NASA and Quarantine

A couple of things in the news today sparked my interest and gained my attention. One was NASA and the LCROSS project and the other is the MASS state reps and their quarantine bill.

First up NASA.

NASA Moon Bomb

Today NASA tested crashed, yes crashed! On purpose, one rocket and one satellite into the moon. The LCROSS project is designed to determine if there is water present on the moon. Slamming rockets into the moon will generate moon dust NASA hopes to analyze.

What the fluck? When I first heard and read this I thought you got to be kidding, is it April Fools Day the second! Let me see, crash rockets into the moon to see if there’s water? Brilliant idea! Dam the torpedoes, full speed ahead. This has got to be the stupidest idea from NASA yet.

Poor Mr Man in the Moon

Here’s a simple idea, if you want to know if there’ water, I don’t know, how about returning to the moon and test the soil or something. The moon has been there since the beginning of time. Do you think that they know whether or not the moon will be adversely affected? They don’t.

This is another example of too much time on your hands with the difference being our taxpayer money. 45 million Americans are without health-care and we’re test-crashing rockets into the moon. Nice way to spend taxpayer money.

Next up are the state of Massachusetts State Representatives and the recently passed quarantine bill. The state can now force you into quarantine and also force you to get the swine flu shot. Supposedly for the greater good and to stop the pandemic. The only “Pandemic” I see are people’s fears taking over. Public Health people are becoming zealots in their desire to control us from ourselves.

It’s another example of government crossing the line and stepping into the Big Brother zone. This “idea” reminds me of the movie Outbreak. Have you seen it? Confine people to a town and then bomb it to hell for the sake of humanity. I ask, after we quarantine those people, are we going to burn them too? Can we quarantine stupid people also? My first pick will be that any politician who dreams up useless legislation be BANNED IN BOSTON!

We're Watching You

I have to remind my self that no more posting before I have my first cup of Java.

Are you on Facebook?

Social Media

In the last few years the use of social media mediums has increased at an incredible rate. Facebook (over 300 million users), MySpace (250 million) Twitter (18 million), LinkedIn (43 million), are just a few.

When I first heard of these mediums I couldn’t grasp the hysteria behind them. Like many “pre” middle-aged adults I thought the various forms of Social Media were for the younger generation and not geared to mine. Whenever I heard someone mention these sites, my thoughts bounced around from amusement to abject ignorance. Why would a grown adult want to have a page?

Fast-forward a few years. A friend asked me was I on Facebook? I emphatically answered no. He went on about meeting up with old friends and family members that he hadn’t been in contact with for many years. I blew him off with the standard “too mature routine”.

Later on that night, while surfing the net, I came upon the Facebook logo and thought what the h-e-double hockey sticks, so I clicked on. Followed the directions and BAM! , I’m now officially with a Facebook page.

Pretty soon I was grasped with FB fever. Uploading pictures, contacting people, and spending many hours logged in. I enjoyed catching up with people and all the nostalgia that comes with it.

From FB, I was soon blogging on Blogger and WordPress (3 in total), tweeting on Twitter (2 accounts) and bookmarking on Delicious. I love it. I joined many others, some of which I can’t remember the name or the password that I used to sign up. No matter. There are more out there to join. Blip.fm, Twone, Hub Pages. Social Media was becoming my drug of choice and I couldn’t get enough. I sometimes think I’ve still haven’t come down from the high. I’m floating amongst the clouds of social networking.

Now I’ll admit it’s a little narcissistic. It’s too easy to get caught up with how many “friends” you have, how many followers, was your tweet re-tweeted, or how many RSS subscribers does your blog have. Numbers over substance, it’s the American way.

We now have “experts/snobs” who will gladly guide you to the promise land of more followers, more re-tweets, bookmarks, comments etc. Social Media people who use their infinite wisdom to teach the rest of us how to survive in a digital world. 5 ways to do something, 6 things not to do, 7 tips to follow… Well, you get the point.

My favorite is the “how to make money” blogger. This individual is quite successful in what they do. Their sites are full of advice on how to make the Benjamin’s. Informative, somewhat creative, and always friendly they will guide you on how to make it. To me, they are nothing more than savvy sales people who pitch “get rich with my advice”, advice. The fact they all seem to omit is that they make their money off of your basic dream/greed of striking it rich. Snake-oil salesmen of the digital world. No better than the people you see in those infomercials on late night T.V.

Now I don’t want to give you the impression that making money is a bad thing. Not at all. I’m an American dam it and I sho’ do love the dead presidents. Just give me some substance other than a sales pitch. Even if it’s your opinion on something going on in the world.

The bloggers and Tweeters I do follow are the ones who open up and be themselves. Whether it’s simply a blog on their life experiences, aspiring writers practicing their trade, political opinions (guilty pleasure) or the myriad of topics covered only by peoples imagination. If it’s interesting I want to listen to you.

So my advice to you is simple. Be yourself and share your thoughts. Don’t worry about the amount of followers you have or who re-tweeted your Tweets. Numbers are just that, numbers. Remember stats never lie, but liars use stats.

The ability to have a voice is something we should all take advantage of.

So blog away, Tweet, Ping, Blip or whatever it is you do. Leave your mark on the world.

Got to go now. Need to update my status.

Solar Charger for the IPhone

Novothink has come up with a solar charger for the IPhone 3G, 3GS and the Touch. The ability to charge your IPhone from Solar energy is a great idea. It comes in several colors so you can choose the one you like. Check it out. I have the original IPhone so I’m going to have to find out if it’s compatible with the charger. Anything to help out the planet with the added benefit of using less electricity ($$$$) is alright with me.