Ramblings of Silver Blue

Still, it made me laugh. Think “manscape”. Legitimate.

Industry analysts believe we will see $4-per-gallon gas prices this summer. Cost of living isn’t EVEN coming close to keeping up.

Think you know the value of 51 cents? It has cost some people their jobs. When I was growing up, I was taught that loyalty to one’s job meant something. I was told not to change jobs too often, because it projected instability. Unfortunately, for workers in the Circuit City company, that is not the [...]

As humans, we naturally resist change. I do, I know you do as well. So when the local newspaper changes, emotions run hot. Only is it uncalled for? Not really. Newspapers are like websites. They are in the eyeball market. If you don’t read, revenue drops. The problem is “cost savings”. I have seen a [...]

When I first moved to Hampton Roads (sorry, I can’t bring myself to call it “Tidewater”) some 27 years ago, much of downtown Newport News was vacant buildings. Fast forward 27 years and much of downtown Newport News is vacant… lots. The old Sears building is gone. As is the old Leggetts. The dozen or [...]

Don’t get me wrong. This is both good and bad news. It’s good news because BP is being proactive and shutting the line before it becomes an environmental disaster. It’s bad news because the price of gasoline is supposed to jump between 3 and 5 cents a gallon. What am I pissed about, then? Record [...]

Virginian-Pilot has an article on how 401(k) plans are being changed. The problem that I see is two-fold: (1) The major disparity between CEO and upper management compensation, and the pay levels of the average employee. There is no argument that can hold water as to why an individual at the CEO level is worth [...]

American Airlines should be ashamed. In the days of computerized ticketing, online purchases, etc., they’re instituting a reticketing charge of $10 for those who voluntarily change their ticket if the ticket was not purchased from American Airlines directly. Nice knowing you American Airlines, now proceed directly to bankruptcy, do not pass go, do not collect [...]

Microsoft to Zap Sony DRM ‘Rootkit’ By Ryan Naraine November 12, 2005 Microsoft Corp. will start deleting the rootkit component of the controversial DRM scheme used by Sony BMG Music Entertainment. The software giant’s Windows AntiSpyware application will be updated to add a detection and removal signature for the rootkit features used in the XCP [...]

From the November 14 edition of the Daily Press (dailypress.com) What in the world was Sony thinking? November 14, 2005 A few days ago, it was discovered that some recent CD releases on the Sony/ BMG label contain a Digital Rights Management (DRM) application called XCP, which, when you play the CD on a PC, [...]

You knew it was going to happen. AMSTERDAM, Netherlands (Reuters) — A computer security firm said Thursday it had discovered the first virus that uses music publisher Sony BMG’s controversial CD copy-protection software to hide on PCs and wreak havoc. Under a subject line containing the words “Photo approval,” a hacker has mass-mailed the so-called [...]

Removing Sony’s CD ‘rootkit’ kills Windows More fun with digital audio By Andrew Orlowski in San Francisco Published Tuesday 1st November 2005 10:25 GMT Sysinternals’ Mark Russinovich has performed an analysis of the copy restriction measures deployed by Sony Music on its latest CDs: which he bluntly calls a ‘root kit’. Using conventional tools to [...]

Forbes Magazine says your evil, and should be destoryed. Ok, maybe not that drastic, but Blogmeisters are lynchmobs. Forbes Magazine goes after Bloggers.

IF we can believe everything we read in the press (which we can’t), this may need to be taken with a grain shaker of salt. However, since Americans are capitalistic by nature, the following article shouldn’t shock anyone. Except that it goes to show how much we, as Americans, have tripped up in the quest [...]

We have three gas stations in question. Station 1 is a Shell. 87 octane is $2.99. Diesel is $3.89. One block down the street, same side is a BP where 87 octane is $2.89. Diesel is $3.19. Half a mile down the street from that is another Shell. 87 octane is $2.79, Diesel is $2.99. [...]

From CNN.

Looks like some wings might just get clipped. (This affects those of us in Tidewater, because Newport News, VA was one of the founding members of the Government Open Code Collaborative.)

It’s Ma and Pa Obici, spinning in their graves: (From WTKR.com) OBICI Health System And Sentara Healthcare Agree To Merge Sep 26, 2005, 01:47 PM EDT Obici Health System of Suffolk and Norfolk-based Sentara Healthcare have agreed to a merger. The boards of directors of both organizations have signed a letter of intent. “We chose [...]

doesn’t mean that you can comprehend. I wish i could just pass this off as a joke. Unfortunately, since I just recently closed a number of credit cards, I can honestly say this is no joke. It’s a way of life for these idjits. They’ve become “functionally illiterate” — they know how to read, they [...]

Especially for all “home owners”. Just because you have a mortgage, and/or your family has lived in “the homestead” for years, the Supreme Court has decided that you have no rights. The city/state has all the rights, especially when it comes to declaring “eminent domain” and paying you a paltry sum for your property, then [...]

Remember when I took Wal-Mart to task for not accepting my MasterCard Check Card as anything but a debit card, thereby causing me to incur an extra fee ($1) from my bank for using it as a debit card instead of a credit card? In the world of corporate greed, it was only time before [...]

Merge in Progress. Further consolidation to create the “Nation Of One” (One bank, one grocery, one cinema, one gas company, one way of thought) AMC, Loews Cineplex Plan to Merge

…same as the first. This time, something that I haven’t had the (mis-)fortune to have experience with — Car Title Loans. State regulators are attempting to reel them in (as they are looking at doing with the “payday loan” storefronts, one of which appears on almost every street corner or strip mall)… The problem? Stratospheric [...]

This rant has been building for a while, so if the idea of reading about me spouting off regarding corporate greed, then pass this post by. If you’re one of the three people who read my blog, you undoubtedly know that I just took a second mortgage to pay off the revolving charge accounts that [...]

Local Blogger, David Barbarisi, talks about going on auto-pilot While I think it’s an interesting idea, I’m not sure if i could “dehumanize” myself enough to let it take over. (And oh, by the way, welcome to the “New On The Blue” blogroll, David!)