Are you living life?...

things to which I have serious concerns - none of which include the government shutting down.  I couldn't care less.

And many other people have the same concerns.

When is enough tech enough?

For many of us it's consuming our lives - you know, the life we're supposed to be living.

Gavin McGinnis sums it up nicely in a video (below) he did back in 2015, and the problem is way worse now.

I picked up the video over at Fran Porretto's place on the web, where he shares his concerns in Diversions And Devotions: A Sunday Rumination.  Take a moment and read it and then come back here and tell me your thoughts.

I'm a firm believer that God sends messages to us when we most need them.

Yesterday I read a short and concise book Hacking Laziness: How to Outwit, Outsmart & Outmaneuver Procrastination on my Kindle.  It was only $2.99 and I thought, "Hey, how bad can it be?"

It turned out to be very good.  Obviously the author agreed with one of my favorite mantra's of "cut to the chase."  I don't want to read a bunch of psychological gobbledygook.  I just want some hacks. The author, Mike Buffington, does that - and I thank him.

I know the video looks like it won't play, but it will.  Warning:  If you're not familiar with Gavin McGinnis, he uses some very salty language to get his message across. 







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So what's with Alexa spying on us?...

along with smartphones, laptops, smart appliances, your electric meter,  Facecrap, Twitter, Amazon, and ebay. 

Did I leave anything out?  Probably.

Today was an interesting article about Alexa on American Thinker, Alexa, what are you doing in my room?, by Pem Schaeffer, which covers Global Digital Infrastructure, the Cloud, and artificial intelligence, and the vast spying abilities and dangers of Alexa. 

[...]I hope you can fathom the serious risks involved in these devices and their underlying technology.  Appreciating the dangers they represent to our children and grandchildren is the first step in recognizing the security vulnerabilities they impose upon us all.  

This isn't about technology; it's about generational technology naïveté conflated with human willingness to corrupt and control through the most innocent of means.  It is about natural impulses to abuse. 

These devices are a modern-day version of illegal search and seizure.  Combined with the leftist-driven breakdown of societal values, we face a future where we all become cattle to powerful elites.  The only question is how willingly we do so. read the rest at American Thinker

For me, he's not telling me anything I don't know.  Most of you know I don't have a smart phone - not because I fear its ability to track me, but simply because I don't need one.  I have plenty of other things tracking me to worry about one more.  Not for one nano second do I believe that my emergency cheapo Tracfone, even turned off, is not capable of keeping track of me

Do I like it?  Hell noes!

Can I do anything about it?  Hell noes.

Do I worry about it?  More hell noes.

It's almost impossible to keep from being tracked somewhere by someone.  I drive to Walmart and witness a plethora of cameras on the roadways, cameras are mounted on the top of the store, and closed caption TV tracks me while I'm in the store. 

Most of these cameras are trying to keep us safe from the bad guys.  Can they be abused?  Sure, but so can any technology - even the technology that saves lives in the operating room.

A commenter soundly rebuked me a few weeks ago for linking to a deal on an Alexa device.  Was I aware that Alexa had powerful tracking abilities?  Yes.

Anyone who has made more than one trip here knows I am an Amazon affiliate.  I earn a small commission, at no additional cost to you, when you purchase an item from one of my links.  The small commission applies to even items I haven't specifically linked.   Lately, I have been singling out either items I've used and like or items that seem useful and have good reviews and a responsive compant which I research pretty thoroughly.  I don't accept outside advertising and my Amazon commission is my only source of income.

Here's the bottom line: 

 I learned long ago that people are individuals and must make their own decisions.  I still think tech, even low tech like TV's, is not healthy for growing children.  I don't think a teenager being glued to their smartphone is healthy.  I think adults sitting at the dinner table with their family while cruising the internet is repulsive.  I think internet porn is a dangerous scourge on society.  I think being bombarded daily with targeted advertising is the pits.

But what I think is not the teeniest bit important. 

  What's important is for people to do their own research and make their own decisions. 




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It's Friday which means that stats drop because everyone has something better to do than peruse blogs...

so I'm going back to smartphones and social media (which is neither social or media.)

Which brings me to Weight Watchers.

Huh?

How did I get from smart phones and social media to Weight Watchers? 

Last week I joined Weight Watchers.  I really need to drop some weight and wasn't doing too well on my own.  While I agree that Primal and Paleo eating, which could be considered low carb, is probably one of healthier ways to eat, it is (IMO) very hard to accomplish.

Last week a friend whom I had not seen in several years came over and I was stunned at how slim she was.  Her answer?  Weight Watchers.

Hmmmmmmmm.

So I decided that getting out of the house, spending time with other people on the same journey, and having some accountability would be a good thing.

I signed up online and attended my first meeting last Monday evening and was looking forward to chit-chatting with other peeps at the meeting.

I really should have known better.  As soon as people were weighed and were waiting for the meeting to start, out came the smartphones.  My annoyance level immediately shot into the red zone. 

I had attended (unsuccessfully) Weight Watchers a  gazillion years ago and this is not what I remembered.  Even though I did poorly on the old program, I still remember meeting all sorts of like minded souls who inspired and cheered each other on. 

As a newbie I was asked to spend some time after the regular meeting with the group leader, an elegant and slim older woman,  to help me get started.  I had already started using the meal tracker online and asked a question about something or another.

The response was to tout the WW app on my phone and how I could scan stuff in the grocery store to check points. 

"Umm, I don't have a smartphone."

If I had grown a second head the look on her face couldn't have been more startled.

"Well, how do you get online?" she asked.

"I have this thing at home called a PC - you know, a computer with a yuuuuge monitor.  It sits in my office and functions much like a smart phone", I answered. "If I need information about an item while in the grocery store, I read the label."

Another puzzled look and I was sort of dismissed as some relic from a bygone era.  Remember, this was not some twenty something gal, but a woman who was probably well into her sixties.

What's my point?

My point is not to go all snarky on WW, the elegant group leader who was doing a very good job, or the WW program, which has proven to be fun - mainly because they now have a spot-on website program to track points, but to express my distress at not having people with whom to socialize.

I pretty sure we're all aware of the lost hours watching cat videos, cruising Facecrap, and reading the news. Surely, it's not just me suffering from easy distractibility as I flit from one story to another and my diminished ability to concentrate even when away from my screen.

The phones are getting smarter and we're getting dumber.  If someone attending WW has a phone to scan a grocery item, why bother to learn to read a label?

Young people don't need to be connected to the internet 24/7.  They could do quite well with a simple phone that makes calls or texts.  Recent studies are showing that high smartphone usage is causing skyrocketing depression and even suicide in young people.

I recognize the wealth of good things that a smartphone can bring to people who need such a device.  But, how many people really need to be that connected?

If you have a smartphone and you love it, there's no need to justify your usage to me or anyone else. If the technology does more good than harm in respect to your core values, then have at it.

  And if you don't have a smartphone there's no need to feel like some Luddite.  We're all individuals and need to make our own decisions.

Weight Watchers

Next Monday will be my first week weigh in and I think I'll do well.  The plan has changed considerably since my first go round and I'm really enjoying playing with my smart points.  Every food is assigned a point value.  You get so many points per day plus an extra amount per week to be used, or not used, as the need arises.  When you've used up your points they're gone, kaput, finished.  It didn't take me long to become obsessed with low point meals and being ecstatic when I ended the day with left over points. 

There are some things, due in part to my medical background, I don't agree with, notably fruit being unlimited and their war on fat.  However, I do recognize what they're trying to accomplish in the way of helping people make better choices for what they eat.  So, I obediently eat a small apple every night for my snack -sometimes with a tablespoon of almond butter.

Their on-line tracking system is outstanding and must have taken a gazillion hours to code - and I thank them.

One of the HVAC guys who came to my house last Tuesday is also a newbie in the program and has lost 23 lbs his first month.  Can't argue with success.

To keep me even more accountable, I plan to post my weight loss every Tuesday after my Monday evening weigh in. 


More:

Cal Newport:   Are You Using Social Media or Being Used By It?

MIT Technology Revieww:   Smartphones Are Weapons of Mass Manipulation, and This Guy Is Declaring War on Them

 Bloomberg:  Smartphones Are Killing Americans, But Nobody’s Counting

PBS:  Analysis: Teens are sleeping less. Why? Smartphones




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Alarming Statistics That Show Just How Addicted We Are To Mobile Devices...

I don't own a smart phone because I have no need for a smart phone.

And I'll wager that a goodly number of people who have smart phones don't need them either.

My take on the situation will continue later as today is hair cut day.

 Yesterday was history club, and Tuesday was a Christian Values town hall with Raul Labrador who is running for governor of Idaho.  In addition, on Tuesday I met with the HVAC peeps who are going to clean my ducts.  But first the poor apprentice HVAC dude had to slither around in the crawl space looking for any damage to the duct work allowing for mice to have rave parties every night in my house.  Mice are, no doubt, the original party animal.  On the upside no damage was found and we haven't seen a mouse in 3 weeks. On the down side, every time the furnace comes on I just about gag at the thought of mouse poo air being blown around my house.

On Nov. 2 they will clean and sterilize my ducts.  Yay!  If you've never had your duct work cleaned you may want to think about having it done.

Okay - back to the smartphones.  Read this and later I'l expand on my thoughts.

From Break the Twitch:

October 17, 2017 by Anthony Ongaro

We’re using smartphones and other mobile devices more than ever before, and there is no shortage of evidence. Even anecdotally, just take a look at any place where people have to wait: stop lights, bus stops, checkout lines, restaurants, and parks. There’s no sign that this trend is reversing, either—despite the fact that high levels of screen time have been shown to have substantial negative effects.

• The mere presence of your smartphone is reducing your cognitive capacity.
• Over-dependence on smartphones leads to user stress and is correlated to psychological traits including loss of control, social interaction anxiety, and materialism.
• There’s a strong link between the amount of time teens spend looking at screens and how sad they feel.

Along with that, who knows what issues we’ll see surface over the next decade as the technology we use is forced to become even more addictive in order to compete in today’s attention marketplace. There are some pretty alarming statistics that give you a good idea of where things are now, and where we’re headed.  Read the Rest and watch his video below

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Let's just throw out a bunch of stuff and clean up my tabs...

should we?

First up:

I guess there's some woman who's turning her back on technology, although she has an iPhone.  The fact that it has a cracked screen and is taped up is supposed to be testimony to her creds.  Ah, no.

I have nothing against technology.  However, I think the people who walk around clutching a phone in their hand, or seeing every event through the pinhole of a phone are very sad creatures. 

Supposedly, a man died after walking off a cliff in San Diego while, according to reports, looking at a hand held device. If it was a "smart phone" what he did was not very smart. 

Fran Porretto puts it well with his post Family, Proximity, And The Smartphone Plague: A Sunday Rumination - and we thank him.

Secondly:

After a busy day on Saturday having our car hauled out a snow bank in our driveway again (we've become a legend and a joke at the towing company), I was able to finally get someone out to plow our driveway.  I actually called one person who said he didn't want to do it because he "might break his plow."  I kid you not. The tow truck driver recommended someone because he felt my pain and probably figured our Allstate towing bennies may be running low.  I called, and this wonderful man, who works with his little fur ball of  happiness Pomeranian doggie, Wendy, showed up in 30 minutes and cleared our driveway.  He charged $35.00.  I gave him $60.00, and a big stack of fresh out of the oven sugar cookies.

He also does landscape work, and if our regular tree guy can't come out this spring, he promised to help.  Our broken and felled trees from the heavy snow fall are legion.

On to Sunday:

Sunday was spent clearing out a bunch of old papers and notes that were stacked everywhere in my office.  In one of the stacks was a copy of an email someone sent with recommendations of things to read. Unfortunately, I copied and pasted the info into Word and can't remember who sent it. 

One of the recommendations was Richard Mitchell (1929-2002), the Underground Grammarian.  All of his books are online and free.  I started reading Less than Words Can Say, and he had me smiling broadly before I even finished the forward.

The first thing he makes fun of is the use of the word "basically."  Listen to any talk show or anyone being interviewed today and their language will be liberally sprinkled with the word "basically."  When I hear it, I'm driven to basically what could be considered basic violence - sort of, basically.

Also recommended was The War Against Grammar by David Mulroy, which proves that the war on grammar is an intentional war, not an accidental one.

John Taylor Gatto also made the list.  I've already read his Underground History of American Education, available online.  

It's also available at Amazon The Underground History of American Education: A School Teacher's Intimate Investigation Into the Problem of Modern Schooling

Mr. Gatto and I agree 100% on education:




 And here he expounds on boredom, zombies, and economic collapse.  What I wouldn't give to have a long dinner date with him.

Did any of you ever dare to say to your mother you were bored?  I sure didn't.  Actually, I can't ever remember being bored. 





Thirdly:

American Thinker has a raft of pretty good articles today with all of them garnering many comments.  The comments are usually my favorite part of articles.

Fourthly:

My Dick Blick order of the last remaining art supplies I needed to begin painting again came Saturday.  On Wednesday I will commence with my painting career again, because man doesn't live by politics alone.

Yes, I know this post is long, but tomorrow is haircut day, along with Costco, and some other errands, so I will be absent.

Let's wrap up with some Donald Trump.

Removed: Photographer Removes Phones From His Photos To Show How Terribly Addicted We’ve Become

I find the sight of people walking around with their noses in their phones very dismaying.

I think this photographer perfectly captures the idiocy of misused technology.

American photographer Eric Pickersgill removed the smartphones and digital devices from his portraits of everyday life. The project “Removed” aims to show our addiction to technology and hyper-connectivity, and Pickersgill knows that he’s also amongst the addicted.

The photographer was inspired by a chance encounter in a New York cafe. “Family sitting next to me at Illium café in Troy, NY is so disconnected from one another,” Pickersgill writes in his notes from that day. “Not much talking. Father and two daughters have their own phones out. Mom doesn’t have one or chooses to leave it put away. She stares out the window, sad and alone in the company of her closest family. Dad looks up every so often to announce some obscure piece of info he found online.”

He achieved the surreal effect in his photos by asking strangers and friends to remain in position, removing their cellphones, and then taking the shot.

H/T Instapundit

Here's a peek.  See the rest HERE.  Sad, sad, sad.

People today: More "connected" than ever and dumb as rocks...

observations while at work.

I worked Friday and Saturday last week, and Saturday this week.  Handing out samples at a grocery store gives me ample opportunity to engage with many people of all ages.  Since I work directly for the store and not some demo company, I have, over the past few years, built a less superficial relationship with the people I serve.  I provide cooking tips, marriage counseling (really), listen to their woes and heartaches, and certainly have a good grasp on their political views (almost 100% conservative.)

Last Friday (March 6th) turned into what we at the store call food stamp day.  Most people in Idaho still have their EBT cards filled up on the first of the month, overburdening the stores with hoards of people.  Idaho is in the process of staggering the days to avoid this problem, but I saw no signs of that on March 6th.
 
Let's take a moment to first look at the food stamp people.  Certainly there are some people receiving food stamps who, through no fault of their own, have fallen on temporary hard times.  Temporary being the operative word.  I do not begrudge them the help they receive through food stamps.  However, the vast majority are frankly just gaming the system. 

The most striking observation is that just about all of these people have multiple multi-color tattoos and wander about with top-of-the-line smart phones, both of which cost a lot of money.   They're "connected" to the world-wide web 24/7 and yet, if questioned, they are absolutely ignorant of anything that is going on in the world.  I had one who was confused about who Biden was, and had to be reminded that he was the vice-president of the United States.  Huh?

Most of these people are fat - not just a bit fluffy, but hugely, dangerously obese, and yet I see no vegetables in their cart.  I do see beer (lots of beer which they can afford since we're providing their food), chips, corn dogs, and ice cream, all of which are way more expensive than good wholesome food - you know, the kind you may actually have to prepare.

Now let's contrast that with yesterday.  It was raining, so all the people who would have otherwise been working on projects in their yard came to the store.  Most were older.  Most were not what the average young person today would consider "connected."  While having a conversation with one lovely gentleman, who was in his upper 60's, he showed me his flip phone and was darn proud of it.  He was online at home, but as he said, "I only use my computer to look up things."  I took that to mean he didn't play useless games.  Yet this man knew more about world events than the average MSM news commentator. 

These people do not wander about staring at a phone.  And their carts of full of wholesome food that will take a bit of preparation.  They most assuredly don't eat corn dogs. 

So what's my point?  Does staring at a phone, which is becoming a reprehensible sight in my opinion, lead to food stamp usage?  Uh, no.  Does staring at a phone cause you to become dumb?  Probably.

The real point here is I have no point other than the sight of the majority of young people staring at phones is sad and ugly, and most food stamp recipients are gaming the system while staring at their smart phone - or something.

Think on these things.

A nation (world?) of one handed people...(video)

a new phenomena.

I'll keep this short since I have to zip off to work which is where I first noticed this thingy of people continually carrying their phones in one hand.

I'm usually located toward the back of the grocery store where I work and so I have the luxury of watching people as they progress through the produce department.  The vast majority are holding phones.  Some have their grocery list on the phone, but most are just holding the phone.  Ever watch someone trying to squeeze a cantaloupe or pick out ears of corn with a phone in one hand? 

Soon I started to notice photos on the Sartorialist, depicting spiffily dressed people from all over the world and more than half are holding phones.  Some are talking on their phones but the majority are simply holding their phone.

For what earthly purpose does someone walk around with one hand metaphorically tied behind their back?  I find it weird.

And nowadays, you can't go anywhere in public without half the people sitting staring at their phone.  Remember when people used to talk to each other?

As to that grocery list on a phone? I don't see the point.
 
I'm a paper kind of gal.  My appointment book is paper.  My shopping lists are paper (and the items are listed in order of their location in the store.)  I take notes by hand (cursive) and use a paper journal. 

I'll have to agree with Emma on the new paperless society.


(The previous post is presented without editing since my editor is tied up.  Please ignore any stupid punctuation. Thank you.)