All or nothing in the wrong direction-[corrected]

Thanks to Meg's comment on my previous post about Netflix's new help center, I see that Netflix kinda went all or nothing in the wrong direction. In response to the clamoring for more telephone support, they did away with the email support completely!! There are no longer any "contact us" Web forms to use to get an email reply, so even for something as routine as title suggestions or Web site corrections, you have to speak to a human. Egads!

I'm sorry to be hard to please, but I was one of the people who liked not dealing with customer support by telephone. Bring back the email robots! Maybe it's just a temporary thing. I hope.

CORRECTION: As Meg pointed out in the comments on Hacking Netflix, the Contact Us Web forms are still available, but not through the Help Center.

Rescue Dawn: the truth

I just saw the movie Rescue Dawn, about a German-American, named Dieter Dengler, who was taken prisoner by the Vietnamese in 1965. It's a great movie, by one of my favorite directors, Werner Herzog. Werner Herzog also made a documentary in 1997 about Dieter, called Little Dieter Needs to Fly, which I haven't seen, but now I want to.

You should go into the movie with the understanding that it is a fictionalized account of what happened. What that means to me, is that events and characters were altered. Some say distorted. After you see the movie, you should check out Rescue Dawn: The Truth, which is a Web site where the folks who know the real story reveal some details which will change your perception of the characters in the film.

IMDB top 250 you can Watch Now

Larry Gilbert, whom I found on Lists of Bests, has compiled a list of movies from the IMDB top 250 list which are available to Watch Now on Netflix. He's using Google Docs to host the IMDB tob 250+Netflix Watch Now list, and each movie is linked directly to its place on Watch Now.

Netflix coffee cup on eBay

Next in the "I've been fired!" series on eBay is a Red, Black and Stainless Netflix logo Coffee Cup

Netflix cake

Netflix, originally uploaded by Simflips.

For my next birthday, someone should bake me this cake.

Easier to get help from Netflix

Netflix has upgraded their online Help Center to make it easier to navigate. Now it takes just 3 clicks to get to their customer service phone number, and it's available 24/7. I don't know how long it's been since they stopped having limited hours, but I only noticed it a short while ago. They must have finally decided you Luddites out there were going to refuse to be content with a Web robot handling all your issues.

They gave me a 6-digit reference number to use when I call, which I blocked out, because I don't know if you can use it to get my account information.

ex-Netflix employee selling goodies on eBay

This guy worked for Netflix, and got a bunch of good schwag that he plans to sell on eBay, starting with this Netflix "What's in your queue? hat
He says:

I was unceremoniously let go from my manager job of 4 years at Netflix and now my wife say's all my Netflix memorabilia must exit our house. Up for auction is this fine red beanie hat that I received at one of our annual manager meetings in Park City, Utah. It is embroidered with “what’s in your queue?" It was never worn and is from a smoke free and soon to be up for sale home. Look for other Netflix items that I will have posted soon. I will end the auction early if someone will pay off my house :) Thanks for looking. Good Luck. If bidding goes over $1000, I will include the Chuck E. Cheese basketball used as a the head model :)

The location of the hat is Olive Branch, Mississipi, which is 3 hours away from Jackson, MS, the location of the only distribution center I know of in Mississippi. However, Olive Branch is just over the border from Memphis, Tennessee. The guy says he was a manager. I reckon that means a distribution center manager. I don't have an address for a DC in Memphis, but I believe there is one.

The lucky guy went to Park City (where the Sundance film festival is, and Netflix has staff attending the fest every year). What a great job, if your staff meetings take place at a film festival!

Summer blockbuster cartoons

I love the summer time, when I can see a new Hollywood blockbuster every week, especially the plethora of animated films with which we've been blessed. Last week, I gasped in wonder at the beauty of Ratatouille. Last night, I laughed out loud at Live Free or Die Hard.

I wonder if the Academy of Motion Picture Arts and Sciences will allow 20th Century Fox to enter Die Hard in the animated category for the Oscars. According to their definition of an animated film, I think it qualifies: "animation must figure in no less than 75 percent of the picture’s running time."

Netflix at CurrentCodes.com

Keep an eye on CurrentCodes.com for special deals from Netflix. CurrentCodes.com is a Web site with a full-time staff whose only job is to collect and post promotional codes for over a thousand retailers. They accept submissions, too, so if you learn of any promo codes, share them.