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HAPPY HOLIDAYS FROM THE BARF FAMILY. MAY NEXT YEAR GO BACK TO NORMAL.
WHO WOULD NOT LIKE TO GET A STOCKING STUFFER?
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cyberbarf VOLUME 19 No 6 EXAMINE THE NET WAY OF LIFE DECEMBER, 2020 YOU TALL, ONE LITH DEAR SANTA DELIVER US FROM EVIL iTOONS POLI-TICKS WHETHER REPORT
©2020 Ski Words, Cartoons & Illustrations All Rights Reserved Worldwide Distributed by pindermedia.com, inc
cyberculture, commentary, cartoons, essays
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cyberbarf YOU TALL, ONE LITH MYSTERY
An image provided by the Utah Department of Public Safety, a monolith discovered in southeastern Utah, Nov. 18, 2020. (Utah Department of Public Safety via The New York Times) Yahoo News first reported it as it sounding like a plot twist from a science fiction novel by Philip K. Dick. A tall, silvery slice of metal, about 10 feet high with an aura of strangeness about it, is spotted in the red-rock canyons of the Utah desert. State employees who found it while surveying the land for bighorn sheep say they have no idea who drove the slab of metal into the rock floor. And in the days since, the riddle of what it is and how it exhibition was installed in the middle of no where. Experts who examined the monolith state that it is made of welded aluminum. The structure would not rust. Estimates of time of construction vary from the 1950s to the present. Officials said that it is illegal to install structures on federally managed public lands. It is a mystery. And people like to solve mysteries. One theory is that minimalist sculptor John McCracken could have made the monolith. But he died in 2011. His family and dealer-archivists have no record of him making a monolith. McCracken's name was tied to the story because it was well known that he liked Kubrick's 2001 Space Odyssey. The monolith could have been a homage to the film. But adding two random facts do not create a suspect. Only speculation. Conspiracy theorists, when not watching the History Channel, may start to come to the conclusion that it is message from aliens. Aliens are the answer to many unexplained things. But if aliens wanted to communicate, putting a large piece of shiny metal in a remote area of the Utah desert, seems implausible. No one lives or works in the area. It is not a tourist area. There are no clear roads or paths. What could it be? Artists who create their works want to have them be seen. Example, the reclusive Banksy sprays his art work in public places. But it is rare to have a reclusive piece of artwork unattached to an artist. The metal is a sharp contrast to the sounding red rock terrain. The above photograph is stunning. It could have been an early Star Trek set. The closest quick research on the topic led to a 2013 Burning Man story where a group created giant metal skeet ball exhibit. It is possible that a group of people could create an object and move it to the desert. One thing that it could be is a grave marker. A memorial of some kind. Normally, we have granite or marble head stones. But they would weather over time. This monolith had no reported markings so it does not directly memorialize a person, people or culture. A monolith is defined as a large column or statue made primarily from stone. It also means something that is uniform, massive, redoubtable, or inflexible quality or character. Could it be symbolic of technology trespassing in the nature beauty of the world? Another problem is the installation. It would have taken a large truck and excavator to dig a pit and hoist the monolith in place. It has ten feet of surface area; it may have ten feet or more underground. You could probably rent the equipment to do the installation. But there was no evidence of truck tires at the site. In addition, the rocky terrain would have made it difficult to traverse to the actual site. Another wilder theory is that the piece fell from the sky. Utah has its own Area 51 secret bases. If a large piece of an experimental aircraft fell from the sky, could it have embedded itself in the desert sand? Perhaps, but there would have been signs of impact damage on the actual monolith. From the picture, it looks straight and in pristine condition. Someone with too much time on their hands could possibly go back through Google satellite images of the area to try to a) spot the structure from space and b) try to trace image history to find when it was installed. Until then, everyone will have their own guesses. But one positive note is that this story was a diversion from the endless bad news of 2020.
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cyberbarf DEAR SANTA LETTER FROM THE PUB Dear Santa, I do not know if I have been good or bad. Well, I was not as bad as all those lying politicians. I do not know whether I should ask for a new toy, schools to re-open, or a job for my parents. Last Christmas, we had a fine time. Under the tree, there were many presents. We had a great holiday feast when my aunts, uncles and cousins came over to exchange gifts. This year, the tree has not been set up. No ornaments hung. My parents spend most of their time in the living room doing work on their laptops. I spend most of my days in my room watching a computer screen of a teacher not teaching or doing internet searches to complete my homework. I would ask for new clothes, but I hardly never go outside. I would ask for new computer equipment, but I am burned out with technology. I would ask for a pet, a puppy or even a gold fish. But I have no time to play with it. I have too much responsibility to care for myself. I would ask for Good Cheer for All Men. But with all the sad news, I do not think that is possible. I would ask you for a girlfriend, but they are expensive and I have no money. I could ask you for money! But that would upset my parents. They raised me not to be a beggar. I guess I could ask you for something I could really use. A new face mask. Sincerely,
Johnny Everyone
cyberbarf DELIVER US FROM EVIL TECHNOLOGY
KFC has deployed driverless food trucks in Shanghai, China. These cute little vendors are in response to no-contact, coronavirus procedures. The above photograph from Neatorama website, shows a commuter opening a delivery door after placing and paying for her order. It appears that one orders on a touch screen and pay via QR code. It seems that each delivery vehicle has a set amount of pre-prepared food meals in a warming oven compartment. It also seems that the device uses the honor system, since once the door is open, a customer could clean out all the remaining food. We cannot tell if there are security cameras on the side of the vehicle to make sure that thieves can be identified for prosecution. How sanitary a truck sitting in the sun for a day? How fresh is the food being delivered to a customer? We would assume that KFC did actual real world testing of the delivery system prior to unleashing it on the general public. (Food trucks prepare most dishes per order to insure quality.) But then again, people eat food out of vending machines or gas station heat lamp warmers. Neolix is a Chinese company that manufactures autonomous vehicles. What is in the pioneering stage is how to use driver less vehicles to meet market demands. Food delivery during the pandemic has increased dramatically. But there are other avenues to explore. Just as Amazon is still testing drone deliveries of packages, other firms will try to make use of pure convenience services. Elon Musk's hyper rail in Las Vegas is one of those ideas: a personal transport pod that will whisk you around town. But the business driving force in these ideas is the elimination of human labor. If you had a food truck, you would have a driver/chef and probably an assistant running the street transactions. The KFC driverless vehicle only needs one chef or team to fill a robot with food and a GPS system to get it to its desired location. Even drive share services are looking towards self-driving cars because of the labor disputes with its drivers, who have fought back against independent contractor status to get employee benefits and minimum wages. (Ironically, drive share companies spent a fortune in California's last election to overturn the law on employee status for their drivers). This year we have seen robotic devices disinfect hospitals and public places. We have seen robotic devices defuse bombs. We have seen cashier-less food stores open. The number of applications are limited only by one's imagination.
iToons ..
cyberbarf POLITICKS COMMENTARY
We knew Donald Trump would be a terrible president. He had no idea how to govern. He had no clue on how government works. He had no drive to learn how to govern. He treated his election to president as his own reality television show. In 2016, it was reported that Trump was stunned when he learned he beat Hillary Clinton. In 2020, it was reported that Trump was stunned that he lost to Joe Biden. The roller coaster ride of the last four years will soon come to an end. But things may not change.
The Democrats and Republicans will still be at each other throats. Democrats are still trying to investigate and criminalize Trump's 2016 victory. They so loath him that they want him to spend time behind bars. However, stupidity is not a crime. His insane tweets may have caused distress, but the constitution protects even idiots. In the last weeks of Trump's turn, just like any other president, he will fill his time deciding on pardons for his cronies and how he will retire with Secret Service benefits and a government expense account. Even after bitter elections, the victor often attempts the heal the nation. That is code for not going after an ex-president with criminal investigations. The U.S. Presidency is the most exclusive club in America. Its membership is small. If Bush can get along with sleazy Bill, then Biden could find a way to stop the nonsense of endless investigations, mudslinging and name calling. Whether Trump will shut up and go away is another story.
No one seriously believes things in Washington will change. Biden's proposed cabinet is filled with old establishment career Democrats (to the ire of the far left progressives who got Joe elected). Democrats seek out more favors (and donations) from Wall Street than Republicans. Domestic economic policy may not change. But an increase in government spending is clearly on the agenda. The pandemic will leave a massive trail of small business failures. The virus will continue to run its natural course despite all the efforts of mankind and technology. Whether we go back to Normal is in doubt. Whether the New Normal, autocrat public officials making daily proclamations on how personal freedoms are to be managed in a crisis, will prevail will be something the Supreme Court will have to decide. Until then, we can only hope for a break of the depressing political news cycle.
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cyberbarf THE WHETHER REPORT |
cyberbarf STATUS |
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Question: Whether government restrictions, mandates, lock downs and rush for a vaccine actually stem the natural course of the coronavirus infection? |
* Educated Guess * Possible * Probable * Beyond a Reasonable Doubt * Doubtful * Vapor Dream |
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Question: Whether another massive stimulus will stave off a hard 2021 recession? |
* Educated Guess * Possible * Probable * Beyond a Reasonable Doubt * Doubtful * Vapor Dream |
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Question: Whether international streaming concerts will take over the need for live entertainment venues ? |
* Educated Guess * Possible * Probable * Beyond a Reasonable Doubt * Doubtful * Vapor Dream |
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