Ramblings

I’m pretty excited because I Googled myself and something actually showed up (this site).  It’s like I’m a real live person now.  Big day.

The last few weeks have brought us Thanksgiving, great football and two video game console launches.  I bring up the latter because I saw people camping out in front of Best Buy and Target stores several days in advance of the Playstation 3 launch.  My first thought was that these people need jobs.  It’s cool to spend the night (one night only) for concert or playoff tickets but a video game console?  Please.  Of course most of these people were hoping to buy a PS3 to put it on Ebay, where the things were selling for over $3000 at one point.  This, of course, leads me to wonder: what special kind of idiot pays $3000 for a video game console?  These are the truly sad people, who really need to go outside and find girls.  You really would have a much better time taking the $3k and blowing it in Vegas than you would diddling a controller.  Maybe that’s just me. 

In the interest of disclosure, I do own an Xbox 360 (I did not, however, buy it right when it came out nor did I pay more than the regular price), which does increase my Dork Quotient as far as my wife is concerned (plus I just used “quotient” in a sentence, so that’s twice as bad).  In my defense I also drink whiskey, watch football, lift a fair amount of weights, gamble in Vegas (I’m a bit down on the city right now, though, but that’s another story) and have a tremendous appreciation for women, all of which have to increase my Stud Quotient.  Ok then.  Besides, my wife has also played a game or two, so bite me.

Moving along—Thanksgiving also brings us football!  I have to confess that I’ve liked the Dallas Cowboys from way back in the Roger Staubach era, so Thanksgiving has always been great because I always had a game to watch (this is not really related, but I also have liked the Green Bay Packers even before I met my wife, who is from Wisconsin and is therefore genetically programmed to love them. And cheese.).  Anyway, the morning game brought us Detroit v. Miami: The Return of Joey Harrington.  I’ve liked Harrington back from his college days in Oregon, but it was painful watching him in Detroit.  It was fantastic watching him spank old team with 3 TD passes, especially since the crowd was booing him mercilessly.  The sportscasters even started to like him, which is kind of amazing after they spent the last 4 years calling him a bust.  Back in Detroit he was criticized for not being very mobile, but in Miami he’s praised for his ability to avoid sacks—go figure.  I’m glad he’s doing well and I wish him luck as he goes for 5 wins in a row tomorrow.

Comments

[phriedom]

What I relish about the PS3 launch is that although prices briefly spiked to about $3000 on eBay, there were about 18,000 listings on the Saturday immediately after launch, and a $600 system plus an extra controller, plus a blu ray movie or two, plus 5 or 6 games, plus free shipping was going for about $1000. So if they spent a day standing in line they made less than minimum wage.

Today it looks like a $600 system with no extras is going for about $900 plus shipping. That is a modest profit, but it doesn't live up to the hype and the gold-rush mentality that accompanied it.

I guess I love watching a mass delusion come crashing down to reality.