Jasonisms

#DonaldTrump and #Republicans are all over the news cycles right now with their, apparent, hatred of mankind so here's a bunch of examples from across the globe that good people exist even though they don't make the evening news. Originally shared by Lily Alice This ridiculous website is our aggregate for niceness. You've seen some of these pictures, but here's a lot of them all in one place. Though I'm I'm not sure about getting through all 24 pages. https://www.boredpanda.com/faith-in-humanity-restored-wholesome-happy-random-acts-of-kindness/

I could go through and write a rebuttal of this essay but I don't have the motivation at the moment. Let's sum it up in a TL;DR short reply: Luke is a Jedi. The Force allows him to see the future, read the hearts of sentient beings and the ability to handle any awkward situations as they arise. Going to the Sarlacc Pit probably wasn't in his "plan" but getting Lando a trusted job on the inside; Leia a free-roaming position on the inside; C3PO and (more importantly) Artoo a role on the inside means the player-characters were all set up. What's the idiom, 'a plan is only as good as it is until first contact'? Perhaps Lando already tried to free Han and was unable to, not knowingly he was still encased in carbonite. Then Leia moves in and is also thwarted. Then the big gun: Jedi. https://uproxx.com/movies/what-was-lukes-plan-star-wars-return-of-the-jedi/

I don't read comics too much anymore. Upon occasion I'll pick up a collection or a storyline packed into one book and catch up on some old friends, but usually I restrict my reading to fantasy novels, current events and educational subjects (like when I want to know more about a current event). But this, I'm really interested in reading. #CaptainAmerica https://www.theatlantic.com/entertainment/archive/2018/02/we-who-love-america/553991/

I've seen the various #StarWars films a total of hundreds of times and I can honestly say I've never noticed the Wilhelm Scream . Maybe here or there, but not all over the franchise. https://io9.gizmodo.com/the-last-jedi-quietly-killed-another-star-wars-traditio-1823390385

In #TrumpNation the swamp is not only healthy, but it's toxic thanks to Scott Pruitt. Originally shared by Jaana Nyström Scott Pruitt Kills Agency That Studies Chemicals Harmful to Children "I don’t remember who said this last night about the Trump administration, but it’s as if they’re in a contest to see who can be the most evil. For the moment, it looks like Pruitt is in the lead..." See more: https://www.motherjones.com/kevin-drum/2018/02/scott-pruitt-kills-agency-that-studies-chemicals-harmful-to-children/ #USA #Chemicals #Children #EPA https://www.motherjones.com/kevin-drum/2018/02/scott-pruitt-kills-agency-that-studies-chemicals-harmful-to-children/

I read somewhere that the CEO of Vero once stiffed thousands of of employees of their paychecks resulting in many of them becoming destitute or even homeless. _Before beginning his social media escapades, [CEO Ayman] Hariri served as deputy chief executive officer and vice chairman of his family’s now defunct construction company, Saudi Oger, a business that was the source of most of his family’s wealth [...] under Hariri’s watch over 31,000 complaints of non payment for wages were filed against the Saudi Oger. The company was so negligent that in some cases the Saudi Arabian government had to step in and provide food and basic living supplies to workers spurned by the company._ https://gizmodo.com/we-regret-to-inform-you-that-vero-is-bad-1823389901

Dogs are on my mind at the moment. Well, one dog anyway. So, here are some #dog idioms and their histories. http://www.dictionary.com/e/s/dog-idioms/?utm_content=buffere4248&utm_medium=social&utm_source=twitter.com&utm_campaign=buffer#hot-diggity-dog

Taking advantage of National Pancake Day at IHOP and suddenly the hostess sits one of those people next to me. You know those people. I don't know why they think this is okay. I'm in a nice neighborhood in a nice suburb. What makes people think they're welcome here? And why do have to sit next to one? #friggingingers :shudder:

This photo was taken recently of a man thought to have a mental illness with violent tendencies being prayed upon by a preacher. While scrolling through Instagram I had to stop short expecting the photo to be of something else entirely. https://instagram.com/p/BfnNK6djxBD/

The NRA and their ardent followers are worse than you think. I say that as a veteran and a gun owner. The National Rifle Association will never get a dime for me, nor will they ever get an ounce of my support. Their CEO is a corporate shill more interested in lobbying for profit and disparaging anyone who thinks the Second Amendment can't be moderated like all other Amendments have been. https://qz.com/1215914/parkland-florida-school-shooting-smith-and-wesson-was-a-leader-in-gun-safety-until-the-nra-stepped-in/

I find this whole situation highly laughable. This YouTube channel has been around (as they claim) for about a decade and creating videos was their primary source of income through YouTube profit sharing. Then, last year YT decided to cut profit sharing with certain content style channels, to include "gun" channels. Okay, that's YT's prerogative. Most "gun" channels went and created Patreon accounts to supplement their incomes. Now this guy claims YT is targeting "gun" channels for deactivation for the sole reason they're "gun" channels. It doesn't matter that some of these channels (this one does so in this very video) goes around calling people with different political ideologies by derogatory names or the commentors who follow the channel who also do the same. It doesn't matter that for 10 years YouTube gave this channel a platform to get their message out there and then decided to give the channel a strike or two. To be ho

So, apparently there is literally a church that worships guns. Originally shared by Bob Lai Pennsylvania school cancels classes over nearby church ceremony featuring AR-15s. The pastor, Rev. Sean Moon, is the son of Rev. Sun Myung Moon, the founder of the Unification Church and the owner of the Washington Times. The elder Moon claimed he was the Messiah. Moon’s son believes the AR-15 is the ‘rod of iron’ mentioned in the Bible (Revelation 12:5) Y’know, it’d be helpful if gun owners seen as worshipping and/or fetishizing their firearms ... didn’t actually have religious ceremonies worshipping and fetishizing their firearms. https://www.cbsnews.com/news/wallenpaupack-south-elementary-school-to-close-for-church-ceremony-featuring-ar-15-rifles/

Well, that was a new #spam / #phishing technique. Or, at least, I've never seen it before today. (Images uploaded in reverse order for some reason)

It was strange to me, the idea that somewhere at Google there is a database containing 25-million books and nobody is allowed to read them. It’s like that scene at the end of the first Indiana Jones movie where they put the Ark of the Covenant back on a shelf somewhere, lost in the chaos of a vast warehouse. It’s there. The books are there. People have been trying to build a library like this for ages—to do so, they’ve said, would be to erect one of the great humanitarian artifacts of all time—and here we’ve done the work to make it real and we were about to give it to the world and now, instead, it’s 50 or 60 petabytes on disk, and the only people who can see it are half a dozen engineers on the project who happen to have access because they’re the ones responsible for locking it up . It would have been nice to see Google partnering with the LIbrary of Congress for this sort of project. Google owns and maintains the database but with public protections for the works involved. Republi

That Lagavulin 16 sounds amazing. https://www.mensjournal.com/food-drink/39-great-whiskeys-you-can-buy-at-your-liquor-store-right-now/lagavulin-16/

Is there no one #DonaldTrump knows who isn't under investigation for corruption? In #TrumpNation corruption is the new black. Originally shared by Ars Technica "The publicly available evidence suggests a pattern of abuse where Sinclair forces its local stations to air pro-Trump messages in exchange for policy favors from the Trump administration and its FCC chairman," Free Press Deputy Director and Senior Counsel Jessica González said. https://arstechnica.com/tech-policy/2018/02/ajit-pai-faces-investigation-into-moves-that-benefit-sinclair-broadcasting/

Someone tried to tell me recently that the Koreans (South Koreans) had given up on eating dog meat long ago. This would seem to indicate otherwise. Not only are (South) Koreans still eating dog meat but they raise them as we raise pigs, cows and chickens here in the states: under deplorable conditions. https://www.usatoday.com/story/sports/winter-olympics-2018/2018/02/23/gus-kenworthy-adopts-puppy-again/369267002/

This is a nice little 5(ish) minutes video on guns for those of you who know nothing about them. This is not a NRA production but a fairly objective informational piece with a nice job at #DonaldTrump at the end. Or rather, a nice job at the people who fear #TrumpNation and want to ban the Second Amendment at the same time. #guns #assaultrifle #guncontrol https://youtu.be/wgfwyQ557t8

This is quite possibly the best piece I've read about the movie, The Black Panther , and why Erik "Killmonger" is a great villain. I originally found him to be a good villain because he had good intentions but malevolent execution, but what made him a good villain, per this article, was the lasting changes he brought to Wakanda, T'Challa and the world. https://www.polygon.com/2018/2/22/17037726/black-panther-killmonger-michael-jordan-thor-raganarok-guardians-galaxy

Wow. The USA really does have a love affair with school shootings. It's almost a tradition at this point. https://en.m.wikipedia.org/wiki/List_of_school_shootings_in_the_United_States

Drinking alcohol can help you live longer, a new study says. Great, but you won't remember it, another new study says: https://medicalxpress.com/news/2018-02-largest-kind-alcohol-biggest-factor.html http://www.chicagotribune.com/lifestyles/health/ct-drinking-alcohol-living-past-90-20180220-story.html

I've owned #Pentax cameras since I bought my first one in 1995(ish). Multiple camera bodies later to include two dSLRs and they finally released something to be excited about again: the K-1 Mark II. Want! https://www.theverge.com/2018/2/22/17041104/ricoh-pentax-k-1-mark-ii-35-mm-dslr

An actual comment from a GPlusser in regards to this former BSO deputy who failed to act. It is comforting on a certain level that there are plenty of people unwilling or even unable to charge into a building to kill some of the people inside. IMO the world needs to be populated with more people like this impotent "good guy with a gun" . In my opinion we need more people who run towards the fight not from it. https://www.nbcmiami.com/news/local/He-Never-Went-In-BSO-Suspends-Officer-Who-Was-at-Parkland-Shooting-474889753.html

#Bitcoin - #cryptocurrency - has gone #porn. Some people are going to be rich! Not me. 😏 Originally shared by Martin Mendoza Too good to be true? https://www.maxim.com/news/porn-cryptocurrency-2018-2

It snowed earlier. It might still be snowing now, but it's dark outside and I can't tell. Here's #Rufus getting out and about.

I had to do some research recently into the anatomy of a Google Search Results page. Sure, Google talks about it on their blog and in their knowledge base, but all the information in place is actually fairly difficult to find. Luckily, I was able to find this nice breakdown into what goes where when you search for something using Google. https://blog.logicalposition.com/blog/the-first-page-of-google-dissected

Do you work in video or video production, even if it's just on YouTube? Do you use stock video footage? Where from? Is it free or do you have a paid subscription? https://blog.hootsuite.com/free-stock-videos-sites

As far as I'm concerned this seems like a missed opportunity for the village of Wauconda. #VisitWauconda #WaucondaForever Originally shared by Chris Fink LOL! https://io9.gizmodo.com/the-people-of-wauconda-illinois-would-like-you-to-sto-1823225437

Have you ever had a roommate? What's your horror story and how does it compare to the one below? http://nymag.com/daily/intelligencer/2018/02/jamison-bachman-worst-roommate-ever.html

The Weird World that is weird world. I had a friend in high school who one day said her family was leaving town and she'd never see me again. When I asked why she said she couldn't tell. For decades I've lived under the assumption that her family was in witness protection or some other program - maybe a Top Secret NASA program since I grew up near Cape Canaveral. It's been far too many years since I've seen her but every once in a while I wonder how her life turned out and what secrets her family held. http://www.bbc.com/news/stories-42951788

Why on Earth is HP Touchpoint Analytics taking up 50% of my CPU power?

The #StreamSync is strong with this one. In #TrumpNation we can't afford text books, but we can afford weapons and training.

Because when you're done you're hungry. That's why. Seriously though, I was under the impression you ordered the Pizza Delivery Guy before coitus. Looks like Elon Musk isn't the only one building #TechnoMarvels. https://thenextweb.com/gear/2018/02/22/dildo-dominos-pizza-order/

Do school teachers have an inherent bias in favor of girls? Or, perhaps their bias is against boys? [Liberated from a private post] https://www.quora.com/A-female-friend-of-mine-is-a-teacher-and-admitted-to-me-she-grades-girls-more-generously-than-boys-as-a-way-of-empowering-women-Do-other-teachers-do-this/answer/Eivind-Kj%C3%B8rstad?share=645c5c2b&srid=3zVv

Let's write a novel. :D Originally shared by Atheist Revolution Some Christians Don't Want You to Masturbate https://buff.ly/2EgRTZx #christianity #atheism

Have you seen the Solo movie cut with the Beastie Boys' Sabotage ? It's great. #StarWars https://youtu.be/3TPY4TKo6uQ

Hey look at that, Antonin Scalia and I agree on something. How weird. Like I've said at just about every time the subject of getting rid of the Second Amendment comes up: you, me, us - we're all allowed to own guns in the United States, but that right is not unlimited. And yes, I have this argument with gun rights persons, as well. They believe they should be allowed to own anything and while I'm not against the AR-15 or any other tactical rifle at all, I really don't see how most people need a .50cal machine gun. (Also, I'm not saying you shouldn't be able to buy a .50cal machine gun, but that you should be licensed to do so.) http://bigthink.com/risk-reason-and-reality/the-supreme-court-ruling-on-the-2nd-amendment-did-not-grant-an-unlimited-right-to-own-guns

For what it's worth there are thousands of gun owners out there who dislike the NRA and Wayne LaPierre and have stopped giving them their money or support. Many have moved on to support other gun owner's groups and some of those groups are extremely extreme. Originally shared by Christopher Carr Wayne LaPierre's sounds increasingly like David Miscavige. The NRA is a fucking cult, not just a gun lobby organization.

Let's take a look at that first sentence again, shall we: *A group of students, some of whom survived the mass murder at Parkland High School last week, arrived at the Florida capital in Tallahassee Wednesday morning. * Is the author here, Dave Weaver, trying to say that some of the kids who didn't survive the shooting last week were also able to travel to the Florida capital today and get rebuffed by a staffer? http://reverbpress.com/news/breaking-parkland-shooting-protesters-turned-away-from-senate-offices/

Dear Mr. Roman, This is just amazing.

A small religious university, a news magazine and a town in New York walk into a bar ... Have you heard this one before? Note From the Editors:  As we were reporting this story, Newsweek Media Group fired Newsweek Editor Bob Roe, Executive Editor Ken Li and Senior Politics Reporter Celeste Katz for doing their jobs. Reporters Josh Keefe and Josh Saul were targeted for firing before an editor persuaded the company to reverse its decision. As we continued working on the story, we were asked to take part in a review process, which, we ultimately learned, involved egregious breaches of confidentiality and journalism ethics. We believe that subjects of the story were shown parts of the draft, if not the entire piece, prior to publication by a company executive who should not have been involved in the process. At an on-the-record interview with the subjects of this story, a company official asked editors to identify confidential sources. On-the-record sources were contacted and questioned ab

DO you Bing? I've used it and maybe it's because Google has personalized my searches for so long, but I can't say the search results are any better or even as relevant as they are using the big G. I mean, if you're using Bing to find specific information it might be as good as Google, but if you're searching for, let's say, something you've read in the past, like an article, it's just as frustrating as every other search engine. But yes, I do use Bing from time to time and it's perfectly fine. https://www.pcmag.com/feature/359248/20-reasons-to-search-with-bing

Put differently, if you love technology — if you always buy the latest gadgets and think scientific advances are powerful forces for good — then perhaps you ought to cheer on the antitrust prosecutors. Because there is no better method for keeping the marketplace constructive and creative than a legal system that intervenes whenever a company, no matter how beloved, grows so large as to blot out the sun. If you love Google, you should hope the government sues it for antitrust offenses — and you should hope it happens soon, because who knows what wondrous new creations are waiting patiently in the wings. Most recently I worked for a company that piggy - backed on Google's algorithm. Withing a few weeks of this startup one of the senior persons received a call from Google that, although he as worried, was very promising. Essentially, Google told the company, "That's cool. We never thought of that." Shortly thereafter I started noticing Google moving into our space. Wher

And where was Maury Povich during all of this? via Bodhipaksa Originally shared by Corina Marinescu The Woman Who Gave Birth to Rabbits The Mary Taft Hoax In 1726 a bit of odd news swept Britain, apparently in Surrey a woman named Mary Toft was giving birth to rabbits.  According to Toft, one day when working in a field she was startled by a rabbit. Since then she had been continuously giving birth to still born rabbits and rabbit parts.  News of such an anomaly became sensational, attracting the attention of some of the most popular and learned physicians of the day.   Under observation by a number of physicians for several weeks, it was noted that Mary Toft gave birth to nine whole baby rabbits (all of which were dead at birth) as well as various assorted bunny parts. Over time Toft’s case became even more sensational as she gave birth to parts of other animals such as cats and eels.  Incredibly, a number of physicians examined her, all of whom declared the phenomenon to be genuine a

Want to do something nice? Originally shared by Harold Chester A teacher from Stoneman Douglas High-School in Parkland would love it if her students had letters of support when they return to school. If able please send to: Diane Will-Rogers Stoneman Douglas High School 5901 Pine Island Road Parkland, Florida 33076 Please share as you wish with family and friends. A simple and sincere gesture just might help the children/students get through the next few months.

The relaunching at Marvel Entertainment is getting as bad as the relaunching over at DC. One has to wonder if this is a decision the management over at Marvel made or if Disney had a lot of influence in an effort to get the books on the same page as the lucrative movies. https://www.polygon.com/comics/2018/2/20/17031924/marvel-fresh-start-relaunch-announcement

Hey, look at that. After 2AM it actually starts to get warmer. #COWX

Facebook really does love halfassing things, don't they? https://arstechnica.com/tech-policy/2018/02/facebooks-secret-weapon-in-the-fight-against-foreign-meddling-postcards/

Well, that's a damn shame. What the mobile phone industry needs is more competition in operating systems not less and there's really no one else out there trying to compete against Android and iOS. Microsoft had a shot, so did Ubuntu. Samsung was supposed to bring us Tizen but relegated it to their smart watch line. PalmOS is gone and so is BBOS. Both of which were great programs that just couldn't get their apps together. Which is ironic considering Google has been trying to do away with native apps and instead turn their sights to virtual apps run over networks. Like I said, it's a damn shame. https://gizmodo.com/windows-phone-which-was-already-dead-gets-another-sta-1823145178

If you're a lonely #DonaldTrump supporter, or perhaps you just have a thing for the First Daughter, you're in luck, there's a dating site for you. In #TrumpNation Billy Bob and Jesse Ray need love too. As long as it's white, hetero and you don't mind living in a truthless relationship. https://www.avclub.com/browsing-the-dating-site-for-trump-supporters-is-as-dep-1823140726

Is it weird that I pictured Robby Robinson as a just passed middle-aged black guy while reading this article and was somewhat surprised when the picture of him ended up being a white guy? Also, have you ever found anything and returned it? I have: a Kindle Fire at the gym I turned into the front desk, a few cell phones while out and about, a purse a women left in her grocery cart, etc. Doing the right thing shouldn't surprise so many people. https://www.floridatoday.com/story/news/2018/02/16/titusville-man-finds-bag-cash-but-what-he-does-next-inspires-his-community/345062002

Embedded in the article below is a podcast about Dune . It may very well be the first podcast I've ever listened to and is yet another recent reminder of the Dune books. Back in high school I read the first book in the series, Dune . I remember the basics of it and have wondered over the years if the book would be different if I read it as an adult, but with so many other books to read I've never really followed up with my plan to re-read it. Maybe I should. https://www.theverge.com/2018/2/18/16392224/eric-molinsky-imaginary-worlds-science-fiction-fantasy-podcast

I guess this is Google's way of telling me they got animal/pet recognition turned on in #GooglePhotos

If there's one thing everyone should know by now it's that #DonaldTrump loves DonaldTrump. He spent the weekend attacking everyone and defending himself without regard for actual facts or any sense of reality. In #TrumpNation the truth has faded into legend as people have forgotten what it is. https://www.washingtonpost.com/politics/trump-lashes-out-over-russia-probe-in-angry-and-error-laden-tweetstorm/2018/02/18/8224b7de-14ce-11e8-8b08-027a6ccb38eb_story.html

For #PresidentsDay here are one or two facts about each of our 45 presidents thus far. https://theintercept.com/2018/02/18/for-presidents-day-heres-one-vicious-ghastly-andor-fascinating-fact-about-every-u-s-president/

This Medium page is collecting Russian propaganda that helped influence the 2016 elections in favor of #DonaldTrump. In #TrumpNation the Vlad Putin chooses our presidents. https://medium.com/@ushadrons

Parking this timeline of Florida Governor, Rick Scott's, acquiescence to the gun lobby. Sensible gun legislation is key but many of the moves he's made in his career are mind-numbingly stupid. Others aren't so bad, like letting people carry during an evacuation. https://www.orlandoweekly.com/Blogs/archives/2018/02/16/a-brief-history-of-gov-rick-scott-doing-jack-shit-about-florida-gun-violence

Awesome. <\sarcasm>

This reminds me of Jodorowsky's Dune : http://m.imdb.com/title/tt1935156/ Jodorowsky was a director who was hired to create a Dune movie but he never actually read the book. Instead, he heard bits and pieces from other people and put a concept together based on what he'd heard. In the end it barely resembled the book and ended up being permanently shelved. #StarWars https://youtu.be/1GS9wLMyvn8

#DonaldTrump has a year and a half of claims and statements contradicting evidence. He's sided with a foreign government over our own, lashed out at anyone who dared to confront him with the truth and tried to obstruct the investigation and it's outcome on numerous occasions. Paul Ryan claims we cannot let the Russian interference in our democratic go unchallenged. What he fails to state is how he and his ultra-Right agenda have directly benefited from our Manchurian president. In #TrumpNation reality is an inconvenience until it's not. https://nyti.ms/2C1F1Iv

As it turns out, #DonaldTrump was right all along, there is #fakenews out there. Unfortunately, he was wrong about the source of the false reporting. Sure, there has always been inaccurate reporting, especially after disasters, where reporters and editors scramble to get a story out, but those are few and far in between. Or, at least they have been. Now we have coordinated attacks to mislead the media for the sole purpose of misleading the media. https://www.politico.com/story/2018/02/16/florida-shooting-white-nationalists-415672

Yesterday I was using Google Image Search for find a complimentary image for a project I was working on. I searched under "public domain", fair use and reuse rights. I eventually found (close enough) what I was looking for, but not having the view image button was very restricting. Believe it or not, sometimes (mostly) I don't want to go to a Web page and search for the image I'm looking for, I just want it to be there . Especially when some sites turn off image download capabilities or restrict the large format image from being displayed full screen so I can look at the details. https://arstechnica.com/gadgets/2018/02/internet-rages-after-google-removes-view-image-button-bowing-to-getty/

Was Nikolas Cruz, the Florida shooter, a #MAGA supporter? Yes. https://www.snopes.com/did-shooters-instagram-picture-maga-hat/

As a US Army veteran who shot the M16A2 it saddens me that so many lives were lost because of bureaucratic gane-playing and, quite possibly, negligence on the part of senior Army officials. If you have a chance to read this article (it's long) about the AR-15 and it's transformation into the M16 I highly encourage doing so. https://www.theatlantic.com/magazine/archive/1981/06/m-16-a-bureaucratic-horror-story/545153/

#HaHaHa Just about every bit of this is true. Let me just say, I have more in common with him than some of my friends. https://youtu.be/T7ZBLkgeh7I

A pretty good read about the other side of the curtain in #TrumpNation. #DonaldTrump https://www.vanityfair.com/news/2018/02/reince-priebus-opens-up-about-his-six-months-of-magical-thinking

Someone should tell Sen. Tom Cotton that iPhones are also made in China. http://money.cnn.com/2018/02/14/technology/huawei-intelligence-chiefs/index.html

To get your juices flowing this Valentine's Day where many of you will "Netflix and chill" while sit here alone contemplating #Rufus' life. http://collider.com/sexiest-movies-on-netflix-streaming/

I want to do this so badly. :D Originally shared by Clint Udy

Psychologists have repeatedly reported that self-described conservatives tend to place a higher value than those to their left on deference to tradition and authority. They are more likely to value stability, conformity, and order, and have more difficulty tolerating novelty and ambiguity and uncertainty. They are more sensitive than liberals to information suggesting the possibility of danger than to information suggesting benefits. And they are more moralistic and more likely to repress unconscious drives towards unconventional sexuality. The article goes into a few reasons behind why Conservatives are far more likely to believe lies than liberals (who also believe their own share of lies) and is a good read for anyone wanting to understand why their Conservative friends and family still believe what they do even when all evidence points to the contrary. http://www.slate.com/articles/health_and_science/science/2017/11/why_conservatives_are_more_susceptible_to_believing_in_lies.html

For you gamers out there. Originally shared by Tony David Free game Dead Space is currently available free at Origin. You pay nada, zip, zilch, nothing. https://www.origin.com/bel/en-us/store/dead-space/dead-space/standard-edition

I don't make a lot of personal posts so please bear with me. #Rufus hasn't been doing well for the past week or so. I mean, he's 13 (at least), and has slowed down due to age, but the past week or two he's been acting like every movement is a Herculean effort. A few times in the past couple of weeks his rear legs have given out on him completely to where I've had to pick him up and carry him which is, in itself, telling. Rufus has always hated being carried and struggled continuously when I did so. Yesterday while petting him I noticed two golf-ball sized things up under his chin. Now, they may be benign lipomas as Rufus is covered with them (one one each thigh, one on each shoulder, one on his chest and a few smaller bumps here and there) or they may be indicative of something else. I'm no vet and aside from emergency medic battlefield training I have no medical experience whatsoever, but these new things seem to be where your or mine lymph nodes are located.

Does it sometimes seem like #Republicans can't go three minutes without violating some sort of law that was set up with the intent of stopping the exact behavior they're practicing? #GOP https://theintercept.com/2018/02/12/gop-law-enforcement-chiefs-invited-donors-to-help-set-policy-via-secret-bulletin-board/

It's been a year or more since I posted about the technology that allowed users to make fake images say fake things. I also warned of the impending reality paradox wherein nothing we see or hear could be trusted. I have also lamented the trend of companies like Google and Facebook using algorithms to get content in front of people. Generally, I've argued having algorithms pick and choose content it believes you want to see cuts people off from reality by creating spheres of feedback that only reinforce their beliefs. Imagine, for example, a machine-learning algorithm (which analyzes gobs of data in order to teach itself to perform a particular function) fed on hundreds of hours of footage of Donald Trump or North Korean dictator Kim Jong Un, which could then spit out a near-perfect — and virtually impossible to distinguish from reality — audio or video clip of the leader declaring nuclear or biological war. “It doesn’t have to be perfect — just good enough to make the enemy thi

Joy Reid confronts self-proclaimed conservative women on the behavior of #DonaldTrump, his cabinet and the #GOP's blind eye to men assaulting women. It really is a fun 10 minutes to watch as she calls out their hypocrisy and failures in rational argument making. https://youtu.be/ggtNLme7LaQ

This is where I give the obligatory speech: get a mutt from the pound as your family dog. Sure, some people want a specific breed for whatever propose, but it's generally because they believe the breed comes with a certain image or behavioral system they find attractive. I've always been against dog shows such as the Kennel Clubs that promote physical attributes over the traits that make that breed that breed. For example, if your lab doesn't hunt or have the instinct to do so, is it really a lab? If your Golden Retriever doesn't retrieve, is it truly a retriever? These are the traits that should be valued by breeders, not physical characteristics: It looks like it can hunt. It looks intelligent. Sorry, boy's and girls, there's no way for your IQ to be measured by how you look. And much like the human world, being good looking doesn't necessarily mean you're smart too. https://gizmodo.com/why-purebred-dogs-are-sick-miserable-and-ugly-1822881312

When LucasFilm Disney announced the stand alone Solo movie (ha ha, see what I did there?) I was skeptical. Not because I kept up with the production news (I didn't) but because this was classic Disney trying to squeeze blood from a turnip. When the House of the Mouse purchased the #StarWars franchise we knew they were going to do everything in their power to recoup their billion dollar investment as quickly as possible and that meant: film, film, film. [Read that as nouns or verbs, they both work] Instead of delving deeper into the StarWars mythos the geniuses (yes, that's sarcasm) over at Disney have decided to cut their risks and go with a known winner: fan-favorite, Han Solo. But, no one asked for a Solo movie and definitely not as a prequel to the original trilogy. Besides, there was already a much better "Han Solo" short-lived television series with accompanying feature film. It was called Firefly and Serenity respectively. https://slate.com/culture/2018/02

The title here is severely misleading. This isn't an article about the best desktop photo editing "apps" (fucking millennials don't know the difference between an app and a program), it's an article about Adobe photo editing options and a couple of others thrown in so they can claim it's not a Photoshop love-fest. https://www.engadget.com/2018/02/12/the-best-desktop-photo-editing-apps/

I guess it never really occurred to me that people didn't understand this phenomenon. For me it seems so obvious. #Republicans #GOP #Democrats #Economy #Deficit https://www.salon.com/2018/02/12/thom-hartmann-how-the-gop-used-a-two-santa-clauses-tactic-to-con-america-for-nearly-40-years_partner/

Moving files around when you only have a couple of gigs of HDD space left isn't very fun. It's taken me over 20 hours, so far, to move a fraction of the 60gigs from one folder to another (external) HDD. And I have hundreds of gigs to go. Hopefully the slowdown is only because I don't have enough virtual space available on my HDD and as I clear space the transfer will become more efficient , but until then, this is crazy.

Considering the USA is a Republic and not a Democracy this doesn't surprise me, but still, it took #DonaldTrump less than a year to downgrade America. In #TrumpNation we're all less than we were. http://amp.timeinc.net/fortune/2017/01/25/us-democracy-downgrade?__twitter_impression=true&utm_content=buffer6395c&utm_medium=social&utm_source=facebook.com&utm_campaign=buffer

Apparently I would do well in the Netherlands. This is exactly how I conduct my life. Many Americans consider me an asshole because I don't take their emotions I to account first, but let's be real, they're you're emotions. No one else can control them but you. Originally shared by Tessa Schlesinger QUOTE: But in the Netherlands, there is “the sense that people have the right to say whatever they want and be as direct as they want. And if other people don’t like that, it’s their fault for getting offended.” QUOTE: “Others may think that we don’t have empathy. And maybe that is so because we think truthfulness goes before empathy,” explained Eleonore Breukel, an interculturalist who trains people to communicate better in multicultural environments. http://www.bbc.com/travel/story/20180131-where-dutch-directness-comes-from

You might find this hilarious, but in fact it's terrifying in forecasting how this nation and our supposed "religious freedom" laws are making everything. Just wait until it's turned on the majority (Christians) as opposed to securing their privilege. https://youtu.be/kTVA9PRHe4E

Great ending but if anyone stole #Rufus it would not go well for them. #dog Originally shared by Chris Kim A "They said, 'We have your dog,' " Debra Suierveld tells NPR. "And I said, 'That's impossible.' " https://www.npr.org/2018/02/10/584521531/10-years-after-she-went-missing-a-black-lab-is-returned-to-her-owners?utm_source=facebook.com&utm_medium=social&utm_campaign=npr&utm_term=nprnews&utm_content=20180210

I never thought I'd see a Fox News headline blaming the #Republicans for anything, but there you go. He then goes on to partly blame the #Democrats but returns to place blame squarely on the shoulders of the #GOP. And the silly people who trusted them and voted for them into the Senate, House and Executive roles. In #TrumpNation if you vote to the Right you're a fool. http://www.foxnews.com/opinion/2018/02/10/backstabbers-republicans-betray-american-taxpayers.html

Sharing this so I can share the comments (so far) as well. Originally shared by Al Jazeera English A young Somali refugee in the US reassesses his new life under the Trump presidency http://aje.io/fzv2u

That's nice. I use Google Keep (on mobile) far more than I use Slides, Docs or any other apps in the office suite. Ding able to take down thoughts on the go and dragging them to a document is priceless. https://plus.google.com/+gsuite/posts/EbhYV7upJQM?_utm_source=1-2-2

It's snowing. Light big fluffy flakes. The gif (hard g ) isn't it doing it justice.

In #TrumpNation companies can lie, cheat and steal - it's just good business. #DonaldTrump's administration has decided not to enforce rules or investigate crimes committed by companies against people or e en the government itself. https://nyti.ms/2BnpdP5

Does anyone remember when being anti-fascist was a moral and ethical position to hold? Now, apparently it's fashionable to be a fascist, or at least cozy up with them. Oh how far we've come in 70 years. https://www.theguardian.com/world/2018/feb/09/california-police-white-supremacists-counter-protest

Read the article first: https://www.buzzfeed.com/davidmack/australia-is-real-i-swear A PhD instructor of an online course was dead set on failing a student because the student chose to write a report on Australia the country. Apparently, the instructor corrected her and told her Australia was a continent, not a country. The student disagreed and provided proof of her claims and yet the instructor was not swayed. So, I have to ask: is Australia a continent or a country? via Joe Lancaster

Just the other day I was talking about how SMS is the only real federated messaging service out there today. Everything else requires you and the recipient(s) to be using the same app or service. Would you give up FB Messenger or iMessage or whatever in lieu of desktop text messages? https://lifehacker.com/googles-android-messages-is-about-to-copy-imessages-bes-1822874334

So the basis of the author's opinion - and this is most definitely an opinion piece - is that a larger magazine capacity is paramount because shooting a lot preempts shooting accurately. Sure, he gives voice to "shot placement" then disregards it in favor of shooting for the sake of shooting, otherwise known as suppressive fire. What good is three extra rounds when you're not aiming? I can't find a good .45ACP vs 9mm video that I like, but the .40S&W has very similar ballistics as the .45ACP so this video should show the differences nicely: https://youtu.be/LTTDgZZZFa0 https://sofrep.com/99377/why-45acp-is-an-outdated-caliber/#disqus_thread

What was that quote ...? We were wolves once, wild and wary - then we noticed you has sofas. #Charlie

Do you sew? Have a penchant for vintage patterns or just want to work with something everyone else is ignoring? #OpenSource #sewing https://www.inquisitr.com/4345306/83500-vintage-sewing-patterns-put-on-an-online-database-from-vogue-mccalls-butterick-and-simplicity/

The #Republicans are showing their hypocritical colors, but is anyone in a red state paying attention? Also, you really should read this: https://plus.google.com/+JasonON/posts/KA5ZBQ7hMmm #TrumpNation #GOP Originally shared by Sam Moore Who took the Republicans seriously in the first place? You believed their lies? I get that there are some people that are deficit hawks, they are foolish. The people that lie about it are less foolish. Remember when Obama was in office and everyone was all like "The Republicans have gone full retard with the deficit spending rhetoric"? That's because they were agreeing with Rand Paul... there-by looking like fools. http://www.cnn.com/2018/02/08/politics/rand-paul-analysis/index.html?sr=fbCNN020818rand-paul-analysis1122PMVODtopLink

Great word. Originally shared by Eric Albin Psithurism: (noun) The sound of the leaves rustling as the wind blows through the trees.

FWIW, I had an excellent call with Seagate customer service yesterday. Seagate has discontinued as NAS service I was using to backup photos and as compensation they sent me a "free" 2TB external HDD. Well, the drive never worked. I plugged it in and Windows immediately told me there was a problem so I downloaded the Seagate self-diagnosis tools and the drive failed immediately. Running out of Warranty time I decided to call Seagate because the self-diagnosis tools gave me a different serial and model number than was stamped on the drive itself and the registration confirmation email I had received from Seagate had yet another serial and part number. The rep I got (Marcos) was extremely helpful and although I was wrong about the warranty's expiration date (I was just three days past the deadline) he honored it anyway. Anywho, I'm just passing along the good word. And here's #Rufus for no apparent reason.

Fantastic read on #TrumpNation otherwise known as rural white Christian America . You know, like the town I live in. When a 2,700-year-old book that was written by uneducated, pre-scientific people, subject to translation innumerable times, and edited with political and economic pressures from popes and kings, is given higher intellectual authority than facts arrived at from a rigorous, self-critical, constantly re-evaluating system that can and does correct mistakes, no amount of understanding, respect or evidence is going to change their minds and assuage their fears. Originally shared by iquanyin these folks are scared. apparently they dont trust their god to protect them. "Gays being allowed to marry are a threat. Blacks protesting the killing of their unarmed friends and family are a threat. Hispanics doing the cheap labor on their farms are somehow viewed a threat. The black president is a threat. Muslims are a threat. The Chinese are a threat. Women wanting to be autonomou

Does your religion forbid or restrict medical science? Originally shared by Sam Moore This is why Christians and most theists use weapons rather than scripture in the wars they start. Imagine if you will true believers charging the enemy armed only with the words their God has given them. They know in their hearts and minds just how impotent their imaginary friend is. Get the shots, don't be a fool. http://www.cnn.com/2018/02/07/health/religion-medical-treatment/index.html?sr=fbCNN020718religion-medical-treatment1250PMStory

I'm not a huge #Deadpool fan like some people but I did enjoy the movie and this one looks to up the not taking itself too seriously stakes perfectly. https://youtu.be/xZNBFcwd7zc

I did not know Richard Pryor was bisexual. Or Marlon Brando. via Mark Rushing https://www.theguardian.com/film/2018/feb/08/richard-pryor-and-marlon-brando-were-lovers-pryors-widow-confirms