As a fan of all things Apple, I used to read The Unofficial Apple Weblog (TUAW), daily. Over the last year, though, they have changed a slew of different things on the website. They’ve hired at least one writer that hardly ever knows what she’s talking about, they have added more ads to the website that take just about forever to load, and now, whenever you click on a link, it makes you sit through an ad before transferring you to the next site.
The last part is by far the most annoying. Once you click on any link — even to post a comment, apparently — an ad pops up via CSS that covers the entire window. There’s a “skip ad” option at the top — but it doesn’t do ANYTHING.
Now, I’m not complaining that TUAW “sold out” or anything like that. They’re a business, and they deserve to make as much money as they can. One would think, however, that a tech-oriented website would do a better job with its coding and interface so that geeks like me don’t get annoyed and go elsewhere… and there are plentyof “elsewheres.”
Anyway, I am hereby removing TUAW from my bookmarks. Hopefully there are enough posts like this on the Internet that will get them to clean things up a bit.
I am a big fan of Eminem, but not having my appetite fulfilled with The Re-Up, I have been on the look for some Shady mix-tapes.
I recently came across Diary of a Madman…which is really a compilation of 49 old Eminem freestyles, remixes and unreleased items. Anyone who was on Napster (or perhaps Limewire) probably has some of these, but I doubt all of them, let alone at the quality that most of these are.
Check out http://www.getrightmusic.com/2008/02/28/424/ to download the .zip file with all of these great songs.
Highlights: The 97 Rap Olympics…any of my friends who are Eminem fans already have a copy of this…but let me tell you, this guy lets a few other Emcees have it.
The Brewers lost to the Cardinals today. They were actually tied until Gagne gave up two runs in the ninth inning.
They should start paying this guy solely on commission. At this point, I could toss the ball better than Gagne. Only… I’d play for about $9,900,000 less than Gagne.
Of course you have heard by now that the Home Depot is closing three stores in Southeastern Wisconsin. Of the stores are two near my home — Home Depot, Beaver Dam and Home Depot, Fond du Lac.
Before my kitchen-remodeling project, I bought some tiles from the Beaver Dam store. Luckily, I purchased the rest of my supplies from Home Depot or Menards in West Bend. Today, when I went to take back the extra tiles that I had, the lady at the Home Depot in West Bend said, “sorry, sir, all sales from Beaver Dam or Fond du Lac’s stores are final.”
WTF? It’s a national chain store that is corporately owned. What’s the difference if I bring back a box of tiles that it stocks at every single Home Depot store?
Since I’m sure I’ll end up buying from The Home Depot again, I’ll simply return the tiles without my receipt, so as to get in-store credit. It’s just ridiculous, though, that I have to jump through hoops to get $6.97 back.
On another note, I think that it’s completely ridiculous that The Home Depot will come in to a town, build these sprawling stores on vacant land, and then close up shop within three years. All while vowing to open 36 new stores in the U.S. this year. How about making your other stores profitable before building new ones?
Never mind that Mindy McCready is so messed up on OxyContin that she was busted for writing her own prescriptions. The media certainly didn’t think that it was relevant. Nor did they think that the following were relevant: she got the standard drunk-driving conviction, she stole a truck and took the driver hostage, she beat up her mom and got arrested, she tried to commit suicide — twice, oh, and she just got out jail in January for some of her earlier drug convictions.
But wait, there’s more! McCready’s friend states that Mindy was actually 17 at the time, and that nothing sexual happened.
Well, isn’t it prudent that a mere week after this desperate hussy came out with these claims against Clemens, she is “relaunching her career.” (according to syndicated radio host - Danny Wright).
To clarify — I’m not defending Clemens — I definitely don’t think it’s right that he was hanging out with a 17-year-old girl when he was 28. The appearance of impropriety is pretty damning. However, the timing and delivery of McCready’s statement, in conjunction with her hopes of renewing her career AND her lack of any and all credibility, is pretty rotten.
It looks like the Dove campaign may be full of more shit than is ethically possible. From AdAge:
Dove’s “real beauties” may not be so real after all, at least by the account of a renowned airbrush artist. In a May 12 profile in The New Yorker posted online, Pascal Dangin of New York’s Box Studios is quoted as saying he extensively retouched photos used in the Campaign for Real Beauty, which, if true, could seriously undermine an effort that already has subjected Unilever to considerable consumer and activist backlash in recent months.
Dove’s “real beauties” were not airbrushed, but their photos were treated to eliminate dust from the film and provide “color correction,” according to Unilever and celebrity photographer Annie Leibovitz.
In a joint statement provided by Unilever regarding its “Campaign for Real Beauty,” the company, Ms. Leibovitz, who created the ads in question, and the celebrity photo re-toucher she works with — Pascal Dangin, who kicked off the controversy with a quote he said was taken out of context in an interview with The New Yorker magazine — all denied substantially altering images in the much-lauded campaign.
I feel kinda like a dope this morning. Yesterday, I posted the Dove Onslaught ad that encourages you to, “talk to your daughter before the beauty industry does.”
Then I came across a video parody of the Onslaught video that I posted yesterday. In this video, it shows Axe commercials as the onslaught of self-image-reducing ads. Axe, of course, is owned by Unilever, who also owns the Dove brand.
Here’s the video:
I know this is all old news, but it’s new to me - and I think it’s completely unethical.
This morning was the first time that I had ever seen the Dove Onslaught viral video. As a dad of a little girl, it really touches home - especially after the Hannah Montana photo shoot fiasco.
If you recall, Dove also did the Dove Evolution video about the modeling and advertising industries:
Do not pray for easy lives. Pray to be stronger men. Do not pray for tasks equal to your powers. Pray for powers equal to your tasks. Then the doing of your work shall be no miracle, but you shall be the miracle.
My daughter and I were watching the Zoey 101 movie on Saturday night on Nickelodeon. Towards the end of the show, there was a band full of white kids playing some rock music.
The name of that band: Jungle Fever.
Now, I don’t want to be that guy pointing at the elephant in the room, but isn’t a term like “Jungle Fever” a little racy for a television show geared towards tweens?
My daughter and I decided to order pizza in tonight. For the first time ever, I ordered online at dominos.com. After being able to browse the coupons and easily make my order online, up popped this really cool “Pizza Tracker.” It is so cool. It tells you what stage of the process your pizza is in. How cool is that?
A gossip is one who talks to you about others; a bore is one who talks to you about himself; and a brilliant conversationalist is one who talks to you about yourself.
I recently came across Diary of a Madman…which is really a compilation of 49 old Eminem freestyles, remixes and unreleased items. Anyone who was on Napster (or perhaps Limewire) probably has some of these, but I doubt all of them, let alone at the quality that most of these are.
Surely you’ve heard that 
