Too many things to watch ... not enough time to watch them ... it's time to choose!

[PokerFace]

This is odd, but now that the BBC is pushing towards some kind of authentication for the BBC iPlayer and Live viewing (has 2-hour rewind/FF option that free pirate streams don't have), I'm thinking that 2017 will be a bummer year for my Internet freedom.

I can't really wrap my mind around the possibility of not being able to fully access the BBC as I do now (I don't use it every day or even every week, but I need that option to truly feel like a Brit). The thought of losing full access to the BBC website bothers me enough that I've lost my will to post about the Internet. It's like I'm in limbo, or on strike about promoting my love for the Internet, until I know what the future holds.

ITV and Channel Four should still work, but I don't want to lose the BBC website and the live streaming possibility. I just love the freedom it offers without having to rely on pirates uploading the same content later on (often without the end credits, or full show due to incompetence), assuming that they don't skip shows that I want to watch. And a SD pirate stream that can't be rewound or FWrded, isn't as much fun, or convenient.

Major changes might not happen until 2017, and perhaps true authentication that blocks my access might not come until much later, but I can't seem to shake the fact that I might soon be blocked from full BBC website access. Really? This has been bandied about many times before, but this time it seems to be something that will soon rear its ugly head.

I'm a Canadian, but DNS trickery lets me often feel like a Brit, American, or Australian, etc. I like that feeling. Take that away, or limit it even more, and suddenly, I'm not a happy camper.

I'm not cutting the Internet cord just yet, but I am cutting my voice until I feel confident that all of these threats of somehow blocking my access to the BBC website are just empty threats, that will eventually be overturned or discarded by UK uproar.

There are already plenty of foreign websites that require authentication, thus blocking my access, but losing full access to the BBC website and live HD streaming (with the 2-hour rewind or FF option) is something that I can't tolerate. I can't even speak of the Internet, if I think that my access will be even more restricted than it already is based on the fact that I live in Canada.

I need the loopholes to roam more freely, so if those loopholes get closed and stay closed, my voice becomes silent. If the Internet won't let me roam where I feel I must go, I have nothing more to say.

I hope my voice returns soon, but until that time, I will be a lurker, instead of a worker.

God Bless the BBC website.

http://www.dailymail.co.uk/news/arti...ed-months.html

http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/entertainment-arts-35708623

http://mashable.com/2016/03/02/bbc-i.../#FUk.rVfZLmqa

[PokerFace]

The BBC website still works fine (even after its change of policy), but NBC.com has finally made it so that I have to watch the commercials for the online VOD content. Eventually there might be a simple way around this (if there isn't one already), but since I rarely stream from the NBC website, I'll survive.

EDIT: I forgot to mention that the NBC attempt to force the ads upon me was indeed easy to overcome, and because they pissed me off, I even took it a step further.

I'm finally getting tired of all the NOISE on the internet. Filtering it out is becoming easier because I now get tired of things even faster than just a few months ago. I still like looking for online buried treasures that at first glance seem to be missing, until I quite often stumble upon them; always brings a smile to my face, and then it's on to the next buried treasure search.

I never really lost my voice, I just lost my head. Coming to grips with so much FREE content (for so many years) with the simple click of a mouse, simply blew my mind, until I finally tired of the concept, and saw it all as white noise trying to hypnotize me into a catatonic state of confusion.

Nice try, internet, but I'm finally wide awake in dreamland. I love free content, but at the end of the day, trying to consume all that I enjoy, can often feel more like a job, rather than a hobby.

Hey, internet, I still love what you do, but I'm changing the lock on my front door, so your key will no longer work.

[PokerFace]

NBC's website has recently become more anti-adblocker and demands that they be shut off before the site works properly. Not sure if it has been softened or not, as I have basically ignored the site since its change.
UPDATE: A few months ago I noticed that some adblockers do work to remove the ads, although I still prefer to just watch/download the pirate web-dl that go up shortly after.

I now see content and advertising as very similar things. They are both trying to capture my attention and steal my time. The real theft, no matter what I do, actually occurs from the other end of this equation. It's the broadcasters themselves that I have to be careful of, or if I'm just skimming through lists of uploaded content, it's the actual content that often might try to trick me into thinking that it requires my attention, when it actually doesn't. One way to quickly get a rough idea of the situation is to simply look at a series of jpeg images taken from the episodes (or movies, although reviews are often needed to be more sure of the quality). It's what I've always done in the past, but now I'm much more discerning or critical of what I see, and much more likely to dismiss the content as repetitive, or simply not worthy of my time.

The funny thing is though that I still make time for content that is far from worthy and yet for some reason or another, I end up watching it, and as time passes, I often don't even care that it's somehow inferior, or wasting my time. It seems that I still need my comfort food, or content that is quick and easy to digest, while still somehow keeping my taste buds interested. It's the kind of filler that I seem to crave, even though I have much more interesting stuff to watch. Here are just five distasteful dishes from my weekly menu that I keep consuming for one reason or another.

The Filler:

The Launch (CTV): I now watch these live on CTV and with only one more episode left (of the 7), I knew it would only take a minimal investment of my time. I'm also glad that the extended versions on CraveTV don't interest me, probably because for this series, less is more. The shorter the better. Filled with earworms.

All Together Now (BBC): It's 1 vs 100, except for singers trying to impress and get 100 people (including Geri Halliwell of the Spice Girls) to vote/stand for them. Most of the singing is bland or even awful, but thanks to the FF button, I can easily skip past any truly annoying singing.

Match Game (ABC/CTV): It makes me laugh. Much of what Alec says is scripted, but as long as the celebrities change from time to time, I often tune in live.

The Resident (FOX/CITY): I hated the trailer for the pilot episode, so I skipped the pilot episode (I later went back and watched a few minutes of it), but joined in from the second episode onwards and seem to enjoy this mess more than before (I think it's growing on me like a fungus). It's extremely melodramatic, has the annoying but somehow satisfying good-vs-evil motif running rampant throughout, and also features the acting of Emily VanCamp's eyebrows (they know they are Divas). Oh, and the real reason I tuned in was to see Melina Kanakaredes before she gets too old to ogle.

Bethenny & Fredrik (Bravo US/Slice): Pure junk, but it's easy to FF through and I still get my sample of reality-tv designed to rot the brain. I can't imagine this lasting much longer, but as this is the only Bethenny show I can tolerate for more than 30 seconds, I will hang on and experience the horror of this series, at least for as long as I can stand it. So far, after watching 3 episodes, I think I've only lost about 10 IQ points.

[GoLocal]

I didn't really figure that anyone living outside the US would be able to view NBC's content on its website. In a similar vein but with a different network, I used to be able to watch MeTV's online content of shows when they provided that content themselves, but have no longer been able to do so since they switched to Hulu to provide classic shows, which is a big problem due to Hulu's geofencing of its content to keep it from being seen outside the US by anyone visiting the MeTV site.

[PokerFace]

That's a good point about the power of Hulu getting in the way of previously free US content (Shomi often did it to the Crackle US service, and I assume CraveTV will, or already does the same thing on occasion), but although the Hulu blockers do a very good job at blocking many free ways to access the content on the sites it now appears, it still can be beaten easily enough, providing of course you don't let the first sign of blockage act as a deterrent. However, I'm not willing to risk paying for a Hulu subscription until they allow Canadian CC (and if they already do, or ever do, I'd still expect them to eventually block me unless perhaps I was willing to actually pay for one of the better VPNs or DNS services - I prefer the weaker free ones).

I was truly surprised to see all 5 seasons of That Girl available on the MeTV site (I previously rewatched many of them while using my free Amazon Canada trial a while back - and yes, although the American version was a bit tricky at times to access, it still was accessible at that time, anyway), and happy that the ads were also still avoidable.

I'm truly shocked that so many of the foreign websites out there (other than sites such as: Hulu, ABC, TVNZ, etc.) don't seem to be making enough of an effort to block foreigners from viewing their services. Hulu and ABC are even smart enough to eventually catch on that they are being tricked, and often require a refresh to re-establish a connection. And although even Hulu can't block all the IP addresses (even ones generated from the same services that they actively block), at least they do a good job of making it look like one would be wasting their time trying to get around the blocks.

In a perfect world, CraveTv and other Canadian services would offer all of the content that I'm curious to see at the same time it airs in other countries, but since that's not the case (even through the annoying iTunes), they are basically worthless to me (I'm too far ahead of the curve to care about them). I also wish all the websites would follow the BBC live streaming format which offers the ability to go back in time, up to 2 hours, to see what you missed, without having to wait until the VOD version goes up on the site later on.

I suppose most people can find enough interesting things to watch using just what they officially have available to them, and that's perhaps why only a few websites truly go out of their way to block the curious pirates from stealing the content. Still, at some point, what is possible today, will no longer be as easy as it is now to circumvent. As mentioned before, NBC already started playing around with its previously fine site, and once Viacom and other companies start their own streaming services, things are going to get a whole lot more complicated than they are now. I'm just currently taking advantage of all the loopholes left open because I know it's only a matter of time until the freebies are few and far between.

CBS All Access is coming to Canada, and the fewer Canadian streaming services of our own that we have, the greater chance we'll have to get more of the foreign services opening for business over here. That's what I'm hoping for anyway.

[PokerFace]

Since we don't have Fox Sports, our Sports channels are often forced to choose between airing ESPN or FOX Sports content (and content from other various channels on occasion). Today, TSN, decided to air a Fox Sports UEFA Soccer match and forego the secondary ESPN afternoon filler shows such as: NFL Live, NBA: The Jump, SportsNation and HQ that they normally air in the timeslot. However, TSN did stick with Pardon The Interruption (PTI), which is basically the only show they need to air, as all the other shows basically talk about the same topics as PTI does, and often in a much more juvenile manner. Granted, although NFL Live is a more expanded focused show that should always be aired here, the ratings for the soccer match will outdo something that is all talk and no action. And although PTI starts later (5:30pm) and rarely needs to be dumped entirely, even when things run long, TSN will still most often air PTI outside of its timeslot, following whatever ran long. PTI isn't really considered afternoon filler by TSN, nor should it be.

EDIT: Friday March 9, 2018 ... Although not listed within the Rogers Digital box or Zap2It, PTI is currently airing on TSN 2. I was beginning to worry that curling would interfere, but TSN was smart enough to maintain its record of granting premium status to this American import.

EDIT 2: Tuesday March 13, 2018 ... TSN dropped the ball today by skipping PTI for the first time in ages (it wasn't listed on TSN site, Zap2It, or within the Rogers dig. box listings, so the snub was planned)! I watched it online, but not sure why TSN didn't air it at least at 6pm (after the 2017-18 UEFA Champions League: Round of 16 Leg #2 - AS Roma vs. Shakhtar Donetskthe soccer game on multiple channels). Bizarre move.

I watch PTI (Pardon the Interruption), not every day, but enough times to understand its appeal. I suppose in a way it's like the Ellen of talk shows. I no longer watch Ellen (not even her silly game show), but I assume if there was only one afternoon/morning talk show that was to be aired, it would be that one.

TSN used to air Off the Record with Michael Landsberg (apparently the longest running sports talk show on Canadian tv - 18 years), and I enjoyed it for many years.

TNT (and various Canadian channels) airs Inside the NBA, and even with Shaq and Charles Barkley providing most of the fun stuff, even they can get tiresome after an hour (including commercials), as well as their shorter halftime discussions. It's a premium show, but I wish it was shortened to 30 minutes.

The talking sports heads are still all over the place, and with so many other things to watch nowadays, it might be a good time for many more of those heads to undergo "concussion protocol" and be forcefully retired. It's already starting to happen, just not fast enough for my liking. Filler programming will rarely be considered to be of premium quality, but it doesn't need to be parroting all that's been discussed that same day. Let the more colourful parrots do the talking and have the others walk the plank (yes, I know, yet another tiresome pirate analogy). Sure ESPN and other channels have already fired many of their talking heads, but the shows themselves are still on the air daily, and because the content and opinions offered are so similar, I sometimes believe I'm watching different actors auditioning for the same parts that will soon become available for the one remaining show that will be left on the air.

[PokerFace]

With the number of shows increasing at what seems like an astronomical rate, it's getting easier to purge the excess content that I've managed to store. Once I'm ready to do a backup, I quickly realize that there are shows that I haven't resumed watching since the pilot or 2nd episode, and realize it's time to delete them after a quick FF-scan confirmation.

And now that I watch more hours of CNN each day than I ever thought possible, I've got more than enough examples of racism, violence, plot twists, etc., than most of the TV series stuff I watched in the past.

Latest purges involve Claws (dumped after only watching the pilot, which I liked), Animal Kingdom (only watched first two episodes in full, which I also liked), and Unbreakable Kimmy Schmidt (watched promos, the pilot, and bits and pieces of scattered episodes that were well-written, but not focused enough on what interested me about the show).

None of those shows can draw my interest away from CNN, so off they go into the recycle bin.

[PokerFace]

When I look back at all my previous posts, there are still many shows on my list that I still haven't had time to watch, and yet they still interest me. There are also many others that no longer hold my interest and are easily replaced with newer shows.

I finally finished watching all 3 seasons of Humans (Channel 4 - UK, and AMC - North America) after recently resuming the last two episodes of Season 1 and then mostly binging the rest of the series. I still like it, and will watch the eventual 4th season ... assuming that nothing stops it from being made.

I still watch many of the various car shows (such as: Jay Leno's Garage - CNBC; Comedians in Cars ... - Netflix; and the newer Sticker Shock - Discovery North America), some talent/game shows, sports, and the standard broadcast and Internet content from multiple countries around the world.

I've seen full episodes and bits and pieces from many of the countries that carry their own version of The Voice, and although some of the versions bore me (often due to the language barrier or boring judges or hosts), it's not surprising that I enjoy watching the new series: The Best of The Voice Worldwide (ITV - UK). It highlights some of the best performances and comedic/dramatic banter from The Voice series from all of the countries' (USA, France, Australia, Germany, etc.) previous and most recent seasons (apparently there will be 12 episodes for Season 1 -- I've seen the first 9 episodes so far, each one about 44 minutes long without the ads -- two episodes air each week). English subtitles are used for any non-English dialogue.

So my Spotlight Pick this time will be ...

The Best of The Voice Worldwide (ITV - UK -- S01 ends July 15th, 2018)

https://www.itv.com/hub/the-best-of-...rldwide/2a5890 (UK DNS/VPN required)

[PokerFace]

It's been a bit more than a year since my last post in this thread. During most of that time, I've been into some of the American paid services (such as: DTV NOW, ESPN+, etc.), but now still prefer using the Rogers PVR mixed with the joys of piracy. I've never had a PVR/DVR until late last year, so I'm now able to get more value out of even the limited content via the Canadian Cable TV experience.

I noticed that there will not be a 4th season of Humans which is fine by me, as I still have way to much to watch.

I follow Showtime's City on a Hill with Kevin Bacon, the final season of Suits (even though I still haven't watched many of the previous seasons), and a plethora of other shows via PVR playback or online access.

As the prices of American online services rise (especially when the US/Canada exchange rate is factored in), piracy has become even more important to me. I'd rather miss a few rare shows, than pay an extra $50-$100/month to keep up with every little thing that interests me. At least the price of Canadian services can often be controlled by cancelling and then getting better deals as a "new" subscriber (while not having to deal with US exchange rates).

[PokerFace]

As mentioned in the article linked below:

https://eu.usatoday.com/story/entert...tv/2516655001/

There is too much TV now and there will be far too much TV in the future.

...

What if, paralyzed by indecision, viewers start watching TV the way many already consume the news: choosing only the "safe" shows that are familiar enough to confirm their existing world view, instead of taking a chance on something that could expand it the way the best art does?

-----------------------------------------

And excerpts from a song:

Time stands still for no one, we all know it’s true
Time stands still for no one; not for me or you

Lyrics by Steve Laurie: 6/29/04

-----------------------------------------

Effective curation is one of the necessary keys for making it easier for me to navigate all the online entertainment choices out there. I often use TV Guide Magazine (online version for about $10/year US from Magzter - on sale periodically, and you can get a 20%-25% off coupon emailed to you - usually by the next day - if you simply click on any magazine you are interested in; like TV Guide, so that $10 would be reduced to about $8.00 US) to help keep me aware of upcoming US content, and of course I also use online tracking sites that list the majority of all that is uploaded to the web (there's currently only one guy and one non-torrent site that links the majority of uploads in such a way that crushes the competition - once he retires, I assume that the golden age of effectively curated non-torrented piracy will be over).

I've never had Netflix, Apple services, CraveTV, etc., or used torrents, but I can still find most of what I'm curious to see for free. However, the more content that becomes available to watch via all the new streaming services, the longer it takes me to surf through the pages and pages of uploaded content. It doesn't mean that I have to watch it all, but it does mean that that I'll still force myself to take a look at some of the jpegs and reviews for the new stuff that I'm curious about, which means more time spent searching, rather than viewing. All of this extra time used, now means that there's no time left to share content that others have missed uploading. As more and more people run out of available uploading time, fewer content gaps will be filled by those still following the "sharing is caring" mantra.

Still, there's nothing wrong with avoiding all the new content, and simply choosing to rewatch all of your past favourites. Plus, if there was nothing new produced for the next 10 years, I'd still be kept busy trying to catch up on all that I haven't had time to watch.

I'm also still enjoying the Rogers Cable digital HD PVR (even with its many flaws; some with workarounds, but I'd also prefer 10 tuners rather than just 8), even more so now that the two American cloud-based online DVRs that I've tried (DTVNOW and SlingTV- mostly bearable at least) are even more buggy than I expected them to be. I'm not willing to try the cloud-based PVR that Rogers Ignite makes use of, at least not until it's improved (although I doubt that I'll ever be satisfied with any online cloud-based PVR/DVR - far too many limitations and bugs).

I prefer the better picture quality/reliability that Rogers generally offers (as compared to online Live TV streaming services), but if the price of the digital Starter pack ($25, not including PVR box) and add-ons get too high in the future (as Ignite TV is being pushed as the "only" option, even though simple Digital TV is still available), I'll just cancel and wait for a better offer to come along.

Plus, I am no longer awed by the increasing avalanche of content. Sure, I sometimes dread looking through pages of new content every few days, but I am well aware that once the "sharing and caring" pirates retire/die, or are driven off by the corporate entities, those pages will diminish and eventually disappear. Once that happens, I'll finally have more time to catch up with the older stuff that I haven't had time to finish watching, or even rewatch.

For me, the golden age of television is now in limbo. Been there, done that. I am no longer impressed by the way the Internet delivers content. I need something better/different to pique my interest. Perhaps in the future, I can add content to my cereal and eat it. A few hours later after it has fully digested, I can then access it any time I want, simply by thinking about it. Yummy, yummy, yummy, I've got content in my tummy.

[PokerFace]

Well, once December 31st rolled around, I decided to dump Rogers Digital Cable TV and I now just use the Internet and OTA for my entertainment fix. I was getting most of the stuff for free, so why buy the cow when most of the milk I drank was already free? I also didn't like the fact that Bell won the right to simsub the Super Bowl (I watched it on Fox via OTA).

Now that Covid-19 has arrived (at first I thought that I had missed the first 18 episodes, until I realized that the 19 comes from the 19 in 2019, thus no binge watching was necessary to catch up), perhaps the end of the world isn't too far away. I might have already had a very minor case of covid-19 (even though I only went out to shop for me and a senior once or twice a week beforehand), but as of Sunday, I'm back to 100% ... unless I relapse. No fever, cough, or sore throat with whatever I had, but the month is still young, and a vaccine isn't going to be ready for primetime most likely until at least next year or much later.

Anyway, because freshly-produced, new content will soon be harder to come by (as Covid-19 rages on), it got me thinking about what I would truly miss if production stopped for a few more years. The first thing that came to mind was Zoey's Extraordinary Playlist (NBC, CTV). It's filmed in British Columbia, and even though Mary Steenburgen and Lauren Graham are vocally challenged, I look forward to watching it each week (only 2 episodes are left, and I assume it will be cancelled since I like it). I even started watching the current Season 3 of Good Girls (follows right after Zoey... on NBC), even though I've only previously made time to watch the pilot episode from Season 1 and none of Season 2 (I'll binge watch it all eventually). I don't really care if Good Girls goes away, but it makes a nice change of pace from Zoey, so I think it would feel odd if I only watched Zoey and skipped Good Girls.

I still watch The Masked Singer and now the latest iteration of Who Wants To Be a Millionaire with Jimmy Kimmel as host (ABC and CTV). I could certainly live without them, but I always seem to make room for some light entertainment.

And of course, I can't seem to quit watching CNN and MSNBC while a$$hat Trump spews his lies and destroys the world.

By the way, if you are having trouble breathing due to Covid-19, crack open a window (and/or turn on a fan), and if that doesn't remove your shortness of breath within about 10-20 minutes, you might need to pack a bag in case you need to go to the hospital. Luckily for me, opening the window, and later a fan worked (just like when I had a terrible case of bronchitus - except with bronchitis, I had to keep the window open all day, or else I couldn't breathe).

Disclaimer: I am NOT a doctor ... I just want to play one on TV.

[PokerFace]

I don't miss any of the sports that Covid-19 has killed off for now, and since I'm still alive with no further Covid symptoms (so I think I did have it, since no shortness of breath at all since it vanished in April), I am still finding the time to watch plenty of stuff that entertains me:

The Baker and the Beauty (ABC, City): Plenty of unnecessary melodrama between the same-sex relationships, but I enjoy the rest of the content. Overall it's much better than I thought it would be. GRADE: B (7/10)

Real Time with Bill Maher (HBO): Even though it's now filmed from his home (so there are many more dull interviews), I still find it necesary viewing as it makes me chuckle and also helps calm my nerves as baby Hitler/Trump rules the USA with his daily temper tantrums and mental illness. GRADE: B (7.1/10)

Last Week Tonight with John Oliver (HBO): I prefer Maher's opinions, but Oliver still makes me laugh and also fills his show with mountains of interesting content that never fails to educate and entertain. Please Sir, can I have some more. GRADE: B (7/10)

Note: I now also use Channel Guide Magazine for the TV Best Bets (free) section to keep track of what's coming up over the next few days:
https://www.channelguidemag.com/tv-n...-much-is-true/

[PokerFace]

The Covid-19 world that I now live in has made it easier for me to realize that I have now banked enough content to retire from my FOMO (Fear Of Missing Out) disease/hobby. I'm not sure if I'll need to acquire more content in another 3 years, 5 years, or whenever, but much of the new content that I will soon be missing (in about 2 months or less from now), will still be available online or in physical form to be streamed or purchased when I feel like it in the future.

It was interesting to see the sports go on hiatus (I can live without it, or just catch the odd game via OTA), and to struggle through the often low bit-rate Zoom streams that people were broadcasting to the networks while working from home. I also realized that I had to go back and rewatch/download a lot of the older content that I might feel like watching during my FOMO retirement. I use my High-Speed Internet now as if I only have 2 months left to use it (even though I can always go elsewhere for several High-Speed Internet catch-up sessions if really necessary). But for now, I'm just trying to tie up all the loose ends and hoard whatever I think I'll need to add to my content collection.

"Too many things to watch" will soon no longer be a problem for me. "Not enough time to watch what I already have" might still be a problem (especially since there's more to life than just watching content), but it's a much less stressful problem to have, rather than always trying to get more and more content each day because of the fear of missing out on something that I will really enjoy, or at least learn from.

Thank you, Covid-19 world ... you seem to have at least temporarily cured my FOMO problem. Breathing is now much easier without having the evil FOMO creature putting unnecessary pressure on the back of my neck.

#FOMO ... Free Of Missing Out

[PokerFace]

I've been preparing for my upcoming Rogers high-speed Internet cancellation (about 1 week left) by trying to use my slower-speed phone Internet access more often than usual. Other than being annoyed by lots of buffering during YouTube video viewing, I do seem to be ready to cut the cord. If I need to watch something important, I'll just try a free Internet WiFi hotspot in a nearby mall, or book a session at the Public Library. Losing the ability for instant quality streaming will be weird, but if that's my biggest annoyance with cutting the cord, I'm sure I'll be able to cope.

I also stopped watching CNN and MSNBC (and the other news channels) for more than a week for the first time in years. I still have free access, but I just wanted to see if I could give it all up. So far so good.

After I cut the cord (within 10 days), there will still be a few things that I'll need to watch/download elsewhere, like the last two episodes from Season 3 of Yellowstone. I like the slow pace, great scenery, various actors, and the odd F-bomb thrown in for good measure. I've been casually watching Yellowstone online for the first two seasons (skimmed through many of the less interesting episodes), but then grew more interested during this current season 3 batch of episodes.

Turning down a new $40-45/month offer for unlimited, high-speed Internet won't be as difficult as I thought it would be, but if the offer ever drops to $20/month, I doubt it would be wise to turn that down (because they would be dumb to offer it, unless they thought that they could later get me to pay more).

Turn out the lights ... the real party is about to begin.

[PokerFace]

I'm finally done. It took me 3 months longer than I thought it would, to primarily get the movies and music that I needed to get, so that I can more easily retire from high-speed Internet service without regretting it. I can still download various things for free from the mall near me, but I certainly won't be able to stream or download all the same stuff that I was getting before with my PC and high-speed Internet.

I should be able to return the Rogers modem tomorrow. This will be the FIRST time in my life that I will be cordless for fresh entertainment. No landline, no cable/satellite, no online subscriptions to SlingTV, Netflix or anything like them, and of course no high-speed home Internet (except when using my wireless cellphone which only has fast streaming speed for 500MB of data). I can't even get the picture for the free pirate Sling website on my cheap Android cellphone, so my streaming channel choices and quality is now limited.

I can always briefly get my PC Internet again later on, to catch up on anything I miss that I can't get from my free, mall WiFi access (without having to wait longer than an hour for the downloads or streams to finish), but my goal is to never return.

#Free at Last ... or at least by tomorrow at the latest.

[PokerFace]

I'm still using free wifi to watch and get content that I think will interest me, but I got much more than I bargained for when I started and finished the new 2020 theatrical release of 'Promising Young Woman.'

Carey Mulligan (she plays the lead character) kept me glued to this otherwise typical movie, but one that also has style, mixed with just the right choice of pop songs (like a slowed-down instrumental version of Toxic ... yes, the Britney Spears song).

However, what makes this film stand out as one of my Top 10 films of the year, is the feeling I got after the movie was wrapping up, while playing another popular song that I grew up with.

My first thought just before the final credits rolled was that this might be my favourite experience of the year. A hidden gem that should have put me to sleep, but instead left me feeling like I had spent my time with a very talented team of storytellers.

Perhaps because I knew nothing about it beforehand, and never really expected Carey Mulligan to be able to elevate this mostly basic plot into something that I will always remember.

GRADE: A (8/10)