Black Friday of Death

It's not worth going to one of the large chains... and not only because of the low stock, but because there are always a lot of crazy shoppers who think they can get to one of these limited quantity items by pushing and shoving. There was a Walmart worked that actually got killed this Black Friday because he was trampled by hundreds of mad shoppers. It's one thing to get trampled in a terrorist attack of natural disaster, but to have it happen during a shopping event is ridiculous. The victim was only 34 years old. Hopefully they'll be able to ID people with the surveillance cameras. The person who knocked him down as well as everyone who stepped over him should taste the edge of Azrael's fiery sword. To top it off, many shoppers became angered when Walmart announced a closing due to the death. This event shows the true character of people and of NYers when it comes to money.

Black Friday Conclusion

So... what did I end up doing on Black Friday? I didn't go to any of the larger chains. First, I did a lot of shopping Online a few days before and was able to get a bunch of gifts knocked off. I purchased mostly from NewEgg and Buy.com. On Black Friday itself, I just woke up at normal time and went to the smaller chains... Radio Shack, Staples and Office Depot. I went after smaller accessories like flash drives, mice and DVD players... high percentage items. Radio Shack did the best job with stock. Staples and Office Depot were almost like Best Buy and Circuit City... all of the items were sold out early in the morning. So my Black Friday was stress free. I went to the low traffic points and shopped as I normally would under everyday conditions... no crowds... no competition.

There's supposed to be a shopping event called Cyber Monday, but I looked around and there isn't really anything spectacular about it. Some stores just have free shipping that day. It also won't have the same shopper turnout as Black Friday because most people work on the Monday after Thanksgiving. Most of the items will likely be leftovers too.

Tech Deals of the Week (11/30-12/6)

There isn't much going on this week probably because many items went out of stock after Black Friday, but here are a few sale items I found...

Flash Sales
- 4 GB Sony @ Circuit City for $14.99
- 8 GB Lexar @ Circuit City for $24.99
- 8 GB Ativa @ Office Depot for $24.99
- 16 GB Verbatim @ Office Depot for $49.99

Acer 19" LCD @ Office Depot for $139.99
Not counting Black Friday, I haven't seen this price since September. This time it's instant... no rebate!

Acer 22" LCD @ Best Buy for $169.99
This is the lowest non-Black Friday price for the 22". Also, it's worth noting that the Acer models include the DVI cable... at least a $20 value.

Knicks Drama

I just wish the Knicks would get a deal done with Marbury already. I'm tired of the drama in the news every day. It rivals the Shaq-Kobe soap opera. I just roll my eyes when I a see a story in the papers about either one. So now, the Knicks and Coach D'antoni are claiming that Marbury was called on to take the court twice and refused to play. Marbury claims that he never said no and that on one night, his locker didn't even have a jersey in it. Marbury was suspended at least one game and fined for his supposed action. Neither Marbury or the Knicks organization have a solid reputation, so it's hard to tell who's telling the truth and who's lying.

There have been talks about Marbury going to the Spurs and now the Mavs. The Spurs talk died out after both Ginobili and Parker came back from injury. The Mavs could use some extra scoring. I think he's a better shooting guard than anyone on that team. It would also be interesting to see him play with Jason Kidd as they both had a local rivalry for a number of years.

Black Friday Overview

As you can see, there isn't anything spectacular this Black Friday due to the recession. There are a few good items, but many are just regular sale prices. It seems like they started the sales early this year because the items I listed for the weekly sale were pretty much Black Friday prices. The "door busters" are pretty lame. I don't see anything listed that would motivate me to wake up in the middle of the night to get on line for. I'll probably just swing by Staples, Office Depot & Radio Shack in the morning to what gifts I can get. Those are the 3 high percentage stores. Less people tend to go to these, so the chances of items being stocked are much higher.

The Bulls & All That Jazz

Without Deron Williams in the lineup, I would be happier with a blowout win, but buzzer-beaters are just as important for the confidence of this team, so I'll take a 101-100 win. Derrick Rose put on a Jordanesque 4th quarter to lift his team and Hughes nailed the winner. This is becoming a regular thing with Rose. He's even better than anything I expected. He's better than he was in college and in a much tougher league. He lead the team with 25 and 9 assists. Gooden had 18, Hughes 16 and Gordon 15.

So that's 2 on the circus trip! It's sad, but this is a good sign! San Antonio is next. Their record at 5-4 says that they're not as invincible as usual, but Ginobili was out for the beginning of the season. He returned tonight to help his team beat the Grizzlies. So this is bad news for the Bulls.

Black Friday Deals (Part 2)

Office Depot
TDK DVD+/-R 50 Pack for $7.99
Logitech Cordless Optical Mouse for $4.99
Targus 4 Port Ultra Mini USB Hub for $4.99
Memorex Upconverting DVD Player for $19.99
Acer 22" LCD for $129.99
16 GB SanDisk Flash Drive for $29.99
8 GB SanDisk Flash Drive for $14.99
8 GB SanDisk Flash Drive for $9.99
Microsoft Office Home & Student 2007 for $69.99

Staples
Logitech LX8 Wireless Laser Mouse for $14.99
Samsung 18.5" Widescreen LCD for $119.98
Netgear Wireless-N Router for $49.98
Netgear RangeMax Wireless-N Notebook Adapter for $49.99
Netgear RangeMax Wireless-N USB Adapter for $49.99
8 GB Sandisk Flash Drive for $12.99

Radio Shack
TDK DVD+/-R 50 Pack for $7.99
Motorola H375 Bluetooth Headset for $9.99
Plantronics Lightweight Explorer 320 Headset for $19.99
Gigaware 1.3MP Webcam for $14.99
Gigaware Fold-Up Notebook Cooling Pad for $9.99
Gigaware Wireless Laser Travel Mouse for $14.99
Memorex Upconverting DVD Player for $19.99
4 GB Sandisk Flash Drive for $12.99
8 GB Sandisk Flash Drive for $19.99

Black Friday Deals (Part 1)

There are tons of deals out there for the craziest shopping day of the year. I'm just going to list the realistic ones... the ones that are possible to get without waiting on line all night long.

Apple.com
This is the one day of the year that Apple.com has their products on sale. They're going to release the prices on Friday, so definitely check it out if you need a Mac or iPod.

Best Buy
Microsoft Bluetrack Explorer Mouse for $49.99
Targus Laptop Case & Optical Mouse for $27.99
Samsung 1080P Upconverting DVD Player for $49.99
Western Digital 1TB Ext. HDD for $149.99
Acer 19" Widescreen LCD for $99.99
Samsung 19" Widescreen LCD for $129.99
8 GB iPod Nano for $149.99
4 GB Sansa Fuze for $49.99
8 GB Sansa Fuze for $69.99
4 GB Sandisk Flash Drive for $12.99
8 GB Sandisk Flash Drive for $19.99
Microsoft Office Home & Student 2007 for $69.99

Circuit City
SanDisk MobileMate SD 5-in-1 Reader for $4.99
Verge 15.4" Laptop Sleeve for $7.99
Samsung 1080P Upconverting DVD Player for $49.99
D-Link Wireless-N Router w/ Free Adapter for $39.99
4 GB SanDisk Flash Drive for $9.99
8 GB SanDisk Flash Drive for $18.99
16 GB SanDisk Flash Drive for $39.99
Microsoft Office Home & Student 2007 for $69.99

Stargate Atlantis 516 (Brain Storm)

Last Friday's episode concentrated on Rodney McKay and Jennifer Keller, giving the rest of the cast the week off. Of all places, it was set at the physics convention of one of Rodney's former associates. They did a clever job of making this a self-contained "Earth" story with connections to Stargate technology. The whole thing took place on Earth, in an office building and there were no bad guys. Yet there were several interesting aspects. There's a problem that needed to be solved and the building full of geniuses had to suck it up and try to work together without their egos getting in the way.

The most intersting part to me was the way they handled the romance between Rodney & Jennifer. They actually acknowledged it upfront at the end. So it'll be interesting how they treat it in future episodes. I was glad they did that, otherwise it would be a remake of Jack & Sam from Stargate SG-1. I didn't want to see the Stargate Atlantis series follow the same exact stories.

Tech Deals of the Week (11/23-11/26)

I thought there would be nothing for this short week (w/ Black Friday coming up), but am surprised with what I found. All of these are pre-Black Friday deals. I doublechecked because some of these are very good ones.

Flash Sales
- 8 GB Sony @ Circuit City for $19.99
- 4 GB Lexar @ Circuit City for $12.99
- 4 GB PNY @ Best Buy for $14.99
- 32 GB Verbatim @ Office Depot for $79.99
- 8 GB Verbatim @ Office Depot for $19.99

Hard Drive Sales
- 500 GB Simpletech Ext. @ Circuit City for $79.99
- 1 TB Seagate Ext. @ Circuit City for $169.99

Logitech V450 Laser Mouse @ Circuit City for $19.99
This model is the little brother of the VX Nano. It's about the same size, has a tilt wheel and the small dongle. It's missing the gaming options... side buttons & fast scroller, but still pretty good for $20. There's a $15 mail-in rebate involved with this deal.

Belkin Mini Surge Protector @ Circuit City for $14.99
This useful travel device has 3 outlets and 2 USB charger plugs

Samsung Upconverting DVD Player @ Best Buy for $49.99
This is a nicely designed compact 1080p upconverting player. It has a rounded design and doesn't look like a DVD player at first glance.

Case Logic Portable HDD Case (Blue only) @ Best Buy for $9.99
Portable hard drives are more compact, but they're still hard dries with moving parts. That means they're breakable. So $9.99 is not too much to pay for some extra padding.

Samsung 24" LCD @ Best Buy for $329.99
This is an amazing price for something that used to be $500. The new model isn't THAT much better. If you've been holding out for a large LCD, now's the time to get one.

Logitech MX Revolution @ Best Buy for $59.99
This is the desktop counterpart for the VX Nano and is the lowest price I've seen.

Logitech V220 Optical Mouse @ Target for $9.99
That's $20 off the regular price for this mouse. $30 is too much to pay for this model, but you can't go wrong @ $10. While it's not laser, it's still a lot better than any basic mouse out there. It still has tilt-wheel functionality that many manufacturers fail to include. Logitech also has a practical design where the dongle snaps onto the mouse for storage.

NBA Friday

I watched a number of exciting games last night. It almost felt like the playoffs! Check it out:

Rockets vs. Wizards
The Wizards were leading for most of the game, but the Rockets stayed within striking distance as well. This one was a little reminiscent of Yao's first game against Shaq where he opened the first quarter with 3 back-to-back blocks and nailed several shots over the slower O'Neal. But it was Shaq who got his team the first win in the battle of the giants. Last night's game featured Yao vs. JaVale McGee, a promising rookie 7-footer in another battle of the giants. JaVale got the crowd into it by getting the opening tip and shooting one over Yao, but it was Yao's overall gameplay and 4th quarter burst that helped the Rockets comeback from a 9-point defecit. This was also a great game for the big 3... McGrady (20), Yao (18) and Artest (14).

Nets vs. Raptors
Nets. vs. Raptors always has a playoff atmosphere when they battle it out in Toronto. The fans there are still bitter about Carter leaving, so they're really into it. This also fuels Carter as he has consistently burns his former team. It didn't look like that was going to happen last night because Toronto looked like they secured the win in the 4th quarter with an 18-point lead. Something sparked in Carter as he kept hitting big shot after big shot. He eventually tied the game with .5 seconds left with a three. One would think that should be the play of the game, but OT was even more exciting with both team trading shots and changing leads. Down to the last second, they were trading what could've easily been game winners. The game was tied and heading to a second OT, but the Nets drew up a great play where the players cut all over the place and somehow Carter got free, not for a jumper, but an alley-oop reverse jam!

Bulls vs. Warriors
The circus trip continues for the Bulls, but yesterday's game was a sign of hope as they defeated the Warriors in another Friday night thriller. Derrick Rose was the hero as he went on a tear in the 2nd half. It was his impression of Gordon's rookie year! Scoring was very spread out with 6 players in double figures. Hughes had 5 3-pointers and Gooden pulled down 16 rebounds. It wasn't a typical gritty, defensive game as the Bulls won 115-110, but it's the West coast, so I'll let that go. If they could just get one or two more wins during this trip, I'd consider it a success.

A Break in Weather Pattern?

We've had some pretty unusual weather over the past couple of years. Winters have been warm with only a few large snow storms. Summers have been relatively cool. Last year, I only used my AC about 10 times. This year had more hot days, but only a handful of extreme ones. When I was a kid growing up in NY, I certainly remember weeks of 90 degree Summers and many snow days in school due to extreme Winter weather. This week was consistently about 30 degrees, which is unusual based on recent years, but I guess this is how November used to be a decade ago. Could this be a sign of a cold Winter coming? Last year, we didn't get into the 30's until the end of December. Well... we've been spoiled for the past couple of years, so we deserve to get slammed sooner or later! Hopefully the city is prepared to get things cleaned up efficiently.

Clockwork Apple: Moonwalker

Moonwalker always makes his appearance during the early part of the evening rush. I see him almost every day that I'm running a little bit early. He hangs out on the express platform at Penn Station and dances to the beat of his huge, hi-tech headphones. This guy is there purely for dancing. He's a well-dressed man and there's no coin bucket on the floor. And he's not waiting for a train. Several express cars passed by as I was waiting for my local. He was there the whole time, in his own 7.1 Dolby Digital surround sound world!

Circus Trip 2008

Here we are again... the annual Circus Trip. Last year, the Bulls headed out with 1 measly win. It's no wonder they never recovered. At least this year they're at .500. It starts tonight against the Lakers. Then they've got the Blazers, Warriors, Nuggets, Jazz, Spurs and 76ers. The Bulls have been pretty random this year, so I can't even come up with a prediction on which teams they should beat. Last year, all of these teams were better, but the Bulls have shown signs of their bread and butter this year. They just need to stay focused and block out the homesickness and fatigue, especially towards the end of the trip.

The Bulls go through this every year when the circus takes over the United Center. Every circus trip has been a losing one by far, even on years with a good team. They've only had 6 wins since the Jordan Era! Even Jordan's Bulls had their struggles during this long stretch. I think the city of Chicago needs to get its priorities straight. The Bulls are the city. The circus can go somewhere else. Bulls wins are much more important!

Office Lingo: Organic

The word "organic" has been somewhat of a fad during the past few years, especially in the city, with people getting into health food. The last place I expected to heard the word was in the office... at least when used to describe things other than food. "Organic" is not just a popular marketing term in the food industry. It's also the latest in bulls#$% office lingo. It's been used by my boss as well as many business people in the company to refer to technology related things like website traffic and network growth. I'm sure they think they're being cool by using these new terms, but deep down it's a weak attempt to make their boring jobs sound important. We work with computers and technology... machines and electronics. It's anything but ORGANIC!

Tech Deals of the Week (11/16-11/22)

Circuit City Update
The "New York, NY" branch I mentioned last week referred to an Upper East Side store I never heard of. So Union Sq. & Upper West Side are OK!

Flash Sales
- 4 GB Sony @ Circui City for $14.99
- 8 GB SanDisk @ Circuit City for $27.99
- 16 GB Kingston @ Circuit City for $59.99
- 4 GB Geek Squad @ Best Buy for $17.99
- 4 GB PNY @ Staples for $14.99

50-Pack Nexxtech DVD+R for Circuit City for $9.99
DVD media hasn't been on sale that often anymore. This price is actually higher than last year, but low for this year.

JVC Gumy Earbuds @ Circuit City for $9.99
If you own a colored iPod Nano or Sansa MP3 player, you can pick up one of these colored earbuds to match your player's color.

There aren't that many sales this week, probably because stores know that people will be waiting for Black Friday.

Stargate Atlantis 515 (Remnants)

Last night's episode was a pretty clever one. At first, it looked like there were 3 story lines going on...

1. McKay investigating an alien artifact
2. Sheppard fighting the Genai
3. Woolsey building a relationship

...but all 3 started meshing together little by little. And it took all the way until the last minute for everything to come together. There was a lot of character building reserved for Woolsey, which was much needed. He's truly a different character from his first appearance on Stargate SG-1. It's really hard to believe when looking back. Sheppard's storyline was also shocking. If you saw the commercial... what they wanted us to think actually happened... or did it... really?

30pt Turnaround!

The Bulls continue to peak at random times. Fortunately they went up the rollercoaster last night against the Mavs. When they fell behind 24-3 in the first quarter, I was thinking, "here we go again." But I stuck by my team an watched the whole game. The team is like Jekyll and Hyde... you don't know who is going to show up. Gordon played like the hot shooting rookie Gordon we all missed last year. Rose continued to prove that he's going to be Rookie of the Year. Gordon finished with 35, a season high. It was very important that Gordon had a high scoring game early in the season. He has to quickly dispel last year's failure. Deng also put up a typical 20 pt performance. Rose actually started off cold, but had the poise to keep his head straight and come up with a near triple-double.

The guard position just got logjammed again. Hughes is back and they also picked up Linsday Hunter to replace the injured Hinrich. Sefolosha becomes the odd man out, which I of course disagree with. The Bulls should look at what Sefolosha did 2 years ago when we had him on Kobe and Wade. Hughes can't do that!

Look... an Elephant!

...and it's burning the crap out of that bus!

I always knew the city's buses were slow, but today's Metro confirmed it. They listed the M96 as the slowest bus in the fleet at 3.7 mph. They also went on to list a bunch of animal speeds:

• 9 mph = running chicken
• 8 mph = running mouse
• 4.5 mph = walking elephant

That's pretty bad... and the reason why I never take the bus. With the wait time and the sub-elephant speed, I'd rather walk!

Duhon

The Duhon trade is starting to bite the Bulls back right now with Kirk Hinrich's injury. Larry Hughes is still out too. So the surplus of guards doesn't look like a surplus anymore. I wish the Bulls kept their players based on skill rather than position. Like I mentioned before, if they play well with the small guys, then leave it be! Duhon is doing great for the Knicks. As a starter, he has one of the best assist/turnover ratio in the league. If it were up to me, the odd man out should've been Larry Hughes. They need BG for his offense and 4th quarter spark. They need Thabo for defense against the big guards in the league. Hinrich is there for defense and shooting. Rose is their slasher and passer and Duhon would've been a great backup for Rose & Hinrich. The Knicks are winning & the Bulls are struggling. At least I'm happy for Chris Duhon. He's a good guy and good player.

10+HDD Instead

My opinion on what's the best netbook almost changes as often as these things get released, but in general I now think that a 10" hard drive model is more practical than a 9" SSD one. That's a pretty big change. Previously, I though SSD's made total sense just for portability, power consumption and durability. But when I gave it more thought, hard drive space was more important because netbooks don't have built-in optical drives. With a large hard drive, the system can hold a lot more movies, which would come in handy during travel. The power consumption is a non-issue because SSDs don't save that much more. Durability seems to be a non-issue as well. I've been using an old laptop for about 10 years now. I carry it around all the time. I've traveled with it on pretty rugged terrain too and it hasn't broken yet.

Currently, I think the best models are the Eee PC 1000HD and Samsung NC10. The specs are identical... 1.6 Ghz Atom, 1 GB RAM, 160 GB HDD and 6-cell battery. These are also the 2 best looking systems.

Stargate Atlantis 514 (The Prodigal)

The Prodigal went right back to action after a slow flashback episode as Michael and his hybrids took control of Atlantis in search of Teyla's baby. This episode featured a lot of character building as the team was scrambled into different combinations. Woolsey also continued to proove himself worthy of leading the Atlantis expedition (although Col. Carter will always be irreplaceable). Ronon had a great fight sequence with Michael.

At the end, Sheppard and Teyla also had a good hand-to-hand scene against the villain. Though it seemed like Michael was killed at the end, you just never know with sci-fi! I think he'll be back because it would still make an interesting story especially since we don't know what he wanted with Teyla's baby.

Tech Deals of the Week (11/9-11/15)

Circuit City Update
The store closings were announced and "New York, NY" was listed as one of them. This is still unclear if they're going to close both stores or just one. The Union Sq. branch always seems to be packed and the UWS one not so full.

Flash Sales
- 4 GB Transcend @ CompUSA.com for $16.98 [click here]
- 16 GB Centon @ CompUSA.com for $46.98 [click here]
- 4 GB SanDisk @ Circuit City for $17.99
- 8 GB Sony @ Circuit City for $27.99
- 16 GB SanDisk @ Circuit City & Radio Shack for $59.99
- 4 GB PNY @ Best Buy for $17.99
- 8 GB PNY @ Best Buy for $27.99
- 8 GB SanDisk @ Radio Shack for $24.99

Philips DVP3982 @ CompUSA.com for $73.59
This is one of the best budget upconverting DVD players out there. It has everything you need to matchup with a modern TV. It upconverts to 1080p and plays DivX files. [click here]

22" Hanns G LCD @ NewEgg for $159.99
I haven't seen a 22" at this price for a long time. When I ran across this listing, I thought it was a used one, but clicking on the detail page revealed that it was really brand new! As we know, NewEgg doesn't charge tax for NYers and this deal also has FREE shipping! [click here]

FREE Shipping on Eee PCs @ Directron
The FREE shipping offer is on again! [click here]

OCZ 64 GB SSD @ Directron for $134.99
After a $70 mail-in rebate & FREE shipping offer, this is the lowest priced 64 GB SSD I've seen. [click here]

Stargate Atlantis 513 (Inquisition)

I missed 2 weeks of Stargate Atlantis because of Friday Night Fights and a Bulls game... or so I thought. There was no episode for one of the weeks, so I really only missed one. Luckily they've been playing the previous episode before the new one, which allowed me to catch up last night.

Inquisition was one of those cheap flashback episodes that recycled clips from the previous seasons, going all the way back to the beginning. In this episode, the team is captured by a group of humans called "the Coalition" and put on trial for crimes of indirectly causing death by waking the Wraith (season 1). Every show does flashback episodes. It's especially common in the sci-fi genre. The Stargate writers make it especially interesting through because they always add a layer on top of the main saga... a layer that you wouldn't think about as you watch through all of the seasons.

Friday Night Upsets

The ups and downs continued last night for the Bulls. This team is so impossible to predict that it must make a great subject in Las Vegas. Earlier in the week, they dropped one to the Cavs, a team they dominated last year. Last night, they blew out the Suns 100-83... one of the best in the NBA. It wasn't even close. The Bulls held a 15-20 lead for most of the game. Gordon lead the way off the bench as usual with 23 points off 8/13 shooting, including 4/8 3's. Rose had 18, highlighted by a 4th quarter in-the-face dunk on Barbosa. I'm liking this kid more and more! As a team, the Bulls shot 52% from the field and 38% from the 3-point line. That's more like it! This is the team that needs to show up every night if they're going to get back to being a playoff team.

Elsewhere in the league... the Knicks beat the Wizards 114-108. Their games have been pretty high-scoring this year so far as D'Antoni implements his Suns-like system. The Nets beat Detroit 103-96 and handed them their first loss of the season. That one will have people second guessing the Billups-Iverson trade! Billups' Nuggets won their game. The Heat beat the Spurs 99-83 as Parker had to leave the game in the 1st due to a twisted ankle. It looked really bad on camera, but luckily x-rays came out negative. He'll still be out 2-4 weeks, so San Antonio will be going through a tough stretch without their leader and the already injured best 6th man of the NBA, Ginobili.

The season's just kicking off, so it's not really that crazy. But based on last year's records, last night was filled with upsets. We still don't really have a feel for who's going to be a playoff team and who's going to bomb out.

Bulls vs. Cavs

The Cavs are one of the best teams in the East, yet the Bulls did take 3 out of 4 from them last year. So tonight's game wasn't written in stone as a loss yet. So I watched every minute of it. The Bulls did a good job and were in it for the entire 48 minutes. I like that I'm seeing that this season despite their record. Gordon (2X), Rose & Gooden came through, but we didn't get enough off the bench for a win. The other thing is LeBron continues to kill us. Overall defense was good on the other guys, but we couldn't stop the best player in the NBA.

If the Bull's best lineup consists of Gordon, Hinrich, Rose, Gooden and Nocioni... why not start with those guys. Sometimes I think the Bulls are trying to build the best traditional basketball team with a center, 2 forwards & 2 guards. That's not how they win though. They're much more effective with the quicker 3-guard set. I don't know what Del Negro is thinking, but it's not working so far!

Random Election Thoughts

History in the Making
OK... I wasn't supposed to write about politics again, but it was a historic election, so I have to. So Barack Obama is the President-elect after a landslide election last night. He'll be the 44th President and the first black man to have the position. I'm very happy with the win and the fact that it happend in my lifetime. The election was also historic because of the voter turnout. Everyone took part in this one. In a sense, it can be considered the most honest election because more people were accounted for.

The Right Guy
I've talked to many people about this year's election. Everyone was crazy about Obama, but most people didn't know a single thing about him or his campaign. It's very likely that most people voted for him just because he was black. While that's the wrong reason to vote, we're very fortunate that Obama is a strong and qualified candidate. I felt like he was the right guy for the position and race did not play a role in my vote. Obama has lived all around the world and experienced many different cultures in a positive way (McCain did so too, but he spent his time shooting at gooks). This open-minded personality will be important in international affairs and the reputation of the US.

Thanks, Sarah!
Supporters of Barack Obama should really thank Sarah Palin. She's partly responsible for at least the landslide, if not the victory! What was John McCain thinking by choosing her as his running mate? He could've had a close election if he didn't!

Not a Happy Ending
NYC was a madhouse last night after the results were in. There was cheering everywhere. People were on the street 'til 2 or 3am. It felt like it was New Year's Eve! That's understandable because of the historic moment. The thing is, this carried over to the next day. People were talking about it all day at work... ALL DAY... and not working. I even overheard one person say that we should have the day off.

Here's what I think...

Obama, the right guy won. That's a step in the right direction. He was the better man, but the truth is... he hasn't done anything yet. There's a lot of work to be done, a lot of things to fix with the current administration and there are high expectations. Yet people are celebrating as if Obama is the Messiah, that world peace has been achieved. Obama signed up for the toughest job in America and we got him there. We can help him by keeping this country running, by working hard during this tough financial time. A day off from work is the last thing this already lazy country needs.

The Rollercoaster Begins

I was afraid the Bulls would fall into the win-one-lose-one pattern at the beginning of the season. After they looked good against the Grizzlies, they looked like the Bulls of last year against the Magic last night. At least they stayed focused though. I'm happy about that. In the end, they even had the chance to tie it, but Gordon missed a tough shot. I really want him to make one of those like he did so many times during his rookie year. A move like that could catapult someone like BG into hitting more. After Jordan hit that famous game winner in NC, there was no turning back. I think Gordon needs a moment like that.

I guess it's harsh to compare this game to last year. I take that back. It actually reminds me more of the previous season when they would dig themselves a huge hole in the first half, fight back in the 2nd half and end up losing by 1 or 2. So that's a positive to take away from this. They didn't get blown out and they could've won.

We'll see how they fare this week. It's a tough one as they have the Cavs twice and also the Suns!

ThinkCenter A30 Mini Tower

The sales were lame this week, but I found one item that will make up for it. Kailey PC has an excellent off-lease system available now... a better bargain than the S50 I features back in June.

This one is a Mini Tower that comes standard with a Pentium 4 2.66 Ghz processor, 512 MB RAM, 40 GB hard drive, DVD-ROM and Windows XP Professional. All of this is just $99! The OEM version of Windows XP Professional still sells for $119.99. One way of looking at this is that you're really getting a free PC! OK... now that I've established it as a good buy, let's do some upgrades...

- DVD+RW for $25
- 1 GB RAM for $20
- Keyboard & mouse for $10

The shipping is $25, bringing the total to $179. So it's a better buy than the small form factor system and it has more potential because it's a tower. This is also great if you have spare parts from older computers that you can move over. You might now need to buy the 3 upgrades above. It's still a good system at $99.

So Far So Good

Bulls vs. Celtics
I know it's too early to tell, but based on previous starts, 2-and-1 is pretty good. In the first game, they looked against the Bucks. I was worried on Friday when they lost to the Celtics. The Celtics are the defending champions, but it wasn't the loss that bothered me. The Bulls played like they did last year... taking a lot of jump shots and missing them all. The higher scoring bench couldn't even cut the lead. I would've been satisfied if we lost by 10... it would've felt close. If there is any excuse, I guess it was too early in the season for a team still figuring things out to beat the best in the league.

Bulls vs. Grizzlies
The grizzlies aren't a good team, but this win was important for many reasons. First, it was a come-from-behind victory. The Bulls didn't have many of those last year. These kind of wins are great confidence builders. Second, it was a breakout game for rookie, Derrick Rose. It's important that he gets his confidence up early. It could be the difference between becoming a future star vs. a bust. After watching this game, I have more confidence in him as well. He's a good passer and cutter (much needed!). Hinrich's shooting was on target also. So far he's been pretty good. Hopefully he can erase last year's fluke and become one of the league's feared shooters again.

Planet Battle (Hong Kong)

November 25, 2008 @ 19:00


I almost missed this one. It happens before Evolution 15, so mark your calendars. The only Contender Asia star fighting in this one is Yodsaenklai. He'll face off with Vuyisile Colossa from South Africa. Colossa gave Naruepol a good fight earlier in the year, but lost the decision.