Ebay Sucks

Ebay is a buyer's market. The only buyers out there are dealers who expect to buy at wholesale price. Typically, no bidding takes place anymore. Instead, people watch until the auction is just bout to end, then bid the lowest.

What I dislike about Ebay the most is that they rip the seller off on shipping. When I say, charge the buyer for shipping a package, I mean, charge the buyer for shipping a package. The buyer should cover the whole cost--no, not handling, just the postage and delivery confirmation.

I decided to bail out of an auction this morning because Ebay decided to charge the buyer only 60% of the shipping cost, with me making up the difference*. I refunded the buyer's money immediately. But now I am liable to get hit with what's called a "Final Value Fee" from Ebay, that is, Ebay takes its customary 20% cut, whether or not I cancel the transaction. It's all up to the buyer. I don't know, I might even get a "negative feedback" if the buyer is angry, which would immediately terminate my interest in selling on Ebay. I would probably end all my ongoing auctions and just forget about Ebay or start over with a new account later. Negative feedback is bad for business, especially for a really small volume seller like me. A big volume seller could care less.

The odds on Ebay are really stacked against the seller. I've been ending auctions left and right because I notice that I'm not really making that much money after Ebay takes its lion-size cut. I'm doing a lot of work, but getting next to nothing in return. I had my fill of that maintaining a web site for a bunch of cranky seniors. The final prices of most auctions are really good for the buyer, but not that good for me. And auctions that aren't a real bargain tend to fail. That is because Ebay sucks. The only buyers on Ebay today are sharp-nosed dealers that expect you to take a haircut and like it.

* - I had set the auction up to perfection with the exact weight of the item, but Ebay decided to bill the buyer only $11.28 for shipping when it really cost 17.88. I guess Ebay figured the Post Office would give me a break since I write nice things about it in my blog. I don't know why Ebay wants to rip me off on shipping. But I don't play that game. If I don't get my Final Value Credit, then all my auctions are going down. It's ridiculous I should have to go through the whole rigamarole due to an error on Ebay's part.

by igor 04:20 8 replies by igor 09:32 6 comments

DCSS

Dungeon Crawl Stone Soup really is a work of art. I'm glad it is still alive and still changing.

by igor 04:20 8 replies by igor 09:32 6 comments

Business Criminals are Scared of Ron Paul

The reason the media refuses to cover Ron Paul is that the media's owners know he would win the general election and change things.

by igor 04:20 8 replies by igor 09:32 6 comments

Business Criminals

It seems to me that rich criminals who defraud the government are far worse than petty thieves.

I believe the federal government could resolve much of its financial problems by hiring more investigators to go after the business criminals in our society. Seize all their assets, shut down their operation, and in a couple years, there would be no need to do anything about the budget crisis. The only reason that the country is in trouble today is due to rich business criminals stealing from the government and from working people. They only care about themselves and never can get enough money. The rich, overfed bloodsucking parasites must be removed from the Republic's fur before things will get better. There are just too many idle criminals at the top feasting at the public trough. Of course, they point the finger at working people and say, through their mouthpieces at FOX News, that workers need to be punished for working.

by igor 04:20 8 replies by igor 09:32 6 comments

I Like George Lopez and Kathy Griffin

Celebrity motormouths Kathy Griffin and George Lopez are adorable. I think the two of them would make super-babies.

It's a pity Kathy is past the child-bearing years. The world will be deprived of her progeny. So much worse for the poor old world. I would like to ask her why she didn't. It is the only question that occurs to me when I watch her.

She is a rare flower that only blooms once in a hundred years. The nineteenth century had George Sand. Perhaps Kathy is the spiritual sister of George Sand. Or maybe she is not quite as deep. Sand laid Chopin.

Griffin is quick and as cunning as the best of them. I also believe she is good, although it is a choice; she could have been wicked if she had wished to be so. There is genuine goodness in her heart, a warmth that makes her attractive to those who value such a thing.

by igor 04:20 8 replies by igor 09:32 6 comments

Pakistan Owes the U.S.

Pakistan has been stabbing the U.S. in the back for a long time. Since they have taken so much American taxpayer money, they should refund it. We should present their leadership with a bill for all previous monies given to them since 1970, along with an interest rate of 10%, with the demand that the entire bill be paid in full within one hour. After it is paid, Pakistan can rejoin India, which enjoys a more competent government.

by igor 04:20 8 replies by igor 09:32 6 comments

The Death Penalty

The death penalty often makes the news, usually connected with a horrendous murder. I am neutral on the subject, with due respect for both sides of the issue, although I believe capital punishment must be reserved for murderers, and their guilt must be ironclad, and the judicial process transparent and clean, and the execution relatively painless and dignified. I believe murder by violence or murder by proxy are equivalent, and murder by proxy may indeed be worse. If a business sells a product that kills while knowing that it kills and going to great lengths to conceal its lethality, then its owner is a murderer of multitudes by proxy, and how is he any better than a stabber or a shooter? No, he is worse, he is more cunning and dangerous by far.

It is difficult for me to sympathize with the plight of a convicted killer. It seems to me the guilt, in any person with a functioning conscience, that would come from extinguishing or marring innocent lives should make such a killer welcome the death penalty, rather than fear it. I don't condone torture, but on the other hand I don't see any travesty arising from taking the killer's life. It may have a therapeutic effect upon the victim's family and it does carry historical and cultural weight. It is a way of deterring survivors from pursuing ancient vendetta. How much better to let justice take its slow, methodical course!

I think modern forms of the death penalty are too elaborate and therefore liable to malfunction for a variety of reasons. Such methods as lethal injection were designed by people who are not competent engineers in any sense of the word. Ethical forms of capital punishment include beheading, shooting, and hanging. These methods are easy to understand and to execute. A competent engineer knows the KISS principle (Keep It Simple, Stupid). To expect prison guards to have a Ph.D. in medicine is unrealistic.

by igor 04:20 8 replies by igor 09:32 6 comments

Discovering Trolls

Having given up on Octopodes after my twentieth fatality, I've rediscovered Trolls in Dungeon Crawl Stone Soup, and I must say, they are a viable race in almost any class, even Wizards. For the moment, I'm partial to Hunters, because five +1 boulders for throwing is quite a generous armory to start out with.

What I love about Trolls is that they are perfectly suited to a game with tons of items, because their high Strength permits them to carry a ton of stuff, and Crawl is not lacking in food, either. When you come right down to it, Crawl is an inventory game, and managing inventory in an effective manner is all-important.

The only problem I've found with Trolls is a strategic one: should I stick with claws or specialize in Maces & Flails, eventually progressing to a giant spiked club? I'm leaning toward the giant spiked club, but hate to think about life without a shield.

by igor 04:20 8 replies by igor 09:32 6 comments

Republicans Aren't Finished Ruining America Yet

The right-wing has for a long time set its gun sights on the Postal Service, because the USPS serves working people a thousand times better than the for-profit options, the execrable UPS and FedEx.

The Postal Service takes no money from the government; it is a self-sufficient branch of the government. It delivers mail to the customer every day except Sunday, picks up mail at the customer's house*, and delivers a letter for forty-four cents, and a postcard for substantially less. It even has outposts in rural areas. Imagine a private, for-profit shipper doing any of these things.

I'm in favor of the USPS raising rates for businesses if they need to. Companies that mass-mail solicitations should be charged more than what they are charged now, because they are mailing pointless garbage, scams and frauds that in nine times out of ten are deposited directly into the garbage and then the landfill. There is no good mailing poor people credit card solicitations; that is an act of predatory evil. I suspect businesses are not being charged enough, and that is the real reason the Postal Service is in financial trouble today. Of course, the mainstream media always suggests cutting services to the working class.

* - Many are unaware that the Postal Service will even pick up packages at your house, and all you have to do is leave them on the front porch. To activate this service, you must register online on the Post Office web site and schedule a pickup. They only perform this service for Priority Mail, however, so it may cost a couple dollars extra to mail that package, but it will get there faster, too. I love that service and use it extensively. No more trips to the Post Office! You can even purchase postage online nowadays.

by igor 04:20 8 replies by igor 09:32 6 comments

I Like Gore Vidal

I like Gore Vidal's fiction and nonfiction very much, but my admiration for his abilities is tempered by the realization that he'd not approve of much about me. Gore's witty and warm, but kind of cranky, or at least that's the impression I have gotten from reading about a hundred pages of his reviews of novels, essays and authors. He disapproves of academia, taking particular exception to the social sciences and English. Maybe he has a point, indeed, but I'm the product of academia, had a great time in academia, and feel like an academic. For all the faults Vidal gleefully points out, I like academia and it likes me, because I seldom made less than an "A" and liked all my professors except the incompetent few. And few really are incompetent. Vidal is wrong there. Just because he's so clever, he belittles the efforts of others, as though they are nothing, when they are not, they are helpful in many ways that Vidal neglects to consider. A professor is not necessary for a self-driven reader such as Vidal, no, he is an exception. But most students are not Vidals. They are not anywhere close to being a Vidal. A professor is very useful to those students, and they would not, perhaps, otherwise learn. It is better for all to learn, than some, and more so in a democracy.

This is just one example of the many areas I part company with my hero. So I like Vidal, but take him with a grain of salt. I like salt.

by igor 04:20 8 replies by igor 09:32 6 comments

Quite Scandalous, Ron Paul

The death of his uninsured campaign manager from pneumonia casts a harsh light on aspects of Ron Paul's philosophy.

by igor 04:20 8 replies by igor 09:32 6 comments

Charter Cable Still Doesn't Get It

I received yet another letter from Charter Cable offering internet, tv, and phone for $60/mo. and deposited it directly into the trash can like the fifty previous letters before it.

Charter still doesn't get it, six years after I left them.

It's not the price.

It's not the features.

It's reliability.

With Charter, I went without Internet for days and weeks at a time because of unexplained technical problems on their side. That's something I remember. Refunds for those time periods were promised--only if requested--but never materialized. So I don't care if Charter offers the bundle for $30, I'm not biting.

They need to work on reliability, followed by reliability, and thirdly, reliability.

When Internet service goes out, they should refund the customer's bill for the Entire Month. If they had that policy and were consistent about following it, then I'd sign up again. Otherwise, no. I don't need Bozo the Clown as my Internet Service Provider.

Meanwhile, there's a landfill somewhere with all the crap Charter has mailed me over the years trying to woo me back.

by igor 04:20 8 replies by igor 09:32 6 comments

Octopodes

Beta .10 of Dungeon Crawl Stone Soup heralds the arrival of a most promising species, the Octopodes, which can wear as many as eight rings, answering the prayers of many a veteran Crawler. I jumped on this species and have played it exclusively ever since it became available.

Octopodes are a high-risk race, however, and I defy anyone to win with one. The slightest blow can kill or seriously wound the unarmored Octopodes. Keep in mind that even robes, cloaks, gloves and boots are forbidden to Octopodes. Any Octopode that ventures long without a shield is brave indeed, some would say foolhardy. I suspect they are still experimental in this Beta version. Their aptitude at Dodging should be increased from 0 to +2, if they are to survive the early levels.

My religious preference for Octopodes is Nemelex Xobeh, because Octopodes can sacrifice more items than any other race, since so much is forbidden them in terms of armor, and weapons are of less importance for these spellcasting savants.

However, Nemelex Xobeh deserves his nickname of the Trickster God. Beware of the Tomb, Torment, Poison and Damnation cards, all of which can end an Octopode's career. I had to quit the game after my high level Octopode drew a Tomb card, because I had no Teleport. Before I quit, I sacrificed magic items in the hopes of receiving another deck of cards from NX, preferably a Deck of Escape. He sent another deck, all right--a deck of destruction! Trickster, indeed. Decks of Summoning are not nearly as powerful in .10 as they were in .9, because it seems many of the summoned creatures are hostile. All decks are a mixed bag and one risks harmful mutations or the elimination of beneficial mutations by using any of them.

Also, NX is not guaranteed in the Ecumenical Temple. I encounter his altar only once every two games. It seems like every time I try an Octopode Artificer, NX altars are nowhere to be found, making the choice of Artificer less attractive.

At present, with flawless play, a veteran player should win with an Octopode one out of twenty games. Best to buy a family plot in the Crawl cemetery. I've abandoned Octopodes for the time being, returning to my old favorite, Spriggans, frail but fantastic stabbers.

by igor 04:20 8 replies by igor 09:32 6 comments

NameCheap's Clueless Tech Support

I was finally able to get my ftp password on Namecheap reset, after 10-12 live chats with their clueless and incompetent tech support staff. Total amount of time spent, 5 hours, both theirs and mine, so I am at least pleased that they suffered along with me. I don't see why they could not have helped me on the very first chat. Changing a password is not rocket science. If they would simply automate the process, then I wouldn't have had to chat with the buffoons in the first place.

I regret few things more than signing up for their non-refundable web hosting "service". Namecheap is one of the most incompetent outfits I have ever encountered in tech. I think they are proud of it in a perverse sort of way, because I noticed in their online forums, one of their staff chose as his profile picture a stock photo of Borat.

I'll be pleased to read any news about Namecheap going bankrupt or a class action lawsuit being filed against them. I will be pleased when my subscription runs out, because then I will run out too & never return to "Namecheat."

by igor 04:20 8 replies by igor 09:32 6 comments

OKIDATA Printers are Garbage

My Okidata printer has a little added feature: it displays an error message, "Fatal Error; Service Call," that requires powering off, then on again, every time anyone wishes to print. That's a great annoyance because the laser printer has to warm up each time before printing, which means that in order to print anything, 5-15 minutes of coaxing are required. I have had to power-on, power-off, and power-on again to print the smallest document.

Recently, I received a comment from the Okidata bot inviting me to make a support call. I appreciate the offer, however the effect described above is by design of the manufacturer, and their tech support can do nothing. I purchased third party ink cartridges at one-fifth the price of Okidata print cartridges. Third party ink cartridges are a well-known bone of contention between printer manufacturers and consumers. In the case of the Okidata printer, it still prints, but the user is punished with the inconvenience described above, along with frequent incorrect reminders that the ink cartridges are empty (they aren't) and poor color printing performance. Okidata has chosen the route of punishing me for trying to save $200 on their overpriced ink cartridges. Very well then, Okidata now has a permanent negative review on my blog, and I know what to say whenever someone asks me about Okidata.

UPDATE: I finally found a workaround to Okidata's malicious anti-consumer tactics. From what I've read in the forums, Okidata Tech Support WILL NOT inform any consumer of this trick. It is strictly a hacker fix that thwarts Okidata from punishing customers for purchasing third-party ink cartridges. Click here for the magical forum message, as described below:

1. Turn machine on while pushing and holding the TWO up/down menu buttons at same time.
2. Menu window will show "OKI USER"
3. Scroll to " Engine Dialog Mode" is indicated. Push Enter button.
4. "Diagnostic Mode xx.xx.xx S-Mode is indicated.
5. Scroll to "NV-Ram initial" is indicated. Push ENTER.
6. Window shows "NV-Ram- Initial Table 1".
7. Push ONLINE and ENTER Buttons simultaneously and HOLD for 10 seconds after you see "Executing Reset" appear in menu window.
8. Restart printer.

All toner, drum, fuser and transfer figures return to 100%.

by igor 04:20 8 replies by igor 09:32 6 comments

It is Evil to Use Anonymous Sperm Banks

One of the most unethical practices of our time is the use that some women and couples make of anonymous sperm banks in order to have children. Setting aside other ethical qualms, to not know the father and not even care to know the father is irresponsible when we are aware that many diseases, psychoses and physical and personality traits are hereditary.

by igor 04:20 8 replies by igor 09:32 6 comments

China Armed Khadaffy

A new report indicates China armed Khadaffy near the end.

China is an immoral power. If there were a profit and lack of risk to killing all Americans and selling their body parts on the open market, they would do so without a moment's hesitation. Yet many corporations have outsourced American jobs to China and continue to do so. Republican policies are intended  to eliminate American jobs and move them out to China in order to maximize profits for the rich, without any concern for the future of the American economy.

by igor 04:20 8 replies by igor 09:32 6 comments

Murder Unpunished

This story of a murder at E.O. Green Junior High School in Oxnard that went unpunished is alarming. Blood has been spilled. If there is to be law rather than vendetta, then those who commit murder should pay for their crimes.

by igor 04:20 8 replies by igor 09:32 6 comments

Chilean Student Leader

A young college student in Chile has an impressive record of political activism. I wish the U.S. had a prominent student activist that could garner a high level of media attention.

by igor 04:20 8 replies by igor 09:32 6 comments

I Had High Hopes for "Borgias"

I had high hopes for "Borgias," a 2011 American series about a man who became Pope in 1492. One critic claimed it was better than "Tudors," while others praised the acting. There is eye candy in terms of costumes and pretty faces, but the writing is dumbed-down and repetitive. I expect more from dialogue than recitations of the obvious. I am not blind and do not require being told what is happening before my eyes. When engaged in an action, be it bribery, sex, or murder, a "Borgias" character announces his action several times--"Here I am committing the criminal act of bribery, which is illegal, because it is bribery, and I could be punished for it, so I am being careful not to be caught in my bribery attempt, which as you know, is an attempt at bribery." The writers reveal a profound contempt for their audience. To say that "Borgias" is better than "Tudors" is like saying cow manure is more elegant than diamonds. I've watched "Tudors" thrice and may watch it again some day. "Borgias," I ignored after the second episode and never intend to watch again.

by igor 04:20 8 replies by igor 09:32 6 comments