Moving pieces. Whether it’s a chessboard, monopoly, Texas Hold-Em Poker…there’s just a ton of “moving data” in the news today, so we will approach things as though back in the boardroom trying to keep a meeting on track with an agenda…
We should mention the Fed is being channeled as lowering rates, 2PM tomorrow afternoon for the announcement. Our cynical view is Trump and the Fed are over-reaching since periodic recessions are how business cycles work our their resets. Cycles assert, anyway. Only the withdrawal from a free money addiction is usally worse and more painful the longer we feed the addiction. Pass me another gallon of ink, would you?
The allergic reaction to free money is a hive called “National Debt” which is getting wholly out of hand. Remember directed economies like Russia. Zimbabwe, and Venezuela didn’t end well on the planned economy, made-up money protocol.
One born every minute, though.
Drones
As we’ve been telling you, they are becoming more of a problem almost daily. Since the drone attack on Saudi oil infrastructure, the press as gone just nuts in coverage of them as an “issue.”
Few solutions, though. Fortunately, it’s simple to fix: Make private ownership of drones (and FAA exemption from licensing of pilots) illegal for any drone capable of lifting more than 8-ounces and make the drone no-fly zones the same size as surrounding airport airspace. In major cities, ban private drone operation over 100 feet above local highest terrain elements. And ban all drone use, except commercial, licensed drones and pilots, inside controlled airspace. That would be 30-miles (at the Mode-C transponder veil line around big cities) while around small airports it would be five miles.
As any pilot will tell you, a drone can bring down an aircraft, so tougher measures are needed than what’s on the books now. Giving the government control of high-flying drones, especially those with greater-than bomb weight lift capacity, say 8 ounces, is a no-brainer, too. (Spoken as a pilot, but someone who also enjoys remote controlled vehicles.) Can the hand-wringing stop, now, please?
NY Times – the Democrat Daily?
We have on many occasions pointed out radical left-leaning content of the NY Times when it comes to political coverage. Yet they really outdid themselves in seems like another desperate left-wing attack on a balanced US Supreme Count. Even the AP reports “NY Times faces questions over Kavanaugh story…”
To be sure, some departments of the Times don’t read like Directives from the Commissariat. The NY Times Dealbook and Business sections are still worth reading, for example. But the radicalism in the body of the paper (Trump-hating, leftist spew and often on flimsy sources, and white-shaming) has become tiring.
Take, just for example, the Times coverage of “8 Years of Trump Tax Returns Are Subpoenaed by Manhattan D.A.” Key is this:
“The subpoena opens a new front in a wide-ranging effort to obtain copies of the president’s tax returns, which Mr. Trump initially said he would make public during the 2016 campaign but has since refused to disclose.”
What isn’t mentioned is that when discussing his IRS dealings, Trump has generally included a caveat that elease of his his tax data will come after all open audit questions have been resolved and the returns are “closed” by IRS. Somehow, that didn’t get mentioned.
Since income taxes are a U.S. federal matter, we expect a courthouse boondoggle as a local (Manhattan D.A.) attempts to wrest open items from the I.R.S. Except, of course, it won’t stop the New York democrat machine (and it’s daily) from trying. And who knows, with court benches still packed with Obama and Clinton appointees, no telling where this will go.
The dems (and by extension you know who) seem to think NYC is the center of the universe. But, until the Republic falls, federal rules should Trump the locals, so to speak.
Speaking of Weaponized Courts
Did you see where a “Federal judge tosses lawsuit over Southern Poverty Law Center’s hate group labels“?
In making the decision, the judge decided not to let a jury hear the case and that SHE saw the case as libel being “shoe-horned” into a Racketing Influence and Corrupt Organizations (RICO) case. This kind of decision is where “ruling from the bench” goes bad.
By doing so, the judge prevents a trial on the merits and effectively sheilds the Southern Poverty Law Center from libel. As you know, the SPLC has successfully monetized hate-labeling.
Protecting the SPLC is precisely what we’d expect from an Obama-appointee, which (try to feign surprise here) is what U.S. District Judge Amy Berman Jackson happens to be.
The Climate Scam
Latest from Axios worth a read here: “NYC says 1.1M students can skip school for climate strike protest.” This, despite a growing body of evidence that the climate models in play have very little predictive value (NY should have washed out Wall St. with rising waters long-ago, after all…). Instead, kids are being programmed by NY school radicals to believe with can write checks and take days off to fix climate issues.
Not so fast: As any thinking adult knows, especially our Peoplenomics subscribers who’ve been reading about the economic-environmental paradox as chapters of my book “The 100-year Toaster” have been rolling out, the problem is a lot more complicated than the looney left lets on. Fix the environment wrong and the global economy implodes and the Digital Dark Ages are here.
Which is where things head anyway just as soon as robots seize work. Which they will since no one will have the balls to implement our “income tax on robotics work product” anyway. Digital Dark Ages will just arrive slower.
Meanwhile, NYC kids shouldn’t get time off for brainwashing and their parents ought to get their shit together, too, and learn to think deeper and alarmist spew. Try getting their children educated, not programmed.
Possible Pandemic
As though the odds of an Ebola carrier getting on a jet and killing civilization by going to a huge mobile high-density population center with a hemorrhagic fever isn’t enough of a worry, this morning’s log-on-that-fire is about how an “Explosion rips through Russian lab housing smallpox, Ebola and plague.”
Even if that’s contained….
Will the Lights Stay On?
Not the biggest story in conventional media, but pay deep and serious to how a “Blackout hits 4 nations in Central America, affects millions.”
Mainly Honduras, but touching four nations in all, repeat after me: “Is this is grid-hack and is it a warm-up for similar attacks on U.S. infrastructure?”
Test-to-Speech (TTS) Test
As you may know, we operate a non-commercial website that
“collects breaking news” over at https://computationalfuture.com. The site now reads the news, too. You can hear it.
If you go there today, click the “Listen” button and hear the news headlines, updated every 15-minutes. While it doesn’t work with Microsoft Edge, the workaround is to play the news using Internet Explorer or other browsers (like Firefox).
I’m thinking about incorporating “click to play voice” on the UrbanSurvival, as well. Except: To do it right (so you can download an .MP3 seamlessly for later pod-play) will mean writing another monthly check.
So, my question to you is: Would more people visit UrbanSurvival if we included voice? Would you (in one of your lucid moments) download and play an auto-podcast mp3 of Urban rather than reading?
Just an idea. Eventually, ComputationalFuture becomes a Peoplenomics subscribers only site. But for now, we’re eyeing things to see what would be the best blend of good customer service on the one hand and return on investment (of time and money) on the other. I look at ROI and hate check-writing.
Also, if you’d like to keep up on UrbanSurvival posts, the sign-up for our daily emails is now open again. Right column or somewhere down the ways on phones.
Trying to manage (“right-size”) this… My main focus is Peoplenomics. And writing books.
TTS-SVIR Adventures
There are plenty of stories in my past about text-to-speech and speaker-independent-voice recognition. (SVIR)
When I was younger, mine was the first voice to ever be digitized saying those most-hated words “ Please hold. I have an important call for this number…”
This was at a then-small company in Redmond, Washington circa 1986. That company evolved first into Digital Systems International and remnants became a huge company in call management: Avaya.
Being around the databases, the programmers, and understanding the templatizing of voice and all that, I have a much different view of both privacy (there is none, but more in Peoplenomics tomorrow) and also the uses of A.I.
When dealing with “speech” and computers, the learning never stops. In fact, I got a profound lesson in Amazon speech as Elaine was returning to bed after getting up for a “rest stop” down the hall at 00:38 AM.
As she was returning, being the loving husband, I wanted to turn on a soft light for her. All I had to do was say the word “Alexa” and the blue “listening light” went on. Useful as a night light when Ure over 70 as we both are.
Elaine, not amused with my “blue light special” said something about seeing better in the dark without the light .
Someone misunderstood: Alexa didn’t hear the word “dark” correctly and thought Elaine has said “Bark.”
That’s when we discovered the command “Alexa: Bark”
Not knowing that, I’d already started reaching for one of my 9-milimeter “bedside companions” when I figured it out. There was no dog outside barking…
“Well, I’ll be damned. Let’s see if she can meow. ‘Alexa, meow…'”
Well, not only did Alexa meow on command, but if you meow back she will keep going. We did this for a while and got a good laugh about it. Again, funny when you’re in your 70’s.
“To let another cat out, just say Meow…”
Until, that is, Alexa decides that the hook is deeply-set enough to pitch you an audio add-on.
“Are you interested in buying additional cat sounds?” Alexa then tells me about the Box of Cats add-in…
Now, you know that one of the tenets of this website is that everything is a business model and it’s all over the spectrum. From the Trump organization to the SPLC to national governments…everything is a business model.
But, until early this morning – even knowing Everything’s a Business Model – I would never have believed that there was a business model that included buying assorted digitized cat meows at one-o’clock in the morning.
Yet, there was the offer. Evidence that there are too many people in the world. Result? Ever more bizarre and unique selling propositions as the world attempts to “make up an economy” at break-neck speed as humans try to outrun its eventual agar dish problems.
“Alex, say good night…”
“Good night, sleep tight….”.
Write when you beam up,
george@ure.net
Text to speech is OK for reading a book or a news story. But the actual reading of the words of US or PN is necessary to bring the brain into action & not get lost forcing a rewinding to hear again. I, probably, would not listen to audio.
If it was in a video format, explaining what is said, like an investment video, I would download. You could have both you & Elaine, in a split screen, do the video to draw a larger audience.
They’d all come to look at Elaine, though…miss my stuff completely then…
I’m a reader by nature, and don’t follow podcasts, as I like to have music in the background as I read (most times.) So I wouldn’t benefit from it, but others might.
Thanks for all you do.
Ditto on the not listening to your written musings. Complex material needs careful scrutiny and thought as one reads and digests.
I took speed reading in college and the sponsors touted quicker textbook reads. But they forgot that it was not the reading that got good grades it is the learning that must occur.
Yo G,
Things are so FUBAR in financial markets today that the NY FED has just announce the return-opening of the REPO market..again..1st time in 10 yrs! The IOER (rate FED pays ON Excess Reserves)
IOER is/was supposed to be the Rate ceiling..NOPE! Effective FED Funds Rate has been trading ABOVE IOER.
E.F.F.R. is supposed to be Rate Floor..rutrow & Oil Derivatives R blowing up..one of the most crowded trades on the “Street” – Short Oil..double rutrow. Prolly take about 5-7 more business days before “those” issues hit the “Street”.
Good news is looks like this Deplorable will have new, cheap source of desert glass for Christmas ornament making..oh joy!
Rumored F35’s outta Israhell in the Saudi Oil Field/Infrastructure attacks in conjunction with AnsarAllah military ops just raised the odds a wee bit..talk about “stained” glass..
I wonder if counter-parties are spitting the bit on Deutsche Bank ……
George…You said…”Make private ownership of drones (and FAA exemption from licensing of pilots) illegal for any drone capable of lifting more than 8-ounces and make the drone no-fly zones the same size as surrounding airport airspace. In major cities, ban private drone operation over 100 feet above local highest terrain elements.”
So, it’s ok to make drones illegal that you deem unnecessary and potentially dangerous due to the assumption that those type of drones owned by a crazy person, that can carry more than 8 ounces could be equipped with explosives….BUT it’s not OK to make assault weapons illegal due to the assumption that those types of weapons owned by a crazy person could be used to maim innocent people in a mass shooting?
They are both the same issue.
Get back to me when you can personally assure me MS-13 has no assault weps.
For crying out loud – want the good guys all to get shot, do you?>
No, George, Mark just wants an adult’s attention (namely you). As in “wah-wah”. He still hasn’t grasped the fact that Trump won and Hitlery DIDN’T!
Perhaps you and M____ differ on your perception of good guys vs bad guys. MS-13 is believed to be a D subcontractor, which in M____’s universe, might make them good guys.
George, the tech is out there! Any determined person today can build a drone or a fully automatic weapon with relatively common tools, materials and supplies. Laws give LE teeth after the fact, but like the war on drugs, only the casual users will be deterred. It’s better to create defenses at this point and motivate people to better things. I don’t condone unsafe operations of any device, but there are legitimate uses for drones within the first 100′ AGL within the ATA’s. Any drone that doesn’t have a service ceiling of at least 7500 feet MSL would be worthless where I live. The railroad and pipelines near me are already using drones to check their facilities and there are warnings on the sectional charts. Ranchers and property owners legitimately use drones for observation and surveillance. Licensing, certification, and recurrency in aviation today is already such a burden that many choose to let their credentials lapse and drop an important aspect of their lives. We’re both pilots and this is just my perspective. Drones can be dangerous, but so are birds, and we don’t license or prohibit birds.
We only get to have those freedoms that we accord to others.
Yeah, ‘spose Ure right. Soon, my 3D printer, lathe, casting gear, and milling machine will all have to be registered with BATF i suppose/. Because with a large-enough brain they could be repurposed….best get one with a bigger build platform while we can and lots of ABS spools…
George, I get it, but the many recent mass shootings weren’t MS-13 related. I have never understood that if we know MS13 exists, then why can’t they be located, arrested, and guns, drugs and confiscated? We have satellites that can locate the Taliban in remote caves in Afghanistan, but not street roaming gang members in our own cities? It doesn’t seem that hard.
One upscale community here in the Silicon Valley got tired of a bridge being tagged by outside gang members…so after re-painting over the tags over and over, they finally set up their own watch and when they saw the gang members coming back to re-tag, they pelted them with indelible ink filled paint balls guns. Of course, this type of vigilante-ism is not condoned and the vigilantes were coincidentally never identified, but the perps were when police saw kids with discolored marks on the faces and bodies.
But…unfortunately, the story stops there. Neighbors were upset that the Police were unable to use the kids to locate the source and dealings of the gang leaders. Or….were they? How many law enforcement officials are on the payroll of the gangs…a give and take arrangement that allows drugs freely being sold in return for no violence?
You have to ask the democrat mayors of big cities about that
Just so you have a good understanding mark we have satellites that can take a picture of you tinkling in the back yard and give an accurate description and size of the unit being used.
It’s the other stuff involved with it. Directional .. google earth already has it do you can take a leisurely drive down most streets in the city then tour the buildings in the neighborhood.
Theres good and bad about that capability.. sales sell a home give a virtual tour to wanna be purchasers.. bad a burger now knows the layout access points weak spots..
I tell everyone renting the first thing you do is beef up security change the locks out the old one away to be reinstalled later..put in video surveillance.. it’s the best money you’ll ever spend.
NOT the same issue, but you always try that. Last time you tried comparing cars to guns.
do ya see the turn outs for Trumps rallies, he is going to WIN , best stock up on zanex
I dont like people who want to declaw their cats, then put them outside to compete with feral cats with claws.
seems like the democrats and rinos want to make US like china
why you so worried about Trumps taxes, you should be on the war path to eliminate all personal income tax,,, it is outright slavery,, you are fighting for them not us
Darrell, When it comes to taxes, I am a flat tax advocate. If we need services…like education, infrastructure , law enforcement etc…then we need taxes…but only taxes that are fair to all. Yes, it would eliminate nearly 1.3 million tax accountant jobs…but my guess, it would be a lot easier to re-train already education rich accountants than it would most other people we are trying to re-train out of coal, and heavy industry.
And yes..guns, cars, drones are the same and need the same type of regulation. They al potentially have the ability to kill people if the user is unfit to be behind the trigger, wheel or controller,
To illustrate a point about the 2nd amendment: Does right to bear arms include being able to enrich weapons grade uranium? I mean, that one requires some thought…
AMEN to that brother…Semper Fi
“When it comes to taxes, I am a flat tax advocate. ”
Me too.. take the national poverty level as a base and the standard personal deduction as the only deductions. Then flat tax the rest. A company that makes money in the us no matter where their headquarters is pays a tax on every dollar made in the us. Tax all incoming goods and services.
“Does right to bear arms include being able to enrich weapons grade uranium?”
Wow George….
Now that’s a deep thought ethics debate conversation piece… similar to self thinking robotic war machines…
Now I have to watch the syfy movie the terminator lol
The right to bear arms has never been interpreted as a right to bear those munitions and substances classified as “destructive devices”. And BATF is the arbiter what falls under that category, with one exception, the DOE still regulates nukes, I believe.
“They al potentially have the ability to kill people if the user is unfit to be behind the trigger, wheel or controller,”
Lol lol.. now I wonder if they would have to control urine dispersion..since you can make a pretty powerful weapon out of it lol lol lol..
Anything and I mean anything can be used to do harm if it’s not used properly or used maliciously by some rotten individual.
What we need is less influencing television programming and less violent games along with more adult guidance of our children.
Allow a living wage to be earned so a parent can have the option of staying home with children. Rather than letting the criminal element raise our children
Of course it does, but nowhere in the Constitution is a requirement for treatment for acute or terminal radiation poisoning. It’d take 20 years of lethal exposure for the dedicated backyard hobbyist to glean enough fissionable material to build even the smallest of bombs, during which time, a portion of the refined product would decay, requiring ever more time.
The deal with any WMD is they have no practical use for anyone smaller than a State player (like North Korea.) The breathtaking expense and frightful danger from accident don’t justify Uncle Clem, building one out in the woodshed. Much more damage can be wrought from 20 years of asymmetrical guerilla fighting than could ever be done by a pocket nuke, and unlike nerve or bioagents, there’s no chance Guerilla Clem will breathe the wrong air or drink the wrong water and off himself.
Paul Allen’s submarine was an Ex-Mil diesel, but I believe Bill Gates’ submarine is nuclear… Interestingly, a q&d Googl search turned up no mention, yet I recall Gates receiving an exemption from DOE and the NRC so’s he could plunk down $125 mil to purchase it.
“It’d take 20 years of lethal exposure for the dedicated backyard hobbyist to glean enough fissionable material”
Ray…I read an official type report. back in the early seventies a young 14 year old kid was curious about nuclear fission.. a little more inquisitive and pretty much an outsider decided to check it out lol..
He built a breeder reactor in his dad’s garden shed.. when it got away from him he didnt know what to do and called for help.. they had to shut down three city blocks lol..
I enjoyed that one.. mostly because I to was an inquisitive bookworm as a kid to and made the coolest thing out of vegitable mold.. went to show my mom what i did .beautiful bloom ..blew on it like a dandelion that’s gone to seed..it landed on the cat the cat went into convulsions and died my mom freaked out took my official jr. Scientist kit away and I was in trouble I was never allowed to do any experiments after that.
Kind of like when I showed the grandkids how to make lava with the sun.. I thought heck what could go wrong.. excuse me they went ape.. melting gummy worms cans .. I freaked out they’ll burn the house down.. no more showing them that stuff lol lol
Now I show them safer things. Except an ornathopter.. I wont do that one again either dam thing flew so good thenanded on a building where the ledge was two feet higher than my ladder. I got it down but it was pretty iffy for a bit
https://www.google.com/amp/s/relay.nationalgeographic.com/proxy/distribution/public/amp/news/2015/07/150726-nuclear-reactor-fusion-science-kid-ngbooktalk
This isn’t the same kid I read a report on but it’s on the same principle..
I personally won’t share what I know about things that could be used wrong.. they ask me and will usually get an ethics debate.. if they want to know anything about a subject I find questionable..they can learn it for themselves.. scientist of the past regretted sharing those things.. and I have a conscience..
Yeah, LOOB, but where did he get the uranium to breed?
It don’t exactly grow on trees, y’know.
Dad gave me a piece of uranium when I was about 9-10. It was a 2″ geo sample core about 6″ long. He had a bunch of friends in a bunch of industries. That core came from the Keweenaw Peninsula in Northern Michigan, which was the source for much of our uranium and copper until about WW-II. That sample would (slowly) tick over a rad counter (about as much as a radium watch dial), but was smattered with milky quartz and came out of what was considered a “dead prospect.” The geologist who gave it to Dad told him that ore with a higher uranium content would not have been allowed out of the area. IMO it would take boxcars of that low-grade ore, and many man-centuries, to find enough uranium to even begin to refine it, let alone acquire enough to fuel a breeder reactor.
‘Made my junior-high rock and mineral collection stand out from those of the other kids, though…
Mark.. I’m totally with George on the drone issue…I think they should file a flight plan to.. my reasoning..
Forget the assault weapon..
https://youtu.be/TedKIlo0c04
Now imagine… let’s say for arguement sake that the Islamic terrorist leaders that openly said they would use the refugees running for their lives away from the radicals of their faith as a trojan horse is true. With The democratic parties insistence that illegal refugees should be allowed open border crossing let’s say a thousand made it..
We already know they have enough money through various sources..
Let’s say theres a thousand drones capable to fly long distances bought by them. With remote control package drop systems..the cost about ten grand.. make it a multi drop delivery system. instead of a gun .. put viles of a contagion..let’s say CRE or pick which one you want.. drop one over a school playground(they always use children because children and women are of no value kids touch everything spread it from one to another like a forest fire ) a small shopping center on wall street anywhere where theres a lot of foot traffic. Even if you dont touch it you carry it on your shoes.. hit a fountain or food court.. waitress will bitch wipe it up then go to the next table.. people touch things..their faces.. how many hundreds of times an hour ..
You catch it but dont know you have it..that’s why thirty percent have it and spread it and are usually healthcare workers..you dont know you have it till your immune system is compromised..
That’s also a good reason to clean up the filthy streets in san fran..place porta potties out long the side walks..showers etc.
A thousand each with 20 viles could be devastating.
I worked in one place that had a serious problem a very contagious problem was going from room to room spreading.. they couldn’t figure out how.. cdc was there everyone..they had installed carpets..it was in the carpet and people walked from one room to another..I always changed showered and all clothes washed in bleach water..
I never went from one facility to another without changing.
On Trump taxes…what also isn’t mentioned…is that it doesn’t take three years to audit someone in the age of digital accounting. Unless Trumps accountants are using the abacus/feather ink and book ledger method of keeping the books, tracking Trumps finances shouldn’t take that long….unless, Trumps people are purposefully delaying the process…which is probably the case.
They have subpoenaed his taxes…because they know…as does everyone else in New York knows that Trump is a fraud and they are tired of this guy getting away with it. Reports in New York say that maybe he is worth less than $225 million…still a substantial amount, but way, way off the $6-10 billion he told everyone during his campaign. He is worth 1/50th of that. His debt? That’s another matter…it;s not how much debt…it’s who he owes it to that could land him in the pokey.
Listen…never before in the history of politics has a man been so hated and reviled like Trump. Outside of genocidal dictators, Trumps short reign is unprecedented. Most he does to himself…but it’s his past history of corruption, bankruptcies, mob ties, prostitution, disregard for the law and rules as it related to local building codes and permits.
All this adds up to his finances…the hush money wasn’t just for porn stars…there was money under the table for just about every deal he did due to his bad credit and it’s the source of that money the D.A is after. He knows…He just needs the records.
Taxes are a federal matter so the D.A. is off-base trying what comes down to a lefty NYC hate crime.
“never before in the history of politics has a man been so hated and reviled like Trump” – you must have missed the Obama years… The only difference is a leftist media which shouts it from the rooftops daily.
Junior varsity economics for eight years.
Worst ever recovery from recession.
Every fifteen minutes…
@ markx
I think Trump is hated because of his FAITH and his constant referal to GOD….and that HE is an outsider ‘upsetting the apple cart’…and will not bend a knee to their ‘masters.. ( I hope he ‘stiffs’ rothchild for his loans)…….that is why the’ lefties’ hate him..YOUR hatred for him…might it stem from your love of the RINO’s in your ‘party’….since Trump is not a ‘ Party Player’……
It can easily take more than three years to complete an audit. You obviously have never dealt professionally with the IRS. First off, they have 3 years to commence an audit (even more if fraud or substantial understatement) and then it can easily stretch out 3 years past that. I speak of this from professional experience.
I assume Trump has multiple entities (which are just plain good for business, financing, asset protection, tax and estate planning purposes) and each of those entities are probably separate taxable entities, or they are flow through entities. Then there are carry-backs and carry-forwards, basis issues, valuation issues, and with real estate different levels of depreciation (component and building) and different levels of financing arrangements.
Then, I am sure he has royalties and other sources of income and believe it or not those Payors don’t always report on time or correctly, resulting in amendments and other complications.
Bottom line is wealthy and complicated returns (which doesn’t mean shady) aren’t helped a whole lot by the new improved digital age. You still have eyes on Revenue Agents (who frankly are in short supply due to IRS cutbacks) who have to work through the returns – and all the returns flowing into the returns, which can include multiple layers, and then pull in specialists from other IRS groups such as International, Financial Services, heck even the DOJ to assess whether they want to challenge a specific tax position, i.e., assess litigation risk (and that is just on the civil side).
You are dead wrong about his tax situation. I would fight tooth and nail an obvious fishing expedition by New York. You still have to have a reasonable basis for such a subpoena – not just a “He knows…He just needs the records.”
Thanks – nice to hear from another one competent in the understanding of taxplexity!
Thankfully I’m the cat fish at the bottom of the barrel and would rather pay more tax then take a chance of making a questionable mistake.( I wouldn’t be able to afford to contest it )
But I have a friend that made a simple mistake. They called him in for an audit.. he stopped by afterwards white as a ghost … where he says.. whatever you do .. ever.. is if they call you in and they make you mad…never…NEVER …tell them…. oh you can just SUCK WALLEY ..
..
I totally believe that was really good advice that he gave lol lol lol
“Alexa, make farting sounds.”
FWIW: I am NOT interested in text-to-speech.
Also no interest
Ditto
I don’t do videos or text to speech, so I would not use that feature
Just wondering whether there are any stats on self-employed or independent contractors. Many of my daughter’s friends are not conventionally employed but they are working, mostly in entertainment fields.
I was just wondering whether there are stats on self-employment or independent contractors. Many of my daughter’s friends are not conventionally employed but are working. Do job creation numbers reflect this trend?
George
“Explosion rips through Russian lab housing smallpox, Ebola and plague.”
Very worrisome!
What do you have in a lab that can produce an explosion?
Possibly some gas canisters or possibly some warheads your trying to insert biological materials into for dispersal over enemy territory.
Either way it’s bad news for humanity if those bugs get loose!
This is only a few weeks after a top secret nuclear rocket motor was outed with a massive radioactive explosion. Strange events such as nuclear subs sinking also. If I was conspiracy minded, I’d find such things to possibly be possibly indicative of a covert war to which Russia is either a party or victim.
Our country has seen some of this too, though with widely spaced events over time and locale. And let’s not forget the Tianjin episode a few years ago. All deniable, yet circumstantial.
There’s a game afoot perhaps, and there’s yet to be an announcement.
That sub didn’t sink, it burned, and I still believe, based on what little I could actually find out, that they were testing either a stealth system or (more likely) an experimental weapons platform — There’s no other reason for scientists AND so much Russian brass to have been on-board. What I don’t understand about either of my hypotheses is why would they have that much brass at an alpha test?
What do you have in a lab that can produce an explosion?
Oxygen… and anything else.
Saddam Hussein’s military didn’t have any trouble stuffing warheads with sarin and mustard, and Hussein himself (an actual scientist before he began engaging in assassination for fun & profit) was one of the world’s foremost authorities on both anthrax and ebola. If he could load castoff American and Soviet missiles with nerve and bio agents in the 1980s, I can’t imagine that Russians with latest-gen missiles and tech would have any issues…
No, while it could’ve been a “double oh seven” op at a lab trying to build a bug without an antidote, I believe this is just an isolated incident at a generic livestock-research biolab, that the Western “Press” ran with because they could make it sound scary and sell copy.
Bugs and nerve agents are incredibly catholic in their action and bugs are really only useful as doomsday weapons. BTW one thing Mr. Hussein accomplished after becoming the Iraqi leader was perfect a delivery system for anthrax (dunno if it could work with other bioagents) which would pass it transparently through NBC sealed doors and “bunny suits.” I’m assuming, since Hussein did it, demonstrating that it was possible, the 20 or so most-militarized nations have all spent some time, reversing his experimentation.
How’s THAT for an unsettling thought…?
This past weekend at the weekly family dinner we were sitting over our desert and discussing the standard issues around here. Nurse Practitioner daughter was there with her husband and their 5 kids, all of which are under 8 years old. Long story that one.
Anyway while talking, son in law made a somewhat odd statement and asked my opinion that caused everyone to turn and look at me expecting my usual intelligent and thoughtful response. It was at this very moment Alexa let loose one of the longest, loudest most well-modulated farts I have ever heard. I have no doubt it could have been heard across the county road. It was worthy of an Academy Award for sound effects. If the Zon should offer a digitized version of it I would certainly pay for it. The entire gathering was immediately engulfed in hysterical laughing. I was immediately accused of causing Alexa to do it. Both unjustly and unfairly I might add. An investigation found the oldest grandson hiding behind my easy chair where Alexa resides on the nearby side table. He had snuck in there and cranked Alexa’s volume up and said, “Alexa, make farting sounds.” This naturally led to the other 4 munchkins to gather around her to tell her to make farting noises over and over again. She has quite the repertoire by the way.
I am still considered an accomplice even though grandson exonerated me during questioning.
73
Like the headers on each area. Divides it up much better.
Looks better.
Did you guys read about the home defenders in Georgia? Basically, three criminals were out robbing people on front lawns and lost control. The started up the area and at a certain point someone in the house popped-out the front door with a so-called “assault rifle” and took total control.
This type of crime happens a lot in Detroit – people get robbed/mugged in their own backyards (including a couple of judges). Probably a result of the commercial districts going full surveillance/facial recognition.
“”It was five shots, and then it sounded like a handgun. Then I heard somebody have an assault rifle. And it was a slew of shots that came out,” neighbor Carlos Watson told the station.”
https://www.yahoo.com/gma/homeowner-shoots-kills-3-masked-men-possible-stand-181100245–abc-news-topstories.html
if i can not read it i move on to somewhere else. the media in general is dumbing down the younger generations (am 65) with no way to stop and look up a word that is unfamiliar. and the vocabulary of the news readers is decreasing. i have fun with kids i am in contact with by using polysyllabics and then using their phones to demonstrate how to look up words and synonyms, etc.
while typing this comment the spellchecker (i think) highlighted 3 words and “suggested” shorter, simpler words!!!
in short, stay with written word.
The attack on the Saudi’s oil fields is a trap designed to pull the US into a military response. Undoubtly, they have multiple worldwide plans of retaliation ready to go in response to a US military attack. Prepare to duck because it is coming to your front door.
The Muslims have united to start the Islamic Apocalyspe to destroy the US, Christianity, & Israel. The just need Trump to pull the trigger. Bye the bye, this will not be good for the stock market.
Uncle George,
U do realize your Cognitive Dissonance is glaringly apparent regards $$ printing and the HARDEST Money on the planet – Bitcoin? Said to be scarcer than Gold and Silver..
No Matta, cause its all going to go Splatta..in about 9 years anyway.
Apophis Comes..yes its visible already.
? Where the hell is Krsna ..
“whenever dharma declines and the purpose of life forgotten, I manifest myself on Earth. I am born in every age to protect the good, to destroy evil, and to reestablish dharma” -Bhagavad Gita
Trump = “good”
Clinton = “evil”
Got BTC’s ?
I’m not interested in text-to-speech. Not enough time even when reading, retired life, y’know.
Ye Gads! Audio ‘Spam-hustles’ at 1:00am? Are there any other reasons to NOT have one of these audio-snoops in the house? I’ll turn on my own lights, thank you.
And George… BLUE is the WORST color ‘night-light’ you can have. It is painful to the eyes as it kills melatonin in your body and resets your sleep cycle. Elaine is right… NO light is better than a Blue light. Red or Amber preserves night vision… but you knew that.
Yes, I did/do. But what comes clear in the works on building a breastplate of Aaron out of LEDs and the speed crown (parts delayed, dag-nabbit) is the differential between frequencies (light in nm) causes a kind of vortex….heterodyne Ure head, to new frequencies.
“Alex, meow for Hank…”
I have a green conure parrot…. he repeats enough of what I say, but I haven’t caught him reporting me to google yet.
FWIW- I agree with comments about reading and thinking here. And HOW ya gonna audio-digitize your charts?? No… text-to-speech does not interest me, either. Save your check-writing hand.
What happened to urbansurvival.com
huh?
Urban Survival in text to speech mode? Does this mean an end to the constant confusing typos??
I’m in.!!!
Michael sits in jail (because he got caught lying for Trump), Stormy (threatened in a parking lot) and Kathy remember the salacious tidbits of ‘campaign finance chess’
https://www.apnews.com/7b2fa6c0100a4d5cb58128676e4adbbe
Trump’s accounting firm will fully comply (better than ending up where Michael is):
https://www.theguardian.com/us-news/2019/sep/16/trump-tax-returns-new-york-subpoena
oops can’t post this, too factual for the Deep Denial State
Jon, you’re a petulant child, and a coward.
Why don’t you go spam Koz, since you spend most of your time there…?
Offtopic, but two tools I meant to post the other day for Rocket Mike:
https://reviewmeta.com/
https://octopart.com/
Thanks again!
George, just a thought on text to speech. I’m sure there must be an app for Android and I-whatever that does TTS. Some readers could do that, I suppose. Another option might be to have TTS as an app on your computer and just feed it to produce an MP3 that readers could download from this site(or possibly PN). It would probably provide some percentage of the written value for the readership. IMHO, the only time such things would make sense are to toss onto a flash drive and listen while driving somewhere. I can’t see value in doing anything that will increase your costs or effort beyond perhaps a bit of extra bandwidth.
What would be amusing is how TTS parses typos! Personally, I’ll just stick to written words and the attention that they deserve.
Auto correct and speech to text both are wonderful tools.. I use them all the time. My complaint is I’m always seeing words or phrases that have been generated that come out of auto text that make me wonder if I sd should use it.. or better yet I should take more time and pre read what I’ve written
Yeh,,, no to podcast video style, I’ve tried to handle it but it just does not work for Me.
“”Fix the environment wrong and the global economy implodes and the Digital Dark Ages are here.””
Now.. as a debate position.. I already think mankind has reached the tipping point. It’s a natural cycle it was going to happen anyway. Seven plus billion people and their actions does have an affect but not the sole reason we should be making changes now that we know.. Dumping money in to it is just some greedy bastard wanting more. It’s going to happen and mankind d is on the target list for extinction this time around. But…
If we can’t “Fix the environment right then the global economy will implode and the Digital Dark Ages will be here.
https://youtu.be/zORv8wwiadQ
https://youtu.be/y2euBvdP28c
Now..I’ve read a lot of the reports both positive and negative. Visited with scientists that are working in the field.. debated with acquaintances both sides of the debate.
I think any carbon tax is a waste and only dreamed up so some greedy bastard can get richer from it. I believe to make lasting changes in the event mankind survives this next extinction event so that they will have a fighting chance.. that we need to alter our direction for all future construction. putting fart bags on cows is about as stupid as flinging mirrors in space to direct sunlight away from the earth.. lol lol I laughed so hard I had coffee come out of my nose on that one..
I definitely vote for reading rather than listening!! Plus, reading is far faster than listening to verbal transcriptions. I would not spend time listening to the audios.