Boss' Orders?

I was reading an article in Game Informer's "Classic GI" section, where they were interviewing Tomohiro Nishikado. Now, you might not know who he is, but you've probably heard of and even played his creation many times- Space Invaders.

The article was interesting as Mr. Nishikado explained some of the inspirations and development processes behind this awesome game, but what caught my attention the most was when they asked him about the game's name change.

According to Mr. Nishikado, Space Invaders was going to be named "Space Monsters". A song titled "Monster" was very popular in Japan at the time, and he thought the name would go great with the game.

However, under the order of his boss, he was forced to change the name to Space Invaders. Mr. Nishikado stated, "I was forced to change the title. I was very unhappy about the decision."

This made me think a little about my own experiences and life since returning to corporate America. My dad used to say, "The boss isn't always right, but they are always the boss." I've always tried to live by the saying, and when the time is right I will object and state my opinion, but when the decision is made, even if its not in my favor, I will do the job to the best of my ability as if I had determined to do it that way myself.

Mr. Nishikado, all these years later, lives in the glory of creating a game that was immensely popular. Yet he also remembers his anger about the name getting changed. But from the quality of the game, you can tell he still poured his heart into it, no matter if he was disappointed in one particular aspect that was out of his control.

How does Mr. Nishikado's attitude make you look at yourself and your own job? When a decision is made that doesn't go in your favor, do you just Gump through the job and not put your heart into it? Maybe you even sabotage the project and hope it won't work so you can say you were right? Or do you accept the decision and do the work to the best of your ability and go the extra mile to make it successful?

How you answer those questions will say a lot about yourself and your work ethic.

New TV Stands

With the new laws about analog TV signals having to go away with the do-do birds and everything switching to digital, many people are investing in new TVs so they will be ready for the switch. And with that new TV, one of a wide variety of available tv stands would be a nice addition. But even if you are keeping your old TV, you might want to take advantage of these great prices and the availability while you can.

Memories, Oh What Memories

Once again I returned home to the town where I grew up, this time for the Thanksgiving holiday and to see some family I haven't seen in a while.

Before it was time for bed I went to my old bathroom to shower, and while I was searching for a towel, I stumbled across a cherished memory!

This is one of the original Son-of-a-Gun hair dryers from the early 1980's. I remember using this thing on a daily basis in 7th and 8th grade, and never did I leave home without it. Anyone familiar with the 80's knows of the "hair metal" bands and those of us that tried to look like them. My idol was Malcolm Young of AC/DC fame, and this dryer was my number one tool in trying to mirror those that I wished to be like.

This particular model had it all- three speeds of air and a cool and hot setting. It also came with an attachment that would concentrate the air into a more direct source. Unfortunately somewhere along the path the accessory got broken, but my mother taped it up with masking tape (3M I believe?), and the tape still holds to this day. I assume the heat help seal it to the plastic.

Unfortunately I don't have the head of hair I had back then, plus what I did seem to retain I keep a lot shorter, so I wasn't able to give it a complete test run to see I could once again become a heavy metal, head banging maniac. But, for old times sake I did turn it on and let the air, both cool and hot, blow across my face for a while. And to my amazement, it still worked as great as the day it was bought!

Beautiful Skin

Are you wanting more vibrant and healthy looking skin? Maybe you have read about the new home microdermabrasion kits that are now available and would like to find out more. Visit today to read about these kits and see if they compare to the ones clinics use. And find out more about acne treatment, laser hair removal, and more while you are here.

New Scam! Warning!

A ' heads up' for men who may be regular Home Depot customers. This one caught me by surprise.
 
Over the last month I became a victim of a clever scam while out shopping.  Simply going out to get supplies has turned out to be quite traumatic.  Don' t be naive enough to think it couldn't happen to you or your friends.
 
Here' s how the scam works:
 
Two seriously good looking 20 year old girls come over to your car as you are packing  your shopping into the trunk. They both start wiping your windshield with a rag and Windex, with their breasts almost falling out of their skimpy T- shirts. It is impossible not to look.



When you thank them and offer them a tip, they say 'No' and instead ask you for a ride to McDonald's. You agree and they get in the back seat. On the way, they start undressing. Then one of them climbs over into the front seat and starts crawling all over you, while the other one steals your wallet.



I had my wallet stolen October 4th, 9th, 10th, twice on the 15th, 17th, 20th, 24th & 29th.  Also Nov 1st, 4th, twice on the 8th, 16th, 23rd, 26th, 30th, three times last Saturday and very likely again this upcoming weekend.


So tell your friends to be careful!

P.S- Walmart has wallets on sale 2.99 each!

Sony Vaio

My wife purchased a Sony Vaio about a year ago as a present to herself, to use for her blogging, game playing, chatting, and everything else she does on the computer. The Sony Vaio is a great computer at a great bargain.

If you are looking for high performance for a great price, the Sony Vaio is the way to go.

Communicating with Filipinos

They say that English is the hardest language on the planet to learn, and I see why. Its ridiculous as it can be. You read a word in red. Or did you read a word in red? And why do you park on a driveway, and drive on a parkway? When you leave a room, you turn the lights out. But do you turn them IN when you enter? And if nothing else, look at the wide variety and forms that the infamous F-word can take!

But I've found something worse than English- communicating with Filipinos.

In such a small country you'd think things would be fairly standardized. And they are. The national language is Filipino. Which is primarily Tagalog. The only problem is that no one speaks it. And the few that do, don't do it right. So buying a book on Tagalog to English translation might lighten you wallet $14, but it won't help you communicate with a Filipino. Not even if they speak Filipino, or Tagalog. Because there's different "dialects". 72 of them. Or 7200, I can't remember.

But what the heck is a "dialect" anyway?

According to Webster, a dialect is a particular form of a language that is peculiar to a specific region or social group.

WHAT?

So no wonder its confusing. If a language is "peculiar", which means "odd", by the way, doesn't that make it DIFFERENT, therefore an entirely different language?

So basically, Filipino is all of these different languages (we've established they are NOT dialects) tossed in and mixed together. So whereas English might have three words for one action, Filipino might have 67 of them.

For giggles one night, I went through my translation book, which was written by one of the best translating companies on the planet. After about 23 pages (approx 300 phrases), none of my Filipino friends that was testing it with me could tell what a single phrase I read to them meant. ZERO.

So my book sits here as a good conversation piece for when company comes over. But I must laugh to myself when they pick it up and say, "I need to learn this language, can I borrow your book"?

Its hard to keep a straight face as I pretend I just can't live without it........ "Yeah, I guess, but take good care of it, and I *NEED* it back"........

Yah, right!

Shoulder Pain Pump

If you were one of the unfortunate people who received a shoulder pain pump to relieve pain after undergoing arthroscopic shoulder surgery over the last few years, a new study suggests that this equipment might have led to Postarthroscopic Glenohumeral Chondrolysis. Apparently they were pumping out too much medicine and destroying valuable cartilage, in turn causing severe pain. Read more about this finding and what your rights are as a patient.

Death of Employer Based Insurance

There's been a lot of talk lately about trying to get every American covered by health insurance. Personally, after some personal experience of what its like to not be covered, I couldn't agree with the supporters more.

However, I believe it is going to take more than a few tweaks and adding to a system that is already in place. The entire concept needs to be overhauled, but are most people ready for it?

In today's world, with rising health care cost, employer based insurance is a dinosaur and is about an applicable to society as is neocon governing we've had for the last decade. While it might have worked great in the past, its now worthless for the needs of individuals and families, at its very core. As my father used to say, "Its gone away with the DoDo birds....."

But unfortunately, all the protections that allow even the small majority of us that have health insurance to still be covered, fall under the employer based plans. So it will take a lot of work, and a lot a mentality and law changing, to make sure everyone has coverage.

We are already on a universal health care system. Why not just admit it and make it work better?

Horse Riding Equipment and Clothing

Are you a horse riding enthusiast who wants to look good and have your horse looking just as spectacular? If so, then this is the place to go for equestrian apparel and other horse riding accessories you don’t want to be without. Visit today to find breeches, show coats, saddle pads, and more at prices you can afford, and for a limited time get free fast shipping on orders of $75 or more!

Odd and Unusual Gift

When my father passed away in 2007, a lot of people sent flowers, food, cards, and a variety of other things to my mother that helped ease the stress of a bad time in her life. All of them were nice, but most fell into the "kind" but not "useful" category.

But one of the most unusual gifts, one that I sort of laughed at, at first, was postage stamps given to her by an old friend of my father.

At first it seemed really odd, but when he gave them to her, the explanation made a lot of sense. The thought behind the gift was later she would probably be sending out thank you cards, as well as dozens of forms to notify different companies and government agencies of his passing. By giving her stamps, it did a couple of things.

First, it helped ease a financial burden of several dollars. At 42 cents per letter, it doesn't take long to rack up a lot of postage expenses with all of the forms. But it also helped ease another burden- that she wouldn't have to fill out those forms, then have to worry about dragging herself down to the post office to buy stamps so she could make them out. He had the foresight to know that it would be difficult enough filling everything out, and the last thing she needed to do was run out of stamps. Running out of stamps is a small thing, but at that particular time, even the small things seem large.

Some may think I'm crazy, but I think the next time I give someone a gift because of a death, a wedding (is there a difference?), or a baby shower, I will probably give them stamps. If nothing else, it might entice those that don't usually send thank you cards to do so.

Cheap Blinds

PaylessDecor is the place to go when you are remodeling or simply redecorating your home. This easy to search and navigate website will help you estimate what you’ll need and provide a lot of great choices for Cheap Blinds. Visit today to see the promotions and start the process of making your windows look brilliantly beautiful!

A Mobile Home & a Bridge

Grandma and Grampa's hearts sank as they realized their quest to escape the grandchildren had failed. They'd only made it "through the woods".......

Best Diet Pill

If all of the weight loss pills on the market have you scratching your head, wondering which is the best for you at the most cost effective price, then visit today to read about what is considered the best weight loss pill for your circumstances. Sometimes just exercise and diet isn’t enough. And when its not, make sure you get the best diet pill available.

The "Family Isle"

I was in Walgreen's the other night and saw something that caught my eye.

No, its not the cart full of junk that was abandoned and left to block the path of power shoppers.

Instead, it was the placement of the "family planning" products directly across from the baby diapers. I know millions are spent each year researching human shopping habits and product placement in stores, so what did they believe would be going through the shopper's mind?

A) "Wow these diapers are expensive! Don't want this to happen again! Better grab some of these while I'm here."

or

B) "Ya know, just in case these don't work, we'd better stock up on diapers."

Disability Insurance

When you become disabled, you’d think things would be on your side, but I can assure you, they aren’t. I’ve been down that path and pray I never have to do it again. But where would I turn if I was unfortunate once again? I’d visit here today to learn more about disability insurance and how Allsup has a 97% success rate for those who complete the SSDI process with them.

Four Seasons of Texas

How they raise kids in Texas-----------

Miss Sally Edwards is a highly esteemed third grade teacher at
Jacksboro Elementary. In an effort to prepare her students for the
all-important TAKS test, she compiled an exam consisting of 20
questions, which she administered to her class last Tuesday. The
exam purposely covered a broad array of topics.

I call your attention to question # 11, which simply read:

LIST, IN ANY ORDER, THE FOUR SEASONS: 1. ________ 2. ________

3.________ 4. ________

Now, could you possibly imagine that 67% of the students gave the following answer?

1. DOVE SEASON 2. DEER SEASON 3. DUCK SEASON 4. TURKEY SEASON