ploomy - what men need to know

Analog to Digital Signal Switch

markcondon — Thu, 18 Jun 2009 09:39:06 PDT

Last Friday, the FCC finally decided to switch off all analog TV signal and went digital. Now if you’re like me you’ve ignored everything about this “Switch” and suddenly find yourself without a television to watch. So what’s a frugal American to do in these economic hard times? Well you can get a cable or satellite set up, but with the average cable fee being over the price of say a full tank of gas per month (just for the basic package), who wants to spend that? This is especially considering that you have a perfectly good working internet connection and presumably at least one computer lying around.

The following alternatives are a cheap and often free way to avoid having the cable guy run wires through your house.

1) Hulu & other online free video services. Hulu, ABC, CBS, NBC, and a plethora of other sites offer completely legitimate and 100% free content for your computer. Hulu offers you rolling episodes, generally the last 5 episodes that aired from the current seasons of the hottest shows on Fox, NBC and ABC as well as other Disney channels. ABC.com is now offering up lots of free episodes of their hot shows, such as the first four seasons of Lost, in case you’ve been living under a rock like yours truly. NBC even has certain episodes of their shows that you can view from your mobile device (i.e. your iphone).

2) Netflix. One of the best things about Netflix is that it offers a free streaming service with your subscription. While their DVD selection is much larger, being able to fire up an episode of Californiacation at 3 AM is always a nice thing. But on top of that they offer an enormous amount of shows on DVD. The best part is that you can watch shows from across the pond that you’ve probably never heard of before. While Netflix isn’t free, it’s worth the $7.99 a month, and it’s a steal compared to your cable bill.

3)Boxee. Boxee is a free program available for most computer operating systems out there. Not only does it have built-in support for Hulu, Netflix, and CBS, but it also has access to lots of other free video services that you might not think to check. Boxee also inventories your current library of legal and illegal movies and television shows and lets you watch them with ease.

4) Pirating. Arrrr! While we here at Ploomy in no way want to make it seem like pirating is in anyway a good thing, many people use it as an alternative. Pirating movies and television shows allows you to get your hands on stuff that you can’t find anywhere else, like TV shows from ______ (insert foreign country here), or just get access to movies that had a small release and have no chance of getting a DVD deal anytime soon. Of course the MPAA would probably argue that these are just excuses and either way you’re stealing, so pirating is strictly at your own risk. Also just one last thing since we’re talking about this, get rid of Limewire, right now. It’s only good for getting viruses and creating backdoors for malicious people to get onto your computer. Would you do it with a prostitute and not wear a condom? Well when you use Limewire you went to town with the whole brothel and were unprotected each time.

Of course the best way to enjoy any of these services is on your television, and luckily for you all of them can be, with ease. Just buy a connector for your laptop or computer and connect it to your television, and voila you can watch whatever you want for free. If you’re interested in freeing up your computer from the television you can go pick up a Roku Box at your local big box store. The Roku Box allows you to watch all your favorite shows on your TV for a low low price which is a steal compared to a year of basic cable. Other options are your Xbox 360, which has Netflix support built-in, and if the rumors are true the PlayStation 3 will soon have similar support.

Hopefully this article has convinced you to cut the cord that is your cable connection and embrace the freedom and cheapness of the internet. Because what’s better than beer? free beer of course.

Did You Miss These Articles?

Cool Material Round-Up - Men’s Gear

Tim Jacobsen — Wed, 27 May 2009 10:25:57 PDT

	Toolbox Garage Refrigerator You can tell the misses that you’re going to the basement to get some work done, when you’re really just going to eat a snack and throw back a few cold beverages.
	Ubiquity Boombox Wallet Its simple illustrated white pattern on black pops like your old speakers cranked up to 11. Slim yet roomy, the wallet features a large pocket with a divider and holds up to 8 cards.
	Lunar Pool Table In the future all pool tables will look like the Lunar Pool Table, or at least we really hope so. Not just good looking, this billiards table integrates with your iPod through 80w speakers complimented by LED lights.
	Vertical Pocket Wallet The Vertical Pocket is a snap-closure wallet with spacers that allow for more cards and cash but still keep it lean enough to fit in your pants.
	Hamburger Press Made of cast aluminum with a green rubberized wood handle, the press allows you to prep two burgers at a time, so your patties look perfect from start to finish.
	3D Chess Board There’s something epic about the mountainous design that you just don’t get with any other chess board.
	Thanks Wikipedia T-shirt We’d be lying if we said we didn’t use Wikipedia as a reference for college papers (we just didn’t cite them since the professor banned it as a source). So why not finally give credit where credit is due.
	Ostrich Drinking & Gaming Case The Ostrich Drinking and Gaming case includes 2 crystal wine glasses, leather coasters, bottle opener and stopper and 2 packs of playing cards, and of course a place to hold a bottle of wine.

Do Not Miss These!

AskElle: That’s What She Said

ellechyun — Thu, 21 May 2009 22:11:08 PDT

Dear Elle,

I’m a college student studying architecture. For the last year, I have been so stressed out with the workload that I completely let go of my body and health. I’m estimating that I’ll need about 4 months recovery time from all the laziness, smoking and drinking that hacks at my body. Girls have seriously lost interest in me and I feel like I have lost confidence and motivation in myself. When I had a girlfriend, I was so motivated to take care of myself but now I am in this difficult situation where I don’t have a girlfriend because I don’t take care of myself and I can’t motivate myself to do so without some female figure in my life. At this point, should I just sit out of the game and focus on rebuilding myself before even thinking about girls? Or maybe there are spots other than bars/clubs/my male infested school/etc where I can meet girls and just talk to them and use my charm instead of my usually stunning good looks :P

Much love,
Dazed and Confused Danny

Danny,

Not all girls are shallow. If you can charm them, you should, by all reasons charm them.

But, if you don’t feel confident in yourself because of your appearance, then there’s not a lot of point in trying. I’d say, confidence is more important than a really amazing body. But it’s not about being a confident dickwad, it’s about being a confident gentleman.

As far as places to meet women? Um. Everywhere? Need I mention my match.com debacle?

—

If you would like to ask Elle a question about dating, relationships or something else ridiculously interesting, send an email to askelle@ploomy.com.

Elle Chyun is a dancer and arts collaborator living in NYC. She’s a graduate of the University of the Arts in Philadelphia and currently dances with cakefaceart.com and robot hands. She likes vodka, shoes, and sarcasm.

Do Not Miss These!

2009 Lincoln MKS Review

stergeron — Tue, 12 May 2009 11:28:31 PDT

Unless you’ve been hiding under a rock for the last couple years, you know that the American auto industry has seen better days. This is why I was pleasantly surprised to get an email from the venerable Ford Motor Company asking us to take a look at their 2009 Lincoln MKS.

I said yes to the test drive not because I happen to love American cars (I drive an older Acura CL myself), but because I wanted to see firsthand what type of car the American auto industry has to offer in these troubled times.

With the Lincoln MKS, Ford is competing directly with the likes of the Lexus GS350, Infiniti M35 and Cadillac STS among others. And out here in the Bay Area, where German and Japanese cars dominate the mid-luxury sedan space, it was refreshing to be driving something different

After the car was dropped off, I asked a couple people in the office to come check out the MKS. Both were impressed with the stance of the car. “It looks mean. Look at that grill, it’s a BEAST”, said one of them. The other said, “Wow, it’s not what I expected.” Read into those comments all you want, but I was equally impressed when I first saw the MKS.

When I think of a Lincoln, a quiet, tuxedo black Towncar with a comfy cloud-like ride comes to mind. These have become the defacto standard non-taxi work horses I see all around downtown San Francisco.

With the MKS, it’s a huge departure from what I have come to think about Lincoln. The lines and overall fit and finish of the MKS are very impressive.

The interior looks and feels like what I would expect for a $40k+ car. It doesn’t shout out luxury, but the leather and wood trim accents are very nice. On the center console, the knobs and dials were a tad too small. I did like that the center arm rest telescoped and extended out some (nice touch). I also liked how the seat belt height could be adjusted easily and was also hidden at the same time. The interior is not as spacious as I would have guessed looking at the car from the outside, but in no way was it small. I had a friend who is 6′2″ sit in the back and he had no problems with the amount of head or leg room either. The gauges on the dash board looked a little budget. In particular, I didn’t like the fact that every MPH was displayed i.e. 40MPH, 50MPH, 60MPH (see image). It felt a little cluttered and made it harder to read my actual speed.

Where I think the MKS really shines is in it’s technology enhancements. Rear view camera, Microsoft SYNC, keyless entry, push-button start, steering wheel controls, navigation, voice control and THX sound system were just some of the nice things I really enjoyed. Anyone looking for a car with these technology enhancements will not be disappointed. If you’ve ever seen the movie Flight of the Navigator, the MKS felt similar in terms of all the technology crammed into this car. While some of the voice commands took a little while to execute, the ease of use and increased functionality more than made up for it.

Another thing about the MKS that really stood out was the sheer size of the trunk. It was Grand Canyon like. Holy shite, was it huge. You could fit at least a couple golf bags and at least a weeks worth of groceries in there. The only down side though was the lip or entrance into trunk felt a little tight, but you can’t have everything.

Once I got the car out on San Francisco roads, I was pleased. Although the MKS’s suspension feels a bit stiffer, it’s still similarly tuned to that of a Lexus over a BMW in terms of comfort. The steering is true, not overly sensitive and you get just the right amount of feedback to make driving it fun. There was noticeably more road noise in our test car, but that may be attributed to the stiffer suspension. Aside from that, the MKS handled very nicely. Whether on the street or on the freeway, the handling felt appropriate and the throttle responsive.

Overall, you can tell extra effort was put into making this car. Although I was skeptical in the beginning, I came away with a good impression of the Lincoln MKS. And in a way, it gives me hope that the American auto industry can turn it around. Now wouldn’t we all like that.

Did You Miss These Articles?

AskElle: That’s What She Said

ellechyun — Fri, 08 May 2009 10:09:02 PDT

My GF and I have been going out for almost a year, and we’ve spent the holidays together, met each others families, I’ve even helped her stepdad build a downstairs living space. I get along with her fam and she’s the same way with mine. We enjoy lots of the same likes and dislikes, so doing stuff around town and at our houses is easy and fun for both of us. But she has a busy schedule that she talks about and prevents us from hanging out some of the time, which doesn’t bother me cause I have a deadly schedule anyways lol.

A week ago, we broke up because she said she doesn’t need a boyfriend right now but she still wants to be friends and still wants me to stay in contact. Which kinda just blind sighted me. I mean I leave for boot camp in a few months (which she said she didn’t mind when I asked her when we first started dating) and her brother leaves 10 days before I do (for two years), and her step brothers are moving out in a week or two so she’s the only one in the house besides her parents during the summer and new school year (I don’t live with them).

I really care for her and before this relationship I was just a bad person who slept around and didn’t feel good about myself, but a little bit before I met her I changed my life in a positive way. Then decided to make a good healthy relationship with her (we worked together before I went back to school). I’m pretty smart and do lots of activities but I don’t know what I should do. I still text and message her like everyday. What should I do? (sorry it was long thnx 4 reading). JR

Dear JR,

Unfortunately, some relationships have a one sided shelf life. You probably wanted to go on with this girl forever… and she really didn’t feel the same. Mutual break ups are hard enough, but feeling like you’ve been dumped sucks big time. You constantly feel like you could really change their mind about dumping you if they’d just listen…

I think that women always have the problem of controlling themselves after a break up. We restrain ourselves from calling the other person so that we don’t sound like sociopaths. If you’re keeping busy in other ways, keep your hands off your phone. If she wants to talk she’ll contact you. It sounds ridiculous, but sometimes blatantly ignoring another person after a break up reminds them what it’s like to be without you. Which, you pray, means that they will come back to you. So, keep your fingers crossed, your hands clasped together in a permanent praying pose, and hope for the best.

And seriously, if it doesn’t work out, it’ll be okay. Really.

—

If you would like to ask Elle a question about dating, relationships or something else ridiculously interesting, send an email to askelle@ploomy.com.