Wed, 02 Jul 2008 19:50:17 -0400 http://www.fleezle.com/log/ Rants-R-Us en-us http://www.fleezle.com/log/images/logo.gif http://www.fleezle.com/log/ oneill@oinc.net http://www.fleezle.com/log/Article39.html They seemed to go away for a bit, but they are back...its those phone calls you get at home, to let you know that your auto warranty is expiring (yeah, in 2 more years), or its your "credit card company" that wants to tell you something, or some other jazz like that. It's a pre-recorded message, which at the end it tells you to press 1 to talk to someone, or press 2 to stop receiving calls. Amazingly, pressing 2 seems to have no effect. So, how do you stop them from calling? Wed, 02 Jul 2008 19:50:17 -0400 http://www.fleezle.com/log/Article38.html Mountain Dew is running a new promotion allowing drinkers to choose the next new flavor of Mountain Dew to go into production. Three new flavors - named Supernova, Voltage and Revolution - are available on shelves across the country and then you can vote for your favorite. We had the opportunity to try all three, so you can read the rest of this article and see how we felt about the three flavors. Sun, 08 Jun 2008 16:25:37 -0400 http://www.fleezle.com/log/Article37.html Just not my day today...after a lovely day at work which will end up with me working all night because a customer decided at the last second they don't want to do any of the work, I come home to an envelope from Buena Vista Home Entertainment, the Disney arm that puts out DVD and Blu-Ray discs, and was offering 5 free BD discs (from a limited selection - only one of which I would have actually purchased, mind you) for buying a qualifying Blu-Ray player (like the Playstation 3). My 5 free Blu-Ray discs I'm supposed to get for buying my PS3 has been rejected because they claim I didn't include the UPC symbol. I most definitely DID - I checked several times before sealing the envelope that it was in there, and all I have now is a hole in the box where it was. So what am I supposed to now? They are asking me to send them the UPC code, which I already did, and THEY lost. Sigh... Update [2/5]: I e-mailed. They said to call. I called. They said to fax...we'll see... Update [2/23]: Called again today...they apparently "received my request into the system" last week. Only took them 10 days from when I faxed. Supposedly I'm qualified now, but it can be another 5 weeks to receive the discs. We'll see... Update [3/30]: 5 weeks TO THE DAY of my phone call, the movies arrived - even though a few days ago the web site still listed me as unqualified. At least now I have a couple movies I actually want to watch... Fri, 01 Feb 2008 16:31:53 -0500 http://www.fleezle.com/log/Article36.html I forgot to mention this - back in October, just before the World Series, I finally broke down and got an HDTV - which would eventually result in the shutdown of my little DirecTV TiVo network, but moving me in to the wonderful world of High Definition. Mon, 28 Jan 2008 11:19:23 -0500 http://www.fleezle.com/log/Article35.html I've dropped by the local CompUSA several times since it was announced that they were sold to a liquidating company, figuring I'd see some good deals. After over a month, most of the discounts are still around 15% - but look closely. It says its off the "original price". Apparently the original price means the price it had over a year ago, in some cases. Tue, 15 Jan 2008 21:14:56 -0500 http://www.fleezle.com/log/Article34.html I've always been a fan of Dell hardware - they have great warranties, and the prices are comparable to what it would cost me to build my own, which is what I've done in the past. I'm not a computer newb - I know them inside out. I've installed Linux on a couple thousand Dell servers for a large financial company (no lie). So why is it that I can't convince Dell that there is a defect in this desktop? Mon, 08 Oct 2007 20:23:54 -0400 http://www.fleezle.com/log/Article33.html Japanese toy company Bandai has teamed up with network device maker Buffalo to develop a USB key that prevents children from accessing harmful websites, and limit their computer time. Branded with Disney characters and playing a Disney video when first plugged in, it also limits the programs a child can play. But I wonder if this conversation ever took place: "So, you plug the USB key in, and the child can only use the computer for what we say they can." "Wow, that's kind of neat. But what happens if the key isn't plugged in?" "Well, then the computer acts normally so the adults can access whatever they want." "So, what requires that the key be inserted if the child uses the computer?" "Ummm...the parent?" "And what if the child removes the key?" "Ummm..." Perhaps it would make more sense if the computer was limited UNLESS the key was inserted, and the parents keep them locked away with their guns and alcohol... Wed, 05 Sep 2007 13:03:04 -0400 http://www.fleezle.com/log/Article32.html For those of you familiar with the Mac vs. PC wars and the commercials, check out this site for a cool rap song and video... Wed, 27 Jun 2007 09:55:17 -0400 http://www.fleezle.com/log/Article31.html Anybody who knows me knows I am a Disney fan, enough to start my own web site about it. I couldn't tell you why - perhaps watching old black-and-white reruns of The Mickey Mouse Club with my dad or something. I never went to Disneyland or Walt Disney World until I was an adult though, and I'm thoroughly hooked now. I just bought into the Disney Vacation Club, paying for trips for the next 50 years for my family. Imagine my delight when Disney re-opened a dormant project that I wanted to participate in. Imagine my disappointment when they abruptly canceled the program after taking my money, and won't tell me what happened or when I'll get my money back. Read the full article for more details and updates. Wed, 06 Jun 2007 09:22:30 -0400 http://www.fleezle.com/log/Article30.html It goes by many names - I use "Y2K7" and "The DST Debacle". If you don't know what it is, you are certain to be affected. Last year the U.S. Government passed a law to change Daylight Savings Time to start earlier and end later each year. This year it starts on March 11 (this Sunday). And all hell may break loose... Fri, 09 Mar 2007 09:17:30 -0500