Writing
- The only copy of a wedding video
- A master's thesis
- Twelve years of lesson plans by a middle school teacher
- Multiple instances of people's photo libraries
Civic Duties
In North Carolina, where I live, early voted started this week. On the first day, we set a record for voter turnout. Even in the western portions of the state where a recent hurricane destroyed roads and where many people still don't have power, the number of people who turned out exceeded the numbers from four years ago when conditions were not impeded. Wonder Woman and I always try to vote early, partly to get it out of the way and partly out of excitement.
This year we went to a recreation center located about three miles from our house. My kids went to dances there when they were in school, and I have taken my grandchildren there many times to play on the playground. Today I went to defend democracy from the fascists trying to take over my country. Donald Trump recently called people like me "radical left lunatics" and said we are "the enemy within."
We were met by campaign volunteers from various candidates, who are allowed to approach voters as long as they stay 50 feet or more from the front doors. I gratefully accepted a voter guide from a guy who had a list of all the Democratic candidates and offered polite "no, thank yous" to everyone else who wanted to hand me literature. I usually try to research all the obscure races ahead of time, but I was glad to have the guide nonetheless. We used to be able to do straight party voting here, but the Republicans eliminated it because they thought it would help them.
Most of the people in line were younger and there were lots of POC. One dumb ass showed up in full Trump rally regalia and people were staring daggers at him. I wanted to catch his eye and mouth "I'm canceling your vote" but he kept staring at the floor, too embarrassed, I hope to feel like he could hold his head up amongst his perceived enemies. In my mind, whenever I am in line to vote, the happy people are always Democrats and the sour pusses are Republicans. Unfortunately, 60% of white men are probably going to vote for Trump, citing many different reasons but the primary one, I am convinced is to perpetuate white supremacy. Yeah, screw that. Not this white guy.
We had one extremely stupid constitutional amendment to vote on, one that would make excluding everyone under the age of 18 who isn't a US citizen from voting. If you thought there was already a law in place that did that, you would be right, but you underestimate the idiocy of the Republican Party who wants to plant the idea in their pitiful voter's heads that the Democrats are getting ready to allow children and illegal immigrants to cancel Bubba's vote. These people are pitiful.
I will be glad when the election is settled. I expect there to be all kinds of controversy and dirty tricks from the other side. Another insurrection is certainly a possibility. They are losers but they don't lose gracefully.
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For the Sake of All that is Holy - Back Up Your Computer
In my 30 years in the IT business, I have been approached by people with tears in their eyes many times, always because of lost data. The things I have been asked to restore include:
I have been successful in a few cases and I've struck out in others. I preach backing up your stuff to everyone I care about. In this day and age, doing so is relatively easy and straight forward.
If you have a Mac, you should be using Time Machine, even if you have a laptop. All you need is a cheap external drive. Everything else is built in to you computer.
Back up your Mac with Time Machine - Apple Support
If you have a PC, you can back up your data and settings to the cloud (but not your whole hard drive) with built in tools.
Back up your Windows PC - Microsoft Support
To back up your entire hard drive, you need a third party tool. Here are some options.
Best Windows backup software 2024: Free and paid options reviewed | PCWorld
Everyone should use some sort of cloud solution like One Drive, iCloud, Google Drive or Dropbox to back up anything that wouldn't want to lose if their house burnt down. If you don't know how to sign up for these solutions, all of which have a free tier, get some help or pay some one. It's that important. I have been able to keep track oof some of my files since the 1990s, through multiple computers, jobs and houses. Don't lose your important information or memories because you didn't back them up properly.
(Note - if you aren't 100% sure that your photos on your phone are backed up, get someone you trust to verify it for you.)
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Shooting Down Stereotypes
I'm not going to pretend that I don't make assumptions about people from time to time because, as much as I try not to, I fall into the trap occasionally. I'm glad that, for the most part, plenty of other people and I seem to be less inclined to do it these days. We are learning not to assume that when someone is married, it's necessarily to someone of the opposite sex. We aren't as surprised when we find out that our friend's new love interest is from a different race. I love meeting someone who is into technology as much as I am who doesn't play video games, so I don't feel like such an outsider.
At the university where I work, the Dean of the College of Arts, Humanities & Sciences, who is a Professor of Religion & Philosophy, is covered in tattoos. The university chief of staff, a diminutive ex-banker, swears like a sailor. The football coach, who looks for all the world like a defensive tackle, turns out to have been a record-setting quarterback in college. The best network engineer I ever worked with talks with an accent that would fit right in "The Dukes of Hazzard" or "Hee-Haw."
People from other regions of the country (or the world) can easily have stereotypes of those of us from the South here in the US. That stereotype is that we are conservative, a little (or a lot) racist, old-fashioned, and uneducated. I always feel that I need to establish my progressive bona fides quickly, especially if someone knows I'm also a veteran or that I worked in manufacturing. I have to do that for my fellow Southerners too, just to keep the ones who actually are conservative racists from trying to include me in their conversations. I am not the type to ever hide a single facet of my personality or beliefs from anyone. I want people to know exactly who and what they are dealing with.
It seems to be a driving force within conservatism to work towards putting people back into stereotypical roles. Organizations that have used DEI (diversity, equity, and inclusion) are routinely attacked by Republicans, who paint the whole idea as a disturbance to the natural order of the world. They want women and people of color to stay in their traditional places. They make no secret of their disdain for same-sex marriage. When they try to practice inclusion, they use unqualified bootlickers like Herschel Walker or Mark Robinson or someone with the flawed party loyalty of Nikki Haley.
Learning how to escape thinking in stereotypes can be a lifelong process. Some people seem to naturally escape those kinds of attitudes, while others, like me, have had to be deprogrammed throughout our lives. I'm sure I have a long way to go, but I'm happy with how far I have come. Being open-minded is the goal.
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I made the weekly update to my /now page - Joan Westernberg, Bad Monkey, cheap but good earbuds, lots of blog posts, some links I added to my personal collection
π Procrastinator’s Anonymous - My favorite time to do anything is “not right now.” - louplummer.lol/procrasti…
My Letter to a Homophobic Friend
I'm a digital pack rat who enjoys browsing through decades-old emails and blog posts from the 90s when I was on GeoCities. I recently found a letter I wrote to a homophobic friend in 1997, where I tried to disabuse him of some backward notions and challenge some of his beliefs. I won't reprint the whole thing because parts of it are cringeworthy, and I use language in it that wouldn't fly today. However, I am glad to see that most of what I believed 27 years ago, I still believe today.
My friend was unhappy that the use of the word "homophobia" was becoming common. He said no one was afraid of gay people and that there was no fear involved. My response dipped into armchair psychology mode, but in hindsight, I still see it as a valid argument.
There is a fear of homosexuals in our society. I believe almost everyone has, at some point, either had some sort of homosexual experience (rarely) or had a homosexual fantasy (commonly). This act or thought provokes such shame and guilt in some people, usually men, that a strong aversion occursβone that is so psychologically entwined with self-identity that an overemphasis occurs in denying or rejecting the act or thought. We all know men who are so insecure they can't carry their wife's purse for her, buy her tampons, or admit that Tom Cruise is handsome. Why? Because someone might think they are gay, and since they once had a homosexual fantasy, they might be gay. So they better tell some [gay] jokes, buy themselves a four-wheel-drive pickup, a shotgun, and a Pit Bull, and put that rumor to rest right now.
His other complaint was that the "homosexual agenda" was being pushed and promoted. I think the people doing the promotion were "the liberals" and "the media." This was during the Clinton administration, when the culture wars were just getting started, but the flames of it were already burning brightly.
Since I live in North Carolina, prime Bible Belt country, I don't get to see this homosexual promotion everyone is talking about. In fact, I see the opposite. People may not use the N-word much anymore, but calling someone the other F-word happens all the time. Some of the gay people I know are ridiculed, shunned, and ostracized. I've never known a gay recruiter sent by the National Gay Headquarters to a lonely post in my town to convert school children to the cause. I do know my company doesn't fire openly gay employees as it did ten years ago, but I also know people who don't feel sorry for AIDS victims. Logic tells me that no one chooses to be gay any more than you choose to be straight. Who would pick a lifestyle that offers the possibility of harassment, discrimination, the loss of family ties, and the small chance of ever being a parent?
Thankfully, some of my arguments seem simplistic today. Maybe they are even regarded as common sense. As a straight guy with the privilege that entails, I have the luxury of only thinking about the subject when I feel like it or when I see some backward behavior. Unfortunately, the right wing has chosen to ramp up its attacks with things like banning books about LGBT issues and making Tim Walz's sponsorship of the Gay/Straight Alliance at the high school where he taught into an issue.
Since I wrote that letter, some positive things have happened in American society. Same-sex marriage was legalized, and lots of people now know same-sex couples. Contrary to the fearmongering by conservatives, none of us straight folks had to get divorced, nor is it now legal to marry your pet. You can also be gay and out in the military without jeopardizing your career. Last time I checked, the US wasn't threatened by another country due to the weak state of the Army and Marines. I'm glad both of those things have happened, and I hope that an inevitable future conservative win in an election doesn't undermine them.
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π Doing the Best We Can - For once, pop psychology gets it right. We are doing the best we can do with what we have to work with. - louplummer.lol/doing-the…
Doing the Best We Can
One piece of pop psychology that actually seems to be true is the premise that at any given time we are all doing the best we can. Football coaches and motivational speakers may beg to differ, but they have a vested interest in making people think that they can always just try harder to achieve success by whatever definition is popular that day. I don't buy it. I believe that people want to succeed. They want to be good parents, good employees, good spouses. Hell, they just want to be good. In the real world though we are faced with all kinds of mundane challenges, from differing energy levels, differing states of mental clarity and motivational levels that rise and fall on a sea of different inputs.
I'm not advocating using this sentiment as a cop out for slacking. I'm advocating it as an explanation for the human condition. There are healthy methods of self-criticism, and then there are unhealthy feelings of low self-worth or guilt that serves no purpose. A certain amount of staring at one's own belly button is OK, but excessive bouts of obsessing over previous life choices is a self-centered exercise that serves little purpose. Learning how to be easy on yourself is the first step in extending that same level of acceptance to those you feel have let you down in life, whether it be your parents, former bosses or the bully in third grade.
I started my parenting journey as an 18-year-old living in a trailer park making $4.25 an hour, riding a Sears bicycle to work. By the time my oldest left to join the Navy, I owned a home, a couple of cars and had a state job from which I retired. Today that kid (now 41) manages a team of 600 people, talks to me all the time and has a life that would make plenty of people envious. He turned out just fine. I made plenty of mistakes with my kids. I don't say that lightly at all. Of course, I wish I'd been better in the Dad game, but I know longer wallow in any kind of guilt. My love for them never wavered, and that is what's important.
As a four times married recovering alcoholic with bipolar disorder, you better believed that I have regrets. I just don't have self-loathing. Life can be incredibly hard for the best equipped among us. Throw in a few handicaps and we all become miracles very quickly.
Everyone has a story. Everyone has things in their life other people don't know about. You can't tell who is recovering from a family death, who suffers from chronic pain, or who is desperately searching for an antidepressant that actually works. Some people make a big deal about not being judgmental, but I don't buy it. Being judgmental is a survival skill. I make judgments all the time, but I try not to do it in a way that lets other people live rent-free in my head. In my line of work, I deal with people who don't like or understand technology. Some get frustrated easily and act out when their computer doesn't do what they want it to. I don't like being treated rudely, who does, but I understand where they are coming from. I just file them in the appropriate mental category and I move on, or at least I try.
I don't pretend to love every one. I can't use "they're doing the best they can" to solve all my issues with the world. It doesn't help me understand or forgive Trump supporters, uncaring bosses or various flavors of mean people, but it definitely helps me deal with the people I care about.
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Bump Up Your Meme Game
Bump Up Your Meme Game - A good meme says a lot. Here are some famous ones to study and a website to make your own. - linkage.lol/bump-up-y…
π Blogs Are Not Commodities - The blogs I like are building blocks of something beautiful and heartfelt, not optimized, market driven revenue generators - louplummer.lol/blogs-are…
Today on App Addict - Gladys - Free Shelf Utility that Syncs With iOS - I recently discovered Gladys, a free app that allows you to stash a variety of data types an a shelf on your computer display to retrieve later or to access from another computer or iOS device. I quickly tested: β’ A dragged image from a web page β’ Pasted text… - apps.louplummer.lol/post/glad… #Mac Apps π
Cardinals at the Window - A Benefit Album for Western North Carolina
Cardinals at the Window - A Benefit Album for Western North Carolina - An album featuring 136 artists costing only $10 is available with the proceeds benefitting hurricane victims in Western, NC. - linkage.lol/cardinals…
π Quit Being Paranoid - Being cautious is a survival skill. Being paranoid is just an annoying personality trait. - louplummer.lol/quit-bein…
Quit Being Paranoid
Being appropriately cautious is a survival skill. We have evolved to do things like sniff food before we eat it to make sure it isn't spoiled and to keep our guard up around strangers. A lot of human behavior is understandable in that context. I wouldn't consider myself reckless in any way. I drive cautiously enough. I haven't been in any kind of physical confrontation in decades.
Certain cautious behavior is gender based and makes perfect sense. Like most men, I don't think about being the victim of sexual assault. Most people have individualized reasons for their comfort with risk. I get it.
Having said all that, I'm still not cool with paranoia. There is a certain amount of risk inherent in being a functional adult and no one gets to escape from all of it. When I see a person who is so risk averse that they deprive themselves, or worse, they deprive others, it drives me nuts. I like computers and software. It's kind of my thing. I see many, many people who act terrified to install or use all kinds of software out of unfounded or unspecified fears. I'm not just talking about technologically ignorant people either. There are people in my industry who think that there is something or someone nefarious behind every new app. There are ways to investigate these issues and ways to mitigate risk. Quit being paranoid!
In jobs I have had, I trust that my bosses have enough faith in me to make professional decisions when a new situation arises. It's a judgment call, of course. There are times when one needs to seek guidance. Most of the time, however, I have no problem making a call and moving forward to get a job done. If my decisions are questioned, I feel fairly confident that I can defend them. I am sure you have encountered people though who get paralyzed if they are faced with the unknown. They come to a dead stop and act as if they just know they will "get in trouble" if they do anything without running it by the boss first. I want to grab these people by the neck and shake them. Quit being paranoid you sorry excuse for an adult. Quit trying to evade all responsibility. Grow a pair.
Then there are the people who are sure that the mysterious "they" are out there thwarting progress and holding back the common man. The people who blame "them" without ever trying to get to the bottom of who "they" might be are another category I'm pretty derisive about. There is no doubt that giant corporations do not have society's best interest at heart. Capitalism is not structured that way. Rather than railing against the unknown, however, learn to name and shame the people and organizations behind your oppression. Let that knowledge influence how you vote and where you spend your money. We have limited power as individuals, but we do have some, plus we have the power to organize and to take collective action. That's how slavery was ended, how women got the vote, how child labor was outlawed and how every labor protection in existence came into being. Quit being paranoid. Do something!
If anything about this offends you, I do not apologize. Quit being paranoid!
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Today on App Addict - Mac Pilot for Customization and Utilities - Mac Pilot, a customization and utility app from Koingo Software is currently $3.00 on BundleHunt. There are similar apps like Onyx and Tinker Tool out there that are free, but for the price I thought I’d take a look. Applications Mac Pilot contains settings for several system apps. Here are… - apps.louplummer.lol/post/mac-… #Mac Apps π
Can I Trust This App
Can I Trust This App - Learning how to determine whether software is trustworthy is a 21st century survival skill. - linkage.lol/can-i-tru…
π What Is Your Love Language? - In what way do you like to be shown you are loved? - louplummer.lol/what-is-y…
Today on App Addict - Switch Glass - A Configurable Application Switcher with Per Display Settings - If you are one of those Mac users frustrated by the fact that the default dock is only visible on a single display, or you don’t like the way it deals with hidden windows, or maybe you wish you could hide certain apps, you might want to try Switch Glass,… - apps.louplummer.lol/post/swit… #Mac Apps π
Death Row Last Meals
Death Row Last Meals - The last meals of convicted criminals have long fascinated us. What would you ask for? - linkage.lol/death-row…
John Wayne Gacy’s Last Meal
π Adventures in Grandparenting - A weekend with the grandkids and Tae Kwon Do, a football game, piano practice, a corn maze, a music store, AYCE French fries and a movie. Is that all? - louplummer.lol/adventure…