squoogy.com

This is a noble gesture, truly. But how self-important does one have to be to make such a statement?

| Posted by: Mark the Bowler | Link to this post |

If you ever needed more proof that the odds of winning the lottery are very much against you, please learn from this story. If SHE couldn’t win, you aren’t going to.

| Posted by: Mark the Bowler | Link to this post |

So the Republican Governor of Massachusettes, Mitt Romney, is getting his panties in a bunch because of problems with the Big Dig. Ya’know, the whole silly ‘budget spiraling out of control from $2.5 billion to $14.6 billion’ thing, the fact that more than 90% of Bostoners don’t feel safe using the tunnels… of yeah, and the woman that dies when a section of the tunnel collapsed on her car. Silly little things.

So Mitt says to the Turnpike Authority chairman Matthew J. Amorello: ‘Hey man, you need to pack yo’ shit and hit the road.’

And then Matt’s all like: ‘Nuh uh!’

And then Mitt’s all like: “Yuh huh!’

And then Matt’s all like: ‘You can’t make me!’

And then Mitt’s all like: ‘Don’t make me come over there.’

And then Matt’s all like: “Touch me and I’ll sue!’

And then Mitt’s all like: ‘Bring it, bitch!’

And then Matt’s all like: ‘Fine! You’ll miss me when I’m gone!’

And then Mitt’s all like: ‘Not likely.’

Cut to Saturday, when Mitt is giving a speech in front of about 100 supporters. He’s admitting that it’s a big polictical risk taking control of such a quagmire of an issue, what with his possible presidential campaign in 2008, and he says to the audience, “The best thing politically would be to stay as far away from that tar baby as I can.”

Now stop. Reread the quote. Look for two little words.

Yeah, that’s them.

Tar baby. Nice.

So today, Mitt’s spokesman, Eric Fehrnstrom, said Mitt was describing “a sticky situation…. He was unaware that some people find the term objectionable and he’s sorry if anyone’s offended.”

Nice to know that the leader of the great state of Massachusettes, and 2008 Presidential cantidate, has such a firm grasp of racial slurs.

| Posted by: Jim T. | Link to this post |

Ugh. This makes my brain hurt.

(Stolen from Slashdot):

“Following a previous story on Washington State making online gambling a felony, the Seattle Times reports that the first legal salvos have begun. ‘The first casualty in the state’s war on Internet gambling is a local Web site where nobody was actually doing any gambling. What a Bellingham man did on his site was write about online gambling. He reviewed Internet casinos. He had links to them, and ran ads by them. All that, says the state — the ads, the linking, even the discussing — violates a new state law barring online wagering or using the Internet to transmit ‘gambling information … Telling people how to gamble online, where to do it, giving a link to it — that’s all obviously enabling something that is illegal.’”

| Posted by: Jim T. | Link to this post |

MPAA admits to unauthorized movie copying.

ON PREVIEW: Okay, so I lied. I couldn’t help myself.

Three things come to mind:

1. DOOOOOOO’OOOOOH!

2. Does this mean that they’re going to have to sue themselves?

3. What does this mean for all of the pending lawsuits, where the RIAA is suing people based on the intent of finanial gains?

| Posted by: Jim T. | Link to this post |

You’ve got to love the sophistication and cunning of the criminal mind. Or maybe you just gotta laugh.

| Posted by: Rita | Link to this post |

19-year-old freshman at the University of Colorado arrested for trying to buy an iPod for $4.99, after he planted a bogus bar code on it.

I think my favorite part of the article is his impassioned plea to prosecutors:

I will NEVER EVER DO THIS EVER AGAIN and I am once more terribly sorry,” Baldino wrote. “Please let me go for I am terribly sorry!!! I’m only a kid! Help me out. I just want to go home. I did this not knowing of the serious penalty that lies behind it. Please! Please! Please!

| Posted by: Jim T. | Link to this post |

“Yeahhagh!” is the sound I made when I read Snowball’s post about getting hit in her Miata by an Expedition, this part in particular:

As I was leaving the office parking lot this evening, some woman in a gigantic Expedition backed into my little blue Miata. She tried to say it just wasn’t her fault because she couldn’t see me, but the nice policeman who showed up shortly thereafterwards told her it most certainly was her fault.

Emphasis added. As I know my regular audience, I don’t suppose I have to really comment on what I think about that, but I would like to reiterate: YEEEAAAHHHAAGH!!!

And also, I’m glad you’re alright and I hope your neck feels better, Snow.

| Posted by: Kimberly | Link to this post |

I’ve seen Bluehippo before, but have never had the misfortune of running across PCDirectBiz.com before.

Basically, PCDirectBiz.com provides financing for computer purchases for people with poor credit. I checked out their website, and found the following:

They have a Dell Dimension 3000 computer available, which they list at a retail price of $799. I configured the Dimension 3000 with the same specs as Dell’s website (with the exception of the RAM… Dell would not let me alter the basic configuration, which has 512MB as opposed to the 256MB listed on PCDirectBiz.com) and the price of the computer from Dell came to a grand total of $528, plus shipping. (although PCdirectBiz.com offers $800 worth of free software, a free printer, and a free digital camera).

So they’re already overpriced to begin with, and then factor in the payments… $99 down, plus $15.00 per week for 36 months. That’s a grand total of $2439. I figured it out, and unless my math is wrong, that’s about a 90% interest rate. You would end up paying over $1500 in interest alone, which is about twice the price of the computer itself.

I find it amazing that companies are allowed to exploit the poor like this. I think that this would be the textbook definition of gouging.

These kind of people suck, and there’s a special place in Hell waiting just for them.

| Posted by: Jim T. | Link to this post |

I swear, he’s not one of us!

| Posted by: Mark the Bowler | Link to this post |

Hooray! Homosexuality in Italy upgraded to “personality disturbance!” Three cheers for Italy!

| Posted by: Mark the Bowler | Link to this post |

Science and religion are not antonyms. This kind of crap seriously needs to stop.

| Posted by: Mark the Bowler | Link to this post |

Even if you don’t listen to public radio, you’ll appreciate this.

| Posted by: Mark the Bowler | Link to this post |

Found here. An interesting sample:

…by posting Content on an AIM Product, you grant AOL, its parent, affiliates, subsidiaries, assigns, agents and licensees the irrevocable, perpetual, worldwide right to reproduce, display, perform, distribute, adapt and promote this Content in any medium. You waive any right to privacy. You waive any right to inspect or approve uses of the Content or to be compensated for any such uses.

This scares me. I think I’ll tone down my use of AIM from now on.

| Posted by: Jim T. | Link to this post |

Oh, this can’t be good at all.

| Posted by: Mark the Bowler | Link to this post |