In Cars

I was born in Sacramento as was my sister. My badge at work used to say Sacramento for hometown but, after being told "I live right off of (insert street) and (insert intersecting street)" and nodding knowingly many times, I switched it to Las Vegas. My father grew up in the area and we still have a lot of family there. I actually enjoy every trip there that we've been able to manage as a family.

My grandmother Lillian who lives there is absolutely the sweetest and most sincere person that I've ever met. I've yet to hear a foul word out of her mouth and even her exclamations of joy or shock are peppered with the words "oh, dear" and "isn't that nice." She's a small and dainty woman of Swedish heritage. She lives with my uncle Bill in the home that she and my grandfather had raised their children. She's also very active and even plays bridge with her friends.

A few days ago, a car carrying these 4 octogenarians was hit by another car after returning from a bridge game. Two of them remain in critical condition. Grandma only suffered a broken rib and quite a few bruises but you can tell talking to her just how much pain she is in. This has shaken me some as all I can think about is how I currently dislike cars and how important a role she plays in my belief that there are kind and gentle people out there. Get better, Nana.

Don't Adjust The Horizontal

Is it me or do horizontal lines make everything look that much bigger? That oriental lamp there looks enormous! Thank you to Yahoo! for having that ad in my face for the last month.

Part of the reason for that effect is that horizontal lines draw your eyes from left to right tricking you into seeing more girth than there is. Supposedly, this happens with clothing also but I can't find a photo example.

On the opposite end, vertical stripes are supposed to be slimming because it draws your eyes up and down so they don't focus on the sides. One unproven theory says that lack of focus, eye problems and slow reaction go hand-in-hand with vertical stripes but the only evidence leaning that way shows up in sporting events (like last nights penalty against Randy Moss or the 1998 Steeler's coin-toss against the Lions.)

So, I've decided to take this moment to ask people to refrain from wearing vertical stripes from now on as it is better to look fat than stupid. We now return you to your regularly scheduled program.

Four Decades Of Slurpee

Who would have thought that fall of this year would mark the 40th anniversary of when 7-11 first purchase 3 of John E. Mitchell's frozen drink machines. (The original idea came from an Omar Knedlik who started serving ice-cold bottled drinks when his soft drink dispenser broke down.) By 1967, there was a Slurpee machine in ever 7-11 and the two became synonymous. In 1972, collectors cups for the drink were introduced. There have been over 200 different flavors of the Slurpee, more than 13 million of the drinks are consumed every year (over 6 billion sold since 1965) in the last 40 years.

Sure, contenders would come and go. I used to live near a Stop-N-Go during the late 70's which would have what was called a Chilly Willy (had more liquid than a Slurpee.) There was even the Icee and the Slushee. But the competition has never really met the challenge.

What I find most interesting is that there is a difference between the U.S. and the Canadian Slurpee. Winnipeg, Manitoba, Canada (with a population of under 700,000) consumes the most Slurpees worldwide. The Canadian mixture has less air bubbles which makes it more dense.

Dirty Laundry

Growing up, life was pretty simple. Sure, after so long, I learned how to do my own laundry. Washing the bed sheets, matching the socks and turning the t-shirts inside out to keep the print from fading. I even actually have good childhood memories of weekends hanging out at the laundromat in the apartment complex we lived in with my mother. Weird little notes adorned the billboard there about things being sold, babysitters wanted, etc. But, washing things was simple then and have been until now.

I've been in my house a little over 2 years now and can tell you where the two nearest dry cleaners are. I also can't tell you where the nearest laundromat is. Why would I want to find one if I have a washer and dryer at home? Good question. I have a king-size bed. The sheets fit in the washer alright but the comforter doesn't. It also cost me over $20 to dry clean one the last time and that's as much as most DVDs so it ain't happening like that again. I did a search on Yahoo and actually found a laundromat nearby but they don't answer the phone and honestly... they could have been out of business a long time knowing how some sites are updated. I might have to start looking through the yellow pages and hope. Right now, it's looking like a bathtub full of Woolite and a laundry line or... dry cleaning. Maybe I ought to put plastic over my bed spread for the time being. Things really were simpler when I was younger.

Shouldn't Have Left Work Early

Today was one of those days that you'd like to take back. You've been there before, I know. I found myself during a slow period at work and figured that I could leave 2 hours early, talk to my bank about a home equity line of credit, run some errands, clean off my DVD shelf and maybe get a nap in before Rock Star: INXS starts. This didn't work out as planned.

The bank tells me that they've been trying to get ahold of me for 2 days since I submitted my application. I don't see a blinking light on my answering machine and they said they left a message... oh well. I told them that I'd like to think about things because they might have to charge me $150 for an appraisal on the property and I'd rather have the money in my pocket right now. I then start heading home. I exit off the freeway because of traffic.

It was a slow light in the fast lane heading west and people were jockeying for position before the light turned green... that's when I hit the white Escalade in front of me. Sure, I was only going 4-5 mph but this didn't help my day. We pull into a nearby 7/11 and I finally decide to get something to eat (skipped lunch to run errands) -- deciding on the dreaded chili cheese spicy hotdog. The damage to his car was very minimal and both of us were unharmed. (See rather dark photo) my left headlight (to your right) and bumper paid dearly. So, that $150 that I was so worried about... I am going to pay $350 more in deductible to fix the Rodeo (and if you know much of the early blog history of the Rodeo and accidents... be afraid.)

I called the insurance, have my ticket here for the accident and the car is able to be driven but has sharp turn issues. So, now all I have to ask myself is, "Why the hell didn't I stay at work?!" Such is life, I guess.

What Are Words For?

I read a lot of online content. It's hard to get me to finish a book (let alone start one) to which many of my friends can attest. Even though I write a newsletter each week, I also read several. Kim Komando writes a great one but the one I've had the longest is A Word A Day, which is great for freaks like me that like big words but don't use them enough. Sure, they might sit in my email box for a week or so sometimes but I'll eventually get to them and fill a few odd moments I find that I have nothing planned. So here is an easy question for you. What word do you overuse most?

Sunday Bloody Kickoff

Today is the first Sunday of the new football season. Since I normally have Monday and Tuesday as my days off, I try to take today off using vacation pay to join several co-workers at a bar called Nikki Lee's to watch the first games. I mean games because the watering hole plays all of the games available on satellite on a combination of plasmas, LCDs and big screen TVs all mounted near the ceiling tilted down towards the attendees. Usually, we grab breakfast there and read the paper before the games start but I was running a bit later than normal (I live farthest away.)

What I've learned so far:

• I shouldn't have broken my betting rules as Oakland cost me my only bet of the season. Not a big loss as statistically they were pretty well matched other than the nearly 150 yards in penalties they gave up.

• We have a contest at work called Last Man Standing. The idea of it is that you pick 1 team to win this week. Next week you pick another team to win without picking a team you have used before. My pick (Denver) cost me and I'm out in the first week. I'm not too worried as many took the Vikings, Saints and others are awaiting scores from the second set of games.

• Tampa Bay found a red zone threat in Alex Smith (no not the San Francisco quarterback). The 6-4 258 rookie tight end out of Stanford caught 4 passes for 23 yards and 2 touchdowns. He'll be interesting to watch this season.

• Pittsburgh 3rd string running back Willie Parker is going to give the team reason to create some cap room as Duce Staley who is hurt for his second year and veteran Jerome Bettis are a bit more expensive and aren't healthy. 161-yards on 22 carries (7.3 yards per carry) and 1 catch for 43 yards... we'll have to see next week as maybe Tennessee can't stop the run. (Parker avoided 6 tackles on one play.)

• The Jets were lucky to score a touchdown. The team fumbled the ball 8 times and threw an interception. As bad as this looks, something smells fishy (no they weren't playing the Dolphins.) QB Chad Pennington fumbled the ball only 5 times last year but 6 times in a game is going for a record. I put a lot of this on center Kevin Mawae as he fumbled the ball once and he had problems getting the ball to Pennington. When Jay Fiedler relieved Pennington... another bad snap sent Fiedler scrambling to get the ball.

• Tim Rattay throws 2 touchdowns in the first half against the Rams. Shocking, I know, but that was only on a total of 8 attempted passes (6 were caught.) 21-9 in the first half. Who would have guessed (oh, and many people have the Rams in our Last Man Standing.) The 49ers rushing in the first half is pretty underwhelming as Kevan Barlow has 4 yards on 6 attempts. That's not good but they are winning at this time.

Have I said that I really like football?

The Offer

I was checking my email this morning and I was shocked to find one from a colleague that will remain nameless. Essentially, I've been offered a new project that would fall under the area of 80's Music Central. I've always had 3 dreams in my life and two of those (recording a single and writing a book) were at different times close to fulfillment. The third dream has a possibility of happening... well, online. I can't describe the scenario as yet because the offer was just given. The biggest snags would be marketing, budgeting and time.

I've never been a person to scream "Look at me, I'm great" but instead try to do good things and hope they get notice and let buzz carry it. A business would be different as selling ads and bringing in new listeners is the lifeblood. I'm also someone who has never written his balance, debits and credits in the back of his checkbook. I figure that if I have to worry about where the money is coming from, I can't afford it. That would be different taking on this venture. Lastly, if I complain about anything it is usually about time. I put pressure on myself to make a lot of deadlines that I will actually avoid showering on Mondays until I'm done with the newsletter (I figure it's added pressure to finish.)

Getting past all that, it is an amazing offer and one that I'll have to really think about. It includes a chance to play music that I really enjoy from a decade that pertains to my own passion, to showcase music that many people haven't heard before (among requested hits) and a chance to expand upon what I've been doing for about 8 years or so. So much to think about.

Brainiac: Science Abuse (For Brainiax)

For those of you that like seeing things blow up, have a fondness for science (remember Mr. Wizard), like to see irreverent experiments and practical jokes or consider extreme cooking... I have a show for you. Recently added to G4TV's lineup, Brainiac is the British television show that challenges a lot of myths that you won't see on Mythbusters. Do athletes perform worse or better after having sex? What is more slippery in the home: baby oil, cooking oil or cod liver oil? If we can't walk on water, could we walk on a pool full of custard? Could eating poppy seed bagels give a false positive report for opiate usage on a drug test? What type of food gives the worst smelling gas? Do pheremones really make you more attractive to the opposite sex? What happens when you put a lightbulb in a microwave? Do corn flakes that are high in iron have enough metal in them to react to a magnet?

Heck, I could keep listing these for awhile but you ought to just watch it. Especially for this one: In 1997, it was asserted in an article in the New England Journal by a German scientist that staring at a woman's breasts for 30 minutes was equivalent to a 30 minute work out... why not test it?

Sure, most of these tests have no placebo or wouldn't be taken seriously unless tested more than once but it is edutainment. Now, if only they had a Brainiac Jr., it might excite kids into caring about science earlier in life and pursuing it as a course of study. Then again Mr. Vavoom could be the new millennium's Mr. Beakman.

Should I Stay Or Should I Go?

It was about time for me to post about Hurricane Katrina but to tell you the truth... I'm still upset about every single aspect of this ordeal in the Gulf Coast. I actually have friends that I work with that have family down there... or did as half of them have heard from their loved ones.

I have thought about the thousands of people that stayed in their homes to ride the storm out and for a while thought "they had their chance." I've also thought about the unused buses and page 13 paragraph 5 of their disaster aid plans that include using those buses to evacuate those that can't help themselves.

But, what worries me most about all of this is amidst the toxic water around them (that has been causing 1st degree burns during short exposure), shortage of food, lack of elimination facilities and deceased bodies is that there are many people who still do not want to leave. Many stayed there because they believed it was a false alarm and that Katrina would miss the area as many others have. I also do understand that many of these people are receiving government assistance and that what little they have, they cherish. The depression of seeing all you love being destroyed is also overwhelming. Yet, I think there is a point where self-preservation kicks in. When they don't leave to take care of themselves, those giving aid are at a loss because you can't legally take them from their property without due process. You have to feel sorry for these people but at the same time become pissed off that they are stressing the system as the rescuers would be vilified for being inhumane if they don't keep providing them food and water. I just wonder at what point you just use knock-out gas and get them to a shelter?

Morpheus Pondering

Took a nap earlier, am just now about to pass out and figured I better post. I notice some people never understand what I mean when I tell them that I'm going to pass out because they are thinking: 1) I have low blood sugar 2) a cerebral hemorrhage is eminent or 3) I literally will fall on the floor. I guess instead of saying that I'm going to sleep, hitting the sack, off to saw logs, catching some Z's, off to count sheep or off to La La land I've always liked the image of losing all physical mobility and tuning out for several hours. Now, if I did have a problem like narcolepsy then I'd be a little more cautious with my phrasing.

After my accident about 2 1/2 years ago (involving the trunk of a Navigator and the top of my head), I have been stuck with consistent headaches. One of the only ways that I've found to minimize them is to sleep on my back without a pillow. It does make the bed look funky. I even partially put my arms across my chest which makes me think "coffin" and I don't know why that seems reassuring to me. I tried the little neck pillows back some time ago and found out that they are useless. I'm actually very protective of my sleep. If I don't get enough, I can be really grouchy because I know I won't be fully functional or aware of my surroundings. Anyhow, I'm gonna pass out. Sleep well.

Spot Goes For A Ride

"Whew! Good thing I replaced those brakes last week eh, Spot? Spot?"

-- Another of the abundant reasons why I don't own a pet.

Rock Star Search

Ok, you know it had to happen. It is time for me to not hold back anymore and let you know how I feel about INXS' search for a new lead singer.

Since Michael Hutchence's suicide in 1997, INXS' remaining band members have hit the stage with Jimmy Barnes, Sananda Matreiya (formerly Terence Trent D'Arby), Suzi Demarchi (of Baby Animals), Vanessa Amorosi and Jon Stevens. They also wrote several and recorded one new song with Stevens entitled "I Get Up" which was released as a single. But, the chemistry never brought forward a full album and Stevens departed. That was when the search for their new singer began.

From the list of performers they had worked with, you can see that they weren't worried about gender, color or nationality. That was why 15 promising singers were chosen from casting calls in many different cities. So far, each one that has been dismissed has not been a surprise as I've had a mental list going. Deanna lasted longer than I expected, though. They are as of now, down to 5 -- Suzie, Marty, Jordis, Mig and JD. Each have their assets and their pitfalls as many have watched.

Today, Ty Taylor was sent packing. He'll do great as a solo soul singer as he works the stage amazingly well and has a great grasp of pitch. But, his stage presence is that of a performer. (Wasn't too impressed with his pulling the race card in his departure on why he was in the final 3 for 3 different weeks.) Where the other 5 go, who knows. I'm expecting JD's departure shortly although he shows writing talent and sounded great tonight performing "The One Thing," his social skills are lacking as are some notes in his range. As long as he can continue singing INXS songs well, he'll stay put but the competition is fierce. Currently, I'm favoring Suzie after great performances two weeks in a row and a great studio session on the new INXS song, "Us," which was written by the band with Marti Fredrickson (who has worked with Faith Hill, Def Leppard and even Aerosmith.) The only real way to tell who should be the new singer is by making them sing the band's songs. I'm just waiting until there are 3 left and maybe someone will have to sing "Not Enough Time." Not only has this show brought the music of INXS to a new height, helped find a new lead singer but it has undoubtedly created several solo stars.

'Shopthrifting'

Sometimes I like to believe that I'll get things as close to free as I can without walking out of the store with it, getting frisked by security and being banned from the store. I'm sure most of us like to get a good deal. One of my last stops online when hunting for good prices is a neat little Web site named Pricegrabber. Sure, you have tons of sites out there to shop from but it's nice to see one giving a list of the current prices for a particular item like... Piers Anthony's A Spell For Chameleon in paperback. What I like about this is that you can see the varied prices for each place, how much shipping will cost you and an overall cheapest price. I've done this for several DVDs which would have cost me $19.99 + tax and instead paid only $17.99. If I buy 1,000 of those, I'll be ric... no I'll be poor and run out of shelf space. But, saving money is good and not going to jail trying... priceless.

Clean, Clean

As time continues, you will get to understand my contempt for polls. I don't know if it is because of the way questions are phrased, the selection of respondents (location, age, sex, status, wealth, religion... etc.) or underlying bias. Polls are great. They give everyone a blind blanket perception of what is. Anyone remember the last presidential election exit polls? Scary.

Anyhow, Readers Digest recently compiled a list of the 50 cleanest metropolitan areas in the U.S. and Portland, OR ranked #1. Am I depressed that Las Vegas ranked #13? Not really. I'm rather shocked and left to wonder how filthy those 37 other areas are. (BTW... take note Las Vegas Department of Sanitation. You ranked 7. That's bad and probably why something from my trash cans winds up on the street in front of my house twice a week.)

My issues with this listing are mixed. I like the fact that they used actual hard data on water, air, toxics, hazardous waste and sanitation. But, when cities #4 (Columbus, OH), #6 (Denver, CO) and #8 (Austin, TX) have a "NA" placed in their Sanitation column... I question their placing. That's like saying, "They did well in other areas, lets average those scores." Also, why weren't those stats there? Not available... my ass. Very peculiar. Did your city make the list?

Returned Call

From 1991 to 2004, one man attacked computer ignorance with gusto on television and radio. His name was Laporte... Leo Laporte. Many of those years were with the cable/satellite television series Call For Help (some with Screen Savers, Dvorak On Computers, Laporte On Computers, The Personal Computing Show and the Emmy-winning series The Site.) A battle started brewing when Comcast's G4 purchased TechTV and Laporte's appearances were being minimized. People wrote scathing forum posts (and I think I even whined about it) but Call For Help was given it's walking papers last year. To appease some viewers a Toronto-produced version of the show would later only air in Canada. Author and computer programmer Laporte has continued his radio shows which have become highly sought after podcasts.

It has now been announced that Call For Help will return to G4TV starting Monday the Aug. 27th. Leo is joined on the show by new co-hosts Amber MacArthur and Andy Walker (pictured on the far right... Leo is on the left.)

Call For Help has always been the kind of show where you could ask all those "stupid" questions you've been holding for fear of being ridiculed. Wonder why they call a byte a byte and a bit a bit? Wonder why sound and photo quality gets worse as it gets recompressed? No question is too small and they do a great job of slowly teaching you the terminology as they go. Well, at least they did. Now, all I can say is "Welcome back to my Tivo's Season Pass!" and "Thank You" to whoever got that brain transplant at G4.

Salvador And The Magic Email

By now, most of you know that I preach computer safety and think that everyone that owns a computer should be careful with suspicious emails. Yesterday, I stopped in to see my neighbor Salvador and thank him for edging my front yard (he really didn't have to do that.) His wife sent me upstairs to see him. As I got up there, Sal was typing in his credit card information on a "PayPal" account. I asked him, "Setting up a new account? I thought you had one already." He said he did but he got an email saying that the account may have been compromised. He had already logged in with his username and password, given his social security number and was about to give his credit card information. I stopped him just in time.

If you take your mouse and hover over a link in an email, you will see where it is sending you. (That isn't easy to fake unless they took over that company's domain name.) Usually it will say where it is taking you at the bottom of your screen. In Sal's case, it was http://hometown.aol.de/janice2233 and these places can look very authentic. Take a look. This is how genuinely scary spam can be. PayPal works in coordination with your credit card or bank account. If Janice2233 had jumped on Sal's mistake sooner, they could have changed his password and made purchases of nearly $5,000 using one-day delivery service to a generic address. Thankfully, I changed his password immediately and the only thing to worry about is that someone out there has his name, possibly his address and social security number. Protect yourself folks.

Here's The Rub

I was talking with a guy from work yesterday (I'd say friend but I really don't like him) and he mentioned something that happened to him at the supermarket that I had to share with you. I wanted to go there and take photos but I expect it isn't up there anymore.

Anyhow, he goes into the store to do a little shopping and stops by where the butcher is to pick up some pork ribs. He hears a few people laugh behind him and blows it off. As he's walking away, he sees a sign over some seasoning that says "Don't Forget To Rub Your Meat." He laughs a little and looks to the butcher he just bought his ribs from and says, "You really ought to take this sign down." The butcher tells him that he had handwritten the sign himself and that it was perfectly fine. My co-worker explained to the butcher the 'other way' people are interpreting it and he turns bright red and says that he'll take care of it. Damn, I wanted a photo of that sign to put up here.

Baby, Don't You Get My Number

Cell phones. Years ago it was a status symbol for "movers and shakers" (and the bulky things were also affectionately called "bricks".) Now, they are everywhere with special ringtones, carry cases, ear-pieces, levels of internet access and even video playback. In 2000, Cahners In-Stat Group market research firm released a study on the growth of cell phones. They predicted that over half of young people age 10 to 24 would own a cellular phone by 2004. One year past that, it seems that there are more cell phones in homes than computers.

Now, with that in mind, we take you to the Do-Not-Call list. If we could avoid calls from frozen food salespeople, home loan telemarketers or even magazine sales people, we would. Back a few years ago, the idea of a national list of numbers that the federal government could protect from these calls was created. Many states started lists and many discontinued them, giving them to the feds to add to their list. Wonder where your state stands on Do-Not-Call lists? Check here.

Well, those wacky people who used fake lists to get your home phone number to sell off to telemarketers are back. A nice little email has been sent around (I'm sure you may have seen one but if not you will sometime soon) that urges you to sign the Do-Not-Call list for your cell phone by September to block it for 5 years or suffer the consequences. Sure, you can sign up with the same list you did with your phone by calling 1-888-382-1222. But, there is not a 31-day, September or December 15th deadline. Telemarketers are already prohibited by FCC regulations from calling cell phone numbers with automatic dialers. Yes, a 411 phonebook is being created for 2006 but is not going to be given out as it will be there just like directory assistance is on your regular phone. Here's some information on that from the Federal Trade Commission. Here's another link about the issue.

My guess on why they are pushing these emails? I think there are a few reasons for it. I think there are those that either believe getting more names on the list will make them safer and seem like a bigger force to reckon with. I also think that a collection of names like that would be the hacker's "holy grail" and creates quite a target. There is also something in the back of my mind saying, "You read a spam email and by responding to what it says is giving into spammers." All I know is that these emails are a great way to scare people into giving out information and that just unnerves me.

No Really, You Can Fly Friendly Skies!

I've been watching the Northwest Airlines strike news. It's a more than difficult situation in a dying business model that is underperforming financially. The price wars aren't helping but it does make the consumer happy. All of this doesn't affect me as much as many others as I'm not a big traveler. But, I was thinking about it today and Northwest has had 4 fatal passenger events since 1970. That means that out of 9.2 million flights by the company, only 4 of them lost lives. That's pretty amazing. Now, if that amazes you... there is better.

In 9.5 million flights since 1970, Southwest Airlines has never had a fatal passenger event. One obvious mention here is that Southwest's 34-year history started with a focus on the southwest meaning a lot of short to intermediate flights instead of cross country. Yet, they added Chicago in 1985. In 1991, Baltimore/Washington International Airport is added to routes. The airlines was up to 2,800 daily flights to 60 airports in 59 cities by last year. The only other airlines with no fatal passenger events since 1970 are America West Airlines (2.3 million flights), America Trans Air (330,000 flights), Hawaiian Airlines (330,000 flights), Midway Airlines (80,000 flights) and JetBlue (new airlines currently unknown flight totals.) Check here to see stats on the airline you last used.

I have several friends that are paranoid about flying but it is interesting to see the numbers and maybe knowing what the stats are can calm some nerves.