19 September 2013

you know, sometimes im not sure people understand how to communicate in this newer technological world.  especially those of us that are getting into middle age.  i suppose this is what our parents felt when we were trolling the BBS boards of the early World Wide Web.  it is so hard to remember a thought process over time, much less communicate it real time.  Yes, I'm talking about Instant Messaging, something started by the very BBS's i spoke about earlier, and brought to the layman user with the venerable AOL.  Todays version though is loaded with features only dreamed about twenty years ago, picture, video, and short audio exchanges as well as VOIP phone calling, group chatrooms where all sorts of intimate things are shared with a wide audience.  Gone are the days of writing out thank you letters for Christmas, or calling someone on the phone because thats the only way you could communicate....no, now its texting (sexting too), in a nearly pure virtual world.  by the next generation, im wondering whether physical contact will be necessary for conception.  "Demolition Man" with Sylvester Stalone actually predicts such a society and targets the year 2032....freaky?!?

i urge everyone towatch "Parental Guidance", a newer movie starring Bette Midler and Billy Crystal that touches on a broader range of similar changes that have taken place.  

11 September 2013

Certainly a day to reflect upon the tragedy that is now 12 years in the past.  Those that died upon U.S. soil in New York, Washington DC, and to the fated airliner that our countrymen managed to wrest control away from the terrorists.  Today also marks a few other days to remember personally.  My wife's mother's birthday, my own mother's birthday, and the day I met my current wife.  Yes, today seems to be a focal point in the space time continuum that is a recurring theme in my life.  It is not without some apprehension that I approach this day, one marked with so much significance.  Most certainly a day of reflection.

Ruminations

So, I'm watching "The Real Story" on the Smithsonian channel where they are detailing the story behind the Bruce Willis movie, "Live Free Or Die Hard."  As always, my curiosity is peaked for the truisms and sheer possibilities presented.  One question keeps running through my head though.  Why, in all my research, reading, and seeing shows, either fictional or reality, has the United States or it's citizens been portrayed as the victim of cybercrime?  Surely other nations are targets and face the same problems from cyber criminals as the U.S., but for whatever reason, these other nations get secondary billing.  I suppose if there were a story (fictional) about an American hacker attacking another nation, the impression would be far different.  Would the impression be the top nation being a bully?