Jasonisms

 Let me start by saying 2-factor authorization is a good idea. In fact, it's a great idea for security, especially if your computer or password is compromised. That being said, Google recently announced that it would automatically enroll everyone into 2-factor authorization, whether they want to be or not.  Now, I understand Google probably has metrics on the back end showing how many accounts are compromised and how often, but to auto-enroll people into a program they may not even understand isn't the way to make things safer overall.  Education is the best way to make the internet and e/Gmail accounts more secure. Strong passwords, not using the same password in multiple locations, using a VPN when out and about, etc. Forcing people - people like my mom or someone who only has a Gmail account because they have an Android phone - to use a service that requires their phone be by their side at all times does a disservice to everyone - everyone except Google themselves. Wha...

8 months ago Don't worry, I'm not going to post a picture of my mug on here, but I wanted to tell this story because it caught me off guard and that so rarely happens.  This morning at the gym, I was relaxing in the hot tub, letting the hot (okay, warm) water relax my muscles after a moderately intensive workout. Sometimes I enjoy a light workout, sometimes a very intense once, but this morning I just wasn't feeling it, so I met somewhere in the middle, which is far more often than I want to admit out loud.  I was sitting in the corner, like I always do, watching a YouTube on the origins of Hallowe'en  (some of which I disagree with on technical aspects and some of which I found thought provoking) when a younger woman enters the hot tub. I hadn't seen her at the gym before and definitely hadn't seen her in the hot tub before this morning, so I thought perhaps she was new to this particular gym. I said, "Hi," and she took the corner across from me, abou...

 I just read this article - or, slideshow to be precise - about how to get a telemarketer to stop calling you and it rings absolutely true. I know this for a fact, not because I was once a telemarketer, but I did work for a company that made outgoing sales calls (under the guise of customer service follow-up) and we did all of the things outlined in this slideshow and more.  Since I will be spilling the beans, as it were, I'll use a pseudonym for the company I worked for in this capacity. Let's call it ... Laughing, Inc.  Laughing, Inc. operated a website and spent millions of dollars a year driving consumer engagement to their site. Once there, the site would walk you through a litany of options and would connect you to a service provider. Wham! Bam! Thank you, Ma'am. The system was not perfect - far less perfect than Laughing, Inc. would acknowledge publicly - and about 20% of the connections the website made were failed attempts. (That's a whole other story) My depa...

As I get older - as I'm sure happens with everyone wiser than a pogo stick - I regret more the risks not taken due to shyness (when I was a kid and teenager, ending somewhere in my late 20s) and low self-esteem.  RIP

The racists who make up MAGA love showing their racism whenever they get a chance, then they'll deny being a racist. It would be funny-sad if it weren't true 

I pulled into Parker, CO yesterday and when I tried to pass through Mainstreet the road was blocked off. Turns out there was some sort of classic car show going on and I was there a mere half hour before it finished. All I brought was my cell phone (Samsung Galaxy S22 Ultra) and I was able to grab a handful of shots, most of which weren't very good. Either people were in the photo or the hoods to the vehicles were open or, as in most cases, sheets of paper on the windshields as you can see in he truck photo below. Photos edited with Snapseed.

Funny how that happens, isn't it? The Right was in fear of AIDS because it spread amongst the gay community first, then fast-forward and they ignored Covid-19 because it spread among our largest (liberal) cities first. Now that Covid-19 is tearing apart the heartland their cognitive dissonance won't allow them to vaccinate or wear a mask. They'd rather see people die horribly painful deaths than take the slightest precautions because of some perceived loss of freedoms. 

Literally watched a woman walk up to this water fountain and try to fill her water bottle. Um, did she not see the sign? Not making a sarcastic comment about attention to detail or being able to read was possibly the hardest thing I did today.

Yesterday I stepped into a pet food store to purchase a couple of treats for my mechanic's dogs. I always try and remember to being something when I know Im going there. This particular pet food store has been around for decades and when I lived in the area, more than four years ago, I shopped there occasionally. (The woman I lived with was more interested in supporting this woman-owned local business than I was.) I stopped in this store 9 months to a year ago to purchase a couple of treats and the owner told me I couldn't use a card unless I spent a minimal amount. As this is a standard practice with some small businesses since Visa takes a huge percentage,  I normally don't mind paying cash when I can to help small businesses avoid the extra costs and boost their profits,  but I didn't have cash on  me.  That being said,  I didn't need a minimum amount, I needed two pigs ears for $1.50/ea. When I explained this to the owner she told me that's their policy, so ...

Great sunset tonight that I almost missed if not for trying to get a photo of a rainbow to the east. Glad I had a chance to see this sky spectical in all its glory. These are straight out of the camera, no post editing at all. 

Colorado, 1862  A couple of months ago a friend of mine who was involved with a political fundraising event, asked me to put together a piece of artwork that could go to auction. Sure, I said, as it sounded like a good idea. The problem is, I don't have the equipment to put together the piece I wanted to make. In years past, I used a maker's space's equipment but hadn't been back to the that maker's space since a couple of years before Covid-19 shut the world down.  But, we persevere.  I took out some old supplies that I had in my storage unit and contacted the maker's space. They had purchased some new equipment they were prioritizing over their older equipment that was collecting dust in the corner.  They allowed people to come in and work on this equipment in one hour increments and then did little to no help with setup or figuring out the proper settings. And with barely an hour, I didn't have time to do a test piece, so we ran the project through the eq...

I'm fairly certain Google hasn't touched this app/service since before I stopped using it regularly (if I ever did - it's really not good for mobile quick blogging like Google+ was). However, there still doesn't seem to be a good open alternative. Many are closed gardens or they're just not in line with my needs... or, they're a Facebook property and due to Facebok, er, Meta sucking, I won't use their services. I won't even have them on my devices.  Anywho, this is the first post to Blogger from my new Android and it's working fairly smoothly, even if it's not convenient. I really would like a quick-post widget or the ability to share a photo from Photos rather than having to come to Blogger and find the photo to share.