So, over the past month or two, I have taken to using a password manager. Right now, I’m using one called LastPass. It’s a client-side encrypted repository that stores not only passwords, but also notes and other important information.

I’ve been beefing up my passwords, making them 50 characters where possible and putting them in the form that’s current DoD standard. Some websites won’t take such passwords, unfortunately, and I’ve had to compromise there. But, even so, if I have to fashion a simple 8-16 character (no special character) password, I do so pseudo-randomly.

FWIW, LastPass has a security challenge where it examines your passwords and attributes a score accordingly. This is probably as good as I’m going to get it, given those limitations of certain websites (I really should give the offenders a talking to so I can get my overall score above 99%…it’s giving my OCD eyes the twitch).

Stranger Things 3 | Official Trailer [HD] | Netflix

One summer can change everything. Watch the official trailer for Stranger Things 3. Premiering July 4. Only on Netflix. Watch Stranger Things on Netflix: https://www.netflix.com/in/title/80057281 SUBSCRIBE: http://bit.ly/29qBUt7 About Netflix: Netflix is the world’s leading internet entertainment service with 130 million memberships in over 190 countries enjoying TV series, documentaries and feature films across a wide variety of genres and languages.

Physicist Marcelo Gleiser: ‘Science does not kill God’

The annual Templeton Prize, which recognizes outstanding contributions to “affirming life’s spiritual dimension,” was awarded Tuesday to Brazilian Marcelo Gleiser-a theoretical physicist dedicated to demonstrating science and religion are not enemies. A physics and astronomy professor whose specializations include cosmology, 60-year-old Gleiser was born in Rio de Janeiro, and has been in the United States since 1986.

Prior to the release of this particular film, Brie Larson made charged comments about making the press tour “more inclusive”, that she noted the proportionality of one particular demographic. Fine, ok, take that what ever way you want. Personally, I find the notion to be a little silly–the historical majority demographic of comic books (and, I would presume, even MCU/DCEU movies) have been a particular demographic. It makes sense, from a probability perspective, that’s how it would shape up–not, necessarily, that any exclusive malice was occurring, just that it’s representative of the majority demographic. But, many in this world are sensitive about demographics because they project their views of history as to why that is and attempt to associate actual malice to it, as opposed to accepting that perhaps we’ve moved beyond such notions, and that things just are the way they are because that’s the way they were–and that demographics will shift if there is interest. Is that to say that there are not those who would fight to maintain a majority demographic? Certainly not. But, I think that it’s more and more a very minority sentiment. Though, being preachy about such matters or wagging a finger in anyone’s face about it doesn’t help further an environment of neutrality/blindness in those regards. But, maybe that’s me just seeing the world through the lens of my own sentiments regarding race, gender, orientation and creed–it doesn’t matter what your attributes are, but who you are as a person.

Minor-to-major spoilers ahead

Marvel Studios’ Avengers: Endgame – Official Trailer

Whatever it takes. Watch the brand-new trailer for Marvel Studios’ Avengers: Endgame. In theaters April 26. ► Subscribe to Marvel: http://bit.ly/WeO3YJ Follow Marvel on Twitter: ‪https://twitter.com/marvel Like Marvel on FaceBook: ‪https://www.facebook.com/Marvel For even more news, stay tuned to: Tumblr: ‪http://marvelentertainment.tumblr.com/ Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/marvel Google+: ‪https://plus.google.com/+marvel Pinterest: ‪http://pinterest.com/marvelofficial

So, somehow I had avoided reading this one in high school. Friends have told me they had read it, but I don’t remember picking the book up in any of my CP English classes. I do remember some Ray Bradbury, Brontë, Fitzgerald, Shelley, and many other great authors. In a freak of circumstance, though, I had never picked up Orwell–even in my sci-fi literature class senior year.

In 2019, I have finally gotten through the novel. I now understand all of the references, and see crazy parallels in our own world.

Ultimately, the novel is about the dangers of totalitarianism. The story revolves around a man, Winston Smith, who becomes disenchanted with Oceania (a nation comprised of what was the United States, Canada, England and a couple of other countries) as it is and seeks to revolt against it. He meets a woman, and given the world in which he lives, does not trust her. But, eventually they are befriended and fall in love. Tragically, they’re separated by Big Brother and “cleansed” before final disposition.

The novel was quite compelling. Obviously, we haven’t come close to that world in the current day–and hopefully will never even skirt the edges of that kind of world. Politically, both of the major sides these days may accuse the other of bringing us there. I have a feeling, if we ever do, it’ll be because of both of them.

In any case, the writing was excellent. When I pictured the tech in this world, I pictured very much things that I would have imagined seeing in 1940s projections of the future. The telescreen, for instance, I imagined to be a gigantic television. Of course, if you look at the world as it truly is today, one might say they’d be smartphones. They have rockets, atomic weapons, pneumatic tubes for delivery of information. Obviously a bit primitive by our standards, but science in that age has a far different purpose in perpetuating the state.

The ending was somber, but I suppose I should have expected that. I had high hopes in the middle of the story that the revolution that Smith envisioned would come true, that he’d avoid the seemingly inevitable execution. I knew that someone would betray him, though I somehow thought it’d be Julia before O’Brien–love just seemed such an unlikely thing in that world, and so she seemed the most likely to have turned him in for his “perversion” against the state.

I’m only sorry that it took me this long to get to it; it really was a great story, and hopefully not prescient about the world to come (as I’m sure everyone who has read it has hoped since Orwell published it).

At some point soon, I want to read Brave New World. Apparently, the world ends up in very much the same kind of place but in a very different way. As opposed to brutality to institute totalitarianism, the populace is lulled into it by having all of their wants and desires met.

For now, though, I’m reading a nice Star Trek novel called “To Reign in Hell” about Khan Noonien Singh and his time on Ceti Alpha V. My pattern seems to be that every other novel I read these days is a Star Trek one (sometimes Star Wars, if something new is out). There are still four active series being written (TOS, TNG, VOY, DIS) at the moment, so there are always plenty of new novels there to read. Also, again anything Star Wars (yes, even Disney Star Wars) is something I gravitate towards. I’m also reading through Harry Potter–I’m through Order of the Phoenix, at this point. And, I have plenty on the horizon that I want to pick up.

Ahhh, how I love reading…