Welcome to another installment of Good Mourning, it’s Monday! This weekly blog looks to cover various topics in the news, along with personal stories or encounters from the past week at home and work to help you through your first day back at work (unless you don’t work). Hopefully my seven followers like this and share this to make it eight. Enjoy…

Clocking In

Weather: 36 degrees, bit cool
Traffic: Pleasantly not terrible
Breakfast: Caramel latte
Zach arrival time: 9:10-ish
Mornings without Starbucks: 287

Monday Mourning Metaphor

When last week sucked, but it’s a new week, new you:

New podcast. Yes, new.

So it’s been too long. I’m a little rusty behind the mic, but I banged out an episode with old guest Mike, aka Young, aka The Wrestlin’ Investin’ Investor to talk a little XFL, NFL, and other dumb stuff. If you’re looking to kill an hour and a half of your miserable day, then I suggest you listen:

I picked the Patriots to lose. Why am I so negative?

I had a moment of clarity yesterday after recording the podcast. Well, we could have classified it as a therapy session, but regardless, it was revealing of why I am the way I am when it comes to being so damn negative about the Patriots (regardless of their success).

Simple answer: 2007

Picture this: it’s 2007. The Patriots have won three Super Bowls in the past 6 years. They’re steamrolling other teams en route to a 16-0 regular season, and an 18-0 record heading into the Super Bowl. It’s looking like Tom Brady will have himself an easy path to his fourth Lombardi Trophy and a perfect record in both Super Bowls and the 2007 season.

Then comes the day of the big game. Not a worry in my brain about this game at all. I can vividly remember watching pregame and talking to my brother about the parade. Yes, kickoff hadn’t even taken place, and we were already discussing which day of school we would miss to go watch the Super Bowl parade. The thought of losing wasn’t even remotely in my mind. It wasn’t possible. It couldn’t happen. The Patriots would win yet another game, just like they had every other game that season, and move on to the parade. Simple enough.

Well folks, that shit did not happen. The one and only game they lost was the final game of the season. The only game that mattered. The game I was so confident about, it was like watching a rerun of a TV show anticipating the end. Except this time, it did not happen like I remembered.

So that’s the stem of my negativity. Despite the Patriots winning five titles, Brady/Belichick reaching an eighth together, I am still a pessimistic asshole when it comes to these games. Because after 2007, I take none of these games for granted. When Super Bowl XLVI rolled around for a Giants/Patriots rematch, I just knew they would blow the game yet again. And they did. Yes, they’ve won two more since, but they easily could’ve lost them as well. It’s too close for me to ever be comfortable.

Although I’m excited for this championship game, I’m still cautious. Plus, the 10-year anniversary of Super Bowl XLII is this Saturday, the day before the Patriots play. Is that on my mind? Yup. Will ESPN run replays of the helmet catch continuously THE DAY BEFORE THE SUPER BOWL? Absolutely they will. And that will be a reminder to not take this game for granted.

(Prediction: 31-27 Eagles)

Starbucks executive chairman thinks a “trusted” digital currency is on its way, continues to be stupid

(AP Photo/Kin Cheung)

[Source: CNBC] – “One or a few legitimate” cryptocurrencies are coming, but bitcoin is not one of them, according to Starbucks’ executive chairman and former CEO, Howard Schultz.

“I don’t believe that bitcoin is going to be a currency today or in the future,” Schultz said, during a post-earnings conference call Thursday after the closing bell on Wall Street. (Shares of Starbucks were under pressure on Friday after another quarter of disappointing sales growth as holiday offerings failed to draw in customers.)

Instead, Schultz told investors he sees potential in blockchain, the online ledger technology underlying digital currencies. “I’m talking about … the possibility of what could happen — not in the near term, but in a few years from now — with a consumer application in which there’s trust and legitimacy with regard to a digital currency.”

“I’m not bringing this up because Starbucks is announcing that we are forming a digital currency or we’re investing in this,” Schultz said, according to audio of the call on the Starbucks website. “I’m bringing this up … as we think about the future of our company and the future of consumer behavior.”

Well folks, Starbucks is all it again. This time, it’s one of the head honchos over at the douchebag coffee company. First they refuse to serve me a Unicorn Frappuccino, now they think fake money will fund their coffee shops. Sad!

Dude, your sales sucked during Christmas time. How do you fail during the biggest season for basic-bitccez looking for holiday-themed coffee drinks? Your company is built off the pumpkin and Christmas seasons, and you failed. And now you think fake money will bring you back? What’s next, Monopoly money will be accepted?

I’m humored by this story, so I’ll do this: if Starbucks utilizes digital currency and see’s massive gains because of it, I’ll go back. That’s how confident I am that they’ll crumble yet again. I’m not sure of how much or how long, but it has to be big. Big enough for me to say, “damn, it’s really working. Guess I have to use real life money at Starbucks.”

But until that day comes, they’re not worth my time or money.

People are hacking into ATM’s like it’s a goddamn movie

[Source: Forbes] – For several years now, hackers in search of big cash payouts have been targeting bank machines. With the help of an accomplice or two on the ground and some sophisticated malware, they’ve been able to trick ATMs into dispensing millions of dollars.

Security professionals refer to these attacks as jackpotting. You may have seen one go down on the big screen, but make no mistake: jackpotting is very real. In fact, the Secret Service has been tracking a string of recent attacks on American ATMs.

Jackpotting attacks are highly coordinated and typically the work of criminal gangs. They’ve been going down in other countries for years, but security experts aren’t surprised that criminals are now hitting ATMs in the U.S. One key reason is that many bank machines are still running Windows XP and are highly vulnerable.

The Secret Service is urging operators to update their machines to Windows 7, which they say is all it takes to prevent this particular attack.

Am I reading this right? No, not hackers remotely stealing millions of dollars out of ATM’s. But ATM’s run on Windows XP? What year is this? Why the hell are ATMs running on software that grandmothers aren’t even using these days? My mom sucks at using a computer, and even she would say, “wow this is outdated.”

What’s the limit on this? Are we going to find out that traffic lights run on solar power, or office drinking water is pulled from a well? Seriously, how on god’s green earth are we still using Windows XP in any capacity???

P.s.   Anyone who says the term “ATM machine” is a moron. What do you think ATM stands for? “Automated teller machine.” So is it an automated teller machine machine? No, you stupid idiot.

Song of the Week

It looks like Jaromir Jagr is headed back to Europe to play hockey, as the Flames sent his old ass out of North America. Sad times in the NHL indeed.

Have any stories to share? Suggestions? Feedback? Send them to ZacharyAdamGray@gmail.com or tweet me @ZacharyAdamGray