Saturday Mashup

I was on my way to Hawai'i Kai this morning at 8:15am after a sleepless night (thanks to Joker). I routine followed the usual itinerary when meeting up with Shirley. The only exception is that we ate lunch at Gyotaku in the Niu Valley Shopping Center in celebration of her b-day. I have also passed my Toshiba® Satellite notebook computer to her. If necessary, I will assist her in installing a newer version of Ubuntu later.

Acer® Aspire One Netbook

Well, my Acer® Aspire One netbook has officially taken over as my primary computer. I've already discussed the limitations of the netbook computer in the "blog," so there's only a need to express my frustration with the latter. However, as I vowed, I will not be purchasing another notebook (i.e., "laptop"). My goal is, in fact, to eventually deprecate and divest the netbook. Can the BlackBerry® PlayBook® really suffice as a primary computer? Only time will tell.

I have also downloaded the latest version Kubuntu, although I am not really in the mood to install it on the netbook. "Maverick Meerkat" is working just fine now. I have had absolutely no issues aside from the quirkiness of the Plymouth splash screen. If it ain't broke, why fix it? Unfortunately, the latest Kubuntu software update has over 160 items. Heck, I may as well just install "Natty Narwhal" already. More later.

After an hour or so taking my Acer® Aspire One netbook through the rigors of being the primary computer, I may have to change my opinion. I was able to view a near HD-quality hurdy-gurdy video with no problems. The rekonq Web browser was running concurrently. I was able listen to my Deep House Cat music clips without a hitch. The sound was excellent. Oddly, rekonq is not able to download properly from all sources. That's not a problem if we are talking about hurdy-gurdy sites. Perhaps the massive hurdy-gurdy video library can be gradually mummified. All I can say is that Kubuntu and KDE are awesome.

The exodus has made another small step forward. There are now only a couple of items left worthy of divestiture. After that, I will own even less than the majority of homeless people. Speaking about homelessness, there is now a local Homeless Hotline (808) 793-9359 and email (homelesshelp@waikikihc.org) through the Waikiki Health Center (WHC). Hey! That's where I got the ear wax problem remedied. Nonetheless, if I plan to become homeless, I will need to contact the WHC first.

Well, that's the bottom line, isn't it? The whole concept of the exodus is freedom. And, freedom cannot be attained when one is anchored to any aspect of the failed "civilization" paradigm. Following the expected order of the failed "civilization" only forces one into poverty. Aren't we all getting tired of rearranging the deck chairs on the Titanic?

Friday Mashup

Another visit to Hawai'i Kai went well. Moms and I ate lunch at Loco Moco. Later, moms served Welcome® vanilla ice cream for dessert. The rest of the day? The urban nomad fulfilled his usual benign functions and followed his routine itinerary as planned.

I should mention that I noticed a distinct smell of mangy mutt urine around the right side of my Nissan® Frontier truck. Then, I observed that the aluminum wheels and tires had a brownish residue on them. I also noticed a large number of nicks in the paint. Since I only drive the truck only twice in a week, I seriously doubt that anything happened off of the Slob Manor (read: rental housing) property. Guess who parks his 4000-pound motorized chair (read: automobile) extremely close to the right of my truck on the rock pile? Did you say either "Meathead" or "Joker"? Does the fool have some kind of death wish? You think? The fucktard is apparently on permanent disability entitlements. Should I just put him out of his misery entirely? I can't help it that Joker was born a loser. However, the fact that he is a hideous slob allows him to collect lots of free money. He should take the money and run far away.

I spent most of the evening cleaning up my Toshiba® Satellite notebook computer. I had to remove all of my user files and any other residuals. Officially, this is the last day of service for my beloved and faithful notebook (i.e., "laptop") computer. At the present time, I will not be attempting to install the newer version of Ubuntu. That's just too risky.

I imported and tested the compatibility of user files on my Acer® Aspire One netbook computer. So far, so good. All remaining hurdy-gurdy files were copied to my Seagate® FreeAgent Go® portable hard drive. The Toshiba® Satellite notebook computer will be the last of its kind that I own. Given how quickly I could mummify both my vast hurdy-gurdy video library and the "blog," I plan to finally downsize to just the BlackBerry® PlayBook® tablet computer. Will I voluntarily become homeless thereafter? Who knows?

Freedom, or What?

I met up with Lori at Ala Moana Center this morning. She is leaving for Molokai on Saturday for six months. When she first contacted me, I was under the impression that she was moving there for a longer duration. Molokai, although quite a pretty island, is somewhat desolate. The rest of the day? Same ol' shit.

When I arrived back at Slob Manor (read: rental housing), I noticed that Joker (formerly Meathead) had been in his filthy hovel all day watching the tube. He was stomping around and dropping various objects on the floor. Is the fat slob that clumsy? Or, is he trying to be a literal joker? In any case, the guy is a loser and a stupid-looking twit (see picture in the "blog" of yesterday).

Speaking of jokers, Ben "Handjob" Bernanke held his first press conference. The reviews of his performance was quite similar (i.e., negative) to that of the BlackBerry® PlayBook® tablet computer. My favorite review was penned by RJ Eskow. An excerpt:

A cloud of phantom Bernankes arose in response. Jobs are important, said one. Jobs are part of our dual mandate, another agreed. But policies to address long-term unemployment are outside of our mission, frowned another. Yes, another agreed, nodding sadly. Unfortunately, we're a macroeconomic institution.

One of the Bernankes appeared to be struggling to say something -- something important. Yes, yes, we whispered. Say it! Say, "Quantitative easing and discount windows can only help the entire economy when they're accompanied by government policies which require the banks to use the advantages they bring in an economically constructive way."

But that Ben Bernanke fell silent. Then he shivered, grew translucent, and faded from sight. Another Bernanke spoke in his place. Strategies for addressing long-term unemployment were, he said, "out of the scope of the Fed."

Be sure to read the entire review on the Smirking Chimp site. It's hilarious.

The readership of the "blog" is beginning to dwindle (acording to the Feedjit® Live Feed). And, there has also been a serious decline in viewers looking for babe pictures. Sad, eh? On a morbid note, though, I was somewhat elated. When the readership dwindles down to basically nothing, I will have no choice but to either reduce the nnumber of posts or end the "blog" entirely. That's another big step toward "freedom."

Coasters

Last night, I attempted to burn Ubuntu "Maverick Meerkat" to a CD-ROM. After three attempt, all I had were three "coasters." For some reason, I encountered write failures. My guess is that the aging CD/DVD drive is defunct. So, there is no way for me to refurbish my Toshiba® Satellite notebook computer. It is now stuck with a crippled operating system that is slated for end-of-life in three days.

Meathead Look-Alike

To add insult to injury, Meathead was upstairs in Slob Manor (read: rental housing) stomping around and dropping heavy object on the floor continuously. The asswipe had been in his filthy hovel all day watching his widescreen LCD tube. Yeah, he watched the tube from 7am yesterday morning until 4am this morning straight. That's 21 hours. He also plays video games from 1am to 4am with the tube blaring in the background. What a maroon! Incidentally, he looks uncannily like the "Joker" character played by Cesar Romero in the slapstick sixties "Batman" series. Even the hair is exactly the same. I kid you not. Of course, Romero was wearing makeup. Joker ... errr, I mean Meathead ... isn't.

Same ol' shit, with the exception that I restored my extreme monk haircut at the Institute of Hair Design. And, yes, I enjoyed a cup of coffee in order to sustain my caffeine addiction. I returned to Slob Manor via Ala Moana Center this afternoon just so I could enjoy an ice cream treat from Foodland.

Well, I was able to burn the "minimal" CD of Ubuntu "Maverick Meerkat." It's very small because all of the installation files must be downloaded. The installer is also text-based only. From what I understand, I should theoretically be able to install the full Ubuntu desktop using metapackages. I also attempted to burn a full install CD again, but that resulted in another "coaster." Right now, I am not too excited about the tedious method to install a new operating system. However, the sooner I get that done, the quicker I can divest the Toshiba® Satellite notebook computer.

Decaffeinated Computerized Coma

Last night, I attempted to produce a "blog" entry in a trial run with my BlackBerry® PlayBook®. The end result was laughable. Copying and pasting in a Web text box is excruciatingly painful because the virtual keyboard keeps popping up. In addition, there is no way to simply select text for formatting. I would have to type in the complete HTML tags although, oddly, the virtual keyboard seems to be devoid of certain special characters. Mind you, I doubt that the latter problems are confined only to the PlayBook®. All tablet computers share the same problems. And, really, every computer and Web interface has been designed for use with a keyboard and mouse, not a touchscreen.

I also believe that I have determined the reason why the BlackBerry® Playbook® must be powered up before the battery can be charged. It seems to be tied in with the allegedly unusable power switch. The device is apparently not designed to be turned on and off frequently. Rather, it is supposed to remain in "suspend" mode when not being used. Certainly, that makes sense if the device is used daily. The wireless radio remains active during "suspend" for file transfers, although it can be manually shut off, if necessary.

Typical Coffee Ritual Hottie

As for the day, same ol' shit. Or, should I say, "SOS"? I did not have a chance to procure my morning cup of coffee. I was groggy all day, even though I slept fairly well for the past few nights. Well, I should say that I deliberately skipped out on my morning coffee as a test to see whether I was addicted to caffeine or not. Looks like I'll be continuing my morning coffee ritual. Sheesh!

I estimate that I spend five hours or more with the computer every evening. I should specify that I use all three of my computing devices sequentially throughout that time. Is what I do any better than watching the tube for five hours straight? The latter question is what I have been asking myself as of late. After all, I only have a few more good years left.

We already know that the main computer activities are:

• Reading the alternative news
• Searching for and downloading hurdy-gurdy videos
• Composing the "blog."

What exactly is the point of such nonsense? Decommissioning my Toshiba® Satellite notebook computer serves the purpose of putting the hurdy-gurdy downloading in check. It is currently the only computer than can download from all sites. It is also the only computer that can view up to 720p HD videos, that is, until the BlackBerry® PlayBook® came along. However, at this time, there is no adequate file management utility for the PlayBook®, so loading up its limited memory with hurdy-gurdy videos is absurd.

I wanted to eventually decommission my Acer® Aspire One netbook as well. However, I can only compose the "blog" on it once the notebook computer is divested. I could use the tablet computer to compose the "blog," but it will be devoid of any kind of formatting. Even the font of the content section would be different. Subconsciously, I believe that I am attempting to mummify both the "blog" and the massive hurdy-gurdy library. Since I can't seem to rely on my own initiative, I am forcing my hand by downgrading my computing capability.

In any case, the final question is: What would I do with all of the time on my hands after that? There are only two places that I could hang out in the evening. That would be Barnes & Noble® in Kahala Mall or Barnes & Noble® in Ala Moana Center. I would be considered loitering anywhere else. Is that why everyone else is at home in front of the huge widescreen LCD tube all night?

Post No. 1,821

Another visit to Hawai'i Kai went well. Moms and I ate lunch at Panda Express®. My Panda Express® fortune cookie's prediction: "You will find a real bargain." Are we talking about my new BlackBerry® PlayBook® tablet computer? Later, moms served Welcome® vanilla ice cream for dessert. The rest of the day? The urban nomad fulfilled his usual benign functions and followed his routine itinerary as planned.

Speaking of the BlackBerry® Playbook®, I just discovered that the device's battery cannot be charged when the power is off. Charging time is several hours, by the way. The latter issue is by far the most bizarre one that I've encountered. However, I have decided to remain loyal and keep the device.

So far, no progress concerning the refurbishing of my Toshiba® Satellite notebook computer. Ubuntu has really thrown a wrench in the works with the default Unity desktop for "Natty Narwahl." Moving away from Ubuntu may be the only solution. I considered Kubuntu, but I would prefer Gnome® over KDE on a large screen.

Well, I spent $500 on a tablet computer that every moronic pundit has stated will fail in as little as a few weeks. Yeah, I could have purchased a really nice notebook (i.e., "laptop") computer for that kind of dough. However, I previously stated that I am no longer interested in bulky "clamshell"-type computers. The wave of the future is true hand-held computing.

Computerized Aggravation

Another urban nomad kind-of-a-Sunday, devoid of the hottie gym trainer, has come to pass. There weren't too many people loitering or milling about anywhere, no doubt because of the "Christian" holiday. I'm not complaining, mind you.

Last night, I came to discover quite by accident that my BlackBerry® PlayBook® does indeed have cut, copy, and paste functions built in. I had my finger resting on some text displayed on the touchscreen when the editing menu appeared out of nowhere.

Since I am on the topic of computers, I may as well list some of my empirically determined computer facts (or trivia):

1. Notebook computers should not be called "laptops." Few models lay comfortably in anyone's lap. The chassis of the computer becomes very warm as well. Notebook computers are not portable and are too bulky to stow away.
2. Netbook computers are better "laptops" because of their smaller size. However, the chassis become even more hot than notebook computers. The size of the screen is not ideal for viewing at a two-foot distance.
3. Both notebook and netbook computers function best on a desk.
4. Tablet computers with ten-inch screens are too large and heavy, creating a disadvantage for its form factor. Holding a large tablet computer up at a good viewing angle is difficult to maintain. Without a desk, the tablet must lay flat on a person's lap. Looking down at the screen is bad for the neck, back, and overall posture.

I have also discovered that, whereas the netbook and tablet computer are seemingly portable, both suffer from extreme fragility. Dropping either one will result in significant damage. In the case of the netbook, the hard drive would most likely not survive the impact. The glass screen of tablet computers would easily shatter. So, what good are they?

Well, I tried to implement the wireless transfer from my BlackBerry® PlayBook®, but it does not seem to want to cooperate with Linux. I can detect the tablet computer on the wireless network, but I cannot gain access to its file directory. I have also discovered that I cannot perform a USB transfer because there is no Linux driver available. And, rumor has it that there is no way to delete files from the PlayBook®. What, no file manager? I am now beginning to wonder if the PlayBook® needs to be returned for a refund.

The jury is still out concerning which version of Ubuntu that I will install on my soon-to-be decommissioned Toshiba® Satellite notebook computer. The latest version (i.e., "Natty Narwhal") will be released next week, but I am not willing to accept Unity as the default desktop. Then again with the BlackBerry® Playbook® proving to be a complete mess, I may have to postpone any decommissioning. Can you say, "Sheesh!"?

Late Addendum: My Acer® Aspire One netbook was able to access the BlackBerry® PlayBook® file directory using Samba. File transfers and deletions were quick and easy. I also discovered that many PlayBook applications have the ability to delete its associated files. What a relief!

Computerized Relaxation (Reprise)

"Let's face it, we're not changing the world. We're building a product that helps people buy more crap - and - watch porn." -- Seagate® CEO Bill Watkins

We can thank Urban Coyote for the opening quote, by the way. I surmise that Seagate® is the same company that produces hard drives like my portable external hard drive. Great for storing massive hurdy-gurdy libraries.

The day? Same ol' shit. I returned to Slob Manor (read: rental housing) about an hour earlier than usual. Yes, I am still configuring my new BlackBerry® PlayBook® for its new role in the general scheme of things. I neglected to mention yesterday that there is no "copy & paste" in any of the installed applications. Heck, even Android® now has that feature. Should I have just waited for the final entry in the tablet computing arena, the HP® WebOS TouchPad? I don't think so.

I have not attempted any kind of file transfer with the device, although I suspect that it is incompatible with Linux. I only have a handful of small spreadsheet files that could be sent as e-mail attachments. Other files (e.g., music or hurdy-gurdy video) can simply be downloaded and discarded. File transfer is not an issue. Neither is the missing native e-mail, calendar, and contacts applications. I don't use them anyway. I don't like that crap cluttering up the computer.

"Apps" mean nothing to me. I don't have any need for the thousands of "apps" that are out in the wild. The PlayBook only has a few of its own, mostly useless, which had led to pundit outrage. Most "apps" are for idiots anyway. All in all, the PlayBook® essentially fills the void left by my old Palm® TX.

Well, I'll be preoccupied with all of my computers for the rest of the evening in my squalid room. Up next is the decommissioning process for my aging Toshiba® Satellite notebook computer. At least I haven't been fretting about my mortality lately. Sheesh!

Good Friday, Bad Friday 2011

Last night at Slob Manor (read: rental housing), I had a brief chat with the landlord. Since the young Asian hottie is moving out at the end of the month, her squalid room would be vacant, I requested to move to the other room. Unfortunately, the room has already been rented to a friend of the young Asian hottie. I mentioned the noise problem concerning Meathead. The landlord has not been too pleased with Meathead. He's been a troublesome and demanding tenant since the first day.

Another visit to Hawai'i Kai went well. Moms and I ate lunch at Zippy's. Later, moms served Welcome® vanilla ice cream for dessert. The rest of the day? The urban nomad fulfilled his usual benign functions and followed his routine itinerary as planned.

Koko Marina was extremely crowded because of the holiday. Lots of people were going to or coming from the beach. After an extremely mundane workout at the gym, I decided to drive my Nissan® Frontier truck to town. My first stop was Best Buy®. I was able to check out both the Motorola® Xoom® (using Android® "Honeycomb") and the new Blackberry® PlayBook (using QNX®). I have to admit, the Android® operating system was much more dazzling than QNX®. In addition, the Xoom's larger screen was seemingly more appealing. As for the PlayBook, it looked like a small toy. I stood around for almost 30 minutes. No salesperson ever approached me. So, I headed for the exit.

My next stop was Office Depot®. I was able to find assistance within a couple of minutes. Yeah, sad to say, I spent $499 on the toy-like BlackBerry® PlayBook®. One-man spending spree. Why did I commit such a foolish act? Was I trying to make myself feel better after a whole sleepless week thanks to Meathead? What am I going to do with three computers?

For whatever foolishness was involved, the deal is done. The BlackBerry® PlayBook® is not being returned for a refund. In other words, there's no buyer's remorse. Sadly, the tablet computer is nowhere near a replacement for a real computer. Even Documents To Go® has turned out to be somewhat disappointing. Although the tablet computer can be used as a stand-alone device, there will still be a need for a conventional computer. I'll refrain from reviewing the device since there are already myriad reviews available. I will mention, though, the BlackBerry® PlayBook® has extraordinary 1080p video capabilities, an HDMI port, and a nice tabbed Web browser. QNX® is much more capable than the existing software.

At this point in time, I am returning to the original plan of decommissioning my Toshiba® Satellite notebook computer. I am not certain about which version of Ubuntu that I will install. Once the latter issue is settled, then I'll be down to two computers. To no surprise, I want to eventually decommission my Acer® Aspire One netbook as well. Certainly, we are looking at the end of any hurdy-gurdy video downloading sprees. Maybe that is why I acquired the tablet computer. It's costly way to mummify my massive hurdy-gurdy video library. Sheesh!

Why?

Another sleepless night at Slob Manor (read: rental housing) left the ol' lavahead in a dazed and confused state. Insomnia was the culprit, although Meathead was up until 3am making all kinds of noise yet again. The second floor common area is right about my squalid room. Meathead spends most of his time in the common area. I'm almost certain that he sleeps there, too. Why is Meathead such a moron?

Being sleep deprived and groggy put a whole different perspective on my squalid existence. Nothing stupid seemed tolerable. Thus, while I was attempting to catch up on my sleep at the library, I became considerably unnerved. I began to question the sorry state of my squalid life-style. Why am I always subjecting myself to squalor? Why did I make so many bad decisions? Why am I eating lamp-baked chicken? Why do I secretly desire to become homeless? Why am I wasting so much time on the Net? Why can't I find something else to do?

The last question really struck a nerve. Why do I have two computers? Why do I spend all evening, five hours or more, on the Net? Why can't I divest the massive hurdy-gurdy library or at least curb the benign activity? Why am I still contemplating the acquisition of a tablet computer?

BlackBerry® PlayBook®

Speaking of tablet computers, the BlackBerry® PlayBook® seems to be most obvious choice. Unfortunately, it has been receiving very bad reviews. Oddly, I find strengths in the weaknesses pointed out by the reviews. The QNX® operating system is solid. The seven-inch screen size is actually perfect, albeit small. Anything larger is quite cumbersome. The BlackBerry® PlayBook® can be held in one hand easily. Will the ol' lavahead rush out to purchase one? Why?

Meat Between the Ears

I was "plum tuckered out" all day yet again, thanks to Methamphetamine Meathead. Sadly, I will only call him Meathead now because he is definitely not "tweaking" on any drug. He's a victim of sloth. No, I don't want to label him a victim either because he chose his destiny.

So, Meathead was up until 3am this morning doing who-knows-what up on the second floor in Slob Manor (read: rental housing). Whatever he was doing ended up producing a lot of noise. His widescreen LCD tube was also blaring away. That's the third night in a row so far. Oddly, he was up by 7am, watching the tube. He spends every waking moment watching the tube (and possibly napping). Meathead is gone for a few hours during the day. Most likely he visits his parents in Aina Haina. Since he neither cooks or does his laundry chores at Slob Manor, I assume that his parents cook and perform the laundry chores for him. Mind you, the guy is around my age. Thus, Meathead has absolutely nothing to do. He leads a pampered life. His only exercise is when he walks downstairs to take his mangy dog outside. I suppose that stomping around back and forth (i.e., psychomotor agitation) on the second floor could be loosely interpreted as exercise.

Meathead has a lot of money and nothing to do. He doesn't clean his living space. Nor is personal hygiene one of his strong points. With a life of complete leisure, he must be driving himself crazy. He apparently eats well because he's a fat slob. However, excess calories that are stored by the body need to be burned off. That's why Meathead can't go sleep at a decent hour. That's also why he doesn't sleep for very long. His body is urging him to move his fat ass and work off some of that blubber. Poor Meathead!

Groggy or not, the ol' lavahead always fulfills his urban nomad itinerary. Being so tired, I was barely conscious of anything. I basically functioned under "automatic pilot." Thus, there is absolutely nothing to report.

I am finally getting around to taking care of all of my personal business. Tax returns are done and filed. I mailed my registration fee for my Nissan® Frontier truck yesterday. So, as of tonight, I will be sifting through my useless possessions in order to prepare for the final pruning. If anything needs to be sold, I will initially attempt to facilitate the process through word of mouth.

I have also been checking the rental listings for another hovel. Not too good. Rents have gone way up. I'm almost better off if I move back into the detestable "condotel" unit. Now I understand why there are so many homeless people. Sheesh!

Plum Tuckered Out (Again)

I was not able to sleep last night. Rather than simply lie in my squalid bed in my squalid room in Slob Manor (read: rental housing), I powered up my trusty Acer® Aspire One netbook. The putz upstairs, Methamphetamine Meathead, was up late as well, although I won't cast the blame upon him. I could hear his huge widescreen LCD tube blaring away. He was also stomping around a lot for no particular reason. He's still a dickhead regardless. Needless to say, I was groggy all day.

At the library, I completed reading the book, "Armageddon Science: The Science of Mass Destruction," by Brian Clegg. A very interesting and highly recommended book.

A very timely article appeared on the USA Today site which revealed truthful figures about actual unemployment across the empire:

Only 45.4% of Americans had jobs in 2010, the lowest rate since 1983 and down from a peak of 49.3% in 2000. Last year, just 66.8% of men had jobs, the lowest on record.

The [deleted] site published an article titled, "Masses of US workers apply for low-wage jobs at McDonalds," that is also worth perusing.

On a side note, the new BlackBerry® PlayBook® tablet computers are supposedly on sale today. It uses the QNX® operating system. The PlayBook® looks promising, but it seems to have been released way too early. Costly, smaller screen, but probably a better alternative to Android® "Honeycomb." And, the PlayBook includes a customized version of Documents To Go®, so a real word processor and spreadsheet are there right out of the box.

There's been no coverage about the Fukushima meltdown. The only "public relations" nonsense that has been released is that there's some kind of six-month plan to bring all of the Daiichi reactors to cold shutdown. Out of sight, out of mind. And, fish will apparently not be tested for radiation because they are "safe." I am beginning to wonder if the Fukushima meltdown really happened. Or, was I having senile "flashbacks" of the old movie, "The China Syndrome"?

Post No. 1,814

Another visit to Hawai'i Kai went well. Moms and I ate lunch at Panda Express®. My Panda Express® fortune cookie's prediction: "A romantic mystery will add interest to your life." Is the hottie gym trainer going to come around? Later, moms served Welcome® vanilla ice cream for dessert. The rest of the day? The urban nomad fulfilled his usual benign functions and followed his routine itinerary as planned.

As of late, I have only been skimming any news stories that I come across. Most of the material is so nauseating anyway. I really don't understand why humans love to inflict so much pain on each other. I am really at loss to describe the phenomenon in terms of the "inner animal" because other animals don't emulate nefarious human behavior. Even on a personal level, I don't understand why we treat each other so bad and with so little respect.

My dream is to escape from the madness, what I call the exodus. I want to move to an undisclosed location in relative isolation. I would like my dealings with people to be minimized almost to the point of non-existence. Yeah, just me, my computers, and my vast hurdy-gurdy video library. Alas, it's still just a dream.

I've been looking around at my useless possessions lately. Yeah, I know that I always complain about the crap. However, I simply cannot believe how much there is, mostly consumables. Stuff like eyeglass lens cleaner, dandruff shampoo, cold & flu elixir, toothpaste, dental floss, body wash, moisturizing lotion, foam earplugs, toothbrushes, not to mention the small little appliances and their individual AC adapters. Can I live without my electric razor or my Waterpik®? I am certainly unprepared to become homeless.

The tablet computer craze is probably not going to affect the oversized cranium after all. I just can't seem to figure out how it can replace any kind of computer, even the lowly netbook. The applications that run in tablet computers are just crappy, perhaps one small step above the "apps" in "smartphones." Tablet computers could probably do more, but they are seriously hampered by the touch interface as well. So, I will simply have to face the fact that I must optimize my Acer® Aspire One netbook for the time being. Thus, I am no longer certain whether I can remain loyal to Kubuntu.

Of course, if I could discontinue the "blog" and divest my vast hurdy-gurdy library, then I would function just fine with a tablet computer. Really, should the "blog" be done away with? Then, I would have no need for "content creation." Rather than sit in my squalid room at Slob Manor (read: rental housing) every night and be forced to listen to Methamphetamine Meathead stomp around incessantly upstairs, I could hang out at Kahala Mall in the evening like I used to. Oh, those were the days!

Plum Tuckered Out

Another urban nomad kind-of-a-Sunday was blessed by an extended perusal of the symbolically unattainable hottie gym trainer at the gym. Whew! Baby was looking hot. Otherwise, same ol' shit. What else is new?

Typical "Emergency Brewski" Hotties

Well, I shared a wealth of useless knowledge and prognostications in the past few days. I am "plum tuckered out" from all that thinking. Baha! Ha! Ha! Haaa! So, let's take a break now, shall we? Perhaps I should break out one of my emergency brewskis just for the hell of it. Too bad that I don't have any "emergency brewski" hotties to keep me company, eh?

Acer® A500 Iconia Tablet

On a side note, the new Acer® Iconia tablet computer officially goes on sale at Best Buy® in one week. Am I ready to acquire one? Should I be the proud owner of three useless computers? Or, shouldn't I be attempting to wean myself from the damned computer instead? Oh, the banality of it all.

The Queue

The dots, three dashes, three dots. SOS. Do I need help? No, just the same ol' shit. I ran into Ann at the library. We only chatted briefly. She seemed to be a little less stressed out. I haven't seen my homeless buddy in a couple of days. A few days ago, he mentioned that he's been hanging out at the Kaimuki branch of the library as well.

My leg injury is just about healed. There's still a little pain where the muscle tear occurred. I am, however, weaning myself of the bandage this weekend, hopefully. It's been over a month already. The senior citizen body just doesn't heal as quick as it used to.

"Is he gay?" That's what Alan asked me a few days ago concerning Methamphetamine Meathead. As further proof, Alan added, "He named his dog 'Sweetness.'" I assured Alan that Meathead is not gay, although he does have some odd mannerisms. The reason that he's residing at Slob Manor (read: rental housing) is that he broke up with babe of 29 years. Meathead doesn't really bother me anymore. The whole world is full of dickheads. Heck, I may even refer to Meathead by his real name again someday.

I neglected to mention that Meathead's lair is a complete mess. There are boxes stacked up everywhere. There's crap draped over every inch of his expensive new furniture. In fact, I couldn't even see the furniture. The second floor common area invoked the imagery of hoarding nightmare stories. What's worse is that Meathead brings in more boxes of crap daily. The landlord was with me when I was upstairs attempting to troubleshoot the Net problems a week ago. I was surprised that the landlord didn't say anything about the mess. When the Indian guy was still here, the landlord was always complaining about how messy he was. Believe me, the Indian guy would receive the Good Housekeeping® Seal of Approval in comparison to Meathead. Sheesh!

Yesterday, I discussed the pseudo-collapse of the empire and how it will affect the peasantry. However, I believe that there are far greater problems facing all of humanity. Even Peak Oil may be trumped by global climate change and pollution. Severe changes in weather patterns, rising sea levels, industrial pollution, and unnatural disasters (e.g., Fukushima meltdown) will be our undoing. Ultimately, food and fresh water supplies will dwindle as a result. We are on a collision course with extinction mainly because the moneychangers and powers-that be are too fixated on money and profits. We can no longer respond properly to natural and unnatural disasters. In a control system model, the latter would be considered a positive feedback loop. There are many other positive feedback loops in the "system" now. Therefore, there is no way to restore stability. A really good example is the empire's current financial mess.

We are experiencing the secular Apocalypse. I don't think that the status quo can be maintained for much longer than another ten years, if even that. The computer simulation models for Peak Oil, global climate change, and global economics are too conservative. They do not include and cannot anticipate any positive feedback loops. The destruction is occurring at a far greater rate.

I am sure that there are many people who will vehemently disagree with me, but I don't much care anymore. I have already discovered that the real truth is elusive. I no longer go on "reality shopping" binges to find answers that I want to hear. I make my own judgments based upon the facts at hand, often scientific, as well as my own empirical observations. I am also keenly aware that the religion of pseudo-science often twists the truth for its own benefit or profit. Confusion, augmented by distractions, is what keeps the rank-and-file peons in line.

In the meantime, without a strategic plan, I continue to waste precious time. I follow the urban nomad routine. I fret about my finances and other ridiculous issues. I continue to download hurdy-gurdy files. I ponder endlessly about whether to divest all of my computers and rely entirely upon a questionable tablet computer. I wait eternally to divest all of my useless possessions that have been in the queue for as long as I can remember. On and on it goes. I have been ready for the exodus for a long time, but I cannot make the final push until the correct sequence of events occurs first.

Writing on the Wall

Another visit to Hawai'i Kai went well. Moms and I ate lunch at Yummy's Korean BBQ. Later, moms served Welcome® vanilla ice cream for dessert. The rest of the day? The urban nomad fulfilled his usual benign functions and followed his routine itinerary as planned.

Stupidity runs rampant. Yesterday, I neglected to mention that I had a run-in with a haole asswipe on the bus. He had some kind of attitude problem when he sat next to me. He kept bumping into me with his arm. I "advised" him to stop. He wanted both of us to alight at the next bus stop to settle our difference. Apparently, the skinny wimp thought that he could "kick my ass." I'm thinking of taking up his offer the next time I see him. Baha! Ha! Ha! Haaa!

The two morons who caused traffic to back up almost over the entire island are further examples of stupidity-at-large. One is in jail. The other is a cadaver lying on a slab at the local morgue. Dumb and dumber. The latest wrap-up of the pathetic saga was covered by the Star-Advertiser. Did the two fools set out early yesterday morning with even a minor inkling that they may not see tomorrow? How stupid is that?

Stupidity, of course, can be extrapolated across all of humanity. However, in the empire, stupidity reigns supreme. Most of the fools cannot even detect the trend that is occurring. The ridiculous "good cop, bad cop" theater is converging on one plot. I've already discussed my prognostications in the "blog" many moons ago. Now, they are coming true.

The upward flow of wealth is intentional. The velocity has increased to the point that it can no longer be reversed. The poor will get poorer. The middle class will disappear with most of its witless members being sucked into eternal poverty. Well, what about the fact that 75 percent of the empire's GDP is consumption? What about it? The upper class now has so much personal disposable wealth that they plan to engage in extreme consumption. They will spend more than enough to float the GDP. The poor will no longer figure into the "big picture." They are not needed. Why do you think that the empire's faux government is attempting to expedite the eradication of all social and entitlement programs?

We keep hearing the same tiresome lamentations of various gasbags, all of them warning that the empire cannot continue to fund numerous imperial wars, ignore unemployment, and not increase its spending even though the "deficit" is enormous. The empire will continue to do so because "globalization" has made it all possible. The rank-and-file peon is expendable. In the end, we can expect the entire empire to run just as it is now with only the active participation of the top 25 percent of the wealthiest asswipes. The rest could be homeless, incarcerated, conscripted, or be part of the "Great Die-Off." No one of importance will care.

Laugh if you must. However, take a good look afterward. Look at Detroit, as a case in point. Take a look at what happened after Hurricane Katrina. Take a look at the nonchalance over our radioactive contaminated water and food supply. By the way, the wealthiest asswipes are not eating the same food or drinking the same water as you or I. And, the very minute that they find out that the air is contaminated, they will relocate instantly. Big money has no bounds. The rest of us will have to suffer a bitterly painful end with no medical services available. That's the plan.

"But, these people are Christians," you utter to yourself. What a crock of shit! Right there, that should convince anyone of the bogus nature of Pauline-Christianity and all of the other false religions of the Yahweh Triad. Heck, the shithead on the bus was probably a "Christian."

And, what about all of the conspiracy talk about the "collapse" of empire? The shell of the empire will collapse, that's for sure. The only people who will be affected are the bottom 75 percent of the empire's population. Their whole world will collapse. For the upper tier, life will actually improve ten-fold or more. The core of the empire will continue to function and grow. Remember the bogus government shutdown threat just a week ago? Did you notice that the military and the police state were to remain fully funded. The imperial wars would carry on regardless. Commerce for the moneychangers and the powers-that-be would continue. Police protection for the moneychangers and the powers-that-be would continue. Everything else would have shut down. The only people affected would be you and I.

In summary, the collapse is coming, perhaps even accelerated by the uncertainties in Japan as a result of the earthquake, tsunami, and the Fukushima meltdown. Remember, Japan is the largest holder of the empire's debt instruments. Japan could reduce its own enormous debt by selling off the empire's useless paper. That's why the "good cop, bad cop" theater is thickening the "deficit must be reduced" plot. There's not going to be any government spending. There won't be any more "stimulus" programs, at least for the poor. There won't be any job creation. Pretty soon, all unemployment benefits will be cut off. That's the writing on the wall.

Too Dangerous for Our Own Good

"Chernobyl me once, fool am I. Chernobyl and Fukushima me twice, fool we all are." -- mrflash818 on The Oil Drum Site

SOS, you know the code. Everything was running smoothly until I rode the Route 1L bus this afternoon at 3:15pm. I noticed the traffic bottleneck just before Kahala. I was able to observe an endless line of 4000-pound motorized chairs (read: automobiles) on the freeway. None of them were moving. Thirty minutes later, the bus arrived at Kahala Mall, less than two blocks away. At 5:15pm, we had to transfer to the Route 1L bus right behind us. The driver said that we would be there for a while, so I alighted and went into the mall. I ended up purchasing a smoothie at Jamba Juice®. When I returned, the Route 1L bus was gone.

I observed three Route 23 buses waiting in queue across the street. I attempted to board one of the buses but was refused entry because of the smoothie. Oddly, I have no problem boarding any bus in the morning with a cup of coffee in hand. I noticed that the buses were being rerouted to Ainakoa Street. I then decided to walk further down to the highway and wait at the next bus stop. There were police everywhere. I looked up Ainakoa Street and saw that it was blocked off. Thus, I knew that I had time to possibly arrive at the bus stop before the Route 1L bus.

Quite a few people had the same idea as the bus stop became more crowded at time passed. As it turned out, I had just missed the bus by a few minutes. I chatted with two babes at the bus stop for the next two hours that we waited. Finally, a Route 22 bus arrived. No one was happy about the chaotic situation. We had seen seven express buses pass us by. Why didn't the lame management notify the drivers to stop for us? Why did two hours go by with no regular buses?

The crime that caused the problem (read initial report filed by the Star-Advertiser) occurred at 3pm. The two punks involved caused a lot of grief foe a lot of people. The Route 1L bus that I rode initially was on time until the bottleneck. Everything went downhill after that. Passengers were simply dumped off at Kahala Mall and the buses went back to town. Other buses simply waited for two hours in queue. Why didn't the police the buses priority?

I discovered that one of my favorite hurdy-gurdy stars, Hunter Bryce, has passed on. She was only 30 years of age. Quite a few hurdy-gurdy stars have passed on recently. That brought to mind the section called, "Illusion of Love," in Chris Hedges' book, "Empire of Illusion. I previously discussed the section in the "blog" of March 17th.

Chicks going into the hurdy-gurdy industry are not doing so because they love the work. They want to make big money and achieve some level of celebrity status. The hurdy-gurdy industry exists because the failed "civilization" paradigm has "commodified" all aspects of life including da wild thing. The failed "civilization" paradigm has also enforced arbitrary gender roles which, in effect, have created a gender hierarchy and a whole class of male losers. Unfortunately, even male losers are subject to biological urges. Enter the hurdy-gurdy industry, designed to fulfill a loser's biological urges vicariously ... for a price.

I don't want to belabor the point since there are so few readers of the "blog." Just know that I am becoming quite disillusioned with humanity. I try to avoid any moral judgments because I am essentially an atheistic nihilist. However, there can be no question that humanity is too far gone. We've passed the point of no return. Each day brings new evidence to light.

Speaking of "too far gone," there has been little news about the Fukushima meltdown. Actually, I have to wonder. Does it even matter? I mean, the damage is already done. Almost the entire Northern Hemisphere of the earth has been contaminated with radionuclide fallout. Soil and water are contaminated. The food chain is contaminated. Although the radiation levels are deemed to be "low," we are breathing and ingesting them now. Given the effects of bioaccumulation and molecular proximity, we now have increasing probabilities of developing all kinds of cancer. I need not go on. No one believes it anyway. In fact, I've heard fools regurgitate turd-ish clichés like, "Well, we all have to go sometime anyway."

As I've said earlier, humanity is too far gone. The nightmare for me is that I am an unwitting participant in humanity. I can see now and understand why we are going to destroy ourselves and possibly all other forms of life on the planet. We are too dangerous for our own good.

SOS

Acronym of the day: SOS (i.e., same ol' shit). At the library, I ran into Ann and my homeless buddy. Frankly, they are the only two people whom I care to see these days. I also completed reading the book, "Overconnected: The promise and Threat of the Internet," by Bill Davidow. The book is quite interesting even though Davidow goes off on a tangent often. The most intriguing section was about the financial crisis in Ireland, noteworthy because the nation was back in the news just last week. One part of the book probably needs a revision. Davidow lamented that the global financial system just wasn't as safe and well designed like nuclear power plants. Oops!

Want to read an article that will surely torque your jaw? Here's an excerpt:

Christy is the wife of John Mack, the chairman of Morgan Stanley. Susan is the widow of Peter Karches, a close friend of the Macks who served as president of Morgan Stanley's investment-banking division. Neither woman appears to have any serious history in business, apart from a few philanthropic experiences. Yet the Federal Reserve handed them both low-interest loans of nearly a quarter of a billion dollars through a complicated bailout program that virtually guaranteed them millions in risk-free income.

The article by Matt Taibbi appeared on the Rolling Stone site. The more I read, the more disturbed I became. To say that I wanted to launch a terroristic genocidal campaign would be an understatement.

It's hard to believe that, with only one life to live, many of us have no choice but to eke out an existence in stressful squalor. The subclass of mental midgets amongst us are satisfied with faux self-importance and techno-gadget distractions. The slightly brighter subclass are only severely limited by their faux "education." Dumb and dumber. Then, there is a small handful of atheistic nihilists like the ol' lavahead. What we share in common is eternal enslavement to the "system" perpetuated by and for the moneychangers and powers-that-be. SOS.

9 Pop 9 Imix

(12.19.18.5.1) Same ol' shit. I was groggy all day because of sleep deprivation. Yeah, Methamphetamine Meathead was at it again until 4am this morning. My days at Slob Manor (read: rental housing) should be numbered. Although, what's the point?

The Fukushima meltdown in Japan is worsening, just as I had anticipated a couple of weeks ago. Very little news about the radioactive fallout has been made available. The "spin doctors" continue to downplay the whole scenario. To state the potential problem in truthful terms is essentially futile anyway. Almost the entire Northern Hemisphere has been contaminated with high levels of radionuclide fallout. Where would all of us evacuate to? The ensuing panic would only create even more chaotic problems. Obviously, the truth need not be told because there is most likely a 20-year window at the least before we can actually observe the heinous results of the Fukushima disaster. Quite a few of us will have developed various cancers by then. And, due to widespread ignorance, would the cancer epidemic be retroactively attributed to the Fukushima incident?

If you haven't already read about increasing amounts of Iodine-131 being found in milk (Hilo HI being one of the worst cases so far), then you may want to peruse a timely article on the Natural News site titled, "Fukushima radiation taints US milk supplies at levels 300% higher than EPA maximums." Here's a common sense excerpt:

Why is this milk contamination significant? Milk, of course, typically represents the overall condition of the food chain because cows consume grass and are exposed to the same elements as food crops and water supplies. In other words, when cows' milk starts testing positive for high levels of radioactive elements, this is indicative of radioactive contamination of the entire food supply.

Mind you, only Iodine-131 is being tested for extensively. There's a good reason for that. Its half-life is only eight days. So, I-131 is the least harmful of the fission byproducts. Of course, no one is going to tell you about "bioaccumulation." Neither is anyone going to release figures of the more toxic, longer half-life byproducts (e.g., plutonium, strontium). The situation will only get worse. However, the moneychangers and powers-that-be are only interested in maintaining the economic status quo of the "system."

Typical Educated Hottie

And, speaking of widespread ignorance, Chris Hedges penned an interesting article that appears on the Truthdig site. An excerpt:

Those who can ask the right questions are armed with the capacity to make a moral choice, to defend the good in the face of outside pressure. And this is why the philosopher Immanuel Kant puts the duties we have to ourselves before the duties we have to others. The standard for Kant is not the biblical idea of self-love — love thy neighbor as thyself, do unto others as you would have them do unto you — but self-respect. What brings us meaning and worth as human beings is our ability to stand up and pit ourselves against injustice and the vast, moral indifference of the universe. Once justice perishes, as Kant knew, life loses all meaning. Those who meekly obey laws and rules imposed from the outside — including religious laws — are not moral human beings. The fulfillment of an imposed law is morally neutral. The truly educated make their own wills serve the higher call of justice, empathy and reason. Socrates made the same argument when he said it is better to suffer wrong than to do wrong.

Quite apropos, although Hedges was discussing the empire's educational decline. A more detailed analysis appeared in Hedges' book, "Empire of Illusion," under the section, "Illusion of Knowledge." I can only concur with Hedges. In my ten years as a university pseudo-professor, I have seen it all. My experiences are recorded in both the "blog" and the old journal.

Acer® Iconia A500 Tablet

Awww, fuck it already! The secular Apocalypse is in full swing. The destruction is in slow motion, though. Yet, in the end, there will be a lot of pain and suffering. It's time to put an end to the charade of living prophylactically, I suppose. Heck, maybe I should purchase the new Acer® Iconia tablet computer. Maybe I should become a real homeless guy. Or, perhaps it's time to act as if there's no tomorrow.

Post No. 1,807

Another visit to Hawai'i Kai went well. Moms and I ate lunch at Panda Express®. My Panda Express® fortune cookie's advice: "Counting your time is not so important as making your time count." Can I get a witness? Later, moms served Welcome® vanilla ice cream for dessert. The rest of the day? The urban nomad fulfilled his usual benign functions and followed his routine itinerary as planned.

Moms had a dental appointment for a routine cleaning this morning. About five minutes into the appointment, the dental hygienist appeared in the waiting room to consult with me. Moms was apparently having some kind of problem, allegedly complaining about the last cleaning and saying something about not wanting to be there. I assured the hygienist that moms was having a "senior moment." Afterward, moms mentioned nothing about the incident, so I left it at that. Frankly, I believe that the apparent strife centering on my nephew in my bro's household was the cause. Although moms is not involved, the stress is probably unnerving for moms.

I returned to Slob Manor (read: rental housing) earlier than usual in order to wash and wax my Nissan® Frontier truck. Of course, washing and waxing is accomplished in one quick easy step with Turtle Wax® Zip Wax®. Twenty minutes, and I was done.

Well, just when I thought that the tablet computer issue was a done deal, Acer® introduced the $450 Iconia A500 tablet computer running Android® "Honeycomb." It's a nifty little device. However, it is running the very beleaguered Android® tablet operating system. Few geeks seem interested in "Honeycomb," and applications are only trickling in. Oh, the heck with it!

There's been very little news streaming out of Japan concerning the Fukushima meltdown. I keep following the updated threads on The Oil Drum site. However, a most disturbing article by Yoichi Shimatsu has surfaced. An excerpt:

Instead of enabling a regional deterrence system and a return to great-power status, the Manchurian deal planted the time bombs now spewing radiation around the world. The nihilism at the heart of this nuclear threat to humanity lies not inside Fukushima 1, but within the national security mindset. The specter of self-destruction can be ended only with the abrogation of the U.S.-Japan security treaty, the root cause of the secrecy that fatally delayed the nuclear workers' fight against meltdown.

The article is archived on the Global Research site and is titled, "Secret Weapons Program Inside Fukushima Nuclear Plants?" Chilling stuff, to say the least.

Computerized Relaxation

With little else to do last night at Slob Manor (read: rental housing), I performed the dreaded laundry chores at 11pm. Oddly, the Net was back to normal shortly afterward. I suspect that the party house across the street was somehow involved in the problem. The house is a huge beachfront estate. I don't know if anyone actually resides there full time. However, the house is rented out frequently for special events. The valets park the guests' 4000-pound motorized chairs (read: automobiles) all along the side street adjacent to Slob Manor. Coincidentally, there was big party there last night. How and why the party used up all of the "bandwidth" in the 'hood is puzzling, although there's no other reasonable explanation. The outage was only in effect during the party.

Another urban nomad kind-of-a-Sunday was highlighted by a brief perusal of the symbolically unattainable hottie gym trainer at the gym. Baby was looking mighty fine as usual. Need I say more? I returned to Slob Manor by 2pm specifically to complete my income tax returns. The crap needs to be mailed sometime this week. I have no desire to deal with such mundane nonsense anymore.

Everything is back to normal now. I am sitting in my squalid room in Slob Manor as we speak. I am essentially glued to my computer screen, doing everything from composing the ridiculous "blog" to downloading the latest hurdy-gurdy videos for my vast library . I am keenly aware of the fact that I am only exacerbating the on-going existential crisis. Yet, what can I do? I have already detailed my plight. I am a poverty-stricken loser stuck in an extremely consumerist society.

Speaking of computers, I have been cleaning up my old Toshiba® Satellite notebook computer. I have neglected it for far too long since my plan was to decommission it. Now, I'm back to the old plan. I can replace the hard drive for about $50 and some change. Maybe I'll get another two or three years of use after that. In any case, I don't see any tablet computer for myself in the near future.

Well, I will round out the evening by laying on my squalid bed with my back against the wall. On my lap will be my Acer® Aspire One netbook. After spending all afternoon and early evening at my squalid desk with my Toshiba® Satellite notebook computer, I will settle in and relax with my netbook. Sheer insanity.

Lost Without the Net

Same ol' shit. Unfortunately, when I returned to Slob Manor (read: rental housing), I was only able to access the Net for about an hour. Then, I was cut off. Actually, my access slowed down to a complete crawl. Nearly all Web sites timed out completely. I notified the landlord since the cable modem and wireless router are locked upstairs in Brian's domain. The landlord was not able to find the key. However, the door was actually ajar. Only the knob was locked. The landlord called Oceanic Cable anyway. The service representative was able to reset the cable modem and check it remotely. Long story short, nothing appeared to be wrong. I then swapped out the wireless router with another one. Same problem. Well, I had no idea when I would be able to access the Net. So much for downloading new hurdy-gurdy videos, eh?

Incidentally, I have decided to make a few changes to my bland diet. Until further notice, I will be dining on lamp-baked chicken along with the usual salad. Thus, I will be deprecating the preservative-laced sliced turkey. I also plan to include ahi poke in my diet again. And, I want to go back to eating bagels in place of the tiresome granola. Not to worry, though. The new diet will still be as bland and repetitive as ever.

Later in the evening, I was able to finally access the wireless router itself (via IP 192.168.1.1). The router belongs to Alan, but he did not change the default administrator password. Thank goodness. Access to the Web-based administration panel was fast, so there was obviously no RF interference. I checked the DHCP client table and found no odd entries. No one was stealing "bandwidth" from outside Slob Manor. Although the Oceanic representative claimed that there were no problems reported in the 'hood, I suspected that someone on the local hub was doing something sinister.

Without the Net, I had nothing to do all evening. I suppose that I could have enjoyed a marathon viewing of my entire hurdy-gurdy video library. Oh brother. Sadly, I have no games installed on either of my computers. That only left composing the "blog" in a text editor (saving the file for later uploading) and listening to my archive of House Music. Sheesh!

Late Addendum: Miraculously, the Net was back to normal at 11:30pm. Strange things.

Zombie Zeigeist

Another visit to Hawai'i Kai went well. Moms and I ate lunch at Zippy's. Later, moms served Welcome® vanilla ice cream for dessert. The rest of the day? The urban nomad fulfilled his usual benign functions and followed his routine itinerary as planned.

Moms wanted to visit a friend whose husband recently passed on due to liver cancer. Reluctantly I agreed. So many of moms friends, most of whom belong to the same church, are senior citizens. A lot of them or their spouses have passed on. Sadly, I desperately want to avoid any circumstance that reminds me of my own mortality.

Once again, I suffered from sleep deprivation. The clown in the Slob Manor (read: rental housing) studio apparently has a buddy visiting from the mainland. They've been going "clubbing" every night and returning noisily at 4am. As anyone can guess, I was essentially a zombie all day. Let's call it a night now, shall we?

Radionuclide Rain

We have experienced some moderate precipitation here in Hawai'i for the past two days. Of course, there's nothing wrong with tropical showers ... unless it's laced with Iodine-131 and other radionuclides. Taking a look at the potential releases of radioactive fallout from Fukushima, the lower boundary in the middle of the Pacific Ocean dips well below the location (i.e., 23rd parallel) of the Hawai'ian Island chain. In other words, we have probably been exposed to spikes in radioactivity due to fallout.

The real problem, of course, is that fallout consists of actual radioactive particles floating through the air that we breathe. Most reporting of measured radioactive levels only deals with trace amounts detectable only by sensitive instruments. Breathing in actual radioactive particles is another story. Some of the radionuclides mimic potassium or calcium. Thus, the human body collects and absorbs the toxic isotopes. Since the radioactive particles become a part of our bodies, they can wreak havoc on a cellular level because of molecular proximity. My friends, all of us in any of the active fallout zones are in deep shit.

At the library, I completed reading a short book, "The Obama Syndrome: Surrender at Home, War Abroad," by Tariq Ali. Pretty good book, I might add. There's just no way to avoid the fact that the empire is too far gone.

Well, another earthquake has hit Japan as we speak. Measured at 7.1 Richter, it was classified as another "aftershock." I am beginning to believe that the nightmare is not over in Japan. Rather than a series of aftershocks, perhaps another huge earthquake is in the making. I dread to even imagine the consequences.

Haircut 100

Another groggy day due to sleep deprivation, thanks to the clown who resides in the Slob Manor (read: rental housing) studio. For some reason, he always loves to invite his buddies over at 4am in the morning. They sit outside on his porch droppin' back brewskis and talking very loud. My guess is that he and his buddies were probably out "clubbing" earlier, most likely intoxicated on one of those "rave" drugs (usually an amphetamine). The noise finally subsided at 5am.

I ran into Ann at the library this morning. I had not seen her around for almost two weeks. So far, no job prospects. Fortunately, she is receiving full unemployment benefits. Ann mentioned that Lori is not moving out until the end of April now. Of course, neither Ann or I know the real story. I am, of course, not the least bit curious.

Aside from that, the highlight of my day was the restoration of my extreme monk haircut at the Institute of Hair Design. Some kind of excitement, eh? Actually, a good monk haircut is very comforting to the mortal soul.

The brand new Gnome® 3 (formerly referred to as Gnome® Shell) is out! I really like it. In case anyone is not sure what I am raving about, Gnome® is a Linux desktop environment. Sadly, Ubuntu will not be embracing the new desktop. Rather, Ubuntu is developing its own Unity desktop. As you have guessed, I am not fond of Unity. will I give up on KDE? Only time will tell.

Just the Facts

Yesterday, I neglected to mention that I procured a pair of cheap gardening gloves at Longs®. I attempted to remove the thorny weed patch sprouting in the rock pile where I park my Nissan® Frontier truck at Slob Manor (read: rental housing). The gloves were so cheap that the thorns pierced right through the thin fabric. However, I was able to remove most of the weeds, albeit painfully, from the rock pile.

I also purchased a whole lamp-baked chicken while I was at Foodland. I had grown fatigued with my current dinner menu, so I opted for a change. No doubt, I will be eating lamp-baked chicken continuously for several weeks before I become sickened by the same fare every day. What will I be eating after that?

Another urban nomad kind-of-a-day ... same ol' shit. I've been pondering my mortality even more so these days. No matter where I may be, I am privy to see myriad senior citizens in various states of decrepitude. I would not be so alarmed if not for the fact that many of them are only a handful of years older than myself. And, here I am, still wasting precious time. Let's review the facts now, shall we?

• I am not getting any younger.
• I am running out of money.
• I have no viable strategic plan.
• I am still a slave, and always will be.
• I am wasting too much time with computers.
• The hottie gym trainer is not going to come around.

Baha! Ha! Ha! Haaa! That last fact is "over the top," eh?

Typical "Copy & Paste" Hottie

Speaking of computers, I have relegated the idea of procuring a tablet computer to the mental trash bin. The hardware is pretty good, but the tablet operating systems leave a lot to be desired. Disregarding the poor multimedia quality, netbooks can at least provide a real computer experience by running full versions of application software. Files can be stored and transferred easily. I am not even sure if tablet computers can "copy & paste" objects between different applications, a relatively simple task.

So, I may have been too hasty in my recent assessment of my Acer® Aspire One netbook. However, I find the netbook to be far too large and heavy (i.e., nearly three pounds) to be truly portable. That's why I never carry it with me. In addition, I must unfold it and place it on a desk before the netbook is usable. And, it is essentially useless unless I can connect to a wireless hotspot. Perhaps my first step toward freedom is to cut myself loose from my computers. Sheesh!

In the past week, I have seen quite a few people toting around notebook computers with 17-inch LCD screens. My Toshiba® Satellite notebook computer has a 17-inch LCD screen. It weighs damned near 8 pounds. Adding the AC adapter (read: power supply) would bring the weight to over 9 pounds. And, believe me, most notebook computers are useless without the AC adapter. Yet, I see people lugging around both computer and power supply without a second thought, along with myriad other junk. Am I just a weakling?

Late Addendum: "The document also suggests that fragments or particles of nuclear fuel from spent fuel pools above the reactors were blown 'up to one mile from the units,' and that pieces of highly radioactive material fell between two units and had to be 'bulldozed over,' presumably to protect workers at the site. The ejection of nuclear material, which may have occurred during one of the earlier hydrogen explosions, may indicate more extensive damage to the extremely radioactive pools than previously disclosed." The excerpt is from the New York Times. According to the article, the "document" is a confidential report prepared by the NRC about the Fukushima meltdown. Finally, the facts are forthcoming.

Post No. 1,800

Another visit to Hawai'i Kai went well. Moms and I ate lunch at Panda Express®. My Panda Express® fortune cookie's prognostication: "A partner can help you in your efforts to get ahead." Partner? Like the hottie gym trainer? Later, moms served Welcome® vanilla ice cream for dessert. The rest of the day? The urban nomad fulfilled his usual benign functions and followed his routine itinerary as planned.

Is it my imagination, or has there really been nothing substantial reported from any news source in the past few days? All I've seen is the same old imperialist propaganda concerning Libya. What about the meltdown in Fukushima? I will say, though, that most of the empire's citizens have failed to see that the "no-fly zone" objective in Libya has radically changed to that of "regime change." Where's the outrage? We can't afford to keep our schools open, yet we are literally blowing up billions of dollars in bombs in Libya. Wrong is right.

I have been reading about the quarter-million survivors of the earthquake and tsunami in Northern Japan. They are living in dismal conditions, almost reminiscent of the recent disaster in Haiti. All the while, the nuclear meltdown continues at Fukushima. In the weeks to come, can we expect the situation to become so dire that thousands of conscripts will be required to perform menial tasks to seal the reactors? That, of course, was the dreadful scenario at Chernobyl. Even the crew that is at Fukushima right now is essentially cursed with future chronic illnesses. Some argue that they are not truly heroes. They are just doing their job. Yeah, right.

Crummy Computers

Once again, another urban nomad kind-of-a-Sunday was made tolerable only by a brief perusal of the symbolically unattainable hottie gym trainer at the gym. Baby was looking mighty fine, by the way. When doesn't baby look good?

I spent another day in a comatose state. I followed the same routine in a robotic fashion. Truthfully, though, my mind was preoccupied. Yes, I was ruminating about my inability to attain freedom, either because of sheer stupidity or downright obstinance. Then, I pondered my mortality. Obviously, I did not find any answers. Perhaps, like most humans, I really don't want to know the answers.

Speaking of answers, there sure doesn't seem to be much of the latter in the news. Or, there's no news. And, no news is bad news. So, I have to revert to another useless computer discussion.

My pathetic computer saga has allowed me to reach a point of enlightenment. I have finally realized that the purchase of the Acer® Aspire One netbook was a big mistake. I wasted $300 on a fairly useless device. I am thinking of putting regular Ubuntu back on the machine. I can think of no other solution. I may be able to install a completely minimalist "distro," but there's no guarantee that it would work any better "out of the box."

Perhaps I should have remained loyal to Apple®. The old white iBook served me fine. The operating system is nearly flawless. The software is elegant. The hardware is simply beautiful. Instead, I opted to take the cheaper route. Look where it has gotten me. I am constantly dealing with stuff that doesn't work or works intermittently. That's just not worth my time.

All Show, No Go

My mind is actually still intact. I am not talking out loud to myself or to any imaginary "friends." My thoughts are still somewhat lucid, at least for the time being. With that said, I spent most of the day in a catatonic state. In other words, I did nothing. Sure, I was physically at the library and the gym. My mind, though, was completely shut down.

Since no news is bad news, I have decided to give my puny mind a brief rest. Let's see now. What shall we discuss? How about tablet computers? Yeah, I know that's a nauseating topic. Well, I discovered that Android® "Honeycomb" has only about 20 official "apps." That's it. All the rest are for "smartphones." Pretty sad, eh?

The only tablet computer that comes close to a regular computer is the WeTab. Although it is a true Linux-based operating system using the MeeGo® framework, the WeTab is essentially a touchscreen netbook. And, MeeGo® is specifically designed to run on the Intel® Atom® processor. Thus, I wouldn't expect 1080p videos to play on it.

I've been thinking about ditching Kubuntu on my Acer® Aspire One netbook for something much more minimalist. An example would be CrunchBang. Of course, it's already shameful to own a netbook. Running a spartan operating system like CrunchBang would add insult to injury. Seriously, though, who cares what anyone else thinks? I need to increase the battery runtime on the netbook as well as restore its ability to play at least mediocre 720p videos. When I switched to Kubuntu, I didn't realize that KDE "plasma" would bog down the graphics processor. All show, no go. Sheesh!

April Fool's Day 2011

Another visit to Hawai'i Kai went well. Moms and I ate lunch at Zippy's. Later, moms served Welcome® vanilla ice cream for dessert. The rest of the day? The urban nomad fulfilled his usual benign functions and followed his routine itinerary as planned.

I have become extremely annoyed with both my Toshiba® Satellite notebook computer and my Acer® Aspire One netbook. They are substandard pieces of junk. I have been able to push their marginal performance to the limit thanks to two flavors of Ubuntu Linux. However, with the secular Apocalypse in full swing, I really have little patience for substandard junk.

Overall, I am running extremely bloated operating systems on budget hardware when all I need is a non-crippled Web browser and a good spreadsheet application. I also need a media player capable of at least 720p resolution in order to view my vast hurdy-gurdy collection. Obviously, I could get by with a tablet computer. However, none of the current tablet computers fulfills all three of my required functions. They are limited by operating systems designed for "smartphones." What to do ... what to do ...

Perhaps the core of the matter is that I am losing my mind. The world of humans, driven by an irrational allegiance to the God of Yahweh Triad (i.e., Judaism, Pauline-Christianity, and Islam), is so rife with insanity that I, too, am being driven insane. Suffice to say, I have not specifically chosen to lead a life of "blogging" and hurdy-gurdy video addiction. I have been reduced to a benign life-style by the very forces that are bringing about human self-destruction.

The main characteristic of a cancer cell is that it mutates and continues to reproduce exponentially, all the while displacing useful cells. Human overpopulation has often been analogized as a metaphorical cancerous growth. Think about it, though. Humans have infested the entire planet. In the process, we have displaced all other lifeforms. Heck, there are only 10,000 chimps left in the wild. Evolutionists should be concerned since the chimp is allegedly our closest relative. The damage (e.g., Fukushima meltdown) that humans have caused is disproportionately higher than the rate of increase in their population. That, my friends, is the definition of cancer.