The NORAD Santa Tracker is back this year and we don't need the help of the NSA or secret wiretaps to do this. Simply point your browser to the Santa Tracker.
Santa ain't no slacker!
Thursday, December 22, 2005
The Deal With Deal Or No Deal
I've now watched two episodes of the weeklong run on NBC of "Deal or No Deal." I'm torn between whether or not I like it.
NBC's description of the show at their website was far too simplistic. Here's my take. The contestant chooses a briefcase. It is opened to reveal a dollar amount which is eliminated from a list of all the available dollar amounts. Of course, the contestant would love for all the dollar amounts except $500,000, $750,000 or $1 Million to be removed.
After the contestant has made several choices, the "banker" will call to offer the contestant an amount of money to walk away from the game. Hence, the "deal or no deal." It doesn't get anymore complicated than that.
At one point in last night's episode, a woman was crying because she couldn't figure out what to do. There were four cases left, three had low dollar amounts attached to them and one had $1 Million. The "banker" offered her $201,000. Hmmm, either $1 Million or something like $5, $500, or $2,000. Yeah, take the deal. And she did, after several tense moments.
The next contestant had most of the high amounts eliminated from the game early on and I suspect he was continuing to play in order to get the banker to offer higher deals. At the end of his run, it was either continue to go for the $500,000 case or $99,000. He took the deal. It wasn't going to get any better.
I have to wonder though, who NBC is catering the show to. At one point during the second contestant's run, it was mentioned in a caption that there was "1 in 4 chance" of picking the $500,000 briefcase. Uh, duh, ya think?
Plus, the so-called "banker" is a hokey device. Just let the show's host make the offer.
That, of course, brings me to the host. Howie Mandel. He did such a poor job of acting with regard to talking with "The Banker" on a cordless phone that nobody was fooled. Even the contestants were making fun of "The Banker."
The show is also heavily edited and voices were overdubbed later in the studio.
"Deal or No Deal" has potential but I guess that once they tidy things up, it will be too much like "The Price is Right."
NBC's description of the show at their website was far too simplistic. Here's my take. The contestant chooses a briefcase. It is opened to reveal a dollar amount which is eliminated from a list of all the available dollar amounts. Of course, the contestant would love for all the dollar amounts except $500,000, $750,000 or $1 Million to be removed.
After the contestant has made several choices, the "banker" will call to offer the contestant an amount of money to walk away from the game. Hence, the "deal or no deal." It doesn't get anymore complicated than that.
At one point in last night's episode, a woman was crying because she couldn't figure out what to do. There were four cases left, three had low dollar amounts attached to them and one had $1 Million. The "banker" offered her $201,000. Hmmm, either $1 Million or something like $5, $500, or $2,000. Yeah, take the deal. And she did, after several tense moments.
The next contestant had most of the high amounts eliminated from the game early on and I suspect he was continuing to play in order to get the banker to offer higher deals. At the end of his run, it was either continue to go for the $500,000 case or $99,000. He took the deal. It wasn't going to get any better.
I have to wonder though, who NBC is catering the show to. At one point during the second contestant's run, it was mentioned in a caption that there was "1 in 4 chance" of picking the $500,000 briefcase. Uh, duh, ya think?
Plus, the so-called "banker" is a hokey device. Just let the show's host make the offer.
That, of course, brings me to the host. Howie Mandel. He did such a poor job of acting with regard to talking with "The Banker" on a cordless phone that nobody was fooled. Even the contestants were making fun of "The Banker."
The show is also heavily edited and voices were overdubbed later in the studio.
"Deal or No Deal" has potential but I guess that once they tidy things up, it will be too much like "The Price is Right."
Wednesday, December 21, 2005
NYC Transit Workers On Strike
Yeah, to all those transit workers, I saw Santa's list and well, let's just say we're talking coal in the stockings. At least you can use the coal to keep warm this winter since your union is getting slapped with $1million fines each day you're on strike.
Coals!
Coals!
I'm sure we all get the occasional Christmas Letter in which the sender reports highlights of things that happened over the previous year. I think they're great.
Lifehacker.com mentioned a weblog written for a 2 year-old boy that has a year in review article in which the 2 year-old son is interviewed by Ted Koppel. Funny and a great idea for future Christmas letters.
Read the blog here.
Lifehacker.com mentioned a weblog written for a 2 year-old boy that has a year in review article in which the 2 year-old son is interviewed by Ted Koppel. Funny and a great idea for future Christmas letters.
Read the blog here.
Tuesday, December 20, 2005
Curtailing Rude Movie House Behavior
On Sunday, I went to see The Chronicles of Narnia. It was an OK film. As a friend said, great epic battle but mediocre acting. It also probably didn't help that the past three Decembers were all about Peter Jackson's The Lord of the Rings.
Nonetheless, what really got to me while watching CoN was the kid sitting behind me who was constantly kicking the back of my chair. I don't understand this because there is a wide gap between the rows. Several times I turned around and asked him to stop. The father, sitting next to him, just smiled.
Then, someone down in the front row got a call on his cell phone. He had the volume set to low but that was still bad enough but it got worse. The thing with many cell phones these days is the backlighting. My Motorola e815, for example, could probably help get me home in the dark. And that was the case with this guy's cell phone. It pretty much lit up a small area around him.
The National Organization of Theatre Operators has been petitioning the FCC to block cell phone signals inside movie theatres in an attempt to curtail "rude behavior."
On the other side of the fence, the Cellular Telecommunications and Internet Association is trying to block this request, saying it interferes with the ability for the cell phone owner to receive emergency calls.
Personally, I really don't want more regulations. People just need to learn to be courtious and turn their cell phones off while the movie is on. It really isn't that hard.
Nonetheless, what really got to me while watching CoN was the kid sitting behind me who was constantly kicking the back of my chair. I don't understand this because there is a wide gap between the rows. Several times I turned around and asked him to stop. The father, sitting next to him, just smiled.
Then, someone down in the front row got a call on his cell phone. He had the volume set to low but that was still bad enough but it got worse. The thing with many cell phones these days is the backlighting. My Motorola e815, for example, could probably help get me home in the dark. And that was the case with this guy's cell phone. It pretty much lit up a small area around him.
The National Organization of Theatre Operators has been petitioning the FCC to block cell phone signals inside movie theatres in an attempt to curtail "rude behavior."
On the other side of the fence, the Cellular Telecommunications and Internet Association is trying to block this request, saying it interferes with the ability for the cell phone owner to receive emergency calls.
Personally, I really don't want more regulations. People just need to learn to be courtious and turn their cell phones off while the movie is on. It really isn't that hard.
Monday, December 19, 2005
Scrambled Eggs Unscrambled
We've all made scrambled eggs before, or at least I hope we all have. Here's a website with info on how to do scrambled eggs right. Just be sure not to make them your first meal after a fun evening of helping to ring in the new year.
Mr. Breakfast Makes Scrambled Eggs
Mr. Breakfast Makes Scrambled Eggs
Thursday, December 15, 2005
Unsafe At Any Speed
Michelle Rodriguez may do a great job of acting on Lost but my oh my, she can't act properly in the role of car driver. According to TVSquad.com,
Michelle Rodriguez, who plays Ana Lucia on Lost, has paid nearly $1,000 in traffic fines in Hawaii since August of this year. Here's a rundown of her offenses:One observation noted in the comments for the TVSquad.com story is that she never had a drivers license or learners permit before staring in The Fast and the Furious. Seems to explain a lot of things.Rodriguez just pleaded no contest to the November citation and paid the big fine. And, of course, she's still waiting for her court date on those lovely drunk driving charges from earlier this month. And, she was charged with 3 misdemeanors in in 2003 in LA for hit and run, drunk driving, and driving without a license.
- August, fined $197 for going 90 mph in a 50 mph zone
- October, fined $300 for going 90 mph in a 35 mph zone (!)
- November, fined $357 for going 83 mph in a 55 mph zone
Charlie Brown Is Not A Blockhead
For a Christmas special that first aired in 1965, A Charlie Brown Christmas still pulls in the viewers.
According to TVSquad.com,
According to TVSquad.com,
A Charlie Brown Christmas, drew 15.3 million viewers, which was good for 8th place in the Nielsen rankings. It also ranked first in its time slot among kids aged 2-11 and adults aged 25-54 (jeez... what's wrong with those teenagers? Too cool for a little Chuck Brown?)I think it is still one of the best special shows for Christmas and does a stellar job of conveying the reason for the season. I have it on DVD and will watch it Christmas Eve.
Out of stock? What do you mean, "Out of stock?"
Not to brag, but rather to make a point...I live in America where I can go to a store and choose between at least 20 different brands and types of toilet paper, several types of potatoes, whatever brand and type of TV but yet, amazingly, try to find certain items for Christmas gifts and it's out of stock.
Christmas comes once a year. Same date every year. We all know it's coming and yet some companies cannot properly plan stock levels. Best examples this year are iPods and the Xbox 360.
Argh!
There, I feel much better.
Christmas comes once a year. Same date every year. We all know it's coming and yet some companies cannot properly plan stock levels. Best examples this year are iPods and the Xbox 360.
Argh!
There, I feel much better.
Monday, December 12, 2005
You Know You're Living in 2005 When...
You know you’re living in 2005 when:
1. You accidentally enter your password on the microwave.
2. You haven’t played solitaire with real cards in years.
3. You have a list of 15 phone numbers to reach your family of three.
4. You e-mail the person who works at the desk next to you.
5. Your reason for not staying in touch with friends and family is that
they don’t have e-mail addresses.
6. You go home after a long day at work and you still answer the phone in a business manner.
7. You make phone calls from home, you accidentally dial “9? to get an
outside line.
8. You’ve sat at the same desk for four years, and worked for three
different companies.
10. You learn about your redundancy on the 11:00 news.
11. Your boss doesn’t have the ability to do your job.
12. You pull up in your own driveway and use your cell phone to see If
anyone is home.
13. Every commercial on television has a website at the bottom of the
screen.
14. Leaving the house without your cell phone, which you didn’t have the
first 20 or 30 (or 60) years of your life, is now a cause for panic and you
turn around to go and get it.
15. You get up in the morning and go on-line before getting your coffee.
16. You start tilting your head sideways to smile. : )
17. You’re reading this and nodding and laughing.
18. Even worse, you know exactly to whom you are going to forward this
message.
19. You are too busy to notice there was no # 9 on this list.
20. You actually scrolled back up to check that there wasn’t a # 9 on this
list.
SOURCE
1. You accidentally enter your password on the microwave.
2. You haven’t played solitaire with real cards in years.
3. You have a list of 15 phone numbers to reach your family of three.
4. You e-mail the person who works at the desk next to you.
5. Your reason for not staying in touch with friends and family is that
they don’t have e-mail addresses.
6. You go home after a long day at work and you still answer the phone in a business manner.
7. You make phone calls from home, you accidentally dial “9? to get an
outside line.
8. You’ve sat at the same desk for four years, and worked for three
different companies.
10. You learn about your redundancy on the 11:00 news.
11. Your boss doesn’t have the ability to do your job.
12. You pull up in your own driveway and use your cell phone to see If
anyone is home.
13. Every commercial on television has a website at the bottom of the
screen.
14. Leaving the house without your cell phone, which you didn’t have the
first 20 or 30 (or 60) years of your life, is now a cause for panic and you
turn around to go and get it.
15. You get up in the morning and go on-line before getting your coffee.
16. You start tilting your head sideways to smile. : )
17. You’re reading this and nodding and laughing.
18. Even worse, you know exactly to whom you are going to forward this
message.
19. You are too busy to notice there was no # 9 on this list.
20. You actually scrolled back up to check that there wasn’t a # 9 on this
list.
SOURCE
Guide To Dating Geeky Guys
I found this site by way of tuaw.com.
Emily Hambridge wrote in her blog, a guide of sorts, about dating an Apple Developer. While I'm not a developer I do work with computers and electronic gadgets so there are pointers in there that apply to me as well. Pretty funny too.
Emily Hambridge wrote in her blog, a guide of sorts, about dating an Apple Developer. While I'm not a developer I do work with computers and electronic gadgets so there are pointers in there that apply to me as well. Pretty funny too.
Tuesday, December 06, 2005
Snow? Time to get milk, bread and toilet paper
Washington DC wasn't just supposed to get snow last night but a snow storm. Given how little snow the DC area normally gets, panic mode by the area's citizens ensues. Or at least panic mode sets in on the news media.
Paul Farhi, of the Washington Post, set out to look at salesof milk, bread and toilet paper, or, as he called it, MBTP. These are the staple items that are said to be what people rush out to buy at stores before a snow storm hits.
He checked with records of area Safeway grocery stores and found that, compared to December 5, 2004,
Gasoline should be added to that list. When our family lived in Illinois, we had to trek five miles into town to pick up milk, bread, fill the car and fill the can with kerosene for our portable heaters.
While State College PA gets its share of snow, the winters are nothing like what I experienced in Illinois and Iowa, people get into serious panic mode. As soon as the forecast says "Storm" the parking lots of all the grocery stores are filled and staple items make their way off the shelves faster than a kid asking his parents if he really, really has to shovel the driveway.
Paul Farhi, of the Washington Post, set out to look at salesof milk, bread and toilet paper, or, as he called it, MBTP. These are the staple items that are said to be what people rush out to buy at stores before a snow storm hits.
MBTP are supposedly what everyone runs to the store for at the first sign of a flake or flurry. More than staple commodities, they are the supposed bench marks of the region's ability to "cope" with a few inches of snow. Look! gawp the TV weather people, zooming in on denuded supermarket shelves, as if a Dupont Circle supermarket had suddenly turned into a Soviet supply depot. It's not really snowing until someone reports a run on MBTP.
He checked with records of area Safeway grocery stores and found that, compared to December 5, 2004,
...milk and bread sales roughly doubled Monday at Safeway's 100 stores throughout the mid-Atlantic region...Those two products were among the chain's best sellers...Then again, so were bacon, scrapple and eggs...along with fruit, water, soda, infant formula, Kool-Aid and boneless chicken breasts.But toilet paper was not even amongst the top 50. Giant, another grocery chain, said that ice cream sold better than toilet paper. This is probably because, as the story noted and I can attest to, there is probably a more than adaquet supply of TP in the house. Trust me, when supplies get low and Cottonelle goes on sale, I'm all about it.
Gasoline should be added to that list. When our family lived in Illinois, we had to trek five miles into town to pick up milk, bread, fill the car and fill the can with kerosene for our portable heaters.
While State College PA gets its share of snow, the winters are nothing like what I experienced in Illinois and Iowa, people get into serious panic mode. As soon as the forecast says "Storm" the parking lots of all the grocery stores are filled and staple items make their way off the shelves faster than a kid asking his parents if he really, really has to shovel the driveway.
Monday, December 05, 2005
Harry Potter And His Millions
This weekend, "Harry Potter and the Goblet of Fire" took in $20.45 million. The domestic total thus far, is $229.8 million. The movie has brought in $560 million worldwide.
The current ticket prices helped, as did showing the movie on multiple screens. One local theatre boasted showings on the hour, every hour. I'm sure that will change as we move into this weekend with the release of "The Chronicles of Narnia," "Memoirs of a Geisha" and "Syrianna."
King Kong will follow on the 14th. Steven Speilberg's "Munich" will have a limited release this month, no doubt to get in for the running for Oscars.
The current ticket prices helped, as did showing the movie on multiple screens. One local theatre boasted showings on the hour, every hour. I'm sure that will change as we move into this weekend with the release of "The Chronicles of Narnia," "Memoirs of a Geisha" and "Syrianna."
King Kong will follow on the 14th. Steven Speilberg's "Munich" will have a limited release this month, no doubt to get in for the running for Oscars.
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