tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-47955269308665759332024-03-13T07:47:20.873-07:00Durango Tech No<p align="center">Attempting To Keep Up With Technology Is Exhausting</p>Durangohttp://www.blogger.com/profile/10231271044296466883noreply@blogger.comBlogger13125tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4795526930866575933.post-19382150825970628392015-08-03T08:55:00.000-07:002015-08-03T08:55:16.382-07:00A Google Courtesy Has Saved Me From Breaking A European Union Cookie Law<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj5J2qCslLi4Vipk4vGyRBXWaWOrb9wq6Avs1d-wNmJdQfwhmXH1VlPFPr3tXg-sPhGk4A9ayuYH16d9bfey_Gp9qvm7N1kim8H-ls7BoEApxj1mwtZGQysrGuCwwzb4wDS7hgZ7KZYcduc/s1600/EU.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="222" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj5J2qCslLi4Vipk4vGyRBXWaWOrb9wq6Avs1d-wNmJdQfwhmXH1VlPFPr3tXg-sPhGk4A9ayuYH16d9bfey_Gp9qvm7N1kim8H-ls7BoEApxj1mwtZGQysrGuCwwzb4wDS7hgZ7KZYcduc/s400/EU.jpg" width="400" /></a></div>
Several days ago when logging into my various blogs I found myself greeted with the message from Google you see here, contained in the yellow box.<br />
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The message in its entirety...<br />
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<span style="font-family: Courier New, Courier, monospace;">European Union laws require you to give European Union visitors information about cookies used on your blog. In many cases, these laws also require you to obtain consent.</span><br />
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<span style="font-family: Courier New, Courier, monospace;">As a courtesy, we have added a notice on your blog to explain Google's use of certain Blogger and Google cookies, including use of Google Analytics and AdSense cookies. </span><br />
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<span style="font-family: Courier New, Courier, monospace;">You are responsible for confirming this notice actually works for your blog, and that it displays. If you employ other cookies, for example by adding third party features, this notice may not work for you. Learn more about this notice and your responsibilities.</span><br />
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What fresh hell is this, I read and wondered?<br />
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Why would the European Union get itself all worked up over blog cookies? I clicked on the "learn more" link to learn more about my responsibilities regarding this serious issue. And to make sure the Google notice actually works.<br />
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Well, you click on "learn more" to learn that one needs to go to the Euro versions of ones blog to check on the Google notice, the examples given by Google were for France and the UK. So, I checked on <b><a href="http://durangotexas.blogspot.co.uk/" target="_blank">durangotexas.blogspot.co.uk</a></b> and <b><a href="http://durangotexas.blogspot.fr/" target="_blank">durangotexas.blogspot.fr</a></b> and found no notice added as a courtesy by Google.<br />
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I decided not to worry about it, except for a concern deep in the recesses of my imagination that the EU version of the FBI might soon be after me. <br /><br />And then this morning I checked once again and was pleased to discover that Google has now added the courteous notice Google said they would add as a courtesy...<br />
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjeGfMTDU6ycoB_yqsU0HoPeHU4MaD8z6lgEye09qEiumOkHh2iKzXzJXbCpIuYdsbo32iaEKI5KO4eZ2JQOOeo4SViMjCelL8z4nsuKRQ35scQ8w7shyphenhyphen-Cn6xzJdJquzqd-fKBnHqBSb_E/s1600/EU2.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="77" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjeGfMTDU6ycoB_yqsU0HoPeHU4MaD8z6lgEye09qEiumOkHh2iKzXzJXbCpIuYdsbo32iaEKI5KO4eZ2JQOOeo4SViMjCelL8z4nsuKRQ35scQ8w7shyphenhyphen-Cn6xzJdJquzqd-fKBnHqBSb_E/s400/EU2.jpg" width="500" /></a></div>
<br />All is now well with the world, with me no longer worried about a knock on the door be the EU FBI. Or Interpol...Durangohttp://www.blogger.com/profile/10231271044296466883noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4795526930866575933.post-17949884390705316992015-02-20T08:42:00.001-08:002015-02-20T08:42:12.024-08:00Microsoft Changed Windows 8.1 Login Without Permission Causing User Lockout Frustration<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg_wHK7YWEqz51jFmYvHFSc-eONMn_eHQ5FnSMtVk5R-KP2iV0J-NE652iu2Ni34Agjrmx-RvDst1qhFgxnbLRV1ZZM0kajG9-ADXqEfRCzwH4HyXErGlYbBpIURS4Ze4pxpBk40jA2fjJu/s1600/Microsoft.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg_wHK7YWEqz51jFmYvHFSc-eONMn_eHQ5FnSMtVk5R-KP2iV0J-NE652iu2Ni34Agjrmx-RvDst1qhFgxnbLRV1ZZM0kajG9-ADXqEfRCzwH4HyXErGlYbBpIURS4Ze4pxpBk40jA2fjJu/s1600/Microsoft.jpg" height="226" width="400" /></a></div>
This morning there was a knock on my door. Opening the door I found Big Ed holding his laptop, flipped open and on.<br /><br />What fresh hell is this I wondered?<br /><br />Well, apparently yesterday Big Ed was attempting to create an Instagram account. To do so somehow he was led to believe he needed some Microsoft app from the Google Play store.<br /><br />To get the Microsoft app Big Ed needed to create a Microsoft Account, along with a Hotmail email address. This was sounding so ridiculous I have no idea why Big Ed did not bail at the Hotmail point of the process.<br /><br />After creating the Microsoft Account I assume all was hunkydory with Instagram.<br /><br />What had Big Ed knocking on my door was the fact that this morning when he turned on his computer the login had changed to being the Microsoft Account login he had created the day before.<br /><br />However, the password did not work, Big Ed could not login to his computer.<br /><br />Googling "Microsoft Account Login Not Working" soon indicated a lot of users have had the same problem, with it being a Windows 8.1 problem. The fixes were varied and some seemed absurdly drastic.<br /><br />However, the suggest to hold down the shift key while restarting, causing the computer to go into troubleshoot mode where one could access System Restore, seemed like it should fix the problem. Simply restore the computer to a point before Microsoft mucked it up.<br /><br />However, to access System Restore Windows was asking for the same login/password info that did not work.<br /><br />Eventually I came to the <b><a href="https://login.live.com/" target="_blank">Microsoft webpage</a></b> you see screencapped above. Clicking on "Can't access your account?" had me going step by step to resetting Big Ed's password. A new password was generated, Microsoft then sent a validation code to a Big Ed gmail address I quickly set up on my computer. Microsoft indicated all was well, so I entered the new password at Big Ed's login and soon his Windows were back open.<br /><br />I forgot to mention, Big Ed has very poor eyesight, thus needed help.<br /><br />Now, why would Microsoft do this to users? Why, without asking, or warning, would creating a Microsoft Account, in order to acquire a program, cause Microsoft to overwrite the login on a user's computer? Microsoft changed Big Ed's login name from "Ed" to the Hotmail email address created the day before.<br /><br />I tell you, I have never had a virus muck up a computer as badly as Microsoft has at times.Durangohttp://www.blogger.com/profile/10231271044296466883noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4795526930866575933.post-2797783253115246662014-12-11T08:40:00.001-08:002014-12-11T08:40:43.597-08:00AT & T Fraudulently Changes Its Bill Due Date Without Notice & Then Charges A Late Fee<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEinfiX7WQ0ahKsoRsvMCHTrKhN21U1PVp-v1Zt8HHNR6pY4Qb9fVQdqSWxqWGXUtTK3_SFWPk_gTTz6MAiwALdHQd5nZ20Yh1vnTaPiot3y5J_rynbzmNjrZvKaldb_brY4xuGkeKLKezFI/s1600/AT+&+T+Screw+Verse.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEinfiX7WQ0ahKsoRsvMCHTrKhN21U1PVp-v1Zt8HHNR6pY4Qb9fVQdqSWxqWGXUtTK3_SFWPk_gTTz6MAiwALdHQd5nZ20Yh1vnTaPiot3y5J_rynbzmNjrZvKaldb_brY4xuGkeKLKezFI/s1600/AT+&+T+Screw+Verse.jpg" height="134" width="320" /></a></div>
Looking for an image to illustrate my disgust at an AT & T likely illegal billing practice I soon saw I was not alone in my contempt for AT & T.<br /><br />Didn't AT & T recently get fined for some sort of fraudulent practice?<br /><br />Well. I think AT & T is in need of another fine, along with some sort of refund to the customers who AT & T's racketeering type billing defrauded of funds.<br /><br />What triggers a federal RICO racketeering investigation? Let me describe AT & T's sleazy scheme and see what you think.<br />
<br />The bill due date for my AT & T U Verse Internet account had been the 13th of the month, ever since I signed on to the service. A few months ago the due date was advanced a day, with no notice or explanation.<br /><br />Then the due date was advanced another day. I paid that month's bill a day late due to the bill due date being arbitrarily changed. No "late fee" was charged, that time.<br /><br />But, when I went to pay this month's bill I found the due date had been advanced again, now with the bill due date being the 8th of the month.<br /><br />Plus a $9.95 overdue fee had been added to the previous month's bill, which I had paid a day after that month's changed bill due date.<br /><br />Yesterday I contacted AT & T's customer service chat line. After about 20 minutes someone came online. I explained the problem. The AT & T customer service person said the bill due dates had been changed for uniformity within their system. This sounded ridiculous to me, and so I said so.<br /><br />I also questioned the legality. The customer service person removed the overdue fee and changed the bill due date back to original.<br /><br />Now, here is where the racketeering fraud comes in.<br /><br />How many customers has AT & T done this to? How many customers have paid this bogus "late" fee without a complaint?<br /><br />How many millions of dollars has AT & T defrauded its customers of, with this clearly fraudulent billing practice?Durangohttp://www.blogger.com/profile/10231271044296466883noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4795526930866575933.post-55034438461674678302014-10-26T08:05:00.001-07:002014-10-26T08:05:49.840-07:00For October Google AdSense Payment in Progress is Stuck in Limbo<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgZfukY3P5iPrZ2I3vhFd0CI-MSC-6AggmDx3DPs5RRF3xhpqrA9luK3w177qXd6PdSgJ6J6ceRs_bso1iV-Kp_K504ULfbwbbhNcYJmnoZSj5Z99EVG1r5Au8vCU-Hzy0KNlCpLUeSfwql/s1600/AdSense.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgZfukY3P5iPrZ2I3vhFd0CI-MSC-6AggmDx3DPs5RRF3xhpqrA9luK3w177qXd6PdSgJ6J6ceRs_bso1iV-Kp_K504ULfbwbbhNcYJmnoZSj5Z99EVG1r5Au8vCU-Hzy0KNlCpLUeSfwql/s1600/AdSense.jpg" height="86" width="400" /></a></div>
To the left you are looking at a screencap from my Google AdSense account. Note that on Oct. 21 Automatic payment was in progress.<br /><br />That payment was direct deposited in my bank by the morning of Oct. 23.<br /><br />And yet it is now Oct. 26 and my AdSense account is still indicating the Automatic payment is in progress.<br /><br />That and the account has not been updated with the new Current Balance and the new Most Recent Payment.<br /><br />Plus if you look at a report for today, or the month, you find that Estimated Earnings, Page Views, Clicks, Page CTR, CPC, Page RPM are all N/A, as in Not Available.<br /><br />One can send feedback to Google, but one gets no feedback back.<br /><br />It can be frustrating. Like when Google "Updated" AdSense with a new, supposed, improved account view. With that we lost easy access to the current day's stats. We lost easily seeing the month's total revenue. Instead we get stats like "Last 7 days" and "Last 28 days".<br /><br />
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There is a <b><a href="https://forums.digitalpoint.com/forums/payments.68/" target="_blank">Google Adsense Payments Forum</a></b> which is very useful, with Google Adsense users from all over the world sharing their experience. From that forum I learned that PIP (Payment in Progress) being currently stuck is a world-wide issue.<br /><br />When Google makes a payment they also send an email informing that a payment has been made. That has also been missing this month.<br /><br />I wish the Google AdSense operation were more transparent and that there was a way to more directly contact some sort of support system.<br /><br />It will be interesting to see how this current confusion plays out. And if we ever get a Google explanation for that which is perplexing AdSense publishers across the globe....</div>
Durangohttp://www.blogger.com/profile/10231271044296466883noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4795526930866575933.post-74811560128373411262014-05-28T08:22:00.000-07:002014-05-28T08:22:10.457-07:00Getting a New Samsung Phone from Metro PCS was a Painless Process Compared to Dealing with AT & T<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgYdV3Ziuwtk1CEpwxlSFO1Xk-EsjvBHJAAEn41k-mpbBnCNVtRKsS6MVjw4NJOJpnMQ80fxjqyzBbbzb9AcydDElpU1DwStVYMwgi4JyuqOON7ZxPCN66FtLJGYSNepu8jx0KSyenmKIEm/s1600/Metro+PCS.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgYdV3Ziuwtk1CEpwxlSFO1Xk-EsjvBHJAAEn41k-mpbBnCNVtRKsS6MVjw4NJOJpnMQ80fxjqyzBbbzb9AcydDElpU1DwStVYMwgi4JyuqOON7ZxPCN66FtLJGYSNepu8jx0KSyenmKIEm/s1600/Metro+PCS.jpg" height="400" width="200" /></a></div>
Up til last August I got my AT & T cell phone service through a Fort Worth agent called Hawk Electronics. In 2013 Hawk Electronics went bankrupt. During the bankruptcy process I was told my cell phone service would smoothly transition to being handled directly by AT & T.<br /><br />That proved to be un-true. I did not like the way AT & T handled, or mishandled the transition, so I transitioned out of having AT & T being my cell phone service provider.<br /><br />For several months a Google phone was my phone option. This is not a mobile option. Unless one wants to haul ones laptop from its home location to some other wi-fi connection from which one can make a call.<br /><br />By February of 2014 I was tired of the Google phone and not being mobile, so I walked across the street to a Metro PCS store which I'd long noticed and which recently was advertising Smart Phones for $29.99. And $40 a month for unlimited talk, text and data.<br /><br />My last experience with getting a new phone had been at Hawk Electronics, a very bad experience which took a couple hours. It was bizarre. I was not shocked when I learned Hawk Electronics had gone bankrupt.<br /><br />With Hawk Electronics being my previous phone acquisition experience I sort of dreaded what type of time suck nightmare Metro PCS would be.<br /><br />Well.<br /><br />Totally opposite of my Hawk Electronics experience. No wait. I walked in the store and within seconds I was in the getting a new phone process. About ten minutes later I walked out with my new phone. The process would have been even shorter had I not been having fun talking to the Metro PCS sales lady.<br /><br />One of the things I did not like about Hawk Electronics and AT & T was the billing and payment method. Once a month I'd log into my account to view the bill. Often there would be charges which made no sense which I would have to hassle over to get removed. The bill would fluctuate for no explicable reason. The bill had a long list of charges, surcharges, taxes and fees.<br /><br />So, I logged into my online account to pay my first Metro PCS bill to find there really was no bill. Just fill in credit card info and pay $40.00. I did so. The next month I got a text message advising me that my bill was due and that I could pay it by texting "PAY 40.00". I did so and instantly got a text message thanking me.<br /><br />Like I already said, Metro PCS has been dead opposite of the phone experience I had for years with Hawk Electronics and AT & T.<br /><br />As for learning to use a Smart Phone. I'd never used my previous phone to send a text message. I may have received a text message or two. With the Smart Phone I was pleasantly surprised to find out both how easy it is to text message, and how useful it turns out to be.<br /><br />I had no idea, til using one, that a Smart Phone is basically a very small, very powerful computer that can pretty much do anything I can do on my laptop. Except blog. The Blogger app for the Smart Phone does not seem usable to me. Maybe I need to give it a longer try, because blogging on the go would be fun....Durangohttp://www.blogger.com/profile/10231271044296466883noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4795526930866575933.post-80523383497060278002013-09-05T08:42:00.001-07:002013-09-05T08:42:14.895-07:00Samsung's Galaxy Gear Smartwatch Coming Soon to Earth in the Milky Way Galaxy<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg7Moq7t4IfJwZR7i406gMKr_7xfiCBRe6DVewGrMaqiYNYJvGOE04Y2XNN0HI-UXG2Qao9AOkXuq_yI3iLmn6X6MHMWElCwz3UHy42a2q9AxrtyvHykqw1c7l0Z5jwYrHvFTnhKf3QRaLr/s1600/Samsung+Smart+Watch.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="256" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg7Moq7t4IfJwZR7i406gMKr_7xfiCBRe6DVewGrMaqiYNYJvGOE04Y2XNN0HI-UXG2Qao9AOkXuq_yI3iLmn6X6MHMWElCwz3UHy42a2q9AxrtyvHykqw1c7l0Z5jwYrHvFTnhKf3QRaLr/s320/Samsung+Smart+Watch.jpg" width="320" /></a></div>
This week Samsung unveiled the world's first smartwatch simultaneously at Germany's IFA consumer electronics show and at New York City's Time Square.<br /><br />Sony also showed off its smartwatch, called SmartWatch2, at the IFA show. Microsoft, Google, Sharp and Apple are expected to be unveiling their smartwatch versions soon.<br /><br />Samsung's smartwatch is called the Galaxy Gear. The Galaxy Gear works as an extension of your smartphone, with your smartphone sending incoming messages to your wrist. <br /><br />You can make a phone call using the Galaxy Gear in total Dick Tracy mode. You can use the Galaxy Gear to browse the Internet.<br /><br />The Galaxy Gear has a 1.9 megapixel camera which can take photos and 10 second videos.<br /><br />My question about the smartwatch concept is, is this something people are actually going to want?<br /><br />Why would anyone want to browse the Internet via a little screen attached to their wrist?<br /><br />I have not had a wristwatch in years. If I need to know the time I look at my non-smart cell phone.<br /><br />When out and about in a crowd it is now quite common to see people looking as if they are talking to themselves, due to using some little microphone device to talk into their phone. <br /><br />Are we now going to be seeing people walking along talking to their wrist?<br /><br />Am I becoming an old fuddy duddy?Durangohttp://www.blogger.com/profile/10231271044296466883noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4795526930866575933.post-88123460801210982012013-08-29T08:45:00.001-07:002014-05-28T07:55:07.766-07:00The Miley Cyrus MTV VMA Twerking Caused Me To Learn A New Word & Dance Move<table cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="float: left; margin-right: 1em; text-align: left;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiYAtxqn-u-AgKVuhX0fHNHw4Q991cweUN2CLWx5IdT1_iqqOxKQ45pd1RIrYamIl7G0knjTuCPwFTD-H1l3gKSn7-bgVZ1TNG4EodzvsDNDo5PunjUDbnA5HACedmZqV2-rS3tmCnztp_G/s1600/Miley+Cyrus+Twirking.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiYAtxqn-u-AgKVuhX0fHNHw4Q991cweUN2CLWx5IdT1_iqqOxKQ45pd1RIrYamIl7G0knjTuCPwFTD-H1l3gKSn7-bgVZ1TNG4EodzvsDNDo5PunjUDbnA5HACedmZqV2-rS3tmCnztp_G/s320/Miley+Cyrus+Twirking.jpg" height="179" width="320" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Miley Cyrus Twerking Robin Thicke</td></tr>
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I had not heard the technical term "twerking" til Monday morning when the world was abuzz over Miley Cyrus "twerking" throughout a raunchy display at the MTV VMA (Video Music Awards) Show.<br />
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The Oxford Dictionary added "twerk" to their online dictionary after the Miley Cyrus headline provoking brouhaha amped up the use of the "twerk" word to the point that many, like myself, were Googling to find out what "twerk" is.<br />
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<b><a href="http://www.urbandictionary.com/define.php?term=twerk" target="_blank">The Urban Dictionary definition of Twerk...</a></b><br />
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<span style="font-family: Courier New, Courier, monospace;">The rhythmic gyrating of the lower fleshy extremities in a lascivious manner with the intent to elicit sexual arousal or laughter in ones intended audience.</span><br />
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From what I've read and seen I think the Miley Cryus MTV VMA twerking elicited a lot of jaw dropping, a little laughter, but not a lot of arousing.<br />
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The Wikipedia <b><a href="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Twerking" target="_blank">Twerking article</a></b> further elaborates on the serious twerking issue....<br />
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<span style="font-family: Courier New, Courier, monospace;">Twerking is a dance move that involves a person, usually a woman, shaking her hips in an up-and-down bouncing motion, causing the dancer to shake, "wobble" and "jiggle."</span> <br />
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The Oxford Dictionary Online definition of twerking...<br />
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<span style="font-family: Courier New, Courier, monospace;">To twerk is "to dance to popular music in a sexually provocative manner involving thrusting hip movements and a low, squatting stance." Twerking carries both gendered and racialized connotations.</span><br />
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Has any "twerk" expert confirmed that that bizarre stuff Miley Cyrus was doing at the VMA's was actually twerking?<br />
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If you have a strong desire to learn how to twerk, the video below provides a useful lesson in the art...<br />
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<iframe allowfullscreen="" frameborder="0" height="281" src="//www.youtube.com/embed/NgoyVRO0A0E" width="500"></iframe>Durangohttp://www.blogger.com/profile/10231271044296466883noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4795526930866575933.post-75849716207577084812013-08-20T08:42:00.002-07:002013-08-20T08:42:55.459-07:00The Samsung Galaxy Mega Smart Phone Is Too Big For Me<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjFNbImdS3xgqkXzNobPlcR_sVH7-BDrdS3Inj29eylt3aCZx8Q8QxRzfq0BfTCxd4qyWX1d9wZX9wh2nWRHki7VoTtq1xEW4N5tnjd2_DL4qTRk1u3zAmcPubni88ajjX4LfFTeCaCkMyr/s1600/Samsung.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="242" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjFNbImdS3xgqkXzNobPlcR_sVH7-BDrdS3Inj29eylt3aCZx8Q8QxRzfq0BfTCxd4qyWX1d9wZX9wh2nWRHki7VoTtq1xEW4N5tnjd2_DL4qTRk1u3zAmcPubni88ajjX4LfFTeCaCkMyr/s320/Samsung.jpg" width="320" /></a></div>
If I remember right I got my first cell phone back in the early 1990s. I don't remember the manufacturer or who my cell service provider was. <br /><br />I do remember the phone was a big brick sized thing and that all the phone did was make and receive phone calls. <br /><br />No photos, no video, no texting, no music, no game playing, no movie watching.<br /><br />Each of my subsequent cell phones has been smaller than the previous, while adding more features. My current, 5 year old cell phone, something called LG from AT & T, measures only 3.5 by 2 inches, when not flipped open.<br /><br />Unlike my first cell phone my current one does take photos, video, send and receive text messages and plays a game or two. No movie watching though.<br /><br />I have not replaced my current cell phone with a smart phone due to one overarching reason. That being the size of smart phones. My current cell phone fits easily into a pocket, or my bike bag where I stick my phone, wallet, camera and keys when I go bike riding.<br /><br />Today I read a newly available smart phone will be the world's biggest, til a bigger one comes along. This new phone, from Samsung, measures 6.3 inches diagonally, is called the Galaxy Mega and is almost as big as a 7 inch tablet.<br /><br />This just sounds inconvenient to me, to carry around a phone this big. I can see where what one can do with such a phone would be fun. And useful. But the usefulness is lost when the convenience of carrying the phone becomes problematic.<br /><br />So, I'm thinking, why does someone not come up with a smart phone in which a much smaller phone calling device can be de-attached from the smart phone mother ship when times arise where it is not convenient to be lugging a tablet sized smart phone?<br /><br />I think I'd get myself one of those....Durangohttp://www.blogger.com/profile/10231271044296466883noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4795526930866575933.post-14211268440141902162013-08-19T08:58:00.000-07:002013-08-19T08:58:44.383-07:00I Won't Be Riding The Hyperloop from Hollywood to San Francisco<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhzyLtH79KkonL86C7HPzFPw3A2ytlC8y3rsxblZY2UwvXB28obaBV1vdx8UeFK9qPKkz6DReOr43K-cbak2dcrDNFIB27brnuCz7z1idPQglnT6vJkDcZ3lTDGyEAEC87btC20DYpAvb7w/s1600/Hyperloop.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="180" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhzyLtH79KkonL86C7HPzFPw3A2ytlC8y3rsxblZY2UwvXB28obaBV1vdx8UeFK9qPKkz6DReOr43K-cbak2dcrDNFIB27brnuCz7z1idPQglnT6vJkDcZ3lTDGyEAEC87btC20DYpAvb7w/s320/Hyperloop.jpg" width="320" /></a></div>
Clearly Elon Musk is a brilliant entrepreneur, the mind behind PayPal, Tesla and SpaceX, with SpaceX flying the first private rocket to the International Space Station.<br /><br />For awhile now Elon Musk's idea for a new method of public transportation has been in the news.<br /><br />That new method of transportation puts humans in a capsule in a vacuum tube traveling at a speed of around 700 mph in a contraption called a Hyperloop.<br /><br />When I first heard about the Hyperloop idea the capsules were zipping from New York City to Los Angeles. When Elon Musk announced the details of his idea that version of the Hyperloop was an alternative to the high speed bullet train type rail California is trying to build, connecting San Diego to San Francisco.<br /><br />Elon Musk estimates a Hyperloop between San Diego and San Francisco would cost a fraction of the estimated cost of the California bullet train, which is currently on target to be both the world's most expensive bullet train, per mile, and the slowest.<br /><br />Elon Musk's Hyperloop idea sees a tube built above ground, with the course following Interstate 5. Each Hyperloop capsule would carry 28 passengers, with capsules being launched, north and south every 30 seconds during peak travel times.<br /><br />Somehow the Hyperloop idea envisions passengers being able to get out of the capsule and off the tube and various stations along the route.<br /><br />How quickly does the Hyperloop reach 700 mph I can not help but wonder? Zero to 700 in a minute? Five minutes? It would seem that the G-Forces on the humans in the capsule would be tremendous.<br /><br />Personally, I would prefer taking a slower mode of transport, one with windows, than be stuck in a tube like that which I stick a deposit in when I go to my bank's drive-thru.Durangohttp://www.blogger.com/profile/10231271044296466883noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4795526930866575933.post-9772848202251781122013-08-12T08:20:00.001-07:002013-08-12T08:20:09.488-07:00I Am Perplexed By Smart Phones So I Continue Using My Stupid Phone<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj9jtoZVH2se7fo0GDEZOoQ7xMbU_dEiWSi74H0xYIrZzoMbRBp96pLk45etn6YV2TyNuBnujy7iiyM9pgHTM_Sogv-nt54RDUh3Na0Uo0b43WnRGY5YLz3WQiZPIBiHZFQcVL3NQlExFtz/s1600/iphone.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj9jtoZVH2se7fo0GDEZOoQ7xMbU_dEiWSi74H0xYIrZzoMbRBp96pLk45etn6YV2TyNuBnujy7iiyM9pgHTM_Sogv-nt54RDUh3Na0Uo0b43WnRGY5YLz3WQiZPIBiHZFQcVL3NQlExFtz/s320/iphone.jpg" width="179" /></a></div>
No, that is not my new iPhone you are looking at on the left. I don't have an iPhone. Or any other type of smart phone. <br /><br />I have an antique stupid phone. <br /><br />Smart phones seem inconveniently large to me. As in I can easily stick my little stupid phone in a pocket, either in my pants or shirt or jacket.<br /><br />In the past week or so I read that the iPhone is being beat in the market place by other smart phones using Google's Android operating system.<br /><br />When the iPhone first appeared it was not too long before smart phone competitors showed up. I did not understand how these copy cats were not violating some sort of Apple copyright.<br /><br />And then the Apple iPad hit the market, soon followed by other manufacturer's tablets. Again I wondered why these copy cats were not violating some sort of Apple copyright.<br /><br />I know Apple and Samsung have had some court battles over copyright type issues. If I remember right Samsung produces some of the components that go into the iPhones.<br /><br />Is the reason why competitors were able to quickly hit the market with their own smart phones and tablets because the components that make up these inventions were such that the iPhone and iPad really were not something Apple invented? Just like the automobile was not invented by one single company.<br /><br />I wonder how much longer I will be able to keep using my stupid phone before I feel compelled to upgrade to a smart phone? Likely not much longer....Durangohttp://www.blogger.com/profile/10231271044296466883noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4795526930866575933.post-15655319561882785932013-08-08T16:53:00.000-07:002013-08-08T16:53:07.500-07:00I Signed Out Of Twitter So Now It Is Time To Go Mobile<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiCP-Nx7CRvM6UI6DFQXWWVe9DilD6aXSbnBcUPp-k6hDFnltTMfipPnLNWYO0kvhjjoV0hc8JKJOQ9waGnMikWCnXDK3SDNlfT1ZOqFW32QL0691RkuGDcs1LTL6UyZCQf6V7tTSKpz9cz/s1600/Twitter+Mobile.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="191" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiCP-Nx7CRvM6UI6DFQXWWVe9DilD6aXSbnBcUPp-k6hDFnltTMfipPnLNWYO0kvhjjoV0hc8JKJOQ9waGnMikWCnXDK3SDNlfT1ZOqFW32QL0691RkuGDcs1LTL6UyZCQf6V7tTSKpz9cz/s400/Twitter+Mobile.jpg" width="400" /></a></div>
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I have tried to understand why Twitter is so popular and why one would want to use Twitter. I even checked out Twitter for Dummies from my neighborhood library, but I was too much a dummy to get any use out of the Twitter for Dummies book.<br /><br />I've had a <b><a href="https://twitter.com/DurangoTexas" target="_blank">Twitter account</a></b> for several years. I have Twitter followers. I follow other Twitterers. I Tweet. <br /><br />I'd been told that Tweeting with a link to one of my blog posts or webpages was a good thing to do. And so I did so. Such as the Tweet you see below which I Tweeted just a couple minutes ago.<br /><br />
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgKU0LcXhRFdvvh1mwEb51mukKdrZlA-8BGGM4dEWf4fQTJ-ccdPfBAwPM_GtKcGdPSZrA1GratSa4NBKsDcRvxgHOGgKVFXV6RIXT0xRIaKT04Q7HoGqAC0KXXmeNP35TrNopDPm0yNQgX/s1600/Durango+Twitter.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="55" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgKU0LcXhRFdvvh1mwEb51mukKdrZlA-8BGGM4dEWf4fQTJ-ccdPfBAwPM_GtKcGdPSZrA1GratSa4NBKsDcRvxgHOGgKVFXV6RIXT0xRIaKT04Q7HoGqAC0KXXmeNP35TrNopDPm0yNQgX/s400/Durango+Twitter.jpg" width="425" /></a></div>
<br />Twitter limits you to something like only 140 characters to express your Tweet. And so including a URL in all its glory would take up a lot of characters. So, URL shorteners were invented. I use Bitly. Above, in the aforementioned Tweet, that is the Bitly link to my <b><a href="http://www.durangotexas.com/eyesontexas/okc/turnerfalls/turnerfalls.htm" target="_blank">Turner Falls webpage</a>,</b> at the end of the Tweet.<br /><br />Has it done my website and blog traffic any good to do this Tweeting thing? I have no idea. I know there have been 143 clicks on the <b><a href="http://bit.ly/syFm5" target="_blank">Turner Falls Bitly link</a></b> in Twitter. Is that a lot? Again, I have no idea.<br /><br />I know Twitter becomes a big deal when some big deal happens. Like when Egypt has a revolution. Or Iran goes in to unrest mode. Or nutjobs set off bombs at the end zone of a marathon.<br /><br />Or when an important American TV show, such as <i>The Bachelorette</i> is airing. One sees ongoing Tweets of Tweeters Tweeting about the ongoing search by the Bacherlorette for a husband. Is this a cultural advance? Or not?<br /><br />When I exit Twitter, after finishing with my Tweeting, I am always greeted with the screen you see at the top, telling me I have signed out and then boldly telling me to <b>Now go mobile</b>.<br /><br />Is going mobile with Twitter something I should do? Or would want to do? Or need to do? Or am not too dumb to do?<br /><br />I have no idea.Durangohttp://www.blogger.com/profile/10231271044296466883noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4795526930866575933.post-68620351342011186232013-08-07T14:33:00.000-07:002013-08-07T14:33:01.219-07:00Video On Demand Has Greatly Improved Since The Days I Used A BETA VCR<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEha0Tol4nGFg81syL4CSDoF_oeVsIuyAl4W1idO-I3uGPY2JNKouB4Lq_sB0GKdiGmK3rFTh4mlK8TqibrXJtZdmhyPdSByhp8E7zEvoaqAtTzNdbJfoG5JsMMc8SHOSrk76q3GY8PRFPuw/s1600/On+Demand.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="185" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEha0Tol4nGFg81syL4CSDoF_oeVsIuyAl4W1idO-I3uGPY2JNKouB4Lq_sB0GKdiGmK3rFTh4mlK8TqibrXJtZdmhyPdSByhp8E7zEvoaqAtTzNdbJfoG5JsMMc8SHOSrk76q3GY8PRFPuw/s320/On+Demand.jpg" width="320" /></a></div>
Way back in the last century, for me, Video on Demand meant setting a VCR to record a program which I could then watch on my own schedule.<br /><br />The VCR recordings were on tape. One had two formats to choose from, VHS or BETA. BETA was better in the opinion of many, but VHS could record more hours. Eventually VHS beat BETA in the VCR wars.<br /><br />It all seems so quaint now, the idea that people used to go to rent videos from businesses open for just that purpose. I can remember wandering the aisles of Blockbuster, along with dozens of other wanderers, looking for a video to rent on a Saturday night.<br /><br />I do not remember when I quit using a VCR. I remember at some point in time adding a combo VCR/DVD player to my TV system.<br /><br />And then one day a salesman knocked on my door and changed my TV world forever. The salesman convinced me to switch from Charter TV & Internet to AT&T U-Verse TV & Internet.<br /><br />I had not been happy with Charter TV due to frequent outages. And other issues.<br /><br />A couple days later a couple AT&T Tech people showed up and installed the U-Verse equipment, including a DVR device which seemed to be the heart of the system. One of the DVR devices were connected to each of the TVs in my abode.<br /><br />The AT&T Tech people did not re-connect my combo VCR/DVD player to the system when they connected the DVR. At the time I felt not connecting the VCR/DVD player was a bit rude. After about a week I forgot I ever used a VCR/DVD player.<br /><br />The DVR can record something like 80 hours of TV. It can record 4 shows at once. Whenever I start watching anything the DVR starts recording it. Switch to another channel, that channel starts getting recorded. I can hit the pause button, get up to go to the kitchen, get back to the TV, hit play, miss nothing.<br /><br />Very convenient.<br /><br />To my simple mind the most amazing part of the DVR AT&T U-Verse system is Video on Demand.<br /><br />I use the remote control to navigate to the On Demand area, get presented with many options. I usually choose "Free Shows." Click "Free Shows" and you all the usual network and cable suspects. Click CBS, then you see icons representing various CBS shows. Click a show and you'll see a list of episodes. Click an episode and "Play" and almost instantly you are watching the show you have demanded to watch.<br /><br />I have long wondered how in the world this Video on Demand thing works. What if at any random time hundreds, or thousands, of viewers are demanding to watch <i>CSI</i>, how is it that that one show can be streamed to so many TVs, right when the viewer demands it?<br /><br />I Googled for an answer. The Wikipedia <b><a href="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Video_on_demand" target="_blank">Video on Demand</a></b> article was not <i>Video on Demand for Dummies</i> friendly enough for me to understand.<br /><br />All I know for sure is the entire DVR/Video on Demand concept has evolved far beyond the antique world of my old BETA VCR....Durangohttp://www.blogger.com/profile/10231271044296466883noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4795526930866575933.post-7848533685718471022013-08-06T07:14:00.001-07:002013-08-06T07:14:41.844-07:00Recovering From The Endurance International HostGator Outage Disaster<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhQAMq_SsY8mB7mYwIHyMsOPWPa0tKSWlIEvV23R5agreacRD8goAEsiDP0x07Uf6U_evwwcbvaccSUUjtTQf-nyx4-sXXmwCZ25JjptYfOCfCMEBaYUkdwpb6zY9hHFw2HNJG688yMtbqs/s1600/HostGator.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhQAMq_SsY8mB7mYwIHyMsOPWPa0tKSWlIEvV23R5agreacRD8goAEsiDP0x07Uf6U_evwwcbvaccSUUjtTQf-nyx4-sXXmwCZ25JjptYfOCfCMEBaYUkdwpb6zY9hHFw2HNJG688yMtbqs/s320/HostGator.jpg" width="244" /></a></div>
Since Friday, August 2, 2012, I have been seeing the blue reptile on the left all over the Internet, including my blogs and websites.<br /><br />That blue reptile is the image that represents the HostGator webhosters.<br /><br />On Friday HostGator experienced the worst meltdown in its history, along with its parent company, Endurance International's other hosting entities, Bluehost, HostMonster and Just Host.<br /><br />HostGator has several hundred thousand customers hosting a lot of websites. HostGator going into failure mode caused a lot of panic around the planet. For a lot of people having their webhost go down is like someone randomly slamming shut the door to ones business.<br /><br />It is very frustrating.<br /><br />HostGator and Endurance International seemed to handle the disaster well, keeping customers updated via Twitter, Facebook and a <b><a href="http://enduranceresponse.com/">Disaster Response website</a></b> Endurance put on the Internet, using, I assume, someone else's servers.<br /><br />The latest post on Endurance's Disaster Response website's final paragraph....<br /><br />
<span style="font-family: Courier New, Courier, monospace;">I sincerely apologize for any outages and negative impact you may have experienced. For many of you, an online presence is the lifeblood of your business – we take this responsibility seriously. We are committed to providing you with the high-quality, reliable service that you’ve come to expect and deserve. We value our relationship and the role we play in helping your business succeed.</span><br />
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Ron LaSalvia – COO, Endurance International<br />
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Well, I sure am glad the COO sincerely apologized, rather than insincerely apologize. With the COO saying his company takes the responsibility seriously regarding the negative impact caused by the outages I can not help but wonder why then there is no mention made of how customers are to be compensated for the loss of services for which they pre-paid.<br /><br />My previously webhost, IX Webhosting, had a money back guarantee deal if they had a problem. When a problem occurred with IX Webhosting I would submit a support ticket requesting compensation for the downtime. This would always result in one month being added to the billing cycle, which was quarterly. Over the course of my time with IX Webhosting I think my compensation requests pushed back the billing cycle by at least 6 months.<br /><br />With HostGator I am really not feeling I need some sort of compensation. Since the meltdown I'm guessing the amount of revenue the HostGator ads have generated on my blogs and websites has more than made up for whatever revenue I lost during the meltdown.<br /><br />I hope this recent nightmare was a fluke, never to be repeated. I really do not want to go through, again, the hassle of moving my websites to a new host....Durangohttp://www.blogger.com/profile/10231271044296466883noreply@blogger.com0