A Leonard Nemoy Memorial Post I Just Don't Get

I've been on Facebook more and more lately...and I usually find it hilarious. At first it was just a way to keep tabs on some of my old classmates, but as these things do my Friends list gets bigger and bigger. I'm probably not as keen as I should be about paring down that list, but sometimes a Friend literally asks for it.

Facebook is, of course, inundated with fans grieving over the loss of Leonard Nimoy. As par for the course I've seen a wide variety of memorials (even though I like Blogography's the best, even though it isn't on Facebook). One of my Friends posted a picture of four larger ladies.....naked, as part of wherever he was going with it.

Now I'm not used to seeing nudity at all in my Facebook feed. I don't have an issue with nudity and aside from some usually-false modesty, I don't give a rat's ass. I did, however, question this post with a simple "WTF" and I did follow up with the simple statement that I'm "not used to seeing nudity of any kind in my Facebook feed."

Of course my Friend simply replied that he didn't need to be in my feed. OK, simple fix there.

Since I made that post I still get notifications when others post and I've already started seeing a defense of the female form, regardless of size. I find this hilarious....because I pretty much don't care. It wasn't like I was offended by the fact that they were larger women. Hell, I'm still scratching my head at why or how this has ANYTHING to do with Leonard Nemoy. Now to be fair I did actually click on the post, thinking maybe my clue-bucket would get filled, but all I got was an additional photo of these women.....I have to assume it was the same four women, but I honestly cannot remember.

Of course this was on my iPad and I've been noticing that it screws up way too frequently when trying to show me content that isn't just the truncated Facebook post.

This'll probably be a mystery for a while...but seriously, WTF do these women have to do with Leonard Nemoy? I think I liked it better when people express their grief subtly and/or privately, but I won't begrudge those that do otherwise....unless I just don't get it.

2015.02.28 EDIT: Ok, I was able to find out a little bit more about the "original" post on FB though another, much better post (of course it helped I wasn't using the mobile FB app) about this article of 20 Cool Things Nimoy Did Other Than Star Trek

Michael Moore & American Sniper

Image courtesy of http://mackaycartoons.net

Carolyn took me to go see American Sniper yesterday and as much as I would like to talk about it, I cannot.

Great film, for the most part felt "right" to me, based on my experiences.  Now I'm no sniper and I'm definitely no SEAL, but I have served and have had to point a loaded gun at another human being knowing full well I might have to take that other person's life.

It isn't something to relish or brag about, just something that had to be done and I was the one who had to do it.

American Sniper hit me far harder than I had expected, which is why I won't divulge anymore about the film. I think people should experience it in their own way, unless that way is to chatter during, or even after, the film. Those people can go fuck themselves. Nothing like being pulled out of the moment by a couple of jackasses.

Speaking of jackasses that can go fuck themselves. A couple of "celebrities" have tried to get their name spoken by normal people by saying truly fucked up things. No doubt you've heard of Michael Moore's calling snipers, in general, "cowards". I'm sure that he simply wasn't man enough to say he thought Chris Kyle was a coward directly.

First of all, and this is 110% MY OPINION, Michael Moore is dead wrong. For anyone with any amount of education and compassion for their fellow man, absent a mental defect, taking another person's life is extremely difficult. Normally the enemy needs to be demonized and the soldier conditioned to be able to pull the trigger. We shoot at vaguely man-sized & shaped targets for a reason....at a distance, like common engagements, there isn't as much of a difference.

Now don't get me wrong, I'm sure the physical act of taking another's life can be easy. Trigger pull on any firearm isn't a difficult obstacle to overcome. The adrenaline in the heat of the moment is a boon for this act. The real difficulty, and one I thank God I haven't had to deal with personally, is what happens afterwards. That is when the true measure of courage occurs.

I think American Sniper showed this aspect well.

There are two things that deeply disturb me about Michael Moore's "cowardly" tweet and both are huge "WTFO" moments for me. First off, if anyone would know what a cowards is I would expect it to be Michael Moore. Here is a man who obviously thinks that no-one should have a gun, but employees armed bodyguards. I'll just leave it at that.

Secondly, we know that Michael Moore is so far in left field his middle name should simply be "7". I wouldn't expect such a level of "racism", for the lack of a better word, from that end of the spectrum. Racist? Yes...well, something-ist. The whole basis for Michael Moore's cowardly statement is information handed down to him by his father concerning an uncle that was killed a decade before he was born. Now I don't know what theater of operations this occurred in, but let's look at his original statement:

My uncle killed by sniper in WW2. We were taught snipers were cowards. Will shoot u in the back. Snipers aren't heroes. And invaders r worse

wow....so his uncle was killed by a sniper on American soil? Wasn't his uncle an invader? Ok, done with that aside...let's make a substitution:

My uncle killed by german in WW2. We were taught germans were cowards. Will shoot u in the back. Germans aren't heroes. And invaders r worse

that sounds racist to me.....not enough?

My uncle killed by nip in WW2. We were taught nips were cowards. Will shoot u in the back. Nips aren't heroes. And invaders r worse

Now THAT sounds racist as fuck. Yes, the emphasis was mine and I didn't like doing that, but I think it was important to make a point, largely with being that Michael Moore is a bigot of some type. Honestly, I'm not even sure he saw the film. Has he not ever heard of a ROE, or does he honestly think that our military, specifically our snipers, shoot people indiscriminately as a matter of course?

Does he not realize that his uncle, in a very real sense, represent the exact people he's calling a coward? 

Too much Arm-Chair QBing Going on Lately

Now I generally try to avoid some current hot-button issues because, well face it, people are assholes that cannot distinguish fact from fiction and cannot tolerate views dissimilar from their own for any reason. Everything is binary and unless you back them 110% you are wrong.

Now I assume that any given news story has some bias and I'm probably not given the appropriate facts. Usually when I'm being binary is comes down to actual facts because I over-simplify and equate facts to the truth. Please don't get me started on conditional truths or things people assume as facts because it is true for them. I'll just over-simplify and lump people believing what they want as part of their own personal bias.

WTF Baby Life Insurance

So I was at a restaurant with the Mrs. yesterday and an add for baby life insurance came on several of the TVs in the place. As I looked up at the screen all I could think was WTF?!

The screen read something to the effect of, "Protect Your Baby's Future with Gerber Life Insurance". I looked online and couldn't find the same graphics/text from the commercial. I'm guessing that whoever put the advert together didn't get that life insurance pays out after death, so at best it protects your investment in deciding to breed.

Now before getting all high & mighty on me, I know that in this instance they are peddling some term life insurance that has a cash value that can be taken out in the future. The idea is that if the policy isn't paid out due to the baby's death, at a certain age they can pull X amount of cash out of it, allegedly for something like college tuition, but more realistically for one semester of books. If you want to save for your kid's education then actually save for the education, not let someone peel off a good percentage and not earn decent interest.

I was just going off of the ad that I could see and not hear on TV. That ad looked pretty messed up.

Two Recent Things That Make Me Go WTF?!

These last couple of days I've been struck with two specific instances where I had to go WTF?!

I have a small wood-working/game project I'm working on and I've had to make too many trips to the hardware store. The closest Home Depot is down the road in between my city and the next one. The space between is getting filled in fast, with one massive building standing out from the rest of the new construction. Sure enough it is a gargantuan Assisted Living facility, all one level because they can.

There is a lot of other new buildings going up around that construction and since they are smaller buildings they are getting completed sooner than the large "home". One of these small & new buildings is a funeral home that is quite noticeable as you drive by. Yes, what I want to see first when driving to Grandma's "home" is a Funeral Home. Seriously? You couldn't be a bit more subtle......do people actually pick funeral homes based on curbside appeal?

Today I got a notice about a new Kickstarter from a "friend". Basically I guy in the industry I've known for years, but not really close to....and associate of sorts. This guy's self-promotion on social media borders on spamming and I cut him a little slack because he's been trying to work the social media to get his fundraisers going......

.....and that is going to stop now. This notice was for his third Kickstarter and he hasn't even delivered on the first one yet. Stop asking for money for new projects when you haven't finished with the old ones. Seriously....WTF?!

Seriously?! My Old Employer's Website EPIC FAIL.

Believe it or not I don't try to dwell on things in the past. It is usually a fruitless endeavor.

There are times, however, where crap from the past resurfaces.

This week I needed to go visit my old employer's website to grab some info for a job application I was filling out. Usually I just utilize a large Word document I keep filled with answers to just about every question I've ever come across in a job app. Not really sure what I needed, but for this story, it doesn't matter.

Anyway, I'm on the site and shaking my head at a couple of things that just rub me the wrong way. You see, I pretty much wrote and definitely managed the old website and while the new one pretty much incorporated a bunch of changes I was recommending when I left, there were a lot of things I didn't care for. Call it sour grapes or what you will, but I've never been a fan of BS pages that exist just to try and draw in extra visits. The new site has a bunch of links at the bottom that is nothing but link-bait. Sure, they each go to a page....a page of BS. Each page is basically the same, but with a single paragraph of generic information regarding the location.

Now you might not really care one way or another about the link-bait, and I get that, but what I noticed next is just wrong on an EPIC level.  Have you seen it yet?

Now it might be germane to note that my previous employer was a reasonably well-known Interventionist. He did a few episodes of the Intervention show. A lot of the work I did was help facilitate interventions for people wanting to get their loved ones into drug & alcohol treatment. I took a lot of initial calls, made travel arrangements, etc.

Anyway....now knowing this particular aspect of my previous employment you might get why this is full of FAIL:

Hmmm......maybe you haven't seen it yet, so I'll highlight it for you:

 

Yep. My old company is shilling for an online drug store on every page of their website. Seriously not cool. I think technically it isn't unethical, but seriously?

I have to assume that they don't know they have drug ads on every page, but since they don't manage the website in-house they'll probably never even notice.

This TV Station is Hiring for What?

It isn't a secret that I've been looking for work for far too long now. I've complained about it enough and for the most part I'm not trying to go there.

During my job search I've seen a lot of things I consider a bit messed up. Some are just the evolving nature of today's job-seeker environment, while others have just been a lack of basic professional courtesy. I've rallied on about the change in certification for the Human Resources field and how it seems nobody acknowledges that change.

One thing I haven't really mentioned before is just how many people working within HR don't have the education or experience in the field, but they manage to get HR work nonetheless. This is one of those things that really isn't discussed much and I think it is also a reason for the underlying changes to the HR certification. The powers that be want educated & experienced personnel taking their certification exams and on several levels I cannot blame them. To do anything less dilutes the value & importance of the certification.

Today I saw a job posting I normally wouldn't even bother to read because it is for a specialized position I do not have the education & experience for.....or at least I shouldn't have the requisite experience:
Senior Accountant      ID#######


Senior Accountant
KXXX News Group, a Belo station, has an immediate opening for an individual to work as a Senior Accountant in the Business Office handling Accounting and Human Resources activities.
Accounting Duties
Responsible for accounting functions including but not limited to completion of monthly close, account reconciliations, fixed assets, balance sheet management, account analysis, various statistical reports, and collections. Also coordinates internal control procedures, Sarbanes Oxley testing, and assists Controller with special projects.
Human Resources Duties
Responsible for local HR administrative duties, including but not limited to new employee orientation, EEO tracking and reporting, job and career fair exhibitor, recruiting, workers compensation coordinator, local contact for HR and benefit questions.
Qualifications 
Position requires excellent organizational skills, strong verbal and written communication, ability to multi-task and work under strict deadlines. Ability to maintain confidentiality is imperative. Individual should be proficient in MS Word, Excel, Outlook and automated financial systems. BA Accounting degree and minimum 4 years experience preferred. Knowledge of PeopleSoft a plus.
KXXX is an equal opportunity employer. Applicant finalists will be required to furnish evidence of employment authorization and identification.

Do you see anything wrong with this job position? No wonder I cannot get an HR position....I should have been working towards CPA Exam!

Empty Promises to at Least This Veteran

I just have no freakin idea who is in charge of the mess that is the Veterans Retraining Assistance Program (VRAP), but I'm thinking it was one of those initiative intended to make people feel good and not really intending to actually help veterans.

I spent time & money attending school towards a "high-demand" occupation. I graduated last May and you know how many of these "high demand" jobs I've seen come up in this field? One....well technically two, but one required a Masters Degree and a bunch of experience.

Now the whole idea behind VRAP is giving unemployed Veterans help & opportunity for employment. I just wonder how they intend to actually accomplish this task. Today, more than three months after graduating I receive my first contact from the Department of Labor.....the Dept. "in charge" of VRAP:

June 20, 20131

Dear Christopher Stogdill,

Thank you for participating in the Veterans Retraining Assistance Program (VRAP).

We at the U.S. Department of Labor (DOL) and Department of Veterans Affairs (VA) would like to take this opportunity to wish you well as you begin your job search2 for the high demand occupation of General and Operations Managers3.  We would also like to inform you that as you begin your career search, you are not alone4.  DOL supports nearly 2,800 American Job Centers, sometimes known as One-Stop Career Centers, across the country that can provide you with high quality career services at no cost to you.

Whether you are looking to explore new opportunities, update your resume featuring VRAP training, receive tips on interviewing techniques and preparing cover letters, find out more information about salaries and benefits in various occupations, or receive assistance with your job search, American Job Centers are ready to provide you the career services you want!  In addition, your military service entitles you to Veterans’ priority of service in all of our American Job Centers!

To find out more about the services available at American Job Centers and to search your state’s job bank we encourage you to visit, http://www.careeronestop.org/.  To find the American Job Center nearest you please visit, http://www.servicelocator.org/ where you will be able to find the nearest American Job Center location by entering your zip code or city and state. Also, visit DOL personnel collocated at your local VA Benefits Regional Office. To find the Regional Office nearest you please visit, http://www2.va.gov/directory/guide/home.asp.

Again we want to thank you for your participation in VRAP, and encourage you to take advantage of all the career services currently available at your nearest American Job Center.  An American Job Center staff member will be in contact with you to offer assistance and help you achieve your career goals.

Sincerely,

The US Department of Labor

1) June 20th?! Still a whole month after I graduated. Some help then would have been useful......
2) "As I begin my job search"? If I didn't need the help this would all be a moot point.
3) Umm.....while I have a degree and experience in that field, that isn't the one I entered VRAP for.
4) I've been alone so far........ 

Blog of Tattoo EPIC FAILS

Those of you who know me in real life know that I have some ink. Nothing too major, just three pieces that hold a strong personal significance to me.

I am neither for nor against tattoos, excepting for some stupid ones, because I think tatts are, or at least should be, personal. I also expect people wanting to get ink done to be mature and sober. In case my nephew reads this, I think getting your last name tattooed across the whole of your back (shoulder to shoulder) in an ugly font is a bad idea.

I think getting wasted on a three day pass in a foreign country and then getting your first, second, third and fourth tattoos covering your shoulders and both pecs is also a bad idea. I wish I had taken pictures of the guy I'm thinking about.

Seriously though...bad tatts basically just turn you into a walking billboard of dumbassery. Why let people know at a glance that you are stupid? Let them walk up and talk to you for a while first. Make them earn that knowledge. Of course I do realize that telling dumb people about earning knowledge is oxymoronic...and they wouldn't be reading this anyway.

The whole purpose of this post, aside from a related story I'll have to tell later this week, is to draw attention to this awesome blog called Hanzi Smatter. People send in picture of their Kanji tatts and the blog author translates them. Evidently there are a lot of tattoo parlors that have several kanji "alphabets" where people just get English words and phrases translated on a letter-by-letter basis.

Anyone who has traveled outside of the US to non-English speaking countries pretty much at all should understand why this just doesn't work. First of all, language differences aren't just a difference in alphabet and pronunciation. Proper nouns, idioms, well everything comes from a different train of thought.

I'm not going to get into semantics, but with Kanji whole words or even sentences/concepts in English can be expressed with a single graphic. Besides, unless you can actually understand the language, do you really want to have some foreign writing permanently etched onto your body?

These people did......

Hazing Incident Shows Escalating Creep of Bullying

I remember, back in the day, when "hazing" was little more than a few stupid pranks, like sending the new guy for map rectangles or making him change the winter air out of the tires and put in the summer air.

It seems like over the years hazing has just become another term for bullying, but this time you bully people that you like?

A slow and steady escalation of hazing BS over the years has finally come to a head. There are a couple safe for work, but disturbing, pictures that I'll post after the break. If you come in straight to this article there isn't much I can do.

Textastrophe

This falls under both "WTF" and "Awesomesauce" categories because it has me laughing heartily and scratching my head trying to figure out just what kind of moronic genius came up with this idea.

Textastrophe is personalized trolling at its best. This guy/girl/comedic robot finds people's cell number from advertising and then starts a dialogue with them that quickly spirals out of control.

I really don't want to post any spoilers for these dialogues, but you can see them all at the Textastrophe website, just after a short intro from the comedian itself:
"Next time you post your phone number in a public place, think again. This is a collection of text messages I've exchanged with people who have done just that.

textastrophe@gmail.com"

Enjoy...

Found a New Category for Kickstarter Epic Fails: WTF Projects

Now I'm not one to actively dismiss someone else's creative efforts out of hand, but I am quick to call BS on general stupidity or simply dumb ideas.

Love Kickstarter or hate it, you have to admit that there are a lot of good projects seeking funding and a lot of bad ones as well.

Few projects tick me off more than people who ask for "money so I can quit my job and try to put out X, Y, or Z product" A close second are those that just want to ask for money so they can then screw over their usual business partners.

A week or two ago I found the 3rd worst: simply dumb projects. The other day/week I was looking through local projects and came across what I thought was the perfect specimen for a WTF project. A "graphic designer" made a design featuring the name of a city he used to live in and a picture of his kid. That city isn't even in the same time zone as the one either one of us lives in, so there is no "local appeal". The design is such that the kid could look like any boy that age living within around here, which I don't know if it is good or bad.

I don't care for the design myself....I don't need a graphic of a city name and someone else's kid. Maybe that is just me....but I really doubt it. The Kickstarter project intends to get some 4x4 stickers made of this art because, "I have shown the design to several family, friends and friends of my son, they all loved it and have asked me to get them printed as stickers."

Again, maybe this is just me, but if your friends and family wanted stickers of your kid, then why don't you either ask them for money or just pony up the cash yourself? I can't see strangers ponying up $1-$25 dollars so they can get a sticker for every buck they donate. Evidently I am not the only one because although this Kickstarter began on April 18th, there hasn't even been $1 donated.

Seriously? Grandma didn't even kick in a buck? Are you sure folks wanted these stickers, or were they just being polite? Maybe you should just go down to FedExOffice (used to be Kinkos) and have some stickers printed for yourself. It'll only cost a couple bucks....

Am I just getting too cynical regarding Kickstarter or is there a need for some kind of vetting process to get projects onto the sight? I realize that these two options are not mutually exclusive.

Why do Non-Floridians Give a Rat's-Ass About Florida's Early Voting?

First of all, in the interest in fairness and disclosure, I need to state that I identify myself publicly ...as in registered...as a Republican. I don't vote party line and I like to make up my own mind, it is just that ends up more often being on the Republican side of things than the Democrat side.

Usually though, when I'm pissed about politics it isn't about sides so much.

I was reading online today about the Democrats in Florida asking to have early voting extended because they were doing so well at the polls.  The article, obviously biased on the side of Democrats, stated  essentially they were killing it at the polls at the last election, so the Republican State Congress dicked them over by reducing the time for early voting, having it end Saturday.  Now the Democrats are declaring early voting a success and want the Governor to extend the voting.  The article went on to say that they liked early voting because they could get voters in easier because they could get multiple attempts to persuade them to vote.

WTF A Christmas Story 2?!

You have got to be kidding me!

I realize that sometimes it is hard to be creative, but does everything deserve a remake or a &^%#$! sequel?

I just learned this morning that they are making a sequel to "A Christmas Story".  That movie came out almost 30 years ago.  It was a self-contained story that is my generations "It's a Wonderful Life".

While I know I cannot speak for everyone, I'm certain that a lot of people are like me and thinking not just no, but hell no!




That painful sensation you feel in your stomach while watching this?  That is your childhood being raped.  OK, rape may be way too strong of a word.  "Inappropriate touching" ok?

11/7/12 Edit
I saw this video for sale at a truck stop while on my way to Spokane, WA from Boise, ID.  Looks like it didn't just go straight-to-video, but straight-to-video-hell.

WTFriday Sounds About Right Gizmodo.

Gizmodo pointed me towards this YouTube clip.  The entry title on Gizmodo was WTFriday, and I cannot think of a more appropriate way to put this.

Seriously....this is what the Star Wars universe is being boiled down to?

I guess 'Ol George's printing press was fresh out of singles so he scraped the bottom of the idea bucket until he found some other Star Wars idea he could try and make a few bucks off of.

Hey George, I don't know how to to put this to you in a more succinct fashion: Please come up with something new.  Even JK Rowling is able to come up with some new ideas after Harry Potter.  Maybe you could try and imagine a new storyline instead of squeezing every last drop out of an idea best left in the 70's and 80's.

So Sad, But True

One of the webcomics I read religiously is Saturday Morning Breakfast Cereal (SMBC).  It is a simple comic as far as the drawings go, and a rather complex comic as far as the humor goes.

I'm sure SMBC is downright hilarious if you were a mathematician or a physicist, but it is still funny for us non-rocket scientists....or at least for this non-rocket scientist.

This morning I found the comic so in tune with some recent observations on the idiocy of the average American, or at least the average American that comments on blog/news articles.

8/7/12 SMBC Cartoon

First you have all the people using the comment system to make a crack at Gold-medal Olympian Gabby Douglas.  I realize that folks like to push people down when they are on top of the world.....I don't understand it, but I acknowledge it.  It takes less energy to tear someone down than it does to get off your own ass and build yourself up.  This has become enough of a "thing" that the commentary is making itself a news story.

Then you have these heroes talking smack about a 13 year old girl that was propositioned by a couple in Gurnee, IL.  Seriously?  I don't know how messed up these people's foray into puberty was, but to foist their shortcomings onto an anonymous little girl?  Wow.....

Oh no.....oh no.....

You would expect that a father would have some basic understanding about the whole "circle of life" thing, but if you watch and listen to this video it is apparent that not every father seems to get this basic premise.

The folks over at Gawker.com alerted me to this little gem of a video.  I don't want to ruin the surprise for you, but it is really apparent just a few seconds in what is going to happen and the whole deal seems pretty sedate.

Actually....the father's response is quite sedate as well, but funny in an almost pathetic way.  I just wish the video was longer and we got to see when they wandered over to the monkey cage.....

Small Business Owners Have a Free Ride?

I generally try to stay away from discussing politics on my blog unless I really need to speak out against something that is just wrong, like the SOPA bill.

As our country moves forward into this election year and beyond I see more issues coming down to small margins of majority, meaning that we will be about as divided as we can be.  That is ok with me as long as both sides can still work together.

Which means that everyone needs to focus on issues that need to be addressed and not attacking each other, which is what usually happens.  The level of focus required to work on issues and not people comes from clear and strong leadership, leadership that starts with the President.

I think the average American puts way too much stock into what a Presidential candidate promises when running for election.  In many ways the President doesn't "do" much of anything.....directly.  The office appoints leaders and advisers that help motivate and guide the rest of the legislature.  In short, the President leads others into doing things and in many ways has to serve as an example.

Seriously...Man Candles?

It has come to my attention that Yankee Candle has come out with a line of "Man Candles".  Now you can spend a lot of money making your house smell like crap that belongs somewhere else.

Seriously....$28 for a candle that smells like I just mowed the yard? Here's a tip.....MOW YOUR YARD AND LEAVE THE ^!%$ WINDOWS OPEN!  Take some of you clippings, roll them up in some cheesecloth and place in on your register vents.  You don't need a Riding Mower candle.

If you want to smell some 2x4's, go to your hardware store.  Spend $28 on some actual 2x4's and then make something with them!

While I'm on my rant, can someone please explain to me how Yankee Candle managed to trademark the term 2x4?

The other scents in the line are First Down and Man Town.  I get the idea of First Down, but Man Town....WTF is that?  If you want something that smells like a man, ask you father what cologne he wears.....odds are it is the same crap he's been using since you were a kid.  Spend the $5 for the Old Spice or Aqua Velva and splash some of it on an old rag.

Take the other $23 and use it to buy gas for your mower, a football, or some more lumber.

WTF GI Joe?!

I was complete set to watch GI Joe this month and for some reason they've decided to postpone the release date and flush pretty much all the money spent on marketing so far down the drain.

The "some reason" is that they decided less than a month before the release date to make GI Joe: Retaliation a 3D film.

Wow.....really?  You decide now you want the movie to be in 3D?  You couldn't have.....I don't know, filmed it in 3D to begin with?  I just don't understand this rationale.

What I do get is that maybe there is too much competition for the original release date, or that maybe Hasbro's stock price can only tolerate one over-priced movie bomb per year.  Maybe the initial fallout from Battleship is just too much for the company to take.

The only silver lining I see is that, according to Deadline.com, this move allowed TED to jump ahead to an earlier, hopefully better, release date.