Lawmakers seek Obamacare exemption
Yes, folks, the bottom-dwellers who passed this mess are now quietly trying to get themselves and their staff exempted from it. This is a must-read, for insight into how the bottom-dwellers operate. All of the sudden there will be no partisanship at all.
By some estimates, individual health policies will cost between 25% and 50% more under this burdensome morass of legislation. Wasn't this supposed to lower costs?
Someone(s) needs to be held responsible for this. Let's start with its architects and go down through everyone who voted for it. Don't wait until they're out of office.
Congress readies $100 million flu tax
Speaking of bottom-dwellers, they are readying a tax of seventy-five cents per flu shot. Where will this money go? Into a fund to defend against lawsuits against the vaccine.
When has the federal government gotten into the business of protecting Big Pharma? Ever since there was a Big Pharma, apparently.
Monday, April 29, 2013
Thursday, April 25, 2013
Just Wondering....
I see the ceremony for the Bush library is starting on CNN. Today's question:
Is giving Bush a library like giving Hitler a synagogue?
Is giving Bush a library like giving Hitler a synagogue?
Monday, March 25, 2013
Lefty Goes Delay Shopping
Guitar Center is usually a place I go when I know I want to be disappointed. The area of lefty guitars has been well-trodden in this blog. Every time I show up, there seems to be fewer of them. But this time was different. No, there were no more lefties... I'm just shocked that I did so well.
The topic of the month is delays, specifically analog delays. For a while I relied on a Boss RV-3, which is a combination reverb/delay. I discovered it had very low output level and I have no idea how to go about fixing it (no tubes), so I needed a new one. I got a great hamfest deal on an ADA multi-fx box, which does flanging, chorus and delay. It sounds ok, if a bit dated, but it's a rack mount device so it's not well suited for carrying around.
I did a lot of YouTube shopping. YouTube is the greatest thing to happen to guitar in a long time. If you want a guitar, amp or effects, odds are someone has a video featuring it. Some even have comparisons. After asking around further, I decided I wanted to try out the MXR Carbon Copy and the Electro Harmonix Memory Boy.
Guitar Center shocked the hell out of me by having the Carbon Copy, Way Huge Aqua Puss and a 4 knob red (T-rex/reptile?) Tap Delay used. There was also a new Memory Boy.
Test rig was a generic white lefty Strat and a Blues Deluxe amp (close enough to my rig). The Aqua Puss and Tap Delay were ok but failed to distinguish themselves. The Carbon Copy was cool. It had a nicer tone and more range as an effect. Plus that cool, metallic green finish :)
The Memory Boy is one of the newer Electro Harmonix pedals. They really have come a long way since the Big Muff and Memory Man. They're doing very interesting things, including the Memory Boy. I really liked this pedal the moment I plugged it in. It's a normal analog delay but it also features modulation, so you can achieve anything from a slight chorus to an insane pitch change and vibrato. It's almost like two pedals. The tone, however, sold me. It's not pure and it's not digital. It's a little thick and colored. The pedal was compact too.
My wife, who is not a musician, said there was only one choice: the Memory Boy. Of course we know that my wife is easily entertained (by her choice in husbands). She's also correct; it was the best of the bunch (for my application).
Financially it was an interesting decision:
The topic of the month is delays, specifically analog delays. For a while I relied on a Boss RV-3, which is a combination reverb/delay. I discovered it had very low output level and I have no idea how to go about fixing it (no tubes), so I needed a new one. I got a great hamfest deal on an ADA multi-fx box, which does flanging, chorus and delay. It sounds ok, if a bit dated, but it's a rack mount device so it's not well suited for carrying around.
I did a lot of YouTube shopping. YouTube is the greatest thing to happen to guitar in a long time. If you want a guitar, amp or effects, odds are someone has a video featuring it. Some even have comparisons. After asking around further, I decided I wanted to try out the MXR Carbon Copy and the Electro Harmonix Memory Boy.
Guitar Center shocked the hell out of me by having the Carbon Copy, Way Huge Aqua Puss and a 4 knob red (T-rex/reptile?) Tap Delay used. There was also a new Memory Boy.
Test rig was a generic white lefty Strat and a Blues Deluxe amp (close enough to my rig). The Aqua Puss and Tap Delay were ok but failed to distinguish themselves. The Carbon Copy was cool. It had a nicer tone and more range as an effect. Plus that cool, metallic green finish :)
The Memory Boy is one of the newer Electro Harmonix pedals. They really have come a long way since the Big Muff and Memory Man. They're doing very interesting things, including the Memory Boy. I really liked this pedal the moment I plugged it in. It's a normal analog delay but it also features modulation, so you can achieve anything from a slight chorus to an insane pitch change and vibrato. It's almost like two pedals. The tone, however, sold me. It's not pure and it's not digital. It's a little thick and colored. The pedal was compact too.
My wife, who is not a musician, said there was only one choice: the Memory Boy. Of course we know that my wife is easily entertained (by her choice in husbands). She's also correct; it was the best of the bunch (for my application).
Financially it was an interesting decision:
- Tap Delay (used) - $99
- Aqua Puss (used) - $139
- Carbon Copy (used) - $90
- Memory Boy (new) - $139
Any of the delays would have performed adequately. Had I purchased the Carbon Copy, I would not have been disappointed. The Memory Boy just aced the others tonally, plus it had the added benefit of modulation.
If I played a different instrument, I might have gone in a different direction, as the MB's output is definitely colored. But this is exactly what I needed. Aside from playing around with a chorus setting, the delay is probably going to be Set It and Forget It. Others might like a more accurate (sterile) tone from their delay.
Your mileage will definitely vary - shop around, listen to the boxes on YouTube and play them in person. Ask questions if you have them.
Friday, March 15, 2013
Going to the Carnival
Carnival Cruises is in deep shit again. By that I mean for the third time, a Carnival ship has experienced broken plumbing. These people cannot seem to get it right. The only positive here is that the ship was docked, not dead in the middle of some ocean somewhere.
An esteemed coworker wondered aloud why it is that every time there is a systems failure on a Carnival ship, it immediately affects the plumbing.
Let me be the first to suggest some minor changes in their advertising:
Excrement Cruise Lines
Come Cruise with Us (and Shit)
An esteemed coworker wondered aloud why it is that every time there is a systems failure on a Carnival ship, it immediately affects the plumbing.
First Mate, the anchor has broken - man the toilets!
Captain - our radios have failed. I'll get the toilet paper.
Let me be the first to suggest some minor changes in their advertising:
Excrement Cruise Lines
Come Cruise with Us (and Shit)
Wednesday, March 13, 2013
Hey Hey, It's the Pope
White smoke billowed from some chimney or other in Rome and the Catholics have a new pope. Good for them (I hope).
If anyone has been watching CNN, the follies have been most notable. We watch it at work with no sound and the first thing I noticed was wall-to-wall Pope Coverage. The captions were amazing: there was one that said Cardinals Locked Away. I kept thinking they should be. The cardinals vowed secrecy. Of course they vowed secrecy - how else could they have kept their scandals out of the light for so long?
My boss wondered what the hospitality arrangements were, probably because he came from that background. He decided that there would be no mints on their pillows; instead, they would each get a little boy.
At least my boss stays relevant.
If anyone has been watching CNN, the follies have been most notable. We watch it at work with no sound and the first thing I noticed was wall-to-wall Pope Coverage. The captions were amazing: there was one that said Cardinals Locked Away. I kept thinking they should be. The cardinals vowed secrecy. Of course they vowed secrecy - how else could they have kept their scandals out of the light for so long?
My boss wondered what the hospitality arrangements were, probably because he came from that background. He decided that there would be no mints on their pillows; instead, they would each get a little boy.
At least my boss stays relevant.
------------------------------------
In other happy news, President Obama's people have fixed him up yet again, this time with the new Miss Israel, Yityish Aynaw, 22. What makes me really go into high gear is that Miss Aynaw, 22, is the first black Miss Isreal, hailing from Ethiopia. Yes, that's right, people, there are Ethiopian Jews.
Israel has proven their impartiality and total lack of racism by fully accepting an attractive young woman. Of course they sterilized the less attractive ones, but hey, you can't be perfect all of the time.
Israel has proven their impartiality and total lack of racism by fully accepting an attractive young woman. Of course they sterilized the less attractive ones, but hey, you can't be perfect all of the time.
--------------------------------------
Let's see... so far I have made sport of the pope and the Jews. Impartiality would indicate that next up would be the Muslims. So, with that in mind, let me tell you the latest about Obamacare (there's nothing funny in the news about Muslims today). The next time you take your dog, cat, sloth or child to the vet, it's going to cost you more because of Obamacare. One of the many taxes to pay for this juggernaut is on medical equipment, including veterinary equipment. And rest assured, the vets will pass the tax onto their customers.
And while I'm talking Happy News, your president is quite sure there is no debt crisis. This man has clearly been drinking his own Kool Aid for way too long.
Tuesday, February 26, 2013
Should Have Stayed in Bed
Have you ever gotten that feeling? Right after you get up, there is a series of Really Stupid Stuff<tm> happening and you say to yourself that you really should turn around and get back into bed?
Yesterday was my turn. It's a shame I never listen to myself.
It started, as most days do, with the noise from the blasted alarm clock. If there is anything more hated than phone salesmen, it's alarm clocks. In my normal morning haze, I observed the wife get up and head to the rest room. Not completely awake, she didn't shut the bedroom door.
An open or semi-open bedroom door is way too much temptation for the dog. Marshall was through the portal and down the steps before anyone knew. After all, if there is an open door, it's the Doorway to Trouble. I didn't watch it but I assume Marshall flew down the steps and ran at top speed to see if there was any cat food. This is a safe assumption because cat food is Marshall's number one interest. He checks in the morning, afternoon, evening and every time he comes in from outside.
My wife was justifiably concerned and signaled so by grunting, laying down and putting her eye cover on.
Finding no cat food (the cat was no doubt looking for it too - he behaves as if nobody ever feeds him), Marshall probably went for second place; the recycling bin, where empty cans of cat food are kept. He stands up, steals a can, takes it to his spot, then licks it clean. Sometimes we wonder why there are so many empty cat food cans all over the dining room, especially as we use a recycling bin, not the floor. It doesn't even matter that we already cleaned the cans - he apparently has to give it the Special Spaniel Seal of Sanitation (SSSS).
I got dressed and let the little monster out into his yard. When my wife does this, she looks at him sternly and tells him no barking. She swears up and down that he understands and most of the time he does not bark when he goes out. I see no such evidence. When I let him out, he immediately runs around the side, sits at the gate and barks for the neighbor to feed him. Yes, he trained his neighbor to bring him food on command.
The only problem with this arrangement is that the neighbor isn't always home. So Marshall will contently sit by his fence and bark every thirty seconds or so. I sometimes wonder whether he remembers he's supposed to go to the bathroom or not. Needless to say, when I say no barking, it has no effect whatsoever.
Yesterday was no exception and for some reason, Marshall decided to make the barking constant. I don't want to be the neighbor with the barky dog, so I had to run out to get him. Deciding it was best to go with shoes, I sat down on the couch to put them on amidst the annoying bark/squeak of my little monster.
There are some sounds that are iconic. A whoopee cushion is one. A fart is another. One of the most iconic comedy sounds is rrrrrrrrrrrripp. As all of us know, this signifies, well, something ripping.
Judging by the sudden cold, that would have been the brand new hole in the rear portion of my jeans.
My spine shivered and my eyes rolled back in my head. I thought that this would be a tremendous sitcom, especially if it weren't happening to me at that moment. With the sizable hole near my buttocks, I went outside to fetch the barky people trainer. It was a brave move - screw fashion (or modesty).
Yeah, I should have stayed in bed.
Having temporarily solved the barking issue, we all went back to the bedroom; Marshall for his morning nap and me for a less well-vented pair of jeans. While the wife was ostensibly sleeping, I swore I heard giggling.
At work I discovered that my task overload had multiplied overnight. Keeping a cool head about myself, I continued on with the work, when I got an email from my brother. He wanted to know if I had heard.
Heard about what?
The lady who assaulted her baby.
No, but what about her?
She's Mom's neighbor.
Oh. Mom knows people, doesn't she?
She was going to buy a baby present. For that particular baby.
Oh (again).
Mom makes friends quickly. Apparently her complex is the complex in which to live, if you like occasional drama. She thinks it was the husband anyway. I wonder if she interviewed the police or it was the other way around.
We were local celebrities. Not Mom... our car. When the news showed up, they panned by our car. My wife was thrilled. I was thrilled, too (that there weren't any deer involved with our car).
Back to work, I was busy doing Stuff for a legal case. It's all hush hush, you know.
Never one to be silent, my phone blared for attention - it was the wife. All of this baby assaulting had everyone in a spin. This was not good. Fortunately she slept it off.
Work Stuff refused to take even a minimal break. The Stuff I was doing had an inadvertent effect on the network, causing no end of grief and minor calls for blood, which expanded to the entire department. Nothing was actually wrong - it was just politics.
[Sigh]
I'm not a drinking man but I'm starting to wonder if I should look into it.
Probably should have stayed in bed this morning. Let this be a lesson to you: listen to the voices - they may have a point.
Yesterday was my turn. It's a shame I never listen to myself.
It started, as most days do, with the noise from the blasted alarm clock. If there is anything more hated than phone salesmen, it's alarm clocks. In my normal morning haze, I observed the wife get up and head to the rest room. Not completely awake, she didn't shut the bedroom door.
An open or semi-open bedroom door is way too much temptation for the dog. Marshall was through the portal and down the steps before anyone knew. After all, if there is an open door, it's the Doorway to Trouble. I didn't watch it but I assume Marshall flew down the steps and ran at top speed to see if there was any cat food. This is a safe assumption because cat food is Marshall's number one interest. He checks in the morning, afternoon, evening and every time he comes in from outside.
My wife was justifiably concerned and signaled so by grunting, laying down and putting her eye cover on.
Finding no cat food (the cat was no doubt looking for it too - he behaves as if nobody ever feeds him), Marshall probably went for second place; the recycling bin, where empty cans of cat food are kept. He stands up, steals a can, takes it to his spot, then licks it clean. Sometimes we wonder why there are so many empty cat food cans all over the dining room, especially as we use a recycling bin, not the floor. It doesn't even matter that we already cleaned the cans - he apparently has to give it the Special Spaniel Seal of Sanitation (SSSS).
I got dressed and let the little monster out into his yard. When my wife does this, she looks at him sternly and tells him no barking. She swears up and down that he understands and most of the time he does not bark when he goes out. I see no such evidence. When I let him out, he immediately runs around the side, sits at the gate and barks for the neighbor to feed him. Yes, he trained his neighbor to bring him food on command.
The only problem with this arrangement is that the neighbor isn't always home. So Marshall will contently sit by his fence and bark every thirty seconds or so. I sometimes wonder whether he remembers he's supposed to go to the bathroom or not. Needless to say, when I say no barking, it has no effect whatsoever.
Yesterday was no exception and for some reason, Marshall decided to make the barking constant. I don't want to be the neighbor with the barky dog, so I had to run out to get him. Deciding it was best to go with shoes, I sat down on the couch to put them on amidst the annoying bark/squeak of my little monster.
There are some sounds that are iconic. A whoopee cushion is one. A fart is another. One of the most iconic comedy sounds is rrrrrrrrrrrripp. As all of us know, this signifies, well, something ripping.
Judging by the sudden cold, that would have been the brand new hole in the rear portion of my jeans.
My spine shivered and my eyes rolled back in my head. I thought that this would be a tremendous sitcom, especially if it weren't happening to me at that moment. With the sizable hole near my buttocks, I went outside to fetch the barky people trainer. It was a brave move - screw fashion (or modesty).
Yeah, I should have stayed in bed.
Having temporarily solved the barking issue, we all went back to the bedroom; Marshall for his morning nap and me for a less well-vented pair of jeans. While the wife was ostensibly sleeping, I swore I heard giggling.
At work I discovered that my task overload had multiplied overnight. Keeping a cool head about myself, I continued on with the work, when I got an email from my brother. He wanted to know if I had heard.
Heard about what?
The lady who assaulted her baby.
No, but what about her?
She's Mom's neighbor.
Oh. Mom knows people, doesn't she?
She was going to buy a baby present. For that particular baby.
Oh (again).
Mom makes friends quickly. Apparently her complex is the complex in which to live, if you like occasional drama. She thinks it was the husband anyway. I wonder if she interviewed the police or it was the other way around.
We were local celebrities. Not Mom... our car. When the news showed up, they panned by our car. My wife was thrilled. I was thrilled, too (that there weren't any deer involved with our car).
Back to work, I was busy doing Stuff for a legal case. It's all hush hush, you know.
Never one to be silent, my phone blared for attention - it was the wife. All of this baby assaulting had everyone in a spin. This was not good. Fortunately she slept it off.
Work Stuff refused to take even a minimal break. The Stuff I was doing had an inadvertent effect on the network, causing no end of grief and minor calls for blood, which expanded to the entire department. Nothing was actually wrong - it was just politics.
[Sigh]
I'm not a drinking man but I'm starting to wonder if I should look into it.
Probably should have stayed in bed this morning. Let this be a lesson to you: listen to the voices - they may have a point.
Tuesday, February 12, 2013
Pope Ain't No Dope
So the nazi pope has stepped down, which came as a surprise to apparently everyone (yes, he was a nazi when he was younger).
Pope can cite ill health all he wants; the last time a pope retired, many people could not read and write. Usually popes are buried, hence my skepticism.
One of the more interesting pieces of news around this announcement is that They are saying that perhaps it's time to go with a new pope from a different area, like Africa.
BOOM!
FLASH!
It hit me instantly: this pope is getting while the getting is good. He is not a stupid pontiff; he sees the legal writing in the wall. He is escaping before the excrement hits the rotating device.
Then, when he's gone, they're going to blame it on the black guy.
The Catholic Church appears to be one of the largest, most corrupt organizations on the planet. In case you're not up to date, this is an organization that has tacitly approved pedophilia by covering it up and reassigning the offenders to other parishes, sometimes in different countries.
You can call it coincidence if it happens in one or two United States but when it happens in many states in many countries, it's no longer a coincidence. When there is evidence of a cover up and proof that the church repeatedly moved pedophile priests around to offend in new places, the church has a legal problem (not to mention a moral one). And don't get me started on the Boy Scouts.
A psychologist I know provided the best insight into this problem: when you take a group of people and put them in a situation where they have to ignore a basic human instinct, you have a problem like this. Others have suggested that priesthood is a calling for pedophiles in the first place.
I have previously called for the United States to prosecute the church under the RICO statutes. RICO refers to racketeering and was used initially against organized crime. Then our good friends in government started to apply it outside of the mafia, especially when they discovered Asset Forfeiture.
A legal source said that while it is possible to bring a RICO case against the church, no one would dare do it because the political ramifications would be dire. It's sad but I get it.
Perhaps the UN or a similar body could make itself useful and bring the church up on charges in front of the whole world. There is no doubt of their guilt but they should have a fair trial.
NOTE: Many of my friends are Catholic. I have no problem with them or their faith. My issue is with their headquarters.
Pope can cite ill health all he wants; the last time a pope retired, many people could not read and write. Usually popes are buried, hence my skepticism.
One of the more interesting pieces of news around this announcement is that They are saying that perhaps it's time to go with a new pope from a different area, like Africa.
BOOM!
FLASH!
It hit me instantly: this pope is getting while the getting is good. He is not a stupid pontiff; he sees the legal writing in the wall. He is escaping before the excrement hits the rotating device.
Then, when he's gone, they're going to blame it on the black guy.
=========================
The Catholic Church appears to be one of the largest, most corrupt organizations on the planet. In case you're not up to date, this is an organization that has tacitly approved pedophilia by covering it up and reassigning the offenders to other parishes, sometimes in different countries.
You can call it coincidence if it happens in one or two United States but when it happens in many states in many countries, it's no longer a coincidence. When there is evidence of a cover up and proof that the church repeatedly moved pedophile priests around to offend in new places, the church has a legal problem (not to mention a moral one). And don't get me started on the Boy Scouts.
A psychologist I know provided the best insight into this problem: when you take a group of people and put them in a situation where they have to ignore a basic human instinct, you have a problem like this. Others have suggested that priesthood is a calling for pedophiles in the first place.
I have previously called for the United States to prosecute the church under the RICO statutes. RICO refers to racketeering and was used initially against organized crime. Then our good friends in government started to apply it outside of the mafia, especially when they discovered Asset Forfeiture.
A legal source said that while it is possible to bring a RICO case against the church, no one would dare do it because the political ramifications would be dire. It's sad but I get it.
Perhaps the UN or a similar body could make itself useful and bring the church up on charges in front of the whole world. There is no doubt of their guilt but they should have a fair trial.
NOTE: Many of my friends are Catholic. I have no problem with them or their faith. My issue is with their headquarters.
Thursday, February 7, 2013
Feline Aviation and Beyonce for the Win
We're fighting with the cat again. Still.
To be honest, it's been a battle from the beginning. I'm not what you'd call a cat person. This one, however, is at least quite personable. Unfortunately this doesn't balance against his propensity for destruction, evil, and general bone-headedness.
Ren earned the nickname Satan when we first got him. He would leap onto the stove, turning on the gas on the way up. Apparently the little bugger was trying to blow up the house with himself in it. We had to remove the knobs for a few months.
Then came xmas and xmas trees. Satan disembowled every xmas tree we put up, year after year until we gave up. He ruined many old, treasured ornaments by hurling them to the ground, where they smashed into pieces too small to repair.
He is not allowed to sleep in the bedroom because he claws the bed or my wife when he's hungry and won't stop until you feed him. Note that the dog does not do this, preferring to sleep in with his people. The worst thing Marshall does in bed is steal a pillow or blanket.
Cat Food Ballet<tm> is getting past the point of frustration in the house lately. Ren gets fed in the kitchen, with the door closed, then Marshall gets fed in the living room. Marshall doesn't care, instead spending all of his time in front of the kitchen door, waiting for the Cat Food Gods to open the door so he can lick the bowl clean. There aren't even microbes of cat food after Marshall is done.
Meanwhile Ren then runs over to Marshall's food and starts eating it. Ren was pretty much cured of diabetes and is not supposed to be eating dog food so we tell him to move. MOVE. I SAID MOVE, YOU LITTLE BASTARD. He doesn't even look up. You have to physically get up and make a move toward him before he takes off.
Five minutes later, he's back, as if we never said anything to him. If I had a squirt gun, I'd let it loose on him. Instead, I have to keep getting up. Yesterday I threw a shirt at him, which moved him a bit and he was back a few minutes later.
If the kitchen door isn't shut correctly, Marshall will open it and force his way into Ren's food. You have to physically remove him from the bowl, in the most spectacular case of Selective Hearing I've ever seen. Neither of the little bastards listen, except when convenient.
Meanwhile, Ren has also taken to urinating randomly on the rug. He has two litter boxes and it doesn't matter. He is in perfect health so this is simply an attitude problem. One of his new nicknames is Caboose because he's the last cat we will ever have. My house should not smell like cat urine because the feline who lives there has a bad attitude.
Ren has also discovered the out of doors and apparently doesn't mind rain or snow. He has spent several nights outside. He has all his claws so we're not worried about him protecting himself. In fact he reminds us about his claws on the furniture all the time. No matter how much we express our dislike for this annoyance.
Just to even things up a bit, Marshall has discovered Catbox as Snackbox. Suddenly dog kisses just aren't the same.
Marshall is also inordinately fond of trash. When he's not cleaning the cat bowl, he's trolling the trash for interesting morsels. Marshall is a very interesting test of housekeeping. If you can't see or hear him, he's in trouble; which was caused by one of the humans not putting something away. Or he took yet another package of popcorn off the dining room table and ate most of it. He has a genuine love for kettle corn (and sweets in general, like his daddy).
That fellow must be in charge of the Kool Aid.
In other news, I jailbroke my iPad. Went smoothly, worked on linux, allows a lot more freedom.
To be honest, it's been a battle from the beginning. I'm not what you'd call a cat person. This one, however, is at least quite personable. Unfortunately this doesn't balance against his propensity for destruction, evil, and general bone-headedness.
Ren earned the nickname Satan when we first got him. He would leap onto the stove, turning on the gas on the way up. Apparently the little bugger was trying to blow up the house with himself in it. We had to remove the knobs for a few months.
Then came xmas and xmas trees. Satan disembowled every xmas tree we put up, year after year until we gave up. He ruined many old, treasured ornaments by hurling them to the ground, where they smashed into pieces too small to repair.
He is not allowed to sleep in the bedroom because he claws the bed or my wife when he's hungry and won't stop until you feed him. Note that the dog does not do this, preferring to sleep in with his people. The worst thing Marshall does in bed is steal a pillow or blanket.
Cat Food Ballet<tm> is getting past the point of frustration in the house lately. Ren gets fed in the kitchen, with the door closed, then Marshall gets fed in the living room. Marshall doesn't care, instead spending all of his time in front of the kitchen door, waiting for the Cat Food Gods to open the door so he can lick the bowl clean. There aren't even microbes of cat food after Marshall is done.
Meanwhile Ren then runs over to Marshall's food and starts eating it. Ren was pretty much cured of diabetes and is not supposed to be eating dog food so we tell him to move. MOVE. I SAID MOVE, YOU LITTLE BASTARD. He doesn't even look up. You have to physically get up and make a move toward him before he takes off.
Five minutes later, he's back, as if we never said anything to him. If I had a squirt gun, I'd let it loose on him. Instead, I have to keep getting up. Yesterday I threw a shirt at him, which moved him a bit and he was back a few minutes later.
If the kitchen door isn't shut correctly, Marshall will open it and force his way into Ren's food. You have to physically remove him from the bowl, in the most spectacular case of Selective Hearing I've ever seen. Neither of the little bastards listen, except when convenient.
Meanwhile, Ren has also taken to urinating randomly on the rug. He has two litter boxes and it doesn't matter. He is in perfect health so this is simply an attitude problem. One of his new nicknames is Caboose because he's the last cat we will ever have. My house should not smell like cat urine because the feline who lives there has a bad attitude.
Ren has also discovered the out of doors and apparently doesn't mind rain or snow. He has spent several nights outside. He has all his claws so we're not worried about him protecting himself. In fact he reminds us about his claws on the furniture all the time. No matter how much we express our dislike for this annoyance.
Just to even things up a bit, Marshall has discovered Catbox as Snackbox. Suddenly dog kisses just aren't the same.
Marshall is also inordinately fond of trash. When he's not cleaning the cat bowl, he's trolling the trash for interesting morsels. Marshall is a very interesting test of housekeeping. If you can't see or hear him, he's in trouble; which was caused by one of the humans not putting something away. Or he took yet another package of popcorn off the dining room table and ate most of it. He has a genuine love for kettle corn (and sweets in general, like his daddy).
----------------------------
HEY EVERYONE - did you watch the Superbowl?
C'mon, you know I am the AntiSports. It's only mid-day and already I'm sick over my head of hearing about the Superbowl from my coworkers and online. Rome is burning and all we talk about is WOW -that halftime show! Some of us are actually watching tv for the commercials. Some of us are so vapid that we must spend all our time talking about how fantastic Beyonce was and how fabulous it was that her old group showed up and how about their outfits and dancing?
Bread and circuses indeed.
---------------------------
For some unknown reason, my company was meeting with people from Apple. Overheard at the meeting: We don't really listen to customer input. We create the future and everybody can just catch up.
That fellow must be in charge of the Kool Aid.
In other news, I jailbroke my iPad. Went smoothly, worked on linux, allows a lot more freedom.
--------------------------
Apparently most of our newspapers have been hacked by the Chinese. This is a very perplexing happenstance. After thinking about it for a bit, I have decided that this is a non-story: even if the Chinese decided to take over our newspapers, they could not do a worse job than the existing ones. It's win-win for everyone.
Monday, February 4, 2013
Son of Return of Hyundai Hell
So I've largely stopped trying to tear my face off; that's a good thing. The Stupidbowl is over too. My favorite moment was when my (traitor) wife went to bed - I got to turn the tv off.
It's been lightly snowing off and on every other day or so, which brought up something about the car: the ESC traction control (or whatever it is) is going off a lot earlier these days. Let me put it this way: in over two years with the Hyundai, it has almost never kicked in. Now it kicks in as soon as there's a coating of snow on the ground. We have no idea why.
Perhaps motivated by the horrible noises the ESC makes, my wife took the car to have the brakes checked. POOF - the brakes were band and had started eating into the rotors. No warning, no squealing, no brake lights and the requisite four-hundred dollars to fix it.
Have I mentioned that one of the headlights is out too? We looked up the process for changing a headlight and discovered it was way too ridiculously difficult and left it for the mechanic. The last place we took it too said they were afraid of breaking it and told us to take it elsewhere. Elsewhere charged us a frightening amount of money for a bulb. In my many years of driving, I always changed my own bulbs. At most it was a few bucks and some cursing.
So during the brake fiasco, the shop noted that all four tires needed replacing. I thought the top of my head was going to explode, painting the ceiling a bright red, with spots that might look like cranium and other small bits that looked like cauliflower.
Stick with me for a Financial Moment<tm>: a fiscally smart coworker stated that his decision to purchase a new(er) car was when the monthly cost of repairs exceeded the monthly cost of purchasing the car. With two old land yachts, we were routinely spending over what one new car would cost so we went for it.
I was so proud of my almost new Hyundai. It started every morning, which was largely what I was looking for in an automobile. Until we discovered the tires. PERFORMANCE TIRES on a Hyundai, at two-hundred plus dollars a piece. The stock ones were crappy and needed to be replaced.
Back to the present, after replacing all four performance tires, they needed to be replaced again. The shop showed us the wear and the statistics on when we purchased two of them. They were only rated for thirty thousand miles. The ones we purchased elsewhere were in even worse shape.
I have completely had it with Hyundai and the idiotic decision to put large rims and performance tires on an import family sedan. This is an additional eight-hundred dollars plus that it will cost to make the car driveable/inspectable. I used to love my car; now I can't stand to look at it. In spite of a great used warranty, I suspect this car is trying to bankrupt me by failing in small, expensive pieces. It's like the prison camp prisoner who had to have limbs amputated and the guards accused him of trying to escape in pieces.
The mechanic at the shop agreed with us on the tires and suggested we just get different rims and sensible tires for the car and be done with it.
Our tax refund this year was earmarked for a new couch. The current couch is extremely old and is sagging to the point where it makes my butt hurt when I sit for too long. This got scrapped when the car started draining our bodily fluids. So this is over twelve-hundred dollars to start the year.
We're more than tired of this type of excrement storm. It hits fairly regularly. Others verify that if it weren't for bad luck, we'd have no luck at all. Later this month, we celebrate our twentieth anniversary and my wife attempted to give me a present. I can't accept it, knowing that it will only get sucked out an exhaust pipe or a pharmacy.
It's been lightly snowing off and on every other day or so, which brought up something about the car: the ESC traction control (or whatever it is) is going off a lot earlier these days. Let me put it this way: in over two years with the Hyundai, it has almost never kicked in. Now it kicks in as soon as there's a coating of snow on the ground. We have no idea why.
Perhaps motivated by the horrible noises the ESC makes, my wife took the car to have the brakes checked. POOF - the brakes were band and had started eating into the rotors. No warning, no squealing, no brake lights and the requisite four-hundred dollars to fix it.
Have I mentioned that one of the headlights is out too? We looked up the process for changing a headlight and discovered it was way too ridiculously difficult and left it for the mechanic. The last place we took it too said they were afraid of breaking it and told us to take it elsewhere. Elsewhere charged us a frightening amount of money for a bulb. In my many years of driving, I always changed my own bulbs. At most it was a few bucks and some cursing.
So during the brake fiasco, the shop noted that all four tires needed replacing. I thought the top of my head was going to explode, painting the ceiling a bright red, with spots that might look like cranium and other small bits that looked like cauliflower.
Stick with me for a Financial Moment<tm>: a fiscally smart coworker stated that his decision to purchase a new(er) car was when the monthly cost of repairs exceeded the monthly cost of purchasing the car. With two old land yachts, we were routinely spending over what one new car would cost so we went for it.
I was so proud of my almost new Hyundai. It started every morning, which was largely what I was looking for in an automobile. Until we discovered the tires. PERFORMANCE TIRES on a Hyundai, at two-hundred plus dollars a piece. The stock ones were crappy and needed to be replaced.
Back to the present, after replacing all four performance tires, they needed to be replaced again. The shop showed us the wear and the statistics on when we purchased two of them. They were only rated for thirty thousand miles. The ones we purchased elsewhere were in even worse shape.
I have completely had it with Hyundai and the idiotic decision to put large rims and performance tires on an import family sedan. This is an additional eight-hundred dollars plus that it will cost to make the car driveable/inspectable. I used to love my car; now I can't stand to look at it. In spite of a great used warranty, I suspect this car is trying to bankrupt me by failing in small, expensive pieces. It's like the prison camp prisoner who had to have limbs amputated and the guards accused him of trying to escape in pieces.
The mechanic at the shop agreed with us on the tires and suggested we just get different rims and sensible tires for the car and be done with it.
Our tax refund this year was earmarked for a new couch. The current couch is extremely old and is sagging to the point where it makes my butt hurt when I sit for too long. This got scrapped when the car started draining our bodily fluids. So this is over twelve-hundred dollars to start the year.
We're more than tired of this type of excrement storm. It hits fairly regularly. Others verify that if it weren't for bad luck, we'd have no luck at all. Later this month, we celebrate our twentieth anniversary and my wife attempted to give me a present. I can't accept it, knowing that it will only get sucked out an exhaust pipe or a pharmacy.
--------------------------------
In other news, work went to set up a videoconference this morning, only to find the large-screen monitor missing. Again. This makes the third set of large-screen monitors stolen from work. It was literally ripped from the wall.
Management does not believe in Big Brotherism, hence no security cameras: the thief must have really needed the monitors. At this point, I demand that work give me a large-screen television. After all, I have an old CRT-based television so I really need a new one. Since the thieves are allowed to steal because they need it, I deserve one too (ten years should entitle me to something).
Tuesday, January 29, 2013
Rip My Face Off. Please.
A short time ago, the wife looked at me and asked what I thought about a beard. I told her that it probably wouldn't look too good on her at this time.
After we got that straightened out, she explained that she thought it would look good on me and, equally important, would work well with my intense dislike of shaving. I'm one of those guys who has baby smooth, highly sensitive skin. It's irritable, like me, making shaving a real task.
So I went with it. I knew that, sooner or later, I'd started the Dreaded Itch. The Itch of Death<tm>. A solid week in, I did not itch. But I knew it was imminent.
A few days later it hit. And when I say hit, I mean I wanted to shred my own skin and scratch my face with a concrete block. My wife, ever helpful, suggested a number of skin care products, the best of which stopped the Itch of Death<tm> for up to five whole minutes. I even tried hair conditioner in the shower, to no avail.
Then I did what all red-blooded citizens do - I went online. I located a number of sites with helpful and largely not-so-helpful suggestions. `Man up and deal with it for the magnificence of a beard' was often repeated and the least helpful of the bunch by far. What do you mean it only lasts a week?
Shortly thereafter, I tried conditioner again and it worked. Sort of. I continue to monitor the situation because if I have to deal with this much longer, I might as well shave. Meanwhile I'm getting all sorts of comments about the new, rugged, outdoorsy lefty. Yes, that's me, the new, rugged, outdoorsy lefty, from the Great Indoors.
My dad said he didn't dislike it, which is odd, given that he's not fond of double negatives. Mom liked it too (because she has to) and my boss took about two weeks to figure it out (and I sit right next to him). It's ok, he has other things on his mind (and let's be honest, I don't need his comments to make my life complete).
So I have a beard. And a communique from the Big Boss, sent to everyone via email. Unfortunately I am unable to discern its meaning. After asking around a bit, it would seem I am not the only one who cannot decipher the missive. It is written in thirty point type across seven pages, with each paragraph taking approximately its own page.
Most people would say I'm not stupid, so it kinda smarts that I don't have the smarts to decode the Boss' email. Our local scholars ascertained that all of the words are current English and have decent sentence structure. On the whole it appears to be in English that anyone could understand, only no one can. This led to rampant joking about the Big Boss having a taste for cannabis.
For the sake of science (and sociology), a coworker is going to do an experiment. At her husband's next social gathering, where much cannabis will no doubt be consumed, she is going to print out the email and see if any of the Muddled Masses are able to understand or translate. This should tell us, for better or worse, the alleged state of the Big Boss.
If the experiment proves positive, either the Big Boss will have to compose while straight or get a medical marijuana waiver for the entire corporation so we can understand his writing.
After we got that straightened out, she explained that she thought it would look good on me and, equally important, would work well with my intense dislike of shaving. I'm one of those guys who has baby smooth, highly sensitive skin. It's irritable, like me, making shaving a real task.
So I went with it. I knew that, sooner or later, I'd started the Dreaded Itch. The Itch of Death<tm>. A solid week in, I did not itch. But I knew it was imminent.
A few days later it hit. And when I say hit, I mean I wanted to shred my own skin and scratch my face with a concrete block. My wife, ever helpful, suggested a number of skin care products, the best of which stopped the Itch of Death<tm> for up to five whole minutes. I even tried hair conditioner in the shower, to no avail.
Then I did what all red-blooded citizens do - I went online. I located a number of sites with helpful and largely not-so-helpful suggestions. `Man up and deal with it for the magnificence of a beard' was often repeated and the least helpful of the bunch by far. What do you mean it only lasts a week?
Shortly thereafter, I tried conditioner again and it worked. Sort of. I continue to monitor the situation because if I have to deal with this much longer, I might as well shave. Meanwhile I'm getting all sorts of comments about the new, rugged, outdoorsy lefty. Yes, that's me, the new, rugged, outdoorsy lefty, from the Great Indoors.
My dad said he didn't dislike it, which is odd, given that he's not fond of double negatives. Mom liked it too (because she has to) and my boss took about two weeks to figure it out (and I sit right next to him). It's ok, he has other things on his mind (and let's be honest, I don't need his comments to make my life complete).
So I have a beard. And a communique from the Big Boss, sent to everyone via email. Unfortunately I am unable to discern its meaning. After asking around a bit, it would seem I am not the only one who cannot decipher the missive. It is written in thirty point type across seven pages, with each paragraph taking approximately its own page.
Most people would say I'm not stupid, so it kinda smarts that I don't have the smarts to decode the Boss' email. Our local scholars ascertained that all of the words are current English and have decent sentence structure. On the whole it appears to be in English that anyone could understand, only no one can. This led to rampant joking about the Big Boss having a taste for cannabis.
For the sake of science (and sociology), a coworker is going to do an experiment. At her husband's next social gathering, where much cannabis will no doubt be consumed, she is going to print out the email and see if any of the Muddled Masses are able to understand or translate. This should tell us, for better or worse, the alleged state of the Big Boss.
If the experiment proves positive, either the Big Boss will have to compose while straight or get a medical marijuana waiver for the entire corporation so we can understand his writing.
Thursday, January 17, 2013
A Turning Point
Yesterday we witnessed an historical moment - a turning point for the country. The egregious display of chutzpah by our president, for the children. I am sad for my country.
We do not elect a king; we elect a president. The penchant for the last two presidents to rule by fiat is alarming and becomes worse with time. We have a legislative branch of congress, whether or not they accomplish anything.
None of the new rules or legislation would have prevented the massacre in Connecticut.
Those who trade essential liberty for safety deserve neither. Look at the TSA for an example. We are not safer for their incursion.
If gun control worked, Chicago, the home of the president, would be the safest state in the country. It isn't.
Why does Homeland Security need 1.4 billion more rounds of ammunition at the very point the government is making it harder for citizens to arm themselves?
Gun crime went down after D.C. decriminalized handguns.
Our own attorney general, Eric Holder, presided over illegal gun transfers to drug gangs in Mexico.
The problem is a problem of mental health. Connecticut failed to pass mental health legislation months before the shooting. New legislation turns doctors into extensions of the police.
Obama and Feinstein have no trouble with assault rifles when they are deployed to protect them and their children. Feinstein wants handguns taken away too. There is an agenda, whether you care to see it or not.
As set forward in the Second Amendment, we already have the right to keep and bear arms. The government has no right to infringe, which they just did. The current administration is intent on destroying the Constitution and Bill of Rights.
For Obama to quote the Second Amendment out of context shows his contempt for his countrymen.
It's time to use what democratic process we have left to let our representatives and the White House know how we feel.
It's time to impeach the president (we did it to Clinton for less) and recall congress.
Let us avoid a Rush To Do Something and instead use common sense.
When the Constitution was written, a well-regulated militia was required to protect us from tyranny. At that time, it was the tyranny of England's king. In other words, we need to protect ourselves, not against just the lawless, but against the tyranny of our own government, bent on ridding us of our civil liberties.
We need to remain civil and work within the framework of the law.
We do not elect a king; we elect a president. The penchant for the last two presidents to rule by fiat is alarming and becomes worse with time. We have a legislative branch of congress, whether or not they accomplish anything.
None of the new rules or legislation would have prevented the massacre in Connecticut.
Those who trade essential liberty for safety deserve neither. Look at the TSA for an example. We are not safer for their incursion.
If gun control worked, Chicago, the home of the president, would be the safest state in the country. It isn't.
Why does Homeland Security need 1.4 billion more rounds of ammunition at the very point the government is making it harder for citizens to arm themselves?
Gun crime went down after D.C. decriminalized handguns.
Our own attorney general, Eric Holder, presided over illegal gun transfers to drug gangs in Mexico.
The problem is a problem of mental health. Connecticut failed to pass mental health legislation months before the shooting. New legislation turns doctors into extensions of the police.
Obama and Feinstein have no trouble with assault rifles when they are deployed to protect them and their children. Feinstein wants handguns taken away too. There is an agenda, whether you care to see it or not.
As set forward in the Second Amendment, we already have the right to keep and bear arms. The government has no right to infringe, which they just did. The current administration is intent on destroying the Constitution and Bill of Rights.
For Obama to quote the Second Amendment out of context shows his contempt for his countrymen.
It's time to use what democratic process we have left to let our representatives and the White House know how we feel.
It's time to impeach the president (we did it to Clinton for less) and recall congress.
Let us avoid a Rush To Do Something and instead use common sense.
When the Constitution was written, a well-regulated militia was required to protect us from tyranny. At that time, it was the tyranny of England's king. In other words, we need to protect ourselves, not against just the lawless, but against the tyranny of our own government, bent on ridding us of our civil liberties.
We need to remain civil and work within the framework of the law.
Wednesday, January 9, 2013
Happy Belated Birthday
to Graham Chapman, of Monty Python fame, who would have been seventy-two yesterday.
Urinus Interruptus
So I'm minding my own business, in the bathroom, when the door opens. Of course the door opens - it's the cat, mortified by my human desire to eliminate alone and with the door closed. I suspect this need of ours for solitude somehow offends felines, who are smart enough to figure out bi-fold doors. We thought we had outsmarted him (and the dog) by installing the door backwards but this took only a day to figure out. For both of them.
The Car is Back!
After only three weeks and a day, our beloved car is back from the collision shop, fully repaired. For those of you keeping score, it's deer zero, us one, insurance four thousand, rental car seven hundred. It's most fortunate that I'm independently wealthy.
The wife is beyond joyous; she loves her car. I'm happy to not be paying for a rental, even if the seats were nicer.
Let me say something nice here about State Farm: they've been great and fast. No crap, no fuss, it's done. All insurance should work this way (take notice, health insurance).
A Word from the AntiSports
I don't usually bother but I came across this little factlet on the radio the other day: hockey is about to start again, after the lockout. Philly is the city with the least amount of ticket refund requests, at two-hundred.
Seriously, Philly, you are a huge, dirty city of enablers. You put up with crappy team performance and greedy millionaires. What do you do? You line up to pay them some more. You deserve what you get. You pay an egregious amount to simply park at football games, not to mention the now standard TSA-style groping.
In closing, I urge caution on the forced national panic about guns. There is obviously an agenda here.
Urinus Interruptus
So I'm minding my own business, in the bathroom, when the door opens. Of course the door opens - it's the cat, mortified by my human desire to eliminate alone and with the door closed. I suspect this need of ours for solitude somehow offends felines, who are smart enough to figure out bi-fold doors. We thought we had outsmarted him (and the dog) by installing the door backwards but this took only a day to figure out. For both of them.
The Car is Back!
After only three weeks and a day, our beloved car is back from the collision shop, fully repaired. For those of you keeping score, it's deer zero, us one, insurance four thousand, rental car seven hundred. It's most fortunate that I'm independently wealthy.
The wife is beyond joyous; she loves her car. I'm happy to not be paying for a rental, even if the seats were nicer.
Let me say something nice here about State Farm: they've been great and fast. No crap, no fuss, it's done. All insurance should work this way (take notice, health insurance).
A Word from the AntiSports
I don't usually bother but I came across this little factlet on the radio the other day: hockey is about to start again, after the lockout. Philly is the city with the least amount of ticket refund requests, at two-hundred.
Seriously, Philly, you are a huge, dirty city of enablers. You put up with crappy team performance and greedy millionaires. What do you do? You line up to pay them some more. You deserve what you get. You pay an egregious amount to simply park at football games, not to mention the now standard TSA-style groping.
In closing, I urge caution on the forced national panic about guns. There is obviously an agenda here.
Wednesday, January 2, 2013
The World IS Ending: lefty Evaluates the iPad
Anyone who knows me or reads the blog knows how much I love Apple, Steve Jobs, the drooling fanboys and the products Apple produces. iHoles, the lot of them.
As it turns out, I'm the lone Android tablet user at work. Since I'm kinda responsible for security, the boss thought it would be a good idea for me to take a look. Actually, he thinks he's going to convert me, so I let him believe whatever he wants to. He's the boss, right?
After weeks and weeks and weeks, the unit finally arrived. It appears that Apple refused to sell us a certain model of iPad and we had to wait until there were other models available.
Following several sets of instructions and applying the Guess Method at certain points, I got the device registered. Note that this does not reflect on Apple: this would be the fault of our supplier and us. Naturally there is no one around to ask for assistance.
The first thing I do with any device is poke around the settings. This is where I started getting nervous. From a privacy standpoint, there appears to be an incredible amount of data leakage to Apple, at very least. This was confirmed by one of the fanboys here. When he found out I got an iPad, he suggested I just save the company money and give it back right away because I was going to hate it. Funny, he was the same one who, last week, kept telling me to embrace change and come over to the Dark Side<tm>. He suggested jailbreaking immediately.
My immediate question was how to get data onto the device. Fanboy said there is no way to install music but iTunes. This is not acceptable. My device, my music, my storage. I do not want to ask Steve Jobs' permission every time I want to put music on my tablet. No idea how to put non-music data on- everyone seems to use Dropbox or something similar.
Since email is a rather important item, I went to configure it. Oops, I need a data plan, in spite of the Verizon icon. Again, my company, not Apple. It's most fortunate that we are considering this a test run (because we failed). In fact, the test run has been halted because the vendor messed things up royally.
Back to the unit itself. Let me say some positive things, ok? The battery life far exceeds my android tablet (which isn't fair, as there's something wrong with the android or its battery). It was easy to understand and operate. People don't instantly grok 4-5 finger gestures so it should probably be mentioned somewhere. Personally, I say a lot with a simple one-finger gesture.
I located the market and did some browsing. It sure costs a lot to operate one of these things.. the great majority of android programs are free, including the ones that Apple charges for. Since Apple is known to musicians, I went to that section. There were a ton of guitar magazine apps, a few of which I downloaded free. Each was an invitation to subscribe. Uninstalled. I located a few tv apps, which led to questioning why I can watch episodes of such great shows as Billy the Exterminator and Hoarders on the iPad when I couldn't watch them on my android.
Let's Talk iTunes
I asked around. Apparently it's near impossible to get content to the device without iTunes. Sorry, kids; I will not be held hostage by a large, bloated digital rights management scheme masquerading as a content transfer app. My ever-helpful coworkers pointed out that I could always import my already-purchased music into iTunes and transfer it to the pad.
Why?
Apple has no need to know what content I have, especially the content I did not purchase from them. What a crock of excrement. The privacy leakage is obscene across the entire device and there is very little available in terms of stopping it.
The same helpful coworkers told me they use Dropbox for transfer outside of iTunes. Great... another cloud solution... Another unsafe alternative to keeping content on your own device.
One assistive friend said I `really needed to buy into the entire Apple ecosystem'. That was by far the best quote on the topic.
If I keep the device, I will use one of the apps that functions as transport and media player. Emailing myself docs will have to suffice. Jailbreaking is probably in my future.
Interface
As promised and harped upon, the entire interface is a no-brainer. I found everything and figured out a few things not noted. My wife operated it with no difficulties. My best friend's aging mother has no trouble with it. The only slight niggle is the lack of a locking shift key.
Let's face it: I am not Apple's target customer, even though all of the IT professionals around me seem to have consumed the Kool Aid. There will be no iPhone for me. I'm not even sure how long I'll have the iPad (I prefer the android, thank you).
In Summary
I want to be as fair as possible in this evaluation, especially considering my great love for all things Apple. Aside from small bits of frustration that one would have with any device, the iPad user interface is just fine. The hardware is just fine. It's just the entire Apple experience that drives me up a tree. If you could plug this device into any computer and it would act like a storage device, there would be little to complain about. Apple is downright linux-hostile, which needs to change.
All in all, I prefer the android. It does what it does better, with tons more variety, control and choice available. No surprise there.
As it turns out, I'm the lone Android tablet user at work. Since I'm kinda responsible for security, the boss thought it would be a good idea for me to take a look. Actually, he thinks he's going to convert me, so I let him believe whatever he wants to. He's the boss, right?
After weeks and weeks and weeks, the unit finally arrived. It appears that Apple refused to sell us a certain model of iPad and we had to wait until there were other models available.
Following several sets of instructions and applying the Guess Method at certain points, I got the device registered. Note that this does not reflect on Apple: this would be the fault of our supplier and us. Naturally there is no one around to ask for assistance.
The first thing I do with any device is poke around the settings. This is where I started getting nervous. From a privacy standpoint, there appears to be an incredible amount of data leakage to Apple, at very least. This was confirmed by one of the fanboys here. When he found out I got an iPad, he suggested I just save the company money and give it back right away because I was going to hate it. Funny, he was the same one who, last week, kept telling me to embrace change and come over to the Dark Side<tm>. He suggested jailbreaking immediately.
My immediate question was how to get data onto the device. Fanboy said there is no way to install music but iTunes. This is not acceptable. My device, my music, my storage. I do not want to ask Steve Jobs' permission every time I want to put music on my tablet. No idea how to put non-music data on- everyone seems to use Dropbox or something similar.
Since email is a rather important item, I went to configure it. Oops, I need a data plan, in spite of the Verizon icon. Again, my company, not Apple. It's most fortunate that we are considering this a test run (because we failed). In fact, the test run has been halted because the vendor messed things up royally.
Back to the unit itself. Let me say some positive things, ok? The battery life far exceeds my android tablet (which isn't fair, as there's something wrong with the android or its battery). It was easy to understand and operate. People don't instantly grok 4-5 finger gestures so it should probably be mentioned somewhere. Personally, I say a lot with a simple one-finger gesture.
I located the market and did some browsing. It sure costs a lot to operate one of these things.. the great majority of android programs are free, including the ones that Apple charges for. Since Apple is known to musicians, I went to that section. There were a ton of guitar magazine apps, a few of which I downloaded free. Each was an invitation to subscribe. Uninstalled. I located a few tv apps, which led to questioning why I can watch episodes of such great shows as Billy the Exterminator and Hoarders on the iPad when I couldn't watch them on my android.
Let's Talk iTunes
I asked around. Apparently it's near impossible to get content to the device without iTunes. Sorry, kids; I will not be held hostage by a large, bloated digital rights management scheme masquerading as a content transfer app. My ever-helpful coworkers pointed out that I could always import my already-purchased music into iTunes and transfer it to the pad.
Why?
Apple has no need to know what content I have, especially the content I did not purchase from them. What a crock of excrement. The privacy leakage is obscene across the entire device and there is very little available in terms of stopping it.
The same helpful coworkers told me they use Dropbox for transfer outside of iTunes. Great... another cloud solution... Another unsafe alternative to keeping content on your own device.
One assistive friend said I `really needed to buy into the entire Apple ecosystem'. That was by far the best quote on the topic.
If I keep the device, I will use one of the apps that functions as transport and media player. Emailing myself docs will have to suffice. Jailbreaking is probably in my future.
Interface
As promised and harped upon, the entire interface is a no-brainer. I found everything and figured out a few things not noted. My wife operated it with no difficulties. My best friend's aging mother has no trouble with it. The only slight niggle is the lack of a locking shift key.
Let's face it: I am not Apple's target customer, even though all of the IT professionals around me seem to have consumed the Kool Aid. There will be no iPhone for me. I'm not even sure how long I'll have the iPad (I prefer the android, thank you).
In Summary
I want to be as fair as possible in this evaluation, especially considering my great love for all things Apple. Aside from small bits of frustration that one would have with any device, the iPad user interface is just fine. The hardware is just fine. It's just the entire Apple experience that drives me up a tree. If you could plug this device into any computer and it would act like a storage device, there would be little to complain about. Apple is downright linux-hostile, which needs to change.
All in all, I prefer the android. It does what it does better, with tons more variety, control and choice available. No surprise there.
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