So apparently there are tons of people out there who happen to hate macs with a passion. And honestly I don’t blame them. Besides being overpriced and just so plain jane what are mac’s really good for?

But today we have someone who took the liberty to literally stab a macbook air. View the video below…

I was so touched by this poem. Its been a truly long while since I’ve felt the love a person has for someone else via poetry during random browsing. I must say that this poem truly comes from the depths of the heart. To whomsoever this poem was written for is truly a lucky person. I hope you all enjoy it as much as I did. Poem written by hope-for-the-broken

I was so invisible
Unreasonable
I was lost and so scattered
And nothing really mattered
I was a face in the many
And you took my hand so gently
You told me

(Chorus)
I’ll be there
To pick you up
When you are down
To make you smile
With out a sound
To wipe the tears from your eyes
And help you finally realize
You are part of me you are pat of me

I always shine brighter
When your around
With out you I’m
Just another face in the crowd
I’m invisible
I’m unreasonable

But I remember what you told me

(Chorus)

After all you do for me
I just want you to see
I’ll be all I can be
I promise I’ll be true
I will always love you

(Chorus)

All of me
all of you
not matter what
we’ll make it through
I hope you see
I care
(Chorus) [X2]

Poet -Phoenix-Blood1

I found my body lying in a road
Naked, and cold.
A bold casualty of
Circling crows.

A primeval barn
Leans over to grin.
Road signs showcase eyes
That glare.

I ask Myself for direction-
Crossed arms, point in opposition.
I curse and kick my lifeless
Carcass-

Skeleton trees whisper
Loneliness,
I have lingered too long.

Came across a wonderful piece of poetry that the author claims to have written during math class, but honestly I believe this is one of the most inspiring pieces of poetry i’ve randomly come across to date.

Floating through the open window
Music carried on the breeze
Her hands are raised above her head
Her feet step in rhythm

Lost in a dance
She wants know one else to see
The moon casts a spotlight
On her private stage

She dances in the moonlight
To music sweet and slow

The wind whispers in her ears
Her heart pounds out a beat
The white dress swirls around her knees

No one else can see this dance
It’s meant only for him

Author – http://outoftherain.deviantart.com/

Heres a quick tip.

It’s actually very easy to unshrink a wool garment you shrank in the wash.

1. Place the wool item in a sink full of warm water.
2. Soak for 10 minutes.
3. Remove the item and squeeze out excess water.
4. Let dry on a towel.
5. Carefully stretch and pull the item back to its original shape. Voila!

Why are we talking about wool in the summer? Because we recently threw our smelly winter cap in the wash and it came out a kitty-cat chapeau. Bookmark this tip in your brain for the next time you forget to read your wool item’s care label.

Originally found

Numbers to Call

Use these methods for surefire ways to find the numbers that VIPs use to get through fast.

1. Read The Consumerist. The Consumerist regularly features contact information for executive customer- service departments.
2. Go to the collections department. The collections department tends to answer calls quickly, and you can jump to the head of the line for the correct department in this way.
3. Search EDGAR. Get information for corporate officers from EDGAR’s SEC (Securities and Exchange Commission) filings.
4. Find important numbers through Whois.net. Check out Whois.net behind the company’s domain name to reveal live-person numbers.
5. Call the number for new service. If you’re a prospective customer (even if that’s the truth), a company will snap to answer your call.
6. Find the right number. Many companies have specific numbers for specific functions, so if you find a specialized number, you’re more likely to get through quickly.
7. Call the retentions department. If you call the retentions department first, they’ll answer fast and transfer you to the right place.
8. Do a Web search for the company. Hit your favorite search engine and enter the company’s name, plus terms such as “president,” “investor relations” or “executive service.”
9. Find disgruntled customers. Again, search engines can help you locate numbers if you enter phrases such as “I hate company ‘X’” or “company ‘X’ sucks.”

What to Press

Confuse, frustrate and game the system by pressing these numbers and characters.

1. Press zero. Pressing zero will often result in a direct route to a live person. Continue pressing zero until you’re put through. You may need to try combinations such as “0#,” “#0,” “0*” or “*0.”
2. Memorize prompts. If you’re unfortunate enough to have call about the same issue on a regular basis, memorize the prompts that work for you.
3. Press the pound key. Skip to the next message or just confuse the system by pressing this character.
4. Press the star key. Again, the star key can open up system tricks or simply make the system give up on you.
5. Press everything. By pressing multiple numbers, you can trick systems into thinking you’re on a rotary phone — or that you’re crazy. Either way, you’re in.
6. Go through the phone prompts. Sometimes it pays to work with the system.
7. Press any digit repeatedly. You may land in the wrong department, but you’ll end up at beginning of line when you’re transferred.

Things to Say

Use these key trigger words and methods to get through interactive voice phone trees.

1. “Prospective Member”: Companies are always quick to help new customers, so get to the front of the line by telling this white lie.
2. “Agent”: Many voice prompts have a backup trigger word that will send you to a real person instead of more prompts.
3. “Member”: If the company thinks that you’re a member or part of a special group, you just might get premium treatment.
4. “Transfer”: This magic word can often get you transferred to a real person fast.
5. “Help”: This backup word is great to use if you want to pretend like you’re stranded in the phone tree.
6. “Representative”: Another trigger, saying this word can get you transferred to a representative.
7. “Sales”: Of course, companies want to fast-track anyone who will be buying from them, so use this special word.
8. “Human”: You can trigger a transfer to a human using this word on many systems.
9. “Customer Service”: Make it clear that you’re not interested in hearing about your balance, past payments and other administrative tasks with this phrase.
10. “Advisor”: Use this alternative trigger word when others don’t work.
11. “Operator”: Unless the company is trying to give you the runaround, this word will get you someone that can help.
12. The Name of a Competitor: Systems sometimes monitor what you say while you’re on hold. If you say the name of a competitor, a company may become concerned that you’re going to leave it for greener pastures, and someone will snap to help you.

Things to Do

Take these actions to get through fast, whether you’re employing a white lie or working with the system.

1. Speak Spanish. The Spanish option often has a shorter wait time, and you’ll probably be connected with a bilingual person.
2. Mumble. If the voice robot can’t understand you, it will be forced to connect you with a live person.
3. Speak nonsense. Again, if you can’t be understood, you’ll have to talk to a human.
4. Do nothing. By doing nothing, you can trick the PBX into thinking you have a rotary phone and force it to get you an agent.
5. Be persistent. Press multiple numbers before the system has a chance to respond and try multiple trigger words.
6. Speak in a quiet environment. Often, callers have a hard time getting through because the system can’t understand you through background noise. Work with the system by calling from a quiet place.
7. Select the cancel-service option. If a company thinks they’re going to lose you as a customer, they’ll be quick to try to convince you otherwise.
8. Swear. Some IVR (Interactive Voice Response) systems are programmed to put anyone who is using profanity at the front of the line.
9. Don’t use your cell phone. Systems sometimes can’t correctly hear the numbers that you press.
10. Speak loudly. Some systems monitor decibels, and a loud caller may prompt an immediate transfer.
11. Don’t call the toll-free number. Companies do not want you to wait on hold if they’re paying for it.
12. Schedule a phone call. Many companies now offer a service where you can request a customer-service call on their Web site, so they call you instead of making you wait on hold.
13. Call the corporate office. Bother the head honchos to get some attention.
14. Don’t pay your bill. The company will call you.
15. Ignore errors. Keep doing what you’re doing, because errors just mean you’re winning the game of confusing the system.
16. Send an email instead. This won’t get you connected on the phone any faster, but it will save you the trouble of waiting on hold.
17. Switch to a small company. Avoid phone trees altogether by using a company that is small enough to not need one.
18. Ask an agent how to get through. When you get a live person on the line, ask them how to get directly to them for the next time you call or if you get disconnected.
19. Plan your call time wisely. Avoid Monday; if you have the option to call at a very odd hour, do so.

Cool Services

Take advantage of these services that make calling corporations a lot easier.

1. Jigsaw Data Corp.: Use Jigsaw to call the CEO’s line, and you’re sure to get an answer.
2. Hard to Find 800 Numbers: Check out this site to find numbers that will put you directly through to a person.
3. Bringo: This service calls customer-service numbers for you and gets through the phone tree. Then, it calls you once a person is on the line.
4. Gethuman.com: Visit Gethuman.com for actions you can take for specific companies.
5. DialAHuman.com: This service is very similar to Gethuman.com and offers a directory of what to do to get through at your chosen company.

The next time you are washing your hands and complain because the water temperature isn’t just how you like it, think about how things used to be. Here are some facts about the 1500s:

Most people got married in June because they took their yearly bath in May, and still smelled pretty good by June. However, they were starting to smell, so brides carried a bouquet of flowers to hide the body odor. Hence the custom today of carrying a bouquet when getting married.

Baths consisted of a big tub filled with hot water. The man of the house had the privilege of the nice clean water, then all the other sons and men, then the women and finally the children. Last of all the babies. By then the water was so dirty you could actually lose someone in it. Hence the saying, “Don’t throw the baby out with the bath water.”

Houses had thatched roofs – thick straw – piled high, with no wood underneath. It was the only place for animals to get warm, so all the cats and other small animals (mice, bugs) lived in the roof. When it rained it became slippery and sometimes the animals would slip and fall off the roof. Hence the saying , “It’s raining cats and dogs.”

There was nothing to stop things from falling into the house. This posed a real problem in the bedroom where bugs and other droppings could mess up your nice clean bed. Hence, a bed with big posts and a sheet hung over the top afforded some protec tion. That’s how canopy beds came into existence.

The floor was dirt. Only the wealthy had something other than dirt. Hence the saying, “Dirt poor.”

The wealthy had slate floors that would get slippery in the winter when wet, so they spread thresh (straw) on floor to help keep their footing. As the winter wore on, they added more thresh until, when you opened the door, it would all start slipping outside. A piece of wood was placed in the entrance way. Hence the saying a “thresh hold.”

In those old days, they cooked in the kitchen with a big kettle that always hung over the fire. Every day they lit the fire and added things to the pot. They ate mostly vegetables and did not get much meat. They would eat the stew for dinner, leaving leftovers in the pot to get cold overnight and then start over the next day. Sometimes stew had food in it that had been there for quite a while. Hence the rhyme, “Peas porridge hot, peas porridge cold, peas porridge in the pot nine days old.”

Sometimes they could obtain pork, which made them feel quite special. When visitors came over, they would hang up their bacon to show off. It was a sign of wealth that a man could “bring home the bacon.” They would cut off a little to share with guests and would all sit around and “chew the fat.”

Those with money had plates made of pewter. Food with high acid content caused some of the lead to leach onto the food, causing lead poisoning death. This happened most often with tomatoes so, for the next 400 years or so, tomatoes were considered poisonous.

Bread was divided according to status. Workers got the burnt bottom of the loaf, the family got the middle, and guests got the top, or the “upper crust.”

Lead cups were used to drink ale or whiskey. The combination would sometimes knock the imbibers out for a couple of days. Someone walking along the road would take them for dead and prepare them for burial. They were laid out on the kitchen table for a couple of days and the family would gather around and eat and drink and wait and see if they would wake up. Hence the custom of “holding a wake.”

England is old and small and the local folks started running out of places to bury people. So they would dig up coffins and would take the bones to a bone-house, and reuse the grave. When reopening these coffins, 1 out of 25 coffins were found to have scratch marks on the inside and they realized they had been burying people alive. So they would tie a string on the wrist of the corpse, lead it through the coffin and up through the ground and tie it to a bell. Someone would have to sit out in the graveyard all night – “the graveyard shift” – to listen for the bell; thus, someone could be “saved by the bell” or was considered a “dead ringer.”

And that’s the truth. Now, whoever said History was boring ! ! !

Want to see what a secret shopper scam actually looks like? Tracey sent us scans of the one that arrived in her mailbox today. It included a letter printed on cut-and-paste letterhead, a form, and a check for $4,200. The idea behind this sort of scam—also called an advance fee fraud or wire transfer scam—is to get the victim to deposit the check, wait for it to clear, then wire back the bulk of the money. Weeks or months later, the check will turn out to be fake, and by law the victim owes the bank for the full amount of the check. As much as we talk about this sort of thing on Consumerist, people still fall for it all the time. Make sure your friends and family know how the mystery shopper scam works so they can protect themselves from it.

My partner received something very interesting from Canada in the mail today. It was a letter from “Experian Consumer Research Group” indicating that she’d shown an interest in being a “mystery shopper.” The envelope also contained a realistic-looking check for $4,200. What was she supposed to do with that? Well, $400 was “Probation training first week pay.” Other amounts were for mystery shopping at Wal-Mart, Sears and McDonald’s. The biggest amount was $3,620 for “Money Gram including service fees.” Yep, a wire transfer scam.

Googling the toll-free number in the letter brings up several sites where other people have gotten letters with other cover stories.

I’ve attached a PDF of everything but the check. I would imagine that Experian, BBB, JPMorgan Chase and other companies referenced in this scam would like to get a piece of these guys. We also got quite a chuckle out of the “Fraud – Prevent It!” postmark in two languages.

Just thought your readers might find this interesting. We’ll be turning our stuff over to our state attorney general’s office.

View the full size scans here