News articles; but, quietly

I have not played any music today, I have not watched any television, I have kept the amount of noise to a minimum around me. I felt I needed a little quiet time to think. I love the city; but, I have spent years living in the desert and living in the woods prior to that. When I used to go backpacking, it was great. There is something about the peacefulness and quiet that goes along with it.

It is amazing how much we are bombarded by information. Our senses are constantly being overloaded with noise, light, motion. I personally cannot stand to be in a dance club. I fear for the kids of today, this place is beginning to look more and more like Tokyo. Their lives are wrapped in social networking to the point where everything is public. I saw an article today that said that 94% of Brit's would give up sex rather than their cell phone. Mail Online - 94% of UK adults would rather live without sex than their mobile phone. Now to the news.

Yahoo News - AP - US Treasury takes step to avoid hitting debt limit
US Treasury to halt sales of securities to state, local gov'ts to avoid breaching debt limit. I am not quite sure what this one means; but, it is worth watching to see the effect it has on state and local governments. It may mean that they have to keep the money in the banks. If those banks were to fail and a "bail in" occurred, would they be the largest stock owners of their local banks?

Inforwars - What Are These Weird Street Signs Being Installed in Las Vegas? I don't generally link to Infowars and believe they have a very strong tendency to look for the boogeyman under every bed. My opinion. This particular story is interesting for other reasons. One commenter stated that the signs looked like highway signs for redirecting traffic on streets if the highway were down. As I pointed out previously, the new federal funding legislation for municipal roads claims that all major (arterial) roads are now part of the National Highway System. Perhaps this is a "sign" of things to come as the fed takes over local right of ways.

Wired - New Cash Registers Are Sexy, But What’s Beneath the Counter Matters More. An article showing the cash register of the future; but, it doesn't take cash from what I can see. It only takes electronic purchases. Still, it is pretty.

Mail Online - New spectre of cloned babies: Scientists create embryos in lab that 'could grow to full term'.

Yahoo News - AP - Nasdaq stocks posting largest volume decreases. If people are not trading, something is coming.

LifeNews.com - Unethical Scientists are Making Human-Animal Hybrids, Again
. The problem is that science teaches that people are not unique and not special, we are flukes of the universe and we believe we can do a better job than nature or God. This will not go well.

Mail Online - Google unveils superfast quantum computer that could cure diseases, stop global warming and even learn to drive a car
.

The Guardian - Fury at corporate tax avoidance leads to call for a global response. Get ready for it, global tax regulation by an international body. First they will come for the big companies that are truly avoiding taxes and then, then they will come for every transaction made on the internet and maybe that is not a bad thing. My issue is not with internationally regulated currencies or internationally enforced taxes. If we sell in another country, we need to abide by their rules and vice versa. My bigger concern is the globalization of what is and is not acceptable because we don't get to vote on those things.

Huffington Post - Kirsten Gillibrand Aims To Jumpstart Student Loan Refinancings With New Bill. Nothing is free in this world and there will be a price to pay. It may not be apparent yet; but, it will show itself later. The same thing holds true for people who bought risky loans, refinanced and think they have outsmarted the system. Nope, you didn't, you did exactly what they wanted you to do.

Wired - Welcome to the Programmable World
. A decent article about how everything is going to be connected to the internet. The term they use is "the internet of things". I recommend you read the whole article and ask yourself what will not be known about you in the future.

Yahoo - CNBC - New Bill to Colleges: Prove Your Worth
. Colleges are going to be asked to prove to students that they will be able to get good paying jobs. What would you do if you could only get into a college that you believed graduation from meant you would get a good job; but, you were not admitted to the ones that had a higher return? What is the real driving force behind all of these attacks on the value of a college education? They are telling the poor and middle class that if you cannot afford to go to the best colleges, you shouldn't bother going at all. They are lowering expectations because there is less for Americans to expect in the future. Don't expect to own a home, don't expect to go to college, don't expect to live alone and don't expect to have much private space (270 square feet is enough). They are telling us something really simple, EXPECT LESS.

INRIX. They watch you move, they watch you travel, they monitor transportation for your benefit. How do they get all that information if not from the cities, states and fed?

Huffington Post - Transforming Capitalism Won't Happen Without Leadership. We do not live in a capitalistic society and maybe never have. Certainly, with all the misdeeds of the banks and insurance companies and industries and the regulators, the system is rigged and far from honest. The system will change because it will fail even more. The question is what will replace it.

Huffington Post - Launching the Internet of Everything One Startup at a Time. Again we see the internet of everything, it is time when everything is connected and monitored and analyzed. The movie the Matrix was interesting, it envisioned a future where we lived in virtual realities and that is the world we are building.

A Farewell and a song. Washington Post - AP - Ray Manzarek, keyboardist and founding member of The Doors, dies at 74 from cancer. Ray Manzarek was the keyboardist for The Doors. A friend of mine's father played on one of their albums. Mr. Manzarek was as important to that band as the others. He started the band with Morrison and it had a very distinctive sound. It will be the first music I listen to today. My favorite song by The Doors - YouTube - L.A. Woman. Thanks for the music and goodbye Mr. Manzarek.