What swell folks at Netflix!
Out of the goodness of their little hearts — and perhaps to stave off competitor services like those from iTunes — some months ago they started offering subscribers “free” movie video streaming that they call “Watch Instantly.”
For the first few months, it was a neat little service. Didn’t have time to wait for another movie to arrive in the mail? You were too tired to do anything else and decided at the last minute to watch a movie?
Sure, the selections weren’t always the most current, but the library was deep enough to keep even a movie buff like me at my computer screen.
Overwhelmed by their own success, Netflix’s servers are now overwhelmed. “Watch Instantly” used to mean “instantly,” i.e. the server checked your video connection and the movie started. Simple!
Not anymore. I’ve been keeping count. During the past three weeks I have tried to start a movie 178 times — often the same movie to see if I could get it to start streaming. ONLY ONCE in 178 tries did the movie start streaming the first time a tapped on that little blue “play” button. Wait times have ranged from four hours up to 6 days. In the screen capture above, it says I will have to wait 48 minutes before my selected movie starts to play. By then, I will have slashed my wrists, made obscene phone calls to former girlfriends, and probably write this blog.
And it’s gotten worse. Customers used to be able to reset that play button until they caught the Netflix server at the right moment and the movie started. It was a little like playing the lottery. Sometimes you won, usually you lost. But now Netflix has caught on to this little game and changed the rules. Try to reload the movie and you will get an error message that says you have two movies running, which is against Netflix policies. The only way out of this dead end is to close all your browsers and start over.
Keep in mind that a few weeks ago I went through an entire series of diagnostic routines with my PC and with my cable provider that proved beyond a doubt that my Internet connection was indeed fast enough — I run a top-of-the-line system here! The problem is clearly at the Netflix end.
Netflix used to be fun. When I slashed by cable TV connection, Netflix gave me access to great movies at a reasonable price. Now they are one of the scourges of my little world. Like one of Skinner’s rats, each time a movie fails to start, that’s one more shock to my furry head saying, “Don’t bother!” And I am beginning to think I won’t.
Netflix 1, Customers 0.
Tags: iTunes movies, movie streaming, movies, Netflix scam, Netflix watch instantly, server problems at Netflix
You did it! You finally built your home bar. But now comes the time to decide what to keep on hand so that you will be known as the perfect amateur bartender. If money is no object, simply go the nearest liquor store and buy one of everything. This option is not only expensive, but you would probably end up with more bottles than space to store them. A more sensible solution would be to pick and choose a selection of liquors, non-alcoholic beverages, tools and equipments and little extras to really impress your guests.
Liquors
* Gin * Vodka * Rum (light and dark) * Whiskey * Bourbon * Rye * Scotch * Irish Cream * Tequila * Brandy/Cognac * Wine * White * Red * Champagne or sparkling wine * Vermouth * Beer
Liqueurs
* Amaretto (almond) * Blue Curacao (orange) * Chambord (raspberry) * Cointreau / Grand Marnier / Triple Sec (orange) * Crème de banane * Crème de cacao * Crème de menthe * Frangelico (hazelnut) * Galliano (herbs) * Kalua (coffee) * Sambuca (anise) * Schnapps (various flavors) * Southen Comfort (peach) * Tia Maria (coffee)
Mixers
* Angosturas Bitters * Lemonade * Cola * Cream * Eggs * Ginger Ale * Grenadine * Milk * Orange Bitters * Sour Mix * Sprite/7-Up * Soda water and tonic water
Fruit Juices
* Apple * Cranberry * Grapefruit * Lemon * Lime * Orange * Pineapple * Tomato
Garnishes/Other
* Cinnamon * Ice * Maraschino Cherries * Nutmeg * Olives (black/green) * Salt/pepper/sugar * Sugar Syrup * Tabasco Sauce * Worcestershire Sauce
A few handy tools are necessary even for the new bartender. A well-stocked bar is more than just the bottles you have on hand. The right tools, displayed on your countertop will go a long way in impressing your guests and will also help making drinks that look like they were made by at professional bartender.
* Shakers
One of the first bar tools that you will need is a decent shaker. They are useful for building drinks, mixing them properly and transferring them into glasses not to mention they make a good show for your guests. Shakers come in two types: 1) Conventional ones with a cap and a built-in strainer and; 2) Boston shaker which is a large mixing glass with a scale in centiliters and ounces. You will need a strainer to go with the Boston shaker.
* Electric Blender
Anyone who likes margaritas, daiquiris and pina coladas needs an electric blender. Aim for a smaller model that will take as much space on your bar.
* Measuring devices
Jiggers and measuring spoons will help you make consistent drinks every time. It also prevents you from being to heavy handed on the booze. Remember that goal is to create a great tasting drink and not to get everyone drunk.
* Muddler
A muddler is a thick stick made out of wood or stainless steel that is used to mash ingredients such as fruits, sugar or mint into a glass when you just want to infuse the flavors into the drink without blending it to a pulp..
* Corkscrew and bottle opener * Cutting board * Citrus juicer * Ice bucket and ice tongs
Now that you know what to keep in your bar, all you need to learn is how to make great drinks your friends will love. There are numerous books available on the market from beginner bar setups all the way to experts and drink you never knew existed.. Buy one or two and have fun experimenting. Cheers!
About the Author - Stefan Hyross
Specializing in wine and bar accessories shop online for the perfect gift for the wine bar enthusiast. WineBarGifts.com in a wine accessories store that feature unique items and is your one stop shop for great gifts ideas.
Tags: alcoholic drinks, home bar, liquor, stocking home bar, wine and bar accessories
Women are wonderful and it’s a joy to date most of them but some of them are so screwed up that they’ll make your life a living hell. Let’s face it there are some women who are nightmares to date and they should be avoided at all costs. These are the type of women that suck the life out of you one way or another.
Life is about energy and these types of women will drain you of your energy and drive you into a place in life that will not be fun. So, it’s best to know about these types in advance so you can proactively avoid having these negative experiences.
Emotional Evelyn - The Basket Case Evelyn is the kind of woman who can’t control her feelings. Everything is emotional. She reacts to situations in the extreme. Everything has to be exaggerated to the extremes and her life is always filled with drama. As a result you’ll never be able to find a moment of peace because when nothing is happening she’ll create a pile of drama, even fights just to ‘feel’ that something is going on.
Barbara Bride - The Bride To Be Most women want to get married at some point but Barbara is obsessed with marriage. She’s spent her entire life planning for her special day and mapping out the life she’s going to be living with Prince Charming. No matter how good you are, though, you’ll never live up to her imagination. You’ll fall short and your life will be a constant nagging of how you could do better.
Depressed Diane - The Buzz Kill Diane is always negative. No matter what you suggest, no matter what everyone around her is doing she’ll find the negative in the situation and fail to enjoy herself. Anyone around her who’s having fun will have her negative feelings thrust upon them. If they don’t react accordingly she’ll feel offended and feel that you don’t care. Misery loves company and if you’re not miserable too then you aren’t relating.
Gretta Gold Digger - The Legal Prostitute You’ll be able to spot Gretta easily. Everything is about money. She’s always making references to money or the value of things. If you find yourself out on a date with her recognize that money is something we all need but with her it’s the other lover that you’ll never live up to. No matter how much money you have or share with her it will never be enough.
Tammy Torturer - The Evil Witch Tammy is a stealth master. In fact, she’s an abuser. This is the kind of woman who enjoys the pain of others and in most cases she’s the nicest, sweetest girl that nobody would ever suspect. Any time she’s held accountable she’ll deny the truth and feign hurt feelings. She turns people against themselves and others and she’s never at fault. She’s the destroyer of lives.
Watch FREE hidden camera pickup videos and discover how to approach, meet and get dates with attractive women at the shopping mall, the park, even the street!
http://www.SucceedAtDating.com
About the Author
Alex Coulson has been a core leader in the ever evolving dating industry, he holds cutting-edge dating workshops/courses every weekend around Australia and regularly holds dating seminars on attracting women internationally.
Tags: Angelina Joli, camp, dating, evil woman, Joly Eva, Nicole Kidman, Nina Person, sexy, succeed at dating, women to avoid
