Jul 18, 2007 - 21:36 | + 4 - 2 Bye Bye Comcast!

I cancelled my Comcast cable subscription a few days ago. I was still on their analog "extended" cable service, which used to work fine for me... but recently, it seemed to have developed some static problems on an "important" few channels (namely 5 which is unacceptable since that's the channel with Office, Scrubs and SNL). I didn't feel like calling and having the repair guy come out (at a cost to me) to get it fixed for a little while and then have it break again. My other choice was to "upgrade" to digital and pay a little more for a higher quality signal, but there are other reasons not to do this.

I've read that Comcast's eventual goal is to move everyone off of analog cable and onto their digital service in order to be more efficient with their bandwidth and to be able to offer on-demand services at a high profit to their consumers. The problem with digital for the consumer is that you have to "rent" their tuner box, pay extra for the digital service and (if you want DVR) add an extra $10-15 dollars to your already high cable bill. Unfortunately, the choice to "upgrade" is not going to be voluntary for long... already most areas of Chicago are starting to lose the ability to use analog cable. It's just a matter of time before this is rolled out to all of the other Comcast regions.

What made my decision easier was the fact that I still get many of the channels that air most of the shows I watch, and the fact that I can still record those shows on my freevo dvr without paying a fee to anyone. Here are the channels available to me over local broadcast TV (along with TV shows I like to watch):

• 2 - CBS (Jericho)
• 5 - NBC (Office, Scrubs, SNL)
• 7 - ABC (Lost)
• 9 - WGN (CW - Veronica Mars before it got cancelled)
• 11 - WTTW (PBS - Documentaries such as Nova, Frontline)
• 20 - WYCC (like PBS)
• 23 - WWMECA (?)
• 26 - WCIU (reruns - South Park, Friends, Fraiser, etc.)
• 32 - FOX
• 38 - WCPX (?)
• 44 - WSNS (?)
• 50 - WPWR (reruns - Wonder Years, etc.)
• 60 - WFXT (reruns)
• 66 - WGBO (spanish?)

That's at least 10 very watchable channels with the (?) channels having interesting stuff on there once in a while. (Disclaimer: I do live in a condo which has a shared antenna which allows me to get great reception for broadcast TV and convincing my wife to switch was pretty easy since she's currently deep in grad school work...)

Savings over the course of a year: $55 x 12 = $660

Here's what I can buy with that money:

• A really nice Trek mountain bike
• A decently large new HD-capable TV
• A Xbox 360 or PS3 or Wii (with lots of extras)
• A new laptop or desktop
• A really nice GPS unit for my car
• A cruise or similar package vacation
• Some really nice jewelry or clothing for my wife
• At $20 each, 33 Seasons of my favorite shows on DVD

Final thoughts: While there are alternatives to Comcast for paid TV (such as Satellite TV or IPTV from ATT), the problem with them will be the same: I would still be paying some big company lots of money for a large amount of content that I never watch. All this would be done using a set top box that has less than competitive features, one that I would never buy myself, and have the privilege to pay to rent it. I'd rather pay a premium for the select content that I want to watch on a system that I chose to buy. Once cablecards (like sim cards for cable boxes instead of phones) are distributed widely and "al carte" channel selection is an option, then I MAY consider returning to the world of paid TV. For now, I'm happy watching most of the shows I used to watch, and saving some money in the process!

Jul 02, 2007 - 11:40 | + 4 - 2 Tool Concert @ Sears Center

I went to see Tool play at the Sears Center last Wednesday (June 27) with a couple friends and my wife, Suzanne. We had been listening to the band quite a bit over the last few months - mostly to their new album (10,000 days) which is pretty good. I had seen Tool a few years ago when they played at Alpine Valley as part of Ozzfest, but they didn't really impress me at that show. However, I was willing to give them another shot since it was hot that day and I didn't know that many of their songs at the time.

Unfortunately, I didn't get an entirely new experience this time around. Many of the issues I had with the band during the previous show surfaced again with this one. My biggest problem was with the long "jam sessions" that that band would get into on some random song instead of playing more of the known songs that people would recognize and appreciate. I know that as an artist you want to make the hardcore fans happy, but realize that not everyone lives to know the detail of your every track. The most frustrating thing was that the band started out the show by playing a few well known songs that got the crowd going, and then proceeded to play weird stuff for most of the show until the very end.

Another problem I had was that the lead singer (maynard), insisted on standing at the back of the stage by the drummer as if he was too shy to face the crowd. This was in stark contrast to the last concert we went to (Nine Inch Nails), where Trent Reznor was as close as he could be to the crowd the entire time. I found that this added to the immersiveness of the show, and it showed that Reznor cared about the audience's experience nearly as much as his own comfort.

Speaking of caring for the fans, I was shocked to see such a high level of security at the show. I know that the Sears Center is a new venue and that Tool is a "heavier" band, but I felt that the way the fans were treated was entirely too harsh. For starters, there was only one line where everyone had to stand in, which stretched from the front entrance to clear across the back of one of the parking lots. At that one door there were security guards yelling things at people - telling us not to take pictures of the show or risk losing our cameras or camera phones AND then frisking us more than necessary... During the show Maynard said that not having flashes somehow improved the mood of the show, but I disagree, I think it actually adds to the atmosphere. I think that a statement like that is kind of a lame cop out: either the venue or the band didn't want the fans to be able to capture decent quality images from the show. This tells me that Tool is not a fan's band, but a greedy corporate entity trying to wring as much money as possible from the fans OR a group that can't stand up to their record company/venue. Either way, I think that it shows a level of disrespect for the fans. Suffice it to say, I'm not really interested in going to another Tool show for a while.