[10/8/15] Former Apple CEO John Sculley is a long-time fan of Aaron Sorkin. So when the legendary screenwriter approached him for script research on "Steve Jobs," Sculley was very happy to help.
Sorkin met with Sculley four times while making the film. The ex-CEO shared stories about Apple (AAPL, Tech30) history, his relationship with Jobs and Jobs' relationships with others.
"[Sorkin's] a brilliant screenwriter," Sculley said. "While [the
dialogue] may not have been the exact words that were spoken, it
represented the kind of dialogue that said 'yes, that's that person."
That includes himself, played by Jeff Daniels in the film. Sculley
was very impressed with the way Daniels absorbed aspects of his
personality.
"I couldn't believe how ... he actually captured
how I was feeling going through some of the most intense scenes,"
Sculley said.
Sculley visited the set and spoke with both
Daniels and Michael Fassbender, who plays Jobs. He shared favorite
memories with them, including a late night in the Mac lab with both Jobs
and Bill Gates. Sculley, who had recently transitioned from a top job
at Pepsi, was shocked by their focus entirely on "the noble cause," as
opposed to profit. Both Jobs and Gates were dedicated to the creation of
the personal computer, and the possibilities it could create for
workers all over the world.
Friday, October 09, 2015
Friday, September 18, 2015
Letterman on climate change
David Letterman has a new hosting gig – of sorts.
The veteran late-night comedian will in 2016 journey to India to examine how that nation is trying to bring solar power to its entire population within the next decade. It’s a far cry from rattling off the popular Top Ten Lists and Stupid Pet Tricks that were so much a part of his more than three decades of wee-hours television for CBS and NBC. But it’s a chance for Letterman to give voice to the issue of climate change on a new, albeit temporary, home: National Geographic Channel.
Letterman will join Jack Black, Ty Burrell, James Cameron, Thomas Friedman, Joshua Jackson , Aasif Mandvi, Olivia Munn, Arnold Schwarzenegger, Ian Somerhalder and Cecily Strong in the second season of the documentary series “Years of Living Dangerously,” which explores the issue of climate change and won a 2014 Emmy for Outstanding Documentary or Nonfiction Series. The project is the first Letterman has announced since leaving “The Late Show” on CBS last May.
David Gelber and Joel Bach, the series’ producers, said they thought they noticed Letterman become more animated on “The Late Show” when discussion of climate change came to the fore, and decided to reach out to him. “You could just tell. Whenever they would have a climate discussion, he would really kind of perk up,” noted Bach, in an interview. “And it turns out he does, he cares about it a lot,” he said. “He’s definitely invested in this issue.”
The veteran late-night comedian will in 2016 journey to India to examine how that nation is trying to bring solar power to its entire population within the next decade. It’s a far cry from rattling off the popular Top Ten Lists and Stupid Pet Tricks that were so much a part of his more than three decades of wee-hours television for CBS and NBC. But it’s a chance for Letterman to give voice to the issue of climate change on a new, albeit temporary, home: National Geographic Channel.
Letterman will join Jack Black, Ty Burrell, James Cameron, Thomas Friedman, Joshua Jackson , Aasif Mandvi, Olivia Munn, Arnold Schwarzenegger, Ian Somerhalder and Cecily Strong in the second season of the documentary series “Years of Living Dangerously,” which explores the issue of climate change and won a 2014 Emmy for Outstanding Documentary or Nonfiction Series. The project is the first Letterman has announced since leaving “The Late Show” on CBS last May.
David Gelber and Joel Bach, the series’ producers, said they thought they noticed Letterman become more animated on “The Late Show” when discussion of climate change came to the fore, and decided to reach out to him. “You could just tell. Whenever they would have a climate discussion, he would really kind of perk up,” noted Bach, in an interview. “And it turns out he does, he cares about it a lot,” he said. “He’s definitely invested in this issue.”
Wednesday, September 09, 2015
new Apple TV
Apple unveiled a new connected-TV box for the first time in three years
Wednesday, turning Apple TV into a modern contender against rivals that
have been more responsive to consumers' growing appetite for online
media.
"Our vision for TV is simple," Chief Executive Tim Cook said, speaking at an event in downtown San Francisco, where it is expected to show off new iPhones.. "We believe the future of television is apps."
It's more expensive, too. An Apple TV with 32 gigabytes of storage costs $149, and one with 64GB is $199. It will be available in October, and will be sold in more than 180 countries by the end of the year.
Apple TV is streaming media box, which hooks up to your television so you can watch Internet-delivered entertainment like Netflix and other digital media on the big living-room screen. A fresh Apple TV is necessary for the company to stay relevant against competitors, as consumer demand for online media -- and the boxes that stream it -- climbs higher than ever before.
The new Apple TV will include an App Store and a revamped remote with a trackpad and a voice-command button.
The new remote has a glass surface across the top that responds to touch. It lets viewers glide across a set of movies, or to fast-forward through a show.Another button will summon Siri, Apple's voice-command digital assistant. Siri results will search across Netflix, Hulu, HBO, Showtime and Apple's own iTunes, but it omits direct competitor Amazon. The voice-recognition feature also lets viewers tell the Apple TV to jump ahead in a video, or look up content based on the cast, director, age rating or date.
Apple overhauled product's underlying software -- its operating system -- to make the box more like your smartphone with a big world of apps. Called tvOS, it allows Apple TV to have new kinds of media, like games and fitness programs. Apple showed off several that would be available first for Apple TV: They included video essentials like Netflix, Hulu and HBO, as well as applications new to its streaming box like game Crossy Road, the short-term rental company AirBnB, and shopping with Gilt.
In the early days of Apple TV, the company positioned its streaming media box as a "hobby," but Apple's early start in market has made it the biggest selling device of its kind. Apple has sold 25 million in its lifetime, Chief Executive Tim Cook said in March. That beats Roku's 10 million total sold as of last year.
However, Apple TV sat the sidelines for more than three years, and sales suffered. With its focus on products like iPhone and Apple Watch, Apple hasn't upgraded the Apple TV to a new generation since March 2012. Meanwhile, the amount and quality of content online exploded, and competitors like Roku, Amazon and Google were agile. Sales of Apple TV slipped as rivals introduced and updated fresher products with more features and content, according to analyst estimates.
Apple in March cut the price for Apple TV by $30 to $69. The discount suggested the company had a new version on the way, and many expected to see a new Apple TV earlier this year. The company reportedly planned to introduce a new Apple TV box alongside the unveiling of a subscription television service, but difficulty securing deals for TV channels pushed that venture back.
Content sales through Apple TV are big business. In 2013, it sold $1 billion worth of content directly off Apple TV, Cook said last April.
Since Apple's last Apple TV hardware update in March 2012, Google launched its $35 Chromecast streaming dongle, Amazon introduced its $99 Fire TV box and $39 stick, and Roku released its third $100 streaming box and its $50 streaming stick. The low price of Chromecast generated intense demand, while Amazon's Fire TV incorporated features that made Apple's device look outmoded by comparison, such as voice search and an optional gaming controller.
[$149 and $199? Well if they add CBS and Amazon Instant Video and Fibbage, then yeah maybe.]
"Our vision for TV is simple," Chief Executive Tim Cook said, speaking at an event in downtown San Francisco, where it is expected to show off new iPhones.. "We believe the future of television is apps."
It's more expensive, too. An Apple TV with 32 gigabytes of storage costs $149, and one with 64GB is $199. It will be available in October, and will be sold in more than 180 countries by the end of the year.
Apple TV is streaming media box, which hooks up to your television so you can watch Internet-delivered entertainment like Netflix and other digital media on the big living-room screen. A fresh Apple TV is necessary for the company to stay relevant against competitors, as consumer demand for online media -- and the boxes that stream it -- climbs higher than ever before.
The new Apple TV will include an App Store and a revamped remote with a trackpad and a voice-command button.
The new remote has a glass surface across the top that responds to touch. It lets viewers glide across a set of movies, or to fast-forward through a show.Another button will summon Siri, Apple's voice-command digital assistant. Siri results will search across Netflix, Hulu, HBO, Showtime and Apple's own iTunes, but it omits direct competitor Amazon. The voice-recognition feature also lets viewers tell the Apple TV to jump ahead in a video, or look up content based on the cast, director, age rating or date.
Apple overhauled product's underlying software -- its operating system -- to make the box more like your smartphone with a big world of apps. Called tvOS, it allows Apple TV to have new kinds of media, like games and fitness programs. Apple showed off several that would be available first for Apple TV: They included video essentials like Netflix, Hulu and HBO, as well as applications new to its streaming box like game Crossy Road, the short-term rental company AirBnB, and shopping with Gilt.
In the early days of Apple TV, the company positioned its streaming media box as a "hobby," but Apple's early start in market has made it the biggest selling device of its kind. Apple has sold 25 million in its lifetime, Chief Executive Tim Cook said in March. That beats Roku's 10 million total sold as of last year.
However, Apple TV sat the sidelines for more than three years, and sales suffered. With its focus on products like iPhone and Apple Watch, Apple hasn't upgraded the Apple TV to a new generation since March 2012. Meanwhile, the amount and quality of content online exploded, and competitors like Roku, Amazon and Google were agile. Sales of Apple TV slipped as rivals introduced and updated fresher products with more features and content, according to analyst estimates.
Apple in March cut the price for Apple TV by $30 to $69. The discount suggested the company had a new version on the way, and many expected to see a new Apple TV earlier this year. The company reportedly planned to introduce a new Apple TV box alongside the unveiling of a subscription television service, but difficulty securing deals for TV channels pushed that venture back.
Content sales through Apple TV are big business. In 2013, it sold $1 billion worth of content directly off Apple TV, Cook said last April.
Since Apple's last Apple TV hardware update in March 2012, Google launched its $35 Chromecast streaming dongle, Amazon introduced its $99 Fire TV box and $39 stick, and Roku released its third $100 streaming box and its $50 streaming stick. The low price of Chromecast generated intense demand, while Amazon's Fire TV incorporated features that made Apple's device look outmoded by comparison, such as voice search and an optional gaming controller.
[$149 and $199? Well if they add CBS and Amazon Instant Video and Fibbage, then yeah maybe.]
iPhone 6S
Apple on Wednesday debuted its newest smartphones, the
iPhone 6S and iPhone 6S Plus, giving the devices a new
pressure-sensitive display, zippier processor and more powerful camera.
"What we have to show you today is really awesome," CEO Tim Cook said onstage at Apple's presentation, held at the Bill Graham Auditorium in downtown San Francisco. "While they may look familiar, we have changed everything about these new iPhones."
This year's iPhone is Apple's off "S" year. That means Apple keeps the basic design of the device the same but adds other features to attract buyers, like the Siri digital voice assistant in the iPhone 4S and the TouchID fingerprint reader in the iPhone 5S.
A marquee feature for this year's iPhone 6S was expected to be the Force Touch technology used in the Apple Watch, a pressure-sensitive display that responds to various types of touches. The company instead unveiled 3D Touch, a feature that appears to have the same capabilities.
In another bigger change, Siri can be activated via voice for the first time, allowing a user to ask the digital assistant questions or play music by saying "Hey Siri" while washing dishes or preparing a meal. In older models, Siri can only be activated by pressing the phone's home button. The new feature helps Apple catch up to other devices, such as the Amazon Echo speaker and many Android phones, that already offer similar functions.
The new 4.7-inch 6S and 5.5-inch 6S Plus, which are the same size as last year's models, will be available for preorder starting Saturday and available Sept. 25 in the US, UK, China, France, Japan, Australia and other markets. The base-model iPhone 6S will cost $649 off-contract, following Apple's typical pricing model. Prices for the 6 and 6 Plus will be knocked down by $100.
The new phones will include Apple's new A9 chip, which the company claims is 70 percent faster at computing tasks than last year's A8 chip in the iPhone 6 and 6 Plus. "It delivers a big jump in performance," Apple executive Phil Schiller said onstage. "It's going to make using our phone faster and a lot more fun."
The devices also come with a new 12-megapixel iSight back-facing camera, a boost from the 8-megapixel cameras in last year's phones, and are available in four finishes: silver, gold, space gray and a new rose gold finish. Additionally, the new phones will come with faster LTE and Wi-Fi wireless connections, a faster TouchID sensor, the ability to shoot high-resolution 4K videos and the phone's screen now acts as a flash for selfie pictures.
"What we have to show you today is really awesome," CEO Tim Cook said onstage at Apple's presentation, held at the Bill Graham Auditorium in downtown San Francisco. "While they may look familiar, we have changed everything about these new iPhones."
This year's iPhone is Apple's off "S" year. That means Apple keeps the basic design of the device the same but adds other features to attract buyers, like the Siri digital voice assistant in the iPhone 4S and the TouchID fingerprint reader in the iPhone 5S.
A marquee feature for this year's iPhone 6S was expected to be the Force Touch technology used in the Apple Watch, a pressure-sensitive display that responds to various types of touches. The company instead unveiled 3D Touch, a feature that appears to have the same capabilities.
In another bigger change, Siri can be activated via voice for the first time, allowing a user to ask the digital assistant questions or play music by saying "Hey Siri" while washing dishes or preparing a meal. In older models, Siri can only be activated by pressing the phone's home button. The new feature helps Apple catch up to other devices, such as the Amazon Echo speaker and many Android phones, that already offer similar functions.
The new 4.7-inch 6S and 5.5-inch 6S Plus, which are the same size as last year's models, will be available for preorder starting Saturday and available Sept. 25 in the US, UK, China, France, Japan, Australia and other markets. The base-model iPhone 6S will cost $649 off-contract, following Apple's typical pricing model. Prices for the 6 and 6 Plus will be knocked down by $100.
The new phones will include Apple's new A9 chip, which the company claims is 70 percent faster at computing tasks than last year's A8 chip in the iPhone 6 and 6 Plus. "It delivers a big jump in performance," Apple executive Phil Schiller said onstage. "It's going to make using our phone faster and a lot more fun."
The devices also come with a new 12-megapixel iSight back-facing camera, a boost from the 8-megapixel cameras in last year's phones, and are available in four finishes: silver, gold, space gray and a new rose gold finish. Additionally, the new phones will come with faster LTE and Wi-Fi wireless connections, a faster TouchID sensor, the ability to shoot high-resolution 4K videos and the phone's screen now acts as a flash for selfie pictures.
iPad Pro
Apple's answer for slowing iPad sales: Supersize it!
That's what CEO Tim Cook announced Wednesday, unveiling a new, larger version of the tablet. Called the iPad Pro, the device features a 12.9-inch screen that's designed to be used with two hands, and the ability to run two apps side by side. The goal is to prove the iPad can be more than just a device for surfing the Web and watching videos.
Among the new technologies Apple introduced are a new thin "smart keyboard" that also acts as a cover, which the company said is wrapped in a special fabric. But Apple will also offer a new device called the Apple Pencil, a stylus designed as a more precise way of interacting with the device.
"In just five years, iPad has transformed the way we create, the way we learn and the way we work," Cook said during an event in San Francisco. The iPad Pro, he said, "is the most capable iPad we've ever created."
The iPad Pro will start at $799 with 32 gigabytes of storage, launching in November. The keyboard will cost $169 and the pencil will cost $99.
It's all part of Apple's latest effort to expand interest in the slumping tablet industry. For Apple, iPad sales, which account for about 10 percent of the company's sales, have been the one weak spot in its product line. Apple sold 10.9 million iPads in the three months ended in June. Though seemingly high, and representing nearly a quarter of all tablets sold around the world, sales had still declined 18 percent from the same time last year. That was the sixth consecutive decline for the iPad line.
Analysts say it's not just the iPad. Consumers have been holding on to their tablets longer, opting to buy bigger-screen iPhones and Mac computers instead. It's also been years since Apple has spurred demand by offering any big jumps in technology or a radically new take on its tablet. Updates to the iPad -- including a mini version first introduced in 2012 -- have seen a bump up in technical specs like processor speed, screen resolution and added memory but not much else in the way of game-changing innovation.
That's what CEO Tim Cook announced Wednesday, unveiling a new, larger version of the tablet. Called the iPad Pro, the device features a 12.9-inch screen that's designed to be used with two hands, and the ability to run two apps side by side. The goal is to prove the iPad can be more than just a device for surfing the Web and watching videos.
Among the new technologies Apple introduced are a new thin "smart keyboard" that also acts as a cover, which the company said is wrapped in a special fabric. But Apple will also offer a new device called the Apple Pencil, a stylus designed as a more precise way of interacting with the device.
"In just five years, iPad has transformed the way we create, the way we learn and the way we work," Cook said during an event in San Francisco. The iPad Pro, he said, "is the most capable iPad we've ever created."
The iPad Pro will start at $799 with 32 gigabytes of storage, launching in November. The keyboard will cost $169 and the pencil will cost $99.
It's all part of Apple's latest effort to expand interest in the slumping tablet industry. For Apple, iPad sales, which account for about 10 percent of the company's sales, have been the one weak spot in its product line. Apple sold 10.9 million iPads in the three months ended in June. Though seemingly high, and representing nearly a quarter of all tablets sold around the world, sales had still declined 18 percent from the same time last year. That was the sixth consecutive decline for the iPad line.
Analysts say it's not just the iPad. Consumers have been holding on to their tablets longer, opting to buy bigger-screen iPhones and Mac computers instead. It's also been years since Apple has spurred demand by offering any big jumps in technology or a radically new take on its tablet. Updates to the iPad -- including a mini version first introduced in 2012 -- have seen a bump up in technical specs like processor speed, screen resolution and added memory but not much else in the way of game-changing innovation.
Monday, September 07, 2015
an ink-jet printer with lots of ink
Coming up with a simple characterization for the
Epson WorkForce ET-4550 EcoTank All-in-One Printer ($499.99) is a
challenge. On the one hand, it's a fairly typical office-centric multifunction printer (MFP),
and a good fit for either personal use or light-duty shared use in a
micro office. On the other, it's expensive for that sort of printer. But
as part of the EcoTank family, it's Epson's answer to anyone who has
ever complained about the marketing model that gives away the razors
(read: printers) to sell the blades (read: ink). With the ET-4550$499.99 at Amazon, you pay full freight for the printer, and save lots of money on ink.
According to Epson, the ET-4550 is essentially identical to the Epson WorkForce WF-2650$78.88 at WalMart, except that it adds an Ethernet connector and—far more important—it doesn't use ink cartridges. Instead, it adds ink tanks on the side of the printer, and ships with bottles of ink, which you pour into the tanks.
Along with the nearly identical features, the two models offer similar performance. There's a big difference in price, with the ET-4550 costing about four times as much. But unless you hardly print at all, it will be a lot less expensive in the long run. The ET-4500 comes with enough ink for 11,000 monochrome pages (if you use it as a replacement for a monochrome laser), or 8,500 color pages, with both yields based on ISO/IEC standard test pages. To print the same number of pages with the Epson WF-2650, you'd have to buy more than $1,600 worth of ink cartridges. And that's not including the cost of the printer.
According to Epson, the ET-4550 is essentially identical to the Epson WorkForce WF-2650$78.88 at WalMart, except that it adds an Ethernet connector and—far more important—it doesn't use ink cartridges. Instead, it adds ink tanks on the side of the printer, and ships with bottles of ink, which you pour into the tanks.
Along with the nearly identical features, the two models offer similar performance. There's a big difference in price, with the ET-4550 costing about four times as much. But unless you hardly print at all, it will be a lot less expensive in the long run. The ET-4500 comes with enough ink for 11,000 monochrome pages (if you use it as a replacement for a monochrome laser), or 8,500 color pages, with both yields based on ISO/IEC standard test pages. To print the same number of pages with the Epson WF-2650, you'd have to buy more than $1,600 worth of ink cartridges. And that's not including the cost of the printer.
Sunday, September 06, 2015
Sci-Fi Transportation now
In the last century, we had lots of big ideas about how people would get around in the sci-fi future. Flying cars, jetpacks, rockets all over the place. It was pretty awesome. Sadly, none of it has come to pass as of press time, and we're still stuck with the usual planes, trains, and automobiles.
Let's face it: air travel has become pretty boring. The days of jetting across the sky in luxury (and paying through the nose to do it) are long gone, replaced by airlines that cram people in like sardines and nickel and dime them for every amenity. What used to seem like the transportation of the future has lost its luster.
But if we look away from the skies, we can find that futurists are still pushing transportation forward in a variety of unique ways. In this feature, we'll zip around the globe spotlighting some amazing transportation initiatives that seem like they come from the future. From single-family subway cars to blindingly fast trains, these are the most sci-fi transportation methods you can actually ride right now.
Thursday, September 03, 2015
Clippers over-the-top?
Steve Ballmer, the owner of the Los Angeles Clippers, has turned down a $60 million-a-year offer for local TV rights and is forging ahead with a plan to start his own over-the-top streaming network, The Post has learned.
If he follows through on the plan, Ballmer, the former CEO of Microsoft, would be the first owner of a major US sports team to deliver games direct-to-consumer via a Web-based service and not through traditional cable or satellite companies, sources said.
Clippers games are now aired to roughly 5 million Los Angeles-area homes through Fox Sports’ Prime Ticket regional sports network in a deal that runs through the 2015-16 season.
Prime Ticket currently pays the team a rights fee of $25 million a year — and offered a 140 percent increase, to $60 million, but the billionaire Ballmer turned it aside.
Prime Ticket’s exclusive negotiating window closed in June, one source said — meaning Ballmer is free to negotiate with others.
Some observers think the bombastic Ballmer is merely using the threat of forming an over-the-top network as a play to wring more money from an RSN.
But others think the plan is real.
“Steve Ballmer has not renewed his deal with Fox,” said one source close to the situation. “He’s looking at a [digital] subscription channel.”
The 59-year-old Ballmer’s tenure at Microsoft gave him direct insight into the world of live-streaming video — thanks to the success of its global Xbox gaming console.
While he may have the technological smarts to pull it off, Ballmer may find it hard to earn more than $60 million in revenue a year from a single sport streaming RSN, experts said.
The Clippers would have to sign up around 10 percent of LA’s 5 million households and get a pretty high price for the service, those people said.
“If it costs $12 per month, multiply that by 12 months in 500,000 homes, it would add up to $72 million — but then you’d have to produce the games and market the product,” said one.
And that’s if Ballmer can give fans a reason to subscribe during the five-month off-season.
If he can’t, revenue would only come to $42 million.
“Ballmer is going to want to explore his option on the tech side, but the cable model is still a pretty reliable source of revenue,” said another source familiar with the discussions. “If they go OTT [over-the-top], they’re taking an enormous risk, and they’re not the most prominent team in LA — they are second-best.”
This person believed that Fox’s offer represents a much better deal, but added it appeared Ballmer has his heart set on being a tech pioneer.
Ballmer paid $2 billion for the team in 2014 after then-owner Donald Sterling was caught on tape making racist comments. Sterling was forced by the NBA to sell the team.
At the same time, the NBA might frown on the over-the-top move if Ballmer fails to get a sizable audience.
Reached on Thursday, a Clippers spokesman said, “Steve Ballmer is exploring any and all options, including a new deal with Fox.”
Fox declined to comment.
[What's a few million to Ballmer? Currently worth $21.6 billion according to Forbes.]
Wednesday, September 02, 2015
desperately killing Flash
Add Amazon, Google, Microsoft, Netflix and others to the list of those who apparently want to see Flash die.
The worlds largest tech companies, including Amazon, Cisco, Google, Intel Corporation, Microsoft, Mozilla and Netflix, are forming the Alliance For Open Media to create an open-source, royalty-free video format, reports Wired. The alliance aims to make a video codec designed for high-quality streaming across a variety of devices.
Adobe Flash was the standard for high quality video playback for a number of years thanks to the fact that it didn't require much computer power to run well. Now it's seen as a serious security hazard and a blight on the internet. Both Chrome and Firefox have plugins to block Flash by default.
As Wired notes, this format would be a tool for major web companies to get away from using Flash to provide streaming video content. According to a blog post by Mozilla, the open-source codec will be released under the Apache 2.0 license.
Since it's royalty-free, virtually anyone would be able to use the codec for their own software. The Alliance is inviting additional parties interested in video to join in helping development.
Notably absent from the Alliance is Apple, which is reportedly trying to make its own content like Amazon and Netflix. Facebook, which is becoming increasingly video focused, is also a major omission.
The worlds largest tech companies, including Amazon, Cisco, Google, Intel Corporation, Microsoft, Mozilla and Netflix, are forming the Alliance For Open Media to create an open-source, royalty-free video format, reports Wired. The alliance aims to make a video codec designed for high-quality streaming across a variety of devices.
Adobe Flash was the standard for high quality video playback for a number of years thanks to the fact that it didn't require much computer power to run well. Now it's seen as a serious security hazard and a blight on the internet. Both Chrome and Firefox have plugins to block Flash by default.
As Wired notes, this format would be a tool for major web companies to get away from using Flash to provide streaming video content. According to a blog post by Mozilla, the open-source codec will be released under the Apache 2.0 license.
Since it's royalty-free, virtually anyone would be able to use the codec for their own software. The Alliance is inviting additional parties interested in video to join in helping development.
Notably absent from the Alliance is Apple, which is reportedly trying to make its own content like Amazon and Netflix. Facebook, which is becoming increasingly video focused, is also a major omission.
David Ige's Energy Vision
For the second time this summer, Gov. David Ige shook up Hawaii's energy establishment when he announced Monday he is opposed to importing liquefied natural gas as a source of electric power.
That followed his statement last month that he won't support Florida-based NextEra Energy Inc.'s $4.3 billion proposed purchase of Hawaiian Electric Industries Inc.
In a nearly one-hour interview Friday with the Honolulu Star-Advertiser, Ige explained his reasons for the two potentially game-changing announcements.
Hawaii needs an electrical utility with a new business model to get the state to its goal of 100 percent electrical generation from renewable energy resources by 2045, Ige said.
"We are looking for a partner in the electric utility that really embraces 100 percent renewable and, I think, more importantly, changing the business model from the traditional electric utility to what would work in a fully distributed generation renewable future."
Ige, a former electrical engineer, envisions a future where the electrical utility doesn't generate power, but only distributes it. The power will be generated from renewable sources distributed throughout the community, such as the rooftops of Hawaii residents or solar farms developed by parties other than the state's utility.
The typical utility model Hawaiian Electric Co. grew up with has to retire along with the utility's fossil fuel plants, Ige said.
"I think the utility of the future that we would want to see supports 100 percent renewable. It is about distributed generation," he said.
That partner needs to share the state's renewable-energy vision, Ige said. It must embrace the idea that Hawaii is a test bed for renewable-energy research opportunities, help photovoltaic penetration as well as help the state get business and investment partners that will help build research and development.
"I'm not anti-HECO. I'm pro-partner," Ige said. "This environment, with the state setting aggressive policy, we would like to find a utility partner that wants to be part of that environment."
A utility that generates, distributes and sells electricity is not part of that vision. LNG is not part of that vision.
"I definitely would not support, at this point in time, LNG for electricity generation," Ige said, repeating his proclamation from Monday at the Asia Pacific Resilience Innovation Summits & Expo.
The statement caused a stir at the three-day conference on energy strategy. It was praised by environmentalists but criticized by those who argue LNG would serve the state well as a cheaper and cleaner alternative to the oil and coal currently used to generate 80 percent of the state's electricity. Supporters of LNG have said it can serve as a "bridge fuel" as the state shifts to renewable energy.
That followed his statement last month that he won't support Florida-based NextEra Energy Inc.'s $4.3 billion proposed purchase of Hawaiian Electric Industries Inc.
In a nearly one-hour interview Friday with the Honolulu Star-Advertiser, Ige explained his reasons for the two potentially game-changing announcements.
Hawaii needs an electrical utility with a new business model to get the state to its goal of 100 percent electrical generation from renewable energy resources by 2045, Ige said.
"We are looking for a partner in the electric utility that really embraces 100 percent renewable and, I think, more importantly, changing the business model from the traditional electric utility to what would work in a fully distributed generation renewable future."
Ige, a former electrical engineer, envisions a future where the electrical utility doesn't generate power, but only distributes it. The power will be generated from renewable sources distributed throughout the community, such as the rooftops of Hawaii residents or solar farms developed by parties other than the state's utility.
The typical utility model Hawaiian Electric Co. grew up with has to retire along with the utility's fossil fuel plants, Ige said.
"I think the utility of the future that we would want to see supports 100 percent renewable. It is about distributed generation," he said.
That partner needs to share the state's renewable-energy vision, Ige said. It must embrace the idea that Hawaii is a test bed for renewable-energy research opportunities, help photovoltaic penetration as well as help the state get business and investment partners that will help build research and development.
"I'm not anti-HECO. I'm pro-partner," Ige said. "This environment, with the state setting aggressive policy, we would like to find a utility partner that wants to be part of that environment."
A utility that generates, distributes and sells electricity is not part of that vision. LNG is not part of that vision.
"I definitely would not support, at this point in time, LNG for electricity generation," Ige said, repeating his proclamation from Monday at the Asia Pacific Resilience Innovation Summits & Expo.
The statement caused a stir at the three-day conference on energy strategy. It was praised by environmentalists but criticized by those who argue LNG would serve the state well as a cheaper and cleaner alternative to the oil and coal currently used to generate 80 percent of the state's electricity. Supporters of LNG have said it can serve as a "bridge fuel" as the state shifts to renewable energy.
Hulu with no commercials / NFL on CBS
Noticed that Hulu has introduced a no commercials plan. The price is $11.99 vs. $7.99 with limited commercials. What is that? Like 13 cents a day?
(This makes Netflix look like even more of a bargain.)
In other cordkillers news, CBS is going to stream a couple of NFL games for free. That's in addition to four playoff games and the Super Bowl. OK, maybe I'll keep my CBS subscription.
Now if the CBS app would support streaming of the CBS Sports network, you might really have something.
(This makes Netflix look like even more of a bargain.)
In other cordkillers news, CBS is going to stream a couple of NFL games for free. That's in addition to four playoff games and the Super Bowl. OK, maybe I'll keep my CBS subscription.
Now if the CBS app would support streaming of the CBS Sports network, you might really have something.
Monday, August 31, 2015
Amazon Fire TV remote problems
[5/18/16] I guess it belonged in this entry, but I added more news about the Fire TV remote in this new post.
In short, the remote still works but the right cursor "button" at times doesn't work. You have to press firmly to get it to work. Then it might OK for a little while. I finally decided to call Amazon to see if I could get a(nother) replacement. They couldn't find the record of the remote, but after a conferral with her supervisor (or something), they decided to give me a courtesy credit of $29.99 which I could use to buy another remote.
I decided to buy instead the new Roku Stick since it was discounted to $39.99 so it effectively cost me $10. Meanwhile, I'll struggle along with the less-than-perfect but still mostly functional voice remote. If it gets worse, I could use the non-voice remote from my Fire TV Stick (my Black Friday purchase which turned out to cost less me less than the price of a new voice remote).
[9/2/15] Remote still working, but got a low battery alert on the screen with the recommendation to replace them as soon as possible. Tested them with my battery tester and they still tested good, though near the low line.
[9/1/15] After unplugging the Fire TV yesterday, I plugged it back in today. Started right up with no problems. I left the batteries in the remote. That tells me the Fire TV is OK, but that the remote might have problems if the battery is out and later put back in. But I had problems before when the battery was left in, so who knows?
[8/31/15] Oh well, I thought the problems were solved.
[I did get my refund, but they took out like $5 for shipping. They take it out when it's not "their fault". Well is it my fault that the equipment is defective?? Anyway, I wasn't going to complain because "I thought the problems were solved" and leave well enough alone. Actually I might have made out because I'm not sure if I get a new warranty on the replacement controller or not. Probably not, it wouldn't make sense.]
But now problems again. The controller seemed to work fine when I first got it, but then occasionally it would lag, not responding for a few seconds, then started working again.
I thought maybe it was because I installed Kodi (see separate post), so I cleared the data to reset Kodi and it seemed to work. But then later it didn't. Then later the controller wouldn't respond at all.
I changed to fresh batteries. Then it worked. Switched back to the older batteries (which test OK on my battery tester but not as strong as the fresh batteries) and it worked. For a while. Then stopped working
Put back the fresh batteries. Still not working.
At least my iPad app still works and I decided to reset the Fire TV to factory default.
Booted up. Searching for your remote. Can't find it. And since it's reset to factory default, it's not connected to my network, so the iPad app can't control it either. So a useless Fire TV.
This all happened a few days ago. Now to contact tech support again.
Amazon.com. Help. Need More Help? Contact Us. Sign in. Fire and Kindle. Fire TV. Remote or Game Controller.
Wait. Was just about to start a chat, when the Fire TV apparently found the remote.
OK, let's see how long it lasts this time. I won't install Kodi, leave in the fresh batteries, and see if I get the problem again.
well, I see a problem already. Games and Apps have a blank screen. When I go to them, it says Loading Games or Loading Apps. It's been a while, so I think something is wrong. I know the network is working, because I was playing the NCIS: Los Angeles pilot I bought recently.
I guess I could unplug and try again. But let's try restart from the System menu.
Ugh. Just when I was starting to like the Fire TV. I guess it's OK, if it works.
OK, it restarted pretty fast. Controller still working. OK, Games and Apps now show up.
I see the CBS app spotlighted! OK, I got a little ahead of myself. It's just the CBS news app. But the logo just has a big CBS on it.
OK, load in Hulu Plus. Surprised it still says Hulu Plus, which might mean it's an old app. Adjust your display. I guess it does this before you play your first video app.
Turn on captions. They're yellow. Adjust caption formatting from the settings menu. I guess the settings must be stored on the Fire TV. Let's do proportion sans serif, white, window opacity transparent (if both background and window opacity are semi-transparent, the background becomes opaque).
I notice though that when I come back from adjusting the captions, the captions seem to lag the audio. And at one point, when playing the Daily Show (the Amy Shumer episode at the end when they were showing Fox News reporting that people seemed disappointed that Trump wasn't at the Koch GOP conference) the video was blank after the commercial for a number of seconds. Replaying showed that the video was there.
Netflix seems OK. They take the caption settings from the website.
Hours later, working fine. I can't leave well enough along. Take out the fresh batteries, put in the other batteries. Not working. Wait working again. OK let's update the software for the remote. It's now on version 352. AFTV News reported 352 a year ago, so it hasn't been updated in over a year.
Playing NCIS Los Angeles s1e01. The next episode automatically played. The setting was on here. Turned it off.
Played The Goldbergs s2e16: The Lost Boy.
Still working. I'm thinking the controller will work as long as it powered in this state. But if I take out the batteries, it'll die again. Well, now that the Fire TV is on the network, it should work with the app. So let's see if my theory is correct and maybe I'll get the replacement tomorrow.
Take out batteries at 6:07 PM.
And while I'm at it, I'll remove the app and re-install it and see if the invisible buttons appear. (They are visible in this picture, but not on my iPad.)
Nope, still no visible back button (until I tap it). And now I have two instances of the Amazon Fire TV remote app showing up in settings.
OK, waited 15 minutes. Put back batteries. Waited about 8 seconds and it went from offline to OK.
Reset it. Now the app has disappeared from the settings. Access the app from the iPad. Automatically connected and now just one instance.
OK unplug the Fire TV and plug in my Roku and I guess I'll try the Fire TV again tomorrow. Leaving the batteries in for now.
[8/13/15] The replacement Fire TV with controller arrived really fast. I chatted with Amazon on Friday (7/31) and the replacement arrived on Monday (8/3). Didn't get around to actually hooking it up until Saturday (8/8).
It turned out the old controller didn't work on new Fire TV. But the replacement controller worked on my original Fire TV. So apparently it's a controller problem.
At one point, I made the Fire TV forget the controller, but couldn't add it back. So I reset the Fire TV to default settings and let it boot back up and it recognized the controller. Leave well enough alone.
OK, let's see if I can get credit for the Fire TV. I'd be willing to pay for the remote replacement which is currently selling for only $14.99 ($19.99 new).
Head to chat. Varun answers.
At first he said I got the replacement for free, but I told him I got charged $58. Actually I paid a little less since I used some Amazon gift card credits courtesy of bing rewards. Then apparently he got what I was trying to say. So he's going to send me a link to print out a replacement label, then supposedly I'll get a refund for my $58 after that. Didn't even bother to charge me for the controller. Or maybe he didn't understand the situation. Stay tuned to see if I get my refund.
[7/31/15] Wanted to take my Fire TV to my sister's house today for possibly playing Fibbage. So set up the Fire TV. As feared, the remote doesn't work again. Using the iPad app, says batteries offline.
This time it didn't go online after waiting. So I went to amazon support chat. The guy seemed to be ready to send me a new remote, but I told him I had already gotten the remote replaced a few months back. So I guess he didn't know what to do so he arranged a call back (where somebody from Amazon calls me).
This guy was nice enough too. Had me try taking out the batteries and putting it back. Unplugging the unit and plugging it back it. Nope.
So we figured it was the unit. He was going to send me a free replacement but saw it was out of the 1-year warranty. So he offered the option to send a replacement for $58. I guess that's a good deal because the price of a new one is $99. The only problem it won't come in time for the party at my sister's house.
Plus I saw I had some "gift cards" I had from Bing Rewards plus some unused credits. So knock off $19.45. And actually I have more unused Bing credits so I could get the price down even more.
I guess I could take over my router to my sister's house then use the iPad app to connect the Fire TV to their routers. I'm thinking I wouldn't even to hook up the router to the internet. Maybe I'll try that, but what a pain.
[6/26/15] Wanted to test out Amazon Prime, so hooked up the Fire TV again and it's asking me to log in or create an Amazon account. It doesn't respond to the remote. Install the Fire TV app again on my iPad. OK that works, so now I know that my Fire TV is setup on the CyberHiNet network.
Navigate to Settings, Amazon TV Remotes, Amazon Fire TV Remotes. Says battery offline.
Test battery. Batteries OK. Change batteries. Still offline.
Then the screen changed to sleep mode or something. And somehow the remote is working!
OK, change the batteries. Not working. Put in the new batteries again. Still not working.
Waiting for the sleep screen again. Put in old batteries which test strong. Hey, online again. Says batteries OK. Beats me. Maybe I'll just leave the batteries in.
OK played around the Fire TV for a while. Everything worked OK.
To test the remote, I went to the Amazon Fire TV Remote screen. Took out the batteries. After a few seconds, the battery said offline. Put the batteries back in, still offline :)
Go to my computer to write this. The Fire TV went to screensaver. For the heck of it I pressed the home button on the remote and the Fire TV responded, exiting the screensaver. Beats me. But now it's working again. I gotta think the Fire TV is flaky since this is my second remote.
Well, I assume this will be a continuing problem since I don't use the Fire TV that much. So I better remember that the FireTV is setup for my CyberHiNet router since I probably will have to use the iPad app to control it the next time I use it.
It's been just over one year since I bought the Fire TV, so I shouldn't be able to return it.
Tried it a couple more times. Took out the batteries, goes offline. Put back the batteries. Offline at first. But after a few minutes it finally goes online. Beats me.
OK put the thing away.
Now for my AppleTV. This is a comparable test. I was using my Oceanic DVR remote control to control the AppleTV, but the DVR crashed and I returned it. Actually the guy didn't ask for the remote control back, so maybe I could have kept it. They didn't ask for the HDMI cable back, so at least I kept that.
Anyway, now I want to program the One For All remote for the Apple TV. I'm using the AUDIO function for the Roku. So I guess I'll use the STB function for the Apple TV. But since it's not set up yet, I'll have to first use the AppleTV remote.
This is a comparable situation to the Amazon Fire TV remote because I had stored away the Apple TV remote and took out the battery. OK, hook up the Apple TV. Retrieve the remote. Put in the battery (+ faces up). Works right away. Maybe it's because it's IR vs. BlueTooth?
Trying to get the Apple TV to recognize the One For All remote. For some reason, it's not getting any signal when I use the STB button, but the AUDIO button works. So I'll use that for the Apple TV as well as the Roku!
The standard buttons worked, but it doesn't recognize the playback buttons. But if I use the DVD button, it recognizes most of them.
Wait, isn't there a setting for the Apple TV? I think I have it somewhere in this blog...
Splitting this off to a separate Apple TV remote replacement post..
[4/24/15] OK trying out the remote. Was playing Deadliest Catch on Hulu Plus. Let it play for a little while, but when I came back to stop it, nothing happened. So went to my ipad app and pressed Home. Checked the remote and the battery said OK. So it seems to be OK. Hmm...
And now I can't get back into the ESPN app. The spinning wheel keeps spinning. It was working earlier. I guess this isn't a problem with the controller though. I'm becoming less and less enchanted with this FireTV. Checking. WatchESPN works on my computer and my iPad. [Got it to work by removing it and reinstalling it.]
[4/24/15] Yep, sure enough, FedEx delivers the replacement remote. Now to see if it works.
OK, plug in the Fire TV. The menu comes up. Open up the mailer. The remote comes in a nice black box. The problem is that I don't see how to open it without tearing it. Funny, I see that it's Certified Frustration Free Packaging.
Well, I guess I got to pull the tab and tear open the box. OK, there you go. Even comes with batteries.
I see this remote costs $29.99 and got 53 one star reviews out of 414, 247 five star.
OK, put in the batteries from the original remote as I think they're still good. Plus then I'll see if the problem is with the batteries.
Nothing is happening. "Press and hold the home button for 5-10 seconds to enter discovery mode."
Nope, nothing. Maybe it's not the remote?
OK, run the Fire TV app on my iPad.
Battery says offline. Put the new batteries in. Still says offline.
Let's try add new remote. OK, there you go! I don't know how I would have done this without the app.
Well reading the instructions that came with the remote, apparently you have to pair it soon after you plug in the Fire TV. Here's the instructions for a replacement remote.
"1. Restart your Amazon FireTV by unplugging the power cable from the power outlet and plugging it back in. After the Amazon FireTV Home screen completes loading, the white LED on the front of your Amazon FireTV will go from solid to pulsing when it is ready for pairing. This could take up to a minute.
2. Press and hold the Home button on the new remote for 5-10 seconds to enter discoverable mode. Your new remote should automatically pair with your Amazon FireTV. You will see an on-screen message when it has successfully paired."
OK, remove the old remote since it's not working anyway.
Update remote software to 3.52 (it was on 3.49).
OK, let's try this for a few days to make sure everything is OK.
***
[transplanted and excerpted from Amazon Fire TV audition (vs. Apple TV vs. Roku) {and caption battle}]
In short, the remote still works but the right cursor "button" at times doesn't work. You have to press firmly to get it to work. Then it might OK for a little while. I finally decided to call Amazon to see if I could get a(nother) replacement. They couldn't find the record of the remote, but after a conferral with her supervisor (or something), they decided to give me a courtesy credit of $29.99 which I could use to buy another remote.
I decided to buy instead the new Roku Stick since it was discounted to $39.99 so it effectively cost me $10. Meanwhile, I'll struggle along with the less-than-perfect but still mostly functional voice remote. If it gets worse, I could use the non-voice remote from my Fire TV Stick (my Black Friday purchase which turned out to cost less me less than the price of a new voice remote).
[9/2/15] Remote still working, but got a low battery alert on the screen with the recommendation to replace them as soon as possible. Tested them with my battery tester and they still tested good, though near the low line.
[9/1/15] After unplugging the Fire TV yesterday, I plugged it back in today. Started right up with no problems. I left the batteries in the remote. That tells me the Fire TV is OK, but that the remote might have problems if the battery is out and later put back in. But I had problems before when the battery was left in, so who knows?
[8/31/15] Oh well, I thought the problems were solved.
[I did get my refund, but they took out like $5 for shipping. They take it out when it's not "their fault". Well is it my fault that the equipment is defective?? Anyway, I wasn't going to complain because "I thought the problems were solved" and leave well enough alone. Actually I might have made out because I'm not sure if I get a new warranty on the replacement controller or not. Probably not, it wouldn't make sense.]
But now problems again. The controller seemed to work fine when I first got it, but then occasionally it would lag, not responding for a few seconds, then started working again.
I thought maybe it was because I installed Kodi (see separate post), so I cleared the data to reset Kodi and it seemed to work. But then later it didn't. Then later the controller wouldn't respond at all.
I changed to fresh batteries. Then it worked. Switched back to the older batteries (which test OK on my battery tester but not as strong as the fresh batteries) and it worked. For a while. Then stopped working
Put back the fresh batteries. Still not working.
At least my iPad app still works and I decided to reset the Fire TV to factory default.
Booted up. Searching for your remote. Can't find it. And since it's reset to factory default, it's not connected to my network, so the iPad app can't control it either. So a useless Fire TV.
This all happened a few days ago. Now to contact tech support again.
Amazon.com. Help. Need More Help? Contact Us. Sign in. Fire and Kindle. Fire TV. Remote or Game Controller.
Wait. Was just about to start a chat, when the Fire TV apparently found the remote.
OK, let's see how long it lasts this time. I won't install Kodi, leave in the fresh batteries, and see if I get the problem again.
well, I see a problem already. Games and Apps have a blank screen. When I go to them, it says Loading Games or Loading Apps. It's been a while, so I think something is wrong. I know the network is working, because I was playing the NCIS: Los Angeles pilot I bought recently.
I guess I could unplug and try again. But let's try restart from the System menu.
Ugh. Just when I was starting to like the Fire TV. I guess it's OK, if it works.
OK, it restarted pretty fast. Controller still working. OK, Games and Apps now show up.
I see the CBS app spotlighted! OK, I got a little ahead of myself. It's just the CBS news app. But the logo just has a big CBS on it.
OK, load in Hulu Plus. Surprised it still says Hulu Plus, which might mean it's an old app. Adjust your display. I guess it does this before you play your first video app.
Turn on captions. They're yellow. Adjust caption formatting from the settings menu. I guess the settings must be stored on the Fire TV. Let's do proportion sans serif, white, window opacity transparent (if both background and window opacity are semi-transparent, the background becomes opaque).
I notice though that when I come back from adjusting the captions, the captions seem to lag the audio. And at one point, when playing the Daily Show (the Amy Shumer episode at the end when they were showing Fox News reporting that people seemed disappointed that Trump wasn't at the Koch GOP conference) the video was blank after the commercial for a number of seconds. Replaying showed that the video was there.
Netflix seems OK. They take the caption settings from the website.
Hours later, working fine. I can't leave well enough along. Take out the fresh batteries, put in the other batteries. Not working. Wait working again. OK let's update the software for the remote. It's now on version 352. AFTV News reported 352 a year ago, so it hasn't been updated in over a year.
Playing NCIS Los Angeles s1e01. The next episode automatically played. The setting was on here. Turned it off.
Played The Goldbergs s2e16: The Lost Boy.
Still working. I'm thinking the controller will work as long as it powered in this state. But if I take out the batteries, it'll die again. Well, now that the Fire TV is on the network, it should work with the app. So let's see if my theory is correct and maybe I'll get the replacement tomorrow.
Take out batteries at 6:07 PM.
And while I'm at it, I'll remove the app and re-install it and see if the invisible buttons appear. (They are visible in this picture, but not on my iPad.)
Nope, still no visible back button (until I tap it). And now I have two instances of the Amazon Fire TV remote app showing up in settings.
OK, waited 15 minutes. Put back batteries. Waited about 8 seconds and it went from offline to OK.
Reset it. Now the app has disappeared from the settings. Access the app from the iPad. Automatically connected and now just one instance.
OK unplug the Fire TV and plug in my Roku and I guess I'll try the Fire TV again tomorrow. Leaving the batteries in for now.
[8/13/15] The replacement Fire TV with controller arrived really fast. I chatted with Amazon on Friday (7/31) and the replacement arrived on Monday (8/3). Didn't get around to actually hooking it up until Saturday (8/8).
It turned out the old controller didn't work on new Fire TV. But the replacement controller worked on my original Fire TV. So apparently it's a controller problem.
At one point, I made the Fire TV forget the controller, but couldn't add it back. So I reset the Fire TV to default settings and let it boot back up and it recognized the controller. Leave well enough alone.
OK, let's see if I can get credit for the Fire TV. I'd be willing to pay for the remote replacement which is currently selling for only $14.99 ($19.99 new).
Head to chat. Varun answers.
At first he said I got the replacement for free, but I told him I got charged $58. Actually I paid a little less since I used some Amazon gift card credits courtesy of bing rewards. Then apparently he got what I was trying to say. So he's going to send me a link to print out a replacement label, then supposedly I'll get a refund for my $58 after that. Didn't even bother to charge me for the controller. Or maybe he didn't understand the situation. Stay tuned to see if I get my refund.
[7/31/15] Wanted to take my Fire TV to my sister's house today for possibly playing Fibbage. So set up the Fire TV. As feared, the remote doesn't work again. Using the iPad app, says batteries offline.
This time it didn't go online after waiting. So I went to amazon support chat. The guy seemed to be ready to send me a new remote, but I told him I had already gotten the remote replaced a few months back. So I guess he didn't know what to do so he arranged a call back (where somebody from Amazon calls me).
This guy was nice enough too. Had me try taking out the batteries and putting it back. Unplugging the unit and plugging it back it. Nope.
So we figured it was the unit. He was going to send me a free replacement but saw it was out of the 1-year warranty. So he offered the option to send a replacement for $58. I guess that's a good deal because the price of a new one is $99. The only problem it won't come in time for the party at my sister's house.
Plus I saw I had some "gift cards" I had from Bing Rewards plus some unused credits. So knock off $19.45. And actually I have more unused Bing credits so I could get the price down even more.
I guess I could take over my router to my sister's house then use the iPad app to connect the Fire TV to their routers. I'm thinking I wouldn't even to hook up the router to the internet. Maybe I'll try that, but what a pain.
[6/26/15] Wanted to test out Amazon Prime, so hooked up the Fire TV again and it's asking me to log in or create an Amazon account. It doesn't respond to the remote. Install the Fire TV app again on my iPad. OK that works, so now I know that my Fire TV is setup on the CyberHiNet network.
Navigate to Settings, Amazon TV Remotes, Amazon Fire TV Remotes. Says battery offline.
Test battery. Batteries OK. Change batteries. Still offline.
Then the screen changed to sleep mode or something. And somehow the remote is working!
OK, change the batteries. Not working. Put in the new batteries again. Still not working.
Waiting for the sleep screen again. Put in old batteries which test strong. Hey, online again. Says batteries OK. Beats me. Maybe I'll just leave the batteries in.
OK played around the Fire TV for a while. Everything worked OK.
To test the remote, I went to the Amazon Fire TV Remote screen. Took out the batteries. After a few seconds, the battery said offline. Put the batteries back in, still offline :)
Go to my computer to write this. The Fire TV went to screensaver. For the heck of it I pressed the home button on the remote and the Fire TV responded, exiting the screensaver. Beats me. But now it's working again. I gotta think the Fire TV is flaky since this is my second remote.
Well, I assume this will be a continuing problem since I don't use the Fire TV that much. So I better remember that the FireTV is setup for my CyberHiNet router since I probably will have to use the iPad app to control it the next time I use it.
It's been just over one year since I bought the Fire TV, so I shouldn't be able to return it.
Tried it a couple more times. Took out the batteries, goes offline. Put back the batteries. Offline at first. But after a few minutes it finally goes online. Beats me.
OK put the thing away.
Now for my AppleTV. This is a comparable test. I was using my Oceanic DVR remote control to control the AppleTV, but the DVR crashed and I returned it. Actually the guy didn't ask for the remote control back, so maybe I could have kept it. They didn't ask for the HDMI cable back, so at least I kept that.
Anyway, now I want to program the One For All remote for the Apple TV. I'm using the AUDIO function for the Roku. So I guess I'll use the STB function for the Apple TV. But since it's not set up yet, I'll have to first use the AppleTV remote.
This is a comparable situation to the Amazon Fire TV remote because I had stored away the Apple TV remote and took out the battery. OK, hook up the Apple TV. Retrieve the remote. Put in the battery (+ faces up). Works right away. Maybe it's because it's IR vs. BlueTooth?
Trying to get the Apple TV to recognize the One For All remote. For some reason, it's not getting any signal when I use the STB button, but the AUDIO button works. So I'll use that for the Apple TV as well as the Roku!
The standard buttons worked, but it doesn't recognize the playback buttons. But if I use the DVD button, it recognizes most of them.
Wait, isn't there a setting for the Apple TV? I think I have it somewhere in this blog...
Splitting this off to a separate Apple TV remote replacement post..
[4/24/15] OK trying out the remote. Was playing Deadliest Catch on Hulu Plus. Let it play for a little while, but when I came back to stop it, nothing happened. So went to my ipad app and pressed Home. Checked the remote and the battery said OK. So it seems to be OK. Hmm...
And now I can't get back into the ESPN app. The spinning wheel keeps spinning. It was working earlier. I guess this isn't a problem with the controller though. I'm becoming less and less enchanted with this FireTV. Checking. WatchESPN works on my computer and my iPad. [Got it to work by removing it and reinstalling it.]
[4/24/15] Yep, sure enough, FedEx delivers the replacement remote. Now to see if it works.
OK, plug in the Fire TV. The menu comes up. Open up the mailer. The remote comes in a nice black box. The problem is that I don't see how to open it without tearing it. Funny, I see that it's Certified Frustration Free Packaging.
Well, I guess I got to pull the tab and tear open the box. OK, there you go. Even comes with batteries.
I see this remote costs $29.99 and got 53 one star reviews out of 414, 247 five star.
OK, put in the batteries from the original remote as I think they're still good. Plus then I'll see if the problem is with the batteries.
Nothing is happening. "Press and hold the home button for 5-10 seconds to enter discovery mode."
Nope, nothing. Maybe it's not the remote?
OK, run the Fire TV app on my iPad.
Battery says offline. Put the new batteries in. Still says offline.
Let's try add new remote. OK, there you go! I don't know how I would have done this without the app.
Well reading the instructions that came with the remote, apparently you have to pair it soon after you plug in the Fire TV. Here's the instructions for a replacement remote.
"1. Restart your Amazon FireTV by unplugging the power cable from the power outlet and plugging it back in. After the Amazon FireTV Home screen completes loading, the white LED on the front of your Amazon FireTV will go from solid to pulsing when it is ready for pairing. This could take up to a minute.
2. Press and hold the Home button on the new remote for 5-10 seconds to enter discoverable mode. Your new remote should automatically pair with your Amazon FireTV. You will see an on-screen message when it has successfully paired."
OK, remove the old remote since it's not working anyway.
Update remote software to 3.52 (it was on 3.49).
OK, let's try this for a few days to make sure everything is OK.
***
[transplanted and excerpted from Amazon Fire TV audition (vs. Apple TV vs. Roku) {and caption battle}]
[4/22/15] Contacted Amazon with this link and chatted with a rep. He said he's going to send a replacement. Never even asked me if I changed the batteries. Emailed me a link to print out a return label to return the defective item. The only thing is that I have to return it via UPS. I'll wait until the replacement arrives first. Stay tuned.
[4/6/15] Hooked up the Fire TV, but the remote didn't work again. And no amount of fiddling got it to work this time. The IOS app still works, but notice there's no "back" button. But discovered it's actually there, but not visible. Whose bright idea was that? [I think the app is screwy.]
Hmm. I think the button is supposed to be there according to the screen shot. Dunno where mine went. And apparently it's supposed to say Tap anywhere to select in the main screen. But mine is completely blank. Maybe my colors are off.
Anyway I think I'll take back the Fire TV to Best Buy and see what they say. [They said I have to return it to Amazon.]
[3/25/15] OK, before putting away the Fire TV, decided to hook it up. Once again the the remote didn't work. And it was asking for a system update. It did it automatically since I couldn't turn it off in time. Then after the update, I went to the Roku app and checked the remote. It said it was offline. Fiddling with the battery. Trying to clean the contact. And after a while, it connnected.
... So now debating whether to return the Fire TV or not. Well, maybe I'll take out the batteries again and try again later.
***
OK, took it to CCOH. It connected to the network, but the remote still wouldn't work. Installed the Amazon Fire TV app for the iPad, connected to the same network and got it to work.
Navigated to system, pair remote, nothing. Said battery was missing or dead or something. Was fiddling around with the batteries and all of a sudden the batteries were found and the controller was working.
What I noticed before is that if I shook the controller I could feel rattling like the batteries were loose. But now when I shook it, there was no rattling. Took out the batteries, put it back. Remote not working. Fiddle around, no rattling. Remote working. Quite odd. And I'd say this is a design issue. Or maybe I got oddball batteries? And now the app isn't working (can't find the Fire TV). Dunno. Maybe it's the network? I had it on Tsunami and switched to CCOH. Oh well. I guess I'll fool around some more with the batteries (probably leading to more frustration.)
[3/24/15] ... OK, I think I might now know what the problem is with the battery. The contact "platform button" where the bottom battery contacts on the bottom has some spring action which portrudes it up from the bottom. It seems it was a little stuck and wasn't protruding all the way up. And now (I think) I notice it's sticking up more. Spray some silicone to prevent it from getting stuck (don't know if that helped or hurt). Hopefully that was the problem.
[3/23/15] OK, I see that the Amazon Fire TV remote is bluetooth. So the One For All remote wouldn't be able to learn it since it's IR. Here's more things to try.
If your remote isn’t discovered, press the Home button for 5 - 10 seconds.
Still having trouble?
Disconnect the power cord from your Amazon Fire TV devuce for three seconds, and then plug the power cord back in. Or, on your remote press and hold the Select button and the Play button at the same time until the device restarts (about five seconds).
Shucks, didn't work. At least it's still displaying some nice background pictures...
Before taking it back to Best Buy, I think I'll take it back to CCOH which has the network which the Fire TV is currently set up with. Then I'll see what happens. Maybe I'll try out the IOS app too.
[3/22/15] Took my Amazon Fire TV home to check out the captions for youtube (and Netflix and hulu). It couldn't connect to my network. Which made sense since I had changed back to my old router in the meantime. But when I tried to connect to my current network, I got no response. Looks like the remote isn't working now. Changed the batteries. Still not working. Test if remote is working by seeing if my One For All remote could learn any buttons from the Amazon Fire TV remote. Apparently not. Ugh.
Well, I believe it may have one-year warranty. I think I'll take it back to Best Buy and see what they say.
Tuesday, August 25, 2015
universal flu vaccine?
Paris (AFP) - Scientists have
taken a major step towards creating a vaccine that works against
multiple strains of influenza, according to two studies published Monday
in top journals.
A "universal vaccine" is the holy grail of immunisation efforts against the flu, a
shape-shifting virus which kills up to half a million people each year,
according the World Health Organization.
There have been several killer pandemics in the last century -- the 1918 Spanish Flu outbreak claimed at least 20 million lives.
Existing
vaccines target a part of the virus that mutates constantly, forcing
drug makers and health officials to concoct new anti-flu cocktails every
year.
In the two studies,
published in Nature and Science, researchers tested new vaccines on
mice, ferrets and monkeys that duplicate another, more stable, part of
the virus.
Scientists have
long known that the stem of haemagglutinin -- a spike-like protein,
known as HA, on the surface of the virus -- remains largely the same
even when the tip, or "head", changes.
The next step was to immunise mice and ferrets, then injecting them with the H5N1 "bird flu" that has a mortality rate of more than 50 percent among people but is not very contagious.
The mice were completely protected against the flu, the researchers found.
And most of the ferrets, the species that best predicts the success of influenza vaccines on humans, did not fall ill either.
Moreover, when a new batch of mice was injected with antibodies from the rodents which had survived the previous round, most of them also shook off what should have been a lethal dose of bird flu.
The
other study, led by Antonietta Impagliazzo of the Crucell Vaccine
Institute in Leiden, the Netherlands, took a similar approach -- also
creating an HA "stem-only" vaccine.
Other scientists not involved in the studies described them as a major step towards a universal vaccine, but cautioned that a lot of work has to be done, possibly over many years, before a vaccine can be tested on humans.
"This is an exciting development, but the new vaccines now need to be tested in clinical trials to see how well they work in humans," said Sara Gilbert of the University of Oxford, adding that it will take years to reach that point.
"This is an important proof of concept for this vaccine approach," David Morens, a senior advisor at the National Institute of Allergy and Infectious Diseases at the US National Institutes of Health, said of the Nature study.
"If
this type of immunity can be elicited, then in theory a vaccinated
person could be protected against any influenza virus including viruses
that have yet to emerge from avian or mammalian reservoirs."
Monday, August 24, 2015
Celebrating Windows 95
With
the introduction of the DVD, cellphone text messaging, and Pixar's
first films, 1995 was a banner year for consumer technology. But at the
time, the biggest tech debut of the year was Windows 95, the operating
system that was for many of us our entrée into the world of computing.
To
honor the 20th anniversary of what was probably Microsoft’s most
exciting operating system release ever (before this year’s Windows 10
launch, of course), we invite you to relive the mid-’90s with some
visual reminders of what computing was like back then.
The screensavers shown below — in GIF form — were introduced with
Windows 95 and Windows 98. (And let’s be honest, Win98 and WinME were
just slightly spruced-up versions of Microsoft’s game-changing Windows
95 OS, anyhow.) Their ostensible purpose was to prevent pixel burn-in on
your old CRT monitor. But we all know they were really just great
excuses for spacing out while you stared at your screen.
Friday, August 21, 2015
adventures with Kodi
On Tuesday, I went down to Office Depot to mail back my replacement Amazon Fire TV (they're a UPS outlet). Also recycled three ink cartridges for credit (got a total of 3 cents).
Naturally I went over to look at the laptops and a salesman came over. I guess he had nothing better to do.
I asked him he knew anything about TV tuner cards. He didn't and said he doesn't watch much TV any more. I told him I'm watching more on Netflix and Hulu. He said why waste time (and money) with those. He uses Kodi. He installs it on his computers and even has it on his phone. He says the hot product these days is the DragonBox which is a media player installed with Kodi. I asked him if he had one and he said he didn't need one because he knows how to install Kodi himself. And apparently has installed it for others too.
I had heard of Kodi (when it was known as XBMC) and was now intrigued enough to actually try it.
And so here are my adventures with setting up Kodi... (Well, it's just the notes I took.)
how to install kodi
http://kodi.wiki/view/HOW-TO:Install_Kodi_for_Windows
ok, let's try IceFilms then
failed
try again, installed
seems a little flaky, asked for verification (type in what you see), but got Frozen to play
got David Blaine to play, but now video slowing down
not much luck getting anything else to play
watch The Middle Pilot on Fire TV, Kodi, Genesis
Hulu still plays so I guess the Fire TV is OK with Kodi now? I was afraid installing and playing Kodi would mess up the other applications.
Since trying out the Fire TV recently, it seems more stable than before. I like the hulu subtitles and am getting used to the Netflix subtitles. And now with Kodi support, this might be the box to get (for techies who don't mind playing around). So, score one for the Fire TV. (Not that I'm particularly recommending it.)
Note: Kodi works with only jailbroken Apple TV 2 and only up to version 14.2. Doesn't work with Roku.
Hey, let's try clear data on Kodi.
uh oh, there goes all my addons
OK, reinstall fusion, addoninstaller, genesis, 1Channel
now Project Free TV.so shows up, let's try that first
then do 1Channel and Genesis
play Person of Interest
Naturally I went over to look at the laptops and a salesman came over. I guess he had nothing better to do.
I asked him he knew anything about TV tuner cards. He didn't and said he doesn't watch much TV any more. I told him I'm watching more on Netflix and Hulu. He said why waste time (and money) with those. He uses Kodi. He installs it on his computers and even has it on his phone. He says the hot product these days is the DragonBox which is a media player installed with Kodi. I asked him if he had one and he said he didn't need one because he knows how to install Kodi himself. And apparently has installed it for others too.
I had heard of Kodi (when it was known as XBMC) and was now intrigued enough to actually try it.
And so here are my adventures with setting up Kodi... (Well, it's just the notes I took.)
how to install kodi
http://kodi.wiki/view/HOW-TO:Install_Kodi_for_Windows
Wednesday early a.m.
download Kodi (kodi.tv)
install Kodi (on Steven's laptop)
ok it's bare, how to get videos?
I assume video add-ons, which ones to get?
apparently there are a lot of third-party add-ons of questionable legality, but let's try some of the built-in ones
I assume these are kind of like adding channels to the Roku or installing apps on the iPad
lets try HGTV, works, video looks good, but can't get the subtitles to work, so far nothing I can't get on the web
how about HGTV Canada, videos here are prohibited from playing in the U.S. (I believe)
that works, even says subtitles are available for download but when I try says not subtitle service installed
let's choose opensubtitles.org for both movies and TV
notice some videos don't play, Bryk House plays, but subtitles not found
when I try to play videos from hgtv.ca, it just says loading and doesn't play
how do you get all the pirated shows?
in this youtube video this guy uses 1channel
try later
let's try the Hallmark Channel
movies, home and family, Cedar Cove / home and family has just numbers for titles, the first one happens to be the Waltons Reunion
I guess it's OK, but how do you uninstall
how about MeTV?
well got the Jack LaLanne Show
but that's available on the website
here's how to install 1Channel
you can also use the addon installer
here's more addons
later. First let's try ESPN3
works though the sound cut out on the first video I played (NBA Showcase)
what is PBS Thinktank? (it's just PBS)
back to sleep
Wednesday afternoon
back to Kodi
install 1Channel
first install AddOn Installer
requires Fusion Installer, ok how I get that?
now install 1channel
hey I guess it works, try Jurassic World has no sources
Kingsmen works, but no subtitles found
try TV, periodically getting connection failed, Failed to connect to url http://www.primewire.ag ...
try again and it sometimes works / but more often than not, it's failing
try install Genesis, failed to install a repository
this is like beta software (or even alpha)
exited and came back in, hey Genesis is there!
hey pulls up Dog Whisperer list of episodes, but when I try to access the episode, says no stream available
try Arrow, season 3 episode 1 plays with captions
try The Middle, season 1, episode 1 plays with captions
NCIS Los Angeles, season 1 apparently unavailable, except for the last episode, other seasons available?
Monk season 5, episode 1 unavailable but episode 2 is available
the Middle season 1, episode 2 is playing, but the subtitles are playing about 10 seconds too soon
(well, what do you want for free?)
hey pulled up some episodes of Dog Whisperer Family Edition on 1channel, no subtitles though (so far)
It's Me or the Dog episode lists pull up on Genesis but can't find any working streams
Wednesday evening (at ccoh)
install Kodi on HP laptop
doesn't appear in start menu or on desktop (though apparently it's supposed to)
create my own shortcut by linking to the exe file
let's install the fusion installer this way this time
have to double-click on "add source"
then go to config wizard
a lot more stuff got installed this way
how do you install captions on Kodi again?
choose opensubtitles.org
try playing The Middle, s1e01, no stream available, s1e02 no stream available
s1e03 worked but the subtitles kept needing to be adjusted as the video played (had to keep increasing the delay) what a pain
s1e02 seems better synchronized
home
read how to load kodi on amazon fire tv (I'm tempted)
Thursday morning
more experimenting with Kodi: King of Queens, Harry Potter
I can see the attraction [of Kodi], practically every movie and every TV show
but not really, not every TV show is there and even if it is, it doesn't always load
and if it loads, the quality is not consistent, sometimes it's pretty good, sometimes not
subtitles are hit and miss and often out of sync
If it's on netflix or Hulu, I would watch it there as you get a much more reliable and consistent quality
but if it's not, this would be a good way to watch/preview something you might be interested in purchasing (streaming or DVD)
and you just might might hit on a good quality video stream
Thursday afternoon
hook up FireTV, ok it's working
well let's install kodi on Sue's PC first
then install the Fusion Installer
instead of using config wizards, lets just use the addon installer
let's install Genesis
click on Genesis
click on install Genesis
do you wish to install the chosen add-on
and its respective repository if needed?
click install button
downloading your selection please wait...
your selections have been installed
OK
videos / addons / notice both Genesis and youtube have been installed
setup subtitles
try opensubtitles.org
installation failed (what?)
exit and go back, set subtitle language to english, ok now it takes
ok I guess it's working
NCIS Los Angeles started playing, then started stuttering, exit and go back in
Get Smart plays
ok, let's go for the amazon fire tv now
download kodi
enable adb debugging on amazon fire TV
Setting About Network, IP address is 192.168.200.69
now I have to either install Amazon Fire TV Utility App or adbFire app
adbFire looks a little simpler, so I'll choose that
apps from unknown source on
download adbfire 1.29 for Windows
53.2 MB
move adbfire to own folder and extract (click on zip file)
run adbfire.exe
screen looks different from the webpage
check the video
nope
help goes to this video
not really helpful, I dunno
here you go, click on new
Description FireTV
Address 192.168.200.69
pull folder c:/adbfire
save
connect (looks like it's already connected?)
install APK (browse to the apk file earlier downloaded, open)
install? yes
wait (progress bar on bottom running)
installed (OK)
run Kodi on FireTV
settings, applications, manage installed applications, Kodi
launch application
it works!
now to put on Genesis, first install fusion
now lets install addon installer
setup subtitles
ok play around with Kodi
Arrow, The Flash, The Middle, etc.
I guess it has it's uses. It's too flaky and inconsistent to be my first choice if the movie or show is alredy on hulu or netflix, but otherwise...
I wouldn't recommend it to the average user or to people who want the highest quality / I guess mainly to the cheapskates...
installed Phoenix
and now nothing plays on the Fire TV besides Kodi :(
power off and plug back in, seems to be working again
Friday
back to FireTV
seems to still work, CBS News plays though it stopped after a couple minutes, exited and went back in and was OK
install Movie4K.to
errors out
how do you remove an addon?
ok, let's try IceFilms then
failed
try again, installed
seems a little flaky, asked for verification (type in what you see), but got Frozen to play
got David Blaine to play, but now video slowing down
not much luck getting anything else to play
try Movie4K.to again
nope got error trying to run again, forget it, uninstall
try Ice again, asked for verification, forget it, uninstall
Hulu still plays so I guess the Fire TV is OK with Kodi now? I was afraid installing and playing Kodi would mess up the other applications.
Since trying out the Fire TV recently, it seems more stable than before. I like the hulu subtitles and am getting used to the Netflix subtitles. And now with Kodi support, this might be the box to get (for techies who don't mind playing around). So, score one for the Fire TV. (Not that I'm particularly recommending it.)
Note: Kodi works with only jailbroken Apple TV 2 and only up to version 14.2. Doesn't work with Roku.
Hey, let's try clear data on Kodi.
uh oh, there goes all my addons
OK, reinstall fusion, addoninstaller, genesis, 1Channel
now Project Free TV.so shows up, let's try that first
then do 1Channel and Genesis
play Person of Interest
Friday evening
try Movie4K.to on my HP laptop, it works
home
let's try put on Movie4K on FireTv with the other setup script
uninstall Genesis and 1Connect
but when I try to access the fusion installer, says unable to connect
clear data and try from scratch
try install the fusion installer
unable to connect
couldn't retrieve directory information. This could be due to the network not being connected. Would you like to add it anyway?
no
maybe the site is down?
http://www.thestreamingadvisor.com/2014/10/01/how-to-add-fusion-to-xbmc-with-new-url/ (see comments)
I guess I'll try again later
let's try install Genesis by itself then
ok that worked!
install a few more from the Kodi add-on repository
doze off to KordKutters (which is a Kodi channel, but also on youtube)
Saturday morning
try fusion installer again, nope unable to connect
try total xbmc (from comment at http://www.thestreamingadvisor.com/2014/10/01/how-to-add-fusion-to-xbmc-with-new-url/)
installed, but dont see movie4k
maybe you have to register?
how about this?
install superrepo repository
empty
try again, ok it works this time, I mistyped the url
ok choose isengard, videos
see a lot of stuff, but don't see movie4k
I do see 1channel though, so install that
ok let's go with super repo since that has 1channel, Genesis, Phoenix
and get rid of the others
clear data to start fresh
install all this time (instead of just video)
Data: 14.98 MB and slowly going up, now 16.62 MB, Cache steady at 65.98
ok install Genesis
data now up to 60.98 MB and slowly going up
try install Movie4K.to with my addon installer on my computer and sure enough it gets an error when running.
OK, maybe the problem is with the addon installer
ok let's try fusion addon again, this time it takes
choose config wizard
started then beeped with a message, don't know what the message said (error or success)
check video addons / nothing there
exit (as per instructions) and go back in
nope
try again, hey this time it works!
and movies4k.to works too
OK so now I got movie4k on my Fire TV. Not that I'm going to use it much. It was just the challenge of trying to see if it ran on the Fire TV.
Now playing a WWE even on Phoenix. It plays but periodically pauses to buffer. Probably because my internet connection ain't that fast.
Watch Next on Netflix. No problems.
Now notice that Fire TV is lagging the controller presses
unplug and plug back in
run Kodi, seems better, but not perfect
try to run Netflix, Hulu, etc. video won't play
clear Kodi cache
Bloomberg plays, but not Netflix
Kodi data is taking up 281 MB, clear it
now Netflix runs
decided to add some "legitmate" addons to Kodi
currently CNET, DIY, Esquire, HGTV, HGTV Canada, TestTude, Udacity, Travel, YouTube (which was installed automatically).
controller seems much more responsive
still has some problems buffering HD videos, stuttering or pausing after a while,
but seems ok
playing a video on HGTV Canada
I spoke too soon, now Hulu, Netflix, YouTube doesn't play, getting an error when trying to play
maybe it's because the video is still playing on Kodi?
go back to Kodi and stop the video (click on the stop button), then exit Kodi
now Hulu plays, Netflix plays
OK, we'll see if that's it..
Watch Next on Netflix. No problems.
Now notice that Fire TV is lagging the controller presses
unplug and plug back in
run Kodi, seems better, but not perfect
try to run Netflix, Hulu, etc. video won't play
clear Kodi cache
Bloomberg plays, but not Netflix
Kodi data is taking up 281 MB, clear it
now Netflix runs
decided to add some "legitmate" addons to Kodi
currently CNET, DIY, Esquire, HGTV, HGTV Canada, TestTude, Udacity, Travel, YouTube (which was installed automatically).
controller seems much more responsive
still has some problems buffering HD videos, stuttering or pausing after a while,
but seems ok
playing a video on HGTV Canada
I spoke too soon, now Hulu, Netflix, YouTube doesn't play, getting an error when trying to play
maybe it's because the video is still playing on Kodi?
go back to Kodi and stop the video (click on the stop button), then exit Kodi
now Hulu plays, Netflix plays
OK, we'll see if that's it..
Thursday, August 20, 2015
July was so hot...
WASHINGTON (AP) — Earth just keeps getting hotter. July was the planet's warmest month on record, smashing old marks, U.S. weather officials said.
And it's almost a dead certain lock that this year will beat last year as the warmest year on record, they said.
July's average temperature was 61.86 degrees Fahrenheit, beating the previous global mark set in 1998 and 2010 by about one-seventh of a degree, according to figures released Thursday by the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration. That's a large margin for weather records, with previous monthly heat records broken by a 20th of a degree or less.
"It just reaffirms what we already know: that the Earth is warming," said NOAA climate scientist Jake Crouch. "The warming is accelerating and we're really seeing it this year."
NOAA records go back to 1880. Separate calculations by NASA and the Japanese weather agency also found July 2015 to be a record.
The first seven months of 2015 were the hottest January-to-July span on record, according to NOAA. The seven-month average temperature of 58.43 degrees is 1.53 degrees warmer than the 20th-century average and a sixth of a degree warmer than the old record set in 2010.
Given that the temperatures have already been so high already — especially the oceans, which are slow to cool — NOAA climate scientist Jessica Blunden said she is "99 percent certain" that 2015 will be the hottest on record for the globe. The oceans would have to cool dramatically to prevent it, and they are trending warmer, not cooler, she said.
And it's almost a dead certain lock that this year will beat last year as the warmest year on record, they said.
July's average temperature was 61.86 degrees Fahrenheit, beating the previous global mark set in 1998 and 2010 by about one-seventh of a degree, according to figures released Thursday by the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration. That's a large margin for weather records, with previous monthly heat records broken by a 20th of a degree or less.
"It just reaffirms what we already know: that the Earth is warming," said NOAA climate scientist Jake Crouch. "The warming is accelerating and we're really seeing it this year."
NOAA records go back to 1880. Separate calculations by NASA and the Japanese weather agency also found July 2015 to be a record.
The first seven months of 2015 were the hottest January-to-July span on record, according to NOAA. The seven-month average temperature of 58.43 degrees is 1.53 degrees warmer than the 20th-century average and a sixth of a degree warmer than the old record set in 2010.
Given that the temperatures have already been so high already — especially the oceans, which are slow to cool — NOAA climate scientist Jessica Blunden said she is "99 percent certain" that 2015 will be the hottest on record for the globe. The oceans would have to cool dramatically to prevent it, and they are trending warmer, not cooler, she said.
Sunday, August 16, 2015
System Mechanic Pro and Slim Cleaner
Butchy says he uses System Mechanic Pro to find drivers.
Looking it up, it gets good reviews, but it's not free. The PC Magazine review also mentions Slim Cleaner which they also like. I might want to try this one out because the price is right (free!).
http://www.iolo.com/products/system-mechanic-professional/
http://www.pcmag.com/article2/0,2817,2371043,00.asp
[maybe I should try slimcleaner http://www.pcmag.com/article2/0,2817,2388692,00.asp]
Looking it up, it gets good reviews, but it's not free. The PC Magazine review also mentions Slim Cleaner which they also like. I might want to try this one out because the price is right (free!).
http://www.iolo.com/products/system-mechanic-professional/
http://www.pcmag.com/article2/0,2817,2371043,00.asp
[maybe I should try slimcleaner http://www.pcmag.com/article2/0,2817,2388692,00.asp]
Wednesday, August 05, 2015
XBox DVR
Microsoft will add over-the-air DVR support to the Xbox One in 2016, letting users record broadcast channels for free.
The news follows Microsoft’s launch of an official Xbox One TV tuner for the U.S. market last May, and a tuner for European markets last fall. With DVR capabilities, users can record major broadcast channels such as ABC, CBS, NBC, and Fox without a cable TV subscription. They’ll also be able to stream those recordings over Wi-Fi to phones, tablets, and PCs, or use those devices to schedule recordings remotely. Windows 10 users can even store recordings on a phone, tablet, or PC for offline playback.
Even without DVR, the $60 Xbox TV tuner is a fine product, adding features you don’t get by simply plugging an antenna into the television. For instance, users get a full channel guide, time-shifting for up to 30 minutes of live television, and optional Kinect voice commands. The tuner can also stream live TV to the SmartGlass app for iOS, Android, and Windows devices, and to the Xbox app for Windows 10.
Microsoft’s DVR support does come with a couple of drawbacks, however: Users will need to supply their own external hard drive for recordings, despite the availability of a 1 TB Xbox One console, and they won’t be able to watch and record programs at the same time using the current TV tuner. For that, users would need a dual tuner, which doesn’t exist for the Xbox One at the moment.
The news follows Microsoft’s launch of an official Xbox One TV tuner for the U.S. market last May, and a tuner for European markets last fall. With DVR capabilities, users can record major broadcast channels such as ABC, CBS, NBC, and Fox without a cable TV subscription. They’ll also be able to stream those recordings over Wi-Fi to phones, tablets, and PCs, or use those devices to schedule recordings remotely. Windows 10 users can even store recordings on a phone, tablet, or PC for offline playback.
Even without DVR, the $60 Xbox TV tuner is a fine product, adding features you don’t get by simply plugging an antenna into the television. For instance, users get a full channel guide, time-shifting for up to 30 minutes of live television, and optional Kinect voice commands. The tuner can also stream live TV to the SmartGlass app for iOS, Android, and Windows devices, and to the Xbox app for Windows 10.
Microsoft’s DVR support does come with a couple of drawbacks, however: Users will need to supply their own external hard drive for recordings, despite the availability of a 1 TB Xbox One console, and they won’t be able to watch and record programs at the same time using the current TV tuner. For that, users would need a dual tuner, which doesn’t exist for the Xbox One at the moment.
Monday, August 03, 2015
Hitchbot terminated in Philadelphia
This is why we can’t have nice things.
A hitchhiking robot named hitchBOT set off on a cross-country journey two weeks ago, starting in Boston. It successfully made it through the rough-and-tumble streets of Beantown, Gloucester, Marblehead, and New York City, only to get completely torn apart in Philadelphia. Et tu, City of Brotherly Love?
The now-destroyed robot hails from Port Credit, Ontario. It completed a successful 26-day journey in 2014 in which it “traveled over 10,000 km from Halifax, Nova Scotia to Victoria, British Columbia.” Then in early 2015, hitchBOT moved onto a 10-day German adventure, followed by a three-week jaunt in the Netherlands.
Three countries. Zero incidents. But once hitchBOT made it stateside, it didn’t even make it past the Mason-Dixon line before getting the wiring kicked out of him.
It explain what happened on its blog: “Oh dear, my body was damaged, but I live on back home and with all my friends. I guess sometimes bad things happen to good robots! My trip must come to an end for now, but my love for humans will never fade. Thank you to all my friends.”
A hitchhiking robot named hitchBOT set off on a cross-country journey two weeks ago, starting in Boston. It successfully made it through the rough-and-tumble streets of Beantown, Gloucester, Marblehead, and New York City, only to get completely torn apart in Philadelphia. Et tu, City of Brotherly Love?
The now-destroyed robot hails from Port Credit, Ontario. It completed a successful 26-day journey in 2014 in which it “traveled over 10,000 km from Halifax, Nova Scotia to Victoria, British Columbia.” Then in early 2015, hitchBOT moved onto a 10-day German adventure, followed by a three-week jaunt in the Netherlands.
Three countries. Zero incidents. But once hitchBOT made it stateside, it didn’t even make it past the Mason-Dixon line before getting the wiring kicked out of him.
It explain what happened on its blog: “Oh dear, my body was damaged, but I live on back home and with all my friends. I guess sometimes bad things happen to good robots! My trip must come to an end for now, but my love for humans will never fade. Thank you to all my friends.”
Wednesday, July 29, 2015
Windows 10
[7/29/15] So the day is finally here. Microsoft today launched Windows 10 giving
the millions of people who own Windows 7 and 8 computers a chance to
obtain for free to the company’s latest operating system.
The reason that the decision to take the plunge and swap operating systems is more difficult with Windows 10, is that Microsoft is offering Windows 10 for free to anyone owning a computer currently running Windows 7 or 8. In the past the company always charged a fee, generally around $100, for its latest operating system. That alone, along with the complexity of personally handling the upgrade, scared off many people and they simply stuck with the software that came with their computer.
However, with Win 10 being a freebie more people will seriously consider making the change even if they are not particularly tech savvy. The good news is the upgrade process is painless and can be completed by even a computer novice.
Microsoft is hyping a few key features it believes will sway people to upgrade. Primarily that 10 will work across all hardware platforms computer, tablet, smart phone and even Xbox One. So if a consumer owns a tablet or phone running Windows, as opposed to Android or iOS, he or she will be able to seamlessly move between devices.
Microsoft has also resurrected its famous Start button and the desktop interface itself is a mix between Windows 7, which is much beloved by its users, and Windows 8, which is basically despised by many of its users. This gives those who decided against moving up to Windows 8 an additional reason to give Windows 10 a try.
There is also a new browser, dubbed Edge, in Win 10 that offers the neat trick of being able to annotate a web page directly and then share it with another person. In addition, Microsoft has moved Cortana, its version of Siri or Google Now, to desktops and tablets. It has been available on Windows Phone for over a year.
[10/1/14] Today, Microsoft took the wraps off the next version of Windows. You’ll be able to install a free, unfinished “technical preview” version this week, or get it in final form sometime next year. It’s called Windows 10.
(Why is it Windows 10? What happened to 9? Making sense of the Windows naming sequence is like solving one of those Mensa “What’s the pattern?” puzzles. So far, we have this: Windows 1, 2, 3, 95, 98, 2000, ME, XP, Vista, 7, 8, 10. OK, whatever.)
Windows 8, as the world now knows, was a superimposed mishmash of two operating systems. There was the touchscreen-friendly TileWorld interface, as I called it. (Microsoft, at various times, called it Modern or Metro; it has officially retired both of those terms and replaced them with nothing.)
And, underneath, there was the regular desktop:
They are quite separate, these two environments. Each has its own Help system, its own Web browser, its own email program, its own control panel, its own conventions and gestures. Worse, each runs its own kind of programs. Regular Windows programs open at the desktop, as always — but TileWorld apps open in TileWorld, with no menus overlapping windows. Like iPad apps.
Microsoft believed at the time (2012) that the world was going touchscreen crazy. That, sooner or later, every PC would have a touchscreen.
It bet wrong. Most computers still don’t have touchscreens. Windows 8 was a massive flop with critics.
Windows 8 was a massive flop with consumers, too. Today, 51 percent of desktop PCs still run Windows 7; only 13 percent have “upgraded” to Windows 8 or 8.1, according to Net Applications.
And at the Windows 10 announcement, you would not have believed the words coming out of Microsoft’s mouth.
“In Windows 8, when users launched a Modern [TileWorld] app, it sort of had a different environment,” OS Group VP Joe Belfiore said in his demo. “We don’t want that duality.”
Now, when I wrote exactly that in The New York Times, Microsoft PR descended on me like the beasts of hell.
The answer has always been screamingly obvious: Split up the two halves of Windows 8. Or, as a wise man once wrote, “Put TileWorld and its universe of new touchscreen apps on tablets. Put Windows 8 on mouse-and-keyboard PCs.” (OK, it was me.)
Anyway, here’s the big news: In Windows 10, Microsoft has done just that.
The reason that the decision to take the plunge and swap operating systems is more difficult with Windows 10, is that Microsoft is offering Windows 10 for free to anyone owning a computer currently running Windows 7 or 8. In the past the company always charged a fee, generally around $100, for its latest operating system. That alone, along with the complexity of personally handling the upgrade, scared off many people and they simply stuck with the software that came with their computer.
However, with Win 10 being a freebie more people will seriously consider making the change even if they are not particularly tech savvy. The good news is the upgrade process is painless and can be completed by even a computer novice.
Microsoft is hyping a few key features it believes will sway people to upgrade. Primarily that 10 will work across all hardware platforms computer, tablet, smart phone and even Xbox One. So if a consumer owns a tablet or phone running Windows, as opposed to Android or iOS, he or she will be able to seamlessly move between devices.
Microsoft has also resurrected its famous Start button and the desktop interface itself is a mix between Windows 7, which is much beloved by its users, and Windows 8, which is basically despised by many of its users. This gives those who decided against moving up to Windows 8 an additional reason to give Windows 10 a try.
There is also a new browser, dubbed Edge, in Win 10 that offers the neat trick of being able to annotate a web page directly and then share it with another person. In addition, Microsoft has moved Cortana, its version of Siri or Google Now, to desktops and tablets. It has been available on Windows Phone for over a year.
[10/1/14] Today, Microsoft took the wraps off the next version of Windows. You’ll be able to install a free, unfinished “technical preview” version this week, or get it in final form sometime next year. It’s called Windows 10.
(Why is it Windows 10? What happened to 9? Making sense of the Windows naming sequence is like solving one of those Mensa “What’s the pattern?” puzzles. So far, we have this: Windows 1, 2, 3, 95, 98, 2000, ME, XP, Vista, 7, 8, 10. OK, whatever.)
Windows 8, as the world now knows, was a superimposed mishmash of two operating systems. There was the touchscreen-friendly TileWorld interface, as I called it. (Microsoft, at various times, called it Modern or Metro; it has officially retired both of those terms and replaced them with nothing.)
And, underneath, there was the regular desktop:
They are quite separate, these two environments. Each has its own Help system, its own Web browser, its own email program, its own control panel, its own conventions and gestures. Worse, each runs its own kind of programs. Regular Windows programs open at the desktop, as always — but TileWorld apps open in TileWorld, with no menus overlapping windows. Like iPad apps.
Microsoft believed at the time (2012) that the world was going touchscreen crazy. That, sooner or later, every PC would have a touchscreen.
It bet wrong. Most computers still don’t have touchscreens. Windows 8 was a massive flop with critics.
Windows 8 was a massive flop with consumers, too. Today, 51 percent of desktop PCs still run Windows 7; only 13 percent have “upgraded” to Windows 8 or 8.1, according to Net Applications.
And at the Windows 10 announcement, you would not have believed the words coming out of Microsoft’s mouth.
“In Windows 8, when users launched a Modern [TileWorld] app, it sort of had a different environment,” OS Group VP Joe Belfiore said in his demo. “We don’t want that duality.”
Now, when I wrote exactly that in The New York Times, Microsoft PR descended on me like the beasts of hell.
The answer has always been screamingly obvious: Split up the two halves of Windows 8. Or, as a wise man once wrote, “Put TileWorld and its universe of new touchscreen apps on tablets. Put Windows 8 on mouse-and-keyboard PCs.” (OK, it was me.)
Anyway, here’s the big news: In Windows 10, Microsoft has done just that.
Tuesday, July 28, 2015
3D XPoint memory
The decade-long partnership between Intel and Micron to build better
NAND (or Flash) memory used in solid-state drives has yielded an
entirely new form of computer memory. This is a big deal. It’s as if a
10-year effort by Ford and GM to build a better car also produced a
Segway.
New types of computer memory pop up every few years as firms such as HP, IBM, Motorola/Freescale and even startups try to create alternatives that are cheaper, faster, more dense or otherwise offer a different series of trade-offs than the dominant forms of memory used today. Some will find specialty applications in embedded systems, but most are too expensive or fragile to find mainstream use cases.
What Intel and Micron are hoping with this product is that is can achieve mass popularity.
The two companies are calling their new memory 3D XPoint memory (pronounce 3D crosspoint memory) because its structure creates an lattice-like stacked layer of wires that looks like Xes when viewed from above. It combines properties of NAND Flash memory that is currently used inside solid state drives (SSDs) inside computers and phones, but it is 1,000 times faster and can last through 1,000 times more data writes.
New types of computer memory pop up every few years as firms such as HP, IBM, Motorola/Freescale and even startups try to create alternatives that are cheaper, faster, more dense or otherwise offer a different series of trade-offs than the dominant forms of memory used today. Some will find specialty applications in embedded systems, but most are too expensive or fragile to find mainstream use cases.
What Intel and Micron are hoping with this product is that is can achieve mass popularity.
The two companies are calling their new memory 3D XPoint memory (pronounce 3D crosspoint memory) because its structure creates an lattice-like stacked layer of wires that looks like Xes when viewed from above. It combines properties of NAND Flash memory that is currently used inside solid state drives (SSDs) inside computers and phones, but it is 1,000 times faster and can last through 1,000 times more data writes.
That speed and endurance isn’t as important in your personal computer, but as SSDs are gaining use inside data centers because of their speed, both factors open up new use cases for the 3D Xpoint memory. One might be use for in-memory databases
such as those made by Oracle and SAP, where the memory is located close
to the compute. Usually in-memory databases require a lot of dynamic random access memory
(DRAM) which is co-located with the processor, but DRAM is in limited
supply and it loses everything when the power is turned off.
But
Rob Crooke, senior vice president and general manager of Intel's
Non-Volatile Memory Solutions Group, explained that because the 3D
Xpoint memory combines some of the elements of NAND and DRAM, you can
have a lot of it (10 times more than current DRAM) and it’s
non-volatile, which means that when the power goes off the data stored
in it will stick around.
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