It seemed to fly under the radar, but since I have spent some time in this store recently, I thought I would bring it up again.
In case you didn’t hear, Blockbuster has filed for bankruptcy protection in the United States.
The Canadian operations are not affected by the move.
Blockbuster, which at one point was the #1 video rental retailer, is reportedly carrying 900 MILLION dollars in debt.
How did this happen, you ask?
Well in many ways, Blockbuster had an auto industry approach to business – specifically comparable to the Big 3.
There was an arrogance to Blockbuster – sure there was Jumbo Video in the past and Rogers Video as their only current retain competition - but they forgot something – the wonderful world wide web.
Netflix popped up, as did the ability to order movies off your satellite provider with a click of a button, and Blockbuster did not adjust until it was too late.
Then, when they did, their marketing ploy was vacuous (vak-you-ous) and negligent.
They offered no late fees – an excellent idea for families on the run who aren’t able to find two hours in a night to sit down and enjoy their flick.
But then realized late fees accounted for 16% of their revenue and brought them back.
In place, they have come up with the 2-night and 7-night rental…without changing the prices.
You can order a movie on pay-per-view for around 5 dollars, you can use Netflix for anywhere from $5-$25 dollars a month – and that’s for as many movies are you want.
Blockbuster is still $6+ dollars a rental, and even more for Blu-Rays.
Like GM, Ford and Chrysler – I think Blockbuster got it in their minds that they were irreplaceable.
But they aren’t.
Like Honda, Toyota and other foreign brands – alternatives like Netflix and Pay-Per-View have been stocking up their army and have unleashed a wrath of opportunities for the movie watcher.
As I mentioned earlier, Blockbuster Canada is not expected to be affected by bankruptcy protection – but that’s for now.
Netflix has just arrived in the Great White North, so how long can Blockbuster keep up the charade before they are left out in the cold?
Like the Big 3, Blockbuster needs to get with the times or they will be as extinct as a character in one of their high priced Science Fiction rentals.
Sunday, October 3, 2010
Monday, September 6, 2010
Sept 3, 2010
Well there goes summer.
In the blink of an eye, I found myself at home, watching the start of the NCAA Football season, planning my tailgating party for tomorrow and turning off the air conditioner for the evening, wondering if I’ll ever even need it again this year.
Ok, that’s a little dramatic, but really – it’s September now.
We are expecting a nice, warm fall, leading into a reportedly mild winter – which I’m perfectly fine with, but did it seem like this summer went by faster than most?
Maybe it was because it was so nice, most people’s monthly plans were filled by the time the calendar flips.
It’s not officially fall, but this long weekend really does seem to be the final chapter in the thriller that was the summer of 2010…and it was a good one.
=========================
Hey, it’s been four months since the explosion that resulted in the largest offshore oil spill in U.S. history. I guess it’s time for another:
Luckily, a fire on an oil production facility 100 miles off the Louisiana coast in the Gulf of Mexico appears to have ended without disaster.
Houston-based Mariner Energy Inc. reported that it was able to shut in the wells connected to the oil and gas production platform, averting leaks.
Do you think they have any pamphlets on how they did that? I know a company that could get good use out of reading that manual.
==========================
Have you heard about the 10 month old Chinese Michelin baby? At 10 months he weighs 44 pounds – the average weight of a 6-year old! That’s all.
=========================
You know when life is unfair to you when you are stuck in a mine in Chile – and could be there for another three MONTHS – have been denied some of the necessities of life.
The 33 men, who have each lost at least 22 pounds each, are being given something like tuna and water every day. They have been sent down cards, music and fresh clothes to help cope with the “discomfort” of being stuck 23-hundred feet under the ground.
But they have now been denied booze and cigarettes. Now, how unjust is that! Is there really a better way to pass three months than drinking yourself to sleep? Poor guys, I feel for ya.
So just for you tonight, I’m going to get completely annihilated on Cerveza Cristal and fill my lungs with Marboro’s just for you guys.
Cheers!
In the blink of an eye, I found myself at home, watching the start of the NCAA Football season, planning my tailgating party for tomorrow and turning off the air conditioner for the evening, wondering if I’ll ever even need it again this year.
Ok, that’s a little dramatic, but really – it’s September now.
We are expecting a nice, warm fall, leading into a reportedly mild winter – which I’m perfectly fine with, but did it seem like this summer went by faster than most?
Maybe it was because it was so nice, most people’s monthly plans were filled by the time the calendar flips.
It’s not officially fall, but this long weekend really does seem to be the final chapter in the thriller that was the summer of 2010…and it was a good one.
=========================
Hey, it’s been four months since the explosion that resulted in the largest offshore oil spill in U.S. history. I guess it’s time for another:
Luckily, a fire on an oil production facility 100 miles off the Louisiana coast in the Gulf of Mexico appears to have ended without disaster.
Houston-based Mariner Energy Inc. reported that it was able to shut in the wells connected to the oil and gas production platform, averting leaks.
Do you think they have any pamphlets on how they did that? I know a company that could get good use out of reading that manual.
==========================
Have you heard about the 10 month old Chinese Michelin baby? At 10 months he weighs 44 pounds – the average weight of a 6-year old! That’s all.
=========================
You know when life is unfair to you when you are stuck in a mine in Chile – and could be there for another three MONTHS – have been denied some of the necessities of life.
The 33 men, who have each lost at least 22 pounds each, are being given something like tuna and water every day. They have been sent down cards, music and fresh clothes to help cope with the “discomfort” of being stuck 23-hundred feet under the ground.
But they have now been denied booze and cigarettes. Now, how unjust is that! Is there really a better way to pass three months than drinking yourself to sleep? Poor guys, I feel for ya.
So just for you tonight, I’m going to get completely annihilated on Cerveza Cristal and fill my lungs with Marboro’s just for you guys.
Cheers!
Monday, August 30, 2010
Sleep Patterns
Sometimes – and only sometimes – I follow a chain of thoughts in my mind that connect to a fairly interesting topic.
Follow me through the 6-degrees of Matt’s mind to the point of my world according to today.
I was lying on my couch yesterday afternoon, drifting into my much-deserved dreamland, when I was startled by the fire alarm in the hallway.
I noticed it had only been about 15-20 since I saw the clock last and didn’t feel all that refreshed.
But my first thought was to go through the rolodex of Seinfeld episodes in my brain to find the one where Kramer goes on the DiVinci sleep pattern – sleeping 20 minutes every 3 hours.
I found it, through a little online research, on The Friars Club episode - #128 of the series.
So after my nap I had to throw it in and have a few laughs as Kramer explains how he’ll get an extra 2.5 days a week by using this sleep pattern.
It ends with Kramer being tossed into the Hudson River after falling asleep on top of a woman, who of course thought he was dead.
At the conclusion of the episode, I dug a little deeper on that DiVinci sleep pattern, and was quite intrigued.
Polyphasic (poly-fey-sic) sleep refers to the practice of sleeping multiple times in a 24-hour period—usually more than two, in contrast to biphasic sleep.
An example of polyphasic sleep is found in patients with irregular sleep-wake pattern, a circadian rhythm sleep disorder which usually is caused by head injury or dementia.
There was a guy by the name of Dr. Claudio Stampi who tested systematic sleep as a result of his boat racing hobby.
He ended up writing a book in 1992 called Why We Nap: Evolution, Chronobiology, and Functions of Polyphasic and Ultrashort Sleep about his findings, concluding that polyphasic sleep can actually ”improve prolonged performance” in some situations.
The US Military has studied sleep patterns and in their Air Force reports it says “Each individual nap should be long enough to provide at least 45 continuous minutes of sleep, although longer naps (2 hours) are better. In general, the shorter each individual nap is, the more frequent the naps should be.
On the other side of things, biphasic sleep is sleeping through the night, getting up, napping mid-day and then repeating.
Before the advent of electric lighting in Europe, sleepers awoke from their "first" sleep for an hour or more during the night, before returning to their "second" sleep.
I found this topic fascinating, but I gotta tell you…all this talk about napping is making me a little…*yawn*…tired.
Follow me through the 6-degrees of Matt’s mind to the point of my world according to today.
I was lying on my couch yesterday afternoon, drifting into my much-deserved dreamland, when I was startled by the fire alarm in the hallway.
I noticed it had only been about 15-20 since I saw the clock last and didn’t feel all that refreshed.
But my first thought was to go through the rolodex of Seinfeld episodes in my brain to find the one where Kramer goes on the DiVinci sleep pattern – sleeping 20 minutes every 3 hours.
I found it, through a little online research, on The Friars Club episode - #128 of the series.
So after my nap I had to throw it in and have a few laughs as Kramer explains how he’ll get an extra 2.5 days a week by using this sleep pattern.
It ends with Kramer being tossed into the Hudson River after falling asleep on top of a woman, who of course thought he was dead.
At the conclusion of the episode, I dug a little deeper on that DiVinci sleep pattern, and was quite intrigued.
Polyphasic (poly-fey-sic) sleep refers to the practice of sleeping multiple times in a 24-hour period—usually more than two, in contrast to biphasic sleep.
An example of polyphasic sleep is found in patients with irregular sleep-wake pattern, a circadian rhythm sleep disorder which usually is caused by head injury or dementia.
There was a guy by the name of Dr. Claudio Stampi who tested systematic sleep as a result of his boat racing hobby.
He ended up writing a book in 1992 called Why We Nap: Evolution, Chronobiology, and Functions of Polyphasic and Ultrashort Sleep about his findings, concluding that polyphasic sleep can actually ”improve prolonged performance” in some situations.
The US Military has studied sleep patterns and in their Air Force reports it says “Each individual nap should be long enough to provide at least 45 continuous minutes of sleep, although longer naps (2 hours) are better. In general, the shorter each individual nap is, the more frequent the naps should be.
On the other side of things, biphasic sleep is sleeping through the night, getting up, napping mid-day and then repeating.
Before the advent of electric lighting in Europe, sleepers awoke from their "first" sleep for an hour or more during the night, before returning to their "second" sleep.
I found this topic fascinating, but I gotta tell you…all this talk about napping is making me a little…*yawn*…tired.
These are words??
What has happened to the English language.
I’ve always been a bit of a word and grammar geek, even to the point that I signed up for the dictionary.com “Word of the Day” feature.
I read a fair amount, in a number of different genres, I’ve flipped through vocabulary books and thesauruses and even write in my spare time – some for local magazines and some just side projects.
And I cringe every time I see stories like this.
Every year, the Oxford English Dictionary adds new words that have entered pop culture and are supposed to pass as legitimate English phrases.
Over 2,000 new words were added this year, and there are a few that are prime examples of how the human race is getting DUMBER and DUMBER.
Here are a couple of the words, and their definitions, that have been added to the Dictionary.
--VUVUZELA. "Long horn blown by fans at soccer matches."
--BROMANCE. "A close but non-sexual relationship between two men."
--CHILLAX. "Calm down and relax."
--BUZZKILL. "A person or thing that has a depressing or dispiriting effect."
--CHILL PILL. "A notional pill taken to make someone calm down." (???)
--CHEESEBALL. "Lacking taste, style or originality."
--WARDROBE MALFUNCTION. "An instance of a person accidentally exposing an intimate part of their body as a result of an article of clothing slipping out of position."
--HATER. "Negative person."
--DEFRIEND. "Another term for unfriend (remove someone from a list of friends or contacts on a social networking site)."
I’ve always been a bit of a word and grammar geek, even to the point that I signed up for the dictionary.com “Word of the Day” feature.
I read a fair amount, in a number of different genres, I’ve flipped through vocabulary books and thesauruses and even write in my spare time – some for local magazines and some just side projects.
And I cringe every time I see stories like this.
Every year, the Oxford English Dictionary adds new words that have entered pop culture and are supposed to pass as legitimate English phrases.
Over 2,000 new words were added this year, and there are a few that are prime examples of how the human race is getting DUMBER and DUMBER.
Here are a couple of the words, and their definitions, that have been added to the Dictionary.
--VUVUZELA. "Long horn blown by fans at soccer matches."
--BROMANCE. "A close but non-sexual relationship between two men."
--CHILLAX. "Calm down and relax."
--BUZZKILL. "A person or thing that has a depressing or dispiriting effect."
--CHILL PILL. "A notional pill taken to make someone calm down." (???)
--CHEESEBALL. "Lacking taste, style or originality."
--WARDROBE MALFUNCTION. "An instance of a person accidentally exposing an intimate part of their body as a result of an article of clothing slipping out of position."
--HATER. "Negative person."
--DEFRIEND. "Another term for unfriend (remove someone from a list of friends or contacts on a social networking site)."
Thursday, May 20, 2010
Previously on 24...
Monday night at 10:01pm will be the end of an era.
On November 6, 2001, television changed and on May 24, 2010 it will come full circle.
“24” will wrap up on FOX with a two hour series finale starting at 8pm.
It was one of the first shows in primetime to experiment with the “real time” concept. Every minute in real life was a minute on the show, every show was an hour of Jack Bauer’s “day”, every season was one day in their main character’s life.
A quote by Kiefer Sutherland during interviews on the first season said “The time element is the main character of the show. That gives the writers a chance to do things with characters that other shows can’t do.”
But, it didn’t take long for people to become attached to Jack Bauer’s family and his daughter Kim and wife Teri.
And that’s why when the non-stop action of season 1 culminated in the death of Jack’s wife, people took notice that this show is unlike any other.
I saw a trailer for the show before it aired and thought the “real time” element was interesting, so I watched it…I have never missed an episode since.
In the Eight seasons to follow, Jack has stopped a Presidential candidate from being assassinated, stopped a bomb from detonating in Los Angeles, fought a heroine addiction to stop a Mexican drug cartel from acquiring a deadly virus, captured terrorists trying to steal nerve gas, been kidnapped by the Chinese, protect the United States from several nuclear devices and protected a peace treaty, until things went wrong.
In between his wife was killed, his girlfriend was killed, he was betrayed by friends, he had to kill friends, his daughter disowned him and he has seen more dead people than a funeral director.
I think you’re lying if you can say to me that in your life there has never been a character in TV or movies that you didn’t become attached to.
For me, Jack Bauer was the ultimate. He was vicious, hostile and deadly, while also being someone who would do anything to protect the people he cared about.
It is, of course, fiction…but it’s entertainment and no one has delivered a better week-by-week punch than Jack Bauer.
And the critics agreed: “24” has ironically won 24 major awards and nominated for over 65 more.
It’s always been one of those shows that if you haven’t watched it from the start of a season, you are probably out of the loop – and that may be it’s downfall.
I know many people who have never watched a second of the show, but I can honestly say have yet to meet someone who has started watching the show – and then stopped.
So Monday night I will be following a very familiar pattern of sitting on the couch, grabbing a snack and waiting for the ticking clock to begin.
But Monday will be different…it will be the last time.
It’ll be sad to see Jack Bauer go, because for me – he was the best.
On November 6, 2001, television changed and on May 24, 2010 it will come full circle.
“24” will wrap up on FOX with a two hour series finale starting at 8pm.
It was one of the first shows in primetime to experiment with the “real time” concept. Every minute in real life was a minute on the show, every show was an hour of Jack Bauer’s “day”, every season was one day in their main character’s life.
A quote by Kiefer Sutherland during interviews on the first season said “The time element is the main character of the show. That gives the writers a chance to do things with characters that other shows can’t do.”
But, it didn’t take long for people to become attached to Jack Bauer’s family and his daughter Kim and wife Teri.
And that’s why when the non-stop action of season 1 culminated in the death of Jack’s wife, people took notice that this show is unlike any other.
I saw a trailer for the show before it aired and thought the “real time” element was interesting, so I watched it…I have never missed an episode since.
In the Eight seasons to follow, Jack has stopped a Presidential candidate from being assassinated, stopped a bomb from detonating in Los Angeles, fought a heroine addiction to stop a Mexican drug cartel from acquiring a deadly virus, captured terrorists trying to steal nerve gas, been kidnapped by the Chinese, protect the United States from several nuclear devices and protected a peace treaty, until things went wrong.
In between his wife was killed, his girlfriend was killed, he was betrayed by friends, he had to kill friends, his daughter disowned him and he has seen more dead people than a funeral director.
I think you’re lying if you can say to me that in your life there has never been a character in TV or movies that you didn’t become attached to.
For me, Jack Bauer was the ultimate. He was vicious, hostile and deadly, while also being someone who would do anything to protect the people he cared about.
It is, of course, fiction…but it’s entertainment and no one has delivered a better week-by-week punch than Jack Bauer.
And the critics agreed: “24” has ironically won 24 major awards and nominated for over 65 more.
It’s always been one of those shows that if you haven’t watched it from the start of a season, you are probably out of the loop – and that may be it’s downfall.
I know many people who have never watched a second of the show, but I can honestly say have yet to meet someone who has started watching the show – and then stopped.
So Monday night I will be following a very familiar pattern of sitting on the couch, grabbing a snack and waiting for the ticking clock to begin.
But Monday will be different…it will be the last time.
It’ll be sad to see Jack Bauer go, because for me – he was the best.
Sunday, May 16, 2010
Now We DON'T Want Jobs??
There’s a great article on the Windsor Star’s website by Chris Vander Doelen about the new solar panel plant being built at the Windsor Airport – creating around 150 jobs by the end of the year.
Apparently, there are some people in the city that believe this whole “green-energy” thing is a flash in the pan because a lot of the money is coming from the government.
Some worry about what will happen when the Ontario funding dries up, and aren’t convinced this industry will strive in the future.
Well guess what – it’s new jobs. Deal with it.
It’s funny how we can be in the middle of one of the worst recessions in our history and people still believe they can be picky with their careers – or the jobs that come into our region.
Thousands of people are out of a job, and a brand new industry is coming to Windsor and carries with it the potential for thousands of jobs – but we aren’t sure we want it here.
What happens when the government is done paying for these programs to start and the city has to front the money on it’s own?
Solar Source has a game plan where they want to become the first company able to produce made-in-Ontario panels.
And that will begin in Windsor.
In fact, Solar Source President, Ross Beatty has been quoted in the article saying “the largest market for energy in the world is right here, right below us” in reference to Windsor.
I don’t buy into the whole Al Gore/green lifestyle thing, but if it’s creating jobs and the new “auto” industry in terms of growth and potential – then welcome aboard.
I can imagine there are several cities in Canada and the U-S that would love to have any ray of hope for having a new business come to town.
I’d even go beyond calling it a new business – maybe a new industry.
U-S President, Barack Obama is in Buffalo right now, hosting a town hall meeting and was greeted by a billboard reading simply “I need a freaking job”.
It was put up by a man named Jeff Baker, who lost his job at a textile business.
It’s plain and simple these days – jobs are jobs, new business is new business and growth is growth.
So whether it’s solar panels or art or animal cracker manufacturers, we should be welcoming these enterprises - who are taking a chance on us - with open arms.
Apparently, there are some people in the city that believe this whole “green-energy” thing is a flash in the pan because a lot of the money is coming from the government.
Some worry about what will happen when the Ontario funding dries up, and aren’t convinced this industry will strive in the future.
Well guess what – it’s new jobs. Deal with it.
It’s funny how we can be in the middle of one of the worst recessions in our history and people still believe they can be picky with their careers – or the jobs that come into our region.
Thousands of people are out of a job, and a brand new industry is coming to Windsor and carries with it the potential for thousands of jobs – but we aren’t sure we want it here.
What happens when the government is done paying for these programs to start and the city has to front the money on it’s own?
Solar Source has a game plan where they want to become the first company able to produce made-in-Ontario panels.
And that will begin in Windsor.
In fact, Solar Source President, Ross Beatty has been quoted in the article saying “the largest market for energy in the world is right here, right below us” in reference to Windsor.
I don’t buy into the whole Al Gore/green lifestyle thing, but if it’s creating jobs and the new “auto” industry in terms of growth and potential – then welcome aboard.
I can imagine there are several cities in Canada and the U-S that would love to have any ray of hope for having a new business come to town.
I’d even go beyond calling it a new business – maybe a new industry.
U-S President, Barack Obama is in Buffalo right now, hosting a town hall meeting and was greeted by a billboard reading simply “I need a freaking job”.
It was put up by a man named Jeff Baker, who lost his job at a textile business.
It’s plain and simple these days – jobs are jobs, new business is new business and growth is growth.
So whether it’s solar panels or art or animal cracker manufacturers, we should be welcoming these enterprises - who are taking a chance on us - with open arms.
Monday, March 29, 2010
Hit The Road, Jack - 24 Ends
For me, the best TV show that has ever hit the airwaves will be wrapping up after their 8th season.
Here are a few great articles about the show's finish and memories.
http://entertainment.ca.msn.com/celebs/article.aspx?cp-documentid=23740311
http://www.huffingtonpost.com/david-wild/hit-the-road-jack-a-tortu_b_515785.html
Here are a few great articles about the show's finish and memories.
http://entertainment.ca.msn.com/celebs/article.aspx?cp-documentid=23740311
http://www.huffingtonpost.com/david-wild/hit-the-road-jack-a-tortu_b_515785.html
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