I had been thinking that a Netflix streaming-only subscription was a good idea long before they followed through, so when it finally became a reality I jumped all over the $7.99 plan.  It should be noted that Netflix is now also scaling back their DVD offerings in general to favor streaming content, a move that I full support but that has caused a lot of controversy among their loyal customer base.

The way I look at it is, including computers, I have 7 or more devices that are able to stream Netflix content on-demand, so why would I want to wait for physical DVDs to be sent to me?  Also, for whatever reason, if I have a physical Netflix disc sitting near my entertainment center that goes unwatched I tend to feel much more wasteful than if I go a while without using Instant Watch.  I'm sure it's completely psychological and I chalk it up as one of my myriad quirks.  This post wasn't really suposed to be about the Netflix service itself though - instead I have a recommendation that will put your subscription to good use!

Vice Guide to Travel

The Vice Guide to TravelSimply put, the Vice Guide to Travel involves a group of people that travel to turbulent, dangerous or seldom-exposed places in the world for the purpose of documentation.  It's a multi-part series that's billed as a travel guide but in reality it's more a candid look at interesting places that you would probably never want to visit.  I've watched just about the entire season and have seen episodes about the radiation in Chernobyl, the gun markets of Pakistan and a war waged over the origin of vodka.  Although slightly disturbing in some cases, most of the episodes are extremely interesting if you're into different cultures and areas of the world.  There was, however, one episode which sticks out as a must-see regardless.

Vice Invades North Korea

Let me preface this by saying that the reason the Vice Guide to Travel caught my eye in the first place was this episode.  I had recently watched a more formal documentary presented by National Geographic that showed me just enough about North Korea to know that I wanted more.  What sets the Vice Guide to North Korea apart is that where the National Geographic reporters would tread lightly the Vice guys pushed the boundaries to the point of risking imprisonment.  I make an effort to never veer down the path of discussing politics or religion here (or really anywhere if I can avoid it) because more often than not those discussions lead to conflict.  That said North Korea is a crazy place, a sort of communist micrcosm cut off from the rest of the world, and I find it endlessly intriguing (though saying that makes me feel guilty to an extent).

So that's it really, go take a look at the Vice Guide to North Korea and if you enjoy it like I did you may end up giving the other episodes a look as well!