2008 has been a heck of a ride, hasn't it? The good thing is that we saw a ray of light that got a little bigger and will start to shine a lot more in less than 3 weeks. So go ahead and debate the usage of the word "negro", it's about as irrelevant as you are. And it may be too soon, but hopefully this time next year we'll all be in a better position than we are now. The last line from the radio dramatization of The Empire Strikes Back comes to mind here: "We've taken everything the Empire's thrown at us, now it's our turn."
As for me, it's very low key. Kathy has to get up early to go to work, as do I so I can drive her there. But we've never been much for ringing in the New Year, and I never have. My favorite celebrations have been the ones where the new year was an afterthought. "It's after midnight already? Oh well." One year we went and watched videos with our anime club and had fun. And I've been using up what Pepsi Stuff points I have before they expire at midnight getting mp3s from Amazon. I went to the Pepsi Stuff site and they have the old countown display up, and I thought I was too late. Until I realized it wasn't midnight anywhere in the US yet. I clicked on the link to the Amazon mp3 page, and they were still taking Pepsi points for downloads and I was able to use them up. It's a shame Pepsi isn't continuing their points promotion, as the codes were easier to read off the caps and I was automatically logged in when I went to the site. And there's hardly anything on Coke's site that's within reach for my points. I wish they'd get more free 2 liters in as that prize was gone before I had a chance to cash in, it's not like Coke couldn't make more coupons available.
And I went ahead on got my first Blu Ray disc, in advance of getting a Blu Ray player. I've done it before on CDs and DVDs. But this time, it was one of the ones on sale at Target this week. And I thought it was a bit of serendipity to have the first Blu Ray be of the first movie I saw in a theatre Sleeping Beauty. Also, I found out about a coupon expiring today for Disney DVDs, and they offer a $10 rebate if you buy a Blu Ray after buying the regular DVD, so it's just a few dollars. Hopefully with the tax refund we can get a Blu Ray player and a new high definition TV. Venture Bros season 3 DVD is coming out in late March and on Blu Ray as well, my goal is to be able to get the Blu Ray disc and be able to watch it when it does. At the very least all of us can have a dream like that that can come true next year.
Oh, and at the same Target where I bought that disc I finally found the Clone Wars figure of Ahsoka Tano, Anakin's padawan apprentice. The pegs were still picked clean from Christmas, so it was easy to spot her. Now if I can find some more DC Infinite figures like Power Girl.

Have you ever wanted to look up a phone number for someplace in the US you didn't have a phone directory for? Here's an alternative to calling information and getting charged for it, and spending possibly a long time online trying to find that number. With USA Phone Numbers you can look up any phone number in the US and save time and money.

Well, here's the latest cable showdown between conglomerates, this time between Time Warner Cable and Viacom (owners of Nickolodeon, Comedy Central, MTV, etc) And Viacom is threatening to cut the cord, er, cable, at midnight if TWC doesn't pay more money for the channels. Of course, the reaction is divided, with some ready to move somewhere else if that happens, and others siding with the cable company. I'm get my channels through DirecTV, so I'm not affected this time. But you hear about these showdowns from time to time, so sooner or later everyone's going to get a turn. But nowadays people have options, and I have 2 alternatives right off the top of my head (3 if you count Dish Network) I could switch to if I wished, and that's before you consider online (this showdown has TWC responding that Viacom offers their programming for free online, so why should they pay more?) and other *ahem* means.

With the economic meltdown and credit and housing crunch a lot of people who were teetering on the edge before are now finding themselves in worse straits than before. Their debt that they were just managing okay is now poised to overwhelm them and they're not sure what to do about it. And what's worse is all the information and advice that's being bandied about that's contradictory, or using jargon that causes further confusion. Unfortunately, in the face of overwhelming information and options a lot of times people opt not to do anything, and that's worse. If you're facing such a situation don't feel overwhelmed. There's a place you can go to that will get you the information and help that you need to get yourself out of your situation so that you don't face bankruptcy or worse. With the help of Debt Counseling, Consolidation, or other options The Credit Exchange can help you get the information to decide the best option to proceed and to direct you to the best place that can assist you with that option so that you can resolve your credit problems and not let them overwhelm and ruin your life. So don't think that you're stuck without options, or freeze up in the face of overwhelming and contradictory information. Head over to the Credit Exchange and they can help you with a path to the way out and a new life.

Like this article says, you know times are tough when Andrew Lloyd Webber is talking about doing a sequel rather than a new production. This new production of Phantom is said to take place 10 years after the oriiginal, with the Phantom surviving and turning up in Coney Island, New York. They're talking about a simultaneous launch in 3 cities with different names being bandied about for the lead.
And Mark Evanier talks about the different things that make up a Las Vegas show's budget. The money doesn't come from the casinos, that's how they get to keep that money. Mark's the one who got me up to speed on Hollywood accounting years before the Art Buchwald Coming To America case came about, so it's worth a read.

I've always liked wearing t-shirts. They're especially good in the warmer months, but there's sometimes even here in the dead of winter that I feel more comfortable wearing a t-shirt. In fact, as I am writing this I'm wearing a t-shirt because it isn't that cold and I feel better wearing one. And if you're like me you like seeing all the different designs that are out there and available. It's even better when you can find a design that you can get and wear before everyone in your circle finds out about the design. It's great when you're the first to wear a new shirt with an original design. And with these Crazy Dog t-shirts you're sure to find one you like. And this isn't just another website where there's a few designs that they think is funny but you don't think it was worth the time to look at them. You can get this shirt that's inspired by the classic Saturday Night Live skit:

And they have other designs that are not only based on TV shows and movies, they have other shirts that are sure to attract attention and have people remember where the idea came from. That's sure to start some conversations and impress your friends and make new ones. And you'll be very comfortable doing it as well.

The word is getting out that 20th Century Fox wants to delay the release of Watchmen. And while there are some doomsayers that think that Fox is going to succeed, I think it's going to come down to some arrangement being made and we'll get to see it after all. If WB paid over $15 million over a similar rights oversight so we could see The Dukes Of Hazzard, I'm sure a similar arrangement can be made. Ain't It Cool News has a piece about this latest development, with a YouTube clip that Brad will love.

Many people are thinking that with the recent economic developments that people are either going to be cutting back on their credit card usage or getting credit cards, so it wouldn't make sense to have their business set up to accept credit cards. That line of thinking is wrong in so many ways. If anything it looks like a lot of future economic developments will continue as business as usual. And if you're going to have any kind of online prescence there's really no way you can do it without accepting credit cards. I mean how many people still send out a check or money order, and want to wait for it to get to you on top of getting what they want to be delivered to them? Like it or not business is set up for instant gratification and there are some who think that takes too long. So if you're in business you'll want to see about being able to do credit card processing without having all the fees and charges nibble you to death like wild ducks. In fact, you can get a FREE online payment gateway account for credit card processing ($695 value) set up, and be ready to go in no time. So if you want to maximize your ability to make money for your business and minimize the fees and charges see what they can do for you today.

Next year, the post office is coming out with a set of 20 stamps commemorating classic TV shows. If I get these, it won't be at my local post awful.
And what are your New Year's TV resolutions? I've been wanting to get my TiVo cleaned out of the stock of shows and watch some DVDs that haven't been watched yet. 2009 could be the year.
Entertainment Weekly's seen the season 5 premiere of Lost, and posted a non-spoiler review of it. We finished watching the 2nd bonus disc of extras from season 4, so we're all caught up on all things Lost, counting down the days to the premiere. And Ain't It Cool News has the new season 5 promo.

With the recent economic downturn a lot of people have lost their jobs, gotten their hours cut, or worried that they're next on the chopping block. Many people are doing more than just rolling with the punches, they want a plan that will help them improve their lives and have a profession that will help them instead of waiting and worrying when the axe is going to fall. One way to do that is with the help of some heavy equipment training that is available through Associated Training Services. And it doesn't take long to take the training offered by Associated Training Services. As a matter of fact, they offer a three level training course with each of the levels taking three weeks to complete. So in just over a couple of months you could be ready to start the next phase of your life thanks to the training that you receive from Associated Training Services. The Heavy Equipment Operator National Certification Programs are full-time, comprehensive, industry developed, nationally recognized programs accredited by the National Center for Construction Education and Research (NCCER). So you know that you should be able to find work in the field, and they'll even assist with that thanks to their job placement program. So don't stay up nights worrying when the axe will fall, take action and be prepared to steer your life.

Jezebel has this post up that points out how marketing can exploit the culture of fear that's been built up in this country. Particularly in the Brink's Home Security commercials. What do they all have in common? Women home alone until a man with a crowbar shows up and is scared away when he trips the alarm. As the commentors point out if that's the case the money could be better spent on things like self-defense classes, mace, and animals.

Even though the holidays are winding down, there are still plenty of good deals to be found that are out there. One place to find good deals are these selection of Holiday frames that can be found at Zenni Optical. At Zenni Optical, you can find a very wide range of great eyewear that you can use, and can be found at very, very low prices. How low? You can find a pair as low as $8. How low is that? And with money getting tighter and tighter, it's to your benefit to find great deals where you can. And it's even better when you can get deals on something that's great looking, and doesn't look at all like something that you got a great bargain on. Glasses like these:

that can be had at great prices that will have everyone amazed at how good you look in them with no idea as to how little you paid for them. So there are great deals out there to save what little money you have left after all that holiday shopping you did buying gifts for other people and buying up some deals for yourself. If you're in the market for new eyeglasses then see the great selection of eyewear available at Zenni Optical and at low prices that are amazing.

Peter David puts forth the question of when W's administration jumped the shark. And there was a point to this article that points out that Katrina when when he lost it with the American people. The only good thing about this economic meltdown is that it didn't happen after the election, where it's likely we would've had a different outcome. If Katrina happened a year earlier, what do you think would've happened?
Back to the article (which is actually a summary of this Vanity Fair piece), I liked this quote:

"David Kuo, who served as deputy director of the White House Office of Faith-Based and Community Initiatives, disputed the idea that the Bush White House was dominated by religious conservatives and catered to the needs of a religious right voting bloc.
"'The reality in the White House is — if you look at the most senior staff — you're seeing people who aren't personally religious and have no particular affection for people who are religious-right leaders,' Kuo said.
"'In the political affairs shop in particular, you saw a lot of people who just rolled their eyes at ... basically every religious-right leader that was out there, because they just found them annoying and insufferable. These guys were pains in the butt who had to be accommodated.'"

Do we really have less than 3 weeks to go?

If you're looking for a good source of light fixtures then check out the great selection available at Farrey's. You can search by by light fixture brand or by light fixture application or by style. This is a useful search function that helps you find and narrow your search, not like other online sites that aren't helpful.
And they offer all sorts of lights and fixtures to choose from, from chandeliers to bathroom lighting to kitchen light fixtures to everything having to do with home lighting and more.
And they offer fast, safe shipping, a 30 day return policy, volume discounts, and more. So if you're needing lighting fixtures for a new home, or thinking about improving the lighting in one or more areas of you home, you can get a great deal and great lighting at Farrey's.

Mark Evanier writes about this year's selections to the National Film Registry. This was the list that was started to keep Ted Turner's crayons away from black and white films note films of merit that should be preserved. There's a couple of surprises on the list. One is The Terminator which if you watch now, especially after seeing T2 you'll be surprised at how B-movie it looked. The other is a family's 1956 home movie of their trip to Disneyland, with a sense of wonder at the then-new park.

I was just re-reading director Kevin Smith's harrowing portrayal of friend and actor Jason Mewes' drug addiction and attempts to kick his addictions. It's a very difficult process for anyone to deal with, having to help anyone kick their addictions. As Kevin noted, anyone who says that people choose to become addicted on their own, and can quit whenever they want, so what's the big deal? doesn't know what they're talking about.
And trying to find treatment centers isn't exactly something you go asking around about for recommendations, even in Hollywood circles. That's why there's this handy directory to help people who are seeking help for themselves or their loved ones to find the best place for treatment. And it lists more than centers that help with drug and alcohol addiction. They can also help you find a place to treat eating disorders, sex addiction, and other addictions.
So if you're looking for a place that can handle and treat addiction, please consult this directory. They also have information that can help you even if it's someone you know. Sometimes not knowing can be more harmful to an addict, and if you want to help, this is the place to go.

As everyone knows, copyrights are only good for a certain period of time, after which the protected item enters the public domain. Somebody forgot to renew the copyright in 1974 for It's A Wonderful Life and that's why you used to see it on TV all the time, until...something happened and it isn't shown as much, I don't know why. And they changed how long a copyright was good for. And when Mickey Mouse was in danger of entering the public domain Disney had Congress pass a law that changed it some more. I don't know the details, and copyright law makes my head hurt. And that's probably another reason why Popeye entering public domain probably won't change much of anything because of fear of legal matters, whether they're in the right or not?
And that won't stop Popeye porn anyway, Mark, since it's been around for awhile. What about in Will Eisner's graphic novel "The Dreamer" where his fictional counterpart is offered the chance to draw Tijuana Bibles and was shown samples such as "Popeye in the Bedroom"? And what about that old joke about what happened to the mountain climber that went to Mount Olive?

I wrote about the end of VHS, but Harry Knowles gives it a proper appreciation here. It's easy to be dismissive in this age of DVD and downloads, but VHS was the opening of a door as far as being able to own your own movies and TV shows. I didn't even own any film prints like his family did, and the only super 8 films were the ones that were filmed of our family. It did change a lot from the days of watching a TV show when it was on or forget it, and seeing a movie in the theatre or seeing it edited and with commercials on TV. There should be more thought about the passing of VHS and what it meant when it came on the scene.

I don't know if I like the idea of having my movements being tracked with GPS tracking. I know that at my last job they had people on a short enough leash and that they would love the opportunity of being able to keep track of everywhere their employees go. I'm sure that if any of their delivery trucks and repairmen went one inch off the prelaid track (and yes, knowing them they'd plot out every inch of their travelling) they'd want to know what is going on. And if your marriage is at a point that you need GPS tracking to find out where they're going and if they're having an affair, it might be pretty much over at that point even if it was revealed that nothing wrong happened.
But I can understand using GPS tracking in some instances. If you have children and they've just got their license you want to ensure they're not up to anything wrong and being able to account for where they go (and they know it's being done) would go a long way towards keeping that from happening. And you are responsible for their welfare. And after having my car stereo stolen twice I can understand using it to keep track of your stuff so that if it is stolen you can track it down. If my Christmas decorations get more elaborate something like that would come in handy.
So if you have something you want to keep tabs on and find out where it's at or where it's going, maybe GPS tracking is something you should look into. But if it's a person and they're an adult, maybe there's some other things you should do before you decide to keep tabs on them.

It's going to be a few months before the comics convention season starts, but there are still trade shows and conventions going on all the time. And if you're a company that plans to set up at one of these shows you should look into improving your trade show exhibit.
Anybody can tell you that making a good first impression is the most important thing, whether it's meeting someone, first encountering a company, etc. and having top notch trade show exhibits will go a long way to achieve that end. Most of your future customers' opinion of you will be formed by the initial impression that you make upon them, so you want to do your best in that regard.
So if your business will be participating in any trade shows or conventions and you want to get the word out, why not see about having the best trade show exhibit that you can?

I went out in search for some post-Christmas deals. I returned a duplicate gift at Barnes and Noble and got credit that I used to get the Pearls Before Swine desk calendar at half off, and got the Joker graphic novel that came out a few months ago. I didn't see any good deals at CVS, but I was tempted at half off a 3 pound Hershey bar which would've been about $12.50. Today was the last day of Half Price Books' 20% off sale, and I figured what they would've had would've been picked over by now, but I still felt I had to give it a shot. Walgreen's was where I hit paydirt. They had their Christmas stuff at 75% off and I got some gift tags as I have plenty of other stuff for Christmas wrapping next year. I also got some marshmallow snowmen and a Pixar Cars cocoa and mug set that Kathy said I should save the snowmen for when we have cocoa so it looks like they're in a hot tub. I also found a pair of Charlie Brown Christmas sleep shorts that were $1.50 that Kathy wished she found before Christmas to give to me, but would've been $6 if that was the case.

With the holidays winding down we're getting ready to drudge through the rest of the winter. But there's some people who enjoy winter and love to participate in all sorts of activities having to do with the snow. And there's all sorts of equipment and accessories that you need to ensure the maximum enjoyment of winter sports. That's where Christy Sports comes in handy. There are all sorts of deals to be had with Burton snowboards, clothing, and more. Burton has fueled the growth of snowboarding worldwide through its groundbreaking product lines, its grassroots efforts to get the sport accepted at resorts and its team of top snowboarders. Riders are involved in each step of the product development process at Burton. Pro riders give product managers feedback on everything from the ride and flex of a board to the color of bootlaces and the texture of jacket linings. And not only can you save money on buying products from Burton, you can save 20% on all Burton outerwear. Just enter the code "BUR2008" at checkout. And there's free shipping on all orders over $50. So if this is your favorite time of the year and you love snowboarding this is your chance to get some good deals and get ready for the slopes.

I've wrote here that I don't like speed cameras, the ones that are supposed to catch people speeding past red lights and send you a ticket, no trial, no proof, just get your money order in the mail. And people usually pay it because it's easier than trying to fight it. Remember when I wrote here about some people using it to get at people they don't like to get them in trouble? While I was trying to find that article, I found this one about some Santas disabling cameras in Arizona with gift wrap. And now .a study has shown that there are more accidents at these intersections. But they won't get rid of the cameras. They'll argue that it's for the peoples' safety when it's actually another source of income when things are getting tight and people don't like new taxes.

One of the things I got Kathy for Christmas was a stereo. One of the ones she'd see in the ads from time to time was the wooden ones that look like an old fashioned radio or record player that could actually play records. Also there's a radio, CD player, and plug in for an mp3 player. She had tried out the radio part to make sure it works and she said that wanted to test the other functions to make sure that they worked as well. I did some digging in the massive amounts of stuff we have here, and found a 45 of Elton John's "Bennie and the Jets" to test the 45 speed, and got my old Styx "Pieces Of Eight" record to test the 33 speed. We put on "Bennie" first. It's weird after all these years to hear the pops and cracks in an old record. I was also amazed at how muted the music sounded as it played. Then for the album I put on side 2 and the first track was "Blue Collar Man", one of my favorites. As it checked out okay, Kathy asked if it was the album that had the song "Renegade" as well. I said it did, and did another thing I hadn't done in forever: look at the grooves on the record to find the space between track 2 and 3 (which is "Renegade"). After a couple of misses, I was able to get it in the right spot to play it.
It ain't like nowadays when you kids just push some buttons and it goes right to the song you want to hear. We had to learn to be able to guide our record needles to the right spot to hear the song we wanted to hear. It's a good thing that there were no skips in the record, I could've told a tale or two about that. The "Pieces of Eight" album was still in the protective sleeve I'd buy by the 10 pack at The Gold Rush record store, so it was still preserved.
And don't get me started on 8 tracks...

If you're looking for a new hobby for the new year, or you've been scrapbooking for some time now, why not check out all the supplies available for your hobby? Not only do they have a wide selection, but right now they've got an end of the year clearance sale where you can save 30-60% and get free shipping as well.

The New York Times has an article on how the comic strip syndicates are coping with the dwindling newspaper circulation. One of my favorite periodicals a few years ago was a couple of weeks worth of comic strips that I believe was published by the Washington Post. There were 2 publications: one for the daily humor strips and one for the story line strips. Sometimes there'd be a mix up and some strips would be duplicated. And eventually Diamond stopped listing it in their catalogs, so I went to subscribe, where I got some issues, more and more irregularly as time went on, until they quit coming altogether. It's a shame that happened, I wish that there was an interim publication of a collection of a couple of weeks or a month's worth a strips collected in a magazine, between the daily strips in the newspapers or online and the collected books (but there are less strips in books anymore, not like the old days. Other than the "big guns" you don't see them like you used to) So with less collected books, a magazine maybe printed on cheaper paper like Shonen Jump or other big manga collections. Or maybe I'm an old coot that likes to read print on paper as opposed to a computer screen, so I don't know how well it would go over. It would be one of those "win the lottery" type dreams. Today's Sheldon comic kind of touches on this.

When it comes to online shopping, one way to find out where to find the lowest price is with experience. The drawback is that that knowledge comes at a price, usually the higher one you pay before you find out. Another way is by word of mouth where you hear from other online users, but if you're shopping for something you haven't heard anything about, it won't do you much good.
But if you're looking for a good deal on home and garden you don't have to search numerous sites for the best price, or wait around for word or mouth or reading the different websites. You can search them for the best prices on all sorts of items. Items such as Pet Memorial Markers and Garden Spades can be found and at the best prices. You can search by price range, brand and more. So you can save money and time by searching for the best deals.

Hey, we talk about deaths too much around here. It's time we do more celebrating and less mourning. As Charilie Brown says "I need more hellos". So happy birthday, Stan. 'nuff said. And Gordon and Mark add their voices to the congratulations. May we continue to celebrate for a long time to come.