Government can’t crack your iPhone? Don’t be so sure.

I was thrilled when I heard the recent Apple and Google announcements about privacy and government proof encryption…

At first.

So the government can no longer go to Apple and ask for some workaround to get into your seized iPhone or iPad. If you learned anything from Edward Snowden, you know that our government will stop at nothing to learn everything it can about you.

Why would they care, you might ask; why would they bother? Because they can, and no one is stopping them. When libertarian groups, Tea Party members and environmentalists are classified as radicals, how many degrees away are you from someone the government really doesn’t trust? When was the last time you knowingly broke the law, and how can you be sure that you’re completely law-abiding with so many on the books?

So now Apple has a new selling point. We won’t give the government access to your information, because we can’t. Unless it’s on the cloud.

But what about Touch ID?

TouchID is a fantastic feature that makes using the iPhone so much easier. Unlock the device by pressing and holding your finger on the home button. Make purchases in the App Store or iTunes without typing in your password each time. Doesn’t seem like much; maybe it saves ten minutes per year if you use your phone a lot, but really, it’s about user experience. It takes a little stress out of the device.

But if you’re arrested, the police take your fingerprints, don’t they? Now why couldn’t they use that to get into your phone after they have that warrant?

TouchID is a capacitive imaging device, not a normal optical scanner, so it’s a bit trickier faking it, but it’s hardly impossible.

Bottom line: don’t put anything incriminating on your phone or in the cloud, and don’t permit yourself a false sense of security, that you’re safe because Apple won’t share your secrets. They’ll take what they want, when they want it. And you should be concerned.

American Disorder

I got sick again, and it’s such a shame because there are projects I want need to finish and I’d really like to get my political site up and running. Every day I come across things that make me question American culture. This just blew my mind.

Here’s a quote from the article.

A remarkable conversation happened when a woman called into a radio station and defended her abuse of welfare, and unwillingness to work for her and her children.

She called in to brag about how she gets to sit home all day and she gets to ”visit my friends all day” as well as ”smoke weed” instead of working for a paycheck. The women claimed to be getting about $450 altogether in food stamps.

[She] told the radio host, “Can you really blame us?? The caller, Lucy, goes on to claim that while her husband works part-time, he doesn’t really work that much because “he doesn’t see the need for it.

…[She] goes on to ask an incredibly valid question, “Why should I work?” She also says, “We’re the one’s getting paid, can you really blame us?”

I’m amazed, not that this is occurring, but by the brazen honesty of the caller. And she asks a valid question: why should people struggle, work and pay taxes when you can get everything you want for free?

23andMe, SaysBrad 2013, and screw the FDA

Dealing with medical problems and disability, I missed out on a lot of things this year. It's easy to just get upset about that — and everything else going on in the world — it's extremely easy to forget how amazing life is and how much technology has changed everything, for almost everyone.

Sometimes, it seems like the Internet is just full of complaints. And cats. Much of it is superfluous, and I've spent some time on this blog trying to point that out to people. But some complaints are valid, and the Internet has given a voice to many who would otherwise remain silent.

I mention this, because the FDA has blocked 23andMe, a DNA analysis company, from releasing medical information related to DNA as part of their $99 mail-order test kit.

Personally, this genetic information could be very valuable; it could tell me if I'm a carrier for the condition that killed my two brothers, why my nervous system responds the way it does and how best to treat my chronic pain, muscle spasms and disability.

I found out about 23andMe because of their Black Friday sale and ordered a kit, only to find out the day the kits arrived, that 23andMe would only be able to supply ancestry related information.

Basically, the FDA is stopping me from seeking affordable advice about my own DNA.

And I'm upset about that.

I've tried to distract myself with technology and blogging, and even managed to figure out how to stop the spam problem that I was having for quite awhile here at Says Brad. I was contacted by a few blog readers, which is super, as well as an app developer (so I'll be reviewing a new note taking app soon).

I found out that the new iPad Air might have some problems detecting and interacting with pressure-sensitive styluses, and read a bit more about the new iPad mini. I'm now reconsidering it as the superior (personal) choice for all-around use, despite the color accuracy/range issue.

I was going to write about testing blogging platforms such as Roon and Postagon, questions and thoughts that I have about pure blogging options Posthaven and Ghost, as well as testing — and my likely move to — Squarespace 6, but it's been hard to focus on with all of the issues I'm having and becoming aware of concerning the Federal government. I want to make Says Brad purely about design and technology (mostly apps and mobile products), but I haven't had the motivation to do anything about it yet.

Perhaps getting this rant out of the way will help. I know that lack of interest and general depression is a byproduct of chronic pain and the medicines used to treat it, and that awareness is usually accompanied by a resolve to push past it and try to do something — anything...

I really put a lot of hope and faith in my DNA results that now, at least anytime soon, won't be able to get... unless I can find some reliable, affordable expert to help me interpret the raw genetic data that I can still get from 23andMe.

Maybe if enough people out pressure on their Congressman (and women), something can be done about the ridiculously backward, prohibitive, abusive and dictatorial federal government and FDA. I don't think that that will happen, however, unless things get much, much worse. Congress is part of the problem — it's systemic, and it's affecting people. Small businesses, individuals, people with medical problems. I don't want government handouts and help. I want them to get the fuck out of the way.

Well.

Hopefully now I can get back to graphic design and the fun stuff. That is, after I stretch and take a few hour's nap. Word of warning: if your health is good and your body works (at least somewhat) as it should, take care of it and don't take it for granted. Chronic pain and disability is a neverending nightmare.

Before Christmas. Happy holidays. Oh, and don't be offended if you don't like or celebrate Christmas, but someone says Merry Christmas or whatever. Just say thanks. Don't be miserable.

Bradtastic supports Blogsy

Black Friday Thoughts

Note: began this entry last week. Been exhausted. :-(

Thanksgiving was the day after dinner with my parents, so I was pretty tired. We started to say what we were all thankful for but the conversation sidetracked, and never refocused. With the FLOTUS' suggestion in mind, we spoke about ObamaCare and politics... but I won't get into that here and now. I'm truly thankful for two wonderfully supportive parents and the relationship I have with my family now. Also, although we give each other a hard time, Stephanie does a good job taking care of me and reminding me to eat. I forget about that sometimes when I get involved in a project or, well, sleep.

It hasn't always been easy or fun, but I don't think I could get by without them and their support. Disability really sucks like that. Thank you. And a shoutout and thanks to all of the wonderful internet people — hopefully you know who you are. Your generosity, kindness and encouragement, thoughts and prayers are cherished and appreciated. I hope you have a great, merry Christmas! (...and a happy New Year!)

Now to Mainstream Sheeple Consumer (yes, very bleak—err, black) Friday thoughts.

I really miss Steve Jobs.

Mostly in an abstract way; it's not like I knew him personally, but insofar as a man (or woman) can be known by their great works and contributions, it pains me greatly that his direction and insight is no longer a constant.

Although Apple might honor and carry his legacy through their refinements and further developments of his breakthrough products, they've lost their prodigal navigator and are thusly adrift. It's impossible for me to know whether or not Steve would've allowed the iPad mini to exist, but I cannot fathom his acceptance of iOS7 on it.

Some people claim to run iOS7 just fine on first-gen minis. Many others, myself clearly included, believe that the tablet is just too slow for it. It's clunky. Glitchy. It crashes and lags.

It's ruined the mini experience for me. The mini was my favorite tablet, one of my favorite things, even with the iPad2-like specs and unimpressive screen. It gave me the iPad experience that I love on a device that I could use all day — the iPad 3 is just too heavy to hold up for hours. With iOS6, the mini was quick and stable.

It allowed me to create.

iOS7 was deliberately designed to be sleek and minimal — two qualities I don't have an issue with — however, it feels like style over substance. Over-engineered, unavoidable. Apple won't let dissatisfied users go back to 6, and even pushed the update install to devices. It seems like a marketing tactic to throw out at keynote speeches. Almost all of our users are on the latest version of iOS, while Android devices are split between...

Compounding my tablet frustrations are blogging woes.

Squarespace 5 has started getting hit with referral-link spam. At first it was maybe a few a week, then a few a day, now maybe a dozen per day. This nuisance isn't easy to take care of on an iPad, and has obscured legitimate comments, emails, questions... I've got to do something about it.

Sorry for the trouble here but I'll be happy to assist you. We will continue to maintain Squarespace 5 for customers. However, updates and apps that are released in the future will be geared toward the Squarespace 6 platform. – Squarespace Customer Care response

So it looks like I'm blogging on an obsolete platform. Simply move to their Squarespace 6? And perhaps in a few years, they'll grow tired of that, release version 7, and cut support/updates for 6.

I get that things progress and change is necessary for business, but because the systems are incompatible and there's no automatic 5 to 6 conversion tool, it's extra stress that I don't want.

So I've been looking into alternatives. I found two articles particularly informative.

• The 15 best blogging and publishing platforms on the Internet today. – The Next Web
• 6 New Blogging Platforms that Debuted in 2013 – AGBeat

I'd like to focus more on long form content and less on blog design; unfortunately, so many "blogging platforms" (CMS) are setup for full-site management and treat the blog as a secondary item and focus.

Perhaps more importantly (at minimum, of equal importance) is sustainability — Internet immortality. Permanent links. Link rot sucks. Importing and exporting content sucks — there's always loss and errors. That makes something like Posthaven — at least at face-value — very attractive. Their promise, for $5/month is a service that will last forever. I blogged at Vox, played with Pownce, tweeted at Jaiku, shared with Posterous — all gone.

I think my only real reservation with Posthaven at the moment is that I don't like the look, and it seems like there's no choice with that. No templates or themes, or CSS or whatever. Just pure, simple blog — take it or leave it. I don't think it's attractive or very usable. On their site, they indicate that custom design is something that they're working on implementing, so I'll have to keep an eye on it. If you use Posthaven, I'd love to know what you think of it, and how it compares to similar blog only services (like Medium, Ghost, Postagon, Roon, etc).

And then there's this: Web Design is 95% Typography – Information Architects — thoughts from the genius Oliver Reichenstein. I've read his thoughts on typography (I love typography and handwriting), and agree with most of it. It's particularly true for this blog, since I tend to post fewer, write longer (instead of many/short). This theme just looks bad with big type. If only I could work on it from my iPad.

I'm not good with code. I know a bit — enough to understand it when I see it, but I can't use code like I use a pencil (or stylus). I can't wield CSS as a design weapon, and that limits what I can customize on my own. If only I had more time, more years of life.

Squarespace (like many other visually fancy UIs) is difficult to modify on a tablet. There are a lot of JavaScript effects and overlays, menus and some drag-and-drop. Stuff mobile Safari doesn't do well (at least as Squarespace has coded it — I've seen some neat interactive HTML5 stuff on iPad, like FiftyThree's site). I really think that they could do away with all that or offer an in-app option, but alas, the limitations of small company. And they're based out of New York — not my first pick for a business.

My goal, of I can ever manage it, is to write about the tech, games and design that I love, disability and pain management, and politics (local, national, international). I believe that it's important to our first amendment and culture to express controversial and perhaps unpopular opinions, always remaining truthful and forthright. I don't like political correctness and white lies, and I don't want to live in a world where government tells me what I can buy, where I can go, whether or not I can own a gun, airplane or anything else. I don't want to live in a world where creativity and ingenuity is stifled and suffocated under the burdens of taxes, regulations, penalties, local, state and federal ordinances requiring prior authorization and approval, etc...

...but I really, really don't like all the public insults, flame wars, death threats, obscenities and personal attacks hurled at strangers online and elsewhere in our society today. There's an awful tension and hostility and a lot of hate — so I plan on contributing to debates without attacking others or responding to personal insults. I won't instigate persecution and I will report threats (and hate speech, where applicable), because it isn't right or productive. We do not have the right to never be offended, but we do have protection against battery, libel and slander. I encourage debates where people vigorously defend their positions and say "you're wrong," but I condemn the "you're an idiot and you should die" that seems to occur online with alarming frequency. Liberal or conservative, it doesn't matter who's saying it — this type of attack is wrong, and if I see or hear it in the mainstream media or popular blogs, I'll flag it — because I think character is important and people need to be aware of it.

In my experience, the racism, discrimination and flaming comes from:

• people with an intellectually, factually indefensible position — perhaps thusly, they believe that their only option is to end discussion entirely or redirect it from information and ideology to personal attacks,

people so arrogant and/or narrow-minded that they believe that there's no possible way that they can be wrong; thus they are unwilling to even hear or entertain the opposing argument or view — and often in anger, shut down civilized discourse with disdain, using statements ranging from cynicism and snide remarks to outright vile hostility and threats of violence.

Sometimes it's difficult to contain anger, I understand that. But even if someone is wrong — stubbornly so — it would be far better to simply withdraw from dialogue than resort to conversational (or actual) thuggery.

So in the spirit of American Christmas, those are my stresses, wishes and cold-weather! winter worries. And now that I've shared them,

I can get back to blogging about fun stuff like iPad styluses and the joys of iPhone 5S. PLUS: why I won't ever switch from iOS to Android, and why I simultaneously want Android to always be awesome!

Happy December!

Bradtastic supports Blogsy

Thanks, Brave American Heroes! (Veterans' Day fights at home and abroad)

Today is Veteran's Day — our troops deserve honor and respect. The brave men and women of our armed forces have been engaged in the longest conflicts in American history, and are 100% volunteers. 100% badass!

At this very moment, while I sit in my cozy apartment typing this entry, one of my good friends is away from his home, family and friends, guarding us against known terrorists — enemies of civilization. And while we squabble over the economy, ObamaCare and amnesty, Americans are risking life and limb on the front lines overseas, within several minute missile range of dangerous enemy states.

It's all too easy during this time of year to forget about the thousands of terrorists in the world, all of whom would like to destroy our way of life and kill you and your loved ones (as well as me and mine). While we silently and privately pray for our brothers, sisters, best friends, mothers and fathers overseas to make it back alive, it's important for us to keep morale up and keep the economy stable.

I want America to be better than it was when they left. I want our troops to return to a freer, more affordable, more prosperous United States. Sadly, I have ideological enemies here who don't want the same things; they see profit as bad, capitalism as anathema and the Tea Party as greedy, racist gun nuts.

(I don't believe anyone with that opinion of the Tea Partiers has spent any time around those conservatives and libertarians... a Facebook friend posted yesterday about attending a Clinton family fundraiser wearing orange — she was treated horribly and discriminated against because she was wearing the wrong gang colors. It's not surprising to me; Tea Party Patriots' rallies don't end with confrontations with law enforcement, arrests! and damaged property.)

I bring up conservatism here because while our troops are fighting the serious, no-room-for-error, hardball battles, I'm fighting the softer but very serious social and political battle here at home. Most of America's elite are conservative, from SEALs on down — I'm not saying that there aren't liberals in our armed forces, just that they're not the majority. I love America like our troops do, and want to preserve the America that they are risking their lives for.

That's why Benghazi, Extortion 17 and the World War II memorial closure is such a big deal to me. It's not about winning the political fight — lives were taken by enemies of America, sacrifices were made to keep us safe. Our troops and their families deserve the best... and they just aren't getting that right now.

I can't contribute to America like they can. The Obama administration doesn't want to profile terrorists, and while our president orders Predator JDAM strike after strike, our state department talks about winning the hearts and minds of our enemies. I don't think jihadists can simply be persuaded... but I think Americans with good intentions can be. We have serious problems with poverty unemployment, an overburdened, overtaxed middle class and crime and imprisonment, and our government has been putting band-aids on these wounds that won't go away. Congress keeps passing continuing resolutions instead of creating a budget. Our debt ceiling as been suspended, and we now owe an obscene amount of money that could quickly outpace our GDP.

And while health care and the economy are very troubling, there are social matters as well. My opponents claim that minorities and women are being singled out, targeted and abused along with the LGBT community. This needs to be addressed also, or the division between Americans will only widen. I know I don't have all of the answers, but I have to try and contribute to the discussions and debates. Conservatives aren't always good at clearly expressing their views and that's creating huge misconceptions about the GOP. In addition, there's a split between progressive establishment Republicans, so-called RINOs, and true small-government, free-market conservatives.

The main misconception is that all conservatives want to limit freedom, discriminate and control people's lives — in most cases, the exact opposite is true!

Democrats will staunchly disagree; I hope to convince them though and have reasonable, respectful dialogue, but so far I've found people — so convinced of their world view — that they are unwilling to even listen to me. I've been defriended and cursed at, have had numerous insults hurled at me (usually, but not always, from behind the veil of relative anonymity provided by the Internet) and have been personally attacked — because of the people I support, associate with, and the way I'd want my family, friends and me to live.

Our troops fight for freedom very literally, while my battles are without bloodshed. My fight is my way of being grateful to our troops and supporting their efforts abroad and around our borders. I want to ensure their way of life and their freedom (from government intrusion), and help to clarify our position. If liberals are going to hate my friends and me for being conservative, they should at least hate us for who we actually are and what we actually believe.

I'll be fine with it, if at the end of the day we have irreconcilable differences and can't agree, provided we disagree with what each other actually stands for and wants. I just don't want people hating each other over hype and falsehoods; it's all too common because each side is too often unwilling to hear from the other. In these scenarios, no one wins. So I won't personally attack and insult people over politics and try to see things from their points of view. It isn't an easy thing to do, but it's far simpler and safer than what our veterans went through. I feel like I owe them, at the very least, my sincere efforts to try to make America always better.

Freedom isn't free; it's cost millions of lives, billions of hours, trillions of dollars, and it will never be completely secured. I love this country and its patriots, I'm proud of it — and I want to always be worthy of it, as our Veterans surely are.

The Connection Between Cats and Politics

Mimi & Kiki, my mom's cats. Images from @bradtastic on Instagram.

I have a bit of a feline allergy, but whenever I visit my parents, I can't help but play with these two, too cute furballs. Maybe I have toxoplasmosis. Pictures of cats always make me smile. Everything cute, really... baby-anythings — especially puppies and kittens. Tiny humans are adorable also, but a little less so.

My mom's cats really like hanging out in small boxes. It's a cat thing, like catnip — although the gray one, Mimi, likes eating it, while Kiki likes rolling around in it.

My Instagram is basically a collection of cat pictures and snapshots of my view of Oakland's skyline, with miscellaneous shots in between. It's a relaxing pastime.

Life gets a little chaotic and painful, and recent events have caused a fair amount of stress and anger.

I think that reading and writing about American politics is important — occasionally it's invigorating, learning about, discussing and debating serious, life-changing issues. It feels right... but it never really feels fun. Maybe it's not supposed to — that thought troubles me.

Video games are fun, writing about games is fun (at least for me)... politics is practically the opposite.

Both can be very time-consuming, but dealing with serious social issues takes a lot of energy and patience that I often don't have.

Perhaps the largest hinderance is hate; discussing politics draws a lot of strong emotions, spiteful remarks, blatant racism and prejudice. Opinions aren't always welcome, and free speech is often pricy. Friends lost — or rather, acquaintances — personal attacks, slander and ridicule... it's such a shame.

Often, it seems that people are incapable of even hearing a different or dissenting thought, irregardless of facts or evidence. People spend most of their time surrounded by like-minded men and women, constantly reinforcing their world view.

Political beliefs are often so deeply ingrained that challenging people infuriates and blinds them, creating a nearly insurmountable obstacle to honest, polite debate.

With few exceptions, each side hates the other, and the lack of civil dialogue creates more misconceptions and increased intolerance. So sometimes, I like to look at cute things, like cats.

Posted with Blogsy

Quoting Art & Attacking The Borg

I'm currently putting together my next posts, reviews and follow-ups to recent, controversial ideas, so I thought I'd share a few images created on the iPad mini using two amazing apps: Concepts: Precision Sketching and Over. If you like sketching and creating things on the iPad, I highly recommend both apps. Concepts has recently added Copic Marker colors and new drawing tools, and Over has been updating their app with bug fixes and new features, so I'm excited to see how both progress.

I also recently posted this image, a quote from George Orwell's Nineteen Eighty-Four.

I thought I'd post it again, because I'd like to add the following. If anyone has any interest in reposting or sharing these images with others, feel free to do so — just please leave the images unmodified and uncropped. Each is making a statement in a particular way, and I put a fair amount of time and effort into each. Thanks! They are also available to be repinned at Pinterest. In addition, with the two apps mentioned above, it isn't difficult to create your own. If you do, I'd love to see it!

Language is communication — essentially expression of thought — and imagery can embolden and empower words and deliver new meaning to new audiences in a beautiful way.

If we ever lose our freedom of speech and expression, it'll be because the suppression of radical, upsetting and controversial thoughts was unopposed and supported by the masses and unchallenged by free-thinkers. Star Trek and Gene Roddenberry's ideology taught me this: resistance is not futile, even when defeat seems inevitable.

Posted with Blogsy

Why we can't agree on what we can't agree about

Last night, I decided on a few minutes with an interesting distraction. Poker Night 2 for iOS (universal $4.99) by Telltale Games — creators of Walking Dead: The Game. Here's why.

So recently, I've been so frustrated with things. People who fervently tried to convince me to change my beliefs and vote for Barack Obama in 2012 are now unwilling to discuss politics. Many outright ignore it. To fundamentally disagree with them is incomprehensible to them, and they become outraged and hostile at the mere suggestion of it.

Sometimes, the religion card is played. It's not that I'm a right-wing ideologue, it's the conservative Christian social beliefs that have clouded everything in front of me. Never mind the basic inaccuracies in the statement and the underlying assumption that isn't correct — when liberals call Christian Conservatives crazy for their Christian beliefs, why aren't they calling Obama crazy, too? Doesn't he profess to believe in Jesus Christ? Maybe nobody's mad about Barack's so-called beliefs because no one believes that he actually believes those things. And no, I'm not trying to call him a Muslim. I'm calling him unprincipled. Conveniently principled. He does and says what's politically expedient, whether that's saying he believes in Christ and that "marriage is between a man and a woman" in 2008, or that he's anti-gun and pro-gay marriage now.

But everything flung in my personal direction is meaningless compared to the hate-filled flak fired at George Zimmerman, the jury that acquitted him, and anyone who openly supports the not guilty verdict. They don't want to hear about the content of George Zimmerman's character or his background — or that he's as white as Obama. (When calling him a "White Hispanic," you might as well refer to the President as White African American — but wait, that would be considered racist.) If you mention the character of Trayvon Martin; his disciplinary trouble in the months prior to his death, his autopsy report revealing liver damage consistent with drug use, his suspensions from school, or the burglary tool and jewelry recovered from his school locker — that's speculation and attacking the victim. Or racism — racial profiling. Or both.

If you mention that no one who personally knew George Zimmerman thought he was racist, or bring up his past defense of African Americans, or that he was behavioral profiling and not racially profiling Trayvon Martin — well, then you obviously haven't seen all of the protestors signs. THE PEOPLE SAY GUILTY.

Now, if you happen to think some of these unpopular things about George Zimmerman and you're black — well, you are in for a fiery shitstorm of hate and a special kind of racism. A segment of the African American population wants street justice since the racist white court system failed to deliver it to them, the new Black Panther Party going so far as to offer a $10K reward for Zimmerman. Because George Zimmerman is a racist, cowardly murderer — and they want his head on a spike for all of the other racist cowards to see (think Game of Thrones, only real). Anyone who won't jump on the race-baiting, hate-spewing bandwagon is an ignorant, bigoted animal deserving of the same decapitation-murder-execution they want for Zimmerman — although if you're a juror who acquitted him, that is, a woman, they want to rape you first, and then kill you in your home. African Americans such as P. Diddy and Jay-Z, publicly boycotting Florida, are black heroes — others like Lupe Fiasco, Charles Barkley and Bill Cosby are called blackface wearing, Uncle Tom niggers. They are called these things primarily by angry African Americans who believe that these Oreo crackers are race-traitors.

The idea that someone could even be a race-traitor is a racist one.

But I'm getting slightly off-track here.

I've been trying to understand the beliefs, mindsets and mentalities of people who passionately and vigorously disagree with me. Well, not me — people who share similar beliefs as me. Practically every time I've tried to discuss issues of society or politics with liberals, it lasts a few exchanges before a personal insult is hurled at me and all dialogue stops. Not because I stop, no. I'm willing to overlook it — it doesn't bother me that much anymore.

It stops because although these people want to share their opinions with others on social networks and blogs, and its worth their time to spread their beliefs, it's not worth their time to defend them. I'm only worthy as an audience if I agree with them.

So I lose so-called friends on Facebook. Such a shame.

Well, it would be, if I cared to be popular with my fellow young American, middle-class, high-school classmates. Most of them are college educated and consider themselves cultured intellectuals. Perhaps that's the problem: I'm not considered smart enough to join their club.

Though it likely has more to do with three letters: GOP. By identifying gop instead of pog — you know, those Hawaiian milk caps you flip over in stacks — (or virtually anything else) I've lost the popularity contest. I'd probably have more Facebook friends if I called myself a socialist or communist. I could probably list "Totalitarian Dictatorship" under political belief or affiliation and receive greater acceptance amongst fellow American twenty-somethings.

The two most important sticking points I've identified in this group are same-sex marriage (LGBT rights) and abortion. The antiquated conservative core loses their votes with those two things — right there. So-called moderate liberals say that they want debt reduction, lower taxes and a fiscally conservative government contributing to a sound, prosperous economy. It's just that they want gay marriage and abortion more.

Never mind that the two groups tend to talk about two different things without realizing it, or that abortion is a human right to life issue and not a social one. I'm pro-choice — in large part because I won't tell a woman what she has to do with her body (especially in cases of rape and incest), and I think that there are already (far) too many people on this planet (to be sustainable and prosperous for the majority).

Never mind the fact that they could vote Republican and have gay marriage and abortions.

Voting R>D would make them greedy, sexist, racist corporate stooges, and the social stigma would stain their underwear forever. They need to champion Obama irregardless of repercussions or irrationality. They must support Obama, even when the evidence points to him being wrong, because that's what cultured intellectuals do. After all, that's what their college professors do — and whom among us can claim to be more cultured or more intellectual than them? After all, Obama has the law degree and taught at a college. Cultured intellectual. Unlike those moronic red-state, Bible-toting, incestuous honey-crusted nut bars.

Barack Obama is also black! Well, White African American, anyway. So his skin color dictates full-cooperation and support from anyone with a skin color darker than alabaster. Even the fair-skinned amongst us must support Obama — because if you don't, you are a racist.

The African American community overwhelming supports Democrats, and they've elected and installed them in major cities across the country. Cities like Detroit. Chicago. Los Angeles. Cities with astonishing levels of poverty, homelessness and violence. Cities with the most black-on-black gun crime.

Not entirely surprising; this support has been fixed and paid for. Support for Democrats amongst African Americans is strong in spite of the Democrat party's long history of fucking with African Americans. Even though MLK was a Republican.

But it's not all bleak, the problems of these cities can be fixed. But they aren't going to like how.

People might not get all they work for in this world, but they must certainly work for all they get. — Frederick Douglass

To solve the gun violence gun problem, Eric Holder and Obama want to effectively rescind our second amendment. (The same Attorney General and President directly responsible for giving automatic weapons, guns used to murder over one hundred people, to Mexican criminals in an effort to track and catch them.)

They want to heavily restrict the types of guns that can be bought, sold and owned by law-abiding citizens (including retired-military, law enforcement and retired law enforcement), and have all registered gun owners in a publicly available database that they have to reregister for annually. They do this under the guise of our safety. Despite the fact that states with tougher gun laws have more gun crime, obviously, criminals will eventually follow these new laws... while breaking a bunch of others.

Though uncorrected, irresponsible spending and government expansion will bankrupt The United States of America within several decades. Though Obama has lied repeatedly from the beginning, about Guantanamo, to simple, effective healthcare reform, the military, fast and furious, Benghazi, the IRS and the NSA. Though caught red-handed in these lies, he still has the support of the media and their liberal fat-cat backers, and the people.

Because there's a sure-fire, cultured, intellectual response... a reply to whatever misdeeds Obama might do or may have done:

"All politicians do it, you can't single out Obama, and besides, Bush was way, way worse."

That just isn't anywhere near good enough an excuse for the flaws of the elected leader of the greatest nation and that the big problems with our government today stem from big problems in the thinking of some of the American people. Thinking that I don't fully, and am desperately trying to, understand.

I'm definitely not the only one with these beliefs and a willingness to attempt to articulate them to, and dialogue with, the other side. Check out my Twitter and follow my Facebook for links to videos and articles, check out PJTV, AlfonZo Rachel and a YouTuber named Vladimir Jaffe (a man who escaped from behind the USSR's Iron Curtain).

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George Zimmerman: Innocent AND found Not Guilty

I wonder how many of the people upset over the Zimmerman acquittal actually know the facts of the case and watched the trial each day.

Glancing at some of the comments on Facebook, I'm disgusted.

Some people are angry that George Zimmerman's injuries weren't altogether too severe, as if that's evidence that he committed murder by shooting Trayvon Martin. Although the law regarding self-defense doesn't require ANY injuries, I suppose they'd be more sympathetic if Zimmerman waited until his face was caved in and let his skull get cracked open before shooting.

The evidence and testimony is quite clear, as clear as it is that charges were filed (1.5 months after the incident) for political reasons — and only after people protested and elected officials' jobs were threatened.

It's as disgusting as the race-baiting that accompanied the early reports of Martin's tragic death—that a "white man" shot a "black kid." (Without questioning or even caring to look at Zimmerman's photo, the press and our populace ran with it while screaming "racial profiling" and "hate crime.") And to add fuel to the divisive, racist, hate-filled fires, our President Obama decided to add his color commentary; that if he had a son, he'd (his son would) look like Trayvon.

Perhaps instead of having trials with evidence, attorneys, a judge and jury, we should simply vote: "guilty" or "not guilty."

As a nation, we could decide the fate of men and women accused of crimes in the same way we elect our officials. I don't want that, but a lot of people aren't satisfied with our admittedly imperfect legal system and seem to think that they know better.

Yes, Trayvon Martin's death is tragic. There are probably many things that George could've done differently that would've resulted on both men caring on with their lives in relative peace. We don't know for sure who started the fight.

We do know that Trayvon Martin had had disciplinary problems and was suspended from school multiple times (for things that he would've likely been arrested for in a different county) — and had a bad attitude about being followed that night. His school records and the testimony of Rachel Jeantel confirm this. Though the Martin family and the prosecution claimed that his past is irrelevant because Zimmerman couldn't have known about it, it does give some insight into the likelihood of Zimmerman's account of events.

Nothing in George Zimmerman's non-emergency police call or his past makes him seem irrational or criminal; and there were crimes in his neighborhood, reported break-ins and an attempted rape, no one caught.

Though Trayvon Martin had no obligation to, when he confronted the "creepy-ass cracker" and was asked "what are you doing here," he could have replied that he was going home, and that could have been the end of it. (The altercation took place not far from the residence where he was staying.) Instead, a fight occurred and at some point, Trayvon Martin was on top of George Zimmerman, attacking him — eyewitness testimony and Zimmerman's injuries confirm this. Someone cried for help, it's unclear but recorded on a 911 call. Moments later, Trayvon Martin was shot while on top of George Zimmerman.

Unfortunately, the Zimmerman trial has been less about self-defense or second-degree murder, and more about politicking, prejudice, (news and social) media mania, pain and anger.

Many people don't care about the facts; they're mad and want George to pay. There are protests in Oakland right now; I can hear and see the helicopters, sirens and some screams. News coverage has shown a fire, broken windows, a trashed police car... people get to be mad about something, and the news gets to talk about and show it. Attorneys, activists and politicians get to make or enhance their careers over these cases and verdicts.

It's sad. This whole thing is sad.

Lastly, please — let's stop comparing the shooting death of Trayvon Martin to that of Oscar Grant. If people could look at facts and beyond skin color, they'd see two very different cases. (Fruitvale Station is playing at Grand Lake Theater. Supposed to be pretty good.)

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NSA Needs No Warrants

Rep. Jerrold Nadler has blown the lid off of something big.

Not that I didn't already know this was happening, but now there's confirmation. Naive Americans, oh-so-trusting of big government, believed that there's nothing to worry about — we're just being paranoid. Understand this:

The NSA can listen to your calls, read your email or text messages in secret, without a warrant, and that data is being stored on servers.

Also, President Obama could be fucking your liberty. Do you remember that movie Enemy of the State starring Will Smith? Unfortunately, this isn't a movie.

Director of National Intelligence Michael McConnell indicated during a House Intelligence hearing in 2007 that the NSA's surveillance process involves "billions" of bulk communications being intercepted, analyzed, and incorporated into a database.

They can be accessed by an analyst who's part of the NSA's "workforce of thousands of people" who are "trained" annually in minimization procedures, he said. (McConnell, who had previously worked as the director of the NSA, is now vice chairman at Booz Allen Hamilton, Snowden's former employer.)

If it were "a U.S. person inside the United States, now that would stimulate the system to get a warrant," McConnell told the committee. "And that is how the process would work. Now, if you have foreign intelligence data, you publish it [inside the federal government]. Because it has foreign intelligence value."

McConnell said during a separate congressional appearance around the same time that he believed the president had the constitutional authority, no matter what the law actually says, to order domestic spying without warrants.

Read the full details at CNET. Be upset. Share it with friends and family. No matter what the law actually says?! It's not that surprising. However, it is horrendous and people should be pissed.

The technology exists, why wouldn't they use it? Why wouldn't someone abuse it?

People are fallible; is it unreasonable to assume that some analyst with an axe to grind would use his power illegally? Maybe about as unreasonable as the IRS selectively targeting Conservative groups (based, in part, on keywords in the organizations' names) for audits and denying these groups tax exempt status, bankrupting law-abiding, taxpaying citizens and costing them hundreds of thousands of dollars.

Happy Father's Day.

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About Says Brad

[Note: this entry deals with some sensitive subject matter and may anger some people. It's also a little lengthy, written late at night and edited rather quickly.]

Photo taken with iPhone 4, edited with SwankoLab and Snapseed

A few notes about my life and the blog, starting with tech.

I mostly post about technology: iOS, video games, mobile tech, accessories, app reviews. I post some art, too, and I've been messing around with photography again since pocket-sized devices can take such great photos (I never liked lugging around a Canon EOS SLR around).

I haven't written as much on society, life and disability lately — not directly, anyway. I use the iPad and iPhone as my only computers primarily because of my disability, but it's become a preference. Even if/when I get a new computer (hopefully a MacBook Pro with Retina Display), I will still likely use my iPad more.

That has a lot to do with the great apps. I love the art/design/photography apps, social apps and games for iOS, and I like having iCloud automatically backup and sync everything. So cool. Some of the mobile games are incredible, too. Console games on a handheld?! Hopefully Square will release Final Fantasy VII through X for iOS one day. As the iPad continues to improve, who knows, maybe we'll have games like The Elder Scrolls V: Skyrim on it!

The iPad mini is likely weeks away, and the iPhone 5 released, but I've been waiting. The purple lens flare issue reminds me of antennagate. Maybe Apple will quietly fix it with later iPhone 5 models. I am excited about the iPad mini. I hope it offers a cross between the new iPod Touch and iPad, with a retina display.

I will be posting a few new stylus reviews as well as some more iPad usability advice. Hopefully the weather improves so I won't feel so awful; I'd like to get a few more things done this month, and work on cleaning and packing. More on that later.

Coming soon: Capacitive touch stylus showdown; Adonit Jot Touch vs HEX3 Jaja

These styluses can't quite replicate the Wacom Intuos/Cintiq tablet experience, but they do offer functionality that the iPad lacked — and in my opinion, desperately needed. I love drawing on my iPad, but the device hasn't adequately replicated the sketchbook/slate tablet experience. This isn't critical for many people, but I love sketching, writing, doodling — insofar as I was even looking at alternatives such as the Samsung Series 7 slate tablet PC and Galaxy Note, just for the pressure sensitivity. However, after using a Retina display, there's no going back. The iPad 2 now looks like last-gen, low-res pixelated crap!

The Adonit Jot Touch is a superb stylus. I'm going to test the Jaja very soon. I intend to create some designs with each and post them here along with my review. I just wish more apps supported pressure sensitivity, and in better ways. Specifically, I'd like to see Paper by FiftyThree, Autodesk SketchBook Ink and Adobe touch apps (like Ideas) support pressure sensitivity, as well as Infinite SketchPad, Noteshelf and Remarks.

A little more with iOS

Blogging (posting entries) on my iPad is fairly straightforward and simple with Blogsy, but editing the website is a challenge. Squarespace isn't iOS friendly. I've been thinking about switching this blog (back) to WordPress — I'm just not very good at creating themes and such. WordPress offers greater flexibility for iOS users; I could post and edit pages and work within the straightforward web UI. Know anyone who could help me build a theme?

iOS6 has added the much needed ability to upload images to websites from Safari. So I can finally add images to my web gallery and sites like dribbble.

However, I'm still having issues uploading to my Squarespace gallery, and in typical, frustrating Squarespace fashion, support simply says that they'll forward a feature request to developers, that Squarespace was designed for desktop browsers, and finally, that I should update from a desktop browser. WordPress is looking a lot more attractive even with less appealing themes.

I've used both Squarespace and WordPress iOS apps — both are lacking. It's very frustrating.

Political season: impacting updates

The General Election on November 6, 2012 is so important. This decade is what's at stake. My feelings are clear; Obama has failed America and has lied about too much.

• Obama said he'd close Guantanamo. Guess where my Army MP friend is going to be stationed next year?
• He said he'd cut the deficit in half. With Obama, our debt has increased by trillions, billions have been wasted on failed clean energy experiments. Obama blames America's reduced credit rating on a conservative unwillingness to raise the debt ceiling. Some people think that at one point, there was a surplus. There was never a surplus. (When has a government ever been satisfied with its cash reserves?!
• Obama said he'd reduce unemployment and get America back on track. Biden admitted accidentally that the middle class has been buried. Employment hasn't gotten easier because upper middle-class small business owners are still under an immense squeeze. Large corporations don't need to worry about offering long-term employment — careers — because they can always get new hires. The median middle class income has fallen by $4.1K over the past four years, and liberals claim that this is a recovery?!

I could go on for hours.

This entry is already getting long, and this isn't a political blog, but being disabled, I have a lot of time to study these issues and I feel obligated to share my opinions and inform people of the truth. I want to find out why people want a larger government with higher taxes, and why wealth is vilified in some parts of America, even though the majority of white collar crime is committed by poor people.

People harp on a few Republican sticking points like pro-life, supposed racism and anti-gay/homosexual attitudes. I want to address these things, and explain how and why the Democratic Party is just as racist and how they restrict and limit personal freedom more than the Republican Party.

There's a lot of misinformation because of lies and infographics on social networks like Facebook, and news networks like to sensationalize information for ratings. Most of the major news networks are liberal, ABC, NBC, CBS… yet FOX is the network constantly lambasted for being partisan. There's The New York Times and Huffington Post spreading inaccuracies as well.

For the record, I'm pro-choice, and GLBT friendly. I do a lot of things that the traditional, religious GOP member would likely frown upon. I've never belonged to the 1%. I'm a Republican because I believe in small government, low taxes, and that protected borders and military strength ensure peace and freedom. Hope is not a strategy, I'm a Reaganite. I believe in the profit motive; that hard work and innovation should be rewarded and encouraged.

(BTW, did you know that Jack Kennedy and Richard Nixon were really close friends and that JFK said that he'd vote for Nixon if he didn't get the Democratic nomination? Although JFK also preferred socializing with conservatives and took steroids to look more presidential.)

A party must be changed from within; if you believe in a conservative government but dislike the Republican Party because of its often backwards social values, join the GOP and help me change it! No Party is going to really change just because people yell at it from the outside. If you believe in a large government, high taxes and many regulations (like Nanny Bloomberg's NYC), why? Listening to Sean Hannity several months ago, I heard Occupy members and admitted socialists attempt to rationalize their views — and I just don't get it.

Politics, Sociology and Game Theory at Says Brad

People have been criticizing Romney for paying 14% in taxes, but for the past twenty years, he's also been donating 14% of his income as well. That's a lot of money going to charity! I believe in a flat tax for everyone. The government isn't a bad thing, it's just poorly run. We don't live in a true democracy, I don't think that everyone realizes that. Ever seen Hardcore Pawn? Our Democratic Republic is under fire from all sides, and needs better leadership and management.

There should be a safety net; people shouldn't starve or freeze to death in America. But mediocre, tenured officials shouldn't be the decision makers. Everything from education to health care needs to be reformed with accountability. We can't afford to continue throwing money at problems — no more blank checks to bad planners and corrupt officials.

These views are complex and perhaps controversial, so I will do my best to explain and clarify. It's so important. I would love to just ramble about iOS and games all day, but America is in trouble. Our status as the best country on Earth is in jeopardy, and that bothers me. America should be the model other countries attempt to emulate.

In this process, I will refer to many historical events and using game theory, propose alternative realities and scenarios to demonstrate concepts. This might bother some people, perhaps even moreso because I will probably still post the fun stuff, too. At heart, I'm an artist and a dreamer, I love technology and video games. Just as I can't ignore these passions, I can't ignore this nagging feeling to demonstrate reality as I understand it, either.

Hopefully I can change a few minds, open a few doors, and learn a few new things along the way. This is life as a highway, driving, but that sunset is just out of reach. Says Brad.

Brad Chin uses Blogsy

Memorial Day on my Facebook, State of our Union

Browsing through the endless feed, something insane looking grabs my attention:

Chris Hayes: I'm 'Uncomfortable' Calling Fallen Military 'Heroes'

By Mark Finkelstein Effete: affected, overrefined, and ineffectual; see "Chris Hayes." OK, I appended the name of the MSNBC host to the dictionary definition. But if ever you wanted to see the human embodiment of the adjective in action, have a look at the video from his MSNBC show this morning of the too-refined-by-half Hayes explaining why he is "uncomfortable" in calling America's fallen military members "heroes."

Here's a link to the Newsbusters post. (There's a lot of interesting, quick articles at newsbusters.org — if you're interested in something other than TV's typical liberal rhetoric.)

Crazy, I tell you. Immediately after reading/watching the post, I noticed a friend recently "liked" a Clibe sketch (image). It seemed particularly poignant, as if I was somehow telling myself to forget about changing the liberal mindset.

I typically don't do artsy catch-phrases, quotes and truisms; not because they seem like an artistic cop-out (they kind of are), not because they're usually bad and boring (this is the case, as these memes are usually started by talentless trolls), but because to do them well takes much more time than it's worth. Unfortunately, Clibe isn't good for much else.

Not every liberal is insane — unrealistic idealists, maybe — and there are certainly crazy conservatives… getting sidetracked.

Memorial Day: honoring the fallen, our heroes, is NOT a message or statement about war. It's about respect for those brave enough to defend us all, and remembrance for those whom made the ultimate sacrifice. Our way of life is constantly being threatened; our armed forces oppose enemies abroad, and far too often, Americans treat them like dirt — like a nuisance.

Our way of life is being threatened from within

High taxes, new regulations, inflation, overspending, Obama, ObamaCare, $5 TRILLION dollars increase in debt, rising unemployment (and numerous people employed, but still not making enough money to escape poverty), the loss of the American dream and American industry, self-created necessity on foreign oil and rising gas prices, Occupy (instead of occupation, often by choice and what Hannity calls the entitlement mentality)…

…big government, American socialists and Marxists, Washington corruption (once Presidential hopeful John Edwards, anyone?), products made in China, complacency, arrogance, racism, widening poverty gap, class warfare (constantly ignited by liberal media and Obama: the rich are screwing the poor, paying 'less' in taxes — yeah, sure, Romney's 15% is somehow less money than the average person's 35%)…

…millions more on food stamps due to this Presidential administration, the Obama machine and supporters taking the fallback position, "blame Bush," instead of actually fixing the problem (remember, Obama promised "hope" and "change" — his words — along with cutting the deficit and unemployment in half), dismal public education, ridiculously overpriced colleges, student loans that can't be paid off…

…failing criminal justice system (prosecuting and jailing simple drug offenses is a waste of time and money, and it isn't stopping people from getting high if they want to), prejudicial courts (judges, attorneys, prosecutors, laws), prison overpopulation, increased gang activity, failed "war on crime" and "war on drugs," wasted money on "prevention" programs, cultural glorification of vigilantism…

…drug addiction, alcoholism, extreme obesity, underage drinking and drug use, early puberty, meat glue and pink slime, fast food diets, high divorce rates, mixed messages (on violence, sex, drugs, beauty), meth.

How can we trust?

People have lost faith; but because humans need faith, it's misplaced frequently — in bad science, technology, government, large corporations... an interesting point: so many people complain about large chain stores that pay minimum wage, import products from Asia, kill off small brick and mortar businesses — and yet, people still shop at Walmart… because of low prices.

Politicians can't seem to just tell the truth without embellishment, make realistic promises and curb spending. Even if taxes were increased dramatically and raised more money, our government would just find some new initiative to pour it into and increase debt.

Crazy

Obama won't release his college transcripts, admitted to drinking and using cocaine in high school, worked at a law firm but did who knows what there (he didn't try cases, that's for sure), lied about a relationship in his book, and promised numerous things in 2008 and didn't deliver—

We're supposed to trust him? People are actually going to vote for him?!

Barack Obama is the first sitting President in over 30 years to lose more than 40% of the vote in three primaries. Maybe that's the "change" I can put "hope" into.

Occupy Superfluous?

It's been three-or-so months now, and all that's obvious about Occupy is that it's a disorganized, largely leaderless, self-proclaimed "movement" that likes to set up tents and camp in urban jungles, and they occasionally build things and throw things (I was going to include links for those... find them yourself — I'm blogging from Squarespace's buggy iOS app on iPad). Maybe it's the pot. Denis Leary says marijuana leads fuckin' to carpentry.

I've tried to ask neighbors and passersby for information about Occupy. No one seems to know much. The 100% I've spoken to goes home after work, turns on the TV or reads a web post about how Occupy (insert city name) was raided by (insert city name) Police Department, with reports of violence on both sides. Then the mayor is interviewed, and states that the camp was closed over health and safety concerns, but that the city will continue to support the Occupy movement. Great.

Lastly, two personal notes.

Mr. Alec Baldwin, aka now deactivated Twitter-junkie @alecbaldwin: a game of Words with Friends? I play. When I remember to. Also, I don't fly on American Airlines, either. At least you've "played a pilot before," and have acted as yourself, having played a pilot, while playing a pilot next to another actor playing a supposed real pilot concerned about your potential piloting in a Capital One commercial. That must count for something. Somewhere.

Occupy, can you try to convince the Oakland PD to fly their helicopters farther away from Lake Merritt when they're going to raid you? It's really loud. Thanks.

Until next,
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(I love the future post feature.)