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07.28.06 - Nike Jock - As part of its skateboard culture marketing campaign, Nike comes up with some self-satirical branding.

Clever ploy to market at skate brats? Or sad attempt at counter culture? For a company that spends 1.7 billion dollars a year on preserving its name, I think it's a pretty weak attempt. -terry

07.26.06 - iPods make crappy gifts - We love the iPod… wait, we hate Apple. Lemme just start off by saying I've never owned an Apple computer, but I've owned their company stock and have bought a couple of iPods. They're a great product, however, THEY MAKE HORRIBLE GIFTS!!

Case in point. Alice got a 30GB iPod Video from her family for her birthday. Pretty sweet huh? However she felt as if the iPod nano was more suited towards her use. I go to the local Best Buy, because they have a pretty relaxed policy, to see if I can do an exchange, and the customer service rep says that Apple has a specific inventory tracking system and they can't take iPods back that weren't purchased at the store. The CSR then suggest that I head to the Apple store at South Cost Plaza.

15 miles later, I'm at the Apple store explaining the situation. The "Genius" explains that they're not allowed to take back inventory that wasn't purchased from the store because it affects sales at the store. And that I have to go back to Costco, where the iPod was originally purchased, to return it. At this point I'm thinking to myself, "Dude, aren't you guys the manufacturer? I'm pretty sure that exchanging inventory has no effect on your bottom line."

4 miles later, I'm at the nearby Costco explaining the situation. The lady there was really helpful and said that I could exchange the item…. if I was a Costco member. I'm not. She then offers up the option of crediting back the original Credit Card that purchased the iPod, which would be useful in most situations, just not this one.

4 miles later, I'm back at the Apple store explaining the situation again, this time to a manager. The manager reluctantly agrees to do the exchange. I go grab some accessories that I believe amount to the difference in the value of the two iPods ($50) and take it to a CSR. The transaction gets processed and it turns out they owe me $1.00 plus tax. The manager comes by and tells me that he won't give me a dollar and that I have to spend something in order for him to authorize the transaction. "FINE!" I repick some other accessories and the CSR rings up my credit card for four dollars. But as he started packing everything up, he packs the nano, the accessories, and accidentally includes the iPod video that I was trying to return.

"Dude guys, get with the program!" -terry

07.19.06 - Things I watch: Arrested Development - Okay, if you didn't know, this is how I watch television: 1. Don't watch TV; 2. Wait till something catches my eye; 3. Play catch up by watching unhealthy portions of it; 4. Tell all my friends and they're all like "yeah, we know… get with it"

Yet the real benefit in watching television with this method is that there's no waiting to see what happens next. Instant gratification. As a viewer you can see how plots develop as a whole and critique seasons as a whole, instead of stewing about how poor/great an episode was.

My latest addiction is the highly acclaimed, yet unfortunately cancelled, cinéma vérité sitcom, Arrested Development. AD is was simply one of those rare gems that had so much talent and culture behind it, that it seems a bit daunting to watch. Jokes are often reoccurring, so picking up the show in the middle isn't recommended. Like with most things I enjoy, chances are that this isn't for everyone. Just the ones that shower. -terry

07.18.06 - Zidane Follow Up - Terry, as if we all have seen this a million times, but check this out.

As seen by the Japanese:

-dean -dean

07.11.06 - Vacation pictures - As a rule of etiquette, showing people 5 - 10 pictures is okay. And unless they are genuinely interested, showing someone your entire vacation slide show is just rude. "Yeah, I get the point. You saw a bunch of cool stuff while I sat here in my cubicle. Thanks for rubbing it in."

I too, went on vacation, and here's the only picture you need to see. -terry

07.11.06 - Fun with disambiguation - created with Miss Lai. The last one is a little inappropriate, so um, yeah, don't read it if you're not supposed to be reading inappropriate things.

• A tax return is a form you file in order to get a tax refund. Not all tax returns result in a tax refund


• Hindi is a language. Hinduism is a religion. Not all Hindus speak Hindi, and many Hindi-speakers are not Hindus.


• Snot is something that comes out of your nose, while s'not is child slang for "is not".


• A canon is list of sanctioned items/beliefs, where as a cannon is used to blow up people who disagree with your canon.


• College is a institute of higher education, a collage is a sad collection of your crappy memories from college.


• Bukkake soba is a cold noodle dish with various toppings sprinked on top, Bukkake is where i sprinkle my various toppings on top of a woman's face.

Goodnight ladies & gents, I'm here all week. Try the fish! -terry

07.10.06 - World Cup - My dad stayed home from church yesterday to watch the World Cup finals. What? When did the World Cup even start? And what the hell is the World Cup? Not to be an ignorant American or anything, but seriously, no one cares. Anytime a sport takes more than a hour to score 2 points, or "goals" as they call it, it's too tedious to watch.

The one highlight that's been circulating 'round the net is some dude head-butting some other dude in the chest. Awesome. Why can't they just make a sport with only headbutting. It'll be like boxing.. but with headbutts. -terry

07.04.06 - This fourth, - I drove my Japanese pick-up truck full of Saudi gasoline, to watch Chinese fireworks and drink Mexican Beer. Good bless America. -terry