It's Tuesday ... do you know where your Sidekick is?
With the not-so-shocking finding that T-Mobile's "Sidekick" can easily be compromised by intrepid hackers comes more not-so-shocking news: Paris Hilton (search) is (apparently) naked again.
Gee, what a surprise.
Some Web sites are posting pictures which were downlinked from Hilton's personal digital accessory (PDA), along with notes like "call Maroon 5 get birth control kill pill," and "call Gary Shandling get tape of everything." (search)
Hmmm. One wonders what Hilton needs from the aging comic?
Contact information for Hilton's famous pals was also posted on several Web sites, and as of today, the numbers of people like Ashley Olsen, Pat O'Brien of "The Insider" and Lindsay Lohan were reportedly disconnected after receiving hundreds of calls from around the world.
In the photos, Hilton appears to be topless and in one she's erotically kissing another woman. She also apparently likes to send potential lovers sneak-peek shots of her naked backside.
I say "apparently" because these days anybody can alter an image -- so I caution you: don't believe everything you think you see.
What I find the most shocking is not the vapid comments or the nude photos -- those are exactly what I'd expect. The surprise is that the heir-head famous for being famous actually has the brain power to work her PDA so efficiently.
In any case, this is another great stunt for Hilton. She should fire her publicist and put the hacker on her payroll.
An Open Grrr! Letter to Blockbuster (search):
For years you guys were the only game in town, and for years I had to put up with poor customer service by punk kids behind the counter, long lines filled with Oblivions and of course, the dreaded late fees.
I lost count of the amount of money I was forced to pay in penalty fees because I was a few minutes late returning movie rentals ... most of which I didn't get a chance to see anyway.
You know how us movie fans are — our eyes are always too big for our viewing capability in the allotted rental period, so we always grab three but end up watching just one. Talk about a waste. And then add late fees on top of that. Grrr!
And remember the days of the VHS?
If I added up the minutes it took me to rewind the movies that were never rewound when I rented them, and then to rewind them out of respect to the next customer, I would say you owe me a few hundred dollars in rewind time, not to mention wear and tear on my VCR.
But alas it's my problem, not yours, right?
But then the Internet happened, and a little Web site called Netflix (search) popped up, and all of a sudden I didn't have to leave my house at all to rent my movies.
They came automatically in the mail, with self-addressed, no-postage-necessary return envelopes and everything. And the best part was I didn't have to rush to watch the flick. There were no late fees at all.
I could take an entire month to watch "The Godfather" trilogy if I wanted, and there were no questions asked, and no snot-nosed punk telling me I owed $20 in late fees the next time I rented a movie.
Now, more than seven blissful, late-fee free years since I've set foot in a Blockbuster store, I see your ads touting "The End of Late Fees" on television and the Internet, with drone commercial actors jumping up and down as if this were a new concept.
Your ad campaign insults me — not to mention the fact that the attorney general of New Jersey is suing you for false advertising — saying you're still charging late fees anyway!
Even if you're not — as you say is the case — are we supposed to forget how much money we paid in late fees over the years? Are we supposed to jump back to the poor customer service we received now that you've joined the rest of us in the 21st century?
Are we supposed to forget the long lines, or the Oblivions standing in front of the New Releases displays, blocking our view? And did I mention the Quentin Tarantino wannabes behind the counter who were too cool for your customers?
I don't think so.
So you're celebrating the end of late fees, huh? Well, sorry Charlie — you're a few years too late for me — and a lot of dollars too short.
Boston Red Sox ... Grrr!
They finally win a World Series and break the Curse of the Bambino, so you'd think they'd be talking about taking it again this year, and thanking their die-hard fans who have stuck with them forever. But noooo.
These days, as spring training camp starts, it's all about Alex Rodriguez. Huh?
Hey Sox, shut up and play baseball, for your own sake. Stop giving sports reporters an excuse to talk about A-Rod. He's an overpaid carpetbagger who'll get his walking papers from the Yanks as soon as his bloated contract is paid through.
The best medicine for people like Rodriguez is to ignore them. Ignore him, and he will go away.
Stupid Lit'l Dreamer
The response to the tsunami-ravaged countries in Southeast Asia has been overwhelming throughout the world, with former Presidents George H.W. Bush and Bill Clinton visiting the region this week to encourage even more aid.
But it's the efforts of the millions of little people that will make the difference, which is why this week's SLD mention goes to surfer Chris Vaxmonsky (search), for putting together "The Frozen Surf Open," a tournament that raised over $2,500 for tsunami relief.
Americans like these and others throughout the world who've made similar efforts understand that little things mean a lot.
For more information about the surfers' tsunami movement, visit www.surfaidinternational.org.
Now for Your Grrrs
Dana in Long Island, N.Y.: This is an open letter to the man sitting in front of me on the LIRR Thursday, March 17 around 7:30 a.m. Why, oh why, did you feel the need to clip your nails on the train? Was it because you get a strange pleasure out of annoying and disgusting all of the people around you? Was it because you get off on a power trip based on the fact that no one said anything to you for fear of the way you may react? What was the thought process that your brain went through to justify the appropriateness of this action? Did you not care that while it is not only annoying to hear that clipping sound, it was completely unsanitary? The least you could have done was clip them over a napkin, but no, you clipped them on your lap, and then proceeded to brush the residue off on to the floor. I understand that we all lead busy lives and may not have time to finish all the things we wish we could at home, but please, for the sake of those around you, find five minutes to clip your fingernails in the privacy of your own home.
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Mike Straka is the director of operations and special projects for FOXNews.com, and contributes as a features reporter on "FOX Magazine," and occasionally as a news cut-ins anchor on FOX News Channel. Read Mike's Bio.
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