Bugs

What a deal.

I saw a short blurb on this, somewhere, and thought that maybe my spiderphobe sister could use one. Then I thought naw, and forgot about it.

But later sometime the itty bitty gears in my teeny tiny mind finally made enough revolutions, and then I got an idea, eh?

I know that even for someone tough and gnarly and all there are maybe nevertheless a few bugs that a person who likes to look at bugs would like to look at but not touch.

So, FWIW, as they say, there is the Carson HU-10 BugView

Just in case anyone wonders, no, I don't make any money from saying this. Not a chance.

I in fact have two separate, well-known governments sending me money every month just so I stay far away and maybe nap quietly in a corner and don't bother them or anyone else, and that's the whole of it, except for what I was able to put into savings, and the office supplies I stole while I was still working.

In between naps and going out for lunch, I spend my time counting my marbles because it's hard to keep track of them otherwise, and as you may know every so often it seems like a couple of those marbles seem to go missing, but as you may also know if you've tried to keep track, it's hard to tell with marbles.

Some things you just can't ever be sure about, although it is a shame to lose your marbles, so I keep on with the counting.

Feliz, Eh?

It's almost N-Day. Coming soon. Next Monday, five days from now. Navidad.

Feliz Navidad, y'all. Merry Xmas, that's what I say.

I bought a bunch of gifts, all the same. Little boxes of chocolates, Guylian. Exotic.

Ecuador produces the world's best chocolate, but Belgian chocolate is exotic, so I bought that. Nothing says "thank you so much" like whatever it is that you can't normally get, or don't normally buy, or are unable to afford, or is foreign. Belgian chocolate is all of those.

I've never tasted it, but I've heard that it's good, so that's what I buy.

This chocolate is available in small boxes, four or six pieces per box, and costs $3.50. That's reasonable — I can afford to buy a bunch of those little boxes, and anyone on the receiving end knows that it's not a joke, not cheap, not a toss-off, not an empty gesture, but then again, it isn't wildly extravagant, and there isn't too much of it in one box, just a taste, enough to thrill without satiating.

So I bought around $140-worth this year, a bit less last year, about $250-ish in total for both 2016 and 2017.

The people where I eat lunch each got a little box, and the owner and his wife got a big box ($15). Same at the hotel where I live, though I haven't seen everyone yet. I still have lots of boxes to hand out, but I did get started.

Then I gave another big box to a legless beggar who works a corner about three blocks from here, so he and his family can enjoy all 16 pieces together. I'm glad I got to him before his annual Xmas vacation. He apparently gets by OK from begging but without "gifts" from random people like me, he's got nothing, so I dropped a big one on him.

The "bread lady" got a box. She probably earns minimum wage ($366 a month) at the panaderia, if that, so why not?

And two of the three dwarfs on nearby corners. The third one got away for now. I'll nail him later. I ran out and when I came back to drop a treat into his hands as well, he'd knocked off for lunch, so I strolled past a young female busker and tossed a dollar coin into her hat, followed by a little gift bag containing a box of chocolates. I'm probably the only one who's ever done anything like this. She exploded in smiles.

You know how it's said that it's more blessed to give than to receive? Eff that — it's flat out fun, a real kick in the head, keep the blessings. I don't want any.

I have two friends in the religion biz and they're both dicks. Two former friends, both very bright. Haven't seen much of them them since high school 50 years ago, but I've managed to update myself on their doings and whereabouts every few years. Yep. Religion Biz. Keep it, I don't want any. Nasty and dirty. Ugly.

I turned atheist about age 14, hung onto that for a few years, and eventually grew out of it. Now I'm simply plainly anti-religious. I don't want any of it. I don't care about it. Name your religion and I'm against it, whichever one it is. I'm even more hostile to the business of religion, but some of the ideas behind religion? Sure. One or two. Sign me up. What's right is right. I'm for that. Keep the hatred.

If I can do a little good, I'll do it, and refuse credit. Call me Mr Anonymous. That's fine. Screw the blessings. I don't want blessings, or awards, or recognition or a plaque, signed certificate, or my name in the news.

But fun, sure. I like random unexpected fun, especially when I can cause other people to experience it.

Giving stuff away is cool. I have more money than I need and since I'm going to die soon, if I don't spend it it will do no good at all. A few bucks here and there, scattered irresponsibly via walk-by charity, will make a few people feel good, and that makes me feel the same. Feeling good is good.

I wish I was this nice every day.

Camera Obscurity

I bought another picture-taking device used by photographers. Camera. A camera. That's what we call them these days.

A few years ago when it became time to sort out my possessions and trim them back I had 13 cameras. I cut that to two, one "big" and one small. I've hardly used the big one in the five years since, but do use the small one all the time. It's the best single camera I've ever had, a Sony Cyber-Shot DSC-Hx50V (pant, pant).

It has a long name and a long reach: "The smallest 30x optical zoom camera", Sony says breathlessly, and it is good, for a tiny camera with a tiny sensor, and I love it, and am moving up to a different camera.

This new one is a Panasonic "LUMIX 4K Digital Camera ZS100 with 20 Megapixel Sensor, 25-250mm F/2.8-5.9 LEICA DC Lens Zoom, WiFi and Electronic Viewfinder - Black". Also pant, pant. That's a lot to say.

The "old" sensor is small. The "new" sensor is also small, but much larger. It's a case of a 1/2.3" sensor versus a 1" sensor, which is four times larger. Larger is gooder. One hundred sixteen square millimeters as opposed to twenty-eight point five. Sounds appropriately impressive, right?

The new lens doesn't have as much reach, but with the larger sensor I can crop the image and get close to the same effect. In Barnack (35mm) units, it's a case of 720mm versus 250mm. Optional digital zooms on each camera amount to 1440mm and 500mm, respectively, and result in somewhat degraded images.

The small sensor is great on simple subjects with little detail, like the murals I've been photographing for the last five years, as at the top of this post, but gets confused when there is too much detail, as in an outdoor scene.

So who gives a fart? Nobody. I'm only trying to stay in practice with blogging. The next post might be interesting, but don't expect it to be because I'm not.

Full speed ahead then, gentlemen, and let's try not to fall off our horses with excitement.

More info.

"Camera"

Sony Cyber-Shot DSC-Hx50V

Oskar Barnack

Wray Way, Eh?

Mr. Christopher A wray (wtf@mbe.wtf.ne.jp)

Attn:Beneficiary...

I am Mr. Christopher A wray. the FBI director on behalf of world security agency. After proper investigations, we discovered that your impending payment that have been withheld by imposters, claiming to be Lamido Sanusi Lamido (Governor of the Central Bank of Benin Republic), Mr. Patrick Aziza, Mr. Frank Nweke, none existing officials of the oceanic bank of Benin and zenith bank, UK winning lottery, Andy Lear of HSBC bank, coca-cola winning lottery and among a list of others is now under our custody with the help of the economic and financial crimes commission (EFCC) and the local police force. Investigations revealed that you have spent a lot of your personal earned money just to conclude the successful transfer of your funds into your nominated bank account by obtaining transfer documents as requested by the impostors, costing you a lot of money but all to no avail.

The FBI Executive Officers had sent some financial crime investigators from our headquarters in Washington DC to Africa in order to carry out proper investigation, after receiving series of other reports similar to yours as you are not the only person awaiting the legal transfer of funds from Africa. The FBI has giving authority to the international monetary funds (IMF) to assist the federal ministry of finance and all the organization involved; such as the central bank, zenith bank, and legit lottery organizations to immediately commence with the compensation of all the beneficiaries awaiting the successful transfer of their funds. With the help of some best internet investigators attached to the FBI, we traced your information from the internet as one of the beneficiaries awaiting the successful transfer of funds to your nominated account.

I am pleased to inform you that a meeting was held as regards the best way to carry out with the compensation exercise for transparency and most especially to avoid re-occurrence of the delay in transferring your funds and the high cost of procuring transfer documents and came to a final conclusion as all head of organizations involved was duly represented. It was approved to be issued to you as a valid international ATM card cash-able at any ATM machine designation in the world. The ATM card account has already being credited with eight hundred and fifty thousand dollars ($850,000.00) with a daily limit of withdrawal of Four thousand United States dollars only. ($4.000, 00). The ATM card has already being packaged and approved to be delivered to your door step via express courier delivery service.

To affect the release of your ATM card valued at $850,000.00. Contact Mrs. Ogechukwu Emma, F.B.I agent in Benin and reconfirm your delivery information as stated below and your security code with five digit (FBI10) number has to be submitted as subject alongside with your delivery information for security reasons. To contact Mrs. Ogechukwu Emma, do click reply bottom and send message direct to her.

You are advised to contact him with these information as stated below:

Delivery information:
Full name and age:
Delivery address:
Cell phone number:
Current occupation:
Preferred payment method (ATM / cashier check)

Have it in mind that the delivery fees of your ATM card package delivery to your destination have been settled with the courier company in charge of your ATM card delivery. so you are mandated to pay for the security keeping fee only for your ATM card to be delivered to you. A reliable and a trusted courier company have been contracted to deliver your package to your destination, as soon as you contact Mrs. Ogechukwu Emma she will update you with the courier company email contact address in other to avoid any undue delay of your ATM card.

Note: under normal circumstances you are suppose to come and collect your ATM card in person and sign some documents as proof of the collection of your ATM card but IMF and the finance minister agreed that you pay for the security keeping fee only of your ATM card via western union money transfer, which will cost you only $128.00 to cut down travel expenses. We hope that this is very clear. A receipt to this effect will be sent to you and a copy kept in your file for future documentation. There is no much time left and the fees need to be paid today to enable them board tonight flight and it will take 18 hours to get the package delivered to you.

Use the details below to send the $128.00 via western union or money gram or ria and forward the payment slip for documentations.

Receiver name.......... Mark Chris
Address................101 Agbokou Road, Portonovo, Benin Republic
Country.................Benin Republic
Country code............+229
Test question..........good
Answer.................service
Amount.................$128.00
MTCN and sender name.......

We also advise that you stop further communications with these imposters and forward any correspondence / proposal you receive from them to Mr. Solomon Morgan in other for us to bring justice to those still at large.

God bless us.

Regardsl,

Mr. Christopher A wray (F.B.I Director)
Cc: Canadian Police Association
Cc: General Intelligence Department (GID)
Cc: Asia Pacific Group on Money Laundering (APG)
Cc: Federal Bureau of Investigation (F.B.I USA)
Cc: European Bank for Reconstruction and Development (EBRD)
Cc: Financial Action Task Force (FATF)
Cc: International Monetary Fund (IMF)
Cc: International Organization of Securities Commissions (IOSCO)
Cc: International Banking Security Association (IBSA)
Cc: International Air Transport Association (IATA)
Cc: Institute de Formation Interbancaire (INSIG)
Cc: World Customs Organization (WCO)
Cc: Inter-American Development Bank (IADB)
Cc: Offshore Group of Banking Supervisors (OGBS)
Cc: World Central Bank (WCB)