If there’s one thing I’ve learned over time; it’s how to tell when a relationship is over. With artists they seem to be over before they begin.

I like to be kind and respectful when things are over. I don’t believe in burning bridges. Maybe that makes some women hate me more – because they want to move on but they can’t justify hating me. That would just be easier.

Life is strange and wonderful. I do cherish these chance encounters, and I hope that everyone I meet remains a friend; even if we part ways.

-E

I was so happy. I came home with a TV that was worth $800 at the time for $400. What a deal!

Well my jubilation was to be short lived. I purchased this set on the 24th of July, 2008. Well it’s already dead and it’s almost two months old.

“What happened,” you might ask. Well it simply stopped turning on. The DVD unit still let me open and close the tray and the DVD itself would spin so I assume that part works. The rest of the TV is completely unresponsive, even though the standby light is on.

“Bring it back to the store”, you say. Well I tried calling them and apparently Staples Business Depot’s return policy only covers the first 30 days, and then I have to deal with the manufacturer.

“That doesn’t sound so bad”, you say. Well Staples Business Depot was even kind enough to search out the manufacturer’s phone number because http://www.v7-world.com/ has no mention of this device on their site. Nor do they offer any telephone technical support.

Indeed when I called the number I was provided, I was provided with yet another forwarding number. This number brought me to an actual company. Now, one would think I would be greeted with a professional tone and helpful staff. V7 has neither of these things. I was told twice that I had called the wrong number because V7 does not make an LCD/DVD combo unit. These people were flat-out lying as I pressed them for an answer as to whether they were from the same company that made it. One man answered what I think is the truth. He told me that they are the same company, but the company I had called isn’t the part that makes the unit I had bought. Both phone calls I was hung up on by a rather rude woman (the second call I was transferred to her). She simply hung up on me mid-sentence while insisting that I had called the wrong company and she could not tell me the right number to call.

After emailing the technical support email account on http://www.v7-world.com/ I was directed to yet another company!

This company is http://www.1800customerservice.com/. I filled out their request form and they have not contacted me since.

So let me summarise here. I’ve been lied to and the company which manufactured my TV denies its existence, I’ve talked to 3 companies in the process of trying to get a satisfactory answer as to what is going to be done about my brand new paperweight and I’ve wasted my own time which is worth more than just money (but it’s worth enough money too).

I’m a very frustrated Staples Business Depot customer at this point but I was happy to speak to their representative the second time. After offering me the phone number and hearing how V7 treated me, he told me that Staples would likely be able to do something for me such as a refund.

Usually I’m lucky with purchases such as this one but this time I seem to have hit the bottom of the barrell. V7 is the worst company I know of for technical support.

I just hope this all gets resolved in such a way as I get a new TV. I don’t even want a refund at this point. I just want a working display for my room so I can get back to the ten thousand other things pestering me at the moment that are more important.

Ugh… >_>

EDIT: I was called by Staples again and the representative gave me a number that did, in fact, provide technical support for the V7 in the US and Canada. I was told I would have to somehow get my set to Markham and I was given an RMA number. Now I just have to figure out how to get a big TV to Markham with no car.

EDIT: It’s fixed! I have just received my set back from Venturer Electronics in Markham. Once I spoke to them they were quite kind to me and returned it fully functional on Oct. 20th. I’m just glad I have this over with and don’t have to think of it anymore.

EDIT (Oct 23rd): Okay so I hadn’t tried hooking up my PS3 until last night. It doesn’t work using HDMI anymore. The issue seems to be with the PS3 or with the HDCP support for my TV. My laptop outputs HDMI just fine to it using the same cable. I can’t get my PS3 to do anything other than display a black screen at all.

I’ve tried resetting the config on the PS3 by holding the power button and waiting for the second beep several times. I’ve tried manually configuring it for HDMI. I’ve tried leaving both the TV and the PS3 disconnected from power for a long time and then plugging them back in. After this I tried everything several times again. Still no luck, only a black screen displaying HDMI1 480P in the dialog box at the top right.

GRR!

All this and Trent University is useless again. Their bookstore hours are wrong on the website so I missed my first opportunity to get my books. By the time I went to get them, they were out of the book for the one course where I was told specifically that I need to keep up with the readings. I had one due for tonight and it’s still not available.

T_T

In an argument, you should be looking to defend any points you hold true with facts – not insults.

You should be able to accept someone’s retort, process it and present a valid counter-argument if there is one.

You can not say something politically charged and not expect a reply. Period. It doesn’t work that way, I’m afraid.

Calm, rational debate should always be the order of the day.

By mentioning Nazis or any other thinly veiled insults you fail.

See Godwin’s Law.

• http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Godwin’s_Law
• http://www.faqs.org/faqs/usenet/legends/godwin/

Also, do not abuse Godwin’s Law.

According to Ars Technica and this study, the music industry has been overstating the threat P2P networks pose to music sales. Why would they do this? Of course they want to put forth their image as the helpless victim who needs your help. They want to seem innocent when they sue families with no regard as to whether the information their illegal private investigative searches have found is valid or not.

Mostly, the RIAA has used IP addresses as identifiers to link a person to the supposed infringement. IP addresses have been ruled as insufficient evidence and rightly so. Someone’s computer may have been unwittingly targeted by a P2P Trojan horse. This means that when the user installs a program they get a little extra piece of software with it that forwards P2P data through the victim’s machine. This way, users of the P2P network can surf anonymously and a family who might never use P2P networks in their life may be sued. As well, with wireless networks proliferating and many people not setting a password, their open network can be used by someone else sharing on a P2P network and again they would be identified falsely. For these reasons and many, many more an IP address is not a sufficient identifier of a person’s use of a particular Internet service.

With all of this negative public relations coverage, it’s no wonder some people are switching to the dark side after years of loyal fandom. In one example, the RIAA supposedly sued some family without a computer!

Well here comes the good news: The RIAA has dropped their case with prejudice, allowing the defendant, to seek damages as well as pursue a counter suit such as Suzy Del Cid’s.

As well, it seems the RIAA is even more out of touch than consumers have thought for years. Nettwerk, the Barenaked Ladies, Radiohead, Trent Reznor of Nine Inch Nails and many others have been speaking up against the current state of affairs.

I just hope we come to some kind of happy compromise. I still buy CDs and love browsing the used CD store, but when the RIAA tells me that it is illegal for me to rip those CDs and load them onto my MP3 player for easy enjoyment, that’s just too much. It makes music piracy seem not so bad after all.

… if I continue with my computer science career choice I’m liable to get sued.

Apparently the patent troll Acacia is targeting WiFi hotspot landing pages in its latest lawsuit tirade.

It’s funny to note that the Acacia tree in some regions is known to house colonies of ants in its thorns which protect it from harm by other insects. In the same way, Acacia Technologies Group finds smaller patent owners and thrives due to a symbiotic relationship where Acacia uses it’s clout (or shelter?) to win court battles for them, giving them a cut of the licensing fees. Acacia benefits by now owning the patents to many widespread technologies which are already in use and “ready for the suing”.

I wasn’t aware you could patent software in the U.S. but apparently you can.

This is ludicrous and someone needs to stop this destructive machine now. A company with a big budget and time on their lawyers’ hands needs to first prove prior art for their service, and then sue the pants off Acacia until they can no longer function.

They claim to be the champion of a good cause. Anti-competitive institutions such as the patent are fundamentally bad in my books anyway. If another company can make it better, then so be it. Exclusivity should be eliminated.

Besides which, the landing page and the redirect are DEFINITELY not new concepts, are DEFINITELY technologies with provable prior art and any lawsuit by a smaller company would be thought of as a frivolous attempt by some idiot to make a buck.

It seems Acacia is trying to be a big idiot and make that buck with its clout and make the little idiot feel good about themselves in the process.

I hate morons who can’t see past their own pocketbook into the world they are destroying.

Sometimes it’s right, and sometimes it makes glaring errors like this one:

Now, I can hardly stand it when human beings make this error. I typically want to reach through the monitor and p1mp514p them upside the head.

When a program charged with the task of correcting grammar and spelling for these fools is leading them astray, I now understand why.

I also think ‘creative spelling’ should be abolished, the documents about it burned and its creators dragged out into the street and shot.

It’s not so much a rant anymore as it’s kind-of funny, but this morning this is the view I saw outside.

I usually love snowy weather and I didn’t think much of a little snow in April. The problem came when I was about a block away, and I noticed I didn’t have my glasses on. That’s fine, I don’t even need my glasses to drive legally. The world will be slightly fuzzier for today.

The worst came when a schoolbus was driving up the street practically on the sidewalk. Of course it ran straight through the untrodden slush and created a huge wave. I wasn’t on the sidewalk… no, no no! I was in a parking lot about 3 meters away and I still was soaked!

Wow… I’m actually in good spirits really but wish me luck. This looks like it’s going to be an interesting day.

Hah… They actually posted my photo too.