Outgassing

Here's a wallet-sized reference to the credit card merchant agreement info disallowing minimum purchase fees! Print, cut, fold, carry! Consumerist.com found it at:

http://www.nontoxicreviews.com/wordpress/?p=477

Just like flogs and fake movie critics, big companies spend $$$ trying to convince you of their wholesomeness while they are, in fact, screwing you at every turn. This is not new, it's just evolving. Caveat emptor, biatches.

http://www.freepress.net/astroturf

This is an astounding display of both Lego artistry and stop-motion animation. I wish I had this kind of skill. And time.

The music is inspirational, the view is amazing, given that's it's from an airplane, not a spaceship (though it may as well be one), and listen for his comment when he deplanes. I actually teared up.

http://consumerist.com/5278844/current-and-former-walmart-ceos-shop-at-target

We haven't set foot in a Wal-Mart in about 7 years. We boycott its wanton destruction of small-town businesses, flagrant disregard for the environment, bullying and sidestepping of local ordinances, and mistreatment of employees. This is a bad company. I realize not every company is perfect, and you can't boycott everything, but after Nestle, Wal-Mart should be tops on your list. Even the CEOs shop at Target in Wal-Mart's Corp HQ hometown, with Wal-Marts just down the street. That speaks volumes.

The end of the video is his idea of a commencement speech. Must watch.

We pulled our oldest son out of public school on December 1st, 2008. He had just started repeating 9th grade. In January '09, he started the self-paced state Adult Ed program. He's now a junior. All A's and B's, except for 1 C in math.

Suck it, public school system. Suck it, doubting family members. Suck it to everyone who thought we were caving to our 16-year-old's whims, who thought we were giving up, who thought we were doing the wrong thing.

My kid rocks.

That's how much I am out to get my car running on all 4 cylinders again. And the van payment is due Monday. Piracy is sounding good...

Hydromassage is a chain that is offering free 15-minute trial massages today, April 15th, tax day. It's a water jet under a fabric covering. You lie on the table fully clothed, and the water jet hits the fabric you are laying on, the whole width of your body. Sounds fantastic, and I have printed my coupon and set up an appointment before my dart match this evening! Can't wait! Never had this type of massage before.

Hit this link and click the map to find a location near you:

http://www.hydromassage.com/taxday.htm

OCZ makes some of the fastest flash drives around, too.

http://www.dealhack.com/archives/2009/04/16gb_usb_20_flash_drive_19_fre.html

Yes, usually must remove the "monkey suit." Even though it's business casual, I do not make a habit of wearing long pants. Ever. I live in Florida. It's too hot. I live in shorts and Tevas.

Congratulations on winning the blind draw last night! You rock! Thank you for putting up with me for over 10 years. Truly, you are a glutton for punishment. ;)

Happy Birthday, Steph. I love you.

MUST. GET. ALL. OF. THESE. POST. HASTE.

http://i.gizmodo.com/5195424/star-wars-pool-inflatables-impress-princess-leia-bikini-version




Also, I wish I could help make this happen:

http://consumerist.com/5195536/fake-april-fools-day-product-sparks-demand-for-real-version

I really, really enjoyed the BSG finale. I find, however, that I am growing more and more disappointed as I discuss it now.

1. We've struggled on the brink of extinction for 4 years. Now we've found a planet to call home. Let's THROW AWAY all the raw resources (ships and materiel) that would give us the best hope of surviving! Yeah! Start from scratch! Make it as difficult as possible to survive and thrive! WTF?!? "Technology is the root of all evil and the cause of this cycle" has not ever been a central theme of this show, nor even a marginal one. "Let's not make a city." Fine. Strip the ships down for raw materials and divvy them up. It was human and Cylon failings that continued the cycle, not technology. If that's the case, that technology is the root of all evil, than the Cylons are an aberration in the eyes of "God" and represent humanity's continued failure. They should never have been invented to begin with. Is the future society one of blended human/Cylon biology?

2. WTF is/was Starbuck? If she's an angel, how come she isn't hobnobbing with 6 and Baltar angels in the future?

3. Why was Hera so damned significant? So she was essentially the new Eve. We KNEW that. If she is the one that we are all supposedly descended from, that means that NONE of the 38k survivors procreated. And she died young. What does that mean?

4. Did Lee wander the earth Grasshopper-style? Did he ever find love?

5. Did Galen Tyrol become the ancient hermit that knows everything about history and imparts this knowledge to a young group of future adventurers out to save the world?

I'm sure I have more to rant about, but I do have work to do. More later, perhaps.

Genius. This is made of pure, grade-A, all-natural, organic WIN.

http://i.gizmodo.com/5173888/remote+controlled-flying-fuck-takes-things-pretty-literally

It never, ever, gets old for me. Taken on my BlackBerry from the pub parking lot; didn't have my "real" camera with me.




See the whole set:

http://www.flickr.com/photos/rrrebo/sets/72157615305155439/

Space Shuttle Discovery is scheduled for liftoff at 9:20 PM tonight, Wednesday, March 11th. Weather is supposed to be 90% favorable for launch, so barring any technical malfunctions, we should be in for another treat. Night launches are amazing. For those of you who've never seen one, they look something like this:



http://www.nasa.gov/mission_pages/shuttle/main/index.html

I tend to prefer texting unless there's something very serious, important, or sensitive to discuss, or when absolute clarity is required and texting just isn't cutting it. In public, I prefer texting because that way, people don't have to hear my business.

This stems from being on the phones doing tech support for 7 years. I wasn't really able to take personal phone calls at work, and neither could my wife, so we began texting. Now, we text way more than we talk on the phone.

So, for his 16th birthday, we withdrew son #1 from public school. We enrolled him in the state Adult Ed program in January. In 2 months, he has completed 3 or 4 courses, and gotten A's and B's (I think 1 C). I will rant about the public school system's epic failure later, but it is important that it be made known how much my son rocks for getting this stuff done, now that he is in a better environment for learning.

Josh, you rock. I love you.