Will the Democrats push for nationalizing the corporations?
COVID
Now They Tell Us
I took Ivermectin and HCQ when I got COVID. It sure didn’t hurt. It may have helped, I don’t know. It’s hard to tell when there is an illness with a 99% survival rate.
Account and INFO Security
Security Flaw
Intel chips are a security flaw that exposes passwords and chances are you have exposed your passwords through a server, bank, or other computer.
Update: Intel’s security issue was also found on AMD’s Inception, where a newfound security hole affects all Ryzen and Epyc processors. See the linked article for the most up to date details. This looks huge. It’s a guarantee that every person reading this is somehow affected. It’s a hardware level problem, so there is no real fix.
Me
How it’s going, part 2
My bill came in this morning after I posted about being happy with streaming. I disconnected television service and returned their equipment on July 20. I still got billed for the full $220 as if i had television and was renting all of their cable boxes. I try to go online, and I get stuck in a chat with an automated system that won’t do anything but show you the (incorrect) bill and ask if you want to make a payment.
So I tried to call. Now I know why people snap. There is no way to escape the phone tree, because it texts you a link to the automated system and then hangs up on you. The only way to get through to an agent is to sit there and refuse to respond to any prompts. If you respond in any way, the system sends you a text link to the automated tree. Once there, you are back in the loop where it shows you your incorrect bill and asks how you would like to pay.
So I sat there and refused to answer by voice or push 1 for an agent, until the system put me on hold for an agent. I sat there on hold for 9 minutes before getting an actual person. That guy gave me a song and a dance about how it takes time for the computer to update.
I called to cut the television services on July 10. I made them effective July 20. I returned all of their equipment on July 20. I have a receipt. They just billed me for services from July 21-August 20 in the amount of $222. They are telling me that the system takes time to update and that my bill is really only $87.
It’s quite frustrating. However, the only options in this area are DSL or this one. DSL here isn’t fast enough and has data limits that are too low for streaming. I swear, it’s harder to get out of CATV service than it is to leave a timeshare sales pitch.
So I will wait to see what they charge my credit card. If it is a penny more than $87, I will send a certified letter to their offices, demanding an adjustment. Following that will be a complaint to the state regulatory agencies, and possibly a lawsuit in small claims court.
That’s why I keep copies of receipts and correspondence. When I move, there will be a different internet provider.
Me
How It’s Going
Cord cutting is going well. It’s been several weeks, and we haven’t missed CATV at all. Our first night without cable TV, we watched a movie: Where the Crawdads Sing. Great movie. We are saving more than $100 a month by not having TV.
economics
Shrinkflation
Another example of how inflation is getting us in ways we hardly notice. Just a year ago, Hostess Ding Dongs came 12 snack cakes to a box of 17 ounces, making them about 1.4 ounces per snack cake:
Now those same cakes are 10 to a box of 12.7 ounces, making each cake 1.27 ounces. The cakes are smaller, there are fewer of them, and now you pay more to get 25% less.
Crime
Not Smart
There are still people out there who are trying to turn Craig Robertson into a martyr. Let’s look at what got him a visit from the FBI. First, there was the threats:
This isn’t a direct threat, and probably won’t trigger an FBI visit. However, when it gets to this point:
Note how specific those were. Threatening to kill people, especially the President, will generally get you a visit from the Feds. This goes beyond protected speech. He said both how, when, and where. Kind of stupid, to be honest.
We know that he had been visited before:
So you have a guy that is issuing specific threats to kill the President this week in Utah. He has threatened multiple officials in the past, and you have gone to talk to him about it. Instead of cooling it a bit, he doubles down, and this time says if the FBI comes back, he is going to shoot at them.
So with the President coming to Utah, they decide to pay him a visit. Only this time, instead of a friendly chat, they decide to come by with a warrant and some felony charges. How would you go there, if you were in their shoes?
Look, in this case, you play stupid games, you win stupid prizes. FAFO, however you want to put it. If you are going to issue specific threats to kill someone, you gotta expect them to take it seriously. That’s a crime, and this is entirely Mr Robertson’s fault for being a loudmouthed dumbass.
This isn’t Waco, it isn’t an FBI overreaction, and it isn’t anyone in the Feebs sending a message. It’s not protected speech. This guy isn’t Ashley Babbitt. This is a loudmouthed idiot who couldn’t stop his mouth from writing checks that his ass wasn’t ready to cash. I’m just not going to make this guy into a martyr.