The other day, me and Laura went to Sams Club. We never go there, normally, but she had her mom’s card and we wanted to stock up on Halloween candy. So, we go through the store and browse their not-so-great prices. I can’t say that their merchandise are any cheaper than the average grocery store. Regardless, who wants to spend $18 on paper towels, and then another $18 on toilet paper in a single visit? By the time you check out, you have spent almost $300.

So, the other day, we get to the register with our cart full of stuff, and low and behold, they don’t accept MasterCard. What?! When you are using credit, they only accept Discover card, which the Sams/Walmart empire have made some exclusive deal with. That is absolutely absurd. Most places shun the Discover card, yet Sams only takes that one particular card. Most people would have to use a credit card to just cover the insanely high bill after shopping there, so is everybody who shops there okay with this?

Me and Laura just left half of our shit in the cart at the register and bought only the stuff we could pay for with cash. Needless to say, we have no intentions of ever returning to Sams. Screw that place.

Have you seen the movie Team America? It is a scream! I am fooling on my computer and it was just playing on Showtime in the background. I had forgotten how funny it is. It’s a great movie and completely crazy. I watched it a while back when I rented it from Netflix. The unrated DVD version has some astonishingly bold scenes in it. If you’ve seen it, then you know what I mean.

Firefox version 2.0 was released today in its final form. Download it today at mozilla.com.

I have been needing, err, wanting a new Mac Mini computer. I just lost an eBay auction for one and emotions are running high. Thinking about the big computing picture, I wonder why Apple just doesn’t license its OSX operating system to traditional PC manufacturers such as Dell, Gateway, and HP. After all, Apple has embraced Intel and now uses its chips in their computers. If the architecture is the same, why not give it to the masses?

I know Apple lives up to a high standard by working “hand in glove” (as they put it) with the hardware (which they also produce). But why not license it to quality manufacturers and, if they so decide, not offer it as a box on the shelf? For example, the Windows Media Center Edition 2005 is technically the latest release of Windows XP, on media steroids. You cannot walk into Best Buy or CompUSA and buy this OS on CD. It only comes pre-installed on new computers sold by participating manufacturers. If Microsoft can do this, then so can Apple. Apple can set a minimum level of PC performance required to effectively run their flagship OS smoothly, and poof, everybody can have an affordable machine running the splendor that is their operating system.

I certainly cannot ask them leave physical PC business, because all of their hardware products are so very sleek, stylish, and cutting-edge. They make some fantastic products and always get top rankings for customer satisfaction the PC magazines I read which conduct these surveys. Apple just needs to open the flood gates and really widen their software business. I suppose they already have, by making more applications in recent years, notably the iLife and iWork for the Mac, as well as strengthening their iTunes and Quicktime offerings. I think they can broaden their appeal by actually appealing to the masses instead of a niche audience, as they do now. The mass success of iPod, iTunes, and their surprising deal with Intel has put them back on the map, and on the path to broad consumer appeal. They need to embrace it by offering their goods and services to a wider audience.

Every young adult wants an iPod, and to use iTunes, both of which are the best of their kind. Apple is in a position today to rattle the computer industry with this bold move. A victory of such, and Apple may finally reverse their market share, which has suffered ever since their poor decision not to license their platform to outsiders back in the 1980s, opening the door to for Microsoft to run the world for the past 20 years.

About a month ago, I started reading articles about the revolutionary new web service called There.com. It is a virtual 3-D world that you literally walk through using a character, which you create. The premise of the game reminds me of The Sims. If you are a user, feel free to look me up. My name is Blitzcraig.

There.com requires you to download the software before you sign-in. From what I understand, the software is based on ActiveX (which explains why Internet Explorer is the only browser supported) and naturally, you must be connected to the Internet at all times to use it. The initial download will be around 60 MB in size, but it ultimately consumes nearly 400 MB once installed on the computer. There is so much to the service that it isn’t surprising that it takes so much space and computer resources.

There are many things to do in There.com, from chatting with friends and strangers, to games, puzzles, paintball, driving, flying, and so on. You personalize your online character with hair styles, clothes, accessories, and more. Everything you do in the game involves moving around in the virtual world. For example, when editing your body characteristics, you must first walk or teleport to a spa.

The game has a wealth of items and surroundings to experiment with. Some items are not free and must be purchased using ThereBucks, the money system in the There.com world. You can earn ThereBucks by participating in events, trading with others, or adding them using real cash. One real world dollar buys you 1,900 Therebucks. The game developers have even provided users with a developer program, used to create new items and material for the game. If your creations meet their standard of quality, they will buy it from you and pay you in ThereBucks.

The concept behind this whole thing is absolutely amazing. It is very creative and turns the idea of two dimensional text chat into a thing of the past. I don’t know how long the fun of There.com will last, but for now, I am having a great time. Try it yourself. The basic membership is free. Just be prepared to lose a whole lot of your free time.

I have been making several posts recently about the joys of open-source software. I guess I should take a moment and distinguish the difference between software that is simply free, and that which is open-source. Although both are technically free, there is a difference between computer programs certified as open-source, and those which are labeled as freeware or shareware. I have included a link to a lengthy definition of this issue at Wikipedia.

While I am on an open-source software kick in my posts, I’d like to mention a program called Nvu. It is a free open-source program used for web page design that is similar to Dreamweaver. The program that is very capable. I have used it some in the past, and found it to be quite impressive. I don’t use most of the hardcore options in these programs, since I tend to make more old-fashioned basic web pages. I do have a working copy of Dreamweaver, and think that it is the best of its kind. Most agree. But if can’t get your own copy of the full-blown Dreamweaver, be sure to try the free Nvu. It is quite good, and can do far more than anything I need it for. Not to mention, the price is just right.

I was thinking of writing a post about open-source software and how much I have come to like it. There are a wealth of free, open-source programs out there for every operating system. As I wrote about OpenOffice in an earlier post, I started thinking about how one could find a free program to handle most anything one would want to do on their computer. This brings me to my point. I realized that the one program that I find essential, and has no great open-source equivalent is Quicken. I use Quicken several times a week to record and keep track of my money. I think it is the best of its kind. Currently, I have the version Deluxe 2005.

I bought a copy of Microsoft Money off of eBay back in 2005, and after using it for about two months, decided to ditch it. For starters, the program immediately synced my banking data between my home computer and the online MSN Money site, without any warning. This is for convenience, Microsoft says, so couples can both access their data from any Internet-connected PC. I did not like the idea of my personal information going anywhere but right on the hard drive I am using. I was able to disable that feature. Other than that glaring issue, I just didn’t like how the program operated. It was a lot of little inconveniences that added up to make me long for Quicken again.

I had used Quicken in years past, and was always pleased with it, though some older versions had kind of a Windows 3.1 feel to them. This isn’t the case now, and in fact, PC Magazine just gave the new 2007 version its Editor’s Choice award. The interface has been upgraded and it is a winner, from what I read. For now, I am still using the version that I have.

So anyway, if feel like you need this kind of software, which most people do (or should!), then use Quicken and not Microsoft Money. As for open-source, there is a free banking program called GnuCash, but it isn’t up to the Quicken standard that I have come to expect. I have tried it on Linux and it was quite poor. There is a Mac version of Quicken, but I unfortunately don’t have a Mac, so I can’t comment on that.

If you subscribe to Showtime, be sure to check out the two shows Weeds and Dexter. Me and Laura have both on series record on the DVR. Dexter just premiered this October, and has the actor who played David on the great show Six Feed Under on HBO.

Have you tried the free, open-source office suite called OpenOffice? It is a great set of applications and it is a worthy contender for Microsoft Office. In the past week, openoffice.org has released the latest version of the suite: version 2.0.4. If you tried the old 1.x versions and were dissatisfied, you need to go back and give the latest build a chance. It packs more features and runs much faster than the original version. Also, with 2.0 came the new OpenDocument format for OpenOffice files that is meant to serve as a universal standard. Reportedly, Microsoft, after criticizing the format, is going to release a converter for it into its own Office, but as an import option only.

OpenOffice is available on all operating systems: Windows, Mac, and Linux. OpenOffice can do most everything that MS Office can, which includes an incredible wealth of features that most people would never even get around to using. I admit I have only used the Writer and Calc programs in any detail. Other programs included are: Impress, Draw, Base, and Math. I did not install the Base and Math programs on my computer. Unfortunately, there is no application that functions as a replacement for Microsoft Outlook. That is not a problem for me, since I don’t use Outlook these days for email and calendaring anyway.

Writer, the word processing program, is the program that I use the most. Don’t be fooled by its simplistic name, for it is quite capable. It is fast, feature-rich, handles imports and exports of .doc files with ease, and to my surprise, creates nice HTML code during the web page export.

I grew dissatisfied with Microsoft Office for a few simple reasons:

1. It costs too much
2. Word’s HTML export creates absolutely terrible code
3. The ever-running system process “ctfmon.exe”
4. Too many large update patches to download and apply
5. I hate Microsoft’s business tactics

The last time I actually purchased MS Office was ten years ago when I got a student discount on the new Office 95. On versions since then, I have copied other people’s CDs and installed them, usually fumbling around trying to find a product activation number for the install. Now I no longer have to worry about that, because OpenOffice is both free to use and free to distribute. It is one small way of sticking to Microsoft. Try it for yourself.