How to Deal With an Overheating Phone

Smartphones can overheat because of external factors (e.g., being left in a hot car) or internal factors (e.g., an app's running). Here is an excellent and easy-to-read article from cnet on how to avoid your phone overheating and what to do if it does: Link to cnet Article on Phone Overheating

Calibrating a TV

What calibrating does and whether one should pay to have one's TV calibrated by a professional depends on various factors. Here is an easy-to-understand but still comprehensive discussion of the issue from cnet: Link to cnet Article on Calibration

Tips When Using Lyft or Uber

[These tips, courtesy of the NYT, are really good, and you're likely not aware of many or most of them]

Better ways to summon your ride

Most people begin by opening the corresponding app (Lyft or Uber, for example). But Phoebe Mortensen noted that you can save time and money by starting in other apps.

Google Maps: On the Directions tab, where you see options like driving, public transport and walking, tap the ride-sharing icon: the microscopic man holding up his infinitesimal arm. “At that point, Google Maps shows you price and waiting-time comparisons of Lyft and Uber — information you can’t get in their own apps,” wrote Ms. Mortensen. Once you’ve chosen the service you want, hit Open App to complete the transaction.

Apple Siri/Google Assistant: On your phone, you can say, for example, “Hey Siri, get me a ride to 200 West 79th Street with Lyft” or “Hey Google, book an Uber to JFK Airport.” You’re asked to specify the details. Speaking your destination is always less finicky than typing it on glass.

Amazon Alexa/Google Home: If you have an Amazon Echo smart speaker, you can say “Alexa, ask Lyft to call a ride” or “Alexa, ask Uber to request a ride.” If your robo-assistant speaks Google instead, say “O.K. Google” instead of “Alexa.”

Pickups

Summoning a ride is easy. Finding your driver can be substantially trickier.

You get a license-plate number and car description; the driver gets a tiny photo of your head. If the neighborhood is busy, dark, or nondescript, that may not be enough.

If you’re smart, you’ll seek a safer spot. “Your pickup address does not have to be exactly where you’re standing,” driver Jeffrey Castro wrote. “Choose addresses where the driver can pull over and not block traffic. From a safety perspective, everyone benefits, and your neighbors will appreciate less honking.”

According to driver Tom Deehan (15,500 Lyft rides and counting), the walk-a-short-distance trick can also save you time and money. “At bar closing time, or after concerts and sporting events, everyone orders their Lyfts and Ubers from the same location, causing traffic jams. Walk a block or two away, and then request your ride. You’ll get picked up much faster and you’ll likely save money on surge pricing.”

Finally, often, the app plants your “pin” at the wrong location on the map in the driver’s map. Far better to enter your address manually — or, as Ray Roig noted, to use the name of a building or place of business. “Both Uber and Lyft are built on Google Maps, and the app will recognize the name.”
If you manually specify your pickup spot, you don’t worry about the map pin landing in the wrong spot.

Safety

In my call for submissions, I requested tips for making ridesharing “smarter, more efficient, or more economical.” One reader noted sardonically that I must be a man, because I didn’t mention “safer.”

She’s right. Getting into a male stranger’s car alone can be frightening if you’re female, especially in the wake of Samantha Josephson’s death at the hands of a man she thought was her driver.

When your ride arrives, “ask the driver for the name of the passenger they are picking up. If it’s not your name, or she or he can’t say, do not get in,” wrote Mikki Ashe and, similarly, Carol Mitchell.

Salomé Mirigay shares every ride’s details with someone she trusts, using the “Share location” or “Share status” button that appears in the app after a driver has accepted your request. The recipient can then monitor her progress on a live, moving map. “It’s comforting that someone has your itinerary and driver’s information in case of emergency,” she noted.

Sharing your ride status lets someone else track your progress. Once you’re in the car, Gillian Horn advises, “sit directly behind the driver. That way, it’s harder for the driver to physically reach you.”
“That being said,” added Julia Butler, “I’ve learned that drivers can get just as nervous about picking up passengers as we may get about drivers. One said to me, ‘We drivers have to pass background checks — but I have no idea who is getting into my car.’ So, caution and empathy!”

Last safety tip: When you reach your destination, open the door on the curb side. “It’s amazing how many people get out of the car into traffic,” Teri Green observed.

Ratings

After each ride, the app asks you to rate your driver (1 to 5 stars). What you may not realize is that your driver also rates you. (To see your average Uber rating, open its main menu. To find out your Lyft rating, ask your driver, or contact the company.)

If there were a Rude Passenger Hall of Fame, no driver would have trouble coming up with nominees: riders who eat stinky or sloppy food in the car, leave the seats covered with crumbs, vape or smoke pot during the ride, slam the doors, make advances on their female passengers, and so on. Those are good ways to get low, low ratings from your drivers.

And what difference does your rating make? “If you rate a driver 3 stars or below, Lyft will not match you with that driver again. But drivers have the same option: if we rate a passenger 3 stars or below, we won’t have to deal with them again,” Jean MacDonald revealed.

Furthermore, a driver isn’t allowed to refuse your pickup request based on your destination. But Ray Roig reported that they are allowed to turn you down if you have a low rating.

Bottom line: Be a jerk, and you’ll have more trouble getting rides.

Courtesy and Tips

“Crowdwise” readers’ most copious category of tips involved courtesy.

“The very first thing I say is, ‘Thank you for picking me up today!’” wrote Glenn Roesler. “It relaxes the driver and often makes them forget, at least momentarily, their last unpleasant rider — and a relaxed driver is always a good thing.”

Then there’s the awkward conversation question. How do you say that you’re not in the mood to chat without seeming antisocial?

“A nice way to phrase it is, ‘I’m so exhausted. Is it all right if we just listen to music instead of chatting?’” proposed Maria Travaille. “Works every time. Honestly, the driver probably doesn’t really want to talk to you, either.”

Or carry a book, wrote Okuta Onfire. “It’s more polite than gazing at your smartphone.”

Many, many drivers wrote to say how rarely riders tip them. “Drivers make a lot less than you think,” pointed out driver Jean MacDonald. “Even a small tip is a nice pat on the back.” She points out that Uber and Lyft keep a substantial chunk of the fare you pay — 20 or 25 percent, plus various fees that can eat up another 25 percent — but the driver gets all of your tip.

By the way: If you tip in the app, the driver doesn’t find out until after having rated you. That’s one reason Matt Morgan always tips in cash. “The driver gets instant gratification, you make their day better, and you’re bound to get a 5-star passenger rating!”

Unless the driver’s behavior was egregious or dangerous, John Bordeaux always gives 5 stars and a tip, “Whatever kind of day I may be having, I’m in the back seat, and they’re fighting traffic.”

Undiscovered Features

Most of the time, you probably use Uber or Lyft for immediate pickup from the spot where you’re standing. But that’s not the end of these apps’ flexibility.

Physical help: Marjorie NYC discovered Uber Assist, which summons a driver who’s trained and ready to help with big packages, extra luggage, or equipment like wheelchairs, walkers and scooters. It’s available in 40 cities and costs nothing extra. “This feature saved me after surgery and when going to airport with too much luggage,” she wrote. (To find it, slide through the car types at the bottom of the screen to the Assist button.)

Order rides for other people (paid by you): Enter your friend’s location as the pickup address, and contact the driver to let him know that you’re not the passenger. That’s handy, wrote Madeline Carter Gooding, for “friends late at night in sticky situations, or family coming in from the airport.”

Make multiple stops: In the app, the + button next to the address box lets you add a second destination, a third, and so on.

Schedule a ride: You can order a pickup in advance, thereby setting it and forgetting it. In the Uber app, the Scheduled Rides button is next to the “Where to?” box. In the Lyft app, after entering your destination, tap Schedule below the list of car types.

Event rides: If you’re hosting a gathering (wedding or corporate event, say), you can prepay your guests’ rides home. You get a code, which you supply to them; it’s valid only during the time slots, within the geographical boundaries, and up to dollar limits you establish. The company refunds to you any amount that wasn’t used up. Here are the details for Lyft and Uber.

Pre-scheduling a pickup means that you don’t have to remember to call your ride.




Pre-scheduling a pickup means that you don’t have to remember to call your ride.

The Shape of Water (2017)

If you want to see a morality tale movie that is a meld of Creature From the Black Lagoon, Mermaid, King Kong, I Led Three Lives, and The Americans, set as a film in the 1950s, then this is the perfect movie for you. If you don't, then not so much. How it won best picture is beyond our Movie Viewing Panel (MVP). 

IMDb Link to The Shape of Water

One Last Hope: Forget Mueller--Call Up His Team

The Failing NYT won't print this, but they should:

To the Editor:

            With Robert Mueller’s refusal to say whether Trump committed what would be an indictable offense of obstruction of justice, there is one last chance the Democrats (and the country) have: Ask the Mueller team members if each of them has a view, as they look at the evidence, as to whether Trump’s conduct amounted to an indicatable offense absent the OLC Guidelines. They might duck like Mueller has. Or, given that Mueller has cited not one law, regulation, or guideline that would prohibit such an expression, and the Special Counsel Office is now closed as Mueller announced, there is no impediment to any or all of them doing just that.

Mueller

Ultimately, if our country and our democracy do not survive Trump, it will not be his corrupt and corrupted enablers that exclusively bear the ultimate blame. It will include those who history put in a position to stop him and chose not to, Mueller being the prime culprit. In the meantime, what Mueller did in his first and last public appearance should hardly come as surprise and surely did not to our loyal readers: See:

Link to Earlier Blog Post 1 or  https://edctips.blogspot.com/2019/05/the-democrats-and-robert-mueller.html

and

Link to Earlier Blog Post 2 or https://edctips.blogspot.com/2019/04/sneak-preview-of-muellers-testimony.html

Extremely Wicked, Shockingly Evil, and Vile (2019 Netflix Original)

The reviewing writer of this post did not realize what this movie was about when he queued it up. But he guessed early on when the main character's name was shown to be Ted, and he was right. This is the story of Ted Bundy. You might not learn a lot, but it's riveting. And the acting is superb. The Florida trial, which was televised when it happened, is recreated with adherence to the trial transcript, or so it seems.  

IMDb Link to The Movie

Fyre (2019 Netflix Original Documentary) [Revised]

Fyre (pronounced like "fire" with an "i") is a documentary that focuses on the Fyre Festival fraud of a few years ago perpetrated in the main by Billy McFarland. While flawed in some ways (e.g., it becomes difficult listening to inarticulate people), if you don't mind listening to many very unlikable people, and if find it fascinating how Bernie Madoff could keep his scheme going as long as he did or how Trump seems to be keeping his scheme going as long as he has been able, Fyre tells another compelling story. What is truly amazing about this one is how so many people involved in supposedly organizing the Fyre Festival knew it was doomed to fail but put their own judgments aside in favor of letting themselves stay bamboozled, again an eerie parallel to what we might be watching today. Of course, the key to understanding the great cons, and even the not so great cons, is that it's not just that there are many people so stupid as to believe the con, but there are so many people who are willing to buy the con simply because they want the con to be true. The one good thing about the Madoff story and the McFarland/Fyre story is that the cons came to an end and, spoiler alert, the maestros ended up in jail. As such, those stories give us hope.

IMDb Link to Fyre

AJ's (Phoenix Market)

AJ's is a ridiculous market. The parking lot is terrible, the customers are pushy and rude, the Deli staff is inefficient and unpleasant, the staff in general is unhelpful, and the prices are beyond belief. Just by way of example, the identical 4 oz. Blue Hill Bay smoked salmon available from Safeway for $6 cost $10 at AJ's. 

That said, when AJ's does have a sale on meats, it could be a good one. Sometimes, they will slash their Prime meat prices by 50% which makes them affordable. Right now, you can get cooked baby back ribs for $6/lb, and they are delicious.

WCWS (Women's College World Series)

If you enjoy skilled athletes performing at the highest level, with unbridled enthusiasm, and a game you can understand, tune into ESPN and ESPN2 and watch the collegiate women battle it out for the softball championship of the world. It's really fun stuff. And to put a point on it, much better than the two movies reviewed in today's postings. 

Afternoon Delight (2013 on Amazon Prime)

[Prefatory Note: This review was sent in by a loyal reader. While it's an award winning movie (Best Direction at the Sundance Film Festival) and multi-award nominee (including from the Gotham Awards and Film Independent Spirit Awards), our Film Advisory Board (FAB) declined to watch it because of certain concerns. These concerns arose from the story line, where Rachel, the wife in a wonderful marriage who has everything she supposedly wants and needs, tries to spice up her marriage with a trip to a strip club, after which she befriends McKenna who, after gave her a lapdance, moves in with Rachel's family and becomes a nanny for the son. From there, it has overtones of a Father Greeley ascent into Hell story, but comes back from the brink, where the marriage is saved, and goodness seems to triumph. Tempted as we were not to post this submitted review, our abiding belief in the first amendment led us to our decision to do so]

Review: The opening credits are novel and well done. The movie is not worth watching. Everything about it that's close to real is overdone and much about it is not real. Some of the acting is good. Some is not so good. The house most scenes are shot in is very nice. 

[Post Script: I have no clue why our loyal reader watched all the way through or sent in this review]

IMDb Link to Afternoon Delight

Two Night Stand (2014 on Amazon Prime)

While the opening credits are somewhat clever, and the Casting Society of America nominated it for Outstanding Achievement in Casting for Low Budget Comedies, the dialogue (and everything else) in the first five minutes seemed so stilted and stupid that whatever happened after that is anyone's guess. It  apparently is your story of a snowstorm that forces two people who made an online connection to unwillingly extend their one-night stand as the blizzard goes through the night.

IMDb Link to Two Night Stand

Charging Your Cellphone Faster

Smartphones are capable of charging a lot faster than they could just a few years ago, but you may not know it because some phone makers (mainly Apple) have continued to include slower chargers in the box. At our urging, Wirecutter has spent more than 20 hours testing and researching 14 power banks, wall chargers, and car chargers to find the best fast chargers for home, for car, and even for multiple devices. You can read their recommendations here: Link to Wirecutter Recommendations

Download Booster

Many smartphones (including older ones such as the Samsung Galaxy S5) have a download booster setting that will speed up downloads, especially of large files, by downloading simultaneously through your wi-fi and your data connection. This optional setting arose out of the world before most people had unlimited data plans. If you have an unlimited data plan, be sure to activate this setting. 

Google Calendar Stops Syncing: How to Fix

Say you're at a professional's office and you need to set up your next appointment. You pull up your Google calendar on your phone and it's a total blank. The important thing is not to panic, especially if you're in an office where any sign of panic might be interpreted unfavorably by the professional staff you're dealing with. Here's what to do: Go to you Application Manager and bring up the Google calendar, clear the cache and the data, and then re-boot the phone. It will think you're logging in the first time, and schzam, your calendar should now be filled with all those wonderful things you have on it to look forward to, and you'll be able to make your next appointment. 

Apparent Airplane Boarding Scam

It's been reported that the number of people requiring wheelchair assistance when going onto an airplane for a flight is substantially greater than the number who require wheelchair assistance when they get off the same flight. We frown upon this practice and have alerted the airlines to the issue.

On a related note, a loyal reader reports the following gate announcement on a recent flight: “We are about to begin boarding this aircraft, but it may take more time than usual because we have a large number of passengers who require assistance, including 14 in wheelchairs. So, if any of you could walk on . . .” (the remainder of the sentence was drowned out by laughter).

Fing (Don't Check-In to an Airbnb or Hotel Without It)

Fing is a free app that lets you identify connected devices on any network, troubleshoot network and device issues, detect network intruders and run Wi-Fi and internet speed tests anywhere. So what you say? Well, here's the thing: If you stay at a house or condo rental or even a hotel room, you might be staying at a place with a hidden camera. In all likelihood, any such camera  is connected to the place's network, which you will be connected to as well. Then, if you have the Fing app, it can tell you everything that's connected to the network, including a camera, in which event, you might want to choose what you do knowing you're being photographed and recorded. 

Link to Fing Website and Download

Veep (and Especially Episode 4 of Season 5 ("Mother"))

Many series get worse as they roll on season after season (e.g., CYE). When they just stay as good as they are, that's a blessing. But, sometimes, the best episodes are yet to come, bringing a little heaven to earth. And Veep gets better season after season. Episode 4 of Season 5, where Selina's mother is hospitalized with a stroke, is a fantastic episode, another one going back to watch again if you ever saw it.  

Veep (and Especially Episode 9 of Season 4 ("Testimony"))

If you haven't seen Veep, you are one of the luckiest people in the world. Indeed, while changed when it opened in Philadelphia before going to Broadway, this song originally was written with the lyrics, "people who haven't seen Veep are the luckiest people in the world." Link to Song And that's because Veep is one terrific series. It's funny. It's biting. It's got great writing. It's got great characters. It's got great actors (a la the SUV traunch of Law & Order where perhaps they show up because they have nothing better to do at the moment). It's got no violence. And, while we're not quite sure what to make of this, it's got the most potty-mouthed dialogue ever. We're not a fan of potty-mouth writing, but by Season 4, one gets enured enough to look forward to new ways of twisting bathroom language into colorful bon mots. Even if you have seen Veep, if you have HBO, you should go back and watch Episode 9 of Season 4, which focuses on a congressional hearing: It is one the great half-hours of television one can imagine. It's up there with some of the best Seinfeld and CYE episodes, and even the Private Harry Speak Up episode of the Phil Silver's Show. 

IMDb Link to Season 4, Episode 9

Spelling Bee

Spelling Bee is a feature both in the Sunday Magazine of the Failing NYT and daily on-line and for tablets and phones. The Sunday version requires 5-letter minimums while the daily only 4-letters. They are both extremely addictive. 

Link to NYT App Where Spelling Bee Appears

________________

     * We were shocked to learn that even some ardent Spelling Bee players (and it's a very addictive game) were unaware the daily version could be found on the NYT app. Just scroll all the way to the bottom. And what's way cool, if you start it online at home and then you leave and access it through the app, the app will reproduce your answers.

Putting FedEx on Hold While You're Own Vacation

The last thing you want to worry about while enjoying your vacation is whether your FedEx deliveries are piling up on your porch. As a FedEx Delivery Manager® user, you can easily postpone packages until you return by setting up a free Vacation Hold. When you place a Vacation Hold, FedEx Express® and FedEx Ground® packages will not be delivered to your home during your selected dates for up to 14 days. Your packages will be delivered the first business day after your scheduled hold. That’s peace of mind made easy. 

Link to Sign Up to Hold FedEx

Steve Jobs (2015)

Free on one of the premium channels that comes with HBO, you can stream Steve Jobs for a few dollars on Amazon, but there's no reason to. If you're madly trying to catch up with your partner while she's out of town and who behind your back watched 7 seasons of Veep (which is terrific although Ms. Dreyfus is totally out of character as Elaine in Seinfeld in bringing being potty-mouth to a new level), and need a break, you might be tempted to watch Steve Jobs. Unless you like every scene to be hyper-intense, which is inexplicable why any director would shoot that way, there is no way to like this movie. It's poorly done. And we don't say that just because they leave out the key scene where Jobs met with a young lawyer in 1983 who gave him advice that was ignored that, if accepted, would have resulted in Apple computers never letting IBM and Microsoft into the market. The best thing about the movie is the song during the credits which is linked below. Speaking of credits, when watching Veep, be sure to watch through the credits at  the end because funny stuff continues to happen.  

Link to Shelter From the Storm

IMDb Link to Steve Jobs Movie

Best Parenting Website

The Failing New York Times has a parenting website in beta, and it's terrific. Whether you're an expecting parent, a new parent, or a parent dealing with a toddler, or a parent dealing with family stresses, you'll find a treasure trove of information and support. Your obstetrician, your partner, and your child (in utero or in esse) will all be glad you have found this place. And because it's in beta, you can help shape what it ultimately will look like and do.

Link to NYT Parenting Website

Two New Cruising Alternatives: Rock the Boat

If you're looking for upscale or happening cruises, here are two worth a look:

Link to Virgin Voyages Website  [Note: The music and choreography are a hoot]

Link to Titz-Carlton Yacht Collection [Note: Not as expensive as you might think]

As described by the WSJ:

The Ritz-Carlton Yacht Collection and Virgin Voyages both aim to disrupt the current state of cruising. Setting sail early next year, the first of Ritz-Carlton’s three sleek, smallish, predictably super-posh ships (rendering above) contains 149 cabins, each with a balcony and a mini-fridge custom-stocked with your drinks of choice. Roaming the Caribbean, Mediterranean, Northern Europe, Canada and the northern U.S., the 7- or 10-day cruises will be all-inclusive (no nickel-and-diming for Wi-Fi, tips or top-shelf booze); some have already “gone to wait list,” in the company’s delicate phrasing. Seven-day Med cruises start at $5,800 per person.

Unsurprisingly, Virgin Voyages’ first ship, the 1,330-cabin Scarlet Lady, is a party boat. Committed hedonists can eat or drink in 20 places, from Korean barbecue to a meze lounge. Virgin, noted for its aesthetic edge, hired design luminaries Tom Dixon and Roman and Williams to collaborate on the décor. Starting in April 2020, 4-to-5-night Caribbean cruises will depart in Miami, from $1,200 for a solo cabin on a 5-night trip. 

Deleting Your Google Activity

I'm always happy to know someone or something has my back and is following me around and listening to me. But I know others crave being in their fortresses of solitude. For them, they might wish to delete their Google Activity which is tracked by Google. This link will take you to the webpage to enable you to do so: Link to Google's MyActivity Page

Chernobyl (HBO Mini Series)

If you like excruciatingly slow unfolding of disastrous events, Cherhobyl is for you. It's like a modern story adapted from the War & Peace or Dr. Zhivago genre.

Cushions, Pillows, Pads, Drapes, and More

If you're looking to re-cover stuff or replace cushions and pads, you can run all over the place and pay too much or you can go online to Cushion Source. They have everything anyone could want, and while it could be improved (and we've submitted to them the improvements that should be made), the website makes it easy to design and get just what you want, at prices that should please you. 

Link to Cushion Source

New Google Pixel Phones

Google has taken the wraps off its two newest phones: The Pixel 3a and Pixel 3a XL. Both are getting rave reviews, especially given their pricing. You can read about them just about anywhere, so we're going back to working on more important things. 

Karma

A loyal reader has posed the following question which we submitted to our Spiritual Advisory Department (SAD): What is the most distressing example of karma in the history of our country? Here was the SAD answer: It might be said that, what we have today is the direct consequence of the Senate Democrats in lock-step allowing Clinton off the impeachment even though he clearly committed perjury and obstructed justice--for which he was disbarred, and then, imbued with their power, gutting the independent counsel statute and allowing the Supreme Court nominations to be decided on a majority vote. And here's the real kicker: Had they convicted Clinton, Gore would have become president and likely would have won big in 2000 ... no Bush, no Iraq War, and likely no Trump or, at the very least, Trump does not escape impeachment. And that, is karma at its worst.

PS: Watching the Democrats now trying to figure out what to do viz oversight, investigation, impeachment, etc., both in terms of strategy and tactics, one just has to cry.

Don't Waste Your Money on Non-Stick Aluminum Foil

Non-Stick aluminum foil is terrific, but it's expensive. Instead of buying it, buy spray cans of olive oil or canola oil, use regular aluminum foil. and spray it before putting stuff on it. Same result--the food you're cooking doesn't stick to the foil, but far less expensive. 

Suggestion to Make to Your Accountant

Accountants get increasingly busy the closer the work they do gets to April 15. Compounding their problem is that many of their clients get their info to the taxpayer later rather than sooner. You might suggest to your accountant (and, if you don't have one, get one) that he or she give clients an incentive to provide their information sooner or later, i.e., give an early bird discount to clients who get their stuff in as soon as it's available. There is a good chance your accountant might like the idea very much and adopt it, which, if you are a prompt person, could get you like a 20% discount. In short, this is one of those win/wins for the accountant and the client. 

The Democrats and Robert Mueller

[Prefatory Note: Another letter the Failing NYT won't publish but will certainly pass on to its people]

Subject: Do the Democrats Know What They Are Asking For?

To the Editor:

            The Democrats apparently believe that, if  Mueller testifies in a congressional hearing, he will offer an unequivocal conclusion left unstated in his report, namely, that the evidence of President Trump’s obstruction of justice would have been an indictable offense but for the Office of Legal Counsel Guidelines. If Mueller had wanted to state that clearly and expressly in his report, he could have done so. It is impossible to believe he just forgot. Nor does he need a congressional hearing to do so. He could just put it out in writing or in a press conference or a letter to Barr. And he hasn’t done so. Given that, here is what Mueller in all likelihood (indeed, it’s a virtual certainty) will say: “It was not my job to state the ultimate charge/no charge decision. It was my job to gather and submit the evidence so that the AG could make a charge/no charge decision, and the Congress could make an impeach/no impeach decision. The Special Counsel statute does not require or even ask me to make a charge/no charge decision, and so my opinion is of no more weight than any other prosecutor’s opinion.” Not to be cliché about this, but in pressing Mueller to testify, the Democrats would seem to be, at the end of the day, on a fool’s errand that will hoist them by their own petard.

Free Movie Streaming Sites

These free and legal sites offer live TV, movies, and video on demand. It is not easy to sort through hundreds of videos uploaded every day, so we've found the best free and legal streaming sites for you. Free streaming sites usually but not always require a free account to use and are ad supported. It may be pop-up ads, video ads, or sitting through ads before and after watching movies or TV shows. Here is a list of the top free and legal sites to stream content, presented in no particular order:

Sony Crackle

Sony Crackle has original content from Sony and programs and movies from other companies including classic TV shows and movies from the 80's and earlier 2000's. It is probably the most well known free streaming site and is available in the US and Australia.

Tubi 

Tubi streams titles from studios like Paramount, Lionsgate, MGM, and Starz. You don't have to create an account to watch anything on the site, though if you do, you can pick up watching where you left off if you stop viewing. The A&E channel, Not on Netflix, and Highly Rated on Rotten Tomatoes are well worth a look.

Pluto TV

Pluto TV has a live TV section, and a well populated video on demand library that offers many popular movies. The trending section consists of short, dramatic, viral style videos covering various incidents. Pluto TV has been purchased by Viacom, and it is not clear what changes, if any, will occur after the sale.

Vudu

Vudu is more popularly known as Walmart's online video rental service, but they have a large array of movies and TV in several categories for free. All the listings are helpfully labeled as free with ads. The title descriptors are a great addition - cast, crew, length and closed captions are some of the listings.

The Roku Channel

Roku is usually viewed as a streaming device only, but you can watch it on the web too. The Roku Channel can only be viewed from a computer. There are movies, TV and a mix of content from other streaming networks. Choose a movie, log in or create an account, pick a movie, and hit Play.

Xumo

Xumo has a huge variety of popular content both live and on-demand channels including news networks, several popular channels, a selection of sports channels, and a plethora of shows to choose from. It tracks what you watch and offers recommendations based on your interests. 

Popcornflix

Popcornflix has full-length movies, documentaries, foreign films, a unique original web series plus a section that showcases new film makers. No account is needed to watch anything on the site.

Note: this site is flagged orange by WOT here on the site - checking it in several browsers with WOT brings up a neutral rating with some positive reviews.

IMDb Freedive 

You've heard of IMDb (owned by Amazon), but did you know they have a free ad-supported streaming video channel? You can watch free via a laptop or personal computer and all Amazon Fire TV devices. Watch shows like Without A Trace, The Bachelor, Groundhog Day, and movies like Legends of the Fall, Les Misérables and Legally Blonde for free.

Stremio

Stremio is a content aggregator, streaming service, and torrent client all rolled into one.

It keeps track of movies, series or videos you didn’t finish, lets you continue watching them and makes recommendations based on viewing habits. It is cross platform and has torrenting capabilities, with options for viewing in English, Portuguese and French. Downloads are available for Windows, macOS, Linux, Android and iOS.

Classic Cinema Online

Classic Cinema Online focuses on older, classic content. Choose from Serial, Silent Films, and Movie Billboard categories or scroll to find titles. There are classics like Casablanca, Curly Top, Pinoccio, Jane Eyre, and more.

Big Five Glories

Big Five Glories refers to major motion picture production companies during Hollywood’s Golden Age of the 1930's and 1940's; the “Big Five”: 20th Century Fox, RKO Pictures, Paramount Pictures, Warner Bros. and Metro-Goldwyn-Mayer. Watch productions from these studios and other companies or independent producers. Movies are all in the public domain.

Retrovision 

Retrovision features older, public domain, free streaming films (much like Big Five Glories and Classic Cinema). There are classic videos like Bonanza, Flash Gordon, Dragnet, Godzilla and The House on Haunted Hill.

Other interesting sites:

Moving Image Archive

The Internet Archive lets you download or listen to free movies, films, and videos. This library contains digital movies uploaded by Archive users and ranging from classic full-length films, daily alternative news broadcasts, to cartoons and concerts. Many of these videos are available for free download.

Library of Congress National Screening Room

The Library of Congress lets you stream hundreds of free films.The Library of Congress National Screening Room showcases the riches of the Library’s vast moving image collection, designed to make otherwise unavailable movies, both copyrighted and in the public domain, freely accessible to the viewers worldwide. These films reflect the attitudes, perspectives, and beliefs of different times and may contain content offensive to users. The Library of Congress doesn't endorse the views expressed in these movies.

Hoopla and Kanopy

Hoopla and Kanopy let you stream movies via US state libraries. If your local library has either or both of these services, all you need is a library card. There are tons of content on both services, though Hoopla offers ebooks and music in addition to movies. You can also use your child’s college ID if their college partners with Kanopy. And the content and number of monthly viewings vary depending on the library 

Changing the Number of Rings Before Cellphone Goes to Voicemail

[Note: Although stated in seconds rather than number of rings, each 5 second interval typically will be the equivalent of one ring, but double check once you've reset your phone]

Crazy Rich Asians (2018)

Crazy Rich Asians isn't for everyone, and certainly not for people who think they have a sophisticated standard when it comes to movie appreciation, and some scenes are over-done and just plain annoying, but it's got many scenes that will make you chuckle and it's beautifully shot in crisp colors. So--spoiler alert--while it's essentially predictable, if you are one of the few unfortunates who does not fly first class internationally, or you haven't been to Singapore lately, or don't know the stresses of growing up in a billionaire family, you just might enjoy this. You can watch it on HBO or, if you don't have HBO (we've heard some people don't), you can pay $9.99 and stream it on Amazon. If you have trouble keeping straight who some of the characters are, you are not alone, and we're not sure why the casting director chose Constance Wu (know for Fresh Off the Boat) instead of Anne Hathaway for the lead, or Nico Santos instead of Martin Short for the same kind of character Mr. Short played in Father of the Bride, or Lisa Lu instead of Dame Judy Dench as the matriarch of the family, but we will say each turned in wonderful performances, as did many other cast members. We are curious to see if Rick Moranis will be cast in the soon to be released, Honey, I Shrunk the Asians. 

IMDb Link to Crazy Rich Asians

Precaution to Take If Going to Dinner and a Show

[Prefatory Note: The following is a hypothetical, given to show how creative one can be in searching on The Google]

Say you're going to see David Sedaris at the Orpheum Theater in Phoenix, and decide to eat at Cibo before the show. Cibo doesn't take reservations. So, if it turns out there is a long wait at Cibo, you're going to have to immediately find another restaurant. You can decide on that alternative once you get to Cibo, or, you can put the following search phrase into The Google (without quotes)--"Restaurants Near Cibo in Phoenix"--and up will come, inter alia, a Trip Advisor list of the 10 best restaurants close to Cibo. All that said, when dining before a show, many are of the view to pick a restaurant that does take reservations or pick a restaurants no one likes going to.

Who Should Get Measles Booster Shots

[Preliminary Note: As loyal readers know, we don't do politics here. And while this blog has been called ATTA (an Amazing Treasure Trove of Advice), as loyal readers know, we do not give financial advice. We also do not give legal advice or medical  advice. That said, what follows below is a summary of an excellent article from the Failing NYT, together with a link to the full article]

Link to NYT Article

"Anyone born in the United States before 1957 is presumed to be immune, because virtually everyone caught measles back then." "If you were born in 1957 or later, and believe you were vaccinated but lack medical records detailing exactly which shot or shots you got — you are probably immune, especially if you were vaccinated after 1968. But the only way to be sure is to have a blood test. Alternatively, you could just get another shot." The group possibly needing another vaccination are those born from 1957 thru 1989, and, it says that there is no harm in getting another shot. Apparently the vaccines given from 1963 thru 1989 are thought to be not as strong as they should have been. After 1989, they were given in 2 stronger doses. 

K: A History of Baseball in Ten Pitches (Tyler Kepner, 2019)

A loyal reader (in appreciation for all the great advice found in this blog, including most recently the recommendations to get HBO GO and start watching Veep and Barry (which had been recommended first by another loyal reader) gifted me “K: A History of Baseball in Ten Pitches,” by Tyler Kepner (Sportswriter for the Failing NYT). For anyone who likes baseball or baseball players or rapid-fire good quick stories, this is a definite read. It’s well and tersely written, peppering you with anecdote after anecdote, highlighting the often surprising things baseball players say, think, and do. You also just learn stuff. For example, as to the debate as to whether or not a rising fastball actually rises, the answer is: It does NOT rise in the sense of going higher viz the earth, but it DOES rise optically causing batters to swing under it because it changes trajectory in this way: \_____ (drawn exaggeratedly so you get the point that the downward trajectory slope changes in that it flattens, but the ball does not actually go up in height off the ground). It’s a book that those running MLB should read, if only to understand how increased velocity of the fastball is making games longer and foreshadowing the end to starting pitching rotations as we know them.  Also, it’s a book any historian should read just for stories like how there were no fewer than 10 inventors of the curve ball over a 40 year span. Finally, for those of you who might not have played professional baseball (or golf for that matter), this book might help you to understand why one’s worst day at the ballpark (or on the golf course) is far better than one’s best day at the office.

The only criticism we can level is that there are no sub-chapter titles that would make stopping places easier. Further, while not a criticism, missing were little quotes or pithy things at the outset of each chapter which we like to see, such as (just to name one which the aforementioned loyal reader would start every brief he ever filed in court with), “How sharper than a serpent’s tooth it is to have a thankless child.”*

Link to the Book on Amazon

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     *  We (me, all our department heads, and our entire staff) take enormous pride in this blog having received universal praise for bringing to bear criteria in its reviews of stuff often ignored or given short shrift by other reviewers. For example, in reviewing restaurants, we never omit to cover parking and noise level. And in reviewing video series we applaud those presented in half-hour episodes. It is in that spirit that we point out the failure of this book to include pithy sayings.

PS re Customizing the Reading Pane in Gmail

A 4/29 post explained how to customize the reading pane on Outlook and Gmail, and recommended the Vertical split as the view preferred by most people and for good reason--it saves keystrokes and is the most readable view. We were stunned by the deluge of responses from loyal readers who said the icon we pointed to for changing the reading pane views did not appear on their Gmail screen.  Alas, we had not realized how many people have not enabled a needed setting, which is a snap to do. In Gmail, go to Settings/Advanced/Preview Pane and check the Enable Box. While on that page, you'll see other customizations you might want to enable.  

What Will Mueller Say?

[Submitted to the Failing New York Times]

There is only one question to put to Mueller (and everything else at this point is blather): If Trump were not the president, which one day he will not be, and you were the person responsible for making a charge/no charge decision (as say a U.S. Attorney would be responsible), does the evidence that you submitted in your report establish that Trump committed an indictable offense? If Mueller answers "yes," impeachment is warranted; if he answers "no," impeachment is not warranted; and if he ducks the question, let him be dealt with harshly by history.

Nadler's Blown Opportunity

The Failing NYT won't print it, but the below letter explains how Nadler blew it again:

To the Editor:

            Attorney General Barr announced his refusal today to show up for the House Judiciary Committee hearing tomorrow. His apparent reason was the Committee’s insisting that he be questioned by a staff attorney for a half hour. Of course, the Committee has a right to say how they want to conduct the hearing. But, Nadler is blowing a big opportunity. In the Impeachment of Governor Meacham in Arizona, a similar issue arose, and the outside counsel retained to press the impeachment wrote the questions for the committee to put to Meacham, which each committee member followed. That’s one way and it worked. Another way would be for all the Democrat reps to cede their time to one member of the committee, who knows how to cross examine, and then go to it. Instead, Nadler just took a stand on form, and lost an opportunity that needed not have been lost.