The First Presidential Debate!

the-first-presidential-debate

As I write this, the debate has just begun. Grab your alcoholic beverage of choice (non-alcoholic, if you’re underage or a Mormon) (ht: Democracy in America) and tune into a news network of your choice, including ABC, FOX, NBC, CBS, C-SPAN2, &c. If you don’t have one of those old-fashioned things, go to C-SPAN Debate Hub video or a live transcript on IRC at irc.gamesurge.net #election (link works for Firefox with the ChatZilla extension).

While I’m a bit too lazy to do this “live-blogging” thing the kids are all talking about these days (plus, it’s no fun with only one person, and Andrew’s not on the internets presently), I’ll point the interested reader to Democracy in America, where the colors (each color is a different correspondent of The Economist) are discussing the debate live.

I don’t expect to learn very much from the debate, but as always it is a good exercise in observing political theater.

Who could have known the economy would be like this?

who-could-have-known-the-economy-would-be-like-this

The New York Times, that’s who. Back in 1999, it reported: (emphasis mine)

[Fannie Mae] will encourage those banks to extend home mortgages to individuals whose credit is generally not good enough to qualify for conventional loans. [...]

Fannie Mae, the nation’s biggest underwriter of home mortgages, has been under increasing pressure from the Clinton Administration to expand mortgage loans among low and moderate income people and felt pressure from stock holders to maintain its phenomenal growth in profits.

In addition, banks, thrift institutions and mortgage companies have been pressing Fannie Mae to help them make more loans to so-called subprime borrowers. These borrowers whose incomes, credit ratings and savings are not good enough to qualify for conventional loans, can only get loans from finance companies that charge much higher interest rates — anywhere from three to four percentage points higher than conventional loans.

[...]

In moving, even tentatively, into this new area of lending, Fannie Mae is taking on significantly more risk, which may not pose any difficulties during flush economic times. But the government-subsidized corporation may run into trouble in an economic downturn, prompting a government rescue similar to that of the savings and loan industry in the 1980’s.

Note especially the last paragraph; also note that Fannie Mae was encouraged—yes, encouraged—by the government to loan to people with poor credit. Yet nowadays everyone blames the crash on the private bankers, and just a few weeks ago clamored to bail Fannie Mae out of the mess it had put itself in.

(hat tip: Steve Horwitz)

Not even Clean Energy is Clean


 

Silly Obama. RON PAUL 2012!!!

Because I like to Argue…

because-i-like-to-argue

It’s been a few weeks now and people continue to still complain about the whole Facebook layout change. Haven’t they got anything better to do with their lives? I’m still getting millions of invites to join groups “petitioning” against the new design, but really everyone, you’re just wasting you’re time. You’re not going to be a hero on the internet, you’re just a failure.

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I’m a PC

im-a-pc

[Welcome, all ye who stumbled upon this site looking for the Microsoft commercial.]

Since this is “I’m a PC” Site, we have an obligation to blog things that happen in the realm of being a PC. And so Microsoft has released a new advertisement, which you may or may not have seen:

(ht: Max Raskin)

Here, Microsoft attempts to disassociate itself from the stereotype of the uncool office man with a tie Apple has bestowed upon it, and, in a lame way totally devoid of humor, tries to say that everyone, of all ethnic groups, ages, genders, social classes, political persuasions, geographical locations and every other classification they could think of uses a PC, not just office workers of the stodgy and spectacled variety.

We at I’m a PC Site will be following this for quite some time, so watch this space.

[Also, if you stumbled upon this site, please take a moment to look around at everything else we have to offer besides posts about ads.]

Zooming on a Fly’s Eye…


Nifty, eh?

Reason to buy Crappy Breakfast Kit #71


 

“But Mommmmm, the Jonas Brothers eat these!!!”

Oh the things that go on while you work at a grocery store…

Why are people whining about the new Facebook?

why-are-people-whining-about-the-new-facebook

They have nothing better to do with their lives. Done.

But really, ever since the “new” Facebook has been getting some major hatings from users and I personally don’t really get why. Lots of people are jumping out of windows killing themselves (okay maybe not that far) and bitching like there’s no tomorrow. 

If I get one more “Petition Group” invite, I’m going to punch that person in the face =]

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Serious Security Flaw in Google Chrome


Ryan Narraine, a security evangelist at Kaspersky Lab, reports that Google Chrome contains what can be a serious security flaw from the old version of Webkit that it is based on. An attacker could trick a user into launching an executable Java file by combining a Webkit flaw with a known Java bug and a bit of social engineering.

Learn more here.

10 Things Your Body Can Do After You Die


From getting hitched to saving the environment, here’s proof you can still be a busybody long after you kick the bucket.

Kind of nifty… I guess? Nah, more creepy than anything. Read more here: http://www.mentalfloss.com/blogs/archives/18096

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