What Makes Us?

What is it about humans that makes them think they know what they don’t know? I mean, when there is absolutely beyond shadow of doubt that someone has no knowledge of something, they are positive they know all about it.

For example, the shooting in Florida - the black teenager and the neighborhood watch guy. I don’t know what happened there. Neither do you. If you do, the police would like to talk to you. Yet, we have people protesting in the streets, radio and television news coverage, Hollywood people and even the man in the White House saying they know what happened. Reality is they want whatever they think to be right. Folks, it don’t work that way.

I read recently read a report that stated, "the dumb don’t know they’re dumb." Please! There is enough stuff to be dumb about. Unless you were there, talked to the paramedics, examined the evidence and spoke to any witnesses, wake up. You don’t know what happened. Even if you did all these things, you still may not know.

Oh well, I suppose we will have to wait for something new to happen so the news hounds (not journalist) will have something else to chase.

I wish they would chase their tails for awhile.

PMO
©2011

Good News/Bad News

It’s a hoax. The story about Tacocopter a couple of days ago is false. There is no Tacocopter, according to ABC News. Oh, well, what can you expect. The story came out of California and that’s where fantasy originates. I’m glad I didn’t build that mini-heliport.

Best Buy, according to Fox News and others, is going to close fifty stores. Can you believe it? They are taking this drastic action because they are not making money. Too bad government doesn’t work that way.

And, Budweiser is going to introduce 19 new beers this year. There will be those with more alcohol and less and some with added flavors. Don’t try them all at once.

There you have it - all the news that fit to print. The rest of what’s happening is the same old stuff and always will be.

PMO
©2011

Pic de Bugarach

Yahoo News reports that about 20,000 New Age believers have saturated a small French commune near the foot of the upside down mountain - Pic de Bugarach. It is called the upside down mountain because the rocks on top are older than those on lower elevations. Could it be that the younger rocks were just carried in to fix up the place? Never mind, on with the story.

The "esoterics" as they are called, are gathering because they believe the world is going to end on December 21, 2012. They believe that the mountain is home to a race of alien beings that will rescue those humans gathered there and take them to a new civilization. What new civilization? Won’t being in an actual civilization be hard to adjust to?

The BBC reports that the French government is concerned about mass suicides taking place. There also have been reports of "strange rituals" taking place.

We don’t any mountains in the burg where I live. About as close as we ever got was when the garbage truck overturned. Hey, the oldest trash was on top that time. We do have strange rituals, like my neighbor that wears a bath robe and cowboy boots to check on his horses. Does that answer any questions you have about alien being over here?

I don’t know if the world is going to end on December 21, but I do know that if it does, it’s going to really affect the after Christmas sales.

PMO
©2011

What I've Been Waiting For

Talk about meals on wheels, look out, here comes Tacocopter. According to Plugged In, those that like their food delivered by air, Tacocopter may never get off the ground. But there is a lot on interest.

The way it is supposed to work is simple. You use your smart phone to order tacos and the mini-copter tracks you down with your GPS. I don’t know if the tacos are still hot when they get there or if they have picked up bugs or birds.

Naturally there are glitches in the plan. First of all, the FAA says no. And there are issues like what happens if the copter lands on somebody or worse if it takes your food to someone else. There’s also the chance that the person placing the order might steal the machine. I wouldn’t. I promise.

Being a grumpy old man that only knows how to make chili, there sure are times when I would like to phone in an order to deliver. The possibilities are limitless. Can you imagine, a cheeseburger that lands on your driveway? I would be willing to put in a mini-heliport if that would help.

Yes, I would like to have fries with that.

PMO
©2011

Illegal Questions

According to Business Insider, it is illegal for an employer to ask certain questions during a job interview. I don’t know what the punishment is if you do, but I am certain there are lawyers lined up to explain that after the fact.

You can’t ask a job candidate if they have ever been arrested. Many years ago I interviewed a man for an accounting job. He had some pretty impressive credentials. I noticed on his application there was quite a gap in his employment history. He explained he had been in prison for embezzlement. He didn’t get the job. You can ask if someone has ever been convicted of a felony.

Also, you are not allowed to ask if a person is married. Why? It might their sexual orientation. I guess in some states, now that would be okay.

"Do you have any children?" is a no-no question. It is inappropriate. Really?

An employer cannot ask what country a person is from. This is illegal because it involves asking for a national origin. My financial controller has a number of employees that are originally from Nigeria. When they talk to me, I know they are not from East Texas.

Is English your first language can’t be asked. Again, we are back at the national origin issue. It is okay to ask if they speak, read and write any other languages. I used to speak pig Latin, but I forgot it. I could read and write it too.

Asking about what religious holidays a person observes is out. My response to that is, all of them that gets me out of work. You can ask if a person is available to work on Sundays. Isn’t that discrimination against Christians?

These are just a few of the stupid employment laws. No wonder we have so many unemployed. Nobody knows anything about them - like can they do the job and will they show up.

Fortunately for me, I am out of the hiring business. If I were still in a position to have to interview someone, I would do what one guy did to me during an interview. He told me to scoot my chair back about three feet from his desk, and tell him all about myself starting with the first grade.

That’s probably illegal today.

PMO
©2011

War Of The Roses

Okay, I got the roses planted. But not without a little bloodshed and sweat. First, I had to go to the box store and buy the pots, where they are planted, and all the dirt and soil mix. The pots weigh 1000 pounds each - at least that much. The top soil and soil mix weigh another ton. I got them all in the back of the pickup truck. The rose bushes road in the cab with me.

My financial controller helped me. She did things like tell me that I should have waited until early in the morning when I would be out of the sun while working. Our lean-to faces south. That means that in the morning the sun shines on the spot and in the afternoon the sun shines on the spot. I am not complaining, once I got the job done, she watered the roses and me.

I did not realize you have to mix the soil mix and the dirt. Yes, you do. And, the most logical way is to mix it inside the pots. That was a lot of fun. When you get the right amount of soil and mix, you have to dig a hole, take out what you just put in so the plant will fit. That’s when I discovered that this particular variety of rose has about two trillion thorns. That was just the first plant. After that I go some gloves. They barely fit over all the band-aids.

But the good news is I got that job done with only enough sweat to drown a river rat and just enough blood loss from the thorns, that I didn’t have to have a transfusion.

It is my best estimate that the plants will die sometime this week and the pots will go soon after.

PMO
©2011

Wonder Who?

I often wonder who, if anybody reads this blog. So, today I went to the stats, and found some interesting information.

Almost 15% of the views for the past year have come from Russia. Germany was the second highest outside the United States. There were hits from India, Malaysia, and the Ukraine and others. I was quite surprised.

Now, I am wondering if people in other countries think I am typical of grumpy old men in the U.S. Well, yes I am. I know lots of grumpy old men and I may be the nice one. It would not be surprising to find out that grumpy old men are about the same world over. It is kind of a universal trait.

We sit and look at the world and exclaim what my friend Phil used to say, "Have you lost your damn mind?"

Phil died.  He was really grumpy.

PMO
©2011

Flag Facts

I had to replace my flag this week. As you might expect, we grumpy old men have flag poles in the yard. I usually fly the American flag, but upon special occasions, I do fly the Texas flag.

When I took the new flag out of the packaging, I noticed a pamphlet. Did you know that the flag code does not contain any penalties or enforcement provisions? It is simply a guide for civilians who wish to properly honor the United States of America’s principal emblem.

A flag expert is called a "vexillogist." Bet you didn’t know that. Where you aware that the blue field is called the "union?" How about this one, on Memorial Day, the flag is to be displayed at half staff until noon, then raised to the top of the staff for the rest of the day. Just in case you don’t know, when a flag is to fly at half staff, it is first raised to the top and then lowered.

The proper way to dispose of a worn flag is to burn it. However, there are groups that can reclaim the flag.

Why all this about flags? It is my blog and I get to write what I want to.

Grumpy old men are like that. And, most of us love that flag.

PMO
©2011

Rose By Any Name

Bill Shakespear said in Romeo and Juliet that a rose by any other name would smell as sweet. I bet he never planted roses. I have to plant some roses. And, I know nothing about roses except they have thorns.

A little research tells me that roses like sun, not too much water and lots of natural fertilizer. Okay, I will plant them in the sun. So far as water goes, if it rains, they get wet. Next I have located a cow with diarrhea. I plan to just back her up to the spot where the roses go.

You have to understand, I do not have a green thumb. Sure, I can grow some vegetables, but when it comes to shrubs and flowers, I am less than incompetent.

There are literally hundreds of rose varieties. I have selected a Drift rose. My reason is quite simple. They are supposed to require little or in my case, no maintenance.

Let’s face it. When I comes to flower beds or any other yard decorative plants, at best it is a shot in the dark with me.

I did build a rock garden one time. All the rocks died.

Logic tells me that all my arguments should excuse me from planting roses.

I have to plant them anyway.

PMO
©2011

Bartering Continued

To follow up on what to stockpile - from yesterday, don’t you remember - for when doomsday happens, today I though I would give you a few more ideas on what to have to trade. As they - survivalist - say, when SHTF comes, you won’t be able to get what you take for granted.

Cigarettes are good to have, even if you don’t smoke. They will fetch some really important stuff in a trade.

Soap will be important. You may want to get the smelly perfume kind. After a few days, people are going to need it. Just stand upwind from them while you work out a trade.

You are going to need alcohol - not the rubbing kind. It has medicinal value too, like vodka can be used to counteract the reaction to poison ivy. (See yesterday’s blog)

Matches and lighters will become important so keep them dry. As a boy scout, I did learn how to build a fire without matches, but matches work a whole lot faster.

Other items include water bottles, water purifiers, sugar, laundry detergent, bleach, batteries and candles.

From all the articles and documentaries I’ve seen, some folks think ammunition is a good bartering tool. I don’t think so.

The one with the most bullets wins.

PMO
©2011

TP To Barter

TP To Barter

Survivalist and doomsday preppers are working like beavers to get ready for when the world as we know it, ends. I think it is going to be November 6^th. I am not really a prepper, but I do try to keep a few things extra, just in case.

One thing that seems to be important is to have something to barter with when the chaos starts - or at least a few days after it starts. Money will not likely have any value, except gold or silver, so if you stock up on an item, you can trade for what you need.

I have chosen toilet paper. Yep, I’m going to fill my attic with toilet paper. It has insulation value and that’s the only place I have any room. We are talking about thousands of rolls. Most people won’t think of their impending need until it’s too late.

As a former cub scout and boy scout tenderfoot, I learned to be prepared. I also learned that if you don’t have toilet paper and you use leaves, don’t use poison ivy or oak. You will get religion if you should make that mistake.

So I am ordering in a truck load of TP. I’ll be the only kid on my block with a supply which should make me very popular.

It will be the first time I was ever popular. And, I will have all those things I forgot to store.

PMO
©2011

Confused

According to BayNews 9, atheists in Polk County Florida, symbolically scrubbed away "holy water" at a major highway on Saturday. They were figuratively removing holy oil put on the highway last year by a group of area religious leaders with prayers that God would protect the area from evil doers like drug dealers and users.

Let me see if I have this correct. Atheists, who don’t believe in God used "unholy water" to scrub away the highway blessings. If there is no God, then how can there be blessings? Isn’t acknowledging the blessing admitting that there is God? Yet, they protest what they don’t believe exist.

They said the action by the religious leaders was offensive because it told others they were not welcome in the area.

If God doesn’t exist, there was no need for their actions. If God does exist, then they really are going to feel unwelcome when they die.

Too late then.

PMO
©2011

Get Two Free

There is a carpet company that advertises on TV with the "deal" that if you buy one room of carpet, you will get two rooms free. Do you believe you get two free?

How about if you order something now, all you pay is shipping and handling. That’s right, the product is free.

How many times do you hear, if you buy one you get one free. Or, if you buy a room of furniture, you get a "free" giant screen TV.

Americans are gullible. They like to get something free. At the beauty saloon where I get my monthly haircut, they give you a card. When you have paid for three haircuts, you get the fourth one free. I explained to my hair cutter that if I paid a lesser amount for each haircut, she would make more money over four hair cuts. She agreed and I don’t have to keep up with a stupid card. She offered the same idea to another one of her customers, explaining that he would pay less and she would get more. He turned her down. He likes getting the free one.

I could go on and on about not getting one free - certainly not two free if you buy one. Are people so naive they don’t realize that the cost of all the products or services are covered by the merchant? Apparently not.

Write it down. There’s no such thing as a free lunch.

PMO

©2011

People Are That Dumb

We’ve all said, "nobody can be that dumb." Yes, they can and they are. In a report from Yahoo Finance, Kelly Eggers wrote a story about dumb things people have said during job interviews.

There was one candidate that he was going through anger management because he had hit a co-worker at his last job. He did suggest that he would like to work from home in the future.

A woman said she would be great at the job, but talked incredibly slow. The recruiter said she talked so slow, he wanted to pull the words out of her mouth. When asked if she always talked so slowly, she said, "Oh, yes. I take Xanax before a meeting or a presentation because I get so nervous. I don’t think I’m doing poorly, do you?"

There were others like the guy who interviewed at a non-profit and told them he had once locked a mentally ill patient in a room to teach him a lesson. And, then there’s the woman who explained that she wanted to be a nurse after her husband had passed away. She wanted to be a good role model for her children. The recruiter praised her for her accomplishments and assured her that her husband would be proud. The woman replied that her husband had not been a good role model. He had been killed in a drug deal that went bad.

To quote Bill Engval, "Here’s your sign."

PMO
©2011

Drunk Fruit Flies

Don’t scientist have anything better to do than worry about fruit flies having sex? Apparently not. In an Associated Press story, researchers have discovered if male fruit flies are rejected by a female, they will choose alcohol-laced food over regular food. In other words, if she says no, the men knock back a few beers - in the fruit fly world.

The conclusion from the "research" is that if male fruit flies are spurned, then human males must be the same. In other words, sexual rejection could drive somebody (males) to drink. You may also want to know that when males were placed with dead virgin females, they still didn’t have sex and still hit the sauce.

"I think it’s a pretty good bet that it will translate to humans," said Ulrike Heberlein of the University of California, San Francisco. Is this what is being taught in college?

How much trust can you put into people that watch fruit flies have sex?  Maybe the scientist have been nipping with the fruit flies.

PMO
©2011

Obama Flag

Fox News - "An American flag with President Obama’s image in place of the stars flew over a Florida county’s Democrat headquarters long enough to enrage local veterans who called the altered banner a disgrace."

Lake County Democratic Party officials took down the flag, which flew below a standard Old Glory on the flagpole outside headquarters in Tavares following complaints by local veterans. Flying a banner with a picture of a dictator is so third world. Oops, did I say that?

If you recall, in October 2007, a veteran in Reno, Nevada, cut down, from a pole, a Mexican flag flying over a U.S. flag at a restaurant. The owner said he didn’t know it was against the law. It is in Mexico.

We vets are a pesky bunch.

PMO

©2011

Bit By Bacon

A major new study done by researchers at the Harvard School of Public Health reveals that bacon will kill you. As reported in Health-Living on Yahoo, the data from 110,000 people found that as little as two slices of bacon or one hot dog a day upped their mortality rate by 20% over twenty years.

"This study provides clear evidence that regular consumption of red meat, especially processed meat, contributes substantially to premature death," said senior researcher Frank Hu, PHD.

Dr. Hu, so far as I know all death is considered premature by the participant. So there!

I eat three slices of bacon everyday. I have for years. I also eat hot dogs, although not everyday. And, to make matters worse I eat steak at least once per week.

If this blog suddenly stops, you can surmise that I died "prematurely." If someone should ask, "what happened to him?"

You can say, "I think he kissed a pig and died."

PMO
©2011

QR Codes

I trust you have seen the little black and white boxes with squiggly lines in newspapers, magazines, in grocery stores and even on TV. Do you know what they are? They are QR - quick response - codes. They are the mobile equivalent of bar codes. And, you can read them with just about any phone that has a camera.

More often than not, those little squiggly boxes contain a ton of information. It may be pricing or details about a product or service. Some television shows use them to supplement the show’s content with extra bits of information or research.

As you might expect, I have come up with another plan. Why not have everyone get a QR code? It could be on your hand or face or most anywhere that it is still legal to show in public. You could have all the information that anyone else needs to know about you right there in that little box. When you go shopping, take a flight, sell something or just about anything, all your information would be simple to access.

And, in today’s world, it is not always a good idea to shake hands. So when you meet someone, just snap a shot of their QR.

Don’t like that idea?

It beats the way dogs greet each other.

PMO
©2011

Voter ID

The Justice Department has struck down a law to require voter ID in Texas, because many Hispanic voters lack state issued ID. Basically they are saying the law is racist. Is there anything that is not racist?

Yes, there are legal, bonafide residents in Texas that do not have identification. Do they vote? Probably not. Are there illegal residents in Texas that will vote? Absolutely. Dead people vote in Chicago.

It is hard for me to understand how anyone 18 years or older can function without a valid ID. You have to have one to cash a check, use a credit card, get on an airplane, drive a car (legally), present if questioned by police or most importantly to buy beer. I do not know if identification is required to draw welfare, get free medical care or food stamps. Apparently not. I know I have to present my insurance and driver’s license when I go to the doctor, and if I have to write a check at the grocery they want my license too.

A number of years ago I went into a movie rental store. The young lady asked me for identification before I could rent a movie. I showed her my gun license. She never asked me again. I always got really good service at that store.

It really ticks me off that anyone would say it is unfair to ask for an ID to vote. However it may be useful. I always tell people to vote and vote often. Now they can.

What I don’t know is how many times can you vote in one day.

PMO
©2011

You Guys

Okay people, listen up. There is a distinctive difference between male and females, especially in the human species. If you haven’t noticed that, then you probably shouldn’t be reading this blog. I like to speak to only those that can tell daylight from dark.

Why is it that the term, "guys" is applied to everyone. "Hello you guys" is a more than common greeting. I cannot begin to tell you how much I am irritated when my financial controller and I go out somewhere and we are greeted by some young twerp that addresses us as guys. With everything else that offends women, I don’t understand why this does not.

Is it so difficult to address people with the respect of saying ladies and gentlemen. I will admit that does not apply to a lot of humans, but it is closer than "you guys." Even a group of women address each other as "guys."

Therefore I would like to suggest that everybody take an introductory course in biology. Never mind, that wouldn’t help. How about a class in manners and etiquette. Forget that too. Those went out with button shoes.

Alas, what am I to do? Just ignore the slang? Not on your life.

I point out that I am a guy, but those "guys" with long hair and breast are not.

Well they used not to be.

PMO
©2011

Snitch

According to wired.com, smartphone users can report a "suspicious person" to the West Virginia Department of Homeland Security. In a report this week, the domestic counterterrorism agency’s West Virginia branch, in association with the governor’s office, has unveiled a new mobile app called the Suspicious Activity Reporting Application. The app is available in the Apple App Store and the Android Market.

All you have to do is snap a picture and use the app to send it.  Once you click the submit button on the app, the picture and any annotation goes to the West Virginia Intelligence Fusion Center. You don’t have to affirm that you have evidence of a crime or even a suspected crime to send the information. And, this is not the first state to use such a system. Last year Kentucky launched a similar program.

Talk about 1984. This is government getting the people to spy on the people. Have you seen the television program, "Person of Interest?"  Their watching you!

Since we don’t have this in Texas - at least I don’t think we do - I can only speculate what it would be like. Just imagine a bunch of rednecks snapping pictures of their pets, farm animals, weddings and funerals. That would fuse the Fusion Center. I could spend all day at Wally World snapping shots.

Of course, I do not support this government interference into our daily lives.

Heck, everything I do is suspicious. Maybe I could get my own page where folks just do updates.

PMO
©2011

Daylight Savings

An old Native American said, "Only government would think that cutting a foot off one end of the blanket and sewing it on the other would make it longer." That pretty well sums up daylight savings time. Ben Franklin was supposedly the first one to come up with the idea of changing the clock. He wanted more time to "roam" around the streets of Paris - France, not Texas. Remember they did not have electricity then.

Wether you like it or not, it appears unlikely that this silly practice will ever be reversed. Only Hawaii and Arizona don’t play the game. They have all the daylight they want.

In my social circle which consists of me and any stray animal that wonders by, the consensus is to put it one way and leave it. Admit it or not, daylight savings does not save energy. All it does is make you get up earlier and go to bed later with more time to mow the lawn.

It’s time to spring forward.

Grumpy old men don’t spring in any direction. By the time I get all my clocks set, it will be time to move them again.

PMO
©2011

Comments

I’ve had some feedback about not being able to add comments on this site. So I tested it and it works for me. At least it did.

To comment, just click "comment" and a window will open. Type in your comment. Next scroll down and enter the two words displayed - yes there is a space between the two words and the letters are case sensitive. Next, scroll down and check one of the identity buttons. Click submit and you’re done. It will take a few minutes for the comment to appear and you do have to click comments again to view the comments.

Now that you know, you can comment all you want, and you can remain anonymous if you want. And, I can choose not to agree with your comment.

PMO
©2011

Learn At The Beauty Saloon

I don’t go to a barber shop because there aren’t any. Like most men, I have to go to a beauty saloon. Or, is that salon? Whatever.

Beauty saloons are like barber shops with better gossip. And, there always is something new. This week, I learned about Doomsday Preppers. Bear in mind that my stylist is a young mother of three. She asked if I had seen the show on National Geographic? I had not even heard of it. Apparently she had seen it several times.

The Doomsday people are those that are preparing for the end of everything by stock piling food, water, medicine, ammo and guns. They build expensive bunkers and stock’em up. Please don’t misunderstand, I am not saying anything for or against the idea.

But, in a serious vain today, I would like to ask a question - again with questions. What would happen, really happen if suddenly our little world was cast into chaos?

A simple example of chaos would be if we lost the electric grids all over the country. How bad would that be? Surely we can survive without electricity. Wrong. Without electricity there would be no water for most people and no gasoline to power emergency generators and pumps. It takes electric motors to pump it. And, speaking of pumping, the sewers would back up without pumps. Now, you sitting in the dark, in a sewer. Food would quickly disappear and this would really irritate people.

This could happen without a single shot being fired. The technology exists to shut down power with just a little computer hacking.

What would you do? Haven’t thought about it, have you?

I know what I would do. I would go get another haircut and find out what to do next.

PMO
©2011

Food Justice

Have you ever heard of the term, "food justice?" If you haven’t you will. Remember the kindergarten child that was not allowed to eat her lunch packed by her mother? She had to eat what the school had prepared. That’s food justice. Or at least a bit of it.

According to the website, http://www.foodjusticebook.org/?page_id=6, :

"Food justice seeks to ensure that the benefits and risks of where, what, and how food is grown, produced, transported, distributed, accessed and eaten are shared fairly. Food justice represents a transformation of the current food system, including but not limited to eliminating disparities and inequities.
Food advocates may work on several different issue areas, but share the common goal of challenging the injustices that exist throughout the dominant industrial and increasingly globalized food system. By striving to alleviate these injustices in the entire food system, the Food Justice movement is linked to and supports allied movements such as those related to the environment, land use, health, immigration, worker rights, economic and community development, cultural integrity, and social justice."

Funny, to me food justice is having a big thick T-bone steak with no steak sauce. Adding steak sauce would be an injustice.

Better hunker down, here comes some more help from the government.

PMO
©2011

Rush and Sandra

Okay, here is my comment about the Rush Limbaugh and Sandra Fluke event. Yogi Berra said, "You can observe a lot just by watching." I have learned that some people may not listen while hearing.

What I've learned from what I have heard, seen, and read about this whole mess is: If it looks like a duck, walks like a duck, quacks like a duck, then it is not a duck. It is a beautiful white swan.

Hey, what do I know. I thought it was a duck too.

PMO
©2011

Dishwasher

I read an article a few days ago about what you can wash in your dishwasher. Pet dishes and toys are among the list. How about toothbrushes? Why would you want to? Sponges, light fixtures (the globes) and even baseball caps were on the list.

Silly me thought that dishwashers were just for dishes - the kind humans eat from and cook in. I won’t be washing pet toys. I might however try washing a pet or two, but I’ll do that in the clothes washer.

What I have discovered is that you cannot wash a microwave oven in the dishwasher. Since I had to clean the microwave today, I wondered if it would work.

First you have to unplug it and get the darn thing into the dishwasher. It helps to take out the top rack. But, I found you can’t open the door on the microwave and that was the part I wanted to clean. It’s just as well. I couldn’t decide if I wanted regular wash or the pots and pans wash.

I wish people would stop writing stuff that causes me to wonder.

PMO
©2011

Liar, Liar Pants On Fire

According to tecca.com/news a computer system that detects lies from facial expression and temperature changes is to be tested at a British airport. The system spies on people through a camera, using powerful software that detects the changes in emotions on a person’s face - sudden eye movement, lip biting, heavy breathing, swallowing and rapid blinking. Thermal imaging technology then determines rise in temperature brought about by an increase in blood flow.

So far, test results are pretty good. In a group of 30 to 40 volunteers, the device caught lies two out of three times. The goal is 90% of the time.

Not to be outdone, our government is working on a device that reveals the truth. They are going to test it on Congress and the President. If there is ever any truth detected from any of them, they will be immediately sent for therapy.

I made that last part up.  Could you tell I was lying?

PMO
©2011

Silence

Someone said, "Silence is golden." There are variations of it all the way back to ancient Egypt. And, apparently some folks in Japan agree. According to Tecca.com, Japanese researchers have developed a silence gun.

The gun operates based on the concept of delayed auditory feedback. An attached microphone picks up the sound being made by the target and plays it back 0.2 seconds later. The effect is incredibly confusing to the human brain, making it all but impossible to talk or hold a conversation.

When the human brain hears its own speech perfectly in sync during normal speech, it easily processes the input and allows you to essentially ignore the sound of your own voice. However, by offsetting the response just a bit, the brain hears your mouth speaking as well as the strange echo effect produced by the gun. This combination is confusing enough to effectively shut down the part of your brain responsible for managing speech, and you fall immediately silent.

The device doesn’t cause any physical harm to the person it’s being used on - it simply messes with their head.

The developers say the "gun" could be used in situations where anyone who fancies a noisy outburst would be immediately silenced by the high-tech handheld device.

My first response to such a device is to lovingly comment that I have $20 bucks that says it won’t even slow my mother-in-law down.

And, what’s going to happen if someone brings one of these into a Baptist church where the preacher goes over his 20 minute time limit?

PMO
©2011

March 2, 1836

Texas declared independence from Mexico on March 2, 1836. David G. Burnet was elected interim president on October 22, 1836. And the rest is history.

Oddly enough or maybe not, the unruly Texans got tired of Mexico not protecting the settlers and constantly changing all the rules.

Isn’t that where we are today?

PMO
©2011

Brain Study

Can your read this?

7H15 M3554G3
53RV35 7O PR0V3
H0W 0UR M1ND5 C4N
D0 4M4Z1NG 7H1NG5!
1MPR3551V3 7H1NG5!
1N 7H3 B3G1NN1NG
17 WA5 H4RD BU7
N0W, 0N 7H15 LIN3
Y0UR M1ND 1S
R34D1NG 17
4U70M471C4LLY
W17H 0U7 3V3N
7H1NK1NG 4B0U7 17,
B3 PROUD! 0NLY
C3R741N P30PL3 C4N
R3AD 7H15.

I got this today from one of my "weird" friends. Come to think of it, all my friends are weird. The point is that your brain will allow you to see what you want to see.

Except in my case. My brain doesn’t work anymore. I broke it trying to read this.

PMO

©2011