Monday Musings...

"uh...little help here"

Welcome to a rather calm start to our week.
(so far...so good, hmm?)
And, I can tell it's a Monday, because one of our computers had a problem with the anti-virus software, which required a new download and scan...
God, some days, technology is simply a ROYAL pain-in-the-ass, isn't it?
Anyway, our Hoosierland weather for today looks to be brighter than my current demeanor, with sunny skies all around (the clouds come later on), and temps crawling up from the mid-30s all the way up to the low 60s. All in all, not that bad, is it?
So, let's get our morning beverage poured as we see what's been going on elsewhere...
*** First off of the hard drive is our "What the hell happens today, Bob?" feature:
November 16 -
---Today is NATIONAL FAST FOOD DAY

(which, by the look of most of the "locals" would be EVERY day - no one apparently knows HOW TO COOK...something I have no difficulty with. Just ask Wifey)
---And, it's NATIONAL BUTTON DAY

(I've lost some of mine ages ago...loll. Maybe that's why I like VELCRO so damn much)
*** Next up, there was a good story in Sunday's paper, and it has to do about the gun-play we have here in Fort Wayne.

You know, if I didn't know better, I'd think someone was following my lead with the weekly "shots fired and armed robbery" calls I post here every Tuesday. Here's the story link:
http://www.journalgazette.net/news/local/in-depth/Random-week-in-October-proves-power-of-the-gun-9833057
The reporter tells the story of a WEEK in October and all the police calls that relate in some way to guns.
And yes, there are some calls that are totally UNFOUNDED.
Now, before you applaud this article, there is Paul Helmke sticking his finger in this pie, so you can conclude this is not a PRO-gun story.
It takes a while to get to that point in the story, and leads one to believe that the number of police we currently have is perhaps NOT enough to stem the tide of such calls.
What I find interesting is that SOME calls are detailed, while others are glossed over.
This is key when you are trying to determine WHERE the majority of firearm-related calls emanate from.
And if you guessed the SOUTH side of the city, go to the head of the class.

I've told all of you for YEARS that such was the case, right?
Still, it's a decent read, but I wish people would use MORE colors on their palette when they paint pictures like these.
Moving on...
*** Next up, I don't have that much to say about the terror attacks in Paris, except to say that you just knew something like this was coming, given the blatant tactics these camel-jockeys pursue.

I do feel for the French people, because they certainly didn't ASK for this..well not openly, anyway.
Remember that Paris is a city that has several areas that operate under SHARIA law, and that tourists are steered AWAY from...that should not be allowed if the French people are to retain their OWN identity.
And, all these "refugees" were never vetted properly or completely, yet were allowed to enter not JUST France, but many other European nations without the proper scrutiny required in times such as these.
It's got several state governors here in the USA proceeding to HALT all refugees from Syria...and with good reason. I'd love to see ALL governors follow this lead.
Indiana's governor (Mike Pence) has suspended the relocation program INDEFINITELY (good for him)! We certainly don't need ANOTHER 9/11, do we?

And that brings me to a bit of a "sticking-point" with this terror attack - some have equated it to our OWN September 11, 2001 attack.
While the FEROCITY of both attacks were similar in NATURE,  the METHODS (and targets) differ immensely, and we should NOT make them similar in that regard.
We also lost OVER 3000 people, as opposed to the (approx) 129 lost in Paris, so let's please keep everything in it's correct CONTEXT and PERSPECTIVE. It's a horrible event, but let's take this as a learning experience...for everyone.
And let's pray for the people of Paris and for those who lost loved ones.
*** Next, in a related story, our "Whiner-in-Chief", who STILL cannot properly ID these terrorists as ISLAMIC terrorists, we have this little gem of a story: Here's the link:
http://www.journalgazette.net/news/world/5-at-Guantanamo-released-to-UAE-9938371

Clueless on Syria.

Yep, he's turning ANOTHER 5 Gitmo detainees into the "custody" of the UAE...for all the damn good THAT will do.
I seem to recall how well that LAST release of detainees went...how about you?
(not that well if recent history serves)
Now, if the UAE were to TORTURE these 5, then I'd be okay with that, but we ALL know such will NOT be the case, right?
Not the best way to deal with terrorists, is it?
Just the ONLY (read politically-correct) way.
Let's hope none of THIS bunch makes it to their next birthday.
We could all use a lot fewer of them around.
But, tell the people of Paris that.
They could use some truth.
*** Next, I think I managed to get that AVG thing taken care of...MY way:

I deleted ALL previous versions and simply D/Led the new version...whatta chore.
It would be NICE if these people would NOTIFY you that you either have an OUTDATED version and need the new one, OR just automatically updated you. Yeah, that would be TOO damn easy and TOO damn logical a course to pursue, wouldn't it?
It's bad enough that all the 'puters here at the "Fortress" use the (tried and true and well-like by many) Window XP.
Fewer sites are supporting it these days (like the Fort Wayne city GIS system), and that makes things "interesting" when looking for stuff.

The whole "planned obsolescence" gig is getting real old real fast, too.
Windows comes along with new versions of it's O/S damn near every year.
I hear Apple isn't near as bad with that, and it makes a good case to want to SWITCH systems altogether, it if means fewer problems.
Just provide the user with something a bit more "bullet-proof" that CAN be upgraded as the USER desires, and with greater specificity like if the system is used primarily for GAMING...or PUBLISHING...or PHOTOGRAPHY...you get the idea.
Again, that would be TOO logical, right? OY!!!
*** Last back to the  CPU...we do live in a world that is SO much more complex than say the 1960s, and I often wonder if that's necessarily a GOOD thing.

One has to take in ALL the parameters to fully understand such implications.
Sure, technology has come a very LONG way since the 60s, and in many cases, that has been a BOON to mankind in general.
All you have to do is look at the world of science and medicine to figure that much out.
But, has all the tech made our LIVES "better"?
I'd concede that it HAS made our lives EASIER, provisionally-speaking.
Technology is great when properly understood and utilized..."...aye, there's the rub", as Shakespeare would say, but, when the same technology is used incorrectly, problem will arise.
Just look at the traffic deaths due to TEXTING alone.
And that's only scratching the surface...online bullying, "sexting", and almost any other perversion one can dream of are available now.
Sure makes being a creep a LOT easier, doesn't it?
Many of the walls of self-policing have disappeared, because everything takes place in a "virtual" realm, so no harm dine, right?
Wrong!
It's worse, in fact...much worse.
The bastardization of technology originally designed to make our lives, and the world better have proven it's shortcut to many of the things we would otherwise think abhorrent.
Maybe it's time to just tune it back a few notches.

We've already let this genie out of it's bottle, so we know there's no way in hell to cajole it back INTO it, right? We've also opened Pandora's box, and stripped away the lid.
The best we can hope for is to deal with all the vicissitudes that come with this technology in a manner that has more moderation, and less total reliance upon it.
This is probably one of the best examples of LESS being MORE, and it would seem the best course to set for the time being.

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