Netflix, Studio 60, and LAN

I had a great customer support experience today. These are so rare I figured I'd give some props. I purchased a Netflix account a few months back to get some stuff I couldn't find elsewhere for rent, and used it a few times. However, on my last bit of stuff, I lost one of the DVDs, and I haven't used it in a few months.

When I called up Netflix to cancel my account, they were immediately accomodating, not even asking any questions or trying once to get me to change my mind. When I told them I'd lost one of the four DVDs I had out, they told me "that sometimes happens" and "I wouldn't be liable for the cost of the DVD." You simply can't beat that level of service. Bravo, Netflix!

Speaking of media, Studio 60 has gone on hiatus a week early after their incredibly bad 4.1/2.6 in the demo. I'm sad that shows with writing this smart can't survive on American TV. I like Heroes, but it doesn't require a whole lot of thought, and it certainly doesn't do very much with social commentary or hot-button issues. Americans would rather watch escapist shows like that then anything remotely approaching relevance.

I read in a paper the other day that 13% of Americans claim they've never heard of global warming. We can debate all day about whether global warming is real or not, and whether we should do anything about it, but the fact that 13% of people in America claim to have never heard of global warming is just sad. Who are these people? Do they watch any sort of news, read... anything at all?

Speaking of escapism, the LAN Party went great. We had 196 (!) people signed up, with 165 marked present and some 120 playing in games. That is amazing, and a little scary. If it gets any bigger next year we won't be able to fit them into our areas!

Spring break is just a week away (4 days, really, now). Wish me luck in making it to the goal.