The Utter Laziness of the “Like” Button

I’m not going to criticize Facebook.  I like Facebook.  I don’t have any complaints about the site itself.   

I just have a small complaint about what I consider the utter laziness that some people display when hitting the “like” button.  Not most of the time.  Generally, if you see something you like, you hit “like.”  It’s a simple honest message.  It’s quick.  Fine.

What about, however, when someone posts bad news?  “My significant other just died.”   “I lost my job.”  You read that and there, sitting beside this tale of woe, you see a small “thumbs up.”  Maybe, the tale of woe is eased a bit if it includes a statement like “but he was a great guy” or “but then I went out and got blitzed with my buddies.”  But really?  Is that worthy of a thumbs up?!? 

You can’t take the time to say “I’m sorry.”  Or……….or…….well…..anything……anything else??  Ten extra seconds to write something?  I’m not kidding, I’ve seen thumb ups next to the woest of the woes.  It’s creepy.  It’s annoying.  It’s sad.  I want to write a comment say “What exactly about this status do you LIKE?!” 

I succumb to the ease of the thumbs up.  Sometimes, I remain mum when I can’t think of a reply.  But I’m not going to click something for the sake of clicking and leave a symbol of good news next to something that so obviously is not.  Let’s not let convenience technology render us so lazy that we can’t articulate the simplest, and something the most important, of sentiments. 

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Envelopeless ATMs: How is this more convenient for me??

So………instead of filling out one deposit slip and putting all my checks and cash into one envelope and putting the one envelope into the ATM, I now have to stand at the stupid ATM for minutes on end shoveling check after check one by one into the idiotic smart machine while it grinds through the process of trying to read each individual check, confirm the amount or ask ME for the amount on the check if the handwriting sucks, and then ask me to feed in the next check or piece of cash. 

And this is supposed to be more convenient, HOW??? 

Seriously people?  Was it that hard to learn how to fill out a deposit slip and use them? 

Stupid technology.

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Poker and Patience

There are many real-world lessons one can learn while playing the game of poker.

Take patience, for instance.  Patience is a valuable trait to have in life.  In poker, it is absolutely essential. 

Sure, you can get lucky and win a few hands with bravado and bullying.  But it won’t last.  Consistently good players must learn the skill of patience to accompany the art of the bluff and the brilliance of a good read. 

And……and…………

And grrrrrr…….I am late in getting this entry written and right now my throat is feeling like crap on a cracker.  Which is not anything new.  After my last trip to California, I realized I can’t really blame my chronic sore throat on the dry California weather.  I don’t know what to blame it on.  It hurts all the time.  In Maui.  In California.  All the time.  I kept thinking I was getting sick but I never actually get sick.   My current theory is that I have bit of acid reflux in my throat and that’s what is causing the constant pain.  I drink more coffee when I am in California and I think there is too much acid in my system .  But who knows.  Despite my general disdain for many doctors in this world, I have an appointment with a gastroenterologist when I get back home.  And I am not just basing my disdain on my past prejudice of stupid doctors.  This is based on my sitting down with several different doctors since I moved here/there and being – at the best – less than impressed with them.  At the worst, I have been spitting mad after leaving the most-idiotic-dermatologist ever who simply looked at me strangely after I asked him to help me figure out what was wrong instead of just giving me something to mask the symptoms.  He looked at me and said (I kid you not) “Most of my patients don’t care about that.”    And he proceeded to give me a prescription and open the door to show me out. 

Anyway, I may get my throat checked out.  They may figure something out.  They may not.  I’ve decided I certainly don’t have the patience to be in chronic pain.  I’m a big fat whiney whiner when it comes to chronic discomfort.  I hate it, want it to desist, and am a general grouch.

Apparently I don’t have the patience to play Omaha poker either.  Theoretically, if I had been playing a poker game this evening, and it was a freeroll (free to enter) and there was the maximum number of 5,000 players and it lasted for over 3 and a half hours, and I was well in the running to get a free ticket to a non-freeroll, you would think that I would sit on my short stack and not get riled up when people bet into me and I would quietly fold and wait for ONLY FIVE more people to bust out of the 5,000-person tournament, and I would certainly, certainly, certainly not go all-in on the flop with the best hand when big stacks have a better drawing hand.  Of course not.  I have LEARNED PATIENCE DARNITALL.  I was just telling Sweetie on the phone how awesome it was that I was doing so well in an Omaha game where I have learned to look at the board and say to myself:” If anyone can possibly have a better hand than me, someone will.”  That’s just the way of Omaha poker.  I was sooooo patient for so long.  I would never never bubble (or close to bubble) when I was guaranteed to money (ticket) if I just sat and waited a couple more minutes.  Theoretically, never. 

Actual life, however, may be a different matter.  Maybe. 

So, instead of a thoughtful and insightful blog about the merits of patience in poker, you get a rant about my throat and my brilliant snap of patience (theoretically speaking of course) in the final moment of a poker tournament.  What can I say?  I come from a long line of impatient people – my grandmother and my mother, for two.  They are not women known for their patience.  I’m a bit better than both of them, but I guess I have a long way to go, baby.

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eBay Sucks!

Every once in a while, I sell stuff on eBay.  I’ve been doing this for a few years.  Most of my inventory has been comic books.  Most of the stuff I buy on eBay are comic books.

If you are a buyer on eBay, you probably haven’t noticed many of the changes that have occurred the last couple of years.  However, if you are a seller, you are painfully aware of them.  And if you are like me, YOU ARE FED UP!

That’s it.  I’ve had it.  I’m moving my inventory somewhere else.  Ditch eBay, I say!!  Everyone move to eBid!!!

It all started with fee increases and fees and fees.  Fees to have a Store. Fees for extra pictures. Insertion fees to list items.  The fee that eBay takes off your final selling price.  Ug.  For a long time, it was worth it because eBay was essentially the only player in town if you really want to auction stuff off on-line.  Everyone knows about eBay.

Last January, eBay instituted a new policy that does not allow sellers to leave feedback for buyers. 

WHAT?!!  EBay wrote some sort of BS nonsense about allowing buyers to feel more safe to leave negative feedback.  This policy leaves sellers flapping in the wind!  We have nothing to protect us from random, undeserved negative comments.  We can work as hard as we can to try and fix any problems our buyers may have (I offer returns on most items).  But now a buyer doesn’t have to worry about getting negative feedback if they want to stick it to a seller.  In my opinion, an eBay transaction is a mutual transaction, and this policy screws the sellers.

Finally, the last straw.  Apparently this was announced a few months ago, but I didn’t realize it.  EBay no longer allows sellers to accept check, money orders and cashier’s checks for items.  Long story short, we are basically forced to use PayPal (and a couple of other smaller online payment centers) for items.  EBay wrote some sort of BS nonsense about this allowing for more secure transactions for sellers.  Which is CRAP.  Every seller used to be able to choose what method of payment we accepted.  If you only wanted PayPal and didn’t want to accept checks and money orders, that was fine.  Just say you only accept PayPal.  Or cash.  Or glass beads.  Whatever.  It worked.  I’ve had plenty of people send me checks and money orders.  Never had a problem.  But now, unless we want to violate eBay’s new policy, we can’t do that.

WHAT?!! 

Oh right.  Guess who owns PayPal?

EBay.

EBay owns PayPal.  This policy has jack nothing to do with protecting sellers (or buyers) and everything to do with eBay’s bottom line.  Which, you know, eBay has the right to do.  It’s their business.

Well, guess what?  It’s my business too and I am taking it elsewhere.

I’ve found some great resources this week to help me find new auction/selling sites.  There is a great little “Mashable” article called “17 Alternatives to Buying and Selling on EBay.”  This article lists a bunch (17) other sites and gives some information on each of them.  Sweetie found this great site:  http://www.online-auction-sites.toptenreviews.com/

That site lists 10 different auction sites and does a side-by-side comparison of things like types of sales, seller fees, reliability, etc.  Nice site.

I searched around for other sites last January.  The problem was, and still is, this:  While there is plenty of inventory on many of these sites, when I browse through the auctions, I don’t see a lot of active bids.  These sites NEED MORE BUYERS!!  I think we need to get the word out to people that there are other options besides eBay.

It may be a bit of a struggle.  Like I said, there are no disincentives to buyers on eBay.  They don’t have to pay an extra fee.  But what you may not realize is that 1) sellers may be slightly increasing their prices to make up for the selling fees, and 2) over time, inventory will go down on eBay because more and more sellers are leaving.  One of the stores I used to keep track of on eBay shut down last January after the new policies took effect.  I think more people will leave this month.  And I think that buyers will soon get the word that there are other alternatives.

For now, I think I’m moving over to eBid.  The setup is very similar – there are auctions and “Buy Now” options.  There are stores and feedback.  And, right now, they are offering Lifetime seller subscriptions for $49.99.  Lifetime.  Set up a store and there will be no more monthly fees every single month.  Ever.  There may be some other fees, but they are nothing compared to what eBay has been charging.  Wow! 

EBay may someday learn that their money-grabbing efforts are so extreme that they will  backfire.  I don’t feel bad for them at all.

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Oh fine…

…I’ll weigh in on this stupid debacle.

I can’t begin to count the many reasons why I don’t feel sorry for Paris Hilton. AND why I don’t feel angry at the judge who sentenced her. I wasn’t going to comment on this mess that is blown up by the press. However, several commentaries require response. Folks have been saying that the judge did give Ms. Hilton special treatment – in reverse – by issuing a much harsher sentence than other people might receive. There was an idiotic commentary on the Huffington Post yesterday by Charles Karel Bouley. He complained about tax-payer resources going towards watching over innocent little Paris, who should be able to serve her time at home. He said she is only going to jail because she is a rich, bit**y heiress, and we like to knock down those we build up. No, Mr. Bouley, she is going to jail because SHE BROKE THE LAW. And then, the ever-verbose Geraldo Rivera says similar things today. That the judge should be ashamed for being so harsh.

Oh shut up. That’s what I say.

You people are lambasting a judge for sending someone to prison for 45 days? Which probably would have been 23 days if she had stayed put. For what? What started as reckless driving related to alcohol. What does that mean? She was DRIVING AFTER DRINKING. Over the California legal limit. She was not supposed to drive. She was supposed to go to alcohol counseling. She kept driving. She has not yet gone to any counseling/classes. Why is 45 days in jail so harsh? Why is it so harsh to bring the hammer down on her? What lesson is she ever going to learn sitting at home? Has she yet learned about substance abuse? I doubt it. Not just because of her own behavior. Not just because she never checked into a program. But also this – is she the kind of person who looked at people like Ms. Lohan and Ms. Spears and said “Hey, you have a serious substance abuse problem. You need to stop this behavior and go get help before you kill yourself (or someone else).” Did she ever do that for her “friends?” No, she said “Yo girls, come party with me. Get your bad-girl pics in the paper. Party!” What’s to stop her from driving drunk again? What’s to stop her from watching people she knows die from these abuses? What’s to stop her from causing an accident that could kill someone? In the face of that, why is 45 days, or 23 days , so harsh?

As for her own breakdown, that’s pathetic. If she really is on the edge of a breakdown, I gotta ask “What the hell did her parents ever teach her?” She seems to have not one clue about how to stand on her own two feet. It seems like her parents have indulged her publicity obsession. Did they not teach her she can adapt to life if everything is not always handed to her on a silver platter? How does she think her mom is going to help her now? Has her mom helped her do everything in life? Isn’t it Paris herself who learned to preen and smirk in front of the camera? Personally, I don’t like the idea of going to prison. I’d be scared too. But I wouldn’t think so little of myself that I would think for sure it would kill me. And what’s to deal with for her? She gets her own cell. She is separated from the other inmates. That eliminates the scariest part of prison. Why can’t she just take a couple of books and catch up on some reading. Is she going through drug and alcohol withdrawals? Maybe she would know how to deal with that if she ever attended the programs she was ordered to.

So, I think the press should just shut up and let her serve her time. And I think she should. And if she really, really, is not mentally strong enough to sit in a cell for 20 days or so, by herself, without makeup and cameras and a strong drink, then you gotta ask – is she mentally strong enough to deal with non-stop publicity? Maybe she should just retire from the party life when she gets out of jail and find a real job. If she’s strong enough to act like she owns the world, she should be strong enough to face the consequences of not actually owning it.

grrrr….grrrr….rant over.

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