mindtoss is the personal blog of stephen chip, a creative director living and working in boca raton, florida

The Microsoft Ipod

Mar 7, 2006 Author: stephen chip | Filed under: Uncategorized

Here’s a look at what would happen if Microsoft designed… or should I say re-designed the box for the ipod. It’s as predictable as you would expect but funny none the less.

The Microsoft Ipod

The latest oxymoron - Cingular customer service

Jan 20, 2006 Author: stephen chip | Filed under: Rants

After purchasing a new mobile phone a couple days ago, I quickly realized that the new service that I ordered wasn’t functioning.

Let me start at the beginning. I switched my service last year from Sprint to Cingular. The main reason that I switched is because my phone no longer worked at home or the office. That only left the car and that accounted for only 30 minutes per day. I was long overdo for a new phone service.

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Why are we still using pennies?

Jan 17, 2006 Author: stephen chip | Filed under: Musings

If you pay with cash it’s inevitable that you’ll receive back change. Now change unto it’s self are a pain let alone pennies. Which brings me to my next question… “Why are we still using pennies”? Can we just round up to the nickel? Can we just eliminate pennies from the whole picture? I mean do we need to be that accurate when we’re purchasing items. Instead of an item costing $4.78, it would cost $4.80. Are we all that concerned about those extra two pennies? Would we even notice the change?

I guess when it comes to the big picture we wouldn’t notice the change. Of course I’m no numbers expert but I know getting rid of pennies would have an impact especially on lower priced items. In effect, we would be paying more. But you know what? I’m all in. I’m tired of dealing with pennies. I know some of you will suggest using a debit card. Most of the time I pay with a debit card but not always.

The folks over at kokogiak media have answered the question “Have you ever wondered what a billion pennies would look like?” Well sure, I’ve often wondered that. Exactly how many pennies is that? Not only have they answered that question, but also they’ve taken it a bit further out.

The mega penny project

Get LOST

Jan 6, 2006 Author: stephen chip | Filed under: Rants

LOST

In the fall of 2004 I was perusing the new television line up. I selected a few new show and set Tivo to record them. Two weeks passed and my Tivo was filling up. I briefly watched a couple of shows and promptly deleted them. Then I saw that I had two episodes of LOST. I actually wondered if I should invest the next two hours watching the show only to have to watch another that week. I watched the first episode. Twenty minutes in and I was hooked. I was so excited to watch the next episode. After watching the next episode I was hungry for more.

So it was. Wednesday nights were now king. When you have Tivo, usually you never watch a show live because you can fast forward through the commercials and power watch. (Hey, why spend an hour watching a show when you can watch it in forty-five minutes.) I watched LOST live because it was that good. It kept you on the edge of your seat.
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What side of the fence are you on?

Dec 9, 2005 Author: stephen chip | Filed under: Info, Politics, Uncategorized

fence

Everybody has an opinion in today’s thick political climate. The left, the right, middle of the road. Some people are passionate, some people unsure, and some people could care less when it comes to politics. Here’s a quick little quiz to see where you really stand. The results may surprise you. Go ahead and give it a shot. It will take you less than a minute!

Take the quiz now!

Jackhole goes to Starbucks

Dec 8, 2005 Author: stephen chip | Filed under: Rants, Starbucks, Stylings

Jackhole

After finishing a healthy lunch today, I had a craving for a Starbucks Venti Chai Latte. Driving up to Starbucks, I noticed an unusual excess of cars in the parking lot. So I began circling the Starbucks. Patiently I searched for a spot. Driving around, and around, and around the building. So many times that I started counting. Twelve, thirteen, fourteen… ah ha… a spot. Should I be concerned that it’s about three blocks away from the building? Hell, no, I need my Venti Chai Latte.

I walk right up to the counter and the nice girl behind the register greets me. She asks me what I want and I reply “I’ll take a Venti Chai Latte please”. Of course I’m still fuming over my parking lot escapade. I’m thinking to myself “What kind of Jackhole circles the building fourteen times for a stinking cup of tea”? Oh, that would be me. So the nice little girl behind the counter asks me my name. (Starbucks likes to write your name on the cup so they can call you by name when your drink is ready.) The girl asks me my name again and I reply “JACKHOLE”! She asks me if Jackhole is my real name. I said “It is today”. “I drove around looking for a spot fourteen times”. Another girl looks at me and says “Was that you in the green truck”?. “Yeah”, I replied. “That was me”… the JACKHOLE”.

My attention get diverted for a second while another girl holding a sampler assortment of coffee offers me one. I grab one and think about it for a second and say “Did you say this was coffee”? She replies “Yes”. Not wanting coffee, I put it back on the tray. She grabs it and turns around to throw it in the garbage. I said “Oh, that’s the PC thing to do”. “Toss it out”. “You wouldn’t want to offend anybody now would you”. The register girl shouts “No way JACKHOLE!” I think that’s the funniest thing I’ve ever heard in a Starbucks or any other coffee shop for that matter.

When my Venti Chai Latte is finally ready. The kid yells out “Hey JACKHOLE !” “Your VENTI CHAI LATTE is ready JACKHOLE !”. The other Starbuckers behind the counter say “BYE JACKHOLE!”. “See you tomorrow, JACKHOLE !”

What’s the deal with Nancy Grace?

Nov 28, 2005 Author: stephen chip | Filed under: Rants

Nancy Grace

If you’ve ever watched CNN during the eight o’clock hour, you’ve been fortunate to witness Nancy Grace. I guess she’s Fox’s answer to Greta Van Susteren although they’re not in competing time slots.

The first time I watched her, I believed I was watching an old Saturday Night Live episode. I thought to myself, “Oh, here’s an episode I’ve never seen before”. I was enjoying laughing at her and the performance and at some point I realized thatNancy Grace was a real show on CNN.

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Johnny Depp searches for Neverland

Nov 19, 2005 Author: stephen chip | Filed under: Musings

Johnny Depp is considering abandoning his country home in France because of the riots there. The Finding Neverland star moved to France because of the violence in Los Angeles. Depp once quipped “I chose France because it seemed so SIMPLE!” And although the “Simple Life” may be best left to Paris Hilton, Depp is once again is seeking Neverland. Hey Johnny, do you really think there is a perfect place to live?

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Blogging woes to blogging satisfaction…

Nov 18, 2005 Author: stephen chip | Filed under: Rants

After searching for a blogging solution for mindtoss, I chose to go with Moveable Type from six apart. The price point was affordable and many blogs I read utilize Moveable Type. So I paid for MT and downloaded it to my computer. All I had to was configure a few files and BAM my blog would be up and running.

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