Call of Duty: Black Ops Map Packs

Why is Sony still charging $14.99 for the Call of Duty: Black Ops map packs? Black Ops came out in, what, 2010? How many new games have we had since then: MW3, BLOPSII, Ghosts, Advance Warfare and coming soon, BLOPSIII? If one were to buy these four map packs, they could essentially buy a brand new game in the series or if they found a good discounted deal like previously owned, two or more of the new games could be bought.

Yes, I still play BLOPS. I am more attuned to the weaponry in it than the newer games, especially when it comes to playing Gun Game or Core-Pure. I can't stop loving running around with my double-barreled Olympia shotgun and a pistol owning the other team and hearing on my earpiece after the game is over, "Who the hell is running around with a shotgun!?" Brings a smile to my face every time!

So, back to the costs of these map packs...just ridiculous! C'mon Sony, how about charging $15 for all four? I have two PS3 and two copies of BLOPS. If I want to purchase the new maps, I'd have to buy for both for my kids to be able to play on one or both of the PS3 systems.

The official 'do of the Fort Worth P.D.

Saw this on the news channel this evening. I don't remember what the news story was about —— oh wait, it was about two brothers that run a funeral home, were ordered to shut down for some reason by the city and then the city found dead bodies in the funeral home that were NEVER buried. I think those brothers are going to do some time!

Anyway, the policewoman has a pretty cool 'do...although I'd wonder if it's an unnecessary risk when she cuffing and scuffing someone.

Water release from the fire hydrant

So, I know there is a reason why the fire department releases water from the fire hydrants but can they not find a way to capture this water and make use of it elsewhere instead of having it drain into the roads and down the gutters especially with the drought and water restrictions?

In the news 05/29/2014

There is a line in the article that says the following,

"...a controversy in which Donald Sterling insulted African-Americans in a secret audio recording..."

Click here for the article while it lasts.

I've tried to stay silent about it but I just can't anymore.

The man was SECRETLY recorded in a PERSONAL conversation with his STUPID ASS girlfriend!

Is what he said wrong? Sure. Is a he a complete and utter dumb ass? Sure. Should he be fined by the NBA and have the Clippers forcefully removed from his ownership because a personal conversation was recorded and made public? I don't fucking think so!

Do I like the guy? No. He looks like an arrogant, douche bag, asshole! But all these people crying for his head are the same stupid mothers that are against people/big business/government intervening in their personal lives.

If Donald Sterling was as big of an asshole as he's made out (and seems) to be and has all the money that he has, I would hope he'd sue the NBA. Not to condone his comments as acceptable but to show that NOBODY can or should allow big business use their secret, behind-closed-doors (essentially), personal interactions be used against them in business.

Now I do know that people should conduct or try to conduct themselves in a certain manner at all times in public as they are almost always an extension of their business (the NBA in this sense). However, as far as I know, this was not in public but on a cell phone in a personal conversation. To me, using this as a way to finally get rid of the racist, bigoted man is a huge misuse of justice.

AT&T Uverse tried to skim $7/mo. off me

Here's something to look out for when you move. This happened with my ATT Uverse account/contract but I'm sure seemingly little things like this occur in all aspects of B2C interactions that people overlook or discard as not that big of deal. Not this consumer!

I recently moved. These days most utilities can be canceled, restarted, and/or relocated from one location to another via an online portal. ATT Uverse is one of them and I used their portal to set up my start date and installation time at my new place.

All was fine and dandy until I received my first bill for the new address. I see this $7/mo charge listed for a receiver. I don't know why as I signed on to a contract for a free wireless receiver with my home base DVR. So, I call Customer Care.

Longer story shorter. I signed on for a one-year commitment contract with a guaranteed price for two years. When I moved, about six months after the start of my contract, the promotion for a free receiver had ended so the new pricing took effect at my new address. They said that because the free-receiver promotion had ended that now I'd be charged a $7 monthly fee for it.

I don't think so! This isn't my first rodeo.

After raising my voice and getting my $7 back for the already billed charge, they gave me a lump sum for the remainder of my two-year pricing to cover the $7/mo. It came to $112 plus some estimated taxes. They had to do this because their system will not allow them to remove the $7 fee since the promotion is no longer going. I never ended my service, I just transferred it to a new location. So, I will be billed $7/mo for the next 16 months because some programmer does not know how to program to keep the original contract valid after a promotion ends.

The Customer Care rep kept telling me I forgot to check a box that said keep my receiver or some idiotic thing she knew nothing about. I had to tell her that when I used the online portal to move my service. I had to input my new address and then it stated something like the following: Congratulations! You are able to move your service "AS IS" to your new location. Press 'Next'. To me, that means service at my new address will be exactly like my service is at my current address. When I pressed 'Next', it took me to a page to pick my appointment date for a technician to come out and set up my service. Nothing else.

Anyway, that's my rant. I've not had any issues with ATT Uverse service since my original DVR was bad after initial installation. However, this kind of action just pisses me off as they are already charging so much for something and now they are trying to milk an extra $7/mo out of me because their stupid system can't keep up with all their promotions.

So, lesson to learn from Absent-Minded Jay?

Always go over your bills with a fine-tooth comb. At the very least, it could save you the cost of a Chipotle burrito/tacos.

The cost of living in Hawaii vs Texas

I was looking for a cost of living calculator to see what a salary in Honolulu, Hawaii would have to be compared to what it is in Dallas, Texas. I don't remember the link but I think it was off cnn.com or money.com. The calculator already had an amount of $45k so I went with it. I selected Dallas and Honolulu and this is what it gave me.

Can you freaking believe that you have to make almost double what you make in Dallas to make a comparable salary in Honolulu?! What the hell!? It's that damn tourist industry making the COLA higher. I'm sure there is no way or barely a way that the locals are surviving on a minimalist's salary like this! $45k barely goes that far in Dallas!

It's also an interesting feature on this calculator when it shows where and what percent the increase is: 235% Housing, 55% Groceries and 50% Utilities.

No wonder there are so many houseless people in Hawaii—as I was told by a local the majority of the people on the streets are not homeless but houseless because they own a house but cannot afford to live in it. Sad...

Justin Bieber is a douche

Saw an E online article today about Justin Bieber "lunging" at the paparazzi. I didn't read much of the article but the photographs are humorous enough. The first one he looks like a 10-yr-old boy crying about wanting his binky. The second one shows what even more of a douche he is because his bodyguard lifts him like a big baby. I'm thinking the bodyguard should have done a 'shaken Bieber' move on him!

Bieber looks like a baby with a dirty diaper that's full of shit and is about to fall off of him. Does he really think that this style is cool, especially for a WHITE boy from Canada??! Someone needs to bitch slap these white boys that think they're 'gangsta.' Hell, the black boys that think they're cool with the pants' waist at half-ass-crack need to be smacked the fuck around too!

Black, White, Asian, Mexican or whatever the fuck you are...you look unbelievably STUPID with your pants looking like you bought them from the little people store. Do you realized how idiotic you look walking down the street in such a hilarious manner trying to keep your pants from falling completely down? Or how walking around with your hand down the front of your pants to hold them up makes you look like a complete and utter douche bag as well?

There is absolutely nothing cool or intelligent about this 'style.' You look like a douche, you look like you're shitting in your pants, you look like you need to be run over by a 'dumb ass' truck! If the law would allow me, I'd like to be the one to smack you upside your head and say, "W-h-a-t t-h-e f-u-c-k!" Not once do I hear anyone of ANY age say, "Man, I like that style" when they see it on the street. They typically say, "What a fucking ass hat!"

And in case you fucking ignorant parents who allow their kids and young adults to wear their pants in such a manner, do you know where this originated? PRISON! That's right. Your fucking kids and family members are emulating ignorant people in prison...they're not ignorant from the pants thing...they're ignorant because they are in prison. They are ignorant because they chose to do a crime and they are ignorant because they got caught! Anyway, they're prison "uniforms" were stripped of all strings that could be used as a weapon OR to hang themselves with so most of the time their pants were droopy and at half ass. So, you go on promoting and allowing your family members to look like idiots and emulate even bigger idiots!

IDIOTS!

In the news 03/05/2013

Headline reads from the Dallas Morning News:

Man stabbed in downtown Fort Worth after panhandlers want more than he gave them

Click here for the article while it lasts.

This is why I don't (and everybody else shouldn't) give money to any beggars/panhandlers/whatever-you-want-to-call-em-ers. I don't care what puts them on the street. I just know that if they approach me, I feel that my safety is at risk and I will not hesitate in beating the wholly Hell out of them.

∞
That's all I got to say about that!
 

Lifetime secret service for Bush, Obama and future presidents

So, it seems the tax payers will continue to pay for Obama and Bush for a long, long time. I find it amusing (and smart) how Obama included former President "W" Bush. It's amazing how the President and/or government can decide to require something that isn't paid out of their own back pocket.

In my opinion, there is no need for lifelong security detail for a former president. Once they are out of office they are no longer making any decisions for the nation so why do we need to protect them for their lifetime? Out of respect, I can see something like 2-5 years but after that...I don't think the former president(s) is relevant anymore.

It's not like any president these days does anything significant like ending slavery or some important shit like that.

Click here for article while it lasts.

In the news today 09/20/2012

Illegal Immigrant Rental Ban Gets Second Hearing

I don't understand why this is an issue. We do not allow businesses (mostly anyway) to do business with illegal businesses or conduct illegal business. Correct? So, why would we allow apartments to rent to illegal immigrants? Is this not doing illegal business? It's kind of like not checking the background of a job applicant and then allowing a child molester to work at a daycare. I guess the employer can always say, "Well, I didn't know." Right?

Just my thoughts on this continued dumbass debate about renting to illegals after reading an article here (while it lasts).

I would not want to live in an apartment complex that knowingly (or didn't care to know) if my neighbors were illegal immigrants. Sure, some of the illegals are just looking for a piece of the "American Dream" but they've already committed one crime (illegal entry into the U.S.), who's to say they aren't willing to do more to not to have to go back to their country?

This is a no-brainer. They have no rights as citizens because they are ILLEGAL. We aren't beating or killing them so there are no human rights violations. Also, I thought most apartments (maybe not motels/hotels) do background checks on their potential tenants anyway based off of the leasing agreement.

I don't know. I just can't get over how fucking stupid this is! I'm done!

Buckyballs

I saw an article today on Gizmodo about Buckyballs being banned by the Feds (linked to story while it lasts). I've never purchased or used Buckyballs. I've seen the little cubes holding them and thought, "Cool, I'd like to buy those just because," and then I'd see the price and think, "I'm not paying that much for a whimsical item."

However, banning this product because it poses a hazard to children is over-the-top freaking ridiculous! I fully understand the hazards, somewhat severe, these could pose to children, hell even some adults, but that's not a valid enough reason to just ban Buckyballs.

If they ban shit on the potential hazards it poses to stupid, uneducated, ill-raised, irresponsible children, then they should ban other products that are "adult only" like:

• Spray paint—18 or older to purchase but it doesn't stop children from using, playing with, spraying in own eyes or inhaling. BAN IT!
• Super glue—Most places require you to be 18 or over purchase because of the inhalant factor kids like to use it for. I've seen stories and have had similar incidents myself with super gluing fingers, hands, lips and clothing as a kid. BAN IT!
• Guns—Purchased by "responsible" adults based on background checks and how many accidental deaths have occurred with children finding the guns and shooting themselves, their sibling or their friends? BAN IT!

I think you get the ridiculousness I'm trying to share.

My final thoughts are it's Nature's way of thinning the herd and survival of the fittest. The kids will either die from their stupidity or learn from it. Either way, we are all better off with either outcome! Some would say I'd think different if it were my kids. Maybe or maybe not. I'd be worried and hope they lived to learn from it. I would think that my kid was a dumb ass for doing it but every kid does something stupid more than once throughout their childhood. It'd also be kind of funny. But in the end, they lived; they learned; and we could laugh about it after the fact.

Again, I know doing stupid things way more than the average male growing up and I've survived. I don't look back and think it was a product's fault. I knew better and just didn't listen to my parents or the label warnings (after being able to read). It's human nature to be a dumb ass every now and then. It's not the manufacturer's, company's, or product's fault. But we get no money when we, ourselves, accept the blame.

Texas is running out of death penalty drugs

There are many things we do have an abundance of to replace the drugs:

• The rope
• The firing squad
• The guillotine
• A grenade—duct taped to the head
• Bullet(s)—in general
• Push off a tall building
• Push in front of a high-speed moving train
• Push out of an airplane without a parachute

I think we can improvise with just about anything these days. Of course, critics would be crying about some methods (even the one-drug dose they are planning to use) as cruel and unusual punishment.

Seriously!? These fuckers are on death row for a reason. They caused cruel and unusual punishment to their victims and the victims' families. Who gives a shit if we cut off one appendage at a time until they are dead?

I would sleep just fine if I had to pull the switch, the trigger, the pin, or do the push. In time they too would call me "Executioner" (say that in the voice of The Emperor from Return of the Jedi).

See, it's not just Americans...even England has money chasers

So quick back story. David Nalbandian was in the Queen's Club final. He lost his temper after losing his serve. He kicked a barrier around a line judge's chair which I'm sure he thought was much more sturdy than it turned out to be. The barrier gave way and hit the line judge in the shin. The line judge was genuinely injured although it looks from the video to be something as simple as a minor cut and I'm assuming he'll show a bruise later. (I noticed) He was very animated with his reaction which my first thought was "Oh shit, this dude's gonna sue." I don't know if that's what they do in England but that's what he'd do in America. Nalbandian's actions violated an ATP rule and he was disqualified and therefore lost the match. Subsequently, he was fined and then someone filed an assault complaint against him. That someone turned out to be the linesman.

While the links last, you can see the first (maybe the first) story here, a follow-up here and then the most recent one naming the linesman as the whiner complaint filer here).

Now while I don't condone his actions, I don't think Nalbandian is a bad guy. We all let our emotions get the better of us at times. No, that doesn't excuse our actions. I'm just saying that there was a time that something as simple and accidental albeit totally avoidable as this could be moved on from with a simple apology and maybe taking someone out to dinner or such to show there is true remorse and sincerity.

Again, the way the linesman acted up the injury was kind of comical and movie-like. I just knew something more was going to come of it. I don't know what the laws are like in England but in America, the fucked up court system would award this guy a couple of million for his physical AND mental anguish.

Allegation of Cheating

The title of this post was in the subject line of an email I got today from my professor for my last final yesterday. Apparently, a couple of members of the the negotiation group I was in came forward to report that a few other team members had in there possession some information that they were not "technically" supposed to be privy to.

I don't understand why any of my classmates would feel the need to have an advantage in this class. It's not that hard and not to knock the professor, who just happens to be a close friend of mine, but the class was a cinch and one of my easiest I've ever taken! We had one test over a book that was like 80 pages long and that was just to be sure we were reading the book. The rest of the work was in-class (sometimes longer or after-class) negotiations. As long as we attended class and participated in the negotiations and general class discussions, we were golden with at minimum an A-. These kids were actually worried about the final. I was shocked and amused. I got the final case information about two hours before the final. I printed it. Read it. Highlighted some things and came to a conclusion to what I thought we should look for as part of our team and where we could concede. I actually wanted to play hard ball with the other groups because this isn't real life. This classroom negotiations and the point is not to have an agreement all the time. The class room is where you can fail in the negotiation process whereas real life is not.

So, these overachievers and worry-warts, Googled and found some 14-page 'paper' that talked about our specific case and even gave the points that the other groups would be looking for. Was this cheating? In my opinion, yes. One team member found this document and forwarded it to the rest of the group. She actually read it and mentioned the specific page where the points for each group was located. I clicked on it, saw it was fourteen pages long, and immediately closed it. There was no way in hell I was going to read fourteen pages of something that may not even benefit me. Besides the fact that I really didn't give a shit if I got an A on the final. My goal was to pass, which is a D-, and that was all I needed to complete my final class/semester. Don't ever call me an overachiever in the classroom! I was done last semester in my mind so the least I could work to achieve passing was the best I wanted to do.

The Internet is a powerful tool. You can find just about anything that references part or all of your search. The kids of this generation and the past couple are used to having this information at the touch of a button. They are spoiled...in more ways than one. They feel that an A- is worse than an A. I guess in the minute sense of the grades, yes, one is better than the other. But is there really much difference between a 3.7 and a 4.0? If you round to the nearest whole number they are equal. If you see an A for one student and an A- for another, does that mean student A is smarter than student A-? Is there much of a difference between an A- and a B+ or a 3.7 versus a 3.3? Granted rounding to the nearest whole number makes the two look different. But...an A- is the bottom of the 'A' barrel whereas a B+ is the top of the 'B' barrel.

I know. I know. We can throw in the wrench that some students need to maintain a specific GPA to continue to get their grants, awards, or scholarships. Let's just keep it simple!

So, the originator of the email came forward after the professor's email. She took full responsibility. A little while later the prof sends and email and it seems that two other students were "caught." I don't know if the prof is going to really go forward with this but we'll see. Not my problem.

I just know that once again something, anything, could happen to fuck up my graduation!

In the news 08/18/2011

All I have to say is, "The bastard got what he deserved!"

Click here for story while it lasts.

∞
That's all I got to say about that!
 

In the news 07/13/2011

From the Star-Telegram:

Widow of pizza deliveryman who was fatally beaten sues Domino's

Borchardt [widow's attorney] said the teens' phony pizza order was made on a prepaid cellphone and involved an uninhabited address to which Domino's had never delivered a pizza. "They should have known this was going to be an unsafe delivery at that point," he said.

Click here for the article while it lasts.

Domino's should have known this was coming. This freaking attorney is an ambulance chaser-type. This is going to be a waste of tax payer money. It should be shot down before it even goes to jury selection or whatever.

Number 1: How is someone calling in on a prepaid cellphone a flag for "unsafe delivery?" I know tons of people that have prepaid cellphones. Hell, my father-in-law is on a prepaid cellphone. WTF, idiot attorney!?

Number 2: Is money really going to help this widow with her grieving? Well, hell yes...especially if it's a lot! But seriously, it wasn't Domino's that beat the crap out of this guy. Granted they may have unsafe areas but what areas these days aren't unsafe in some form or fashion?

I think Domino's should have stepped up and given a lump sum of money to the widow. It should be a policy. He got injured, killed, on the job out of no fault of his own and they should have "donated" something to the widow. I think $10,000 is what the government deems as the worth of a human. Domino's could have doubled that and been done with it. Every business should have an "in case of death on the job" fund.

Unfortunately, businesses typically don't give a rat's ass about their employees until they are no longer producing revenue for said business.

Why are America's families failing?

There is an article in the Star-Telegram that talks about the city of Hurst. This city is part of the H-E-B (Hurst-Euless-Bedford) ISD that I grew up and went to school in.

Anyway, there is a part of this article that makes me wonder, WTF? I'm not an economist, accountant or whatever kind of person calculates what wages people should make. I'm just thinking that the national average should be more. From the article:

The city's per capita income, for instance, is $27,020 -- $21 off the national mark of $27,041.

Click here for article while it lasts.

I can understand the national average being $27K/yr if we mostly lived in rural areas or farmed or something. I guess it just goes to show you the huge separation in how much people are considered worth in various positions of corporate America.

The grunt like myself who does all the important work such as the shit that if I don't do it the people above me or beside me can't do their job doesn't get paid shit. But the person above me that does a few SIMPLE tasks triples my salary, gets all the accolades and is the last to be let go.

I'm not saying I'm worthless. I will be the last guy to be let go unless the company is shutting down because I can do 3+ people's jobs and probably the person's above me if they needed me to.

I'm just thinking about the work force in general. You know what and who I mean.

Anyway, to me $27K/yr is below the sustainable living line especially in cities such Dallas, Fort Worth, Austin, and even other cities within the nation (adjusting the average for the cost of living). This is why the housing bubble burst. No one making $27K/yer can pay for a $60K home no matter how the web is woven.

Oh well...

Why would I subscribe to my local paper...online or paper?

I get the Dallas News through my Google Reader. I don't always click on the headlines to read them but occasionally a story does catch my interest.

I guess it's been a while since I have clicked on a story because today I saw this page after clicking on the "Read the rest of the story" link on the article page.

I'm already a registered member online from years ago but now they want to charge me for content. I didn't read everything but I figure they want me to subscribe to the physical paper and they'll include the online content. Again, I'm not sure but at just a glance that's what I prefer to assume.

I would not pay for information that I can get for free somewhere else.

Can you pick me up from the airport?

Stupid girl at work came to my desk Thursday afternoon and asked me what I thought about this question. Not specifically this question but her response to this question to someone...who just happened to be her father.

Stupid girl's father was coming into town at DFW Airport, from where I don't know and it's not required for the story. He calls to ask his daughter if she could pick him up from DFW Airport and take him to Dallas for an appointment he has. His flight lands at 7:30 a.m.

Stupid girl lives in Dallas. She's near the intersection of Mockingbird Lane and Central Expressway. In case you are not familiar, DFW Airport is about 25 minutes from her location without traffic or construction issues. She would not experience much if any traffic at 7 a.m.-ish going to DFW Airport but she may hit a bit on the way back.

Stupid girls tells me that she basically told her father, "No." She said she told him, "That's kind of early," and, "It would be different if we could go to breakfast..." and of course he pays. She said, "It'll cost like $15 for a cab. I will give you $15."

She came to me looking for justification in her response to "ease her guilt." She didn't get it from me.

I told her she was wrong and she was selfish for not helping out her father. I said, "It's your FATHER! It's not like it's a friend or a sibling!" I said, "You should do this for your father strictly for the fact that HE IS YOUR FATHER!" This is of course unless her father was a deadbeat but what I have gathered from knowing her, he is not. I ranted a little bit more and told her, "Even if my parent(s) were able to walk to my house in 15 minutes, I would tell them I'd pick them up! That's what we do as good kids to our parents who were good to us."

She still didn't get it. I haven't spoken to her yet today to see what she ended up doing. She wasn't late to work Friday morning so my assumption is that she didn't pick up her father from the airport.

She's a shitty person, a shitty worker and now she is a shitty daughter! I expected nothing less these days from her.

Shit movies on Netflix

It looks like my assumption was somewhat right about how Netflix doesn't have the movies we (I) want to watch. It seems like Netflix is more like premium cable television channels: they play new(er) movies over and over and over during seemingly peak times of the day and they play 5-10-20-yr-old movies over and over and over during all the other times of the day.

Anyway, check the Gizmodo write up here and I believe they have a link to the actual article within theirs.