News Goofs

Got to love these. (Found via Dvorak.org/blog)

Best Lego creation ever!

Click here for the full story.

3 Reasons Why Netflix Is Going To Kill Their Business

This morning I woke up and was going to get the oil changed in the car. Before I left the house I went to check the web and update my iPod with podcast so I had something to do during the wait.When I checked my email I received an email from Netflix stating that on September 1, the profiles feature would no longer be supported (see here).

I immediately checked Digg to see if anyone had posted it yet, and sure enough, almost 900 other people had the same reaction I did (make sure to digg the story here). Needless to say, I'm not happy. I've thought about it, and the only reason for this change is ignorance and greed. With that said, here are the three reasons why Netflix is going to kill their business.

1. Removing Profiles Will Not Add Additional Revenue
Dear Netflix, if you need to raise prices, so be it. Gas is going through the roof and so is everything else. If this is about needing to raise prices, then send me an email and let me know. I will then either adjust and pay it or cut back on the number of movies. Either way, by removing the profiles, it now forces me to either share one account between my wife and I or purchase a second account.

Most people in America are trying to cut back on gas, so Netflix becomes an attractive alternative. But am I going to have separate accounts for me and my wife and kids in the future? No, I'm going to have one account where I have to constantly update the que to make sure our movies are alternating. Could we have separate accounts, sure but I don't want to pay for two accounts going to the same address and from the same bank account. IT DOESN'T MAKE SENSE!

The cost of a single account with 2 movies is $13.99; the cost of two accounts with 1 movie is $17.98. I would be willing to pay the extra $4 to keep the single account with two profiles. But I'm not going to, I along with the majority of people are going to simply go to a single account and deal with the management of the que in an arcane fashion. Multiple accounts just doesn't make sense.

2. Profiles Create A Larger Suggestion Base
One of the reasons Netflix has done so well is the recommendation system. As I have stated before, my wife and I will go to a single account, thus killing our recommendation system. Why do I say that, it is simple, my wife and I have different taste.

Currently my wife is receiving the Nip/Tuck series and I am on an action movie kick. I HATE Nip/Tuck and she does not care for some of the movies I liked. So when we combine to one account I will start getting recommendations for things like Nip/Tuck and she will get recommendations for things like Hellboy. Thus the system is no longer useful for either of us.

My question is, does Netflix even realize they about to destroy the one thing that sets them so far apart from the competition or was this decision made by some suit that is concerned about a bottom line?

3. Removing Profiles Creates A Lack Of Convenience
Dear Netflix, I like most of America, do not live alone. I live with my wife, some people live with large families, some people live with roommates, and some people even live with groups of all of the above. The point is, unless someone lives alone, more than one person most likely watches movies. The nice thing about your service is it has allowed everyone to have their own choice in what they watch.

Some of your customers don't even know about the profiles feature and have been juggling the que to make everyone in the household happy but would love to use it if only they new about it. By taking away the profiles, you are taking away a convenience and making the service harder to use. Not only is this bad business, but it opens the door for other companies to step up and fill a void (like Blockbuster). Will I move to Blockbuster's service, more than likely not but it crossed my mind for the first time today and for some people, this will be all it takes to cause them to make the switch.

Look the bottom line is, this is the type of douchebag move Blockbuster would pull that originally turned me off to renting movies ("no more late fees" my ass Blockbuster). The other thing is this hurts, I liked your company. Yes, I am one of those few customers still out there who hold strong convictions about brand loyalty and not only are you going to do something that will destroy your business and turn me off as a customer, you are lying to me as to why. "While it may be disappointing to see this feature go away, this change will help us to continue to improve the Netflix website for all our customers." Improve how?

Here, let me give you some idea on how to improve your service.
1. KEEP THE PROFILE SYSTEM!
2. Allow customers to delete profiles if needed. (I'll explain why in a moment.)
3. Allow customers to transfer profiles to other accounts. (Long story short, wife's friend moves in, I set her up a profile, she gets hooked on Netflix, she moves out and needs her own account now.)

Update
After posting this, I found that it had not only been dug (voted for on Digg) but also that people were posting on Yahoo! Message Boards and that two petitions were already under way. Here are the links.
www.petitiononline.com
www.savenetflixprofiles.com

Xbox Live = Bigots?

This is a short video done by one of the host on the G4 network. Now, as many of you know I can't stand G4 (most if not all of the programming is crap and it caused the fall of TechTV) but occasionally some good stuff comes out of it; this being one of those times.

I don't have an Xbox 360 or have even had a Xbox so I've never actually been on Xbox Live. I have played several PC games online and have heard similar comments made. My freinds who do have Xbox Live do concur that this happens, a lot! If you are one of these people who are doing this, please stop, Adam is right, once the media finally figures out that violent games are not training grounds for mass killings and the people who play them are not socially retarded, they will start crusading about how they make the players into racist, sexist bigots. And unlike the other outlandish claims about violence, they will have some ground to stand out.

If you are a parent and this is the first time you are hearing about this, sorry, you are not doing your job. If your kid is playing online, take a second and listen in on what they might be saying over that headset, it might surprise you. As for the rest of us who actually like to socially interact online and do so in a responsible manner, keep it clean, keep it fun, and I'll see you online.

A dream or a wish?

I just made a decision that will affect not only the rest of my summer, but the rest of my life (at least as far as room and storage are concerned). One of my big summer projects was going to be to build a MAME (Multiple Arcade Machine Emulator) cabinet similar to the one in the picture. It was going to sit in my office when I was done and would eventually end up in my office at school. I started doing research and even bought a copy of Project Arcade, a how-to book that takes you step-by-step through the process.

My decision, I am not going to pursue it. Don't get me wrong, I wouldn't mind having one and the cool factor is evident but I have had to stop and really think it through. To build the system I would want, I would be looking at $400-$600 and unless you have been under a rock, gas keeps going up which is raising prices on everything else. But that is not the only reason. While I think the experience of building the cabinet would be cool, I don't really have any help to do so. I'm sure I could get it done by myself and would get some help here and there but for the most part I would be on my own. Lastly, I'm afraid in a couple of years I will grow tired of it and the amount of space it would take up is nothing to sneeze at.

The main reason is I am starting to realize building it is more of a wish than a dream. A dream is something that someone usually pursues and lust after for a long period of time; a wish tends to be something fleeting. For example, my wife has dreamed of going to NY ever since she was a young girl; I have wanted to build MAME system on and off for a year or so and was inspired (again) by a series Systm did on it back in November. While our aspirations differ to some extent (my being a physical object and hers being an experience) the amount of time we have wanted them and our passion to obtain them are the big difference. I have been on the fence for a little while, she would have gone to NY at the drop of a hat at any time.

I may still revisit this idea in the future. All is not lost though, I can still play all my favorite arcade games on my Mac or laptop using just the MAME program. Sure, I won't have the cool-guy cabinet and controllers, but at least it won't take up a good section of my office. Plus, it gives me more time to work on the blog! :)

Poll 2: Which way does the toilet paper go?

100% Flap over and out
0% Flap under and in
0% Either way, doesn't matter
0% Who the hell cares

Working hard or hardly working?

Sorry it has been a couple of days since I updated the blog; check my Twitter feed to keep up though :) Well, I started working on the official website today, www.theonemanasylum.com. There I hope to post everything, my thoughts, views and starting with my next post, reviews of things I have seen / used. Hope you enjoy it.