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We have as Americans certain inalienable rights, and among these are life, liberty, and the right to take a driving test at the age of eighteen and drive for the next 140 years or until we plow into a crowded farmers market. This month’s newsletter contains the first audio Sound Bite, on the topic of Senior Momentum. Incidentally, the irrevocable right-to-drive is staunchly defended by AARP (pronounced like the sound of a young lawmaker being squelched) and its forty-seven-billion members living and dead who are all still driving. If you enjoy this audio editorial, please forward the link to lists, chat groups, colleagues, friends, and relatives, especially any who haven’t had an accident in eighty years on the road. To offset the ancient subjects of the Sound Bite, the rest of this newsletter emphasizes sex. Porn is touched on, but the most provocative piece is a graphic that soon will appear on posters and T-shirts everywhere (at least, that’s the plan). It’s the Naked in Cyberspace girl, making a statement in flesh tones about the state of our cyber protection. If you have any suggestions for changes or improvements to this newsletter or even blurbs as to its value to you, please send them to bill@talcatcher.com. Thanx! Bill Neugent |
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Sound Bites |
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You've Got To Be Kidding |
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Normally one reports such indecent activity to the police, but as one porn site owner said, “It's hard for the adult industries to go to the authorities.” Yet at least one screwed up his courage and brought in the FBI. According to Shachtman, “Bureau spokesman Bill Murray said the FBI is in the process of determining which law enforcement agency is best equipped to handle the case.” Bill Murray, eh? The Ruandan hutubutu police come to mind. On the other hand, Luke Ford, author of A History of X: 100 Years of Sex in Film, wrote in an email that “Deepsy should be worried for his life. Some of these Internet players would kill over matters like this.” A GFY member added, “I'll gladly have someone take care of things. ****ing blackmailing ****face must die.” He did not use a smiley-face emoticon. |
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Treasure Hunt Clue |
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Remember, this is a contest
that will result in someone winning $1,000. This is also
a game of skill and no purchase is necessary. |
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News Headlines |
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Speaking of marketing, every author needs free gifts to hand out. One of ours will be a chocolate cigar with a No Outward Sign logo. Meet the Chocolate Cigar Selection Committee, see their selection, and see the cigar band Jill designed. As for other news headlines about marketing, No Outward Sign was chosen as the Summer selection of the Knowledge Management book club at MITRE. The book also was selected for inclusion in the International Spy Museum. I gave cyberterrorism talks at the National Science Foundation, VeriSign Corporation (which bought copies of the novel in advance for all attendees), the Northern Virginia chapter of the Information Systems Security Association (ISSA), and the MITRE site in Eatentown, New Jersey. Finally, Jill and I met with The Virginia Book Club, all female and all non-techies, who not only enjoyed discussing the book but asked to review a draft of my fantasy novel, Daughter of Light, presumably so they can help repair the next book before it gets published. The host’s young daughter created a poem and picture in honor of the book club meeting. Although the topic doesn’t
fit well into this newsletter, for those of you interested in our
cats, you might be interested in pictures from Tawni’s
visit to the Holy Cross nursing home. |
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Whining and Dining |
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On Friday nights, you can catch a 7:00 PM concert on Lake Anne plaza in Reston while you dine outdoors at Il Cigno with a fine lake view. This is a great deal and the food continues to improve under the creative touch of executive chef Andrea Pace. While other restaurants are having trouble finding fish other than rockfish and Atlantic salmon, during our last visit we had excellent grilled pampano and cooper river salmon, both enhanced by a miraculous sauce of mixed tomatoes, red onions, fresh basil, and sherry vinegar. The band that night played a mix of country and bluegrass. As if that weren’t enough entertainment, a few dozen former Lake Anne residents who had come from all over the country gathered on the plaza for a twentieth reunion. Except for more wrinkles and less hair, they looked much like the hippie-types they had been twenty years ago. In the concert audience, the genuine original Robert E. Simon (the Res from Reston) sat in a lawn chair under the protection of his floppy hat. On Sunday nights through August,
you can watch a 6:00 PM concert at the Village Centre in Great Falls.
We chose a rail table at Marcello Ristorante and watched a Celtic
group perform from the white gazebo on the green. Locals had brought
food, drink, lawn chairs, and blankets, and all were scattered about
the green. We watched from our restaurant table as performers and
audience entertained each other in a tranquil country village scene
as might have been envisioned by Norman Rockwell. The cuisine (a
French term for food that costs a lot) at Marcellos aspires to be
a cut above and has greatly improved since the restaurant’s
early days, but further progress would be nice. Our rockfish was
second rate and the sauces a bit too heavy and sweet. Nevertheless,
the host worked hard to charm us and after both of our July visits
he brought us free cordials after the meal. Unfortunately, neither
of us enjoy sweet cordials, especially port that surely started
its life as Welch’s Grape Juice. I drank mine. Jill, always
the wiser, waited until no waiters were around and unceremoniously
dumped hers in the mulch. |
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Enjoying this newsletter and wish there were more to read? Try the novel. It's "like Robert Ludlum writing about cyberspace,” according to John Lowry of BBN. Incidentally, hardcover copies are now available from Amazon.com. |
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Copyright Information |
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Final Notes |
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Contact Information |
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