Friday, March 29, 2013

Wal-Mart may get customers to deliver packages

Wal-Mart may get customers to deliver packages

Since I shop online, many items on a website are not sold in their store, web order only and can only be shipped from point X to your location, otherwise I would order the item online that is at my local WalMart, drive and pick it up myself.

And since I grocery shop at WalMart, or get my prescriptions there, why have someone unknown to me, a stranger showing up at my house...not only knows where I live, also what I ordered and possibly something more about the inside of my home.  And whose to guarantee delivery of undamaged goods.

There are also liability issues & responsibilities for both the Store and Delivery Person.  And not to mention, some neighborhoods you as the delivery person might not want to be in at any hour of the day.  And next the delivery person will Have Gun Will Carry, as even Pizza Delivery persons are robbed and killed.

And what about weather, could change a person's mind about delivering the goods, they do not have the same motto as USPS. 

This is too funny "WalMart would offer a discount on the customers' shopping bill, effectively covering the cost of their gas in return for the delivery of packages, he added."

A Discount and cover the cost of gasoline, what about the wear & tear of the vehicle they drive, their insurance cost & liability, filing at tax time...means you have to share your SS#, pay for added income. 

Google is pushing for Same Day Delivering too...everything from your email to your search results to your to-do list, instantly.  So why not your groceries, office supplies or your medication?  That’s Google’s next move, to bring you your physical goods when you want them.

I shall stick with FedEx, UPS, USPS, DHL & others will be upset, not to mention the loss of revenue, jobs, deliveries...Since the US Post Office (USPS) is turning to Clothing sales as they lost last year $15.9 billion dollars.

So what next, will we be able to shop at the Post Office for our groceries, meds, auto-parts, sports stuff, toys too

Next we will have to go to the ranches and help slaughter stock to eat, grow our own veggies, hey wait we did that back in the 1800's, early 1900's.  How about a "Be A Good  Neighbor Plan" you notify your neighbors you are going to the store, they give you gas money, a list and money to do their shopping and in return, they buy your groceries too.

I think the Air Force should fly Americans anywhere in the world, since we pay for their existence, providing jobs and our children a future....and forget Carnival Cruises, we have the Navy...a 6 month cruise on a Carrier with Aircraft launches daily as our E-Ticket Ride as a back seater, better than being at Disney Land, Magic Mountain or Six Flags.

Sign Me Up, CPL Young, USMC Nam Vet

The Bigger Picture - Chinese Mother Buys $6.5 Million Condo


 for 2-Year-Old Daughter

Talk about preparing for the future.  A Chinese woman reportedly bought a $6.5 million Manhattan condo for her daughter – who is now 2 years old – according to China's state TV, CCTV.

The lucky toddler’s new condo is in the Park Hyatt-managed One57 tower, currently under construction.

The building, at 157 W. 57th Street, will be one of New York's tallest skyscrapers when finished in 2013 at a height of 1,004 feet.  The residences will sit atop the Park Hyatt hotel with floor-to-ceiling windows, high-end appliances and hotel amenities.  One57 made headlines last October when Hurricane Sandy caused damage to a construction crane on the building, blocking access to the street for several days.

A senior vice president at Sotheby’s International Realty, told CCTV that he helped the woman look at various apartments in the city and asked why she was buying.  “And she said, well, her daughter was going to go to Columbia, or NYU, or maybe Harvard so she needed to be in the center of the city and that was why she was picking this one particular apartment,” Brown told CCTV.  When she said her daughter was only two years old, Brown was shocked, he told CCTV.  Both Sotheby’s and Brown declined to comment about the sale.

My Comments about this article

Interesting, as Zhang Xin: China's real estate mogul, 45, is CEO of property developer SOHO China.  Zhang ranks sixth in China and 10th worldwide, with an estimated personal fortune of 15 billion yuan.

And it is a sad day in America's History of when our land, buildings are purchased by Non-American Citizens.  Zhang Xin, served as a Trustee to the China Institute in America from 2005 to 2010, and was recognized by the China Institute with the Blue Cloud Award in 2010.  Zhang Xin, went from working in a sweatshop to being a billionaire real estate developer.

China is experiencing an Economy Bubble that is about to burst.  China's real estate quandary, has built cities to rival Manhattan, only no one lives in them, and the Chinese citizens cannot afford to live in these Cities.  And some preexisting cities are being moved/torn down to make room for my Large Cities, or the expansion of Large Cities, that can hold millions of people. 

CBSNews Zhang Xin: China's real estate mogul, watch the video.  A smart Chinese investor Man or Woman, would be wise to invest outside of China for many reasons, besides the inevitable Bubble Burst, there is North Korea, Kim Jong-un, would you want to be his neighbor...and the odds North Korea could annihilate America is nil.

And in Zhang Xin own words, "Very soon America will be the only democratic police state on the planet"  Is China's Doomsday Scenario Real

Two of the Top 10 in China

Wu Yajun, 48, whose personal wealth is $6 billion, places at number one for the second year in a row.  Wu is the CEO of a company she built herself, Longfor Properties, which handles real estate and is based in Beijing.

In second place is Chen Lihua, 71, founder of Fu Hua International, a real estate company. Her personal wealth is estimated at $5.4 billion. 

To put it in perspective, American real estate moguls Conrad Hilton and Donald Trump are valued at about $2 billion each, half of second-ranked Chen.

Continuing with My Thoughts "The Bigger Picture"

Do other investors from other Nations investing in America help our economy, or is our Nation taken over little by little, ending up as China is today...population growth you can go up in structures, but you also need land mass, and if China with over 1.3 Billion people and America with 312.8 million people...Is There Room, as America has 2,379,400,205  acres, China has 2,371,460,462, however China has 138 people per 247 acre's, and the USA, only has 31.

I am not saying all of China will cross the Pacific for new land, are they buying in Russia, sure they are, as China needs to feed its people, so they need farm land as well.  But then look at what the Earth's population is doing to our Air Quality, upper atmospheres, and as they become thinner, all the more easier for Asteroids, Meteorites and Space Debris to come raining down on us...and if it could wipe out the Dinosaurs millions of years ago...it surely can now.

Recently a meteor traveling 40,000 mph slammed into Russia near Chelyabinsk...sure 1200 plus people were injured, however no one saw it coming...and with all of the eyes toward the sky, astronomers, radar systems, satellites, land & air security defenses...they are now looking to space more, needing more Satellites to track all Meteors, Asteroids, Space Debris...at present Space Administrations are only tracking Larger Meteors and Asteroids.

In the wake of last month's meteor strike in Russia and a close asteroid flyby on the same day, members of Congress asked NASA, White House and Air Force officials what they're doing to combat the threat of near-Earth...the reply "experts stressed that the two space rock events were a coincidence and that the chance of a catastrophic asteroid impact to Earth any time soon is remote."

I am not crazy about the remote possibility...Early Detection & Defense is needed.

So do we need to get off this planet and why we are headed towards Mars, if so...when and who gets to go first is another Question.

Tuesday, March 26, 2013

Cell Phone Wireless CDMA vs GSM carriers

Net10 offers "Use your own compatible or unlocked GSM phone on America’s best nationwide networks.  Select a SIM or SIM bundle to get Unlimited Data, Talk & Text.  It’s that easy."  or not.

To Explain the Short Wave of things: after watching this video "Quick guide to cell phone carriers"  

I learned that AT&T and T-Mobile use GSM vs CDMA used by Verizon Wireless, Sprint, MetroPCS, Cricket, and U.S. Cellular.

Two basic technologies in mobile phones, are GSM (Global System for Mobilesand CDMA (Code Division Multiple Access represent a bridge you can't cross. 

These two technologies are the reason you can't use AT&T phones on Verizon's network and vice versa. 

History of CDMA and the History of GSM

What does CDMA vs. GSM really mean ?   Which is More Preferable, Pros & Cons?
CDMA and GSM both acronyms tend to group together a bunch of technologies run by the same entities.   Two major radio systems used in cell phones.
The USA is mostly CDMA country and not part of the norm, because most of the world is GSM. 
For call quality, the technology you use is much less important than the way your carrier has built its network.  There are the good and bad CDMA and GSM networks, but there are key differences between the technologies. 
It's much easier to swap phones on GSM networks, because GSM carriers put customer information on a removable SIM card. 
Take the card out, put it in a different phone, and the new phone now has your number. 
What's more, to be considered GSM, a carrier must accept any GSM-compliant phone.  So the GSM carriers don't have total control of the phone you're using.
CDMA carriers use network-based white lists to verify their subscribers. 
Which means you can only switch phones with your carrier's permission, and a carrier doesn't have to accept any particular phone onto its network.  It could, but typically, U.S. carriers choose not to.
And if you are in a Contract as with myself with Verizon, until your contract is up, and you have your Verizon Network Phone unlocked, freeing up the phone to be used with another carrier such as Sprint.  Fee's are involved, also it is a bit of a hassle.
So now...my Verizon HTC Incredible phones are CDMA and of no use after a switch to Net10, as they are CDMA, and Net10 only accepts GSM phones.
And the cost to Unlock or the hassle...may not be to my advantage using another CDMA Carrier as Sprint, MetroPCS, Cricket, or U.S. Cellular.  
Also reading & watching videos, since Net10 accepts GSM, that means of the 4 Major Wireless Carriers, Net10 is leasing their Wireless from  AT&T or T-Mobile.  And other companies not of the Big 4, lease from the Big 4.
You can take an unlocked AT&T phone over to T-Mobile (although its 3G may not work well because the frequency bands are different).
First shop for a Carrier, see what Phones are currently available before you make the final decision, however keep reading.
You can't take a Verizon phone over to Sprint, because Sprint's network rejects non-Sprint phones.
3G CDMA networks (known as "EV-DO" or "Evolution Data Optimized") which generally, can't make voice calls and transmit data at the same time. 
Which "SV-DO" for "Simultaneous Voice and Data Optimization" can...as all 3G GSM networks have simultaneous voice and data.
And if your Question is "It's possible to switch from CDMA to GSM" ? 
Answer: Two carriers in Canada have done it, to get access to the wider variety of off-the-shelf GSM phones.  
However, Verizon and Sprint are big enough that they can get custom phones built for them, so they don't see the need to waste money switching 3G technologies when they could be building out their 4G networks.
The Future is LTE
The CDMA vs. GSM gap will close eventually as everyone moves to 4G LTE, but that doesn't mean everyone's phones will be compatible.  LTE, or "Long Term Evolution," is the new globally accepted 4G wireless standard.  All of the U.S. carriers are turning it on.
The problem is, they're turning it on in different frequency bands, with different 3G backup systems, and even, in Clearwire's case, using an LTE variant (TD-LTE) that doesn't work with any other U.S. carrier's phones.
Furthermore, it's not like the 2G and 3G networks are going away any time soon. 
Carriers have told PC Technology they're leaving their UMTS (Universal Mobile Telecommunications System) and EVDO (Evolution Data Optimized) networks live until at least 2020.  
And do not expect America to enter a European-style paradise of interchangeable phones anytime soon.
What does this mean for you?  Unless you want to switch phones often (CDMA), or use our phones in Europe (GSM), or use imported phones from Europe (GSM), go with GSM.
Otherwise, pick our carrier based on coverage and call quality for your area or where you plan to travel frequently.
Simple right, with SmartPhones, SmartCarriers, SmartNetworking, which personally leaves me feeling bewildered over whelmed in making a decision, as there is cost involved, as with what Plan, Pre-paid, no more Contract...
And a little morknowledgeable than yesterday, as I am about to switch to another carrier.  

One more item "Apple iPhone 5, supports both these bands"
How is that for summing it up, any questions ? see me after class

Saturday, March 23, 2013

SMART Devices & Technology

Best New Device to Find Your Keys

Is this really a problem where did I put my keys, remote, wallet or dog ?

Usually opening food, the Dog finds you, same of the Cat.  Just what we need, more devices, batteries to charge...and if you forget your SmartPhone at home, what then ?

Do not forget to waterproof your Mobile Phone...as it may end up in the toilet when you need to find your Keys or need to call 911.

And if your Purse is stolen, misplaced, who do you call, The International Space Station (ISS) for a GPS fix.

To find your wallet, what about others tracking you and your devices, they now know where your wallet might be and get to it before you.

Like forgetting where your glasses are, on your head, oh my wallet, is in my back pocket.

I am starting to wonder if all this Smart stuff, makes you feel dumber, the early onset of Alzheimer or insinuates we would forget our head if not attached.

I guess besides SmartPhone, SmartGlasses, SmartWatch, why not Smart Washer & Dryer, Microwave, Dishwasher...why not SmartBook Marker, to find where you placed your book and the last page you were on.  There has been the Refrigerator with Computer built in, probably a toaster too.

SmartClothes so you know what family member borrowed your shirt, pants, blouse and where they are too.

We also need the SmartPen or Pencil with an eraser that has the chip, to find where we misplaced them.

I had and used the Digital Pen with special paper & software...problem, its easier to type on your Laptop, Notebook, Tablet, SmartPhone or voice record and convert to text.

New Technology - Engadget - a web magazine with obsessive daily coverage of everything new in gadgets and consumer electronics.

Most consumers may not pay $1,500 for Google Glasses

Apple iWatch vs. Nike vs. Samsung in a Race for the Wrist (aka SmartWatch)

And now with your Google Glasses on, SmartPhone in your pocket, Tablet/Phablet under your arm, your Wrist begins talking, an incoming Phone Call, You've Got Mail on your Tablet and your Google Glasses fall off.

I should of stayed home, as you can work from home, communicate with anyone in the world, know where they are and why not an App to know where everyone you know is at at any given time of day or night.

Maybe the SmartWatch should be used to Jam all other devices of others and there are Apps that can Clone your Phone, if you are not aware of/watched the TV show "Persons of Interest" 

Another idea for the SmartWatch, to stop a Taser/Stun Gun from firing.

Electronic Disruption - Electromagnetic Energy Wavelength Disruption and Manipulation

The user can disrupt electronic signals, performing such feats as causing cell phones and machinery to work erratically, or fail completely.  Disabling Loud Car Stereo Systems

Another thought of High Speed Car chases by Police and Helicopters...a Ray Gun that zaps the engine, or on-board computer and the vehicle is rendered useless.  No Need for the PIT maneuver, it could save lives.

DARPA Can Now Put Out Fires With Sound - (Defense Advanced Research Projects Agency)

And the really sad thing is that The heart, lungs, and other vital organs are controlled by very low voltage electric signals from the human brain.  It is possible to disrupt, catastrophically, these signals from a distance or up close and personal like with the Stun or Taser...other methods - PEP (Pulsed Energy Projectile), the LIP (Laser Induced Plasma) weapon and the Active Denial System (ADS) to induce pain, although the PEP has lethal capabilities.

Is this more humane or better than a bullet or explosive device - Electromagnetic (radiation) weapons - are a type of directed energy weapons which use electromagnetic radiation to deliver heat, mechanical, or electrical energy to a target to cause various, sometimes very subtle, effects. They can be used against humans, electronic equipment, and military targets generally, depending on the technology.


Friday, March 22, 2013

Why I Do Not Like Microsoft Support

Having used Computers for over 30, and Microsoft prior to DOS 5, Windows 3.0, that utilizing Support.Microsoft - Window Forums - and countless hours of resolving issues with Microsoft products, not to mention computers purchased with Microsoft installed, as Office Word/Excel/Access, FrontPage, Outlook, etc...Tech Support would be Free.

Plus today, I contacted Microsoft Support via Chat, provided my Product ID for Office and MS Support could not validate my product.  However, I have the ID, Product Key and have installed it several times when switching from one MS OS i.e. Win95, Win98, ME, XP Pro, Vista, & Win7.

And until a couple days ago, I never received this Error "Microsoft Visual Basic Compile Error in Hidden Module in all these years.  However, after reading the Forums, I am not alone on this specific issue.  My additional thoughts after the following Live Microsoft Answer Desk Chat Results 22 Mar 2013

Hi, thanks for visiting Answer Desk. I'm Rosherlyn V.

Rosherlyn V: 11:38:13 AM
   
Hi, How are you doing today?

ME: 11:38:50 AM
   
I have Product ID, which would not except 25811-OEM-0096947-01468 for Excel of Office 2000 (9.0.3821 SR-1) and I receive "ms visual basic compile error in hidden module" every time I open Excel

Rosherlyn V: 11:39:51 AM
   
I am more than happy to assist you and point you to the right direction.

ME: 11:39:55 AM
   
I have visited and read both support.microsoft.com/kb/312595 & support.microsoft.com/kb/307410 which neither works, nor does Microsoft Fix it 50303

I have ran Detect & Repair 3 times, nothing works, so my next option is to un-install Office 2000 and re-install which in all my years using, I have never encountered this issue.

Rosherlyn V: 11:41:14 AM
   
Allow me to validate the Product ID that you have provided.  Can you double check the Part ID please?

ME: 11:43:14 AM
   
I wrote Product ID per Excel's Help About....If I could send a screen capture via this chat, I would

Rosherlyn V: 11:43:50 AM
   
I see. Excel came pre-installed in this computer?

ME: 11:44:38 AM
   
No, I own Office 2000 and have for years and have used it on this computer for over a year

Rosherlyn V: 11:45:24 AM
   
Great. You you still have the installer and the product key for Office 2000 right?

ME: 11:46:03 AM
   
Yes, I have the whole enchilada. I have over 28 yrs experience using MS products and longer of computers before Windows

I can un-install and re-install even though when I got Office 2000, I was probably using Win98, then Vista and now Win7

Do you want the Product Key?

Rosherlyn V: 11:47:30 AM
   
Awesome!  It is overwhelming to chat with an Expert.  Yes, let me validate the Product Key.

Before we proceed, let me set your expectation that the Microsoft Answer Desk is actually a paid service. We offer technical assistance for a certain fee, but for the next few minutes I'll just ask some questions to determine if your problem can be handled by our paid support, or it's something really easy. Okay?

ME:11:48:17 AM
   
I am not an Expert, extremely experienced thank you...If I have to pay, no thanks....MS has enough of my money and time over the years, I feel I should not have to, since this issue is not of my doing

Rosherlyn V: 11:49:14 AM
   
Cool!

ME: 11:49:59 AM
   
So thank you for your time. I shall end this session and try un-installing and re-install the install

Rosherlyn V: 11:50:28 AM
   
Yes please try to uninstall and reinstall Office 2000.  You have my vote of confidence you will be able to reinstall Office 2000.

ME: 11:51:15 AM
   
That was my last resort, as I tried everything I could find at support.microsoft and
social.msdn.microsoft.com/Forums/

Rosherlyn V: 11:51:18 AM
   
Should you need further assistance, please feel free to reconnect with us anytime.

You: 11:51:42 AM
   
Usually it does no good...anyway Thanks

Rosherlyn V: 11:52:16 AM
   
Thank you for utilizing our support forums and online resources.  Please fully uninstall Office 2000 and reinstall it. It should work fine.

You: 11:52:56 AM
   
I would think as a long time buying customer of computers with MS installed I would get better Customer Service...it is not your fault

Rosherlyn V: 11:53:20 AM
   
Truly understand Sir.

You: 11:53:21 AM
   
Have a good day.

Rosherlyn V: 11:53:39 AM
   
Have a great day ahead

-=-=-=-==-=-=-=-=-

My Additional Thoughts

If I was Bill Gates, I could dial Tech-911 and have any issue fixed.  After Microsoft has been around for 30 years or so...you would think by now Microsoft would get it right.

And since I have used/purchased Computers with Microsoft Products as Office 95, 97 & 2000 more than once, and DOS 3-6.22, Windows 3.0, 3.11, 95, 98, ME, XP, Vista, Windows 7, that I would receive Tech Support for Life at no additional cost.

Another suggestion, would be since Microsoft Programmer's writing error messages into their Operating Systems, would assign the Error with KB Number i.e. Win7-KB27467 and provide a link in the Error Message pop-up Window, that provides click-able steps 1.2.3 to resolve the issue.

If Microsoft can Identify a Problem, why not Provide the Solution...Something happened to produce the Pop-Up Error Message in the first place.

Microsoft Staff/Tech's get paid, we pay their Salary...however if your Computer is down due to something wrong with their Operating System, or Software as Office, you lose productivity time or down time, and We Do Not Get Paid for our time searching for a Solution to a problem caused by Microsoft's programs, conflicting with another program, drivers, DLL's, or recent Microsoft OS Update Critical or Security related, Software Update etc.



Friday, March 8, 2013

Existential Cyber Attack

News Event - former Defense Secretary Leon Panetta warned of a cyber attack equivalent to Pearl Harbor, he appears to have understated the threat.

U.S. guns, missiles, and bombs may not fire, or may be directed against our own troops.

DoD and U.S. interest in counterfeit parts has resulted in the identification of
widespread introduction of counterfeit parts into DoD systems ... many systems use the same processors and those processors are typically built overseas in untrustworthy environments, the challenge to supply chain management in a cyber contested environment is significant.

So this is the result of outsourcing and the death of American manufacturing, which the problems get even worse — in simulations Defense Department offensive cyber teams can exploit most DoD systems using the lowest level exploits.

The Department of Defense is years away from catching up to the threat.
Recent discovery "Chinese" hackers of probing America's electrical grid serves as a reminder of a potential cyber attack that could far surpass the destructive impact of Stuxnet (a computer worm discovered in June 2010 that is believed to have been created by the United States and Israel to attack Iran's nuclear facilities).

A lack of diligence preparing America's critical infrastructure has made its grid especially vulnerable. A survey uncovered more than 500,000 potential targets. 

The amorphous hacktivist group Anonymous, has been publishing internal data of U.S. banks while prominent members are prosecuted on charges of stealing information and sharing links to stolen credit card information.

Information activist Asher Wolf, who has more than 200,000 Twitter followers via @AnonyOps and is living in exile by choice.  The hacker left the country for fear of being harshly prosecuted by the government for the radical advocacy of movements such as WikiLeaks and Occupy.

My Views/Comments:  How long can America hold on, with attacks from anywhere not visible, wearing a uniform, and using the weapon of choice "Computers & the Internet"  If not external attacks, what about from within our Own Government our Nations Deficit is America headed for financial ruin. 

How long can America hold out fighting attacks and constant expenditures to continue the War on Cyber Attacks, Foreign Soil, Guns & Drugs, Protect Visible Borders and keep out sourcing.

If Asher Wolf left, what about other American's, should we consider another Country to begin looking for work, to retire with lower Health Care Costs, is Our Own Government selling us Out ?  

Is it too late to turn this around as possibly Global Warming ?

$50 Million in Diamonds Stolen

on Belgium Runway - Professional robbers pull off heist in just 5 minutes at Brussels Airport armed with automatic weapons and dressed in police uniforms aboard two vehicles equipped with blue police lights. 

Eight hooded gangsters seized diamonds worth tens of millions of dollars from a passenger plane preparing to depart for Switzerland knew exactly when to strike — just 18 minutes before takeoff. 

       
My Views/Comments: If it was this easy, they could of taken an airplane too. Makes you wonder if this can happen in America, only not for the loot, but an Airline.   Its not the first time going back to 11 Sep 2001.

The past has held scary events in history, makes me wonder what is in the future or may be next ?



Wednesday, March 6, 2013

Dennis Rodman & Kim Jong Un BFF ?

News Event - Dennis Rodman Says Kim Jong Un Wants Obama to Call

After North Korea's third nuclear test, eliciting a renewed threat by Pyongyang on Tuesday to scrap an armistice that ended the 1950-53 Korean War. 

Other Headlines Around the world

South Korea Vows Retaliation If Pyongyang Makes Good On Military Threat

China's North Korea dilemma

China agrees to sanction North Korea, but how far will it go?

My Views/Comments:  When did Dennis Rodman begin working for either Foreign Affairs Committee of the House or Senate, is he a Diplomat or a Doormat.  Ambassador Rodman ?  

Is Dennis Rodman related to our U.S. Ambassador to the United Nations Susan Rice ?


I understand that Dennis Rodman is an American, son of Philander Rodman, Jr., an Air Force pilot, later a veteran of the Vietnam War after Rodman's birth...did Dennis serve in the Military,  surely not in Korea or Vietnam.


Was Dennis Rodman & Kim Jong Un close friends before the trip to N. Korea?   I bet the millions of starving North Koreans were hoping Dennis Rodman was part of a Humanitarian act bringing food.


Who decided to send Dennis Rodman, and then for Dennis to take a message to our President Obama, Kim Jong Un wants you to call him.  Why not use Facebook or Twitter.


Does Dennis Rodman have a decision in "significantly expanding" U.N. sanctions on North Korea for its third nuclear test.


Will Dennis Rodman be part of the 10,000 US Troops taking part in a defensive exercise "Foal Eagle" ?


Why not disband our US Government, use Dennis Rodman, Jersey Shores TV Cast, other Celebrities and Movie Stars to handle US Affairs abroad, I am sure Iraq, Egypt, Afghanistan, Syria, Libya, would love it. 


Why not use Donald Trump, America's most famous real-estate developer, socialite, author, and television personality...then Trump can quit whining about if President Obama has a legitimate birth certificate.


Maybe Donald Trump would say to Kim Jong Un, let me buy up N. Korea, I have great ideas for your real-estate.


Tuesday, March 5, 2013

Satellite's - Can they Read a Vehicles License Plate ?

Can satellites read a license plate on a vehicle or the headlines of the newspaper from space.  However, if  the license plate is facing upwards, the answer is possibly, given the resolution of the camera and atmosphere conditions that could hamper or distort the image


An imaging satellite is a large, space based optical telescope/camera, not unlike the Hubble Space Telescope.

The Satellite Image below is from Google Earth, taken 2 Jun 2011, Lag: 40.742159  Lon: -73.988079 of 2 Madison Ave. NYC you can see people on the lawn and walking path, click to enlarge, there is not that level of detail to see a person's face.

However, you cannot zoom in closer than shown.  And of the Google images taken at street level, Google uses advanced blurring algorithms to identify faces and blur just the faces (as well as license plates) in a photograph.  For Privacy Reasons.

As for Government purposes, it would be safe to say Yes that a Government/Space Agency and Military have the capability.  Especially if one was wanting to find a Terrorist Leader.

One high-resolution commercial earth observation satellite is QuickBird, owned by DigitalGlobe and launched in 2001.   QuickBird uses Ball Aerospace's Global Imaging System 2000 (BGIS 2000) that collects the 4th highest resolution commercial imagery of Earth.

At  60 centimeter resolution and multispectral imagery at 2.4- and 2.8-meter resolutions, detail such as buildings and other infrastructure are easily visible.  However, this resolution is insufficient for working with smaller objects such as a license plate on a car.  The imagery can be imported into remote sensing image processing software, as well as into GIS packages for analysis.  The imagery can also be used for mapping applications, such as Google Earth and Google Maps.

If you watch TV Shows such as CSI, NCIS, Person of Interest, etc...you will note some of the advanced technology used in apprehending a Suspect.  And you may feel that some of this Technology is far fetched.  That it is only in the minds of the shows creators & writers.

However, this could very well be, makes for exciting viewing & entertainment, lest remind viewers my age or older, that we may have mocked Buck Rogers in the 25th Century: An Interplanetary Battle with the Tiger Men of Mars or  Flash Gordon, featured in films starring Buster Crabbe: Flash Gordon (1936), Flash Gordon's Trip to Mars (1938), and Flash Gordon Conquers the Universe (1940) or mocked Space Ships or Space Travel....that became a reality.

On 4 Oct 1957, Space Travel began, and on 20 Jul 1969, Neil Armstrong and Edwin Aldrin Jr, made the 1st manned soft landing on the Moon, and the first moonwalk, Apollo 11.

And today, we are headed for Mars.

I like Google Earth, and it raised another question, before I researched the above information...where I live there is 4-6 months of Winter temperatures and Snow...with a large backyard, 2 dogs, somethings become buried and for long periods of time beneath the snow, and some items may lay on top of the snow visible from Space, so I thought.

I can make out my trailers, shed, gazebo, etc..and I thought how disgusting it would be...if those at the ISS (International Space Station) could see my backyard, as the snow is melting and exposing doggy land-mines.

Of course, I still wonder if the technology is there for a fact...to actually see something that small on Earth's surface from afar.

And my other thought is all of the Space Junk and Satellite's in Orbit, that could hamper Space Travel, and or fall to Earth, the impact that could have on our everyday living.

The amount of trash in Earth orbit, from spent rocket stages, broken satellites and micrometeoroids, is growing. Scientists are working on methods to combat the threat of space junk and orbital debris collisions.  

And lets take this to another level, Space Wars, as other Countries in their Quest for Space may turn the tides and attack our Satellites, disrupting TV programming, Communications, or worse if North Korea finally makes it to space.  China has bigger fears beyond population growth and economy woes in the near future. 

Monday, March 4, 2013

Success of China or is Doomsday on the Horizon ?



Real Concerns are China & North Korea, and what most may not know is that the Chinese Communist Party (CCP) has murdered one hundred million of its own people since 1949.

Never a mention of the attempted genocide by the cruel CCP, which is happening right now, of tens of millions of innocent Falun Gong practitioners by the use of torture, slavery, organ harvesting and murder.

No mention of the hundreds of slave and brainwashing camps all over Mainland China.

No mention of the fact that there are no human rights whatsoever in Red China.

And China is concerned if something should happen in North Korea as a catastrophe, a nuclear incident, or a movement of the North Korean people destabilizing North Korea, causing a flood of refugees into China.

China has no control over North Korea, however needs North Korea to be stable and keeping North Korea subservient is paramount.

On the same hand, China wants to protect North Korea so that America cannot easily re-unify North & South Korea.  This would give the United States a larger geopolitical footprint in China's realm of influence.

China's economy has become the second largest in the world, but its rapid growth has created the largest housing bubble in history.  Property Values in China have doubled, tripled and more.  The most populated nation in the world, with the average living on $2 a day.

Chinese in the Middle Class have suck every last penny into buying property, creating a building frenzy, no nation has ever built so much, so fast in history.
 
China is building giant cities 12-24 every year with no one living in them, the Chinese Government is spending 2 trillion to keep the economy going, with the assumption if you build it, they will come.

And they are tearing down cities to build bigger cities to hold millions of people, however no one lives there, nor can they afford the new dwellings, and this development frenzy is displacing 10's of million villagers.  Where will they live.

One Chinese builder has a 53 billion empire and stands to lose everything.

Billionaire Real Estate Developer Zhang Xin, went from working in a sweatshop of 5 yrs, being educated in England, returning to China, marrying and living the American Dream...only in China.  Zhang Xin is Co-Founder of Soho China, Beijing's largest property developer, with her husband Pan Shiyi.  China has more self made Billionaires than any other country.

Doomsday is inevitable, as one Taxi Driver in China, having worked 15 years away from his family sends 90% of his wages home, invested to own 4 apartments for his children's future, will wake up one day to having lost his entire life savings. 

As many Chinese will after 3 generations investing in Real Estate they cannot afford to live in what has been built.  Many buildings and cities remain vacant.  Cities mimicking other parts of the world as America or England in design and appearance.

China wants Democracy, as America has



Friday, March 1, 2013

Remember when the Telephone was Simple ?


Just crank the handle and speak to Ernestine (Lily Tomlin) the Operator, or rotate the dial, or push button, answering machines, hands free, then came mobile phones.

Although most phones are no longer rotary dial, and we are getting away from the push button wired & cordless phones...there is the Wireless & Digital Age and we pay more for phone service, because now there is Messaging & Media, texting, digital photos, music, video, web...upload & download speeds, 3G, 4G, Battery Life, 21 Hours of Talk Time, Stand-By Time (the maximum length of time a wireless phone is fully charged, turned on and ready to send and receive calls or data transmissions)

and there are Data Plans, 1GB, 2GB 5GB, 10GB, 20GB of data, Shared Plans, Build Your Own Shared SmartPhone Plan, Contracts, Prepaid, No annual contract, Pick from monthly, daily, minute or Pay as You Go data plans.

Voice2Text, Connect 5, Share Everything Plan, Unlimited Messaging or Unlimited Text and a single pool of shareable data to power up to 10 devices

Phones to Buy or for Free, Certified Pre-Owned, Trade-in Programs, SmartPhone or a Dumb Phone (Basic), iPhone, with the Customer Sales Service Person asking you...what fits your needs, or what phone & plan did you have in mind, and the costs for that phone did you want to spend $0.01-$49.99, $50-$99.99, $100-$149.99, $150-$199.99, or $200+

and if it was not enough deciding on a car, truck or clothes to wear, its which phone to get, Apple, BlackBerry, Droid, DroidDoes, HTC, iPad, iPhone, Kyocera, LG, Motorola, Samsung, Sonim, Sony or the I do not know yet Phone.

Which Features do you want, how long is the Battery Life, cost of replacement batteries, battery chargers, car charger, solar charger, Blue Tooth, accessories color, case, gorilla glass, water resistant or water proof, insurance plans, theft, I dropped it and the car ran over it, my dog ate it.

And the Service Carriers Offer Classes or more professional sounding "Wireless Workshops", or you can Earn Referral Rewards, Get an employee discount, Earn up to $300 for your old phone, etc.

Have you made up your mind yet...if not which Carrier should I go with...AT&T, Boost Mobile, Cingular, Cricket, MetroPCS, nTelos, Pure TalkUSA, Sprint, Straight Talk,T-Mobile, TracFone, U.S. Cellular, Verizon, Virgin Mobile, WalMart and what about Making Sense of SmartPhone Plans.

Finally you have a Phone, wait the battery goes dead, or The New Faster Improved, Faster Service, Larger Viewing Screen, the Phablet is Here.

As one Verizon Service & Sales Rep told me once, do not think of your SmartPhone as a Computer, this was my first SmartPhone and works just like my Computer, having used computers for over 25 years.

And so today, rabbit ears are out, digital is in, should I use/go with Cable, Satellite, DSL, Wireless...and we pay for Comcast xFinity for TV & Internet service which totals for the basic about $95 a month, Verizon $140-$165 a month or up to $3000 a year.

And to have 2 SmartPhone's you have to purchase the $30 a month media package = $60 a month of our bill

Would You Like to Say Goodbye to Your Postal Mail All Together?

News Event - A new service called Outbox promises to come to your house, collect your physical mail, and scan it so you can read it Online via computer, iPad or Smartphone. Clever, but worth paying for?

The start-up already has over 600 customers in Austin, Texas and is now testing the service in San Francisco, with hopes of a much larger geographic expansion in the future. The Outbox subscription fee is $5 a month.

Outbox’s “unpostmen” will collect mail from a P.O. Box, but amazingly they’ll also come to your physical address and remove mail from your mail box, or if you have a door or garage slot, they provide a special box they can access.

That mail is delivered to a secure warehouse where the physical paper is digitized and then sent to your email inbox. Once scans of physical mail start arriving in your email inbox, you can flag items as junk mail and tell Outbox you don’t want to receive mail from that sender again. Outbox will also alert you to new items they think qualify as junk. The site’s marketing explanation says “think of Outbox as a mail filter: we'll deliver only the mail items you want or need.”

My Views/Comments:  No thank you...I can recognize junk mail, do not open and I shred...recycle...same of electronic Junk/Spam mail or Phishing Scams, hit delete.

And if someone scans my personal mail, then they know more about me in this Identity Theft Age, and whose to say they do not read it...now this service would be Great for Inmates in Jail or Prison.  Pre-screened mail, contraband, drugs, would be virtually eliminated.

If I am to get a refund check, I do not want someone else getting it, not to mention leaving it up to them to decide which mail I get...and they would need a key to my mailbox...plus do I trust the service to inform me, as they have pretty much all of my personal information if I subscribed to their service, and if I forward my mail to a service, I have no control, and if I move or something should happen to this Service Company, what then. 

And as it is now in this economy & digital world of OUT SOURCING my mail too, to India, China or Parts unknown.  NO NO NO NO...we are already tracked, photographed, ease dropped onto personal information as it is now.

What I really want to know, if I travel to Mars, will I still have WiFi and get my mail too?

Upgrade Your Life - with Becky Worley