The Daily Derbi has a new home!

Loyal fans, good news! The Daily Derbi is no longer constrained to a ".blogspot" URL! In fact, it has completely moved to it's very own website, appropriately found at http://dailyderbi.com. So head over to the new site and update your bookmarks and RSS subscriptions right....wait for it...now!

-- Chad Waite, DailyDerbi (.com)

P.S. ChadWaite.com will also go to the same

Screw living in the moment. Lets take pictures instead!

** An after thought to this blog: When I was in the process of putting together this post I had a clear goal of conveying my thoughts on the over-usage of photography. When writing I never had a specific person in mind that I was directing these thoughts towards, however, several people have thought that this was the case. First, let me say that this blog isn't "applicable or directed" towards anyone at all. That was not the intention of this post in any way, shape or form. Second, I never said that I was an exception to the content in this post. I take pointless pictures all the time and it was myself more than anyone else that influenced my conclusion that photography as a whole is overused. To remedy these problems I have edited out some parts of the original blog.**

After a wonderful trip to a friend's estate in Washington a question was left stewing about in the back of my mind on the trip home. To get in the right frame of mind for hearing the question, think about the oldest picture you have ever seen. The oldest picture I've seen (bar Google searching "old picture") is an ancient black and white of my great great grandma's family lined up on the main street of some old town in Texas about 700 years ago.

The picture seems even older when you consider the fact that photography hasn't even been around for 200 years. The first permanent photograph was taken in 1826 and photography in general didn't become affordable and practical till the early 1900s. Back in these days family pictures weren't an annoying annual event but rather a once in a lifetime occurrence, if even that. In the late 1800s standard Daguerreotype photographs would cost up to $10 just for one copy- that's about $255 today. If that was still the going rate per picture, I can name several friends who would have had to take out two mortgages to pay for their vacation to Washington.

So, a bit of history on photography is all fine and good but what's the point? The answer lies in the question that I had contemplated for 15 hours in the back of a VW Jetta next to a cooler of frozen Salmon fillets: has photography lost it's special purpose? Has this art lost all meaning with the advent of digital photography? Have pictures with real purpose become a thing of the past when cameras became a part of the 15-year-old girl's cell phone?

The answer to these questions is undeniably yes.

By simply regarding the massive amount of pictures taken on my road trip, I realized that quantity now speaks more than quality. Girls in general have a specific knack for abusing the sacredness of photography by taking absolutely meaningless pictures in large doses. No, I don't care to look at the picture of me talking to my friend in the back seat of the car. No, I don't care to look at a picture of someone taking a picture of you taking this picture. No, I don't care to look at the same picture as before but from a different angle three steps to the right as if it will drastically change the captured content.

In fact, the frenzy to document every moment of a special moment leads to the photographer not being able to live in the moment itself. Instead they live in the moment through pictures. When I was in Las Vegas a couple months back the crew I walked down the strip with had to take countless pictures to ensure they remember the experience. Apparently the camera in their minds wasn't good enough to let them simply soak the moment in and enjoy just being there.

Photography should be used sparingly. Used to remember highlights of vacations, family gatherings, unique experience. Used to remember important moments in your life. It shouldn't be used to recreate a down-to-the-second visual timeline of an ordinary everyday circumstance. Because that's boring and mundane. And a hundred years ago you wouldn't spend $10 on mundane.

-- Chad Waite, Daily Derbi

P.S. Whitney Hopes, if you are reading this you are the exception to the girls take bad pictures rule.

"No thanks, I have already eDone that."

Two weeks ago at a annual community fair I got to experience a near once in a lifetime opportunity. A friend and I were making our way through the crowds when we spotted a helicopter landing in a nearby field. After moving closer to the helipad we noticed a sign that read "helicopter rides." Upon arriving at the registration tent we found that rides were only $35 and without hesitation I put my name on the list of upcoming riders.

Only minutes after paying I was in the air buzzing around Draper pretending to shoot a machine gun out the side or wishing I had pennies to drop. Even after slightly expecting a case of "never meet your childhood star" syndrome, I can say that the flight was nothing short of amazing. It was everything I expected a helicopter ride to be in my mind. After we landed, however, I realized that the entire event felt oddly familiar.

It took me several days to figure out why but soon I realized that the culprit for the "I've experienced this before" feeling was nothing more than computer software and video games. It is uncanny how well Google Earth or any flight simulator can match the exact feeling that I got while in a real-life helicopter. The view of looking down on civilization below can be nearly carbon copied through the soft glow of an LCD screen.

The helicopter ride was truly one of the neatest experiences of my life. But I honestly think that I would have enjoyed it much more if I didn't know exactly what to expect before lifting off and hovering 500 ft over my house. It is a sad but awe-inspiring thought that modern technology has the ability to recreate situations- ones that would ordinarily be incredibly unique and special- virtually any time you want to experience it. I just can't wait till they come out with robot wives...

-- Chad Waite, Daily Derbi

Now that Apple is a douchy company...

A somewhat unspoken war has been raging for nearly a decade between several technology companies. The fight isn't over profit margins or manufactured products but simply if the company was regarded as cool in the eyes of the public. Several companies, including Microsoft (most recently with Bing), have tried their hand at winning the title of coolest electronic company. Now only two are left at the top: Apple and Google. And we have a winner.

Before the verdict is released, lets take a look at what made Apple and Google such good contestants for this war. Immediately the design and ingenuity of Apple's growing line of products comes to mind. The simplicity and functionality of their iPod line put the MP3 player on the map of every college kid in the nation, making Apple instantly cool. Anyone who was anyone had an iPod. And six years later it's still business as usual. Apple entered the cell phone market with the revolutionary iPhone, improved the design of their Macbook laptop series, and remastered the Macintosh OS software (which is brilliant, I must admit).

Google is quite the opposite. While Apple is great at building powerful gadgets that cost more than a pair of Sienna Miller's gold-plated underwear, Google has built powerful gadgets that cost..well, nothing. Not only is their search engine always evolving and improving but the tech firm has put out enough industry revolutionizing technology to choke a homeless dog. Google Earth, Docs, Gmail, Reader, Maps, Books- the list goes on and on and on. And all of this is free to anyone, anywhere, at anytime- that's cool.

Down to brass tacks then. The coolest electronic company in the world right now is undoubtedly Google. Why? It's safe to say that both of these companies love innovation, however, Apple's problem is the unseen second half of that statement: Apple loves innovation... if it's theirs.

A perfect example of this was found in an Engadget article explaining that the new Google Voice app for the iPhone was rejected by Apple for duplicating built-in iPhone features... whatever the hell that means. It's nothing short of ironic that Apple would pull such a turn around on Google like that, especially when you consider the iPhone is already jam packed with Google features that Apple asked for (maps, YouTube, etc).

So Google, here is too you for being an innovative company devoted to helping out the general public. For not charging us our first born child with interest for your products. For not having a blind following of loyal fans that will give you their money just because they can afford it and regular people can't. And especially for not being totally anal when someone tries offering an improvement on your ideas even though you should have thought of it on your own in the first place.

-- Chad Waite, Daily Derbi

P.S. Here is another example of how Apple reacts when things aren't going exactly to their plans.

P.P.S. Now roast me Apple haters!

"One nation, under Diet Coke..."

Turn on the news right now and two things will happen. First, the middle-aged anchor lady will be wearing a second face made of make-up and be dressed like a cleavage-pushing, club-prowling cougar. Secondly, a story about some major event threatening to end humanity as we know it will be featured. But these are nothing new. It first started with the Russians, followed by Wal-Mart, then it was Global Warming after Sarah Palin, and now it's the bold and fresh Swine Flu.

Personally I think the biggest threat to humanity is the unregulated and ramped middle-aged women's addiction to Diet Coke. Right now, everyone one reading this (you included) could name more bored 40-year-old wives addicted to Diet Coke than you could count on two hands- that's ten. My mom is addicted. My friend's moms are addicted. Robert Pattinson is addicted to the stuff, proving that even Vampires have a second liquidy weak spot.

So much is heard about the many events that could end the world. What really should be feared, however, is Coca-Cola raising the price on their Diet line or discontinuing it all together. If this happened Earth would subsequently be crawling with angry, headache-laden zombie women who've forgotten what water is. So please, Coca-Cola, don't do that. Or my mom will eat my brains.

-- Chad Waite, Daily Derbi

P.S. This was a stupid blog. It had no point. Scroll down for a much better post.

70 miles in 7 years

In January of 1863 some guy had the bright idea to build a railroad that spanned the entire length of the United States. Six years later the Transcontinental Railroad was finished. In a different January, this time in 1930, another guy had another idea to build a really big structure he would call the Empire State Building in downtown New York. And guess what! In just 464 days, it was done! Then some guy in San Francisco had an idea to build a bridge over a nearby bay and call it Golden Gate. And you guessed it- just a tick over four years later, the Golden Gate Bridge was completed.

Certainly no one can argue that mankind isn't capable of building truly remarkable things. These examples are proof that if something needed to be built to further the quality and ease of living through technology, the human race would build it. But I am sad to report that the glorious days of "plan then act" building have disappeared forever.

A few days ago a local paper article proudly displayed a new addition to the Trax light rail system that will extend the train to several different areas around the Salt Lake Valley. This addition is meant to reduce the hellish and consistent congestion on Utah's I-15 corridor. The Utah Transit Authority (UTA) even boasted their new slogan for the proposal, claiming a triumphant "70 miles in 7 years!"

70 miles in 7 years...? Pardon me UTA but how the hell does 70 miles of track take seven years to lay? The Transcontinental Railroad took six years to build. And the workers had none of the modern conveniences available to us now like gasoline engines, heavy duty construction equipment, and Power Bars. Instead a bunch of non-English speaking Chinese immigrants armed with hammers and....well just hammers completed a 1776 mile-long railroad (25 times longer than the proposed Trax line) in one year less than what UTA has allotted.

Yes, I know that you can't just up and build a railroad through a sprawling urban area overnight. Unlike 1863- where ever thing was flat and open and packed with Buffalo- 2009 is filled with city zone laws, property rights, legislation, hippies and all sorts of red tape. But it's the endless amounts of small problems like those that prevent desperately needed projects like Trax from being completed like they would have been in the past. Can't humanity find a way to streamline these type of projects with out everyone and their dog getting bum hurt and delaying a project that would benefit tens of thousands?

On a final note, I would like to point out that it isn't just Utah that suffers from what I like to call "politically correct construction." The most famous example would be New York's Freedom Tower (also know as 1 World Trade Center), which has been under construction for four years and has only has half of a foundation to show for it. Just naming it probably took 464 days. Our father's father's fathers would be proud...

-- Chad Waite, Daily Derbi

P.S. I actually really like San Francisco and the Golden Gate Bridge. The people there are really nice too.

"Yes, I do mind holding and listening to terrible classical."

Years ago when I was a younger and happier kid, I picked up a phone to complain about a misplaced order from an online paintball company. Armed with my receipts, order numbers, and every ingredient needed to remedy the problem quickly, I was foolish enough to think that I would even to get talk to a real, live human being from the get go. Instead I was greeted by a slow talking automated voice telling me to "listen to the menu options as they have recently changed."

I could go into the mundane details of the following maze of numbers and commands that it took to finally reach a real person but I won't. Instead, I will sum the event up by saying that the entire phone call- one that should have lasted not 10 minutes- ended after 35 painstaking minutes of enduring what this particular company called customer support.

And that leads me to the point of this article- why the hell is it so hard to find good customer support now? Sure, running across bad customer support in your time of customer need isn't what most people would call a rare occurrence. But it does blow my mind how widespread this problem seems to be. And while complaining about it is an expected side effect from nearly every run-in, I have to say that my recent problems with Twitter have been off the scale.

Last week I discovered the unfortunate news that something went wrong in some computer somewhere in the work and that someone had their Twitter account stop working. And that someone is me, Chad Waite, the social media geek who uses and loves Twitter like he would a love three-legged puppy.

But I have now had to shoot that puppy dead because of it's awful customer support. After long nights spent awake trying to figure out who to contact, writing emails, and replying to endless automated computer responses, I can officially say that I have yielded no positive results, eventually giving in and making a new Twitter account (@fakeitvchad) as I try to restore my old one.

Yes, I know Twitter is a free service, and yes, I know that they are unfunded and probably cannot afford a massive service department that has to deal with scores of people just like me. But I am also surprised that they don't prepare for this kind of situation when organizing the company in it's infancy. So often I hear of companies who pride themselves on their customer service and how that should be the reason to choose them. But shouldn't good customer service be a universal part of every company? After all, we have invested our time and in most cases our money in them. Shouldn't they do the same for us?

-- Chad Waite, Daily Derbi

P.S. Pretty damn good ending there, eh? I rather liked it.