Tuesday Tidbits...

If you liked yesterday's weather, I'm pretty sure that today's will be another winner.
I know it's a pleasure not to have to run either the furnace nor the air-conditioner.
A day where some money gets saved...for a change (only to be spent someplace else...that you can bet on). That's the way life runs.
Our Hoosierland weather today will be a little bit warmer than yesterday (and the warming continues for the balance of the week) with a high of around 80 degrees (might have to kick the A/C back on - there goes that savings...LOL).
Still not seeing any precipitation for the day, but I understand we re going to get some before week's end.
So, go get that morning drink close-at-hand, as we see what is going on in some other places...
*** First off the assembly line is our "What the hell happens today, Bob?" feature:
September 15 -
Today we've got a LOT of things going on, such as:
--National IT Professional's Day

(for ALL those people who keep computer stuff running until a NEWER version comes along)
--National Cheese Toast day

(why ONE day to celebrate something SO damn delicious...and easy to make?)
--National Linguine Day

(another reason to bring a smile to my face)
--National Felt Hat Day

(Wonder if we can add a FEZ to this mix?)
--National Double Cheeseburger Day

(oh, yeah, I can roll with this one...ANY day.)
--National LBGT Center Awareness Day
--National Creme De Menthe Day

--Greenpeace Day (Oh, good Lord)
--Google.com Day (seriously???)
--International Day of Democracy

(tell that to all the refugees fleeing their homeland...or those in Cuba, Venezuela, and Russia for starters.)
International Dot Day.

(and here I thought they meant the candy...oh, well.)
Cripes, that's a lot of crap going on...and you'll forgive me for not expounding on all of them.
Moving on...
*** Next up is our salute to all the morons, idiots, and imbeciles who have nothing better to do in our city than play with guns, rather than be responsible gun owners.

SHOTS FIRED / ARMED ROBBERY CALLS - 9/7 -9/13
===========================================
SEP 7 -
15F118880 15:41:11 113 SHOTS FIRED 900 WASHINGTON BLVD E
15F119013 20:32:44 113 SHOTS FIRED 3800 STANTON HALL PKWY
15F119022 20:51:17 113 SHOTS FIRED 1700 RICHARDSON ST
15F119026 20:58:23 113 SHOTS FIRED 4100 ABBOTT ST
15F119038 21:40:15 113 SHOTS FIRED 2100 ECKART ST
15F119057 22:23:50 113 SHOTS FIRED 2000 BARR ST S
15F118693 06:11:32 53 ARMED ROB 300 MAPLE GROVE AVE W
15F118934 17:56:15 58 SHOOTING 700 BROADWAY
15F118947 18:18:03 58 SHOOTING 7900 JEFFERSON BLVD W
SEP 8 -
15F119110 01:15:49 53 ARMED ROB 1200 WELLS ST
15F119527 19:23:26 53 ARMED ROB 100 LEITH ST W
15F119187 08:10:22 58 SHOOTING 3100 LILLIE ST
SEP 9 - 
15F120025 20:42:33 113 SHOTS FIRED 500 PETTIT AVE E
15F120065 22:17:41 113 SHOTS FIRED 5100 LILLIE ST & FAIRFAX AVE E
((no armed robberies))
SEP 10 -
15F120412 16:51:57 113 SHOTS FIRED 2100 HANNA ST S
15F120513 20:37:25 58 SHOOTING 3300 SMITH ST
((no armed robberies))
SEP 11 - 
15F120631 03:09:56 113 SHOTS FIRED 1700 PETTIT AVE E & ANTHONY BLVD S
15F120950 18:33:39 113 SHOTS FIRED 4700 MANISTEE DR
15F120999 20:30:54 113 SHOTS FIRED 4000 REED ST
15F121050 22:28:13 113 SHOTS FIRED 1300 GREENE ST
15F121071 23:11:43 113 SHOTS FIRED 1300 GREENE ST
15F121010 20:53:11 58 SHOOTING 5800 ROLLING HILLS DR
15F121041 22:14:29 58 SHOOTING 2600 LOWER HUNTINGTON RD
((no armed robberies))
SEP 12 -
15F121116 01:20:11 113 SHOTS FIRED 6200 CHADDSFORD DR
15F121150 02:44:32 113 SHOTS FIRED 1800 PONTIAC ST E & EUCLID AVE
15F121523 21:58:55 113 SHOTS FIRED 4200 WASHINGTON RD N
15F121543 22:50:16 113 SHOTS FIRED 800 OAKLAWN CT
15F121570 23:28:32 113 SHOTS FIRED 5200 EVARD RD & STONY BROOK DR
15F121577 23:41:54 113 SHOTS FIRED 2100 EDEN ST
((no armed robberies)
SEP 13 -
15F121663 02:37:04 113 SHOTS FIRED 3800 CALHOUN ST S & RUDISILL BLVD
15F121664 02:37:43 113 SHOTS FIRED 400 BUCHANAN ST & LAFAYETTE ST S
15F121808 13:36:41 113 SHOTS FIRED 4000 MONROE ST S
15F121860 15:30:37 113 SHOTS FIRED 6500 BITTERSWEET DR
15F122000 20:21:46 53 ARMED ROB 4400 AVONDALE DR & CONGRESS AVE
================================
And we can't forget those few who are still celebrating the 4th of July (or just annoying the hell out of decent citizens), can we?
FIREWORKS CALLS - 9/7-  9/13
============================
SEP 8 -
15F119566 20:45:49 44FW 3000 BARR ST S
SEP 12 -
15F121138 02:01:48 44FW 1200 PACKARD AVE W
SEP 13 -
15F121883 15:54:32 44FW 10400 TRADERS POINTE
15F121943 18:22:09 44FW 2400 POINSETTE DR & IRENE AVE
Some jerks never know WHEN to quit (or behave)...do they?
*** Next up, sometimes, it's NICE when someone (or something) manages to perform a task for you.

Guess self-motivation IS like self-bathing.

Take cooking. It's always nice to have someone ELSE make dinner once in a while.
That's why we have restaurants and fast food (although the locals around us LIVE on fast food, and the amount of trash they put put every week bears evidence to that).
We have automatic car washes (and that's nice to NOT have to wash the car every time it needs it.
And those wonderful automatic coffee makers...what would our world be like WITHOUT them?
You can name task after task that's being done FOR us, so that we might free ourselves to do other things (hopefully productive ones).
But, is there a place where we should "draw the line"?

Could help with tailgaters.

DO we need EVERYTHING done for us?
Take driving...there are those who are working on cars that drive THEMSELVES.
(ten car-makers in fact)
Personally, I don't know if I'm ready for THAT just yet. I kinda LIKE driving (as long as the idiots stay the hell away from me).
Well get ready, because automakers are close to having all cars with AUTOMATIC BRAKING.
It might seem like a really great thing, but, being the cynic I've worked years to become, I've got some trepidation.
Here's the story:
http://www.journalgazette.net/business/Automatic-brakes-coming-8734673
I didn't have to get that far into the story when MY first "red flag" went up..."deal with the feds" was the kicker here.
Now, I'm sure you've seen those commercials where a car brakes BY ITSELF when racing to a solid BRICK WALL. at around 60+ MPH, right?
So, I have to ask all of you "When was the last time YOU drove at break-neck speed at ANY solid object...ON PURPOSE?"
You see my point.

Cripes, is ANYTHING "manual" anymore?

How can whatever software used for this be THAT damn good so as to differentiate every possible combination of parameters in order to properly brake a vehicle in a real life and death situation?
And how does it determine what constitutes that scenario?

While DRIVING...good idea!

I'd like to think that MY judgment is better than some software when I'm driving, because I never drive in a "distracted" manner.
This could work out for all the morons who "multitask" when THEY should be driving, though.
I'd say buy a car now, and avoid the potential danger of something going wrong, like a car braking when it's not SUPPOSED to.
Although, a vehicle can be HACKED from an outside source, as we've already seen, so will that negate this program altogether?
Time will tell, won't it?
*** Last back to the garage...sure, it's nice when once in a while we can kick back and have something done for us, but when we come to "depend" on such things to occur all the time, and for any given venue, there is a price to pay, and many don't even know it.

Some people FORGET this.

Look at the school breakfast program...designed (they tell us) to help the POOR.
Okay, you mean to tell me we have people TOO poor to have milk, or a bowl, a spoon, or corn flakes?
Sorry, but with these food pantries and community harvest places, there is NO excuse not to make your children something to eat before heading out to school...unless you're just plain LAZY.
So, we have the school feed our kids when it should be the parents...and there will be a price to pay.
Sweden is using a remote control TOWER at an airport...nice until something goes wrong.
What would happen if the gear just "crapped out"?
We used to WRITE...now we type (everything)...there's a price to pay there, too.

Now, we see car companies wanting self-driving (and braking) vehicles because "we" are too busy (?) doing other things?
I thought that ALL such innovations were originally designed to give us MORE time to do purposeful things...not give us more time to WASTE, because in many cases, that is exactly what society is doing - wasting time.
And TIME is one of, if not THE most precious commodity on the planet, because once its gone, it's gone forever.
A washer and dryer allows us to clean clothes while we do something else, and that's a good example of the proper utilization of technology related to saving time.
Well, we don't REALLY "save" time, we just perform another task while one is being done "on it's own without OUR help".
The overall thing to take away from ALL this, is that there needs to be HUMAN intervention with anything.
Some would argue that when humans get involved, things get screwed up, and that is correct a part of the time.
But, it's due to things being done FOR us that we can no longer do for ourselves.
And therein lies the trap.

To venture without, you must look within.

If one were to carry this into the realm of spirituality, once can easily see that THERE is a place where you have to do FOR yourself, for no one can pray, or praise of receive grace in your stead to free you up to do something else.
That's way God designed things in such a manner...and it's worked out pretty well so far.
When WE choose to deviate from the task at hand...you-know-what will happen.
It's that simple. And in a complex world, we can use a little of that, can't we?

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