iamshack

QUOTE (JoeCoolMan24 @ Aug 2, 2012 -> 10:19 PM) But see, that thinking is kind of what I am talking about. I don't buy things based on how many people also own it. Whether everyone has one, or no one does, that doesn't affect my decision. And just based on the fact that since the Zune HD have stopped being made, the prices of them have SKYROCKETED. They used to be $200 brand new, now they are over $400. I have seen listings online for over $600 for a Zune HD. That's insane. Instead of replacing my stolen Zune HD a few weeks ago, I was looking at what the other brands were offering until I came across a used 32GB version for $150 with a bundle that sells for $100 alone. So I decided upon that. Yeah, but oftentimes the fact that no one owns something is because it is a piece of s***.

QUOTE (JoeCoolMan24 @ Aug 2, 2012 -> 10:12 PM) Not sure why you are pretending a Zune HD ISN'T a fantastic device. It's awesome. I also don't understand why you act as if I am a Zune fanboy or something. I never owned any previous models. In fact, I was actually a huge fan of Creative until they started making more tablet-like Mp3 players. I had a Creative Zen Touch, and then a Creative Vision: M. Both great devices, both still work. I even installed some user-created GUI on the Vision, and gave it a Super Mario theme, it was really dope. So yeah, you can pretty much ditch that narrative.... Really, I am just busting your nuts. That and the fact that you're like the only person on the face of the earth that owns it.

QUOTE (SoxFan1 @ Aug 2, 2012 -> 08:32 PM) Dr. Pepper sucks, but I try to no drink any pop anyway. As far as porn, I chose option #2. How would your parents ever know? I would be more concerned about my own children... The thing about porn is unless you are Ron Jeremy or Peter North, no one remembers the dudes. I am sure there are male porn stars walking around LA that no one has a clue who they are. I would totally do it if there was real money in it for men, but I don't think there is. Now if I was a woman...

QUOTE (chw42 @ Aug 2, 2012 -> 09:26 PM) For laptops and tablets, you have a point. And that's if the extra $500 you pay for a Macbook actually benefits you. But for something like a cell phone, we're talking about possibly $1000 over the lifetime of your contract. I imagine you guys pay upwards of $100 monthly for your iPhone plan on whatever service you have. I pay half of that for a fully unlimited plan and I didn't have to spend $700 on an unlocked iPhone to do it. And money is an issue. There's a high school kid in my neighborhood that's asked me about laptop advice numerous times. He wants a Macbook. His reason? Cause it looks cool and sexy and it just "feels good". I keep telling him that unless you have $1200 to cough up, good luck convincing your parents. Well I understand with the laptops...I don't need one for hardcore computing or anything, so I buy the iPad instead. I do agree the Macbooks seem very expensive, but again, I have never been a hardcore laptop user. I have a 27-inch iMac which I absolutely adore. I think I paid $1800 or 2k for it almost 2 years ago, and it still works as good as the day I took it out of the box. The display is absolutely gorgeous, and large enough for me to display two browser windows simultaneously (maximized) and still have other smaller windows open such as IM programs or whatever. Despite the huge display it takes up very little room, and is powerful enough to store everything I need on it and to serve as a base station for all my various gadgets. And it is incredible for viewing and editing photos on. The phones, I guess you might have a point. I wasn't aware that you could get comparable devices without having to pay for a required data package. My stepdad has a Blackberry and he pays the $30 or whatever just the same as I do. But I use my phone for 2-3 years, and I use it for much of the day every day. That is basically 700-1000 days of constant use. I guess I am willing to pay a couple extra bucks a day (if the cost is really that much higher) for something I understand how to use, feel comfortable using, and fulfills all my needs. And to touch on a point I made earlier, if you're a college student, then yes, I can understand you not wanting to buy Apple products. That is beer-drinking money you need to decide whether to part with, and I don't blame you. But then again, when I was in college, all I cared about my phone doing was making calls and texting. But I guess you guys are in a different world now.

QUOTE (chw42 @ Aug 2, 2012 -> 09:14 PM) An intelligent shopper doesn't just buy the most expensive things on the market. Absolutely not. The most expensive things on the market are not always the best, but often the best are the most expensive things on the market. Honestly, I don't get all the complaining about price. For as much as we use these items, or at least as much as I use them, the additional cost is well-justified. I know I do, and my guess is many others do as well, waste money on FAR DUMBER things than our phones and computers. For something I use every single day, often times all day long, an extra $100 or couple hundred bucks is really not a huge deal.

QUOTE (chw42 @ Aug 2, 2012 -> 09:09 PM) Let's see...2 iMacs, an iPad 3, and an iPhone 4S. Fanboy. It's not being a fanboy if it's simply the better device. It's called being an intelligent shopper.

QUOTE (Y2HH @ Aug 2, 2012 -> 08:50 PM) That's simply not true, though. Since I own 2 iMacs, 1 Lenovo Laptop, 1 Dell XPS Laptop, I use a Lenovo Desktop at work running XP, and a BlackBerry Bold, too. My iMac is set up to dual boot, one partition is OSX 10.8, the other is Windows 7 Ultimate x64. The fact is we are in the TCP era of computing, so it really doesn't matter what your OS is, it communicates just the same, so long as it can do what you want/need it to do. At the moment, I feel Apple stuff is the easiest, so it's what I use for primary function...but I'm indifferent for the most part. Not many Apple fanboys use Chrome and Gmail, but I do because I don't think Safari or Apple email alternatives come close. I don't mind Safari, but I do enjoy Chrome as well at work. I have Gmail as well. I've always hated Apple's mail program. Honestly, Windows 7 isn't so bad. I like being able to see all the 5 million tabs I have up at work without actually clicking on them, and I still prefer Word and Excel to Pages and Numbers. But as far as multimedia devices go, I just don't think there is any contest. I have an iPhone/iMac/iPad/iPod. Have a Dell laptop for work and it's a ginormous piece of s***.

QUOTE (JoeCoolMan24 @ Aug 2, 2012 -> 07:39 PM) I've stated multiple times I hate Apple. I didn't even realize that was up for discussion. I have not, and will not ever purchase an Apple product in my life. And my life will be none the different without them. I guess you'll never know...you'll be too busy listening to your Zune...

QUOTE (Y2HH @ Aug 2, 2012 -> 06:10 PM) You're not supposed to respond...like I didn't. He was doing it on purpose. Yeah, I figured, but I was sparing us all from Joe's response.

QUOTE (chw42 @ Aug 2, 2012 -> 07:07 PM) http://www.ebay.com/itm/At-t-Iphone-2g-/32...f#ht_500wt_1413 What resale value? That is a 2g phone that is cracked to all hell, troller.

QUOTE (chw42 @ Aug 2, 2012 -> 07:05 PM) http://www.ebay.com/itm/COLLECTORS-ORIGINA...1#ht_827wt_1396 Pfft...Joe was right...let's see which Apple snob buys that. It would be cool in like 50 years. But it's been like 6.

QUOTE (Y2HH @ Aug 2, 2012 -> 07:04 PM) It's too late. You've already been caught, brought to the taxidermist, and mounted above my fireplace. "Maria there may be lots of fish in the sea, but you're the only one I want to mount above my fireplace."

QUOTE (Chicago White Sox @ Aug 2, 2012 -> 04:53 PM) No offense, but is everyone here oblivious to pitching prices. Have you seen what guys like Oliver Perez, Carlos Silva, & Kyle Lohse have got in free agency? Peavy will probably be looking for what John Lackey got a few years ago (roughly $16 mil/yr), but obviously for less seasons. Honestly, if you're going to offer him Edwin Jackson money, then you might as well not make the offer. Yeah, I understand that. But at the end of this year, we will have paid him over $50 million for roughly 70 starts, which pencils out to about $715k per start. He's been more than well-compensated for his time here. I know he didn't ask to come here, and I know we didn't negotiate this contract, and I know he has worked his ass off to come back from the injuries and he works his ass off every start, but by just about every measure imaginable, he's been paid extraordinarily well. In my opinion, we can't afford to take the same kind of risk on him that we did when we traded for him in '09. He has gone through hell and back, has put immense strain on his body, and I'm not sure anyone can predict with any degree of reasonable certainty what he has left in the tank and what kind of performance you are going to get out of him over the course of the next several years. So if someone else wants to take a $70 million gamble on him, so be it. If someone wants to take a $50 million gamble on him, so be it. I just don't think it should be us. I'd make him an offer which reflects our gratitude for what he has gone through, and by all means, allows him to continue to make an absolutely incredible living, and if he chooses to sign here for reasons other than money, fabulous. If he chooses to follow the money, due to pressure from the union, or a desire to play for another team, or just because he wants to receive what he feels he deserves, then so be it. It's not about being ridiculous, and it's not about trying to insult anyone. It's about being sensible about the future of the White Sox.

QUOTE (JoeCoolMan24 @ Aug 2, 2012 -> 05:31 PM) iPhones are probably the most obvious device of people trying to have a certain image that I can think of. Yeah, driving around a BMW or Mercedes does it too, but the cheaper way to look cool is to get an iPhone. It's the epitome me, "everyone else has one, I need to one too!". There are some people out there that would love a $800 price tag, that way it can be more exclusive and people will know you must have a lot of money if you can afford to get one. Suuuuuuch a status symbol and fashion accessory, it's sickening. Again, I think maybe in college that is the case... Not so in the professional world.

QUOTE (Balta1701 @ Aug 2, 2012 -> 04:05 PM) Is 3/$36 really that "Team friendly"? If you go to the fangraphs world, ever since his cy young year, he's been a $12 million-$17 million a year pitcher outside of the year he tore apart his shoulder. At his current pace he'll put up $16 million in value this year, so compared to this year that's slightly team friendly, but he's been a $12 million a year pitcher on average since the end of his cy young year. People are talking about the Dodgers paying him more than that...because the Dodgers might overpay anyone who can fill their holes right now and make them a winner next year, even if it's not a smart financial move. See: Andre Etheir's contract for an example. I'd go 2/$22...take it or leave it, Jakemeister.

QUOTE (JoeCoolMan24 @ Aug 2, 2012 -> 04:54 PM) Now being cool next year will only cost you $800-$900! http://www.digitalspy.com/tech/news/a39694...itter-fury.html And then add on the price to re-purchase all those accessories that will no longer be compatible with the new connection size. Let's see if this is all just a rumor or not. Honestly, how is it being cool when so many people have them now? When I think of someone as being cool, it's because they make their own choices for their own reasons, have their own sense of style, etc. Your cell phone is one of the most practical devices one can own, and thus, I choose the device that happens to be the easiest for me to understand and use. That is why I choose it. It isn't a suit or a sports car. It is something that I am using in one way or the other all day, every day, and it is usually kept in my pocket (where no one can see it). You are a college student, so I understand what your perspective is and what your life is like. But keep in mind, that is not everyone else's perspective.

QUOTE (JoeCoolMan24 @ Aug 2, 2012 -> 04:10 PM) How did the iPod improve upon what Creative was already doing? I mean, they stole their interface, and Creative products STILL had more features to it, plus it allowed for drag-and-drop, as well as providing it's own software similar to iTunes (minus the store). The circular "wheel" was a HUGE improvement on all other mp3 players because it allowed you to scroll through massive quantities of music in relatively short order.

QUOTE (JoeCoolMan24 @ Aug 2, 2012 -> 02:58 PM) What product, outside of the iPod Touch, has been completely new that we've never seen before? And just to be clear, I'm not talking about stuff from way back in the day when it was run with Woz at the helm. I mean in the new age of portable technology. Innovation isn't just a matter of "inventing" something never seen or heard of before. A lot of it involves taking a product that is good in concept, but poor in execution, and improving about that execution so that the product realizes the potential of the concept. The iPod was a prime example of that, as was the iPhone, the all-in-one iMac, the iPad, as well as many of their software applications.

QUOTE (IlliniKrush @ Aug 2, 2012 -> 11:21 AM) She was kind of sniffing it but we got rid of it pretty quickly so hard to tell, but she didn't go right back to dig in. This was probably 2 hours or so after she ate it. Is it good or bad if she did want to eat it? She ate her breakfast this morning no problem. It is actually good to let them try and eat it again if they want to. Many times they do this just because they swallowed something too quickly. They don't usually chew (their teeth aren't really designed for that) so sometimes they get a little ambitious and it comes back up. Other times, I am not so sure what happens. I have seen my dog get his entire meal down, then I give him like one tiny piece of fruit a half hour later and everything comes back up again. Kind of bizarre. If it was two hours later though, maybe the stomach had started digesting it and made it a bit unappetizing.

QUOTE (JoeCoolMan24 @ Aug 2, 2012 -> 03:48 PM) The only product Apple ever made that stood out to me as being really cool and different from what I had seen elsewhere, was the iPod Touch. At the time, I wasn't aware of any other completely touch screen mp3 players that had a bunch of games and apps on them. THAT was cool. Everything else they have made I have said "ok, and why is that any different or better than anything else already out there?". I don't see them as an innovative company at all. They just take things that already exist, and slap their logo on them and people freak out, piss themselves, and wait in line for days to buy it for 2x the price of similar items that already exist. Hah, I understand you enjoy getting a rise out of me, but honestly, if you have this opinion, you're only doing a disservice to yourself, and in the meantime, wrecking all credibility you have on this issue. Even the harshest of Apple critics would concede the opposite of the bolded above.

QUOTE (JoeCoolMan24 @ Aug 2, 2012 -> 03:25 PM) Is because Apple has a huge marketing campaign. Microsoft is the only other company I can ever remember advertising their mp3 players on TV a lot. Possibly the Dell DJ, but when you are constantly seeing something advertised on TV, you are going to think about it first. Ask anyone you know, and almost all of them you ask will say Apple invented the mp3 player. They were never the first, they were just the loudest. Just because you are unaware of other companies that produce products doesn't mean a whole lot other than you aren't looking in to alternatives, and they don't advertise as much. Obviously Apple is the gorilla in the room now, but when they first released the iPod, the company was not particularly in good shape...they had gained some traction from the iMac, but the iPod was basically the second good product they made in their return to profitability. How do you explain the incredible appeal and sales of the iPod in the wake of Microsoft at the height of it's powers? Apple didn't even set out to create an mp3 player. They set out to create software for mp3 players, and upon examining what was available on the market (mostly devices similar to those you posted about earlier), they determined the market was lacking and decided to create their own. At the time, they were not really any bigger than Creative, or Rio, and much much smaller than many of the other players, such as Microsoft, Samsung and Sony.

QUOTE (JoeCoolMan24 @ Aug 2, 2012 -> 03:19 PM) Lol, just like I'm sure you think it's a myth that the dogs in my family have automatic feeders and yet aren't fat, unhealthy, or over-eat. LOL. You don't have to believe anything, but it doesn't mean my stories aren't true. Not at all... As a baseball fan, you should be familiar with something called "sample size." Just because you can provide anecdotal evidence for something, that does not carry the same weight as expert opinion, or tens of millions of people disputing your opinion.

QUOTE (JoeCoolMan24 @ Aug 2, 2012 -> 01:49 PM) Are the songs you buy on iTunes only allowed to be moved to Apple devices? I am pretty sure other devices can play them. Creative players come with PlaysForSure, which ensures that any music you purchase through an online music store is capatible to play on the device. Plus, "drag and drop" is a much more simplistic and easier system to use than iTunes. iTunes is pure garbage as a software. My dad made the mistake of buying an ipod a long time ago, and he could never figure out how to use iTunes, and neither one of us could figure out how to get a video on the damn thing. He ended up switching to a Sandisk I believe, and it was much easier to work with. You are just making s*** up as you go along... Seriously, the anecdotal evidence of you and your dad versus the billions of downloads on iTunes...you are really grasping here.

QUOTE (Balta1701 @ Aug 2, 2012 -> 01:33 PM) There's another difference though...those devices were nice, but you couldn't hook them up easily to an available, legal online store for music. Hooking a shuffle up to Itunes, being able to rapidly swap in and out playlists and other content...legally, was a very important part of their success also. This was the huge leap that Apple made...you could actually upload your music to the device easily and without constant bs errors and the device crashing. There is a reason none of us have a clue of what those other devices are and yet we all know what the Shuffle is/was...and my Apple sold a s***load of them. But you can keep ignoring the real facts, Joe.

QUOTE (IlliniKrush @ Aug 2, 2012 -> 09:32 AM) One night last week our dog threw up her food. Called the vet just to check, just said keep an eye on her, once in a while they throw up, etc. Last night, all the sudden she throws up her food on the floor. From what we can tell, she seemed fine and ran around the rest of the night after it. She hadn't thrown up at all since we've had her, but then once last week once this week. Is it just normal for dogs to throw up every once in a while, or should I be more concerned? Did she show any interest in eating it again after she barfed (not different food, but actually the food she threw up)?