No wonder President Obama recently decided to wean himself off of the Teleprompter of the United States: It was beginning to block his halo of immaculation!
(Reuters photo by Kevin Lamarque, 08/21/12)
BTW: About the photo: U.S. President Barack Obama speaks during a campaign event at Capital University in Cleveland, Ohio August 21, 2012. (REUTERS/Kevin Lamarque)
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Eons ago, before the Age of Computers (or, roughly 1975), we only needed a few passwords, called “keys” – a key for the house & car, and maybe a PO Box or Safety Deposit Box pretty much covered it. Even the Masterlock® 3-digit combination lock on your school locker probably had a keyway. And, you could always tell who had the real power by the size of the keyring tethered to their pants with a spring-loaded cable – it wasn’t the CEO, Pope, or School Superintendent… it was usually the Janitor.
Today, thanks to the overwhelming pervasiveness of computers and the interwebs, we live in a world of passwords. Just getting onto the interwebs requires one, and then it seems as if every single online store, bank, news site, sports outlet, forum, chat room, etc., ad nauseam requires at least one. Heck, even your passwords might require a password. So, it’s not surprising the most popular passwords are “123456” and “password“: Laziness aside, it’s tough coming up with one password that’s “easy for you to remember but difficult for someone else to guess“, let alone fifty or sixty.
And, once again, you can always tell who has the real power by the number of passwords they stole from that online location you entrusted with your personal information – it still isn’t the CEO, Pope, or School Superintendent… it’s now a dedicated hacker in an ex-Soviet State or Chinese university, or some kid looking for a job with Microsoft or their Uncle Sam.
However, there was a time – the halcyon days of the 1990′s – when passwords were less sophisticated and more fun: Especially, those from the myriad of internet providers anxious to sign you up to a lifetime of monthly servitude for non-stop interweb access. The most aggressive of these was AOL, who distributed their sign-up CDs like ticker tape at a parade or GSA housing loans, or the Department of Energy. Aside from the obvious benefits of the CD – signing up for AOL, and an almost limitless supply of free plastic jewel cases whether you signed up or not – there was a third benefit: The use of a pair of ordinary words in order to sign up for their service. These “password pairs” chosen by AOL and their competitors were not only cleverly entertaining but occasionally editorial (Unlike Google’s CAPTCHA, which simply uses a pair of random words to verify access… how unimaginative!)
So, without too much more unnecessary verbiage, here’s a few of my favorite “password pairs” for your entertainment (my personal favorite is “Faulty-Fealty”):
…and, here’s a few more of my favorites:
If you have a favorite of your own, send me a photo or scan of it and I’ll include it here.
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“If you believe in freedom, liberty, self-determination, free enterprise, I don’t care if you’re a Muslim, Jewish, Agnostic, Christian, gay, straight, Latino, black, white, Irish, whatever. Join us.” - Rep. Paul Ryan (R-WI), April 2009
Count me in!
(Despite the fact that I would have preferred Gov. Romney pick Senator Marco Rubio for Vice President and appoint Rep. Ryan as Secretary of the Treasury. Just sayin’)
“Thanks!” to American Glob for surfacing this quote, and…
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I freely admit I’m a creature of habit. And one of my habits is to finish a meal at my favorite Chinese buffet by reading the fortune, playing one lottery ticket with the six numbers written on the back, and then tossing out the fortune. It’s a method that’s proven remarkably consistent for me over the years – I’ve never won any money at all, period.
However, after reading the fortune from my last (tasty!) meal I immediately thought of the TEA Party:
Perhaps the TEA Party movement is evolving by working within the system to effect real change, or maybe TEA Party supporters are working so hard to avoid being bankrupted by “Hope & Change” to vigorously advocate their cause. But, on Election Day, Tuesday, November 6th, 2012, most businesses and bars are closed, so there’s no need to “row the boat” – and, plenty of time to “rock it” at the polls.
*Not that the “fortune cookie” method provides any meaningful statistical advantage of winning: Six number randomly written on a fortune are, statistically, just as random as those assigned by a “quick pick” at a convenient store. Although, Chinese food is better than convenient store fare, so perhaps I’ve won psychologically 
And while I’ve digressed… at least this time it’s in the footnote.
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The “1%” I’m applauding here is NASA, and, actually, it’s not really “1%” but more like “0.5%”: NASA currently represents only 0.40% of the US Government’s total workforce, and in 2010 used about 0.52% of the US Federal Budget.
Basically, NASA designed, built, launched, piloted, and landed the Mars Science Laboratory, named “Curiosity”: A $2.5 billion dollar, one-ton, nuclear-powered wheeled vehicle the size of a small SUV and bristling with scientific instruments on the planet Mars within 6.4 kilometers (or, 4 miles, for you traditional Scientists & Engineers) of a mountain three miles tall and 96 miles in diameter located inside the Gale Crater.
(Curiosity Lander. Photo: Dutch Slager)
The landing itself – described by NASA as “seven minutes of terror“ – involved a 1600-degree Fahrenheit atmospheric entry, the world’s largest & strongest supersonic parachute, a “sky crane”, and 76 explosive devices, and took place automatically using a plethora of sensors and micro-thrusters expertly choreographed by some incredibly smart software. It’s complexity made the landings of the Soviet Union’s “Lunokhod” lunar vehicle (1969), NASA’s Apollo 11′s Lunar Module (1969), and the Soviet Union’s “Buran” shuttle (1988) pale in comparison.
(Makes the Moon Landing look easy)
During it’s planned two-year mission, Curiosity will roam around the Martian surface, sampling and investigating its’ geology to help us understand more about Mars’ past and determine the planet’s “habitability”. However, unlike NASA’s previous solar-powered Mars Exploration Rovers “Spirit” and “Opportunity”, who each easily exceeded their 90-day design life after landing on the planet in 2004, Curiosity’s mission life will be limited by the fuel it carries on board.
Congratulations to NASA on another impressive aerospace achievement – one even more impressive considering only 30% of attempted landings on Mars have been successful.
And the most impressive part? NASA continues to provide one impressive achievement after another in spite of budget cuts – a lesson many other agencies throughout all levels of government would be wise to learn.
NASA’s website documenting Curiosity and its’ mission updates can be found here.
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The “recent”* flap about Chick-Fil-A owner Dan Cathy’s views on Same-Sex Marriage has ruffled the feathers of some who oppose his spending some of his own hard-earned money on groups who share his views, placing Mr. Cathy in a bit of hot water. And this week detractors and supporters of his views are expected to visit one or more of Chick-Fil-A’s over 1600 locations to express their sentiments – which for supporters involves ordering some (tasty!) food tomorrow, August 1st, and for detractors involves staging a “kiss-in” on Friday, August 3rd.
Now, I could write about this from a religious angle (Did you know that in the New Testament Jesus never spoke about homosexuals, but rather that we should love one another as he loves us?), or perhaps an “individual freedoms” angle (Mr. Cathy can do anything he wants with his money… just like anyone else.), or maybe a political angle (Is it proper for Mayors who could influence licensing & permitting to speak so publicly about a business?). But I figured there would be plenty of people talking up those memes on the interwebs and in the press.
So, after some thought I figured I’d take the philosophical route by remembering a quote from Buddha – who was neither a Christian nor homosexual, so I figure I’m fairly safe from protests:
Do not believe in anything simply because you have heard it.
Do not believe in anything simply because it is spoken and rumored by many.
Do not believe in anything simply because it is found written in your religious books.
Do not believe in anything merely on the authority of your teachers and elders.
Do not believe in traditions because they have been handed down for many generations.
But after observation and analysis, when you find that anything agrees with reason and is conducive to the good and benefit of one and all, then accept it and live up to it.”
- Gautama Siddharta, aka: Buddha, 563-483 B.C.
Cognizant of that quote, I contemplated some of my “Do nots”:
| I do not eat Chick-fil-A chicken because their owner’s a deeply religious family man… | …I eat it because their chicken is tender and delicious, the coleslaw is excellent, and they provide fantastic customer service. |
| I do not wear New Balance sneakers because they’re “Made in the USA“… | …I wear them because they make quality sneakers that fit my feet. |
| I do not shun coffee at places like Starbucks, Seattle’s Best, or Dunkin’ Donuts because their profit margin on coffee is “Grande”… | …it’s because I don’t drink coffee. Period. |
| I do not dislike the New York Yankees because management doesn’t put the players names on their jerseys… | …I dislike them because I grew up New England – my team is the Boston Red Sox. |
| I do not use Apple products because I’m “Anti-Microsoft“… | …I use them because they’re thoughtfully designed, easy to use, virus free, and elegant. |
| I don’t criticize President Obama because of his ethnicity, religious education, or penchant for recreational golf… | …I criticize him because of his actions and policies as President of the United States. |
| I do not avoid Disney because of their facial hair restrictions… |
…it’s because I live a lot closer to other large amusement parks. |
| I do not enjoy The Three Stooges because their boss was possessive, Jim Morrison for using illegal drugs, or Joan Crawford because of her rumored promiscuity… | …I enjoy those people for the singing or acting talents they possessed |
* Apparently, this issue has been simmering since January, 2011, after Chick-fil-A made some contributions during 2010. (and, that’s enough of the cooking references)
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