Post-Transaction Marketing Warning - With Black Friday a few days away and online shopping only expected to break new records, be sure to click the link to read about Post-Transaction Marketing and the companies you should refuse to do business with for participating in the scam. Essentially, what they were doing is after making a purchase, you would get a screen offering you a rebate or coupon if you provide your email address or simply click a confirm button. What often instead happened is the website would provide your just used credit card information to a marketing company would then charge you a monthly "loyalty". The result is the website gets paid for providing your information and the marketing company gets money off the fee they are charging. You get nothing out of the transaction except a headache as the fee is hard to remove, hard to stop, and usually banks refuse to refund. If these companies are willing to be so cavalier with your credit card information, who else have they provided it to for a quick buck?
Complete History of Tie-In Novels - A nice breakdown of the tie-in novel business that often builds on universes such as Star Trek, Star Wars and more. I continue to read the Star Trek and Star Wars novels that come out so found this peak to be very interesting.
Netbook Holiday Buying Guide - A nice simple breakdown of all the various netbooks currently available to help you decide how to get the most bang for your buck. I love my Dell netbook and look forward to upgrading sometime next year as the small size can be very convenient sometimes.
Atari 2600 Arcade - For once, official and legal versions of 2600 games that you can play online for free. These games for the Atari 2600 back in the early 80s helped created the foundation for the video game industry that we now all enjoy.
New Final Fantasy XIII Trailer - Another trailer for the game coming out in 3 week in Japan and about 4 months in the States.
UGA VII Dead at 4 - After just a little under two seasons, the University of Georgia's mascot died last week due to heart failure. The beloved dog, considered the sweetest of the line, was only four. For the remainder of the season a temp dog will be used for the games with a successor prepped for next season. As a fan, it is sad news and found Mike Luckovich's comic to be a touching tribute.
Microsoft Attempts to Buy Search Content - As a sign that Microsoft still thinks money is all you need to compete in this age of the internet, the company apparently is trying to buy exclusive search access to Rupert Murdoch's media empire. The net result is it could kick off a buying war for content that means the average user will have to use multiple search engines to try and get results. There are ways around that but the net result is it’s a stupid, classless move that accomplishes little but aggravate customers. If this occurs, I think the only proper response is a complete boycott of Bing and all companies that agree to exclusive search access.
12 Hottest Geek Girls - As a sign that maybe geekdom is start to flirt with mainstream (jocks still rule so not there yet); here are 12 girls that are as gorgeous as your average movie star. They are all outstanding but Jade Raymond edges out the group as most beautiful with Olivia Munn a close second.
GOP Purity Test Planned - As a sign that moderates are not welcome, the GOP has started plans to introduce a "purity" test for any prospective candidates. If one doesn't meet at least 7 of the 10 requirements, then they will not receive funding from the Republican National Committee nor endorsement from any member as punishment for falling marching orders. So far all current Republicans meet the requirements which claim to be part of Ronald "Reagan's Unity Principle" even though most are philosophies he didn't support and all seem to be really about hatred of Obama then driving any core party values. It is a shame the party was not this driven when they were in power.
Google Chrome OS Official - Google held its official press conference to announce their next big idea which is a web browser / operating system hybrid. The idea is to create an OS that will run on most computers, especially netbooks, which do internet tasks very fast. The problem though is that will be all the computer will do. So if you likes games, editing movies, have your own media, pretty much anything that can't be accessed or run via "the cloud" then you will need a separate computer. To me its limitations outweigh its benefits. However, if the idea can cause the price of a netbook to go to around $100 then suddenly it might very well be worth it.
Epic HDTV Buyer's Guide Flowchart - Click the link to view an amusing and helpful flowchart to determine what is the best type and size HDTV to buy. I found it useful as do to space limitations, I know now to save some money and buy a 32'' 760p HDTV instead of paying the extra $300 for 1080p, 120Htz system that I don't really need.
What Happens To Your Accounts When You Die? - A nice breakdown of what happens to some email and social networking sites after you die and also how your next of kin could access those account if needed. At the very least it helps you determine what info you need to prepare in advance just in case.
Daily Show's Lou Dobbs Interview - An interesting interview with the no ex-CNN host Lou Dobbs. The best part for me is Jon Stewart articulates rather well the frustration I have with the right's sudden anger while Dobbs fails to explain "why now?" Out of nowhere there are these groups, many that Dobbs agrees with, that have suddenly found their anger and hate the direction the country is moving in. Yet none can explain why now? Why were two wars, many lies, Patriot Act and so much more not the final straw? Why is healthcare the thing that sent them over the edge? Dobbs claims it’s because Obama is doing trying to turn the country left to sharply but when asked "how?" he can't answer that. Most people will agree that Obama hasn't really done that much in these last 11 months yet somehow he has magically taken the country left by doing nothing? And over an issue that has been around since the 1930s? Yes you read that right, the debate over universal healthcare in the US started with Roosevelt. It is not new; it is not a "sharp left turn". Those that think it is once again show their ignorance of history, like Lou Dobbs who I would think would know more than most but clearly doesn't.
Experiences at a Free Clinic - Part of the healthcare story that no one, especially Faux News, is willing to cover. From the video is a summary of an essay by Rich Stockwell of his visit at a New Orleans free clinic. The heart of the problem is so many, including 83% of them employed, that simply cannot afford to see a doctor on a regular basis to get the preventative care needed that will stop a minor issue from becoming a life threatening and expensive condition. It’s an example of why universal healthcare and the public option are needed. For all the talk of expense, the net result of a system that makes it a truly affordable and viable option to see a doctor (rather than an ER) will drive costs down and actually save this country money.
Belle de Jour of Diary of a Call Girl Revealed - Dr. Brooke Magnanti, research scientist, has revealed herself to be the writer behind the books and website that spawned the TV series about her 14 months as an escort. As the picture shows, the woman is a gorgeous 34 years old (a quick glance at craigslist doesn't show any escorts in her class) who freely admits she enjoyed her side job that she took to help pay for rent and more as she perused her doctorate. My personal opinion is what consenting adults choose to do with each other for money isn't anyone business but their own but I don't make the laws so more power to her.
Edward Woodward (1930-2009) - "The Equalizer" and more has sadly passed away. Click the link from a friend of his.
Ken Ober (1957-2009) - Comedian and host of MTV's Remote Control died in his home from unknown causes. I grew up watching the show, which also brought me one of my early crushes in the form of Kari Wuhrer.
Verizon Responds to AT&T's Lawsuit - The company releases its legal/PR b%#chslap response to AT&T's lawsuit that essentially claims while their map of AT&T's lack of coverage is accurate they should be showing their EDGE coverage as well. Considering the maps are 3G vs. 3G I don't see what legal ground the AT&T has.
Going Rogue Falsehoods - Running list of the many lies in Sarah Palin's book where her idea of being tough is blaming everyone else for everything, including her poor interview with Katie Couric that essentially torpedoed her VP run. Sorry but when the female version of Larry King that only knows how to ask softball questions gets you in a "gotcha" moment, you are simply a fool and there is no one to blame but yourself for that.
HBO's The Pacific Trailer 2 - New trailer for the upcoming mini-series from the same producers of Band of Brothers and From the Earth to the Moon. The tentative release date is March 2010.
Been a week since last posted, no real reason, just didn't accumulate enough links to bother with a post until now.
MGM For Sale - Considering the success of the James Bond franchise, Stargate and more, you have to wonder exactly why MGM is in so much debt that the storied studio has to be sold. I doubt we will ever know but how much you want to bet the executives in charge of the company have enjoyed very lucrative last few years at the studio.
Final Fantasy XIII North America Release Date - On Friday SquareSoft finally made it official that FF13 will be released on North America and Europe on March 9, 2010 on the PS3 and XBox 360. The game is hitting Japan in the next month. Below is the video announcing the date along with a few minutes of battle footage.
Anatomy of 2012 - A breakdown of how a scene was done for the disaster flick 2012 that came out this weekend. The film has a lot of hokey moments but the disaster effects are fantastic and overall I found the film to be very entertaining. The "human dilemma" aspect was blah and easily cut but it’s the way directors and writers talk themselves into believing they are "artists" so no chance of that happening.
Carrie Prejean vs. Larry King - In a clear sign just how stupid this woman is, she threatened to walk off of Larry King. The man is the "King" of the softball interview style where the famous go to begin a rehabilitation of their image yet she screwed it up completely. The woman did a sex tape, she knows it, and the world knows it and trying to dodge it just doesn't make any sense when her fame is based on hatred of gays and fake boobs. Her entire image is "I am pretty" and that only has so much mileage. I just hope her she finishes her search for her sugar daddy and gets off the stage as I am a bit sick of hearing about her.
Dollhouse Cancelled - For Joss Whedon fans (pretty much the only ones watching the show), the end has come to Dollhouse. While I enjoy the show, the ratings are pathetic so can't blame the choice. I am thinking that next time Joss wants to do a TV show, he needs to go cable. FX, SyFy, USA or maybe HBO would be good fits for his program. The rating requirements are even less then what Dollhouse was getting, the budgets about the same and he might have more creative flexibility then with the networks.
Clash of the Titans Trailer - New trailer for the remake that actually might be watchable. Below is the video or click the link for 720p quality version.
Art of Nicole Brune - Just got back from Las Vegas for a vacation (only lost a few hundred to the tables). As part of that got to see the fantastic art of Nicole Brune, who recently got a contract with Spencer's for a line of Alice in Wonderland posters (with a sexy twist of course). I was lucky enough to talk to the stunningly beautiful and sweet Nicole who revealed a geek side with familiarity with Transformers, comics (she is a Marvel girl) and more. Sadly married but that didn't stop me from taking a photo of her, shortly thereafter my iPhone broke (dropped) and the picture lost ($200 flushed) to my great irritation. Click the link above for a look at her efforts (more here). To see why she will be the most memorable part of the trip, hit her bio link or do a Google for her modeling name Nikki Christian. If you like sexy pin-up art, be sure to check her out.
Why Different Power Plugs for Different Countries - Click the link for a straight forward explanation on why it seems nearly every country in the world has its own standard on power plugs (therefore requiring adapters for travelers). It essentially comes down to no real attempt at creating a worldwide standard (such ideas didn't exist nor really necessary then) when the power grid was being built and the high cost to introduce it now.
Lego Bone Dragon - Not sure how it was built, but it looks great. This Lego Bone Dragon would make a great store style set, maybe even a new line. Click the link for more pictures.
Steven Tyler Quit Aerosmith - After ending their latest concert tour, it appears that lead singer of the group has quit. At least that is what the group's guitarist Joe Perry is saying. I assume this means the group is defunct again until the inevitable reunion 5-10 years from now. Considering the band hasn't really produced anything new in quite a while, it doesn't seem like the lost to the music world that it might have been a decade or so ago.
Bizarre Scientology Conversation - Video of a really a conversation with a Scientologist. Notice the strange use of English, odd sentence structure, the constant inability to answer simple direct questions, and constant unnecessary personal attacks. This style of deflecting is actually taught (for a fee of course) and encouraged by the cult. Pay special note is the comment about hitting his wife. Another favorite is "why did you kill your baby" and other made up accusations to get the questioner to back down.
SNL's Fox Skit - Amusing bit from this week's SNL that makes fun of Fox's coverage of their recent election coverage that took minor events (election of two governors) and turned it into something akin to a presidential election. The best part is the spot on nail of the crazy that is Glenn Beck.
