Category Archives: General

General

How to find (alleged) criminals in this day and age…

Ran into several articles regarding how some (alleged) criminals were found out.  The first batch of articles are about how some people who (allegedly) stole cell phones/iPads were discovered because…well, read on!

http://www.wral.com/man-arrested-after-taking-selfies-with-stolen-cellphone/12495642/

http://www.myfoxphilly.com/story/22452829/cell-phone-feature-gives-police

and then there’s this:

http://www.dailymail.co.uk/news/article-2382378/Meet-stranger-whos-taking-selfies-stolen-phone-Woman-publishes-blog-pictures-taken-man-missing-handset.html

“Selfies” seem to be all the rage nowadays, even with (alleged) criminals.  However, and as noted in the articles, often any photograph taken with your cell phone is “uploaded” to a secondary device you own or have access to, and therefore you get to see what the (alleged) criminal who has your property is doing with it.

This one may well take the cake, if only for the selfie taken by the (alleged) criminal, who in this case stole someone’s iPad:

http://cheezburger.com/7148116480

I can’t resist.  Here’s the “selfie” the (alleged) criminal in the above article took of herself:

Selfie

The second story is far more serious as it involves a double murder committed in 2007.  What is so incredible about this story is how police came to suspect a certain individual in this “cold” case:

http://usnews.nbcnews.com/_news/2013/07/31/19799880-rap-lyrics-lead-to-arrest-in-unsolved-va-murder

Yes, the rap lyrics of one Antwain Steward aided in his arrest for that double murder committed in 2007.  Obviously there’s more evidence linking him to the crime than the lyrics of a song he wrote, but it is nonetheless fascinating that he might well have -to at least some degree- fingered himself for the crime by virtue of his own song.

Interesting, interesting stuff.

General

Random bit of information….

I can spend hours at i09.com, especially for bits of information like this:

http://space.io9.com/did-you-know-that-the-saturn-vs-fuel-economy-was-7-inc-935695163/935748020

Granted, a very small bit of information, but to realize that at the time of launch the Saturn V’s fuel economy was a whopping 7 inches per gallon…is rather mind boggling.

And yet it makes perfect sense, given the incredible energy expended at the moment of liftoff.

Now you know.

General

Which city has the worst drivers?

Fascinating article by Brian Palmer for Slate magazine regarding which U.S. city has the worst drivers.  Now, I know most people out there feel the worst drivers have to be the ones they’re around, but Mr. Palmer uses actual research, in this article, so be warned!

So, which city has the worst drivers?  Behold:

http://www.slate.com/articles/health_and_science/science/2013/07/which_city_has_the_worst_drivers_boston_baltimore_washington_d_c_miami.single.html

Spoilers: Miami is #1.  Not at all shocking for someone (me) who lives here.  Whenever I travel away from home, I’m always surprised by how much better the drivers are in other places.  True, there are glitches to be found almost everywhere.  As much as I like traveling to Canada, for example, the roadside signs and sudden changes to names of highways can be confusing and irritating to newbies.  However, the drivers themselves in the places I’ve gone to thus far always seem to be more…mellow.  More polite.  More in control.

In Miami, driving is a form of warfare, and you have to always need to keep your guard up.  Lately, my greatest frustration involves people who drive on a crowded/large street and then suddenly come to a stop to either let a passenger within the vehicle out or to pick someone up.

Yes, in the middle of a crowded street.

The “driver” (I use that term lightly) of said vehicle could simply drive into a parking lot or take a turn onto a smaller street and park in an embankment to deliver their passengers but no.  The brainiac inside said vehicle figures it is best to simply stop in the middle of the busy street (often not even using their hazards) and risk getting rear ended to let their passenger off.

Another example:  In the past few years I’ve driven I-95 during early morning rush hour to take my daughter to school.  During the first month of doing so I saw on two different occasions vehicles flipped over onto their roofs and blocking a lane in the highway.  The image was surreal, almost like witnessing a Michael Bay film in progress.

What had caused the drivers to lurch their cars in such a way as to flip them over?  I can’t imagine.  If it hadn’t occurred on the highway, I might have considered the poor drivers flipped their vehicles when they swerved to avoid someone that stopped to drop a passenger off.

Ah Miami.

General

McDonald’s 10 Most Spectacular Menu Flops!

And you thought all McDonald products were successes! (If not gastronomical delights)

http://www.thedailymeal.com/mcdonalds-10-most-spectacular-menu-flops

Some of these are quite…interesting.

Like the Hula Burger.  And the McLobster (!).  There are only a few items I can remember (several of the mentioned items on this list appeared in certain specific parts of the country or were on foreign menus).

In fact, looking the entire list over again there are only three items I’m familiar with:  The “Supersize”, The McLean, and the Arch Deluxe.

I was always bothered by the whole “Supersize” thing…it seemed like waaaay too much food (and drink).  I don’t believe I ever tried the McLean, but I do recall eating the Arch Deluxe.  It wasn’t too bad, all things considering.  I’m surprised it was such a big flop.

General

Stars who were once homeless

Recently Jennifer Lopez noted that she was homeless at one time before achieving stardom.  Here, from Time magazine, is a fascinating list of ten celebrities who were also homeless for a time before hitting it big:

http://newsfeed.time.com/2013/07/11/stars-who-were-once-homeless/

I’m fascinated by the list because it proves, to some extent, that even when you’re at your most down and out, there is a chance you can pull yourself up and make something of your life.

Sadly, I suspect these are the only few examples of the extreme exceptions to the rules, people who were down and out and turned it around completely.  There are others, of course, who may try and never can get out of extreme poverty.

Books/Literature, General

Orson Scott Card…again

A while back (you can read it here) I noted the controversy regarding sci-fi author Orson Scott Card and his views on homosexuality.  I’m not a big fan of Mr. Card’s works, though I have read what is arguably his most famous novel, Ender’s Game, which will soon be released to theaters as a major motion picture.

I noted in the previous column that the controversy surrounding Mr. Card may wind up hurting the film’s box office prospects, and it would appear that Mr. Card is himself worried about the very same thing and has tried to address the main controversy regarding his previous comments:

http://www.salon.com/2013/07/09/orson_scott_card_gay_marriage_issue_has_become_moot/

In many ways, I feel for Mr. Card even as I can’t find sufficient sympathy to excuse his previous comments.  I feel for Mr. Card because he’s a victim of his own verbal venom in an age when such comments are easily accessible via the internet and difficult, if not impossible, to expunge.  It is possible, for example, that over the years Mr. Card’s opinions have changed and he’s softened his stance toward homosexuality and homosexual marriage.  I’m not saying this has happened, mind you, only that it’s possible.  Unfortunately for Mr. Card, those previous comments he made will remain available for anyone to see and read and will always follow him, even after his passing.

More recently, Hugh Howley, the author of the hit “self-published” sci-fi novel Wool got himself into some similar trouble when he posted a blog entry verbally lashing a woman he met at World Con (http://www.dailydot.com/culture/hugh-howey-the-bitch-from-worldcon-rant/).  Unlike Mr. Card, whose anti-homosexual comments can be found over the years, Mr. Howley appeared to realize rather quickly that his rant was inappropriate and offered an apology (http://www.hughhowey.com/to-those-whom-ive-offended/) and opened himself up to interviews where he further elaborated on the blog post and offered explanations as well as apologies (http://www.charlestoncitypaper.com/CultureShock/archives/2013/04/19/hugh-howey-explains-why-he-removed-controversial-blog-post)

I suppose the point is this: Think about what you’re saying, whether it be to someone else or something you yourself post online.  It’s common sense.  On the other hand, perhaps it is also a good thing to look inside yourself and evaluate your own feelings and philosophies.  After all, if you’re a public figure (or even a casual facebook user) and are “smart enough” to not make any controversial public rants, yet have such strong feelings, perhaps you should consider, and re-consider, them.

In the long run it might make you a better person.

General

I could watch stuff like this all day…

As you watch these video clips, after a while you figure you’ve seen enough.  I mean, after a while, things have to get a little repetitious, right?  After all, how many times and ways can you see amateur parkour “talent” running into a wall…or the ground…or water.  How many times can you see cars/motorcycles/people on skateboards/etc. wipe out?  How many would-be “extreme” athletes can you still find amusing once they land crushingly on their backs or heads?  And what of the adventures of the very drunk, as they stumble around and inevitably fall?

There can’t be much else, can there?

And then, suddenly, you’re at minute 13:55 of the video and you see a bunch of Mensa candidates find out what happens when you stick a knife into a toaster.

As I said before, I could watch stuff like this all day…

General

Perhaps a little too much free time on their hands…

Interesting article from Huffington Post regarding Pastor Keith Cressman and his lawsuit over…an image on the Oklahoma license plate?

http://www.huffingtonpost.com/2013/06/17/pastor-suit-against-oklahoma-license-plate-ok_n_3455129.html

So, basically, we have an image based on a famous sculpture which in turn was based on an Native American Indian Rain God and this, to the Pastor, infringes upon his sensibilities as it depicts a “Pagan” God.

In Florida, my home state, one can get a wide variety of vanity plates with images ranging from nature scenes, aquatic scenes, John Lennon (!), to, yes, religious statements (here’s a bunch of images).  It wouldn’t surprise me if one day people in this state are allowed to create their own license plate images, provided they aren’t deemed offensive, and slap them on their car…for a fee, of course.  Apparently, in Oklahoma like Florida there are other plates available, but like Florida these require an additional payment.

Still, the Pastor’s discomfort with the standard Oklahoma license plate smacks of frivolous and silly and one can’t help but feel the Pastor is a little too tightly wound up.  In the Oklahoma license plate I don’t see a promotion of “Pagan” religion (especially “Pagan” rain Gods) so much as a tribute to Native American Heritage.

The Pastor may want to take a few deep breaths.

General

Ah the verbal gymnastics…

Though I loath to get too political in this blog, the following news item is just a little too much.

So a bunch of -for the most part- Republican Senators managed to kill a bill that allowed for background checks for gun purchases, a relatively minor and common sense (both in my opinion) proposed law that should have been enacted (again in my opinion) ages ago on the grounds that it was an invasion of personal privacy.

Yet these same people are now defending the NSA spying.  When asked about the inherent contradiction of voting against gun buyers’ background checks -because they supposedly invade personal privacy- and defending the NSA spying -which essentially does the same on a much, much larger scale even though it is in the fight against terrorism- they reply that the two issues are very different and comparing them is like comparing “apples and oranges”.

Really.

Read for yourself…

http://www.huffingtonpost.com/2013/06/12/nsa-senators_n_3428074.html

I’ve noted it before and I’ll note it again:  The internet and the digital revolution has created a vast new world, one where we’re only now beginning to see the potentially massive changes in how we and future generations will live our lives.  Already some of the changes are obvious, from the extinction (for all intents and purposes) of both the video and music store -and coming soon, the extinction of the book store- thanks to online shopping to the fact that companies -not just the government!- now have a wealth of personal information on just about everyone out there which, in turn, leads to programs such as the NSA.

Am I against the NSA program?

It’s tough to form an opinion when I know so little about it.  All I do know is that, again thanks to our new information age, it is suddenly much easier for an individual -any individual with access- to spill government secrets with the ease of clicking a button.  The scary thing is this:  In their zeal to expose what they believe is government overreach or possible corruption, could they be putting other people in danger?  If the NSA program has been successful in stopping potential terrorist activity, will the exposure of same -and the potential of terrorists to circumvent what they now know the U.S. government is doing- endanger us?  If, heaven forbid, a major terrorist strike occurs in the U.S. or in any friendly nation and scores of people are killed, and we find that the terrorists used the NSA leak to work their way around our security…then what?

But let’s look at the opposite side of the coin as well:  What if the massive information the NSA collects is used by individuals to enrich/enpower themselves?  If someone could look into the emails of big corporations and gain insight into their next moves, could they not use that information for themselves?  And we’re not even talking about potential blackmail material, such the possibility of discovering that a certain CEO likes to hop onto certain pornographic websites or has made incriminating statements in an email…

I’ll repeat it one last time:  The internet has changed things on a massive scale.  The information age is upon us and privacy isn’t what it used to be, for better or worse.