Peon's Place

I remember the days of 20-something cent stamps. Some of you can probably even remember before then. With stamp prices that have more than doubled since my childhood (unlike gas which has more than tripled, heh heh) the United States Postal Service is trying something new – saving money by delivering to you less. Blame Netflix and e-mail, if you want.

USPS will end Saturday delivery for first class mail this summer, Postmaster General Patrick Donahue stated earlier today. Package delivery, which has seen growth in recent years as online purchasing booms, will continue under the plan. Donahue, saying the plan will save $2 billion annually, called the decision an “important part of our strategy to return to financial stability.” He said the plan would allow for elimination of 22,500 jobs. Donahue said he hoped the job losses could be covered by attrition, buyouts and cutting back on overtime.

Last year, under pressure from Congress and local communities, the cash-strapped agency dropped plans to close thousands of post offices across the nation, instead deciding to trim operations at 13,000 offices. Saturday has the week’s lowest daily volume and and more than a third of U.S. businesses are closed Saturday, USPS reports. Most businesses and households surveyed in a national Gallup Poll indicated Saturday would be the least disruptive day to eliminate mail delivery.

Look for this big change to come in August — 6 months from now.

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It’s your privilege to vote, but don’t abuse it. =P

I’ll be honest; I voted for Hillary Clinton 4 years ago, who although winning California, lost to Barack Obama overall. While I may not fully support decisions or the methods Obama uses for achieving tasks, or the lack of progress he has made because he is not strong enough to fight those in the Senate who oppose him, I’m surely not stupid enough to vote for Mitt Romney. Just listen to the guy make speeches, we’ll bleed out of our ears in the next 4 years if we have to listen to him talk over and over.

Thankfully, I live in a state where it doesn’t matter for whom I vote for. I could swing my presidential vote in any direction and Obama will still win states like California and New York, and Romney, despite his faults, will still win states like Texas. Look at the above map, there are only a few states (the yellows, 7 or so) where voting for the President of the United States actually matters.

Read the rest of this entry » Don’t make a mistak…

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I needed to use that pun, of course, after last night’s reaming of the San Francisco Giants kicking out the Detroit Tigers from post-season recognition.

Perhaps the New York Yankees would have provided a better challenge?

Read the rest of this entry » Oh, how sweep it is

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We’re a second week in and the next coming of Cam Newton has come in the form of RG3. Swapping places with Matt Ryan from #2 to #1 overall QB (both of which I have in my money league) we’re wondering if he can be stopped. While the Redskins ended up losing to the lowly Rams, this rookie is out to break records that Newton set last year.

A half-dozen teams are 2-0 (including the 49ers and Cardinals sharing the same division) with the Raiders (not surprising) and the (gasp!) Saints being winless at 0-2.

Read on to see last weekend’s hot players!  Read the rest of this entry » NFL Players of Week 2

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To preface, I still have my iPhone 3GS from its release day in June 2009; it’s a rather solid phone. I purchased the 32gb model so I would have everything I need on one phone. Sure, the battery needs to be charged twice a day, the camera has no flash or front-facing camera, a crazy HD screen, or antenna problems when I hold it in my hand. I’ve written a few articles about how fun the iPhone 4 was, but those days are over.

The new iPhone 5 goes on sale September 21st, this coming Friday. The screen is larger for the first time in its history (4 inches as opposed to 3.5 inches, diagonally). It apparently connects to LTE networks, but we’ll see; Apple is a couple of years behind the times. Also, I don’t believe it has NFC (Near Field Communication) ability. It’s also still the most expensive cell phone out there:

16 gigabytes of storage, $199; 32 GB, $299; 64 GB, $399. All require a two-year service agreement.

Do I want a new phone? Yes. But, I can wait. The Samsung Galaxy S III is pretty hot, but I like my $60/month family plan with unlimited data and unlimited texting. In the world of smart phones, my iPhone being over 2 years old is a dinosaur. But, I can still wait.

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