What a great country

Even when the federal government oversteps it's bounds and passes law after law that we either disagree with or dislike, we still can rely on the states!
http://news.yahoo.com/s/ap/20101213/ap_on_bi_ge/us_health_care_overhaul_virginia
Sometimes I think it would be nice to live someplace that is warm all year round. Sometimes I would be happy to move where I would never see snow again, or where there is less traffic, or where I can pursue my love of ATV riding with abandon. But then VA goes and elects the best Governor and Attorney general combo that we have ever had! Granted I was a huge fan of Gilmore when he wanted to repeal the car tax but that was just money. Now VA is standing up for freedom state wide.
Great- now traffic will get even worse since people who live in states that have no backbone will come here!
I also heard over the weekend that we are close to having 37 states get together to impose an amendment to require a balanced budget! Lets cross our fingers that the states have lost patience and will fix the out of control federal government!

YEAH STATES!

Top Gear America

So I have posted on previous occasions about my favorite show- Top Gear. Well the US has done what it always does. It stole this wonderful idea from the UK and has decided to produce it here with a US slant.
Here is some advice to the American version of Top Gear:
1) We have seen two episodes now- please stop explaining what is happening and who people are. Either we already know or we can figure it out based on context (those new to the show). I see way too many shows treat the US as if they are morons. This is not the case.
2) Stop trying to copy what the UK Top Gear does- create your own style especially for music with films, cinematography and most importantly interaction. You know what I mean! You are mimicking what Top Gear UK is in style, even in content- but it does not work with the personalities on the show. So find a style that best works with the personalities.
3) It would seem we have selected the hosts already not sure they are a good fit (We really should have seen some writers from C&D or Motortrend- such great wit and humor there). You are not interacting well together. It is contrived- let strife and disagreement happen naturally- stop trying to create it. As far as the audience can tell you just met and are new hosts together on the show- so why do you act as if you have these disagreements or mock fights?
4) I like your car choices for stories- more of this please
5) Make fun of the Stig- but please make them good jokes- and figure out a way to do it different from how the UK version does it.

Most important- all watchers of Top Gear wish they could be on the show- the reason why the UK version does so well is because the hosts translate the visceral experience to words that translate well to fans. You are not doing this- I feel no connection to you- or the car you describe. The only thing that came close thus far was the Evo down hill race- I felt like I saw real personality there. Switching from the contrived "Son of a (Blank)" when keys were tossed on the ground (lame) to later on- a real "SON OF A BITCH"

I will keep watching because it can only get better. Not to mention there is a ton of potential there!

Long Time no talk!?

Sorry for the time lapse. I was busy with so many other things in life that I had stopped posting. I was moved today to write again simply based on the new proposal to cut the MASSIVE deficit.
I guess cutting Social security, raising the age, taxing gas MORE and all the other great ideas have nothing to do with the TYPICAL left wing BS that takes place. EVERYONE on the right side saw this coming.
So lets review:
1) Obama takes office and starts spending- spending faster and more than any other president- only seconded by Bush.
2) He promises no tax increases on the lower or middle class
3) He spends so much that he does not know how to reduce the deficit so he decides to start cutting programs and things that people rely on.

WHAT THE HELL? Why would they not do some of the following:
CUT SPENDING
PULL OUT OF IRAQ FOR REAL- not to mention Afghanistan
Get rid of any and all ear marks.
Repeal the health care bill- it is obvious we cannot afford it now that we have to take money away from fixed income old people!

Instead of cutting programs or cutting anything associated with GOVERNMENT SPENDING (which is the root of the problem) we get a list of shit we either already pay for or already are taxed on that they want to INCREASE OR DECREASE depending on how best it can get them MORE DAMN MONEY.
YOU HAVE ENOUGH OF OUR DAMN MONEY!!!! Stop trying to get more and make due with what you have!

To be a dad

To be a dad is not being afraid to pick up your vomit soaked son in the middle of the night and rush him to the bathroom so he can hug the toilet and throw up more.
To be a dad is to get hit in the face with a pillow when you least expect it, just so your 3 year old will laugh.
To be a dad is to go that extra mile and get your 3 year old the band aid with Ernie on it, even when he has no boo boo.
To be a dad is to teach your son that the mouse trap can hurt- and NOT to touch it- then to show your son that same mouse trap day after day as if it is new just because he asks.
To be a dad is to show your son your pistol and to explain that is is never to be touched, EVER.
To be a dad is to run beside your son when he tears off down the street in his power wheel- preventing him from turning into traffic.
To be a dad is the best thing ever. To be a dad fills that gap in your life that you did not know existed.
To be a dad makes me happy.

oops

Well it would appear that sprinkler systems and large metal stakes to hold down a moonbounce do not get along. I am waiting for the damage as the poor guy walks around, digs around, futzes around with my sprinkler system to fix the damage that was caused by a mixture of things. Some my fault- others I am not so sure. Let see what the damage is (to my wallet).
I am sure I posted before about my hatred of grass- if not- news flash- GRASS IS STUPID.
We surround our houses with grass for what? So we have something to .....(just interrupted with the bill- $80- not horrible but a lot to pay for a stupid stake). Anyway- I forgot my rant.
Damn grass.
Have a nice weekend.

Good video

Since this came out of VA and it is so important to normal people I thought anyone should read this. It disagrees with what I always thought so since I learned something- maybe you will too!

Why no humor?

So it seems to me this entire blog thing is only any good if it is funny. No one wants to read crap that I bitch about. So I guess I am going to change direction and really only put amusing things up here so maybe people will read it.
What is up with wacked our phrases that I have to enter on websites so they can make sure I am not an automated response. Is it so bad on the internet that we have to challenge the brains of the humans we created it for? I just responded to my wife's block and I had to type in Itidm. WTF is Itidm? Well I will never know because it was WRONG! I had to then type in Pydtmf. I really have no idea what that is either but I did it right and I was given the privilege to post on her blog.
How is it it can be that hard for me to post but I get 150 spam emails a day?
I think Windows is a nice OS. Granted - it has issues but when it comes to functionality and ease of use I have to give the gold star to windows.
Linux and Unix are fine for stability- and even function- but NOT ease of use.
Mac- too closed for me- open up and sell just your OS Apple and I will give it a shot.
Why is it I have .3 acres and when my son rides his power wheel he will find the two piles of dog shit that exist on that .3 acres? Then why is it that dog shit sticks like glue to power wheel tires?
As I blog I am listening to a con call, responding to email, fixing files I broke and the TV is playing in the other room. Am I multi-tasking or am I just ADD?
I go with ADD based on the way this is flowing.
Is it offensive to gay people if I call something so obviously gay, gay in front of a gay? I think I met my gay word quota on that sentence.
Why can I not spell? I went through 12 years of school and then 5 years of college and I can spell no better than a 4th grader. Probably worse. I think I drank away that portion of my brain.
How mean is too mean to an asshole?
Oh well. That is enough for now. I promise to try and be funny in text. I have my challenges!

Ahhh Grilling

So I was talking to a friend and it turns out he is interested in learning how to grill. Grilling and barbecue are two different things. He asked if I had any or knew of any books to help him. I of course do have some I could loan him- and of course I will if he wants them. My issue is that I love grilling so much that I would prefer to show him what I have learned. For me it would be fun to either provide assistance in learning or to run a class from my house. From picking out the equipment needed all the way up to pork, beef, chicken, vegetables, starch and the use of aluminum foil. So all those that are close in proximity to me I would be happy to help either teach you at my house or come to your house and run several live demos. Of course the best way to learn is by doing. So if I am teaching you that means I do nothing by advise and step in if you ask me to.
I have spent the last 15 or so years perfecting my grilling techniques. I have my own preferences and bias but overall my results speak for themselves. I would be happy to pass those results on to you.
Benefits from grilling are:
1) Awesome tasting food
2) lower fat food in some instances (cook with less oil or fat for lubrication)
3) less clean up if you do things the true outdoors way
4) enjoyment of nature while cooking
5) easier to prepare larger quantities of food in less amounts of time
This is just to name a few. So- for those interested- lets set up some time and a course schedule and get started!

In the Minority- get used to it!

So it would seem that my way of thinking is truly and completely in the minority. I guess I am OK with it. For a long time it seemed as if America was truly conservative. It now seems that the country has changed direction. I have felt this way before. In college. I remember the Clinton years- where he acted like a true scumbag. Being a government major I was in classes where things had to be discussed. I remember being the ONLY person in the class to cry foul and disgust at the way Clinton acted. I remember people saying how he was just being persecuted by right wingers. I felt like I was trying to argue with idiots or crazy people. I now know that I was- and what a mistake it was. The simple fact is this. A majority of the population voted in a crazy left wing agenda. That must mean that he majority wants that sort of agenda. We cannot assume that since right wingers were in office for so long and did so much that the American public was right then and wrong now. Right and wrong are subjective in this case by the way. In short- the American public has no idea what it wants. We vote based on knee jerk emotion. Whoever can manipulate those emotions, wins. I doubt a large portion of the population agrees with what Obama is doing 100%. I think far less actually like the job he is doing. I guess I am blathering on that- true conservative thought has gone the way of the dinosaur. I now understand what it feels like to not have a voice. So I will no longer try and convince idealists that I am right (or that I think I am right). I will sit back and watch idealism try and fix the world. Realism can take a back seat for a while- lets see what trying to change the world gets us. So far it is 10% unemployment- and rising.
Strange how idealism gets us higher unemployment and not lower. I would really think that it would be the other way around- IF YOU DO NOT HAVE A JOB- HERE HAVE ONE. I guess that only works for people who want to work.
I wonder- if the world ever got "fixed" would we still have arguments about the right way to fix it? If there was no unemployment, people made good money and the stock market worked fine. If you could get a loan and there was no war. Could we be smart enough to look back and understand who made it utopia for us? I doubt it. We would find something else to argue about- because we are people and we like to argue. We would argue that there is too much good weather- we need more crappy weather. We would argue that our electric cars just do not have enough umpf to get up to 150mph on a race track. We would argue that with no war we have no innovation and with no innovation comes stagnation. We would argue that no one has time to relax because we are all too busy working. We would argue that we have gotten soft and are ripe for other countries in the world to take us over- until we got taken over. Then there would be no more arguing. Utopia cannot exist unless the entire world feels the same. Utopia could not even exist in the beginning with God involved- we spit in his face too. So does it make sense to try and get there? Why not- we have such short memories that we will forget we have utopia 5 minutes after we have it anyway.....

Socks- thats right- socks.

So what the hell is up with socks. I am a dude and I have sweaty feet. I am sorry to be blunt but by the end of the day my feet are swimming in man foot sweat. I am not happy about it- but at the very least they do not smell. It is simple hot foot syndrome. So last year I found a great shoe- Asics- gel shoes. They look like hell but they feel great. They also breath really well. So I can actually feel air moving through the shoe cooling my sweaty feet. So now what I have found is that my socks are the real problem. I cannot find simple low rise white athletic socks that will keep my feet cool. I bought expensive socks with my latest pair of shoes- nike socks. Well this was a massive mistake. The only thing worse than cheap white socks that make my feet sweat, are expensive white socks that make my feet sweat AND SMELL. Last night I was trying these Nike socks for the 4th time- after first wash. I took my socks off at the end of the day and I could not stand the smell of my own feet- if I could run away from them I would have. How the hell can I run away from my own feet?
So I have wasted good money on crappy nike wic comfort athletic socks. WORTHLESS.
Can someone please direct me to a pair of simple cotton socks that are thin enough to let my feet breath? Nothing too hard?
Maybe I just shop in the wrong places.....

Oil Rig

So I have been watching the news lately and have found that down in the gulf of Mexico- 40 miles off the coast of Louisiana an Oil Rig exploded and fell into the ocean. For the first few days I was stunned. Wow- how could an oil rig just explode like that. After that I was worried- wow 11 people cannot be found, I hope they are alright. After that I was sad- crap oil is leaking everywhere and 11 people are dead. Now I am pissed. The more I think about it the more I think that somehow this was a planned event. I have no clue who could have planned it at all. Maybe left wing environmentalists. I have heard the arguments against that theory- Gee they would not want to hurt the environment, how could they execute that, or the best- that is just crazy talk.
Is it? Some time back I read the book "State of Fear" and although it was fiction it was very well researched. It was about fear mongering and how you can control a population with different levels of fear. It also included lots of stories of environmentalist nut jobs who will do anything to further there cause.
These people are willing to do anything to move forward the agenda of saving (insert anything).
I think it is possible.
I also think it is much less likely that the government took an active role in such a thing- but they may have just let it happen.
What would be the purpose?
1) People feel the same way I did- wow that sucks bad- oil rigs = explosions and death
2) People where I live- in VA may start thinking- crap- I do not want this on my coast
3) People mobilize in a direction that they would not have otherwise chosen- such as resisting additional drilling based on recent events- such as an OIL RIG EXPLODING AND SINKING
4) The republican right wing gets upset that the administration puts a halt to drilling until we "find out" what happened. This vilifies the right wing in the perfect amount of time before an election.
5) People raise up arms to the sky and ask WHY WOULD YOU WANT TO DRILL AFTER SUCH A DISASTER- so republicans have to let it drop
Results?
No more oil drilling, environmental measures pass without the concession the left made to allow drilling and we move on down the road yet again. 11 people sacrificed and for what? Bird brained ideas that oil drilling will hurt the environment. I tried to google search for previous oil rigs exploding and sinking but I could find none. I tried to remember any ever happening and could find nothing in my memory either.
You have to ask yourself- why all the sudden would an Oil Rig that is off the coast of the USA suddenly explode with no reason? If an airliner exploded above the US for no reason what would people think? Jet fuel is much more explosive than Oil- and the fumes are more explosive than the natural gas- so what would people think? They would think- TERRORISM! But the news I have been watching said nothing of the sort.
In fact maybe it was not left wings- maybe it was arab terrorists who decided they did not want the US to be independent from foreign oil- maybe they thought they would scare us.
Either way the results are not good for this country. More fear and more uncertainty.
I can tell you what will come out-
There was some sort of leak- faulty equipment maybe. Something sparked off the leak and the whole place went up. It was so sudden that 11 people died (did they die? The press is only talking about oil spills now and I am just assuming since that was the last I heard).
Probably some sort of report will come out saying that there were previous safety violations and that the platform was warned several times.
Then of course there will be character assassination of the people who ran the rig.
It will be explained away and people who think as I do that this was a purposeful action by a well organized group of some kind will just be addressed as nut jobs.
This is not a safe world we live in. We are surrounded by people who will do ANYTHING to further an agenda (if it is right or wrong) and we as the American people should not accept what is being spoon fed to us.
There is a saying in my business called FUD (fear uncertainty and doubt). Counter opposing sales people will use FUD as a means to manipulate customers. This method is common and underhanded. Sometimes it is the only way to move forward an otherwise weak agenda. Create FUD.
This oil rig disaster and the resulting media coverage is FUD- see it for what it is.

Top Gear

So last night I sat down to watch my favorite show Top Gear. This show is on BBCA and I have been watching it for several years now. It is a British show and unlike any car shows we have here in the US. It is aimed at entertainment rather than information. However you always happen to learn something along the way. The basis is essentially three British car guys. All with different ways of looking at cars. They clash frequently which is where the fun is. They seem to really like each other the way normal guys like each other. With ribbing and jokes as well as frequent adventures into the inane. So last night they had a special show. It was set in South America- Bolivia specifically. The three guys were tasked with buying used 4-wheel drive vehicles online from the UK to be delivered on a river shore in Bolivia (site unseen). They were then to drive all the way to the Pacific Ocean. The hilarity and amusement ensued and I was totally entertained for almost 2 hours. The crazy thing is that my wife came out of the shower and sat down and started watching with me. Granted- she thought it was a normal 1 hour show (so did I) but we both sat and watched together. She even occasionally laughed (like when one threatened to kill another with a machete). This was probably the best episode of Top Gear I have ever seen. And they are all good. So I have to say- if you are going to watch this show- watch last nights episode. If you are in the UK I am sure it was on last year or some time previous.
You do not have to love cars- just entertainment.

Imagine that- Health Care not for all

So with 100% left wing support, a bill written somewhere (but not in congress) fails to cover those who have real problems- but are TRYING to support themselves. Of course a group of the public that is trying to help themselves get SCREWED by a loophole in this new heath care bill. People who are already in high risk pools paying a fortune will be STUCK There- thanks congress.
WAKE UP PEOPLE. This left wing congress only THINKS it is helping people. In reality they are trying to give a hand up to people who do not want it and pushing down that actually need a hand.
http://news.yahoo.com/s/ap/20100416/ap_on_bi_ge/us_health_overhaul_high_risk

Review of Proof

So last week I went into DC on Monday to see Bon Jovi at the Verizon center. This was the first time I had seen Bon Jovi in concert and I have been a fan for many years. The goal was to go to a nice meal before the show. I was with Heather and my wife Amy. Heather and Amy agreed on Proof and I thought it sounded OK.
To put it bluntly this restaurant kicked ass.
Aside from the menu being a little confusing I was blown away by the quality of the food.
We ordered nothing from the first page of the menu- which was mostly cured meat. We ordered gnocchi from the 1st and shared. It was melt in your mouth, buttery, potato goodness. Also some fresh herbs thrown in really livened it up, I was entranced every time I took a bite. What a fantastic way to start. I should say we did order a selection of cheeses before the first course, however I was not overall impressed with those. Since I chose them it is my own fault.
For my primary course I ordered the scallops. They were perfectly seared and each bite brought on a flood of taste and texture. There was no grit at all. This sounds like a given, but I cannot count the amount of times I have ordered scallops in a high end restaurant and gotten grit. The portion size was also perfect and the side dish of warm bread pudding (savory not sweet) was a perfect addition. Everything tasted fresh, clean and wonderful.
For dessert I ordered chocolate bread pudding. It was good- but the other components of the meal stood out as perfect.
A nod to the bar as well. I ordered a Manhattan with Makers Mark- olive- not cherry. It was perfect. I also ordered a Grey goose martini- dry and well shaken. Also perfect.
The experience was not pretentious (something I am always concerned about eating downtown) but welcoming and relaxed. Inside a brief walking distance from the Verizon center it was well placed. I was confused as to why they had open reservations just a few days before the concert and other restaurants in the area were booked. This place will be on my list from now on.
If you have a chance- GO.
http://www.proofdc.com/
The meal was better than the concert. Bon Jovi sounded fine- but I have yet to listen to the new album and he played a lot of songs from it. Overall I would classify it as too mellow. I wanted higher energy stuff. At least he still has his voice and good stage presence.
I could have done without the giant pictures of Obama and Oprah in the opening song (on the LCD screens).

I wonder if my wife reads this.....

So I was happy living my life when I got an email this morning from Motor Trend. 2011 Mustang GT first test. Since I have already heard a lot about it I thought I would take a look.
The reason for the title is because I WANT A 2011 mustang GT. What a bad ass car. Having owned two mustang 5.0s in the past it is easy to see why my interest is peaked. My issue was that I outgrew the car. I had a 1987 5.0 LX hatch. It was hot, fast and got me in a lot of trouble. So much trouble I had to sell the car or risk never driving again (the only car I ever outran a cop in). No one was ever hurt- but I sure paid a lot of money to the state, county and State Farm.....
Second was years later- a 1995 GT. I loved it- but sadly as I got older and had to drive more the cramped interior was something I could not deal with . It was also a harsh ride and my wife tended to hate it (she was not my wife at the time). So I have watched the Mustang and I have waited. I have waited to see it grow up as I have.
It seems that day has finally come. Ford in general seems to understand what the American public wants. They are producing more and more cars, SUV, crossover, and pickups that seem to hit the mark dead on. So much so that when I was searching for a car for my wife I decided to give them a shot. I ended up not buying one directly- but a re-badge- re done ford. A Mazda.
So far we love it.
So back to the Mustang. I was waiting for it to grow up. I was waiting for more leg room. That came years ago and has been increasing. As I was writing this I sadly determined the next statement
My current car has 43.9 inches of front leg room (BTW I am 6'3" so legroom is important)
My 1995 mustang had 42.5.
The new 2011 Mustang has 42.4 How did that happen Ford???? I could swear that Legroom increased at least an inch with the re-design a few years ago. But the numbers do not lie.
Oh well. Just to make sure I was not crazy I went and checked- the 2005 has 42.7 inches. Not a massive difference but something strange is going on with Legroom.
In any case here are the things that caught my interest:
Performance- this thing blows the doors off the Camero with better gas mileage and better drive ability! Not to mention it still has a Solid Rear Axle. How Ford achieves the handling of a .92g through the course with a solid rear axle? I have no clue....
Next is the engine. They squeeze so much power out of a normally aspirated 5.0 (real- not 4.9 this time) engine. Bravo. That takes real engineering!
In addition- and this sounds lame but for any Married dude out there- he can attest. It now has dual climate control as an option. I am not sure this has existed before- but it does for sure now and I am amazed! In my 95 the heated seats helped- but ever since then having dual zone has been a must- it makes for less arguments and happiness!
The Synch system is now an option- and Nav has been but remains to be.
So lets do the math- the Mustang now has most of the features that I look for. I am sure other features are missing that my 2007 came with like
Memory seats
rain sensing wipers
Bi-Xenon headlights
Cooled seats (although Ford does offer this on Lincoln)
So of course- there is no way I could get rid of my Lexus for this car- especially since it is bought and paid for. BUT.... if I could save my money and have a second car, a toy. Maybe in a few years when my son is out of day care and costs decrease. Maybe by then I could save enough to have this new awesome Ford. By then there will be some used GT premiums out there that I could pick up for a steal....
I wonder if I would be cramped..... Oh well. No test drive for me- too dangerous.
For those that want to read the article

http://www.motortrend.com/roadtests/coupes/112_1003_2011_ford_mustang_gt_premium_test/index.html

Oil Drilling

So it seems our good president has agreed to Oil Drilling off the coast of VA. FANTASTIC. I am very happy that we will be drilling for Oil in areas that we have not before. It is long over due. Now the questions arise. WHY Mr. Obama would you suddenly change tac and move in the right direction? For a simple reason of course. His agenda needs to be fulfilled. He must get a climate/energy bill passed now. The only way to do that is to make concessions and allow us to actually have more energy.
So lets do the Math- WAR BAD- PULL TROOPS. On my last check we still have troops in both Iraq and Afghanistan. Not that I thought he would- but we can hope.
DRILLING BAD- so lets go ahead and drill.

I wonder if he says- that is a great idea- I am glad I thought of it......

And Health Care Already Suffers

Great job US Government. As predicted big business is taking out the pain on the American worker. The American people knew this would happen and now- just a week later we see it in action. You raise the costs to American big business, they pass it along by reducing benefits. All so the poor can get coverage. STOP TAKING FROM THE PRODUCTIVE TO HELP THE NON PRODUCTIVE!
http://news.yahoo.com/s/ap/20100326/ap_on_hi_te/us_tec_at_t_health_care

Update to Logitech Remote

After my annoyance was peaked with Logitech I resigned myself to go ahead and go through the install.
It took a lot of setup time. More due to fine tuning than anything else BUT..... Both rooms are now up and running without flaws (mostly anyway). I have to say- as annoying as it was to get up and running- at least it works. In my research I did find other high end remotes out there that probably would have been a good choice as well.
Here is something that I did NOT think would work but it did.
Old Harmony 890 remote in my Media Room. Media closet houses all components- including my Sat receiver and PS3. The media closet is behind the seating area so there is no line of site at all to the closet- and it is fully enclosed so it works well.
I hooked up the RF extender- this is a little device that converts RF signals out of the remote and converts to IR for the components. I used to have an RF extender that had a little stick on RF light for every component. It was a spider web of wires (and about as thin) and it was ugly. The Logitech blasts IR light out to the whole closet at once and it actually works! No more spider web. Second- the PS3 adapter requires direct line of sight! That's right- an adapter for BLUETOOTH WIRELESS requires IR to work. The good news is that it works fine with the RF extender. So commands from my 890 go to the RF extender-to the PS3 adapter-to the PS3 and they seem to work. Aside from some fast scrolling left to right when I did not want it- everything else seems fine.
The new Harmony one remote is nice for the family room. The fine tuning was again around the Mitsubishi TV- the HDMI port switching causes so many problems. But the remote had a function to work around this and with some minor testing it seems to work fine.

Now that I have a nice remote in my media room I think the next upgrade will be Z-wave lighting. The only thing that has ever bothered me about my media room has been the light switch location. The 890 remote has the ability to control Z-wave lights so I will add in 3 Z-wave switches (on the outside of the media room) and hopefully when I turn on everything and hit play the lights will instantly dim. Then when I press pause or stop the lights will come back up. At $50 a pop for the switches those will have to wait.....

Love Affair with Logitech is at an END

So many of you know I have an obsession with Home theater and technology. I have found in the past that Logitech makes a pretty awesome remote. I have used a Logitech in my family room for years now with good results. I decided I would upgrade my antiquated media room remote for a new logitech with Birthday money. So begins the saga.
Here are the problems I have encountered:
1) I had to choose a Logitech remote that could work with an RF extender- I thought this was taken care of because I had an unused RF extender that I got with my 890 remote. I was not using it because I had direct line of site to all my components in my family room. So I thought- great- I will check to see if it works. I checked the Logitech website and I guess I did not check deep enough. I THOUGHT it was supported. Turns out- it was not supported and would not be supported. They sell the same remote with the extender and they sell the extender seperate- but I am not sure why. This is the first annoyance.
Solution- use the new Harmony One remote I bought in the family room and move my 890 downstairs- as long as the PS3 adapter I bought will work with the 890- it is said to but I have not tried it yet due to OTHER problems.
2) So I go to upgrade my 890 remote in the family room and when I bring up the software it says- sure you can upgrade- just add the new remote- but there is NO WHERE TO ADD A NEW REMOTE- only remove the old one. So I call tech support.
Here I learn the following:
A) You have to have a NEW ACCOUNT FOR EVERY NEW REMOTE YOU BUY- the accounts will not touch and you cannot move settings from one to the other
B) There is no direct upgrade path from the 890 remote to anything else- which means I have to start from scratch!
C) There is no way to pass along my complaints to development or management- the Indian (dot not Dancing with Wolves) is all I get.
So I decide instead of going through a return process I will just deal with starting from scratch and make sure the world knows- LOGITECH IS FINE FOR 1 REMOTE- JUST DO NOT BUY ANOTHER AND DO NOT UPGRADE!
Man am I pissed at companies that treat customers this way. It all boils down to development costs- Logitech has left all customers out in the cold with an 890 remote (I asked- is there ANYTHING I can BUY to just have a smooth upgrade- response- NO).
Not to mention creating a brand new account in the SAME DAMN SOFTWARE just to control a different remote. This is poor development, poor planning and most of all- it just annoys me.
DO BETTER LOGITECH!

There goes the Nation....

So just as I predicted our Nation is on a crazy ride to socialist hell. I predicted before the Obanation was elected that our Country would choose him, move WAY far to the left, regret it and then hopefully over correct and move WAY back over to the right. So far I am 2/3 of the way there. In November and then the next Presidential election I will be 100% right.
How can it be that even the left wing liberal media is even reporting this new health care legislation accurately. They are saying flat out- massive tax increase, if you earn a lot of money you will pay for this and so on....
This country did not want THIS legislation. As usual the government does not hear the WHOLE story. We wanted reform. We want the $200 aspirin problem fixed. We did NOT want this bill passed. This was not the way to fix it. I am sick of the government attitude of doing something has to be better than doing nothing. That is not TRUE. LISTEN TO US. We have seen what you can do. We all think you have done enough work for the next 4 years. Just stop now and rest.