Testosterone

So, it's Thursday morning, our outside temp is 76 (F), and today is going to be another stinker.  Yesterday was a cooker.  Our high got up to 99 (F).  I don't check to see what the real feel is because in my  mind 99 (F) is hot enough.  Today we're under an air quality alert.  Now, isn't that... nice.  The cool down doesn't start until Saturday and, of course, the temperature drop will arrive with showers and possibly severe thunderstorms.  So, are we going to have a replay of the July 4th storms?

Yesterday was a busy day.  I had 2 old laptops, a Dell Inspiron 5700 with Windows 7 (don't laugh), and a Samsung gaming laptop with 2 hard drives and about 1000 GB.  I fired them both up to see if they worked.  After spending about an hour on the Dell, restarting with a soft boot, I found only a few old pictures indicating I must have transferred the important stuff before I stopped using it.  The Samsung?  That has over 500 GB of memory, some associate reviews from 2014 and 2015, 2 HDMI ports, 2 USB ports, and a Blue Ray disc player.  And then I remembered the reason I stopped using it was because the keys kept popping off.  Well, there's an easy fix for that.  This means I have 3 functioning laptops, plus the large gaming computer upstairs.  Does this make me geeky?

This morning, I'm taking Howie to my brother's farm.  This is part of the socialization process.  He'll get to meet my brother, his wife, and possibly some chickens, goats, and one or two pot bellied pigs.  Then we'll come home and he'll sleep for the rest of the day.

Here's a flash from the past.  As Biggie's arthritis worsened, I bout him a bed with a heated mattress thinking it might help.  He hated it and only slept on it for a total 15 minutes.

And, as just about everyone know, the Orange Anus is planning on throwing a rally this evening on national TV.  If he were going to tell Americans that he was turning over a new leaf and planning on actually putting Americans first, he might help his ratings... a small bit.  That ain't gonna happen.  His dementiated worst is going to be on display.  From what I understand, China is going to get blamed for rigging the 2020 elections.  Here's a little tidbit about China.  That country is now more popular in the world than the United States.  Of course, the rigged election is a lie.  No one wants to hear his lies, not when plums and nectarines are $4.99 a pound.  I've read that a number of Republicans are dHegsreading this evening's speech, knowing the Orange Anus is going to be driving another nail into the Republican coffin.

And Kegsbreath Hegseth wants to start shooting our soldiers up with testosterone to make sure they reach maximum lethality.  For those who don't know, the Nazi's did that in 1935.

Eat Mor Peepol

Well, it's Saturday.  The weather's nice, not too humid and not too hot. Over night the temps drop down into the mid 60s (F) and there's nothing wrong with that, it's good sleeping weather.  My central air only runs occasionally during the day.  That's fine with me, it helps keep my electric bill low since this is the time of year when it usually skyrockets.  

I got some treadmill time in yesterday, as well as the dumbbell routine for my arms.  The only issue I had was the old Samsung TV which I use for the treadmill has begun to have issues.  The HDMI ports don't seem to be working anymore, so I needed to run a line from the TV to my modem to connect to YouTube.  As I said, it is old, at least 15 years old, meaning time is slowly breaking it down.

I saw an interesting tidbit about relationships between children and their parents.  Apparently about 25% of all children are estranged from at least one of their parents.  This doesn't surprise me.  I don't think it's as much as not respecting your parents, as it is parents are not all perfect.  They get divorced and when that happens their children usually pick sides.  The world is changing and change requires new rules.  Some have a very difficult time understanding this.  Their viewpoint is unsustainable.  Change is inevitable.

I'm borrowing this pic from Fearsome because I do suspect there are those out there who believe this to be true.

This is obviously true among white people in the red conservative states, like Alabama where the Supreme Court told them they needed to fix their gerrymandered map and give black voters 2 congressional districts, and the white Republicans refused, drawing up on one district.  Their white Republican governor, Kay Ivey signed off on this.  Giving black voters 2 districts would give them more power, and those white crackers down in Alabama simply refuse to do that.  They don't understand that minorities, not just black people, but all people of color are making more babies than then white people.  It is only a matter of time until that boot is going to be on the other foot, and that boot is going to stomp, at which point that sign will read Eat Mor White Peepol.  

Kiss My Ass

 Mid-week, long weekend.  I started a 4 day stretch yesterday afternoon when I left work.  This is nice.  I have the same schedule next week.  A regular schedule is nice.  Being a morning person, I accomplish more before going to work than I do at the end of the work day, so the mid-week, long weekend will be nice.

One of my associates had one of "those" customers yesterday; a gentleman who had a quote and then left it expire.  As a result, the charge for disassembling a bed went from $75 per bed to $100 per bed.  He came in and began complaining that this increase had not been pointed out to him when he paid for the installation.  We had no problem adjusting that charge back, but what he really wanted was for us to adjust the charge off completely.  His arguments were small and insignificant and were never going to get him what he wanted, so he played his trump card.  He said "so, let's just cancel the 2nd floor installation completely, that way I won't have to worry about the charges."  So, we played our trump card, "sure you can cancel, but because your flooring has already shipped, there will be a $1000 restocking fee."  The customer was unhappy.  I have no problem with that.  We deal with people like him on a daily basis.

I have settled on which washer and dryer I'm going to purchase.  Whirlpool makes the best appliances, however their stackable washer and drying are too wide and too tall.  That left their competitors.  Samsung has the longest lifespan, but I can tell you from past experience if there's a warranty issue you will lose.  It looks like LG is going to get my business. 

And, of course, there was a debate in Ohio last evening, JD Vance vs Tim Ryan.  I didn't watch, but kept seeing little blurbs come through on my news feeds.  In a smart move by Ryan, he brought up Trump's appearance in Ohio, zeroing in on Trumps comment that Vance "likes to kiss my ass."  Kiss my ass was brought up a number of times.  To be honest, back when Trump said that at Vance's rally, I was stunned.  He likes to kiss my ass.  Think about it.  The truth is Vance was truly kissing Trump's ass just to get him on that stage. Now, we know that all MAGAs want to kiss Trump's ass, but Independent voters?  Not so much.  Independent voters out number MAGAs/  I'm suspecting they don't really want an ass kisser representing Ohio in the Senate.

The Very Big Stick

 Well, it's Friday.  That means absolutely nothing to me.  While my weekly schedule covers days, those days have no names.  One is the same as the other.  For someone who likes to have his life fairly well organized, this is a pisser.  Routines organize, and routines require specificity.  The only things specific in my life are the hours I work: 10:30 - 7:00.  Time off is not guaranteed.  I work with an associate who is almost daily requesting days off - he's trying to write his own schedule.  As you might guess, he is also a Republican and a supporter of The Big Lie.

Anyway, my new phone arrived yesterday.  It took me about an hour to set it up since this was the first time I've ever gone through the whole process by myself.  I picked the Pixel up at the store and the clerk took care of the activation.  Last night it was just me.  The only thing that didn't copy over were my apps, everything else, notes, pictures, videos, transferred smoothly.  While the sim card in the old phone no longer works, there's nothing wrong with the phone itself, so it has now become my permanent alarm clock.

And, of course, It's honeysuckle time.

So, Liar #45's blog died... How painful that must be to know his MAGA base didn't sign up.  I suspect the just don't like to read... or can't.  

And he's still beating the drum for The Big Lie.  Republicans all across the country and spewing that falsehood.  They need to.  I was reading this morning that we should expect phony audits to reach a fever pitch this summer.  So many lies.  They are so desperate to dictate and control.  These dumb shits don't understand they are playing with fire... and they are going to get burned.  I read in the Washington Post that if a Republican candidate doesn't shriek wildly about the audits, he / she will die in the primaries.  America is watching.  These dumb shits don't understand, we, the Centrists, the Independents, the Progressives out number them greatly.  And we have a very big stick.  We also have no problem with using it to beat the crap out of them.

The View from McCreary's Creagh

 And so my weekend begins:  a bit of a sleep in, though not much.  Too many things to do.

I started watching Picard last evening on Netflix.  Unless it's a stand-alone movie, everything on Netflix has a story arc, so what we really get are episodes with continuity.  This means that it's not until the 3rd episode the real storyline is revealed.  This is done to create the need to binge, which is something I do not do.  After 3 episodes, about an hour and a half, I turned off the TV.

Yesterday was very slow at work.  They brought in an ice cream truck so associates could get a free sundae.  That was nice.  About 10 minutes before I was scheduled to leave for the day, some of my customers came in.  I had already told them I only work until 7 and after working for 6 days in a row, I was not about to stay late, so I handed them off to a fellow associate.  He did not seem to pleased, as one of the first things they told him was that they were going to change their selection of hard wood. These changes usually take around 30 minutes.  I was not sorry. 

I also ordered a new phone last evening.  Normally I buy a phone and hold onto it for around 5 years.  The Google Pixel I have is just a little over a year old and has been plagued by problems.  Already replaced because it started turning itself off, it had recently developed the annoying habit of running apps at random.  So, I'm going back to Samsung.  I've never had a problem with one of their phones.

This morning I was reading that the Senator Manchin from West Virginia was quite dismayed that Republicans did not seem interested in compromise.  Hello, Joe, where have you been?  They is the party of 'no.' There is not one decent bone in their political body.  Now, I know you're thinking about your career, about how you can work across the aisles, but keep in mind, all the while you are proving how flexible you can be, they are plotting your demise.  They see their strength as not working with you, because you are a Democrat, and as such will always paint you as the villain.  

And finally, I understand the Scottish countryside is beautiful this time of year.  June weddings are always fun, aren't they?  Sunny days.  The temps are fine.  In fact, I understand the wedding between Lord Doyle Adair and Canada Howard will be happening over in Adairton very shortly.  Beautiful country there.  People say the view from McCreary's Creagh is a... well, I'll let these gents sing about the view.

 

My Day of Adventure

It's Friday!  Two more days and I'm off for 4 - that's almost a mini-vacation.  I'm excited.
And yesterday?  Well, it turned into a day of adventure.  The new TV for the cycling room was scheduled to be delivered.  I spent most of the morning getting the room ready, redecorating, so to speak.  Notice, I used 'redecorating' rather than 'rearranging' since the latter comes across as rather mundane.
After the redecorating was finished, all I had to do was wait.  There are some occasions where I suffer from impatience.  Yesterday... was one.  Mostly because I had gotten that email from Amazon telling me my delivery date had been changed to today.  Then, at 1117, I received a text to let me know my TV had been delivered.  This was odd, since the dogs, believing every UPS delivery man is a present from god, had been silent.  There had been no joyous "he's here! he's here" barking, or jumping around.  Nothing.  Just silence.  So, I opened the front door and looked out onto the porch and saw... Nothing.  No TV.  Son of a bitch.  I called UPS and was told that yes, the TV had been delivered at 1106.  I told the girl on the phone "not at my house."  That's right.  My Ultra High Definition, 50 inch, Smart TV had been delivered to the wrong address.  Son of a bitch!
Now, I wasn't feeling distraught, just... aggravated.  I understand UPS drivers grow a third ass because they run off two over the holidays.  Putting on shoes and pulling on my winter coat, I started my trek down the street in search of my TV.  My thinking was he had gotten the street right and the address wrong.  And I was right.  Five houses down my spanking new TV was nestled on someone else's front porch.  So, I picked it up and carried it home, not even considering the fact that some might see me as being a porch pirate.
A little after 2 the UPS driver showed up and asked if I'd gotten my TV.  I saw his truck was parked halfway down the block, at the wrong address, and there was another driver with him standing out in the middle of the street.  He asked if I had gotten my TV.  I told him "yes," and he apologized.  This is how it goes sometimes.  I'm sure this happens more often then we might like to think.  They are human, after all.
Anyway, this is what the new set-up looks like:

And, sitting on the screen, I am really close to that big screen:

It's like looking out a window.

Also, for those interested.  I discovered I can go into Bob's blog by using Explorer, or Internet Explorer, or what ever the hell Microsoft calls their browser.

That sound you hear

I rode 12.5 miles last evening when I got home from work and last night my legs were a bit sore.  Muscle soreness is nothing new.  I remember my Mom once telling me that if "if it's sore and it hurts you did something wrong."  Well, that's not true.  The soreness goes away.  This morning my legs feel fine.  If anything, they seem to be getting hairier, which means my testosterone shooters are firing on all cylinders.
Oh, and my weekend starts today.  For funsies I'm going to the supermarkets... both Giant and Weis since there's deals aplenty at both.  I have some red beets I'm going to cut up and cook and then use to make pickled eggs.  I will admit, they are one of my favorite snacks.  I also have some peaches I want to turn into marmalade.  I don't do jelly, but I like marmalade.  This will be my first time for making it at home.
The weather today is supposed to be showery with the occasional thunderstorm rolling through.  That's fine with me.  We could use the rain.  My lawn is brown.
Fun Fact of the day:  by 2022 Latinos will be the majority population in the state of Texas.  That loud sound you hear?  That's the sound of bricks flying out of Republican assholes when they realize they're going to lose that state and its Electoral votes.  At this point, they're starting to pray they can still hold on to it in the 2020 election.  Of course, this doesn't mean Louie Gohmert's going to get off his hate box, it just means that brick that flew out of his ass is going to get thrown back at his head.
Since I'm still having problems with charging my phone, I went online to see how common this problem was... well, it seems to be fairly common with Galaxy S8's.  I'm wondering if this might be some sort of built in obsolescence.  I went back and check and the phone is only about 2.5 years old... and Samsung did just announce their S10.   Most service providers give you 2 options when purchasing new phones:  buy it right out, or pay with installments which run for...? You guessed it, 2 years.  Perhaps, in a not too subtle, way they're telling you that your phone is going to start having issues in about 2 years.
Finally, I find it rather interesting that this administration's economic policies are steering the world into Recession.  A day doesn't go by without someone mentioning it... and they're no longer being cautious.  Of course, Republicans have always been failures when it comes to the economy - that's because their greed always gets in the way of common sense.

The Fire, The Fury, The Apples

Well, it's a cold, cold day here in Central PA - wind chills expected to go as low as -30 (F), of course that doesn't mean the wind is going to be blowing all the time, it's not.  In fact, it's so cold I'm beginning to believe that down in Washington hell just might be on the verge freezing over, well, at least for the Republican Party and the Idiot Jerk in the White House.  "Fire and Fury" goes on sale today and the Cyclone Bomb it's bringing are freezing the very blood in the Idiot Jerk's veins - you see, evidently there's enough evidence within those chilling pages to define him as a buffoon... at best.  'Childish' I believe is one of the adjectives used to describe him, and that sounds about right.  I'm torn between whether I should buy this book, or pass on it because I might find it the funniest read I have in a while, but it also might be scarier than the scariest Stephen King.
Oh, and I see Appleheads are putting on their 'woe is me' masks.  Bad chips, you know?  Seems like Intel must have left them in the deep fryer too long and now every Apple product out there can be hacked...  Ooops.  But then my relationship with Apple could best be described as "meh."  I'm too diverse an individual to tattoo myself with one brand name.  There's a Sony smart TV downstairs and Samsung smart TV upstairs, I play games on an Xbox one... and a PC, I do a lot of my writing on a Surface tablet, and the PC I do use is an amalgamation of parts, assembled for me by Cyber Power.  My first smart phone was actually a Garmin Asus, which weighed about 8 ounces.  I've never been one of those people who jump on board the 'trendy train,' who buy something simply because everybody else is buying that product.  There are a lot of people out there who just don't understand that Apple is successful simply because they've managed to turn a large number of people into sheep.

So, I'm off today, though I'm still planning on going to my neighborhood Giant to pick up some yogurt and dog food.  Otherwise it will be a day of naps, laundry, and bike riding (inside of course).

New phone

So, I'm getting a new phone.  Nine months ago I was also in the market for a new phone, looking for a replacement for my aging S4.  Back then I looked at a lot of reviews for many different makes, a minor adventure in pointlessness; no matter who was publishing the review, it was most likely written by a fanboy (or girl).  There is no neutrality.  The negatives are always minor since no one wants to actually dissuade from avoiding one specific phone.  I ended up choosing an LG which turned out to not be a very good fit, which is why, 9 moths later, I'm getting a new phone.  One my biggest complaints was not being able to adjust the screen sensitivity.  You have no idea how many apps I accidentally turned on while putting the phone back into my pocket.  Talk about draining your battery fast.
And in case anybody is wondering, iphones don't even enter the picture.  I have never been what I call and 'applehead,' an individual infatuated with Apple.  Now, I don't discriminate, in fact I have several friends who are 'appleheads.'  Brandon, for example, talks to Siri all of the time.  He's always asking his phone questions, mostly, I think, because the first time Siri answered back he experienced some sort of mini-rapture.  Another example is the HR woman in my store who switched from an iphone to a Galaxy for... oh, 4 days, and then went back to an iphone.  When I asked her why she said, "oh, it was just too complicated."
Anyway, I ordered an S8 - it should be here on Wednesday.  Orchid Gray.  You see, I like things that are complicated, well, that's not exactly true, I don't find Samsung phones complicated.
Also, certain other phones weren't even in consideration.  Anything related to, or using Microsoft was out of the picture; not android compatible.

Well, I'm off today and I've got a ton of outside chores to get done before the temps creak in the low 90's.  

Coming Soon

Thursday is a big day.  I'm having some new windows installed - getting rid of a couple of the 111 year old ones and replacing them with some Andersen's.  Thursday is also the day my new Xbox One Slim arrives.  I'm getting the Gears of War Super Bundle.  The console will not only be used for gaming, but also for playing Blue Rays... on my new Sony 55" UHD Smart TV, which, unfortunately, will not be arriving on Thursday, rather it will make it's appearance in my living room on Saturday, between 9 - 12.
One final note on the Samsung fiasco, an email in which the writer admits, for the most part, that they were acting like scumbags.

Thank you for contacting Samsung. With reference to your email, I understand that the TV that you have purchased from Amazon has been damaged and was asked to pay the expenses to get the TV repaired. I can completely understand. If that happened to me I'd be really upset too. I can imagine how frustrating that must be. I sincerely apologize for the inconvenience caused. Since it has been broken during shipping you need to contact the stores or shipment team to get the TV replaced

What Fun!

I'm glad I'm not the only who that the Kardashian robbery was an 'inside job.'  I suspect the ratings on their reality show are dropping, and Jenner's audience woke up and realized he's, well, not quite a she.  They needed something to keep their line of Kardasapedes from running away.
And as for Trump - he seems to be going down and taking the Republican Party with him.  I can guarantee his comments about returning Vets who are experiencing PTSD "can't handle it," is not flying well with America's Veterans.  If you've ever been in a war zone and I have, I can tell you it will always stick with you, in the back of your mind.  Handling it has nothing to do with it... but than this is coming from a guy claimed an almost $1 Billion Dollar Loss on his Income Tax.

UPS, Samsung, Kardashian inside job, and taxes

Well, I didn't go in to work today.  I called and told them I'd be in late... how late I don't know.  You see I'm waiting for UPS to come and pick up that expensive Samsung television that was delivered broken / damaged.  That's right.  It's going back to Amazon.  Last night, while I was waiting for the alarm check in the store to be finished so I could leave, I checked my email.  Lo and behold, there was a communication from Samsung, and once again they apologized for my inconvenience, and once again they confirmed that I would have to pay the expense for fixing the TV.  So I popped on over to Amazon and processed the return.  And, as I said above, they're picking the TV up today.
On the Kardashian robbery?  I honestly think it was an inside job.  You know, just a little something to keep their names in the headlines.  I mean, that bimbo can't possibly have over $10 million in jewelry.  Of course, that may not be the appraised value for her paste rocks, just her idea of what all of that zirconium is worth.
And what about Trump not paying taxes?  Ha, ha.  That his supporters are saying he's a genius for figuring out how to cheat the government?  That's kind of sad. It's Trumplodite mentality all the way.

And I have started looking for another TV.  I have an 8 year old Sony Bravia flat screen now that was rather expensive way back when I bought it.  It has been hoisted around, carried here, moved there, and I've never had a problem with it.  When I emailed Samsung and said I'd be buying a TV from one of their competitors I was right, and it just might be another Sony.

Waiting on Samsung

Yepper, this seems to be how it's going to go with the TV, I'm now waiting for the official Samsung repairman to give me a call.  I called them again last evening.  Surprise, 24 hours after I sent them the pictures of the television they still had not been forwarded to the correct department.  "Joan" went looking for them and... couldn't find them.  After emphasizing how necessary it was for them to expedite this problem, she set up a tentative appointment on Thursday, 10/6 because that's my one day off this coming week.  (I'm also having some new windows installed that day).  And, of course, the repairman is going to have to verify he / she is available that day.  They will be available, because my next day off will be on Sunday, and I'm sure they don't do service calls on Sunday.  When I told "Joan" I had already contacted Amazon and could ship it back to them and get a replacement she squawked in her foreign accent "No!  don't do that!  The service technician needs to make sure there is no water damage, and that the screen is not broken!"  I don't think she quite understands, or maybe is refusing to understand, that Samsung is going to give me a new television.  You don't unpack a new, very expensive TV and find this kind of pixel damage.

Nice, huh?

I was very calm at first.  I work in retail.  I know things happen.  But as time slips past I'm losing my patience.  This needs to be taken care of now.

Pixilated to Hell

Part of the re-do for the living, besides the paint job and the chandelier, was a new, ultra high definition, really big TV.  I went with Samsung.  I have a Samsung smart TV up in the bedroom and it works quite well.  The new TV was delivered by FedEx on 9/27, while I was painting.  Even though there were two men in the truck, only one got out, opened the rear doors, and pulled out my new TV.  Evidently they didn't know that because of the size 2 people were required to move the thing.  He lifted it up, kind of spun it around and brought the end down on the curb all the while saying, "I don't know why they only put handles at the ends."  So, I went out and helped him carry the new TV up to the house.
I finished painting and went to the movies with a friend.
On 9/28 I got up and opened the box.  Everything looked fine.  I attached the wall mount to the wall and the brackets to the back of the TV.  It took about 30 seconds to hang it and another minute and a half to plug it in and connect the Xbox one.  I turned on my new, very expensive, curved screen, UHD television and watched as something white blossomed up and down the right hand side.  I stared at it for about... oh, say a minute or two, hoping the damn thing would go away.  It didn't.
This brand new, very expensive TV has some serious pixel damage.

That thing that looks like a tie, on the right hand side

So, I called Samsung.  The agent wanted to try and fix the problem using my remote, except, well, this is a brand new TV - meaning a new model.  It took him 20 minutes to get the right remote info, and then another 40 minutes while he had me press this button, and then the same button again - the new remote only has 5 buttons.  Finally, he checked to make sure it was still in warranty and then said, "I will set you up to have a repairman come out, he will call within 24 - 48 hours."

I'm thinking maybe when the sole delivery man brought it down on the curb he did the damage.  I've also checked on line and pixel damage can be repaired as long as the glass isn't broken, but it can be very, very expensive.  I've also notified Amazon just in case the damage is severe enough to warrant a replacement television.

Anyway, I'm using my old 46" Sony Bravia until this dust settles.

Apple Heads and Me

A couple days back Apple had its annual celebration of all things Apple.  I wasn't there, of course, I wasn't invited.  Announcements are usually made at the WWDC, hints of wonderful, new toys coming down the pike.  This year, however, the only really momentous moment seemed to center about the reveal of Yosemite, the new Apple OS.  The Apple Heads went wild.  Everybody else scratched their head because Yosemite is edging towards compatibility with other Operating Systems.  I'm not up with all of the lingo jingo, but apparently now you'll be able to use other, non-Apple keyboards with Apple computers, and some of the changes will replicate services already performed by Android Apps.  This makes me wonder if maybe the Pudding Heads at Apple have realized their future as isolationists is limited; the entire world will not go head over heels for Apple.  This is something Microsoft learned with their Xbox One fiasco, hence the big shake-up rattling through the rafters over at Microsoft.  There will be no Number One but there will be a lot of peaks.

For those of you who don't know, Apple Heads is the collective term I use for all of those individuals who are totally entranced with everything Apple.  They Love It.  From Ipads, to Ipods, to Mac Pros, to Imacs, to you name it, they own it.  This doesn't mean I'm anti-Apple.  I have two Ipods, one syncs and one doesn't however all of the downloaded music on them was not purchased through Itunes, but rather through Amazon.com.  Amazon is less expensive then Itunes.  An Apple Head doesn't care about the price.  

I actually own four computers, six if you count the tablet and the phone, one of which is a very large Imac located up in what my friends call The Compu-Gym-Music room.  I use that computer almost as much as the Samsung gaming laptop down in the down in the dining room.  It's a decent computer even though I hate stacks.  I have a friend who owns everything Apple, he thinks stacks are the greatest.  That's why he's an Apple Head and I'm not.  I don't hold it against him.  He's a very nice guy.  He is the perfect Apple customer.  If they put it on the market, he will buy it.  

Of course this is nothing new, manufacturers have always wanted to build a loyal customer base who would return over and over and over again.  At one point in our electronic history, General Electric was the "go to company."  Radios, televisions, washing machines, power generators at the Hoover Dam, if it ran on electricity it was made by General Electric.  Times have changed.  This year at the WWDC Apple seemed to be signaling to the world that they understand.  Apple Heads will always be Apple Heads, they will change as does the company.  Will they understand what's happening?  Probably not.  If they do, all Apple needs to do is flash a Purple Plaid Iphone in front of their eyes and whisper "look what's new this year."

The Ugly Truth about Extended Warranties

I have worked in retail for many years, some as a part-time associate and some as a full time associate, so I am quite familiar with those extended warranties retailers so desperately want you to purchase.  They love that little add on since a vast majority of the time, it's money in their bank.  Let me explain.  If you were an appliance manufacturer, like Whirlpool, would you want to build, say a dishwasher, which breaks down after three years?  The idea is to create a brand saturated with consumer loyalty.  Whirlpool is not going to grow that loyalty if their products are shoddy and need repairs after three or even four years.  This means they are going to build something which is going to survive longer then an extended warranty.  When it does finally break down, they want you to buy another Whirlpool product, not go with Samsung or LG.  Retailers don't give a shit about how long a product lasts, they just want you to buy the extended warranty since they put a lot of money in their bank account.  This is not to say there are not a few consumers out there who have not purchased and used these warranties, but they are a rare breed.

I did some research to find out who exactly buys these extended warranties and was surprised to find out low income people, those that are the least financially fortunate, tend to purchase them.  Of course major retailers don't really care about how much money you make they just want you to buy them: out of poor pockets into theirs.  Doesn't that seem a little unethical?  The largest group, how  ever, are those who don't want to worry about their appliances breaking down.  Now I don't know about you, but I tend to put some time into research before I go out and buy any large ticket item.  I look at online reviews, Consumer Reports, check out how many stars the product gets at Amazon; there are a vast number of resources out there.  When I make a purchase I want to make sure I'm getting the best bang for my buck.  I sleep well at night.  Unfortunately there are a lot of pudding heads out there who do not do that.  No, they will go from appliance showroom to appliance showroom who will always end up extolling the wonders of their own brand of extended warranty.  Holy Shit, when are people going to get smart and do the research, it doesn't really take that much time.  It's also feels great to walk into a showroom and say "I'll take this refrigerator in white," and when they move into extended warranty territory say "actually, this refrigerator has a lifetime expectancy of around thirteen years, so you can take that $400 extended warranty you want me to buy and use it to wipe your butt."

The hair up Apple's ass

Let's wait for the next version

Well, the new Iphone is out.  Who cares?  Why the Appleheads around the world.  Who are Appleheads?  Those individuals who live and breathe Apple.  Every time a new product comes onto the market they upgrade simply because it's the newest toy by Apple.  This is a very good reason to question all of the press releases they dump into the media as a form of massive advertising.  At this point they're bragging about having orders for 5 million and there may be problems supply the vast demand.  That's pretty much horse shit.  No company worth it's weight in gold is going to be caught with its pants down when it comes to meeting the demand of their customer base.  Yep, that's right, Apple puts out a lot of Ho Ho Ho.  I think it's funny that this time around they took off Google Maps and installed their own mapping software which just happens to suck.  Basically they shit on their base because they hate the competition.  Now don't read this to mean I hate Apple, I don't, I own an Imac and have my music on 2 Ipods, but I also own a Dell desktop and a Dell laptop.  I use a Samsung Galaxy tablet and a Garmin phone.  Each one fills a need I have.  Too many limit themselves by deciding one product is more holy then the other.      Wrong.  The maps on the Garmin phone are better then those in Google Maps, I know because I used both to go to a Team Depot and found that Google had me wondering around on dirt roads way off from my destination.  What did I do?  Plugged in my Garmin and wow, there was my destination less then a mile away on a well traveled highway.

So why does Apple have this big hair up its ass?  Because they want to own market share.  It's all about domination.  They failed with Apple TV because, well, there is such a better selection out there.  They think they're golden because there has been no Ipad killer.  Unfortunately for them the Ipad has already peaked.  When ever somebody releases a new product they actually lose market share since those customers buying a Kindle Fire or a Galaxy note or even new Nook being released shortly are choosing those products over Apple.  The slow death has already arrived and they're doing everything they can to deny it.