Changing behavior as you get old, dealing with traumatic stress, psychological disorders, Avengers: Age of Ultron, noise in theaters, Marvel vs. Star Wars, what makes good bonus features.
Download the episode at this link.
DTNS 2478 – Don’t GeoFence Me In
Lamarr Wilson and Justin Young are on the show to talk about Facebook’s skyrocketing video usage. Are you turning to Facebook instead of YouTube?
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Multiple versions (ogg, video etc.) from Archive.org.
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A special thanks to all our Patreon supporters–without you, none of this would be possible.
If you enjoy the show, please consider supporting the show here at the low, low cost of a nickel 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
Today’s guests: Lamarr Wilson & Justin Robert Young
Headlines:
TechCrunch reports that Xiaomi introduced its new Mi 4i smartphone at an event in New Delhi today. It has a 1080p display, Snapdragon 615 64-bit processor, two 4G SIM slots, 13-mpxl rear camera and a 3120 mAh battery. It runs Android Lollipop with the MiUI and will be available for 12,999 INR ($205) starting April 30 in India via flash sales.
Yes Apple Watches shipping notices are going out and Apple is highlighting apps for watches but according to The Verge if you want to walk into a Store and buy an Apple Watch you’re out of luck. Unless you live in Tokyo, London, Los Angeles, Berlin, Milan or Paris and don’t feel out of place in a high-end fashion shop. The shops themselves have limited quantities and apologies but the $10,000 Apple Watch Edition is on backorder.
Engadget tells us you can pre-order Samsung’s Gear VR headset for the Galaxy S6 this Friday April 24th from Best Buy in the US. No pricing was announced. Engadget guesses the headset might cost $200 similar to the original headset. It will be available for sale on Samsung’s and Best Buy’s online stores May 8 and retail outlets May 15.y.
Twitter just announced a feature called Highlights according to The Verge. After a user opts in they’ll get a push notification twice a day opening a view containing a selected tweets. The digest will have posts from popular accounts and conversations from people you follow, trending topics and events, tweets from people you’re closely tied to, and accounts your friends follow. You’ll have to opt in and use the official Twitter app. It’s coming to Android first..
Open Office, the free open source office suite, has just 16 people involved in development and 381 change sets over the last year compared to open source rival LibreOffice which has 268 developers and 22,134 change sets over the same period according to PC World. An Apache Foundation blog post from last week admitted that the project needs more developers, and invited “all the most relevant OpenOffice derivative products and their communities or vendors to join us in discussing further ideas for collaboration and improvements.” OpenOffice and LibreOffice are based on the same code. LibreOffice forkied after Oracle took over OpenOffice 5 years ago.
The Wall Street Journal reports the European Commission will unveil proposals on May 6th for a single digital market. The idea would be to harmonize rules about digital goods, capital, content and services across the 28 member states. Differences between contract law, VAT, parcel delivery, consumer protection and copyright laws are expected to be addressed. In particular geofencing within Europe was mentioned as something that should be abolished.
News From You:
Habichuelacondulce cited TechDirt’s repost that Bloomberg and Wall Street Journal sources indicate the Justice Department may block the proposed merger of Comcast and Time Warner Cable in the US. The WSJ also says the FCC may recommend the merger be sent to an administrative judge for a hearing. Generally such a move causes companies to abandon mergers rather than deal with the long process. Meanwhile Bloomberg reports this afternoon that “people with knowledge of the matter” say Comcast plans to drop its proposed takeover of Time Warner Cable. A formal announcement may come as soon as Friday.
Geewhipped pointed us to a Pebble developer’s forum post claiming Applerejected an app called SeaNav on the basis that it mentioned support for the Pebble Watch. Apple’s rules forbid mentioning other mobile platforms in metadata. A few other developers claim their apps have been rejected for similar reasons. However, many other approved apps mention Pebble, including Pebble’s own app.
the_corley posted the a Variety report on a Deloitte survey that shows Internet-streamed video has passed live TV in the US. 53% of those surveyed stream TV shows on a monthly basis while 45% watch TV programs live. Among 14-25 year olds 72% said streaming video was one of the most valuable services, 58% said the same of pay TV. And nobody’s paying attention to what they watch since 90% of all surveyed multitask while watching TV. ce.
KAPT_kipper brought this Polygon post to our attention. Fantasy Grounds – creators of a virtual tabletop RPG application – is now offering licensed Dungeons & Dragons content from Wizards of the Coast through Steam. Players can recreate the 5th edition D&D tabletop experience including dice, 2D maps and more. The first set of products, including the D&D Complete Core Class Pack, D&D Complete Core Monster Pack, and The Lost Mine of Phandelver went on sale last week. Greg Tito, Wizard’s communications manager, confirmed that other campaigns, including Rise of Tiamat and the recently released Princes of the Apocalypse, are on the way for Fantasy Grounds.
Google 14 percent gain in net revenue to $13.91 billion missing expectations of 14.12 billion. EPS: $6.57 versus $6.63 expected
Cost per click, how much Google can charge for its ads, was down 7% year-over-year and the number of paid clicks was up 13%. Analysts had expected paid clicks to be up 15%.
Microsoft reported revenue of $21.7 billion and earnings per share of 61 cents. Both beat analyst expectations. Surface revenue was up 44% year over year. Windows OEM revenue fell 19% probably because last year XP support ended.
Amazon reported 22.&2 billion in revenue beating expected 22.39 billion and earnings per share of 12 cents about the same as the 13 cents expected. Most profits rose except in the International market which was down slightly.
Discussion Section Links:
Pick of the day:
Haulik from Denmark:
I just heard you discussing MOBAs on the show and I thought I would just give a heads ups about Vain Glory, it’s a free to play MOBA for iOS (best on iPad IMO). I had never played MOBAs before, but running iOS on my iPad with is my daily driver it has won me over quickly. Even if you don’t like MOBAs it’s worth a look just to appreciate how far mobile gaming has come since the old Snake/Space invaders days.
Keep up the good work
Messages:
Peter writes:
Good morning Tom and crew,
I woke this morning to all the chatter surrounding Project FI from Google.
I was wondering if when your on the WiFi if that data used goes against your total used or if it was just what used on either T mobile or Sprint?
Currently I work for a company that does not provide free WiFi so i’m dependent on mobile for the majority of my day and that keeps me in the 10-16 GB a month range and according to what i have read that much data is not cost effective..
Nate writes in:
There is an interesting video by C.G.P. Grey with the above title about robots taking over jobs, it might add an interesting bit too the discussion
Humans Need Not Apply: https://youtu.be/7Pq-S557XQU
Thanks for the shows
Tom –
Allison writes:
In reference to your conversation about automating jobs with Jason and Lindsay, I wanted to tell you about what we observed in India.
We visited a jute factory where they take raw jute and through a series of machines turn it into gunny sacks. Our guide explained that the process could easily be automated and be done far cheaper, but it would put so many people out of work that instead the government subsidizes the factory.
I think it’s a good example of what happens when you don’t let progress happen.
John in quite pleasant Billings, MT
Hi Tom & Jennie
You mentioned an issue with Google Fi that hits close to home. Rather than rant about it maybe one of your listeners has an answer – how is it, in 2015, that there are only 2 national cellular providers in Montana? Is it really that bad of an investment? I’m certain that Verizon would still be my only option if it weren’t for AT&T buying their divested Altell assets a few years ago.
=====
Friday’s guest: Darren Kitchen, Len Peralta, & David Spark
Today in Tech History – Apr. 23, 2015
In 1827 – Mathematics student William Rowan Hamilton presented his “Theory of Systems of Rays” at the Royal Irish Academy in Dublin. It led to the development of the wave theory of light which led to the development of quantum mechanics.
In 1940 – A patent was granted to Herman Anthony for a leak-proof dry-cell battery. The patent was assigned to Ray-o-Vac.
In 1982 – Sinclair launched the ZX Spectrum which popularised home computing in the UK.
In 2005 – At 8:27 PM, Jawed Karim, one of the co-founders of YouTube, uploaded the video Me at the zoo making it the first video ever to be uploaded to YouTube.
Subscribe to the podcast. Like Tech History? Get the illustrated Year in Tech History at Merritt’s Books site.
DTNS 2477 – Don’t Fear the Robots
Jason Hiner and Lyndsey Gilpin are on the show and we’ll talk about Tesla batteries, Google new Phone Service and how you’ll need to get creative if you don’t want a robot to take your job.
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A special thanks to all our Patreon supporters–without you, none of this would be possible.
If you enjoy the show, please consider supporting the show here at the low, low cost of a nickel 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
Today’s guests: Jason Hiner and Lyndsey Gilpin from TechRepublic
Headlines:
Google announced it’s wireless telephone service today for invitees with a Nexus 6, called Project Fi. TechCrunch reports the network promises to seamlessly switch customers between T-Mobile, Sprint and WiFi baed on whichever network is faster. The rate plan is similar to Ting. Subscribers pay $20 for unlimited talk and text and then $10 per gig of data. Customers pay only for what they use. You can request an invite at fi.google.com.
TechCrunch reports BlackBerry is buying WatchDox a startup in Israel that develops secure file sharing software. The plan is to add WatchDox software to BlackBerry’s Enterprise Mobility Management portfolio. In addition to the software, BlackBerry may use the WatchDox team to build an R&D operation in Israel.
Facebook released Hello, an Android app dialer that lets you make free calls over Wi-Fi according to The Verge. Hello uses Facebook to ID callers and search for phone numbers, and you can send numbers straight to voicemail by choosing the numbers or using a list of commonly blocked numbers crowdsourced from other users. If you miss a call Hello will let you respond using Facebook Messenger. Facebook says it has no plans to make money from the app directly.
The Verge reports that Microsoft is updating its Band wearable to integrate bike-tracking apps Strava and MapMyRide. The new insights are visible on the Microsoft Health Web Dashboard and can now provide comparisons with an average of other users based on height and weight. It will also show users how well their body is restoring overnight during sleep. And it tracks fitness improvements over time and volume of oxygen used during an exercise so you know what time of day you tend to have your most effective workout. Microsoft Health app for Android, iOS, and Windows Phone will also be updated to support step-counting sensors present in many smartphones.
CNET has a preview of HP’s new back to school Laptops and Hybrids. The $499 Pavilion x360 fold-back hybrid’s 11-inch model has a fanless design with comes with Intel’s Core M, a 1,366×768 touchscreen panel. The $529 13-inch Pavilion x360 comes with Core i3 and i5 and an optional 1920 x 1080p display. The $679 15.6-inch Envy x360 comes in silver and red and uses Core i5 or Core i7 and discrete graphics from Nvidia. HP’s other Pavilion laptops come online May 13 and in stores June 21 in 14”, 15”, and 17” all with optical drives starting at $479. The Pavilion x360 is out in the US May 13. The Envy x360 on June 13 online and June 21 in stores.
An application form to receive a free developer edition of Valve’s HTC Vive virtual reality set has been posted. Go to steamcommunity.com/steamvr/signup and enter your company name, URL, team size, and a detailed description of your VR project and you might just get a headset shipped to you this spring or summer.
News From You:
Jaymz668 and starfuryzeta both pointed out the Engadget article that Tesla emailed investors to let them know that the April 30th announcement from the company will be a battery for the home and a very large utility-oriented battery. No details on how the battery would improve on existing home batteries most often used to store excess power from solar installations. That’s what April 30th is for I expect.
Starfuryzeta marked the BBC story for inclusion that reports Adblock won a judgement in a Hamburg Germany court against German news publishers Die Zeit and Handelsblatt. The publishers claimed Adblock was anticompetitive and threatened company revenues. The court ruled users have a right to use the plug-in.
The Publishers may appeal after the written decision is delivered.
Waffleophagus pointed out the BGR report noting Jay-Z and softbank backed music service Tidal is no longer in the top 700 apps on iPhone in the US. Pandora and Spotify are numbers 3 and 4 in the US. Spotify was not in the top 40 prior to March 31. Tidal has announced an upcoming service called Disovery which will allow independent artists to upload their music directly to the service.
KAPT_KIpper posted a Gizmodo story from the RSA conference about an iOS 8 vulnerability demonstrated by researchers from Skycure Monday. If a device connects to a compromised WiFi access point attackers can generate an SSL certificate that can cause apps and sometimes the whole phone to crash and endlessly reboot. Targets of the attack would have to move out of range to stop the cycle. iOS 8.3 mitigates the effects somewhat. Skycure previously reported the vulnerability to Apple.
Discussion Section Links:
Pick of the day:
jbhannah writes:
For my personal website and a few others that I run, I use a service called Cloudflare for DNS, as well as caching and HTTPS. It works like any other DNS provider, and has a very easy-to-use interface for managing your DNS records. It also provides various levels of caching of pages, scripts, and images on its CDN servers in different parts of the world, which improves your site’s load times and reduces server load, and can even run various optimizations on them to further reduce file sizes and load times. And, it lets you enable HTTPS for your sites, even if you don’t have your own SSL certificate, and without any server configuration—all you need to do is press a button; same with enabling IPv6 access to your site, even if your server doesn’t have IPv6. Best of all, while they do have additional, paid features available, all of what I mentioned and use is available with a free account (as long as you don’t mind sharing an SSL certificate with other sites; you can pay for your domain to have its own certificate). I highly recommend it: https://www.cloudflare.com/
Messages:
Ron Ladd wrote:
There are a number of sources for good high quality music and hdtracks.com is one of them.
Just be sure you know what you are buying and if it is worth what you pay. To quote from a site that has fantastic information on audio, “misinformation and superstition only serve charlatans. Xiph.org has a good article “24/192 music downloads …and why they make no sense” you can find it at
http://people.xiph.org/~xiphmont/demo/neil-young.html
Just under the headline is a link to a video clip, “Digital Show and Tell” that is the best 24 minute digital audio vs analog audio explainer that is MUST WATCH for anyone interested in audio, you can find this clip at
http://xiph.org/video/vid2.shtml
Ross writes in:
The problem with the twitter vs phone analogy from the conversation with Jenny and Patrick is this: Over the years, laws have been passed to prevent harassment and provide recourse to the victims of telephone harassment. Twitter does not have these protections. Add in the ease of the harasser recruiting aid with a simple hash tag and it gets ugly fast.
Rich from Lovely Cleveland had a good thought:
“Twitter is interested in free speech in so much that it makes them a relevant conduit of information, against which they can serve ads, and when free speech enters into them realm of heinous abuse or bullying, they have the financial interest to curb it so as not to dissuade users. …“free speech” is a charged phrase, and Twitter’s obligation to it is purely commercial (which in this case is leading to an outcome that appears to be morally satisfying).”
Peter added:
I would love to see Twitter accounts require identity verification. …And with this improved level of accountability, if you are getting harassed, go to the police! I would like to see arrests. And one of the first things the police/FBI do when you report death threats or harassment is to tell you not to publicize or draw attention to the fact you have been threatened. It makes the situation 1) harder to investigate 2) invites more trolls. And yet this is never what these people do.
Cody wrote in with the positive side of Twitter DMS:
He wanted to use an artist’s music in a game he was developing and had to go through the long dance of publicly at replying the person getting them to follow him back and THEN being able to DM. “This was somewhat frustrating considering the timed nature of my project, and although you could make the case that the artist should have had other ways to contact him, not being able to do so on Twitter unless we followed each other has a bit annoying.”
=====
Thursday’s guests: Lamarr Wilson & Justin Robert Young
It’s Spoilerin’ Time Episode 67
Movie Draft Update, Game of Thrones (501-502), Daredevil (102-104), The Shield (506), Mad Men (710)\
00:34 – Movie Draft Update
03:19 – Game of Thrones (501-502)
11:59 – Daredevil (102-104)
23:09 – The Shield (506)
26:44 – Mad Men (710)
Today in Tech History – Apr. 22, 2015
In 1592 – Wilhelm Schickard was born. He would grow up to create an early form of calculating machine called the “calculating clock”, that could add and subtract up to six-digit numbers.
In 1993 – NCSA Mosaic 1.0 was released, becoming the first web browser to achieve popularity among the general public.
In 2000 – The Big Number Change took place in the United Kingdom, changing how phone numbers were dialed in many areas. With the boom in mobile devices, the UK had almost exhausted all possible numbers, and needed the change to increase the pool of numbers to be assigned.
Subscribe to the podcast. Like Tech History? Get the illustrated Year in Tech History at Merritt’s Books site.
DTNS 2476 – John DeeRM
Patrick Beja is on and we’ll talk about Twitter’s new anti-harassment measures. expect an appearance from producer Jennie Josephson on the subject as well!
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A special thanks to all our Patreon supporters–without you, none of this would be possible.
If you enjoy the show, please consider supporting the show here at the low, low cost of a nickel 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
Today’s guests: Patrick Beja and Jennie Josephson
Headlines:
The Next Web notes Adobe launched a major upgrade to Photoshop Lightroom for desktop and mobile platforms with an emphasis on integrated workflow via Creative Cloud. New features include: Leveraging GPUs for faster render performance especially with 4K and 5K displays, an updated HDR Merge tool that can get an effect out of just 2 images, a new Panorama Merge, Facial Recognition that can find files without tags, and improved Filter Brush with greater precision. The iOS app can now group photos by date, gets a n improved crop and the ability to sign up for a subscription in the app. Android users get tablet support, DNG raw file support for Lollipop devices, and access to microSD storage. You can buy Lightroom for the desktop for $149 or as part of Adobe’s Creative Cloud Photography Plan for $9.99 a month. Companion apps are free for iOS and Android.
TechCrunch reports BlackBerry is buying WatchDox a startup in Israel that develops secure file sharing software. The plan is to add WatchDox software to BlackBerry’s Enterprise Mobility Management portfolio. In addition to the software, BlackBerry may use the WatchDox team to build an R&D operation in Israel.
Twitter announced new anti-harassment measures on its blog today. Language around threats was widened to include a broader range of threats including promoting violence against others. Twitter staff may now lock abusive accounts until certain measures are taken by users. And a filter will be put in place that limits the reach of posts that an algorithm deems may be abusive.
Re/code is reporting Yahoo earned 15 cents a share on an adjusted basis, down from 38 cents the year before, analysts expected 18 cents a share. That was down from 38 cents the year before. Revenue was $1.043 billion missing expectations of $1.055 billion. But the good news is Microsoft can terminate its search deal with Yahoo as early as October 1st.
News From You:
Starfuryzeta passed along Sean Hollister’s Gizmodo report that it is now possible to download your entire Google search history to your computer. Search history includes subject lines of private emails, street address, your personal entertainment tastes, etc. Google suggests setting up two factor authentication to protect the downloaded data. Hollister suggests taken advantage of another feature provided by Google. Delete your search history. All of it.
Hurmoth submitted the story from iMore.com that Google is shutting down older YouTube apps. That means YouTube will no longer work on original white box Apple TVs, devices running iOS6 or older, Google TV versions 1 and 2 and some older TVs and Blu-ray players.
Spsheridan wanted us to notice the Wired article about John Deere asserting farmers don’t have the right to fix their own tractors. John Deere filed with the US Copyright Office arguing people should not be allowed to alter or repair software systems in John Deere tractors because it violates copyright. Among other things, John Deere argued allowing an exemption for tractor repair could somehow lead to music piracy using the tractor’s entertainment system.
Starfuryzeta passed along some very important news from Engadget. Remember BB-8, the new circular rolling droid in the upcoming Star Wars: The Force Awakens movie? Remember how J.J. Abrams shocked the world last week when he revealed that BB-8 was a practical effect? Well robotics company Sphero has confirmed that its technology is behind the droid ball, and that there is a CONSUMER VERSION IN THE WORKS. No word on whether it will be out in time for the holiday season, or whether it will be sphero-sized or full droid-sized.
Audio Illusion shared this TechCrunch story that Ubuntu 15.04 Vivid Vervet will be available for download Thursday. It comes with support for OpenStack Kilo the free open-source cloud computing platform, a new LXS Hypervisor virtualization tool for container deployments and a new stable version of Canonical’s Snappy Ubuntu Core, a stripped-down version of its OS for container hosts and small connected devices.
Discussion Section Links:
Pick of the day:
Burhan writes: “HD Tracks Pick”
After listening to Nate Lanxon’s discussion on audio quality (4/16/15), I thought I’d pass a long a pick for him, and anyone else into high fidelity listening. I too prefer lossless audio formats, but like you mentioned yesterday, who wants to bother with a CD drive these days? I was turned onto hdtracks.com via a Audiogon newsletter about a sampler album they put together. For those who don’t know, Audiogon is a marketplace for dealers, industry techs, and consumers to buy and sell used, often higher end, audio equipment (Inception-pick-of-the-day). HD Tracks offers (DRM FREE!) WAV, ALAC, AIFF, and FLAC formats for download with a majority of albums at sample rates of 96kHz/24 bit and up. It’s definitely not the best place to go if you’re looking for a single song, but if anyone was going to purchase the album to rip, this would save a step. For anyone not sure of why high fidelity music is a big deal, HD Tracks has an album sampler to download for the low cost of your email address, so that you may see for yourself.”
Messages:
Christopher from Sunny Spokane:
Hi guys, listening to Monday’s show and I you mentioned that your site had a mobile version that might appear with Google’s new search. It did get noticed, but I have to say as an iPhone 6+ user the site doesn’t work well: it appears hard coded to a smaller width, so there is a huge margin down one side. This is the problem with mobile friendly vs responsive designs: if you don’t do it just right mobile designs can be worse than full size pages that have to be scrolled.
Fabrice in sunny and kinda windy Marseille, southern France created a Patreon account early February 2014. He didn’t want to enter a credit card number but he just discovered Patreon takes paypal and has become a Co-executive Producer!
Fabrice says:
“Every once in a while, you might want to add the detail that Patreon supports both credit/debit cards and PayPal.
Tomorrow I’ll have a warm fuzzy feeling when I’ll start my 1h commute… having the pleasure of listening to DTNS not as a freeloader but as co-exec producer. Thank you guys for your work. Your daily podcasts make a long commute seem shorter.
FYI I share some characteristics with Patrick Beja, french, hairy and born in 1973.
If you can find some Pastis Henri Bardouin at the liquor store, you’ll get the flavors of my neck of the woods.
Je vous embrasse tous,
=====
Monday’s guests: Jason Hiner and Lyndsey Gilpin
Today in Tech History – Apr. 21, 2015
In 1962 – President John F. Kennedy opened the Seattle World’s Fair by telephone from Palm Beach, Florida. He pressed a gold telegraph key which focused an antenna at Andover, Maine and a Navy radio telescope station in Maryland on a star to pick up a 10,000 year-old radio signal. That in turn set in motion various exhibits at the fair.
In 1964 – Satellite Transit-5BN-3 failed to reach orbit after launch. It carried 2.1 pounds (0.95 kg) of radioactive plutonium from its SNAP RTG power source.
In 1988 – Tandy Corp. held a press conference in New York to announce its plans to build IBM PS/2 clones.
In 1989 – Nintendo released the original GameBoy in Japan. It sported the same controls as the NES and used black and gray pixels for the display.
Subscribe to the podcast. Like Tech History? Get the illustrated Year in Tech History at Merritt’s Books site.
Cordkillers 67 – You’re Excited for a Prequel
Why HBO needn’t worry about piracy, why Netflix wants to kill TV, and new news about the Star Wars.
CordKillers: Ep. 67 – You’re Excited for a Prequel
Recorded: April 20, 2015
Guest: Ron Richards
Intro Video
Primary Target
- HBO Go Usage Was Higher Than HBO Now on Sunday Debut
- HBO Now passes toughest test by streaming Game of Thrones premiere on time
- HBO orders NYC bar to stop showing Game of Thrones
- Large-scale Game of Thrones leak has HBO targeting Periscope streams
- HBO’s Wasting Its Time Sending Periscope Takedown Notices
-HBO Now premiere on Game of Thrones went smoothly.
– HBO Go had some sporadic issues. As did Sling TV
– Most people watched on HBO GO according to Sandvine (Go consumer 5x bandwidth 3.4% to 0.7%)
HBO Not pleased with:
– Brooklyn bar “videology” sent cease and desist for showing GoT (did same thing with Sopranos)
– Sent takedown notices to Periscope for streams of the show
– “In general, we feel developers should have tools which proactively prevent mass copyright infringement from occurring on their apps and not be solely reliant upon notifications,” HBO says in a statement.
– Accounts in violation can be suspended or shut down according to ToS.
– First 4 episodes leaked as torrents from DVD screeners. Avail. on Popcorn Time.
– 8 million people watched the premiere anyway.
Signal Intelligence
- Netflix signs up new members like crazy in record-breaking quarter
- Netflix Says HBO Isn’t a Threat (Yeah, Right)
- Netflix Aims at TV, Not HBO, Says CEO Reed Hastings
– US subs passed 41.4 million (+2.28 million)
– International passed 20.88 million (+2.25 million)
– US not biggest in average hours watched per sub
– Letter to shareholders: HBO and Netflix “are not substitutes for one another given differing content”
– Hastings in earnings call: “Linear TV has been an amazing 50-year run. Internet TV is the way that people will consume video in the future.”
– Will update look of TV apps in second half of year
Gear Up
- YouTube switches off its mobile app for second-gen Apple TVs and older iOS devices
–YouTube switched off app for 1st-gen Apple TVs, older Sony TVs & Blu-ray Discs, Panasonic TVs & Blu-ray Discs, older iOS devices (iOS6 and older), and devices running older versions of Google TV.
Front Lines
- Verizon’s ‘customizable’ FiOS TV packages violate contract, says ESPN
–Verizon announced plans to offer new FIOS TV packages that gave users basic channels and two channel bundles of their choice for $55 a month or $65 with Internet. Additional bundles can be added for $10 a month extra. Late Friday Disney released a statement that the bundles were not authorized under existing agreements that don’t allow ESPN or ESPN2 to be distributed in separate sports packages. - HBO renews Silicon Valley for third season
–HBO will not only bring Silicon Valley back for a third season but announced it has acquired the rights to Vimeo show High Maintenance. HBO will air 6 new episodes of the series and make previous episodes available as well. Thanks to sporknpork on Twitter for the tipoff on High Maintenance. - Netflix creating 4K successor to Planet Earth
–Here’s a roundup of Netflix show announcements. Silverback Films, the creators of Planet Earth are doing an 8-episode 4K series called Our Planet set to arrive in 2019. Orange is the New Black got the green light for a fourth season in 2016. Season 3 is coming June 12. And Dragons: Race to the Edge from Dreamworks will appear on Netflix June 26. - Sony’s Crackle To Introduce Scheduled Programs In Addition To VOD Offerings
–Sony’s Crackle is adding an “Always On” channel; that will start playing as soon as you launch the app, starting on Roku in May. Also coming to the channel Joe Dirt 2: Beautiful Loser, with David Spade and Christopher Walken, on July 16 a new season of Comedians in Cars Getting Coffee on June 4 and a stop-motion animated series called Supermansion featuring the voice of Bryan Cranston coming in autumn.
Under Surveillance
- New Fantastic Four trailer
- Official Batman vs. Superman trailer
- J.J. Abrams reveals new Force Awakens teaser, details
- Everything We Know About The First Star Wars Spin-Off Film, Rogue One
–Star Wars Anthology: Rogue One “A band of resistance fighters unite for a daring mission to steal the Death Star plans.” Set between Revenge of the Sith and A New Hope. - Brian: Game of Thrones, Daredevil
- Tom: Game of Thrones, Silicon Valley, Mad Men, Daredevil, Last Man on Earth, Agents of SHIELD, Arrow, The Shield (506), Orphan Black
- Ron: Shark Tank, The Wrecking Crew (documentary), Daredevil, Silicon Valley, Mad Men, The Flash, Louie
Dispatches from the Front
Hey Tom & Brian,
I’ve given up writing this review of CBS All Access a few times now because there were just so many problems with the service. But I’m happy to report that with a few recent updates, they’ve moved from “terrible” to “more than tolerable”!
Previously, you could only watch in a browser, on iOS, or on Android. And with iOS, AirPlay isn’t natively supported in the app. This meant no easy big screen viewing. Additionally, your position in an episode wasn’t saved. Want to switch devices, or just come back and finish later? Be prepared to watch a bunch of ads while searching for the spot you left off.
Thankfully, a brand new CBS All Access channel just launched on Roku! And coupled with the recently added per device remembering of playback position in episodes, I’m happy to say this $6 a month service is finally tolerable enough to use for all the cord killing Elementary fans out there.
Now, if they can just get some more diversity in their ads, they can be upgraded from “more than tolerable” to “not actually that bad at all”.
Love the show!
–Tom
Hey guys,
Just listened to the spoiler n time ep when you talked about the season finally of Better Call Saul. Funny thing that I picked up because I have been watching along with my wife as she works her way through Breaking Bad. I just watch an episode with my wife in BB where Saul says “I once convinced a girl that I was Kevin Kostner” and then thought, wow, I just saw him do that on BCS.. It was a cool moment that had I not been watching BB at the time I’m sure I would have never picked up. I will say that as my wife has been exposed to Saul in BB she is a bit how she was when she met Tyrion Lanester for the first time. “Why do you like him, he’s kind of a dick, and why did they make a show about Saul” I just told her, Saul grows on you like the imp did, and hang in there. so maybe my email will get read because I provided a great transition from last week’s show to next week’s spoils of gold for the season premere of Game of Throwns. Love the show. Love you guys, listen so much you feel like friends. Keep it up, as my summer picks up in real estate, I will become a BOSS..
–Jeff
Just watched episode 64 where you talk about the Amazon Fire TV Stick and how it now has the convenience of logging in through pesky hotel login pages. I travel two weeks a month just for work (three with personal travel included), so a Chromecast is always in my bag. Streaming content (e.g. Netflix, Youtube) over crappy hotel internet has never been an issue for me. A few of the hotels that I stay at don’t require you to use to web browser login page, so Chromecast works great for those trips, but I have yet to find a work around for the places that do have that ridiculousness. Knowing that the Fire TV Stick has a simple solution to this makes it very appealing just for travel purposes alone, which means that I could leave the Chromecast plugged into one of the Home TV’s 24/7.
Hope this gives a small insight to us traveling plenty and how we try to consume our content on the road. Love the show. Keep delivering the goodness.
–Nick
Just wanted to bring up a quick point about the YouTube subscriptions that are paid by time spent viewing. I understand details are few, but I would like to know how they handle playlist and gaming the ‘time spent viewing’. What prevents me from starting a playlist of cordkillers and leaving for work? Do they implement the Pandora style ‘are you still listening/watching ?’
Again details are vague and let wild speculation rule the land. Just interested in your thoughts as creators.
–woogi
A couple of things:
First, CNet has an article about how those of us outside of the Apple eco-system can get HBO Now via the PlayOn service. Here’s the article — http://www.cnet.com/how-to/watch-hbo-now-on-android-and-roku-right-now/
Second, I’m sure you’ve been corrected a thousand times about this, but the pronunciation of Hauppauge is not “how-pudge”, it’s “hop-ogg” or “hop-pog”.
Third, I took a few months off from Cordkillers so I could read all 5 of the Game of Thrones books, but I’m back and have resumed my patronage.
–Chris
2015 Winter Movie Draft
draft.diamondclub.tv
- GFQ: $318,273,110
- Cordkillers: $23,681,298
- Frogpants: $15,845,115
- Night Attack: $0
- DTNS: $0
- Amtrekker: $0
Links
DTNS 2475 – Are you Nokia or Yeskia?
Eric Franklin is on the show to react to news Nokia might make new phones and talk about the upcoming Heroes of the Storm release. Will this make MOBA a household word?
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Show Notes
Today’s guests: Eric Franklin from CNET
Headlines:
Two sources briefed on Nokia’s plans told ReCode that the company’s Technologies division plans to market Nokia cell phones next year. The division also has some virtual reality products in the works. Nokia Technologies is the research and patent holding division and will likely license designs to a company whoo will manufacture, distribute and sell phones under the Nokia brand. Under an agreement that transferred Nokia’s handset business to Microsoft, Nokia can’t sell phones under the Nokia brand until the end of 2015 and can’t license the brand until Q3 2016.
TechCrunch notes that the next big update for Android wear is officially on the way. Among the new features are wrist flicking gestures. Flick away to view the next card or notification and flick towards you to go back. Emoji drawing lets you draw an emoji you want to use. And new interface flow that simplifies menu access when you swipe. Finally wi-fi support. That means your watch can connect to your phone over the Internet to get notifications even when you’re phone is not with you. You just need to connect your watch to WiFi. The LG Watch Urbane will be the first device to get the update with others following over the coming weeks.
TechCrunch reports the $299 OnePlus One phone is now available to anyone who wants it. Previously buyers had to get an invite or get lucky in a flash sale of some kind. However the followup phone OnePlus 2 will arrive this autumn and will only be available by invite at launch.
CNET reports that Twitter users can now choose to allow direct messages from all other users whether you are following them or not. The system also allows users to reply to any DMs they receive, without having to follow back to reply. On smartphones with iOS or Android, users will also see a direct message button on profiles that they can message. [[The Twitter blog post on which the change was announced used the example of being able to privately message a neighborhood ice cream store about your love of their salted caramel ice cream.]]
Engadget pulled an important tidbit out of a Bloomberg article in which sources claim that Elon Musk almost sold Telsa to Google in early 2013, when Tesla had to close its factory due to low sales. The deal would have kept Musk in charge of Tesla for eight years. Musk and Google’s Larry page even shook hands on it, but the whole thing fell apart because Tesla started to make make money thanks to Model S orders. Neither Google nor Tesla would comment on the Bloomberg story.
TechCrunch reports Facebook’s Internet.org program launched in Indonesia Monday. The program allows users to access certain sites without incurring data charges. The practice, known as zero-rating has been criticized in India for violating net neutrality principles.
News From You:
JohnEllsworth3 alerted us to this news item from the Verge. During AMD’s earings call last week, CEO Lisa Su said ” “With the Windows 10 launch at the end of July, we are watching sort of the impact of that on the back-to-school season, and expect that it might have a bit of a delay to the normal back-to-school season inventory build-up.” SPOILER! Microsoft has said it will launch Windows 10 this summer in 190 countries and 111 languages but hasn’t provided a firm date.
Flyingspatula posted the Gizmodo article on Mobilegeddon. The dramatic name for a tweak to Google’s search algorithm regarding mobile sites tomorrow. The tweak only affects searches on mobile phones, not even tablets, and gives sites with a mobile-friendly design a boost in search rankings. You can tell which sites are deemed mobile-friendly by looking for the gray “mobile-friendly; moniker by their name in search results on a phone or by using Google’s test tool in its developers section.
KAPT_Kipper sent us this update from ZDNet that TWiT will reboot the classic TechTV Show “The Screen Savers” under the name “The New Screen Savers.” The show was announced during the 10 year celebration of TWiT and will feature many of the original members of the show as guest co-hosts on the show including; Kate Botello, Patrick Norton, John C. Dvorak, Morgan Webb, Martin Sargent and Kevin Rose.
Doorsrio sent us a Gizmodo report that Norway will be the first country to turn off FM radio in 2017, as the country completes its transition to DIgital Audio Broadcasting or DAB. Norway has 22 channels on DAB compared to just five in the FM spectrum, and according a a TNS Gallup poll 56% of Norweigan listeners use digital radio every day. US a 2012 Pew study showed that 90% of the US still listens to AM/FM radio weekly, even as more are switching over to Internet-only services.
Discussion Section Links:
| http://www.gamespot.com/articles/blizzard-s-moba-heroes-of-the-storm-gets-a-release/1100-6426757/ |
Pick of the day:
Jeff recommends ninite.com writing, “it gives a quick way to install popular OSS and freeware. They automatically remove annoying toolbars and bloatware usually included with the standard installs. I’ve been using it for years and whole heartedly recommend it for people who do a lot of PC building.”
Messages:
Anthony from Edinburgh writes:
In Friday’s (mostly illuminating) discussion of https, I thought there were a few misses.
The cpu/dollar impact of https is typically not significant. See e.g. https://developers.google.com/web/shows/cds/2013/got-ssl where Gmail found it cost 1% cpu, 2% network. However, using https for previously carefully optimized streaming of large video files is a special case with significant cost – according to e.g. http://arstechnica.com/security/2015/04/it-wasnt-easy-but-netflix-will-soon-use-https-to-secure-video-streams/ Netflix did a whole bunch of work and it still hurt them.
You didn’t mention the impact to latency. The initial ssl handshake does do extra roundtrips, so time to render the page can take a hit. See e.g. http://serverfault.com/a/570409
Using https does not hide which websites you are visiting. It only hides which particular resource within the website is accessed (and, of course, the content of that resource.)
“Interactivity” is a red herring. Sure there’s some correlation between interactivity and e.g. authenticated activity, but conflating the two is misleading.
Up to you whether any of the above are worthy of “426 Upgrade Required” status. 
Rich from Lovely Cleveland:
The best argument I have for using HTTPS everywhere: most work network firewalls pretty much will let you right through if you’re using HTTPS. Not that I EVER use my work computer for personal reasons.
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Monday’s guests: Patrick Beja