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Google Toolbar
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Sep 21, 2005
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I'm a big fan of Google Toolbar 3.0, especially its spell-checking capabilities. It's perfect for bloggers who enter a bunch of text into forms. The tool only works for forms, so it's almost like Google made this just for bloggers. I drink the Google Kool Aid. #technology
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Art
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Sep 21, 2005
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Isn't art a beautiful thing? If I'm a 2-year-old, my drawings are cute and child-like. But if I'm Ringo Starr, my cute and child-like drawings will make money. Or if I put animal feces on my painting of a porn-laden Virgin Mary, I'll win awards. Lovely. #entertainment
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Materialism
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Sep 21, 2005
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After some misunderstandings about interest-free financing [1] and promotional offers [2], I've decided to take a financial and material break. I keep buying big and expensive things, and while they're useful, they're at least somewhat unnecessary. And I keep looking at new stuff. As soon as I get my new thing, I look for another new thing. It's like a disease. So that's why I'm cutting myself off. I'd like to be content with what I have and stop buying new things. That's the plan.
[1] I bought a digital camera from Dell. I signed up for a Dell Preferred Account because I hoped to get interest-free financing. I was approved for the card, so I figured I also got the financing deal. My first bill came and it showed no finance charges, so I figured I was in the clear. So I bought a laptop on the same Dell Preferred Account, thinking I would tack it onto the bill, paying it off over the course of the next year or so. I got a bill right after I got my laptop. It turns out I was being charged the standard 23% or whatever it is. That's quite a high number. And I refuse to pay somebody money to let me pay them money, except if it's a house or a car because there's almost no way around that. So I had to take some money out of savings and pay off the dumb bill.
[2] I signed up for Dish Network. They had a promotional offer that I thought said I would get Dish for 12 months for $19.99 per month, plus free installation. The free installation happened by paying $50 up front and getting a $50 credit on my bill. I knew about that. That's fine with me. So by the time I actually had to pay a bill, it was only about $10. But then the next bill came, and it was for $31.99. I called them up and they said it was a 3-month promotional offer, after which the discounted price would go back to the normal price. Granted it's only $12 more per month, but it's the principle. #psychology
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