Man Spends $500K Turning His Basement Into The Bridge Of The U.S.S. Enterprise

(YouTube)

There are Trekkies, and then there are Trekkies who are willing to spend $500,000 in home renovations to turn the basement of the house into a replica of the bridge on the U.S.S. Enterprise. A place where I would make people call me Captain Quirk, obviously.

The Long Island man decided in 2010 that he wanted to consolidate all his Star Trek memorabilia — which he’s been collecting since the 1980s — and have it in one place that would really feel like home.

Naturally, that means a replica of the NX-101, the first version of the Enterprise to appear in the Star Trek canon.

Taking his devotion to the extreme, he says he made sure that every tiny detail was as close as possible to the original as he could get it. And yeah, it still looks like a basement and not a starship. But one filled with Star Trek stuff.

“Fortunately I was able to purchase a piece of the original set which I pulled apart to find out the exact paint and materials that were used — that’s how I created the basement,” he told the New York Post.

The entire project took 1,500 hours of work over three years, and his loved ones think it’s great, for him at least. If they’re not already Trekkies now, they might need to become them.

“I don’t remember him ever not being obsessed with it, even when he was a little boy,” his sister said.” I think he’s a freak, but he loves it and he could be into worse things so if that’s what makes him happy then that’s great.”

Ah, sisters. We are so kind.

His wife is onboard too — puns always intended — calling her new basement “wonderful.”

“I admire him so much for being able to put vision into something like this and for it to look so incredible — it’s wonderful and I’m so proud of him.”

Trekkie’s man cave is a spot-on replica of the Enterprise [New York Post]

by Mary Beth Quirk via Consumerist

Verizon, Netflix Stepping Up Battle To Blame Each Other For Poor Streaming Service

(Jeffrey)

The heat of high summer is a great time to stay inside and marathon a million hours of TV. But for some Netflix customers who use Verizon as their ISP, the summer streaming season is a slow and choppy dud. Even though the two companies came to a paid peering arrangement earlier this year, service is still going from bad to worse. Netflix blames Verizon, Verizon blames Netflix, and while service is still cooling down, their very public fight is heating up.

Back in June, Netflix tried showing users a message blaming ISPs — specifically, Verizon — for their crappy connections to the service. Verizon shot back with a cease and desist, and not long afterward the messages stopped. (Netflix says the test was going to end June 16 anyway.) This week, Verizon went one step farther with a lengthy blog post about the “congestion myth.”

According to Verizon, the fault lies entirely with Netflix for moving so much traffic through third party carriers. These companies, says Verizon, are at fault for the poor peering arrangements that allow traffic to bottleneck and degrade. (Verizon had a public dispute over Netflix traffic with one of those carriers, Cogent, in 2013.)

“Netflix knew better,” Verizon chastises. According to Verizon, Verizon is the paragon of responsibility: “we regularly negotiate reasonable commercial arrangements with transit providers” to accommodate their traffic. That Netflix doesn’t work on Verizon is, says Verizon, entirely on Netflix, which is “fully capable of taking the necessary and customary steps” — that is, paying Verizon cash money — “to ensure that its connections match its traffic volumes.”

Verizon also wants us to be sure that this has nothing to do with the FCC’s current fast lane net neutrality proposal.

“We are working aggressively with Netflix to establish new, direct connections from Netflix to Verizon’s network,” says Verizon. They then explain that, “this doesn’t ‘prioritize’ Netflix traffic in any way, but it ensures that their traffic gets on our network through direct connections—not middleman networks—that are up to the task.”

Here’s the thing about that paid peering arrangement Verizon wants Netflix to work out with them, though: Netflix has been making agreements with major ISPs this year. Comcast and Time Warner Cable customers saw their Netflix service improve, almost like a light switch, after Netflix made agreements with those companies.

Netflix and Verizon came to an agreement in late April, but in Netflix’s most recent ISP data, FiOS customers are still having trouble connecting to the service.

In a statement to The Verge, Netflix turned Verizon’s own reasoning back onto the ISP.

“We’d like to thank Verizon for laying out the issue so nicely,” Netflix told The Verge. “Congestion at the interconnection point is controlled by ISPs like Verizon. When Verizon fails to upgrade those interconnections, consumers get a lousy experience despite paying for more than enough bandwidth to enjoy high-quality Netflix video. That’s why Netflix is calling for strong net neutrality that covers the interconnection needed for consumers to get the quality of INTER-net they pay for.”

Speaking with The Washington Post in an unrelated but well-timed interview, Netflix CEO Reed Hastings likened the peering interconnection fees for internet-based content to the retransmission fees companies pay for traditional content delivery.

“Then the danger is that it becomes like retransmission fees, which 20 years ago started as something little and today is huge, with blackouts and shutdowns during negotiations,” Hastings told the Post. “Conceptually, if they can charge a little, than they can charge a lot.”

And why can fees run away so much? That’s because of our old friend competition, or rather the complete absence of it.

And since ISPs get to set the terms, Hastings told the Post, businesses and consumers need regulation to keep everything working. “We think the right principle is that [ISPs] shouldn’t be charging, impeding, or favoring data,” Hastings said.

Later this year, we’ll find out if the FCC agrees. But in the short term, the best advice for Verizon subscribers who want to binge-watch Orange Is The New Black seems to be “get another ISP.” And that’s a choice many consumers simply don’t have.

Netflix CEO Q&A: Picking a fight with the Internet service providers [The Washington Post]

Why is Netflix Buffering? Dispelling the Congestion Myth [Verizon's Policy Blog]

by Kate Cox via Consumerist

Police: Hey, Knuckleheads — The Bathroom Of Chuck E. Cheese’s Is No Place To Be Smoking Heroin

(Bob Reck)

Not that there’s anywhere you should be doing illegal drugs, but public places are exceptionally awful venues for such activities And ratcheting up the inappropriate level to 11? Smoking heroin in the bathroom of a Chuck E. Cheese, as police say two “knuckleheads” decided to do in California.

The police didn’t mince words describing the alleged dastardly deeds of the men suspected of chasing the dragon, saying that the pair are a “couple of knuckleheads,” reports the Los Angeles Times.

According to officials, another patron called to report that there might be two guys in the bathroom doing drugs. When officers arrived on the scene, they say the men were inside a stall smoking horse. Again, heroin. Which is very bad.

For some reason, the twosome had allegedly decided to meet with their dealer at the Chuck E. Cheese, and apparently couldn’t wait to leave before smoking it, a police sergeant explained.

One man was arrested on charges of suspicion of felony possession of a narcotic, two misdemeanors of drug paraphernalia, and being under the influence of a controlled substance. The other was arrested on suspicion of being under the influence of a controlled substance. Both are unofficially charged with doing something really awful where kids go to have fun and eat pizza with animatronic mice.

Two men accused of smoking heroin in Chuck E. Cheese restroom [Los Angeles Times]

by Mary Beth Quirk via Consumerist

Amazon Asks FAA For Permission To Blacken The Skies With Delivery Drones

The Amazon Prime Air drone that will eventually be hailed as the forefather of our future robotic overlords.

Last month, the Federal Aviation Administration laid down a speed bump in the road toward the impending robot apocalypse, clarifying that package-delivery drones like the ones being planned by Amazon and others are currently illegal. But, much like a locked door or a cinderblock wall will not stop a T-1000, a bit of bureaucracy will not stop Amazon from its destiny of creating Skynet Amazon Prime Air.

According to the Wall Street Journal, a computer at Amazon has sent the FAA a formal request for permission to start testing the drones that the company’s Chief Executive Cyborg Jeff Bezos showed off to Charlie Rose back in December.

The company tells the FAA that it is already on the ninth generation of prototypes for the drones, which are intended to carry lightweight (5 lbs. and under) packages short distances from Amazon distribution centers.

Amazon says the current-gen drones travel at speeds in excess of 50 mph.

The company isn’t looking for an exemption to launch the Prime Air service in earnest; just to test it near the company’s Seattle HQ.

The current FAA rules have limited Amazon’s drone testing to indoor spaces and countries that aren’t as worried about the possibility of a sky full of autonomous helicopters carrying parcels that could be dropped like cardboard bombs on unsuspecting humans.

“Amazon would prefer to keep the focus, jobs, and investment of this important research and development initiative in the United States,” says a lifelike executive at the company.

The FAA has begun accepting exemptions for non-hobby use of drones, but the head of the agency’s unmanned-aircraft office has previously stated that these exemptions would be for drones involved in filmmaking, agriculture and inspections of infrastructure and energy plants.

Perhaps Bezos will start renting out Prime Air drones to shoot aerial B-roll footage while they deliver Kindles to customers?

by Chris Morran via Consumerist

Maybe The Froyo Bubble Will Be Next To Burst

(Josh Liba)

We learned earlier this week that famed cupcakery chain Crumbs would shutting down, an indication that the cupcake bubble that began in the middle of last decade has finally burst. What other dessert food trends are ready to melt or crumble right before our eyes? Maybe it’s frozen yogurt places.

The proliferation of modern froyo shops is tragicomic in some cities: there’s even a Tumblr that chronicles the varied, not-dessert-related businesses in New York City that have now become chain or independent froyo places. (The site’s URL and name contain a curse word and are not safe for work or for sensitive eyes.)

Maybe the prominent froyo chains won’t collapse like Crumbs did, though: while it’s easy to bake your own cupcakes at home, few people are equipped to make their own soft-serve with a huge array of both healthy and unhealthy toppings.

The CEO of ice cream company Carvel notes that they are not about to start making Fudgie the Fro-Yo Whale anytime soon. He told the Wall Street Journal that eventually this proliferation of froyo places will have to stop. “I absolutely believe we’ll see a frozen yogurt bubble, and only the strongest brands will survive long term,” he told the Journal. Then maybe the independent restaurants and other businesses replaced by frozen yogurt shops will come back. Or they’ll just be replaced with the next dessert trend.

With Cupcakes in Decline, is Frozen Yogurt Next to Fall? [Wall Street Journal]

by Laura Northrup via Consumerist

Last Chance To Send In Questions For GM CEO Mary Barra

Earlier this week, we told you that our colleagues at Consumer Reports were going to feature General Motors CEO Mary Barra in the magazine’s first Ask the CEO column. They are still accepting questions for Ms. Barra through today at asktheceo@cr.consumer.org, so get yours in ASAP before this opportunity shuts off like the ignition on a 2003 Chevy Cobalt.

by Chris Morran via Consumerist

Phony Payday Loan Brokers Must Turn Over Rolls Royce, Maserati, Ferrari To Feds

(Photo: David Blackwell)

When someone goes hunting for a payday loan — just looking to get their hands on a small amount of cash to tide them over until the next paycheck — it’s bad enough that they can end up trapped in a hellish debt cycle that sees them taking out loan after loan. But the FTC says a Tampa-based operation preyed upon these already-desperate victims by tricking them into applying for payday loans, only to steal their info and what little money they had.

According to a motion [PDF] filed with a federal court in Illinois, the Federal Trade Commission has accused defendants Sean C. Mulrooney and Odafe Stephen Ogaga and the five companies they controlled of using websites under the names of “Vantage Funding,” “Ideal Advance,” “Loan Assistance Company,” “Palm Loan Advances,” “Loan Tree Advances,” “Pacific Advances,” and “Your Loan Funding” to collect consumers’ names, Social Security numbers, bank routing numbers, and bank account numbers under the guise of helping these people obtain payday loans.

But rather than using their supposed connections to a network of lenders to get loans for applicants, these companies allegedly used the info to chisel away at consumers’ bank accounts, debiting around $30 at a time.

Additionally, the FTC claims that the defendants paid third parties for information about other consumers and used the purchased information to debit these folks’ accounts.

The defendants were able to siphon off more than $5 million in total.

Those consumers who complained about the vanishing funds were promised refunds and $100 gas vouchers, but the defendants’ companies never delivered on these deals.

Adding insult to injury, by taking money from consumers who were already in need of cash, the defendants’ actions resulted in people who were unable to pay bills or other debts.

Meanwhile, the defendants were living like kings, or at least kingpins. One defendant owns a 2012 Maserati GranTurismo, while the other defendant is the proud owner of a 2011 Rolls Royce Ghost and a 2006 Ferrari 430.

Though it looks like those rides, along with the defendants’ other assets will be turned over the FTC as part of a settlement deal.

“Repeatedly, we’ve seen situations where consumers provide sensitive financial information when inquiring about a payday loan online, and that information falls into the wrong hands,” said Jessica Rich, Director of the FTC’s Bureau of Consumer Protection.

by Chris Morran via Consumerist

Chia Pet Makers Now Selling Jars Of Ch-Ch-Ch-Chia Seeds

Chia seeds are a hot food item now, but Joseph Enterprises was ahead of its time. They put chia seeds in millions of American homes starting three decades ago. Of course, there’s one key difference: we were all smearing those seeds on the exterior of a terra cotta animal, not sprinkling them on top of our breakfast granola. Until now.

Joseph Enterprises has finally caught up with the rest of the chia industry, and is selling jars of the same seeds that they’ve sold all these years to cover those famous pets.

We learned about this from a passing reference in Wall Street Journal story about growing the South American plant here in the United States. Cheese, and the people behind a company that tried to throw the plant in Kentucky had trouble with their first crop. Because this is Consumerist, we were more interested in the cheesy ’80s product aspect of the story.

The seeds’ actual brand name? “Ch-Ch-Ch-Chia,” of course. What else would it be?

The seeds are available at Walmart, Target, drugstores, and anywhere else that you would expect to find both as-seen-on-TV products and dietary supplements.

Me, I can’t wait till this comes full circle and consumers are able to buy a Chia Pet brand chia garden and harvest their own chia seeds at home.

Ch-Ch-Ch-Chia® Chia Seeds [Joseph Enterprises]

Beyond the Pets: Growing Chia Seeds in Bluegrass Country [Wall Street Journal]

by Laura Northrup via Consumerist

Computer Glitch Sends Draft Notices To 14,215 Dead Men In Pennsylvania

(Mod Betty)

We’ve heard of plenty of bad consumers who have failed to hold up their end of the law, but can you really be a draft dodger if you’re dead? Not really, which is why the U.S. Selective Service is saying the family members of about 14,215 long-deceased men in Pennsylvania should just ignore that notice they may’ve gotten.

In a notice posted on the Service’s page, the agency says it’s sorry for a June 30, 2014 mailing that reminded the men that they needed to register for the draft.

But those men were born between 1893-1897 — and not 1993-1997, silly Y2Kesque computer system! — so they’re pretty dead by now.

“Unfortunately, these letters were sent before a computer error was discovered,” the notice reads. “The mailing included erroneous names of men born during 1893-1897 from a routine automated data transfer between the State of Pennsylvania and Selective Service. Selective Service regrets any inconvenience caused the families of these men and assures them that the error has been corrected and no action is required on their part.”

Engadget reports that the Pennsylvania Department of Transportation’s cataloging software uses a two-digit birth-year field, which is apparently behind the snafu.

The error was only uncovered once confused people started calling to ask why the military would possibly be interested in signing up their long-dead predecessors for service. As everyone knows, Great Grandpa Theo

by Mary Beth Quirk via Consumerist

New York State Attorney General Tries To Shut Down Lyft Before Tonight’s NYC Launch

(Ben Schumin)

Seven hours from now, people in the New York City boroughs of Brooklyn and Queens were supposed to be able to dial up a vehicle from ride-sharing service Lyft and coast through traffic in a cloud of peer-to-peer vehicular bliss. “Not so fast!” the New York state government said to the service, its drivers, and their pink-mustachioed cars.

The Wall Street Journal reports that the AG filed for a court order to stop today’s launch, claiming that California-based Lyft is launching despite not conforming to New York’s laws that govern taxis and car services. While the company calls itself a ride-sharing service, the state counters that it’s really a livery service masquerading as something else, and by shuttling around paying passengers, the service would be operating in “open defiance of state and local licensing and insurance laws designed to protect the lives and well-being of New Yorkers.” Ride-sharing services are such a new concept that governments simply don’t know how to regulate them yet.

The court order would also shut down Lyft operations in existing markets in New York: earlier this year, Lyft had already launched in Buffalo and Rochester, two smaller cities on the other end of the state with large college-student populations.

New York Attorney General Seeks Restraining Order Against Lyft [Wall Street Journal]

by Laura Northrup via Consumerist