INSPIRON 500M Review

Since Sean made some cash doing his review, I figured I'd get in on the action. Here's my first attempt at a review.

I'm going to be covering the Dell Inspiron 500M. It has pretty modest specs as far as laptops go... Pentium M 1300mhz, 256MB RAM, Windows XP Home, etc. Pretty standard for lower end laptops. The case is pretty boring aesthically, with the typical gray and blue color scheme. I give it credit for not being really flimsy. It doesn't have the bad creaking-pop sound some laptops have (at least not as noticable as some HP's I've used). The keyboard has a nice feel to it, and the key layout is pretty standard.

Use-wise, you get the kind of performance you'd expect from a Pentium M class machine that is crippled by only having 256MB of memory. It's fine as long as you don't need to do any real multitasking (like sending AND receiving email). I do give a decent rating for battery life. I'm presently on a bench outside my place of employment, and I've been using it for about a...wow this feels a little hot. Hmmm... anyway I seem to get out of it a good 30 minutes longer when compared to a Compaq I used to own. I give credit to this Sony battery that Dell wisely included ... Is someone burning tires out here? OH CRAP, MY CROTCH IS ON FIRE!!!!

Google Doesn't Lie

Once again, Google has it exactly right.

Mr. T on CNN

Thanks to my brother who sent this to me.

My only question is just how on earth did the scrolling headlines along the bottom of the screen so perfectly coordinate with Mr. T's causes during this interview? Talk about your cosmic coincidences.

Sarkazmos Personals - - "Nukeboy" Profile Details

"Nukeboy"

Age: 45; Tehran, Iran
Active during the last 3 days

About Me
First Name: Tom
Gender: Man seeking a Woman, or anything on two legs
Marital Status: Single - never married
Body Type: Muscular
Height: 6' 11"
Eyes: Steel Gray
Hair: Black
Ethnicity: Persian
Sense of Humor: Clever / Quick Witted, Dry / Sarcastic, Obscure
Social Setting: Shy at first, but warm up quickly, Home Body, Better in small groups, Comic Relief
TV Watching: Couch Potato, Daytime Soaps, Movies, Documentaries, Channel Hopper
Favorite Movies: Bridges of Madison County, Fahrenheit 9/11, The Runaway Bride, Legends of the Fall
Least Favorite Movies: Rocky, Schindler's List, Legally Blonde
Favorite Musician: Michael Boltin
Least Favorite Musician: Toby Keith
Smoking: Doesn't smoke
Drinking: Gatorade, Hot Tea, Shirley Temples
Have Kids: No
Want (more) kids: Yes, I want 100 kids so that I can have 100 friends so that no one can ever say no to being my friend
Education: College Grad
Employment Status: Full-time
Occupation: President
Income: 1 million kabillion rial/year
Religion: Shiite Muslim
Attend Services: Never
Political Views: Moderate to slightly extreme. Does wanting to kill every Jew on earth qualify as extreme?
Languages: Iranian, French, Shanawdithit, Mongolian, and three dialects of Juaneño
Interests: Community Service, Puppies, Reading, Travel, Nuclear Technology, Gaming, Mass Murder, Television, Cross Dressing, Board Games, Canine Cosmetology, NASCAR
Nicknames: Sharkfin, Cliffhanger, Red Steel, Tenderfoot
Favorite Weekend Activity: I love the circus, but those dang clowns scare the bejeebers out of me


In my own words
This shower loving, considerate and thoughtful professional is driven, active and adventurous. I've never hang glided, para sailed, sky dived, spelunked, ridden a lama or an ostrich, but I'm up for any of it. My life can sometimes be a little hectic, but that's the fun of it right? I love kids, plants and animals, but am currently without any, leaving much more time for you...

My friends describe me as easy-going, intelligent, funny, loyal, playful, fun, honest, caring, and spontaneous. I love to travel and to paint the town red. Being a home body is good too, especially if it's raining. I love to sleep late in the rain.

I would like to meet someone to hang out with, have some fun and see where it goes. Whether it's going to the movies, out to dinner or a quiet evening curled up on the couch at home, it's all about the company. Someone honest and caring, lovable and down to earth; who can make me laugh. I enjoy new experiences and I try to make every situation fun.

I think life is about the people you're with, so I want to find someone I'm compatible with no matter what we're doing (or not doing ;-). Also, I am an anti-Zionist, so hatred for Jews is a must. So, if you think we might be a good match, drop me a line.

One last thing: must have a sense of style.... I will need help decorating the world once I'm done conquering it.

How Sad

Ok, so I'm a Buckeye fan. Anyone who has ever even heard of this blog should be aware of that by now. Truth is, I have a passion for OSU football that rivals most any other in my life. Perhaps that is why I am so deeply saddened by how Maurice Clarett has thrown his life down the tube. Or maybe it's something more.

Clarett threw his life away the moment his head got too big to fit in his helmet. Arrogance fueled his greed, and driven by greed he made one bad decision after another. He got mixed with the wrong crowd, got in over his head, and out of desperation he was driven to a life of crime. Sad indeed. Most people who see him in the news fall into the same mold: They see his life as a such a waste of football talent, and they call him names for being such a "thug." Then he is simply dismissed and left to be yet another sad statistic of today's troubled urban youth.

Me? Yeah, I fit into that category...at least, to an extent. Yes, it is a terrible waste of football talent. I mean, the kid would've won the stinking Heisman as a Sophomore and would now be raking in millions of dollars in the NFL if he had played just one more year! And yes, I think he's a thug. He clearly has a criminal mind, and I am all about people reaping the consequences for their actions. Truly, the death penalty should be considered for people who kill. And certainly, President Mahmoud Ahmadallynaggadinajadashush in Iran needs to be hung upside down by his toenails and have his head stuck in burlap sack full of slithering pythons. And yes, Maurice Clarett should go to jail.

But I am not prepared to dismiss him. Many people, whether or not they are OSU fans, talk about him with such disgust and contempt. They think he's worthless and should rot away behind bars. I simply feel sorry for him, not at the expense of justice, but because he is a snapshot of what a life bent on fame and fortune ultimately becomes. Whether or not those determined to have the things of the world end up in a literal prison is not the point, because in one way another they somehow become imprisoned by their obsession for wealth and glory. For those who have chosen this path for their lives, I offer these wise words of the old Crusader, "You have chosen.....poorly." How tragic.

So try to think twice from now on before you treat Maurice Clarett with such disgust. The criminal needs to pay for the crime, but that doesn't mean that he has any less value as a human being, or that he could never truly be reformed.

Maurice, I haven't given up on you.

HP DV2000t and DV1000 Comparison Update

Since I first posted my comparison of the HP DV2000t and DV1000 multimedia laptops on July 27th, much has taken place. We have received thousands of hits from over 50 different countries from all parts of the globe. It has triggered many discussions, many of which can be seen in the original Quips section of the article itself. In addition, the technology website, Notebookreview.com, has published a slightly edited version of the article on their website. You can read the article and see people's comments here. I guess I'm just a little surprised at the level of interest people have had in this little comparison piece of mine. Anyway, for all three of you who might be interested in any of this tasty little morsel of information, there you go. Consider yourself officially updated.

AOL is the Devil

In my studies in theology, I spend a lot of time thinking about heaven and hell. I ask questions like, "Who is God?" "Where do we all come from?" and "Where are we going?" One of the questions posed by theologians and non-theologians alike, however, centers around the topic of hell, or, namely, is there a hell? If so, what is hell like?

I have concluded that if there is a hell (and I do believe there is) that one may gain a taste of what it is like in this life. Wanna know how? Well, if you want to know what hell is going to be like, I suggest that you try to cancel an AOL dial-up account, for trying to cancel an AOL account is a little taste of hell on earth.

I'm sure you all have read the accounts in the news lately. Who could forget poor Vincent Ferrari's recording of him wrestling with a pushy AOL rep on the phone? And lately we hear about AOL's refusal to cancel the account of a dead man. I mean, come on, the guy's dead for crying out loud! Give him a break already!

I too had my own experience with AOL several years ago. As a poor college student, I signed up with AOL after coming across one of their many infamous software CDs in the mail. I installed the software, got hooked up, and began to surf using their proprietary browser. It didn't take long for me to get annoyed with the whole thing, so I proceeded to go through the steps to cancel my account.

Well, the lady that I talked to on the telephone wasn't about to let me cancel. She asked me over and over again questions like, "Why do you want to cancel?" and "What about the service don't you like?" This went on for about 10 minutes until a shouting match ensued, which resulted in me not only finally getting my service cancelled but hung up on as well. My family, who overheard my half of the conversation, was stunned. Neither they, nor I, had ever heard of or gone through anything like that before.

That was about five years ago. I assumed mine was an isolated case, at least until recently as these kinds of stories are making headlines.

So what is the moral of the story? Well, for those of you pondering the mysteries of dial-up Internet accounts, I would say stay away from AOL dial-up; and for those of you pondering the mysteries of the afterlife, I would say that, yes, I do believe that the Devil is a scary little yellow man running around with a pointed tail and pitchfork.

Wedding Pics

An insider close to the family -- well, actually part of the family -- sent me some pictures of the Jack and Sarah wedding in New Jersey. I'm pretty sure that few who visit this blog will be interested in said pictures, but I'm posting them anyway just to embarrass and annoy Jack. Enjoy.

I'll let you guess which one was taken after the wedding......

Buckeyes #1 in 1st Coaches Poll

Get ready, Buckeye fans. Opening kickoff is less than a month away, and already the Bucks are picked #1 in the USA TODAY Coaches' preseason poll:

"Ohio State, behind the electrifying offensive talents of quarterback Troy Smith and wide receiver Ted Ginn Jr., is No. 1 in the USA TODAY Coaches' preseason poll released Friday, their first time in the top spot since the end of the 2002 season.

"Today (Smith) is among the leading preseason candidates for the Heisman Trophy with boyhood friend Ginn, 21, a junior. Ginn, a wide receiver/kick return specialist, arguably could be the most electrifying player in the college game this fall. In two seasons he has six touchdowns on returns, six receiving and three rushing."

Read.

I don't know about the rest of you, but reading this article made me even more ready for some Buckeye action. All I can say is praise Jesus for ESPN Gameplan for those of us who don't get the Buck's regional coverage!

GO BUCKS!

"Hungary" for Chuck

From Reuters via ABC News Online:

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The American action hero Chuck Norris is leading a government poll in Hungary that has been set up to find a name for a new bridge in Budapest.

The name "Chuck Norris Bridge" has attracted more than 8,000 votes or 11 per cent of the Internet poll.

It puts the actor just ahead of a Hungarian humorist and the country's first king, Stephen the Great.

A government committee will review the outcome of the poll next month before making a final decision.
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Ah, just as I suspected -- the Europeans' love affair with washed-up American stars continues. Next up: A tollroad in Belgium named "Hasselhoff Way."

Come on, Europe... seriously.

~Thanks to Erin for tipping me to this article. God bless you, Erin!