Yesterday it appeared that a $700 billion bailout plan for lending institutions had been hammered out.  Today, the bill fell 13 votes shy in the house, leading to a historic 778 point drop in the Dow.

It was the largest single-day drop in the dow.  Ever.

Again, I’m no political junkie, but from what I’m hearing the bill’s demise was due in large part to partisan infighting within the house.  Who knows really, but it seems clear that this was a bill that a lot of reps didn’t want to touch either way.  Several democrats waited until the bill was dead in the water before voting.

Now, I’m not sure financial institutions should be given an opportunity to sell bad mortgages, at least near anything close to pre-collapse prices.  Why should they be given a pass for writing bad loans?

But I suppose the other side of the argument is that if these institutions are allowed to fail, then you get the domino effect where lending stops and the economy grinds to a halt.  Even banks that aren’t failing will put lending activities on a short leash, which would drive down home prices even lower.

But….why should taxpayers be saddled with more debt.  I mean, individuals can be expected to be greedy douchebags.  But financial institutions are the ones who should have the wherewithal to say ‘no.’

As for partisan politics, maybe I’m naive, but I don’t see how this is a Bush issue.  I mean, it seems like a lot of this crisis was due to non-partisan American greed.  I can see how a vote today may shape elections in November, but a 778 drop in the dow won’t help an incumbent’s chances either.

I just hate the thought of a bailout while individuals are still forced to deal with these mortgages.  I mean, will that really help in the long run?  Sure, banks may not fail but foreclosures will keep home prices low…and then we’ll be back where we started.  People can’t pay their mortgages because they paid waaaaay too much for their homes and can’t get out.  Not even a trillion dollar bailout will be able to buoy housing prices so overstrapped individuals can get out clean.

And a lot of analysts make the jump from lower mortgage lending to lower lending in general.  I don’t see that at all.  At the end of the day, banks will have to lend.  Sure, maybe housing prices are down but there will still be lots of qualified people that are able to pick up a second home at dirt cheap prices.  And if banks don’t want to lend to homeowners they will certainly want to lend to businesses…I mean, if a bank doesn’t lend they don’t make any money.  The thought that a collapse in housing lending will lead to an overall collapse in lending doesn’t make sense to me.

Oh well, at least Favre threw 6 TDs this weekend.  Eat that bitches, I had both Favre and Coles.

This weekend Tina Fey reprised her role as Sarah Palin on SNL.  You will remember that a couple weeks ago Fey returned to SNL with a dead on impersonation of Palin that was nothing short of absolutely hilarious.  I have to say, this week’s skit was even better.

First of all, Tina Fey does a great Palin.  I mean, she already looks like her and she has the voice down pat.  I think it’s awesome that Fey came back to SNL for this…it actually looks like she’s really enjoying herself when she does it as well.

I have to think, though, that these skits will start to be a problem for Palin.  She was flying high after her solid performance at the RNC convention.  But her interview with Couric really hurt her.  The interview really exposed her ignorance when it comes to US politics, and speaking in general.

I think this is a big error on McCain’s part.  They have a volatile commodity with Palin, and they can’t let her get into these impromptu style interviews.  Look, every network will bend over backwards to talk to Palin, so they should participate only if Palin is asked a series of softball questions that she can prepare for.

As Couric proved, Palin just doesn’t know enough to hold her own in a real interview.  Her charm and charisma only go so far, after which her small town mannerisms, lack of political experience and questionable educational background are waaaay to apparent.

Which brings me back to Fey.  I mean, she was brutal, but not far off the mark.  When you look at some of the Bush skits that have been on SNL, most of them really exaggerate Bush’s stupidity.  But I think Fey’s Palin really doesn’t deviate from reality by much…just an extra sentence here and there.

In any case, the video is below.  This one is a must watch.

Research In Motion, the maker of the BlackBerry, dropped nearly 30% on Friday following warnings of lower-than-expected earnings.  And I have to say, I don’t think anyone was really surprised.

RIMM has been the Magic Johnson of tech stocks…you know it’s sick, but it just hasn’t really show any symptoms…until now.  With the release of the iPhone we all knew RIMM was in serious trouble.  The company’s devices are boring by comparison…they tend to be fat, clunky devices with an aging operating system.  Sure, they have a real keypad, but they offer hardly any storage, a limited selection of applications, and a mediocre suite of fun, multimedia features.

But for the past couple of years RIMM has continued to release decent earnings.  Before friday, the stock was far above its close two years ago, showing strong growth even as competitors emerged.

It seems however, that the iPhone 3G was the final straw for RIMM.  Although the company met expectations for the quarter, the company offered a dismal outlook for Q3.  I think the combination of competition from the iPhone 3G and a slowing economy will be tough for RIMM to counter.

They are no longer the trendy, go-to device for email users.  Not only that, but the 3G now has push email, previously a key differentiator for RIMM.

Will RIMM be able to recover?  It’s hard to say.  The company relies on traditional mobile phone users moving to the BlackBerry, along with users of older BlackBerry models upgrading to newer models.  But the iPhone 3G along with other smartphones is starting to thin this base.  And I don’t see anything in RIMM’s pipeline that will win back customers.

Sure, RIMM will soon release a touch screen BlackBerry, but the company isn’t used to playing catchup.  The company’s flip-phone version of the BlackBerry is also a questionable move.

Still, the smartphone market is growing, and there will be lots of new customers in coming years.  RIMM just needs to stay relevant…the next generation of smart phone users won’t be hard core corporate emailers, they will be the broader market of casual email users that also want a bunch of cool iPhone-like features.

Apple is a notoriously closed and secretive company.  They don’t let anyone else use their OS and they force app developers to go through a rigorous approval process.

This was illustrated with Apple’s rejection of ‘MailWrangler,’ an app for the iPhone.  Although MailWrangler offered a bunch of new features like managing several Gmail accounts and starring items, Apple rejected the app with this note sent to the app’s creators:

"…Your application duplicates the functionality of the built-in iPhone application Mail without providing sufficient differentiation or added functionality, which will lead to user confusion…"

Apple got a lot of shit for this note, because…well, it’s complete BS.  It seems to me like the company was afraid of being one-upped by a third party app and acted against the interest of its customers when they rejected this app.  That’s a very closed-minded and arrogant approach for the beloved company.

Not only that, but Apple is now requiring app developers to sign an NDA to avoid further bad publicity from future app rejections.  Taking small app developers to court for publishing their rejection letters seems more like the "I’m a PC" suit than the hip, jeans wearing "I’m a Mac" guy.

And this is what I really really hate about Apple.  The company acts like a dictator, and they cover this up with hip, misleading ads.

In some ways it’s remarkable.  I mean, they offer users only 3 laptop models, but then proclaim that choosing Apple is ‘thinking different.’  When third parties try to create Mac OS-based computers they are quickly taken to court by Apple.  They portray Mac users as witty, creative types, but they sue teenagers that blog about the company’s products.

I mean, think of the most famous Apple ad of all - the 1984 spot that introduced the Mac on a worldwide scale.  You see aisles of people that are all dressed the same, and are mesmerized by a dictator-like figure on a large screen.  Then a woman dressed in red and white runs down the aisle and breaks the screen with a hammer.  The message?  1984, when the Mac was released, won’t be like the book "1984."

It’s funny, because scenes from each Apple conference are becoming more and more like this commercial.  Except Steve Jobs is the dictator on screen, and Apple fans are those in the audience.

I’ve mentioned this before, but this reminds me very much of Sarah Palin at the RNC Convention.  If you tell people you have experience…then they’ll believe you have experience, even if you’re a first term governor of Alaska.  If you tell people you’re thinking different, even though you trap users into only one of three choices, then they’ll believe they’re thinking different.  If you tell people you’re the cool hip company, even though you’re suing kids and rejecting the hard work of your supporters, then they’ll believe you’re cool and hip.

Apple has done this before and lost.  But they were revived and continue upon the same path.  Clearly, things have gone better this time around, but with the open Android platform from Google coming up perhaps their progress in the mobile phone space will be cut short.  And there continues to be growing competition in the MP3 space…could the iPod perhaps fall?

It’s really time for this to happen.  I’ve grown entirely sick of Apple’s attitude.  They have created a base of followers that will buy the company’s stuff no matter what, but they don’t act in the interest of these users.  I’m a Mac, and I’m a dictator.

Last night was the first presidential debate between John McCain and Barack Obama.  In anticipation I grabbed two fancy pizzas from Osteria Via Stato (Pepperoni & Heirloom Tomatoes, Basil and Fennel Pollen) and opened a bottle of Wine (Meridian Sauvignon Blanc.)  My first impressions were that:

• I was surprised at how lucid John McCain sounded at the beginning.  He actually was able to keep up with the pace of the speeches and answered questions quickly and concisely.
• I was surprised at how old Barack Obama looked.  I didn’t notice it before but it seems that he has a lot more silver hair at the sides of his head.  Could it be a strategy to make him look older by not dying his hair?
• John McCain looked old, older than I previously remembered.  His skin looked very pale and wrinkly.  The combover was very apparent.

As the debate progressed some new impressions formed:

• McCain really fails to answer direct questions and rebut specific statements brought up by Obama.  One glaring example was when Obama declared that the McCain tax cut plan would eliminate 300MM of taxes for people in the highest income bracket and further increase taxes on Health care for everyone.  McCain totally dropped Obama’s argument and again said that he wanted to eliminate 18BN of earmark spending.
• Barack really doesn’t defend himself very well.  McCain clearly was on the offensive several times during the debate and Barack choose to not to address the issue of his choice not to visit Afghanistan and Iraq.
• Near the end of the debate McCain began to ramble like an old man.  At times he was completely off topic and even started telling an anecdote about some energy bill that happened a while ago.  I don’t think I was alone scratching my head trying to figure out how that story answered the moderators question.
• I think the most poiniant comment Obama made was that McCain has voted for almost all of Bush’s failed policies except for a couple that McCain pointed out in his response.  I think this clearly shows that while McCain was in congress he clearly towed the party line most of the time and this self titled “Maverick” images is nothing but window dressing on old Washington.

I think Barack probably won the first half of the debate, the second half that focused more on international affairs seemed more in McCain’s favor.  I can’t wait to see further debates.

You know R. Kelly.  Perhaps you’ve seen the video of him supposedly pissing on a 13 year old girl.  And of course you’ve followed the child porn trial that ensued once the pissing video went public.

Well, R. Kelly was found innocent, and BET interviewed him to get his perspective of the whole ordeal.  Kinda.

First of all, R. Kelly is not…how do you say…articulate.  And I feel arrogant saying that, but the guy really doesn’t have a firm grasp of the english language.  I’m not just taking about ebonics…I mean, his sentences make me dizzy.

For example, when Kelly was asked to explain his innocence, he replied:

"…if you was charged with something, and you was found innocent, then you can’t be found guilty for being found innocent."

It’s actually kind of poetic in a way, I suppose.  Maybe it just needs a beat.

Now, the whole interview has been pulled from YouTube due to copyright violations, but the clip below shows a couple of choice statements.

The best is the first question where Kelly is asked if he likes teenage girls.  Now, I’m not a PR guy, but I’d imagine that after you are tried on child porn charges that stem from a video that shows you pissing on an underage girl, then eating her ass out, then fucking her, whenever you are asked if you like teenage girls you should generally respond with a firm ‘No.’  Maybe a ‘No homie.’  But that’s as much flexibility that I would give.

But when Kelly was asked the question he thinks for a second…his eyes dart from side to side, he thinks for a second, and he asks, "when you say teenage, how old are you talking?"  Keep in mind that Kelly is over 40 years old.

The interview had other…well…confusing statements by Kelly.  I really can’t see how this guy makes it through the day.  I mean, almost every sentence he said was twisted in some sort of circular logic.

You know, blacks often complain about an unfair legal system, but I’m not really sure that is true.  Sure, you have a bunch of blacks that are wrongfully charged and whatnot.  But every lawyer knows that justice is a scale.  One on side, you have OJ, Michael Jackson and R. Kelly…in order to make that scale even closed to balanced you need thousands of injustices on the other end.  It’s a legal fact.  Look it up.

This interview is priceless.  I love every second of it, I just wished I had more video footage to share.

T-mobile unveiled the G1 today, the first device that uses Google’s Android operating system.  Also known as the HTC Dream, the G1 is one of many phones that squarely target the iPhone.  And, this will be a good fight, with former allies Google and Apple going head to head in the mobile space.

In terms of looks, the G1 doesn’t really stand a chance against the iPhone.  The G1 is plain and somewhat sleek, but it’s just nowhere as slick as the iPhone.  In fact, it looks a little boring…like some sort of heart rate monitor or something.

One big design feature of the G1 is a large slide out keyboard.  This is a big improvement over the iPhone - especially for those who don’t do the on screen keyboard thing.  But the downside of the slide out keyboard is bulk.  The G1 is a fatty at .62" thick and 5.6 ounces, compared to the iPhone which is 0.48" thin and only 4.7 ounces.

As far as the interface goes, the G1 looks pretty slick.  Menus slide smoothly and apps seem to open quickly.  Like the iPhone, the G1 seems to be very responsive to finger gestures like flicks and scrolls.  The G1 also seems to have a more versatile menu system, with more options than the iPhone like a pull up menu.  One thing I noticed though, there doesn’t seem to be a pinch or expand finger gesture supported…that’ll be a bummer, if true.

This is just a studio version of the interface, so who knows how it will actually perform on the device, but you can see a video of the interface here.

You can also download apps for the G1 from the Andriod Market.  The success of the G1 will really depend on how many developers hop on board with Android.  The Apple apps have been pretty awesome to this point, and you really need to have this kind of third party support to make a device like this work.  One advantage that the G1 does have is tight integration with Gmail and Gtalk - awesome for Google users.

Overall the G1 doesn’t seem as refined as the iPhone to me.  There are small touches, like the music player, that look good enough…but just don’t look great.  Even the icons on the G1 seem a bit boring to me…like the device lacks just one more layer of polish.

Still, the device has a unique interface that offers more options than the iPhone.  You get a whole desktop with Android and a bunch of options with moving around icons and sliding out the menu.  And, the device is pleasantly responsive…no lag like Windows Mobile.

It’s a good first effort, but what will be really impressive is when Android makes the rounds among other mobile phone manufacturers.  It will be important for the OS to be versatile enough to support a wide range of devices, including not only native apps but third party apps as well.

This is a key differentiator for Android.  Apple’s hallmark is that they make both the devices and software, whether it’s a MacBook, iMac or iPhone.  This hasn’t worked well in the PC market, although the company has clearly made huge strides in recent years.

The question will be whether flexibility matters that much in the mobile phone market.  Millions of people have bought the same iPhone.  But will Android have an advantage if it’s on a bunch of different platforms and form factors from manufacturers like HTC, LG and Samsung?  And does a standardized OS really matter on a mobile device…I mean, it’s not like a PC where you have one at home and at work.  Most people only have one cell, so a standardized OS doesn’t give you very much.

It’s great to see the G1 unveiled, in any case.  Can’t wait to play around with one of these once it’s released.  It will be available in late October for $180.

The Bills, Ravens and Titans are undefeated.  The Colts are 1 and 2, and just seconds away from being 0-3.  And the Broncos are the highest scoring team in the league.  Lots of surprises.

The Bills are the most impressive to me.  Like the Titans and Ravens they’re undefeated due mostly to incredible defensive efforts.  And they have actually put up some points since they finally have a somewhat capable QB taking snaps.

I think the Vince Young era in Tennessee is in serious jeopardy.  What could be a bigger knock to Young’s confidence than Kerry Collins leading the Titans to an undefeated record?  And, looking at their schedule their toughest opponent seems to be the Bears in week 6…and I can totally see the Titans going 5-0 with big wins over the Ravens and Colts.

And what’s been going on with the Colts?  They got blown out by the Bears and Manning had a tough time against the Jags, who are also 1-2.  Manning has looked uncomfortable so far this season, and the Colts’ receiving corps have been unimpressive.

You have to like the Broncos, as well, who have had the most impressive offense by far.  Cutler has thrown 8 TDs so far…nearly 3 per game, along with over 300 yards per game on average.  And when you look at the guy, he looks like a teenage stoner.  Not at all like the NFL leading QB.  I don’t see any teams on their schedule giving them much trouble until week 7 when they face New England.

One thing I have to say about the Broncos is that Brandon Marshall has been amazing.  He’s the second leading receiver in the league despite missing the first game.

At the same time though, Marshall is a fucking idiot.  He got suspended for the first game and charges have just been filed against him for a six month old domestic violence charge.  And you know one thing people complain about is the poor or lower class not being given any chances in life…but for Marshall to continually f up like this is ridiculous.  He’s a felony away from a LONG suspension…and it’s only his second year in the league.

I’m totally for a 3 strikes law for the NFL.  I mean, there must have been 20 arrests this off season, and things are really getting out of hand.  Sure, no one said they were role models but the NFL does have the obligation to be a responsible employer.

It’s like the Chris Rock bit with Mayor Berry…"you won’t be anything if you smoke crack…well, I could be mayor."  I think the NFL really needs to crack down and start enforcing conduct like any other employer.  They need to send the message that no matter how talented you are, if you continue to fuck up you will lose your job.

In other news, the Pats’ win streak was broken this week, with a huge loss to Miami.  New England’s offense has been flat…they’ve only scored 49 points this year.  FOURTY NINE POINTS!!!  Luckily until this week their D has gotten them by, but the wheels fell of against Miami where Ronnie Brown ran for 4 TDs and threw for another.  And I have to point out that most fantasy owners, like TJFKAK, probably had Brown on their bench after two dismal performances in the previous weeks.

The Rams have by far been the worst team in the league, scoring only 29 points and allowing 116.  I don’t think they’ll win a game this year.  Here’s an interesting stat - their leading rusher Stephen Jackson has only run for 159 yards in 3 games.  And Jackson is also their leading RECEIVER, catching 15 passes for 133 yards.  Think about that…their whole offense is pretty much a single player…who isn’t even doing that well.

It’s just 3 weeks in, but I have to change my predictions.  The Titans look really strong, and unlike the Bills they have beat a couple of solid teams.  I’m thinking they’re gonna go far this year…even though they’ll have to rely on Collins.  The Giants also are looking good, and their division is insane.  Two undefeated teams, and the other 2 are 2-1.  I still see the Boys sticking it out in the end to capture the conference title, though.

One more thing…Randy Moss isn’t worth a top tier running back.  He’s not worth a top tier receiver.  I’d veto any trade for Moss higher than a 15+ back or tier 2 QB.  It’s going to be a horrible year for him, and he’s not even getting many looks.  Good luck, Moss owners.

TJFKAK is waiting for a Scooba.  I could use some cheap speakers.  It’s time for a Woot! Off.

Another thing, this is the first Woot! Off since the first woot apps were released for the iPhone.  So far I’ve been trying a couple and both had trouble connecting to the Woot servers.  Bah.

The best item so far has been the Myvu personal video glasses…but I still can’t pull the trigger on those.  Just slightly too dorky.

I hate the Mac ads with Hodgman.  I mean, nothing against the guy personally, but these ads are really the most arrogant and misleading marketing campaign I’ve ever seen.  They make Joe Camel look like Jesus.

For the most part, these ads are just broad, cocky statements like Macs are secure, PCs are not, Macs are cool, PCs are lame, with no support whatsoever…in fact, many of the statements in these ads are completely false.  It’s like one of those McCain ads that clearly distort the truth, but do so with big bold words in the middle of the screen.

In any case, Microsoft is fighting back with their own campaign.  First, they had a couple odd spots with Jerry Seinfeld and Bill Gates just having weird dialogue.  Those were ok, like, I kind of got it and they were amusing…but seemed more like a PR campaign for Gates more than Vista.

But Microsoft has just released a new "I’m a PC" ad, sans Seinfeld, with a bunch of people saying "I’m a PC and I do…"  It’s a nice response that drives home the point that PC users are just guys in suits.  And the ad isn’t sarcastic or snotty…just one of those feel good ads.  It works.

I don’t know why it took so long to come out with these response ads…that probably says something about the ability for Microsoft to react.  But I like the "I’m a PC" campaign so far.  Now, we just need an ad that actually shows a PC.  I mean, it’s ridiculous how apple has turned the computer market into some sort of fashion statement.

I love magazines…I mean, who doesn’t?  I love the tech mags like Wired and PC Mag, the big auto mags Road and Track and Car and Driver and Time ain’t bad either.

But the thing is, you need to subscribe to a year at least for most mags, when really you just want to try a few months here and there.

Enter MAGHOUND.

For just  five bucks a month MAGHOUND will deliver 3 mags to your door.  That’s $60 a year, or $20 per subscription…which isn’t a deal.

But here’s where it gets fun…MAGHOUND allows you to switch your subscriptions each month.  So, you can pick any three mags from their library of hundreds to be delivered.

It’s an interesting concept, and it sounds like a good idea, especially for pricey mags that you wouldn’t normally purchase a 1 yr subscription to.  Plus, it gives you a chance to try mags that you don’t normally see in book stores, like, say, WaterSki or House Illustrated.  The service even has weekly mags like New York and Time, so you’ll get 4 issues instead of just one.

This is a great video from a Mets game.  Apparently a drunken fan fell asleep in his seat, and the fans around him took it from there.

It starts of kind of slow, but this video is really pretty hilarious and you gotta watch it till the end.  At first they start with a beer cup on the sleeping guy’s head and by the end…well, you gotta watch it for yourself.

The thing that’s most impressive about this is how hundreds of fans get in on the action…cheering and jeering at the guy.

Last night I wrote about Sal and Richard who engaged in gay acts behind a CNN reporter covering the Lehman bankruptcy.  Later that day, another staffer, Benji Bronk, did the same thing, this time giving a shout out to Stern show producer Gary’s son.

Take a look below.  It’s pretty obnoxious, but it’s hilarious to see all these stern staffers in what was probably a very grim day for ex Lehman employees.

The Lehman Bros bankruptcy was big news.  And CNN reported on it by filming ex-Lehman employees leaving the office.

Well, Stern show staffers Sal and Richard made the most of this situation by standing behind the CNN reporter during his live broadcast and making out.  There was some nipple licking as well.  They even mention it following the report as well.

Check it out below.  It happens about 40 seconds into the clip.  Absolutely priceless.