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1210. Presidential Debate - Trump and Harris Ridiculous

 So was there a winner of the Presidential debate or just another setup with ABC? I'll agree that Kamala was more composed and the strat...

Monday, December 31, 2018

840. "How Finance Works" by Mihir Desai -- 3 Stars


How Finance Works by Mihir Desai – 3 Stars
Publisher: Harvard Business Review Press
ISBN: 9781633696709

“Only prerequisites … curiosity and perseverance” so stated the author are required to get you through this book. Well, I’m retired now, but like my very successful service and consulting preretirement career where I ran into financial issues with clients and the 30 years of investing using Financial Ratios and other data, my continued curiosity and perseverance was not enough. After at least 5 passes, up to a least 10 in some sections, I still hadn’t successfully comprehended, even moderately, much of the lessons from Chapter 3 on. I did get a keen and quick insight of the important areas of Finance. The Intro and chapters 1 and 2 were very beneficial in introducing the key Financial definitions and data relevant to investors and those in Financial area careers. But, one needs to be prepared for some errors, such as on pages 34 and 35 where virtual company M is used for two different real companies.

I thought the exercise using the virtual companies to discover the real companies was a brilliant idea and a great way to get a grasp on the fact that ratios depend on the industry type and can not be numerically compared to other industries or even other countries where things like taxes are different.  However, after three passes I did wonder whether the steps in this exercise could really be applied to the companies in my universe or whether it was a method derived from working backwards to make the exercise workable. Regardless, it confirmed what I learned over the many years of investing and added some new ammunition for forward progress. So, up through chapter 2, I would agree that a new individual to Finance and one like me with many years of touching Finance, but not into the bowels of it, and for all investors, that this book would be very helpful.

However, later the substitution of many diagrams and graphs became a shortcoming rather than an aid. I felt that the essential text describing a topic failed to adequately explain the forest and simply focused on the trees. My opinion is that it was more important to select many diagrams and graphs and fit them together than to give a comprehensive and logical written overview, explanation, and relation to the real world. Granted, the Reflections throughout were well placed and significant. But, I was less impressed with many unnecessary formulas and other detailed information that certainly was not pertinent to what I expected from this book, nor, I believe, would be of any importance to others. I finally concluded that this book was simply an outline of a Harvard course, but, without the interactions of an audience. Much of the relevance and constructive discussions appeared ignored. I suppose my example would be developing a customer presentation and publishing it without really capturing the effectiveness of it.

Thus, although I am most curious in Finance and Economics and have a very high level of perseverance, both qualities a must in the consulting arena, my interest to learn Finance to a detailed level waned when I retired and I could not read it from front to back as the author commented. So, I did test it as a reference and also concluded that since it lacked an index it was not very practical as a reference either, unless you were interested in rations, cash, and valuation chapters. All chapters were visited, hoping that from the Conclusion chapter I could pop back earlier to glean reasons for the conclusions. That also did not work to my satisfaction.

For all the above reasons I would recommend that a rework be done that emphasizes the missing student interactions and discussions and replace some of the diagrams, graphs, etc. that clutter the important area of Finance with more effective, logically sequenced text.



Reviewer: Rich


Professional Reader

Sunday, December 16, 2018

839. "Watcher in the Woods" by Kelly Armstrong -- 5-Stars


Watcher in the Woods by Kelly Armstrong – 5 Stars
Publisher: St. Martin’s Press
ISBN: 9781250159915

Reading this book without reading the previous three in the series will be a disadvantage for you. The fourth novel in the series begins without the required details about the town of Rockton and the background of its inhabitants. You may struggle a bit until you learn that each character displays two profiles: one a new fabricated presented to their neighbors and the other the real past -- good, bad, or ugly. This accentuates interest in every character and continuous entertainment. Although the plot has some fantasy-like events, they are not dressed up to convince you they are real which frees your mind of challenging credibility entirely. It is just fun to read.

Despite each book beginning where the previous book in the series left off, each provides a mystery in itself and completely told -- the crime is set up, investigated, and solved.
This novel presents its mystery with suspense, a psychological element, a love story, and complex characters, even including two dogs. All the elements compliment each other in fast paced plot to yield a very enjoyable novel.

Having already read the first books in the series and now the fourth, I look forward to reading future additions.

Reviewer: Nancy


Professional Reader

Friday, December 14, 2018

838. "To Destroy Jerusalem" by Haward Kaplan -- 5-Stars


To Destroy Jerusalem by Howard Kaplan – 5 Stars
Publisher: HK Books
ISBN: 9781723912351

This is the first book I’ve read in the series and had no problem reading it as a stand-alone novel. All characters were adequately introduced requiring no prior book knowledge.

The explosive relationship and plight between the Israelis and the Palestinians was fairly addressed. Though an Israeli agent, Shai Shaham understood and empathized with the Palestinians issues. Through his eyes I furthered my acceptance of the delicate situations and relationships that exist today.

Impressive was the detailed history and geographical depictions of the area which added to the realism and provided a continuous image of the location and environment as the story progressed. Although I know little about constructing a nuclear bomb, I felt the fear, chills, and suspense -- the author’s explanation was certainly credible.

My only negative was that I found some sentences awkward, requiring me to reread them several time before I finally assumed the meaning and continued on.

Overall, I enjoyed this novel. It was suspenseful and yielded essential information required to better understand and envision the issues between the Israelis and Palestinians.

Reviewer: Nancy

Professional Reader

Tuesday, December 11, 2018

837. "The Accident" by Donna M. Zadunajsky -- 4-Stars

The Accident by Donna M. Zadunajsky – 4 Stars
Publisher: Donna M. Zadunajsky
ISBN: 9781724019165

The Accident is a character-driven novel about a group of people brought together by a tragic multi-vehicle accident. Each of the characters has a complex, tragic, and compelling life story. Their lives intertwine in ways that sometimes may lack believability, but the overall story is quite enjoyable. Topics include spousal abuse and adoption which are handled with empathy and understanding. Like most lives, the elements in this novel work together to yield some happy endings.


Reviewer: Nancy

Professional Reader

Friday, December 7, 2018

836. "Cain" by James Bryon Huggins -- 3-Stars

Cain by James Bryon Huggins – 3-Stars
Publisher: WildBlue Press
ISBN: 9781947290808

The plot of Cain might be appropriate for a shallow action/horror film, but I did not enjoy this as a novel despite being well written. The lengthy description of the pseudo-science used to create and awaken a monstrous giant wasn’t close to credible, and, thus, beyond belief and interest. It consisted of a jumble of stereotypical characters and contained tired plotlines: a Frankenstein Monster, a vampire, potential death on a planetary scale, a little girl needing saving, a devout priest, a macho hero, and devil worshipers. It wasn’t anything new that hasn’t already been done before more successfully. There is enough action to keep the story flowing, but the dialogue and characters are flat and shallow.


Reviewer: Nancy

Professional Reader

835. "The Ghost Manuscript" by Kris Frieswick -- 4 Stars

The Ghost Manuscript by Kris Frieswick – 4-Stars
Publisher: Post Hill Press
ISBN: 9781642930245

Having ancestors from Wales, I found the first part of this book real enjoyable, supplementing my discoveries about Wales and the Welsh life. Also, the details about historical library management from provenance to preservation were interesting. Although the plot began to mimic The Di Vinci Code and setting my expectations to be immersed in surprising with respect to King Arthur throughout, the story becomes more of just a mystery hunt with words and words, a lot of conversations, and then some unnecessary intimate romance. In no way is its main character Carys a feminine Indiana Jones as touted by one best-selling author. Other than a similar type of adventure or expedition, Carys does not come close the predicaments or edge-of-your-seat actions Indiana experienced.  The hunter, Carys, is being hunted by someone who also wants the “ghost” manuscript -- this brings some needed excitement to the table despite the interactions being short and far between.

Was there a real King Arthur? Did Carys find his grave? Where would you expect such a grave to be? What role does the six-century manuscript play? Are there treasures found, maybe even Excalibur? Who ends up with them? What artifacts were found that led to further discoveries? How are they related to America? Who was behind hunting Carys?
These are just a few questions that should entice you to delve into this book. Although I found it a bit too long in words and for a few other reasons as already stated, I’m sure you might enjoy every second.


Reviewer: Rich

Professional Reader

Wednesday, November 28, 2018

834. "The Escape Room" by Megan Golden -- 4-Stars

The Escape Room by Megan Golden – 4 Stars
Publisher: St. Martin’s Press
ISBN: 9781250219657

I’m reviewing this to be honest with my opinion. I should only say I was glad I made it 90% to the point where it proved to have a great ending and explained the meaning for all the momentous number of words that I had previously read. Until then, I had a difficult time getting excited to delve back into the book. The plot was interesting in that instead of a story about escaping an inescapable elevator, it switches back and forth in time to detail each character’s personality, strengths, and weaknesses. One doesn’t have to read far to understand that the four in the elevator are a team of self-made elites who have no interest in anybody outside their club, or should I say “the Circle.” Unfortunately, understanding each character to that depth is not that important. My unconscious noticed this first and I started skimming page after page. However, at about 90%, or a little after, when the real storyline was revealed, the action was enthralling. If I could rate this book only on the ending, instead of the anticipated actionable, thrilling, nail-biter, page-turner as I expected, it surely would be a 5-Star. But, until then, I was generally bored and hugging just the 3-Star bar. I’m reminded that people have short memories and thus I should quickly write my review while the ending controlled my emotions. So, with that, I’ll settle on a 4-Star and hope the author in future books can consider continuous thrills and excitement throughout.


Reviewer: Rich, with Nancy’s input as well

Professional Reader

Monday, November 19, 2018

833. "Killer Thriller" by Lee Goldberg -- 5-Stars

Killer Thriller by Lee Goldberg – 5 Stars
Publisher: Poisoned Penn Press
ISBN: 9781503903562

I read the first book in the Ian Ludlow series, True Fiction, last March and liked it. I enjoyed getting reacquainted with the characters and plot in this second book. It was fast paced, clever, and exciting with dry humor that poked fun at the movie industry and Washington officials.
Ian is a regular guy who while writing and selling adventure novels finds himself in a real-life international thriller. The story is so well written that I can almost believe in a conspiracy that China is plotting to take over the U. S.
It had a well constructed believable plot. I enjoyed this novel very much and look forward to finding out what situation Ian and Margo can get into in book three of the series.


Reviewer: Nancy


 Professional Reader


Tuesday, November 13, 2018

832. "Bluff" by Jane Stanton Hitchcock -- 5-Stars

Bluff by Jane Stanton Hitchcock – 5 Stars
Publisher: Poisoned Penn Press
ISBN: 9781464210693

One would expect this to be a book about Poker. In a way it is, but without any games, not a real card dealt or nor a chip played. Instead, this story is only constantly compared to the phases of a Poker hand/game, to emphasize the need to use the Bluff in order to be the unchallenged winner.

The shuffle and deal, not always exciting but necessary, initiate the story through Chapter 38, but in Chapter 39 you discover the Cut abruptly changes things, plus funny dealing from the bottom of the deck has also been happening without you knowing it. Much is like a real poker game and the plot keeps its cards close to the chest. But, Don’t Fold yet. All the information in these first 38 chapters is important to produce a complete and necessary profile of each character -- maybe not necessarily a correct one -- and to deliver a very exciting hand to play. Mad Maud is one of the main characters and remains a central focus throughout. Because of events in her past, she quickly, within the beginning pages, offs Sun Sunderland, a billionaire, in public in front of many witnesses. She just became the dealer and a most interesting player as well. The plot continues with an elite group of friends and enemies wondering why she shot Sun when she was even madder about dealings his lunch buddy Burt Sklar had with her mother. Throughout the story, Maud distributes the aces from the bottom of the deck and twists and nurtures a story into a giant Bluff. But, who bluffs and who blinks? And, finally, who wins?

You don’t want to fold your hand too early and will want to relish all the details re the Bluff. This is an excellent mystery full of secrets and surprising twists.


Reviewer: Rich
Professional Reader

Saturday, November 10, 2018

831. Netgear WNR2000 & 100mbs Cable Poor wireless download Performance

It wasn't until I upgraded my cable speed to 100mbs that I began getting strange performance issues on my Kindle. After getting a speed app, I discovered that the download speed was 3mbs. Not a typo: THREE mbs instead of a possible 60mbs! Upload was 10.77 mbs (FASTER than download). I can't tell you what in particular caused this; probably could back out changes one by one to cause it again. Likewise, on my PC, the download wireless was only 5mbs! But, I won't since all is good now. Here is what I did:

1. Foremost, I read about how TKIP & WPA slows down the WNR200 compared to straight WPA2(AES) security protocol. This is changed by signing in to Netgear Router (192.168.1.1 usually) as administrator and going to Advanced,Wireless,Setup,Wireless Setup and checking the WPA2-PSK [AES] button. This supposedly lets the the Router function as a N-mode rqther than G-mode speed.
2. #1 above alone might have been the fix, but I also read that disabling 20/40 Mhz coexistence would fix a similar problem. Go to Advanced,Wireless,Setup,Advanced Setup and uncheck the box.
3. Lastly, someone mentioned QoS setting Enable WMM must be on. Mine was already. This is under Advanced,Wireless,Setup, QoS Setup.

After making the changes and restarting Router (tried doing this with no success before any changes), My wireless download on the Kindle AND PC climbed to about 67 mbs. What a significant improvement.

830. "The Eighth Sister" by Robert Dugoni -- 5-Stars

The Eighth Sister by Robert Dugoni – 5 Stars
Publisher: Thomas & Mercer. Seattle
ISBN: 9781503903036

I didn’t expect both a great espionage thriller and a brilliant trial story in one book. Now an ex-spy, Charles Jenkins reactivates with the CIA on an operation to uncover a Russian who has already killed three of seven American spies that had infiltrated the Russian government. However, an intelligent FSB officer, Federov, is on to him and the cat and mouse chase throughout the region lights the stage for the first half of the book in a never ending display of suspense and action packed moments. But, just how authorized was his mission? Along comes attorney David Sloane leading a most impressive case related to the operation. In addition to Charles and David, all other characters display the highest intelligence and abilities, making this novel with its many twists highly captivating and enriching. Everyone operates at peak performance, even the ones you don’t want to root for. Who wins is for you to learn.  

I’d like to supply more details, but any more would be too much. You need to savor the details and relish the thrills and twists as they happen -- enjoy the excitement, page by page. Truly one of the best suspense and thriller novels I have read in awhile.


Reviewer: Rich

Professional Reader

Wednesday, November 7, 2018

829. "End of Day" by Mae Clair -- 5-Stars

End of Day by Mae Clair – 5 Stars
Publisher: Lyrical Underground, Kensington Publishing Corp.
ISBN: 9781516107285  (ebook)

Excellent. I decided to read Cusp of Night, the first of the series just to ensure I didn’t miss anything that would have distracted me while reading this book. Because I was expecting much more mystique and horror from the first book, I was sort of turned off with what the first book offered. However, this book quickly captured my attention and kept it right to the end. The plot revolving around a belief that the first buried creature in a cemetery will guard the remaining deceased buried thereafter, coupled with an emerald that has powers to protect or destroy, is developed and supplemented by characters who themselves possess paranormal empathic or spiritual powers. The mysteries of the past need to be investigated in order to resolve present day catastrophic unsettling events. The alternating of past and present passages perfectly develops each story -- two interesting stories bound into one.

What I found interesting reading both books one and two is that the characters don’t overwhelm each other. For example, I didn’t expect Jillian to be the lead character in book two; whereas, Dante is a key player across both books.  Now I’m wondering who will lead in book three. This is a different twist than in most serials where the main characters in one book maintain that role throughout a series. The employment of a “group” of empowered characters seems to provide endless variations in future books.

Expect supernatural events, mystique, mystery, and demons in a story that won’t let you down. Learn the answers to: Was Gabriel possessed? Where did the plague originate? What are the descendant relationships today and their importance? Why all the freaky accidents today and who were the victims? What force does the green emerald unleash?


Reviewer: Rich

Professional Reader

Wednesday, October 31, 2018

828. "Oil, Power, and War" by Matthieu Auzanneau -- 3-Stars


Oil, Power, and War by Matthieu Auzanneau
Chelsea Green Publishing
ISBN: 9781603587433 

I was enthralled by the author’s ability to explain the history of oil through captivating fiction-like prose. His research must have been endless and his interspersing of historical observations with his superb literary abilities made this a page turner in the making. The explanation of prehistoric eras with of high carbon dioxide levels, temperatures well above today’s normal averages, water levels 200m above the then normal levels, and the extinction of dinosaurs due to an asteroid hit as were “acceptable” to illustrate the history of oil. I even overlooked the innuendo that this same leap backward to high carbon dioxide and temperatures could possible occur again (the Gore theory that never occurred) within a century “confirming” the Greenhouse Affects. But when I came to page 36 and the passage “Perhaps the black gold industry, long dominated by the Americans, was reluctant to attribute its paternity to the Russians, a Canadian, or a ‘medicine man’ associated with a US president who was unable to prevent the coming Civil War (and who is still considered, along with George W. Bush and Donald Trump, to be the most incompetent figure ever to occupy the White House),” I called it quits. Up to this point I questioned a lot of what was being written, not that I knew differently, but that the observations being communicated seemed only to fit a well composed story, they were not necessarily facts and mere opinions like the referenced passage. At that point I immediately dismissed what the French author most diligently wrote and facts became mere observations. My impression went from nonfiction to historical fiction due to liberal interpretations of information and unacceptable opinions that added nothing to the story, but, conversely damaged a fine written piece of literature.

Ratings:
How well written = 5-Stars (captivating -- ignoring the negatives stated above)
Research = 5 Stars
Facts Presented = 4 Stars (some observations questionable and, thus, merely observations)
Opinions = 0 Stars (unnecessary to promote unproven theories and politics)
Written to ensure 100% nonfiction-believability = 3 Star
Overall = 3 Stars (turned off and can’t accept it as true nonfiction – unwilling to finish)

Reviewer: Rich


Professional Reader

Tuesday, October 30, 2018

827.Compare Brokers

I had an adventure is Fidelity Investments. I need not go into the specifics because I always had a work around. But, I wanted to see if any of the other Brokers had the full function I wanted the way I wanted it since old brokers did. So I went off to ETRADE and completed an application for an account so I could look at its interface on the PC AND its "expert" trading tool that runs on the web. I went to it this morning and it was like I went back in time to the caveman days. It had to be the most primitively written application I have seen in over a decade. At one time I was a Scottrade client before they sold out to ETRADE. Well, its nice interface were obviously thrown into the garbage can. Fidelity's PC Advanced Trader tool is light-years ahead of ETRADE! That made my decidion to stay put rather easy when comparing to ETRADE. From what I viewed of the Schwab system though, I won't give up on the thoughts of looking for greener pastures on the other side of the fence. The only reason for this post is to inform you to look elsewhere if you are considering ETRADE (just my opinion, based on over 36 years of experience in trading). The other turn off at ETRADE was that all 5 times I called I received the "overseas" speaking accent. I had to hang up on the first one because I couldn't understand her. The others seemed pretty articulate, but limited as to what they knew without additional help or research. This again is light-years away from Fidelity customer service which also offers a VIP service for eligible investors. My only stick with Fidelity in the last 1.5 years is that implemented an Automated answering service system that now IMPEDES getting to someone quickly that ALWAYS got you the answer, to now only getting the right place 50% of the time requiring multiple transfers. Another "benefit" of more automation!!!

826. Can't Erase Authorization in Adobe Digital Edition (ADE)

I changed my Adobe ID to match my new email. MISTAKE. Well not that itself. All was well and I now had a login equivalent to new email rather than old one I no longer had access to. However, when Adobe Digital Edition rant to process a protected PDF file I found out that I needed to unauthorize my computer which was using my old Adobe ID (email and login) and authorize it with new ID/Email. A previous post explained how to set up ADE (and Kindle) to read a DRM protected PDF. This post explains the problem I encountered setting it up because I changed the Adobe ID/email. I knew I had to go ADE HELP and select Erase Authorization to reset everything, but a following screen presented me with OLD email (and thus old Adobe ID) and asked for the password. Since the old Adobe ID itself was changed, the name in the dialog that came up no longer existed and I couldn't get past the screen to unauthorize my PC! Forget going to Adobe. They will have no clue what to do and lead you through the is-it-plugged-in conversation on the display they are reading. 40 minutes with a clueless Adobe person was all I could take, particularly when I asked up front whether a simple uninstall/reinstall would fix it. No clue! Well, an uninstall/reinstall did NOT fix it. Here's why and how to fix it:

Kept on you PC in Register (Regedit needed) is information re the Adobe ADE Authorization process.

Go to this post on Adobe Forums for the RegEdit steps to remove the "Activation" elements. Then restart ADE and do HELP, Authorize for new Adobe ID.

825. Print Job Can't be Erased from Printer Queue

A new one for me was going to the printer queue via Start -> Printers and finding a job there that didn't print and won't print. Easy solution is to erase/remove it from the queue. well, that is if things work right. But what if even that doesn't get rid of it? Than go to this post for qa process to clean up your queue.

824. Read DRM PDF on Kindle with Akido

Don't bother looking for an app in the Kindle Store that can read DRM (protected) PDF files. I am a reviewer for books at Netgalley.com. Usually the books I am offered are downloadable in Kindle format. The other day I got one only downloadable as a PDF, and a protected one! DRM if you realize it has restrictions and limitations for the file downloaded (Adobe Digital Edition file that ends in .acsm) to protect the distribution and copying of the author's book. If you use a PC to read it, you simply need Adobe Digital Edition installed, plus have an Adobe ID (login for the Adobe website). Click on the .acsm file and ADE will come up. You will need to do a once only thing to Authorize your computer to read the book (PDF) and the dialog under HELP allows you to do the Authorize and specify the Adobe ID. Once that is down, and every other time, when you click on the .acsm file you get (really only a stub, not the book itself), it begins downloading the actual book as a .PDF and puts you into reader mode to read it.

However, the Kindle has no reader for an .acsm file and thus cannot get the .PDF to read in any reader that comes with the Kindle. Along comes Alkido via the Google Play Store. Installing an app from Google Play Store is a different animal itself. I believe I have a post how to get it working. If not, google "google play store apps kindle" and you should find the necessary programs you need to install to utilize Google Play to get to all the apps available from Google. Note that these are for a general Android device, NOT the specifically customized Kindle Android version necessarily. I haven't had any problem though with anything I downloaded from Google Play Store. Anyway, get the Alkido app (can process the .acsm file and download the book into its reader). Again, this time for the Kindle device itself, you need to specify the DRM login info (Adobe ID and PW you created at teh Adobe site).

If both devices, PC and Kindle are enabled as above, you can now read your protected DRM book on wither device.

823. Brother Printer Status Monitor gone?

For years I have wondered why the Brother Printer (DCP-L2540DW) never displayed any update information, toner status, ICON in system tray, firmware, etc. Well, it was broken! If you go to Brother Utilities and select Tools, then Status Monitor and it doesn't bring up the monitor, then it's a dead puppy. Here is what you have to do:

1. Uninstall your printer software - Control Program, Programs and Features, uninstall your software
2. Go to Brother website and get most current software and driver download
3. Install it

I was still at the original levels of software and firmware and several versions below most current for each! Now things are looking up.

822. Blogger Default Font

I finally discovered how to set default Font for Blogger posts (www.blogger.com). You have to do it within your browser. For Chrome, start selecting the 3-dots top right, then Settings, then Appearance, then Customize Fonts, and then pick a Font that matches up with one of the choices in Blogger for options given. I chose Arial, which is the Font you are reading.

821. "Cusp of Night" by Mae Clair - 3-Stars


Cusp of Night by Mae Clair – 4-Stars
Publisher: Lyrical Underground, Kensington Publishing Corp.
ISBN: 9781516107278 

I suppose I have read too many other good books in the genre of Mysteries, Thrillers, Fantasies, and Horror to get excited by this book. The Pros are its well written and organized and you want to keep reading to see what happens next. However, this paranormal novel focuses mainly on the life of a genetically challenged “blue lady”, a result of a parent match of a rare recessive gene, her adventures as a medium and her unimportant married life, and how to perform “fake” séances. More development of side characters may have been way to create some eeriness and contributed importance to the main characters that themselves provided nothing excitingly special. The plot typifies a the average paranormal story, but is fairly predictable. It did not contain enough suspense and horror, given a “mysterious” Fiend, to warrant a 5-star. However, I would put this into the cozy or read-curled-up-in=front-of-the-fireplace novel category. Although I expected much more given the blurb, it is so well-written, I must give it at least 4-Stars.
Reviewer: Rich

Friday, October 19, 2018

820. "Executive Force" by Gary Grossman --- 5-Stars


Executive Force by Gary Grossman
Publisher: Diversion Books
ISBN: 9781635764420

Never a dull moment.

World-wide and domestic intrigue utilizing current issues, technologies, and some fictional characters who seem to share characteristics and habits of some of today’s real leaders.

What secret and devious plots drive America to unleash its entire domestic and counterterrorism agencies and black opts to defend and attack?

There’s Separatist movement trying to break up the USA – multiply by ten the confusion and attention caused by the recently experienced charge to separate California once again, this time into three entities. While this chaos is driving a split in America like we haven’t seen since the Civil War and has the active attention up to the Supreme Court level, prominent politicians and many with promising futures are being assassinated.  But, who is behind this?

Scott Roarke, a Secret Service agent, his fiancée Katie Kessler, and his boss President Morgan Taylor lead the intense measures to discover this answer and counter the never ending attacks from even more directions. The story constantly jumps between the numerous mysteries and plans, but in a way that enhances comprehension while building links to plot’s eventual grand finale fireworks.

I’m not a car chase fan, and toward the end there is a rather lengthy one. However, because I have visited Washington D.C. many times, I enjoyed the detail and accuracy of the individual traversed areas, the realistic description of the environment, and the historical features. It was a come-visit-D.C. commercial in the disguise of an action-packed, get-the-bad-guy romp.

Enjoy the hidden motives and plans of governments and leaders. Appreciate the tact employed to ensure the world continues improving and avoiding even more major conflicts. This book is thought provoking. An exceptional read.

Reviewer: Rich



Sunday, October 14, 2018

819. "AI Superpowers" by Kai-Fu Lee -- 5-Stars


AI Superpowers by Kai-Fu Lee
Publisher: Houghton Mifflin Harcourt
ISBN: 9781328546395 

Most thought provoking book I have ever read.

This is a must read if you want:
  • to know what AI is
  • to know how AI evolved and the experts behind it
  • to know the future of AI
  • to know application possibilities, compelling arguments supporting opinions, and the expected leaders of AI implementations to come
  • to understand the potential impact of AI, or AGI, on jobs and the economy worldwide
  • to understand how America is positioned now and in the future compared to China and other world powers
  • to know which occupational fields are least and which are most impacted by AI
  • to be an entrepreneur in AI

I guarantee your mind will begin to churn at high levels and your interests will be satisfied. Although I am retired and supposed to be past the active technical and creative stages, I felt reenergized reading this book and now have the desire to jump in and do something, if only imagine and follow future developments.

I can’t think of a reason why anybody would not enjoy this book. Not only does it provide total insight into AI – what it is, where it is already applied, what is being developed now, what and when to expect the next – it is an extremely well written book with perfect structure and continuous interest.

You may not agree entirely with all the author’s opinions, but you’ll find detailed, compelling arguments for them. I, myself, question his comparison to “Silicon Valley” when in most cases it appeared to be just the culture of California residents. I also question his selection of Policy and Funding as important requirements when comparing America to China when it is America’s private companies that drive the policies and the funding, not the government, versus China where nothing gets done unless the government issues a nation-wide policy and funding. Only then do the local governments get funded and fast-money making entrepreneurs get active. To date, this kind of behavior has supported the “copycat” culture in China, which the author explains, and which is accepted there as standard, in addition to, the detailed “spying” on citizen behaviors giving them an advantage is mass data which we in America would deem a major invasion of privacy. It’s that culture that gives China a boost in its short-term entrepreneurs’ endeavors -- the culture of making money fast and then moving on versus Silicon Valley companies that shoot for innovation and notoriety to ensure long-term growth and “monopolistic” status. 

The author is honest and notes the pros and cons of everything, including listing caveats that would make his opinions questionable.

I found this book a very fine text that delivers an entire AI course in a single binder.

Reviewer: Rich


Professional Reader

818. "The Widow Next Door" by L. A. Detwiler - 2-Star

The Widow Next Door by L. A. Detwiler
Publisher: Avon
ISBN: 9780008324636 

This was a long drawn out narrative about an old lady who complains about the trials of aging, rehashes her sad past and falls asleep a lot. I would have quit reading after the first half of the book, but I felt obligated to finish it so I could write an honest opinion.

I kept waiting for the part that made it a gripping thriller as advertised. It wasn’t until the last few chapters that the plot got there. Even then, while the details were being filled in, I had already determined what the basic outcome would be.

The prose was good. I understood how it would feel to be old and unloved. But, there was just too much description of a sad lonely life and the difficulties old age brings without much happening to make it a star in its genre.
.
This was not a book that I enjoyed spending time reading.


Reviewer: Nancy

Professional Reader

Sunday, October 7, 2018

817. "Threat Level Alpha" by Leo J. Maloney - 4.5 Stars


Threat Level Alpha by Leo J. Maloney
Publisher: Lyrical Underground, Kensington Publishing Corp.
ISBN: 978-1-5161-0331-7 (ebook)

I couldn’t put this book down. The Morgans, father Dan and rookie daughter Alex, work for a non-government CIA-like organization Zeta Division. I’d like to begin this review t by comparing the main character to the Mitch Rapp in the successful series written by Vince Flynn. Dan Morgan is like Mitch in that he is highly skilled and mostly reactive to a situation or mission, but short in patience with government authorities; hence, he works for an “outside” black op organization. Like Mitch, he is ruthless, cleaver, fearless, and entertaining. You’ll find the blurbs indicate a biochemical threat that needs to be countered. This mission becomes Alex’s field operative debut and lead. Complications along the way, beginning with her kidnapping, bring in the team to find her and end the conflict.

Meanwhile, a second operation overseas by Dan’s fellow agent Conley confronting terrorists in a hotel and his connection with a beautiful Chinese woman, Dani, provides addition action and second story to keep you on the edge of your seat. Dani becomes an important player as you will determine when the book concludes.

The only disturbing and negative thing I can say about this book is the repetitious text throughout giving me the impressions that I, the reader, couldn’t remember what was read 3-4 times already. But, this could be interpreted as positive to some, as it is a constant reminder or events or people that may have been forgotten. Not once did I have to go back in the book to review something that happened. However, all that repetitive text for me could have been left out and replaced with more interesting, supplemental content. Thus, a 5-star story became a 4.5-Star read for me.

But, I will get his next book and look forward to Dan Morgan’s next adventure with both old and new characters on his team.

Reviewer: Rich

Professional Reader

816. "Consent To Kill" by Vince Flynn - 5 Stars

Consent to Kill by Vince Flynn
Publisher: Pocket Books, a division of Simon & Schuster, Inc.
ISBN: 978-1-4165-0501-3

I just can’t get enough of Mitch Rapp! This must be the third time I read this particular book with Copyright of 2005. I was right before, and repeat my 5-Star analysis.

Kennedy’s team, including the star player Mitch Rapp plus his outsider friend ex-Seal Coleman, perform as usual in another tense and reactive manner. However, in this book, Mitch is the target; instead of performing heroic feats in saving the world, he has a target on his back by an individual needing revenge for one of Mitch’s previous kills. Involved are people from Saudi Arabia, Germany, Russia, and even a well established Mexican gang that infiltrated America (now, in 2018, being hunted and thrown out or arrested). Consent To Kill has the action as in other Mitch Rapp stories; although Mitch suffers a Mitch suffers some mishaps in his personal life along the way. As in other stories, this story is realistic and highlights the dysfunction of our governing members, particularly the inability of Senators keeping their mouths shut. I believe you, as did I, will identify with the need for black ops and welcome the results that keep America safe through superb coordination, secrecy, and boldness. Kennedy’s team works in the shadows, yet excels in results trying to minimize collateral damage and reducing the damage to reputations, despite despicable acts. Enjoy your read. 

Friday, October 5, 2018

815. Wall power disconnects intermittently

This Post: An exact match at http://www.tomsguide.com/forum/newresponse/2819061 suggested update to ACPI Battery Complaint entry in my Device Manager to fix the elusive disconnecting of wall power intermittently and switching to battery power (original post 117 below). But, I had no ACPI Battery Complaint entry.

However, I was intrigued by a further comment re some PCs have a safety feature to ensure it doesn't over charge and that's why it switches from wall power to battery power, requiring unplug/plug of wall power line to get it back to wall power. Mine is like clockwork now 7 years after buying the DELL new and every 7 to 7.5 days. Was longer, I believe, in past. I see no System Events associated with this, which makes it impossible to diagnose. Dell had originally had me try different power cord adapter which didn't resolve it (see post 227 below). So they shook their heads and essentially said live with it or send to their repair facility. I chose not to send my fully configured machine to the hack shop since this problem was common and reported constantly on Internet across many other brands. The only solution I had was simply unplug and immediately plug back in.

The author's other comment was removing battery while plugged in if you use it only in "plugged-in" mode. Other posts seem to supply more detail as to why it is better to do this to extend battery life. Worth a try. Guess I'll find out quickly in 7-8 days whether I can power on without ever unplugging and plugging back in again, or whether removing the battery had no effect in the endless power issue. My problem now surfaces almost exactly weekly on every Tuesday. Without the battery as I am running now, the battery ICON indicated "no battery detected". Thus, I feel confident the code/bios/or whatever that checked the battery for over-charging will no longer execute and I will be forever over this issue. I'll return if there is a different result and update this post. If all is good, the answer is above OR maybe always use the PC in battery mode periodically to take battery down 70%.

-------------------------------- Older posts follow -----------------------
Post 212:For a couple of weeks my laptop power manager was reporting "plugged in, not charging." Scores of people have reported this problem on the Internet (Google the message) with really nobody wanting to accept the problem as theirs. You will find that the problem is not unique to manufacturer (some I saw were Sony, HP, Compaq, Dell, Lenovo, Acer). Operating systems reported were basically Vista and Windows 7 (now there's a clue). Solutions included replacing power adapter (can't imagine the exact same adapter being used for all manufacturers), popping battery out and reinserting it (sometimes several times and in particular sequence with disconnect and reconnect of AC adapter), BIOS upgrade, Motherboard adapter soldered weakly, etc. You'll find this problem starting on Vista in 2007 and continuing right into Windows 7 currently. So, what was exactly my symptoms? I always have my laptop connected to A/C power and after first charging to 100% it stayed there for some time -- don't know exactly how long. However, after changing power management options I began to notice the battery power decreasing every day along with the message above in title. After endless research, I decided it had to be software (Windows 7) and forgot it was A/C power sometime -- maybe when hibernating or sleeping. I was getting strange hibernation -- it would appear to hibernate, but came up as fast as sleep mode. Plus, had a few crashes to Windows 7 while in hibernation mode that recovered on complete restart. Whatever the problem is, I reset it back to normal (this time) by removing power cable AT PC (not wall), cleaned it off good, and plugged it back in. Immediately it restarted charging to 100%. Now was it dirty? Couldn't tell. Maybe it was just having it out for about 40 seconds. If I were to guess, the laptop senses when the cable is attached (plugged into wall or not -- just physically there) and notifies Windows to begin monitoring the power port for power and problems. Quite possibly it wiggled loose (but I doubt it) sometime while moving the laptop to its bed each night on the floor. Who knows -- I'm just a dog and can't smell anything wrong. See also Post 227.
-------------------------------------------------------

Post 227: I finally decided to check with Dell about the problem at Post 217 which occurred 3 times so far since 1/6/2010. I decided to avoid the verbal struggle with the overseas 1st line of support and decided to try the Online Chat that I liked in the past. Well, not to get off the subject, but of course just getting to Chat was another problem. I could not get to it via the Dell Website. However, when I brought up Dell Support program on the PC and invoked it from there all was good. Now, let me move on to Post 217. 1st Line was of course snowed by the problem and details I gave them and simply, and IMMEDIATELY, told me to send it into the repair depot. Oh Boy. Motherboard problem he said. Yet, the problem occurs across multiple vendor machines? "Well, I'll send you an A/C adapter too to try!" In other words, he never heard of this problem and had no clue how to provide diagnosis support to isolate the cause. Anyway, I replaced my A/C power adapter yesterday and will see if it was the cause. BIOS is current, so that's out.



Sunday, September 30, 2018

814. Little Darlings by Melanie Golding - 4-Stars


Little Darlings by Melanie Golding
Publisher: Crooked Lane  Books
ISBN: 9781683319979

Little Darlings is dark and unsettling. Since I enjoy books that are disquieting, I liked the suspense. Any mother can identify with Laura's intense need to protect her babies.

I've read other books, fantasies about fairy lore, that include the idea of changelings, but I liked the epigraph citations that gave background to the origin of the legend. The old Irish tale set in modern times as a mystery thriller is a unique idea.

The long description of the birth process was unnecessary to the development of Laura's character. It slowed the start. I understood that she was a devoted mother without the lengthy description of a difficult delivery.  The first chapter grabbed my attention but then the next few chapters slowed the plot.

Overall, this is an enjoyable eerie tale. This book would make a new mom shiver.

Reviewer: Nancy

Professional Reader

Thursday, September 27, 2018

813. Blood Echo by Christopher Rice 5-Stars

I am now a reviewer on NetGalley.com and get to read/review books before they are available. Here's my first review (5-Star had I read Book 1 first):


Review of Blood Echo  by Christopher Rice
Publisher: Thomas & Mercer, Seattle

God-fanatic terrorists and corruption and greed versus the team of Graydon Pharmaceuticals (Cole and Dylan), its super-power drug Zypraxon, its technological field-operational inventions used to stop the female abusers and terrorists, and its weapon, a super-powered Charlotte, leads to an extremely thrilling story. The use of side-comments to illustrate a point or idea is very creative and constructional. Stephen King was always master at this. This is a very well written piece of art, excluding the lack of foundation discussed later. The reader level is probably college-level and because of violence, adult-rated. I especially applaud Mr. Rice for not submitting to the use of sex to supposedly strengthen his reader’s attention. None is needed!

The relationship of the main characters Charlotte, Luke, and Cole is interesting and dynamic. Supplemental characters, such as Dylan/Noah, Bailey, and Marty fill in essential missing information with history and timely interjections solidifying the plot to the point where it flourishes. Is the tunnel just a tunnel? Who are your friends in Altamira? Who are your enemies? The story has its villains and heroes, love and revenge, constant thrills, lies and deception, blame, admittance and forgiveness.

Unlike me who had torturous first 9 chapters because I did not read the first book Bone Music, my wife had no problems with the flow after reading it first!  Unlike many follow-on series books by most authors, this one in the Burning Girl series REQUIRES you to have read book 1! A Preface or first chapter of recap from book 1 introducing the basically 3-4 main characters and the Bluebird Projects would have made this a stand alone, great book. Not until Chapter 10, did the author’s story progress meaningfully, dynamically, and continuously into a 5-star performance. I had rated this only a 4.5, but the story itself is a 5-star. My wife overrules with her 5-Star rating with the caveat Bone Music first

Don’t despair if you start with this book 2. From chapter 10 on you will begin to love it. However, annoying in the first 9 chapters are unexplained technologies, like TruGlass, making you discover what it is and its function until later it does get explained. The uses of descriptions, rather than names, like Baby-faced Nerd or Tomboyish female, were odd and annoying, particularly when the characters had no further involvement in the story. They had no significance other than to possibly profile the thinking of Gays – actually tasteless. This continues for about several pages before names are given.

But, overall the book was outstanding. I really enjoyed reading it. I recommend reading Book 1 first. Plus, the ending presents unsuspected events that will commit you into getting the next book.


Kudos Mr. Rice.

Professional Reader

Wednesday, September 12, 2018

812. Thunderbird email account order

Ever desire a different order to you multiple email accounts listed in Thunderbird? Well, forget looking for a Thunderbird function to allow you to. Get the Thunderbird Add-On "Manually Sort Folders", let it install, restart Thunderbird, and then look under Tools for Manually Sort (MUST be Tools on the Menu Bar, NOT the Setup Icon on right of window) for it to run it. It allows at the minimum sorting your folders AND email accounts.

811. Thunderbird and changing POP/IMAP email settings

Life isn't simple with free software. I only wanted to change my email account to IMAP from POP3. Looked simple enough. Go to settings and then Server Settings, then change POP to IMAP, save, restart Thunderbird and presto --- BUZZ...POP Error! Let me tell you really how to do it successfully, then guess at what causes the problem:

To change from POP3 to IMAP email server handler. Go to server settings for the email account and then bottom select from account actions, REMOVE ACCOUNT. That's right, you will remove the account and then do ADD ACCOUNT to add it back. When you ADD it back you will be asked email address, name you want to use on emails, and password. The next screen will ask (defaults to IMAP) you whether you want a POP3 or IMAP protocol. Make sure you select IMAP (just reverse if you want POP3) and let it rip. You will be in business after a restart of Thunderbird. So, instead of messing with server settings and changing Incoming Server to POP or IMAP and the correct pot, the workable solution is to REMOVE ACCOUNT and add it back.

What possibly causes the problem? Possibly the Local Library name at the bottom of the Server Settings screen. I would suspect that once you change from POP to IMAP above in the Incoming Server field it will generate e NEW file ID that needs to be in the Local Library field at bottom. Changing POP to IMAP does NOT change this ever. So, for example, I changed POP to IMAP and the Local Library remained the POP file in AppData/Roaming/Thunderbird/Mail/... and needs to be AppdDat/Roaming/thunderbird/IMAPmail/.... that gets created. I don't plan to try this to test my theory because Remove/Add of account is a simple, workable way to do it!

If you are now asking the difference between POP3 and IMAP, here's a very short, concise explanation: IMAP allows sharing and managing emails, including resends, deletes, etc., from any of you devices where you can read your email. For example, I have a PC with W10 system using Thunderbird, a Kindle, and an XP system with Thunderbird. If I work from my Kindle I can delete an email and it will be gone from the other devices too. I can use any of the systems to manage emails. Also, if you spifiy IMAP as a server option, the server KEEPS you messages on its site until you delete them there (Specifically). Thus, the amount of storage will build up until you delete them. 

Now, POP3 is completely independent, meaning y9ou DELETE from one system and the others stay in tact. ONLY yhe system your are working with performs the action you do. Thus means, you must handle the same emails in each system to remove them. However, I believe, if you bring up a system and delete a message and have not yet brough up any of the other systems, then you sill not see the message you deleted in the other systems when they do become active. Unlike the IMAP case that always saves messages in its IN basket and doesn't give you an option to delete to Trash, POP allows you to  DELETE to TRASH bucket for a while. You probably have an option at your ISP's website to specify whether deleted messages will go to Trash, AND how long they will remain in TRASH.

Enjoy

Tuesday, August 7, 2018

810. Market to flat line before the slide?

Got a signal from Sam today. She predicts the market will flat line to try to release an excess of hot air before heading to cooler heights. We have enjoyed a 4.27 % increase since post 809 signal, which experienced a 24581 bottom the 2nd business day later. Sam likes to warn a few days early, so, do what you have to do. I sold a couple calls so far. Hate to be a half-emptyperson, but the dog prevails coming to predictions.

Let's see: we're still fighting the trade wars which we'll win, but it is already addressed in the market long-term. Short term jitters should dampen that a little. Last time I saw so much acquisition action the market dumped big time, so that is out there and I believe not reflected in the market yet. The drug stocks have resisted and weathered the naysayers, like Icahn re CI and Express Scripts; but time always wins out sooner than later. Major industries had players going after others. And the big factor is the clueless media who always runs opposite the tide, now reporting S&P could see upward bounce of 10%. (Sam lifting leg on media)

Whatever, play if safe.

Thursday, August 2, 2018

811. Books - Mike Faricy

Enjoyed Mike Faricy's "Corridor Man" series of 7 stories. Couldn't help routing for the evil Bobby given the ones he associated with were just as evil or worse. I'd rate the series a 4.5 for story, but only a 3 or less because of typos and lack of professional editing. He makes it impossible to stop after or begin with any of the 7 series set. What I mean by this is he just ends each volume leaving you on the cliff salivating for the next volume. 

In short, Bobby is an ex-con who is left out of jail to help the FBI, but you wouldn't know it once the ball gets rolling. He gets a position at a law firm (was a lawyer before being debarred and jailed) to review a corrupt real estate investor. Later gets involved with a Mexican cartel -- then two. All during this he is totally mischievous down to his girlfriends, neighbors, employers, etc. Always doing something mischievous!

Light read...just ignore the typos and enjoy the story. Keeps you captivated and asking "Who's next?"

Wednesday, August 1, 2018

810. Metro Start Menu loses Images on Tiles

One would think Microsoft would have SOME programmer who could figure a way to prevent Images on the Tiles on the Metro Start Menu on Windows 10 from disappearing! Long, long history of this problem. But, there is a remedy to get them back:

1. Bring up Task Manager (Ctrl-Shift-Esc)
2. Click on Name heading to sort the processes by Name
3. Scroll to bottom and find Windows Explorer
4. Highlight it and you;ll see RESTART at bottom right of page
5. Hit restart and the images on the tiles should reappear.

Friday, June 22, 2018

809. Sam says JUMP (the Market)

Sam isn't Simon, but when she says jump you might consider it. It's time for another pop up in the DJIA. Although the world is transitioning from mid- to late-business cycle phase where money tightens again, the US is on the border (no pun intended) and profits still seem positive. Cycle dynamics at this point of the cycle where Fed rates are still in neutral territory until next hike suggest time to buy chemicals & paper stocks (so claims Cramer in his book). and begin to shave medical and food stocks. These are long-term suggestions and it may just be these that pop toward their ending cycle highs if you play with the gamblers short-term. Transgressing through the business cycle has been a slow, slow process this time. We've seen the "ease" beginning in the Obama period when the Fed couldn't stop printing dollars. Now Trumps easing via tax cuts extended that period a few years. Get ready for the banks to make their last move up also. By "move" I am talking months to a year in the slowing moving cycle moves. However, if you are like me, you ride the diversified "mutual fund" you created and be an Alfred E. Newman ("What, me worry?", NO). So, there you go. Be a short-termer and get excited like popcorn kernals in a hot popping pot, or a long-termer and stay chilled realizing that that those currently lagging stocks from the past decade will now keep you afloat. In short (again a pun), Sam expects techs to remain strong and financials to feed the fire (actually everything looks promising real short-term); but, come fall (another pun?), be ready for the consequences when the cycle starts giving you a preview of what it has in mind when  "put-your're-one-foot-in" becomes a reality and the cycle gongs go off. Sam doesn't expect chaos -- except the gambler-marketeers will make it so over-selling the market by leaps and bounds. Play it, or absorb it. You're choice. My goals remain "what will I leave behind at 99" -- that's a catchy phrase. And morbid.  Yet, being a senior is making me lean (yet another put) towards more investing GRADUALLY and SLOWLY in more fixed income choices -- why give up the much higher returns long-term of other stocks now unless you need spare "gold" to set aside for the last rainy days of your "golden" years (right!).

"Don't worry be Happy" Bob Marley would sing -- now that's better.

Sunday, June 10, 2018

808. Stephen King lost his muchness

Outsider - The latest Stephen King novel was a bit of a yawn when you compare it to previous works (like 10 years ago). The story is creative, but lacks the richness of Mr. King's horror imagination throughout, except for the cantaloupe and the Outsider's matter -- you'll need to read to understand. Stephen rambles on to make a short story into a novel with little that can't be predicted/anticipated. Sorry, but I have to give this only a 3 -- somewhat entertaining, but much too long for the end results. My special author can still be creative, but lost his muchness as did  the Mad Hatter played by Johnny Depp in the 2010 Alice in Wonderland movie. Oh well, it prevents a gap in my full collection of his works.

Thursday, May 31, 2018

807. Enjoying the Market-Coaster?

Sam, my long deceased market guru lab, is enjoying the comedy here on earth and how completely insane we moral react to news. Long-term views are out and News and Fear governs Wall Street, always with overreaction both ways. For instance, Trade Wars on, trade wars off, Kim going to meet with us, Kim not going to meet, etc. What happened to the profits and economy looks splendid and futures should be bright? Gone, thanks to the gamblers trying to outsmart each other to gain footing short-term. It has become a game interrupting the plans of to we long-term investors. So, what do we do? Option one is play the game and gamble along; option two just close you eyes and let the gamblers trip over each other and focus on long-term.

I like both options. I, with my dog's guidance, know where I need to be long-term and how to add to my diversified account. actually, I very seldom look at anything new and just add to existing investments. I do occasionally readjust positions due to industry moves within the economy cycles. But, this is simply moving money from one place to another. Thus, my long-term has been proved and verified valid during the last 20-25 years.

Gamble? I guess you call it that any time you buy/sell anything. When? How much? I monitor the DJIA and NASDAQ and watch the relative changes (Williams % R indicator on charts), as well as look for the crosses of short-term moving and long-term moving averages. These give me some insight on expected up/down and when to buy/sell. In today's market, I love the overreactions the gamblers present. I do NOT put myself in the gambler-definition which I define as horse track betting mentality and large HOPEFUL wishes employed rather than sane probablilities -- always looking for the big score. Seldom do you hear about the big loss from these players. My strategy is to buy when the %William R CURVE just begins to head back up (never on way down), above the 80% heading to 0% (UP curve) AND the short-term moving average heading to cross over the long-term average in an upward direction. That;'s when to buy. The opposite is when %WilliamR goes below 20% and returns back down (the curve that is) beyond towards 100% AND the short-term average crosses the long-term average in a downward direction. This is the general concept and buy/sell scheme that has worked for me for decades.

As I just said, the overreactions due to the gamblers driving things up (can't miss out) or down (gonna lose everything) presents changes to the %Williams R quite often. Use that to an advantage. I seldom sell more than once or twice a year and only to rebalance portfolios. So, pocket change from dividends, called in preferreds/bonds, or sells to lighten up an an industry (Cramer has a decent book re the economic life cycle and industries that benefit or should be avoided and when -- also Fidelity has an excellent article just on this).

But bottom line, stick to those investments you chose wisely that have performed for decades. Trade Wars - short term actions. You may end up paying more for something due to them, but return is the profitability of America's companies allowing for income increases, dividend increase, etc. Either they will balance out, or I would venture to say work out more benefit than not long-term. And, does Kim bother me? No, SSDD as Stephen King would say. We have the advantage and can reach out to help troubled countries like his for the world's benefit. His games will continue! They have little influence except to cause overreaction by the people you live on improbable FEARs. Take advantage of the market drops and buy. Maybe in 2-3 years something will be accomplished in the world of Kim and equitable trade. Don't expect it NOW! Continue plopping what you can into investments that get you more than -1% after taxes! I'm content with just 7-8%/yr (more than 2-3% above inflation). 

806. Beware changing Network Wireless Password

Changing network password should be simple. And it is, as far the actual change. But, then you need to go to every wireless device and ensure the new password is specified when attempting to login to you router. NOT as easy. Some devices, such as OLD Kindle hung as expected when using old password, but then presented yo9 a screen to specify new password to reconfigure the device and connect to router. 

Kindle HDX did NOT work this way and required me to FORGET the SSID of router so I could then select it and get the password prompt. A bit more complex and unexpected.

Now the real kludge was the Brother NETWORK printer. Do you think I could find a simple place where the password could be changed? Guess again. No matter what I tried from solutions on Internet, I could NOT get to the place to specify a new password. So, pull out your installation disk and bring up Install Network Printer where you can recreate a configuration. BUT, I had changed security from TKIP+WPA2 to just WPA2. BIG mistake. The Brother printer could not recognize the router name at all! Thus, I couldn't configure it. Back to the router signing to change security back to TKIP+WPA2 and it resolved this. Brought everything down and rebooted router FIRST, then PCs, then Printer. Voile, it worked. There are NO Brother books to discuss this, nor Internet articles to address what to do after a network password change. Once again, I must be the only clown doing this!

805. MAYDAY! MAYDAY! Check on POP, Amazon!

Amazon's Kindle had two problems today.

1. I wanted to switch my email from IMAP to POP3 and after configuring, it wouldn't connect to ISP (Suddenlink here).

2. I tried to call up Tech Support via MAYDAY and it didn't work

First, let me address MAYDAY. Today I hit the ICON in Settings and it presented me with NO Connection option and, instead, presented the following screen:


Notice the DISCONTINUANCE of calling for tech support help via the MAYDAY ICON beginning June 5, 2018. Well today is still May 31, but I guess they got a jump on the world and blind-sighted everybody. If you read the paragraphs in the message carefully, you will notice that Tech Support still can get access like they did before, the only difference you have to call Customer Service now instead of simply hitting a connect. Customer Service now has the capability to initiate a Screen Saving session to do what you experienced in the past. Would have been nice if the KNEW about this, which two different reps did not. The second at least had the intelligence to find this out and confirm it was early discontinuance. So, now you just select the Phone or Email button that is presented, enter your info and number and they DO promptly call you.

Now, problem #2. You'd think it would be a simple operation. Go to Network settings for your email account (EMAIL app), select settings, select Incoming blah,blah, blah, and they change the IMAP.yourISP to POP.ISP (the names my ISP service wants) along with the port chenges (993 to 995 for my ISP). Well, this is what I did on 2 PCs and it worked immediately. NOT on the Kindle though! Heres what needs to be done:

a) Go to the EMAIL app and bring up your account(s) and select SETTINGS (I needed to swipe right to get the menu with settings on it). Now instead of selecting your account to change and trying to change IMAP to POP and ports there, DELETE the account and then ADD the account back as a new one. Now, pay attention because the procedure you might think works, doesn't without an additional step or two. 

b) At thsi point (After ADD account) you may specify the name and password, but do NOT invoke yet. Select Advanced where you can tell Kindle to use POP3 or IMAP. Tell it POP3. WARNING: You are NOT done yet. You might think specifying POP3 would automatically change the Incoming name from IMAP to POP. It doesn't!. You need to manually press the Incoming IMAP and change it to POP. What about ports? Well it will pick up 995 for the POP just fine now, so go ahead and submit the new account for creation. You should then be in business.

Why on earth do I want to use POP3 and not IMAP you ask. Consider this posted earlier re Suddenlink issue. ALL emails remain visible in their system even if delete was done on an IMAP email device. For example, I view my emails, like credit card infor, bills, broker messages of transactions, etc., and expected it to be deleted from Suddenlink if I delete it from the email device. Well, yes and no. It does get deleted from INBOX, but is kept in TRASH! I recently had an incident that required me to look on Suddenlink server via their Website and their customer rep could view everything I had in TRASH. A slight PRIVACY & SECURITY issue I would say. He even did a test by SPOOFING my name onto an email and sending it to me! Thus, I'm a POP3 fan now which does NOT synchronize with Suddenlink. I can delete on the device to get rid of it and it without Suddenlink dropping it into TRASH on their system. So, my process is delete from any of my 3 devices if I never want it saved, or SAVE it into a personal folder if I want to save it. NO personal, Private, or secire emails will ever go to TRASH on a device OR Suddenlink. I could be wrong, but I feel ore comfortable now. 

Sunday, May 20, 2018

804. Suddenlink (ISP), IMAP, POP Email

I currently have a problem issue (case) open with Suddenlink after getting onto my PC on Friday the 18th to check email. Actually I went to my Trash to find a recent email that included a discount code for a product. SO, I went to trash for account-1 and instantly watch all my emails there disappear before my eyes older than 5/14/18! Whoa! Deleted off my PC. I knew the particular email went to my other two accounts also, so I thought I'd just head over to account-2 to get it. Poof! Same thing happened on account 2 -- I watched them disappear too, again everything I had older than 5/14/18! Now I realized something is fishy. On the PC I use Thunderbird. Could it be a Thunderbird problem?

Next step to diagnose the issue was head to Suddenlink website and see what remained there. I signed on to account-1 and went to its trash. I should mention that I use the IMAP protocol for all my Suddenlink accounts for EMAIL from my PC and Kindle. As soon as I went to its Trash I got to see them disappear likewise. First-line support at Suddenlink was very nice and understanding and noticed the issue across my accounts, but couldn't explain the phenomenon, so we opened a case to go to more technical people to help understand/resolve. BUT the issue could take a few days -- that means a week or so or never given the prior experiences I have had with them. 

I expect little at this point, so I pursued the issue myself and learned a lot about managing EMAIL via IMAP protocol In addition I exposed a few Privacy/Security issues  with Suddenlink worth documenting here. First, let's just talk about IMAP versus POP protocols for EMAIL. I am relating this information from past technical expertise in diagnosing problems in general, NOT an expertise in either protocol, so bear with me if some facts are not entirely true,

IMAP as I now understand it allows you to manage your email from any device AND have it completely synchronize across all devices which use IMAP protocol. So, in my case, my email was across essentially only 3 devices thankfully: My PC where I manage all 3 Suddenlink accounts, plus two POP accounts with YAHOO, my Kindle where I also can manage all email similarly for all 5 accounts, and, of course, the two website facilities themselves that I can access my email online. What needs to be understood is that the websites first will keep all emails in the background somewhere for probably years for legal reasons. What they show you there is just the active ones in INBOX and the ones in TRASH, SENT, DRAFT, ARCHIVE folders that you set up to use. I have many, many more folders on my PC that are NOT also kept on the website and synchronized. Fortunately, I was smart enough to keep old emails I wanted in these I call PRIVATE folders. But, for general email I didn't want to keep hanging around anywhere, it eventually got deleted from my INBOX (on website or other device) and went to TRASH. Of course, sent email went to SENT folder and drafts to DRAFT. Had I set my email up to automatically archive certain email, it would have gone to ARCHIVE.

So what happened? After tons of testing scenarios I learned how emails progress from one stage, i.e., INBOX, TRASH (I'll keep it focused between just these and just for Suddenlink accounts) and across devices. An email gets sent to me by another user and lands in Suddenlink INBOX. My other devices (PC and Kindle) are not powered on. It sits there until I power on PC and bring up Thunderbird which fetches my email from Suddenlink via IMAP protocol. the particular email remains on Suddenlink INBOX and now is also on PC (Thunderbird) INBOX. Fine so far. I read it and since it isn't one I really know I want to keep permanently, I delete it. It now goes to TRASH on the PC. I logged on to Website to see what has transpired there. The INBOX email was gone (synchronized with my PC INBOX and also went to its TRASH, again synchronized with PC. This is the way IMAP works and I was fine with it until now that some occurrence on Suddenlink, PC, or Kindle decided to delete all past emails beyond 5/14/18 which caused them to be deleted from all devices! I know I don't have the facilities or patience to do that for heaps of emails that were in there, so I can only look at some issue at Suddnlink that did this. We're talking about only 4 days of TRASH being left available and scores of older ones deleted. 

This alone wasn't too much of a concern, but when I realized a lot of sensitive emails, e.g., emails re to banks, broker, shopping, personal that I simply deleted are still being maintained and VIEWABLE within TRASH (of course I am talking about the ones BEFORE the strange occurrence that deleted them) on the Website by Suddenlink, I started to question why. What increased my concern was that the customer service rep I talking too could verify that emails were in my TRASH. This ws peaked even more (another issue also) when he sent a TEST email to me. The FROM was spoofed to use my account name, the TO was that same account name. Does that mean anybody in Suddenlink customer support can send email to anybody with MY account name spoofed on that email? Sure looks like they can. This is both a PRIVACY and SECURITY issue now!

Anyway, back to the IMAP issue at hand.

My tests showed the synchronization between Website and PC and later including the Kindle. If I deleted an email from any device, an IMAP command was sent to other devices using IMAP and it was deleted there too. I was fine with the deletion, but wasn't fine with what was kept on TRASH on all the devices, particularly Suddenlink website. Imagine sensitive data in emails, like account numbers, charges, payment sates, names, addresses, etc. and what could be gleamed from the data. Not only the sensitive data itself, but an entire chronology of your entire financial habits/dealings, the stores you use, when you do things, where you do them from, other people/companies you work with, etc. A slight hack to Suddenlink email server and capture of the TRASH boxes provides all that information. So, be warned. 

Now my actions: I had to shut this capture and display of trashed emails by Suddenlink down! POP email protocol seemed like a good selection since it "generally" doesn't synchronize. Yes, once the email is downloaded to your PC or Kindle, it remains on Suddenlink INBOX. But, when you delete it (going to TRASH on PC), it is removed from Suddenlink INBOX (you would want this and it does work properly). But, once again it went to there TRASH! SO, there are PREFERENCES to change on the Suddnlink server that allow yo to actually delete WITHOUT sending to TRASH folder that you can set. Remember, Suddenlink is going to keep your emails around anyway behind the scenes, but at least you can manage what remains in you TRASH. SO, set via PREFERENCES to NOT send deleted email to TRASH.

Next step was to set up email protocol POP on the PC (Thunderbird). This was easy in principle from Thunderbird perspective), but a headache to get working. All kind of problems, like your account is not an IMAP4 account, or unable to logon. I can't even remember all the different errors I saw! So, instead let me just focus on the correct procedures to make the IMAP to POP change and even with these I can't guarantee painless experiences.

First, beware that to see anything change on Suddenlink side you have to do GET MAIL. changes and synchronization aren't made available to you unless you do this. Also on PC side, your best off continually Getting Messages often to ensure changes are taking place.

Next, go ahead on the PC (Thunderbird) and go to account and server settings. For the Incoming messages, change IMAP.Suddenlink.net port 993 to POP.suddenlink.net port 995. That was easy until you realize you still have to wait until Suddenlink acknowledges the change and allows it. I ran into all kinds of problems and tried all kinds of solutions, some of which were having to change passwords, having to delete the account from Thunderbird and ADD back in specifying within their wizard to use POP AND Manually setting the POP port to 993 (this seemed to be the solution that always worked), seeing Thunderbirds "General" error when it can't figure out the specific one "Not an IMAP4 account", etc. Many of Thunderbird's error messages are useless to determine specific problem! Eventually, by removing account and adding back as stated above, I got POP working and now tested it. Along with the Suddenlink PREFERENCES change as stated earlier, email worked as expected between PC and Suddenlink. Emails TRASHed only remained on PC TRASH and gone from Suddenlink. I also made a rule for myself to ONLY play with emails from my PC and never from Suddenlink Website unless absolutely necessary. Why? Because if I want to keep deleted emails in my TRASH temporarily that feature was now disabled by the PREFERENCES change! So, I should never delete an email while on Suddenlink website if I might want it later. I feel a bit more comfortable now that Suddenlink TRASH doesn't keep sensitive data around, at least displayable by first-level support! Hackers of course might have to look elsewhere for the info, which now is so scary!

Now you ask me, what about Kindle? I could never get the Kindle to operate using POP. It always wanted IMAP set up. I can play with this later, but it did tell me that I can have a mixed bag of email protocols. If I do anything from Kindle, it will synchronize with host Suddenlink website accordingly. I need to test it re deleting emails where sensitive data is to ensure it isn't kept anyway on website. But, for now it becomes a procedural matter for me  to understand the differences and apply my management of the issues.

I think this covers the IMAP issues. Hopefully I can return here to refresh my memory should I need to and to avoid similar problems making the switch from IMAP to POP. I may be back to document more privacy/security issues as I remember them, or to document more problems that came up while making the changes. For now I am comfortable. You need to be too.