...from Brandon Bird
I can't tell which is better: his Law & Order coloring book, or the Special Victims Unit valentines.
...tangentially related, from Chris Dimino
- Z
Zobar's Journal
My Podcast Link
05/04/2007 14:32 #39154
fine art printsCategory: a series of tubes
...from Brandon Bird
I can't tell which is better: his Law & Order coloring book, or the Special Victims Unit valentines....tangentially related, from Chris Dimino
- Z
05/03/2007 13:04 #39140
degenerate algorithmsCategory: a series of tubes
It turns out that buying a laser printer for your house is not like buying an inkjet printer for your house. First off, you don't so much buy an inkjet printer as find it slipped into the packaging for some other major purchase you've made, like a Cracker Jack prize. [They are also like Cracker Jack prizes in that they are worthless pieces of crap, except that you need to keep feeding them $40 of ink every 150 pages.]
But when you buy a laser printer, even if it's just going to end up in your living room under a stack of papers and dirty laundry, Xerox sets you up with an account manager. I was not prepared for this. I emailed a question to, like, sales@xerox.com and got a response that said, hey, give me a call and we can chat. OK, spaz.
The punchline of this post is that since I use Gmail, Google's algorithms have determined that the following advertisement is somehow germane to the differences between the Xerox Phaser 6120 and 6180:
- Z
But when you buy a laser printer, even if it's just going to end up in your living room under a stack of papers and dirty laundry, Xerox sets you up with an account manager. I was not prepared for this. I emailed a question to, like, sales@xerox.com and got a response that said, hey, give me a call and we can chat. OK, spaz.
The punchline of this post is that since I use Gmail, Google's algorithms have determined that the following advertisement is somehow germane to the differences between the Xerox Phaser 6120 and 6180:
- Z
theecarey - 05/03/07 22:26
oh damn, thats funny. I am obsessed with checking the accuracy between content and ad links within gmail.
oh damn, thats funny. I am obsessed with checking the accuracy between content and ad links within gmail.
04/27/2007 19:30 #39063
i fucking hate radio shackCategory: commerce
More than it is reasonable for a man to despise any faceless corporation, I hate Radio Shack. Every Radio Shack store I go into is uniformly terrible, and yet each Radio Shack shopping experience is more frustrating than the last. Do not mention Radio Shack in my presence unless you are prepared to explore the depths of human loathing in intricate, painful detail. It multiplies my bitterness tenfold to realize that there are times you cannot avoid them no matter how hard you try. When I have no choice but to go to Radio Shack I clench my teeth, storm up to the nearest high-pressure sales associate, and demand in the stilted timbre of a madman: "BNC Connectors!" I must not say another word until after I have left the store, lest I unleash a tsunami of spiteful invective never to be quelled. Radio Shack is bad, man.
I have a bit of a problem: I need to run 250ft of video cable all over the roller rink. I was able to buy 500ft of RG-6 coaxial cable at Home Depot for $40, but I still needed ends. (e:ih8gates) was awesome enough to lend me his crimper and seven BNC connectors, but I needed one more, and some BNC-to-RCA adapters. I went to no less than five Radio Shacks through Hell and high water and could find only one BNC connector between them. It should be mentioned at this point that BNC connectors multiply in drawers the way coat hangers multiply in closets . Last night we discovered that the one connector that was provided by the combined efforts of a half-dozen Radio Shack outlets - had a short.
At some point I decided it would be a perfect business model to run a chain of stores exactly like Radio Shack, except where Radio Shack was terrible, these stores would be the opposite of that. This is no longer necessary. There is a place you can go where they know what you are talking about, they have what you need, and it is not gold plated for maximum markup. There is a weird little building down by GM Powertrain with a sign that says 'Radio Equipment Corporation - Public Welcome.' The public does not feel welcome - the parking lot is around back, there are no windows, and the door does not say 'Entrance.' One gets a sense from the Radio Equipment Corporation that buying BNC connectors is akin to buying weapons-grade enriched plutonium, and thus should be carried out hush-hush. But when you get inside, it nearly looks like a store, with rows of cardboard boxes full of stuff you could never possibly need, because you never know. The weird dude behind the counter assumes you know what you're talking about, because he does too. I get the feeling that if you didn't know what you were talking about, he could still help you. I told him if I ever have to go to Radio Shack again I'd murder someone. He understood.
Radio Equipment Corporation - 196 Vulcan St - 874-2690
- Z
I have a bit of a problem: I need to run 250ft of video cable all over the roller rink. I was able to buy 500ft of RG-6 coaxial cable at Home Depot for $40, but I still needed ends. (e:ih8gates) was awesome enough to lend me his crimper and seven BNC connectors, but I needed one more, and some BNC-to-RCA adapters. I went to no less than five Radio Shacks through Hell and high water and could find only one BNC connector between them. It should be mentioned at this point that BNC connectors multiply in drawers the way coat hangers multiply in closets
. Last night we discovered that the one connector that was provided by the combined efforts of a half-dozen Radio Shack outlets - had a short.At some point I decided it would be a perfect business model to run a chain of stores exactly like Radio Shack, except where Radio Shack was terrible, these stores would be the opposite of that. This is no longer necessary. There is a place you can go where they know what you are talking about, they have what you need, and it is not gold plated for maximum markup. There is a weird little building down by GM Powertrain with a sign that says 'Radio Equipment Corporation - Public Welcome.' The public does not feel welcome - the parking lot is around back, there are no windows, and the door does not say 'Entrance.' One gets a sense from the Radio Equipment Corporation that buying BNC connectors is akin to buying weapons-grade enriched plutonium, and thus should be carried out hush-hush. But when you get inside, it nearly looks like a store, with rows of cardboard boxes full of stuff you could never possibly need, because you never know. The weird dude behind the counter assumes you know what you're talking about, because he does too. I get the feeling that if you didn't know what you were talking about, he could still help you. I told him if I ever have to go to Radio Shack again I'd murder someone. He understood.
Radio Equipment Corporation
- 196 Vulcan St - 874-2690- Z
fellyconnelly - 05/04/07 14:15
we have a B&H photo video store about 20 minutes away from me down here in the hudson valley... luckily for me i can usually get everything i need there. but when i can't make that trip.... oh man i know what you mean...
ps i have about a dozen BNC's in my desk drawer i'd send you but it probably would be too late... :)
we have a B&H photo video store about 20 minutes away from me down here in the hudson valley... luckily for me i can usually get everything i need there. but when i can't make that trip.... oh man i know what you mean...
ps i have about a dozen BNC's in my desk drawer i'd send you but it probably would be too late... :)
lilho - 04/28/07 11:45
i hate radio shack too. all of the stuff they sell with the radio shack label is shit. never again!
i hate radio shack too. all of the stuff they sell with the radio shack label is shit. never again!
carolinian - 04/27/07 23:05
A few insights from a former Radio Shack employee.
Until you have worked at Radio Shack, you have no idea of the kind of pain the can inflict.
You think the BNC shit is bad? Back when I worked there in '99, they were still running an old Xenix system of an old tandy with a floppy tape for backup. None of the fucking machines that had set up as the registers could fucking read CD-ROMS. So guess what--customer asks you some kind of question about an obscure part, we had to get the manager to find the key to the display cabinets for the computers we sold (we displayed shells of computers, the actually ones were in a cabinet below), log out of the demo flash program (which was the only thing a prospective buyer could actually play with), and stick the CD-ROM in the display machine and then look up their question. Even more dumb, when we finally were transitioning to a windows system, we replaced the old tandy computers running Xenix terminals with blazing fast pentium 75's. Yup, that's right, the company was so incredibly fucking stupid that they actually bought the machines that would run the software at the time they were first drawing up the requirements for the software itself. By the time they had written the first alpha, the machines were already obsolete. And in regards to the software, we weren't allowed to use the word 'bugs'; we to use the term 'issues'. My experiences at radio shack taught me that one important thing: that there is no "The Man". Corporations really aren't evil, just unbelievably stupid. To damn stupid for anyone's own damn good.
As for the lack of knowlegable staff, it's always a catch-22. A really knowledgable staff person, if they were really knowlegable enough to answer hard questions, would probably work for people who would pay much more than the almost-minimum wage Radio Shack. does. What are you really going to expect for $7.00/hr?
A few insights from a former Radio Shack employee.
Until you have worked at Radio Shack, you have no idea of the kind of pain the can inflict.
You think the BNC shit is bad? Back when I worked there in '99, they were still running an old Xenix system of an old tandy with a floppy tape for backup. None of the fucking machines that had set up as the registers could fucking read CD-ROMS. So guess what--customer asks you some kind of question about an obscure part, we had to get the manager to find the key to the display cabinets for the computers we sold (we displayed shells of computers, the actually ones were in a cabinet below), log out of the demo flash program (which was the only thing a prospective buyer could actually play with), and stick the CD-ROM in the display machine and then look up their question. Even more dumb, when we finally were transitioning to a windows system, we replaced the old tandy computers running Xenix terminals with blazing fast pentium 75's. Yup, that's right, the company was so incredibly fucking stupid that they actually bought the machines that would run the software at the time they were first drawing up the requirements for the software itself. By the time they had written the first alpha, the machines were already obsolete. And in regards to the software, we weren't allowed to use the word 'bugs'; we to use the term 'issues'. My experiences at radio shack taught me that one important thing: that there is no "The Man". Corporations really aren't evil, just unbelievably stupid. To damn stupid for anyone's own damn good.
As for the lack of knowlegable staff, it's always a catch-22. A really knowledgable staff person, if they were really knowlegable enough to answer hard questions, would probably work for people who would pay much more than the almost-minimum wage Radio Shack. does. What are you really going to expect for $7.00/hr?
paul - 04/27/07 20:58
I got lots of stuff at that placeon Vulcan. For a while I was obsessed and bought stuff I didn't know what to do with in hopes of figuring it out - now it all live box somewhere with my soldering iron.
I got lots of stuff at that placeon Vulcan. For a while I was obsessed and bought stuff I didn't know what to do with in hopes of figuring it out - now it all live box somewhere with my soldering iron.
uncutsaniflush - 04/27/07 20:06
When I was a kid (1970s) there was a Radio Shack within bicycle distance of my house. The staff there was knowledgable and tolerated all the silly and I'm certain stupid questions that I asked. I reckon those days are gone. Radio Shack was one of the places that I learned what little I know about computers and electronics.
When I was a kid (1970s) there was a Radio Shack within bicycle distance of my house. The staff there was knowledgable and tolerated all the silly and I'm certain stupid questions that I asked. I reckon those days are gone. Radio Shack was one of the places that I learned what little I know about computers and electronics.
04/25/2007 16:35 #39040
wohCategory: wang
04/24/2007 15:03 #39027
a substitute for political commentaryCategory: politics
I think it would be great to start a 'political cartoon' of sorts with no actual commentary or talent - just a picture of today's top headline with googly eyes. You probably think that's stupid, but I bet the comment threads would be incendiary enough to generate and maintain significant traffic. How many steps does it take to get from 'Alberto Gonzales has googly eyes' to ' (e:zobar) is an America-hating fascist?'
- Z
joshua - 04/24/07 18:45
Here comes the NSA!
Here comes the NSA!
paul - 04/24/07 18:42
Here is to trying: I can't believe (e:zobar) is such an American Hating fascist from Buffalo, NY. I mean what did Alberto Gonzales ever do to you, (e:zobar) of estrip in Buffalo, NY? Did Alberto Gonzales kill your babies or rape you sister while drowning her in a pool of her own blood on Main Street in Buffalo, NY?
(e:zobar) - I can't believe you would abuse a photo-editing program for your own political ends, do you think America will tolerate a Alberto Gonzales with googly eyes - let alone on the internet! (e:zobar) you are intolerant!
About.com :::link::: says that, "political science is the academic subject centering on the relations between governments and other governments, and between governments and peoples."
The real question is if (e:zobar) and his googly eyes are trying to make political science, a science of the arts - using real media techniques to grant meaning to images of Alberto Gonzales with googly eyes that say much more than words - in Buffalo, NY.
Here is to trying: I can't believe (e:zobar) is such an American Hating fascist from Buffalo, NY. I mean what did Alberto Gonzales ever do to you, (e:zobar) of estrip in Buffalo, NY? Did Alberto Gonzales kill your babies or rape you sister while drowning her in a pool of her own blood on Main Street in Buffalo, NY?
(e:zobar) - I can't believe you would abuse a photo-editing program for your own political ends, do you think America will tolerate a Alberto Gonzales with googly eyes - let alone on the internet! (e:zobar) you are intolerant!
About.com :::link::: says that, "political science is the academic subject centering on the relations between governments and other governments, and between governments and peoples."
The real question is if (e:zobar) and his googly eyes are trying to make political science, a science of the arts - using real media techniques to grant meaning to images of Alberto Gonzales with googly eyes that say much more than words - in Buffalo, NY.
metalpeter - 04/24/07 17:57
I think what would be cool is to make what ever reason they are being mocked or put down as part of the cartoon. So say Bush is shot he would bleed oil and the band Aides would be Haliburton brand. Maybe if it was a picture of Imus he would have black curly hair or something.
I think what would be cool is to make what ever reason they are being mocked or put down as part of the cartoon. So say Bush is shot he would bleed oil and the band Aides would be Haliburton brand. Maybe if it was a picture of Imus he would have black curly hair or something.
dragonlady7 - 04/24/07 15:52
Googly News.
Googly News.
mrmike - 04/24/07 15:49
You mean Ted doesn't have googly eyes already??
You mean Ted doesn't have googly eyes already??
joshua - 04/24/07 15:07
You aren't a fascist, you are a communist. Get it right! Easy - only kidding man, only kidding. =P
I'm bored with political commentary lately. Politics is at such a low and despicable state of affairs that I'll take your googly-eyed cartoons over anything said on the news. I insist that you torch Ted Kennedy though.
You aren't a fascist, you are a communist. Get it right! Easy - only kidding man, only kidding. =P
I'm bored with political commentary lately. Politics is at such a low and despicable state of affairs that I'll take your googly-eyed cartoons over anything said on the news. I insist that you torch Ted Kennedy though.
AH fuck... just google a bad day at sea damn it.
Sorry, A Bad Day at Sea is clearly Brandon Bird's Magnum Opus.
[img]0507/SquidfightDark0504.jpg[/img]
But now that I think about it, it is so tough to pick a favorite. King of the Cage? Perhaps.