I take it back Chromecast, I hate Comcast

Last year, I wrote a post about the announcement that HBO was incorporating Chromecast into their app. I’d like to say that, to an extent, I take back. I own 2 Chromecasts, and I wish more apps had casting capabilities.

What I’ve found is the major flaw, are the licensing agreements networks have with the cable companies. Unfortunately, it’s nearly impossible to watch most major network programming without a subscription to a cable or dish service.

I look forward to the day when I can subscribe to individual shows or networks, instead of having to go through an intermediary like a cable company. It’s amazing in this day in age – when technology is eliminating so many intermediaries, particularly in the retail space – that companies like these aren’t just surviving, but thriving.

When I moved into a new home this summer, we attempted to “cut the cord” and only have a Comcast cable internet subscription (they thew in basic cable & HBO free for a year). After trying an Apple TV and a few other devices, I settled on 2 Chromecasts, a Roku, and 2 XBox 360s for our 3 TVs. What’s unsettling is that even if you subscribe to Comcast, they prevent you from using their services (and the networks, like HBO, you subscribe to through them) on pretty much everything but the XBox (they can’t stop the Chromecast, but do prevent viewing their channels on Roku, Apple TV, etc.).

I apologize to Chromecast for my ignorant remarks, as I now wish even more networks (read this ESPN, AMC, A&E, Discovery, HGTV, and others) enabled Chromecast on their apps. I realize now that it’s Comcast and the other cable/dish providers that are really the ones preventing progress in the entertainment space.

Kickstarter Buyer Beware

Kickstarter is a cool concept – contribute to a project or idea that might not otherwise get off the ground. In appreciation for your support, developers offer rewards.  I’m not sure if it was intentional when they started it, but it’s spawned a new type of startup company. One that, if a company can entice enough consumers to “buy into” their idea, they should have enough money to make that idea happen. Your reward then becomes the finished product.

I was very intrigued by this new business model, and was very impressed with the creativity and innovation of many of the ideas. One that caught my eye last year was the “iExpander.” It promised an extra battery, much better camera flash, and an expandable memory slot for a microUSB, solving the major issues I was having with my iPhone 4S – bad battery life, bad pictures in low light, and not enough memory. The video they showed was impressive, and the fact that they already had several working prototypes built (and language on the site) lead me to believe I’d be receiving mine less than a month and a half after the campaign ended – ready for Christmas 2012.

More than a year later, I’m still waiting for my iExpander, and it’s not going to function nearly as I thought it would. They’ve hit snags with Apple, engineering, and manufacturing. The battery doesn’t tie in nearly as seamlessly as it was supposed to and the expandable memory is now a proprietary removable module. In the meantime, I’ve also upgraded to an iPhone 5S, which now has a better flash than was planned. Technology moves fast, and while iExpander has been working out it’s issues for more than a year, my need for the product has disappeared (I also upgraded to a 64GB memory in my new phone).

What I didn’t realize, was how common this is. CNN published a list of Kickstarter’s top 50 projects, and when they shipped. So, I share my story, just to say “buyer beware” if you choose to look at Kickstarter (or Indiegogo, or any other crowdsourced sites) as a way to buy some cutting edge new projects.

Don’t get me wrong, they’re not all bad. In fact, one of the most successful campaigns, the Pebble smartwatch, encouraged me to try it again. This time, I was very impressed with the prototype videos of the Kreyos Meteor smartwatch. It appears to be way more advanced than the Pebble, and does more of what I want a smartwatch to do. I took a chance as an “early adopter” and signed up for one.

Again, the Kreyos smartwatch prototypes looked so promising, and they appeared to have it all together, also promising to have them completed within a couple months of the campaign ending. Well, the Kreyos Meteor smartwatch was supposed to be shipped at the end of November, and that date has obviously come and gone. The most recent update said they hope to have it finished by mid-February. This is exactly how the  iExpander started out and I’m still waiting for that one over a year later.  I’m not going to hold my breath.

Who Cares about Chromecast & HBO?

Today I saw the “announcement” that HBO Go is now compatible with Chromecast. Who cares?

If you’re not familiar, Chromecast is a device that plugs into the HDMI port of your TV and allows you to “cast” YouTube videos and your Chrome browser window to your TV.

HBO Go is the service that allows you to watch HBO content on your mobile device only if you subscribe to HBO through your cable or satellite provider.

Now you can send HBO shows from your mobile device to your TV.  Here’s the flaw… you have to have a cable or satellite subscription to HBO to get HBO Go. So, presumably, if you have a cable or satellite subscription, you’re already able to watch HBO on your TV and have no need to “cast” it from your mobile device.

Chromecast… thanks for nothing. Please start adding some better capabilities, like mirroring of my mobile device (would it be too much to ask for you to do this even with iOS?).

Travel Observations

I’ve been traveling an incredible amount these last 9 days and I’ve made a few observations on my 18 flights on 3 different airlines…

– While I appreciate the satellite radio on United Airlines, they probably should avoid hits like, “It’s the end of the world as we know it.”. Another odd selection – “Country Roads” by John Denver.

– If someone passed gas on a crowded flight, they should be thrown off mid-flight.

– If the previous does happen, turn the little air blower on your face on full blast.

– Similarly, using the bathroom on a flight less than 45 minutes in length should be prohibited.

– If your stop/layover is less than 8 hours long, they send your bags on to the next destination… Even if you need your clothes for the hotel on your 7 hour layover.

– Delta and Northwest Airlines said they merged, but really haven’t… Other than when you think you’re flying one, you could be flying the other.

– Reclining your seat should be done slowly… You just took 8-10 inches of someone’s precious little personal space away… Ease into it.

– If you’re unlucky enough to get stuck in the middle seat, you deserve to use both armrests.

– If you’re walking through the terminal with you Bluetooth headset, you just look like a crazy person talking to themselves. Don’t be surprised when security is alerted.

– There’s a fine line between people watching in the terminal and being the spooky guy in the corner eyeing everyone walking by.

– Does the Homeland Security threat level ever drop to green? I think not.

These are just a few of the thing I picked up during my crazy travels… Feel free to add to the list if you have any interesting travel observations.

Seriously Miller Light?

Watcing the NCAA basketball tournament I keep seeing ads for Miller Light. What bugs me about the ads are Miller’s references to their “triple hops brewed, adding hops at three points during the brewing process.”. First, having tasted Miller Light, I’m surprised they would brag about this since the hop flavor is barely noticeable. Second, despite showing nice freshly grown hops in the ad, I’d be willing to bet you’d only find hop extract in Miller Light’s brewing process. Finally, being a homebrewer, the practice of adding hops three times during brewing is pretty standard, and is probably a claim AB, Coors, or your local brewpub could make… It’s really not a differentiating factor. With the growth of the craft brew movement, it just seems a little odd to try to promote your pilsner on the merit of hop additions.

Oil industry full of gas

Earlier this summer, I distinctly remember seeing gas reach over the $4/gallon mark. It was everywhere on the news and suddenly every news channel was interview CEOs from companies such as Exxon/Mobil, Chevron, ConocoPhillips, etc. These CEOs attempted justify the high costs we see at the pump – along with their billions of dollars in profits. They showed how the high cost of crude oil was driving prices up. In fact, at the time we were paying a little over $4/gallon, the price of crude oil jumped to $147 a barrel. OK, I understand, gas and oil is in high demand because of growth in places like China and India so we’re all paying more. What I don’t get is that this week, crude oil has fall to below $70/barrel (a 53% drop from it’s high on July 11) and yet the price at the pump has only fallen to about $2.85/gallon – that’s only a 29% drop in prices at the pump. So what’s happening with the 24% gap in the change in prices… my guess, it’ll finally push the big 3 I mentioned above (all Fortune 5 companies) a little closer to hitting a collective 100 Billion in profits. Happy driving!

Funny Job Posting Title

I’m not sure if this was planned before this week’s announcement that AIG was going under and the government was buying them up, but I found a job posting I had to tell you about…  The title of the posting = “FINANCIAL ADVISORS – MANAGE OUR MONEY.”  When you click on the job opening, what does it take you to?  It turns out it’s a job posting to become a financial advisor for AIG.  While I find it funny that AIG is asking for financial advisors to help them manage their money (after getting the government to buy a big chunk of them for around $83 billion), I found something that bugged me a little more.  Not to sound like an education snob, but when you look at the posting, they were looking for at least a 2-year degree.  Now if I’m looking for someone to manage my money, I think I’d want someone with a little more education.  Perhaps that’s why AIG was $75 billion in the hole, they’re advertising for less than college grads, yet have the audacity in the ad to say, “we only hire the best!”

Pringles Aren’t Potato Chips

Did Pringles (and manufacturer Procter and Gamble) win in a lawsuit in a British court actually hurt them in the minds of myself and other shoppers? The court case was over whether or not Pringles could be considered a “potato snack.”

In Britain, potato snacks – along with “potato crisps, potato sticks, potato puffs, and similar products made from the potato, or from potato flour, or from potato starch” – are subject to a 17.5% tax. Britain’s high court ruled that Pringles were not considered a potato snack and thus are not subject to the tax.

The reason – it turns out that Pringles are made from only 42% potato. I’m not sure how great Pringles sell in the UK, but I’m sure they’ve avoided paying quite a bit in taxes. However, I’m also not sure how many people – like myself – will think twice before buying Pringles in the future. If a Pringle chip (I guess I can’t call it a “potato chip”) is only 42% potato, it makes you wonder what’s in the other 58%.

Impulse Buy?

My family and I stopped into the dollar store yesterday to look for some little toys for our kids. We found a couple of toys for the pool/bathtub and a coloring book or two. My wife took the kids to the car while I waited in the checkout line. Around the checkout were the normal sorts of last minute buys – candy, superglue, etc. Although one thing caught my eye and left me a bit perplexed. Right next to the Chapstick were pregnancy tests! First, would you really trust a pregnancy test you picked up at the dollar store? Second, is a pregnancy test really an impulse buy?

Don’t Eat at Joe’s Crab Shack Peoria

This past weekend we had one of the worst dining experiences ever… thanks to Joe’s Crab Shack in Peoria, IL. We thought we’d get out of the house and take the kids somewhere fun. It took about 45 minutes to get there and it didn’t seem that crowded. We waited for a table for about 35 minutes and were finally seated outside overlooking the river. It was downhill from there.

I ordered the “All-You-Can-Eat Popcorn Shrimp,” my wife ordered a shrimp and fish basket, and we ordered the kids popcorn shrimp for our 2-year-old. About 20-25 minutes later our waitress finally came back and was surprised we didn’t have our meal yet. Finally about 10 minutes later our meal arrived. To my surprise, my “all-you-can-eat” shrimp plate had fewer popcorn shrimp on it than my son’s kids meal. When the waitress came back 10 minutes later, I asked if they could bring a little more popcorn shrimp this time. When the second batch arrived another 10 minutes later it had just as little shrimp on it. Since we were our waitress’ only outdoor table, she rarely stopped by to even refill drinks. I wanted another refill of shrimp, but after almost 2 hours of being there, we were ready to leave.