Akit's Complaint Department

Grand Theft Auto (GTA) IV - xbox 360 multiplayer UNRELIABLE and SUCKS

noreply@blogger.com (Akit) — Sat, 03 May 2008 10:02:00 +0000

Did you go and buy Grand Theft Auto 4 recently? I did for my xbox 360, and while the single player program is great, the MULTIPLAYER SUCKS!

Why does it suck?

First of all, it is not like the multiplayer setup operated by games like Halo 3 and Call of Duty 4. In very rare cases, you might have some mulitplayer issues.

But in GTA IV... their multiplayer setup is absolutely unreliable. Sometimes you hear voices in your headset, and then you get kicked-off for no apparent reason and sent back to single player. The GTA program should have its own separate multiplayer area instead of being forced to go through single player and log-into the system every time you want to play online. With the loading time so long, it's just frustrating.

Odds of getting a multiplayer game on GTA IV: 1 in 10 (10 percent (or even lower) chance)
Odds of getting a multiplayer game on Halo 3 or Call of Duty 4: 1 in 1 (100% chance)

Second, when you are lucky to even get into the multiplayer system, there are SO FEW players playing at all. The system does not pack rooms to the maximum capacity of 16 people. Instead, you are more than likely playing with no more than six people at a time, which makes the game much less fun and less challenging. In many of my cases, I get sent to the game lobby where I am the ONLY PERSON waiting for more players and setting-up the game.

HERE'S A TIP FOR THOSE FOLKS AT ROCKSTAR GAMES: FIX THE DAMN SYSTEM! Why not just rewrite the entire multiplayer system to mimic what Halo 3 or Call of Duty 4 does? You'll find that by having a separate multiplayer menu that does not force you back into single player mode when the game is over or when you get kicked by accident, you'll have much more happy fans.

Right now, I'm not happy.

Do you agree? Post a comment on my blog at http://www.akit.org/2008/05/grand-theft-auto-gta-iv-xbox-360.html

Getting the Most Rewards out of Buying Stuff

noreply@blogger.com (Akit) — Wed, 23 Apr 2008 23:46:00 +0000

I enjoy shopping for some cool things, especially video games and some expensive stuff. As always, gasoline prices are not going to go down to $1.50 a gallon anytime soon, so maybe its time to get a little payback for what you buy.

Many of you may have a rewards credit card that usually gives you about 1% of your purchases, back; but how about if I can get you a better return rate on your purchases?

Here's my list of tips on what to do to get back even more money, sometimes up to 5% back.

Talking about gasoline prices, there are a few gas stations that have "cash only" options for slightly less than credit only. But in about 85% of cases, the gas station you visit does not really care which way you pay, as long as they get their money and you got gas in your tank. Here's how you can get back more.

First of all, always use your credit card with a rewards program. If you pay in cash all the time, you get ZERO PERCENT BACK. Remember that by using a credit card, you do not pay interest if you pay the entire amount back when your next bill comes along.

Most rewards cards are 1%, but here's one that can get you 3% or even 5% if you have a business. I use the Costco American Express card and it provides me 3% back at all gas stations, including Costco gas, where it is relatively cheap. 5% is for any business member that gets a business American Express card. Do your research, you might find a better return if you get the right card.
I spend about $1,000 a year on gas, so 3% back is $30 of fun money I can spend on something else... say more gas. As for my folks, I don't know why they use a gas station credit card, they can only use it at one brand of gasoline, and the REFUSE to fill-up at another gas station that's cheaper. Sheesh, did you know that San Francisco's gasoline only comes from two refineries?

How about shopping online? Here's how you can kill three birds with one stone, and it only takes a little bit of extra effort to do. Here's the steps:

First of all, get a free membership with Mileage Plus on United Airlines and once you get your registration done, go to the "earn miles" section and you find the Mileage Plus Online mall. There, you can go shop at many of your favorite online stores, including places like Best Buy and Barnes and Noble.
Second, make sure to charge your purchase to a rewards credit card.
Third, make sure you are registered for that store's loyalty program.

Now, it's time to use all three. I'll give a perfect example, let's use Best Buy!

The United Airlines Mileage Plus online shopping mall offers Best Buy, where you get one mile for every two dollars you spend. You click on the link to enter Best Buy, go shopping and pick what you want, choose for your item to be shipped or express pick-up, charge it to your rewards card, and register your "Best Buy Reward Zone" loyalty membership to your purchase (Every $250 gets you $5).

Lets do the return rate math:

United miles earned: 0.50% return rate
Rewards credit card: 1% (or possibly more)
Best Buy loyalty membership: 2%
TOTAL: 3.5% return rate.

So... think creatively! You can get back more than you think you can.

Most Annoying Pet Peeve - Car Taillights

noreply@blogger.com (Akit) — Tue, 22 Apr 2008 04:59:00 +0000

I think that one of the most annoying things I can think of is when I drive and the person in front of me has one of their taillights burned out.

OK... more annoying is when two of them are burned out and there's only this little one that's about half the length of your hand. Sometimes, it's so hard to see that light, you have to give yourself extra room or just move to the next lane.

I operate an old 1991 car, but when the lights burn out, at least I get a little signal on my dashboard that alerts me to a burned out light. I wonder why not all cars have this little nifty feature? When it tells you to do it, just run down to your local car parts dealer and replace it yourself.

Or simply pay five times the amount and let the folks at Jiffy Lube do it.

Disappointed United P.S. Premium Service Flight - JFK to SFO 3/29/08 Flight 893

noreply@blogger.com (Akit) — Mon, 31 Mar 2008 02:18:00 +0000

I was especially disappointed with United Airlines' "Premium Service" return flight from JFK New York to San Francisco (flight 893 on 3/29/08). My flight to New York was great (flight 6 on 3/22/08) because it had all the bells and whistles that I expected, but my return flight was a total nightmare.

I paid 45,000 frequent flier miles to do this vacation in business class, and here's what you get on a flight on United Airlines on their "Premium Service" flights to/from New York JFK and SFO/LAX:

Leather reclining seats with foot rest
Premium quality food with champagne, includes at least three entree items and a snack.
Personal entertainment player that works like an iPod with on demand games, movies, tv shows, and more.
Adapter-free electrical plug to power-up your computer, iPod, etc.
Basically, it's like riding international business, but you get the extra perks.

Here's some photos I took of my flight from SFO to JFK on the Premium Service plane:

How do you like the fact that the special United P.S. plane (Boeing 757) was changed to a Boeing 767 international configuration?

We get this announcement about ten minutes prior to boarding flight 893 on 3/29/08. Then the lady on the PA system says that you don't get all the perks. Damn.

Here's a list of what I lost due to this plane change:

I got a reclining seat with footrest, but it was not leather.
I requested for a seat in the front row of business, which gives extra leg room. I lost it and had to sit in the second row.
The electrical outlet required an "EM Power" plug. I nearly drained my iPod dead because of this. I could not watch videos on my iPod since it eats my battery quickly,
No personal multimedia player. I got that stupid pop-out video player that showed videos on a loop. In two hours, you see the same TV episode. Also looked like it was VHS quality with the static lines.

I'd have to say, First Class passengers would be really pissed off. The Premium Service planes comes with those flat sleeper seats, but all they got was a reclining seat instead. What kind of bullshit is that?

Oh yeah, even worse: The plane took-off 30 minutes late. Two lightbulbs were burned out and the tap water system in the rear of the plane was not working. Whoopie.

Here's some interesting news, while my experience was bad, reading the summary of flights from JFK to SFO on 3/29/08, flight 17 was supposed to leave at 5:35PM but left at 7:04PM due to "ramp service."

Come on United. I expected better. 45,000 air miles is a lot to pay for a nice seat and top notch premium service. How about some compensation for this expensive flight?

Costco ALERT: GPS Magellan 4250 only $249.99

noreply@blogger.com (Akit) — Mon, 17 Mar 2008 23:58:00 +0000

If you love Costco and need a GPS, this week is the time to go shopping at your local location or go on their website: Costco.com.

They are selling two Magellan brand GPS products on sale. Their smaller one is only $149.99 and their original price is usually $199.99.

But the mega bargain this week is their Magellan 4250 (see picture below), which is getting some great marks from professional product reviewers like CNET.

I was checking on Google Product Search and the average price for the 4250 is about $300 to $500, but Costco right now is offering it for ONLY $249.99.

I got one today at my local Costco, and let me tell you, they were selling these things like hot cakes. I had to get into the wherehouse right at 11AM and purchase it quickly. Don't forget to bring your $100 off coupon. Some locations even have the coupons at the register for people who forget.

This is one hell of a treasure! I guess the Costco G.M. is right, you'll always find a treasure.

Get it NOW! Click here for the direct link to purchase it online.

Lastly, notice the photo on the top of this blog post? I was chomping down on a chicken bake and noticed that they removed the gold star membership price from their wall. Maybe they are trying to get people to just join as an Executive Member, but it might backfire if people unfamiliar with Costco get a membership and realize that $100 is way too expensive. But they still offer gold star for only $50.

Tons of Free Stuff on your Birthday - A Guide

noreply@blogger.com (Akit) — Fri, 14 Mar 2008 18:01:00 +0000

I find when my birthday comes around, a lot of places do some great things to attract you to their business to give you free things.

Here's a list of places I know about that gives you free things.

Hard Rock Cafe - You need to get membership through the "All Access" program for about $25. When you first buy your membership, you get $20 in food/gift credit on your card, you also get free gifts, and you get "front of the line" seating when the restaurant is busy (in some popular places, it means saving almost 30 minutes). The membership card pays for itself during the week of your birthday when they deposit $10 on your account and the funds last up to three weeks past your birthday. Since the membership fee is a one time fee of $25, using the card for one year pays dividends. To get membership, just go to your local Hard Rock and purchase it at the store. BIG TIP: THEY DON'T E-MAIL YOU ABOUT THIS BIRTHDAY OFFER ANYMORE. BUT NOW THAT I TOLD YOU, WHY NOT GET MEMBERSHIP?

Eat there on your birthday and also get a free dessert!

Go to the one in SAN FRANCISCO. Show your AAA card at the California Welcome Center at Pier 39 and get two hours of free parking too! The Cafe also offers 1 hour before 6PM and 2 hours free after 6.

http://www.hardrock.com
Learn about membership here: http://www.hardrock.com/all-access/default2.asp

Red Robin restaurants - By joining Red Robin's e-club, you get monthly e-mails about their new burgers and other stuff. However, a week before your birthday, they give you a printable coupon to visit their restaurant and get yourself ANY gourmet burger of your choice for FREE. They don't really care what burger you get, so go for the most expensive one. I asked them to add bacon on it and told them I would pay the extra charge, but instead, they comped me.

Also, if you visit them on your birthday, they give you a free dessert.

http://www.redrobin.com
Register for the club here: http://apps.fishbowl.com/a/redrobin/join/agegate.asp

Baskin Robbins ice cream - Their birthday club used to be for kids, but is now expanded to any person. You can register on their website and you get a coupon the week of your birthday for a free scoop of ice cream of your choice. The coupon is good from the week of your birthday until one week after your birthday.

Chevy's and Olive Garden - Both of these restaurants give you a free dessert and a happy birthday chant from the staff when you eat their on your birthday.

Todai Japanese Seafood Buffet - (NOTE: Not a nationwide chain restaurant. Mostly found on west coast, Las Vegas, Hawaii, and in some Asian countries) I really enjoy Todai's variety of Japanese food, including all the sushi you can chomp on. If it's your birthday, bring a couple of paying guests with you and your meal is FREE. Lunch or dinner, they don't care, but rumor has it that they give out lobster tails for dinner to all guests.

http://www.todai.com

Moonstar Upscale Seafood Buffet - (NOTE: There are only two locations - San Francisco and Daly City) this buffet is king in the San Francisco Bay Area with tons of Asian food goodies to go around. Their requirements for a free meal is kinda stiff, but if you can bring along with you six or more paying customers, your meal is free. You also receive a birthday cake and a photo of you (maybe eating crab?).

Read more about their special offers at: http://www.moonstarbuffet.com/special.html

Well folks, that's the list of things you can surely fill your stomach with. If you have any tips, feel free to drop a line in the comments section!

Restaurants and San Francisco Universal Healthcare

noreply@blogger.com (Akit) — Fri, 22 Feb 2008 10:10:00 +0000

I really think the City and County of San Francisco needs to keep the "universal healthcare" plan, as paying for medical insurance can at least be about $150 to $250 a month for most healthy adults through an HMO program.

Most employees who work in grocery stores, or just gain a simple wage without any benefits really need something to maintain their health. How would you like the fact that if someone was sick and contagious, and could not go to the doctor or SF General Hospital, would you eat the food at the restaurant?

And we look at the Golden Gate Restaurant Association protesting this universal healthcare idea! They claim it will ruin businesses and many will fold due to this. With the money that the OWNERS (not employees) make, the owners can sure pay for their own health insurance, but does not want to give the hourly employees who is the backbone of the establishment basic healthcare needs. Like I just mentioned earlier, would you like some TB or Influenza in your dinner tonight?

So here's how some restaurants are trying to protest it: They put right on their menu that they will add an additional 15% surcharge to the bill. Sure, the association is pissed off and wants to protest this way, but how about the customers that go in there? I feel if they look at this notice, they would get right out of their chair at the establishment and walk across the street to the fast food joint serving the same fried chicken you were going to pay 15% more (and possibly an extra 5 bucks for the "special" "free range" shit).

Instead of moaning and groaning, and putting it to a lawsuit with expensive lawyers (which I assume the association members share the cost, thus each restaurant spends even more expenses), just do it the easy way!

Here's my solution: Just raise the price of the meals to cover the healthcare coverage the City of San Francisco requires. 15% added to a $7 meal is only $8.05.

OR WHY NOT JUST MAKE THE RESTAURANT ASSOCIATION DO A GROUP MEDICAL INSURANCE PLAN? Hell, many large corporations and government agencies do this! You might get a cheaper rate than the 15%.

The other alternative to not being ripped off is: Go eat and shop in Daly City! They don't require the insurance rule, and their sales tax rate is 0.25% less than San Francisco's 8.5%. PLUS, YOU CAN GET PLASTIC BAGS AND STYROFOAM TAKE OUT BOXES! (Thanks Supervisor Ross for a odd balled law, where I can still get styrofoam and plastic bags at my local San Francisco "Smart & Final."

San Francisco Government Broke? Take a pay cut city officials!

noreply@blogger.com (Akit) — Fri, 08 Feb 2008 08:43:00 +0000

As many San Franciscans know, our city government is not doing so great after learning there is a budget shortfall, and it looks like a lot of our city paid services is going to get a nasty cut in funding that will always attack something important, the lower paid employees of those services.

But when you think about this, if for example, the Department of Parking and Traffic (DPT) takes a 10% cut in city funding to operate, who would you think they would let go? It won't be the administrative or high ranking manager positions, it seems easy for the people in power to cut out the easy people, the hard working wage donkeys that makes about $10 to $15 an hour (not including benefits).

Instead of letting go of the people that make lower salaries, why not chip off the high paid officials, such as elected officials of the Board of Supervisors or the high paid administrative level folks like Police Chief Heather Fong? Why does our tax money fund such HUGE salaries in this city? $100,000 a year salary is plenty to support at least a couple of families who are middle class.

Here's another thing that will piss you off. Why does the Board of Supervisors have the ability to vote for a raise in salary? Most of us have to meet with our supervisor to ask for a raise, all you have to do is just get a damn majority of your own peers. And in the name of greed, I don't think anyone would say "nay." I think it's best to do it the other way: Let the VOTERS vote to elect if the Board of Supervisors deserve a pay raise. If the Supervisor's performance sucks, then NO RAISE.

My solution: Every San Francisco government employee and elected official that makes more than $80,000 a year must take a MINIMUM 10% PAY CUT.

Maybe all the money they collect from kicking that out of their salaries can be infused in a helpful program like FIXING MUNI. Take a pay cut, go scrap your $50,000 luxury cars and use that pay cut money to fix Muni and take the fucking bus like us wage donkeys do on a daily basis.

Or do it the other way, become like ex-supervisor Ed Jew and extort tapioca drink shops.

Learn to PARK YOUR CAR! Space Hog!

noreply@blogger.com (Akit) — Mon, 28 Jan 2008 00:02:00 +0000

On my block, parking on the street is not too challenging, but I hate it when my neighbors pull this crap (see photo above).

You S.O.B. parking space hog! If this car parked correctly by moving his/her vehicle up to the end of the curb about six to ten feet ahead of it, then someone else can fit their car behind there. Or... back-up your car about four feet in front of the white Mini Cooper so that someone can park their car in front of you. The Cooper has plenty of room to get out because of the driveway of the blue house.

JUST BECAUSE OF THIS, I HAD TO PARK MY CAR FAR AWAY. BASTARD.

Another Bad Parked Vehicle: CA 5FIE030

noreply@blogger.com (Akit) — Sun, 20 Jan 2008 09:03:00 +0000

Here's another example of a parking space hog. San Francisco Japantown parking lot at about 1:00PM on January 19, 2008.

California license plate number: 5FIE030

If you know who this is, please send my regards by "keying" the car. Sure can use a paintjob.

Misleading Costco Coupon - 20th Century Fox DVDs

noreply@blogger.com (Akit) — Sat, 19 Jan 2008 03:52:00 +0000

Looking at this coupon on the left, what does this tell you?

This Costco coupon looks to me like I can purchase ANY 20th Century Fox DVD, as long as the program on the DVD has been on television.

WRONG!
Scroll down to read why...

Keep going...

The Costco coupon is actually misleading. There are three item code numbers, but there are four DVDs displayed, meaning that these codes can't really apply to the four displayed DVDs, and also supports that it is legit to any 20th Century Fox DVD.

Actually, it only qualifies to the DVDs that matches the three item code numbers on the Costco price sticker. But since the coupon has three DVD titles, are they they eligible? I don't know.

Nevertheless, I wasn't happy when the guy at the register rejected this, and I also spoke to the manager that this coupon is misleading. I drove over ten miles to that location to purchase something that the coupon is rejected? I wanted to buy the Family Guy "Blue Harvest" Star Wars spoof, but I went home with nothing.

COSTCO SHOULD HAVE:

Listed all ELIGIBLE DVDs ON THE COUPON.
Clearly mark that the items are only legit to the codes on the coupon and item.
Should have put their advertising price sign on the eligible items. Not all items at the El Camino Costco had their price with the coupon discount displayed. I noticed this when an eligible coupon for this week didn't show-up on the product's display.

I wonder how many other unhappy customers walked in and realized that their favorite 20th Century Fox DVDs like the Simpson's and Family Guy was going to be turned away at the register with a coupon that didn't tell the whole truth about their advertising?

I was almost ready to demand my membership fees back from Costco that day.

Anyone got an opinion about the interpretation of the coupon? Just post a comment!

Bad Driver - CA License Plate 4LLM210

noreply@blogger.com (Akit) — Sat, 19 Jan 2008 03:47:00 +0000

If you are the owner of the license plate 4LLM210, where the f--- did you learn to drive?

Caught driver swerving between two lanes to get in front of vehicles and didn't use turn signals.

Location: San Francisco, CA; Great Highway (southbound) on the stretch between Lincoln and Sloat.

Someone doesn't need to slap you, but needs to spank you with a paddle.

KRON 4 is DEAD!

noreply@blogger.com (Akit) — Fri, 11 Jan 2008 02:55:00 +0000

KRON channel 4 in San Francisco is being put up to sale! I knew it! The station has always sucked since they lost their NBC affiliation.

I always knew that these factors caused their death:

VJ style news (don't use spell check and can't even get Snoop Dogg's face in the camera).
Jan Whal's hats suck
What the hell is "My Network TV?" It's just a network still running on meth.
Henry's garden? What kind of shit is this?
Rob Black? Financial loser.
Dr. Phil, a bullshit doctor.

So, when is the funeral? Call the morgue!

Read articles here: SFist and SFgate (Chronicle)

EXTRA EXTRA - S.F. Supervisor Ed Jew to Resign

noreply@blogger.com (Akit) — Thu, 10 Jan 2008 19:41:00 +0000

HOT NEWS FROM SAN FRANCISCO'S CITY HALL!

Suspended San Francisco Supervisor Ed Jew is to resign!

It's time to pop that cork of champagne and celebrate folks! The corrupt jackass surrenders!

If you resign, he's gotta be f-ing guilty of one of two things: taking a bribe, or not living in San Francisco.

I believe that he does not live in San Francisco, because his other home is in Burlingame. And when you get a warrant for your arrest, why the hell do you go to Burlingame to get booked by the cops?

For the entire news article, click here.

FYE $7 Rebate Problem - WWE Best of Raw 15th Anniversary

noreply@blogger.com (Akit) — Wed, 09 Jan 2008 02:59:00 +0000

I'm wondering if anyone else is experiencing this problem:

I bought the WWE "Best of Raw" (offer number 07-95447) and my rebate receipt says that I will get a $7 refund.

I checked my e-mail and noticed that my rebate has been processed, but it says $5. I also called the rebate center, and they claim it is a "misprint." I don't believe so, because if your official store receipt says $7, I expect $7.

In the end, the DVD should be with the $7 rebate: $17.99.

Is anyone else experiencing this problem?

The New American Gladiators - Steroids?

noreply@blogger.com (Akit) — Mon, 07 Jan 2008 05:19:00 +0000

I'm right now watching that new American Gladiators program on NBC hosted by Hulk Hogan and that Ali chick.

Does anyone notice that these so called "Gladiators" (including the women) might be on steroids? The challengers aint buff, but those Gladiators look like our current list of professional wrestlers, known to take steroids. The co-host, Ali is a boxer, and she aint buff because you can't box legally on steroids.

Um... it should be noted that there's already been two injuries on this program, including the first women's event. What great editing NBC.

My Opinion on the San Francisco Zoo Tragedy

noreply@blogger.com (Akit) — Thu, 03 Jan 2008 17:09:00 +0000

The San Francisco Zoo has had some bad incidents in the past years, from an elephant dying, to a lady being mauled by a tiger. Even more tragic is that one man was killed, and two were mauled (and survived) by the same tiger that attacked a keeper. AND THIS WAS ON CHRISTMAS DAY!

Now, this story has hit the national headlines big time, and this story is not going away that easy... OK, maybe in a month, just like the Cosco Busan oil spill incident. Our local news outlets don't even talk about the oil spill anymore.

There's this huge blame game going around, and it always seems that when things get really f-ed up, you always call the best "spin" public speakers and lawyers in the nation to screw around with the story. Lets see what they have to say:

The Zoo: They claim that the tiger was taunted by the three (now possibly four) people that were allegedly involved. They also claim that they had a quick enough response.

The lawyer for the mauled men: They did not taunt the tiger and zoo employees at the nearby cafe refused to let the men hide in the facility.

My analysis: The zoo is responsible for this incident. Regardless if an animal is taunted or not, it is the responsibility of the San Francisco Zoo to build safe exhibits that prevent animal escapes in the first place. For the tiger grotto, the wall was NOT HIGH ENOUGH to repel the animal.

Also, there's word that the tiger had some cement in her claws, which is a sign that somehow the animal was able to climb the wall. I wonder what the condition of the wall is? Was it in good condition, where it is smooth and not possible to break apart so that the animal could not climb the wall? Or was the wall in poor condition, where the wall was not smooth (rocky) or in bad condition, that even a human could do some rock climbing on that thing?

So what's going to happen now?
-- I think that the zoo better be ready to take on a million dollar settlement. The zoo is held responsible for holding a DANGEROUS animal that is their responsibility. They built a grotto that is not high enough, and did not provide quick enough response to evacuate the area and respond to the incident. And now... they are to install a PA system... yeah, could have been installed decades ago; idiots.

I'd fire the entire zoo management for this fuck-up. Especially the guy who's getting paid over $100,000+ a year to "manage" this bullshit facility. Even better, close down the damn place if they cannot pay to maintain the facility. Why waste my tax dollars on a place that is inadequate in the name of safety?

What's wrong with this city?

Muni sucks.
The cops can't control the lower east side of town.
A zoo that is basically unsafe.
A Mayor who went to rehab.
A Mayor involved in a sex scandal.
Overpaid city "managers."
The 311 operators are operated by a bunch of retards.
Things change only when someone gets killed, such as the zoo incident.

Can you park your car RIGHT?

noreply@blogger.com (Akit) — Sun, 23 Dec 2007 23:37:00 +0000

Are you the owner of this vehicle at the Safeway lot on LaPlaya (the beach)?

Someone needs to slap you.

Want a job? One Screwed Up Application Process for the Oakland Fire Department

noreply@blogger.com (Akit) — Sun, 02 Dec 2007 06:14:00 +0000

There were 8,000 people waiting in hand with applications to turn-in for the Oakland Fire Department today, but there were only 23 positions available. The job can pay an average of $100,000 per year, and the department dropped the EMT training requirement to apply.

But what a shame when it came to accepting applications for the job as a firefighter today. They only took 1,000 applications, which only gave you about a 12 to 13 percent chance to even submit your application for just the chance for consideration.

Just watching the news about this problem is sad, some people camped out for days for the opportunity to turn-in their application, but things flipped around when it turned out that there was no official line that day, and people were picked at "random" to be the one of the 1,000 applicants to turn-in their paperwork.

I really criticize this idea of picking people at "random" to take applications. There could be the problem that people were chosen because maybe one of the officials picking the applicants had connections, like they are a friend. Another idea is that this could have been racially or gender motivated, meaning that the fire department did this "random" picking by choosing the 1,000 applicants based on satisfying a male to female ratio or by race, which is technically against the law.

As a consequence of their "random" policy, there were very qualified people in line with previous fire department, EMT, or public safety experience that did not even have an opportunity to apply, versus the regular joes without any training or experience. If I were to hire people for a fire department, I would accept all applications and take the people with the most experience.

I don't understand how the Oakland Fire Department could have not been better organized for this event. Many HR departments just do the easy way: establish a window of time of when the application needs to be turned-in, and accept every single application. After reviewing every application, they should review every single one and filter out the ones that are improperly filled-out, not qualified based on education, etc. More than likely, they would hire the ones with past experience or have taken college classes on the science of firefighting (available at community colleges).

Hey Oakland Fire Department! FUCK YOU! Yo mayor, fire the Chief Daniel Ferrell and the person in charge of HR.

Black Friday Shopping - Akit Style!

noreply@blogger.com (Akit) — Sat, 24 Nov 2007 07:18:00 +0000

Today is Black Friday, and I can tell you, I found some good bargains, especially on a tight budget.

For the last two or three years, I've been driving down to Daly City and Colma to visit the major big box stores to get my hands on some great holiday bargains, but mostly for myself. Yeah... I'm a tad selfish, but when you really need something very badly to fix or upgrade, you'd just have to get up by 4AM and suffer some cold weather.

Today, all I did was that I visited my neighborhood Radioshack, which is about twenty blocks away by car, but only a short 10 minute drive on the non-busy streets. The only two things that I was really attracted to at the store was:

Emergency Hand Crank radio (my old one is broken) for just $20.00 versus $40.00
2 Gig XD camera memory card for $40.00 versus other places that sells it for nearly $80.00.

Luckily, that Radioshack was not too busy, there was only about 5 people ahead of me.

Several hours of sleep later, I went to Costco to buy another case of Mexican Coca Cola, a bottle of juice, and a box of gum. Still, a good bargain for 80 cents a bottle of Coca Cola, and gum that is only about 60 cents a pack (versus $1.25 at the grocery store).

After some years of experience of this massive bargain hunting, here's my quick tips to a not so pissed off holiday:

Shop at night, you might not get those super hot bargains, but you'll experience smaller crowds and still find some decent deals, especially on DVDs.
If you go for openings at 4 or 5AM, stick to the smaller chain stores like Radioshack, Kohls, and any Mervyn's location not attached to a mall.
AVOID BEST BUY AT ALL COSTS! Last year, the line was so long, it wrapped around the entire building.
Go for online purchases, "Cyber Monday" is just a few days away, and some places will offer FREE shipping.
Go bid on stuff on eBay, they are significantly cheaper than going to your favorite store.

This is also a good time to sell stuff on eBay, I've sold an xbox system for over $70.00.

The Funeral of the Plastic Grocery Bag in San Francisco - Say Hello to Paper

noreply@blogger.com (Akit) — Tue, 20 Nov 2007 20:18:00 +0000

I guess I can rip-off Dave Chappelle: "Paper Bag Bitch!"

Scarface too: "Say hello to my brown bag friend!"

Say goodbye to your favorite plastic grocery bag folks. That's the way nutty San Francisco goes folks, I guess I can't use those bags to bag-up stinky trash that I thrown down my kitchen garbage anymore. I'll just have it leak through the paper bag, and I'll be smelling rotting things all week long until pick-up day.

Sure, it makes sense to eliminate plastic bags: They don't decompose, it comes from petroleum products, kill animals, and creates a choking hazard for kids and just the outright stupid adults trying to get a rush.

But on the opposite side, paper bags aint so pretty too. We may now have the reputation for killing more trees to make our paper bags, regardless if they are partially recycled or not. Ever watched "Penn and Teller: Bullshit?" They say that recycling sucks anyway. Paper only has a limited recycling life, and you have to blend it with some virgin tree pulp to create a suitable bag.

Ever tried those bag handles? Um... they suck!

So how do we get around this problem? You could...

Go to another city, such as the Safeway at Daly City. Get a plastic shopping bag and also a .25% tax discount (Daly City is 8.25% tax vs. SF at 8.5%)
Buy those grocery plastic bags at an inexpensive price at your favorite wholesale store (aint that just ironic?).
Buy a longer lasting plastic bag or a reusable bag.

Costco sells three huge bags for $3
Safeway gives three cents for each bag you reuse at the store (just 3 cents?). They also sell reusable cloth like bags, but they are small and of cheap quality.
Andronico's gives a bag discount
Lucky's (a.k.a Albertsons) sells a 99 cent bag and gives a 25 cent discount every time you use that specific bag at their stores.
IKEA sells those huge blue tarp like bags for 79 cents.

It's just another sign to go shop at your favorite mom and pop store, because at least you can still get plastic bags. The grocery stores got the fuck you heave ho by our city government.

Let's summarize my rants:
I want my plastic bag!
Damn, now I have to haul those reusable sacks around in my car.
No more Styrofoam, now no more plastic. Let's kill more trees!

Mexican Coca Cola in Costco - Real Cane Sugar!

noreply@blogger.com (Akit) — Fri, 09 Nov 2007 23:49:00 +0000

That's right boys and girls, Costco "El Camino" in South San Francisco (not the SFO airport location) is selling cases of Mexican Coca Cola.

It's the real stuff! No corn syrup, but real cane sugar.

What does this taste like? I haven't opened one of the bottles yet, but I've heard that it takes much better and cleaner than the corn syrup product. I have tried Jarrito's several times, and they use real cane sugar and juice, and it takes better than your classic American sodas.

Costco sells these right now for $17.99 for a 24 bottle case. CRV is $1.20 per case. When adding the CRV, it makes it just $0.80 per bottle. Sure, it's not a 20 ounce bottle for $1.35 these days, but it's definitely worth the bargain.

I was at Costco today because I needed gasoline and my folks wanted me to also purchase a chicken to eat for tonight. So I'm roaming up and the down the aisles to look for anything else to take home (other than a hot dog). I was shocked that I ran over these cases of Mexican coke because you can't find it in this size of bulk anywhere else. You might be able to score a couple of bottles at a Mission District Mexican restaurant, but I can't find it at my grocery store.

I BOUGHT TWO CASES! I've got so much soda in my fridge now, I can't fit the second case in there. Maybe I'll drag it to work on Tuesday and stuff it in my office fridge.

The only pure cane sugar product that the American Coca Cola company produces is the Kosher version for Passover, but you may need to go to a specialty store to find that.

The ten days of San Francisco Politics Christmas

noreply@blogger.com (Akit) — Wed, 07 Nov 2007 00:35:00 +0000

Since today is election day in San Francisco, I thought it would be fun to celebrate the upcoming holidays with the classic 10 days of [San Francisco] Christmas.

On the (number) day of Christmas, my true love gave to me:
10 red light runners
9 dead pigeons on the street
8 Ed Jew criminal charges
7 disgusting Muni buses
6 anti war protests
5 homeless people!
4 Mean Muni drivers
3 Supervisor Duffy Porta Toilets
2 Chicken John purple vans
And a Newsom voodoo doll.

Halloween in the Castro 2007 - Financial Bust & Stupid Campaign

noreply@blogger.com (Akit) — Thu, 01 Nov 2007 18:16:00 +0000

I'm not sure to say if the "stay at home" campaign really was successful, but there is one thing that I can be clear about this:

There were far fewer people, but there were still hundreds of people on the sidewalks.

Now sure, it kept people off the street, but at least nobody not stabbed, shot, or went on live TV to say "Fox news is bullshit!"

In one way, it could be a success, but just at what financial cost?

Critics (including myself) say that this was a financial nightmare.

600 police officers in the area alone, at an estimated $50/hr for six hours (6PM to midnight) = an estimated $180,000 in taxpayer money. $210,000 if it was seven hours.
Additional parking/meter maids to enforce parking policies: Definitely thousands of dollars.
City paid portable toilets: Thousands of dollars, and neighbors smelling blue chemical toilet scents.
Steel fencing on the sidewalks: Gotta pay the city workers to put those up.
Tow trucks: $250 towing fine
Closing down BART at 16th street & Mission station: Paying for transit employees to transport riders and ADA passengers by van from 24th st. & Mission.
Providing a bus bridge due to closure of Muni Metro stations: Plenty of dollars to pay for diesel gasoline.
Hiring Muni drivers to transport 600 cops: Bus driver salary + gasoline cost.
And of course, my favorite: Hiring David Perry & Associates to make a lame poster campaign and cheap youtube quality videos: $40,000.

Talking about party poopers, here's a list of people who had to ruin the event for everyone:

Mayor Gavin Newsom
Chief Heather Fong
The FBI (what the hell? Was Osama going to pee on the sidewalk?)
Supervisor Duffy (hmmm... hiding the fact to the press that porta toilets were coming? Fuck! They were going to find out anyway!)
David Perry & Associates
The SFPD's SWAT Team for putting sharpshooters on the roof (as stated by KTVU).
Restaurant and Bar Operators who shut down (if you have two dozen people waiting in line at an open bar, sure as hell, you should have opened-up!)
Muni (a.k.a. SFMTA)
BART
The SFPD for arresting a person for j-walking (damn, they usually just give a ticket)

The city is promising for the 2008 Castro Halloween party. Supervisor Duffy said on the news that since 2008's Halloween will be on a Friday, they will organize an appropriate Halloween party. THE ORGANIZING OF NEXT YEAR'S SHOULD START TODAY.

Ok... then why didn't you organize this year's? Since there was "9" shootings, you had since November 1, 2006 to organize something safe, sure seems that they pulled this one off in their butthole at the last minute.

LET'S SEE IF THEY WILL KEEP THIS PROMISE.

KRON Bleeds the Earthquake News to Death

noreply@blogger.com (Akit) — Wed, 31 Oct 2007 05:58:00 +0000

As you local Bay Area folks know, there was a level five earthquake that hit just after 8PM. Interestingly, I didn't feel it here in San Francisco, although one of my co-workers mentioned about it briefly after the end of my workday.

So, I get home, and I turn on the TV because I'm a little stressed and tired. Since we lived in earthquake country, an earthquake here or there may just put a little ten minute "breaking news" report on the channels, in which they did, and the occasional scroll bar on the top of the tube; yet there was one station that really pissed me off.

If you read my blogs, you know the TV news station I hate the most, KRON. They were the only station that kept bleeding the news from at least 8PM, and now it's 11PM, and it's time for their regular 11PM news broadcast.

When I say "bleeding the news," I mean, they were trying to squeeze every single thing out of the damn news. Hey, IT'S JUST A FUCKING EARTHQUAKE! Things get broken here and there, but there's no fire, no panic, no deaths reported, so why did KRON just send the TV news straight to hell?

Oh I get it, you get people to send photographs on the air, and have stupid hicks call LIVE on TV so that they can get their 15 minutes of fame to mention their "story" (which I don't honestly give a fuck). Like many of us would say "just the facts ma'am;" but it seems that KRON DIDN'T GIVE A SHIT.

I might HATE KRON, but the only two interesting programs that I watch on a Tuesday night is "The Academy" (LA Sheriffs academy school for wusses to become cops), and "Jail" (recycled stuff from Court TV about the jail system). It's interesting reality stuff, especially when I'm not into repeats of Law and Order. So by running their LAME earthquake coverage for THREE STRAIGHT HOURS, I DID NOT get to see that new episode of "The Academy" that I've been waiting for.

CAN SOMEONE PLEASE SLAP THE NEWS PRODUCERS OF THIS STATION?

AND YES, I WILL STILL SAY IT: KRON NEWS STILL SUCKS, AND ROB BLACK (THE STUPID FINANCIAL JACKASS WHO RUINED THE 4PM NEWS) SHOULD BE FIRED.