Would it be so bad to encourage high school students to think of a way they can generate lots of money by creating something new and unique (perhaps via the internet) that will enable them to avoid the daily 9-5 grind, instead of hopelessly heading into the traditional college-then-work experience most people follow?

It’s a long question, I know. But think about it. Why are you encouraging kids to follow the path of least resistance? Why are you saying it’s okay to be mediocre and follow a traditional path? You know where that path goes. You know the end is a shitty 9-5 job that hardly pays the bills that forces you to work for some asshole who doesn’t give a shit about you.

You do know that most of the world is kicking our ass in math and science, right? You do know that our comfortable way of living is under daily jeapardy because of globalization and economic change. You do know that the dollar is sliding in value, and that it is not getting any easier for kids growing up, right?

So why are you encouraging kids to follow a template that’s at least a generation past its prime? What good is a college degree when everyone has one? What good is a college degree anyway when it only marginally prepares you for a job that might, just might, enable you to purchase a mid-size economy car for 4.5% APR when you’re 25?

Ooooh, a brand new mid-size car at 25 that the bank will own until you’re 30. I bet you tell the kids that, don’t you? I bet you tell them college is the only answer while you ponder what you’re going to do with your measly stimulus check.

Is college the only way? Maybe, if you want to become a doctor or lawyer, or learn some kind of specialty. But in reality it’s a small supplement towards success that depends on a bunch of other factors. Guidance counselors and parents obsessed with SAT scores and college rankings only understand one small piece of the puzzle. And they either will not explain or cannot explain because they can not understand the other pieces. Surprisingly, the other pieces are not that hard to figure out. And I suspect it’s why more young people, kids, figure it out before adults.

Over the past few weeks I’ve been using Craigslist extensively to look for bargain furniture as well as sell a few items to raise money. For the longest time I stayed away from the site mainly because the spam became unmanageable. Try searching for a job in the sales or marketing categories in any city and you’ll see what I mean. Not only will you bear witness to the biggest assortment of scams and spams, but more than likely you’ll end up missing out on some of the legitimate opportunities due to the barrage of trash.

Now, obviously Craigslist is a hugely valuable site to millions of people everyday. But I can’t help wondering how much more useful and potentially profitable it could be to people if Craig Newmark simply raised the posting standards. Why create a website that caters to the lowest common denominator of posters? Why wouldn’t you want to create rules that encourage people to post coherently for the good of the community? Why allow so many to clutter up a website and get in the way of the people who truly do matter?

Here are a few suggestions I came up with that I think would cut down on the spam and the nonsense:

1.) Forbid the use of complicated HTML in the job posting board. Or, just eliminate the ability to post any pictures in the job boards at all. Why would employer need to add photos to a job listing anyway?  This will help eliminate all those smarmy-looking get-rich-quick schemes that always feature a photograph of some guy driving a convertible or a woman tossing hundred dollar bills in the air. Make it so it’s OK to use basic HTML like your paragraph breaks <p> and such, but not image <img> codes.

2.) Forbid the use of extensive capital letters. If there is one constant that has held up since the creation of the internet, it’s that the greater use of capital letters in a posting is equal to the stupidity and/or falsity of the post. Why can’t Craigslist implement a simple code to its site that makes using more than, say, five capital letters in a row illegal?

3.) Forbid the use of extensive exclamation points. More than just a grammar atrocity, heavy exclamation points are generally indicative of an absurdly hyped post about some scam or other. Get the rid of them and Craigslist would help rid itself of the reputation as “that site with all the spam.”

4.) Forbid the use of links in “for sale.” There are so many times I’ve clicked a headline only to be taken to a page with nothing more than a few words and a link to some dealer’s crappy website. If you’re letting people come in just to link out, you’re not letting your website stay the final destination. Craigslist should make itself the source, not the gateway to whatever awful dimensions await those not wary enough to identify a scam.

5.) Charge a small fee for job postings. Craigslist already charges for large markets like NY and LA, but why not add charges to other large cities? Even a mere dollar-a-post fee would help cut down the spam almost overnight. Fees wouldn’t even have to go entirely towards the profit, they could go towards some kind of monthly charity.

Craig Newmark seems to have this sentiment that it’s OK to profit some money, just not LOTS of money. That’s all well in good, but such thinking appears indicative of a live-and let-live mentality that, while noble, gives spammers a virtual license to inflict all manner of atrocity on Craigslist.org. How does that help the broader community? How does that help the people that actually use the site for its intended purpose?

It’ll never be perfect. Nothing ever is. But I think there’s a few easy, virtually cost-free ways that Craigslist could be made a haven for do-gooders and a nightmare for those otherwise.

Rick and John, friends from school

Rick: Have you seen that awesome tree fort Timmy’s building in his backyard?

John: It’s not a tree fort, stupid. It’s a defense base capable of total global destruction.

Rick: Really? He must be really smart to know how to build that.

John: I’ll say. He’s definitely cooler than my dad.

Rick: Yeah, my dad sucks too. I wish Timmy was my dad.

John: Me too!

Jeffrey Allen, friendly neighborhood police officer

Hmmm, well that’s an odd contraption in the Gibbons’ backyard. The sides look like pure titanium alloy, and are probably indestructible. And that’s certainly some kind of missile silo constructed next to the dog house. Is that Timmy carrying bullet proof glass to install in the windows? Wow, that kid really knows his stuff. I bet that fort has all kinds of cool things like laser beams and rocket launchers, too. Well, I quit. I’m gonna call my boss and tell him this town’s a got a new defender. Maybe Timmy will hire me as a body guard or something.

Jenny and Megan, more yucky girls from school

Jenny: Have you seen that huge base Timmy built in his backyard?

Megan: It’s amazing. No way girls are ever getting in there!

Jenny: That’s because girls suck. I’m never talking to Timmy again!

Megan: Me too. He makes me feel so stupid I just wanna die!

The Pentagon

General Daniels: Captain Rex McPowers, you are America’s bravest soldier. Your new mission is to find a way to break into Timmy Gibbons’ strategic defense compound at 83 Mulberry Circle and steal his tech secrets.

Captain Rex McPowers: That’s suicide, General! Even I’m not brave enough to try something like that.

General Daniels: I implore you, Captain. The fate of the country, no the world, rests in your hands. You must go now!

Captain Rex McPowers: Yes sir!

Takes off in rocket pack

Colonel Smith: But General, what if the reports about that Super Soaker turret on Timmy’s base are true?

General Daniels: [Slowly stoking cigar] Then God help us all.

(Timmy Gibbons also does push-ups, and is incredibly strong.)

Whenever I hear people gripe about the price of oil I always smile and think to myself that those same people will generally have no problem plunking down hundreds or even thousands of dollars on some luxury they really don’t need. Luxuries like iced lattes, cigarettes, gym memberships and especially cell phones.

While gas is certainly expensive relative to a few years ago, it’s nothing that can’t be managed provided you budget your money reasonably. I’m not even talking about penny pinching. I’m talking about making basic purchase decisions that give you far more leverage as a consumer. Far too often people simply buy into whatever is marketed at them without examining to see if it’s actually a good deal or just a mechanism for some conglomerate to continually rip them off month after month.

Over the weekend I looked into my cell phone plan with AT&T and quickly discovered that I was vastly overpaying for services I hardly used. As a 26-year old guy I generally use my phone for more functional purposes (i.e. setting appointments, business, non-chit-chat related things) and don’t usually talk on the phone too much with friends or even family. So it really doesn’t make sense for someone like me to have a plan that gives me a whole bunch of minutes I will never use.

Plus, I also learned that the price AT&T gives you in their marketing brochure is never the actual price you pay in the end. There are usage fees that might include things like email and text messaging, as well as government taxes and roaming charges. There is also the inexplicable $5.00 charge tacked onto my bill bearing zero explanation. Mind you, I’m paying for AT&T’s basic package at $39.99 a month for 450 anytime minutes and unlimited nights and weekend. I do text occasionally, and while it might have saved me a few dollars to add the $5.00 texting service, I never felt I texted enough to justify the cost. In a given month here’s about how my bill breaks down:

Basic Fee: $39.99 (which mysteriously turns into $44.98 with the addition of $4.99)

Taxes, government fees: $4.35

These costs reflect entirely what AT&T and taxes control. I didn’t add texting because I control that cost based on how much I text per month. Also missing are late payment fees and other miscellaneous usage fees. While I generally pay on time now, last year during a prolonged period of joblessness I repeatedly paid late and paid big time for it.

But all in all, my bill for AT&T’s “basic” plan averages out to $49.33 per month. That’s $591.96 per year.

Now, I don’t know about you, but that seems a little high for a stupid cell phone. Especially for one that I don’t even use that much, gives crappy service, and requires a two-year commitment service contract. I’ve had AT&T for over three years now, so fortunatly I’m now no longer tethered to the service contract. Actually, I’m “eligible for an upgrade.” How’s that for friendly-sounding corporate jargon? I mean, am I a human or a robot?

So this past weekend I finally bought a new cell on a pay as you go basis with Virgin Mobile. The reasons for becoming a payasyougoist are many, but they basically boil down to saving you money. Actually, lots of money if you’re not a particularly big cell phone user. Here’s the breakdown for my new cell plan:

Cost of phone: $106.99. The package included the Wild Card model with $20 worth of minutes, and a Bluetooth headset. A bit pricey to be sure, but then you’re not tied to a 2-year contract.

Cost of 200 minutes per month: $20. I don’t think in all my years using AT&T’s basic plan I once went over 200 minutes during any month. Of course, if I do I can always buy more minutes, but no matter what I still retain control over my cell plan rather than relinquishing control to some faceless corporation that thinks of me as a robot in need of an “upgrade.”

Here’s the best part, comparing the two plans:

Cost of AT&T’s basic plan: $49.33 per month, or $591.96 per year.

Cost of Virgin Mobile’s plan: $20 per month, or $346.99 per year with the $106.99 price of phone included.

Total savings: $29.33 per month, or 244.97 per year.

For switching from AT&T to Virgin Mobile’s pay as you go plan my total savings comes out to around 41%. I’d say that’s pretty significant considering I don’t lose anything by switching, and gain a brand new and better model cell phone.

I know it seems like I’m shilling for Virgin Mobile. I’m not. I could care less who the company is offering me the plan provided it gives me the best value. There may be better deals out there minutes-wise, and for some people having a monthly plan and two-year agreement makes sense.

But what’s more important is that I retain control over my plan. If I need more minutes, I buy more without having to worry about upgrading my plan. If I don’t buy them, eventually my service ends and that’s that. No cancellation fees, no reactivation fees. No nonsense.

It’s a great way to control your spending if money’s tight, as it is for me and many other Americans at the present time. When the minutes dry up, you just don’t make any more calls until the next cycle. However, even if all of a sudden I needed to double my minutes to $40, I still save $9.33 per month compared to AT&T’s plan. That’s leverage, the ability to consume more without disproportionately affecting your expenditures. In other words, it’s getting the best value for your money and not letting some company take advantage of you. It’s something Americans have largely forgotten about in the face of endless credit card offers, subprime mortgages, $80 pairs of jeans, $2000 laptops, and a host of other pointless trinkets that don’t make sense to buy unless you’re in the upper income bracket.

Stop bickering about the price of oil. It’ll keep going up, because it’s based on supply and demand and right now there is a ton of demand in the wake of emerging markets in China and India. Worry about needless things you’re paying for month after month, and about getting the best value and leverage for your money. And whether that faceless conglomerate you’re shoveling money onto every month thinks of you as a robot or a human.

The unusual thing about Iron Man is that it comes across so open-ended and exploratory. It’s as though it’s one big expensive pilot TV episode in what will assuredly be a long and expensive Marvel series. This is contrary to the previous Marvel offerings like Spider-man and X-men that were worlds contained unto themselves. Spiderman has his own dimension. The X-men have theirs. They are seperate and distinct and happen to like it that way thank you very much.

But with Iron Man, “Worlds are colliding!” as George memorably lamented in ‘Seinfeld.’ It’s clear from the story’s structure that this film is meant as one piece in a larger puzzle that will include other superhero characters in the future. In a nod to the film’s altruistic themes, Iron Man doesn’t seek to attract too much attention to himself. It’s as though it’s saying, “Whoa, hey guys, I’m not the only superhero on the block.”

And therein lies the main problem. The main character (Tony Stark/Iron Man) really isn’t the main characters as much as he is a prop mechanism meant to introduce other special-effects laden persons in presumably future installments. This comes as no surprise given the timing of the film—it is itself a springboard to the summer box office extravaganza by virtue of its release date and the fact that its explosions per meaningful dialogue ratio is absurdly out of balance. But is it too much to ask for this film to concentrate on one story at a time rather than immediatly leaving the door open for sequels? Spiderman is all about—Spiderman! Batman is all about—Batman! But Iron Man is all about…well, not so much Iron Man as a whole new style of comic book movies.

Yes, this is the new era. Spiderman 3 closed out the end of Marvel 1.0. Now it’s on to 2.0, in which it becomes necessary to intersect plots and characters in order to raise the bar. Twenty years ago filming a superhero movie was like building the Titanic. Now it’s a common occurrence, and indeed a bit cheaper and easier to bring the flashy graphics that must aid the bank accounts of optometrists the world over to the screen. It’s somewhat like Moore’s Law only applied to capes and spandex instead of transistors.

[DC take note. Marvel has its projects lined up through the middle of the next decade, and each one brings something new to the table. More characters, more action, and new plots. What have you got, besides Stan Lee bugging you for a cameo role?]

But onto Iron Man, the movie that breaks with superhero tradition in one major way: There’s no big coming out party for the metal guy. There’s no moment in which he flies in to save the day. Even fighting Iron Monger and rescuring a few innocent Afghans from some gritty warlords comes across as rote and predictable. Actually, good ol’ private American citizens are never once in harm’s way (except for one amusing scene with an SUV on the freeway during the climax) during the whole movie. Spiderman had his big debut in Times Square against the Green Goblin. Supes rescued Lois in front of hundreds in Metropolis. Batman smashed a few bad guys and captured Gotham’s most notorious crook in Begins. Those debuts were big and theatrical and memorable. They all ended with the hero declaring “I am Spiderman/a friend/Batman.” After leaving the theater, I struggled to remember such a signature scene in Iron Man, and then realized there wasn’t one. With few adjustments to pitch and tone, the film remained virtually dead even througout.

Still, the movie had its moments. Here’s a short list of cool things that combined with the faults still made for a B+ experience.

1.) Robert Downey Jr. = Tony Stark/Iron Man. Another plus for Downey Jr. is that because of his lengthy resume, this role won’t typecast him. They’d just better roll out those sequels fast because he’s not getting any younger.

2.) Jeff Bridges as Obadiah Stane/Iron Monger - I love this guy, seriously. What’s cool about Stane though is that he brings passion and punch to the film right when it’s needed. He’s a shouter, a charismatic, a brooding and scheming opportunist who reeks of money. Plus I think Favreau modeled him slightly on Dick Cheney. It’s just a shame his demise(?) is so easy and convenient considering the weight he brings to the character.

3.) Iron Man cracks a few skulls. The only part of the film that got my blood pumping was when he returns to the Afghan province and bashes some baddies to save a refugee family.

4.) Stark’s sarcastic AI assistant. It’s mostly pretty subtle, but his computer throws in a few good lines during the construction of Mach 2 and 3.

5.) Tony Stark admits he’s Iron Man in a press conference. Another break with tradition here when Stark abandons all pretense of hiding his secret identity in favor of forthrightness. It’s good to see he doesn’t have the hang-ups Spidey had about that kind of thing.

6.) Tony Stark’s chest piece. Serving as both metaphor and practical life-saving device, it was hard to keep my eyes off of it.

Bonus Cool Things:

LG announces the LG Shine Iron Man Limited Edition mobile phone - For the true comic book loser enthusiast. I can’t imagine basing a cell phone purchase on a movie, much less a fictional character, but that is one sweet looking design.

8 Reasons You Should Be Excited About Iron Man - I wrote this rather exuberant piece nearly 14 months ago and it made the front page of Digg. Considering the movie had no real pay off, it makes my article appear over-hyped. However, I was glad to see the pressing matter contained in Reason #6 fully addressed.

(Originally expanded from my Tumblr post)