aPathetic Blog

Thoughts I shouldn't be sharing.

2009-10-16T08:35:00.008-04:00

TOMSShoes.com, man.

I saw an ad. That's where you can get shoes that are made Vegan-Friendly or something. I think I have an open mind, but I had not heard of such a thing; I assume it to mean these shoes must have some kind of nutritional value. Makes sense. There's always that chance you could be on a desert island with nothing more than a volleyball and the shoes on your feet. And in that case, you can't be stuck there wearing shoes you can't eat, on principle, after all. "People are going to laugh at you." - You just know when they find you, they will eat your shoes. You might dismiss this new trend as we all have some shoes on our feet, but I can see it now: you aren't going to want to be the one at the party who only brought the shoes on their feet to pass around. These days you have to be considerate.

Don't think Vegans are the only people craving a good forkfull of natural performance footwear. The Omnivores have their own shoes, as do the strict Carnivores. This can only be because the Vegans have put their stake in the ground and declared an end to the one-size-fits all approach to edible footwear. Apparently all these people are picky when it comes to eating them some shoes. I don't see it as that and my mom would agree. If she knew about this, she'd say any growing person needs some protein. So, I'm not going to judge them if they eat their own Keds, nibble away at Mr Pumpkin Feet's new shoes, or scarf down someone's Crocs. (Maybe the Crocs.) I don't call that picky, I call that knowing what makes you feel good, and a big size 14 cabbage shoe would probably make a Vegan feel good. They need that. They can walk home in the rain puddles, take off those cabbages, rub their feet a little, and immediately munch away after peeling off the outside leaves, of course. You can't just go substituting your happiness in place of what someone wants. You certainly can't when it comes to their nutritional needs. You have to give them the shoes they want in their mouth, when they want it.

That's TOMSShoes.com, man. Don't forget to ask about their soy-based socks and their open-tofu sandals.

Loldak

2009-09-30T08:15:00.006-04:00

Computerese translation: Prepare for another round of extortion!

Hmm....

Lol ->

Oh, God, Dejavu. I hope it's not measured in ZDMT:

Cold Summer Re-Re-Visited

2009-08-28T15:19:00.002-04:00

As my only subscriber to this blog, I thought I would give myself a nostalgic treat. Back in 04 I wrote something that I keep coming back to for some reason, reading it over, and realizing not much has changed in my thinking at times like this. Something feels off, and I don't know what it is. It's hard to explain how I feel when I feel like this, but this 04 post seemed to do it. Not much of my writing is even readable by me years afterwards - But this is. I don't know why, but I've been feeling down for the past week. It's not exactly depression, I'm not sure what it is. My anal-ytical side wants to think it's complaining about really having nothing to complain about, but that's too emo for me to accept. I just read this when I'm in those moods, and I feel better somehow.

What I really want to know is why I feel compelled to go to the trouble to repost it for a 3rd time. I want to think that maybe somewhere in the universe someone reads it and says, 'Woah. Now how the hell do I feel better from this?" Maybe they know actually, whereas I do not. My first reaction to me if I was in the mood to talk to myself after reading myself would be, "Oh this is your cry for help, attention, emotion." Nope. If you find this, take it in, but realize I'm not after any of the aforementioned responses, that's why it ends up here. By the way, I chuckle at the hallway of blood part, but the rest is all real. I really did break my safety glasses that day.

Cold Summer
It's one of those days...Ok, It's not. At least...I don't think it is. I mean it...COULD be, and I'm just too oblivious to see it. Well then again, it might...NOT be, and I'm paranoid and just wonder if it is or
could be. You see, I woke up this morning, but I'm not really awake. It is summer, yet it is cold. I went to work and didn't exactly 'work'. I went to lunch, without having lunch. During that time I relaxed with my GameBoy, while being annoyed and frustrated by the game. After...lunch, I came back to...work. I'm now writing this without writing about something; I guess that I'm not really writing. I can also say I'm 'not writing' this in Notepad, in other words, I'm 'not blogging' this and doing so without my blog. I'm listening to music right now without being able to hear it. Earlier, my safety glasses...broke when they fell. At my job I manage to manage without someone to manage and without having a manager. And, I report to no one, only you, right now: And there is nothing to report.
Yes, a day of insignificance, July 8th, 2004, made significant by writing this and now a part of my history recorded on this insignificant website. Compounding all this, I figure I shouldn't be afraid of impending unknowns; while a part of me says I should be. But one thing I'm sure of is that if the proverbial tree falls in the forest, and I'm not there to hear it: I won't care about it one bit, but I'm pretty sure I might "not write" about it. I mean, is there much difference between this body of text and "All work and no play makes Jack a dull boy" written 10,000 times? Maybe. The difference is if Jack had a copy and paste function in notepad, he might have had more time to play with the twins in the hall of blood.
And if all this confuses you and doesn't make any sense, then you understand, completely.
Time to paste this to my blog.

Ziff Davis Mean Time ZDMT

2009-08-04T09:24:00.004-04:00

I mean, really, Ziff Davis? How long does that signal take to reach one side of your Borg collective? Back in 2007 you said it may take up to 7 days. Like some people say that God created the world in 7 days but it was like really lonnnnng days spanning millions of years. That kind of 7 days is when I will be unsubscribed, apparently.

Exhibit 1 - Wednesday, October 31, 2007

Exhibit 2 - Wednesday, October 31, 2007 (OMG Again)

Exhibit 3 - Monday, September 24, 2007

Today, you slipped an email past my handmade filters that automatically 'unsubscribe' me from the mailing list that is immune to any unsubscription - Yours. As an excercise in futility I clicked on the unsubscribe link. Strangely absent were the words 'it may take up to 7 days...." I now see the wording up top. I guess they confused too many people with their "God Days".

Once you enter this world, kids, you can never leave it...

2009-05-07T12:51:00.001-04:00

If my crap isn't selling when it's free, then it must be time to start charging people. That way they know it has value. http://ping.fm/zINrb

Kodakian Extortion

2009-03-23T08:27:00.001-04:00

Kodakian Extortion
Originally uploaded by jeffdiogenes

So check this out. I have like one picture on Kodak's photo sharing/storage
site, but not for long. I signed up because of relatives telling me how
super awesome this site was for getting prints (never do that!) and having
private pictures.
I disagree. Looks like they employ extortionists in their sales and
marketing departments.

In 2009, not being able to store 1gig at least of photos free in a service
online is a a shame and a crime against humanity in general.

I implore the world to not give into this extortion, there's photobucket,
flickr, picasa out there and they don't want to hold pictures of your
children for ransom.

SEND FIVE DOLLARS (a month) OR THE ONLY COPY YOU HAVE OF LITTLE BILLY NEXT
TO GOOFY IN THE MAGIC KINGDOM GETS IT. Wtf?

Viva La Retirement(!)

2009-02-25T18:34:00.001-05:00

Viva La Retirement(!)
Originally uploaded by jeffdiogenes

I think I'll be cashing in this part of my tim hortons retirement plan, tomorrow.

Gladly

2009-02-23T10:48:00.001-05:00

Gladly
Originally uploaded by jeffdiogenes

Please play again?
Yup, I will.

Bob E. Saturday

2009-02-21T10:49:00.001-05:00

Bob E. Saturday
Originally uploaded by jeffdiogenes

She sits with a zen-like expression of content with the order she placed.

Mostly Testing Something

2009-02-14T18:58:00.001-05:00

Mostly Testing Something
Originally uploaded by jeffdiogenes

Signed Perceptionists Album.

"Writing about music is like dancing about architecture." - Frank Zappa

Meijer parking lot.

2009-02-08T14:41:00.003-05:00

200902081439_00006.jpg
Originally uploaded by jeffdiogenes

Meijer parking lot. Snow was just melting after basically all winter, looks as if it uncovered this TV. I think about 10 years ago *someone* would have taken it home and at least tried it. Nope........EVERYONE knows it's probably not HD-TV Ready.

Lol.

IMPORTANT BLOG POST

2008-11-03T17:30:00.000-05:00

Tim Horton's now serves an appropriate and non-offensive quantity of coffee. Super Large.

Maybe Howard Dean Can Be Someone's Surgeon General...

2008-09-30T12:16:00.008-04:00

A Political Blog Post.
I try to avoid this crap on my blog because there are plenty of places you get your news and politics, but this one issue is a BIG one for me, so I want to vent... The points I am making are things I have yet to see mentioned elsewhere. This video should also be titled "My Family's Ultimate Reason to Not Vote McCain". First, watch it:

I'll make a few statements here in an effort to convey my problem with McCain's idea:
1) Waiting for a medical problem to get so bad that you can go to the emergency room does not equate to good health care. However, many people are forced to take this route because they have no other options. Yes, they get a choice, expensive Emergency Room care that they will likely never be able to pay back, or suffer. If you were in that position tell me you would rather suffer just to not have some unseen "someone else" pay your emergency bills? Convince me I'm wrong if you want.
2) The same type of people who complain that Walmart is destroying the small businesses in every community would hypocritically see this idea as a good one. But they are also the ones that don't want universal government health care because they fear they will have to go to a Dr. the government tells them to go to. They want their fancy doctors with a "I got mine, too bad for you, loser" attitude. Because, in their mind, not everyone deserves the absolute best medical attention. A sort of "I am not my brother's keeper" philosophy. Convince me I am wrong.
3) Doc In A Boxes - You know, the Redi-Med offices, and those sorts of places - are a lot of people's only option for common, but non-emergency warranting health problems. We have this sort of idea McCain is talking about right now, but competitively. Why then does it make sense to him to be basically proposing that one company be given a monopoly to dispense health care. Convince me I am wrong.
4) Even if I suspend disbelief in this idea and try to let him convince me by brainwashing myself with it on repeat, he comes off as not knowing what the hell he's talking about.

Here's an idea! McCain should just propose the average person pay for this Walmart Emergency Room Service with food stamps! Then you can choose between this awesome minimal healthcare for Sally's broken arm, or food for all of your kids....CHOICES!

Convince me I am wrong. Oh and try to do it without mentioning the words Republican or Democrat, because that will automatically mean to me that you are looking at this with a closed partisan mindset.

Oh no way ZD!?!?!

2008-03-06T14:30:00.002-05:00

I don't write much but man how inspiring: Ziff Davis filing bankruptcy... If anyone cares really. I know I do, it means I have to look at less auto-deleted ZD mail when I look in my email trash.

See previous posts for why they suck and where they went wrong in my eyes.

Bastards.

http://www.bloomberg.com/apps/news?pid=20601087&sid=a6bISm6.ln5E&refer=home

DOWN WITH THE ZD BORG COLLECTIVE!!!!

Red lobster

2008-01-20T15:38:00.000-05:00

Out on the town...not sure what's covered in butter sauce most here...
Shrimp?
Lobster legs?
Scampi?
The baked potato?
Or
Becca?

-Jeff @ Mobile

OMG again

2007-10-31T16:54:00.000-04:00

Ok so yeah, I can attest that this afternoon's Ziff Davis unsubscription was not successful since I got the same damn email from the same damn people about the same damn thing to the same damn work email address. Duplicate. SPAM.

Guess I'll have to filter anything with Windows AND Games AND Magazine in it. Good going Ziff, way to create some brand awareness for your client.

On a related note, let me ask you Ziff-y-o, how's business been?

Ziff Davis is worse than a Russian Viagra Spammer

2007-10-31T13:50:00.000-04:00

I like to quote myself, as well as talk over and over about the same old crap:

Previously in The Real World:

You see it takes 7-10 days for light to travel from one coordinate in the Ziff Davis Borg Hive to the emailing list coordinates. No wonder my request gets lost. It wasn't really lost, it was assimilated!

A bit of more Ziff Davis spam got past my "manual unsubscription" technique where any crap they send me goes directly to the trash. I've tried to unsubscribe for years, but as I have written before, that doesn't work.

It was sent without the words Ziff AND Davis and came from Games for Windows: The Official Magazine, a magazine I don't care for nor ever heard of. I know I didn't sign up for Xbox or PC Gaming crap coming to my work email address, but yet here is this mail.

Also, I did have a slight bit of paranoia regarding the spam they sent. It was signed by what must be my Ziff Davis Doppelganger Drone, Jeff Green, Editor-in-Chief, Games for Windows: The Official Magazine.

OOooooeEEEEEEoooooOOooooo.

Classmates.com is a scam in my opinion

2007-10-24T14:56:00.000-04:00

I don't know about you, but I don't appreciate the trickery at classmates.com. You've seen the ads..if you have never tried it, here's what to expect:

You go there and see that a number of names are available of people you went to highschool with. You go to click on a name and it allows you to send that person a message.

Hey! What's that name there... That's my old neighbor I grew up with! I'll send her a message! At no point was I made aware that in order for my message to be read, either her or I had to pay these extortionists a $23 a year subscription. Well I sent that message months ago and now I get a notification she wants to read it, but neither of us are 'Gold' members so she can't actually see the message they let me send. NEAT! What a great system! Bait n Switch for the web is what this is.

The email you sent can't be read, Jeffrey.
Go Gold

Let friends read it!
Activate your Gold membership now.
Once you're Gold, friends can read the 1 message you've sent. Even better! As long as you're a Gold member, it's free for them to reply, so you might get a friendly note back.

You'll also get access to these Gold perks:

See guestbook names

Gab on message boards

Plan events and reunions

Bite.
My.
Ass.

So I'll never see what my old neighbor said because there is no way I'm paying $23 for less than 1k of data I actually care about. So Crista, if you are ever reading this, sorry, but that's just jacked and I'm not going to support that model of extortion. Unethical really.

These people work for Ziff Davis or something?

Ziff Davis is dead to me...DEAD

2007-09-24T14:46:00.000-04:00

Dear Ziff Davis Publishers,

Much like I take time out of my day to hit 'Report Spam' on each of the emails your conglomeration sends me for the past 5 years, I am taking time to write this entry. I have just finished writing a filter that sends every message with the word 'Ziff' in it to my email trash. There, that should FINALLY get me off all your email lists. Yes I know, there is no actual conceivable way to actually get off a Ziff Davis mailing list. You hit the link to unsubscribe that is provided in the email, it sends you to a form where you can unsubscribe. You fill that out, and next page of the form tells you it may take 7-10 days to fully remove you from the email list. Sure seems like a long time, being that we are part of the INTERNET AGE. But I wait, hell I've marked "10 days" on the calendar each time I've done this. Yet, the messages, continue, every, day.

Sure, I hit the "mark as spam" button but then I realized, you will never be blocked as spam since your company is, 'somewhat legitimate.' - Because you provide a unsubscribe link.

You see it takes 7-10 days for light to travel from one coordinate in the Ziff Davis Borg Hive to the emailing list coordinates. No wonder my request gets lost. It wasn't really lost, it was assimilated!

I wouldn't write this if I didn't care who you've turned into. I used to enjoy reading each complimentary issue of eWeek back when our office was still 'pooling modems' to get everyone on the internet. You were pretty spammy then with 4-5 subscription cards falling out of each issue. You were pretty spammy telling me every 2 weeks for 2 years that unless I fill out your online form that I will never get an issue of eWeek again.

Around that time, I really hoped you were serious, as we had moved to a DSL line at the office for internet. My need for news concerning my industry was being taken care of by multiple sites 'run by amateurs'. Sure, the amateurs weren't even close to acting like a journalism unit most of the time, but they had the story in front of me as soon as they wrote it. By the time eWeek showed up in the mail, I had already read all the stories. Amateurs or not, they beat your professional pants off in doing what news should do: BE NEW.

Eventually you got a clue and stopped sending me threatening messages and eWeek issues. I'm surprised you didn't send your mother over with a pie to try and mend our differences really.

While I'll probably eat the pie she brings over, I'm definitely not going to forget how you treated me these last few years. You didn't grow with me, ignored me, and we grew apart. I let go of this relationship, I think it's time you move on too.

Rhoda Stevens (Baker) Tree

2007-07-01T20:58:00.001-04:00

Rhoda Stevens (Baker) Tree
Originally uploaded by jeffdiogenes

School Is Over

2007-06-09T20:45:00.001-04:00

School Is Over
Originally uploaded by jeffdiogenes

We had no idea how to celebrate.

Troll Ninja Stalker at Red Eye

2007-05-26T16:36:00.001-04:00

Troll Ninja Stalker at Red Eye
Originally uploaded by jeffdiogenes

-Jeff

Geni.com

2007-05-25T09:19:00.000-04:00

Geni.com is pretty much amazing to me. It's a genealogy site ("boring Jeff, boring!") but has more of a social network kind of look and feel to it. You put in your parents, spouses, and siblings and you can be done there if you want. However, the neat-o cool thing is you can invite those people to your tree via their E-Mail and they can also add whatever they want. Sort of like a wiki family tree in that sense.

I've tried all those "other" genealogy sites along the way but none of them ever made me feel like putting in my mother's maiden name in the wide-open web was a good idea. I'M LOOKING AT YOU ANCESTRY.COM. In Geni, privacy and information seems to have found a balance. Geni is also in a completely different universe from those other sites in terms of design, usefulness, and functionality. A good, different, universe.

I don't want to sit here and describe all the cool things about this site. You'll see them yourself if you are interested. If not, give your mom a link to it, I bet she'll get right into it.

I found a video for it if you want a little more info:

http://link.brightcove.com/services/link/bcpid271552949/bctid769369612

Omg's 30boxes.com + Facebook

2007-05-23T13:40:00.000-04:00

More 30boxes evangelism to mention: It seems, and I haven't checked it they've announced it or anything, but my 30b account is now allowing me to link it to my Facebook account. Its able to pull Birthdays in, and looks like it will help me track that Face-time-suck-book site.

Omg's.

Omgs.

That is all.

Wait, no...

Omgs.

Friday is Douglas Adams' Towel Day

2007-05-23T11:12:00.001-04:00

And Becca will be all set, for her towel hath arrived.

Originally uploaded by jeffdiogenes.
Friday is Douglas Adam's Towel Day

-Jeff @ Mobile