My assesment of the housing market crisis (including blame)

[Heroette]

And I wish sometimes someone was actually tracking how many times we've seen the same slow-motion head turn used in shampoo ads, or how many times chocolate has been advertised like it was porn.

And speaking of porn, alot of commercials put sex into their ads.  I know sex sells but I don't see how it goes with a cheeseburger (Carl's Jr.).  And chocolate is good but NOT that good.

[FatherXmas]

Listen back when I was high school (late 70s) everyone was required to take a civics class for one semester.  Besides the usual coverage about the Constitution, government at all levels (Federal, state, local) and social/personal responsibility, it also dealt with personal finance.  From writing checks and balancing checkbooks, credit cards and longer time loans like car and home. 

Of course courses like this has gone to the wayside, an unintended outcome due to wanting to raise basic skills and knowledge.

[TimtheEnchanter]

it also dealt with personal finance.  From writing checks and balancing checkbooks, credit cards and longer time loans like car and home. 

They could so easily incorporate this into the math curriculum and forget the insanely advanced trig that 90% of people will never have any practical use for.

But then I feel classes that help teach kids to be self-sufficient were removed, at least partially, to increase our dependency on purchased goods.

If we were expected to be able to make decisions with good judgement, a course in psychology would also be mandatory.

[JaguarX]

They could so easily incorporate this into the math curriculum and forget the insanely advanced trig that 90% of people will never have any practical use for.

But then I feel classes that help teach kids to be self-sufficient were removed, at least partially, to increase our dependency on purchased goods.

If we were expected to be able to make decisions with good judgement, a course in psychology would also be mandatory.

All part of the Nemesis plot?

In my high school psychology or sociology was actually mandatory.

I remember the civics class and personal finance in 5th grade. But alas a few years after they took personal finance, balancing budget, checkbook writing out of the curric. The super intendent said it was waste of time because checks were becoming obsolete.  . Not sure what checks becoming obsolete whether true or not have to do with balancing a budget and knowing how to count your money and save.

The times has changed in school stuff. I think by the time I got to high school, shop ad home economics (real home economics where it didnt talk about just cooking but also the cost of owning a house, how to bu ya how financing, bill paying, and utility use and the usual household stuff.). Now, you be surprised at how many people usually 25 and under have not a slightest clue of how to take care of a house or even how to change a tire. I at least get one call a week because someoen is stuck on the side of the road and have no idea how to change a flat and me having to try to explain to them over the phone (some call as far away as DC and i'm in west tip of texas that no one cares about).


But I think a lot of us are showing our ages. Mentally and physically.  . Old age, bring it on as long as I can learn something new everyday and see through the nonsense that try to turn people into dependent sheep.

[TimtheEnchanter]

Well, since I was speaking of Google Glass before, I guess those situations are one 'arguably' good thing that will come of it. Someone will write an app for it. If I was doing it, I'd probably call it the Hitchhiker's Guide to Earth (don't panic), and it will do for us exactly what that did. And you'll have a HUD showing you exactly how to change a tire as you're doing it.

(1st minute of the video: rather prophetic scene from Demolition Man) https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=9bOQitInC84

Of course, I expected something like this even when I was in junior high. While I was driving myself absolutely nuts figuring out Algebra, all I could think was, "The next Generation is just going to have math coprocessors in their heads that do all the busywork for them." Looks like I was half-right. We're just not quite at the point of implants. Yet.

[JaguarX]

Well, since I was speaking of Google Glass before, I guess those situations are one 'arguably' good thing that will come of it. Someone will write an app for it. If I was doing it, I'd probably call it the Hitchhiker's Guide to Earth (don't panic), and it will do for us exactly what that did. And you'll have a HUD showing you exactly how to change a tire as you're doing it.

Of course, I expected something like this even when I was in junior high. While I was driving myself absolutely nuts figuring out Algebra, all I could think was, "The next Generation is just going to have math coprocessors in their heads that do all the busywork for them." Looks like I was half-right. We're just not quite at the point of implants. Yet.

We'll get to the implant soon. There is estimation within the science community that is one of the techonlogies that will be available by 2045. Although these are the same circle that said fossil fuels would be no more, and flying cars would be normal occurance by 2013. Yet...here we are, still got gas guzzling SUVs and no flying cars on every corner.  So I'll guess we'll have to see.

[TimtheEnchanter]

We'll get to the implant soon. There is estimation within the science community that is one of the techonlogies that will be available by 2045. Although these are the same circle that said fossil fuels would be no more, and flying cars would be normal occurance by 2013. Yet...here we are, still got gas guzzling SUVs and no flying cars on every corner.  So I'll guess we'll have to see.

They'll develop implanted network device far faster. Flying cars, jetpacks, etc... are industrial improvements. Building the better mouse trap started to become a non-issue once the real power of marketing was realized. Why make something better if you can just convince people that something is better when it actually isn't?

Electronic media implants? That's the holy grail of advertising. Salesmen literally in our heads. That is the point where advertising will become as invisible to society as water is to a fish. Oh yes, we're definitely going to see that one become a reality.

[JaguarX]

Why make something better if you can just convince people that something is better when it actually isn't?

Electronic media implants? That's the holy grail of advertising. Salesmen literally in our heads. That is the point where advertising will become as invisible to society as water is to a fish. Oh yes, we're definitely going to see that one become a reality.

Yeah soon commercials will be played in our heads every 10 minutes.

Apple have been experts at convincing people that something is better when it actually isnt. Especially with their phone upgrades. Half the time, they remove previous nice features or dont change nothing at all but convince people that the new one is better than the old one.

[TimtheEnchanter]

Apple have been experts at convincing people that something is better when it actually isnt. Especially with their phone upgrades. Half the time, they remove previous nice features or dont change nothing at all but convince people that the new one is better than the old one.

Apple is the company that seemed to be able to convince people that computers are actually fashion statements. It always disturbed me to a degree, that they were actually able to gain more of the market just by giving a choice of colors for the Mac.

PC users on the other hand...  used spraypaint.

The portable movement in general never managed to grab my attention though. No matter how much power gets put into them, the screen and keyboard will still be too small for me to enjoy. I also don't do social networking, so I have little use for a phone that allows me to tweet stuff that nobody pays attention to.

Really, the only reason I've wanted a 'smart phone' (and if I had one, it'd be a Droid) was so I could develop games for it.

[JaguarX]

The portable movement in general never managed to grab my attention though. No matter how much power gets put into them, the screen and keyboard will still be too small for me to enjoy. I also don't do social networking, so I have little use for a phone that allows me to tweet stuff that nobody pays attention to.

You and me both.

[MindBlender]

Heck, once I went over 700 for my score I was thrilled!  Tony, tell sis GJ!  One house and 2 cars in 4 years have dented my credit, but I was assured by some friends of mine in the world of Finance that in a couple of years it will go back up and perhaps with NO late payments it may go higher 

[emu265]

Lord above.  I graduate (college) in less than two months.  This thread has thoroughly terrified me.

[eabrace]

Lord above.  I graduate (college) in less than two months.  This thread has thoroughly terrified me.

Just make at least the minimum payment each month on your student loans and you'll be well on your way to building a good credit score.