Back to the Future Part II

I finally called Universal about my Back to the Future DVDs. It was a painless procedure. All I had to do was give them my name, address, etc., and they said they would mail me the new discs. I have to mail them my old discs, so I'm not sure if they will wait until they've received those before mailing the others or not. If you're in the United States and want to replace your discs, the number is (888) 703-0010. Other countries can by found in the link in my other article.

Coca-Cola Blak

The other day, I was at Wal-Mart and saw a 4-pack of Coca-Cola Blak for the first time. Blak is a Coca-Cola and Coffee hybrid. I tried it and didn't really like it, so I brought the remaining bottles into the office to see what my coworkers would think of it. After they had tasted it, most of them didn't really think much of it. One (the coffee expert of the office) thought it was good, but not worth paying $4 or $5 for a 4-pack. Our taste test was decidely unscientific, but it makes me wonder if Blak has a long-term future?

Back to the Future DVD Framing Errors

I just found out about this today. Apparently, the DVDs for Back to the Future II & III were improperly cropped when they were transferred to DVD. Owners of the original laser discs noticed some things they could see on the laser discs were off screen in the DVD version. Here is an example of the problem. I checked my discs, and sure enough, they are cropped. I guess I'll call the toll free number listed on that website to see if they are still replacing the DVDs. At the bottom of the page, they list several other DVDs where this has happened...I wonder how many DVDs this really happens to?

iPod Vending Machine

Well, I'm in Fredericton, Canada right now. It's very nice and I recommend you all visit someday.

Anyway, on my trip here, I saw a vending machine in either the Atlanta or Boston airport. It dispensed iPods and iPod accessories. When I saw it, two things immediately popped into my head.

1. I know how mad I get when I put 50 cents in and my bag of chips gets hung up in a regular vending machine. I can only imagine how mad I'd get if I plopped down $300 and then my iPod got hung up. Call airport security! LOL.

2. Let's say the machine actually did dispense the iPod. Now, you've just plopped down $300 and the machine is going to drop your iPod the distance of about 2 or 3 feet into the receptacle at the bottom? Update: After looking at the picture, I'm not so sure your item actually gets dropped. Also, maybe you don't have to pay taxes on it at the airport?

No thanks, but it's still a cool idea.

My Grandfather

My grandfather passed away tonight between 6:30pm and 6:45pm. He was 85.

It's not unexpected. He fell and broke his hip a couple weeks ago. Just this week, they discovered he had a staph infection and pneumonia. He also had Parkinson's so there was little they could do for him.

Anyway, an interesting thing happened today. All week, the hospice workers having been telling my family they should tell grandpa it was okay to let go. The dying sometimes need permission. But my family needed some time to prepare itself first. Today my grandmother finally told grandpa it was okay to die, and within a few hours, he was gone.

It is because of him that I enjoy humor that is a little on the irreverent side. He used to say the most shocking things at the most inappropriate moments, but they always made me laugh. My aunt Nikki was telling me tonight about the time that grandma's sister called to say her third husband had died, and grandpa said "Well Goddamn, she's killed another one!"

I'll miss him dearly, but I'm so glad he's not suffering any more.

An Idea Long Overdue

You've heard of speed cameras no doubt. Though not common (I don't even think Oklahoma has any), basically it's a camera that takes your picture when you drive past it, but only if you are speeding. Then you get a ticket in the mail.

Well, someone has invented a camera that does the same thing, only it detects if your car stereo is too loud. I love this idea. I've heard cars drive by my house thumping so loud, you wonder if the pictures are going to fall off the walls. There's no reason anyone should have their stereo that loud. This idea will save their hearing in the long run, too.

GPS Anklets

In a previous post, I jokingly mentioned they should put GPS anklets on sex offenders. Well, I read this morning on Yahoo that the state of California is using this very tactic on known gang members to track their whereabouts, so I guess I wasn't too far off the mark.

89° Today

As I was driving around T-Town today, the temperature sensor in my rearview mirror said the outside temperature was 89°F. It's only March 12th. What's wrong with this picture?

The Circle Cinema

Last night, some friends and I saw Caché(Hidden)at the Circle Cinema. For those of your who don't know, the Circle Cinema is a newly-opened movie theater in Tulsa, specializing in independent and foreign films. I must say, the theater is very classy. You can tell they spent some money turning it into an art house cinema. When the movie started, a Dolby Digital clip played and the sound system in this theater sounds better than any other theater in Tulsa, with the possible exception of the IMAX. I was pleasanly surprised by that. The theater is a single-screen house currently, but it looks like they are working on the finishing touches for a second, bigger screen.

Anyway, you all should check it out.

Good Sex Offender Legislation Considered

Finally, Oklahoma lawmakers are considering some legislation aimed at sex offenders that I think is good. My favorite bill would allow police to seize assets used in sex crimes, especially computers. I'm shocked that the police can't already do this.

I'm not too thrilled about the web registries. They are expensive to maintain, and I feel they lull people into a false sense of security. I'm surprised they haven't inspired a bunch of vigilantes to take the law into their own hands. However, one of the pieces of legislation being considered would at least place some of the upkeep cost on the offenders themselves--they would be required to pay an annual registration fee and a fee every time they change addresses. Another bill would require offenders to renew their drivers license every year instead of every four years.

They need to make an ankle bracelet similar to those house arrest units that would transit GPS coordinates of the offenders so you can see where they are at any given time.

Back from Striper Fishing

Over the weekend, I went on a striper fishing trip at Lake Texoma. My stepdad hired a fishing guide named "Moe", and he was really good. The weather, however, was not that good. It rained on us most of the morning, which made for a very miserable start. But once we started catching fish, I didn't pay the rain any attention. Toward the end, I probably caught 5 fish in a 10 minute period. I've never been striper fishing before, but I will definitely want to do it again.

On a side note, the fishing guide's buddy "Termite" turned out to be the father of a guy I used to work with at MCI WorldCom. I guess it really is a small world.

Why I Hate Chase Manhattan Bank

Recently, my credit card number was stolen. It's a Chase credit card. And so far, my experience with them in resolving the charges placed on it has not been positive.

Now, I've been with Chase since I was in college, over 10 years ago, and as long as you don't need to talk to anyone on the phone, it's a pretty good card. But as soon as you need to talk to a representative, get ready for frustration! Their automated system is terrible. It took me 10 minutes to figure out how to talk to someone, after going down two dead-end paths that forced me to hang up and call back. The third time, I was put on hold and the automated voice actually said, "...to continue holding, please press 2..." Now that makes me wonder if I were to lay the phone down for a second, would they drop my call?

Next, I received a threatening letter in the mail from Chase the other day stating they were not going to remove the disputed charge at this time (it's less than $55--chump change to them), and that I should get reimbursed from the company the charge went to. It went on to say that if the charge was not resolved that way, to inform them in writing by March 1st or they would consider the matter closed. That's less than a week away, and I've yet to be able to get Virgin Mobile to call me back. Virgin Mobile should be my next rant!

Finally, the last thing that is aggravating is that when I reported the fraudelent charge, Chase said they would issue a new card. I haven't received it. When I finally did speak to someone today, they told me they would not issue a new card until the dispute is resolved. In the meantime, the current card has been suspended, so I guess it's a good thing I don't need a credit card right now!

What a BAD Idea!

Once again, the Oklahoma legislature is working on a bad piece of legislation. A bill is in the works to extend the time it takes a divorce to become final by a whole three months. My first reaction was that people in abusive situations will have to endure them just that much longer, but at least there is an exception for those people.

The whole point of the bill it seems is to reduce Oklahoma's divorce rate, but I see it as a way to force unhappy people to be unhappy just that much longer. I find it to be an unnecessarily cruel government intervention. By the time two people get to the point where they want to divorce, I don't think an extended waiting period is going to be an effective deterent. Indeed, it could actually raise the level of domestic violence. Another side effect is that it could reduce the number of new weddings.

On the surface, a high divorce rate seems to indicate some major failing of societal values, but maybe it just means that Oklahomans are more independent than most and are not willing to give in to societal pressure to keep up appearances when they are unhappy. I think it's great when two people decide they want to share a life together, but I also think it's admirable for someone to assert that the marriage isn't working out for him and it's time to move on. Divorce is a means for two adults to admit they've made a mistake, and they no longer want to be legally bound. In the same way that the government should not decide which two consenting adults can get married (yes, I support the idea of gay marriage), it should not be sticking its nose into the divorces of two consenting adults, either.

When is Torture Acceptable?

Last night's episode of Lost was even more thought-provoking that usual. In the episode Sayid tortured a man that was captured in the jungle (thinking he is one of the Others), and it made me question my own ideas about when it is and is not acceptable to use torture as an intelligence gathering technique. On one hand, the amount of torture is wholly dependent on the person being tortured. If he doesn't want to be tortured, he has the option of telling what he knows, and the torture should stop. On the other hand, if the person is innocent, then he has no information to tell, and he's probably going to get a severe beating. At the very minimum, I think you need to have some evidence that the guy is withholding, rather than mere suspicion.

Cell Phone Lives!

After the phone dried out, I put the battery in and it worked just fine. And it's a lot cleaner now.

Cell Phone Drowns

Before I washed my coat last night, I checked all the pockets as I always do, and there was nothing in them...or so I thought. Apparently, I forgot to check the inside pocket. When I removed the clothes from the washer, I found my cell phone at the very bottom of the tub. I immediately took it out, opened it up, removed the battery, etc., so it could dry overnight. But as of this morning, I don't think it can be revived.

Death Penalty for Child Molesters

If Democratic Senator Jay Paul Gumm of Durant has his way, Oklahoma will begin executing repeat child molesters sometime in the near future. I don't have any children, or I might feel differently about this, but I strongly disagree with this measure. I prefer locking a person up for life with no chance of parole to the death penalty. At one time, it was cheaper to keep a person in prison than it was to execute them. And the news said that as soon as your second offense could result in the death penalty.

Bottled Water Problems

There was an interesting articule on Yahoo! this morning about bottled water. You can read the original article here.

Basically it talks about how bottled water is mistakenly believed to have all these health benefits when the majority of it isn't any better than tap water. The added minerals don't have any known health benefits. Bottling the water is causing the water tables to drop in places where people depend on the water for their businesses. To produce the plastic bottles uses a lot of petroleum. Most discarded bottles wind up in the landfill and plastic doesn't biodegrade. Those that are recycled are shipped to China, which uses even more petroleum. It's definitely an eye-opener.

Having said that, I love the taste of Deja Blue, Aquafina, and Fiji water.

Fraudulent Charges

I have a co-worker who has the worst luck I've ever seen. I think some of her misfortune is starting to rub off on me.

Tonight, I logged onto the website of a credit card I use, only to find that there was a charge on it from Virgin Mobile, which I have never used. So I called Virgin Mobile and they said the charge came from the Washington, D.C. area. Sweet. Then I called the credit card company, and they showed not only this charge but several other pending charges that had not cleared yet. I seems the computer flagged them as fradulent and was blocking them or something. So I'm safe on those, but there is a small amount already on the card that I now have to dispute. Nice.

Welcome to the world of identity theft!

Senate Panel Passes Picketing Bill

An Oklahoma State Senate committee passed a bill today to restrict demonstrations at funerals, particularly at funerals of soldiers killed in Iraq or Afghanistan. The demonstrations come not from anti-war protesters, but from members of the Westboro Baptist Church in Topeka, Kansas led by pastor Fred Phelps (pictured above). Yes, you heard me right. If you've never heard of this group, they've been demonstrating at gay pride events and gay funerals all over the country for years. They operate two lovely websites, one called GodHatesFags.com and the other called GodHatesAmerica.com, the later of which now proudly proclaims that "Coretta Scott-King is in HELL!!!!".

Not content to just direct their hate-speech at gays, they've now moved on to soldier funerals, stating that the soldiers were killed in combat because God hates America for tolerating homosexuals. This new movement has so outraged veterans' groups, that recently motorcyclists have started showing up at the same funerals just so they can rev their engines over the voices of the demonstrators.

Now, I'm a big supporter of the First Amendment, but I personally think that hate speech demonstrations should be outlawed the same way that shouting "FIRE!" into a crowded building is illegal. Hopefully this bill will be passed into law, and the impact of these disrespectful demonstrations will at least be minimized.