As you may know, I was struck twice by cars this summer in Chicago. Then, several weeks later, in New York’s Williamsburg neighborhood, 2 chunks of rock (or plaster) fell from a worn-out building to the sidewalk, two paces ahead of me. It was quite a shock. It took a moment for me to realize what happened and what was avoided. Since that late August day, I have not been hit by anything else. I have healed from the car accident injuries (no thanks to ATT) and am grateful to be healthy.
On September 4th I tweeted this:
“Downloaded MSFT security essentials. It says Chrome is a risk”
This was my first Tweet to be Favorited (and by top tier comedian @JimCoughlin nonetheless) so I remember it…
On September 28th, Essentials did indeed begin flagging Chrome as unsafe, and removing it from PCs! Read about it in Wired.
Background:
It was a simple joke, based on MSFT’s history of abuse of Windows power. Security Essentials is a highly recommended FREE program for protecting your PC (it happens to make redundant Norton and McAfee’s offerings*).
With the power to remove viruses and malware, it was easy to see how MSFT might “define dangerous down” to include software from competitors like Google, which makes the Chrome browser. Remember, MSFT set out to destroy Netscape Navigator back in the 90s, which is why to this day it has to recommend alternatives to Internet Explorer for European PC users.
But my Tweet was just a bad joke. I didn’t think MSFT would purposely remove competition. Nor do I think it acted in bad faith with Security Essentials. There was a basis for mistaking Chrome for malware… and the corrections have been made on both sides.
* more irony: MSFT destroyed Navigator by giving away IE. Now MSFT is giving away Security Essentials, putting Norton Anti-Virus in peril.. but the government could care . less.
Yesterday the Martin Luther King Memorial was unveiled on the National Mall in Washington, D.C. Back in April, I visited the location of Dr. King’s shooting: the hotels that now comprise the National Civil Rights Museum. This 20-year old Memphis, TN museum is a very informative place of history. It provides a narrative of the history of blacks in America, with emphasis on the 20th century’s struggle and progress, giving you a context of where Dr. King fit in.
Among the key points in the timeline is the Lunch Counter protests. Department stores in the 50s, such as Woolworths, allowed blacks to shop but not eat at the popular lunch counters. Many brave people put their necks on the line at these and other “sit-ins,” outlasting the abuse of local jerks who were the spiritual peers to Biff and other bullys.
You’ll also learn about another key road in the struggle: education. There’s much video and text about Brown v. Board of Education, including video of President Eisenhower addressing the nation about his decision to send in the Army to enforce desegregation in Little Rock. It was the culmination of a drawn-out back and forth with the governor of Arkansas, who thumbed his nose at the law. He learned that you don’t screw with Ike. Eisenhower led the victory over the Germans in WWII; he had no trouble overpowering an American whose beliefs were too in-step with the Nazis. Other important figures were the black students who enrolled at Southern universities such as U. of Mississippi. You’ll learn about their struggle, how the Kennedy justice department assisted the fight against segregation.. and how it played out.
All this culminates in a series of exhibits about King and his mission.
Across the street is the former hotel from which the gunman killed King. Much work has been done to cleanse this unholy place into a bright academic atmosphere where you can learn about the movements of James Earl Ray, the investigation, and his capture.
Here are some photos from the morning I spent at the museum.
It just happened to be the day before the anniversary of the shooting. Thus, there was a memorial, in attendance were people who had been close to King, and other dignitaries.
Parked outside of the museum is the Cadillac and another car that had been in the King fleet the day he was shot. I got emotional.
Art conveys beauty and hope in a place which housed an enemy of both (J.E. Ray)
Inside the National Civil Rights Museum. The words of a former slave:
“Free at last, free at last…”
The new memorial on the Mall looks strong. I will visit someday. I recommend you also visit Memphis for the civil rights museum and other attractions (which I’ll describe in another post).
How do you prepare for your first-ever “tag” sale (yard sale, gate sale, garage sale etc..)?
By scanning more sketches and posting about it!
Hopefully I sell some merch.
And here’s one from the last show at Lakeshore Theater.
“Ritter” owner of Lakeshore Theater.
This post is part of a collection “Interesting Things I Have Done.”
When I moved to Los Angeles I often would hang with my high school chum Grant, who lived in West Hollywood and was familiar with the attractions on Sunset. One night I went with him to several spots around about House of Blues. I’m attracted to red-lighted interiors, so I insisted on staying at this unnamed place despite it being un-lively. While sipping our second beer Grant informed me that sitting behind us was rapper and hit record producer Dr. Dre. I looked. I didn’t believe it was him because he looked smaller—and approachable. He was with a lovely date, so I didn’t interrupt him. Also, there were a few bodyguards: one behind him, and one against each wall.
An hour later, Dre started to leave, and I realized I would have to seize the chance as he walked past Grant and I. The bodyguards preceded him out the door, so I had a direct line of communication to the strutting mogul. “Mr. Dre! Mr. Dre! One quick question!” He poked his head back inside. “I just have a question about making records.” A bodyguard suggested to him that he resume exiting, but he said “it’s okay.” Suddenly, he was standing right next to me. “Okay. Shoot.”
(A note on how I addressed him: I did not mean to disrespect him by addressing him as “Mister” – and ignoring his doctorate. No, on the contrary, I was trying to be respectful. In my mind, his last name was ‘Dre’ and my rule at that time for acknowledging seniority was to precede a surname with ‘Mister.’ It’s a good example of a faulty rule.)