Please make it make sense??? :'-(

I was at another community today, waiting for Hotwire to come and hook up both Internet and television in somebody's house. 

No, not my house; I haven't moved. I was doing this for someone else who bought a place locally and needed a body in the apartment, as they're not here yet. 

We all know what a mess Hotwire is, from dealing with the shenanigans in my community. I've made plenty of posts regarding tech issues, insights and wild blowouts, yet, there are still small challenges we face on a weekly basis. 

Today was no different, although this is going to be a brand new account for someone who doesn't know from HotMess. 

After being told a tech would arrive between 8 and 10 this morning, a guy showed up about 9:30, backpack in hand and ready to hook everything up. He was showed where the three televisions were and where the laundry room was, so the devices can be attached to the wall (a Nokia modem and an Eero router). 

The tech starts working on hooking everything together and asks us to call the person who owns the unit, so that this tech can get access to the Eero device and complete an account. We told him that there already was a Hotwire account made and we have some information to give him, and he informs us that he really needs the Eero information as what we have does him no good. 

Huh?

We get the homeowner on the phone and explain the situation: the tech is looking for a text code to continue the internet set up, but he can only do that if the homeowner downloads and installs the Eero app to their cell phone and create an account through that. 

Why? An account via Hotwire was made; what does Eero have to do with this? 

Eero is the main box that Hotwire configures everything through. In order to proceed with anything internet related, the company has to go through Eero. If you don't do anything in the Eero app, there potentially will be too many problems down the road with Hotwire, if you need any type of troubleshooting help or need to return the devices.

I said that we were told, during our set up several years ago, that Eero is a Wi-Fi extender. It makes sure that we get wireless internet through out the house. All our information is done through the Hotwire app. 

He informs us that's false because Hotwire requires everyone to install and use the Eero app in order to make their internet run. If you don't have that, you don't have internet. 

I questioned him about that, as I reiterated that the Eero is an extender because we have a Nokia modem. He shot me down, stating that's not true. The Nokia is a modem that may be the brains of what is provided, however, the Eero is the one doing all the work. It is not a mesh / extender. It is the actual router. Without the Eero, you don't have (wireless) internet. 

Again, I questioned it because it wasn't how any other tech explained this to us and we also know plenty of people in our community who were told the same thing as we were: The Nokia is what supplies the Internet, the Eero is what makes sure you get a full spray across your house. 

To this he still fought me, saying that's wrong information. 

I asked him if what he's trying to say is correct, then basically the Nokia shouldn't be part of the equation? That our internet is coming from the Eero only? 

The long of the short of it is yes and no. 

You need the Nokia modem to get a part of the Internet, as it acts as wired internet. The Eero is plugged into the Nokia and makes the Internet wireless. 

So the Nokia isn't wireless already? You can't just hook it up and go online in another room?

Correct. 

(Essentially the Nokia is a hardwired device only. You can't roam the house expecting to get online because it won't do do that)

Well that's shitty, I think to myself. What a con job. 

(there are a few con jobs going on in this deal.. it's a magician's cup special. Watch where the coin is going under one of the vessels.. and then guess which one it is)

The Eero is what makes the house Wi-Fi compatible, therefore, you need an account on the Eero app. This way, you can change the Internet name, password, boot people, pause people, do whatever you want. While being in one room, away from the actual box.

Essentially, the box takes the place of the all in one machines (modem router.. the surfboard type boxes you get from other companies) that you type in the generic IP address, log in as an administrative user, and change all the stuff you want. There's no way you can do that through the Nokia because it's just a warm body in place of having the ability to manipulate the data. 

All of this still doesn't explain why the Eero was being sold as a Wi-Fi extender. That once Hotwire hooks up the Nokia, you need an Eero in any room to be able to get a stronger spray. If this extra box is needed to make the internet, then explain it that way. Don't be telling people that you can get more bang for your buck and a better signal if you use the Amazon backed box. 

Which brings me to another con job. 

The tech today said that all you need is one Eero, the main Eero, to fill your house with Wi-Fi. It has a 2200 square foot radius, so in an 1850 square foot unit, you're more than covered, room to room. By my community overselling the unit (allowing us to have 2 boxes per house), we're being overcharged because each Eero is a set price (1x$$$) with a set range (2,200 ft²). 

This means that the included Internet being part of our HOA, we're paying more than we should for the boxes. All we need are two total devices: One Nokia modem and One Eero. We don't need anything else. The single Eero can take care of everything. It's an Internet work horse. 

Now, if you want to get another box, because you have a bigger house (more than the aforementioned 2200 square feet), then yes, a second box will be needed and that's when the entire thing is called an extension or extender. The second box is extending the radius from the first box. There is no in between. Using the first box and only the first box is not a mesh anything. It's a plain old router. 

But... but... without even bringing this next part up... you can't tell me the signals push through walls okay. We all know (or should know) how cement and brick prohibit certain frequencies from reaching specific areas. This is why the sales guys said "you need two boxes to be safe" (let alone upsell the data speed.. which is another bracket so you end up paying that tier since the community doesn't provide it. We're talking basics here for our quarterly fees). Sure, they potentially sold us something they shouldn't have, but isn't that part of sales? Making sure you get more than what you need? Going back to the original thought of "it won't go through walls", well, tell me why Ed can't get a proper signal in his garage (he has a TV hooked up with a small banger box. Which he pays extra for) because his router is upstairs in his laundry room. He told me this yesterday - he has been having trouble lately, getting a strong signal when he watches his shows downstairs. I explained to him it's because the garage TV is trying to talk to the upstairs units and since the signal is going across his house, through the floor and into his garage, it's having trouble. It's going through wood, drywall, flooring, cement. and an aluminum door. So by the time it gets to him, he could see some buffering and flickering. Although.. thinking about it now.. we get buffering and it's only going through a couple rooms and an open space. It's still going through drywall, but we're on one level and relatively close to the access points. The hardwired Eero is literally 100 feet away from the living room television. However, it's not hardwired to the Nokia, in the laundry room. It's hardwired to an Ethernet port in the guest room (last Hotwire tech who came in, moved the box from the laundry room to the guest room). This potentially means, I think, it's ultimately a Hotwire issue coming into the house. It is basically an upgraded form of Dish Network: blink or sneeze and the system goes out. You're going to have trouble regardless. 

Yet, the fact remains, take a look at Amazon, the place selling the Eero device: all searches point  to "mesh system", "extender", "mesh extender system" and other key words (yes, it is also being sold as a "router" or "mesh router"). None of these terms should be interchangeable, in my opinion. This is what is getting people confused, and in my case, frustrated. 

If several techs are using one set of vernacular to describe the devices and other techs are not using the same conversational pieces, it leads to a very awkward situation. It makes it look like the company isn't training their people correctly and there are some employees who act as if they know better than others. 

Especially today, when I was asking about the devices and the tech saying I'm wrong, even though I said the other technicians were the ones telling me this information. I feel like he treated this situation like I don't know what I'm talking about. I do have to say, he didn't directly state I was wrong; it was the way he was trying to shut me down and correct me. At one point I just mentally clocked out and stopped being part of the exchange; let him deal with the other person in the room and the homeowner on the phone.

Maybe I don't know much, but maybe the Internet doesn't know how to elaborate either, if I am asking the wrong questions to go with it. Maybe the people who come to your house and set up everything don't know what they're doing either. 

Given that I was able to disable some settings in the Android Operating System that the TiVo cable box runs on (yes, if you look at some previous posts, Hotwire uses a retrofitted TiVo type box and runs an Android OS) while the two guys who came out to fix our internet, couldn't figure out what was wrong. I asked if it was a setting issue on the box (knowing full right it was) and they scratched their heads, saying no, they didn't think so. They couldn't figure out the problem while searching through the menu and seeing everything was "correct". I didn't want to show them what I knew because it would have created more issues as they would have probably questioned my logic and I would someone look foolish (me, them or all of the above). Yet I'm sure they would have hated me for disabling some stuff as well. Another tech on another day gave me the third degree about not wanting to sign in to the cable box and use my Google account because we could download apps and make the best use of the services provided. Explaining we have other streaming devices (a Roku for example) and we rent these cable boxes, I question how refurbished they actually get some days, since we've gotten previously loved boxes before (from Comcast) and they still had the other user's log in information up and running. Which showed the box wasn't factory reset or as wiped as it should have been. The tech didn't trust that answer and gave me an earful for it. 

I digress. I'm not in the IT world, doing any sort of IT job. Everyone has to be their own advocate to a point but there is only so much you can fight back with, to make sure you're on the same page as the people you invite into your home to get everything put together need to be aware of any type of situation. 

Nevertheless, the tech today, got everything set up, the TVs turned on, powered up the TiVo splash screen, the Fision boxes logged in to the newly acquired credentials, and he was out of the house by 11am. An hour and a half in and now people who arrive in the house don't need to rely on cellular data from their phones, allowing those who stay, the opportunity to watch the news while they wait for more people to come and deliver stuff to make the unit livable for the owners. 

In the end, with all the discussions on who is right and who is wrong and why the terminology needs to be changed, I still feel like Hotwire is a hot mess because they come in, set up to their liking and don't fully explain everything. Like I said, every human working there is different, so you get a variation of knowledge, for as little as they show you on how to work everything. I know they are on a tight schedule, but it doesn't excuse the way they work. That includes the way they charge you for everything too. 

All the communities they are in, there is a ten year contract and the rates go up a percentage (4+) a year. Although today's tech wanted to not talk about that because he briefly mentioned something about charges when the extra Eeros were brought up. 

I don't know, man. I know I'm sitting here running my mouth about technology and providers, but I really need it to make sense. I was telling a few people, including someone who has been working in high level IT jobs for several decades, and everyone was like "what the actual crazy is going on" because it seems like fakery to them too. Explaining everything that happened and the way things were happening, my friends just couldn't believe what I was telling them. I included photos and videos, and they're texting me back things like "smh", "wtf" and other quizzical messages. My IT friend saw a picture of what the settings menu looked like and he was in shock at the numbers (his exact text "WTF" and then "That makes no sense!"). Overall, the entire thing just didn't seem okay to him. At one point he says "Oh, that's a Mickey Mouse set up if I ever saw one. No pun about being in Florida" because I showed him how the boxes were on the wall using Velcro and staples.

It's how it's done here. I really can't excuse it or make it seem on the level. There's no way to properly show anything and write it out because there are not enough crayons, markers and paper to get it sorted. I wish I had an answer, but this is life now, especially since everything is trying to push into the AI generation. All of today's wildness will be completed more with a touch of a button, just you wait. Then what will we do? I don't know and I don't want to know.

Right now, I think I need to stop while I'm crazily circling around and cut my losses here. My time stamps says I'm posting this at 2:43pm because that's when I started this thing. But it's actually 6pm and I've got to get going. I got squirreled for 45 minutes and had to run an errand for another 15 minutes. So I've really been working on this a few hours, even though I shouldn't have. This is what happens when you just write and lose track of time... 

Until I get back the clock pieces I lost, go find something to do and entertain yourself.

Cheers; 

Book banning and library closures?

Over the last few years, there have been conversations of banning specific types of books. From “classic literature” (such as “1984” and “Fahrenheit 451”) to certain historical novels (such as “Maus”, “To Kill A Mockingbird” and “I Know Why The Caged Bird Sings”). Even political, religious and sexuality based stories are on the list. Someone always has to find something inappropriate about everything we do lately, as noticed in the recent Broadway musicals I’ve attended.

Which brings me to the subject of other things disappearing: I ran into an incident this week where I wanted to request a couple specific CDs, movies, and audiobooks-on-CD from the library. The information the service desk gave me was quite interesting.

A few months ago, I had gone in to the library to request standard DVDs of a few recently released movies. As the Blu-Ray discs were “on order” and I don’t have a Blu Ray player, requesting that format would be moot; I’ve no way to play them. The librarian told me that if I ever see Blu-Ray and not standard, it’s because the library can’t obtain a normal copy. Some movies are being produced specifically for Blu-Ray and 4K streaming, and in no other format. Standard discs are going by the wayside and it is hard to find them online or in store.

All right, fine; I guess I either need to purchase a Blu-Ray player or wait for the films to be on the streaming channels. Times, they are a-changing and they aren’t fun, nor are they free.

Quite honestly, I’ve seen the items available online through “big box retailers”, so I don’t know if the library wants to get away from physical media all together, or they really are having a tough time ordering them on the internet.

Moving on to this week, my list was short enough that I thought there would not be any problems. The things I was looking for are already being produced in their various forms. I was hoping the library could obtain a copy. Who knows; there may be other patrons who would be interested in that item.

I inquired first about the music discs. The librarian told me, in no uncertain terms, that they aren’t ordering many compact discs these days because there hasn’t been a great need for them. People aren’t requesting music so there’s no way or reason to order that type of audio disc.

Okay. I guess I understand. People have their phones or tablets and stream all the sounds they want.

I then asked about the audiobook-on-CD items. The librarian gave me a similar explanation, with the exception being there is only one publishing house they can purchase from; and that may be hard because not everything may be put on disc through this particular site. There’s a limit on what is widely available due to other big names having the media rights to the recorded file.

Uh, okay, sure; “I think some of the audio books on the shelf may be from the major companies?” I asked. The short answer was “yes but it really depends on the book, the availability and if we can get it”. Thanks; I’ll keep that in mind for future reference

When I asked about the movies, I was given the same answer as the months prior: not everything is being put to DVD. There is a big chance of things not coming out on regular disc and since Blu-Ray discs are more expensive, the library is limiting what they purchase in order to have patrons request certain shows and movies.

Overall, there is no guarantee with anything I asked for, simply because the physical forms of media aren’t as readily available as they once were. People are streaming more these days and unfortunately, are not going to their local library.

I am sure there will be a day when even the new books aren’t published on paper and won’t be on the library shelves. Look how box stores (and book stores) aren’t keeping an array of hardcovers and paperbacks around. The bookstores are having limited quantities of “new releases” and the markup is so grand that they have to have you be a paying member for any type of saving. Within the last decade, the more people are buying smart phones, the more those mobile devices are tending to come with their own books app. It doesn’t matter if that’s Apple Books, Google Books or something in between. Basic tablets come pre-loaded with the Kindle app, unless you’re specifically buying a Kindle e-reader. Barnes and Noble have their own e-reader, Nook, so that would be the straight competitor to Kindle; however, it’s such a proprietary software thing, that you can’t download Nook to any device except a computer. I mean, the last I checked, you could install the Nook reading app to your Windows based computer, but you couldn’t get it on your cell phone or tablet, unless you purchased the standalone Nook reader. This is not to be confused with Amazon, who allows you to install Kindle on any Android based tablet, along with any type of cell phone. It is regardless of whether or not you purchase that e-reader. I could be wrong and am willing to be proven wrong.

It’s a horrible feeling knowing that you want to support the arts and your community and let everyone have the opportunity to have a library card so they can read a book, watch a movie or listen to a compact disc. Knowing that these materials you’re looking for won’t completely be around in a few years is sad. It’s not like I’m asking for the world on a string. I am looking for a book on tape CD so I can listen to it in my car or watch a 2 and a half hour film in the comfort of my living room.

I did attempt to go online the other day and see if I can place a request for the CDs. I received an email from the library stating “Thank you for submitting a library purchase request. The library is unable to add this title to the collection, however, it is available on our free streaming music service Hoopla” for one request and “Thank you for submitting a library purchase request. This title is unavailable to purchase this music CD from our library vendors” for the other. Guess that’s the final answer. It is too bad because it would have been great to preview the discs, should I end up paying for them myself on a streaming platform. I’m sure if I attempted to request some movies, I’d get a similar response. I take that back; I actually did get a similar response when I requested “Omni Loop”, a Mary Louise Parker movie. I’ve yet to stream online, even though I’ve not actively searched since requesting it.

I’ve talked to my friend Shawn about this and he too feels like society has been busy gravitating away from all the stuff we grew up on. Renting movies from places like Blockbuster, Hollywood Video and Showtime Video (this last one was a one off when I was young; I don’t think this was a big chain in New England at that time) is a thing of the past. Spending time after school at the local library and immersing yourself in quiet time to work on the new fiction novel is going to possibly fade out soon. He and I both agreed that there’s nothing like holding someone’s written work in your hands and spending hours reading chapter upon chapter.

It’s a big responsibility to keep track of that book and what you’ve read; I remember having a list of titles I went through every summer and was so happy to have completed the stack of them. Now I’m lucky if I can get through one a month, let alone over a dozen in three. You learn so much by submerging yourself in a good book; you can learn so much about yourself and life by keeping yourself educated.

If libraries go away, what will happen to the easy access in furthering our knowledge? When Borders and Waldenbooks went dark, Barnes and Noble capitalized on being that sole in-store provider. Now they expect you to pay $25 a year for a premium membership, only to get ten per cent off specific items. It is usually something that they mark up every time a shipment comes in, so it’s not even worth it (I paid over five dollars more for a “discounted” memoir in store, than I could have purchased online on Amazon, with Prime free shipping). This is partly why libraries should, and need to, still exist: they can alleviate some of that cost because it allows people to have access in unlocking their imagination. I know, I know, libraries still need to purchase the book (or movie, or CD). However, “our” tax dollars go to keeping libraries open and funded, so essentially, we are all paying for the shelves to be stocked with things to read, watch and listen to. Should libraries close, what will be next? If our only choice is to buy online, I’m sure we’ll be paying more for mailing and subscription services, unless all you’ll be able to do, is stream. No more holding something in your hand and turning a page. No more putting a disc into a player and watching a movie on your TV. Headphones and music readers, be damned, because you won’t be able to do that either.

I sound like “a boomer”, screaming at kids to “get off my lawn”. I’m not at that point yet, I promise. I’m just reminiscing about my past and what is going to become of my future, if we continue to let technology take over and lose the things we used to enjoy. Please don’t let these things go away. Let’s keep finding a way to keep the arts and media relevant so our future doesn’t look so bleak.

Thanks for reading and listening to my gripe today.

Until it all gets sorted, go out and support your local library. Take out a book and learn something new. Listen to some music and watch some old television series on DVD. Let’s get a re-awakening of borrowing stuff!

Cheers;  

See also:

• Banned Books list on Amazon
• "1984" by George Orwell
• "Fahrenheit 451" by Ray Bradbury
• "Maus" by Art Speigelman
• "To Kill A Mockingbird" by Harper Lee
• "I Know Why The Caged Bird Sings" by Maya Angelou 
• Kindle app / e-reader on Amazon
• "Omni Loop" (film) on Amazon
• Amazon Prime information

If "you've read it in the tea leaves", are "the tracks [..] on tv"?

Okay, so this isn't a science fiction (double feature) reference to an Orwellian time that was supposed to be from 41 years ago, but I did just reference a David Bowie song. 

The blog title is "1984" from the 1974 Diamond Dogs album (track 09). The "double feature" reference is crossed out because I sometimes laugh when I write out "science fiction" because I think of the opening song of The Rocky Horror Picture Show, where Patricia Quinn's lips are mouthing the words to "Science Fiction / Double Feature" as Richard O'Brien is singing the song. 

The 1970s were full of crazy weirdness, man. I wonder what George Orwell would have thought if he heard his book was turned into a song.. or at the very least, some Brit wanted to turn it into a rock opera... 

At any rate, I mentioned last night I would post pictures of my tea the next time I had a cup. 

I do want to clarify something about the ashwagandha before proceeding: One of the reasons I'm going to limit myself with it regarding liver issues is that I'm already taking a product that contains trace amounts of the herb, so I do not want to overload my system. 

The product I'm taking is something I've mentioned before - I mix Om Master Blend Mushroom Powder – Organic Mushroom Supplement with 10 Mushrooms and Ashwagandha into my morning smoothie, but I have been alternating between this powder and Sprouts version (which does not have ashwagandha). Which is again why I feel I need to be careful with what I'm doing. I'm already taking various supplements and I've done a good job in keeping the lab work within a reasonable range this year, so I don't want to mess anything up. I want to continue what I'm doing and see how it goes. 

Can't blame me, right? 

Anyway, the pictures came out wonky because I am using a darker mug than I should, in order to be showing off pictures (It's a Nightmare Before Christmas mug - Jack and Sally "Simply Meant To Be"). The mug is dark purple on the inside, which doesn't jive with the dark color of the tea. 

Apologies in advance. 

Also, the tea is hot. You'll see that in the photos - the fog on the lens.

Before creamer:

After Creamer:

The photos were taken with my iPhone 11 and edited in Photoshop (my name). 

Looks like black coffee and then coffee with some sort of creamer in it, no? The milk product I used was the Planet Oat French Vanilla Oatmilk creamer, not available on Amazon (but there are other flavors of the brand). 

I didn't put any extra sweetener in the liquid; drank it "as is" with the added Planet Oat as there are already 4g of sugar in it and adding all the different types of powders to my morning smoothie, I have enough things that break down into other things, there's a reason I need to be in the gym for two hours! People may think I've lost a lot of weight, but I'm still a fat kid. "Goonies never say die!" and fat kids never say no to cake. Maybe. Haha. 

Speaking of saying "no", I think I should say no more to writing the update. I'm getting squirreled and I need to go work on something else. 

Until there's another update or freestyle rambling, go have a drink and play in the mud or something.

Cheers;

See Also

* If you want to price shop, I have a referral link for the OM website. You receive $5 off your first purchase of $45 or more. I know it's not much, but every little bit helps. In return, I receive 50 points for the referral. 

* "Goonies never say die" items on Amazon.

* The quote is from the 1985 movie, The Goonies

"Unplug the box, put the remote face down (numbers down) on top of the box"

First thing my mother says to me this morning (after I wake up and pee), is that the remote to her TV isn't working. She's already tried changing the batteries and it's still not doing anything. 

I take a look at the remote, and everything blinks when I press a button, so I don't think it's that. But just to see maybe those batteries on on their way out, I change them to a new pack. 

Still not changing a channel. Maybe it needs a factory reset?

I get online to see about doing a reset and can't find the instructions for our box, as Hotwire has several different brands they use. Of course, ours being a TiVo, the first page of searching doesn't have what I need. 

Must. Include. "TiVo". As. Keyword. 

As I'm doing this, my mother decides she is going to call Hotwire because it's becoming on of those situations that's taking up too much of our time. 

She calls the first number she has saved. It goes to a sales rep's office number. 

She hangs up. Tries another number and it goes to a call center. Presses the right keys to get a live person and explains what is going on.

Only after confirming our address and so forth.

The call center person asks some questions, I think to find the right script to read from. 

My mother explains how last night the remote barely worked so this morning she tried changing the battery. Two different tries, the remote doesn't seem to be talking to the box. Is there something she can do?

Call center tech confirms our boxes (three) and my mother says "yes, it's the primary bedroom one".

Call center says to us to "go to the box and unplug the first plug from the back of it. Put the remote face down, numbers side down, on top of the box, and don't touch it" because she's going to do some stuff on her end, puts us on hold. 

My question is, what in the hell does putting the remote face down on the electrically unplugged box have to do with anything? My mother shrugged.

A couple minutes go by and the call center gets back on the line. Asks us to plug the box back in, and we can take the remote off the box. 

Okay, we plug it in. Fision splash screen comes up. TiVo splash screens come up. The "press OK / Select to continue" message appears. We pressed OK. 

Channel pops up. I try the up arrow. Channel changes. Press the down arrow. Channel changes. 

My mother says to the call center "it is working" and asks me to go to a different channel all together. I did and it worked.

Call center says that sometimes they break, but she is happy to have helped us fix the problem. My mom thanks her and phone call ended. 

I said to my mother when she hung up, that this is totally fecking weird. We completely severed the power to the box by unplugging it. There has to be a battery back up of some sort within the box because otherwise, why would the tech have had us unplug it and put the remote on top of it? If they did some troubleshooting on their end, it must mean there is some back up power still going to the box. Otherwise the remote wouldn't have worked when she told us to plug the box back in.

Especially since I had started to do a factory reset on the remote. 

My mother said she doesn't understand it, except it's some Big Brother level stuff. I just had to laugh at that because how do I make a come back statement? My mother usually doesn't make that kind of joke, so for her to come out with it, you know something's funky.

I said to her that "I wonder if the next time this happens, we just do the same thing we just did and not call, see if things happen" and she said "worth a shot". 

It's just strange... cutting the power from the cable box and a remote call center still having access to it. I mean, I'm sure she saw on her screen that one of the boxes were offline... so surely something else would have needed to happen, besides putting the remote face down on it. Once we plugged it back in, it magically synced?

Makes no sense. Except I really think Hotwire has rigged these machines to be running 24/7/365 regardless of whether or not you have power. There's got to be some sort of battery backup in the box or the Ethernet cable runs power or something else is going on. The box is getting electrified whether it's plugged in or not. 

Scary. Messed up. Hotmess Hotwire. Comcast is fishy, but not this scammy... Way to start the morning! 

Banished to the depths of basements

There's been breaking news lately about a 1986 graphic novel called Maus. It's by Art Spiegelman and has made the rounds rather quietly until a few months ago. 

According to Amazon's main top of the page synopsis, it is "A brutally moving work of art—widely hailed as the greatest graphic novel ever written—Maus recounts the chilling experiences of the author’s father during the Holocaust, with Jews drawn as wide-eyed mice and Nazis as menacing cats.

Maus is a haunting tale within a tale, weaving the author’s account of his tortured relationship with his aging father into an astonishing retelling of one of history's most unspeakable tragedies. It is an unforgettable story of survival and a disarming look at the legacy of trauma."

There are a few reasons people are currently up in arms in banning the book. 

According to Variety, there is “inappropriate language and nudity” which "caused a Tennessee school board to remove the Pulitzer Prize-winning graphic novel from its eighth grade curriculum". 

The article goes on to state that it "details the cruelties that Spiegelman’s father Vladek faced throughout the Holocaust, from the years leading up to World War II through his own liberation from Auschwitz. Through serialized conversations with his son, Vladek discloses the starvation and abuse he endured at the hands of Nazis, and the resourcefulness he tapped into in order to survive. Some parts of the book show Jews depicted as mice, stripped naked in concentration camps (nudity being one cause for the ban). Of course, the book does contains gruesome details and grisly imagery — like any truthful telling of the Holocaust does." 

NPR states something similar and goes on to talk about how the author was quoted by CNBC and that "he was heartened by the response, noting it's not the first of its kind.

"The schoolboard could've checked with their book-banning predecessor, [Russian President] Vladimir Putin," he wrote. "He made the Russian edition of Maus illegal in 2015 (also with good intentions — banning swastikas) and the small publisher sold out immediately and has had to reprint repeatedly.""

The article continues with a breakdown on how quick the book sold out in various forms, both online and in stores. Because libraries, schools, professors, all want people to know and understand a part of history, there was opportunity for students to receive both Maus I and Maus II either free or close to it. There's been active donations to help fund a mass print of the book to give it away for free at one point over the last week. The older generations that have witnessed other materials having set foot on the banned list, understand that there's something different and want a copy for themselves, hence the need to quickly get it produced and in everyone's pocket. Consider it like a new collector's item, especially since places are overpricing the series now. 

Which is why I guess I can't complain... I was given a copy by a cousin, in 1996. The unfortunate part is the cousin wrote on the inside cover decreasing the value of the paperback, should I decide to capitalize on the market right now. Not that I would, but given the fact that novels like 1984 have been reprinted (especially in the cheaper "Mass Market Paperback" edition), I'm sure Maus will make its way back into print some time soon. 

Plus, the copy I own has been sitting in the sun for a few years. The spine is worn  from light sources, the colors aren't as sharp as they should be. When you open the book, the glue is slightly cracked. So it's not as 100% "like new" as it should be.  

I guess I'll keep my copy. Maybe this is the opportune time to read it, as I don't recall ever peering into the book when I received it (age has gotten to it, by the looks of opening it). 

But as time progresses, more news stories will come out of this, as it's not been 3 weeks since headlines blew it up. A simple web search has so many hits for reports on why this should or should not be taken out of the hands of school children. It's like, if you're teaching history, surely everyone's side needs to be said? Or, if someone has a way to make it so it can be talked about... this could be an answer? It's not as if Spiegelman made anything up to capitalize on false information. He took oral history from a person who lived through the event and wrote it for people to understand. Comic books are in the hands of millions of people. If you can story board it out, it can be something people read and have opinions over. Create a conversation rather than turmoil.

However, given the subject, there may be sound reasons behind it disappearing from schools. 

According to The Guardian, "the McMinn county board of education in Tennessee voted to remove Spiegelman’s 1991 Holocaust memoir, Maus, from its middle-school curriculum. Though the board cited the graphic novel’s use of non-sexual nudity and light profanity in defending its decision, the ban is part of a wave of scholastic censorship in the US, largely led by an agitated conservative movement and targeting books that deal with racism or LGBTQ issues.

But the author of the Pulitzer prize–winning graphic novel, which tells the story of his parents’ experience as Polish Jews during the Holocaust, traces his own free speech radicalism to a very different inflection point in America’s censorship wars. As a teenager, Spiegelman found himself siding with the right of Nazis to march in Skokie, Illinois, a town with a significant population of Holocaust survivors.

“The ACLU lost a lot of members because they defended their right to march,” he said. “And I just thought that seemed right. Let them march, and if there’s any more trouble, stop them. I thought that was a conversation that had to take place.

“It shaped me.”"

What do you do? Anger a few people in place of sharing experiences? Censorship has been happening a lot more over the last decade. Gone are the days when one or two music groups were banned on the radio for teenage pregnancy or making a children's song about drugs. Albeit both references seem a bit of a reach in this day and age, but the "powers that be" say otherwise. Regarding books, how about the random novelist that was banned from a store, only to make the list of "must reads" during high school? I mean, how many English literature classes did I have where we read loads of previously locked up stories? I've encountered quite the box of paperbacks that were once on the no fly list. If history tells us anything, we go through cycles with our lives and Maus happens to be one of those targets right now. 

Happy listening and reading... let me know when you want to discuss things!

Cheers;

See Also (links to the sites I quote from)

• Variety
  
• NPR
  
• The Guardian
  

See Also (banned books and songs, via Amazon)

• The Scarlet Letter by Nathaniel Hawthorne
  
• I Know Why The Caged Bird Sings by Maya Angelou
  
• Animal Farm by George Orwell
  
• Great Gatsby by F Scott Fitzgerald (I've read this so many times in various lit classes, my copy is beyond tattered. I bought it new back in the mid 1990s and have had to use it for every class I've taken for eight years running)
  
• Other banned books / Best Sellers in Censorship & Politics
• Risqué Songs of the '20s & '30s - Banned On the Radio
  
• My Generation by The Who
  
• Happiness Is A Warm Gun and Lucy In The Sky With Diamonds by the Beatles
  
• Strange Fruit by Billie Holiday
  
• The Pill by Loretta Lynn
  
• Web search "banned songs" and you'll find more. Amazon "Banned Songs" asked at one point if I want 'band' songs.

"We'll build a glass asylum"

 With just a hint of mayhem

David Bowie

Big Brother

Diamond Dogs

1974

I opened the refrigerator this morning to make my smoothie and took the yogurt out. Behind the yogurt was a "crisp apple" flavored bottle of Hint water that my mother had bought. The first thing that came blaring in my head was the "JUST A HINT OF MAYHEM..." from the above referenced db song. I don't know why it popped in my head when I saw the word "hint", but it did. I can't be responsible for things that happen before I've had my breakfast. 

Conversely, I have been milling over a couple things to buy on Amazon for the better part of a month. 

In my cart, I had "saved" Apple Lightning to USB3 Camera Adapter because I've been trying to research options of hot to transfer files from a thumb drive to my iPhone without having to use iCloud, email myself or by using any other software. There have been multiple reviews saying people are using this camera adapter for things other than photo transferring. They're plugging in other electronic devices (musical / recording instruments) and quite a few have mentioned USB sticks. I want to try that. I'm tired of being in places where I have access to saving a PDF and have to either email it to myself from a different computer or save it to my little 8gb thumb drive, in order to text the information to someone. If I can carry this adapter with me, it can save me some time. 

I know, I know... I could have bought a thumb drive for iPhone, but the couple ones I looked at (the brand names I trust) looked odd in the travel department. I didn't see how it could hook to my keys in order to carry it around. Yes, it's harder to carry this adapter with me, but I'm really only intending to use it in one place at the moment, and it can stay in my backpack with my phone charger. Plus, I spend some time talking on Skype with a few friends. Maybe I'll try using a USB hub in this and plug in an external microphone and speaker... see how far I can push the limit on a phone I originally only wanted as a phone...

The other thing I had in my cart, only for about a week, has been the UGREEN Micro USB 2.0 OTG Cable. The Kindle Fire 7 that I have, doesn't have a micro SD slot to be able to move things to an external card (if needed) and over the weekend I got the "Low on storage" message. I want to see if I can save the books I'm syncing to an external thumb drive from this Kindle and free up space. Then I can plug in the drive any time I want and pull it up. 

Hopefully.

As I haven't started reading any of the books I've downloaded (all free books, by the way. It's a matter of subscribing to book sites and getting email blasts every week, saying what's new / refreshed / on sale / free. I go and get the freebies, and sometimes, if I'm lucky, I get a whole series that has been put on Amazon for a grand total of $0.00. With over 5,000 free titles, the e-reader is pretty full. 

Have I started reading any of those, in order to delete them? Sadly, no. I'm filling the Fire for when the day comes and I empty my shelves of my physical books. I'm a book prepper, in a way. I'm preparing my Kindle Fire 7" (2nd Generation) for the future of my reading. 

Go on, call me crazy. Tell me I'm being weird for "hoarding" and not reading everything. 

I have too many physical books to read at the moment... I'm thinking of myself and my library of stuff in years to come. 

Meanwhile, it's time to go. I've got to get ready for work.

Happy teching.

Cheers;

"With just a hint of mayhem" | "We want you, Big Brother"

Talk about things and you get answers. 

Kind of.

My mom got a generic email the other day from Comcast regarding changes they are making (or made) to customers with voice accounts. 

Just like I mentioned in my last post, Comcast started verifying phone numbers... well... they now talked about confirmed it. 

The email is as follows: 

Subject: Important updates about your Xfinity Voice service

We're making some changes to your home phone service

Staying connected to friends and family is as important now as it's ever been –– and we hope Xfinity Voice has allowed you to stay in touch with those who matter most. Today we’re writing to let you know about a few changes to your service.

Verified Caller ID is here to help protect you

This week we introduced an enhanced Caller ID feature. Now you'll see the word "Verified" or its abbreviation, "[V]," next to some incoming calls and on your call log, voicemail, and X1 TV screen. This means the call is coming from a phone number we are able to verify. This enhancement will help protect you against robocall scams and telemarketers.

We're proud to be at the forefront of customer protection with Verified Caller ID. For more information and a list of all the ways Xfinity Voice is helping you stay secure, read our Help and Support article here.

Xfinity Connect app and Voice2Go feature is going away

We constantly assess our features to ensure we’re delivering what customers want most, and after a careful evaluation, we’ve decided to discontinue the Xfinity Connect app and Voice2Go feature as of April 20, 2021. You can still conveniently access your email and voicemail, as well as manage your call features and settings, from anywhere with the mobile-optimized Xfinity Connect web portal at connect.xfinity.com. To learn more about these upcoming changes and how to use third-party email clients to access your email on your mobile device, click here.

Thank you for trusting us with your home phone service. We appreciate having you as an Xfinity customer.

I linked what I could within the email, so the "click here" goes to the right pages. 

But interestingly enough, you talk about something changing, and it's possible you get a confirmation some how that it's true. It's just some times, the change affects other things that people may like and choose to use, and they take it away. 

I've never used the mobile features Comcast offers, as it's not the main accounts I use for everything. My mom is the main user, so she has the email and such, but I'm just using it for wireless service at this point. Plain and simple. I don't use the house phone to call people... who do I call? No one. I only watch a few hours of TV a week on the cable box. I've been streaming more, so that is why I'm more WiFi then Voice or TV. 

Whatever works. 

Until our community gets rid of Comcast in a couple months... the contract is up and they've been rumbling for a couple years they are going to completely ax the service and make people get their own stuff. All because the community listens to the snowbirds rather than the full timers. Snowbirds are tired of paying for services every month when they only come down and live in their unit for half a year. They are charged all year but don't use anything. They don't want to deal with that anymore, but since it's a fee that comes included in the community amenities, they have to pay for it. The full time residents vocalize that they hate paying for the snowbirds (prices keep jumping up), but they also want to keep services... at a more friendlier cost. Where full time residents are actually here year round, they get the brunt of the bad situation. Snowbirds have it easier. Year rounders want to use the amenities but don't want to keep shelling out more money to subsidize people who aren't here all the time. It's not fair. So.. the board is like "we're gonna raise our costs, get rid of stuff and work with the snowbirds", essentially giving the middle finger to the people who live here every day. Among other challenges, it's a bit of a crazy situation. 

Anyway, thought I'd share some updated cable news! 

Enjoy! 

Cheers;

See also (aka post title came from here):

• David Bowie "Big Brother"

Gobble gobble

It's the day after National Eat A Bird Day.

I was able to get off from work for Thursday and Friday, and Emily took the hit for the team and is working tomorrow. Leading me to have a four day weekend. Which only means one of two things: Either I won't want to go back to work on Monday, or I've got to spend time with family 90 minutes away. No matter what you think, I guess I'm going to be sleeping off the turkey sweats come Sunday and wish I could have another 4 days to recuperate.

Seeing how I had time today, not only did I take some pictures of the backyard view, I tested out the hosts' Google Mini. While Amazon sells their own streaming devices and an occasional Roku, they do not sell one of the number one search engine's. However, they do sell the Mini's accessories (wall mounts, etc).


The video below was recorded on an iPhone 6S and then my Canon EOS Rebel T3. I edited it on Pinnacle Studio 18, Ultimate.

The pictures of the backyard view are from this afternoon. Taken on my Canon and edited in Photoshop.

 

 

 

 

 

It's only 8pm on Friday and I'm so tired. We did boost the local economy, but to a point. We didn't do extreme shopping, only light "needs". No electronics, no major expenditures. I think the most everyone spent was $50. I spent $22 on food because we went to a local Amish market. Think one of those high end specialty stores (that totes itself on being natural... but it's more for those who have the paycheck to lead the lifestyle. Although I do miss that store. There's one about 45 minutes from me, although the one in Brookline I used to frequent a lot while I was in Boston).

Anyway, everyone wants to watch some new television show on one of the premium stations. They want me to watch with them.

Guess I'll shorten this up and take a gander.

Be well, be safe, hope your last paycheck is still intact.


Cheers;

The conspiracy of a passenger

I've been so slow on the uptake in reading books since I started my current job (in December 2017). I haven't been able to plow through as many books as I used to, since I typically come home too tired to want to read. Or, I just don't want to put any effort into it. However, I did pick up a book a couple months ago and have started reading it over the last few weeks.

Conspiracy and political nuts, enter the ring and put on your tin foil hat here.

You've been warned.

I typically try to stay away from politics in my blog, I really do. I don't fight for one candidate over the other and I don't enforce my opinion of whomever may currently be in office, down people's throats. I like to try to stay neutral on such a public forum, but in private among friends, we all get together and I air my grievances. I didn't write a term paper on political shortcomings in my sociology class for nothing!

But at any rate, the book I picked up and have been reading is Collusion: Secret Meetings, Dirty Money, and How Russia Helped Donald Trump Win by Luke Harding.

Yes, it's the same man who wrote The Snowden Files back in 2014.

Due to the fact I listen to NPR (and thus have it be my main source of informative "fake news"), I'm finding that everything I'm reading in Collusion is playing out on stage as we speak. #SpoilerAlert: It's all been said already... although I'm finding it quite funny that the details written on page is coming out in all forms of news press now... some 11 months later. Not even. Examples are the Mueller and Comey incidents; the current infatuation with the World Cup.

I don't want to go into exhausting detail about this book because "no one wants to hear it" - you have to choose your own adventure with this one due to the fact I could lose a lot of readers and get myself into hot water by promoting one side over the other. My opinion is that America seems to be on a quick downward spiral, but if the plans of bettering ourselves and each other were put together a little more cohesively, we'd be in far less danger than what it seems like we're heading towards. Too many people are fighting now, and it's a scary world to want to be a part of. I fear for my friends and their children and how the kids are going to grow up in the coming years. We're doing more harm to them then to ourselves.

But I'm leaving it at that. Please don't ask me to elaborate anymore. I don't want to pick a side on my blog like this; I just want to share news and things I'm reading and how they may or may not relate to what's going on in my life.


To change the subject to a passenger...


While at work yesterday, there was an outside event happening. It's an outdoor market every week. After it was over, my team mate and I were putting tables and chairs back when a comfortable looking frog was spotted on a chair. The person I was working with, came over to me and said "there's a frog over here. It's kinda big". Off I go, following her to where she was, and lo and behold, there's a chunky looking frog having a seat on the cushion.


* All photos taken on an iPhone 6S. No edits except adding my name. WYSIWYG.

We felt bad disturbing it, but we both took a few pictures before the chair was moved back to where it belonged and the frog acted like this was the normal thing. It didn't move an iota.... it just stayed in that one spot and took a nap. We had a good laugh because the girl said that she would have been quite surprised if it jumped at her if she didn't see it at first. I said that would have been hysterical - "surprise!!".


Oh, the power of living in a tropical climate...


Be safe!


Cheers;




See also:

• I searched for "fake news" on Amazon. I found some interesting things.
• The Truth Is Out There
• because conspiracies are everywhere. 
• La-la-la-la-la-la-la-la, la-la

"OK, Google"

I had a short lived privilege of witnessing Google's answer to Alexa today.

While visiting relatives, there was this tiny, circular speaker sitting on an end table. From this four inch (in diameter) grey mesh sphere, music was blasting out of it. I'm talking, blasting, as in, "turn it up to 11, boys!!". With a white tail leading to a wall outlet, I found out that this hockey puck answers to "Google" and be told to "shut up".

Yes, my cousin told Google to stop talking playing.

I didn't ask too many questions outside of "does the thing that answers to a specific Internet name need to not hear its name?" and "when did you get the thing we can't say its name?". Yes, the Google Home Mini answers to "Hey, Google" and does respond with various commands. It was given to the owner as a Hanukkah present from one of the children.

Upon my own research, the Mini can not be bought on Amazon, but via the Google Store as well as various big box retailers (price ranges from $39-$59 depending on where you're buying it). Conversely, Amazon sells various accessories for the assistant,  including the persuading of buying their own version of the smart device.

While I didn't get a lesson in how the whole thing works, I will say this: it's pretty easy on the eyes, with it's rounded mesh top and white bottom, as well as the audio level can be enormously high for the hard of hearing.

I wonder how it would fare with other smart devices connected to it, and how it connects with the Google Store. Do you have to have a Google / Play account in order to use this device (much like it is "recommended" to have Prime for Amazon's toys), or can you link to a (third party) retailer to be able to purchase items (do you have to purchase items)? What are the other recommendations for this device? If you don't need an account to anywhere, how will it play music and do you need a credit card attached to some website to be charged accordingly (ie you ask it to play Bobby Darin but don't have your phone connected to it. Does it play from the Google Store and Google automatically bills you)? How does it play with other developer apps (as in, non Google apps)?

There are so many questions that need sorting out, and one of the other major ones include "what is the drive by ratio to this?". As in, when I read some reviews about Alexa, people were saying security is key and king to these devices, and users were finding their speakers hijacked via drivebys. At what rate is Google's assistant being tested with?

I guess this all means I need to look into all the competitors and see who's doing what these days, and what the pros and cons are with each device people are buying. Now that I've see two big players' speakers, what else am I missing, and what can I compare it all to?



Pictures or this post is moot:

Happy Super Bowl Sunday. Behave yourselves and "Go Pats"!


Cheers;




See Also:
Amazon Keyword Search "google home mini"
Amazon Keyword Search "google speaker home mini"