WTF? A few oddities I spotted…

In perusing the tech world news, one often finds a few things that make you say ‘What the f____?’  The last few days have provided a wealth of these things…read on, friends…

• Hulu will require cable tv subscriptions – yeah, WTF? Cable TV subscriptions are going to be required to watch shows mostly available for free, over the air? No thanks.
• Australian billionaire to build a replica of the Titanic-well, let’s hope it is not an exact copy and it does not launch on April 12.
• Microsoft invests $300 in…the Nook? – Well, technically, the investment is in a joint venture between Barnes and Noble and Microsoft. B&N’s Nook division will be part of this new venture.
• Nintendo posts first operating loss and it’s handheld gaming business is dead-Ok, what?  The 3DS is selling well both in the States and in Japan. The DS is still selling well. Given that, pundits are saying that the iPad is killing Nintendo.  Umm…right.  Yes, there are a ton of games on iPad…but not many GOOD games.  Nintendo did post a big loss…but, the Wii probably did more damage than good because it is now saturated and there are no new games coming out. At least, not any good games.
• Finally, Asteroid mining is here-Well, sorta. Last week, a new venture was revealed that will mine asteroids.  James Cameron and Ross Perot, Jr are among the elite who are behind this venture.  Rumor has it that Ben Affleck has applied for a position with the company.

Comcast, you win…the cord is no longer cut

A few months ago, we decided to cut the cord and go cable free. We thought that with the variety of over the air stations and the digital sub-channels plus our Netflix, Apple TV and Hulu Plus, we would be set.  Well, it didn’t quite work out that way. Sooo….

We are watching cable tv. Again.

For awhile, we did fine. But, as time went on, we found our alternatives to be lacking.  Especially Hulu Plus. We watch our programming either on the iPad or that little device known as TELEVISION. We have a Roku and an Apple TV, plus the two Wii’s (possibly the greatest gaming console ever,) two Xbox 360’s and a very dusty, thrown in the back Sony Playstation 3, all of which give us online entertainment. Hulu is available on all of them. Problem is, even with Hulu Plus, you cannot watch everything they offer.  Much of the programming is restricted to COMPUTER viewing only. Now, no television in my house has a true Windows or Mac PC connected to it.  Those days are gone.  And we are not going to huddle around a 20 inch screen just to watch something on Hulu that I WAS PAYING FOR! Oh, the bloody adverts.  Why the hell am I paying to watch adverts? 

Hulu Plus is no bargain.  For the same amount, I can get Netflix. At least they offer WHOLE seasons worth of tv series and a few recent vintage films. And, therein lies my beef with them.

Netflix, where are the freaking new movies?  If I want NEW films, I must pay extra to have a DVD mailed to my house.  What?!  Ya gotta be joking!  No, sadly, they aren’t.  So…Netflix, you are nearly as bad as Hulu.

Which brings me to the Roku. This is a nifty little box that has lots going for it.  Problem is, though, many of the channels I would want to watch are EXTRA. Yup. Ya gotta fork over more bucks.  There are a lot of ‘free’ channels, but ‘free’ as in you didn’t need to buy them from the Roku ‘store’.  And the ones that truly are free, well, they are a hit or miss thing.  Channels like CNet and TWiT are there, which is fantastic, but others show public domain movies…many of which I can or have downloaded-legally-from places like Archive.org.

So, if I add up the channels I MIGHT pay for, plus Hulu and Netflix (and the cost of just Internet access through Comcast) I have pretty much equaled the cost of Internet access plus the tier of cable that I had. I would not save anything plus I would be paying for commercials too.  So, what would be the benefit?  None.  So, Comcast, you win.  We get the crap we want, plus a ton we don’t.

And, for the record, over the air television can be spectacular. The local NBC and CW stations broadcast in 1080i and the others in 720p.  The 1080i stuff, when actual HD content is shown, looks terrific. And our local Fox affiliate carries all Fox Network programming in 720p. Let me tell you, the Fox broadcasts of the NASCAR events look great.  The digital sub-channels are very enjoyable.  The netlets that are available in the Richmond, VA area, for example, include: MeTV, MyTV, Antenna TV, Bounce,The Cool TV and the PBS station carries a variety of programming on two sub-channels that range from BBC news to Al-Jazeera America.  Good stuff and a news perspective that everyone should get.  And, don’t be fooled by Al-Jazeera, it isn’t what you think. At least, the American version isn’t,

Oh yeah, Hulu will start requiring a cable tv subscription for much of its programming, so they definitely will not be an alternative for anyone wanting to cut the cord. No word on when this new requirement will start, but I can imagine it will be sooner rather than later.  I also see it’s subscriber base dwindling down. 

So, the great experiment is dead.  All I have left to say is…Food Network, I sure missed you!

Planning a trip to Great Wolf Lodge? Here’s a few things you should know

Recently, I took the family for a mini-vacation at a Great Wolf Lodge in Williamsburg, Virginia.  Williamsburg is about an hour from where we live, so we weren’t too far from home, thus gas cost was at a minimum, a good way to start of any vacation, long or not. My son and I have stayed at the resort on two other occasions and cost was never much of a concern then.  We had either planned for the trip or, as luck had it, I had extra disposable income.  Those were several years ago and, apparently, the cost of staying at this particular resort has gone up quite a bit.

I understand that the cost of running such a massive hotel (it is a large hotel) that contains:

• a full water park
• a sizable arcade
• a full spa
• bowling alley
• mini gym
• mini golf
• outside pool
• one of the largest water slides on the east coast (there are actually three of them, two right here in Virginia)
• dance club
• full service restaurant
• Pizza Hut express
• Store
• Several snack/sweet shops
• Gift/Souvenir stands and mini stores

That’s quite a bit, yes.  The upkeep on all of that, well, I imagine it is pretty high.  However, this is the problem I have with the resort: it’s too bloody expensive.  The rooms, on a normal stay, are $300 and higher per night. A good size room, one that can accommodate a family of four, for example, is in the $450 range.  If your party is bigger, you could spend $600 or more.  While comfortable and very clean, these rooms do not warrant such a high cost.  Imagine, a family of four staying for five nights.  You hit $2000 just for the room and the ONLY amenities you get? The waterpark and the gym.  Everything else is an up-charge.  The mini-golf is five or eight bucks, depending on age, per game, per person. Same with the bowling.  The arcade requires tokens, which you have to purchase.  The spa…well, you get the idea.  Oh, that full service restaurant? Be prepared to shell out twenty bucks per person for the buffet dinner and fifteen for the buffet breakfast. Not including drinks. That’s $80 plus drinks for that family of four, for one night.

Throughout the day, the kids will want a drink and snack, so there goes another twenty to thirty dollars there. Maybe a souvenir. You see how quickly this adds up.  How in the world does this company expect families to stay for any length of time?  My guess is they don’t.  Each time we’ve stayed, it’s been one or two nights. For us, that’s about all we want. The waterpark, while tremendously fun, is small and it takes just a few hours to exhaust everything.  There’s only so much fun to be had going down the same slides all day.

Fortunately, since this particular lodge is in Williamsburg, Virginia, there’s plenty of other things very close.  For example, just a few miles west of the lodge is a go-kart park, complete with thrill rides and mini golf. To the east, there is Busch Gardens, a world class theme park.  Then you have colonial Williamsburg itself. Beautiful and very charming. If you like to shop, there are a ton of outlet centers around and there is even a Ripley’s attraction. So, there is a lot going on around the lodge.

Don’t get me wrong, you CAN stay there on the cheap.  For example, they regularly have promotions that can end up getting you up to half off the cost of a stay. Some require a minimum two night stay, others are during the week.  You just have to watch the web site as many are not advertised.  Subscribe to the newsletter as there are discounts there as well.  Other ways to save: go to the Wal-Mart that you must past when you exit the interstate and get you the basics: bread, peanut butter, jelly, soda/juice/whatever, etc.  Each room contains a mini-fridge and a microwave so you can make some of your meals there.  Als0, there’s several fast food places around the Wal-Mart and there is a restaurant right off the entrance to the lodge called Jungle Jim’s. The prices are reasonable and they have free delivery to the lodge. Just avoid the dine in restaurant for most of your meals and you will save a ton of cash. It is worth a breakfast, though, as the breakfast foods are pretty decent.

The sweet shop, while expensive, is worth a treat or two.  They have Starbucks coffees, ice-cream, chocolates and fudge.  I wouldn’t venture there too much though, or your waistline and pocket book will suffer.

We have found the staff to be both pleasant and not so pleasant and I suppose that is to be expected.  Well, no, not really. For the cost of a stay, the staff should ALWAYS be pleasant, no matter what.  I understand that some guests will be difficult, but that is no excuse to be rude to everyone or even the next guest.

Staying at this resort is a lot of fun, but it can be quite costly. My advice to anyone who is considering (and you should, if you like water) a stay is to be prepared to spend money. A lot of money, even if staying ‘on the cheap.’  Plan ahead. Book your room or rooms far enough in advance to get a good deal.  It is possible to have a great time there and not need a loan to do so.  And, if staying for more than three days, be sure to venture out to surrounding area. Williamsburg is a beautiful place and full of history. Make the young ones learn while on vacation, that, in itself, will be worth every penny.

Oh, one more thing…if you bring your camera or cellphone into the water park, you need to keep two things in mind: it is likely to get wet and it is hot and humid.  They keep the temp at 84 degrees and, with all of that water, it gets humid in there as well. Wet and humid do not mesh well with electronics. Bring a baggie to store them in while in the park. If possible, get a waterproof case for them.

And, watch for that big ass bucket…

Apple’s bad week: lawsuit loss, investigations and terrible flashbacks

Poor Apple.  They are having some tough, tough times, lately.  With profit at an all time high, stock price through the roof and iPad sales that are astronomical, one would think this company could do no wrong. But, one would be wrong. Very wrong.

As Leo Laporte, former TechTV host and current podcast king, puts it, it is the end of ‘innocence’ for the Mac platform, which is currently under attack by several variants of the ‘Flashback’ malware. Both the trojan and the virus are attacking and Apple has been fairly slow to respond. The slowness is, no doubt, due to their not really having to deal with this type of thing. Or, have they?  Apple has a tendency to NOT comment on attacks and, instead, just fix the problem.

Unfortunately for Apple, they don’t always ‘just fix the problem’ and they do not, as they want you to believe, put the customer experience first.

Take the case of Seattle Rex, a blogger. He had a MacBook Pro that contained-and Apple even acknowledged-a faulty Nvidia 8600M GT graphics card.  These were known to fail and Apple had stated that they would be repaired at no charge to the customer. Apparently, Rex’s MBP died three years later and Apple refused to repair it for free. They wanted Rex to pay $600(US) to repair his computer. The reason: it would not boot.  Well, most of them won’t boot with this problem.

Rex took Apple to court after exhausting all avenues (Apple is a very closed company.)

Rex represented himself, while Apple sent TWO people to defend them in court.

Apple argued to the judge that this was not the same computer (he had ordered it overclocked) and, thus, did not qualify for the free repair. Rex argued that the hardware was exactly the same. The judge questioned Apple, who agreed that it was, in fact, the same. During the trial, Apple admitted that the repairs did not even cost them anything and was, in fact, covered by Nvidia. Imagine the judge’s surprise at learning this bit of news.  Eventually, the judge ruled in Rex’s favor and awarded him enough money to buy a new computer and cover his expenses for the trial. 

The interesting note from the trial, and Rex explains it all nicely, is that Apple seems to regard it’s customers as naïve and non-technical.  And, judging from the majority of Apple owners I know, this is a valid assumption for them.  Now, before you want to throw knives at me, not all Apple owners are like this. In fact, a few of the ones I know are very technically savvy, but…well, the rest are not. And, it is not necessarily a bad thing either.  The problem, though, is that too much hand holding results in people who do not know any better and things like Flashback are allowed to run rampant.

Apple is also faced with the worst competition a company can have: itself.  The iPad and the iPhone are tremendous products. I love the iPad (though, not nearly as much as I once did) and cannot imagine what else they could do with it to maintain that wow factor in the next release that would make me want one. Indeed, there have been two more editions released since I bought mine two years ago and I am not compelled to purchase either of them…they simply are not that much better. So, what will they do?  I think the fall of this year will prove interesting for them and the industry. Microsoft’s Windows 8 will be available in tablet form and, I think, will take off reasonably well. Amazon is likely to refresh the Kindle Fire and companies like Motorola and Samsung will, no doubt, roll out refreshed product as well.  Apple could be in trouble, comparatively speaking, of course.

They are also under investigation over price fixing of e-Books.  This one, though, probably won’t hurt them.  In fact, they, likely, won’t even get a slap on the wrist. They, after all, do not set prices, the publishers do and five of the six publishers involved have already agreed to changes.

Of course, for a nearly trillion dollar company, most of these events are meaningless. I’m sure that $4000 loss means little (though, it would have cost much, much less had they just replaced Rex’s motherboard…they would have saved that money plus the money it cost to send TWO people to court to defend them.  Whomever made that call should be fired.  Idiot.)  In the end, the Apple faithful will make some excuse for Apple while the general public will just keep buying iPhones, iPods and iPads and be content with the Apple sauce being spoon fed to them.

What was I saying about ‘poor Apple’?

Read more about the lawsuit here.

A fine line…

1986.  What an eventful year.  The Shuttle Challenger accident.  Chernobyl.  One of my sisters was married and my wonderful step mother passed away.  It is one of the few years in my life that I can remember much of what I was doing during each of those events. But it was my step-mother’s passing that really sticks out.  See, for a few years, I did not like her, but, as time goes on, we grew very close. I will never forget the night she died and I can remember feeling just awful for not only myself, but for my Dad.  I couldn’t fathom him being alone or, even, with someone else. Even though he and Mary had only been married ten years, it was difficult to think of him with anyone else.  Which is why I was just so mad at him when he started to date other people.  And, he did so pretty quickly. Or, so it seemed.

In 1989, I met someone that I was instantly attracted to. She was cute, funny and always happy.  As I got to know her, I knew this was the person for me.  I even mustered up the courage to ask her out. MANY TIMES. She said no, all of those times.  I was not her type and I was also her boss.  I was an assistant manager for a now defunct video rental chain. Finally, though, she said yes and we started dating. Fortunately for me, she, too, fell in love with me and, in 1991, we got married.

Our early years were rocky, financially, but we had fun and after several years, I got a great job doing what I loved to do and, she too, got a job she loved.  Our financial picture greatly improved and we bought a nice, cozy little house and had a wonderful child. I was on top of the world.

Oh, don’t get me wrong, we had some difficult times, but, always, got through them.  Unfortunately, her health was in serious decline-something which I was oblivious to for a couple of years.

Our world came to a crash in late 2009 when she began to lose her mobility. A few months later, my lovely wife of 19 years left us.

I was heartbroken.  The moment she died, all I could think about was how in the world was I going to take care of my son and how was I going to tell him that he has lost his mother.  He knew she was not in good shape. I had picked him up earlier from school. Telling your child that they have lost a parent is gut wrenching. I don’t wish it on anyone.

Dating and marriage were the last things on my mind after that terrible day.  Trying to cope with such a loss and helping my son get through it were my primary goals-they were all I thought about. 

I spend as much time with my son as I could.  It killed me, everyday, to have to leave him at home (it was during the summer and school was out) while I went to work. Luckily, some very dear friends and family members helped me quite a bit and my son was able to spend time with them.

As the months worn on, however, I started to talk to someone.  As time went on, a very deep relationship built up.  I was falling in love all over again. How the hell was this possible?  What kind of person was I? I was doing exactly what I got so angry at my father for doing.  I was not ‘over’ the death of my wife (I’m not sure you ever are ‘over’ such a thing) but I was falling for another woman.

As the months went on, I asked April to move in with me.  She said yes and moved in.  The problem for both of us, however, was that my house was really still ‘our’ house, with the ‘our’ being myself and Jo Ellen.  My son was going to be going to a high school I didn’t want him to attend and the house had so many memories, we had to move.  So, we moved to a county opposite from where we were and began a new life.

Now, the first few months of my new relationship were exciting but full of guilt as well.  Guilt because I was moving on.  Was it too soon?  Was it harmful to my wife’s memory? My son seemed to be accepting and many of my friends and family were too. 

Harmful to her memory? No, I don’t think so. She always wanted me to move on, quickly, if something should happen to her.  Too soon? Well, I don’t know. How soon is too soon? The next month? Yes.  Three months? Maybe. I don’t know. What I do know is that my love for my deceased wife is not diminished because she is no longer with us or because I am deeply in love with someone else.

It is a tricky thing to deal with.  I find myself talking about my former life to April. She tells me she does not mind and I believe her, but it is something I am very much aware of and try not to talk about it too much.  I fail quite often, but, those 20 plus years are part of me and I hope to build many more years with April.  Balancing feelings for a departed one with those for someone you are involved with is a very, very difficult thing. 

I love my new life as much as I cherish my old life.  I feel like a different person (with the same old body aches, unfortunately) now and, in some ways, I am.  I am trying not to repeat the bad habits I had before as well as be more attentive to both April and my son.  That’s another difficult thing to do…my son is a teenager now and tends to do what teens do; I am building a new relationship with her and spend a lot of time with her, which makes me feel, sometimes, that I am not spending enough time with my son.   He’s a great kid and I am very fortunate to have had such a wonderful son.

April and I were married a short time ago.  We are starting a long journey together, one I hope lasts past my time on this planet.  I feel that Jo Ellen would be happy for us, knowing that Chase has someone who loves him and is motherly toward him and knowing that I, too, am happy.

And, Dad, I get it.