Chinese drivers

Helmets are for sissys!

$1 Jamba Juice

Watch movies and sports online

I recently discovered a new website for streaming sports, tv shows and movies. It's called ATDHE.NET (don't ask how to pronounce it or what it means).

As you know, we have very basic cable at home, so I only get to watch the lousy Raiders away-games during the Fall. With ATDHE.NET, I get to watch baseball, hockey, NBA and ESPN, as well as a variety of other tv shows.

The three movie channels tend to be HBO-type action-packed guy movies (no chick flicks) and the quality varies. Sometimes the picture is stretched, sometimes it's blurry, and sometimes the channel is just offline. It's hit and miss but most of the time, there's something good on and it's good enough for me (life is so much sweeter when you lower your standards). Normally it shows older movies already out on DVD, but just this week, they were showing a handy-cam version of Russell Crow's Robin Hood, followed by and excellent version of Prince of Persia. So you never know what may come on.

Give it a try. You may find something you like.

Free Donut Day today

Mason turns 4

Just like clockwork, we get to attend another fun-filled party for big boy Mason. Veronica was worried about my "uneventful" life and hoped that this party will give my blog a kick start to get it going again. It's people like her that keeps me up late working on this blog. Thank you.

A Whofongpaid original creation. Feel free to steal my idea for your future party.

Daddy will always be better than any animal you see at the zoo.

Mason is supposed to be in the middle, but he likes Mavis best.

That is one incredible cake! Chocolate marble with strawberries.
The red velvet cupcakes were good too!

There were more kids, but we couldn't wait to dig in.

Our third annual dads pic. The kids get bigger and the arms get weaker.
Fortunately, mine will always be the lightest.

Christine, Kristine, Christine, Chrissy and Chris.
Chris definitely fills up the hole better than anyone else.

Daddy explaining to Mason why you need to stay in school.

As always, Mason is just a joy to have around, not to mention he's very photogenic!
Happy Birthday little man! Hopefully we can celebrate again next year!

Mason through the years:
3rd Birthday | 2nd Birthday | 1st Birthday

Tilden Park, 2009

Oakland Zoo, 2008

Kelly Park, 2007

Apple most valued

At the close of the stock market yesterday, Apple surpassed Microsoft as the most valuable tech company in the world. Today the lead widened even more. I know many of you are in disbelief that your beloved MSFT has fallen so far, or that your stock hasn't moved in 10 years... Am I gloating? Yeah maybe. But as an Apple faithful, I knew this day would eventually come. What yesterday proved is that I was right all along – that Apple makes wonderful products and MS lacks innovation, copies others, and is late to the game with half-baked products (Vista, Zune, Kin). Also this proves that more and more peeceer's are making the smart choice to end their misery. Unfortunately, many of my readers still refuse to let go, like a 40 year old still sucking on his security blanket.

I'm sure by now you know my opinion is very biased so please feel free to roll your eyes. Fact is, in my lifetime I've only used a peecee for a few days of training here and there, and I currently use it twice a month to do my timecard. What I find is that their desktop and menus are ugly and the workflow clunky, very unlike the elegance of my Mac. When I type on a peecee, I feel dirty, contaminated, like my soul has been violated... I can proudly say that I have NEVER even booted up a peecee in my life. And I never will. But that's just me.

What I do know I hear from my friends and family. If I had a dollar for every time someone said their peecee was slow, infected, crashing, in the shop, etc., I'd be a rich man. A part of me feels sorry for them, but a bigger part of me wants to say to them "Dude, you got a dell? Hahaha!" or "Wow, I would expect a better OS for $399..." but I'm too classy to pile it on :) All I know is that I wouldn't want to be them. Actually, who I really feel sorry for is the poor schmuck/friend they call upon (over and over) for tech support because they're too cheap to pay the shop $200 on a machine that has only a $150 value. Sure, I would do the same (it's the Chinese way), but is the cost savings worth the possible toll on your friendship? If I was that schmuck, I would immediately get a Mac and abandon the peecee just to preserve the friendship.

To make matters worst, generally the people that freak at spending a few extra hundred on a Mac are the very same people who happily spend a few extra thousand buying the EX/XLS/luxury versions of their car. Oh how people have no problem spending an extra $10k on a BMW/Lexus/Acura sedan over a comparably equipped Toyota or Honda because of the perceived "quality" and status. So let me ask, can a Lexus ES really get you from point A to B better than a Camry? And if so, at what cost? (Higher insurance, pricier maintenance and premium gas.) Are all those added creature-comforts really worth it? They say image is everything, but are you that much more the studmuffin/sexymomma with that fancy car when your kids are in the backseat?

Also, when you think about your luxury car, the annual depreciation alone is more than enough to buy a new Mac every single year. Hmmm, I can drive a beemer for 5 years and watch it's value plummet from $40k to $30K, or I can get an Accord for $25k and get a new iMac or Macbook every year and still come out ahead... And which one will bring you more happiness: sitting in your precious car while stuck in traffic? or creating incredible stuff on your Mac in the comforts of your home? Decisions, decisions...

Recently, one of the luxury car owners (and lifelong blanket-suckers) asked me what makes the Mac better? I started rambling off about OSX and it's lack of viruses and free preloaded iApps, but then I stopped. I told him to go ask someone who has switched. Since I've never used a peecee, I can't really compare. But of all the people I've helped switch to a Mac, NONE of them have ever gone back to peecee. Not one. In fact, in many instances, they've even convinced their spouses to switch too, so now they have two Macs in their household! Imagine that, a bunch of cheap chinamen willing to pay a premium for a computer! (Fortunately, some of us cheap chinamen also know a bit about value and quality of life.) Now the time they used to spend patching, upgrading and debugging is spent on just being productive. As they say, "once you go Mac, you never go back." To you all, you are welcome.

As graduation nears, some of you will get new computers for your kids. If you get them a cheap peecee craptop, then you are preparing them for a lifetime of hard labor. It's like in a village when a boy turns 10 and dad takes him out to work the rice fields. They'll spend their days frustrated, troubleshooting and rebooting. It's like forcing them to solve the Rubik's cube on a daily basis. At best they will grow up to be great problem-solvers. At worst, socially-inept nerds. Is this a chance you're willing to take?

Also you'll have the pleasure of training them not to open any .exe files or visit hundreds of virus sites that you won't know about until it's too late. Plus you get to do cool newsletters in Word and slideshows in Powerpoint using those snazzy transitions. They'll then thank you by taking that craptop to school where their unsavory friends can help fill it with satanic music, pirate software and loads of porn, thus crashing it and they you can buy another one. It's an endless cycle.

So instead of buying something that rhymes with feces, get the whole family a 27" iMac that stays in the house. Instantly, this beautiful appliance will add excitement and sophistication to your home, sitting as an inviting centerpiece begging to be explored. Your children's computer time can be monitored and limited. Your family will thank you for years to come.

You can also buy Apple's $39 iWorks and use it alongside Google Docs for cloud computing. YOU DON'T NEED MS OFFICE AT ALL. All .doc/.xls/.ppt files will open and save seamlessly from every computer. (Note: If you must use Office, rest assured that it is 100% cross-platform compliant – I know, I work with blanket-suckers all day.) Everything just works! You'll have peace of mind and will sleep better while witnessing your family do tons of amazing stuff on it. Now that's value!

To end, I would like to leave you with an excerpt from an earlier post of mine:

This, my friend, could be you – Penny-Wise and Pound-Foolish. Sure, you may save money up front. But at what cost? If I can mimic the voice of Al Sharpton:
"Guard your souls, my children! Don't be tempted by the Dell! It will consume you with instability, insecurity and uncertainty! Leading to loss of productivity, credibility, and longevity! Leaving you with feelings of negativity, irritability, and hostility. Flee my children! Flee I say! Lord have mercy!"

Right now you can even get a free iPod Touch with the Mac.

Entertainment Book for $1 (or less with Cashbaq)

Right now, the Entertainment Book is selling for $12 with free shipping. If you purchase through Cashbaq, you'll get back $6. Plus you'll instantly get $5 for signing up, which makes the book only $1. You'll have until November 1, 2010 to use the coupons.

Follow these steps:

1. Click on the CASHBAQ logo below and go to cashbaq.com

2. Create account. You automatically get $5 into your account

3. Click on Entertainment Book icon "Buy Now" on upper right of page.

4. At the Entertainment Book website, enter your zip code and find your book.
(Do NOT register with Entertainment, just "Continue to checkout")

5. (OPTIONAL) During checkout, select "Send me this book every year" to save another $5.

From the website:

Exclusive Renewal Member benefits:

• $5 off your purchase today
• $5 off your Renewal books every year
• Free shipping on you Renewal books every year
• Early delivery---15 full months to use each book
• 10% off additional books you buy as gifts or for yourself
• Members-only exclusive offers and discounts
• 50% off additional Member Fine Dine Cards

From testimonials I've read, everyone has said there was no charge for canceling. Or you can just use a credit card that you plan to cancel anyway.

6. You pay $12 and get free shipping.

7. Cashbaq will pay you $6 rebate for the book, plus you get the original free $5 at signup, netting you $1. Or profit $5 if you choose the Annual Renewal Program.

Who Fong Paid??

I suspect some of you will appreciate this more than others... But you have to admit, the dude got skills.

Free breakfast tomorrow!

Only at San Francisco Bay Area restaurants. - Woohoo, that's where I live!!

Fine print:
Valid at participating San Francisco, Oakland, San Jose SUBWAY® locations . Valid only on 5/11/2010 from 7 a.m. - 10 a.m. Offer includes ANY Egg Muffin Melt and 8 oz. Beverage. Products may vary. No purchase necessary. Limit 1 per customer. Must be present at the time of order. No Extras or Substitutions. Offer includes egg or egg white omelets. Beverage includes 8 oz. coffee or fountain drink. Excludes decaffeinated coffee. No cash value. Not for sale. May not be combined with any other offers or discount cards.

LINK

New Wii with Motion Plus

If you still haven't bought a Wii, now is a good time. $199.99 delivered from Amazon. Pre-order for May 9 release.

Amazon