Ladd and the Angels

I was watching this "Best of Charlies Angels" DVD that covered episodes from the first season. Actually, I mostly skimmed through it. The women were beautiful, but the storylines were forgettable and the dialogue was positively horrible. ("I am not a yo-yo!" said Farrah. Ugh!)

Besides, I liked Cheryl Ladd best of all. Here are a few shots from a very early appearance of hers prior to her days as Kris Munroe.

Have you seen this?

Holy cow! Have you seen this? This has got to be one of the top late night talk show moments of all time -- and I remember watching it in its original broadcast.

I'm talking about the time when Debra Winger discussed her old Wonder Girl role with David Letterman. At the end of that interview, she quickly changed into her old duds and then ran out of the studio. The studio audience went wild!

And so did I.

eBay

I ordered an item off eBay, but after one month, I had not heard back from the vendor. This was despite multiple attempts at contacting them.

On my third attempt, I reminded them that I'd like to leave positive feedback if I can. I received this response:

Thank you for your purchase.

This order did not go out yet. There is a chance that it was misplaced in our inventory (we stock several thousand items on our shelves). I did personally find the order, pack it and ship it yesterday (Tuesday). You should receive it tomorrow (Thursday). It shipped via USPS Priority Mail.

I really do apologize for the inconvenience. We sell a lot of misc. surplus equipment (I have approximately 5000 listings on eBay). And stuff like this can slip by me sometimes.

We always try to avoid negative and/or neutral feedback (since eBay counts neutrals as negatives now). If you have any further issues, please contact me directly.
Feel free to call or email if you have any other questions.

This puts me in a quandry. I don't buy their excuse, since I did repeatedly contact them. On the other hand, I know that eBay is charging higher fees for vendors nowadays when they receive negative feedback. I don't want to discourage people from using eBay, so perhaps I'll just decline to offer any feedback. Sigh.

The Price is Right

I caught some video clips of "The Price is Right" on YouTube recently. The one that stands out the most is this clip from a recent Drew Carey episode where some hysterical woman apparently has trouble with basic math.

You know how four contestants are required to estimate the cost of an item without going over? Whoever gets the closest bid without going over wins the chance to compete for more prizes. Well, this lady decided to bid $1 *LESS* than the woman behind her -- the worst possible strategy, short of deliberately overbidding. What's more, when Drew called out the actual price, she went hysterical, thinking that she had won, and then proceeded to excitedly go up on stage. What an embarassment it was for her to be told that she didn't win.

I have to wonder... Did she have a mental glitch, or was she really just that bad at math?

Speaking of "The Price is Right," there's a "Best of..." DVD set with various classic Bob Barker episodes, plus some from his last week of hosting. Personally, I'd rather see some episodes with the luminously lovely Chantel Dubay, but she was only on the show for a couple of years.

Yet another Locrian example

By now, there should be no doubt that this Locrian character thinks like a six-year-old and that he has no regard for the welfare of other people. He pretty much acts like scum.

Just to hammer the point home though, here's another example of what he said:

Last year in Van Nuys, CA (little Mexico, as some call it), it was Easter Sunday. On a corner near Van Nuys Bl, there was some tie up at a light. On the corner was a man with one o' them ancient speakers around his neck with a mike attached. He was spouting in Latin American Spanish about Jesus. With each sentence, I held my horn, drowning out his distorted testimony. He got REAL angry after about five straight minutes of this, dropped his pamphlets and ran towards my car. I rolled down my window and we started arguing (me in English him in Spanish, so it wasn't really going anywhere )

A cop on a bicycle saw him run towards me and interceded, pulling the yelling gentleman away. I said, "It's alright, officer." He asked me why all the noise with the horn. I said, "I was drowning him out." He reminded me it was Easter Sunday and I replied with, "So?" He told me to just drive ahead when the lane's clear. I said thank you. (Thank goodness I wasn't in Burbank, CA, but there, the only Spanish people allowed are ones cleaning homes.) When I drove off, I did a little polite, donk-donk, with the horn and politely waved to them man who put the mike/speaker back on. He politely waved back too.

So, no fight, no tickets, no harm, no foul to either of us. I just thought if he should witness in public, I should disagree in public.

So the guy had no problem making a public nuisance of himself, and why? Just because he didn't want to hear a street preacher. This fella is a child, plain and simple.

Locrian: Is this guy for real?

This Locrian fella is almost too twisted to be real. Here's an example of something he said.

Somebody asked, "So, 'Would you please not say that around me?' is rude?"

His reply? "I really do think it's rude. Especially from an adult. 'O, wuld yooo pease not say around me?(Baby voice)' Ugh. I'd say, we're in public, rosary gripper. The best reply is, 'Then don't be around me.'"

He honestly sees no problem with pretending that these people are spouting baby jabber? And he has the temerity to impugn their maturity?

The guy is a jerk and he knows it. He just tries to take the moral high ground, even as he's fully aware that he's behaving in almost the most obnoxious manner possible.

Here is how politeness is demonstrated

Now here is an example of a polite reply (referencing previous posts). This is from another fella's contribution to that discussion thread.

This happened to me at work. I was working on a project with a guy. I said "Christ on a bike" at one point. He visibly winced, and said "please don't say that - I find it really offensive". I said "Oh sorry, didn't realise" and never said anything similar in his presence again.

Short, simple conversation.

It doesn't take much to make little adjustments to ensure we all get on in the workplace.

What is wrong with people who just don't get it? Who think that the only appropriate response is to be a grade-A jackass?

As another person said,

Of course I would. Doing otherwise would be what's called, by those of us who like this whole 'politeness' thing, 'being a raging a**hole'.

Another Locrian gem

Good grief. Here's another gem from that Locrian fella.

With regard to people who believe in God and ask that he refrain from using God's name in his swearing, he said,

[I]sn't it MY responsibility to reply with, "Jesus never existed", or "there's no god, sweetie"? I always add the "sweetie" in my reply to them. In essence, they are children. What would be offensive about showing this person there's an alternative?

So he thinks that he should show people that there's an alternative. (Nothing wrong with that per se. And he apparently thinks that this gives him free license to state things with a complete lack of tact or diplomacy. Sheesh.

And he feels perfectly comfortable in regarding them as little children. That says a lot more about his own childishness than anything else.

He then goes on to say,

Basically, if I utter, "Jesus Christ", and I'm told I'm offending them, please realize that I AM VERY offended that they believe such nonsense. Maybe we can have a truce: I'll never take your fictitious god's name in vain, and that person will never mention anything religious around me. Wait-- wasn't that in the Constitution?

The guy just takes complete delight in being as obnoxious as possible, doesn't he?

Locrian and people's motives

Continuing my previous ruminations...

To say that these people (those who ask that one avoid swearing with God's name) must just be trying to get points from the big guy is simply obnoxious. Even if we grant that they're trying to save you from hell (which is surely not their motivation, at least not in this case), isn't it possible that this is simply out of genuine concern? Heck, if a Moslem were to try to evangelize me, I wouldn't assume that he's just sucking up to Allah. I'd assume that he's acting out of genuine concern, even if I disagree with his beliefs.

The thing is, it's not enough for some people to simply disagree with one's polite request. No, they have to ascribe the vilest of motives to that person first, even in the absence of any evidence for such motives. It's simply reprehensible. Even if you disagree with that person, why not give the benefit of the doubt?

BTW, it's also foolish of Locrian to think that when someone asks him to avoid swearing using God's name, it's because they think they need to keep him from uttering such words lest he fall into Hell.

After all, some people are just uncomfortable with that kind of langauge. Also, if people really feel some sort of devotion to God, perhaps they don't like his name being used disrespectfully. To paraphrase another person, "I had a teacher who took us to watch 'Meet the Parents' on a free day. She never said anything in order to 'get points from the big guy,' but she winced a little when the phrase 'goddammit' was said."

This Locrian guy is a real piece of work

I came across this message board that had some real colorful characters. One was a fella by the name of Locrian, and he's a really interesting individual. I don't mean that in a positive way.

Somebody posed the following question (and I paraphrase): "If somebody were to ask you not to take God's name in vain in their presence, would you agree to do so?" Most of the respondents -- whether theist or atheist -- said that they would; after all, it was a minor inconvenience, and it's just good manners.

This Locrian fella took an extreme view, though. Here is his response:

Absolutely NOT. Most likely, if the request WAS polite, I feel it's my duty to politely request the complainer to stop believing in just bullshit. I would counter request that they actually go home and read their bible, beginning to end and quiz them the next day to see if they really had. If they DO read it, they wouldn't need religion, if they didn't I'd tell them that they really weren't a believer anyway.

People who request such a thing are only making their own version of their religion, like all so-called believers do. They're most likely thinking, "I'll get points from the big guy if I make someone stop.", or "If I allow this person to keep saying this, I'LL GO TO HELL!!!"

I really don't think it's polite to even believe in it, or smart, or responsible.

Now that's just needlessly abrasive. Even if you don't agree with their beliefs, only a first-class jackass would say that it's his duty to "politely request the complainer to stop believing in just bullshit." (Hey, I do think we sometimes have a duty to correct other people, but not in that way!)

This guy claims to be somewhat mature (in one thread, he was talking about a driving experience), but he comes across as a hostile ten-year-old.

Joan Rivers is a nutjob on "Celebrity Apprentice"

Okay, so I'm watching the latest episode of "Celebrity Apprentice." Joan Rivers is out of control and out of her gourd. She needs a few dozen chill pills -- stat!

What a nutjob. Her criticisms of Annie Duke were completely over the top. Watching her flip out was just painful to watch. Argh.

Is that how she behaves in real life? The woman must be utterly unstable.

Yeow.

I do like Annie Duke. Obviously, a lot of other people like her, as evidenced by the number of outsiders who are willing to fly in just to help her. I wish that she'd stop swearing so much, though. It simply isn't necessary.

Cell phone users on the road

Once again, I had to deal with a motorist who was crawling along at a snail's pace. Upon passing her, I found out that she was gabbing away on her cell phone.

I should have guessed. If you can't keep pace with the traffic, then put the phone down, lady! Either that or pull over. Sheesh.

What's the big deal? Quite simply, not only is she inconveniencing othet motorists, she's also creating a road hazard by slowing down so much. Argh.

Buy Google stock!

I'm serious. If you're smart, you're going to buy Google stock right now!

It is severely undervalued and worth a lot more than it is selling for. Morningstar gives it a five star rating, and for good reason. Its value is bound to keep increasing, and increasing, and increasing.

Let's face it; nobody is going to topple Google. Not anytime soon, at least. Yahoo? Not strong eough. MSN? Left in the dust. Altavista? Don't make me laugh.

Give 'em a shot. Their ticker symbol is GOOG. Easy to remember, right? Do it now.

Senile dementia

I keep hearing stories about people who suffer from Alzheimer's disease. I really hate to hear these stories.

It's a sad, sad thing to see someone's mind just deteriorate away. I remember hearing storis about my grandfather and what it was like for him. I earnestly hope that I never have to deal with it myself, and that none of my family members ever have to suffer in that manner. You need to have wellsprings of patience to cope with situations like that.

What a terrible, terrible state to find one's self in.

Well, it's tax day

It's that time of the year again. It's the deadline for filing one's federal and state income tax returns. Whoopee.

Actually, I'm fortunate in that I'm receiving a rather large refund. Still, I hate the amount of work that goes into computing one's taxes. I also hate all the documentation required, not to mention the amount of tax I have to pay.

It'd be different if the government were run in a cost-efficient way. There's just so much wastage though, largely because of bureaucracy, incompetence, and taking on too many programs that should have been left to the private sector. Terrific.

And now some people want to increase taxes on those who are in the best possible position to create jobs. I'm concerned that this will drive those companies and their jobs overseas.

More on Wendy and Marvin

A bit more on the "Wonder Twins Phenomenon" feature.

One of those talking heads commented on Wendy and Marvin of the original SuperFriends. He said that Marvin at least tried, on the grounds that he wore a superhero outfit. Wendy just wore street clothes.

I think he had it backwards. Oh, they both tried to be heroes, and they both made valuable contributions despite their lack of powers. Marvin was delusional though, having an overly inflated sense of his abilities. Wendy was heroic, but she understood that she didn't need to wear a costume in order to be a hero.

The Wonder Twins Phenomenon

So I borrowed this Super Friends DVD from Netflix. It had one special feature on it: "The Wonder Twins Phenomenon." I groaned; after all, the Wonder Twins were incredibly stupid characters who almost never used their powers effectively. What kind of phenomenon was that?

To my relief though, the commentators did lay down a lot of snark. They commented on how they should have been nearly undefeatable but usually changed into the same three or four forms each time. They also commented on Gleek's stupid name and his mysteriously appearing bucket.

"Zan could be beaten by a roll of paper towels." That's funny. Funnier than the laughing fadeouts that Gleek invariably produced, and which the talking heads in this feature rightfully mocked.

They also made comments about Wendy and Marvin, the predecessors of the twins. I think that Wendy and Marvin have been unfairly maligned, but the talking heads were right to point out that there wasn't any good reason for these two to hang around the heroes.

Putting your heart into exercise

I don't mind it when people struggle through the cardio classes at my gym if they are clearly concentrating and putting in a lot of effort. In fact, I've often offered them words or gestures of encouragement. Everyone has to start somewhere, after all, and some of these folks are clearly filled with determination.

However, you've also got people who keep attending the class and cannot do the moves at all. Now I don't want to be cruel, especially since some people are in really bad shape and need to catch up. I also know that some people have non-obvious disabilities. However -- and again, I want to be careful in saying this -- it seems to me that if you can barely lift your feet above the ground, you should probably try some walking or light jogging first before attending a vigorous kickboxing class. I'm not saying this to mock people who do struggle; rather, the reality is that people won't get much benefit from the class if the moves are far beyond what they can do. Better to start off slow, then.

Also, if you have a hard time following the class instructions -- if you keep stepping to the right while everyone else is jumping to the left, for example -- you might want to practice at home before joining a group class. I know that sounds mean, but this is ultimately a safety issue. That, and the fact that you'll probably get more benefits from self-directed exercise anyway, since it lets you focus on the areas in which you have difficulty.

I hope that none of that sounds too harsh. Believe me, there was a time when I was in bad shape and horribly uncoordinated as well. I got better with time though, and so can most people.

Stupid things that kids do

I just read a story about a kid who had shoved a bean up his nostril and let it sprout.

Now I realize that children don't have the same amount of sense as adults; however, you have to wonder about the mind-numbing foolishness of any child who would do such a thing. Shoving the bean in there has got to hurt, and so why would any kid willfully endure it?

On a lesser note, I'm reminded of old classmates of mine who would eat the free toothpaste samples that we received at church. They wouldn't brush with the stuff; no, they'd EAT the toothpaste. Now that's just stupid as well. Just because you can do something doesn't mean that you should.

Wearing a jacket during cardio boot camp class

There's this woman who joined our cardio bootcamp class. She was heavily dressed; that is, she had a thick jacket on. The rest of us were doing jumping jacks, high knee raises, lunges, and other high-intensity activities. She tried to join in, but could barely even throw a punch.

Now, I don't mind that she couldn't keep up; after all, everyone has to start somewhere. I have to wonder, though... if she had such a hard time performing these movies, then why didn't she at least take her jacket off? You'd think that would have been the common sense thing to do.

Ya just have to wonder about some people.

SuperFriends -- what a dumb bunch of cartoons!

I'm watching some old episodes of the SuperFriends on DVD. What a stupid, stupid show! Or more accurately, what a stupid show this was in its various incarnations. The dialog was stilted, the plots were usually paper-thin, the villians were cartoonish, and the way that these heroes used their powers was usually laughable.

I especially hated the way Robin was frequently portrayed as a victim, and how the Bat-duo would invariably have some sort of outlandish gadgets in their boots or utility belts. Ugh.

The very first series was much better, mind you. In the original SuperFriends series, the heroes used their abilities wisely. They were portrayed as having brains (especially Wonder Woman and Aquaman). What's more, Batman and Robin didn't have to rely on an excess of Bat-paraphernalia. (I remember one episode in which they had to slide down some ski lift cables. Did they pull out some Bat-puller or Bat-cable car? No, they just used their batarangs. Sadly, such simplicity was abandoned in favor of increasingly ridiculous gadgetry.)

He was at it again

Remember that guy I mentioned from the gym? The one who keeps bringing up idiotic topics of conversation in the locker room? He was at it again. Once again, he was spouting nonsense about how foreigners don't have to pay income tax for seven years if they come to the USA to work.

Where do people get this sort of nonsense? That's what happens when they rely on gossip and water cooler conversations to educate themselves on the nuances of taxation and immigration law.

I've met some very nice people at the gym. I've also encountered some incredible yahoos. He is one of the latter.

Disgusting gym talk

There's this very talkative guy in my gym who says the most idiotic things. I remember when he was chatting up one of the hispanic cleaning crew guys, asking about how strong the fella's penis was. Good grief. That kind of talk just reinforces the notion that gym rats are jocks with no brains.

BTW, I'm not saying that he's an athlete, mind you. He always seems to be meandering casually on the track, or perhaps pedalling gently on the exercise bikes. Once, I think I might have seen him using some heavy weight on one of the machines, but I'm not sure about that.

Anyway, he was going on and on about how terrible it is that foreigners can come to the USA and work here for seven years without paying income tax. Where did he get that notion? Sure, it's possible that some of them get away without paying taxes, but that's not because the law allows it. He is doubtlessly spouting some sort of inanities without bothering to check the facts.

Sadly, he's not alone. Many people think that H-1B visa holders don't need to pay taxes, for example. That's simply wrong; however, due to a few articles written by a few rabid individuals, such myths get spread and blown out of proportion. Sigh.

Gym rant: That whooping, howling bozo

He was at it again. Remember those guys in my cardio bootcamp class who keep whooping and hollering, acting as though they're having the time of their lives? The ones who keep cheating on their moves?

I've mentioned the worst offender in their group. Tonight, he was hollering, "Hey, Donna!" trying to get the attention of one of the class attendees, even as the instructor was talking. If I were her, I would have asked him to keep it down.

He was also moving from one spot to another, talking to various ladies. And while he was whooping it up, he was barely moving around. In other words, all his enthusiasm was in his mouth, not in his arms or feet. The guy was all talk!

At one point, we were supposed to be jumping around, turning in 180 degree arcs as we jumped. He was yelling out, "I love this!" -- but he wasn't jumping. What, did he think that we'd be impressed because he said that he was really enjoying the exercise?

Then there's the time when he turned around and kept talking to this lady in his little troupe. Instead of facing the instructor, he was facing backwards so that he could keep talking to the woman. After a while, she grabbed him by the shoulders and turned him around, obviously thinking that he needed to concentrate on the class exercise.

What a bozo. I wish that the gym would give him a stern talking to, and maybe ban him from these classes if he didn't shape up.

SolidWorks and Leonardo da Vinci

Here is a message that I once sent to SolidWorks. This was in response to their "Da Vinci campaign."

--------------------------------------

I was very impressed with your flash presentation of Leonardo da Vinci's work. However, I was disappointed to find that your scriptwriters repeatedly referred to him as "Da Vinci."

As any Renaissance art historian can tell you, his proper name was "Leonardo." "Da Vinci" was not a surname; rather, it was merely a suffix that meant "from Vinci." Calling him "Da Vinci" would be like referring to a certain Catholic saint as "Of Assisi."

Moreover, people were customarily denoted by their first names -- in part because the adoption of surnames was not yet a universal practice. This is why Dante Alighieri is commonly known as "Dante," and why Michelangelo Buonarroti is best known simply as "Michelangelo."

Given your tremendously impressive demo (and it was indeed impressive!), I was surprised and disappointed that nobody involved in this ad campaign caught that error.

Mike Rowe... soft?

Usually, there is no problem with claiming website domains, certainly here in the USA. In the USA, you can claim a variety of domains, even .com domains, and there is generally no problem as long as nobody else challenges their use.

The only problem occurs if somebody legitimately has a stronger claim to them due to trademarks or other mitigating circumstances. For example, claiming "MikeRoweSoft.com" was famously challenged by Microsoft, but only because there was potential for brand name confusion. Even then though, the case was decided out of court, since its owner, Mike Rowe, also had a strong basis for his claim. (I don't know if Mike could have similarly sued Microsoft. I doubt that he could have done so non-frivolously, especially since he's surely not the only Michael Rowe in the world.)

Techno-what?

Okay, I cannot get over this site. Technosaurus? Really?

Actually, it's rather amusing and quite a bit clever. It also provides a strong contrast -- technology vs. primeval times. Hah.

It is interesting indeed. Unfortunately, I can't read Japanese very well. I can make out the English words ("Software" and "Analyzer," for example). I can also make out a few of the simpler Japanese characters (e.g. "リーダ"), but that's just about it.

Heh. Most amusing.

Almond cookies?

Okay, I just have to ask about this site: Almond cookies? Really?

My idea of almond cookies involves something like this:

1 cup blanched almond halves
1/2 cup ground almonds
2 1/2 cups flour
3 eggs
1/2 teaspoon baking soda
1/2 teaspoon salt
2 tablespoons pure almond extract or Amaretto
1 cup shortening
1 cup sugar

For someone else though, it's apparently a blog with too many e's in the name. Wonder what prompted that. Huh.

What to do this April 1st

Okay, I should have something witty to say on this April 1st. I've got nothing, though.