Things Smackie Thinks You Need to Know...

[miss pretentious]

Originally posted by vansmack:
   

Originally posted by miss pretentious:
 
 
 smackie - you can use this in entice the 20 somethings you're after during the age fucking game.

When you put it that way, it sounds so trashy.... [/b]

just calling it as i see it  

[sweetcell]

for smax: Guitar Hero saving rock music?         :roll:      
 
 for nkotb: New Star Wars Videogame Unleashes the Force in You
 
 for pdx pollard (if i remember correctly):
 
        <img src="http://graphjam.files.wordpress.com/2008/08/webdev.png" alt=" - " />
 
 bonus: Nonprofit Distributes File Sharing Propaganda to 50,000 U.S. Students:
 
     <img src="http://blog.wired.com/27bstroke6/images/2008/08/21/nana1.jpg" alt=" - " />

[ratioci nation]

Originally posted by sweetcell:
  <img src="http://graphjam.files.wordpress.com/2008/08/webdev.png" alt=" - " />

true and awesome

[HoyaSaxa03]

what's your take on extended service plans (like the type best buy bullies you into getting)?
 
 i've heard wildly diverging opinions on this from techy people whom i trust

[vansmack]

Originally posted by HoyaSaxa03:
  what's your take on extended service plans (like the type best buy bullies you into getting)?
 
 i've heard wildly diverging opinions on this from techy people whom i trust

I have never purchased one, and rarely do I recommend them.  I do look at manufacturer's warranties for just about anything I buy and rarely purchase anything with less than a 1 year warranty (anything with a 90 day warranty tells me that it's crap).  
 
 A couple of exceptions - I did the protection plan for smackette's Treo as she was prone to losing them, of course she didn't in this case, and I always cancel them after one year when the technology is old and the discount for a new phone is cheaper than the replacement phone.
 
 For smaller items that are prone to being lost or stolen, if the warranty doesn't cover loss/stolen, then I don't bother with it.

[vansmack]

One of my most favorite Gizmodo pictures in a long time....
 
  <img src="http://cache.gawker.com/assets/images/4/2008/08/att.jpg" alt=" - " />
 
 I would have probably purchased a 3G iPhone by now if it were available outside of the at&t network.

[godsshoeshine]

i've never had sprint, but i've had the rest and at&t is the best out of all of them in my opinion

[vansmack]

Originally posted by god's shoeshine:
  i've never had sprint, but i've had the rest and at&t is the best out of all of them in my opinion

Most opinions on cell companies come down to two things:
 
 (1) Who has the best service where I use my phone most (usually at my house or work).
 and
 (2) Who had that one really bad customer service experience (this led to my disdain of Comcast).
 
 That's why you'll hear the same complaints about every provider depending on who you talk to and where they live.  When somebody asks me what company they should use, I never tell them to use my preferred choice, instead I ask them two questions:
 
 (1) Are you a heavy data user?  If yes, it used to be Verizon and Sprint were your only good choices.
 
 (2) Who offers the best reception at your home?  Because in reality, this is what makes a user most happy - consistent service when they need it most.
 
 Otherwise, they're all the same, really.
 
 My opinion on at&t is solely based on who invests more in their data network.  I have great phone service at my apt with both Verizon (work) and Sprint (personal), but I'm sure at&t and t-mobile are probably fine at my apt too because I live in a top floor apt in a large metropolitan area less than a mile from the cities major cell tower.  Not everyone is as lucky.
 
 What I couldn't get from at&t and t-mobile anywhere in America was 3G speeds until a few months ago.  I've been averaging nearly 1Mbps data on my Verizon and Sprint phones for well over 3 years now and since I'm sending and recieving emails and texts as well as surfing the web much more often than I am making phone calls, I have been a proponent of Sprint (and only slightly less so Verizon).  There is a huge difference between 1Mbps and 80kbps, and one I would never tolerate.

[godsshoeshine]

yeah, verizon had the worst customer service i ever experienced. their phones didnt work either. i had about 3 different ones, and they would just stop working on me at a time when not only did i only have a cell phone, but i lived in a high rise where the front desk had to call to let guests up
 
 i saw no better service from them in the spotty dc area either. so yeah, i guess i would call them comcastic

[xneverwherex]

A friend and I were having a discussion about the youngest age that we could date. He lives by the 1/2 your age + 7. The question soon arose: does the same rule apply to women?
 
 He's convinced I should go out with the 19year old that I met at The Mercury - it doesnt hurt that hes from London and has a great accent and is also incredibly nice and friendly.

[vansmack]

Originally posted by xneverwherex:
  A friend and I were having a discussion about the youngest age that we could date. He lives by the 1/2 your age + 7. The question soon arose: does the same rule apply to women?
 
 He's convinced I should go out with the 19year old that I met at The Mercury - it doesnt hurt that hes from London and has a great accent and is also incredibly nice and friendly.

First off, you should date your friend.
 
 That obvious answer notwithstanding, since it is clear that nothing serious can come of dating a 19 year who's clearly only here for a limited time, I think it's fine.  The real danger in dating a woman who is less than half your age +7 is the emotional attachment younger women seem to make with older men (not enough hugs from daddy), and since that is not possible here, I see no reason other than the "he can't drink" problem, but my name doesn't have "X's" on both sides of it.
 
 If anything for you, the Cougar in training corrollary applies.  Plus it will make your friend jealous.  Smackie approved.

[xneverwherex]

Originally posted by vansmack:
   

Originally posted by xneverwherex:
  A friend and I were having a discussion about the youngest age that we could date. He lives by the 1/2 your age + 7. The question soon arose: does the same rule apply to women?
 
 He's convinced I should go out with the 19year old that I met at The Mercury - it doesnt hurt that hes from London and has a great accent and is also incredibly nice and friendly.

First off, you should date your friend.
 
 That obvious answer notwithstanding, since it is clear that nothing serious can come of dating a 19 year who's clearly only here for a limited time, I think it's fine.  The real danger in dating a woman who is less than half your age +7 is the emotional attachment younger women seem to make with older men (not enough hugs from daddy), and since that is not possible here, I see no reason other than the "he can't drink" problem, but my name doesn't have "X's" on both sides of it.
 
 If anything for you, the Cougar in training corrollary applies.  Plus it will make your friend jealous.  Smackie approved. [/b]

hahah the x's. classic. he managed his way around the drinking issue (21+ issue) as the merc is 21+ (naturally i assumed he was at least 21 - until he mentioned he was on a 7 month holiday celebrating his graduating college (not uni which i assumed incorrectly)). i choked on my beer when he said he was 19.
 
 as far as my friend and i dating - will never happen. but he might be ridiculously jealous.
 
 sweet the whole cougar in training corollary. my thoughts exactly!
 
 glad to know this is smackie approved.

[vansmack]

Originally posted by vansmack:
   <img src="http://www.dewmocracy.com/images/image_overview-default_bott.jpg" alt=" - " />

It is with a heavy heart that I report Voltage, and not my favorite, Revolution, was the winner of the Dewmocracy showdown.
 
 You'd be wrong to think that I'm not going to drive around town snatching up all the Revolution I can find.  It really grew on me...

[vansmack]

Hehe.  Yes, we bought a car that is super environmentally friendly, maybe even paid more, and don't drive it much.  
 
 The Bottom Line of the Eco Balance Sheet
 
 
 From the Desk of David Pogue
 By DAVID POGUE
 It's not easy being green.
 
 The first time that realization hit me was when I first heard someone answer the age-old eco-awareness question, "Paper or plastic?"

[vansmack]

I went to sleep last night and woke up in a horrible daze: Tina Fay is John McCain's running mate.  I'm going to try to sleep this off.