{
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  "date": "2005-10-25T14:47:19.000Z",
  "layout": "post",
  "tags": [
    "asides",
    "zen",
    "video",
    "dvd",
    "netflix"
  ],
  "title": "Yield to the Zen of Netflix",
  "wordpress_id": 746,
  "wordpress_slug": "yield-to-the-zen-of-netflix",
  "wordpress_url": "http://decafbad.com/blog/?p=746",
  "year": "2005",
  "month": "10",
  "day": "25",
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  "slug": "yield-to-the-zen-of-netflix",
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  "postName": "2005-10-25-yield-to-the-zen-of-netflix",
  "html": "<p>I've realized an irony with our Netflix usage:  When we get a DVD that we <em>really</em> want to see, it usually gets watched and sent back on the same day it arrives.  But, when we get a DVD that maybe only I want to see, or maybe neither of us ends up in a mood to see, we end up keeping it for a few days—sometimes for a whole week.  We've yet to \"declare defeat\" on many choices and just send them back unwatched.  </p>\n<p>This is weird, when I think about it: It actually costs more money to hang onto the DVD—in a rentals-per-month sense—versus sending it right back and possibly requesting it again in the future when we're in a mood to see it.  Of course, lots of back and forth with unwatched videos costs postage, but that's not our problem.</p>\n<p>This seems like a sort of Zen of Netflix thing I should wrap my head around.  And, if Netflix <em>really</em> wanted to save some money and exploit this bug of mine, they should recommend things that I kinda-but-don't-really want to see—so that I hang onto them longer and don't squeeze so much value out of my flat monthly rate.</p>\n<!-- tags: netflix dvd video zen -->\n\n<div id=\"comments\" class=\"comments archived-comments\"><h3>Archived Comments</h3>\n<ul class=\"comments\">\n<li class=\"comment\" id=\"comment-221082369\">\n<div class=\"meta\">\n<div class=\"author\">\n<a class=\"avatar image\" rel=\"nofollow\" href=\"http://www.netwhatever.com/randomdev/\"><img src=\"http://www.gravatar.com/avatar.php?gravatar_id=9024274111f82ec3f12591475bc2a2d5&amp;size=32&amp;default=http://mediacdn.disqus.com/1320279820/images/noavatar32.png\" width=\"\" height=\"\"></a>\n<a class=\"avatar name\" rel=\"nofollow\" href=\"http://www.netwhatever.com/randomdev/\">Wilson</a>\n</div>\n\n\n<p><a href=\"#comment-221082369\" class=\"permalink\"><time datetime=\"2005-10-26T03:40:43\">2005-10-26T03:40:43</time></a></p>\n</div>\n\n\n<div class=\"content\"><p>That would be easy. They just need to keep track of how long people keep movies for, and recommend movies that are similar to the ones they kept for longer.</p>\n<p>I wouldn't be surprised if that were standard procedure already.</p></div>\n\n\n</li>\n<li class=\"comment\" id=\"comment-221082370\">\n<div class=\"meta\">\n<div class=\"author\">\n<a class=\"avatar image\" rel=\"nofollow\" href=\"http://www.coxesroost.net/journal/\"><img src=\"http://www.gravatar.com/avatar.php?gravatar_id=3e12425a65c72d80bc36c5c8d696e667&amp;size=32&amp;default=http://mediacdn.disqus.com/1320279820/images/noavatar32.png\" width=\"\" height=\"\"></a>\n<a class=\"avatar name\" rel=\"nofollow\" href=\"http://www.coxesroost.net/journal/\">Will</a>\n</div>\n\n\n<p><a href=\"#comment-221082370\" class=\"permalink\"><time datetime=\"2005-10-26T13:32:02\">2005-10-26T13:32:02</time></a></p>\n</div>\n\n\n<div class=\"content\"><p>Heh. Yeah, we do that do. At the moment it's a scheduling problem: when will the girls be awake to watch <em>The Muppet Show</em> the same time that I'm home to watch it with them.</p></div>\n\n\n</li>\n</ul>\n\n\n</div>\n\n\n",
  "body": "I've realized an irony with our Netflix usage:  When we get a DVD that we *really* want to see, it usually gets watched and sent back on the same day it arrives.  But, when we get a DVD that maybe only I want to see, or maybe neither of us ends up in a mood to see, we end up keeping it for a few days—sometimes for a whole week.  We've yet to \"declare defeat\" on many choices and just send them back unwatched.  \r\n\r\nThis is weird, when I think about it: It actually costs more money to hang onto the DVD—in a rentals-per-month sense—versus sending it right back and possibly requesting it again in the future when we're in a mood to see it.  Of course, lots of back and forth with unwatched videos costs postage, but that's not our problem.\r\n\r\nThis seems like a sort of Zen of Netflix thing I should wrap my head around.  And, if Netflix *really* wanted to save some money and exploit this bug of mine, they should recommend things that I kinda-but-don't-really want to see—so that I hang onto them longer and don't squeeze so much value out of my flat monthly rate.\r\n\r\n<!-- tags: netflix dvd video zen -->\r\n\r\n<div id=\"comments\" class=\"comments archived-comments\">\r\n            <h3>Archived Comments</h3>\r\n            \r\n        <ul class=\"comments\">\r\n            \r\n        <li class=\"comment\" id=\"comment-221082369\">\r\n            <div class=\"meta\">\r\n                <div class=\"author\">\r\n                    <a class=\"avatar image\" rel=\"nofollow\" \r\n                       href=\"http://www.netwhatever.com/randomdev/\"><img src=\"http://www.gravatar.com/avatar.php?gravatar_id=9024274111f82ec3f12591475bc2a2d5&amp;size=32&amp;default=http://mediacdn.disqus.com/1320279820/images/noavatar32.png\"/></a>\r\n                    <a class=\"avatar name\" rel=\"nofollow\" \r\n                       href=\"http://www.netwhatever.com/randomdev/\">Wilson</a>\r\n                </div>\r\n                <a href=\"#comment-221082369\" class=\"permalink\"><time datetime=\"2005-10-26T03:40:43\">2005-10-26T03:40:43</time></a>\r\n            </div>\r\n            <div class=\"content\"><p>That would be easy. They just need to keep track of how long people keep movies for, and recommend movies that are similar to the ones they kept for longer.</p>\r\n\r\n<p>I wouldn't be surprised if that were standard procedure already.</p></div>\r\n            \r\n        </li>\r\n    \r\n        <li class=\"comment\" id=\"comment-221082370\">\r\n            <div class=\"meta\">\r\n                <div class=\"author\">\r\n                    <a class=\"avatar image\" rel=\"nofollow\" \r\n                       href=\"http://www.coxesroost.net/journal/\"><img src=\"http://www.gravatar.com/avatar.php?gravatar_id=3e12425a65c72d80bc36c5c8d696e667&amp;size=32&amp;default=http://mediacdn.disqus.com/1320279820/images/noavatar32.png\"/></a>\r\n                    <a class=\"avatar name\" rel=\"nofollow\" \r\n                       href=\"http://www.coxesroost.net/journal/\">Will</a>\r\n                </div>\r\n                <a href=\"#comment-221082370\" class=\"permalink\"><time datetime=\"2005-10-26T13:32:02\">2005-10-26T13:32:02</time></a>\r\n            </div>\r\n            <div class=\"content\"><p>Heh. Yeah, we do that do. At the moment it's a scheduling problem: when will the girls be awake to watch <em>The Muppet Show</em> the same time that I'm home to watch it with them.</p></div>\r\n            \r\n        </li>\r\n    \r\n        </ul>\r\n    \r\n        </div>\r\n    ",
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