It was announced on Sunday, June 28th, that the infamous pitchman Billy Mays had passed in his sleep. I was very sad to hear this news as the man was so full of the life and was only 50 years old. Several months ago, I don't know how much this news would have phased me. I used to see Billy on TV and thought nothing of it. I said to myself, here's this Billy Mays joker again selling another random product. I never really believed much in "As Seen on TV" products. I always thought, if they are so good, why aren't they sold in stores everywhere?
Well, until recently, I had no idea how ignorant I was. I'm an avid fan of the Discovery Channel and watch most of their shows. Therefore, it's no surprise that a couple of months back, I saw advertisements for an upcoming new show called 'Pitchmen' that featured Billy Mays and Anthony Sullivan. The show didn't exactly spark my interest like say, 'Mythbusters', but I wound up watching the pilot episode and got hooked. I had no idea what Billy and fellow pitchmen did until I saw this show. I was pleasantly surprised to see how much Billy and Sully tested the products they pitch. They heavily scrutinized the products and had members of the general public test the product before they put their name on it. Watching 'Pitchmen' also gave me an appreciation of why these products aren't in stores. These products are generally raw. They're new, and throwing them on a TV infomercial is the test to see if they can be successful. Will the public bite?
'Pitchmen' gave me an appreciation for not only the work that Billy Mays did, but also for the man that Billy Mays was. He was a hard worker and really cared for the inventors that he was trying to help become successful. He was and still is a legend in his industry. He will be missed. I'm glad I came across his show on the Discovery Channel before his passing and I will continue to watch it until it's removed from the air.
RIP Billy.
Good read: http://money.cnn.com/2009/06/29/news/companies/remembering_billy_mays.fortune/index.htm?postversion=2009062916
Tuesday, June 30, 2009
Monday, June 29, 2009
What is the North Thinking?
I don't know about any of you, but I have taken great interest in the drama surrounding North Korea in recent months. The country is obviously unstable under the leadership of psychopath Kim Jong Il. This guy is a lunatic. I can't possibly fathom what is going through this guy's head. Here's a background...
Jong Il has a history of ignoring sanctions from the United Nations. The only thing that has stopped the US and its allies from clamping down, is China. It's no secret that China has been North Korea's biggest ally in recent years. Therefore, you'd think that Jong Il and the rest of the North Korea crazies would try to preserve what little relationship they have with the Chinese. You'd think. Jong Il's recent long range missle and underground nuclear tests have angered nearly every country in the world. Both actions have been forbidden by UN sanctions, but Jong Il is pushing the envelope. Even China and Russia are now upset with North Korea. Stiffer sanctions have been implemented by the UN. Now, Jong Il is using everything around him as an excuse to build his nuclear arsenal.
Example: Reports have come about in recent weeks that around July 4th, North Korea will test fire a long range missle in the direction of Hawaii. The US, in response, activated missle defense systems in the Pacific and off the coast of Hawaii. Seems legitimate. North Korea's response --> "North Korea criticized the U.S. on Monday for positioning missile defense systems around Hawaii, calling the deployment part of a plot to attack the regime and saying it would bolster its nuclear arsenal in retaliation."
Here's another example that makes me wonder what Jong Il and North Korea are thinking. As a result of stiffer sanctions from the UN (a result stemming from North Korea's multiple violations of previous sanctions), North Korea threatened war and vowed to increase its nuclear arsenal. They have clearly angered everyone and are going up against all the world's super powers on these issues. I think Jong Il is testing our new president to see what he can get away with. I hope President Obama doesn't sit back and let this madman just get away it. Our allies in the region (Japan, South Korea) are very concerned with recent moves by North Korea. You can't help but think that the North is on a path to its own destruction.
Read this story from Fox News: http://www.foxnews.com/story/0,2933,529348,00.html?test=latestnews
Jong Il has a history of ignoring sanctions from the United Nations. The only thing that has stopped the US and its allies from clamping down, is China. It's no secret that China has been North Korea's biggest ally in recent years. Therefore, you'd think that Jong Il and the rest of the North Korea crazies would try to preserve what little relationship they have with the Chinese. You'd think. Jong Il's recent long range missle and underground nuclear tests have angered nearly every country in the world. Both actions have been forbidden by UN sanctions, but Jong Il is pushing the envelope. Even China and Russia are now upset with North Korea. Stiffer sanctions have been implemented by the UN. Now, Jong Il is using everything around him as an excuse to build his nuclear arsenal.
Example: Reports have come about in recent weeks that around July 4th, North Korea will test fire a long range missle in the direction of Hawaii. The US, in response, activated missle defense systems in the Pacific and off the coast of Hawaii. Seems legitimate. North Korea's response --> "North Korea criticized the U.S. on Monday for positioning missile defense systems around Hawaii, calling the deployment part of a plot to attack the regime and saying it would bolster its nuclear arsenal in retaliation."
Here's another example that makes me wonder what Jong Il and North Korea are thinking. As a result of stiffer sanctions from the UN (a result stemming from North Korea's multiple violations of previous sanctions), North Korea threatened war and vowed to increase its nuclear arsenal. They have clearly angered everyone and are going up against all the world's super powers on these issues. I think Jong Il is testing our new president to see what he can get away with. I hope President Obama doesn't sit back and let this madman just get away it. Our allies in the region (Japan, South Korea) are very concerned with recent moves by North Korea. You can't help but think that the North is on a path to its own destruction.
Read this story from Fox News: http://www.foxnews.com/story/0,2933,529348,00.html?test=latestnews
Wednesday, June 17, 2009
Texting to Failure?
Kate Moore, of Des Moines, IA, recently won a texting competition. That's right...a texting competition. Some challenges included texting while blindfolded and texting while maneuvering through an obstacle course. Accuracy and speed is the name of the game. Although the Iowa teen took home a $50,000 price for winning the competition, you have to wonder where our youth is headed. Kate claims that she's not getting caught up in the digital world as she maintains good grades, but come on...
She claims to send 400 to 470 texts per day. Are you kidding me? Do you have any idea how many text messages that is? Let's crunch the numbers. Assuming she sleeps 8 hours every night, that means she's awake for 16 hours daily. Her 400 to 470 texts per day translates to 25 to 29 texts per hour. That means, on average, she is sending a text message every 2 to 2.4 minutes. Let me repeat that, she sends a text every 2 to 2.4 minutes that she is awake every day. Those mind boggling numbers don't even include the text messages that she receives. Think about those numbers for a minute and let it soak in. She is 15 years old! How do you ever pay attention to anything in school? How do you do anything for that matter?
The sad thing is....Kate is just one of millions of teens in this country with what should be labeled as a disease, an addiction, a problem. Despite her hefty reward, are her parents really proud? I certainly hope not. And speaking of the reward, what kind of message is LG (the competition sponsor) sending to this nation's children? Makes me sick.
Source: http://news.yahoo.com/s/ap/20090617/ap_on_re_us/us_texting_championship
She claims to send 400 to 470 texts per day. Are you kidding me? Do you have any idea how many text messages that is? Let's crunch the numbers. Assuming she sleeps 8 hours every night, that means she's awake for 16 hours daily. Her 400 to 470 texts per day translates to 25 to 29 texts per hour. That means, on average, she is sending a text message every 2 to 2.4 minutes. Let me repeat that, she sends a text every 2 to 2.4 minutes that she is awake every day. Those mind boggling numbers don't even include the text messages that she receives. Think about those numbers for a minute and let it soak in. She is 15 years old! How do you ever pay attention to anything in school? How do you do anything for that matter?
The sad thing is....Kate is just one of millions of teens in this country with what should be labeled as a disease, an addiction, a problem. Despite her hefty reward, are her parents really proud? I certainly hope not. And speaking of the reward, what kind of message is LG (the competition sponsor) sending to this nation's children? Makes me sick.
Source: http://news.yahoo.com/s/ap/20090617/ap_on_re_us/us_texting_championship
Tuesday, June 16, 2009
Lack of Education or Laziness?
In the past year, ESPN.com has added a few dozen bloggers that report on specific sports divisions. This has been great as a dedicated Steelers and Penn State fan. I'm constantly checking out new posts on the AFC North and Big Ten blogs, respectively. Each blogger posts at least one mailbag, where casual readers like myself write in to the blogger, every week. It's a great way to argue with the blogger, bring up new ideas, get questions answered and get their "insider" take on a given issue.
While this is great and usually enjoyable to read other viewpoints, I must say that I have a major pet pieve with poor grammar. Why would you write to a blogger on ESPN.com with the writing level of a 1st grader? You have to assume that he/she will post your comment. Why make yourself look like a complete idiot to everyone that reads the blog? Even worse, these morons are generally trying to get a certain point across. How can you expect to be taken seriously when your grammar is consistent with someone who has yet to graduate elementary school?
In my opinion, laziness is no excuse. Write with reasonable spelling and grammar (so an educated man can make sense of it) or keep your comments to yourself. I for one won't give you much respect if you appear to have the IQ of a tennis ball. Case in point....Nick from the Bay Area. http://myespn.go.com/blogs/bigten/0-3-571/Big-Ten-mailblog.html
While this is great and usually enjoyable to read other viewpoints, I must say that I have a major pet pieve with poor grammar. Why would you write to a blogger on ESPN.com with the writing level of a 1st grader? You have to assume that he/she will post your comment. Why make yourself look like a complete idiot to everyone that reads the blog? Even worse, these morons are generally trying to get a certain point across. How can you expect to be taken seriously when your grammar is consistent with someone who has yet to graduate elementary school?
In my opinion, laziness is no excuse. Write with reasonable spelling and grammar (so an educated man can make sense of it) or keep your comments to yourself. I for one won't give you much respect if you appear to have the IQ of a tennis ball. Case in point....Nick from the Bay Area. http://myespn.go.com/blogs/bigten/0-3-571/Big-Ten-mailblog.html
Brett Farve - Tarnishing a Legacy
Now, I'm not a Green Bay Packers fan. I'm not a New York Jets fan. I'm not a Minnesota Vikings fan. I'm not a Brett Farve fan. However, I have always admired the guy as a successful NFL player who "gets" it. What do I mean by that? You never hear him talk about money. You never hear him bitching about his contract. The man just loves to play football and has played through more pain and injuries than one can count. That's admirable and rarely seen among today's professional athletes. Then again...
All admiration for the man that was Brett Farve has been balled up, trashed and burned. For the last 3 NFL seasons, what has been the dominant story in the offseason? Brett Farve...retiring or coming back? It wasn't so bad the first season as he was obviously struggling with whether or not to return (that love of the game thing again). But these past two seasons have not only taken it overboard, they have forever cast a dark cloud over his name.
What has happened the past two seasons? He officially retired. The Packers move on with Aaron Rogers. Brett wants to come back. The Packers don't want him. Brett thinks the Packers owe him a roster spot. Bickering ensues. He eventually signs with New York Jets. He retires again. Green Bay's division rival shows interest in Brett. He ponders a comeback. Can anyone say betrayal?
Personally, I'm sick of Brett Farve. I'm sick of turning on ESPN and seeing a story about Brett Farve. I'm sick of the stories and I'm sick of his bullshit. Brett, save what little is left of your legacy, go back to Mississippi and retire quietly. Leave (not protend to leave) the game of football to the next generation. The NFL and its fans are tired of you.
All admiration for the man that was Brett Farve has been balled up, trashed and burned. For the last 3 NFL seasons, what has been the dominant story in the offseason? Brett Farve...retiring or coming back? It wasn't so bad the first season as he was obviously struggling with whether or not to return (that love of the game thing again). But these past two seasons have not only taken it overboard, they have forever cast a dark cloud over his name.
What has happened the past two seasons? He officially retired. The Packers move on with Aaron Rogers. Brett wants to come back. The Packers don't want him. Brett thinks the Packers owe him a roster spot. Bickering ensues. He eventually signs with New York Jets. He retires again. Green Bay's division rival shows interest in Brett. He ponders a comeback. Can anyone say betrayal?
Personally, I'm sick of Brett Farve. I'm sick of turning on ESPN and seeing a story about Brett Farve. I'm sick of the stories and I'm sick of his bullshit. Brett, save what little is left of your legacy, go back to Mississippi and retire quietly. Leave (not protend to leave) the game of football to the next generation. The NFL and its fans are tired of you.
Monday, June 15, 2009
The Pilot
Ever find yourself reading an article and feel the need to respond? Ever have to urge to put in your two cents whether or not someone cares to hear it? Ever create a user name on a random website just post a comment?
The above fits me to a "T". I feel like every time I read something, I have something to say about it. Doesn't matter if I'm ignorant. Doesn't matter if I make valid points. I'm an opinionated person by nature and this is the best way to release the buildup.
So, welcome to my collection of randomness. Welcome to a place of opinion. Got a problem with what I write? Let me know...I'll be more than happy to argue.
The above fits me to a "T". I feel like every time I read something, I have something to say about it. Doesn't matter if I'm ignorant. Doesn't matter if I make valid points. I'm an opinionated person by nature and this is the best way to release the buildup.
So, welcome to my collection of randomness. Welcome to a place of opinion. Got a problem with what I write? Let me know...I'll be more than happy to argue.
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