I do believe this was the first Zero Punctuation review created. Ever since, Ben Yahtzee has been cranking these out weekly at the online magazine The Escapist. Absolutely hilarious eviscerations - er, reviews - of popular video games. =D
Tuesday, July 28, 2009
Storm Large 8 MILES WIDE music video
Oh my vagina is 8 miles wide. Absolutely everyone can come inside...! Vigantic!
Tuesday, July 14, 2009
Easy registration with overseas embassies!
Wow, this is hot. You know how you're supposed to register with the US Embassy at your overseas destination when you travel abroad? Except you never do because who knows how to do that, and besides you're only there for a few weeks anyways and what could possible go wrong?
Well. As it turns out, the US State Dept has a super easy way to register online! You actually create an account with a profile, and then update it with your trip info! It's super easy... I just did the whole thing for my time here in Spain in like 5 minutes (did I mention I'm in Spain for the summer? no? well, more on that later then... maybe). Totally easy, and next time I travel I can set up all the info in advance and be confident that the embassy knows where I am in case for some reason it needs to extract me. =P
http://travelregistration.state.gov
Enjoy!!
Well. As it turns out, the US State Dept has a super easy way to register online! You actually create an account with a profile, and then update it with your trip info! It's super easy... I just did the whole thing for my time here in Spain in like 5 minutes (did I mention I'm in Spain for the summer? no? well, more on that later then... maybe). Totally easy, and next time I travel I can set up all the info in advance and be confident that the embassy knows where I am in case for some reason it needs to extract me. =P
http://travelregistration.state.gov
Enjoy!!
Friday, July 10, 2009
CHELSEA LATELY 10-3-08 ROUNDTABLE Part1
I really like Chelsea Handler... I read her book "Are You There Vodka? It's Me, Chelsea", and it was pretty hilarious. Her show's great, too...
And I'd be remiss if I didn't say how hot (and hilarious) Josh Wolf is. >.>
Thursday, July 02, 2009
Drill Baby Drill EP. 2: Reap The World Wind
Hahahaha this is kinda hilarious. Mark Sanford is kinda crazy. =P
Wednesday, June 17, 2009
A Little Drama
Oh.... man. This had me in tears. It's a short film from the movie True Love, which is itself a collection of short films that I watched tonight on Netflix.
Overall, True Love was way more depressing than it was romantic, but this short hit me hard, probably because it resonates with me so strongly. Starting in high school (and continuing to this day), I was the kid on the outskirts, watching the guys I crushed on from afar, but never believing love would happen to me. The AV boy gets a single look from the star, and he's overwhelmed, tears streaming down his cheeks... he pockets the playbill so he'll always have a connection to that magical night, and then...
I wasn't expecting to be moved so much by this, but it really hit me out of the blue. I'm sure the music had a lot to do with it, but yeah, I majorly identify with the AV boy. Wow.
Tuesday, May 12, 2009
Why Microsoft Sucks #2349: Xbox ID - gone!
So I get this e-mail from Xbox telling me that my credit card on file isn't working. (They were trying to charge me for my next year's Gold subscription for Xbox Live, which I probably don't need anyways since my Xbox is in storage and I'm homeless and jobless.)
So I tried logging into my Xbox account online to update the credit card. (Again, probably shouldn't have been doing that.) As it turns out, none of my passwords worked, and because my Xbox account name was my Accenture e-mail address, there's no way I can ask them to e-mail me a new password. Clearly, my only option is calling them.
So I call the Philippines, which is apparently where Xbox support is housed. I talk to a very nice man who reads through the standard script ("may I call you by your first name?" "gosh, I understand your problem and I'm so sorry for any inconvenience this may have caused you." OMG JUST GET TO THE POINT.) This nice man then puts me on hold for 15 minutes to get someone from technical support.
I talk to a new nice man in technical support, who also goes through the standard, three-times-as-long-as-it-needs-to-be script. After talking for a while about how I can access my account, he tells me he needs to get his supervisor.
So we're now like 25 minutes into this escapade, and I talk to nice man #3. It takes about 10 minutes, but by the end of it the story is thus:
I asked Nice Man #3 if Microsoft was planning to revisit this idiotic policy of deleting an account that hasn't been touched in 4 months. I mean seriously, 4 months?! Four!!! That's like, summer. What if I decide not to turn on my tv or Xbox for a couple months because I want to be outside? I guess that means I'm dead to Microsoft, eh?
Anyways, Nice Man #3 told me that they may be looking at that policy again. But I'm not holding my breath. I just chalk this up to very bad policy design on Microsoft's part. I wish there was someone I could go rail at for a few minutes about this. Stupid faceless corporate world. Blahs.
So I tried logging into my Xbox account online to update the credit card. (Again, probably shouldn't have been doing that.) As it turns out, none of my passwords worked, and because my Xbox account name was my Accenture e-mail address, there's no way I can ask them to e-mail me a new password. Clearly, my only option is calling them.
So I call the Philippines, which is apparently where Xbox support is housed. I talk to a very nice man who reads through the standard script ("may I call you by your first name?" "gosh, I understand your problem and I'm so sorry for any inconvenience this may have caused you." OMG JUST GET TO THE POINT.) This nice man then puts me on hold for 15 minutes to get someone from technical support.
I talk to a new nice man in technical support, who also goes through the standard, three-times-as-long-as-it-needs-to-be script. After talking for a while about how I can access my account, he tells me he needs to get his supervisor.
So we're now like 25 minutes into this escapade, and I talk to nice man #3. It takes about 10 minutes, but by the end of it the story is thus:
- A while back, Xbox moved away from validating accounts by asking for credit card information, and decided instead to use Windows Live IDs. (I consider Windows Live IDs to be Microsofts failed attempt to be "cool", by theoretically allowing you to access all things Microsoft through a single e-mail address. It works for Google, but for some reason seems to me to be an utter failure for Microsoft.)
- My Accenture e-mail address was converted into a Windows Live ID. I'm pretty sure it conflicted and/or was merged with my MSN chat ID by the same name.
- If you don't log into your Windows Live ID in a 4-month period, they delete it. No warnings, no questions. Just BAM it's gone.
- I didn't log into my Windows Live ID because, hey, why would I? To check my Xbox account credit card? God knows why else I would. Maybe logging into my Xbox would count, but it's been in storage for a few months now, and I wasn't playing it for a while anyways...
- So my Xbox account was deleted.
- Nice Man #3 told me that they miiiiight be able to recover it. But it'd be 3-5 business days before they'll know. And it's entirely possible my account is just plain gone.
I asked Nice Man #3 if Microsoft was planning to revisit this idiotic policy of deleting an account that hasn't been touched in 4 months. I mean seriously, 4 months?! Four!!! That's like, summer. What if I decide not to turn on my tv or Xbox for a couple months because I want to be outside? I guess that means I'm dead to Microsoft, eh?
Anyways, Nice Man #3 told me that they may be looking at that policy again. But I'm not holding my breath. I just chalk this up to very bad policy design on Microsoft's part. I wish there was someone I could go rail at for a few minutes about this. Stupid faceless corporate world. Blahs.
Photos from Obama's First 100 Days
This is a pretty awesome compilation of photos from Obama's first 100 days. I think my favorites are 16, 18, 30, and 34. =)
Photos from Obama's first 100 days.
Enjoy!
Photos from Obama's first 100 days.
Enjoy!
Monday, May 04, 2009
Bad news from the dentist!
Well I went to the dentist today, and she found another cavity. :( This one was small, and in between 2 tight teeth, so it's entirely my fault for not flossing regularly. Damn it all!
I'm also homeless again on Wednesday, and as of now have nowhere to go. Isn't that lovely? One of my friends who I was hoping would let me stay at his place got back to me a week after I asked if I could stay there to tell me I can't. So now I have 2 days to find another option. Luckily I have a few, but still, I'm irritated he didn't get back to me more quickly. It's not like I was asking to borrow $20 or something. I need a freaking roof over my head till the end of May when school's out. ugh.
I'm also homeless again on Wednesday, and as of now have nowhere to go. Isn't that lovely? One of my friends who I was hoping would let me stay at his place got back to me a week after I asked if I could stay there to tell me I can't. So now I have 2 days to find another option. Luckily I have a few, but still, I'm irritated he didn't get back to me more quickly. It's not like I was asking to borrow $20 or something. I need a freaking roof over my head till the end of May when school's out. ugh.
Tuesday, April 28, 2009
PO Box is an apparently insufficient address
One of the big problems I'm facing now is that I don't have a physical address. I've been staying with friends, and moving myself from week to week to minimize the burden I place on any one person. For a few weeks I was overseas traveling, and for the last few weeks I've been in a temporary sublet with a nice couple in the Castro. But there's no constant physical address through all of that... certainly nothing that would make sense to update every other week with the literally 50+ businesses that want to send me mail.
So I got a PO Box. Seems like a good solution, right? The PO Box will be constant regardless of where I'm actually sleeping at night. And most businesses are fine with the PO Box; they just want to reach me through mail, and they don't care how they do it.
But it turns out that there are some folks that are too good for a PO Box. For example, Customs and Immigration (more on that in another post). And banks. My main bank (E*Trade) refused to let me update my address to the PO Box without adding a physical address, as well. I was like, dude, I don't have one! So I called their customer service to talk to them about it. The woman I talked to was very helpful, but basically ended up gaming the system. She forced in my PO Box and marked the system to send all mail there, but then left my old address in as my physical address.
So she got it to work... but it's a total lie. I don't live at 255 King St anymore. Which makes me wonder what the point of requiring a physical address is to start with. Initially I suspected it was a way to fight against money laundering or other illicit financial activities. Or to establish residency in a state so that they know whose banking laws I'm governed by?
But clearly the system is super easy to beat... To get the PO Box, I needed a valid credit card and a physical address. So I used a friend's address for my CC, and gave that same address to the Post Office. Once I had the PO Box, I updated my CC's address with the PO Box. I then updated my address to a PO Box everywhere else, including through my convo with E*trade. The end result being that everyone now has my PO Box, except the post office, which effectively has a fake address.
So if they were trying to force me to establish residency in a state, or track me for purposes of fighting crime, they've totally failed. And I say, fuck 'em. I don't have a home, so I don't have a physical address. I'm not going to make one up or ask my friends or family to pretend I'm living with them. A PO Box should be sufficient.
Though this has made me realize what a bitch true homelessness must be... how do you get bank accounts and cellphones and driver's licenses and everything else if you don't have an actual address?!?!
So I got a PO Box. Seems like a good solution, right? The PO Box will be constant regardless of where I'm actually sleeping at night. And most businesses are fine with the PO Box; they just want to reach me through mail, and they don't care how they do it.
But it turns out that there are some folks that are too good for a PO Box. For example, Customs and Immigration (more on that in another post). And banks. My main bank (E*Trade) refused to let me update my address to the PO Box without adding a physical address, as well. I was like, dude, I don't have one! So I called their customer service to talk to them about it. The woman I talked to was very helpful, but basically ended up gaming the system. She forced in my PO Box and marked the system to send all mail there, but then left my old address in as my physical address.
So she got it to work... but it's a total lie. I don't live at 255 King St anymore. Which makes me wonder what the point of requiring a physical address is to start with. Initially I suspected it was a way to fight against money laundering or other illicit financial activities. Or to establish residency in a state so that they know whose banking laws I'm governed by?
But clearly the system is super easy to beat... To get the PO Box, I needed a valid credit card and a physical address. So I used a friend's address for my CC, and gave that same address to the Post Office. Once I had the PO Box, I updated my CC's address with the PO Box. I then updated my address to a PO Box everywhere else, including through my convo with E*trade. The end result being that everyone now has my PO Box, except the post office, which effectively has a fake address.
So if they were trying to force me to establish residency in a state, or track me for purposes of fighting crime, they've totally failed. And I say, fuck 'em. I don't have a home, so I don't have a physical address. I'm not going to make one up or ask my friends or family to pretend I'm living with them. A PO Box should be sufficient.
Though this has made me realize what a bitch true homelessness must be... how do you get bank accounts and cellphones and driver's licenses and everything else if you don't have an actual address?!?!
The Saga of a Homeless Man
I haven't been blogging much lately, which is just plain silly since I'm now both jobless and homeless, and thus clearly have plenty of time to do so. And I have so much to blog about!!!
In the last month since being let go from Accenture, I've been getting a taste of what it's like to be homeless. Not in the sense that I'm out on the street, but rather in that transition period that I expect people go through when they're staying with friends and family and trying everything in their power to keep themselves OFF the street. And battling incessantly with banks, health insurance, credit card companies, and everyone else who wants a piece of you and isn't interested in giving you any leeway.
I get the sense that this experience will be pretty compelling to read, and that it will certainly resonate with people who have found themselves in similar circumstances. Though I will add that I am by no means directly threatened with bankruptcy or true on-the-street homelessness. I'm pretty lucky that I have a strong social network as well as robust finances... and of course I'm quite employable, even if I'm choosing not to work right now. Still, this has been eye-opening for me, and I'm sure y'all will enjoy it, too. ;)
In the last month since being let go from Accenture, I've been getting a taste of what it's like to be homeless. Not in the sense that I'm out on the street, but rather in that transition period that I expect people go through when they're staying with friends and family and trying everything in their power to keep themselves OFF the street. And battling incessantly with banks, health insurance, credit card companies, and everyone else who wants a piece of you and isn't interested in giving you any leeway.
I get the sense that this experience will be pretty compelling to read, and that it will certainly resonate with people who have found themselves in similar circumstances. Though I will add that I am by no means directly threatened with bankruptcy or true on-the-street homelessness. I'm pretty lucky that I have a strong social network as well as robust finances... and of course I'm quite employable, even if I'm choosing not to work right now. Still, this has been eye-opening for me, and I'm sure y'all will enjoy it, too. ;)
Wednesday, April 15, 2009
Play With Your Balls!
This commercial is a little weird, but the footballer is hot, and the tagline at the very end is hilarious, esp with a British woman saying it. =P
Tuesday, April 07, 2009
awesome new Eminem video
OK, aside from the pornstar from "Nailin' Palin", the Star Trek references in this video are just too awesome for me. I mean, my god, Eminem duels with Bat'leth!!!!!!!
Saturday, April 04, 2009
Iowa Legalizes Same-Sex Marriage
Wow. Iowa is now officially more progressive than Illinois and California. QQ.
http://www.washingtonpost.com/wp-dyn/content/story/2009/04/03/ST2009040303761.html?sid=ST2009040303761
Still, this is really awesome news. I'm so happy for my people in Iowa, and really all of us nationwide and globally, as this act by Iowa only helps strengthen the national (and global) movement for equality in marriage rights. =)
Yay!!!
http://www.washingtonpost.com/wp-dyn/content/story/2009/04/03/ST2009040303761.html?sid=ST2009040303761
Still, this is really awesome news. I'm so happy for my people in Iowa, and really all of us nationwide and globally, as this act by Iowa only helps strengthen the national (and global) movement for equality in marriage rights. =)
Yay!!!
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