(From CNN)

Amazon sells 17 Wiis per second

The online retailer records its strongest holiday shopping season ever.

SEATTLE (AP) -- Amazon.com said Wednesday its 2007 holiday season was its strongest to date, with Nintendo Wii game systems and the "Harry Potter and the Order of the Phoenix" DVD among its top-selling products.

The online retailer said it sold about 17 Nintendo Wiis per second when the product was available. The fifth Harry Potter movie led DVD sales, followed by "Planet Earth: The Complete BBC Series" and "Pirates of the Caribbean: At World's End."

Other products that sold well included Garmin GPS systems, the Apple MacBook and KitchenAid stand mixers.

Amazon.com's (AMZN, Fortune 500) said it experienced its strongest holiday sales on Dec. 10, as customers ordered more than 5.4 million items, or 62.5 items per second. The company shipped products to more than 200 countries, with more than 3.9 million units sent on its peak day. 

My jaw dropped when I read the headline. That's just insane.  I know that the Wii is popular, but 17 Wiis per second!??!?!

            You know how nearly every class has that one creepy old guy that all the girls are scared of, and all the guys just wonder why he’s there in the first place?  Hi, kids!

            This semester marks my triumphant return to ECU.  I last walked the hallowed halls of Brewster nine years ago in pursuit of a history degree.  A series of poor choices, bad decisions, and outright laziness, however, allowed it to slip through my fingers.

            I’m very fortunate that I have been able to come back and become that old guy I made fun of so long ago...and that you all make fun of now.  Don’t worry, ladies, I’m really harmless; just a sad teddy bear (i.e., afraid of my wife).

            A few things have changed since my first tour of duty at ECU.  I still have to park 40 miles away at the football stadium, but, if memory serves, those hunting licenses we have to purchase in order to be able to park at the stadium are about $20 cheaper now.

            I never had a professor nine years ago who didn’t think their class was the only one a student had, so they felt free to require 10 or 12 different books, expecting us to read them all, but knowing we wouldn’t.  Those overpriced books I’ll never use again are even more overpriced now, but somewhere along the way our professors opened their eyes and took pity, and now I only have one class with more than three books.

            A word about those books, ladies and gentlemen: no one’s going to hold a gun to your head and make you go broke at the bookstore.  There’s this nifty invention called Amazon.com, and there are kind professors out there who will provide you with a list of texts if you just ask nicely.  I didn’t purchase a single book at the Student Stores, and I saved $85.  That may not sound like much in the grand scheme of things, but it’s two tanks of gas I don’t have to worry about, or dinner at Outback with the wife and a lot of Jack and Cokes.

            Speaking of the Student Stores, something I’ve noticed now that I’ve grown older and fatter is that the distance between there and Brewster has grown by about a half a mile.  I guess I’ll be buying blue books in bulk.

            The bus ride from the stadium to Brewster hasn’t changed much, although I seem to recall the air conditioners on the buses actually working nine years ago before the onset of global warming.  I was not surprised in the least, however, when, on my first day back on the bus, a kid with what Jerry Seinfeld referred to as B.B.O. sat down next to me, despite numerous empty seats all around us.  105-degree weather, no A/C, and funky armpits a pleasant bus ride do not make.

            One thing that has changed is me.  When I was at ECU the first time around, a lot of my current classmates were only eight years old.  I had my chance and I blew it.  I gave up on my dream of ever becoming a history professor who only assigns two books, and for nine years I worked a dead-end job I hated with no future in sight.

            Now I’ve gotten a second chance, but at what cost?  Nine years of my life and thousands of dollars I can’t afford (and without the benefit of financial aid).

            Young people, make fun of the old guy all you want to, but pay attention to your professors too.  Ask questions.  Read every word of those overpriced books.  Don’t start writing your papers at 4:00 in the morning on the day it’s due at 8:00 (been there, done that).  Don’t screw up like I did.  I’m lucky.  Not everyone may be fortunate enough to get the second chance I did.

            Stick with it.  Do your best.  And if you ever ride the bus with me, have the decency to put on some deodorant.

 

© 2007 by J.D. Lewis

My cell phone is gonna get a major boost...I just bought a new battery on Amazon for $3.20!  What a deal.  I guess it helps to have an older phone.  Well, maybe I shouldn't say that.  It's not "old," really but I've had it for about 2 years.  I'm thinking about getting a new phone, but I like the one I have and there's nothing wrong with it.  I could always keep it as a backup, but maybe I'll look into a new one sometime.  But in the meantime, at least I'll have great battery life.

Ever think about how much you would like one of those price guarantees with online stores? I always have thought that it would be a good idea...especially since things seem to go on sale more on the Internet than in real life. One place that I was thinking should definitely have such a guarantee was Amazon. Well now  Amazing Refund has filled that niche. I am ecstatic. You don't have to sign up for a new account, you can use the one you already have with Amazon. They have already set up a sister site so that UK users won't be left out of the fun. You buy everything through Amazon, but Amazing Refund stores your email address so that they can let you know if your item's price has dropped within 30 days after you bought it...then you click through and receive your refund. Easy, no?

disclosed