For one, living in Costa Rica, I am sick and tired of being lured into some kind of news story with video and only to see my enemy, this crummy Robot along with one of two explanations: “We’re sorry this video is currently unavailable” or, “We’re sorry but this video is only available in the United States,”…….”and you are not”
The worst offender of my rant is Yahoo.
Not literally, but a lot) of digital news and semi-news outlets. Inevitably, a light story, a song, a movie trailer, a new T.V. show pops up and when trying to see or hear the video sample as promoted ,I get some sort of signal that it cannot be seen nor heard in my country, Costa Rica. And there is always this crummy blue Robot offering some apology: who I want to shoot.
Robot, if you are so damn sorry then show me the video because I just wasted my time trying to see whatever it is you are trying to hide.
Give us some respect!
This is especially frustrating with the Pura Vida download speeds which are slower than slugs at midnight. However after what seems like endless waiting, only to get to you, Robot, telling us “No way Jose,” is a real bummer. I sometimes think Kate Middleton will already have her baby, and put in Kinder while I wait for our Internet providers to open up and make the announcement. Of course the video of the ecstatic parents will be blocked out in Costa Rica because a royal event might be copied and sold in a parking lot across from the National Stadium which is truly owned by the Chinese at 4:00PM, just before the Saprissa soccer match. And, …”if you don’t want to buy a pirated CD of Kate, perhaps a national T-shirt, local flag…how about a bottle of honey?”
Who is responsible for this atrocity? I have no idea and the more I ask the more the fingers point. It is strictly a judgment call by some 22 year old acne laden kid who has never left Northern California and thinks Costa Rica is the southern tip of Puerto Rico.
He works at Yahoo, by the way.
We are not China, we do not copy and resell videos of Madonna playing a guitar on stage, or Psy (Korea) performing his 160th thousand version of “Gangmen.” (Even he said he is tired of it as he dragged himself all the way to the to make those big deposits.)
We are, admittedly, intellectual pirates in Costa Rica with very little enforcement of the law. But, then again we rarely enforce too much of too many laws. However, news items, no matter how “light” and commercial advertisement to be blocked is simply absurd.
But, Robot if you are going to block us from trailers and three minute downloads, what and the hell are we supposed to do with it in the first place? Can you see someone in the local gas station selling CDs which are 30 second demos of U2’s new album or the trailer of “Superman”.
Hell no!
We are going to soon be a member of OECD. You know Robot, the developed countries and as a member of that club I demand to see and hear what they get to see and hear long before my vote.
Robot, transparency is one of the few rights of passage
