An open letter to Apple about your stingy movie rental policy

Dear Apple, Inc. and greedy Hollywood copyright lawyers,

Subject: my rental of "The Sitter"

I just tweeted the following to over 1,000 people which was further tweeted out to 1,600 5,200 people by @niltiac: "I REALLY hate 24 hour limit on @iTunesMovies rentals. Clearly these people don't have small children. I've been burned by "expired" AGAIN."
https://twitter.com/jamesbritton/statuses/184434973317677056
I have several Apple-faithful followers on twitter and contribute to a high-traffic Apple news site mactrast.com

Your 24-hour rental policy SUCKS. I have been burned numerous times by this policy because I have small children and typically have to break up movie-watching over 2 nights.
Here's a solution, as @adamjury on twitter suggested:
@jamesbritton @iTunesMovies @niltiac Even 28 hours would be better, giving the renter 2 "prime times" (whenever that is to them) to watch.
https://twitter.com/adamjury/statuses/184435465137553410

I am very close to never renting from the iTunes store again due to your stingy 24 hour time limit. Never mind the fact that you extort people out of $1 more for HD content.

I guess I need to call a sitter just to watch "The Sitter."

What do you suggest I do?!

Sincerely,
Pissed-off iTunes customer speaking for thousands of others in the same predicament.

UPDATE: Romeo to the rescue

I got a credit from the Apple support team but it certainly was a hassle and a lot of time on my part to post here and tweet. What is the long term solution?

*******

Hi James,

Thanks for getting back to my email and for providing the order number.

After reviewing the circumstances of your case, we determined that issuing you a refund for your rental is an appropriate exception to the iTunes Store Terms and Conditions.

You will see a credit of $4.99, plus any applicable taxes, in five to seven business days. If store credit was used for this purchase, you should see the credit post within five to seven business days. If you still do not see your store credit, you will need to sign out of the iTunes Store and sign back in.

You may now attempt to rent this movie again using your computer. Once the movie has downloaded to your computer, you may move the rental to a mobile device. For more information, see this article:

How to rent a movie from the iTunes Store on your computer
http://support.apple.com/kb/HT1390

Thank you for your patience.

Sincerely,

Romeo
iTunes Store/Mac App Store Customer Support

I responded: "Thank you" and he replied:

Hi James,

This is Romeo again. I just wanted to say that you are very welcome.

Nothing makes Apple happier than to hear that we have pleased our customers. I hope that you continue to enjoy the iTunes Store.

Thank you so much for being a valued iTunes Store customer. If you require assistance in the future, don't hesitate to contact iTunes Support, we are only an email away and always here to help. Have a wonderful day!

Overall, I was impressed with the politeness of the support staff. But, will the policy change? It's doubtful. I'm definitely a fan of the 28 hour rental period as suggested by @adamjury in order to span "two prime times." It would be great even if they allowed you to extend your viewing period once for maybe 6 hours for $1 extra.

An open letter to Tennessee's Lenoir City High School

Krystal Myers, photo by Adam Brimer, knoxnews.comThis is regarding the censorship by Lenoir City High School of a young atheist student's opinion piece. It was barred from publication by school director, Wayne Miller. Read the letter in full here.

In light of what has happened to Krystal Myers, I expect you to:

1. Offer her a full, public apology
2. Amend your mission and belief statements, since they clearly don't reflect reality. Especially item #4
3. Prepare for a barrage of lawsuits from the ACLU.
4. Hope and "pray" to your God that Krystal doesn't take you to the Supreme Court. It would be a shame to further waste taxpayer money defending your bogus policies.

Your actions as a publicly-funded institution are a disgrace and your mission and belief statements aren't worth a cent. Shame on your administration and on Director Wayne Miller.

There is a silver lining here: In spite of your backwards policies, at least you have educated one bright individual - her name is Krystal Myers, a courageous young woman.

FSM ~(O_o)~

REVIEW: How To Be Black

Baratunde Thurston's epic journey of blacknessWanna know How To Be Black? Get  Baratunde Thurston's hilarious book, released today! I read a publisher's review copy and it's a laugh out loud riot. Baratunde briefs you on the ins and outs of growing up black in the same white, East Coast elite school that Obama's kids attend and offers tips on how to be a friend of the black community. This book turns racism upside down, backwards, slant ways and every other way.

If you haven't had the privilege of knowing and following the hyper-connected Baratunde on Twitter as I have since the early days, fret not. It's not too late to get to know him and come to appreciate his quick wit and astute observations of technology, culture, and blackness. Baratunde's position as director of digital at The Onion lends comedic credence to this fantastic book that helps white Americans get in touch with all things black, just in time for Black History Month.

Help me, help Baratunde, and help yourself with How to Be Black from Amazon. The enhanced Kindle edition also has excellent videos of semi-famous black folks and other Internet gems.

NB: If you're white, it won't turn you black. If you're black, it might help you to understand the dynamic with non-blacks.

Gone

May Steve's family and friends find peace in their heavy hearts today. He was a man that chased his dreams and is an inspiration to succeed.

Education is Killing Creativity

A great segment about the current state of education. Sir Ken Robinson is a funny, engaging speaker. This is well worth a view if you've ever thought the way we teach our children is counter-intuitive.