Disqus - Latest Comments for devilinthedetails

Re: Brandon Spikes Eye Gouging: Bad Behavior Caught on Video

Kevin — Sat, 14 Nov 2009 01:23:23 -0000

Whaaaah, Whaaah! I am sure that the GA players did nothing to provoke this.
Brandon Spikes will be a blue chip player in the NFL.
Lighten up!

Re: Brandon Spikes Eye Gouging: Bad Behavior Caught on Video

devilinthedetails — Mon, 02 Nov 2009 18:00:05 -0000

He tries intentionally to injure someone and has to sit out the first half of a game that Florida is favored to win by 24 points? Wow, Urban is really trying to drive home a point with his team.

Maybe if he had tried to break someone's neck he would have gotten the full game. What utter bullshit.

Re: Metaphors: socially useless supervillians and the Titanic, yet again

devilinthedetails — Wed, 28 Oct 2009 14:28:53 -0000

The Titanic fallacy is interesting, however, it's implication that airplanes made boats obsolete is inaccurate. As a main mode of transoceanic travel perhaps, but we still have major cruiselines, massive transoceanic shipping and plenty of other things.

The Titanic's sister ship Olympic served throughout WW1 as a troop transport and hospital ship, it is likely that had the Titanic (or the Britannic for that matter) survived their Trans-Atlantic trips, they would have served similar purposes.

The plane may have jeopardized the future of the boating industry for passenger transit, but it took quite a while before the passenger airline became an affordable reality.

Re: Glenn Beck, Liberal punching bag. - Blog - News, Politics, Media, Marketing

devilinthedetails — Thu, 13 Aug 2009 14:01:37 -0000

Clay: The problem is that speech is being suppressed, maybe not in a direct fashion such as you can't say that we're shutting down your show. It's in a different, and slightly more malicious way.

Basically what is happening is that in order for Glenn Beck (or Bill Maher had he not been canceled so quickly) to make enough money for the network to stay on the air (the network that is directly responsible for putting him on the air, and by giving him his own show endorses at the very least his status as a representative of enough people to have a large audience) he will now have to temper his opinions and beliefs. The people that pay to keep his show on the air are telling him to shape up or ship out. Essentially, it says, you can be controversial, just not too controversial.

Like I said, I don't agree with what he said, but I guarantee you that the pulling of these advertisements has less to do with product identification and more to do with the fact that these advertisers know full well that his ratings may very well go into the tank and they want to make sure that their ads aren't running when they do.

Re: Glenn Beck, Liberal punching bag. - Blog - News, Politics, Media, Marketing

devilinthedetails — Thu, 13 Aug 2009 13:56:04 -0000

SPSmyth: Not necessarily, but let's look at this another way, in terms of viewer demographics.

The people that would be most offended by Beck's comments, are most likely not watching Fox News anyway, in fact my guess is that most of them heard about the comments via the internet. So, what is the likelihood that those folks would even see a Sargento commercial in direct relation to the Glenn Beck show?

I understand what these companies are doing, honestly I do, I work in marketing, and you know what, I'd probably do the same thing. But...if Sargento (or Progressive or any of the others) is so afraid of alienating a certain set of viewers (namely those who would not be watching The Glenn Beck Show to begin with), why are they advertising on that channel at all?

Listen, my point is merely this. We no longer live in a time where TV shows are directly sponsored by companies, advertisers choose when and where to run ads not based on corporate philosophical alignment, they choose their placements based on ratings. We're not talking about the Wonderful World of Disney here, we're talking about a show on a cable television network that probably doesn't even sell it's own ad space, they sell it as a run of network, although they obviously have control over when their ads won't play.

None of these advertisers have pulled their ads from Fox News, they've simply asked that they not be run during Beck's show, which means that the network will backfill those slots with other folks who are less concerned about the potential backlash or who purchase slots on a remnant basis (meaning that they tell the network, if you can't fill the slot, run our ad).

As I said in the post, I am not trying to defend what Glenn Beck said (which was immensely stupid and patently ignorant), but it's not the first time a commentator has said something stupid (and Bill Maher is not the only other example). Yet most of the time it's not noticed or reported. These examples exist more than anything because of their timing. Maher for saying something stupid 6 days after the first foreign terrorist attack on our country, and Beck's being just over six months after the election of our first black president.

I don't watch Glenn Beck's show, never have and never will, so I can't tell you if this kind of inanity is common place with him (although he seems to get on the news a lot for this kind of drama). I also do not buy Sargento cheese (well, maybe occasionally), have insurance through either Progressive, State Farm or GEICO, I buy generic baby wash for my 2 yr old, and I have no idea if I have any Protcer & Gamble or SC Johnson products in my home right now (although it's possible).

Maybe it's because of my background, but I do not associate the commercials that run during a tv show with the content of that show. I do not see them as an endorsement of anything, they are no different than billboards, or magazine articles. They are about reach, not sponsorship.

Re: To Friend or Not To Friend the Ex.

PurpleCar — Fri, 06 Feb 2009 19:48:25 -0000

Greg, I totally agree. An ex, a serious ex, is something more than a friend. People will always feel like they own a piece of you once you've been in a serious relationship with them, ya know? Like, "Don't fool me, I KNOW you." And if any ownership at all is still felt there, then no amount of Zen would make it ok to friend a person online. It seems like your circle of friends respects that you really don't want to share a table with your ex ever, and they plan around that. Good friends, you have, young padawan!

I think "standard guy response" is identified as the response that lacks empathy and etiquette. This is a good thing, sometimes. For some reason women are the guardians of polite norms. This is ridiculous, of course. But here I am, being Miss Manners for The Internet. When I finally defriended the Ex, I tried to "think like a man" and forgive myself for any perceived breach of etiquette on my part (forget about the ex's breaches - this was just about my behavior).

Anyway, if I were a guy, I'll tell you one thing, I wouldn't want my female speaking with ANY of the ex's she's slept with. Seriously. I mean never. It's not a possession thing, it's a "I know how other guys think" thing. On that alone, I should have clicked IGNORE out of respect for my husband. I get confused between thinking like a man and being Miss Manners sometimes.

-PC

________________________________

Re: To Friend or Not To Friend the Ex.

devilinthedetails — Fri, 06 Feb 2009 17:20:53 -0000

I have promptly ignored both of my exes who attempted to friend me on Facebook. It's not out of dismissal (although it is dismissive), it's because that chapter of my life is closed. I am not friends with my exes, they are no longer part of my life. Granted, I only have two exes, one of which is still friends with many of my friends, and yet we have never (in the 8.5 years since we broke up) been in a social situation together.

You've already told me at least once that this is a standard guy response, and it may be that, but to me an ex is exactly that, ex. This is someone who was more than a friend, not someone that I had a fight with over something stupid like I have had with my best friends countless times. These are people that you have shared things with more deeply than even your best friends, and when it ends it ends, it generally can't (or at least shouldn't) return to being "friends".

My two cents anyways (possibly more like a quarter).

Re: Negro League All Star Art Pennington’s Home Destroyed by Iowa Floods

devilinthedetails — Wed, 26 Nov 2008 09:52:20 -0000

Delete.

Re: A President’s Regret

devilinthedetails — Wed, 12 Nov 2008 10:07:07 -0000

I suppose he could simply be defiant and give the country a big middle finger salute, but I don't think that would do much good for his legacy as president.

I agree that his administration has done a very poor job, but the American voters are just as much to blame as the Bush Administration. We as voters (all of us, not just Republicans) need to remember that elections are our chance to cast a referendum on our elected officials. President Bush's philosophy hasn't changed so much in the last 4 years, but our willingness to tolerate it has.

Re: A President’s Regret

devilinthedetails — Wed, 12 Nov 2008 10:01:32 -0000

Well, hopefully President Obama will work to restore some of the privacy that the Patriot Act strips away, but based on his vote on the FISA bill earlier this year, I wouldn't get your hopes up.

A government rarely rescinds powers that it has been granted, regardless of who leads it.

Re: Psychological differences of Liberals & Conservatives

devilinthedetails — Mon, 27 Oct 2008 13:56:55 -0000

Perhaps, although I tend to feel that McCain is losing this election not due to the root differences between liberals and conservatives, but because of the strategies he has employed and his track record over the last 8 years.

In 2000 John McCain was a "maverick" congressman who stood up to his party on issues like campaign-finance reform and took unpopular stands against the majority party. After losing the 2000 primary, he changed his tune and went down a path that led him to vote with an incredibly unpopular president 9 out of every 10 times he voted.

His track record of siding with this administration is what is costing him this election because that voter record tells people that he is not a maverick, but simply a senator who kept in line so he could get his shot at the presidency. It's too bad, I would have voted for the John McCain of 2000, but now, he has lost my vote.

Re: Twine: The Bookmaring Site You Should Use

sbspalding — Tue, 21 Oct 2008 18:03:41 -0000

For whatever reason I've never gotten into Social|Median. I do get their
newsletter and I like that there community seems involved. I guess I haven't
run into the recommendation problem with Twine, but I imagine it could very
easily happen depending on how you have it setup.

Re: Twine: The Bookmaring Site You Should Use

devilinthedetails — Tue, 21 Oct 2008 17:55:17 -0000

Having used both Twine and Social|Median, I would have to cast my vote for the latter. Twine is nice, but too often I receive links to articles that are either irrelevant to the topic they purport or are in a language i don't speak (all I'm asking for is an English only filter since my German is not exactly what I would call up to snuff).

The community over at social|median is very involved and the continual attempts at improving the site through user feedback and testing are impressive.

Re: Late Adopters

devilinthedetails — Wed, 08 Oct 2008 17:14:56 -0000

It could be content, but I would say that the Obama campaign has generated plenty of content (140 characters at a time), enough to get 30,000+ to follow their relatively pointless updates.

Slow adoption by politicians mirrors adoption for the rest of society, that's what confuses me, you would think that by embracing these technologies early they could develop a rapport with influential techies, which can add a lot of volume to their message.

Re: Late Adopters

devilinthedetails — Wed, 08 Oct 2008 17:12:32 -0000

What I think it shows is a fundamental lack of understanding on the part of political types of how to embrace openness. They live in a world of complete control, so the idea of opening up the windows of their lives gives them pause.

I guess what it comes down to is maximizing the spread of their message and identifying influencers in the demographic areas they target. When it comes down to it, politicians are little more than salespeople who are trying to sell themselves and I would think that engaging in a demo. that they need would make sense.

Re: Mark Cuban: Blogging For Justice

devilinthedetails — Thu, 02 Oct 2008 17:37:11 -0000

just out of curiosity, did you read any of the comments sent to Mark Cuban? Many of them are have very specific nationalistic sentiments.

I am not defending Howard's sentiments, I am merely defending his right to hold un-popular beliefs.

Re: Mark Cuban: Blogging For Justice

devilinthedetails — Thu, 02 Oct 2008 17:33:56 -0000

First off, Howard is protected by the first amendment when he makes comments about his beliefs in regards to the national anthem, the pledge of allegiance, etc...

Second, not all speech is protected (as anyone who chides people on not having read the Federalist Papers) should well know.

Third, simply being a public figure does not rescind one's right to privacy.

Fourth, my point was that those who claim to defend America's freedoms (namely freedom of speech) by telling people they don't agree with to shut up (or worse) are missing the point.

Lastly, I never, ever, said anywhere that those who do this don't have every right to do it. They do, but they should be every bit as prepared to take responsibility for what they say as they want Howard to be.

Re: How Cirque Du Soleil Shows Social Media Love

devilinthedetails — Mon, 22 Sep 2008 13:19:52 -0000

While I can't say that I'm much of a Cirque fan, the show they have at Disney World is certainly entertaining. While it's not my typical style of entertainment, the performers are certainly talented and able to do many, many amazing things.

I can't say as I am surprised at the size and activity of their fans, they put on a good show and I have known many rabid Cirque fans, it's good to know that they are engaging their fans when so many in the entertainment industry overlook their core audiences almost constantly.

Re: What are You Packing for Snacks

devilinthedetails — Fri, 19 Sep 2008 17:27:06 -0000

My son is good with vegetables (he's the only kid I've ever known that loves broccoli), graham crackers (mainly Teddy Grahams), granola bars, Gripz, etc... Part of what we found is that the fewer options he has, the more new things he's willing to try. We alternate between the above, adding fruit snacks to the mix as well, and try to keep the number of snacks low. He's healthy and happy, he eats much better than I do most of the time.

Re: When Your Kid Is Mildly Allergic to Milk

devilinthedetails — Fri, 19 Sep 2008 17:23:11 -0000

Does the school not offer a milk alternative (i.e. orange juice) for kids with dairy allergies? My school always did, and to be honest, I was always jealous of the kids who got the OJ.

Re: Nuts!

devilinthedetails — Fri, 19 Sep 2008 17:21:06 -0000

My sons school has policies similar to your daughter's school, and I would agree that this seems to be the best way to handle it. We do have to a little more conscious of what we send for snacks, but other than that it's handled fine.

The only allergies we ever had in school when I was a kid were milk allergies and those kids just got orange juice to drink, no special tables, no nothing (granted milk allergies aren't quite as severe as peanut allergies can be), my how times have changed.

Re: Comics and Kids

devilinthedetails — Fri, 19 Sep 2008 17:14:31 -0000

While I agree that violence in comics has become an issue, it hasn't changed significantly from the Golden Age books we all grew up with. Certain books (many of which I love) should simply not be read by kids, but there are plenty of titles out there that, while they may contain violence, are no less inappropriate for kids than movies made by Disney, Dreamworks, etc...

Ask yourself, is Shrek any more or less violent than Spiderman fighting off the Sandman? I'm not saying to get your kid started on The Punisher or Nick Fury (which are two of my favorite titles), but as long as the good guys win I think comics generally send good messages. Spiderman never goes looking for a fight, but he'll defend himself (as well as those who can't defend themselves) wherever and whenever he needs to.

Re: Improving Your Windows Experience, 11 Applications

devilinthedetails — Fri, 12 Sep 2008 09:16:28 -0000

I don't know if that's a fair assessment. But it all depends on what your needs are.

I have friends of all ilks (programmers, media creators, etc...) who love their Macs (although only none of them are fanboy's and they hate "Apple people" as much as I do).

The closed system is my biggest issue and the fact that Apple as a corporation is a tyrant in hip clothing.

Re: Improving Your Windows Experience, 11 Applications

Rick — Fri, 12 Sep 2008 00:02:20 -0000

I thought of an analogy the other day. Owning a Mac is like keeping the training wheels on your bike, very user-friendly but you'll just never go as fast as your capable of.

Re: Devil in the Details » Chicago Alderman wants metal bats tossed from baseball

devilinthedetails — Thu, 11 Sep 2008 12:00:41 -0000

Mike,

That is a very thorough response and I certainly appreciate the message. I used metal bats growing up (although they were light years behind the current bat technology), in fact I still have the Easton that I used in Little League and Babe Ruth.

I certainly understand your argument, and have to say that I can't really disagree with too many of the points you make (aside from the independent testing, which I haven't reviewed). Additionally, there does tend to be significant over-reaction in many cases such as this, where someone in a position of power attempts to insert legislation because of an accident to a friend or loved one.

For me, I would like to see metal bats disappear because I am a baseball purist and wooden bats are the legacy of the game, and while Ken Griffey Jr., Carl Crawford and Alex Rodriguez are poignant examples, players like Vladimir Guerrero, David Ortiz, Manny Ramirez (and many others that come from poorer countries and most likely did not have access to Demarini's, COMbat's, Worth SuperCells, etc...) show that the tools available don't necessarily make the player.

Personally, while I may agree with the alderman's viewpoint, I do not agree with the attempt to legislate this on a governmental level (and perhaps I should have made that point clearer). When a child plays a sport (any sport) they, and their parents, assume risk. Accidents happen at all levels of sports, regardless of their nature as recreational or competitive. I have been injured many times due to sports, it's something that comes with the game and as a parent I think that there is far too much caution injected into the lives of our country's children at this point.

The choice of whether or not to use metal bats should be left up to each individual organization and the players/parents involved with that organization, this should not be something that the government (at any level) should have any involvement with.

Again, thank you for the response.