DirecTV just awful

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When a company drags you through hell and treats you like crap for weeks on end, leaving you on hold for hours only to hang up on you again and again, there's usually little you can do. DirecTV takes orders from end customers online and over the phone here in LA, but they contract out installations to a variety of random local installers, meaning they have no control over the customer experience once they've taken you order over the phone.


I won't recap all they trials and tribulations they've put me through. Their customer service is obscenely terrible. Suffice it to say I placed an order for service in mid September and it will be a miracle if I get service installed by the time Halloween rolls around. A month and a half to put up a satellite dish. I wish I was joking, but it is just that absurd. I've rarely ever dealt with a less caring company.


What can a beaten down customer do? You can withhold your business. You can file a complaint with the Better Business Bureau. You can yell at various people over the phone. I've done all of that. But in this day and age, the Internet provides a more powerful way to get back at them. I can share my mistreatment with the world and reach thousands of people online, and perhaps the next time one of them is deciding between DirecTV and an alternative, like cable, they'll kick DirecTV to the curb.


Some companies don't realize how quickly bad news travels in this day and age. The internet gives every customer a megaphone, and as you can climb the tree of Google search results, that megaphone grows louder.


If you can't build it, buy it built

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The Netflix Prize offers a $1 million prize to anyone who can take anonymous ratings data from Netflix's database and build a recommendation system 10% better than their proprietary Cinematch system.


Netflix knows how customers rated certain movies. They withhold some of that data and ask that you come up with an algorithm that predicts how customers would have rated those movies based on their other ratings and the ratings of other customers. You submit your results, and if you can beat Cinematch's results on those withheld results, fame and fortune await, though you have to turn over your algorithm to Netflix but also share it with the world, which is interesting.


For each customer's movie rating, Netflix provides the date of the rating, the title of the movie, and the year of release.


The Magic Castle

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For Mark's birthday, a big group of us joined him for dinner and performances at The Magic Castle on Sunday. It's a restaurant, performance venue, and home to The Academy of Magical Arts, Inc. It's a sort of trade association for practicing magicians. There are about 2,500 members who put on shows and share tricks of the trade. To become a Magician Member, you have to perform a magic routine in front of membership reviewing committee.


The dinner, pulled from a steakhouse-like menu, was pricey and not so magical, but built into the price is the opportunity to watch practicing magicians performing in various venues around the mansion. The first performer was 28 year old Danny Cole, twice voted "Stage Magician of the Year" by members of the Magic Castle (perhaps if I keep writing the words Magic Castle enough times, the impulse to snicker will subside). Cole's show was very impressive, in particular because of his smooth stagecraft.


Downstairs, an invisible ghost, Irma, will take requests while holding court on a grand piano. You just say your requests towards the empty seat, and Irma will begin playing (read: the piano begins playing itself) if she knows the tune. Her repertoire is surprisingly vast. From obscure national anthems to contemporary hits and everything in between, Irma rattled off one tune after another.


Neddy finally stumped Irma, though, with this request: "Irma, do you know 'Sexy Back' by Justin Timberlake?"


Irma responded with a three dissonant descending notes, like the disappointing sounds they play when you choose poorly on a TV game show. Someone else jumped in, "How about Britney?"


Irma quickly banged out a rendition of "Oops I Did It Again."


In short

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Ah, the exciting controversies that arise in the heated world of competitive chess. Maybe Kramnik is shooting up in the bathroom. Will steroids leave no corner of the sporting world alone?


Amen. Since these titles change hands these year, they really shouldn't use the superlative, or is sexiness really so volatile? On the other hand, "Sexy woman of the year" rather than "Sexiest woman alive" is not quite as, well, sexy, and perhaps sexiness really is so ephemeral because of some inherent fad-like quality.


Of the 100 largest economic entities in the world, more than half are now corporations rather than countries. The measure used was either GDP or sales. GM is the top corporation at no. 23. The rise of the corporation, able to live across borders and skirt the laws of the countries it resides in, is one reason why so many futuristic sci-fi movies feature evil, gargantuan corporations as the antagonist.


Paris at night. No city more beautiful after sunset.


"Meetin' WA," a short video by Jean-Luc Godard. WA in this case is Woody Allen. Whether you enjoy Woody Allen's movies or not, you must admit that he has been blessed to be able to make his type of movies for a long, long time now. Every director should be so lucky.


Think of a trick, any trick...except for that one

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When magicians duel in the movies, live hang in the balance. When magicians duel in real life, it's a bit less exciting. Unless, of course, one of these days Eric Walton ends up dying during one of his performances under mysterious circumstances. And Ricky Jay was sitting in the audience, his face revealing no expression. That would be somewhat unsettling, and yet awesome.


One more

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After mentioning TV on the internet, how could I forget Matt Damon just ripping Jimmy Kimmel to pieces on the Jimmy Kimmel show? You have to watch to the very end...




I enjoy jokes where movie stars are allowed to curse on live television. When I went to the live taping of The Daily Show, much of the fun was not having to hear all the bleeping you hear when a show is finally aired on TV.


One thing that's been enjoyable about starting my grad school classes in the arts is hearing professors cuss without a moment's hesitation. It reflects a certain practicality.


"Look, this isn't undergrad where you're taking classes just for the hell of it. We're all adults here, you're here to get a degree that will hopefully secure you a useful job. People cuss in the real world, let's not pretend that this is the first or last time you'll hear adult language on a film set."


Maul

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I wanted to hear Anthony Lane reading from his work on this New Yorker Humor Revue page, even if there was no way his out-loud voice could live up to his caustic written voice, but it took me nearly ten minutes to trigger his clip because of the awful interface. I clicked on his name over and over and kept hearing clips from others listed on the page.


Lane comes off as much more self-deprecating and good humored to the ear than he does on the page where he sometimes seems exasperated at having to carve up another movie with his razor sharp pen, much to the delight of his legions of fans. He's one critic many probably prefer to read when he's excoriating something awful, just to see the gleam of the scalpel as it's lifted from the tray. There's a reason one of his reviews is included in this, a humor revue.


TV on the Internet

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The Sci-Fi Network is offering, on iTunes, a free retrospective episode of the first two seasons of Battlestar Galactica. I have not watched the TV show, but after The Wire, which seems to be enjoying an unprecedented critical push this season, it seems to be the TV show with the strongest cult following.


The clip below from what looks to be a new season of Extras? David Bowie guest stars and sings Ricky Gervais a little ditty. When is the new season airing on HBO? Without having set up my TV here in LA, I feel so out of touch with the world (embedded player via my friend Eric's site Mojiti).




It's premier season for new fall TV shows, and since I haven't gotten my home theater set up here in LA, I haven't seen much. But these days, an internet connection is a fairly adequate replacement. I caught the most recent episode of Studio 60 on the Sunset Strip online off of NBC's official site for the show. Okay, so the quality of the video at full screen made me think I had cataracts, but I can't remember watching TV shows online prior to this year in any format other than a torrent (which, by the way, is still the best way to watch a TV show online, so maybe all this official online streaming is not all that exciting).


I'll always chase the Sorkin rat-a-tat-chat, but the Sarah Paulson character feels like a concept more than a person. She's the devout Christian who works at a comedy sketch show which puts on skits like "Crazy Christians." They also talk up her character Harriet in this episode as if she's the Will Ferrell of Studio 60, and so far she hasn't shown any comic abilities at all. Also, why hasn't anyone reacted at all to Amanda Peet's attractiveness on the show?


And, oh yeah, the premier of season 3 of Veronica Mars is also online, ahead of it's actually on air debut next Tuesday.


Monday

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David Remnick profile of post-presidency Bill Clinton in The New Yorker. Clinton is by far the most fascinating president of my lifetime.


UPDATE: Parts 1, 2, and 3 of Clinton's now legendary interview on Fox.


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Drool. Drool.


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I've always wondered why the sun made me sneeze, and now I know; photic sneeze reflex.


The condition occurs in 17% to 25% of humans with more common occurrence in Caucasians than other human races. The condition is passed along genetically as an autosomal dominant trait.


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The September 2006 Stanford Book Salon selection was Angle of Repose by Wallace Stegner. It's one of my favorites, and the homepage for the Salon (an online book club) has a transcript of an introduction by Nancy Packer as well as links to a reading group guide to the novel and an interview with Wallace Stegner.


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The Madden cover jinx strikes again. Spooky how consistently it works its evil eye. Fantasy football players were warned not to pick Alexander with their first round pick this year, and the non-superstitious who ignored the advice are now left scrambling to pick up Maurice Morris.


Ray Lewis is perhaps the only player who avoided the curse when he appeared on the 2005 cover, but since he plays on defense he only affected the small portion of fantasy football players who draft individual defensive players.


There is one logical reason why the curse might exist, and that is simply because a player who is featured on the cover is likely coming off a career year, and most players regress after such seasons. Still, many of the regressions were caused by severe injuries...somewhere the ghost of John Madden is screaming, "Boom!" as he sticks a pin in a Shaun Alexander voodoo doll.


Moo

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At long last, Verizon activated DSL at my apartment and I'm back online though it will take me a good week to catch up on e-mails. Actually, wiith seven classes and about 475 boxes to unpack, it may never happen. But I'll try.


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Moo.com is offering the first 10,000 Flickr Pro users who respond 10 free MiniCards which are like business cards with one of your Flickr photos on one side and text on the other. For non-pro users it's $19.99 for a set of 100, and you can print a different photo on each card if you want.


Finally, I will have 10 business cards to pass out to all the new people I'm meeting here in LA.


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Audrey sent me a link to this M&M Dark Chcolate product launch movie puzzle online. It's a poster with visual clues for 50 "dark" movies (horror, for example). Good fun, though I'll have to tackle this in earnest some other time when I have a free block of time (which, judging from my courseload, will be sometime in mid 2007).


Dark chocolate M&M's? Sounds tasty to me. I was a dark chocolate Kit Kat addict when those came out, and occasionally I still have to satisfy my cravings by sourcing them through eBay. Because dark chocolate melts at a higher temperature than regular chocolate, it can completely transform a once familiar candy, often in a wonderful way.


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Cinematographer Style is a movie about, yes, cinematographers, following in the tradition of Visions of Light. Documentaries about filmmaking specialties seem to come in twos, e.g. The Cutting Edge and Edge Codes.com, both documentaries on editing. I was sad that I was unable to catch a screening of Cinematographer Style at the DGA theater in LA tonight. I just love this type of stuff, especially now that I'm in the biz, sort of.


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Some economists surveyed 3,200 high school seniors and estimated which of two colleges students would choose if they were admitted to both. The resulting matrix is here. Harvard was the one university that won its head to head matchup with every other college in the survey.


Baby-sized bong sold separately

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Rockabye Baby! Lullaby Renditions of Radiohead, because it's never too early to get your baby started down the road to music elitism (and I say that with all due respect, because I adore Radiohead). But if Thom Yorke and company aren't the direction you want your toddler leaning, there are analogous Rockabye Baby renditions of Coldplay, Metallica, Pink Floyd, The Cure, Tool, The Beach Boys, Led Zeppelin, Nirvana, The Pixies, Bjork, Queens of the Stone Age, No Doubt, Smashing Pumpkins, and The Beatles.


Stereogum has one cut from Baby Rock Radiohead up temporarily - "No Surprises" (MP3)


Hey, everyone needs an occasional break from The Wiggles.


A Cingular disappointment

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The last four months, I've experienced a sharp and unpleasant shock every time I open my cell phone bill. $498. $677. $525. $798! For some reason, four months ago, Cingular started categorizing every minute of my call time as roaming even though I've been with them on a nationwide plan for years. Every month, I have to call and wait on hold for up to an hour while I'm transferred up the ladder to someone with enough authority to issue a refund. Every month I'm told the problem is fixed, and every month I call back to remind them that no, it's not.


I bit my tongue and waited until I arrived in Los Angeles to dump Cingular. My cell phone had long since stopped sending and receiving text messages, and the recurring billing problems were the last straw.


Verizon doesn't have the fancy phones that other providers offer, but their tagline of "There's only one reason to choose a wireless company: It's the network" makes sense. Cingular's coverage just can't match Verizon's in the last three cities I've lived in (Seattle, New York, and now LA), their base individual plans are the same price, and frankly, whipping out a sexy cell phone wins admiration for the phone, not the owner. Sure, I'd love to still be on GSM and to be able to pop in a SIM card in a foreign country, but it's always proven cheaper to just purchase a local cell phone and SIM card when traveling abroad than to use any of the U.S. providers' overseas plans.


The best deal I found, by the way, was not at a Verizon store but through Amazon.com, which offered an LG VX8300 phone for free after rebate and only required a 181 day rate plan commitment. At the Verizon store, they wanted to charge me $129.99 for the phone with a 1 year contract or $79.99 for the phone with a 2 year contract.


Their commercials can be aggravating, and Verizon is far from perfect, but for now, they're an upgrade. Yes, I can hear you now.


El Bulli

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Mark Bittman on El Bulli and Ferran Adrià in today's NYTimes. I guess he's not doing foam anymore.


If you offered me the opportunity to eat at one restaurant tomorrow, anywhere in the world, El Bulli would be the choice. That just lumps me in with probably half the other foodies in the world.


Sometimes, just to torture myself, I browse El Bulli's general catalogue and gaze at the photos. You might scoff at applying such nomenclature to food, but scan some of his creations first. They are examples of food elevated to art.


I've eaten at several Adrià-inspired restaurants in the U.S., and if you have the chance, I highly recommend Alinea in Chicago. Grant Achatz is the Lebron James of American chefs.


If you can't beat'em (or build'em), buy'em

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There's an unconfirmed rumor that Fox has purchased YouTube. If true (and it wouldn't be entirely unexpected), then I know one thing: Fox overpaid. Not that YouTube isn't a fantastic site to spend time on, but it's another one of those sites that attracts plenty of people's attention but can't efficiently monetize it.