Random Thoughts of Trivia

There is a billboard on Ventrua Blvd.  I pass it every time I make my way home or if I am walking Boo.  It scares me.  Here is a picture of it.

I suppose if I had IRS problems I would want a Grown up Eddy Munster to represent me.  After all wouldn't you want a blood sucking undead ghoul to deal with a blood sucking undead ghoulish organization?  

Okay... so I did add the teeth... but the widow's peak and the dark scary eyes are his.  But that is exactly the way I would want my advocate to look if I had to show up for an audit. I can hear it now.  

"Mr. Johnson this is the IRS we have you tagged for an audit this year. When can we meet with you?"

"Let me see.  I'll call my representative and see what we can do.... can you meet after sunset during a full moon?"

And another think....

Last night about 11:00pm my television viewing was interrupted by an emergency broadcast tone. It was an Amber alert for a little girl who might have been kidnapped by her father, after he murdered her mother somewhere near San Diego. They gave the make model and license number of the car.  I thought to myself.... if the car drives through my back yard I will definitely make a call. Otherwise there was not much I could do from my bedroom two and a half hours away from the scene of the crime.  

At that moment my cell phone rang with the same alert tone as the television, two seconds later Sandi's cell phone went off as well.  The same Amber alert was broadcast to our cell phones which were both turned to silent.  I found out from the LA Times this morning that it was the first time a state wide alert has gone out to cell phones. California law enforcement has the ability to activate a program that sends an alert to every cell phone in the state. It can override the silent mode and display a push announcement even if you do not have your phone set for push displays.  

I hope they catch the guy if he is guilty and I hope the little girl is okay.  Perhaps someone traveling on the San Diego freeway got the same text identified the car and turned him in. But there is an over riding worry I have in this policing ability.

I understand that there are some "worm" programs that sit on a smart phone hidden in a harmless game.  With that hidden app your video camera, microphone and GPS can be activated. Once activated you can be tracked, spied on, listened to and videoed without your knowledge.  I thought that was a bunch of future shock alarmism until I got that alert text on my muted phone last night. 

Oh... and you know that camera on your computer that allows you to skype with Mee Maw?  It could be turned on right now. Someone could be watching and you wouldn't even know it.  As for me I have a little post it note over the camera lens of my monitor when I am not using it. 

Futurists predicted we would become a society where Big Brother was alway watching with cameras every where. We could be there now.. but what no one seemed to predict is that we would all be carrying around a video- walkie talkie to Big Brother in our pockets.  

As you were,

Jay