Are you programmed properly yet? Seriously, we are being had by the borg...

  It has been over a month since I broke free of the computer war game I was playing every day, no matter where or when. The designers, wanted a international game, multi-players and all time zones. Their goal was to make money, anyone's money was good. They had a good solid design and they monitor player activity, because if they don't the players go away and speak ill of their product. So now I have more money, time and am doing productive things.... it would have been fine if I needed to watch a screen while I healed. But I am getting healthier. Adventure, learning, combat, rewards and fame for advancing in levels and power in the game.

   It does become addictive, and if you are impatient you can buy gold pieces and buy weapons, training and advancements. Getting your high much faster, but the crash is exactly the same - is that all there is? Flat - until the next struggle for success. Humans are wired that way. So after about two years of play, I said good-bye to my team and was out of there. I, my avatar is now a ghost city producing everything so that any attacker gets rewarded without bursting through my defences and troops. I still have gold that no one can touch, still have my armor and level. I would just have to play again and recover my former power and might. Not going to do that. I am free.

  At the YMCA, I have used two different software programs to monitor my activity, one on my home computer, and one an app on my digital distraction device (electric tether telephone w/apps). I have been a compulsive note taker for years on mileage and repetitions, not that I had ever look back at the numbers, but if you graph them you can see what is changing and any thing that changes with effort. Not much except health changes without moving. I feel good enough to think I should put my motorcycle back on the road and go visiting... so I must be feeling very good. Don't worry, I haven't started the lawn mower up yet, that will be first.

  As I sip my second cup of coffee, I hear that reverse mortgage might... whatever, they do want you to be chained by: debt, guilt, too many things and personal responsibility. Poor alternatives for love, conversation, simple games and gentle touching other lives. But they know you won't be had if you aren't on their lists - still answering a phone? No matter who calls? Did you think the Pope was calling? The President? The Queen?

  Some fool programmer is putting together a code to determine if you are going to commit mass slaughter. It will be based on known data Age, Sex, and all your financial transactions, data drops and photos on the internet and every word written, and sung by you... Social status, family, friends and political activity. To survive you will have to adapt, innovate and overcome, or just disappear.