Rod's Blog Stardate blah blah blah: September 2010

Wednesday, September 29, 2010

My TV Guide

I am watching Andromeda / Firefly - The Series / Teen Wolf on MTV / 10 Things I hate About You on abcFamily

Star Trek: Of Gods and Men / HiddenFrontier / Kirk's voyages continued with a different cast?' Start with Star Trek Phase 2 - "In Harm's Way" - Episode / Star Trek Phase 2: "Blood and Fire" - Part 1 / Part 2 / Lesser done USS Encarta, but still entertaining / New Voyages - ST Phase II / Hidden Frontier Website

Pre-September 2011 season...
I know nothing about
- con games, so I follow White Collar;
- inter-office politics and spying, but like Covert Affairs, on Tuesdays;
- urban espionage, but I like Burn Notice;
- how it really works in a corporate law office so I watch Suits, on Thursdays;
- how to be a social person, so I watch the USA Network

SyFy network begins July 11, 2011
Monday - 8 pm Eureka / Warehouse 13 / Alphas
Wednesday - 10 pm Legend Quest
Friday - 10 pm Haven
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Currently watching on-line…
see HULU.com

Movie Nights

Spawn (1997) - full-length movie created by Todd McFarlane / HBO presents... Series 1, 18 episodes, May 16, 1997 – May 28, 1999

Hero (1997) starring Jet Li

Twilight (2008) - I find the first hour of this movie BORING until 1:00. Thank god for ff and rew! I Like the baseball game scene at 1:19 and then it picks up. Song during the game is Supermassive Black Hole by Muse. A favorite. / Urban Legend (1998)

Macross II: The Movie

Alien Voices Spock vs Q / the Sequel

The Memoirs of Sherlock Holmes by Sir Arthur Conan Doyle (Audiobook)

From TV to the WEB Party Animals / Weeds / The Big C

Smallville [final 6 eps] / Nikita on The CW

- only clips Secret Diary of a Call Girl

I like the competition of The Next Food Network Star. I reserve my judgement on then so far.

Born in East LA / Robin Hood: Men In Tights
The Beatles- Yellow Submarine Movie

Captain Scarlet-/ all original 32 episodes list

The New Captain Scarlet "SPECTRUM is green" CGI

Loved these '"Supermarionation" shows- SuperCar, Firebal XL5, Stingray, and Thunderbirds. Later live-action shows followed- UFO, Space: 1999, and Space Precinct.

Star Fleet X-Bomber episode list

Justice League last episode 50

Justice League Unlimited episode 1 / Legion episode / The best of / more episodes The Best of The Question / Once and the Future Thing / Crisis on Two Earths 2010 movie

Batman: Brave and The Bold list
The Flash-Superman movie / Flash-Batman movie

[like the West Coast] Avengers United They Stand 1999-2000 Fox Kids

Smallville “Legion” episode scene 2 scene 3 continues

Ghost in the Shell SAC and 2nd Gig Lithium Flower slides from season one

GITS Inner Universe remix another Ending another version

Ghost in the Shell SAC 2nd GIG Opening

TTAFFBH ep4 part 1/3

UFO episode list

Iron-man Animated series…

1994-1996 FOX Kids list

Spider-man Animated series…

1967 original ABC 7 list / 1981 list webpage / 1994-1998 FOX Kids list

Unlimited 1999-2001 13 eps DisneyXD list

2008-2009 17eps KidsWB [includes Static Shock eps] list

- The Sarah Jane Adventures play list - afternoon May 4, a Wednesday
     The Nightmare Man part 1
- The Magician
- The Hunger hosted by David Bowie

So Weird- Zoog Disney 2004   season 1  /  season 2  / season 3

Doctor Who Time: part 1
Catherine Tate and David Tennant- Comic Relief, Red Nose Day
Red Nose Day 2011 Rowan Atkinson
  the fourth Doctor 8 June 1974 – 21 March 1981
Kidnapping the Doctors    last part

MANswers

Interlude / intermission...
http://www.archive.org/details/classic_tv_commercials
http://www.inthe80s.com/tvcommercials/
Sharapova - Nike Commercial 'I feel pretty' / Need Motivation?  / Pepsi monks

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... 2010 - May 2011 season TV Guide CBS5 abc7 NBC3 the "Big 3"

Monday

House never gets the first four diagnosis' right, home invasion, forget HIPPA [3.5/4]
Chuck - similar to Delphi Bureau, Jake 2.0, John Doe, Kyle XY, and Six Million Dollar Man [3.5/4]
Lie To Me - boring [0]
The Event - every part of it is re-hashed from other TV plots [1/0]
Castle - Moonlighting all over again...just don't kiss the girl [3]
Hawaii Five-O - "book 'm Danno" classic; I hope this stays [3]
- RIP Lone Star and more to be cancelled soon
- on my personal ratings: 1 I was forced to watch, to 5 permanently on DVR

Tuesday

No Ordinary Family - dad was the Thing on FF movies [0]
NCIS - great character build-ups after so many seasons...just don't kill another agent [4]
NCIS: Los Angeles - without high-tech snooping, there would be no show [3.5]
Body of Proof - another great woman ME [new]
Detroit 187 - needs to be murdered [0]

SyFy 152 Warehouse 13 / USA 125 White Collar Covert Affairs

Wednesday

Undercovers - Mr and Mrs Smith they are NOT [1] died Dec 29, 2010
Human Target - brought in "new" blood, 2 women! [3]
Criminal Minds - like looking at a train wreck, gotta see how many ways there are to die [3]
Hell's Kitchen - sado-masochism [2]
The Defenders [1/0] 'nuff said

FOOD 453 Throwdown Dinner Impossible Good Eats / USA 125 psych

Thursday

Bones - Moonlighting syndrome; is she from another planet? see Ziva David [3]
Fringe - I'm "Lost" [2]
Nikita - another 'can it live up to the name' [2.95]
The Mentalist - similar to psych, Monk, etc [3]

USA 125 Burn Notice

Friday

Smallville - final season, about time [4]
Medium [2] series ended
CSI: NY - good tech, and they carry guns [3]
...Supernatural wiki middle of season six and kinda getting into it again; episodes available only 2 at a time* Wiki
Blue Bloods / Outlaw - generations of cops and robbers [0]

SyFy 152 Eureka / Haven

Saturday
Doctor Who in America - season 6 BBC America
Chase - just another bounty hunter, oh US Marshall, excuse me! [2/0]
SNL [Saturday Night Live]

News at 11 CBS 5 / NBC 3 / abc 7 / KTVU 2 at 10pm

The Tonight Show with Jay Leno

...see also

SyFy / Outer Space Astronauts
USA / Food Network / BBC America Doctor Who

Watch TV On-line / TV Channels Free / on YouTube / TV.com / TV by the Numbers

'60s and '70s Themes
Star Trek TOS 20/73 clips / ST:TAS / ENTerprise / Legion of Super-Heroes / Starlog / Wonder Woman (1975) /
So Weird- Zoog Disney 2004 season 1 season 2 season 3

The Weakest Link Star Trek 11/26/2001

The Sarah Jane Adventures - afternoon May 4, a Wednesday

- currently

X-Men Evolution

Season 1, Episode 1 "Strategy X" - by MARVEL / S 1, Ep 13 "The Cauldron (Part 2)"

S 2, Ep 1 [14] "Growing Pains" / S 3, Ep 1 [31] "Day of Recovery"

S 4, Ep 1 [44] "Impact" / S 4, Ep 9 [52] "Egypt"/"Ascencion" pt 2

Wiki / Episode List

Avengers - Earth's Mightiest Heroes (2010) episodes [26] / Official site / Wiki /

Episode List

The Avengers United They Stand (1990) episodes [13] / Wiki / Episode List

Iron Man (1994-96) Channel / Wiki

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"Moonlighting Syndrome" - Partners should stay partners, and any romance between them should stay at arms length. Once they kiss, the series will end. see Remington Steele, The X-Files "The world didn't come to an end"- Mulder after kissing Scully on New Years Eve midnight.
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"Nothing gets in the way of the job" - Main characters are defined by a past tragedy, change because of a new tragedy, and cannot have a serious relationship which would interfere with their work. Because of this, a love interest during the show could be dramatically killed, even a main character. Example, Kirk's only love is the Enterprise.
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"ALF Principle" - An alien's view of what humans take for granted had been explored in Mr Spock of the original Star Trek, My Favorite Martian, Bewitched, Alf, and 3rd Rock From The Sun.
Bones is social-inept, encyclopedic, almost alien. Even extra-terrestrials mimmic humans better;
Ziva [NCIS] only had problems with American colloquialisms and DiNozzo's movie references;
* Sam loses his soul and what it entails, inhibitions, compassion, some social skills.
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"New Blood" - Introducing a new character after the first season, usually an attractive woman, to increase demographics. Examples are Seven in Voyager, two women in Human Target.
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"Jumping the Shark" - Refers to a drastic and usually absurd change in a series plot to enhance a declining viewership.

Tuesday, September 28, 2010

Heroes Lost in The Dead Zone...

...and Other Unresolved [or weak ending] Television Shows

Did the Robinsons ever make it back to Earth? Did the Time Tunnellers ever make it back to 1968? *

Weird happenings, alien influence, and government conspiracies go even way before the X-Files. Main characters on TV shows have been hunted for their knowledge. And none of them have been resolved, at least to a logical conclusion. A few have been waiting for a big screen event to hopefully tie up loose ends. There was Millennium, Dark Skies, Threshold, Invasion, the 4400, Tru Calling, VR5, Journeyman, John Doe, Nowhere Man, My Own Worst Enemy, and Kyle XY. Kindred the Embraced, Poltergeist (Legacy), Friday the Thirteenth (series), and Eli Stone are a few supernatural ones not known to the general public.

Series that are currently hanging include V [I hate remakes], Happy Town, Flash Forward, and some I have forgotten about; and will probably not waste my time on [even to catch up]. Disappointing endings were Lost, Monk, Life on Mars, and Enterprise. The last two are similar to the "Who shot Bobby" ending up as the "year that never happened." Some series were not even allowed to end. The Agency, North Shore, Vegas, Hawaii, Veronica Mars...just to name a few.

- also see Short Lived TV Shows, Cut Short series "Tropes" and Series Finale

Lost Wiki / Official

Heroes Wiki / on NBC / Ninth Wonders / a wiki / BBC Webzine / Claire's MySpace

The Dead Zone

* The Robinsons went to the big screen decades later; some even cameoed. James Darren went "time tunnel" to Deep Space Nine in the 2290s as a holographic crooner in a night club as Vic Fontaine.
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October 5, 2010
TV Shows and new series scheduled for cancellation according to TV.com and "by the Numbers"
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Obits
Stephen J Cannell
Mrs June Cleaver dies at 94

Friday, September 24, 2010

Now that I have your attention...Leave me alone!

The Daily Planet Noon Edition Fri Sep 24 8:36am

Stardate 10728.768

220 most recent FB posts...really?!?

My views of the past 72 hours

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V, to me a friend is someone who took the time to get to know each other better. For those who are younger than me, I ask "kaninong anak ka?" usually because their parent(s) probably told them "Tito mo 'yan." On FB I have comminicated with ppl who I have not seen [still have not seen] for more than 30 years, That you and I reconnect on FB, of that I am happy. I do not feel bad about those who you never hear from again, because they probably have nothing they feel is important enough to say. I am not afraid of anything cyber-social because there is always the "off" or "reset" buttons :-)

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I was born under "100W/120V GE" so what does that mean?

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Can anybody tell me in a few words what the "Tea Party" is? I flunked AmHist in HS when I applied Chaos and Conspiracy theories to it. Rep=keep the rich rich; Dem=don't have a sound plan, And what's with all these people outside? Haven' we realized in 200 years that you have to be inside to make a difference? [ooohh teabagger! I get it]

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On having a second FB account or persona...This Gemini will always argue, and... Unlike Janus, two sides of the same coin...sometimes see eye-to-eye. Even if I can't find someone to do it with...Castor and Pollux, one and the same guy.

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I am a salesperson, so I know that no one approach works for everyone [contrary to the "company" beliefs]. We, as customers, know how we want to be treated...with respect. Not with contempt, or "It's your turn to help this customer," o...r "gee if you don't apply for our card, you must be really stupid." Being too sweet is not a good thing either.

So, customers that want freebies, or "can you give me more discounts?" Treat them with respect, too. BUT be firm! Let them know that we respect, not bend, "the rules" without making it look like The Law [be very careful, because your co-worker might say otherwise, somewhere down the line]. Don't fall back to "Let me ask someone."

Do you know where to look for, and expect the BEST customer service? A waiter/waitress/server. They have to be! Not just for the tip, but the guarantee that the customer will come back to the restaurant AND them.
- My worst experiences? Customer service. Go figure B-P

All of the above points also apply to on-line. Be nice, not loud. Offer help.
I randomly look at the following to keep me on my toes...Yelp, Customers Suck, and The Ferengi Rules of Acquisition.

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TV Shows I am Watching, some on DVR]

New Season TV Guide CBS5 abc 7 NBC11 the "Big 3"

Monday

House / Chuck / Lone Star / The Event / Castle / Hawaii Five-O

Tuesday

No Ordinary Family / NCIS / NCIS: Los Angeles / Detroit 187

Wednesday

Undercovers / Criminal Minds / Hell's Kitchen / The Defenders

Thursday

Bones / Fringe / Nikita / The Mentalist

Friday

Smallville / Human Target / Medium / CSI: NY / Blue Bloods / Outlaw

Saturday, September 11, 2010

Remembering September 11

U.S. Vows To Defeat Whoever It Is We're At War With Humor about tragedy does NOT make me insensitive!

I woke up to the alarm radio, which kept repeating the news into the 30 minutes I was snoozing. At first I thought this was an Orson Wells type prank. Then I saw the Twin Towers destruction on TV happen over and over again!

At noon I had an errand to bring something to the Richmond store before heading to work in Alameda. I got there just as they were closing the store, saying all the Pearle stores nation-wide would be closed. Again not believing the severity of the tragedy, we brought my things inside and I attempted to call Alameda [I did not had not started using a cell phone yet]. Seeing other retail places closing as well, I went home to see any updates, only to see the Towers destroyed many more times than Tokyo had ever been destroyed!

There has been many conspiracy theories about this series of events. The most common recurring plot is that officials in the United States orchestrated it to justify a “war on terrorism.” That the passengers in the two planes were cadavers, the crew having bailed out during the radar blackout. That what hit the pentagon was really a cruise missile. The real casualties were “collateral.” It validated invading another country, and the Patriot Act.

“War is good for business” Just like the entry of the US into World War II, industry should have been boosted in a nation in a Depression [actually other nations were too]. Big business hoped to capitalize in the “rebuilding” of another country. Jobs here should have increased. But it backfired. Nine years and the “war on terror” is still running [officially it ended years ago]. Our troops can’t even be equipped properly because congress is quibbling over funding. Why did it fail? Simple. One, the ones we are ”liberating” don’t want us there. Two, The soldiers cant tell the enemy from the innocents. Sound familiar? This is not a war on terror anymore than Vietnam was a war against communism.

I strongly apologize for any I have offended with my views and comments; for opening up any wounds. I was not born yet in WWII, I was a child during Vietnam, and the 9/11 conspiracies I have only read about, NOT saying I believe in!
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return to FaceBook

Friday, September 10, 2010

Nikita

\There is a new TV series called Nikita. It is based on the 1990 French film Nikita, 1993 remake Point of No Return, and the 1997 television series La Femme Nikita.

This time instead of a blonde, the character is portrayed by a half-Vietnamese American actress Margie Q. She was discovered and trained to be an action star by Jackie Chan while in Hong Kong. She does her own stunts. I hope she is not just another pretty spy and lives up to the name Nikita, previously portrayed by Peta Wilson and Bridget Fonda.

About the show…

Alex is a drug-addicted juvenile delinquent who was accused of killing a person in cold blood during an attempted robbery of a pharmaceutical. But she is innocent. Tried and convicted as an adult, her execution was staged. She wakes up in a “white room” and told of her “recruitment.” End intro, similar in all ways to the 1997 TV series. Oh, wait! That was what happened to Nikita [Peta Wilson].

Six years after her “recruitment“, Nikita [Margie Q] escapes Division [Section One, 1997]. Two years later, she resurfaces. Her personal mission is to bring down Division, perhaps by bringing it into the public eye. Division is a secret government funded anti-terrorist organization, working outside of the US Constitution [Section One was joint-European]. Their methods include abduction, torture, assassination, and suicide operatives- sometimes aimed at innocent civilians. Every operative is under surveillance, evaluated, and under the threat of “cancellation.” If you have watched the late ‘90s version, you will see other similarities. There is Amanda/Madelyn “Operations” as well as the tech-geek “Birkoff.”

Besides the intro and the “What has happened to me in the past ten years” monologue she has with a father she never cared for, the show so far is pretty slow on the anticipated action. For the sake of entertainment, there are many things “wrong” with it. Taking trained operatives out by surprise should take only 10 seconds each, anything longer will wear them both out. No surveillance in such a gathering? Nikita didn’t have a series of exit routes? Not a kill-shot by a trained assassin? Really? Other than Margie Q doing her own stunts, and being about the right age for the character, I hope she is given the chance to improve. Charlie’s Angel, she’s not! But at least try to make her better than Jennifer Gardner [Alias] and Piper Perabo [Covert Affairs].

“I am the first recruit to escape Division. I won’t be the last.” Oh, and Alex…she was planted by Nikita to be her inside source.
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Notes: new Nikita on CW another Peta Wilson play list of clips from the '90s series

Stardate 10696.44

Rodney Rivera Fnord

What follows are my thoughts for the day, not directed at YOU oOooo

I have avoided FB Apps that ask for access to my FB info [which is ok since I put it there], but then asks me for more personal information! Hell NO!

So from now on, I want to see the benefits of "liking" something before I like it. This may sound stupid but these are the other things I do not like…
- Pop-ups, especially where the close button “x” is not readily visible.
- Seeing a vague “click me” without a clue as to what will happen if I do…in the days of really making your own web pages, this was called “mystery meat” to be shunned and avoided.
- refer to Web Pages That Suck page and book
- excessive animation, flashing color changes, blipverts- “Warning, may cause seizures” should be attached.
- Icons, excessive hyper-links in the body of the text, words with pop-up when you roll over them, and other similar navigational hazards- I am NOT going down that wormhole!
I may be paranoid, but I’m not a fool!

So, before you ask me to subscribe to your exclusive news articles, ask me to be your friend, or ask me for personal information other than what I already show publicly INTRODUCE yourself first! Tell me why I should like you.
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JD- I only "like" things that don't ask for info. If I click on "Like" and it sends me to another page I close the page and move on. FB is turning int a commercial venture. I don't mind all the adds plastered around the sides of the page but I am not happy about the intrusive stuff that is starting to pop up now.
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Every time you "like" something, even if it doesn't direct you somewhere else, you have just been cataloged somewhere for future consideration to send an ad to. I try to clean out my inventory of apps and likes every once in a while.
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JD- You have been sucked into a serious addiction to FaceBook. I know, I have been addicted for a while. The first step is to admit you are powerless over your addiction. Then you can get back to Facebook and find out what you missed while you were putzing with your addiction.
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DL- I hope I don't turn into you guys. My internet time I spend is usually on Ebay, ESPN and Yahoo for news.
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News?!? I check Jay Leno's opening monologue for that! As for FB addiction, nope, it's at the same level as eating, breathing, and...what do you mean there's a world outside?!? It beats driving to malls and other nowheres, expending energy ...running on grassy knolls, and spending money that belongs to the govenment.

You think my comments are long? Go talk to Wayne, he does half sentences hahaha!
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RR [me]
…is now friends with God. So don't piss me off!
…hates misleading profile photos of bikini-clad women. "Wow you look exactly like Denise Richards!"
...likes Myself
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There is a new TV series on tonight called Nikita.
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WG- its so interesting how a conversation can change from Fnord to a tv series. Just shows how our brain can work. My diagnosis, is that we're all a little sick.
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As I said at the beginning of this string, these are my thoughts for the day. Our thoughts do jump around, just as conversations do. Stirs the thinking process. Of all places, FB is not made for rigid ways of thinking. That's what work is for :-) My day, as planned, was FB, followed by expending energy running up and down a grassy island, culminating in a [I hoped] good TV show.
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For more about FNORD please look it up in WikiPedia.

- also see http://www.sjgames.com/secret.html
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Another twist to "Medal of Honor by Electronic Arts"

The following are excerpts fdom The New York Times "Combat Game Goes Too Far for Military"

“Out of respect to those we serve, we will not be stocking this game," in the PX, Army and Air Force Exchange Service.

The game makers, the military, and combat veterans worked together to ...make this as real as possible.

“It’s a form of entertainment,... it’s wrong to blatantly censor something, whether it be a book, a movie or a video game.”

Video games increasingly give users the options of embracing the role of bad guy during multiplayer showdowns (when people playing online can play against others online).

“Basically it’s a cops-and-robbers dynamic,” said the spokesman, Jeff Brown. “Someone has to play the bad guy.” - Would you be offended by other games because your car was stolen or vandalized? You or someone you know was robbed once? A loved one was actually killed?

“I still might end up getting the game,” says an army Sergeant, “but I won’t play it like that.”- which is everyone's right to make that choice. Right?
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A response to WWrites-
Being sentimental IS a good thing; it is the flip side of compassionate...of the same coin. One that every human should have in their pocket. As for sharing something significant [like your daughter needed to do something about] to something insignificant. It is no fun to watch a movie alone and talk about it with someone else later. Ya gotta be able to say "Dude! Did you see the scene where...!" "Dude! I was with you!"
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Heard from a football player's bedroom...
"Go deep!"
"Honey, you got a tight end!"
"Just go straight down the middle"
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If Iran and North Korea don't like people crossing their borders, why do they detain and imprison them? Just a thought.

I am referring to the 2 US women captured and imprisoned for spying in N Korea, March last year. And the recent to be released one of 3 who hiked into Iran July last year. I know they are not the only foreign nationals to be imprisoned, but a few of the media publicized ones. And yes, used as a political chip. My heart goes out to any one of them, having no rights on foreign soil!
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...and it's not just their governments. Our Media is also to blame! Uncovering and bringing to light a plight is a fine ideal, but to sensationalize it because it is "today's news" is sickening! Who's to say Iran wants the news to last longer so they stay in the limelight!?! After it's no longer a "news byte" it's as if it never happened.
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Original FB post

Thursday, September 9, 2010

Stardate 10690.411

My thoughts for the day…
The Internet and the World Wide Web;
There is money to be made on-line;
Collective, lottery, or the bank;
I am…The Law!

The Internet and the World Wide Web are not one and the same [just as my cardiologist said there is a difference between a heart attack and cardiac arrest. Since this is directly related to me, I better know the difference]. The Internet is a global data communications system. It is a hardware and software infrastructure that provides connectivity between computers. In contrast, the Web is one of the services communicated via the Internet. It is a collection of interconnected documents and other resources, linked by hyperlinks and URLs. Why is it we are reminded to back-up our on-line information? Because it is physically sitting in one server somewhere in the world. If there is a disaster there, or even a temporary problem, you cannot access your own information.
NET is how servers commumicate; WEB is your pages and documents.

Even without the commerce of physical objects, there was money to be made on the NET . The Media has one thing over all other forms of mass media, people come to it, instead of buying it. There is no need to advertise for paid subscriptions. And unlike cable to TV and HD to radio, there is no need to pay for an upgrade. It’s the ones that deliver it that are commercializing it. But what they ALL have in common is ADVERTISING!

If 10,000 people were to put $10 a day every day for 3 years into a collective, each person would be guaranteed to have $10,000 on a specified day! minus the collective’s fee. Instead we now have a lottery system where the recipient is random. Or a bank system based on a speculations market dealing in futures commodities with little or no collateral. Decided by a few share holders, not the depositors/investors [OK we are informed every quarter of shareholders’ meetings and asked if we will allow them to be our proxy]. We are literally walking on paper suspended!
By the way, I regularly put money away in the least liked, and not quite defined as a collective…the IRS! I purposely put more in to get a refund in April.

Laws cover a population defined by a governing body of legislation. It is enforced with penalties for breaking them, fines or imprisonment.
Rules apply to a specified group or property where the maximum penalty may be banning.
Policies are part of any organization, where for example, employees can be terminated.

Being a few things on my mind, this is by no means a professional piece, nor does it follow my style guide;
Comments are of course invited. Items can be added to this later, depending on those comments.
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internet defined Web explained Web 2.0 social networks blog defined
Article The WEB is Dead. Long Live the Internet

Tuesday, September 7, 2010

A Dog And His Boy

Comet, my pointer mix was my best friend for many years. As a pup of a couple of weeks, he was brought along, with one sibling, to our house by my uncle. I was to make a choice. Laying them down on the living room floor, the first thing his brother Snoopy did was go for the snacks uncle brought. Comet decided to explore the house, knowing it would be his. Wobbling on stubby legs thru the dining room to the kitchen, he plopped down in what would be his corner for the next few years until he outgrew it. Coincidentally, it was at the foot of Dad’s chair in the kitchen. By the time my sister was born, we were family.
[I had named him after Supergirl’s horse in the comics- btw, he was once a man]

When we tell relatives and other people in the Philippines how we treat Comet, they say he is so fortunate. We never let him sleep outside. When Dad would come home from work at 2am, he would check on Comet to see if he was sleeping in his favorite spot and if he finished his food for the night. If not, Dad would calmly ask me in the morning what time I brought his food down. His subtle way of asking me if i fed him early enough. After Christmas, Dad brought home a prime rib leftover from the hotel he worked at, and put it in front of Comet. He looked at us and then down in his plate, then us again…looking for his usual meal of chicken adobo. He let it sit there for hours before eating it that night.

Comet was a friendly one, never hurt anyone. I would wrestle with him, hose him down for his wash, tug at his tail or trip him over. He would bark in protest, maybe. Even when agitated, and I would experimentally put my arm at his open jaws, he would never bite me. My sister, even as a baby was able to hug Comet with no fear. Anyone coming over could, even the young enthusiastic ones who almost choke him. His favorite spot in the house was next to my Dad at his kitchen chair. They would watch TV, along with a parakeet that flys to sit at Dad's soulder, or at Comet's back. Classmates who came over to the house were well treated with a jump hug, after a few full speed kamikaze runs around you first. But never turn your back on him. He will jump and hold on to your y waist as you try to walk away. He makes a terrible guard dog, would probably catch you on the way out. But he will bark when there is someone around! His senses included the backyard [squirrels], the neighbor’s driveway, and the front door [acts like a second doorbell]. The whole back of the house [kitchen, basement, backyard] was his!

We never put him through formal training, and was too lazy to do tricks. I said he was lazy. Not entirely true. The backyard is too small for him to use his full potential. Once in a while Comet would start to walk around the perimeter of the backyard. After a few sniffs at the tomatoes and other plants, he would sprint and eventually come to a full run around the yard. I was the lazy one. I didn’t walk him daily. So out in the street with the leash in hand, he would show his excitement by dragging me to his favorite front yards around the block. Sometimes Comet would end up missing. Jumped the back gate. It was my job to find him. We have a very long block, near level on one half, incline on the other. Here’s the routine. I come close enough, he runs away, I chase him until I can’t run anymore. Comet stops and comes back to within ten feet of me. Repeat. End only if he comes back within five feet. I grab him and drag him home. One time I wasn’t there to chase him. I was at school. Came home to see him with a cast and a metal post in one leg. He had run across Park Blvd to greet Mom after she got off the bus from work. During the after work rush!

I said my goodbyes to Comet and the family after graduating high school. Left for the Philippines for seven years. A few years out, I got the inevitable news. He died of age. My sister had cried, I heard. I mourned while showing relatives pictures of time past, eyes red in those photos from the flash…realizing later that meant his eyes were really deep, emotional. They mourned with me, having got to know Comet from our letters including him in family stories. He is buried in the yard he loved. Under the tomatoes he loved the most. Beneath an awning of grape vines. Next to Dad’s tool shed.

RIP Comet, the lazy shooting star.

Monday, September 6, 2010

Religion was invented by man (and other tales from the crypt)

In the past I have posted many things regarding religion. I am a Roman Catholic by Baptism at birth. Meaning I didn't choose it, but I have no reason to change it. I must point out that the word "religion" is only mentioned four times in the KJV Bible, and refers mostly to its higher hierarchy/clergy.

Religion was invented by man [and I DO mean this in a gender-specific way] primarily to keep their culture together. Moses used [created?] it to keep the Twelve Tribes from separating. Although religion should not be confused with Law, all governments past and present have tolerated it's local religion to its ends. Constantine put together a religion to justify his Roman Empire. The then Pope kissed up to Charlemagne for rescuing him and gain protection for future generations of Popes. Even religions have tolerated each other. Jews were not persecuted by the Vatican because they could lend money to kings and nobles, whereas the Church forbids the holding another to repay a debt, creating what will be the banking system as it is today. Groups have called themselves religions to exempt themselves from certain laws, past and present, ie, Freemasons to Scientologists. The State is not innocent of interference either. Marriage was generally performed by ANY religion’s ordained minister [except at sea]. But the government(s) wanted a piece of the action, even recognizing who was considered married by deciding differences in rights, financially or otherwise.

Religions in Europe led to war, the suppression of peoples and intellect, secret societies, and the separation of peoples. It supported Hitler to maintain “neutrality” and should have apologized to the world instead of just recently the Jews. And he was the most prominent advocate of ethnic cleansing. Not the only one. Every religion, not faith, has its own atrocities in history AND in the present. Proselytizing to “keep us in check” and to say anyone else will “burn in hell” is to me an insult to my superior intellect. I have only pointed out the Roman Catholic Church because that is the one I am most familiar with. As to the actual faith and practice of the Church, well I have posted that else when here. I see a political cartoon where the personifications of War, Famine, and Pestilence say "Thank You" to Jesus labeled as Religion.

Sorry if I sound harsh. I am not bitter, but see it as an observation.

Friday, September 3, 2010

Anything you post is subject to comment

The Bitch is Back

“I can bitch the best at your social do's"
Anything you post on FaceBook is subject to comments. As is mine…please do! My entries may be deleted, edited, and re-posted as I see fit. I can change my mind, I don’t see why my comments can’t do the same. If I violate any form of social etiquette, please let me know. I am not here to piss any one person off [ my long-term goal is to piss everyone off ! ].

“I entertain by picking brains”
I will comment to elicit a response in any of your posts. I may disagree with something you say. I may even PRETEND to disagree, just for you to explain further. Call me a Devil’s Advocate; I take nothing at face value. I value your opinions...although trying to change my point of view MAY meet some resistance!

“Sell my soul by dropping names”
I might post a link to your site. I avoid mentioning names outside of FB for your privacy. I might mention your first name, or your initials. I might state a situation with you in mind. I will even misquote you just to prove MY point. Again do not take it personally!
As a side note: FB is the only social network that nearly everyone states their REAL name, not a tag.

“I don't like those, my God, what's that?”
If there is something I don’t agree with, or need further clarification about, I will ask you. If it is a touchy matter, it will be by FB messaging, not an actual post. I NEVER want to embarrass anybody.

“Oh it's full of nasty habits when the bitch gets back...o o oh!”
I am only human [ Mutant Registry Act 2006 approved ]. If I make a mistake, or say something you feel is offensive, tell me IMMEDIATELY! Call me out on it publicly if you need to.

Rod's Log of Everything

My Cyberbrain 2.2

The following is a Blog pretending to be a Web page...see also My Worldwide WEB [which is also archived] due to GeoCities having been sold to Japan 2009.

WEB Log… Dated Items / WEB Pages of Interest / FB Related - usually just f 'n / Personals - yours and/or mine / Notes to Self / News at 11 / Searches and Keywords - see Wikipedia and Google / Images / Previously - also Updates / Quotes and Ponderables / Vids...OK, YouTube / Data Dump
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+ Dated Items \
Begin Stardate 11500.0 [12 am July 1, 2011], a Friday
+ WEB Pages of Interest \
+ FB Related - usually just f 'n \
+ Personals - yours and/or mine \
+ Notes to Self \
+ News at 11 \
- The Daily Planet soon to be updated
- WikiPedia always has the latest information and manageable links
+ Searches and Keywords - see Wikipedia and Google \
+ Images \
+ Previously - also Updates \
+ Quotes and Ponderables \
+ Vids...OK, YouTube \
+ Data Dump \
- Previously...

Geocities Home pages Re-Creation Project