J Marcus Daily
Cell Phone on the brain
Cell Phones are everywhere. It seems as if everyone has one, and sometimes two, and they can’t stop talking. Obsessed with being in contact with friends, loved ones, business contacts, the babysitter and telemarketers people are on the phone in line at the supermarket, getting gas, in theaters right till the opening credits, even while out with friends. People are talking to the “someone else’s” in their lives more than the one sitting right in front of them, and it’s driving me insane.
I’m probably not the first to say it but I’ll probably be the most vocal. What the hell is everyone thinking? Aside from the ranting and raving I could do about the love affair with the cell phone in general, cell phone etiquette or rather the lack of it, makes me almost lose it.
I watched a woman at a department store pick out her clothes, go into the dressing room, and proceed to the checkout all while on the phone. Watching her across the way, I could see the cashier went through the entire purchasing process while the woman was still on the phone. It was one of the rudest things I’ve seen being taken as common place. We’ve all seen rude people doing rude and crass things but usually someone takes note of it or calls them on it. Here, it was just one more customer in a long line of them for the cashier. No one else in line seemed to even notice because a couple of them were on phones themselves.
Do we really want to hear about Jason not asking Susan because he’d really sleeping with Cindy but he would do Katherine if only he’d break up with Steve? They don’t even try to talk in a hushed voice, walking around as if they were in a special sound proof bubble they talk about private, intimate, and confidential things without a second thought to the people around them. Corporate America want to know what your competition is doing, just listen to the conversations of their employees as they are grocery shopping.
If more people would think twice about whether it really is necessary to call anyone at anytime, or be gotten a hold of for that matter, is really important to their lives or businesses. Has the world really changed so much? I can’t believe anyone is claiming bankruptcy because they weren’t able to talk to someone on the phone at a particular instance.
Am I the only person who seems to care about how blatant this has all become? I wish I had a device that could scramble cell phone signals if they came within five feet of me. Not to do any great damage, but to protect me from their blatant disregard for my space. Step to close and your calls get dropped. Unfortunately, a device like that would be banned by the FCC; they protect the public’s right to be assholes on phones. Of course, you won’t find that in their official charter.
Like Invasion of the Body Snatchers, there are more and more people converted to the cause of the cell phone. One day I will look up and I’ll be the only one left who isn’t indoctrinated into believing it is my God given right to talk to anyone, at anytime, as loud as I like about whatever topic I damn well please. The day that happens, no one will take the time to read this column. And once they do discover this subversive anti-establishment writing, there will be a knock at my door soon after.
Sorry, gotta go there’s someone at the door.
National Do Not Call Registry
Telemarketers. We all hate them. I could rant and rave about being bothered during dinner or while watching TV, all for the sake of being sold some whatchamacallit. Undoubtedly so could you. There are devices for blocking and zapping unwanted phone calls, most everyone has some form of caller id, and still the calls seem to get through. You can tell them to remove you from their list. There are even laws with stiff penalties for those who continue to call, if you’ve got the time and patience to log who’s been calling and follow it up with a lawsuit.
Recently I instituted a sure fire way to get back at the solicitors. It won’t stop them from calling but it will surely make them think twice about calling back. This evening for instance: at around 5:40 the first call came in from a company wanting to know about my insurance situation. Snapping up my clipboard from beside the phone I set to work making the solicitor work for his no. I took the lead in the conversation by asking questions.
Who am I speaking to?
What company do you represent?
Where is the company headquarters located?
Where is your call center located?
What is the phone number from where you are calling?
All questions solicitors are required to answer by law.
When he asked why I was curious I explained I was taking a survey, and since he called to ask me some questions I’m sure he’d be willing to answer some in turn. He tried to push past by questions and work in his product, but I shut him down.
“How long have you worked for ---?” He wasn’t sure why I needed to know that. “Well, if your trying to sell me something I’d like to have an idea of how long you’ve worked for the company.” And so on, and so forth. This went on, for about five or six minutes before he said goodnight after I asked him to remove me from his list. The next call didn’t even make it past the required questions before hanging up.
This may seem like a lot of work and effort on my part. Only took a few minutes to write up the list of questions and put them on a clipboard. Yes, it does take a little while to talk to these people but I have to do that anyways when I answer the phone. I might as well have a little bit of fun while I’m at it.
And at the end of the day I’ll have documentation I could use in court if I ever feel the need. It feels good to have a little power over my phone again and now I’m not dreading answering the phone at 6:20pm. It might just be another respondent for my questionnaire.
Down with Rebates
Mail-In Rebates
Viva! Revolution! Grab your pitch forks. Stoke the bonfire. Take that ole’ guillotine out of the basement and set it up in the town square. The mob must unite to topple this marketing nightmare known as mail in rebates. Burn ‘em. Burn ‘em to dust. We can’t allow this scam to continue any longer.
Consumers have swallowed the mail in rebate scam hook, line and sinker. Instead of looking for the best sales price consumers are actually counting rebates into their buying decisions. Never mind that 80% of all rebates go unfilled. Or that those that do have to wait six to eight weeks to get their money back. Rebates are not good for the consumer. They allow companies to reap the benefits of our cold hard cash until they deem all the proper paperwork has been filled out.
What happened to the good old sale?
Consumers seem content to fork over $399 today only to wait on the promise of their money returned. I think I’d rather pay less at the checkout counter. Wouldn’t you? Perhaps if we all banned together and stopped buying products based on mail in rebates then they’d get the idea. If a product is going to be cheaper make it cost less today, not jump through fiery hoops to get the money.
Or at the very least offer the rebates online so we can fill out the forms quickly and easily. No, I like the no mail in rebate better. On with the revolution.
Keep your photos online for all to see
PhotoSite - Share photos and create online photo albums for free - includes photo software
Digital Camera's have taken the world of electronics by storm. Consumers have quickly adopted this relatively new technology. The idea of having a photo lab in your own home is appealing to a great many photo enthusiasts. Even Grandma and Grandpa America have taken to digital photos in both the taking and the receiving.
With the increase in resolution of cameras quickly moving from the early days of 1 Mega pixel cameras to more than 8 Mega pixels, the file size of the average picture has grown considerably. Some E-mail services limit bandwidth and file sizes. Download times can reach into the hours on a dial up connection.
The solution, for many is off site photo hosting. This isn't a new concept. Kodak has been offering this since they first started making digital disks for consumers to take home. The idea is simple. Download your photos to a website, setup how you'd like them to be laid out, and send the address to your friends and relatives. No more clogged e-mail boxes. No more attachments that for security reasons should never be opened anyway. Those interested can visit the site at their leisure, download the pictures they like, and in most cases print them out for their own albums.
There are numerous services available both as pay sites and free. The terms of use are different with each of them: limiting bandwidth, storage space, unique webpage layout, personalized web addresses, and a host of other services.
Homestead, the point and click website hosting company has ventured into photo hosting with their new site, photosite.com. A free service that is simple to use and offers speedy uploads. They provide custom URL's, flexible album creation, privacy controls and camera photo connectivity. There are also thousands of styles to choose from when selecting album layout, frame and color schemes to allow for endless personalization. There is a simple editing tool function built in for cropping, brightening, or to tint and correct redeye. Add captions to the photos with customizable fonts and best of all Photosite claims upload speeds 10X faster than e-mail. And did I mention it is free.
Eventually, the free basic service will move to $4.99 a month after the trial period. As a Homestead customer I under a trial period but it isn't clear how long this will last. Still, I recommend checking this one out at least for the free period to see if this is actually for you.
There is a pay version for professionals and power users allowing for unlimited photos, ad-free web pages, and a personal domain call photosite deluxe. This service is $7.99/Month or $69.99/Year.
Death of DVD
Sony shines light on Blu-ray DVD plans | CNET News.com
Format Wars
In the ever changing entertainment market new technology is the lifeblood that ensures future profitability. We all know the story of VHS and Betamax, DVD and Divx, not to mention the hoards of other competing entertainment formats that have come out over the years.
DVD has been a huge success for businesses and consumers. Providing some of the best digital entertainment money can buy. Enhanced sound and picture to match televisions that until recently never saw their specs pushed to the limit.
DVD is quickly approaching a decade of supremacy on our media shelves. Some people have only just begun to get rid of their VHS collections. And in the bowels of the entertainment industry a rumbling is beginning. They are hoping to catch up with what many technophiles already know, DVD doesn't have the level of quality necessary to match output with the resolution on High Definition television sets. Rather traditional DVD discs don't have the capacity necessary to hold a HD quality movie.
The movie companies know that once the number of HD TV's move past the early adopters, consumers are going to be looking for content. Satellite and Cable companies have already been scrambling to provide HD programming. The studios don't want to be left out in the cold when that day comes.
Of course, every electronics company wants to own the licensing on whatever technology is used. Sony backed Betamax, minidisc, and host of other less than popular and ultimately failed formats. While they have been successful with a host of other technologies this time they aren't leaving things to chance. As one of the nine founding companies promoting the new Blu-ray Disc technology Sony is certain they are backing a winner.
HD DVD is a rival format also seeking to come out on top. Who knows who will win? In this very competitive market it is likely we won't ever see any product released from studios until it is decided. Companies are loath to have their catalog on competing formats the disasters of which some learned during the DVD vs. Divx days not so long ago.
Technical specifics on both formats are hard to come by. So for now, we wait with baited breath to see who comes out ahead. Actually, most people don't know about this little battle and it won't really matter until Winter 2005 when studios begin to release content and consumer electronics companies put their boxes on the shelves.
Democrat, Republican? Know the real difference.
MSN Encarta - How Do You Tell a Democrat from a Republican?
The Presidential election has moved into high gear. The debates are on, lawn signs have sprouted with wild abandon, and the money spent airing one election commercial would be the equivalent to winning the lottery for the rest of us. Political conversation heats up at this time when there are only two real choices for President: Republican or Democrat. Invariably these conversations pit various people with their never-ending platitudes of right and wrong against one another. Moreover, during the debates the topic will invariably lead to the core beliefs of both Democrats and Republicans being discussed ad nausea. Before you open your mouth and make a mistake, make sure and read the above-abbreviated information on the history of both parties.
In a world where information overload is a daily reality people still find plenty of opportunities to be wrong. And when I say wrong, I mean wrong, not a matter of opinion- A retort trodden into the ground by those having no better way to make their point. When facts are erroneously construed and become the basis of incorrect thinking, these opinions are not worthy to be spoken. Sure, they have the right to be stupid but why do we extol the moronic and sophomoric.
So, get your information correct before you form those opinions you have such great right to blather on about. Read a book. Find a good website with real information. Pick up an encyclopedia or a dictionary. Never stop learning. Instead of quoting one-liners from the front of the newspaper, get the real scoop. Mistakes will be made. At least it won't be because of bad information.
And please remember to vote. It does matter even if it doesn’t always feel like it makes a damn bit of difference.
Drinking Driving and Cell Phones
Insure.com - auto insurance - The most dangerous foods to eat while driving
Watch what you eat while driving in the car. According to this article on Insure.com, based on surveys by insurance companies and the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration (NHTSA), eating and driving is a dangerous mix. Does drinking a cup of coffee cause more accidents than a bottle of beer? Will it soon become illegal to eat and drive at the same time?
For the time being drivers are still free to zoom down the freeway at sixty-five juggling cell phones, coffee cups, and scanning the radio or shuffling CD's. Whether the law should or shouldn't infringe on our right to drive and eat may never become a serious topic for public debate. Aside from the fact, that most American's don't like laws that interfere with their own lives, business might have the last word. With many companies profit margins being based on the consumption of food and beverages while driving, not to mention the number of electronic gadgets for our cars there is no reason to believe a law will ever be passed curtailing distracted drivers.
Sure, a handful of communities have passed laws against driving and talking on a cell phone. It's a long way off before it'll become illegal to drink a Tall mocha Latte while operating our two-ton mechanical conveyance. So eat up in the fast lane, don't forget to put the cell phone down long enough to give your fellow travelers the bird, and flip through your satellite radio stations to your hearts content, their won't be any sirens or flashing lights coming to get you today.
Megacorporations
CNN.com
Here is a crash course in the world of business conglomerates. Test your knowledge to see if you really know who owns who. The conventional wisdom of scifi pundits argue that the world will one day only have a handful of really powerful companies who own everything seems to be drawing closer every day.
A couple of my favorites are listed below. Who would've guessed the link between the New York Post with FOX television, the TV Guide and the Los Angeles Dodgers. Viacom has its hands in a bunch of cookie jars owning everything from Blockbuster to MTV, CBS, and Nickelodeon, Paramount and UPN, along with Showtime, Black Entertainment television, Country Music Television, VH1, and Comedy Central. Talk about a powerhouse of entertainment. Seems like you can't surf through the cable channels without hitting at least a dozen Viacom ventures. Less of an odd duck is Cheetos, Doritos and all the rest under the Frito-Lay banner being linked to Gatorade, Quaker Oatmeal, Pasta Roni as being a part of the Pepsico Corporation. Sony pretty much sticks with the world of electronics and entertainment, but who would've figured Sony Life Insurance.
And this is just enough to wet your whistle. There's a dozen more companies poised to rule the world. Given enough time the pundits might turn out to be right. Then god help us when our mortgage loan is help by Mickey Mouse.
Death to late charges
Netflix
Sure watching the latest new release from the rental store can be fun but everything else associated with it can be a real drag. Friday night standing in line at Blockbuster isn't what most of us had in mind while counting the hours till the start of our long awaited weekend. Even worse can be the torment of having to return the movie. At least now, we don't have to worry about the 'Please be kind and rewind' mantra with the acceptance of DVD. Even the best of us have returned a movie late and had to pay the late charge. Rental stores couldn't turn a profit without them. Not me. At least not any longer.
I'm one of the devoted converts to the ways of Netflix. If you're not familiar with this online rental store check out the website. Basically, you pay a monthly charge and get to rent as many movies as you can watch in that time. You're allowed a set number of DVD's checked out at any one time. But wait, this is the best part, no late fees. Keep the movie as long as you like and never get charged another penny. When you're done with the DVD send it back in a prepaid envelope and wait for the next one to show up in the mail.
As a DVD reviewer I subscribe to the 5 movie membership. This way each time I open up the mailbox there is another movie waiting. Just looking at the cost to rent a DVD at your average rental store this membership more than pays for itself. Personally, I average a little more than 5 movies a week. Netflix is great. All the movies I rent...Well that's another story.
If you pay any attention at all you probably already know I don't like many things. Most of what is advertised doesn't live up to expectations. This is one time where I feel perfectly justified raving about this service. Check them out and enjoy your movies late fee free.
(Recently, Netflix increased their rates and due to their increasing the 8-out membership at a higher level than the other memberships I’ve dropped to the 5-out program. This is my own way of protesting since my letters to the company fell on deaf ears. Still, I love their service and as long as things remain status quo I’ll continue as a customer.)
Alternative to Internet Explorer
mozilla.org
Tired of Internet Explorer or Microsoft products in general. Maybe, you're like millions of Internet users worldwide who hate Spam and Pop-ups. If so, then clearly, it's time for a change. And Mozilla might just do the trick. It worth at least a visit to their website to learn what this open source Internet Suite can do for you.
Currently, I'm working with Mozilla 1.5 instead of the standard Windows products. Primarily, I'm using it for e-mail and browsing. The Pop-up blocker has worked seamlessly since I installed it. As well as the Spam filter software. I receive well over a hundred e-mails a day from readers, friends, colleagues, and my share of unsolicited commercial crap. Thus far, it has worked splendidly.
The Mozilla browser has a great tab browsing function allowing multiple pages to be run from tabs located around the border of the browser. Saving relevant bookmarks allows users to pull up a host of web pages with the push of one button. Instead of having a handful browsers each running separately as with Internet Explorer, these tabbed pages are easy to access.
At this point, my only concern is over the speed of the browser. It does its job but it doesn't seem to work as smoothly as Internet Explorer. With Explorer I rarely see the image placeholder while a page is instantaneously downloading. I can't say the same for the Mozilla browser. This may be an issue with my set up or a bug they are working on, only time will tell at this point. However, as I said, it does its job. If you are a power Internet user this is worth a test drive.
Firefox is another alternative if you don’t want the full suite of Mozilla and are willing to test out the latest enhancements to the browser. Personally, I’ve found Firefox to have fewer issues and move faster than Mozilla. This may be a fluke so I’m going to run it through a series of tests to make sure. I’ll report back on Technovations in the next few weeks.
Fun with numbers
Emode.com - The Super IQ Test
Have a little time on your hands? Your wife, girlfriend, friend, father, mother, husband call you stupid recently? You know you're smarter than you sound, but how do you prove your mental strength? Emode.com has the answer. The IQ test. Tap your intellectual strengths; get a personalized report detailing the inner workings of your mind and a fancy score to boot.
Seriously, this is a great little tool for gauging where you sit on the ladder of human intelligence. PhD's around the world have placed a great deal of stock in the validity of an IQ test. You've met these people at cocktail parties smoothly dropping their IQ score into polite dinner conversation. Now, you too can join the crowd. Or at least learn to avoid the subject all together.
Now, without getting into scores, I'll say I took this test recently and had fun. A few pointers before you sit down to do this exercise. Turn off the TV, put the kids to bed, and don't take it too seriously. The test is straightforward enough. Answer the questions get a score permanently placing you into an intellectual box you'll be straining to get out of for the rest of your life. Argg. No, really, as I said, this is for fun. Take the test. You may just learn something about yourself. Just don't talk about your score at any cocktail parties or I'll have to visit your house with a baseball bat.
(Author's disclaimer: All references to violence and/or physical harm of any kind should be taken in context and not as a factual representation of future acts. Take it from experience, if he plans to clobber the garden gnomes perched on your front porch, you'll never see him coming.)
A mouse is just a mouse.
I love electronics. You name the gadget and I probably like it, own it or would like to own it. From DVD players and Home Theater to Laptops and MP3 players, I devour everything I can on all sorts of electronic equipment. Lately, I've been taking on more assignments reviewing technology so I've been able to purchase more of the latest and greatest in the tech industry. Almost daily, and much to the dismay of my wife, I find a new device to bring home. Yesterday, in fact, I went out and purchased the Logitech Wireless Trackball to replace my mouse.
Trackball? You might think I'm crazy. Most people use mice and they seem to do the trick. Until recently, I never even thought about making the switch. Years ago my brother-in-law had one and I hated it. Rolling my fingers around on this little ball making the cursor run around the screen didn’t feel right. Like many, I liked my mouse. The alternatives weren't much of alternatives. Trackballs? Pen Tablets? Give me a regular mouse. Nothing fancy, just something to move my cursor around and get my work done.
Then my wrist started to hurt. My arm hurt thinking about working on my computer. So, I began to do some research. Wireless. Optical. These two innovations added a great deal to my standard roller ball three dollar mouse. After reading every review I could get my hands on, and spending hours playing at the computer store with every model in stock, I bought a new mouse. Then a second. Then a third.
While they each had their own bit of 'Wow' factor built in, after a week or two of working with them my wrist still hurt.
My wife doesn't quite get my obsession with electronics. She understands this latest Mouse Crusade even less. And she probably won't be excited when I get into replacing our antiquated keyboards. For now, I've just started using the trackball. As with most of the new input devices, it was easy to install and Windows XP quickly recognized it. The Logitech Trackball is USB standard and comes with a PS/2 adapter. Right off, the first thing I found useful was the number of extra buttons, eight in all; each customizable with a wide range of options to program them. Scrolling on the Web is nice, and the page forward and back buttons come in handy.
Other than playing games, the trackball has become my preferred means of working with a computer. It's quick response time and ease of use during prolonged surfing sessions is far superior to a standard mouse. If you use a computer for more than an hour or two a day, I'd recommend giving a trackball a try. Otherwise, it probably isn't worth trying to get used to one just for intermediate use.
Mr. Dad or Almost Retired?
stay at home father
This statement of fact has become a buzz phrase of late. Only a couple of years ago when I first became a dad there were only a few men staying at home with their kids. An anomaly to be sure. Why is God's name would anyone want to stay at home with the kids? A large part of the male understanding of being a man is wrapped up tightly with being a families breadwinner. Going from the head of household to the "Woman" can be a bit difficult. As men, our egos need stroking and you certainly don't get that when you're wiping a baby's dirty ass. Except, right now, Stay at Home Father's are In Vogue to be sure. Their doing the talk show circuit, writing books, and making websites devoted to this fab new idea in alternative families.
When Andrea, my wife, and I decided to make this change in our family arrangement we weren't going out of our way to be part of the in crowd. For us, it seemed to make more sense than going the conventional route. She had a career she loved, and I was starting a new career that allowed me to be at home. The only other alternative was for him to go into day care. Even if it wasn't extremely expensive it ultimately wasn't the way we wanted to raise our child. He is our responsibility. We shouldn't pay someone else to take care of the day to day raising of our kid. Spending weekends and an hour or two in the evening on weeknight actually doing hands on parenting, doesn't sound right for us. Thus, I became Mister Dad.
This what I like to call myself, Mister Dad. Sounds better than all of the other alternatives running rampant in the media. Mister Mom gained national credence when Michael Keaton lost his job and stayed at home with his kids doing battle with the vacuum and his sanity. No offence to all the mothers who are at home, but I'm no woman. I may stay at home, and take on many of the responsibilities we men have expected of our women for generations, but I'm not a woman. If a woman can do the job of a man in the work world and be afforded respect, then a man should be able to do the same in what has been a woman's world.
Recently, there are a bunch of idiots who call themselves Stay at home Dad's, or SAHD for short. While I agree I'm a stay at home Dad, I'm not SAD. We don't need a title. Or a special badge. All I'd like to see is a little respect. Being a parent isn't easy, staying at home alone all day with kids isn't easy, and it doesn't much matter if your a woman or man. Neither of the sexes get a rule book or a manual on being a good parent. I like to think it comes from hard work, determination, and lots of patience.
Your hair smellls like butter
Last night I got a rare treat. For most of this week, I’ve been up all night leveling up my character in Fable. The game is entirely addicting and I haven’t been able to put it down. Doesn’t hurt that my wife has been out of town this week, so I get to do all the things I can’t normally do, like staying up all night playing Xbox.
Last night Andrea came home and I actually planned to get some sleep. Unfortunately it just wasn’t to be. For dinner, I’d given Tristan, my three year old a baked potato for dinner. Straightening up the house I’d neglected all week, I let my son eat his dinner while watching his favorite cartoons. A few minutes later, I came back in to find him next to the counter with his hands dipping into the five-pound tub of butter. Scooping handfuls into his mouth, he screamed when I grabbed it away from him. A brand new tub and he’d eaten about a third of it.
If he can drink rubbing alcohol than I guess 2 pounds of butter isn’t much of a stretch. Of course, if you think that is gross, it’s much worse coming back up. Little did I know he was a ticking time bomb waiting to go off (Actually I knew, I just figured it come out over the next couple of days.)
The bomb exploded at 2 am Pacific coast time. Two pounds of creamy churned butter exorcized its way onto the bed sheets, pillow cases, bedspread and Andrea. Her hair seemed to soak up most of the fountain. Puke is bad, no matter what the form. But I have to say, butter is one of the grossest things to have spewed up all over you. The bedroom reeked of that buttery smell and seemed to coat our skin just from being in the same room.
Tristan doesn’t normally stay with us, except when Andrea has been gone for a bunch of days. A practice that I think may come to an abrupt halt. As well as ordering extra butter at the theater for my popcorn.
On Tuesday, Fable came out for the Xbox. Typically, I review a handful of games each week. I ration out the time I spend on each one so I can write the best review I can and still not spend my entire life playing video games. This summer I haven’t had much to worry about in the way of games being so good I couldn’t put down. Summer is notoriously bad time for video game releases and this summer was abysmal. All that changed on Tuesday when I popped in Fable for the first time. The house is a mess, I haven’t slept in days, and my manuscript actually accumulated dust this week.
It serves as an excellent reminder of why I’m going to hand over some of the writing responsibilities to the writing staff. Simon and the gang are eagerly putting together some great content for the website and the columns. I’ll continue to contribute but some of the daily reviews will be handled by the staff. Beth, the newest addition to the team is eager to add her two cents worth on the latest video games.
I appreacite all of the encouraging e-mails and contact with so many loyal readers. Just remember if you don’t see something written by me for a while, it’s because I’ve been locked away playing Fable and Doom 3. Ah, the inhumanity of it all.
Life goes on
September 11th came and went without much fanfare and little remembrance. My wife and I spent the evening at an outdoor concert sponsored by a local radio station. There were a few protesters with signs questioning who benefited from the 9/11 attacks. Otherwise, few talked about it. The newspaper had a couple of articles and the news lightly mentioned it, almost as if in passing.
How quickly we forget. In only a few years time we’ve gone back to life as normal, complaining about our lives, warring with our neighbors, and occasionally mentioning how much our world has changed since September 11th, 2001. That’s a little unfair. Part of life is living, and life must go on. Tragedy affects us profoundly when it happens but our ability to move forward is what gives us great resilience. It makes us a very short sided people, but capable of great things.
Has the world really changed so much in the last few years? I don’t really think so. Perhaps, that’s because I was never that naive about the way of the world. Maybe, a touch cynical but the world is what it is without putting rose-colored glasses to everything. It’s an amazing world, but one that is fraught with dangers for the blind.
There was plenty of war, death, destruction, and chaos before 9/11 we choose not to look at it. It burns our eyes and chokes our bellies with vile disgust when we think about it too much. So, the nightly news gives us pictures of tragedy always desensitizing us to the horrors and wonders of the world we live.
No, in the grand scheme of things the world hasn’t changed much at all. We still pay our taxes, go to work and school, and live our lives as best we can. We change, the world doesn’t, and yet it all stays the same.
Does that mean September 11th has no meaning, or special purpose in our lives? No. Quite the contrary, but it’s important to remember it has the meaning we give it, and whether we honor this date in history with banners, flags, parades, memorials or a simple note in one persons column makes no difference.
The eternal quest to lose weight. Whether it be for health reasons or to better fit into last years jeans Americans seem to be perpetually on a diet. With the recent resurgence in low carb diets and the always-popular magical weight lose pill, dieters have more and more options for shedding those extra pounds. I’m no expert. I’m overweight. At least according to the AMA weight/height chart for my age group.
There are plenty of people who do know about dieting, doctors and medical professionals aplenty. Except most seem to put more stock in what their friends and coworkers say about diets than those who truly know better. Before you start a plan that is ultimately destined to fail do your homework, talk to your doctor, or at the very least read some of the articles in the
Calorie King Library. Here you’ll find a good assortment of articles on health and weight loss, written by professionals.
The hardest part of the whole dieting craze is not coming up with a working plan, it’s sticking with and making a change in your eating habits. Breaking a habit is nearly impossible, unless it is replaced with a new one that works better. Our days are full of habits and routines, a self-replicating mechanism that makes it easier to cope with the tedium of daily activities. Without a better approach to dealing with our responses to these self-replicating mechanisms, we are destined to repeat the same habits over and over again.
Of course, this is just a long winded way of saying, do your research, find a plan that fits the lifestyle you want to have, and exchange your bad habits for ones that meet your goals and give you the life you want to have. It isn’t easy, but it’s better than the alternatives of doing nothing about your problems or constantly yo-yoing from one diet to the next.
J Marcus, if you were a movie, you'd be a Suspenseful Thriller
Nothing is simple. Especially you. Like your movie match, you've got lots of plot twists, and you'd like to keep it that way. That's right, you're no open book.
Whether or not you actually lurk in the shadows, you do like to keep people in the dark sometimes. Mysterious and enigmatic, you keep people guessing. When they think they've got you figured out, you enjoy throwing a curve ball their way. Maybe it's the element of surprise that tickles your fancy. Perhaps it's the shock value. Or maybe you're just intensely private. In any case, you keep life intriguing and unpredictable. And that's what makes you such an interesting individual.
This was the assessment of
Tickle.com’s personality test on what kind of a movie I’d be if I were a movie. Looking to better understand my makeup, I took a couple more of the test offered. According to the Tickle Personality tests, the Hawaiian island that best fits my personality is Maui, and I’m best suited for the newest most stylish cars currently on the market. The Maui thing I get. It’s the only island I’ve been to but it does seem to fit my personality the best. In January, we’re headed for Honolulu, so at least then I’ll have something to compare it too.
I’m not a car guy. Sure, there are cool cars out there but I’m more interested in the features in the driver’s seat than what’s under the hood. I don’t really care about what is cool, I like cars that look nice and get the job done. On that one I think the test wasn’t on base at all, but the rest are at least somewhat reflective of how I view myself. If you enjoy taking these kinds of personality tests, click on over to tickle.com and try it out for yourself. It’s just good fun.
$1 for your first 5 DVDs
A penny a book
Oh, what amazing deals Columbia House, Scifi Book Club and the rest offer if you join up. All you have to do is pay shipping and handling, and agree to purchase at least 2-5 more items within the next 1-3 years. Not a bad deal, right. Well, make sure you read between the lines. Even the best deals have a catch and not all of them obvious.
The worst are sometimes not even in the agreement form. They are things you just didn’t think about when you signed up. Like the sheer volume of junkmail you will get when you become a member of one of these clubs. Even the best of them, the ones who don’t share your information with everyone else on the planet, send you weekly or monthly updates on their product. Or there’s having to remember to send in notice that you’re not interested in this months selection. If you don’t then you’ll receive a package in the mail in the next few weeks with crap you don’t want that’s already been charged to your credit card. Then you’re stuck returning the item to the post office to be returned to them, as long as you remembered not to open the box. If you did, more times than not you’re screwed and now you own the Rich Little Cookbook and a DVD of cats singing Christmas carols.
The good news is most of these clubs have online systems for canceling orders. Scifi Book Club, while my wife and I love their product and some of the prices, has been very rude about our sending back their selections. Even if we don’t open the box they are threatening to charge us for the books whether we keep them or not. My other complaint is that even though we are good customers and have surpassed our purchasing requirements the deals aren’t any better for us, and the shipping and handling is rather high. The only way to deal with this, is for us to drop our membership with them.
On the other hand, I’ve enjoyed membership with Columbia House DVD. They are courteous, offer better deals for their preferred members including reduced shipping charges, and they make declining the Monthly Selection simple and convenient. Their pricing is all over the place but if you keep an eye out you’ll find a number of good deals, few other retailers can match.
Just remember if you’re going to join one of these clubs read the fine print and think about if you can really live up to the expectations of being a member. There’s always a better deal out there so don’t be afraid to do your homework and wait for just the right one to come along. Otherwise, being a member of some of these purchasing clubs can be rewarding.
Buying books? Where do you go? Barnes and Noble, Borders, Powell’s, Amazon and many others have made their mark selling books to consumers. Every grocery store and airport has at least a minimal selection of the latest Best Sellers. Independents are clearly being left in the wake of discount and big box alternatives, not to mention the myriad of sources on the internet. What can they do to compete? Can they survive?
It’s difficult to say. The independent book store comes in all shapes and sizes. By design they typically are owned and staffed by book lovers. Employees know more about the books they have in stock. Talk to any of them and you’ll see the passion in their eyes as they talk about their favorite authors and new releases. Independent bookstores fill a very important niche in the industry of bookselling. Here is where hardcore readers and those desiring superior customer service come for the best in buying books.
Big box retailers have their place as well. Much like the big music chains, they offer a wider selection of books and ordering abilities than many independents. Through sheer size and command of the marketplace, they dictate better wholesale deals leading many times to better deals for consumers. Buying from a large retail company also gives customers a uniformity of policies regarding returns that can’t be found through the local bookstore.
Even as an author, I’m a bit on the fence about the battle between the big box retailers and independent bookstores. In my heart, I have a soft spot for the small bookstore owner. Supporting local artists and lesser-unknown writers independent bookstores have more connection with their customers and have a better idea what they want. Corporate chains are powerhouses that look at sheer numbers and blockbuster Best Seller categories more than an individual writer.
They each fill their niche. I buy from the big guys on Best Selling books when their prices are the lowest. Generally, I go in looking for one particular book. Whereas, the local bookstores I frequent when I want to pick up a bunch of books, or have no idea exactly what I’m looking for. I spend hours looking and talking to the owner while my son plays with her cat.
I for one hope there never will be a day when we don’t have the option to choose. If all the independents are one day put out of business, it will be a sad day for readers. Supporting local bookstores is a bit like supporting the local library and that is something most agree we should do.
Board Friends
Once you’ve passed the bar hopping, clubbing age adults eventually settle in to a different perspective on what entitles an evening of fun. A casual dinner out at a nice restaurant or blockbuster show at the local multiplex becomes the norm. Occasionally having friends over for a barbeque and an evening of board games can spice up Friday and Saturday nights.
There is a whole host of board games on the market, and everyone has their favorites. Pictionary has always been a perennial favorite. We can get into some rather raucous games and if we don’t watch it, it can get out of hand. (My brother and I still don’t speak after our last game nearly turned into fisticuffs. Of course, that’s another story.)
Personally, I really enjoy
Taboo although this game takes more people and for some reason not all of our friends find it as much fun as I do.
Cranium is a favorite at our closest “couple” friend’s house. They love this game along with most of America. For some reason I can’t quite get into it. It has Pictionary elements so it seems like a logical one for me to enjoy. The nice thing is the makers of Cranium have actually produced updates for their game (
Cranium Booster Box), something I wish they'd do for Pictionary.
Recently though, this same couple introduced us to
Catchphrase, a hot potato style word guessing game. It’s fast paced antics make it a great game to play with a group of friends around the dinner table. There is both an electronic and regular game, but I recommend the electronic version because it has over 10,000 words in ten different categories. This has by far become our favorite party game.
Scrabble remains a great game to play when you have older couples over, parents and grandparents always enjoy this one. Risk is fun with friends but it isn’t a couple’s game. Better for a guy’s night when you have four or five hours to conquer the world with the throw of the dice. Monopoly is really more of a play it in the afternoon while on vacation at the beach house than a couples game. Trivial Pursuit seems to fit under this category as well, mostly because it takes so damn long to play. Who can start a game at 7 or 8 at night and not finish until the crack of dawn? No one in the thirtysomething crowd I can tell you that.
Camping always brings out the cribbage board and many team tournaments in the evenings around the campfire. Yes, I know this one is usually only played by the over 50 crowd but something about the game has grabbed a hold of my friends. It’s a good one to play and enjoy without having to take too seriously.
Labor Day’s Origins
Driving back from our holiday weekend camping trip my wife asked me how Labor Day started and what it signified. Stupidly I remarked that it probably had to do with the end of the summer harvest season and might be a tradition we brought with us from our history with farming.
Wrong. After unloading the minivan of all our camping gear I set down to research the history of Labor Day. After I read the answer, I felt rather stupid. Most people probably already know what Labor Day is all about, for those few like me who don’t, I’ll give you a condensed version.
Surprisingly Labor Day has only been around for little over a hundred years. During the rather tumultuous years with Grover Cleveland as President, organized workers had been beaten down and the labor movement had all but stalled. In 1893, the Pullman railroad company faced a downturn of their business with a national depression that was going on at the time. Orders for new trains were declining and the owner George Pullman started laying off workers.
Pullman owned everything in the town of Pullman, Illinois and so even the workers who remained took wage cuts while their rents remained the same. There were little workers and residents could do since Mr. Pullman owned everything and working for his company was the only way to make a living. The employees walked out demanding higher wages and lower rents. This small protest got the attention of the larger national union and railroad workers across the nation began to protest, sometimes violently and destructively. Rioting, pillaging, burning railroad cars and general mayhem ensued sweeping up even those not involved into the mob.
The strike quickly became a national issue as railroad executives were panicking and mail was delayed. The President declared the strike illegal and a federal crime. Sending some 12,000 troops to restore order and break the strike escalated the problem and some deaths resulted. The strike though, was doomed. August 3rd, 1894 signaled the end of the strike. However, because 1894 was an election year Cleveland tried to appease workers and enacted Labor Day. He ultimately lost the election.
While civic leaders hailed Labor Day as a time for the common worker to take a day off from their toils and stand shoulder to shoulder with their fellows for the betterment of all working conditions, over the significance of Labor Day has waned. For many American families it marks the last long weekend of the summer, and the beginning of the school year for most. With less than 15 percent of American workers, belonging to unions Labor Day is more or less an excuse to take a day off from work.
Bits and pieces
Sold out at gunpoint
Beijing hosts the next summer Olympics in 2008. Where Athens and most Olympics have a hard time filling the stadium in all the events, I suspect China won’t have that problem. Even if foreigners don’t come flocking to the games the Chinese government undoubtedly will ensure there won’t be any empty seats. They will go out of their way to put their best foot forward for the world and make the best impression they can. It will be interesting to see how China fairs in having the eyes of the world on them.
Tivo desperately trying to add more subscribers.
Tivo is really trying hard to get business. They’ve lowered the prices on many of their set top boxes and now are offering a $100 mail in rebate. For a limited time, they are offering the 40-hour for $99, 80-hour for $199, and 140-hour for $299. Of course, you’ll still have to pay $12.99 a month for the service or spring for the product lifetime service for a one-time charge of $299.
Our PVR changed the way we watch TV but I’m not sold on the Tivo service. Our satellite PVR has worked great and we don’t pay the hefty charges Tivo requires on top of buying their hardware. Either way, if you get a chance to purchase a PVR, DVR or Tivo (all the same thing, just different names) then get to it. If you like having control of what and when you watch on television, then this is for you.
Man is a tool-using animal….Without tools he is nothing, with tools he is all.
Thomas Carlyle
On Boswell’s Life of Johnson
For a technologist this seems an accurate quote, an order affirming proclamation. In the chaos of biological necessity, we ask ourselves questions of life and seek purposeful answers. Man’s intellect in all its glory serves only one master, one purpose, to build. Without our instruments of engineering, we are weak animals with little else to compete against the onslaught of evolution.
Is there nothing more to humankind than the machines we build? Does technology mark our progress in the annals of time? Is our biologic imperative driving us to create a better mousetrap? Are we nothing without our tools?
We cannot argue that we are tool-using animals. It is in fact a defining characteristic of our species. Anthropologists mark our development with the evolution of our tools. Historians look to how we use those tools in building civilizations. Our entire modern civilization is obviously built around our machines and continual advancement of our devices.
Remove the tools, and what are we? What would become of humankind? It is not an easy question to answer. Those with strong spiritual ties may believe that humans are judged by God on our spirituality and morality. There are numerous examples of tribes of humans who don’t rely as heavily on modern technology as the rest of civilization. Yet, even these few tribal examples, the Native Americans included, still use and rely on tools to survive. Even the simplest of devices are creations of man, tools we use and in Carlyle’s view; those tools define us as beings.
It’s a tough question to answer. Even tougher to stomach. Deep inside me, something cries out in panic that this can’t be true. There has to be something more to us, than the tools we make. Our revulsion to this statement is emotional, and very human. However, it doesn’t bring us any closer to an answer. I will have to think on this further and explore the validity of this statement. I’d like to believe there is more to us beings than the technology we build. The trick is to answer the question with fact and logic, reasoning the truth behind our existence. Plato and Socrates would make far better philosophers to ponder this question; I’ll have to make do with what I have.
