So I gave in to pressures and went to sign up for Netflix. Actually, it appeared to be the model I think I'm looking for -- movies when I want them from the Internet (no cable). I had trepidation about the quality of the image streamed to the TV from my computer, but I was prepared to work on that.
So I sign up, hit play, and they tell me they won't play the movie because I don't use one of their supported operating systems. First bad thing: I know I'm using an off-the-mainstream operating system (Ubuntu), but that's my choice and my decision to deal with. Stream to me in a standard way and make it my problem to make it work.
So I cancel the account. Second bad thing: They force me to view a questionnaire with many complicated questions about why I'm canceling. Third bad thing: My reason isn't on the list, and they don't allow a free format comment.
So I hit "Contact Us". Fourth bad thing: They don't have an e-mail way to contact them.
Do I feel confident that Netflix will actually have a responsive phone system that lets me talk to a human, after the way they've demonstrated that they're not open to my way of doing things? No way.
Netflix, you ain't getting my money.
Friday, April 8, 2011
Monday, February 14, 2011
Jeopardy
A computer is playing Jeopardy. That's nothing. I want to see computers in reality TV: "Survivor: Data Centre Edition". Linux tribe versus Windows tribe. The question: will J2EE servers choose Linux or Windows? Or "Mobile Edition". Will Nokia and Windows be able to beat out the two tin cans with a string between them?
Sunday, September 26, 2010
Prove It!
When we were 8-9 year old kids, arguments were punctuated with cries of, "prove it." Marc and his friend Krystian were arguing in the back seat today, when Kristian said, "Prove it. Google it."
Saturday, August 21, 2010
Getting Fit to Your Bike Works
When I bought my bike at Mighty Riders, they measured me up to make sure I was buying the right frame. Then when the bike was built they put it in a stand and watched me ride and adjusted it further. It was definitely nice to ride.
However, I was still finding that my feet would go numb after an hour, and other parts would sometimes go numb sooner (I won't name the parts so this blog won't get filtered).
Ed at Mighty said, "Bring it back. We'll check your fit." Apparently, it's now their standard practice to make people come back after they've had their bike for a few months. So we put the bike on the stand two weeks ago and they checked out my style.
First, they made me go buy new shoes. I knew my shoes were on their last legs (ha, ha), but they said the shoes were flexing so much that it would affect my comfort on the bike. Fortunately, Mighty Rider's sister store, On the Rivet, had some good deals on shoes. My feet are a weird shape so I had to spend more than I originally planned, but over the life of the shoes it will amount to about $10 per year to be more comfortable.
When I got back to my bike they had flipped the stem to get my handlebars up a little higher, and changed the angle a bit. They said I should probably get different bars so we can move the brake hoods a bit, but we're leaving that for the next time.
Back on the stand and pedaling, Ed said, "You've got to start the push down with your knee over the crossbar. Think about pushing your foot outwards, not straight down." Fortunately, by chance I'd seen a video clip of someone in the Tour de France this year who was doing exactly that, otherwise I might have thought he was pulling my leg.
I think the pedaling style is probably what has helped the most. I just felt way more comfortable the minute I started to pedal that way. And when I start to feel uncomfortable, it's because I'm forgetting to pedal correctly.
They sure know their stuff at Mighty Riders. After Ed watched me pedal for a few seconds he said, "Go home and measure your thighs by putting a string around them. Your right thigh will be bigger than your left." It was, by more than a centimetre.
However, I was still finding that my feet would go numb after an hour, and other parts would sometimes go numb sooner (I won't name the parts so this blog won't get filtered).
Ed at Mighty said, "Bring it back. We'll check your fit." Apparently, it's now their standard practice to make people come back after they've had their bike for a few months. So we put the bike on the stand two weeks ago and they checked out my style.
First, they made me go buy new shoes. I knew my shoes were on their last legs (ha, ha), but they said the shoes were flexing so much that it would affect my comfort on the bike. Fortunately, Mighty Rider's sister store, On the Rivet, had some good deals on shoes. My feet are a weird shape so I had to spend more than I originally planned, but over the life of the shoes it will amount to about $10 per year to be more comfortable.
When I got back to my bike they had flipped the stem to get my handlebars up a little higher, and changed the angle a bit. They said I should probably get different bars so we can move the brake hoods a bit, but we're leaving that for the next time.
Back on the stand and pedaling, Ed said, "You've got to start the push down with your knee over the crossbar. Think about pushing your foot outwards, not straight down." Fortunately, by chance I'd seen a video clip of someone in the Tour de France this year who was doing exactly that, otherwise I might have thought he was pulling my leg.
I think the pedaling style is probably what has helped the most. I just felt way more comfortable the minute I started to pedal that way. And when I start to feel uncomfortable, it's because I'm forgetting to pedal correctly.
They sure know their stuff at Mighty Riders. After Ed watched me pedal for a few seconds he said, "Go home and measure your thighs by putting a string around them. Your right thigh will be bigger than your left." It was, by more than a centimetre.
Sunday, August 1, 2010
Marc's Summer Camp Show
We put Marc in a one week day camp with Stagecoach, a drama arts school (www.stagecoachschools.ca). The staff there did an awesome job of bringing out the best in all the kids, especially with Marc. I'm very grateful for the care and consideration they gave to Marc.
Here's a rough cut of the Friday afternoon show they did. It has the parts that Marc was in (thank goodness YouTube now allows 15 minutes per video -- saved me some editing).
Here's a rough cut of the Friday afternoon show they did. It has the parts that Marc was in (thank goodness YouTube now allows 15 minutes per video -- saved me some editing).
Thursday, June 24, 2010
Star Wars Concert
We went to a concert of a full orquestra playing music from the Star Wars movies last night. Marc and I went dressed up, me as Count Dooku and Marc as Anakin Skywalker just before he gave in to the dark side of the Force. I think I was the only guy my age, and in fact the only adult, that was in costume. The things we do to keep our kids happy.
Friday, June 18, 2010
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