December 11, 2014

MORNING
           Frozen. That’s what we call 40° in Maimi. I don’t live in Miami, but is that important? The frost brings with it another rare sight. Cloudless skies. Why, it is so clear today you can see the smog and light pollution of Ft. Lauderdale on this north-east exposure. Even at dusk.

           The neatest part of the Miami Herald is their team of queer editors are so predictable, it makes sarcasm really easy. Hmmm, if you are of a certain ethnic persuasion, you are not a vandal, but a “graffiti artist”. And if you want to keep your photo off the Internet once you win the Florida lottery, it’s as simple as being arrested for a sex offence twenty-plus years ago. (As with all American media, it does not seem to matter whether one is actually convicted or not, you are marked for life.)

           Or the hoopla about Burger King moving to Canada to avoid US taxes (boy, are they going to get a wake-up call). Remember, it is the duty of Americans to protest unfair laws, and leaving town is the ultimate protest. The lower classes seem to forget one of the mandates of tax law is that it be transparent. Tax is supposed be so fair that nobody seeks to avoid their share, or the tax must by law be stricken. It took Georgia and Missouri nearly 20 years to execute two confessed murderers, so yes, our bloated criminal justice system really needs that tax money to pay for this kind of shit.
           And same for the billion-dollar plan for “early childhood education”. The head honcho says those with early education finish school, stay out of jail, get good jobs, and have stable families. Dang, and all my life I always thought it was the other way around, silly me. And [how about] that poor little 68-year-old Japanese lady who has such rotten luck with her husbands. Police, upon noticing the 5th and 6th died of cyanide poisoning, “suspect” insurance claims as the motive. If Japan has the death penalty (which they should), her only hope now is to move to Georgia or Missouri.
           Finally this AM, the Chinese authorities are still quashing the protests in Hong Kong. The dictators never seem to learn that repression never pays off in the long run.

AFTERNOON
           Did I waste my time or not, here's what I did. An afternoon delving into the aspects of data collection by a microcontroller. These are devious devices. Since these external devices work independently of your computer, I rigged one up to look at all hidden MicroSoft files. Most surprising result? Windows now treats MP3 files differently than before. Previously, the file path was the only information needed for your software to play the file.

           And, that information was self-deleting as soon as you closed the file or shut down your computer. Not no more, it is there to stay, including all those files you pirated from Napster and Limewire before they got hammered. There is no doubt that snoopware is watching your music files.
           But not mine. I never connect any computer with music to the Internet. My safe and secure computer in the back music room has no browser or connection capability. Of course, there is a way to spoof the information, but I’m not saying.
           And while you are here, let me give you some other advice. Do you find you have to sign for things sometimes when you would rather not? Or because the signature is not used to match your identity, but to prove you were at a certain place at a certain time?
           Well, press the pen harder and write slower than you normally would—just like a forger would do. That is what the software is recording, you know, pressure and speed. Then, if ever questioned about the signature, always state you don’t recall signing that document, but fully admit “the signature looks so good it could, circumstantially, fool almost anyone”. The Judge is only going to hear the last two words.
           But don't tell them I said so.

EVENING
           Dupont Registry thinks your lady would like long-stem roses. In this case, the stems should be five feet long. The part she is going to cut off so the flowers will fit in the vase on the piano she can’t play. You are looking at about $300 plus delivery. And that’s from Melbourne, FL. Still, there is no denying, in our society, it is considered cultured and feminine to receive dead flowers. Said Mick.

           I took the evening to go see a foreign film at Cinema Paradiso, the new location on Hollywood. The audience consisted of me, in my work clothes, and five ladies who arrived late can clustered around me in that large but otherwise empty theater. The movie was Italian, “Viva ls liberta” (Long Live Freedom, I think), a comedy. This politicians place is taken by his twin brother from an asylum. He gets elected or something, the plot goes a bit confusing at the end.
           But one thing is certain. These films have come a long way in the past decade. They have mastered every trick of the American trade and these movies are first class presentations. What they lack in sci-fi computerized effects, they compensate in perfect cinematic technique. They still have distinctly European concepts of what is sexy, but they’ll get over it. Because they will soon be cranking out these quality films for a fraction of the cost to attract the same talent in America.
           At least they know better than to portray marriage as an ideal, like they used to. Now, it's more the extraordinary degree to which some people will put up with each other. I mention this because early films came across as kind of corny on this issue. Like French couples drinking wine with every meal. Mercifully, in this movie, there are no really fat women stars. Sorry, Kirstie. Well, sort of sorry. Definitely worth the $8 movie ticket. Now that they’ve removed the parking meters from downtown. (Parking meters are what killed the other movie theaters around here.)

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Today’s Togla Treat
He’s got a point.

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