Technology-Help or Hinderance?

1st interview, my grandmother


What was the most sophisticated piece of technology in your house when you were young?
Probably the wireless radio, the AWA.
What do you thinkof the internet in general?
Its a pretty good thing I guess, theres a bit of a bad side of it though. All these chat rooms where creeps try to talk up kids and all that, it can be pretty dangerous. It gets used for the wrong reasons sometimes.
What do you think of social networking?
Same sorta thing I guess. It can be good for talking to friends and keeping up with them but it also gets abused.
Do you think it would have some kind of impact on kids' social skills?
Yeah, I'd say so. Its no good talking to people like that, you should talk to people in real life, not over the internet.
What did you think the first time you saw a computer?
I thought it was amazing! I thought it was incredible that something like that could be made. I never thought I'd live to see it.
Did you think the same of mobile phones?
Yeah, never thought I'd ever see one.
Considering the age we live in, do you think that all young people should know a fair bit about computers?
Yeah, they should. You're growing up with them and all that and they're used a lot too.
Do you think that technology is a help or a hinderance?
Both I'd say. It depends on what technology you're talking about and how its being used.

2nd interview, my friend Patrick.

What do you think is the most sophisticated piece of technology in your house?
Dunno, probably the computer or the TV. Yeah, I'd go with the computer, thats probably about as technology gets in the average household.
What do you think of the internet in general?
Its kinda weird that something like that even exists when you think about it. But it is pretty cool, it can be pretty dodgy sometimes too though.
What do you think of social networking?
Its pretty awesome, you can't spend too much time on it though. You've gotta spend some time in the real world.
Do you think it impacts kids' social skills?
Yeah definitely. You have to talk to people face-to-face.
When did you get your first computer? In the house I mean.
Probably when I was about 8 or 9.
When did you get your first mobile phone?
When I was 13, it was pretty awesome.
Considering the age we live in, do you think all young people should know a fair amount about computers?
Yeah I'd say so. They're a pretty big part of life nowadays.
Do you think technology is a help or a hinderance?
A bit of both, depends on what technology and how its being applied and where and why. If its going to lose people their jobs its definitely a hinderance.

NATO Urges US to Make Progress Faster

After nine years and a decline in public support, US military commanders are under mounting political pressure to show that progress is being made in Afghanistan.

Secretary of Defense Robert Gates has said that it takes time and that these things can't be rushed and that after the fall of the Taliban in 2001, the war in Afghanistan had been neglected. He claimed that "this endeavour began in full, and reasonably resourced only a few months ago."

General Stanley McChrystal in particular has been under pressure. He has stated that certain "projects" in Afghanistan such as Kandahar will move at a slower pace than initially planned.

NATO has stated that after nine years, better "results" should be evident.

The Art of Pick Up Lines

Most do not know this, but creating the perfect seductive prowess is a freakin' art. It is a far greater challenge than learning the ways of the Samauri.

There are many types (I like to think of them as species) of pick-up lines, there are cheesey ones, stupid ones, gay ones, nerdy ones, the list goes on. There are also pick-up lines that can be attributed to movies or TV shows, Star Wars lines, Harry Potter lines, Lord of the Rings lines, pick-up lines are bigger than us.

The realm of pick-up lines evolves, they adapt to suit their environment. They are almost one entity, a living, breathing entity aware of whats happening and capable of surviving anything, kinda like cockroaches.

But in the end all that matters is whether or not they work. This is high-science. In order to become the ultimate lady-picker-uperer you must first possess a certain predisposition, a kind of sixth sense, a heightened awareness of all that occurs.

There is no such thing as a pick-up line that always works, they simply do not exist. Much like Santa or a neo-Nazi who is also a nice person. What determines the affect of a pick-up line is as follows; the place, the time, the lighting, the general atmosphere, the relationship you have with the pick-upee, the events leading up to this moment, music, whether or not you or the other person is currently in a relationship and the nature of that relationship.

Some of the worst pick-up lines in the world (Do you believe in love at first sight, or should I walk past again? Great legs, what time do they open?) can from time to time have a positive affect. The legs one however should only be used in jest and if the victim of this horrible line will also think it funny.

The best pick-up lines can also have the reversed affect of what is intended. There are no pick-up lines that are generally agreed to be "good" per se', it all depends on the context, thats what this science is really all about. Context.

Important Week For Afghanistan

This is an important week for Afghanistan, some of the most important people in Afghan politics and other important people such as US Army general Stanley McChrystal are gathering together to have a sort of conference.

The National Consultative Peace Jurga is by far one of the most important political events that will be happening in Afghanistan this year and will set the agenda for the rest of 2010.

NATO leaders are trying to get people to focus more on the political process but some journalists are doing their job and pissing off the NATO leaders by asking about other issues sorrounding Afghanistan. Issues such as the security situation around the country, which at the moment is of course pretty freakin' chaotic.

Afghanistan, Officially Now "The Big War"

Yesterday the Pentagon made an anouncement declaring that the number of troops in Afghanistan now surpasses the number of troops in Iraq. That makes Afghanistan "The Big War" and Iraq "The Other War."

There are about 92,000 troops in Iraq and the number of troops in Afghanistan is nearing 100,000. Of course, Obama campaigned on the basis of withdrawing all troops from Iraq and while that is happening at a glaciel pace, that makes him the "anti-war President!" PEACE! Give him the Nobel Peace Prize! Bullshit.

Most of the Obama administration is hellbent on Afghanistan, when Obama took office there were about 30,000 troops in Afghanistan. Now theres nearly 100,000!

Seig heil to our mighty peace Prez.

Karzai Travels to US to Convince Obama

Afghan President Hamid Karzai visited the US last week to convince Obama of the merit of his plan to talk over the Taliban.

At the present time, Uncle Sam seems only to care about "reintergrating" foot soldiers and local leaders as opposed to direct negotiations with the leaders of the Taliban.

In the document showing Karzai's plan, Taliban leaders are offered a safe passage into exile and to be dropped off the UN sanctions list if they cut their ties with Al-Qaeda. Soldiers who drop their weapons and surrender would not be prosecuted and be trained to work in infrastructure and highway development programs.

Is it an attempt to look good not just to Afghanistan but the worldwith no real conviction behind it or is Karzai really trying to bring a little piece? I hope so.

US Has 5,113 Warheads, About 4,600 Not Included.

The Fist-A-Gon (Pentagon) has released figures telling the world how many warheads it has, 5,113, not including about 4,600 others becaused theyr'e scheduled for dismantlement. The most nuclear warheads the US has had at one time was 31,225, in 1967.

Obama's START bill is supposed to limit the number of warheads between Uncle Sam and Russia to 1,550 each. But the bill proclaims one bomber to count for one nuclear warhead while there are bombers that hold more than one warhead.

Bombers are designed to do two things basically, fly and bomb the shit out of people. The B-52 bomber can hold 70,000 pounds of weaponery.

There are extremely destructive nuclear bombs like the B43 that weighs about 2,060 pounds and then there are "less destructive" nuclear bombs like the W44 that weighs about 200 pounds.

So wer'e pretty much screwed unless a heap of people hear about this, get pissed off and raise hell.