She Learnt Something

Via Gothamist by way of The NYPost article by Jen Chung on August 25, 2009 3:09 PM

It's a story that Dick Wolf would approve of: A receptionist helped the cops catch a career criminal by setting aside a paper cup he used—all thanks to the armchair detective knowledge she acquired from watching crime dramas like Law & Order: SVU! Of course, the cops initially declined to take evidence—Detective Eliot Stabler would totally rage out about that.

According to the NY Post, Justine Faeth, 24, "was in the company's lobby at 6 E. 39th St. on June 15 when smooth-talking ex-con Kevin Moore, 50, walked in at around 1:30 p.m." He then "distracted Faeth by asking for a glass of water, and after drinking half of it, blew his nose in a tissue, put the rag in the paper cup and left it on the front desk, she said." The old "can I have some water and blow my nose out" scam! Before she knew it, Moore had left with an iPod, cellphone and wallet! But that's when life-imitates-art inspiration struck:

"When they are trying to get DNA from a suspect on 'SVU' and that person is unwilling to give them a sample, they trick them into drinking water and then use that as evidence," Faeth told The Post yesterday.

"I knew to save the cup at least for fingerprints -- the show taught me that," she said. "It's amazing what you can learn on a TV show."

So the worker said she made sure the cup remained set aside until the cops came.

The only thing is that the cops said the DNA evidence wasn't necessary, because it wasn't a rape or murder—so she threw away the evidence... only for detectives to come back and ask for it! Luckily, the garbage crew hadn't taken her trash and the police traced the DNA to Moore, who is believed to be behind at least similar robberies (including ones where he pretended to ask about lessons at Alvin Ailey Dance Studios and took a tour of a gym, where he robbed a back office).

As for the initial cop's claim that they didn't need the cup, police spokesman Paul Browne said, "We do not know that the officer said that."

I'm 50/50 on this. Yeah! for her quick thinking but it was after the fact so she should've known the scam.

What is she?

Apparently not watching regular TV gives me little to talk about.

Windows Media Center

One Dell 15" laptop
One Angel USB TV Tuner
One set of Dell 2.1 speakers
+ Windows Media Center
Fuzzy TV with a 10 second delay

There are rumors that a person can get a full TV experience with Hulu, broadcast network sites, and other sites. Add to that the illegal ways of downloading, storing, and praying that you don't get a virus.

These rumors are false. Online TV is not equivalent to on-air television.

I'm very passive and so is TV and radio. If you can't push ONE button to get all your entertainment then what's the point. Searching, downloading, converting, watching then deleting all for a show you may not like, no thanks.

Here I go watching overpriced Coin Collectors on HSN while listening to Loveline Livestream and blogging & screen capturing.

So while not completely sans TV I have to adjust my habits, for now.

It's a Start

So with both TVs out of commission and a new semester worth of books and supplies on the way I choose to win a TV.

I've had decent luck with contest and tried to get something good with this Subway Scrabble game.

Well who would of thought I won on my second try.
No money.
No TV.
Nope. Not even a sandwich.

Winner of:
A 3 month membership to Club Pogo estimated value $8.99. Really, on that site you have to play almost everyday to possibly qualify to win more prizes. Now that I'm busy and with no free time.

My contest luck has always been off.

From TV Guide I entered to win 240 DVDs of the best shows. Instead I got the "Black Oil" edition of the X-Files. I got through 3 episodes and shelved it. No Black Oil either, very disappointing.

I entered a TV Squad contest to win an iPod, instead got $100 cash. Not bad but I really wanted the iPod since I don't buy music this would give me a reason to.

I won a radio contest the gave a special edition Star Trek DVD but it was never sent and instead I got tickets to some movie that I couldn't attend since I had classes.

This is sort of a pity post but feel free to rant on your contest-near-win in the comments.

Auxiliary Down Too

2nd dramatic recreation.

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Dramatic Recreation

On Hiatus

Due to irony and technical difficulties we at My Box Is Warm are currently on hiatus.


Sorry for any inconvenience this may have caused.

The Blackout

Back on August 14, 2003 there was a major east coast blackout. The power was out in my area for a little over a day. Some places were without power for 10+ days.

I was working in Lower Manhattan close to the World Trade Center when the lights went dark. The boss announced that the whole neighborhood was out and to go home by walking past the World Trade Center zone. By the time I reached the subway I walked halfway down the steps when I noticed it was the blackest black I ever saw.

If the subway was dark I thought so is the entire city. Walking to Union Square people with cars blasted their stereos with news that most of the east coast was out. Every payphone was working but full of anxious callers. Nearly every cell phone was non-functional.

I decided to walk back home over the bridge to my section of Brooklyn, it was about 8 miles (13 km). It was also in the high 90s and high humidity. All I had was half a bottle of warm water and about $50.

The only criminal activity I saw was frozen water being sold at five times normal value.

By the time I got home a few hours later I went to a local pizzeria ordered some slices and soda. They used two ovens one a wood burner the other a gas burner both worked well. My apartment uses natural gas stoves so it also was unaffected and I didn't open he fridge so nothing spoiled.

I spent the night listening to my Sony Walkman and staring at the star filled sky. The day brought electricity and TV. It was a good time New Yorkers acted like they always do with calm and logic.

food

Food Network, Channel #97

Food, gluttonous food!

I'm not a foodie although I do appreciate a fancy meal and every blue moon I think I'm a chef or bakery and will try to make something grand.

What I most often want is a pill you take on January 1st and for the rest of the year you don't need to eat.

Back in my youth I would watch hours of PBS cooking shows including Julia Childs and would be fixated. Now I can go months skipping cooking segments or shows.

For research purposes I saw...
Behind the Bash - Some lady goes to the kitchen to watch very fancy food get prepared.
Giada's Weekend Getawayys - I think that same lady eats local Rhode Island food.
Chefography - Rachel Ray is profiled. She intrigues me, just not enough to watch her talk show.
Chef vs. City - Teams of two run around Vegas in reality-show food stunts.
Diners, Drive-Ins and Dives - Burgers, pizza and chili that raises your cholesterol just by watching them being cooked.

They do have a candy show that is great or maybe since I watch it at 3am when I have the munchies.

HBO2

Home Box Office 2, Channel #96

Just everything from HBO plus one or two more movies.

Currently worth watching on HBO2:
Held Up - Nia Long and Jamie Foxx in this underrated comedy about mistaken identity.
August Rush - Keri Russell in a wonderfully magic modern day fairy tale.
Fool's Gold - It's cute and funny enough.
The Ruins - Killer plants from the Mayan empire, I actually want to read the book after watching this film.

PPV, PPV2, PLAYBOY, XCESS

Pay-Per-View, Pay-Per-View 2, Playboy TV, Spice Xcess, Channels #92, #93, #94, #95

These are the channels blocked by cable unless you pay to watch the individual programs. Most of the programming is smut but they also show boxing, soccer, and wrestling (fake). Bars and restaurants are they main customers but occasional house parties where the host ask $2-$5 per guest for the PPV bill.

The only time I ever ordered PPV was for American Pie Uncut, it was just when the local video rental store closed and I was bored (pre-internet for me).

Those cage girls will catch a cold if continue on that path.

Girls Gone Wild classic.

Clever pun.

Oh those n00bs.

SHO2, Flix

Showtime 2, Flix, Channel #90, #91

Both are part of the Showtime family.

Showtime 2
Mostly movies and reruns from Showtime. Unfortunately they also show reality. Big Brother After Dark shows us the uncensored stuff the networks can't air. Before you get too excited it is mostly 3 hours of talking and cursing.

Currently worth watching:
Valmont (1989) - Anything with Colin Firth and Fairuza Balk is always worth watching.
Hostel 2 (2007) - Gore films can be enjoyable, to a point.

Flix
Older movies but that doesn't necessarily mean quality.

Currently worth watching:
The Perez Family (1995) - Great movie about an informal Cuban family. Plus Marisa Tomei is at her best here.
The Gate (1987) - Claymation demons terrorize children. Actually scarier than it sounds.
From Dusk til Dawn (1996) -Great action vampire movie.


Part 3
Bolllywood Hero concluded on typical happy ending note, I think. The timing was off and TiVo did not record the last 5 minutes and I don't know when they rerun it.

YES

Yankees Entertainment and Sports Network, Channel #89

All Yankees all the time, except when they are showing infomercials.

Yankees baseball is unique among all baseball and they are simply the greatest. How they win so much is quite simple. They never give up. A typical baseball game last 3 hours, the typical Yankees game is 4 hours + and they often comeback during the 8th and 9th innings.

Sure the lack of consistent pitching may be a problem but they focus on getting hits and they are equally prepared during the 15th inning as they are in the 1st.

Sidenote: I'm a Yankees fan.

Update: Forgot the also show NJ Nets basketball games but no one watches.

MSG, MSG Plus

Madison Square Garden Network, Madison Square Garden Plus, Channel #87, #88

MSG plays a lot of old games and other sport events from Madison Square Garden.

MSG Plus plays more modern games including soccer and other lesser sports. They use to show arena football but as of last week the league has been disbanded. Now we must watch Candian Football for all our off season football fix.

Both MSGs have sports talk but again MSG Plus is more current sports talk.



Part 2
Bollywood Hero has Kattan becoming more likable as he tries to make up for kissing a women in India. They barely touch on the hypocritical state of India as pioneers but not leaders in women's rights. Just as you start to like Kattan, the character, he messes up his new relationship by talking too much.

TMC

The Movie Channel, Channel #86

Once independent now part of the Showtime family. Get ready for a shock. This station shows nothing but movies! Cue dramatic music... ♪ ♫ ♪ ♫

Themes:
Yesterday's theme was Splatterdays on Saturdays featuring movies like the new Halloween, Scream, and other slasher-comedies and horrors of recent years.

Other themes can include That Guy You Know by Face, Blondes, Heroes Who Die, etc.

MAX

cinemax, Channel #85

Lots of popular movies but they have a deserving reputation for peddling softcore p0rn. At this moment they are having Busty Cops: Protect and Serve! the plot makes no sense and they are not effective cops but then again I maybe missing the point(s).

Part 1:
Back to yesterday's premiere of Bollywood Hero on IFC it was ok but Chris Kattan could have done it a bit more serious or at least less physical comedy. Everyone else is playing it straight and comfortable then you have Kattan being so uncomfortable that it is distracting. I get he is in a strange land trying something new but it doesn't come off as a sincere effort. Plus one hour long is too short.

SHO

Showtime, Channel #84

A lesser HBO but it has some goodness its own rights. While the other premium cable channels battle over the crappy-blockbusters Showtime goes for better quality.

Recently they have hit hard with original programming.

Currently watching:
Dexter - A serial killer with a heart of gold. Season premiere September 27.
Californication - A sex addict with a heart of gold. Season premiere in winter?
Nurse Jackie - Just another bad drug addict.
Weeds - Funny show about a family of drug dealers.

Gave up watching:
Secret Diary of a Call Girl - Hooker with a heart of gold that made prostitution look like a day at Disneyland and not the drug filled abusive black hole it really is in life.
United States of Tara - A psycho with a heart of gold. Again the candy coated psychotic behavior to the point were no one can relate to the main character.

Heart of Gold Theme
While HBO goes for the ensemble cast Showtime puts a lead for each show and surrounds them with great supporting casts. To make sure you won't hate the lead when eventually they do something out of character or just plain dumb they give them a heart of gold.


Pop-ups from hell.

During Weeds a fully loud and annoying video pop-up announcing some webisodes featuring the Andy character. So at a critcal moment of the show on this commercial free channel they blast a huge pop-up for no good reason. I refuse to watch the webisodes because this little stunt which has been stopped recently.

IFC

Independent Film Channel, Channel #83

Great movies but few reruns so if you missed a movie once it chances are bleak of seeing it again. Speaking of bleak most of these movies are seriously depressing. They have some original programing and documentaries but the reason to watch this channel is for the movies.

That said tonight is the the premiere of an original mini-series called Bollywood Hero. It is a comedy that mixes real life actors and a fictional production. I never got in to Bollywood or most Indian films since the musical is the least enjoyable of all entertainment.

Some IFC fans are probably worried that this mini-series will garner such high ratings that the channel will switch to a less independent flavor. I'll try to watch all the 3 night event which would be the longest time I spent on IFC at primetime.

IFC seems to bundle their movies. What I mean is currently they are having a run of movies I find interesting but 3 months ago they had a run of the worst movies ever made.


Update: Speaking of great movies John Hughes died today. He made more great movies in his short life than most studios in the last decade.
National Lampoon's Vacation, Ferris Bueller's Day Off, Weird Science, The Breakfast Club, Sixteen Candles, Pretty in Pink, Planes, Trains and Automobiles, Uncle Buck, Home Alone Home Alone 2: Lost in New York and Curley Sue.

HBO

Home Box Office, Channel #82

The great and grand channel for all things TV. This season garnered the 99 Emmy nominations the most for any channel and more then most others combined. 9 years of leading the Emmy nod and there is no end in sight as broadcast TV just slaughters every good scripted show.

Emmy Nominated:
Flight of the Conchords - The best New Zealand-sheperds turned into novelty-musicians musical-sitcom ever.

Grey Gardens - The movie based on the groundbreaking documentary, I have yet to watch it since I want to see the documentary first.

Overlooked:
True Blood which is great that last episode, Release Me, has revealed all the secrets and next week we will see the consequences.

As great as HBO is they have fallen lately because of the movies. This is not HBO's fault instead most movies today are awful.

This month's movie:
The Women - Ok but far from heart warming.
Apollo 13 - A modern classic but again not as riveting as presented.
The Mummy: Tomb of the Dragon Emperor - Awful, it could have been better if Rachel Weisz came back.
Forgetting Sarah Marshall - Funny but laughs did not make it to the end.
Wanted - Decent for the cool killings but not for anything else.
Jumper - I enjoyed it but it needs a sequel.
Harold & Kumar: Escape from Guantanamo Bay - Funny and sick, maybe too much.
The Fifth Element - On my list of favorite movies of all time, I just watched it again a few nights ago.

With the exception of Fifth Element I would not pay 99 cents for these movies or the rest of the ones scheduled to premiere. When your best movie is a 12 year old sci-fi hit then I would recommend keeping up on the original programming.

Sidenote: I've been waiting for The Mist and Cloverfield to come to television so if anyone knows when they will be on please leave a coment.

OXYGEN

OXYGEN, Channel #81

Oprah's station but spend any time watching it and you'll notice it is more of a Carsey-Werner station. Lots of reruns and women-centric movies. Unfortunately also lots of reality.

That said...

Tori & Dean: Home Sweet Hollywood
I happened to catch one episode because I saw someone on a race track about to crash. Turns out it was just Dean McDermott doing his motorcycle trials and surviving.

Since I don't follow celebrities instead I follow TV shows/characters I haven't been up to date with Tori Spelling. I enjoyed Spelling on Smallville even if the show has gone beyond ridiculous. Spelling has become the best mom ever. Honestly if the show is just half real she is still the nicest person in the Hollywood fish bowl. Watching her with kids is one of the few genuine reality moments. (Also watched the return of Jon & Kate Plus 8 which was so awkward and forced that you wonder why they came back.)

Shop Erotic (no link as I try to keep this blog PG-13)
To see this level of sexuality and accompanying paraphernalia on basic cable could only be done with Oprah's permission. An informercial that makes you stop everything just to make sure you didn't accidentally order some nasty-vision-pay-per-view.

So the only two shows I've recently seen on Oxygen are on either ends of the extreme so I'm guessing the other shows are somewhere in the middle.


For those keeping track there is no channel 80 on Optimum cable unlike 79 which is just black. So far channel 8 and 80 are not assigned but as the numbers go higher many more will be skipped so I may not mention them.

SCTY

SCTY, Channel #79

This channel doesn't exist.

24 hours of a black screen with No Data Available on the Optimum guide. TiVo even refuses to set this channel, bringing you back to channel 2 if you attempt to get to 79.

I can vaguely remember this was Romance Classic then it changed many times and occasionally showed a blacked out game.

Now it is just darkness and the name SCTY which usually means security.

fuse

fuse TV, Channel #78

A music channel with actual music videos and concerts. Mostly rock and alternative although every type of music is represented.

Fuse 20 - Video clips hosted by everyone 's favorite Danielle Fishel. She makes cute, funny, and interesting comments about a group of 20 themed videos.

Hit List, No. 1 Countdown - both shows show today's most popular music

Loaded, All Nighter- more alternative or lesser known music

Band Chronicles - um...they chronicle one band at a time

I do enjoy music videos but as time goes on I know less and less artist. Also I find more than half of the videos unwatchable.

HLN

CNN Headline News, Channel #77

What was once a great quick 30 minute news channel has turned into a gossipy trash talk network. The still give some quick headline news just not 24/7. At least us New Yorkers still have NY1.

I noticed the tide turning after HLN devoted much of the primetime hours to Nancy Grace. This hardly-lawyer is a slightly demented faux-reporter who sees criminals everywhere ever since her fiancée was shot dead. Her attack on the not-guilty has resulted in deaths and she feels no remorse. Grace was such a hit on HLN that three or four more similar style yellow-journalist have joined the team to compete on the same level as Fox News.

Appropriate logo.