I Might Get LASIK, But Not at Saddleback
I've been getting annoyed with my contacts and glasses, and after years of watching improvements in laser eye surgery thought I would look seriously into LASIK. After hearing Saddleback Eye Center advertise on the radio and getting a recommendation from someone who went there, I thought I would give them a shot.

I got an "pre-screen" appointment easy enough and went there this morning. My first impulse when walking in was to walk right out since I thought I was at the DMV.

The place was packed. There were enough people milling around in the waiting room to fill a good-sized plane. "Of course", I thought, "this is a mass-market place that advertises on the radio." I had already made the appointment, however, and decided to wait it out to see if I was any more impressed with the staff. I never got the chance to find out.

I got called in 10 minutes - a good sign - for a quick eye screen, then was told to go back out into the waiting room. And there I waited. And waited. And waited.

They had a "Classic Johnny Carson" video running while I read the paper. It ran out after an hour. When it ended, the TV reverted to some cable channel where some evangelical preacher was screaming at the top of his lungs. I thought the staff would go put another video in. After 5 minutes of listening to his screaming - it was impossible to read the paper and ignore - I was going to say something to the staff, but decided to leave instead. I had enough. The rest of the cattle waiting for their appointments were still sitting there watching it when I left. Maybe they were enjoying it.

If I am going to spend $2,000+ on elective surgery, I want a personalized approach instead of an assembly line surgery-house for the masses. I still might get eye surgery, but it sure as hell won't be there.

posted by Director_Mitch @ 10:37 AM (Permalink)
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This Reminds Me of the Voyager Mission
I remember as a kid watching the Voyager 2 pictures coming back to earth. Carl Sagan, made popular from his Cosmos series ("billions and billions"), got me interested in astronomy and I watched TV with keen interest as the pictures poured in back then.

My interest in astronomy didn't stick, but I think the pictures coming back from Cassini are still way cool. Click the pic for a link to the site.




posted by Director_Mitch @ 8:04 AM (Permalink)
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Are July 4ths Are More Memorable Than Chrismases?
Don't get me wrong. Christmas is a more special holiday for me, bringing me close to family and loved ones, plus having an obvious religious significance. I look forward to each Christmas season while July 4th just sort of happens.

The thing is, looking back at Christmases - and Thanksgivings - they all sort of run together and get difficult to distinguish. Except for one here or there, my Christmases - and Thanksgivings - were largely spent with the same people, at the same locations, eating the same meals. Even when I started spending holidays with in-laws, after a few years they are hard to tell apart (which Christmas was it that I was snowed in at Chicago? Or was that a Thanksgiving?).

July 4ths, on the other hand, are easier to tell apart because they have been more unique, spent in different locations with different people. I spent one watching fireworks on the D.C. mall (the most spectacular fireworks I have ever seen), another from a rooftop in Austin, another at Disneyland. I spent one running from summer camp counselors who were trying to chase down the campers who snuck out of their cabin to shoot off illegal fireworks (they never caught us). And so on.

So looking back, July 4ths are more unique, making them more memorable. However, I think going forward that is changing due to having a daughter. I think the rolls may start getting reversed as I start experiencing Christmas through her eyes and I become more limited to where I can go party every July 4th.

posted by Director_Mitch @ 7:33 AM (Permalink)
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Dell Offering "Bounty" on iPods
File this under Acts of Desperation: Dell puts $100 bounty on iPods, where they are offering $100 rebates for people who trade in iPods for the Dell MP3 player.

My first thought was that a used iPod is worth more than that, and a quick look at eBay shows used iPod auctions at $100 and higher, so $100 seems to be the floor. This means that iPod users can probably get more by selling it to someone else, plus it means that people can't "game the system" and buy a used iPod for cheaper than $100 and get the trade-in (I assume the trade-in doesn't apply for broken units, although this isn't explicity stated in the article).

The article does predict that Dell is unlikely to get many takers.

The iPod is not just about the hardware, it's about the entire experience. Apple still offers the best integrated experience, from using the iTunes music store and application to the (iPod) hardware.

The article also points out that if an existing iPod user wanted to change to Dell, it would be no trivial task to transfer his library from the iPod format to the Dell.

Rorschach wrote a very favorable review here in November on the Dell MP3 player and I know others who like them, but I think getting existing iPod users to change will be an uphill battle. I know I'm not interested in trading in my iPod.

posted by Director_Mitch @ 3:21 PM (Permalink)
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Democratic Strategy: Stick Fingers in Ears, Chant "I Can't Hear You"
Captains Quarters links to news that the U.S. created 250,000 new jobs in June, bringing the total to 1.4 million new jobs created since January. He also lists other administrative developments:

So the Bush economic strategy has paid off, Iraq has its sovereignty back, we've so far avoided another terrorist attack in the US, Libya has disarmed, India and Pakistan have expanded diplomatic ties, and NATO has agreed to support both Iraqi and Afghan security forces to assist in establishing democracy in Southwest.

You could add that home ownership is at an all-time high, consumer confidence is at a two-year high and climbing, industrial production and productivity is up, that the economic recovery means that tax receipts are actually climbing.

All this good news for the country is bad news for democrats. They will continue to push bad economic data, such as inflating the number of jobs that are outsourced (saying it's millions rather than a few thousand a quarter) and trying to convince voters of an alternate reality universe (like trying to convince the world there was no link between Saddam and terrorism despite plenty of proof that there was).

Update: Jobs growth was 112K, which was lower than anticipated, making the total more like 1.3 million new jobs this year.

posted by Director_Mitch @ 1:22 PM (Permalink)
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Run From Police, Get Hit, Sue for "Brain Damage"
Lawyer: Beating Victim Shows Signs of Brain Damage

LOS ANGELES-June 30, 2004 - The attorney for a black man beaten by police last week in a televised arrest is now saying his client is showing "classic" signs of brain damage.

The burden of proof will be to show that he wasn't brain damaged before the beating.

Attorney Richard Nussbaum says his client - Stanley Miller - suffers from severe headaches, slurred speech and difficulty concentrating after a Los Angeles police officer hit him repeatedly with a flashlight.

None of which can be proven or disproven medically.

I figure Mr. Miller will see a windfall of several million, courtesy of the LA taxpayers

posted by Director_Mitch @ 9:11 AM (Permalink)
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On-line Test: Are You a Neocon?
Like I needed a quiz.

Based on your answers, you are most likely a neoconservative. Neoconservatives…

Want the US to be the world's unchallenged superpower
Share unwavering support for Israel
Support American unilateral action
Support preemptive strikes to remove perceived threats to US security
Promote the development of an American empire
Equate American power with the potential for world peace
Seek to democratize the Arab world
Push regime change in states deemed threats to the US or its allies

Historical neoconservative: President Teddy Roosevelt
Modern neoconservative: President Ronald Reagan

Fairly accurate, except for the "American empire" swipe - test must have been written by one of those Realists in State.

Try the test yourself. The other results are Isolationist, Liberal, and Realist.

posted by Director_Mitch @ 2:24 PM (Permalink)
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Rock and Roll Station FM 95.5 KLOS Endorses Left-Wing Causes
Coming back to the office from lunch today I happen to have my radio on FM 95.5, which is your basic rock-and-roll station. Between songs the disk jockey, Cynthia Fox, starts in on a five minute endorsement of Michael Moore and his latest film, gushing with pleasure of how the film is "moving people" to "get involved" and encouraged everyone to see the film as well as some Moore interview that is on tonight. There was no mention of the film's lies and distortions, the wild-eye conspiracy theories it endorses, or the simple fact that lots of Americans - around half - just might happen to disagree with the film.

Ms. Fox is certainly entitled to her point of view, but this five minute love fest to Moore was more suitable for Air America than a music station, and it's disappointing that she had to stoop to this tactic to get her views across to the public. If I want to listen to a radio station promote left-wing causes, there are plenty of stations like Pacifica or NPR I can listen to (I assume Air America will be off the air shortly).

It isn't surprising that the station is owned by ABC Radio. Needless to say the station is no longer programmed into my radio.

posted by Director_Mitch @ 1:30 PM (Permalink)
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This Picture Says It All
This was taken right after Bush was told about the hand-off of Iraqi sovereignty.



I think it tells a great story.

Hat Tip: Spot On

posted by Director_Mitch @ 10:23 AM (Permalink)
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What An Accurate Headline
Since, after all, they hold the same views:

Early Iraq Handover Surprises Rebels and Reporters

posted by Director_Mitch @ 1:20 PM (Permalink)
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I'm Not Dying to Retire
And I mean that literally. Most people suspected it, but today's WSJ "special report" on retirement (no direct link yet) discusses a scientific study showing that people who were working at age 70 were 2.5 times more likely to still be living at age 82 than those who weren't working:

It isn't clear from the data how long a person needs to continue working beyond the regular retirement age to reap the benefits to longevity, but it appears that the longer you continue working, the better:

The article also notes that "work" in these older years includes volunteering, while staying "active" and involved with family and friends doesn't cut it:

But for those workers who find themselves miserable in their jobs and can't wait to retire, the Israeli study did offer some hope. It appears that the same level of protection offered by paid work also can be obtained by doing unpaid work -- essentially, extensive volunteering that amounts to a regular job. The study found that busy volunteer workers were also more likely to be alive than their fully retired counterparts.

This study just solidifies my plans not to ever retire. I was "retired" when I was unemployed for half a year in 2002 and I hated it. And this was while I was in my mid 30s, in good health, and in fairly good financial shape. Simply stated, I was bored out of my mind, and I don't see that changing in 35 years.

So my plans are to keep "working" in some capacity until I drop. More than likely this will probably mean some sort of consulting once I am forced into retirement, but who knows what the labor landscape will look like in 30+ years. A different article in the same section noted that the ratio of workers to retirees will be down from today's 4-to-1 to 2-to-1, so with Social Security being insolvent by then, maybe the government will give companies special incentives to hire and retain older workers. If I'm lucky I'll have my own business and can run it as the old curmudgeon, but no matter what I do, I don't see myself stopping work.

In the mean time I know people who are literally counting down the days until their retirement. I just hope I can carve time out of my work schedule to go to their funerals.

posted by Director_Mitch @ 8:21 AM (Permalink)
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Californians Are Not At The Top of The Food Chain
While I eat whale, mountain lions eat Californians. Poetic justice, I guess.

posted by Director_Mitch @ 5:57 PM (Permalink)
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