Do You Know What Google Knows?

I have an Android phone and suspect some of you do too. When you set it up, Google asks for permission to use your location for various reasons. There is some utility for this so you may have said yes. I say yes for some applications but not for others depending on what advantages it offers and if I want to use those features.

It turns out you can find out exactly what info google collects on you, organized by day. Log into your google account and go to http://maps.google.com/locationhistory and you will see a map of everywhere you (or at least your phone) went that day. Here is the map that comes up for a recent random day in my life.

One thing you will notice is that I appeared not to follow the roads! I assure you I was not drunkenly driving across people's lawns all day. My best guess is that they only take data at certain times so the exact route you take from point A to B is lost.

Google offers you the option to delete your history for that day or delete all your history. I am not sure how "deleted" your history really is when you choose this option. You can export your history as a KML file (if you know how to analyze them) and see time stamps of every data point they have. 

I don't know if Apple Maps has a similar feature, but I bet they collect similar info if you allow it.

I wonder how much data is collected even if you turn off all location services? I know there are useful services that are enabled by this data yet there are definitely lots of reasons to be wary of abuse by both government and corporate interests. 

Now you know why Walter White always used burners!

Four for Fridays

Hello everyone and welcome back! Busy, busy. busy! It has been a hectic week preparing for Christmas... Between weather issues, shopping and overtime, I'm surprised that I haven't lost my marbles....yet.... Anyways, here are your questions.... 

1) What is your favorite Christmas movie?

2)  What Christmas traditions do you have?

3) What is one Christmas memory can you share?

4) What put you into a Christmas mood?

Enjoy your weekend!

Open Blog - Friday

Oh my.

I think the snake ate Milo

Wild Root Market: "The News You Have Been Waiting For!"

"We can hardly hold back our excitement as we make the announcement we know you have all been waiting for!  We are so pleased that our holiday gift to you is the news that WE HAVE A CONTRACT IN PLACE FOR A SITE FOR WILD ROOT MARKET COOPERATIVE!

"(Drum roll, please)

"Our first Racine location will be:

1101 Grove Avenue in West Racine

(Formerly the site of a Piggly Wiggly grocery store)

"We recognize there has been a great deal of speculation in the community that this property would be our eventual site and it may come as no surprise that we made this decision.  While the potential of this site may have seemed obvious, there were many factors to evaluate and consider for this location and others -- and we needed to be ready to make this commitment on your behalf.  We also needed a critical threshold of owners to take this important step and we are so grateful for the trust and faith each of you has shown in this project.

"The good news is we are well prepared to move forward and we are confident this centrally located site offers the best potential for a successful store.  Among its many advantages:

• It was formerly a grocery store so it already contains important infrastructure that may reduce construction expense.
• It generated the highest sales projections in both our market studies.
• It has plenty of parking and it is on a bus line.
• It is located within a densely populated residential area that also happens to be a federally designated 'food desert.'
• Its location next to a CVS Pharmacy and its close proximity to other thriving businesses in West Racine offer important retail synergy"

Read more: http://wildrootmarket.createsend1.com/t/ViewEmail/r/75481615AC99E2F72540EF23F30FEDED/AE30CC3ACC6E7065025DA65DC0D0F53A

See also: http://wildrootmarket.coop/


I wish them good luck.  I've thought about joining in the past, but I don't know if it'd be worth it.  It costs $200 to join.  

Christmas Lights 2013 Part 3!

I have been busy with going out and getting Christmas light pictures, making my Christmas cookies and trying to get Christmas presents wrapped. I really am not getting to much accomplished or that is how I am feeling. Last night Drew and I went out to get a few more pictures to share with you so I decided to share them with you right away. Here are the pictures:

                                       This picture was taken on Main St. in Racine by the Zoo.

                                       This picture was taken on Main St. in Racine by the Zoo.

                                       This picture was taken on Main St. in Racine by the Zoo.

                                        This picture was taken on Main St. in Racine by the Zoo.

                                             This is the Christmas Tree on Main St. in Racine.

This is the Nativity set up on Main St. in Racine by the tree. I like this picture because they put a star above it this year.

Yes the theme today is all down Main St. and there is more pictures to come. I have to get my cookies done by this weekend so I can get Daddy Orbs his plate of Cookies so he don't think I forgot about him. So I will try to get more pictures on here tomorrow. Everyone be careful out there we have snow and sleet coming tonight.

Open Blog - Thursday

Hang on! It's almost Friday.

Which Turkey meat is more tender?

Take a break, you need a good laugh!

Dear Madame Zoltar

Madame Zoltar has gone on a mini-sabbatical to her timeshare condo in Cancun to battle the winter blues.  She sends her love to all of the Irregulars and looks forward to resuming her blog next week, on Christmas Day.

Open Blog - Wednesday

It's the Wednesday Hippopotamus!

Comet Lovejoy and the Hercules Cluster

I got behind posting here, but last Sunday morning I went out to get Comet Lovejoy as it was passing a little over 5 degrees from the Hercules Globular cluster, also known as M13. It would have been better Saturday morning, but I got back from a trip late Friday night and getting up early Saturday just didn't happen.

The problem Sunday morning was the Moon. The Moon was approaching full and lit up the sky when I got to Saguaro National Park east. I couldn't see Lovejoy with the naked eye, but found it with binoculars. I took a few pics while waiting for the Moon to set. Once the Moon set, there was a very brief window before morning twilight started brightening the sky. Fortunately, I was ready to make the most of the 20 minutes or so I had. 

Here is Comet Lovejoy in the lower right of the image and the fuzzy blob of M13 in the upper left. 

Next I zoomed in for a closer view of Lovejoy.

Lovejoy still has a very nice tail. I could see the comet as a fuzzy blob naked eye once the Moon set, but it is not quite as bright as it was a couple of weeks ago.  Finally, as the sky began to gradually brighten, I found a nice saguaro and did a much wider shot with the comet.

The Moon is entering the morning sky and will make Comet Lovejoy much less impressive, but it should still be in reach of binoculars. The comet if forecast to slowly fade to a magnitude of about 6.0 by the end of the month when the Moon will finally get out of the way. You would need really dark skies to catch it with the naked eye although it should still be all right in binoculars. Due to the Moon, I probably won't try for it again for a couple of weeks. However, I hope to use some of the slower time around the holidays next week to try some photography in the evening!

Reprinted with permission from the Half-Astrophysicist Blog.

Christmas Lights Part 2

Since I am up early this morning I thought I would post some more Christmas lights to share with everyone. Here they are:

I think it is not Christmas without the Peanuts this was taken at Candy Cane Lane in West Allis Wi..

A Dinosaur pulling the sliegh this was taken at Candy Cane Lane in West Allis Wi.. I just could not believe how tall this dinosaur was.

                        Mickey Mouse and Sponge Bob at Candy Cane Lane in West Allis Wi.

                                     The Little Drummer Boys on Aberdeen Dr. in Caledonia Wi.

    This house is on Aberdeen Dr. in Caledonia Wi. This house has music playing from the radio station.

                                        This tree was taken on Aberdeen Dr. in Caledonia Wi..

I have been out taking more pictures since these so I hope that everyone enjoys the pictures. There is more to come soon.

Open Blog - Tuesday

Ahem.

"Priceless: Wild's Coyle Makes Young Fans Day"

He'll remember that.

"Can The City of Racine Afford Mayor John Dickert?"

From Racine Exposed:

"On November 13, 2013, The Committee of the Whole met in a regularly scheduled meeting to discuss the Mayor’s Budget. You would have thought that the City of Racine Finance Director, Dave Brown, and Mayor John Dickert,  would have been prepared with readily available facts and figures to answer the questions and concerns of the Alderman. The purpose of the meeting is for the Aldermen to discuss the budget and then vote on whether or not to move the budget forward to the Common Council for a vote. WELL, as we shall see, they did not come prepared, were unable to answer a simple question, and, once again,  provided an evasive answer by making uncorroborated claims."



Read more: http://racineexposed.wordpress.com/2013/12/15/can-the-city-of-racine-afford-mayor-john-dickert/

"Mega Millions jackpot jumps, could reach $1 billion"

"(CNN) -- The Mega Millions jackpot is juicy, but thanks to new, longer odds, it's entirely possible the payout could reach $1 billion by Christmas.

"Nope, that wasn't a typo -- 'b' as in 'boy.'

"When no winner was selected in Friday's drawing, the jackpot rolled over to $550 million, the second-largest payout ever. It jumped again Monday to $586 million, with a cash payout of $316.5 million, said Tandi Reddick, a spokeswoman for the Georgia Lottery.

"The total could easily increase again before Tuesday night's drawing.

"So, the real question is: What are the chances of winning?

"Well, as CNN reported last week, you have a much, much better chance of being killed by an asteroid, and while those are long odds, they're even longer than they were in early October."

Read more:  http://www.cnn.com/2013/12/16/us/mega-millions-lottery-odds/ 

I'm gonna buy a lottery ticket.  I do this only when the jackpots are huge.  I know I don't have a chance.  If I get hit by an asteroid instead, hale-bopp can blog about it.

Local Loyalty - Borzynski's

Today's feature is Borzynski's Farm and Floral Market, 

11600 Washington Ave, Mount Pleasant, between Hy. V and I-94.

There hours are - 

Monday - Saturday 8:00am - 7:00pm, 

Sunday 10:00am - 6:00pm

Check them out!

BORZYNSKI'S

I had the best time visiting with Kristin Borzynski!

I've been to their store, and every time I find something new and exciting. 

It truly is a place like no other. It's the best of many worlds, 

farmers market, gift shop, bakery, speciality foods store and much more. 

The 3 words Kristin chose to describe their store, are - 

Welcoming (most definitely!)

Delightful (spot on!)

and Delicious (to all senses!)

We visited up in the loft.

(all the times I've been there, I hadn't even noticed the loft)

It was warm and cozy, a wonderful place to get something from the bakery, go up and read and enjoy the homey, coziness of it all. What a wonderful escape from the crazy pace our lives keep.

They grow as much as their produce as possible, in the fall, it is very plentiful! They bring in other seasonal fruits and veggies, and the quality is awesome!

This year marked their 20th anniversary as a store. Before having the store, they had a rich heritage of farming, primarily cabbage. They have many fields here in WI, but also in Georga, Texas and Illinois.

I grew up in the country, surrounded by cabbage fields, so we had somewhat of a connection :) 

The popcorn they carry, is grown just down the road - talk about local! I love that!! Years ago, my girls had braces and could only have "hulless" popcorn. 1st question was 'what the heck is hulless'? We found out and I've been somewhat of a popcorn snob ever since. I didn't know I could get it locally, so I was ordering it online out of Port Washington. One day while visiting Borzynski's, I noticed they carried the same kind! I was so excited! They I found out it was grown just down the road, way awesome! My favorite 2 kinds are baby white or yellow rice (small kernel like regular white popcorn), and orchard blossom (big kernel like yellow). Good stuff! Give it a try!

Besides the website, they can also be found on Facebook.

I encourage you to stop on down the road and check them out. The gift shop is simply wonderful, and the smells coming out of the bakery, yum!

What are you waiting for? Go! :)

"Into The Atmosphere"

http://shainblum.smugmug.com/

I am not a number, I am a free man!

Open Blog - Monday

I wonder what kind of service they give?

Crow Kills on the Highway

This is very important to know about the CROW KILLS on the highways across the nation.

 

Researchers for the Massachusetts Turnpike Authority found over 200 dead crows near greater Boston recently, and there was concern that they may have died from Avian Flu.

 

A Bird Pathologist examined the remains of all the crows, and, to everyone's relief, confirmed the problem was definitely NOT Avian Flu. The cause of death appeared to be vehicular impacts.

 

However, during the detailed (and probably very costly I might add) analysis it was noted that varying colors of paints appeared on the bird's beaks and claws. By analyzing these paint residues it was determined that 98% of the crows had been killed by impact with trucks, while only 2% were killed by an impact with a car.

 

Did you know that paint is different on trucks than on cars?

 

I don't know how do they know that stuff? ... Scary Hey?

 

MTA then hired an Ornithological Behaviorist to determine if there was a cause for the disproportionate percentages of truck kills versus car kills.

 

The Ornithological Behaviorist very quickly concluded the cause:

 

when crows eat road kill, they always have a look-out crow in a nearby tree to warn of impending danger. They discovered that while all the lookout crows could shout "Cah",

 

........... not a single one could shout "Truck."

 

Absolutely amazing!

"Evil Didn’t Win At Sandy Hook"

That's hard to watch without choking up.

"I Laughed So Hard I Almost 'Shipped My Trousers'"

That's the Charles Dickens version of this commercial: http://www.jtirregulars.com/2013/04/ship-my-pants.html

The Blankets I Have Been Working On!

The blankets I have been working on took me from January to December to make. These blankets are all crocheted by me and are for the family. Yes it takes a long time to make and also in the summer I really didn't work on them to much with going out and birding and taking pictures of  flowers. I am just thankful I got them all done in time.

The reason for making these blankets is the older kids got jealous last year because I made blankets for the grandkids. So I found out what colors the kids liked, my son was very easy and you will see why. Then when I was finding out what colors for the kids Drew says I would like one too. So that added another one on. I made six blankets in twelve months.

Here are pictures of the blankets:

Yes to the left is Bears colors for my son and to the right is the colors that Drew's son picked out.

To the left is Whitewater University colors for my youngest daughter and right is Packer colors for Drew. Drew's blanket was the last one and I just finished it on Thursday night.

To the left is the colors that my son's girlfriend picked and the one to the right is the colors my older daughter picked.

Yes I have been busy making the blankets and with everything else all year long. I am just happy I finished these in time so they can get them for Christmas. Now time to go to the store to get everything to start my Christmas cookies hopefully get them done on time!

Winter....grrrrrr

Open Blog - Weekend

Party on!

"What Is the X in Xmas?"

From Dictionary.com:

"December 11, 2013 by: Dictionary.com blog in: Current Events 396 Comments 
 
"Here’s a holiday surprise that only the dictionary can provide. Do you find the word 'Xmas,' as an abbreviation for Christmas, offensive? Many people do.

"You won’t find Xmas in church songbooks or even on many greeting cards. Xmas is popularly associated with a trend towards materialism, and sometimes the target of people who decry the emergence of general 'holiday' observance instead of particular cultural and religious ritual.

"But the history of the word 'Xmas' is actually more respectable — and fascinating — than you might suspect. First of all, the abbreviation predates by centuries its use in gaudy advertisements. It was first used in the mid 1500s. X is the Greek letter 'chi,' the initial letter in the word Χριστός. And here’s the kicker: Χριστός means 'Christ.' X has been an acceptable representation of the word 'Christ' for hundreds of years. This device is known as a Christogram. The mas in Xmas is the Old English word for 'mass.'  (The thought-provoking etymology of 'mass' can be found here.) In the same vein, the dignified terms Xpian and Xtian have been used in place of the word 'Christian.'

"As lovers of the alphabet, we are transfixed by the flexibility of 'X.' The same letter can represent the sacred, the profane ('rated X'), and the unknown ('X-ray'). What does the “X” in Xbox stand for? Find out more about the 24th letter of the alphabet, here.

"What other holiday-related words would you like to know more about? Let us know, below"

Read more: http://blog.dictionary.com/xmas-christogram/

Coffee with Cops at McDonalds

Legal Stranger reports on this morning's Coffee with Cops at McDonald's:

"Pictured is MPPD Captain Brian Smith discussing community topics with Journal Times reporter Cara Spoto.

"BLB and Legal Stranger interviewed Captain Brian Smith and Chief  Zarzecki 

"Topics included  community policing, militarization of police departments, department policies, community bloggers and ccap.

"Also complimenting  the attendance was Racine County District Attorney Rich Chiapete 

"MPPD Captain Brian Smith and Chief Zarecki also had in attendance  their senior  staff to engage with the public and discuss individual citizen concerns.  

"Coffee with Cops is a great way to meet our public employees and discuss community concerns in a relaxed environment. If you have concerns with police policy, you should plan to attend when another event like this occurs.

"Thank you McDonalds for hosting a fine community event.".

Four for Fridays

Hello everyone and welcome back! Another week has come and gone, seemly in an orderly fashion. I know that sounds weird, but this week felt rather monotonous. Anyways, here's your questions...

1) Have you ever locked your keys in your car?

2) What season stresses you out the most?

3) What is your favorite winter activity?

4) When is the earliest you put up your Christmas decorations?

Enjoy your weekend!

Useless Information

Did you Know: 
The “King of Rock & Roll”, Elvis Presley was almost dethroned!

A new up and coming Rocker, Jerry Lee Louis was writing and singing songs and was climbing the charts extremely fast.

Elvis was drafted into the army which didn’t help his career during this time.

In 1957 as Jerry Lee Louis got to the top, this crazy guy went and married his 13 year old cousin!  He was dropped like a hot rock around the world.

Elvis was discharged from the army and wrote a song named ‘Teddy Bear’ which put him right back on top.

Useless Information

Did you Know:

 

The “King of Rock & Roll”, Elvis Presley was almost dethroned!

 

A new up and coming Rocker, Jerry Lee Louis was writing and singing songs and was climbing the charts extremely fast.

 

Elvis was drafted into the army which didn’t help his career at all.

 

In 1957 as Jerry Lee Louis got to the top, this crazy guy went and married his 13 year old cousin!  He was dropped like a hot rock around the world.

 

Elvis was discharged from the army and wrote a song named ‘Teddy Bear’ which put him right back on top.

Useless Information

Open Blog - Friday

Uh-oh!

Fun Holidays

Open Blog - Thursday

“To err is human; to forgive, divine.” - Alexander Pope

Christmas Lights 2013 Part 1

Saturday we went birding and I told Drew that I was going to go somewhere and take pictures of Christmas lights. The thing of it was I never told him where we would be going because I was driving the car. So are trip to us to Candy Cane Lane in West Allis Wi.. Here are some of the pictures that we had taken that night:

           This is the first sign you will see when you drive down the very first street for the lights.

When you drive down the street there are people standing there taking donations for the M.A.C.C. fund for the children.

                                Then we have Santa on his sleigh with the reindeer and presents!

I thought this was really neat it is a dancing Frosty the Snowman. 

              Yes there really is a red M&M out there too. I told Drew that I had to have this picture!         

This is how I felt out there taken the pictures Saturday. Driving up and down about four streets going really slow with the traffic there and the window down the whole time and heat on high. 

I really hope everyone likes the pictures and yes there are a lot more to come with in the couple of weeks 

 left.

"10 Words for Happiness"

From Dictionary.com: http://dictionary.reference.com/?sshow=happiness-words

Happy Holidays.

"The Copenhagen Wheel official product release"

https://www.superpedestrian.com/

That's innovative technology applied to the ancient concept of the wheel.

Dear Madame Zoltar

Hello, my snowmen and snowwomen!  How are you?  I already know: cold.  My, did it become winter quickly.  We’ve already had subzero temperatures and a snowstorm that caused hundreds of accidents.  This is the time of year when I switch into one day at a time mode.  I don’t dare ponder what’s ahead in the next few months because it’s too depressing. 

The good news, of course, is that our Green Bay Packers won against the Atlanta Falcons last Sunday.  Sound the trumpets!  Summon the guards!  Yahoo, we sneaked one through!  Hallelujah!  Unfortunately, Mr. Aaron Rodgers is still not well enough to play.  This Sunday, December 15, our gallant warriors face the Dallas Cowboys on their turf.  May the Force be with them!  Knock ‘em dead, boys!

In the Irregular Football League, we are already into our semifinals.  It's my Screaming Psychics vs the Racine Irregulars and the Half-Astrophysicists vs the Fighting Mongrels.  Mr. OrbsCorbs' Orbliterators ended in 5th place and Ms. Tender Heart Bear's The Mighty Bears finished 6th.  

It would be nice if the weather toned down a little bit so that we could appreciate the decorated homes in the Racine area.  I saw some lovely lights going up in early November.  Those people must love their decorations.  I tried to nudge Señor Zanza up a ladder to decorate our home.  No such luck.  Junior offered to do it, but I was afraid of what he might do.  If times were better, I would’ve hired professionals to do it.  Well, I decorated the porch and the interior myself.  It looks simply marvelous!  Santa, you’re welcome here.

I read that donations are down this year at Salvation Army kettles.  Many are blaming that on a campaign to donate to other charities because the Salvation Army is perceived as anti-gay:  http://www.huffingtonpost.com/tag/salvation-army-anti-gay  I wonder how much of that is true and how much of the dip in donations is due to economic hard times?  I believe that those at the “top” have little regard for the suffering of those “below” them.  They don’t give a damn that life has become difficult for so many or that it impacts donations.  I shout, “Shame!” but it changes nothing.

Christmas is supposed to be a joyous time of year and I hope that’s true for you.  It can get hectic, so it pays to stop and think about the true meaning of Christmas.  I wish all of you Merry Christmas, Happy Hanukah, Merry Kwanza, Festive Festivus and Happy New Year!  Or Happy Holiday(s) of Your Choice!

Here’s a lovely video entitled “WestJet Christmas Miracle: real-time giving.”

Wasn’t that inspiring?

Thank you for stopping by to read my blog today.  I love company and I love you.  I don’t discriminate; I love everybody.

Have you been naughty or nice?  Ask madamezoltar@jtirregulars.com

Stay warm, my dears!  Please be extra careful driving in bad weather.  Avoid it if you can, go slowly if you must.  Ho-ho-ho!  Geloscopy!

A caring husband

He: “My dear, what can I help you with”?

She: “Take this bag of potatoes, peel half of them and put them in the cook pot”.

Open Blog - Wednesday

Stay positive.

Ring-Tailed Poot Sighting

After Charlie gets his evening treat, he likes to nap in a tent made by hanging a robe from a doorknob. He's also claiming the space underneath the kitchen sink as his.

"VIDEO: Traffic cam captures massive pileup on Highway 41/45"

See: http://fox6now.com/2013/12/10/video-traffic-cam-captures-massive-pileup-on-hwy-4145/

Why do we have to relearn how to drive in the winter every year?

"Russell Brand Will Blow Your Mind"

Eleven minutes is a long time to listen to anyone, but the message here deserves it.

I don't know that much about Russell Brand and I didn't know about this aspect of him.

Open Blog - Tuesday

Yummy.

New Weather Widget

The weather forecast on our sidebar now comes from the Weather Channel. Accuweather has changed their widgets and they are huge.

Local Loyalty - Sweet Flame

Today's edition of Local Loyalty

 is about a wonderful find at 335 Main Street, 

Sweet Flame, open Mon.-Sat., 10am-5pm.

Here is the link to their web site -

 

Sweet Flame

 

They are also on Facebook. 

I had the nicest visit with Tom, who owns it along with his wife, Sheila. 

When I 1st walked in, the atmosphere was so warm and inviting, and smelled simply yummy!  

Their 2 year birthday as a business there, was yesterday, 

the 8th of December. 

They offer an amazing variety of honey's, both local and from across the nation and the world. You can even taste and try many of the varieties they offer! Can't do that at the grocery store! Anything you want to know about each honey, they are your people.

 

They also carry some very unique foods from specialty places, and deal with them directly. That direct connection with the very people that make their products is really cool. 

Tom personally makes all the candles for the store, right there, in store - how cool is that? They are all natural wax, and well scented. He can custom color or scent any candle, tealight, votive or pillar, 

or even special order. 

When asked what three words he would use to describe their store, the answers were - 

Unique

Artisan

Handmade.

Next time you're downtown, try to make a point to stop in and check them out. You'll be glad you did, I sure am!!

      

 

Open Blog - Monday

Be careful out there.