Been on an Alien tear today...and I ain't talking Mexicans.

So, when exactly are the aliens going to land. Seriously. Have you ever heard of Phil Schneider? Just in case the answer is no, I am going to embed a Youtube video with this post. Phil said some crazy stuff. We are currently at war with the aliens, and up to nine different civilizations of them. They have a base under New Mexico. They have a base on the moon. One of them waved his hand, and lightning came out and hit Phil.

Phil sounds batsh$t crazy, doesn't he? One problem: If Phil is full of it, why were there 13 attempts on his life after he began talking about the government's lies about what he claimed is going on? And why was he eventually found dead in what was supposedly a suicide, with no suicide note. Phil was known to have told people that if he ever committed "suicide", he was murdered. In fact, I'm going to post two videos. The top one is a NASA video, and it sure as hell looks like we are shooting at a ship of some sort. The second is Phil. Watch the NASA video first and consider Phil with that video in mind. If you are too closed minded to consider the possibility that this is the truth, then don't waste your time. In fact, I think there is a fund-raiser for the new Bush library you may want to attend.

There it is. With one whole Digg!

Well done, gentlemen!!

Here we go again. Housing Bubble, Part II

Rumors are flying, although I haven't seen much on the net (yet). Apparently, there is going to be ANOTHER housing crash. I'm really not sure why few have picked up on this one yet - ok, ok, the extent of my looking for info was a Digg search. If it is not on Digg, no one knows about it.

There is another questionable mortgage product, like the ARM's that caused the first bubble crash, that is coming due for adjustment in January. I actually do not even know what this product is because the person who told me didn't want to explain it all, (He works for one of the financial institutions that is to blame for much of this, and he feels a certain sense of shame.) but it sounds like maybe the first round of inadvisable 5/1 ARM's are ready to adjust for the first time. The timing makes sense. It was about 5 years ago that the ridiculous run on real estate started, and I know that the 5/1 - the rate is locked for the first 5 years and adjusts annually after that - always looked more attractive to me then the 2/1 or straight ARM. The idea, of course, is that a 5 year fixed period gives one plenty of time to refinance into a 15 or 30 year fixed mortgage. The problem - hindsight being 20/20 - is when the mortgage market tanks and you can't refinance, or you can't afford the fixed rate because you have no job, or you are upside down on the 5/1 so no one will finance enough to cover the balance, you are screwed.

Well, the first round of people who landed in that crappy boat are now facing the adjustment of their rate. And they are still upside down and unemployed. Here we go again.

What's another trillion between bankers. And republicans. Thanks GOP, we really love getting raped by you guys.

Yeah, I'm lazy. F#@$ Microsoft

So, I fired up the old PC this morning, and attempted to open Google Chrome. Oh, Snap. Adobe Flash crashed. And, Lo and Behold, Vista began another forced Microsoft update. Ok, then. Another Microsoft update that royally screws up other companies software. And it just happens to be Google. The Flash plug-in still works perfectly with Firefox, and I'll bet it works great with IE, too. (Although, I never use IE, so I wouldn't know.) I immediately reinstalled Chrome, but I'll bet some people are still confused about what to do, or just too lazy/busy to do a reinstall right now. I wonder how much browsing traffic MS just drove away from Google? Chrome is supposed to have 1%+ of the total browsing market. In percentage terms, not a lot. In raw volume terms, that is millions or billions of pages per hour.

This of course leads to the next question: When are people going to get totally fed up with MS? I realize that it is only a small percentage of users that understand what is going on. Many people don't know the difference between an OS and a browser. So, they just toil on with Microsoft's crap. I'm using Vista now, because I am being forced to. I use software for work that is not available for Linux or anything but XP or Vista.

And, therein lies the problem. Microsoft has the best API's and "hooks" in the OS for programmers. Sorry open sourcers, but it is true. I use Open Office, and like it, but it looks like it is 10 years old compared to Office 2007. Does that make a difference to me? No. Does that make a difference to a typical user? Sad to say, yes. What is the one major difference between XP and Vista for 90% of users? Aero Glass. And most users (not POWER users) like Vista better then XP. Why? Aero Glass. Makes no difference to productivity, in fact it hurts productivity as the computer slows for programs that don't support it.

Windows sucks. Can we fix the problem people.

Sansa! The answer to iTunes.

iTunes sucks. Flat out crappy software. iPods, on the other hand, are great pieces of hardware. But iTunes id so bad, that there is an entire community of people desperate for options. (see anythingbutipod.com)

Sandisk may be here to save the day. The Sansas are great devices with better, if not perfect, software. I have both an e280 - which is being phased out - and a new Fuze.

The good:
Sansas can be loaded with tracks through Windows Explorer. I do most of my music work on a new Toshiba laptop, packing a core2duo proc. iTunes runs about as quickly as Photoshop CS3 would on a 486dx. Then, it hacks my albums up into a total mess on any iPod I've ever had. (For the record: I have had, at one point or another, an iTouch, a Nano, and 2 iPods) I like electronic music. Which means that I have many DJ albums, in which each track has a different artist, but it is meant to be a continuous mix by said DJ. iTunes is not smart enough to figure that out. My mixes all end up labeled as 12 or 13 different albums. There goes listening to a full album as it was meant to be listened to. Sansas work (almost) perfectly in this respect.

Sansas work with WMA tracks. Ever rip a CD into Windows, and try to put it on an iPod? iTunes has to reconvert every track into AAC, since iPods don't play nice with WMA. And don't forget that every track you rip now has to live on your HD twice, unless you want to live with the new organization system imposed by iTunes, and you want to do everything with that music in iTunes.

Sansas easily match the iPod in terms of sound quality. Yup, you read right. Most players have crappy sound compared to an iPod. The sansa players are equivalent, and the earbuds that Sandisk ships with them are BETTER than the factory iPod buds. I have been offered $50 aftermarket Sony earbuds as a trade for my Sansa buds, and turned the trade down. Well done on the buds, Sandisk.

The Bad:
I do have to knock Sandisk for the video features on these players. They will not play MP4 video out of the box. That sucks. (Yeah, I know that was supposed to be added to the Fuze, but I've tried to convert videos using many different settings, and the only successful conversions I've done have been in Sansa Media Converter.) Adding generic MP4 support would be a huge bonus.

All said it is a great option for Windows users who are tired of the crap they have to deal with on the iPod.

So, about old Warren..

Mr. Buffett is now the president's transitional economic advisor, alongside a series of economic superstars. Not sure he needs all the help - just being a democrat is enough to fix the economy, according to history - but it's nice to have all those brains working on the problem. Something needs to happen fast, but that should not lead to the massive handouts some of the business community (read: car manufacturers) want.

Sorry guys, but it is time to let the auto industry in America die a merciful death. These guys have been burning up money, building sub-standard cars for how many years now? It's wonderful that the remaining employees in Detroit are able to make $75 an hour installing seat belts, but at what cost? 50 - 60 billion taxpayer dollars this round? Toyota, Honda, Hyundai all are successfully building affordable, reliable cars in America. And those folks in Kentucky, Alabama, and Tennessee are happy to take home $20-$25 an hour. It's not like the Japanese and Koreans are running sweatshops over here. They - intelligently - have their factories in places where labor is reasonable and the government isn't appointed by the union leaders. Yes, unionites I've had an assful of you guys too. I live in a right to work state and the wages suck, but people have jobs and the business community is GROWING. Take note union states. If there aren't any jobs, it really doesn't matter how much people are getting paid.

I'm officially excited about Obama

This guy is going to make a good president. I thought he might, but actions do speak louder than words. Look to the people he is appointing. He's made some seriously good choices.

Hillary Clinton, Secretary of State:

This one not only brings many of the people who supported her presidential run back on board, but it also makes our meaningful allies back on board quick. I mean some of Eastern Europe liked Bush (lotta good that did Georgia, but that is a different story) but Western Europe has been pining for the days of Bill since like 10 minutes after 9/11. She has pull over there. Only complaint: The Middle Eastern nations that we need so desperately to deal with diplomatically won't take a woman seriously. But Condi had the same problem, so overall it is still a major improvement.

Tomorrow: Warren Buffett as Chief Financial Advisor.

Most American are idiots

Seriously, there is a result of the fiscal rape of the public school system that we have committed over the last 20 or so years: the products of that schools system are stupid. I talk to assorted people across the country for a living. If I have to give them a website, I have to spell every word for the majority of them. The word "locator" is particularly troublesome for many people. Yup, I'm serious. It really is a shame that most people have been given such a terrible education, considering all the money poured into the teachers unions...oops, I mean the public schools in this country. (I'm a liberal, but I am fed up with the unions in America. They are doing more harm to the country then they are worth. Auto Workers: Are you so happy that those contracts your unions got you are putting your employers out of business?)

Black Friday - Let's show the retailers how Sh$tty the economy really is!!

It is the grand national celebration of capitalism, that leads to the celebration of the birth of Jesus. I won't wax too poetic about absurd this annual ritual truly is, however I will say that it is a great day to show Bush and his genius cronies what a wonderful job they have done with the national pocketbook.

Examples: Lady in line at Best Buy this morning - "I'm not going to buy anything, I'm just here to try and win some of the giveaways." She was there at 3:00AM.

Wired magazine (highly recommended to anyone living in the 21st century) "...in this recession (depression?)..."

But there is a good side to all this. If history is any guide, in 6 to 18 months the economy is going to rebound nicely. Check the history books on all the other recessions and depressions that were handed to the democrats. This one might surprise people. If you've been thinking about starting a business, this is the time to do it. Ask the truly rich. Not that idiot in a McMansion at the end of the block, I'm talking about Buffett and Gates. Do you think they are net sellers right now? Not a chance. Sure, they are liquidating crappy assets, but they are new buyers. You should be too.

More Wired "(this type of economy) is the crucible in which great companies are forged." Anybody got a good idea? Drop me a line. I'm in.

I thought Pyramid Schemes were illegal...

or does that law not apply on the internet? Is it just me or are there millions of sites promoting a get-rich-quick product that essentially just gets you to distribute the rights to distribute distributorships that allow people to distribute distributorships to other distributors. (Even if that made no sense, you get what I'm saying.) Last time I checked, MLM with no actual product is a pyramid scheme. Is that like blogging about how to make money with blogs about making money?

Ok, people. If you are going to build a business - build a business that adds value, please. I have no problem with people selling IP or ideas or digital non-physical products. I do that myself. But some of this crap is just that - crap. And if you are going into business for yourself, and you don't understand the concept of "adding value" you may want to rethink your plans.

Instead of working out ways to part people with solid entrepreneureal intentions from their seed money, why don't some of you work out ways to take that seed money and help these people compete with China or India. Our way of living is at risk. In case no one has noticed, economic growth in China is inversely proportionate to economic growth in Michigan or Ohio. China grows as the manufacturing belt of America shrinks.

I am not one of those dreamers that thinks the manufacturing industry in the US can be rebuilt to take the world by storm like it once did. I understand that there is going to be a painful period for middle-aged and near retirement age workers as the US economy retools for the future with a basis in information and innovation. Big chunks of the nation have already done this. But selling reseller rights to a sales and reseller system is really not helping anyone in the long run.

Snoop Dogg and Martha Stewart - Funny

Check out the whole thing on YouTube:

Part 1

Part 2

New class requirement for all school children

Now. There needs to be a law passed (disclaimer: I am NOT a fan of new laws generally. In fact, we should just go ahead and repeal about 50% of the ridiculous laws in this country. For example: It is getting to the point that I need a color chart in my car to figure out exactly what I am allowed to do with my car in a given parking spot. I saw a purple curb the other day. Purple. What the hell does that mean?) that all school children must take a class in computer virus basics. Do those fake virus scanners really fool almost everyone who sees them? I thought that everyone knew that it is pretty obvious not to click if:

A) You have never heard of the product that purports to be cleaning your computer.

B) This product is blocking Google, saying that it is an "infected page".

C) It asks for your credit card number via a popup window approximately every thirty seconds.

But clearly, these guys are sucking the life from American commerce. I know multiple intelligent, reasonably tech savvy people who have been infected by these things. These people are then perplexed by the resulting infection. Not only is work seriously slowed, but they would - if not for my kindheartedness - be paying people may dollars for a fix. Hmmm...Maybe they should stop looking to Russia as the origin of these things, and start looking at Geek Squad? lol

Update!

Found the Phillips site. But now I have to navigate through a mountain of shit to reach the info on the player. Memo to all businesses: Let Google spider your site. And if you have to use tons of Flash to make it all pretty, build html pages with redirects to all the pretty Flash. Then Google can still see you. Multi-million dollar corporations should be able to handle this. And if not, just make the pages Google friendly in the first place.

Ok, most companies suck

Phillips Magnavox - I am now going to put you out there on a pedestal to be the punching bag for all companies that suck.

Here in front of me I have a Phillips 3025/37 MP3/video player. In terms of a device, it seems ok. I am attempting to find out what video format(s) it supports. I have:

1) Google the model number with every combination of possible wording referencing "video format", "manual" etc.

2) Disconnected the player to look up the URL's that are displayed when the player boots. By the way, that would be a nice touch - WOULD BE if the address didn't redirect to some investing site instead of yours. Tried it in FF and Google Chrome, just to make sure it wasn't some oddball virus that does a redirect in my machine.

3) Seriously considered throwing said device against the wall in front of me.

There is a quote that I really like:

"Plan A is always more successful when the device you are working on understands that Plan B involves either a screwdriver or a hammer."

In this case, instead of reverting to Plan B, I'm thinking of a Plan C - buy a Sansa. Sandisk provides solid online support and there is a strong online community to help otherwise. And the e200 series is the best device under $100 I've ever used for music, and the video is ok too. The only complaint I have against Sandisk is that they discontinued the e200's. I have no verdict on the Fuze, yet.

I've had some issues with other Magnavox players also. Avoid at all costs. Waste of money.

Check that out!

Love to have been there to see that. I wonder if anyone found a crash site, or if it completely burned up.

Digg is the best site on the web

Troll through the first page, and you'll know what I'm talking about. Just today:

"I regret saying some things I shouldn't have said, like 'Dead or Alive' and 'Bring 'em on.' " Uh, how about the 1,000 other retarded comments you made?! (politicalticker.blogs.cnn.com)

Guess who said that? Truly, that apology speech (or implicated apology or whatever it was) should have been when the "Mission Accomplished" banner was rolled out. The mission to make GW Bush realize that he has made an ass of himself for almost a decade has finally been accomplished. Unfortunately, it doesn't help the fact that he made America look like a bunch of asses too. Of course, we brought much of that on ourselves by RE-electing that moron.

Speaking in Arabic, al-Zawahri uses the term "abeed al-beit," which literally translates as "house slaves." But al-Qaida supplied English subtitles of his speech that included the translation as "house negroes."(msnbc.msn.com)

Wait! What?!? You mean all that crap about how al-qaida is just dying for an Obama presidency isn't true? The republicans lied to America?!? Never! I refuse to believe it! Tom DeLay never took a bribe! By the way, if you are interested, I've got a couple bridges running from an obscure island in New York over to the mainland that you may want. The island is called Manhattan. You may not have heard of it.

And finally,

A South Texas grand jury has indicted Vice President Dick Cheney and former Attorney General Alberto Gonzales on charges related to the alleged abuse of prisoners in Willacy County's federal detention centers.(chron.com)

Ok, so the indictment is a joke. But so was the Clinton indictment. So, let those of us who relish in watching scumbags sweat have some fun now. I'd sure like to see how Cheney does in a Texas prison. lol That would be funny.

Gmail Themes!! Yes!

Well done, team Gmail. The themes are very cool. Little behind the curve considering how Myspace and Co. have been doing pages for a while now, but better late then never. Love the planets theme too guys. Now, about that whole rolling out over a couple days thing - Get to my account please! Thank you.

Continuing on the tech front, Best Buy is now selling a pair of glasses that are supposed to mimic a 52" screen driven by your iPod. Cool device, for sure. What is the over-under on weeks before someone gets arrested or in an accident while watching porn. Come on, you know it'll happen. I give it 26 weeks (6 months).

Other than that, slow day in the news. Or maybe that is just because I'm not paying attention.

Stupid people suck

This is a bit off-topic, but I really don't care. How can some people go around in life with no idea what the hell is going on around them? Seriously, many people have absolutely no clue about basic necessities of American life.

Ever seen the bits on late night TV where they go around and ask people on the street basic questions about life and history? People don't know who the vice president is, they think that we fought against the British in WWII, and (my personal favorite) they think it was a great idea for Obama to select a woman for VP. (If you haven't seen that, Google "Howard Stern man on the street interviews" you'll find it in there)

People, please teach your children. Something. Make them go to school. And if you know they aren't the sharpest tools in the shed, tell them not to ever speak in front of a camera.

Ok, enough with Apple already

Look, the devices are really cool and work pretty well most of the time. But until the software catches up, I'm not buying. Yes, MAC lovers - the software looks real pretty, but it is SLOW.

Anybody else have a dual-core processor that torches conversions with Nero, TMPGenc, etc. but takes forever in iTunes? Does iTunes chop your music collection up in odd groups, wrong albums, or just screw everything up? Or what about tracks/albums in MP3 format that refuse to transfer to an iPod, leaving only a cryptic message about unable to play in this device? Yup, iTunes officially sux. And iPods are totally married to that crap.

I'm not a big MS guy either, but Steve - go hire some coders from Seattle. At least Windows Media 11 works. Quickly. Or, even better, go hire the guy who built TMPGEnc. Do something, because until you do there are a bunch of us users out there who are not going to deal with crappy performance just for a pretty interface.

The new pres on 60 Minutes

I like this guy more by the day. College football playoffs, and he is serious about it. Finally, someone who understands how to make America a better place. But seriously, I'm glad that someone is going to take the reigns on that one. And all that other stuff he said was good too.

President-Elect Obama really did have a good outing on 60 Minutes. He sounds like he is going to work with both sides of the aisle, and he seems to have a good grasp of reality ("The American people don't want to hear lots of speeches." So true). And if history is to be our guide the economy should improve rapidly, just because he is a democrat. Yes, all you money-grubbing republicans - the economy has ALWAYS tended to suck when you guys take over. If you don't believe me, check out the interest rates under Reagan. Or which party was in power to usher in the Great Depression - and which party got us out.

Not that the world economy can get much worse. This morning on the news they reported that the price of oil FELL in response to a threat from OPEC to cut production. Ummmm....wonder if the problem is on the demand side? Ya think.

Finally, the best part or the interview, for me, was that we have actually elected someone who is capable of speaking in complete, intelligent sentences - without a teleprompter or notes. Seriously, I had a giant grin on my face for the first ten minutes of the interview, just thinking that we have a president able to communicate...presidentially. It's been a long time since old Bill was out there making Americans look bright and energetic. I'm tired of watching Alfred E. Newman make us look like whatever it is that he makes us look like.

And, on top of all that, college football will soon have a true champion.

Warning! I'm drunk...

Well, maybe not DRUNK, but I've had a couple.

President-elect Obama has a true chance to help fix the problems that have been created by the morons who have been running the show for almost a decade. (Even in the last couple Clinton years, the GOP dominated congress had him so distracted by BJ's, that they began screwing everything up before the Florida Supreme Court appointed Gomer Pyle to the White House)

To all the miserable, toothless, tobacco mouthed rednecks: Don't ya think that the Secret Service can handle a bunch of idiots with white hoods and shotguns? I mean seriously. The KKK? Just watch the movie Deliverance and you'll see what I'm talking about. That is the fine bunch of folks that the KKK is made of today. I think the Federal Government might have a couple guys that can deal with them. (I just wish the reader could hear the sarcasm. It is meant to be quite thick.)

I'm slow, but here goes.

President-Elect Obama.

Sounds ok. I sort of like it. Here comes the real challenge. Americans took a major chance. I'm an Obama fan, so I feel like I have the right to say this.

#1 - This election came down to the voter's risk tolerance profile. Obama was a major risk, but he also offered a major reward. The level of dissatisfaction with the current administration, combined with the bleak direction the country appears to be taking, lead to a higher risk tolerance among voters. With all the negative questions about Obama and his personal history, one would think that this election would have been a McCain landslide. On paper, maybe it should have been. Until you factor in both Obama's personal charisma and the horrific job the GOP has done for the last 8 years. Then the risk is worth the potential reward.

#2 - Entirely too much was made of Obama's race. Young people (under 35 or so) DO NOT CARE! There are, of course, exceptions, but by and large the youth of America is exactly that - the youth of the UNITED States of America. And outside of the south, general population doesn't care either. From my personal perspective, the guy could be a martian, and if he could fix the f*cking mess that Bush has created, I'd vote for him. And I think most of America sees it that way too. Unfortunately, the black community is where most of the doubt about him being elected came from. They, still, think that this country is more racist then it is. I'm not saying racism doesn't exist, but to hear some of the black people I know tell it, they can't get a job at McDonald's thanks to the white man. And I also know black people who are extremely successful, who would tell you how ridiculous that attitude is. In fact, almost every black person I know who takes responsabilty for themseleves is very successful. The ones who blame others, aren't. Hmmm...Correlation?

#3 - Why are people so offended by the world's interest in our election? Yes, Spain ignored soccer for a few hours to watch our election results. Isn't that a complement? We ARE the largest, most powerful country on Earth, and as we go, so goes the world. They recognize that, and pay attention accordingly. Where is the problem?

Just a few thoughts. Please, pissed off people, feel free to tell me what a fool I am. Or stop and think and you might agree.

Almost forgot - Go Rays!!

The Rays just beat the crap out of the Red Sox. The Red part must be blood. lol

Tine Fey is going to make SNL relevent again on her own

Tina Fey is f*cking hilarious. Seriously. The original SNL crew was great, and the crew from about 1987 until 1997 or so was very funny, but since it has been generally underwhelming. Even those of you who watch religiously got to admit that you'd rather watch Chevy Chase, Gilda Radner, and John Belushi or Mike Myers, Chris Farley, and David Spade then the crew right now. Other than Tina Fey. She is an absolute riot. Her Palin act is going to single-handedly make me watch this weekend. And I don't mean like "if I'm home, I might watch" I mean "I am going to make it a point to be somewhere to watch".

I'm not a TV guy. I don't have TiVO. In fact, the only thing I watch on TV is sports, movies, THC (The History Channel - get your mind out of the gutter), and the comedy channel quasi-news shows (The Daily, Colbert, etc.) I saw Tina Fey with a flute in the Palin get-up, and I decided to make it a point to watch.

They, sort of, got it right

The Senate passed the bailout bill. Ok, well done, guys. They had to give away $110 billion to do it. Seriously. These idiots need to be bribed to save the economy of the United States. Yeah, yeah they don't actually get the money. They just give it to the companies that pay for the fine senator's next election campaign. Really.

Anyone remember the governor of Illinois who pardoned everyone of Death Row? Ruined his political career. But he probably saved at least one innocent man's life. According to the statistics, he probably saved more than that. (Same stats say that our President has signed the Death Warrants for DOZENS of innocent men in Texas. I call that murder. He's murdered more people than any of the people he killed.) But that governor didn't think about politics. He thought about how it would feel if he knew that he could save an innocent man's life and he refused to do it. Being an honest, caring human came before politics. Maybe all the pork would be unnecessary if more pols thought like the former governor of Illinois.

Go Rays!!

Did I mention that I am a sports fan. The Tampa Bay Rays are my baseball team. That has been almost a point of shame for years. They now have a playoff win!! I wasn't sure that would ever happen, but it has.

There is a tech angle to this, of course. I am sitting at work, watching the game as I write this, thanks to the internet streaming. Maybe the greatest invention of our lifetime for a sports fan. I could be in Tokyo right now watching the Rays in play in my hometown of St. Pete. I could be in Berlin, and still watch the Bucs on Sunday.

I would like to thank MLB. The baseball people have been smart enough to allow out-of-market internet streaming. VERY rarely does a large, old organization like MLB get credit for forward thinking, but in this case it has actually happened. Well done gentlemen.

Now, how long is it going to take the NFL to figure out that internet streaming will NOT drain the network viewers. The quality is too bad. Now, I realize that the quality will improve, and there are higher quality streams out there. But if the NFL doesn't authorize a stream, then the P2P streams will be the only ones out there, and the league will have no control over the content or anything else. The NFL is really good at making money, so they'll figure it out eventually.

Ok, we are governed by total fools....

So, let me get this straight. The United States of America can spend billions on a country full of people who hate us and don't want us there, and yet we cannot spend a couple months of money for Bush's windmill hunt on our own banks in our country? Are the banks at fault? Sure. But forget about who to blame for a couple minutes. Let's save the American economy first. If people broke the law, then prosecute them. Don't make all of us pay for their screw ups. Wait... Let me put it like this - We are ALL going to pay for them, but would you rather pay now, or let the economic system risk collapse to get revenge on a few guys who are rich anyway. Or, put yet another way, is America not worth $700 billion, but Iraq is worth way more?

As usual, the republicans have failed America miserably. Let me quote CNN.com

The measure, which is designed to get battered lending markets working normally again, needed 218 votes for passage. But it came up 13 votes short of that target, with a final vote of 228 to 205 against. Two-thirds of Democrats and one-third of Republicans voted for the measure.

In other words, some democrats failed the country, and most elephants did. Shocking. When, exactly, was the last time the republicans got something right? The Reagan administration? Unless you consider giving the VEEP's former employer multi-billion dollar, no-bid contacts the "right" thing to do. I know that is old news, but having worked in and around government agencies, I am aware of how wrong that is.

Everybody cross your fingers that the Senate version passes through the crew of idiots in the House. If it doesn't, not being able to get a loan may be the least of our concerns.

Hey, this thing looks like it works

Ok, the company I mentioned last post? It looks like it really does work. (Full disclosure: after I saw it work, I bought into the system, and am using on some of my sites now.) I checked out a couple of the sites they put up and optimized. While the sites are really simple template jobs, the optimizing really seems to work for them. They are all small businesses, marketing only in a local area, but if you search keywords relating to the industries they are in, they come up on top. Or really close to it. Check it out:

http://www.bestwebdesignaws.info/

SEO for small business? Like really small?

Ok, I found a site that claims to be able to SEO a site for under $100 a month. Automated system that kills it for local sites. I'm working on figuring out whether or not it is true. If this thing works, it could be awesome for local biz that can't afford typical SEO service. I'm checking it out. If it works, I'll publish it. If it doesn't, these guys are big fat liars. I'll let you know.

Music industry - you suck

When are the corporate fools in the music industry going to realize that it's not the listeners fault that their huge companies are tanking? ITS THE BUSINESS MODEL, STUPID! To paraphrase the best president of my lifetime. Haven't they noticed that there are tons of companies out there making great money giving away content? And that the cost of producing really high quality music is low enough that records are being made on laptops in the garage? I did some production work in the late 90's, and we thought it was cheap back then. Only $1,000 for a digital 8 track recorder? Wow! Anyone under 21 who just read that sentence is laughing hysterically. Can they continue to spend millions on CD releases? No. Do they even need to? No. Start thinking, boys.

1) What are the promoters doing? These guys work, but they make a ton of money for the work that they do. Why are the labels not locking up the touring contracts of their artists? Sorry, promoterman, but until you guys start advancing the artists and paying for production, you get the short straw.

2) Clothes, posters, stickers.... the list goes on. Labels are farming this stuff out for royalties. Spend some money, buy the businesses that make this stuff. Anybody seen the traffic in Hot Topic on a Saturday afternoon?

3) Encourage Torrent. Imagine the ad revenue potential of a legal Torrent tracker site. Right now thepiratebay.org and isohunt.com have ads from shady operators and porn sites. The labels have the money to make the best, fastest, and most comprehensive site. So, do it and start selling space to the big time advertisers. What else attracts almost exclusively 12-35 year old consumer traffic? 90% of the companies in America consider that the prime demo.

I suck

Yep, no excuses. Just been too damn lazy to actually post anything. I was mad at Google for not indexing this thing for like 3 weeks after I created it. All those servers, you'd think they could be faster than that. Whatever.

In case anyone missed it - the Flobots rock! Handlebars is one of the worst songs on the album. Check it out. Unless, of course, you are a neo-facist, Bush loving, moron. Then you really won't like them. And you should also quit reading this, because you won't like me much either. And I really don't care.

Another note. The Sansa e200 series player is a great replacement for the iPod, for those of us who don't like/trust all the control Apple insists on having over the device even after it has been purchased. Last I checked, when I buy something that means it is mine and I should control it. Hello...is anyone at the iTunes software department listening? Anyway, bought an e270 - great deal at Newegg - added Rockbox, and really like it. The video encoding for the Rockbox mpeg player leaves something to be desired, but at least I don't have to use the proprietary Sansa software and tie up my machine for chunks of time encoding. Online encoder sites do mpeg great. If you try it, use mpeg1 not mpeg2. The sound works better and the files are actually smaller. Go figure.

Quick survey: Does Bush go to war with Russia, or does he look into Putin's eyes again? Rememebr that quote? The former KGB chief clearly is a great guy.

Back from Vacation...

More frequent posts are in order, I know. Short, computerless, vacation for the 4th - yes, Rush, even liberals are proud of our heritage as a nation. It's the current government we have a problem with. And fatass blowhards like you.

I was actually thinking alot recently about health care in America. Who has seen Michael Moore's "Sicko"? I watched it over the past week. How, exactly, does the richest nation in the world have inferior health care to Costa Rica? Why is it such a a bad idea to mandate health care for all Americans? The state and federal governments in this country have ample experience regulating the insurance industry. There is no reason the private insurers would have to disappear - they would just have to follow some rules.

1) Doctors choose the medical procedures. Period. If a doctor decides it is necessary, the patient gets it.

2) Doctors have no direct contact with the insurer. This would ensure the adhearence to rule #1. Hospitals would have insurer liasons that handle all billing and payment, and those people would be strictly monitored to prevent fraud or insurance company bribes.

3) All services would have mandated pricing. It would have to be based on the location of the patient/hospital, but there is a price that everyone may complian about while still staying in business. No more HMO's driving the price as low as they can, and if the law includes provisions limiting malpractice awards and insurance costs, then doctors could afford to lower thier prices somewhat.

4) Once all the aspects of coverage are set, the insurers should be allowed to compete openly, in all states, for business. Each insurer would be required to offer one plan, at one price. But they - with some limitations - could set that price and market to every American. Payment for the plan would be some combination of employer sponsored, individual premiums, and government subsidy for people already eligible for Medicaid, which would be eliminated. We may have to maintain Medicare, at least in some form. The medical costs of those over 65 would drive up the price of everyone else's coverage too much.

Is this idea perfect? No. But it does give everyone coverage, spread the burden across as many stakeholders as possible, and at least partially maintain the capitalist ideals of the USA.

Social Networks: The crack of the new millenium

Those things are the most pointless waste of time in history, most of the time. Seriously, does anyone need to know the last time Bill got drunk? Or that Katie is at Subway? (That one is for you, Twitter) And yet, somehow - if you are like me - we can't stop surfing the stupid things. Then we put our own pointless information up, so our "friends" (many of whom we've never met) can waste their time looking at what movie we want to see this weekend.

On this point: Thank God for Facebook!! How many unreadable Myspace profiles are out there? For those addicted to posting in pink letters on a dark pink background - I CAN'T READ A DAMN WORD! The day Facebook allows that crap in the background is the day I officially proclaim as the beginning of the Apocalypse. And next time you are rabidly anticipating your friend's addition of a new "person she'd like to meet", and it comes up in lime on a key lime background - rendering it useless - You, miss pink on pink, deserve it. Mr. Pink should come to visit you for the garbage you've piled onto the world.

(First comment identifying the movie reference in this post wins a copy of the unreleased Steve Buscemi sex tape!!!) (If anyone actually wants to see that)

So much promise.....At first.

This has got to be the most disappointing election in my lifetime. And it is still months away.

I remember a couple of years ago, thinking "Gosh, a Clinton-McCain election would be the best possible thing - I could live with either winner!" Well, the demise of Hillary took care of half of that (more on Obama in a second) and McCain is now trumpeting the Bush line, like the last 8 years have been just peachey. Is anyone better off now, than in 2000 - aside from Halliburton executives?

So, now the choice becomes: another 4-8 years of King George the II, or throwing ourselves into the total unknown. Read the Obama website before you vote. I'll be voting for Obama simply because the option is unacceptable, but if there was another option, I'd consider it.

Where do we go from here? Into the wild blue, I guess. I'm seriously considering England. Think about it. If Obama wins, the war will end, the troops will come home, and our taxes will be higher then those in Britain. If it's McCain, your money will continue to support the murder of Americans and Iraqis, all for oil - and Halliburton, of course.

Good luck. We'll need it.

Google Media Server?

www.technewsworld.com

The report this morning about Google Media Server makes Google look like the young company they are: aggressive, scatterbrained, and unaware of the past. Which in this case will probably be good for the consumer, and (as usual) Google.

Who remembers WebTV? That would be the company that tried "console surfing" (my words not theirs) and was later absorbed by Microsoft. I think "abject failure" is a little strong, but not far from the mark. And here comes Google with the same device. Of course, it works better because the tech is newer, and Google does a good job in general. Doing a good job alone is insufficient if the device lacks demand. Seriously, a guy I worked with just bought an Acer rebuilt laptop for $250. Who needs a console for surfing on a TV? Even the lowest of income brackets can afford a $250 laptop.

Oh, but wait. For all of the aforementioned reasons, the Microsofts, Ciscos, and Sonys of the world will not enter this market again until it is proven to be potentially profitable. What Google sees - and they don't - is that evolution of the net. YouTube, Revver, Metacafe, etc. (don't forget RedTube, YouPorn and their brethren either). The net is now made for TV. Google sees it, and is too young and too dumb to follow the advice of history. By the time web video resolutions reach big screen levels, they could dominate a lucrative market.

All thanks to youthful stupidity.

Ok, short post

I was just playing with an iTouch...
Quick thoughts:

1. Light, easy to carry, durable - physically a good device
2. Cool interface - the GUI works as advertised, at least in terms of functionality
3. When is Apple going to work the bugs out of a device before it is released to the public - or at least get the idiotic copyright crap worked out. i.e. I may want to watch videos on a service other than YouTube without jumping through flaming Torrent hoops.
4. Could be great in 2.0 or 3.0
   

Yes, I put ads on my blog - I donate enough to the military/oil complex.

I know, I know. Some of you out there erroneously believe that placing ads on a blog is the equivalent of selling your opinions to the almighty Google.

Not so. And even if it was, is it possible to support a better company. (Full disclosure: I DO NOT, HAVE NOT, and HAVE NO offer to work for Google - but I would like to) C'mon, their corporate mission statement on the IPO documents was "Don't be evil". Seriously. Haven't we seen too many corporations rattle on for 2 or 3 paragraphs about value to stockholders, shareholders, the community, and the CEO's dog - all of which then turns out to be BS when they raise all their employees health insurance premiums 500%, and only contibute to "charities" personally sponsored by the Executive Wives' club? Google's mission statement is both beautiful, right, and the hardest one is all of history to abide by. Even the attempt makes me admire the company. Who would you rather support - Microsoft? If so, you probably donate to the "Dick Chaney fund for the Kingship of America" Or your living in 1991.

Back to the topic at hand - I truly enjoy telling people what I think. I'm far from rich, and a blog isn't going to get me there. That said, if people find a service in one of Google's ads that serves a purpose for them - and the company finds a customer - who, exactly, is harmed by me making a few cents? If you don't want me, or Google, to make any money, then don't click the ads. But don't assume that the presence of the ads effects my content - it does not. Even us liberals (at least in America) believe in free enterprise.

I'm joining millions of idiots

Hi - you are one of six people who will read this. Millions and millions of people put their thoughts on blogs like this one, and somehow I'm stupid enough to think that I may stand out from the crowd. Oh, well. I'll give it a shot.

Here's what you can look forward to on this page:

1) I am a hopeless technology addict. PC, electronics, iWhatevers. Love it all. Even if it's total crap, I want to play with it and then tell everyone I know that it is crap. Unfortunatly for my freinds - and you, dear lonely reader - I tend to think that exceptionally complex, but functional, gadgets are the coolest thing since the invention of the iceberg. I like the easy-to-use, but what I consider easy tends to differ from the opinion of others.

2) I'm addicted to music. Unless it is country, I like at least some artists. I have an opinion about all of them. The arguements are the best. When I get inflamatory, please comment so I can tell you why you are wrong. I've done some production work in the past, so I'll be talking about gear too.

3) The vast majority of conservatives are total fools, idiots, morons, and - quite possibly - nazis. If you disagree, I will gladly consider you a conservative. Please see the first sentence of this paragraph for what that label intails.