What To Do With Half a Billion Dollars.

So I was recently asked what I would do if I inherited half a billion dollars.  Interestingly enough the idea of what I would do with the money came fairly easily.  If you asked me this question fifteen years ago the answer would have been spend it all and have a blast; however, since much time and maturing has passed my outlook on the future of my life has changed for the better.

The Kam Foundation. 

The first item on my list is to create a charitable foundation whose mission is to provide scholarships to my relatives and descendants of my relatives as these are the only people to be eligible for the Kam Foundation scholarships.  The scholarships can be used for trade school, or any four-year college and would provide money up to the Doctorate level.  In return, scholarship recipients would be required to spend at least two years to provide tutoring, career counseling, and job placement for other Kam scholarship recipients.  Award winners must have at least a 2.75 cumulative GPA and be in good standing.

The second item on my list is to purchase a condominium complex and convert it into the Kam Foundation Complex.  This complex would be used to provide temporary housing to all those who are Kam Foundation eligible.  The building will be gated, secured, and in an upscale neighborhood to provide the best possible social environment.

The third item on my list is to invest most of the money so that the foundation will grow and continue to be solvent.

In time, I will add more to this list.  So, what would you do if you inherited half a billion dollars?

Simplified Security When Dealing With Someone Via Email.

From time to time we may have dealt with people whom we have just met online.  Casual interactions could be anything from selling or buying an item on Craigslist, or using a mailing service.  We have all read or heard about international scam operators who prey on the uninformed, and heart wrenching tales of elderly people whom have been swindled out of thousands of dollars usually make for human interest stories on the evening news. 

For those who don't have the time to exercise extreme paranoid caution I have put together three easy steps which I hope will help you.

STEP 1.   Check the source.

Ask yourself.  Why is this person sending me an email?  If you are directly selling something online then be sure that the body of the message references the item you are selling directly, but remain cautious as scammers "troll" through craigslist ads responding to everything. 

Here is an email I received earlier this week.

Hi Friend

I have viewed your advert. You do not have to be rid of 2005 Tank Vision R3. 250cc cruiser - $1200 (Oahu). View my weblog for better options. I know you will find it informative.

See The Site Link To See The Site.

Regards
Grant

Here are a few things wrong with this email.

1.  The salutation begins with "Hi Friend".  We are not friends and no person would say that.
2.  This idiot attached a link for me to view.  Do Not Click these links!


Step 2.  Research the sender.

In every email message there is obviously a return address.  Use a site that does reverse email look up like pipl.com.  See if you can find other information leading to this person sending the message.  You can also look up information such as first name, last name, and phone numbers.

Step 3.  Never, EVER, click any links email messages relating to your personal business!

Repeat after me.  "I will NEVER click a link in an email message when it involves my money, login information, or passwords."

Many people have been duped by bogus banking emails.  What these scammers do is create an exact duplicate of a banks web site, then send out thousands of email telling potential victims "Your balance is overdrawn, there is a problem with your account, etc."  If you ever get messages like this then the best solution is to go directly to the website WITHOUT click the link in the email.  Just open a web browser and manually enter the web site address that you know and TRUST.  If you are still confused about a trusted web site, then just call your bank and verify over the phone.


With all of that being said I truly hope that you will be safer online.

Facebook Is Stealing From Me.

This morning I sat in McDonalds having my standardized Portuguese sausage, eggs, and rice.  As I put my fork down and turned my attention to the pleasant day outside I noticed that I was surrounded by senior citizens.  Senior citizens at McDonalds is not unusual; in fact senior citizens in the morning at McDonalds is quite common.  As I watched the elderly man in front of me sip his coffee and look out the window I had a mind expanding thought.

"Facebook is stealing from me."

This elderly man and his elderly friends have a complete understanding of "The Good Life."  They are not addicted to a piece of equipment and update their status every hour of every day.  These lucky souls spend time in meaningful conversation recalling tales of life once lived and moments of joy.  Yet here I sit on my phone reading my news.  I am the unlucky bastard whose method of communication is sending messages of less that 200 characters to the internet.  My personal communication time has been replaced by a machine.
The irony of this technology is that we have made our friends and our world smaller and intimate; however, we have never been farther away from the ones we could truly care about.

I pose this question for my readers.  "How many times have you seen a group of people sitting around not talking to each other but on their phones?"

Lets start getting together and leaving the phones in the pockets.  I feel so disconnected.

Review: Mobile Defense for the Android OS

Ill keep my review short as I am sure there are many reviews of the software out there.

In a nutshell, Mobile Defense is an Android application (available from the android marketplace) that rests dormant on your phone.  Think of this as a "Low-Jack" system for cell phones.  In fact, today I had to use the service because I couldn't find my phone and being many miles from home I needed peace of mind that it did not fall into evil hands.

(Mobile Defense home page screen shot) 

To connect to the service you must first download the application to your phone.  Then launch the application to finish the registration process.  To locate or activate any of the security features on the phone a user would go to the Mobile Defense website and login.  To wrap up my story I located my phone via the website and its location was at my house.  Whew!

Features:

• SIM card lock your phone remotely
• Track your phone via GPS
• Send your phone a message for the finder of your phone to read with an audible alarm reminder
  
• Use any web based connection to access your phone.

Perfect For:

• Locating your phone if you misplaced it.
• Activate the service on a child's phone and use it to track them.
  

Mind Power

The power of human mind is in itself mind-boggling.  I have learned many different concepts about the power of the human mind such as our own ability to fight disease without drugs, operate under stressful situations such as war, and the highly complex functions that no present day computer can replicate with the same processing speed.  If we were to measure the speed of our brain process in relation to a computer processor our brain operates at 1680 gigahertz.  In contrast a typical home computer runs at about 2 gigahertz.  Our mind is so adept to processing information that we can read broken sentences with mistyped words and our mind will automatically search for the best fit for the mistyped word, fill them in, read the word for comprehension, then read the next word to make sure the sentence makes sense.  Unfortunately this kind of “superpower” leads to writers leaving typos in their own work because the mind has already created the solution.
Another fact is that the human mind can adapt to a stressful situation and achieve a positive result.  A good example would be the effect of stress on soldiers and professional athletes.  Soldiers and professional athletes endure years of training that regularly hone their skills in their field which leads to mental conditioning.  This type of conditioning prepares the mind to tell the body how to react when needed.  When a soldier is under heavy fire from his or her enemy he or she knows how to react quickly and effectively to ensure their survival.  Although mental conditioning is purposeful in a stressful situation, the human mind will seek options when threatened and provide itself with the most reasonable course of action.  This type of action is also known as a “gut-feeling” or “fight or flight” response.
The human mind is very powerful at fighting disease.  There have been many reports of patients who suffer from chronic and terminal diseases that live longer and sometimes even force the disease into dormancy.  The mind creates its own “cure” which medical science has a difficult time explaining.  Adrianne Lord writes in her paper Consciousness and the Placebo Effect about patients who were given fake treatments and fake drugs, and these patients were unaware.  The healing power of the mind created its own cure and most of these patients experienced recovery similar to those who took the legitimate drug.  Although one explanation is that the placebo may have reduced the patients anxiety levels, I believe that the human mind is powerful at achieving just about anything set forth by its owner.

Can We Return To Normal?

We have all experienced the Christmas shopping madness in one form or another (see: True Christmas Purpose) and collectively we survived.  May we now return to normal?  I look forward to endless hours of "bitching" about "how much money on presents", and I am almost sure to hear "My credit line is maxed out."  The complaints will be a hurricane fueled by frustration when the new year bell tolls and January credit card bills start to flow in like a tide of debt.  I submit the following logic.  If you purchased gifts for those you truly love with all your heart then I will empathize with your complaints; however, if you purchased gifts for those just to be a great gift-giver then your complaint will fall on uncaring and deaf ears.

Nevertheless, one cannot put a clear price tag on the joy that many children experience when they open their gifts. I cite one particular YouTube video where a child is so overcome with joy and gratitude that his emotions overwhelm this hardened author with happiness (Link).  I am delighted when receivers genuinely enjoy their presents and understand that what sacrifices must have been made to obtain said presents.  For my Christmas I received Buffalo and Elk Jerky.  For those that know my carnivorous tastes then you know I am on Cloud Nine.

Now that the shopping season is over I wish for everyone to return to normal.  I want everyone to take stock in what they have, who they are with, and remembrance for those who are no longer with us.  I will sit back in my chair and take a long deep breath of relaxation as I enjoy this day off.  As for Christmas returns that will soon follow; that is another story waiting to be told.

True Christmas Purpose

Christmas is a special time of year when the aura of friendliness is supposed to warm the soul.  How wrong I was when I went to work this afternoon.  The holiday season is about impatience, driving fast in a parking lot to find a space, and grabbing items of the shelf in a frenzy as if some unique bargain could only be found during this time of year.  The streets are clustered with drivers mashing the center of their steering wheel as though pressing harder would make the car horn exponentially cacophonous.  Some forcefully wake ourselves from sound slumber in the early morning hours to spend money we don't have, and we make our way to a store to buy presents for others that we cannot afford.  The season causes sheer madness in some of us.  Both timid and tenacious persons of all ages and genders suffer equally from holiday lunacy.

The superficial shopper proclaims to superficial listeners, "I buy these things because people I know would love them."  I guess these people need to be spiritually validated by their fellow man, and not God, the true reason of the season.  Clearly the essence of Christmas has been lost and has been expeditiously replaced by commercialism; therefore, I provoke the following thoughts within myself.  "Why should I continue to purchase presents for others?  Who am I honoring by doing so?  Am I forcing my friends to reciprocate?  I prefer to spend my money on the person who earned it in the first place, or buying presents for others would be easier clarified as showing genuine appreciation to those who have made the most in your life.  Simply just tell someone you care about them and they mean something to you.

My true purpose of Christmas is remembering those who made a difference in my life.  To my teachers, for providing me the knowledge that no one can ever take away.  To my friends, whom I have always respected for being individuals and being everything they can be.  To my family, the loving center of my existence and bearing the prodigious responsibility of being there for me.  Merry Christmas everyone.

The Violent Journey of Finding Peace

This is not an anti-war statement. This is a survival statement. Since humans first understood discomfort they wanted peace. We have been fighting each other since the dawn of time. We have waged war over the land we walk on, in the air we breathe, and in the seas we swim. We fight for what we want such as water, food, territory, commodities both elemental and fundamental. We fight for a God we have never seen and we fight for beliefs that we sometimes don't really believe in. Each side of a war party sees the other as the offender, the defender of the nefarious, the wicked, and the perverse. Even though our armies grow tired of conflict, we must continue to fight until one side or the other has been vanquished. Our politics, our inherent racism, our perceived personal sacrifice creates a sphere of influence that is clear as day looking from the inside out, but obscure as muddy water when looking from the outside in. So we argue with other spheres. So we will go to war.

How can I fight an enemy who from the time of their first breath of life hates the very essence of who I am? If I leave them alone they will find me. Hunt me down where I live, and where I find my happiness. The enemy is poorly educated but battle hardened and fixated on my annihilation. To protect my peace, I must engage in war. The concept of going to war to achieve peace is not new to mankind. Peace means many different things to many different people. For some peace means living in a complete Utopian society in which their every need is met. To others peace could mean living comfortably with opulence. What about those who view their version of peace as having millions of soldiers and weapons protecting the borders of their country? Should they be any less entitled to their peace?

One could presume that if every single person on planet Earth decided in a single moment to leave each other alone to live in peace then peace might be achieved. I argue that this can never happen. Mankind will never experience peace because the human condition of greed and power must first be quelled; however, the desire to be better than who we are will drive our desire for power and education. Even if every single person earned the same wage, lived in the exact same house as the next, ate the same food, and had the same education we still would not have peace. We would be reduced to a population of drones. It is only a matter of time before the ambition of greatness by a single drone will start the chain reaction of independent thought and individual contentment. Welcome back to war.

Human Drivers of Yesterday

   In our modern world, the pleasure of driving has changed since the 1960’s. There was a time when the nostalgia of the wide-open road was much more of a reality than a fantasy. Drivers would drive from one city to another across open highways listening to the wind whip past the open window. In the 1960s, cars were not equipped with Global Positioning Systems, Bluetooth cell phone receivers, and satellite radio. In the 1960s, driving was about the pure uninterrupted joy of being “one” with the “simple machine” and the road. Today, our “simple machine” has lots of safety features, electronics to keep the driver and passengers entertained, and makes driving almost a daily chore of a complicated life.

    In the 1960s, there was always an open road. Back then, not many working adults could afford a car. When someone did finally buy one, the car was a way to escape daily life and entertain themselves with where ever the road led them and whatever adventures the road would bring. Driving was the ultimate form of affordable escapism. Families would load the car with packed lunches that Mom made with love and drive to the park. Teenagers would drive to meet their friends and hang out. Whatever reason a driver would have to get behind the wheel was good enough for them. There were no cell phones to distract drivers. All a driver in the 1960s had was the conversation of another passenger and the scenic views that passed by mile by mile.

    The driving culture of our modern day makes driving almost seem like a chore. We have to get up early in the morning to get ready for work. Rush hour commuters know that the earlier they leave for work, the easier finding a parking spot will be. My Mother gets up at Five o’clock in the morning and she only lives 12 miles from work. All she must do is get her ready for work and drive out, yet the early morning “rush hour” traffic is so horrendous that she leaves early so she will not be late for work. The number eighty-two is an express city bus that drives on the freeway early in the morning. When I ride on the number eighty-two bus, and I look out the window while in traffic, I almost never see any happy faces. Every driver stuck in traffic looks drowsy, frustrated, or irritated.

    The automobiles of the 1960s were a lot larger than the cars of today. For example, the 1965 Chevy Impala, 1963 Buick Skylark, and the 1966 Pontiac Bonneville are just about as long as full-size trucks of today, but those cars were two door models. The 1960s automobile were constructed with thick sheets of machine pressed steel. When a driver closed the door, he or she heard the door slam shut that reminded him or her of a vault door being shut. The motors were simple and easy to maintain. One glance under the hood and the first thing a driver would notice is the vast amount of space in the engine bay. Working on the car was something a father would teach his son in the 1960s. Lessons were not just about automobile maintenance but family bonding between father and son.

    Today’s automobiles are complex computer driven machines that have zero tolerance for tinkering. One look under the hood and a driver will be overwhelmed with what he or she is looking at. To me, the modern car engine compartment looks like a giant metal octopus covered in plastic wrapped in a cocoon of wires.  They are equipped with high tech gadgets such as tire pressure-monitoring sensors, ceramic composite cross-drilled disc brake rotors, and dual-zone climate control systems.  Other equipment found on today’s cars is simple things that we take for granted like the air and fuel mixture sensor that automatically adjusts your fuel injection system; nevertheless, drivers make random attempts to do their own repairs that usually leads the drivers to the nearest repair center. The repair manuals for most of these cars are printed in a binder so large the reader would need a physician’s approval just to lift it. Now I understand why car mechanics charge thousands of dollars for engine repairs.

So Long, Hello Again.

Goodbye Honolulu Community College.  School is over, for now.  Now is the time to file away all the notes that I have taken, all the handouts that I have been given, and all the papers I was asked to write.  My tranquility and peace is short-lived as I shall return back again in the Spring of 2010.  I just realized that it will be almost 20 years since I left high school that I am graduating with a Bachelors degree in college.  Another year at H.C.C. then I transfer over to the University of Hawaii.  I've always wondered why learning and this path of education has taken me this long.  I feel that my visual and auditory style of learning was best nurtured by the new technology that a college class has to offer.  So long to the green chalk board and hello to everything digital.  I am a child born of low-tech that has embraced the high tech life.

"The exam finals are done. The semester has ended. My brain is resting and all studying shall be suspended. Farewell long study sessions and quadratic expressions.  I look forward to learning once again in the Spring. Because when you debate an idiot, knowledge is king." - Howard Kam III