I tried IFTTT a while ago, sort of forgot about and, then recently rediscovered it and have become a heavy user.  Lifehacker has some good uses for IFTTT and RSS feeds.

Here’s a list of documentaries someone doesn’t want you to see.

I want to be clear about this.  I am very close to either dumping satellite TV altogether or paring back to basic channels only, and using the huge savings that would result to buy the things I want to see on demand, via Apple TV, etc.  The minute I can’t fast forward through commercials, I will.  I promise.  I don’t like hate- the word or the emotion, but I frickin’ hate anyone who wants to force me to endure ads of any kind.

Giant snake vs crocodile.  SyFy movie or news story?

ETA looks like a useful app.  If I left the farm for home right now, it says it would take me 1 hour and 49 minutes.  In reality, it would take about 1 hour and 20 minutes.  The problem with these driving time apps is that they don’t have an accurate way to estimate driving speed.  In low traffic conditions, people drive varying amounts over the speed limit.

When did Christians become so un-Christian-like?  I believe in God and pray every day.  But if I were to mount an argument for atheism, it would be the fact that God has not struck down all these jackasses that purport to speak for Him.  At the rate we’re going, religion is going to turn more people away from God than all the sex, drugs and rock and roll combined.

I’m doing my part to give squirrels the opportunity to show their kindness and adopt orphans, by shooting the ones who repeatedly raid my bird feeders.  So far, I’m only using a BB gun, but if a little pain in the butt doesn’t work, I will move to the .22.  The bigger problem is the raccoons who empty even the most squirrel-proof feeders in the middle of the night.

I don’t have many rules, but one of them is never get between two angry bulls.  I’ve seen them take out more than one fence.  I just about got caught up in a melee this afternoon on my walk.

 

I could not agree more that Apple needs to fix its photo workflow, and not just as it relates to sharing.  I love iPhoto.  I have two iMacs, a MacBook Air, and iPhone and an iPad I use regularly.  And I have four (all but the iPad, with which I take no photos) overlapping, but separate iPhoto libraries.  The idea of trying to lasso and organize four separate iPhoto structures into albums and folders is overwhelming.  I’m never going to do it.  I want all my photos on (at least) the iMacs, and I want folders and albums to be synchronized.

Lifehacker has a really good read on talking to your kids about drugs.

Here’s how to share your Mac’s wi-fi connection.  Good for hotels and airports.

Am I the only person who is completely uninterested in the Oscars?  My level of apathy with respect to these sorts of awards is only slightly lower than my level of apathy about the train-wreck that is Wake Forest basketball.

If you’re looking for a good, reasonably priced bluetooth wireless speaker, this one from Amazon is so good I bought three of them and placed them all over.  Like reading glasses.

Everyone, and I mean everyone, in my Facebook news feed needs to study this post.

Tim Cook tells climate change deniers to get out of Apple stock.  Can they take the 5,000 year old earth believers with them?  I guarantee you the overlap between those who don’t believe in global warming and those who believe in literal creationism is huge.

Reason number 537 why I love Reddit.

This is why I will never, ever and without exception no matter what make a donation to anyone who calls me on the telephone or knocks on my door.

True Detective is a phenomenal show, maybe the best thing on TV.  If you aren’t watching it, consider yourself lucky.  You can binge watch in one marathon session.

 

Fred Wilson is a smart dude, so maybe I’m being chicken little about this Bitcoin business, but I still don’t see why we need some super-secret currency that no one understands, and which is guarded by the keystone cops.  I just don’t see how this is ever going to go mainstream, why I should care if it doesn’t and how it would improve the world if it did.  More from PandoDaily.  Even more, from Re/code.

Now, for something that really matters.  Joby Ogwyn is going to jump off Mount Everest in a wingsuit.

gHacks has a good read about tech blogs that have shuffled off (more or less) this mortal internet.  I was a big Download Squad (death by AOL) fan, and a regular CyberNet News (I see that Ryan Wagner is still around) reader.  I would try to think of some more, but every time I start thinking about shuttered web sites, I start missing Mirsky’s Worst of the Web again.

I was (am?) a huge Brady Bunch fan.  I’ve seen every episode at least once, and I’ve read Barry Williams’ book.  I think it has to do with the way they turned two bad situations into a good one.  And I liked that attic bedroom.  And Marsha.  Here are 14 Facts You Might Not Know About the Brady Bunch.  I learned four new things.  Including number 7.  Chatty Cathy, who knew?

Ubuntu smart phone?  Really?  Don’t get me wrong, competition is good.  But, really?  Maybe it will dual boot with Tizen.

Oh what the heck.  Let’s do one.

10 Dreadful Places Named For Horrifying Events:  Let’s see what I can add.  How about the Street Where I Had Oral Surgery.  Oh, and That Place Where They Made Me Watch Sound of Music.  I’ve got more.

Well, I guess the Independence Bowl just went from the bottom of the bowl heap to the top.  I don’t like some of Phil’s views, but I sure do love the show.

I’ve lived in four states: SC, NC, TN and TX.  And I’ve never heard of 3 of the 4 favorite bands.  I can’t tell any of those northeastern states apart, but they have the best musical taste.

I posted this on Facebook, but I love it so much, here it is again.  What a wonderful speech.

Supercharge Your Gmail Filters with These System Labels.  I’m going to learn all these just as soon as I clean up my Evernote notebooks.  In theory, I could have a lot of information, easily accessible.  Or I could just go on living my life.

TIL that Sriracha is rooster sauce.  I’ve seen a lot of talk about it, but just realized they’re talking about rooster sauce.  I put rooster sauce on just about everything that isn’t dessert.

You know, I try to be a tech savvy cat, but this Bitcoin business is the biggest brouhaha over nothing since Y2K.  It’s sort of like the out after 2:00 a.m. rule- anyone doing it is either up to no-good or about to be subjected to no-good.  I say ban it and let’s talk about something that matters.  Besides, we don’t need another way for rich people and scammers to get our money.  We have the stock market.  I’m kidding about the stock market.  Mostly.

More on Bitcoin.

Last but definitely not least, today was a great day for Texas.  It’s ridiculous that anyone opposes marriage equality in 2014.  I am old friends with one of the named plaintiffs (he’s on the very correct side of this issue) and the current Texas attorney general (he’s on the wrong side of this issue, and isn’t very good at picking rock stars to associate with).

These are amazing photos.  Seriously, you need to see these.

I can, sort of, understand why someone might voluntarily choose an Android phone over an iPhone.  I have a harder time understanding why someone would voluntarily chose a Windows Phone, but I can get there.  But I cannot in my wildest dreams understand why someone would voluntarily choose a Blackberry. Here’s a good review of the new (years too late) handset.

I gave up my virtualization software when I finally admitted that my Windows Live Writer days were behind me.  But if I hadn’t, I would read every word of this.  If you have a Mac and want to run Windows programs, start there.

I guess there’s some part of me that is a little old lady in disguise, because I have to tell you that I would never, ever buy something off of Craigslist.  Sorry, but the whole place seems like a scam for all.

So Iran sent a monkey to space.  Space monkey, space monkey, whatcha doin’ up there….

My buddy Will wants to go hunting, but he doesn’t like guns.  So he wants to use a slingshot.  OK.  We can do that.  Here’s one.

Here’s some dude named Abe’s list of 50 essential science fiction books.  I can’t list 50, but the Hyperion Cantos, the Pelbar Cycle and Star Man’s Son would be at the top.

I don’t always want to be a cat, but when I do, I want to be a Canada Lynx.

Speaking of cats, my cat  wouldn’t cross the street to come back to us (literally, I’m not kidding), but this cat travels 200 miles?

It’s been a long time since I played computer games, but I can tell you that I’m intrigued by the forthcoming SimCity reboot.  SimCity was one of the first computer games that really got me hooked.  Actually it was the mostly forgotten SimFarm first, and then SimCity.  The fact that the new version will be released on Mac doesn’t bode well for my free time.

RIP Leroy Bonner.  When my kids want to talk to me about the non-music they listen to and how lame daddy’s music is, I make them watch this.

Nothing, and I mean nothing, on the radio today rocks like that.

Speaking of old things.  I am bewildered by the gems that Raiders of the Lost Walmart uncover.  My first digital camera was a Sony Mavica.  You can have your own, for a mere $269.  You’ll also need an ancient computer with a floppy drive.

If there is one thing that should never be consumed, it’s non-diet soda.  I go postal on the rare occasions when my kids ask me if they can have one.

I’m sure internet dating is a little scary.  Getting stabbed 10 times while on an internet date is probably really scary.

Delaney saw some deer tracks, and decided she needed to carve a spear.  Maybe persistence hunting will be her next sport.

I think Y2K was the last time I was as militantly uninterested in something as I am in 3D printing.  In fact, reading things like this convinces me that someone has too much time on his hands.  Call me when you can print backwards or forwards in time.

I used to love to eat at Roy Rogers in college.  Tab, not so much.

So we have known for a while that the Surface RT sucks.  I still think the Surface Pro will be a nice device.  Would anyone with two brain cells to rub together prefer it to a MacBook Air?  Nope.  These things are going to be way too expensive.  TechCrunch is wrong about them being priced right, but right about the prior release of the Surface RT being wrong.

Google Apps are getting closer and closer to becoming a viable Microsoft Office alternative.  Here’s the thing, though.  No one needs an office suite at home any more.  Everything is done via email, Evernote and social networks.  And few big companies are going to abandon Office any time soon.  So it doesn’t really matter.  Office suites are the fax machines of this decade.

WikiCancel looks like a promising compilation of how to cancel accounts.

Here’s a cool slide show of Apple’s home page through the years.

Charlie Brown is doing his part to highlight the growing problem with rock violence in America.  We need rock control and we need it now.

The last meal of Lennox, the Boxer.

Oops.

Well, at least I didn’t buy more Apple this week.  I thought long and hard about it.

Meanwhile, on the internet, it’s all about the headline…

Reuters:

Cult of Mac:

If you’re like my wife, all technology dies at your fingertips.  If you’re like my wife, before your iOS technology dies, you load it to death with all kinds of random photographs and whatnot.  Here’s how to tell when you’ve done that.

The only thing Samsung is going to take on with a new Galaxy tablet is water.  Once more, with feeling:  I will not buy another Android anything unless and until Google addresses the fractured nature of the various versions and the complete uncertainty of the upgrade process.  Actually, I won’t buy one then either, but I wouldn’t be philosophically precluded.

I can’t believe Rhapsody is still around.  Here’s why I would not use their service again.  On the other hand, I am about the dump Sirius XM in favor of all-Spotify all the time.

Two of the best things ever are John Carpenter’s The Thing (one of my top-10 movies, all time) and Battlestar Galactica.  Anything with DNA from both of those would have to be great.

I still have some Super Balls.

Not a great day, for Catholics or Notre Dame fans.

Or Lance Armstrong.  Live updates here.

But let’s not forget this.  In the words of a great American, “Why do you lie!”

When I read stuff like this, it makes me even more concerned about eating at restaurants.  It also explains why we are an overweight nation.  Here’s a better plan.

Just as soon as some idiot on the left thinks we can solve the world’s problems by magically making all the guns disappear, some idiot on the right says we can solve all the world’s problems by praying.  It’s not that simple, dudes.

The Onion nailed what I want from the internet.  “I don’t want to take a moment to provide my feedback, open a free account, become part of a growing online community, or see what related links are available at various content partners.”

On a related note, I really don’t want Facebook to be my telephone.  I just want to see funny cat pictures and whatnot.

This young man is giving some idiots hell.  Anyone who wants to teach creationism or deny climate change in a classroom should be tossed in Guantanamo Bay, water-boarded for a few months and then tried for crimes against children.  Once again, so-called religious leaders: if you want your congregation to stay above zero, stop trying to tell people things that are clearly untrue.  God and science are not mutually exclusive.

 

This almost makes me care about the NFL again.

Poster 2.0 seems to be a promising mobile blogging app.  I use the WordPress app, which gets better and better.  But let’s be honest- blogging on  a mobile device is about as much fun as bailing hay.

I am Geritol man.  I was never all that into Black Sabbath, though I do consider Paranoid to be a great record.

Great article on Southern Discomfort.  It’s amazing to me how closely I identify with the south on so many things and how little I do on others.  Here’s my take on the items mentioned in the article.

Country music: yes, as to real country music.
Lynyrd Skynyrd: yes, for sure; but I also like Neil.
BBQ: yes, though probably half my meals are meat-free.
NASCAR: nope, boring, sorry.
Political conservatism: not the way most Republicans describe it; southern Republicans have murdered rational conservatism.
God: yes, but not the one most conservative right-wingers talk about; those cats use religion to launder hate and self-interest.
Guns: yep, but I think the NRA is a colony of dunces.
Code of masculinity: I’d like to say no, but there’s some residual traces in my DNA; my head and my heart probably aren’t together on this one.
Militarization: I’m not sure, but I think people and countries should negotiate from a position of strength; on the other hand, I detest bullies of all kinds.
Hostility to Unions: sort of, but my position has softened a little over the years.
Suspicion of Government:  not suspicion really, just a desire to protect the environment, seek social justice, not let rich guys plunder wildly, take care of those who genuinely need it, and otherwise be left alone (how’s that for all over the board?); the desire to be generally left alone is a second cousin to suspicion.

Speaking of politics, Arnold Schwarzenegger did an IAMA at Reddit today.  Someone asked him about the Republican Party:

The most important thing is that we need to be a party that is inclusive and tolerant. We can be those things and be the party we always have been. We need to think about the environment – Teddy Roosevelt was a great environmentalist and people forget Reagan was the one who dealt with the ozone layer with the Montreal protocol. We also need to talk about healthcare honestly – Nixon almost passed universal healthcare. We need to have a talk about immigration and realize you can’t just deport people. We need a comprehensive answer. We also need to stay out of people’s bedrooms. The party that is for small government shouldn’t be over-reaching into people’s private lives.

Mainly, we need to be a party where people know what we are for, not just what we are against.

Amen, Guv.  On a related, note, it was one of the best IAMAs I’ve ever read, even if on the short side.  I dig the personal notes to people.