Friday Focaccia

Time keeps on ticking - For those that forgot our President’s answer to skyrocketing fuel prices, It is already time to “spring forward this weekend, and trade an hours worth of sleep for an “extra” hour of sunlight.

Rounding out the Dumbass Picture - So while we waste billions of dollars in a war of questionable value (to anybody that is not an oil barron, the value to them has been immense), the NASA budget was kept so tight, that when the Shuttles are retired 2010, that the United States , during a 5 year (at least) window will have to rely on Russia to send people to the International Space Station. By the time he is done, is there anything Bush will not have screwed up?

Craptastic Comcastic - I am so glad that I was able to drop Comcast, first for DSL, and now for FIOS. Of course, the immediate benefit was lower cost for superior service (despite it claims, I never got the upload/download speeds the claimed unless I was online in the middle of the night). But, now new bits continue to leak out how Comcast is screwing their customers. Back in early 2006 many Vonage users were having problem that were using Comcast. At the time it was (mostly) assumed that it was just the quality (or lack of it) that received most of the blame, and the possibility that it was done on purpose, was considered a conspiracy theory. Since then of course, is the fact proven by the Associated Press that Comcast is forging packets and blocking P2P programs like BitTorrent. Then yesterday came news about being charged $2 to get Comcast to stop sending junk mail. Now in fairness, once this was exposed, Comcast quickly issues an apology and credit for the “mistake” to that customer. But I would love to know how many people made a similar request and did not notice or did not complain about the fee. And people wonder why Net Neutrality Laws are so desperately needed?

The end if “Smiling Bob” (I hope) - The founder of Berkley Premium Neutraceuticals, distributor of products like Enzyte, the “male enhancement” product seen with those annoying “Smiling Bob” commercials, was found guilty of conspiracy to commit mail fraud, bank fraud and money laundering.  The charges stem predominantly from refusing to cancel orders  (once people realized they had duped), and not from the fact that they preyed on idiots that actually believed the stupid and outlandish claims made.  I suspect those that have been duped are too embarrassed to file a claim in civil courts that they had been duped and bought pills looking to “enhance” themselves.

It is still legal tender… isn’t it? - When you get on a bus, or pay a toll on most roads, there is a sign that says “No pennies.”  I doubt there was such a sign in the school cafeteria, where students, protesting over having their lunch period shortened, paid for their $2 lunch in pennies, and then received detention for it.  The school district finally backed down, after complaints from some parents  that the punishment was too harsh, although I fail to understand on what grounds there was punishment at all.  Yes, they slowed the lunch line down, that was the whole point.  But it was done in a non-violent (a big deal these days it seems) and legal way.  Legal.  While not worth much, the penny is still legal tender, so what did this kids do wrong?  The principal said that it was a “prank” and not a “protest”  (presumably to try and justify the detention), but what exactly is a “prank” about it, other than it being annoying?

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