Life Without A Cellphone

Today, I wake up to find my cellphone nowhere in sight.   During my 30 minute search my blood pressure was rising and I was starting to stress out.  I never really knew how dependent on technology I really was until this "tragic" event happened.  What put the icing on the cake was that my cellphone was locked in my car and my friend lost the keys, and when I mean lost, i mean LOST!

     During my frantic day, I reflected on how I have become addicted to my iPhone and how in the world people lived before.  Due to my iPhone absence, I was have been stranded all day, not able to come into contact with anyone (mind you my backpack and computer are in the car).  I was totally cut off from communication.  The conveience factor was harshly present today.  With my cell phone I could have called my friends to see where the keys were, found the locksmith to unlock my car and call the dealership to make sure they could make a key for me, as well as look up the VIN for my car.  I eventually got it all done, but instead of 10 minutes of phone calls it turned into a 7 hour ordeal.  I felt naked walking to class without my iPod playing and the question of how my parents lived was totally consuming me.

     Everything must have taken them so much longer and we are much more productive with cellphones and everything they can do today.  To top it off, after I got my cellphone, the car I was borrowing from a friend, (since mine was locked out), would not start.  The key would not turn in the ignition, nothing else.  I googled the problem and found it was very common among Jeeps and found the craziest remedy.  I was instructed to take a rubber screwdriver, use the rubber part and hit it against the key while it is in the ignition.  What do you know? It worked! Saving me from hundreds of dollars for his car.  

     We take technology so for granted, or at least I do.  The marketing schemes have worked and have officially have me addicted to technology, which is perfectly fine with me. :)

     

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I commented on Different Ideas Blog

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iPhone 4g Rumors!!

Ok, I am a closet tech nerd, and I love it when the newest products are on the market.  The Apple iPhone has revolutionized the mobile phone world, and has been the leader of the pack ever since its debeut.  The Iphone 3G has sold over 10m, and there have been many upgrades from the 1st generation iphone.  Even though the 3G iphone came out July 15,2008, the iPhone 4G is already on its way.

     This is one thing I hate about technology, once you get the top of the market device, it is just run of the mill 6 months later.  I would love to see apple just offer a hardware update for around $50 so everyone can be on par (that is what they did with the jump from the first iPhone to the 3G).  

     Althought there are only rumors on what the new iPhone will have, I predict it will have turn  by turn navigation, and hopefully 2way video chat, know as iChat on Mac's now.  I would like to see increased memory with better battery life and louder speakers.  

Even though I am bummed about the new iPhone taking the backseat, it is exciting to see what the new cutting edge is.

HERE IS A RUMOR VIDEO. CHECK IT OUT!!

Open Your Eyes Uncle Sam!

As many of you do not know, there is a huge problem south of our border and its not about illegal immigration.  Even though I already gave my 2 cents on California and their weed position, the Mexican drug war is a huge problem, and even though there are some similarities, this isn't a re-run post.

     For decades Mexican drug cartels have been smuggling arms as well as drugs, mostly marijuana, but also cocaine and recently meth and these cartels making literally billions of dollars off of it.  Everything was fine, until recently, and when gangs have problems, killings start.     Mexico has been fighting this war, but drug related homicides have doubled and some are questioning if even Mexico can win.  These blood-baths are now happening in the US, which is why we care now.

     The war is spilling over to America and this has caused us to open our eyes.  Over 1,000 men, women and children have been killed this year, all in the name of money.  If we want to stop this there are 2 ways, economically speaking, to deal with this.

     1. Stop the demand for drugs

     2. Increase the supply for drugs

   Stopping the demand for drugs is impossible and Americans will always demand them, price is not really a deterrent.  We have wasted billions on the war on drugs, and it has got us no where, even according to President Obama.

Who would want to increase the supply of drugs!!!???  Well, I would.  Not because I need marijuana, cocaine, meth and AK-47's, but because this would 100% end the war.  Since marijuana is over 70% of their profit, legalization would cut their profit by 70%.  I would not stop there, but legalize all drugs.  It is not the governments role or right to tell you what to do with your own body.  They are here to protect us (these killings are horrifing towns in over 213 american cities), obviously not happening.  Let the american's be free and stop the violence at the same time.  

     If we eliminated the area of the black market these cartels are profiting on, they will disappear overnight.  No more killings, a safer america, more money for more important programs (education, public transport, homelessness, drug awareness) and a regulatory system for this.

     I am in favor of the principal of freedom, even to the philosophical (realistically unattainable) sense.  Lets make money, stop killings and give freedom to Americans.  

CLICK HERE FOR COOPER ANDERSON ON THE MEXICAN DRUG WAR.

     

Paying off debt with pot

As you may have heard, California is in debt.  ALOT OF DEBT.  They are over $60B dollars in debt, and are desperate for ways to get back to zero.  A bill is in the process right now, which would help California get out of debt, fast.  The bill will legalize marijuana for all citizens 21+.  Before this, California used marijuana for medicinal purposes, but this would even be for recreational.  Weed is California's largest cash crop, worth over $14B a year.  Currently, all of this money is in the hands of criminals and gangs.  These millions of dollars worth of pot are the center of the drug wars in California and Mexico.  This bill would allow the California government to gain tax revenue and would also save millions of dollars a year in regards to law enforcement, not to mention the reduction in crime and corruption.  

This would be handled like alcohol, for example you must be 21+ and can not "smoke and drive".  I personally think that if someone wants to use marijuana, it should be their choice, and the government could benefit from it as well.  Cigarettes and alcohol are very deadly, but the government regulates and taxes them.  Marijuana is much safer than the two most popular drugs in america, and it is impossible to die from it.  

     I would not choose to use this because of the negative sterotypes and since I am under age. But I think it is a good idea for California, economically, since the are so broke.  Hopefully they will figure it out.

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I posted a comment on Stangs Blog.

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The Bailout

     I have been keeping a close eye on the bailout  bill and the twist and turns it has been through.  My interest in politics really keeps me interested, even though I am totally opposed to what is going on.  Unlike most people, I am a constitutionalists, someone who actually values the constitution for what it said, and for what our founding fathers intended it to do.  I am a member of the libertarian party, and libertarians are not total left wing like many people think.  Libertarians believe in total economic and personal freedoms, and this bailout obviously limits our economic freedom.  The role of government is not to "bail-out" failing industries or pay for peoples bad judgement, it is to protect us from enemies and others, and ensure life, liberty and the pursuit of happiness.

The bailout will only lead to more of the same.  The idea of moral hazard will really become an issue in the next few years as well.  Moral hazard is when companies take things less seriously, or make riskier investments, because if they go wrong, the government will bail them out.  This removes all responsibility and also the economic freedoms of others.  We should be able to spend our hard earned money how we want, it is ours in the first place.  

It amazes me how we are spending $778B to "boost" the economy.  This "boost" is only putting us farther in debt, which will not hurt in the short run, but this will cause many problems for my generation and my children's generation.  Is $5,000,000,000 (yes, billion) to the United Nations really necessary to boost our economy?  That money is leaving the US, which is the root of the problem.  Not to mention all of the money that will be lost in transition, which is what we saw with the TARP (bank bailout) bill.

Hopefully this magically works out, but I seriously doubt it.  Obama has been very popular with the public ( a 76% approval rating), but so did George Bush at the same time during his presidency.

If I were president, I would make citizens and businesses more responsible for their actions, giving people their money back into their own pockets, which will create jobs and lower unemployment, without inflation spiraling out of control.  I would eliminate the income tax, which would be possible by having a foreign policy we can afford, bases in 180+ countries is unnecessary and who said that we were the world police.  We have problems that we need to fix domestically.  

I would also eliminate many failing government programs, such as the IRS, DEA, FDIC, FCC, the Federal reserve and others as well.  The IRS is unnecessary because taxes are too high and if we reduced spending we could afford to do without it.  The DEA has done a horrific job on the war on drugs; Pineapple Express was the #1 movie on iTunes for heavens sake!  We have spent millions of dollars to stop American's from hurting themselves.  I would give people the right to do what they want with their bodies, and it is not the governments place to give you moral standards.  As long as you are not hurting others, there should not be a problem.  The FDIC creates moral hazard and the FCC violates the constitution (freedom of expression).  The fed has caused the dollar to depreciate 95% since it was created.

RON PAUL SAYS IT BEST