As a current college student, I think I can help you out a little bit on advising you on what type of laptop to buy. Retailers such as Best Buy, Circuit City, and many many others are advertising great laptops…but you must remember something that people often overlook: the weight of the laptop and the battery life! These two things are very important to consider for a college student, and I’ll list some more stuff below!

• Weight of a laptop: Try to find a decent laptop under 5 lbs, 5.5 lbs max. If you are going to a big university and will be walking from class to c lass, it is important to have something that is convenient to carry around. Just because your laptop is easier to carry around than a desktop computer doesn’t mean your laptop is completely convenient! The more weight you have, the less space you have in your bookbag and the more weight you have to lug around from class to class!
• Battery life: You want to buy a notebook to use it without having to keep it plugged in. Simple enough. Strive for at least 4 hours minimum battery life (because you won’t end up getting that anyway). The battery life estimates are usually given in “ideal conditions” with screen set on a dim level and only certain number of features being used. 12-cell batteries are pretty good.
• Software: You will need some software for your computer if you plan to attend college. Your university will probably have their own minimum specifications, but you will most likely need Microsoft Office. The Home/Student version of the software runs for around $100. If this sounds a bit pricy, you’re right. But it’s pretty much the standard software and while there are free alternatives out there (OpenOffice is perhaps the best known)…but once again it takes time to adjust to a different word processor when you have been using Word/PowerPoint/Excel for a long time. Most laptops DO NOT come with Microsoft Office installed unless specifically stated.
• Warranty/Service: As a student, you will be carrying your laptop around everywhere, meaning you are imposing the risk of damage to your computer from shocks (hard drive damage) to spills, drops, and just any form of technical error. It is good to know that you can get service locally and quickly…instead of having to ship your computer to another state. If your university has a program for you to buy your laptop with them, I would seriously consider it. It is usually more expensive, but you will know that your laptop will be protected and you can get help on campus. My university has 24-hour tech support…and they speak English without an accent! haha, I’m from India I can say that
• Processor: A dual-core processor is pretty much standard now a days, and you will enjoy the benefits of having a dual-core chip. If you are not familiar with it, a dual-core processor allows your computer to perform two different tasks simultaneously without compromising performance (each chip handes each task). Well that’s the simplified version. A single-core processor is pretty much obsolete and/or will become obsolete within the next year or so. DON’T BUY A SINGLE CORE even if you get a great deal on it, because the fact of the matter is that most people will be using a dual-core soon and companies will develop software that is designed for such processors, meaning your single core laptop will take forever to load stuff up.
• Memory: 2 GB or more is essential. You can get by with 1 GB, but you will end up having to upgrade in the future because you will be tired of your computer taking forever to do simple tasks. This is especially true if you are getting Windows Vista (which I don’t recommend…but it comes standard and you can’t buy new laptops with XP on them easily).
• Peripherals: A printer could be unnecessary if your university has convenient/cheap places to print. At my college, printing is like 5 cents a page which is really cheap! You can print 200 pages for $10! 200 pages on a printer would probably empty out a cartridge and cost you another $30 or $40 to replace! Also, a web-cam/microphone is a personal choice, I don’t use them so I don’t have them…so I can’t say much for them. However they could prove to be useful if you are going to college far from home. Wireless/Wired notebook mouse is a good investment, but is not essential. You will be doing more typing than cursoring (is that a word?) around. External speakers will probably be necessary as most laptop speakers are weak.
• Mac/Apple/Linux???: So you want to be different or you are a techie-geek? Well that’s cool and all, but if you are going to be majoring in certain fields, it will not be useful to have a Mac. For instance, Business majors that deal a lot with presentations will see some issues with connections/formatting. Science majors might have trouble installing certain software that is only designed for Windows. But then again, if you are an English major or Music major, a Mac could actually be beneficial. Check with your university with compatibility and also see which you really prefer. The compatibility/formatting are annoyances…but still many people at my university use Macs and they love them and don’t have any problems.

More tips coming soon.

Being an Indian, I am naturally a hairy man. And I need to shave everyday. So whats the problem? I’m not made of money. Gillette has always had most of the market share for manual razor blades, and the only other competitor out there that is worth mentioning is Schick. Ever used a Schick? probably not, it’s not a bad razor but it just doesn’t do the job for me.

Here’s the thing, Gillette was bought by Proctor & Gamble a while back. Gillete used to sell 4-packs of cartridges for around $7 or so. Well recently they’ve decided to switch to a 5-pack for cartridges which retails for around $11! HOLD ON! That’s not making any sense to me. Why is Gillette charging so much more for a measely extra cartridge? Because they can. No other company in the world is able to compete with Gillette’s dominance, after all Norelco/Braun make electric shavers not manual. And a lot of men, like myself, with hair that grows daily need the close shave of a manual razor.
Gillette basically has a monopoly, and it is really downright absurd at the prices this company charges it consumers who have no other choice.

Capitalism…sometimes the invisible hand doesn’t do it’s job. Let’s hope it becomes visible and brings the consumers prices that are slightly above Marginal Cost and are not marked up ridiculously.

Here’s a thought: Quit advertising. We already know you rock Gillette, so cut the crap and stop wasting money on advertising and lower the price. Either way you will still maintain a tidy bottom line.

I’m glad all of the nonsense with Brett Favre and the Packers is over, because I was getting sick and tired of hearing it. Come on Favre, you spent 17+ years with the Green Bay Packers. You broke countless records. You created a legacy. And you had decided to leave with that legacy, pondering retirement from the game you love. Then you changed your mind, and that was fine because you still gave another year of service to your cheeseheaded fans. But after this you said this was final…

But you knew it wasn’t. You knew you loved the game too much and didn’t ever want to give up. While admirable…it is also pathetic. Leaving the Packers to train and develop a system for a new QB….then all of a sudden popping up and asking to come to training camp was low. Then demanding the Packers trade you because you wanted to play so much is perhaps even lower in my book.

And of all the places, you are now stuck with the Jets. On top of that, people will look back at you and instead of thinking “There’s one of the greatest QB’s ever”, they will be telling their children to never do what you have done Favre. I understand your love for the game, and I admire you more than any football player, but your actions display just how arrogant you have become. You could have left with dignity. Now you remain as a selfish player in a Jets uniform. You could have earned your position back as QB. You could have retired with dignity. But you instead chose to display how little the 17+ years of Green Bay football meant to you. I’m sorry, but you are no different than any other major athlete. I thought you had class, represented something different, and were a true role model. Oh well, who am I to complain? I am merely a fan…just like the millions of other Americans who watched you create history and shatter records.

Well keep breaking records, but you won’t be impressing anyone other than the people at the Guinnes book of world records.

Recently there have been ads with McCain comparing Obama to Paris Hilton and Britney Spears. Obama’s camp has come back and claimed McCain was acting “childish”. Now Michelle Obama is defending her husband, as expected. So what do I make of all this mess? Nothing.

It’s election year, and this is the most important thing in the news at the present time. Sure the Olympics and other news events are big issues; but lets be honest, you should be surprised to turn on the TV and not hear about the upcoming election. So McCain…what exactly are you whining about? Are you upset that Obama is getting TV time? Well if you are, there is something you can do about it: GET SOME TV TIME! YES YOU CAN PAY FOR ADS AND KEEP THEM POSITIVE! As Obama would say, YES YOU CAN!!

The only reason Obama is on the news more than McCain is because Obama is a young, refreshing, and a different type of politician. (Keep in mind that Obama is still a politician, so he is not completely different from the “pack”…but I digress). If McCain wants to gain some TV exposure: he needs to quit complaining about Obama all the time. This is not a game in which you call your mommy because the other kids on the playground are ignoring you. McCain needs to make announcements that are newsworthy and appeal better with the American people. I don’t expect McCain to be empathetic with America, but at least pretend to be. You are a politician, do your job and pretend to care. Only then will people listen to you or wait for you to come on TV.

OK I am exaggerating, obviously I would not vote on a whim like that..but I cannot for certain decide who I am voting for until I hear some answers. It seems that both political candidates are promising change (Obama more so than McCain, but then again Obama is not the typical candidate). I would like to know first of all the energy policies of these presidential candidates.

We all know that Obama is promising a tax cut for the middle class and a windfall tax on oil companies’ record profits (which I am all for); however when asked about short-term solutions, Obama has skirted the issue by pointing towards a middle-class tax-cut and using the windfall tax to help families. I just mentioned that twice. Well Obama has mentioned it more than twice, in fact one too many times. First of all, I admire Obama’s empathy, but the fact of the matter is that we can’t keep putting band-aids on the issue of our energy crisis.

There must be mid-to-long term strategies taken to quicken the idependence of foreign oil. Obama cannot keep pointing to a windfall tax as a “real” solution; because those taxes will be passed on to the consumers in the form of prices in the future. Oil companies are already paying around 50% of their revenue in taxes; any further taxation will result in an increase of gasoline prices. Add this to fact that America is in massive debt; and to give tax breaks to the majority of the population by $1000 cannot be something that can be repeated every year. Please correct me if I am wrong, but would this just not further weaken the American dollar, reversing the recent trend of dropping oil prices per barrell. After all, oil futures are traded using American currency, clearly a further weakend dollar will cause an increase in prices, along with oil companies raising prices to preserve profit margins. Ahh….this is giving me a headache already, so I can’t blame Obama for trying to come up with a temporary solution.

But then, there’s McCain. Now this guy wants to lift the ban on off-shore drilling. And now 2 out of every 3 Americans support offshore drilling. WAKE UP PEOPLE! There is no way that off-shore drilling will result in a reversal of rising fuel prices. Even the Department of Energy has said that it would take at least 10 years before the effects of off-shore drilling reach prices at the pump. You can read all about that here. I mean, McCain is telling the American people that off-shore drilling is the answer. Even T. Boone Pickens has stated that drilling will not solve the problem…and Pickens knows all about oil. So why are we listening to President Bush and McCain banter on about off-shore drilling?

Well it’s a psychological thing. Gas prices are a big concern to people now a days. We are more tempted by the offer of cheap fuel than cheap food. Seriously think about it…car salesmen are now offering $500 gas cards and what not instead of the usual cash-back rebates. And we are further tempted by this…when in reality a $500 discount or rebate is a lot better of a deal than a $500 gas card. (Cash can be invested, spent on whatever a person wants, gifted, etc.) But perhaps Bush and McCain aren’t just banking on the psychological aspect. It’s quite possible that one of their goals is to push the issue to a long-term issue. So maybe that the issue is something that becomes more of a factor after their term is over. Think about it…I promise you some great solution in a few years…maybe 5 maybe 10 years. Well it doesn’t matter, I might not even be around as a president at that time; I can be relaxing after finishing my term and let the next bloke deal with the mess. Obviously McCain would want a 2nd term as the ruler of the world, after all that is what the American president assumes he is; but you know what I am getting at.

And recently McCain and Obama are trying to compromise on a bipartisan solution to the energy crisis. Um…no. Each side is merely conceding a bit so as to appease the American public, but come on now, we all know it’s going to be a long time before some serious solutions pass through congress. In the meantime, I would like for both candidates to give me the straight answer: What is your proposed short-term solution; and your solution for the future for America’s energy independence movement. I don’t want the fancy answers that mean virtually nothing. Let’s be honest America, tax cuts are not the solution. And windfall taxes will result in not much of a significant decrease in price at the pump. And off-shore drilling is definetely NOT the direction we need to be heading.

How about letting the car companies and Americans suffer for a bit? Supply and demand is doing a great job at this point, as evidenced by a drastic slump in truck and SUV sales. I am not by any means from a wealthy family, we are probably better categorized as of the lower end of a middle class immigrant family. And, I am truly sorry for American families that are living in poverty and not able to afford necessities, I really am. But I also am not that empathetic towards Americans who bought 8 cylinder SUVs in the suburbs of America during the past 5 years. It is just as much their fault as the car companies, who have done little in terms of improving fuel efficiency in their cars (except maybe a few Japanese manufacturers and even fewer American car models). This is supply and demand taking place, and while I am waiting for a solution from the aforementioned two politicians, we still are responsible for our own careless usage of oil.

Hopefully we can go back to the days of cheaper fuel…but that might result in the problem that’s gotten us to this mess in the first place: we as Americans wasted a precious resource. We must be careful to take measures to use less, conserve more, and eventually switch over to a renewable source of energy. In the meantime, all we can do is sweat it out. Which brings me to global warming; …*reader falls asleep*… but I think I will save that for a later post.

I have created blogs in the past, and I have also created many websites…but I have never been able to commit to any of them for a long period of time. This is partly due to the fact that I wanted to write about so many different things, that I could never come up with a blog theme that would encompass them all. So here we are…as a last solution I have come upon the best skill I have: the ability to complain!

Well, in a way this blog is about complaining. But I hope for it to be much more…I aim to critically approach different aspects of the world. What exactly does that mean? Well to be quite honest, I am not entirely sure; however, a main goal is to “call people out“. Meaning, cut the drama. Stop the bullshit. We are too smart to accept the nonsense that goes on in the world. We are not drones waiting to be appeased and convinced; we are all intelligent beings with strong opinions. At least I hope so.

So, I ask you, to please join me by criticizing the world and every bit of nonsense that goes on in it. Please don’t limit yourself to politics, government or sports…criticize everything from that annoying television commercial to that so called piece of “modern art”.

And remember, you’re not complaining…you are criticizing!

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