Monthly Archives: November 2005

Is Netflix “Fixed”?

Posted on by
1

We have been Netflix subscribers since the company started and have our commemorative DVD holder to prove it. I recently received notice of the pending class action lawsuit informing me of my options to join the class and reap the reward of the settlement. I decided to pass on the “free” one month subscription as I was sure it would not be worth the hassle and I have been a pretty satisfied customer over the years.

I read an interesting article today about some of Netflix’s shady business practices which has me reconsidering my loyalty. One paragraph in particular caught my attention:

“What’s more, the lawsuit claims, Netflix gave quick turnaround to new customers and consumers who didn’t watch many movies — their most profitable consumers. Avid movie-watchers who burned up the path to the mailbox were selectively penalized, getting movies slower than other members.”

Now I am not sure whether the accusations are valid but, if true, the decision makers at Netflix will have some serious damage control to contend with over the next few quarters. It is interesting to note that while Netflix admits to none of the behavior/accusations it still decided to settle the case. Maybe losing a few million dollars in the settlement turned out to be cheaper than fighting the lawsuit to the bitter end even after factoring in public perception. The lawyers win regardless (as they usually do) and it will be a travesty if subscribers are hit with higher subscription fees as a result.

Let us hope Netflix has learned from its mistakes (if guilty) and continues providing its service at a reasonable price. If not, I will be going elsewhere.

Keith

T.O. Was Right!

Posted on by
2

OK, I will say it: Donovan McNabb is a McCharlatan.

The Philadelphia Eagles sans Terrell Owens are barely watchable and McNabb’s play against the Dallas Cowboys this evening further confirmed my suspicions. While T.O. should have been more tactful in his outbursts and bellyaching, ultimately his words carried a lot of truth. McNabb was out of shape in last year’s Superbowl. The Eagles care more about maintaining the facade of team unity with McNabb at the helm than winning. If this last point were not true why did coach Reid allow McNabb to re-enter tonight’s game for the possession following his interception when he was clearly incapable of truly competing? Backup QB Mike McMahon would have had a better shot at winning the game for them if the coach was not concerned about hurting his star quarterback’s feelings.

Terrell Owens is an @ss but he is a great receiver. One must look no farther than last year’s Superbowl when T.O. came ready to play despite his doctors’ orders. If T.O. ran the Philadelphia Eagles PR or personnel departments I could understand their rationale for suspending then releasing him. He doesn’t. What he does do is his job — very well I might add — which is more than I can say for McNabb.

I personally enjoy T.O.’s on- and off-the-field antics and commentary as they make the game more interesting and entertaining. Who among us did not laugh hysterically when he grabbed the pom-poms to cheer his own dominance? Tell me you didn’t get a chuckle when he celebrated on the Dallas Cowboys star? Who would classify the Sharpie-in-the-sock autograph moment as anything other than hilarious, unprecedented grandstanding?

I hope T.O. found time to rejoice watching his current, soon-to-be-former team struggle in the closing minutes of the final quarter courtesy of McCharlatan’s errant passing.

Yes, T.O. is “a trip” but what is McNabb’s excuse?

Keith

Mmm, Brussel Sprouts

Posted on by
Reply

TB and I have worked on adding more vegetables to our diet over the past year. Due to the seasonality of certain vegetables and the time it takes to prepare others our options have been severely limited. As a result, we have resorted to trying more exotic veggies like bok choy and broccolini. It has gotten so bad we have also started eating brussel sprouts.

TB thinks brussel sprouts taste dirty so she tends to take extreme measures when seasoning them to help cut the taste. One thing she started doing recently is cooking them in undiluted chicken stock/broth. She covers the sprouts with a pre-made stock made by Swanson then simply boils them. It has made such a noticeable difference I actually like when we have brussel sprouts for dinner now. :shocked:

Keith

Digital Photography Workshop (Class #3)

Posted on by
6

For class #3 we met at Seattle’s historic Pike Place Public Market. For this class we were to practice composition, flash photography and motion blur. The class met at “The Pig” (if you have been to The Market) to spend 2 hours capturing scenes in and around the market. Since our class meets at 6PM it was a typical dark, damp and chilly Seattle evening.

I have never been to The Market after dark or around closing so I was impressed with the magnificence of the neon lighting and the efficiency of the vendors as they quickly closed up shop at the end of another long work day. I hoped to make the most of my time by capturing at least a handful of interesting elements of The Market many people have never seen or subconsciously ignore.

Below I have included several of my favorite shots from the photo shoot. They are representative of the other hundred or so photos I took during the outing.

Pike Place Public Market Fruit & Vegetable Stand
Pike Place Fish Market Market Corridor
Market Flower Market Floor

Like any digital photographer I have invested in high-capacity memory cards which would allow me to take hundreds of high-quality pictures. However, I spend a lot of time taking each photo so I seldom take more than 50 pictures on any given shoot. I also tend to be my own worst critic so only a small fraction of those pictures ever make it from the camera onto my computer for processing.

Let me know what you think by leaving a comment.

Keith

What is “Lesia”?

Posted on by
Reply

I have received several questions regarding the name of this web site, lesia.com, which serves as the home to Keith’s Amusing Musings. I mentioned in my initial post that Lesia — pronounced like Lisa [LEE-SUH] — was my biological mother’s first name. I have owned the domain name for many years and finally decided to do something constructive with it to honor the woman who raised me until shortly after my 13th birthday.

Coincidentally, the person I have considered my mom since losing my mother is named Risa — yes, pronounced like Lisa but with an ‘R’. Some things are just plain mysterious. Sadly, some engineering software company beat me to that domain name so I will have to wait for them to go out of business.

Keith