Reed says I'm weird...and I agree

Reed Hastings, CEO of Netflix, was asked in an interview by Motley Fool, "With so many shows on DVD, why doesn't Netflix directly market the 'dump your cable and save money' message?"

Hastings replied, "Well, no one dumps their cable."

!!!!!

Well, I have news for Mr. Hastings. I DID. I dumped cable for Netflix in 2004. Five years ago.

I don't even watch broadcast television.

I get my news from various Web sources, but I'm very happy "living under a rock". I no longer feel the pressure of materialism which comes from the bombardment of continuous advertising. I no longer feel panic or anxiety from a repetitive news cycle of tragedies, disasters, and human evil over which I have no control. I get my television series on DVD, long after you have deleted them from your DVR.

I live in peaceful oblivion punctuated by the arrival of red or blue envelopes.

via Hacking Netflix

Facets Multimedia

If you're looking for titles which are unavailable through Netflix, out-of-print or imported*, you should try Facets Multimedia in Chicago, Illinois. I rent movies from them by mail, on DVD and VHS**. They have a subscription service identical to the Netflix model (except instead of a queue, you have "selections"), and the prices are the same**. Allow an extra day or two for your selections to arrive, since they come from Chicago.

For imports, you need a multi-region DVD player.

**The VHS rentals incur an extra shipping charge.

My Yearly stats

I saw 473 movies last year.
Of those, 65 movies were in the theatre, so the rest were on DVD or VHS (no TV).
163 were from Netflix.
42 were from Blockbuster Online.
73 were from SilverScreenArchive.
The rest were from other sources, like eBay, Amazon, Facets, Nicheflix, Public Library, or a friend.

I have seen 914 of the 1001 Movies You Must See Before You Die.

I Feel So Used

You know I'm on a quest to see all of the 1001 Movies You Must See Before You Die. There are still several I haven't seen which aren't available through Netflix. In fact, I've learned that some titles have never even been released on video in any format. I'm on a scavenger hunt to find these videos anywhere, using eBay,Amazon, Facets Multimedia, Nicheflix a la carte, etc.

My friend Jim, creator of Listology, has made a tool which is helping me track these titles on Amazon. It's called I Feel So Used: Tracking Used Amazon Products. I enter the ASIN (Amazon Standard Identification Number) for each product I'm seeking, and his Web site keeps track of the price as it changes. As soon as it falls to where I can afford it, I click through and add it to my shopping cart, and Jim makes a little money. Smiles all around.