Friday, August 31, 2012
Thursday, August 30, 2012
Take on the wallmart alert
shoes and sure as hell don't need to be notified of every movement a
pack of socks I ordered online makes but somehow Walmart decided that
this is something I want. Last week when I ordered something i
started getting text messages alerting me of the status
I don't mind getting an email confirmation but who needs to be
bothered with a buzzing sound when my package hits the local UPS hub.
There are so many things we deal with I'm more than content leaving
package tracking to a less invasive process
Wednesday, August 29, 2012
Take on Erasure
Tuesday, August 28, 2012
Take on the transit check
Monday, August 27, 2012
Take on the bachelor party after-effects
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Sunday, August 26, 2012
Take on the 145th street escalator
For 10+ years I have taken the uptown D train and transferred at 145th street for the last leg to the GWB on the A and for 10+ years I have noticed that the escalator is out of service. Now I don't really care since I've never had to actually go up to the street level at this station bit it is telling that for all those electronic signs, red vests and extra large rats the MTA likes to hang its hat on, they can't seem to ever get a simple escalator working
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Saturday, August 25, 2012
Take on the new MTA public service ads
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Friday, August 24, 2012
Take on the broken coffee pot
civilization we could have figure out how to make a coffee pot by now.
I don't care if you are in Boston, Paris, Hong Kong or NYC, I have
yet to find one which actually pours directly from the spout into a
cup without having the ants and cockroaches feel like they have to
pair up. There is just something wrong when an act as seemingly
simple as pouring into a cup turns into a complete clusterfuck but
that is what happened today when I managed to get more coffee on the
counter, on the floor and the front of my pants than actually inside
the confines of the porcelain
Thursday, August 23, 2012
Take on the new breed of meter maid collectors
parking meter collector? These guys walk up to the meter with a huge
set of janitor keys, open up some compartment and all of a sudden it
sounds like they hit a jackpot in AC. The thing is that they don't
wear any kind of NYC uniform, the dude today was sporting a straight
bill baseball cap, a brown tshirt and a pair of baggy shorts, he was
dressed like he should be hanging out on the boardwalk but instead
collects thousands of dollars per day.
Wednesday, August 22, 2012
Take on the dirty gyro
of New York City, the dirty gyro. There are a number of carts city
wide but for my dollar (well $4) there is no one better than Mr Kahn's
up on 45th street. He piles the meat high, his lettuce is green and
the pita is fresh. A buddy used to say that it was the best $4 you
could spend because you filled up for lunch and it came back to you
for dinner so it was like getting two meals for the price of one.
Well today some old-hag decided to ruin my day by jumping the curb,
hitting a hydrant and slamming her foreign car into these patriots who
sweat over a burning hot griddle to make sure the white-collar workers
of America are fed so they can make sure the banks and insurance
companies run smoothly
I'm hoping to see these two guys back on their corner tomorrow because they
make the best piece of processed lamb this side of the Mediterranean
Tuesday, August 21, 2012
Take on Dodd Frank
regulation and feel like there is probably a happy medium somewhere.
This editorial board never felt Dodd-Frank properly accomplished this
for both what they left off and what they tried to babysit to a fault
But one thing that came out of that WR did appreciate, I believe as
part of a consumer protection they are making credit card companies
show exactly what paying the balance off in small increments could
really mean.
I won't excuse poor decision making or an inability to live by a basic
budget but for somebody who is very careful to limit m debt and live
within my means I thought this small addition to my statement was a
welcome and worthwhile addition
Knowing that it would cost me an additional $400 over four years to
pay off a $750 bill should tell even the most careless spender that
the flat screen they bought on sale has very quickly turned into a
pretty bad deal
We believe that there is a place for some regulation to avoid the
cluster of 2008 but it can't be done to the detriment of a healthy
economy and there is always a place in government for consumer
protection and protection of health, environment, food and drugs
Monday, August 20, 2012
take on Bank of Idiots
I sent over all the relevant information to Title Support at Bank of America three weeks ago.. It was a pretty simple request, one which I assume they get often but one that they can't seem to perform easily. Two weeks after I put in my request I still had not heard back from DMV and when I called them they told me they were still waiting for my bank to send the title. I called Bank of America and after being ping-ponged around their automated system and finally speaking to a rep, I was handed over to the property title division which apparantly is NOT the same one which handles car titles. They finally get me to the right spot after three transfers and a bunch of hold times and I speak with a guy who informs me that they tried to reach me last week but the phone number on my request was incorrect. I asked them the number they had on record and they gave me a mangled version of my own. Now I can understand that we can have typos and user error but I've been a Bank of America customer for 20 years having gone through the Fleet and NatWest versions so you would think that somewhere in their entire system which includes checking account, savings account, car-loan account they would be able to cross-reference my account and get my cell-phone number, work-number or email address from somewhere, God knows they send me enough junk mail and spam.
Sunday, August 19, 2012
Take on the new NFL uniforms
during beatdown they received on the hands of the Giants during the
annual pre-season battle, the only thing that kept me from throwing my
beer at the TV was the fact my eye kept getting distracted by these
new terrible uniforms. The fit is fine, the colors are adequate but
what really bothers me is the little Nike swoosh on the shoulder,
it looks like you are watching the game through a mirror. I know the
NFL signed some billion dollar deal with Nike to outfit their players
but even for a billion dollars they still look like their made in
China.
Whenever they show a player's right shoulder the swoosh looks is
reversed and it looks ridiculous. I figure they are trying to make
the uniform balanced so that both sides look identical but if that is
the case they would also have to reverse the number on that shoulder
which they (obviously) didn't do. So they are hoping to have their
fans spend $60 to $400 for jersey's and they will all look like they
are knockoffs, real smart!!!
Next time they do one of these uniform designs maybe they should bring
in the average asshole to give them some advise
Saturday, August 18, 2012
Friday, August 17, 2012
take on the AM New York vendors
Thursday, August 16, 2012
Take on the Cemetary
Wednesday, August 15, 2012
Take on the sped-up iTunes option
applications easily integrated and the operating system second to none
but there are a number of things which I don't quite understand. One
of these things is the ability to speed up the playspeed of a audio
file. I was listening to a podcast the other day while running and
all of a sudden it sounded like Jacob Goldstein turned into Alvin.
Now we all know he's got a terrible radio voice but having it sped
like he's ODing on crack up doesn't help.
I am all for efficiency but don't quite get the allure of this because
when would you ever want to listen to any recorded track at 1.5x
speed, it's enough to make you want to poke an ice pick in your
eardrum.
Tuesday, August 14, 2012
Take on the United States of Obesity
most likely to have to share part of your seat with a fellow because
their ass can't fit in their own space, TOR was asked to evaluate.
To no surprise to anybody places like NY and California had a very low
level of obesity while the south proves once again why the lost the
civil war. These slobs spend their entire time screaming about the
athletic accomplishments of young black football athletes while
spending no time making sure their own kids get off the couch. On top
of everything this is a self reported study and most slobs will
underestimate the amount overweight they are so I am sure that the
real numbers are easily twice as high.
But this is the beauty of this country where it is all about personal
responsibility except when it comes to health because these slobs are
the reason the price i pay at a buffet costs twice what it should
Monday, August 13, 2012
Take on the low trajectory fountain
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Sunday, August 12, 2012
Take on The double R
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Saturday, August 11, 2012
Taking on body sushi
a bit intrigued. I mean I combines two of my favorite things and
basic algebra tells me a positive times a positive is a positive.
The problem is that every time I bring it up as a place to meet for
lunch during work I get nothing but weird looks and push-back. My
friends complain about hygiene but the place has an A rating by the
city, they say that they don't want to combine eating and other
indulgence but even that is a weird complaint because we would drink
and gamble at the same time. At least in this case you know where
your tuna's been or at least where it is now.
Friday, August 10, 2012
take on the gay letter
"James: This is a difficult but necessary letter to write. I hope your telephone call was not to receive my blessing for the degrading of your lifestyle. I have fond memories of our times together, but that is all in the past. Don't expect any further conversations With me. No communications at all. I will not come to visit, nor do I want you in my house. You've made your choice though Wrong it may be. God did not intend for this unnatural lifestyle. If you choose not to attend my funeral, my friends and family will understand. Have a good birthday and good life. No present exchanges will be accepted. Goodbye, Dad."
Dear Dad,Since gay is a choice and I wasn't born with it I can only conclude that you and the environment you raised me in have resulted in my being gay. Thanks a lot for ruining my life and damning my eternal soul to hell.Your Son
Thursday, August 9, 2012
take on chicks
Maybe it's the nature of being a dude but I can't believe chicks feel the same way. I walk down the street and see something redeeming about almost every single chick I see walking by. I'm not going to give you some carp about all of them being smoking hot or even attractive but every chick a dude sees is immediately analyzed. I see an old chick and think…experienced, a young chick and think an opportunity to get in on the ground floor, a buttoned up chick and think kinky, a slobby chick probably won't mind a facial, a Jewish chick will probably be as familiar with a bj as she is with matza, a spanish chick and think crazy, a skinny black chick and you think Halle Berry, thick black chick and you are playing mixed doubles with Serena Williams, fat chicks mean they probably have low self-esteem which means you can do just about anything, an Indian chick will try to make up for her sheltered childhood, a Hispanic will make you work for it, Russian probably means she can put her legs behind her head, Asians girl -, white chicks well groomed, an ugly face probably means they're OK with the 5 hole, chick with fat arms probably also has huge cans. You know a chick with a kid puts out, a girl who's flat chested probably will know she has to make up for that deficiency in other ways, redhead and you wonder immediately if the curtain matches the drapes, a skinny chick might be like taking a thirsty dog to water, a chick with a big ass probably likes it doggy-style, an Irish chick probably means it won't take more than a couple of beers although the Guinness Oven could suck, thick legs might mean they can squat for a while, hair pulled back means she doesn't want anything in the way, hair down means they prefer a little peek-a-boo while going cowgirl, big nose and she might prefer reverse
quite honestly the ones that are least intriguing are the super hot ones because you just know they're a wood plank in the sack.
Wednesday, August 8, 2012
Take on the anti-terrorism cake sale
Cops stationed outside of random gates each morning in front of a huge
foldable table as if they were manning a bake-sale. I see it a few
mornings per week where a hand full of them are standing around
chit-chatting because which shouldn't w a surprise since they are
standing in front of a departure gate and the amount of traffic
LEAVING the city at 8:40AM is probably a 1000th of that entering the
city You can give me some jive about terrorism but explain to me why
a terrorist would walk up-to a gate at Port Authority, see a bunch of
cops checking bags and not change his mind and go to another gate.
It's not as if the cops are manning every single one, they just pick
random ones every morning to stake out (in full open view). If some
Saudi extremist with a plan to blow up a tunnel sees this, my guess is
he's not walking into the trap and is just gonna get onto another bus
because I don't really think their manifesto is specific to what
bus-line they are on
Tuesday, August 7, 2012
Take on the dimebag
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Monday, August 6, 2012
take on the Olympics
I dutifully watch the Summer Olympics every four years in amazement as
you see the culmination of years of hard work for these athletes.
But honestly some of these events are absolutely ridiculous. I am a
fan of the traditional events like swimming, diving, track and field
and gymnastics and much less for equestrian jumping or badminton which
seem like sports for the horse or something you do while having a case
of beer
But what is most amazing is that there are certain events which I look
at in awe because of how well the athletes do it knowing I could never
get close in time like the butterfly or the 100 meter dash and then
there are others which I look at in awe because I can't begin to
imagine myself even being able to do the task and they are mostly
gymnastic events
I watch the 200 meter dash and I know I could do it, I'd finish in 30
seconds but i could literally finish it but then you see the balance
beam and I know that there are almost no moves I could accomplish on
that thing except possibly walking on it.
The 400 meter back-stroke. Check.
The uneven bars... No chance
Basketball... Check
The high-bar.. Forget it
PingPong.. Check
The Rings. .Nope
The 1500 meter run.. Sign me up today but
The Vault would vault me into a coffin
where I'd probably impale myself and although i could do the triple
jump I'd definitely pull a nut. I'd never be able to do the Triple
Lindy yet could shoot a bow and arrow even if I don't hit the target every time
Sunday, August 5, 2012
Take on the self checkout machines
machines at the supermarket designed to be more efficient. I am a
college educated, computer literate, veteran shopper and to this day,
the chances of being able to check out with a full cart of groceries
without the computer calling for help is about 20%. Between the
scanning and placing and waiting and holding, the entire process takes
easily twice as long as with a professional teller
Saturday, August 4, 2012
Take on the Enterprise Rent a Car gas policy
mind. Directions to my meeting, issues to discuss at the meeting,
appropriate greetings etc but like usual Enterprise made it more
difficult than necessary. They have this policy/scam where as opposed
to giving you a full tank of gas and asking you to return it full,
they give you some random quantity and ask you to return it with the
same.
It may not sound all that different but there is a huge one. It's
very easy to drive up to a gas station and ask them to fill it up,
it's almost impossible to guesstimate exactly how much money to put in
to get it to 5/8th full when it's sitting on 1/4 tank.
Since it is not your car so you don't know how many gallons it holds
or how sensitive the gas gauge is. So it's a guessing game. You go
over and you just gave Enterprise free gas if you go under and you'll
be banged for $5.25 replacement gas bill
Even if you can swallow this, the second problem remains something
else... If you return it short the next renter will start off at that
gas quantity which inevitably leads to me getting a car on empty. So
here I am trying to drive to a meeting with a car with no gas in
it...so I have to hit a gas station to add just enough gas to make it
to my meeting and back leaving the gauge to read about 2 millimeters
north of E
Yeah that's easy
Friday, August 3, 2012
Take on the in-app banner
give me a few minutes of quiet during a long car-ride or a long dinner
at a restaurant. What I got instead was an even bigger surprise. The
new Teddy Bear game seemed innocent enough allowing toddlers to build
a bear like they do at the stores by choosing a color, stuffing it
with foam, selecting hats, dresses, shoes and eyewear. The weird
thing was that as my daughter was playing it, her dad was all of a
sudden much more interested in it than she was.
This free app designed and marketed for kids uses a combination of
methods for payment including in-app purchases and banner ads. I find
the in-app purchases a bit annoying as I prefer to pay for it up-front
but the banner ads never bothered me...until now
They had a scrolling ad of some hot chick sprawled along the bottom of
the screen. I didn't click on it but something tells me it wasn't
going to take me to Sesame Street. I hate marketing to kids as much
as anybody but at least a cereal or playhouse is (mostly) harmless.
It was as if the TeddyBear game was recruiting little girls to be strippers
I figure it's probably a generated ad, which picks up the word 'teddy'
Thursday, August 2, 2012
taking on the Jets beat reporters
There are probably 20 people in the entire world who this will mean
anything to other than me but one of the downfalls of twitter and our insatiable thirst for updates. There is nothing more pathetic than watching the Jets reporters try to trump one another on 'breaking news' as the regular beat-writers are in a perpetual race trying to get to be first regardless how irrelevant the information. I get that in 'news' there is a
premium on being first but following Rich Cimini and Manish Mehta is like watching two mental patients competing in a three legged race.
During training camp the two of them easily represent 60% of the stuff on my twitter feed and literally everything one guy 'breaks' news the other 'breaks' it two seconds later.
Wednesday, August 1, 2012
Take on the secret winner
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