Bag of Randomness

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  • I’m glad I saved money repairing our dryer because the repairs to our SUV will cost a little over $800 after tax.  A few weeks ago I posted an automotive question asking why the engine was having a hard time turning over, despite a new battery and that it would easily turn over using the remote start option.  The problem turns out to be a fuel pressure issue which involves a lot of engine dismantling and something about  depleted plutonium in the flux capacitor.
  • I’m going to Abilene this weekend to help select a scholarship winner that was created in honor of my late friend that was set up by his mother.  Normally I can crash at a friend’s house, but I found out recently that I’ll now be springing for a hotel room.  Once again, I’m glad I repaired that dryer on my own and also glad I resisted the temptation to just replace both the washer and dryer with a newer model.
  • During the workweek, I usually do a 20-minute workout on the elliptical that tells me I’ve gone a distance of about three-and-a-half miles.  Yesterday I dropped the SUV off for an oil change and decided to jog 0.45 miles home.  I can’t tell you the last time I jogged, maybe three or five years ago?  It was of course harder than then elliptical, and at first my knees were hurting, but once I got going it wasn’t as bad I thought it’d be.
  • On The TICKET morning show, Junior Miller went on a tirade about former OU, SMU, New Mexico, and Baylor basketball coach Dave Bliss was getting another coaching job at Southwestern Christian University and how the whistle-blower, Abar Rouse who did the right thing in stopping the Bliss cover-up, is still black-balled from coaching.  As Junior spoke I stood at attention with my hand over my heart.  The last I heard about Rouse he was working the night shift in a factory, but that article is pretty old.  I’m sure someone in the news will try to get a comment from him and provide his current career status.
  • The great Bob Schieffer will be retiring this summer.  I guess there’s no better place for the 78-year-old to announce it than at the Schieffer Symposium at TCU.  He’s probably the most like political reporter out there, and I’m gonna miss the guy, though he’s certainly deserves to enjoy retirement.
  • I keep getting a call from Minto, ND (population 604) which hangs up after the first ring.
  • Buzzfeed – 18 “Breaking Bad” Callbacks From Season 1 Of “Better Call Saul”
  • Buzzfeed – This Is How iPhone Texting Bubbles Work – A side-by-side test shows thats the typing indicator appears and lasts for 60 seconds regardless of how long you’re typing or if you abandoned your text.
  • Watch out Pete Delkus – This Weather-Anchor Used A Stick To Predict The Weather, Uncontrollable Laughter Ensues
  • Today’s dose of ‘MURICA.  But no one can argue this was pretty impressive, especially when you consider he’s wearing a vest that constricts movement.
  • If I were the type to post a YouTube video of a redhead in a bikini dancing to a song about donuts and donut holes, I’d post it here.
  • Americorpse.gov (And Other Deleted US Government Domains)
  • ‘Louie’ returns to FX tonight.
  • Twitter revamps trends to explain why a topic is popular
  • Apple photographed a flower over 24,000 times for a single Watch face
  • “We are not talking about little green men. We are talking about little microbes.” – ‘Definite Evidence’ Of Alien Life Within 20-30 Years, NASA Chief Scientist Says
  • I mowed the lawn for the second time this year, and for the first time in years, I did it without listening to the radio.  Sometimes it’s just good to clear the mind and appreciate the the good sound of lawn maintenance equipment.
Posted in Personal | 4 Comments

Commercial Bummer

DirecTV has ended their ad campaign with Rob Lowe and his funny yet creepy alter-egos after complaints indicated the commercials were misleading.

But DirecTV’s relationship with Lowe may not be completely over.

“We’ve talked with Rob about doing something else in the future,” Jon Gieselman, DirecTV’s senior vice president of marketing said Tuesday. “He loves the campaign. He’s completely gotten into the characters.”

Following multiple complaints from cable company Comcast, which were filed three months ago, the Better Business Bureaus’ National Advertising Division (NAD) ruled in their favor Tuesday and issued recommendations to DirecTV based on the claims.

The omission of Lowe’s signature line, “Don’t be like this me. Get rid of cable and upgrade to DirecTV,” was among the NAD recommendations because it “conveyed a comparative and unsupported superiority message.” They also found no evidence that DirecTV had greater signal reliablity, shorter customer service wait times and better picture and sound quality than cable, according to the L.A. Times.

“(DirecTV) continues to believe that the various Rob Lowe advertisements are so outlandish and exaggerated that no reasonable consumer would believe that the statements being made by the alter ego characters are comparative or need to be substantiated,” the company said in a statement following the NAD ruling, which they intend to appeal.

Full Article

Posted in Pop Culture | 2 Comments

Funny Encounter With The President

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I found this great story on Reddit last night.  You see that young man in the casual polo shirt on the right?  Here’s the story:

The Obama administration sent an invitation to his speech in Utah at Hill Air Force Base. We thought they wanted a representative from our company in the audience. Turns out they wanted the representative for a special round table with the president. Due to this mix up we sent my friend (a leader in our CAD dept) instead of the CEO.

Edit. I still haven’t had a chance to talk to my friend in the picture. but I have learned that the event did not have a lot of communication beforehand. it sounds like the leaders of the company sent him because he is in the air force [sic] and part of the speech Obama gave was about employing veterans in our industry. It wasn’t known by our company before hand obama [sic] wanted our representatives input in such a small group meeting.

Other notable people around the table were U.S. Sen. Orrin Hatch, U.S. Rep. Rob Bishop and Salt Lake City Mayor Ralph Becker.  Article

You can check out the full Reddit thread there – My friend at work was accidentally sent to a special round table meeting with President Obama. guess which one he is (story in comments)

Posted in Goofy, Interesting, Political | 1 Comment