privacy policy needed, apparently

I was about to put another entry onto the ongoing letter.  I got a message from WordPress, the software that runs my ongoing letter, saying that I should probably have a ‘privacy policy’.

Personal Data and Privacy

Personal Data Export and Erasure

New Tools have been added to help you with personal data export and erasure requests.

Privacy Policy

Create or select your site’s privacy policy page under Settings > Privacy to keep your users informed and aware.

Bloody hell.  I clicked to view the next page.

Read moreprivacy policy needed, apparently

bugless

I’m sure by now everyone has heard that there is a serious decline in the quantity and diversity of bugs out there.  One only reads one article to understand how bleak it sounds.  I myself have not had to wash my windshield after highway driving for a few years now.

What is causing this?  Global climate change (“global warming”)?  Pesticide use?  Monocrops?  Everyone watering lawns made of nothing but grass (read: desert)?

I wonder if anyone has thought of radiation, as in radio waves emitted from everything from cellular phones to GPS satellites to 50,000-Watt radio stations to Bluetooth absolutely everywhere?

Floyd and I will plant native flowers in all the bald patches around the house next spring.  We let the greenery in the grass grow regardless of what it is.  If Parkbridge management complains, well … okay.

Comments, anyone?

cannabis legalization

Happy Cannabis Legalization Day, Glenn.

My brother, Glenn, had always been an advocate of this.  I really can’t say when he first started using it.  Near the end of his life, though, he quit for some reason.  He quit alcohol, too.  He continued to smoke cigarettes though.  Nonetheless, ‘pot’ had always been an important part of his life.

It’s hard to know what impact this will have on everyone out there.  I think there are more important concepts for newscasters to cover, but this is the big topic everyone is talking about.  Mom is no longer taking medical cannabis, but she still has a prescription for the next month or so.  No, she won’t start using it again.  She used it for 3 weeks.

I personally will continue to defend my right to clean air.  This basic right overrides any pot smoker’s rights.  If I have a glass of beer, the person next to me won’t get drunk.  It’s contained.  Pot smoke is not, not is cigarette smoke or diesel fumes or farts.  Some things we can’t help, some we can minimize, and some we have to regulate with laws.  The same with noise or light pollution – there are rules.

I was with MV, FM, & their two kids at Waterton, AB, a while back.  There was a guy smoking pot on the beach maybe 150m away from us.  I walked toward to guy and politely asked him to not smoke that here.  “I’m here with a family, with kids.  I don’t want that here.”  “Seriously?” he said aggressively.  “You want me to stop?”  “Yes.”  I stood there while he thought about what he was going to do.  He was twice my size, but right doesn’t care who says it.  Right is right.  That’s it.  There are kids here, and you’re not going to smoke it.  After a few minutes, he and his partner left.

Too bad you’re not around to enjoy this day, Glenn.

interview for PA at architectural firm

I had an interview yesterday for a position as Personal Assistant to the Director at a local architectural firm.  It’s a part-time position that pays somewhat similar to Flex.  Although I would be ideal for this position (my opinion), it would not be much money.  It could turn into full-time later if things should pan out.  As it turns out, I know two people already there – K and KP.  KP is working as a Technologist in Training.  I don’t know if K is a full Technologist (C.Tech) yet.  I’ll know by Mon. or Tues. next week.

driverless cars – seriously?

I saw an article by BBC on autonomous taxis.

Why you have (probably) already bought your last car

I wrote on Twitter in response:

17 seconds ago

Replying to

How about RV drivers who take their rigs camping? Driving 14 hours from Calgary to Vancouver on mountain highways, dead of winter, 3 feet of snow? How about family trips, stopping at a roadside historic information sign? Not all travel is commute. This utopia does not compute.

I pile camping crap into my car and head off into the hills.  How would that work with an all-electric, self-driving car?  I go off-road in my little Kia, climbing up a mud and gravel hill on a logging road for excitement.  The Kia performs well.  Could an autonomous electric taxi replace my car?  Don’t think so.  I’m accident free since 1987, driving in large cities, on long highways, through blizzard conditions, daytime and at night.  Long time.  Loooong time.  No way in hell an autonomous car will take my license away.

Now if you’re talking about a car that can drive by itself, with the driver taking over at any point he / she wishes to, I’d be into that.  Sure, why not?  But, in a city the size of Lethbridge, I really can’t see how it could be useful.  Downtown Seoul?  Sure.

later

Just curious – Google (advocates of self-driving cars) collects a lot of data from lots of people, like our travel habits.  Does it know how much travel I do that isn’t part of my daily work commute?

donation 112

I gave my 112th blood donation today.

They take half a litre every 56 days.

Someone asked me, “Is that a pump?  Are they pumping it out of you?”  No!  It’s not a pump!  It’s just a bag of blood sitting on a platform that moves back and forth every few seconds to stop the blood from coagulating, or whatever blood does when it sits still.  The heart is a pump.  It pumps it all around; and if you put a hole in a vein and let it out into a bag, your heart doesn’t know the difference.  It just gets pumped out.  No biggie.

Read moredonation 112

Logan & Katie

At Starbucks now having a second cup.  I read the paper and then turned on the computer.  In the mean time, my coffee cup sat on the table.

A guy and gal sitting next to me said, “That’s a cool cup you have there.”  I thought that that was an interesting way to brake the ice.  They introduced themselves as Logan & Katie.  They’re entrepreneurs.  Not sure exactly what that means in terms of actual work done, but they have a plan.  We talked about the weather, Thanksgiving, Lethbridge, careers, and other stuff.  This doesn’t happen very often – strangers just start talking.  Floyd and I were talking about this earlier this week – that people should talk more.  And it happened.  Nice people.