Stand with Ukraine, Israel, Taiwan -- with democracy and civilization against tyranny and barbarism
posted by Infidel753 at 4:00 AM
Individualist, pro-technology, pro-democracy, anti-religion. I speak only for myself and not for any ideology, movement, or party. It has been my great good fortune to live my whole life free of "spirituality" of any kind. I believe that evidence and reason are the keys to understanding reality; that technology rather than ideology or politics has been the great liberator of humanity; and that in the long run, human intelligence is the most powerful force in the universe.
God doesn't exist
Evolution happened
Global warming is real
Homosexuality is normal
Aging is a curable disease
The election was not stolen
Everything "spiritual" is a lie
Free speech is for everybody
Humans do not have "souls"
Men can't become women
Fetuses are not persons
Words are not violence
Taiwan is a nation
Pluto is a planet
13 Comments:
There's no argument from me on this. Everytime I think I've mastered some electronic device, I get a notice that it's been upgraded and I have to relearn something. Or if I purchase a new one, everything's been changed, and I have to read a 200 page manual to figure it out.
I dread having to buy a new car. I'm still driving my dear old 2003 Honda Accord with 85,000 miles on it. It should go on for many more miles; but if I have to get a newer one, it'll take me months to figure out all the bells and whistles I don't want or need.
It is kind of funny, and true, though. I'm with Bill on this, but I'm also the same age as Bill (Bill is 7 dayz older than me), and similar in thought, being we come from a similar era/ generation. Yeah, some of this shit is just more of a pain in the ass, especially if you have to troubleshoot ... most folks will agree, young or old, time is valuable, and a pain in the ass, is still a pain in the ass, despite the thrill of the challenge, to make it work or jerry- rig. I think most folks just enjoy all the new cool things they can do, but once it's a pain in the ass, or the novelty wears off, it's over. I was in a new rental car my daughter had, luxury model Cadillac, but it had more shit in it, than I cared to have to deal with ... of course, they talk to you too, so I guess you can have company? ... robotic voices? I like just more basic things, and like Bill, reading manuals is a pain in the ass to me ... it IS NOT entertaining reading, or very educational. I'm also a little hesitant about some of these driverless vehicles, I mean, I may try one once for the fun, but being dependent on it on the road ... not so sure about that (?) ... read and viewed some problems about those too. I'm am so used to doing stuff on my own ... they have grocery delivery and such, just order, they'll shop for you, and bring it to you. Frankly, when I pick out my fruits/ produce ... I like to pick and choose myself, that's why I like going to the store, to hand pick "what I choose" ... alot of folks are different, that's just me. If I was handicapped, of course, I would use anything and everything I could to help me ... but most of the manual tasks I face, such as the sink or whatever, that Bill talks about, is so simple for me to do it myself, and it sure isn't creating any jobs for anyone. One of my daughters, just recently moved into a new apartment, not too big, 2 bedroom, 2.5 bath, maybe 1100+ sq ft, couple balconies, with a built in 2 car garage and storage under it. While visiting, her maid came in while I was in the living room watching the tele ... I called in my daughter and asked her ... wassup? ... yep, she actually hired a maid to clean the apartment too (SMH) well, at least she's creating jobs, I guess ... and of course, she has all the latest gadgets, everything damn near in the place will communicate with you or whatever, even her vehicle. No, she isnt handicapped, even goes to the gym daily. I'll shut up now ... good video though.
OMG, Shaw has a 03 Honda Accord with only 85K on it! Ok ... I clicked on her profile, she lives in Boston too, which I guess explains in part. I average about 30,000+ per year, but I live in Dallas. Low milage like that is a plus when trying to trade or sell, if it been taken care of, you know, like changing fluids, brake pads, filters, etc ... I would buy it from her for cash in a heartbeat, with milage that low! ... despite being an 03
Oh crap! Infidel, you've done it now!
You are putting me on a MAJOR rant about America's hyper-Capitalism jet-fueled by hyper-Consumerism by hyper-Reversing Improvements, Advancements, newfangled features that will make you, the buyer, the ENVY of society. It's yours for TRIPLE THE PRICE you paid us 6-months ago! How many of you could come up with 20 other sales gimicks, slogans, and unfathomable promises? I know I could!
Who does this? What American corporations (and foreign-based American) are CONSTANTLY updating, upgrading, quickly making your current item(s), product(s), service-contract(s) obsolete, or near dinosaur(s)? How much time do you have to read the Short-list of corporations?
• Microsoft Corp.
• AT&T Inc.
• Dell EMC
• Verizon Communications (Cellco Partnership)
• Hewlett-Packard
• Google LLC
• Comcast Corp.
• Apple Inc.
• Charter Communications
• Samsung
• T-Mobile, Sprint, and US Cellular Comm.
• Amazon
• Intel Corp.
• General Motors
• Ford Motor Co.
• Toyota, Volkswagen, Hyundai, Nissan, Honda, etc, et al
Need I continue?
Infidel, I purchased my first personal home computer, an Apple Macintosh Plus, in 1989. I was able to use it until Microsoft and Intel Processors completely dominated, took over Operating Systems via available software!!! Everything I really wanted to utilize my home computer REQUIRED Microsoft's OS! Four or five years later I really had no choice BUT to buy a Microsoft-Intel Windows OS based home computer. The software market was saturated with Windows OS-based applications. Very little existed for Apple Macs.
Since then (1994) I've been forced to constantly "upgrade" my computing devices at an average of every 3-5 years. Why? Because Intel (or other CPU-makers) intentionally make their own CPU's obsolete in 5-8 years. Their business model is to always generate perpetual revenue --- at the expense of America's middle-class consumers. The big telecommunications and auto-maker industries are doing the same thing.
Therefore, this has been my round-about way to expound upon your annoyingly true post about "Reverse Improvement." Underneath it all are the (Ivy League?) CEO, COO business models specifically designed to perpetuate constant revenue by cannibalizing their own antiquated(?) products. It is nothing but a sham and marketing-revenue tactic to please shareholders and/or hyper-greedy, private business moguls, titans, and tycoons.
Thank you for allowing me to rant Infidel. I now return you all to your regularly scheduled American programing...
...of Never Catching Up with the Jones unless you are in the top 1% - 10% of American economic society.
Hyper-Capitalism and hyper-Consumerism so out of control that it cannibalizes its own average-to-weak consumers is a horrible economic model long-term for common people, the very ones who make up 90% to 95% of that model's buying/purchasing power over time! This business-as-usual fixation is subtle insanity.
Okay, sorry Infidel, NOW I'm finished. LOL
Interesting comments by Prof. Taboo ... sure as Hell makes sense to me!
@ Ranch Chimp --
Kind thanks. But of course, don't take my ranting words for it. Please do your own investigation and evidence, data, interview gathering. As a Constitutional democracy (under severe threat btw!) in the USA we SHOULD be able to question everything, investigate everything, lift the veil (or the skirt/robe?) of at least PUBLIC entities and their records if not private ones. Transparency is typically ethical with the exception of National Security, covert operatives, and operations at risk! Yet, in the civilian world fair equitable competition (i.e. Capitalism, Free-market, etc) has its benefits, yes. I was a pro and semi-pro football/soccer player. Competition pushes us to become better, no doubt about it.
On the other hand, there are equally as important principles inside a Constitutional democracy that hopefully (in reality, not theory) protects ALL citizens in systems of parity, equality, individual rights, and with freedom of expression/scrutiny or freedom of the press... BOTH within a framework of responsibility, accountability, or peer-review. This entire social-governing paradigm helps protect against unjust, unfounded, uncited defamation, ala a Police-state with a Joseph Goebbels propaganda machine.
Here's my shtick: Rules, laws, regulations, oversight, etc, etc, are all GREAT, but overkill of them can also suffocate the spirit of freedom, creativity, and ingenuity. In sports, we all have our favorite teams, players, and staff. Imagine what the leagues/federations would be like or become if there were NO REFEREES or UMPIRES!? There must be fair laws and guidelines for a league/federation to achieve parity and hence for its teams to have a chance to succeed/thrive. It isn't any different in politics or governing nations/peoples.
Specifically related to Infidel's post here, diversity competition, very little to NO MONOPOLIES is indeed a very good system long-term... FOR EVERYONE, and the system's, the machine's, the model's sustainability!!! "Reverse Improvements" usually DO NOT contribute to this survival or sustainability other than that business entity's profits/bottom-line, i.e. NOT diversity-conducive.
Thank You for your response Professor Dwain Taboo, been to your site before, but it appears to have changed (I think) ... see you're in Texas, I myself live in Dallas. I'm with ya on what your saying, without having to take your word for it ... democracy in America, is running a tad thin, eh? For me, it looks like the more money you have, the more democracy you get {:-) ... some would disagree with me ... but it's hard to get shit without money, freedom is no exception (IMO). BTW, see you were into football soccer in the pros ... I'm not an athelete (or much of anything else, heh, heh, heh, heh, heh {:-) ... but I'm kind of big on keeping up with NFL football (some college too) ... and of course, a big Cowboys fan. How bout dem Cowboys! ... 2 and 0 now on the year ... so far, looking good ... this had to be the best lineup of Cowboys that I seen since the 90's, when we had folks like Aikman, Smith, and Irvin! Have a good un, Bud
Ranch Chimp, I do use public transportation when I can, or walk! Yes, living in the city of Boston makes that easy. But I DO need my dear old Honda (which gets scheduled oil changes as well as other fluids, brakes, etc., regulary), to get out of the city. That's only a 20 minute drive on Route 93 or 90, and I'm surrounded by green pastures!
My daughter gifted me with a smart teevee for my birthday this past summer. I'm still trying to figure out why it's smart and I'm not!
Thank You for your response Shaw ... I have been to Boston, but so many years ago, so that's why I figured that ... I mean, in Dallas, it's common for me to put maybe 150 miles on a weekend day, just driving around to various parts of town. Boston is a very historic city too, lots to see, preserving so much of their historic architecture.
Hey, I have a 1999 car with less than 96,000 miles on it. I guess places like Portland and Boston are just more compact.
Hey Infidel, wanted to add one more comment about "Reverse Improvement" particularly regarding technology-telecommunications hardware and software/apps incessantly upgrading, updating, and requiring non-stop maintenance.
I have had my Dell Inspiron laptop for almost 5-years and my latest two cell phones, last one was an LG Zone I had only 3-4 years and now a Samsung Galaxy J7 for less than a year. These 3 electronic devices all run on Windows/Android OS formats. On my Dell laptop Microsoft Windows 10 has already done AT LEAST 2-3 major "updates," the last one was SO HUGE that it has now slowed down my processing speeds SIGNIFICANTLY and it was already slowed down the last big update! The background apps have increased 2- or 3-fold since I first purchased my laptop. When I try to stop the CONSTANT invasion of my running resources via the Task Manager, those programs/apps running (over these 4-yrs) get more and more vague in their "title." I cannot deduce whether or not it is truly important.
This battle I've waged for my desktop's or laptop's streamlined freedom against hungry zombie-like CPU-memory-resources eaters DEVOUR my available RAM, etc! The exact same battle/war happens with my Android phone. My last LG Zone was completely cannibalized in 3-4 years by Google-Android non-stop updates! Hence, I was forced to buy a new phone, my Samsung Galaxy. No surprise, the last recent MASSIVE update has now slowed my phone's processing speed CONSIDERABLY!!! This irritates me to no end; I'm furious!!!
I am convinced that my current Dell laptop is already being forced out, antiquated, dinosaured by these incessant invasions of updates, new background tasks that cannot be turned off or uninstalled, so that I must soon make Intel, Microsoft, and Dell richer by purchasing something faster, bigger, better, more streamlined... only to repeat this insane loop again in 3-4 years!
I am one pissed off tech-user (not necessarily by choice) in a society that is nothing BUT tech-based in every possible way --- and it is getting worse!
Infidel: 1999 with 96K? ... absolutely great. But yeah, Portland is laid out alot like Boston, Dallas is laid out more like LA. It also tells you alot about a veihicle too, as far as longevity. And if I recall, if you had the same car you had several years ago, you either have a Honda or Toyota (?) ... I must say, despite loving the road performance of American cars, the longevity of those Hondas and Toyotas are really great, I'm just being honest here. The Japanese vehicles were also hard to work on though, back in the old dayz, because they used all metric tools, and the Japanese made everything very tight. I'm very fond of those cars ... I even had a Isuzu Stylus once (Tokyo assembled), years back (Isuzu I don't believe makes cars anymore, at least they discontinued in U.S. in the 1990's, yet kept trucks and SUVs). But I bought it new, and put roughly 350,000(?), over about 9- 10 yrs, but also went back and forth to Houston quite a bit on weekends, it still ran good, original engine too, I only changed head gaskets and timing belt on it, had a valve job, plugs, etc. ... ended up selling it to an illegal alien for $300 (Trump would crucify me {:-), he took it to his familia in Mexico. I had a couple new Fords decades back, all American, they had problem after problem in the electrical/ computer board (back in the early 80's when the first transverse/ sidewayz mounted engines came to American cars), brand goddamn new too! ... I said enough was enough. I'm in a 2010 Honda Fit right now, bought it with probably 90K (?), maybe a couple years ago ... had a woman in a huge Ford Expedition SUV run a red arrow turn light, failed to wait for green turn arrow, drove right in front of me as I was doing about 30mph, knocked the shit out of me and totalled my 08/ 07(?) Toyota Corolla. But this Honda Fit car has about 134/ 135K currently, runs great, and good condition. I bought it from $4000 insurance money from the Corolla, in cash, from some Yuppie friends of my daughter, they had it sitting in their garage, because they had about 4 cars ... like new condition, everything was well kept on it.
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