Don't Depend on the Cloud

The Cloud, what is it really?  It's just a big old server located who knows where. Who really has control over the server can be anyone of a number of companies, corporations  or even individuals.

Your ISP has servers.  They may own them or depending on the size of the ISP, could even rent space from some other entity.

Think you don't use the Cloud?  If your email is in the Cloud, Yahoo, G-mail, Hotmail, etc. You DO use the Cloud. Even your mail with an ISP is in the Cloud. It's all on a server somewhere and it is being scanned.  All the time. Normally the scanning is for keywords, either for advertising purposes or to be sure you are not misbehaving in some way.

Read what happened to this guy! And keep in mind, this was a PAID account. Here is another guy that lost his stuff in the Cloud! Microsoft Cloud Services Locks You Out Of Your Digital Life, Won’t Explain Why

If you keep your stuff online, better encrypt it.  That should keep the powers that be from 'scanning' your stuff. Believe it, they DO scan it.  And if they find something they don't like, well, 'Goodbye stuff'.

And don't forget about hackers! They can and do hack the Cloud, constantly. Everyday some site gets hacked and even though the site may deny it, your stuff is at risk!

If you really need to keep your email or other stuff in the Cloud for easy access from other locations, at least keep it all backed up somewhere close, like external media you can actually see and get your hands on it.

 

Martha

Playing Games

I think most of probably played the blame game when we were kids, usually trying to avoid the consequences of some action that led to something unpleasant like being grounded.

Eventually real adults figured out the blaming of others for their actions wasn't 'cool' and took responsibility for their own mistakes or actions.

Foolish me for thinking our government is run by real adults. As far as I can see, finger pointing and blaming others because the government is not working just lets me know how childish those folks on Capitol hill really are acting.

There is another game those childish folks are playing as well. I think it goes something like 'If I don't get my way, you won't either. I'll pick up my toys and go home.'

Nothing the people want is being accomplished. Everything the lobbyists want is being done.

Strange though, when something affects the Capitol Hill kids, how quickly something can happen. Like being delayed getting home on one of their many 'paid vacations' or being yelled at by the folks who voted for them the last time.

How quickly that fix was made!

Martha

Expiration Date

I noticed something this morning when I was getting ready to shower. I opened a new bar of soap and noticed an expiration date on the box containing the soap. I didn't know soap would ever 'go bad'. In fact I still don't know it.

I think as long as there is even a sliver of that bar of soap, it will still suds up and wash just fine. Maybe the fragrance in the soap will evaporate, but I doubt the fragrance is really needed to make someone clean. Or will it?

I suspect the expiration date is simply a marketing ploy. I wonder if anyone has ever tossed a good bar of soap because the box had an expiration date that had come and gone! There are a lot of gullible folks out there believing all sorts of urban legends and hoaxes, so why not soap that expires? (Could be the anti-bacterial stuff expires, but not the actual soap!)

I started to wonder, if there are other things I haven't thought of with expiration dates.  I knew food and medicines have expiration dates but not soap! so I checked my deodorant, no expiration date.  That's odd, deodorant soap does, but not deodorant. Toothpaste yes, mouthwash no.

Now that I have thought about it, I will be on the lookout for those dates! Sad to say I guess everything has an expiration date, including me.  But there is no date stamped on me, so will just have to wonder about that!

Martha

 

Capturas

I understand the need for these aggravating verifications, but gee whiz, why do they have to be so 'blurry'!

These old and injured eyes of mine have a really hard time with these.  Sometimes it's so bad I have to ask for the voice. Sometimes I just give up and forget about the whole process.

I think there has to be a better way to escape the spam bots, but so far I guess no one has come up with a better way. But sooner or later those nasty'bots will figure out a
way to get around the capturas and then maybe, just maybe someone will get working on the better way.

Martha

Bowing Out

I finally realized that all of the political inspired hate missives I've received in my email and on Facebook have just been making me stress out.  So for now I am 'bowing out'.

It started when Obama first ran for President. I have to admit I thought some of this stuff was funny, especially the 'born in Kenya' stuff.  However, I soon realized there were a lot of folks who actually believed this junk!  That whole thing started when one of the Hilary supporters made up the whole thing in hopes it would bring more support to her (Hilary) campaign. Wow, did that backfire!  Now there is a whopping thirty percent of Republicans that believe this idiocy!

The emails made fun of everything Obama related. But then they started getting nasty. Some of my so-called Christian friends started sending this stuff. (This is Christian behavior?)
Politics and religion have always let to contentious discussions and always will. Some of the early elections in the United States were really ugly, with all sorts of nasty and untrue statements being made by the candidates about their opponents. Sounds familiar, doesn't it!

Everyone is entitled to their opinion and in this country they have the right to express those opinions. I agree with that right. I also have the right to not read or hear those opinions, especially if it really stresses me out to hear what seems ugly, non-christian and downright ignorant in some instances, so I am going to just 'bow out'.

Martha