You may remember that last year I blogged about how I ditched my cable company. I got rid of all cable services and watch 100% of my television streamed to my tv via the Internet and a little program called “PlayOn.” It’s been well over a year and I am EXTREMELY pleased with it. I get pretty much everything I ever want to watch, with a few exceptions, through PlayOn.
I can’t get live sporting events if they are not on local TV. Some cable premium content, like HBO series, I can’t get. I’ve found, though, that I really don’t need them. If I want to see as live sporting event not on broadcast TV I go to my favorite watering hole and watch it there. As for HBO and other premium content series, if I want them badly enough I can shell out a dollar or two to watch them.
A few weeks ago I got a GoogleTV and threw it into the mix. Specifically, I got the Logitech Revue. I really, really like it. The ability to easily surf the web and get dynamic web content via the Revue is awesome. I find myself watching music videos, listening to Pandora, or even playing interactive games via my iPad, Android phone, and iPhones with the family. Heck, I can even use my Andoid or iPhone as a Google TV remote, and not use the supplied keyboard at all if I don’t want to.
The one major issue with Google TV is the blocked content. Many studios provide a license for streaming of content to a computer. Not to a television. And, since Google TV is designed to stream web content to your television, it is blocked by many sites. It’s all about distribution rights. This is annoying, especially in the day and age where all of your devices work together to create a single media experience in your house. So, using the PlayOn configuration I set up last year I bring this blocked content right to my TV through the Google TV.
If you read my original blog post on this subject you’ll remember that I used my XBox 360 as the intermediary between the computer and my TV. That allowed me to get Hulu, and other web content, streamed to my TV. The interface on the XBox used the XBox native folder interface, though, and is not very pretty.
Use PlayOn with Google TV to stream Hulu to your TV
With my Google TV, I just use it as the intermediary instead of the XBox. Your PlayOn installation creates a web page on your local network that you can access via Google TV to get to your PlayOn content. I simply point Google Chrome to that page and viola! My content is available for my viewing pleasure.
This web page has always been available via PlayOn, but the XBox could not access it. My Wii could, but it can’t stream in HD. Now, via the Google TV, I can access this web page on my PlayOn server and stream my HD content to my TV. This web-based interface provided by the PlayOn server is very intuitive and easy to use and makes streaming f web content to my television a pleasure.
And, PlayOn just got better. They have added web DVR to their offering in a beta app called PlayLater. I haven’t tried it yet, but I will probably download it and play with it this week.
So, for those of you who have Google TV and want to stream Hulu – you can do it. It’s not free, but it is cheap. All you need is a PlayOn server running on your local network and you’re golden. Good luck!
As I type this, Atlantis is travelling over 15,000 miles an hour at the 8-minute mark of the historic last flight of the Space Shuttle program. The space shuttle engine just cut off – and will never fire again.
I view this launch with mixed feelings, as I am sure most of America and the world does as well. I grew up with the space shuttle program and it was the NASA I knew and understood. I was born just a tad too late for Apollo.
On Sunday April 12, 1981, at exactly 7 :00am, I was sitting at home, getting ready for church, less than five miles away from the launch pad, when Columbia launched on STS-1. My dad was stationed at Patrick Air Force Base in Cocoa Beach and I was just barely 11-years-old. I remember being afraid as the windows started rattling and rushing outside to see the launch. From that point on I was hooked on NASA. Here is a videoof that first launch of STS-1.
Anything was possible – we were sending men into space in a reusable launch vehicle. It took off like a rocket and landed like an airplane. It was just the beginning of America’s continued leadership in manned spaceflight and exploration of our solar system. I wanted to be an astronaut. I purchased every astronomy magazine and cut out the pictures of stars, planets, nebula, spacecraft, and NASA-related images. I plastered my entire wall with these images – hundreds of them – and I would sit and stare, and dream, at them for hours at a time.
T-Minus 31 seconds for STS-135
I was a 15-year-old young man on January 28, 1986 when the Challenger exploded. I had stayed out of school that day for an early morning dentist appointment. We had moved from Cocoa beach to Orlando by that time, but every launch was still clearly visible from our house. My dad and I were on our way back home from the dentist listening to AM radio (because that’s all Dad ever listened to) when we heard the launch. We pulled over to the side of the road just as we had entered our sub-division to watch the launch. I remember knowing, instantly, what had happened when I saw the shuttle explode. We rushed home to watch the news and I remember crying for hours – my heroes were killed. That was my first experience with the “media frenzy” that is the norm today – hour upon hour of repeated and continuous coverage of te same thing with little or no new details emerging. Here is a videoof that tragic moment.
On February 1, 2003, I was a 32-year-old man living in Orlando with two young children who were both NASA nerds like myself; I had passed the joy, awe, and wonder of space travel on to both of my boys. They had crawled into bed with me and we were watching the re-entry on TV when, at 9:00am, the shuttle disintegrated. My oldest son started crying; his heroes had been killed. I knew exactly how he felt and I too wept, as much for his lost innocence as the astronauts who died. Here is a videoof that disaster.
I grew up with the success and tragedies of the Space Shuttle program. Because of Challenger, I KNEW space exploration was dangerous and I held my breath every time the shuttle launched. I was saddened by the fact that so many people considered space travel so mundane that they didn’t even watch the shuttles launch anymore. The space shuttle had brought space travel to the masses, had made it ordinary. And public interest lagged in the entire program until and unless there was a tragedy.
Now here I am, a 41-year-old man and I just watched the last launch of the Space Shuttle program. 30 years of my life has been defined by NASA and the space shuttle program. This is a bittersweet moment for me. If you were to walk into my house, you would see all sorts of NASA paraphernalia. I have autographed pictures from Alan Bean, the late Wally Shirra, Buzz Aldrin, and more. I have 20+ astronaut autographs, mission patches, watches, etc – all commemorating NASA and our space program. The “NASA wall” I had as a kid still exists, but in a more mature form now – autographed pictures, memorabilia, posters, stamps, coins, and books.
There’s no doubt that the shuttle program was a “magnificent failure” as former astronaut Duane Carey told the media. Of the five shuttle built, two were destroyed. Of the planned 50 launches a year we barely managed 9 at the best of times. As a way of keeping costs down through the use or reusable launch vehicles, it failed. The shuttle is the most complicated and expensive piece of equipment ever built – and the support structure for it crippled NASA from funding other projects for decades. It was the first of 3 steps Nixon era scientists saw as a ways to put a man on Mars – a dream never fulfilled or realized.
The space shuttle stifled any research and exploration that wasn’t near-earth based. The shuttle became a bus that went 220 miles in a trip. We stopped looking to the stars while the shuttle was ferrying passengers up and down.
And yet it cannot be said that the program was a complete failure. It brought the nations of the world together. Many, many scientific discoveries were made. We sent ambassadors, teachers, and representatives from all over the world into space on the shuttle. We built a space station. We furthered medical research immensely because of the shuttle.
I am sad that, for the first time since the birth of our space program, America doesn’t have a way to get astronauts into space. We’re relying on Russians to get us there now. We have given up manned spaceflight supremacy. Is this a sign? Have we given up on manned space flight? Will we ever see the moon again? Will we ever walk on Mars?
I am nervous about the future of our space agency. I have friends who work at NASA and they are now looking for jobs. The economy isn’t in the best spot. I agree intellectually that the space shuttle needed to be retired, but I did hope that we would have had a replacement program in place – and we don’t. So, NASA, what’s next?
The public outrage over the acquittal of Casey Anthony has me, frankly, perplexed. I have been monitoring all the social streams, Twitter hashtags, Facebook conversations, and news outlets and the public is universally upset at the verdict.
Why?
The case against Casey was built entirely on circumstantial evidence. Let’s think about that. There was no evidence of premeditation or intent to murder her child. The State tried to paint a case for premeditation, but they failed to successfully do so. They never proved that Casey, herself, committed the murder or was even present when her daughter died. No fingerprints. No smoking gun (or chloroform). The State has a burden of proof – and they failed to provide that proof. Just a lot of interesting sidebars – a house of cards built on speculation and supposition.
Over the past three years we have seen intimate details of the Anthony household come to light. We have heard many rumors, speculations, and accusations levied against not only Casey, but every member of her family. It was a veritable media circus and Casey was tried and convicted in the courts of Public Opinion well before her case was brought to trial. We learned that the Anthony family was dysfunctional. We heard stories of child abuse, sex abuse, lying, and manipulation. We watched gleefully as the soap opera of the Anthony family antics played out for the world to see.
And, because there were discrepancies, because we decided that the Anthony family had questionable morale, we decided that Casey must be guilt of murdering her child.
Well, people, that’s not how it works. Just because we don’t approve of her lifestyle, or her family’s behaviors, does not mean she committed a murder. Remember, only Casey was on trial – not her father or her mother. And the State had to prove, beyond reasonable doubt, that Casey killed her daughter. Beyond reasonable doubt.
I am genuinely disappointed in those of you who tried her and convicted her based solely on your opinion – an opinion presented to you by a sensation-driven media engine. You want your pound of flesh because you have assumed her guilt – and you never heard all of the evidence. You never participated int he trial. All you saw were snippets the media decided to share with you.
Protests, religious statements about her Final Judgement waiting for her, threats against the family – how our forefathers must weep and roll in their graves. Our justice system is in place, based on a presumption of innocence and burden of proof for a reason. It’s in place just so those of you with narrow minds and the self-assured conviction that someone is guilty because you don’t like them can’t derail the justice process.
The jurors in the Casey Anthony trial took their jobs very seriously. They reviewed the circumstantial evidence presented and concluded that, despite how they may feel about Casey, there was no proof that she murdered her daughter.
Lies to a law enforcement officer do not mean she is guilty.
Partying for a month does not mean she is guilty
a messed up family does not mean she is guilty
Is Casey guilty? Maybe. Maybe she did do it and now a killer walks free. But the State could not prove it – and I would rather have a cautious legal system than an incautious one. I would, by far, rather set a guilty person free than hang an innocent one. That’s what the American Justice system is about.
For those of you who are convinced justice was not served – ask yourself what kind of jury YOU would want if you were on trial. Would you want someone like yourself on the jury – someone who KNEW without proof that you were a murderer? Or would you rather have someone like the jurors in the Casey trial – someone who weighed the evidence and made decisions based on that, and that alone?
I connect to a client VPN often to work on their servers, their code, and their databases. My development machine is not a part of their domain, although I do have a domain account on their VPN. My problem; when I connect SQL Server Management Studio to a client database on their domain I cannot get in. They do not have SQL Authentication (which is a good thing) and rely on Windows auth.
My credentials get sent as “\\BinaryBiker-PC\BinaryBiker” and not as the user I am using over the VPN.
I solved the problem with the MS-DOS RunAs command. RunAs enables a user to execute a program as another user.
SYNTAX
RUNAS [/profile] [/env] [/netonly] /user:program
/profile
if the user’s profile needs to be loaded
/env
to use current environment instead of user’s.
/netonly
use if the credentials specified are for remote access only.
/user
<UserName> should be in form USER@DOMAIN or DOMAIN\USER
program
command line for EXE. See below for examples
I created a BAT file on my desktop called “LaunchSQLRunAs.bat” with the following line in it (edited for brevity):
That’s it. Now, when I am connected to the client VPN I can use my local SQL Management tools to log in and manage the databases – even though my machine is not on the domain. I get prompted for my VPN password on the command prompt when I launch the batch file, but then I am in and able to work normally.
(Quite a few of you have come to me for explanation of Anonymous and OpOrlando, so this is for you.)
If you’re unaware, Orlando is currently under cyber-attack by the digital group known as Anonymous. The reason they are attacking Orlando is in protest of the recent arrestsof members of a group called Food Not Bombs that feeds Orlando homeless people in downtown Orlando in violation of a city ordinance that permits only 2 events a year.
The position of Anonymous, according to their Twitter posts is that Orlando is criminally arresting these FNB members – that they should be freed because they are morally right. Feeding the homeless, according to FNB and Anonymous, is not something that can be regulated by a city government. And so, until the FNB members arrested are released, Anonymous has promised daily attacks against Orlando-based websites. FNB, by the way, condemns the attacks by Anonymous and says they distract from the real issue.
I am not blogging about whether or not I agree or disagree with Anonymous – or if I think their actions are justified. I will save that blog for when this is past; I am not going to inflame an already tense situation for the city of Orlando – for my home. What I will do, though, is give you a peek into what Anonymous is doing.
First, you have to understand how Anonymous works. Anonymous doesn’t have a leader – this hydra has no heads. It is not a government. It is not an organization. It is a group of people who call themselves Anonymous. There are no membership dues. There are no rosters. I could call myself a member of Anonymous today and deny it tomorrow – and it would be true both times. Anonymous has no official agenda because it is not a offical organization.
So, to say Anonymous is attacking Orlando means that one guy who says he is a member of Anonymous has decided to rally people together to attack Orlando websites. It isn’t sanctioned by anyone. The only affiliation and ties that Anonymous members have with each other are twitter posts and IRC channels where they tend to congregate.
So someone, probably local in the Orlando area, with some IT skills, got offended that FNB members were arrested and decided to take the fight to cyberspace. He published his intent on channel regularly visited by Anonymous folks and gathered support for an attack. he created an IRC channel for the “operation” dubbed OpOrlando and called himself Commander X. Every day, via a website and visa twitter, he publishes the targets for the day, and a link to the IRC channel for attack coordination. This is what the chatter in the IRC channel looks like. It’s an actual screenshot of the OpOrlando IRC channel:
The OpOrlando IRC Channel (click for larger view)
This IRC channel is public and anyone can view it. That’s why everyone in it has a handle, or nickname. Also, the smart Anonymous member spoofs his or her IP address, or unique computer signature/location, so it cannot be traced back to him. This is surprisingly easy to do and I won’t tell you how to do it here. if you don’t know, you don;t need to know. If you do know – use it wisely.
Within this IRC channel, the Commander is nominally the leader, but there are several others with control of the Op. There are also, undoubtedly, members of the FBI, local law enforcement, and concerned Orlando business in the channel looking for clues to catch these attackers or for clues on the nature of the attack so they can combat it.
The type of attack that Anonymous is making the most use is called a Distributed Denial of Service attack, DD0S. A DDoS is where the members of Anonymous flood the target website with so much traffic that it shuts down and cannot return a response to a regular user. This effectively brings the website to its knees until the attack is halted. They do perform other attacks, but the purpose of OpOrlando is to shut down high-profile Orlando websites in an effort to make Orlando capitulate and release the FNB members. And they want to do it publicly.
To that end, Anonymous recruits people who are fairly non-technical to do the heavy lifting. Let’s call them soldiers. They are not highly trained but are rather fodder – bodies who can be thrown at the attack. All the soldiers have to do is know how to spoof their IP address to avoid detection and to download an open source network stress testing application called Low Orbit Ion Cannon. LOIC is a hacker’s tool for slamming a website with hundreds or thousands of hits at once.
If enough soldiers use LOIC at once, they can hit a website with hundreds of thousands of requests at once. This will shut down the website. The LOIC tool that Anonymous is using looks like this:
LOIC (click for larger image)
So what is the impact of OpOrlando? Why do we even care? Heck – if you live in Orlando you’re not seeing any news stories or articles on it. Why is this important?
It is important. I won’t go into the technical reasons that could impact real businesses and services in Orlando – I’m not giving Anonymous fodder to hurt the businesses in my hometown. But there is an economical impact to be considered. Orlando relies heavily on tourism and the image of Orlando. These attacks jeopardize our economy and our jobs. Ironically, this attack by Anonymous, if it adversely affects our economy enough, could create MORE homeless people.
Click HERE for a message from Anonymous to Orlando, stating their intentions. Whether you agree with them or not you have to admit it’s impressive. So, now I hope you know a little more about Anonymous and the OpOrlando cyber attack currently underway here in Orlando.
As of publication of this blog, Anonymous has managed to succesfuuly disrupt the following website:
I’m on Twitter a few days ago when I decide to search for the hashtag #patriotism. Yes, I was shamelessly looking for ways to plug my posts here on BinaryBiker.com on patriotism. My tactic, look over posts and, when it seems like it might be a fit for one of my blogs, I reply to the poster with a link to my blog.
This kid (@dakuten on Twitter) said something about patriotism and he immediately responded with an crude insult. Rather than engage in a flame war, I asked him who he was and what he stood for. This was his response:
@ronsparks I am a 15 yo French, a young socialist, a bisexual, and I stand for me.
So, after a few more exchanges he told me what he thinks of America. This was his response:
@ronsparks You work for a company which spoils the poor countries, you are protestant and you don’t get laid until marriage, you pray as much as you can, you are capitalists, you just care about yourselves, you love your country, you hate Islam, you don’t know anything about the world, you stay ignorant, you are fat, you eat McDonalds, KFC each day, you don’t play football, you like to be alone in the world, you are rich idiots, youn only speak on language, you live in a house which is the same your neighbour’s got, you don’t like metric units, yout don’t see 24H in a day, your economy is stuck, you contry is being destroyed by its cupidity, you belive in some god, you think animals, plants, were created, you hate different people, you like weapons, you organise a high school killing each year, well, there’s so much to say I can’t even remember everything 😀
Stereotype: French People Stink
Wow – quite a mouthful. This kid’s view of America is based entirely on the worst stereotypes in the country. I find it sad that this kid, not even yet a man, sees only the worst in a country – in America. I did tell him that stereotypes are dangerous and should be avoided. I made reference to how most other countries spread rumors about French personal hygiene.
This blog post is in response to this 15-year-old young man – in the same age group as my children.
You said: You work for a company which spoils the poor countries
I don’t know what this means. I assume you mean that American corporations ruthlessly exploit poor countries for personal gain. Truth be told, my young friend, America has done more for globalization than any other nation in the world. It is true that America holds a disproportionate amount of wealth than most other countries. But then again, so does France.
You said: you are protestant / you pray as much as you can
It is true that most American profess a belief in the God of the Christian Bible. 78.4% of Americans are Christian. In France that number is 54%. The average American has a belief in a Christian God, as does the average Frenchman. So, my friend, you are the pot calling the kettle black here.
You said: you don’t get laid until marriage
You REALLY don’t know American teenagers, do you? No one, and I mean NO ONE, waits until marriage for their first sexual encounter. By the time they finish high school, over 60% of American teenagers have had sex.
You said: you are capitalists
Yes; yes we are. To a young socialist this may seem an unforgivable crime but it isn’t. Capitalism is not evil. It provides valuable goods and services, fosters innovation, rewards hard-working people and imitative, helps raise the standard of living for all, and provides opportunities to realize dreams and goals. But, just like any economic philosophy, it has it’s downsides as well. Overall – it has served America well, though.
You said: you just care about yourselves
Now this is just not true. Just off the top of my head – Haiti and the earthquakes. Japan and the tsunami. America gives BILLIONS of dollars every year to foreign aid. Every major world disaster, it is America who leads the charge in stepping in and helping recovery efforts. America is the MOST charitable nation in the world; we have the means, the resources, and the inclination. We help on a global scale.
You said: you love your country
Yes, we do. The ideals that America was founded on were revolutionary (literally) and provided the standard that the rest of the world is still trying to emulate. Sure, we have our issues, just as France does – but the goals, ideals, and philosophy of America is not tarnished and still means something not just to America, but to the world.
You said: you hate Islam
No, we don’t. There is a strong minority in the USA who does indeed fear Islam, but they are not the majority. Just as in France there are factions that you are embarrassed by – most Americans are embarrassed by the fundamentalist Christians who spew hatred at not only Islam but any other religion.
You said: you don’t know anything about the world
This has some truth. The Average American doesn’t know much about European politics, the nations, or the issues. Not because it’s not important, but because our own politics play so loudly that there is little room for others. I don’t like it – but it is the truth.
You said: you are fat, you eat McDonalds, KFC each day
America does indeed have an obesity crisis, but then again, so does France. In fact, over 38% of French men are overweight. Obesity is a global epidemic for rich countries like America and France.
You said: you don’t play football
I assume you mean what we call soccer here in the states. This is not true. We do play soccer. In fact, my sons have been playing their entire lives on their school teams. As spectator sports goes, it is growing in popularity, but American football, NBA basketball, MLB baseball, and NHL hockey are still the top-ranked sports in America.
You said: you like to be alone in the world
Please see above where you claimed we don’t help anyone in the world. Same answer applies.
You said: you are rich idiots
Back at you. France is one of the richestnations in the world.
You said: youn only speak on language
It might surprise you to know that there is no official language in the United States. Sadly, though, most Americans do only speak English. I myself am semi-fluent in German. I sued to be very fluent, but years of disuse have made it so I will have to relearn much of what I knew.
You said: you live in a house which is the same your neighbour’s got
Ah – the suburb syndrome. Yes, in the suburbs many houses look the same. Still, America is more than suburbs.
You said: you don’t like metric units
True. Those lousy British infected us with their measures.
You said: yout don’t see 24H in a day
What? Not sure what this means.
You said: your economy is stuck
Yeah, along with the rest of the world. Including France.
You said: you like weapons / you organise a high school killing each year
Indeed. I myself own three handguns, numerous knives, and other instruments of death and destruction. Guns don’t kill people though; people kill people. However, France has 8.093 murders per 1 million people. The United States has 5 per 100,000 or 50 per million. So yes, our murder rate is higher than France’s. The USA also has 3x more people than France does .
Bottom line, my young friend, you seem to have a very skewed version of America in your head. You have a stereotype of America being like certain areas of Texas in what we call the “Bible Belt.” That is not all America is. Let’s not forget the scientific, medical, economic, and social advances that entire world enjoys, including yourself, because of America.
Oh – and you asked me one last question:
You said: you don’t have free insurance ? Really ?
Really. We are just now passing universal healthcare laws, thanks to President Obama, but the sad fact is that insurance is expensive in the USA. As a cancer patient, I know this to be true. If I am not employed, I have no insurance. If my cancer comes back and I can’t work, I would lose my insurance – and I could die as a result. Fortunately I am on my wife’s plan – so she covers me if I lose my job. But if she wasn’t working either, I would be screwed. This is why universal healthcare is a big issue in the USA right now – with a lot of people supporting it and a lot of people fighting it.
To my readers – what do you think? Is dakutencorrect? Is he wrong? Is he close? Is his view of America typical for Europe? Do you agree with it? I am proud of this young man for having an opinion and the ability to carry a cross-continental debate – even if I don’t agree with all of his points. Sound off and tell us what you think! Answer the poll and comment on this post.
I log into a lot of client production servers and do not have the luxury of installing my favorite GUI tools, such as UltraEdit, which (among other things) easily allows me to search within files. On these servers I am limited to what is already installed. Just today I was forced to search an entire website on a client server for a file that that might contain the string “bill”.
So I turned to my trusty DOS skills and utilized the little-known findstr command. I typed in my command, piped the output to a text file, and viola! I had my results and quickly found the file I was looking for.
FINDSTR /S /N /I /C:”bill” * > find.txt
I was looking for a literal string (/C:) “bill” in all files (*) in all sub directories (/S), without case-sensitivity (/I), outputting the line number the match was found in (/N) and outputting it all to a file instead of the console (> find.txt).
FINDSTR is really quite useful if you have no other tools available to you.
My wife and I were at a Paylessshoe store near downtown Orlando yesterday. Carey complains she never has enough shoes and wanted to buy some cute little loafers that she could beat up and wear during the warm summer months. I know better than to argue when she says she doesn’t have enough shoes, even though I can’t even walk into our closet because of the herd of shoes that live inside. No – I just nod my head agreeably and let myself get led into the store.
I have learned that when Carey shops for shoes I am not really allowed to have an opinion. I am just allowed to grunt and agree with her.
Her: What do you think of these honey?
Me: mmm-hhhmmmm (that response could go either way, so if she hates it so do I and if she loves it I do too)
Her: Do you like the straps on this?
Me: mmmmm (noncommittal – this could be a test)
Her: If I wear these I will be way taller than you, babe.
Me: That’s ok, if you like them. (definitely a test – must agree with her no matter what on this one)
Her: If I buy two pair, the second is half off! It’s a good deal.
Me: (making my first mistake) Wait a second. How is it a good deal if you spend MORE money than you intended for a second pair of shoes you don’t need?
Her: <frosty glare>
We finally get through the ordeal and are at the counter about to pay. The cashier asks Carey for her phone number. I immediately perk up and watch Carey closely; she knows how I feel about this. She asks the cashier to ring her up without a phone number and I sigh in relief.
But the cashier throws us a curve ball. She won’t ring up Carey without the phone number – saying she really needs it, but they won’t ever call.
At this point, I jump in and take this normal retail encounter to the next level.
Me: You don’t need the phone number.
Cashier: We won’t ever call you, sir.
Me: It doesn’t matter. You do not need my phone number for me to make a purchase.
Cashier: But ….
Me: ok, use this one if you must. 407-555-1212.
Carey: Honey…. (pats me on the arm)
Me: They don’t need our phone number. I’ll take my business elsewhere. What if I didn’t have a phone? What number would they use?
Carey: (looking at cashier) use this number. (gives her Google voice number)
Me: (throws hands up and stalks out of the store)
When we got out of the store, Carey told me that she felt bad for the cashier; she was only doing her job and that I had made it very uncomfortable for everyone.
I, more than most, know how much personal information (PII) about each of us is stored in various locations around the Internet. We hear, daily, about such-and-such company getting hacked and PII getting stolen. We know that companies store your credit card numbers without your permission when all they need is an auth code from the provider. We all know that everything you do on the Internet is tracked in some fashion (unless you know how to get around it).
There is no reason to associate my telephone number with a purchase unless they are trying to build a profile on me; a profile I did not consent to. Now, Payless Shoes knows the following about us:
That we made a purchase for $22.00 on 06/25/2011
That we shopped in the store on Michigan Ave in Orlando
What shoe we bought
My credit card number
My name
What telephone number we used.
If I go back and buy again, and use the same phone number, they suddenly get a trend on me. They know how long I go before I buy again from them. They know what locations I shop at. They build a profile of me that I did not give them permission to. And, because I am in a retail store, there is no End User Agreement that prohibits them from sharing this information with other companies or agencies.
So I made life uncomfortable for the cashier. I’ll do it again and again, people. I do not need to provide a phone number for a purchase. If you ask me again, Payless, I will take my business elsewhere.
And to my lovely wife, I am sorry I made you uncomfortable. I know I’m turning into a grouchy old man at the ripe age of 41, but I am passionate about some things and will stand by what I believe. You signed up for this. 🙂
…. or a bumper sticker. Or a coffee mug. Or a pen. Or any other article of clothing, business utensil, or chachkie.
I noticed, shortly after 09/11, that more and more “patriotic” gear started turning up. It was everywhere I looked – and still is. It makes sense, right? America is coming together, despite our ideological and political differences, to face a common enemy – terrorism – and we affirm our patriotism and solidarity by wearing and displaying this patriotic gear.
Wrong. This wave of patriotic gear is catering to a need, true, but don’t fool yourself into thinking that this is altruistic patriotism. This is capitalism in action, folks. A few bright and entrepreneurial business people and marketers recognized the need for Americans to express themselves after the tragedy of 9/11 and capitalized on the grief and angst of the nation.
And so, because the average American was impotent and unable to actually do anything post-9/11, he quickly opened up his wallet to buy the t-shirt with an eagle on it, or the bumper sticker making patriotic and pithy remarks on it. This gear is so ubiquitous and freely available that Americans don’t have to think about what patriotism means to them, and how to be patriotic – there is no real need for a person to BE patriotic as long as one LOOKS patriotic nowadays. There is no sacrifice for country; there is no sense that we are all working towards the same goal. There is only fashion statement and dull witticisms that most think are cutting. The sadly ironic note here is that nearly 100% of this patriotic gear is made in China.
This is not for me. My patriotism cannot be defined by a t-shirt or a bumper sticker. You will never find me wearing an American flag on my chest or see a so-called patriotic sticker on my motorcycle helmet. I don’t feel the need to proclaim my patriotism in such a thoughtless and conformist way. This national trend of empty patriotic statements worn on shirts or on vehicles, in my opinion, mocks true patriotism. Patriotism can’t be summed up in wordplay of two sentences or less. It cannot fit on the chest or back of a shirt. Patriotism is a complex and powerful concept and emotion that defines such paltry definition.
A person who defines patriotism on their t-shirt is, in my opinion, akin to a person who looks for wisdom in a Cracker Jack box. Yeah – we all did that in third grade, but then we grew out of it.
I look for examples of patriotism in the Greatest Generation – in my grandmother and grandfather. Children of the Great Depression, a war hero and his wife; I look to them for my patriotic inspiration. They do not wear these silly shirts. They do not have inane bumper stickers. My grandfather’s car has a POW/ Purple Heart plate on it. That’s it. When asked how they are patriotic I was told: “We served. We sacrificed. We vote. We had parades.”
The themes that struck in their explanation were “service, sacrifice, and duty.” My grandfather joined the Army and fought in WWII. He was captured, wounded, was a POW, and just recently was knighted by France for his valor at the Battle of the Bulge. He served. My grandmother worked in the factories and helped the war effort by increasing production at home. She served.
My grandfather sacrificed his freedom; he was a POW. He gave everything so we could be free; and almost lost his life for it. My grandmother, likewise, sacrificed herself. Rubber, tires, metals, electronics – she gave them all up and offered them to the war effort.
And, of course, they embrace their duty as Americans and are conscientious voters. Even today, in their mid-80’s, they keep abreast of the political climate, know what is going on, have opinions, and express themselves at the polls. They understand duty.
When appropriate, they joined with fellow Americans to express their patriotism publicly by waving an actual flag, in a parade. It was a celebration of life, honor, and of America that was not cheapened by 80% polyester.
How many of us really understand service, sacrifice, and duty? How many people who proclaim their patriotism on shirts have thought about their duty as Americans? How many are willing to sacrifice anything in the name of patriotism. Not many, I suspect.
When patriotism is homogenized, manipulated, and simplified so it can fit on a t-shirt it ceases to have any meaning. It becomes a fashion statement and becomes a concept devoid of critical thought. It suggests that patriotism is a just like that shirt it is printed on – an artifact to be put on and then discarded at whim.
How sad for America – for us – that most of us have such a convenient and disposable definition of Patriotism.
I bought my Corbin seat for my 1992 Nighthawk 750 about 5 years ago. Initially I loved the seat – it was a million times better than the stock seat.
But, as you can see from the picture, it is falling apart fast – and I’ve put less than 7,000 miles on that seat!
I have taken great care of the seat. I keep it conditioned, covered when I am not riding, and clean. In fact, I didn’t even RIDE the bike for 2 of the past five years because of my cancer.
About three months ago it started splitting at the seams. The top seam that you see there was initially fixed by my mother-in-law. It didn’t work though – her new seam is holding just fine (even if it isn’t as pretty as the original) , but the seat started splitting on the other side. And then, last week, a new seam split.
I am very disappointed, I love the feel of my Corbin seat. It was comfortable when I rode with buddy John almost 2,000 mileslast year. It really was so much better than the stock seat – there’s no disputing that. I would not have dreamed of riding 2,000 miles on a Nighthawk with the stock seat.
Now, though, after just a few short years it’s falling apart. I need to buy a new seat – I loved the Corbin seat, but I don’t want a seat that will fall apart every couple of years.
While the comfort of the Corbin seat is a clear WIN, the longevity of the seat is clearly a FAIL.
July 10, 2011 
The Binary Biker 