New Coke “Mastermind” Takes Job With Star Wars Galaxies by Toli Cefail

Star Wars Galaxies – the once fantastic online role playing game where players could live in the Star Wars universe and pursue a myriad of goals much as one does in real life – has been invaded by what appears to be the ‘genius’ behind the creation of the New Coke formula.

If you play the game and have played lately, you’ve probably realized that the party is now basically over. What was once a fun & life-like game where one was free to choose one’s own destiny has become a boxed-in, restrictive, and limited “experience” that is destined for a short playing time.

For those of you who may be too young to remember, or may have forgotten, the New Coke fiasco, I’ll describe it here. Coca Cola, the world’s favorite beverage for about ONE HUDRED YEARS, decided some time ago to change its flavor. Not only did they change the flavor, but they eliminated the original flavor from all store shelves world wide. The only flavor you could buy was the New Coke flavor. Needless to say it was a colossal disaster.

No one liked the new flavor. People were going crazy trying to find the old flavor. Coca Cola was flooded with complaints and inquiries from consumers, distributors & stores. It was a mess. So soon after this blunder, they reintroduced the original flavor with the face saving label “Coca Cola Classic” which, of course, outsold New Coke by leaps and bounds. This is why your coke cans say “Classic” today.

No doubt some “marketing whiz” told the Coke executives, “you’ve got to be ‘fresh’ to keep up with Pepsi!”, “Out with the old. In with the new!”, “We’ve got to do something major!”. I can see the meeting now where this Madison Avenue “whiz kid” pitched this lunacy.

And so it is with Star Wars Galaxies. If you’ve been playing you know now that the entire game has changed. You’re now forced to choose only one of a limited number of professions; your single path is dictated by the game creators; and don’t even get me started on the mouse control changes. (I’m still getting over my headache).

The only good thing about the SWG changes is the new quests and new abilities.

I’ll never understand this obsession to change everything instead of just changing a few things. I will also never understand the tendency of companies to make sweeping decisions that affect their customers (and profits) without first surveying those customers to see what they want exactly.

I’m sure there were some complaints about the time it took to achieve certain game perks and abilities. But did rectifying that require a radical and complete game change? Did that necessitate eliminating skills and abilities players had worked weeks and even months to acquire? I’m certain no.

Hopefully the “new” SWG changes will go the way of New Coke and their “mastermind” will again be looking for work.

Earth To America - Review

I just watched TBS's special Earth To America. Very funny. But a question comes to mind:

How is it that a bunch of liberal democrats can put on a 2 hour commercial for the democratic agenda with no media repercussions?

About 60 - 70% of this show is filled with digs and cuts on republicans, conservatives, Christians, etc.

Basically if you didn't know better & watched this show, you'd think that conservatives didn't care about the earth or global warming, etc. It does more than "poke fun". It makes anyone who doesn't tout the liberal party line look stupid.

The TBS special, Earth To America, is basically a 2 hour propaganda campaign for the liberal democratic agenda disguised as "caring about the earth". Because every good liberal knows that if you're not a liberal, you don't care about the earth.

Republicans, conservatives & independents TAKE NOTE. Get your campaigns together and get your messages out broadly. Surely there must be some conservatives & independents left in Hollywood right?

---- Toli Cefail

The Hypocracy of The Anti Wal Mart Lobby

I am so tired of hearing these elitist union supporters talking from atop their high horses about how they want to "help the poor". Every person I've ever met who fights for unionization on a lobbyist level has been a rich kid from a rich family.

This "let them eat cake" attitude comes from never having had to work for anything and build something from nothing. They think that since they have everything, anyone else who has is in the same boat they are and therefore "owes" it to the poor to give them something.

Well I can tell you that is a crock. I earned every nickle I have and I don't intend to "give" it to anyone who hasn't earned it.

The hypocracy is that these rich brats get on television talking about companies like Wal Mart and the airlines like these companies should just give money to their employees because the employees don't have money. It's rediculous.

On CNBC today Mr. Blank said that Wal Mart workers "don't have insurance" and that there was "nothing more noble than helping the poor". Yeah right. Like he really cares.

If you really want to help the poor mister, why don't you give them some of your money. That's right, hop on a train up to 125th street (Harlem) and open your wallet Mr. High & Mighty. Why don't you lobby congress to privatize large chunks of government to create more jobs, less inefficiency and waste of hard earned tax payer dollars? Why don't you support a voucher system so poor families can send their kids to private school?

I live in the real world and know that would never happen. These supposedly sympathetic people who advocate unionization and jacking corporations under the guise of "helping the worker" don't care about anything but their own agenda. They are pimping for the man. Make no mistake. Don't believe me? Ask them what they have personally done to help the poor that doesn't patronize them or keep them poor.

These hypocrites look at the poor, minorities, the under-priveleged, etc. like they're "pets" or some type of novelty. They're doing it to make themselves feel better and not really for the poor.

You see because when companies suffer, jobs go away and families can't eat. Where's the bleeding heart for the family that can now afford Christmas presents because of Wal Mart's low prices? They didn't think of that because they don't really care.

Making companies suffer for the benefit of the worker is a communist philosophy. Communists do not advocate competition. They do not advocate rising up in society based on your abilities. They advocate taking from the rich and the highly capable in order to produce an equilibrium of wealth and ability.

Now they'll deny they're communist very passionately. And in all honesty, they probably don't realize their advocating communism. But the result of what they are asking for is the forwarding and implementation of communist ideals. If it looks like a duck...

You want to help the poor? TEACH them marketable skills.

You want to level the playing field? Implement a national VOUCHER SYSTEM for schools so that poor parents can send their kids to ANY school they choose.

You want to make sure all families and companies can afford health care? OPEN up the marketplace so that alternative medicine can openly talk about the illness it can cure. This competition will force costs to go down since alternative medicine costs less.

Anyway... that's my rant for today.