Monday Musings...

We're starting this week off a little cloudier than usual. guess we were spoiled by the last few days.
It also looks like the humidity has returned...that should make things seem a bit more 'close".
Our Hoosierland weather has us getting back into a more late summer feel with partly to mostly cloudy skies today with the chance of a scattered shower (mostly to the south of the city - yay, us).. Temps will reach into the low 80s today, but it will probably feel a bit warmer.
Just so you know...
So, let us get a nice drink to whet our whistles and start our day, as we see what else is happening in those nooks and crannies of life.
*** First up, is our "What the hell happens today, Bob?" feature:
August 10 -
---Today is NATIONAL LAZY DAY

ROFLMAO - We actually need a DAY for that? And especially down where WE live? Where most all the "locals" are LAZY as the day is LONG?
This is a 365-day "event" for all of them, trust me.
---And, it's NATIONAL S'MORES DAY

Sorry, never could really get into them, but I like all the ingredients separately.
Like many things, it has to be an acquired taste.
*** Next up, that weird sound in the Wifeymobile went away.
Drove it to the grocery Saturday and didn't hear anything.
Now I can take this TWO ways - 1) Don't look a gift horse in the mouth, or 2) like a bad penny, it will probably come back.
I think I'll run with the first one...for now.
*** Speaking of cars, do you remember the times I decried ALL the technology that's being pushed, shoved, and crammed into newer vehicles today?

And remember how I said that all this was a BAD idea, and that we didn't NEED to have all those damn computer-controlled systems onboard?
Well, chalk up ANOTHER one for the old guy that DOES know Jack (and apparently a lot of others connected with such things).
Here's proof positive that we have a SERIOUS problem with these vehicles:
http://www.journalgazette.net/business/Cybersecurity-worries-carmakers-8091661
Yes, it seems that as with ANY computer these days...it can be HACKED.

"Yasureyoubetcha!"

Now, where do you suppose THAT can lead?
How about potential disaster?
Imagine being able to gain control over vital systems on a vehicles NOT by standing alongside it, but from across the country...!
And through the Internet to boot. Astounding.
Okay, so NOW car-makers are worried about the vehicle security, and how MANY are on our roads which are susceptible to such cyber-hacks anyway?
Tens of millions maybe?

The original hack took place back in 2010...and we're just getting wind of this NOW?
Car-makers attempted to "plug the holes" in vehicle security, but I guess the task has become more Herculean than they imagined.
I dunno...makes a case for keeping an older car with less computerized systems, doesn't it?
And, in spite of ALL this flap, we're seeing vehicles that are becoming more AUTONOMOUS.

How much WORSE would that make things...?
Pretty scary stuff, kids.
*** Next up, the first anniversary of the Ferguson event was not without incident, as shown here:
http://www.journalgazette.net/news/us/Shots-fired--demonstrators-scatter-in-Ferguson-8167846

Police officers (there) were shot at...and they returned fire, critically injuring one man.
The police chief said that two groups exchanged gunfire at a rally around 2230 hrs Sunday night.
The chief also said that an estimated six shooter unleashed a remarkable amount of gunfire over 45 seconds.
None of the officers were seriously injured.
The one shooter who was shot by police had a STOLEN 9mm pistol in his possession, that was taken last year from Cape Girardeaux, MO.
The chief stated that "these people were not part of any protest or rally - they were criminals intent on making sure that peace doesn;t prevail".
*** And, in a related story in today;s paper...there's this:
http://www.journalgazette.net/news/us/Race-visiblein-shootingsby-police-8148837
Wow, a whopping FORTY PERCENT of unarmed victims are BLACK!

Only the under 21 crowd has higher numbers.

That means they are NOT the majority of victims then...right?
So why the big deal?

But the TRUTH always comes out.

If you read the story, you can see the OBVIOUS leftist slant on this...because as we ALL are being told, (only) BLACK lives matter (as long as it's not in an all-black area where they kill one another with abandon), hmm?

THIS is the kind of journalistic tripe (and from the Washington Compost at that) we're being fed, and the low-information crowd eats this shit up, without knowing the FACTS..typical knee-jerk reactions soon follow.
Guess that OTHER 60% of unarmed people don't matter a damn?
Makes me wonder what all these race baiters will have to say when ALL officers have body cams, and the VIDEOS show the damning TRUTH about these perps, rather than castigates the LEOs out there?
You don't want to get shot...try NOT COMMITTING CRIME for a change.
Stop taking the EASY way out of life, and do something productive with your pitiful lives.
Cripes, this mindset really pisses me the hell off.
*** Next, we made a run to Menards Saturday (after grocery), and I was mulling over having to find a suitable replacement for the outdoor lightbulbs (I like the 75 watt incandescent bulbs that have gone bye-bye, thanks to the jerkoff EPA bastards).

It COULD work...

Well, I hate those curly-fries bulbs...so we decided on one of the new LED bulbs.
It gives off 1100 lumens, is comparable to a 75 watt bulb but only uses 13 watts.
(Okay so far...go on...)
And, the lifespan of THIS bulb is an amazing...TWENTY FIVE THOUSAND HOURS...!!!
Cripes, the damn thing will outlive ME...LOL.
Works great, too...nice and bright (to keep the undesirables away).
Now, I'm NOT "going green", and will never be hugging any trees, but this is a case where the technology isn't all that bad.
Still would rather deal with the regular bulbs, even if I had to change them out every couple months.
My concern is what about the company that sells those LED bulbs...won't this tech cause problems as far as "needing more bulbs", especially if EVERYONE gets them? Who will need replacement that soon?
Build something TOO good, and you could manufacture yourself out of business...been done before.
*** And now, to change things up a bit...it's back to school for Wifey, but that doesn't mean that our garden and critters are any less noticeable.
Here's some recent pictures:

Our FIRST Monarch...

Our "Guard-Bunny"

Wrinkles wanting a close-up.

Guarding houses is tiring work.

*** Last back to the garage...we see the ups AND down of our technology.
And so far, the good outweighs the bad but in NUMBERS only.

The BAD far outweighs the good when it comes to the severity of problems.
One REALLY bad problems will surpass the amount of items out there, because THAT is what people will remember.

We know how well THIS went.

Actually, you can say that WE created the problems in the first place...we usually do.
We make things and never FULLY test them - make them "bullet-proof" as it were, and hereby susceptible to what we're seeing today.

Naturally, we're all being "forced" to rely on this stuff, untested as it has become, and when an "issue" surfaces, THEN the problem-solvers get to work...AFTER the fact. (kinda like a police department in our city)...!
Stuff is being made, and little thought given to the down side of it's application.
That should be the FIRST thing considered, rather than being treated as an afterthought.
Seems we used to get by FINE before cell phones, too. Now, we're "dependent' on them.
Vehicle computers...airbags...bluetooth access...internet access...do we really NEED all this garbage?

Could a "minority report" be coming?

Or, would it be better if WE, all the people, were a bit more AWARE and CAREFUL behind the wheel of our vehicles?
We got by WITHOUT all this stuff in the past. We didn't even NEED seat belts.
These days, up to TEN airbags are in some cars...makes me feel like a damn cannoli.
I think we need to back off of the tech until thoe making all of it can ASSURE us that it is SAFE, because having someone on the other side of our country (or globe for that matter) taking control of the braking or engine system of your car  cannot be a good thing in ANY way, shape, or form.
Personally, I don't much take to being dependent upon THINGS (as w're being forced to become)...being dependent upon people is trying enough, although any hacking issues are minimal to speak of...lol..
But what do I know about this?

Sometimes, OLDER is BETTER.

I drive a car that 32 years old and I depend on very few people...and LOVING it..

Be well, make a difference to someone, and...
Stay SAFE out there America.