why there are so few updates to my blog
because i am blogging on boxee
circuit city unbeatable price guarantee fails the test
i am in the market for buying a new TV.
finally decided on Sony Bravia 46" XBR2.
actually wanted to buy XBR3, just because i am stupid in a way that XBR3 must be better than XBR2, right? but it appears the difference between the two models is that the XBR3 has a glossy black face plate, and the XBR2 has a silver plate (which could be replaced, unlike the XBR3 model). for whatever weird reason the XBR3 is $300 more expensive.
anyway that's not the point of the story.
i did my price comparison online (through shopping, pricegrabber, mysimon, etc.) and found it for as low as $2529 (including tax & shipping) from a store in brooklyn. but i don't want to wait for the delivery and wanted to buy it from a store where i can pick it up. i looked at circuitcity.com and saw that they are selling the TV for a bargain price of $3,299… knowing that they have some sort of lowest price guarantee i called them up.
the sales rep on the phone said they will not match the price of an internet retailer, but will match the price (and even give back 10% of the difference) if i can show them a lower price from a brick-and-mortar retailer. i specifically asked regarding B&H , since i knew they may give me trouble with stores such as Abeofmaine… the sales person said "sure we'll match B&H).
equipped with the word of the sales rep, print outs of pricing from 3 different stores for the TV and a Wall Mount i went to the local circuit city in Paramus.
the junior sales person at the store said "sure we match lower prices, even retroactively". i showed him the printed price quote. he said it does not seem right and checked it online himself.
then he asked whether i'll need a wall mount?, i said sure.
how about a protection plan from circuit city ($600)? i said no.
how about installation service ($400)? i said no.
he said he needs to call the manager…
when the manager came he said they will not match the price of abeofmaine, nor b&h. they'll match BestBuy and PCRichards… (both sell the TV for $3,299). he said circuitcity provides a 30day return policy and sells only new products, rather than refurbished.. i told him i don't think that is any different from other stores.. when i told him that does not seem to comply with their lowest price guarantee, he said that he doesn't care about the price guarantee, he will not sell the TV for less than $3,000.. said it costs him $2,789… yeah, right.
quite a pleasant experience.
with people doing comparison shopping online and getting comfortable with buying online, i don't see how these guys survive with this attitude.
downgraded to vista
i finally got the upgrade to Windows Vista for my Dell XPS 410. my $2,000 PC that sits neath my TV.
the immediate results of my "upgrade":
- WiFi not working (no support for my US Robotics WiFi USB)
- Media Center does not identify the Cable connection
- My TV screen is not recognized… only my small LCD screen that is connected to the desktop.
i am flying out to Israel in a few hours, and i want to fix at least some of these issues so maskit will not kill me.
$#&* Microsoft.
book review: good arabs
last time i was in israel i picked up a few books in hebrew. mostly centered around israel's recent history.
the first one i read was "good arabs" by hillel cohen. it is based on documents from the israeli police and shin-bet services that were only recently declassified.
the picture the book paints is not one that will be easy to read for many israelis. while i personally give little credit to government agencies and don't buy the israeli myths around our superior moral standards, it was still surprising to learn how corrupt and immoral the israeli government was at the time.
one of the most disturbing revelations as far as i am concerned was the involvement of the israeli security services in trying to control the arab vote and direct it to the party in power (map"ai).
but more than anything it made me realize how inadequate are the history lessons that i got in school. now it looks to me as if i was subjected to propaganda. what you learn in school in israel is very one sided, trying to present the heroic efforts of the jews versus the heartless and barbaric arabs.
i think it will go a long way in making peace process and peace itself feasible if the history taught in schools was more objective, spending as much time on the way things looked to the arab population and the systematic mistreatment from the government.
the arabs are no saints, far from it. and even today their governments, religious leaders, media and general public are operating based on a moral code that is lagging several generations behind the west (yes, i do think there is such thing as moral and less moral cultures. don't buy the relativism approach).
this book is narrowly focused. i wish the school programs will teach some of its findings, but more importantly provide the true history of the early years of israel, the good and the bad.
"Pay-TV Blackout Window"
this is an excerpt from the FAQ page from TiVo regarding their new partnership with Amazon.
What is the "Pay-TV Blackout Window"?
Due to restrictions from the video rights holders, most newly released movies will occasionally become temporarily unavailable for re-download from Your Media Library—even after they’ve already been purchased.
During this "Pay-TV Blackout Window" certain programs will be temporarily unavailable from the Unbox catalog and Your Media Library. This happens during the program’s run on a pay-cable channel.
The video will be automatically replaced and made available to you through Your Media Library once the "Pay-TV Blackout Window" has ended.
if i get it right what they are saying in this cryptic explanation is that lets say i bought a movie and kept it in the Media Library i may suddenly find out that i can't watch it because there is some sort of blackout?!
i am sure this was not the idea of anyone at either TiVo or Amazon, but rather some twisted minds (probably a lawyer) in the media industry. it is amazing that they still don't get it. trying to find new (and clearly stupid) ways to make it hard for people to get their content.
i am quite sure that people trying to watch a movie they already paid for who will get the bizarre error message will go to bittorrent for good, never looking back.
insane.
the terrorists are winning
the terrorists are winning. at least in the impact they have on my life. i am talking about airport security and immigration. since i am traveling quite a bit this is a major impact…
just went through the security thing in heathrow, london. these guys have clearly lost it. they now have a one bag policy. no more taking a small trolley plus a laptop bag. now you have to fit the laptop bag into the trolley if you don't want to check in luggage. and they reduced the size of what you can carry, so even my 20" bag (pretty small, something most man can use on a working week trip, and most women can use for an overnight) does not fit it.
there is probably an idiot a committee of bureaucrats that is responsible for coming up with airport security regulations. i wonder what ideas they decide not to implement.. their logic was probably that if people will carry one bag instead of two that will reduce the chances of someone sneaking in a bomb by 50%. great win for our security.
another great feature of heathrow's security apparatus is that they have a separate line for examining people shoes. another machine to buy, more personnel to do the screening, more lines for people to stand in. amazing idea.
a great reprieve when it comes to liquids. a big screen with the title "BREAKING NEWS" tells people that now they can buy booze and bring it on the plane. i am sure every bottle is being examined by experts, and that it has nothing to do with the commercial interests of the businesses that are making their profits from people who spend hours in the airport because they now have to check-in 3 hours in advance without nothing to do but shop…
the situation in the US is not much better. and there is no consistency:
everyone need to take of their shoes / some / no one
liquids in nylon bag inside the suitcase / liquids must be in a bag outside the suitcase
etc.
the real security value generated by all this mess. i think very minimal, if any. the masterminds behind the regulations will probably use a cheney-like argument "the best proof our security measures are working is that there was not another 9/11". a great argument, could be used to justify any action by the government. no need to prove that something works, it is enough to show that it's not not working.
this will end up with people boarding planes in their underwear holding the boarding ticket. could be a great boost for the diet and hair removal industries. i am sure some lobbyist is already working out the details of the proposal and the impact on the revenue for the drug industry.
book review: snow
it seems that the only reading i am doing these days is on planes (after my battery runs out..). which makes it hard for me to make progress.
i liked snow, even though i think the best dialogue was very early in the book (between the director on the institute of education and his assassin), but this is probably because the thing that was most appealing for me in the book was the clash between the secular and religious points of view.
the main character, Ka, is someone i could not really connect with. orhan probably did a great job in building Ka along the book, because he feels very real, with serious character flaws and annoying behaviors.
(MY FLIGHT IS BOARDING. MUST GO)
long time, no write
i have not written in a long time.
didn't even write a short review of the latest book i finished (snow).
i have semi-good excuses
- i was busy
- i quit my job
- i am starting a new company and have an adrenaline rush
now i am in newark airport waiting for my flight (currently delayed by 3 hours), and suddenly got the urge to update my blog.
a few days ago i wrote an email to the people i know (and some i don't know) telling them about my decision to move on from my comfortable corporate position and get back to the start-up world (been there before with and had a modest success). i was waiting for a long time to send such an email, and it felt great finally doing it.
i realize this is the adrenaline rush typical of new starts (whether it is a relationship, school or work), but i know that i'll be working on a different plain that what i was used to for the past 4.5 years. i'll be busier, happier, more nervous, more anxious, more challenged, more fulfilled.
i don't want to say i should have made the move before, because i learned a lot during the past 4.5 years, and it will increase my chances to succeed in my new venture. i feel i made the right decision at the right time, and i feel ready to take on the challenge.
book review: in cold blood
i have a policy against reading non-fiction on vacations, but i figured in cold blood does not really count as a non-fiction.
i saw the capote film earlier this year, and had in cold blood in my "to read" list ever since. i was happy that when i started reading the book i forgot all of what i have seen in the movie, so i could be surprised by much of it.
i have not read many books that tell the story of a crime (under the banner of heaven, was the most recent one), but this one is probably the best. capote tells the story in such detail that you start thinking he was there as a fly on the wall the whole time.
the story itself is quite disturbing. mostly because the target of the crime (the clutter family) was so arbitrary. they just the extremely bad luck to be the victims of two losers who set their mind to commit the "perfect crime", by doing a robbery and leaving no witnesses. and they almost got away with it.
what i found most interesting in the book is the detailed descriptions of the backgrounds, mindset, rationale and emotions the killers had leading to the murders. though you get to know perry and dick (the two murderers) as the story progresses, i think it is impossible to feel sympathy for either maybe pity.
book review: the places in between
the places in between is the account of rory stewart walk from heart to kabul shortly after the fall of the taliban in 2002. i bought the book after i heard an interview with rory about his latest book (prince of the marshes) about his time as lt. governor in a province in iraq.. he is a special guy.
he walked in asia (india, pakistan, iran, afghanistan) for 16 months, but the timing of his trip to afghanistan and the way he went about it (staying every night in the houses of people willing to take him in and feed him) is extraordinary.
he walks in rural afghanistan and most of the people he meets are illiterate, don't have access to media and never went too far outside their village. unfortunately this is true for most of afghanistan. their country has just been bombarded and conquered by the coalition, and they don't really have a clue of the context. quite amazing.
reading this book it is hard to be optimistic about afghanistan's future. i hope the UN, NATO the US are spending real time and resources trying to understand the situation there, and help the local population make real progress.
the book is easy and quick to read. i felt rory was very honest in his writing. he is not making himself to be a hero, not every sentence he says is full of wit or wisdom, and his behavior is not always admirable. he is also not being very dramatic (beside a few understandable slips). he has a good sense of humor and it comes out in many of the passages in the book.
