Winter Movie Draft, Triage (Utopia, Narcos), The Martian, Rick and Morty (210), The Shield (708)
01:04 – Winter Movie Draft
05:11 – Triage (Utopia)
06:52 – Triage (Narcos)
07:31 – The Martian
16:54 – Rick and Morty (210)
24:41 – The Shield (708)
Today in Tech History – October 7, 2015
In 1806 – Englishman Ralph Wedgwood received the first patent on carbon paper, which led to the initials cc to indicate a carbon copy which led to the email option to “cc” somebody.
In 1954 – IBM sounded the death knell of vacuum tubes, building the first calculating machine to use solid-state transistors. It was an experimental version of the IBM 604 Electronic Calculating Punch, that was desktop-sized and slow just like it’s vacuum-tube powered brother, but it used 5% of the power!
In 1959 – The Soviet Space Probe Luna 3 took the first photographs of the dark side of the moon. You’re welcome Pink Floyd.
Like Tech History? Get the illustrated Year in Tech History at Merritt’s Books site.
S&L Podcast Rewind: ‘The Martian Influx’ Redux
With the huge success of the film adaptation this month, we thought it would be fun to travel back in time to our interview with The Martian author Andy Weir and Influx author Daniel Suarez.
DTNS 2596 – Carpe Datum
The Court of Justice of the European Union has declared a data transfer agreement with the US invalid. Does this mean tech companies have to move all their data servers to the EU? Darren Kitchen and Tom Merritt discuss.
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A special thanks to all our supporters–without you, none of this would be possible.
If you are willing to support the show or give as little as 5 cents a day on Patreon. Thank you!
Big thanks to Dan Lueders for the headlines music and Martin Bell for the opening theme!
Big thanks to Mustafa A. from thepolarcat.com for the logo!
Thanks to our mods, Kylde, TomGehrke, sebgonz and scottierowland on the subreddit
Show Notes
To read the show notes in a separate page click here!
Today in Tech History – October 6, 2015
In 1893 – A US copyright was issued to William K. L. Dickson for a “publication” consisting of “Edison Kinetoscopic Records.” It was the first motion picture copyright in North America. No torrents were uploaded until much later.
In 1914 – Edwin H. Armstrong received a US patent for a “Wireless Receiving System” which described his famous regenerative, or feedback, circuit. Armstrong would go on to pioneer FM radio.
In 1927 – Al Jolson appeared on a movie screen in New York City and said for all to hear “Wait a minute, wait a minute, you ain’t heard nothin’ yet.” It was the first talkie.
In 2014 – HP announced it planned to split into two companies. Hewlett-Packard Enterprise would become an IT company with all of HP’s enterprise level offerings. HP Inc. would take the existing logo and the personal systems and printing divisions.
Like Tech History? Get the illustrated Year in Tech History at Merritt’s Books site.
Cordkillers 90 – When You Don’t Know What You Want
We interview Pluto.TV co-founder Ilya Pozin about the best cord-cutter service for the lazy and bored. Plus: Amazon bans Chromecast and Apple TV, Verizon goes nowhere, and the new Chromecast proves to be well designed.
CordKillers: When You Don’t Know What You Want
Recorded: October 5, 2015
Guest: Lauren Perry
Intro Video
Primary Target
- Amazon kicks Chromecast and Apple TV out of store
– Amazon sent email to marketplace sellers
– No new listings for Chromecast or Apple TV
– Existing inventory will be removed Oct. 29
– “It’s important that the streaming media players we sell interact well with Prime Video in order to avoid customer confusion.”
– Developer emailed DTNS pointing out that Chromecast SDK requires Google Play Services on Android, meaning no FireOS device works
– And an Amazon rep told David in email “… we’ll expand Amazon Video to the upcoming Apple TV 4th Gen in the near future.”
Signal Intelligence
- Verizon Go launches
– Verizon Go90 launched for iOS and Android
– Various shows from traditional nets and MCNs
– Daily Show and 30 for 30 alongside HuffPost Live, Michelle Phan
– VZN wireless subscribers get some exclusives
– Live NCAA football, basketball, and international soccer.
– Go90 will launch with 8,000 titles and over 35 exclusive original series, which will nearly double by year’s end
– 15 of the 30 most viewed network shows and 9 of 15 most viewed web shows
– Social network aspect to follow celebrities and join crews - Comcast, Verizon Launch New Video Services Watchable, Go90
– Watchable from Comcast
– Free on Web, iOS and Comcast X1 set-top box
– Web videos from Buzzfeed, Maker, Vice, Vox, etc
Gear Up
- Google Announces Chromecast 2 And Chromecast Audio To Bring Intelligence To Your Living Room
- Chromecast adds video from Showtime, Sling TV, NBA and more
– Chromecast
– Showtime today and Sling TV in next few weeks
– NBA NHL coming
Chromecast
– circle with integrated HDMI cable (Black, lemonade and coral) 5GHz wifi 802.11ac, new adaptive antenna system
– New Chromecast app collects cast-enabled apps/content from your phone
– Universal voice search across services
– App update within next weeks
– Fast Play 80% reduction in app loading
– Multiplayer gaming
– New feeds getty images, FB and Flickr
– Available today in 17 countries for $35
– Chromecast Audio
– Plugs into existing home speaker
– Same shape but with minijack (RCA and optical as well)
– Works with any device on network as well as ‘guest mode’
– Spotify now supports chromecast
– Can mirror audio from Chrome or Android
– Supports multi-room sync
– Avail. today in 17 countries. $35 in US - TiVo Unveils BOLT, A Modern, 4K-Ready DVR Designed For The Streaming Era
- TiVo exec explains Bolt strategy, Fire TV app and new Pro next year
– TiVo Bolt on sale at Best Buy and Amazon.
-4K support, can handle cablecard and Over the Air signals and has a bent design to help with cooling and make it look cool.
– QuickMode which plays back content 30% faster with pitch-corrected audio
– SkipMode which lets you skip past commercial breaks on 20 channels for programming that airs 4PM to Midnight.
-500GB model costs $299 and a 1TB model runs $399. Both models get a year of service for free after which it’s $15 a month or $150 a year.
– TiVo Chief Marketing Officer Ira Bahr on company forums to TiVo enthusiasts: “we already have a roadmap plan to bring you something you’ll like way better in 2016 (more on this shortly).”
Front Lines
- Apple TV will have an open API for universal search
– Tim Cook told BuzzFeed there will be an open API for Apple TV’s search so it can expand beyond the launch apps of iTunes, Netflix, Hulu, Showtime and HBO. - YouTube Kids streams content on Chromecast, Apple TV and more
– YouTube Kids is now available on Chromecast and AppleTV. Also new curated playlists from the likes of National Geographic Kids and tools for parents that help you learn the app and tweak the password. - Virgin America will offer free Wi-Fi for Netflix content on select flights
– On Virgin America flights now, Netflix is offering free in-flight WiFi and access to its full catalog of movies. You just have to be on a plane with ViaSat WiFi. The promotion ends March 2nd of next year. - HBO Now and Showtime apps arrive on Android TV
– HBO Now, Showtime and CBS All Access are all three now available for Android TV users. The console also gets Disney Movies Anywhere’s store, Epix, WWE and UFC.
Under Surveillance
- Brian: The Martian, The Shield, rewatched 2 Utopias (bonnie is out), Rick and Morty Finale (wow)
- Tom: Agents of Shield, Clone Wars, Voyager, Empire, The Martian, The Shield (708), Doctor Who, Ferrell Takes The Field, The Last Man on Earth, Leftovers (half ep. 1), Rick and Morty (210)
- Bryce: Hand of God. New Amazon Original series. 10x1hr episodes out now. Starring Ron Perlman.
Dispatches from the Front
Dear Tom,
It’s October which means our beloved Redbirds are once again in the hunt for a World Series title. As a cordkiller I’d like to know the best way to see the action.
It is a confusing process to know where to watch the team with or without cable. I have a Roku and am willing to pay to watch the games. I don’t believe MLB At Bat has playoff coverage.
How are we going watch, Tom?
– Michael (Great) Daehn
Dear Tom and Brian,
I continue to enjoy your show and appreciate all your hard work.
I want to make a suggestion that I think will help everyone: you should recommend that your bosses switch their payment method in their Patreon accounts to PayPal. Here’s why:
PayPal will notify users when their card is about to expire, so they can fix it before it actually starts being declined. This will help Cordkillers get their money on time.
Merchants don’t see PayPal users’ card numbers, so there’s less risk when a database is hacked (you probably already knew that, but it’s timely information considering recent events).
See how everyone wins?
PayPal wasn’t available on Patreon when I first signed up, soon after you started Cordkillers. So some of your bosses who signed up in the beginning might not be aware they even have this option. Tom should tell DTNS listeners, too.
Love the show!
– Beelissa
Hey Brian and Tom,
I like the idea of using VR for virtual theaters and be able to sit back on my comfy couch with nice headphones and get a real theater experience minus the seat kicking.
Brian’s comment about being able to look around the virtual theater and see the shocked expressions of the people around you reminded me of a DTNS story about the software that is able to read emotions.
If down the road our VR gear is able to do that, then it would be possible to have our virtual avatar display the same surprise, shock, disgust, etc, that we’re feeling as we watch the movies.
This would be good for that community feeling if the theater is full of our friends, or even a selection of strangers that also happen to be watching the movie at the same time.
It would also be useful for film makers and studios to see the data that is fed back so they can make better movies.
– Andy from Michigan
Links
DTNS 2595 – CEO^2
Drones may not be getting FAA Rules yet, but they are getting their first film festival, and Veronica Belmont, Justin Young and Tom Merritt chat with Eddie Codel organizer of the Flying Robot International Drone Film Festival.
Using a Screen Reader? Click here
Multiple versions (ogg, video etc.) from Archive.org.
Please SUBSCRIBE HERE.
A special thanks to all our supporters–without you, none of this would be possible.
If you enjoy the show, please consider supporting the show here or giving 5 cents a day on Patreon. Thank you!
Big thanks to Dan Lueders for the headlines music and Martin Bell for the opening theme!
Big thanks to Mustafa A. from thepolarcat.com for the logo!
Thanks to our mods, Kylde, TomGehrke, sebgonz and scottierowland on the subreddit
Show Notes
To read the show notes in a separate page click here!
Today in Tech History – October 5, 2015
In 1969 – The first episode of Monty Python’s Flying Circus aired on the BBC. The show created the Spam sketch that would eventually inspire the slang term for unsolicited email.
In 1991 – Linux Kernel version 0.02 was released, attracting a lot of attention. Author Linus Torvalds felt this version was at least usable and worth a wider release.
In 1992 – IBM announced the ThinkPad line of Notebook computers at offices in New York City.
In 2002 – “Xbox Media Player” and its first beta source code was released. The code was a result of Frodo, the founder of “YAMP” (Yet Another Media Player), joining the Xbox Media Player team. The project was later changed to Xbox Media Center and then just XBMC.
In 2011 – Steve Jobs died at his home surrounded by family. The co-founder and CEO of Apple had fought pancreatic cancer for years.
Like Tech History? Get the illustrated Year in Tech History at Merritt’s Books site.
Today in Tech History – October 4, 2015
In 1957 -The Soviet Union launched Sputnik I, becoming the first artificial satellite to orbit the Earth, and motivating the US to get into gear and heat up the space race.
In 1985 – Richard Stallman started a non-profit corporation called the Free Software Foundation, dedicated to promoting the universal freedom to create, distribute and modify computer software. The FSF among other things, enforces the copyleft requirements of the GNU General Public License often referred to as the GPL.
In 2004 – SpaceShipOne returned from its third journey, a reusable spacecraft that could carry passengers beyond the earth’s atmosphere. It won the $10 million Ansari X prize for private spaceflight.
Like Tech History? Get the illustrated Year in Tech History at Merritt’s Books site.
Weekly Tech Views – 12
Real tech stories. Really shaky analysis.
October–a time of cider, pumpkins, and bogus tech analysis.
For the week of September 28 – October 2, 2015
I’m Going Viral
Sony is releasing an update for the PS4 which includes the ability to send 10 second gameplay clips to Twitter, which couldn’t be a better idea, because I was just saying how my social media experience would be enhanced if only my Twitter feed was filled with video of my nephews making me look like an idiot in NBA 2K15.
I’d Like To Say It Only Happened Once
And hey, more good news, Twitter is apparently working on ways to expand the 140-character limit on tweets, so my brother-in-law’s kids can publish a veritable treatise accompanying the gameplay clips, explaining how I hit myself in the face with my controller trying to execute a simple crossover dribble.
How About I Just Keep Some Febreeze In The Glove Compartment?
Tesla introduced the Model X SUV, a $132,000 all-wheel drive vehicle that can go zero-to-sixty in 3.8 seconds, has a range of 250 miles, reaches a top speed of 155mph, and includes, as a standard feature, whereas I’m pretty sure it is only available with the heated leather seats in the luxury upgrade package from most manufacturers, a BIO-WEAPON DEFENSE MODE!
Presumably, the button that activates the super-duper HEPA filter (probably even more powerful than the one my neighbors won’t shut up about in their fancy vacuum cleaner) is supposed to provide peace of mind in instances when you’ll have forewarning that a biological weapon attack is imminent, like, you know, those times when a truck labeled ANTHRAX is in front of you on the freeway and the back doors open and a couple guys in hazmat suits start throwing shovelfuls of powder at your car.
I think I’ll pass.* I’m pretty sure I’d get more peace of mind by not seeing that sinister quad-circled bio-hazard symbol light up for a couple seconds along with the “check engine” and “tire pressure” lights every time I start the car. (“Man, have I been looking forward to this vacation. C’mon, babe, time to hit the road for a week of sun-drenched relaxation. Myrtle Beach, here we [starts car] oh, yeah, I hope we don’t get doused with mustard gas.”)
The Dark Side Of Twitter
Edward Snowden, leaker of National Security Agency documents and current fugitive resident of Russia, is now on Twitter. His first tweet–“Can you hear me now?”–was innocuous enough, but he then put stunned government officials on alert worldwide, wondering what bizarre and unbalanced move he might make next, when he followed up by live-tweeting Dancing With The Stars.
Ladder Sold Separately
Google’s new tablet, the Pixel C, has an optional magnetic bluetooth keyboard, making it ridiculously easy to convert from tablet to laptop when you need to do something typing-intensive. Unless you’re in college. In that case, prior to clicking the keyboard and tablet together, you have the one additional step of walking over to the phys-ed fieldhouse and retrieving the magnetic keyboard from the rim of the retractable auxiliary basketball hoop where your moron friends keep putting it.
Why? Because It’s There
Google is producing a new Chromecast, this model available in a variety of colors. A colorful object plugged into the back of TVs, where we’ll never see it, combined with the new flexible HDMI cable, was obviously designed for the lucrative market consisting of our cat, who’s always looking for new incentives to jump up and drive us crazy by trying to scale the back of the TV. I’m sure she’d find a bright red, round Chromecast to be thirty-five dollars well-spent as an enticing new foothold on her personal indoor rock wall.
Friendly Fire
Logitech is coming out with a new mechanical gaming keyboard which you can customize by assigning different colored lights to individual keys. You press a key and it lights for a second. I’m not sure how much enjoyment I’ll get from the lighting effect, as my attention tends to be on the screen during games, but I do anticipate countless moments of reaching a critical juncture in a game, initiating a precise, choreographed move of split-second timing between mouse clicks and keystrokes–a move I’d always had trouble executing with my old, standard keyboard–and feeling with certainty that, this time, our cat has enthusiastically launched herself onto the desk and attacked the colorfully flickering, rhythmically clicking keyboard (this and the Chromecast thing? what is this, Christmas?), and, by extension, my left hand, causing my character to drop a grenade at his feet and frag himself.
* This implies that I have the option of buying a $132,000 car. See–this blog can be funny.
Okay, you got through another Weekly Tech Views. If I were you, I’d tell someone else they should read this, too. Nobody likes to suffer alone.
Weekly Tech views Blog by Mike Range is licensed under a Creative Commons Attribution-NonCommercial 4.0 International License.