Category: Odd and Interesting

Computer retail chain, Time is going to target middle-aged computer buyer. They are seeking similarly aged staff to offer a no-nonsense, less techie approach to sales to this segment of the market. One which they feel is largely ignored.

Ummmm… I’m going to leave that one all alone.

It’s the end of the world — Ozzy got a star on the hollywood walk of fame. Oddly enough, he probably deserves it for bringing MTV back from the brink of despair over their poor ratings. Proving in the most distinct way that Sharon Osborne is a promotion genius.

Steve MacLaughlin thoughtfully reminds us that Arthur Anderson employees are people, not a scandal. With the actions of a few, many (85,000) will suffer greatly. We used to, in IT consulting circles, lightheartedly refer to AA people as “Androids.” For the most part, the AA people I’ve encountered were formidable and capable technical resources. I never had much experience with the accounting people, which is (was?) obviously their main business division. Some of the technical people were not perfect, of course. Then we found ourselves wondering how they got to be an “Android” but, that is common with any IT consulting group. There is always a couple that you wonder how they even fell out of bed in the morning. AA was no different.

So remember, when thinking of ugly big-business knaves and the name Arthur Anderson pops into mind, remember that you are thinking about a very slight few out of thousands of good, honest and hard working individuals. All of whom have had their own professional credibility compromised, at no fault of their own. As the author points out, when an “Android’s” resume comes across your desk, don’t toss it in the shredder automatically. (via Jerry Kindall)

Rob of cockeyed.com has done a pretty exhaustive investigative report about those “Work From Home – $1500.00 – $5000.00 a Month” signs all over the country.

Of course, it’s a scam but, you’ll find the way he got the info interesting and amusing. Excellent.

Wrecked Exotics has a lot of pics from Ferrari F-50’s to Lamborghini Diablo’s. Wild.

A Pembroke Pines, FL man who was arrested last July after a Medley police officer considered a Calvin and Hobbes sticker on his truck a violation of a state obscenity law has sued the arresting officer and his supervisor.

Andy Polo, was arrested for displaying “obscene material” Namely, Calvin urinating on and “flashing the bird” to the names of real people, Polo’s ex-girlfriend and her husband.

“The suit claims Polo, a driver for Publix Super Markets, was ashamed, humiliated and embarrassed by the arrest, and it caused him mental anguish and suffering. It also contends that, because Polo fears he will be arrested again if he drives through Medley, he has been unable to do his job and lost more than $10,000 in income.”

The boundries of obscenity have clearly moved in the past several years. Which in and of its own accord is okay but, this is clearly over the edge. I don’t like those stickers, I find them offensive but, I think if they are going to target this guy then they should have arrested every idiot with one of these. Pure and simple.

A report from London is claiming that cell phone users are worse than drunk drivers.

“We were surprised to discover that talking on a mobile phone is actually more dangerous than being drunk behind the wheel. In effect this means that 10 million drivers are partaking in a driving activity that is potentially more dangerous than being drunk.”

Now, I’ve been to London twice. I can attest that the drivers there don’t need alcohol or cell phones to drive terribly.

Regardless, the insurance companies probably paid a great deal of money to produce these reports. For every safety measure the government forces upon the auto industry… measures that should LOWER insurance, they manage to substantiate, yet further spikes in premiums.

Brittanie Cecil died Monday night, two days after she was hurt at the game between the Columbus Blue Jackets and Calgary Flames, Children’s Hospital said.

“Our fans mean the world to us,” said Doug MacLean, Blue Jackets general manager. “This loss has profound effect on the entire Blue Jackets family.”

Sad, truly sad, she would’ve turned 14 tomorrow. (story via metafilter)

Face creams and preservatives are ‘pickling dead bodies’

Researchers say graveyards face overcrowding problems because dead bodies aren’t decomposing properly.

They say that bodies buried over 30 years ago look as good as if they were buried last week.

You can construct your own “police sketch” of yourself or a loved one with the Ultimate Flash Face. A wonderfully cool and addicting application that truely illustrates one of the best uses for flash I’ve ever seen.

Elizabeth J. Holt, 23, was ordered held in the county jail on $15,000 bond. She is to be arraigned Wednesday in District Court.

Holt is accused of stabbing her boyfriend who said he was doing the dishes at about 9:50 a.m. when Holt said she wanted to visit her parents and became angry because he was slow doing the dishes. Boyfriend said Holt grabbed a kitchen knife and ran at him from behind, plunging the 6-inch blade into his back near the shoulder blade.

Ouch…

He lived and is in stable condition… he’ll get to cleaning the bathroom ASAP, he promised.

The Cartoon Network recently aired a newly produced Flintstones feature length special “The Flintstones On the Rocks”, which originally premiered in Nov. 2001. Having missed the first airing, we had the chance to see it again tonight. We were sorry we wasted our time. Not that we dislike the Flintstones, it’s worn a bit for our taste but, nostalga is a compelling emotion at times.

Instead of giving the lovable bunch the typical sets of problems to solve and tripping them up along the way with the usual pitfalls and antics, this time they took us for a new ride. Instead and quite distastefully, they tossed another dilema at the hapless gang of cave people. Divorce, marital discontent, and infidelity. Nasty business for toons to have to deal with. It was a ridiculus construct that was uncomfortable to have to watch, to say the least. Especially in front of out kids.

Given that the Flintstones was a product of the WWII generation cartoon, with older and more solid ideals about marriage. It was literally appalling to watch the writers dragging the beloved cast through territory that is mostly born of the boomer generation and it’s and disregard and contempt for tradition and family values. In fact, watching these characters being dragged through the motions of behavior suited to selfish 40 somethings was uncomfortable to say the least. To say the most, it was discgraceful and contemptuous.

What behavior? Well, Fred and Wilma both “expose their feelings” to a marriage conselor, in a role playing fiasco that ends in Fred exclaiming that Wilma is “not a natural redhead.” To which, Wilma charges at Fred in a murderous rage (see pic above). They both acknowledge their “problem” and head off on an “marriage re-invigorating” exotic vacation. Instead of rediscovering love, Fred find himself fruitlessly trying to buy Wilma’s affection while Wilma is chased and wooed by some cartoon playboy stud. Much to Fred’s angst. There is more but, take my word for it. It sucked.

Why am I so angry about this? Because I feel that this productiion was meant to please my parents generation, the boomers, who really didn’t like it. In fact, despite it’s originl 8 year run, it wasn’t exactly a smash. It’s real sucess came in post 1970 in re-runs. That’s when our generation took to it and loved it. The boomers, in my mind, had no right to bastardize it with their warped values, hangups, and disgusting behavior. Allow me to speak for my generation and say. Keep that nonsense away from our children, you know your grandchildren? the ones you see twice a year? We are trying to raise them with decent morals and values that we’ve created from our television families, like the Flintstones. God knows we didn’t learn them by example.

A 16-year-old girl in suburban Denver was allegedly fondled after being put in a holding cell with a 34-year-old man who had been charged with sexual assaults, an official said on Wednesday.

An 8-year-old Whitmore Lake, MI (near Ann Arbor) boy is facing criminal charges for pointing a toy gun at three other youngsters and threatening to shoot them.

Even though the incident involved a toy gun, the Washtenaw County Prosecutor’s Office said, Tommy Davis’ intent was to threaten and scare the other children. The boy, who was 7 at the time of the incident, has a hearing on three felonious assault charges next week in Washtenaw County Juvenile Court.

I can tell you, the lawyers in this prosecutor’s office are a bunch of fuck heads, which is why I’m not the least bit suprised at this. Hopefully, they won’t order police to take to the streets of Ann Arbor to round up kids this summer playing cowboys and indians. They let people smoke pot in public legally, allow women to roam topless in the city limits but, there is zero tolerance for squirt guns! God save us from boomers.

Update: Prosecutors drop charges and admit mistake but, neighbors still want some course of action against the boy