The 25 Worst Tech Products of All Time

These products are so bad, they belong in the high-tech hall of shame.

The Complete List of Losers

1. America Online (1989-2006)
2. RealNetworks RealPlayer (1999)
3. Syncronys SoftRAM (1995)
4. Microsoft Windows Millennium (2000)
5. Sony BMG Music CDs (2005)
6. Disney The Lion King CD-ROM (1994)
7. Microsoft Bob (1995)
8. Microsoft Internet Explorer 6 (2001)
9. Pressplay and Musicnet (2002)
10. dBASE IV (1988)
11. Priceline Groceries and Gas (2000)
12. PointCast (1996)
13. IBM PCjr. (1984)
14. Gateway 2000 10th Anniversary PC (1995)
15. Iomega Zip Drive (1998)
16. Comet Cursor (1997)
17. Apple Macintosh Portable (1989)
18. IBM Deskstar 75GXP (2000)
19. OQO Model 1 (2004)
20. CueCat (2000)
21. Eyetop Wearable DVD Player (2004)
22. Apple Pippin @World (1996)
23. Free PCs (1999)
24. DigiScents iSmell (2001)
25. Sharp RD3D Notebook (2004)

• (Dis)Honorable Mention

Gulp

"Oh God, HELP ME PLEASE!!!!!"

Quantum Jump - 'The Lone Ranger'

Hi Guys,

I think I'm going to take a sabbatical from this blog for awhile. I've got a lot going on with work and volunteer work and holiday stuff. Also I'm just not that into it right now. I'll still post from time to time I'm sure, but not as regularly as I have in the past. Have a great Christmas!

AB

Movies On the Horizon

Solitude

"It’s better to be alone than in bad company." ~ George Washington

Without great solitude no serious work is possible. ~ Pablo Picasso

Being solitary is being alone well being alone luxuriously immersed in doings of your own choice, aware of the fullness of your won presence rather than of the absence of others. Because solitude is an achievement. ~ Alice Koller

I am happiest when I am alone. ~ Jacqueline Kennedy

In solitude the mind gains strength and learns to lean upon itself. ~ Laurence Sterne

I treasure solitude. One doesn't have to have human contact. ~ Doris Lessing

The happiest of all lives is a busy solitude. ~ François Voltaire

In solitude especially do we begin to appreciate the advantage of living with someone who knows how to think. ~ Henry David Thoreau

One can be instructed in society, one is inspired only in solitude. ~ Johann von Goethe

In solitude we give passionate attention to our lives, to our memories, to the details around us. ~ Virginia Woolf

Stop a moment and look around you. ~ Thomas Carlyle

Spend some time alone every day." ~ The Dalai Lama

Songs Stuck In My Head

"Yeh Yeh" - Georgie Fame & The Blue Flames

Quick Hits

Hi All.

New car, new computer. And by new, I mean new to me. They are not new by any stretch of the imagination. You've met the new car already (which I'm trying to name -more on that later); the computer I picked up from a repair company on the Island. It's an old HP laptop, 512 MB RAM and a 40 GIG HD. Not exactly blowing the proverbial technology doors off, but I got it for sixty skins and it sure beats having nothing. Thanks to the boys at User Friendly!

In terms of naming the car, I've always had a penchant for giving my cars old fashioned women's names, like Dottie or Rose or Millicent, but all of that got thrown into turmoil once I got my new license plate. Look at those letters! I don't think I can pass up the opportunity to incorporate "The Fonz" or "Fonzie" or "Arthur Fonzarelli" in some manner or another. All recommendations are welcome. Time for some quick hits!

1) If you're looking for some quick and interesting facts about the goofy world we live in, check out What I Found When I Was Bored.

2) If there is one tip about Gmail that you must know, this is definitely it.

3) Google Maps has created a flu shot finder to help people find the nearest locations to get their shot.

4) My Parents Were Awesome posts photos of peoples parents when they were young and cool.

5) Renowned download site FileHippo has now offers a program that checks for updates on all (well... most) of your software. It's AWESOME.

6) Numbr – This is a really good one. Basically, Numbr gives you an anonymous disposable phone number that can be set to forward all incoming calls to any provided landline or mobile number (US only). Absolutely free. It’s an ideal solution for times when you want to keep your phone private but want to list your contact number in places like classifieds listings, social networking sites, blogs, etc.

7) I'm a little late with this one, but it's National Hunger and Homelessness Awareness Week. So get off your ass and do something for the less fortunate, you ingrate.

8) Ever wanted to find a font just like the one used by certain publications, corporations, or ad campaigns? Well now you can, using the WhatTheFont font recognition system. Upload a scanned image of the font and instantly find the closest matches in their database.

Here's one of my all time favorite songs, Dance With Me by The Drifters.



AB

Yes please.

WHEN DID THIS HAPPEN?!?

From WITH LEATHER:

IS PEYTON-BRADY REALLY A RIVALRY?

I can appreciate that Peyton Manning and Tom Brady are both great NFL quarterbacks. They and their teams are the Stuffed Chicken Marsala and Tour of Italy of the NFL–perennially delicious and on the brain without so much of a glance at the other fare on the menu. They’re always good. And I understand that, yes, these teams have played each other every year since 2003 and occasionally meet in the playoffs. But does that really make Colts-Patriots a rivalry?

Merriam-Webster defines rival as simply, “one of two or more striving to reach or obtain something that only one can possess.” But doesn’t that apply to all 32 teams in the NFL? You know, besides the Browns? What makes this “rivalry” different. Well, aside from the fact that the Colts and Patriots shared a division until the 2002 season, not a whole hell of a lot.

The teams don’t exactly share similarities–the Patriots are a shrewd, defensive-minded team cast in the image of their maker/videographer Bill Belichick. The Foxboro defense relies on both exuberant team speed and sometimes parts discarded from other clubs. The Colts, conversely, let it all hang out, and are happy to let Pey-Pey lead the offense’s expeditions to the end zone and hope that the defense can keep up. It’s the same blueprint that the Saints have used in their own digs; when a team plays more than half their games in favorable climates, you can do that.

Don’t get me wrong, it’s going to be a badass game. But that’s all it is. There’s no turf war between Boston and Indianapolis, no bolstered competitiveness that can’t be found in any other game involving great teams. But when two of the league’s best get together on national TV, there’s doesn’t have to be.

Latte Art

She ain't gonna win any beauty contests, but she's got it where it counts.

Quick Hits

Hello all!

A few things have happened since the last time I checked in. Andre Agassi smoked a bunch of crystal meth, Sammy Sosa is white, and I am sans car. That's right. The car I was driving went back to the dealership and now I'm looking for a little cheapy to buy to get me through the next little while, or until I move to wherever the hell I going to move to. I've been checking the Hilton Head/Bluffton Craigslist posts and there have been a few possibilities but they have all gone very quickly. I'm trying to keep it under two thousand which leaves the options VERY slim. Thppt. I'll keep you updated. Time for some quick hits!

1) Have a look at Lamebook, a blog that posts the worst that Facebook has to offer. VERY funny stuff.

2) Pulp International has a fascinating post on Hollywood icon Gene Tierney, and the tragedy of her first child.

3) Cheap Ass Gamer, a site for used and discounted games, has started a service called Games For Canada, which allows Canadian gamers to buy used games from the US without having to pay out the ass in shipping.

4) Maggwire is a site that compiles magazine articles for online viewing. Fully customizable - very cool.

5) People who have been banned from hosting Saturday Night Live.

6) 20 essential Firefox tweaks that everyone should know (from AntB). If you haven't ditched Internet Explorer for Firefox yet, get on the bus.

7) Flea from the Red Hot Chili Peppers has opened a free music conservatory. Awesome.

8) How to make salads interesting.

9) AudioRaider is a Google-powered MP3 search engine that lets you find and download MP3s. All AudioRaider search results are pulled out directly from Google Index. Once you find what you’re looking for you can save it to your system using “right click” and “save target as” option.

That's it! Have a listen to Decepticon by Le Tigre.




AB





***********************
Special Jay says,

"I'll take you on my trikecycle, Mr. Andyboy!"

OH SNAP!!! Sammy Sosa's white now!

Go white boy!













*******************

Black Sammy Sosa says,

"¡Dios mío! Mi piel negro hermoso!"

Futurama secondary characters

Sex sells.

Hi everyone,

Just a quick heads up. I found this wonderful picture of Jay Leno today; I will be cutting out his fat retarded head and putting in various places over the next month or so. So keep an eye out for Jay!

AB

Larry Goes to the Market

Food poisoning. Worst... night... ever.

Hell yea!!!

Netflix gives PS3 owners the best news this side of a price cut

Great news today for those of you with a Playstation 3. You're getting Netflix*!

This will mean Microsoft no longer has an exclusive relationship with Netflix, which has been available for a year for Xbox Live gold accounts. It's worth noting that whereas you need a $50/year paid account on the Xbox 360 to take advantage of Netflix (pictured), now it will be a part of Sony's free online service. However, Netflix won't be built into Sony's media crossbar interface. Instead, you have to put a disk into your PS3 whenever you want to watch an Instant View movie.

The service will roll out later this year. Sign up here to receive one of the disks as soon as they're available.

Happy Halloween!!!!

Name That Celebrity!

iPod? Check. Lip plate? Yep. AK-47? You betcha. Ok... let's do this.

How to Say No Respectfully

Turning down a friendly request can take nerve, but it's often necessary. When you can't or don't want to help out, get yourself together and kindly but firmly turn them down. But if you're not ready, you're simply not ready.

Steps

1. Listen to the request respectfully. Do not interrupt the speaker.
2. Phrase your "no" as simply as possible. Don't raise your voice or become upset, simply say that you cannot help this time. When you say no, say it in a confident, well modulated voice to sound more straightforward.
3. Don't feel obligated to explain. You have your reasons and they may not be ones you wish to discuss. If this is the case, try saying something like, "I'm just not able to." Leave it at that - if you must, change the subject, or say, "I'm sorry, but I need to go."
4. Explain simply, and only if you wish to do so. If the case really is one that you feel okay explaining, make your explanation as simple as possible.
5. Stand firm. If the requestor does not want to accept your answer, tell him or her that your mind is made up and that you will not change it.


Tips

* Be respectful. Even if the person asking isn't.
* If your refusal upsets someone, remain calm and, if possible, remove yourself from the situation.
* Do not lie when you explain why your answer is no. For example, if you do not want to have your sister and brother-in-law stay at your house for the weekend because they are inconsiderate slobs, do not tell them that you will be fumigating the house. Instead, try, "This weekend isn't a good time for us to have stay-over guests." If they press, say, "We have a lot of shopping and cleaning to do to prepare for this next week, and we won't do it if we have company." Hopefully, that will end the discussion. And frankly, that's probably the truth, isn't it?
* This approach can be used for salespeople as well as friends. Telemarketers are human too.
* Preface your 'NO' by saying 'I understand what you are saying' before refusing - it helps if people feel empathy.

GOLD

Palin Parody 'Going Rouge': Fair Or Foul?

By Mark Memmott

It should not have come as a surprise to former Alaska governor Sarah Palin and her publisher that somebody would take the title of her upcoming memoir, flip two letters and come up with a parody.

That's exactly what's happened. As Entertainment Weekly reports, editors of the "left-leaning" The Nation plan to publish Going Rouge: Sarah Palin, An American Nightmare on Nov. 17 -- the same day that the 2008 Republican vice presidential nominee's Going Rogue: An American Life hits bookstores.

The covers will be remarkably similar.

But there will be two easy ways to tell the difference between the two books. First, Going Rouge is going to be a paperback, while Going Rogue will come out in hardcover. And second, Going Rouge will be a series of essays from some very liberal, very critical critics of Palin.

So few folks should be fooled -- though you never know.

1973

Quick Hits

What's the word, motherlovers?

All's quiet these days, folks. Nothing to report. I'm a pretty happy guy. Let's see what the internet has to offer.

1) Attention photography fans: Learn to Breathe Like a Sniper to Take Better Photos in Low Light.

2) The Most Controversial Magazine Covers of All Time.

3) TV's 25 Biggest Flops Ever.

4) iLike is a social music discover site that allows you not only to discover music playlists available on the web but also to share your own playlists to the world. iLike also links to iTunes and Amazon music stores.

5) Black Friday deals are starting to appear - check you them out at Black-Friday.net.

6) If you are planning to paint your room (house, apartment or flat) and not sure what colors to use, enter a ColorJive.com. It is a website that lets you upload an image of your room, apply desired colors to the walls and see how it looks.

7) If you're tired of all the extra bullmess that appears on Facebook, give Facebook Lite a whirl.

8) 6 Tough Relationship Talks You Must Have. Good advice here for the fellas.

That's it and that's all. Have a listen to Cha Cha Cha by Beny More (I've having a love affair with Cha Cha music these days).



AB

It’s Always Sunny in Philadelphia - The Gang Dances Their Asses Off

That's REAL Calcutta cloth...

Bisquit - Roller Boogie

Julie Driscoll - “Season of the Witch”

Quick Hits

Hi gang!

Wow I've been busy. I know that seems to be the only thing coming out of my yap these days, but it's true. I started out with the idea that I'd do a little random computer repair work and that has ballooned into huge amounts of freelance work for two fine individuals. So that's awesome. AND there's the fact that the Patriots smoked the fakakta Tennessee Titans this week by a handsome score of 59-0. I had a conversation with Stewie before the season started regarding Brady being rusty, and I said that if the Pats could make it through week six with a 3-3 record then they'd be fine. And they are sitting atop the AFC East at 4-2. Sweetness. Time for some quick hits!

1) If you haven't had the chance to catch It's Always Sunny in Philadelphia (the funniest show on television), here's a site that shows all the episodes. Do yourself a favour and check it out.

2) I use Google Images a fair amount and have just discovered Google Similar Images, which is much, much better.

3) Top 10 Bone Crushing Hits In Youth Football History.

4) 40 Ways to Download FREE Music Legally – The Ultimate Guide.

5) Top 6 Coolest iPhone Tricks & Tips.

6) How to brew hard cider from scratch.

7) Why Patrick Swayze Was The Second Best Movie Star Ever.

8) In light of news that David Cronenberg is remaking The Fly, here are five directors who have remade their own films.

9) The 100 worst films since 2000.

10) Screentoaster is a free online screen recorder - a great way to remember what you did when fixing your computer, or creating tutorials for others.

11) Here are the movies out on DVD tomorrow.

Transformers: Revenge of the Fallen
Cheri
Fados
Casi Divas

Whatevs to that pile o' crap. Have a listen to Cha Cha No. 5 by Al Logan.



AB

Holy frick.

Brady's six TDs leads Pats to record day over Titans

It was over when ...

The Patriots scored 35 points in the second quarter, all on the arm of Tom Brady. His five touchdown passes in the second quarter were the most by any player in a quarter since 1950.

Game ball

It took six weeks, but Brady finally looked like himself, albeit against the Titans' 31st-ranked pass defense. Playing in the rain and snow, Brady completed 19 of his first 20 passes, displaying the accuracy -- especially on the long ball -- that was missing from his first five starts. Brady finished 29 of 34 with 380 yards and a career-high six touchdowns before he was replaced by rookie QB Brian Hoyer on New England's second drive of the third quarter.

Key Stat

The Titans entered the game with 13 turnovers and a negative-5 turnover differential, and we're not aided by the wintry conditions at Gillette Stadium. They committed five turnovers (three fumbles, two interceptions), including three in the second quarter alone.

Noteworthy

The Patriots' 59 points on 622 total yards are both franchise records. They scored 45 points in the first half, the most for any team in a half since 2002. ... Brady's six touchdown passes tied a franchise record. ... The Titans started 0-6 for the first time since 1984 when the Oilers started 0-10. ... Tennessee has allowed 30-plus points in four of their last five games. ... Since 2003, the Patriots have lost consecutive regular-season games only once, losing two straight in 2006. The Patriots are an NFL-best 29-12 in games following a loss since 2000 (under Bill Belichick). ... Patriots LB Junior Seau was active for the Patriots, finishing with two tackles and a fumble recovery. ... Titans RB LenDale White was carted to the locker room in the second quarter and did not return. Cameras showed White favoring his left leg on the sideline. ... Patriots RB Sammy Morris left the game in the first quarter with a knee injury and did not return.

Andyboy hearts German children's television.

R.I.P. Captain Lou Albano

Davis, Weaver, Lahti, Sagal.

Tall women with chiseled features. Andyboy like.