CNN Pipeline

I was checking out today’s headlines at CNN.com and I noticed something called CNN Pipeline. It is a video player that gives you access to 4 live video news feeds and several packaged news stories.

It looked interesting because I can be a news junky and I sometimes get tired of listening to music while I work, so listening to the news while I work is refreshing once in a while.

The service costs either 99 cents a day, $2.95 a month or $24.95 a year. They have a 14 day trial. So I thought, why not take them up on the trial. I signed up and so far I am fairly happy with it.

It is not the actual CNN broadcast. Some feeds don’t contain something exciting at all times (like right now it’s a shot of the airport waiting for Bush to arrive). But with 4 feeds, there is usually something good to have in the background. They also have a Pipeline host. Some guy who conducts interviews and informs you at all times of what is available in the other feeds. Apparently you also get informed whenever there are Breaking News in any of the feeds.

For Windows users, you can access the service through your web browser or you can download a small application to view the feeds, which is kind of nice because it can be made a tiny window, put in a corner of your desktop and you can also pin it on top.

For Mac users, you can access the service through your web browser. This is a refreshing change as most companies don’t even bother trying to make services available to Mac users. This bothers me because the Internet is supposed to be a platform-independent medium.

When I signed up I figured I would probably cancel within the 14 free days but right now, I think that I may keep it. $25/year is not a bad price if the quality is as good as it seems so far.

Posted by david at 9:52 am | Permalink |

Filed under Observations, Entertainment

They like me!

I got a call back this afternoon. They like me! At least enough to fly me out there for an interview after the Christmas vacation.

Woohoo!

Posted by david at 1:42 pm | Permalink |

Filed under Personal

My nervous phone interview

Even after messing up royally on the voice-mail that I left them, the search committee did call me back and conducted a phone interview with me this morning.

My nerves got the best of me. I really suck at phone interviews. I feel I calm down considerably and I do much better when I can see the faces of those I am speaking with.

Overall I thought I did average. I don’t think I sucked but I don’t think I wowed them either.

Surprisingly they told me that they will let me know one way or another this afternoon. This is a refreshing change since, from personal experience being in their shoes, I know that it takes search committees a while to deliberate and make decisions.

I hope I get to meet with them in person, it’s easier to show that I am qualified for the job when I can hypnotize them explain myself in a more personal environment.

Posted by david at 9:29 am | Permalink |

Filed under Personal

December 6th 2005

I’m a mumbling idiot

So I get a voice-mail from the people I am having a phone interview with tomorrow and I have to call them back. As luck would have it, I get voice-mail.

Now picture this. I’m in my office, I’m using my work phone, I’m in total work mode, and I get voice-mail. What do I say? What I say whenever I call anyone: “Good afternoon! This is David at Fort Hays State University.”

Then I paused and I realized what I had just said. And then, to make matters worse I say, “oops, that’s my employer!”

GAAHHHH!

And of course there was no way to re-record my message. What a fantastic first impression.

I hope it goes better when they call me back and during tomorrow’s interview.

Or maybe they won’t call me back ever again.

Posted by david at 2:17 pm | Permalink |

Filed under Personal

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