Way to go Grandma!

She must have been 80. But there she was - on the train, gabbing on her cell. Excellent embrace of technology. Two thumbs up!

Also, I found out that Rush Hour 3 comes out this summer. There goes another Saturday for the theater...

Tales of Service to the Customer

This wonderful segment was passed around at work today.

Companies don't realize that the little stuff employees do for their customers is so important.

When I was working at Best Buy after college, I remember I assisted this nice couple with buying a computer. They weren't sure what they wanted to do, so they said they'd think about it. The next day, I was in the warehouse when I heard my name announced over the loudspeaker and that I should report to the Computer department. I was initially worried that I had done something wrong, but soon found out it was simply the same nice couple, asking for my services again, even though we weren't on commission. It was a great feeling that they were solely interested in my assistance. (Of course, the computer they wanted was out of stock!)

And then there are instances from larger companies like AOL and Dell, which can cause serious meltdowns of common decency. For the record, AOL's rep was in the wrong but the Dell customer should have been committed.

Finally, some more fun stats from MSN Money.

A huge weekend for baseball

Even though the friggin Yanks are sucking, I still enjoyed a trip a few weekends ago to the place where it all started. Cooperstown and the Baseball Hall of Fame.

To review the highlights, let's take a look at the videotape:

• The no-hit wall. Here, we've got every no-hitter, the pitcher's face, a blurb, and the ball. Very cool.
• Old-timer uniforms - All the top guys have had their uniforms donated - Ruth, Wagner, Gehrig, Musial, Robinson, and many others.
  
  
• Sections dedicated to other important areas of the sport - women, writers, announcers, movies, and desegregation.
  
  
• The Hall itself, where everyone inducted into the Hall has his plaque. Duh.

A worthwhile trip for any baseball or history buff. Just be sure to make hotel reservations in advance or else - you may find yourself in a place where the hottest spot in town is called Locomotion's. (and its a straight bar)

A sweet video overview

Strange things are afoot at the BSC

At the beginning of last year I signed up with the BSC in Watertown, as it was local to my then office. However, my new job isn't anywhere near there, so I decided to switch my "home" gym to the Cambridge branch. Only at your "home" gym can you use it during peak hours (right before or after work, when everyone else goes).

So, my rate at Watertown was $50/month, and when I went at the end of January to switch to Cambridge, I was quoted a $50 transfer fee as well as a $70/month rate. Major ouch. I gave a polite "Hell no!" to the nice lady who gave me this price and went on my way.

I decided to go back and try again a few days ago. This time, the guy said he'd waive the transfer fee and also try and get me at a $60/month rate. Good stuff.

I'm assuming the reason for this is that the beginning of the year is the hot season for gyms, so they're never willing to budge on rate decreases. Now that traffic is slower, they are more willing to negotiate. Or else the guy thought I was cute

A work spouse? No thank you

Forbes shares this article with us, which describes married couples, who each have someone they confide in during their 9-5. The author describes it as a "work spouse". In other words, a coworker of the opposite sex to share work gossip, personal issues, project difficulties, eating habits, and anything else. All except the physical part.

OK, there's something wrong here. If I came home to gf and said I have a "work spouse", I'd get my ass beaten down and then thrown out to pasture. If these people have to resort to this type of behavior, I think there's something really crappy going on with the "at home" relationships. And there's no way they can believe there isn't a little sumthin' sumthin' going on behind closed office doors. At least, I wouldn't...

A summer of thirds - Holy shite!

We took in Blade of Glory on Saturday night. It's a very funny film. Ferrell's shtick is the same, but I still laughed alot. How could you not when the dude's name is Chazz Michael Michaels?

More importantly though, I realized that this is a huge summer for blockbuster films. You've got the following badasses which will be competing for some potential record-breaking weekend tallies:

• Pirates of the Carribean 3 - Loved the first. Mostly liked the second. Hopefully the final chapter will bring about less of the darkness and more of the witty banter.

• Ocean's 13 - Again, loved the first. Liked the second (hated the big heist retrospective, but the Bruce Willis scene was killer!). Pacino's got the third on lock.

• Shrek the 3rd - I actually just saw Shrek 2 yesterday and really enjoyed it. Since I've already got the above two to see, I may wait for video.

• Spiderman 3 - Liked the first. Thought the second was average. I'll wait for video.

Not to mention, Die Hard 4 (I'm there!), Chuck and Larry (There!), and Transformers (Netflix!), this heated months might be ones for Guinness.

Optimism from the scientific field

Even though my RP sitch isn't very bad right now, it's always exciting to see all the research that's going on with computerized eye chips that provide sight to those without.

Also, I'm glad the american public decided on the appropriate measures for eviction last night.

For a millionaire, Kevin Rose is actually a funny guy

During his TechTV days, I always found Mr. Rose irritating. He made silly remarks and never really offered anything useful. So, once he founded this tiny company, I guess I was just jealous that the little worm had achieved such success.

But all that has changed.

Even though it's been around for almost two years, I just recently viewed an episode of Diggnation. It's such a simple concept - you've got Rose and a buddy sitting on a couch, each with a laptop and a bottle of beer. And all they do is discuss the most frequently "dugg" stories of the week (from Digg.com, obviously). They're rude, they curse, and they're misogynistic. It's perfect.

Kevin Rose, keep on truckin'.

A seemless integration of Internet and old school marketing

Despite my lack of patience with websites, I found myself clicking very, very deep in this one. It's a site for an author's new book that's done in a very unique fashion. But it's so simple. And inexpensive. As long as you own a washable marker and white appliances, you can do it too!

Love those dick and fart jokes. Love 'em

TWIT (and co) are great weekly listens, but what idiot came up with the name for this podcast?

Problem with Idol

I guess my main issue is the lack of reasons to watch. Outside of the top three ladies (Melinda, Lakisha, and Jordan, who are all very similar in and of themselves), who else is there?

• Blake? Yeah a beatboxer who can sing is kind of unique. But, he can't croon nearly as well as he can lay down beats.
  
  
• Sanjaya? Please
  
  
• Phil? Decent voice, but otherwise booorrrriinngg
  
  
• Chris? Oh yeah, that other white guy...
  
  
• Haley? Cute, but doesn't have a voice remotely as strong as the top three.

Yeah, quite disappointing. Chris Sligh had a great personality and should have remained. I love the clip when he's walking into the judge's room (pre-top 24) and quips, "Thank you all for coming to this meeting." Classic!