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JerseySmarts.com

Some Web Updates and More

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Thank you all for offering suggestions on a merger between JerseySmarts.com and Joe’s Journal (including online comments, IM comments, and in person). At this point, I think I’m going to move forward with the merger in the near future by making JerseySmarts.com the home of Joe’s Journal. There is quite a bit of behind the scenes work associated with this type of move, so don’t look for anything changing in the next few weeks!

What you can look for in the next few weeks is a new TBLWrestling.com. I’ve been working on a redesign for the wrestling website for a little while now and we’ve opted to use the WordPress system on the new site. The WordPress system is the one that this blog, JerseySmarts.com, and XHeadlines.com uses for its operations. It’s a pretty powerful system with many add-on/plug-in possibilities.

In any event, I’m hoping to have enough of the redesign completed so that the new site can be functional by this coming weekend. The current URL (www.thebalrogslair.com) has some 10,000+ pages of wrestling information stored in it. Believe it or not, I’ll actually transfer those pages over (one at a time) to the new system over the next year. However, we’re going to start this project with a somewhat blank slate and work from there. I think you’ll enjoy it.

So for the wrestling fans on this blog, keep an eye out for the new TBLWrestling.com. For everyone else, I’m glad to continue hearing your thoughts on the blog mergers. And if you’re not interested in commenting on either of those issues…then go away!

Just About Done With Howard Stern

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Today begins the second straight week of vacation for Howard Stern and his Sirius XM crew. I’m just about done with this guy and his completely ridiculous schedule. I’ve said on this blog before that Howard used to be the voice of the working man and now he works a 4-day per week, 4-hour per day work schedule where he pretty much gets an additional week off each month. The voice of the working man? I think not.

One of my friends made the comment the other day that you can tell in Howard’s voice how he doesn’t even want to be there any more and I couldn’t agree more. The shows have been lacking lately, though I will give him credit because every once in a long while he hits a home run (usually something that has to do with Artie and his disastrous health). There are a few issues that confuse me about Howard and his current deal, though…

For example, Sirius XM ran a promotion to get new subscribers this spring leading into the summer months where their announcer clearly said, “And you won’t want to miss Howard Stern this summer!” Really? We won’t want to miss Howard this summer? Because I’m pretty sure that he’s only worked like two or three, 4-day work weeks this summer (that’s 8 to 12 days).

Also, how can the higher-ups at Sirius XM justify the $100 million per year expense on this guy when he works such a reduced schedule? I understand that the $100 million is to be used for his channels in addition to his salary, but when the company is on the verge of losing a talent like Bubba the Love Sponge, you have to wonder why so much money is funneled into The Howard Stern Show when it clearly is not using the money correctly (why don’t their microphones ever work right the first time).

Speaking of money, don’t tell me that Stern isn’t bringing in a ton of excess income on his channels. Subscribers to this commercial-free service are treated to frequent 10 – 15 minute non-live content breaks during the show. In other words, we get propaganda from the Howard 100 News team, commercials, and full-length songs (which is incredibly insulting considering the dozens upon dozens of music channels that are truly commercial free). Some of that money can be spread around, you know.

Anyway, it’s ridiculous that Stern is floating by on a contract that is designed for someone to NOT float by. I hope Mel Karmazin reigns this guy in because with his current attitude, the ridiculous amount of commercials, and his current schedule, Stern may actually be hurting the satellite radio movement more than helping it.

Verizon’s “New Every Two” Kicks In

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My unhappy history with Verizon Wireless has been detailed in depth on this blog. I’m no big fan of them and they’ve found new ways to tell me no (bear in mind that I am a customer who has paid his bill EARLY each month for the last 5 years). The unfortunate truth is that in New Jersey, and the Northeast in general, Verizon Wireless is really the only choice if you want uninterrupted, clear cell phone coverage.

Earlier this week I received an e-mail from Verizon telling me that my “new every two” has kicked in. For the non-Verizon readers out there, this is a plan that the company has where after two years the customer has the option to get a $50 – $100 discount on a new phone. Now I have a decision to make – which new phone should I get? There’s no chance in hell that I’ll get one of those crappy smartphone/PDAs that caused me so much trouble. Let me state emphatically once again that the Palm Treo 700p is a complete disaster of a phone! Stay away from it!

Right now I use my 4+ year old LG VX8000 phone, which I really like. The camera phone is only 1.3 megapixels but it takes great pictures whenever I use it and the call quality is crystal clear. The speakerphone works perfectly as does the video recorder and voice recorder. In it’s old age (4+ years is more than a life time for cell phones these days) it has become a little stodgy and unresponsive at points, but it’s still better than that overpriced piece of crap Treo 700p.

Anyway, what I’ve learned is that I like the LG brand of phones and that I’d prefer to stick to their brand. The problem is that looking on Verizon’s website, I don’t really care for the LG phones which are being offered. There is one phone that is only a slight upgrade from the one that I currently use (I think it’s the VX8350 or something like that). I figured that if I get that phone, I can still keep my current phone on standby just in case the new one sucks. Plus, with the “New Every Two” discount, the new phone would be free. Can’t really say no to that deal, can you?

At some point this weekend I’m going to go for the new phone. I just hope that everything works out better than when I got the disaster Treo 700p “smartphone” two years ago. Of course, after the debacle that was the Treo 700p, I don’t think anything could be worse!

Anyway, check out Jersey City Locksmith for the best locksmith service in the Garden State!

The Most Annoying Website Feature Ever

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Is there anything worse than going to a website and having it automatically start blaring some video, jingle, or promotional material at you? A little earlier I was flitting around the internet and I came across some gaming website that automatically started some video promoting a new game and it was the most annoying thing in the world. Why was it annoying? Because the video was loud, obnoxious and paired on the same page as an article that was completely unrelated to the advertisement! So I go to this website to read about emerging technologies from software companies and I get to hear some Japanese-inspired music on a video that isn’t even viewable unless you go all the way down to the bottom of the page? No thanks.

TNAWrestling.com also has this problem. If you head over to their site you immediately get a blaring loud version of their “TNA Today” video or one of Don West’s Insane Deals yelling at you. This is one of the primary reasons why I stay away from that site. Why can’t they just leave the YouTube video there in an “off” position? Are they afraid that I won’t be able to figure out how to push the “play” button? Are they afraid that I won’t push that play button at all? Don’t I have a right to not push that button if, let’s say, I’m on my lunch break at work? Annoying.

And the most aggravating advertisements of all are those ones that say, “Congratulations. You’ve been selected to receive a free Apple iPod.” Bullshit! Those advertisements are total crap. For those of you that don’t know, they are for “freebie” sites where you essentially turn yourself (and whatever digital platform you can offer such as e-mail, blogging, personal site, etc) into a marketing tool for a variety of companies. Once you reach a certain number of people, you get a free iPod sent to you. The catch? You’re marketing services that sometimes cost $1 or $2 for the “trial” period and you need to include your credit card information in the required information. Plus, you need something like 5 or 6 people to sign up underneath you before you can get anything for free. The advertisement should say:

“Congratulations. You’ve been selected to have your identity stolen. We think that you just might be dumb enough to click on this link and give us your credit card information. Oh, free Apple iPod.”

Morons. To all website designers and developers out there – STOP this crap! Do NOT have automatic videos playing, do NOT put up advertisements that talk to the web surfer, and do NOT put up your own promotional propaganda and set it to auto-play. It’s incredibly annoying!

Robbed by Verizon Wireless Again!

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By now I’m sure that you all know the myriad problems that I’ve had with Palm’s Treo 700p. This smartphone/PDA is a complete disaster (as you can find out by reading comments on Palm’s own blog on the matter). I’ve had the Treo replaced numerous times and each time I get a new device, it has a technical glitch. This time around the earpiece doesn’t work. In other words, when I have to use a hands-free device while I’m driving (because it’s the law), I can’t use one because the connection doesn’t click. I can hear the person, but they can’t hear me.

It’s a joke. This phone is a damned joke.

So I called Verizon Wireless a little while ago and to make a long story short, there’s nothing they can do to help me with this phone. After some discussion with two folks who, by the way, were very pleasant I asked this question: “I have a phone that I can’t use, I can’t replace, I can’t return, and I can’t fix. So are you telling me that I have a $500 paperweight here?” And God bless the Supervisor I was talking to because without actually saying, “Yes,” she said, “Yes.” That’s skill right there!

She made a point about what other business allows you to return a device months, even years, after you bought it? A clever ploy on her part which I’m sure confounds many people, but I came back with the fact that there are lemon laws in place where if your purchase is faulty you can return it. After reminded her that this would be the FOURTH replacement for this phone in an 18 month time frame, she dropped that argument. But she still saved Verizon Wireless some money because in the end – and without actually saying so – she suggested that I dump this device in the garbage. And there you have it, folks. I have a $500 paperweight sitting on my desk. If you’re interested, I’ll let it go for a mere $400… 😉

At this point, I’m not sure whether or not I’ll stay with Verizon. It’s extremely insulting to have them come back at me with, “There’s nothing we can do. Sorry.” I’ve been a loyal customer who pays his bill EARLY for almost a decade and these bums can’t do anything for me? That’s not right. It used to be that the customer was always right – within reason. I believe that I am far within reason on this issue and that Verizon is trying to save themselves from having to give back a few bucks (or even from replacing this phone) from the consumer. It’s a shame, really.

Apparently my business isn’t worth much to this company. But of course, everyone I know has Verizon so if I go to a different carrier my bill will undoubtedly go up due to the fact that I’m on a new network.

I’m incarcerated by my mobile company!

And now I put this out to you folks – what do I do with my phone? Do I bag it up and demolish it with a hammer? Do I box it up and send it over Verizon Wireless and tell them to keep it? Do I donate it to some group when I know that it doesn’t work? Let me know what you think!