Oh the dilemma…

(seen just as I logged in to Aetna to check some stuff about my medical benefits)

I’m a die-hard Apple nut. Love the products etc. Unfortunately the Apple Store “Genius Bar” experience is about as productive as putting one’s hands in a blender. Seriously.

I have a SIMPLE repair to my MacBook Pro. Something that requires the ordering of a part and quick swap-out. The “Genius” sorry, I can’t call them that… The “Idiot” tells me that it requires me to turn my machine in for 7-10 days. WTF?!

I understand that it takes a few days for the part to arrive (really it arrives next day) so I told the Idiot to order the part and then call me when it gets in. I’ll then bring my machine in, they can do the repair in the back, and I’ll have it back, fixed and all, in a matter of hours. NOT DAYS! The Idiot says that it doesn’t work that way. Even if they order the part, they’ll still need to keep my machine for 7-10 days.

WTF?! Does the monkey in the back take off one screw a day? Seriously…

I called an independent repair shop- CompuTech and they were more than awesome. Took my machine in, showed them what’s wrong and they:
a. are fixing it under warranty, so no charge to me;
b. are going to order the part and will call me when the part arrives (overnight) and a tech is available (about 1-2 days);
c. are going to fix my machine while I wait- 1-2h max!

No 7-10 days bullcrap. Just plain easy and efficient.

Now… Steve, Ron, Tim… if you’re reading this (and trust me, I’ll make sure you’re reading this)… you guys REALLY need to fix this. You bill your Apple Store as the Ultimate Apple Experience and somehow it’s really the most painful part. Your “Geniuses” are absolute assholes and completely useless. I’ll bet they don’t know what 0+0 adds up to. Seriously… where the HELL IS COMMON SENSE?!

7-10 business days is bullcrap. Even with the the ‘order the part and I’ll bring my machine in’ option!

Sold the old 27″ boob tube and replaced it with this 32″ 37″ 1080p-native flat panel. Woo hoo!

New (KDL-32XBR6 KDL-37XBR6):

Old (KV-27FS320):

http://news.yahoo.com/s/ap/20080917/ap_on_bi_ge/aig

[...] the government stepped in Tuesday to rescue American International Group Inc. with an $85 billion injection of taxpayer money [...]

That pissed me off. Enough to want back every single penny of taxes that I’ve ever paid. Seriously, can someone trash this government already?! And fuck all the people who will lose their homes and be out on the streets. Fuck the “poor” traders. Fuck the banks and the financial system. This is supposed to be a free market and not some kind of fucking socialist wet dream. Predatory lending, unchecked greed, getting into houses you can’t afford, packaging shit into CDOs and re-selling them… Fuck all that shit.

Don’t get me wrong. I’m all about helping people who can’t help themselves- sick, disabled, etc- but it is UNACCEPTABLE to use BILLIONS to bail out a company that got greedy. No matter WHAT the consequences.

RPA’s own BBQJunkie (aka Big Lu, aka Lu, aka Luis Emilio Ramirez) has a Honda Pilot DIY video up on YouTube. Checkit! It’s ok for the ending to be a bit confusing.

I’m flying to Denver and back for some work next week. This appeared on my booking (highlight is mine):

Metallica plays this Wednesday (14 May) at the Wiltern. Yup… I have tickets.

We all know what happens where on the 8th of August 2008- the Olympics kick off in Beijing, China.

We all know how I feel about thems- they are scumbag snakes!

We all know why I feel that way- amongst everything else, because they are occupying Tibet.

So, starting 08-08-08, I’m going to post up one entry a day that:
1. Tells those scumbags to get out of Tibet; and
2. Tells them that they are fuckwads; and
3. Tells them that they are destroying the planet; and
4. Tells them that “the party” is probably the worst thing to happen to them and the planet.

That’s it really. I don’t hate all them Chinese. Just the ones who are responsible for the disaster out East. And the ones who aren’t doing anything about it.

So:
1. FREE TIBET
2. FUCK CHINA
3. GET OFF THE PLANET
4. COMMUNISM IS DEAD!

Oh, and here’s what my MacBook Pro has to say about it:

My 2.6Ghz 15″ MacBook Pro arrived. I’m finally gonna do what I recommend to everyone else- switch to a Mac!

Three simple words:

I EXPERIENCED THEM

(tickets courtesy of Kevin Wall/Brad Barrish/Betty Morin at Control Room)

Full set of photos from my cameraphone