C J

Everyone is free to keep their old thermostat. The truth is they aren';t going to because if google doesn't present one that's better and acceptable, someone else most certainly will. The marketplace rules, the producer conforms. That's why capitalism is the only system that works. People have desires, producers fullfil those desires and make a living doing so. Without the motivation provided by the profit motive, we would have none of the tech we have. If your not going to gain something from innovating, then why would you be bothered? Like I said before, there are no viable alternatives to capitalism. Well, unless your happy with stagnation and the equality that comes with pervasive poverty.

That's what the theory is. The truth is, and always will be, you can't force anyone to buy what your selling. If you are selling anything, it's because what you offer is what people want. People are easy to manipulate, but only to a point. The bottom line is, if your not offering what I want, your not gonna make a sale. If your going to try and invade my life with unwanted ads, your not going to get by with it. That is one of the beautiful parts of capitalism. Yes, I know some think that's an evil word, but nobody has yet presented a viable alternative. Fact on fact.

That's interesting. Google is also involved in creating a driverless car. They are busy with lots of tech innovations. I think they will need to be careful about how far they go using it as an advertising medium. People aren't going to be receptive of something that's too invasive. It's like the ads they send to phones. If your not careful it becomes overwhelming. It's one of the negatives in free enterprise, or capitalism. Of course there are always changes made to control these problems in favor of consumers. The alternatives tend to eliminate innovation because they eliminate motivation, so the system will be adjusted as things move forward.

I would have to say that any rich people who depend on the masses for their income are very much aware of it. Anyone who sells to the masses needs to be keenly aware of what the masses want to buy and why. Rich people are probably more in tune with the source of their income than the masses who work for someone else. Average employees don't need to understand how people make decisions, all they have to do is know how to do their work. Business owners need to know a lot about the people they offer their goods and services to, otherwise they aren't going to have many customers and their business will fail.

I'm looking forward to a movie that doesn't require me to sit in a chair forever. If movies were interactive I might actually go to one.

It's funny, this year there's lots of spiders out, and when I got in my car the other day and was getting ready to go there was a spider lowering himself right in my face. I don't know how they get in there, but I remember it happened last year too. I wonder if they get in and decide to wait until I get in just to have some fun. Why else would they be right there in front of me. I don't mind, but I don't really want them in the car spreading webs around. They might even have eggs somewhere getting ready to hatch. One spider is OK but a whole herd of them might be too much. I might be able to get them interested in Joann's car, they like people who are scared of them.

Don't worry, spiders just like to move around a lot, and they are very quiet so they aren't going to wake you up. Leave them a bowl of flies and you've got some new friends!

I don't think a degree is the great thing they want you to think it is. Being creative isn't something people learn at school. Creative writing isn't about grammar, spelling or even proper use of words. All those things are fine, but being creative requires the ability to see things in an unusual way. It's pretty easy to figure out several ways to accurately describe a dinner fork, but figuring out a way to describe it that evokes an emotional response in the reader is difficult, and that's what creative writing is all about. To get good at that you need to have a strong interest. Like everything, if your not passionate about it your never going to be very good at it. For instance, there are thousands of doctors, some good and some not. Whether a doctor is good or not depends, for the most part, on why they became a doctor. The worst ones are those who went that route for the high income. The best did so because they had a love of the work. People do things for a lot of reasons. Money, fame, acceptance, pride, and countless others. The only ones who become excellent at their work are those who simply love doing it. I think in the case of writing fiction there really are no classes that could help you advance as much as just doing it, writing just to make the wheels turn. Exercise your mind that way and I think you will exceed anything you might accomplish in school.

Happy Birthday you old administrator you!! Hope this finds your administration in amazing shape! Remember, we depend on you to keep GA on top of the heap, so we need you to keep having these Birthdays!

Yes they can recover stuff from the ocean floor, but not that easily. The submarine they recovered was a major effort, and cost a lot. I don't think recovery is the best idea. If they can't keep containers on their ships then someone else needs to do the shipping. If they need to do the recovering thing then whoever lost the containers should be the ones to pay for it. I think people need to become more aware of the consequences of what they do and be more careful. If the people who live on this planet aren't going to care for it then nobody will. Unless, of course, some aliens decide it's their turn and boot our pathetic butts off. I think I prefer the former.

That is something I never herd about before. If they're losing thousands of those containers every year it isn't going to be long before it's a major problem. I don't think there's any way to clean up a mess like that. They need to find a way to keep the containers secure. I'm disappointed in what seems to be a lack of concern about this. Along with the ecological problem there's the economic one. Sometimes I wonder if there's any hope for the world.

Well, as I have a very special doll of my own, who's name is Ezra, I can tell you that not all doll-occupying spirits are evil. In fact, Ezra is my most valuable possession. Ezra was created in the early 1800's by a woman who lived in the highlands of Scotland. The doll was said to have been made for the woman's only child, who died shortly after birth. The child slept in a moses basket, and the doll was in the basket when the child died. The doll and child were never separated until the night of the child's death, and the woman spent the rest of her life caring for the doll. The story goes that the spirit of the child has occupied the doll ever since, and the woman arranged for the doll to be sent to America upon her death. So, Ezra came to America, and was forgotten in the unclaimed baggage room at Ellis Island depot until it was sold at auction in 1904. Amazingly, the trunk Ezra spent those years in showed no signs of age, and brought a premium bid. The man who bought the trunk had no interest in dolls, and threw poor Ezra in a waste receptacle. The doll was retrieved later that day by a young English girl who was on her way to her grandmother's farm in Wisconsin. The girl owned Ezra her entire life, and many who knew her claim that Ezra was responsible for her great success as one of Wisconsin's premiere dairy farmers. Upon the woman's death, her estate was auctioned off, and poor Ezra was once again relegated to a waste bin. As luck would have it, another young girl found the doll and immediately became attached to it. According to legend the doll was able to communicate with the girl and they became inseparable. The girl grew up, married a hard working farm hand, and eventually moved to Iowa where her and her husband bought a small farm. Amazingly, the two never produced any children, however they were known to purchase children's clothing. The townspeople believed the couple did in fact have a child, and nobody suspected anything until a few years passed, and the owner of the local mercantile noticed that the clothing the woman bought for her child never increased in size. As the gossip intensified, the people became concerned about the farmer and his wife. The town's cleric decide something needed to be done, and set out to visit the couple at their farm. The man visited with the woman for a couple hours, and finally asked if he could see her child. The woman asked if the preacher had trouble with his eyes. "My child has been sitting quietly right next to you since you arrived" she told him. That's when the reverend figured out that the woman believed the doll was her only child, and upon reporting this news back in town, suggested the couple be forced from their farm, as there was no place for crazy folks in their community. Because the farmer and his wife were peaceful folks, they immediately sold their farm and moved away. They spent the rest of their lives in a remote area where nobody would be able to interfere with their family again. Today, the only thing left of their small farm is the remains of their log barn and a burial mound which contains their remains. Their cabin was burned long ago shortly after their death, and the spot where it sat is grown over with brush and trees. I found the relics of this long ago homestead, and dug through the remains of the old barn. Buried there was the farmer's old oak tool chest, and inside was Ezra. I picked the doll up and wondered at it's condition after what must have been many years buried in the chest. As I was 8 years old I had no thoughts about the doll being of any value, and dropped it back in the chest, continuing my exploration of what remained of the ancient homestead. As I made my way back to the point where I began my adventure, I was startled to find the doll sitting on top of an old fence post, blurting out "How did you get here?". To my utter disbelief, the doll answered "I followed you from the barn so we can always be together". It was a day I will never forget, and Ezra has been an important part of my life ever since. Ezra protects me, and punishes anyone who tries to hurt me. So you see, not all dolls who contain spirits are evil, and anyone who says they are will get a visit one night from my best friend Ezra!

This cat is the most amazing pet I've ever seen. This cat drove away an attacking dog, and it's amazing. I laugh every time I watch this cat attack and chase away the dog, but I love this awesome cat. If you find similar videos of pets protecting their family and homes please post them here. http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=nI867wz93Lw

They are amazing flowers. Some of them attract insects by looking and smelling like the insects it needs to get pollinated. They seem to know something, and can change or mutate to accommodate their needs. They give people a different perspective on what life consists of and what intelligence really is. Us humans need that now and then.

This faith thing is difficult. I understand the value of Christian values, but I can't accept, personally, the Bible and it's story of Jesus as being the absolute truth. I'm probably never going to accept it, and I will always be perplexed by people's willingness to accept it as fact. I haven't been able to find anyone who can explain to me why they believe something without some means of proving that it's true. The fact that so many people believe, or claim to, doesn't make it so. The fact that so much is invested in churches isn't proof. I don't think that wanting an intelligent reason for believing something is beyond reasonable. I know the Bible was assembled and edited by a handful of powerful people, and I've read some of the text that's been omitted. I'm very suspicious of the history of the book and I think anyone who is interested in the truth would be. I know a lot of people claim the faith simply because they have been indoctrinated from childhood to accept it. Others do it for social reasons. I cannot accept it because I can't find any reason to. I'm not looking for reasons not to believe it, I'm only looking for facts, and an old Bible that's been modified over time doesn't qualify as a source of facts. My only faith is that God, whoever he is, will make sure I learn the things I need to know. So far that doesn't include Jesus. At least not in the context of the Bible. I know people who claim to believe because they are afraid that they will be sent to hell for eternity if they don't. They are taking what they see as the safest route, but they are really just gambling. I think we have the ability to think and to learn for a reason. I'm pretty sure it's just as valid a process where faith and spirituality are concerned as it is in other areas of life. Maybe it's even more critical when your faced with an issue for which the world offers so little in the way of facts, other than the fact that religion has been, for the most part, a source of hate, murder and destruction. Still, like I said already, I understand the value of Christian principles, I just can't base a spiritual belief on it. For that I guess I'm going to have to depend on experience and God.

Mobile devices account for 37% of internet activity, with the greatest share going to things like checking the weather, listening to music and connecting with social media. The PC will probably be around for a long time, but it's not the centerpiece of internet activity that it used to be. Cell phones were bound to evolve into more simply because it was possible. It can be inconvenient to rely on a PC for all your internet activity, just like it was inconvenient to rely on a wired phone before cell phones made it possible to call from anywhere. Now we have iPhones, smartphones and tablets, which can access your PC from anywhere. It's like having your PC with you when you need it, and at some point you will want access to your PC when your not where it is. Your mobile device still can't replace your PC. I'm pretty sure something will replace all of these things eventually. Technology will always make the latest thing a thing of the past as it evolves. At this point mobile and stationary are merging. What happens in the future is anybody's guess. The only thing that's certain is there will be change. Some changes will be positive, and others not. Net neutrality is in danger of being destroyed. Hopefully, something will happen to stop that threat.

HAPPY BIRTHDAY

Facebook and twitter are still useful for expanding awareness of any website. I think there are a lot of ways to use sites like FB to promote just about anything. You need to go there and learn all the ways they allow the site to be used, and then build a plan to get things started. I think it's a good idea to use FB, it's just going to require some work to make it happen. I imagine the admin here is familiar with that part. Look at the mobile apps they offer too, it might give you even more reach. I'm not personally a FB fan, but I think there are a LOT of people on there that would appreciate finding out about GA, and I wouldn't hesitate to make every possible use of the site to make them aware. I would use the less popular sites as well, because there are going to be people there that don't use FB or Twitter as much, for whatever reasons. Orkut would be worth looking at, it's 100,000,000 plus members make it worthy. Google must agree with that assessment. Look at all the social networks and spread your efforts out across the net. It's bigger than the handful of sites that everyone talks about, and I think there are some hidden opportunities out there. With dozens of these sites available I think it's a good idea to make the most of as many as you can. Focusing only on the biggest ones is just the first step, then get going on some of the more obscure ones.

Your link isn't good apparently. Microsoft is trying to sell more and avoid making people mad at the same time. I like 7 fine, it's not a lot different from XP really, and a little change don't hurt anything. Besides, XP seemed to have more holes in it than anything else. That's mostly why they needed to keep pumping out updates all the time. I suppose eventually 7 will end up the same way. Most stuff does I guess. It seems that most people get used to whatever they use for the longest time, so moving to something new is something they want to avoid. Speech recognition is what I think is going to be the next thing that's used all over the place. I could be wrong too, it might be something else. I'm sure someone has something on the bench waiting to dazzle us. I can't wait to see it, but I suppose I have no choice. I just hope it's not from Microsoft, I'm not one of Bill Gates fans.

I have a large territory, so going home to pee isn't really an option. I hadn't thought about marking it, but by now it's probably very well mapped out in that sense. That must be what's been attracting all those cute boys I see on my trail. Like I've said before, I love walking in the woods, it's so peaceful, and I love nature.

I suppose someone decided that this coming out story was interesting so they published it. Lots of things get published, and whether or not it's interesting is decided by each person reading it. There's a reason why they allow comments too. Probably more than one reason. One I can think of is that people love to comment, and are likely to go where it's allowed. Another is that it gives the author a better understanding of those who read his articles. It's also part of a free society. That requires all comments to be generally accepted regardless of whether anyone else agrees with them or not. If comments are censored, then what real value do they have? Being free to express your thoughts is a key element in social progress. It's important to remember that no matter what someone might say, words are just that, words. They have no more power than that which is given them in the mind of the reader. They cannot harm you in any way. If they offend you it's only because you choose to be offended. Nobody can be a victim of mere words. Words cannot build or destroy. The only thing words can do is transfer an idea from one person to another. As for this man's coming out, it's interesting to get an idea of how he viewed the experience. I don't really care though. I don't know him, I don't watch or care much about movies and I couldn't care less what anyone thinks about the fact that I like guys. That's the most important part right there. I don't care what anyone else thinks about my sexual orientation. You might ask why that's so important, and the answer is this: only if I care does coming out become an issue. Only if I care about what others might think does it become necessary for me to think about "coming out", because my concern about what they might think is what put me "in the closet" in the first place. Happily, since I do not care what someone else might think about it, I have no interest in the whole "coming out" scenario. I am already perfectly OK as far as I'm concerned, and for me the issue doesn't even exist. I am not in or out of the closet. I am me, totally, and I am free. It's amazing how many people don't understand this. They might understand more, if they were less willing to allow others to define their world instead of defining it for themselves. I know it's got something to do with the fear of rejection. That is the root of this whole "coming out" fallacy, and that's exactly what it is, a huge farce. Personally, I believe that people who are able to truly think don't need any explanation of what I'm saying. Those who don't understand probably never will.

It's all about perception, whether it's art or something else someone created. I think perception is one of the more complex things to deal with. There is no standard for it, and it can be manipulated to whatever degree your skill allows. Gay art may not be seen as gay art by some, unless the artist labels it so. There might be a majority perception, but that doesn't really matter given the fact that most majority opinions are based on social influences more than anything else. This is too complicated, and I'm not in the mood so I'm done here. For now.

Now the aquifers are being drained, and in the U.S. the Ogallala aquifer is nearly depleted. This is the water supply that supports crops and communities in the great plains. It's a serious problem. The snow that usually falls on the Rocky mountains has basically turned to rain, so now it just runs off. So the slow thaw that feeds the Colorado and Lake Mead isn't there to keep up with demand, creating a water shortage. Soon, the authorities will be suggesting urine recycling systems for residents. Haven't we been on this urine drinking subject already?! Anyway, the water is running out, so get ready. When people can't live in the plains any more they are going to move east. Think about the problems that will create! Not a happy thought.

I suppose if your attracted to a old guy that's OK. I don't see any way to criticize someone for that. It's a similar thing to being attracted to the same sex. It seems to me, when it comes to being attracted to someone sexually, there is no limit to the possibilities. The only thing I hate is when someone messes with a kid. Kids don't have any interest in sex, and anyone who messes with them needs to be hurt, and hurt badly.