download.com doucheware

On July 16, 2013July 15, 2013 By Rick McIn internet, product complaints, things getting worseLeave a comment

BEWARE these guys.

Addition of malware

Beginning in August 2011, download.com changed their own installer to add adware, malware, and browser toolbars to the software that users wish to download.

Accusations have included the surreptitious installation of a trojan installer and a browser hijacker. …

AVOID download.com 😦

download.com is owned by CNET and CBS. Boycott both, if you can.

Use the curated app stores run by Apple, Google, Microsoft, etc. 🙂

(via TWIT)

GASLAND – the film

On July 5, 2013June 29, 2013 By Rick McIn climate change, health & fitness, movies, product complaintsLeave a comment

GASLAND – (2010) Directed by Josh Fox. Winner of Special Jury Prize – Best US Documentary Feature – Sundance 2010.

… what comes out of the ground with that natural gas?

How does it affect our air and drinking water?

GASLAND is a powerful personal documentary that confronts these questions with spirit, strength, and a sense of humor. When filmmaker Josh Fox receives his cash offer in the mail, he travels across 32 states to meet other rural residents on the front lines of fracking. He discovers toxic streams, ruined aquifers, dying livestock, brutal illnesses, and kitchen sinks that burst into flame.

He learns that all water is connected and perhaps some things are more valuable than money. …

Click PLAY or watch a trailer on YouTube.

Gasland currently holds a 97% rating on the film site Rotten Tomatoes based on 37 reviews. …

QUIT Budget rent-a-car

On June 28, 2013 By Rick McIn product complaints, travelLeave a comment

In the past, I’ve found Budget as good as anyone.

But my recent rental out of JFK airport in NY revealed problems.

The vehicle was fine, a Kia Rio.

I rented and (oddly) prepaid online for 3 days. That was $30 / day plus a bewildering slew of add-on charges and taxes.

$136.23

Calling in to ADD an extra day was a hassle. It took 5-6 phone calls. I kept getting cut off near the end of the transaction.

For the extra day I was told the charge would be $69.76.

But on return of the vehicle, I was billed an extra $111.62. (More confusing taxes and charges.)

Deceptive and confusing pricing.

On a vehicle advertised to me for “$30 / day” I paid $111.62 for one day.

Budget rent-a-car SUCKS. 😦

I’ll boycott the company for life.

If you’re still not convinced, here’s Budget JFK when I returned the car.

None of the other agencies looked crowded.

I speculate that Budget offers low, appealing rates online. Then overcharges for every possible other thing.

Poor service, too. At least it was for me.

I recommend you ask for the total, TOTAL cost when renting a vehicle. And avoid Budget if you can.

why we HATE meetings

On June 17, 2013June 14, 2013 By Rick McIn product complaints, things getting betterLeave a comment

Best practice — AVOID them as much as possible.

Jas Fried gave a riveting TED talk about the major obstacles to getting work done. In his talk “Why work doesn’t happen at work,” Fried holds what he calls the “M&Ms” of work accountable for most lost productivity. What are “M&Ms?” Managers and Meetings. Their most grievous offense is the disruption of work flow: meetings and managerial interruptions often happen right when an employee is in the middle of a project …

Web Pro News – How Not To Suck At Meetings [Infographic, Video]

My suggestion: try not to have them.

Click PLAY or watch it on YouTube.

I much prefer the 24/7 workweek. A blend of work and play. Optimizing our time. Giving priority to your family life.

Instead of meetings, use dedicated social networking tools. Facebook groups, for example.

my favourite moron – Donald Trump

On June 14, 2013 By Rick McIn government, product complaintsLeave a comment

Making fun of him online is one of life’s pleasures. 🙂

I've been warning about China since as early as the 80’s. No one wanted to listen. Now our country is in real trouble. #TimetoGetTough

— Donald J. Trump (@realDonaldTrump) June 12, 2013

.@realDonaldTrump You've always been tough on China, sir. Particularly the children who make your shitty clothes. pic.twitter.com/6dp2omL1hZ

— Danny Zuker (@DannyZuker) June 12, 2013

Danny Zucker is best known for his Emmy Award winning work as an executive producer of ABC’s Modern Family.

British Airlines VIP

On May 22, 2013May 19, 2013 By Rick McIn product complaints, travelLeave a comment

I hate loyalty programs and make no effort at all to collect points.

Despite my bad attitude, British Airlines awarded me Bronze membership. Until Feb 2015. 🙂

SWEET … I can use those lounges.

GAk. Nope. You must be a Silver member to get into the lounges.

Not much I need in the Bronze program. 😦

Me and Clooney.

Expert travelers.

Koodo best, Rogers worst

On May 17, 2013May 15, 2013 By Rick McIn product complaintsLeave a comment

rogers-dunce

… Canadians saw their cellphone bills jump by an average of more than 13 per cent in the past year

Koodo Mobile has the highest level of customer satisfaction …

HuffPo

Bottom of the list? Rogers … My carrier.

gundamentalist propoganda

On May 15, 2013May 7, 2014 By Rick McIn bad news, Facebook, firearms, government, product complaints, things getting worseLeave a comment

The right wing in the USA has many channels by which they push their agenda.

prop·a·gan·da

Noun

Information, esp. of a biased or misleading nature, used to promote or publicize a particular political cause or point of view.

The dissemination of such information as a political strategy.

I see this stuff every day, especially on Facebook.

For example:

Woman shoots intruder after she is raped in front of her children

Kristy Sage, a young mother living in Lemon Grove, California survived a nightmare and wants her story to be told. Her husband was deployed in the Persian Gulf and although her mom lived with her, her mom worked nights, so Kristy was left home alone at night with her two toddler-aged boys.

Knowing that he was to be deployed, Kristy’s husband made sure that she could adequately protect herself while he was away. He bought a 9mm pistol and made sure she knew how to use it. …

What a story!

It’s perfect for the NRA. Almost as if somebody had invented it. 🙂

Jennifer Cruz did invent it. None of that happened.

But it’s posted on a gundamentalist website. And people are obliviously sharing it with friends and family.

Was Jennifer Cruz paid to write that story?

Is she part of a funded network of believers volunteering to write propoganda?

It hasn’t hit Snopes yet, by the way.

I happen to believe that gun owners have some very good arguments. People like Jennifer Cruz undermine the cause. Make them look like extremist wingnuts.

The NRA should be calling out the liars like Cruz. Debunking propagandists. They’re not.