A little bit of this, and a little bit of that
I’m surprised, but delighted that Netflix listened to its customers. I guess they are smart after all.
We Are Keeping Netflix Profiles
Dear Dona,
You spoke, and we listened. We are keeping Profiles. Thank you for all the calls and emails telling us how important Profiles are.
We are sorry for any inconvenience we may have caused. We hope the next time you hear from us we will delight, and not disappoint, you.
-Your friends at Netflix
Among the old photographs I took from my mother’s house are a few newspaper articles. This is one of my favorites. The driver was my Grandpa Green. I think it happened about 1957, based on my grandpa’s age.
Bunny ‘Bugs’ Passing Driver
A rabbit was blamed for an accident which sent Walter T. Green, 47, of 501 Raymond St., to St. Joseph Hospital early Sunday morning for treatment of a cut lip, bruises, and shock. Green was driving west on Bent street, west of Willard Avenue, when the rabbit darted into the path of his car and stopped, apparently attracted by the headlights. Green swerved to miss the rabbit and did but his car hit the railing of a bridge. Considerable damage was done to his car and the bridge railing.
Although, I mostly remember him as the Conductor on Thomas the Tank Engine. Rip George.
Yesterday was our 23rd wedding anniversary. It slipped my mind. Not that Dean was anywhere with cell phone coverage so I could have wished him a Happy Anniversary, but I could have remembered. I didn’t remember until I got an email from him this afternoon after he and Clare made it back to civilization. Then he called and wished me a belated happy anniversary.
Had he been around, I wouldn’t have forgotten, honestly.
I guess we’ll celebrate when they get back.
Gah — I hate online bulletin boards. People on them forget how to be civil to one another and race to see who can scold a new poster for not reading the entire thread (or searching for an answer) before asking a question. I imagine the folks doing the scolding are people who were once scolded for the same action.
Another tactic some veteran users like to do is pick apart someone’s post by asking them to define certain words or phrases used. In real life, do these same people listen to someone talking about their love of the color blue and then say something like, “Define ‘I really like the color blue’. Do you like cerulean blue or is it sky blue you are gushing about?” Gee, can’t someone profess to like the color blue without having to go into detail?
I think it has to do with pecking order. Some people feel better about themselves if they put other people down. Then if the person being put down complains, the putter-downer either accuses the put-downee of being too sensitive or misinterpreting their earlier comment or being not open to challenge. Perhaps they really feel that way, but I doubt it.
I should know better than to post in online forums, because no matter that I’ve been posting in online forums longer than some of the members in forums have been able to type their names I’m often considered a “n00b” because I’ve only posted one or two comments in the couple of forums to which I still belong.
We were this close [imagine me holding up my thumb and forefinger about a centimeter apart] to buying an Eye-fi explore for our Ireland trip. It sounded ideal:
However, on further investigation, it is not “certified” (whatever that means) to work outside the US. And there are huge gaps in the areas that are already mapped.
It seems they are using a newish technology called Skyhook to map areas, and Skyhook is faulty. I downloaded their toolbar called Loki and clicked “find me”. It put me a mile or so away from where I actually am. Then when I chose to map my real location, I was asked to find my mac address. I’m too lazy to find my mac address. And, if I weren’t too lazy, what security / privacy issues would there be if I gave out that information?
I thought that Eye-fi used satelites like most other mapping devices. I’m very disappointed and won’t be spending $130 for a 2 GB card.
I need to get back to birding. I mean really birding. Not just the incidental kind of birding I’ve been doing for nearly two decades.
I’ve not been on many real bird walks with real birders — once I went to Huntley Meadows with a bird group and that was educational. I’m over my reluctance to be around people who can identify birds faster than I can (I used to not allow myself to add a bird to my lists if I didn’t ID it myself). I think that being in the company of other birders would be good for me in a couple of ways. I’d certainly learn a lot more about birds than by learning on my own. Being in the company of like-minded people is always a good thing.
I’ve subscribed to a few birding weblogs and the adventures that people are having make me want to be out having adventures too, instead of reading about other people’s adventures.
I think I’ll look into joining a local birding group. I think Montgomery County has one.
Netflix just sent me an email:
Important News Regarding Netflix Profiles
Dear Dona,
We wanted to let you know we will be eliminating Profiles, the feature that allowed you to set up separate DVD Queues under one account, effective September 1, 2008.
Each additional Profile Queue will be unavailable after September 1, 2008. Before then, we recommend you consolidate any of your Profile Queues to your main account Queue or print them out.
While it may be disappointing to see Profiles go away, this change will help us continue to improve the Netflix website for all our customers.
If you have any questions, please go to http://www.netflix.com/Help?p_faqid=3962 or call us anytime at 1 (888) 638-3549. We apologize for any inconvenience.
- The Netflix Team
While this won’t bother me — I quit using profiles a long time ago because Dean and the kids would put the same movies on their queues as I had on mine and it got confusing — I imagine a lot of people are going to be upset. Especially since Netflix gives no reason except “To continue to improve the Netflix website for all our customers”. Some examples would have been in order.
Dang — these folks at Netflix are not as smart as I thought.
I pledged to download Firefox 3 today to help Mozilla create a Guiness World Record by being the largest one day download in history. I don’t know what the current record is, but Mozilla wants to top it.
So, if you want to be a part of history, go to the Firefox 3 Download Day page and download and install Firefox 3. But make sure you’re wearing sunglasses because it’s really shiny!
Try this if the other link doesn’t work — they’re having some techinical difficulties.
Remember Doug? My friend and hairstylist? Did I mention in that earlier post that Doug is also a singer-songwriter? Nope? Well, my mistake. Doug’s a darn good singer-songwriter.
He’s also a great sport and recently began to enter contests. Not counting hair-related contests, he has entered at least three contests in the past couple of years, all involving music. The first was a challenge to write a new tune for the Choc Full o’ Nuts jingle. He wrote a few and made it to the finals with at least one of them. (I’ll check other computers to see if I have a copy).
Not long after that, Doug entered an American Idol contest to come up with an original song for that show. He wrote and sang Dream Come True for that contest.
Most recently Doug entered to become a contestant on Nashville Star — country & western’s answer to American Idol. His email about his experience had the whole family in stitches. Doug seemed to have had a lot of fun at the audition:
“Friday March 14, Westin Grand Hotel in DC, near GWU. Open call. I arrive at 11:30 am and enter a line 2 blocks long. I have long, straightened hair, and a redneck bandanna. In a sea of cowboy hats and boots, I am the only bandanna-guy…
…I decided that if I was fortunate enough to make the call-back,I would slip quietly through the door, not calling attention to myself. Or so I thought. When you were in the next group of five waiting to audition, they had you sit down in a little row of seats, with bright lights and cameras on you (all day extensive footage was being filmed). I had a metal tuning fork, and would tap my head with it, then hold it to my ear to get my note….
…I was the last of the three, and heard the cheers as the other two made their entrances. Now it was my turn, and the staff wanted a BIG entrance. “Ready? OK, IT’S YOUR TIME! GO! GO!!!” So I leapt through the door, and with no idea what to do, found myself pumping my arms in the air, and shouting “SHAZAAM!!” at the top of my lungs…. and you could have heard a pin drop. No one other than the camera man was expecting a third person through the door!!! So my entrance caused people to turn my way, and the camera was put in my face with me laughing like crazy and feeling like a huge idiot. The interviewer said, “Tell us about that tuning fork. You must really want to sing on key”. And with no hesitation, I blurted out, “No, that’s not for singing, I just like to smack myself in the head sometimes. It keeps me in line”.”
Well, Doug didn’t make the cut, but he did make the Nashville Star TV commercial and part of his audition is on YouTube (see below). He’s also in the sideshow on the Nashville Star web site. He’s the one in the black bandanna, just to the right of the Nashville Star logo. Click the image to enlarge it. Or click here to see the image with Doug highlighted.
Netflix & Xbox 360
Glad I waited and didn’t go out and buy a Roku. This fall Netflix “watch instantly” material will be available through our Xbox 360. Glad my son bought one… I guess we’ll need to contribute to his Gold membership now. Or not. Shhhh, don’t suggest it to him. (0)
I want one!
This way cool “toy” connects to the Internet through your wifi connection and does lots of fun things like tell you the weather forecast, read you the headlines, alert you to messages, and play online radio programs. (0)
College Road Trip Expenses
Hotels: $700
Food: $500
Gas, etc.: $300
Necessities: $200
Spending quality time with Clare: Priceless
(0)
Netflix Keeping Profiles
I’m surprised, but delighted that Netflix listened to its customers. I guess they are smart after all.
We Are Keeping Netflix Profiles Dear Dona, You spoke, and we listened. We are keeping Profiles. Thank you for all the calls and emails telling us how important Profiles are. We are sorry for any inconvenience we may have caused. We hope the next time you hear from us we will delight, and not disappoint, you. -Your friends at Netflix(0)
Recent Comments