The Need For Mail-In Rebates

I went to Highland Mall for the first time ever and I must say that it's pretty cool. It's surprisingly big (I don't even think I explored the whole thing), and the only drawback is the lack of an ice skating rink. I'll have to check out Barton Creek Square sometime now. Most of us do all the paperwork for those mail-in rebates that come with some sweet deals at electronics stores, but why do they make us go through the whole process? Why not take the money off upfront? It seems pretty low-tech and inefficient, after all. It turns out that the rebates are used because customers see the discount as a one-time opportunity and so they're more likely to make the purchase. I disagree with that concept because when I see something on sale I don't think that it'll come on sale again at that store anytime soon. I guess that they can offer it at an even lower price that way though. Retailers have, to their credit, tried to make the process easier by printing out the rebate forms at the register as well as a copy of the receipt specifically for the rebate. I guess that means that they're not going anywhere anytime soon, but maybe eventually they'll be as easy as most of rebates at Staples, which are handled online. So if you're tired of filling them out, tough luck.

Another problem many of us have are with viruses. One company now has the idea to immunize your computer from virus through a network of honeypot computers that would purposely seek them out and then send your computer a virus's signature so that it would block them. It sounds pretty interesting, except that I worry that maybe the honeypot computers could be infected. I also get annoyed at having to restart my computer when installing new software, but Microsoft has a pretty good idea with a Restart Manager they plan on including with Vista that would not force you to restart. In fact, if it does have to restart, it will save an image of your state and then restore it afterwards. A new problem has been identified with the Xbox 360 but it's a little less serious than the freezing in that there was a warning about it in the manual: if you tilt the machine while a disc is in there, it will get scratched. Just keep that in mind should you ever have to handle one. Lastly, Audacity has a new version out, which I only mention because I've never recommended the program before though it's excellent for easy sound editing for simple things (including recording long tracks).

I hope that you're all fired up for some movie news today, because we now have word that the X3 teaser trailer will be at Apple's site on Monday! From what has been revealed about it, it will actually show some pretty cool stuff and I'll be sure to remind you all to watch it. The girl who lives somewhere deep in my brain is really excited about Memoirs of a Geisha and even likes the new clip that Yahoo! Movies put up featuring this cool guy to the right here. He comes off as a pedophile in it, but I'm sure that's not his character's intention. We finally have an actual trailer for Bandidas, and it may not be a high-brow movie but it could be fun and it has two smokin' babes, at least. Good news for all you Indians out there: a sequel to Van Wilder will be made with none other than Kal Penn in the lead as Taj once again. Soon, we will take over the world! Muhahaha! Sorry, it's Friday night and I'm starting to lose it. I'm going to end with a favorable review for King Kong, and it's from a fanboy but I still wouldn't discredit it that much.

Now for Friday's Feast:

Appetizer
When was the last time you did something you would consider courteous, what was it, and who was it for?
My cousin came into town this weekend for a debate tournament and so I gave him some food and took him to the mall with me. I'm sure he liked that better than getting lost around campus.

Salad
If you were to have a painting done of you alone, what would you want the background to be?
Jessica Alba. Or, more realistically, a meadow with a deer taking a drink of water. Or, maybe just a solid color!

Soup
Describe your voice.
If you haven't met me in person: it's deep and sexy. If you have met me in person before: shhhhh.

Main Course
What is something you would like to do, but you're afraid of the risk(s)?
Ask a girl out! I know, it's sad. If I keep getting shot down though, can you really blame me? I'm sure I will again sometime soon, but things have just been busy this semester.

Dessert
What was the last television show you watched?
Half of Desperate Housewives, and I'll watch the rest tomorrow morning probably. The last full show I watched was a recording of this week's Family Guy.

I'll see you all Sunday, and don't forget to watch the Big 12 Championship and the USC v. UCLA games tomorrow back-to-back on ABC (starting at Noon).