HD DVDs are going away. But should you buy Blu-ray?

The first half of my title is taken straight from the title of an email I received from Netflix a couple days ago (see end of post for text of the email). In short, as of December 15, 2008, Netflix will no longer carry HD DVDs. Around the same time I got this email, coincidentally, a friend of mine sent me an email about an online sale offering $2 HD DVD movies.

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My $.02 on Apple’s Response to Microsoft’s Response

So in case you missed it, Apple responded to Microsoft’s new “I’m a PC” ad campaign. You can watch the ads on Youtube via Gizmodo and TechCrunch (or a whole bunch of other places). I was discussing this with a friend / coworker last night and thought I’d share my thoughts here:

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My First Time Using Craigslist

Somehow I missed the Craigslist memo. It could have something to do with the fact that I haven’t used even eBay for a while. (I used to be on eBay quite a bit but gave it up a few years ago when Amazon proved to be a worthy replacement with much less hassle.) But we recently moved and found ourselves with a couple of items needing a new home due to space constraints in our new place. Namely: a Yamaha electronic keyboard and a spare fold-a-bed.

So I signed up for Craigslist and posted these items online. Here’s what I found:

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Best Buy vs. Amazon for Printer Shopping

So my HP G85 all-in-one printer/scanner/copier/fax died after nearly five years. Truth be told, though, I had been printer window shopping earlier this summer and was planning on replacing it relatively soon. At the time, I had tentatively decided on HP’s Photosmart C7280 all-in-one. It has everything my G85 had but is smaller, faster, and better (more features). You gotta love technology.

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Photosynth Is Cool

In case you missed it, last week Microsoft released a cool freebie program called Photosynth. Basically, it takes a group of related photos you upload and makes a 3D environment out of them. My first tries at making a “synth” of downtown Seattle actually worked out pretty well. I’m sure there are plenty of practical applications for this, but for now, I’ll just say it was a fun way for me to waste time.

If you want more details, check out Mossberg’s review or various coverage from TechCrunch.

Canceling Credit Cards: Why Not Online?

I recently canceled a couple credit cards and has to go through a tedious phone process to do so. You know the drill. Call the main 800 number, fumble through a horrible phone system, and then find the cancel option as the last possible selection in the option tree. In both cases, this transferred me to someone asking if I was sure I wanted to cancel only to then transfer me to an “account specialist” who would help me further.

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No Worries, Netflix, You’re Doing Great

It seems that everyone and their dog is reporting on the shipping issues Netflix has been having for the past few days. So I figured I’d add my two cents: I don’t think it’s a big deal. Netflix, if you’re listening, don’t worry about crediting my account for the couple days I missed getting DVDs.

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Dash Express: When The Internet & GPS Are Combined

I’ve avoided the GPS scene and have relied instead on printing out maps from Google/Mapquest/Live maps. But having recently moved to a new city, I decided it was time to make the plunge. After some basic research and asking around, I went for the Dash Express. Here’s my first impression of the Dash Express and GPS in general:

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