Saturday, June 23, 2007

Do you Feel Insulted? or What are you afraid of?

The more I try to understand the society that I live in, the more it disgusts me. I see the society that has been formed into the self-serving, xenophobic, narcissists that it has become. Each one worshiping the god of money. Each feeling squeezed and trapped and trying to protect what little life they think that they can control. "I am free" I've heard them cry. Are you? are you really? What is freedom? Is life not free?

Here are some excerpts from my travels, now put your self in the first person; the other person.

You run a small bike shop in the city and one day a guy walks in to ask a couple of questions. he asks about the size of the pedals 9/16 and as he is leaving asks about counter-clockwise thread. Do you feel insulted?

Reaction in Montreal - You tell the customer "Bring me the bike, I will put the pedals on for $2. I am trying to run a business here, I can't tell you all the secrets"



You are bar tending and a couple of customers at the bar are have a political discussion; you offer your two cents worth occasionally. One says "you don't live in a democracy" and proceeds to explain his statement. Do you feel insulted?

Reaction in Colorado - You confiscate what's left of the jug of beer that the customer had ordered and then proceed to eject him. As the fellow is being escorted out, he says with a smile; "there's your free speech, right there" and walks away.



You are working at an inter-national car rental company and a customer that has lately been renting cars or returning them to you is returning a mini-van that he rented for the day. The van is in good shape and the tank looks full. Then man then tells you that he only put 10 dollars gas in it as he had only gone 72 kilometers. You scold the customer, the man proceeds to then tell you that he worked at car company once and starts to explain that some people will take the van and fill it up, then drive around for 50 kilometers and return it looking full an.... Do you feel insulted?

You cut off the customer and tell him that "this ain't car company" and "someone is getting ripped off then" (thinking it's not going to be you) and the customer leaves after you hand him his receipt (guess it was the man that would get ripped off as they charged him an extra $15 and he put in 10L for his 72km trip; don't buy a mini-van, terrible gas mileage)



You are talking and drinking with a friend whom you know to be very liberal. The subject is the current monetary system. Your friend says that the current system has, shall we say, "over-stayed it's welcome". That it is insulting to think that you can't survive without money (including land - unless someone gives you some, you need money to get it). He also is stating that an alternative way to this predatory capitalistic system needs to be found and may have hinted at monetary limits. He knows no solutions, just points out problems. Do you feel insulted?

You come back with zingers like:
Should we trade chickens?
What about the transportation of all these free goods?
In Utopia land, who dives in the shit, you still need shit divers!
You're just jealous of success.



You are having a conversation with a friend and it gets political (a pattern?hmmm) Your friend is talking about how the current educational system is about training more than actual learning and even how to learn and that this does even go affect the medical field. Do you feel insulted?

You, being a medical professional, tell the friend that you are insulted as an educated person and as a professional.



What are all these people insulted by? What have they taken so personally? How did they develop such tunnel vision? I do not even think they know what they are loyal to or what they are defending. Is it Money itself?

Common sense, PLEASE COME BACK

Monday, June 18, 2007

I NEED TO DETOX

I heard some people talking outside today and one person had said that maybe someone they were talking about was too intelligent, I said is was a good that they were not there to say that about Einstein.

I couldn't believe it. A person too intelligent? They should have completed it and said that he is too intelligent for his place in life; whether you see it or not or whether they knew it or not, this is what they meant. I guess the schools didn't do a thorough enough job of dumbing down his mind; maybe some drugs as a child would have worked. (note: work on next generation) This is exactly the society that I need to escape from to allow my mind to grow to it's fullest potential, to allow my body to heal itself, to find out who I am.

How do I know? I can just feel it.

I NEED TO DETOX

Now I don't mean just alcohol, pot and cigarettes; I mean the air I breath, the things I see, the inane conversations I endure, the things I ingest and especially the constant, never-ending stimuli overload that bombards my senses every day. I need to not hear things like: are we going to trade chickens, are we going to barter, that's just the way it is, there's no free lunch, for your own safety, service charge, price plus tax, invest now, property will keep increasing in value, what is your solution, it could be worse, competition is good, you too can be a success ... please make it stop!

I NEED TO DETOX

I don't believe "sick leave" will cure this. I don't believe drugs or therapy will cure this. This is not a disease, but I do get a sick taste in my mouth living here. I have chosen my country and even a path for this journey. I am not sure on the timeline of this, but probably not more than a year. Eventually I plan on finding a place where I can be of help and check out a different system.

I have struggled to figure out where I fit into this thing we call life and have never felt comfortable in the country that birthed me. I have never believed in this capitalistic system which seems to be fueled by how much we will endure to pay, greed and which pits human against human. I have tried to play the game though. Tried the "find your soul mate", the "get a good job", the "change your career"; I am looking for something else.

I NEED TO DETOX

At one point in life, some of you may actually think "what is supply and demand?" Is it actually "I will supply, but demand more money"? When did my life become the quest to get as much money out of other people's pockets, to put into mine? When did it become a competition that revolves around something as un-natural as money. (some guy actually tried to convince me that money was made from paper, so therefore a natural thing)

Do it legally, do it ethically and make sure the government gets their cut. ???????
Legally - governments and corporations can legally extort money from you ...
Ethically - It takes 2L of fresh water to make 1L of coke - ethenol raised the price of corn for Mexicans (staple)...
Government gets their cut - Tax breaks, or we leave - R&D money, or we leave - Free rent, or we leave ...
"Don't do as we do, do as we say."

Gone to a hockey game lately? How about a F1 race? A superbowl? The list goes on.

I was at the F1 race in Montreal 2007. Some friends of mine went and got money out of an ATM machine at the grounds. EIGHT DOLLARS!! WTF? Sorry, but when did free enterprise become extortion? Wait a minute, that is the inevivitable conclusion.

I saw people buy t-shirts for $100, pay $4.75 for 500ml water and $5.75 for a beer (granted some of these prices might seem cheap compared to where you are, try to keep up).

The merchandising at this event was pathetic, you found stuff that was made for Montreal 2007, but did not include GPC or GPC merchandise that did not include Montreal 2007; generic garbage that can be re-used, selling for premium prices. And the people just eat it up, "look at me, I'm part of the Ferrari pit crew", huhuh. Then after the race the stock liquidation begins, sale $20, sale $10; consumers, can't be left without it, just in case someone else buys it.

This is what we call "free market enterprise", also know in some grey businesses as "extortion"; the difference, a business license makes it legal. The sad part is that the masses allow it and buy their crap.

How do people not care about the controlled world we live in?

A system that seems to worship people that make money. A system in which "everyone" is special and you too can be worshiped; are you beautiful? Can you sing? Can you play a sport? Or do you just have great big titties. Throw away your brain at the door and here is your great big bag of $CASH$. You won't need that heavy mass of grey matter here; you're popular and you have money.

I am tired of talking to deaf ears that just want an argument and don't even know why.
I NEED TO DETOX

Friday, June 15, 2007

Fun with Dell Chat Canada

I had to do it again, they seem to get stupider as you go. This one was argumentative, rude and told lies. At one point the agent pulls out 2 cut-&-pastes of Dell propoganda; at which I had to laugh. This person even tried the empathetic "I understand" and even tried using my alias to pacify me without answering my question.

This person is a terrible agent, probably does it because they know Windows and needed a job.


6:39:25 PM System Welcome Philip Renault ...
6:39:25 PM System Connecting to server. Please wait...
6:39:25 PM System Connected to chat1.us.dell.com
6:39:25 PM System Initial Question/Comment: Can I purchase a Dell laptop with Ubuntu or no OS
6:39:33 PM System CA SALES Manoj 1252 has joined this session!
6:39:33 PM System Connected with CA SALES Manoj 1252
6:39:43 PM CA SALES Manoj 1252 Welcome to Dell Canada Sales Chat. My name is Manoj. I'll be your personal sales advisor today. When you place your order online, please tag my Sales Rep ID number (1252). Place it in the order form under Sales Rep Extension, so that I can assure a quick delivery and a flawless order process.
6:39:43 PM CA SALES Manoj 1252 Hi Philip
6:39:53 PM CA SALES Manoj 1252 Unfortunately not. Since every PC must have an operating system (OS) to run other programs, we don't ship systems without them. In addition, without an OS we wouldn't be able to do quality tests on the hardware before shipping.
6:40:55 PM You and Ubuntu?
6:41:23 PM CA SALES Manoj 1252 DELL doesn't support Linux
6:41:33 PM CA SALES Manoj 1252 it supports only Windows
6:41:46 PM You Dell sells Ubuntu
6:42:14 PM CA SALES Manoj 1252 no we don't in Canada
6:42:36 PM You they have a support agreement with Canonical
6:42:42 PM You and why not
6:42:56 PM You is Dell not Dell
6:43:35 PM CA SALES Manoj 1252 DELL supports only windows and not Linux
6:43:56 PM CA SALES Manoj 1252 as it many people prefer windows
6:44:11 PM You So you are telling me that because I am Canadian, I have no choice in OS from a Teir 1 computer maker
6:44:23 PM You don't tell me what people prefer
6:44:41 PM You I prefer to have a choice
6:45:26 PM CA SALES Manoj 1252 yes i understand Phillip, but iam sorry we don't have Linux with us right now
6:45:42 PM You why is it offered in the US and not Canada?
6:46:37 PM CA SALES Manoj 1252 they have started offering in US recently as an experiment and may also offer in Canada in future
6:47:10 PM You so the US decides if it is marketable then we get to reap the benifits, or not?
6:47:38 PM CA SALES Manoj 1252 that's not correct
6:48:02 PM You Meanwhile I am left with choosing a bloated OS or installing my own Linux with no support
6:48:33 PM You how is that not correct? If you can state that, you have information, how does it happen then?
6:48:39 PM CA SALES Manoj 1252 but I can tell you that we continuously strive to develop new products and services to deliver on the needs of our customers. Stay tuned as we meet our commitment to meet your needs. In the meantime we offer only Windows
6:48:49 PM CA SALES Manoj 1252 I can tell you that we continuously strive to develop new products and services to deliver on the needs of our customers. Stay tuned as we meet our commitment to meet your needs. In the meantime we offer only Windows
6:48:57 PM You lol
6:49:23 PM You so you know anyone with answers that I could contact then?
6:49:50 PM CA SALES Manoj 1252 you can call our customer care number 1800 847 4096
6:50:15 PM You customer care? I am not a Dell customer, but I want to be
6:50:29 PM You they can tell me how this works?
6:51:01 PM CA SALES Manoj 1252 yes they can still talk to you and can give you an answer
6:51:26 PM You alright then, I will take your word for it
6:51:42 PM CA SALES Manoj 1252 thank you
6:51:52 PM CA SALES Manoj 1252 Is there anything else I can help you with at this time?
6:52:00 PM You Thanks for the attempt, have a good day.
6:52:32 PM CA SALES Manoj 1252 welcome, you too
6:52:32 PM CA SALES Manoj 1252 bye
6:52:42 PM System CA SALES Manoj 1252 has left this session!
6:52:42 PM System The session has ended!

So there I go into the "Dell shuffle", where I end up is a mystery. I am determined to have a Dell Ubuntu laptop.

Fun with Dell Chat USA

So I was surfing and reading and looking at Linux, and then Dell, and then ...

I discovered Dell Chat


5:32:04 PM System System Initial Question/Comment: Can I buy a Dell Ubuntu laptop in Canada?
5:34:40 PM System System BE_Rep_Heidie has joined this session!
5:34:40 PM System System Connected with BE_Rep_Heidie
5:35:11 PM Customer hello
5:35:25 PM Agent BE_Rep_Heidie Welcome to Dell Sales Chat. My name is Heidie. I'll be your personal sales agent today. Give me a moment to review your concern. Please don't go away.
5:35:40 PM Agent BE_Rep_Heidie Hi.
5:36:15 PM Customer I called Dell Canada and they said only in the US
5:36:23 PM Customer I don't accept that
5:36:26 PM Customer :)
5:36:40 PM Agent BE_Rep_Heidie No, we dont offer Ubuntu in our laptops in Canada.
5:36:48 PM Customer why not?
5:37:30 PM Agent BE_Rep_Heidie its not offered there.
5:37:35 PM Agent BE_Rep_Heidie Are you planning to purchase online today?
5:37:51 PM Customer I know that, why isn't it offered in Canada?
5:38:00 PM Customer online would work
5:38:20 PM Agent BE_Rep_Heidie we dont have enough info about that.
5:39:00 PM Customer who has the info then that I could contact?
5:39:25 PM Agent BE_Rep_Heidie check this link Dell Canada Products, Desktops (I had to alter and link this text)
5:39:39 PM Agent BE_Rep_Heidie Is there anything else I can help you with regarding your concern?
5:40:00 PM Customer you didn't help me yet?
5:40:20 PM Customer that link doesn't tell me whom to contact for the information that I am seeking
5:40:40 PM Agent BE_Rep_Heidie check the link. there's a live chat in Dell Canada which can assist you.
5:40:48 PM Customer so if you cannot help me, then please direct me towards someone who can
5:41:05 PM Customer but dell US sets the policies
5:41:13 PM Customer oops Dell
5:41:36 PM Agent BE_Rep_Heidie we dont have concrete info about that.
5:41:51 PM Customer and you don't know who to talk to?
5:42:29 PM Customer and your group leader can't help you?
5:42:45 PM Customer and your manager can't help you?
5:43:01 PM Customer I just want to know whom to contact.
5:44:01 PM Agent BE_Rep_Heidie or if you want you can contact this no. 1-800-847-4096 for more info.
5:45:15 PM Customer so you couldn't get me to take the web sales page bait and you want someone else to eventually deal with this, what is that number? Who answers the phone?
5:46:00 PM Customer Will the person on the phone be able to answer my question?
5:46:52 PM Agent BE_Rep_Heidie yes, because its the no. for Dell Canada.
5:47:40 PM Customer alright, I will try it, but I shall return if it doesn't work out
5:47:46 PM Customer :-)
5:48:02 PM Agent BE_Rep_Heidie ok.
5:48:08 PM Agent BE_Rep_Heidie Is there anything else I can help you with regarding your concern?
5:48:19 PM Customer and don't change your name to heidi_256 or something
5:48:30 PM Agent BE_Rep_Heidie no.
5:48:40 PM Customer Thanks for the attempt, have a good day.
5:48:52 PM Agent BE_Rep_Heidie You're welcome, I hope you would take the time to fill out the survey after leaving this chat in order for us to improve our service. Your feedback will be greatly appreciated. Thank you for choosing Dell Chat. Have a wonderful day
5:48:57 PM System System BE_Rep_Heidie has left this session!
5:48:57 PM System System The session has ended!

Filled in the survey, clicked "Yes I will be recommending this" along with the following note.

The medium is a great thing, but the lack of escalation is terrible. I will call the number tomorrow from work some people don't have land lines or cell phones. VOIP works, but Asterix is down)

Ain't I a stinker?

Wednesday, June 13, 2007

Individual What?

When did it happen? Was survivor the culprit? When did we lose every ounce of our own lives?

Are our lives so devoid of stimuli? Are we so desparate for attention that we would do anyting for that moment of glory, or that bag of cash?

We are all special. What kind of sheite is that? We will be a cog in the wheel, we will be a good consumer, we will be patriotic, shall I really continue? You too can have boom-chica-wawa, you too can be a star, you too can be the next moron in history.

What does individualism do? It makes more competition - "and competition is good", really sparky, is that what they told you? Where did you learn that? From your corporate masters? From the pathetic excuse for an educational system? GO DUCKS (for hockey fans) Ahhh, some distraction for you, don't think, go to work, pay your taxes, nod and smile and don't trust anyone; everyone is out to steal your wireless.

What is the point of turning everyone against each other? More sales perhaps? More trust in government? If no one is sharing, and everyone suspects everyone else, then the profits will increase, hmmmm, no brainer, but probably took an MBA to figure it out. Am I the only one to have ethical issues with most decisions made by our governments and corporations?

Outsource everything, what a trend. Bean counters own the world, not really they just make sure the profits are maximized. I have heard from Chinese friends that after a joint venture from the west, the company becomes less human.

I do have to hand it to the entertainment industry though, their H.R. can be done while making money; America's Next Top Model, Idol, Last Comic Standing ... and the masses just think, oooohhh, that could be me, I could be special; back to WTF. And people line up to do it, a moment in the spotlight aarrrggghhh.

I work for a corporation at the moment (the shock the horror) but it is a means to an end. I hope that in a few months, that I will go to Venezuela and will be allowed to join the Bolivarian Revolution. I think that I have taken the "get out" comments to heart; I cannot talk to deaf ears any longer. I must go live a life that I may be able to believe in. Now that may seem bizzare to some, and down-right insane to those at my company (they generally stay there for life; "got a good job, why ruin it"). What is insane about wanting to live a life that is mine? What is insane about not wanting to contribute to something I don't believe in? What is insane about not wanting to be nickle and dimed to death? What is insane about not wanting to feel like a slave to morons?

As real life has taught me, it is time to stop, the world has a short attention span. And you can only insult so many people in one sitting.

What are we trying to be?

A Quote or Two

My definition of intelligence would be the ability to see beyond the norm, learn, experience as much as is possible in one life time and question everything.
Me

You may not have a choice with the government that walks all over you, but you sure have one about the friends that do.
Me