- jchamberlin
- Level: 14 (45%)
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- Member since: Dec 2, 2004
- Last online: 12/19/08 11:24 am PT
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jchamberlin's Blog
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25May 06Just a short time ago, I toyed around with the idea of leaving completely, but ultimately decided to stay in a limited role. Last night, I changed my mind and have decided to leave. I've retired from the remainder of the guides I was editor of, so I'm outta here.
I certainly wish everyone well; there are some great people here.
Jim- Posted May 25, 2006 4:41 am PT
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23May 06CSI: Miami aired their last episode for the season last night, and I finished up the recap for it this morning. The episode was a little above average, but it wasn't as good as I was hoping for.
With the fall season over for the most part, we've got summer programming on its way in the next few weeks. I'm only looking forward to a couple of shows (and just one new show), so it could be a fairly boring summer around my house.
I contacted missribs about getting a few of my retired guides back, and was surprised when I was told it's permanent. I swear I heard someone got a guide back a few months ago. Oh well, no big deal.
I didn't do much here yesterday, just submitted a few reviews I wrote a few months ago and never submitted them. I'm not expecting to submit too much today, either.- Posted May 23, 2006 11:35 am PT
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19May 06Within ten minutes of writing a review for last night's episode of CSI, the season finale, I already had two "I do not agree" votes, lol. The season finale seems to have garnered a very split vote of people. Many say it was great, and many others say it was fairly mediocre. I'm somewhere in the middle on the issue; it's nowhere near the season five finale. Take a look at the other reviews. It's impossible to write a review without someone agreeing or disagreeing with you. I've never seen this with other episodes of the series... very bizarre.
Anyway, CSI: Miami has one new episode left this year. They decided to be different and put out 25 episodes while the other shows in the franchise did 24...
On another subject, retiring from several of those shows a few weeks ago was a mistake. I've found no change in my activity of submissions. I'm still submitting to those shows; the staff is just having to approve them now.
Also, I recently hit 17,000 accepted submissions and 600 reviews.- Posted May 19, 2006 11:58 am PT
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16May 06I just finished cleaning up a big mess outside. If you miss a few garbage days, bags of trash tend to pile up. Just my luck, a big dog came by and tore into them, creating one hell of a mess. There was a reason a few of those things were thrown away, they went bad and I didn't want to see it again. Well, so much for that. Yuck!
Anyway, Monday's season finale for Prison Break was exciting and disappointing at the same time. Anyway, I loved the season overall. It's odd when you think about the fact that you're cheering for the guys who are breaking out of the prison, but there's a good reason for it, obviously.
I'm all caught up with my CSI recaps. I wrote them all for last week, and I wrote one for last night's episode of CSI: Miami. Two more to go for this week, and another next week, and CSI will be off for a break. I'm still behind on other shows, however.- Posted May 16, 2006 12:10 pm PT
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11May 06So what season finales are you looking forward to? Prison Break ranks pretty high on my list. In my opinion, it's the best show on TV right now. None of the other shows I watch really keep me on the edge of my seat like that show does.
CSI, CSI: Miami, and CSI: NY are in the middle of my list, below Prison Break. CSI's two-part finale should be pretty good, but it'll likely be a let-down after last year's incredible two-part finale. The other shows will likely disappoint, but CSI: Miami may be the surprise. CSI: Miami has actually improved in the internal drama department over the past year or so. This is something the main CSI show lacks on any sort of regular basis. Every now and then we're teased by the "fantasy" of two of the CSI characters getting together (Sara/Grissom), but it's not likely to happen for some time. Meanwhile, on CSI: Miami, we have Horatio marrying the sister of Eric Delko, one of the CSIs. She has cancer and Eric was kept out of the loop on the marriage until the day of the wedding. He wasn't too big on the idea, especially after he learned his sister didn't even tell their parents. Also, the lab has a mole who seems hell-bent on bringing down the lab. This past week's episode left us with a "to be continued" screen after showing a man in a vehicle across from the wedding ceremony, pointing a scoped rifle at the middle of Horatio's back. This is so much more interesting than the stuff the CSI writers have come up with this year. I'm really hoping the next season will be a bit more dramatic for the CSI crew.
The West Wing and Malcolm In The Middle are both having their season (and series) finales this month. I don't expect too much of them, however. NBC really screwed up by dumping the special they were working on for The West Wing. It was rumored to because of either money or creative differences. Either way, they owned the series some sort of special. It brought the network a lot of money over the seven seasons it's been on.
I've not seen any of this season of Lost, so I'm completely out of the loop as far as the storyline goes. I loved the first season and hope to get caught up on this season before too long.- Posted May 11, 2006 10:33 am PT
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9May 06I was hoping to clarify a main point with my previous blog. I'm not leaving entirely. Part of the last entry seemed to indicate I was leaving entirely, and the rest said otherwise. I will remain here, just with a significantly reduced workload. I've retired from all but about 4-5 guides. I might drop one of them, but regardless of the final list, I'm much more comfortable with the limited workload.
I didn't work on last night's CSI: Miami recap, so I'll have to get on that. Usually, I have it finished and Waltmor's promoting it already.
I don't think I'll be contributing anymore for CSI: NY as that guide is pretty much being handled by laurameyer.
In other news, take a look at this article on cancer resistant mice.- Posted May 9, 2006 3:36 pm PT
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8May 06After a few weeks of consideration, I've decided to retire from editing guides here at TV.com. I don't plan on moving to TVRage or anything like that; I simply plan on walking away.
I figure all of this will take place over the next few days once I get someone I trust in a position to take over the guides.
As for the reason for resigning, it comes down to two things. I have neither the time nor the tools at my disposal to edit my guides and obtain the level of quality and completeness I would expect of myself or anyone else editing any given guide. I've considered Waltmor's suggestion of holding on to just a few guides to edit, but that simply isn't an option I'd like to choose as it still doesn't truely solve either of the problems I've mentioned earlier.
I may remain here as an occasional contributor, but I'll no longer be here in my current capacity as editor, and I'll likely cease all posting in the forums. I've not been especially active in recent months so that shouldn't be that big of a change, lol. Also, it isn't likely that I'll make any further blog entries.
There are a lot of wonderful people here in the community and I certainly wish you all the best.
Should anyone wish to contact me, you can email me.- Posted May 8, 2006 7:25 am PT
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6May 06I've been trying to catch up on some of the recaps for The Daily Show and The Colbert Report and found a great little video to share. This is Stephen Colbert's interview with a woman on his show from a week or two back. I'm curious what your opinion is on this video... Any women here agree with anything the interviewee says?
- Posted May 6, 2006 3:25 pm PT
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5May 06Well, I finished my second full week of recapping the three CSI shows. It wasn't as much of a struggle as last week, perhaps because I wasn't used to recapping these long shows. I've written over 500 recaps, but these hour-long shows take a lot longer to do.
This morning, I had to go to the dentist to get a filling. It wasn't that big of a deal. I don't mind the dentist as much as I did when I was younger. I actually look forward to the six-month cleanings - I wish I could get my teeth that clean every day, lol.
Anyway, if you're curious to read any of the recaps I've written recently for those shows, here 'ya go:
CSI: NY - Stealing Home
CSI: Miami - Open Water
CSI - Time of Your Death
Enjoy!- Posted May 5, 2006 12:59 pm PT
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4May 06Well, I've got recaps done for both of this week's new episodes of CSI: Miami and CSI: NY. I've just got tonight's new episode of CSI to go, and I'll have the trifecta done again this week. Walter's doing a great job promoting the new recaps on the main page.
Thanks to Grailwolf for making me a Trusted User for Ghost Hunters. I've loved that show since day one but never contributed until recently.
I just started burning some of those new DVD-Rs I bought a few days ago (mentioned in a previous blog), and much to my surprise, they are faster than the previous spindle I bought (for the same price + free shipping). So far, I'm quite happy about those new DVDs.- Posted May 4, 2006 11:23 am PT
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1May 06This weekend seemed to just fly by for me, and I'm wondering what on earth happened to it. I seemed to spend all of the time working around the house and got absolutely nothing accomplished around here. I'm three episodes behind on The Daily Show and six episodes behind on The Colbert Report. With sweeps here, I'll be busy recapping the three CSI shows again this week, so it looks like I'm going to have to do some serious catching-up next weekend.
- Posted May 1, 2006 8:20 am PT
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28Apr 06Well, I finished my first full week of recapping the three CSI shows, and boy am I glad the weekend is here. Last night's episode was great, although a pain in the butt to write for. Lot of cuts back and forth made it frustrating. If you haven't seen last night's show, at least check out the full quotes section. I guarantee you'll laugh. It was a very well written show. I've noticed that most of the top episodes of the series are written by Sarah Goldfinger. I don't think that's merely a coincidence. I've begun to especially look forward to the episodes she is either credited for being the writer or has had something to do with the general story.
Anyway, if you're curious to read any of the recaps I've written recently for those shows, here 'ya go:
CSI: NY - Run Silent, Run Deep
CSI: Miami - Dead Air
CSI: NY - All Access
CSI - Rashomama
Enjoy!- Posted Apr 28, 2006 10:07 am PT
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27Apr 06Over the past week or so, I've recapped one episode of CSI: Miami and two episodes of CSI: NY, and I'm already getting tired of it, lol. The recaps aren't as simple and stripped down as the ones I am used to writing for The Daily Show, The Colbert Report, Becker, and The Drew Carey Show. I can usually keep up with a basic recap as the episode airs for those, but not with the hour-long shows. With those, I try to give much more information in each scene, so I have to constantly pause/resume the episode to keep up with it as I type. When I recapped last night's new episode (currently promoted on the main page by Waltmor, btw), I noticed it was taking longer than I expected. It took me two and a half hours to watch the episode and write the recap! It's no wonder I haven't been looking forward to doing them. Spending so much time on those has caused me to get even further behind on my other shows. In a way, I'm actually looking forward to the end of the fall 2005/2006 season in a month or so. It'll allow me to catch up with everything else I hope. I still plan on eventually recapping all (new and old) of the CSI, CSI: Miami, and CSI: NY episodes, but it's not looking like it'll happen anytime soon.
Anyway, there's a new episode of CSI on tonight, so I'll be busy again tomorrow morning.
Stop by the main TV.com page and take a look at the preview videos they have made available. There are three video clips.
If any of the staff are reading this, I hope you consider giving recaps a separate section in the submissions page (a completely separate page, I hope). We should receive more than eight points for a recap. Two and a half hours and all I get is eight points?! We should also get a bigger level increase for the time taken to work on good episode recaps. How much of a level increase do we get for a recap? I'm not sure, but if I spent those two and a half hours submitting quotes and other things, I'd certainly get a far higher level increase than I would from a lengthy recap. We should have some additional incentive for spending time on them. Having them promoted on the main page by Waltmor is nice and all, but it only applies for new episodes and for the more popular shows.- Posted Apr 27, 2006 3:22 pm PT
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25Apr 06My stack of blank DVD-Rs has really gotten small. I think I've got about 10 DVDs left, so I ordered another spindle of 100 late last week, and the UPS guy delivered them this morning. I should be good for another three months, but we'll see.
In other news, I finished a recap for last night's new episode of CSI:Miami. I wasn't that impressed with the episode's primary plot. Perhaps that's why I haven't been watching the show very often lately.
On the other hand, Prison Break is actually getting better as we go along. This is one of the few "new" shows I'm really liking.- Posted Apr 25, 2006 9:30 am PT
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23Apr 06An hour or so I got back from Target with my new DVDs. They're having a big sale on a few shows (see previous blog), and I wanted to be sure to get in before any local smartass got in there and bought them all to re-sell on eBay and make a profit from them. I left the house a little later (30 minutes) than I wanted to, but I was able to get my DVDs and get out before the rush of people came in.
On the submissions front, I submitted a dozen or so quotes and wrote a few recaps. My level of enthusiasm isn't what it used to be, unfortunately, so anyone paying attention to my blog history may have realized this. Ten submissions in a day is pretty big for me over the past several weeks. I'm lacking sufficient motivation at the moment.
There wasn't much on TV last night, so I watched re-runs and watched a little comedy on Comedy Central. I would have watched Saturday Night Live, but it was a re-run and that show has sucked for so long, it doesn't give me a reason to stay up 'til midnight on Saturday nights anymore. Fortunately, there's something on tonight, although nothing fantastic. The second-to-last episode of Malcolm In The Middle is airing tonight. I missed several seasons of the show (3-6 and some of 7), so I've missed a lot of the show. Also, there's a new episode of The West Wing, which is also coming to an end soon, just a total of four episodes left according to the guide here.
Anyone else like the WYSIWYG editor on the forums? I know it's helpful for some, but I disabled mine. I'm used to hand-coding my html, and it's not like I use more than bold, italics and underline anyway, so it's just not necessary for me to use.- Posted Apr 23, 2006 8:51 am PT
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21Apr 06Starting this Sunday, Target (U.S. store) will be having The West Wing DVDs on sale. The first five seasons will go for $22.99 each, half the normal price. If you're looking to preorder season six, try FYE, who has it for $32.99 after a $10 rebate. It's not a great price, but it's the best anywhere else.
Target, by the way, has other shows on sale next week:
American Dad: Volume I >>>> $27.99
Gilmore Girls: Season 1 / 2 / 3 / 4 / 5 >>>> $22.99 each
Nip / Tuck: Season 1 / 2 >>>> $22.99 each
The O.C.: Season 1 / 2 >>>> $22.99 each
One Tree Hill: Season 1 / 2 >>>> $22.99 each
Veronica Mars: Season 1 >>>> $22.99
Also, if you look here, you can find out about Warner Bros. big rebate program. Buy two DVD sets, get $10 back... three sets, get $20 back, etc. I just wish Paramount would allow for a big sale like this so we can all get our CSI DVDs.
In other news, the family dog was been put down the other day. I honestly don't know how old she was, but she was full grown when we got her 15+ years ago, so who knows? Anyway, she had a lot of health problems and it was certainly time for her to be put at ease.
The bug fixes continue, and it seems the staff has fixed quite a few, although several remain. I reported a few this morning since no one else seemed to.
My CSI: NY recap was promoted on the main page yesterday, and that guide's popularity went from something like #75 to #21. It goes to show you the main page is great for improving page views for guides. That was the only recap I've written for a one-hour show; all of the others I do are for 30 minute comedies which require far less detail and work. I plan on doing more recaps of hour-long shows, but it's not a high priority at the moment.- Posted Apr 21, 2006 12:15 pm PT
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19Apr 06Every few months we lose a few big contributors for one reason or another, and 95% of the time it's because of bugs which have yet to be squashed. It looks like we're losing The_Unknown2 and The_Huntsman, which is another big shock to the site. I was pretty surprised when I read The_Huntsman's blog about his reasons for leaving (for the most part). Any staff member threatening to ban someone for merely being persistent in his questioning of icons should be punished, plain and simple. Will this happen? I seriously doubt it, unfortunately.
While we're on the subject of staff, I'd like to apologize to freaksngeeks. I know it may have seemed that I was singling him out, but that wasn't exactly my intent, but rather raise attention to the fact that the site didn't have enough bugs worked out before going live. In my eyes, I never got a satisfactory answer to this subject, but it looks like more of the bugs are getting fixed now. CybertronR has been quite active in the Technical Support Forum over the past few days, squashing several of the bugs which have come about since the style was introduced. My only wish is the staff had a public bug list so that we knew what was logged and what wasn't. This is needed for not only the new bugs, but bugs which have been around for several weeks and months. When a bug has been around for a certain period of time, you can't help but wonder if the staff knows about the bug. Being unsure means another forum post or another private message to the staff, and you're really not sure which ones are being read unless someone responds to them.
The issue of bugs brings us right around to to what I mentioned at the start of this blog, and brought up the other day.jchamberlin wrote:The design of the site isn't what has been responsible for driving a lot of dedicated editors and general contributors away, it's the bugs. The site is nearly a year old and it seems no one paid to work here has noticed this.
It's quite a coincidence, isn't it? It also proves that I'm right about this subject. Get more QA people to focus on this site, and you'll see more big contributors stick around. This is also an issue the staff has to bring up to their superiors/supervisors. The only reason people come to this site is because of the content and the people who provide the content, us. No content means no site. No site means you'll have to find employment elsewhere, so if you need a selfish reason, think of your own pocketbook.- Posted Apr 19, 2006 3:31 pm PT
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18Apr 06Now that the BETA has gone live, we must play the waiting game... how long until the bugs introduced with the "upgrade" are fixed? Anyone coming up with Vegas-style odds yet? I can't believe I wasn't able to get an actual answer to my "why go live with a site that isn't ready?" question yesterday. It wasn't that difficult of a question to answer...
Anyway, I'm trying to catch up with updating my off-line cast/crew lists. I'm several behind. Also, I missed Sunday's episode of Malcolm In The Middle, so I wasn't able to do the cast/crew lists for that (sorry TVTome_Shadow). Also, I'm a week behind in recaps/reviews on The Colbert Report, so I've got plenty to work on.
Prison Break was pretty good last night. They've had a few "filler" episodes lately, but last night's was much better. If you haven't seen the show, be sure to take a look at it. It's one of the few shows on FOX that is worth watching.- Posted Apr 18, 2006 5:56 am PT
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17Apr 06It looks like it's time for some more venting, hehe.freaksngeeks wrote:Could today be the day? We'll word on the street- or at least in the hall, is that the new TV.com design "style" may make a splash today. Yes it's a new style not a redesign, to be clear... I am not saying it will, I am just saying it's a buzz.
Why? Why go live with a site which doesn't seem ready? TV.com was originally launched in what I would call an early BETA phase, and this one is in a late BETA version from what the current BETA shows.
If a staff member could possibly answer this, please do... I see no reason to rush something like this. Using the public BETA to get bug reports was a great idea, but don't fix 75% of the NEW bugs (created because of the changes), only to fix the rest after the site goes live. (There's no ******* logic in this... why rush it?!)
If the site truely is ready to go live, prove it. Update the public BETA code and create a new topic for us to report bugs. If I'm wrong, I have no problem admitting it.
One last question, why the design change? There are probably fifty bugs and general problems which should have been addressed before the idea of a design change came about. The design of the site isn't what has been responsible for driving a lot of dedicated editors and general contributors away, it's the bugs. The site is nearly a year old and it seems no one paid to work here has noticed this.- Posted Apr 17, 2006 12:08 pm PT
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14Apr 06It seems angelandspike and I are thinking of the same thing today, hehe.
It's good to see some changes have been made to the levels. Level 50 and 52 have been difficult to progress (51 was a piece of cake for some reason). When they ran the levels after the adjustment, my level increased exactly one full level, oddly enough. With more and more people progressing towards level 50, not adjusting the levels would have created an increasing amount of complaints in the forums, so I think they made the right decision with this.
Yesterday, I finished up my taxes and they're in the mail as we speak. I vowed to get them finished early this year, but that obviously didn't seem to work out, did it?
Thanks to emaldalani for adding one of the shows I submitted a while back. Most of the shows I submit are documentaries and don't require much in terms of submissions, and aren't shows which will give me enough points to become editor, but it's still nice to see them get approved for the site.- Posted Apr 14, 2006 8:55 am PT
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