- Just in case you ever wanted to become a crooked psychic/fortune-teller/medium … or in case you’d like to explain to a gullible relative how not to be so easily conned, here’s how cold reading is done.
- Wow. Sometimes using stupid passwords could be a good thing. Might have saved this young woman’s life. (But ohboy, OnStar, what a fail!)
- The Centers for Anything But Disease Control. Michelle Malkin lists just a few of the “diseases” the CDC has spent its billions on.
- I don’t intend to make this the all-Ebola all-the-time blog because I do think the fear is overblown (for everyone except medical personal). But here’s some plain common sense for avoiding exposure to infectious disease. And for those who really feel the need for hardcore protection (and have the money and time to go for it), here’s that, too.
- And hey, if you’re really going to buy moonsuits and the kind of respirators (scroll down that page) needed for real Ebola protection, please don’t forget to use my Amazon links. Those could generate some very nice commissions — unfortunately for anyone who really needs such gear.
- Not confirmed yet. But if true this could be a sweet lesson for those meddling “Moms” who believe in trying to get every open carrier SWATted. Will keep an eye on this. I’ve searched a couple of times today and found no further information.
About those N95 masks … I’d have to shave my beard. I guess if it comes to that, I’d rather do that than die a horrible death, but do you know how long it’s been since I’ve seen my entire face?
I might keel over from the shock!
The government may not have done anything effective on Deadly diseases, but hey, at least Rabbits can get deep massages. I kid you not. Found out about this on the Day by Day cartoon. So in order to see if it’s actually real, I googled “Grant Rabbit Massages” and this is what I came up with.
http://www.google.com/search?q=grant+rabbit+massages&client=safari&rls=en&oe=UTF-8&oq=grant+rabbit+massages&gs_l=heirloom-serp.3…51469.53561.0.54197.6.6.0.0.0.0.168.664.3j3.6.0….0…1ac.1.34.heirloom-serp..3.3.347.3zDv2Cx1VxU
@Jed – I started wearing facial hair when I was 20. At 28 I shaved one day and felt as if I looked like a bald high-schooler, so I let it grow back. That was 38 years ago. Still bearded after all these years….
Can’t help but beat a dead horse. New czar coming http://www.srnnews.com/obama-open-to-appointing-ebola-czar-opposes-travel-ban-2/
Shel, the new Ebola czar is Ron Klain, a long-time Democratic political operative and former chief of staff to Joe Biden and Al Gore and Janet Reno! (What a rogue’s gallery!) That makes perfect sense to me.
http://online.wsj.com/articles/obama-to-name-ron-klain-as-ebola-czar-1413557184?mod=djemalertNEWS
Laird,
Thanks. I needed that.
Funny how the white house spells czar, CYA.
Wow, what a confidence-inspiring choice!
And now nooooooobody could ever again accuse Obama of playing politics with Ebola.
An Obola czar. So now we have proof – the POTUS is so incompetent and even aware of it, that he’s using this appointment as a means of ducking his official responsibilities on this issue. He is the CHIEF EXECUTIVE by definition, so it’s his job to manage this crisis. And he’s appointing a flak vest.
This way he doesn’t have to show up for meetings, doesn’t really have to pay attention to what’s happening and doesn’t have to make any decisions that might prove wrong. If it happens somehow to work out well – he gets the credit. If it goes bad – as it likely will – the Obola Czar gets the bad press and the POTUS (Putz of the US?) has someone to blame.
But what I really want to know on this is that with all the money DHS has, and all the people DHS has, and with FEMA a wholly owned subsidiary of DHS, why the hell don’t we have any kind of preparation whatsoever for a pandemic? Even a flu pandemic – unthreatening as that is by comparison – would need the same kinds of gear and supplies for treating everyone. So where is all of it? Or was DHS sitting around with it’s finger up it’s butt? Who’s going to be fired over this cock-up?
Looks like our ‘chief executive’ may have been taking too many vacations – ya think?
In the old days, gentlemen and ladies would wear gloves when going out. I have a feeling that sort of thing is going to be revived, minus the lace…
Another one is the facial recognition and tracking. During the Sandinista Revolution, the fighters (mostly college kids) would wear bandannas like the bad guys in westerns (or maybe like any cowboy in a dusty situation) to prevent being ID’d. That and cowboy hats could foil the cams.
Styles for the 21st century…
David nailed it.
Paul, bandannas are too obvious. I think it’s more likely that we’ll begin seeing more of those semi-transparent masks (such as this one: http://www.amazon.com/Adults-Transparent-Halloween-Costume-Facemask/dp/B00AZK1NAG/ref=sr_1_4?ie=UTF8&qid=1413649249&sr=8-4&keywords=clear+masks+halloween), which should defeat facial recognition software without being obvious in a casual glance or low lighting situation. And they’re even available in bulk! http://www.amazon.com/Transparent-Masks-1-Dozen-Bulk/dp/B0087QL8DC/ref=sr_1_1?ie=UTF8&qid=1413649249&sr=8-1&keywords=clear+masks+halloween
(When purchasing, be sure to use Claire’s Amazon link so she gets credit!)
Why would ladies go back to wearing gloves, Paul? Not for sanitary reasons, if they are smart.
If you think hands are dirty… think how dirty cloth gloves would get in just a few hours. Much easier to wash hands than change gloves – even when they are provided to some people without cost to them. Trust me.
As for the masks… sounds uncomfortable to say the least. I’d much rather destroy the machines looking at my face. Might have to carry a second or third gun for that, of course. The .45 would be overkill, and probably the 9mm as well. A .22lr ought to do it. 🙂
OT: Somebody’s waking up, anyway. http://www.breitbart.com/Big-Government/2014/10/17/Martin-Luther-King-Jr-Niece-Moral-Bankruptcy-Ruling-Washington-DC-Under-Obama
Well, I suppose I can toss a disposable razor into the GHB, to go with the N95 masks.
Regarding cold reading, there’s an interesting clip you can find on YouTube where Orson Wells discusses his (brief) excursion into what was for him an amusing passtime. Wells was a talented stage magician, and became a cold reader to occupy his time while he was performing a run of a play.
He got good at it, so good, in fact that he became a “shuteye.” This is when a cold reader becomes so experienced that they begin to believe their own nonsense, that they can actually read minds. Wells talks about this at length, and why he decided it was time to quit. (He never defrauded anyone, btw.)
Why is this important? Because this is the essence of expertise. Experts solve problems through pattern recognition, based on vast amounts of experience. Novices solve problems primarily by trying to create algorithims, rules or procedures. This is a flawed approach that inevitably leads to failure because it lacks adaptability.
This is how John Garand (yes, that Garand) was able to play 5 games of chess against five opponents simultaneously and win every time. He saw the patterns in the boards and made the next move based on his experience, while his opponents were “thinking six moves ahead” or some such nonsense. It’s also why doing things “by the book” will often land you in deep trouble in the “real world.”
This is exactly what is going on right now in the fields of teaching, medicine and a myriad of other places where the government has extended its hand to “create better outcomes.” Procedures and guidelines, the refuges of the novice, are replacing the expert’s ability to recognize the pattern and make the correct decision. if you wonder why things are coming apart at say, the CDC, look no further.
Give Wells a moment of your attention, and think about how these things play in your life. Cold reading is a fraud, to be certain, but there’s a lesson even in this for all of us.
A quick sidenote.
I have (unfortunately) a certain amount of experience working around airborne pathogens including such fun things as hantavirus. This is about the minimum form of protection you should consider:
http://www.amazon.com/3M-Series-Facepiece-Respirator-Medium/dp/B000FTEDMM/ref=sr_1_3?ie=UTF8&qid=1413738025&sr=8-3&keywords=3m+respirators
P95/N100 “paper” masks can be worn for short times, but they’re hot, uncomfortable and prone to leakage.
If you can afford it, this is the next step up:
http://www.amazon.com/3M-Series-Facepiece-Respirator-Medium/dp/B000FTEDMM/ref=sr_1_3?ie=UTF8&qid=1413738025&sr=8-3&keywords=3m+respirators
Note they make them in different sizes. Get one that fits right.
(And use Claire’s link!)
@CS, Nice!
Uh, both those links are the same thing though.
Need to find some sizing information though. Also, from the comments at amazon:
I note that the 7500 looks to be easier to customize, to make yourself look like Bane.