So, a few years ago I refinanced my mortgage and Ameriquest gave me a god awful rate (others wouldn’t loan to me). Because of their predatory lending practices (which I’m sure did others in) they settled a large class action suit.
I just got settlement money in the bank. Yay, now I can afford to pay the mortgage on January 1.
Of course, all those bad mortgages are still going to kerplunk the credit market, and aid an economic slowdown if not a mild recession.
In something so boneheaded it’s bound to fail, NBC (who previously withdrew video content from iTunes) will now be providing proprietary DRM’d video downloads of their programming that expire after a week. And it only works on Windows.
“With the creation of this new service, we are acknowledging that now, more than ever, viewers want to be in control of how, when and where they consumer [sic] their favorite entertainment,” said Vivi Zigler, Executive Vice President, NBC Digital Entertainment. “Not only does this feature give them more control, but it also gives them a higher quality video experience.” [emphasis mine]
That’s the most ridiculous thing I’ve ever heard. How is requiring software that works only for NBC, and plays only on your computer (no other devices), possiby giving you more control!
No more Heroes on your Apple.
Oh, and NBC, hire someone with an English degree to editor your press releases.
I was in the store right before leaving town on my weekend road trip and the munchies caught my eye: Walgreens Select Premium Milk Chocolate Covered Cashews.
There was more chocolate on them than I expected, so it took several sitting to actually finish them. What humored me was the fine print on the labeling: (more…)
“Could you point to the Angus area?”
I recently saw this Jack in the Box ad, and was mildly humored. They are selling their 100% sirloin burger, and backhandedly mocking the 100% Angus burger. I vaguely recalled someone advertising their Angusness but didn’t recall it being Carl Jr. (There aren’t any of those in the Houston area.)
I recall thinking mockingly “someone’s gonna sue for that”. And they did! The Language Log is wholeheartedly mocking them. They deserve it.
People moan about “litigious Americans”, but the vast majority of lawsuits are brought about by corporations, not individuals. Businesses file four times more lawsuits than private citizens and are sanctioned much more often for frivolous suits. It isn’t surprising, since corporations generally behave psychotically (trailer, part 1 of 23).
I don’t expect this lawsuit will go anywhere.
I bought some new shorts - summer is here you know. Lots of pockets. Nice fit. Brown denim. They look nice now, but I’ll be wearing them all summer.
There was a pocket with a big cardboard label on it that said “Cellphone Pocket”. I guess owners of cell phones are so stupid they can’t figure out what to do with them. That would explain why they’re ALWAYS talking on them.
Anyway this “cellphone” pocket is the ideal size for 3×5 index cards and a pen. And the battery never fails on that.
In other news, I canceled the Call Notes™ on my phone. About 6 years after I should have. (It used to be a business expense.) At $8 a month, here are the pluses and minuses of Call Notes™. (more…)
Here’s an article against corporate infringement into the art car scene. It’s more invective because of it’s harsh title - which is just typical “journalism”. I heard a few discussions on this topic at the many events I was at. Mostly, the corporate cars don’t show for the quirky events and thus don’t effect the “counterculture vibe”. The parade is a media event, and I fully expect corporateness to show up for a 250,000 person crowd.
I heard one major complaint about the McDonald’s shoe visiting schools on Friday. It’s a reasonable complaint, though one not shared by all artists. The complaints about the Shoe’s stereo being too loud are much more common.
What humors me the most is the social elitism of the comments to the article on the Chron’s web site. (”It’s not art because I don’t like it.”)
Is commercialism driving off fun of the Art Car Parade?
A few say sponsors detract from the event’s counterculture vibes
By SARAH VIREN
Copyright 2007 Houston Chronicle
May 13, 2007, 9:57PMPatrick Stanley exhausted his supply of souvenir hard hats an hour before Houston’s Art Car Parade started Saturday. Each bore the name of the construction company he works for, SpawMaxwell, just like his art car, a 1958 Edsel Pacer.
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