seeing you …
Port Charlotte Heavily Peated Islay Single Malt
After watching dozens of Ralfy videos on YouTube, I decided to be more adventurous in my scotch purchases. My idea was to have a good supply from various distillers at various price points. For reference, my benchmark range for a “good” Single Malt is $40 to $70. This is sipping whisky. Savored first neat, then with a touch of water, then with a bit more water. If you feel the need to mix your scotch with anything else, buy a good blended whisky (a good blended whisky such the standard Famous Grouse is much cheaper and can substitute for Single Malt if you run out). Please don’t waste good Single Malt by adding anything but water (or if you prefer, ice). I drink scotch maybe once a week, maybe less. So a bottle lasts quite a while. With more than one variety you always have options, and you can offer your guests options. If you buy a bottle that you can’t stand, you can still give it away to a less discerning associate (note the word associate, friends don’t give friends bad whisky) or serve it to your guests who want to mix it with something other than water. Having a supply of scotch also fits well with the ATF survival strategy.
I use a Glencairn Glass. Half of the pleasure of a good Single Malt is smell and the Glencairn Glass (the one Ralfy and whiskybitch use) is designed to concentrate the smell. The technical term is nosing. The nose can differentiate millions of different smells, the mouth only four or five different tastes.
There are many good whisky blogs out there and many excellent YouTube video reviews. Take some time to check them out. Window shop your local spirits store, then do your research at home. The world of Single Malt whisky is wide and varied. By the way, scotch by definition comes from Scotland, but there are many other good-to-excellent Single Malt whiskys out there. Trivia note: Scotland, Canada, and Japan call it whisky. USA and Ireland call it whiskey. By law whisky must be three years old, younger than that it is called spirit. Most blended whiskys are a blend of spirit and whiskies.
My current absolute favorite is anything by Bruichladdich (pronounced brew-ik-lahddy or even brook-lahddy). A visit to their website is worth the time. I discovered Bruichladdich as part of my new found spirit of adventure. I tend to prefer the smokier Single Malts, especially the ones from Islay (pronounced eye-lah). I saw a bottle of Bruichladdich PC6 on the shelf and thought “what the hey.” Now keep in mind that PC6 is only six years old. If you ever find a bottle of it, buy it. This six year old Single Malt is as good as any ten year old scotch I have had. The reason is the cut. Bruichladdich uses a very narrow cut to guarantee that only the ethanol makes it to the aging barrels. Lower quality whiskies use a wider cut, this gives them more whiskey to sell, but the quality is poorer. You cannot age away bad spirit. The waste products from the Bruichladdich stills is used to power a generator that provides all of their electricity needs. They even bought a Nissan Leaf … and … made a very limited LEAF bottling.
The PC in PC6 stands for Port Charlotte, which is one of the Bruichladdich brands. It is also the site of a former (and soon to be restarted) distillery. The Port Charlotte brand is peated (smoky), whereas classic Bruichladdich is unpeated. They also make the hyper-peated Octomore, but that is for a later post. Bruichladdich released limited bottlings of Port Charlotte at 5, 6, 7, 8, 9, and 10 years of age as PC5, PC6, PC7, PC8, PC9, and PC10. The PC5 was an extremely limited bottling, which sold out immediately. I was able, in the fullness of time, to acquire bottles of PC7 and PC8, in addition to my original PC6. PC9 and PC10 were also very limited bottlings and very expensive if you can find them. Each of the PC series was bottled at cask strength, close to 60% ABV. Sadly the PC6 and PC7 are no more (at least not at Cat-Beard Manor) but I do have an unopened bottle of PC8 stashed away for TEOTWAWKI.
This year the “production” version, Port Charlotte 10, made its way to my local spirits superstore. This is the version that will be readily available for some time. It is bottled at 46% ABV and sells for under $70 per bottle in my area. I like it, whiskybitch loves it …
If you like smoky, peaty scotch, you will love it too!
For the same peaty goodness at a lower price, be sure to check out Port Charlotte The Peat Project. It is a multi-year vatting of the various PC batches. It is available for under $50.
cb
Be seeing you …
Aberlour A’bunadh
This post is for Opinionated Man and any one else who enjoys Single Malt Scotch.
My introduction to Single Malt scotch occurred perhaps twenty plus years ago with Glen Morangie. I found that I would buy one bottle of scotch and nurse it for months before getting (sorry, trying to type around Sir Edmund Hillary, my cat beard) another, different bottle. I then found that I liked the smokier malts from Islay, Laphroaig and Lagavulin. On one of my business trips in the ’90s, I discovered The Macallan. It was my benchmark for Single Malt scotch for many years.
Perhaps four years ago a nice young lady was handing out samples of Famous Grouse at my local spirits superstore. I was a Single Malt snob, but it was a free sample. It was quite good and very reasonably priced. The 12 year old was called a “vatted malt” and I was told it was a blend of The Macallan and Highland Park. I added Famous Grouse to my collection.
The Macallan continued to be my preferred scotch and I also continued to think “older is better.” I noticed that there was a “Cask Strength” Macallan, but it had no age listed. I bought a bottle. Wow, deep red, strong, delicious. I was hooked on Cask Strength Macallan, it was the best scotch I had ever tried. I bought a bottle for a friend on his birthday. The day of his birthday I was researching Cask Strength Macallan and came across a comment that said it was good, but not as good as Aberlour A’bunadh.
I called around and found a store that carried it. I picked up my friend, gave him his bottle and told him we were on a mission. Any scotch that was alleged to be better than Cask Strength Macallan had to be tried. We picked up the A’bunadh and it lived up to its name. It was so delicious that we drank more than we should have, but it was so good (and we got so drunk).
In an earlier post I talked about Ralfy, below is his re-review of Aberlour A’bunadh.
Somethings I have since learned:
- It is better to have a stockpile of scotch so you always have variety
- Don’t be an age snob, there are some excellent young Single Malts out there
- The “cut” of the original spirit is the key to flavor
- You can not improve poor spirit with age
- Don’t be afraid to try something new
- Be cautious when sales folk make recommendations, my luck has been poor
- YouTube is your friend for whiskey reviews
- Cask Strength or anything in excess of 60% ABV is best
- ALWAYS add a little water, it brings out the flavor
- NO chill-filtering, NO added color, if it doesn’t say so on the label suspect this has been done
Be seeing you …
The Upcoming-Has-Been-Happened Zombie Apocalypse
I liked this.
To paraphrase Monty Python, “I didn’t expect a kind of Zombie Apocalypse. NObody expects the Zombie Apocalypse”
For anyone who doesn’t follow the news, the world ended about six months ago. At least it was scheduled to. On the winter solstice of the year 2012 there was a large and unintelligible hubbub regarding the end of the Mayan calendar, some interpretations calling for the end of days (or something to that effect).
Of course everyone had a different way of coping with the coming of the implosion of the world as we know it. Some prayed. Some went on spending sprees and engaged in orgies. Others outfitted themselves with Kevlar suits, strapped AR15s to their backs, and wrapped a belt of hand grenades and flash-bangs around their waists, preparing for the inevitable zombie apocalypse.
This, of course, was all in vain. Not so much because the world didn’t end, but more so because, if I have learned anything from popular culture, you cannot prepare for a zombie…
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Gravitar
Woo Hoo! I have a Gravitar now. I have also decided to go by cat-beard. Why? Because I can.
Satire
Tonight’s word is satire
Your homework exercise tonight is to look up the definition of satire and then find examples on the web.
One must be careful not confuse satire (or even comedy) with reality.
Be seeing you …
Carbon Dioxide
While the debate rages on about whether the Earth is actually heating or cooling, there is hard evidence that global carbon dioxide levels have been increasing. Many blame the increasing use of motor fuel in an increasing global fleet of vehicles for the rise in carbon dioxide. Others point to the increasing use of coal and natural gas to generate electricity. I propose a different explanation. I blame paper recycling, the Internet, and Digital Media.
The Carbon Sequestration Cycle
To understand the issue, one must understand the Carbon Sequestration Cycle. Trees pull carbon dioxide out of air, turning it to wood. The wood in the trees sequesters (that is, captures) the carbon. As long as the wood isn’t burned, the carbon (and carbon dioxide) stay locked up forever.
Paper Recycling
There is no doubt that mankind has steadily been increasing the use of fossil fuels throughout the twentieth and early twenty-first centuries. This increase in the use of fossil fuels had an associated increase in carbon dioxide production. Fortunately the increase in carbon dioxide was mostly offset by the publishing and newspaper industries. Millions of trees were cut down in support of the paper industry. The paper made from these trees was used for books, magazines, and newspapers. These books, magazines, and newspapers effectively sequestered the carbon dioxide pulled out of the air. New trees were planted to replace the trees cut down. These trees grew, pulling carbon dioxide out of the air and were eventually cut down to make more paper.
In the mid-twentieth century, newspaper readership was high. Trees pulled carbon dioxide out of the air. They were cut down to make paper. This paper was used for newspapers that were read once and then buried in landfills, safely locking away the carbon and carbon dioxide. Books were also very popular. People bought books for their libraries. Parents bought encyclopedias for their children. People safely held the carbon in their homes for years. When they grew tired of the books, off to the landfills went the books. Magazines followed the same path as newspapers, read once and off to the landfills, with a few exceptions. Many magazines found their way to doctor’s office waiting rooms where they safely sequestered carbon and carbon dioxide for decades. One magazine was particularly successful at carbon sequestration, National Geographic. Although it was considered technically legal to throw away a copy of National Geographic, no one ever did. National Geographics piled up in bathrooms, attics, basements, spare bedrooms, and in extreme cases living rooms, kitchens, and master bedrooms. Any carbon that made it into a National Geographic was guaranteed to be permanently sequestered.
This happy process continued until the 1980s, when a bunch of whiney liberals convinced everyone that we were running out of landfills and killing too many trees. Boo hoo. The idea of paper recycling was born. Soon schools, neighborhoods, churches, scout troops, and everyone else was recycling and having paper drives. Every year fewer trees were cut down. Every year less paper went to the landfills. Trees grew old and died without being cut down. Dead trees caught fire releasing deadly carbon dioxide back into the atmosphere.
The Internet
Following close on the heals of paper recycling, comes the Internet. Once people get Internet access they inevitably stop buying and reading newspapers and get all of their news from the web. Not only does Internet access result in reduced carbon sequestration, but studies show that the typical Google search on a desktop computer produces about 7g of carbon dioxide (source US physicist Alex Wissner-Gross). Google disputes these figures, but of course they would, wouldn’t they.
Not only does the Internet reduce the amount of carbon sequestration due to reduced paper in landfills, but millions of people making millions of Google, Bing, and Yahoo queries use enough fossil fuel to put millions of grams of carbon dioxide into the air every minute.
Digital Media
The final nail in the natural carbon sequestration process is Digital Media. The rise in popularity of eBooks, online magazines and newspapers is the death knell for carbon sequestration. Toddlers can be seen with iPads, Kindles, and Nooks instead of the carbon capturing books of their grandparents. No longer do we find dictionaries and encyclopedias sitting on shelves safely locking up deadly carbon dioxide. Even National Geographic, that bastion of carbon sequestration has gone digital.
The latest fad is the paperless office. With digital documents and PDFs, even the office printer has been thwarted in its noble role of producing carbon capturing printouts destined for the landfill.
What can I do?
All is not lost. By following some simple steps you can do your part to save the Earth from the evil poison that is carbon dioxide.
Remember, only you can prevent forest fires. Old trees burn. Young ones don’t. The next time you get a PDF, don’t read it on the screen. Print it out, single-sided and say “Make mine in triplicate!”
ATF
The Nudist War serialized novel has got me thinking about supplies one might want to stock up on in the event of SHTF or TEOTWAWKI scenarios. There are plenty of survival and doomsday prepper sites on the web, I won’t attempt to address everything. One thing is almost certain, in a truly catastrophic situation money will become worthless. Even gold may loose its luster – you can’t eat gold. Enter Alcohol, Tobacco, and Firearms.
Alcohol
If you drink, stocking up on a good supply of your favorite spirits only makes sense. For one, it won’t go bad. For another, you can always drink it even if the world doesn’t go to hell in a hand basket. If you stock a variety, you will always have a selection at home without the need to go to the store if unexpected guests stop by. If you stock a good supply, you will never need to risk an inebriated trip to the liquor store to restock. Spirits last forever and don’t take up a lot of storage space. Imbibed spirits can be used as an anesthetic. High-proof spirits can be used as an antiseptic and, in special cases, fuel. If the world does go to hell in a hand basket, chances are you or someone you know will need a good stiff drink. Perhaps most important, your spirit hoard can be used to barter for other goods, like food or medicine. Last but not least, nothing Wins Friends and Influences People like being the local barkeep in an otherwise dry town.
Tobacco
Fewer and fewer people smoke these days, at least in the States. If you are a smoker, imagine suddenly having to go cold turkey because the supply has dried up. Stocking up on your favorite smokes only makes sense. Even if you aren’t a smoker, stocking up on an assortment of tobacco products, will give you a valuable currency. In this case hermetically sealed tobacco tins and rolling papers could be a good investment.
Consider this, in the late ’80s and early ’90s, Americans working in Russia would buy cartons of duty-free Marlboro Red hard box cigarettes before clearing customs. The cigarettes were used as tips and were very popular. Russians at that time were heavy smokers and really liked the Marlboro Red hard packs. Even if the recipient didn’t smoke, they could always use them as a non-depreciating currency.
Firearms
Of course you will need be able to defend your hoard of Alcohol and Tobacco. Nothing does this better than a good supply of Firearms and ammunition. When SHTF or TEOTWAWKI arrives, you may face hoards of have-nots trying to take what you have. Without your own private arsenal, you will only be able to hold them off so long with free samples of spirit and smokes. Nothing says BACK OFF quite like the snappy report of an AR-15 or a few well placed shotgun blasts. Of course nothing but your own personal arsenal will do in the event of Zombie Apocalypse.
We’re not talking Concealed Carry or Stand Your Ground either. We’re talking crossed bandoleers, dual holsters, semi-auto shotgun and/or rifle, plus Concealed Carry. Think of Neo in The Matrix, you need “guns, lots of guns.”
And bullets, lots and lots of bullets … and shotgun shells, plus reloading equipment and supplies. Your extra ammo can also be used for barter. Of course make sure you can trust those you barter with using ammo, or you risk losing you alcohol and tobacco.
So there you have it. ATF … your key to survival.
44 Years Ago Today
Forty-four years ago today at 10:56 PM EDT (2:56 UTC)
I watched the live broadcast and heard Neil Armstrong’s immortal words “That’s one small step for a man, one giant leap for mankind” as he put the first footprint on the surface of the Moon. I watched as he and Buzz Aldrin read the words on the plaque attached to the leg of the lunar lander. “Here men from the planet Earth first set foot upon the Moon. July 1969 AD. We came in peace for all mankind.” The image was grainy and blurred, but it all unfolded on the TV right in front of me … and it was real … and it was the first time anyone had seen anything like this.
Excerpt from Welcome to the Future.
Next >> Blogging is …
Gunslinger
The wife and I have been listening to classic Gunsmoke radio shows via podcast. A recurring theme is that of the gunslinger who comes to town and preys on others, following and harassing them until they finally have had enough. When the victim stands up for himself and draws on the gunslinger the victim is out-gunned and killed. Claiming self defense the gunslinger goes free.
Unless of course the gunslinger guns down an unarmed man …
Next >> I Have A Dream
Contrafactual 