Category Archives: General

General

iPad for YourMom

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The iPad is the answer to your prayers. The funny thing is, it’s the answer to your other prayers.

You’d been hoping that the iPad would do for the niche occupied by netbooks what the iPhone did for cell phones. You were hoping for something revolutionary, something that expands and changes definitions, something that becomes the bar against which every other device is measured. The problem is, it’s just a device. A large iPod Touch. No camera, no GPS, no SD slot, no USB slot, no third-party apps that don’t go through the App Store’s hoops and hurdles. How do you play Rush Poker on Full Tilt on this damn thing? You don’t. No multi-tasking? So either you are on IM, or you are reading email, or you are browsing the web. But not at the same time.

What you’re forgetting–what I forgot–is that this isn’t for you. It’s for your grandma, who’s never owned a computer. Or your mom, who calls you every few months because she’s got another virus or spyware and she only knows this because every time she goes online a dozen ads and porn sites load in popunders. With the iPad, you can get grandma online, and stop being tech support for your mom. Buy the iPad 3G, pay AT&T the $15 a month (with her credit card), and forget about everything else. It’s easily worth $629.

General

Losers

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And the LORD said unto Satan, Behold, all that he hath is in thy power; only upon himself put not forth thine hand. So Satan went forth from the presence of the LORD

Some people seem to be losers. You know the type. For them, nothing ever goes right. They get in car accidents. They lose their jobs. Their payments are late or their bank accounts are overdrawn and they have to pay exorbitant fees. They get parking tickets. Are some people just unlucky? Is God cursing them? Or have they brought it upon themselves?

General

I just lent Ali $25 on Kiva.org

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Oh? You are unfamiliar with Ali? Here’s a little bit about him:

Ali the Fruits and Vegetables guy

Ali is a 43-year-old man who lives in Saida, southern Lebanon, with his wife and their three children. Ali has been selling fruits and vegetable since 1996. He sells fruits and vegetable from his van, which means he is a mobile salesman. He has requested a loan of 800 US dollars from Al Majmoua in order to purchase vegetables for his business.

This is Ali’s second loan cycle and he has always paid on time. His previous loan helped him diversify his merchandise. His clients are his friends and neighbors, and small markets. When he first started his business, he didn’t have the start-up. He decided on doing his business because of his experience in sales. In the future, he plans on expanding his business.

View Ali’s page on Kiva.org

In case you’re wondering, Nora Rosa Rodríguez Rodríguez, Lan Thi Nguyen, and Dorcas Omokaro are doing okay (17%, 58%, and 88% repaid respectively).

General

California Coast

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We’re planning a drive up the coast to see Hearst Castle and some of the sights in Cambria. We’re thinking about staying overnight at another location on the way back from Cambria, but haven’t quite decided on a place.

Any suggestions?

We’ll be passing Morro Bay, San Luis Obispo, and Pismo Beach, to name a few. I imagine some of these places will have something more interesting than your standard big box retail shopping centers (or at least in addition to).