commercials, on the whole, are pandering to idiots but the late night commercials are so annoying because they are pumped out at about twice the volume or more of the shows they interrupt... if the companies only knew how much that turns me off to their products, they would wise up and stop forcing me to press the volume down or mute button every time... and the stations themselves blare commercials for their own shows just as annoyingly...
the bad taste lingers in the mind...
Showing posts with label commercials. Show all posts
Showing posts with label commercials. Show all posts
Saturday, March 2, 2013
Thursday, February 14, 2013
brighthouse shut me down again
and once again i am in the middle of working on internet research and in the middle of watching something on tv and the crappy brighthouse service that i pay $130 a month for decides i can not do what i want to do and will i be compensated for my time?... the reboot started automatically about ten minutes ago and it continues... does brighthouse really care?... is brighthouse really a friend?... don't believe the bullshit commercials, they do not care and are not your friend... they continue to tell me that this should not be happening and continue to ask me for my time and my services without compensation - and they continue to provide a mediocre product with ineffective service...
and during the last service call, just two weeks ago, i told the tech what was going on and he suggested getting the new box... in other words, call for service again... and talking to two csrs on the phone to set up the service call (the first one was "disconnected" somehow), i explained all the issues and what happened?... nothing... the service tech had no clue...
so now this latest brighthouse-initiated reboot that interrupted my service took fifteen minutes and turned off my tv twice and now my tv will not go on... whatever signal was sent to the tv apparently rebooted my tv as well... and of course it turned off the cable box so the channel was reset... so now, twenty minutes later the tv is trying to connect to the but and on comes what?... not the channel i was watching (not that i want to watch a show after brighthouse forced me to miss 20 minutes of it), but the first-on channel and, of course, without sound... worst of all, the internet service has gone downhill since the move and it was the internet that was keeping me... the neighbor's dishes are looking more attractive once again...
and during the last service call, just two weeks ago, i told the tech what was going on and he suggested getting the new box... in other words, call for service again... and talking to two csrs on the phone to set up the service call (the first one was "disconnected" somehow), i explained all the issues and what happened?... nothing... the service tech had no clue...
so now this latest brighthouse-initiated reboot that interrupted my service took fifteen minutes and turned off my tv twice and now my tv will not go on... whatever signal was sent to the tv apparently rebooted my tv as well... and of course it turned off the cable box so the channel was reset... so now, twenty minutes later the tv is trying to connect to the but and on comes what?... not the channel i was watching (not that i want to watch a show after brighthouse forced me to miss 20 minutes of it), but the first-on channel and, of course, without sound... worst of all, the internet service has gone downhill since the move and it was the internet that was keeping me... the neighbor's dishes are looking more attractive once again...
Thursday, January 3, 2013
goldmach sachs spam
goldmach sachs sucks... they get this dubious mention because goldman sachs just tried to take over my computer... and slate helped them... i clicked on a video on the slate site and a 2 minute 49 second video advertising goldman sachs opened four times in different windows, one full screen blocking my start menu and everything else on my screen - when i click just once... and worse, when i close one, the full screen was hidden behind the browser and i only noticed because the start menu bar was black... i expect this from a company that worships money, but trust for slate has gone down considerably...
we live in a very sad culture...
we live in a very sad culture...
Thursday, August 30, 2012
cable and internet search
the box once again is acting up, flicking the picture and sound on and off and preventing the signal from reaching the tv... shutting it off a few times and waiting did not help this time... a manual reboot is next... and since the brighthouse service will not work and not allow me to watch tv, it is time to invest some time in research for better service - so let's see what else is available at my address...
comcast... $40 cable and $30 internet from road runner (same company brighthouse uses)... the $30 internet is without taxes and without internet speed boosts... and is a time-limited offer, 6 months and then it goes to $50... a package for $80 sounds very similar to what i am currently getting from brighthouse for at least $20 more, so there is a draw for comcast... the site does not make comparison shopping easy and does not offer any comparison to brighthouse... a prime example can be found here on this page where they have the starter tv and the internet package for $30 each and then the combo of those two services for $70... simple math suggests this company has some serious math problems (and i should trust their tech knowledge?)...
even more unfortunately, it looks like a 2 year commitment is required, which is a big turn off for me as i might find major flaws in the service in the first few months and be stuck for two years... the lack of required commitments still keeps brighthouse ahead in spite of the horrible service lately...
still, saving $20-$30 a month is a major draw so i will explore comcast further... reviews show just as many complaints about comcast as there are for brighthouse, so the switch would have to be based on the details of costs, channels, internet speed, and the roll of the dice that the service may be a bit better... sometimes, after continuous dissatisfaction, any change is better than continued poor service... ultimately, the comcast experience may be better or worse than the brighthouse experience, but i will not know unless i try it...
centurylink (orlando)... sounds similar in cost, though i have not explored the details of the services and packages offered yet...
cleartv offers a bundle of tv and internet for $65, almost half the price i currently pay per month plus one month free, so it's worth a look as i continue searching... the page, however, gives the feel of a scam (not suggesting it is, it just lacks depth and detailed information and requests contact info immediately, before providing any shopping experience)... also appears to be a 4G at best internet, much slower than high-speed cable...
att u-verse presented challenging to find in this internet search and appears to require $91 to get HDTV, which is unacceptable pricing... also, the complicated internet presence presents a lot of scam-like "authorized representatives" so finding the source provider is not easy... at&t also requires a log-in to shop "build-your own" bundles on their site, definitely marketing that borders on the spam sites...
so after jumping through a few hoops i found that max internet is $63 and 300 channels is $87 and after rebates or whatever promo offers, it's $115 a month including a dvr and an additional $100 rebate for signing up for a year... still, i do not believe this includes HDTV, so not acceptable... bundling wireless service reduces the monthly bill to $110... knowing att, there is some hoop-jumping involved, as their complicated website showed...
and ah, i believe (again, the site is not simple to navigate) i found HD and it is an extra $10 a month, so $120 now... this plan includes a movie package for $20... unfortunately, it does not appear possible to remove the movie package and still get HDTV as HDTV is not available with lower priced packages... the $100 rebate brings the monthly cost down about for the initial year, so $112 a month, about the same as the current brighthouse we pay without the two dvrs and more channels...
the catch may be that after the 12 month required contract, the $46 per month discount ends and the monthly cost is $166, are they nuts?... i'd have to speak with them before ordering, but the $112 for more channels, 2 dvr boxes (one wireless), and more sounds appealing...
directv... $40 cable for equivalent station lineup to what i have now and a dvr... regular price $70... requires a 2 year contract and goes up to $50 the second year... while the website makes comparing packages simpler than the cable providers sites, the discounts appear complicated as they are rebates requiring online submission and the risk of not getting the rebates if you do not do it correctly, typical pain-in-the-ass marketing technique)... also, auto-payment is required... again, road runner is the separate company that is bundled for high-speed internet access... the free nfl package makes directv a very serious draw in spite of the hoop-jumping required, however the time-sensitive rebate hoops make it a fourth choice for now behind the two cable providers bh and cc and att...
without the hoop-jumping, directv sounds pretty good... but the hoop-jumping suggest to me that dealing with this company will not be a simple or happy consumer experience...
brighthouse (central florida) currently charges us $120 for the cable internet (roadrunner) package (this includes taxes) for one cable box and this does not include a dvr... definitely the most expensive of the lot...
going to their bundles page i see an offer for $110 that includes phone... and $100 for the service i currently get (and why do i pay more for this, probably because i am not a new subscriber which adds to the price appeal of comcast and directv)... though the directv page makes it much easier to find prices, channel lineup details, and compare packages, the simplicity of no contract and no rebates makes this the simplest and most attractive front-end package i've found so far, yet the add-on packs can become confusing and the price difference combined with the actual experience of the poor quality of service brighthouse provides still leaves me a very dissatisfied customer looking for another provider...
it is interesting to note that brighthouse does not show up on the first search page doing a google search for "tv and internet costs orlando florida"... no charge for the marketing information, brighthouse...
wow, that was a long few hours to find all this information (and there are plenty of details i would dig deeper for before a final decision) and in fact, while this started out as a complaint, it may just be edited and become a consumer blog entry... but for this place, ultimately, i am leaning toward switching to providers unless brighthouse either improves service or meets a competitive monthly price... why pay $110+ a month for crap service when i can try an alternative with the same channels and internet speed and includes a dvr and more tvs for a lower price...
good question, aye?
comcast... $40 cable and $30 internet from road runner (same company brighthouse uses)... the $30 internet is without taxes and without internet speed boosts... and is a time-limited offer, 6 months and then it goes to $50... a package for $80 sounds very similar to what i am currently getting from brighthouse for at least $20 more, so there is a draw for comcast... the site does not make comparison shopping easy and does not offer any comparison to brighthouse... a prime example can be found here on this page where they have the starter tv and the internet package for $30 each and then the combo of those two services for $70... simple math suggests this company has some serious math problems (and i should trust their tech knowledge?)...
even more unfortunately, it looks like a 2 year commitment is required, which is a big turn off for me as i might find major flaws in the service in the first few months and be stuck for two years... the lack of required commitments still keeps brighthouse ahead in spite of the horrible service lately...
still, saving $20-$30 a month is a major draw so i will explore comcast further... reviews show just as many complaints about comcast as there are for brighthouse, so the switch would have to be based on the details of costs, channels, internet speed, and the roll of the dice that the service may be a bit better... sometimes, after continuous dissatisfaction, any change is better than continued poor service... ultimately, the comcast experience may be better or worse than the brighthouse experience, but i will not know unless i try it...
centurylink (orlando)... sounds similar in cost, though i have not explored the details of the services and packages offered yet...
cleartv offers a bundle of tv and internet for $65, almost half the price i currently pay per month plus one month free, so it's worth a look as i continue searching... the page, however, gives the feel of a scam (not suggesting it is, it just lacks depth and detailed information and requests contact info immediately, before providing any shopping experience)... also appears to be a 4G at best internet, much slower than high-speed cable...
att u-verse presented challenging to find in this internet search and appears to require $91 to get HDTV, which is unacceptable pricing... also, the complicated internet presence presents a lot of scam-like "authorized representatives" so finding the source provider is not easy... at&t also requires a log-in to shop "build-your own" bundles on their site, definitely marketing that borders on the spam sites...
so after jumping through a few hoops i found that max internet is $63 and 300 channels is $87 and after rebates or whatever promo offers, it's $115 a month including a dvr and an additional $100 rebate for signing up for a year... still, i do not believe this includes HDTV, so not acceptable... bundling wireless service reduces the monthly bill to $110... knowing att, there is some hoop-jumping involved, as their complicated website showed...
and ah, i believe (again, the site is not simple to navigate) i found HD and it is an extra $10 a month, so $120 now... this plan includes a movie package for $20... unfortunately, it does not appear possible to remove the movie package and still get HDTV as HDTV is not available with lower priced packages... the $100 rebate brings the monthly cost down about for the initial year, so $112 a month, about the same as the current brighthouse we pay without the two dvrs and more channels...
the catch may be that after the 12 month required contract, the $46 per month discount ends and the monthly cost is $166, are they nuts?... i'd have to speak with them before ordering, but the $112 for more channels, 2 dvr boxes (one wireless), and more sounds appealing...
directv... $40 cable for equivalent station lineup to what i have now and a dvr... regular price $70... requires a 2 year contract and goes up to $50 the second year... while the website makes comparing packages simpler than the cable providers sites, the discounts appear complicated as they are rebates requiring online submission and the risk of not getting the rebates if you do not do it correctly, typical pain-in-the-ass marketing technique)... also, auto-payment is required... again, road runner is the separate company that is bundled for high-speed internet access... the free nfl package makes directv a very serious draw in spite of the hoop-jumping required, however the time-sensitive rebate hoops make it a fourth choice for now behind the two cable providers bh and cc and att...
without the hoop-jumping, directv sounds pretty good... but the hoop-jumping suggest to me that dealing with this company will not be a simple or happy consumer experience...
brighthouse (central florida) currently charges us $120 for the cable internet (roadrunner) package (this includes taxes) for one cable box and this does not include a dvr... definitely the most expensive of the lot...
going to their bundles page i see an offer for $110 that includes phone... and $100 for the service i currently get (and why do i pay more for this, probably because i am not a new subscriber which adds to the price appeal of comcast and directv)... though the directv page makes it much easier to find prices, channel lineup details, and compare packages, the simplicity of no contract and no rebates makes this the simplest and most attractive front-end package i've found so far, yet the add-on packs can become confusing and the price difference combined with the actual experience of the poor quality of service brighthouse provides still leaves me a very dissatisfied customer looking for another provider...
it is interesting to note that brighthouse does not show up on the first search page doing a google search for "tv and internet costs orlando florida"... no charge for the marketing information, brighthouse...
wow, that was a long few hours to find all this information (and there are plenty of details i would dig deeper for before a final decision) and in fact, while this started out as a complaint, it may just be edited and become a consumer blog entry... but for this place, ultimately, i am leaning toward switching to providers unless brighthouse either improves service or meets a competitive monthly price... why pay $110+ a month for crap service when i can try an alternative with the same channels and internet speed and includes a dvr and more tvs for a lower price...
good question, aye?
Tuesday, August 28, 2012
news and weather
i am beginning to feel enough dislike (i really hate the word hate ya know) the news and weather media in the usa... it is madness and so very unhealthy, which is why i stay away from watching or reading it quite often... the fear-driven culture we live in has produced a society of adrenaline junkies afraid of everything and worse, unable to think for themselves... a clear sign of a failing culture...
what brings this meaningless complaint out today is the tropical storm isaac reports that have been pounding into millions of people's heads over the past week, especially the last few days as the news people are begging for the national weather service to call this storm a hurricane (in fact, the weather people have mistakenly called it a hurricane more than a few times, on the weather channel no less, where they are supposed to know what they are doing - and don't they?... they know scaring people gets more people to watch and rating and selling products is their first priority, not protecting people or providing fair and accurate reporting of the news... journalism is such a dead profession these days in the usa)...
and after hours of telling us that the 11am national weather service report should upgrade the storm to a hurricane (note, that's an upgrade - sick) again and again and the disappointment was obvious in the reporters voices and words, even questioning the national weather service making statements like "it would have been better if they upgraded to a hurricane"...
how shameful greed is so acceptable...
how irresponsible fear-mongering is so acceptable...
everybody be afraid, stop thinking, just be afraid and above all else - keep watching the news because we have very important commercial messages you need to see between all the fear-mongering reports we repeat over and over...
how ignorant will this culture get before it collapses?...
did i just fear-monger?
what brings this meaningless complaint out today is the tropical storm isaac reports that have been pounding into millions of people's heads over the past week, especially the last few days as the news people are begging for the national weather service to call this storm a hurricane (in fact, the weather people have mistakenly called it a hurricane more than a few times, on the weather channel no less, where they are supposed to know what they are doing - and don't they?... they know scaring people gets more people to watch and rating and selling products is their first priority, not protecting people or providing fair and accurate reporting of the news... journalism is such a dead profession these days in the usa)...
and after hours of telling us that the 11am national weather service report should upgrade the storm to a hurricane (note, that's an upgrade - sick) again and again and the disappointment was obvious in the reporters voices and words, even questioning the national weather service making statements like "it would have been better if they upgraded to a hurricane"...
how shameful greed is so acceptable...
how irresponsible fear-mongering is so acceptable...
everybody be afraid, stop thinking, just be afraid and above all else - keep watching the news because we have very important commercial messages you need to see between all the fear-mongering reports we repeat over and over...
how ignorant will this culture get before it collapses?...
did i just fear-monger?
Sunday, June 17, 2012
whatever they are called
tv ads, tv pop ups, the bottom third, ad crawlers, bottom screen ads, digital tv, samsung's mistake, whatever, they suck... first, they destroy the stories they interrupt, creative suicide for anyone producing shows for television... then, annoying interruptions do not inspire me to watch the show interrupting the show i want to watch... in fact, the show i pay to watch... i pay to go to the theatre, i would resent a scrolling banner on the scenery advertising anything - it is not part of the show i paid to see... i pay for a ticket to watch a movie in a theatre without commercial interruption... and i pay for cable television... it is reasonable that the free tv networks force advertising down our throats to pay for their shows, but when i pay for a service i do not want advertising...
i mean, why watch regular tv anymore, or even cable... they take commercialism too far, so we find other ways to entertain ourselves... foolish greed has brought so many great nations down, when will they ever learn...
simply, watching movies on tv is a waste of time for me... there is no hollywood magic, no getting into a story... there is a random and even sometimes constant distraction of a network logo or upcoming show advertisement distracting from the movie... sometimes it is an animated pop up totally destroying any mood or ambiance the actors and director and movie crew were trying to create... it's gotten ridiculous... and just one more reason tv falls further and further into the background...
i mean, why watch regular tv anymore, or even cable... they take commercialism too far, so we find other ways to entertain ourselves... foolish greed has brought so many great nations down, when will they ever learn...
simply, watching movies on tv is a waste of time for me... there is no hollywood magic, no getting into a story... there is a random and even sometimes constant distraction of a network logo or upcoming show advertisement distracting from the movie... sometimes it is an animated pop up totally destroying any mood or ambiance the actors and director and movie crew were trying to create... it's gotten ridiculous... and just one more reason tv falls further and further into the background...
Monday, August 8, 2011
beware of groupon
that is groupon, a good idea but a website and company that is not to be trusted because they secretly install something on your computer that creates links on your web pages that create pop-ups advertising the groupons... very not right... and the virus software and windows software and all the protections on this new computer didn't stop it... very sneaky...
it took me a while to figure out why my web pages, even my personal web pages, were altered... hopefully it is not viable from other computers because using my personal web pages to advertise their site would be very unethical... and should be illegal...
if you check out their site, which is a good idea, make sure you email their support people first to find out how not to become a shill for their business without knowing...
it took me a while to figure out why my web pages, even my personal web pages, were altered... hopefully it is not viable from other computers because using my personal web pages to advertise their site would be very unethical... and should be illegal...
if you check out their site, which is a good idea, make sure you email their support people first to find out how not to become a shill for their business without knowing...
Sunday, October 10, 2010
bright house disrespect
dang you bright house networks calling saturday morning to sell your crap product (if might not have been crap if you didn't wake me saturday morning) just to tell me you are reorganizing your hd channel line up (and i don't even watch hd tv cuz i have an old tv) so here i am awake unnaturally cuz i didn't fall back to sleep after the wake up call...
Monday, June 28, 2010
money
What does the banking "industry" actually produce, I mean, we call it an "industry", right?... is it fair to ask why an "industry" that produces nothing is the most powerful business in the world?... how did we give the people who watch our moneythe power and profit they have?... what if we all just went to work, brought home our money, and kept it... '
Forbes rankings are atrociously obscene morally, ethically, and simply... the only businesses cracking the top 20 are the oil and gas monsters and the people who control how we communicate... oh, there is GE and Wal-Mart... and after these there come the utilities and insurance...
the most corrupt non-productive business, the money managers (banking and insurance) and the survival (utilities, energy, communications) take most of our money and perpetuate the ever growing gap between rich and poor, between those who will survive and those who will die earlier due to inadequate medical care or having to use inferior or dangerous products...
capitalism fails, in the end, as miserably as any other cultural structure for the same reason all others failed, human greed... while the pretentious human facade is love thy neighbor and give peace a chance, the real human remains cut throat, selfish, and ultimately, suicidal...
the human god is not love, the human god is money, power, and propriety...
Forbes rankings are atrociously obscene morally, ethically, and simply... the only businesses cracking the top 20 are the oil and gas monsters and the people who control how we communicate... oh, there is GE and Wal-Mart... and after these there come the utilities and insurance...
the most corrupt non-productive business, the money managers (banking and insurance) and the survival (utilities, energy, communications) take most of our money and perpetuate the ever growing gap between rich and poor, between those who will survive and those who will die earlier due to inadequate medical care or having to use inferior or dangerous products...
capitalism fails, in the end, as miserably as any other cultural structure for the same reason all others failed, human greed... while the pretentious human facade is love thy neighbor and give peace a chance, the real human remains cut throat, selfish, and ultimately, suicidal...
the human god is not love, the human god is money, power, and propriety...
Friday, June 18, 2010
tv commercials
why do those in charge of tv commericals on television think that annoying people will endear their product to consumers... can madison avenue statistically prove that annoying people implants the product name in people's hads and that people are shallow/stupid/manipulatable enough to forget how annoyed they were when they are in a store and see the product that annoyed them?...
i refer to the way tv commercials in the middle of the night are several times louder than the regular programming they interrupt/sponser... so annoying, i want to tear the product up when i see it in the store because, go figure, i don't forget how annoying the commercial was...
maybe i'm just different...
i refer to the way tv commercials in the middle of the night are several times louder than the regular programming they interrupt/sponser... so annoying, i want to tear the product up when i see it in the store because, go figure, i don't forget how annoying the commercial was...
maybe i'm just different...
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