May 4, 2012
Dear Everyone:
That
Voice Recognition (VR) software is turning out
to be even more useful than I originally thought it would be.
I had several months’ worth of
numbers that needed to be entered into a spreadsheet.
That usually requires using the
numeric keypad as well as the tab key and the enter key.
Using the headset, I could say the numbers and the
word “tab” to enter the numbers and move to the next cell.
Actually it would be faster to
type everything. But that puts a
strain on my back.
It's much easier to say “1-0-0” and then say “tab”
to enter the data. It just takes
a little longer. As mother used
to say:
“Patience is a virtue;
Have it you can.
Seldom in a woman;
Never in a man.”
In any case all the data is now safely in the
spreadsheet.
In the meantime…
I decided to go to a movie.
I still had one gift card that
read on the back, ”Happy Holidays from IM COE”.
This came from one of those
“Year-End Holiday Celebration Don't Dare Call it
Christmas” Lunches at
work. I'm trying to think how
long it has been since our workgroup was called “IM COE”.
“COE” stood for “Center of Excellence” and I'm
fairly certain that it was at least one Operating Company ago.
Which means I've had it (the
ticket) for several years. But it
was still good.
So I got in to see
The Hunger Games for free.
The movie is replete with imagery
and sentimentality based on rich bad older people versus poor good
younger people.
It takes place in a dysfunctional future in which
all the governments of North and South America have been combined into
one, known simply as “The Capital”. There
are 12 districts, each required to provide “tributes” to the annual
(televised) games. It doesn’t
take long to notice that only poor boys and girls become tributes.
And only those between the ages
of 12 and 18.
Our heroine volunteers to replace her younger
sister in the mandatory lottery called “The Reaping”, and soon finds
herself in the decadent Capital. Of
course she is disgusted by the blatant luxury and consumerism as
compared to her home (reminiscent of
Appalachia) where men work in coal
mines and she shoots squirrels for food.
Of course the games are to the death.
To the victor go the spoils in
the form of extra goodies for their district.
There is no explanation why the
games are called Hunger Games;
apparently if you or your family are hungry enough, you can obtain food
by putting your name into the lottery additional times.
There is a great deal of running around in the
woods and I couldn't help thinking, “Watch out for
poison oak!”
But I suppose when you're
fighting for your life you don't spend much time worrying about “the
itchies”. Needless to say our
heroine triumphs in the end.
Which explains why the director is already being
approached to helm the next
sequel. If
you are a young person railing against the infamy of the older
generation you will love this. In
my case, it was worth what I paid for it.
Love, as always,
Pete
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