Archive for the 'Random/Rants' Category

SanDisk Releases Its 64GB Ultra SDXC Card

Imagine storing up to 8 hours of HD-quality video on one memory card. Well look no further. SanDisk just announced the release of its 64GB SanDisk Ultra® SDXC™ flash memory card.

On the plus side, this SD 3.0 card reads at speeds up to 15 MB/sec. And thanks to exFAT file structure, this card will undoubtedly improve rapid shooting of still images not to mention the increased capacity for HD video.

If there is a downside to this memory card, it would be the limited number of devices that are currently compatible with the SDXC** (SD eXtended Capacity) format. That includes the recently-announced camcorders from Panasonic, the Canon PowerShot SX210IS, and likely the Samsung TL350 just to name a few. SDXC devices will eventually include a handful of HDTVs, Blu-ray recorders/players, camcorders, cameras, mobile phones, navigation systems and computers yet to hit the streets.

The card is available immediately on SanDisk.com for $349.99.

**The SD Association lists some important points for early adopters to be aware of when using SDXC cards.

Popularity: 2% [?]

Getting Realistic — Prices of Homes Don’t Add Up

Even in today’s “buyer’s market”, buying a home can be frustrating. I admit my experience may a little extreme. I’m picky. I’ve suddenly become cheap. And we’ve narrowed our area down to a few neighborhoods. The latter isn’t so unusual; but what does place it outside of the norm is the fact that these neighborhoods are among the more sought after areas…each with their own unique characteristics. Basically, we’re hunting for a deal.

Even in this ‘unusual’ case, I’ve resolved that the prices of some homes are a contradiction to comparative market analysis (CMA). I’m no Realtor, but CMAs seem pretty straight forward (I’m open to some direction from Realtors out there) — comparisons based on square footage, number of bedrooms and bathrooms, area, etc. But are there instances where you can make adjustments to the CMA?

The Price Is Not Right. The prices of homes in my area may differ from yours. So for the sake of making this easier, let’s choose round numbers. House A is updated and has little room for improvement. It’s a great home for the long-term…and for a family with little desire to upgrade. It is 2,500 sq.ft. and is listed at $100/sq.ft. House B is just down the street from House A. They are the same size (sq.ft., 3 bedrooms, 2 bathrooms); and House B, like House A, was built in 1970. The mustard shag carpet, wood panelling throughout and dated appliances (not to mention the pink tile in the bathrooms) suggest that 1970 may have been the last time it was ‘updated’.

Is it appropriate to price House B using a $100/sq.ft. base? Definitely not. Is it even appropriate to use $80/sq.ft., which translates into a $50,000 difference? I don’t know. According to Realtor.org, the average cost of a [major] kitchen remodel in 2008 was $56,611. Bathrooms cost $15,899. How about a new roof, energy-efficient windows or even replacing all the outdated carpet and walls? There are any number of reasons a house may not be selling. But even with all the HGTV hours you’ve racked up, the costs add up. And that’s hard to swallow in a market with declining home values.

Cap & Trade. Forget the macro-economic implications of this bill. I only mention it to add to help qualify the argument that (I’ll try not to sound biased) outdated homes on the market ought to be discounted for their lack energy efficient appurtenances.

The 1,400-page cap-and-trade legislation pushed through by House Democrats contains a new federal policy that residential, commercial, and government buildings be retrofitted to increase energy efficiency, leaving it up to the states to figure out exactly how to do that.

This means that homeowners, for example, could be required to retrofit their homes to meet federal “green” guidelines in order to sell their homes, if the cap-and-trade bill becomes law.

The bill, which now goes to the Senate, directs the administrator of the Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) to develop and implement a national policy for residential and commercial buildings. The purpose of such a strategy – known as the Retrofit for Energy and Environmental Performance (REEP) – would be to “facilitate” the retrofitting of existing buildings nationwide. CNSNews.com, July 1, 2009

Getting back to the inspiration for my rant…we placed a bid on a house at a similar discount to the one above. The counteroffer was just shy of the list price. So, I get the hint. You won’t budge. At what point do sellers need to get real with their list price? And is it considered poor taste for a potential buyer to offer a significantly lower amount based on perceived value?

Popularity: 19% [?]

Was The Car Invented in The United States? Who Cares!

Certainly the invention of the automobile was a remarkable event. I care. In last night’s speech to Congress, President Obama gave a bold and confident address that undoubtedly caught the attention of both Republicans and Democrats. Of all the important points, of course the one thing that caught my attention was this:

And I believe the nation that invented the automobile cannot walk away from it.

So the automobile wasn’t invented in the United States. Big deal. Whether you credit Nicolas Joseph Cugnot or François Isaac de Rivaz or Karl Benz, you get the point he was trying to make.

U.S. Americans like Ransom Olds and Henry Ford did so much to revolutionize the way cars were built. It was that inventiveness and creativity he was recalling.

It’s so ridiculous to read this morning’s blogs and articles where the author pointed out the mistake and didn’t hesitate to exploit it. This nation faces some serious problems that require bound and determined action. If all people focused on was whether or not the President credited the correct person with the invention of the automobile, we’ve got some serious issues as a nation.

In case you didn’t know, we also invented coffee…1971 in Seattle, Washington.

SNUGGIE SIGHTING. Is it just my puerility me, or was Nancy Pelosi wearing a Snuggie last night?

CONGRESSIONAL TWITTER. If you noticed last night’s audience whipping out their BlackBerrys, it wasn’t to make Obama jealous or to check email. It was probably because they were twittering.

Popularity: 15% [?]

That Just Happened — Fat Tuesday Means Free Pancakes

Fat Tuesday marks the beginning of Mardi Gras. Well, actually…the literal translation of “Mardi Gras” is “Fat Tuesday”. And now I feel like Donovan McNabb, because I didn’t even realize this until today. My French isn’t so good. (I didn’t even know what a plethora was until I saw Three Amigos.) Anyway, the day commemorates nothing in particular. It’s simply the day to get $#!tTy before Lent begins when Christians are supposed to fast and do a little almsgiving. I haven’t decided what I’m giving up this year. Last year it was alcohol. I’m thinking of giving up TV…except whenever the Spurs play, or 24…or The Soup. Or American Idol. And NFL Network.

Apparently IHOP is helping us get fat. To celebrate National Pancake Day, IHOP is giving away free short stacks with a donation to the Children’s Miracle Network. Last year, cheap-@$$e$ donated $875,000 for charity. When compared to Denny’s (similar # of restaurants), which served an estimated 2 million people with its free Grand Slam circus…that’s less than $1 per meal donated. Seriously? I know times are tough, but I think everyone can afford a buck for a good cause. Look at it this way, you can get fat and feel good about it!

I hate Devin Harris…well, less now since he’s been traded from Dallas. He always gave the Spurs problems. This season, he’s giving everyone problems. Last night it was the 76ers…from half-court.

Popularity: 16% [?]

Katrina Moves In On American Idol…Wearing A Bikini

Last night, I obligingly sat and watched American Idol with my family. I hadn’t tuned in since William Hung brought his horrible, yet oddly entertaining rendition of Ricky Martin’s, She Bangs. Since then, I’m in the school of thought that wonders why (as my father empatically questioned) “anyone would watch this crap”…referring primarily to the talentless screamers and tone deaf contestants. Regardless, there’s some degree of comedic value watching someone try their hardest to belt out their best version of “Wanted Dead or Alive”…and instead produces sounds resembling a goose.

Katrina Darrell, bikini girl—–

Aside from the usual ‘make Simon cringe’ performances, American Idol threw in some twists to keep its audience intact. The addition of fourth judge, Kara DioGuardi, was somewhat surprising…but boring.

And rather than focusing on one really bad performance, the attention was spread out over multiple auditions — the chick with the pink hair and tats, the Asian guy with that enormous Bob Ross ‘fro, or the guy with the super deep Issac Hayes-like voice. Then there were the feelgood stories — the horror movie teenager that surprised everyone by not sounding like Marilyn Manson, the quick-witted nerd (he told Simon his jokes would be funny if they made sense) that serenaded the ladies with his James Ingram (in a Joe Cocker voice), and the blind guy who graduated from college at 19, and just blew it out of the water (hey, Seacrest…way to go on the high five. He’s blind, dude).

Despite all of these memorable performance, the one thing that everyone will talk about until the main event is Katrina Darrell aka. the bikini girl. My son even dismissed the previous girl with the beautiful voice and chose Katrina’s performance. When we asked him why…with complete resolve he based his decision on her appearance. (Don’t worry concerned parents…he got a lesson on judging people based on beauty and respect of the opposite sex…and that was his last episode of Idol…at least until there are finalists.) Kids say the darndest things.

She definitely caused unrest on the set. She vowed to make out with Seacrest if she got the golden ticket. She strutted into the audition, which resulted in a near cat fight between her and new judge, Kara. And now I can’t stand her after stooping to Katrina’s level — defending her singing skills by initiating a little sing-song retaliation and a Z-snap/head bob to finish her off.

“Oh no you di’int! Slut!”

*sigh*

She’s already got a few fan sites and a photo gallery on COEDMagazine.com. Pervs eveywhere are going crazy. (begin sarcasm) Thanks, American Idol. (end sarcasm)

Popularity: 22% [?]

Hey, BCS. Thanks For Nothing.

The BCS has been busted again. So what now?

The Million Dollar Band may have shown the Utes Marching Band how it’s done, but the Utah football team has induced vertigo causing more BCS turmoil. After spanking the Crimson Tide 31-17, the Utes improve to 13-0 on the season.

Should they be #1?

Why not? They played like the #1 team suffocating Alabama’s offense with eight sacks, three turnovers, and held the Tide to just 36 rushing yards (they averaged over 196 per game this season). And Utah executed impeccably on offense — including some risky 3rd and long trickery to keep a drive alive late in the game — thanks to the leadership of the unsexy Heisman shoulda been, Brian Johnson.

The unfortunate part is that they won’t be voted #1 in the final BCS poll. Of course, that’ll be Florida or Oklahoma. Perhaps Utah will earn the ultimate respect from the AP…right?

Probably not. Of the 4 non-BCS teams that have gone undefeated through bowl games (Utah did it twice, Boise State in 2006, Marshall in 1999 and Tulane in 1998), Utah achieved the highest AP poll rank after their win over #20 Pitt in 2004. Even though the Sooners were throttled by USC 55-19 in the Orange Bowl, they still finished above the [undefeated] #4 Utah Utes.

What they’ve done is seal their spot as the #2 team in the nation.

What about Texas? Given the poor play of the Big Ten in the bowl games (currently 1-5 in bowl games), we’ll assume the ‘Horns pull it out…handily. Why shouldn’t they be #2?

While I absolutely despise the USC Trojans, they certainly deserve a voice for the #2 spot after putting Nittany Lions to sleep for the season in the Rose Bowl.

Whatever happens on January 8th, I can’t possibly be satisfied. The BCS was nothing but a contrived championship format that rewarded the current darlings. Wait. Or was that the Heisman? Nevermind. Regardless, the BCS (Bowls Contrived in September) blew it again…it’s incredible, it’s sickening, it’s time for change.

Popularity: 19% [?]

Called Up From The Minors?

In true Derrich fashion…the preface

My BlackBerry Bold includes the phone numbers of just about everyone I call or text and vice versa regardless of how often that may be. So when I get a call from a phone number not programmed to a name in my little black Bold, it generally gets the “ignore” accompanied with an evil cackle.

Well, earlier this week that happened. Not only was it unnamed, it was from a different area code (cue the mystery segue music). It was followed by a voicemail.

“[Anonymous]. Ben Cherington with the Red Sox. Thanks for your message…”

Did I just hear that right? And who’s Ben Cherington? Well he’s the Vice President of Player Personnel with the Boston Red Sox. THE Boston Red Sox. The Curt Schilling bloody Red Sox (well, one sock). The AL MVP Dustin Pedroia Red Sox. I could continue to digress…

Anyway he proceeded to leave his mobile number. Now the debate was whether or not to call the guy and tell him he got the wrong number. A little common courtesy. After rehearsing about 10 times what exactly I would say, I decided to call. Voicemail…something like this.

“Hey, Ben. Just wanted you to know you called my phone on accident in case you need to get a hold of [anonymous]. Well, that and it’s not everyday you get a call from the VP of Player Personnel. Thanks.”

I know. Kinda weak. Despite my guarantee to Ben not to share his number with anyone, I’m sure he will (if he hasn’t already) change his number. Understandable. I mean I doubt it would bring the same attention as, say, if Paris Hilton’s phonebook got loose. Just gotta respect the guy’s privacy.

So that’s it. No happy ending like he hooked me up with some tickets…or he’s sending my son a signed ball by Dusty P…nor was it a prank in Kyle Kendrick fashion saying I was being considered by the Sox to hurl some balls down the 60′6″.

It might happen in Snoop Dogg’s world, but this stuff doesn’t happen everyday in mine. I doubt Ben Cherington will ever read this, but in case he does — hope you got in touch with [anonymous]. Best of luck next season.

Popularity: 14% [?]