Wednesday, December 31, 2008
And the Cars
I also have to mention as a pass the madness is that people are seeing today as a great time to show off their old cars by driving down Colorado.
Pasadena Rose Parade Prep Pictures
The festivities were in full swing as people officially and legally began their squatting in order to have a great view of the parade. It almost made me wonder if there was such a thing as a professional street squatter, because some of these people are much too organized.
For example, at first I only saw portable chairs lining the streets, but soon there were sleeping bags, then air mattresses, and finally full fledged cots. These people are ready to sleep in style! If it got cold I saw at least half a dozen people with the portable heaters that restaurants use, propane, the height of a lamp post, like I said, professional. There were extra propane tanks, logs for burning, coolers for food, tables, the whole nine yards. I can't believe that these people still have 20 more hours to go. And what could express the scenario better than pictures snapped with my Storm (pardon the low quality).
Zombie preparations:
For example, at first I only saw portable chairs lining the streets, but soon there were sleeping bags, then air mattresses, and finally full fledged cots. These people are ready to sleep in style! If it got cold I saw at least half a dozen people with the portable heaters that restaurants use, propane, the height of a lamp post, like I said, professional. There were extra propane tanks, logs for burning, coolers for food, tables, the whole nine yards. I can't believe that these people still have 20 more hours to go. And what could express the scenario better than pictures snapped with my Storm (pardon the low quality).
Zombie preparations:
Lining the streets:
These people are prepared:
More Parade Observations
The Rose Parade web site says that people are not allowed to stake out a spot on the street until noon on the 31st (that's waiting 20 hours for the parade) but on my 9AM walk to work I saw no less than 50 people already claiming their positions. They'll probably be allowed to stay because what would really be the point of booting them for 3 hours but wow, all for a Rose Parade?
And maybe it's because I've been playing a game killing Zombies but the fenced up store fronts, which is now the rule rather than the exception, is exactly what I picture from the coming zombie apocalypse. Cause you know zombies can eventually break down wood if you just board up your windows but putting chain link fence would probably be pretty effective. Walking down Colorado makes me feel like I didn't get the memo and I really shouldn't be out by myself without a shotgun. Paranoid, or perfectly reasonable?
And maybe it's because I've been playing a game killing Zombies but the fenced up store fronts, which is now the rule rather than the exception, is exactly what I picture from the coming zombie apocalypse. Cause you know zombies can eventually break down wood if you just board up your windows but putting chain link fence would probably be pretty effective. Walking down Colorado makes me feel like I didn't get the memo and I really shouldn't be out by myself without a shotgun. Paranoid, or perfectly reasonable?
Tuesday, December 30, 2008
Pasadena Prepares for the Parade
Having the unique opportunity to live and work on the very street which the world famous Rose Parade passes along has granted me a unique opportunity to see the many many preparations that the city and vendors go through, both to profit, and to protect their property.
The first sign that the rose parade was coming were the large (one might say huge) sets of bleachers that went up in an open grass field along Orange Grove Blvd. After that I was surprised to see them popping up like mushroom at just about any available space along Colorado Blvd. First it was in front of an AT&T corporate building, then a parking lot, then the mall. If it was wide enough and the trees were short enough, a bleacher can be put in.
The next bit of Pasadena magic was the hauling away of covered bus stops. One would have thought, looking at them that there were a more or less permanent fixture. I guess that isn't entirely true because over the course of Monday, the 29th, every covered bus stop I see on my walk to work disappeared.
And the final bit of protection from the masses who will line the streets of Pasadena were the stores and homes that put up fences, I presume because there is no other reasonable means of protecting your yard/property. The entire mall along Colorado (the Paseo Colorado) appears as if it will be fenced off. Several stores with large windows have put fences along their store front.
Along Orange Grove Blvd. they put large wooden beams in the ground so they could rope off people from walking into the street and fences behind so that they wouldn't spill into people's yard. And they just repeat this process every year, digging the holes for the beams and filling them right after like it never existed. Quite a lot of effort overall, and I saw it all first hand happening around me.
The first sign that the rose parade was coming were the large (one might say huge) sets of bleachers that went up in an open grass field along Orange Grove Blvd. After that I was surprised to see them popping up like mushroom at just about any available space along Colorado Blvd. First it was in front of an AT&T corporate building, then a parking lot, then the mall. If it was wide enough and the trees were short enough, a bleacher can be put in.
The next bit of Pasadena magic was the hauling away of covered bus stops. One would have thought, looking at them that there were a more or less permanent fixture. I guess that isn't entirely true because over the course of Monday, the 29th, every covered bus stop I see on my walk to work disappeared.
And the final bit of protection from the masses who will line the streets of Pasadena were the stores and homes that put up fences, I presume because there is no other reasonable means of protecting your yard/property. The entire mall along Colorado (the Paseo Colorado) appears as if it will be fenced off. Several stores with large windows have put fences along their store front.
Along Orange Grove Blvd. they put large wooden beams in the ground so they could rope off people from walking into the street and fences behind so that they wouldn't spill into people's yard. And they just repeat this process every year, digging the holes for the beams and filling them right after like it never existed. Quite a lot of effort overall, and I saw it all first hand happening around me.
Monday, December 29, 2008
Google keeps impressing me!
The short version of the article linked in the title is that a UPS driver, upon trying to deliver a package when the resident was not home decided to make his job easier and sign on behalf of the resident and just leave the package. The UPS driver signed "Terrorist" as the name of the turban wearing Sikh whom the package was to be delivered to. This was the ad attached to the article.
Yes, that's one ad for Turbans and one ad for a UPS Franchise. That's using keywords right. I especially like that the Turbans being offered are "for hair loss or fashion", not any religious preference.
Wednesday, December 24, 2008
Google's just trying to help
Type in "How much does" into google's search bar and wait just a second or two... top two helpful suggestions: How much does the president make? and How much does an abortion cost?
And in case you were curious, $400,000 and $200 - $1000.
And in case you were curious, $400,000 and $200 - $1000.
Christmas is for Kids
It may not be a popular thought but it's one I firmly believe in. Adults don't need Christmas, so why do they cling to the ceremonies that could so easily be passed over?
Kids need Christmas. They don't have steady income, they always want lots of things they can't have, and they generally have a lack of the fundamental concept that being lavished with presents on this certain holiday had to come out of someone else's pocket and at their expense. Adults also seem to reap pleasure in seeing a child's face light up with excitement upon opening a gift, so there is a mutual exchange of joy.
Adults on the other hand do not need Christmas. They are either capable of acquiring goods on their own or should realize that anything unattainable should not be acquired. The fact that irresponsible people see it as a time to splurge now and make up for later is a vestige of childlike immaturity that should be excised as soon as possible so that the growing up can begin. The exchange of presents between adults also does not seem to have the excitement element for various reasons:
a) The present was not exactly correct or not wanted/needed in the first place
b) There was not present parity (i.e. they spent more or less than you in this "exchange")
c) It would have been easier/cheaper for you to get it yourself
Just as there comes a time when a child passes to adulthood and no longer receives checks in their birthday card, so too should adults move on with the Christmas gift exchange. Let it be about the kids. Lavish kids, treat yourself if you can afford it, but drop the notion that you need to run out and get some present for everyone that might get you a present. As an economist, there is a huge amount of inefficiency and waste in this process that deserves to be dropped.
Kids need Christmas. They don't have steady income, they always want lots of things they can't have, and they generally have a lack of the fundamental concept that being lavished with presents on this certain holiday had to come out of someone else's pocket and at their expense. Adults also seem to reap pleasure in seeing a child's face light up with excitement upon opening a gift, so there is a mutual exchange of joy.
Adults on the other hand do not need Christmas. They are either capable of acquiring goods on their own or should realize that anything unattainable should not be acquired. The fact that irresponsible people see it as a time to splurge now and make up for later is a vestige of childlike immaturity that should be excised as soon as possible so that the growing up can begin. The exchange of presents between adults also does not seem to have the excitement element for various reasons:
a) The present was not exactly correct or not wanted/needed in the first place
b) There was not present parity (i.e. they spent more or less than you in this "exchange")
c) It would have been easier/cheaper for you to get it yourself
Just as there comes a time when a child passes to adulthood and no longer receives checks in their birthday card, so too should adults move on with the Christmas gift exchange. Let it be about the kids. Lavish kids, treat yourself if you can afford it, but drop the notion that you need to run out and get some present for everyone that might get you a present. As an economist, there is a huge amount of inefficiency and waste in this process that deserves to be dropped.
Friday, December 19, 2008
Somebody Lock Paulson up QUICK
All quotes from MSNBC.com
December 16th - Paulson also said he has no current plans to ask Congress to make the second half of the $700 billion financial rescue fund available before the Bush administration leaves office on Jan. 20. But he added that the administration was prepared to move quickly, if necessary, to tap the extra resources.
For that reason, he said he did not see a need to request authorization from Congress to tap the second half of the rescue package, but he left the door open to making such a request if situations changed.
December 19th - Treasury Secretary Henry Paulson said Friday that Congress will need to release the last half of the $700 billion rescue fund because the first $350 billion has been committed.
December 16th - Paulson also said he has no current plans to ask Congress to make the second half of the $700 billion financial rescue fund available before the Bush administration leaves office on Jan. 20. But he added that the administration was prepared to move quickly, if necessary, to tap the extra resources.
For that reason, he said he did not see a need to request authorization from Congress to tap the second half of the rescue package, but he left the door open to making such a request if situations changed.
December 19th - Treasury Secretary Henry Paulson said Friday that Congress will need to release the last half of the $700 billion rescue fund because the first $350 billion has been committed.
Probably a bad idea
From Joystiq: "There's more uses for your Rock Band mic than simply belting out off-tune renditions of Lump or clubbing your roommate as he reaches for a bite of your chili dog. ESPN reports that next year's MLB 09 The Show will allow players to record cat calls to be yelled out from the stands using a microphone or wireless headset.
Calling the feature Trash Talk 2.0, the article reveals that the game will mix your recorded chants or insults so they sound as if they are a part of the crowd and not just coming from a single overzealous fan with a booming voice. With this, virtual baseball competition will likely get a bit more personal when MLB 09 The Show arrives on March 3."
Why is it I expect to hear a little worse than "Hey batta batta swing batta" when this comes out...
Calling the feature Trash Talk 2.0, the article reveals that the game will mix your recorded chants or insults so they sound as if they are a part of the crowd and not just coming from a single overzealous fan with a booming voice. With this, virtual baseball competition will likely get a bit more personal when MLB 09 The Show arrives on March 3."
Why is it I expect to hear a little worse than "Hey batta batta swing batta" when this comes out...
Thursday, December 18, 2008
Statistical Trickery
From CNN: "For example, a study by Harvard researchers found that each additional 12-ounce soft drink consumed per day increases the risk of a child becoming obese by 60 percent."
Without knowing the baseline this statement is worthless, yet it's no where in the article. If the risk of a child becoming obese was 1% then 1 soda increases their risk to 1.6%, not a big deal. If the risk of being obese is 30% then 1 soda raises them to 48%. Now that's a big deal. So obviously it's somewhere in between, but the media would prefer to give the impression that the first soda raises a child's risk of becoming obese TO 60% and by the second soda they're downright doomed. That's strength in numbers.
Without knowing the baseline this statement is worthless, yet it's no where in the article. If the risk of a child becoming obese was 1% then 1 soda increases their risk to 1.6%, not a big deal. If the risk of being obese is 30% then 1 soda raises them to 48%. Now that's a big deal. So obviously it's somewhere in between, but the media would prefer to give the impression that the first soda raises a child's risk of becoming obese TO 60% and by the second soda they're downright doomed. That's strength in numbers.
Monday, December 15, 2008
Caught up in the Spirit
Shopping at Whole Foods I saw a display that highlighted the phrase "Feed 100". I inspected this burlap pouch that had the Feed 100 stamp on it and read the tag, which proclaimed that by purchasing this reusable grocery bag you would be helping the environment by cutting down the number of bags produced and wasted and provide meals to feed 100 children in schools in Africa. I did have two reusable grocery bags but they were not made out of nearly as durable material as this cotton/burlap bag and were starting to develop holes so I decided to "purchase" this $25 bag which in my mind was really a donation to the cause of feeding children in Africa.
Then I got bored and went on the internet. This is what I found that disappointed me on the www.feedprojects.org website which created the Feed 100 bag: "When a Whole Foods Market customer buys a FEED 100 bag, $10 will be donated by FEED Projects’ foundation, FEED Foundation, to the World Food Program’s Rwanda School Feeding operation; with the remainder going to cover the costs of the bag and oversight of the program by the FEED foundation. To further help the initiative, Whole Foods Market is not making a profit by offering the bags to its shoppers."
Now, reading their formula leaves me a little disappointed in the organization. It seems it only takes $10 to feed 100 children, we all know that "covering the costs of the bag" is really a nominal cost, which means that the largest chunk of the purchase is going to "oversight of the program by the FEED foundation". I'm sure they're doing good things but it disillusions me with all charitable giving that most of the money being given ends up going to administration and advertising. If you give a dollar and only thirty cents makes it to the worthy cause you wanted to support, doesn't it make you less inclined to give a dollar? It does for me. I'd like a foundation that existed which had all of the administration costs covered by an initial benefactor who donated to establish the cause, and all outside donations could be used for the direct purpose they were intended for. Somebody show me this cause and I'll support it (or maybe make it my own cause).
Then I got bored and went on the internet. This is what I found that disappointed me on the www.feedprojects.org website which created the Feed 100 bag: "When a Whole Foods Market customer buys a FEED 100 bag, $10 will be donated by FEED Projects’ foundation, FEED Foundation, to the World Food Program’s Rwanda School Feeding operation; with the remainder going to cover the costs of the bag and oversight of the program by the FEED foundation. To further help the initiative, Whole Foods Market is not making a profit by offering the bags to its shoppers."
Now, reading their formula leaves me a little disappointed in the organization. It seems it only takes $10 to feed 100 children, we all know that "covering the costs of the bag" is really a nominal cost, which means that the largest chunk of the purchase is going to "oversight of the program by the FEED foundation". I'm sure they're doing good things but it disillusions me with all charitable giving that most of the money being given ends up going to administration and advertising. If you give a dollar and only thirty cents makes it to the worthy cause you wanted to support, doesn't it make you less inclined to give a dollar? It does for me. I'd like a foundation that existed which had all of the administration costs covered by an initial benefactor who donated to establish the cause, and all outside donations could be used for the direct purpose they were intended for. Somebody show me this cause and I'll support it (or maybe make it my own cause).
Thursday, December 11, 2008
Connect the dots, la la la la
"households reduced their debt levels by 0.8 percent at an annual rate in the July-September period, the first drop on records that go back more than 50 years."
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.
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"banks...have tightened lending standards and made it harder for people to get loans."
"Mortgage debt fell at an annual rate of 2.4 percent in the third quarter, the largest decline on record."
.
.
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"Since the housing bubble began to deflate in 2006, roughly 3 million homes have been lost to foreclosure. Over the next two years, another 3.6 million are expected to lose their homes."
.
.
.
"banks...have tightened lending standards and made it harder for people to get loans."
"Mortgage debt fell at an annual rate of 2.4 percent in the third quarter, the largest decline on record."
.
.
.
"Since the housing bubble began to deflate in 2006, roughly 3 million homes have been lost to foreclosure. Over the next two years, another 3.6 million are expected to lose their homes."
Wednesday, December 10, 2008
Blackberry Storm
Soon enough I will tell the masses (that's you Erik!) about my experiences with the Blackberry Storm. First, I'm going to make fun of MSNBC. I'm just going to say that I don't trust a tech column written by the lady in that picture. Maybe I'm being judgmental to a fault but that picture just doesn't scream "Cutting Edge" to me. The fact that this article was written on 12/10 (Wednesday) even though the update was released for download the Friday before and available over the air on Monday, and the author only noticed the update icon show up Tuesday evening only adds to my concerns. Now I'll question journalistic integrity. The below quote claims to include an e-mail from a fellow storm user with typos. l e a r n r n g... that second r is nowhere near the i they were intending. Blackberry's fault? u... they're tying in shorthand so who knows what texting language they may have been attempting and what autocorrect predictive text adjustments the blackberry software may have been trying to make? ko... k n o w... how'd they mess that one up? That's only two keystrokes on a screen designed to tell you exactly when you've actually pressed a button! qhw? qhw.? when? Maybe the keystrokes on the left thumb are shifted over one? And finally, ag = at (aiming too low for the t obviously) and kwyboafd (they pretty much manage to screw up every button they use their left hand on for this).
I don't want to go and call this downright fake, but I do think that the person who may have been sending the e-mail was trying to type as fast as possible to exaggerate the errors and make a good point for an article that was two days late and a dollar short of content.
License to Kill (part 1 of many)
I would like a license to kill the person that stands right next to the cross-walk button, intending to cross, but doesn't push that button. I think that should be a god given right, but short of that I think that I should be able to apply for a license that allows me, with the full permission of our government, to kill that individual.
I would be happy to take tests that would prove I can make a clear and unbiased decision that it is both fair and appropriate to use my licensed power. I am pretty sure any judge in this fair country upon analyzing the circumstances of the situation would agree that this person deserves to die and that my actions would have been appropriate.
So who's in charge of giving out these licenses?
I would be happy to take tests that would prove I can make a clear and unbiased decision that it is both fair and appropriate to use my licensed power. I am pretty sure any judge in this fair country upon analyzing the circumstances of the situation would agree that this person deserves to die and that my actions would have been appropriate.
So who's in charge of giving out these licenses?
Tuesday, December 09, 2008
See? I was right!
So days after my complaint about the NY governor getting to pick Hillary Clinton's replacement, here is the IL governor getting arrested for trying to sell Obama's vacated seat! See how it would be better if democracy was running the show rather than governors getting to call the shots? So yeah, I guess this guy pretty much proved my case, open and shut.
Monday, December 08, 2008
Mirror's Edge
I tried posting this on my 360 Blog but anything there will quickly get lost with the post/day format so I'm bringing video game reviews back over here!
Mirror's Edge is a new genre of game. The developer commentary that they make you feel like the action hero rather than feeling like you are controlling the action hero actually came through. The game was brilliant, but had its flaws.
Mirror's Edge is a new genre of game. The developer commentary that they make you feel like the action hero rather than feeling like you are controlling the action hero actually came through. The game was brilliant, but had its flaws.
Despite other gamers' gripes, I found the controls to be perfectly suitable to normal game play. I never got in depth enough to see whether the controls would limit me perfecting a time trial, but that was never my focus in playing the game. The movements were all fluid and the variety of character animations depending on the situation make interacting with the environment exciting without being tedious. I might as well also say that the outside environment is gorgeous, and I wish I was able to spend more time outside rather than running around office building floors and through ventilation ducts.
As we transition to the gripes, my biggest complaint is with lack of direction. At first I scoffed at the idea of seeing red objects that would guide me through a level. In outside environments there are so many objects that you naturally see several paths that you could take and don't need to have your hand held. What the developers missed is that indoors, when they laid out only one or two options for getting to a destination, a little hand-holding would have cut a ton of grief. To express how many times I died because I didn't know that at the bottom of a series of stair cases all I had to do was walk into the revolving doors and it would trigger the end cut-scene (I died many times and needlessly knocked out many opponents before discovering this) or the fact that every boss has one solution (hint: DISARM THEM!!!) but you don't really know that they're a boss until you've been punching and kicking them, tried to get around them, and then realize you're just going to have to try something else. This game needed a big heaping tablespoon of helpful guidance. From the ever present voice in your ear to maybe some marks on the wall to suggest where you might need to wall-climb, something would be appreciated.
Ultimately, this game was designed for the hard-core. You are meant to struggle through the first time with some direction. Later you are meant to push yourself now that you are familiar with the level, until you can do it in an extremely short amount of time. 8 minutes and 30 seconds sound like a pretty short time to pass Level 1? Well the qualifying time for the time trials is 6 minutes so you fail. That's definitely catering to the hard-core audience if you ask me.
So as I packed up Mirror's Edge and sent it back to Gamefly, I'll try to remember how sweet it looked to wall-run, turn, jump, wall-climb, turn, jump to scale between two buildings. I'll ignore the fact that all the time trial stuff existed and just assume it wasn't made for me in the first place. Thanks EA/DICE for trying something different!
I didn't know companies could do this...
"[3M is] ordering some workers to take vacation or unpaid time off for the last two weeks of the year."
Even ordering employees to take vacation is ballsy... ordering them to take unpaid time off for the last two weeks of the year?!? I guess times are rough (and employees don't do very much from 12/15 to 1/1). I wonder if that means 3M doesn't pay them for holidays either!
Even ordering employees to take vacation is ballsy... ordering them to take unpaid time off for the last two weeks of the year?!? I guess times are rough (and employees don't do very much from 12/15 to 1/1). I wonder if that means 3M doesn't pay them for holidays either!
Friday, December 05, 2008
Democracy
When someone in office dies and their spouse steps up to fill the position, that makes sense to me. People elected someone and the spouse can continue that person's legacy and then if they want, when the time comes they can run for election as their own person next go-around.
I don't really get (actually, I get it, I just don't like it) why random people can be appointed during this government turnover/transition phase. Senator Hillary Clinton becoming Secretary of State? New York Governor gets to pick someone/anyone he wants to fill her place. Does that seem right in a democracy? I would actually prefer that more people have to lay their neck on the lines during these elections. Obama and McCain both want to be President? OK, then since you can't be President and a Senator you should step down from your Senate role ahead of time and risk not being a politician if you really want a run. None of this "backup plan" bull shit.
There are so many cases of political nepotism that nobody even bothers to point them out but it's frustrating that the barriers of entry to outsiders are so tall.
(Note, the person that may be appointed is Caroline Kennedy... yes, one of the Kennedy's. Qualifications? Attorney and Author, only surviving child of JFK... I rest my case.)
I don't really get (actually, I get it, I just don't like it) why random people can be appointed during this government turnover/transition phase. Senator Hillary Clinton becoming Secretary of State? New York Governor gets to pick someone/anyone he wants to fill her place. Does that seem right in a democracy? I would actually prefer that more people have to lay their neck on the lines during these elections. Obama and McCain both want to be President? OK, then since you can't be President and a Senator you should step down from your Senate role ahead of time and risk not being a politician if you really want a run. None of this "backup plan" bull shit.
There are so many cases of political nepotism that nobody even bothers to point them out but it's frustrating that the barriers of entry to outsiders are so tall.
(Note, the person that may be appointed is Caroline Kennedy... yes, one of the Kennedy's. Qualifications? Attorney and Author, only surviving child of JFK... I rest my case.)
Great Headlines People, Keep 'em Coming
From the front page of MSNBC:
"Job market could get worse, forecasters say"
Brilliant!
"Job market could get worse, forecasters say"
Brilliant!
DRM to the Xtreme!
If companies really want a handle on the used game market they just have to keep the reins on magical unlock codes. Buy a game, there's a code in the box (this is for the people without teh internetz). Buy a used game and you have to go online and request a code ($5 fee please).
So what if nobody ever went online? How would it know the code had been used? The douchiest way would be to make people call a number to activate, but that would take infrastructure. I would say just let those people who don't go online reuse the code, but the first one that logs on at any point destroys the code from then on out for anyone else trying to use the code (i.e. I play with code A, someone else buys it from me and I give them code A, they go online and code A gets assigned to them then if I ever go online my system will say the code has been used and I have to get a new one.) If I never sell my game then I'd never have to worry about it, online or off. If I sell my game, there's the obvious incentive to hold on to the code so someone else doesn't activate it causing me to lose my game or pony up $5. The only ones ever safe are those that NEVER connect to the internet on their consoles (a dying breed I'm sure).
I think that it's brilliantly evil. Thoughts? Holes in my armor? Discuss!
So what if nobody ever went online? How would it know the code had been used? The douchiest way would be to make people call a number to activate, but that would take infrastructure. I would say just let those people who don't go online reuse the code, but the first one that logs on at any point destroys the code from then on out for anyone else trying to use the code (i.e. I play with code A, someone else buys it from me and I give them code A, they go online and code A gets assigned to them then if I ever go online my system will say the code has been used and I have to get a new one.) If I never sell my game then I'd never have to worry about it, online or off. If I sell my game, there's the obvious incentive to hold on to the code so someone else doesn't activate it causing me to lose my game or pony up $5. The only ones ever safe are those that NEVER connect to the internet on their consoles (a dying breed I'm sure).
I think that it's brilliantly evil. Thoughts? Holes in my armor? Discuss!
Thursday, December 04, 2008
Perfectly Normal
From MSNBC.com:
"The Argentine navy says a cruise ship carrying 122 people is adrift and taking on water in Antarctica but is in no danger of sinking."
Color me cynical but isn't there at least some danger of it sinking? I mean, it is taking on water... in Antarctica. Sounds dangerous.
"The Argentine navy says a cruise ship carrying 122 people is adrift and taking on water in Antarctica but is in no danger of sinking."
Color me cynical but isn't there at least some danger of it sinking? I mean, it is taking on water... in Antarctica. Sounds dangerous.
Tuesday, December 02, 2008
Stupid Comment re: Blackberry Storm
"[I]n its zeal to cash in on some of that iPhone touch-screen mania, R.I.M. has created a BlackBerry without a physical keyboard. Hello? Isn’t the thumb keyboard the defining feature of a BlackBerry? A BlackBerry without a keyboard is like an iPod without a scroll wheel. A Prius with terrible mileage. Cracker Jack without a prize inside."
I'm guessing this quote struck most tech-savvy people as odd but I added the emphasis just to point out how quickly the reviewer made themselves sound like an idiot. Within a few short sentences of acknowledging the iPhone (I am assuming awareness of the iPhones non-phone iPod Touch sibling) they shudder at the thought of an iPod without a scroll wheel! The author should bury their head in shame and review from ever writing gadget reviews again. The author was David Pogue, btw.
I'm guessing this quote struck most tech-savvy people as odd but I added the emphasis just to point out how quickly the reviewer made themselves sound like an idiot. Within a few short sentences of acknowledging the iPhone (I am assuming awareness of the iPhones non-phone iPod Touch sibling) they shudder at the thought of an iPod without a scroll wheel! The author should bury their head in shame and review from ever writing gadget reviews again. The author was David Pogue, btw.
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