Google Maps

For those who don’t know, all three of you that is, Google released a new maps web application.

Much like Yahoo! Maps or MapQuest, Google Maps is what it sounds like, a maps program. However, this is much better than the other two. Though, some of the intuition and documentation could be improved.

I never liked Yahoo Maps!. The reason I never liked them? Their driving directions are absolutely horrid. Ironically, I still use it whenever I want driving directions. It’s like I’m compelled to use it. I get lost or very confused nearly every time I use them. Nothing is simple. Yet, time after time, I still use them.

As for MapQuest, I don’t think I ever got into their way of doing things. Their service is alright, their maps are childish in comparison to Google’s. However, it can still do driving directions decently. Unknown to me, however, is how well they would fare in a real life test.

Finally, for Google Maps. I know it seems like everyone just has to love Google because they’re seemingly un-corporate, but in reality, they are quite corporate now-a-days. I still think of it as a coolcorporation though, but hey, that’s me. Anyways, Their maps application is visually stunning. Their map doesn’t look so horribly jumbled as others do. Also, when doing a search for pizza near X address, I like their way of noting where the location is (it’s a little red spikey thing). When you click on it, it gives you some detailed information about it, which is nice.

Also, who doesn’t like the non-reloading, click and drag feature. As well as the double-click to center feature. I don’t see those on the other applications, hmmm. Makes me wonder, though, if the program is done through javascript xmlHttpRequest. Seems logical doesn’t it? But then again, as we learned from Dave’s post at Mezzoblue, Map.Search.ch doesn’t use xmlHttpRequest and it has basically the same functionality. Though, I will note that double clicking on the map here, zooms and centers. That would be nice. Google, are you listening? πŸ™‚

Now, don’t get me wrong, I like Google’s new application, but I have some problems with it. I can’t seem to get it to do driving directions for me. I am trying to do some lazy directions. Such as 151st to mur-len and santa fe. It can’t seem to do that right. I am guessing that I am putting it in improperly. However, I can’t find any place showing me what the right way is. Meh. It is a Beta product. (But then hasn’t Google News been beta for years now? Hmmmm.)

But other than that stuff, I still love the application and will try it out the next time I need to go somewhere. Which is more often that I usually expect, considering I just moved to a new city where I don’t know where anything is. So, we shall see.

Super Bowl XXXIX

Everyone knows that the Super Bowl is the highlight of the year for commercials. So here is my thoughts on the commercials from this years Super Bowl. I’m only doing the product commercials. Not movie commercials. Also, there is a chance that some of these were not new ones. I don’t watch a whole lot of TV, so if it isn’t new, leave a comment and I’ll just remove it. Also, this list is long enough, so I only did the first half. Second half is a lot of repeats anyways.

  1. Ford Mustang – Frozen guy, kinda funny.
  2. Bud Light – Skydivers, funny.
  3. O2 – People are just walking around. C’mon! Not funny at all. Very boring.
  4. Diet Pepsi – Too many cameo’s. Interesting concept though.
  5. Lebron James bubble gum? – What the hell is that?
  6. M:robe – Weird dancing people. I don’t see the point of weird dancing people to promote the product.
  7. FedEx – Burt Reynolds, Bear!, Dancing animal!, Cute kids!, Groin kick!, Talking animal!, Attractive females, Product message, Famouus pop song, Additional ending! Thumbs up, I liked this one.
  8. Bud Light – Cedric the entertainer, not that empressed.
  9. Volvo XE90 v8 – I don’t like stock footage for anything. Bah to this commercial.
  10. Diet Pepsi – Cindy Crawford cameo, queery guy cameo. They’re just cameo’s, they suck.
  11. GoDaddy.com – I like anything making fun of decency standards. Haha, awesome.
  12. Bud Light – Friends go to game, buddy stays home. That’s funny.
  13. Mcdonald’s – French fry looks like Abraham Lincoln. Eh, it was alright.
  14. Visa Check Card – Superheroes, dumb
  15. Ameriquest – “You’re getting robbed” funny
  16. Quizno’s – Little kid talking. I think I’ve seen this?
  17. mbna – rugby commercial. Uh, kinda weird. Gladys Knight? No thanks.
  18. Honda Ridgeline – Commercial itself sucked ,but I’d never heard of the truck before…
  19. Budweiser – Animals want to be Clydesdale horse. Funny if you rmember last year.
  20. Lays – ball over the fence, kinda funny due to MC Hammer cameo.
  21. Subway – new hot sandwich commercial. Dumb.
  22. Pepsi – Singing bottles. Dumb. I don’t think I’m going to like any of these
  23. Degree deodorant – Mama’s Boy. Funny. This is the one that I heard a lot about. Kinda looked like the mom was jacking off the guy in the shopping cart though…
  24. Pepsi – Singing bottles 2. Eve, Gwen Steffani cameo. STOP IT.
  25. Cadillac – VSeries commercial. Best car commercial so far.
  26. Careerbuilder.com – Monkeys. Decent.
  27. Bud Light – Bird with Al Pacino Scarface voice defending girl. I liked it.
  28. Silestone – I am Dianna Perl. – Meh, Cameos.
  29. Michelob Amber Bock – “Rich, but not smooth”, It was decent I’d say.

Personally, I thought they were lacking overall. I liked the Bud Light commercials, as per usual for the Super Bowl. I don’t know what it is, but all the damn cameos started pissing me off. To me it just says “Buy my product because we paid all these famous people to be in this commercial.” Seriously, as a consumer, I demand more respect than that. Show me shiney things, then I’ll buy it. πŸ™‚

WARNING READ ME!

I, uh, use some angry adult language in this post, FYI. If you don’t like that sort of thing, then skip this post.


If you check your credit rating – and you should DO NOT DO IT FROM CONSUMERINFO.COM. Don’t even sign up for their free deal. I signed up about 8 months ago to get a free credit report. They never sent me the confirmation email. Then I find out about 3 months later they charged me like five bucks for it. I couldn’t get it off my account, and really it’s only five bucks so it isn’t worth it. So I just activated the account and got the services that the five dollars paid for. It’s basically just showing you any changes to your credit report. You don’t get your credit score. Anyways, so I check my bank account online through commerce bank and lo and behold, they charged me another 79.95 for god fucking knows what. I’m going to yell atΒ  them bastards on the phone here in 2 1/2 hours during my lunch break.

DO NOT USE THIS COMPANY.

If you have any information there, delete it, especially your credit card number. Fucking bastards.

The DMV, JoCo Style

Some of you may know that I recently purchased a 4×4 2000 Isuzu Rodeo LS just prior to moving to Kansas City. I knew that I was moving to KC right after I got it, so I called both the Riley and Johnson County Treasurers offices. I figured I’d register and get tags for it in whichever county was cheapest. Seems smart right?

The Johnson County office quoted me a much cheaper price, so I decided to go there. Happily, the office is just off of Santa Fe, though down a little ways from my house, it’s really not that far from me in Kansas City terms of distance at least.

When I get there, there is absolutely no parking. Bah. So drive around for a bit until I find a side street. I go in and walk around like a blind kid in a game of tag. Finally I find the office. There is one guy in there before me. He’s paying about two grand in delinquent taxes. Relevance to this story? None. I’m just trying to paint a picture. Or something. Finally this guy gets done, seemingly after twenty minutes, but probably more like half that. I get up to the lady at the counter and I explain that I just bought a new car and I need to register and tag it. Her response is that they don’t do that there, I need to go to the DMV office, which is on Ridgeview and Santa Fe. First actually point of anger/frustration is right here in the time line. I called these people on the phone already and got the address, phone number, and a price quote for what it would cost me. You would think they would mention that I don’t actually go there to do it, though. Nope.

Thankfully, the DMV office is right down the road about three minutes. Ok. The desk lady told me something about behind a Quicktrip on the corner. Aiight, I see it, turn right. Ooooh, as sign that reads “Johnson County Department of Motor Vehicles ->”. Wait, which way is that arrow pointing? Is it down this road more? Is it down this backstreet-looking road? Is it this car was right here? After driving to all of these conceivable places, I then realize that the DMV is not located at any of them. So, pull into the Quicktrip parking lot and make a phone call to the Treasurers office again. For reference, my inability to locate this place would be frustration point number dos. Yes, I just dropped some Spanish. What up? Vato.

I’m on hold forever. And by “forever,” I mean about seven minutes. Frustration point number three. I decide to go drive around whilst still being on hold, right as I am about to pull out of the parking lot someone on the other end picks up. Convenient. So I ask exactly where their located and she says some address or something (I wasn’t really listening. You’d think I would have been, but no. I wasn’t. Meh). I pick up “behind Quicktrip and Waffle House.” Close enough, I’ll wing it.

I Drive around the Quicktrip and it’s tucked away in the corner of this strip mall. Who-woulda-thunk? Obviously not me.

Upon entering the premises, I realize that there are about two and a half tons of people in here. Literally. Roughly estimate about 200 pounds per person. Divide it up. Roughly twenty five people. Perhaps there could have been as much as three and a half tons of people. Really, it’s a tough call. They have a little “press this button, get a number” machine. I press and find a seat. As images of stereotypical descriptions of DMV’s flash through my head, I realize this is frustration point number four.

I break out the cell phone for some Bejeweled action while I wait. Eventually, I get called and go talk to this guy at booth number one. He looks over my stuff, signs my number, and informs me that they will call my number again. Damn it. I thought I was close to being done. Nope. More damn waiting. Flash forward another ten minutes and my number gets called again.

This time I’m at booth number four. I explain to Deloris that I just bought a new car and I need to get registered and tags for it. I present her my title and registration, just like the first guy. She’s typing away on her keyboard, entering stuff into her computer, looking up stuff. I notice that she has long fingernails and I wonder how easy it is to type. Again, random. Oh, she also looks at her fingers when she types. Anyways. While standing there, I realize that I’m without my checkbook. Crap. I then start thinking that I may have to leave and come back with it. A task I obviously don’t want to partake in.

Deloris asks me some information about where I purchased the car, such as the name of the company and the city and county of the business. I say it’s in Manhattan. Either in Riley or Pottawatomie county. I’m not sure, it’s right over the Big Blue River, which I think is the dividing line of the county, but I’m not 100% sure. She’s the one with the computer, she should be able to figure it out. Not really. She has to go look at something. I don’t know what, I couldn’t see. She then asks me if I wanted to renew the tag until 2006. Otherwise I would have to come back to this horrible place next month. I gladly accept paying for the next year.

She then explains that I have to be charged for the differences in sales tax between Pottawatomie (thus was my deduction at least) and Johnson counties on the Rodeo. The money-grubbing state of Kansas will charge you whichever sales tax is highest, regardless of where you bought it. The guy who sold me the car failed to mention that. I payed the sales tax right there when I bought it, just to avoid this. He mentioned something to the effect of “You can pay this sales tax now, so that when James goes to get his tags, he won’t have to pay it then.” I now realize why he would say such a thing. Pottawatomie county has like six percent sales tax, versus the seven and a half here in Johnson county. It makes the price of the car seem less than what you actually have to end up paying for it.

Then, the bombshell, how much it’s going to cost me: roughly $450 bucks. Daaaaaamn.

I came here expecting maybe $20 – $30 bucks, based off of the original phone call I made to the Treasurer’s office. Nope. Again thinking about my absent checkbook, I wondered what I was going to do. She said I could pay with my Discover card, but I don’t remember how much I have left on it before my limit. I know I had used it a few times before, but I don’t really remember how much I put on it. I tell her to run it anyways, if it gets declined, then I know it would put me over my limit. Thus necessitating me to go to an ATM nearby.

By the grace of God it goes through. I sign the receipt and depressingly leave. As I leave I realize it’s almost 1:30pm. This whole ordeal took almost an hour and half. Frustration point number, well, whatever it is.

Oh, and guess what the three numerical digits of my license plate are? 666. Sign of the devil.

When I saw that, I kind of chuckled to myself. I mentioned it to Deloris. She asked if I wanted to change it. I said, “Nah, it will be easier to remember.” Her response: “You’re not a Christian, are you?” No ma’am, I’m not. Doesn’t really bother me.

It’s over!

FBI Scraping Half Billion Dollar Program

For reference, you should probably read this Yahoo article first.

Now my commentary…

Gotta love our government. Half a billion dollars down the tubes. I love how they’re still working on this program yet they’ve started soliciting offers for a new program to replace it at the same time.

And you know what the program does:

The prototype’s main feature allows users to prepare documents and forward them in a usable form.

and

Eventually, the FBI expects to have software with added features for managing records, evidence and other documents, along with the ability for users to collaborate on documents and share information online.

Jesus! What about this project can’t be done via the internet? Seriously. Prepare documents and forward them in usable form? What the hell is that? Sounds like email to me. Collaborate on documents and share information online? That just sounds like something you could just put on an encrypted network and then have like a Wiki or something along those lines, combine that in with the emailing of documents (mind you it could be heavy SSL or an equivalent).

I dunno, I just don’t get our government some times. This is my rant for the day.