Google Fhqwhgads

Stimulus fail

noreply@blogger.com (Craig J.) — Fri, 09 Oct 2009 16:37:00 +0000

Not much else needs to be added to this ..

I actually found this on Google tonight.

noreply@blogger.com (Craig J.) — Thu, 12 Mar 2009 03:22:00 +0000

Business profile: Visionworks
September, 2008

I really am proud of Lili for what she's done with her company.

This is how I know PETA has lost their minds.

noreply@blogger.com (Craig J.) — Thu, 22 Jan 2009 15:19:00 +0000

http://www.peta2.com/Sea_Kittens/free_stuff.asp

They want us to "rebrand" fish as sea kittens. Because nobody wants to eat a kitten. And yes, they're serious.

A moment for the history books indeed!

noreply@blogger.com (Craig J.) — Thu, 22 Jan 2009 08:07:00 +0000

Something to cheer me up

noreply@blogger.com (Craig J.) — Tue, 20 Jan 2009 19:26:00 +0000

I needed something to put me out of today's doldrums, and I happened across this, which is complete and total GEEK, I know. But I love this kind of stuff. Sue me.

1984 Atari Touch Tablet Unboxing

It's just geek porn. But I dig this stuff.

"I Pledge to Ridicule Celebrities Who Refuse to Recognize We Are At War With People Who Want to Kill Them, Too"

noreply@blogger.com (Craig J.) — Tue, 20 Jan 2009 16:36:00 +0000

This is the must-read of the day. By Andrew Breitbart.

http://bighollywood.breitbart.com/breitbart/2009/01/19/where-were-you-celebrities-after-911/

God bless, President Obama. Even though I didn’t vote for him, and disagree with much of his agenda, he has my best wishes and all of my best efforts.

But that doesn’t mean I will forgive and forget an era of narcissism, petty complaining and conspiracy theory peddling from the majority celebrity class that began well before Iraq.

Conspiracy theories of America’s complicity in 9/11 dominated cocktail party discussions for eight tedious years. They couldn’t simply disagree with Bush. They had to ascribe evil to his motivations and make sure the whole world agreed on that flawed premise.

Yet, hating the president doesn’t mean one can’t still help out the country in a great time of need. But many went to foreign countries and demeaned it instead. Called those that disagreed with them rubes and hicks. The elitism of the celebrities against flyover country America could not have been more pronounced. They made a boat-load of movies that affirmed this narrow and patronizing world view.

And now they want us back.

We’re all Americans -- NOW.

It’s a convenient lie the celebrity left peddles that they were with us during the initial Afghanistan phase of the war, and even after 9/11.

No syrupy revisionism will change this fact.

clears throat

noreply@blogger.com (Craig J.) — Sun, 18 Jan 2009 18:44:00 +0000

I want to scream this at the top of my lungs. Out of respect for my neighbors and co-workers, I will instead speak my piece here.

No, it was not a miracle

noreply@blogger.com (Craig J.) — Fri, 16 Jan 2009 15:14:00 +0000

I would have been falling down drunk last night, utterly obliviated, if I took a sip of beer for every mention of the word "miracle" last night on the evening news.

Look. There was no MIRACLE involved here. I'm really tired of hearing that word bandied about as though we're all witness to some supernatural event. What saved the lives of all the passengers was:

1) the plane hadn't achieved any more altitude or speed when disaster struck. If it had climbed a few thousand feet higher before it encountered the birds, it would have hit the water a lot harder, or (more likely) the ground;
2) the pilot was experienced, well-trained, competent and calm in the face of sudden dire circumstances (which makes you wonder about our president-elect and how he's going to handle sudden adversity when the time comes);
3) none of the passengers or crew did anything panicky or stupid.

It's ok to be grateful and happy everybody lived, but can we please put the credit where it belongs: half dumb luck and the other half on the level heads of all involved, especially the pilot. If those people needed a miracle to survive, the birds who got sucked into the plane's engine would have seen it coming in the first place and, I don't know, maybe stayed out of its way.

The Ultimate Extended Definitive Platinum Collectors Director's Cut Special Deluxe Edition

noreply@blogger.com (Craig J.) — Tue, 13 Jan 2009 21:29:00 +0000

One of the best Amazon.com reviews I've seen to date. Quoted in its entirety, sampled from the Casino Royale (Three-Disc Collector's Edition) DVD page:

Ross J. Raniere says:
Not only is this yet *another* double dip Bond release, but it's apparently the first Blu-ray double dip as well! They could have put all these features on the release the first time around (*especially* considering that the standard DVD was already bloated to a 2-disc set). If you are a fan, chances are you own this already. I'm tired of loyal followers of films getting screwed every time they make a purchase, not knowing if a re-re-re-release is around the corner. We have to do internet research before buying anything anymore-- quite ridiculous.

And if there is indeed an "unrated international cut" of Casino Royale, and that version is NOT being released with this greedy dip #2, it's even more of an insult. And if someone says, "Well you don't have to buy it!", I am going to scream. That's not the point. I *already* bought it. I am a Bond fan. I would like all the stinking features, instead of only getting a smattering of content and then see a THREE-disc re-release. When will this madness end? Why should anyone have to put up with this? How many movies (and now, sadly, TV shows) have to be put out multiple times so a fan must either wait indefinitely, or purchase the film they love only to be slapped by the studio again with another version? Ultimate Edition. Collector's Edition. How about Fed-Up Edition? I know the reason it's done is "because they can"-- doesn't make it any less crummy of a routine. And it unfortunately now has become a routine.

And how many times can the Bond films be repackaged? They were rereleased again in 2-disc editions [only in shrewdly mixed actor box sets, Connery + Brosnan together, how cute], and now *those* are coming out separately, with different (and even poorer) cover designs. Put out the freaking "Ultimate Once and For All Editions", and use the great Bond poster art instead.

And if the marketing strategy of this is to include "Movie Money" (which rarely covers the whole cost of a movie ticket anyway), I already bought the movie, so give me the movie money. I've spent a lot of money on movies and have seen countless DVD's that I've purchased be repackaged, rereleased, rehashed, added to, subtracted from (i.e. the new version doesn't contain quite all the features from the previous one, yay)-- I don't think it's out of line to be angered by these practices.

With the ongoing Bond re-releases and repackagings (with the 2-disc box set editions now coming out as individual releases), can a triple-dip be that far behind? Maybe "Casino Royale: The Texas Hold-'Em Edition"!

How was your lamb, oh James Bond DVD marketeers? "Skewered. One sympathizes."

I JUST BOUGHT the 2-disc version of this film, so this poster's sentiments very much reflect my own. Guess I shouldn't buy the 2-disc Quantum of Solace DVD when it comes out, like I've been planning to, cause I can surely expect a "Three-Disc Collector's Edition" Edition soon after!

Maybe it's time to move

noreply@blogger.com (Craig J.) — Thu, 08 Jan 2009 19:34:00 +0000

It occurred to me finally that, after almost eight years in my current little apartment, it may actually be time for me to find a new place to live.

I'm not exactly looking forward to moving as an exercise in relocating property, my phone number, wiring my network, etc. But I'm starting to get settled into my new job at MFA Inc., and seeing the value in getting some substantive experience designing a magazine under my belt. I spent four years at an ad agency, and more than eight years doing Web sites, five of those years producing a magazine site. Now I've got a magazine of my own [to design]. It's making me think about my time in Columbia, the depth and variety of my job experiences and that it's getting stronger the longer I stay with MFA, not weakening with my continued Columbia existence.

I'm also getting tired of apartment living and think it might be time for a duplex. A garage, washer/dryer, another actual bedroom in addition to an office. I mean, even the idea of a garage of my own is awfully tempting. (There's a particular place in mind in Columbia I'm thinking of, but I really need to disabuse myself of the idea of moving there. There's got to be nice, comfortable places besides that around town.)

I need to get a handle on this new pay schedule .. still not fully figured out. It's not as predictable as it was while I was at MU. I need to do some budgeting and line up my ducks. But I'm thinking about it. I have a few months before I'll be expected to re-sign at my apartment complex, so I can mull it over. I don't want to spend a lot more than I am now, but I'm current paying way more on my current apartment than I was a few years ago. They keep stairstepping the rates up, and they're about to go up again (unless I re-sign by the end of January). It's getting ridiculous. I know I owe on my student loan, and I know I owe my dad money on my earlier student loan still. Those need to be priorities.

Never thought I would move again while living in Columbia, but ....... maybe it's time for that. I'm 36 years old. I make decent money. I want a garage.

My next camera?

noreply@blogger.com (Craig J.) — Thu, 08 Jan 2009 18:48:00 +0000

I guess I always knew I'd one day come across a camera that would make my current digital camera, which I bought in 2005, look old and dated. But just a few minutes ago I finally did.

Sony DSC-T700

WOW. 10.1 megapixel. That's a touchscreen there on the back for framing and image review. Comes with 4GB on board storage. 4x optical zoom. Face recognition. 9-point autofocus. And 640x480 movie capture with sound.

As much as I loathe Sony, I think I might have to upgrade to this.

Microsoft Zunes bricking themselves en masse

noreply@blogger.com (Craig J.) — Fri, 02 Jan 2009 19:25:00 +0000

Apparently they can't handle leap years. Just priceless.

http://it.slashdot.org/article.pl?sid=08/12/31/1428254&tid=128

Looks like excrement-brown was the most appropriate color for the Zune after all.

Best and Worst Ads of 2008

noreply@blogger.com (Craig J.) — Tue, 30 Dec 2008 18:56:00 +0000

I don't normally make a habit of patronizing the New York Times, but I came across this article discussing some of the Best and Words ads of 2008 and I thought it was interesting analysis.

Best and Worst Ads: A Year the News Eclipsed Commercial Breaks

Naturally it carries a plug for Obama (it's the NYT, what do you expect?). But the rest of the material is worth the sigh-scrolldown-ok experience.

Having just finished my top-20 list of favorite discovered music of 08, I am tempted to put together a personal favorites list of commercials, but frankly, I just can't think of any that stand out. There's yet another mobile phone carrier TV spot that pisses me off that I just discovered lately ("Yeah, idiot dad, you can call that woman you keep staring at at my soccer games!"). I like the Acura and Lincoln spots that are running these days. And there was another commercial I'd seen in the past few months that had me cracking up, running it back to watch it a few times, but now I can't remember what it is.

This one has got to be one of my all-time favorites: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=vgtfC5LBAW4. From Super Bowl 08.

Favorite Songs of 2008

noreply@blogger.com (Craig J.) — Fri, 19 Dec 2008 19:54:00 +0000

This is my playlist of personal favorite songs I discovered in 2008. Not necessarily released in 08, just that I happened to acquire them and enjoy them. My new music isn't influenced by The Music Industry very much, so a lot of times I don't discover new music until several months or even years after it's peaked in popularity. The playlist is in order starting at the #1 best and working down. Enjoy.

The "umbrella" ad

noreply@blogger.com (Craig J.) — Wed, 17 Dec 2008 22:57:00 +0000

This morning I was given an example of an ad generally used as an "umbrella" ad .. one meant to show the breadth of MFA's services and products, as well as serve as a recruiting tool. My boss asked me to work on a new design direction for the ad .. needed to be highly multipurpose, to work for a variety of audiences. This is what I came up with. I think it turned out rather well .. the three figures are actually standing in an onion field. Since onions wasn't appropriate for Missouri, I "put" them in a wheat field instead.

Click for larger version.

An 8oz glass with 4oz of water in it

noreply@blogger.com (Craig J.) — Fri, 07 Nov 2008 15:26:00 +0000

Felt like going dark

noreply@blogger.com (Craig J.) — Wed, 05 Nov 2008 22:46:00 +0000

Playing with the blog colors. Seems appropriate.

I will not become like them

noreply@blogger.com (Craig J.) — Wed, 05 Nov 2008 16:10:00 +0000

Now that the disaster of Election Day is over and we have a long four years to look ahead to, I am reflecting today on what kind of opposition party member I'm going to be. I'm sure I will have a lot more time to consider this question in the days and months ahead but one thing I want to make sure of: I'm not going to turn into an America-hating malcontent.

Am I happy with the man in the White House? No. Absolutely not. But am I going to wish for bad things to happen to this country just so I can hate on him more? NO. Am I going to hope he screws up royally just so I can look at the left and point and say "SEE?? WE TOLD YOU THIS WOULD HAPPEN!!" No I'm not. I am going to HOPE--he did campaign on a platform of HOPE--that he grows up quickly, that he DOESN'T make all the socialist changes he promised he would, that he shows our enemies that we are still NOT a country to be trifled with. I will never support President Obama, but I am not going to spend four years (or, god help us, eight) like the left did, actively hating him, actively trying to bring about misfortune in this country just so I could blame him for it. That's despicable citizenship and I won't be a part of that.

All we can do is hold on for two difficult years while the Democrats run rampant with their newfound power. Hopefully by 2010 enough Americans will wake up from their Bush Derangement Syndrome to realize that they made a huge mistake in 2008, and Democrat numbers in Congress will be trimmed enough to keep the White House in check for a further two years, then in 2012 we can put grownups back in charge in Washington. I only hope al-Queda, Iran, North Korea or Russia don't decide to glass a few of our cities before that can happen. You know. To "test" the new president's mettle.

One sidenote: if I read the numbers right, Missouri has finally broken its bellwether streak. With 100% reporting, it would seem Missouri barely held onto its red state status, even if by the slimmest of margins (49.5% McCain, 49.3% Obama). While I'm a little disappointed that the state of Missouri has been dealt a blow to its predictive history, I am glad we did not come out in favor of the Affirmative Action candidate in the end count. (I should note that, upon further Googling, Missouri is still considered to be deadlocked 49/49 by CNN, Fox and several other news outlets .. one of only two states in such condition. I'll continue to hold out hope that we will eventually be called for McCain. I like the fact that we are not like Illinois, where the voices of (wrong-headed) urban centers drown out those of the rest of the state.)

Yes, it's been a while

noreply@blogger.com (Craig J.) — Tue, 28 Oct 2008 17:40:00 +0000

I know I haven't been too active on my blog this year. But I just read this and even though it was posted anonymously elsewhere, I just felt like reposting it. I kinda doubt more than a handful of people will even read it. Doesn't matter. It's just worth repeating.

I'm a democrat. A proud and true dem all the way.

I have supported Obama since day one. I know a lot of us supported Hillary, which made a lot of sense, but I truly though Obama was the right choice, so I voted for him in the primary and I celebrated when he won.

I have volunteered for his campaign once or twice and I put an Obama 08 sign on my front lawn.

No, I'm not black or a crazy left wing nut...I'm a white, middle class, slightly to the left democrat. Been this way my whole life. I voted for Al Gore and John Kerry and I'm proud of that.

However, the past few days my mind has started in wonder...

Some news station asked Joe Biden, Obama's running mate, a few tough questions. All of sudden, they cancelled a later interview with Biden's wife and told the news station that they wouldn't get any more interviews at all. Punished for asking tough questions??!

Then I hear that Obama hasn't held a press conference in a month.

THEN - that they used government computers to look up personal information on Joe the Plumber...who is just a regular guy that asked Obama a tough question. Apparently, we aren't allowed to ask questions to those that want to run OUR country??

I'm a liberal - I believe in freedom of speech. I would expect my own party's nominee to believe in that too!!

Now, this radio interview comes out with Obama saying that he wants redistribution of wealth. Now, I believe you should most certainly tax the upper class more than the lower classes. I believe in civil rights, too...like he mentioned in the interview. But I'm sorry - this guy is starting to look like a closet socialist.

Then I start to notice that NONE of the mainstream news media is reporting ANY of this.

So let me get this straight - if my party gets its way...the presidency will be controlled by the left wing, Congress will be controlled by the left wing, within a few more years the court will be controlled by the left wing, and now the MEDIA is even being controlled by the left wing.

There would be no CHECKS or BALANCES in our government at ALL. The only check that we would have left...would be the people. That's SO scary!!

I'm switching my vote. I want McCain. There's no way that the United States can survive with that kind of absolute power.

Absolute power corrupts absolutely. WAKE UP PEOPLE!!

38/female/Democrat never before voted Republican

Broken

noreply@blogger.com (Craig J.) — Thu, 11 Sep 2008 06:39:00 +0000

The Worst Keyboards

noreply@blogger.com (Craig J.) — Thu, 10 Jan 2008 20:40:00 +0000

(Yes I know most of my images are not working. I'm still sorting that out.)

This little feature piqued my interest because I am a keyboard aficionado. I am a firm believer that if you are on your computer most of your waking life, your chair, your keyboard and your mouse should be chosen with the utmost care, semi-regardless of the expense. They should be comfortable and you should like using them. I own several keyboards, almost all of them by Logitech (because even though their Mac support is atrocious, they still make the best keyboards, dammit).

So when I saw that PC World put a little feature together of the 10 Worst PC Keyboards of All Time, I couldn't resist. It was doubly irresistible to me because not only do I like trying out and buying keyboards, but almost all of the keyboards on this list are attached to 80s 8-bit computers, which is also an interest of mine.

I was rather dismayed however to see that the Commodore 64 was right at the top of the list.

Now, come on. Granted it wasn't a standard layout, but the PC industry was so brand new, there was no such thing as a standard layout (unless by "standard" you mean "conforming to the IBM PC"). Every 8-bit computer was effectively its own brand new platform and they all were vying for dominance. So the C64 keyboard was standard .. for Commodore computers. The Atari 400/800 keyboard layouts were no less "non-standard" and they came out several years previous to the C64. Besides, the C64's keyboard was very comfortable to use, had full-stroke keys, a QWERTY layout and withstood many years of abuse.

Of course, I think the WORST keyboards of all time would be:

.. but I guess they don't really count as PCs.

How to Prepare For The Next Gun-Wielding Psycho at the Mall

noreply@blogger.com (Craig J.) — Fri, 07 Dec 2007 18:08:00 +0000

Saw this story and couldn't resist laughing. Here are some of the ways they suggest you can prepare for a shopping mall massacre:

"In a case like a mall shooting, you should avoid the threat," says Grand Junction Police Department officer T.J. Rix.

Police say if a shooter opened fire in a store with direct exits, you should go outside.

If you're in a store wedged between others, it's best to go to the back, get down, and stay out of sight.

You should also be aware of your surroundings and don't put yourself in a vulnerable position.

Wow! That's why I read the news.

Serve another cupcake

noreply@blogger.com (Craig J.) — Thu, 29 Nov 2007 21:04:00 +0000

Bud Light Presents: Real Men of Genius
(Real Men of Genius)

Today we salute you: Mr. Excuse-Ridden, Over-Confident Kansas Football Fan.
(Mr. Excuse-Ridden, Over-Confident Kansas Football Fan)

Eleven straight wins, you wore that classy "Muck Fizzou" shirt like you meant it
(Pinch me, I'm dreamin')

A season of bloated statistics and over-hyped wins against Junior Varsity competition
(Serve another cupcake)

Losing to a superior team with better players is no match for your what-if scenarios and could-have-been dreams
(The field goal missed by inches)

So crack open an ice-cold Bud Light, you emphatic engineer of excuses. After all, you would've won...if the game was played somewhere else!
(Mr. Excuse-Ridden, Over-Confident Kansas Football Fan)

Bud Light, Anheuser Busch, St. Louis MO

Pickup truck saves an SUV

noreply@blogger.com (Craig J.) — Wed, 28 Nov 2007 14:40:00 +0000

No, for real! We all know that SUVs are alive, they commit heinous accidents all the time, killing people right and left. The media says so. Well here's a story of a pickup truck that actually went and PREVENTED an SUV from causing an accident. Actually the driver of the SUV was unconscious so the SUV was trying to use that excuse to cause an accident:

Driver's quick thinking prevents head-on crash on GG Bridge

(11-27) 22:25 PST San Francisco -- A Mill Valley man prevented a potentially serious crash on the Golden Gate Bridge today by using his pickup truck to guide a sport utility vehicle - in which the driver had gone unconcious - away from oncoming traffic, the California Highway Patrol said.
A 62-year-old Tiburon woman driving south over the bridge at 6:50 a.m. slumped over her steering wheel after suffering a medical condition from which she later died.
John Beatty, a 50-year-old electrician who was driving to work across the bridge as he's done almost every weekday for the past 30 years came up behind the Jeep Grand Cherokee stopped in the second lane from the center divide.
"I nearly hit it, and the car behind me nearly hit me," Beatty said. "All of the sudden the vehicle in front of me starts to drive to the left very slowly."
The Jeep was headed toward oncoming traffic.
"You never know what you're going to do when something like that happens," Beatty said. "I didn't think about it. I just did it."
Beatty drove up along side the car, saw the woman slumped over the wheel and acted quickly. He maneuvered his Ford F350 pickup in front of her vehicle to block it from moving into the oncoming cars.
"I let her hit me," Beatty said.
Then - with the Jeep still moving - Beatty used his truck to guide it across two lanes of traffic to the right hand curb as other cars passed, he said.
"They were going crazy all around us, but as soon as they saw what I was doing they left me a big hole to do this maneuver," Beatty said. "Everybody just kind of stopped to let me slowly pull off to the right to park her."
The CHP credited Beatty with selfless act that prevented a potentially "extremely serious" headon collision on the bridge.
Beatty said he called the CHP and pounded on the woman's windows.
But she was unconscious and the doors were locked, Beatty said.
A CHP officer arrived on the scene and smashed a window to unlock the woman's door, and a paramedic found a pulse and began CPR, Beatty said.
The woman was taken to California Pacific Medical Center in San Francisco, where she later was pronounced dead, authorities said.

It's a damn shame. The driver died, but the SUV will live again to terrorize and murder. When will the madness ever end!?

Yeah baby!!

noreply@blogger.com (Craig J.) — Tue, 27 Nov 2007 20:01:00 +0000