Why I will never buy a Samsung product again!

I am not completely sure why Samsung is so popular  in the Android world! Maybe it is a combination of  being the first out of the gate with an amazing phone like the Samsung Galaxy or  a really great marketing department, but I for one am underwhelmed and find them very overrated!

I judge both people and companies by how they treat  people in both personal and professional capacities. For example, I  would never go on a second date with a guy who was rude to the waitress, or keep going drinking with a girlfriend who trash talked our mutual friends behind their backs.
I also have switched cell phone providers before from Rogers to Virgin Mobile to get superior customer service and I just want  to say Virgin Mobile gets an A from me for customer service satisfaction. No hold times longer than a minute, no transferring the call  4 times and you having to start all over again , just in and out in 5 minutes.
In the spring of 2012, I was in the market for my first tablet and so I went to my social media friends on Google Plus for advice .I was not interested in Apple ( Android fangirl)  so they all said they loved Samsung Galaxy .  I went to the Source  (formerly Radio Shack)  and they had a 7 inch for  349.00 and it was 16gb. I was going to Los Angeles for the first time in a couple weeks and wanted something portable to check gmail on  so I bought it , although would have liked the price to be only 300.
When I tried to connect to wi-fi at Starbucks in California , it wouldnt pick up the signal but my friends phone did just fine! It would only work in hotel ! I thought signal must be weak as it was shared wi-fi but was less than enamored of whole tablet experience.
Cut  to  1 month later and at home when watching  a netflix show I noticed there was an app update that needed to be done and stopped show and was about to start that when tablet shut down on its own. I turned it on again and  it  started overheating  so much  that  it shut down again within 30 seconds

I decided to leave it turned off and charging all night and check it tomorrow. The same thing happened and I was frustrated as it was only 3 months old but it had a year long warranty so at least sending it away would be covered !
The CSR   (if you can call him that ) was really unprofessional and condescending right from the get go. I think he thought no women really understood technology.  He asked for the module number  5 times !! then said have you tried turning it on and off again ?  He said its not possible for a tablet of 3 months to overheat and shut down  you must have damaged it yourself and he wouldnt  send me the free shipping labels  by email  as he said he couldnt find proof of purchase! I said Could I speak to your manager please ?  well I guess  but he will just tell you the same thing I told you!
Well I lost it at that point!  I hung up on him !
He called back and I was shaking I was so mad at this point . I will not talk to you  anymore its like banging my head against a brick wall!  He got the manager and the manager said Sorry and he sent me the shipping labels.  So you would think that would be the end of my problems but  no it just keeps getting better.
It went to Quebec  by Fed Ex and was back in 4 days. I had a bad feeling as how could they fix it that fast ?  it wasn't fixed at all ! It overheated within  3 minutes again !
So I called again and said I wanted a replacement this time but although the person was polite they wouldnt replace it until it was sent back 3 times . Long story short it happened again the second time and I decided to cut my losses and put it away in a drawer without even testing it when it came back the third time. I would feel bad about selling it on Ebay as it was a lemon!  I bought a Nexus 7 tablet directly from Google and have had no issues since last October!
I thought I was the only one who had dismal  experience with Samsung and maybe it was just the Canadian  offices.  But I saw a post from my friend Joe Vinson saying  that  he had an unpleasnt experience with a CSR on  online chat for Samsung Repair services and the phones deductible of 150  would make it very costly to repair it would be cheaper to buy a new phone.  He wrote some honest  frustrated feedback on their website and was blocked!  He did finally talk on the phone to a professional CSR  but their hands were tied and couldnt give him a deal so he decided to  just change companies . Hopefully  Joe will post his google plus thread  as  a link in the comments so you can see that Tammy Ireland has had the same issues I had but with a phone. She has sent it back 3 times but hasn't got an adequate replacement yet and says she will never buy a  Samsung product again

http://www.antipope.org/charlie/blog-static/2012/06/gadget-patrol-why-android-tabl.html

I don't understand why companies care so much about the bottom line and profits that they sacrifice customer service satisfaction as they risk  alienating customers for life, especially when there is so much competition out there.  If you have a similar story  please share as well.

Showcase of first time Authors

I am an avid reader. I taught myself to read when I was 3 and was reading the bible to my astonished grandmother at the age of  5!  My mom was an avid reader as well and only gives books and clothes for presents to this day!  I took to reading fiction like a duck takes to water, but my sister wasn't hooked on phonics immediately. I was placed in advanced reading group and my mother remembers the teacher saying to her she reads at an 8th grade level but has a hard time tying her shoes!( Bad eye-hand co-ordination that is also why I suck at video games)
My sister was in the remedial reading group  and got jealous when  my group was reading about a cool dog named Mr.Mugs and she was stuck reading about Dick and Jane. So she came home and said ok you can teach me to read. After that she moved on up. And to this day she borrows my books because I have great taste in authors,
I have an eidetic memory, somewhat like Sheldon Cooper, but for words not math or science. So I have won spelling bees before, simply because once I see a word I know how to spell it! My writing is so horrible  people say I should have been a doctor. When my Grade 3 teacher saw my writing, she put me back to printing for 3 months. When I used to have to do a speech in front of the class the only thing I was nervous about was not being able to make out my own writing!
When I was a kid  I preferred novels like Anne of Green Gables (gotta love feisty resheads!) and Nancy Drew  but as I became a young adult  I discovered the genre of biographies and I was hooked. I started out reading celebrity biographies like Cary Grant and Audrey Hepburn but my mom  had the book Angela's Ashes  lying around the house and I picked it up. Frank McCourt was an average Irishman who wrote about his poor childhood in Ireland  and his difficult mother. The way he described things was so evocative, you felt like you were there with him! I cheered  when he  made it to America and the wonder he had on seeing New York for the first time. Being a Canadian , I was awestruck when I visited as well. The way he describes the simple pleasure of  eating  a lemon pastry while watching a movie you can hear him crinkling the package ! The other benefit of reading memoirs from non-celebrities  is they always make you feel better about your own life! Oh mine isn't that bad ! Never went hungry a day in my life, never been beat by a husband, never lost a sibling too young .
I highly recommend  this book  http://www.goodreads.com/book/show/4909.Teacher_Man as well as  Jeanette Wall's  moving memoir entitled the Glass Castle ! If only I had a life that was worth writing about!http://www.goodreads.com/book/show/7445.The_Glass_Castle

The website I would like to promote is http://howtowriteabookin40hours.com/


This is all first time authors and the ones I have read are all natural  story tellers I will showcase two authors who  have all overcome  bad situations to  have a happy ending   Here is Nanette Clifton https://plus.google.com/113067760031784364231/posts/BxXbcRz3d5k  

This one is much more uplifting, even though Sam's childhood story was absolutely horrific - his uncle sexually abused him a number of times when he was just 4-5 years old. His grandma caught him and told Sam never to tell anyone about it. Then his father physically assaulted his mother and plotted to kill her, Sam and his 2 brothers.

This lad has grown up now, was a Hollywood stylist for some very, very big name stars and is now using his connections to help women who need a bit of a boost.

Sam Russell who is now a Hollywood Stylist http://www.youtube.com/watch?feature=player_detailpage&v=nOP7JUJnwes

Don't forget  reading is something you can do on your tablet or ereader with no wi-fi connection. Handy when coming home on the train or in a power outage!

The Lone Ranger :An Epic Batlle Between Good and Evil

The Lone Ranger: An Epic Battle between Good and Evil

The first thing I want to say is Don’ listen to the critics on this one! When I went to look up an actor’s name on IMDB, I saw the exact same advice. Some film critics are just too highbrow to ever enjoy a popcorn movie and this is the best popcorn movie since the first Pirates of the Caribbean movie.

Johnny Depp has never looked more at home in his outlandish costumes , only he could pull off a dead bird on his head. He is very believable in the role of Tonto as he is ¼ Cherokee Indian.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?feature=player_embedded&v=Jt0eqVAwhP8

Above is an excerpt from Inside the Actors Studio where he mentions that. The link here shows where he got the inspiration for the crow on his head and the makeup.

http://www.dailymail.co.uk/home/event/article-2356133/Johnny-Depp-life-Vanessa-Paradis--cheating-death-The-Lone-Ranger.html

My sister was a little worried that she wouldn’t understand the backstory as she had never seen the tv show but it is sufficiently explained. I thought the chemistry between Depp and Armie Hammer (the Social Network) was great, and the villain Butch Cavendish, played by William Fichtner (the Dark Knight, Black Hawk Down) was truly menacing.

A pleasant surprise not even seen in the western genre is how strong the female characters were. Helena Bonham Carter has an amusing cameo, but British actress Ruth Wilson wowed me again. She plays Alice in Luther. Here she plays Rebecca Reid, wife to Dan Reid, the Lone Rangers brother. She is a feminist way before her time.

This is a very serious movie at times, but never too heavy, because Tonto is there with his crazy escapades and one liners. Armie Hammer is the straight man and a goofy lawman that is too idealistic for his own good. He despises Tonto at the beginning and the feeling is mutual, but they have a common enemy, so they team up out of desire for vengeance for their loved ones.

My favorite one liner is when John Reid (Lone Ranger) finally decides on Silver as the name for his horse and says Hi Ho Silver Away, and Tonto, with a disgusted look on his face says Never say that again! My rating for the movie is 4 out of 5! I think anyone who is a fan of Johnny Depp movies, westerns, or Gore Verbinski movies will enjoy this. Johnny Depp’s Tonto is more subdued than Jack Sparrow, but just as lovable, and the last 20 minutes is better than any action scene in the four Pirates movies!.

75 Years of Superman

I have been  reading a lot about Superman lately because of the release of Man of Steel so I revisited the Superman classic movie from 1978 with Gene Hackman as Lex Luthor and Christopher Reeve. I bet this was the only time Marlon Brando was in a comic book movie! This movie still held up, and was enjoyable, except I cringed at Margot Kidder's portrayal of Lois Lane as a damsel in distress that needed to be rescued all the time. 

I much prefer Superman on TV actually. I adored Lois and Clark ,because I am drawn to Clark Kent much more than Superman, as Clark  is vulnerable and a hopeless romantic. Talk about being swept off your feet, and  being on cloud nine, you can literally fly among the clouds with him!  I also liked that Teri Hatcher, as Lois, was the star of the show and a no- nonsense feminist. She and Dean Cain had a great chemistry.  I have recently started watching Smallville which showcases Clark Kent as a teenager, and explores the relationship between Lex Luthor and him before they are arch enemies. I am not sure why he only falls for girls with alliterative names. Lana Lang really?
I haven't read any of the Superman comic books but my jaw dropped to the ground when I found out that the very first comic book Action Comics (1938) is worth 2 million dollars. If only I had kept my Batman comics!  He helped establish the superhero genre.  I love that he is a superhero with the strongest moral code.

I really do sometimes wonder if there is any truth to the rumor that there is a Superman curse, but I hope not for  Henry Cavill's sake!  We all know  that Christopher Reeves died young ,after being disabled for 10 years prior due to a horse riding accident , and look what happened to George Reeves! He committed suicide at age 45. Brandon Routh has not had any bad luck yet, but he wasn't considered a very good Superman and hasn't had any real career trajectory yet. Dean Cain's acting career seems to have stalled as well.  Margot Kidder  has suffered from mental illness but denies that there is a Superman curse.

Hollywoodland is a fascinating biographical docudrama  starring Ben Affleck as George Reeves . I highly recommend it . There was some speculation it was foul play the private detective thought but it remains a  notorious unsolved mystery!

Finally, are you looking forward to seeing Man of Steel?  I have mixed feelings about it because it is the darkest one, and there is no Clark Kent at the Daily Planet, and there are apparently too many fight scenes.  I would like to see Russell Crowe as his  biological Dad, and Kevin Costner and Diane Lane as his adoptive parents.  I like Amy Adams but think she is miscast as Lois Lane.

Arrested Development Season 4 on Netflix

I am a huge fan of  smart,twisted sitcoms , celebrity cameos, Ron Howard, and Jason Bateman so Arrested Development  really is my cup of tea. I was singing Carly Simon’s  Anticipation all of Sunday May 26 . I watched  the first 2 episodes Monday morning.I thought they were ok but not as strong as the last half of Season 3.  Later in the week I watched up to season 6 when the laughs started to come fast and furious.  

I thought the cast all retained their comic timing although some aged better than others.  Jeffrey Tambor (Oscar)  and Jessica Walter(Lucille) looked exactly the same but I thought Maeby and Lindsay  had aged a bit . I always liked the comic timing and chemistry between father and son Jason Bateman and Michael Cera the best in the first 3 seasons and I continued to do so. The addition of Isla Fisher to the cast was a great choice  and I liked the episodes she was in the best , as Ron Howard was also featured in them.

I find the characters of Gob and Tobias the most annoying and not funny at all since the first season and that is why this sitcom isnt in  my Top 3 of all time.   I did like how each character had at least one story of their own  (Jason and Michael had 2 each) they were strong enough stories to stand on their own. Liza Minelli as Lucille2  always makes me howl with laughter as well.

I would say this series is definitely worth subscribing to Netflix for and I think it would survive on  specialty cable if it was released today. It would do well on HBO or Showtime was just ahead  of its time ! I hope it lasts until Season 10 and my rating is  ⅘.

The Internship subtitle should be Google is God!

The Internship Movie Review  

I was looking forward to this movie for  two reasons I love the  mellow laid back Owen  Wilson paired with the  high energy fast talking Vince Vaughn. I also  have  dreamed about  visiting the  Google  campus  in California  and this movie reinforced my belief it would be one of the greatest employers in the world. All food free in the cafeteria and  nap pods to take a catnap.

I was worried that all the funniest parts of the movie would be in the trailer as has happened with so many comedies in the past .  I shouldn’t have  worried . A  Quidditch game, brooms and all, has to be seen to be believed, and  the Harry Potter terminology   the teams  use to describe the rules of the game has Owen  exasperatedly  say  You are making me feel like I am back in math class again! What does this have to do with computers?

The guys are matched up with 4 22 year olds who are already world weary and cynical.  They have good reason to be as the job market  is not easy to break into , university or not, not like it was in the 80s .  They are not impressed with  having 2 newbies  who can barely use a webcam  and have never even heard of Instagram   until  the guys people skills and positive attitude actually help them start winning challenges , much to the chagrin of nasty British  intern ( Max Minghella) who was last seen in the Social Network.  I love the  80s film analogies sprinkled throughout the movie. I identify with them much more than Harry Potter or X-Men.

There  is a delightful romance between the gorgeous Rose Byrne ( Damages )  and Owen . It is not the typical meet cute situation and no silly misunderstandings occur.  Although its not completely realistic that  Google would hire  40 year olds without thoroughly checking their education and  computer literacy, the romance and all the friendships that develop through the movie  ring true.

John Goodman has a small role as the guys former boss , and is much funnier than he was in The Hangover 3 .  In short, this movie  was a coming of age movie both for the  20 year old interns and Vince Vaughn and Owen Wilson who finally realized what they wanted to be when they grew up!

This movie is great for all ages  the audience I saw it was  mostly  over 50 and they laughed at all the computer  jokes and there is no bad language so its great to bring kids to as well.

I give this movie 5/5  any movie that makes me laugh so hard I have to take my glasses off and wipe the tears away deserves  this rating.  

Here is a  Google Plus hangout I watched live in February with Conan O’Brien as host 

Missouri and Things: Who is the Ghost Town Now?

Missouri and Things: Who is the Ghost Town Now?: Today, I maintained my friends list on Facebook and circles on Google+. I was expecting a few deactivated accounts on Facebook as I alwa...