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America: The Consumptive Society
Wednesday, December 31, 2008  Definitions of consumptive according to an online dictionary: ADJECTIVE:Consumption is no longer used to describe a disease. However, I want to apply it to this topic. America is a consumptive society; we are sick. We are consumers of the worst sort. What happened to saving for a rainy day? Where did this constant need to purchase what we want, and what we don't need become the sole focus of this society? Everywhere one turns there is a billboard, a radio ad, a television ad, magazine and newspaper ads, pre-movie commercials, Internet pop-ups, and everywhere else they can stick this intrusive medium, urging us to consume. We are not even referred to as Americans, but as consumers. It's an ugly word. I can't stand hearing it. I see this constant cycle of digging into the earth to pull up precious metals and natural resources. This process leaves devastation, destruction, and unlivable conditions and habitats in its wake. These resources get molded and shaped into "stuff" also known as consumer goods, and at the end this "stuff", aka pollution, gets shoved back into the earth as non-recyclable, non-reusable, non-treatable, toxic, and non-biodegradable garbage. There are people in developing countries living atop of this refuse who, due to their poverty, accept our garbage. It is piling up around the world with nowhere to go. If we didn't consume so much, we would not produce so much pollution. I feel guilty every time I toss something out. I appreciate and respect our capitalistic society. I appreciate and welcome new developments in technology, but somehow, somewhere, something has gone horribly wrong. I am hoping that we Americans get back to saving, that we get back to moderating our tastes and excesses. I hope that we learn to purchase what we need (with cash). It doesn't hurt to learn how to wait before we purchase what we want (without credit cards). I ask myself all the time: Do I need this item now? Why do I want it now? Do I already own something that would take care of my needs? If this new and improved item fails to make any kind of necessary difference, then I decide to pass. It's just a passing phase. I don't like the way the media, our national brainwashing, propagandizing arm of consumptive industries, constantly re-enforces this delirium that we must buy, buy, buy, and shop, shop, shop. I cannot stand the words disposable income. It is your money to keep, save, invest, and enjoy, it is not disposable. We've worked too hard to treat it as something we need to immediately get rid of. The economy will recover, because we are the economy. We will recover, but I wish for the sake of national (mental) health people will be encouraged to save, to moderate, and measure the impact of their lifestyles. Labels: consumers, consumption, consumptive, corporate America, disposable income, environment posted by GoldenAh
email this! | article source | 0 comments | post a comment Organized Chaos: Keeping Up With Technology Saturday, December 27, 2008 I realize I am not as organized as I've imagined myself to be. Or I spend too much time taking notes, working to type up these notes, and over analyzing a "game plan" I pretend I want to carry out. The funny thing is I rarely have any intention of following through with it. For example, I need to, and should, keep abreast of the latest technology, software application development languages, and tools, and I'm in a tizzy over what to study and keep up-to-date with. I have a rancid, poker-hot, decaying and putrid affection for technology. There's simply too much to work with. I get the feeling companies (or their incompetent and clueless IT managers and executives) don't know what works, and love to waste millions, and people's valuable time, trying to find out what does. And yeah, do these guys love to drop the acronyms! I used to work with Data Warehousing applications such as Microstrategy and Cognos. I've attended numerous classes and created many reports. Yet, any type of reporting for sales, for finance, for whatever, bores me stiff. Don't even ask me any questions about how these tools work. Learning about .Net (all these years since its introduction and counting) is a joy draining exercise. Every few years I'm reviewing Microsoft's .Net Framework, ASP.Net, VB.Net and C#. As soon as I'm done with the books, training material and classes, I forget it. Doesn't matter if I've coded it for work, or practiced on my own time. Nothing sticks. (Yes, I am exaggerating.) Applications software development, this task of creating efficient usable software, which used to excite, now feels like the entire process is a peon or slave to bloatware. Sometimes it's difficult to determine actual value from technological advancements. I was excited by and enjoyed the DOS-Basic programs I wrote in college to determine financial aid. I shudder to think what writing it in the .Net platform would be like. No fun at all. There are too many steps to take before coding starts: applications that have to be (purchased!) downloaded, hardware memory, O/S requirements, planning application layers and setting up classes, etc. No, thanks. Next year, I will be taking a class in Adobe Flash. I could have taught myself it, which is what I've done with a lot of software application development tools. However, I've looked at many Adobe offerings to create content online, and I simply hate it. This is one of those times I want information spoon fed to me. My plans for next year: ensure that the technology information received is streamlined, simple, and hopefully! actionable. Labels: .net framework, Adobe, application development, asp.net, C#, Cognos, data warehousing, Flash, Microsoft, Microstrategy, software, technology, vb.net posted by GoldenAh
email this! | article source | 0 comments | post a comment A Very Special Madoff: Cash Rules Everything Around Me Saturday, December 20, 2008 I may be misquoting Method Man, or someone else, but I do recall this was a popular rap back in the day. Truer words were never spoken. Lemme give some props to Paul Krugman first: The revelation that Bernard Madoff — brilliant investor (or so almost everyone thought), philanthropist, pillar of the community — was a phony has shocked the world, and understandably so. The scale of his alleged $50 billion Ponzi scheme is hard to comprehend. Yet surely I’m not the only person to ask the obvious question: How different, really, is Mr. Madoff’s tale from the story of the investment industry as a whole? .... Yet, at this point, it looks as if much of the industry has been destroying value, not creating it. .... The answer, I believe, is that there’s an innate tendency on the part of even the elite to idolize men who are making a lot of money, and assume that they know what they’re doing. After all, that’s why so many people trusted Mr. Madoff. Now, as we survey the wreckage and try to understand how things can have gone so wrong, so fast, the answer is actually quite simple: What we’re looking at now are the consequences of a world gone Madoff. Picture this first image: a black male goes into a KFC. Perhaps robbing it, at gunpoint, of $500 bucks, maybe even $5,000. If he commits this crime some where in the south, especially in one of those "tough on Negro crime" states, he will be sentenced to life in prison. Weirdness of the criminal justice system in all its stupid glory: he'll spend more time in jail, than if he killed his estranged wife, live-in girlfriend, multiple children, and some neighbors. In case you think I am making this up. I forget the state, but there was a TV news story done years ago about a southern white woman judge doling out sentences of 100 years for armed (perhaps not?) robbery. I also know people who work for a correctional facility: murderers don't spend a very long time in jail, especially when they kill women they know. I hate thieves. I can't abide stealing, but she was proud of locking away people for extremely long periods of time. Think of the resources she was draining from the state: warehousing able bodied men without any indication of attempting to rehabilitate them. I wont delve into whether it is possible or not. I wont even talk about IQs, race, single parent homes, poverty, illegitimacy, illiteracy, recidivism, and the like. That's for the useless experts to hash out. Picture this next image: an old white man rips off thousands of people, costing them billions. He shows up at court. The judge grants immediate leniency: he can stay under "house arrest" in his penthouse. Gawd forbid, this white man has to stay in jail with the unwashed masses. The criminal justice system not only acts obsequious, they seem nigh apologetic. "Gosh, we're sorry we're disturbing you, oh-magnificent-rich-privileged-thieving-old-white-dude, but it looks like some of your suckers are complaining. We have to pretend we want to do something about it." What ever happened to the joys of this wonderfully free unregulated market? Anyone? Folks who invested with this guy are the same ones who told politicians to back-the-funk-off-of-Wall Street. There's no limit to how much money we can make! Three-card Monte on the street corner seems more legit. At least you know from the get-go it's a con. What? You're surprised? Why? Oh, that's right, he went to the right (sotto voce) exclusive, extra extra special, brightest in the room, highest IQs in the world, no coloreds allowed, country club with all the other jackals. He must be legit. What's that German word? Schadenfraude. If he gets even half the time a KFC armed robber would receive, I'll be shocked, shocked! Bernard Madoff might spend a little time at Club Fed. There he will get to network with the other scheming and sneaky crooks on how to rehabilitate his tainted image. In his case though, he might be too old to start over. I always thought that the casinos in Atlantic City and Las Vegas made more sense, and was easier to understand than Wall Street (what's left of it). Labels: Atlantic City, Bernard Madoff, investments, las vegas, money, New York Times, Paul Krugman, thief, Wall Street posted by GoldenAh
email this! | article source | 0 comments | post a comment Web Site Critiques Sunday, November 30, 2008 Color Contrast Could people please think of hooking up their websites with black text on white background instead of vice versa? I know not everyone thinks about an audience, or cares, but some people do have interesting things to write about. However, some people insist on unreadable colors like light blue text on a dark blue screen or orange text on a red background. I mean, Why bother? It's criminal. Flash Sites Even though I plan on taking a class in Adobe Flash, frankly, I hate the software application. I can't stand animation on any web sites. I admit I like to read sites like Craigslist, NYTimes and Drudge, because s**t! isn't floating wildly and distractingly across the screens. Animated, and disabling, full screen icons are like having a big disgusting bug on the screen that you cannot kill. I hate wasting time having to hunt for the close button, or mute the damn thing. Log-in / Register I am done with this. No mas. I have so many damn accounts, just to what? read less than four sentences? No thanks. Social Networking Seriously, what purpose do they serve? One is never going to meet (or want to) these people. Real conversations are non-starters. Oh, well. Another fad waiting to die. YouTube Seriously guys and gals, fix the video lag time. It's getting lame. Internet Addiction I have it: I must break it. Labels: Adobe, colorblind, Flash, unreadable content, web sites, YouTube posted by GoldenAh
email this! | article source | 0 comments | post a comment Making Things: Ladder Shelves Wednesday, November 26, 2008  Every blue moon I have to give into my urges. This past August, I gave into the strong urge to make something. The last time I felt such an urgency to create, it was a couple of years ago. I bought material, patterns, and went to work on sewing a couple of pants and skirts. I didn't need the clothes; I needed to make the clothes. When the feeling moves me to build, I feel like I could build a house. Oftentimes, I draw my dream houses. One day I may complete that project. As a kid I built a make-do desk for myself. I replaced the legs on an old coffee table, so I could have someplace to study. I have no actual carpentry skills. I learn by observing, reading, drawing mock-ups, visualization, measuring and re-measuring. Following are pictures of some of the shelves I've made. Over a three month period, starting in late August, I spent roughly $450+ at Home Depot (love those guys there!), and Lowes. I bought: an electric miter saw, nails, screws, corner braces, and lots and lots of pinewood. I created 7 shelves / cabinets, with one going to my Mom. Pinewood is easy to stain. I didn't do it, since I don't like the strong smell of that stuff. Shelves: most of the wood was 6-8 feet, which I had cut into pieces ranging from 16-23 1/2 inches. Sides: wood of 6-8 feet, a majority of which was 6 feet, only two shelves are 8 feet high.
Labels: carpentry, electric miter saw, Home Depot, ladder shelves, Lowes, making things, pinewood posted by GoldenAh
email this! | article source | 0 comments | post a comment Letting Go of the Telephone Thursday, November 20, 2008 My brother was able to do it. I can't bring myself to do it. I would like to. I wish I could, but I cannot disconnect my landline telephone. A cable company salesperson stopped by the house. He was trying to convince me I could switch to an all encompassing service package - telephone, internet and cable tv - and keep the original telephone number. I said I would think about it. I really was going to consider it, but a chill of doubt went up my spine. See, I'm one of those people in which everything that can get screwed up will. I feared losing my number, I feared not getting anyone to contact me during that down period when there was a real! critical emergency! In the end, I don't want to change. I'm sort of satisfied with my service and when I'm ready to, I'll disconnect. As of right now, I see no reason to. Labels: cable company, cable tv, disconnect, internet, landline phone, phone posted by GoldenAh
email this! | article source | 0 comments | post a comment Computer Project: Build a Media Player Wednesday, July 23, 2008 The old computer died again. What a waste of money it was to get the power unit replaced! I don't even think I got 6 months out of that thing. If I had the energy I'd go back and tell these people they owe me a new power unit, because this one didn't last. I almost spent more money with them, but I'm going to do different. I'm simply never going back. I remember I had to constantly call to get the guy to do the work within the time he promised. I can't stand that type of "service." New Jersey has some of the laziest, most expensive, low motivation, "professional" people around. They charge a lot to deliver sloppy work, whether it's for landscaping, fence work, home construction, or medical work - you name it. I was terrified when I was buying my house. The lawyers in this state - don't get me started on that topic. I admit it: I'm never satisfied. (snicker) However, everyone does charge too much for a lousy job. Do It Yourself or Get a Relative or Friend I can't do everything myself, but damn, I will check with relatives and friends, before I ever go to any stranger around this place to do something for me again. Folks 'round here have no pride in their work. Since the PC is dead, I will take the hard drives out, and either put them into a hard drive enclosure(s), or new computer case. The thought of building a new machine excites me. I would consider a Linux system, like Ubuntu or Red Hat. I don't need a new machine, I'd prefer more disk space on my network. I'm down to two desktops, and a laptop with a malfunctioning screen. I'd remove that hard drive as well. Media Player What I'd really like to do is build myself a standalone hard drive MP3 player. The funny thing is I am having a hell of a time finding any information about this project. I see information from around 2001, but not relevantly recent. Most projects start with a full fledged PC (Linux or Windows OS), or use a microprocessor with access to a flash card (SD/ MMC), but that is not what I'm looking to do. I want a microprocessor with audio programmed to play music off the hard drives. The programming part doesn't scare me: I'm rusty, but I know C. I basically want to build my own iPod: never thought it would be so hard. I'm going to get it done. One thing I love to do is build stuff that interests me. Labels: computer, customer service, Linux, media player, mp3, Red Hat, Ubuntu, windows xp professional posted by GoldenAh
email this! | article source | 0 comments | post a comment Financial Planning My Way Friday, June 27, 2008  This is the initial workings for my lifelong goal of financial stability. I see personal finances as a four legged stool: retirement, real estate, investments, and cash. I strive for simplicity. These are goals for starting balances, the future yields would definitely be higher. 1. Retirement
Labels: bonds, investments, real estate, retirement, social security posted by JD Webber
email this! | article source | 0 comments | post a comment The Electric Car Tuesday, June 24, 2008 Where is the mass market electric automobile? What is taking so long to bring these things to market?  Tesla Motors has a car, but it's high end. They don't go very far. Fast yes, distance no: max range is 220 miles. The Tesla Roadstar has lovely bells and whistles, but I don't think there are any on the road yet. I've read that they are working on a mass market vehicle. We'll see. I won't go over the disaster that General Motors (GM) made of their EV-1. Years ago, I can recall that that car was initially supposed to fill the California market. The next thing you know - poof! - it's gone! The theory of peak oil has been around for a number of years. Whether it is true or not, there should be alternatives to transportation, and not just dependent on Petroleum Oil. Brazil had no trouble getting clever about this strategy. They use sugar cane, Ethanol, to fuel their automobiles. Why haven't we? Why isn't there a full variety in our transportation infrastructure options? Supposedly, the mass market problem with the electric automobile is the battery. Senator McCain, in an effort to get the market moving, has proposed a $300 million reward for a better battery for a new electric car. I guess he's unaware of the $10 million X-prize for a mass market zero emission car.  Hey, I am all for it. Right now there's a company from Norway called Think and they plan on bringing their car to our market. I hope they do, I like the concept. I would wait for the second or third generation of this item. The car they plan on selling will only have a range from 125-155 miles. Good, but I'm sure they will get better. The thought of only plugging in my car at night excites me. I think as a backup, I would like having a small tank of gas (flex-fuel) that can take me roughly 100 miles or so. Any and all options are welcome at this juncture. Yet, until I see these cars in a showroom all this stuff is just PR hype and talk. Labels: automotive x prize, battery, Brazil, electric car, Ethanol, John McCain, oil, Tesla Motors, Think posted by GoldenAh
email this! | article source | 0 comments | post a comment Cutting Spending and Saving Money Sunday, June 15, 2008   I am a spendthrift. Money burns a hole in my pocket. Currently, it is an incredibly deep hole. The philosophy to follow when one is in trouble is to stop digging. I will stop, and find a way to climb out of this hole. I have to organize. I used to be so proud of being a hustler. I don't know what's been going on my head for the past few years. I've truly lost track of myself. Short term goals: 1. Track spending: write down what I spend. 2. Limit my spending. 3. Save weekly what I did not spend. 4. Create additional income. I don't follow a budget. I do track current balances, and know where the money is going when fixed bills are due. I will get more anal, and detail every single cent I spend every day. It's like being on a diet. I may not like it for the short haul, but over a period of time it works (at least for me). I've been looking for ways to save money. I wont know where to cut until after I've studied my spending journal. My gut (har-har-har) tells me I spend too much on food and entertainment. Yet, there is only so much I can cut back in those areas. I have an investment account I emptied out. Last week, I started squirreling money back into it. Initially, it's not much. It's the equivalent of money I spent daily on coffee per week. Later on, I will double that amount. Last, but not least. I have to look at where to increase my income. I've got too much month, and not enough money.  Labels: budgeting, increase income, money, savings, spendthrift posted by GoldenAh
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