At My Wits End

Q. Why do the networks interrupt the flow of new episodes of series such as Friends and Becker by showing repeats?
A. Most US shows are made in series of about 22 episodes. The Australian ratings calendar runs for 40 weeks a year. Networks pad out their successful imports with occasional repeats to extend their high ratings over a longer period. Repeats also are used during the two-week Easter break in the official ratings to keep viewers in the habit of switching on at particular times. Why do programmers do what they do? By Ross Warneke June 6 2002 The Age
This writer asked the same question I ask myself everytime I sit down to watch House on a Wednesday night and find myself face to face with an episode I’ve seen.
And I’ve seen them all so far… I own the boxed set.
Where I grew up, a season of shows was played from its beginning to its end and and while the year was a lot longer than the season of new shows you wore it as a part of life… to everything there is a season, and all that… Basically? It was expected you’d have to spend most of the year without your favourites… but you cherished their presence all the more for the short time they were on the box… You watched ER (and the like) for 20 weeks or so and then got on with your life.
But here? (or now… I’m not sure if NZ participates in this despicable practice these days) Here, as the ratings season extends for 40 weeks, show seasons are padded out for as long as possible to get as much juice as possible for the bloody networks.. and it rips my undies that we are held hostage to them (or more precisely to their advertisers…)
So, tonight, on NCIS Kate was back from the dead for the evening, and House was no longer harassing his ex (but realistically little else has changed).
Bloody Network 1 Little guy/girl 0
Happily, Channel 9 refrained from dumping old ER on us and the episode I saw was a newbie and a goodie… You’d think in view of that I’d have ended up in bed earlier… But no, I’m on a roll now… and while I’m on the subject of corporate nasties…

Let’s talk about telcos…
I have been in an enduring struggle with Floptus since February. I have been a loyal customer a v long time… of their mobile and home phone services, and of dsl internet for a year (actually slightly more)…
So, today my problem got fixed… You do the math… from Feb to April… it took that long… and following are the hoops I had to jump through to solve the problem…
After the Foogee arrived my connection to dsl would terminate and reinstate fairly regularly… like, right in the middle of a download… gah… one might imagine that the problem was the Foogee given that it was the new element in the equation… so I’m prepared to give Floptus a bit of leeway in not wanting to get too involved… at least initially…
However,as every other connection I made with the computer(home, babysitting… everywhere a network connection) , be it via ethernet or wireless, it behaved perfectly… I’d continue to call Floptus and ask every available operator who answered my phone (be it in Mumbai or Melbourne) what would cause these symptons… all they could tell me was that I had a steady connection. Yes, this was between them and the modem… but the problem was clearly between the modem and the lappy… gah… so it must be the lappy…
So, I tested my conection using… ethernet and usb… the Foogee, the Dell, the Captain’s laptop and having done all of those things and found the problem remained, albeit at varying intervals… I eventually convinced Floptus that it was the modem at fault… However, to add insult to injury, I was advised that as the (Floptus supplied) modem was over a year old its warranty had expired and I’d need to purchase a new one…
At the rrp of $149.00.
You bet your pretty pink booties I told them where to put their modem…
And I got right onto my best friend Mr Ebay and bought one for $75… the very one that a telco had supplied to a customer who had made their own way onto the information super highway… (So next time you get offered a telco supplied modem, and you already have a router/modem, take the freebie.. and sell the bugger on..)
Little guy/girl 1 Bloody Telco 0
So, tonight this post has come to you both from the sofa and the ‘old’ office… by the magic of wireless…
I think I’m in love…