Shocker – Netflix Needs Cash

After a summer of mistakes Netflix is finding itself short on customers and cash.  They are trying to raise $200 million through the sales of bonds.  I think that should cover the lost revenue from losing 1-million customers in a quarter.

Click image to read the story

I used to LOVE Netflix but a 60% membership hike and a dismal choice of streaming content made canceling my subscription very easy.

Indianapolis City Market – 3 Days in Paris

Table with a view

My son & I ventured downtown last Saturday to check out the Indy Winter Farmers Market that’s now in the historic Indianapolis City Market.  The plan was to do a little scouting around and then head to the Torta shop I reviewed the other day.  The Torta shop ended up being closed because they are expanding (good news!).  We both immediately decided to go back to the City Market and check out 3 Days in Paris.

We had a great experience at Findlay Market’s Crêpe Shop in Cincinnati so we were hoping for something similar.  Like the other shop the food is made in front of you and it takes about 5 minutes to make it.  Like Cincinnati there was a gathering of people waiting on their food and watching the crêpe makers in action.

Sweet Crêpe

We ordered one sweet and one savory crêpe.  The sweet being one of the day’s specials ($5.00).  It consisted of chocolate, bananas, marshmallows and crushed graham crackers.  The savory called “Red Eggs & Bacon” ($6.50) was filled with Egg, Bacon, Havarti, Spinach and Roasted Red Pepper Sauce.  I put a little squirt of Siracha sauce on the savory plate just in case it needed a little flavor boost.

One of the things I like about the City Market is the ring of balcony seating on the second floor.  It gives a great view of the facility and it’s out of the way of the crowds.  We headed upstairs and grabbed a table with a great view.

Savory Crêpe (almost gone!)

We were both very happy with our decision to return to the market for lunch.  I liked the Indianapolis version of my crêpe better than the one in Cincinnati, mainly because it had more flavor.  I did end up using a little Siracha towards the end though.  The sweet crêpe was very good and the dark chocolate kept it from being overly sweet.

The Indianapolis City Market is located at 222 E Market St. and if you’re looking for something to do on a Saturday morning check out the Indy Winter Farmers Market.  I will warn you that a lot of the shops at the City Market are closed on the weekends but parking is free in the lot to the east and the Farmers Market has a lot to offer.
Note to self: make sure to wipe off the fingerprint smudges on your camera phone before shooting pictures for a review!  One of the very few design flaws on the Blackberry 9930.

3 Days in Paris on Urbanspoon

 

 

Sriracha sauce

The WordPress Game Show – Jeopardy Style

I’ve been using WordPress (WP) for a while now & thought I knew all of the ins and outs. After playing this game I’ve discovered I still have a lot to learn.

Click the image to play the game for yourself!

I’m thinking about changing the look and feel of the Blog again.  Unfortunately I can’t seem to find a theme that I completely like.  That’s where the flexibility of WordPress comes in; I can design my own!  Now I just need to set aside the time needed to research, develop, test and implement.

 

Fountain Square – Tortas Guicho Dominguez y el Cubanito

I’ve lived in Indy for about 30 years & have never been to the Fountain Square area of the city.  I had the opportunity to check out “Tortas Guicho Dominguez y el Cubanito” for lunch last week & I’m already planning to return this weekend.  The name is a mouthful so I’m just going to refer to it as the “Torta Place”.

The place is small but bright and clean.  The food is all made to order so it might take a mew minutes longer than you would expect (it’s totally worth it!).  All of the sandwiches are named after celebrates (or you can order by number).  I had the #12 named after the Mexican Footballer Rafa Marquez.

The #12 has Breaded Steak, Mexican Sausage, Ham & Mozzarella.  Unless requested differently All Tortas comes with mayonnaise, tomato, avocado, homemade jalapenos or chipotle.

Two sauces and a small bowl of pickled vegetables come with the order and you can order a Mexican Coke (with cane sugar) or a Jarritos (carbonated, flavored soda).  I opted for a Diet Coke but I’m thinking about getting a Mexican Coke next time.

The Chorizo on the sandwich was really good with a nice spice and very tender texture.  I was not sure what to expect with the “breaded Steak” but it far surpassed my expectations.  The sandwich alone was enough for lunch but I also want to try their tacos at some point as well.

If you’re already in the area, this place is a must visit.  I drove from the North-East side and I’m willing to do it again.
Tortas Guicho Dominguez y el Cubanito on Urbanspoon

Happy Thanksgiving, Did You Say Thank You?

Well, the holiday season has officially begun (although the retail establishment would like you to believe it started over a month ago).  We all have a lot to be thankful for.  Have you said Thank You today?

I’m thankful for living in the United States of America and having the freedom to share these thoughts without fear of punishment.  We owe the creation of our freedoms to the founding fathers and the continuation of our freedoms to the United States Military (specifically the men and women that serve and sacrifice every day).

Although I don’t always show it like I should I’m extremely thankful for my family and friends.  They are a the reason I’m the person I am today.  Finally, just so I don’t come across like a total sap, I’m thankful for Mr. Adam Sandler and this little diddy:


If you want to understand the REAL story behind Thanksgiving check out these links (hint it’s not about the Pilgrims like we all learned in school!):

Review – Minecraft

I’ve always liked video games and it all started for me with Pong.  Next came the Atari, Apple PC, Windows PC, Nintendo, Playstation, and X-Box.  First Person games have always been my favorite, whether it’s a shooter, driving simulator or sports game.  As long as it looks like I’m in the middle of the game I usually like it.

Enter Minecraft by Swedish creator Markus “Notch” Persson .  It’s a first person game with an unusual twist, you create the game within the game.  If you’re expecting cutting edge graphics you’re going to be in for a bug surprise.  Although “simple” the game actually takes a little computer horsepower to run smoothly.

Minecraft starts you off in a randomly generated world with nothing in your inventory.  Your first priority is to survive through the night:

Afterwards you start collecting materials to make more materials.  Stone, iron ore, coal, etc.  It’s a pretty addictive concept that is fun for any age level.  I will warn you that this game can be a time suck.  My son & I have spent hours on our respective computers building our own worlds.   There are mufti-player options as well but we have not gotten that far yet.

Minecraft has monsters that come out at night that you have to defend yourself from and animals and plants you can grow or harvest for food.  The more you get into the game the more you start to realize the unlimited potential the game has.

The process of mining is where the game gets interesting.  Once you build the right tools you can set out to find more building materials.  Sometimes you come across a cave which opens up into an underground world (complete with it’s own monsters and surprises).  Other times you can just start digging and see what you can find.

YouTube has thousands of videos online that show you what can be done.  There are people who have created full size replicas of the Starship Enterprise and others have created a Fleet of Battleships.

Minecraft can be played for free (older limited version) on the Official Website.  You can purchase the game for ~$30.  There was an IOS (Apple) version just released and an XBox edition is slated for release in Spring 2012.

As far as games go, I’m going to rate this one an 8 out of 10. It’s a new concept for me and it’s been a big hit with both myself and my son.