There's no justice

Make Notes

Make Notes

RS published a press release claiming worldwide availability. Unfortunately, it seems no one told Allied Electronics, leaving the U.S./Canada market empty-handed. Similarly, Farnell's U.S. distributor, Newark, didn't seem to know anything about it either. That's since been rectified — except they claim to be shipping directly from the U.K., negating their usefulness, and contradicting RasPi's announcement. Because of this, there's a $20 handling fee on a $35 product. Ouch.

Unlike Farnell, RS isn't taking preorders, but they'll let you "express interest," which interested people didn't do because @Raspberry_Pi tweeted that if you saw that page, you were in the wrong place. They later retracted that, but now it's looking like they sort of got it right the first time. Yes, you're still stuck "expressing interest," but not on the U.K. site if you're in the U.S. Confused yet? Good!

Here's where things stand right now:

If you want Farnell, don't look for Farnell; go here instead:
http://www.newark.com/raspberry-pi/raspbrry-pcba/dp/83T1943

If you want RS, don't look for RS; go here instead:
http://www.designspark.com/content/raspberry-pi-registration-page

Someone tweeted that RS wants $15 above the advertised price, but that's still better than $20.

I believe the product is real, but today it sure looks like the Brits are perpetrating a massive hoax on the New World. :-(

Update: Searches on Allied now return a static page:
http://www.alliedelec.com/images/products/mkt/lp/1203/raspberry_pi.aspx

Current mood: annoyed.

Make Notes

Make Notes

First they came for the stamp machines...

Current mood: unhappy.

Make Notes

Over in the refrigerated section, Tony Roma's Pulled Pork in BBQ Sauce (which says it's Premium Restaurant Quality) contains no corn syrup at all: it's made with real sugar. (And it tastes fantastic!)

Why the difference? The bottled sauce is manufactured by Greystar Products, while the 18 oz. tub comes from Rupari Food Services — a company whose primary business is supplying restaurants.

What do you get if you order BBQ sauce online? Hopefully, the real deal.

(Looking for a decent BBQ sauce on store shelves? Try Bulls-Eye, although their current "original" isn't the same as it was a year or two ago: they've upped the sodium content.)

Make Notes

Make Notes

"Green Lectern? I thought we were getting —"

"Oh, didn't you hear? The Green Leotard canceled at the last minute."

Current mood: silly.

Make Notes

Nothing exemplifies what's wrong in Sacramento more than the misguided ban on incandescent light bulbs. [alt. link] If there's anything that should be banned, it's the compact fluorescent lights they're pushing as replacements.

We've done a lot over the years to make our homes safer: getting rid of lead paint, asbestos, harmful pesticides (well, OK, we're kind of sucking at that right now), and testing for everything from radon to groundwater contamination. We're phasing out BPA. We even had people exchange their old mercury thermometers. So, what the heck are they thinking — putting dangerous CFLs where children (and others) risk concentrated exposure to hazardous materials in an enclosed area? Not to mention creating a disposal nightmare where none existed before? They're out of their freakin' minds.

Well, CFLs aren't the only option, they say. LEDs don't have [most of] CFLs' problems. Except they're expensive. Really expensive. But that's OK in a plutocracy, where screwing the poor, elderly, and disabled is a cornerstone of political decision-making. Oh, by the way, LED replacements for the now-forbidden 100 watt incandescents don't exist. We only recently got a viable substitute for 40-watt bulbs. Nothing brighter. But it saves enough energy to pay for itself in just — drum roll, please — 16 years! Of course, it only has a 10-year warranty, so I'm expecting a rude surprise about a decade from now. Those corrupt politicians will be termed out of office by then, thus can't be held accountable for their actions. Boo!

Consider writing to your elected representatives, expressing your dissatisfaction. If you can afford it, why not send along an Easy-Bake Oven (100 watt light bulb not included!) as a reminder of the joy they're taking away from our children (and future generations).

I think we all understand the problem: our population is growing, and we really don't want to be building more power plants that consume fossil fuels and contribute to climate change. But you know something's amiss when they're targeting the barest of necessities while at the same time turning a blind eye to Personal Computers with 1200 watt power supplies. (A decade ago we were happy with 250. You need 1200 for your ATX motherboard now? OK, fine, whatever.) We really should be focusing our efforts on encouraging installation of residential photovoltaic systems. Need power? Make your own. Make your own without contributing to greenhouse gas emissions.

Just keep your grubby hands off my light bulbs.

Current mood: irritated.

Make Notes