What Would You Do If You Were Rich?
Posted by The Gimcracker in Gimcrackery, News, Theory & Philosophy on 22. Feb, 2011 | 3 Comments
This is probably one of the most popular questions people ask themselves. Well, this and: “should I have another volcano Taco?” The answer to that one’s obvious. But the answer to the former is not so simple, is it? There are a few wise people who answer “I wouldn’t want to be rich.” But for the rest of us, the answer usually consists of a few big ticket material items right off the bat, some aspect of saving or investing, and in a lot of cases, charity. Charity, either because of a true desire to be charitable (in which case the answerer probably already is a charitable person), or because simply having a lot of money seems to bring along a level of guilt (in which case the answerer probably lacks somewhat in the area of charitabilityness).
I, for one, would love to be rich. Being able to partake in the finer things would be awesome. Five-star restaurants. No more broken down cars. Someone else to do my house repairs. A personal trainer to equal out my increase of Volcano Taco consumption. Oh that’d be so grand. However, that stuff would very quickly become boring, I’m sure. So, I’d like to think that I could do something more meaningful with my newfound financial responsibility, such as giving it away, starting my own charity, helping widows & orphans, and spreading the Gospel. You know, Bible stuff. Christian stuff. The trouble is, I don’t really do much of that now, so what makes me think I would increase those activities just because I had more money? More money would probably equal more distractions and stress, which would in all likelihood decrease those activities.
Well, here’s a great example of a few people that did what I’d like to think I would do. And by the way, they were just killed a few hours ago in the pirate-infested waters of Somalia.
UPDATE: Teen Paranormal Romance Is Ruining Classic Novels
Posted by The Gimcracker in Gimcrackery on 18. Nov, 2010 | 6 Comments
Check it out, Pride & Prejudice has been re-released with the cliched “object against black background” cover and Twilight-esque title font. This will probably make some famous people who did some great things somewhere roll over in their graves, but I’m actually grateful for the direction these book covers are taking. Now it’s easier for me to spot the books I don’t want to read. It has become a two-step thought process when browsing the book store: 1) Is it in the Teen Paranormal Romance section? 2) Does the cover look like Twilight? If no to both, and if I actually read books*, I would consider the book.
Volkswagen Logo Totally Looks Like The WordPress Logo
Posted by The Gimcracker in Gimcrackery on 29. Apr, 2010 | 6 Comments
Yesterday I was watching the boob tube and a Volkswagen commercial came on. At the end of the commercial I suddenly got the urge to blog, which hasn’t happened in a LONG time. I wondered about the connection but then my program came back on (Food Tech on History channel, if you must know) and I settled back into my catatonic TV-watching state (I call it “boob-tubing”). Then the same commercial came back on later in the program and I paid specific attention to the Volkswagen logo at the end. It was then that I realized why I got the urge to blog: the new Volkswagen logo totally looks like the Wordpress logo. See for yourself:
How Adjectives Differ By Gender
Posted by The Gimcracker in Gimcrackery, Men Vs. Women on 02. Mar, 2010 | 9 Comments
If some dude was transplanted from 50 years ago to a conversation happening today between two people about a third person, that dude would most likely get the wrong impression about the person being discussed. That’s because words can have different meanings because of variables like A) what time period the word is used, B) the vocal inflection or body language accompanying the words, and C) who the person in question is. For instance, the word “dude” used to probably mean something more specific than it does now. We call everyone a dude, but back then I think it had something to do with a dude ranch or something. I’m not going to look it up, but you get the idea.
Well, today I want to focus in on one of the variables I mentioned, and that is who the person in question is, or more specifically, what gender the person is. This type of thing is discussed ad nauseum in stand-up comic routines about the differences in men and women. So, I decided to make it unique by expressing my ideas not in front of a live studio audience, but via my blog. That makes it different right? No? Well how about this: mine will be way funnier and more true. Actually I probably can’t pull that off. That leaves me only one optoin: embed a Youtube video at the end of the post. Beat that, Jim Gaffagan!
Here is a list of adjectives used to describe people, followed by what that adjective really means. Notice how they unfortunately differ based on whether or not you are talking about a man or a woman:
Bleak Friday
Posted by The Gimcracker in Black Friday Watch, Gimcrackery on 24. Nov, 2009 | 3 Comments
I have to work the Friday after Thanksgiving. I used to think this was a bad thing, and it seems like everyone else has that day off. But this year, after looking through the morbidly obese Sunday paper and seeing all of the “Black Friday” deals, I decided it was actually a good thing, since it meant I didn’t even have the option to shop that day. Black Friday makes me sick. The problem is, like most evil things, it is so appealing in some ways. For instance, I saw that BluRays are going to be like $6. I saw the Cannon T1i (a $900 camera) is going for $699. I saw an xbox 360 for $299… WITH SIX GAMES. So there is definitely that element of intrigue there. But it’s evil, right? Yes. Maybe these low-down, dirty examples of Black Friday ads will disgust you enough to hammer that idea home.
Why I Don’t Have AT&T UVerse (Yet)
Posted by The Gimcracker in Gimcrackery, Television on 30. Apr, 2009 | 22 Comments
This post is not anti-AT&T or any other provider. It is simply a factual comparison of prices for various cable/Internet services, which is a pretty hot topic right now. Hotter than your mom.
5 Short Clips To Help Us In Today’s Society
Posted by The Gimcracker in Gimcrackery, ROFL on 04. Feb, 2009 | No Comments
With the recent political power shift and the sour turn of events in the global economy, there is a lot of discussion right now about big social issues like money, employment, same-sex marriage, and the Snuggie™. There are many ways to deal with these issues. You can try to help the less fortunate by giving people advice. You can be proactive and get into discussions and debates. You can research social issues historically and become less ignorant. You can do your part to be a good citizen by being responsible with your money, going green, and raising your kids the right way.
A good way that I have found to deal with these matters is to listen to what other smarter people had to say and try to use their ideas to help me make my own decisions. It helps me when I am faced with having to converse with someone that knows way more than me about the stock market for instance. Here are 5 short clips that can be essential learning tools from 5 of today’s greatest thinkers.
5 Things To Brighten Your Day
Posted by The Gimcracker in Gimcrackery, Stuff On The Internet on 21. Oct, 2008 | 8 Comments
It seems like everywhere I turn I’m pimp smacked by the hand of bad news. Doom and gloom abounds on TV, in the movies, and even everyday conversations with people. Our economy is dying. Both presidential candidates suck. Gas prices are way up. The Colts played terribly on Sunday. Global warming. Murder. Abortion. Capital punishment. [...]
“Stock Market”, “Dow”, “Shares”: Jibberish To Me
Posted by The Gimcracker in Gimcrackery, News on 17. Oct, 2008 | 1 Comment
“Holy cow, a new post on The Gimcrack Miscellany!” I know, I know. Taco Bell released the Volcano Taco. I’ve been busy. I don’t know if you’ve read in the papers lately, but the DJIA (?) is way down and the Nazz Deck (?) has lost a lot of points and the SMP-500 (stands for [...]
How Bad Is A Frappuccino®?
Posted by The Gimcracker in Gimcrackery on 23. Sep, 2008 | 10 Comments
I was recently horrified to find out that someone I know drinks a Frappuccino every day. I don’t think there is a worse thing you could drink. It’s one of the best-tasting drinks around, but consequently it’s one of the least healthy. I was a barista for 4 years and I made plenty of Frappucino-like [...]
