Category Archives: My Thoughts

What day is it?

31 Thursday Oct 2013

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I know, I know, it’s Thursday…just play along…I needed a break from all the garbage out there.

We all know about the crazy camel who makes his way through the office asking “what day is it?”  The marketing genius behind that ad is incredible but do you actually know what the commercial is about?  Or do you just remember the camel?  It’s a GEICO commercial….no little green gecko this time around.  But this story isn’t about the camel, whose name, by the way,  is Caleb..

I think we all need a little levity, to be able to laugh throughout our day, even at simple things.  And it doesn’t get much simpler than this.   I’m writing this based on all the Hump Day statuses, hence the reference to the camel, in my newsfeed yesterday and frankly, every Wednesday!  I include myself in these posts.   Not long ago, I asked my friends if they thought Facebook didn’t mine their data.  This was after a Tuesday status update regarding “Hump Day” aka Wednesday <yes. Some people actually don’t know>.

The status went something like this “If tomorrow is Hump Day, does that mean today is Foreplay Day?”

Even RotteneCards got in on it.

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I was immediately hit with dozens of emails promoting male enhancement drugs.  It appears that Facebook is really not gender specific and doesn’t know that I am a female.  I guess they’re looking at it as a chance for me to pass the information on to my male partner, but why would I?  We all know men don’t like to be told they need more staying power.  I could pick better arguments than this.  You should also know that setting filters in your email to send these little ditties to spam doesn’t work because every “from” and “subject” contains one small change.

I thought I’d share some of the email subject lines with you and hope that you get a laugh out of them, as I did.

* Become a female mag sex fantasy * Enlargement pils Sample * Promo Men’s Supplement * Hitting her G-spot everytime * Free Trial for Stronger Testosterone Levels * Penis Growth Promo * Just Two Pills for Instant Satisfaction *

Do people really take the time to open these emails??  I figure if I continue to get them, and pass them on, several men could make it around the world many times and at least twice to the moon.  With the way things are today, especially these past few weeks, with the healthcare mess, among others, we all need to step back, breathe and just laugh. And laugh I have.  I thank those who have nothing better to do than fill my email with delusions of grandeur 😉

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dorindaduclos.com

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Oh My Gov .com

30 Wednesday Oct 2013

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OhMyGov.com – The web site boasts “Tracking the Influence of the Nation’s Most Influential” and “Dig into the social conversations making news and impacting policy.”

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Welcome to the government’s next step in mining your data.  By using a web site called ohmygov.com, they will be collecting data from social media sites like Twitter & Facebook regarding your medical postings.  While they claim the information they collect will remain anonymous, I’m pretty sure we all know what that means.  Lawyers have taken opposite approaches, with one claiming it’s a trust issue and as long as we are giving out that data, we shouldn’t expect it to be private.  Or in other words, if you don’t want it out there, stay off social media.  Another lawyer claims that she sees this as a major issue regarding  HIPAA and an invasion of privacy, especially if the information gets into the wrong hands.

For a mere $2500 a year and up you can have access to unlimited people and agencies you want to track.  Pick a plan! All plans come with a FREE TRIAL!  Too bad Obamacare doesn’t offer that option.

ImageWhat this chart suggests is that only information from public figures such as Congressman & Government Agencies can be accessed.  So where do we, as private citizens come into play?

It’s quite interesting to see who is, in fact, using this website to get information.  Companies like Microsoft, the National Parks Conservation Association, Georgetown University & Newsweek, just to name a few.  My question is, what exactly are they looking for?!

No information has been given as to whether or not your privacy settings on Facebook will have any effect on this data mining.  Only that it claims any information regarding your medical postings can be used.  I have my privacy settings set to friends only.  This is why I have them set that way.  I don’t want just anyone coming along and viewing my information.  If that were the case, Facebook wouldn’t need privacy settings or a button that says “Send a Friend Request”.   I can understand them being able to extract this information via Twitter.  There really is no expectation of privacy there, unless your tweets are protected, but even then, once you tweet, it’s out there.  Protecting tweets only means people (followers) you are not connected to can’t see what you’re saying if they try to view your wall.

So the questions still remain.  How does farming your social media medical postings impact policy?  Will it decide who gets funding and for what diseases or is it just another way for the government to keep an eye on you?  And is this really how we want our taxpayer dollars to be spent?

Copyright 2013

dorindaduclos.com

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miner photo via www.evrein.com

Dear Mr. President…

29 Tuesday Oct 2013

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Dear Mr. President,

Why?

Sincerely,

An angry citizen

Seem like a vague question?  It’s not.  It’s the viewpoint of many Americans , who continually ask why the president of the United States cannot answer their questions.  Why the man who promised transparency in government is shrouded in secrecy regarding such matters as national security, the attacks in Benghazi, and of course, his Affordable Healthcare Act, dubbed, Obamacare.

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If this were to occur in any other major corporation,  the CEO, CFO, COO would more than likely be voted out by board members.  Aren’t we the board members?  After all, didn’t he win a majority that landed him his second term, based on American votes?  Actually, no, he didn’t.  We, the people, have the right to vote, and yet we do not.  Instead, we have an Electoral College.  THEY are the ones who decide who becomes President & Vice President of the United States.  So what are we voting for?  I always thought it was because we had a voice, a right to be heard.  But we really don’t where this is concerned.  We have a voice on a local level, electing mayors, governors, senators, etc.  But on the most important level, where it really does matter who we refer to as our Commander in Chief, only a select few are allowed to decided for the millions of us who vote, who gets the honor of this prestigious title.

Regarding the Electoral College, Wikipedia gives the definition of an Elector as follows;

Electors are apportioned to each state and the District of Columbia, but not to territorial possessions of the United States, such as Puerto Rico and Guam. The number of electors in each state is equal to the number of members of Congress to which the state is entitled,[4] while the Twenty-third Amendment has granted the District of Columbia with the minimum number of electors permissible for a state, which is currently three. In total, there are 538 electors, based on there being 435 representatives and 100 senators, plus the three electors from the District of Columbia. 

It further says “A number of constitutional amendments have been proposed seeking to alter the Electoral College or replace it with a direct popular vote.” 

Now we’re talking!!  Why hasn’t this been brought to the front of arguments regarding the election of President & Vice President.  Who are these people who are allowed to speak for us?  And why do we flock to the polls every four years, hoping for change?

Halloween – Yesterday & Today

29 Tuesday Oct 2013

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It’s almost that time, where the goblins and ghouls come out to wreak havoc on unsuspecting trick or treaters.   This brings me back to the better days.  The days when your parents helped you get dressed in your costume, gave you a sack, a bucket, whatever vessel it was, to hold your candy, and off you went.  You met up with friends and took the neighborhood by storm.  A time when Mom & Dad didn’t have to worry where you were after sunset.  You knew what time you had to be in or in my case; my Dad’s two-finger whistle alerted the whole neighborhood it was time to come home.  We all flocked to Mrs. S’s house because she had caramel apples and no one ever thought about a razor blade inside.  Try that today…

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Times have changed so drastically.  We are in post 9/11 mode on a constant daily basis.  We think twice before the children go out to play.  Where are they going?  Are the other parents home?  Have we gone over the “rules” enough that they remember?  Today, play dates & house parties are the norm.  Children are dropped off at a friend’s, with a specific time to be picked up.  Less worry for concerned parents.

Halloween used to be one of my favorite holidays.  Used to be.  No longer can we trust that our children’s safety is not at risk.  No longer can we allow our children to eat their candy without first checking the packaging.   This takes away from the fun of going door to door and passing the word about  who has the best candy.  From hearing all the other adults ooh and ahh over the little three year old dressed like Cinderella. From being a kid.

Sadly, we’re lucky if we get two dozen trick or treaters at our house.  Years ago, we had hundreds.

So, remember, on this Halloween, please drive safely.  Watch out for little ones, whose parents took the time to take them out and give them the experience we all had and yes, even the teenagers who are roaming the streets after dark.

Have a Safe & Happy Halloween.

Copyright 2013

dorindaduclos.com

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Original photo via www.thedestinlog.com

The Cult of (Multiple) Personalities

28 Monday Oct 2013

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Welcome to Facebook, the land of followers.  Where else can you get 50 or more of your friends to follow your lead all at once? I’ve been watching as people change their profile pictures to giraffes because they lost at figuring out a riddle.  I have to say that the pictures people are using are very amusing.  I’m looking at it as an escape from reality, although why you’d all want to be an animal that makes no noise is beyond me.  And imagine the cost of a turtleneck sweater!

Here is one of the riddles making its way through the newsfeed:

It’s 3:00am, the doorbell rings and you wake up. It’s your parents and they are here for breakfast – you have strawberry jam, honey, wine, bread and cheese. What is the first thing you open?

The answer is obvious…right?  Based on the amount of giraffes in my feed, I’m guessing the answer is no.  It almost reminds me of the game “Telephone”.  You have to wonder how many have changed just a little bit of it as it makes the rounds.  I have learned that this particular riddle has a few versions and the answer changes based on the way the question is worded.  Have you figured it out?  If not, this little critter could be in your future!

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Then there’s the bitstrips app.  Everyone has now become a cartoon character.  This could actually be a great marketing tool if deployed properly.  Right now it’s just another silly app.  As someone told me, “it’s a way to show your feelings without actually saying them.”  In a funny way, I guess that’s exactly what it is.  Humor always makes things a lot lighter than would normally be.  We could all use more  laughter in our day to day.

I know you’re all thinking I rag on social media on a consistent basis but truth is, I have met a lot of incredible people BECAUSE of social media tools like Facebook & Twitter.  If I allow myself to think back, my life could quite possibly be much different than it is today.  People make strong impacts on you, whether personally or professionally.  Sometimes, both.  For this, I thank Mark Zuckerberg,  Evan Williams, Jack Dorsey, Biz Stone, for giving us a means to expand our lives through business associates, but most importantly, friends.

Copyright 2013

dorindaduclos.com

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