So yesterday was one of the monthly Flea@MIT events in Cambridge, MA. A friend and I usually head up there each month for a myriad of reasons. This time, I wasn't looking for anything in particular, but I managed to score some deals this time around.

First was some unopened Maxell 7" reel-to-reel tapes. Not exactly a deal at $10 apiece, but on par with the prices on that popular online auction site.

I also picked up a few CDs. Peter Gabriel's "Us", David Byrne's "Look Into The Eyeball", and a surprisingly delightful compilation CD called "Nordic Roots (1)" on the Northside label. All three for $5. Not bad.

But the big money (no Whammies... STOP!) deal of the day is what I call "the Instant MiniDisc Collection." Three fully-functioning, portable Mini Disc players, two headphones with remotes, NOS (New Old Stock) rechargeable battery, AA battery adapter, and 52 mini-discs with case for $20. I've been auditioning some of the discs, and the music on them are a real mixed bag. So far, I've only found one disc that I'm going to be erasing, as the music is NOT to my taste (it has Christian rock on it... bleh.)

As a side note, I just now looked up MiniDiscs on that popular online auction site, and my eyes have been opened. I didn't realize just how MASSIVE this bargain was. Some of these things are going for STUPID money.

This subject gets brought up every so often, and has been debated upon constantly in recent months. As an older feline, I feel I should give my opinion on this touchy subject.

Banning awoo has got to be one of the most patently ridiculous ideas I've ever heard. Awoo is chiefly a lupine form of communication, but to ban it, or silence it, is to silence the ancient voice and culture of an entire race. This is not right, this is morally repugnant!

Awoo has been used by lupines and other associated races for millennia. Even before the time of the Great Sentience, awoo has been heard echoing throughout the forests, hills, and mountains of the land. It was a call to action, to ready the hunt, to warn outsiders, to keep the pack together, an exuberance in celebration, among other more nuanced reasons.

In today's society, other races hear awoo as merely a cacophonous racket; a headache people are better off without. This mindset sets a dangerous precedent for the start of a slippery slope. If awoo is banned, then what's next? Banning roar? Banning meow? Banning trumpet? Banning chirp or caw? Banning whalesong? If one form of ancient communication can be silenced, then what is there to stop other forms of communication that are deemed to be outmoded, outdated, or simply annoying in today's world to be silenced?

Awoo should be considered as an intangible cultural heritage to the lupine (and associated) races, like flight is to our avian friends, or the gift of water-breathing is to our piscine friends. To silence a voice is to silence a culture. Who among us would want that to happen to them?

Yup... Air Conditioning! There's nothing like the refreshing feeling of coolness on a hot summer's day. The miracle of freon is one... huh? Not air conditioning? Well then what...? Oh!

Anthrocon! There's nothing like the refreshing feeling of coolness on a hot summer's day. The miracle of R134a is... What now??

Yeah, yeah, old joke. I'll be making a rare (these days) appearance at AC this year, as it'll be the first time in 7 years that I've attended.

So, what can you expect from me there? Absolutely nothing! No lame-o "air guitar" fursuit performances, no half-arsed attempts at singing "Rock And Roll All Night" accompanied by an Autoharp, not even outbidding The Gneech on Vince Suzukawa's artwork in the Charity Auction! No, I'll just be some old, limping fat man wandering around the con making people whisper "who's that old fat weirdo with the flat cap and Hawaiian shirt? Best not make eye contact with him!"

Although, if you DO recognize me, please make a proper introduction. I'm totally useless at remembering names and faces. Coming up to me out of the blue and saying "Hi Punk! Remember me?" will be rewarded with a horrified look while my mind goes "Oh shit! Who is this person?? I don't know this guy from Adam, yet he knows me... Quick, look for a name badge or something... DAMN his badge is flipped over... Uhh... Uhhh...." then try to start up a conversation using terms like "Hey, guy, it's been a long time," or "Dude! It's been ages" and not once using your name BECAUSE I'M GARBAGE WITH NAMES AND FACES!! Making me play the Guessing Game with you is flat-out cruel to me, so please don't do that. I haven't seen many of you since FurFright 2013 (if you attended that con) or longer, so please don't be insulted if I don't remember you; it's just the way my brain works (or in this case, doesn't work).

So there you have it. I'll be around AC for the duration doing my own thing. See you there!

And now, Chapter 834 of "Shit No One Cares About"

My current cellphone is a Nokia Lumia 830 Windows Phone (WP10). Say what you want about it, I still find it a very quick and secure system (when MS isn't moving things around when certain updates hit). It makes and receives calls and texts, has some decent games and other apps (an ever-shrinking number, admittedly), and most times, the OS doesn't get in the way of what I'm trying to do. I like it quite a bit.

However, the problem was mentioned above. Very few developers are creating apps for WP, and those who have made apps for it in the past are pulling support for them. Amazon, eBay, Amtrak, among others have already removed their "official" apps from the Windows Store. The lack of apps is disheartening for those who still utilize those phones. Even MS believes their phones are on their last legs, and only a select few models will be getting future updates (more specifically, those phones branded "MicroSoft" and not "Nokia").

So, if a person like me wants to stop being on the outliers and join a pack, there are two main choices: Android, and iOS. So what matters to me? What am I looking for in a phone?

Historically, before I got the Nokia, I was using a Motorola V600 from about 2005 to 2016. That is a LONG TIME in phone years. It served me well through my job, cons, and life in general. In today's world, I fully realize expecting a smartphone to last 11 years is a bit unrealistic (although it shouldn't be). That said, longevity is fairly important to me.

With smartphones, like many other computers, comes OS updates/upgrades. having the latest patches and updates in today's connected world is crucial. To me, Android fails pretty harshly here. There are still Android phones in use today that are two or more versions of the OS behind, and very rarely do they get patched (if ever). Even then, support usually ends within two years from the phone's release date. Granted, the Android market is larger and has more diverse hardware to try to manage with their updates; even phones with a direct line to Google can have a difficult time getting relevant updates and, more rarely, upgrades.

Apple has a pretty tight say on what devices run iOS... namely, only Apple products. This "walled garden" approach means the OS developers know what hardware is out there and can program accordingly. My research tells me that support for iOS devices can be upward of three (or more) years. And yes, I know it's not all sunshine and roses there, like that whole "Home button error" thing after an update came out that one time. Still, there's that longevity thing again.

As for apps, there's really very little difference between the two camps. Apple's App Store vs. Google Play, iTunes vs. Google Music, etc. Whatever app you want, you can usually find it regardless of which one you own. You see signs and commercials for "Get [Our App] in Google Play and the App Store!" Car audio is supporting both Apple Play and Android Auto. Whatever one can do, the other follows quickly afterward. Something I just can't say with my Windows Phone.

So after all that, I think I can say the next phone I'll probably get will be an iPhone. Not that I'm an Apple fanboy (I'm not), not that I dislike Android (I don't), I'm more interested in keeping my phone a little more secure than if I have to wait for a patch to a vulnerability that will never come because my phone is no longer supported (or at least to hold off that occurrence for a bit longer).

A really good album that hardly anyone remembers is the 1996 debut album from the Liverpool group Space entitled "Spiders." So, here's the lead track from that album.

I can't say that enough.



Yeah, the guy who posted the video couldn't spell the first name.

...as Tiger Tracks makes tracks for greener pastures... namely, here. I've just painted the walls and set the vibe for a cooling and relaxing place from the everyday struggles and drama.

Things are still migrating, and as soon as they finish, I'll sever the cord to LJ and close up that shop. It's a shame, really, as I managed to get a permanent account there ages ago; well before it fell into the hands of a more, shall we say, draconian leadership.

Anyway, stand by for more content. Right now, please feel free to funkify yourself with this P-Funk classic.