Category: Humor

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The Down side of NOT being a packrat (Updated)

Several years ago, there was a bit of a disaster at my home.

The practical upshot of which is that I no longer have the copious mound of electronic flotsam and jetsam that I once had.

Contrary to popular belief that mound of shit was useful… occasionally. It was always likely that I’d have a spare part, or small widget that wasn’t available anymore. Those odd bits and pieces I used to keep other cobbled together electronics in good repair.

After the disaster… I thought fine! Everything will be brand new and I’ll have no need for a ton of spare parts.

Flash forward to this morning….

I’m prepping to take a Hike.

On my hikes I take a cell phone, some water, and my two-way radio. and a couple of other items. I’ll grant you that I probably wont need the radio, or the cell phone. But they’re in the pack just in case…

I could fall down, I could get snake bit, I could have a heart attack, I could in theory get lost. So having these bare essentials with me just insures that If I have a problem I’ll be able to at least call for help and probably be able to have my carcass dragged out of the hills before the large predators start chowing down on me.

The two-way has a tracking/beaconing function and can be set to automatically send out a distress beacon.

I pick up the radio and notice I’m missing a mounting screw. The screw holds a steel mounting bracket that stabilizes the GPS module on the top of the radio. It’s stress relief to keep the module from snapping the unit off the radio and thereby damaging the microphone/accessory connector.

This is a minor issue but the bracket and GPS should be tied together just in case. It’s not like I slam the radio around, it’s either in the backpack or it’s in my pocket.

Anyhow… I think to myself, “probably a common metric size, the radio is Japanese, I’m sure I’ve got a screw that will fit.”

Except… That I DON’T. I probably did but not anymore…

I have another way to solve the problem but it’s not permanent. I call the local radio supply folks. They don’t carry spares politely suggested that I contact the manufacturer…

I know i’m not the only guy to have dropped a screw… (Don’t get funny…) I’m sure that all the guys have just gone to their handy dandy screw [bottle, jar, drawer,] and found something that fit. Just like I was going to do.

The problem is… I’ve been working very diligently at not having a bunch of spare parts laying around because I like everything being as uncluttered as possible.

Well as of this morning…. I’m starting a screw jar!

I’m off on my hike now…

————————–UPDATE————————-

Service with a smile.

I contacted the manufacturer of my two-way (Yaesu) Monday morning. I spoke with a very nice lady who told me the screws were .93 each. I bought 10… yeah what of it? I know I’m probably going to loose it again.

The screws showed up in the mail today Wednesday 1/18/2012.

Talk about service!

I’d been looking at their other products anyway, if this experience is the way they do business… I’m always going to check out their product line first for all my future purchases.

Well done Yaesu…

And Thank You.

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As we head into 2012…

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First there are the doomsday cults expecting the world to end 12/22/2012. If the Mayans got it right…

Personally I’m curious to see how these cults deal with the end… or the lack thereof.

I remember a young man, his wife, and their children who had quit work and spent their savings expecting the rapture some pastor had predicted. They had no fall back plan if in fact the pastor was wrong and I re-member wondering what on Earth they were going to do if they weren’t “Raptured”.

I guess we’ll find out what happens on 12/23/2012.

Then there is continuing unrest in the middle east. (Humm maybe the Mayans did get it right)

We’re coming up on a presidential election year. That means that we’re going to have to endure the mud slinging and stupidity of a bunch of politicians that really don’t deserve the nomination of their parties.

But again if the Mayans are right… well, whoever we elect wont take office because the world is going to end. Perhaps that’s a mercy.

As I’ve stated earlier, I’m not at all impressed with the Republican Candidates. I’m hoping that a decent shake-out will improve the pool but I’m not holding my breath. I’m confused as hell as to why these nut-jobs are campaigning so hard against gay anything.

Gay marriage is the least of their worries, if elected they’re going to inherit an almost completely dysfunctional government and as President, frankly they’ll have little they can do to fix it. The key isn’t so much the President… It’s the House and Senate, There’s where the real power lies.

A small lesson President Obama has learned the hard way, much to his dismay.

Forget about the President folks… Keep your eye on any senate or house elections that’s what will make or break us.

I had to laugh this morning at Newt Gingrich saying that as President he’d ignore Supreme Court decisions that he didn’t agree with. WTF???? That’s how you create a regime like Saddam Hussein’s.

Oh and Newt… FYI this uneducated backwoods HICK from one of those red states KNOWS that you can’t do what you’re suggesting without dismantling the constitution.

I suspect that the folks in this country would have a serious problem with a President that attacked constitutional protections or sought to simply toss the constitution out the window.

Of course my fellow citizens said nothing when the patriot act was passed and even less when President Obama extended it another four years. So I could be wrong… perhaps the American People are ready to be subjugated under the rule of a despot. Maybe Gingrich has a point.

I’d like to think that my fellow citizens would be marching in the streets if a President tried to disband the constitution. Hopefully I’ll be able to keep that fantasy in the upcoming election year.

I’ve been working on my New Years Resolutions.

Get Stronger

Get Healthier

Become a little more social

Have a LOT MORE SEX! (I can make this doomsday stuff work for me… “Hey Baby, the worlds gonna end soon so lets just fuck.“)

Oh and Get a JOB! Then use the money from the job to build a survival strategy and lay in supplies… Hey nothing wrong with a little planning 😉

Stay tuned, I may be adding to this list.

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Technology STINKS!

“Please say your 10 digit phone number so that I may access your account information to better serve you….”


“One moment please…. Sorry, I didn’t get that. Please say your 50 digit account number  and recite the first 500 base pairs of your personal genome starting with Adenine so that I may direct you to the appropriate representative.”

“Sorry, I didn’t get that.  We value your privacy… Please say or type the primes of your social security number using those numbers to solve the following equation…” 


“Sorry, that is incorrect… Please try your call again later….” CLICK

Maybe I’m a luddite…

I’m finding that as time passes and more and more “Conveniences” are added to my life the more inconvenient and time consuming things are.

I’m from the South, I have no detectable accent under normal circumstances. The exceptions being when I’m drunk or PISSED OFF!

And perhaps that’s the problem, by the time I manage to actually get a LIVE breathing human being on the phone I’m seriously PISSED OFF by having to deal with shitty voice prompts!

I resent having to spend 5 minutes walking through a list of menus and options that make the challenges of World of Warcraft appear simple, when all I wanted to do was ask a question like “When is the service going to be restored?”

“The answers to many questions can be found on our web site at www.answerthefuckingphone.com Please stay on the line for the next available representative.”

I was on the phone bright and early with the satellite provider asking questions about my plan with an eye toward perhaps upgrading or downgrading the service in an attempt to save a few bucks.

At the same time I learn that because of changes imposed by our wonderfully protective government the provider must now list a monthly cost that is exclusive of the equipment, HD services, and a bunch of other fees.

The upshot is that the package costs 59.99 but the receiver access is an additional 14.99 and the HD access (a BOGUS charge BTW) is 6.99 etc.etc.etc.  and by the time you add it all up. You end up paying EXACTLY what I’ve been paying for the past 6 years.

It was a lot easier for me as a consumer to say 59.99? That’s it? No ups? No extras? Cool! And that was what my bill was every month.

In this age of infinite account agreement changes, Terms of service, License agreements,  User agreements, and itemized disclosures. I could literally spend an hour or more a day reading the legalese or simply stop dealing with the issue all together.

Apple was lampooned by SouthPark and with good reason.

Here’s a little tale of what I mean, I wanted to download a FREE application for my Apple iPad. I went to the app store on the pad & clicked on the “Install” button.

Then I’m presented with a login dialog I give the password. “Wrong password.” Oh yeah, my bad. Apple put the app store in it’s own bucket instead of using the iTunes payment process engine like they had been doing.

I enter the right password. “Your credit card has expired” So what? It’s a FREE application! I go dig out the credit card and that’s when it hits me.

The information that Apple was showing me was from the .Mac account purchase. Since they’ve moved all their shit to the iCloud Now I have to maintain 2 user IDs and passwords for Apple.

I update the credit card information. “You didn’t completely fill out the form” I recheck the information and see they’re demanding that I fill in a salutation. I select “Mr.” and click next 

“You didn’t completely fill out the form” The credit card security number had been wiped because I didn’t fill out the form properly the first time. I re-enter the security number and click next.

“Please read and agree to the terms of service and user agreement” 

A dialog box opens. The box is maybe 3×3 and tells me that I have 42 pages of legalese that I need to read, evaluate, comprehend, and that by agreeing to this bullshit I’m entering into binding contract with Apple, it’s subsidiaries, assignees, and distant relatives in Alpha fucking Centauri! 

Remember this is a free app…

I clicked cancel, I’d had enough… I’m not a lawyer, I’m not an accountant, and I don’t fucking want to be!

Apples shit isn’t worth so much to me that I’m willing to be constantly bombarded with notice after notice and change after change to their terms and conditions. Which BTW is why I’m not buying stuff from iTunes anymore. Well, that and the DRM that renders the purchase unplayable on any non Apple device. You know, Like my phone, or my car…

Verizon is another one.

I’ve been paying AND viewing their bill directly through my bank for years.
They’ve changed their disclosure / privacy agreement again.  

“We value your privacy and we’re going to keep your bill so private… EVEN YOU wont be able to see it…”

I can still pay the bill through the bank…  but I can’t actually view the bill.

If I want to see the bill, I have to have a Verizon assigned PIN number to enter into their web site in addition to my user id and password and then they’ll let me see my bill online.

I admire their definition of convenience!

Like most of us I don’t look at the detail of utility bills unless they’re out of the ordinary.

I was all for saving the postage and the trees. But since Verizon makes these kinds of changes about every six months. I’m chasing down the latest magic incantation that will allow me to actually look at the bill practically every time I need to look at the detail.

Verizon is a phone company… They’re already on my, and most of Americas shit list. Their marketing folks really need to re-evaluate the way they handle their customer base. Of course they don’t think so because they’re still living in the ’60s. Well It’s possible to not have to deal with the Verizon or any of the Bells if you’re living in a city.

Cable can give you Phone, Internet, and Entertainment on one pipe. I personally use my cell phone for ALL voice communications the land line exists only to provide DSL and fax service. And the first Cable provider that comes to my town… I’m going with them and dumping Verizon like 3 day old sushi.

Banks are the worst

I’m getting notices about every quarter from my banks detailing the changes to my account. I fully expect for one of those notices in the near future to read;

Dear Mr. Consumer,

We’ve fucked up the US and World economy so badly that we regret to inform you of the following changes to your account. 

1) What money you thought you had, is gone. 

2) You are now the property of Mr. Chang Fu Shin of Bejing. 

3) You have 3 days to surrender your home, possessions, and any negotiable instruments. 

4) You will deposit your spouse, and any children you may have at the nearest shopping mall where they will be auctioned as sex slaves to the emerging third world.

5) Please report to the nearest sterilization and re-education camp by the end of the week.

Please Note: Anesthetic is available during the removal of your balls… For an additional fee. 

We at the Bank of Fuck you up sincerely regret any inconvenience this may have caused you, and thank you for your business.

I thought all this technology was supposed to make our lives simpler. Instead, I’m maintaining a spreadsheet with something close to 150 individual passwords and website addresses just to deal with normal shit.

When did I sign on to become these companies BITCH?

How many times have you clicked on a link from Google News, only to be taken to a page at say, the Wall Street Journal? Then you read the first three paragraphs of an article and when you click to go to the next page you’re asked “To keep reading this article create a free account.”


My Choice is not to play.

Starting today. I’m working on closing each and every account, website, or service that I don’t absolutely NEED.

I’m also going back to Paper Statements on every account I have to keep.

Heck, I may stop the online bill pay altogether and start writing checks again!

This so-called age of convienience is just far too complex.

Maybe, I’m just getting to be an old fart!

As an aside, I’ve never played World of Warcraft. I’m an xbox first person shooter kind of guy. Call of Duty anyone?