I’ll be posting excerpts from my upcoming book right here. So, be sure to bookmark this page now.
Ever wonder how you can trim down that bloated friends list? I’ll teach you how! Stay tuned!
Christopher “SpyderBite” Whalen
You’re Not Right.
Just because you believe passionately about something does not make you right. And I use the word “right” loosely.
I understand that people believe in God. That’s cool. Personally, I prefer to give myself credit for my achievements and blame myself for my bad decisions. But, I do not dismiss those who prefer to offer their fate to a Deity.
On a technology level.. There is no “best” when it comes to what you do with your smart phone, computer, automobile or digital entertainment. If you are happy and enjoy the experiences you are having then it is all good. It is possible that there are better options available which will increase your enjoyment. But, it is not my place to tell you that what you are doing is wrong or “worse”.
Let Me Explain
In fact, those people who feel it necessary to “correct” people who are not experiencing the same level of enjoyment as they are, should be taken out back and raped violently by convicts who are seeking early release.
Don’t damn me yet. You can’t anyways since I’m an Agnostic. But, regardless. If your neighbor has DSL and you have Cable and you are irritated by the buffering during a movie while visiting your neighbor; that is your own discomfort. Your neighbor has accepted that as the norm. Yes, you have better bandwidth and it is more than acceptable to offer a suggestion that they look in to a cable alternative.
But, it is not your place to tell them that they suck and that they’re idiots for not having cable.
Unfortunately, this is something that people do because they believe that their opinion is Fact.
Politics Is No Different
Does Obama suck? I don’t know. My life hasn’t changed at all since he was sworn in to office. But, ask half of my friends, and my life sucks as a result of his occupancy in office. And, if I’m not aware of how badly my life sucks, then it only makes their point more potent.
Would Romney be a better President? I have no idea of knowing that because right now, all he is doing is telling us what he plans on doing. Sort of like Obama, Palin, etc. Will my life change if Romney is President. Probably not.
But, people will tell you that you are an idiot if you don’t choose a side. Mac or PC. Obama or Romney. Heinz or Hunt’s.
Whoops. The latter is the same.
Bottom Line
Appreciate somebody’s opinion. And, if it isn’t coherent with yours.. well, my opinion is to discuss your views with them. If they decide to jump off the deep end with it; then do what I do. Ignore them or change the subject.
Just like my ex-wife.. nothing will piss them off more than not arguing with them.
Until Next Time..
I wish that somebody were around that was able to tell me what to do and it would always improve my life. However, I don’t believe in God, so I can’t delude myself in that manner. But, I refuse to tell somebody that their ideas are wrong. Even the racists and homophobes. Even the Religious zealots. They; no WE are all looking for contentment. And, what ever that takes.. more power to you.
But, don’t you dare tell me what I should be doing to feel content. Or I’ll make sure you’re raped violently by convicts who are seeking early release.
Christopher “SpyderBite” Whalen
Remember that today is not about a 3 day weekend, booze & BBQ. It is about the men and women who made it possible for you to enjoy those activities today.
Be Safe,
Christopher “SpyderBite” Whalen
The site has been down for about 72 hours due to a corrupted WP plugin. I’ve removed the plugin and the site is functioning again for the time being. My apologies to those who rely on the Trackbacks.
Until Next Time…
Christopher “SpyderBite” Whalen
As an “Early Adapter” it is already frustrating that I am still forced to lug around a laptop computer with an antiquated optical drive and steampunk driven hard disk drive. But, now the media is actually encouraging these steps backwards.
Don’t Drop The Remote!
Local print newspapers are soliciting their 8×10″ 60 page TV Guides here in the northeast. What the fuck is that about. And, they are shamelessly targeting the already frustrated and confused elderly people by featuring a 70-something couple in their cable commercials bickering over how difficult it is to navigate the on screen guides. So, in the catch moment of the 45 second ad, the wife slaps her spouse with her “TV Weekly” and points out that the rerun of House that he’s looking for on a non-HD channel is on channel 85. Proclaiming, “Now aren’t you glad we got TV Weekly”.
Let me give our technology challenged friends a little enlightenment.
1. You have to pay for another subscription in addition to the one you shell out to have a newspaper on your porch every morning. The fact that you are still one of the last 15,000 people in the country still getting a newspaper delivered to your door is another conversation. But, for the elderly on a fixed income, paying even more for a second redundant publication blows my mind. Especially when the most comprehensive entertainment guide on the planet is sitting on your coffee table. Your remote.
2. Channel guides are searchable, offer filters and allow you to set your favorite channels. They’ll remind you when your favorite shows are about to begin and most will even save your favorite shows so that you can watch them when you get up at 4am since you missed them when you went to bed at 7:30pm.
The last time I saw a copy of TV Guide was next to my father’s armchair. I rarely used the guide myself. I knew exactly what channel MTV was on back then. Of course, their were only 15 channels in those days.
Online Technology Schools Are Hardly Educating
“For more information about obtaining your Online Degree in Technology, just pick up your phone and Call 1-800-WeR-DUMB and we’ll Mail you your informative welcome package”. I don’t think I need to go in to much detail on this one.
Calling Dr. Dumbass
I have 3 different Doctors but all of them have one thing in common. They bill via the United States Postal Service. Worse, I am unable to pay them unless I write and mail them a check or money order or call them and give them my credit card number. This is frustrating for a couple of reasons.
1. I haven’t written a paper check in almost 10 years. My current checking account doesn’t even offer the option of ordering paper checks.
2. I don’t buy stamps. Why not? Because I don’t fucking mail anything EXCEPT payment for my recent doctor visits!
Now, I’ve attempted to pay before I leave the doctor’s office. However, things like blood tests, etc. aren’t billed by my doctor. They’re billed by the blood testing lab which is not on premises. I am normally tolerant enough to overlook this lack of communication and technology. But, it is very difficult to avoid going in to an Incredible Hulk rage when the doctor’s assistant who is explaining the billing process to me is holding a god damned iPad!
A DVD Does Not Equate To Ownership
With digital deliveries of media content surpassing physical media (DVD, BluRay, CD-Rom) by 150% last year; there is absolutely no reason that you have to own a copy of anything on any of these mentioned mediums. Therefor, I do not need an optical drive in my computer. However, the computer manufacturers are still shipping majority of their new computer models with optical drives because Grandpa George will have a stroke if he does not have the physical disk in hand to prove that he owns the software or movie he purchased. As if the Software Police are going to come to his door and demand that he prove that he owns that copy of Quicken ’97 by presenting them with his original CD-Rom.
Download the software. It is less expensive. It is environmentally friendly. And, your software will be up to date so that you can avoid the 36 hour update required before you can actually use the software. As for movies. When was the last time that anybody rented a movie from a Blockbuster or Hollywood Video store? Most movies are available On Demand from your cable or satellite providers the day that they are released on DVD/BluRay. Sometimes sooner. You can also own a movie via outlets such as iTunes, Vudu and Amazon and watch them on your television as well as any of your mobile devices and computers anywhere at anytime without having to hoard discs in your entertainment center on a medium that is likely to be as antiquated as Beta VHS in less than 2 years.
Bottom Line
I realize that many people are scared or confused by new technology. Realistically, most of these people will be dead of natural causes inside of 10 years. So, is it really cost efficient for our economy and our environment to enable these people by encouraging them to hide from technology?
The answer is No. We need to move forward and let the late adapters catch up when they finally realize that we’re not going live in a retroactive society to accommodate their fear, confusion, frugality or laziness. It worked with the 3.5″ floppy disks, VHS tapes and 8-Track Tapes. When the stragglers finally realized that they were unable to obtain the latest media on any of these mediums they adapted or continued to watch Dirty Dancing and listen to the Fame soundtrack on their old equipment until their family and neighbors stopped making fun of them.
Until Next Time..
I would really like to purchase my next laptop without the bulk of DVD and IDE Hard Drives. Unfortunately, because so many people need an optical drive to watch movies because they won’t shell out $7/month for Netflix or Hulu. Or because some are so frightened that their photos of their family vacation will be hacked if they upload them to a cloud network. I am forced to either pay $600-$900 more for a slimline designed computer and pay my doctor bill by licking a stamp and searching the city for one of those blue USPS drop off boxes.
Stop making my life so complicated just because you prefer to live your life that way.
Christopher “SpyderBite” Whalen
Ppl on @ebay crack me up. So intent on winning an auction they’ll often pay more than retail for a pre-owned item. #wtf
