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July 29, 2006
Dumb Adventures in Netflix
To: Netflix Customer ServiceNote that they have a drop-down menu subject line for returning your own disc. My goodness, am I an idiot. Hopefully, I can get my disc back.
Category: Shipping and Receiving Movies
Subject: I returned my own disc (or non-Netflix disc)
Message: I'm glad to know I'm not the only one with this problem. I accidently returned my own disc - disc four of the second tv season of La Femme Nikita - instead of Wicker Park. Is there a way to get my disc back? This is particularly concerning to me because it's impossible to buy just one disc in a multi-disc tv pack. Obviously, I also want to send you the actual Wicker Park dvd. Thank you for your help.
Posted by cj at 03:27 AM | Comments (1)
July 26, 2006
In Praise of Fab Writers
Jack Shafer lets the rest of us in on a little-known-outside-of-New-York secret: the movies on TV capsules in the NYT are quintessentially beautiful.
One example from his article:
Bridget Jones: The Edge of Reason: "Makes the first one look like a masterpiece."The only thing better than carefully crafted snark is carefully crafted praise. Enjoy!
Posted by cj at 07:49 AM | Comments (0)
July 25, 2006
Mosing Thru Online Adverts & Marketing Posts
HP started a viral blog, FingerSkilz.tv, that didn't bother telling you it was a shill for a corporation for the first several months of existence. Today, Eric Pfanner wrote about it in the Advert section of the NYT. The site seems slightly amusing, but I have so many problems with corporate hacks pretending to be regular cube guys that I can't bring myself to actually watch any of the video feeds.
This, by the way, is part of HP's larger campaign to reposition its personal computers as just as cool, hip, and edgy as Apple. Many people are blogging about their 30 sec spots (also mentioned by the NYT). Ann Handley uses it as an example of 4 elements of a compelling campaign. (I don't watch much teevee these days besides the Sunday Morning Talks shows, so it's good to know Mark Cuban and I share an obsession for storing email. Too bad I'm not a millionaire and I've actually lost the majority of my ramblings...)
In other media news, there is something called The Mother Of All Links, that we all must rush out and find for our blogs / websites. Eric Ward doesn't really, fully explain what the hell he means by this; but since he's been doing web promotion since the dark ages of 1994, we're supposed to trust his experience on this one.
I breathed a sigh of relief when I read on Media Bistro that you don't have to blog everyday to be relevant. (Which actually led me down the rabbit hole to most of the links in this post.) Here's where Eric Kintz explains the 10 reasons why posting frequency doesn't matter anymore. (Btw, despite the frequency of my internet use, I'm afraid I'm still surfing Web 1.0 since I've stayed away from RSS feeds and am actually spending more time on email these days than anywhere else. But that's also a function of my volunteer gig.) I read a bunch of links from the Kintz article, but they weren't interesting enough to warrant a link from here.
...and that's the news from the blog beat...
Posted by cj at 07:21 PM | Comments (0)
July 23, 2006
random distractions and important debate
"Cape Fear: Superheroes and male anxiety in My Super Ex-Girlfriend." by Dana Stevens is spot on. Describes perfectly the revulsion that the movie's preview caused. I have no intentions of seeing the "film," and I don't think I need to - since I saw so much of it in the damn preview. Amen, sister!
Syd Barrett, co-founder of Pink Floyd, died this week. Rest in peace.
Amiri Baraka led a hip hop workshop Friday night here in Chicago.
He spoke primarily about the need for a united from against war and fascism based on a front against imperialism. He spoke strongly about the need to fully incorporate cultural output into the heart of the resistance: that art cannot be reduced to mere entertainment at a political gathering. He stated that reactionary culture is made to seem normal by reactionary art.
Two other men were on the panel - Sam Lewis from the Elastic Arts Foundation in Logan Square (Chicago) and Andre Mill from the Southwest Youth Collaborative and its University of Hip Hop.
After the lecture, Baraka and his wife Amini Baraka read a bit of poetry. The final poem of the night was the one that got Baraka fired as New Jersey Poet Laureate, "Somebody Blew Up America." While I had difficulty with the line about 4000 Israelis leaving the WTC ahead of the terrorist attack, it makes more sense in the context of his explanation. But more importantly, the many other lines of the poem were extremely powerful and his delivery was mesmerizing.
More interesting than the Wikipedia entry for him is the Discussion of the Wikipedia entry.
Brief bio from University of Michigan. (Part of a course on the Black Arts Movement.)
Posted by cj at 09:14 PM | Comments (0)
July 21, 2006
Travel Scams & Other Forms of ID Theft
I've gotten three phone calls trying to get me to confirm travel vouchers that I allegedly signed up for over the internet. Let's be clear: I would never do such a thing. Further, I told the first person that I didn't sign up and that I wanted to be removed from the list. I still received "ticket vouchers" in the mail for Florida. This morning, I received a call from "Mario" to discuss the travel to Williamsburg, Virginia that I signed up for. I told him I was a victim of identity theft and asked him to not call me again. I should have found out what bogus company he "worked for" before hanging up.
Two days ago, I received a package in the mail from Columbia House. It says I signed up for a DVD Club, and included a dvd that I already own. It listed 800-262-2001 as the number to call with questions. I have spent at least a half hour trying to get through the automated system (on various call attempts) to speak to a human being. There is no way to do so. There is also no option for cancelling membership. I tried their web contact form. If you choose the Cancel Membership Subject line, it directs you to call the 800 number to speak to a Customer Service Representative.
I tried searching online for help from other consumers. The info I found on a forum was out of date.
Finally, I used the web contact form and the subject line "Membership Obligation." Here is the email I wrote:
My friend suggested that these incidents indicate that I am a victim of identity theft. I looked that up online two nights ago and found the Federal Trade Commission's ID Theft website. From there, I contact Experian to place a 90 day warning on my credit. It was not clear that I could order a copy of my credit report via Experian's automated system.
Your phone number, 800-262-2001 has no option to speak with a human being. There is also no option for cancelling membership. I have spent at least a half hour trying to get through to a human being. Even your email system refuses to accept an email labelled Cancel Membership.I am very disturbed that someone signed me up for your program - I NEVER SIGNED UP AND DO NOT WANT A MEMBERSHIP.
To repeat, CANCEL THIS MEMBERSHIP WHICH I NEVER APPLIED FOR.
I expect email confirmation that you have cancelled this membership.
Sincerely,
Cynthia Minster
Today, after receiving that creepy call at 8:30am about travel to Virginia, I tried to find the Chicago Police Department's Fraud Division. From CPD, I opened the PDF on ID Theft published by the FTC.
From the pdf, I found the FTC's Identity Theft Hotline. (Mind you, this websearch started b/c I thought I'd be 21st century and not call 311 to find my local police department.) 877-438-4338. The extremely unhelpful person that I finally reached on the other line after sifting through more automated crap said that nothing could be done without a copy of my credit report as proof of ID theft. I said, so you're telling me the federal government has no way of helping me protect my identity until I contact a private credit reporting agency? He gave me the same number for Experian to request a copy of my credit report. (When I placed the warning on my file two nights ago, the automated system only told me that I would receive a written request for a copy in the mail; not that I could order it over the phone.) I refused the man-whose-English-wasn't-very-good's offer to file a FTC report, since he basically said it would be worthless without credit report information.
So I called back Experian and tried to order my credit report and credit score. Turns out the credit report is free if you suspect you're a victim of ID Theft, but you have to pay 7 bucks for the credit score (which one of my credit cards already tells me). But there was no option to cancel you request and return to the previous menu. So I had to hang up and go through the process again.
Supposedly, I'll be getting a copy of my Credit Report within 7-10 business days.
I can't believe this all is happening on top of everything else going on in my life...
Posted by cj at 10:34 AM | Comments (0)
July 13, 2006
Your Tax Dollars at Work
Someone viewed this site from the Senate.gov domain.
Sure hope they checked out socialupheaval.com as well... (they haven't, but some readers from around the world have)
Posted by cj at 10:51 PM | Comments (1)
Best New Album: India.Arie, Testimony, Vol. 1: Life & Relationship
Thank goodness for India.Arie.
And thank goodness for my new computer's sound system.
Hoping for a way to beat the heat this weekend.
Here's hoping the Gay Games Triathlon goes on this Sunday despite the heat. WILPF's co-President, Chris Morin, is participating as a fundraiser for WILPF. Please pledge your support to help make peace a reality.
Posted by cj at 10:41 PM | Comments (0)
July 03, 2006
Superman Returns...but is it any good?
I've been pondering this question all day. I really can't make up my mind. I feel like my experience was severely limited, because I was sitting in the Third Row of a Giant Theater (you know the kind; the kind that should never include the first five rows of seats). So, during the (many) quiet, close-up shots in the film, I was staring up people's noses.
I also couldn't decide if my antsy-ness was due to my desperate need to use the facilities (damn those over-sized medium soft drinks!), the kids tapping their feet in front of me, the person kicking my seat behind me, or the fact that the movie needed to be edited. I've decided the movie needed better editing. Plus, it needed more dialogue, especially for Brandon Routh (previously of One Life to Live "fame"). I'm also glad to know I wasn't the only one who wasn't drawn to Kate Bosworth. First of all, her hair is so obviously dyed! Were there absolutely no true brunettes available for the frickin casting call????? Second, she can't act. I know this isn't always a prerequisite for doing well in an action movie, but come ON. Wasn't Terri Hatcher's Lois your favorite part of Lois & Clark?
I think Spacey's getting a bum rap for his Lex Luther. While he definitely doesn't have the sex appeal of Michael Rosenbaum (but seriously, how many men can look that hot bald?), he has a good blend of camp and evilness. My only problem is that his Lex seems to be chained to his henchmen; I'm not convinced he could pull any of his tricks off without the people around him.
Parker Posey was definitely the most engaging actor. Perhaps because I was so damn close to the screen, I focused too much on how small her eyelashes are (seriously, I was that close), but nevertheless, she managed to outplay her one-sided character with more panache than Bosworth did with a four dimensional character.
Ooh ooh ooh. And did you notice the cameo by La Femme Nikita?!?! I'm of course, speaking of none other than Peta Wilson as Bobbie-Faye (the self-assured, Operations-type character explaining the airplane / spaceship set up).
They could've used a much better editor; someone to say "after the two hour mark, do we really need to draw out all this crap?" Especially since the end lacks oomph. It would've been better to end it 20 minutes earlier...but I'll spare you the exact point I think it should've ended in case you haven't seen it.
All in all, I expected more from the director of X-Men and X2. I still enjoyed the film and would be willing to see it a second time in theaters - if only to move farther away from the screen...but there are so many other movies out there vying for my time (how excited are you that we're mere days away from the next Pirates movie?), that I'm not rushing out to give this movie a second try.
The most difficult to navigate to review aka the LA Times review by Kenneth Turan (whom I despise)
Roger Ebert's skewering cum plot summary. I don't think it was that bad.
Manohla Dargis' NYT Review. This is my absolute favorite writing about this film, including how obnoxious the Jesus imagery was. More importantly, it explains how this movie fits into the current homosocial film trend:
Intentionally or not, the Jesus angle also helps deflect speculation about just how straight this Superman flies. Given how securely Lois remains out of the romantic picture in "Superman Returns," now saddled with both a kid and a fiancé (James Marsden), it's no surprise that some have speculated that Superman is gay. The speculation speaks more to our social panic than anything in the film, which, much like the overwhelming majority of American action movies produced since the 1980's, mostly involves what academics call homosocial relations. In other words, when it comes to Hollywood, boys will be boys and play with their toys, whether they're sleeping with one another or not, leaving women to weep, worry and wait to be rescued.Emphasis added. Perhaps I was so enthralled by Peta's cameo because it was the slightest of nods to the fact that Women Can Kick Ass. Too bad this flick's Lois has no spine.
Rotten Tomatoes entry
Posted by cj at 08:45 PM | Comments (2)
July 01, 2006
The Forgotten Land of Metro Blogging
Before I moved to Chi-town, I searched out the city-focused blogs. I learned in DC that a love of place naturally leads to a love of place-based blogs. It's been awhile since I've read those blogs. Heck, it's been awhile since I've regularly read any blog. I know, I'm the worst kind of blogger - not contributing to the blogosphere readership myself. In my defense, I've been a tad busy running the free world (hah! just kidding...just trying to bring some organization to WILPF's program, an obsession which has taken over all of my free time).
In any event, I was recently alerted to the presence of an even better Chicago-focused blog, City in a Garden. It's tag line is "Chicago miscellany in bite-sized pieces." Having read all the entries (it just started this June), I can't wait for more.
And then of course, there's the Chicago Metroblog and Chicagoist. I have to say, these blogs kind of bore me. (Don't hate me for being honest!) I prefer reading The Reader or even Red Eye, for snippets about what's happenin here. And the aforementioned blogs really don't live up to the snarky standard of Gawker Media, but then again, they aint part of that empire & perhaps are trying to go for Midwest Nice over my preference of Coastal Snark.
This post is fast degenerating into drivel. I'd edit it to make it look nice and happy about the state of Chicago-focused blogging; but instead I'll just reiterate:
Posted by cj at 04:44 PM | Comments (0)