The only thing they don't have handy is their own Yellow Pages search portal. I use Google pretty much exclusively, but for Yellow Pages searches, it's yp.yahoo.com every time.
I'm really surprised they haven't stepped in to make that better than everyone else, but they do have a lot of projects to handle while also providing the best web search tool around.
Some people (like me) will DVR the show to watch later the same night. Being able to skip the commercials makes it worth the wait, and I still get to talk about the show the next day.
In the case of American Idol, they use so many "product placement" adverts within the show, it doesn't matter that I skip the full-length ads. I still get their message that I should drink Coke, drive a Ford, and use Cingular Wireless (the new AT&T).
There are more departments in Best Buy than just media and home theater. I wouldn't need help in media, as I would already know what I wanted and would just go get it. But BB also sells furniture, appliances, car audio, home computers and peripherals, etc. and help is virtually impossible to get in any of these areas. But my point again is that you will find at least 10 "blue shirts" at your beck and call if you happen to find yourself in front of that nice 60" Sony HDTV.
Then again, I'm ignorant. According to you, I can't read, so I would need some help in the media dept. You have to be the most pretensious, pompous ass I've ever had the pleasure of talking to on TD. Even more stupendous is the fact that you can get that enormous head of yours that far up your ass.
That being the case then, I have to suppose the sales reps just don't want to help customers with small purchases. Exception: The captive reps in the mobile phone department, who are stuck inside their little corral surrounded by glass cases, can't hide in the TV department with the rest of the slackers.
As a former employee yourself, Ragaboo, please tell us how this is good for business. Did they hold staff meetings instructing employees on how to be as unhelpful as possible unless the customer wanders into the big-ticket areas of the store? Oh, that's right. According to your post, they didn't train employees well, or at all.
Evidently Toeffer doesn't actually visit Best Buy very often. They don't care at all about getting the best services to their customers.
In their stores, you get 10 vultures (salespeople) up your arse if you're looking at big-screen TVs, but no one will even look your way, much less attempt to help you if you happen to be in some other area of the store that won't make them as much commission?
Yes, I'm an arse. But no one, neither paid journalists nor amateur bloggers, uses proper spelling, grammar, punctuation, wording choice, etc. anymore on the 'net. This isn't IM, so everyone should try to use the knowledge you should have received sometime in your grade school years.
I don't care whether you're reading an article on TechDirt or CNN, you are going to find typos and omissions all over the place. Only moreso in the reply posts. It's as if there are no proofreaders for any of this stuff.
Your misuse of "your" proves my point precisely. You're a moron!
Sorry to nitpick, SanguineDream, but I think the word you're looking for is feign, meaning to pretend or give the appearance of interest in someone's viewpoint.
A feint is a millitary tactic, either a charge or retreat, designed to draw the opposing forces away from the real battle.
Jeremy: Is there a country where child porn is legal? I surely hope not.
The problem is they've backed themselves into a corner. They already know they're killing themselves with their current business practices, and box office numbers are falling as time goes on, but to fix the problems they'll have to admit they're wrong and lose face in the process.
I still think $8.50 (Memphis TN) is OK to pay for a movie ticket where I get to see the movie on a 50-80 foot screen with THX digital surround. I just have to pass on the $5 Coke, $4 popcorn and $3 candy bar. And I can only do it for the really good action/adventure/sci-fi/fantasy type movie that requires a theater experience.
Yes, it does mean that I hope everyone I know will stay away from the Catholic church. I don't want anyone I know praying to a bunch of dead people instead of God. Further, I wouldn't trust any priest around children. Mostly gay, repressed, frustated men who eventually get tired of their hand, and... well, you know the rest of the story. So does little Johnny, the altar boy.
Over 20 years ago, there was a report by 60 Minutes about the pedophile priest problem and how the Catholic church, to avoid costly lawsuits and publicity, would quickly pull a pedophile priest from his local church before any arrests could be made, send him to a special convent for pedophiles for treatment, and then turn him loose on another congregation hundreds or thousands of miles from the previous church, where he would start molesting children again. This was documented thoroughly by the news program and admitted by the church at the time, but it seems I'm the only person left on this planet who remembers. Now 20+ years later, everyone is SO surprised that priests have been molesting children.
And the Vatican itself has recently had to issue new policies regarding the requirements for joining seminaries, because they have become a haven for gay culture instead of the pursuit of God and the priesthood.
I appreciate your comments; I'm not patronizing you. IMO, it's a valuable part of this process that not only do we comment on these blogs, but we interact with each other, to hopefully come to some kind of understanding of each others' viewpoints. I replied to you directly because you wrote in direct response to my posts.
Think of this example: Cars nowadays have 2 or more airbags, anti-lock brakes, safety cages, etc. all designed to make us safer in an accident. Now my parents got along fine without those innovations, as did I before their advent. But all new cars now come with at least some of these items standard. Not everyone will have an accident, but everyone can be protected proactively just in case.
The same can be said of restricting access to web sites for children. Just a little proactive protection where we can get it. And if the majority of voters back this type of legislation, then no one should complain. We elected those people (idiots, charlatans, etc.) in the first place, and they should be representing our ideals and needs. If they're using issues to garner votes with no real intention of doing something, then we should see that they aren't elected/re-elected.
Again you are missing the point. Of course we can't remove street corners, parks, malls, etc. We attempt to take away the offender rather than the place they offend.
But when we are talking about Internet-based predation, it's a lot harder to see who the offender is, much less deal with him/her until they've committed an act.
Why not make it harder for that offender to get to someone by restricting access to certain sites. When they are grown and living under their own roof, they can do whatever they please, but while I have them, they're going to abide by the rules I place upon them.
If some creepy person is hanging around the playground while your kids are playing there, you could have taught them everything they need to know, but they can still get snatched. It's the same with the Internet. It's far easier to get sucked in because at first you feel you have some sense of anonymity.
Besides, if you'll remember your own adolescence, then you should remember that you had a feeling of invincibility, that mom and dad were complete idiots, and you listened very little to their teaching.
I'm not saying that MySpace is the cause of online predators, any more than jet aircraft and box cutters are the cause of the 9/11 attacks. You are just stupid if you think that's my position.
And again, for those civil libertarians here with their heads up their arses, there just may be a pedophile on every corner. You can't tell, and neither can I, who is good or bad. But you cant' deny they are there, waiting for the opportunity by any means possible.
For those that say porn isn't bad, take a look at Ted Bundy and others who said porn was their spring board to more and more heinous acts. Not to mention that women are devalued by this medium.
I monitor closely what my children do online, but I also employ a filter that blocks most everything questionable, so there's little to no chance that they will encounter content that they are not ready to handle. And before they spend the night at their friend's house, I will be asking how they secure their computer, if any, as well as getting to know the parents, their beliefs, etc.
One more thing: Mongorians, are you a $cientologist? Cuz you sound just like L. Ron Hubbard... Children are not inexperienced adults in small bodies. They don't have the same level of synaptic connections built in their little brains, and aren't capable of logical thought at a young age. You, obviously, were a prodigy, capable of amazing feats of mental strength and willpower, but most children are not.
Just as an experiment, go the sex offender registry for your area, and see how many there are, and how many are registered for crimes against children. It's probably not nearly as many as you'd think. The point is, the Internet gives these creeps a sense of anonymity, and they're bolder than they might be at the mall or park. And again, there are a lot more out there who haven't been caught. Call it fearmongering if you want, but this is an epidemic in our society and any little thing that might protect someone from it is worthwhile.
I agree that teaching our kids about the dangers is appropriate, and I already do that, but I'm also not going to let mine visit MySpace, etc. in my house, and I'd like to know they can't at school either.
Anyone who has a MySpace page can tell you that you WILL receive solicitation from strippers, amateur porn sites, homosexuals, etc. Even an educated, savvy kid might be curious enough to visit the page, look at the profile and pictures, and just might get in over their heads.
So let me get this straight: Because the rate of online predation has decreased, you think it's a bad idea to ban the use of social networking sites in schools.
You're saying if it's 100, not 200 kids who got molested and ruined for the rest of their lives in a certain time period, that's a great improvement and we can stop trying to abate that number.
You obviously don't have children, and couldn't care less about anyone else's welfare.
People want to put their heads in the sand and pretend they are safe and protected, but the problem is, there are so many sexual predators out there, who will use any means necessary to get off, that anything that can help stem the tide is good. You won't care one iota for your constitutional rights if your child is the one attacked.
And as far as watching out for your kids' friends, they are much less likely to molest/rape than the 40 yr old man they meet online. Trading porn between curious kids is in no way the same thing as preying upon children by an adult.
to get rid of employees wasting time on the Internet (or the phone, for that matter).
Yes, there are "indiscretions" that occur, and most can be overlooked, but there are also the blatant abusers who will not stop watching pr0n on their work computer (or playing games, working on their MySpace page, etc.) until they are caught and disciplined and/or fired.
The goal should be to let the user know that yes, we really can see everything you do, someone is actually checking those logs, and we keep the logs for 6 months or longer, so stop this activity before it gets the attention of someone higher up in the company.
Too many companies use these logs to go after the slightest infraction, and that, IMHO, is just wrong.
I just switched from Time/Warner RoadRunner to AT&T (SBC) DSL in East Arkansas. RR was $44.95/month. DSL is $12.99/month for the first 12 months, and $29.99 thereafter. And although you can tell it's slightly slower if you're downloading large files, it's not been a hindrance, and I use VPN to work from home, often remoting into servers, routers, etc. with no discernible difference in access speed.
I won't go back to cable Internet at this point. Crappy customer service, always getting a busy signal on the tech support phone number, etc. has made a believer out of me. TW thinks they have a monopoly in West Tennessee and East Arkansas, but I believe DSL will overtake them as the telcos get more equipment into the field.
On the DSL side, I've had 3 calls from AT&T verifying that my service is up and I have no problems. That's right: They called me. Very comforting compared to TW.
The main difference is that Google is a part of the language and culture, as in "Let me google that", or "I googled for it and found what I wanted". "Let me MSN search for that" doesn't have a chance in hades of catching on.
Microsoft passport came at a time when most people were still too scared to trust their credit card information to a web site. Now it's generally considered safer than using it over the phone or in person in a store.
Ebay, Amazon, stick a fork in yourselves, you're almost done. I love Google's stuff and will definitely use this one.
Not sure who your comments were aimed at, but I didn't say I don't care about the environment; my main reason for driving the Camry is the cost of fuel. If the environment benefits (which I really don't believe it does, but anyway) then so much the better.
I would rather drive the Yukon; I'm 6'4", and not slim, so the Camry is not as comfortable. I've got a bad back, so getting the kids in their car seats and strapped in is a LOT harder to do in the Camry. And try as I might, I just can't get a sofa in the Camry, no matter which way I turn it.
My wife had a wreck in the Yukon while talking on her cell phone. She was on the way to a funeral and was lost in an unfamiliar part of town. She was crying because she didn't want her friend to think she had bailed on the service. So driving an SUV while talking on the phone, while crying and distraught over being lost caused the accident.
Moral to this story: Don't judge anyone based on their vehicle, their phone use, their penis size, their gayness for driving a Jetta, their posting of a flame-bait article, etc.
On the post: The Algorithm Is A Disappointment
Google is still best
I'm really surprised they haven't stepped in to make that better than everyone else, but they do have a lot of projects to handle while also providing the best web search tool around.
On the post: Has The DVR Resulted In More Reality TV Programming?
Not always true
In the case of American Idol, they use so many "product placement" adverts within the show, it doesn't matter that I skip the full-length ads. I still get their message that I should drink Coke, drive a Ford, and use Cingular Wireless (the new AT&T).
On the post: Speakeasy And Best Buy Don't Exactly Go Together Like Chocolate And Peanut Butter
Re: Ah, Ignorance
Then again, I'm ignorant. According to you, I can't read, so I would need some help in the media dept. You have to be the most pretensious, pompous ass I've ever had the pleasure of talking to on TD. Even more stupendous is the fact that you can get that enormous head of yours that far up your ass.
On the post: Speakeasy And Best Buy Don't Exactly Go Together Like Chocolate And Peanut Butter
Re: Re: Worst Buy
As a former employee yourself, Ragaboo, please tell us how this is good for business. Did they hold staff meetings instructing employees on how to be as unhelpful as possible unless the customer wanders into the big-ticket areas of the store? Oh, that's right. According to your post, they didn't train employees well, or at all.
Yet another reason not to shop there.
On the post: Speakeasy And Best Buy Don't Exactly Go Together Like Chocolate And Peanut Butter
Worst Buy
In their stores, you get 10 vultures (salespeople) up your arse if you're looking at big-screen TVs, but no one will even look your way, much less attempt to help you if you happen to be in some other area of the store that won't make them as much commission?
I hate Best Buy, and avoid them like the plague.
On the post: Singapore Busts Second WiFi Stealing Criminal Mastermind
Re: Hulser
Once again, the Internet blogosphere proves who learned their spelling and language skills in grade school. It would appear that very few did.
I'll save everyone the trouble... Yes, I'm an ass.
On the post: Why Shut Down Child Porn Sites When You Can Just Tell ISPs To Block Them?
Re: Re: Feigning interest in your post
I don't care whether you're reading an article on TechDirt or CNN, you are going to find typos and omissions all over the place. Only moreso in the reply posts. It's as if there are no proofreaders for any of this stuff.
Your misuse of "your" proves my point precisely. You're a moron!
On the post: Why Shut Down Child Porn Sites When You Can Just Tell ISPs To Block Them?
Feigning interest in your post
A feint is a millitary tactic, either a charge or retreat, designed to draw the opposing forces away from the real battle.
Jeremy: Is there a country where child porn is legal? I surely hope not.
On the post: MPAA Remains Unaware Of The Magnitude Of The Problem They Face
They won't change
I still think $8.50 (Memphis TN) is OK to pay for a movie ticket where I get to see the movie on a 50-80 foot screen with THX digital surround. I just have to pass on the $5 Coke, $4 popcorn and $3 candy bar. And I can only do it for the really good action/adventure/sci-fi/fantasy type movie that requires a theater experience.
On the post: Internet Addiction Not Quite An Addiction...
Repetitive motion
On the post: Online Predators Less Of A Problem; It's Your Kid's Friends To Watch Out For
Catholic
Yes, it does mean that I hope everyone I know will stay away from the Catholic church. I don't want anyone I know praying to a bunch of dead people instead of God. Further, I wouldn't trust any priest around children. Mostly gay, repressed, frustated men who eventually get tired of their hand, and... well, you know the rest of the story. So does little Johnny, the altar boy.
Over 20 years ago, there was a report by 60 Minutes about the pedophile priest problem and how the Catholic church, to avoid costly lawsuits and publicity, would quickly pull a pedophile priest from his local church before any arrests could be made, send him to a special convent for pedophiles for treatment, and then turn him loose on another congregation hundreds or thousands of miles from the previous church, where he would start molesting children again. This was documented thoroughly by the news program and admitted by the church at the time, but it seems I'm the only person left on this planet who remembers. Now 20+ years later, everyone is SO surprised that priests have been molesting children.
And the Vatican itself has recently had to issue new policies regarding the requirements for joining seminaries, because they have become a haven for gay culture instead of the pursuit of God and the priesthood.
On the post: Online Predators Less Of A Problem; It's Your Kid's Friends To Watch Out For
Re: Re: Re: Mongorians
I appreciate your comments; I'm not patronizing you. IMO, it's a valuable part of this process that not only do we comment on these blogs, but we interact with each other, to hopefully come to some kind of understanding of each others' viewpoints. I replied to you directly because you wrote in direct response to my posts.
Think of this example: Cars nowadays have 2 or more airbags, anti-lock brakes, safety cages, etc. all designed to make us safer in an accident. Now my parents got along fine without those innovations, as did I before their advent. But all new cars now come with at least some of these items standard. Not everyone will have an accident, but everyone can be protected proactively just in case.
The same can be said of restricting access to web sites for children. Just a little proactive protection where we can get it. And if the majority of voters back this type of legislation, then no one should complain. We elected those people (idiots, charlatans, etc.) in the first place, and they should be representing our ideals and needs. If they're using issues to garner votes with no real intention of doing something, then we should see that they aren't elected/re-elected.
Hail Xenu!
On the post: Online Predators Less Of A Problem; It's Your Kid's Friends To Watch Out For
Re: Mongorians
But when we are talking about Internet-based predation, it's a lot harder to see who the offender is, much less deal with him/her until they've committed an act.
Why not make it harder for that offender to get to someone by restricting access to certain sites. When they are grown and living under their own roof, they can do whatever they please, but while I have them, they're going to abide by the rules I place upon them.
If some creepy person is hanging around the playground while your kids are playing there, you could have taught them everything they need to know, but they can still get snatched. It's the same with the Internet. It's far easier to get sucked in because at first you feel you have some sense of anonymity.
Besides, if you'll remember your own adolescence, then you should remember that you had a feeling of invincibility, that mom and dad were complete idiots, and you listened very little to their teaching.
On the post: Online Predators Less Of A Problem; It's Your Kid's Friends To Watch Out For
Re: All you yahoos
And again, for those civil libertarians here with their heads up their arses, there just may be a pedophile on every corner. You can't tell, and neither can I, who is good or bad. But you cant' deny they are there, waiting for the opportunity by any means possible.
For those that say porn isn't bad, take a look at Ted Bundy and others who said porn was their spring board to more and more heinous acts. Not to mention that women are devalued by this medium.
I monitor closely what my children do online, but I also employ a filter that blocks most everything questionable, so there's little to no chance that they will encounter content that they are not ready to handle. And before they spend the night at their friend's house, I will be asking how they secure their computer, if any, as well as getting to know the parents, their beliefs, etc.
One more thing: Mongorians, are you a $cientologist? Cuz you sound just like L. Ron Hubbard... Children are not inexperienced adults in small bodies. They don't have the same level of synaptic connections built in their little brains, and aren't capable of logical thought at a young age. You, obviously, were a prodigy, capable of amazing feats of mental strength and willpower, but most children are not.
On the post: Online Predators Less Of A Problem; It's Your Kid's Friends To Watch Out For
Online predators
I agree that teaching our kids about the dangers is appropriate, and I already do that, but I'm also not going to let mine visit MySpace, etc. in my house, and I'd like to know they can't at school either.
Anyone who has a MySpace page can tell you that you WILL receive solicitation from strippers, amateur porn sites, homosexuals, etc. Even an educated, savvy kid might be curious enough to visit the page, look at the profile and pictures, and just might get in over their heads.
On the post: Online Predators Less Of A Problem; It's Your Kid's Friends To Watch Out For
Online predators
You're saying if it's 100, not 200 kids who got molested and ruined for the rest of their lives in a certain time period, that's a great improvement and we can stop trying to abate that number.
You obviously don't have children, and couldn't care less about anyone else's welfare.
People want to put their heads in the sand and pretend they are safe and protected, but the problem is, there are so many sexual predators out there, who will use any means necessary to get off, that anything that can help stem the tide is good. You won't care one iota for your constitutional rights if your child is the one attacked.
And as far as watching out for your kids' friends, they are much less likely to molest/rape than the 40 yr old man they meet online. Trading porn between curious kids is in no way the same thing as preying upon children by an adult.
On the post: Increase In Regulations Just Creates More Reasons To Fire Employees
Loss of productivity is a bigger reason...
Yes, there are "indiscretions" that occur, and most can be overlooked, but there are also the blatant abusers who will not stop watching pr0n on their work computer (or playing games, working on their MySpace page, etc.) until they are caught and disciplined and/or fired.
The goal should be to let the user know that yes, we really can see everything you do, someone is actually checking those logs, and we keep the logs for 6 months or longer, so stop this activity before it gets the attention of someone higher up in the company.
Too many companies use these logs to go after the slightest infraction, and that, IMHO, is just wrong.
On the post: The Fake Broadband Price War
DSL vs Cable
I won't go back to cable Internet at this point. Crappy customer service, always getting a busy signal on the tech support phone number, etc. has made a believer out of me. TW thinks they have a monopoly in West Tennessee and East Arkansas, but I believe DSL will overtake them as the telcos get more equipment into the field.
On the DSL side, I've had 3 calls from AT&T verifying that my service is up and I have no problems. That's right: They called me. Very comforting compared to TW.
On the post: Google Releases Product That Actually Could Make Money
Passport is no Google
Microsoft passport came at a time when most people were still too scared to trust their credit card information to a web site. Now it's generally considered safer than using it over the phone or in person in a store.
Ebay, Amazon, stick a fork in yourselves, you're almost done. I love Google's stuff and will definitely use this one.
On the post: SUV Drivers Really Are Bastards
Re: Name calling
Not sure who your comments were aimed at, but I didn't say I don't care about the environment; my main reason for driving the Camry is the cost of fuel. If the environment benefits (which I really don't believe it does, but anyway) then so much the better.
I would rather drive the Yukon; I'm 6'4", and not slim, so the Camry is not as comfortable. I've got a bad back, so getting the kids in their car seats and strapped in is a LOT harder to do in the Camry. And try as I might, I just can't get a sofa in the Camry, no matter which way I turn it.
My wife had a wreck in the Yukon while talking on her cell phone. She was on the way to a funeral and was lost in an unfamiliar part of town. She was crying because she didn't want her friend to think she had bailed on the service. So driving an SUV while talking on the phone, while crying and distraught over being lost caused the accident.
Moral to this story: Don't judge anyone based on their vehicle, their phone use, their penis size, their gayness for driving a Jetta, their posting of a flame-bait article, etc.
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