Cartrivision - Check out Home Video circa 1972!



Cartrivision - The First VCR with Prerecorded Sale/Rental Tapes in 1972

From the "More than I wanted to hear" file


Jay Leno writing in his Popular Mechanics column about his 1955 Buick that was just restored with a new 620 horsepower engine, a Corvette suspension and other upgrades:

To me, this car is significant. It was what I drove when my wife, Mavis, and I first dated. We went to a secluded spot, and all the normal things happened, and it was great. Then we got married. Years later, we said, "Why don't we try to re-create that special moment?"

He goes on, but do you really want to hear it?

FYI, this car was also featured in Autoweek.

Jay Leno's Garage: Building A Better Buick

Waa Waa Recorded Music sales slump 7.6%

The recording industry announced that the sales of recorded music sunk 7.6% last year. Naturally they attriute it to file traders. The real culprit is in the next office over, at the video divisions of the same conglomerates that control the record industry. DVD sales were up 45% last year, a $3 billion jump. The recorded music drop was just $.2 billion.
When I go to Best Buy with $25.00 in my pocket, I have to decide to buy a DVD or a couple CDs. I'm going to go with the DVD every time.
(Actually, I try to buy them pre-viewed at Blockbuster at 2 for $20.00.)

Maybe if the recorded music industry took a look at the sorry state of radio, they'd realize that nobody is buying music because nobody is hearing music.

CNN.com - Music slump: 'Worst may be over'? - Apr 7, 2004

AG files suit against Cambridge Credit Counselors

Worcester Telegram & Gazette Online - APN

NCLC "white paper" on problems with Credit Counseling

Credit Counselors get Raked over the Coals in Congress

While I was away, Congress held hearings on abuses in the credit counseling industry. (This is the same congress that wants to push consumers into the clutches of credit counselors through the new bankruptcy bill - but I digress.) Anyway, the head of Ameridebt took Fifth. The head of Cambridge Credit Counseling, Inc., John Puccio begged off testifying, claiming to have had a stroke. This is the same guy who made a $624,000 salary as the head of a "not-for-profit" credit counseling company in addition to the money he made from other related and non-related entities. In separate news, the Massachusetts Attorney General has Cambridge in his sights. I'll prepare a link when one is available



Credit Counseling Riddled With Fast-Buck Promoters, Congress Finds

Bottom Feeders Settle FTC Charges

In the FDCPA consumer bar, debt collection companies that buy charged off debt are called "bottom feeders". They are notorious for threatening suit and negative credit reporting in cases where suits are barred by the statute of limitations and credit reporting is barred by the Fair Credit Reporting Act. Two of the biggest buyers of charged off debt just settled with the FTC, Camco and AM Financial.

They'll be back in one form or another.

Debt Buyer/Debt Collection Companies and Their Principals Settle FTC Charges

The New Winner of The Butt-Ugliest Car award

Click on the link below to see the pictures of the 2006 Subaru Crossover. This car is scary ugly. Yo mama so ugly that if she were a car she'd be a Subaru Crossover. You look in the dictionary for the word ugly, you see this car. That's how ugly this thing is.

I can just see the Pontiac Aztek (anthropomorphized) saying "Mirror Mirror on the wall, Who's the ugliest car of all?"

"Not you, my queen. There is one in the land who is far more ugly than you."

According to thecarconnection, GM might put out a version of this car for itself. The AztekII anyone?

According to the article, this design resulted in "positive feedback" in consumer clinics. "Positive feedback?" Is that the same as throwing up?


Click only if you have an empty stomach.

The Car Connection [ The Web's Automotive Authority ]

Revenge of the Neons

You know how Pokemon evolve into even more powerful Pokemon with different names? I suppose you can say that the same thing has happened with the Dodge Neon evolving into the SRT-4. How about 5.3 seconds from 0-60? I don't know whether our discount applies or not. I heard there's a waiting list. Though there are $3000 rebates on lesser Neons, none apply to the SRT-4.

If I get a chance to drive one of these puppies, I'll report it in the blog.


Car and Driver Magazine : Dodge SRT-4 : April?2004

Oops! Correction

It's not a Microsoft site - it's the government antitrust site. I always thought that the government's pursuit of Microsoft was half-assed. If they really were bothered by the Microsoft monopoly, wouldn't they have been more aggressive about buying non-microsoft products? I bet all those briefs against Microsoft were written using Microsoft Word on Windows computers.


Welcome - Coordinated State Enforcement of Microsoft Antitrust Judgments