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If you buy just about any product and have an issue with that product, you have a reasonable expectation of being able to take that product back and get a replacement.  Example;  Buy a TV and it doesn’t work, you return it and get a new one.. Or return it and get your money back.  That new shirt not fit quite right?  Take it back..

Not with software.  With software once purchased you’re stuck with it.   There is typically a very strict “no return” policy, and this sucks.  It’s to the point now where most stores wont even take back unopened software.  Once the transaction is done, its done.

So if you get that software home and it just plain doesn’t work, you’re hosed.  You’re just out that money, and you have absolutely zero recourse other than to not purchase that companies software any more.  That’s where I’m at with Ubisoft.

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Black-Ops

I really do enjoy the Call of Duty franchise..  It started out as a PC shooter back in 2003 and was pretty much heralded as the game to be or beat..  They continued with expansion after expansion and broadened their horizons to other machines.   At this point the franchise spans something like 15 to 20 titles on 5 or 6 different platforms earning more than $3 billion dollars world wide, and even includes it’s own line of action figures..    However their latest offering is down right bad and they should hang their head a little..

More over, for a game that started on the PC one would think they would give it more love than they do.. At this point the PC version of the latest game is completely unplayable by a large portion of the market, myself included and some how that seems okay to them.

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Voting Process

So as a general rule, I don’t vote.  I don’t vote, and it’s my right to do so.  Leave me alone.  Stop harassing me with mindless slogans and social pressure.  I don’t want to be bothered by it, I don’t have to be bothered by it, I won’t be bothered by it.

The common sense rhetoric that often follows my making that statement is that if I don’t vote, then I shouldn’t complain or that “bad officials are sent to govern where good people don’t vote”.. etc..

I disagree.  I maintain that voting in ignorance of the issues or the people and their policies is worse that voting at all..

I don’t vote because I know myself to not be educated as to the various parties, stances, issues..etc.  And that you by voting, have in fact gone out of your way to educate yourself, as opposed to voting from a stance of ignorance..  So if you vote badly, then I can complain about your poor choice.. =)  I say this facetiously but there’s a hint of truth to it..

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I have been a Citibank member for 15 years.  I got my first Citicard in 1995 while I was in the military after I got back from Korea because I figured it was time to go ahead and start working on my credit..

I have always tried to keep a balance off of it, but there have been a couple  years where just due to the times I couldn’t help but carry a small balance..

Well the other day I went to pay off my card and I noticed that they bumped my APR to 29.998%…   Are you fucking kidding me?  30% APR is highway robbery..

I called them up and asked them to lower my rate and they refused..  The operator I got ahold of (once I navigated their automated system) told me that “.. they were unable to lower my rate at this time. Thanks for calling.. *click*”

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Stop the DRM

When will companies learn that their draconian efforts to prevent piracy only serves to hurt their paying customers which directly affects their bottom line!!

Companies, you must stop counting pirated copies of your software as “lost revenue” — it’s not! Someone who is willing to pirate software isn’t willing to pay for it.. EVER! So you never had their money in the first place..

You’re trying so hard to capture that imagined lost revenue that it’s blinding you to how badly you’re screwing yourselves and your real customers..

Equating the number of pirated copies of your software directly to dollars is retarded.. More over, implementing these harsh DRM models only serves to prevent the honest players from playing your games, which effectively assures that you’re going to lose real money in the form of people who actually DO buy your games going else where..

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So there are a lot of people, some famous, trying to get you to buy gold..  While I was in the car dealership the other day in the waiting area they had the TV playing and there was something like 10 different gold resellers trying to convince us that NOW is the time to buy gold .. “Cause the economy sucks”, “Gold is always valuable”, “I’m really famous do what I say.. “  etc..

As of this writing the price of gold is at $1120 an ounce which is an all time high.  That alone should be your first indication that;  Now is not the time to buy gold!

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