Leave Retail And Go Into Medicine

I wonder why the fuss is made for only Thanksgiving. I mean people don't seem to give a shit that places are open on Independence Day or Veteran's Day or Hanukkah or New Year's or Christmas. And in the end I don't have any sympathy for people who work on any of those days. If you are tired of working on holidays then get a different job in a different industry. It is like the asses who buy a house on the flight line next to the airport and then piss vinegar about the noise. Shut up! You knew what you were getting into. People's indignation over this makes me laugh. The poor souls in retail who have to work Thanksgiving. Here is the advice they should be given: "Get a job outside retail. I hear the medical industry is growing." ************** UPDATE ************** I love Wal-Mart more for this and hope they fire all employees who participate in these walk-outs or protests.

Wal-Mart is taking legal action against its organized labor opponents, filing an unfair labor practice charge over widespread protests at its stores across the country -- as well as rallies planned for Black Friday, considered the biggest shopping day of the year. The company filed a complaint on Thursday against the United Food and Commercial Workers International Union, claiming the labor union -- one of the nation's largest -- has unlawfully disrupted business by staging protests at Wal-mart's stores and warehouses around the country over the past six months.

I think we can also say that this is another example of the union's strongarm efforts at bullying businesses to succumb to the will of the union. Union thugs want their membership increased and are insistent (militant even) about bullying Wal-Mart, the largest private employer worldwide, to allow unionization. These stands that Wal-Mart takes are the reasons my loyalty grows stronger for them every year...and, yes, I am a convert from the hate-Wal-Mart crowd.

Testing mobile text

This is only a test

How long has it been since I have posted on this blog (with any regularity)? For starters Blogger now has labels so I do not have to mess with creating my own.

I also want to say that it has been sice we had a conservative in the White House, but that would imply that I hold the ridiculous notion that Bush was a conservative. It has been so long that TradeSports.com has died thanks to the nanny state loving President a couple of years ago.

Suffice it too say it has been a long time. I have had the itch to resume jotting my thoughts down again. Now I am looking at what kind of conveniences I will be able to use.

I am sorry to disappoint you at this point. This post is simply a test of the broadcast system.

Vista Getting Some Un-Due Flack

You know, the more of these articles "critiquing" Windows Vista I read, the more comical they become. Julio Ojeda-Zapata of the Pioneer Press has done a critique that I don't agree with. Much like some of these critiquers, they are comming out and saying "oh, Vista isn't special, its just Mac OSX"

Instead of re-writing a blog post, I will just show you my responce to Julio's article in the paper:

JULIO,

I thought your critique of Vista was a little off. You left out the important part about lack of business functionality with Mac OSX. I don't buy software because its "different," I buy software because it works... and Windows has 95% of the market share, not because they pointed a gun to our heads, but because over the years, their product has been the better product for just about everyone for just about every kind of use... so everyone uses their choice and their money to purchase what works best for them. Does Microsoft charge you 100 bucks per service pack like Apple has done with OSX 10.1 10.2 10.3 (service pack 1, 2 and 3?) No they do not.

So, in respect to "Ripping the other guy off" I would argue that every time Apple tries to increase their market share or cater to businesses or gamers, or anyone besides the Photoshop user, they are copying what Microsoft has already done. But let me ask you this. What would you rather have: An Operating system that you can use with a wider variety of software, and you can install on any computer you wish (including computers you make yourself)? Or an OS that is not only less compatible, but that forcibly restricts their user as to which computer they can put it on?

Also, when you look at safety and security... you have to account for the the users as well. For example:lets pretend you are a very safety orientated person. You want the safest car you can get so you can be as safe as possible. So you buy a Volvo. you drive your Volvo like any safety orientated person would... safely. You have the car for 3 years and never get into an accident. What is it, the car or the driver that is safe? I would argue that like a Gun, it’s not the machine that does the killing or the saving, but it is the user of the machine.

Now, enter Mac users. They are arguably cultist. They will admit to this. you would be hard pressed to find as many anti-mac clubs as you would anti-windows clubs. Is this because of their software being a failure? Not with 95% of the market share. People vote with their money remember. The anti-windows clubs exist because there are people who find the need to push and rebel against the system. Any system. If the same base of cultist windows users existed, I would be willing to bet, much like Apple OSX, it would be virus free. What about Right Clicking? For the longest time, Apple users couldn't right click. That was a Windows Only thing. Now you can Right-Click on a Mac. I didn't hear anyone complaining that Apple stole right clicking from Microsoft Windows, do you?

Some Fun Facts and Links about Apple:

Apple 'falsified' share documents
http://www.theregister.co.uk/2006/12/28/appel_share_fakes/

Apple takes $84 million charge
http://news.com.com/2100-1047_3-6146295.html?part=rss&tag=2547-1_3-0-5&subj=news

Apple options review claims Anderson's scalp
http://www.theregister.co.uk/2006/10/04/apple_stock_options_review/

Apple may need to restate last 15 quarters
http://www.theregister.co.uk/2006/08/04/apple_results_restatement_likely/

Apple, CA investigate share option grants
http://www.theregister.co.uk/2006/06/30/ca_apple_option_trouble/

Unpatched bug bites Apple Mac OS X
http://www.theregister.co.uk/2006/11/22/mac_zero_day_bug/

Month of Apple bugs planned for January
http://www.theregister.co.uk/2006/12/20/month_of_apple_bugs/

Apple to delay quarterly results filing
http://www.theregister.co.uk/2006/08/11/apple_to_miss_sec_filing_date/

Apple's Extreme Arrogance:
http://news.com.com/2100-1047-6149285.html?tag=yt

Apple partnering with Microsoft in 97
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=WxOp5mBY9IY&mode=related&search

in 2006 Net Profit Margins:
Apple Computer: 10.34%
Exxon: 10.15%
ConocoPhillips: 8.10

So Apple has a higher profit margin then “Big Oil.” Where are the calls to look into price gouging? So, perhaps you should compare things like this. Compare who has chosen what OS. When you ask people to make the switch (like I have from Apple to Windows) you should ask them to weigh in more to their decision then how pretty it is... like how they can use it for their business, how it will make them more productive, how they can use it for entertainment (Mac isn't exactly known for their game selection either) or how it has helped the world. Apple us used for movies. Great. Go Arts. Windows is used to run the world economic system. But Apple fanboys will never admit to this. I would expect a "reporter" such as your self, Julio, to be more objective.

Thanks,
Pete

********** Update 1/30/07 4:15pm **********

From Wikipedia.

Apple has also copied certain innovations from other companies: tabbed dialogs on Macintosh appeared after IBM used them in OS/2. Since the original settlement of the lawsuit, many features of the Macintosh and Windows GUIs have been incorporated into the windowing environments of unrelated third-parties, such as OpenWindows, X11, and Solaris.

The Mac OS dock is derived from the NeXTSTEP dock (Mac OS X itself originating from NeXTSTEP). The dock as seen in Mac OS X and NEXTSTEP is very similar to the dock that is a major design feature of RISC OS, which already featured
its so-called iconbar as early as 1987.

Julio's blog can be viewed here. When it comes to a tech blog, it is far from what anyone would call "fair and balanced." I also enjoy how the Comments section of it is broken, thus not allowing users to post information to correct his swill that included a reasonable length. so instead I will e-mail him a link to this blog.

Let he who is without copyness of innovations cast the first raid card.

Hasbro's Monopoly Replaces the Racecar With TreeHuggermobile

I am a pretty big American car guy. Infact, I am a pretty big "buy anything American over its foreign version" kind of guy (the one exception I make is Apple. Although Apple is an American company, I believe that they share the same level of hell as Activists do).

The new version of Monopoly will feature a Toyota Prius instead of the Race Car.

Who the nutz is going to win a Monopoly race with a hybrid!? When I pull up to stop lights in my Trans Am next to a Prius, I always look them dead in the eye and revv my motor, but they never step! WTF.

The Toyota Prius, the Icon of the Liberal-Tree hugger movement, is a Hybrid car. What that means, for those who don't know, is it shares a Gasoline engine with that of an Electric motor, to help attain higher mileage... 55ish mpg. This sucker starts at $21,725. You could buy a Chevrolet Cobalt for 13,665 (that gets 35mpg). With a cost of fuel at $3.00, it would take you over a 94000 mile difference between the two cars to brake even. The average car is driven about 15,000 miles a year. Let’s say you drive your Prius 66% more because you get 66% more mileage. That’s a total of 24,900 miles your driving a year (a tough feet unless you work an "On The Road" job. if you drive for 8 hours a day, it would take you

After driving your car for 9.5 years (provided the Cobalt only drives 15k a year) you will now brake even. Congrats. You drive 55pmh (to get that mileage) and you spend 1.74 hours a business day driving. Oh, and the average American car is only owned for 3-5 years. Has anyone even seen their car reach 240,000 miles? not many can claim this feet. My dad's Dodge Neon (that’s right, Dodge Neon) is at 250,000 and still runs like a champ.

My whole thing here, people, is that you can't complain about jobs going over seas if you don't do everything you can to support American jobs. That includes buying American Cars, and supporting Products from an American company as often as you can. So, when you have a choice now of New, Tree Hugger Monopoly or Batman Monopoly, the choice is clear.

Pick up the Batman version, send Hasbro a letter of why you didn't buy the other one. Besides. If the two got into a fight, Batman would rape the Prius like he was a gorilla with a fist full of potatoes.

Which Sports Car Are You?

Pete here again.
Here this time to give you a sliver of insight into who I am. Tony mentioned me as being "very opinionated." I'm also very blunt and don't like to beat around the shrub.
I took a quiz on which sports car I am. I love cars, and the description was too dead on for me not to share.

I'm a Dodge Viper!

You're all about raw power. You're tough, you're loud, and you don't take crap from anyone. Leave finesse to the other cars, the ones eating your dust.
Yep. Spot on. Though I can't afford a Viper, I settle with a Trans Am.
Tony? What about you?
**********TONY ADDS**********

I'm a Ford Mustang!

You're an American classic -- fast, strong, and bold. You're not snobby or pretentious, but you have what it takes to give anyone a run for their money.


********** UPDATE **********
Welcome to the readers of Chocolate Cookies Rock. GBradley's blog is a cool blog that I strongly recommend and I am happy to see his readers coming here also.

Lineup changes on KSTP

(H/T: Marty)

Mark O'Connell and Ron Rosenbaum left KSTP. Their last show was yesterday (September 5, 2006)...mercifully.

My next comment was going to be, "KSTP will certainly benefit regardless of who they have replace Ron & Mark" until I saw who the replacement is: Sterling. So, KSTP has gained some ground by dumping Chris Kroc and now by dumping Ron & Mark. (Two steps forward.) They are experiencing a huge step back if Sterling is the permanent replacement.

Maybe, just maybe, what they need to do is take advantage of the upheaval that the Twins lineup will cause and just get some fresh blood in the lineup. Whatever they do they need to realize that the best they can do in that timeslot will be a very distant #3 and then try to work from there.

It kind of reminds me of NBC and the Cosby Show. Thursday nights were not the PRIME night on TV. (I could be wrong on this recollection...) It used to be Sunday nights. Then came the Cosby Show and NBC's struggling lineup. Cosby Show's success in the slot and NBC's decision to reshape THEIR prime time eventually led to Thursday nights being THE night for shows. That may be where KSTP could begin their rebuilding process.

Just a thought.