Rampant consumerism

By all accounts Black Friday was a huge success, and I can proudly report that I did my part yesterday to help kick off the great American orgy of economic gratification known as the "holiday shopping season". Getting out of bed at 5:15 AM, I was standing in line at my nearby Staples office supply store when their doors opened at 6 o'clock, and one hour later I had scored the following goodies that only a fellow geek will truly appreciate:

• • A 200-gigabyte Maxtor internal hard drive for $19
• • A one-gigabyte SanDisk USB flash drive for $7
• • A Brother plain-paper fax machine for $15

And were these presents for the tech-savvy people on my gift list, you might ask? Hell, no. They were all for me. Me! Meeeeeeee! Muawh ha ha ha!! I actually needed these items, and Staple's discount prices were just too good to turn down. I'll shop for other folks later, perhaps on Cyber Monday, when many Americans will get on the web to search for bargains from the high-speed comfort of their office Internet connections. According to this story, nearly half of us will purchase at least one gift item online this season, compared to less than thirty percent three years ago, and for many folks it's going to be a total point & click holiday.

For anyone who may be new to the world of online commerce, I can report to you that I've been shopping online for many years, and have found it to be safe and convenient. In addition to saving time, gas, and money, you also have the advantage of incredible variety. So if you're having trouble finding that Sony Playstation III or Tickle Me Elmo TMX you've been desperately searching for, I'm sure that Captain Danger Stunt Monkey will be a more than worthy substitute.

Let the shopping begin!