Political phone calls Jun 5, 2007
I got a call from a politician last night.  I'm not planning on voting anyway, but his call made me want to vote for him even less.  I don't know what market research these politicians are using, but hopefully one of them will read this: 
Stop calling me.  I don't want to hear from you.  I don't want to be disturbed, at home, at night, when I'm trying to enjoy my free time and relax.  I don't care what you have to say.  I don't care if you think you can get me to vote.  If I was even slightly interested in politics, I'd look you up online and read about you.  By calling me on my personal home phone, wasting my time, and just generally annoying me, you've driven me farther away from the political system and whatever causes you're trying to promote.
Not only was it a stupid phone call, it was a recording.  I had to get off the couch, answer the phone, and listen to a recording of a guy I've never heard of talk about something I wasn't interested in. #politics
Company name change Jun 5, 2007
I think it's really stupid for companies to change their name.  Cingular no longer exists.  They informed people of this by generating the slogan, "Cingular, the new AT&T".  People scratched their heads and said, "So wait, is it Cingular or is it AT&T?  Cingular is the new AT&T, meaning AT&T no longer exists?  I don't get it."  So Cingular changed their slogan to "AT&T, formerly Cingular Wireless".  That clears it up, but it's still stupid.  Why did Cingular buy AT&T, eliminate the AT&T brand, and then change its name from Cingular to AT&T?  It causes confusion and hopefully eliminates customers. 

I know a person who works for M&M Mars.  Every single person on this planet knows what M&M's are, so it's smart to include that word in the title of your company.  But no, M&M Mars changed its name to Masterfoods, because, ya know, it's more recognizable.  Word on the street is that they're changing their name back to M&M Mars because everybody got sick of saying, "Yeah I work for Masterfoods ... ya know ... the people who make M&M's."  The people who make these decisions must be painfully stupid.  I hope they get fired. #business
Power of one (1) Jun 5, 2007
I don't believe in the power of one.  I don't think a single person (I don't mean a non-dating or non-married person), a single action, or a single idea has any power or lasting effect.  Obviously this can be disproved with examples from the past, including Abraham Lincoln and slavery, Rosa Parks and civil rights, and Simon Cowell and American Idol.  But I think the chances of a single thing taking hold and growing into something larger are so small, it's almost certain it'll never happen.  This is pretty negative thinking, I know.  But negativity is a form of realism, so it has its place. 

If I wake up one day and decide, "I'm gonna do something about the war in Iraq," there are really only a few things I can do.  I can protest, and we've all seen how effective those are.  I can voice my opinions on the internet, but again, that gets me nowhere.  The only thing I can really do that involves an actual action is to vote for a presidential candidate that's most likely to do something about the war in Iraq.  But like I've stated previously, I don't really put much confidence in voting, seeing that the current system groups votes from the same area into a big pool, with the winner decided by a majority of the votes.  Those majorities are then combined with other majorities in a larger region, and a final winner is decided based on how many areas chose which majority.  If I vote for (a) but (b) wins my area's majority, my vote essentially doesn't count, since (a) can still win overall.  [I invite any smart political people to tell me if this is somehow wrong.]  So in the end, the action of one person is relatively meaningless. 

I believe people and circumstances can change, and I think certain changes can be started by the ideas and efforts of just one person.  But I think our nation and our culture have been led to believe that this always happens, and it's relatively easy.  "All you need to do is take a stand."  "Change starts with just one person."  But what about when this doesn't work?  If I don't agree with American foreign policy, there's really nothing I can do about it.  If I don't like the idea of abortion or gay marriage, there's really nothing I can do about it.  I feel like I'm constantly bombarded with people telling me I can do something to change things, but I really have a hard time believing it. #psychology
Smart advertising Jun 1, 2007
I think it's really smart for SAAB to keep mentioning jets in their commercials.  They started out as an aerospace company in Sweden that later added cars to their product lineup.  Going from jets to cars seems like a step down in technology, so their cars must be that much better (or at least that's what the commercials are hinting at).  Even if it's not true, it's still a great way to get people to notice your cars. 

If the Defense Department doesn't already use Future Weapons as a recruiting tool, they should start right away.  What better way to get young impressionable minds to serve in the military than by saying, "See all these cool toys?  You can play with them for free in the Army/Navy/Marines/Air Force." #entertainment