Build Date: Tue Sep 29 02:41:02 2026 UTC
I really shouldn't have gone to the game as I had so much work to do around the house, but it was nice to actually see the sun - it is yellow you know.
-- Johnnie Royale
I Hate the Information Age
2003-02-04 00:24:44
I bought myself a cell phone for Christmas so that I could send private little text messages back and forth with my boyfriend. Generally I can't stand the idea of being reachable anytime, anywhere, day or night. But who am I to impede the progress of love? So, I knuckled under and took advantage of this great AT&T "Free-2-Go" Wireless and Nokia offer at my local 7-Eleven store. Now, I'm all fired up.
The original offer entailed buying the $99 phone which included $50 mail-in rebates from AT&T and 7-Eleven respectively. I was suspicious because, well, nothing is free, right? But the deal came highly recommended by a trusted friend. I would buy the phone, mail in the rebate information and just pay for the phone minutes. Voila! Free phone. It was a pretty good deal. No contracts or commitments. I was comforted in knowing that if I got real pissed off at my new shoe phone, I could toss it from a moving vehicle--no muss no fuss. I diligently assembled the necessary rebate information and mailed it the very next day. Yay. Merry Christmas to me.
Today I received an envelope from some company named Young America. It contained my original envelope, receipt, rebate form and a letter advising that my request was incomplete. I apparently neglected to include the bar-code sticker from the bottom of the box. Now, I don't remember if the original instructions asked for this information or not. I'm inclined to think that they didn't because I'm fairly detail oriented and thorough. Plus, I checked all the information twice before mailing it off.
But that's not the point. They were kind enough to allow me to resubmit my request with the admonition that my "...resubmittal will be subject to all of the original terms and conditions of the Nokia/AT&T Q4 2002 Mail-In Rebate Offer." The point is that they waited almost TWO MONTHS before notifying me of the alleged oversight: well AFTER the deadline to submit the rebate request! I mean, it's not like they didn't have my phone number. fu*kers. There is a chance that they will honor my request since the AT&T Wireless Website is currently offering the same deal. But I'm still fired up and they're still f*ckers.
What about the 7-Eleven part of the rebate, you may ask? They lamed out on the whole thing and sent me an innocuous letter enclosing a $25 prepaid refill card for calling minutes. No $50. No opportunity to re-submit my request. I hate AT&T. I hate Nokia. I hate 7-Eleven. (Well, okay, I'm extremely disappointed with 7-Eleven.) I hate the Information Age. I don't want to be in touch. I don't even like talking on the phone. Don't call me. Don't even look at me. fuck*rs.
Dog gone it! I want my $100.
T O P S T O R I E S
John Dvorak has passed. I’m of mixed emotions. First off I’m more positive about his contribution to the overall technology journalism of the early PC days through the 90s, despite how many things he got wrong. He was a firebrand and commanded attention. (More...)
America's National Recording Registry Inducts Culturally Significant Artist - Weezer!
America's Library of Congress calls them "defining sounds of history and culture" and "audio treasures worthy of preservation for all time based on their cultural, historical or aesthetic importance in the nation’s recorded sound heritage." Ladies and gentlemen, I give you... Weezer! (More...)
The Crossroads are real and The Blues is a place; The enduring myth of Robert Johnson (More...)
California Glory Hole attracts huge crowds
A glory hole at Napa's Lake Berryessa is drawing huge crowds. According to Chris Lee, the general manager for the Solano County Water Agency, the glory hole hasn't been active since 2019, and only restarted operations on Feb 4. (More...)
Republican State Senator busted after soliciting a teenage girl
Republican State Senator Justin Eichorn of Minnesota was arrested for soliciting a teen girl on Monday just hours after he introduced a bill proposing "Trump derangement syndrome" (TDS) as a form of mental illness. (More...)
Parents claim measles is not that bad after having only one child die
The parents of a Texas girl who died from the measles are defending their decision not to vaccinate their daughter. "She says they would still say 'Don't do the shots,'" an unidentified translator for the parents said. "They think it’s not as bad as the media is making it out to be." (More...)
C L A S S I C P I G D O G
Skunk School -- Learn Why Not To Keep Skunks As Pets
There is an alarming trend in pet purchasing habits this fall. People inspired by the WWII film, "Life is Beautiful" -- the one with that annoying Italian guy -- are buying descented skunks by the millions. (More...)
There are two kinds of Assmen in this world. Wild, hairy assmen, who put stickers that say things like "Why Be Normal?" all over their trucks and drink Corona beer and wear fezzes at parties for attention; these are the Assman Desperados. Our job is to ferret them out and expose them. (More...)
The Innocent San Francisco Mule
Flesh and Abby have moved to an isolated rural location in the United States - equipped only with their sense of adventure. Recently they came down off the mountain briefly to file this report? (More...)
Johnnie Royale's Guide to Wakes
Wakes can present problems for Bad People of the Future. (If you don't know what a BPotF is, you need to read more of the PDJ.) Sure, your friend is gone and you miss him and that really sucks; it does, I know. But all Bad People of the Future are gonna die, and they have all accepted that fact. They do deserve, however, to have one final kickass party to celebrate all the bad things they've done in the past, present and future. And you, as a friend, have to make sure that their desire for a final send off is well executed (sorry for the pun). That's just the way of BPotFdom. (More...)
Songs Of Love And Special Things
Well, dear reader, there's no denying it: Spring has sprung. The air is pungent with the fertile aroma of Romance. And you know what goes with Romance, don't you? That's right, Lover, porn. And not just any porn, but the kind you can sing along to. (More...)
This week: another fine spocktail from the beverage researchers at SMRL! Drink it in peace, because WE DID THE RESEARCH! (More...)
