My Top 10 Pet Peeves

On any given day this list could look quite a bit different but I thought creating a list of my Top 10 Pet Peeves would be fun. I'd love to add yours to the list. Go ahead, let it out!

These are in no particular order.

1. When people pronounce the "s" in Illinois. If it doesn't belong to the state, it didn't make a noise... Get it?

2. Old people who use the u-scan at the supermarket and use change to pay for all of their "no barcode" items for which they can't read the #'s.

3. People who open the door and stand there for more than six seconds, therefore forcing you to run to the door to offer your thanks.

4. People that don't pay attention to the other bidders on the price is right and therefore don't recognize the bid that would guarantee a spot on stage.

5. Waiting in line at Subway only to discover the person in front of you brought a list of customized subs for the entire office. They often start with "Sorry, but I have a lot." Don't apologize to them, apologize to me.

6. Twitter timing out!

7. Commenters on posting boards who criticize others for their poor "grammer".

8. ohio. Both the state and THE University.

9. Ugh, Nancy Grace!

10. Heirs to Nigerian fortunes who need me to hold on to their money for awhile, but who will reward me handsomely

This Michael Phelps thing

In August of last year Michael Phelps was the unequaled star of the Olympics in Beijing (and remember its Bei- JING). I would still argue that Usain Bolt's accomplishments were more remarkable but I wouldn't guess that the giant of a Jamaican hasn't had his share of mistakes and transgressions, like Phelps.

There are a couple things about the fallout from this incident that I find fascinating.

-From a somewhat juvenile standpoint, I find it funny when adults (my self not included) use the words "marijuana pipe". It just sounds funny and misplaced.

-The fact that Michael Phelps only receives an 1800/month stipend from USA swimming (at first this sounded like a lot but then I actually realized how little it is).

-That people refuse to believe that someone who was the face of the nation for the duration of Olympics can actually have faults and that the aww-shucks media coverage might not actually be reflective of the actual person.

-And lastly, that I'm actually writing about this. After all, the Olympics were what, 6 months ago? Who cares about swimming anymore :)

Kwame Kilpatrick shames Detroit...again

It was before my time but Detroit once was the bright shining City upon the hill. It was the embodiment of industry, progress and the American dream.

Unfortunately, during my life Detroit has been plagued with abandonment, crime and poverty. It has sat and decayed along with symbols of the past like Tiger Stadium. It was the murder capitol of the country for some time and residents continue to flock towards the door seeking a more peaceful suburban lifestyle.

It hasn't been all bad, along with the bad in recent times there has been some good. There has been reinvestment, especially in the downtown area. The Detroit Institute of Art had a significant restoration. General Motors moved in to the City's iconic ren-cen and casinos brought in a demographic that otherwise would not frequent the old City.

When Kwame Kilpatrick was elected for his first term in 2001 he was the one to bring Detroit to into the new century. He came from a family of leaders and had already served in the State House of Representatives. From almost the beginning his administration was plagued with scandal, largely uncovered by some admittedly
"ambulance chaser" style reporting, specifically by WXYZ Channel 7 in Detroit and even more specifically by Steve Wilson (see picture below right- good looking cat, no?). It has seemed for some time in this area that Steve Wilson's job was to harass the Mayor but time and time again the media discovered more and more questionable activity to which the Mayor did not fully respond. From "wild" parties at the Manoogian Mansion to inappropriate use of benefits and City money.

Detroit and Kwame are once again in the news because of the latest and most serious allegations of perjury; a serious charge for a mayor, even more so for a LAWYER. In a whistle blowers case filed by former Detroit Police employees Kwame and his chief of staff, Christine Beatty lied about an affair and numerous sexually charged text messages. Lying about an affair is one thing but because of the way events unfolded it's plausible that covering up the affair may have had a real affect on the City. After the wrongfully dismissed cops were awarded millions of dollars, instead of appealing a settlement was reached for MORE than the money awarded to the officers in the case. After this happens we all learn that Kilpatrick and Beatty lied about the text messages on the stand in the case.

Now, don't get me wrong, I love Detroit. In fact, most people in the area have a soft spot in their heart for the City but the residents are getting exactly what they deserve. In the 2005 election their was a perfectly viable candidate in Freeman Hendrix but in a close race the voters proved they fear change and progress and prefer scandal and drama.

So let Kwame do what he will, he is who he is and obviously NOTHING will change that.

It's still sad though, to look to the East of Ann Arbor to see the rot that is this administration turn the lights back out on the dream.

Irate Gamer vs. Angry Video Game Nerd

Last week I was introduced to a series of videos that I thought was absolutely hilarious by someone calling himself the Irate Gamer. The videos include swearing and original Nintendo games - all the ingredients for fun! Growing up in the 80's and early 90's, anything so retro and old school is sure to be a winner in my book. The Irate Gamer has produced about 24 or so videos reviewing games for the original Nintendo Entertainment System. His videos are available on youtube and he even has his own site. There is even a DVD available now with some of his videos.

His videos wanted me to break out an old NES and make my own videos. After all they must have been a blast to make. I'm even seriously considering buying one of his dvd's just to support him so he'll keep making funny videos. I wish I had thought of this idea. But was he really the one who created this genre?

Today as I was perusing the internet on my day off I came across someone who calls himself the Angry Nintendo Nerd. I noticed he also has a number of videos available and many of them are even reviewing the same game. He has his own video and webpage too. Interesting.

I watched two of the Angry Nintendo Nerds videos, one on Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles and one of Back to the Future. After watching the first it was clear plagiarism came in to play. After watching the second it became clear that the plagiarism was BLATANT. I mean, the same jokes, the same order, everything.

Take a look at the videos to see for yourself.

Irate Gamer
Back to the Future
Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles

Angry Nintendo Nerd
Back to the Future
Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles

Its no doubt that both of these guys are funny but who should get the credit? Who should you support? Who came first?

I found that there were some people that thought irate gamer came first and others that thought Angry Nintendo Nerd who has changed his name to Angry Video Game Nerd was first. After five minutes though I was convinced that AVGN was probably first. Just in comparing the videos I would guess that the Irate Gamer was the one who took the idea and tried to refine it.

The first video I found claims to be from a confession letter Irate Gamer sent to AVGNSee the video.

I did think it was interesting that the two videos I happened to watch were the exact two that were used in the plagiarism accusation video.

What I can't find is any convincing evidence that Angry Video Game Nerd is actually the plagiarist.

The more I see the more it looks like case closed. In fact I'm ready to call it.

Below are some links to some other videos about the plagiarism.

An AOL video from Dailymotion (there is still AOL?)
JesseMeza's VLOG

It looks like Chris Bores, the Irate Gamer has become quite a hated internet d-list celeb.

What pisses me off about this is that he has been able to profit from this plagiarism by selling DVD's and t-shirts. It's one thing to mimic someones idea but he is stealing in some instances word by word descriptions. Maybe pisses me off is the wrong description. Maybe I'm jealous because he appears to be getting away with it.

I am surprised to see plagiarism so blatant. Even though I'm mad about it, I find myself watching both of them. Despite having videos that are so close, both of them are funny. I'd love to rip Bores a new one and have a nice irate blog about him, but thats not gonna do anything. He's been exposed, thats good enough for me.

What do you think of this plagiarism?

Merry Freakin' Christmas

Ann Arbor is a very, how can I put this...liberal town. Even though I grew up here I never really noticed it like I do now. It might not be as bad as some people say but sometimes the political correctness seems a bit over the top.

I don't know when this happened, perhaps I only really notice it now because a friend of mine pointed it out, but nobody says Merry Christmas anymore. Why is everyone afraid to tell ME Merry Christmas? I can understand saying Happy Holidays on a news broadcast but when did Merry Christmas become taboo? If someone said Happy Kwanza to me I wouldn't be offended. Happy Chanukah?- Hey to you too, put on your yamaka and celebrate Chanukah- good for you. I'll stop my rant before I begin to babel but it's like this country is losing its identity because we are afraid that others will get their hurt feelings. Let's be proud of our history and traditions. Part of that is tolerance and acceptance of non-majority religions but that doesn't mean giving up your own identity.

So please, can I get a Merry Christmas?

Security vs. Privacy or The Pursuit of Safety

Where do you draw the line between increased security and infringement on your privacy?

It's an important issue, and hotly contested. With each passing day the likelihood of being caught on film increases. While the United States has been a little less amenable to ubiquitous surveillance than elsewhere, that's not to say that we're not far behind. And in many ways, it has already arrived.

Some people get it right, when it comes to this type of surveillance. They understand that its a necessary evil, especially post Columbine and post September 11.

On a less global scale, this argument has become the hot issue at my old stomping grounds, Ann Arbor Pioneer High school. At Pioneer there is a proposal to add 53 digital cameras to record the hallways, cafeteria and parking lots at the school. After having success at the school district's other large high school, administrators are set to decide on the addition of cameras to Pioneer later this month.

Everything was progressing fine when, all of the sudden, the goddamn ACLU comes to crash the party and protect the rights of the "poor, violated, young future of America" (Yea, I am being sarcastic). Give me a freaking break. Don't you have something better to do with your time? We aren't talking bathrooms, not dorm rooms or college classrooms, we're talking about HIGH SCHOOL. Yes KIDS attending a public high school (how's that funded again? OH, RIGHT!) and there is concern about their privacy in the hallway.

I don't care about the reports that say the investment in major security systems cameras hasn't paid off. This is entirely different. Liz Margolis, the Ann Arbor Public School Director of Communications even said that there weren't any cases she could think of in the time the cameras have been installed at Huron of the cameras catching anyone in the act. However, she is also quick to point out that there HAS been a reduction in the amount of crime and vandalism. Maybe that's because the vast majority, of even the kids that are committing these crimes, are not evil beings, they are kids that KNOW they can get away with stuff. These surveillance cameras would be a deterrent and that's exactly what they have done.

Here is funny little quote from the Ann Arbor News Article "We as Pioneer students were concerned about our privacy, and also about the way that it was brought about," said Bennett Stein, 17, student council executive president.

HA HA HA! PLEASE don't give me that BS. You aren't concerned with your privacy. You're concerned about getting caught! If you just don't want to get caught skipping classes and loitering, just say so. Please save me from this privacy argument. You can't bring a gun to school, can you? Why? Because a group of 3,000 kids has a different set of rules. It's good you have an interest in your rights..but if at 17 you are already siding with the ACLU, I fear the next thing to be taught in the Ann Arbor schools is intelligent design. Kirk Cameron need not apply.


My question is, what the hell could some 16 year old be doing in the hallway that shouldn't be caught on tape? If you don't want your mommy to find out about the guy you are dating then don't go gallivanting around the hallways. And while some may think that these tapes will be FOIA-d, give me a break, the only things that would be interesting enough to show on youtube are things that warrant the cameras in the first place! The PUBLIC school doesn't have some obligation to not tape the FREAKING HALLWAYS. Think of what this could prevent.

So, please ACLU, please go elsewhere to try to protect crime and eliminate punishment.

The Taking Issue

What does the term public servant mean to you?

While the name may conjure up images of a fat Colonel Sanders making the back room deal with the public works contractor, in reality, the vast majority are over worked but more importantly under appreciated providers of the public good. Now, what the public good is and what is "good for the public" is an entirely different and very touchy subject. I'll leave that for a snowy day.

I make no secret that my job is essentially red tape, fulfilling "requirements". However, every once in awhile, if only by accident some of the work I do does make a small difference. One of the most challenging parts of my red tape job is the requirements for public involvement. It's not very fun to come to meetings just to get yelled at by, well, I call them crazies, when they don't even pay attention to what you are saying or what you are trying to do. They just look at you and think "government".

That's at least how it happens some places. In others, its no secret (and probably the reason for the publics distrust) that the government presenters come to meetings with the end result in mind and only bring the information to the public to "check the box." Sometimes this isn't a huge deal, the changing of a speed limit or addition of a traffic signal but sometimes these decision truly warrant a DECISION of the people, not just provided for their consideration.

This is certainly the case with the Trans-Texas corridor. I'll get to that topic in a moment.

When I was a young Urban Planning student in my first semester my College professor, Rocky Ward gave us a test with the question "What is the taking issue?" I hadn't done the reading (I never did the reading) and up until that point hadn't had any interest in real world topics like planning and thus had no clue what the answer was. I wish I still had that test to see what sort of rambling excuse for an answer I gave. I quickly learned though that this is one of the most critical principles in planning, or at least in planning ethics. To give you a better understanding of the taking issue take a look here.

Its the ultimate strong arm move by the government. Through zoning communities can regulate the use of land, however, they can't deny economic viability to the property
owner. The "legal" way of repossessing property is through eminent domain, where the property owner is generally compensated. Since we are talking about real property its easy to see how this can be a hotly contested issue.


In Michigan there was a huge issue when proposed portions of I-696 went straight through an Orthodox Jewish community in Oak Park. The Federal Highway Administration has a great case study from this project on community impact mitigation. What resulted from the NEPA process and cooperation from highway planners and community leaders was as close as you can get to a win win situation with something that has the potential to affect a community. Now huge parks span across the freeway and keep the community connected.

The problem that has surfaced, or at least come to the attention of more people is the public taking for private profit, the ultimate inside job. Let me be clear that eminent domain can be a very good thing, its just that it is abused. It has been the impetus for redevelopment in countless areas. Without it, successful infill development, especially in older urban areas, would be nearly impossible.

The Trans-Texas Corridor is one of those abuses of implied power that impresses on the public the thought that eminent domain is only an abuse of power and not a reasonable way to promote the public good. We've all heard that everything is bigger in Texas and this project is no exception. The proposed corridor stretches from Mexico all the way to Oklahoma across Texas farmland.

I came across an interesting little website about the corridor and the abuse of power in the planning of the corridor. It's a property owners worst nightmare: owning your own piece of land minding your own business, paying your taxes, when someone comes to tell you that your home will be destroyed and you will be "compensated."


There's a lot of talk out there about the Trans-Texas Corridor being the first leg of the new NAFTA super highway. If you've ever read "Hard Times" by Charles Dickens, picture the Coketown stretching from Mexico to Detroit. That picture is what the doom and gloomers are painting but this is really just a misunderstanding.

Before we start screaming government conspiracy lets bring ourselves back to the facts on NAFTA, the North American Free Trade Agreement. Lots of talk about a new NAFTA superhighway is out there and I think Christopher Hayes does a good job of bringing us back to reality about NAFTA

None the less, I really thought the Truth Be Tolled web site was interesting. If you listen to the trailer it sounds like something out of Braveheart. "They may take our lives, but they'll never take OUR FARMS!" While the fear of the "Superhighway" might at least in part be unfounded, the affects of this corridor are real.



Here's a few more takes on eminent domain. I'll try to add more as I find them.

Tim Brown's Post
Cory on Transcanada and KELO
Nan Brasmer's Real California Eminent Domain Reform without Hidden Agendas

Blu-ray or HD-DVD?

I like to be somewhere near the front lines of new technology and as I near the purchase of a new video format player I thought it appropriate to document my findings on the rival Blu-ray and HD-DVD high definition video formats.

Lets look at each individually first.

Blu-ray is the format child of Sony (SNE). The technology was first introduced in the late 1990's but because the REST of technology hadn't caught up there was no easy or cheap way of storing the quantity of data that was needed to reproduce true high definition pictures. Remember that around the turn of the millennium, an 80 gig hard drive PC was a joke and only the true tech junkies even knew what a terrabyte was.

The "Blu" in blu-ray is not just a marketing ploy it actually derives from the technology that makes the storage and reproduction of high def movies possible. If you've ever looked in a CD or traditional DVD player you see that there is a red laser. That beam however operates at a longer wavelength than the blue laser used for the HD format and therefore can not focus on an area narrow enough to pack all the data necessary on an HD disk. The Blu ray disks can store between 25 and 50 gigabytes, yes, gigabytes.

HD-DVD is the format child of Toshiba and was developed after what seems to be some backstabbing of some of the members of the DVD Forum- yes there is such a thing.Read about the DVD Forum here

A decision as to whether or not to endorse the blue laser technology could not be reached and Toshiba, after not backing the technology as Chair of the DVD forum, began development of its own blue laser HD format which was later named HD DVD in 2003.

And so its stands now, there are two HD options which use technology that is just different enough that almost all players will only support one format. Despite their differences the technological ability of each format is virtually the same.

This new format war has left everyone that still has a beta max player in their basement very concerned.

That is really where we stand today, two separate formats that do essentially the same thing fighting each other out to become the standard. We as consumers wishing to be if not on the cutting edge, at least wish to be a technological bellwether for our friends and family are forced to....guess who will ultimately "win".

If you are interested in a non-scientific yet still interesting breakdown of the two formats check this out. It does a good job of describing how each of the formats are being utilized. I am going to focus on what will ultimately decide the war and that is which format the movie studios pick.

No matter how superior one format may be over the other, the real issue is who supports it. There are eight major movie studios:

Paramount
Fox
Sony
MGM
Lionsgate
Warner
Disney
Universal

Universal and more recently Paramount are exclusively HD-DVD
Disney, Fox, Sony, Lionsgate and MGM are all exclusively Blu-ray

Warner seems to be the guy left in the middle making available its movies for both formats and is working on a format that will play on both players that may debut in 2008. This format, called Total HiDef or THD will have the blu-ray format on one side and the HD-DVD format on the other.

The other thing to keep in mind is how the video game world is utilizing the technology.

Sony has the playstation and logically, the current generation play station utilizes Sony's own Blu-ray technology, this becomes important because the Playstation 3 actually plays blu ray disks. A Playstation 3 can actually be purchased for near the price of a blu-ray player.

Microsoft has sided with the HD-dvd format however an add on that costs about $150 is necessary to play HD-DVD's. The fact that Microsoft continues to lose money by producing Xbox systems, I give another check to Blu-ray and Sony.

The key for the war is getting their name included in the vernacular. Here again I give the advantage to Blu-ray. A lot of money was paid to promote the technology and many people understand Blu-ray as the hot new item. HD-dvd by virtue of its name runs the risk of being misconstrued as a technology not a format. Just like "googling" doesn't necessarily mean using the google website, it's become synonymous with using a search engine, much to the chagrin of both google (GOOG), for copyright issues, and Yahoo (YHOO)- the loser of the search engine wars.

Even though the most recent change in movie studios backing a format was paramounts change to exclusively supporting HD-DVD this format war is Blu-ray's to lose. They've got the biggest of the big dogs, Disney on board.

I think its safe to say it's time to go blu-ray shopping. If Disney (DIS) as a supporter of the technology is good how about retail giant Wal-mart (WMT). Check out this Holiday special that offers 15 free blu-ray dvd's with the purchase of a Playstation 3.

Sharpton and the Jena 6

I've never particularly liked Al Sharpton. I think he is the epitome of racism in the country and does very little but hurt the causes he so vehemently fights against. (I'd also note that I wanted to put up a picture of Sharpton smiling but the only one that I found was with Ann Coulter- I thought that was just to weird to use.)

When the rape charges were finally dropped against the Duke lacrosse players I was drawn to Sean Hannity's open criticism of Sharpton. Using honest and accurate descriptions of Sharpton's past actions Hannity was able to paint a very convincing picture of his racist ways. Hannity chastised Sharpton the most for his handling of the Tawana Brawley case and frequently played clips with Sharpton uttering antisemitic remarks such as "diamond dealer". Hannity also constantly challenged ol' Al to step to the plate and debate him. When Sharpton FINALLY accepted, the debate at the National Action Network Convention was filled with more of the same; Sharpton's denials and dishonest answers aimed at creating hate.


At the center of the argument was Hannity wanting Sharpton to admit his mistake and to apologize for the things he said about the Duke lacrosse players which of course he refused to do. If some rich white kid's life gets ruined by Sharpton he probably had it coming right?

Around the same time was the Don Imus controversy which would have never been a controversy were it not for Sharpton. Of course there was Sean Hannity again asking where the outrage was for blacks that used the same speech in the same derogatory manner? AFTER all this was of course when Sharpton began to speak out about hip hop culture. No doubt that the only reason he took the stance at that time was because his hypocrisy was becoming apparent even to the most casual listener.

So today I was reading up on what is being dubbed the case of the Jena 6. Again Sharpton is jumping into the spotlight saying that the justice system must be based on the crime committed not who committed the crime- a fantastic point by the way. But what I discovered is that this is not what he is actually arguing at all. The comparison is between a case which happened recently of white kids who hung nooses over a tree limb vs. a group of 6 black kids (the Jena 6) who allegedly beat up a white kid.

Now this is not to say that the actions of the people with the nooses wasn't reprehensible. The prosecutor stated that based on the evidence there wasn't anything he could charge the boys with. (Which DOES seem hard to believe). But how can that be compared to attempted murder? Why is Sharpton jumping to the defense of a group of young black men accused of physical abuse when he has always jumped on the side of the prosecution when the races are reversed. His antics do nothing but enrage and his actions cause nothing good. Why doe Sharpton make cases about WHO did it rather than what the crime was. The hypocrisy is baffling.

Is there something I am missing about this Jena 6 case? Why are the two cases even being compared? I sure hope I'm missing something and this isn't just another vulturisitic attempt by Sharpton to steal the spotlight using a red herring race argument.

Please help me understand this!

Petraeus Propaganda?

It's been a few months since good ol' boy GW essentially put the fate of the USA's heightened involvement a.k.a the surge in General Petraeus' upcoming report to congress.

Well, it's "P" day and Petraeus is getting grilled and lambasted by the dem's and being kissed up to by the G.O.P.

This is my favorite quote SO FAR!

Representative Ileana Ros-Lehtinen said:

"I am distressed by the accusations leveled by some in the media and by some members of Congress during hearings like these calling into question the integrity of our military, accusing the military of cherry-picking positive numbers to reflect a dramatic decline in sectarian violence... Some in Congress accuse you, General Petraeus, of presenting a report that is simply White House propaganda."

Perish the thought!

I'm always surprised at the right's attempt to equate anything "anti-surge" and anti-Iraq war as anti-military. I never believed the scare tactics accusations the left gave but, the more quotes I hear like this that put down any challenge to the validity of the military involvement in Iraq, the more they look like scare tactics to me.

I'm not sold on all the accusations that Bush is in Iraq to profit and its all about oil etc etc. BUT, I don't believe that he would have put as much faith in the Petraeus report if he didn't already know it supported his position. Why would he set himself up for failure by emphasizing the importance of this report months before it occurred?

But back to Ros-Lehtinen's quote. My question to her is "Are you serious?" I think that if the report comes back with anything short of; its not working, you have EXACTLY White House propaganda. Maybe propaganda is the wrong word, maybe not. Thats for you to decide.

Petraeus said that military objectives are in large measure being met. What the hell does that mean? Even if Petraeus were to say that Iraq is a failure, would we really pull out? Would we cut the surge and leave a smaller contingent? I'm guessing no, and if I'm right then it doesn't even matter what he says.

I guess thats the only other explanation for why Bush pointed to this report. He either hedged his bet and knew what was to be said, or he's been bluffing and hoping for the best.

Either way Ms. Ros-Lehtinen's quote continues to make me laugh. And the pictures GW must have of Petraeus must be worse than anything anyone has on Larry Craig.

Craigergate

Poor Larry Craig.

The Senator from Idaho will announce his resignation on Saturday amid the "sex scandle" he tried to hide by pleading guilty rather than make a big story out of it.

Regardless of whether or not he is or is not gay is to me irrelavent. Before this stody broke a few days ago I had never heard of the way gay guys pick each other up in the bathroom. Frankly it scared me a little bit because I can imagine tapping my foot to the song in my head or to make it clear to someone that the stall was occupied. Apparently with Craig it involved slipping his foot into the adjacent stall and putting his hand palm up under the stall divider. That being sad if he didn't realize what he was doing its scary to think how quickly thigns unfolded for him then and are unraveling for him now.

What really concerns me is how this "sting" operation was carried out. It sure seems like entrapement to me. Setting people up out of nowhere is one thing but from what I have heard Craig was arrested without ever commiting a crime. It could have become a crime but what was going on between what could have been to concenting adults was not illegal.

Throw in his family values and the Democrats have a field day with it, which is unfortunate because nobody really wins in this case.

Now THAT being said, if Craig isn't gay and didn't do anythign wrong why would he plead guilty? I'd love to believe him but If you are accused of something like that especially if you are in a political position like him why plead out if you are innocent. The press will find out sooner or later. When you hear that a Senator made a plea deal without a lawyer, something just doesn't add up.

Another intersting thing to watch is how quickly the republican party is running from anything gay. This guy went from being a good ol boy to everybody's worst enemy in "one number two".

Keep your briefcase to yourself and your feet in your own stall.

Life in the 12 items or less lane

I remember a few short years ago when the first U-scan check out lanes became popular at grocery stores. It was great; non-technically savvy people were scared of them for a while and it provided a fantastic way for the young and savvy to circumvent the old and meek.

What a difference a few years make.

Every year a larger percentage of checkout lanes are converted to U-scan. Someone however spread the word with the elderly that they too can use the U-scan lanes. Now, whenever I want to use a U-scan lane I inevitably end up behind a person who is one, most, or all of the following.

1. Old
2. buying fruit with no barcode
3. buying vegetables with no barcode
4. Cannot find the numbers on 2 or 3
5. Is paying with change
6. Doesn't speak english
7. Sets something on the scale with their bags
8. Doesn't take their receipt
9. Has 25 items
10. Has to look at 24 sides to find the barcode on a box with 6 sides.

And I know you have seen each and every one of the people described above.

I really hope that technology will advance enough to confuse the people that can't use the u-scan's quickly enough. Until then I might have to go back to the regular check out. Of course the regular checkout lanes are where you get the people who swear that the tag said that the comforter was $29.99 not $30.75. PRICE check!

Maybe I should give up on grocery shopping all together!