Holiday Gifts

To put a smile on the face of someone you love, follow this Smartphone buyer's guide. I personally have fallen madly in love with one of the phones they suggest--the HTC Incredible for Verizon.

Brighten that special someone's Christmas morning with these great new phones!

Emily Smart...Again

I understand that justice sits at the core of our nations values, but I think that we need to stop addressing the Emily Smart case. She was kidnapped years ago, and I can only imagine the pain it brings her every time she must relive the horrific event.

Today her kidnapper was found guilty in court. By prosecuting her kidnapper, I think that it can only bring her serious pain. During the trial, she spent 3 days testifying, letting the bad memories flood back. I understand that it was probably her decision to press charges, but I would imagine that there was much pressure from family and friends to do so.

In this case, I think justice needs to not be served and she needs to be given ample time to heal. Leave the 23 year old woman alone. Let her move on.

Kiss Holday Parties Goodbye

Do you have fond memories from your last corporate holiday party? Do you remember the time your shy co-worker had a little bit too much spiked cider? Well if you enjoyed those moments and would like to make more every holiday season, you better be willing to cough up the cash.

Blake Ellis writes that Wall Street corporations have stopped funding the Holiday fun. Employees are now required to chip in $30 if they want to have a party, or a good time.

I understand that we are in the middle of a depression, but I don't think that the way to save money is by cutting parties. Forcing employees to pay to have parties is demoralizing. Corporations are supposed to host and fund these parties as a thank you to your employees. What sentiment is it sending to say, "Please contribute $30 to the party"? Not a good one. Most employees will probably not attend the party, because they could have a better one at home for less than $30.

Corporations need to find the middle ground between saving money and showing their employees their appreciation. I suggest that parties still be held and firm funded, but only to a certain extent. The company could promise its employees a catered meal, but have BYOB. That way, they could save money, but at the same time encourage firm-wide bonding and appreciation.

Further Body Scan Discussion

I always love reading the different opinions behind the body scanners, and I have found yet another. Blogger Conor Fridersdorf highlights a portion of the conversation between two other bloggers and TSA boss John Pistole.

Friedersdorf follows the argument and speaks his own opinion; that a terrorist attack could potentially happen anywhere, yet we don't safe-guard those places like we do their airport.  For example, someone could bring an underwear bomb to a crowded market, but that doesn't mean that police officers frisk every person entering the market. Friedersdorf believes that we should take our chances, and use the least invasive security procedures as possible.

View the entire conversation here.

Wallet Controls Spending

After a trip to the mall do you feel guilty about your spending?

Can't be held responsible for your own spending habits?

Well then, they have created the wallet for you! These wallets keep you accountable for your spending by either vibrating, yelling, or shrinking, every time you make a big purchase.

Whether they will actually help, or just become an annoyance has not yet been determined. I am excited to read consumer reviews on the wallets in the near future. For now, check them out!

Twitter: Not Just for Humans

Now they have thought of it all. Mattel just came out with a new product called Puppy Tweets that creates tweets for man's best friend. The way it works is a small medallion is attached to the collar of your puppy. Motion and sound set off the medallion which sends messages to a USB stick which ultimately updates the dog's twitter account.

Blogger Tim Stevens reports on the product after testing it on his Labrador puppy.

His dog, Yoshi, was relatively active and was able to get some funny tweets out of the machine like, "Yoshi: Opening your eyes is overrated." The device is supposed to have 500 available tweets. But won't this all get boring after those 500 tweets, when the machine can't generate any new ones?

Ultimately, I think that this device is a pretty dumb idea. And Stevens confirmed my analysis when he said that the toy lasted about 2 days before Yoshi chewed it to shreds.

Dogs, leave the tweeting up to the humans.

Tarantula Smuggling: The Next Big Crime

I was browsing the CNN news articles today when I found this one. It reveals how a German male illegally sent over 600 tarantulas to America. He has been taken into custody and faces a possible sentence of 20 years in prison alone with a fine of $250,000.

My first thought was, "Is this seriously considered breaking news?" I proceeded to wonder what our world has come to. Nevertheless, I gave the article a chance and continued to read.

Apparently, you need to have a special permit to own the tarantulas that he was sending in the mail. And because that permit was not present, he is facing all of these legal issues.

The first thing I have to say is that police need to better prioritize their time. One of my friends got mugged several weeks ago outside of my apartment. Police need to spend their time preventing and stopping crimes like that before they move on to prosecuting a guy who is sending tarantulas in the mail. Is this really a good use of their time and my tax dollars? I don't think so, but you be the judge.