Oregon is making it illegal to use a cell phone and drive. No hands free, no speaker phone, no usage at all. So this makes me wonder, can someone please invent an application that tells callers/ texters that the cell phone user has set their phone to vehicle operation setting, please leave a message and the Verizon customer you are trying to contact will receive receive your message when they reach their destination.

We are in an age where people think they can reach their friends and family 24/7 no matter the circumstances. When a friend/ family member cannot immediately reach someone, I've had the personal experience of repeated calls, like repeated 20-30 times until someone answers. If your kid is blowing up your phone because he/she is fighting with a sib (or whatever) and you are trying to drive, hearing those incoming calls will worry any parent worth his/her salt. If the caller could get a message (maybe through a signal emitted from the car itself?) that the phone's owner is driving, this added distraction of phones ringing incessantly would stop, allowing the driver to fully concentrate on the road.

Of course, this isn't a perfect solution, because a passenger may wish to call or text from a car he/she isn't driving. This company has come up with an interesting solution: http://www.safedrivingsystems.com/pr081211/

However, phones do more than just send and receive calls and text messages. Mine is also my GPS unit. Even in my home town, I use the GPS because I've got a directional sense of a lemming. This GPS has saved me so much time in circling neighborhoods, that I can't even begin to describe what a handy tool it is to me. I'd hate for it to be disabled along w/ my phone requiring me to purchase a separate unit just to have GPS capabilities.

This is why I feel that the phone companies need to come up with and market these features themselves. They have all the technology at their fingertips, all they need to do is implement it. I'd be willing to bet offering a device like the key device described above as an add on to a cell phone purchase (just like they do with Bluetooth headsets) would have parents celebrating.

Originally appeared in "The Onion"

Death Star to Open Daycare Center After months of speculation, it was confirmed yesterday that the Death Star, the Empire's vaunted, planet-destroying space station, has added a new, state-of-the-art day care centre to its already vast array of capabilities. The massive four-room day care centre, which, according to Grand Moff Tarkin, will "provide a safe and fun learning environment for tots between the ages of one and four," has already begun spring enrollment and is expected to be fully operational by July 1. The new Sunshine Death Star Play and Learning Center provides battle station parents with a fun and safe environment for their children. The Imperial Emperor himself has overseen games of Duck Duck Goose encouraging the tots to "feel the hatred". "Nothing can stop the Sunshine Death Star Play and Learning Centre," the Imperial Emperor said via holograph. "With its four classrooms, outdoor playground and experienced staff of licensed day care professionals, no other facility can match its awesome instructive power." Though still several weeks away from full strength, the Sunshine Death Star Centre is already up and running. Among the most popular activities there are finger-painting, storytime and Duck Duck Goose, which the Emperor often helps lead. "Feel your hatred flow through you," he told 3-year-old Jenny Bates, as she energetically chased fellow toddler and "goose" Michael Phillips around the outside of the circle. "Give in to your hatred!" In addition to enjoying many fun games and learning activities, children at the Sunshine Death Star Day Care Centre have already witnessed the destruction of several planets out the centre's giant bay window. Last Friday, in the middle of a coloring activity, the planet Alderan was blown up, delighting 23 of the 24 children who witnessed the devastating power of the battle station. The sole exception was Libby Phelps, 3, whose family was vacationing in Alderan at the time of its destruction. She was frightened by the loud explosion and began to cry upon realizing that her mother, father and younger sister were now dead. The emperor's elite squadron of imperial guards leapt to action, removing the girl from the room and giving her some ice cream treats to calm her. According to Death Star officials, the idea for the center sprang up after a number of parents complained about the lack of quality, affordable child care options on the Death Star. "As a stormtrooper and father of three, I'm very excited about the new day care centre," Death Star citizen Ralph Sedgwick said. "It's a safe, nurturing environment, one in which my child will learn." Added Gail Lindon: "For years I took my daughter to work because I couldn't afford a nanny. Do you have any idea how hard it is to operate a tractor beam with a two-year-old pulling at your leg?" As excited as most are about the new day care centre, a few extremists have expressed concern about its proximity to the Death Star's reactor core. "There is an opening in the Death Star's main shaft that leads to the core," parent and dissenting voice Annette Voss said. "If a small rebel ship were to somehow break through the deflector shield and enter the shaft, it's possible it could hit the reactor core with a single, well-placed proton torpedo shot and destroy the entire space station." Experts, however, scoff at Voss's theory, dismissing such a shot as "a million to one."

MySpace Music Playlist at MixPod.com

Ever  been to a meat market type of bar on a major party night (like New Year's Eve)? The place is packed from Just before midnight 'til 2:00am when the dj announces:

"Last Call For Alcohol!"

That's your 15 minute warning that the bouncers are going to start shoving everyone outside in the very near future. If you haven't had a chance to buy that pretty girl a drink, this is it, do or die time.You've been drinking all evening and have lots of liquid courage combined with a sense of urgency that you only have a few minutes left to prove that you are indeed attractive to the opposite sex.

Then the lights come up. "Oh God!" you think to yourself, "If I didn't even get a phone number I really am a total loser." Suddenly you don't really care what others think about your desperate attempts to seek companionship or at the very least, be the one to decide to turn away companionship. You are obnoxious, loud and are starting to harass the one kind-of-cute-nice girl in the room. Her friends are trying to get her out the door and as far away from you as possible and in your desperation you call her something nasty like the word for female canine, and regret it almost immediately. You mumble an apology and look around for someone--anyone-- that might be willing to validate your inflated sense of self. You notice a middle aged woman in flannel, who is at least 50lbs overweight and think to yourself, "Aw, hell, might as well ask." As you approach she smiles ask "Need a cab?"

"Uh, no. Thanks."

There is one last option open to you if every girl in the place has turned you down flat--the after party. So you ask the DJ where the party is and he responds, "Hell if I know, I've got a wife and kid waiting for me, so I'm going home." You glance over at the bouncer, who is consoling the girl you just insulted, and decide to give it one last try. This time you are going to play dirty. You are going to offer him cash.

You walk on over to the bouncer and open you wallet, fanning out $20 bills for him to see and ask: "Would you happen to know where I might find a decent after party?"

The bouncer looks at your cash, looks back at you, looks down at our cash again and answers, "Yeah, I know a few."

Things are suddenly looking up, "I'm looking for someplace with nice girls, but not too nice. ifyaknowwhatImean..." as you fetch the bills out of your wallet. The bouncer smiles broadly and says he knows exactly what you need and grabs a bev-nap and writes down an address. He starts to hand over the napkin, and as you hold out your empty hand, he pulls it back and says, "Not until I feel the love..." as he glances down at your wallet then looks you right in the eye and winks.

Not wanting to take any chances, you give him your entire bankroll. You've got nearly $300 in your wallet (hoping to woo a female), and fork over the full amount, he hands you the napkin and quickly returns to his job of clearing the bar.

You look up for the lady lumberjack/cabdriver and suddenly realize you have no money left! Okay, don't panic. There must be an ATM nearby. You spot the ATM and pull out some cash, find the lady cab driver and secure a ride to your after party fun! You are one of the lucky few left standing, as you glance back into the bar parking lot, you see other, bigger losers than yourself shuffling over to Denny's. They are causalities of this game, this round. But you aren't far behind, because the ONLY reason why you are invited to the after party is because of money.

Now just imagine that the Don Juan of our story is United Health Care. Not all the health insurers are going to be able to extend the party, so they are making the most of what small amount of party is left.

The Health Insurance companies just got their "Last Call" from the American people. Most of them are going to have to go back to their regular lives and do business in such a way that they have to actually prove the value of their product to their customers. A few will still be elite companies providing for the wealthiest among us. 

Hey! Insurance companies! Stop insulting the few pretty girls left, and deal with the realities life. If you force people to buy a crappy product at too high a price, sooner or later the people are going to dump your product overboard.

The Republican Party held it’s annual Values Voters Summit. Mostly, the Values Voters attendees discussed items you would expect from just such a group—god, guns and gays.

I just thought this was too cool not to share. It seems to me this is the kind of social movement that no one can argue against, create a temporary park in a metered parking space on 9/18/09. Pretty cool huh? I'm trying to figure out if I have enough spare change to pull this off...



Read up about National Park(ing) Day here: http://www.parkingday.org/

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Ahhhhh! Labor Day Weekend

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This weekend marks the official farewell to summer. We celebrate by holding barbeque picnics, games at the beach or the lake, working in the yard or attending a parade or County Fair in your local hometown. Retail merchants are out in full force, trying to temp shoppers with bargains, restaurants are jammed packed and shopping centers are hubs of bustling activity as the last bit of back-to-school shopping is completed before students return to class rooms for the year.

According to the United States department of Labor, the Labor Day holiday was created to celebrate the workers of our nation:

The vital force of labor added materially to the highest standard of living and the greatest production the world has ever known and has brought us closer to the realization of our traditional ideals of economic and political democracy. It is appropriate, therefore, that the nation pay tribute on Labor Day to the creator of so much of the nation's strength, freedom, and leadership — the American worker.....

This is a holiday to celebrate you and me. We—the vital cogs in the machine—are being celebrated by the professional classes, the doctors, the teachers, the lawyers, the civil servants working at all levels of government. This is also a day that the wealthy elite pay tribute to those that have labored long and hard to produce the economic wealth that is now possible. Give the workers a holiday all their own, give them a day of celebration and relaxation, as their work is so vital to our success as a nation.

But something isn’t quite right with our modern “Labor Day” celebrations. It is the professional and upper classes that get to celebrate and relax, and the workers are the ones that make it possible to enjoy the long holiday weekend. Schools, banks and post offices are closed. The courts are closed; the government buildings are closed. Government workers all get the day off. Doctor’s offices are closed. Accounting firms are closed. Brokerage houses are closed. Professional organizations shutter their offices on this holiday weekend. The few professional and civic organizations that must remain open, generously reward their people for working on a national holiday through extra pay or other benefits such as extra vacation time.

But what about the workers? I’d be wiling to bet that Wal Mart (the nation’s largest private employer) isn’t offering extra pay to their people that work on the holiday weekend. Probably not any of the major retailing chains are offering any incentives to their workers to come in on this holiday dedicated to the American worker. Drive through your city and make note of all the restaurants, stores and shops that are open today. Also look at all the semi-trucks on the road delivering goods to those establishments. Who else is working this weekend? I know a lot of people in the construction business that are not taking the weekend off, mostly because they cannot afford to do so. Are the call centers closed? How about auto repair shops? Sears is pumping cars through their service center just like Wal Mart, Costco, Firestone, and the small local mom-and-pop car repair facilities.

It would appear that Labor Day is yet another day for the workers to labor on with their jobs. No time off for the useful cogs, while the professional elite are able to celebrate with some extra time off, or at the very least, some extra cash on top of their already generous salary.

Maybe I am bitter because I am a service worker (as are the vast majority of American workers). As many as 55% of all Americans can be considered service employees. Some are categorized as factory workers, but those factories are pumping out items for service based businesses, such as dough production for Pizza Hut restaurants or baked goods for the local Starbuck’s locations. I’d be willing to bet that neither company is giving their factory production facility workers the weekend off.

So enjoy your Labor Day weekend. I, for one, am working. Are you?

I live in Eugene Oregon. I also aspire to attend the University of Oregon for my Jr and Sr years of college starting fall of 2010. So let me explain some things about Oregon Duck's fans: they are loyal to their team, they are dedicated to the sports of the school and they have the reputation of being angry, mean and intimidating to the opposing teams.

Seriously, we have had riots in the streets after a bad sporting day for the Ducks. Feel free to google "Eugene Riots" and you'll see just how out of control the locals get when their team loses. The locals know to stay home if game day produces a loss, because going out can be one big confrontation, be it road rage, or bad attitudes at the grocery store or just general unpleasantness from obsessed fans. Grown men weep publicly when the Ducks lose (I'm not Kidding!).

So, seeing something like this happen yesterday comes as little surprise to the locals:



go ducks...yay?

How he ever ended up on Fox News, is beyond me. His program should be picked up by MTV or other cable entertainment network to compete with Bill Mahr or The Daily Show. This guy is funny! He doesn't belong lumped in with the likes of Rush Limbaugh or Bill O'Reilly.

Child's Pole Dancing Toy a Fake!

We (the taxpayers) just made $4 Billion profit on the bailout loans to the banks last fall. I tend to be more loan sharky, and would have liked to have seen a better ROI, but I'll take it. That'll cover cash for clunkers for a while longer, methinks!

Article link.