Friday, March 26, 2010
ATTCustomerCare on Twitter.com
AT&T Award Winning Customer Service?
This week I tried to get a simple land line installed for a family member and had to experience AT&T's proclaimed Award Winning Customer Service. After placing the order, the Rep told me that the phone line would be activated on Monday of this week. On Friday of this week, the phone line is still not activated.
This morning, I spoke to 5 different representatives from their Awarding Winning Customer Service Department:
Answer 1: The appointment was logged as a missed appointment, the customer needs to reschedule (The AT&T guy was at the location twice yesterday and left without activating the service).
Answer 2: Due Today - the service is due to be activated today.
Answer 3: The service should have been activated yesterday.
Answer 4: I will contact the work management department and find out why it was coded as a missed appointment.
I asked to speak to a supervisor several times and received several different outcomes:
1) I was placed on hold for 20 minutes and no one came on.
2) I was transferred to the repair service, who told me the status but said I would have to call Customer Service on a Pending Order.
3) I had to give me my phone number and a supervisor would call me back.
4) I was transferred back into the Customer Service phone queue.
5) I successfully reached a Supervisor who was able to reschedule the appointment.
Finally, as a loyal AT&T customer Why not get it all from one company? The answer is that unlike companies like American Express, AT&T does not give you any extra service for being a loyal customer. They treat all customers with the same way regardless of their level of loyalty...Maybe that's the new definition of AWARD WINNING CUSTOMER SERVICE.
Notes: Reps I spoke to: James, Judy, Mrs. Freeman - refused to transfer call to a Supervisor.
Wednesday, March 10, 2010
2010 Oscar Movies On Netflix, OnDemand, on DVD, on Comcast

With the number of On Demand movies from cable services, airplane flights, hotels, Netflix, Blockbuster and the Amazon Video on Demand Service, there are so many ways to view the 2010 Oscar Winner Movies. Here's my list as of March 2010 of where to watch the 2010 Oscar Winner Movies including those movies on Netflix. Also, I think Netflix is a great deal for $8.99 per month + tax (1 DVD at a time). Here are the reasons:
- You can currently rent 5 2010 Oscar Winners on DVDs including the 2010 Best Picture, The Hurt Locker
- 20 Oscar Nominees including Precious, Up in the Air, The Cove, Inglorious Bastards and Up.
- You can even watch 3 Oscar Nominees instantly on your PC or on your TV if you have a Roku box or other Netflix device. These movies include Food Inc, Paris and Il Divo.
Where to Watch The Oscar Winners and Nominees
Netflix DVD Rental Service (includes Watch Instantly Service)
- The Hurt Locker* (Netflix DVD: Now Available)
- Ajami (n/a - July 2010)
- A Serious Man (Netflix DVD: Now Available)
- Avatar* (Netflix DVD: n/a - April 2010)
- The Blindside* (DVD: n/a 3/23/10)
- Brightstar Netflix (DVD: Now Available)
- Burma VJ (n/a June 2010)
- China's Unnatural Disaster: The Tears of Sichuan Province (n/a)
- Coco Before Chanel (Netflix DVD: Now Available)
- Coraline (Netflix DVD: Now Available)
- The Cove* (Netflix DVD: Now Available)
- Crazyheart* (n/a - April 2010)
- District 9 (Netflix DVD: Now Available)
- The Door (n/a)
- El Secreto de Sus Ojos* (n/a)
- Fantastic Mr. Fox (n/a - 3/23/10)
- Food Inc. (Netflix Watch Instantly, DVD: Now Available)
- French Roast (n/a)
- Granny O'Grimm's Sleeping Beauty (n/a)
- Harry Potter and the Half-Blood Prince (Netflix DVD: Now Available)
- Il Divo (Netflix Watch Instantly, Netflix DVD: Now Available)
- The Imagination of Doctor Parnassus (n/a - 4/27/10)
- Instead of Abracadabra (n/a)
- In The Loop (Netflix DVD: Now Available)
- Invictus (n/a - June 2010)
- Ingloroius Bastards* (Netflix DVD Now Available)
- The Lady and the Reaper (La Darma y la Muerte) (n/a)
- The Last Campaign of Governor Booth Gardner (n/a)
- The Last Station (n/a - June 2010)
- The Last Truck: Closing of a GM Plant (n/a)
- Logorama* (n/a)
- The Lovely Bones (n/a/ - 4/20/10)
- A Matter of Loaf and Death* (Netflix DVD: Now Available)
- The Messenger (n/a 5/18/10)
- The Milk of Sorry (n/a)
- Miracle Fish (n/a)
- The Most Dangerous Man in America (n/a Sep 2010)
- Music by Prudence* (n/a)
- The New Tenants* (n/a)
- Nine (n/a DVD: May 2010)
- Paris 36 (Netflix Watch Instantly, Netflix DVD: Now Available)
- Precious* (Netflix DVD: Now Available)
- The Princess and the Frog (n/a - 3/16/2010)
- Rabbit a la Berlin (n/a)
- The Secret of the Kells (n/a - Aug 2010)
- A Serious Man (Netflix DVD: Now Available)
- Sherlock Holmes (n/a - 3/30/2010)
- A Single Man (n/a - May 2010)
- Startrek* (Netflix DVD: Now Available)
- Transformers: Revenge of the fallen (Now Available)
- Up* (Netflix DVD: Now Available)
- Up in the Air (Netflix - DVD Now Available)
- Un Prophete (n/a July 2010)
- Which Way Home (n/a - May 2010)
- The White Ribbon (n/a Jule 2010)
- The Young Victorian* (DVD: n/a - 4/22/2010)
Best Picture
- Winner: The Hurt Locker
- Kathryn Bigelow, Mark Boal, Nicolas Chartier and Greg Shapiro
- Where to Watch:
- Netflix (DVD - Now Available)
- Comcast on Demand
- Avatar (April 2010)
- Up (DVD Now Available)
- A Serious Man (DVD Now Available)
- Ingloroius Bastards (DVD Now Available)
- An Education (3/30/10)
- District 9 (Now Available)
- The Blind Side (3/23/10)
- Up in the Air (DVD Now Available)
- Winner: Jeff Bridges
- Crazy Heart
- Where to watch:
- DVD Release Date: April 2010
- Netflix (DVD - not yet available)
- Comcast on Demand (not availabe)
- George Clooney, Up in the Air (DVD Now Available)
- Colin Firth, A Single Man (DVD ETA: May 2010)
- Morgan Freeman, Invictus (DVD ETA: June 2010)
- Jeremy Renner, The Hurt Locker (DVD Now Availalble)
Actor in a Supporting Role
- Winner: Christoph Waltz
- Inglourious Basterds
- Where to Watch:
- Netflix (DVD - now shipping)
- Comcast on Demand
- Matt Damon, Invictus (DVD: June 2010)
- Woody Harrelson, The Messenger (DVD: May 18, 2010)
- Christopher Plummer, The Last Station (DVD: June 2010)
- Stanley Tucci, The Lovely Bones (DVD: April 20, 2010)
- Winner: Sandra Bullock
- Movie Title: The Blind Side
- Where to Watch:
- DVD ETA: 3/23/10
- Netflix (DVD - Not available)
- Comcast on Demand (Not available)
- Helen Mirren, The Last Station (DVD: June 2010)
- Carey Mulligan, An Education (DVD: 3/30/10)
- Gabourey Sidibe, Precious (DVD Now Available)
- Meryl Streep, Julie & Julia (DVD Now Available)
- Winner: Mo'Nique
- Movie Title: Precious: Based on the Novel 'Push' by Sapphire
- Where to watch Precious:
- Netflix (DVD - Now Shipping)
- Comcast on Demand (now available)
- Dish Network ($4.99 3/10)
- Amazon Video on Demand ($4.99 HD, $3.99 SD)
- Mo"Nique, Precious (DVD: Now Available)
- Penelope Cruz, Nine (DVD: May 2010)
- Vera Farmiga, Up in the Air (Now Available)
- Maggie Gyllenhaal, Crazy Heart (DVD: April 2010)
- Anna Kendrick, Up in the Air (DVD: Now Available)
Animated Feature Film
- Winner: Up
- Pete Docter
- Where to Watch:
- Netflix (DVD - now shipping)
- Comcast on Demand (now available)
Art Direction
- Winner: Avatar
- Rick Carter and Robert Stromberg (Art Direction); Kim Sinclair (Set Decoration)
- Where to Watch:
- Netflix (Not Available)
- Comcast on Demand (Not Available)
Cinematography
- Winner: Avatar
- Mauro Fiore
- Netflix (Not Available)
- Comcast on Demand (Not Available)
- Winner: The Young Victoria
- Sandy Powell
- Where to Watch:
- Netflix (Not Available)
- Comcast on Demand (Not Available)
- Winner: The Hurt Locker
- Kathryn Bigelow
- Where to Watch:
- Netflix (DVD - now shipping)
- Comcast on Demand (Available)
- James Cameron, Avatar (DVD: April 2010)
- Quentin Tarantino, Inglorious Bastards (DVD: Now Available)
- Lee Daniels, Precious (DVD: Now Available)
- Jason Reitman, Up in the Air (DVD: Now Available)
Documentary Feature
- Winner: The Cove
- Louie Psihoyos and Fisher Stevens
- Where to Watch:
- Netflix (DVD - now shipping)
- Comcast on Demand (Available)
Documentary Short
- Winner: Music by Prudence
- Roger Ross Williams and Elinor Burkett
- Where to Watch: (selected movie theaters in selected cities only)
Film Editing
- Winner: The Hurt Locker
- Bob Murawski and Chris Innis
- Where to Watch:
- Netflix (DVD - now shipping)
Foreign Language Film
- Winner: The Secret in Their Eyes (El Secreto de Sus Ojos)
- Argentina
- Directed by Juan José Campanella
- Where to Watch
- In selected Theaters.
Makeup
- Star Trek
- Barney Burman, Mindy Hall and Joel Harlow
- Where to watch:
- Netflix (DVD - now shipping)
- Amazon ($4.99 HD)
- Comcast on Demand (Now Available)
Reference:
Videoeta.com
Monday, March 08, 2010
Gogo iPhone Internet Speed
Gogo Internet, the download speed was 902 kbps and 264 kbps upload.
Friday, March 05, 2010
Use Gogo Inflight on two devices
After signing up for the GoGo Inflight Wi-Fi 30 day plan, I wanted to
know if I could use two devices for my account. So instead of throwing
a dart and testing it, I used their Live Chat service. Here is what I
was told:
1) You can't use two accounts simultaneously.
2) You can log-off one device by going to: http://airborne.gogoinflight.com
such as your laptop/Macbook.
3) After a sucesful log-off, you can log-in with the other device such
as an iPhone or Smart Phone.
In my case I added the URL http://airborne.gogoinflight.com to my
iPhone home screen.
After I power-off my MacBook Pro, its nice to be connected. This
includes on trips to the front or back of the plane --you get the
benefit!
Thursday, February 25, 2010
Why I dislike the Class Action Lawsuit Against Yelp.com
- Sales Puffery -- I wonder if this claim was merely sales puffery by an over eager sales person stating that if the customer signed up for an ad, then the sales rep would do everything possible to personally investigate the authenticity of any negative reviews? The sales rep probably had not authority to take down any reviews.
- Litigants -- Did any litigants actually pay for an ad and have the negative reviews removed or did they merely speak to a sales representative?
- Bad Service -- In the cases in which any potential litigants wanted a negative review removed, were the businesses possibly guilty of providing questionable service? And if the reviews were legitimate, why didn't the business try and personally contact the Yelper through Yelp's free service and offer the Yelper an apology, and an invitation to try their businesses or service again and change their review.
- Negative Reviews -- In my 4 years of writing reviews, I've never had one of my reviews taken down without my knowledge. If I wrote a negative review about the company that I felt very strongly about and a Yelp representative asked me to remove it and I saw a plethora of other negative reviews about that same business, I would probably stop writing reviews on Yelp.
- Organizations like the Better Business Bureau - In my eyes, Yelp provides a service like the Better Business Bureau except that the information is public. With the information public, I think it's much more valuable to the consumer.
- Class Action Law Suits -- I really hate to see the lawyers get involved in class action law suits like stock securities.
- Yelp, Google, Other Review Sites -- Other than Yelp, there are so many sites on the Internet in which a disgruntled customer could post information about their experience with a business. It really must be the growth of the Yelp community that really makes this a news story but it's really sad to see Yelp singled out in a situation like this.
Finally, here is a link to one of the Class Action Lawsuit litigants:
Yelp Class Action
http://www.yelp.com/biz/cats-and-dogs-animal-hospital-long-beach
Saturday, February 20, 2010
Facebook iPhone Application working again!
Facebook Site and Iphone Issues - Sat Feb 20

The company did not acknowledge that for iPhone Facebook Application users -- it's all users since the Facebook API appears to be completely down.
When issues like this occurs, I think companies should be open and honest with their users. With the Facebook iPhone Application, the service no longer remembers your password so users most likely will re-enter it. When they receive the error message below, they will probably think they forget their password or will re-enter it multiple times which can't possibly be good for the Facebook "isolate server". I noticed on Twitter that some users deleted and re-installed their Facebook iPhone App which I admit that I thought about until I went to my Mac and logged on successfully to Facebook. What is probably the most frustrating that when Facebook is experiencing a serious incident like this, they should at the very least have a single Technical Support page on their website that users can go to for updates ... go back to the basics of software or application technical support. What would be even better is a Technical Support number that users could call before wasting their time and energy on this....
Facebook iPhone App Cant Login
allow users to login according to tweets from many Twitter users.
Some iPhone Facebook users are reporting the App freezing at the login
screen beliw while others are receiving the error message:
Login Failed, Unable to connect to Facebook. Please try again later.
I was able to login to my FB account on my Mac although I did receive
several Opps Something went wrong. We're working on getting it fixed
as soon as we can dialog boxes.
I wish Facebook had a technical support blog to keep their users
informed.
Tuesday, February 09, 2010
iPhone 3.1.3 Software Update
c:\Documents and Settings\User_Name\Application Data\Apple Computer\MobileSync\Backup
- Improves accuracy of reported battery level on iPhone 3GS
- Resovles issue where third-party apps would not launch in some instances.
- fixes bug that may cause an app tocarash when using the Japanese Kana keyboard.
Monday, February 08, 2010
Spam or Phishing Email - Check the Spelling
FROM: ICS Monitoring Team
SUBJECT: Your internet access is going to get suspended
ATTACHMENT: report.zip
SPAM MESSAGE
Your internet access is going to get suspended
The Internet Service Provider Consorcium was made to protect the rights of software authors, artists.
We conduct regular wiretapping on our networks, to monitor criminal acts.
We are aware of your illegal activities on the internet wich were originating from
You can check the report of your activities in the past 6 month that we have attached. We strongly advise you to stop your activities regarding the illegal downloading of copyrighted material of your internet access will be suspended.
Sincerely
ICS Monitoring Team
Wednesday, January 27, 2010
Apple iPad - Who wouldn't want one of these?
Friday, January 22, 2010
Wednesday, January 20, 2010
Haiti Text 4636 - +447624802524 - Report Earthquake Incident
http://haiti.ushahidi.com
Haiti Earthquake Report Incident - Send Text Message
4636 (Digicel Customers)
Haiti Earthquake Report Incident - Sent International Text Message
+447624802524

Tuesday, January 19, 2010
New Yelp 4.0 iPhone App Rocks! Many new features!
- Yelp 4.0 Profiles -- You can now view member profiles and their photos.
- Yelp 4.0 Check-In -- A new Check-In feature allows you to notify your friends or other members of the Yelp community the restaurant, bar or store you are at. You can also elect to receive Push Notifications (default setting is on) where your friends are at.
- Yelp 4.0 New Main Menu -- There is a new Yelp 4.0 menu menu with the menu items: Nearby, About Me, Bookmarks, Feed, Check In, Friends, Talk, Recents and Settings.
- Yelp 4.0 About Me - You can now edit your profile and view your Yelp statistics including: Elite status, number of friends, quick tips, bookmarks, check-ins, friends, quick tips, local photos, reviews, compliments.
- Yelp 4.0 Find Friends - There is a Find Friends feature that will search through your iPhone contacts.
New Yelp 4.0 App Screen Shots
Yelp 4.0 Main Menu
.jpg)
Yelp 4.0 Check-In Screen
.jpg)
Yelp 4.0 Check-In Settings
.jpg)
Yelp 4.0 Find Friends
.jpg)
Friday, January 15, 2010
Haiti Hotel Montana - Facebook Group - Here is the link.
Haiti Montana Hotel Facebook Group - Hotel Montana in Haiti
http://www.facebook.com/pages/Haiti-Earthquake-Hotel-Montana/245595172631
Note: The above Facebook group is a perfect of example of the benefits of use of social media and user generated content. This site provides the friends and family of guests that were staying at the Hotel Montana with minute-by-minute updates from members of the group.
The true test of the platform is the respect the Internet Community shows for the friends and family of the guests that were staying at the Hotel Montana during the Haiti Earthquake. Let's hope that everyone uses good netiquette in joining and posting to this group as family members and friends use this site for minute-by-minute news on the Hotel Montana situation in Haiti.
Best List of Twitter Users in Hati - Earthquake 2010
If you are looking for more in-depth coverage of the Haiti 2010 Earthquake, check out this Twitter List of Twitter users tweeting from Haiti (Hati 2010 Earthquake).
Live-From-Haiti Twitter List
http://twitter.com/georgiap/live-from-haiti
Haiti Users on the List
Carel Pedre - A popular radio & TV Host in Hati. http://twitter.com/carelpedre
Yael Talleyrand - Blogger in Haiti http://impurple.wordpress.com/
Frederic Dupoux - Blogger and Photographer in Hati http://www.zaboka.net/
Troy Livesay - Missionary and Blogger in Hati. http://www.livesayhaiti.blogspot.com/
InternetHati - The Multilink Haiti Twitter account. Here is a link to their Facebook Page.
Firesideint - Fireside International, a non-profit organization http://www.firesideinternational.org/HOME.html
Journalists in Hati
Jacqueline Charles - Caribbean Correspondent for the Miami Herald
Rodrigo - Journalist and VP of BNO News
AndersonCooper - CNN Broadcast Journalist
Ann Curry - NBC Broadcast Journalist
Thursday, January 14, 2010
200 Photos from Haiti from Carel Pedre - Hati Radio, TV Host
You can follow Carel Pedre on Twitter at: http://twitter.com/carelpedre
Here is a list of other Twitter Users that are tweetering from Hati.
Haiti Twitter User List
http://twitter.com/georgiap/live-from-haiti?s=tp
NBC and Today Show Journalist Ann Curry
http://twitter.com/anncurry
Hati Find Famiy Members - Earthquake - Resources
With so much Internet traffic regarding the Hati Earthquake, I thought I would post the main links or resources for finding information about friends or family members in Hati.
International Red Cross Family News Network Database - Hati Earthquake 2010 - English
http://www.familylinks.icrc.org/haiti/people
International Red Cross Family News Network Database - Hati Earthquake 2010 - French
http://www.familylinks.icrc.org/WFL_HTI.NSF/DocIndex/locate_fre?opendocument
Miami-Dade Haitian-American community
Edison Little River Neighborhood Center
150 NW 79th St
Miami, FL
U.S. Embassy Resources
People in the U.S. or Canada with information or inquiries about U.S. citizens in Haiti
The Haiti Task Force at 888-407-4747
Outside of the U.S. and Canada, call 202-501-4444.
U.S. Citizens in Hati
Embassy via e-mail at ACSPaP@state.gov to request assistance.
Americans in Haiti can call the Embassy's Consular Task Force at 509-2229-8942, 509-2229-8089, 509-2229-8322, or 509-2229-8672.
CNN Find Family Members
http://www.ireport.com/ir-topic-stories.jspa?topicId=381628
Ushahidi Urging Haitians and Humanitarian Workers to Text Information to 4636 Free of Charge
ORLANDO, Fla., Jan. 17 /PRNewswire-USNewswire/ -- Citizen-reporting platform Ushahidi has gained international renown this week for its innovative contribution to information-gathering in the wake of the earthquake in Haiti. Now, Ushahidi, in partnership with U.S. Department of State and others, has introduced an SMS shortcode for subscribers on the DigiCell network in Haiti to send text messages free of charge. The shortcode makes it even faster and easier for eyewitnesses to report developments on the ground.
DigiCell subscribers in Haiti can text 4636 with location and description of emergencies and missing persons. Ushahidi's Haiti platform is live at: http://haiti.ushahidi.com.
Please note that the SMS shortcode is dependent on local telecom infrastructure -- if the infrastructure fails, the local SMS service will not work. However, there are several ways that incidents may be reported:
By sending a local text message to 4636 or internationally at +447624802524 | |
By sending e-mail to Haiti@ushahidi.com | |
On Twitter with hash tag #haiti or #haitiquake | |
Online at http://haiti.ushahidi.com/reports/submit |
Hati Twitter Users Tweeting Live from Hati
Hati Twitter Users List - tweeting live from Hati
http://twitter.com/georgiap/live-from-haiti
Troy Livesay
http://www.livesayhaiti.blogspot.com/
Georgia Popplewellhttp://twitter.com/georgiap
Reference
http://ghostsofhoratioalger.com/2010/01/haiti-and-communications/