I really liked the presentation about downloading music. In retrospect, I think I would have liked to research and present more about the ethical issues involved in sharing files. It is such an interesting topic with soooo many different sides of the story. It really got me thinking.

I thought it was really funny that one kid in the group had found a torrent for the book so that it wasn't necessary for him to purchase it. I liked that their presentation was brief and to-the-point. They talked about downloading vs copying cds, and the chances of getting caught. They also talked about itunes, one song sales, and store exclusive cd releases.

I don't know how I feel about downloading music illegally. I do think that the internet has made it much easier for artists to get their work seen (Lily Allen was discovered on Myspace!!!)- this is a good thing. I don't really use limewire or anything, but I am a frequent customer of itunes. I love being able to make single song purchases, and I don't really believe that they hurt the music industry. Physical cds are expensive (last time I bought a new release at Fred Meyer I think it was $16.99!) compared to itunes, and I have more control over what I buy. I think that if the RIAA or artists are mad, they need to do like the newspapers and evolve to make a product that is successful.

I also think it is ridiculous that the RIAA (I think it's them!) want to stop Pandora or make them pay royalties. I understand that they feel they are losing money, but I think that free services like Pandora help the RIAA and artists, because they introduce the public to new artists. Since David and I discovered Pandora, we've bought soooooo much music we've heard on there. If you haven't used Pandora, I suggest you check it out. You put in an artist or song you like, and it chooses songs that are musically similar. It creates a sort of radio station, based on your votes (yay or nay) on the songs. It gives you lots of new music to listen to and vote on. You can also create all kinds of radio stations, and I believe they only ask for your email address to register. Plus, it's free!

The bottom line is that I don't think anyone will ever be able to stop illegal downloads without grossly invading peoples' privacy (which I hope doesn't happen). It's also an issue that DRM (think that Sims game, Spore) really frustrates honest consumers. The music industry must do like the newspapers, and find a way to make their product better, more accessible, or whatever they need to do to make money. I talk a lot, however I have no idea as to how they should do this.

So, as part of our blogging assignment, I'm supposed to blog about the group presentations I saw. I am going to reflect on my own group's presentation, as it didn't go exactly the way I'd imagined. A forewarning: I am a control freak about this kind of thing, and honestly prefer working on my own, because I can get it just how I want it without anyone messing it up.

I think it was a mistake to try to have seven people. The presentation was really long, and I think it would have been better to break it into two presentations or something. I also think that when you get a group that big, it gets hard for anyone's idea to come through loud and clear. It's also hard to organize/gather that many people to work on the presentation.

I put together our powerpoint, and I felt like everyone's piece of the presentation was so different. I tried to edit them so that everyone's was approximately the same length and they seemed more cohesive. I must admit that the book seemed awfully complicated, and like a lot to take on.

I wish I had convinced the rest of my group to just read the Kevin Mitnick book, The Art Of Deception, like I did. However, I did feel like my part of the presentation added an important cap to the end of our group presentation.

I really think that one of the most important parts of controlling/using new technology is the human aspect. Mitnick makes some very serious, scary points, that are important to note. His book opened my eyes, and made me curious about all the times the "yellow pages" called to "confirm" my company's information. Before I was hesitant to help them, and now I refuse to even speak to them. I consider myself to be pretty internet savvy, and I still could have fallen for some of Mitnick's schemes. I like to be helpful at work, and it (customer service) is part of my job. I think it's clever (and scary) to take advantage of traits like this.

I can really see it happening at a place like Microsoft, and it makes me wonder what kind of security expectations/training they have (should ask the dad!). I could totally see a helpful temp admin faxing information or giving it up because they didn't realize this seemingly innocuous information was actually important.

The book was interesting for the most part, and I recommend it. I wish the author had talked more about his own exploits, but he probably didn't want to get himself into trouble (again). I was curious to hear more about things that really happened, and a little disappointed that he didn't share more. I think it's awesome he wrote the book though. Better that someone who is very clever and curious (but not devious) show people these sorts of security holes, than for someone to exploit them.

I saw this article on consumerist.com and it instantly made me think of my TINST207 class. The story is that a dissatisfied patient left a negative review on yelp.com after he had a bad experience with a chiropractor. The article quotes the information left on yelp, and I don't think any of it was slanderous. It was pretty much "I had a bad experience, I had billing problems, the Dr. was hard to deal with, etc."

The chiropractor claims damage to reputation, business, etc AND "mortification and hurt feelings." Regardless of what you think about chiropractic treatments, I think this whole lawsuit, and especially the above quote, make the chiropractor seem rather scummy. I think that this sort of thing is better resolved between the parties involved. Also, way to streisand yourself, dude. You just got your face allllllll over the internets and this just cost you way more than the yelp comment ever could have.

I believe that these review websites are good for everyone. They give consumers valuable information, as well as possibly act as a deterrent for unscrupulous business practices. These sites encourage businesses to resolve complaints. However, a commenter on consumerist.com did bring up a very interesting thing. They said that the same sort of thing had happened in her town. A man who was running for public office in the city had a wife who was a vet. In order to try to keep him from winning the election, some people slandered his wife's vet practice on every site they could find. One woman even accused the vet of killing her cat, even though she had never stepped foot in the office. The vet had a terrible time getting the reviews removed, and it could have ruined her practice.

I think this makes all kinds of interesting problems. Should we even have review sites like this? Should there be a way to see who made the review, or maybe a dispute process? Who should manage the reviews? Should a reviewer have to prove that they did business with the person/business being reviewed? Like I said, I love how the internet gives us so much information with which to make decisions, but the vet ended up in a terrible position. I definitely thing that the person who slandered the vet should be punished.

Interesting things to think about for sure. I'm curious to see what happens with the lawsuit...

This summer, during the crazy high gas prices, I felt like every extra bit of money I made went towards gas. I felt like $55 was waaaay too much to be putting into my tiny hatchback. I was working full time cause I was out of school, and by the time I bought gas I felt like I wasn't making any more than during school.

Yesterday, with my tank on empty, I spent $22 to fill up my 13 gal tank. It was like $1.87/gal. The first time I ever pumped my own gas, when I was learning to drive, it cost $1.88/gal. Amazing. Never thought I'd see that again.

The low, low price of gas does make me a little suspicious, but happy nonetheless.

So, I found out towards the end of the week that things at work were worse than they seemed. My office manager was really upset and told me that in the first of second week of December we were going to run out of work. She said that if no jobs came in the time between, pretty much the entire company would be laid off.

What a blow.... Christmas time. Finals time.

I had already been looking for another job and hadn't had any luck. There aren't a lot of people hiring, even for temporary holiday positions. I would prefer to get another office sort of job that is permanent, cause I don't wanna be in the same situation when everyone gets laid off after the holidays.

It's so disappointing because I love the family I work for, and we had been doing so well. The entire time I've worked there they haven't even needed to lay people off during the winter. We had sort of a bad winter last year, when we didn't get paid for a job. Work was already slow because of the season, and the $20,000 we were owed really messed things up. Since then, we had a couple other liens we had to file, and even with those we had gotten out of the "hole" the winter had gotten us into.

I feel really stressed because the job search hasn't been going well so far. I am excited because I have an interview (next week probably) with some people I'm already kind of connected to, so hopefully that will go well. The job is in Tacoma, which would be fabulous cause I wouldn't have to drive much. Anyways, wish me luck (and let me know if you know someone who's hiring!)!

I feel especially bad for the office manager and her dad (the owner). She has pretty much taken care of the books and financial stuff for the company for the past five years, and since it is a family business she is really entwined with it. She is looking for another job too. The owner of the business has talked about being in charge of supporting his employees (and their families, by extension) and how stressful that is. I'm sure he feels terrible about this whole situation.

I'm just trying to think good thoughts for our economy and be thankful for the love and support of my awesome family.

So, basically I'm blogging to avoid doing my (very tedious) philosophy paper. Anyways, I was thinking about it some more, and I was thinking about how you can be anyone you want to be online. You can choose what parts of yourself to show or not show, and you can downright lie. Take Myspace Angles, for example. Watch this video. I assure you, it is worth your time (NSFW). It's says ten minutes, but you only need to watch part one.
Anyways, I guess the idea is to take anything someone says online with a grain of salt. I know someone who moved here from almost the east coast to be with a guy she met online. They met online, and then in person on xmas eve, and she moved all her stuff over on New Year's Day. Guess how that turned out? Yeah, not good (note to self: don't tell her about your blog). Like with crazy fights and cops and a broken lease bad. Both of these people were sort of odd (I seem to attract the crazies!). Anyways, I'm not saying that online dating is impossible or bad, I'm just saying people should beware (and drop everything to move across the country to be with someone they've only known in person for two days).
Maybe all of this is why I prefer the real world to online? I hate myspace and never check mine (same with facebook). I only made one so I could look at someone's pictures. I think the technology is cool (how else could I look up my best friend from 1st grade who moved away?), but people are WAAAAAAAAY too into it, and I am not. I did Running Start in high school, and I never hung out with people my age (always had older friends) and I think I just kind of missed my myspace crazy when it swept over the high schools. Same with texting... I use it, but not much.

Since the economy has been bad, the new buzzword sort of thing is to have a staycation. It reminded me of the whole talk we had it TINST207 about online community. I think a staycation can be a vacation. You can get away, relax, and have a good time while staying at home or close to home. However, I don't like the idea of an online vacation.
I've never played a MMOG, but my boyfriend David has, and my 14 year old brother is way into gaming as well. I've seen how obsessive they get about games. At one point David was staying up like all night playing Star Wars Galaxies. He totally had friends, and they would all get online at the same time and do missions and stuff. Right now, as I type, he's playing like his 3rd hour of Fable2 (this is the second time he's played it through). For him, it goes in waves. Anyways, I understand that for him, these games are a way to relax. For me, video games are frustrating, and I think vacations are for relaxing.
David and I have both a Wii and an XBOX360, and when I get into video games, I am guilty of getting a little obsessive. It goes in waves for me to- I will play for a couple hours each day, and then not. I don't think I've played Wii for a month.
While online worlds are real, and they exist, they're just no substitute for for real life friends and family. That's why I'm gonna go visit my sister and her husband tonight :D

So, every Saturday David and I go to the Renaissance Cafe on Pacific Ave for breakfast. It is always awesome- will have to do a review on it sometime. Anyways, we decided to wander around Tacoma, and we happened upon the Mad Hat Tea Co.
Ever since David and I discovered Osaka Sushi and Teriyaki in University Place, I have been really into green tea. I hated it at first (normally I drink sweetened black iced tea), but after going a couple times, I got to really liking it with my dinner. We had been at SouthCenter Mall at the teavana store, and I was really disappointed that the only teas they sampled were really herbal gross sweetened ones. I was also disappointed because they have a 2oz minimum. This doesn't seem like much, but it it gets really expensive to try lots of things (2oz/$10 or so). Also, they won't make up samples for you. The store has lots of neat teapots and stuff, but a lot of their stuff is way expensive.
Anyways, so Mad Hat Tea was awesome. It is right downtown. There is all kinds of art on the walls, stuff to read about teas, and there are couches, chairs, etc. It's a very cozy space, but the shop is deceptively large. The owner, Tobin, was very cool. He was super enthusiastic, and really seemed to know all about tea. I told him that I was new to liking green tea, and he made a pot of some really good mixed oolong/green tea. He did the whole tea ceremony sort of thing with a Yixing teapot and everything. I was impressed because I have a clay/art background, and he had all kinds of hand-thrown dishes. We talked a bunch- we were probably in there almost an hour, and he let us try a bunch of stuff. We ended up leaving with quite a bit of stuff :)
The best part was his prices (you can see them on the website). He has some expensive teas, but a lot of them are like $4/2oz. Also, he was willing to sell smaller or larger quantities, so you could bring home all sorts of things to try. The place has sort of a eclectic/hippy vibe, but its way cool/calming. He even has a no cell phone rule! It's cool to support Tacoma Businesses, and this one is very unique. While you can buy loose leaf tea, flowering tea, etc you can also buy pots of tea and just hang out. Definitely a place to try out!

Was looking through my blog counting TINST207 posts and realized I was missing some that I had written. Looked around some more and saw that they were saved in my drafts, missing parts. I think that since I posted them at work (we have crappy satellite internet) and they auto-saved but the internet crapped out and they didn't fully post.

I'm working on fixing it.

Doing the scavenger hunt for TINST207- we're about 1/2 way done!!!
Monica, Becca, and Kaitlin FTW!

In my group, I am reading The Art Of Deception by Kevin Mitnick, and talking about the human aspect of security. I will also probably be putting the powerpoint notes together.

Sad article here. The Consumerist is one of my favorite websites. They're the ones who posted my locksmith story. Anyways, it is a useful source for consumer information, and, unlike Perez Hilton, it actually makes you smarter.
Gawker just laid off some of it's Consumerist writers, and the quality of the site seemed to suffer. I still think it is a good resource, and read it daily. It's sad that they're looking to sell it (it isn't one of their profitable blogs), and hopefully whomever buys it will keep the editors and spirit of the Consumerist alive.
Everyone go over there and click some ads!

Just saw this article and this article and thought they were amazing. Here is the gist of the story:
A man with both AIDS and leukemia was given a bone marrow transplant. The doctors decided to use marrow from a donor that had a rare genetic mutation that makes one pretty much immune to AIDS. Before the transplant, they did the typical radiation and chemotherapy treatments to lower his immune system. Anyways, it seems that the transplant has cured his AIDS. Two years after the transplant his body was still free of the virus. Doctors need to study it more to find out if it was a fluke or there were other factors working. The only con to this procedure is that only 30% of cancer patients survive it. I'd imagine that the chemo/radiation was an important factor in the treatment, but the article doesn't talk about whether people without cancer would have an easier time surviving the transplant.
Either way, it's fascinating and exciting.

At first, I wasn't sure about feedtacoma. I thought it was going to be some sort of fundraising, food driving thing.
I loved the presentation Kevin Freitas gave us about his website, feedtacoma.com. It was such an awesome idea, and while it probably isn't the choice I'd make, I admire that he does it for fun, not money. I also liked the design of the site- he keeps it very minimal, clean, and easy to navigate.
I like going there and seeing what everyone is up to and to look at new blogs. It's a great resource for someone who is new to Tacoma. If one learns to use exit133 and feedtacoma, they have access to all kinds of awesome information. You can find reviews on all things Tacoma, see what others are up to, etc. It's amazing. I also really loved his idea of a Tacoma wiki. I think it would be especially terrific if he made each wiki entry have a place for comments. That way, it could also be an aggregate of reviews/experiences.
I don't know about everyone else out there, but David and I use the internet to look up all sorts of things. I especially like reviews I can read before I try something. Also, when David and I look for something (let's say italian food) we are most likely to go to the restaurant with a website and/or reviews.
I'm thinking of contacting Kevin about the Tacoma wiki thing, and also contacting downtown merchants about feedtacoma/their businesses. It would be neat to have information about all kinds of retailers downtown, and it would be even neater to have pictures.
For me, the more details the better! Even if it leads to indecision, I like to have lots of options.

I know I've been slacking with the TINST207 blog posts. I just got writer's block about the online banking/finances one, and felt weird about putting them out of order.
So, I think I figured out that the reason I don't really have that much to say about online banking is that I've always used it. Ever since I got my first checking account at like 15, I've used online banking. When I moved out of the parent's house and had to pay bills, I used the computer. It's weird, but it's almost to the point that using a pen and paper and stamp feels foreign.... I have a sheet of stamps at my desk at work, and I haven't used one in ages. Good thing they are "forevor stamps."
I think that I didn't realize the danger of it until I had become more set in my ways, and I've learned even more from the class. I've never had any problem with banking or shopping online, so I haven't been scared out of it. I am also happy to note that my bank, BECU, will pay for any online bills or fees if their system messes up. My friend had an issue with WAMU's bill-pay where one of the bills she paid literally disappeared. She had that it had been withdrawn from her account, but it never got to the cell company or whatever. It took her like two months and a couple visits to the bank before WAMU refunded her the money. She no longer uses bill-pay, and I can understand why- she had been using it for her mortgage payments, and could have been in some deep trouble.
The last aspect of why banking and shopping online don't scare me is that the benefits definitely outweigh the risks. I can buy ANYTHING online... from rocket caffeine syrup and solar powered lamps on thinkgeek.com, to funny t-shirts on shirt.woot.com. A certain nerd I know who will remain unnamed even bought supplies to make his own fireworks online. All of this stuff is exciting, and honestly it makes me forget about the risks I am taking.

I believe blogs are like hair.... you should have fun and change them up frequently.

(I know the new template is sort of messed up- I'm workin on it)

Was reading exit133 and saw this article. Things are so bad real-estate wise that this company (as I understand it) has ditched their condo plan. The Marcato Condos were going to be great. They had planned on a "master community" with:

John McCain's health care plan really scared me (read jezebel article here). I read this article (and the discussion in the comments!) a few weeks ago and have been thinking about it ever since. I don't know that I think being female should automatically make your insurance higher. I can't help that I am female, or that my gender is the only one capable of carrying babies, therefore increasing insurance risks.

I'm not exactly sure what we should do about it (I think Obama's plan is a start), but I am worried about getting insurance in the future. As someone who is currently on 3-4 daily prescription medications (if you ask I will tell), I'm worried that this medical history will prevent me from getting affordable insurance. I'm just hoping whatever job I end up in has awesome insurance. If I didn't have insurance there would be no way I could pay for my prescriptions, and my health would probably suffer. Fortunately I am covered by my father's health insurance (Microsoft insurance is incredibly generous), but I know a lot of people don't have insurance that covers their prescriptions or any other treatments they need.

What about Isaac Zamora's killing spree a couple months ago? His mother and others said he was psychotic and tried to get him help, but were unable to. Maybe if he had had good (state or federally funded maybe) insurance, it would have been easier to help him? Is it fair to deny someone insurance coverage (or make it so expensive it is impossible to pay for) because have had counseling or a history of mental illness and sought help?

Lots of interesting things to consider.....

Watching McCain's concession speech on msnbc right now. I feel so...relieved. Don't even know what to say...

EDIT: My sister (16 year old) just called me and rubbed it in my face that she is taking a Washington D.C. trip for school. She will be in the crowd at the inauguration! Sooooo jealous.

One of my favorite places to go since I've moved to Tacoma is Infinite Soups (their website = not so good). Its a little shop (takeout only) by Wright Park. They make a BUNCH of soups every morning (probably like 15+) and they will let you try every single one before you choose! The staff is always very friendly, and they are always playing old rock music on their record player. Their prices are very low (about $2-$7 depending on the size of container) and the soup is awesome. I'd never been that enthusiastic about soup, but this is good. They have such a huge variety (vegan, vegetarian, cream based, broth based, etc). The only cons are that there's no place to eat the soup (walk to the park?), they only take cash/check (no credit/debit), and you have to make up your mind! Oh, and if you go later in the evening (they close at 7) they sometimes run out of my favorite soups.

LINK to google map of Infinite Soups

Some soups: potato green chili cheddar, poblano potato (my favorite), italian sausage and tortellini, tomato basil, moroccan lentil.... it goes on and on!

My locksmith story got posted on consumerist.com. If you haven't been on the site, it's awesome. I've been reading it for over a year, and I've definitely learned a lot. A lot of the readers gave good advice (call the police- the locksmith will either leave or do the work for the quoted price, call AAA and buy membership to use, have boyfriend look up how to break into car, etc). I think I was just way to stressed out by that time to think of these things :D I thought it was quite interesting- someone posted a link to the consumerist article on my original post about the locksmith... not sure if they realized I was the same person or not..... I saw the comment before I had been on the consumerist site today.

Here is a link to the article. So far (thursday pm) there have been almost 10,700 views!

UPDATE: as of Tuesday, almost 30,000 page views and six pages of comments! Hopefully i helped someone!

So, I got a couple questions about my hair last week. I thought I'd explain. So, the lady who does my hair is hilarious and awesome and I love her. She cut my hair like a little over a week ago. It was good. I had her "touch up" my highlights a couple days later. I had gotten sort of caramel colored highlights in my hair during the summer, and they were pretty grown out. She did them the first time and I was really happy. They were bold and bright for the summer. I just wanted her to add some to cover up my roots.
The highlights turned out BLONDE. Not toffee, BLONDE. On my almost black hair. Also, there were too many- like the entire top layer of my hair. I was like, oh well maybe if I wait a few days I will get used to it and like them. No such luck. Highlights were Saturday, and I fixed my hair Monday night. I asked all my female relatives what to do, and they suggested using a little bit darker dye to fix it. I just got some semi-permanent medium brown hair dye and put it all over (it didn't change the color of my dark hair). Ah! Relief! Hair was toned down and much better better for this time of year.
I know I probably should have told the hair lady to fix it, but I didn't want to wait a few days for an appointment, and I didn't want to hurt her feelings. I'm a big pushover, and I don't like complaining. I'd rather deal with it myself. It's uncomfortable, and I'm not a fan of confrontation. However, I am working on standing up for myself (see locksmith post below!). Yay for being brave!

Since David and I moved to Tacoma (about a year and a half ago) we've really enjoyed the city.  We both grew up in extremely rural areas, and were happy to find that almost everything we need is within walking distance.  We've enjoyed the arts fairs, the farmer's market, galleries, museums, restaurants so much!  Anyways, when we do things with Tacoma friends, they're always like. "wow! how did you guys find this!?" so I've decided that I will start writing restaurant/gallery/etc reviews, and hopefully I can mess with blogger so that people will see them when they search for information.  If anyone has any suggestions of neat things in Tacoma, let me know! I have a running list... 

So, thanks to those of you in my TINST207 class who asked about my ordeal :D I appreciate your concern.  Anyways, I went home and was still sort of mad, so I went and got my brows waxed (it was a nice pick-me-up. I hadn't had it done in forevor) and then went home and had some of my mom's homemade lasagna and apple crisp.  I must admit I'm feeling much better now.  

So I had a fun Monday. David and I woke up late, and we both rushed to get ready to leave in the morning. I didn't have time to make lunch. I get to class, and my classes go okay, so when that is over, I head to work. I always stop at the post office to grab the mail on the way there, then head to the bank to drop off a deposit before I go to the office. I get back to my car and can't find my keys. I check the parking lot, store, bank, pockets, and begin to freak out. Finally, I realize I locked my keys in my car- they are sitting in the ignition. This is at about 4:15 pm. I call David, who is on his way home from work. He looks for my extra key when he gets home but has no luck- we moved not long ago and the keys are probably in a box somewhere. My dad and sister come with extra keys (none of which were the one I left with them when I moved out of my parents house). I am getting frantic. It is cold.

My dad tries to break into my car. No luck. I did this before and my car is impossible to open with a slim-jim. I call a couple locksmiths cause I'm not confident a tow-truck driver can get into my car. I find a nearby locksmith who says he can be there in 25 mins. It's around 7:15 and I'm FREAKING out. I haven't eaten since noon. My dad was nice enough to stay with me and wait. The locksmith says it will be $39.99 + about $19 labor. I say "great" and tell him what kind of car I have and where it is stuck.

The "locksmith" arrives over an hour later. It looks a little shady- the guy is in his own personal car and was really late. I'm really frustrated and tired and out of patience by then. He gets out of his car and basically says "OOOHHH! This is a FOCUS!?! This is a VERY hard car to get into! I might be able to do it, might not, but it's gonna be $39.99 + $125 labor! $177 after tax. If you don't want me to do it, you have to at least pay me the $39.99 service call. He is really intimidating and rude. He has my driver's license already. THIS IS COERCION/EXTORTION/WHATEVER YOU WANT TO CALL IT. He insists he is being nice and that he could show us invoices of people who paid $265 to get into their cars. I'm in tears. It's almost nine. My dad argues with the guy for awhile and then decides f*** it, just do it. I'm pissed. He finally gets into my car, and I pay him. He doesn't even check to make sure that the car is mine. He refuses to give me the address of the business, a business card, or anything that identifies the business he is with. He has no stationary or invoices or anything to link him to a legitimate business. I feel really weird giving him my credit card- it all seems way too shady. I drive home, so mad I can hardly think. I felt so taken advantage of- he held me hostage.

I woke up Tuesday morning, even more pissed off. I missed an entire day of work over this bulls*** (at least my boss was nice about it!). I go out to my car to drive to work and notice that the door frame is bent up. Guess I didn't notice it when it was dark and I WAS SEETHING WITH ANGER. I called up the locksmith to complain. I was glad I had written down how I found them (using 411), because it seemed as if the locksmith who came out was trying to keep me from contacting him again. He knew we were pissed. Anyways, I nicely told the dispatcher/manager that I wanted a partial refund, due to the lateness, lies, and especially the damage to my car. He tried to say that they never saw me the night before. I said, "ok, well I wrote down the license # of the guy and a description. I will just cancel the credit card and give the information to the cops." He suddenly remembered me! However, he would not acknowledge the damage to my car, let alone the lying/bad customer service. He would not even consider a partial refund, so I told him I was canceling the card and initiate a charge-back with my credit card company. I also told him I would contact the BBB, attorney general, etc about his business practices.

I called my bank to cancel my card and thankfully, they were totally on my side. I have to wait a day or two for the charge to finish posting, and then there will be a charge-back. Anyways, the moral of the story is to get a definitive quote from the locksmith. Refuse to pay anymore. Maybe just don't lock your keys in your car!!! If you don't have spares, get some made for $5 at the store, and give them to your friends and family, so they can help you out when you need it. I called some more locksmiths for definite quotes to see if I was charged a legit price. Everyone else charges $60-$80 flat. One locksmith told me he knew of an old woman who was forced to pay $200 to get into her car. When you're locked out, and you can't google the business or check with the BBB, it really puts you at a disadvantage. I was vulnerable and they took advantage of me. Another moral: pay with credit cards, as they offer a lot more protection than debit cards.

From looking around on the net, it seems this is a common scam. There are stories of people whose keys are held hostage until they pay the inflated fee. There are dozens of complaints online, and supposedly these companies use many different names and phone numbers to avoid being held accountable. I shudder to think what the guy would have done if my dad hadn't been there with me. Anyways, at least they will end up paying me back what they charged me, plus some (charge-backs penalize the merchant), when I would have been happy with an apology for the damage and refund for the amount over the initial quote.

Hopefully, someone out there will learn from what happened to me ( I promise I'm calmed down now :).

So, since I've started the blog, I've gotten quite a few funny looks and questions about my blogging name. T-Town-Tart. "What does it mean?" "Why did you pick that?" "That's a weird screen name..." I thought the meaning of my screen name was fairly obvious, and sort of clever (alliteration anyone? I love my literary devices). Anyways, I was messing around on the internet, and decided to google the word "tart." Here's what I got:

• A promiscuous woman or a woman who dresses in a sexually provocative way, or a prostitute. See also Tart with a heart. (Wikipedia)
• 1 : agreeably sharp or acid to the taste- tart apple. 2: marked by a biting acrimonious or cutting quality. (Merriam-Webster)
• Tart: (Dictionary.com)
• a small pie filled with cooked fruit or other sweetened preparation, usually having no top crust.
• a covered pie containing fruit or the like.
• Slang. a prostitute or promiscuous woman.
• tart up, Slang. to adorn, dress, or decorate, esp. in a flamboyant manner: The old restaurant was tarted up to look like a Viennese café.
• And finally, from UrbanDictionary.com :
  
• A nubile young temptress, who dresses teasingly and provocatively, as in "Man, look at that mini-skirt and those knee-high boots! What a tart!"
• Oh, and this picture which I thought was hilarious:
  

So, everyone knows I am an animal lover. I volunteer for rescue, grew up showing dogs, etc. I've even gotten funny looks for the way I treat/talk about animals. David rolls his eyes every time he sees me looking at lolcats and loldogs. I can't help it. I love animals and all their silly behavior, and I like taking a break from all the depressing news so that I can smile at this stuff. Anyways, I found this website/blog last week, and I've been checking it every day since then. I give you dogs, upside-down for your viewing pleasure. Come on... You know you think it's funny :)

In class we talked about shopping online. Everyone in the class had bought things online. I think this is a generational thing. I've bought all sorts of things online, but my dad grumbles every time he or my mom need to use a credit card online. He's always worried someone will steal his identity, even from sites he's used in the past. My mom can barely check her email, so I don't even think that online shopping or security even enter her mind. I'm excited at the range of things I can order, most of which I couldn't get by shopping nearby. I feel like hanging out with my boyfriend, David, has given me even more of an appreciation/love for technology than I had before.

I, unlike my dad, have bought all kinds of crap online. I've bought tech gadgets/accessories, books, food, toys, shoes, etc. I LOVE Zappos and their free overnight shoe shipping. I think it is amazing to see a pair of shoes I like at noon on Monday, and have them in the office when I get there he next morning... Almost like magic. I also love that they offer free returns and re-shipping (overnight) if the shoes don't fit. I've used many online merchants to purchase all sorts of things and never had a problem. I was apprehensive (like my dad) at first, but I got over it real quick when I realized it was better than going out to shop. I can see 100 different types of the item I want, and read what people who have used them say. There are no lines and crowds of people, and the variety and prices are usually better. I did probably 1/2-2/3 of my Christmas shopping online last year, and I plan to do the same this year.

I don't do Ebay (I have bought and sold on craigslist though!) because I don't trust other people and their descriptions of items, etc. I also don't like PayPal- I've heard of lots of people having problems with them, losing money, and not being able to contact customer service. I am aware of the small, shady internet merchants, and I usually read reviews of a merchant before I buy from them. Also, I normally stick to merchants I have had good luck with in the past. I've never bought anything I'd want to try first (like a car) online, and I won't buy clothes or shoes unless they have free returns. I don't order groceries online (Safeway does free deliveries) because I don't really do grocery lists- I just shop.

Maybe people my age just use the internet differently? Anytime David and I have a question, we look it up real quick. We google the names of restaurants to get reviews before we go. We read blogs instead of magazines. We research the pros, cons, and prices of products we plan to buy (even if we're not going to order them online). We read reviews of books, movies, recipes, and tv shows online. My boss (who is 26 I think) and her dad (the owner of the business I work for) don't even consider using the internet in these ways. They're always surprised that I use the internet to pick out things for the office, and shocked when I "fix" the computers in the office by looking for people with the same problems online. Since I use technology so much differently than people who are ten or fifteen years older than me, it makes me wonder how my (future) children will use it, and whether or not I will be able to keep up.

So I left Wednesday's TINST207 class horrified at the idea that my age, phone number, address, and other identifying information was on the internet for everybody to see. I tried searching different combinations of my name (with middle initial, without, with quotation marks, etc) and was relieved to find that there isn't much information about me. I tried Google, MSN, and Yahoo, as well as the UW site cause I was curious. Fortunately (probably because I am 20 and don't have home loan history/public records stuff, I am not on intelius.com. It sort of outraged me to think that they can post all that stuff online, and anyone willing to pay for a report could have some very personal information about me or even show up at my house.

Some of what I found was hilarious. There were a bunch of mentions of my name related to dog show stuff. This makes sense as I have owned and co-owned a few dogs, as well as participated in loads of AKC dog shows (see picture of Bastian, RIP, my first show dog and true love :)). I also found my Facebook page (which I haven't checked in probably a year). I was surprised not to find anything myspace related. The best thing I found, however, was this. I was in a circus group that performed all over the place. The newspaper and tv station came out to interview us. I was on the morning news, eight years old, in a neon colored spandex body suit, performing my trapeze routine. Crazy, I know. Good to think that since it happened before the Seattle PI went on the internet, there are no picture records of this event online. I do have the fuzzy VCR recording my parents made somewhere though. I was also a little relieved to see that there were no records of my and my ballroom dancing and sequin days.

I understand that privacy is important, and it really bothers me that there is information about me out there which I cannot really get rid of. It also bothers me that as long as the internet exists in its current form, there will be more and more personal details added. Not sure what to do about this- its sort of like telemarketing. I hate it but there's not really anything I can do that will get it to stop completely. I will stop one site, and two more will pop up.... like a leaky boat or the the moles in my parents yard that drive my dad nuts.

In my tech class we talked about the recent layoffs at the Tacoma News Tribune and other local newspapers. It brought to mind the failure of the King County Journal newspapers in early 2007. The group of small community newspapers (I think there were three papers they published?). Their circulation had fallen, and yet a year or two before they made the decision to build a huge in Kent, WA. Everyone wondered why, when newspapers were not doing well, a newspaper company would spend so much money on a new building. Sure enough, a little bit later they went under.

Personally, I think that unless newspapers find some way to make themselves relevant, on the web or otherwise, they will go under. I had a subscription to the Seattle Times earlier this year, and I just never got around to it. The only paper I usually read was the Sunday edition, and even then, I never got through the whole thing. I continued to get my news online while having the subscription. The paper got delivered to the community foyer in the apartment building and my neighbors stole my paper one too many times. I canceled. The called me a couple times a day, despite requests not to, until I got fed up and angrily called them. Their customer service was enough to make me not want to subscribe again.

Another reason I think that newspapers will adapt or go under is the issue of money. Why would I want to pay for the news I read, when I can get it online from blogs and the local news channel websites? Why would I pay money to post something in the classified ads when I can post to something better (CraigsList) for free? It makes the newspaper subscription seem even more unimportant. I don't know how the print media companies can adapt, other than make good websites (I hate when sites are disorganized and poorly built!) and possibly lower the prices of their product.

One cool thing that I've found online, that I think could help print media, is MagHound. MagHound is a website that is sort of like NetFlix but for magazines. You pay a low fee ($4.95 for two mags/month I think- it goes up depending on how many you want). There are a few weekly mags that are "premium" and you have to pay $1.50 extra/month. You can get a bunch of magazines (they add more every week! and you don't have to send them back) and you can switch around which mags you get each month. I like to read a variety of magazines while I'm at the gym, but I like to mix it up and they can get expensive (People is like $5!). They have a great variety of cooking, news, gossip, health, etc mags. I think this is a business model that can work, and so far I like it a lot. I pay like $10/month for 5 subscriptions (11 magazines! 2 mags are every week, the other three are once per month).

The only thing that scares me about getting news online is credibility. The EPIC movie said something along the lines of "the news people get is the news they want to hear." I worry that with people getting news from opinion blogs, that we lose some of the facts. I don't know how much journalistic integrity is involved with print media right now, but I know that tv can be really bad and the internet can be worse. Think of the "Obama is a MUSLIM!" rumors that were spread by blogs on the internet... I think this aspect of the internet could get very scary.

David and I were talking about the whole trickle down economic philosophy and he described it in a way that I thought was so smart. He said it was like sticking a piece of gum on a brick wall and then trying to pull it off. You grab a piece and it stretches and sort of comes off but the majority stays, stuck on the wall (to the rich people).

Watching the VP debate at the moment.... She just keeps kissing his ASS!!! Sarah Palin scares the hell out of me (and her accent is annoying). I really hope that women aren't fooled into voting for her because she is a woman. David and I have been talking about this almost everyday, and it gets me sooo wound up! She is not a feminist and she does not support women's rights. Abortion is a controversial issue, but what about equal pay for equal work? The right to marry whomever you love is an inherent human right that people deserve. People are not going to marry farm animals! It's not a slippery slope!!! Her and McCain will set us back.

Who was it that said something like "when fascism comes to America it will be wrapped in a flag and wearing a cross?" I keep thinking of this and the presidential election because I just finished reading The Handmaid's Tale by Margaret Atwood. I read it all in one day! It was soo good. It is kind of a dystopia, 1894/Brave New World sort of book. In it, women are demoted to pieces of property owned by their husbands. The religious right has taken over and their is a fertility crisis. Women who oppose the new regime are taken to a school to be re-educated. They become "Handmaids," women who are sent to couples deemed morally worthy. They are to be impregnated by the husbands, then their babies are taken away. All written words are taken away, even on storefronts, because women are not allowed to read, and they definitely aren't allowed around anything that could be dangerous because so many are killing themselves. It was a very interesting, scary book. Turns out that Atwood is a famous feminist and the book is well-known. You should read it.

The scary thing: this is all triggered by tightened government (caused by some Islamic extremists), a failure of the banks, and a war.

Everybody! VOTE! Make your voice heard. Can you handle 4 more years of "nu-cule-er"!?!?!?!

So, being the nerd that I am, I was listening to NPR on the radio this morning and I heard something interesting. I made a mental note to look it up when I got to work, and I ended up finding a very interesting article. It was interesting because my mom had just been telling me a week before that my little sister had gone over on their cell plan minutes and she had sent over 1800 texts the month before. David and I were shocked... 60 texts per day.... 3.3 per hour (assuming she sleeps 8 hrs/day). This was while she was going to school, having a part time job, AND participating on her school's cross country running team!!!

I have a 500 message plan on my phone and I rarely get anywhere close to that.

I wasn't really surprised that texts outnumbered phone calls (think of all the yes, no, what time, I'm on my way, etc sort of messages one sends) but I was surprised that kids my sister's age sent and receive an average of over 1700 texts per month.

I didn't grow up with texting. I wasn't one of the cool kids who got a cell phone when they turned 12. I didn't even start texting until I moved away from home and got my own cell plan. Its useful, but I'm not all that fond of texting. Maybe it's just a phenomenon I don't understand?

David and I went to the movies this last weekend and there were some kids (I'd say 13-14? Too young to drive) who literally talked, texted, and changed seats the entire movie. We were sort of shocked at their behavior- they weren't even trying to have manners. The glow of the cell phone screen was so distracting! Even after being shushed and complaining to the theater people they didn't shut up. Finally, about 2/3 of the way into the movie, David had lost patience with them. Taking advantage of his "big guy" scary adultness, he leaned forward and talked to them. I didn't hear what he said but I did see the look on her face- scared- and was surprised. After the movie I asked him what he said. He told me he said "you little ****s better sit down and shut the **** up right now!" I was shocked at his language! David NEVER talks like that. It made me giggle like a little girl. Maybe we're just too old?

By the way... AMC gives out free movie passes like they're candy if you ask :D

I hate my local post office. I have to go there at least once, sometimes twice per day for my job. We have a medium size P.O. Box (for a small, home run construction business) and they always crumple up the mail before they put it in. If there are a couple days between pickups (lets say the weekend) they shove the mail into the box so hard I can't it out. They never answer the bell at the will-call window for package pickups. I avoid getting help at the front counter like the plague. I even convinced my boss to get a postage meter so I didn't have to wait in line for 30 minutes to buy stamps. The people there are friendly, but incredibly slow and some are not the best with english. I just get angry and impatient thinking about them!

The mail carrier at my new apartment leaves the funniest notes on the boxes. He (or she? I've never seen them...) gets mad when people don't empty their boxes EVERY SINGLE DAY. HE ALSO TYPES THEM IN ALL CAPS. It also bothers him when there aren't apt #s on the mail and he has to look for a name!

So today in class we talked about the similarities and differences between snail mail and email. I thought Fry was just comparing them for those in the class that aren't too tech savvy and need a visual. In the beginning, I couldn't see how the terrible postal service had anything in common with my beloved GMail. However, as our conversation progressed I realized that besides time and cost, almost every word associated with traditional mail also had an email equivalent. This really surprised me because they seem so different. As similar as they are, I'd really rather use my email. I like the ease, the convenience, the informality of email, but maybe that's because I grew up with it?

Oh, and I almost forgot to add this! Here is a neat link to a often imitated, postal service centered art project.

So I'm blogging. Its part of a class I'm taking and I think its going to be fun.

Maybe, just maybe, I'll begin this blog and people will want to hear what I have to say. I'll become a celebrity blogger, like PerezHilton, and even get my own clothing line at Hot Topic. All the cool kids will be wearing it and VH1 will invite me onto Best Week Ever.

I'll have so many hits each day I'll be able to retire with all kinds of Google Ad money.... and forevor be indebted to that one teacher, Mr. Andrew Fry, who made me blog. Probably not, but I can hope (and have fun).