Bryce Moore's Blog, page 245

What Have You Read or Watched Lately?

You know, I do a lot of talking on this blog about movies I've watched (or occasionally books I've read), and I know many of you read those posts and use the recommendations. And it warms my heart knowing that. True story. However, I'd really love to hear some recommendations from YOU for a change. What have you read or watched recently?



Tell me what it was, and tell me what you'd give it out of 4 stars--and most importantly, please tell me why. Because I love me some reviews, and a lot of the time the only ones I get to read are my own.



Share the love!

Come Say Hi to Me at ConnectiCon!

One week from today, I'll be driving down to ConnectiCon, a big fantasy/sci-fi fan convention in (go figure) Connecticut. There are thousands of people who come to this--from what I hear. It'll be my first time there. I'll be presenting at panels, doing a signing, and hanging out with the illustrious Guest of Honor, Brandon Sanderson. I'm hoping to get some Magic playing in, too--since it's the prerelease weekend and all.


So if you're going to be in the Hartford, Connecticut area next weekend, why don't you swing on over to say howdy. Here's my schedule:

FRIDAY: 6:00p - 7:00p: Last Dance with Mary Sue: How to Write Great Characters - Panel 7

SATURDAY: 10:30a - 11:30a: Fantasy & SciFi Writing 101 - Panel 1

SATURDAY: 2:30p - 3:30p: Worldbuilding in Fantasy & Scifi 201 - Panel 4

SATURDAY: 4:00p - 5:00p - Bryce Moore Autograph Session - Online Media Guest Hall

I might be doing a signing with Brandon on Friday and/or Sunday from 1-2pm, as well. We'll see how it all shakes out. The Mary Sue panel is with Brandon, as is the worldbuilding one. Friday evening, I'm also planning on playing Magic with Brandon and any other fans who are going to be around. It should be a draft, and it should be awesome.
 

I'm planning on bringing T-shirts with me that will be for sale, so if you want your glow-in-the-dark reaper fix, you'll know where to find me.




I think sometimes people who haven't been to these sort of events are afraid of attending one in person. You shouldn't be. They're full of very accepting people celebrating geeky things they love. You meet people of all shapes, sizes, colors, and creeds, and you have a blast over the course of the weekend. This'll be the first one I've gone to that's this big, but thankfully I just went to ALA, which is three times as big as this, so I'm hoping it feels small.




Anyway--it's worth the trek if you're in the area. Drop me a line or message or comment here, and I'll keep an eye out for you!

Another Fantastic VODNIK Review

On the last night of ALA, I was lying in bed checking Twitter and Facebook, when what did I come across but this:

My book review for @bmoorebooks Vodník has been published in the spring/summer 2013 issue of SIGNAL Journal! pic.twitter.com/uQIDX48ZXZ

— Goddess of Drums (@goddessofdrums) July 2, 2013

(Click through to the pic if it isn't showing up automagically in the blog post for some reason.) "A page-turner with interesting twists and suspense till the end." "All the aspects of a brilliant fantasy novel that adolescents will love."



Boo-yah! :-)



For those of you who don't know, SIGNAL is the journal of the International Reading Association's Special Interest Group Network on Adolescent Literature. I remember it from my days shelf reading in BYU's periodicals department, and I know one of my professors has written for the journal in the past. Any time you get an actual print review of your book? A good time.



So there's my super news for the day. Glad to be home and getting back into the swing of things. How is your Wednesday going?

ALA Recap--In a Word? Awesome!

Well, ALA has come and gone. I'm on my way home, taking trains, planes, and automobiles--and adding a bus or two into that for good measure. I haven't stepped on a scale in a week, so I don't have much to report on the diet front. Instead, I thought I'd give a rundown of how my ALA went. It was an interesting time, to say the least.



First up, my hotel: I wanted to save the library (who was footing my bill) money, so I chose a place that was cheaper and within walking distance to the conference center. Overall, I was happy with my stay. The hotel was clean and well-kept, my room was spacious, my bed nice. No complaints there. The "within walking distance" bit was not entirely accurate. Once I got a system down, it worked well, but I had to hop a couple of concrete barriers each time I went, and I thought I might get hit by a car a few times. Still, all's well that ends without a serious injury or death, right?



The conference itself was huge. Just plain huge. 25,000 or more librarians--they haven't announced the official attendance yet, I believe. For a guy who lives in a town of 7,000 . . . that's a lot of people. The first day was a bit bewildering. The conference center seemed gargantuan, and I thought I'd never get the hang of where I was going and what I wanted to see. By the end of it, I had the place down pat and could navigate it with ease. Of course, what really helped was the fact that I had friends at the conference: librarians, authors, agents, and editors alike. I discovered that it really helps me to know that somewhere it that sea of humanity, I have friends. Then it's not so oceanic anymore.



ALA is simply fantastic if you just love books. If you're a librarian to boot? It's on a whole different level. I would have to say this was my favorite conference by far. Surrounded by people with a similar mindset and mission, mingling with people who love books and reading . . . Bliss. That said, it was also extremely fatiguing. I came to the realization that I wear way too many hats in my life. I'm an academic librarian, the VP of the Maine State Library, an author, and just plain individual. This weekend, Bryce-the-individual had to disappear for a while almost completely. I passed up on so many incredible panels, just because they weren't the reason I was here. So hearing Oliver Stone or Temple Grandin speak? Nope. Checking out the latest offerings from Tor or Penguin? Nada. Listening to Brandon Sanderson, John Scalzi, Timothy Zahn, Cory Doctorow, and more speak about sci-fi/fantasy on a single panel? Sorry.



I was here as an academic librarian first and foremost. So what panels did I end up going to? Lots, but here are some highlights:




Marketing for libraries--One of my favorite presentations was on how to get your message out to your audience in a way that makes them want to interact with you. It could apply to anyone--not just libraries. The presenter (Ben Bizzle) was full of great ideas and humor, and I was blown away by the awesome. Many ideas I'd like to try out, both for my library and the Maine Library Association.
MAKE--A fantastic talk by Mark Frauenfelder, one-time editor-in-chief of WIRED, current editor-in-chief of MAKE magazine, and founder of Boing Boing. All about the Maker community--how it came to be, where it's going, and what librarians can do to help foster it. Again, it left me teeming with ideas. (I also scored a free book from him that he signed for my son, who is an aspiring maker himself.)
A speech by Jaron Lanier about the future of technology. He's a tech leader in the industry, and his talk was all about how the tech industry is happily selling us all down the river. Kind of bleak, and left me with a lot to think about.
Walking through the exhibit hall, where you could see presentations and products focused on everything library-related. Book mobiles, book drops, database vendors, furniture makers, DVD suppliers. You name it. (And yes, there were plenty of free books themselves. I wasn't even trying that hard, and I still ended up with about 20 free books, all of which look great.) I had a long talk with a company that's trying to break into the movie-streaming business for libraries. Very interesting thoughts there.
A panel on Augmented Reality in libraries--using Aurasma, anyone can make interactive displays that link users to vibrant content. This could have some great ties for library marketing, as well.
A talk by Cory Doctorow, author and blogger extraordinaire, on what the future of libraries should be. Again, inspiring and challenging at once, and great food for thought.


I went to quite a few other panels, of course. But with panels, you never know for sure what you're going to get until you're in the middle of one. Some of them were disappointing, but I was very pleased with how many over-performed.




So that's what I did for my library. That's what I did the bulk of my time, to make sure the library earned its investment in my trip out here. At a normal conference, I would have filled the rest of the time with Bryce time. Maybe some movies, some relaxing--that sort of thing. This time, I filled it with author and MLA stuff--confined mainly to lunches and dinners. Stuff after the conference was over. Some highlights there:


A signing at Lee & Low's booth. I got to be an author in the exhibit hall for an hour, and it was quite the experience. We weren't giving the books away for free--we were selling them. And even then, we managed to sell out, which was fantastic. Some people were even waiting for me to show up. They were that excited about me being there. In other news, I might have to check my ego on the plane. Do they charge extra for that these days? (I was wearing my VODNIK t-shirt, and a random guy slapped me on the back and said, "Love that book. Gotta watch out for that tea cup guy, don't you?" This was before my signing, when I had not yet transformed into Bryce Moore. I was very pleased.)
White Sox Double Header with my illustrious agent, Eddie Schneider--Friday evening, I got to go eat burgers and ice cream and talk shop while we watched the White Sox prove their ineptitude. And it was Mullet Night, folks. Eddie caught a t-shirt. I caught metal fever. (Warning! Those pictures may put you into awesome overload.) Having your agent take you to baseball games? I can't lie. It's a great feeling.
Lunch with Brandon Sanderson, Eddie, and my editor, Stacy Whitman--We grabbed a Jamba Juice after one of Brandon's panels, and we all got to just chat and catch up. Made me very reminiscent of the days six years ago when I went to writing group with Brandon each week. He's a great guy and a great friend. Very pleased he's doing so well. He was there promoting two different books with two different publishers: Steelheart and The Rithmatist.
Dinner with Stacy and Jason Low (owner and publisher of Lee & Low Books, of which Tu Books is an imprint). Had a great talk about everything under the sun over great food. Lee & Low is doing a lot to promote diversity in children's literature. Plus, I had a fantastic rib eye steak, and a sublime peanut butter, chocolate, and banana dessert. Who could ask for more?
Dinner with the always entertaining Nissa Flanagan, Maine Library Association President. We went out to a cafe and talked shop, while I attempted to eat a "breaded steak sandwich" which seemed to consist of an entire cow. But it was a great conversation. We've got some solid ideas for the future. Just have to figure out how to make 'em happen.


There's more, but I'm typed out, peoples. Can you see why I might be on the tired side? In any case, I had a fantastic time, but I'm looking forward to getting home and a bit of vacation. A lot of that was fun stuff, but there was just no time to decompress in between all the awesome. That comes now.





Assuming my planes agree with me. Wish me luck, and thanks for reading!

Book Review: IT

It by Stephen King

My rating: 4 of 5 stars



I'm a self-professed Stephen King fan. Not that I've read everything the man's written, but I've read quite a bit of it. And if you've been following my blog, you know that I've been reading IT for the last week or two. As is always the case with King, the beginning just grabs you by the throat and won't. let. go. It's the tale of the town of Derry, which is haunted or inhabited by a creature of evil. A creature that kills kids, and which adults can't see. Horror ensues.



When I watched the miniseries way back in the day, I remember being let down by the ending of it. Things were great (and very scary for my pre-16 year-old self), and then they just got ridiculous. Not that I remembered exactly what I didn't like, but that was an observation that had stuck with me for the twenty years it's been since I watched the show. When it came time for me to read the book, I wondered if the same weakness would be present.



For the first 2/3 of the book, things were fantastic. Great characters. Intriguing plot lines. Half of the novel takes place when the main characters are 11 years old. The other half is 25 years later or so. Honestly, I was really impressed by the kid sections. They felt true to life. I loved the conflicts and how they were presented. The adult sections were solid, too--but as a YA fan, it was the kid sections that really spoke to me.



I also liked the way King would bounce back and forth in time, and how the different time periods informed each other. Really, it's a remarkable book, and the fact that he's able to sustain it for so long is very impressive.



But just when I was going to give it the 5 star Bryce Stamp of Approval . . . the ending happened. Maybe this is just me, but something I've noticed with King over the years is that the man can just nail a beginning and a middle in his sleep. It's like he does them effortlessly.



Endings? Not so much.



The Dark Tower series. The Stand. 11/22/63. Under the Dome. If there's a part of a King novel that's going to let you down, it's almost always the end. I don't want to spoil this book for you, but you get to the end, and then it gets wacky. Really wacky. It's like this taut thriller suddenly turns into a metaphorical piece of abstract art. It felt to me like it just got bogged down in symbolism, and not in a good way. Which is really disappointing. You've got 4/5 of a 5 star book. I has a sad.



That said, it's still worth your time. The ending doesn't invalidate the rest of the novel. In fact, if you've read it already, I'd love to get your take on it. Was it just me who thought it was craziness? Please share . . .




View all my reviews

Adventures on the Way to Chicago

I don't know what it is about me and flying. Maybe it's not me. Maybe flying is a horrendous experience for everyone on the planet. Maybe it's my expectations. I should just expect to have a hellacious experience every single time I step foot in an airport.



Oh wait. That's already what I do anyway.



I've started flying out of Boston whenever possible instead of Portland. I can often get a direct flight from Boston, and it's cheaper to boot. I just catch the bus to Boston and it takes me right to the airport. Easy peasy. So that's what I did yesterday. I got to the airport 2.5 hours early (it never hurts to be careful, when it comes to me and travel). As soon as I got to the gate, I saw there was going to be trouble. The flight before me (also to Chicago on United) was delayed by an hour. My flight was delayed by a half hour (so they said).



Half hour. One flight. No connections. So what, right?



We ended up taking off about an hour late. Still, I was thinking this wasn't so bad. They didn't make us wait on the plane for forever. Bonus. And then, thirty or so minutes from Chicago, the captain got on he loudspeaker. I was expecting him to announce that we'd be there soon.



"Folks, I'm afraid I've got some bad news for you. Chicago just called to say thunderstorms have shut down the runways in and out of the airport for at least the next forty-five minutes. We'd wait it out in the air, but we don't have enough fuel to do that. So we're going to be landing in Indianapolis to refuel and then wait on the ground until they give us the all clear."



Ironically, the flight attendants had the temerity to do their "Welcome to Indianapolis" spiel when we landed. Um, when I get stuck in a city I don't want to be in, I don't want to hear a welcome.



So we went to a gate, had to stay on the plane, refueled, taxi'ed out to the runway, and then sat there for an hour or so. I got to Chicago at 8:45.



Of course, that's just 3.5 hours late. So maybe I should be thankful it wasn't worse. The airport was a zoo when I got there. (Stands to reason, what with the runways having been closed for 2 hours or so.) I'm am glad that I was on the 4 o'clock flight. I'd taken the earlier one on purpose--knowing that I usually am afflicted with some airplane curse on the way over.



So once I found my way to the subway, took the 45 minute ride to the city, found my connecting bus, made it to the hotel, tried to check in, had my credit card declined, called the card company, cleared the hold, checked in again, and got to my room, it was 10:30.



I love flying.



All's well that end's well, right? Except that I just looked on Google Maps to see how far my hotel is from my home. I could drive there in about 17 hours. I left my house yesterday morning at 8:30. I got to to the hotel at 10:30 at night (11:30 EDT). Which means it would have just taken me two hours longer to drive here yesterday than it did to fly.



But hey--two hours more wouldn't have been fun at all. So I guess I should just stop complaining.



In other news--ALA time! If you're here, give me a shout out, and I'll try to say hello.

Six Years Make a Huge Difference--Where Were You Six Years Ago?

I'm in Augusta at the moment, on my way to ALA's annual conference--in Chicago this year. And as I sit here waiting for my bus, I can't help but think back to my only other time going to ALA. There are some really remarkable similarities and parallels to this trip.



Six years ago, I was just finished with my MLS degree. I was in the middle of the job hunt, and I'd applied to around 50 different jobs. I went to ALA with one main purpose: interview and get a job. Or get closer to a job. (Before I got my degree, I'd read articles that implied jobs were all over the place in librarian land. LIARS!) I had an interview scheduled at Hood College in Maryland, and another scheduled in Maine for right after the conference. While I was at the conference, I interviewed with big libraries, from Philadelphia to Seattle and everywhere in between. Mainly publics.



This time, I'm going back as the Vice President of the Maine Library Association. I've got a job--the job I interviewed for six years ago in Maine. Before, I felt very much like Oliver, gruel bowl in hand, begging for a place at the table. I don't feel like that anymore, and that's wonderful. It's very hard for me to believe it's only been six years since then--almost to the day. Where last time, most of my time was spent in interviews, this time, the bulk of my time will be in presentations and meetings, looking for ways to improve my library (and all libraries in Maine, if that doesn't sound too ostentatious.) It's primarily a business trip.



I'll be doing a couple of fun things, too.



Six years ago, I did a signing at ALA, believe it or not. It was for Cavern of Babel, and we were giving away free copies of the book. I'm doing a signing this time, too--for Vodnik, of course. I don't think free copies will be given away, alas. The signing is at 10AM on Saturday morning. Six years ago, I swung by the Mirrorstone Booth, where Stacy Whitman was cheerily promoting the imprint. I had a book on submission to her (I think it was WEAVER OF DREAMS). This time I'm going to dinner with her, since she's my editor.


Again--crazy to think of the things that can change in six years.



Other things on the agenda? I'm hoping to catch up with Brandon Sanderson, who's doing some events there. I'll be hanging with the MLA President. I'll be going to Mullet Night at the White Sox game tomorrow evening. It promises to be an eventful weekend. ALA is huge--thousands of librarians, tons of exhibitors. Tonight, I'll be getting my bearings and figuring out my game plan.



In the meantime, I've got to do my favorite activity: flying. I'll try to update ya'll as I jaunt across the country. My hope is that I avoid Columbian Soccer Teams. (Inside joke for longtime readers.) But rest assured--as I travel, I'll be reflecting back on the me six years ago quite a bit. You can reflect with me! My blog was up and active back then--check out the posts from six years ago and follow along. :-) (Note that six years ago, I had just rewritten the climax to LESANA, a book which would change its name to VODNIK shortly thereafter . . . )



Which leads me to ask: Where were you six years ago?

Thoughts on Democracy in Action: Hope

So the Supreme Court rulings on gay marriage finally came down today. The Defense of Marriage Act (DOMA) was found unconstitutional, and Prop 8 (the infamous California ban on gay marriage) was dismissed on standing, essentially nullifying it.



I'm sure there are going to be a lot of posts today online about how awful and doom and gloomy these rulings are. Just like there were a lot of posts (likely by different people) yesterday about how awful and doom and gloomy the Supreme Court decision on the Voters Rights Act was. It's a bit disheartening to me when people can crow about how great our government is when things go their way, and then bemoan how awful it is when they don't.



I live in the United States, and I'm a firm believer in democracy. That means that sometimes my opinions and beliefs will be in the majority. Great. Sometimes they'll be in the minority. Great. What matters to me is that I live in a country where I can voice those opinions--have those opinions--and not get tossed in jail for having them.



Does our government function perfectly? No. Far from it. But in many ways it's designed to be clunky. It's designed in such a way that laws are only made with great difficulty. Part of that means that it will be extremely frustrating a lot of the time. But it also means that the only laws that *do* stick around are the ones that the majority of the country believe in and want to have in place.



Do I look at the decisions of today or yesterday and pull my hair out and bemoan the state of our country? Not at all. The ship on gay marriage has sailed, and it's a rainbow painted one. I'm fine with that. I had a vote. So did everyone else. Majority rules. If you don't like the way it turned out, work through the system to try and effect a change.



(Good luck.)



The rules of this game are all written down. It's complicated, it's messy, and it can be a real pain in the rear at times. But I don't ask for my money back when things don't go "my way," and I try not to rub it in other people's faces when things don't go "their way". Because you know what? For better or worse, this country isn't about my way or your way.



It's about our way.



We're a group of imperfect people, trying to find our way toward a brighter future. The opinions on what that future consists of vary wildly, but the sooner we can move beyond an us vs. them approach to government, the better. Republicans and Democrats, Conservatives and Liberals--recognize that both sides can be fully invested in making our country great. It's one long debate, and there isn't necessarily a right or wrong answer sometimes.



Days like today, where big decisions are made? They inspire me. Because big decisions *are* made.



I remember back in 11th grade, when I was in Mrs. Chapman's US History Class, she had us grade the presidents as we went through history. And one thing stuck with me then, and it's stuck with me since. I respect people who have opinions and stick to those opinions. Politicians on the right or left who believe what they believe, campaign on those beliefs, and vote according to them? I respect them, even when I disagree with them.



What drives me crazy are the politicians who just play the game. Who say what they think they need to say, vote how they think they need to vote, do what they think they need to do--all so they can keep playing the game. It's one of the reasons I initially liked Obama so much. I thought that's the sort of president he was going to be. And this is what I feel like I got in return:







Actually, I think that video pretty much represents what happens with a lot of us after election day.



I like seeing things actually happen in Washington. Maybe I've been watching too much West Wing. But in any case, today and yesterday we had 9 Supreme Court justices sit down, study the laws of the land, and make final decisions on important matters. The very fact that the decisions ended up resulting in different "victories" for each side is enough to give me hope.



I don't have much else to say about this. Just that I know I like to rage about politics online, and I wanted this post to be different. To be one where I stood up and applauded our government.



Days like today make me happy.



(THAT SAID: Please don't make me unhappy by being mean of vicious to anyone in the comments. Because then I'll have to get out the DELETE key and start going to town on your posts.)

Diet Update: Week Eighteen

Okay. It's now clear to me beyond a shadow of a doubt. I am terrible at not dieting. Great at going full steam. Awful at easing off on the pedal.



This week? I'm now at 192.6 pounds. That's up another 2.2 pounds since last week. And this time I have no excuses. No weddings. No parties. Just me and some good old fashioned EATING.



It's been hot, so I haven't exercised as much as I ought to. I've done a great job at breakfast and lunch, for the most part. Pretty much the same as I've been doing all along. Where I get into trouble is dinner. I somehow assumed if I ate sparsely for the first two meals each day, then I'd be able to eat "normally" for the last one.



Whoops.



I clearly need practice at what "normal eating" is. Of course, some of this weight gain was to be expected. That's why my original plan had been to get down to 178, so that I could gain 7 pounds and be right where I wanted to be.



I'm starting to think I need to go back to that original plan. But there But I'm going to Chicago this week for a conference. I'll be gone 6 days, eating out all of those days. This isn't the formula for successful weight loss. I'll try to be good, but I have no idea where I'll be. Weighing food is totally out the window until next week. I'm hoping I'll be able to walk enough to offset the food. We shall see.



I guess for now I'll try to keep being good, and then I'll go back hardcore on the diet when I get back from my conference. That seems like a good enough plan for now.



Sigh. This is depressing.

Streaming Movies and Television: Amazon Prime vs. Netflix

I've been a Netflix guy for quite some time now. Netflix knows me well. I've got something like 2000 movies rated in their database, and I often will pay more attention to the estimated rating Netflix gives something for me than I do to the star rating that appears on IMDB or RottenTomatoes and the like. I pay around $18 a month for Netflix, which includes getting things on Blu-ray discs ($10/month) and streaming ($8/month). I'm debating cutting the discs at last, although I hesitate mainly because there are some very good films that I don't have access to if I ditch the discs. I'd say I get around 2-3 movies per month on disc. I need to do a better job of actually watching them, but even still that works out to around $3-$5 per movie, which is acceptable to me. (I used to spend much more than that at Blockbuster, after all.)



But I also subscribe to Amazon Prime. The ability to get practically anything I want in two days with free shipping is mighty alluring. I get a lot of things on Amazon, despite my misgivings about them as a service. (What they do to ebooks, how they potentially use their clout for their own nefarious plans, etc.) $79/year--$6.50/month--seems worth it to me. I get a lot of things on Amazon, and not having to worry about shipping makes me happy. I also supposedly have access to a ton of videos and shows on Amazon for free.



Up until this weekend, I haven't used that much. Then I discovered they're streaming something like 18 seasons of The Amazing Race for free. And I love me some Amazing Race. It's got your drama, your gameshow elements, your globe-trotting--all in a one-stop-shop.



So all of a sudden I'm exploring avenues for consuming Amazon Instant Video. I've got it on my PS3 and my iPad, which means it's anywhere I really watch TV these days. A few comments:




There's quite a bit of overlap between Netflix and Amazon, as you might expect. But there's also significant stuff that doesn't overlap. And I don't just mean Amazing Race. Amazon has a ton of Nickelodeon stuff that the kids love. Netflix is going more toward Disney. It's interesting to see the two platforms begin to diverge.
The picture isn't as good as on Netflix. I imagine it has something to do with the technology Amazon's using, and I also imagine this isn't noticeable in places where you can get a decent internet speed (ie not where I live). I have 3mbps, for reference.
The viewing interface is clunkier than Netflix. It takes longer to get to what I want to watch, and longer to move from one show to the next.
The rating system is tons worse on Amazon. I pretty much have to ignore the star ratings altogether. Totally worthless.
The discovery tool on Amazon is abysmal. Finding something on my iPad or PS3 means I have to literally scroll through their offerings, movie by movie. I'm hoping their interface on the net is better, but I don't have high hopes.


So, my final verdict? I really like that Amazon has stuff I have no access to through Netflix. Amazing Race was a blast to get into again, and DC is ecstatic she's got Dora now. I can really see me turning to Prime more and more, as the offerings diverge. That said, Prime really needs to up its game in discovery. It doesn't matter if they have awesome things to watch if there's no easy way to find them. Then again, Prime comes with something I'm willing to pay for anyway--my free shipping. Netflix is a separate cost. Pros and cons. Pros and cons.




In the end, I think it's very likely I just keep both services, at least until one or the other starts to change in ways I don't like. Without my monthly television costs, that means I still only pay around $24/month for free shipping, all the discs I can watch, and all the stuff I want to stream. That's value right there. :-)




What do you all use for your television and movie watching these days?