Month: November 2022

Insanity Run Amuck

A sudden rush of noise distracted me from being careful of the truck ahead of me, which seemed to have trouble staying in one lane. As his tires crept over one white line and then over the other, clearly, the driver was not paying careful attention to what he was doing. Perhaps this truck was not updated with the safety devices, or the driver didn’t care.

The noise, however, was not from the truck. It was from not one, not two, but three sports cars weaving in and out of vehicles on the busy freeway.

Two were Dodge Chargers, and the other was a Ford Mustang.

Traffic was moving at the posted speed. These folks passed us like we were not moving.

The last of the three, a charger, came inches from my back bumper. Had it collided with me at that speed, the formula F=M*A would have applied.

It would have been like a ‘pit maneuver’ at highway speeds.

Folks, this was at 17:05 hours last Friday, the 18th of November, on Westbound GBT.

Since this was on the tollway, is there a way to check which vehicles were on the tollway? I bet there is.

I won’t state the obvious of how utterly stupid this action is. People go to events where fast cars are involved to see the wrecks. Much like boxing, it is a sick sport. That is my opinion.

I live over a mile from major highways. However, I can still hear the Ninja bikes and other loud cars occasionally on those highways. I listen to them as they put the proverbial pedal to the metal.

There must be a way to track these drivers after the fact. There will be some who defend their actions, although they are indefensible. If the death of your loved one was caused by their stupidity, you would not even think to protect them.

Think of the attorney seeking to defend such a deviant’s actions. How can they sleep at night?

Possibly I am oversensitive because an intoxicated driver almost killed me. A head-on collision at highway speeds changed my life forever. Over thirty years later, every movement is a reminder of that day. Whenever I get behind the wheel, PTSD reminds me of how tenuous life is. It is a struggle to leave the house and get on the road because of the actions of one inconsiderate SOB.

As we head into this Holiday season, I implore you to think before you decide to drive while under the influence. The life you save might be your own.

Even after the fact, I would encourage the traffic enforcement folks to go after stupid people like that. I am not interested in speeding per se but in reckless driving, including speeds far exceeding rated maximums.

As you travel this holiday season, be on the alert for stupid people. Statistically, there are safer times of the day and the week to travel.

Early in the morning (after sunrise) until noon is relatively safe. From noon to first light the following day, rates of accident increase logarithmically, tapering off the closer you get to morning.

Rush hour most any weekday, sees a higher number of car crashes. Friday, Saturday, and Sunday are much higher in incidents of accidents than Monday through Thursday.

We can apply a little common sense to this equation and determine the source of the rise in accidents. They are lower when people are expected to be working or will need to return to work than on other days of the week. Holidays are worse for that very reason.

I wonder if we could sue the liquor industry like other idiots are attempting to sue gun manufacturers. It’s obviously the booze causing the problem, right?

-Best

Hamarama © 2022

Carpe Diem

That title won’t mean much to most of my friends, colleagues, or folks who stumble across this post.

It will, however, mean much to those who know what it is.

The cliff note version is straightforward. Amateur radio operators have been around since Tesla and Marconi discovered ways to transmit and receive noise. They didn’t call them that in those days, but I would argue they were two of the first. If you think about it, they were doing what we do today.

No FCC or regulatory board was selling them permission to transmit a signal. No Japanese or Chinese companies were marketing expensive radios or other products, gadgets, etc. There was only raw determination, a pioneering spirit, and scientific discovery.

When I got into the hobby, I built my first transmitter out of TV parts. That might sound impressive, and it was for a ten-year-old, but I built it from a schematic created by an engineer.

We stand on the shoulders of giants.

Many of those giants, in my world, were the attendees at an event called Hamarama. A convention of folks organized by caring individuals for those like-minded is impressive.

Unlike most conventions for different hobbies, ham radio conventions and activities have ‘non-pecuniary’ as the cornerstone of their existence. Their motive is not for profit.

Most have a servant’s heart.

When there is bad weather, and your TV personality reflects his brilliance by what the ‘storm chasers or spotters’ are seeing, those people are genuine heroes. They are ham radio folks performing volunteer service that is risky and costly. They do this to keep you safe. And still, the FCC charges them for the right to have a license to use that same radio. Something is very wrong with our system of government.

Think about that as you try to relate your hobby to this one.

Contrast this hobby with the hobby of writing as an example. I can speak to this as I am a writer and author and out to change how writers think of themselves.

Conventions for writers are ridiculously expensive. Maybe someone can tell me or justify why someone should spend $500 on a ticket to hear these authors. They do public speaking to promote their brand.

I know many of the authors that would speak at this event. The draw for the writers is simple, access to an agent. Whoopie.

I realize that the description is vague, but the conventions for radio operators have the same programs, speakers, and alike that assist those who want to learn more about their craft. A ticket to Hamarama in Ardmore, Oklahoma, is $8, $10 at the door. That money goes back to the convention center rented for the event.

The speakers at writer’s events do it for notoriety, and they have pecuniary interests. They want to sell their books.

I have slogged through the trenches of both hobbies. Being an autodidact, striving for perfection is my way of life.

Marconi, Tesla, and Mark Twain were autodidacts. You could add Bill Gates to the list.

During my last trip to Ardmore, I realized that many of those people I looked forward to seeing were no longer with us.

Time is precious and fleeting. Don’t let it slip away from you.

Carpe Diem

-Best

Is critical thinking still taught?

Forensic computing is a real thing.

Wow, the hits just keep coming.

I take extreme delight in working with the feds and or Scotland Yard, tracing this kind of crap down to put the perpetrator in
prison where they belong. Were you aware that the UK is so crime-free they don’t need an equivalent to the FBI? I digress.

After 40 years of fighting viruses, the evil that men do has become rather
personal.

These time-wasting life-sucking jerks have cost me many hours of my life
unraveling the gordian knots they weave, and it sickens me.

For me, this started with the Michael Angelo Virus before there was
such a thing as Anti-Virus software. Can you imagine fighting a virus without
the tools we have today? This was an extensive company network with hundreds of PCs
in a token ring environment. I doubt we would have been successful if we had
not had a Network General Sniffer (a packet analyzer).

The reason it sickens me is simple. Many people fall for this crap, and it
costs them. There are scam artists everywhere. Retired people are one of the
targets they love the most. They freak out, click, call, or what have you.

Once the hook is set, the odds are much better the criminal will get
something for their efforts. Much like a worm on a hook, it only takes getting the bait in front of the fish.

One of the questions I am asked constantly is this. What is the best
anti-virus software out there?

There was a day I could have answered that. It depends on which company is
the most proactive at looking for the latest virus or threats. If they rest on
their laurels, they can go from number one to (never again.)

Many of these schemes can be easily thwarted if the victim employs some
critical thinking skills.

Here is the latest:

Look at this statement. Let’s use some critical thinking skills here.

Firstly right off the bat, you know you didn’t buy anything for $500. But wait, they didn’t charge tax. huh? If this was a legitimate invoice, it would most probably be a different number, not $499.99. It would be $541.24 for my tax rate.

The key is my tax rate. Tax rates are different per location. That would require the perpetrator to know where you were and then calculate the tax.

That is a huge red flag that just about any person should catch.

What else? Where is the hook?

Athur … What kind of name is that? King, I understand. Should it be Arthur
perhaps?

The Hook is the 888 number a person will call if they are …’What the
hell, this is mistake, I need to call them and…!”

No, it is a fishing scheme, much like the king in Nairobi who has tens of
thousands of dollars he wants to give you, if you will give him a bank account
number to send it to.

There are robbers who will steal your physical stuff. There are low life who will send out viruses and or
phishing scams, and then there are the professionals who rob you blind. They
are called politicians.

Think I am wrong?? Tell me good sir or madam, why would a politician spend
$19 million dollars of their own money for a job that pays 150K a year? If you
said they were altruistic, I have some ocean-front property…No wait, I have some
soon to be desert that used to be the Mississippi River. Since it will be a desert it could easily
be a transcontinental rail for a bullet train or, a toll road sponsored by the
Saudis or perhaps China, to move freight the old fashion with truckers.

Nope, forget that, we won’t have diesel for them, as someone turned off the
American oil spigot and wants you to vote for them again.

Did you know that even though trains are electric they have huge generators
that power the gigantic motors. Care to guess what the generators use for
energy.

Critical thinking is a lost art. It might have died with my generation.

Hope your day is great! The food or lack of food on your
table might depend upon how you vote.

Hint, don’t California My Texas.

Chow!