Too Much Information III

I've been overwhelmed with Facebook for the last 12 months, so I haven't given this blog much attention.

But although Facebook SEEMS like a productive forum for expressing one's experiences...it has a tendency to attract every mind in creation to POST whatever...

I can't even get a word in edgewise...NOT because I have nothing to write, but because people have misinterpreted the role of the line-by-line environment as free technical-expertise upon which to splash their lives--interesting as they may be--I can't express myself when surrounded by endless minutia.

But such is the bane of being a writer.

--mattergy

Pilslager?

Okay...I'm not perfect...but tell me what's wrong with this item-description:

PILSNER URQUELL LAGER BEER

Um, a lager is not a pilsner...by any stretch of the imagination...a pilsner is a pilsner, right?

;) mattergy

Extracirricular

School was always a bit of a psychological-struggle for me, but I kept this fact cleverly hidden by a couple of off-the-clock activities, unseen by most people...yet well-known to others..downhill (snow)skiing most notably.

Alpine-skiing is a fairly common activity for many Californians, I know, but incidental-proximity to the slopes can make skiing an expensive addiction. :P

However, just learning the beverage-list at the ski-lodge IS NOT what skiing is about...

Professional skiers (search-and-rescue especially) are a fairly rare and knowledgeable breed (of human-beings AND dogs ;) who've taken the time to master the art of the controlled-fall down the side of a mountain.

Respect for the people who risk their lives daily in constantly changing weather-conditions so that the rest of us can have fun is something worth teaching the kids...when they realize that the effort expended in keeping snow well-groomed and obstruction-free is largely human, they tend to become better sports-people and respecters of public-service...hopefully.

Programmed Idiocy

Maybe I'm more enraged by the lack of understanding than most folks...but I would think that if a company were shipping to you, they would read the address YOU HAD GIVEN THEM rather than "GUESSING" your address based on outdated information...

But NOT SO, they'd rather rely on bad addresses because they were found on Yahoo! or some such search-service, rather than read the email you sent them EXPLAINING everything they needed to know (rather than using my current address they use some address I haven't lived at for 6 years).

And as prudence dictates the name of the company giving me the runaround now will remain discretely anonymous.

But my wrath is as yet undeterred.

--mattergy

Suburbaset

I made a 1366x768 desktop of Sheryl's beautiful sunset photo.>>>

:) mattergy

Save the Bass???

Nobody ever told this guy that instrumentation was more important than charisma!!!

;) mattergy

Why Archeology?

I think even my friends were mystified by my choice of coursework...

Why would you want to spend hours digging up some long-decased-clan's barbeque-pit?

Um, because um...people really have trouble grasping something as simple as the daily trappings of life here in beautiful suburbia.

Built some distance from the local Coastanoan habitations, as mitigated by California Resources Management... for those who never recovered from the idea of homes built on native-American burial-sites breached in the film: Poltergeist.

As horrifying as concoctions of the imagination might be...without founding in any fact other than the incidental presence of bones...a somewhat likely byproduct of field-work in this para-bay region of California--evil spirits just aren't allowed..

I myself required a blessing from the local tribe:

A simple ritual of profound humility...and great reverence.

Artifacts ARE humanity in their former-livelihood.

--mattergy

The Things They Don't Tell Ya 'Bout Being an Astronaut...

People who know me know that I wanted to be an astronaut--When I was young and impressionable.

However, I overlooked one crucial fact about 20th-Century---Well ANY-Century space-travel, to be correct--

That being the actual-size of the "Space-capsule".

Call me stupid, but somewhere in my mind I had really thought that "They'd make the right person fit".

I was well over 6-feet tall before graduating 8th-grade.

The problem of course is that designing and building a Launch-Vehicle capable of carrying "cargo" of such physical-stature as myself
results in giant rockets...much larger rockets than any nation can afford to build or launch.

When I realized this fact (11th-Grade, I think), I had already charted course to attend the U.S. Air Force Academy (where aspiring young-Patriots train to be pilots.)

You've got to realize that no amount of wishful-thinking was going to change the rules of ballistics to suit ME.

My relatives (as helpful as they were trying to be) were no help.

The complexity of the combination of U.S. realpolitik and the physics of space-travel was not well-understood by many people whom I knew.

So I worked at a local movie-theater--while I was gathering my laurels.

And then I learned to type...in school.

Concurrently I was authoring quite a few bits of fiction for my new high-school's Writer-of-the-Month contest(s).

I won "Writer-of-the-Month" six times between 10th- and 12th- grades AND I was getting a lot of keyboarding practice.

Hungry for REAL Work(tm)...I applied for a job as a file-clerk in the California Superior-Court...self-motivated and detail-conscious, I thought I was doing fairly well at my job.

I was only getting about 4-hours sleep a night and commuting daily for two hours.

When I turned 21, I weathered a bout of Mononucleosis and was forced to stay home for two weeks...

My boss needed a healthy file-clerk, and sent me packing.

I was playing (bass guitar) in a working-band at the time, so I, in-turn, focused ALL OF MY ATTENTION on the band.

As if that weren't enough...my girlfriend at the time was trying to map-out her own life...and I was forced to let her go.

...and then the band fired me.

As my former guitarist, CG observed, my ever-vocal desire for near-perfection from the both the drums and guitar was pretty annoying.

I was TOLERATED.

Fortunately, CG recognized that there WERE circumstances where my attention-to-detail WOULD be appreciated.

So CG recommended I audition with a blues-rock outfit regularly playing a South San Fransisco/Daly City Blues-bar called The Country Club.

Drummer Dave Steinberg was--at the time--a student of authentic Blues-drumming evolved from the early rock-bands across the pond (in the U.K. primarily), so it actually turned out to be a step-up for me ;)

So I guess tall guys can't be astronauts. Only starving-musicians.

;) mattergy

Living Memories

When I was in high-school, a former-teammate of mine, Joe Peralta was the tragic victim of circumstances which left him deceased.

Although I only knew Joe casually (I was an Offensive-Tackle--he a Defensive-Back and -utility-lineman, so we never really connected, except in scrimmages), he was a really cool guy, and for me, a relative-noob at football, he was an outstanding inspiration.

My former partner in Offensive-Damage (and English Classmate), Marcus Munoz (still living, I hope!), also inspired me to press-forward with prejudice!

Just a reminder that people off all walks have helped me overcome the rigors of Multiple Sclerosis.

;) mattergy

CORRECTION 12:15 P.M. PST
I am reminded that Joe was actually an offensive receiver at the time we were playing...the still-living Sam Key was the Defensive-Back I was thinking of, not Joe.

Although...Joe WAS a backfield-player.

My mistake.

CORRECTION 2:
My memory is fading much faster than I'd care to acknowledge:

Joey played so many positions. Sam Key played defensive tackle...opposite Marcus and myself...

CORRECTION 3:
Aside from my fading memory...there's the specter of possibly having paid too much attention to blossoming cheerleaders than I recall...I may have forgotten more about the game than I realize ;)


CORRECTION 4:
Although Joey was a classmate of mine, I think we played on different football teams...

The Importance of Journalling

Heaven forbid that one should lose their memory!

But one thing I learned from the late Julian Jaynes is that history is fleeting for the entire human-species...this because of fragmented kinship...er, I mean--Too Much Distraction(tm).

While one might mourn the loss of public-consciousness, I feel a more devastating crack in the human-psyche emerging...the overall loss of sensibility itself.

Coming to terms with the realization of a near-7-billion human-residents now living on Planet Earth is something the mathematicly-adept of us have trouble accepting...6.9 billion is a LOT of people.

Which leads to the question of whether or not love is in fact in surplus-supply.

I believe there is enough love to go around, but whether the signal is strong enough to reach every point on the globe is debatable...

I'm certain that the possible point-to-point strength...the accepting of genuine love...is in-fact LIMITED by the inherent fragility each and every indivdual on this gravitationally-linked sphere.

"Journaling" (keeping a daily diary) represents a kind of self-reassurance that public-memory itself won't forget...should it be affected by a global Alzheimer's disease.

--mattergy

Last Flight of the Endeavor

for your desktop ;)
from the APOD Archive
reframed by mattergy ;)

Influential Warning

I thought it only fair to remind the reader that I HAVE READ AND UNDERSTAND the works of Douglas Hofstadter., which places me in the mathematically-spun category...but I'll also remind you that Physical-objects also trigger those "Mathemagical" themes written of by Hofstater.

Realizing this in early-adulthood caused me to pursue local-archeology.

Just the process of Carbon-dating artifacts is delicate work...but not the APPARENT-SHAPE of human-cognition...upon actually visiting the Anistazi-ruins [cliff-dwellings] at Bandalier National Monument, I was immediately struck by the realization of what nice dinner-restaurants they would have made.

This...in combination with the outstanding defensive-aptitude [defense against natural-forces, primarily], I realized just how advanced the psychology of the builders had been.

The experience left me dumbstruck...not an advisable state-of-mind in this-near-Rocky-Mountain region.

So concurrently I realized that, even today, people's inordinate-distraction is literally defacing history.

--mattergy

Technology Out-Of-Control

I know it seems like old news that I have trouble accepting social-networking services wherein someone OTHER THAN MYSELF manages all the interaction...I've only been setting up and managing institutional-networks since the mid-1980s.

So I'll say again...as irrational as it may seem to various networking-noobs, I REALLY DETEST social-networking .

People are NOT meant to obsess over the BOXES through which all those smiley-faces :) ;) must pass WITHOUT any real systemic supervision.

These being the ubiquitous daemons that "possess" the internet.

Perhaps I'm misunderstood...but to have a THIRD-PARTY invoke its own assessment of the NOOB-NESS of the user is reminiscent of a form of ideological repression unseen since Charles V of Spain.

The rule is: ignorance is never an option...however, I'd much rather interact with someone who KNOWS SOMETHING about the dangers of broadcasting information to the whole world about their dearest loved-ones.

I call this quality healthy-paranoia.

I recommend that people psychologically-able enough to realize the dangers of pseudo-Idolatry take time to knowledgeably-consider the effect social-networking is having on the WHOLE SOCIETY, NOT SIMPLY CHILDREN.

--mattergy

Good Recovery

I had an order (errantly) shipped to an address I have not lived at for 7 years (fortunately one of my former roommates still lives there)...anyway what COULD have been a troublesome shipment was reported to the vendor and immediately CORRECTED.

My special thanks to Daniella who had the experience to RE-ship the order...given exact-information about my address.

:) Mattergy

3DN2D?

I've been staring at this desktop-image off-and-on for a few days and have come to the conclusion that it's the truest effort one can hope for at making a 2D-image appear to be THREE-DIMENSIONAL.=>>

Original APOD citation

Wishful Thinking a Marker-Free Disease Does Not a Cure Make

I have a hard time reading news concerning Multiple Sclerosis when it amounts to little more than distorted or wishful thinking.

Even worse, when professional-journalists (editors) warp headlines based on their own deficient-thinking about the disease it irks me to no-end.

Having M.S. myself, I've identified more BAD journalism about M.S. than most folks.

Firstly, the perception that M.S. features definitive-markers like other diseases is just plain dumb.

Multiple Sclerosis doesn't result from the usual contagions with which other diseases are spread through human beings.

To my knowledge, only the (sometimes painful) extraction and measurement of Spinal-fluid mass can even professional neurologists determine that a person CERTAINLY HAS M.S.

A confirming (very expensive) MRI-scan will either verify or refute a neurologist's determination...but the idea that even small-molecule screening can lead to curative-medicines is fraught with error.

I think this misconception is caused by the irrational/hopeful belief that even professional-neurologist know EVERYTHING about human biology...they don't.

However, that doesn't stop people from deifying medical-science errantly.

We've only known about basic-human-physiology since the American Civil War, and it's still fairly brutal.

The transience of FACT in any analysis of M.S. is frightfully deceptive...physicians being ill-heralded miracle-workers (which, to be fair is PARTIALLY TRUE), but the truth is far-less hopeful.

I'm not saying that M.S. is incurable but I believe that any article about M.S. demands to be read with a healthy sense of skepticism.

If not, one risks falling into the pit of ideas such as CCSVI (chronic cerebral venous insufficiency), which although a novel idea, is as yet LACKING analysis as a legitimate THEORY.

A bad bet for SURGERY, imho...but M.S. is so disabling a condition, that some people would rather risk a surgeon monkeying around inside their neck to correct the problem rather than waiting for responsible theoretical testing to be completed.

CCVSI is scheduled for such testing by the National M.S. Society, but such testing will take several years to complete and verify...

I can't discourage risk-taking...but I wouldn't do it!

:) mattergy

REDUCE VOLUME FOR RICHER SOUND

TV-audio is notoriously tinny--despite all the advances in signal-transmission one might enjoy...those 3-inch speakers in your TV have no MASS to withstand the slap-back of OVER-DRIVEN output, as much as your situation might demand it.

THE WAY TO GET RICHER AUDIO IS TO REDUCE THE OVERALL POWER TO THE SPEAKERS...TRY IT.

:) mattergy

Norwegian Aurora

This is what a genuine aurora looks like (I enlarged and cropped THIS APOD photo).

BTW--Screenshot of Life

APOD citation of original image

Green LED Efficiency

I just wanted to remind folks that LED-bulbs (Light Emitting Diode) use so much less electricity than normal incandescent-bulbs without any loss of holiday-spirit (or brightness).

Point-being that if you want to save both money and electricity then use strings of LEDs rather than those archaic bulbs you've had for 50 years.

;) mattergy

Dog-Lingo/Cat-Lingo

I love pets as much as the next guy, but I must say that their care is best left to people without M.S.;)

This is for the sake of BOTH owner and pet.

Pets are only as intelligent as they've been trained to be

Especially regarding their natural biological impulses.

Since I can barely walk myself, I can't own one...it wouldn't be humane...especially after I've accidentally stepped on it once or twice...calm words only go so far in nature.

--mattergy

good kids...stupid kids

Kids in my neighborhood are like kids in other California neighborhoods...

They play, argue with their elders

They're only kids...they'll get it eventually.

And remember that Halloween comes only once a year...understand the stress!

-mattergy

M-Hypothesis

People who've studied college-physics recognize the implications of the title...and my humble rationale for citing the rule as a hypothesis--rather than a theory, which is a rather-all-points considered (tested) assertion.

Hypothesis has a difficult sibilance--Maybe why the extra effort was made to get the testing that would allow the simple term M-Theory to suffice...

But call a sub-globally-tested assertion an hypothesis if you really want to impress.

The "M" is for Monopoly by the way.

Firstly...its important to keep your opponents in the game long enough to score some valuable property in which to most intelligently spend the right amount of money while simultaneously acquiring the properties that will result in more profitably-consistent returns...without gambling with bankruptcy with too daringly...

Insights Into The -Other- Debilitating Sclerosis

ALS isn't MS but researchers at Northwestern University have recently discovered an important key that may lead to an eventual cure.

Again note the modifier may...

However, leaps like this are important enough for at the very least understanding the bio-mechanisms responsible for such elusive diseases.

Maybe the disease has no cure...but the finding will at least put neurologists on the right tracks.

--mattergy

Addendum 3:30P.M. PDT

By the way, I realize that the term sclerosis (scarring) applies to several conditions that are fairly debilitating...my intent was to highlight a recent discovery in neuroscience.

The Telescopic Mob-Mentality of the Non-Participant

I am usually loathe to comment on matters outside my personal experience, but as a person psychologically affected by the nonsensical ideas that permeate various corners of the globe, I feel I must comment.

I preface by quoting a line spoken by Kenneth Mars in the 1974 Mel Brooks spoof Young Frankenstein: "A riot is an ugly thing...and once you get one started,there is little chance of stopping it...short of bloodshed."

Obviously it is intended to be funny, (the line doesn't make much sense, even in American-English) but I think it makes perfect sense considering the subject...Mars' character is amidst a crowd of pitchfork- and torch-bearing Transylvanian villagers set to storm the castle of transplanted American surgeon Frederick Frankenstein (Gene Wilder) for crimes-unknown albeit -anticipated.

The humor is found in the ludicrousness of attempting to quell a mob in any sort of civilized fashion...despite any seemingly-rational authority projected.

Vis-a-vis the recent riots in the UK, I recommend intelligent analysis of this truth...in the UK, in Texas, in Tehran.

Once the mentality of a mob gets stirred, NO peaceful method of crowd-control will work.

A mob is an unreasoning animal...I think police-forces worldwide know (and fear) this deep-down... officers-of-the-law act as they are trained...so accusing these officers of anything is so lacking in intelligence it defies common sense.

--mattergy

Neutrophil/M.S. Relationship?

I'm neither a Neurologist, nor an Immunologist, but I am convinced that if there is a cure to be found for Multiple Sclerosis (and some forms of Diabetes and Meningitis), it lies in the study of the exact relationship between a type of white-blood-cell known as a Neutrophil and the human Spinal-Cord or cerebrospinal fluid (CSF) within during middle-maturity.

Why I believe this I can't rightly say, but I've been known to cause others to stumble onto truly ingenious ideas in my naivety...

--mattergy

Color Sensibility in Information-Rich Environments

Oddly, I felt more assaulted today by badly-contrasted layout on Wikipedia than any information itself.

And that's saying a lot.

The problem was actually intended to solicit new donors to Wikipedia...but failed IMHO...because of poor attention to the effect of color on distracting the audience...any audience.

I admit that I'm something of a color-snob when it comes to web-layout...but I would think that trained-professionals would know better than to blast readers eyes with the face of a person on a pure white background--even if the purpose was to solicit new donors to what I consider to be one of the most useful sites on the internet.

Take it from a former-professional: show your human-ken by first applying color-sensibility in web-layout.

--mattergy

Addendum 12:13 P.M. PDT
The issue was corrected before I could finish typing this entry...showing the effectiveness of the free-edited model. I should have known...but I hope the revision was made as result of aesthetic-sensibility...and not personal-preference.

TOO MUCH INFORMATION

A dear friend sent to me some joke-cartoons from various newspapers relating to the Western debt-crises of late and misinterpreted my response that said (effectively) DON'T SEND THIS TYPE OF JOKE TO ME, PLEASE...a response which read as meaning I had been offended.

To set the matter straight...I think I've become OVER-INFORMED about such things...I was NOT offended, but rather am physically sickened by the fact that the issues are so complex that they are beyond most people's understanding or control, yet the popular-media continues to pummel people with fear.

I've got a fairly good sense-of-humor...but some things TRIGGER ANXIETY in me rather than cause me to chuckle...I can't explain this in a sensible manner...even to my close personal friends.

It has something to do with having a near-genius I.Q. and having actual experience in both broadcast-media and investment-banking, I think.

:| mattergy

Language Hijacking

I realize that the economies of several countries are in sad shape, but when the very meaning of English phrases get bastardized out-of-context by people seeking to earn money...albeit honestly...I really get upset.

You see...I have a problem that would not be considered a problem at-all...by MOST people--but it is annoying.

The problem is having exceptional hearing in a world where near-deafness is becoming the rule for various reasons.

Type the words exceptional hearing into any search engine and you are presented with various links to sites aimed at people who have -trouble- hearing rather than anything having to do with really -good- hearing.

Now, I can appreciate that hearing-loss affects a good number of people...but I would think that the terms BAD hearing, TROUBLE hearing or HEARING-LOSS would more aptly apply to those search-results.

However the specter of self-serving product-sales has twisted the phrase exceptional hearing into a sales-pitch for hearing-aids rather than a pointer to what the phrase really means (i.e. my hearing is SO good, I can hear my upstairs neighbor and his girlfriend crunching on Rice Krispies while they are discussing the global-debt crises (which tells me that they weren't properly trained to forgo talking with food in their mouths).

Again, genuinely exceptional-hearing can be as disturbing as hearing-loss.

Anyhow, the point being that genuinely exceptional-hearing can be as disturbing as hearing-loss...but I have no way of searching for people experiencing this same problem of hearing -too- well because the term exceptional hearing HAS BEEN HIJACKED for the sake of selling hearing-aids to the near-deaf.

BTW: No disparagement intended--for those who have trouble with their hearing...I'm only trying to address a problem I can't explain to anybody...because the correct English phrase has been hijacked.

--mattergy

The Geo-Fragmented Psyche

I like to think that I've presented myself as a fairly rational and intelligent person...however I can only imagine what others see and hear in their own fragmented minds.

I'm not saying this flippantly (I'm not a professional psycho-analyst by any stretch of the imagination--but rather what might be termed a psycho-dilettante: a dabbler in the psychological "arts").

Again...I'm not a professional at anything. I just have a gifted sense of verbiage--or so I've been accused.

But recent global-events seem to be pointing my verbiage into a seemingly globally-cohesive direction I can't shake--that the very shape of the Earth and its 23-some-degree tilt toward the sun (it's high-summer here in the northern-hemisphere) is causing brain-hiccups worldwide.

Author's Periodic Reminder

It should be noted that the author suffers from multiple limb-paralysis as a result of Multiple Sclerosis.

Typing these articles is a self-taught methodology using my one (non-dominant) hand only. My formerly dominant-side is almost useless because it is subject to intention tremor...a type of involuntary movement that mimics muscle-spasms and is difficult to control (I say "mimics" purely to indicate that the resulting effects are purely-neurological and totally unlike anything a normal person experiences).

I overcome many of the difficulties in my legs by walking frequently (with a cane), but the effect on my hand is such that even repeated-exercises don't help much.

I suspect (but don't know) that some segment of those connections are short-circuiting due to partial-exposure to my CSF [the "scars" in Multiple Sclerosis are usually more properly "lesions" in the white-matter insulating neurons from such phenomena].

But again, I'm not a neurologist...so this analysis could be completely erroneous. I'm only describing the experience from my own flawed point-of-view.

--mattergy

p.s. not being a professional neurologist, I may be in error using the term intention tremor as the description for what it is I experience...there may be a more accurate term for the random and unpredictable movement of limbs which sometimes accompanies Multiple Sclerosis--Just as the term nystagmus describes what's happening to my eyes to make my 20/20 vision so unreliable in practice.

Arp273...16x9

Every once-in-awhile, I run across segments of APOD photos that make excellent desktops.

Vidi cette.

--mattergy

Solid References

Every once-in-a-while I remember the Milwaukee-based www.novamusik.com that provided the awesome studio-monitor-quality Alesis M1Active powered-USB system I use to listen to music.

Thanks, guys/gals/w/e

--mattergy

L7

Was just thinkin' of all the eggheads out there with their collective noses to the scopes.

Tomorrow's Valentines Day...just thought y'all might need a reminder. Use those noodles wisely, folks.

:) mattergy

EQ-it!

After messing with professional equalizers for the last ten years, I have found my preferred band-settings…only recently!

Clearly, these settings are for a specific forum (namely, my Alesis M1Active powered USB-speakers)…in my fairly quiet residential apartment-complex…but the EQ-settings would favor any environment where just hearing something is obfuscated by, say, freeway-noise.

OR, say you live in close proximity to air-routes…

Correctly filtering the music-frequencies around this subtle-noise can be a bit mysterious to the audio-noob.

So I took a desktop screenshot showing the Real Rhapsody EQ…5 bucks a month, kids…well worth the modest honest-investment.

Steal these settings for YOUR system!

--mattergy

p.s. Note the reduction of the 62Hz range. This tends to deaden the 60/120 Hz hum that is a hallmark of American A/C.

Waxing Lazy

I will admit that all the added neural-difficulties are making me a bit lazy--if you can call it that.

Just the repeated 10-minute trips beween adjacent rooms--day after day, hour after hour...make you think very efficiently or risk looking like a complete buffoon.

The part of buffoon ain't THAT hard to act!

--mattergy

The Great Rubber-Band

I was thinking about how pop-music in the late 20th-Century was becoming far more rigidly allocated, although longer...in time.

Back in the 50s, pop-songs were each about two minutes in length...
By the 80s, songs were about 3:30 on average.
At the edge of the century, songs were edging four minutes in length...

Economically speaking the trend is stretching over the years like a giant rubber-band...whatever that means ;)

EQ-1

I thought I'd share A bit of helpful information re: My Preferred EQ-settings (they work for any descent sound-system, I think).

I listen to a lot of music...apparently.

--mattergy

Still Here

'nuff said

Latter-Day Discovery

Every once-in-a-while, I run across the most incredible facts...today, for the first time, I researched the biographical information available for one of my all-time favorite directors of Star Trek-TOS (The Original Series, in common parlance.)

What I discovered about the late-fellow (he died in 1989) was, frankly astounding.

Marc Daniels was one of the most prolific television-directors in the 1960s and 70s...he directed some of my favorite Star Trek-TOS episodes...

But he also directed many of television's best-known detective-shows, mysteries, and science-fiction-shows of the era.

I pay special-notice to the work of such prolific-persons, usually...

That's why the first-time consideration of some of those folks seems so impressive to me...a closet know-it-all.

So in memory of the late American director, I say: "hats-off, dude!"

--mattergy

Doubtful Credentials

Every once-in-a-while, I DO get frustrated with my lack of publicly-recognizable skills.

Not that I'm untrained...but rather I'm genuinely proficient at many things for which I'll NEVER receive credit.

My method of one-handed typing, for example, is little more than a variant of the 45-word-per-minute two-handed method I acquired way back in Tenth Grade.

I was sort of planning on becoming a novelist in those days...and I recognized that learning to type was going to be a necessary prerequisite for such a career.

Little did I know it was going to be a nessesary prerequisite for comunicating with ANYONE in my M.S.-fraught middle-age.

So the risk I took years ago being misinterpreted as "effeminate" for taking a typing class instead of metal-shop has paid-off geometrically...literally.

I seriously doubt that any of my ostensibly "more masculine" rivals over-the-years could succeed in having lifetime neural-damage with such elan.

Yet, still, my credentials are seemingly in doubt, at least as far as I KNOW.

I don't know, but I suppose that my paltry contribution to humanity is unlikely to become renown...but that doesn't stop me from putting my words out there in cyberspace.

So maybe I'll be of benefit to some honorable souls, maybe not.

I can only hope.

--mattergy

The Fragility of "True-Facts"

I'm something of a stickler for ACCURATE information...UNFORTUNATELY, any bit of information that existed HISTORICALLY (or, often, only in the failing-minds of "nostalgiaphiles" like me), is incredibly difficult to either confirm or deny because tracking anything that has either been trademarked or copyrighted is fraught with problems...mostly because people who merely copy or record data for their (ostensibly) personal-use are much better and REDISTRIBUTING PLAGIARIZED or outright INVENTED knowledge than they are at spreading FACTS.

Bear with me here...I've lived in roughly the same neighborhood (minus the period in which I was hospitalized with Multiple Sclerosis) since the late 1960s.

So, odd as it may seem, my memory for sound is extraordinarily acute...the ice-cream trucks that drive by my current residence NOW have the same on-board music-boxes as the trucks from which I purchased ice-cream treats as a kid. The trucks may or may not be the same TRUCKS...but the music-boxes are undoubtedly the same.
So I keep hearing music that sparks old memories, but only recently did I want to know the name of the tune (or rather, the composer's name) I keep hearing.

The only recording of the tune that has made it to the internet as an MP3, is called "Pink_ Panther_Pops_Awesome.mp3"

But as to the accuracy of the citation for anything USEFUL...who knows?

I believe the trucks are run by the Wonder Ice Cream Co. of Santa Clara, CA...but that info is a mere extrapolation of the name of the MP3-file, (Pink Panther "pops" are a novelty ice-cream treat made by Blue Bunny) and a stark memory of my childhood ice-cream-vending-truck music-boxes, but not necessarily the same trucks (or maybe they ARE!)...THE POINT BEING: that I'm merely synthesizing what little information I have available into a conclusion.

By the way, I STILL DON'T KNOW the composer's name. But, you might remember that the song was retooled as a jingle to sell Murphy(s) Oil Soap in the mid-1980s.

--mattergy

ADDENDUM/REALIZATION 11-7-2010:
After some honest research, I discovered that pink_panther-pops_awesome.mp3 (the recording of an ice-cream truck which sounds identical to the one I've heard since childhood) is the early 19th century American folk song Turkey In The Straw, although the ice-cream trucks --I-- remember played an on-board Musical Box that was miked and amplified by an electric megaphone, so it sounded MUCH DIFFERENT than the publicly-available audio (the song is played on a fiddle in its traditional form...so it took a little mental sonic-translation for THIS California-Man to make the connection...I'm sure my colleagues in Kentucky and North Carolina could easily identify the jingle, but I had never heard Turkey In The Straw before (not even when I visited my friends in Texas).

ADDENDUM/REALIZATION #2 11-7-2010:
Being that Turkey In The Straw was probably more of a Northern-U.S. song prior to the Civil War (it was popular in New York and Maryland at THAT time), I doubt my colleagues in the former-Confederate states would have heard the song before the 21st Century...if at all.

ADDENDUM/REALIZATION #3 11-23-2010:
If is weren't for people who work so diligently to present FACTS on the Internet, there'd be absolutely NO use for it. I'm eternally grateful that the folks at Wikipedia.org for their continuing-efforts in this link-driven world.

8-31-35

In keeping with my policy of secure anonymity, I present the following string of numbers...I won't tell you what it represents, but I'm sure that someone will figure it out...eventually.

The string of numbers is as follows: 8-31-35.

I'm not trying to wax profound...I just know that people love a mystery...and will try every method under-the-sun to extrapolate hidden meaning...I'll only say that it represents a red-letter contribution to American culture...nothing too fancy...just a poignant reiteration of the American-dream-in-action...a true statement of the vast possibilities in our country...and ultimately, the whole world.

8-31-35...you'll have to do a bit of research...but I'm sure my audience can figure it out...

When you do, you'll remember this string of numbers as if by second-nature...and that fact will be even more tantalizing than the true representation...because these ARE powerful numbers...

So, whatever you find most illuminating in your search, so be it!

--mattergy

Oversized Fully-Addressed Political Ads Compromise Financial-Security

I really shouldn't have to point this out, but with State-, Local-, and Federal-Elections afoot, I've received the most ridiculous full-color-glossy oversized political-ads lately--any one of which (if disposed of improperly) would give dumpster-diving thieves more financial-information about me than the average-person would think.

As such, my to-be-burned-pile is growing alarmingly voluminous, and dangerously toxic (colored/glossy papers are among the most environmentally UN-friendly substances to burn).

But I will not compromise my financial-security because some dumbass thinks sending out over-sized-glossy fully-addressed political-ads will cause me to vote as they desire...um if they HAD a solid argument, I probably would have voted assentingly on the strength of one paragraph on a standard-sized sheet of recyclable-bond paper...but because they think the ignorance of the masses will be wooed by color, size and gloss, they've lost a perfectly good voice...one that could probably garner acceding votes much less destructively.

But their tack is as naive as the voters they hope to sway...so...who cares?

--mattergy

How To Fix (Some) Intuit-Quicken Check-Printing Problems with Brother HL-2140

While this article may appear superfluous to some...I know for a fact that there are some non-standard problems people experience when manufacturers replace OLD TECHNOLOGIES with newer, better ones.

THIS PROBLEM has NO obvious solution out there ON THE INTERNET...so I wrote my own explanation.

1. The previously-available Brother HL-2350 and HL-5340 [laser-printer] series's were replaced by the (in my opinion superior) Brother HL-2140 (don't question the confusing model numbers...just accept that the 2140 IS better.)

2. Even though the 2140 is SO much less-expensive than those other models (about 80 bucks compared to around 200), it's lighter, smaller, and prints equally-well

3. But there is a bit of a challenge in replacing OLDER with NEWER peripherals...namely in remembering how to adjust your PRINTER-SOFTWARE settings. Whereas you would expect the process to be nearly transparent, in Quicken you (the user) must adjust your own printer settings...separately from the operating-system settings...

4. ...this is done in the Quicken "File|Printer Setup|for Printing Checks" menu AFTER you've setup the printer in your OS (there are setup CD-ROMs packaged with the printer that should help you do this).

5. But the key thing to see is that it's a TWO-STEP PROCESS (setting up the printer in your OS and setting up the printer in Quicken). This rule applies for ALL printer replacements when using Quicken.

6. While this may seem like old-news to some, I KNOW someone out there finds this information useful.

--mattergy

CORRECTION OCT 13 2010
In re-reading my own post, I realize that it's somewhat improperly titled...the check-printing problems I had experienced with the older Brother models were FIXED with the Brother HL-2140...I think I'm responding to the overall impression (of some other reviewers) that the HL-2140 is a step-down from the vastly more expensive previous-iterations (HL-2350 and HL-5340) because it's lighter and less-bulky than the older models.

In my opinion, the HL-2140 is better than the older models, but I'm just trying to print text--I can't speak to its performance as a graphics-printer (although I suspect it is pretty-darn-good)...I just need to print checks and correspondence...for THAT purpose, the HL-2140 is outstanding...not at all inferior-quality.

ADDENDUM OCT 13 2010
Like all good reviewers, I TESTED my previous assertion about graphics, and discovered, that without-question that the graphics-capabilities on the HL-2140 are fairly-good...if you have some time to spend waiting for the first page...but most graphics-specialists would find the wait-time unbearable.

But, remember, I just need to print legible words, not print pretty pictures.

Obsoleting Humanity

Although the title of this article appears glaringly Draconian, it's becoming clear to me that this has become the ultimate goal for which all of humanity itself is foolishly striving.

This I realized when my third (3rd) laser-printer in two years broke this week.

Obviously, this conclusion is an emotional nonsequiter response to technology-failure, but there's more to it than meets-the-eye.

In actual fact, what is being knowingly obsoleted is not humanity, per se, but rather durability.

Many folks would contend that NOTHING LASTS, but that it a fairly useless conclusion...understanding WHY nothing seems durable enough for normal-usage is important in respecting the relative durability of human-beings.

Even though human-life itself is fairly long-lived [generally speaking], the very nature of human-biology is somewhat fragile...say, compared to rocks.

But consumer-technology itself seems to have taken a nose-dive in recent years. My television, for example, has been in continuous trouble-free operation since 1988. So I have a ready-comparison to the PCs, printers and hard-drives I've burned-through since 1995...which is a fair number.

I suppose (while don't actually -know-) that such fragility is a function of sales-formulae that stress "more-faster-cheaper" rather than any genuine loss-of-quality in production techniques.

But it's getting on my nerves that I can't seem to own a piece of technology longer than four months nominal-usage without it breaking.

And this is why I feel as if humanity itself is shortly destined for obsolescence.

--mattergy

You Can't Fix Stupid

I'll remind readers (yet again) that anything you read in this blog are merely opinions...although you may find factual information here, statements made herein are purely subject to the reader's own interpretation...the validity or veracity of which I cannot be held responsible for...there is no expressed or implied warrantee on anything you read at Apocalypticon.blogspot.com.

However, every effort is made to maintain the highest standards-of-integrity here...

Although as the title of this post suggests...in my opinion, you can't fix "stupid".

By that I mean nothing condescending. People lack intellingence of specific kinds for a variety of reasons...upbringing, outside-influences, poor I.Q.'s, local stress-factors, learning-disorders, you name it.

If you can accept these facts, you can accept people for what they are...without harsh-judgments. But SOME PEOPLE are voluntarily unintelligent...uninterested in facts for their own ridiculous reasons.

This is the kind of "stupid" that is beyond repair. IMHO.

--mattergy

A Brief Interlude About Wikipedia.org

A few readers have noticed that I frequently link to Wikipedia.org when providing citations for articles on Apocalypticon.

The reasons for this are both philosophical AND practical.

1. I have NEVER found (personally) any Wikipedia article to be in error. Considering the vast number of disciplines considered, this speaks of a highly-professional and dedicated staff..of many fields (research, editorial, and even data-entry).

2. Many points-of-view are often considered, and compared...even if not perfectly-scholarly. This speaks of a well-understood commitment to truth, in many forums.

3. The actual links are visible and active throughout the Western world, making them useful to ALL of my readers.

4. The bibliographic citations are both thorough and painstakingly-accurate (witness this article about the history of the game, Monopoly).

--mattergy

Show Me The Data, Part 2

I wanted to reaffirm my position on Italian Dr. Paulo Zamboni's "Liberation Treatment" hypotheses that have created something of a controversy in the Multiple Sclerosis /Canadian Politics game...although I respect Dr. Zamboni's professional credentials, I'm fairly certain that those hypotheses cannot be safely or adequately tested on this exceedingly-rare disease without potentially disastrous results...primarily to the public-perception of the validity and value of otherwise well-respected and well-tested research into M.S.

I think the most ominous (mis-)connection would be the mis-perceived notion that MULTIPLE SCLEROSIS (an affliction that damages neural-myelin) is anything like ARTERIOSCLEROSIS (clogging of arteries with ill-digested matter).

The vague-connection is found in the ambiguous root -sclerosis- which suggests many inaccurate ideas...at least to the untrained mind.

Again, I'm not trying to debunk Dr. Zamboni...just reminding novice readers that THEORY is the end-result of intensive scientific-testing of any HYPOTHESIS...and given the rarity of M.S. (even though it may seem like a lot of people in any given country have M.S.), there are only estimated to be 2-3 million people in this whole world of 6.9 billion people who appear to have M.S....that makes for some real obstacles in proving ANY HYPOTHESIS about M.S. true.

--mattergy

Addendum August 19, 2010
I just wanted to clarify a few things about "Liberation Treatment". First of all, Dr. Zamboni is proposing a heretofore unexplored or (ill-explored) connection between Vascular flow in neural-tissues and M.S. His Hypotheses are focused on blood-flow deficiencies that result in an overabundance of Iron in neural-tissues resulting in dysfunction. This is a novel revelation, if true...but the idea that surplus Iron in neural-tissue is what causes M.S. to appear is unproven.

Show Me The Data

Having Multiple Sclerosis myself, I learned to think extremely-critically about common flaws in human-thinking that can lead to grave-misunderstandings among the general population.

Most obviously, watching loved-ones go from being active, contributing members of the human-race to barely-functioning persons is (I imagine) emotionally-disheartening beyond practically ANYTHING those people ever imagined.

Consequently, M.S. is high on the list of diseases I consider susceptible to charlatanism, cultism, and just plain-uncritical thinking.

The trouble begins with the common mis-perception that 21st-Century medicine is anywhere near fully-understanding the human-body and -brain.

Sorry to say...it isn't.

Yeah, sure, great-strides have been made towards understanding...but let me assure the reader that that's not quite enough...to be monkeying-around with untested or ill-tested treatments...especially ones that put either body or brain at risk of WORSE (known) ailments.

M.S. is a devastating disease, but not devastating enough to risk the spark-of-life remaining on possible (albeit vaguely-believable) cures.

M.S. is an incredibly complex disease (at least in terms of our existing medical/immunological/neurological knowledge)--and the relative rarity of it among the human population makes it a strong-candidate for delusional- or wishful-analysis...especially by minds not familiar with the research that has already been done...since the mid-/late-19th Century.

I thought at-first that M.S. might have been a byproduct of the Industrial-Revolution, but then I realized later that too was fraught with logical-errors enough to make it a relatively-useless assertion.

I realized that, no matter how it started, M.S. might never be cured.

Sounds hopeless to unlookers...but this attitude allows me to accept the awful truth that I've had to face for the last seven years.

--mattergy

Half-Smart, Half-Stupid, part 2

In keeping with the title theme, I finally figured out (with help from some knowledgeable people) the integral aspect ratio represented by 1366 x 768 pixels...and I should have known it.

1366 by 768 is approximately equal to 16 by 9. 16 by 9 being the aspect ratio of HDTV. Again...half-smart, half-stupid, as promised. The approximate decimal-representation being about 1.77...to 1.00.

Duh!

--mattergy

Half-Smart, Half-Stupid

I didn't pop out of the womb intelligent. In fact I've made some colossally UNINTELLIGENT moves in my life.

But dwelling on personal-stupidity seems a waste of the GOOD that can be accomplished in life.

Sure, it's necessary to consider (humbly) all that one has failed-at in life....but not to the point of self-invalidation.

Such matters require thoughtful attention to the needs of others, odd as this may sound.

The point is not intended as a form of self-absolution, but rather to remind the reader that to err is human, to forgive, divine.

I think this very old saying says so much about the human-condition...that it's fallen out of use.

Everybody makes mistakes in life. I have yet to meet a person who HASN'T.

Myself included.

--mattergy

Social-Networking Sites Huge Security Risks IMHO

Lest I be accused of targeting a specific company's (service), I'll remind the reader again that anything you read here is only my opinion.

But lately I've been receiving increasingly-emotional mail from a particular social-networking site I monitor for various (benign) reasons, and I feel compelled to point-out that these sites are frequently exploited for nefarious-purposes, so don't feel spurned if I know you and I choose not to respond to mail received from such sites!

Rationale: social-networking sites in my experience are BIG SECURITY-RISKS to unwary users who are merely trying to make contact with their old friends, etc.

I could go into detail if only it weren't so darn dangerous to do so!

Again, if you really need to contact me, send mail to admin@dmcrr.com, complete with a valid return-email address, and I can then check your public-background and reply with the appropriate security-questions.

But beware, I don't take kindly to unauthorized mail. And once your address gets put on my DO-NOT-REPLY or DELETE-WITH-PREJUDICE list(s), you'll never in a million years even receive an acknowledgment from me.

;) mattergy

Fluid-Reality

I made an interesting discovery today about the screen-resolution on my PC.

Apparently, the OLD full-screen resolution of 1024 x 768 that I had used successfully for years has been curiously made to appear as "antiquated" by my PC-manufacturer by needing replacement with a 1366 x 786 display-area, making ALL OF MY 1024 X 786 desktop bitmaps appear smaller (1024 x 786 is approximately 4x3, thus it made for fairly high-resolution 4x3 artwork that worked on many other systems (800 x 600 is the highest resolution that most older displays will accept, but easily reduced to 800 x 600 from a 1024 x 768 image, with very little loss-of-clarity).

The alteration of the display-area to (1366 x 786--approximately ???) was troublesome for me at first, but with knowledgeable image-manipulation tactics, I was able to grow my old desktops to the right size again [I was scoffed-at by many-an-artist over the years for eschewing non-integral formats, but was praised by many folks of lesser-art-purity-principles (corporate-desktop-publishers) for normalizing my artwork to RATIONAL-SIZES]...but I guess the Art-dweebs don't care for the real-world(tm)...and rightly so it seems.

Whatever...forget standards...they're only fleeting illusions, right?

:P mattergy

This Ain't No Wordy Rappinghood

I realize that my words are only words in the grand scheme of reality, but I'm always hoping that some benefit comes of them.

I've been accused of many things over the years, but the integrity of my words should be plainly-visible to anyone who can count...nobody FORCED me to write ANYTHING...and if you understand that the form of neural-damage from which I suffer is NO PICNIC, then you realize that just typing is a chore that almost nobody would undertake on their own initiative.

So as sparse as these articles may appear, know that they're about all I have left!

--mattergy

Get Real

I don't presume to understand each person's individual life-traumas, but that doesn't mean I'm unaffected by their experiences--in my current state of disrepair (partial-blindness, multiple-limb paralysis both due to the rapid onset of Multiple Sclerosis at age 37), I have trouble identifying with the "pettiness of the world"...but I do acknowledge that others are dealing with their own troubles...hence I'm NOT deaf to the voices of the world...just admittedly overwhelmed by them.

So don't interpret days-of-silence as anything but my dealing with things that seem to deserve my personal-attention...outside of MY stuff!

Rock-on, Brothers and Sisters.

;) mattergy

The Self-Observed Mouth

Every once in a while I see simple pictures from MY OWN RIDICULOUS POINT-OF-VIEW rather than the one(s?) intended by the artist.

One illustration that even caused me to confuse my own dental-office...It's not the illustrator's fault...clearly. But it caused me to make this pixel-for-pixel reverse-view image so that -I- could describe over the phone where the trouble was [I only wish I had been that clever...this was made for the sake of others who may also see things from their own ridiculous points-of-view]...






;) mattergy

The USB-Reverse-Voltage Killed the 4-, 8- and 16-bit Color on my Laptop

Obviously only if it has happened to YOU will this make sense.

This morning while my USB-phone was charging via the USB-port on my PC, I accidentally pressed the "connect-to-internet" button [ridiculously located in immediate proximity to the BACK/RESET button on my Motorola phone...]

Anyway, pressing that button seems to have killed ALL the 4-bit, 8-bit and 16-bit color on my ATI Radeon display...

Easily solved TEMPORARILY by switching my PC to use the True Color [32-bit color] display-option, but lower resolution bitmaps (including the OS alerts) appear distorted by masses of parallel lines.

But a really annoying problem for a laptop...AND of couse on a day where 20 milion tasks are at hand, this short-term solution [ultimately my HARDWARE will need replacement] is NOT what I wanted to discover at 7 A.M. PST )P

But such is life in an imperfect world -sigh-.

mattergy

ADDENDUM/CORRECTION
I believe that True Color is itself 24-bit encoding, but you need at least 32-bits to match OTHER SPECIFICATIONS...

The Drums of July

Being formerly only the bassist in bands I realized just today how EXPENSIVE it is to be a dedicated rock-drummer.

But although I've only now realized this truism about expense, I have appreciated and respected the power that solid-drums deliver to the music.

...So I guess I have benefited from dedicated drummers since I first started playing in bands [for which I am eternally thankful.]

The first thing to realize about drumming is that it's a sizable logistics-effort to take on...but DRUMS [and bass, oddly enough] are the power-base of any good band.

In my opinion a band without a dedicated drummer -isn't really a band at all-.

Remember, that no matter how small your playback-device is, the instruments used to produce BIG SOUND are both voluminous AND delicate.

Well-tuned drums exhaust a fair supply of DRUM-HEADS, DRUM-STICKS and human-joints [knees, elbows, etc.], so I'd expect drummers to exhaust lots of pain-killer, too.

Again, I'm acknowledging that being a drummer takes its toll...I was only ever the bass-player...I benefited from that big-sound immensely over the years.

So thanks you drummers...you know who you are!

;) mattergy

Mistaken Indemnity

I don't think I've hidden the fact that BEFORE M.S. I was a bit of a musician myself, as such I was counter-influenced by my fair-share of "Theo(s)" so developing MY OWN STYLE(T M) required some honest-Rockers' disdain for the Techno-Cheese to which my peers were addicted...which played at the same places as Morrissey was being Spun(T M) so I was peer-pressured into rejecting Morrissey's fairly voluminous collection of work...without having even heard it...

Even though the orchestrations are NOT classic-pieces, they are valid works [the adage God Help Us, Morrissey] I used earlier in this blog was written before I'd really listened to the guy's stuff (He's been composing since at least the early-1970s , so he's got a fairly extensive collection of stuff to ply through

I was just mad because his name showed up in my "subscription" station The Day Disco Died AGAINST MY WISHES...mis-prompting the whole service to miscast me into Emo and other music-as-fashion catagories.

Former Smiths musician Morrissey being openly-gay also misses the point of The Day Disco Died: that heterosexual men had to welcome women into the workplace NOT as "dumb housewives" or sex-objects, but as legitimate equals in the working world.

Anyway, sorry Morrissey....mine is not to judge. But you weren't part of the heterosexual-Rocker experience at that time...The Day Disco Died.

--mattergy

ADDENDUM 1:50 P.M. PST
I am but ONE American...I don't presuppose to know anything about countries I've never actually visited...a distinction that graces most of the countries in the world other than the U.S. so The Day Disco Died may not yet apply to your country. ;)

Revel in the Fleeting Clarity of Your Time

I must remind the young-folks of the 21st-Century that there was only the sparsest visual- and sound-clarity available to us (common) old-fogies of the MTV-generation and early-80s.

But the effect was equally-entertaining as anything made in the early 21st-Century...if not MORE entertaining.

Even for our aunts and uncles...often 30-years-our-senior(s).

The point is that things will never seem any better to YOU, no matter how much money you spend...trust me!

--mattergy

In Memory of Some Good Soldier-Unknown

I know Memorial Day has become a day-of-escape from the drudgery of the JOB(TM) [and perhaps that is now what the day is best-known for] but realizing that the fight-for-freedom happened at great-cost, and by virtue of many soldiers' individual WILLINGNESS to protect those whom he or she loved more than their own life...well that IS America.

So I wanted to take a moment to remember that good soldier whom nobody knows but God...who gave so selflessly to preserve the very meaning of freedom.

Here's to you...

[ ]

Horse of a Different Shoe

NO...it's NOT the well-known Horsehead Nebula...it is REVERSED from the actual image...because I found that artistically MY image better fits my desktop.

I just have to keep telling myself that it's REVERSED from what I'd actually see...if any telescope I might look through could gather infinitesimally small amounts of light in milliseconds...and even at that you (I) wouldn't perceive the richness of color seen here.

Ah, the magic that is expert-photography...

--mattergy

Hear Things My Way...OR ELSE!!!

I realized only recently that the majority of people suffer from at least some form of hearing-loss.

As I've mentioned elsewhere in this blog...MY hearing is highly-acute...hence my delinquent acceptance [at such a middle-late stage in life] of OTHER people's relative deafness .

I'm not gloating...I'm saying that my EXPECTATION that others could generally hear what I heard was NOT realistic...

I'm recalling a few arguments that started as a result of this missed expectation on my part...and I'm genuinely sorry.

--mattergy

A Note About Copywriting

No... I'm not talking about COPYRIGHT LAW, being a matter about which aspiring WRITERS should be aware...I'm talking about written "copy", or more clearly, writing about a subject...COPY in journalism.

Anyway, I have noticed a trend (no doubt promulgated by writers UNDER AGE 30) wherein the COPY is NOT ABOUT THE SUBJECT but rather PANNING it.

This would be considered "writer's license" if it weren't so nauseatingly obviously trying to sneer at the subject, rather than elucidate it.

Whatever...I guess EVERY GENERATION is doomed to be ridiculed by writers of successive generations :P

--mattergy

...

I thought I'd take a small opportunity to explain to you financial demons...that I have multiple-limb paralysis as a result of having Multiple Sclerosis.

Whatever lame-ass algorithm you've programmed your squeaky-clean systems to enforce upon the economically-disabled of our country...it's working to further depress their situation.

Nice job, snakes.

ADDENDUM 12:40 PDT

DEMON could mean DAEMON in this semi-automated existence.

H-A Likeness

The title may seem mysterious...but consider the context of digital displays...on watches.

Most watches display A for A.M. and P for P.M.--but for people using a 24-Hour clock (such as military-personnel and naval-personnel), the watch displays H [as in 1400 Hours for 2 P.M.].

At 3 in the morning, the watch should read: 3A...but I discovered it reading 1500H [it was set 12-hours behind the REAL TIME].

Anyway, adjusting the time is no problem...but on a 24-Hour clock, 3 A.M. reads 300H, and getting the watch on 12-Hour time again is difficult.

OK...I can handle military time, but H looks just like A in the dark.

Anyway, I would suggest simply "-" for a 24-Hour clock, rather than H. The distinction would not only be clear, but easier to read for a 24-Hour clock.

Whatever...just a thought.

--mattergy

...

I had to go to another locale to get newswriting worthy of this story...so I did.

My thoughts and prayers to families of these miners...

--mattergy

Geniuses-in-need-of-understanding...

As if to set the APRIL-FOOLS-DAY jokesmanship bar at the height it rightly-deserves the geniuses at APOD published this photo today:

HA HA GUYS AND GALS

;) mattergy

Farcebook

I got roped-into creating a Facebook(tm) account by a long-distance friend (before I became aware of the REAL security risks) who is a bit more naive about online-security than myself .

In my opinion, Facebook is a service only for noobs. It's inherently dangerous to publish a person's personal-information on these publicly-accessible sites...more than meets-the-eye to the average person...unfortunately.

The problem is that people of average-I.Q. don't see the risks that those of us who've been using PCs since the first TRS-80 see.

Anybody who knows me can reach me by sending email to ADMIN@DMCRR.COM...but don't expect ANY reply if you mail from a suspicious address.

Anyway, I continue to receive Facebook trash 24/7, so I almost NEVER look at Facebook.

So don't be a noob!

--mattergy

ADDENDUM 4/1/2010 12:30 PM PST
By the way, IF you send email to the above address, be prepared to respond to a number of personal-questions via return-email...designed to verify your ACTUAL IDENTITY.

Save Your Ads For The Will-Challenged

Man or Astro-Man MAY be a decent band...but the repeated "forcing" of this band into the rotation of my Real/Rhapsody SUBSCRIPTION music playlists is driving me nuts.

Good thing I don't own a gun...I might ignorantly shoot my own PC, should this band find its way onto my station: The Day Disco Died--ever again.

I'm not sure what lame-ass metrics cause this band to reappear again and again, but I'm thinking that the Rhapsody music service should add the following metric:

"If you play this album ever again, I'm canceling my subscription".

Obviously, if some nitwit at Real thinks that adulterating personally-programmed music channels with the WRONG bands might somehow cause the CUSTOMER to buy those bands' (questionable) music, Real is gravely mistaken.

I think the point here is clear.

--mattergy

AUTHOR'S ADDENDUM:
Subscribers are ostensibly given a six-point scale to rate any given album (1-star, 2-stars, and so on, AND one empty-set label [seeming to indicate a minus -1 star rating, but not really])

AUTHOR'S ADDENDUM 2:
I suppose it's a bit unfair to single-out Man or Astro-Man as the only band that errantly appears in the rotation of The Day Disco Died:

Other Acts that I can't seem to shoo-away are Kraftwerk and (God help us) Morrissey.

I know some kids and record-producers alike are attempting to fuel a disco-revival, but I WAS THERE THE DAY DISCO DIED, way back in 1981. ;)

AUTHOR'S ADDENDUM 3
I am NOT referring to the (illegal) Juvenile-Adult DISCO DEMOLITION event at The Chicago White Sox's Comiskey Park preceding a regular-season game in 1979...I respect that the social and economic stresses in Chicago at that time led to that...but are far too complex to discuss here.

Again, remember that those of us experienced in American investment-banking have perspectives on such displays of "macho" that most folks can't see. So I'll kindly spare you the social-psychology behind DISCO DEMOLITION NIGHT.

But be assured that disco didn't really "die" that night...It wasn't until the influence of the New York "punk" scene convinced the American Record-industry that a new wave of music was beginning to take hold--therein laid the TRUE death of disco...in 1981.

Stealthophiles

Yesterday, a (proximate) passerby on the footpath totally freaked-me-out...because I -didn't- hear him approaching.

I have exceptionally acute hearing...and I DID NOT hear the guy's footsteps...something that rarely (if ever) happens to me...

So unfortunately, despite the guy's polite hello upon passing, something struck me as odd about the guy's stealth.

Sorry if I've cast you in the possible-late-night-intruder role...if in fact you would never do such a thing, dude.

--mattergy

Self-Deluding Game-Server Administration

I've been an administrator on various Internet game-servers since the mid-1980s. And every once-in-a-while I encounter issues with the game-servers I play to while-away these endless hours of immobility thrust upon me by Multiple Sclerosis by playing games.

Unfortunately, the staff responsible for maintaining one of the games I play most frequently has curiously cut-itself off from feedback with the REAL World (tm)...and because of errant changes made by the game-providers, game-play has been suspended WITHOUT fair-warning to the players.

So, realizing that some bonehead errors had been made in updating the game, I decided to post the memo I had intended for the game-staff HERE where one of them might see it and fix the problem:

To: Smallball Baseball Staff

From: ParkingGarageSyndicate MGR

Re: Program Miscode

I play SmallBall Baseball every day. But this morning I noticed (because the game kept reporting a "CONNECTION" problem nonsensically) that a possible error was made on YOUR side because the executable continues to search for a nonexistent file--seed.setup...the nearest matches I can find are "seed.update" and "update.setup", but no "seed.setup".

The game in its current state is NON-FUNCTIONAL...but I suspect that if no changes had been made on your side, the game would have been fine. Could you please fix the problem, or advise as to a user-updatable procedure to make the thing work again?

[name] aka Andy Romy, PGS Manager

So hopefully someone in authority will read this blog and solve the problem soon.

--mattergy

update Sat Mar 6, 350 PM PST:

Sorry, guys/gals/w/e at Smallball.org.

I received a courteous email after I had sent an email to the honorable COMMISH. :)

Not trying to suggest that my email had anything to do with it... ;)

Ignorance To Basic-Biology Is Not An Option

I recalled today a genuine gift given to me by strong women over the years...an implicitly male understanding of what WOMEN experience...by LISTENING WITHOUT SHARP-JUDGMENTS.

Again, I'm a man. But I had some help understanding what women experience from Diane Ackerman's book A Natural History of The Senses.

Ad-automatons need NOT post comments!

;) mattergy

The Ubiquitous "My-Boyfriend's-Back-Beat"

You know it, and you don't even know it. ;)

There was a phase in my music-career when it seemed as if the whole drumming-world was playing an endless reprise of the Chiffons song: "My Boyfriend's Back".

Hence, whenever one of MY former drummers lapsed into this beat (DOOM--rat-tat, DOOM--rat-tat) and so on, I would loathingly refer to it as "The My-Boyfriend's-Back-Beat", meaning that the obvious no-no of repeatedly hitting the snare-drum twice on the back-beat had been violated, and was getting dangerously tiresome (capable of sending the WHOLE audience out for a smoke [even the NON-smokers], also a big NO-NO)

I was only the bass-player...nobody of any great importance...but I felt SURE this simplistic ditty-beat was the death of many a fellow-band in those days...

The cause of NOT getting on the audience's nerves seemed greater than the drummer's inability to break this bad habit.

So I got to be something of a nemesis to THOSE bands.

I'm proud to have never played with a drummer who COULDN'T break this habit ;)

--mattergy

General MS-Naivity in Commerce

One of the treatments I elected to persue to increase my chances of staving-off the progression of M.S. is Bayer's Betaseron(tm) .

Betaseron (beta interferon 1-B) requires a once-every-other-day subcutanious (under the skin, but not INTO a vein) injection.

The problem is getting people to realize that I CAN'T just go to the store to get disposal-supplies for the syringes that MUST be packaged in approved Biohazard-Labelled containers for disposal at an state-approved waste disposal-site, and therefore requires a ready-supply of those containers (known as sharps-containers)

Formerly I was able to purchase these containers online and have them shipped by-mail directly to my place-of-residence.

But the online store that formerly stocked such Biohazard-Safe collection-containers to store the spent-syringes safely while waiting for transportation to the disposal facility--no longer sells this product online...the solution offered by the online-store's client relations dept is something along the lines of "drive to X-location and buy them at the store, dumbass."

Well, unfortunately the logistics of getting to the store when you are partially-blind AND must walk with a cane are beyond the clerk's understanding...so I can't even respond to the clerk's naive-sounding email.

Which leads me to the subject of M.S.-Naivity...most people's only experience with M.S. is by rare communication with M.S.-sufferers (there are only about 2-3 million people in this whole world of 6 billion people with M.S.).

Anyway, it's clearly rare enough so that many folks assume that its "just like any other medical-condition espoused-by-hypochondriacs"...and NOT worthy of their attention. But the list of REAL challenges associated with M.S. is too long to enunciate to EVERYONE.

The bottom-line here is that I formerly was able to purchase these BD sharps-containers online and have them shipped to my home, but NOW I must arrange for someone to go to the store and buy them for me...FAT CHANCE.

How can the world possibly understand the conundrum of having syringes supplied, while simultaneously being required to dispose of them safely, and NOT being able to easily buy the very containers to safely store the spent syringes in the interim before ACTUAL DISPOSAL?

--mattergy

ADDENDUM 8AM PST
Of course, Bayer offers FREE sharps-containers with it's medicine, the conundrum was partially created...inadvertently... BY ME ...

I COULD HAVE received all the containers I needed from Bayer and it's agents...except that I was fully anticipating the continued availability of the product at the online-store with which I ALREADY HAVE AN ACCOUNT!

Where The Rubber Meets The Road

I won't mention any specific company here because it's got a fairly equitable share of American employment represented...by the SERVICE-PERSONNEL and incidentally the company fortunate enough to have these PEOPLE working for them...

In the Corporate "venn" diagram, I'll bet MANAGEMENT appears as the giant Uber-bubble that makes things happen (and granted without good management these cool services would not be possible.)..this is a nod to the people that brave the unpredictable road conditions around my town to deliver food to ME, a middle-aged gimp.

By the way, NO CONNECTION to Bryan Singer et al's Keyser Soze...I'm really a "gimp".

So THANKS to these helpful souls.

:D Mattergy

Can't Focus on Neural-Damage TOO Much!

I realized today that I personally have been a bit obsessed with my own troubles too much to pay attention to what's going on in everyone else's world.

This isn't indicative of a type of narcissism...but rather is a form of self-preservation.

I'm aware of plenty of news-bytes worthy of discussion...but I'm just overwhelmed with my own daily-existence lately.

Having two (or three) paralyzed-limbs AND persistent visual-distortions makes even keeping the place presentable a challenge-and-a-half...so needless-to-say I must allocate my time fairly rigidly.

Blabbering about current-events sort-of takes a back-seat to ACTUAL LIVING, in this reality of mine.

Sorry to let you down, kids.

--mattergy

The ParkingGarageSyndicate

I have an obscure taste for English words that have multiple-meanings, largely a result of being aware that people have a marked tendency to apply whichever meaning they personally relate-to to just about everything they read [something I call reader narcissism.]

Anyway, I noticed some time ago that internet-gamers always seem to latch-on the most insulting meanings for these terms without even knowing what the intended meaning really is.

This was an insightful revelation for me, so I began to "invent" compressed-phrases with multiple-meanings to titillate the readers' ambiguous curiosity.

I am a fairly competitive-gamer myself, so when inventing team-names I rarely if ever use one ascribed to an established [real-life] organization, mainly out of respect for names that may or may not be legally protected.

So I call my internet-team the ParkingGarageSyndicate--begging the questions:

1. Which parking-garage(s)?;
2. What kind of "syndicate"?;
3. Is there any REAL threat to me, my associates or family?

Just to answer some of these questions...

1. There are NO REAL parking-garages;
2. The syndicate is merely a loose-affiliation, and since there are NO REAL parking-garages, even the loose-affiliation is completely fictitious.
3. The only possible REAL THREAT is to a person's meticulously-nurtured imagination, but nothing more...and if your imagination somehow becomes damaged, I submit that the damage was done before you even knew I existed...giving you the weakest legal-footing you might possibly have to accuse me of ANYTHING.

In other words, if you can't accept that the ParkingGarageSyndicate is utterly-fictitious, it's NOT my fault!

--mattergy

Black Tuesday, Black Monday, Black Friday

I wanted to point out the actual meanings of some of the "Black" days-of-the-week in the American experience that are frequently misrepresented in popular thinking as being epithets of ill-character.


1. Black Tuesday was the fateful Tuesday in 1929 when the stock-market crashed, which was later seen as the start of the Great Depression in the third decade of the 20th-Century.

2. Black Monday is most commonly known as the crash of the NYSE and AMEX in 1987 that led to the subsequent mass-unemployment and "recession" of the late 1980s and early 1990s.

3. Black Friday, on the other hand (or the non-existent "third hand") is simply the day after Thanksgiving (always celebrated on Thursday in the USA), seen as the start of the annual Christmas gift-buying-rush for various U.S. retailers.

Now there is some room for personal-interpretation here, but I thought this bit of clarification might help a few folks think more clearly about why these terms are used.

--mattergy