One vote? That'll be $12 million dollars

On first glance, you would assume that your United States Senator would be most interested in representing the interests of the people of their district, right? If you did you are completely wrong. The United States Senate now is all about bought votes, paid loyalties and prostitution of opinions. Proof of this? Sen. BEN NELSON of Nebraska. The Administration agreed to make Nebraskans exempt from paying into Social Security, in exchange for his vote for the Takeover of 1/6th of the Ec... er, the Healthcare Bill. The whole Senate is corrupt, and they don't give a damn about the voters.

Big week for Mariners

Please excuse occaisonal typos as Im posting from my Zune...

Well this certainly has been an exciting week if you are a Seattle Mariners fan. First we get Chone Figgins. Then, in a totally unexpected move, we also pick up Cliff Lee. Now Milton Bradley? Wow.

The way I approach the Bradley deal is that yes he is a potentially cancerous force in the locker room. But he also has the upside of being an average fielder who can hit for power. But the best part of the deal?...

WE DUMPED CARLOS SILVA!!!

Jay's Top Five Movies of 2009

Since the year is almost over its time for... my favorite movies of 2009! To the jump!

5. Transformers: Revenge of the Fallen

This special effects montage is a great sequel to the not-so-great first movie. The plot develops quickly, in that "wait, what happened?" way. But that doesn't matter, seeing as how Megan Fox co-stars. And Megan Fox is hot.

4. Paul Blart: Mall Cop

I know many (if not most, or even all) of you are having a wtf moment here. Paul Blart Mall Cop on a top five list? Yes. If you didn't see this movie, you should. I don't know what is is, maybe the abundance of fat jokes. That always does it for me.

3. GI Joe: Rise of the Cobra

One of the most talked about action movies of this year, GIJRotC was just fun to watch ('specially on Blu Ray). Great action that lasts through the whole movie, and a decent plot for a movie of this type. Only disappointment is that they gave GI Joe some "international peacekeeper" role. Heh. That would be the only thing the UN has ever done right...

2. 2012

Severely underrated in my view. People mainly complained about how John Cusack seems to get out of every jam he's in, but I don't mind. Amazing special effects, including Yosemite exploding in a ball of fire, San Diego getting rocked by massive earthquakes, and a novice pilot flying inches away from falling skyscrapers. Loved it.

1. Astro Boy

You probably saw this coming, but I loved the movie. The voice casting was excellent, the soundtrack was great, and the animation flawless. Predictable storyline, but it warmed even my cold heart. If you haven't seen it, you should. Can't wait to get this one on Blu-Ray.

So that wraps it up. Hope you enjoyed my top five of 2009.

So this is the blog I've been enslaved to work for? I see.

Hi, my name is Key,(Short for Keith) I own a blog about Gaming.
Star 64


Well, I guess I'll say "Hi"

Lakewood Four: Actual Heroes?

Today, on the day when the Seattle area is celebrating the "Lakewood Four" (four police officers shot at a coffee shop), I ask the question: were they really heroes?

I am not denying that they were great people. They were. They left behind a total of twelve kids and families. I'm sure they were all very nice and good to their pets, etc. But to call them "heroes"... why? What did they do to become heroes? Yes yes yes, I understand they were in the police... but what does that really mean?

The truth is, they were just average joes. Sure, they were "amazing", "inspirational", "brilliant". Fine, whatever. But heroes... why? Let thy voice be heard!

Figgins to Seattle?

Yeah, I know this broke Friday, but I thought I'd post about it. 3B Chone Figgins is reportedly close to signing a contract with the Mariners. My reaction: I love the move. It provides a great defender (replacing Beltre) at third, and a strong bat in  the lineup. Figgins typically hit 1st, but with Ichiro he'll probably get moved to 2nd. Sorry for the quick post, just wanted to let you guys know I'm still around, and will definitely be posting more after Christmas (new laptop FTW!).

Socially Unacceptable?

I'm going to come right out and say it: policemen, teachers, and other public servants (excluding firemen, they are okay) are treated as elite, and I can't figure out why. Let's start with police. People say that the police are great public servants and we should appreciate their work. Why should I appreciate what they do? Every damn police car I've seen in the past month has been either (1) waiting to pull over the guy trying to get to work so he can support his family, or (2) pulling said guy over. Maybe I would start appreciating what they did if they actually started solving crimes!

Now teachers, shall we? In most schools across the country, there is a "teacher appreciation week", where students are 'encouraged' to give their teachers some kind of gift. WTF. Don't we already gift them a gift with our, y'know, PROPERTY TAXES? Think about it. People doing hard jobs, like fighting wars or putting out infernal blazes are barely recognized, if at all.

But no, most people say, you can't say these things. It's socially unacceptable. You're a hatemonger. You don't want children to learn. You don't care about public safety. You want puppies to be eaten by sharks (huh?). Our culture is taught to bow down to these icons like gods, and I'm sick of it. If policemen got back to doing their job (solving crimes, anyone?) then maybe I'd respect them.

The Video Only Scam

Hey, douchebags at Video Only! I really wanted to get home today and write you a glowing review about how great your prices were and how friendly the service was. But can I write that glowing review? Nope.

You see, this all started about a week ago when I decided, "Hey, I need a new TV!". So I shopped the ads, went to some stores, etc, until I found the perfect deal at Video Only: Sony Bravia KDL40V5100 with a Blu Ray player for $850! Great deal, huh?

So I go back to make the purchase last night. Get there, come into the store, talk to the salesman, and show him the one we decided on. He says "Oh, okay, I'll see if we have it in stock". Five minutes later, "Sorry, we're all out".
"Can you call the warehouse?"
"Sure."
*calls warehouse, finds that there aren't any there*

So we leave the store and come home, and I decide to read some reviews about the whole chain. They get... less than glowing reviews. The reason is that they (1) NEVER have the item wanted in stock, and (2) make you wait 6-10 weeks for it. The explanation is simple: the biggest risk retailers take is buying items with the chance they won't sell. VO's solution? Don't buy any items until they sell! That's right, VO doesn't buy the TV from Sony until they have an order placed for it. The result? 6-10 weeks of the product changing hands.

So, if you have a Video Only near you, please don't shop there. It's a well documented fact that it takes months for them to ship your product to you, and you would be better off just buying it from somewhere like Best Buy (where I ended up buying the same combo for the same price).

Screw you Video Only.

New Poll

Our new, featured poll is up. The question is, which company manufactures your PMP (personal media player)? Possible answers are Apple (iPod), Microsoft (Zune), Creative (Various pmps) and Other (does that need any explanation?)!

Enjoy!

Zune 4.3 Bricked Your ZuneHD?

For all you Zuners out there, the 4.3 update came down from Microsoft this weekend. When I first saw it, I was like "Yay! Finally the playcount issue will be fixed!". So, I updated (or so I thought). This 'update' ended up deactivating my ZuneHD. The prompt is to restore firmware, but it ends up not letting me because the Zune is unable to receive data from the PC anymore (for some of you who know me, you might remember this summer when I had a similar issue with my 30GB Zune).

I've been searching the internet for similar people with this issue, but haven't found any. Has anybody else experienced this issue? The comments are open for feedback and discussion of the ZuneHD.

Designated Hugger Back for Mariners

(pic via WalkOffWalk.com)

That's right, Seattle! Your designated hugge... er, designated HITTER is back for another season with the Mariners. News broke this morning on 710 ESPN Seattle that Ken Griffey Junior has been signed for a 1-year deal, and rumors are that he will be paid $2-$3 million dollars.

Now, while I don't hate Junior, I certainly am skeptical of his value to the team. He hit barely above .200 last year. Jack Z-something-or-other (Mariners GM) even stated in an interview this morning that Griffey's main role will be a clubhouse influence. Really? Couldn't this money have been spent on landing a solid shortshop or bolstering the pitching rotation?

Overall bad move by the GM here.

Astro Boy for Best Animated Feature

pic via Drafthouse.com

If you haven't seen this movie, you should. Astro Boy, in my mind, was one of the most enjoyable films I 've seen recently (a close second to "Radio"). The soundtrack is brilliance. Pure brilliance. And Freddy Highmore being casted as Astro Boy... that was probably the best casting move for an animated film. Ever. The main criticism I've seen so far is that the plot is cheesy and predictable. And I'll concede that it is. But you're enjoying the movie so much that it just doesn't matter.

The movie is definitely geared at kids (aren't most animated movies), but this one appeals to teenagers and adults as well. In fact, over at IMDB, "males under 18" are the category liking Astro Boy the most.

OVERALL, 9/10. Great movie. Should be considered for Best Animated Feature, but alas, since Pixar put out a crappy movie this year (Up, anyone?) they'll be winning the award.

Astro Boy ftw.

Sorry about that

As you've probably noticed, there hasn't been a new IW post in two months. This is due to the fact that my laptop broke, and I've been unable to blog since then. Now, however, I am using a desktop computer and I will be able to do some blogging! (Insert celebration here).

Now, to the jump!

Healthcare... wha happened?

The healthcare debate has been raging full scale for a few months. And then about two weeks ago... it seemed to disappear. Why is that?

I think that President Obama saw the outrage at the 9/12 rallies and realized that there is real, formidable opposition to the healthcare plan. So, are they going to scrap it? Work on a bipartisan bill? No, they are going to stall.

That's right, STALL! They are going to wait it out and hope that Americans "forget" all the failures of the healthcare plan, and then ram it down your throats later. Don't fall for it.

Mariners Pitching Rotation

Sorry it's been so long since my last post, I got my ZuneHD and that has had me preoccupied. Anyways, onto the post:

Now that the baseball season is nearing it's end, it's time to start thinking about... 2010! And for Mariners fans, one of the most notable questions comes in the form of: Who is going to be on the pitching staff next year? The best rotation in my mind is as follows:

F. Hernandez
R. Rowland-Smith
I. Snell
D. Fister
L. French

Uh, yeah... pretty bad. The problem with this pitching staff is that most of our pitchers are back-end starters. In the off season, either by free agency or a trade, it is necessary for the Mariners to pick up a true, quality starter (what we thought Bedard was). Time will tell if Hyphen (Rowland-Smith) is that guy, and Ian Snell may be as well.

I am pretty sure, though, that Rowland-Smith will develop into a great starting pitcher. He has shown excellent command and a sharp curveball in his recent starts, which is definitely a good sign.

Why Sports Radio is Failing

Have you ever listened to a sports talk radio station? I have. And now I know why they are losing money.

Today I was trying to listen to my local station, 710 ESPN Seattle. I tuned in and today's subject was... "Twleve Hours of 12th Man"...

WTF?

Who wants to listen to TWELVE HOURS of Seahawks postgame coverage? NOBODY! And the stations wonder, "Gee man, why are we losing our audience?". Because... YOU CAN ONLY MAKE SO MUCH OUT OF A FOOTBALL GAME!

Doing the simple math, for every hour of gametime, you get... 12 hours of wrapup? Huh?

Please, save yourself the misery, and don't listen to sports talk the day after an NFL game.

AXE is Overhyped

 

(picture via Esquire)

AXE Body Spray, body wash, and other products are overrated. In fact, I'm actually allergic to the body wash. It dries out my skin really bad and I kept getting rashes... anyways;

As I explained in my Pepsi Max post, marketing is a big factor. I've spoken to several girls who have told me that they hate the smell of AXE. I, personally, don't mind it, but if the main purpose of wearing the stuff is TO ATTRACT WOMEN, then doesn't that defeat the purpose? Personally, the best body wash I've ever used is from Suave and the best deoderant is Old Spice Red Zone.

Basically, AXE = fail. The marketing makes you think that you'll get swarmed by scantily clad teenagers- unfortunately, it ain't true. And seriously... who the hell wants to pay $6 a bottle? Not I.

EDIT//

I've been getting some negative feedback on this, let me clarify: I have not used an AXE Scrubber. It may be the best damn invention ever. But I haven't used it, hence why I didn't bring it up.

And, the girl's feedback varies from girl to girl. Some chicks may love it, but the ones I've talked to said it was meh at best. Alright? Everyone happy now?

Pepsi Max marketing

 

(picture via BevNet)

Tonight, listening to a Pepsi Max commercial on the radio, I realized how deviously brilliant their marketing is. "Pepsi Max... the first diet cola for MEN!"... sheer brilliance. Think about it... if you're a man, do YOU want to drink Diet Mountain Dew? Diet Pepsi? No, you would not. They have that "girly" image about them. But Pepsi Max is aiming to change that by marketing this diet cola as a "manly" cola. If you look at the ingredients, it's essentially the same as... DIET PEPSI. Who would've thunk that?

So Pepsi saying that their product is for men is genius, because even though it's just your average diet cola, marketing is a devil.

IW Orientation

Hey there, it's J. I run this blog. Our subjects here will be:

1) Politics
2) Technology
3) Movies/Music
4) Reviews (books, gadgets, music, movies, etc.)
5) Sports (Seattle Mariners in particular)

I will try to post at least once every day, maybe more often and maybe less. We will try to keep it child-appropriate, and I will censor swearing/profanities.

That's it. So, enjoy your stay, and I hope you find my content to be enlightening and often comedic.

~J