Kinda Lame

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These Japanese – they all have a scary and dangerous addiction to a evil menace that seems to now threaten the world population. Pocky.

Sure, it seems innocent. Chocolate (or strawberry, cappuccino or worse) over a cracker. But it’s on a stick. Nothing good comes on a stick. What’s worse is good ol’ Americans import and eat this stuff all the time. If you are a Hipster or are faking an interest in Japanese culture (to mask your sick manga addiction) you have some in your glove box or stashed away somewhere.

Now, here in America we like hot dogs wrapped in corn bread on a stick. There is nothing wrong with a corn dog – there is little chance at addiction, there is absolutely no problem if you eat 10 to 30 in a day.

I wasn’t too worried about this menace when I was first introduced to it. I shook the habit and realized I wouldn’t spend enough time in my local specialty food store to get my hands on Pocky. But after going to this grocery store of the world to pick up a 55 gallon drum of peanut oil (for making steaks) I discovered the item pictured above.

After some debate in the Japanese import aisle I found myself lost in – I did the unspeakable and purchased some of this Pocky. I cringed at the idea of another slimy Japanese Mafia member making money off my purchase. I had to test my theory. Sure enough when you combine the addictive and menacing substance with a clean cut childhood figure – in this case Thomas the Tank Engine – kids can’t resist the stuff.

Parents, keep your kids out of the Japanese foods aisle. Upon sight alone they will want it, and will be at the same time throwing their lives away. You might as well withdraw their college accounts now and prepare them for a Lindsey Lohan lifestyle. They will later, no doubt, be stealing to support their Pocky habit.

So sinister. You’ve been warned.

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D’OH – Chevy Sonic Missing Break Pads Upon Shipping

Seems like a bonehead mistake, of gigantic proportions. Chevrolet has shipped their 2012 Sonic without break pads installed – no big deal. Oh, wait, we need those in order to keep from careening into intersections full of people and/or car? Well crap, let’s get to the dealer. No wonder it was $500 off, they just sold us a kit, not a car. Some assembly required I guess. Given that, we assume, most cars are made with robots I’m not sure how this would have happened – oh yeah, the robots aren’t aware that pads need to 101% be installed. If maybe, I don’t know, people still put cars together someone would have caught the mistake. I’m sure the guy who worked the assembly line for 40 years (and knows more about your car than the guy who drew up the blueprints) would have stopped production before such a deadly product was shipped. And they say we need tort reform? I think this shows we need something, anything, to keep companies on their toes. Not that we need to sue Chevy all at once now. Not at all – but if they weren’t worried about lawsuits I wonder if they’d ever give us break pads? It sure doesn’t seem like something on the forefront of their mind. Can’t wait to see The Consumerist get a hold of this one.

Here is what SlashGear had to say, the source (for me) of the story…

We’re pretty certain that someone at General Motors is in a whole heap of trouble this week as its been discovered that a batch of their Chevrolet Sonic cars with missing brake pads have left the factory and were sold in kind to unsuspecting customers. While these missing pads aren’t currently being rated as something so fatal that GM is recommending a total instant freak-out on the part of car owners, if you are one of those owners, you probably should bring your car in to be checked. Nothing like cruising into grandma’s house for New Years and finding yourself on the other side because you brakes just… you know… aren’t there.

via 2012 Chevrolet Sonic recalled due to missing brake pads – SlashGear.

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SWTOR SITH SORCERER TALENT CALCULATOR

This will no doubt change as the game is updated, class stats are tweaked by Bioware and play style changes – but I am loving the Sith Sorcerer class and thus far this seems like the most fun tree to play. I am liking the healing from periodic (damage) spell effects in PVP – though I don’t, yet, want this character to be a healer so I’m only focusing on those boosts to myself. Affliction + Carrying the Huttball.

Build is shown after the jump link:
Read more »

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Get Paid To Read SMS Messages?

Cash Texts is a new way to get paid for receiving SMS text messages. They will send you interesting ads, that’s right, advertisements – and pay you for each one you receive. Be sure they are collecting the difference between what they get paid to send them and what they pay you – but you can collect some scratch by viewing ads (in the form of texts) throughout the day. They also have a recruitment program so you can get paid by getting friends and family in on the deal. One site mentioned that you could easily make a minimum of $7.50 a month for getting these texts. Doesn’t sound bad at all does it? Use the opening link to get started or simply scan the QR Code below to send a text to CashTexts. It’ll let them know I sent you and start the enrollment process. Couldn’t be easier.

SCAN THE QR CODE TO GENERATE A SMS MESSAGE

I see a lot of people promoting this, and was referred myself – and have read various stories on getting paid. The first question everyone has is if this whole thing is a scam. As they say, and rightly do, scams want money – not pay money. I think the biggest thing you have to fear is eventually recruiting so many people that they can no longer pay out – but if they recruit their targets and people are paying them to send these ads – then you will get paid. Seems like a simple business model actually. Get up to five texts a day, seven days a week (you decide) and twice a month they fund an account (1st and 15th).

Do the math yourself. Here is the level scheme for recruitment or referrals – showing the payment for one text going to you and the person who was recruited by someone who was recruited by someone, who was recruiting by someone… etc

(Table courtesy of CashTexts.com FAQ)

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As I grew older I drank less at times and found that during other times I was much smarter about drinking (throwing up less) and when I put my mind to it I could consume amazing amounts of alcohol. Amazing. Amounts. During a period after there loss of a close family member I would host a weekly drinking competition – which I won and have a certificate to prove I won – but to mask a developing problem. That has passed as the loss became easier to bear, though I still have the certificate (the same one used in classrooms awarded to children for winning the math competition no less, which to me is still ironic).

Now at a young age I could drink almost any kind of beer and didn’t drink much liquor. I did develop a taste for the gin & tonic, but typically drank what everyone else was drinking, whatever beer brand we all wanted to pitch in on. Given a choice and with the help of my steady drinking buddy I would select the glorious, golden delight that is named Old English 800. Eight ball, Ol’ E. Or as I called it, “The Malted Fantasy”. Not to be cool, not to be an ironic Hipster. I wasn’t trying to be Eazy-E – I took the advice of someone who was a serious drinker, who lauded Ol’ E, and tried it.

I also drank, due to price, a lot of Keystone Light. On my 30th birthday I even pledged to drink a 30-pack of ‘stones… and didn’t fulfill that obligation. At all. But I did try. Looking around at beer drinkers though you’ll notice a love for Anheuser-Busch products. Budweiser, Bud Light – these have to be the top selling beers in America. Though, I don’t even care to double check that assertion.

As time has progressed, starting back at about age 25, I found I could no longer drink more than one Anheuser-Busch product. Sometimes before I finished a 12 oz bottle I has a splitting headache and it felt like my ears were closing up. Then there were the yummy microbrew beers. I couldn’t drink any. I even had to leave a dinner party early once after drinking half of a beer.

Hard liquor doesn’t, for the most part, have the same effect. Sadly I have developed a taste for wines as I am now a bit more mature (and have someone to enjoy them with, someone to guide me in selections) and I can’t enjoy them either most of the time.

The first solution was to not drink. At my age, in my part of town and trying to be social this is almost impossible. Even in my previous job we couldn’t celebrate a success without tossing back a few (well, it was either drink or eat a ton of expensive and trendy food). The magical solution that I discovered later was Miller Light. I have had other Miller-Coors beers, and have had no adverse reactions, but I will typically avoid them on taste alone.

Miller Light has become a staple for me. Not that I’m drinking all the time, because I’d rather not, but if I want a single beer before bed after a long day or am looking for something that goes with a meal (who can not drink a beer while eating my own BBQ chicken? It deserves a pairing) I buy and reach for one thing… Miller Light.

Now, before you think my intent here is to laud Miller and put down the other brands I should be clear. I wish I had a choice. Some festivals only sell Bud. Some stadiums make you walk a half mile around to find something other than the beer that sponsors the team. At some parties where the beer has been purchased for the guests in advance – your favorite type of party, don’t lie – there is no real choice for me in sight. I find it common too that Anheuser-Busch has locked bars into exclusivity contracts and you can only get their beers out of the tap.

Sometimes you just have to suffer.

No. Beer. For. You.

And wine? Forget about it. Someone wants you to try a glass of expensive wine made in 1941, which the Nazi’s stole most of and there are only five bottles remaining? Endure the soulcrushing headache to come or turn it down.

Though, I may have found a solution.

There are a few things you can be allergic to in regards to liquors. It can be mold as a byproduct of the yeast used in fermentation. Anheuser-Busch beers are high in the byproduct and changing the formula would change the taste – fair enough, the majority of Bud drinkers might revolt. With wine it could be the sulphites – though this doesn’t seem to be my issue, per the above description. And there are other issues, such as wheat or gluten allergies, but you’d know if that was the case.

Now … I should have started by saying I’m not a doctor and I don’t intend here to give any sort of medical advice. And this is, of course, a medical problem in nature. So run this by your doctor first or do your own homework. But if you are like me and find that most beers and wines are off the menu – try an allergy drug (OMG other than benedryl!) to curb the issue. I have tried the over the counter Claritin (Walmart brand, which, scares me because I had no idea Walmart had a drug company division). Claritin didn’t work. Last night I tried it for the first time and I woke up 4 hours into sleeping with the most horrendous headache and stuffed up nose. And I didn’t drink that much at all.

What has always worked well for me though, which I recently discovered and used to drink a half bottle of wine after a night of wine tastings, was Zyrtec. It did require me to take it again as a headache began to develop again later in the evening, but I was golden. I didn’t wake up crying for my mother because of intense pain. Which is always good.

Go ask your doctor, look it up, and let me know in the comments if it works for you or if I’m going to die because of it… whatever. Seems that this is something that bothers a lot of people and it would be nice to hear about ways to beat it other than abstinence. Because abstinence is boring.

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As I was pulling towels, socks and underwear out of my dryer this morning I noticed that the panel, right by the brand name, read “Infinite Temperature“. A bold claim. I’m no theoretical physicist, but I do like the topic – read a few books, watched a few documentaries. My family has two chemists in it, we like tend to science – I just lack the desire to get too deep. One thing I do know is that infinity is really just a concept. I won’t even bother to look this claim up, to prove my laziness on whether I really care to know for sure, but in reality I think infinity is pretty much impossible. I think the term that gets stuck in my head is “finite universe” – that there is a edge to reality, and only so much to go around. Which, is just, like, one theory man.

Now, this Infinite Temperature claim got me thinking – why would they make such a claim? My first thought was; Why does it say that on the panel? The dryer is already here, in the basement, why are they trying to sell me on this idea now? Mind you, it’s not my dryer, I didn’t buy it, a family member did. But I did realize, these things are on display in the store. Walk in, they are all lined up – each year their control panels get more fancy, the logos more pronounced, the buttons more sleek – they sell appliances much like they sell cars. Minus the test drive. But does anyone believe the dryer is possible of getting to infinite temperatures? Did the chemist in my family fall for this – or were they sold, as I hope, on another more realistic feature?

These questions led me to ask myself – has the Internet, and online shopping, made us smarter consumers? Can Maytag really get away with making such a claim now considering it is trivial for someone to fact check a salesman’s claim with their cellphone right there on the spot? Not everyone is carrying an Internet-capable phone, and even those who do don’t always pull up Wikipedia when they are out shopping to check practical physics and the limitations of the universe. Some people must fall for this.

Well Golly Darling, This Dryer Can Reach Infinite Temperatures!
Do you offer in-store financing sir?

I only have to mention, before going further, the irony that the dryer itself isn’t that good. It takes a few full runs to keep things from getting moldy – though the vent hose is about a mile long, and everyone is too lazy to fix it.

The question remains – are consumers smarter now? Or rather – are they buying smarter, wasting less money? With crowd-sourcing tools like online reviews, the spread of general knowledge, sites like The Consumerist, Rip-Off Report and the myriad of others - do they make more informed opinions and fall less and less for sales-speak and a wink?

I would like to hope so. Anyone with a iPhone or Android can scan a barcode in-store and instantly get more information on the product, reviews and competing prices. There are certainly times when you need an item right now and there are some things that we really don’t want to bother with getting shipped to the door. I imagine as a people we still like to get our appliances from a local store – I’d think in most cases the cost savings from an online appliance competitor is eaten up in freight fees (UPS will not bring a dryer into your home). Thinking of all the computer parts I’ve purchased over the years however, or small consumer electronics, I can only imagine that competition from such girth of retailers a has made it harder and harder to push up prices more than an item is worth.

Beyond competition there are those elements I discussed above – reviews and access to more consumer publications (blogs) and forums. There are brands I simply turn my nose up at because I have heard enough people complain in forums that they rarely work as intended or at times could be outright dangerous to operate. When I am researching something to buy or just doing some “online window shopping” I inevitably end up at Amazon even if I know I won’t buy from them. Their user reviews of products tend to be the best – beyond just books. I wouldn’t buy an electric razor without seeing what the crowd says at Amazon first.

Typically you’ll see how many people have issues and can seriously weigh the strengths and weaknesses of a product (as well as some humor and creative writing). As far as computer parts and accessories go, the same is true with Newegg, even if I know my local Target has the best price on that particular computer mouse. And in the case of Newegg, the companies are now paying attention and will respond publicly to consumer complaints of outright product failure. It’s nice to see if a company steps up when someone cry’s “Lemon!” (and they fix it). And this is starting to show that more than ever the companies are tuned in to what consumers are saying – it seems the day is almost gone that a company can put out a product they know to be complete crap and get away with it.

In the case of razors (or rather, trimmers) I had a unique experience. Years ago someone gave me a gift of a fine Remington beard trimmer. It worked great, never pulled hairs and was an essential part of my grooming routine. I don’t have the skin to shave or the patience, so it was a thoughtful gift and I loved it, loved it, loved it. After years of charging past it’s recommended time and maybe being dropped in water once or twice it gave up the ghost. Shopping around in the usual stores was a failure. I couldn’t find it anywhere. In a pinch, on vacation, when it died, I reluctantly bought what the local mega-drugstore had to offer. It was 103 degrees and humid on that fine Florida day, and I needed a shave. Badly.

The trimmer I bought, from a respectable brand, was atrocious. It pulled hairs, took three times as long to do the job and left my face feeling somewhat raw. The results looked like a blind man who maintains his own lawn. After putting up with it for a week or two, and it’s very short lifespan I went to Google with the model number of my previous trimmer. To my horror they stopped making it and replaced it, with what the Amazon sages claimed, was an inferior product. Eventually I found an online retailer similar to good ol’ Big Lots and ordered one up from their discontinued section of wares. The box was beaten and dusty, but things were back to the way I like them. As a Virgo, I despise change, much like Rainman.

In that time Philips Consumer Electronics had purchased or merged with Remington and eventually reintroduced my beloved trimmer. The one I purchased from a cobwebbed warehouse had failed, due to my mishandling, and I was almost giddy to see they had acquiesced to consumer demand. The color is different, but it’s my favorite item again.

Surely a boring and long story about a product that seems silly – but to me, and it seems others, it is not. The masses were upset, they wanted their product back. I searched and searched and there was no substitute – the online wisdom was this cheap trimmer was the best you could really get and the alternatives were not worth settling for. The company capitulated, as smart companies do, and revived the product – all the while I had used the wisdom of the crowd to stay away from the poor Wahl and even Philips alternatives. I wasn’t going to be tricked again by limited selections and claims on packaging. Despite what the competitors said, they did not offer “The Best Trimming Experience Money Could Buy” (not an exact quote… of course). This was years ago, before Twitter and Facebook – before people were as connected as they are now. Consumers are not shy about simply saying “AVOID!” when they feel ripped off. Today, it’s all getting better for us, it seems.

Hopefully we all stop falling for infinite claims that are impossible to achieve. Which reminds me – are my clothes dry yet – and I could use a trim, sigh, again.

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I was recently talking to a friend who has not been able to log as many hours of WoW playtime since the Cataclysm caused by our beloved Deathwing; and his question was what to do about gearing up his toon to run Cataclysm heroics. He feels as if he’s a week behind other guild players because of the holiday so I gave him this little tidbit via Skype;

Greens < Quests < Dungeons < Heroics/Rep Rewards/Justice Points < Epic Rep < Raid Level

Now, for many this seems obvious due to the item levels of the gear at hand, but sometimes we forget a piece or two of this equation. Obviously if you were like me and immediately rushed to Blackrock Caverns at 3:02 AM when the expansion went live on the servers you picked up a few uncommon-level (green) items that put an ICC piece you’ve been wearing for months to shame. If you did a few quests on a neglected alt you also noticed those rewards were a bit amazing compared to the weak epic items (purple) you were wearing.

But as not everything in the game is mentioned - actually in the game – it may just be worth mentioning the general rundown if you are looking to build a heroic or early raid set. This isn’t class specific or trying to build a BiS (best in slot) set, just a guide to Cataclysm gearing, and doing it efficiently.

• Starting out – If you are hoping into Cataclysm for the first time you really have two options. You can quest or you can instantly just hop into the Looking For Group’s random dungeon queue (though now note that you need to discover the dungeon entrance before you can queue for that dungeon – this includes random dungeons, have only one discovered, and you’ll only land in that same one). There are advantages and disadvantages to both, and depending on the type of player you are you might level faster with one over the other or prefer one over the other. I’d say that doing the starting quests for the new zones is essential for two reasons; you will then unlock the portal to said zone and upon reaching friendly you can pick up reputation tabards for later, as well as getting a head start on building rep with the Cataclysm factions. For gearing up however, unless you really have nothing good left over from Wrath, you can easily just hop in dungeons and get instant upgrades from drops. However, keep in mind that you still need to win a few rolls.
  • Greens – Green, uncommon, OMG items. They will destroy a few of your WoTLK items simply because one stat is two to three times as much as what you currently have. Don’t feel bad about swapping out an epic piece for a new shiny green, it happens to the best. You can keep your ICC gear for a while, even until level 81 or 82 depending on the stuff you are wearing, but a lot of regular greens are impressive or weighted in the right areas to not switch. As a Resto Shaman though I had to be very careful. I was suddenly stacking stats I didn’t need and dropping so much needed haste that I had to go back to my ICC stuff as the dungeons became more challenging.
  • Quests Greens – Sometimes a bit better quality than the greens you’ll get from random drops and dungeon trash, and if you really have poor WoTLK-type gear then maybe this is a good route to take simply to get you in the door to Cataclysm dungeons (recommended, not required). Not every quest will give you a decent reward, but if you have two specs you can possibly build both gear sets up in a series of quests. Again, you’ll want to be building up rep with each of the new factions, and it’s worth researching which to go for first for the provided head enchants and higher level gear that each new faction has for sale.
  • Quest Blues – Though it will take more time to get to, you can snag some major (iLvL 325 mostly) upgrades by completing the quest chains in the new Cataclysm zones for blue/rare armor and weapons. This time invested vs. gear gained however is beaten, in my opinion, by simply grinding a dungeon a few times for the upgrades you could be getting from bosses. Then again, I couldn’t replace my Resto Shaman’s ICC boots (Earthsoul Boots) until researching a quest chain in Uldum that is based off a random dropped item that starts the chain. I literally ran each new instance more than a few times, and saw not one set of healing boots drop, at all. Wowhead.com is your best source for this type of research, using their character profiler, right clicking an item and selecting Find Upgrades.
• Next Steps;
  • Regular Dungeons – Yay, you feel confident enough to start running the new dungeons in Cataclysm! If you didn’t just blindly jump in you likely have a bunch of green/uncommon gear from leveling, running around exploring new stuff or grinding out materials for your newly upgraded professions. While in your first dungeon you’ll likely get at least a green drop that will make your old gear look stupid – if you are lucky you’ll grab a nice blue/rare item. The item levels will vary depending on the dungeon (level) and the boss – you’ll be able to pick up iLvL 308 to iLvL 333 gear, the latter level being able to get you into and destroying heroics if you can outfit your toon in 333 gear totally. Be aware, to step into the random heroic queue you’ll need an average item level of 329 (check the General section of your Character Sheet). I can attest, it isn’t easy getting to an average iLvL 329 by sporting 333-gear alone. You will almost need to get some gear from the below sources in order to get over having an iLvL 308 or 316 gear you just can’t find a replacement for.
• Getting somewhere (how to love level 85…);
  • Justice Points - If you were stacking Justice Points since the end of Wrath, when it made no sense to spend them, you likely have a few to spend on some decent gear. I can’t profess to know (or care) about each class in the game, but I can say that generally what I’ve seen in level 85 Justice Points reward gear has been somewhat disappointing. I can only suggest knowing what your new play style is, what stats are most important to your class/spec and taking an overall look at your gear and stats to find what you might currently need the most. I was, for example, pretty well stacked in the haste I needed to heal, almost perfectly balanced, and couldn’t justify a few of the upgrades they offered as the stat switch would have killed groups. Eventually though I was able to decide on a piece that could be reforged away from Mastery and was made to make up for the haste loss from upgrading from an iLvL 308 piece I had to drop.
    I’ve heard that Resto Druids are having a hard time finding Justice Point gear too, though I can’t confirm this. Paladins seem to actually have a set for each spec, where Shamans have just two (combining the Elemental and Restoration gear sets). I just think that reforging these items to personally fit you is 101% intended by Blizzard, though I could be wrong (I tend to argue that reforging is central to the game now for top-end players  - a lot of gear seems imperfect as it normally drops).
  • Reputation Rewards – Ignoring, for now, the upgrades you can get when reaching Exalted with the new factions, this is a great source of upgrades at even the Honored and Revered levels. Honored with each faction will unlock iLvL 333 rewards, and Revered with each faction will unlock iLvL 346 rewards. Be sure to check the quartermasters or Wowhead to see which faction you’ll want to level first, or which to balance to get different upgrades for different slots (or for your secondary talent specialization).
  • Heroics – This will be the same iLvL (346) as the gear you can get from revered reputation rewards, but you are going to have more options at your disposal once you can queue for or run some heroic dungeons (no iLvL required if you walk in with your own group – get your guildies to get you in the door!). Simply, bosses drop a much larger variety of stuff and there are more of them to kill than there are reputation vendors (while some rep rewards seem to overlap too between vendors).
    It seems the best method, oddly broken down in the middle of this post, is to;
    • Queue dungeons for 308-316 gear
    • Queue for level 85 dungeons for 333 gear (while wearing a reputation tabard!)
    • Grind/gain rep for revered level 346 gear (quest or instance grind – questing after revered seems to be the fastest)
    • Random heroics for remaining 346 gear (boss drops)
    • Finishing rep grind to then gain Exalted reputations for purple/epic gear
• Epic Reputation Rewards – Again, you’ll want to research which faction gives you the best Epic (iLvL 359) reputation rewards at exalted – but some of this gear is simply the best you’ll equip until you can step into raids and pick up loot from raid bosses.
• Raid Level Items – Go raid, stop reading this

Now, that surely was a rambling worth a tl;dr tag! And we’ll skip over the fact that this isn’t really a complete guide to anything. The major missing portion is crafted items, and there are certainly some best in slot pieces out there coming from trade professions. It just seemed outside the scope of this write-up for “noobs”, and depending on your server you may find it almost impossible to get decent upgrades from crafted gear – no one may have the recipes needed or be willing to part with the materials needed for a reasonable price. You could go ahead and farm the mats for a crafted upgrade yourself, but take a close look at the time needed versus what you’ll be getting. You can pick up iLvL 339 crafted-epics (blues), but will it be worth the time spent away from dungeons (while most seem to be PVP based anyways)? Maybe using the Wowhead character profiler and the upgrade lists it gives you shows this is the best route – you’ll have to do your own research to be sure (if there isn’t an Elitist Jerks thread already pointing you to the crafted pieces you’d want…). I’ve also kind of skipped over what I call auction house drops, or the rare BoE items, because it’s going to vary and not easily counted on. One item, from Blackrock Caverns I’ve seen at least 10 times, while others just once or in-game not at all. I just hope the guild above helps your priorities if you feel like you are falling behind since the release of Cataclysm, maybe this will help a few players focus on gearing up for some end-game fun.

Here is a summary of links that might be useful that were mixed in above – for quick reference;

• Wowhead Character Profiler (Find an upgrade, view your items, enchants, gems)
• Bind on Account Head Enchants – From Reputation Vendors at Revered
• Purchased Reputation Rewards – From Honored to Exalted Reputation Levels
  • Purchased Reputation Rewards – Exalted Reputation Epic Items Only
• Cataclysm Reputation Quartermaster Listing – Click the name of each Quartermaster to then find their location, what they sell and discussion from users on other things about the faction (where to start? best quests? reward discussion?).

And one additional link, not included in the article anywhere else; Item Level entry at Wowpedia – Cataclysm. That will take you to the table showing the various item levels of items that come after Wrath of the Lich King – it’s a great way to get the above information without actually reading much

Feel free to point out changes that need to be made to the above (rambling) post, or flame me for ignorance in the comment section below.

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Yeah, it’s that time again. Time to stuff your face and be happy you are an American (even if the USA is heading toward Third-World status). Typically I just post random stuff here, but why not have a little holiday fun and point you towards two articles I found enjoyable – and great examples of what Thanksgiving can really be like – both from The Awl.

First up we have a list of ten things you shouldn’t say or discuss at this year’s Thanksgiving dinner from Dave Bry (article titled, My Sister’s Apple Cake – which is a misnomer as his sister’s apple cake is a Better Homes & Gardens apple cake, he admits).

Besides mentioning to not bring up the dreaded job search, Dave suggests avoiding even the topic of popular music – which given his example, I definitely agree with the sentiment. Music is always a tricky topic to broach with people who have varied interests or gasp, don’t know shit about music (or Prince);

Read more »

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Prince Philip As Seen By The World

In a follow up to a goofy post I wrote earlier it seems that Prince Philip made an off the wall comment to President Obama when he first visited the White House;

[The] President told the Royals: “I had breakfast with the Prime Minister, I had meetings with the Chinese, the Russians, David Cameron [the Conservative Prime Minister]…

…

A guffawing Prince Philip then blurted out: “Can you tell the difference between them?”
(Via: UK Sky News Blog)

I like how Jack & Jill Politics interpreted the gaffe;

It’s interesting because it’s offensive on several different levels. For those who don’t know, David Cameron is the leader of the conservative opposition in the UK. But apparently Prince Phillip also implies in his remarks that Cameron a member of the Conservative Party, mind you and therefore right wing is a communist like the Russians and Chinese. And that Barack Obama might be too stupid to tell them apart. Because Barack Obama is also a communist, right?

With my favorite part:

You have to hand it to Prince Phillip — a barb that sophisticated, offensive and condescending to so many millions of people including Russia, China, America and UK Tories/conservatives worldwide takes a lifetime to perfect. Well done, as they’d say here in the UK!
(Both via Prince Phillip Makes Racist Joke to Obama Upon Meeting Him – Jack & Jill Politics)

And that’s what I’ve been saying all along. Sophisticated troll is sophisticated. He’s good, has a real zing sense of humor and though you may not like his ethnic jokes… they are damn good. This one isn’t of the best in my other post, but as they pointed out, he’s a pro – not a noob at this.

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If I had a job, I’d buy it myself – nice cheap compact case with a lot of places for fans and ventilation. I’m running a nice little Intel Quad Core, and it can get hot even with some of the best air cooling (haven’t made the jump to water cooling – have you seen the price?);

Impressively spacious and unbeatably reliable, the Antec Three Hundred is an unbeatable enclosure. Despite its eminently portable frame, the Three Hundred has enough room for an NVIDIA 8800 series graphics card, as well as six hard drives and a standard ATX motherboard. A cable management compartment keeps your system organized and the airflow unobstructed. A 120mm rear fan and 140mm top fan ensure that the case runs cool even when playing the most demanding games, while the sleek black finish gives it an extra stylish edge.

Micro Center – Antec Three Hundred ATX Mid Tower Case THREE HUNDRED. Price is $54.39, save $13.60

This is from the MicroCenter weekly ad. My favorite place to shop for computer parts because they are competitively priced and an actual brick-and-mortar store to browse around in.