Happy new year to you all down there in Hobbit land!
You are by far the biggest consumer of my monologue in 2012 and I am honoured that you keep on reading.
Have a good one!
Monday, December 31, 2012
Fiscal cliff or the hill of empire?
The developed world faces financial crisis after financial crisis because the majority of inhabitants of these countries have a buy-now-pay-later attitude. Our love of cheap luxury and the ease at which we can get credit from banks now has most of the developed world held hostage to debt and, simply to maintain our tenuous position in life, we have to continue the cycle of earn and spend just a little more more than we garner.
The sub-prime mortgage crisis that pushed the world into its most recent major depression is an example of how living beyond ones means is a recipe for disaster. House repossessions and the resulting reduction to poverty of people that were just holding on to a standard of living has worsened the situation because the poor will always accept short-term and high-interest credit and there will always be a banker willing to tread another face into the dirt for a few pennies.
Fairly soon, certainly within the lifetime of my children, if not my own, I predict civil unrest and revolution in the western world where the number of people who are forced into poverty by unscrupulous banking practices will far outweigh the capabilities of those who have the power to enforce order. The resulting battle will drag what we like to think of as civilisation down into a place where we will be dominated by the new world superpowers of the east and Africa. Given the abilities of the inscrutable easterner to ignore human rights for their version of the greater good, that does not bode well for the west.
The empire of the west has passed its zenith and is in decline. It can no longer enforce dominance of its holdings and the heavy industry that it has lost for the cheaper options of its poorer neighbours has weakened it. People in the west believe that they have a god-given right to food and luxury, just as the Egyptians and the Romans did before their empires crumbled and the man in the street is more concerned with his own petty needs than the needs of his empire and so they make demands on the government asking "Why have you not provided for me?" at the same time as telling the government "You cannot tell me to do things I don't want to do! Let the slaves do it!" This leaves the Emperor in an untenable situation and he will eventually be deposed and the empire will fall.
Empires fall because of two things. Firstly, the empire expands to hold more territory than it can control given the resources it has to hand. Secondly, the empire farms-out much of its heavy industry to lesser powers that adopt it to improve their own lot. Developing a heavy industry is a business that goes hand-in-hand with empire because the Emperor must have ships for his troops and supplies and more importantly, the Emperor must have the best weapons for his troops. As soon as everyone else has those weapons and everyone else understands the technology, all advantage is lost and the empire will crumble.
Empires rise because of frontiers. Those who have the ability to breach the frontier become the next superpower. For the Egyptians, the frontier was how to feed millions. For the Romans it was how to move men and supplies fast and far, for the British it was how to mechanise an entire continent and the western world we have today is a holdover from that empire. The English Industrial Revolution laid the tracks upon which the entire western empire was able to expand and America, for all its denial of British governance is as much a product of the British Empire as Tony Blair was a product of Margaret Thatcher.
There is only one possibility for the Western Empire to survive and to grow. We, Europe and the United States must pull in all of our resources that are using up credit that we cannot pay back and from where we will be forcibly evicted if we don't act now. Foreign aid is a big drain and most of the people who receive it laugh at us behind our backs. It is obvious that unless we are willing to become what we despise, that is to say bloodthirsty dictators who crush all in our path, we can never hold on to the outskirts of our empire. We must stop giving not only our cash in hand but also all our credit business to foreign powers like China and Africa and hunker down to create jobs in heavy industry here at home, in the west to feed our own and to look after our own interests. If this doesn't happen, our daughters or granddaughters might be the victims of forced sterilisation and our sons and grandsons the indentured slaves of the new Mandarin and Saudi princes.
Where can an empire discover a new frontier to breach? The only way is up! The society that owns the high ground also owns the low. Getting out of Earth's gravity is hard and anyone running up a hill can be knocked down by a rolling log cheaply and easily. If you are first to the top then you win. If you're running up after someone else then you will loose! its as simple as that.
If you want your grandchildren to be on the high-society side of the new empire then you must push them to build the heavy industry of space. The United States Congress have consistently fiddled with foreign policy and holding on to empire while the Rome that was their space industry burned and crumbled before their eyes. They have given away the marvels of western technology by allowing cheap eastern labour to build our gizmo's and learn all our secrets without actually paying for the research. As a consequence our subjects of empire are soon to be more powerful than us.
Bring heavy industry, jobs and prosperity home to the west. Stop paying our enemies to build their armies against us, stop helping them to dominate our children and our grandchildren. Lift your children and grandchildren to the top of the next hill that Mankind must conquer. Lift them into space!
The sub-prime mortgage crisis that pushed the world into its most recent major depression is an example of how living beyond ones means is a recipe for disaster. House repossessions and the resulting reduction to poverty of people that were just holding on to a standard of living has worsened the situation because the poor will always accept short-term and high-interest credit and there will always be a banker willing to tread another face into the dirt for a few pennies.
Fairly soon, certainly within the lifetime of my children, if not my own, I predict civil unrest and revolution in the western world where the number of people who are forced into poverty by unscrupulous banking practices will far outweigh the capabilities of those who have the power to enforce order. The resulting battle will drag what we like to think of as civilisation down into a place where we will be dominated by the new world superpowers of the east and Africa. Given the abilities of the inscrutable easterner to ignore human rights for their version of the greater good, that does not bode well for the west.
The empire of the west has passed its zenith and is in decline. It can no longer enforce dominance of its holdings and the heavy industry that it has lost for the cheaper options of its poorer neighbours has weakened it. People in the west believe that they have a god-given right to food and luxury, just as the Egyptians and the Romans did before their empires crumbled and the man in the street is more concerned with his own petty needs than the needs of his empire and so they make demands on the government asking "Why have you not provided for me?" at the same time as telling the government "You cannot tell me to do things I don't want to do! Let the slaves do it!" This leaves the Emperor in an untenable situation and he will eventually be deposed and the empire will fall.
Empires fall because of two things. Firstly, the empire expands to hold more territory than it can control given the resources it has to hand. Secondly, the empire farms-out much of its heavy industry to lesser powers that adopt it to improve their own lot. Developing a heavy industry is a business that goes hand-in-hand with empire because the Emperor must have ships for his troops and supplies and more importantly, the Emperor must have the best weapons for his troops. As soon as everyone else has those weapons and everyone else understands the technology, all advantage is lost and the empire will crumble.
Empires rise because of frontiers. Those who have the ability to breach the frontier become the next superpower. For the Egyptians, the frontier was how to feed millions. For the Romans it was how to move men and supplies fast and far, for the British it was how to mechanise an entire continent and the western world we have today is a holdover from that empire. The English Industrial Revolution laid the tracks upon which the entire western empire was able to expand and America, for all its denial of British governance is as much a product of the British Empire as Tony Blair was a product of Margaret Thatcher.
There is only one possibility for the Western Empire to survive and to grow. We, Europe and the United States must pull in all of our resources that are using up credit that we cannot pay back and from where we will be forcibly evicted if we don't act now. Foreign aid is a big drain and most of the people who receive it laugh at us behind our backs. It is obvious that unless we are willing to become what we despise, that is to say bloodthirsty dictators who crush all in our path, we can never hold on to the outskirts of our empire. We must stop giving not only our cash in hand but also all our credit business to foreign powers like China and Africa and hunker down to create jobs in heavy industry here at home, in the west to feed our own and to look after our own interests. If this doesn't happen, our daughters or granddaughters might be the victims of forced sterilisation and our sons and grandsons the indentured slaves of the new Mandarin and Saudi princes.
Where can an empire discover a new frontier to breach? The only way is up! The society that owns the high ground also owns the low. Getting out of Earth's gravity is hard and anyone running up a hill can be knocked down by a rolling log cheaply and easily. If you are first to the top then you win. If you're running up after someone else then you will loose! its as simple as that.
If you want your grandchildren to be on the high-society side of the new empire then you must push them to build the heavy industry of space. The United States Congress have consistently fiddled with foreign policy and holding on to empire while the Rome that was their space industry burned and crumbled before their eyes. They have given away the marvels of western technology by allowing cheap eastern labour to build our gizmo's and learn all our secrets without actually paying for the research. As a consequence our subjects of empire are soon to be more powerful than us.
Bring heavy industry, jobs and prosperity home to the west. Stop paying our enemies to build their armies against us, stop helping them to dominate our children and our grandchildren. Lift your children and grandchildren to the top of the next hill that Mankind must conquer. Lift them into space!
Saturday, December 29, 2012
Epson Printer software chip resetter.
My own war against printer manufacturers is on record. What about the vendors of so-called resetter software however?
The software provided by this site may or may not work - but BEWARE!!!
To obtain the download you need to sign up for a recurring SMS service with a WEEKLY 5 euro or 8 dollar fee. These services are ultimately difficult to stop once they have your details and are usually bogus and fraudulent themselves.
I suggest that if you can't find a chip resetter on ebay or build one yourself then do not go with this. It's a scam that will cost you more than buying a new cartridge.
The software provided by this site may or may not work - but BEWARE!!!
To obtain the download you need to sign up for a recurring SMS service with a WEEKLY 5 euro or 8 dollar fee. These services are ultimately difficult to stop once they have your details and are usually bogus and fraudulent themselves.
I suggest that if you can't find a chip resetter on ebay or build one yourself then do not go with this. It's a scam that will cost you more than buying a new cartridge.
Friday, December 21, 2012
Good guys with guns stop bad guys with guns...
http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/world-us-canada-20815130
Regarding Wayne LaPierre...
Uh, sorry, you asshole, where were all the good guys when those bullets ripped through the brains of those poor little kids? Where was all your rhetoric and bravado? You were probably sitting on the can or scratching your arse when all the real pain in the world was happening.
What gives a turd like this the right to pontificate on the merits of guns when the very thing that he defends is so patently and demonstrably beyond his control?
Wayne LaPierre, like all NRA fanatics is a cowardly piece of shit who has never had to face the reality of the tool that he so proudly espouses. If his babies or grandchildren had been massacred he would sing a different tune but sitting aloof in his place of tranquility and calm he can dispense his "wisdom of the gun" so that you can all bask in his self assured glow. Curse him.
Regarding Wayne LaPierre...
Uh, sorry, you asshole, where were all the good guys when those bullets ripped through the brains of those poor little kids? Where was all your rhetoric and bravado? You were probably sitting on the can or scratching your arse when all the real pain in the world was happening.
What gives a turd like this the right to pontificate on the merits of guns when the very thing that he defends is so patently and demonstrably beyond his control?
Wayne LaPierre, like all NRA fanatics is a cowardly piece of shit who has never had to face the reality of the tool that he so proudly espouses. If his babies or grandchildren had been massacred he would sing a different tune but sitting aloof in his place of tranquility and calm he can dispense his "wisdom of the gun" so that you can all bask in his self assured glow. Curse him.
Thursday, December 20, 2012
Taking back your neighborhood, by hacking.
My sister in law just posted on Facebook that she had returned to her car to find the window smashed and a "very nice man" nearby who, miracle of miracles, just happened to be a car-window repair man with all the kit he needed in the back of his van. This clown tried to charge her seventy five pounds or over a hundred dollars to repair the window. Last year she suffered injury when someone in her neighborhood threw a half-brick through her window as she was driving along. All this is a town where I grew up and have happy memories of it being a nice place where people would stop and help if you broke down, not rob and burn your car.
The police in the town where my sister in law lives are useless and regularly refuse assistance to people who have been robbed or attacked. She lives in "quiet" a little place in the south of England away from the urban nightmare of rabbit-hutch living in the big towns so the scale of bad behaviour in such a place is even more surprising.
It struck me that an old Android phone with a couple of cameras and software that enabled it to control other items via bluetooth such as an engine immobilizer and remote door lockers could do a number of interesting things such as phone police while on the move to report thefts. Take photo's of occupants and e-mail them immediately to a mailbox, wait until the car stopped and lock the occupants inside, sound horns and flash lights or many many other things that would discourage second offenses.
This sounds like the kind of project that hackers who want to take back their neighborhoods from thieves, vandals and con-artists could use to good effect.Anyone interested in working on such a project?
The police in the town where my sister in law lives are useless and regularly refuse assistance to people who have been robbed or attacked. She lives in "quiet" a little place in the south of England away from the urban nightmare of rabbit-hutch living in the big towns so the scale of bad behaviour in such a place is even more surprising.
It struck me that an old Android phone with a couple of cameras and software that enabled it to control other items via bluetooth such as an engine immobilizer and remote door lockers could do a number of interesting things such as phone police while on the move to report thefts. Take photo's of occupants and e-mail them immediately to a mailbox, wait until the car stopped and lock the occupants inside, sound horns and flash lights or many many other things that would discourage second offenses.
This sounds like the kind of project that hackers who want to take back their neighborhoods from thieves, vandals and con-artists could use to good effect.Anyone interested in working on such a project?
Wednesday, December 19, 2012
Friday, December 14, 2012
Wonderful news of more school shootings. A worthwhile Christmas tradition
Many Americans shout loudly about their "Right to bear arms" as laid out in the famous second amendment to the constitution. The ridiculous thing is that the wording of the second amendment does not say that any idiot can carry a gun! It specifically and pointedly says "A well regulated militia being necessary to the security of a free state, the right of the people to keep and bear arms shall not be infringed."
The arcane use of language that qualifies this right as for those who are members of a militia has been conveniently ignored and the interpretation placed upon the last part of the sentence, after the comma.
This is the same as saying "Unless drunk, drugged or otherwise disqualified, all people may drive a car" and then supporting the rights of drunken drivers to indiscriminately mow down pedestrians by allowing them to say "Well, it's in the constitution!" as a valid defense.
Personally I see the increased incidence of horrific mass murders by maniacs with guns as a lesson to all caring parents in the US who should call for an immediate and outright ban on ownership of a gun by anyone not actually in a federal or state organised militia in perfect line with the wording of the constitution.
Merry Christmas to all gun nuts in the USA. Keep defending your rights and with a bit of luck you will have to suffer the sleepless nights when your angst ridden teenager borrows your gun to go to the Christmas party next year. Guns don't kill people, fuck-head maniacs who have easy access to guns kill little children as a Christmas treat.
The arcane use of language that qualifies this right as for those who are members of a militia has been conveniently ignored and the interpretation placed upon the last part of the sentence, after the comma.
This is the same as saying "Unless drunk, drugged or otherwise disqualified, all people may drive a car" and then supporting the rights of drunken drivers to indiscriminately mow down pedestrians by allowing them to say "Well, it's in the constitution!" as a valid defense.
Personally I see the increased incidence of horrific mass murders by maniacs with guns as a lesson to all caring parents in the US who should call for an immediate and outright ban on ownership of a gun by anyone not actually in a federal or state organised militia in perfect line with the wording of the constitution.
Merry Christmas to all gun nuts in the USA. Keep defending your rights and with a bit of luck you will have to suffer the sleepless nights when your angst ridden teenager borrows your gun to go to the Christmas party next year. Guns don't kill people, fuck-head maniacs who have easy access to guns kill little children as a Christmas treat.
Friday, December 07, 2012
Calling all readers AGAIN!
If you'd like a cute Christmas game go over to Snowman Tag on the Play store. Download the free version and review it for me but put one special word in the review text. Then mail me your review text and the key word and I will send you an ADVERTISING FREE version of the game. The FIRST mail with the identical review text will be eligible. All others are fails...
Mail your review text to snowman at bobpowell dot net.
Why Google Play SUCKS!
I just realised today why Google Play is such a useless marketing platform. There is no NEW APP DISCOVERY!
If you're looking for Angry Birds than fine, The front page is covered with it but no new apps show up. In fact, nothing is seen if it hasn't got a half a million downloads.
At lease Apple and Amazon have a new apps feature page.
Come on Google WAKE UP!
If you're looking for Angry Birds than fine, The front page is covered with it but no new apps show up. In fact, nothing is seen if it hasn't got a half a million downloads.
At lease Apple and Amazon have a new apps feature page.
Come on Google WAKE UP!
Wednesday, December 05, 2012
Monogame running slowly?
Well, however clever you think it might be, don't bother to call GC.Collect or GC.WaitForPendingFinalizers in the game loop.
Monday, December 03, 2012
Calling all readers!
Hello,
Whether you are a new or old reader of my blog or a user of my web-site you may be aware that I am writing apps at the moment.
My game BRAINS! is in what I think of as its final version. Its fun and fast and best of all, FREE.
Can I ask you a big favour? If you have an Android phone, would you please go download my game, try it out and then do one of two things.
#1 If the game functions for you please go to the Play store and review it for me.
#2 If for some reason the game does not function or you find a bug please send me mail to zombie at bobpowell dot net and tell me which model of phone you're using and describe the problem. I will work to fix the problem ASAP. Please don't just give it a bad review because that doesn't help make the product better.
You can also place a comment on this blog which I will answer immediately.
It is incredibly difficult to motivate the end users to review the game and even failures that are not the fault of the game seem to meet with one-star reviews. One of my other apps got a negative review because it relied on the GPS and the idiot user was using it INDOORS!! Go figure.
Thanks so much for your participation! Oh, and have fun running about being chased by zombies!
Bob.
Whether you are a new or old reader of my blog or a user of my web-site you may be aware that I am writing apps at the moment.
My game BRAINS! is in what I think of as its final version. Its fun and fast and best of all, FREE.
Can I ask you a big favour? If you have an Android phone, would you please go download my game, try it out and then do one of two things.
#1 If the game functions for you please go to the Play store and review it for me.
#2 If for some reason the game does not function or you find a bug please send me mail to zombie at bobpowell dot net and tell me which model of phone you're using and describe the problem. I will work to fix the problem ASAP. Please don't just give it a bad review because that doesn't help make the product better.
You can also place a comment on this blog which I will answer immediately.
It is incredibly difficult to motivate the end users to review the game and even failures that are not the fault of the game seem to meet with one-star reviews. One of my other apps got a negative review because it relied on the GPS and the idiot user was using it INDOORS!! Go figure.
Thanks so much for your participation! Oh, and have fun running about being chased by zombies!
Bob.
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