Chrysler Files for Bankruptcy - The company, with $6.9 billion in debt, is asking for protection from creditors as it attempts to survive. As part of the bankruptcy the US government provided $8 billion in bailout money, the government will back warranties, United Auto Workers Union will own 55% of the company, and Fiat will get up to 35%.
Calls To Shut Mexican Border Increase - Taking advantage of the swine flu scare, groups are calling for Obama to shut down the Mexican/US border completely. It seems a little late at this point since the disease is here already. Having said that, I am all for a change in policy towards illegal immigration that calls for increased funding and political support to enforce existing laws. The problem is Bush gutted every major agency, including ICE, in an effort to win his legacy in Iraq and the only way to regain that ground is with more people and that takes funding.
The Goonies Reunite - As part of Empire Magazines 20th anniversary, the cast of The Goonies got together for a photoshoot and talked about their experience from nearly 25 years ago. A favorite movie of mine but always thought it was a shame a sequel was never done.
Batman: Arkham Asylum Video - A new video from the upcoming video game that shows off some of the fighting techniques that Batman has at his disposal. This is shaping up to be the game of the year. Click the link to view.
$3.4 Trillion Budget Passes - The House and Senate have both approved the final version of the budget with 0 Republican votes for the bill (including really GOP moderate Arlen Specter). The main concern for Republicans (other than spending in places that isn't military) is it will increase taxes on top 5% that is their bread and butter. The tax cut for the remaining 95% varies but realistically it will probably only add to a few hundred a year (about the same as the Bush cuts). The main concern is the concern over deficit spending which could increase to $1.2 trillion a year but Democrats are hoping increased tax revenue from a recovered economy and that 5% will offset that.
New PSP Planned? - The rumor mill is fired up that Sony is planning a major re-design of the PSP that will eliminate the UMD disk drive in favor of flash memory and downloading content. The system might include a second analog stick, sliding screen to reach controllers and a larger, better screen. The final design, whatever it may be, will be unveiled at E3 in June.
American Classic Arcade Museum Tour - I use to love arcade games. My favorite two was X-Men and TMNT where you and other players worked together to get through the levels. Sadly though, Arcades are dying in part because of the technological leaps of consoles but also because it’s just so darn expensive to drop and average of $1 to $2 for maybe five minutes of fun if you can last that long. Click the link above for games of a bygone era that is slowing coming to an end. Click here for a gallery from the museum and here to go the official website.
Consumer Reports Reviews the ShamWow - It is nice to see Consumer Reports finally embracing the internet with video reviews and the like that they are putting up on the Consumerist.com. In this case it is a review of the ShamWow. Their overall verdict is it works the same as a sponge only a lot more expensive.
Arlen Specter Leaves the GOP - In a sign that the Republican Death Spiral continues, the long time Senator from Pennsylvania has decided to caucus with the Democratic Party as a run-up to the 2010 election. It is the first time a Republican Senator has switched in history. He did the usual song and dance about doing it for principle, etc but at least he did say the real reason he was changing was to win re-election "In the course of the last several months ... I have traveled the state and surveyed the sentiments of the Republican Party in Pennsylvania and public opinion polls, observed other public opinion polls and have found that the prospects for winning a Republican primary are bleak." Technically, this will help give Democrats a filibuster proof majority but realistically that even occurred on a rare basis and isn't the huge threat the GOP pretends it is (but then the Dems have a history of caving to it anyway). The real problem is it’s a sign that more and more moderates don't have a home in the party. You either for the base (as represented by Rush, Hannity, and Beck) or you are the enemy. The more the GOP tries to please their core followers, the more they are losing. Will Democrats run rampant? That is an empty concern as the party has never had the single-minded discipline of the GOP. The party tends to have one idea and about 100 different ways to do it while the GOP usually has one idea and one way to do it.
Julia Roberts Roasts Tom Hanks - An amusing segment where Roberts drops plenty of cusswords (so video NSFW) as she "honors" Tom Hanks.
Supreme Courts Rules in FCC Favor - In a rather odd court ruling to the typical 5-4 of conservatives vs. liberals, the Supreme Court has upheld the FCC's prohibition on fleeting expletives that usually come from live shows (in this case Cher at an award show. The legal reasoning, of which there really isn't, dodges any first amendment questions and phrases it in terms of concern for the children. "Even isolated utterances can be made in … vulgar and shocking manner, and can constitute harmful first blows to children," Scalia wrote in the opinion that was signed by his fellow conservatives, "It suffices to know that children mimic behavior they observe." The issue came down to the FCC not having a consistent, predictable policy as they tended to fine stations based more on conservative outcry (Cher, Jackson) then just the use itself (Saving Private Ryan was allowed to air unaltered).
Monster Cable Drops High Prices to Less High - Do to lost sales and people starting to learn that $100 cables vs. $15 cables are the same thing, Monster Cables has decided to try and compete by dropping its prices just a big. For example 8' HDMI cables are now $99 instead of $125. The lesson for you is if it says "Monster Cable" don't buy them as your just allowing them to rip you off. In the digital realm (such as HDMI), the data is a 0 or a 1. The cable either transmits that data or it doesn't. Paying 10x more then you have to is not going to change that.
GeoCities To Close - One of the first free web hosting services ever is going to close its "doors" after 15 years. The service started in 1995 as "Beverly Hills Internet" before growing into the site where newbies to the fledging internet creating often loud and annoying webpages (think Myspace only not as bad) that was free due to on page advertisements that have since become the norm for the internet. Amazingly enough, Yahoo! bought the service for $4.7 billion and then proceeded to do what it has done with most of its acquisitions - nothing meaningful so that new and better services would quickly replace it. Thanks to Yahoo's every shrinking margins, they have finally pulled the plug.
GM Reveals Re-Structure Plans - Today GM has announced that as part of a plan to shed $44 billion in debt, it will cut 21,000 factory jobs, end the Pontiac brand, cut 42% of its dealerships, end production of the Saturn and Hummer lines, and attempt to offer 225 shares for $1000 in notes as a debt-for-equity swap. The swap plan is actually the key to the whole thing as the CEO has said that if that fails then the company will have to file for bankruptcy by June. Sadly, where once I was on the "save GM" bandwagon, I now believe that bankruptcy may be the only thing that can allow the company to rebuild as most of its debt deals with the various unions that were made worse by the company's belief that it didn't have to compete with foreign companies, that its name alone was enough.
Portable NES - A sign that the good times don't have to end, the FC Mobile II will be available starting in May for $60. The portable device plays the 80s era NES cartridges that can be hooked up to a TV set and comes with wireless controllers in the Super NES style and a light gun. It appears this is not an emulator but requires the cartridges to play the games. This is not licensed by Nintendo but NES patents lapsed around 2005 so lawsuits are not an issue. However, I doubt this is something you will be able to buy in stores anytime soon.
IBM's Watson to Compete On Jeopardy! - Much like its chess computer Deep Blue, Watson is designed for one purpose - win at Jeopardy against human players. However, this task is much more difficult as it requires more than just a database of information. While it is something we take for granted, the ability to take an answer and device the question requires more than just facts, it requires understanding the "answer", getting the context and taking information and putting it together, something computers don't do on their own very well. If they did, search engines wouldn't be the billion dollar industry it is now.
Tribune On the Ropes - An interesting article where the Chicago Tribune fired its "Recession Reporter" as it cut 53 jobs. At the same time its parent company Tribune Co. is asking for the bankruptcy court to approve $13.3 million in bonuses for 703 employees. Those employees are probably top tier management that helped drive the company into the hole. The claim is they needed to retain them but let's face it, where are they going to go? My job's "incentive" right now is I have a job. Funny how that isn't enough for top management. Hopefully the court will deny the request but I doubt it.
More Bad News for GM - The hits keep coming for GM. The once great car company, destroyed by poor management decisions of looking to the next quarter bonuses rather than the long term survival has accepted another $2 billion in bailout money, preparing to shutter Pontiac and idle 13 of its 20 plants for part of the summer to reduce its standing inventory. At this point it might just be time to sell the company off so the taxpayers can recoup at least some of the lost money.
Murphy Wins NY 20th - While the GOP is spinning it as a sign of gaining ground, the cold hard reality is their attack, offer no solutions except tax cuts policy isn't working. The 20th was a GOP stronghold that should have been an easy win for the cash flush Republican candidate James Tedisco. Instead it was a close fight that they ultimately lost and should not have. What this means as far as Congress is concerned is not much. It is simply a sign that the GOP has a long ways to go to rebuild its party and continuing to kow-tow to the base isn't getting the job done.
Microsoft's Profits Drop First Time in 23 Years - It doesn't get any clearer that the GOP recession is the worst in a few generations when Microsoft experiences a 32% drop in profits. Of course the crapitude of Vista probably didn't help as many stuck with the older XP OS for years longer than might have if not for the bad reviews.
Hannity To Be Waterboarded for Charity? - Yeah right. Hannity on his show said that he would be open to being waterboarded for charity as he doesn't consider the practice to be torture. Olbermann decided to take him up by offering him $1000 for every second he lasts. A few years ago various local news stations "talent" volunteered to do it and none indicated any enjoyment of the experience. If local folks can do it, so can Hannity. Like most GOP diehards though, Hannity is ultimately a coward and I don't see him backing up his words with action.
GameBoy Turns 20 - Hard to believe but the most popular video game system in the world has turned 20. I still own pretty much every iteration the company has developed (except DSi) so the news makes me feel rather old. I even remember the classic commercial below for the system.
85 Million Final Fantasy Games Sold - As part of the acquisition of Eidos, Square Enix released some total sell numbers for its properties. It turns out that the Final Fantasy series (FF13 coming next year) has sold 85 million copies worldwide. Dragon Quest has sold 50 million, and Tomb Raider sold 30 million. Not bad for a bunch of series that started in the NES and PS days.
Miss California Commentary - Apparently the lovely lady from California broke a cardinal rule of beauty pageants which is give her actual opinion then a neutral canned response. She was asked by Perez Hilton, a homosexual her opinion on the subject and the short answer she is against. Since then he and Fox News have been on a tear about it. Now I don't agree with her, I think it’s a violation of the Constitution, but that is her opinion and she has every right to it. The focus should be on Hilton for his behavior and attacks. If he was worried the answer wasn't going to be his liking, he shouldn't have asked it or better yet he shouldn't have been a judge.
Fox Anchor Goes Off On Torture - Currently Bushies are hitting the airwaves trying to parse the definition of torture so that Bush and company can claim that they didn't break the law. It is a much worse version of Clinton's "depends on what the definition of 'is' is". Right now their definition is "harsh interrogation" which they to sell as effective despite being unable to cite any specific examples. You can tell that the talking points have been distributed because this phrase and the effectiveness discussion, which normally would never come up, is being used everywhere. Its classic GOP technique in action. Well, for a change of pace, a Fox News anchor, normally they love those GOP word games, was having none of it. "We are America! We do not f---ing torture!", Shepard Smith. I couldn't agree more.
Video Game Addiction Study Wrong - As a sign that statistics should never be taken at face value, it turns out the video addiction study (really a poll) that said 10% of players are addicted is not correct. The problem is how the study was conducted. It was based on an online sample of people that chose to answer the survey (you know that pop-up box you get when go to some websites). Ironically, since they were online that means they probably were not playing video games at the time which must mean they are not that addicted. Anyway, this "convenience sample" means that only those that felt like answering the survey are part of the numbers. That means the data is not based on a random sample of users but a specific type (say if survey on a video game site probably get younger, male) vs. Oprah's site (where get a whole different set). The link explains it in detail but essentially it means that the data is corrupted. To the point that the +/-x% that you see on surveys cannot even be calculated for these "convenience sample" surveys. Basically the addiction survey is BS.
Oracle Buys Sun - For a price of $7.4 billion. The reasons are mainly for Sun's Solaris Unix OS and Java tech that the company created. Considering Oracle's database technology run on the Solaris platform, it means the company can start selling a "total" package to enterprise customers of hardware, software and support. Also MySQL is owned by Sun and now Oracle can either use the open-source database technology or simply squash it entirely since it technically is competing software. Sadly, this also means that Sun is about to get very hard with layoffs as the companies needs probably overlap in a large number of areas. I suspect that in 3years time, the "Sun" portion of the company will cease to exist in any meaningful way. What is important though is the sell means Sun executives are going to reap a heck of a windfall.
Sony Preps Third Brown Book - With Angels and Demons not even yet in theatres, Sony has already optioned the rights to create the film for his next novel, The Lost Symbol, which will be out in bookstores on September 15th. The only thing known about the story is it takes place over the course of 12 hours.
SAG Reaches Agreement - After about two years of contention, SAG directors have finally signed off on a compromise agreement with the studios. Essentially the agreement is more money for actors across the board in many areas. Sadly it is only a two year agreement since the fight will be renewed on June 30, 2011. Click the link for the breakdown but it does a good job of illustrating why money drives Hollywood as doing very little work can net you a lot of money. The only problem is the work isn't steady and SAG believes that is a problem the studios should help cover. I wish my job thought that way.
Beware ATM Card Skimmers - A new, and still rare problem, cropping up on ATMs is card skimmers. Basically these are attachments that are glued onto an ATM so that when you insert your card, it goes through the scanner first capturing the number. At the same time a camera is piece is also attached to film you entering your PIN. Once those two pieces of info is put together, the criminal has full access to your account. They are hard to identify, banks are keeping an eye on them and if you suspect one, contact their fraud division (telling customer service usually just results in confusion).
Gingrich: Teabagger King - OMG, Obama shook the hand of Venezuela leader Chavez. Obama hates American! At least that is what Newt Gingrich wants the right wing nuttery to believe as he knows that their knowledge history is non-existent. Otherwise, they would recognize that Presidents have a history of trying to make enemies into friends including right wings favorites such as Nixon (with Brezhnev) and Reagan (with Gorbachev). Where was the right wing nuttery outrage then? Sigh, if all that hate was actually directed at something as basic as gathering knowledge, what could be accomplished?
Special Comment: Torture Accountability - A special comment I can agree with. Keith Olbermann makes the argument that for the sake of the country, Bush and his cronies must be held accountable for ignoring and violating the law. Obama wants to "move forward", essentially ignoring what Bush did. As Olbermann pointed out, every time we "move forward" be it slavery (Civil War), no war crimes after WWI (WWII), ignoring of trusts in 1900s (see bailout of today), McCarthyism (Watergate), and so on. Basically ignoring what happened means it simply gets repeated later. In this case, some future President will look at the Bush years as an example of how to push policy rather than a cautionary tale (like Nixon) on how to not conduct business. A lesson needs to be made of Bush and his friends, not just to heal today's wounds but to prevent future ones.
Starcraft II Battle Report - Terran vs. Zerg in a battle report from Blizzard that shows off game play. It is 20 minutes long but if you’re as interested in this game as I am, I find it a fun watch.
New Harry Potter 6 Trailer - Click the link for the latest trailer that shows awesome visuals and a much darker style then before.
Pirate Bay Four Found Guilty - It is official, the four founders of the Pirate Bay were found guilty of charges of being accessories to copyright infringement and ordered to spend a year in prison and pay about $3.5 million in damages. The site itself seems unaffected and the four said they would appeal.
DSI Stop Motion Disassembly - A cool video from TechRestore were they use stop motion to have a Nintendo DSi appear to take itself apart. I wouldn't mind seeing a "how they do that" video of the process.
Lego Battleship Yamato - Watch the below video that showcases the Lego Battleship Yamato. It is 22 feet long, took 6 years and 4 months to complete, 200k bricks and weighs 330 pounds. This sucker is constructed 1/40 scale. The video even shows how it was assembled and included a motorized gun. Simply amazing. Lego should consider buying it for one of their parks.
Snopes.com Review - An interesting article about the fact checking site and whether or not it is partisan and accurate. The overall score is an A on all levels. It turns out the site is owned by David and Barbara Mikkelson and not some corporate entity. I know I use the site anytime I have concerns over a BS statement in email and the like.
Ashton vs CNN On Twitter - The race is as Ashton Kutcher and CNN's Newsbreak accounts try to be the first to reach 1 million followers. Ashton was behind by 50k but has closed the gap to just a few thousand (976,351 to 972,573). Currently I have avoided following either. However, unknown to either, Oprah has joined twitter and will promote it on her show tomorrow and has the following to blow by them both with ease.
Tax Day Protests - A nice summary from Countdown that summarizes my opinion on the whole thing. It’s a corporate created "protest" being sold as grass roots as a lot of uninformed followers protest tax increases that will not even effect them and only the very rich sponsoring and promoting the protests. I just don't get why people consistently act against their own self interests when it comes to politics.
Star Wars with MacGyver Opening - Excellent job of editing to use footage from the Star Wars trilogy that uses the TV series opening and style.
"We Didn't Start The Flame Wars" - Hilarious video based on Billy Joel's "We Didn't Start The Fire." I swear those are comments that I have read almost word for word on many websites.
Consumer Prices Fall for First Time Since 1955 - Apparently it turns out that deflation is a bad thing and it is good when the price of everything increases every year (while your income usually doesn't). Because of that, the news that consumer prices has dropped .4% for the year is a big since that has not occurred in decades. The main problem it is a sign of just how much consumers have kicked their spending habits as they hunker down for a long term recession. The fact though is even once the recession ends, I think most know that companies will still continue to screw them on salary.
Bane In Arkam Asylum - I don't normally get excited about video games anymore (hard to make time to play them), but in this case I am making an exception. Of course I don't own a 360 or PS3 so excitement probably doesn't matter. It just looks like it will be a blast to play or even watch others play. The clip below introduces Bane, the villain that literally broke Batman's back in the mid-ninety comics.
NASA Treadmill Named After Colbert - Despite reports, NASA astronaut Sunita Williams informed Stephen Colbert that a new space station node would not be named after him despite winning an online vote. The reason is mostly because of the long standing tradition of not naming space station hardware after living people (station being international might have a large part to do with that). Instead NASA is employing its love of acronyms to name the stations treadmill (arriving in August) the Combined Operational Load Bearing External Resistance Treadmill (COLBERT). Stephen took the renaming pretty well considering.
Ghostbusters Rule Three - This is another game on systems I don't own that I am excited about. It looks like it might be a lot of fun and doesn't hurt that most of the original cast provided the voice work for the game.
Susan Boyle Performance - It only occurred four days ago but already Britain's Susan Boyle has become an internet sensation for her excellent performance of Les Miserables' I Dreamed a Dream. The cause for the attention is this rather homey singer with rather normal background surprised the audience and judges with her performance. To me it is a sign that we have become to programmed to think that singing talent can only come from hot little sexpots when it used to be based on ability. I guess do to popularity, embedding has been disabled.
Shuffle Costs $21.77 To Build, $80 to Buy - A new price estimate indicates that Apple continues its ability to make fantastic profits on the sell of each of its items. Where most companies run with single digit profits on most of their products, Apple continues to enjoy the freedom of an Apple logo surcharge for its design. This excused was fine when the tech was still very new and usually costs a lot for that reason but at this point it’s pretty clear that Apple is keeping the prices high simply because they can. My advice is to no longer treat Apple as a special case. They want to play with the big boys, that means they should price to compete. If they don't want to, that’s fine, I just will not buy their products.
Travel Restrictions Eased to Cuba - Obama has changed the travel rules to the "hated" country. Now you can visit the country to see relatives and send money to them. This is the first time in about 50 years that policy has changed to the country rules by dictatorship. The relaxation isn't much but a step. I personally never understood why we bother. China, North Korea and other equally as bad countries don't experience the same restrictions but then we need their import/export funds. If Cuba could provide us with need product I am betting the embargo rules would have ended decades ago. As it is, presidents can pretend to be tough on dictatorships while not having any impact on the economy.
Lego Jesus - As part its Easter morning mass, a Swedish church unveiled a life-size Jesus figure made out of 30000 Lego bricks. The project began a year and half ago and the church, Oensta Gryta Church in Vaesteras, plans on keeping it in place for the foreseeable future. In America, I imagine many would freak at the notion of trying such a thing.
Passenger Lands Plane - In a movie scenario, a passenger had to be walked through landing a Super King two-engine turboprop with four passengers by Air Traffic Controllers after the pilot died. The incident occurred near Miami, Florida.
Weekend Box Office - After last week’s bonzo box office thanks to Fast and Furious, this week was decent and more the norm for April. Hannah Montana debuted to a sadly impressive $34M showing that Disney Channel adaptations continue to be cash cows. Fast & Furious took a 59% dive to a still impressive $28.8M take. Monsters vs. Aliens is number 3 with $22.6M. Observe and Report launched with $11.1M proving that Seth Rogen is not yet a headliner. Good reviews from critics combined with bad reviews from crowds probably didn't help (friends’ opinions trumps "experts" anytime). Knowing is 5th with $6.7M. To the surprise of no one, Dragonball: Evolution absolutely tanked with a pathetic $4.7M take thanks to crappy trailers and bad reviews from pretty much everyone (audience and critics alike). No surprise since they took a property that should have been a blast to take to life action (think Matrix fights) and instead of keeping the fights they kept the crap (costumes, humor, design).
Captain Rescued By Navy Snipers - It took a while but the US Navy was able to free the captain taken hostage by pirates by killing three of them with sniper hits. Richard Phillips was unharmed and doing well. Hopefully this is the beginning of a no nonsense approach with the pirates. At the end of the day their goal is wealth by taking it from others and like most criminals there wiliness to engage ends with risk to their lives. Kill enough of them and maybe they either stop or at the very least they learn to not mess with any ship waving a US flag.
Colbert: He Did It - After a campaign on his show The Colbert Report, Stephen Colbert won a NASA poll to get a new room (module) at the US Space Station named after him. NASA delayed announcing what name they had decided upon but the AP is reporting that Astronaut Sunita Williams will be on the program Tuesday to announce that NASA has chosen "Colbert" as the official name.
Polar Bear Attacks Woman - At the Berlin Zoo on Friday, a woman was attacked by a polar bear and bitten several times. The caveat on this though is she chose to climb the fence and jumped into the bear's habitat during feeding time. Intruder plus hunger equals expected results. It is unknown what the woman was thinking.
Best Buy Reorgs - In an attempt to cut costs (mostly through demotions); the company has reconfigured the stores hierarchy to decrease the number of floor supervisors. On the plus side, the reorganization isn't expected to lead to layoffs. I would say there is a bad side but nor of a neutral side since I expect service to remain at its lackluster level and the continued incompetence in such areas as Geek Squad (where the staff is mostly salespeople not techs) to continue unabated.
"Teabagging" Events Planned - The conservative moment has found something to rally around as they plan "Teabagging" parties to complain about upcoming tax plans. Keep in mind the Democratic plan is to decrease the taxes for bottom 95% of Americans but to offset that, increase for the top 5%. I.E., the rich pay more. Oddly though it seems those least effected (except Fox News, whose pay rates would effect all on air "talent") are most against it thus the parties hosted by Fox News personalities. Below Rachel Maddow talks about it. If you’re wondering about the clear humor and double entendres are about, well for a while now teabagging has a whole different meaning that Fox News apparently isn't aware of, "a slang term for the act of a man placing his testicles in the mouth[1] or on or around the face (including the top of the head) of another person, often in a repeated in-and-out motion as in irrumatio." Once you know that definition, the Fox News coverage gets a whole lot funnier.
Time Warner Lays Out Pricing Plan - Basically for those that like to download movies, you could be hit with up to a $150 bill per month for internet access. How? Well do you really know how much data you download and upload in a single day? Yeah I don't either. Now currently the cap is only in a few areas but don't fool yourself, this is like printing money for the company (everyone pays the same or more for the same services) so this will be companywide by the end of the summer. If you have alternatives available, you might want to start trying them out now.
Batman: Arkham Asylum Collector's Edition - I don't even own a PS3 or 360 yet I might have to get this set just for the 14'' Batarang that comes with it. The only problem is there is no indication of what the 'rang is made of (plastic or metal). The set will also come with behind the scenes DVD, Doctor's Journal (with leather dust jacket), and other sweet items. It is also going to cost around $100 and listed as getting released on June 23rd.
iPhone App Store Nearing 1 Billion Downloads - Considering the service isn't even two years old that is pretty darn good number to hit in such a short time and shows how ubiquitous the iPhone has already become. Makes me wish I had saved money to buy stock back in 2000 when I knew the iPod was going to be a hit. Keep an eye on the link because the one billionth downloaders could win prices. At the rate the dial is climbing my guess is that day will be around the 18th or 19th of April.
Syringe Removed After 31 Years - A Chinese man, Lao Du, finally removed a syringe piece that had been "lost" in his rear after breaking off for 31 years. He finally had to have it removed when he started experiencing pain for the last 5 years. I am curious to know why it took that long for it to become a problem.
Selling Used as New Illegal? - That is a question GameStop has to be concerned with as it appears that employees sometimes do that. The report indicates its part of a lending practice at stores were friends and works will borrow a new game, play it then sell it to customers as new when done with it. All I know is the few times I try to buy a new game from GameStop (unless on day of release) the game is often "opened" but being sold at a new price. Since GameStop no longer does "extra" with game releases I simply stopped buying from them and problem solved.
D&D Co-Creator Dave Arneson Died - Sadly the other creator of Dungeons and Dragons joins his co-conspirator Gary Gygax in the great beyond. The game is pretty much the origin source of the video game industry with online gaming, role-playing, and other off shoots. At the link above is a fond remembrance of the man. More can be found here.
Wolverine Leak Creates Blockbuster? - Fox is pretending to nash its teeth over the early release of a work print of Wolverine to bit torrent that lacks about 20 minutes of footage and finished effects. In reality the release created millions of dollars in free advertising as snippets of their trailers were shown on the news nationwide as the leak was discussed. Advertising and word of mouth that can only lead to more ticket sales. Even better the leak creates a built in excuse for failure. If the movie bombs, it isn't because of bad execution it will because bit torrent doomed it. In reality though, crap doesn't sell even when it’s free. Wolverine will have to be good or it will fail in the crowded summer market.
White House Email Oopsie - In a slight peaking behind the curtains, the White House Press Office accidently sent out an early draft of his Thursday schedule. As a sample shows, it turns out putting together something as simple as that is a carefully worded and planned affair.
iTunes Tiered Pricing Goes Into Effect - Anytime you hear tiered pricing that should send warning bells. Companies do it for one reason and one reason only...to give the illusion they are offering a deal when they really are not. In this case, iTunes just increased the pricing on their music by 30% but pretend you could save just as much, never mind that the percentage of songs with the cheapest tier is probably only numbered in the hundreds.
Time Warner Expands Tier Pricing - See issue above. In this case, Time Warner’s excuse is high bandwidth users are causing problems so should pay more. Yet they defend their service by saying most of their customers don't use that much bandwidth so why does it matter. Notice the two ideas are not compatible? What it really comes down to is cable companies do not want to upgrade their infrastructure. Why spend money to meet demand when you can simple charge people more forcing them to decrease demand (and have the side effect of making more money). The net result is if you are a Time Warner customer, it is in your best interest to start shopping around as this program will be expanded nationwide.
Blockbuster On Deathbed - Much like Circuit City, the rumblings are coming that Blockbuster is circling the drain as it continues to completely fail to compete in any real way with Netflix. Like Circuit City, the cause was their own greed as during their heyday they kept increasing prices for no reason so that when cheaper alternatives came along, people pounced on them and never returned. It is unfortunate for the thousands that will probably soon lose their jobs but you run a company as if you have no competitors, your only asking for the end (but what matters is the executives go their bonuses).
Two New Terminator Salvation Spots - Click the link to view two more television spots for the upcoming movie. Nothing new is shown. For some reason I just cannot get excited about this movie even though love the franchise (watch Sarah Connor religiously).
CEOs Expect More Job Cuts - Sadly the reports of bottom may not be true as CEOs (always looking at their bonuses which trust me are not going away) expect to continue job cuts for at least the next six months. I hope someone is keeping up as I am betting that the amount of bonuses paid out over the next year will probably be about equal to the combined salary (assuming average of $45k) for all those that get laid off.
Green Lantern First Flight Trailer - Click the link for the next DC Comics animated movie. It looks like it may be pretty good but these things can be hit and miss.
Fast & Furious Box Office - It was a very good weekend for Vin Diesel and Paul Walker whose careers probably just got a hefty boost thinks to the movies record breaking weekend of $72.5M (money Watchmen wanted but didn't get). The movie is pure popcorn and it’s pretty clear that in these dire economic times, it is exactly what the doctor ordered. The movie is the owner of the highest April opening ever, best Universal Pictures opening (beating The Lost World), best opening for the franchise, and top opening for the year (sure to be beat by Wolverine). Monsters vs. Aliens was way back in second with $33.5M, Haunting in Connecticut took 3rd ($9.6M), Knowing 4th ($8.1M), and I Love You Man was 5th ($7.9M). The other new movies, Adventureland bombed quickly with only $6M.
Install iTunes Without the Crap - Windows only solution, it helps install iTunes 8.0 without all the baggage (Quicktime, Bonjour, iTuneshelper) that Apple also tries to install that is basically crap and runs poorly.
Adam Savage Interview - Mythbusters finally returns with new episodes this Wednesday and Adam Savage answers 10 questions from fans.
Firsts Are Douchebags - An amusing write-up about commenters that drop into a post just to type "first". I loved his analogy of someone walking into McDonalds just as it opens, saying "First!", then leaving without ordering anything. In the real world that idea is silly but for some reason on the internet it’s perceived that way.
Pay For Performance Bill Passes House - A bill to squash the high bonuses that the bailout Wall Street companies is paying out has passed the House. Republicans, always friends of the rich, are against the bill so it’s an early sign that is probably needed. The gist of the bill is the Treasury Department can veto excessively high bonuses and compensation for companies that received bailout money until that money is repaid. To put it more simply, companies are now extra motivated to pay back those billions they borrowed so that executives can get their excessive bonuses and pay. Considering the bank bailout had come with no strings, it’s nice to see there is now a reason for them to meet their obligations.
House, Senate Pass Obama Budget - Congress has passed the Obama budget with zero vote from the Republicans (gee no votes from the Party of No). The budget still has to go through the reconciliation process to iron out the differences between the two bills but it means it will likely get brought to signature within a week or so. It is a $3.5 trillion dollar budget, extremely high, but then 8 years of neglect of the US in all areas (infrastructure, safety, education, the list is long) in the quest for a Middle East legacy is going to take a lot of money to fix. Hopefully more jobs will increase tax revenue decreasing the overall deficit this budget will create. It is a big gamble, nearly the size of Iraq, but in this case that gamble is going to the American people and not to warmongers.
Credit Card Write-Off Hit Record High - The amount of uncollectable credit card debt hit a record high of 8.82% in February as people lost jobs and placed other bills as a higher priority. The banks are upset but the number that will likely go even higher but I have little sympathy. If the banks charged a more reasonable rate rather than the 18%-30% they do now, more people might consider the credit card debt salvageable. As it stands, it’s a pretty easy choice to write those bills off.
2 million jobs, lost in 09 - The bad news keeps coming as job loss reaches new heights. The stats stand at 8.5% unemployment which doesn't include part-timers that work multiple jobs and is a 25 year high, 663,000 jobs cut in March, and 5.1 million jobs lost total for this recession. If you got by the schizophrenic Dow Jones, bottom might have been reached, but then they go more on feelings of confidence, not reality so that isn't a good standard to go by.
IBM To Buy Sun Microsystems - IBM is about to buy the company to the tune of 7 billion dollars. The goal is to turn IBM into the "dominant supplier of high-profit UNIX servers and related technology." By related that means Java, Solaris OS, MySQL and other assets. The offer is $9.50 a share. What this means for the company is unknown but it wouldn't surprise me if it’s carved up with most of the jobs shifted to oversea sites.
Corruption Charges Dropped for Stevens - Sadly that Whore Ted Stevens will not go to jail and get to enjoy the high life he has not really earned. Sure some say he was vindicated but the reason he was released was because of Prosecution failed to follow the rules of discovery and provide all their documents. Yep, the same reason you hear murderers get off and other criminals benefited Stevens. It is important to understand that. He was not declared innocent, but cleared because the Obama's Department of Justice but the rule of law first. Do you really think a Bush administration would have done that if it was a Democrat Senator in the exact same situation? Yeah I don't either.
April Fool's Roundup - A few places that had fun with April Fools. One thing great about the internet is the many companies, both big and small, that participate.
Queens Hugs First Lady - Apparently it turns out to be a big deal with the Queen hugs or otherwise touches you. I guess you have to have a monarchy to understand. I was amused by the comment at the end over concern that maybe the Queen touching the first lady was a breach and wanted to say "nah! She has probably been touched and shook more hands then anyone person ever should."
CTJ Model of GOP Budget - While the GOP's grand budget plan was actually pretty lacking in details and numbers, one can derive a few conclusions based on their usual desire to shift the tax burden from the upper class as much as possible. As the graph shows, their proposal does just that. Basically the more you make, the more you get back from the tax plan. Of note is it’s a complete shift. The top 20% save the most. Middle 20% the least, and the bottom 40%? They get actually pay more in taxes. Yep a complete reverse of the Democratic plan. Not really a surprise but ironic considering that many of the GOPs followers come from that bottom 40%. The main problem is the obsession that tax cuts will fix everything. I want to pay less in taxes but only if doing so is effective and good for the country. In this case, as has been for the last 8 years, it simple isn't.
Twitter Job Search - A pretty cool website that filters through Twitter tweets to find job postings in your area. Dead simple to use and doesn't go back to the end of time like most job search engines.
Guiding Light Cancelled After 72 Years - As a sign that the soap opera is on its last legs with ever declining viewership, the 72 year old flagship of the genre is being cancelled by CBS. The show started as a 15 minute radio program before moving to TV on June 30th, 1952. It helped launch the careers of a view stars including Kevin Bacon, James Earl Jones and a view others. I never watched it but always a shame to see a little bit of history come to an end. The last show will air in September.
R.I.P. Andy Hallett - The Angel star (played Krevlornswath) died at the very young age of 33 due to heart failure. He has been fighting heart disease for the last five years. He was also a magician and singer. Condolences to the family.
Adam Savage Interview - From Lifehacker, an interview with Mythbusters host as he talks about his day to day work and filming the show. Huge fan of the show that finally starts airing new episodes on April 8th.
Playstation 2 Drops to $100 - One of the best video games systems ever released drop $30 to $99 price point. Of course at this point if you don't already own a PS2 then chances are you were never going to buy one to begin with. Still it’s a good price point to go hit up GameStop for those older games always meant to play but never had time too.
GM Problems 50 Years in the Making - A good analysis of how GM got in the mess it’s in from a pure operating margin perspective. I would say abandoning quality for short term gain was the biggest cause but then GM has a history of thinking only about the next quarter rather than years down the line.
Example "Silent Knight" Stage from Arkham Asylum - This game is starting to look like a must buy with its graphics and mix of gameplay that does a good job of capturing what being the Dark Knight would be.
