VLC is back in the App Store

On the left is the old VLC app, on the right is the new VLC app.

Back in 2011 Videolan pulled VLC from the App Store because they felt the TOS went against the spirit of Open Source software (i.e., it was no place for VLC). But now VLC is back in the iOS App Store. Included with new features. Now you can send videos from your computer to your iPad directly (without needing iTunes) via Wi-Fi. You can also watch videos from the web by entering I the URL. (Before you had to open the unplayable video in Safari, and wait for the "open in" button to show up, then chose VLC).

Anyone who downloaded the old version years ago before it was pulled will know what I mean when I say it was too limited and crashed a lot. The new version has many improvements that will sure to delight both veterans and newcomers alike.

Why is it so hard for some studios to produce good packaging?

Some studios put DVDs in "books" with scratch-causing cardboard sleeves. Other studios stack discs in a spindle. And then there are others with a good idea, but execute it poorly.

An example of a poorly executed idea, are the Dragon Balls DVD season sets. The spines create Shenron in all it's glory, but only if you remove the partially embossed slipcovers.

Slipcovers on:

Slipcovers off:

It makes no sense why someone would produce a design like this that can only be seen if you get rid of part of the packaging (a part that a lot of people like keeping on).

Google Maps on iPad

Last night Google updated their iPhone app to also work natively on the iPad, as well as a list of new features. Download it if you miss Google Maps on your iPad!

Why I ditched the Disney Movie Club

Like most people, I was sucked into the Disney Movie Club by the allure of inexpensive movies. For the privilege of purchasing five movie for only $1 a piece, I had to commit to purchasing five more movies at their regular price of $29.95.  Although the Disney Movie Club sells their movies at far higher prices than other retailers, for around $155 to get ten movies, I figured it was a decent deal (not a good deal, but a decent one). I can of course, get ten movies cheaper elsewhere, but I wanted to give Disney a shot.

After the five movie commitment is met, you can cancel or continue at a "VIP" level, and I even considered sticking around. What changed my mind and made me decide to cancel after my commitment, was the horrible customer experience I had with the Disney Movie Club.

I ordered two films, one being Oz The Great and Powerful and I waited ten days (Disney tells you to wait 7-10 for delivery). On the tenth day my order still had not shipped and I called up Disney, I was told Oz was on back order. I was a bit puzzled that they couldn't ship the other movie, since other online retailers will do that for you (Target, Macy's, Amazon, etc.) but Disney decided to keep a hold on the one movie until both could ship. I asked the person on the phone if my order could be split, so I could at least get one of the movies I ordered. I then asked if it would affect the shipping cost, and was assured that it would be the same (he lied, I was charged an extra $2 for splitting the order). I called back a few minutes later and asked if the Oz movie could be cancelled and another ordered in its place, because I didn't want to wait on a back order. I then asked if the two movies would ship together, and was told yes she'd put them together in one shipment. Wrong, another lie. The two movies were on different shipments, and I was still charged the $2 extra (it's not about the money, it's the principle).

So after being lied to twice, being overcharged on shipping, and having to wait close to 20 days for a movie that I was supposed to get in 7-10 days (and there was no reason for it, they had the movie I'm stock), that's why I decided to give the Disney Movie Club the boot. And I say, good riddance to bad rubbish!

Why 3D is a waste of money

Unlike what Hollywood tries to pawn off on a misinformed consumer, 3D technology is nothing new. The first 3D film I saw was in 1990, I was 10 years old and on a family trip to Walt Disney World in Orlando, Florida. In one of the Disney theaters, I was presented with a 3D short film. The visuals were spectacular; Goofy was only inches from my face. It felt like if I reached out, that I could actually touch the characters.

Now fast forward 23 years to the present, 3D movies in comparison are terrible. Take The Avengers for example, released last year. In a movie lasting 143 minutes, only 10 seconds of it could actually be considered 3D. The rest of the movie was simply holographic. Think back to a holographic baseball card you may have had as a kid, or even the holographic image glued to the slipcover of the 3D Blu-ray for The Avengers; it shows depth, but you can still tell it's a flat card. That's all the movie shows, depth, with the occasional "jump off the screen" moment. Each scene that showed any true 3D laster a 1/2 second, spread throughout the movie, it adds up to about 10 seconds in total. Despite the movie being mainly holographic, it wasn't entirely. Toward the end of the movie, when you see reactions on the TV, that's a flat shot. No holographic effects at all. Then in the following scene when everyone is standing by their cars, we go back to the holographic imagery. In Coraline (2009) this happens quite often. The so-called "3D" is turned off so much, that it feels like a 2D movie.

Why are people paying extra for a mediocre experience, one that is over 20 years old? Since Hollywood was losing theater viewership for the more comfortable and personal home theater experience, they decided to pull an old technology off the shelf, blow the dust away, and pretend it's new. But it's not new, instead they took an old technology and made it even worse. The 3D movie I saw 23 years ago is far superior to the junk Hollywood is producing today. And people are paying a premium to get ripped off. That's why when I had a choice between a reasonably high ticket price to see Iron Man 3 in 2D or an outrageous ticket price to see Iron Man 3 in 3D, I choose the 2D version. Not just for the price, but also because I knew I'd get a better viewing experience in 2D than I would in the faux 3D.

The reason Hollywood is producing junk these days, is because they spend more time and money putting everything in 3D than they do coming up with a good story. Despite high box office results, the Transformers movies sucked. They do, you can admit it. The old cartoon from the 1980s was good, so what happened? More focus was on the special effects and cutting deals with Chevy, than they were with having a good plot and telling Chevy NO, Bumblebee is NOT a Camaro, he is a Volkswagen Beetle! Consumers have more voting power than they think, and they cast their vote with their dollars. If you want better movies, instead of junky 3D flicks, stop spending money on this 3D nonsense.

Amazon.com needs to step up their game with the customer support

I called last week to ask if an order I made back in May was in stock, because I was concerned that the status hasn't changed to "preparing to ship" yet. A woman named "Andrika H" said she checked the stock and assured me that the item would arrive by July 3rd.

It's now July 3rd, and not only did the item not ship, but I just received an email a few minutes ago telling me the order was cancelled.

Hello,

Due to a lack of availability, we will not be able to obtain the following item(s) from your order:

Watsuki, Nobuhiro "Rurouni Kenshin, Vol. 4, Vizbig Edition"
Watsuki, Nobuhiro "Rurouni Kenshin, Vol. 7, Vizbig Edition"

We've canceled the item(s) and apologize for the inconvenience. We must also apologize for the length of time it has taken us to reach this conclusion.

Why does it take two months to decide that you can't get an item? I could say well hey, everyone makes mistakes. But when customer support tells me one week prior to the delivery that it would arrive on time, and then it doesn't... There is no excuse for that. This isn't the first time Amazon has wronged me. They've sold me a counterfeit product in the past, not some 3rd-party merchant, but Amazon themselves. I've also been denied a legitimate Amazon Associates payment a few months back. I don't know what is wrong with Amazon lately, but their customer support sucks!

Siri knows stories!

I was testing the volume of Siri and asked her to tell me a story, and she told me one...

Siri is pretty entertaining =)