Your Gift Card Could Be Worthless

As a followup to my rant a few years back about gift cards, looks like there's another caveat of giving gift cards: they may be worthless if the issuing store goes bankrupt even if they don't cease operations.

Last week, The Sharper Image stopped honoring valid gift cards for purchases at their stores or web site while they are in bankruptcy. Even though laws in several states protect gift card balances from expiring, they don't protect holders from this situation.

The initial fear of the gift cards being worthless has since been eased, but barely. The store is now honoring the cards if the entire printed value is used in a single purchase and the purchase must be over twice the value of the card. If you have a partially used card, it's worthless.

With the downturn of the economy, we're likely to see more of this in the near future (already happened to CompUSA cards in December). So, if you have some gift cards, go use them ASAP. Then start giving cash as gifts instead. Cash wouldn't have fallen to this scam.

Cubs, Chicago Comcast and TBS HD

Update 10/2/2007 11am - Looks like we'll be OK in Chicago by gametime Wednesday after all.
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So, TBS buying the broadcast rights to the NLDS and NLCS sucks if you have Comcast in Chicago and want to see those post season Cub games in HD. (Not to mention they won't let local TV carry the games). Apparently, if you're in Philly or Boston, Comcast added the HD TBS just in time and you'll be able to enjoy the games in HD. While, those sitting with the stupid motorola cable box in Chicago will watch reruns of Surface and Babe: Pig in the City on the Universal HD Channel (by far the worst HD station).

Good news though, Comcast is adding TBS HD as channel 219 as soon as possible, but ASAP may mean AFTER the NLDS. Apparently, there are technical difficulties (read technical non priority) in adding the channel. I don't understand how Comcast can care more about smaller east coast markets than the Chicago market.

This and the holdout on the Big Ten Network makes me really start to consider switching to a dish...

iJustice for Apple

I don't like Apple.

There, I said it. I wish I could say that I feel better now, but I don't. You see, I've been made to feel bad about my choice to be a PC enthusiast for years now. It started with the "Microsoft is the devil" stance often taken at sites like slashdot.

Then came the PC/Mac commercials. You know the ones. Mac is there, looking all hip and trendy and cool. PC is there, looking old and busted and a lot like my uncle that I will never let my kids be alone with (no offense intended to the hysterical Jon Hodgman, who clearly needed to pay the rent). And the point is clear: use a Mac, or be a pariah. Be mocked by the cool kids in the back of the bus that always have the latest clothes and the hottest girlfriends and the uncles that aren't on some national list.

So you can imagine my joy at the Christmas present delivered to me this week by the SEC. It appears as though there is some accounting funny business going on over at Apple, and there are 7M stock options that were payed out to their CEO without anyone's consent. That's a lot of apples.

Hopefully, this will be looked into with an appropriate level of scrutiny. Hopefully the dorks on capitol hill (and let's face it, its hard to think that Orrin Hatch is cool under any circumstances) won't be intimidated by Apple's "cool" factor and will see this through to the end.

If for no other reason than to see that smug look on Mac's face replaced by the shocking realization that he is going to be spending some quality time in a federal prison with a convicted murderer who just happens to love his new Dell. Perhaps the commercial will go something like this:

Mac: Whoa! How did I end up here? Its ok though. Lots of cool people have done time.
PC: Oh, hey there little fella. This is prison. You probably want to take that hoody off before someone strangles you with it.
Mac: No way! I love this thing. Besides, people love me. Haven't you heard? They can't get enough of iTunes.
PC: Um, perhaps you should go over and say hello to the boss of the yard before he comes to see you.
Mac: No way. He's not cool enough for me.

(someone walks on from off screen, grabs Mac by the hood and drags him off screen. Grunts and screams are heard. PC weeps. Mac returns, his hoody gone.)

Mac: I can't believe that just happened.
PC: Yeah, maybe you should offer yourself as a new product: iPrisonBitch.

Top 6 Things to Hate About the Internet for 2006

In recognition of the end of 2006 and all the countdowns you find in the media, I’ve decided there’s room for one more.

Selection criteria was made based on nothing significant and order is more a reflection of when I was exhausted from cutting and pasting.

6. Google Secret Land Grabs Hey, I’ve got a fun way to waste your brain cycles, speculate into why Google is buying land and building infrastructure and not putting their name on the building. Duh, that’s what you do when you build a data center.

5. Vista It’s not stable. Probably me, but 3 blue screens today? Come on. This is 2006.

4. DRM/RIAA/Copyrights If we’ve learned anything over the last 20 years, there’s always ways around copy protection and the new DRM storm. Find your loop hole and exploit it. Move on.

3. Stories on Digg about Digg Ok, so Digg is an interesting way to piss away your time at work. But do we really need to read about how it’s probably gamed, who’s getting paid to submit or digg and articles under the “you know you’re a diggaholic if” category? I guess so, as they end up at the top all the time. I just wish there was a Digg detractor and fanboy filter so I could bury that waste of html.

2. MySpace Proliferation Are you on MySpace? If you’re not, you’re saving yourself from a huge waste of time writing about yourself, reviewing web-cam spam and finding that someone you never wanted to find in the first place. My biggest peeve about MySpace is that when they send you a “you have a message” alert, you have to log into their terribly designed site to just see what was said.

1. Fake YouTube Videos that Lure You I am a creature that looks for crap on the web. If I see a link to “Britney Spears Party Video REAL!” or “EXCLUSIVE Steve Irwin Death Video NOT FAKE!’, I’m clicking on it. Unfortunately, so do a lot of others and they show up on the top pages. Of course, the video is never what it says and I start to weep.

Have a safe and Happy New Year celebration. Drink one for the blogosphere!

May the Gift Card Die Already!

In light of the holiday shopping season and seemingly endless advertisements for "Gift Cards", I give you my thoughs on gift cards. (All who care raise their hands!)

First, Gift Cards are a huge cash cow for retailers. It may cost than a regular transaction, as there's the material, processing involved and the cost of building the validation/acceptance system. This is how they really make their money on them:

• Over a third of cards purchased never make it to the point of being used in a transaction. Basically free money to the store
• Often cards are used, but a balance is left on the card. Then this isn't used. Once again, free money.
• The user of the card tends to overspend from what they would if it was coming directly out of his/her pocket. Win again for the store.
• It locks the user into the a brand/store, so competition is eliminated.

Giving a gift card sometimes leaves a feeling of thoughtlessness. Gifts are a way to express your perception of the recipient. Although a gift card is kind, it's really a cop out.

Why not just give cash? It's KING and can be used anywhere. I'm not certain when giving cash became tasteless, but that needs to stop. Nothing makes anyone more happy than having complete freewill with the gift. I do like the new Visa or American Express gift cards, although not as much as cash. Since they're accepted at almost all retailers, they're good. But in the same respect, they're locked into retailers :)

There's only one good exception to all the above that I've found: giving it as part of an experience. For instance, last year, I gave my sister and brother-in-law movie tickets gift card, gift card for dinner and free baby sitting services. This was an all around experience and planned by me. It was thoughtful and used completely. Those gift cards didn't go wasted.

Merry Christmas all! Enjoy opening your gift cards on Christmas morning. May they not be lost or misused.