There's nothing about Netflix's recent trouble that I don't enjoy: Qwikster-link. A little while back, halfway between the announcement of the spin-off of the D.V.D. rental business as Qwikster & the boom being lowered on that ill-conceived idea, I was engaged in a rather heated argument on this topic. My conversational partner was of the view that it was good to separate the streaming & D.V.D. options, & that Netflix's customers should quit their whining. I replied that I had no objection per se to the new billing plan, but that the public relations hadbeen bungled so terrifically as to taint the very idea of the plan; I also added that I thought spinning off the D.V.D. rentals into a whole different company, especially one with as awful a name as Qwikster (What year is this, 1999?), was a mistake that would terribly damage the Netflix brand. He reasserted that whatever Netflix did was fine & dandy & the subscribers should be glad the service existed at all. I know, I can't believe I was suckered into such a discussion, either, but at least it wasn't with anyone whose opinion I respect or value. I am also pleased that the management of Netflix have come around, to a degree, to my way of thinking. Qwikster? I scoff at "Qwikster."

This Week in Motorsport
This weekend saw the second live broadcast of a V8 Supercars race on Speed. The more I see of the V8 Supercars, the more I like, especially the live (complete) coverage, rather than the edited races usually presented. The argument here is similar to that made against the Entertainment & Sports Programming Network's canned coverage of the American Le Mans Series: seeing a race live, as it happens, is fun, but not as important as seeing a race in its entirety, from green flag to chequered flag. Seeing a race edited takes away much of the sense of the ebb & flow of the race that makes watching so interesting. An edited race is like a painfully long highlight package; I enjoy highlights as much as any other chap (& how I long for C.S.C. to be a real channel, with Sports Night as its flagship program), but they should be highlights, not the whole event with just enough of the liveliness ripped out of it to destroy the sporting value. I'll watch edited V8 Supercars races if that's all that's on offer, but it'll be hard to go back now that I've seen the vital, thriving sport live. (Can I go back to the farm now that I've seen gay Paris?)

The Rebel Black Dot Song of the Day
The Cardigans, "Carnival" from Austin Powers: International Man of Mystery: Original Soundtrack (T.L.A.M.)