The old saying goes, “If it ain’t broke, don’t fix it.” Following that logic, “If you know what you did to break it, doing that same thing more won’t fix it.”

This simple logic seems too hard to understand for Netflix.

Netflix has decided that their online streaming service is more valuable than it’s DVD by mail service. Several months ago, they announced a price increase for the streaming service, previously included for free in their higher tier memberships (like mine). This amounted to a 60% increase in my bill. I changed my membership to avoid this price increase. About 1 million subscribers flat out cancelled.

When Netflix boss, Reed Hastings, started a press release this weekend with “I messed up.”, I had some hope. That hope didn’t last beyond the second paragraph.

Ultimately, what Hastings “messed up” was jacking up prices with no added service. The delusion Hastings expresses in his press release is that the mistake was in communication. Wha?! “I need to be extra-communicative. This is the key thing I got wrong.” What are you smoking, man?!

The “key thing” is a 60% price increase, plain and simple!! The “key thing” is that you are raising prices for nothing! Splitting up services for nothing. Making my membership more complicated for nothing! I don’t give a flying crap about your level of communication.

Instead of fixing the problem, Netflix is going to make it even worse. They’re splitting the DVD business into a new company with a new name and, presumably, a new website and price model, completely separate from their streaming service, which will retain the Netflix monicker. So, if your price increase and service changes broke the system, the solution is not to further change the service and keep the stinking price increase!!

I loved Netflix. I touted Netflix to friends, family and blog readers. I even defended Netflix when people talked about the problems (like poor selection, some titles becoming unavailable, and how slow Netflix adds new releases). But you’ll notice all of those are in the past tense. Frankly, I’m pissed at Netflix right now. And it’ll take a lot for them to win me back.

At this moment, my Netflix account is “on hold.” That means my account is still there, my DVD queue (nearly 400 titles) is still there, but I’m not paying and they’re not sending. I’m one small step away from just canceling my membership. I don’t want to cancel. I want to get my DVDs. I want to stream some TV shows once in a blue moon. And I want to do both from one service, with one queue and one library of titles at one simple and competitive price.

*sigh*

But, I guess that’s just too much to ask. I guess logic is just too much for some people.

Just a quick personal update. (Clicky to watch on YouTube.)

I’ve not been real impressed with Ford’s real people press conference ad campaign. It feels too staged and scripted for me to believe it. But scripted or not, this one is just plain ballsy and I love it!

Ford ad slams government’s auto industry bailout.

I know everyone’s already seen this, but it’s just too funny not to share. And what’s best about this one is that it is crispy-ripe for parody. This should have more parodies than David After Dentist and Hide Yo Kids combined!!

You hear that YouTube?! I’m calling you out! Let’s see what you got!!

Webcam 101 for Seniors…. “That’s a pretty good monkey!”

(Warning: Grandpa is a dirty old man!! *grin*)

P.S. I just checked David After Dentist (to get the link) and it’s got almost 100 million views! That’s insane!

In honor of Bad Poetry Day…

Roses are Red
Violets are Blue
Your hair smells like a funeral home.

Or…

Haiku need not rhyme.
You just count the syllables.
But I’m a bad poet.

Or this…

There once was a Texan lad,
Whose manners were terribly bad.
His blog posts offensive.
His comments insens’tive.
And even his limericks were wrong.

Stage Right Theatre’s dinner theater production, “Game Show,” is just a couple of weeks away. I will not be on stage this year, but I am part of the show. You could be to! (Oooh. How’s that for a teaser?)

For the first time, you can buy your tickets online (for a $1 extra fee). So what are you waiting for? Do it!

Clicky clicky.

In this Work From Home Friday vlog, I give some advice to me in the past. Yeah. It’s weird.

Oh! And the sun is trying to kill me.

P.S. Post your comments on YouTube! (Follow the link.)

P.P.S. If you’ve got the bandwidth to handle it, you can view this video in 720p HD!

It’s Work From Home Friday! Enjoy!

Funniest YouTube I’ve seen in at least the last five minutes. Love this stuff.

Today, I was surfing YouTube… er… I mean… I was working… yeah, working. That’s it. I was working and stumbled across the video below. The fact that I stumbled across this completely by accident is pretty amazing.

Long ago, I posted about my glory days racing “thunder bombers” and Dirt Track Speedway in Amarillo. Well, the video below features thunder bombers racing at that very same track! The name has changed and, based on the website, they’ve closed once again, but this video has left me washed over with memories of the sights and sounds of that glorious summer. The glare of the lights. (We ran at night back then.) The smell of burning oil and rubber. The grit of the dirt in your teeth. Good times!

Yes, chi’ren, this is what your Uncle Trint used to do for fun! And, holy cow, was it fun!!

A few things to notice:

The giant tractor tires sitting on the track were put there to slow us down. The idea was, if we had to slow down to avoid the tires, we’d be driving at a saver speed. Yeah. Nice try.

Keep an eye out for the co-drivers, sitting in the passenger seats. You can see them looking back trying to spot on-coming cars for the driver as you have to race without mirrors.

This was a pretty small race compared to those I raced in. We always had at least 20 cars on the track. The biggest race I was in had over 50!! And, as you can see, there are no yellow flags to let disabled cars get off the track. If your car quits, you just have to sit there and hope you don’t get hit until the race is over. Out of that more-than-50 cars I raced against, less than 10 finished the race.