The Sh*t L*st

Ok, blame the fans -- what did you expect from a bunch half-ass slackers? But blame Sirius, too. My dad's a big fan so I was going to get him Sirius for Christmas. What a clusterfucking clusterfuck. I just wanted to go buy the boombox package that I'd need to play at home where he listens. Well, the transmitter for the Sirius boombox they were selling wasn't even going to be released until January. And you needed to make like 6 different purchases to get it to work with a normal stereo.

Finally said fuck it. And guess what -- dad doesn't even really notice. Now just watches CNN in the mornings.

Saw some spam for pre-paid legal services just now and it reminded me of some friends of a friend who are selling this.

What's I find interesting about these pre-paid services is that they actually sound like a pretty good idea -- the New York Times ran an article a couple years ago talking about how they offered a more rational legal product for consumers. (I'd dig up a link to the article but I'm a very lazy man.)

But then the only way I've ever actually encountered them in the wild are as these sort of Amway/Mary-Kay quasi-pyramid scheme where the only real money being made is by the people recruiting new sellers. Still, my friend signed up as a courtesy (read: under a lot of pressure) from her friends and actually feels she's gotten her money worth.

John from the National Small Business Alliance phoned -- well, his recorded message phoned, offering a credit card or something. Left this number:

1-866-276-6868 x.103

I haven't called it, but I'm sure if you call that number, all your dreams will come true.

for latest on the battle against The Hot Lead Co, see this junkfax.org page

That's what my called ID said this morning at 4am! Googled the number -- no result. Just called the number -- says it's out of order.

A search of "Hot Lead Company" does turn up the following on a Colorado no-call-list site:



The thing is: I'm on the no-call list! This FCC site has an email address to which you can file complaints:

donotcall@fcc.gov

My email:



Hot Lead Company -- eat my hot lead.

Labels: 818-638-8049, hot lead

Online gamer punished with virtual crucifixion (tgdaily.com)

As if you needed them:

Iraq Three Years Later: The Path to War (Morning Edition, NPR)

A Political Warning Shot: 'American Theocracy' (Fresh Air, NPR)

"Political Science: The Bush Administration’s war on the laboratory," by Michael Specter (The New Yorker, March 13, 2006) [summary at niemanwatchdog.org]

Right here -- direct from an email I just received:

http://www.security-forever.com/chase.html

which leads here:

http://62.73.187.149/www.Chase.com/online.banking.account/

Can't believe anyone still falls for this shit.

I'm helping spread the word for my friend. I don't have a lot of sympathy for seniors who get scammed. But I do have a Wamu checking account. Added a link to digg.com:


digg here

Don't tell me the new season of The Sopranos is going to be one extended clip show as Tony's life flashes before his eyes.

I posted about this a while ago (still have the old cartridge sitting here under my desk). I figured Canon had just abandoned the program after Greenpeace or Newsweek or someone had revealed they were just dumping the cartridges sent back to them in rivers in southern China.

Well, I just noticed somebody left a comment with the new address:

http://www.ereturn.usa.canon.com/

How funny. You've really touched the heart of an old cynic. Now I can get this cartridge on its way to its new home alongside a river somewhere in southern China.

Even as we speak.

The good, the bad, and the stupid:

Good
You can just hit 0 and it will automatically transfer you to the live person queue. (the bad: they don't really publicize this feature.)

The Stones' "Get Off My Cloud" is the hold music... well, now it's a commercial for whatever radio station they're playing.

Bad
Hit 0 for operator, wait in queue for a couple minutes, then told "all operators busy, try our website"... BUT, hit 0 again and sent to another queue. Ok... BUT, wait 5 more minutes, then get hung up on.

Stupid
See Above

Good
Second time, reach an operator and he's helpful, friendly, and answers my questions.

Go DMV!