It really grinds my gears when companies reward people who are not loyal to it and its products. I have experienced being shafted by a company because of my loyalty on more than one occasion. A good example is my Nintendo DS. I bought a DS early in its lifetime. It is silver because silver was the only color available for us who actually bought Nintendo's system when it was young.
Since then Nintendo released the DS in multiple colors that were not available before. Red, a couple shades of blue, and pink were the colors that came out at various times. Later Nintendo released the DS lite, which fits more comfortably in your hand because of its smaller size and has a brighter screen with more vivid colors. The new DS lite has since then evolved into having different colors as well.
When I go to a store that has a DS Lite set up for demo, I enjoy playing it because it is much more playable than its larger predecessor. I really wish I had one, but unlike those who didn't buy a DS until years after it came out, I am stuck with the old silver one. Yes, I could spend a little over $100 on a Lite and sale my current one, but that would be stupidity, not loyalty.
Nintendo has rewarded people who buy its handheld later instead of rewarding those who help with its initial success. The same thing happens with special edition dvd's being released years after their initial release (an example is the new collector's edition of Narnia). Xbox 36o is about to do the same with a redesigned cpu. I guess we who are loyal enough to support something at release, yet not dumb enough to buy something twice will always be at a disadvantage.
It really grinds my gears.
Wednesday, December 27, 2006
Monday, December 18, 2006
Smokers
Smokers really grind my gears.
Smoking has absolutely no benefits to the human body whatsoever, and many people are addicted to this filthy habit. But hey, it's not my choice if someone wants to poison his/her body with such a disgusting habit.
What grinds my gears most about smokers is that when they smoke, they are surrounded by a cloud of "I smell like crap and you will too." Nothing but a shower and putting the now compromised clothes into the washing machine will rid you of this aura. The image of some melancholy and emotional goth kid wearing all black and standing in the rain with an umbrella that is nothing but a frame comes to mind.
I have pity for smokers. They are addicted. They started smoking because they didn't have the self-esteem when they were teens to say no to their friends. But when they light up when I'm standing next to them, they get no sympathy from me because it grinds my gears, and it makes my gears smell like a chemical factory.
Smoking has absolutely no benefits to the human body whatsoever, and many people are addicted to this filthy habit. But hey, it's not my choice if someone wants to poison his/her body with such a disgusting habit.
What grinds my gears most about smokers is that when they smoke, they are surrounded by a cloud of "I smell like crap and you will too." Nothing but a shower and putting the now compromised clothes into the washing machine will rid you of this aura. The image of some melancholy and emotional goth kid wearing all black and standing in the rain with an umbrella that is nothing but a frame comes to mind.
I have pity for smokers. They are addicted. They started smoking because they didn't have the self-esteem when they were teens to say no to their friends. But when they light up when I'm standing next to them, they get no sympathy from me because it grinds my gears, and it makes my gears smell like a chemical factory.
Wednesday, December 13, 2006
Amazon.com
This doesn't truly grind my gears, but it is some silliness from Amazon.com that has to be mentioned.
I've been getting emails from Amazon.com on special deals for a while and I decided to stop receiving them. So, I go through the simple process of clicking the link at the bottom of the email to unsubscribe from that service. Behold the irony:
I've been getting emails from Amazon.com on special deals for a while and I decided to stop receiving them. So, I go through the simple process of clicking the link at the bottom of the email to unsubscribe from that service. Behold the irony:
Friday, December 08, 2006
Bread
Bread really grinds my gears. It is another pointless food that brings nothing to the table (pardon the pun).
First of all, bread has about as much taste as cardboard. That is why no one ever eats it alone. It must be decorated with jelly, or butter, or hamburger meat, or lettuce before anyone will eat it. Bread has no flavor on its own.
About half of every burger I eat is made from bread. The worst part is that this is just filler. It has no nutritional value. It's sole purpose in it's doughy life is to fill our stomachs and give us tons of worthless carbohydrates.
"But... but... carbohydrates are energy! And we need a lot of them because they're on the bottom of the food pyramid."
Keep telling yourself that, dough-boy. We're obsessed with bread when we should be obsessing over fiber, fresh fruits, crisp vegetables. I have never heard of anyone overdosing on carrots.
And that's what grinds my gears.
First of all, bread has about as much taste as cardboard. That is why no one ever eats it alone. It must be decorated with jelly, or butter, or hamburger meat, or lettuce before anyone will eat it. Bread has no flavor on its own.
About half of every burger I eat is made from bread. The worst part is that this is just filler. It has no nutritional value. It's sole purpose in it's doughy life is to fill our stomachs and give us tons of worthless carbohydrates.
"But... but... carbohydrates are energy! And we need a lot of them because they're on the bottom of the food pyramid."
Keep telling yourself that, dough-boy. We're obsessed with bread when we should be obsessing over fiber, fresh fruits, crisp vegetables. I have never heard of anyone overdosing on carrots.
And that's what grinds my gears.
Thursday, December 07, 2006
SUV's
I hate SUV's. That's right, they grind my gears. I hope that the popularity of SUV's do not reflect the intellect of my fellow Americans, because if it does then we have to be the most barbaric culture alive. We could be likened to Klingons, we have great technology but no brains.
Allow me to go through the car buying process of an SUV owner with you. First, they must have a pity for the automobile underdogs, the American car companies. Their pity for the poor uninspired domestic companies has to be stronger than their appreciation for good engineering, otherwise off to the VW dealership they go.
Next the driver must decide what they want in a vehicle. Do they want a well priced car with more bang for the buck? Does the couple without offspring want a two seater? The working man a truck? Or the family a mini van? Perhaps even a sports wagon for the family man? Most would choose something practical. Not the SUV owner! Although it's a huge waste of space, a disaster of form and function, the sports utility vehicle is first choice for any situation!
After the choice for an SUV is made they must look for the most expensive vehicle on the lot. This quickly narrows the options down to only a few choices. The choices: three SUV's, one from each class. Then, the buyer must use their exceptional money management skill and try to decide which one is best on gas. This choice can be a difficult one, as the SUV driver has trouble determining if a low number is better, or a high number. After much time, a decision is made. It appears that the lower the miles per gallon the better.
Finally the proud owner of a new SUV pulls into the driveway. Hard on gas, top heavy, no real benefits whatsoever, this SUV is the pride and joy of its new family. Dad is going to feel a lot more like a man now when he rides the tail of a sports car owner!
Allow me to go through the car buying process of an SUV owner with you. First, they must have a pity for the automobile underdogs, the American car companies. Their pity for the poor uninspired domestic companies has to be stronger than their appreciation for good engineering, otherwise off to the VW dealership they go.
Next the driver must decide what they want in a vehicle. Do they want a well priced car with more bang for the buck? Does the couple without offspring want a two seater? The working man a truck? Or the family a mini van? Perhaps even a sports wagon for the family man? Most would choose something practical. Not the SUV owner! Although it's a huge waste of space, a disaster of form and function, the sports utility vehicle is first choice for any situation!
After the choice for an SUV is made they must look for the most expensive vehicle on the lot. This quickly narrows the options down to only a few choices. The choices: three SUV's, one from each class. Then, the buyer must use their exceptional money management skill and try to decide which one is best on gas. This choice can be a difficult one, as the SUV driver has trouble determining if a low number is better, or a high number. After much time, a decision is made. It appears that the lower the miles per gallon the better.
Finally the proud owner of a new SUV pulls into the driveway. Hard on gas, top heavy, no real benefits whatsoever, this SUV is the pride and joy of its new family. Dad is going to feel a lot more like a man now when he rides the tail of a sports car owner!
Wednesday, December 06, 2006
Wal-Mart's Service
You know what grinds my gears? Wal-Mart's service.
I was in Wal-Mart the other day and asked when the next shipment of Nintendo Wii's would come out and the guy there said Wednesday morning at 8 am. So this morning, I got up and went to get one. There were three other people ahead of me, and one lady arrived after me.
When I arrived, there were also three employees looking at us, some of which I recognized as those who work the electronics department. They walk off. It wasn't 8 am yet so I'm not thinking much of it. I woke up at 7 am. I wasn't thinking much at all.
About 15 minutes after I arrive, two of the employees that I saw earlier arrived and asked, "Are you all here for the Wii?" We nod. "We're all out. There was a mixup and they arrived last night at midnight and not 8 am."
That part is frustrating, but understandable. What really grinds my gears is how THREE employees can look right at a group of people in my local Wal-Mart's tiny electronics department at 8 am and NOT tell them that they're wasting their time. They KNEW what we were doing there. There would NEVER be a crowd in that department that early in the morning if people were just browsing. The Wal-Mart employees were so inconsiderate to other human beings, and it really grinds my gears.
I was in Wal-Mart the other day and asked when the next shipment of Nintendo Wii's would come out and the guy there said Wednesday morning at 8 am. So this morning, I got up and went to get one. There were three other people ahead of me, and one lady arrived after me.
When I arrived, there were also three employees looking at us, some of which I recognized as those who work the electronics department. They walk off. It wasn't 8 am yet so I'm not thinking much of it. I woke up at 7 am. I wasn't thinking much at all.
About 15 minutes after I arrive, two of the employees that I saw earlier arrived and asked, "Are you all here for the Wii?" We nod. "We're all out. There was a mixup and they arrived last night at midnight and not 8 am."
That part is frustrating, but understandable. What really grinds my gears is how THREE employees can look right at a group of people in my local Wal-Mart's tiny electronics department at 8 am and NOT tell them that they're wasting their time. They KNEW what we were doing there. There would NEVER be a crowd in that department that early in the morning if people were just browsing. The Wal-Mart employees were so inconsiderate to other human beings, and it really grinds my gears.
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