In a bid to revive interest in Flickr,
Yahoo has redesigned its photo community website and increased the
amount of free storage available to Flickr users to 1 terabyte.
That amounts to more than 500,000 photos taken at 6.5 megapixels, which
is about the size generated by current smartphone cameras.
It's enough space to attract the interest of
developers who see Flickr as a resource for storing any file, not just
image files. The reason is simple: A free terabyte of storage is a
pretty good deal, particularly when you consider that Flickr is charging
$499 a year for 2 terabytes.
The problem with using Flickr for general storage is that it's only
designed for images. To get around that, developer Ryan LeFevre has
posted Ruby code to Github called flickr-store that lets users encode data as a .PNG image file, so it can be stored using Flickr.
LeFevre, in an email, said that another developer, Ricardo Tomasi, implemented a similar project at about the same time he published flickr-store.
LeFevre said he would not advise anyone to use his code to store
critical files. "The ability to store files on Flickr by encoding them
as PNGs was more of an academic exercise than anything," he said. "That
said, there have been some similar successful projects in the past, such
as GmailFS, so it's
possible that the project could mature into a somewhat useful tool.
Encoding/decoding data from PNG files is also, unfortunately, a bit
slow. There is a lot of room for improvement."
Tuesday, May 21, 2013
XBox One
Eight years after releasing the Xbox 360, Microsoft has unveiled the
next generation of its gaming console, and the company seems to be
making up for lost time.
The new gaming system, which it plans to release before the end of the year, is chock full of new features that go way beyond new hardware, including Skype connectivity, television integration and new ways of controlling the system with your voice and body.
"We have an ambitious vision to become the all-in-one system for every living room," Microsoft president of Interactive Entertainment Business Don Mattrick said at the Xbox event in Redmond, Wash., this afternoon. Highlighting that the Xbox is not just a gaming system anymore, Mattrick added: "We're thrilled to unveil the ultimate all-in-one entertainment system: the Xbox One."
One of the standout hardware features might be the microphone on the box. Yes, a microphone. Microsoft has included new advanced voice control and commands. Say "Xbox, Go Home" aloud and it will return to the homescreen of the system. You can also say "Snap Internet Explorer" and you can bring up the browser and place it next to a game, similar to how you can snap windows next to each other in Windows 8.
Beyond using a tablet to navigate, the Xbox One is an extension of the tablet. In addition to bringing over some Windows 8-like functionality, it has integrated Skype right into Xbox, complete with video calling. There is also new app functionality. For instance, an ESPN app will alert you to your fantasy player stats while playing a game.
But beyond all that, the Xbox is very much trying to be the new TV platform.
"Until now, the TV viewing experience has been a one-way viewing experience for the viewer," Nancy Tellem, Microsoft's president of Entertainment & Digital Media, said on stage. "Now that is about to change."
The One will connect to your cable box, bring in your TV listings, and provide personalized suggestions. Microsoft says it will also overlay a social experience with that TV content as well, allowing the Xbox to become the "next watercooler."
*** [6/19/13]
Microsoft has sensationally abandoned its controversial plans to restrict the sharing of Xbox One games, and has also removed daily online authentication requirements for its forthcoming console.
In a statement released on the Xbox website on Wednesday, Don Mattrick, the president of Microsoft's interactive entertainment business, wrote that the company had listened to "candid feedback" from gamers. Before listing the changes, his explanation reads, "You told us how much you loved the flexibility you have today with games delivered on disc. The ability to lend, share, and resell these games at your discretion is of incredible importance to you. Also important to you is the freedom to play offline, for any length of time, anywhere in the world."
When the new console is released this November, there will be no need to authenticate the system online every 24 hours – a requirement thought to have been introduced as a digital rights management measure. According to the statement, "After a one-time system set-up with a new Xbox One, you can play any disc based game without ever connecting online again."
Furthermore, plans to restrict the sales of pre-owned titles, as well as the sharing of games among friends, have also been cancelled. There will now be no limits on gifting, re-selling, sharing or renting Xbox One game titles. In addition to these reversals, Microsoft is also removing regional locks on Xbox One games, which means titles bought in one global territory will work in all others.
The announcement follows a huge backlash against Microsoft which began when the company first revealed the Xbox One console at a press conference in May. Company representatives explained to journalists that all Xbox One games would need to be fully installed onto systems before play and that each copy would then be watermarked to its owner. Attempts to then sell on or give away the boxed copy of the game would be controlled by Microsoft; although the details have always been ambiguous,
The new gaming system, which it plans to release before the end of the year, is chock full of new features that go way beyond new hardware, including Skype connectivity, television integration and new ways of controlling the system with your voice and body.
"We have an ambitious vision to become the all-in-one system for every living room," Microsoft president of Interactive Entertainment Business Don Mattrick said at the Xbox event in Redmond, Wash., this afternoon. Highlighting that the Xbox is not just a gaming system anymore, Mattrick added: "We're thrilled to unveil the ultimate all-in-one entertainment system: the Xbox One."
One of the standout hardware features might be the microphone on the box. Yes, a microphone. Microsoft has included new advanced voice control and commands. Say "Xbox, Go Home" aloud and it will return to the homescreen of the system. You can also say "Snap Internet Explorer" and you can bring up the browser and place it next to a game, similar to how you can snap windows next to each other in Windows 8.
Beyond using a tablet to navigate, the Xbox One is an extension of the tablet. In addition to bringing over some Windows 8-like functionality, it has integrated Skype right into Xbox, complete with video calling. There is also new app functionality. For instance, an ESPN app will alert you to your fantasy player stats while playing a game.
But beyond all that, the Xbox is very much trying to be the new TV platform.
"Until now, the TV viewing experience has been a one-way viewing experience for the viewer," Nancy Tellem, Microsoft's president of Entertainment & Digital Media, said on stage. "Now that is about to change."
The One will connect to your cable box, bring in your TV listings, and provide personalized suggestions. Microsoft says it will also overlay a social experience with that TV content as well, allowing the Xbox to become the "next watercooler."
*** [6/19/13]
Microsoft has sensationally abandoned its controversial plans to restrict the sharing of Xbox One games, and has also removed daily online authentication requirements for its forthcoming console.
In a statement released on the Xbox website on Wednesday, Don Mattrick, the president of Microsoft's interactive entertainment business, wrote that the company had listened to "candid feedback" from gamers. Before listing the changes, his explanation reads, "You told us how much you loved the flexibility you have today with games delivered on disc. The ability to lend, share, and resell these games at your discretion is of incredible importance to you. Also important to you is the freedom to play offline, for any length of time, anywhere in the world."
When the new console is released this November, there will be no need to authenticate the system online every 24 hours – a requirement thought to have been introduced as a digital rights management measure. According to the statement, "After a one-time system set-up with a new Xbox One, you can play any disc based game without ever connecting online again."
Furthermore, plans to restrict the sales of pre-owned titles, as well as the sharing of games among friends, have also been cancelled. There will now be no limits on gifting, re-selling, sharing or renting Xbox One game titles. In addition to these reversals, Microsoft is also removing regional locks on Xbox One games, which means titles bought in one global territory will work in all others.
The announcement follows a huge backlash against Microsoft which began when the company first revealed the Xbox One console at a press conference in May. Company representatives explained to journalists that all Xbox One games would need to be fully installed onto systems before play and that each copy would then be watermarked to its owner. Attempts to then sell on or give away the boxed copy of the game would be controlled by Microsoft; although the details have always been ambiguous,
Tuesday, May 07, 2013
black screen on freecell, etc.
I started up Spider Solitaire and got a black screen. The sound was still working. The menu was still working. But the main game display was black.
No big deal, I can live without playing Spider Solitaire.
But then I tried FreeCell. Same thing.
The problems seems to be limited to the native Vista games. I played the freecell that I had imported from Windows XP and that worked. Yep, Hearts don't work either. Chess Titans. Mahjong Titans. Minesweeper. Regular Solitaire. Purble Place (whatever that is).
Inkball is the only one that works.
Hadn't played the XP version for a while. I notice the difference that in the Vista version you can drag the cards. While in the XP version, you click them. The other difference is that the Vista version you have unlimited undo. And if you restart again and lose, it counts as another loss (whereas the XP version just counts one loss no matter how many times you restart the game).
I think I had this problem before, but I don't remember what I did to fix it. I'm thinking now that I just rebooted and the problem cleared up.
reboot.
yay, it worked. I changed the background of freecell, so now I have to change it back.
[I was going to write this reply on my ipad mini, but got a blank screen when I tried. Another ipad incompatiblity.]
No big deal, I can live without playing Spider Solitaire.
But then I tried FreeCell. Same thing.
The problems seems to be limited to the native Vista games. I played the freecell that I had imported from Windows XP and that worked. Yep, Hearts don't work either. Chess Titans. Mahjong Titans. Minesweeper. Regular Solitaire. Purble Place (whatever that is).
Inkball is the only one that works.
Hadn't played the XP version for a while. I notice the difference that in the Vista version you can drag the cards. While in the XP version, you click them. The other difference is that the Vista version you have unlimited undo. And if you restart again and lose, it counts as another loss (whereas the XP version just counts one loss no matter how many times you restart the game).
I think I had this problem before, but I don't remember what I did to fix it. I'm thinking now that I just rebooted and the problem cleared up.
reboot.
yay, it worked. I changed the background of freecell, so now I have to change it back.
[I was going to write this reply on my ipad mini, but got a blank screen when I tried. Another ipad incompatiblity.]
playing with the iPad mini
Well finally got the iPad Mini at WalMart on Saturday and opened it up last night.
[First I watched some iPad Mini videos on youtube.]
Went through some of the built-in apps. Like Safari, mail, photos. Figured out how to get some pictures into the photos camera roll (simply save the photo from email).
Looked through
Still want to try messaging and Facetime. Just to see if it works. And take some photos.
Next step is to install some apps. But first I have to sign up for iTunes (and I suppose install iTunes on my computer so I can transfer files/photos).
Some of the apps I'm eyeing off the top of my head.
A browser so I can view hulu. Maybe Puffin.
ESPN3
CNBC
StarAdvertiser, MidWeek, KHON, etc.
And of course games (Paper Toss looks interesting). And I guess Angry Birds.
***
[later that night] OK, got iTunes installed and installed a few apps. Like CNBC, WatchESPN, Angry Birds. It took a little while to figure out, but finally was able to xfer some photos from my computer to the iPad. A bit unintuitive though.
One thing odd though, before I installed iTunes I plugged the iPad into the computer as the battery hit 5%. It said it was charging. But then after I installed iTunes, I noticed the iPad said "not charging". Don't know if it was coincidence or what happened.
[First I watched some iPad Mini videos on youtube.]
Went through some of the built-in apps. Like Safari, mail, photos. Figured out how to get some pictures into the photos camera roll (simply save the photo from email).
Looked through
Still want to try messaging and Facetime. Just to see if it works. And take some photos.
Next step is to install some apps. But first I have to sign up for iTunes (and I suppose install iTunes on my computer so I can transfer files/photos).
Some of the apps I'm eyeing off the top of my head.
A browser so I can view hulu. Maybe Puffin.
ESPN3
CNBC
StarAdvertiser, MidWeek, KHON, etc.
And of course games (Paper Toss looks interesting). And I guess Angry Birds.
***
[later that night] OK, got iTunes installed and installed a few apps. Like CNBC, WatchESPN, Angry Birds. It took a little while to figure out, but finally was able to xfer some photos from my computer to the iPad. A bit unintuitive though.
One thing odd though, before I installed iTunes I plugged the iPad into the computer as the battery hit 5%. It said it was charging. But then after I installed iTunes, I noticed the iPad said "not charging". Don't know if it was coincidence or what happened.
Monday, May 06, 2013
who's piggybacking you?
I got the idea for today’s tip while
troubleshooting my parent’s slow internet connection this weekend (they
hadn’t given their Wi-Fi a password, and the neighbors were using it).
The first thing you need to do is login to your router's administrative
console by typing its IP address directly into the browser address bar
-- typically 192.168.0.1 or 192.168.1.1 depending on which router you
have. If you don't know your router's default address go to the command
prompt (Start > Run/Search for cmd) and enter ipconfig. The address
you need should be next to Default Gateway under your Local Area
Connection.
Once inside your router's administrative console look for a section related to connected devices or wireless status. It will be different for everyone, sometimes it’s available under Status > Wireless but can also find it as "Attached Devices", under or "Device List".
This should provide a table with the IP, MAC address and other details of every device currently connected to the router. Check that list against your gear to find any intruders. You can find out the MAC/IP address of your computers by going to the Command Prompt again and entering 'ipconfig /all'. The MAC address will be shown as the physical address.
***
Too bad. I don't know the router password to my hawaiiantel.net modem/router combo. On the other hand, since it has a password, I doubt anybody is piggybacking it.
Right now, only my Roku is connected to my wireless. But soon to be added is my new iPad mini. Other than that, i'll just be my relative's iPad or iPhone. Plus any laptops I'm troubleshooting.
Once inside your router's administrative console look for a section related to connected devices or wireless status. It will be different for everyone, sometimes it’s available under Status > Wireless but can also find it as "Attached Devices", under or "Device List".
This should provide a table with the IP, MAC address and other details of every device currently connected to the router. Check that list against your gear to find any intruders. You can find out the MAC/IP address of your computers by going to the Command Prompt again and entering 'ipconfig /all'. The MAC address will be shown as the physical address.
***
Too bad. I don't know the router password to my hawaiiantel.net modem/router combo. On the other hand, since it has a password, I doubt anybody is piggybacking it.
Right now, only my Roku is connected to my wireless. But soon to be added is my new iPad mini. Other than that, i'll just be my relative's iPad or iPhone. Plus any laptops I'm troubleshooting.
Tuesday, April 30, 2013
iWatch
[4/30/13] The latest rumor of an iWatch claims Intel and Apple are collaborating
on a smartwatch that could materialize this year. We believe a
smartwatch could make a lot of sense not only for Apple but for Google
and the Android camp.
Eight Reasons Why the Time is Right for an Apple iWatch
*** 9/5/13
BERLIN – Nearly 70 years after Dick Tracy began wearing a two-way wrist radio in the funny pages, the technology that once seemed impossibly futuristic will be widely available by Christmas.
Samsung on Wednesday introduced a digital watch for the holiday season that will let users check messages with a glance at their wrists and have conversations secret agent-style.
So-called smartwatches have been around for several years. But so far, they have failed to attract much consumer interest. That may change with the Samsung Galaxy Gear, which offers the company a chance to pull off the same as feat Apple did with the iPad — popularize a type of device that has lingered mostly unnoticed on store shelves.
The Gear must be linked wirelessly with a smartphone to perform its full range of functions. It acts as an extension to the phone by discreetly alerting users to incoming messages and calls on its screen, which measures 1.63 inches diagonally.
"With Gear, you're able to make calls and receive calls without ever taking your phone out of your pocket," Pranav Mistry, a member of Samsung's design team, told reporters at the launch in Berlin ahead of the annual IFA consumer electronics show here.
Sony and Qualcomm also introduced smartwatches Wednesday. Apple Inc. is expected to release its own smartwatch, though it's not clear yet when. The release of separate products from so many manufacturers could stir interest in smartwatches in general.
Eight Reasons Why the Time is Right for an Apple iWatch
*** 9/5/13
BERLIN – Nearly 70 years after Dick Tracy began wearing a two-way wrist radio in the funny pages, the technology that once seemed impossibly futuristic will be widely available by Christmas.
Samsung on Wednesday introduced a digital watch for the holiday season that will let users check messages with a glance at their wrists and have conversations secret agent-style.
So-called smartwatches have been around for several years. But so far, they have failed to attract much consumer interest. That may change with the Samsung Galaxy Gear, which offers the company a chance to pull off the same as feat Apple did with the iPad — popularize a type of device that has lingered mostly unnoticed on store shelves.
The Gear must be linked wirelessly with a smartphone to perform its full range of functions. It acts as an extension to the phone by discreetly alerting users to incoming messages and calls on its screen, which measures 1.63 inches diagonally.
"With Gear, you're able to make calls and receive calls without ever taking your phone out of your pocket," Pranav Mistry, a member of Samsung's design team, told reporters at the launch in Berlin ahead of the annual IFA consumer electronics show here.
Sony and Qualcomm also introduced smartwatches Wednesday. Apple Inc. is expected to release its own smartwatch, though it's not clear yet when. The release of separate products from so many manufacturers could stir interest in smartwatches in general.
Friday, April 26, 2013
turn Windows 8 into Windows 7 (and Twit.TV) (and 8ctave)
hey a cool new channel for my Roku, called 8ctave. It's a channel pulling a bunch of content made public by the various vendors.
The meat (as far as I've explored) is in the On Demand section which is further divided into sections: TV, News, Sports, Education, Food, Spirituality, Technology, Life & Style, Music, Kids & Animation, Weather, Audio.
In the technology section is a show called Know How (made public by twitps) starrring liaz akhtar and leo leporte. And the show (they have 10 of them) Know How 32 is Make Windows 8 act like Windows 7 where they feature some applications which make Windows 8 act like Windows 7.
Since the channel only has the latest 10 shows, hopefully I can find this show on the internet. And here it is!
Wow, there's a lot of shows on Twit.TV. Cool. Don't see see this on cable!
[5/28/13] Twit also has their own Roku Channel. But the best way to watch it on Roku might be via youtube (via VideoBuzz or Plex) which has the majority of the episodes archived. There's a few that I don't see. Recently youtube has been banning the This Week in Youtube episodes.
[5/28/13] A couple more channels from this youtube video on using PlayOn. FirstRow Sports and SuperusvoxTV. They get a lot of popups first though that you have to close. I'm currently looking at a pretty high quality ESPN stream on SuperusvoxTV, apparently via something called iLive.
***
Now looking more at 8ctave. They also have the top 50 Channels which are (pseudo)live. Mostly local news stations it appears, but also (4) reuters news network (6) los angeles times (7) natgeo (14) comedy shaq network (18) NBA D-League (22) All Pro Wrestling (24) Professional Bowlers Association (33) USC TV (35) Legends Football League (37) Smithsonian Channel (40) Vatican City (43) Ultimate Rap League (47) UC TV (University of California I assume) (50) Ski Channel
And it don't stop at 50. There's more categorized as National US Channels, US East, US Central, US Mountain, US Pacific. Don't see any Hawaii channels though.
The meat (as far as I've explored) is in the On Demand section which is further divided into sections: TV, News, Sports, Education, Food, Spirituality, Technology, Life & Style, Music, Kids & Animation, Weather, Audio.
In the technology section is a show called Know How (made public by twitps) starrring liaz akhtar and leo leporte. And the show (they have 10 of them) Know How 32 is Make Windows 8 act like Windows 7 where they feature some applications which make Windows 8 act like Windows 7.
Since the channel only has the latest 10 shows, hopefully I can find this show on the internet. And here it is!
Wow, there's a lot of shows on Twit.TV. Cool. Don't see see this on cable!
[5/28/13] Twit also has their own Roku Channel. But the best way to watch it on Roku might be via youtube (via VideoBuzz or Plex) which has the majority of the episodes archived. There's a few that I don't see. Recently youtube has been banning the This Week in Youtube episodes.
[5/28/13] A couple more channels from this youtube video on using PlayOn. FirstRow Sports and SuperusvoxTV. They get a lot of popups first though that you have to close. I'm currently looking at a pretty high quality ESPN stream on SuperusvoxTV, apparently via something called iLive.
***
Now looking more at 8ctave. They also have the top 50 Channels which are (pseudo)live. Mostly local news stations it appears, but also (4) reuters news network (6) los angeles times (7) natgeo (14) comedy shaq network (18) NBA D-League (22) All Pro Wrestling (24) Professional Bowlers Association (33) USC TV (35) Legends Football League (37) Smithsonian Channel (40) Vatican City (43) Ultimate Rap League (47) UC TV (University of California I assume) (50) Ski Channel
And it don't stop at 50. There's more categorized as National US Channels, US East, US Central, US Mountain, US Pacific. Don't see any Hawaii channels though.
Thursday, April 25, 2013
Amazon TV
Amazon (AMZN) is making e-readers and tablets and will likely soon introduce a smartphone.
As it works to build all types of connected devices, that leaves a
natural next step: a television set-top box. The e-commerce giant is
planning to introduce a device this fall dedicated to streaming video
over the Internet and into its customers’ living rooms, according to
three people familiar with the project who aren’t authorized to discuss
it.
They say the box will plug into TVs and give users access to
Amazon’s expanding video offerings. Those include its à la carte Video
on Demand store, which features newer films and TV shows, and its
Instant Video service, which is free for subscribers to the Amazon Prime
two-day shipping package. The Amazon set-top box will compete with
similar products, such as the Roku, Apple TV, and the Boxee Cloud DVR,
along with more versatile devices such as the Playstation 3 and the
Xbox. An Amazon spokesperson declined to comment.
***
OK, so Apple has Apple TV for iTunes. Netflix has Roku. Amazon will have Amazon TV (or whatever it'll be called). How about a Google TV box for youtube? Well there's already Google TV (like the Netgear NeoTV) which hasn't really taken off yet (as far as I can tell).
***
OK, so Apple has Apple TV for iTunes. Netflix has Roku. Amazon will have Amazon TV (or whatever it'll be called). How about a Google TV box for youtube? Well there's already Google TV (like the Netgear NeoTV) which hasn't really taken off yet (as far as I can tell).
Tuesday, April 23, 2013
BlueStacks
I thought this sounded kind of neat (but I hope it won't mess up your computer).
BlueStacks App Player is an Android emulation tool which can let you run your favourite Android applications on your Windows desktop, laptop or tablet .
You can run BlueStacks on your desktop as a small gadget. With this free download you can install, run and test Android applications before you install them on your smartphone.
This Android application player brings Android to your PC.
BlueStacks App Player is an Android emulation tool which can let you run your favourite Android applications on your Windows desktop, laptop or tablet .
You can run BlueStacks on your desktop as a small gadget. With this free download you can install, run and test Android applications before you install them on your smartphone.
This Android application player brings Android to your PC.
Monday, April 08, 2013
the end of free TV?
With all this talk
about the cord-cutting masses no longer wanting to subsidize TV channels
they don't watch, it's a little surprising that one of the oldest, most
widely available forms of TV is waning: over-the-air broadcast TV.
Despite its attractive price of $0 per month and billions of advertising revenue, nobody — including the broadcast networks,
the tech companies that are out to disrupt them, and the cord-cutters
and cord-nevers who hate cable — is very enthusiastic about antennas. Rather, this is the "zero tv" generation, according to a recent Nielsen study,
which found that 5 million households have no television at all and
would rather pay for Internet distribution than put a set of bunny ears
on a TV set.
RELATED: HBO Is Finally OK with Cord Cutting (In Scandinavia)
RELATED: Cable Companies Rejoice: Longtime Cord Cutter Gets Cable
That's the reason that all the big networks got together to sue Aereo in the first place: They don't want to lose the fees they've come accustomed to being paid. While News Corp.'s threat to stop broadcasting is more likely big talk than an actual game plan, Wall Street likes that idea. News Corp.'s announcement sent its stock soaring, even though it would have to wait until after its current NFL deals, which run for another seven years, expire.
RELATED: Barry Diller-Backed Aereo Just Got Sued By Fox, PBS, and Others
But look around and content owners have already started pulling their best, most valuable stuff from the public waves. Sports, for example, have started moving to pay TV. Most regular season baseball, basketball, and hockey games now run on regional sports cable stations. While the really big sport events are still broadcast, that's showing signs of slipping, too. Starting in 2014 h the Final Four of the NCAA Tournament will be on TBS. That would follow Monday Night Football, the staple of ABC for decades, that moved moved to ESPN, and even the Olympics, which, aside from the primetime packages, was shown live (whether on cable stations or streamed online) only to people who pay for their TV. Again, these are all things we used to be able to get for free through other means. As sports rights come up for bid, more and more it's flush cable companies who can outbid the broadcasters. After all, live sports is one of the main reasons people cite for not cutting the cord. Of course, the hefty bill for sports, as I have calculated before, is one of the main reasons non-sports fans most want to buy a la carte.
RELATED: How Many Cord Nevers Are There? An Office Survey
This movement of must-see programming from broadcast to cable might help explain why the people haven't flocked to free television: The best stuff isn't really on there anymore. Either by design, as explained above, or because of our expensive cable packages—The Atlantic's Derek Thomspon theorizes that high cable prices have resulted in better shows—cable and premium channels offer better stuff. NBC, once an incubator of Must See TV is going through an existential crisis, as The Atlantic Wire's Richard Lawson has explained. "The glory days are past," he definitively wrote. This is partly because broadcast networks are in the business of quantity versus quality. Besides for transmission fees, they make money off of advertising. Much like the Internet business, its a dollars for eyeballs proposition, which has led to an overall decline in quality. Plus, cable companies (because of our exorbitant cable packages!) have a lot of money to pay channels to make great stuff.
RELATED: Why the Television Will Be Not Revolutionized
All of this is alarming. People should be alarmed. A public good is slowly eroding right before our eyes. And yet, consumers don't seem to care. Maybe it's because there is not much to be done? Cable companies have created such a stranglehold over the market, if we want certain shows, we have to pay for a lot of nothing in our cable bills. If not, we can pay for content through Netflix or Hulu. This is the beginning of the end of free TV.
Aereo, the Barry Diller-backed tech startup, is betting people would rather pay $80 per year (i.e. about what it costs to get a HD tuner for your PC)
to deliver this gratis content over the Internet rather than over the
air. So enraged at Aereo's elaborate plans of thousands of tiny antennas
sucking their signals onto web servers, Reuters reported on Sunday that the Big Four broadcast networks are considering ending over-the-air transmission to foil the service. On Monday, News Corp. chief operating office Chase Carey said the company would turn Fox into a cable channel
if the courts allow Aereo to sell their service: “This is not an ideal
path we look to pursue, but we can’t sit idly by and let an entity steal
our signal. We will move to a subscription model if that’s our only
recourse.”
The networks haven't really been excited about free television
anymore for a while and for obvious reasons: they don't want to give
their product away for free. (Duh.) The big broadcasters engaged in
regular wars with cable companies to get them to pay transmission fees just like they do for their cable-only channels like ESPN
and Comedy Central. And really, over-the-air TV is a sliver of the
market. Though there have been nervousness about the future of TV, pay
TV penetration is still around 90 percent.
That's the reason that all the big networks got together to sue Aereo in the first place: They don't want to lose the fees they've come accustomed to being paid. While News Corp.'s threat to stop broadcasting is more likely big talk than an actual game plan, Wall Street likes that idea. News Corp.'s announcement sent its stock soaring, even though it would have to wait until after its current NFL deals, which run for another seven years, expire.
RELATED: Barry Diller-Backed Aereo Just Got Sued By Fox, PBS, and Others
But look around and content owners have already started pulling their best, most valuable stuff from the public waves. Sports, for example, have started moving to pay TV. Most regular season baseball, basketball, and hockey games now run on regional sports cable stations. While the really big sport events are still broadcast, that's showing signs of slipping, too. Starting in 2014 h the Final Four of the NCAA Tournament will be on TBS. That would follow Monday Night Football, the staple of ABC for decades, that moved moved to ESPN, and even the Olympics, which, aside from the primetime packages, was shown live (whether on cable stations or streamed online) only to people who pay for their TV. Again, these are all things we used to be able to get for free through other means. As sports rights come up for bid, more and more it's flush cable companies who can outbid the broadcasters. After all, live sports is one of the main reasons people cite for not cutting the cord. Of course, the hefty bill for sports, as I have calculated before, is one of the main reasons non-sports fans most want to buy a la carte.
RELATED: How Many Cord Nevers Are There? An Office Survey
This movement of must-see programming from broadcast to cable might help explain why the people haven't flocked to free television: The best stuff isn't really on there anymore. Either by design, as explained above, or because of our expensive cable packages—The Atlantic's Derek Thomspon theorizes that high cable prices have resulted in better shows—cable and premium channels offer better stuff. NBC, once an incubator of Must See TV is going through an existential crisis, as The Atlantic Wire's Richard Lawson has explained. "The glory days are past," he definitively wrote. This is partly because broadcast networks are in the business of quantity versus quality. Besides for transmission fees, they make money off of advertising. Much like the Internet business, its a dollars for eyeballs proposition, which has led to an overall decline in quality. Plus, cable companies (because of our exorbitant cable packages!) have a lot of money to pay channels to make great stuff.
RELATED: Why the Television Will Be Not Revolutionized
All of this is alarming. People should be alarmed. A public good is slowly eroding right before our eyes. And yet, consumers don't seem to care. Maybe it's because there is not much to be done? Cable companies have created such a stranglehold over the market, if we want certain shows, we have to pay for a lot of nothing in our cable bills. If not, we can pay for content through Netflix or Hulu. This is the beginning of the end of free TV.
Zero TV
There are 5 million "zero-TV" households in the U.S., more than double
from 2 million in 2007. It's a small but growing trend that has the
media establishment plenty worried.
These people, who make up fewer than 5% of U.S. households, haven't stopped watching television shows. They just do it on their own terms over laptops, tablets and cellphones.
As Nielsen notes, about 75% of these homes still have TVs, but people use them mostly to play video games and watch DVDs.
This creates a huge problem for the industry, one that will likely be a key topic at this week's National Association of Broadcasters' annual trade show. Content creators and broadcast networks make money from these viewers through arrangements with streaming sites such as Netflix (NFLX) and Hulu and through advertising on their websites and apps, according to The Associated Press. Television stations, however, get shut out.
"Unless broadcasters can adapt to modern platforms, their revenue from zero-TV viewers will be zero," the AP says.
A handful of video-streaming sites have become hot properties. Hulu, for example, has reportedly received a $500 million bid from former News Corp. (NWS +2.27%) president Peter Chernin. The site is jointly controlled by News Corp. and Walt Disney (DIS +1.94%).
Luckily for broadcasters, most people are still transfixed by the boob tube. According to Nielsen, Americans spend an average of nearly 41 hours a week, or about 5.5 hours a day, watching content across all screens. People spend more than 34 of those hours in front of a TV.
Even so, given the technological changes in the works, the television industry 10 years from now may not look much like it does today.
These people, who make up fewer than 5% of U.S. households, haven't stopped watching television shows. They just do it on their own terms over laptops, tablets and cellphones.
As Nielsen notes, about 75% of these homes still have TVs, but people use them mostly to play video games and watch DVDs.
This creates a huge problem for the industry, one that will likely be a key topic at this week's National Association of Broadcasters' annual trade show. Content creators and broadcast networks make money from these viewers through arrangements with streaming sites such as Netflix (NFLX) and Hulu and through advertising on their websites and apps, according to The Associated Press. Television stations, however, get shut out.
"Unless broadcasters can adapt to modern platforms, their revenue from zero-TV viewers will be zero," the AP says.
A handful of video-streaming sites have become hot properties. Hulu, for example, has reportedly received a $500 million bid from former News Corp. (NWS +2.27%) president Peter Chernin. The site is jointly controlled by News Corp. and Walt Disney (DIS +1.94%).
Luckily for broadcasters, most people are still transfixed by the boob tube. According to Nielsen, Americans spend an average of nearly 41 hours a week, or about 5.5 hours a day, watching content across all screens. People spend more than 34 of those hours in front of a TV.
Even so, given the technological changes in the works, the television industry 10 years from now may not look much like it does today.
Thursday, April 04, 2013
tablets catching up to PCs
Worldwide shipments of PCs,
tablets, and mobile phones are expected to total 2.4 billion units in
2013, a 9 percent increase from last year, according to new data from Gartner.
Shipments of these devices are forecast to grow even further by 2017 to reach more than 2.9 billion units. But over the next few years, the mix of these devices will "significantly change," as consumers increasingly choose tablets over PCs, the research firm said.
The traditional PC market of desktops and laptops is expected to decline 7.6 percent to 315 million units in 2013, and continue dropping over the next four years as the tablet market grows. Worldwide tablet shipments are predicted to total 197 million units this year, a 69.8 percent increase from 2012 shipments of 116 million units.
"While there will be some individuals who retain both a personal PC and a tablet, especially those who use either or both for work and play, most will be satisfied with the experience they get from a tablet as their main computing device," Carolina Milanesi, research vice president at Gartner, said in a statement. "As consumers shift their time away from their PC to tablets and smartphones, they will no longer see their PC as a device that they need to replace on a regular basis."
By 2017, tablet shipments are expected to reach 468 million units, outpacing PC sales of 272 million, Gartner said. This transition from PCs to tablets is being driven by a recent explosion of low-cost tablets with impressive capabilities, according to Gartner.
***
Microsoft faces a slide into irrelevance in the next four years unless it can make progress in the smartphone and tablet markets, because the PC market will continue shrinking, warns the research group Gartner.
It says a huge and disruptive shift is underway, in which more and more people will use a tablet as their main computing device, researchers say.
That will also see shipments of Android devices dwarf those of Windows PCs and phones by 2017. Microsoft-powered device shipments will almost be at parity with those of Apple iPhones and iPads - the latter a situation not seen since the 1980s.
In a new forecast published on Thursday morning, Gartner says that by 2015 shipments of tablets will outstrip those of conventional PCs such as desktops and notebooks, as Android and Apple's iOS become increasingly dominant in the overall operating system picture. Android in particular will be installed on more than a billion devices shipped in 2014, says Carolina Milanesi, the analyst who led the research.
Shipments of these devices are forecast to grow even further by 2017 to reach more than 2.9 billion units. But over the next few years, the mix of these devices will "significantly change," as consumers increasingly choose tablets over PCs, the research firm said.
The traditional PC market of desktops and laptops is expected to decline 7.6 percent to 315 million units in 2013, and continue dropping over the next four years as the tablet market grows. Worldwide tablet shipments are predicted to total 197 million units this year, a 69.8 percent increase from 2012 shipments of 116 million units.
"While there will be some individuals who retain both a personal PC and a tablet, especially those who use either or both for work and play, most will be satisfied with the experience they get from a tablet as their main computing device," Carolina Milanesi, research vice president at Gartner, said in a statement. "As consumers shift their time away from their PC to tablets and smartphones, they will no longer see their PC as a device that they need to replace on a regular basis."
By 2017, tablet shipments are expected to reach 468 million units, outpacing PC sales of 272 million, Gartner said. This transition from PCs to tablets is being driven by a recent explosion of low-cost tablets with impressive capabilities, according to Gartner.
***
Microsoft faces a slide into irrelevance in the next four years unless it can make progress in the smartphone and tablet markets, because the PC market will continue shrinking, warns the research group Gartner.
It says a huge and disruptive shift is underway, in which more and more people will use a tablet as their main computing device, researchers say.
That will also see shipments of Android devices dwarf those of Windows PCs and phones by 2017. Microsoft-powered device shipments will almost be at parity with those of Apple iPhones and iPads - the latter a situation not seen since the 1980s.
In a new forecast published on Thursday morning, Gartner says that by 2015 shipments of tablets will outstrip those of conventional PCs such as desktops and notebooks, as Android and Apple's iOS become increasingly dominant in the overall operating system picture. Android in particular will be installed on more than a billion devices shipped in 2014, says Carolina Milanesi, the analyst who led the research.
Monday, April 01, 2013
The reality of climate change
10 myths busted
-- according to LiveScience anyway
When critics point out that normal fluctuations occur that create climate change -- regardless of human interference -- they are right. But that doesn't change the fact that what we're seeing today is unprecedented, and there's likely more at play than normal global cyclicality.
-- according to Brian Stoffe, but Schneidku40 comments
You may want to revise your #2, at least to say the levels of CO2 are unprecedented during the Holocene/modern history/recorded history/ice history. This level of CO2 is certainly not unprecedented in earth's history. The dinosaurs were walking around in CO2 levels that were likely somewhere around 5 times what it is now. 500 million years ago the CO2 levels 10-20 times what they are now. The average global temperature has also been much higher for most of earth's history.
-- according to LiveScience anyway
When critics point out that normal fluctuations occur that create climate change -- regardless of human interference -- they are right. But that doesn't change the fact that what we're seeing today is unprecedented, and there's likely more at play than normal global cyclicality.
-- according to Brian Stoffe, but Schneidku40 comments
You may want to revise your #2, at least to say the levels of CO2 are unprecedented during the Holocene/modern history/recorded history/ice history. This level of CO2 is certainly not unprecedented in earth's history. The dinosaurs were walking around in CO2 levels that were likely somewhere around 5 times what it is now. 500 million years ago the CO2 levels 10-20 times what they are now. The average global temperature has also been much higher for most of earth's history.
Sunday, March 31, 2013
OmniBox
Saw the Omniverse Omni Box in the Radio Shack weekly ad.
It boasts "over 800 channels of live TV, video on Demand, local programming and more."
Best that I can figure is that it's kind of like a Roku with a more internet capability. There's a $24.95 monthly free which apparently pays for a hulu plus subscription (or it is PlayOn). Which is why they can boast of featuring channels from the major networks.
Funny, I couldn't find any reviews from the usual suspects like cnet, etc. And little on amazon.com. Only this blurb from Radio Shack.
I did a search for Omniverse and came up with this link with this description "Watch and Record over 500 LIVE TV Channels for free! Local TV too! Bigger than Netflix and Hulu and TV Catchup and Zattoo combined!"
It looks to be pretty much the same as the filmon channel. Here's the wikipedia article.
It boasts "over 800 channels of live TV, video on Demand, local programming and more."
Best that I can figure is that it's kind of like a Roku with a more internet capability. There's a $24.95 monthly free which apparently pays for a hulu plus subscription (or it is PlayOn). Which is why they can boast of featuring channels from the major networks.
Funny, I couldn't find any reviews from the usual suspects like cnet, etc. And little on amazon.com. Only this blurb from Radio Shack.
I did a search for Omniverse and came up with this link with this description "Watch and Record over 500 LIVE TV Channels for free! Local TV too! Bigger than Netflix and Hulu and TV Catchup and Zattoo combined!"
It looks to be pretty much the same as the filmon channel. Here's the wikipedia article.
Thursday, March 07, 2013
feeling warm?
Global temperatures are warmer than at any time in at least 4,000 years,
scientists reported Thursday, and over the coming decades are likely to
surpass levels not seen on the planet since before the last ice age.
Previous research had extended back roughly 1,500 years, and suggested
that the rapid temperature spike of the past century, believed to be a
consequence of human activity, exceeded any warming episode during those
years. The new work confirms that result while suggesting the modern
warming is unique over a longer period.
In the new research, scheduled for publication on Friday in the journal Science, Shaun Marcott, an earth scientist at Oregon State University,
and his colleagues compiled the most meticulous reconstruction yet of
global temperatures over the past 11,300 years, virtually the entire
Holocene. They used indicators like the distribution of microscopic, temperature-sensitive ocean creatures to determine past climate.
Scientists say
that if natural factors were still governing the climate, the Northern
Hemisphere would probably be destined to freeze over again in several
thousand years. “We were on this downward slope, presumably going back
toward another ice age,” Dr. Marcott said.
Instead, scientists believe the enormous increase in greenhouse gases
caused by industrialization will almost certainly prevent that.
***
Wednesday, March 06, 2013
tablets gaining on smartphones
As the smartphone market slows, tablets are becoming an
increasingly popular way of consuming media, playing games and accessing
data, according to a new report by mobile advertising network Jumptap.
Jumptap,
which helps companies understand mobile audiences and cater to them,
said tablets last year accounted for 18% of mobile traffic on its
advertising network, which covers 134 million mobile customers in the
United States and a total of 206 million worldwide.
That
represents a sharp jump from the 7% of mobile traffic on the network in
2011, the company said. Smartphones represented 78% of the network’s
traffic, but their share is rapidly shrinking: Jumptap projects that
tablets will make up close to one-third of its network traffic by the
end of 2013.
Sunday, March 03, 2013
docx files
docx is the new file format for Microsoft Word (well new to old-time users of Word).
Since I only have own Word 97 (!), I need to convert the file.
I believe I used zamzar before, but there's a number of other websites that will convert the file for you.
The one I just used was docspal.
Open Office also supports docx.
Since I only have own Word 97 (!), I need to convert the file.
I believe I used zamzar before, but there's a number of other websites that will convert the file for you.
The one I just used was docspal.
Open Office also supports docx.
Wednesday, February 27, 2013
cursor jumping on laptops
I notice that when typing on a laptop, the cursor occasionally jumps to another line up the screen. I notice it happens when I am typing in google docs.
I thought it was just me, but I see that others have this problem too.
Apparently this is a problem with Windows.
So one solutions is to not use Windows.
Another solution is to use an external keyboard.
And the author's solution was to use a program called touchfreeze.
I think I'll try it.
***
Wait, here's another solution: disable the touchpad.
It's Fn F10 on a SamSung laptop. What is it on a Dell laptop?
Here's the Dell information. Unfortunately none of the hotkeys worked on this Inspiron 1440.
And can't find it in control panel.
Go to Dell.com, look for Inspiron 1440 and download Alps touchpad driver
hey there it is in the control panel now
and I see there's an option to disable touchpad / pointing stick when external USB mouse is present.
OK, try that and see if the problem re-occurs.
I thought it was just me, but I see that others have this problem too.
Apparently this is a problem with Windows.
So one solutions is to not use Windows.
Another solution is to use an external keyboard.
And the author's solution was to use a program called touchfreeze.
I think I'll try it.
***
Wait, here's another solution: disable the touchpad.
It's Fn F10 on a SamSung laptop. What is it on a Dell laptop?
Here's the Dell information. Unfortunately none of the hotkeys worked on this Inspiron 1440.
And can't find it in control panel.
Go to Dell.com, look for Inspiron 1440 and download Alps touchpad driver
hey there it is in the control panel now
and I see there's an option to disable touchpad / pointing stick when external USB mouse is present.
OK, try that and see if the problem re-occurs.
Friday, February 15, 2013
meteor explodes over Russia
(Reuters) - A
meteor streaked across the sky and exploded over central Russia on
Friday, sending fireballs crashing to earth which shattered windows and
damaged buildings, injuring more than 500 people.
People heading to work in Chelyabinsk heard what sounded like an explosion, saw a bright light and then felt a shockwave, according to a Reuters correspondent in the industrial city 950 miles east of Moscow.
The fireball, travelling at a speed of 19 miles per second according to Russia's space agency Roscosmos, had blazed across the horizon, leaving a long white trail in its wake which could be seen as far as 125 miles away.
Car alarms went off, windows broke and mobile phone networks were interrupted. The Interior Ministry said the meteor explosion had caused a sonic boom.
"There have never been any cases of meteorites breaking up at such a low level over Russia before," said Yuri Burenko, head of the Chelyabinsk branch of the Emergencies Ministry.
Russia's Emergencies Ministry said 514 people had sought medical help, mainly for light injuries caused by flying glass, and that 112 of them were kept in hospital.
People heading to work in Chelyabinsk heard what sounded like an explosion, saw a bright light and then felt a shockwave, according to a Reuters correspondent in the industrial city 950 miles east of Moscow.
The fireball, travelling at a speed of 19 miles per second according to Russia's space agency Roscosmos, had blazed across the horizon, leaving a long white trail in its wake which could be seen as far as 125 miles away.
Car alarms went off, windows broke and mobile phone networks were interrupted. The Interior Ministry said the meteor explosion had caused a sonic boom.
"There have never been any cases of meteorites breaking up at such a low level over Russia before," said Yuri Burenko, head of the Chelyabinsk branch of the Emergencies Ministry.
Russia's Emergencies Ministry said 514 people had sought medical help, mainly for light injuries caused by flying glass, and that 112 of them were kept in hospital.
Saturday, February 09, 2013
Microsoft Surface
[2/13/13] a user review of the Surface RT
[2/9/13] Surface Pro sells out on Launch Day
[2/9/13] The Surface Pro is a hotshot
[10/27/12] The Surface is a PC, not a tablet
[10/22/12] Five reasons the Microsoft Surface will fail.
[2/9/13] Surface Pro sells out on Launch Day
[2/9/13] The Surface Pro is a hotshot
[10/27/12] The Surface is a PC, not a tablet
[10/22/12] Five reasons the Microsoft Surface will fail.
Monday, February 04, 2013
Friday, January 18, 2013
I won $2 million from the Publishers Clearing House!
says a guy with an accent who cold-called me from phone number 876-863-7762
I think it was $2.5 million and a car or something like that.
The guy then asked me if I wanted to claim it or donate it to charity. I said donate it to charity and he hang up.
Sounds like the same guy people complained about on these links. It was the same area code anyway (Jamaica).
I think it was $2.5 million and a car or something like that.
The guy then asked me if I wanted to claim it or donate it to charity. I said donate it to charity and he hang up.
Sounds like the same guy people complained about on these links. It was the same area code anyway (Jamaica).
Thursday, January 17, 2013
ios to Android?
Three weeks ago, I made the decision to stop using my iPhone 4s with the possible outcome of leaving the iPhone for an Android or Windows phone for an extended period of time. I don’t want
to use the term “never”, because that’s limiting. As promised, I wanted
to share with you my experiences with Android so that you may get a
deeper insight into how other users may feel and respond to their next
phone purchase and experience.
Wednesday, January 16, 2013
the convertibles are coming
(Reuters)
- Personal computer makers, trying to beat back a tablet mania that's
eating into their sales, are making what may be a last-ditch attempt to
sway customers by mimicking the competition.
Many of the laptops to be unveiled around the world in coming months will be hybrids or "convertibles" - morphing easily between portable tablets and full-powered laptops with a keyboard, industry analysts say.
The wave of hybrids comes as Intel Corp and Microsoft Corp, long the twin leaders of the PC industry, prepare to report results this week and next. Wall Street is predicting flat to sluggish quarterly revenue growth for both, underscoring the plight of an industry that has struggled to innovate.
In 2013, some are hoping that will change.
With the release of Microsoft's touch-centric, re-imagined Windows 8 platform in October and more power-efficient chips from Intel, PC makers are trying to spark growth by focusing on creating slim laptops with touchscreens that convert to tablets and vice versa.
Microsoft, expanding beyond its traditional business of selling software, is expected this month to roll out a "Surface Pro" tablet compatible with legacy PC software developed over decades.
That's a major selling point for corporate customers like German business software maker SAP, which plans to buy Surface Pros for employees that want it, said SAP Chief Information Officer Oliver Bussmann.
"The hybrid model is very compelling for a lot of users," Bussmann told Reuters last week. "The iPad is not replacing the laptop. It's hard to create content. That's the niche that Microsoft is going after. The Surface can fill that gap."
Apple's iPad began chipping away at demand for laptops in 2010, an assault that accelerated with the launch of Amazon.com Inc's Kindle Fire and other Google Android devices like Samsung Electronics' Note.
With sales of PCs falling last year for the first time since 2001, this year may usher in a renaissance in design and innovation from manufacturers who previously focused on reducing costs instead of adding new features to entice consumers.
Many of the laptops to be unveiled around the world in coming months will be hybrids or "convertibles" - morphing easily between portable tablets and full-powered laptops with a keyboard, industry analysts say.
The wave of hybrids comes as Intel Corp and Microsoft Corp, long the twin leaders of the PC industry, prepare to report results this week and next. Wall Street is predicting flat to sluggish quarterly revenue growth for both, underscoring the plight of an industry that has struggled to innovate.
In 2013, some are hoping that will change.
With the release of Microsoft's touch-centric, re-imagined Windows 8 platform in October and more power-efficient chips from Intel, PC makers are trying to spark growth by focusing on creating slim laptops with touchscreens that convert to tablets and vice versa.
Microsoft, expanding beyond its traditional business of selling software, is expected this month to roll out a "Surface Pro" tablet compatible with legacy PC software developed over decades.
That's a major selling point for corporate customers like German business software maker SAP, which plans to buy Surface Pros for employees that want it, said SAP Chief Information Officer Oliver Bussmann.
"The hybrid model is very compelling for a lot of users," Bussmann told Reuters last week. "The iPad is not replacing the laptop. It's hard to create content. That's the niche that Microsoft is going after. The Surface can fill that gap."
Apple's iPad began chipping away at demand for laptops in 2010, an assault that accelerated with the launch of Amazon.com Inc's Kindle Fire and other Google Android devices like Samsung Electronics' Note.
With sales of PCs falling last year for the first time since 2001, this year may usher in a renaissance in design and innovation from manufacturers who previously focused on reducing costs instead of adding new features to entice consumers.
Facebook search tool
After years of collecting photos and personal data from its billion-plus members, Facebook Inc. Tuesday unveiled a search tool that sifts through people's profiles—and pushes the social network deeper into Google Inc.'s home turf.
The two companies are vying to become the primary gateway to the Internet. Google has long served as a destination to find websites and information; Facebook, to share gossip and photos with friends. But those distinctions are increasingly blurring, and billions in advertising dollars are at stake.
The social network said Tuesday it will enable members to conduct complex queries related to their friends' profiles, such as "tourist attractions in France visited by my friends."
In doing so, Facebook is attacking Google's core strength and its most lucrative product—search—in a bid to convince people they might not need to use Google to find information
Google generates the majority of its $40 billion in annual revenue world-wide from selling ads on its search engine. In the U.S., Google was projected to make more than $13 billion in search-ad revenue, or 75% of the entire market, in 2012, according to research firm eMarketer Inc.
Google's repository of information remains unmatched. It said it has indexed 30 trillion unique Web pages across 230 million sites. Last year, Google changed its search engine to make it easier for people to quickly get detailed information about people, places and real-world things by displaying photos, facts and other "direct answers" to search queries at the top of the search-results page, rather than just links.
Having witnessed Facebook's rise and anticipating its move into search, Google built its own social-networking service, Google+, in 2011 to obtain data about specific individuals by name, their personal interests and the identities of their friends. It then integrated Google+ with its Web-search service, so that people searching for a particular website, local restaurant or real-world product will be alerted if any of their Google+ contacts previously rated it positively or negatively.
A Google spokesman declined to comment.
But Facebook has a far larger social network and a sizable head-start after spending years encouraging its members to add photos and all sorts of personal information to their profiles, from basic data like location, employer name and interests to more sensitive details such as age, religion and romantic status.
Much of that data is now searchable using Facebook's new "Graph Search" feature after more than a year in development. Facebook began rolling it out Tuesday as a test to a limited number of users. For Web searches that Facebook can't deliver, the queries are served by Bing, the search engine from Facebook partner Microsoft Corp.
The two companies are vying to become the primary gateway to the Internet. Google has long served as a destination to find websites and information; Facebook, to share gossip and photos with friends. But those distinctions are increasingly blurring, and billions in advertising dollars are at stake.
The social network said Tuesday it will enable members to conduct complex queries related to their friends' profiles, such as "tourist attractions in France visited by my friends."
In doing so, Facebook is attacking Google's core strength and its most lucrative product—search—in a bid to convince people they might not need to use Google to find information
Google generates the majority of its $40 billion in annual revenue world-wide from selling ads on its search engine. In the U.S., Google was projected to make more than $13 billion in search-ad revenue, or 75% of the entire market, in 2012, according to research firm eMarketer Inc.
Google's repository of information remains unmatched. It said it has indexed 30 trillion unique Web pages across 230 million sites. Last year, Google changed its search engine to make it easier for people to quickly get detailed information about people, places and real-world things by displaying photos, facts and other "direct answers" to search queries at the top of the search-results page, rather than just links.
Having witnessed Facebook's rise and anticipating its move into search, Google built its own social-networking service, Google+, in 2011 to obtain data about specific individuals by name, their personal interests and the identities of their friends. It then integrated Google+ with its Web-search service, so that people searching for a particular website, local restaurant or real-world product will be alerted if any of their Google+ contacts previously rated it positively or negatively.
A Google spokesman declined to comment.
But Facebook has a far larger social network and a sizable head-start after spending years encouraging its members to add photos and all sorts of personal information to their profiles, from basic data like location, employer name and interests to more sensitive details such as age, religion and romantic status.
Much of that data is now searchable using Facebook's new "Graph Search" feature after more than a year in development. Facebook began rolling it out Tuesday as a test to a limited number of users. For Web searches that Facebook can't deliver, the queries are served by Bing, the search engine from Facebook partner Microsoft Corp.
Monday, January 07, 2013
government wants more noise
DETROIT (AP) - A government safety agency wants electric and hybrid
vehicles to make more noise when traveling at low speeds so pedestrians
can hear them coming.
The cars and trucks, which are far quieter than conventional gasoline or diesel-powered vehicles, don't make enough noise at low speeds to warn walkers, bicyclists and the visually impaired, the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration said Monday in a statement.
The proposed rule would require the cars to make additional noise at speeds under 18 miles per hour. NHTSA says the cars make enough noise to be heard at higher speeds.
The cars and trucks, which are far quieter than conventional gasoline or diesel-powered vehicles, don't make enough noise at low speeds to warn walkers, bicyclists and the visually impaired, the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration said Monday in a statement.
The proposed rule would require the cars to make additional noise at speeds under 18 miles per hour. NHTSA says the cars make enough noise to be heard at higher speeds.
Thursday, January 03, 2013
Intel TV
The world’s largest manufacturer of semiconductor products, Intel Corp. (INTC), is preparing to launch its cloud-based TV service and set-top box, as per a report from TechCrunch.
Reportedly, the company has been facing difficulty in securing licensing deals with content providers. In order to avoid licensing issues with content providers, the company plans to roll the product city-by-city rather than nationwide. Intel will likely reveal the set-top box at industry trade show CES on January 7.
Intel’s TV service is expected to include content from cable TV packages as well as Internet-based content like Netflix Inc.’s (NFLX) streaming service.
The company’s intention to manufacture the set-top box (STB) was revealed in March 2012 through a Wall Street Journal report. Intel already makes chips for STBs but its decision to manufacture the entire box is the first of its kind. The company has not yet signed any deal with program providers.
The chipmaker’s foray into this segment may be considered a milestone. According to research firms IDC and Gartner, the PC industry was weak in 2012 and is expected to remain weak in 2013 due to the softness in the memory market, specifically in DRAM; the ongoing Eurozone debt crisis and weak PC demand. In order to expand the company’s bottom line, Intel has increased efforts to move beyond the computer industry.
The success of the launch of a virtual cable operator remains unclear due to the many hurdles associated with it. The high cost of TV programming channels remains the primary problem. Incumbent cable, satellite and telecommunications companies already pay nearly $38 billion per year to license TV channels. Intel may also have to bear the brunt of higher costs.
Internet bandwidth could be another hurdle. The inability to guarantee enough bandwidth for high-quality video at all times of the day could divert the interest of the subscriber.
Further, the competition expected in the field will also be fierce, with most of the large technology companies vying for a share of the pie. These companies include Google Inc. (GOOG), Apple Inc. (AAPL) and Microsoft Corp. (MSFT).
*** [2/13/13]
(AP) - Intel Corp. said Tuesday that it will sell a set-top box that brings Internet-delivered movies and shows to a TV set this year.
Erik Huggers, general manager of Intel Media, said the company plans to sell a box that will offer "a vastly superior experience" to today's cable boxes.
There are various boxes today that bring Internet content to TV sets, with popular ones made by Roku and Apple. But Intel wants to go further and make its box and streaming service a replacement for cable.
Rumors of an Intel set-top box and video service emerged last year. Huggers didn't say what the box and service would cost, or when this year such a device would come out. He said Intel's goal is to provide quality rather than undercutting cable pricing.
The video service would also be available on non-TV devices such as the iPad, Huggers said. Cable companies have been making some content available on smartphone and tablet computers as part of their TV Everywhere initiative, but the selection of programs and channels is limited.
Intel is the world's largest chipmaker, but has little direct contact with consumers. Its chief business, making processors for PCs, is stagnating as PC sales are declining and consumers are moving to tablets and smartphones, most of which don't run Intel chips. Huggers said the company was motivated to get into the consumer business after realizing that it needed to control every aspect of the service, from chips to software, to get it right.
Shares of the Santa Clara, Calif., company rose 16 cents, or 0.8 percent, to $21.19 in afternoon trading, as other technology stocks declined.
Apple CEO Steve Jobs told his biographer before his death in 2011 that he wanted to revolutionize the TV, but Apple so far hasn't revealed anything about those plans. A big obstacle is believed to be that movie studios and TV networks like the current cable model, under which TV customers can't choose to pay channel by channel, but have their choices limited to certain packages. It's a profitable model for them, and they've been reluctant to open up to more flexible programming models.
But Huggers said media companies were showing some flexibility.
"I think we can bring an incredible TV experience via the Internet, to consumers, and that is a great opportunity for programmers," he said at the "D: Dive Into Media" conference in Dana Point, Calif.
One of the features of the Intel box would be the ability to identify, through a camera, which family member is watching and offer him or her personalized recommendations, Huggers said.
Reportedly, the company has been facing difficulty in securing licensing deals with content providers. In order to avoid licensing issues with content providers, the company plans to roll the product city-by-city rather than nationwide. Intel will likely reveal the set-top box at industry trade show CES on January 7.
Intel’s TV service is expected to include content from cable TV packages as well as Internet-based content like Netflix Inc.’s (NFLX) streaming service.
The company’s intention to manufacture the set-top box (STB) was revealed in March 2012 through a Wall Street Journal report. Intel already makes chips for STBs but its decision to manufacture the entire box is the first of its kind. The company has not yet signed any deal with program providers.
The chipmaker’s foray into this segment may be considered a milestone. According to research firms IDC and Gartner, the PC industry was weak in 2012 and is expected to remain weak in 2013 due to the softness in the memory market, specifically in DRAM; the ongoing Eurozone debt crisis and weak PC demand. In order to expand the company’s bottom line, Intel has increased efforts to move beyond the computer industry.
The success of the launch of a virtual cable operator remains unclear due to the many hurdles associated with it. The high cost of TV programming channels remains the primary problem. Incumbent cable, satellite and telecommunications companies already pay nearly $38 billion per year to license TV channels. Intel may also have to bear the brunt of higher costs.
Internet bandwidth could be another hurdle. The inability to guarantee enough bandwidth for high-quality video at all times of the day could divert the interest of the subscriber.
Further, the competition expected in the field will also be fierce, with most of the large technology companies vying for a share of the pie. These companies include Google Inc. (GOOG), Apple Inc. (AAPL) and Microsoft Corp. (MSFT).
*** [2/13/13]
(AP) - Intel Corp. said Tuesday that it will sell a set-top box that brings Internet-delivered movies and shows to a TV set this year.
Erik Huggers, general manager of Intel Media, said the company plans to sell a box that will offer "a vastly superior experience" to today's cable boxes.
There are various boxes today that bring Internet content to TV sets, with popular ones made by Roku and Apple. But Intel wants to go further and make its box and streaming service a replacement for cable.
Rumors of an Intel set-top box and video service emerged last year. Huggers didn't say what the box and service would cost, or when this year such a device would come out. He said Intel's goal is to provide quality rather than undercutting cable pricing.
The video service would also be available on non-TV devices such as the iPad, Huggers said. Cable companies have been making some content available on smartphone and tablet computers as part of their TV Everywhere initiative, but the selection of programs and channels is limited.
Intel is the world's largest chipmaker, but has little direct contact with consumers. Its chief business, making processors for PCs, is stagnating as PC sales are declining and consumers are moving to tablets and smartphones, most of which don't run Intel chips. Huggers said the company was motivated to get into the consumer business after realizing that it needed to control every aspect of the service, from chips to software, to get it right.
Shares of the Santa Clara, Calif., company rose 16 cents, or 0.8 percent, to $21.19 in afternoon trading, as other technology stocks declined.
Apple CEO Steve Jobs told his biographer before his death in 2011 that he wanted to revolutionize the TV, but Apple so far hasn't revealed anything about those plans. A big obstacle is believed to be that movie studios and TV networks like the current cable model, under which TV customers can't choose to pay channel by channel, but have their choices limited to certain packages. It's a profitable model for them, and they've been reluctant to open up to more flexible programming models.
But Huggers said media companies were showing some flexibility.
"I think we can bring an incredible TV experience via the Internet, to consumers, and that is a great opportunity for programmers," he said at the "D: Dive Into Media" conference in Dana Point, Calif.
One of the features of the Intel box would be the ability to identify, through a camera, which family member is watching and offer him or her personalized recommendations, Huggers said.
Saturday, December 29, 2012
101 Gadgets/Inventions that changed the world
This was/is on the H2 Channel today.
Followed by 101 inventions that changed the world.
I can google the gadgets list and it's even out on DVD. Interesting. But radio over TV?
But for some reason, this 101 inventions list is nowhere to be found. (Here's an alphabetical list.) Maybe because it's the premiere. It'll probably show up in a day or three.
Anyway, here's the top five as it happens (and the number in the alphabetical list) [I rewound and got 10-6 too]
10. internal combustion engine (40)
9. bronze (not listed)
8. fire (31)
7. computer (not listed, well I guess it's partially 60, the PC)
6. lever (amazingly not listed)
5. transistor (91)
4. steam engine (not listed, see internal combustion engine)
3. light bulb (47)
2. printing press (67)
1. wheel (100)
Friday, December 28, 2012
Tuesday, December 25, 2012
my Digix tablet
On Black Saturday (the day after Black Friday), I set out to buy an iPad.
But first I stopped at Radio Shack on the way because I remembered they had a 10" tablet on sale for $150. It was the Digix 10" tablet. They didn't have it in stock, but said they could order it.
Never mind. Off to Target for the $499 iPad with Retina Display plus they were offering coupons for credit buying other stuff. (Actually the previous generation also had a retina display too. So what's the difference?) Unfortunately (or fortunately depending on your point of view), they had sold out.
Back to Radio Shack at KSC. They said they didn't have it, but they called the Nuuanu store and they said they had itt. But they were closing soon. So I zoomed over there before closing time, but the door was already locked. When I stayed at the door, they said their cash register was locked. Only when I mentioned that call from the KSC store, they let me in. They forgot the call from 10 minutes ago saying a customer was coming over for the tablet.
So I got the tablet.
This is the first tablet I ever owned or used extensively. It took a while to charge up (like overnight). And when that was done, it took a while to boot (like over 5 minutes if I remember correctly, but it booted up faster after the initial boot maybe a minute or two). But when I finally got it going, it was fairly intuitive to use. I started getting used to it. But then noticed some flaws or annoyances.
Most annoying was the web browser. It was excruciatingly slow. One might suspect that my home wireless internet speed is too slow, but it seems fine on my Roku box. It wasn't as bad using the gmail app. Or the NBA Game Time app (where's the rebound column?). Or the Yahoo Fantasy basketball app. So I have to mostly blame the browser app. Maybe it was because this tablet doesn't have enough RAM so it has to thrash to the storage memory. Maybe I should have tried installing another browser. But even the gmail app was slow at times, especially when loading graphics email.
The second annoyance was the battery life. It seemed to last only about 3 hours. What was worse was the tablet would suddenly power down even when the battery indicator showed it was above 50%.
The third annoyance is that the screen is virtually unreadable outdoors. Even on a cloudy day. Don't know if this is the case with all tablets (as I remember it was hard to see Kahoa's iPad display outdoors). [Maybe I should get some polarized sunglasses.] Here I see that the new iPad (the iPad 3) seems to be readable outdoors. And according to this review the Google Nexus 10 "performs well in direct sunlight".
So what is it good for? Well, I used it for reading/deleting gmail when I had to step away from my computer to keep the dog company when he was barking. Slow but mostly tolerable. It was good for Angry Birds. I downloaded a couple of books in pdf format and used Adobe reader.
But I found the slow browsing/non-browsing unacceptable [the wait time was often minutes, not seconds] and decided to see if I could return it. Hey, no problem Radio Shack took it right back and credited my credit card. So despite the return, I wouldn't be averse to buying something from Radio Shack again due to their return policy.
***
I'm sure I'm going to buy a tablet one of these months/years. The iPad is on the top of the list. But the Google Nexus is also a candidate. As well as the Kindle Fire (though the lack of apps might be the deal breaker).
But maybe I'll go for a laptop first. That laptop with touchscreen at Costco is tempting. Though about double the price of the low-end laptops I've been eyeing.
*** [12/30/12]
Alvin brought over his iPad2. The Safari browser was pretty responsive on my wi-fi. Yep, it was the tablet that was slow, not my wi-fi.
But first I stopped at Radio Shack on the way because I remembered they had a 10" tablet on sale for $150. It was the Digix 10" tablet. They didn't have it in stock, but said they could order it.
Never mind. Off to Target for the $499 iPad with Retina Display plus they were offering coupons for credit buying other stuff. (Actually the previous generation also had a retina display too. So what's the difference?) Unfortunately (or fortunately depending on your point of view), they had sold out.
Back to Radio Shack at KSC. They said they didn't have it, but they called the Nuuanu store and they said they had itt. But they were closing soon. So I zoomed over there before closing time, but the door was already locked. When I stayed at the door, they said their cash register was locked. Only when I mentioned that call from the KSC store, they let me in. They forgot the call from 10 minutes ago saying a customer was coming over for the tablet.
So I got the tablet.
This is the first tablet I ever owned or used extensively. It took a while to charge up (like overnight). And when that was done, it took a while to boot (like over 5 minutes if I remember correctly, but it booted up faster after the initial boot maybe a minute or two). But when I finally got it going, it was fairly intuitive to use. I started getting used to it. But then noticed some flaws or annoyances.
Most annoying was the web browser. It was excruciatingly slow. One might suspect that my home wireless internet speed is too slow, but it seems fine on my Roku box. It wasn't as bad using the gmail app. Or the NBA Game Time app (where's the rebound column?). Or the Yahoo Fantasy basketball app. So I have to mostly blame the browser app. Maybe it was because this tablet doesn't have enough RAM so it has to thrash to the storage memory. Maybe I should have tried installing another browser. But even the gmail app was slow at times, especially when loading graphics email.
The second annoyance was the battery life. It seemed to last only about 3 hours. What was worse was the tablet would suddenly power down even when the battery indicator showed it was above 50%.
The third annoyance is that the screen is virtually unreadable outdoors. Even on a cloudy day. Don't know if this is the case with all tablets (as I remember it was hard to see Kahoa's iPad display outdoors). [Maybe I should get some polarized sunglasses.] Here I see that the new iPad (the iPad 3) seems to be readable outdoors. And according to this review the Google Nexus 10 "performs well in direct sunlight".
So what is it good for? Well, I used it for reading/deleting gmail when I had to step away from my computer to keep the dog company when he was barking. Slow but mostly tolerable. It was good for Angry Birds. I downloaded a couple of books in pdf format and used Adobe reader.
But I found the slow browsing/non-browsing unacceptable [the wait time was often minutes, not seconds] and decided to see if I could return it. Hey, no problem Radio Shack took it right back and credited my credit card. So despite the return, I wouldn't be averse to buying something from Radio Shack again due to their return policy.
***
I'm sure I'm going to buy a tablet one of these months/years. The iPad is on the top of the list. But the Google Nexus is also a candidate. As well as the Kindle Fire (though the lack of apps might be the deal breaker).
But maybe I'll go for a laptop first. That laptop with touchscreen at Costco is tempting. Though about double the price of the low-end laptops I've been eyeing.
*** [12/30/12]
Alvin brought over his iPad2. The Safari browser was pretty responsive on my wi-fi. Yep, it was the tablet that was slow, not my wi-fi.
Tuesday, December 11, 2012
Thursday, November 29, 2012
what's on Roku (and what's not)
[11/29/12] Well, got my Roku. It has its good points, but far from a replacement for cable by itself.
Probably my favorite channel is a newish private channel called VideoBuzz. It allows you to view youtube videos and playlists. For best effect, create a custom playlist on your computer and you can now easily view it on your TV. Youtube isn't officially supported by Roku so who knows how long this channel will last.
Among my other favorite channels: NBC News (formerly MSNBC) has a lot of video clips, including the Today Show. CNBC (which has a live stock ticker and newish videos). Smithsonian has some intresting programs. Crackle has some movies and TV shows. KDrama has a lot of Korean Dramas.
[12/3/12 - I wanted to see if Jim Cramer's Mad Money was available on Roku. A google search brought up Viaway. But the video didn't play when I tried it. And the reviewer on Rokuguide was not able to link up the Roku with viaway. So I didn't try to link it. However the review said viaway appears to access the same podcasts as iTunes PodCasts and Nowhere TV. And sure enough, both channels allow you to view the last few full episodes of Mad Money. They also feature the full episode of NBC Nightly news. And lots more. Both now go into my list of favorite channels. Later, I created a Viaway account and activated it, but it still didn't link up with Roku as there was a message saying "Viaway Basic service is not available on your device. We are working hard to offer it you in the near future." (Viaway Basic is the free version of Viaway.) OK, so forget Viaway.
Nowhere TV is pretty cool. It's a channel created by Nowhereman. He had created a youtube channel for Roku which was later nixed by Google. He was so good that Roku decided to hire him. Oddly youtube is apparently officially supported by other devices such as Apple TV.]
There are a few live streaming channels too. Two in my list ares CNN International and Huff Post.
But there's a lot more available on the computer that's not on Roku. Here's some that I have noticed.
Bloomberg [12/3/12 - now I see a private Bloomberg Channel for Roku]
Hawaii News Now (weekdays: 430am-8am, 5pm-630pm, 10pm, weekends 5pm, 10pm)
KHON (no live video, but lots of video clips with closed caption)
ABC Chicago (at certain times)
CBS News (at certain times)
CBS New York (apparently at certain times)
Fox 5 (at certain times I assume)
ESPN
***
Not to mention the many major video sites available on the PC, but not on Roku. Just looking at the list below, tells you how lacking the channel selection on the Roku is in comparison to what's actually on the internet. So I'd say you're be much better off hooking up a laptop to your TV. (Or just don't watch TV so much, which might be the best option.)
Hulu (though Hulu Plus is)
ABC
CBS
NBC
Fox
PBS
(The five just above are available over the air live, if your antenna can catch it in your area. But not live is actually better in many ways.)
Also:
The CW
Comedy Central
CNN
USA Today
National Geographic
Animal Planet
Throw in Netflix and maybe you got something..
What's missing from internet video? Well the NBA game playing on TNT right now. (I see now that the first game was on TNT Overtime.) Other live sports (though a number available over the air and on watchespn.com). UH sports on OC Sports, apparently only available on Oceanic and HawaiianTelcom. [Wait, here it is.] Plus you get HD on cable vs. very mixed quality on the internet. Plus no closed caption.
So if you're not a sports nut, you could be tempted to cut the cable (especially when you look at the bill every month).
more:
Kim Komando
Kevin Sintumuang
Matthew Moskovciak
Barbara Thau
lifehacker (for the techie)
Yahoo! Finance: spreety
***
[3/5/13] The Roku 3
***
[4/17/13] VideoBuzz taken down :(
So I guess I'll either get a laptop or another device that supports youtube. It doesn't appear that roku will be getting a youtube channel any time soon.
[4/18/13] workaround for watching youtube videos. post it to your facebook page.
EDIT (February 28, 2012): While new users can no longer sign up to the Nowhere Man’s channel some commenters on this post have found a slightly complicated workaround. If you have the Facebook channel you can post any Youtube link you want to watch to your Facebook wall and then watch it from within the channel under Newsfeed Videos. If you don’t want to spam your friends with random cat videos just set the post to be visable ‘Only to Me.’ Thanks to Paul and Meghan in the comments!
[4/22/13] or try plex or myplex
plus plex supports (free) hulu and cbs too. ok gotta try this.
[6/3/13] nope hulu didn't work. But what you can do is download with freemake video downloader then watch the video via plex. Or just pony up for hulu+ (though you can't watch all hulu content on hulu+ -- however there's more stuff on hulu+ that you can't watch on hulu).
[6/3/13] VideoBuzz reincarnated. I wonder if they're able to take down private channels? which this sort of is.
[11/16/13] WatchESPN comes to Roku. WatchDisney soon.
[12/24/13] Finally, Youtube has come back to the Roku. Right now it's only on the Roku 3, but is supposedly coming to the older models (Roku 1, Roku 2, Roku LT) sometime next year. I have a Roku HD bought last year, so not sure if it'll roll out on that model.
What's neat is that allows you to pair the Roku to your tablet and phone, so you can "beam" the youtube video to the Roku.
Here's a smackdown between the Chromecast, Roku 3, Apple TV. Notable is that Netflix takes longer to load on the Apple TV.
Buried in the article is a way to watch videos from other countries using a proxy. In particular, Hide My Ass. Tried it on slice.ca but didn't seem to work. Notice they have servers in the US, UK, and NL, but no Canada. So doesn't appear the .ca domains will work on this.
[4/24/14] Hey, noticed youtube as one of the featured channels on my Roku HD. It has finally arrived! It's apparently a pretty big application as it took a while to load. And it's pretty sluggish. After I activated it on my computer and logged in, it takes a while to scroll to my subscription list and playlists. However once it got going, I noticed there is a cc icon toward the bottom right. With the option to customize the captions somewhat. So they're not using the Roku system captions. But it works! So another plus for the Roku. The Apple TV app doesn't support captions for their youtube app. So I assume that the youtube app on the Roku 3 would be the same.
[5/5/14] check out my Roku 3 post for more comments. Summary: Hulu Plus plays much better on the Roku 3, but uses their own captions. Youtube much more responsive on the Roku 3, but captions for some videos are cut off.
Probably my favorite channel is a newish private channel called VideoBuzz. It allows you to view youtube videos and playlists. For best effect, create a custom playlist on your computer and you can now easily view it on your TV. Youtube isn't officially supported by Roku so who knows how long this channel will last.
Among my other favorite channels: NBC News (formerly MSNBC) has a lot of video clips, including the Today Show. CNBC (which has a live stock ticker and newish videos). Smithsonian has some intresting programs. Crackle has some movies and TV shows. KDrama has a lot of Korean Dramas.
[12/3/12 - I wanted to see if Jim Cramer's Mad Money was available on Roku. A google search brought up Viaway. But the video didn't play when I tried it. And the reviewer on Rokuguide was not able to link up the Roku with viaway. So I didn't try to link it. However the review said viaway appears to access the same podcasts as iTunes PodCasts and Nowhere TV. And sure enough, both channels allow you to view the last few full episodes of Mad Money. They also feature the full episode of NBC Nightly news. And lots more. Both now go into my list of favorite channels. Later, I created a Viaway account and activated it, but it still didn't link up with Roku as there was a message saying "Viaway Basic service is not available on your device. We are working hard to offer it you in the near future." (Viaway Basic is the free version of Viaway.) OK, so forget Viaway.
Nowhere TV is pretty cool. It's a channel created by Nowhereman. He had created a youtube channel for Roku which was later nixed by Google. He was so good that Roku decided to hire him. Oddly youtube is apparently officially supported by other devices such as Apple TV.]
There are a few live streaming channels too. Two in my list ares CNN International and Huff Post.
But there's a lot more available on the computer that's not on Roku. Here's some that I have noticed.
Bloomberg [12/3/12 - now I see a private Bloomberg Channel for Roku]
Hawaii News Now (weekdays: 430am-8am, 5pm-630pm, 10pm, weekends 5pm, 10pm)
KHON (no live video, but lots of video clips with closed caption)
ABC Chicago (at certain times)
CBS News (at certain times)
CBS New York (apparently at certain times)
Fox 5 (at certain times I assume)
ESPN
Justin.TV (the Roku channel apparently isn't working any more)
***
Not to mention the many major video sites available on the PC, but not on Roku. Just looking at the list below, tells you how lacking the channel selection on the Roku is in comparison to what's actually on the internet. So I'd say you're be much better off hooking up a laptop to your TV. (Or just don't watch TV so much, which might be the best option.)
Hulu (though Hulu Plus is)
ABC
CBS
NBC
Fox
PBS
(The five just above are available over the air live, if your antenna can catch it in your area. But not live is actually better in many ways.)
Also:
The CW
Comedy Central
CNN
USA Today
National Geographic
Animal Planet
Throw in Netflix and maybe you got something..
What's missing from internet video? Well the NBA game playing on TNT right now. (I see now that the first game was on TNT Overtime.) Other live sports (though a number available over the air and on watchespn.com). UH sports on OC Sports, apparently only available on Oceanic and HawaiianTelcom. [Wait, here it is.] Plus you get HD on cable vs. very mixed quality on the internet. Plus no closed caption.
So if you're not a sports nut, you could be tempted to cut the cable (especially when you look at the bill every month).
more:
Kim Komando
Kevin Sintumuang
Matthew Moskovciak
Barbara Thau
lifehacker (for the techie)
Yahoo! Finance: spreety
***
[3/5/13] The Roku 3
***
[4/17/13] VideoBuzz taken down :(
So I guess I'll either get a laptop or another device that supports youtube. It doesn't appear that roku will be getting a youtube channel any time soon.
[4/18/13] workaround for watching youtube videos. post it to your facebook page.
EDIT (February 28, 2012): While new users can no longer sign up to the Nowhere Man’s channel some commenters on this post have found a slightly complicated workaround. If you have the Facebook channel you can post any Youtube link you want to watch to your Facebook wall and then watch it from within the channel under Newsfeed Videos. If you don’t want to spam your friends with random cat videos just set the post to be visable ‘Only to Me.’ Thanks to Paul and Meghan in the comments!
[4/22/13] or try plex or myplex
plus plex supports (free) hulu and cbs too. ok gotta try this.
[6/3/13] nope hulu didn't work. But what you can do is download with freemake video downloader then watch the video via plex. Or just pony up for hulu+ (though you can't watch all hulu content on hulu+ -- however there's more stuff on hulu+ that you can't watch on hulu).
[6/3/13] VideoBuzz reincarnated. I wonder if they're able to take down private channels? which this sort of is.
[11/16/13] WatchESPN comes to Roku. WatchDisney soon.
[12/24/13] Finally, Youtube has come back to the Roku. Right now it's only on the Roku 3, but is supposedly coming to the older models (Roku 1, Roku 2, Roku LT) sometime next year. I have a Roku HD bought last year, so not sure if it'll roll out on that model.
What's neat is that allows you to pair the Roku to your tablet and phone, so you can "beam" the youtube video to the Roku.
Here's a smackdown between the Chromecast, Roku 3, Apple TV. Notable is that Netflix takes longer to load on the Apple TV.
Buried in the article is a way to watch videos from other countries using a proxy. In particular, Hide My Ass. Tried it on slice.ca but didn't seem to work. Notice they have servers in the US, UK, and NL, but no Canada. So doesn't appear the .ca domains will work on this.
[4/24/14] Hey, noticed youtube as one of the featured channels on my Roku HD. It has finally arrived! It's apparently a pretty big application as it took a while to load. And it's pretty sluggish. After I activated it on my computer and logged in, it takes a while to scroll to my subscription list and playlists. However once it got going, I noticed there is a cc icon toward the bottom right. With the option to customize the captions somewhat. So they're not using the Roku system captions. But it works! So another plus for the Roku. The Apple TV app doesn't support captions for their youtube app. So I assume that the youtube app on the Roku 3 would be the same.
[5/5/14] check out my Roku 3 post for more comments. Summary: Hulu Plus plays much better on the Roku 3, but uses their own captions. Youtube much more responsive on the Roku 3, but captions for some videos are cut off.
Sunday, November 18, 2012
the iPad 4 (and other tablets)
To no one's surprise, Apple introduced the iPad mini (lower case m, btw) at its special event last month. It also introduced a beautifully thin, new iMac, an updated Mac mini, and a 13-in version of the MacBook Pro with Retina display.
All of these announcements were expected, but the major product
surprise has largely been passed over, and that was the launch of what's
being called iPad 4, or more accurately, the iPad with Retina Display.
I watched the event via live streaming on CNet and both CNet Executive Editor Molly Wood and CNet Senior Editor, Brian Tong, who covers Apple were more than surprised by the iPad 4, they were almost apoplectic. Coming just six months after the introduction of the new iPad (nee iPad 3), both Wood and Tong thought that Apple had completely screwed its customers. I beg to differ.
The most significant difference between the iPad 3 and iPad 4 is the addition of Apple's new A6X chip, the same one that was introduced on the iPhone 5. Suddenly, the iPad 4 has "twice the speed and graphics performance" than the iPad 3. This is important for a number of reasons: Gaming, video, FaceTime, Siri and other application function like GPS or, yes, even Apple Maps.
My son received an iPad 3 as a graduation present from his aunt and uncle back in June, and I doubt that he is upset that Apple has refreshed the iPad just four months later. He (and I since I borrowed it a lot before he left for school) loves how well the iPad functions as everything from a reader to a game platform. One of the reasons why is that the iPad 3's greatest improvement was the introduction of the Retina display as well as a faster chip than the iPad 2.
***
Here's CNet's summary:
I watched the event via live streaming on CNet and both CNet Executive Editor Molly Wood and CNet Senior Editor, Brian Tong, who covers Apple were more than surprised by the iPad 4, they were almost apoplectic. Coming just six months after the introduction of the new iPad (nee iPad 3), both Wood and Tong thought that Apple had completely screwed its customers. I beg to differ.
The most significant difference between the iPad 3 and iPad 4 is the addition of Apple's new A6X chip, the same one that was introduced on the iPhone 5. Suddenly, the iPad 4 has "twice the speed and graphics performance" than the iPad 3. This is important for a number of reasons: Gaming, video, FaceTime, Siri and other application function like GPS or, yes, even Apple Maps.
My son received an iPad 3 as a graduation present from his aunt and uncle back in June, and I doubt that he is upset that Apple has refreshed the iPad just four months later. He (and I since I borrowed it a lot before he left for school) loves how well the iPad functions as everything from a reader to a game platform. One of the reasons why is that the iPad 3's greatest improvement was the introduction of the Retina display as well as a faster chip than the iPad 2.
***
Here's CNet's summary:
The good: The newest iPad's
faster A6X processor adds extra system speed and graphics power.
Improved worldwide cellular compatibility makes the LTE model a more
appealing proposition. And the iOS App Store remains best in class, with
the widest selection.
The bad: The
fourth-gen iPad is otherwise identical to its recent predecessor --
same size, weight, and Retina screen. It's heavy to hold in one hand,
and most older accessories won't work without investing in a pricey
Lightning adapter.
The bottom line: The
latest iPad adds several tweaks and improvements to secure its position
at the top of the tablet heap. It's better all around, but third-gen
owners need not apply.
***
I kind of want to get one for mom (or a Kindle Fire) so she can read the newspaper on it for one thing. (Or I can.)
[11/21/12] Or the new Google Nexus (hardware by Samsung). Reviews: cnn, ZDNet, TheVerge, theguardian, techradar, ubergizmo, androidcommunity, engadget, businessinsider, cnet.
This looks pretty good. The disadvantage to the iPad are the lack of apps. The hardware is comparable (or better). And it's $100 cheaper. It's a question of whether you like Apple or Google (I like both).
Advantages: HDMI and youtube. Disadvantage: not Apple (which is the standard), but then I work with PCs
***
Surface vs. iPad vs. Nexus 10 (Puffin browser allows you to run flash on iPad and watch hulu, but choppy)
***
I think if I were to get one device, I would get a Google Nexus 10. But if money is no object (or not a huge object), I'd want to get a iPad 4 and a laptop running Windows 7. I'd better go fast, don't know if they still sell Windows 7.
***
A tablet comparison: iPad mini, iPad with retina display, Kindle Fire HD, Kindle Fire HD 8.9", Nook HD, Nook HD+, Nexus 7, Nexus 10, Surface RT
*** [12/25/12] wound up buying a cheapie android tablet from Radio Shack on Black Saturday and returned it a few days ago
*** HP coming out with a $169 Android tablet (half the price of the iPad mini)
*** [3/11/13]
NBC News' compares the iPad Mini to the competition (it's good, but the iPad Mini 2 will be much better)
*** [3/19/13]
The Samsung Galaxy Tab 7.0 is now on sale at Costco for only $169.99. TechRadar reviews it and others such as the Google Nexus 7 and the iPad mini.
[11/21/12] Or the new Google Nexus (hardware by Samsung). Reviews: cnn, ZDNet, TheVerge, theguardian, techradar, ubergizmo, androidcommunity, engadget, businessinsider, cnet.
This looks pretty good. The disadvantage to the iPad are the lack of apps. The hardware is comparable (or better). And it's $100 cheaper. It's a question of whether you like Apple or Google (I like both).
Advantages: HDMI and youtube. Disadvantage: not Apple (which is the standard), but then I work with PCs
***
Surface vs. iPad vs. Nexus 10 (Puffin browser allows you to run flash on iPad and watch hulu, but choppy)
***
I think if I were to get one device, I would get a Google Nexus 10. But if money is no object (or not a huge object), I'd want to get a iPad 4 and a laptop running Windows 7. I'd better go fast, don't know if they still sell Windows 7.
***
A tablet comparison: iPad mini, iPad with retina display, Kindle Fire HD, Kindle Fire HD 8.9", Nook HD, Nook HD+, Nexus 7, Nexus 10, Surface RT
*** [12/25/12] wound up buying a cheapie android tablet from Radio Shack on Black Saturday and returned it a few days ago
*** HP coming out with a $169 Android tablet (half the price of the iPad mini)
*** [3/11/13]
NBC News' compares the iPad Mini to the competition (it's good, but the iPad Mini 2 will be much better)
*** [3/19/13]
The Samsung Galaxy Tab 7.0 is now on sale at Costco for only $169.99. TechRadar reviews it and others such as the Google Nexus 7 and the iPad mini.
Friday, November 16, 2012
your slow PC
Computers are supposed to make our lives easier, yet sometimes it feels
like they exist only to cause us endless amounts of frustration. Popular
advice for slow computers includes antivirus, RAM upgrades, or even
reinstalling Windows from scratch, but these make a lot of assumptions
about what's wrong with your computer (that may not be true).
Upgrading your RAM will help if you have 1GB or less in your system. If you multitask a lot, you'll probably even notice a difference upgrading from 2GB to 4GB. You're best off checking the resource monitor(or Activity Monitor on OS X)" to see how much you use on a regular basis. If your RAM usage isn't running up against its limit, then you're probably fine.
Now let's talk about antivirus. It's not only important to have antivirus software installed, but it's important to have the right kind. Check and see if you have a trusted, updated antivirus program running on your machine. If you do, and it says your computer is uninfected, then you're probably safe. Next, find out what antivirus software you're using. Some programs, like Norton or McAfee, are remarkably slow and bloated. In fact, they're probably one of the reasons your computer is so slow. We recommend ditching other antivirus apps and using Microsoft Security Essentials. It's free, lightweight, and will let you know if you download anything suspicious. (Note that Windows 8 users already have Windows Defender built-in, so they don't even need to install anything). You should never have two antivirus apps running at once.
So we've spent a lot of time telling you what not to do, but your computer's still slow and you want a solution. You can start by running a few diagnostics, but chances are, you just have too many apps running at once (especially poorly made ones). Here's what we recommend you do:
Stop Running So Many Apps at Once: Take a look at your system tray (or menu bar). If you have more than a few icons there, you have too many. If something is running that you didn't start, take it out of your startup queue. If you don't know what something is, find out if it's something you really need. If it's something you know you don't want, then uninstall it completely.
Of course, this all assumes you have a relatively new computer that can handle the work you need to do. If you're trying to run the newest version of Photoshop on a 10 year old machine, no amount of responsibility will make it run fast—you'll need a new computer (and you can repurpose that old one). But, barring really old hardware or other special circumstances, you should be able to take any computer and get it running fast again with a bit of care and common sense.
Upgrading your RAM will help if you have 1GB or less in your system. If you multitask a lot, you'll probably even notice a difference upgrading from 2GB to 4GB. You're best off checking the resource monitor(or Activity Monitor on OS X)" to see how much you use on a regular basis. If your RAM usage isn't running up against its limit, then you're probably fine.
Now let's talk about antivirus. It's not only important to have antivirus software installed, but it's important to have the right kind. Check and see if you have a trusted, updated antivirus program running on your machine. If you do, and it says your computer is uninfected, then you're probably safe. Next, find out what antivirus software you're using. Some programs, like Norton or McAfee, are remarkably slow and bloated. In fact, they're probably one of the reasons your computer is so slow. We recommend ditching other antivirus apps and using Microsoft Security Essentials. It's free, lightweight, and will let you know if you download anything suspicious. (Note that Windows 8 users already have Windows Defender built-in, so they don't even need to install anything). You should never have two antivirus apps running at once.
So we've spent a lot of time telling you what not to do, but your computer's still slow and you want a solution. You can start by running a few diagnostics, but chances are, you just have too many apps running at once (especially poorly made ones). Here's what we recommend you do:
Stop Running So Many Apps at Once: Take a look at your system tray (or menu bar). If you have more than a few icons there, you have too many. If something is running that you didn't start, take it out of your startup queue. If you don't know what something is, find out if it's something you really need. If it's something you know you don't want, then uninstall it completely.
Of course, this all assumes you have a relatively new computer that can handle the work you need to do. If you're trying to run the newest version of Photoshop on a 10 year old machine, no amount of responsibility will make it run fast—you'll need a new computer (and you can repurpose that old one). But, barring really old hardware or other special circumstances, you should be able to take any computer and get it running fast again with a bit of care and common sense.
Tuesday, November 13, 2012
cloaking device built
Scientists have made the impossible possible, disappearing a cylinder
by guiding light around it before putting those photons back on their
original path -- essentially bending light around the object. This new
approach achieves invisibility where others have failed. With a catch,
however: It only works from one direction.
The math is incredibly complex and the materials necessary difficult to produce. And while the underpinning concepts allow invisibility in microwaves and hold promise for radar, it won't be easy to make it work at optical wavelengths, cautioned Duke University’s Nathan Landry and John Pendry of London’s Imperial College, who published their results in the journal Nature Materials.
The math is incredibly complex and the materials necessary difficult to produce. And while the underpinning concepts allow invisibility in microwaves and hold promise for radar, it won't be easy to make it work at optical wavelengths, cautioned Duke University’s Nathan Landry and John Pendry of London’s Imperial College, who published their results in the journal Nature Materials.
Friday, October 26, 2012
creating a photo slideshow on DVD
Billy wants to show photos on a big screen TV at his office.
At first, he was going to use a computer and hook it up to his TV. But then his computer at home was giving him problems, so he took it home.
And now the plan is to burn the pictures to a DVD and show it on the TV with a DVD player.
Sounds good, but I've never done it (nor has he).
He bought this Magix software from Amazon and got an error message.
But now I see free software that should be able to do the job (lmgtfy).
Some likely candidates are:
Smilebox (free software)
Kizoa Slideshow Maker (where you create the project online)
Windows Media Center
Windows DVD Maker (included with Vista and Windows 7)
And here's an intro from HP.
Now to actually try it.
At first, he was going to use a computer and hook it up to his TV. But then his computer at home was giving him problems, so he took it home.
And now the plan is to burn the pictures to a DVD and show it on the TV with a DVD player.
Sounds good, but I've never done it (nor has he).
He bought this Magix software from Amazon and got an error message.
But now I see free software that should be able to do the job (lmgtfy).
Some likely candidates are:
Smilebox (free software)
Kizoa Slideshow Maker (where you create the project online)
Windows Media Center
Windows DVD Maker (included with Vista and Windows 7)
And here's an intro from HP.
Now to actually try it.
Wednesday, October 24, 2012
Climate of Doubt
PBS Frontline: Climate of Doubt
featuring Coral Davenport (with a named like Coral..)
***
and the unbiased response
Frontline repeatedly implied that there is an overwhelming consensus among climate scientists that our CO2 emissions are driving us to a global climate catastrophe. They cited 97% as the fraction of the climate science community who agreed with climate alarmism.
That number is easily dismissed. It comes from a 2009 online survey of 10,257 earth scientists, conducted by two researchers at the University of Illinois. Strangely, the researchers chose to eliminate almost all the scientists from the survey and so ended up with only 77 people, 75 of whom, or 97%, thought humans contributed to climate change.
***
which mirrors Larry Bell
[so what is it? like 90% instead?]
***
here's what skepticalscience wrote.
We should also consider official scientific bodies and what they think about climate change. There are no national or major scientific institutions anywhere in the world that dispute the theory of anthropogenic climate change. Not one.
In the field of climate science, the consensus is unequivocal: human activities are causing climate change.
***
Now, from Carnegie Mellon University and the University of Minnesota Institute on the Environment, comes a fresh study on the question of scientific consensus. Its findings offer something new: scientists appear actually to underestimate the extent to which they, as a group, agree on key questions related to climate change science.
***
Wikipedia article on the scientific opinion on climate change
featuring Coral Davenport (with a named like Coral..)
***
and the unbiased response
Frontline repeatedly implied that there is an overwhelming consensus among climate scientists that our CO2 emissions are driving us to a global climate catastrophe. They cited 97% as the fraction of the climate science community who agreed with climate alarmism.
That number is easily dismissed. It comes from a 2009 online survey of 10,257 earth scientists, conducted by two researchers at the University of Illinois. Strangely, the researchers chose to eliminate almost all the scientists from the survey and so ended up with only 77 people, 75 of whom, or 97%, thought humans contributed to climate change.
***
which mirrors Larry Bell
[so what is it? like 90% instead?]
***
here's what skepticalscience wrote.
We should also consider official scientific bodies and what they think about climate change. There are no national or major scientific institutions anywhere in the world that dispute the theory of anthropogenic climate change. Not one.
In the field of climate science, the consensus is unequivocal: human activities are causing climate change.
***
Now, from Carnegie Mellon University and the University of Minnesota Institute on the Environment, comes a fresh study on the question of scientific consensus. Its findings offer something new: scientists appear actually to underestimate the extent to which they, as a group, agree on key questions related to climate change science.
***
Wikipedia article on the scientific opinion on climate change
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