MAVs

Everyone has probably heard about

"MAVs,"

right?

You haven't?

That's because,

until recently,

"Micro Air Vehicles"
were not available to the public.

What they are,

are

"Insect Drones"

the Military was using in
"sensitive areas"
in conflict situations.

They won't say where of course,

but they didn't reveal all the different types of
Drones
they were using in Iraq
and Afghanistan either.

Back during the Iraqi War all you ever heard about were the

Predator

and

Global Hawk

drones.

But there are at least ten different unmanned drones being used by the U.S. military in Gulf War II,

according to
Aviation Week.
Drones listed by the Pentagon included the U.S. Army’s

Hunter,

Pointer,

and

Shadow.

The Marine Corps had the

Dragon Eye

and the

Pioneer.

The Air Force had their

"Force Protection Surveillance System,"

Global Hawk,

and

Predator.
In Afghanistan,

only three types of drones were used.

I guess that little War didn't merit the expense.

This was all reported back in 2003.

What do you think the Military was doing in the meantime.

By the time the story broke back in 2003 about the usage of

"UAVs,"

(Unmanned Aerial Vehicles)

my guess is,
they already had the

"MAVs"

on the drawing board.

Not too long after the World new about

"Drone Warfare,"

the availability for the public to buy their own drone became fruition.

You see,

everyone is entitled to make a buck ($) in the United States.

That includes Drone Manufacturers.

Now you can buy

"Insect Drones"

on Amazon & eBay.

Not the Military grade,

where the sting of a

"Mosquito Drone"

will kill you in ten minutes from a lethal dose of poison.

But,

your own modifications are always welcome!

I wonder how invasive the Police are going to be now

that they can buy Military grade

"MAVs"

for there very own?

They wouldn't spy on innocent American Citizens

like the NSA does,

now would they?

This is,
The Naive,
Jim Hauenstein,

And,

“It's a drone nation where everything and everyone is remotely controlled.”

- Bryant McGill -

That's my story and I'm sticking to it!

Like what you read, or don't like what you see,

become a Follower, leave a Comment,
set up my Blog as your Homepage,

and I'll answer you in a Post.

Thanks for reading.

Writing About Writing

I've been trying to write about something,

anything on this Blog every day,

because I believe sometimes,

at my very best,

I can be informative,

if I want to be,

I can be funny,

and in general,

I need the practice.

I like writing.

It is a way for me to say the things I like to talk about when I don't have an audience.

Of course,

I don't need an audience,

a friend will do too.

But the older I get the less friends I have.

I no longer go to the bar for social encounters.

Matter of fact,

it's been about fifteen years since I did that for my social life.

I'm not invited to a friend's house,

when the big game is on,

because I hardly watch Sports on TV,

except for Formula 1 Racing and the Green Bay Packers. Unfortunately,

I don't have the financial means to go see live Music any longer.

I rather spend the money on my kids anyways.

So basically,

I write to have fun.

Writing is a lot like reading.

Sometimes you never know where it will lead you.

It's an adventure in imagination,

just like reading.

When I sat down in front of my computer tonight,

I didn't have anything in mind on what to write.

So I wrote about writing.

I guess I was hoping I was writing an
Episode of Seinfeld's.

You know,

the show about nothing.

I wanted to write about nothing
and see how long I could keep it up.
Did I succeed?

Was it long enough?

 

This is,
The Wisest Man Alive,
Jim Hauenstein,

And,

“I am the wisest man alive, for I know one thing, and that is that I know nothing."

- Plato -

That's my story and I'm sticking to it!

Like what you read, or don't like what you see,

become a Follower, leave a Comment,
set up my Blog as your Homepage,

and I'll answer you in a Post.

Thanks for reading.

Millionaires Fighting Billionaires

I never talked about any other Sport on my Blog,

except for Formula 1 Racing.

Today is different.

Yes racing is a Sport
and the Drivers are Athletes.

Growing up in the open fields of south-east Wisconsin,

before all the homes were built,

my favorite Sport was baseball.

Unfortunately,

I couldn't hit the little round hardball worth a darn,

but was
"Babe Ruth" 
when it came to underhand,

slow pitch softball.

In my mind at least I was.

Back to baseball and not about me.

Wait,

it's always about me!

I was such an avid fan,

every year I could name every starting player on every team.

Before cable TV,

I would listen to the
Milwaukee Braves,

Chicago White Sox,

and
Chicago Cubs 
on the radio.

If I was really lucky,

and the heavy rain clouds would hold down the AM signal closer to Earth,

I could here the Detroit Tigers play.

When I started working,

I bought a ticket package to see the
Milwaukee Brewers 
home games.

With that package,

I was able to see the Brewers play the
St. Louis Cardinals 
in the World Series.

Then came the year 1994 and the cancellation of the
World Series.

Baseball's Labor Strike.

Millionaires striking against Billionaires.

I've been to two baseball games since.

One time,

because someone gave me a pair of box seats to an Angle's game
and I took my son.

The other,

my Dad bought a pair of tickets when I went back to visit him one year.

I'll probably,

on my own volition,

ever go to a professional baseball game again.

I started watching a lot of Football after that,

and being from Wisconsin,

I've always been a Packer fan.

When I lived in San Diego County,

I had Season Tickets to the Chargers games.

Will I stay a football fan?

Well,

if you've haven't heard,

Tom Brady is threatening to take the
National Football League
to
Federal Court,

for being suspended for four games,

because he was caught cheating in a game.

That game was last year's Super Bowl.

He destroyed his cell phone after the game because he didn't want anyone to see the text messages he sent to his accomplish,

a ball boy.

He had the kid deflate the balls the other team in the
Super Bowl,
were going to use.

Now he can't accept his punishment because

"I'm Tom Brady!"

Another spoiled athlete who thinks he is bigger then the game.

If he does take the NFL to court and wins,

I'll probably never watch another game.

Another spoiled Millionaire fighting Billionaires.

Cheating happens in all Sports.

From corking bats in baseball,

to Ayrton Senna's intentional crash into the back of
Alain Prost's Formula 1 car to win the Championship in 1990.

Pretty Boy Tom Brady needs to shut up,

take the suspension,

so the news about the NFL is the games being played,

and not about him worrying about his image.

I'm an avid fan of Formula 1 Racing today.

They have there scandals and there cheaters.

But when they get caught,

they don't act like
"Prima Donnas"
Tom Brady,

they pay the fine,

serve the suspension,

then get back to racing.

This is,
A Kimi Raikkonen Fan,
Jim Hauenstein,

And,

 

“If everything seems under control, you're not going fast enough."

- Mario Andretti -

That's my story and I'm sticking to it!

Like what you read, or don't like what you see,
become a Follower, leave a Comment,
set up my Blog as your Homepage,
and I'll answer you on a Post.

Thanks for reading.

The City Of Brotherly Love

The city of

"Brotherly Love"

wasn't so lovable today.

Someone in the city killed
"hitchBot!"

If you haven't heard of him,

it is a Canadian born,

kid size robot,

built as a social experiment that had no motor skills to get around,

but,

in the words of
Blanche DuBois,

"I have always depended on the kindness of strangers."

hitchBot
had limited mobility in his arms where he could either hold up a sign,

"San Francisco or bust,"

or he could hold up one of his thumbs.

It took him only 26 days of hitchhiking to traverse Canada
and parts of Europe last year.

He has been to a Wedding,

a Comic Convention,

and traveled with a Heavy Metal Band for a week.

He could talk to whomever his travel companions were,

on a limited basis.

Mostly tossing out facts
and figures on a variety of subjects.

People were told to travel with him for awhile,

then leave him in an area where other travelers could pick him up
and then he could continue on his journey.

People all over the World could
and were following his exploits on Social Media.

He would randomly take photos,
every 20 minutes,
to document his progress.

Leave it to some Jerk,

wow I haven't used that word in 20 years,

to some Jerk in Philly to spoil it all.

hitchBot should have tried South America first
to travel around.

Maybe then,

just maybe,

I could have picked him up at the
United States/Mexican border

and shown hitchBot a really good time

and that not all U.S. Citizens are Jerks!

Thanks Philly!

This is Jim, still looking for a Robot Friend, Hauenstein,

And,

“Whether we are based on carbon or on silicon makes no fundamental difference; we should each be treated with appropriate respect."

- Arthur C. Clarke -

That's my story and I'm sticking to it!

Like what you read, or don't like what you see,
become a Follower, leave a Comment,
set up my Blog as your Homepage,
and I'll answer you in a Post.

Thanks for reading.

More Movie Magic

In June,

of this year,

I wrote a Post called,

"Go To The Movies."

In that Post,

I wrote down,

"My Favorite Top Five Movies!"

I also mentioned that,

"This turned out to be harder than I thought."

It was hard back then
and is still hard today!

If you are a
Connoisseur
of good
Red Wines,

then you know that there is a difference between
a
Beaujolais,

 a
Bordeaux,

 and a
Burgundy Wine.
Even though they are all made in
France
and they are all
Red.
You also know how good each one can be.
Movies are like that too!

I once worked for a great Company were I had to sell,

then install cable TV to Marines on Camp Pendleton.

I loved the job.

One of my pet peeves was when a Marine would tell me that he didn't want any of the Movie Channels because they repeated the same movies over and over.

For me,

I didn't understand this train of thought because,

Watching a Great Movie,

Is Like Listening to a Great Symphony!

To turn that objection around,

I would say,

"You''ll sit here and watch reruns of
"Gilligan's Island"
 over and over,
but you won't watch
"A Good Movie"
over again?

Well,

I'm going to suggest 
"Twelve Movies"
that any
"Movie Connoisseur"
should take the time to watch.

My first suggestion is the newest film of the group
and is the kind of
Adventure/Drama/Comedy Movie
that stirs emotions in one's heart. 

"Secondhand Lions,"

staring Michael Caine,
Robert Duvall,
and Haley Joel Osment.

In no particular order,

my second choice is the emotional roller coaster,

"Brian's Song,"

staring two dynamic personalities in James Caan
and Billy Dee Williams.

Number three,

the fun loving,

Cosplay inspiring,

"Rocky Horror Picture Show,"

starring the brilliant Tim Curry,
Susan Sarandon,
and Barry Bostwick.

My fourth pick is for the Horror Fans out there
and for all the Old Timers who will recognize what a wonderful cast of Actors,

that came together to make the film,

"The Abominable Dr. Phibes."

Starring the Great Vincent Price,
Joseph Cotten,
Hugh Griffith,
Virgina North,
Terry Thomas,
Peter Jeffrey,
Peter Gilmore,
Maurice Kaufmann,
John Laurie,
James Grout,
and
Doctor Who Alumni,
Ian Marter.

Number five,

"Our Man Flint,"

starring James Coburn,
Lee J. Cobb,
Edward Mulhare,
and every pubescent boy's dream
Gila Golan.

(I know, during the 1960s, for pubescent boys to stare at, there were the likes of Sophia Loren, Marilyn Monroe, Brigitte Bardot, Ursula Andress, and ....., but I liked Gila, OK?)

For pure intensity,

from great acting all around,

number six is,

"Taxi Driver,"

 starring Robert De Niro,
Jodie Foster,
Cybill Shepherd,
Peter Boyle,
and a unforgettable performance by
Harvey Keitel.

Seven goes to
Mr. Charisma
himself,

Steve McQueen,

and his movie

"Bullitt,"

also starring Robert Vaughn,
Jacquelin Bisset,
Don Gordon,
and a good role playing actor named
Simon Oakland.

Number eight is the brilliantly directed John Huston film,

"The Man Who Be King,"

starring Sean Connery,
Michael Caine,
the great
Christopher Plummer,
Shakira Caine,
and Saeed Jaffrey.

Number nine is,

"Salvador,"

starring one of my favorite actors in James Woods,
Jim Belushi,
and John Savage.

Hard to describe,
but a must see.

Ten is a Jack Nicholson staple,

"One Flew Over the Cuckoo's Nest,"

also with a mean
Louise Fletcher,
William Redford,
Danny DeVito,
Christopher Lloyd,
Brad Dourif,
Michael Berryman,
and the silent
Will Sampson.

These last two movies star two of the greatest Actors,

in my opinion,

to grace the silver screen.

"They Shoot Horses Don't They,"

with the brilliant
Michael Sarrazin.
Also starring Jane Fonda,
Susannah York,
Gig Young,
and
Red Buttons.

Watching a young Michael Sarrazin act,

is not watching someone acting at all,

but someone becoming the character fully.

Finally,

"Tempest,"

 starring,

again one of my favorites of all time,

the great actor/director John Cassevetes,

with Gena Rowlands, Susan Sarandon, Molly Ringwald, Vittorio Gassman,
and Raul Julia.
John Cassevetes had the same,
on screen presence,
that James Dean had.
He just didn't have the good fortune to die
in a horrible car crash at an early age
and become Legendary.

OK,

now it is time to find a way to either,
buy or rent one of these movies,

sit down with your favorite partner,

open up a bottle of Red Wine,

and enjoy the next two hours of your life.

It's better then watching reruns of

"Gilligan's Island"

over and over and over again.

(I do like Gilligan's Island though.I really do. Please don't tell anyone.)

This is the Classic Movie loving Jim Hauenstein,

And,

“Everything I learned, I learned from the movies.”

- Audrey Hepburn -

That's my story and I'm sticking to it!

Like what you read, or don't like what you see,
become a Follower, leave a Comment,
set my Blog as your Homepage,
and I'll answer you in a Post.

Thanks for reading.