Southern Comfort

A way of life. It was a different time, but some still remember what ‘southern comfort’ is. It is not just a bourbon but a way of life. Slower and reflective for a reason.

There was no television or radio for entertainment or information, there was no electricity. No air-conditioning or refrigeration or in-door plumbing, No laptops or cellphones or automobiles. No escaping to the beach or the chill of the mountains.

Southern comfort was to get out on the veranda in a rocking chair. Alone you might want to whittle a stick or cross stich or read a book (as long as the sunlight) or play a banjo for others to sing-a-long. Company were welcomed to adjoin to the porch for a glass of sweet lemonade and a good conversation. No one was invited inside due to the steamy heat of the day and the kitchen preparation of the next meal. The arrival of mail or a newspaper were cherished and shared with others.

Watching the sunset holding hands with another and quiet conversation is southern comfort mostly forgotten. It seems when you go on vacation you cherish these moments. Why can’t you create them every day?

Every evening I look forward to my quiet time on the porch. Sometimes I watch the neighbors walk by with their carriages and pups. Sometimes I bring out the iPad to listen to news or music (headphones optional). Sometimes I just sit and watch my tree and my neighbors settle in for the evening. Sometimes I rock my way into a nap. Sometimes it is chilly requiring a sweater and a lap blanket. Sometimes it is so warm inside, rocking in the dark in your skivvies can’t be seen due to the yard is for the night critters.

I appreciate time spent in southern comfort. 

Rock on.

Chips

 

Plastic was the last BIG thing, but now it is chips. Everything from a hair dryer or refrigerator or automobile or a watch or a hammer has a computer in it; and they all need these teeny tiny microprocessors to work. Like days of old with assembly lines of mechanics assembling model-t’s there are warehouse factories full of workers straining their eyes using tweezers and lasers making what was the transistor radio to what now rules your day.

An integrated circuit or monolithic integrated circuit (also referred to as an IC, a chip, or a microchip) is a set of electronic circuits on one small flat piece (or "chip") of semiconductor material, usually silicon. Large numbers of miniaturized transistors and other electronic components are integrated together on the chip. This results in circuits that are orders of magnitude smaller, faster, and less expensive than those constructed of discrete components, allowing a large transistor count. The IC's mass production capability, reliability, and building-block approach to integrated circuit design has ensured the rapid adoption of standardized ICs in place of designs using discrete transistors. ICs are now used in virtually all electronic equipment and have revolutionized the world of electronics. Computers, mobile phones and other home appliances are now inextricable parts of the structure of modern societies, made possible by the small size and low cost of ICs such as modern computer processors and microcontrollers.

Very-large-scale integration was made practical by technological advancements in semiconductor device fabrication. Since their origins in the 1960s, the size, speed, and capacity of chips have progressed enormously, driven by technical advances that fit more and more transistors on chips of the same size – a modern chip may have many billions of transistors in an area the size of a human fingernail. These advances, roughly following Moore's law, make the computer chips of today possess millions of times the capacity and thousands of times the speed of the computer chips of the early 1970s.

ICs have three main advantages over discrete circuits: size, cost and performance. The size and cost is low because the chips, with all their components, are printed as a unit by photolithography rather than being constructed one transistor at a time. Furthermore, packaged ICs use much less material than discrete circuits. Performance is high because the IC's components switch quickly and consume comparatively little power because of their small size and proximity. The main disadvantage of ICs is the high initial cost of designing them and the enormous capital cost of factory construction. This high initial cost means ICs are only commercially viable when high production volumes are anticipated.

Silicon is the material of choice in the chip industry. Unlike the metals normally used to conduct electrical currents, silicon is a ‘semiconductor’, meaning that its conductive properties can be increased by mixing it with other materials such as phosphorus or boron. This makes it possible to turn an electrical current on or off.

The good news is that it’s everywhere! Silicon is made from sand, and it is the second most abundant element on earth after oxygen. Silicon wafers are made using a type of sand called silica sand, which is made of silicon dioxide. The sand is melted and cast in the form of a large cylinder called an ‘ingot’. This ingot is then sliced into thin wafers.

Electronic waste recycling, electronics recycling or e-waste recycling is the disassembly and separation of components and raw materials of waste electronics; when referring to specific types of e-waste, the terms like computer recycling or mobile phone recycling may be used. Like other waste streams, re-use, donation and repair are common sustainable ways to dispose of IT waste.

Since its inception in the early 1990s, more and more devices are recycled worldwide due to increased awareness and investment. Electronic recycling occurs primarily in order to recover valuable rare earth metals and precious metals, which are in short supply, as well as plastics and metals. These are resold or used in new devices after purification, in effect creating a circular economy. Such processes involve specialized facilities and premises, but within the home or ordinary workplace, sound components of damaged or obsolete computers can often be reused, reducing replacement costs.

Recycling is considered environmentally friendly because it prevents hazardous waste, including heavy metals and carcinogens, from entering the atmosphere, landfill or waterways. While electronics consist a small fraction of total waste generated, they are far more dangerous. There is stringent legislation designed to enforce and encourage the sustainable disposal of appliances, the most notable being the Waste Electrical and Electronic Equipment Directive of the European Union and the United States National Computer Recycling Act. In 2009, 38% of computers and a quarter of total electronic waste was recycled in the United States, 5% and 3% up from 3 years prior respectively.

Someday soon there will be a process to embed a ‘chip’ in our head so you won’t need a cell phone or credit card or a passport for scanners will automatically recognize you and all that information about you. Just walk through the check-out line and your bank account will be billed. Buy a car; no problem for your credit will be verified in seconds and you will be handed the keys. You won’t have to speak for your thoughts will be telepathically sent. The human race will become androids.

The grave robbers will be digging away the chips to reuse on their latest electronic convenience device.

Plug in.

Unruly

 

Don’t know how it happened but our culture seems to becoming rude.

I don’t remember my etiquette training but I don’t think I was yelled at or beaten with a stick. I was taught to sit on my hands at the dining table. I was taught to be seen and not heard. I was not as consumed as the royals on proper obedience but there were rules to follow.

In church I was given a piece of paper and a pencil to keep me distracted and not fidget. At formal dinners, I sat up straight and waited for others to pick up the correct fork before I began to eat. I followed the proper behavior and did not misbehave.

At school, a class of wild children sat quietly in their seats at the request of the female teacher. She was everyone’s mother and no one talked back.  Now and then, someone would get into mischief and would be publicly punished. There may be a raised voice but no mad nun with a ruler. A child could be called in front of the class to apologize or be told to stand in the corner or in the hallway (for a timeout period) or in serious cases, sent to the principal’s office.

For the most part, we all obeyed the authoritarian system and followed the direction of the elders.

By high school, we started making our own decisions on classes to achieve a piece of paper acknowledging we accomplished conative knowledge. We began to pull pranks and some were expelled when they were repeat offenders, but the majority walked across the stage in their robes to their parents hopes of finishing the cost of children and hoping for becoming empty nesters.

Those who didn’t go onto higher learning found employment and started learning what life was all about. The ones who did go off to university (hoping for better employment opportunities and/or getting out of the draft) experimented with pushing the boundaries under the security umbrella of school.

Supervisors at work had to start dealing with employees who were disgruntled with a variety of dislikes and can be counseled, given probation or termination. Lawyers expect documentation on all actions for contention of firing may require court time.

So, when did we learn to be so unruly?

I hear it at the grocery when people are yelling, complaining to people who can’t solve their problems. I hear the stories of people on planes or trains or buses acting up and not obeying the requirements of public safety or public decorum. Our mob mentality causes us to act like hooligans at sports games or music festivals or school committee meeting requiring security dressed in helmets and carrying plastic shields (where just one person wearing a uniform with a badge could move a crowd with just a verbal request).

Now the shenanigans continue to grow with those who feel privilege to disturb the peace and the rest of us have to deal with it.

Behave or you will be expelled.

Remember Me?

 

A couple of years ago I appeared on the scene and everyone panic. We were told of a National Health Emergency and given daily updates of what to do to avoid me. Schools shut down. People worked at home. Businesses closed. Everyone was told to keep at least six-feet apart, wash your hands often and wear mask. The government formed task forces, supplied free shots and gave a body count every day. It seemed like people were dropping like flies. The sky was falling. If you knew someone who had been hospitalized, you couldn’t go and visit.

Well, it is now that our emergency declaration is over. The daily task force directed by the then vice president with a fly on his head stopped months ago. There was nothing new to talk about so they just faded away. There was no announcement to go back to ‘normal’ behavior, but we just got bored of hiding at home. Plexiglass walls came down, hop scotch floor markers disappeared, mask came off and people started gathering again.

There was never any bar chart that showed contamination had ended and there were no more deaths. Instead, there are still a thousand people of month dying from breathing me in and not being able to recover. There are also reports that I last a lot longer than just quarantined for a week or so. There are still test for me, but what do you do if you fail?

Some will continue to wear mask as a fashion item but it is still good avoidance from that guy hacking up a lung over in the produce area. You never could see me and if you suddenly got the fever automatically assumed you got me and you were going to die, so some still isolate and casually find it a vacation from the ho hum drum of boring conversations and conformity statue evaluations.

So, we move onto the next threat and will tell tales to our grands on living through the pandemic of the 2000’s like surviving the aids plague of the 1980’s. Or the polio threat of the 1950’s.

Beware of the cooties.

I Don’t Get It

 

 

Every morning I wake up (so far) and check the body count on the social media spreadsheet. Some whack-job has shot up a church or dance or wedding or gathering place leaving a half dozen dead and multiple wounded. Oh, the pathos.

Then I turn the page and there are groups of people in a circle holding hands, heads bowed with flowers and cards and balloons and their thoughts and prayers. Are these the same people who are walking around with military weapons of destruction?

Then, there are those who are called upon to ride out sirens wailing to stop the carnage and pick up the pieces.

I don’t know how you categorize each of these groups. Good guys vs the Bad guys? Liberals vs Conservatives? Red vs Blue? Nationalist vs Spiritualist? Jets vs Sharks? Bloods vs Crips? Reb’s vs Yanks? Us vs Them?

I do understand wars. One group decides they don’t like another group or want what they have and form an army to invade and bomb and destroy and pillage. Wars have been happening before I was born and ever since. Every land has a bunch of folks who like to dress up like each other and walk simultaneity carrying long guns and ammo and hand-held explosive devices, each a personification for murder.

From the database numbers publicly reported, there are enough fire arms for every man and woman and boy and girl and infant in the country. I don’t have one so someone else must have mine too? They can be stacked in the corner, stuffed in the underwear drawer, in the glove compartment, hidden in the closet, displayed in cabinets or hanging on the rack in the truck with the NRA bumper sticker. So, if the availability to guns is as easy to access as automobiles, knives, poison and baseball bats the solution to these mass killing events is run, hide, fight or if you see something, say something (possibility to someone carrying a weapon and wearing a badge).

My view of culture is an evolution from WWII films to cowboy movies to monster movies to space invaders to gangster rap to fear of personal protection in a war zone mentality. Until the 80’s, people on the screen getting shot just fell down. In the next scene there were in the background as another character. Even the photographs of battle scenes only showed a few bodies and everyone thought the bullet killed them immediately (instead of so many moaning while bleeding out). Then the ratings changed and if you were old enough you could watch actors on screen getting fake blood blown across your eyes appearing much more realistic as exciting and nauseated up to Snuff films. Today, social media shows clips of shootings as evidence to a cause or confirm an agenda.

We are not back to the ole West (yet) but when I go into any group of people, there is that wonder of ‘who is packing?’. Who could have had a bad day at the office or was jealous of the attention your romantic partner was getting by another or didn’t get enough sleep or was off your meds is suddenly ticked off by a word or a motion and reacts by shooting strangers to release internal disturbance. The same as war?

I’ve shot a rifle. I know the feel of the recoil and the smell of the exploding powder. I have NOT shot at any living being. I wonder the thrill of shooting a defenseless animal and calling it sport? Is mounting the heads on the wall any more viable than the etched names in the memorials?

When I go for my daily rides, I am aware of being an unprotected target. Anyone in the neighborhood, sitting on their porch might view me as a sideshow passing target and a single shot could win the stuffed teddy bear. When I park my pony, I look around the parking lot. Is there anything unusual? Is there a police car parked or cruising? As I wander the aisles for my daily substance, I check the faces of my passengers on this journey. If someone seems agitated or frustrated or just confused, I turn and go another path. Cautious or paranoid? Packing up to leave I again scan the surroundings. Bad driving could just as well finish my trip early as a mad marksman.

Better go back and check where the mass slaughter was today. Reload.

Going Solo

 

Remember the world’s great inventions?

The Wheel! Fire! Electricity! In-door plumbing! Tele-communications! Eatable panties!

Then you remember the red Solo cup!!!

Here is who to thank:

Leo Hulseman, a former employee of the Dixie Co. in the 1930s, created the "Solo Cup", a paper cone he made at his home and sold to bottled-water companies. Later the company developed other products, like wax-coated cups and the plastic Cozy Cup. The wax-coated cups were added to its lineup in the 1950s, as fountain sodas gained popularity.

Leo Hulseman founded the Solo Cup Company in 1936, The company was originally incorporated in 1955 under the name Hulseman Paper Corporation.

In the 1970s, Hulseman’s son, Robert Leo Hulseman, came up with the now-ubiquitous (in the United States), red Solo cup. The red Solo cups are made of thick, molded polystyrene. They are known for being able to withstand drops, easily stackable, and disposable while price accessible. Their characteristic red color may conceal the drinking contents.

On June 30, 1980, SOLCO, Inc. and RM LEASING CORPORATION merged into Solo Cup Company.

On March 1, 2004, Solo acquired Sweetheart Cup Company for $917.2 million, in part with public debt. Sweetheart was founded by Joseph Shapiro and his four brothers, emigrants from Russia. It became the largest consumer packaging company in the world and was sold several times before being acquired by Solo Cup. Following the acquisition, Solo Cup's finances suffered, and Standard & Poor’s lowered their credit rating from B to CCC+. In late 2006, Solo Cup was reported to be $1.1 billion in debt.

In 2005, the Museum of Modern Art in New York City added a Solo Cup Traveler's Lid to its permanent collection. The lid was featured because it symbolized innovation and progress in basic product design.

Solo Cup Company closed its longstanding facility in Highland Park, Illinois, in December 2009 and relocated to Lake Forest, Illinois.

On May 4, 2012, Solo Cup Company was acquired by Dart Container.

If you have even been to a baseball game, a music festival, a wedding or funeral, a horse race or even a royal coronation; you’ve seen the popular red Solo cup. It can hold water, soft drinks (with or without ice), coffee, peanuts, and even alcoholic beverages. It is light and easy to carry and can be refilled.

Before a paper cup at the water cooler was a cone that held a swallow. The little Dixie cup you got from the soda jerk was flimsy and leaky.  Before that you had to drink out of a ceramic or glass container. Each mixed drink had to have its own special size glass and every person has their favorite coffee mug.

Though it looks that Leo wasn’t the best business operator, when you want a drink, everyone goes Solo.

Speaking of going Solo, I’ve read several studies and reports recently about the solo elderly failing mental aptitude and health.  I bear witness on this blog of the pros and cons of going solo.

Our species, so I’m told, are communitive in nature for safety and comradery. We also seek out companions for friends or lovers. We vow allegiance to another to be a spouse, partner, or significant other with sharing last names, insurance plans, housing and beds.

The plus of not going solo is there is someone else to cuddle with or be able to check that bump on your back or know well enough that a small gesture can bring another joy. The con of not going solo is that other person is always around, bring drama and anxiety and frustration that cannot be found alone.

Going solo as a geezer is an interesting journey. The thoughts are your own. Speaking out loud in a conversation to an empty room always confirms your point of room without a struggle. If you knock something over or leave the water running, you can’t get angry at yourself. There is no one there to laugh if you bump into the wall. If there was a bad decision, there is no one to blame except the person in the mirror, No one will punch you for snoring too loud. You can read or listen to music or write without being interrupted with a shopping trip or an afternoon picnic.

Some have a necessity of having another around. Perhaps to take care of or being cared for. Perhaps the emotional need for reassurance or ego deprecation. There is only one seat on a bicycle.

Facing the ultimate conclusion some will want or even require someone else to make the decisions of time and place to depart. Going solo releases others of the burden, but it does bring reality of a decaying body into focus. When you die… you die alone.

So, remember Leo Hulseman when you are sitting on the toilet (something else you do solo) and thank him for his invention of the big red plastic cup.

Going solo.