Tag: life

Life, Politics, transportLeave a comment

The death spiral of an American family

Mark Cathcart

This Washington Post article by Eli Saslow is both compelling reading and in equal measures depressing and a call to arms. This really isn’t about poor people who don’t try hard enough, don’t work hard enough, it’s about a failing system, everything from hours of work, to transport, and support systems. In many respects it resembles a self eating virus, where the only way forward for many is to eat their future. Meanwhile instead of meaningful change and addressing the issues, Republican States are wasting time banning books and trying any way they can to stop women getting abortions. Some … Continue reading The death spiral of an American family

culture, Life, privacy, technology

Your infrequent reminder, Facebook is evil

Mark Cathcart

They figured out how do you tweak people’s vanities and their passions and their susceptibilities and their desires in order to keep them on the site. Source: The Central Question Behind Facebook: ‘What Does Mark Zuckerberg Believe In?’ : NPR If you have not heard it, the above NPR Fresh Air interview by Dave Davies with Evan Osnos, a New Yorker Staff writer is well worth the listen. Since that interview, we’ve had two more announcements of significance from Facebook. October 11th, the evil empire announced that they’d disabled some 66 accounts or what Facebook described as: dozens of accounts … Continue reading Your infrequent reminder, Facebook is evil

LifeLeave a comment

War, what is it good for?

Mark Cathcart

as we head towards the American 2016 Presidential Primaries, and given the continuing falling apart of the manufactured countries in the middle east, there will again be the inevitable warmongering hawks who’ll claim that we should bomb this, bomb that, or that we should have never pulled the troops out. Yesterdays staggering revelations by Tim Weiner on Fresh Air, about American President Nixon, and Nixons utter contempt for the American public, and the total waste of lives among those who fought, and suffered Nixons war, contrasted magnificently with a docu-drama about London in the 2nd World War that I caught on … Continue reading War, what is it good for?

politicsLeave a comment

‘Born and raised’ Texans forced to prove identities under new voter ID law | theguardian.com

Mark Cathcart

There are so many things wrong with this, it is hard to know where start. Yep, it’s a law that solves a problem, which for the most part doesn’t exist. The fact it takes Eric Keniie 3-buses to get to a vital Texas state service, just shows how broken our transport system is in Austin. Here is a man, which, if as reported, seems a reasonable grasp on life, and a good approach, who makes living as a scrapper, foraging in other peoples garbage and when feeling flush, handout food to neighbors. So much for the Texas miracle. ‘Born and raised’ … Continue reading ‘Born and raised’ Texans forced to prove identities under new voter ID law | theguardian.com

Life, PoliticsLeave a comment

Gun for sale?

Mark Cathcart

Friday up the road in Georgetown Texas a man in dressed in camouflage clothes walked through a neighborhood and was openly carrying a rifle. He was duly arrested without incident according to this report in the Austin American Statesmans Blotter blog. There isn’t much detail, but in the rush to publish, along with lack of likely follow-up, since there was no incident, the Statesman and the other mass media outlets are missing a useful opportunity to inform people about the gun control debate. I think what would be really useful for gun arrests/incidents now would be the answer to the … Continue reading Gun for sale?

LifeLeave a comment

HDMI Cables, won’t get fooled again

Mark Cathcart

A while back I needed a USB Printer cable, all the regular shops were charging $29.99 and up, there was even one priced “monsterously” for $59.95. Please, USB and HDMI cables carry a digital signal, along with a few other things, for USB, that includes power. They are binary, they either work or they don’t. With black friday coming this week, no doubt many people will be tempted to be thankful on Thursday, then on Friday they’ll head online or to the stores to buy more stuff, so they have something to be thankful for next year. If you are … Continue reading HDMI Cables, won’t get fooled again