Back In The Saddle

It's been a while but I'm back.

Lots of things happened since mid-August so just going to recap.

HUGOs - Not much more to say other than those who voted "No Award" and those announcing "No Award" seemed giddy, almost orgasmic. In all reality it made me feel sick. It felt dirty and surreal. Like watching the old film documentaries of Soviets, Chicoms (Chinese Communists), and Cuban Revolutionaries disembowelling enemies of the State or beheading them for the attrocities they were merely accused of.

History has proven over and over that the most feared single thing to totalitarians is the unfettered and free thought known as an idea. As the character "V" said in the movie of the same name, "Ideas are bulltproof." No technology exists currently to extract free thought or directly view a person's Cerebral cortex. At least not yet. Some say they are getting close. I don't doubt that marketing companies, media outlets, and slavering power brokers would pass up any opportunities to take advatage of this. Go figure that every mouse click and character typed in every conceivable manner is looked at as metadata.

Metadata is the fine points of everyone's internet experience stored by every website and ad tracking program out there. Ever notice how conveiniently you look up something on the internet and suddenly you get ads popping up for that same item? Or you look up the word 'boobs' in the Google search engine, you guys and gals have done this so don't lie to yourself and say you never did anything like that. Well all of that metadata gets stored as to where you go and what you do and associates the data with your email, phone numbers, devices, credit cards, banking, you name it. Some actuarials have been known to cease up in eclectic joy over data like this. Okay, that was exagerated a bit, but they have vibrated like purring cats at the thoughts of knowing all your numbers.

So goes the ellusive idea. One that cannot be hedged or fenced or limited by data or rhetoric. If only these people would choose to get past the teenage, panty twisting, we have to be popular or we arent anything, angst.

Overtime - Been working a lot lately. So has my Son who works nights. Seems a lot of companies are pressing for more "voluntary but mandatory" overtime. No choice. Do it you will be written up and suspended, maybe just fired. Afterall. In thi s'economy' you are very lucky to have a job.

Seriously. These words have been spoken to so many people I wonder if the Wage and Hour Division of the Department of Labor even realizes this. But given this current leadership I am not surprised that the laws are being ignored. By the way it is illegal to threaten you with your job. However, trying to prove it is another thing altogether.

Schuestzenboomin Viggin - MadMike's gathering in Wabash, Indiana. We went. We have a great time. We used the Flamenverfer, because...it verfers flamens. We ate meats. Had drinks. Talked smack. Had a great day shooting firearms with giggle switches. Had more meats. Watched movies. Talked a lot. Made some friends. Watched a couple of cute toddlers have fun and try to get in trouble. Chocolate. Wonderful time together and anyone who wishes shoulf contact Michael Z. Williamson for detailsb at his email madmike@gmail.com for next years bigger and better Schuetzenboomin.

Current - Getting over crud. Writting again. Doing a lot of World Of Warships with the Barfly Bandits. Handling family matters.

I'll let you all go so I can get back to my reading books.

Sean