Netflix DVD business needs to be preserved

Netflix still runs its legacy DVD-by-mail subscription service in the U.S., but it doesn’t promote it. The company has gone all in on streaming video as the future.
But Netflix’s DVD.com business has become more important to hardcore movie lovers as Hollywood content splinters among a multitude of streaming services. As long as top Hollywood movies are put out on physical media, the Netflix DVD business will provide a one-stop shop for all of those movies.
Meanwhile, many classic older films are not even available for streaming. Some are only available for digital purchase or per-title rental. And a significant number of titles aren’t available in any digital format online. But some of those works are still available on DVD from Netflix.
Last month, I highlighted the many classic movie musicals, film noir, exploitation films and other notable movies that aren’t available in any format online. Since then, I’ve watched several of those films that are available only on DVD from Netflix.
Just like vinyl LP records have found an audience in the streaming music age, there is a place for DVDs and Blu-ray Discs in the streaming video era.
Admittedly, the Netflix DVD business has been in a long, slow decline, given the company’s lack of advertising and marketing for it.
In the second quarter, Netflix’s DVD unit brought in $37 million in revenue, down 20% from the same quarter last year.

Photo by Linda Shortman via @momlovesfilm.

Link rot problem: Why bother using weblinks anymore?

In school, we’re taught to “cite your sources.” That’s easy in the internet age through weblinks. But the problem of link rot – weblinks that stop working – has caused a breakdown in the attribution process.
It’s common courtesy (good netiquette) to include weblinks in articles so readers can easily get more information on a subject or to check out the original source of information. But many weblinks go bad over time as companies change content management systems, remove content, or even go out of business.
I’ve seen it firsthand at Tech-media-tainment. Whenever I run a broken link checker like BrokenLinkCheck.com, I find dozens, often hundreds, of broken links to fix on my blog.
It makes me wonder if I should even use weblinks in articles anymore. One reason not to do so is because Google down ranks websites that have a lot of broken links. Nobody wants that. And broken links provide a bad user experience.
One place on Tech-media-tainment where link rot is evident is with the websites that I’ve spotlighted as favorites over the years.
For instance, from August 2009 to November 2017, I spotlighted 300 interesting websites on Tech-media-tainment. Of those, 93 are no longer online. That’s 31% of the websites I spotlighted during that period that are no longer available.
Of the first 100 websites I wrote about, from August 2009 to July 2015, 35% are no longer available.
It just goes to show that content on the internet doesn’t have permanence. What’s here today could be gone tomorrow.

Photo: “Broken Link” tombstone in Woodland Cemetery in Des Moines, Iowa, by Carl Wycoff. (Via Creative Commons)

A U.S. beach town should establish a bikini hall of fame

Today is International Bikini Day, a fitting summer holiday. It commemorates the anniversary of the day French designer Louis Reard debuted his then-controversial two-piece bathing suit in 1946. In the U.S., it’s also National Bikini Day.
I think some entrepreneurial beach community should establish a bikini hall of fame to celebrate all the women who have made an impact on pop culture by wearing the sexy swim attire. That would include movie stars Brigitte Bardot, Marilyn Monroe, Ursula Andress, Halle Berry and Jessica Alba. It also would include Sports Illustrated swimsuit models and other pop culture icons such as pin-up model Bettie Page.
This could be its own museum or an exhibit area in an existing museum or even a popular bar or restaurant.
To be more inclusive, it should be the Bikini and Swimwear Hall of Fame. That way you could include famous one-piece swimsuits worn by Farrah Fawcett and the beauties of Baywatch. That title also could cover men’s bathing suits like Olympian Mark Spitz’s Speedo and the Borat Mankini worn by Sacha Baron Cohen.
I can envision such a museum in Southern California or Florida or in the beach towns along the East Coast. A spring break hotspot would be a good location.
The first museum dedicated to bathing culture opened on July 5, 2020, in the small, landlocked town of Bad Rappenau, Germany. The BikiniARTmuseum showcases swimwear worn by Marilyn Monroe, Brigitte Bardot, Elke Sommer, Esther Williams and Scarlett Johansson. The museum has about 400 swimwear exhibits. (See articles by Forbes and Funky Germany.)
In 2013, Bikinis Sports Bar & Grill, a chain of sports bars and restaurants in Texas, announced a Bikinis Hall of Fame at its Fredericksburg, Texas, location. It honored actress Carmen Electra as its first and only inductee. The chain went out of business in December 2018.

Related articles:

Bikinis Hall of Fame still a one-off (Tech-media-tainment; Aug. 24, 2014)

Women who deserve to be in the Bikinis Hall of Fame (Tech-media-tainment; Aug. 26, 2014)

Photo: Actress Brigitte Bardot in 1952.

Favorite websites in review, part 16

This is the latest roundup of 25 websites spotlighted on Tech-media-tainment.

371. Nestflix (nestflix.fun)
372. Wine Project (masmorrastudio.com/wine-project)
373. Sebcolorisation (instagram.com/sebcolorisation)
374. Bodega Cats (twitter.com/Bodegacats_)
375. A Street Cat Named Benson (instagram.com/a_street_cat_named_benson)
376. Brands Against Humanity (ellieandelisa.com/copy-of-the-dumb-watch-1)
377. Mr. Skin (mrskin.com)
378. Mayo Clinic U.S. Covid-19 map (mayoclinic.org/coronavirus-covid-19/map)
379. Coronavirus in the U.S.: Latest Map and Case Count (nytimes.com/interactive/2021/us/covid-cases.html)
380. NBC News Map: Track the Covid hot spots across the U.S. (nbcnews.com/news/us-news/map-track-summer-2020-coronavirus-hotspots-united-states-n1231332)
381. There I Ruined It (youtube.com/c/ThereIRuinedIt)
382. Good Future (youtube.com/c/GoodFutureMusic)
383. Too Many Zooz (youtube.com/channel/UCtjXVqMVzBIgU0SO8AV0vPg)
384. MiMo (youtube.com/playlist?list=PLaRBRemO2zK5c6IWEszjLKHxlGpgtSGF1)
385. Sophie Lloyd (youtube.com/c/SophieLloyd)
386. Gamazda (youtube.com/c/Gamazda)
387. Dude with Sign (instagram.com/dudewithsign)
388. Emily’sTikTok.edu (tiktok.com/@emilyzugay)
389. Jakie62 (tiktok.com/@jakie62)
390. Cats of Disneyland (instagram.com/disneylandcats)
391. Nineteenth century videos. Back to life. (youtube.com/c/NineteenthcenturyvideosBacktolife)
392. Public Domain Review (publicdomainreview.org)
393. SorryAntivaxxer (sorryantivaxxer.com)
394. Heardle (heardle.app)
395. Framed (framed.wtf)

Photo: Screenshot from Framed.

Pop culture Wordle takeoffs: Heardle and Framed

Daily word puzzle game Wordle inspired a host of clones and takeoffs. Two that I like are Heardle and Framed.

Heardle

Heardle challenges users to guess a song and its artist by the first few seconds of its intro. Players get six guesses. With each guess, users hear a little bit more of the song. The songs range from rock classics and pop favorites to more obscure titles.
A nice feature of Heardle is that it provides hints if you only know the artist or partial name of the song. Sometimes I can guess a song in the first second. Other times I need the full 16-second clip. And other times, I’m stumped, but it’s still fun.

Framed

Framed tests players knowledge of movies with visual cues. Players must guess a movie from six still frames from the film. Sometimes the stills are landscapes or establishing shots. So, it’s not as easy as it sounds.

What follows are some other interesting websites I’d like to highlight.

Web3 Is Going Just Great

Software engineer Molly White created the website Web3 Is Going Just Great to spotlight all the cryptocurrency scams and problems with Web3. She provides a welcome bit of rationality and balance amid the hype for crypto and Web3. (See article by the Washington Post.)

Libs of TikTok

Libs of TikTok is a service that compiles fringe ideology promoted online by progressive liberals. It is considered controversial by some because it pokes fun at the militant LGBTQPIA+ community using their own videos from TikTok.

National Day Calendar

Here’s a non-controversial website I like: National Day Calendar. It is the “original and authoritative source for fun, unusual and unique National Days.” And there are a lot of them. The website lists over 1,500 national days.

The 20-minute rule for movies

Author Stephen King recently polled his social media followers about what movies they’ve walked out on in theaters. He revealed that he has only walked out on one movie as an adult: “Transformers” (2007).
I’ve walked out on two movies, both critical favorites that sucked: “Smoke Signals” (1998) and “Magnolia” (1999). I’ve been more selective since then.
Home video is a different story. It’s much easier to quit a movie that’s offensive or going nowhere when you’re home.
Years ago, a friend explained his 20-minute rule for movies: If it’s bad after 20 minutes, you should cut your losses and quit it. The chances of it redeeming itself are very slim. He’s proven to be right time and again.
Here are some movies I’ve quit thanks to the 20-minute rule:

• Bad Santa (2003)
• Rampart (2011)
• Under the Skin (2013)
• Birdman or (The Unexpected Virtue of Ignorance) (2014)
• The Bad Batch (2016)
• The Wind (2018)
• Crown Vic (2019)
• Bad Luck Banging or Loony Porn (2021)