Credit To Dementia
“Well, me, it’s nice talking to myself,
A credit to dementia…”
- Megadeth, Sweating Bullets
I find myself in unfamiliar territory. See, my credit has been far from perfect for many years. But recently, it seems to have taken a turn for the better, or worse given your point of view.
I get most of my computer hardware from Newegg.com. If you compared computers to cocaine, then Newegg would be the supplier of my habit. If I didn’t have Newegg, I’d have to brave the high school peons with the spiffy blue shirts at Best Buy who can’t understand why I don’t want an extended service policy and constantly remind me that they don’t work on commissions so I can feel free to find anyone lest I need assistance. Thanks. I think I’ll venture through the aisles just fine on my own.
But I digress.
Anytime I am need of hardware, or just to check out current prices, I click on my bookmark for Newegg and feed the habit. I constantly add items to my shopping cart just to remove them later. I run through the checkout process all the way to the last step just to chicken out and surf off to another corner of the internet.
But every now and then, I would pause at the BillMeLater advert. Sometimes I would click on the application process just to verify that they don’t need my money badly enough to extend any credit to me. At least that was the case up until about a week ago. It took me a few minutes of re-reading to realize that somehow the planets and their moons aligned in the correct orientation long enough to be approved for a Newegg Preferred Account. Quickly, before they came to their senses, I placed an order for some hardware I had been putting off until the time was right. I didn’t see a reason to argue with myself any longer.
Not quite feeling lucky enough, I remember seeing the good old BillMeLater icons elsewhere. Most notably at Lenovo, laptop/notebook maker of my dreams. They always turned me down. But, I figured what would it hurt to try? As in the past, I built a laptop, placed in the cart, and went through the checkout process awaiting the usual denial page. Well let this be a reminder to you all: There is no step between application and purchase. I was congratulated for becoming the proud owner of a brand new Lenovo laptop. Yipee!!
By the way, at this moment it’s being held by the broker in Kentucky after being stuck in China for an extra day because of mechanical problems with the plane and somehow disappearing for three days in Alaska.
Now that I’m sure my credit has been extended beyond its limits, there’s no possible way this streak could continue. Then comes my regular email from Old Navy. They’re announcing the ability to shop at Old Navy, Gap, Banana Republic, and Piperlime at the same time. So, after bouncing around their site for a half hour, I notice the link for the Old Navy Credit Card. Sticking another round in the chamber, I fire off an application. Lo and behold, I should have my card in the mail within a few days.
Then there’s that system beep that tells me I just got some new email. About the Old Navy card? Nope. Amazon.com wants to remind me of a new book being published soon, one that I’ve been waiting for. And guess what Amazon has? That’s right, an Amazon Card managed by the very same people that just approved me for the Old Navy card. There’s no possible way they would approve me twice in the same hour. But in the end, I was proven wrong. I’ll probably get the Amazon and the Old Navy cards on the same day.
My wallet is going to be so thick that I won’t be able to fit in my pocket, and all because of these little plastic cards with my name on them. But my experiment is not over. Let’s push the envelope. This has been for small time store cards. What about a major credit card. Just as I was writing this, I hopped over to Barnes & Noble and saw that they have a MasterCard. It took all of about 60 seconds. Approved.
Feeling cocky, I head over to the American Express website. I can’t go to bed without knowing. One more bullet in the chamber. One more application to fill out. I need to know. And then it happens. Denial. Yes! Finally! Someone has seen the light! The weight has been lifted. The stress and tension subsides. It wasn’t a dream, after all. The word must have gotten out to the creditors. Economic Stimulus checks are being mailed out and they must get their grubby little hands on them.
Goodnight.
ZDNet: Annoying Software: A Rogues’ Gallery
Source… ZDNet.co.uk
ZDNet has chosen to highlight 10 of the most annoying pieces of software to emerge from the internet era. From Java, Flash, and RealPlayer to Windows Update, they take a stab at a well rounded collection of ideas that were great at the start but were eventually transformed into what can loosely be described as monstrosities set loose upon the masses to cause havoc and disruption across the ethereal computing plane. (I may have embellished a little with that last bit.)
Bunting Is For Baseball Or Decoration
As you may have noticed, I am a slight fan of the Ubuntu Linux distribution. And there are a few flavors of Ubuntu available depending on your needs and wants. One that has attracted my attention recently is one called Mythbuntu. It’s goal is to create an environment focused on multimedia presentation. The idea is to connect a computer to a home theater to provide music, movies, tv, slideshows, etc, with a clean and simple interface much like that of DVRs and TiVo service.
On YouTube, there’s been a few demo videos posted that showcase the abilities of Mythbuntu and the ways in which others have been tweaking the interface. One that shows a default installation of Mythbuntu is THIS one using a 7.10 Gutsy Gibbon base. My pet peeve surfaced almost immediately during playback when the narrator has decided to pronounce Mythbuntu as “Myth Bunt Too”.
Now I admit that the American male ego might be too fragile to use a word that sounds like how a child may refer to a cut or a bruise, but that is the way it was intended to be pronounced. There is a video clip of Nelson Mandela in the /usr/share/example-content directory of an Ubuntu installation which is linked to by ‘Examples’ in the home folder. YouTube has it hosted HERE. You can clearly hear how it it is pronounced.
Now it may be a word with many meanings, but it IS pronounced one way: “Ooo Boon Too”. Using simple logic, Mythbuntu would be “Myth Boon Too”. There is no bunting in Ubuntu. Let’s stay on the same page, people.
Hardy Heron and the DVD-ROM Conundrum
Moved to RebelZero.com
Designed For … Linux?
Source … Linux.com
The last Linux Foundation meeting in Austin brought representatives from Asus, Lenovo, Dell, and and HP who said they would be telling their hardware vendors to start designing their components with Linux in mind. That means supplying drivers openly with full source code, a strategy that wasn’t considered economically viable until the multi-billion dollar computer makers deemed it necessary.
During the next round of contracts between the big computer houses and OEM hardware suppliers, language will be inserted to require the OEMs to deliver Linux drivers or open APIs in which to build the drivers. One company, VIA, didn’t wait for any such encouragement. They’ve got the VIA Linux Portal web site, complete with a bug tracker and forums, through which they’re already supplying graphics drivers for use with Ubuntu and Suse.
Atheros and Broadcom, big names in Wi-Fi chip suppliers, have privately agreed to change their ways in how they support Linux. This may be due in large part to Intel’s support of Linux helping them gain more of the Wi-Fi marketshare.
If you’ve been resourceful enough to install a Linux distribution of your own and feel the “Made For Windows” badge is now out of place, look to TuxMobil for instructions on how to remove it. The best thing about removing the old Windows badge is putting a Linux badge in its place. It was one of the first “upgrades” I performed on my Eee PC after installing Ubuntu.
Overzealous Auotconfig
Source… xkcd.com
Elections Are For Porn
See this video for the WOW version.
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