I love SimCity BuildIt. I hate SimCity BuildIt. At the same time. Which is weird. But not hard to understand, really. Let me explain… [Read more…] about My Love/Hate Relationship with SimCity.
See Salt. See Salt Run.
I’ve been thinking a lot about water lately. I read an article about surviving in the wilderness (hey…I drive a Jeep Wrangler…it could happen) and the very first thing they recommend was to find a source of clean water. Not shelter. Not food. Not a phone. Water. Apparently, you can go weeks without food, but not very long without liquids. So it positively mystifies me that California is in the fix they’re in. Let me explain… [Read more…] about See Salt. See Salt Run.
Tech-nopia.
While it’s impossible to have a well-balanced perspective on anything when you’re sitting in the middle of it, it’s hard not to think that we are living in a “Golden Age” for Technology. Think about it. Within my lifetime, I’ve seen the following items appear and become ubiquitous – part of the fabric of our lives (in no particular order): [Read more…] about Tech-nopia.
Is Tinder Hot?
My daughter recently talked me into signing up for “Tinder.” If you’re not familiar, it’s an iPhone app that’s designed to help you meet people. Apparently, it’s evolved from being something created for “hookups” (read: “meaningless sexual encounters”) into an app that facilitates meeting people for actually dating.
What makes this interesting is that it’s all based on Facebook, and the pictures you post here.
There’s a lot of different dating sites out there, each one slightly different in their approach. eHarmony makes you go through a long and laborious process before you even get to chat directly with someone in whom you might be interested. [Read more…] about Is Tinder Hot?
Blessed are the Makers…
I think it was humorist and co-founder of the Algonquin Round Table, Robert Benchley (not to mention forbearer of author Peter “Jaws” Benchley) who quipped, “There are two kinds of people in this world…those who put people into two groups, and those who don’t.” I’m definitely in the first group. And for the purposes of this essay, the two groups into which I’m dividing people can be thought of as “Makers” versus “Customers.” To put it another way, when something needs fixing, or you can’t find exactly what you want, “makers” do it themselves, while “customers” hire it done. Nothing wrong with that. Depends on the task, I suppose. If it’s something I can do myself, I’ll do it. If it’s something I can’t (major surgery springs to mind) I’ll hire it done. But some people delegate a lot more than I. For instance, when I couldn’t find an iPhone 6 Plus belt holster to my liking, I made one. No big. Not hard to do. And I enjoy working with my hands. But I’ve gotten lots of questions about the case. It usually goes something like this: [Read more…] about Blessed are the Makers…
Underwood For President.
So I’ve finally run out of House of Cards (season 3) episodes. (Some shows I binge-watch. House of Cards, I savor like a fine wine.) And the ending was (as expected) another cliffhanger.
I’m going to be somewhat obtuse here, because I don’t want to spoil the show for those who are watching (or plan to) but haven’t gotten to the final episode of this season. However, I will tell you (which is no more or no less that you can get from the episode descriptions on Netflix) that the relationship between Frank Underwood (Kevin Spacey) and Claire Underwood (Robin Wright) is strained to the breaking point. What’s more interesting is why… [Read more…] about Underwood For President.
ServerGate.
Apparently, Hillary Clinton never learned a thing in her youth, when she served on the Congressional staff of the investigation into Watergate.
In a report tonight in Politico, Congressman Trey Gowdy states that the former Secretary of State wiped her server clean, and has destroyed ALL the emails on it. For those of you who frequent the mainstream media (where you surprisingly might have heard a little about this story) or for those of you coming in late (welcome to the party, pal!) allow me to give you the 50,000-foot view history lesson: [Read more…] about ServerGate.
The People v. Climate Change
To the Honorable Chief Justice John Roberts and the Honorable Justices of the Supreme Court of the United States of America:
If it please the court, we hereby submit this petition for an injunction to bind the United States Government from any activity in support of the concept of Climate Change, including, but not limited to, “cap and trade,” “carbon taxes,” “carbon emissions,” and “environmental impact,” either through legislation, executive action, or administrative regulations. We ask the court’s help, due to the fact that Climate Change (nee: “Global Warming,” nee: “Global Cooling”) is so clearly a religion, and therefore violates Article I of the United States Constitution prohibiting the establishment of religion and abridging freedom of speech or of the press. [Read more…] about The People v. Climate Change
Why are Atheists so Angry?
Okay…the headline should probably have read “Why are MOST Atheists so Angry,” but I’m not above a little click bait, now and then. But in my experience, scratch beneath the surface of an atheist, and you’ll find someone who is easily rilled, especially when any subject that touches on the subject of religion comes up. [Read more…] about Why are Atheists so Angry?
On Bullying…and Bullies.
When I was a kid we had bullies. I was a student at Southfield School. And in 6th grade there was a kid who was bullying me. It just didn’t stop. I tried being nice. I tried keeping quiet. I tried telling the Principal. Nothing worked…until one day I’d had enough. I got to my mom’s car and threw my books in, furious, and I told her “Wait here…I’ve got something to take care of,” and I stormed off. There used to be an old wooden long building out by the field, they used as dressing rooms. I stormed onto the field, looking for this kid, mad as Hell, and I wasn’t going to take it any more.
[Read more…] about On Bullying…and Bullies.