My annual subscription for web hosting will come due after the start of the year, and the fact is I’m not sure I want to continue this weblog. It’s been fifteen years since I started using WordPress, and I’m feeling ready to stop using it. Technical problems, some of which remain unresolved, no longer feel like challenges. They’ve become merely annoying. Google has once again stopped indexing the site. This problem first appeared after Bluehost temporarily hosted my domain within another domain. Did they do it again? It’s not worth the bother checking.
All of the big events associated with this site happened within its first few years, and since then it’s just been me sharing and spouting. How many people are still looking at “Prattling Before the Pratfall” anyway? Perhaps as few as half a dozen, whose interest I sincerely appreciate. The cost ($300+/year) isn’t an issue, but I don’t like paying for aggravation. It would be a lot cheaper to cut back to having just the domain and the e-mail addresses in it.
The Beatles arrived in America as not just a band, but a brand, thanks to Brian Epstein. Their logo on Ringo’s Ludwig drums had been created by Ivor Arbiter. It replaced Paul’s original design on Ringo’s Premier drum kit.
Apple Computer was the first to borrow a Beatles brand, and now the Disney logo is displayed with the Beatles logo.
This development is forcing me to subscribe to Disney+, at least for a while. I hope it isn’t an indication that Disney is in the process of acquiring Apple Records.
Every so often, for entertainment I will answer a robocall on my landline. In one call a guy claimed to represent a local police charity, and I agreed to donate $50 to his worthy cause. He said to leave the money in my mailbox and a police officer in street clothes would pick it up. I suggested a better idea, that I would be happy to meet the officer at the police station. He hung up.
Last Sunday’s new episode of The Simpsons, “Bart’s in Jail” (what, again?), was worthy of John Oliver’s Last Week Tonight. It presented a surprisingly serious and cynical view of scams and multi-level marketing firms, including a dig aimed at Cutco. Coincidentally this week, I watched LuLaRich, a 4-part series on Amazon about LuLaRoe, a MLM company operating as a clothing wholesaler that became a pyramid scheme.
I had never heard of LuLaRoe, so I checked to see if there are LuLaRoe sellers on Amazon, and of course there are. Pyramid schemes and scams have been interesting to me ever since seeing this episode of Dragnet as a kid.
The trial of Elizabeth Holmes, who was behind the fraudulent company Theranos, is stretching the limits of distinction between a legitimate business opportunity and stock fraud. Did Holmes sincerely believe she would be able to develop a miracle diagnostic device? If so, was that belief based on actual technology, or was she just acting out a wannabe Steve Jobs fantasy?
Some frauds begin with good intentions, which are known to pave the road to you-know-where. During the 1980’s there was a movement to help people with severe autism who are non-verbal. Facilitated Communication was the subject of a memorable and noteworthy Frontline documentary in 1993. FC is an example of the Ouija Board effect. The level of self-deception on the part of the counselors is appalling, considering their backgrounds in Psychology. This is the foundation of all con games. The victims must be willing participants.
https://youtu.be/WOqIMT4YqnY
Follow-up: One day later, this notice popped up about a fake cop fundraiser scam.
A friend and I were talking this afternoon about Matt Amodio’s very impressive 38-game run on Jeopardy! We must have retroactively jinxed him, because his winning streak ended today.
I thought Final Jeopardy! was a giveaway, but Matt missed it. Even if he hadn’t, he’d have lost the game. I don’t know how many games are produced in a single day and week, but perhaps Matt was getting fatigued.
