Uptown Magazine - March 22nd
Netflix, Please Fix Your User Interface On… Everything
For eight bucks a month, it’s easily to forgive Netflix’s faults. Sure, you wish there was better selection, but Canadians have somehow gotten used to having inferior products on the web and mobile devices. We always seem to get the watered-down version — that is, if we get a version at all (See: Hulu or Spotify). Netflix’s biggest issue in Canada might be lack of content, but the way the interfaces work across most platforms has been a problem, too. Even on the same device — a PS3, for instance — two separate users might have different features enabled. The experience is not consistent and it frustrates users who wonder why their friends have features they don’t. The interface for the XBox 360 is a nightmare, too. Because the video-streaming service is available on so many devices, it’s naturally going to be more difficult to keep everything uniform — but somehow Netflix has also managed to screw it up on individual platforms, too.
Itchy & Scratchy
Not sure why this supercut of all the Itchy & Scratchy segments from The Simpsons hasn’t been pulled from YouTube, but fire up this nearly 50 minutes of cartoon glory before the suits at Fox get worked up about it.
Hoopism
Hoopism doesn’t crank out a lot of content, but its unique mix of data, analysis, visualization and insight is a refreshing change from all the other basketball sites out there. Whether you’re looking for information on how the public is betting in March Madness or how the rookies are stacking up against the stats of the past few years, or for an infographic of the condensed NBA season, Hoopism is worth a visit.
MP3 of the Week: Pezzner – Music for Dentistry Mix
West Coast house producer Pezzner dials it down a few notches and gets weird and trippy on this new ambient mix, recently released on Soundcloud. A departure from his carefully crafted house vibe, Music for Dentistry features artists such as Pan Sonic, Laurent Garnier, Swod and Steve Reich. More DJs need to do this type of outside-the-box mix.
Video of the Week: Dinosaur Jr. Live (1991)
— The wall-of-sound freaks in Dinosaur Jr. shred through a quick set at the Monsters of Spex Festival on Aug. 24, 1991 in Koln, Germany. The tour was showcased in the documentary 1991: The Year Punk Broke and featured a Lou Barlow-less version of the guitar-worshipping band.
