Pollywogs!

Pollywogs!
Sounds—possibly musical—heard in the night from other worlds or realms of being.


Tired…

April 30th, 2008

Odd that the normal human condition in the United States seems to be satiated AND fundamentally dissatisfied.  Or is it just me?

I never knew how nice the Picasa Web Albums are.  Flickr, you better kick your shit up a notch!  Oh, and that canyon looks totally awesome too.

There are people who are working to end Prohibition.  Responsible use?  Abuse being a medical condition rather than a criminal act?  Jesus save us!!!  The ACLU themselves are getting into the act!  (full disclosure: I recently became a card carrying ACLU member).

Speaking of those devil worshipers at the ACLU, here is an action page where you can remind your representatives that you personally find torture of another human being reprehensible.  You do find the concept of torture to be stomach turning, don’t you?  What, you just told the inquisition that I turned your sister into a newt???

Plundering the coffers.  What did President Eisenhower say about the Military Industrial Complex?  Seemed important at the time, ahh shucks I’m sure it’s nothing important!  Hell, he was only the Allied Supreme Commander during World War II, what does he know anyway…Oh look, American Idle is on!

Speaking of things you don’t need to know about, did you know that propaganda is illegal?  Not that legality or fear of accountability has EVER prevented the government from doing anything (hey look, Big Brother is on!)…

JOHN STAUBER: …What happened here was a psy-ops campaign, an incredible government propaganda campaign whereby Donald Rumsfeld and Torie Clark, the head of public relations for the Pentagon, designed a program to recruit 75, at least 75 former military officers, as your report said, most of them now lobbyists or consultants to military contractors, and insert them, beginning in 2002, before the attack on Iraq was even launched, into the major networks to manage the messages, to be surrogates.

And that’s the words that are actually used, “message multipliers” for the secretary of defense and for the Pentagon. This program continues right up to now.

JUDY WOODRUFF: And is the essence of this that what they did was — what the Pentagon did was illegal?

JOHN STAUBER: Yes, what they did was illegal. Now, the Pentagon might contest that, but we’ve had various laws on the books in our country going back to the 1920s. It is illegal for the U.S. government to propagandize citizens in this way.

But you won’t hear anything about THIS on the nightly news!  Oh look, The Insider is on!

There was once this awesome kid who taped his teacher preaching in a public school classroom.  The Man fucked the kid over, but he persevered and recently wrote an excellent article on just what a shitty job school does ‘educating’ kids these days (and implies the more important WHY):

What is most distressing is not that some public school teachers preach their religion, or that some authors put politics ahead of education. It is that it is so rare for anyone to call them on it. This text is widely used. Yet to my knowledge, no one has challenged these incorrect and misleading statements.

As Americans, we should stand up for our common values. We should champion education and settle for nothing less than the best. Our teachers should do the same and should not misuse their positions to promote their personal agendas.

Thank YOU Matthew!

The real cost is hidden:

Under longstanding trade agreements, fuel for international freight carried by sea and air is not taxed. Now, many economists, environmental advocates and politicians say it is time to make shippers and shoppers pay for the pollution, through taxes or other measures.

“We’re shifting goods around the world in a way that looks really bizarre,” said Paul Watkiss, an Oxford University economist who wrote a recent European Union report on food imports.

He noted that Britain, for example, imports — and exports — 15,000 tons of waffles a year, and similarly exchanges 20 tons of bottled water with Australia. More important, Mr. Watkiss said, “we are not paying the environmental cost of all that travel.”

Isn’t that “amusing”.

Here, I’ll send you 15,000 tons of waffles…

Oh look, now I need 15,000 tons of waffles, please send me some…

That noise you just heard?  That was my head exploding…

You know what a good job our government has been doing lately?  I mean that sarcastically, not the good job they’ve been doing fucking us over, they’ve literally been slamming that shithole a perfect 10 the past eight years…

Well, they’ve done a ‘good job brownie’ on the 9/11 report:

This isn’t just a matter of academic and historical interest about the 9/11 attacks, although it is that. One of two things almost certainly happened here, each of which is of great importance. Either Mukasey is lying about the 9/11 attacks in order to manipulate Americans into believing that FISA’s warrant requirements are what prevented discovery of the 9/11 attacks and caused 3,000 American deaths — a completely disgusting act by the Attorney General which obviously cannot be ignored. Or, Mukasey has just revealed the most damning fact yet about the Bush’s administration’s ability and failure to have prevented the attacks — facts that, until now, were apparently concealed from the 9/11 Commission and the public.

Hey wait, that isn’t just the 9/11 report, this sounds like some SERIOUS SHIT going down!  But you won’t hear anything about THIS on the nightly news.  Oh look, Survivor is on!

(I may have previously posted this, I apologize, but you aren’t in the streets protesting yet)

God hates fags.  Err…god hates shrimp?  Hmm…god hates atheists!!!

Did you hear about the state legislator who last week blasted a Lutheran minister during a committee hearing for spewing dangerous religious superstitions, and then attempted to order the minister out of the witness chair on the grounds that his Christian beliefs are “destroying what this state was built upon”?

Of course you didn’t, because it didn’t happen and would never happen. Not to a Christian, not to a Jew, not to a Muslim or to anyone who subscribes to any faith.

Such an attack would rightly be considered scandalously out of bounds in contemporary society.

But you probably also didn’t hear about what actually did happen…

I mean, fuck, who DOESN’T hate atheists?  They’re worse than them thar ahy-rab muz-lims.

Speaking of why I’m such an intolerant jerk when it comes to ‘god’, I present to you the REAL Pledge of Allegiance:

I pledge allegiance to my flag and the republic for which it stands, one nation indivisible, with liberty and justice for all.

‘Hey wait you atheist fuck, that isn’t the pledge!  Why do you hate our troops?  Jesus loves you!  Die you commie scumbag!’

“In God We Trust” printed on government issue money?  My contempt runneth over and splashes out across the globe.  Sex and religion, both best enjoyed privately behind closed doors…

Finally, Lee Iacocca is a pretty cool dude:

‘Am I the only guy in this country who’s fed up with what’s happening? Where the hell is our outrage?

We should be screaming bloody murder. We’ve got a gang of clueless bozos steering our ship of state right over a cliff, we’ve got corporate gangsters stealing us blind, and we can’t even clean up after a hurricane much less build a hybrid car.

But instead of getting mad, everyone sits around and nods their heads when the politicians say, ‘Stay the course’. Stay the course? You’ve got to be kidding. This is America , not the damned ‘Titanic’. I’ll give you a sound bite: ‘Throw all the bums out!’

Heck yea, Lee!  Damn straight!  I’m all riled up now!  Let’s march on Washington!  We will not be drowned out, heckled, mocked.  We will be heard!

but can I get back to you in a bit?  The Real World just came on.  Err, and I have Dancing With the Stars and The Batchelor after.  You know, tonight isn’t so hot for me.  How about I get back to you later this week?  I’ll try to make some time between The Hills reruns and The Biggest Loser.  I’ll call, we’ll touch base then, I promise!

America’s Mass Consumption

April 26th, 2008

A Blog Post by Kell


Have you ever stopped to think about all the stuff you have, all the food you consume, all the waste you make?  Have you thought about it for more than one second at a time?  Have you thought about how much you “need”, how much you want, how much you use in a week, a month, a year?  How about your entire lifetime?  Do you have any idea how many tubes of toothpaste you will go through during the span of your life?  Do you even care?

Over the past couple years I have been taking notice of my consumption, I have been making conscious efforts to reduce my wants and “needs”.  I have been restraining my urges to buy, buy, buy…every time I decide I might “need” something, I try to scrutinize that “need” from all angles. Do I really need that new pair of shoes, do I need that new lip gloss, do I really need another pair of earrings?  And so on.  It usually turns out that the “need” is actually a want.  When you start to realize that you don’t “need” all this superficial stuff, the shopping urges slowly fade and you start to understand what you really “need”.

I have become more aware of the impact my consumption has on Earth.  Every time I use a paper towel (made w/ recycled paper of course) I cringe and wonder if I really needed to do that…could I have used a rag or a sponge?  Every time I take a shower I think about all the water I’m using…and how lucky I am to even have fresh water to use (even if it is stinky)…not to mention the soap and chemicals that may be washing down the drain.  Which is part of the reason why we have decided to use all natural soaps, shampoo & conditioners, laundry detergent, fabric softener, dish soap and cleaners.

Anyway, back to the tubes of toothpastes.  Although I have been taking note of my consumption on a day to day basis, I have never actually thought about my weekly, monthly or yearly consumption until the other day when I watched Human Footprint on the National Geographic Channel.  For example, do you know that one typical American, throughout his/her entire life will:  use 1,200,000 gallons of water (not including showers); 31,350 gallons of gas; have owned 10 televisions, 12 vehicles, drank over 43,000 cans of soda, have eaten 6 full sized pigs, 5 cows and it goes on and on.  Think about this, Americans are only 5% of the world’s population YET we use 25% of the world’s resources.  WTF??????  Something is wrong here.

Everyone should watch this show!  It was an eye opener let me tell ya.  It struck a nerve and by the end of the hour I was ashamed, I was sad, I was wracked with guilt…I had suddenly realized that America has turned into a gluttonous pig.  What America originally stood for doesn’t exist anymore…the America of today is not about family, values, hard work, freedom.  The America of today is all about money…our “need” to live in big houses, drive big vehicles, have good paying jobs, expensive vacations…it’s all about stuff, stuff that we have been tricked into believing that we “need”. We don’t have freedom, we are slaves…we are in a jail with no bars, we are never free from our incessant desires to have more, to make more, to be better, our desires to consume, to buy, our desires to keep up with the Jones’.  We are not free.  We are lost, we have gone astray.  The roads (although not paved with gold) were paved with good intentions but something has led us off the map. Something has taken us over, something has gone terribly wrong.

All my life I’ve wondered why I’m here, here in Pennsylvania.  Why wasn’t I born elsewhere?  How did I get so lucky to be born in this great country, the best (?), most powerful country in the world?  Why wasn’t I born in Africa or Russia, Mexico or Cambodia?  I have always felt so lucky and so grateful for all that I have, for my so-called  freedom, for having access to plenty of food and clean water, for having access to stores, malls, restaurants, having a car, going to school, etc.  I have always  felt so extremely lucky, so grateful…up until the other night.  The other night, after watching Human Footprint, I started to think that maybe I’m not lucky…maybe I would be better off without having so much, without having plenty of “things” to desire for, choices available.  It’s hard to explain…but I am starting to get the feeling that I might actually be able to understand why the Amish live the way they do, why there are still so many primitive peoples that remain in the jungles…away from the trappings of modern society.  Away from the variety, away from the constant desires and yearnings to have this, have that…away from it all.  They are free. Think about it…not knowing all that is out there, all the variety, all that is available…just might be the most the most free you could ever be.  If you don’t know that your life could be different, better (?) or more satisfying (?) then you wouldn’t feel bad about its current state.  We wouldn’t have all these desires for the “things” that we think will make us happy.  We wouldn’t be on a constant search for the perfect “thing”, the “thing” that will make a difference, the “thing” that will satisfy…..the “thing” that will inevitably let us down, it won’t hold our attention for long.  And then search starts all over again.

Anyway, geez, back to the show…Human Footprint.  Wonderful.  Powerful.  Watch it.

Hello once again, Dell “Customer Support”

April 24th, 2008

So I needed to contact Dell “Customer Support” today.  I had an uneasy feeling in my stomach as I navigated to the chat queue…

02:14:50 PM System System
You are now being connected to an agent. Thank you for using Dell Chat
02:14:50 PM System System
Connected with SMB_JORGE_172623
02:14:57 PM Customer GARY SOCLING
hello
02:14:57 PM Agent SMB_JORGE_172623
Thank you for contacting Dell’s Small and Medium Business Hardware support, my name is Jorge. How can I help you?
02:15:02 PM Customer GARY SOCLING
this computer died
02:15:14 PM Customer GARY SOCLING
we have next day support on it
02:15:24 PM Customer GARY SOCLING
so, I guess i’d like to schedule some support
02:17:10 PM Customer GARY SOCLING
?
02:17:30 PM Agent SMB_JORGE_172623
I have not received a response from you in over a minute. Please reply within the next minute to allow me to continue our chat.
02:17:36 PM Customer GARY SOCLING
err…
02:17:52 PM Customer GARY SOCLING
did you not get anything I wrote?
02:18:04 PM Customer GARY SOCLING
what was the last thing you got from me?
02:18:29 PM Customer GARY SOCLING
hello?
02:18:35 PM Agent SMB_JORGE_172623
Since I am not receiving any response from you within the last 1 minute, I will be ending this session. You’ll be receiving a transcript of our conversation via email. If you require assistance in the future, please visit us online at www.Dell.com/SmallBusinessChat. We appreciate your business. Thank you for choosing Dell. Have a great day!
02:18:35 PM System System
SMB_JORGE_172623 has left this session!
02:18:35 PM System System
The session has ended!

Oh, that is amusing, let me try this again…back to the end of the queue and another five minute wait…I like how my premium support warranty provides an 800 number to speak directly to techs in the US, and I can never seem to find it on the Dell.com website when I’m looking for support.  Ahh, this way is more amusing anyway, I love being able to get such juicy and choice material from a large corporation like this.

02:27:26 PM System System
You are now being connected to an agent. Thank you for using Dell Chat
02:27:26 PM System System
Connected with SMB_Violeta_182987
02:27:31 PM Customer GARY SOCLING
hello
02:27:31 PM Agent SMB_Violeta_182987
Thank you for contacting Dell’s Small and Medium Business Hardware support, my name is Violeta. How can I help you?
02:27:35 PM Customer GARY SOCLING
i have a computer that died
02:27:40 PM Customer GARY SOCLING
it has next day support
02:27:44 PM Customer GARY SOCLING
so I’d like to schedule support for it
02:29:14 PM Customer GARY SOCLING
hello???
02:29:37 PM Agent SMB_Violeta_182987
I have not received a response from you in over a minute. Please reply within the next minute to allow me to continue our chat.
02:29:46 PM Customer GARY SOCLING
you can’t see what I’m typing???
02:29:57 PM Customer GARY SOCLING
jesus dell sucks
02:29:58 PM Customer GARY SOCLING
seriously
02:30:00 PM Customer GARY SOCLING
epic fail
02:30:04 PM Customer GARY SOCLING
what a fucking joke
02:30:07 PM Customer GARY SOCLING
I hate you dell
02:30:14 PM Customer GARY SOCLING
you’re lucky your competitors suck it harder
02:30:31 PM Customer GARY SOCLING
why must you insist on driving me insane with your pathetic customer support system
02:30:37 PM Agent SMB_Violeta_182987
Since I am not receiving any response from you within the last 1 minute, I will be ending this session. You’ll be receiving a transcript of our conversation via email. If you require assistance in the future, please visit us online at www.Dell.com/SmallBusinessChat. We appreciate your business. Thank you for choosing Dell. Have a great day!
02:30:42 PM System System
SMB_Violeta_182987 has left this session!
02:30:42 PM System System
The session has ended!

Fine.  Deny me the one pleasure I get from interacting with Dell Tech Support, posting what a terrible job they do at understanding the most basic tech support questions…I’ll have to try to find a phone number and interact in a way that doesn’t leave an amusing paper trail…

For future reference, if you have the US-based tech support with your service contract:

1-800-822-8965, ext. 7243891

Give them the company name that purchased it, and the service tag, and away you go.

Unlimited calling in the US & Canada for $54 a year…

April 22nd, 2008

…through Skype.

Skype recently lowered the price on its unlimited calling plan, and I pulled the trigger. For $2.95 a month you get unlimited (ok, 7 days straight per month) calling to any cell or landline in the United States and Canada. No long term contract, no cancellation fees. Call forwarding, voice mail, all that good shit.

What is the catch? You need a computer and a microphone (and preferably some decent headphones) to make calls with no initial investment. Otherwise you need a Skype phone to walk around your house in the ‘conventional’ sense. AND, if you are planning on getting rid of your land line, it is only good for calling out. To buy what they call a SkypeIn number is another $30 (was $60). So, when you get a year’s subscription you get four months free ($24) and then a SkypeIn number (in the 570 area code) and you have a complete phone solution for the modern set for $54 a year. Caller ID, voicemail that you can access anywhere you have your laptop + wifi, and unlimited nationwide calling. Not too bad?

Check it:

If you leave your computer on 24/7 and/or do not have a wireless router: http://www.newegg.com….87612700 $61 buys you a cordless Skype phone!

If you do not leave your computer on and do not have a wireless network: http://www.newegg.com….6833249006 $120 buys you an Ethernet enabled cordless Skype phone!

If you do not leave your computer on and do have a wireless network: http://accessories.skype.com…032700 $130+ buys you a wifi enabled cordless Skype phone! (the wifi phones need to spend all their life on the charger, they aren’t like cell phones)

So it definitely isn’t for everyone, but it is a shit-ton cheaper than $250-500 for a plain-jane landline. I’m pretty sure we’re shutting ours off here shortly (and pocketing the change!), and just use Skype as our ‘landline’ and the cell as a backup…

Wierd…

April 21st, 2008

I recently added a stats plugin to my WordPress install, and found I get the oddest Google search placement.

Search for “Hello to my friends in national security”, and I’m the #1 result.

Search for “Fuck you garrett”, same story…

What else do folks search for and somehow end up here?

Today

Search Views
2005 toyota corolla s 2
corolla s 2
dumbfuckistan 2
2007 toyota corolla s white 2
pollywogs inserts 2
corolla rims 2
rims on a 2007 toyota corolla s 1
what is the shelf life of motor oil 1
hello to my friends in national security 1
operating synergy walmart 2007 1

Yesterday

Search Views
toyota corolla s 2005 3
weird guy 2
sexy feet 2
“body modification video” 2
batshit insane 1
gay shit 1
2005 toyota corolla s 1
lycoming animal protection society 1
fuck you garrett 1
“no decency” public whore pic 1

Strange…#8 result when searching for Dumbfuckistan…man that Dumbfuckistan post is good shit…I continually feel like my previous work is vastly superior to my current work.  I guess as an artist (in a gross fashion) that is a good feeling to be running doggedly in front of…

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