The only site I can really compare FooPets to is SuperPoke Pets since that is where I now take refuge. Here are just some of the things about SuperPoke! Pets that I like.
1. You earn coins for logging in, spinning the daily wheel, playing with your friends, and recycling items that you buy, earn or grow in the garden (more on that later). You can amass coin pretty fast in this game. Coin is used to buy items in the store which are sold for coin. Not all items are sold for coin, but there is a very good selection of items that are.
2. The "premium" items in the store are sold for gold. Just like FooDollars, each gold costs 10 cents. The difference is that there are items in the store for just 8 gold! When is the last time you saw something in the FooMart for 8 FooDollars? The majority of the items run between 15 and 50 gold (1.50 to 5.00) and they give you 5 gold free when you join. If you enter valid credit card information on your profile for your store purchases, you get 25 gold free.
3. They have a release schedule for the store so you don't have to wonder when they will release the next new item. Something new is released every day, Monday thru Friday, on a schedule (12 noon Pacific time or 7PM Pacific time, depending on the day).
4. You can grow stuff! I totally love the garden. You do have to get up to level 5 before you get a garden but you move through the lower levels pretty fast. Once you have a garden (5 plots with the option to buy a second garden for gold or coin) you can buy the seeds you want and grow the items you want to decorate your habitat. Some seeds are coin, some seeds are gold, and they all have different growing times so patience is a must, especially with the gold seeds as you don't know exactly what you're going to get until the seed is done (you know what the possibilities are, but which item you end up with is a surprise).
5. Want and have lists. This is something FooPets desperately needs. How it works is easy: I can go to my home and from there I can chose which items I have that I am interested in trading. Every item that I own doesn't show up on my "Have" list, just those items that I put there. Then I can go to my "Want" list and put the items that I want to have. If I want to do some trading I can head over to the Trading Forum where people post their Want and Have lists. While browsing, SPP highlights items a user has on their list that matches mine. For instance, if I have the 2011 Tickle Me Kay Bear on my Have list, that item will be highlighted if it appears on another users Want list, making it easy to find who is looking for what I have -- or who has what I want. The highlighting appears whenever someone has my want list item in their have list as well as if someone has my have list item in their want list.
6. Trade Requests -- SPP has made it safe and easy! Once I've found someone who has something I want and/or is looking for something I have, I send a trade request and state which item on their Have list I want and which item in my inventory I am willing to trade for it. The request is sent and if it is accepted the items are automatically moved into each others inventory. No fuss and no worry about being scammed.
7. The admins are ALIVE! I actually know who the admins of SPP are and I have conversed with them! I have them in my friend list! They participate in the forums and the quests, they answer questions...now they are far from perfect and in some ways SPP's admins are lacking but at least they are a presence and they are very visible on the site and in the forums.
Up next...how SPP makes the game of playing with an animated pet interesting enough that the players come back.
Thursday, February 10, 2011
Saturday, January 29, 2011
The FooPets Finagle
This blog used to be about something completely different (obviously) but now that I've figured out my login information and can get back in, I'm going to use it for a much different purpose -- helping to expose FooPets.
If you don't recognize my username from FooPets its because this is not my username at FooPets. Let them just try to figure out who I am! No, it's not out of fear, it's because I've had this blog since before there even was a FooPets so obviously the username is different.
Will be hopefully posting soon!
If you don't recognize my username from FooPets its because this is not my username at FooPets. Let them just try to figure out who I am! No, it's not out of fear, it's because I've had this blog since before there even was a FooPets so obviously the username is different.
Will be hopefully posting soon!
Friday, July 27, 2007
In Case of Terrorist Attack
Since the government is once again trying to distract us all from what is really going on by yelling, "Look, over there! Shiny keys...err...terrorists are going to get you!", I thought it would be a good idea to post my In Case of Terrorist Attack information sheet, because I am far more entertaining than the people that write government websites.
What should you do in the event of a terrorist attack?
If you see a large aerosol can spraying an orange substances, don't run away! Take a moment to ponder whether this could, in fact, be hazardous to you.
The secret to opening the emergency exit is to give it a karate chop at the top, middle and bottom.
No matter what floor you are on, the elevator does not stop on your floor and is cutoff by walls.
Head straight for the exit, or run around the room before leaving?
Luckily, there is no door leading to the contaminated area. Unfortunately there is no door leading to the shelter either. How did you get into a room with no door?
In the event of a terrorist attack, fire trucks will be equipped with ladders and bongs.
Find the small desk with the heaviest monitor sitting on it and crawl underneath.
If you are trapped beneath rubble, use your flashlight to make shadow puppets.
While trapped in a confined space, try not to fart.
In the event of a nuclear blast, swerve into the bike lane and continue to drive towards the blast.
Hey, if it could work in Back to the Future, why not give it a try? A live power line may be just the boost you need to go to the past and prevent this terrorist attack.
Radiation will try to lure you with its siren song. Fortunately, a piece of sheetrock will block its call and keep you safe.
Microwave humans on high for 5 minutes 12 seconds.
Radiation makes you grow taller -- watch your head!
The white tents are for appearance only. If you need medical attention, please lie down on the ground outside of the nice white tent -- we don't want to get them dirty.
No, you still cannot see the file that the government created on you based on the warrantless wiretapping.
Do not offer anal sex to the terrorists. You'll only regret it in the morning.
Remember: Pillage, then burn.
Pop Quiz! Which of these items does not belong?
a) biohazardous material
b) dead fish
c) hurricanes
Decide now where you want to have sex when the terrorists strike so you don't waste time.
The Golden Gate Bridge is not a terrorist target.
Texas, however, is.
If you see a large aerosol can spraying an orange substances, don't run away! Take a moment to ponder whether this could, in fact, be hazardous to you.
No matter what floor you are on, the elevator does not stop on your floor and is cutoff by walls.
Head straight for the exit, or run around the room before leaving?
Luckily, there is no door leading to the contaminated area. Unfortunately there is no door leading to the shelter either. How did you get into a room with no door?
In the event of a terrorist attack, fire trucks will be equipped with ladders and bongs.
Find the small desk with the heaviest monitor sitting on it and crawl underneath.
If you are trapped beneath rubble, use your flashlight to make shadow puppets.
While trapped in a confined space, try not to fart.
In the event of a nuclear blast, swerve into the bike lane and continue to drive towards the blast.
Hey, if it could work in Back to the Future, why not give it a try? A live power line may be just the boost you need to go to the past and prevent this terrorist attack.
Radiation will try to lure you with its siren song. Fortunately, a piece of sheetrock will block its call and keep you safe.
Microwave humans on high for 5 minutes 12 seconds.
Radiation makes you grow taller -- watch your head!
The white tents are for appearance only. If you need medical attention, please lie down on the ground outside of the nice white tent -- we don't want to get them dirty.
No, you still cannot see the file that the government created on you based on the warrantless wiretapping.
Do not offer anal sex to the terrorists. You'll only regret it in the morning.
Remember: Pillage, then burn.
Pop Quiz! Which of these items does not belong?a) biohazardous material
b) dead fish
c) hurricanes
Decide now where you want to have sex when the terrorists strike so you don't waste time.
The Golden Gate Bridge is not a terrorist target.
Texas, however, is.Tuesday, April 24, 2007
So what can we do about it?
This is my Tuesday topic -- What can we do about changing the way things are?
How can you and I end this pointless, endless war before another 3,333 U.S. soliders die? What can the ordinary citizens do to stop George Bush and Dick Cheney? Protests? Blogs? Let's be honest, no blog is going to change politics or get us out of Iraq, no matter how much we would like to believe that we are making a difference. Bloggers open the diaglogue and get conversations started in the hopes of getting people to think, but that is all that we can do.
Protests don't do much either. Oh sure, a good protest rally (especially one that gets national coverage) sends a message to Washington and to the White House. The problem is that the White House has given us the proverbial finger and no matter what message the people send to the White House, Bush and Cheney are going to do as they please.
What are we supposed to do?
How can you and I end this pointless, endless war before another 3,333 U.S. soliders die? What can the ordinary citizens do to stop George Bush and Dick Cheney? Protests? Blogs? Let's be honest, no blog is going to change politics or get us out of Iraq, no matter how much we would like to believe that we are making a difference. Bloggers open the diaglogue and get conversations started in the hopes of getting people to think, but that is all that we can do.
Protests don't do much either. Oh sure, a good protest rally (especially one that gets national coverage) sends a message to Washington and to the White House. The problem is that the White House has given us the proverbial finger and no matter what message the people send to the White House, Bush and Cheney are going to do as they please.
What are we supposed to do?
Monday, April 16, 2007
Politicizing the Virginia Tech Massacre
Let me begin by saying that I am still shocked about what happened today. No, I didn't know anyone there, but things like this really drive home just how unsafe we all are, and just how fragile life is.
Earlier today I went to the MSN message board about the shootings and it was appalling. People were posting about it like it was a joke..."ROFL why are you all surprised?" and "32 dead, not bad, not bad at all but could have been better". Anyone who is sick enough to not only think that way but post it deserves to be shot in the head. Sorry, but killing someone like that would have been better for society than killing those 32 college students.
Then there were the political posts -- it's President Bush's fault, it's the NRA's fault, if we outlawed guns this wouldn't have happened, if the students/teachers inside had been armed this wouldn't have happened, we need to bring prayer back into the schools, we need to stop praying to a god that doesn't exist...to all of these 'blame the other side' posters I have one thing to say --
WOULD YOU ALL PLEASE JUST SHUT THE F**K UP!
Thirty-two lives were lost today (I don't count the gunman, he took his own life and deserves whatever fate awaits him). Thirty-two families are mourning the loss of a son, daughter, brother, sister, neice, nephew, aunt, uncle, mother, father, or friend. Show a little respect for their grief and their loss and stop trying to turn this into something political that you can use against your enemies.
You want to know why this happened? Re-read what I said above about the posts on MSN. Society no longer cares about the loss of human life. We're all so disconnected from one another that 32 people dying means nothing to us. Why is it that very few people took the time to think about those lives lost, those families shattered, and just offer their sympathies, regardless of political affiliation?
And now, my responses to a few of the comments that were on that board:
To those who said that having a few students/teachers with concealed weapons would have stopped the gunman before he killed so many: Most likely it would only have resulted in more deaths when the 'good guy' panicked. Let's not forget that the police wouldn't know who was the good guy and who was the bad guy and would have (IMO justifiably) shot anyone they saw with a gun.
To those who said that outlawing guns would have prevented this: News flash - possessing and using cocaine, marijuana and heroin is against the law, yet there is no shortage of people buying, selling and using these drugs. Outlawing guns would have the same affect on shootings that outlawing drugs has had on people getting high.
To those who said that prayer needs to be returned to the classroom: For the truly faithful, prayer can never be removed from the classroom, or anywhere else, unless you believe that God can only listens to what comes out of your mouth and not to what is in your heart or on your mind.
To those who said that this happened because people aren't intelligent enough to stop praying and realize that there is no God: And just how is losing one's faith going to stop something like this?
To the friends and families of those lost and those injured, my deepest sympathies. You are in my thoughts and yes, my prayers.
Earlier today I went to the MSN message board about the shootings and it was appalling. People were posting about it like it was a joke..."ROFL why are you all surprised?" and "32 dead, not bad, not bad at all but could have been better". Anyone who is sick enough to not only think that way but post it deserves to be shot in the head. Sorry, but killing someone like that would have been better for society than killing those 32 college students.
Then there were the political posts -- it's President Bush's fault, it's the NRA's fault, if we outlawed guns this wouldn't have happened, if the students/teachers inside had been armed this wouldn't have happened, we need to bring prayer back into the schools, we need to stop praying to a god that doesn't exist...to all of these 'blame the other side' posters I have one thing to say --
WOULD YOU ALL PLEASE JUST SHUT THE F**K UP!
Thirty-two lives were lost today (I don't count the gunman, he took his own life and deserves whatever fate awaits him). Thirty-two families are mourning the loss of a son, daughter, brother, sister, neice, nephew, aunt, uncle, mother, father, or friend. Show a little respect for their grief and their loss and stop trying to turn this into something political that you can use against your enemies.
You want to know why this happened? Re-read what I said above about the posts on MSN. Society no longer cares about the loss of human life. We're all so disconnected from one another that 32 people dying means nothing to us. Why is it that very few people took the time to think about those lives lost, those families shattered, and just offer their sympathies, regardless of political affiliation?
And now, my responses to a few of the comments that were on that board:
To those who said that having a few students/teachers with concealed weapons would have stopped the gunman before he killed so many: Most likely it would only have resulted in more deaths when the 'good guy' panicked. Let's not forget that the police wouldn't know who was the good guy and who was the bad guy and would have (IMO justifiably) shot anyone they saw with a gun.
To those who said that outlawing guns would have prevented this: News flash - possessing and using cocaine, marijuana and heroin is against the law, yet there is no shortage of people buying, selling and using these drugs. Outlawing guns would have the same affect on shootings that outlawing drugs has had on people getting high.
To those who said that prayer needs to be returned to the classroom: For the truly faithful, prayer can never be removed from the classroom, or anywhere else, unless you believe that God can only listens to what comes out of your mouth and not to what is in your heart or on your mind.
To those who said that this happened because people aren't intelligent enough to stop praying and realize that there is no God: And just how is losing one's faith going to stop something like this?
To the friends and families of those lost and those injured, my deepest sympathies. You are in my thoughts and yes, my prayers.
Friday, March 02, 2007
Huh?
Sometimes you come across something that just makes you wonder just how stupid people are. My latest was the brochure that was included with a Visa gift card. Yes, my gift card from Wells Fargo came with it's very own Wells Fargo Visa Gift Card Agreement and User Guide.
It contains some userful information, such as "Although your Card is a debit card, it will not work with debit payment systems that require a personal identification number (PIN)." Stuff like that you need to know. It tells about how they start charging a fee if you don't use all the money within 12 months, and they charge a fee if you lose the card and they have to issue you a replacement card, and they charge you $15 if you cancel the card and cash it out. Oh, and you can't use the card for 'gambling or any other unlawful activity'.
I can't use it for any unlawful activity? When did the criminals start accepting VISA? Is there a drug dealer out there set up to take credit cards?
I know the bank is just covering their own asses, but I really don't think using the card for 'unlawful purposes' is going to be that easy because the people who are breaking the law don't want the trail that a credit card would create.
But if the criminals did take credit cards, think how much easier it would be for the cops to find them.
It contains some userful information, such as "Although your Card is a debit card, it will not work with debit payment systems that require a personal identification number (PIN)." Stuff like that you need to know. It tells about how they start charging a fee if you don't use all the money within 12 months, and they charge a fee if you lose the card and they have to issue you a replacement card, and they charge you $15 if you cancel the card and cash it out. Oh, and you can't use the card for 'gambling or any other unlawful activity'.
I can't use it for any unlawful activity? When did the criminals start accepting VISA? Is there a drug dealer out there set up to take credit cards?
I know the bank is just covering their own asses, but I really don't think using the card for 'unlawful purposes' is going to be that easy because the people who are breaking the law don't want the trail that a credit card would create.
But if the criminals did take credit cards, think how much easier it would be for the cops to find them.
Monday, February 26, 2007
What is wrong with us?
Really, what is wrong with us as a society when our biggest concern is not that war with (insert name of country George Bush and Dick Cheney are currently touting as 'evil') is looming on the horizon, our men and women are being killed and wounded every day in Iraq, Osama Bin Ladin is still on the loose (because George doesn't consider him to be important enough to look for), the Avian Flu is still a threat, spinach and peanut butter are more dangerous to your health than trans fats thanks to e. coli and salmonella, and what is the front page news? What is the headline of all the news websites?
ANNA NICOLE'S MOTHER GETS STAY TO STOP FUNERAL
LARRY BIRKHEAD ARRIVES FOR PATERNITY CASE
LAWYER ALLEGES 'FRAUD' IN SMITH BABY'S BIRTH CERTIFICATE
COURT: DON'T MOVE ANNA NICOLE'S BODY
STERN: ANNA NICOLE WAS MY BEST FRIEND
LARRY BIRKHEAD ARRIVES FOR PATERNITY CASE
LAWYER ALLEGES 'FRAUD' IN SMITH BABY'S BIRTH CERTIFICATE
COURT: DON'T MOVE ANNA NICOLE'S BODY
STERN: ANNA NICOLE WAS MY BEST FRIEND
With all that is going on the world, and all of the things that NEED to be fixed (medical care, education, social security, our soldiers dying because they lack the property equipment and training, levees that are no closer to being in good shape than they were when Hurricane Katrina struck the Gulf Coast) our news is interested only in covering ANNA NICOLE SMITH?
She's dead, and those that loved her should handle their grieving and their disputes in PRIVATE. The outcome of this case is not going to impact anyone but her family. Hello, media, could you please cover stories that affect THE REST OF US and stop pandering to judges, her mother and her alleged boyfriends who are only looking for publicity? I can only hope that custody of her baby is either given to Howard Stern, the man that has been taking care of her, or that some judge makes her a ward of the court and lets her be adopted by a normal family. Her mother and Birkhead only want custody of her for the money that she stands to inherit.
Just my two cents.
She's dead, and those that loved her should handle their grieving and their disputes in PRIVATE. The outcome of this case is not going to impact anyone but her family. Hello, media, could you please cover stories that affect THE REST OF US and stop pandering to judges, her mother and her alleged boyfriends who are only looking for publicity? I can only hope that custody of her baby is either given to Howard Stern, the man that has been taking care of her, or that some judge makes her a ward of the court and lets her be adopted by a normal family. Her mother and Birkhead only want custody of her for the money that she stands to inherit.
Just my two cents.
Friday, February 16, 2007
Those hilarious right-wingers
Sometimes I wonder if Comedy Central realizes just how much of a threat Fox News is. Unfortunately I'm not talking about "The Half-Hour News Hour", either.
Picture this, if you will: a guest on one of the Fox News shows is saying that every day we are losing more and more American lives, and Ann Coulter very confidently announces, "No, we're not!"
Could someone please let those families of the dead soldiers know that according to Ann Coulter, we aren't actually losing any American lives in Iraq. I have no idea where anyone could have gotten that idea.
I must admit though, that her column at anncoulter.com actually contained a few factual statements. For example, she states that "Any idiot can run for president." This is undeniably true given that an idiot is currently serving as president.
Something that struck me as rather odd is that in her photo section, there is a picture of her posing with the marker for Senator Joseph McCarthy. Too bad that whole "fall of Communism" thing happened before we could have McCarthyism, Round Two, huh Ann?
If I could ask Ann one question, I think it would be this: Why don't you give up the hate angle and tell America what you good Hard-Right Conservatives are doing to make this country better? You've got plenty of examples of what Liberals are doing to ruin it, why aren't you Conservatives fighting to make things right?
Oh, and if you've never read one of Ann's books and are wondering if you should give her writing a chance, consider this little fact: her hardcover books can be found selling on Amazon.com used for as little as 29 cents.
Finally, as a tribute to Ann's amazing writing skills, I give you something to read: Jonah Goldberg on Ann Coulter.
Picture this, if you will: a guest on one of the Fox News shows is saying that every day we are losing more and more American lives, and Ann Coulter very confidently announces, "No, we're not!"
Could someone please let those families of the dead soldiers know that according to Ann Coulter, we aren't actually losing any American lives in Iraq. I have no idea where anyone could have gotten that idea.
I must admit though, that her column at anncoulter.com actually contained a few factual statements. For example, she states that "Any idiot can run for president." This is undeniably true given that an idiot is currently serving as president.
Something that struck me as rather odd is that in her photo section, there is a picture of her posing with the marker for Senator Joseph McCarthy. Too bad that whole "fall of Communism" thing happened before we could have McCarthyism, Round Two, huh Ann?
If I could ask Ann one question, I think it would be this: Why don't you give up the hate angle and tell America what you good Hard-Right Conservatives are doing to make this country better? You've got plenty of examples of what Liberals are doing to ruin it, why aren't you Conservatives fighting to make things right?
Oh, and if you've never read one of Ann's books and are wondering if you should give her writing a chance, consider this little fact: her hardcover books can be found selling on Amazon.com used for as little as 29 cents.
Finally, as a tribute to Ann's amazing writing skills, I give you something to read: Jonah Goldberg on Ann Coulter.
Monday, February 12, 2007
A sad day
We are members of Catster (the cat site run by the same people who run Dogster) and we learned today that a very sweet, special kitty named Navin has passed away and gone to the Rainbow Bridge.
I don't know why that makes me so sad. Maybe it's because Navin's diary made me laugh so much. He and his Magic Pants were just too hilarious at times. Or maybe it's because we had been visiting Navin's page less lately because we were just too busy.
So busy that we didn't even realize he had been sick for the last few weeks, or that he had been diagnosed with feline leukemia.
Navin, we all love and miss you, and our thoughts and prayers are with your family. I know that you are at the Rainbow Bridge with the tail that you always longed for, running free for the Magic Pants are no longer required.
I don't know why that makes me so sad. Maybe it's because Navin's diary made me laugh so much. He and his Magic Pants were just too hilarious at times. Or maybe it's because we had been visiting Navin's page less lately because we were just too busy.
So busy that we didn't even realize he had been sick for the last few weeks, or that he had been diagnosed with feline leukemia.
Navin, we all love and miss you, and our thoughts and prayers are with your family. I know that you are at the Rainbow Bridge with the tail that you always longed for, running free for the Magic Pants are no longer required.
Wednesday, February 07, 2007
When toys attack...
The world is going to hell in a handbasket.
Okay, maybe not literally straight to hell, no matter how much some of the good Evangelical Christians may be trying to push up the schedule for the Rapture, but you know what I mean.
A major American city was brought to a stop by...gasp!... Light Brites? Yes, several devices which can only be described as...well, Light Brites with battery packs were placed in cities around the country to promote Cartoon Network's Aqua Teen Hunger Force. The Light Brites displayed characters called Mooninites (I think that's how it's spelled, anyway) giving the finger. Giving the finger the best that a Mooninite on a Light Bright can give the finger, anyway.
Do I think that officials in Boston over-reacted? Well, yes and no. I can certainly understand being alarmed to find the electronic things laying around. During the day, I suppose that an LED card (which would not really look like a Light Brite) and a battery pack could be suspicious, but would it have been so hard to investigate, realize what it was (are you telling me there was no one single person within the Boston Police Department that knows about Aqua Teen Hunger Force and didn't recognize the Mooninites?) and dismiss it as a prank at worse?
Do I think that Turner Broadcasting should get into trouble for this? No. They hired an advertising agency to come up with a marketing gimick, the agency came up with the gimick and hired to idiots to carry it out. We'll get to the idiots later. I've heard a lot of people say that Turner Broadcasting should have realized that this was a bad idea. Now unless you believe that villains actually think and plot the way that the villains in the Batman series and movies do, who would think of a Light Brite with a cartoon character giving the finger would make a clever bomb? The bottom line is that they hired an agency to come up with the idea, execute the idea and presumably deal with any issues that arose from the campaign.
Do I think that the advertising agency should get into trouble for this? Well...yes. Not for the idea, mind you. The only way I can imagine those LED thing-ies being even remotely dangerous is if The Joker was behind them (and only if The Joker was being portrayed by Jack Nicholson at the time that the Light Brite bombs were being assembled). The agency could have moved faster when the whole scare started, though, instead of seeing how many Mooninites the Boston bomb squad would blow up. Would it have been that hard to pick up the phone, call Boston and said "Listen, about those suspicious devices that you've found..."
Should the idiots that put the devices up get into trouble? Absolutely. Yes, they were hired to do a job, and that is what they did. But...they also were very much aware of the panic that those devices caused, and even videotaped what was going on while laughing at the chaos being caused. They should have come forward right away and put and end to the whole thing instead of revelling in the limelight and making their stupid comments after they were arraigned and released on bail.
I still do not understand how anyone could have looked at those devices and thought that it was a bomb, but I do understand being concerned about what it was. How paranoid have we become when anything that has lights and wires and batteries is assumed to be some weapon to destroy us? Everything could potentially be a bomb, so does that mean that I should dial 911 and report it if someone leaves the restaurant and forgets his cell phone? Should I be arrested as a terrorist if I put my old VCR out in the dumpster? I've still got one of those big, unweildly cassette player/recorders from the early 80's...I wonder if it could be used to rob a bank?
I don't need a lecture about this being a post-911 world. I'm quite well aware of what happened that day, and we've made the terrorists more successful then they ever imagined. When we use the events of that day as an excuse to panic about every little thing then we have put ourselves into a prison of our own design. There is a big difference between being observant and being paranoid.
You want to defeat the terrorists? Start by letting go of the fear and living your life.
Sometimes a Light Brite is just a Light Brite.
Okay, maybe not literally straight to hell, no matter how much some of the good Evangelical Christians may be trying to push up the schedule for the Rapture, but you know what I mean.
A major American city was brought to a stop by...gasp!... Light Brites? Yes, several devices which can only be described as...well, Light Brites with battery packs were placed in cities around the country to promote Cartoon Network's Aqua Teen Hunger Force. The Light Brites displayed characters called Mooninites (I think that's how it's spelled, anyway) giving the finger. Giving the finger the best that a Mooninite on a Light Bright can give the finger, anyway.
Do I think that officials in Boston over-reacted? Well, yes and no. I can certainly understand being alarmed to find the electronic things laying around. During the day, I suppose that an LED card (which would not really look like a Light Brite) and a battery pack could be suspicious, but would it have been so hard to investigate, realize what it was (are you telling me there was no one single person within the Boston Police Department that knows about Aqua Teen Hunger Force and didn't recognize the Mooninites?) and dismiss it as a prank at worse?
Do I think that Turner Broadcasting should get into trouble for this? No. They hired an advertising agency to come up with a marketing gimick, the agency came up with the gimick and hired to idiots to carry it out. We'll get to the idiots later. I've heard a lot of people say that Turner Broadcasting should have realized that this was a bad idea. Now unless you believe that villains actually think and plot the way that the villains in the Batman series and movies do, who would think of a Light Brite with a cartoon character giving the finger would make a clever bomb? The bottom line is that they hired an agency to come up with the idea, execute the idea and presumably deal with any issues that arose from the campaign.
Do I think that the advertising agency should get into trouble for this? Well...yes. Not for the idea, mind you. The only way I can imagine those LED thing-ies being even remotely dangerous is if The Joker was behind them (and only if The Joker was being portrayed by Jack Nicholson at the time that the Light Brite bombs were being assembled). The agency could have moved faster when the whole scare started, though, instead of seeing how many Mooninites the Boston bomb squad would blow up. Would it have been that hard to pick up the phone, call Boston and said "Listen, about those suspicious devices that you've found..."
Should the idiots that put the devices up get into trouble? Absolutely. Yes, they were hired to do a job, and that is what they did. But...they also were very much aware of the panic that those devices caused, and even videotaped what was going on while laughing at the chaos being caused. They should have come forward right away and put and end to the whole thing instead of revelling in the limelight and making their stupid comments after they were arraigned and released on bail.
I still do not understand how anyone could have looked at those devices and thought that it was a bomb, but I do understand being concerned about what it was. How paranoid have we become when anything that has lights and wires and batteries is assumed to be some weapon to destroy us? Everything could potentially be a bomb, so does that mean that I should dial 911 and report it if someone leaves the restaurant and forgets his cell phone? Should I be arrested as a terrorist if I put my old VCR out in the dumpster? I've still got one of those big, unweildly cassette player/recorders from the early 80's...I wonder if it could be used to rob a bank?
I don't need a lecture about this being a post-911 world. I'm quite well aware of what happened that day, and we've made the terrorists more successful then they ever imagined. When we use the events of that day as an excuse to panic about every little thing then we have put ourselves into a prison of our own design. There is a big difference between being observant and being paranoid.
You want to defeat the terrorists? Start by letting go of the fear and living your life.
Sometimes a Light Brite is just a Light Brite.
Monday, January 22, 2007
Strange Occurrences
Yes, I'm talking about the one thing that it seems EVERYONE is talking about, how Jennifer Strange died after taking part in a radio contest.
This whole saga (and it is indeed a sage) is just further proof of how screwed up the world is becoming.
First, we have the ill-conceived contest. Who came up with the idea? Maybe it was the DJ's, maybe it was marketing/promotions, maybe it was the station manager himself. We don't know. But hey, who hasn't had a totally fucked up idea? A few years back the Zone radio station had a contest where participants carved pumpkins...with chain saws. In comparison, drinking water seems pretty low-risk.
Someone had to approve this contest, unless you're willing to believe that the DJ's just went out on their own, got a wii and had people show up to drink large quantities of water in order to give the winner said wii. Surely the station has people who research these contests for possible risks before approving them...then again, we had pumpkin carving with chain saws, so perhaps that's not an assumption we should make.
The contest happened, Jennifer finally accepted the tickets to end the contest and yet in audio recordings, even after taking the tickets she still told the DJ's that she could drink more water if they wanted her to. They told her no, that she needed to not be drinking any more water.
Tragically, Jennifer was found dead by her mother. Thank goodness there were plenty of attorneys around to take up the case and prepare to file lawsuits against the DJ's, the radio station, and Nintendo (apparently this who tragedy could have been avoided if only they had kept the original name of 'Revolution', thus eliminating the possibility of a 'wee for a wii' contest). Next I suppose we'll hear that they are suing the water company for providing the bottled water.
An interesting sidenote to all of this is that the attorneys have filed a letter with the FCC asking that KDND (107.9 The End) lose their license. In the letter, the attorney points out that "...a cursory inquiry of any medical office by the station's management would have revealed the life threatening risks of the contest..." This is interesting because Jennifer Strange worked in a medical office. That means that by her own attorney's words she was the one person there that should have known the life threatening risks, yet she participated in the contest and in the very end was still saying that she could drink more water.
Keep in mind that we don't know everything that has happened. The coroner has said that Mrs. Strange's death is 'consistant with water intoxication'. However, the coroner's office has said that the cause of death will not be known for two or three months. Doesn't that strike anyone else as rather odd? Maybe they found something other than a whole lot of water when they did the autopsy. In any case, we don't know everything and until ALL of the facts are out in the open, we need to stop berating the station and the DJ's. And maybe pray for the three children that lost their mother. In all of this there has been no mention of the kids, just the father and the attorney looking for people to sue to get rich quick. The kids are the only innocent victims in all of this.
This whole saga (and it is indeed a sage) is just further proof of how screwed up the world is becoming.
First, we have the ill-conceived contest. Who came up with the idea? Maybe it was the DJ's, maybe it was marketing/promotions, maybe it was the station manager himself. We don't know. But hey, who hasn't had a totally fucked up idea? A few years back the Zone radio station had a contest where participants carved pumpkins...with chain saws. In comparison, drinking water seems pretty low-risk.
Someone had to approve this contest, unless you're willing to believe that the DJ's just went out on their own, got a wii and had people show up to drink large quantities of water in order to give the winner said wii. Surely the station has people who research these contests for possible risks before approving them...then again, we had pumpkin carving with chain saws, so perhaps that's not an assumption we should make.
The contest happened, Jennifer finally accepted the tickets to end the contest and yet in audio recordings, even after taking the tickets she still told the DJ's that she could drink more water if they wanted her to. They told her no, that she needed to not be drinking any more water.
Tragically, Jennifer was found dead by her mother. Thank goodness there were plenty of attorneys around to take up the case and prepare to file lawsuits against the DJ's, the radio station, and Nintendo (apparently this who tragedy could have been avoided if only they had kept the original name of 'Revolution', thus eliminating the possibility of a 'wee for a wii' contest). Next I suppose we'll hear that they are suing the water company for providing the bottled water.
An interesting sidenote to all of this is that the attorneys have filed a letter with the FCC asking that KDND (107.9 The End) lose their license. In the letter, the attorney points out that "...a cursory inquiry of any medical office by the station's management would have revealed the life threatening risks of the contest..." This is interesting because Jennifer Strange worked in a medical office. That means that by her own attorney's words she was the one person there that should have known the life threatening risks, yet she participated in the contest and in the very end was still saying that she could drink more water.
Keep in mind that we don't know everything that has happened. The coroner has said that Mrs. Strange's death is 'consistant with water intoxication'. However, the coroner's office has said that the cause of death will not be known for two or three months. Doesn't that strike anyone else as rather odd? Maybe they found something other than a whole lot of water when they did the autopsy. In any case, we don't know everything and until ALL of the facts are out in the open, we need to stop berating the station and the DJ's. And maybe pray for the three children that lost their mother. In all of this there has been no mention of the kids, just the father and the attorney looking for people to sue to get rich quick. The kids are the only innocent victims in all of this.
Monday, January 01, 2007
Welcome 2007...
I love January 1st. There's just something about the start of a New Year that gives me hope that things can change, that I'll do better and be better this year and something everything will just be...well, better.
I should know by now that things don't work out that way. I just spent the last month lamenting all of the things that are wrong in my life, and yet here I sit, willing to believe once again that I have another chance at getting it right. Will I succeed in 2007? I'll let you know when January 1, 2008 rolls around.
It was surprising to see absolutely NO POLICE out tonight. I was out and about until 11:45 PM (yes, made it home just in time to ring in the new year) and not one cop. Usually there are plenty of police and at least one DUI checkpoint, but I guess funds are low this year so not even a checkpoint the entire holiday season.
The cats totally freaked out because some idiots decided that New Year's Eve was a good time to shoot off fireworks. Not just little fireworks, like fire crackers or bottle rockets (both illegal, but I can get over it). I'm talking about fireworks shells like you see at a professional show being launched, and you know that it's not being done right when half of them fly over as a big glowing ball but never 'explode'. I just hope that if something goes horribly wrong, the only person hurt is the idiot shooting off the fireworks. Sure, I would prefer that even this idiot not get hurt, but if someone is going to get hurt, it should be the idiot and not an innocent bystander.
Darn, that sounded kind of mean and one of my New Year's resolutions was to be nice in 2007. Oh well...
I should know by now that things don't work out that way. I just spent the last month lamenting all of the things that are wrong in my life, and yet here I sit, willing to believe once again that I have another chance at getting it right. Will I succeed in 2007? I'll let you know when January 1, 2008 rolls around.
It was surprising to see absolutely NO POLICE out tonight. I was out and about until 11:45 PM (yes, made it home just in time to ring in the new year) and not one cop. Usually there are plenty of police and at least one DUI checkpoint, but I guess funds are low this year so not even a checkpoint the entire holiday season.
The cats totally freaked out because some idiots decided that New Year's Eve was a good time to shoot off fireworks. Not just little fireworks, like fire crackers or bottle rockets (both illegal, but I can get over it). I'm talking about fireworks shells like you see at a professional show being launched, and you know that it's not being done right when half of them fly over as a big glowing ball but never 'explode'. I just hope that if something goes horribly wrong, the only person hurt is the idiot shooting off the fireworks. Sure, I would prefer that even this idiot not get hurt, but if someone is going to get hurt, it should be the idiot and not an innocent bystander.
Darn, that sounded kind of mean and one of my New Year's resolutions was to be nice in 2007. Oh well...
Sunday, December 17, 2006
Tuesday, December 12, 2006
Things I would like to bitch about
Yep, that's what this post is going to be. Just things that I would like to bitch about. Here they are, in no particular order (although my subconscious mind may have put them into order without my knowledge):
- As of December 11, 2006 the U.S. military casualties in the Iraq war is at 2,927 confirmed dead, and 10 awaiting confirmation from the Department of Defense (here). Don't you just love that word, casualties? It reduces it to nothing but a statistic. We need to start telling it as it is, and if it upsets someone that I say it's about damned time it upset someone. The dead in Iraq are not statistics - there are 2,927 men and women who have returned to the United States in a casket. 2,927 times, families and friends have mourned. 2,927 lives ended tragically too soon. They are not casualties, they are human beings who deserved more than to be added to a numbers column. If you would like to make me a happy girl, pledge to stop using the word casualties and instead say people. Try it with me now. There are 2,927 husbands, wives, daughters, sons, grandchildren, brothers, sisters, aunts, uncles, cousins and friends that have died in Iraq.
- If you cannot turn off your damn cell phone while you are shopping or even worse, in a restuarant, then remove yourself and the cell phone from the area and leave the rest of us in peace. No, I'm not referring to the 'honey, which kind of detergent was I supposed to get?' kind of call. That's what cell phones are for. I'm talking about the people that have to conduct business, catch up with their sorority sister and have a teacher conference via cell phone while in the middle of the store. I'm sorry, but if the call is that important then sit your ass in your car, have your call, and when you are finished turn the fucking phone off and return to the store or restaurant without making the rest of us hear you yell into your phone about how your boss is an ass and your kid has the shits. Effective immediately, I am taking a small air horn everywhere I go and if I come across someone on a cell phone or using one of those damn Blue Tooth ear pieces and it is not one of those short 'I need to ask a question' calls, I'm going to blast the air horn. If I have to listen to you on your phone then you have to listen to me and my air horn. What's that? You can't hear to have your phone conversation when I blast my air horn? GOOD!!!
- The arrows on aisle in a parking lot are not suggestions to be ignored if it doesn't suit you. When cars come at me in the wrong direction, I will continue my practice of sitting there in the middle of the aisle. The asshole that is too stupid to read an arrow can back his/her own damn car up to get out of the aisle. It's not my fault that your parents blessed you with only five brain cells, two of which sometimes work.
Wednesday, September 27, 2006
Outraged Yet?
As of September 15, 2006 - 2,682 US Soldiers killed in Iraq
As the bumper sticker says, if you aren't outraged, you aren't paying attention.
As the bumper sticker says, if you aren't outraged, you aren't paying attention.
Saturday, September 23, 2006
Oh happy day!
Yes, peeps, I'm back! Well, I never actually went anywhere, it's just that I couldn't log into the blog to post because it kept saying that my username didn't exist. Turns out they were right. Oops! But now I'm back, and there's just soooo much to talk about I don't know where to start.
First, let me tell you what I've been doing during my absence.
I got caught up in The Lost Experience. There, I said it. I let myself get caught up in a virtual reality game.
And I will be staying up tomorrow night to listen to the final broadcast of DJ Dan "Taking Down the Man!".
Now if you're not a fan of Lost then you have no idea what I'm talking about and think I'm nuts. If you are a fan of Lost and you aren't playing, then let me just tell you this: when they said that the game and the show wouldn't overlap, they LIED! We found out what the numbers mean, why the stations were built on the island, all sorts of stuff. Also, if you haven't bought the book "Bad Twin" yet...don't. It sucks, and it was good for solving one encrypted message that was given by a caller to the last DJ Dan live broadcast. You won't gleam a bit of information about anything from that book.
I've also become addicted to Poser. Poser is a 3d modeling program. I love it. LOVE IT! But I've bought too much stuff for it and spend too many nights up trying to get just the perfect render. I need a 12 step program.
I have much more to say but it's late and I'm tired so I'm going to bed. I'll post more when I get up.
First, let me tell you what I've been doing during my absence.
I got caught up in The Lost Experience. There, I said it. I let myself get caught up in a virtual reality game.
And I will be staying up tomorrow night to listen to the final broadcast of DJ Dan "Taking Down the Man!".
Now if you're not a fan of Lost then you have no idea what I'm talking about and think I'm nuts. If you are a fan of Lost and you aren't playing, then let me just tell you this: when they said that the game and the show wouldn't overlap, they LIED! We found out what the numbers mean, why the stations were built on the island, all sorts of stuff. Also, if you haven't bought the book "Bad Twin" yet...don't. It sucks, and it was good for solving one encrypted message that was given by a caller to the last DJ Dan live broadcast. You won't gleam a bit of information about anything from that book.
I've also become addicted to Poser. Poser is a 3d modeling program. I love it. LOVE IT! But I've bought too much stuff for it and spend too many nights up trying to get just the perfect render. I need a 12 step program.
I have much more to say but it's late and I'm tired so I'm going to bed. I'll post more when I get up.
Saturday, June 24, 2006
It's just too hot here, anybody have an island I can visit?
It is so very freakin' hot! I hate summer...HATE IT! 'Tis the season to burn to a crisp and die of heat exhaustion.
I have, however, found a site where you can buy islands and even rent them...hmm...maybe that's what I need to do...rent an island. I'm sure the heat would be much more bearable if it was accompanied by ocean waves and palm trees.
I have, however, found a site where you can buy islands and even rent them...hmm...maybe that's what I need to do...rent an island. I'm sure the heat would be much more bearable if it was accompanied by ocean waves and palm trees.
Thursday, June 08, 2006
Life, Liberty and the pursuit of happiness
That, my friends, is all that we are guaranteed. Just those three things. Life, liberty, pursuit of happiness.
Not a whole hell of a lot, is it?
Or is it?
Think about it. The right to life is a pretty big deal in and of itself. It means that you have the right to live, which is more than some people have. Then you have the right to liberty, which is also more than most people in the world have.
Finally, you have the right to pursue happiness. Note that you do not have a right to happiness, but you do have the right to the pursuit of happiness. In my humble opinion, this means that you can do whatever you want to be happy, with one little catch.
You can't do anything that takes away someone else's right to life, liberty and the pursuit of happiness, because every other American has the same rights. This is why you can't go around killing people that piss you off, nor can you prevent someone from doing something just because you find it morally wrong. Unless the actions of others are causing you harm, you can't stop them.
Now I know there are a lot of 'religious' folks out there who like to invoke Jesus and the Bible into their arguments. Please, tell me where in the Constitution of the United States it says that the Bible is the law of the land. You can't because it doesn't. The Constitution is the law of the land, and what you think the Founding Fathers intended doesn't amount to a hill of beans. I know it pains you, but non-Christians have the same rights as Christians do. Get over it.
If you find homosexual behavior to be morally reprehensible, then you are most likely heterosexual and therefore not likely to engage in homosexual behavior. Therefore, it does not concern you. Two men or two women getting married is NOT a threat to the institution of marriage, unless someone can explain how gays and lesbians getting married is going to prevent straight couples from getting married. Are you afraid that all of the good wedding planners and florists will be too busy with the homos to help you with your wedding?
Speaking of non-Christians, thank you President Bush for stating that Wicca is not a religion. Wicca is a religion, and one that is far older than Christianity. Yet the Department of Veterans Affairs does not recognize Wicca as a religion and as a result, a follower of Wicca who dies for his or her country cannot get the Pentacle on his or her military marker (Fallen Soldier's Family Wants Wiccan Marker). I have absolutely no faith that this man will ever get the honor that he -- and all members, past and present -- of the military deserve, which is a marker that reflects the faith of his choice. His family should be able to get his marker with Donald Duck on it if that is what he would have wanted. It is no one's place to tell others what is or is not acceptible. If it doesn't harm anyone else, then no one should be able to prevent it. Or can someone explain to me how having a pentacle on the gravestone of a fallen soldier can possible interfere with someone else's right to life, liberty and the pursuit of happiness?
This is where we've gone wrong. We seem to have forgotten that other people have the same right to the pursuit of happiness and instead want everything to center around our own pursuits and beliefs.
On second thought, life, liberty and the pursuit of happiness IS a hell of a lot, but only if we learn to let EVERYONE enjoy those rights.
Not a whole hell of a lot, is it?
Or is it?
Think about it. The right to life is a pretty big deal in and of itself. It means that you have the right to live, which is more than some people have. Then you have the right to liberty, which is also more than most people in the world have.
Finally, you have the right to pursue happiness. Note that you do not have a right to happiness, but you do have the right to the pursuit of happiness. In my humble opinion, this means that you can do whatever you want to be happy, with one little catch.
You can't do anything that takes away someone else's right to life, liberty and the pursuit of happiness, because every other American has the same rights. This is why you can't go around killing people that piss you off, nor can you prevent someone from doing something just because you find it morally wrong. Unless the actions of others are causing you harm, you can't stop them.
Now I know there are a lot of 'religious' folks out there who like to invoke Jesus and the Bible into their arguments. Please, tell me where in the Constitution of the United States it says that the Bible is the law of the land. You can't because it doesn't. The Constitution is the law of the land, and what you think the Founding Fathers intended doesn't amount to a hill of beans. I know it pains you, but non-Christians have the same rights as Christians do. Get over it.
If you find homosexual behavior to be morally reprehensible, then you are most likely heterosexual and therefore not likely to engage in homosexual behavior. Therefore, it does not concern you. Two men or two women getting married is NOT a threat to the institution of marriage, unless someone can explain how gays and lesbians getting married is going to prevent straight couples from getting married. Are you afraid that all of the good wedding planners and florists will be too busy with the homos to help you with your wedding?
Speaking of non-Christians, thank you President Bush for stating that Wicca is not a religion. Wicca is a religion, and one that is far older than Christianity. Yet the Department of Veterans Affairs does not recognize Wicca as a religion and as a result, a follower of Wicca who dies for his or her country cannot get the Pentacle on his or her military marker (Fallen Soldier's Family Wants Wiccan Marker). I have absolutely no faith that this man will ever get the honor that he -- and all members, past and present -- of the military deserve, which is a marker that reflects the faith of his choice. His family should be able to get his marker with Donald Duck on it if that is what he would have wanted. It is no one's place to tell others what is or is not acceptible. If it doesn't harm anyone else, then no one should be able to prevent it. Or can someone explain to me how having a pentacle on the gravestone of a fallen soldier can possible interfere with someone else's right to life, liberty and the pursuit of happiness?
This is where we've gone wrong. We seem to have forgotten that other people have the same right to the pursuit of happiness and instead want everything to center around our own pursuits and beliefs.
On second thought, life, liberty and the pursuit of happiness IS a hell of a lot, but only if we learn to let EVERYONE enjoy those rights.
Tuesday, April 25, 2006
Disclaimer: My opinions are my own
My employer has sent out new rules, one of which is that employees are to include a disclaimer when posting to forums or blogs that the opinions posted are "not the opinions of my employer".
This was covered in a memo on use of the company equipment, so am I to assume that I can now post to this blog while I'm at work, just so long as I post the disclaimer? If so, cool. But somehow, I doubt it.
Anyway, I doubt that any of you know (or care) who my employer is, but just in case someone from the corporate office is a) reading this blog and b) actually knows who it belongs to, let me post my disclaimer:
THE OPINIONS POSTED HERE ARE MINE AND MINE ALONE! THEY ARE NOT THE OPINIONS OF MY EMPLOYER, AND MY EMPLOYER IS HEREBY NOTIFIED THAT IT MAY NOT MAKE ANY CLAIMS TO AGREE WITH ME ON ANY POINT WHATSOEVER REGARDING WHAT I HAVE POSTED IN MY BLOG!
Now, let them put that in their pipes and smoke it.
This was covered in a memo on use of the company equipment, so am I to assume that I can now post to this blog while I'm at work, just so long as I post the disclaimer? If so, cool. But somehow, I doubt it.
Anyway, I doubt that any of you know (or care) who my employer is, but just in case someone from the corporate office is a) reading this blog and b) actually knows who it belongs to, let me post my disclaimer:
THE OPINIONS POSTED HERE ARE MINE AND MINE ALONE! THEY ARE NOT THE OPINIONS OF MY EMPLOYER, AND MY EMPLOYER IS HEREBY NOTIFIED THAT IT MAY NOT MAKE ANY CLAIMS TO AGREE WITH ME ON ANY POINT WHATSOEVER REGARDING WHAT I HAVE POSTED IN MY BLOG!
Now, let them put that in their pipes and smoke it.
Tuesday, March 28, 2006
The Outsourcing of America Part II
DISCLAIMER: I am in no way trying to state or imply that any of the examples given below have happened. This is purely my brain thinking of things that COULD happen in a given situation.
So I already covered how jobs are being outsourced and how it is hurting America's economy in a previous post.
Now, I bring to you some of the other possible consequences of outsourcing.
Identity theft has become a real problem in today's society. One day everything is just peachy, the next you find out that someone has bought a car in your name and skipped out on the payments and skipped town with the car. Or you apply for a home loan and find that a credit card was issued in your name, with your information, and said card has been maxed out to it's full $20,000 limit without a penny being made in payment.
Even worse, one day the cops are beating on your door and haul you off to jail. Seems someone used your identity to open a checking account, bounce checks all over the Northwestern United States, and then vanished leaving the authorities only your social security number, driver's license number and address as a clue.
You can't figure out how this could have happened, because you never give out information like your social security number unless it is a call that you initiated, you shred all of your documents before putting them into the garbage, and you keep your social security card locked up in a fire proof safe. So just how in the hell did someone get the information to steal your identity?
Think about the company's that have outsourced their customer service and data entry to foreign countries. In fact, let me give you a hypothetical situation.
You decide to refinance your home because interest rates have dropped. So you go into the bank and talk to a loan officer. After you have filled out the loan application and left, the loan officer calls a title company to open up an order for two reasons: the bank wants a title report which will show what liens and encumbrances are against the property, and an escrow account needs to be created for the funds to pass through. You don't need to understand the hows and whys of this. All you need to understand is that the bank, which has your name, address, date of birth, driver's license number, social security number, current employer, and probably other information, has now shared that information with the title company because as part of their service to the bank is verifying that you have no outstanding judgments against you, and also meeting certain requirements set forth by the Department of Justice. Most likely you will be required by the title company to fill out a statement of information in which you will be verifying your personal information.
So now the bank has your information, and the title company has your information. Of course, in this day and age, everything is put into a computer system. This means that a whole shitload of people have access to your personal information. Wait, it gets better.
You see, the people at the bank and the title company are bound by security and privacy agreements. Put plainly, their asses would be grass if they were caught using your private information illegally.
But what if either the title company or the bank have outsourced jobs? That means that someone in a foreign country is handling data for your file, but more importantly that person has access to your personal information that has been entered into the computer system.
This person could easily sell your information to another party or use it for his/her own gain. And what can you do about it? What rights do you have about how someone in a foreign country handles your personal information? Well??? Do you think that law enforcement here can do anything about it if someone in a foreign country uses your information to steal your identity? What jurisdiction do they have?
What about your credit card companies? They have all of this information, PLUS they already have your credit card information! If your credit card company has outsourced any of its jobs, I'd watch my statements very closely. Again, what can U.S. law enforcement do about someone in a foreign country that is committing these crimes against U.S. citizens?
The very worst part is that there isn't much you can do to protect yourself. If you refuse to do business with a company that has any jobs in a foreign country, forget about getting your computer hooked up or your DVD/Recorder programmed...or just about anything else that requires you call customer service.
And as an added benefit, this outsourcing is adding millions of dollars to countries where men marry so they can extort money from the brides' families and kill their wives when they can't get any more money from the in-laws.
Yep, great system we got going, this outsourcing.
So I already covered how jobs are being outsourced and how it is hurting America's economy in a previous post.
Now, I bring to you some of the other possible consequences of outsourcing.
Identity theft has become a real problem in today's society. One day everything is just peachy, the next you find out that someone has bought a car in your name and skipped out on the payments and skipped town with the car. Or you apply for a home loan and find that a credit card was issued in your name, with your information, and said card has been maxed out to it's full $20,000 limit without a penny being made in payment.
Even worse, one day the cops are beating on your door and haul you off to jail. Seems someone used your identity to open a checking account, bounce checks all over the Northwestern United States, and then vanished leaving the authorities only your social security number, driver's license number and address as a clue.
You can't figure out how this could have happened, because you never give out information like your social security number unless it is a call that you initiated, you shred all of your documents before putting them into the garbage, and you keep your social security card locked up in a fire proof safe. So just how in the hell did someone get the information to steal your identity?
Think about the company's that have outsourced their customer service and data entry to foreign countries. In fact, let me give you a hypothetical situation.
You decide to refinance your home because interest rates have dropped. So you go into the bank and talk to a loan officer. After you have filled out the loan application and left, the loan officer calls a title company to open up an order for two reasons: the bank wants a title report which will show what liens and encumbrances are against the property, and an escrow account needs to be created for the funds to pass through. You don't need to understand the hows and whys of this. All you need to understand is that the bank, which has your name, address, date of birth, driver's license number, social security number, current employer, and probably other information, has now shared that information with the title company because as part of their service to the bank is verifying that you have no outstanding judgments against you, and also meeting certain requirements set forth by the Department of Justice. Most likely you will be required by the title company to fill out a statement of information in which you will be verifying your personal information.
So now the bank has your information, and the title company has your information. Of course, in this day and age, everything is put into a computer system. This means that a whole shitload of people have access to your personal information. Wait, it gets better.
You see, the people at the bank and the title company are bound by security and privacy agreements. Put plainly, their asses would be grass if they were caught using your private information illegally.
But what if either the title company or the bank have outsourced jobs? That means that someone in a foreign country is handling data for your file, but more importantly that person has access to your personal information that has been entered into the computer system.
This person could easily sell your information to another party or use it for his/her own gain. And what can you do about it? What rights do you have about how someone in a foreign country handles your personal information? Well??? Do you think that law enforcement here can do anything about it if someone in a foreign country uses your information to steal your identity? What jurisdiction do they have?
What about your credit card companies? They have all of this information, PLUS they already have your credit card information! If your credit card company has outsourced any of its jobs, I'd watch my statements very closely. Again, what can U.S. law enforcement do about someone in a foreign country that is committing these crimes against U.S. citizens?
The very worst part is that there isn't much you can do to protect yourself. If you refuse to do business with a company that has any jobs in a foreign country, forget about getting your computer hooked up or your DVD/Recorder programmed...or just about anything else that requires you call customer service.
And as an added benefit, this outsourcing is adding millions of dollars to countries where men marry so they can extort money from the brides' families and kill their wives when they can't get any more money from the in-laws.
Yep, great system we got going, this outsourcing.
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