Winter Movie Draft, The Leftovers (201 & 202), The Walking Dead (601), The Shield (709)
00:51 – Winter Movie Draft
04:01 – The Leftovers (201 & 202)
16:24 – The Walking Dead (601)
20:44 – The Shield (709)
S&L Podcast – #230 – Reading Makes You A Better Person, Says Science
We cheer for Patrick Rothfuss winning the Hollywood game, jeer a little at Spielberg refusing to put a Delorean in the Ready Player One movie and peruse with careful academic curiosity a study showing the increase in empathy caused by reading.
DTNS 2601 – The Theory of Elegance
Hybrids, convertibles, two-in-ones and more. Are the new breed of laptops the next evolution in the form factor, or the next netbook-like fad? Tom Merritt and Patrick Beja 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!
Cordkillers 91 – 4 Kurious
Cable companies want control of their boxes, do you care? Hulu’s going VR and Roku dominates many things including 4K.
CordKillers: 91 – 4 Kurious
Recorded: October 12, 2015
Guest: Roberto Villegas
Intro Video
Primary Target
- Does the Future of Television Belong to the Device or the App?
– Congress directed the FCC to evaluate new standards for downloadable security on set-top boxes.
– Last protocols established in the mid-1990s allowing for TiVo and the like to offer competing cable box devices
– Cable industry and Hollywood proposal
– Allow content operators (cablecos) to provide own apps and interfaces
– Third-party devices could only display software designed and controlled by MVPDs.
– Tech companies “virtual head-end” proposal
– Programming forced into simple format
– Device-makers create user interfaces and implement features
– Could disrupt contracts dictating channel placement
– Could allow app services like HBO to unbundle
Signal Intelligence
- Hulu’s virtual reality app is set for its close-up next month
- Hulu poised to see bigger growth than Amazon and Netflix over the next four years.
– Hulu VR experience ready for November when Gear VR goes on sale
– Hulu head of distribution Tom Connolly said Friday its considering original VR series.
– Freddie Wong making VR short film “The Big One” alongside Hulu original series
– Typical virtual environment for watching normal content. Sit in Jerry’s apartment to watch Seinfeld.
– 70% of Hulu viewing on a TV. Roku the most popular.
– Live programming in ‘if’ mode. As in not sure if they’ll do it.
– Emarketer forecasts Hulu will have bigger growth than Amazon and Netflix over next 4 years
– Next year, Hulu will see 11.8 percent growth in subscribers, compared to 11.1 percent for Netflix and 12.3 percent for Amazon.
– Later this year: miniseries “11/22/63” will debut, starring James Franco.
– This year 63 percent of OTT users subscribe to Netflix, compared to 36 percent for Amazon and 33. 1 percent for Hulu.
– By 2019, that will rise to 71.7 percent for Netflix, 44.4 percent for Amazon, and 41.2 percent for Hulu.
Gear Up
- Roku finally gets into 4K with new streaming box, updated software
– Roku 4 streaming player
– Supports 4K content playback 60fps (better framerate than Apple or Amazon, same as TiVo Bolt)
– Auto-adapt to quality of streaming video
– 802.11ac
– Button on box makes remote make sounds (buzz or ring)
– New 4K row in channel store, as well as 4K spotlight app
– Send photos from phone to 4K screen
– Pre-order now shipping Oct. 21 $129.99 - HBO Now comes to Roku
– HBO Now available in Roku Channel store now. Sign up through Roku and get a 30-day free trial.
– Roku 7.0 os
– Will come to Roku 3, 4 and streamign stick
– cleaner UI
– universal search displays results in descending order by price
– search for actors, dorectors as well as specific ttitle
– Track all that using Feed. Can alert when new content available
– App can now browse content, add things to feed, add channels
– Later this year will allow app to work w/o being on same network as device.
Front Lines
- Netflix’s most popular streaming plan now costs $10 a month for new customers
– For the first time since May 2014, Netflix is raising prices for new customers. Standard two-streams plan goes from $8.99 to $9.99 a month in the US. Current customers will stay at their current rate. Login to your account to see how long that rate is guaranteed. - Sony will launch a $30 PS4 remote for Netflix and Blu-ray later this month
– Sony will launch a universal remote for the PS4 in North America later this month for $30. The remote will control the interface and a range of apps as well as three additional devices. - TV’s Looming Threat: ‘Cord-Nevers’
– A Forrester Research study surveyed 32,000 adults in the US and found 18% of them have never paid for traditional TV. 7 of that 18 percent represent people aged 18-31. The survey found that 6% of the US are cord-cutters and estimates by 2025 half of 18-32 year-olds will not pay for TV in the current model. 76% of US Adults are “cord-havers” - Paramount has started a YouTube channel called Paramount Vault that features free full-length movies and clips.
– Paramount is owned by Viacom which sued YouTube over unauthorized free movies and TV shows uploaded to the platform. - Vudu finally delivers 1080p HDX movies on Android devices
– Vudu updated their android app to make it easier to use and add HD playback at 720p and 1080p. Something the iOS app can’t do yet. Oddly the feature isn’t available yet for Android TV. - Amazon Said to Weigh Creating a Online Pay-TV Service
– Bloomberg says its sources say Amazon is talking to CBS and NBC about a linear TV service. The sources say deliberations are preliminary.
Under Surveillance
- Vimeo Launches Slate of 3 Originals, Including Drag Queen Bianca Del Rio Standup Special
– Vimeo unveiled its funding three new originals. A new 6-episode season of relationship drama The Outs in Q1 2016. And two comedy specials, “Bianca Del Rio’s Rolodex of Hate Comedy Special: Live from Austin” in December and Darby Forever a short film from SNL cast member Aidy Bryant in Q1 2016. - I don’t know what vvatch is, but I can’t stop watching
– vvatch.tv is a stream of curated YouTube clips, often cut from a longer video. It’s supposedly a preview of a curated streaming service. - Netflix released the final trailer for its film Beasts of No Nation, releasing this Friday on Netflix and in select theatres.
- Brian: The leftovers 201 & 202, The shield 709, The Beginner’s Guide (90 min game, practically a show though)
- Tom: The Flash, The Muppets, Arrow, Empire, The Shield (709), Doctor Who, Star Trek: Voyager, MLB Playoffs, Rugby World Cup, Steve Jobs, The Walking Dead (601) Once Upon a Time, The Leftovers (201), The Last Man on Earth
- Roberto: Muppets, Bones
- Bryce: Casual (Hulu). Recently-divorced mother and daughter move in with bachelor brother. Exploration of dating culture. New episodes Wednesdays on Hulu.
Dispatches from the Front
I found it interesting that Tom suggests that TiVo look to Roku for inspiration on how to proceed going forward. Given that Roku was started by ReplayTV founder Anthony Wood, there’s probably some institutional bias against adopting Roku’s model for, well, anything.
Keep up the good work,
– Mike
Hey Brian and Tom!
A few episodes ago, you had on the guy who runs pluto.tv, and after checking it out, I’ve fallen in love. It’s great to be able to “flip through the channels” again. They also have a lot of great programming.
Thanks for bringing this great site to our attention!
Love the show
– Drew
Hey guys. You’ve had several people say why they want the ability to download streaming video for later playback, but my situation hasn’t been mentioned yet. I have satellite internet service that has a low monthly bandwidth cap – except for a few hours in the middle of the night when I can download anything without a cap. If a service allows downloads, I can grab shows I’d like to watch during the “free” times, and watch them later without worrying about quickly blowing through my cap. In fact, because Amazon just added the download feature, I finally got Amazon Prime. If Netflix ever adds this feature, I would order Netflix, too.”
– Micah
“How many people have speakers with headphone-sized jacks on them. My home speakers are all wired up with speaker wire.
Am I missing something with this Chromecast speaker thing?
– Walt
“I did it! I cut the cable cord, but i did go Dish with there 2 year price lock (50/mo), and I have to tell you.. Dish doesn’t get enough credit. Great tech, great price, and a free year of Netflix, that works on the Hopper Sling box.. all included in that 50/mo price tag. And I have been traveling a lot in the past 2 months, the Sling capabilities have made it nice and easy to get my Dr. Who/Mr. Robot fix without the torrents.
If it wasn’t for my pesky kids (it’s really their technophobe grandmother) ;), I would have completely cut the cord long ago, but this option is the best deal i found if you have to keep some ‘normal tv’ around. Thought i would chime in. Keep it up!
– Joe from LA
Links
DTNS 2600 – Robo-Bjorn
Tim Stevens just got back from CEATAC and reports on the state of robots there including one that you use as a phone. Veronica Belmont and Tom Merritt discuss whether that’s something we want.
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 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!
Weekly Tech Views – 13
Real tech stories. Really shaky analysis.
Welcome to the 13th issue of The Weekly Tech Views Blog. Is that lucky or unlucky for you? You’ll have to risk wasting the next five minutes of your life to find out.
Next Year, They Add Corkscrews And Nail Files
Following Apple, Microsoft, HTC, HP, Google, and Samsung, Dell became the latest in the parade of tech companies introducing new products, the highlight being the XPS12, a tablet that–stop me if you’ve heard this before–converts into a laptop by attaching a keyboard.
And we think that does it! That’s the last of the world’s flat, rectangular surfaces that can convert–hang on… we’ve just learned that Just Like Mom’s Diner in Bentonsport, Iowa, has added a bluetooth keyboard to work in conjunction with their children’s activity paper placemat, replacing the traditional complimentary crayon.
He’s Got A Face That Could Start A Phone
Microsoft’s new Lumia phones allow you to log in with your face. Which would be a nice security feature if soap operas, from what I learned from my mom and sisters while growing up, hadn’t taught us that eighty percent of all wrongdoing is perpetrated by evil twins.*
“My Platform Is Based On Secur–Damn It.”
Credit card information may have been stolen from Trump hotels. Said Donald Trump, “Our dedication to security is yuge. The only thing bigger is the jackpot you can win on our new Mexican Border Wall slot machines–payouts so big you can’t get over it. Heh-heh.”
Can You Track Me Now?
Verizon is going to share customer’s browsing habits with AOL’s ad network. They will do this by sharing the “super cookie”–an ID number they attach to each user’s browsing activity–that tracks every site a customer visits. While the privacy concerns are serious (I like to imagine Verizon bought AOL mainly to be able to use the classic voice to announce to advertisers, “He’s got mail! And two kids, Diana and Timothy! And he’s thinking about a vacation in November, somewhere warm, possibly Florida or The Bahamas! And he spent ten minutes today at Victoria’s Secret looking for a birthday present for his wife, Kelly! And four hours at ESPN’s fantasy football site!”) But far more importantly, they’re bastardizing the term “super cookie,” which should be reserved for those 12-inch diameter, frosted chocolate chip wonders they used to sell at the mall, that, on more than one occasion, served as dinner in college.
Can You Gouge Me Now?
Non-contract users of Verizon’s unlimited plan will be getting a $20 per line, per month price hike next month. (Verizon’s motto: We may track everything you do and give that data to advertisers, but at least we’re raising your rates.)
Hey, That’s Our Thing
The Federal Aviation Administration is going to test technology that would allow them to detect and track drones that fly into unauthorized areas. “Tracking?” said Verizon. “Can we get in on that?”
A Small Part Of The TV Service We’ve All Been Dreaming Of Might Be Coming, Someday
According to unidentified sources claiming to be familiar with the matter, Amazon could be looking into the possibility of maybe considering the exploration of the prospect of potentially contemplating the feasibility of launching a live TV service. It’s said that they have been in talks with CBS Corp. and NBCUniversal about carrying their channels. According to a source completely unfamiliar with the matter (me), “their channels” sounds suspiciously like “not all of their channels, but all the E! Network’s Keeping Up With the Kardashians you can handle, and not so much Modern Family.”
A Picture Is Worth A Thousand “Why Don’t You Bureaucrats Get Off Your Asses and Fix Things Out Here” Emails
Qlue is an app used by Indonesians to post photos of road problems online to spur city authorities to remedy the issue more promptly. It seems to be working, as ninety percent of complaints are followed up on now, compared to thirty percent when Qlue launched. There was talk of initiating a similar program here in Cleveland, but liability insurance proved prohibitive for the shrapnel injuries certain to occur each March when the servers used to store the photos exploded during pothole season.
Everyone That Unfollowed Me In 2008, In My Office–Now
Jack Dorsey was named CEO of Twitter for the second time.
#That7YearOldTweetYouCompletelyForgotAboutButSuddenlyGotFavoritedAgain
New Shuttle Gets You There Four Times As Fast As Leisurely Stroll
The Netherlands will commence operation of a driverless shuttle called the WEpod on public roads next month. It will be monitored from a control room, which may have you wondering what the benefit is to paying a remote human monitor instead of an in-vehicle human driver. First, the shuttle will travel no faster than 25 kilometers per hour (15 miles per hour), and numerous studies have shown that the only people psychologically capable of driving at that speed for an extended period of time are over 75 years old and are a) living in Florida or b) operating the Santa’s Express in a shopping mall. Also, one assumes that eventually the off-site controller will be handling more than one shuttle at a time, like an air traffic controller, but with the stress of juggling the flight patterns of dozens of 200-ton vehicles moving at 600mph ratcheted down to something closer to manning a county fair bumper car ride.
But Will It Know To Blow The Horn When Kids In The Car Ahead Of It Make The “Blow The Horn” Motion?
Daimler is also in on the autonomous vehicle act, testing a driverless Mercedes-Benz big rig on the Autobahn (presumably faster than the WEpod’s 15mph, because, the way I understand it, traveling slower than 100mph on the Autobahn is grounds for execution). Though navigation was handled by radar, a camera array, and cruise control, there was a human crew on board to monitor the test and ward off the “Scooby Doo Effect” of other drivers pointing at the empty cab, yelling “G-g-g-ghost!” and accelerating straight into a guard rail.
Wait, We’ve Been Trying To Get Five Bucks A Month When We Could Be Doing This?
Pandora purchased concert ticket-seller Ticketfly. They will undoubtedly merge this into the Pandora app, allowing you to enter the last concert for which you bought tickets online, and then using their proprietary algorithm to determine just the right ridiculous “convenience fee” to charge you next time.
* You’re going to say, “Mike, this is ‘iris scanning’**, and twins don’t have the same iris texture, so an evil twin isn’t a threat.” My obvious rebuttal is, “You’re right, but that ruins the joke.”
** Speaking of soap operas, doesn’t “iris scanning” sound like a soap opera character? “Iris Canning, matriarch of the Canning dynasty, and ruler of the vast Canning estate; nothing happens in the Canning family–or in the whole, deceptively peaceful town of Eden’s Cove–without Iris Canning’s say-so.”***
*** Look, I really never watched soap operas. I overheard others watching, that’s all. Really.
That’s that. 13 issues means three months in the can and a quarterly report due for the ruthless Weekly Tech View shareholders. They want to see numbers, so if reading these doesn’t upset you too violently, I’d appreciate you mentioning this bit of harmless babble to your friends.
Weekly Tech Views Blog by Mike Range is licensed under a Creative Commons Attribution-NonCommercial 4.0 International License.
DTNS 2599 – The One Where They Talk About Africa
What are some of the biggest tech trends in Africa? Eric Olander covers the continent and shares his insights with Patrick Beja and Tom Merritt.
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<!–Multiple versions (ogg, video etc.) from Archive.org.–>
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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!
DTNS 2598 – Facebook’s Emojional Status: It’s complicated
Facebook is testing emoji additions to the like button. Does this make you happy, shocked, sad, or angry and did you like, love or laugh at hearing the news? Tom Merritt and Allison Sheridan discuss.
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 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!
DTNS 2597 – Can You Lease Me Now?
New cell phone installment plans are complicated and require math to evaluate. So why are they instantly and massively popular? Lyndsey Gilpin discusses with Scott Johnson and Tom Merritt.
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 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!
It’s Spoilerin’ Time 90
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)