Deal of the Day: November 29

So, I've decided to do a new segment on my blog, titled the "Deal of the Day." It may help Christmas be a little more economical, while giving great gifts for your loved ones! Today's gift is... Scrabble Turbo Slam! This great gift can be found at target.com for a mere $7.49. A great gift for any friend or family member. Look it up today!

Christmas and stress: Who needs it?

After a long hiatus, I decided to pick this back up. I still can't believe that Thanksgiving 2011 has already come and gone, and we're staring down the barrel of the holiday season.
With that said, I am FREAKING out about Christmas. And, don't get me wrong, I love the holidays. However, it has come to my attention that the people I have to shop for either fall into one of two categories: 1) I can think of a million perfect gifts, but I can't settle on one, or 2) this person has everything, and I have no idea what to add to their collection.
Gift-giving really shouldn't be this difficult. As long as it comes from the heart, that's all that matters, right? Well, in theory, that's correct. But, let's face it: nothing trumps the feeling of disappointment when someone opens a gift you meticulously chose for them, only to see them give a fake smile and mutter "thaaanks..."
But, it's just too much pressure. As someone who made the catastrophic mistake of going to Wal-Mart on Black Friday, I saw what our society has become. Greedy, shallow, and I realized that I was no better for being there in the first place. That's why I've decided it's really not worth the worry. I'm done with it. I'm going to do my best, and if it doesn't work out, I tried. I'm not going to max out my credit cards just trying to please people. I'm going to put my heart into gift giving, and not worry about the rest. I'd rather spend my time around the holidays being with loved ones, not running around the local department store. And if they love me, they'll feel the same way.

I wonder how many HP that took off? Store clerk uses a real life Limit Break

Okay, so I apologize for the geeky-Final-Fantasy-referenced title, but this is pretty awesome: In Columbia, South Carolina, a convenience store clerk was held up at gunpoint by a robber, and decided to take a very old school approach: attacking him with his hidden sword! The robber was so caught off guard that the clerk was able to run him out of the store with no injuries and no theft... It kind of makes me want to sharpen that one decorative sword I have laying around from years back just in case. That is all.

The Internet on a Disc and other goodies from the Wayback Machine

Wow, that's all I can really say. I saw one image on Failblog of The Internet on a Disc, and it got me to thinking... I'd like to see what the internet looked like ten to fifteen years ago, just to see how much it has changed. Well, it turns out that I'm in luck! The good people over at the Internet Archive have created the Wayback Machine, which allows users to type in a web address, hit enter, and with a few clicks can see what a webpage looked like up to 15 years ago! It is pretty amazing just taking a look at what we at one time considered to be high tech.
You can visit the Wayback Machine by clicking here!
Here are just a few of the pages I pulled up, dating from 1997-2001. Enjoy!

To all the parents, family, and friends out there

I understand that this world has certain social requirements to "fit in." I know that some people are so closed minded that they are unable to see that just because a person feels differently than they do, that they are not necessarily wrong. Our world is one of compromise; one of promise. It is my sincere wish that one day I shall even have children who are free from persecution, free from judgment due to intolerance, fear, or hatred.
To all the parents out there: please, try to understand your children. Please, do not try to force them to be anything other than who they really are. Please, just try to show a little empathy and compassion. Just try... that's all I can say. I know that you may not see eye to eye, but still, love your children. Treat them with respect. Show that you care. And even if you're not a parent, the same still applies.
That is all.

No More Cheating, Mr. Banker: Introducing "Monopoly Live"

Well, I think we've all played it at one point or another in our lives: the classic game of Monopoly. But it was announced this week that the makers of the beloved game are revamping the endless loop around the colorful board to be more in tune with 21st century players.
Targeting the pre-teen market, Hasbro announced that "Monopoly Live," a newer, more technologically advanced version of the game will be released on store shelves in fall 2011, with several other remakes planned for the coming years. With this new version, there will be no more paper money, no more dice, no more Chance and Community Chest; just a computerized infrared tower that will dictate all game information, such as money counting, adherence to the rules, and even how many spaces to move. But, these new additions will not come cheap. Look for the game to cost around $50. Maybe it's just me, but I'm not keen on a computer making all of the decisions for me, which is in essence what will happen. Something tells me that the "cash for landing on Free Parking" rule will no longer apply.

Teenagers give speeding tickets to police... not just one, but seventeen!

In Australia, it was reported that four teenagers are making headlines as of late. With a dash of daring, three of them distracted a police officer who was monitoring speeds from the side of the road by asking questions about the process, while a fourth member of the group silently unscrewed the license plate from the front of the car.
With their new acquisition, they then proceeded to drive past an automated speed camera... seventeen times. As a result, about a week later the police received 17 individual speeding tickets addressed to themselves. Now, that's what I call AWESOME.