Saturday, May 25, 2013

Okay…who’s really taking a 3 day vacation for Memorial Day?

    Good Day World!

A three-day vacation? Really?

Most people can’t unwind on a regular weekend, let alone for three days. The culprit is smartphones and computers. We can’t live without the damn things! The average smartphone user checks his/hers once every six minutes according to a recent survey. It averages out to 150 times a day!

How the hell can we relax when we’re constantly waiting for our smartphones to call us? Or, the lure of our computers?

Government data from 2011 says 35 percent of us work on weekends, and those who do average five hours of labor, often without compensation - or even a thank you. The other 65 percent were probably too busy to answer surveyors’ questions.

This isn’t good news for people with high blood pressure and anxiety attacks. Our addiction to smartphones has led to new problems like the fear of losing them! Some people sleep with their smartphones under their pillow. It’s really crazy when you think about it.

Frankly, I don’t have the answer to this problem. I certainly won’t stray far from my own online addiction. Like this blog.

Oh what the hell! At least try not to do work on your smartphone or computer this weekend okay!

Time for me to walk on down the road…

Friday, May 24, 2013

Memes were once called fads & here’s the latest one–Cat bearding!

 Cat Beards

    Cat Beards          Good Day World!

It’s TGIF Friday, and I thought a little levity would be nice going into this 3-day Memorial Day weekend!

So with no further ado:

Straight from iVillage.com:

Considering Grumpy Cat just became the president of the Internet (well, sort of), it's clear that the world's demand for online felines is insatiable. Fat cats, sleeping cats, business cats, cats playing the piano, cats playing cards-they all go viral, reeling in hundreds of thousands of page views, and even more importantly, lots of "oh my gaaawd!" and "awwwww!" reactions.

Oh, and lots and lots of sharing, too.

It's hard to keep up with all the kitty content being churned out daily, but the latest meme to surface, cat bearding, is pretty amazing. The concept is simple: Photograph someone holding up a cat over their mouth, so that the cats furry under-mouth and neck are covering the person's mouth and neck-thus creating a cat beard!

Time for me to walk on down the road…

Thursday, May 23, 2013

Rare Superman Comic discovered in wall–was used for insulation!

Image: Action Comics #1 book starring the new character SupermanThis guy was busy fixing up an old house to sell when low and behold…he found the first edition of Superman nestled among some newspapers in the wall that were being used as insulation!

The comic book wasn’t in that great of condition but you know what…

An online auction on the site ComicConnect.com has reached $127,000 with 34 bids — and the auction still has 19 more days to go. (Full story here)

Weiner wants voters to un-remember his weiner in mayoral race

           Good Day World!

The Weiner is back!

I think Anthony Weiner was encouraged by Mark Sanford’s re-emergence in politics after making an ass of himself while the governor of South Carolina. In any event, the Weiner Man thinks that infamous tweeted crotch shot was a mistake that should be overlooked.

With that kind of gall, I don’t see any reason why he won’t be elected the next mayor of New York City. The guy has already proven he has big cojones (or socks in his shorts) and truly believes he looks the part of Gotham’s next mayor.

I do think his wife ought to monitor his twitter account closely because he could easily revert back to sending the ladies uninhibited photos of himself playing in the mayor’s office! Eeee-youuu!

It’ll be interesting to see if New Yorker’s warm up to Weiner in September when the elections take place.

Here’s the latest on the Weiner Man’s return:  

'I hope I get a second chance': Anthony Weiner launches bid to become NYC mayor

“Anthony Weiner, whose career as a congressman collapsed after he posted sexually suggestive pictures of himself on Twitter, has announced that he’s running for mayor of New York City.

“I made some big mistakes and I know I let a lot of people down. But I've also learned some tough lessons,” the Democrat said in a video posted on his website late on Tuesday.

"I'm running for mayor because I've been fighting for the middle class and those struggling to make it my entire life," he added. “I hope I get a second chance to work for you."

The video, which features his son and wife Huma Abedin, an aide to former Secretary of State Hillary Rodham Clinton, focused on his middle-class roots in Brooklyn.With this bold attempt at a comeback ahead of the primary in September, Weiner is hoping to erase the image of a tweeted crotch shot that precipitated his resignation.

He at first claimed that his Twitter account had been hacked after a photo of an underwear-clad groin appeared on his feed in 2011. But when more pictures came out, the congressman admitted he had exchanged risqué messages with a number of women and soon resigned.

Prior to his 2011 unraveling, Weiner had begun to plan for a 2013 campaign, NBCNewYork.com reported, and he still has more than $4 million in his campaign account.” (For rest of the story & video go here)

Time for me to walk on down the road…

Wednesday, May 22, 2013

Why didn’t the homes destroyed by Oklahoma tornado have fortified rooms?

   Good Day World!

It seems to happen all over the world, no matter where you live. Poorly built houses and public buildings that are destroyed by tornedos, hurricanes, and other natural events when they should have been engineered to withstand them depending upon the challenges of the area.

So when you’re living in “Tornedo Alley” why for God’s sake wouldn’t you get your home retrofitted to withstand such terrible events? It’s an inexpensive construction technique already commonly used along the Hurricane prone Gulf Coast.

I’m often amazed at where people choose to live sometimes. There’s certain areas in this country that nothing should be built upon. Especially those areas that flood every year like clock work. Or in places like Southern California right along earthquake fault zones.

The sad thing is most of the homes that were destroyed in this last monster tornedo could still be standing if they had retrofitted them. It’s not enough to have the technology to save lives if you don’t use it.

In the news…

“Homes in the direct path of the monster tornado that roared through Oklahoma City suburbs Monday were all but certain to be destroyed. Yet inexpensive construction techniques could have kept up to 85 percent of the area's damaged houses standing, according to a civil engineer.

The trick is already common along the hurricane-prone Gulf Coast — the use of clips and straps to keep the walls bolted to the roof and the foundation, explained Andrew Graettinger, a civil engineer at the University of Alabama. These parts cost about $1 each.

"You need several hundred of them in the house, but it is not anything drastic, it is not a humongous expense, it is relatively inexpensive," he told NBC News.

For about $2,000 more, a house can be outfitted (or retrofitted) with a safe room built to specifications of the Federal Emergency Management Agency (FEMA). These fortified rooms, often constructed with cinder blocks and filled with mortar and rebar, can withstand tornado-force winds and storm debris.” (Full story here)

Time for me to walk on down the road…

Tuesday, May 21, 2013

The end draws near…Rafter’s Redemption Chapter 9, Death in the Redwoods

forest-sunlight-thumb

    Good Day World!

I’ve been sharing my novella, Rafter’s Redemption, a chapter at a time for 8 weeks now and the end is drawing near. If you’re new to my book you can start at the beginning here. 

For those readers who have been following the book here’s a snippet from Chapter 9:

   It was almost anti-climatic when he found them. Jenny was tending to Rafter’s wound when he stepped off the trail at the sound of Sundance’s voice. He was surprised to see Rafter after shooting him under the house. Apparently he hadn’t finished the job. What kind of man killer was he, anyway?  (Go here)

Time for me to walk on down the road…

Monday, May 20, 2013

RIP: Ray Manzarek, keyboardist for the Doors, has died at 74

RAY-MANZAREK.jpg If I had to select one of my favorite rock and roll groups it would have to be “The Doors.”

I was really sad to see Jim Morrison die so young. He had such tremendous talent. Who can ever forget “Light My Fire?”

Now, Ray Mansarek has died from bile duct cancer. Manzarek became an enduring symbol of the era — he was portrayed by Kyle McLachlan in the 1991 Oliver Stone biopic The Doors, and wrote a best-selling memoir about his experiences, Light My Fire: My Life with The Doors, in 1998.

He can now join the rest of the stars in Rock and Roll Heaven!

Goodbye Ray..

(Image Credit: Gijsbert Hanekroot/Getty Images)

 

Ready for a one-way trip to mars? Some people are! Apply before Aug. 31st

     Good Day World!

For you old TV program buffs that remember the “The Honeymooners” with Jackie Gleason and Audrey Meadows, I have one of my favorite lines from the comedy today:

Ralph Kramden tells his wife Alice (during one of his usual outbursts),

To the Moon Alice! To the Moon!”

Audiences laughed every time he repeated those two lines. It was a simpler time and no one seemed to notice that he was threatening to send his wife to the Moon…a place far, far away. Exiling his spouse to a long trip in space was considered hilarious! And the Moon no less!

How about Mars? That far enough? People are ready to pay money to go on a one way trip to Mars nowadays. Yes, one-way…

Hard to believe but this is no comedy. Check out the follow article: 

Why sign up for a one-way Mars trip? Three applicants explain the appeal

A one-way trip to Mars sounds like something you'd wish on your worst enemy — so why would more than 78,000 people from around the world pay up to $75 for a chance to die on another planet?

"I can say I have an ulterior motive," said David Brin, who has written more than a dozen science-fiction novels — including "The Postman," which was turned into a Kevin Costner movie in 1997. "I'd get a lot of writing done, and it might be memorable."

As a master of hard science fiction, the 62-year-old Brin knows better than most applicants what the first Red Planet settlers would face if they're sent off in 2022, as the Dutch-based Mars One venture has proposed.

The ages of those listed in Mars One's database range from 18 to 71. All those applicants are facing a long road even before the first four-person crew gets off the planet. Mars One is accepting applicants through Aug. 31. The field of applicants would first be whittled down by panels of experts. Then they'd undergo trial by reality TV, followed by years of training.

"This may sound crazy, but it kind of reminds me of 'The Hunger Games,'" said Kayli McArthur, an 18-year-old student who's one of the youngest Mars One applicants. "It's cool that it would be televised, but that's not my whole thing." (Full story)

Related stories:

A One-Way Ticket To Mars, Apply Now

Prospect of one-way Mars trips captures the imagination 

Time for me to walk on down the road…

Sunday, May 19, 2013

Tattoo You! New meaning to corporate branding & addiction

By Dave Stancliff/For The Times-Standard

Do you have a tattoo?
They’re becoming more common these days. A recent Pew Research Center (PRC) report revealed that 1 in 5 Americans have one. It doesn’t surprise me. Nearly everywhere I go, I see someone with tats.
That made me wonder what effect all these tats have on our economy? I’d say a very positive one when you consider $1.65 billion was spent on tats in 2012. Research (PRC) statistics show 45 million Americans got tattoos last year.
The rapid growth of tattoo parlors - 21,000 and counting - in America has given the economy a shot in the arm. Can’t argue with statistics. When the total of all U.S. citizens (all ages) have at least one tattoo, you will have a boost to the economy that bodes well for the future.
I’ve looked into the cost of getting a tattoo and it ranges from $45 for a small one, to $150 an hour for large ones.

When I see some of the more elaborate tats - full arms, chests, backs, legs, etc., dollar signs start rolling in my head like a slot machine! Some dedicated people, will probably never stop getting tats until they run out of space.
My research shows that 32 percent of people with tattoos say they are addicted to them. There are worst addictions I suppose, but like any addiction, tattoos can be expensive over a period of time. As someone who believes in moderation in all things, I think any addiction is a problem.
There are ways to make money on tattoos, you know. I don’t mean in a circus like the bad old days, but in legitimate deals. I’ve seen examples in recent years where people are paid cash to have a product name tattoo on their hide. Everything from beer to Mike’s Pizza parlor!
The best example of this - and probably the wave of the future - is a business called Rapid Realty. You want corporate branding? The company offers their agents a 15% financial incentive to get the company’s logo tattooed on their body.

 There’s no specification where the tattoo has to be. At last report, 44 employees out of a possible 1100 now have company ink forever. It could mean up to an additional $6,000 to $7,000 a month for those individuals! It’s a new program, so give it time. Those numbers are likely to grow.
The boss pays for the tattoo. But what happens to those newly branded employees? Are they considered major suck-ups? Or do they make sure to put their tat where the sun doesn’t shine?
Which brings up the question; how far would you go to get ahead in your job? What if your company offered you a lucrative financial incentive to have their logo tattooed some place where the sun does shine?
Take the case of Billy Gibby of Anchorage, Alaska:
Billy the Billboard, as he’s known, told the local media in March he would tattoo other parts of his body with “sponsored ink” in exchange for the ones that currently cover his face.

His mug is adorned with 20 logos. It’ll take $4,000 to get the logos removed. After three years with an ink-scarred face, the 32-year old man is offering prime real estate on other parts of his body. It’s only fair to point out that he’s bi-polar and not everyone would go this far to sport ink for bucks.
I did read about a guy who got his eyeballs tattooed black (4/17) because he was addicted to tattoos. I’m not going to count him here because he lives in Brazil and we’re talking about America. Still, that’s how addicted a person can be.
Grammy-winning rapper Lil Wayne put out a video in 2011 explaining his addiction to ink. He just wanted to be like rapper 2PAC (Tupac Shakur), who was killed in a drive-by shooting. Whatever.
There’s even an Android app called “Love Tattoos” for addicts of all things ink. You can go there for news and views that are updated daily. It’s a great place to get your tat on!
ABC showed a good documentary - My Tattoo Addiction - on March 6th. One of the interesting parts was about home tattoo kits becoming available everywhere.

I suspect this will encourage more people to get more tattoos…to the point of addiction. Think about it, you don’t buy the whole kit and just give yourself one tat.

What’s that? You say people could also use that same tattoo kit to give others tattoos?

Talk about scary. There’s this little matter of hygiene and infections these newly minted tattoo artists will bring to the table.

As It Stands, in full disclosure I admit that I don’t have a tat.Tattoo you?

These websites have picked up this column:

silobreaker

Dr Tilactattoo

Shading a Tattoo

Findtattooshops

Branding

It's Time to Pay Up Donnie!

It's looks like there will be some prime real estate going on the market soon in New York City. Convicted rapist and former president ...