Quicken has Jumped the Shark

I used to be a fan of Quicken, a powerful money management program offered by Intuit, the same makers of Turbo Tax. Now, with this little notification, I have to say I will not be buying their products in the future. I don't care how successful they have been, this kind of attitude shows a complete disregard for the customer.

"Here, buy our product, but we're going to force you to buy a new one in 2 years"
"Oh ... you want a price break? Here's $20 off our $80 software. Enjoy!"

Until this policy is reversed, I, for one, will not be buying their products at all. And just a little side note to the Intuit genius who thought this up, I will not be buying your Turbo Tax products either. You obviously have no regard for me so I will cease giving you my support. Hope you're happy!

Man ... I really need a dungeon

If this is what girls wear to the prom now-a-days, Lauren is never leaving our house ... NEVER! No prom, no mixer, no dating. No way no how.



What do you mean overreacting?

Day of Remembrance

I have to say I feel a little bit ashamed. But, that's where the internet can help. Today is the 18th anniversary of the explosion of the Space Shuttle Challenger. It is also on this day that NASA pays homage to the crews of Apollo 1 and the Space Shuttle Columbia. There are some very moving tributes on http://www.nasa.gov.
I would also recommend reading about all the astronauts. Particularly in the case of the Challenger explosion, we remember Christa McAuliffe, but forget the other 6.

Are You a Buffy Fan?

If you are, then have I got the site for you! It's a Buffy Database. Designed to help buffyologists, this site purports to contain:

Every Buffy character, episode, cast member, writer and director and every word of every show, in a searchable database.

Wow. Someone had a LOT of time on their hands.

P1r4t3s 0f Teh C4r1bb34n: Teh Curs3 0f teh Bl4ck P34rl

For no particular reason, someone decided that portions of the script to Pirates of the Carribean should be translated into 133t-5p34|<. Please be careful reading this. If you stare to long, your eyes may explode. Don't say I didn't warn you.

PC Self Destruct Button

I just love cool mods for a computer. This one is just that. (WARNING: You probably won't be able to read the webpage) In reality, it's just a fancy reset/power switch, but that's just cool. What would make it even better is to cover the buttons like they do in all the movies so you have to flip open a cheap plastic case to get to the button. Also, with anything as ominous looking as this, it should have 2 keys that must be turned simultaneously.

Yet another quiz result

Since this quiz was making the rounds, I thought I'd try it out too. What do you think of this result?

You Have A Type B+ Personality

B+ You're a pro at going with the flow You love to kick back and take in everything life has to offer A total joy to be around, people crave your stability. While you're totally laid back, you can have bouts of hyperactivity. Get into a project you love, and you won't stop until it's done You're passionate - just selective about your passions

Do You Have a Type A Personality?

Yet another quiz result

Since this quiz was making the rounds, I thought I'd try it out too. What do you think of this result?

You Have A Type B+ Personality

B+ You're a pro at going with the flow You love to kick back and take in everything life has to offer A total joy to be around, people crave your stability. While you're totally laid back, you can have bouts of hyperactivity. Get into a project you love, and you won't stop until it's done You're passionate - just selective about your passions

Do You Have a Type A Personality?

Interesting comment

At work, I've been shirking this one meeting I'm supposed to attend. It's a cross-functional development team working on a paradigm shift in our defect tracking mechanism. I've been skipping the meeting because it's 11-12 and that interferes with my lunch time (currently 11:30 - 1). Well, today, the meeting was at 2 so I decided to go and realized I had missed a lot of design changes. There was a lot of discussion about making this incredibly complicated design simple to use. I had a lot to offer and the meeting became a question and answer type thing with me providing a lot of answers. Well, the next meeting is Thursday at 11:00. I work from home on Thursdays so I asked if I could call in. Here is the reply:

For you, sure, but PLEASE do, because I need you the most to put
an end to some of this discussion. The quality of our discussion
tends to go up when you're able to attend. :)

Wow ... I feel a warm fuzzy :D

Normal?!?!?!

Wow ... Normal ... I don't know if I like this quiz!

Did you like Phys Ed?

Here is a little tidbit about me some of you may not know. I had no Physical Education classes in high school. None whatsoever. I almost got through college without taking it either, but succumbed to the requirement my senior year. Even then, my attendance was less than regular (surprise!). Given that, this article really comes as no surprise to me. Do I regret not taking Phys Ed now? Not really. I didn't mind the class mind you and I was athletic enough to do quite well. After all, I spent 3 summers as a day camp counselor requiring skills in swimming, kickball, tag, baseball, football, etc. I could beat the pants off of any 8-12 yr old! But, not taking Phys Ed meant I had more free periods and no class can top a free period.

More pictures and a video!

I decided that waiting until we had over 100 pictures on the camera before downloading may not be the best idea. So, I did a mini-download today. The real reason, though, is this video of Lauren greeting the day. Enjoy!

Required Baby Fix dosage

Once again, Debbie has had fun with the camera. Thus, today's post brings you ... PICTURES TO SATE YOUR BABY FIX. Find them Here . I added a new folder her third month. Maybe I'll consolidate the month folders into 1 year folder, but for now, I figured it made it easier t navigate and find new pictures. Enjoy.

Cool nerdy product

As my previous post stated, I am a Nerd King! I love little nerdy things I can do to my computer (so long as the finance and procurement committees approve of said things). In that vein, this has got to be one of the coolest products I have seen in a while: http://www.xoxide.com/xray1.html.

Now, a call to tech support saying I broke the cup holder on my computer and not mean the CD-ROM!!!!!

BTW, the cigarette lighter is not for the smoker who's too lazy to walk away. Think of this more as a car charger for the home. I have a ton of gadgets that come with 2 plugs: 1 for home, 1 for the car. Now, I can use just the one. How cool is that?!?!?!

How Nerdy am I?

Is anyone really surprised by this?

Favorite DVDs

UnderGround Online has just released their list of Top 50 DVD's of All Time. I have to say that I can find little fault with their list. Though, I was surprised by the relatively low ranking of The Fifth Element (#46 on the top 50 countdown), their reasoning seems sound. They do acknowledge that for showcasing the ability of your sound system, this is THE DVD to play.
The thing to remember about this list is they are ranking the DVD content, not the movie. That means featurettes, easter eggs, and all the other goodies factor into this score. That's why such an all time great movie such as The Godfather Trilogy ranks at #49 while a good, but not great film like Fight Club ranks at #7.
My favorite of all their picks has to be, without a doubt Number 10. Want a hint before you click the link? "Tell him about the Twinkie"

Happy New Year

What a holiday season it has been. Pictures have been posted both for our Christmas in Detroit as well as new picutures in Lauren's second month album. Uploaded pictures are now up-to-date including our Sunday shindig at Heather and Rob's.