Tragedy Comes In Threes – Thomas Kinkade, Ferdinand Porsche, and Jim Marshall

Apr 7

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It would appear there is some truth to tragedy arriving in threes. In the past week, we’ve lost three valuable contributors to the human race. Thomas Kinkade, Ferdinand Porsche, and Jim Marshall. Perhaps whoever’s up there punching out peoples’ clocks just needed some entertainment. I can think of no better way to spend a day than jamming through an amp on top of a Porsche with a giant mural of some rural barn and sunset draped behind me. In fact, it sounds like the cover of one of those romance novels that has middle-aged women swooning all across the country. In any case, we’ve lost a few legends. So, I thought I’d keep a little tribute on the web to keep their memories alive.

Thomas Kinkade

The Painter Of Light

Thomas Kinkade

Thomas Kinkade (January 19, 1958 – April 6, 2012) was an American painter of popular realistic, bucolic, and idyllic subjects. He is notable for the mass marketing of his work as printed reproductions and other licensed products via The Thomas Kinkade Company. He characterized himself as “Thomas Kinkade, Painter of Light”, a phrase he protected through trademark but one originally attributed to the English master J. M. W. Turner (1775–1851). He also claimed to be “America’s most-collected living artist”.

Jim Marshall

The Lord Of Loud

Jim Marshall

James Charles “Jim” Marshall, OBE (July 29, 1923 – April 5, 2012) known as The Father of Loud or The Lord of Loud, was an English businessman, and pioneer of guitar amplification. His company, Marshall Amplification, has created kits used by some of the biggest names in rock, producing amplifiers with an iconic status. Marshall received an OBE honour for “services to the music industry and to charity”. Marshall has been listed as one of the four forefathers of rock music equipment along with Leo Fender, Les Paul and Seth Lover.

Ferdinand Alexander Porsche

Butzi

Ferdinand Alexander Porsche

Ferdinand Alexander Porsche (11 December 1935 – 5 April 2012), nicknamed “Butzi”, son of Ferry Porsche, grandson of Ferdinand Porsche, was a German designer whose best known product was the first Porsche 911.

While his grandfather and father were engineers, he was more involved into working out the appearance of a product. He never thought of himself as an artist or designer, but more as a technically talented craftsman in shaping.

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Google’s Glamorous Goggles Garner Geeky Giddiness

Google’s Glamorous Goggles Garner Geeky Giddiness

Apr 5

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The buzz has been swarming around Google’s newly revealed Project Glass the past few days. With a new concept video that lays out the possibilities, geeky tech-tops everywhere are frothing at the mouth. So, what is it, exactly? What does Project Glass bring to the table, and why should we care about it?

Well, Project Glass is focusing on a pair of high tech specs which will allow wearers to intertwine reality with their daily internet usage, including use of Google Maps and Video Chat. This sounds pretty cool, right? A ground breaking and shiny new object that brings us one step closer to making personal computers all but obsolete.  Internet on the go is practically standard practice these days with smart phone and tablet usage on the rise. So, imagine the potential benefits to walk around hands-free, yet still be plugged in and aware. We’re venturing into technology not thought up outside of science-fiction in the past.

Project Glass

Google's new specs have a lot of potential

Then, there are some possible worries that come hand in hand with such a technology. Imagine this. You’re in your car, lost, driving down random side streets. You figure, no one’s around, I’ll just turn on my headset for a pinch and check out Google Maps. You flip the switch, practically blinding yourself to the road for only an instant, and BAM! Granny steps in front of your range rover with her walker, toy poodle in tow. Sure, it sounds extreme. Many will even try to say they would never use it while driving. Yeah, no one ever texts while zooming down the road, do they? Temptation’s got its grip on us all. None of us are above turning on for that quick peek at the weather or our favorite team’s scores.

Whatever your view on the pros or cons of Project Glass, you cannot help but admire where we’re headed in terms of technological breakthrough. Twenty years ago, dial-up internet was for the upper-middle class. Ten years ago, smart phones were practically unheard of. Twenty years from now? Well. I hear Google’s also got a self-driving car. Bring it on, I say.

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Supreme Court upholds jail strip searches — even for minor offenses (WHAT?!)

Supreme Court upholds jail strip searches — even for minor offenses (WHAT?!)

Apr 2

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In the news today? The Supreme Court ruled that those arrested for even minor arrests are subject to strip search. In case this doesn’t really sink in, let me just lay the story out for you. It started when a man in New Jersey was mistakenly arrested because of an outstanding warrant stating he had unpaid court fines and strip searched at the station twice. In case you still missed the point here, think for a second. The man was falsely arrested in front of his entire family because of a warrant that wasn’t even valid and was forced to strip naked in a room with other men doing the same.

(Right) Albert Florence

Albert Florence (Right) was mistakenly arrested and forced to strip in the police station twice.

The severe violation of the fourth amendment at work here is just astonishing. We’re fed quotes about “justifiable suspicion” while, in reality, we’re just being smacked around by government pimps at this point. Reasonable expectation of privacy is just that. Reasonable. We’re expected to bow our heads and keep our mouths shut while the whole idea behind the constitution is stomped so deep in the ground, it’s likely to have more influence on China than our own country.

The very core values that make America what it is are at stake, here. Throughout the history of this nation, we’ve been bombarded with  government instilled confusion and misdirection in an effort to keep us blindly follow our so-called “justice system.” The question is, when will enough be enough? When do we finally lift our heads and use our voices?  The line just keeps pushing us back, and no one has the audacity to step over it. We just keep shuffling back. I say, enough is enough. In this case, there is a black and white. The only gray comes from the prison cells we’re being ushered into.

One of the most telling aspects of this whole story? The majority rule on this came from conservative  Republicans on the bench. In an increasingly embarrassing election year, the Republicans are consistently making a statement that the rights of American citizens are less important than the Tea Bagging political agenda. If we’re slaves to our government officials as it is, we may as well be able to acknowledge when they’re cramming it up our proverbial backsides. Don’t let them get away with this. Tell Chief Justice John Roberts, Justice Samuel Alito, Jr. where they can shove their “reasonable suspicion.”

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Mega Millions Mania – Nationwide

Mega Millions Mania – Nationwide

Mar 29

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Today, Friday’s Mega Millions jackpot stands at an estimated $540 million dollars. This is the highest jackpot in this country’s history. The question many are asking is, is it worth the “investment?” I think so.

Here’s what I’ve figured. If you started buying lottery tickets the day you turned 21 and continued buying one every single day until you turned 66, you would spend a little over $20,000. Sounds like a lot, doesn’t it? Here’s another thing to think about. Just one win of all five numbers, but not the “Mega Multiplier,” would award you $250,000. That’s over ten times your lifetime investment.

Sure, on every drawing, they say the odds of winning the jackpot are about 1 in 178,000,000. Here’s what you need to think about, though. The odds of winning anything at all? 1 in 40. Even if you win the bare minimum of $3, the odds are in your favor of coming out ahead by the end of your life.

The most basic fact is, and will always be, if you don’t play, you cannot win. To all of those wishing to call the random lottery ticket a waste of money, I ask you to look at the figures above. I promise you, the logic is sound. I could never call anything that costs a buck a “waist of money.” What else would you rather spend a dollar on? A double cheeseburger? Right. That’s what I thought.

 

Ways to win the Mega Millions Jackpot:

Ways To Win Playing Mega Millions

How To Win With Your Mega Millions Ticket

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