Frivolity Break: My Cable Box is Still Insane

It's still at it! Here's a screen shot of the rerun of The Tonight Show Starring Jimmy Fallon, with Barbra Streisand. Note the description.  And the guide below that. The whole thing is that way!

 

Frivolity Break: My Cable Box Has Lost its Mind

I meant to take a shot during The Big Bang Theory, when it read something like Pits Dang Bob. Most of these are indecipherable, but these are kind of the normal channels.

I am most interested in pets The Virgin, NCIS: Goes Daniel and The teens Remains the Same. I do know that The Jeff is really The Simpsons, and that The Western Maddow out is The Rachel Maddow Show. The show descriptions are just as screwy.

Computer Woes Solved? Multi-browser, Multi-system Malware Stopped! [I Hope]

Me, until a couple of hours ago.

Noted here in the last couple of posts, I've been beset by computer woes since some time mid-weekend. Somehow, all of our devices were plagued by malware, weird ads and attempts to get us to install various software. Neither of us knows how it happened, but I seem to have sort of solved the problem. I think. It's too early for cartwheels.

But I'm going to explain in as detailed a way as I can, so that if you have a similar problem, you can try the same thing.

We were getting popups, over-sized browser windows with either a) legit looking ads, b) fake looking ads, c) alerts to either install or upgrade video players, plugins and whatnot, and d) actual attempts to install files, all you have to do is click "ok." Fortunately, both of us here are smart enough not to install anything, though the source of this problem remains a mystery. And that's not all. Clunky, ugly, blinking, 90s-style "scare" ads started showing up in areas of web pages that ordinarily hold Google AdSense-type ads. But the weirdest part is, this was all of the sudden happening on a Windows 8 PC, a Windows 7 PC, a MacBook Pro running Mavericks, and a Galaxy S4 phone running Android Kit Kat.  And on these devices, it was happening in Internet Explorer, Firefox, Chrome and Safari, variously. Weird, right?

Didn't matter what device or operating system.

I called Cox, our internet provider, because even though I'd run every malware and virus program I could think of, the devices themselves were insisting that they were clean. It must, I thought, be either the router or the modem. The first lady was nice as could be, but had no idea what my problem might be. The second tier of help was too smart for me, two or three notches ahead of my experience level (which isn't ordinarily too shabby). But she got me the solution that is holding at the moment:

Factory reset the wireless router. Rename the router. Change the password, and keep it complicated. Then, I restarted all of the devices, one-by-one got them onto the network with the new settings. Also, I opened the internet pages I knew to be experiencing phony ads. I then reloaded the pages holding the shift key in. Poof, the bad ads

Didn't matter what browser either, though it
affected different browsers on different
devices.

disappeared. For reals. So far, the popup ads seem to be gone as well. On all systems.

So, though I won't even pretend to understand where this came from or what was really going on, it's clear that this goofy malware was coming through the router and running clean, because no anti-virus or anti-malware software could even see it running. Doesn't this sound kind of new to you? I've certainly never heard of it.

EDITED TO ADD: The Cox tech lady also advised me to assign individual MAC addresses to individual devices, somthing that is both a little outside my experience level, AND, seems to me like it would be awkward when we have guests, or want to add devices. So, I'll reserve that trick for if this bizarre occurrence ever happens again.

What Happens in Vegas: Changes and Lies!

Don't you love utilities? They can basically do and charge whatever they like, because they are essentially the only game in town. The trash company surely is, and the cable company is, unless you want to pay for extra equipment and sign a multi-year contract for your cable/internet/phone. And I don't.

So, I find it funny when one of the companies makes a big change. We're essentially helpless against any changes they might want to make. So why are they so coy with their language?

Click to embiggen

Here is the message from Cox Cable, verbatim:

"Dear Cox Customer,


Ready for a better HD experience? Starting August 9, 2011, your HD channels are moving from the 700s to the 1000s--making it even easier to find your favorite shows."

Really? Easier? Because it is somehow easier to punch in four digits rather than three? Sure. Then there's the trash company. Here is their note, again, verbatim:

"Your neighborhood collection days are changing to better provide service in the community"

No, I don't think that's the reason. Because before, we had a two-days-per-week trash pickup, and now we'll have a two-days-per-week trash pickup. The service will be exactly the same, just on different days. 


I suppose they're just trying to be nice. They don't have to be, obviously. But do they have to lie to us to make us feel better?

Movie Review: Hit and Run

Image from Wikipedia

Every couple of weeks, I try to use the On Demand feature of my cable box, to help justify the cost of my exorbitant monthly fee. Every week, the various channels have a helpful "Just In!" listing, but usually there isn't a lot that interests me. So, I'll drill down the list in the hopes that something jumps out at me. This weekend, I took a chance on a 2008 movie called Hit and Run, which was listed as a thriller.  The synopsis said it was about a girl who goes out drinking, and then goes home, only to find (later) that there is a man impaled on the bumper of her Jeep. Okay, I'm in! (Here there may be spoilers.)

I used to drive a Jeep, and the girl in the movie drove a similar (though older one), making the setup very relatable.  I don't make it a habit to drive drunk--quite the opposite, actually--but in the nine years I owned the Jeep, did I ever drive when I probably shouldn't have?  Nothing jumps immediately to mind, but probably. Luckily, I never hit anything in such a state. In fact, I never hit anything at all at any time in those nine years. Guess I'm due.

Anyway, the film starts out with the girl's night at the bar, and then the long (very long) drive to her house. The credit sequence is very splashy, which is weird. And the "near miss" she thinks she had along the way, and the unobstructed headlight spray from her Jeep made her unknown "hit and run" rather implausible.  The girl's behavior afterward to cover up her actions are also a little over-the-top.

Things calm down a bit, and her marginally ethical boyfriend decides to help her. And then he doesn't, then does again.  Boyfriend gets iced by the presumed dead victim, and hereafter, the film makes no sense whatsoever.  We find out via a news report that the victim was bipolar. So is the movie. It veers wildly from scenes of relative--if tense--calm, to outrageously manic.  Our bipolar victim becomes mindless killer, seemingly indestructible. He is also somehow all-knowing, aware of the girl's identity, address, and phone numbers.

Countless wild rides in the Jeep go to-and-fro, with the victim and the girl alternately having the advantage. Several return trips are made to the scene of the crime, and my finger hovered over the "stop" button many times. I should've gone with that impulse.  There was no one to root for in this movie, not the girl, her boyfriend, the victim or even his family.  The girl turned out to be somewhat indestructible (and bonkers) herself, surviving a severe bite, multiple stabbings, and a long ride strapped to her own bumper (which was rammed at least once into another car).  To top it off, it was obvious that the ending was trimmed to exclude the survival of the victim, just by the slow zoom to the one good eye he had left. His eye didn't open, but I'm positive they filmed it.

I thought when I started typing this review that there might be something coming that would tie this film together. I thought they might explain how the girl was found out. Nope.  The movie just gets worse and worse, and at times reminded me of the abysmally bad Truth or Dare? A Critical Madness, the low-rent, cult 80s slasher movie.  This one doesn't even merit "so bad, it's good" status.

Avoid at all costs.

MSNBC in HD, If You're Lucky

MSNBC began broadcasting in high definition this week. I can tell by some spruced up sets, and some modified graphics. But that's all I have to go on, because Cox Communications here in Las Vegas is not offering the HD version in the valley.

I wrote a letter to them yesterday, asking about it:

"MSNBC debuted as an HDTV channel today (June 29, 2009). Can we expect it to be added to the Las Vegas HDTV channel lineup? If so, when? Thank you. "

I got this reply:

"Dear James:

At this time, there are no plans to carry this channel in the Las Vegas market. However, we are always evaluating our line-up in an effort to maintain customer satisfaction and bring the best value to our subscribers.

We value your feedback and work very hard to offer a variety of channels to meet the needs of our customers. We have forwarded your request to our Marketing Department for review.
Please note that there are many factors we consider when choosing to add or delete programming. These factors include programming costs, programming ratings, customer requests and the effect the addition or subtraction will have on the remaining line-up."

I was dissatisfied with this answer, so I followed up with this:

"If you don't mind my asking, why are FOX News and CNN carried in HDTV, but MSNBC will not be? And why are the other news channels grouped together, while MSNBC is way up the dial? I'm curious. And I watch a lot more MSNBC than I do the other channels. Please count my vote for MSNBC in HD. Thank you. "

The response doesn't quite gel with the first answer, in my opinion. See what you think.

"Dear James:

Thank you for your reply and we apologize for any inconvenience this may have caused you.

Please be advised that we are only stating that the MSNBC/HD channel is not yet available to the Cox Las Vegas System at this time. As soon as the MSNBC/HD programming content is made available, we will provide a release date for addition of the requested channel.

Cox is not responsible for channel designations. The channel designations are the responsiblity [sic] of the Network and other government agencies. "

I have to wonder, when I visit sites like TVNewser or the "FOX Fan" site, Johnny Dollar's Place, if the ratings comparisons between CNN, MSNBC and FOX "News" are apples-to apples-to apples. How many other cable outfits have MSNBC segregated like Las Vegas' Cox Cable does? How many are not providing the HD feed? Maybe all the gloating about FOX's ratings are a bit overblown?

My Day: Broadband Nightmare

Oh, my brain. I started this day with the intention of getting a few blog posts up, maybe some housework, some reading, maybe a nap. But oh, no.

I've had several internet interruptions over the last day or so, and finally, it wouldn't come on at all. So, I called my friendly neighborhood COX technician. Now, I have nothing but nice things to say about their service, as they are unfailingly polite and helpful. After negotiating their (rather amazing) robotic help menus, I finally needed to talk to a human. That human informed me that my modem had reset itself something like 200 times, and then gave up the ghost shortly after noon. She suggested I buy a new cable modem, and actually suggested I save some money by buying my own at the store. I thought that was good advice, as I paid $100 for the last one from the cable company. Big mistake.

I quickly found a modem at Wal-Mart (Sam's didn't have it, Fry's is a nightmare, and Best Buy is miles away). $65 after tax, and I was out the door. It was virtually identical to the old modem, so I just switched out the plugs, and turned it on. Of course, it wasn't that simple, so another COX tech (after wading through the compu-bot menus) helped me get it running, but only directly, and not through my router. After hanging up, I turned on the router, and nothing worked. Another call to COX, another conversation with the android.

When I finally got a technician, he turned out to be the only COX person I've ever talked to who was not courteous, not helpful, and terrible on the phone. He would not, could not help me with my router. So, I called D-Link, and they would only help me if I paid them. And my router was obsolete and unsupported.

Back to Wal-Mart to purchase a router. Another $65 after tax, and I was on my way. The instructions tell you not to load the CD until you hook up the router, but not to hook up the router until you load the CD. My brain is burning. Anyway, I figured it out, ran the install, and it first would not detect anything. After powering everything down and back up, I got it to go all the way through the install routine, but it could not detect the internet. So, I called up Belkin, and got the friendliest and most unintelligible man in India tell me it was COX's fault.

Back to COX, back through the menu. We finally determined that the splitter that splits the coaxial cable to the TV had burned out. What an amazing (and slightly unbelievable) coincidence. I refuse to hook up the old modem to see if it was actually OK, and the $2.99 splitter was the problem all along. I'd like to think not, and I'm pretty sure it isn't the case, since the new modem worked fine earlier, when it was first hooked up.

Anyway, everything is now working (after 6 hours), and running much faster, so I'm leaving it all the hell alone. And I'm not doing the dishes or any other chores now. I've worked hard enough today.