Apparently my ex-wife has found someone new and is going to move in with him. I cannot say that I had any reaction to the news, it has been five years. I guess I wish her well; but, I cannot say I really care. I guess I was surprised by my lack of response. If she moves in with him, I stop paying alimony; but, she still gets half of my pension. If they do marry she still gets half of my retirement. I find it odd that if she does marry him, I will be paying for him and her both. It is especially odd seeing as how she cheated on me and left me for another man (not this man).
Anyways, she is introducing this man to our children. I don't know how I feel about that. I mean, if she is going to live with him and possibly marry him then they should know him. They are adults and can decide for themselves what relationship they wish to have with him. My youngest said that she wanted to see us both happy and hoped that I would find someone too; but, I'm not looking and am happy with that for the moment. As I have said before, I don't know if I want to be with someone again.
The whole thing reminded me of a song by Don Henley. It sums up how I feel, I wish them the best and hope that they are right for each other and find happiness and fulfillment.
YouTube - The Eagles - Heart of the Matter
Sunday, May 20, 2012
Wednesday, May 16, 2012
A Personal Life
Sorry for not posting. I do have a personal life and others around me and I had to set aside some time for others. Life takes up a lot of time sometimes. Have a great weekend if I don't post before then.
Sunday, May 13, 2012
I'm Sorry, I Forgot the Question.
Pimpernel has read the news and watched videos and I got nothing. It should be obvious that the Eurozone is losing it and that Greece is going to have to eventually leave the Euro or give up any idea of their votes being meaningful. I do hope my readers are following what is going on in Europe, it is much more important that whether or not the President supports gay marriage (he doesn't get a vote on the matter) or whether or not John Travolta is gay or bi or anything else. The collapse of the Euro has worldwide implications and that is what the media should be really discussing.
Monday morning will be interesting. The media has been reporting on the $2 billion dollar loss taken by JP Morgan. Couple that with what happened in Greece and you have the makings of a bad day for wall street. On a side note, I have written about the CIM Group on more than one occasion, do you think they google their own names and if they do, do you think they have read what I have to say? I never get any comments on my pension posts.
I guess what I am saying is that I just don't have anything to write about today; but, may in the next few days. I hope your week goes well.
Monday morning will be interesting. The media has been reporting on the $2 billion dollar loss taken by JP Morgan. Couple that with what happened in Greece and you have the makings of a bad day for wall street. On a side note, I have written about the CIM Group on more than one occasion, do you think they google their own names and if they do, do you think they have read what I have to say? I never get any comments on my pension posts.
I guess what I am saying is that I just don't have anything to write about today; but, may in the next few days. I hope your week goes well.
Saturday, May 12, 2012
Happy Mother's Day
Tomorrow is Mother's Day. My mother passed on a number of years ago and my ex-Mother In Law is the last mother I have. I wish both my ex-wife and her mother a happy Mother's Day. While we may no longer be married, we will always be parents to our children, whether they like it or not.
I had a good mother, she was intelligent, giving and loving. She could also be very dictatorial on occasion. We get the parents we get and we are all a mixed bag of emotions and thoughts and actions. Nobody is perfect. Still, my mother was pretty much the 1950s style mother, she managed the house (incredibly well I might add, when my father retired, she had paid off the house and all of their debt), prepared us three meals a day (she was an excellent cook) and did everything she could to keep us out of trouble. She also strongly promoted seeing me graduate college and law school. They gave up a lot for me to get my education. I worked during college but only had to take out some loans for law school, my parents paid the majority for my education.
So in honor of all Mothers, may they have a great day of love and appreciation.
I had a good mother, she was intelligent, giving and loving. She could also be very dictatorial on occasion. We get the parents we get and we are all a mixed bag of emotions and thoughts and actions. Nobody is perfect. Still, my mother was pretty much the 1950s style mother, she managed the house (incredibly well I might add, when my father retired, she had paid off the house and all of their debt), prepared us three meals a day (she was an excellent cook) and did everything she could to keep us out of trouble. She also strongly promoted seeing me graduate college and law school. They gave up a lot for me to get my education. I worked during college but only had to take out some loans for law school, my parents paid the majority for my education.
So in honor of all Mothers, may they have a great day of love and appreciation.
Penn and Teller and My Dad
When I was a kid I used to perform magic tricks. I loved Harry Houdini and knew a friend of Harry Blackstone Jr. I practiced close up magic, card tricks and slight of hand (my favorite slight of hand magician was Slydini - he inspired me). I bought books on Hoodini and learned the tricks including escape tricks. I have been to Las Vegas and been on the stage with Penn and Teller. In fact, I have seen most of the magicians including David Copperfield and the very nice Mr. Lance Burton (after each show he would sit outside until every kid got an autograph if they wanted it).
Magicians are just geeks. It is a very special type of geekiness. I was one of those. I have met Penn and Teller twice and enjoyed both experiences. The first time I was called on stage for a card trick. I will not explain the trick in case you see them; but, it is a card trick. Three of us were chosen and each given a deck of cards, we were told to count the cards and I had 51 whereas everyone else had 52. I counted them three times knowing that if there were 52 and I miscounted there would be a problem for the act. I didn't miscount, I had 51. To not give away anything, after Penn asked me to count again there were 52 and he told a joke which told me why the number of cards had changed. There are two ways to do the trick and one of them involves forcing a card in my hand (the other does not; but, I do not believe the other method was used). To force a card into someone's hand without them knowing it is a good trick; but, to force it into someone's hand that knows what you are going to do is even better and let me tell you, he is very good.
The second time that I met Penn and Teller was at a reception at the Rio for certain guests. I am not tall, I am average height. Penn is a very big man. I got to shake their hands and get a booklet of the show signed by them. Penn is a very loud and intense person on television or on the stage. In fact, I am a Christian and he would consider me a fool for that, so I don't agree with him on a lot of things. In person, he was one of the most gentle people I have ever met. He was amazingly considerate and calm. I have seen them a number of times and know their act and how it is done; but, I love the jokes and set up. I have enjoyed their act since the late 80s.
Tonight I was watching some videos and ended up seeing some magic ones. One of the videos that popped up was of some show in England that they did called "Fool Us". I don't watch television anyways; but, I never even heard of this show so I believe it may have only played in Europe. As I went through the different videos there were three videos that really got my attention. Two of them were of kids doing magic. It brought memories back of doing a routine with my father. The last video was of two magicians who did fool Penn and Teller (they didn't know how the trick was done). My father and I did the same trick; but, we did it to a degree that had not been done before. It took months of training. It is why you don't see the trick being done properly. Nobody ever figured it out and to this day I have not told anyone. It was an old time Vegas trick and it worked best with a young boy and his father and my dad could sell. Even better, I did the trick blindfolded and I have never seen that done. I have only seen two duos perform the trick and the other was in the 1970s and I pulled it off better than the kid in that duo.
Penn and Teller should have know the trick; but, I have only seen two duos (other than me and my dad because I didn't see us - I was blindfolded) do it in 50 years. I wanted to teach the trick to one of my kids; but, none ever seem interested in learning them. They did enjoy watching me perform tricks growing up; but, not everyone wants to be a magician. My father was a very special man with some very unique experiences and knowledge and I was blessed that he taught me some of that. I have to mention something about the videos, one of them was of Penn and Teller performing a trick. It begins with a variation of an old Slydini trick where an audience member is on stage, doesn't know what is going on and the audience sees her get tricked.
We live in a world where many of us live illusions; but, that is self delusion. We confuse ourselves with out assumptions and biases. Then their is magic, if I give the trick away, the illusion is lost and the point of the game is to enjoy the mystery. It is not about misdirection, it is about direction. Forcing where someone looks. The best tricks are not hidden, they are done where you can see everything, except me, remember, I couldn't see because I was in a blindfold.
Well, I do believe I am rambling. No, the whole thing just got me thinking about magic and memories. I remember loving the first time I saw the movie about Hoodini's life. I remember seeing "The Sting" for the first time and watching "Switch" on television and learning tricks from my father. My father told my mother once that he never really understood me; but, the man taught me quite a lot of what I know. I performed a physical feet once that was worthy of Guiness Book of World Records honor (though it was not reported) and because he had taught me the trick I mentioned earlier, I was able to sustain the rigorous training that it took to perform the physical feet. In order to learn the magic trick, I had to learn extreme focus and composure under strain. It was a trough trick and there is a reason you don't see it anymore. In our version, you didn't use a deck, you used the universe, everything was game. Nobody had ever done that before, my dad was brilliant and I miss him and that is what I thought about while I watched these videos, way too late into the morning.
Magicians are just geeks. It is a very special type of geekiness. I was one of those. I have met Penn and Teller twice and enjoyed both experiences. The first time I was called on stage for a card trick. I will not explain the trick in case you see them; but, it is a card trick. Three of us were chosen and each given a deck of cards, we were told to count the cards and I had 51 whereas everyone else had 52. I counted them three times knowing that if there were 52 and I miscounted there would be a problem for the act. I didn't miscount, I had 51. To not give away anything, after Penn asked me to count again there were 52 and he told a joke which told me why the number of cards had changed. There are two ways to do the trick and one of them involves forcing a card in my hand (the other does not; but, I do not believe the other method was used). To force a card into someone's hand without them knowing it is a good trick; but, to force it into someone's hand that knows what you are going to do is even better and let me tell you, he is very good.
The second time that I met Penn and Teller was at a reception at the Rio for certain guests. I am not tall, I am average height. Penn is a very big man. I got to shake their hands and get a booklet of the show signed by them. Penn is a very loud and intense person on television or on the stage. In fact, I am a Christian and he would consider me a fool for that, so I don't agree with him on a lot of things. In person, he was one of the most gentle people I have ever met. He was amazingly considerate and calm. I have seen them a number of times and know their act and how it is done; but, I love the jokes and set up. I have enjoyed their act since the late 80s.
Tonight I was watching some videos and ended up seeing some magic ones. One of the videos that popped up was of some show in England that they did called "Fool Us". I don't watch television anyways; but, I never even heard of this show so I believe it may have only played in Europe. As I went through the different videos there were three videos that really got my attention. Two of them were of kids doing magic. It brought memories back of doing a routine with my father. The last video was of two magicians who did fool Penn and Teller (they didn't know how the trick was done). My father and I did the same trick; but, we did it to a degree that had not been done before. It took months of training. It is why you don't see the trick being done properly. Nobody ever figured it out and to this day I have not told anyone. It was an old time Vegas trick and it worked best with a young boy and his father and my dad could sell. Even better, I did the trick blindfolded and I have never seen that done. I have only seen two duos perform the trick and the other was in the 1970s and I pulled it off better than the kid in that duo.
Penn and Teller should have know the trick; but, I have only seen two duos (other than me and my dad because I didn't see us - I was blindfolded) do it in 50 years. I wanted to teach the trick to one of my kids; but, none ever seem interested in learning them. They did enjoy watching me perform tricks growing up; but, not everyone wants to be a magician. My father was a very special man with some very unique experiences and knowledge and I was blessed that he taught me some of that. I have to mention something about the videos, one of them was of Penn and Teller performing a trick. It begins with a variation of an old Slydini trick where an audience member is on stage, doesn't know what is going on and the audience sees her get tricked.
We live in a world where many of us live illusions; but, that is self delusion. We confuse ourselves with out assumptions and biases. Then their is magic, if I give the trick away, the illusion is lost and the point of the game is to enjoy the mystery. It is not about misdirection, it is about direction. Forcing where someone looks. The best tricks are not hidden, they are done where you can see everything, except me, remember, I couldn't see because I was in a blindfold.
Well, I do believe I am rambling. No, the whole thing just got me thinking about magic and memories. I remember loving the first time I saw the movie about Hoodini's life. I remember seeing "The Sting" for the first time and watching "Switch" on television and learning tricks from my father. My father told my mother once that he never really understood me; but, the man taught me quite a lot of what I know. I performed a physical feet once that was worthy of Guiness Book of World Records honor (though it was not reported) and because he had taught me the trick I mentioned earlier, I was able to sustain the rigorous training that it took to perform the physical feet. In order to learn the magic trick, I had to learn extreme focus and composure under strain. It was a trough trick and there is a reason you don't see it anymore. In our version, you didn't use a deck, you used the universe, everything was game. Nobody had ever done that before, my dad was brilliant and I miss him and that is what I thought about while I watched these videos, way too late into the morning.
Friday, May 11, 2012
Technology and You, You Little Tranhumanist You
Just a short post with a few links that you might enjoy. We will begin with a new camera application. Here is the article from Technology Review - A Camera App that Gets to Know Your Friends. Now I want you to understand how this program works. If you take a picture with your phone, this application will scan your Facebook pages and pictures stored on your phone and identify the person for you. If it is wrong then you get to correct it. You are basically providing Facebook with your friends biometrics. Please don't take my picture, thank you very much. Wait, I forgot to mention, you don't have to take the picture, it recognizes the face before you do. Turn on your camera and it automatically starts identifying the people around you.
Next we have this tattoo artist who implanted magnets under his skin in order to hold his iPod Nano to his body. CNET - Man puts magnets under skin to hold iPod Nano. I remember a while back writing a post about how another tattoo person had a 3D barcode tattooed onto him so that if you held your smartphone to it, it would display a video or whatever you wanted it to.
Finally we come to another article from CNET - Ericsson could turn you into a human USB connection next year. This article is really important to read and understand. Ericsson has created a technology where if you have your cell phone on you and shake someone's hand, they can access your data on your cell phone. As we move towards electronic currency, would you be able to steal their money just by shaking their hands? Here is a quote from the article, "The company is looking at different applications. Bhikshesvaran said the company was exploring the notion that it could end up being a new biometric footprint, since bodies all possess a unique energy signature. The company hasn't quite figured that one out yet." This technology has the ability to take your biometric body information. Now, for any of you conspiracy theorists out there, I want you to remember that all doctors in the United States are required to keep medical records in electronic form. Just think of how well you could track and identify people by combining the information. Just shaking someone's hand could identify you.
On another note, the United States Court of Appeals in Washington has determined that the National Security Agency does not have to reveal any information regarding it's dealings with Google. Yahoo News - AFP - US spy agency can keep mum on Google ties: court. While the case was in regards to a specific teaming of Google and the NSA, the precedent could be applied to any relations between the two. I wrote long ago about the relationship of the two and what it means for your privacy, you have none.
I may or may not post again tonight; but, I wanted to at least make people aware of these changes. Have a great weekend.
UPDATE
As I was reading the news I found two more articles that I see as related.
MSNBC - Touch-sensitive liquids, tables and skin in latest research. The first article is interesting and has a video that goes with it. It involves the Disney company and it's Touche system. Basically, the system recognizes your touch and different touches as having different meanings. Now then, the article says that the system requires the objects to be wired; however, if we consider what Ericsson has done in the article linked above, the only thing that needs to be wired is you through your cell phone. Lets do a little brain storming. If one were to combine the new Ericsson technology with Disney's Touche, your door could refuse to open for anyone other than you or perhaps your circle of friends. There is no need to wire everything if you yourself are wired into the grid. Imagine a world where every door would recognize you and decide if you could or could not enter. I haven't even had time to consider all of the possibilities. What if every object you touched identified you through your cell phone and that if you didn't have one, you couldn't use the object. That is not quite how it will be used; but, it will be something along these lines.
Now this is just an update on something I had written about before. I had discussed Google glasses and linked to their video. In that post I had pointed out that the commercial showed a store with internal mapping. Some may have thought that was just an idea in the video; but, this next link will show you that Google is in the process of doing it now. They intend to map out the inside of stores and other buildings. FoxNews.com - Google Maps update offers indoor walking directions. Again this is not maybe in the future stuff, this is here now and available for your Android.
Next we have this tattoo artist who implanted magnets under his skin in order to hold his iPod Nano to his body. CNET - Man puts magnets under skin to hold iPod Nano. I remember a while back writing a post about how another tattoo person had a 3D barcode tattooed onto him so that if you held your smartphone to it, it would display a video or whatever you wanted it to.
Finally we come to another article from CNET - Ericsson could turn you into a human USB connection next year. This article is really important to read and understand. Ericsson has created a technology where if you have your cell phone on you and shake someone's hand, they can access your data on your cell phone. As we move towards electronic currency, would you be able to steal their money just by shaking their hands? Here is a quote from the article, "The company is looking at different applications. Bhikshesvaran said the company was exploring the notion that it could end up being a new biometric footprint, since bodies all possess a unique energy signature. The company hasn't quite figured that one out yet." This technology has the ability to take your biometric body information. Now, for any of you conspiracy theorists out there, I want you to remember that all doctors in the United States are required to keep medical records in electronic form. Just think of how well you could track and identify people by combining the information. Just shaking someone's hand could identify you.
On another note, the United States Court of Appeals in Washington has determined that the National Security Agency does not have to reveal any information regarding it's dealings with Google. Yahoo News - AFP - US spy agency can keep mum on Google ties: court. While the case was in regards to a specific teaming of Google and the NSA, the precedent could be applied to any relations between the two. I wrote long ago about the relationship of the two and what it means for your privacy, you have none.
I may or may not post again tonight; but, I wanted to at least make people aware of these changes. Have a great weekend.
UPDATE
As I was reading the news I found two more articles that I see as related.
MSNBC - Touch-sensitive liquids, tables and skin in latest research. The first article is interesting and has a video that goes with it. It involves the Disney company and it's Touche system. Basically, the system recognizes your touch and different touches as having different meanings. Now then, the article says that the system requires the objects to be wired; however, if we consider what Ericsson has done in the article linked above, the only thing that needs to be wired is you through your cell phone. Lets do a little brain storming. If one were to combine the new Ericsson technology with Disney's Touche, your door could refuse to open for anyone other than you or perhaps your circle of friends. There is no need to wire everything if you yourself are wired into the grid. Imagine a world where every door would recognize you and decide if you could or could not enter. I haven't even had time to consider all of the possibilities. What if every object you touched identified you through your cell phone and that if you didn't have one, you couldn't use the object. That is not quite how it will be used; but, it will be something along these lines.
Now this is just an update on something I had written about before. I had discussed Google glasses and linked to their video. In that post I had pointed out that the commercial showed a store with internal mapping. Some may have thought that was just an idea in the video; but, this next link will show you that Google is in the process of doing it now. They intend to map out the inside of stores and other buildings. FoxNews.com - Google Maps update offers indoor walking directions. Again this is not maybe in the future stuff, this is here now and available for your Android.
Thursday, May 10, 2012
Digital Wallets Mean Electronic Money
You will be hearing more and more about "digital wallets". The type of wallet varies; but, in essence it is the idea that when you exchange "money" or "cash" the transaction takes place electronically rather than physically. The transaction can be debt based, such as an electronic credit card identified on your cell phone or computer; or, the transactions can be debit based with the transaction being an electronic transfer from your bank.
Yahoo News - Associated Press Story - Digital 'wallets' proliferate at cellphone show
I have talked about these things before because I really think it is important for people to know what is coming and how soon it is coming. I also think it is important for Americans to understand that this technology is much further ahead in Europe and Asia. Recently the FBI leaked a report discussing Bitcoins and what needed to be done to protect transactions using them. Gizmodo - Leaked FBI Report Details How Best to Get Away With Bitcoin Crime. While the report also discusses how "criminals" might want to make electronic transactions using them, the FBI seems more concerned over protecting such transactions.
If you read the first item from Yahoo News on digital wallets you will discover that the information available to the government regarding your purchases will be all encompassing. Every transaction will be traceable once we go to all electronic currency; but, what if we continue down the current road and we only require all transactions over, lets say $1,000 be electronic. Now, your credit card and debit card transactions are already identified by your bank so really, what additional information will they have?
It doesn't take a genius to understand that in order to use your electronic wallet, your biometrics will need to be matched up at the point of sale. It will be the only way to avoid identity theft. As I have previously noted, the technology is already there, just consider google glasses and the Galaxy S III. With google glasses, you would be able to automatically upload a picture of anyone attempting to rob you and shut down your accounts at the same time. With google wallet and google glasses, this is not conjecture, this is current technology.
Anyone who uses the internet must have noticed that most e-mail and service providers now ask for your mobile phone number. Most banks now want your cell phone number and e-mail address. The question I have is how will all of this information regarding our purchases be used. Now for my guesses.
The first part of the world to go all electronic (or just about) will be Europe. The Euro will fail, Greece is ready to go as are Ireland, Spain and Italy. Once they opt out of the Euro, they will not be able to just print their own currencies again in a day. It takes time to put that infrastructure back in place and the collapse will be quick. I believe the solution will be an electronic currency and for that to be accepted by other countries, it will need to be based on a quantifiable something. That quantifiable something will be the natural resources, production infrastructure, standard of living and workforce's capabilities. In other words for anyone to accept your electronic promise, they will need to know that is backed up by something.
We are watching the end of cash in our lifetime. We are also watching our ability to be monitored to the smallest part of our lives via cameras everywhere and cell phone and purchases tracking. On a side note, we are also seeing man create new creatures that are not natural. We are entering some brave new territories without understanding all of the possible consequences. There has been some talk about what it will look like on the other side.
On another side note, you may have heard that drones and super blimps are being used in the United States by the military. What you may not know is that both of these are capable of reading RFID chips. The original plan was to put a chip in every soldier, that plan is being discussed again. Here is an article from Mobiledia - "Super-Soldiers" Fight Disease With Bionic Implants. I have know about this for sometime because I dated someone who worked on a non-secret project involving the blimps.
Yahoo News - Associated Press Story - Digital 'wallets' proliferate at cellphone show
I have talked about these things before because I really think it is important for people to know what is coming and how soon it is coming. I also think it is important for Americans to understand that this technology is much further ahead in Europe and Asia. Recently the FBI leaked a report discussing Bitcoins and what needed to be done to protect transactions using them. Gizmodo - Leaked FBI Report Details How Best to Get Away With Bitcoin Crime. While the report also discusses how "criminals" might want to make electronic transactions using them, the FBI seems more concerned over protecting such transactions.
If you read the first item from Yahoo News on digital wallets you will discover that the information available to the government regarding your purchases will be all encompassing. Every transaction will be traceable once we go to all electronic currency; but, what if we continue down the current road and we only require all transactions over, lets say $1,000 be electronic. Now, your credit card and debit card transactions are already identified by your bank so really, what additional information will they have?
It doesn't take a genius to understand that in order to use your electronic wallet, your biometrics will need to be matched up at the point of sale. It will be the only way to avoid identity theft. As I have previously noted, the technology is already there, just consider google glasses and the Galaxy S III. With google glasses, you would be able to automatically upload a picture of anyone attempting to rob you and shut down your accounts at the same time. With google wallet and google glasses, this is not conjecture, this is current technology.
Anyone who uses the internet must have noticed that most e-mail and service providers now ask for your mobile phone number. Most banks now want your cell phone number and e-mail address. The question I have is how will all of this information regarding our purchases be used. Now for my guesses.
The first part of the world to go all electronic (or just about) will be Europe. The Euro will fail, Greece is ready to go as are Ireland, Spain and Italy. Once they opt out of the Euro, they will not be able to just print their own currencies again in a day. It takes time to put that infrastructure back in place and the collapse will be quick. I believe the solution will be an electronic currency and for that to be accepted by other countries, it will need to be based on a quantifiable something. That quantifiable something will be the natural resources, production infrastructure, standard of living and workforce's capabilities. In other words for anyone to accept your electronic promise, they will need to know that is backed up by something.
We are watching the end of cash in our lifetime. We are also watching our ability to be monitored to the smallest part of our lives via cameras everywhere and cell phone and purchases tracking. On a side note, we are also seeing man create new creatures that are not natural. We are entering some brave new territories without understanding all of the possible consequences. There has been some talk about what it will look like on the other side.
On another side note, you may have heard that drones and super blimps are being used in the United States by the military. What you may not know is that both of these are capable of reading RFID chips. The original plan was to put a chip in every soldier, that plan is being discussed again. Here is an article from Mobiledia - "Super-Soldiers" Fight Disease With Bionic Implants. I have know about this for sometime because I dated someone who worked on a non-secret project involving the blimps.
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