April 2008 Archives
So, everyone who's been on the interweb for more than a few years knows about the old Nissan vs. Nissan court case. What's that? You don't know about it?
Well, to avoid big yawns from those that do know about it, here's the synopsis. Go to nissan.com. Whoa, that's not Nissan, right? Mostly. Now go to nissandriven.com. There they are! The deal (briefly) is that some guy whose name is Uzi Nissan (seriously) has been using the nissan.com domain since the early days. During these early days Nissan used to be known as Datsun (they were very very early days). Once Nissan got it together and decided to re-brand themselves, they also decided that they just absolutely needed that nissan.com domain. Awesome. Only Uzi Nissan sure as heck wasn't gonna give it up (can you just imagine the sheer amount of traffic that domain must get? It's a freakin' gold mine!) So Nissan Motors got nasty. And not in a good way.
That started back in 1999. Yeah, seriously, like 10 years ago. A series of legal battles known as Nissan vs. Nissan ensued. At the end of the day, the little guy won out and Uzi Nissan got to keep his domain. I remember when this was in the news... and his website was basically a link to the legal documents and battles that were raging during the early 2000's. All pretty rough, no doubt.
So this begs the question: do we boycott Nissan for being a big fat faceless corporation that cares nothing about anything but itself? Apparently their evilness isn't limited to trying to yoink domains from small businessmen:
So what do we do, then? Do we boycott all the major corporations and manufacturers, opting instead for the small businessman and the craftsmen that roll cigars on the plump thighs of Puerto Rican women? I'm not so sure we could, even if we wanted to. It's all well and good in theory, and when we get our self-righteous rage on, and our chests puff up in indignation, but at the end of the day I want the best technology money can buy. I want the best bang for my buck. I want what Corporate America is here to give me.
And that kinda sucks.
Well, to avoid big yawns from those that do know about it, here's the synopsis. Go to nissan.com. Whoa, that's not Nissan, right? Mostly. Now go to nissandriven.com. There they are! The deal (briefly) is that some guy whose name is Uzi Nissan (seriously) has been using the nissan.com domain since the early days. During these early days Nissan used to be known as Datsun (they were very very early days). Once Nissan got it together and decided to re-brand themselves, they also decided that they just absolutely needed that nissan.com domain. Awesome. Only Uzi Nissan sure as heck wasn't gonna give it up (can you just imagine the sheer amount of traffic that domain must get? It's a freakin' gold mine!) So Nissan Motors got nasty. And not in a good way.
That started back in 1999. Yeah, seriously, like 10 years ago. A series of legal battles known as Nissan vs. Nissan ensued. At the end of the day, the little guy won out and Uzi Nissan got to keep his domain. I remember when this was in the news... and his website was basically a link to the legal documents and battles that were raging during the early 2000's. All pretty rough, no doubt.
So this begs the question: do we boycott Nissan for being a big fat faceless corporation that cares nothing about anything but itself? Apparently their evilness isn't limited to trying to yoink domains from small businessmen:
Wow. Nissan Motors' evil knows no bounds. They do however, make a mighty fine car. Knowing (or at least being aware) that Nissan is capable of such vile acts, can we really purchase a Nissan (or by proxy, an Infinity) and support this beast? I mean, I hate it when Corporate America flexes and squashes small businesses (damn you, Wal-Mart!) but at the end of the day, it's Corporate America that really sways the economy and creates the environment you enjoy now. They make the fancy cars, and the sweet computers, and the big televisions, and all that great stuff that you call 'name brand.' And listen: it's not like Sony isn't doing the same thing. Or IBM. Or (ahem) Motorola. When it comes to achieving their goals, there's not much a hefty-sized corporation isn't gonna do (and if they get caught, just throw lawyers at.)In another example of Nissan Motor's flexing its corporate might, age old eminent domain laws have been rewritten in Mississippi allowing the State to take land and homes from local landowners for the sole private benefit of Nissan Motors. How the State of Mississippi was "convinced" to change these laws is unclear, but it is clear that local individuals are being deprived of their property rights so Nissan Motors can build its own plant.
So what do we do, then? Do we boycott all the major corporations and manufacturers, opting instead for the small businessman and the craftsmen that roll cigars on the plump thighs of Puerto Rican women? I'm not so sure we could, even if we wanted to. It's all well and good in theory, and when we get our self-righteous rage on, and our chests puff up in indignation, but at the end of the day I want the best technology money can buy. I want the best bang for my buck. I want what Corporate America is here to give me.
And that kinda sucks.
The Boston Bruins go down in Game 7, shut out with a score of 5 to zip. Zero. Nada. Couldn't even score a single goal against rookie Habs goalie Price. Tim Thomas made a terrible showing, spending more time laying down than a two dollar whore (that's two Canadian dollars, mind you...) Whoever taught him to tend goal should be tarred and feathered. Sure, he got lucky with a few halfway decent saves, but for the most part he was, as he has always been, a freakin' sieve.
Don't even think about blaming the defense on this one. I have nothing but respect for the Bruins defense that tried so hard to prevent shots on goal, knowing full well that any shot that came near the goal was probably going to get through Thomas. I'm not just underwhelmed by Thomas' performance - I'm straight up disappointed. I've been saying it for years, and I'll say it again - the Bruins need a real goalie. The season that the Bruins buck up and get themselves a professional to lock down the net will be the season they take the cup. If the entire team didn't have to concentrate on defense I can only imagine the amazing things the offense could accomplish. The guns are there - I was extremely impressed with the playing of the Bruins offense - but they do need a little more organization and leadership. It also wouldn't hurt to get some practice on that inside game the Habs used to tear us up. If the offense had been more on point, rather than running back and forth all over the ice to help the defense cover up the gaping hole that is Thomas, maybe they would've had the energy to put some pucks into the net. Who knows? We'll find out next year, I guess.
The Habs had speed, organization, and pretty good leadership (especially this game, thanks to the return of Saku Koivu to the lineup), and they simply outplayed the Bruins to finish the game with a ridiculous score. What a thrashing. I'm amazed and utterly disappointed with the fact that the Bruins just took it. The Bruins I watched and learned to love during my college years would never have taken that! Cam Neely alone would've started shelling out the hate the moment the score reached 3-0. Lucic started to get that homicidal gleam in his eye, and the team started to look like they were ready to rough up some froggies, but in the end the didn't close the deal. 5-0. Five to freakin' nothing. Embarrassing. And not a single fight.
Once the Habs fans started singing their song, the gloves should've come right off. "Lemme give you a parting gift, eh?"
So I'm disappointed, yes, but in general I give kudos to the Bruins for a strong showing, a great fight, and a good series. They got me back in the game and I'm once again on the Bruins bandwagon. I can't wait for next season, and it's gonna be a good one.
In what I can only describe as some of the most exciting hockey I have watched in the last decade, the Bruins (who I've been a long time fan of, despite the fact that they suck, their management sucks, and they haven't had a decent shot at anything even resembling a title in far too long) are in a Game 7 tussle against (of course) Montreal. I don't know how or why it always works out this way, but man am I excited. Even if the boys don't win it, consider me sold on the Bruins once again... I am once again proud to wear my Neely jersey.
Don't get me wrong - I still hit the Panthers - Bruins games and cheer 'em on. I still watch 'em on TV. But they really haven't gotten me excited about watching in forever. This series has been white-knuckle intense and the hockey has been just genuinely good. And that makes me happy as hell. So at 7pm tonight I will be glued to the TV to watch the conclusion of what I can only describe as the reigniting of my passion for hockey.
Bill Simmons wrote an excellent article about the Bruins and how he feels after this playoff series that describes exactly how I feel right now better than I can possibly express. I think that article can be related to by a lot of Bruins fans out there, and I think that any and every Boston pub and bar in the US is gonna be packed to the gills with Bruins jerseys. Hell yes.
I gotta admit - the war (and there is a war going on) is really, really far away. Not just in physical distance, but in emotional distance too. The media isn't doing much to really 'bring the war home', and for good reason. The economy is in a shambles, and who wants to hear bad news? Not the American People, no way. They'd rather watch reality TV.
It's not that the war doesn't feel like it exists. It's there. But we have to get some perspective on a lower level, and make the 'soldier' more real. There's guys running around the middle east, American guys, trying to keep peace in an unbelievably hostile environment. Hostile because they're there? Sure, I guess that's one reason the environment might be hostile towards the U.S. military that's been busy rolling around all over them. Thing is, I think that the area is just hostile in general - each faction hates the other. The U.S. is just another faction to hate and shoot at. I don't think that's any reason to leave that area, although the reasons for being there in the first place is definitely suspect.
I don't think I support the war, but as long as we're there, I suppose I support the GI's dodging bullets over there. I ran across a website called The Tension, a blog, that gives an interesting perspective on what's happening over there. Far from being a political site, it concentrates more on a low-level perspective from the GI point of view. Day to day kind of stuff. Interesting, sure, but it accomplishes a more important task: it humanizes the war effort and shows what guys do when they're there. That makes things so much more real, and I can appreciate that.
From there, I followed some links and ended up at an article about improving military helmets. This was from the Marine Times, which also has a variety of interesting articles and interviews showing that those guys in uniform are actual people that worry about such things as being able to shoot back when they're laying down prone and getting shot at. Continuing that thread lead to this site that provides improved helmet padding for soldiers' helmets. Take a look, read about it, and maybe make a donation. Seems like a worthy cause. Especially now that I've gotten a little more perspective on the reality of "the soldier".
In the age of video games, it's hard to come to grips with the fact that getting shot in war doesn't mean your health bar goes down - it means that you are (potentially) in a shitload of pain, and vital parts of your body are destroyed. There's no such thing as the 1-Man-Army, an army is a team, and the team works together not only to accomplish their objective, but to protect itself.
It's not that the war doesn't feel like it exists. It's there. But we have to get some perspective on a lower level, and make the 'soldier' more real. There's guys running around the middle east, American guys, trying to keep peace in an unbelievably hostile environment. Hostile because they're there? Sure, I guess that's one reason the environment might be hostile towards the U.S. military that's been busy rolling around all over them. Thing is, I think that the area is just hostile in general - each faction hates the other. The U.S. is just another faction to hate and shoot at. I don't think that's any reason to leave that area, although the reasons for being there in the first place is definitely suspect.
I don't think I support the war, but as long as we're there, I suppose I support the GI's dodging bullets over there. I ran across a website called The Tension, a blog, that gives an interesting perspective on what's happening over there. Far from being a political site, it concentrates more on a low-level perspective from the GI point of view. Day to day kind of stuff. Interesting, sure, but it accomplishes a more important task: it humanizes the war effort and shows what guys do when they're there. That makes things so much more real, and I can appreciate that.
From there, I followed some links and ended up at an article about improving military helmets. This was from the Marine Times, which also has a variety of interesting articles and interviews showing that those guys in uniform are actual people that worry about such things as being able to shoot back when they're laying down prone and getting shot at. Continuing that thread lead to this site that provides improved helmet padding for soldiers' helmets. Take a look, read about it, and maybe make a donation. Seems like a worthy cause. Especially now that I've gotten a little more perspective on the reality of "the soldier".
In the age of video games, it's hard to come to grips with the fact that getting shot in war doesn't mean your health bar goes down - it means that you are (potentially) in a shitload of pain, and vital parts of your body are destroyed. There's no such thing as the 1-Man-Army, an army is a team, and the team works together not only to accomplish their objective, but to protect itself.
I don't know why it bothers me, but it does. I freakin' hate it when someone's name comes up in all lowercase in the "From" field in emails. Like when they were setting up their email account they just couldn't bother to set up their own name correctly.
It's one thing to have no name at all - maybe you email client doesn't support it, maybe you just didn't feel like it. Whatever works for ya. But to misspell or miscapitalize your own name? Yuck.
Just sayin'.
It's one thing to have no name at all - maybe you email client doesn't support it, maybe you just didn't feel like it. Whatever works for ya. But to misspell or miscapitalize your own name? Yuck.
Just sayin'.
So this weekend was my sister's 30th birthday, and we celebrated in high style as far south as we could: Key West. Cayo Hueso (as it was originally called) is fun. Definitely fun. The drive down (and especially the drive back) is a complete and utter pain in the neck, and possibly the single most frustrating drive in existence, but Key West itself is a good time.
Speaking of the drive down... anybody notice that when you're 55 miles away, the speed limit is 55... then when you're 45 miles away, the speed limit drops to 45. Then when you're 35 miles away, it drops to 35. Seriously. There's a point on the road to Key West when for three hours, you're always "an hour away". This is assuming, of course, that you obey traffic laws (a good idea when traveling to the keys, considering the cops only have one major road to monitor and they're usually bored out of their skulls.) It's infuriating.
Once there, though, we had a great time. Key West really is just Duval street and its environs, but it's an amusing, entertaining ride for a weekend. We visited Ripley's Believe It Or Not, which was freakin' awesome, and we hung out at the beach (which sucked. That's the one thing that really sucks about Key West - the beaches are horrible.) We came, we saw, we burned like marshmallows. Then we went out again (after spending the better part of the day downing beer to combat the effects of 90 degree weather) and ended up at the drag show on 801 Duval. And holy crap was that hilarious.
One of our crew (who shall remain nameless to protect his innocence) got dragged up on stage. Dragged. Well, kicked, actually, by another member of the crew. Once up there, 90% of his clothes came off (except the boxers, which he clamped onto, thankfully, but not before he ended up with lipstick all over his ass). Then things happened very quickly, and suffice to say that the entire crew was doubled up laughing until faces hurt and we couldn't even breathe. The poor guy rolled with it though, and as they say in the biz, "The Show Must Go On", so he endured no small amount of... whatever you want to call it.
I managed to get a short video of about a minute of it before I simply couldn't take any more. Maybe I'll post it, who knows?
The rest of the trip passed relatively uneventfully, but it was still great fun. Happy birthday, Cristi!
Speaking of the drive down... anybody notice that when you're 55 miles away, the speed limit is 55... then when you're 45 miles away, the speed limit drops to 45. Then when you're 35 miles away, it drops to 35. Seriously. There's a point on the road to Key West when for three hours, you're always "an hour away". This is assuming, of course, that you obey traffic laws (a good idea when traveling to the keys, considering the cops only have one major road to monitor and they're usually bored out of their skulls.) It's infuriating.
Once there, though, we had a great time. Key West really is just Duval street and its environs, but it's an amusing, entertaining ride for a weekend. We visited Ripley's Believe It Or Not, which was freakin' awesome, and we hung out at the beach (which sucked. That's the one thing that really sucks about Key West - the beaches are horrible.) We came, we saw, we burned like marshmallows. Then we went out again (after spending the better part of the day downing beer to combat the effects of 90 degree weather) and ended up at the drag show on 801 Duval. And holy crap was that hilarious.
One of our crew (who shall remain nameless to protect his innocence) got dragged up on stage. Dragged. Well, kicked, actually, by another member of the crew. Once up there, 90% of his clothes came off (except the boxers, which he clamped onto, thankfully, but not before he ended up with lipstick all over his ass). Then things happened very quickly, and suffice to say that the entire crew was doubled up laughing until faces hurt and we couldn't even breathe. The poor guy rolled with it though, and as they say in the biz, "The Show Must Go On", so he endured no small amount of... whatever you want to call it.
I managed to get a short video of about a minute of it before I simply couldn't take any more. Maybe I'll post it, who knows?
The rest of the trip passed relatively uneventfully, but it was still great fun. Happy birthday, Cristi!
