Ah, yes, the compendium type post. Sure to be of interest to no-one, except, guess what? You're here reading it. So it must interest someone at least little on some level. That or your RSS reader has let you down in a spectacular fashion.
1. First, the blog is approaching 200,000 posts and I expect we'll hit that number this summer. Though recent traffic has dropped off a bit. I cannot believe how many hits I get, though about 70% of them are what I deem a "worthless" hit. To me, that's someone who reads the one post they came across and never comes back to the blog again.
2. Secondly the mix of visitors has slowly started to change. Search engine referrals are down to 73.5% while website referrals are up to 26% -- Google still provides most of our traffic (75% of that 73%).
3. My post on Led Zeppelin still remains the single most popular post and it generates people who linger and read the 300+ comments. Following that is the post about Daniel Radcliffe's Penis which generates more worthless hits than anything -- apparently people think they're getting the goods from my website. I think not. In third place is the Dell Sucks post which generates traffic as well as getting me lots of sympathetic e-mails. In fourth place is the Crazy Frog post, which like the Penis post, is worthless for valuable traffic. All other posts generate insignificant traffic when measured over time. Short-term some posts like mine on Wolfgang Van Halen and Terry Brooks generate short-terms bursts but then people move on to whatever else is news.
4. A special shout-out goes to Maury Wilkinson. She's the one who challenged me to make a blog. So I should thank her for that. But that's not why she's getting the shout-out here. She's been bugging me forever to get a TiVo. I broke down and got a DVR today (which she calls a Ti-Faux because it's a generic one) so I don't have to miss House, Heroes, and Lost any more. We'll see how I like it.
5. I love being a grammar Nazi. No, really. I'm not perfect but I am better than most people. And I certainly know the difference between your/you're and it's/its -- which about 80% of the people who write me obviously don't. I started a thread on my Panthers Hockey Message Board (which actually tracks back to another thread on a different board). I am only mentioning this because the thread is awesome. And better yet, the spiteful bitch on the original thread, who apparently runs the LED board, made an ass out of herself, engaged in petty-name calling, and then used RED on the matrix board to make the error worse.
The thread got locked and the entire ad was gone from the last game. Victory is mine! (Okay, it's got nothing to do with me or anything I said, but still.)
6. My guest room is now wired for HDTV for the benefit of my guests. And I've installed a new flat-screen LCD TV. Isn't that great? Except I don't like guests. Damn -- I think that may be ironic. That's why I'm in the process of finding a new home for my Sony KV27EXR10.
7. I saw Horton Hears a Who. It is surprisingly good. Really. Except when they break into song at the end -- a clear Shrek rip-odd. Everyone knows the story, has read the book, etcetera so there's no point in me going over it. You will like it. Visually appealing, very entertaining, and just a good film. Really. Saw previews for Ice Age 3, Narnia: Caspian, Wall-E and Speed Racer. I can't wait to see the first three. I was looking forward to Speed Racer but the preview has me reconsidering.
8. My neck still hurts (see accident report) and though it was getting better, it's acting up again. Not sure why. But my C4 vertebrae is in the wrong place according to the x-ray the chiropractor took. I definitely have whiplash. Progressive Insurance are being serious poopy-heads about it, and I've written a letter to their CEO and the State of Florida Insurance Commissioner. They lied to me, and I caught them in the lie. They also tried to get me to sign a waiver of rights including all future rights. I'm not even cured yet and they want to buy me off for a small pittance. I was very up-front. I want them to pay my medical bills. Nothing more and nothing less. Apparently they think this is unfair. State Law entitles to me reimbursement for missed work and other benefits. I wasn't really excited about the paperwork, but I suppose I have to do it now. It's clear they are lying scum and do not have my best interests at heart. Ultimately, I will be better so I'm not worried about long term issues, but if they think I'm signing a waiver for something down the road, they're nuts. What if something was missed on the x-ray? Too many things could go wrong. Woe be the person who gets rear-ended by a Progressive policy holder. Progressive Sucks. They must use Dell laptops :)
9. I am opposed to bio-fuels. Why? Food should not be used to operate cars when people are starving to death all over the planet. I can't imagine why anyone thinks this is a good idea.
Sunday, March 30, 2008
Thursday, March 20, 2008
Why Sharper Image Went Bust (Plus Bonus Medical Update)
First, a few words on The Sharper Image. It was for many years a very cool store. I went to their original store in San Francisco way back in the 1980s when I was a student at Cal (GO BEARS!) I frequented their store on Market Street right near the Powell and Montgomery BART stations and a short walk to either the California or Powell Street cable cars.
What made the store so attractive to me and my geek friends were the gadgets. Cool gadgets that you couldn't find anywhere. Granted these gadgets didn't do anything, but that wasn't the point. They had a cool replica of the Walther PPK James Bond carried, life-size Darth Vader statues, full size pinball machines, and all sorts of useless but very neat electronics.
When I came back to Miami and they opened their first store in Florida at Bayside there were waiting lines to get in. A store at Dadeland Mall followed and it was the same thing. People were banging their doors down to get in. Then, slowly over time, they changed. More useful, practical things. They lost their cool factor. Basically they turned into Brookstone. I love Brookstone. If I want Brookstone, I go there. Sharper Image lost their caché. All my friends, and me, stopped going there. They forgot who their customer was. The most important thing in business is to know your customer and what they want. Sharper Image decided we wanted pillows, massage chairs, luggage, and air purifiers. They just didn't ask us, their customers. And the sad part is they're blaming all sorts of factors on their failures, but that isn't why they failed. Bad Management because they lost sight of their goals.
Medical Update (1): More on the car accident from previous psots. My upper back and shoulders and neck are killing me. The x-rays are negative but something is wrong. My chiropractor thinks it's whiplash but that's got nothing to do with my mid-back. And now I'm getting these random pains in my kidney -- short, sharp pain that lasts a few seconds and vanishes. (On the plus side my hip isn't hurting any more...)
Medical Update (2): I went to the eye doctor yesterday. I got the worst diagnosis possible. I was there because my eyesight is deteriorating at a noticeable rate. The diagnosis: I'm getting old. He said there's nothing wrong that wasn't wrong before. My left eye is shot and always has been. My right eye is no longer perfect. It will continue to get worse and there's nothing I can do. He gave me a new prescription but told me not to fill it until I can't stand this one anymore. I'm going to try and go until my birthday if I can. I still try and not use them to read books and such -- plain black on white and it's not too bad.
What made the store so attractive to me and my geek friends were the gadgets. Cool gadgets that you couldn't find anywhere. Granted these gadgets didn't do anything, but that wasn't the point. They had a cool replica of the Walther PPK James Bond carried, life-size Darth Vader statues, full size pinball machines, and all sorts of useless but very neat electronics.
When I came back to Miami and they opened their first store in Florida at Bayside there were waiting lines to get in. A store at Dadeland Mall followed and it was the same thing. People were banging their doors down to get in. Then, slowly over time, they changed. More useful, practical things. They lost their cool factor. Basically they turned into Brookstone. I love Brookstone. If I want Brookstone, I go there. Sharper Image lost their caché. All my friends, and me, stopped going there. They forgot who their customer was. The most important thing in business is to know your customer and what they want. Sharper Image decided we wanted pillows, massage chairs, luggage, and air purifiers. They just didn't ask us, their customers. And the sad part is they're blaming all sorts of factors on their failures, but that isn't why they failed. Bad Management because they lost sight of their goals.
Medical Update (1): More on the car accident from previous psots. My upper back and shoulders and neck are killing me. The x-rays are negative but something is wrong. My chiropractor thinks it's whiplash but that's got nothing to do with my mid-back. And now I'm getting these random pains in my kidney -- short, sharp pain that lasts a few seconds and vanishes. (On the plus side my hip isn't hurting any more...)
Medical Update (2): I went to the eye doctor yesterday. I got the worst diagnosis possible. I was there because my eyesight is deteriorating at a noticeable rate. The diagnosis: I'm getting old. He said there's nothing wrong that wasn't wrong before. My left eye is shot and always has been. My right eye is no longer perfect. It will continue to get worse and there's nothing I can do. He gave me a new prescription but told me not to fill it until I can't stand this one anymore. I'm going to try and go until my birthday if I can. I still try and not use them to read books and such -- plain black on white and it's not too bad.
Sunday, March 16, 2008
Wicked, The Review, (Ft Lauderdale 3-15-08)
Right, then. A good night at the theatre (or a bad one) always starts with dinner before the show. This one would be no exception. We ate, alfresco, at a place called the River House. The food was excellent, the service was slow but not bad. Our waiter, however, had the personality of a cardboard box. That's really not fair... to the cardboard box. The company was wonderful. I went with Brenda and Evan Berner. I didn't mind being the third wheel at all. Poor Evan was suffering from the remnants of a cold, so I felt sort of sorry for him.
We walked over to the theatre (Broward Center For The Performing Arts) right after dinner, and arrived just before showtime. First, I have to say that I was absolutely captivated by the story. It's simply amazing. The music, while well played, wasn't as interesting. The songs themselves, to me, were just weak. I cannot shake the feeling this would have gone off much better not as a musical but as a play. There's not much dialogue, but one expects that in a musical.
It starts off very weak, and I was thinking "Dear Lord, why did I go to this?" for the first 15 or 20 minutes until the play found its stride. And it was all right from then on out. Until the ending which I just really didn't like. Maybe it's only because I have not read Gregory Maguire’s book.
Again, the story was fantastic. They did a stupendous job of marrying this show with the book by L Frank Baum and you'd be hard pressed to find many issues. The show was serious, though there was an ongoing sprinkle of comedy throughout. The performers were mostly very good though except for one, I don't know that they'd ever bring the house down. I wasn't fond of Clifton Hall (Fiyero). I did think Alma Cuervo as Ms. Morrible stole the show from a vocal standpoint -- she's got a voice. Glinda was a servicable performance by Katie Rose Clarke and Elphaba, she of the green tint, was deftly sung by Carmen Cusack who found her footing in the second act.
The set was fantastic as was the choreography. The costumes are fantastic and inspired by the film. The nods to the Baum book and film are scattered throughout, and are a nice touch. The crowd as a whole seemed to love it, but this South Florida where pretty much anything gets a standing ovation -- deserved or not.
While I enjoyed seeing it, I still left with a strange sense of dissatisfaction. I can't say my expectations let me down because I didn't know what to expect, but I never really got into the play: you know the sense where you're part of the world as opposed to an observer of it? It just wasn't quite there. That's not a damning critique at all, but some plays, take Les Miserables, you get lost in the play and the rest of the world ceases to exist. This play just doesn't have it. The whole time, I was watching actors acting and was never watching The Wizard or The Witch.
We walked over to the theatre (Broward Center For The Performing Arts) right after dinner, and arrived just before showtime. First, I have to say that I was absolutely captivated by the story. It's simply amazing. The music, while well played, wasn't as interesting. The songs themselves, to me, were just weak. I cannot shake the feeling this would have gone off much better not as a musical but as a play. There's not much dialogue, but one expects that in a musical.
It starts off very weak, and I was thinking "Dear Lord, why did I go to this?" for the first 15 or 20 minutes until the play found its stride. And it was all right from then on out. Until the ending which I just really didn't like. Maybe it's only because I have not read Gregory Maguire’s book.
Again, the story was fantastic. They did a stupendous job of marrying this show with the book by L Frank Baum and you'd be hard pressed to find many issues. The show was serious, though there was an ongoing sprinkle of comedy throughout. The performers were mostly very good though except for one, I don't know that they'd ever bring the house down. I wasn't fond of Clifton Hall (Fiyero). I did think Alma Cuervo as Ms. Morrible stole the show from a vocal standpoint -- she's got a voice. Glinda was a servicable performance by Katie Rose Clarke and Elphaba, she of the green tint, was deftly sung by Carmen Cusack who found her footing in the second act.
The set was fantastic as was the choreography. The costumes are fantastic and inspired by the film. The nods to the Baum book and film are scattered throughout, and are a nice touch. The crowd as a whole seemed to love it, but this South Florida where pretty much anything gets a standing ovation -- deserved or not.
While I enjoyed seeing it, I still left with a strange sense of dissatisfaction. I can't say my expectations let me down because I didn't know what to expect, but I never really got into the play: you know the sense where you're part of the world as opposed to an observer of it? It just wasn't quite there. That's not a damning critique at all, but some plays, take Les Miserables, you get lost in the play and the rest of the world ceases to exist. This play just doesn't have it. The whole time, I was watching actors acting and was never watching The Wizard or The Witch.
Tuesday, March 11, 2008
Gas Breaks $4
Okay, so this weekend we saw lots of Diesel gas approaching $4 but not hitting. Today, at the station by my house, it's $4.01 and regular is $3.33 -- though I've seen as high as $3.49 for regular. Premium is $3.50 to $3.60! I never really thought I'd see gas with a "4" as a first digit here in the mainland USA, then again I thought that about "3" and "2" as well.So, I was going to complain bitterly about how horrible this is, even though we pay half of what they do in Europe. In Hawaii, it's broken $5.
This gas station -- in San Mateo, CA -- is not that far from Austri's house. It's an AP photo which shows a man walking past a sign advertising gasoline prices on Monday, March 10, 2008, (AP Photo/Ben Margot) And I thought I was being ripped off....
I'm sure we'll be just as bad within a month.
Addendum: I saw $4.05 on the way home from the post office.
Addendum II: My x-ray results are due tomorrow. I couldn't sleep all night and was at the hospital at 630am, checked into radiology by 715am and out the door by 830am. Pretty quick for a hospital visit. More calls from insurance companies today. Someone will pay but I'm still confused as to whom and for how much.
Monday, March 10, 2008
Pain in the Neck (Literal)
Ouch. Today hurts much worse than yesterday. I am sore in my shoulders, my entire neck, upper back, and a little in my lower back. I have this burning sensation that goes from one shoulder blade to the other. And the weird random pain in my right hip. The insurance people told me that this is normal -- a few days after is when it hits. Well, it hit.
I am going to hospital first thing in the morning for x-rays to see if there's anything obvious. After that it's up to the doctor, but perhaps an MRI or two. Joy. Joy. Joy.
In other related news, Progressive is not being cooperative (they're the insurers of records of the lady who hit us). Per state law, I've contacted my insurance company who is going to have to deal with it now. I am displeased.
I am going to hospital first thing in the morning for x-rays to see if there's anything obvious. After that it's up to the doctor, but perhaps an MRI or two. Joy. Joy. Joy.
In other related news, Progressive is not being cooperative (they're the insurers of records of the lady who hit us). Per state law, I've contacted my insurance company who is going to have to deal with it now. I am displeased.
Sunday, March 9, 2008
Randomness Part Eight
What a weekend. The Panthers won Friday and Sunday giving us a total of four wins in a row. Yay, Panthers.
Next up, I'm sitting in Thomas' car on Sunday and he's driving. We're both wearing seat belts. Though I often give him crap for his driving, he's a pretty good (ie: very cautious) driver. So Saturday afternoon at around 310pm, we're leaving Office Depot, and he stops at a stop sign. He starts to go, but someone comes flying by at warp 30 in a car, so he stops again. They pass. He's in the process of looking both ways when some lady in a Black Honda Accord rear ends us at a high rate of speed causing us to lurch forward about 6 to 10 feet. We both get out and survey the damage -- most of which is to Thomas' car. They trade insurance info, though Timmy fails to get her driver's license number, and I got down her tag number. They decide not to call the cops. Thomas is fine, me not so much. As they're wrapping up I notice my neck is unusually sore on the left side where it joins the shoulder.
Thomas goes home (a five minute drive) and calls his insurance agent and their insurance agent. They want to talk to me since I'm injured. They ask me for my auto insurance details. Really. I refuse to provide it since I was not driving and my car was not present. I hate this already. In other news, gets worse as the hours tick by. I try to ignore it because that's how I am. Today it hurts more, sore to the touch. My back hurts a little and my right hip a lot.
Adrian cancelled skating on me today, which is probably for the best anyway. I went grocery shopping and then to Walgreens for some drugs. Yay, drugs. Doing laundry now.
Watched some of the Pens vs Capitals game on TV and some stuff on the science channel. I did a great deal of work my tax packet. I hate taxes. HATE HATE HATE HATE HATE. So much work.
Had dinner with Jason last week. That was fun to see him, Jenny, and Erica again. We really have to do that more often.
UK newspapers such as the Daily Mail and the Telegraph are reporting yesterday and today on an expected deal between Sir Paul McCartney and Apple, Inc. to bring the Beatles catalog to iTunes. According to the Telegraph, the deal could be worth as much as £300 million. An Apple Corps label spokesperson said that the date "has not yet been set." The deal has been much delayed. But industry insiders say that by the end of the year fans using iTunes will be able to buy songs from albums such as Help! and Sergeant Pepper's Lonely Hearts Club Band. Former hits from albums such as Sergeant Pepper’s Lonely Hearts Club Band, the White Album, and Help are expected to top the download charts for several months on release. I envision the long rumoured Yellow Submarine iPod which I will purchase on opening day because I must own one.
Next up, I'm sitting in Thomas' car on Sunday and he's driving. We're both wearing seat belts. Though I often give him crap for his driving, he's a pretty good (ie: very cautious) driver. So Saturday afternoon at around 310pm, we're leaving Office Depot, and he stops at a stop sign. He starts to go, but someone comes flying by at warp 30 in a car, so he stops again. They pass. He's in the process of looking both ways when some lady in a Black Honda Accord rear ends us at a high rate of speed causing us to lurch forward about 6 to 10 feet. We both get out and survey the damage -- most of which is to Thomas' car. They trade insurance info, though Timmy fails to get her driver's license number, and I got down her tag number. They decide not to call the cops. Thomas is fine, me not so much. As they're wrapping up I notice my neck is unusually sore on the left side where it joins the shoulder.
Thomas goes home (a five minute drive) and calls his insurance agent and their insurance agent. They want to talk to me since I'm injured. They ask me for my auto insurance details. Really. I refuse to provide it since I was not driving and my car was not present. I hate this already. In other news, gets worse as the hours tick by. I try to ignore it because that's how I am. Today it hurts more, sore to the touch. My back hurts a little and my right hip a lot.
Adrian cancelled skating on me today, which is probably for the best anyway. I went grocery shopping and then to Walgreens for some drugs. Yay, drugs. Doing laundry now.
Watched some of the Pens vs Capitals game on TV and some stuff on the science channel. I did a great deal of work my tax packet. I hate taxes. HATE HATE HATE HATE HATE. So much work.
Had dinner with Jason last week. That was fun to see him, Jenny, and Erica again. We really have to do that more often.
UK newspapers such as the Daily Mail and the Telegraph are reporting yesterday and today on an expected deal between Sir Paul McCartney and Apple, Inc. to bring the Beatles catalog to iTunes. According to the Telegraph, the deal could be worth as much as £300 million. An Apple Corps label spokesperson said that the date "has not yet been set." The deal has been much delayed. But industry insiders say that by the end of the year fans using iTunes will be able to buy songs from albums such as Help! and Sergeant Pepper's Lonely Hearts Club Band. Former hits from albums such as Sergeant Pepper’s Lonely Hearts Club Band, the White Album, and Help are expected to top the download charts for several months on release. I envision the long rumoured Yellow Submarine iPod which I will purchase on opening day because I must own one.
Sunday, March 2, 2008
Randomness Part Sept
First, a shout out to David Higgins for this awesome video of Pan American Airlines transatlantic flights back in the days when flying was enjoyable.
Woe is us for modern air travel. Spend the 12-1/2 minutes and watch this promotional film. It's a hoot, a gas, and so forth.
I spent quite a few dollars ($3.25) on tolls today. It's Adrian's fault. I am going to buy a tire jack and beat him senseless with it. It won't take long to beat him there as he's almost there already. We finally had breakfast but it took awhile due to the fact Adrian thinks feeding cats is complicated and takes 20 minutes.
Skated today. Yay skating. Only got an hour in, though. After which I got gas at the world's slowest pump. The pump at the Hammocks Mobil took 11 minutes to pump 17.5 gallons.
We saw Spiderwick Chronicles. The concept was good and I didn't hate it but the acting was absolutely atrocious from everyone except the old Lucy. Ham. Lots of ham. But not a bad movie if you can get past the Over Emoting style of acting.
I finished "Little Tom of England" by Madeline Brandeis. Not a good book by any measure but it's entirely quaint and a satisfying read nonetheless. I made sure to drag this out over two months for the sheer pleasure of it, though it is, at best, a 45 minute read. (Edit: Mom, who gave me this book, reminded me to tell everyone this book was published in 1935.)
I am now home doing laundry. I might do my tax preparation today if I can get motivated. If not, I'll just screw around on the computer instead of working. Which shall it be?
I have an upcoming trade show in Las Vegas in early May. Austri may be joining me :)
Last week I replaced all the switch plate and electrical outlet covers. Gone are the standard off-white ones in every home and installed are brushed chrome and/or brushed pewter models. They look good. They're all done except the phone jacks (too much work, but I'll get there) and the stuff behind furniture. My meteorite (see Flickr) has a case and stand now in glass and faux-pewter wood. Very nice.
Woe is us for modern air travel. Spend the 12-1/2 minutes and watch this promotional film. It's a hoot, a gas, and so forth.
I spent quite a few dollars ($3.25) on tolls today. It's Adrian's fault. I am going to buy a tire jack and beat him senseless with it. It won't take long to beat him there as he's almost there already. We finally had breakfast but it took awhile due to the fact Adrian thinks feeding cats is complicated and takes 20 minutes.
Skated today. Yay skating. Only got an hour in, though. After which I got gas at the world's slowest pump. The pump at the Hammocks Mobil took 11 minutes to pump 17.5 gallons.
We saw Spiderwick Chronicles. The concept was good and I didn't hate it but the acting was absolutely atrocious from everyone except the old Lucy. Ham. Lots of ham. But not a bad movie if you can get past the Over Emoting style of acting.
I finished "Little Tom of England" by Madeline Brandeis. Not a good book by any measure but it's entirely quaint and a satisfying read nonetheless. I made sure to drag this out over two months for the sheer pleasure of it, though it is, at best, a 45 minute read. (Edit: Mom, who gave me this book, reminded me to tell everyone this book was published in 1935.)
I am now home doing laundry. I might do my tax preparation today if I can get motivated. If not, I'll just screw around on the computer instead of working. Which shall it be?
I have an upcoming trade show in Las Vegas in early May. Austri may be joining me :)
Last week I replaced all the switch plate and electrical outlet covers. Gone are the standard off-white ones in every home and installed are brushed chrome and/or brushed pewter models. They look good. They're all done except the phone jacks (too much work, but I'll get there) and the stuff behind furniture. My meteorite (see Flickr) has a case and stand now in glass and faux-pewter wood. Very nice.
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