So, today was my daughter's birthday party! We went to Cheapskate, an aging roller rink on the verge of collapse. I can't help but laugh because Mike and I went there as kids, and it was old then. Now, he and I couldn't help but marvel at the fact that it's EXACTLY THE SAME, right down to the exact same Skee Ball machines....
However, it was new to Tristan and she had a lot of fun. She turned 7 and had some of her school friends out to enjoy a good time. This was her first official 'big girl' party. Mike and his daughter also came, as did one of my co-workers and her daughter.
I will say this: I hadn't been on a pair of roller skates since I was a kid, so, it was 'different'.
Here is the invitation I created:
It doesn't translate well to the web, but, I assure you it looked quite nice when printed out.
I took over 100 pictures, but the place was dark, and being that I was on wheels, it was hard to set up the shots well. So, I didn't end up with many serviceable images, but I uploaded a few anyway:
In other news...
Some amazing, although different, artwork.
Walter Martin & Paloma Muñoz have a very unique gallery, the most recent venture is a collection of incredible snowglobes.
I don't know why I'm always so amazed by really small artwork, but I am. It's just so... cool!
They are absolutely amazing, but, I will warn you, I got the link from someone on a forum I read, however, I assume he got it from somewhere big, because the page seems to have a little trouble loading. It's settled down a bit, but you may need to refresh it a few times to get it to load right.
Have you ever been amazed by a table?
Well, if you haven't, you're about to be:
Now, before you think about running out to your local furniture store, understand that these things retail between $50-70,000. Yes, that's right, I typed FIFTY TO SEVENTY THOUSAND DOLLARS.
They are designed by db fletcher designs, and if you didn't believe me about the pricing, they are up front about it.
Best Buy's hidden website...
It has been reported that Best Buy has admitted to having a hidden intranet site that is identical to their public internet site except that it does not show the heavy discounts that sometimes comes from internet shopping. That's right, it only shows their in-store pricing.
Apparently people think this is wrong of them.
I do not.
I can understand the lengths that a brick and mortar store will go to try and protect their razor thin profit margins. I mean, seriously, many of these stores will post annual sales in the $10's of millions, yet, if you look at their bottom line, they only actually make $6.84.
Yes, less than $7.
So, when you have a computer for sale on your website, a website which costs infinitely less to operate, it's not hard to post huge discounts for those products, especially when you consider that the website is a completely different entity than the store.
But, apart from that. It's their fucking store. I mean, as customers we're guests, right? Why do people expect that store's should bend over backward to give you whatever they want.
It's not a democracy for price people. If you want the special internet deal, buy it over the fucking internet. Stop being a bunch of pansy cry babies.
You see a price on the internet you like, just pay that price, right there and then. If you don't have access to the internet? THEN YOU DON'T KNOW ABOUT THE PRICE! Of course, for the most part, you can actually make the purchase on the website and have pick it up in the store. So, you get the great internet pricing and the convience of picking it up without paying shipping. The reason they can do this is that the store gets credit for the item at their cost, they are protected from losing money.
A quick lesson on profit margins: Computer A costs Best Buy $600 when ordered in bulk. Best Buy buys these machines, then distributes them to various warehouses. Per machine, we've tacked on a good $50 or so for distribution and shipping, at least, it really does depend. From these warehouses, the machines either sit and wait for online purchase or they get distrubted out again, this time an interem dock, or in some cases direct to the store. The bottom line is that once you pay everyone along the way, when it's reached the store, that $600 machine is now coming to the store at a cost of around $700-800. Now, we want desperately to get people to buy this item, and we need to be competitive, so, Best Buy will advertise their item in store for $849.99. This means that they will make about $50 off the machine, if you don't count the kid that 'sells' it to you, the manager that gets it out the back room, and the kid who rings you up, let alone the cost of the store just opening the doors. So, the computer on the website is $200 cheaper because it has far less money invested in it, it doesn't cost the online store as much to get that computer to you, even the final shipping will be paid by you, the consumer.
People seem to misunderstand the position a retailer is in. They aren't magic pixies. Things that cost them money will cost you money in the long run. If you bully a store into a taking a return you should have brought to the manufacturer, if you bully a store into giving a discount you don't deserve, if you bully a store into selling their products below their cost... it's no different than shoplifting. The money a store loses on these things all come out of one place. Your final price.
The reason you pay so much more than you want to? It's not because your retailer is evil, it's because you're a dick. Stop being a dick.
The fact that Best Buy feels they need to go to these lengths just to keep customers from trying to cheat the system (and yes, on the site there are deals that specifically say "Online Only" and they are meant to be bought online only, that's part of the system you're trying to cheat) makes me sad. I don't like Best Buy, but they are a business just like any other.
You are not a special snowflake. Play by the rules and everything will go better.
Windows for Warships?
This article is amusing. No, not the article itself, but the reaction people are having to it. The most used series of operating systems on the planet is being used by the Royal Navy, and people are not certain we're all going to die because of it.
Because 1 mhz processors weren't outdated at all.
I can't help but laugh at this guys response though:
Actually, I think Tech Pro (and the new BattleStar Galactica) have a good point about the dangers of high tech, particularly of computer networks. I would assume, of course, that the RN has taken this into account.
Then again, who knows. *I* would have run my warships on Linux for a few simple reasons:
1: Open source. yeah, yeah, lots of risks involved with open source as well, but it makes me REAL nervous letting a private company control the brain of my ship with source code that no one outside can see. Of course, perhaps they have a special deal with the government that lets gov techs review the code? (like they would have time to review the whole os, not likely)
2: It's harder to play games on Linux. No, seriously, picture this scenario:
The scene, sometime in the near future, a RN submarine, running deep and silent in the Persian Gulf. Suddenly the peace is shattered by a wailing Klaxon:
WHEEEP! WHEEEP!
The captain comes running in to the command center and shouts, "XO! What's going on?"
"Iranian destroyer sir, they got us with a hard ping. They've got two torps in the water and locked on to us HARD!"
ping ping... The captain can hear the two enemy torpedoes coming at him.
"Well," replies the Captain. "Activate the defense systems! Drop a decoy, drop two!"
ping ping ping...
"Sorry", says the XO. "But the defense computer is, uhm, unavailable".
"Unavailable!!!!", screams the captain. "What do you mean UNAVAILABLE!"
ping ping ping ping...
"Well.. Sir", the XO stammers. "Some of the men were using it to host a lan party. They were playing...", he glances down at a monitor". "Something called Core Decision. It's going to take a few minutes to get it back online..."
"What the..!", The Captain's face is turning red. "Never mind the decoy's. Take us down 400 feet NOW, perhaps we'll lose them as we cross the thermocline".
Ping Ping Ping Ping Ping...
"Uhm... Sorry Sir." the XO says, hanging his head. "Navigation and Engine Control are also rebooting sir. Uhm, I think those were doing Halo 4".
PING PING PING PING PING PING!!!
"ARRRGH!" The captain screams. "Emergency surface! Blow all the tanks! Emergency Surface!"
The Xo grabs a mouse and clicks a big flashing red icon on his monitor. There is a brief pause, then suddenly a paperclip wearing a sailors uniform appears on the screen and says, "I see you are attempting an Emergency Surface. This could be dangerous and creates a hazard for any commercial shipping in the area, would you like me to show you how to use the diving planes for a safer surfacing procedure?"
PINGPINGPINGPINGPINGPINGPINGPINGPINGPING!!!!
The Captains next words are drowned out by two large explosions and the sounds of a collapsing hull...
That's it for now...
as always, I shall return... go cry n00bs.
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