Mindconnection eNL, 2025-11-02

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In this issue:
Good News | Product Highlight | Brainpower | Finances | Security | Health/Fitness | Factoid | Thought 4 the Day

• The world keeps shifting right. American "liberalism" (communism) is violent, destructive, and dehumanizing. It has zero known benefits, other than to its thieving predators such as Nancy Pelosi. It has cast a pall across the political landscape in most other nations, which have been strongly shifting to the right (conservative). A great example of this is Japan's recent election for Prime Minister put a conservative in office. While the commies will cry that it's not DEI enough because to them "diversity" means "no conservatives". But the 64 year old Sanae Takaichi is a woman, the first-ever female Prime Minister of Japan. No, she's not black and she probably can define what a woman is despite not being a biologist.
   
• The mental illness known as communism is tenacious, though. A commie just won in a landslide in Ireland (Catherine Connolly in the race for President). The good news is this is a small country. Its population is 5.23 million, in contrast to the 8.48 million in NYC. Since communism always fails, always makes the population poorer, always reduces the average lifespan, and always reduces freedom, this will serve as yet another window into insanity and yet another benchmark against which capitalism can be measured in real life. When you have empirical data rather than just theory, no amount of spin can justify communism. Not that the theory ever made any sense, but still. And we will see it disproven yet again.
   
• Trump's Asia tour was a momentous WIN. Here is a quick summary: https://www.whitehouse.gov/articles/2025/10/president-trump-opens-asia-trip-by-securing-landmark-wins-for-america/
   
• Trump's trip to China was a momentous WIN. Here is a quick summary: https://thehill.com/newsletters/morning-report/5580655-trump-xi-meeting-key-outcomes/
   
• Trump's trip anywhere is a momentous WIN, except in communist countries such as the People's Republic of California--where total irrationality fueled by TDS makes it Mission Impossible.
   
• Apple just shipped its first "Made in America" servers.
   
• Bill Gates publicly renounced his allegiance to the climate alarmism cult. He even commented on the scam of "green" energy. The implications of this are huge, and the ripple effects deal a series of blows to the communists and their poverty agenda.
   
• The Fed announced another rate cut at its latest meeting and said a December one is a possibility. They are being overly cautious. Among other things, they are ignoring the fact that we have been running monthly budget surpluses. The things to do now are to stimulate the economy and reduce debt, both of which will happen with a nice rate cut. Maybe dropping the Prime Rate to 6% would do the trick. Not slow adjustments, kick in the afterburners instead.
   
• Ohio just approved redistricting that will likely cost the communists two House seats and provide two more to the Republicans.

• READING TUTOR: The only reading pen with learn-to-read functions, and we have six: spelling, syllabication (how the word is "built"), lookup of phrasal verbs, lookup of idiomatic expressions, colors for different dictionary fields, and it highlights words as it reads from scanned text. These combine to dramatically improve literacy and reading fluency.
• READER PEN: You scan, it reads aloud individual words and even multiple lines of text in natural voice. Helps those with dyslexia or other reading-challenges gain reading independence. Earbuds automatically mute the built-in speaker to avoid classroom stigma. Select different voices for playback, lefthand or righthand use, left or right scan direction.
• READS ANY SURFACE. Scans what you actually read from: phone, tablet, PC, other screens - not just paper. We could not find a single other reading pen that can do this. But the Rocket Pen can.
   
• MASSIVE ONBOARD DICTIONARIES: The Rocket Pen has the New Oxford American Dictionary with Oxford Thesaurus of English (Americanized) with over twice the entries of the best competing products. It also has the Oxford American Children’s Dictionary with Oxford American Children’s Thesaurus (both Americanized). The Rocket Pen scans English and French only, but also contains an English to Spanish dictionary and a French definitions dictionary (French to French).
• COMES COMPLETE. Self-contained, no computer or Wi-Fi required. Kit includes Rocket Pen reading tutor, USB charging cable, Quick Start Guide, and earphones. Meets FCC, ROHS, and CE standards, and conquers illiteracy.
• BACKED BY EXPERIENCE. The lead developers of the Rocket Pen Reading Tutor each have over 25 years of experience in reading assistive devices, and yet the Rocket Pen is the newest and most advanced reading pen on the market. And the only one with reading tutor functions.
   
• MISSION-FOCUSED. The Rocket Pen isn't loaded with other features a struggling reader doesn't need. Its focus is on helping the reading challenged master not only the texts they encounter but reading itself. This reading pen is the only one that is also a reading tutor. Unlike other products in this space, the Rocket Pen is truly a learn to read pen not just a text to speech scanning pen. It provides six different methods for users to learn how to read rather than just being read to. It's a powerful dyslexia reading tool for students and adults, and for anyone else with reading challenges. It provides six different methods for users to learn how to read rather than just being read to.
• READY TO USE, EASY TO USE. Comes ready to use, no setup needed, easily customized. 1.9 inch color touch screen; Physical buttons for screenless scan and read; Select English or Spanish user interface.

In our Amazon store you will see more offerings, including:

Disability Products:

(We are the sole Amazon seller for these)

• BlindShell phones for the blind
• RealSAM Pocket, which is a voice operated Galaxy smart phone for the blind
• SmartPens4U Rocket Pen Reading Tutor Scanning Pen | Case Bundle Black | Case Bundle Lavender
• WeWalk Smart Cane "Cane with a Brain" for the blind: 47-inch, 54-inch, 59-inch

Radios:

• Connex 10 meter radios
• Dosy meters
• Galaxy 10 meter and 11 meter (CB) radios
• President 10 and 11 meter radios
• Ranger 10 meter radios
• Texas Ranger radios (Chuck Norris not included, sorry)
• Uniden radios and scanners

Tools:

• Bahco tools
• Case tools
• CAT tools
• CPS tools
• Irwin saw blades
• Mayes tools
• Rigid Tools work lights and related
• Vessel tools
• Wera tools
• Wiha tools

More:

• American Hard Bag aftermarket sound system parts for Harley Davidson motorcycles
• Centerpoint Archery devices
• Cold Steel knives
• Flexilla hose connectors
• Funko collectiblesMike Holt Electrical Exam Preparation products
• Nagy's aftermarket sound system parts for Harley Davidson motorcycles
• Paraben Consumer data recovery sticks, porn detection sticks, and similar diagnostic/ IT tools
• ROK straps
• Rostra universal cruise control kits

The comedy show called "No Kings" is an example of people simply accepting rhetoric while having no clue about the reality. When pressed to give an example of how Trump is acting like a king, they were at a loss to come up with anything real. Some examples:

• "He's deporting people." Well, under "Obama" deportations were at about 6X the Trump level.
• "He's sending the military into cities even though the Mayor or Governor tell him no." Well, in those cities the Mayor refused to use the police and the Governor refused to use the National Guard or State Troopers to protect US Citizens or to even protect federal workers. There is precedent for sending in the troops, Johnson for example did it in Alabama so "negro" kids could attend a "white" school. In fact, Johnson sent in the legendary 101st Airborne Division. He wasn't fooling around.
• "The tariffs are not authorized by Congress." Well, they don't have to be. And the Supreme Court has said so.
• "He's raising taxes on the poor and denying them health care." Well, the OBBB is a massive tax break for the poor and the communists strongly fought against it. Health care? That's a personal choice, you do not get health care from a medical doctor. Nobody graduates from Health School and becomes a health doctor, they graduate from medical school and become a medical doctor. What the Orwellian language people mean, if you translate it into English is Trump is kicking illegal aliens off of public assistance with medical insurance. That includes Obamacare, Medicare, and Medicaid. They are not paying into these programs, as are American citizens.

When I see the profound ignorance of those who blindly accept rhetoric with zero intellectual curiosity, I do a self-check. Am I this way also? Merely accepting a point of view to get the approval of some "others" or because I like the sound of that point of view? Am I merely listing to the people I want to listen to, just choosing an echo chamber?

The answer is no, no, and no. Here is why:

• I rule out the obviously idiotic. That is why I never believed in masking, and never believed that the mRNA gene therapy prevents transmission.
• Once you rule out the obviously idiotic, you next need to rule out the sources of the obviously idiotic. This is why I rule out the lamestream media, Anthony Fauci, the CDC, etc.
• Once you rule out the sources of the obviously idiotic, there's not a whole lot left. Which means there's not a whole lot to sort through.
• In sorting through what's left, I apply a few tests. Those tests do not include whether I agree with the information or those sources are 100% correct.
• The primary test is whether those sources simply make statements or whether those sources can back up what they say with examples, citations, logic, witness testimony, video proof, etc.

Keeping a clean stream of info coming in can look an awful lot like echo chamber choosing. But I have just explained what it is, and they are clearly not the same thing. It is foundational to having a solid grip on reality. Once you have that, you are no longer subject to manipulation by those who spew baseless rhetoric. And with a clean stream of info coming in, you can apply simple reasoning to sort things out. This takes 1,000X fewer "CPU cycles" than sorting through tons of BS.

I know a guy who is proud of the fact he "consults many news sources" and from those picks out the truth. But he doesn't pick out the truth, and when pressed to explain how he thinks he does this he can't say. If all of those "news sources" are merely parroting the same rhetoric that none of the bothered to verify or debunk, then he's simply in a rhetoric-based echo chamber instead of accessing a clean stream of info. Since he bought fully into the masking and got at least 5 mRNA boosters that I know of, it is axiomatic that his "new sources" were merely parroting the same wrong rhetoric.

By sparing yourself the need to sort through BS, you effectively give yourself a big "CPU upgrade". Think of buying an laptop that has a low-end i3 processor and 4GB of RAM. You would be hard-pressed to do much useful work on it. But if you had a high-end or even mid-range i7 processor and 32GB of RAM, you can do some serious work with it. So let's say you have this latter machine. But you have a CAD program that does 3D rendering. You run that at the same time that you run a massive spreadsheet model, while editing photos, while running a local backup, while running several other resource-intensive programs. You have effectively throttled it down to an i3 with 4GB of RAM. This is a huge reason you should not burden your brain with sorting through BS.

Probably several times a day, you encounter sources of BS that could bog down your brain from i7 to i3. Make a point of eliminating as many of them as you can. Watch your effective processor go up to an i5, and RAM steadily increase. Once you've eliminated all of them, you have serious processing power to devote to things that actually matter. Most people have problems they are not equipped to handle, not smart enough to deal with. But they have the equipment, they just bog it down. What if you had a genius to figure out how to:

• Know exactly what to say to brighten someone else's day.
• Fix most items in your home.
• Prepare meals that are nutritious, delicious, and non-toxic.
   
• Stand out at work as a A+ player.
• Organize your work areas (kitchen, garage, office, etc.) for efficiency, aesthetics, and cleanliness.
• Quickly learn a new sport or hobby.
   
• Design the perfect workout program for you.
• Find opportunities for yourself and others.
• See through a con right away.
   
• Easily navigate your way around a city you have not been to before, without GPS.
• Negotiate an excellent deal.
• Keep out of trouble financially, medically, legally, socially, physically, emotionally.
   
• Find great deals on things you really want.
• Avoid buying low-quality items that fail to meet your expectations.
• Remember dozens of people on their birthday or other special day.
   
• See what's going well and appreciate it (as opposed to being angry over what you cannot control).
• How to assemble something that comes unassembled, doing that quickly and with no errors.
• Be conversant on many topics, knowing more than just a little about them.

You have that genius. You are that genius. You just need to focus on what matters, rather than wasting your CPU cycles on sorting through BS, dealing with unnecessary drama, fretting over the latest fictional health scare, getting upset over fictional blunders committed by President Trump, or any of the other nonsense that tends to occupy people's minds and turn their i7s into i3s.

The first i3 processor was released in 2010. Those "No Kings" people have made themselves so stupid, their brains have been throttled down to the power of the 8085 which came out in 1976. It is why they cannot have a rational conversation or in any way perceive reality. They are addicted to BS, the same way a crack addict is addicted to cocaine. It's not that they have a different viewpoint, it's that they need to spend time in mental rehab. But we do not need to worry about them, what we need to do is apply the full power of our i7s and i9s  to living this life in the best way we can.

Readers may recall from previous editions that it is important to define our terms. What does Microsoft mean by "support?"

1. Security updates. If you use Malware Bytes or something similar you really don't need these. Especially if you follow the basics of "safe computing" (don't click on links from dubious sources, don't randomly surf, etc.). However, there are "cleaner" anti-malware programs than Malware Bytes and many small shops refuse to install it.
2. User Interface changes that lead to frustration. These serve no purpose, so you will not have to endure them anymore.
3. Breaking of your network, if you have more than one computer and they are networked.
4. Nag notices.
5. Random reboots.
6. Edge acting like parasiteware.

Why anyone would miss this kind of "support", I have no idea. That said, I like W11 better than W10.

Does buying a new machine make sense for you? That depends on the old machine. If it's more than five years old, consider replacing it. I have a laptop that is >10 years old, I am keeping it for specific reasons but also replaced it recently. If your computer is underpowered, upgrade it or replace it.

If you do replace your current machine, do so with an eye to making it obsolescence-proof. Get a gaming machine. It doesn't have to be a high-end gamer, but you want something that can last a long time. My old laptop is still faster than many of the new laptops today. A low-end computer is not a good investment.

Best way to buy a new machine? Go with a small builder, rather than order on Amazon. You could, for example, visit a local computer shop. See what they have. You can get surprisingly good deals. My friend Lee owns a local shop, he does mostly corporate work. I went to him and got an excellent deal. There was no "friend's discount", I don't believe in that sort of thing and would refuse to accept it. I got a discount mainly because of the big orders he places with HP. I had to wait a bit, but it was worth it. I will tell you more about Lee, in a bit.

When you see systems online, there's a lot of price competition. To get the lower price, the builders scrimp on something that's actually important. This leaves you with a computer that does not provide the user experience you thought you were paying for. In my opinion, paying $399 for a computer means you just wasted $399. This is one reason I never buy a prepacked, pre-built desktop machine. They are going to cut something important to reach a price point. My goal is not to save $50 and be miserable, my goal is to spend exactly what I need to spend to have a machine that does what I need both the day I get it and many years later.

Some general advice on specs:

• Go big with the video card. A gaming video card will drive a huge display at a high resolution and a high refresh rate. This reduces eyestrain, it's worth the extra money. For a desktop system, go with an 8GB card. Because of my work, I have many browser windows and applications open simultaneously. With a 4GB video card, I used to get screen freezes and other issues. My first solution was to waste time managing windows and apps, which cost me productivity. The 8GB card was a permanent solution, no more problem. Caution: Unless you are a serious gamer, don't spend money going beyond a mid to low end gaming card. Consult your builder, if unsure. The size of the video card will dictate what kind of motherboard and case you can get.
• Get a decent gaming motherboard or get what's called a "business motherboard". The entry level products in this class are affordable and will do the job. Also, all of them will eliminate the need for a sound card for most users. Consult your builder.
• Get a nice case. Many people scrimp here, but don't scrimp. It makes a lot of difference aesthetically but also in terms of user comfort (noise) and component longevity (cooling). A quiet case with big fans is a "must have". You also want various usability features such as easy to reach USB ports.  Ask your builder for a recommendation.
   
• Get a premium power supply. Not so much the sheer number of watts, but one that has a good design and reputation. Ask your builder. Lee builds gaming machines and high-end work stations (way beyond what I am using). He simply will not try to get by with some cheap power supply. A cheap power supply will create no end of problems. Also, you need one that will provide the extra connection needed for most gaming video cards.
• What about expansion slots? The days of needing all kinds of extra cards are well behind us. Any gaming or business motherboard will have all the expansion slots you need.
   
• AMD or Intel? Either way is good. One thing about Intel is they have a sequential series: i3, i5, i7, and i9. If you just want a device for e-mail, general browsing, and other activities that are not particularly resource-intensive you might be happy with an i3 processor. An i5 processor is acceptable for general business use, but a mid-range i7 is better. Which of these to get depends on how much calculation load you will be doing. Discuss your typical applications with your builder. If you decide to make Lee your builder, you'd get the optimum spend here, rather than paying for what you aren't going to use or not getting what you need.
• Go big on RAM. Get DDR5, at least 16GB (32GB if you do any kind of serious work). DDR stands for double data rate, and it started replacing SDRAM about 25 years ago. I don't recall what SDRAM means, but who cares? If your motherboard won't accept DDR5, upgrade to one that does. If you have an older machine that maxes out at DDR4 and you just want to upgrade it a bit, then go with DDR4 until you are ready for a new build.
• Get two M.2 drives. These are an order of magnitude faster than the bay-mounted SATA SSDs that are cabled to. You boot up almost instantly. Have a 500GB for your boot drive and at least 1TB for your data drive. Almost nobody does it this way, but it is the single best way to prevent catastrophic data loss. I used to reinstall Windows annually, because it would get corrupted due to drive errors that accumulated after all the read-writes. By having my data on a separate drive, I never risked having Windows installer overwrite them. Backup is much easier, I just designate D: drive (d is for data). I also know where all of my user data are, and can easily build a filing system that is sensible.

About Lee:

I've known Lee for over a decade. He's got a membership at one of the climbing gyms I go to. He's not a climber, but this climbing gym has an excellent weight room and Lee goes there to train. Lee is an America first patriot, yet another reason to do business with him. But I think from a customer experience two aspects are paramount: competence and integrity. Lee has both of these. He does excellent work. His corporate clients coming back because things are done right, systems are reliable, and users are happy. And his integrity means you don't get ripped off, stuck with cheap junk, or conned into overspending. If you are tempted to buy a system via Amazon, stop. Visit Lee at Hyper Computer and Battle Games, https://hcabg.com/. That's not a paid ad. Lee is somebody I trust, he didn't ask me for a plug and I didn't offer one. I just did it out of service to my readers.

I did not set out to do this, but now realize I have repeatedly said "consult your builder" in the recommendations above. Lee is a good person to consult.

5. Security tip

It is far safer to back into a parking spot than to back into traffic. That is why, for example, UPS will fire a driver for pulling in head first. If you take a defensive driving course, this method of parking is one of the things they will teach you.

The common argument against this sensible, safety-enhancing practice is it takes a lot more time and everyone else has to wait while the back-inner makes a big production of backing in and out until the car is finally parked straight. That argument does not hold for people who have adequately learned how to drive a car.

The only extra time taken to back in is where you pull slightly past the space and stop before backing into it. A driver who cannot execute this maneuver smoothly also cannot parallel park and has the same problem backing out after pulling in head first. We also have to wait on people who back into traffic, and it is a spectacle because they cannot see behind them. They are counting on distracted drivers to see them and pedestrians (including dogs on a leash) to get out of their way.

It actually takes LESS time to park safely (backing into a dead space) than it does to pull in head first, when you count this exit maneuver. I tend to park perfectly between the lines, and so do most others who routinely back in. Those who pull in head first have a much lower percentage there, and if you think about it you can understand why this is. The least competent drivers are the least likely to attempt backing in, they take the easy way because they simply cannot park a car correctly no matter which way they park.

At the very least, always pull through to the next spot when pulling into one of those double row parking spots (common in grocery store lots, for example). This way, you simply pull out again instead of backing out. There's no backing up at all this way, so it saves time, saves fuel, and improves safety.

Remember back when it was illegal to dress like a bank robber and then enter a bank? Today, banks allow people do do this, as if being mentally ill is a perfectly acceptable excuse for this behavior. Ah, but I digress. The getaway driver never pulls in head first. For an obvious reason. That reason is also good for people who are being stalked as they leave a place to get into their car.

If you were taught wrong and don't know how to perform back-in parking or parallel parking, you can probably find How To videos online.

6. Health tip/Fitness tips

	Do you set an alarm clock? If so, do you set it to tell you what time to wake up or what time to stop for the day? It is conventional to set an alarm clock to wake you up. This is not the best use of an alarm clock. If you set it to: Tell you what time to stop for the day and then proceed with your process of getting ready for bed you will wake up in plenty of time to be on time. An exception might be if you need to catch a red-eye flight. But generally, this is the better way to use an alarm clock. Jar you awake, then you go through your day with diminished mental capacity. You may be on time, but you won't be "all there". I stopped setting an alarm clock decades ago. It isn't necessary, for two reasons: I know about how much sleep I need, so I allow for that number of hours plus a buffer for falling asleep. I also set a buffer at the rise time to allow for some over-sleeping. For my last corporate job, I reported at 0700. But I typically got to work 20 minutes before that--0640 was my target time. I arrived totally unrushed, relaxed but energetic. I determined that rising at 0540 would allow me time to have a good breakfast, dress sharply, do my morning hygiene, and make the short trip in. So I planned on rising at 0518. I would go to bed with that time in mind. Sometimes, I would oversleep a bit but not past 0540. Contrast this to the conventional practice of staying up too late (working late into the evening, watching TV, whatever) and then needing an alarm to jar you awake. You start every morning with stress. Why? You can prevent that by simply going to bed at the time needed for you to be up as needed.
	Most of us need a wind down before bed. I used to read to my cat (she has since passed away), reclining in my easy chair until I got sleepy with her lying on top of me. Reading is a great wind-down activity. Doing anything with a screen is not good for wind-down because of the blue light issue, but even with special glasses it can still be overstimulating. My ex-wife (RIP) used to relax with a cup of chamomile tea. She would just sit quietly for a quarter hour and have her tea. Meditation is a good relaxant, in fact there are many relaxing rituals you can choose from. The point is to pick one and make it your ritual. Perhaps you try something and it doesn't do the trick. After a few weeks, try something else. If you're out of ideas, ask other people for theirs. Some things to avoid: Tapping into any kind of news program or newsfeed. Allowing yourself to have thoughts about past mistakes, finances, needed home repairs, health issues, politics, or anything else distressing. Going over your To Do list. Raising a gripe with your spouse or significant other. Thinking about work, especially any looming deadlines or project problems. To sleep better: Change your bedding weekly. Wash it in hot water with 1/3 the recommended detergent. Do not dry on high heat, do not use fabric softener. Other than maybe an air purifier and a simple clock, don't allow electronics in your bedroom. Use blackout blinds or similar to darken the room as much as is practical.
Perhaps you feel that your employer puts more value on your arriving by a specific time than on your being fully there and able to contribute in smart ways with reduced error rates. The reality is your employer probably doesn't consider this a choice between mutually exclusive goals. If you take your job seriously enough and your health seriously enough that you go to bed early enough that you naturally get up when you need to get up, then you will be on time, be fully there, and be able to contribute in smart ways with reduced error rates. Adequate sleep is incredibly important, and those who fail to get it are at a big disadvantage in many ways. If you've had problems waking up, solve those by shutting down at a specific time and then going to bed with your total sleep hours in mind. If you have built up a big sleep debt, and most people have done exactly that, set aside some nap time on weekends so you can more quickly pay that down. You might need the morning alarm clock until you are no longer in a sleep deficit and until you properly set your internal clock. But wean yourself off of that as soon as you can.

At www.supplecity.com, you'll find plenty of informative, authoritative articles on maintaining a lean, strong physique. It has nothing to do with long workouts or impossible to maintain diets. In fact:

• The best workouts are short and intense.
• A good diet contains far more flavors and satisfaction than the typical American diet.

The Communist Party, which considers thinking Americans a threat to THEIR democracy, follows the Marxist doctrine of stealing from the poor and middle class to benefit those who least deserve the spoils of theft and who have historically put it to the worst possible use.