Just to let you know, if you are visiting this site from the European Union, I am NOT making this GDPR Compliant.  Not that I am required to in any way but simply making a statement that I refuse to have my actions and efforts dictated by you or your governments.  So piss off.  If I get one single compliance email, I will simply BLOCK all EU IP addresses.  Because I can.

In case you missed it the first time.  PISS OFF.

To be quite frank, not a lot.  But before I go any further, I have learned that the representative that I spoke with today is fairly new with not much experience.  So there is that.

So I learned that the keyboards on the 13 inch and 15 inch are exactly the same size.  SMALL.

I learned that the “standard” keyboard for an iMac desktop computer is even smaller and might be about the size of a big smartphone.

I learned that if you want your computer (Apple) to fold in half so you can carry it to Starbucks, you will pay a premium.

I learned that Apple computers (Macs) have a planned obsolescence of 5 years but tend to survive much longer than that.

I learned they apparently skip a year.  There are 2015 models and 2017 models.  I guess they took 2016 off.

I learned that it is HOT inside the store.  And yes, I am going there, they don’t have Windows.  It truly was uncomfortably warm in the store.  And you could tell.  It kinda smelled.

But one of the most important things I learned was that Apple sells a “Smart Toothbrush”.  Yep!  How dumb do you have to be to need a “Smart Toothbrush”?  $100.00 worth of USB connected toothbrush.

 

I am laughing my ass off at people bitching about Facebook controlling what they see in their feed.  Or collecting data about their habits on the platform.  Or Google spying on you in your bedroom while you have your Google Mini plugged in and connected.

Guess what!  YOU AGREED TO LET THEM DO IT!

Yes you did.

Every single product that you use that is “connected” to the Internet has an End User License Agreement, Acceptable Use Policy, Terms of Service or something similar that you had to agree to before the product would work.  Every.  Single One.

So you use Chrome as your browser?  Guess what.  When you installed it you had to agree to the Terms of Use.  You probably checked a little box and breezed right on with your day.  You gave permission for Google to collect your browsing data and habits and use it for their marketing.  To you and marketing OF you.

Brand new Windows 10 machine?  SAME THING with Microsoft.

Who reads those things?  Well I do.  ANd I know what Facebook is doing and Google and Microsoft.  And I frankly don’t give a damn.  But if you click that little check bx and agree and install the program, or boot the computer, or turn on your Alexa or Echo Dot and didn’t bother reading it?

You need to sit down and shut the fuck up.

So this one is based on an actual Tech Support Supervisor call I took several years ago when I was working in Virginia.

This lady was IRATE! She was screaming at me right up until the realization of what she did hit her. I still chuckle thinking about this.

Several years ago, I started a comic strip series called Webhosting Behind The Scenes. Unfortunately, the website that I used to create the comics shut down that functionality before I could get more than about 3 or 4 comics published.

I recently found them on my portable hard drive so I thought I would throw them out a little bit at a time.

For those of you in the tech world, specifically webhosting, you might find these funnier than most. Other folks in the customer service industry may be able to chuckle a bit at them.

ENJOY!

This post is prompted by a friend of mine I served with while at the Portsmouth Virginia Police Department.  He shared  THIS POST about actions a law enforcement officer took while off duty.  This post isn’t about that debate or court case.  I frankly don’t care since it will have zero effect on me now.  But it got me to thinking.  And here are my personal viewpoints about being off duty.  Primarily since most people think we are never off duty as law enforcement officers.  You are wrong.

Things I considered.

• Am I in my jurisdiction?
• If not, will the responding officers know me if I am in civilian clothes?
• Is there an agreement between my jurisdiction and the one I am in?  Does it have to be enacted before mutual aid can be rendered?
• Federal law says that if I take police action off duty I am immediately ON duty and I will be compensated for my “on duty on clock” time.
• Does my jurisdiction have a policy about overtime?  Do I need to have permission to work overtime before I actually engage?  If so, I technically can not go “on duty” without permission.
• Do I have radio communications with the jurisdiction I am in?  Mine or otherwise?  How soon will help get there if needed?
• Since I am more than likely not in uniform, will the people around me know that I am a law enforcement officer?

Bottom line is if I am (or was) off duty, in my jurisdiction or not, I am off duty.  I am a citizen.  I have no obligation to engage in my profession when in a non-paid status.  Oh, and non-paid status also means I am not covered by any insurance or assurance of protection for injury or other issues that may occur.

So contrary to what you may think, law enforcement officers are in fact “off duty” and have absolutely no requirement to take enforcement action beyond that of a normal citizen.  I will be more than happy to dial 911.  Provide statements to local law enforcement about what I saw or know.  But I do not have to act.  And in most cases, unless someone’s life was in danger, I did not.

That is not to say that I would stand by and let someone get hurt or killed.  I absolutely would not do that as a cop, nor as a citizen.  I would and will to this day do what is needed to protect the lives of myself, my family and anyone I can safely defend.  But that is a personal choice.  Not a mandate by some perceived requirement by the general population.