New Computer: HP G62 Laptop

I had been looking to get a new laptop for the past few months and finally I found one, the HP G62 234DX.  It is a mid-range laptop that I got for $499 at Best Buy. The story of how I got it is worth telling.  So a few months back I found this laptop advertised online, but it was out of stock.  I figured I would wait a few days until it got back in stock.  The next thing I know, the model is removed from the website and there is no trace of it.  I search for information in it online, but there is very little out there.  So I decide to hold off on getting a laptop because there are no other models that I wanted.

Then about a week ago, I check Best Buy online and the computer is back for the price of $499.  This is a great deal for the specs that it comes with.  I notice that it is not available to purchase online, but you can reserve it in stores.  Then I see that it is sold out in most of the local stores.  I manage to find availability at one of the stores not too far away so I add it to the cart and buy it.  It was ready for pick up the next morning.

A day after I go to check it out online again at the Best Buy website, and to my surprise, the price had jumped $200 to $699!  I am so glad I was able to get it at the $499 price. So far I have been pretty happy with the laptop.  You can check out my full detailed review of the laptop here: http://hubpages.com/hub/HP-G62-234DX-Laptop-Review

Update 4-8-15: It has been almost 5 years and I still use the HP G62 laptop daily.  I spend a lot of time working on the computer and it has held up well over the years.  Haven't had to many issues.  There have been a few hiccups along the way but nothing that could not be fixed relatively easy.  Overall I am satisfied with this laptop and would probably buy another HP again. 

Our Habit of Putting Ice in Beverages and Refilling Water

Why is it that whenever your go to a restaurant, they put ice in your beverage?  Is it to keep it cold?  The beverage is already refrigerated and cold ahead of time so why does it need ice?  The ice just dilutes the taste and makes it watery.  Do restaurants fill the glasses with ice so they don't have to give you so much of the beverage?  This doesn't seem to make sense either because ice itself has a cost either by making it or buying it.  Also most places will give you free refills on drinks so that cancels out that theory.  Do people really need their beverages to be ice cold?  I for one prefer beverages without ice and I think we need to start getting out of the habit of putting ice in everything when it is unnecessary.

On a related topic, when you are at restaurants and you have your standard glass of water, some places have servers going around with a pitcher of water constantly trying to refill your glass.  Were talking about glasses that have maybe 24 ounces, plenty of water for 1 meal, yet they have people going around trying to refill these, without asking mind you.  One glass of water is enough.  I don't need it to be full throughout the entire meal so that at the end of the meal I am left with a full glass of water.  If people need a refill on water, they can ask for it.

Contribution to Society

After having about 10 weeks off of work for summer vacation, it was time to get back to work.  The thought of going back to work was kind of depressing.  I thought about how nice it would be to never have to work and to just sit around and do whatever I want, whenever I want.  The only way this could happen is if you were rich and didn't need to work.  This got me thinking about something.  What would happen if everyone was rich?

At first you think, well everyone would be happy and they could buy whatever they want.  But then after a minute, you realize, if everyone was rich, no one would work, and if no one worked, nothing would get done.  No products would be manufactured, no services would be performed and quickly society would fall apart.  People would have money, but they wouldn't be able to buy things because there would be nothing left to buy.

So what about people who are rich?  Is it fair for them to not work and not contribute to society?  Many may have earned it, but other have inherited money and never really had to work for it. Either way, I think everyone should contribute in some way whether it is from work, service, or just giving back to to those less fortunate

When it comes to thinking about work, try to think of it not as something you HAVE to do to earn money, but something you SHOULD do in order to do your part and contribute to society.  This might improve morale overall if everyone looked at it this way.

The Youtube Comment Generation

If you are a frequent visitor to Youtube, no doubt you have noticed the comments posted below each video.  While many of them are nice, you can't help but notice how many mean spirited, inappropriate, and nasty comments there are.  It seems like this has become almost standard and expected.  It's like Youtube comments are a place for people to say whatever they want even if they know they shouldn't.  I think even people who are nice in real life and would never say bad things to someone in person, often get sucked into this state of mind of posting offensive comments on Youtube videos.

Should Youtube monitor the comments better and try to stop it?  I don't think they can because there are so many comments.  I think for now people have to expect that this is the culture on Youtube right now and if you are going to post videos, expect to get some not so nice comments.  Also I think people have to not take comments so seriously, because most the time the comments are made just to get a rise out of people and try to start a flame war with the other commenters. 

Update: With the changes Youtube has made over the years, it looks like they have tried to make comments less a part of the experience with focus on the actual videos, yet the comments sections remain and there are still many people who post inappropriate comments.

Bring back the Jamie Kennedy Experiment

The Jamie Kennedy Experiment was a hidden camera show that has 3 seasons during the early 2000's.  This was one of the funniest shows on tv.  I have all 3 seasons on DVD and they are great.  Apparently the network canceled it after 3 seasons which is a shame because it is one of the best prank shows out there!  Jamie, if you are listening, please make more JKX!  Just look at all the positive comments about it on Youtube.  Here are some of my favorite clips from the show:

Society's Image Portrayed by the Media

Is the media making us feel bad about ourselves?  Specifically the shows we see on tv.  Whether it is dramas, commercials, or reality shows, the people chosen to be on these shows are all beautiful.  Take the show "The Bachelor" for example.  You have one beautiful lady who goes out on dates with a bunch of good looking guys.  All these guys look the same with their chiseled features, perfect hair, and muscles.  I understand that they pick these guys on their looks so people will watch the show, but this is not reality.  Normal everyday people don't look like that.

This is something we know, but when you watch a lot of tv and you see that everyone is good looking, you begin to think that real life is like that.  Then you see yourself in the mirror and you don't look as good as the people on tv and it makes you feel bad.  We need to start getting some more real people in the media and on tv.  People that don't look perfect.  We need people on tv who are admired by what they do and who they are, not what they look like.

I think the media has caused us to be overly judgmental of people also.  There are so many competition shows where contestants are judged on who is the best. This makes us as viewer get into the same habit of always judging people.  While judging people is something most people do naturally, it is not always a good thing and many times judgments end up being wrong.

I say these things about how the media should change, but I still love watching tv.  I watch the reality shows and the competition shows and I enjoy them.  Would I still watch them if the people on there were not pretty?  I think so.  Sure it is nice to see good looking people, but they do not represent reality.  I think people would actually connect more with people who are more like every day people.  Overall the media needs to stop portraying in inaccurate image of reality and start showcasing real people doing real good.