"Hello, and welcome to this week’s Friday 5! Please copy these questions to your webspace. Answer the questions there; then leave a comment below so we’ll all know where to check out your responses. Please don’t forget to link us from your website!"
1. What do you have mixed feelings about?
Anything that I am uncertain of but for some reason have been forced to do.
2. What blended drinks do you enjoy?
Water with ice. The ice will blend into the water.
3. At social or professional gatherings (when it’s safe to have them), how easily do you mingle?
I hate those. I rather be in the background as a distant observer. I don't do well in group social situations. In that regard, all the social distancing protocols in effect for COVID-19 is kind of a godsend since socials are rare these days.
4. When did something most recently stir you to tears?
When my Mom died. That was in 2015.
5. What did you most recently add to your collection of something?
I bought 4 CDs in the last 2 months of 2021. I have mostly stopped buying massive amount of physical media for music and video since I had to severely de-clutter my place a few years ago.
Friday 5 for December 31: Obligatory — Last one of the year from Scrivener. Never doing this again for the rest of the year.
1. In 2021, who made you laugh?
My friend and nearly constant companion Lisa. We've had ups and downs over the past year but sometimes we can erupt into a good laugh on some pretty goofy stuff.
2. What was a pleasant surprise?
Being asked to come back to work this coming season starting on January 3, 2022.
3. How have you grown? - Older
This has been my song for 2021. There are no songs for 65 so I will soon be living beyond that.
4. What do you forgive yourself for?
I hope for being angry at times. Sorry.
5. * If you were to get a tattoo to represent the year, what would it be and where would you put it?
* Just answer it! It’s a fun question!
First of all I am NOT a fan of tattoos and don't have any on me. I am happy with the skin God gave me and I don't need to deface it with art that many think is forever. Nope, never going there. That said, and since this is supposed to be a fun question....
Oh I know.. U.S. Congressperson Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez just near my asshole. You asked and that is what you got. There! All for fun. Right?
Merry Christmas! And now to answer the weekly Friday 5 questions.
1. If you owned a new professional sports team (pick any sport!), what would you name it, and what be its team colors?
Out here in Hawaii, owning a professional sports team is totally unfeasible for maybe the exception of one type... Minor League Baseball. In order for that to be successful, there has to be 1. fans willing to come to a small ball field to watch games all the time 2. connection to a MLB team preferably on the West Coast 3. A good radio and streaming TV contract rights 4. Ability to probably have to pay for competing teams to fly over and stay in Hawaii for each game 5. and last but not least a good small stadium that has plenty of parking and near the metropolitan area where some people could walk to the games for a day/night of viewing.
Cue up the old Honolulu Stadium. This was a reality back in the day and that team was called the Hawaii Islanders. It was for more part very successful in urban Honolulu at the small rickety wooden facility.
The team pretty much went back north after the forced move to Aloha Stadium and probably the increased costs, distance, etc. from their fan base.
So yes, in an ideal, and somewhat nostalgic way, a revival of the Hawaii Islanders baseball franchise could be doable. Heck they could even elect to play at 4 or 5 home "stadiums".... Honolulu U.H. stadium (with a good rental agreement as to not interfere with the UH team in scheduling) , Maui, Hilo, Kona and maybe Kauai, though the population there may be too small.
It could be something worth looking into as long as they do not have to play at a large overpriced, costly and as of yet unbuilt Aloha Stadium replacement.
All in all this would be a super expensive venture that has a huge share of risk.
Answer: Minor League Baseball team, Hawaii Islanders (revival) depending on who owns the right to that name.
2. If you owned a new restaurant, what would you name it, and what kind of cuisine would it serve?
Restaurants are the most mortal business anyone can take a risk at starting and running. Most restaurants go out of business in a very short time unless they have some kind of unique selling point. I for one would never go into this business. I am not passionate about cooking or even eating out, given COVID-19 and all the regulatory crap that goes along with it. Plus restaurants are so highly regulated I have to ask myself is it worth the time and money?
That said, the cheapest thing I could think of coming up with is a shaved ice stand with just a minimum offering, a tiny space or a mobile set-up. Mel's Shaved Ice and Cheap Snacks
3. If you owned a little independent retail shop, what would you name it, and what would it sell?
A record and CD music store that sold used music including vinyl, CDs, tapes and maybe some videos. It is a big risky kind of business to go into since it requires a lot of inventory, with most not selling very quickly. Plus the competition from digital and online streaming is huge... so a store such as this would be a very niche operation.
We have two record stores that I know of in this city and maybe that is enough. The market for physical music media is not that huge.
Name? Desert Island Discs? I dunno.
4. If you launched a charity, what would be its cause?
There needs to be a charity for those people with serious long-term body injuries or conditions, who live below the poverty line, and cannot afford to pay for needed surgery to correct their condition. Is there such a charity where people in need can be funded for major surgery that Medicare nor Medicaid are willing to fund?
Tell me about it or someone or group with deep pockets, please start one. Thank you.
5. What kind of recreation is sorely lacking in your town?
Over the years Hawaii has seen the decline or elimination of the following:
Here are my answers to the latest Friday 5 blog entry.
1. When did you recently do something on the sly?
If I had to tell anyone, it would not be "on the sly". Pleading the 5th and moving on.
2. Which of your plans for the coming week is still up in the air?
All of them. I live mostly day to day, though I have a plan that will be in motion come January 3. This coming week... nah....
3. What’s happening across the street?
Noise. Big trucks honking their horns, driving to the loading bay area at the nearby supermarket discount store. Directly across the street, cars and other vehicles are passing by, a homeless person is lying on the sidewalk, with birds occasionally chirping.
4. What have you heard recently through the grapevine?
5. What kinds of videos on YouTube are likeliest to send you down the rabbit hole?
I love YouTube mainly because it is FREE and has all kinds of short and long subject videos. Surely most of it is not high brow television, but there are a lot of good stuff to be viewed there. And all of it is FREE... no subscription fees required except for your internet service.
Oh and if you are annoyed by ads, on a Mac computer just use an ad blocker. 99% of the ads are gone. That said the Top 10 video subjects that pull me down the rabbit hole:
1. MUSIC - Whether it is the latest music videos, audio of albums I am thinking of getting or looking up old and obscure music, this is the place to be. Plus there are a ton of full on concert films, concert video clips and documentaries, opinion pieces and everything else about music artists, genres, history, technology, etc.
2. PLANE CRASH VIDEOS - A morbid but fascinating subject. There are several people posting air crash videos and the most interesting ones are those that give you the outcome of the crash investigation as to why that aircraft went down.
3. TECH NEWS and VIEWS - If you are into tech of all types, YouTube has everything. The entire TWIT slate of podcasts and live video stream here for free. Learn a lot about your Mac, iPhone, Android, Windows, Linux, Google and a whole lot more not only on the TWIT channels but also from others. Smartphone videos, internet privacy, dumb phones, old computers, old handheld video games, record players, cassette recorders, TV antennas, cord-cutting are all great subjects for tech news, views, instructional videos. Yay!
4. FOX NEWS CLIPS - Since I don't have cable and am to "pake" to subscribe to any news service, I watch the clips Fox News post to YouTube just to see what Ann Colter, Sean Hannity or my other favorite commentators have to say about the current stupidity in our nation.
4a. STOSSEL - Gotta love John Stossel's videos.... love most of his practical ideas.
5. NEWS in GENERAL - I can also watch live streaming from ABC, NBC and CBS on YouTube... big tornado or other storm hits, you go here and jump from channel to channel... terrorists, war, disasters, political crap live from wherever, yep... you can count on the live feeds from the news networks here... This also includes SKYNEWS, BLOMBERG, The Weather Channel, etc. Good for cheap news junkies (not to forget that a lot of this stuff also streams for free on Pluto TV).
5a: Our local news channels have clips and occasional live feeds. KHON TV, Hawaii News Now, Big Island Video News, Hawaii State Legislature, etc.
6. SPACE - NASA TV, SPACE X and more. IF you love stuff about outer space... well you can watch it all here. Live launches and splashdowns, activities on the space station, views from the space station (24-7 live), planetary exploration, Mars, opinions, history, the future, etc.
7. DUST - Occasionally I love watching the DUST channel full of short, interesting science fiction stories.
8. MOVIES - If you know where to look on YouTube there are free streaming movies. Some fairly well known, others classics and many obscurities + public domain films. YouTube itself has its own free streaming movies (with commercials) as well as pay option movies. But there are others putting movies up that you can watch for free. Can't say they are legit or not, but they are there.
9. DISASTERS - Shipwrecks, earthquakes, volcano eruptions, terrorism, fires, storms, current and historic. I can start on one and never end... go from Titanic to possible calamity that may explode at Yellowstone... and speculative video on the end of the world and when our sun becomes a red giant 5 billion years from now... or was it 5 million? Oh well....
10. And everything else... YouTube bloggers, families, wildlife, animals, cats, dogs, car crashes, Hawaii, stupidity, you name it... it's there. YouTube!
"Hello, and welcome to this week’s Friday 5! Please copy these questions to your webspace. Answer the questions there; then leave a comment below so we’ll all know where to check out your responses. Please don’t forget to link us from your website!"
1. What musical instruments have you played?
- Played trumpet in middle and high school band.
- Play ukulele... have played since I was around 9... not very good at it.
- Dabbled in piano. Can get by... but not good and I don't have a piano at this time though the electric keyboard I have at my place, I don't know if it works. Belongs to my friend Lisa.
- Dabbled in some percussion type instruments... maracas, tamborine, kalimba
- Mac Plus computer: translated a song I wrote in college to the Mac using a very crude software in 1990. Converted that to mp3 and you can listen to it here.
2. When do you play with your food?
I made pancakes several years ago shaped like some of the Hawaiian islands.
3. What’s your favorite stage play?
I haven't seen many stage plays. That said, back in 2017 I won tickets to see Diamond Head Theater's production of Mamma Mia... I thought it was good and I like the music of ABBA... so that had a lot going for it.
Saw South Pacific and Bye, Bye Birdie as college productions. Loaned the Birdie cast an old camera for a scene with the press in it.
In 1974 when I went to New York City for a few days, we got to see a relatively unknown Broadway musical called GREASE. I still have the souvenir booklet for that. Some of the photos are included at the top of this post. The musical is different from the movie that came after as new songs were added to the film version in 1978.
4. What games do you play on your phone?
I don't consider myself a hardcore gamer since I don't play any of those big games that seem to last forever and asks you for more money. Ugh! However I like simple casual games that I can play for a few minutes, die and then play again later.
I have four functioning cell phones of which only two have official service. The other two are wifi only and are used only at home. The Samsung can still make wifi phone calls but the Alcatel with its very aged Android 2.7 can only do rudimentary internet, play simple games and of course doubles as a music player.
Android Phone #3 Alcatel 960 - Solitaire, Block Puzzle, Mahjong, Tick Tack Toe, Old Mac Plus System 6 games using MiniVMac emulator for Android 2.7 - Stratego, Accordian, Box Em, Brickles, Cairo Shootout, Shufflepuck Cafe, Star Roids, Surgery, Mac Pork Barrell, Mombasa, MacBugs, Wheel 1.0, Stuntcopter, Battleship, Roe, Hangman 5.0, Artillery 1.5, Balloon, Shuttle 88, Tetris
Kai OS Basic Phone - Alcatel Smartflip - There are a ton of games on the Kai OS ecosystem, all simple game apps geared toward basic phones. I have a handful of them including Snake, Mahjong, Tetris-X, Endless Aliens (Galaxian clone), Fart, Fart Pads
Non-Phones:
Apple iOS iPad Mini - Someone gave this to me in 2019. It's a 2012 iPad Mini that has been largely marginalized by Apple with very little app support. I hate Apple for making things obsolete so fast, especially when devices still work.
On my iPad I have the following game apps:
Airplane Fly Hawaii- used to be my favorite game until I conquered all of the levels acquiring every plane they have in the fleet after many successful flights and landings. Sadly the game is no longer supported by the publisher, so there are no updates for any system. I used to run this on my Samsung J7 phone, but since it only has limited space for apps, I deleted that and all other games and just went with core apps that I needed.
Otherwise the usual suspects - Mahjong, Solitaire, Checkers and 94 Seconds, the latter of which is a timed trivia letter matching game. I used to do that one on my old iPod Touch that has since died (I hate non-removable batteries).
Nintendo DSi - This is one of my favorite gaming devices, not because I am a hardcore gamer. Way back before I owned a cell phone, I used this as a portable internet device. You could access websites with the built in Opera web browser on open wifi networks, including my own at home. Over the years as the web became more secure, the Opera browser which was built in was not supported after Nintendo deprecated the platform around 2016. I bought this device brand new back in 2009. I don't appreciate the short term shelf life of official support.
That all said, the games that I did buy online as well as a handful of cartridge games all work fine to this very day. Plus the thing has a rudimentary camera system, can play music files and supports SD card external storage. It makes a good music player and cheap ass camera with weird and goofy effects that still work via software.
The games I have for this thing range from something called Club Games, which a suite of many, simple games such as checkers, chess, mahjong, bowling, darts and too many card games to remember. Other cartridge games I own include Cats, a Las Vegas suite of games and one of old Atari games. Plus the few titles I did download from Nintendo when the platform was still supported: Stratego, Sudoku, a better Mahjong with good graphics, Absolute Brickbuster, Aura-Aura Climber,Pictobits, and Zelda Four Star edition which is the closest I get to one of those never ending role playing games... ugh.
The nice thing about the Nintendo DSi is that it still works. I can still do some web browsing with it as long as the site is text only... think a lot of old Gopher servers. Heh.
Bottom line is that I am not good in any of the games save for a very few. But they end up as being fun, short-term distractions.
If you have an old, out of commission cell phone just sitting around in a drawer, it is a good idea to put it into a secondary use, such as a games platform or a music player.
5. When did you recently play it by ear?
There have been a few times when I had to "play it by ear"... a few times at my seasonal workplace in the State Capitol comes to mind. Other times when I had to improvise something and wasn't sure if anything would work re: see if that old PC laptop works. Junk like that.
Games on my Nintendo DSi and the Mac emulator on my old 3G Alcatel 960C smartphone.
Haven't done these in a few weeks, so here are answers to the last 10 questions of the Friday 5 series for the most recent two weeks.
Friday 5 for November 26: Everything but Yul Brynner
I don't know what the late Yul Brynner has to do with this... he was the bald actor who played heroic and tragic roles in film throughout the years. I remember him most for playing the Egyptian pharaoh Ramses in the movie The Ten Commandments which came out long ago in 1956.
That said, here goes with the first question and answer batch.
1. How have you recently kept yourself in check?
Stay home and not going out has been my mantra in nearly two years, all due to COVID-19. I avoid eating out at restaurants and generally don't socialize in large group situations so as not to get the virus and keep my household from becoming sick. Ugh! I hate masks and most of all those intrusive, privacy compromising "show us your papers" vaccine passport requirements. I also haven't flown on a plane since 2019 because of the close proximity to passengers who 99% of the time are total strangers and unpredictable. Plus you have to wear a mask while in flight and at the airport. Plus I hate the digital COVID-19 verification process mandated by the Socialist State of Hawaii. No state apps allowed on my device. Ugh! Life sucks. What happened to our freedoms? More will be taken away with the new Omicron variant of COVID-19 now running rampant.. ugh. More control of the people by totalitarian central governments.
2. What’s the closest thing to a castle you’ve been in?
Um... oh... yeah... there is one at Disneyland which as I recall was some kind of gift shop and restaurant... The last time I went to Disneyland in Anaheim CA was way back in 1980.
3. What were the circumstances the last time you were hoarse?
I haven't had this condition in decades which is a good thing.
4. What’s your favorite song by Queen?
Oh Freddy, this is a hard one... hmmm... OK I have a top 10 Queen list... let's see.
Another One Bites the Dust
Bohemian Rhapsody
You're My Best Friend
39
Radio GaGa
Death on Two Legs
Crazy Little Thing Called Love
I'm in Love With My Car
We Will Rock You / We Are The Champions
I Want to Break Free
5. For what will you likely pay a king’s ransom in the near future?
Some debts. Ugh.
OK, that's it for the most current one. Since there were some music related questions to the moon topic here goes for that one...
November 19 - Friday 5 for November 19: La luna
1. What’s your favorite thing about Mondays?
5:00 p.m. and anytime after that which takes me to Tuesday.
2. What song is most likely to make you shake your booty?
I am not a dancing type of person and I don't shake my booty in public or even at home However in my former life of being a disco DJ back for a few gigs in the 1970s, I played a lot of booty shaking music back then. Among those booty shaking songs of the disco era, there is the obvious "Shake Shake Shake Your Booty" by K.C. and the Sunshine Band. The Commodores "Brick House" and the Village People's "YMCA" also brought a lot of people out to the dance floor.
3. When did you feel eclipsed by someone else?
Many times by people I won't mention. But then it is my nature to be within the confines of the shadows... though I think astronomical eclipses are really cool... both lunar and solar.
4. When were you most recently over the moon?
Watching the movie Apollo 13 got me to go around the moon, and when I was a kid I watched the Apollo 8 moon orbit mission in 1968 and the Apollo 11 moon landing in 1969 and most of the subsequent moon flights to 1972.... all from the safe confines of the TV set or twice at the movies for Apollo 13.
5. What are some great songs with moon in the title or lyrics?
OK, this warrants another top 10 list... Top 10 Moon songs... just making this up as I go... I probably will forget a few that I may regret later....
Friday 5 for October 15: We learned more from a three-minute record, baby: From Scrivener's weekly Friday 5 blog.
1. Who needs you?
My special friend Lisa who is disabled, always needs me. I try to care for her best as I can within my limited resources.
2. Who runs to you?
I don't have pets or kids, and it is good that no one runs to me. I usually run from people that I want to avoid.
3. Who forgets you?
I wish some people would forget about me. I know others have, and that is a good thing. I generally like to be under the radar.
4. Who keeps you hangin’ on?
See #1.
5. Who’s watching you?
This is a huge question with a song that is more timely today than ever. It's not only "who" is watching you, but "what" is also watching you.
Your smartphone is tracking your every move online and even in the physical world. It can be an iOS device or an Android or something else. The darn things are spying on you.
Installed apps, the operating system, the internet, the entities behind the apps you install and your cell phone service provider are all watching you... tracking EVERYTHING you do on that cell phone and often when you are not on it. It's creepy.
I reluctantly became a cell phone owner in 2014 and have owned at least 4 phones over the past seven years. Currently two of them have active service, one is semi active as a wifi only device, the others are less functional due to their older operating systems and fading 3G technology. Still to some degree, all have the power to track you through bluetooth, wifi, cell phone data, GPS and tower triangulation.
Law enforcement and many governments like the fact that most people carry a cell phone everywhere they go. Commit a crime? First thing law enforcement checks is your cell phone and social media accounts. Government? Lately with COVID-19 they want you to voluntarily install apps to "keep safe". From what? Don't! Even though they say they don't track you... never trust the government.
Then there is the private sector. All the big tech players love it when you use their phones, apps and operating systems. We are talking about Google, Apple, Facebook, Twitter, Amazon and thousands of other entities that use the "free" apps to track you. They want to learn about your whereabouts, online browsing habits, what you buy, what you engage in, etc., etc., etc. Just thinking about it is overwhelming.
So what do I do? I can't totally eliminate tracking as long as I carry some cell phone or another. Since my heart attack in 2015, I feel I should at least carry one phone that can do at least 911. All phones that are 4G LTE can call 911 whether they have cell service or not. Older 3G and 2G phones can still do 911 but their days are number as the major cell phone service providers will turn off the older networks by next year.
So minimally I carry my Alcatel flip phone with me. It is 4G LTE with limited internet functionality running on KaiOS, a fork of the now defunct FirefoxOS. Kai OS is a popular low cost cell operating system found in many third world countries. A few of the devices are available in the U.S. What attracted me to KaiOS was the low price for the device ($20 at target) and low price for the Tracfone service (approx. $22 a month for unlimited talk and text with bankable data of 1GB per month). Upon getting this phone, I cut my landline which cost about $35 a month with taxes and fees.
Most of the KaiOS apps are vary limited, web based extensions. Many are not mainstream for the model of phone I have. Their tracking is very limited. None of the Hawaii government apps can work on my phone. That is good. I installed only a small handful of third party apps on this device that mostly handle podcasts, internet radio streams, offline games, and an RSS reader. It also has a built in FM radio that does not require any data stream since it just picks up signals from local towers. The phone came pre-installed with a lousy web browser, utility apps, calculator and note taker. The worst thing about the phone is T9 texting and anything else you have to type with a 9 function keyboard.
I do have two smartphones... one is the Pixel 4a which I bought mainly for its camera functions and the fact that I can still use Google Photos for free with any image I shoot with the camera / phone. Plus it is a modern smartphone with 4G LTE and does everything all other smartphones can do. I don't do any banking or online purchases with this thing. None of those types of apps reside on the phone. Since the phone was unlocked and not tied to any carrier, it only came with core Google apps, many of which I deleted. I try to keep third party app installations at a minimum. No games. No social media apps. Most social media can be browsed using Chrome or my favorite browser, Duck Duck Go. Definitely no government apps installed here. At the current time this phone is connected to T-Mobile on a shared senior plan.
My third cell phone is the Samsung Galaxy J7 that I recently retired from active service. It is now a stay at home only, wifi device where I still have several third party apps installed such as Pluto TV, Prime Video, YouTube Music, Spotify, Audible, Stitcher and several others. Since this phone goes nowhere now, I think it is relatively safe enough to use those types of apps. If I do take it out, it can at least call 911 when needed, and with a couple of wifi only phone apps, I can do a phone call if I can find free wifi. I do no banking or online purchases with this.
That is where my Mac and Chromebook comes in. These devices stay at home 99% of the time and I do most of my computing on that. Sadly all of the concerns I have with phones, privacy and tracking apply to computers.
As long as we are hooked up to the internet in some way, we are always being watched, tracked, nearly all day and all of the time. Someday when I can be more settled, I'd like to once again be cell phone free. Perhaps someday I will turn off T-Mobile and just use a dumb-phone as my main and only mobile device.
