WingColors Forum: Commentary

Captioning contest: What's Ben Bernanke looking at?

Gnorb — Wed, 29 Oct 2008 18:34:17

(50 points to whoever makes me laugh hardest. Completely subjective, I know.)

Next...

fuscom — Fri, 03 Oct 2008 04:23:46

If there's one thing that scares me more than Palin being a "heartbeat away" is that if she happens to fail in her duty, we have Pelosi and then Byrd coming in right behind her.

That's got to change, whoever gets in office.

Mediocrity.

fuscom — Thu, 02 Oct 2008 08:02:57

I wonder what will be the bigger highlight of tomorrow's VP debate. Palin attempting to not look so normal or Biden trying not to look so political.

McCain Suspends Campaign, Are You Kidding Me??!?!

Mike — Thu, 25 Sep 2008 18:00:48

I think I've now seen it all from the Republicans. They do whatever it takes to win, and this is just another low road they've chosen to drive down.

By now I'm sure you've heard that Senator McCain has suspended his campaign so that he can immediately get to D.C. and "help out" with the bailout proceedings.

He now feels that there's an extreme sense of urgency in D.C. surrounding the bailout, so much so that yesterday morning instead of returning a call to the Obama campaign regarding a joint discussion about the bailout, he met with Lady Lynn de Rothschild, a former Clinton backer that recently endorsed McCain.

He wants to expedite his trip back to Washington so much that yesterday he stayed in NY for a previously unscheduled interview with Katie Couric.

He's so incensed with the need to get back to D.C. that he's still attending the Clinton Global Initiative event in NY today before leaving.

And because it's so important to get to D.C. and work on the bailout plan, he's pulling out of the Friday night Presidential debate and his team has said that Palin's debate next week might be postponed as well.

So let me get this straight. Getting to D.C. to help with the bailout proceedings was so all-encompassing that he had to suspend his campaign, but at the same time he's meeting with wealthy supporters, giving unscheduled meetings, and attending events? Isn't the point of suspending his campaign so that he can get down to D.C. immediately and help out?

No, that's not the point. The point is that McCain is down in the polls, seen as weaker on the economy than Obama (by 10 points according to a recent Fox poll [PDF]) and needed to get back into the news cycle again in a way that shows him as a leader, so this is the stunt his campaign has cooked up. He hasn't done jack shit to help with the bailout thus far so what's with the sudden urgency, John?

Financial crisis (or, when the shit hits the fan)

Ozone42 — Fri, 19 Sep 2008 19:05:31

So it seems we find ourselves in a bigger and bigger mess with the economy. There are several factors compounding to make life today interesting, but I do believe the biggest fault lies in the US mortgage and credit "crisis."

Yes, I said "crisis." I don't mean to belittle the severity of the situation. Obviously, we are not in a happy place. Rather, I wanted to belittle all the absurdly stupid decisions that brought us here. While I know that collectively people tend to make stupid decisions, the reach of this situation boggles my mind.

How did we get into this credit crisis? Because a huge amount of people allowed it to happen. This is not a mystery, nor is it an honest mistake. It is absolutely the fault of hundreds or thousands of individuals making plainly bad — or at least plainly dangerous — decisions.

Buying homes when you can't afford them. A great number of people hold (at this point held may be the correct word) sub-prime mortgages. That is to say, they took adjustable rate loans. Either they were confident the rates would not rise, felt they'd be able to handle the rise, or were flat out lied to by their loan officers. I don't think we'll ever know the breakdown of which case was most often true. I understand desperation, and I understand the desire to own a home. I want to attribute ignorance as the main factor with this fault, but I simply do not know if it was genuine ignorance or willful ignorance. Certainly, this is not the crux of the matter. It may just be a symptom. It makes it clear that people in the US do not understand money.

Crooked Loan Officers. We've heard of the pressure and assurances that were given to the recipients of these loans. I don't doubt this was common. If you're trying to sell a house it is very easy to ignore the reality of the situation and focus on getting the sale closed. Most sales people either get commission for the deals they close, or it directly impacts their performance rating. If you don't close deals you get paid less or are looked on less favorably when it comes to review time. This inside-out business perspective is systemic across the world. Employees are blinded to the bigger picture, and to their customers because of the way they are trained and paid. I have no problem with ruthless competition, but I do have a severe problem with acting without acknowledging what is right. The whole "not my problem" attitude people seem to take on when they are in fact causing the problem is ridiculous. I would equate this to selling thirsty people seawater to drink.

Greedy lenders. I've got to preface this one. I am all for greed, just not in the way most people look at it. The desire to acquire wealth can be a wonderful driving force for progress, innovation, and quality of life, but only if it's pursued in a rational manner. In this case, it was not. Having a certain amount of sub-prime or other risky loans in your portfolio makes sense. They can be very profitable, but the potential profit must be balanced with the potential risk. This was not done, Systemically. Again, it's typical of the corporate world. It's not my job. It's not my problem. I don't have the power to ask a question or make a change.

Idiot CEOs. I don't think this one needs a lot of explanation. It falls back to the previous examples of failure to think. I understand the temptation to maximize profits for a short period. You look good, make buckets of money. Unfortunately that does not make you a CEO, it makes you an opportunist. If you do not have at least some form of contingency plan for the risks you take on, you have already failed.

Every failure I've listed here comes down to myopia, and avoidance of responsibility. Every single level. The financial situation we currently find ourselves in was completely avoidable at any of these levels.

Thanks guys.

I'd like to believe that what we're seeing is not human nature. I'd like to believe that somewhere along the lines we've made some mistakes that we can find and correct that have led to the idiocy we see. Whether we've created this culture of ignorance and responsibility avoidance, or whether it's something natural, we have to fight it.

I don't think anyone is responsible 100% of the time. I don't think we need to be. But please, the next time you're going to make a big decision think a bit about the implications down the road. The next time your boss asks you to do something stupid, question it. Just because you were trained a certain way does not mean it is right. Just because everyone else is doing it does not mean it is wise. Challenge yourself and think about the actions you take. Just because an action will give you an immediate benefit does not mean it will give a lasting one.

A call for moderation.

Oli — Fri, 05 Sep 2008 22:20:22

While not directly political, this post is more of an overview of the politics happening right here. The title is based around one made by a now-ex-user who decided to bait a load of us with one big posting. I'm aiming for the opposite effect.

The Ex-9rules, Ex-chawlk hoarde (of which I count myself a member) haven't really engaged in heated debate for some time and I rather thought I'd never see a good argument on or around here again.. Seems the election and some polar-opposite views changed all that.

I'm not going to name anybody because everybody reading this and any of today's active threads know who all the parties are.

Normally opinionated (yet moderate with their language) people are flaring up. The force coming through in some of the posts is amazing. They're so flammable because there are other just chucking on fuel by the bucketload.

I'd like to discuss things with reasonable people who can see both sides of the argument, even if they don't believe in it themselves. I understand some of you might even be involved in party campaigns but I don't see that as an excuse not to be civil here.

One important thing is that you're explicit. There are so many issues and so many faces calling up difference points. If you don't make your point with evidence or at least something to back it up (even if you just state it as your opinion), you might as well not post. You'll just infuriate the people who do want to have a reasoned discussion.

And that fury feeds more fury. I've just watched a thread dissolve because people didn't explain their opposite views sufficiently. Instead of a polite dig, the first message came off as a global "fuck you all". The replies suited that sentiment rather than the original. It has all gone downhill from there.

And I know the 3 aren't big on limiting speech but I know I would appreciate if you could try and keep a lid on tempers. You're probably all over it already.

We're going to disagree ALL over the place here, but we can do it politely.

The Last Lecture By Randy Pausch

shadowsun7 — Fri, 15 Aug 2008 11:05:34

Wonder if anyone's watched this yet. This video went viral sometime while I was on a study hiatus (still am, actually, but I've got a one week break). Things like this remind me why I love the Internet.

Randy Pausch died on July 25 2008. God bless him.

Schools eye four-day week to cut fuel costs

Scrivs — Thu, 24 Jul 2008 22:44:37

Does this even make sense to anyone? Cutting fuel costs at the expense of an education and adding a burden to the parents? You would think there are some smart people working in our school districts that can do a better job of problem-solving before they go into something extreme like this.

Let Us Discuss Race

Scrivs — Wed, 23 Jul 2008 22:30:46

In the article clipped above I talk about how sometimes black people can push the race issue a bit too far. Now all races at one time or another push the issue a bit too far and blacks just happen to be my example so far. Being a person of mixed heritage (black and white) I have it a bit easier than others in that I find I can say whatever around anyone without getting glares or shocked expressions.

But in your life do you find you have to watch what you say around different races? Even if I'm around asians for example I will crack an asian joke because if they cracked a black or white joke I would laugh just the same. We aren't all equal because we are different colors just like you don't like all the crayons in the box. It's going to happen that people pick one color over another.

Like I said, God is enjoying this fiasco. What I want to know his how race effects you in your life? Could be in work or personal life. Does it hold you back, does it make you uncomfortable or do you just pretend nothing is there?

Change we can believe in, from an 80 year-old billionaire Texas oil man

fuscom — Thu, 17 Jul 2008 03:24:38

T. Boone Pickens has a plan to radically change the way the US consumes it's energy.

Forget the flip-flopping and New Yorker magazine covers. No more radical preachers and psychiatrist economists to muddy up the waters of necessary change.

This man has plan which is well presented, well thought out, well organized, big and complex, yet simple and relatively quick to execute, given people get on board.

I like it. Check it out (all you have to do is watch the short video to understand it in it's entirety) and offer your opinion.

John McCain Supporters Are Excited About Life

Mike — Tue, 08 Jul 2008 17:50:26

This is the one of the funniest photos I've seen in awhile. I know John McCain is an invigorating young man but this is just unbelievable. I can literally feel the electricity surrounding this event.

Sex for Gas

RightOn — Thu, 03 Jul 2008 00:02:20

I have never understood why things like this are illegal... the woman in this case wanted gas money and she had the means to obtain it through no harm to anyone else except (arguably) her self-esteem.

Sex between two consenting adults is 100% legal, but when goods are transferred it's suddenly a punishable offense?

Was the card stolen? Did the woman contract a deadly disease unknowingly? Was she forced to have sex for the card against her will? THOSE I can see as punishable offenses but come on! If I fed someone who was hungry and in return received sex as payment for said meal, I'm a criminal?

California to Legalize Weed for Everyone

Scrivs — Tue, 01 Jul 2008 20:42:52

Now a part of me wants to see this make it through because I'm curious as to what the results are, the other part of me hopes it doesn't happen because I know some weed head people that don't really handle the herb too well. I'm not saying it's bad for you or doing one of those silly anti-drug commercials, I'm just saying drunk people can be annoying and potheads can be even more so.

Then again, drunk people can be fun and so can potheads. Idiots will always be idiots though. Legalize the drug that fixes that and I'll vote 100x with my 100 different identities.

Jesus Probably Rode Dinosaurs

Scrivs — Wed, 18 Jun 2008 01:07:30

Is this what we have come to? I don't know how I would've turned out if this kind of stuff was forced upon me as a kid, but I must admit Jesus just got a lot cooler by the fact that not only did he ride dinosaurs, he rode the carnivorous ones. You would figure he would settle for a Bronchiosaurus (sp?) or something, but no. It is T-Rex or bust for him.

That's how you get the ladies.

Tim Russert Dies Of Heart Attack

Mike — Sat, 14 Jun 2008 00:15:47

This is really sad news for anyone involved in journalism.

An ambulance rushed to the studio and a source at the network said Russert was briefly revived. But, the broadcasting lion apparently passed away either on the way or at a local Washington D.C. hospital.

My father-in-law passed away a few short months ago in exactly the same manner -- sudden heart attack, little that could have been done. What a blow to his NBC and real-life families.

One thought on the candidate speeches -- you're kidding me, right?

fuscom — Thu, 05 Jun 2008 05:01:37

So I was glued to CNN last night to see what would unfold from the last primaries and the strategies and reactions forward.

After watching the speeches by McCain, Clinton and Obama, I was struck with just one summary thought..."you're kidding me, right?"

McCain -- I was absolutely mesmerized with how completely uncomfortable and forced his whole speech seemed. His forced grin made me feel as though he were trying to sell me ocean front property in Oklahoma, or at least reminded me of the nerdy freshman kid in high school secretly wearing his heart on his sleeve for the high school beauty queen -- and then finding himself face to face with her as a lab partner in biology class. One of the CNN analysts speculated that he is uncomfortable behind a podium...great, I thought. No wonder he wouldn't want to meet with enemy leaders, they'd probably insist they hold public discussions behind podiums.

Clinton -- Talk is she wants to be #2. First rule of business, if you want to be the number 2 in an organization, don't show up the number #1 on his big night or deny him his due. It's pretty much guaranteed she'll be a #2 sh*tload whether Obama puts her on the ticket or not.

Obama -- It amazes me every time he speaks how he can rile up a crowd. He's a charmer, nice looking, intelligent, charismatic. You want to trust him and truly believe his vision will lead you places. Ironic, but I know of a good number of CEOs who come off the same way and most of them are in jail and their companies, stocks and employees are in crumbles. With all this emotional energy invested in him, what if he turns out to be the second term of Jimmy Carter (we are in a similar situation...economic uncertainty, energy crisis, tensions in Afghanistan and Iran) instead of the second coming of JFK? Where does that leave everything?

Unbelievable.

China. Olympics. Ignorance. Irony.

Kamigoroshi — Mon, 12 May 2008 05:37:20

I just had to share it with you guys. It was apparently taken during the San Fransisco protests of China's Olympic torch run.

Whether it be stupidity or irony, real or photoshopped. The message is clear and it's the reason why I don't care either way. There is nothing wrong with China hosting the Olympics. But there is something very wrong about the way people choose to respond to it.

Discussion vs. resolution

Tyme — Mon, 07 Apr 2008 13:43:34

There is a guy called ProteanView on YouTube that makes short videos, usually involving current events or political issues. Normally, he will state an issue then ask a question but does not necessarily answer the question poses (he throws it out there for debate). This prompted his readers to ask him what his answer was to certain issues. He gave this as an example response (link to the quote and his YouTube movie) usually from Americans:

I agree man, but my problem with your posts is: where are the solutions? What do you suggest be done. You paint a grim picture, and its true, but the fact that such a grim picture exists necessitates a solution. Something MUST be done.
Any solutions?

He asks if the viewer is the type of person that needs to have a answer when a question is posed for discussion. The world doesn't work that way. There isn't always a "happily ever after" and unfortunately, there isn't always a solution that everyone would agree to.

So I pose the question he asks: are you the type of person that, when reading a controversial issue, needs to have a solution/alternatives to it or are you okay with allowing others to discuss it/hash it out? He implies Americans "need" a resolution (meaning they request one from him).

Personally, I don't require an answer because I like to form my own thoughts. I realized that when I write I take a different stance of always providing an answer. I think I might change that up just to do something different. I'm blessed to have an audience that can (and enjoys) discussing different issues.

One point I do not agree with: an answer does not always equal the truth (which he implies).

A year back and forth

darkmotion — Sat, 08 Mar 2008 06:19:44

I've just been thinking about how much, and how little can occur in one year. You meet a lot of new people, and move further away from others. You expand your knowledge of the earth by trekking to new places, and are equally surprised visiting older places, and people from a bunch of years before. We probably all have some sort of plan or goal for the future- it's probably a long way off too. I know that in the next 5 years I'm pretty much destined to be working in the United States, or at least still hunting down my dream job. Things change a lot though, and even a week can change your direction/path to where you want to be in 5 years.

1 year ago

So hmm, looking back a year ago - (or a little bit more) things were quite different, but kinda the same. High school was finally out, and I was both excited and nervous about university. I had a feeling that I probably wouldn't see anyone from school ever again - or at least for a while, but hadn't thought much into it. Getting into animation and illustration jobs while in school- and even before university made things a little weird. University is supposed to prepare you for work, but I'd already had more than a little taste of what it's all about. I guess I'd only just figured that art and creativity would get me through the rest of my years.

Friends started splitting, and stuff got weird. The whole controlled environment of school had finally collapsed, and I was expecting it to scare the noodles out of me. Glad it was the inverse. Being a freshman at university meant it was like the first day of high school all over again. New city, new people, new system for everything. I think everyone seemed kinda closed up and avoided letting people in with all the amazing talent around, but as those weeks of early starts and late pub sessions churned by, everyone loosened up and got to hang out like old friends. Kinda confusing, but in a odd way.

Now

Equally confusing. University is back in a week. Of course, there is the previous year of friends and contacts this time which makes it fun to go back to. Work + university is an interesting combination, but it seems to work nicely - helping me grow with the fun of university and the humbling size of the projects at work. Kinda weird that I don't keep in contact with anyone from high school anymore. 5 years of communication down the pooper because of bigger things to go onto. I guess it's the fact that they are a diverse bunch of people, but not always the right kind that will click.

At university, there are more excuses to hang out with people who like what you dig, so the gap is bridged a lot faster. Seems like from now on the years will bring more fun, being able to work with people who are more than just people you sit next to in classes.

I think I like creating things even more than ever, because there are other creatives around who can appreciate, learn and critique. It's a healthy relationship that makes everyone grow.

One year on
I really don't know yet.

Travel is something I have to do. I'll probably implode if I don't get out and see the world. I've never left the country. I know I have established a lot of connections outside the country, as well as inside, but I have another year of university to keep me rooted for now.

Thinking about the future is weird because it's hard to make such general assumptions. One person or opportunity can change anything. I guess what I'd like to do is setup some goals. Since I lost so many connections, I'd at least like to be able to restore that by getting to know more people. It's one thing having lots of people knowing you, but knowing others makes them more than just a random phone number or IM contact.

I didn't write this just as a brain purge, but more of a thing to spark some discussion. What's changed for you, and what do you hope to see change?

Makes Me Not Want To Fly Any Time Soon...

Mike — Mon, 03 Mar 2008 23:38:46

This is a video of an Airbus 320 trying to land on a runway in Hamburg, despite the high winds. One of the wings actually scraped the runway during the landing, check out this picture.

Let's hope the pilot's second attempt at landing was more successful!

Update: Here's the news story for the event and the winds were rated at over 55 mph.

England gets an earthquake

karmatosed — Wed, 27 Feb 2008 07:00:51

Ok it's not a big thing for others but I just felt my first earthquake at 1am ish tonight. Apparently early reports say it was 4.7 and started in Hull. That's a fair bit away from me and our entire house shook. Being an old house it felt for a short while like it would probably be falling over. All is well though bar a car alarm not being turned off outside - not quite sure how you sleep through that lol. Anyways any other Brits feel it?

So... I'm getting charged to get charged?

Gnorb — Wed, 23 Jan 2008 20:09:25

Imagine going to the store and being told that you were being charged an extra $.25 as a recovery fee for them having to charge you sales tax. So instead of paying, say $10 + tax (presuming the tax is 5%, this would be $10.50), you would pay $10 + tax + charge for having to collect the tax (or $10.75, which is $10 + 7% tax + $.25 charge to collect the tax).

Does that seem asinine to anyone else?

I bring this up because I just read the following while looking at a TOS for my cell phone company (AT&T):

AT&T also imposes monthly a Regulatory Cost Recovery Charge of up to $1.25 to help defray costs incurred in complying with State and Federal telecom regulations

Translation: "we're charging you $1.25 extra to cover the expense of having to charge you tax."

Am I missing something here, or is this merely a case of nickel-and-dime-ing to death? Is there any legal recourse against this sort of practice?

Watch U.S. Stock Markets Crash While It Happens

Mike — Tue, 22 Jan 2008 22:45:06

Chart at Google Finance.

The downturn is from many factors, the biggest (IMO) is the Fed cutting rates today by three quarters of a point.

Naughty naughty Gizmodo - taking a prank too far

seopher — Sun, 13 Jan 2008 03:11:49

http://gizmodo.com/343348/confessions-the-meanest-thing-gizmodo-did-at-ces

Gizmodo took a high-powered IR device with them to CES and started messing with everyone's TV equipment. They ruined presentations and took a prank waaaaay too far in my opinion.

Sure taking down a TV that people are trying to watch once is funny, maybe twice but they've really made bloggers look bad. Nice work Gizmodo :(

Guaranteed 2008 Predictions

Scrivs — Fri, 11 Jan 2008 00:03:19

Everyone likes to do New Year Predictions and Trends it seems, but the ones that end up being correct are usually a joke since of course they were going to become true or completely off because the person really isn't an expert. Because of this I feel it is our duty to list some Guaranteed Predictions for this new year that we are living in. These are sure-fire, no way in hell they won't happen predictions and because of that people can rest assured that 9rules is an expert maker.

A celebrity will die this year.
Pantyless shots will be a growing trend.
The Bucs will lose to the Giants in the first week of the playoffs.
We will not see a decrease in the "nothing" phenomenon that women display. What I mean is if you ask what is wrong and they respond nothing, then you can guarantee it means something. This trend will not reverse itself.
People will join 9rules.
People will leave 9rules.
I might have sex with a woman. You can actually use the word "might" in a prediction and it is a safe bet because you are never wrong.
Waking up in the morning still will not be easy for some people.
The stock market will move.
Women will want to cuddle.
Men will not.
The summer movie season will be the most popular of the year.
We will elect a new President.

If you have any surefire winners please share. I need more reassurance of the events that will transpire in 2008 so I am not caught off guard.

The Cult of Personality

fuscom — Thu, 10 Jan 2008 10:23:18

So Scrivs' has figured out what is king. I don't quite believe his claim to nativity to not understanding that personality and likability trump everything, but frankly, if it is true, it wouldn't be the first time that he's surprised me like that.

He points out some examples to prove his point. I'd like to add a few from events in the "real" world.

Why do you think Hilary pulled out the surprise victory in New Hampshire? I think it had everything to do with her showing a little of the softer side of her personality.

Why does no one really ask Obama to define what he means by "change"? Well probably because he's an engaging individual and a nice looking and relatively young guy who doesn't look like a poster boy politician with the standard politician hair cut. It's easy to get caught up in the energy of his charisma without worrying of the details or his experience.

Speaking of experience though, if you're going to go in to the game on the strength of your personality make sure you bring it on the qualifications and capabilities as well. Personality will get you in to the game and on to the field, but skills is what gets you in to the endzone -- and that's really all that matters. Personality without equal amounts of content soon wears thin -- I'm sure all of us can point to any number of likable "ditzies" (male or female) to prove that point.

Just look at our current administration, who beat Al "Bore".

BTW: Good luck with this live broadcasting thing Scrivs. It's a rare individual who can pull that off on a quality level for any length of time. Use your charisma, but don't lean on it.

Cool Police Stories

philosophicalcop — Wed, 09 Jan 2008 06:16:25

Hey all...

I wrote about this on my blog as well, but I thought you might like to check out this site: True Cop Stories. As I have said here many times, I am on a mission to open up the police world and show people the REAL cops.

These folks seem to be on board, and the stories seem pretty authentic as far as I can tell. See ya~!

Leave Dignity at the (Bathroom) Door

Scoopersmith — Wed, 09 Jan 2008 01:41:30

I work in a nice office, a corporate environment, in fact, the space we're in was just built. 95% of the women in my office dress very well, extremely feminine yet business appropriate. Despite this, when I take a trip to the ladies room to "powder my nose" most of the toilets are disgusting. The toilets are not disgusting because no one cleans them, I would say they're cleaned at least twice a day.

Are your offices like that? Also, what's with the secret life of women going nuts in the bathroom (peeing on seats and not flushing effectively)? It's not like we are using a public restroom, it's for our office only.

Considering you're leaving DNA around, wouldn't you wanna <i>clean up</i> after yourself?

What's up? How are you doing?

Scrivs — Fri, 04 Jan 2008 01:25:14

I'm not sure this happens in England or other English-speaking countries or places that use other languages, but there has always been this fascination in the US that when you do a greeting with a question you respond not by answering with a statement, but with another question. I saw the maintenance guy outside and I said "What's up?" and he responded with "How are you doing?" and we went about our business. Neither question was answered, yet we acknowledged that we both said hello.

No wonder people get confused when they come here.

Perez Hilton, Scrivs Says STFU

Scrivs — Thu, 03 Jan 2008 12:28:16

(This is a writing challenge from Mike. One of my resolutions was to simply write more, but doing so with topics that I am familiar with won't help me at all so I asked Mike to pick any topic he wants and I would run with it.)

I don't know any of the background for this so what I say might have some fallacies behind it, but in this case I really don't care. It is the thought that someone would complain knowing what they are getting into that is going to set me off. Perez Hilton apparently complained that he only made $5,000 from the videos he posted on YouTube. That may seem like a lot, but I guess when your videos have been viewed millions of times you expect a bit more.

What is funny is that I am guessing he would've put them on YouTube even before they invited him into their exclusive revenue sharing club. However, the fact that he made a little dime opened up the can of worms that is the man with the pink hair. As humans we do this all to often, when we do things because we want to life is good. Add money to the equation and everything gets wrecked.

Add this little drama queen to the equation and no doubt he ranted to maybe find a better deal somewhere else. I hope it doesn't work for him. I know what kind of videos he does and you can't really call them entertainment. He spends five minutes looking into a camera and ranting about whatever and he made $5k off of that and think that is a reason to complain?

Ever see any bloggers complain about not getting enough traffic or money from their work although going in they should have expected what it would take to make it to the top? How much work do you think they really put in for each entry? This rant alone will probably take me no more than 20 minutes and when all said is done if no one responds do I have the will to complain? Hell no, I just want to write because I want to write.

Perez did the videos because he is a diva (I'm not that far off admittedly) and yet when money got thrown into the equation he figured why not complain to the world that his talent was being paid enough? This is what the web does to people. Sure he is a big name, but he is big because of his audience, not the other way around. Web superstars unlike other old-fashioned stars (movies and music) get to a certain level because their audience helps to get them there. No I don't think they deserve the same fame, glory or money that non-web superstars get because they don't put in as much effort or need as much luck.

There was a time I was at the top of my game in whatever realm of the web you wish to consider this, but that isn't the case anymore. I was making Perez Hilton money and was grateful for making it and because of that I took it for granted. I didn't complain when I put in a little effort and made some cash. Hell, it's the web, it was free money basically for no work. I only wish I could go back to those days, but have the passion and drive that would have took me even higher.

So Perez, you are a big man now and you do your little productions, be happy with the money you make. If you wanted more then you should have done it differently. Till then, accept what you have and be grateful. Many people would trade anything to be in your position.

(Please excuse any grammatical/spelling errors, I'm not going back to re-read this immediately. Just posting it now to show Mike that it is done and it really is possible to rant about anything and build a fire within.)

The Bullshit Generation

wrttnwrd — Wed, 02 Jan 2008 22:57:33

I've come to a realization over the last few years:

My grandparents' generation defeated the Nazis.

My parents' generation put a man on the moon.

My generation created the iPod and the obesity epidemic.

Wonder what our kids will do?

Spelling Errors a Thing of the Past?

Scoopersmith — Wed, 02 Jan 2008 21:42:44

The past semester I took a course in which everyone in the class had to keep a blog. Each person was <i>supposed</i> to write a post each week on a given topic.

The first week I read everyone's posts I knew immediately which people used IE and which used Firefox. IE blogs were full of blatant spelling errors.

And I'm not just talking writing their instead of there. I'm talking about teh and taht type stuff.

With all computers and the internet has to offer why, oh why, would anyone allow that to happen???

Without going too much into a rant I have two reasons why I cannot believe people let this happen.

1. Unless you delete your blog or posts your junk writing will be available to almost all forever

2. I just dislike IE and Firefox is so much cooler looking and has better features. Why not get instant spell-checking on everything you do?

Don't Worry About It

Scrivs — Sat, 29 Dec 2007 01:47:29

Aren't there some phrases that people say that just really piss you off. Like if you try to help them out because you know they need help and then they say "don't worry about it" or "nevermind". I know I do it and I have never gotten a positive reaction out of it so why do people continue on doing it?

Maybe we enjoy the fact that we can control the emotions of another human being to the point of making them drive their head through a brick wall. What's even worse is when we say it and actually mean it, but not realize that it will still drive the person batshit crazy.

What's the point in helping people out if they are going to say it anyways? It gets to the point you stop helping them then they get mad because you aren't helping them anymore. The vicious cycle continues and you know what?

Don't worry about it.

Merriam-Webster's Word of the Year 2007

cooper — Thu, 13 Dec 2007 06:20:17

Merriam-Webster's Word of the Year 2007

I disliked this word when it wasn't a word, and now that it is almost a word I dislike it more.

Who uses this anymore?

A posthuman world

koopdoggedawg — Thu, 13 Dec 2007 02:52:18

As we enter a technological era, we find ourselves using the likes of facebook, myspace, blogger. We are slowly digitising our human form onto the computer.

There is also a human tendency to want to spend more time in a 'virtual' reality then an actual reality - a 2nd life.

What exactly is going on here? Is this gravitation towards a digital existence, an evolutionary process?

Will we one day be soley made up of binary data?

And then at what point will our biological bodies be totally redundant?"