Netflix. Yay Netflix!

The Subatomic office has been Netflix subscribers for years now. The office has scaled back on the cable-tv, but Netflix remains a necessity. We like to watch TV-shows, indie-dramas, obscure docs, foreign stuff, and even the latest hollywood blockbuster. Netflix has never let us down.

We were saddened when they announced that they were going to cancel their 'profiles' feature which allowed several people to have their own queue for one single account. The feature allowed everyone in the office to at least get one movie that they wanted to see. No more...or so we thought.

There was a huge online movement to have them continue the service, and we signed a few online petition. So imagine the delight at the email saying they would keep the 'profiles' after all.

In an age when many corporations are screwing customers left and right, and raising rates for fewer services, I'm glad to see that Netflix keeps it real.

Coldplay at MSG

The Grand Finale
Originally uploaded by subatomicfilms.

I was one of the lucky (actually, there were thousands others, so maybe not that lucky) folks that got tickets for the Coldplay show at Madison Square Gardens. Can't say that I'm a huge fan, I'm more of an armchair Coldplay admirer.

I really enjoyed their first album, Parachutes, but think their albums after it are nothing to be proud of. So, I went to the show with low expectations, and mostly because it was free.

The first two opening acts were abysmal (not even worthy of a mention)! So, I was getting more and more frustrated and decided that I'd give Coldplay a few songs, and if they sucked, I would exit early to Brooklyn.

However, they brought it! I think they are settling nicely into their billing as 'the new U2/Radiohead', arena-rock gods. The band sounded tight, and Chris Martin played the role of frontman quite well: inane banter between songs, dancing wildly, audience participation and charisma to burn.

They belted out a nice mixture of old and new songs and pulled some cool 'surprises', including a bizarre acoustic performance of monster hit Yellow at the back of the arena amongst the crowd.

The only downer was that there was no encore, which the crowd totally wanted. I guess, you get what you pay for.

Slow Summer (So Far...)

I'm a media Whore
Originally uploaded by subatomicfilms.

If you didn't know, Swedish furniture giant, IKEA, opened a store in Brooklyn. Red Hook to be exact.

They've pulled out all the stops in trying to get New Yorkers away from the New Jersey and Long Island stores: they've got shuttle buses running from nearby subway stations, water taxi's, and ample parking (which is a premium in NYC).

Anyhoo, the hardcores started lining up on Monday to get a free couch. I'm a busy guy, so I decided to show up at 730am (the store opened at 9am). The nice thing is that the store has commanding views of Manhattan and Lady Liberty. It's also employing about 500 folks, mostly from Brooklyn.

In hindsight, there really wasn't much holding me back from camping out on Monday for the couch. As you can see, it's been a slow summer for the Subatomic Films office.

Get a job, Class of 2008!

IMG_7387.jpg
Originally uploaded by subatomicfilms.

I remember when I graduated from YorkU back in 2002, the speaker at my commencement was astronaut Marc Garneau (whom apparently has made a bid for politics recently. Thankfully, he didn't win. Scientists that want to be politicians scare me). That was kind of cool. But let's be honest, most commencement speeches are incredibly boring especially when they venture into political territory. If it's not political, they can all be summed up by "good job, believe in yourself, you are awsome, etc..."

The Times put together a page of excerpts from commencement speeches this year, and surprise surprise, most of them suck. The only words that ring true to me were given by, of all people, Clarence Thomas: "As those of us who take responsibility for our lives, and don’t blame others, know only so well, life has a way of humbling, if not humiliating us."

He Shoots, He Scores!

Since I don't have cable, my sports viewing is predominantly relegated to major championships.
So, I'm grateful that NBC airs the Stanley Cup Finals.

Hopefully you saw last night's game that continued for 3 over-time periods. It was easily the best game that I've seen in years. Good end to end, fast-moving and relatively clean playing.

Usually, I hate the announcers on NBC, but I found Mike Emrick, Pierre McGuire and Eddie-O (who I met at a Shoppers Drug Mart in Toronto when I was like 8 years old!) to be rather engaging and thoughtful.

I haven't seen a game on CBC in a while. From this column, it looks like things are looking bleak for them.

Cruelty No More in Canada?

I'm no stranger to KFC outlets worldwide, and my consuming probably wouldn't be affected, but it's nice to know that KFC Canada has bowed to the endless protests/boycotts of PETA and will buy chickens that been killed in a manner that is considered more humane.

This could be a watershed moment in fast-food, as I'm sure other companies in Canada will follow suit, and the pressure will then be states-side and eventually worldwide.


The suits at KFC Canada are also promising a vegan chicken alternative at restaurants. To be honest, a lot of the 'faux-chicken' products made by Morningstar Farms are pretty damn tasty... just stay away from Tofurkey.