Saturnalia 2022

Io Saturnalia!

The Eve of Saturnalia was uneventful. An early dinner was procured at the Subway® in town because every venue closed early including the gym. Thus, the main event for dinner during what would normally be dinner time was the emergency can of Great Value® chili with beans. Then, a big-ass can of Corona® cerveza was procured at the overpriced ABC Store for dessert. Wheee!

By the way, dinner was courtesy Panda Express® in Ala Moana Center on Friday. The on-line ordering for Subway® was somehow “fucked up.” There were in-person ordering problems in the morning at the fast joint in town, too. So, morning coffee and breakfast were courtesy 7-Eleven®. There are no personal internal debates about cost anymore. Alternatives are quickly sought with no afterthought.

The annual Saturnalia trek to Kahala Mall went according to plan, although this year the trip on the bus was taken much earlier (8am). The scheduled donation was made at the Goodwill kiosk. “Operation Clean Slate” is pretty much accomplished. Then, coffee time was initated at the fast food joint adjacent to the mall. The survey coupon was used to procure two Egg McMuffins for the price of one. Not surprisingly, the cost for the same breakfast at the fast food joint in town is $1.50 more.

Kahala Mall - East Wing

Subsequent to loitering at the fast food joint, a walking tour of Kahala Mall was taken. Not much has changed, although all of the seating has been restored. The Macys® men’s store has been vacated, and Planet Fitness® will be the new occupant. The main Macys® store is still there.

Only a few stores (e.g., Longs®) were open. Few people were meandering through the mall. Yet, most of the fools were wearing their face masks. Is there no end to this kind of insanity?

Lunch was courtesy L&L Drive-In adjacent to the mall. The “mini” BBQ Chicken plate lunch was chosen. Amazingly, the price is now almost $11 (about $5 more than a couple of years ago). Inflation, you think?

A brief shopping excursion was made to Longs® to acquire a big-ass can of mixed nuts (on sale for $8). Then, the return trip to Waikiki on the bus required one quick transfer. Arrival at the “old folks home” was 1pm. Overall, a pleasant outing.

The rest of the afternoon was spent inside the mausoleum. Various chores were performed. The last shower of the year was enjoyed as best as possible. Then, the shower stall was cleaned. The next mausoleum shower is slated for one year from now. Thank goodness for the gym showers!

With nothing else to do, the evening outing to the International Marketplace came to fruition after a long hiatus. Of course, nothing has changed. Nearly all of the shops were open. Aside from the great free wireless Net access, there’s no point to loitering with shithead tourists around.

On the way back to the mausoleum, a stopover was made at the overpriced ABC Store. A large Chef Salad was procured for a whopping $12 and some change. The salad,  however, was excellent … a good ending for an unobserved holiday. Io Saturnalia!

Addendum: The Mainstays® mattress topper was left as a donation this morning in the small entrance lobby of the “old folks home.” Sadly, while comfortable, the mattress topper made sleep impossible due to heat buildup.

Miscellany: The four free “super-duper corona” fast antigen test kits have arrived. In a couple of months, the test kits will be donated to the community in the “old folks home.”

Dinner for One

WTF?

On Sunday, a Mainstays® fitted mattress pad was purchased for $11 at Walmart® in town. The mattress pad was installed on the Intex® airbed and the Mainstays® foam mattress topper was placed upon it. The rationale for the aforementioned foolishness is left for the outside observer to discern.

A pair of shorts was procured for $16 (with senior citizen discount) at Ross® this morning. At this point in time, any kind of purchase can be made at any moment. Few restrictions apply.

The cold front brought moderate rain from Sunday through this morning. The outside temperature this evening was still a bit chilly. So, the cold front is still lingering over the island. As can easily be ascertained, the evening outings to the International Marketplace have been postponed. The Mainstays® quartz space heater has been unboxed and redeployed at night.

On a side note, one of the other senior citizen gym members, Gaylen, spontaneously brought up the recent “sudden death” of another senior citizen gym member, Jimmy (as reported in Notes recently). “I wonder if he died from COVID,” the fully “vaccinated” and “boostered” fool Gaylen mused. There’s no fool like an old fool.

Addendum: Breakfast (Egg McMuffins using two-for-one survey coupon) has been procured three days per week at the fast food joint in town. With coffee, the total is $8 and some change.

Miscellany: Instead of using the alarm function in the Clock “app” on the iPhone 14 Pro, a shortcut automation has been programmed for a verbose morning greeting with preset time announcement using the text-to-speech action.

Mundane Update 2022

Last night, about two hours of time was devoted to “refurbishing” and cleaning the old Norelco® electric shaver. It has now been officially deprecated. And, with the risk of it being discarded, it will be donated to charity.

The dreaded laundry chores were performed this afternoon (as scheduled every two weeks) upon return to the mausoleum in the “old folks home” in Waikiki. As usual, the floor of the mausoleum was cleaned during the wash cycle. Thank goodness for the Swiffer®!

The new Mainstays® foam mattress topper was unpacked a couple of days ago. It has been sitting in the unused mausoleum shower to air out and regain its original shape. The mattress topper was placed on the airbed. Of course, its dimensions are smaller than the airbed. Fortunately, having previously read the on-line comments from purchasers of the product, there was no surprise or rage.

The Intex® airbed was filled with more air to increase its firmness. The large towel used as a makeshift mattress pad, courtesy the Sand Island homeless shelter, was removed and put in with the other laundry. It will be donated to charity as well. The new pillowcases were also washed, and the small throw pillow was encased with one.

The new Norelco® electric shaver was deployed late this afternoon. The “petal” design will take time to become accustomed with. Most noticeable, though, is that the blades appear to rotate much slower. However, the shave was incredibly close. Of course, the reason for the higher price of this newer model is attributed to the built-in “high tech,” which includes Bluetooth® connectivity to its dedicated “app” for “smartphones.” Yeah, that’s “over the top” for an electric shaver. No third-party “app” will be installed on the iPhone 14 Pro.

Miscellany: A can of compressed air was also purchased at Walmart® for a whopping $10 recently to aid in the cleaning and maintenance of “stuff.”

Addendum: As previously stated in Notes, the focus has moved almost entirely to personal mundanity. However, Notes still remains firmly committed to whatever is left of the opposition.

Orange Farce

As stated on numerous occasions, Notes will not dabble in the ridiculous state-of-affairs concerning politics in empire. However, this is a peculiar case.

Notes has already summarized its findings about Orange Bad Man … he is compromised (refer to the Notes posts, “Orange Hoax” and “Orange Hoax Redux”). However, the Orange One’s “big announcement” that was teased on Tuesday amounted to this:

Is this the Orange One’s way of making a quick exit from the political arena. Let’s hope so.

Tame Shopping Spree

Norelco® 7100

The first warm evening in several weeks allowed for an outing, not to the International Marketplace, but to Ala Moana Center instead. The purpose of the trek was to procure a new Norelco® 7100 electric shaver (made in Netherlands) at Target® for about $75 (on sale plus an additional 5% birthday discount). However, there’s no telling when the old Norelco® shaver will be officially deprecated.

On a related note, any electric shaver purchase should be considered disposable. There is a high probability that replacement blades will not be available anywhere when needed. Thus, the least expensive device should always be purchased. In this case, a moderately expensive unit was procured because it may last longer than the owner.

Mainstays® Mattress Topper

On Monday, a Mainstays® foam mattress topper was purchased at Walmart® in town prior to returning to the “old folks home” in Waikiki. The least expensive product was procured for $15 because it was the easiest one to transport on the bus in addition to the gym bag.

The original plan was to replace the existing Intex® airbed with a more luxurious model. However, the disposition of the old airbed was the main problem. If it is donated to charity, it would most likely be discarded for sanitary reasons. That would be a total waste. Thus, the mattress topper will be used to add comfort to the existing airbed.

There are really is nothing left to procure. New sheets and a new bath towel come to mind, but neither are a priority. So, the brief shopping spree has come to an end. The financial impact was truly minimal.

On a side note, the iOS 16.2 update was downloaded and installed on the iPhone 14 Pro. The new security features (end-to-end iCloud encryption) has restored some faith in Apple®. The fear of advertisements in the Weather “app” via the embedded news feed widget was abated when reports indicated that, if the News “app” is “deleted,” the widget is disabled. The new Freeform “app” looks interesting, although there are no plans to deploy or “delete” it.

Postscript: The central bank of empire raised the short-term interest rate by only 50 basis points, which means it is beginning to taper in preparation to pivot to ZIRP. As stated in Notes, inflation was never the issue. The only method to stop inflation, that is, asset price inflation, is to aggressively raise interest rates and cause the stock market to make a correction to its true valuation.

Surreal Reality

This morning, an encounter with gym member and fellow senior citizen, Chip, yielded information that another gym member, Jimmy, went MIA a couple of weeks ago. Then, one of the gym staff confirmed his death. “They’re dropping like flies,” he added. Oddly, that particular deceased gym member was personally spotted less than a month ago. “Sudden death,” you think?

Another gym member, Carlos, had recently mentioned that he experienced a “mini-stroke.” He’s in his fifties, and seemed to have recovered unscathed. And, one of the managers at the fast food joint mentioned that his mother, in her fifties, was in the hospital for seizures. She had no prior history of seizures. Then, EL John in Cali sent e-mail stating that he has “COVID,” but he claimed that his symptoms are mild because he’s “vaccinated.”

More and more stories (similar to the aforementioned) are popping up routinely. Frankly, feigning surprise and sympathy is becoming very tiring. There is no way to enlighten anyone about the possibility of “vaccine” injuries or death, especially here in “blue” state Hawai’i.

Eight months have passed since the ridiculous face mask mandate was rescinded. Yet, the face mask is more ubiquitous than ever. Nearly all senior citizen residents are wearing face masks full time, compared to about 50% of all other age groups. These fools will be wearing face masks for the rest of their lives. And, no, there’s no way to enlighten them either.

Miscellany: The last evening outing to the International Marketplace occurred on the night of the standoff at the Ohia Waikiki. With the Net reading list significantly reduced, there is little need to loiter there. However, a brief outing was made this evening to the overpriced ABC Store to procure a big-ass can of cerveza. Sheesh!

Putin’s War on Fascism

Vladimir Putin

Vladimir Putin is a leader who has consistently fought against the so-called "Great Reset." This movement, which is backed by many influential figures, aims to fundamentally transform the global economic and social order. Putin, however, has been steadfast in his opposition to this agenda, arguing that it would erode the sovereignty of nations and lead to a loss of individual freedom.

In recent years, Putin has taken a number of steps to push back against the Great Reset. For example, he has strengthened Russia's economy by investing in key industries and making the country more self-sufficient. He has also worked to strengthen Russia's military and defend its national interests on the global stage.

Despite facing significant opposition from those who support the Great Reset, Putin has remained committed to his cause. He understands the importance of protecting Russia's sovereignty and ensuring that the country remains independent from the globalist agenda. And he will continue to fight for these principles, no matter what the cost.

Postscript: This post was generated by ChatGPT, a tool built by OpenAI. Future posts in Notes could be generated entirely by ChatGPT. Subsequently, several “tests” were performed with ChatGPT, and the discovery was made that its dataset appears to have a strong “neo-leftist” slant. For example, it fully endorsed the charlatan priest, Fauci. When challenged, ChatGPT cited bullshit “fact checkers.” It also vehemently defended Twitter® and the latter’s “strong policies” for upholding “truth.” Thus, ChatGPT has been permanently jettisoned.

Ohia Meltdown

Ohia Waikiki

The trip back to Waikiki late this afternoon amounted to over an hour on the bus. Even then, a walk along several blocks of Ala Wai Boulevard was required to return to the “old folks home.” All traffic was being rerouted past Seaside Avenue, so the bus was alighted at that stop and a pedestrian route was followed.

Police vehicles were situated everywhere. There were crowds of people waiting along the entire blockaded area on Kuhio Avenue between Seaside Avenue and Nahua Street. An encounter with a couple of bystanders revealed that there was a “hostage situation” in progress.

Once back in the mausoleum at the “old folks home,” the gym bag was dropped off and a quick exit was made. The walk to the International Marketplace was not adversely affected. However, at Nahua Street (just across International Marketplace), the roadblock was clearly visible. Tourists and residents were waiting along the cordoned off areas to return to their respective hotels and homes. No one will be allowed back into the area until the standoff ends. The situation apparently commenced around 2pm. The time of the evening excursion was 6:15pm, and the situation remained unchanged as of this posting.

Nahua Street Roadblock - 7:40pm

The “suspect” who is causing the problem is allegedly locked in one of the rooms at the Ohia Waikiki hotel. He is in possession of a handgun and has fired off a few rounds. There apparently is no hostage, just the “suspect.” Sadly, just a few days ago, there was a homicide about one block away. Yeah, aloha nui loa!

Addendum: The standoff was abruptly ended around midnight when the 48-year-old “suspect named “Benjamin” was “terminated with extreme prejudice” by police after refusing to disarm. Obviously, this was a case of “suicide by police” action.

Timer

HyperTough® Analog Timer

A small analog AC outlet timer was procured for $7 at Walmart®. The timer will be used to limit iPhone battery charging time if the device is connected to AC prior to sleep time (rarely). There is so much conflicting information about Li-on batteries, so better safe then sorry.

Well, the iOS update to 16.2 next week will bring end-to-end encryption to iCloud for more system “apps.” And, the notorious on-device CSAM (read: “kiddie porn”) scanner project has been mummified. Perhaps Apple® is finally “coming around,” eh?

Extremely gusty winds prohibited the nightly excursion to the International Marketplace this evening. Frankly, the benign activity has lost its luster. Well, loitering at a shopping mall is the epitome of boredom.

Rote

Adidas® Small Gym Bag

A small gym bag and pillow cases were purchased at Ross® this morning for $20 with the senior citizen discount. The old gym bag was probably acquired over 15 years ago, and it remains in service. The new gym bag has been stuffed into the small storage suitcase for the time being.

Some acquisitions are being made now after years of “pinching pennies” and accomplishing simple tasks the hard way. This, by no means, is any kind of spending spree. Shopping is still considered a detestable activity, and consumerism is religiously avoided.

Many more Web sites, which piqued daily interest, have been removed from active perusal. Essentially, the repertoire has been reduced to news sites (listed in Notes) outside the collective “West,” and a few technology sites. Music and video streaming are prohibited. And, absolutely no social media is perused.

The iPhone 14 Pro has no third-party “apps” installed. Only two Safari extensions are installed to block advertisements, tracking scripts, and “nag” scripts. The iPhone has 256 GBytes of storage and there’s nothing else but iOS in it. Yeah, that’s insane.

So far, there have been no new occurrence of log-in blocks. Notes no longer delineates any controversial topics, so censorship is not required. The search for an alternative home for what is now called “Notes” has been terminated. Moving to social media is not acceptable. And, the reason is plainly obvious.

The construct of Notes is clearly not of a “social” nature. The third-party viewpoint is not conducive to any kind of human “relationship.” Rather, the tone is more machine-like. That’s the reason why so few readers visit the Notes habitat. It’s boring.

The crazy idea of converting to photographs as a means of conveying a “story” could have made the Notes progeny more “social.” That is totally unacceptable. Notes must remain detached, unemotional, and rote.

On a side note, the recent discovery of being in the “Baby Boomer” subgroup “Generation Jones” (read: “GenJones”) is quite interesting. “GenJones” is actually more like “Generation X” (read: “GenX”). Perhaps that’s obvious when perusing Notes.

Mauna Loa Mashup

Mauna Loa

Mauna Loa on the Big Island is erupting in a small way. Nothing at all like Mount St. Helens. Too bad. A lot of riff-raff could have been incinerated. Baha! Ha! Ha! Haaa!

Well, anyway, a big-ass can of Corona® cerveza was procured at the overpriced ABC Store in celebration of the volcanic festivities. So far, there have been no effects felt on O’ahu, not even any vog.

There were incidents of blocked access to the Blogger and Google consolidated account yesterday. Even attempts using ProtonVPN failed initially. Finally, though, access was achieved using the VPN. Being a “tech savvy” old codger does pay off.

Effort is still being made to find another on-line venue similar to Blogger. So far, nada. Other options such as Instagram or something similar is being considered, too. The reason being that the extended commentaries in Notes  are tedious and not conducive to a fragile mental state.

The situation on Planet Earth has changed drastically for the worse, thanks to the Fascists. For senior citizens, this bullshit is not exactly desirable prior to making the “big exit.” However, discussing the cesspool is neither therapeutic or constructive. Heck, even the opposition is in a state of chaos.

Well, that’s neither here or there. The point is simple … move on to a more idyllic setting. The iPhone 14 Pro (after removal of questionable “apps”) has a great camera system. Perhaps the saga in Notes, the exodus as it were, can be expressed in photographs with very limited commentary. Well, that’s the plan for now.

Addendum: After an exhaustive search for an alternative to Blogger, nothing adequate was found. There are no easily accessible venues (i.e., not requiring membership for viewing).

Miscellany: Once those troubling system “apps” are “deleted,” the iPhone is a pretty good device.

Apple® Sauce

The so-called Health “app” on the iPhone is actively tracking a number of parameters. Even after disabling the “Fitness Tracking” option in the Privacy settings, the shitty “app” still tracks one parameter called, “Resting Energy.” The intrusive system “app” was subsequently “deleted” (read: disabled), but to no avail. What else is the “app” doing?

According to a few researchers and developers, the iPhone App Store has been sending user-identifiable data back to home base. This news comes as the App Store has increased advertisements in the “app.” Incidentally, the Podcasts, Weather, Fitness, and Maps “apps” are slated to include various forms of advertising in the near future.

Really?

Researchers also discovered that first-party “apps” bypass any VPN tunnel. Of course, researchers also discovered that the VPN tunnel on iOS is “leaky.” There has been no remedy provided, even though the problem had been identified and reported several years ago.

“Deleting” system “apps” is now a questionable procedure. The “apps” do provide various APIs that enable certain features. However, the “app” must not be “deleted” for those functions to work. The problem with the Health “app” is that it is obviously still active even though it was “deleted.”

Notes recommends that any system “app” that charges for subscriptions or includes various forms of advertising should be “deleted.” And, inputting personal medical information in the Health “app” is definitely risky. Why would anyone do so?

Apple® anticipates a great future for the Health “app.” However, the usefulness of the “app” essentially requires the costly Watch device to be tethered to the iPhone. The data collected is then stored in the Health “app.” Why would anyone, except a hypochondriac, even submit to such an invasion of privacy?

The future of health monitoring on mobile devices is likely to be a “cash cow.” While there’s little reason to believe that Apple® would sell that data, there is a high probability that some form of anonymized targeted advertising will be introduced in the “app” down the line. No, thanks.

With Apple® introducing various new financial services to Pay, there is also some concern that the Wallet “app” will also become a source of anonymized targeted advertising. Unlike personal health data, personal finance information may actually end up being aggregated and sold. The Wallet “app” can also be considered a candidate for “deletion.” Overall, anything that can be monetized at the user’s expense should be mummified immediately.

(Product)^RED ... "pride" ... "woke" ... Tim Cook’s vision for Apple®. Pathetic, very pathetic. Very disappointing.

Addendum: Peter Wolinski at Tom’s Guide recently commented on the overhyped new feature: “There’s also the much-touted Dynamic Island, which, logically speaking, seems just a gimmick to distract from Apple’s self-consciousness in regards to front camera placement. There’s about as much actual point to it as James Corden’s PR manager. It isn't doing anything.”

Miscellany: Reasonable advice is to avoid any major dependency on “smartphones” or “smart” devices. There will be a day when those devices will betray their owners.