Showing posts with label iPod. Show all posts
Showing posts with label iPod. Show all posts
Wednesday, December 14, 2011
Wednesday, October 5, 2011
Tuesday, April 19, 2011
Two sports screwballs mess up their careers early
Weird news out today on two chuckleheads in sports--one already in the majors and one who was to be bound for the NFL:
Reds pitcher Mike Leake booked for stealing from Macy’s
In a stunning case of alleged of retail theft that makes little sense to anybody, Cincinnati Reds right-hander Mike Leake(notes) was arrested and booked Monday afternoon for allegedly stealing $59.88 worth of merchandise from a Macy's department store in downtown Cincy.
The second-year righthander, in case you're wondering, makes $425,000 a year and received a $2.3 million signing bonus after being drafted out of Arizona State.
The guy makes nearly half a million a year but steals about 60 bucks of junk. WTH?
I'm going to file that one under "What the heck were you thinking??"
Followed closely by this one:
Georgia recruits charged as Georgia locker room thieves
Three suspects have been arrested in the Georgia locker room thefts, at least one of whom has been identified as a major football recruit.
Deion Bonner, Marquise Hawkins and an unidentified juvenile from Columbus were arrested by UGA police and charged with theft by taking over the weekend. They're accused of stealing iPods and iPhones from the unsecured lockers of seven football players on April 7 during an open-house event at Butts-Mehre Heritage Hall. The estimated value of the stolen items was $1,970.
So get that straight--this guy above, Deion Bonner, is a Georgia cornerback and recruit for the freaking NFL and he blows it by ripping off possible, future team mates, right from their lockers.
Definitely a good career move.
And you thought that would work how?
And you'd get away with it?
Then, both of these bozos on the same day.
Go figure.
Tuesday, January 25, 2011
Talk about over-legislating
Okay, here we go. This is what the Libertarians and maybe the Tea Party members are complaining about. Talk about too much government.
Two states--Arkansas and New York, if you can believe that--are considering making walking or running while you text illegal:
2 states take aim at distracted walkers, runners
And who's going to police this? The police? They don't have enough to do?
My Conservative, long-dead, I believe Republican uncle once made a terrific statement I never forgot: "You can't legislate us to utopia."
I didn't agree with a lot of his politics but I certainly agreed with that one.
Naturally, that came to mind here, with these goofy ideas.
Link: http://news.yahoo.com/s/ap/20110124/ap_on_re_us/us_distracted_walkers
Two states--Arkansas and New York, if you can believe that--are considering making walking or running while you text illegal:
2 states take aim at distracted walkers, runners
And who's going to police this? The police? They don't have enough to do?
My Conservative, long-dead, I believe Republican uncle once made a terrific statement I never forgot: "You can't legislate us to utopia."
I didn't agree with a lot of his politics but I certainly agreed with that one.
Naturally, that came to mind here, with these goofy ideas.
Link: http://news.yahoo.com/s/ap/20110124/ap_on_re_us/us_distracted_walkers
Monday, January 24, 2011
The dismal state of FM radio in Kansas City (updated)
Yes, I know, it's been said many times before but I have to say, it's really pathetic. It seems like no one has said it lately. There are so many copiers of one another.
I wonder if there is another city in this nation with as many stations, per capita, that play "oldies" in one metropolitan area as there are here in Kansas City. I have to doubt it, but I certainly hope there isn't, for all the rest of those people's sake.
93.3 KMXV "The Mix" 93 FM? I think it's new stuff. Pop/disco type but at least it was newer stuff.
94.9 KCMO Greatest Hits. Unfair. Oldies is all this station has ever been.
96.5 The Buzz I have to say, it seems like this one station comes closest to what I'm talking of here. When I flipped them on just now, not only was the song not familiar but it was The Decembrist singing "This is why" and Young the Giant and Kings of Leon were next up. (This may be that one station. Maybe. If so, nice).
98.1 KUDL? Oldies
98.9 KQRC "The Rock"? Newer (I think) but all really hard rock, for those who are into it. Coming up was ZZ Top and Guns and Roses were playing when I just checked. Motley Crue and Metallica were coming up.
99.7 Gen-X Radio? Maybe some new stuff. Not unique but newer, anyway. When I just went to their site and started listening for this entry, they were playing old Green Day (who I love, admittedly) with Backstreet Boys and Madonna coming up next. That sums it up right there.
101.1 The Fox, "Kansas City's Only Classic Rock Station"? You got it--major oldies
102.1 The newly-renamed and revamped "Alice". Not only is this another of many oldies stations but when they went to re-do the station, the playlist and the name, it seems like they sat around, decided that "Jack FM" was cool or that it worked or both so they decided they'd also rip off their name style. I can hear the conversation now: "I know! Since we can't just call it Jill" (get it, Jack and Jill), "let's call it 'Alice'!" Pitiful.
103.3 Hot 103 Jamz? Soul, R & B, etc. At least there's one original one, eh?
105.1 Jack "Playing what we want" FM? Oldies. All oldies, all the time, just with a wiseguy attitude.
107.3 Magic 107.3? They're description also gives this one away, too: "Classic Soul & Today's R&B!" Right. You got it. Oldies.
Sure, there's XM/Sirius radio and MP3's and iPods and everything else personal everyone's turning to but couldn't there be at least ONE radio station in the metropolitan area that plays things by new, upcoming, fresh artists?
Wouldn't you think?
To hear anything new or different on radio in the area, you have to turn on NPR on the likes of 90.9 The Bridge out of Warrensburg and CMU and hope you get lucky.
If I worked for a local FM rock station in this town, I'd be embarrassed. I don't think I could tell people where I worked, at least, not when the economy recovers.
Trying to make a living selling advertising for them must be murder, don't you imagine. Your sales line: "We're different! Really!"
Yeah, right.
I wonder if there is another city in this nation with as many stations, per capita, that play "oldies" in one metropolitan area as there are here in Kansas City. I have to doubt it, but I certainly hope there isn't, for all the rest of those people's sake.
93.3 KMXV "The Mix" 93 FM? I think it's new stuff. Pop/disco type but at least it was newer stuff.
94.9 KCMO Greatest Hits. Unfair. Oldies is all this station has ever been.
96.5 The Buzz I have to say, it seems like this one station comes closest to what I'm talking of here. When I flipped them on just now, not only was the song not familiar but it was The Decembrist singing "This is why" and Young the Giant and Kings of Leon were next up. (This may be that one station. Maybe. If so, nice).
98.1 KUDL? Oldies
98.9 KQRC "The Rock"? Newer (I think) but all really hard rock, for those who are into it. Coming up was ZZ Top and Guns and Roses were playing when I just checked. Motley Crue and Metallica were coming up.
99.7 Gen-X Radio? Maybe some new stuff. Not unique but newer, anyway. When I just went to their site and started listening for this entry, they were playing old Green Day (who I love, admittedly) with Backstreet Boys and Madonna coming up next. That sums it up right there.
101.1 The Fox, "Kansas City's Only Classic Rock Station"? You got it--major oldies
102.1 The newly-renamed and revamped "Alice". Not only is this another of many oldies stations but when they went to re-do the station, the playlist and the name, it seems like they sat around, decided that "Jack FM" was cool or that it worked or both so they decided they'd also rip off their name style. I can hear the conversation now: "I know! Since we can't just call it Jill" (get it, Jack and Jill), "let's call it 'Alice'!" Pitiful.
103.3 Hot 103 Jamz? Soul, R & B, etc. At least there's one original one, eh?
105.1 Jack "Playing what we want" FM? Oldies. All oldies, all the time, just with a wiseguy attitude.
107.3 Magic 107.3? They're description also gives this one away, too: "Classic Soul & Today's R&B!" Right. You got it. Oldies.
Sure, there's XM/Sirius radio and MP3's and iPods and everything else personal everyone's turning to but couldn't there be at least ONE radio station in the metropolitan area that plays things by new, upcoming, fresh artists?
Wouldn't you think?
To hear anything new or different on radio in the area, you have to turn on NPR on the likes of 90.9 The Bridge out of Warrensburg and CMU and hope you get lucky.
If I worked for a local FM rock station in this town, I'd be embarrassed. I don't think I could tell people where I worked, at least, not when the economy recovers.
Trying to make a living selling advertising for them must be murder, don't you imagine. Your sales line: "We're different! Really!"
Yeah, right.
Sunday, January 16, 2011
Monday, April 6, 2009
What a guy
There was a fascinating, in-depth article in The New York Times yesterday, detailing CEO's pay in the last year.
The title of the article on the front page of the business section was "Executives Took, but the Directors Gave".
The Times' take on big, overdone executive pay at corporations is shown, right away, in the lead sentence for the main article and that is that "Little of the ire against outsize C.E.O. paychecks has been aimed at the people who signed off on them: corporate directors."
And while that's true, there's also the really overlooked fact that these directors are virtually always friends, buddies and pals of that same CEO so who are these little directors to not give them big, fat paychecks? "You do for me here and I'll take care of you, over there" can frequently fit the description of the relationship. That, too, has been overlooked, I think. It's a pretty chummy relationship.
A little intimidation could go a long way, too, in getting your board to load your pay, but that's another matter.
One of the most fascinating things for me, in looking over the 2 full pages of charts they printed of CEO's pay was Steve Jobs' information.
All the other CEO's listed millions of dollars to them for pay and more millions in cash bonuses, another for "perks/other" while still more listed stock awards and options awards. Virtually every column had hundreds of thousands or millions of dollars going to this or that CEO.
Who knew there were so many ways to throw money at your executive? I didn't.
Naturally, when you're looking at this list, you're drawn to who makes the biggest amounts. You're looking for, kind of, "off the chart", big pay.
So yesterday I was looking at this and I got 3 sections down on the first page and I start seeing all these zeroes. And then a "1". And then more zeroes.
And I'm thinking, what is this, all of a sudden? What does this mean?
And then I see that it's a listing of the CEO of Apple Computer.
One Steve Jobs.
And I'm knocked out.
This guy got paid one dollar last year, for his work.
Now, I don't know how much he worked--how many hours, etc., but I do know Steve Jobs is the reason why Apple exists.
I also know he's why the iPod exists and he's the reason for such cool, really beautiful and intelligent design over at Apple, since the company began.
I also know there's rumors and news reports of his being sick so who knows how much he worked last year.
But then, go a little further on the list and you see that this same Mr. Jobs has a "Total Value of Equity Holdings" in Apple of $630,409,621.00.
Yow.
That's a personal net worth of over one-half billion dollars in Apple stock only.
So, sure, he only took home $1.00 last year in pay for his work at and for his company.
But he's worth over 500 million dollars.
And yes, I keep in mind this isn't money sitting in a bank somewhere--this is what he's worth in Apple stock. Not spendable money but investments, nonetheless.
What I'm left with is, here's a guy, Steve Jobs, who doesn't fleece his company for more and more (and more dammit!) money, just so he can acquire more and more and more, for it's own sake, quite unlike his CEO counterparts.
Here's a guy, this same Steve Jobs, who thinks up and creates cool--very cool--fun products and applications and sees them all the way to production and distribution, who has helped make, really, the 21st Century a lot of the fun it is.
He helped bring us the iPhone, the iPod before it, iTunes, cool computers, a great, working software system that doesn't get viruses and bugs--in fact, in sharp contrast to Bill Gates' Microsoft Vista software, this stuff works great--and he's not bilking his own company, in the meantime.
I hope Mr. Jobs is not truly, seriously ill, for sure. I hope he's with us for a long time and with good health in the meantime.
But I will say this, one day, when he's no longer with us, we're all going to miss this man, his creativity and his personal virtues a great deal.
Here's to Steve Jobs. A great man. May he be well and live long.
Link to original article:
http://www.nytimes.com/2009/04/05/business/05board.html?th&emc=th
And a NYT article on Steve Jobs:
http://topics.nytimes.com/top/reference/timestopics/people/j/steven_p_jobs/index.html
The title of the article on the front page of the business section was "Executives Took, but the Directors Gave".
The Times' take on big, overdone executive pay at corporations is shown, right away, in the lead sentence for the main article and that is that "Little of the ire against outsize C.E.O. paychecks has been aimed at the people who signed off on them: corporate directors."
And while that's true, there's also the really overlooked fact that these directors are virtually always friends, buddies and pals of that same CEO so who are these little directors to not give them big, fat paychecks? "You do for me here and I'll take care of you, over there" can frequently fit the description of the relationship. That, too, has been overlooked, I think. It's a pretty chummy relationship.
A little intimidation could go a long way, too, in getting your board to load your pay, but that's another matter.
One of the most fascinating things for me, in looking over the 2 full pages of charts they printed of CEO's pay was Steve Jobs' information.
All the other CEO's listed millions of dollars to them for pay and more millions in cash bonuses, another for "perks/other" while still more listed stock awards and options awards. Virtually every column had hundreds of thousands or millions of dollars going to this or that CEO.
Who knew there were so many ways to throw money at your executive? I didn't.
Naturally, when you're looking at this list, you're drawn to who makes the biggest amounts. You're looking for, kind of, "off the chart", big pay.
So yesterday I was looking at this and I got 3 sections down on the first page and I start seeing all these zeroes. And then a "1". And then more zeroes.
And I'm thinking, what is this, all of a sudden? What does this mean?
And then I see that it's a listing of the CEO of Apple Computer.
One Steve Jobs.
And I'm knocked out.
This guy got paid one dollar last year, for his work.
Now, I don't know how much he worked--how many hours, etc., but I do know Steve Jobs is the reason why Apple exists.
I also know he's why the iPod exists and he's the reason for such cool, really beautiful and intelligent design over at Apple, since the company began.
I also know there's rumors and news reports of his being sick so who knows how much he worked last year.
But then, go a little further on the list and you see that this same Mr. Jobs has a "Total Value of Equity Holdings" in Apple of $630,409,621.00.
Yow.
That's a personal net worth of over one-half billion dollars in Apple stock only.
So, sure, he only took home $1.00 last year in pay for his work at and for his company.
But he's worth over 500 million dollars.
And yes, I keep in mind this isn't money sitting in a bank somewhere--this is what he's worth in Apple stock. Not spendable money but investments, nonetheless.
What I'm left with is, here's a guy, Steve Jobs, who doesn't fleece his company for more and more (and more dammit!) money, just so he can acquire more and more and more, for it's own sake, quite unlike his CEO counterparts.
Here's a guy, this same Steve Jobs, who thinks up and creates cool--very cool--fun products and applications and sees them all the way to production and distribution, who has helped make, really, the 21st Century a lot of the fun it is.
He helped bring us the iPhone, the iPod before it, iTunes, cool computers, a great, working software system that doesn't get viruses and bugs--in fact, in sharp contrast to Bill Gates' Microsoft Vista software, this stuff works great--and he's not bilking his own company, in the meantime.
I hope Mr. Jobs is not truly, seriously ill, for sure. I hope he's with us for a long time and with good health in the meantime.
But I will say this, one day, when he's no longer with us, we're all going to miss this man, his creativity and his personal virtues a great deal.
Here's to Steve Jobs. A great man. May he be well and live long.
Link to original article:
http://www.nytimes.com/2009/04/05/business/05board.html?th&emc=th
And a NYT article on Steve Jobs:
http://topics.nytimes.com/top/reference/timestopics/people/j/steven_p_jobs/index.html
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