Its a fine like between security and stupidity, a line that seems to get crossed quite regularly these days.  I know you all have heard about the TSA and its determination to fondle their way into a secure airport!  Yea, thats a little extreme, but it isn’t that far off the truth.  You just cant make invasive pat downs effective against the types of threats we all face now.  Long gone is the idea that a gunman or knife wielding manic is going to get very far on a plane…there are just too many people out there who will assume the worst and take them out.  These days its explosives we need to be hyper alert for, and as with guns, its better to identify the INDIVIDUAL likely to try such an attack, than to try and find them by fumbling around with said suspects genitalia.

Mike Thinks News 352 Don’t junk my Touch…or something like that TSA

Theres a transformation in the way we consume many forms of media these days.  Television is changing from appointment TV to on demand.  Movies are moving from the theater to your home theater.  Music has nearly crested the hump from CD’s to MP3 files.  So it should come as no chock that your library of books is moving into the digital domain as well.  In fact the main thing that has held back this revolution was a lack of a good way to read electronic books…that is no longer an issue.  Give a listen as I talk about the eBook/eReader revolution and what it means to you and the publishing industry on this weeks Mike Thinks News!

For many of us, a good television program means much more than just a few minutes of mild entertainment. Its a way to escape the everyday grind, a way to explore our imagination and to allow our hopes and fears to be transformed into an idea we can share with out friends. Its what binds together so many hours in the office break room, and lets families discuss ethical and moral ideas without the need to embarrass ourselves. But more than that, we can become attached to the lives and characters in our favorite shows. Sure we know its not “real”, but we allow ourselves to be swept up in the fantasy, which is why when a great show goes wrong, it can be so disheartening. This is exactly what happened to NBC’s Heroes, what I talk about what they did wrong. . Sponsor: Hold your meetings online for just $49 a month Try GoToMeeting free. . Also this week in history Why in France its apparently not the person but the device they used to communicate thats to blame and more, on this weeks Mike Thinks News

When the leading scientist on space and time comes out and tells you to do or not do something, its usually a good idea to do more than take it under advisement.  He isn’t smarter than you, he is smarter than you and all your friends…put together.  Ok, maybe thats a stretch, but I still take the words of advise from Stephen Hawking a lot more seriously than all the people on TMZ.  So when he says do not talk to strangers, I say, OKEY DOKEY!

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Also this week, why journalism shield laws don’t protect criminal activity at Gizmodo

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This week in history

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The news of the weird, including a banned ebay category that its just SICK it has its own name.

Mike Thinks News is coming, right at ya!

We all have dreams, or at least goals that we know are probably not going to be totally realized. Its one of the hallmarks for a successful person, that they set goals that others will tell you are impossible to reach. These goals are the driving force behind many of the most exciting and innovative developments in human history. Sure, I don’t think that Benjamin Franklin set a goal to create a worldwide information superhighway, but he did manage some pretty impressive stuff. But when the RIAA and MPAA set goals that while seeming unobtainable, are still at the very least totally beyond reprehensible, even if only 10% is realized, this is where you must draw the line. I just can’t see how any sane human would ask for the government to put less resources to fight terrorism, so they can be sure the new Gaga album sells a few extra copies…but they are asking just that.
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Also this week, how Twitter has built an empire 140 characters at a time, encouraging developers to help it on its way, only to cast them asside when it get big enough to do without them. Surprising, no, but it sure does feel like a load of crap. And as always, we have this week in history, and news of the What the Fudge variety.

There are few things as harrowing to someone as buying their 1st new car.  Now I know your thinking, wow, thats kind of harsh…after all buying a new car is supposed to be fun Mike, isn’t it?  Well, Im not sure what its supposed to be, but I do know that its full of pitfalls and disasters awaiting you at almost every turn.  So this wee, in our top story, we talk about what a former new car salesman says you need to do to get the best deal, while not making a complete jerk out of yourself (too late for me I’m afraid).  So listen to get the scoop on buying a new car and getting a good deal…or getting the best deal on your next new car.

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Also this week I talk about a community where the sheriff puts politics and personal gain over public safety, and goes as far as arresting 1st responders who try and aid a woman with a broken neck because they weren’t who the sheriff wanted to respond to the call for help.  And dont forget about This Week in History where I teach you a few fun facts about this week in days gone by.

==Mike James

call me (347)284-6453 thats 347-Bug-Mike

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Do you remember when we did the story a few years ago on LifeLock?  Ya, know the one where the owner who likes to showboat around with his Social Security number on a truck billboard.  All the while claiming how safe he is because that may be his real Social Security number, but he is protected by LifeLock.   Recall how the wheels started to come off when he himself was the victim of identity theft, not by some high profile, high tech super criminal, but by some ordinary schmoe, who took him for a $500 credit card?  Well, it sometimes takes a while, but the Federal Trade commission has decided that maybe theres less truthiness in the adds than there should be.
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Also this week, we have a story that we really aren’t supposed to talk about.  You see, Apple has forbidden anyone  who creates apps for the Apple App Store from talking about the Apple App Store…or even commenting on the very agreement that forbits them from taking about the agreement…are you dizzy yet?

All that and This week in history, and the story you just cant afford to miss if you have a child in school, on Mike Thinks News

Its no secret that time marches on, every day we are reminded about how things change.  Some days these changes are small, while others have magnitude that may cause you to question the very foundation of your day to day beliefs.  Sue time works out well for most of our everyday common place experiences, but have you ever stopped to wonder why time is…or more precisely, why time is a one way street?  Physicists do, because in spite of all the equations and theories, nothing seems to explain why why it is that a fire can consume a piece of paper, but it never happens in the reverse.

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Also this week, is your next HDTV going to cost a lot more because of a shortage of parts?  Reports are coming in that this is indeed the case, but its not just your high definition television, but also your computer monitors and to a lesser extent, your cell phone.  I also take a look at the poisoning of America…and I’m not talking figuratively, I am speaking about a delibrate and calculated move by the federal government to take an active role in poisoning thousands of Americans, sure if was 90 years ago, but still.

All that and more, on this weeks Mike Thinks News

The new Verizon Wireless commercials “There’s a Map for That” campaign have gotten a little more attention than they may have wanted over the cell phone carriers doubling of early termination fees from $175 to $350.  Not only is the FCC looking into this move, several representative on Capital Hill have taken notice as well and have proposed new legislation designed to limit how much consumers can be charged by their cell phone carriers in these fees, and also to control how these fees are prorated and sometimes hidden in the legalese of the contracts.  Also on the list of issues for the FCC is how some customers have reported that if they do not choose to get a data plan on their phone (because they don’t intend on using the internet on the phone), it is almost impossible not to accidentally ping the data servers a few times a month by accident when you hit a single preprogrammed key on Verizon phones (and you cant set the phone not to connect if that button is pressed).  When a customer without a data plan pings the data servers, even for just a nanosecond (they see the “connecting to web” message and immediately hit cancel), they are still charged $1.99   Several customer have reported that seeing these obvious overcharges is a regular thing on their bills, and while its easy to get credited if you call customer service, the FCC is curious just how many customers are being charged for these unintentional button presses every month.

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Also this week, I take a look at a strange new law in Australia that will require you to give a percentage of the money you get when you resell a work of are that you paid for.  So if you buy a painting for $100 and fifteen years later sell it at a garage sale, you are required to give a portion of those monies to the original artist.  I really wish I could get paid for things I already sold once.  The idea appears to be to try and protect artists that sell works early in life that become very valuable when the artist becomes popular, although I’m not sure why the artists can’t just make new art, or just who the heck thinks its appropriate to sell something and then come asking for more money later…will I get some kind of refund if I overpay and the artwork end up being worth much less than I paid for it?  I doubt it.

And as always we have This week in history, and strange news you probably hadn’t heard

The finding of “significant” amounts of water on our Moon, not only
brings the hope of a permanent base stations closer to a reality, it
also lends a real opportunity to using the Moon as a place to launch
interplanetary missions from.  After NASA finished its initial review
of the date from the LACROSS space probes impact on the lunar surface,
it became clear that there was a lot of water by the standards most
scientists would expect.  About 25 gallons of water was observed, and
these are only the initial findings, further study of the data may yet
reveal even more.  Much of the impact plume rose up high above the
lunar surface nearly directly perpendicular the impact, but a
significant portion also spread out at a much lower angle, so it is
very possible that there is more water to be found.

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When you talk about finding water on the Moon, we aren’t just talking
about having something for future astronaughts  to drink, in fact that
would be one of the lesser needs as much of that can be recycled.  The
real benefit in finding water on the Moon comes from the fact that we
can take that water and using solar energy, convert it into two of the
most sought after substances in space….Air and Energy.  Oxygen to
breath is important, but far more important for future exploration  is
the hydrogen rocket fuel, with enough water, we could send ships to
the moon and refuel them there for interplanetary missions.  The idea
that traveling to Mars and beyond is a big step closer  is not lost on
scientist, and they are understandably excited by the idea.  Here at
ThinksMedia.com I can certainly say, this is one of the most exciting
things I’ve heard since the possible finding of fossilized bacteria on
rocks from the red planet, Mars.

California Law

Driod Focus

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