Saturday Silliness: Dancing at the Waffle House...again.

by Angela K. Durden
Technology inventor protecting creator's copyrights. Business writer, novelist, songwriter, and Citizen Journalist.

Regular readers of this blog know me well. If music is on, my body's moving. I can't help it. It just happens. So there I was this morning, again dancing at the Waffle House, turning it into a disco. This is how it happened.

My fave Waffle House is on Lawrenceville Highway at 285 on the Tucker-Decatur line.

I woke up and was hungry and felt in need of a decent walk. I wasn't of a mind to cook toast and eggs and the Waffle House is just 1.5 miles from me, so naturally I put on my trainers, packed a couple of books, some money, and other necessities in my sling bag, and off I went.

Coffee, two eggs over medium, raisin toast, and hash browns — scattered well, smothered, covered, and diced.

Folks, it don't get no better than that.

A gentle read at the counter ensued as I waited for my food to be prepared. Sipping on coffee I quickly became aware of two dramas playing out next to me. 

There was this woman on a stool to my right tightly clutching her purse with one hand and quickly eating with the other. She looked neither right nor left and seemed as if this was the first time she'd ever been to Waffle House. 

You may rest assured: I didn't stare. She went to pay with a credit card. It was declined. She looked angry and upset and worried all at the same time and dug around in her purse looking for cash which, thankfully, she finally found enough to pay. I bet she was newly divorced and he was a sumbitch who left her broke. 

The next thing I saw were two people huddling around the waffle irons. The man opened it and tried to peel the waffle out, couldn't, and put it back. The woman shook her head. They both shrugged. Seems a breaker had tripped that directly controlled the waffle irons. With the breaker reset and at least ten minutes to wait for the irons to reheat properly, much whispered discussion amongst the workers ensued.

"What do we tell them?"

"Do we give people refunds?"

"No waffles at the Waffle House? Peoples gonna be mad. Ooo-wee."

By this time I cleaned my plate and emptied my cup and took my bill to the cash register. Obviously a song was playing that had a good dance groove and just as obviously to the people around me, though I was oblivious, I started dancing.

I know this because a woman sitting at the end stool placing a to-go order said, and I quote verbatim, "Oooooo! You GO, girl!" And lots of people smiled and laughed at which time I got into the spirit more and started saying funny things and doing a couple of disco moves with pointy fingers and shoulder rolls and such as that. 

I said to the woman, "Hey, I hope they are filming this and will put it on the Disco Waffle House YouTube channel. Whatcha say? Why don't we get out in the middle of the aisle and boogie?"

Big laughs all around but no takers. But I bet if I'd kept at it, that woman would've soon joined me and we would've had the whole place doing the Waffle House Jive. 

But I'm not the only one who dances at the Waffle House. See these.

Creeping: When did reminiscing get such a bad name?

by Angela K. Durden
Technology inventor protecting creator's copyrights. Business writer, novelist, songwriter, and Citizen Journalist.

Flashing. Peeping. Stalking. 

These three activities are delivered in person, in real-time; all motivated by high hopes. True, the high hope might involve killing somebody, but that's what made all these dangerous for real.  But how about trolling?

Trolling is clearly an online activity. Private citizens who have forgotten how to make their FB timeline posts privately shared only with themselves or very close friends, often complain about total strangers making comments. Then the meltdown drama starts.

"I'm being trolled! OH MY GOD, do I have a stalker?"

But see, in my world, advertising my books and shows and services and so forth (puhLEEEEZE click on any and all of the multiple links above under my name), hell, I'm working hard to attract so-called stalkers and trolls — I also call them shoppers — because I want them to buy something.

It's called marketing. Getting your name out there. So the more interaction I have, the better.

Think about it? What if every time somebody went into a store and stood in front of say...Coke products. Would Coca-Cola Company complain and say they were stalking or trolling? I think not.

Of course, if the "shopper" was flashing the Coke cans, then yeah, you got a reason to complain. I get a lot of flasher-wannabees and I have to shut them down pretty quick. When these men send me friend requests and shower me with lots of compliments about my awesome smile and pepper me with requests to chat, why I simply now respond back to them with the following version of something all store owners understand: Buy something or get out. Here's how it works:

ME: So, you want to impress me?

MAN: Why, yes, baby.

ME: Click this link, buy a book. Read it or not. I don't care. Just buy it. From that I'll gauge the sincerity of your intent.

MAN:

See? Eezee-peezee. Troll gone. Potential stalker threat nullified.

Now there's a new term: Creeping

My totally online, never-before-met-in-person friend, James R. Pinkstone, introduced me to this new term. Creeping is the new "Hey, let's look at old photos, have fond memories, and share those with the person in the picture", also known as reminiscing. 

Normally when I provide a screen snip I will blur out the name and face of anyone that isn't me, but I am not blurring out James' info because the man is a marketing tornado. While he and I have differing opinions about many things, one thing we do agree on is the axiom from way-back-yonder that Hollywood stars used to quote all the time: 

Hey, it doesn't matter what they print as long as they spell my name correctly.

It's called free advertising. Column inches I don't have to pay for.

But how did all these rules about online communications get to be so prevalent? I will tell you. You can blame code monkeys pretending to be experts.

It started with the rule about not typing in all caps. Why, it means YOU'RE YELLING!

Every rule they came up with was negative and based on their own view of the world. In other words, code monkeys do not get along well with anybody even if they are in a room by themselves and the door is locked.

Well, I for one refuse to live like that. Remember those men who think I'm just lovely and have such a beautiful smile and want to impress me? They are always going through my photos and liking stuff from years ago.

Hell, if it helps them want to buy a book, then like and share to your heart's content, boys, because there ain't nothing on there that I would be ashamed of or care about others knowing. And you know why that is, dear readers?

It's because I know how to keep my private life private.

Ferrick v. Spotify USA Inc.: Copyright protections are under assault.

by Angela K. Durden
Technology inventor protecting creator's copyrights. Business writer, novelist, songwriter, and Citizen Journalist.

I've written a letter to the Honorable Alison J. Nathan. On December 1, 2917, she is set to rule on the fairness of the Ferrick v. Spotify USA Inc. class action settlement.

If you are in the music business, the book business, are a creative in any way and are producing tangible works that can be stolen, or a regular citizen who cares deeply about the rights of citizens, you will want to read this letter because your very rights to intellectual property ownership are under assault. 

The settlement is unfair. Someone asked the other day, "Angela, do you think this is a straw man suit?" Though I have no evidence per se, I had to say that I did believe that to be the case.

CLICK HERE to get a PDF of the letter to the judge.

The Majors, The Bigs, and Tech Giants have been trying for years to find a way not to be held accountable for stealing. This is the latest in their sneaky tactics.

If you want to read more to get yourself up to date on what is going on, click these links to articles I've written on Linkedin:

Read more 1. Read more 2. Read more 3. Read more 4.

Read more 5. Read more 6. Read more 7. Read more 8.

Hump Day Quickie: Idiots have rights, too.

by Angela K. Durden 

Barry is the Man(ilow): Night Songs

by Angela K. Durden
Technology inventor protecting creator's copyrights. Business writer, novelist, songwriter, and Citizen Journalist.

The songs of the night around my condo remind me of country living. You know you got your cicadas and your tree frogs and such as that every night.

Then you have your night songs that happen occasionally. The other night barred owls were having a rip-roaring hootenanny-slash-family reunion. The trees were full of their distinctive hoot.

Some say barred owls sound like monkeys mating. I believe they are not far wrong. But they also ask a question: Who cooks for you? Who cooks for you?

Hear more barred owl sounds here.




But the worst night song is when new kittens are being uploaded.

I've spared you the night song of mating cats. You can thank me later.I wonder if these were the sounds Barry Manilow heard when he wrote Night Songs?

Yeah...probably not. Enjoy Barry here.

Anthony's Terrible, Horrible, No Good, Very Bad Day

by Kim D.

The verdict is in.

Former US congressman Anthony Weiner has been sentenced to serve 21 months in jail for sexting a teenager. https://t.co/FAfH7uNJpJ

— Twitter Moments (@TwitterMoments) September 25, 2017

He's having the worst day ever and deservedly so.

Courtroom sketch artist depicts a weeping Anthony Weiner reading statement and holding tissue. pic.twitter.com/ps2CZBg6Pc

— Nicole Fuller (@nicolefuller) September 25, 2017

Ouch. From the @politico alert on Anthony Weiner sentencing. #FlaPol pic.twitter.com/tztX1NHLq5

— Jim Rosica (@JimRosicaFL) September 25, 2017

Here's a first-hand account from Chris Smith: 

as judge sentenced him to 21 months, anthony weiner pitched forward, hands on table, in tears. left courthouse in backseat of a ford escape.

— chris smith (@chrissmithnymag) September 25, 2017

from window of 15th floor fed courtroom where weiner sent to prison, possible to see city hall, last office for which he will ever have run.

— chris smith (@chrissmithnymag) September 25, 2017

as 50 reporters ushered out, room silent, weiner hunched over defense table, shaking, parents and brother seated three rows behind.

— chris smith (@chrissmithnymag) September 25, 2017

after describing what she saw as weiner's genuine remorse and recovery, judge cote said, "but...," and let the word hang in the air.

— chris smith (@chrissmithnymag) September 25, 2017

judge cote then emphasized how "opportunity to make a statement that could protect other minors" weighed heavily in her sentencing decision.

— chris smith (@chrissmithnymag) September 25, 2017

When the Facebook algorithm works against their stated goals

by Angela K. Durden
Technology inventor protecting creator's copyrights. Business writer, novelist, songwriter, and Citizen Journalist.

Playwright Wade Marbaugh, front row, in suspenders.

My friend Wade Marbaugh wrote a play called "American Apartheid" based on a novella written just after the 1906 riots in Atlanta. Technically you could say these were race riots but it was white politicians who started the thing.

Politicians in Atlanta were unhappy that the Negro had been freed in the War Between the States a mere 40 years previous. They could see the vote coming for both the Negro and the white woman and they didn't like either one of them getting that, no sir, not one little bit.

So the newspapers in the town resorted to yellow journalism, what we today call fake news or spin, and simply falsely reported a massive uptick of rape of white women by black men. It was not true, but it finally got to the point of having a three-day riot wherein lots of people got hurt and lots of people — mostly blacks — died.

Involved at the time was William Edward Burghardt "W.E.B." Du Bois, a front runner of Martin Luther King, Jr.; was a hell of a writer on the subject of race relations; and founded the NAACP and ran it honorably.

Now, you would think Facebook would be happy with sharing such a fine story since it deals with the beginning of U.S. civil rights.

And isn't Facebook all about "real" news and "verified" facts and making the world a great place to live in? So they say, but Facebook's algorithm says No. How do I know?

Because when I share photos on Facebook about the Gordon Vernick Jazz Jam, these photos are immediately seen by lots of people who like, share, and comment. The post is often seen in FB feeds for several days after because I keep getting more likes, etc. 

But this play called "American Apartheid" only received one immediate like and that from a guy who was new to being a friend and looking to make time with me and is liking everything I put up in order to get Brownie points. 

I shared it with seven people, two of whom were expecting me to tag them, and they have not even had it show up. 

This play has been mounted almost 35 times. I was told by someone who's seen it several times that this was the best one yet and came in on a shoestring budget.

So I am sharing the album here with you. 

I would be interested in knowing if access to it is denied when you click on the link below. If it is denied, please email me at: angeladurden@msn.com and let me know. Here is the link: 

Here is the photo album of American Apartheid: The Play

The Creepy Amazon Algorithm that Suggests Explosive "Must" Haves

by Kim D.

As first reported in UK's Independent, Amazon's algorithm that makes helpful suggestions of what customers might like to buy based on past purchases needs quite a bit of adjustment. The report claims the following:

Amazon is linking potential bomb-making components under the “frequently bought together” tab, guiding its users to all the ingredients required to make an incendiary device.

The simple products are widely available in shops too, but Amazon’s algorithm recommends product combinations.

This basically means that some users had bought at least one component used in home-made bomb making so Amazon suggested the rest of the ingredients:

If users click on Thermite, for example, which is a pyrotechnic composition of metal powder, the website links to two other items, which constitute the basic bomb-making materials. 

For the most part, my recommendations are pretty tame.  I recently bought dog food because our pup is on a special diet and due to flooding issues, our vet is temporarily out of business.  However, because I have Amazon Prime account, in this past month I have noticed a slew of emails making recommendations for me and not based on past purchases.

Amazon Prime was sending me friendly reminders of things I have searched for at Amazon, like an Rtic Cooler, or tons of suggestions of what I might like to listen to, read on the Kindle, or watch on my Fire Stick.  After learning about about Amazon's creepy recommendations, I went to my account and under "Emails, Alerts, and Ads,"  I disabled and unsubscribed to all to stop the bombardment of emails I'd been receiving.  I recommend you review your account because I noticed that I was magically subscribed to receive emails from 71 Amazon departments, something I never consciously did.

Two Must-See Lawrence O'Donnell Ear Piece Spoofs

by Kim D.

Lawrence O'Donnell (MSNBC's Bill O'Reillyish - wanna be - anchor) recently had a profanity laced meltdown due to chatter and hammering he heard over his ear-piece while trying to report fake news. It was a whopping 8 minutes of crazy leaked for purposes unknown with some gossipy speculation of retaliation over the anchor's antics during a contract negotiation.

Oh well, no matter why it was leaked, YouTubers (left and right) have had some major editing and dubbing fun at O'Donnell's expense.  Here are two worth watching:

What Got Me Through Hurricane Harvey

by Kim D.

I got by with a strong community of generous people and ketones - but more on that later.

First, let me say that living in the South, I've experienced my share of storms. I was in South Carolina when Hugo (1989) attacked. Since I've lived in Texas, I've been through the nastiness of tropical storm Allison (2001) and hurricanes Rita (2005) and Ike (2008). 

Even though Ike only landed as a category 2 storm, the eye passed right over us producing tornadoes and knocking out power to thousands. We didn't have physical damage to our home or property but were out of power for 14 days, which made running a business almost impossible. 

The storm that hit us August 25, 2017 was the worst I've ever seen. We live north of Houston in Kingwood, TX where the flood waters are hardly an issue unless you reside on the banks of Lake Houston. Those who do have flood insurance; those who are not next to the water do not. There's never been a need until Hurricane Harvey.  

This storm system hovered over the Houston area and stayed . . . and stayed . . . and stayed, dumping tons of rainfall. The effect of this was a dangerous overload on dams north of where we reside.  In order to prevent dams bursting, controlled releases were implemented and Kingwood flooded as it never has before.  Whole neighborhoods were affected - sometimes every house. A good portion of restaurants and businesses are temporarily shut down due to flood damage.

My family was lucky. We do not reside in a flood zone, our neighborhood did not flood, and power loss was minimal, sporadic during the day but never longer than an hour. What our home became was a refuge for two families who had to be rescued by the Cajun Navy the Tuesday after the storm hit. One family had other rental properties and could move into a town home within a week's time. The other family was not as lucky. Their one-story home flooded with no back-up plan. They are still with us a month later and hope to be back in their home in another 3-4 weeks. I am happy to report they are adapting well to our household.

Since my town flooded, we've all sprung into action helping when needed - making lunches to those in need, donating clothes and unused household items, helping to remove flood damaged furniture, knocking out drywall, running errands, etc.  In the aftermath of Harvey, signs of our strength as a community were displayed by American flags and #HoustonStrong signs and t-shirts. Also was our sense of humor - every once in awhile you could see a yard with all first-floor contents on the lawn with a sign that said "Yard of the Month."

GoFundMe campaigns began - I started one for our local Mexican restaurant - Chachi's - that was in a area that should have not flooded. What most people do not understand is that, yes, homeowners and businesses have insurance that helps when disaster strikes unless it is a flood.  If no flood insurance, you have to rely on limited and hard to get FEMA relief funds (the family living with us has yet to make contact with any FEMA official though multiple attempts have been made to do so - only getting recorded messages instead) or go through the red tape of personal or business bank loans.

Every day was long and a challenge that we all readily accepted as a strong community. But physically some of us needed a little more help than the spiritual boost of spreading goodwill. We needed ketones - exogenous ones that when added to water provide a host of benefits to the body: 

Exogenous ketones are now available to the public; whereas, they previously have only been available in research format which produced amazing results. I was introduced to ketones in May and they have absolutely changed my life and well being. It's simply a better fuel for the body and a bio-hack based on the research of Dr. Dominique D'Agostino, who is studying ketones and their benefit as a supplement to conquer or slow the progression of major diseases and for fitness enhancement: seizure disorders, neurodegenerative diseases, metabolic dysregulation, cancer, muscle wasting, and exercise performance. 

So that's how I've survived the wrath of Harvey despite being a mom, wife, mother of the bride to-be (Feb. 2018), refugee hostess, PTA slave, accountant, blogger, GoFundMe manager, and now ketone dealer. Gladly so and much better for it.

Tennessee church shooting

by Angela K. Durden
Technology inventor protecting creator's copyrights. Business writer, novelist, songwriter, and Citizen Journalist.


Do not get me wrong in this matter. I'm all for encouraging peaceful conflict resolution. I promote non-violence all the time. You could even say I've stopped crime before it started. Just like Megan Barry, the mayor of Nashville, said her administration and the Metro Nashville PD are doing. 

“My administration, especially the Metro Nashville Police Department, will continue to work with community members to stop crime before it starts, encourage peaceful conflict resolution, and promote non-violence,” Mayor Barry said to ABC News.

What does Barry know about this man's motives for his attack that it would cause her to make such a statement at this time? I ask because, according to The Tennessean, nobody knows his motives. (If you click on the paper's link, they have a great photo essay you'll enjoy.) 

I also wonder how anybody could have identified this fellow beforehand in order to deploy those peaceful resolutions to his conflict. What I do know — and you know it, too — is that no amount of mediation will stop anybody intent upon doing evil.

What I'm finding interesting is that the FBI has opened up a civil rights investigation. I see the headlines about it everywhere, but as of this writing I cannot find any information as to why such an investigation has been started. 

It could very well be just one of those things they do in all mass shootings and I've simply never seen it reported before. Maybe they do it for the same reason they bring out the bomb squad: Just in case there is a secondary planned event. You know, cover their bases for the safety of everybody. 

My guess? 

My guess is there will be no civil rights investigation for long because this is probably a terror event by a radicalized Muslim, though it may never be reported as such by #CrunkNewsNetwork or other MSM outlets. Here is why I think that: 

Shooter is Sudanese immigrant. Not sure of his legal status.

Emanuel Kidega Samson, the shooter, is from the Sudan. 

The Sudan has been expelling troublemakers of the Sudanese branch of the Muslim Brotherhood, which originated in Egypt.

It is not too much of a stretch of the imagination to think this young man could be a radicalized member of the Muslim Brotherhood and who probably had contacts with the U.S.-based chapters of that organization.

The Muslim Brotherhood is on the march around the globe. At first, their march was one of successful conquest and domination. But as we've seen reported in the last year or so, folks are getting tired of their crap and are putting the beat down on them, running them out of town.

Just like what is happening in the Sudan. So, not happy about being expelled from Sudan, the leaders of the Brotherhood want to put fear into the Sudanese government, so they find a Sudanese man who is easily manipulated. They work on him until he believes it makes perfect sense to shoot people and where better to do it than a church that does not believe like him or his friends. This is a tried-and-true method of manufacturing a terror event or an assassination.

• Find a fellow who is mad at the world.

• Twist his thinking.

• Point him to the target.

• Make a phone call to politicians and say "'النملة المقبلو، شكيقون", which when translated means,   "Yer next, bro."

• Sit in safety, enjoy the fruits of your labors, and wait for capitulation.

Easy victory? Yeah...nope. 

See, that's probably why the terrorists chose a church with many ethnicities and races in what they superficially see as a party town full of music, sports, and universities full of partying students. They see the FBI start civil rights investigations. They read politicians statements and they believe conquest and domination and capitulation will come quick and come easy. 

But terrorist are wrong in that thinking. 

Just ask 22-year-old Robert Engle, a young man who tackled the gunman, got pistol-whipped, but managed to escape and run out to his car for his gun, then came back and held him at gunpoint until the police arrived.

The Tao of Chiselfritz: Take the Long Way Home

Divine Intervention (live)

He Was Just an Old Man Teaching Me to Throw

by Angela K. Durden

He Was Just an Old Man who wanted me to be the first female big-league pitcher.
I threw that ball until he sighed and said, “I’ll teach you to be a barber.”
So, he took me around to all his friends and they proudly let me cut their hair,
until I cut too close and one too many times nicked an ear.

He was thirteen years old when his father said,
“Ain’t got enough for you, your mother, and your sister.
So, it’s time to move on, grow a pair,
become your own kind of mister.”

The boy hit the road and next thing we know
he was seventeen.
He lied about his age, took the oath,
became a Marine.

Four years went by, he quietly did his time,
each day three hots and cot.
But he had more to do, so he moved on,
his own man he was yet not.

He got a job with the city service when horses pulled the bus.
He drove his rounds and gave some thought to becoming a happy Us.

See, he met this girl with a twinkle in her eye and he thought it was all for him.
That twinkle was full of madness, other men, and lots of sin.
He vowed “I’ll never be like Daddy”, so he earned extra money working hard
so his little princesses would never want and they could be stars.

He donned a mask, jumped in a ring, wrestled until he lost.
Went back stage to collect his pay and said, “Next month, boss?”
He learned how to barber. He was into fitness before La Lane was cool.
He taught himself to fly, bought a plane, and then taught others, too.

His wife left him, he didn’t miss her, but he was sad all the same.
You see, the nut didn’t fall far from the tree, his girls got their mother’s madness.
Years went by, his grands came along, and he was always around.
I grew up, had kids of my own, man I sure do miss the sound of

Grandaddy saying, “Lift that elbow. No. Turn this way here.”
And “It’s all right, stop your crying, baby girl, it’s only an ear.”
Yeah, he was just an old man.
Yeah, he was just an old man.
Yeah, he was just an old man...
Teaching me to throw.

Music, Lyrics, Composition All Rights Reserved
© 2017 Angela K. Durden and Second Bight Publishing

Chords: Cm Fm Gm and back to Cm  |  Tempo: 90 BPM
Want to listen to the music track sans vocals? Click here.

Saturday Silliness: Snapchat filters, a new song, blame-it-on-Linda

by Angela K. Durden

Technology inventor protecting creator's copyrights. Business writer, novelist, songwriter, and Citizen Journalist.

In case you can't tell us apart:
Linda Sands (L) and Angela K. Durden (R)

My friend and Sister in Crime fellow crime novelist Linda Sands is responsible for these videos because she's the one who said — 

"Hey, Angela! You evah hear o'dis thang call Snapchat?" 

And I said, "No, Linda, I do nots believe I evah has heard of such a thang." 

And Linda said, "Well..." 

And a monster was born.


Anyway, these two videos are made with the Snapchat App. The videos are of me singing the first verse to a new song I've come up with that is pure fun. Hey, if ya don't like, blame Linda because she introduced me to this new drug.

Dear Miss Lonely Hearts

Follow Me

Friday Fun: Feeling Groovy

by Angela K. Durden

If I self-identify as a Female Native-American Caribbean-African Disabled Male Machinist Righty-Tighty-Lefty-Loosey Author, will my books sell faster?

by Angela K. Durden
Technology inventor protecting creator's copyrights. Business writer, novelist, songwriter, and Citizen Journalist.


Book Marketing 101: If you want to sell books, you got to have a platform. Sometimes that involves murder. If you don't want to kill somebody, then you have to find another way to get that platform upon which marketing campaigns are built.

Here are the problems with my marketing platform. I am not, are no longer, or have never:

1. Been 20 years old and —
2. Posed nude (except when I was three-weeks old but that doesn't count)
3. Taken nude pictures of others (don't ask what I've taken of myself)
4. Robbed a bank and used the money to pay for cancer treatments
5. An atheist who...what do atheists do?
6. Killed anybody or covered up a crime
7. Been a meth/pot/crack head who came back and founded a multi-million dollar empire
8. Married a gangster or other public personality
9. Divorced a gangster or other public personality
10. Had an affair with a married gangster or other public personality or his wife
11. Had my life threatened by a gangster or other public personality or his wife
12. Lived out of my car and then gone on to found a multi-billion dollar empire

The list could go on, but you get the gist. I simply blend in with all the other law-abiding folks who calmly and quietly go about their lives. 

However, I've come up with a marketing plan. Let me know if you think it will work:

If I self-identify as a Female Native-American Caribbean-African Disabled Male HB1/2 Machinist Righty-Tighty-Lefty-Loosey Author, will my books sell faster? 

More importantly, will agents and publishers vie over my unpublished manuscripts with exclamations of "Wow! Does she ever have a great platform!" (Two exclamation points on purpose in that sentence because that is how much enthusiasm they will have for me.)

You think I jest? I do not. I am quite serious and I thank you for giving me your opinion on this matter. These links below are real stories. I can't make this stuff up. Lots of other people are doing outrageous things as they self-identify.

OMGee! Look at all the free column inches these people get in newspapers. That's money straight to the bottom line if they're selling something. 

Man marries computer in New Mexico. Alabama does not recognize the marriage. Man sues.

White woman, Rachel Dolezal, self-identifies as black and will not apologize.

All-woman Spelman College will admit men who self-identify as women.

To get a job, Elizabeth Warren claims to be Native American.

Ryerson University made a policy change to create a more inclusionary environment for students. That's right. You don't have to self-identify as anything.

To get greater diversity on the provincial bench, Ontario is making changes to its judicial applications. Please, oh, please, self-identify as something we can count, even disabled. 

And Regnery, the nation's premier publisher of conservative books, will no longer allow authors to self-identify with the New York Times best-seller list seeing as how the NYT is such a manipulator and very left-leaning anyway.

Whoa. Now that's an idea I could steal: Self-identify as a BEST SELLER from the git-go. 

Better! Cheaper! Faster! Imaginary Lovers beat sex robots every time.

by Angela K. Durden
Technology inventor protecting creator's copyrights. Business writer, novelist, songwriter, and Citizen Journalist.

Imaginary Lover

Atlanta Rhythm Section

Imaginary lovers

Never turn you down

When all the others turn you away

They're around

It's my private pleasure

Midnight fantasy

Someone to share my

Wildest dreams with me

Imaginary lover you're mine anytime

Imaginary lovers, oh yeah

When ordinary lovers

Don't feel what you feel

And real-life situations lose their thrill

Imagination's unreal

Imaginary lover, imaginary lover

You're mine anytime

Imaginary lovers never disagree

They always care

They're always there when

You need satisfaction guaranteed

Imaginary lover, imaginary lover

You're mine all the time

My imaginary lover

You're mine anytime

Songwriters: Buddy Buie / Dean Daughtry / Robert Nix

Imaginary Lover lyrics © Sony/ATV Music Publishing LLC

Hump Day Quickie: Kurt Vonnegut on Story Arc

by Angela K. Durden 

Watch the video.

Not Only Can You Customize Your Sex Robot - You Can Cheat on Her too.

by Kim D. 

Sex Robots. The time is closer than you think thanks to a combination of Realbotix and RealDoll. Basically you can buy a lifelike sex doll and then switch out the head with a computerized one which is programmable via an app to specific desires.

No more bitching - never another rejection. This is the path some in the technology sector see us walking and it doesn't look all that pretty.  Watch the clip below which will share more details but what shocks me the most is the ability to switch computerized heads on the dolls, changing physical appearance and personality.

Crunk News Network Tech: Of course they did, honey.

by Angela K. Durden
Technology inventor protecting creator's copyrights. Business writer, novelist, songwriter, and Citizen Journalist.

You just got to love journalists who hold the fireball lead to the very last. Here is the kicker from money.cnn.com:

"Two Equifax executives 

— its chief information officer and chief security officer — 

retired on Friday."

Of course they did, honey.

That sentence comes after an article that pretty much delivered one "not their fault" point after another on behalf of the credit reporting and business services company which had one job and failed.

And of course, #CrunkNewsNetwork reported it all just like their masters told them to — almost as an apologia. 

Well, we know that...

Hackers gonna break, break-break 

All the while they hate, hate-hate.

Execs gonna play, play-play

and make consumers quake, quake-quake.

#CNN is gonna fake, fake-fake

and viewers will shake them off, shake them off.

How Liberalism is Ruining Entertainment

Consumer Online Privacy and Tracking: What is happening with Apple, Google, and Advertisers

by Angela K. Durden
Technology inventor protecting creator's copyrights. Business writer, novelist, songwriter, and Citizen Journalist.

Imagine this: You're in your car, get hungry, stop at Wendy's* for a Frosty and a Single with Cheese and Bacon, then continue your trip. Immediately upon entering the highway you notice every billboard you approach changes the messaging to say:

GET A FROSTY and a

SINGLE with CHEESE and BACON from WENDY'S.

Weird, but you keep driving and you don't stop at Wendy's. You notice mobile billboards. They seem to be just in front and to the right of you so you can read:

We notice you like WENDY'S. Isn't it TIME you got a FROSTY and a SINGLE with CHEESE and BACON from WENDY'S?

Still, you don't stop, instead opting for music from your radio and the announcer says —

"Hey, [InsertYourNameHere], you know you should get a Frosty and a Single with Cheese and Bacon from Wendy's." 

Your paranoia has kicked into high gear and you haven't even had a toke in years; that is, I assume you haven't. But just because you're high doesn't mean your paranoia isn't real because, yeah —

That is weird, but that is exactly what happens online whether or not you purchase any goods.

Apple (the company that brings you all those deliciously wonderful mobile devices) has blocked just such ads on their Safari browser. (Read the full article here about that.) To that I say "Good on you, Apple." Apple says the default setting will be Off, but that users can turn on ad tracking in their Settings should they choose to do so.

See? Consumer choice.

The same article goes on to say that even Google/Alphabet will be bringing out an ad blocker on its Chrome Browser except — here is where you can hear me chuckle if you were in my office as I write this — Google won't shut off all ads, only the annoying ones. And by annoying you can read "Those that are not paying the premium price for access to eyeballs."

Apple's move is not exactly revolutionary.

I have several books for sale on Amazon. In my various marketing reaches, I often go to their website, copy the link for that book, and create a hyperlink in whatever I'm sending out. Guess what? I start getting ads popping up all over the place encouraging me to buy my own books. Like I'm going to do that. Duh! I'm trying to sell my books [see here].

So Apple's move to cut out ad tracking isn't exactly revolutionary. They just know it is a method that is broken. Apple knows ads for a product are being served to the very person who just bought it and that advertisers are wasting money. Large ad agencies already know this: Online ad campaigns are being pulled and defunded.

Apple has always been about what the market can bear divided by ROI to develop new products. Now, I wouldn't go so far as to call myself The Sage of Technology, but dang it, it isn't bragging if it's fact. Too bad my predictions came twenty-five years too early. Here is what I said years ago, and because I'm quoting me, I hereby give you permission to freely quote me, too:

This Internet thing is going to turn out to be one big rip-off. You just wait and see. Somebody's going to figure out how to point you where they want you to go and deny access to what you really want. The helpful and very efficient Boolean language will cease to be used. Nobody will read ads in the daily newspaper anymore and those print publications will die. Porn will be the biggest earner and will increase slavery for sex trafficking of adults and children.  

Okay, so I didn't exactly say all that. What I actually said was, "There is something nasty in the woodshed and I don't like the smell of it. Why won't these Internets work like I want them to?"

Screwed it all up for regular folks, that is exactly what Google has done. Hell, just ask the EU about fining Google/Alphabet for that manipulation over there. Apple has interpreted the writing on the wall and are acting accordingly. Of course, advertisers who are not in-the-know are unhappy with the move and, frankly, will be even more unhappy with Google in 2018.

See, Google said to advertisers, "I like it. Lemme put a ring on it."

Except like a man engaged to several women at the same time, Google has been playing false to everybody. Sure, Google does a lot of things that consumers benefit from, but those are just the things designed to keep us from seeing what they are really doing.

Much like Hitler who gave the Volkswagen to his country as he said "Don't worry about what's on those trains," Google gives consumers this marvelous search engine and blogging portals that allows us to find all sorts of things and write about stuff, but they also made promises to advertisers and have broken every one while slowly but surely destroying the ability of the little guy to do any meaningful advertising.

Learn our SEO and you'll pop up high on the native results when these terms are searched on, they said, and businesses did it only to find that didn't work for long because —

SURPRISE! Google changed how to use the Internet.

Use our new AdWords program and you'll pop up high on the search results, they said, and businesses did it only to find that didn't work for long because —

SURPRISE! Again, Google changed how to use the Internet.

And now Google says they will only block annoying and distracting ads?

The Sage of Technology speaks again. Listen up!

• Commerce on the Internet will eventually be a place where only The Bigs, The Majors, and Tech Giants will operate. 

• The Bigs, The Majors, and Tech Giants will have laws changed favoring their business model and punishing other business models.

• Leaving the online commercial world by the millions will be those who own businesses and are tired of the manipulations that take their money and do not deliver promised services. 

• A new cash-based economy will grow and businesses will again advertise locally.

• New forms of advertising will arise that are quicker, more responsive, and go directly to consumer. (See blipbillboards.com.)

*LEGAL  NOTICE! LEGAL NOTICE!: The mention of Wendy's is in no way a paid endorsement of the chain and the author is not receiving any goods or services from Wendy's. This article is not tracked by any first-, second-, or third-party Frost---errrr...cookies of any flavor. Though the author was 17 when she first had a Frosty at a Wendy's in Gainesville, Georgia, when her evil younger sister introduced her to what could've soon become the author's drug of choice except she had to travel from Habersham County to Hall County on a two-lane mountain highway in a two-hour round trip to get to the nearest Wendy's and that was just too far to go for that addiction, and though mention of Wendy's might induce the reader to believe the author does, in point of fact, enjoy the products of that chain, the editors of ROTW and the author herself want you to believe they have crossed their hearts and hoped to die if they lie and ask that you pretty-please believe them that they are receiving no advertising dollars for this article which so heavily mentions Wendy's.  

"Atheists Don't Have No Songs"

by Angela K. Durden
Technology inventor protecting creator's copyrights. Business writer, novelist, songwriter, and Citizen Journalist.

Watch D'Souza eviscerate fascist democrats #BigLie

What Happened to Hillary Clinton

#Bernie Was More Honest in 1987 - 'Astronomical' Cost of Single-Payer 'Would Bankrupt the Nation'

by Kim D.

The clip below shows a more sensible Bernie wanting to take on a serious issue of the day - healthcare in America. Unfortunately, since Obamacare was designed to fail, now he is promoting Medicare for all, abandoning the logic he once had.

Monday Madness: The Curious Case of the Selfie-Taking Monkey

by Angela K. Durden
Technology inventor protecting creator's copyrights. Business writer, novelist, songwriter, and Citizen Journalist.

I shall go on record here as saying that the organization known as People for the Ethical Treatment of Animals, or PETA, is nuts, insane, gone round the bend one too many times. Or, to use a term they might understand even more, they are barking mad.

A monkey picked up David Slater's camera and managed to mash a button just as the lens was turned toward its face. Monkey selfie ensued.

Naruto (L) and photographer David Slater (R). Who owns the copyright?

Upon seeing the snap, as a capitalist at heart you know Slater had to say "Damn. I can sell that and make some money." Which is what he proceeded to do with no problems whatsoever as the image was considered to be in the public domain. According to www.theregister.co.uk:

"The US Copyright Office agreed that the laws of the land did not apply to offshore simians, nor to entities who did not consciously have the intent to create an artefact."

In other words, if your US-owned camera is manipulated by any animal living outside the US whether in the wild or domesticated or in an animal park or zoo, or by any other kind of entity, whether human or animal or robotic, who simply accidentally manipulates your camera without having any intent to create, well then, that image is free to be used by anybody anywhere.

Personally I think that is just bogus in the extreme as without my camera/recording device, said entity or animal could not have made the picture. Further, my uploading the image to a computer or putting it on social media, t-shirts, coffee mugs, clocks, and such, is a result of my hard work and marketing genius.

And while I agree that code monkeys make the Internet work, these code monkeys are human. Still, the question begs:

Why should others get to freely benefit from my investment of effort, money, and time?

However, Slater was happily benefiting from the picture and everything was going fine until PETA heard about it. Now, self-righteously inclined PETA makes out that Slater is stealing from the monkey. Lawsuit!

You and I, we both know that a dog would just as soon chew on a camera. No dog has ever said "Hey, I'm gonna put on my sexy and send Mama-San some nice pics that will make sure she never forgets me."

But PETA thinks that will happen. PETA believes that the monkey, who has no bank account, should monetarily benefit from a happy yet accidental event. But how do you pay a monkey? PETA says they will be happy if Slater gives a percentage of future earnings from the picture to simian charities.

Of course, that result came after much wrangling by PETA's attorney about the rights of the heirs of the monkey is question.

Is PETA now in the Indonesian monkey representation charity bidnezz? I don't know. But their attorney sure knows how to play dodge ball. Read more here.