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Cordkillers: Ep. 3 – We got them HBO Go Passwords here
We chat with Plex developer Tobias Hieta about why HBO doesn’t care if you share passwords, and Netflix is flying high to quality.
Cordkillers Episode #3 We got them HBO Go Passwords here
Recorded: January 20 2014
Guest: Tobias Hieta, Plex Developer
Intro Video
Primary Target
- HBO says “go ahead and share your passwords”
- Game of what? TV viewers ditch HBO as they flock to Netflix
Secondary Target
Signals Intelligence
Gear Up
Under surveillance
Front Lines
- iOS gets a Google Play Movies & TV streaming app, but it only works over WiFi
- En route to Supreme Court, Aereo to arrive in Cincinnati
- YouTube will let you watch some Super Bowl 2014 commercials before they air
- DirecTV spars with The Weather Channel over takedown
- YouTube launches daily show to help you find the best videos
- Marco? Polo! Netflix orders original about the explorer
On our radar
On Screen
- Brian: Sherlock s03e03, The Genius Game episode 1 (korea), Archer, Don’t Trust Andrew Mayne
- Tom: Downton Abbey, Star Wars Revisited, Archer
- Tobias Hieta: helix, Orphan Black (soon), Mythbusters new season
Dispatches from the front
- Cricket Australia started offering streaming of the entire cricket season this yr for 19.99 – for Aussie IP addresses
@strumpet101
- I was just listening to Spoiler Time 2, and wanted to throw my thoughts into whatever mix there is.
With ad-supported television, it is not the viewer’s responsibility to ensure that the ad is seen, or effective. If we decide that the viewer has an obligation to the show/network/advertiser who is ‘paying’ for the show then we have a whole host of problems to deal with about viewers who mute the ads, change the channel (to another show that they’re not ‘paying’ for) or otherwise somehow dilute the ad’s effectiveness.
I feel like in our consumer-focused economy we’ve been lulled into thinking that ‘watching an ad’ or paying for cable/netflix is the same as buying a good at the store. Services are not tangible items, and there’s a lot of ambiguity as to what you gain when you pay for a service. When you pay for Netflix, you’re not paying to watch a show. You’re paying to access the system. It’s even worse with cable (which is why we’ve all eschewed it, right?)
With region-locked media, we’re equating ‘where you are’ with ‘should you be able to watch’. This is a really poor model, because it assumes consumption generally. From tvlicensing.co.uk:
“You need a valid TV Licence if you use TV receiving equipment to watch or record television programmes as they’re being shown on TV.”
Excellent! I don’t ever consume BBC programming when it’s being shown on TV, I’m exempt!
This of course, doesn’t make sense. (I’m also fortunate in that I’m watching programs, rather than programmes, another exemption!) Likewise, the person in the UK who tunes in (yay for anachronism) a few times a year to watch a live special is paying the same fee as a person watching every night.
While a lot of this comes across as ethical/moral justification, the counterbalance is that the people making these rules (both in ad-supported as well as pay-for TV) have left a large gap – and one that I suggest is there such that they do not wrap themselves up in legal red tape. Laws are things that function as double-edged swords for content providers. The Aereo stuff being a prime example.
There are a LOT of layers between a studio getting paid to make a show, and the cost to a viewer to see that show.
So – I’ve written a lot, and edited a lot. If any of it doesn’t make sense, let me know and I’ll deny it completely 🙂
Thanks for a great show (One which, I will add some amount of irony, I am happy to pay for)
Aaron
- First, Sherlock and if it’s a gray area to watch it via Hola or whatever ‘VPN’ tech du jour.
My academic response would be, “As a security professional, I can easily say that you are using a technology intended to provide privacy, encryption and non repudiation as a form of obfuscation to circumvent security controls (in this case Region control of BBC Intellectual Property). As with any cat and mouse game, security tools are invented for specific purposes but will be used in a way never intended by the creator. And not to get to Jurassic Park Goldbloom on you, but just because you can, doesn’t mean you should. Clearly its a gray area……
Now to talk out of the other side of my mouth… I did the EXACT same thing. The internet was not designed or created with International boundaries in mind. The BBC has to know that the lines drawn on paper by whatever her or his majesty ordered them to be don’t translate into a world without arbitrary walls built on the blood of past generations.
Second issue, I feel better….. and worse….
http://www.tvovermind.com/hbo/hbo-doesnt-care-youre-sharing-hbo-go-password-227861
http://www.buzzfeed.com/mattlynley/hbos-ceo-doesnt-care-that-you-are-sharing-your-hbo-password
So basically this guy’s marketing strategy is the same as a Philadelphia crack dealer, “Give them the first 8ball for free to get them hooked. “
J Snyder
- It’s good to see you continue to help those of us who want to cut the cord!
Let me start with the back story to my current cord cutting results. We have been Time Warner Cable customers for almost 10 years now but about 2 years ago, I called to cancel our subscription because we were interested in switching to DISH. At the time, we had digital cable with DVR. The customer service rep sold me on upgrading to a whole-home system with 3 extra boxes at the same price we were paying at the time, around $150 or so per month. Since then, costs slowly rose while we found ourselves streaming more and more content from Netflix and Hulu Plus and various content providing websites. We decided it was time to cut the cord so I called TWC to do so. When I explained that I wanted to cancel our TV subscription but keep our internet service, the customer service rep immediately put me on hold to talk to his supervisor. In less than a minute, he was back on the phone and offered me basic cable while allowing us to keep all of our current equipment (3 cable boxes plus DVR) at a cost reduction of $1.25 from what we would have paid for internet service BY ITSELF! So they are paying us $1.25 to watch basic cable on their free equipment. We lost the whole home setup so the remote boxes don’t read from the DVR and we can no longer use the TWC app on our iPads but I have an AverMedia device hooked up to one box and a Slingbox Solo on the way to hook up to the DVR for my wife. We are now saving around $115 per month which after less than a month paid for both the AverMedia and Slingbox devices together. The only program that we can’t watch with the basic subscription is The Walking Dead but guess what? They feed it to us through the on-demand service that we still get! So, we really lost none of the programs we were watching with cost savings that will put almost $1400 back in our pockets this year!
Yeah, cord killers! Thank you for keeping us informed and encouraging those that are interested in cutting the cord!
Your faithful listener,
Glenn
S&L Podcast – #160 – Scully Writes a Book, Ringo is a God
We’ve got some awesome news about new books from Peter F. Hamilton, Richard Morgan, Joe Abercrombie and Gillian Anderson. Plus we wrap up our January book, The Einstein Intersection.
QUICK BURNS
Cover art for HALF A KING by Joe Abercrombie
Richard Morgan completes THE DARK DEFILES
X-Files’ star Gillian Anderson writing sci-fi book series
FINALISTS: 2013 Philip K. Dick Award
CALENDAR
TV, MOVIES AND VIDEO GAMES
The first Outlander trailer is all epic battles (with a hint of sex)
First Game of Thrones season 4 trailer shows why Westeros is hell
READ THEM NOW, WATCH THEM LATER: SCIENCE FICTION, FANTASY AND HORROR ADAPTATION WATCH
BOOK CHECK-IN
Best websites that explain the Einstein Intersection
The role of music in Einstein Intersection
February Pick
Wizard of Earthsea by Ursula K. Leguin
BARE YOUR SWORD
The “Party Scene” in classic Sci-FI
—
On your last podcast you talked about the “controversy” of picking a weirder, lesser known title like “The Einstein Intersection” over something more well known, like “Nova.” But those weird picks, informed by the personal tastes of you two, are so much more interesting than standard picks that I might come across just by googling “top Delaney novels.” The weirder picks you guys do don’t always sync up exactly with my tastes, but they’re always interesting, and they’re often something I never would have had the pleasure of coming across on my own.
I personally am loving the weird beauty of The Einstein intersection, and I thought it a good idea to let you guys know that not everyone hates the decision to sometimes go off the beaten path.
-Rob
ADDENDUMS
Audible is offering Sword & Laser listeners a FREE audiobook , along with a 30day trial. Go to audiblepodcast.com/swordlaser to take advantage of this special offer!!
DTNS 2152 – Happy Martin Luther King Jr. Day
Tony Fadell promises Nest won’t spy and Amazon wants to read your mind. Just a few quick headlines as it’s a holiday in the US.
Please SUBSCRIBE HERE.
Big thanks to Dan Lueders for the 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 and scottierowland on the subreddit
And special thanks to Katie Best and Jennie Josephson for putting our News From you episodes together last week.
Show Notes
Season 2 Teaser!
We are wrapped on Season 2! We shot twelve episodes over three days, so needless to say…. we are pooped. But the important thing is that we have twelve amazing Author Spotlights in the can, and we can’t wait to share them with you!
So stay tuned! Edits are going to start this week, and we should have the first episode rolling out in Feb. Remember, it’s all thanks to you wonderful Kickstarter fans, and we are eternally grateful!
DTNS 2151 – News from You 2
Tom’s still on assignment for Sword & Laser, but his listeners fill in for him again with the “News From You.” Also, Darren Kitchen of Hak5 reports from SchmooCon 2014.
Please SUBSCRIBE HERE.
Big thanks to Dan Lueders for the 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 and scottierowland on the subreddit
And special thanks to Katie Best and Jennie Josephson for putting these episodes together.
Show Notes
News From You:
Greg Skinner (TVsEgon) kicks of the show by sharing some thoughts on Cisco’s Internet of Things predictions.
Another listener asks a simple question about the Internet of Things: Why?
Chimaera on the BBC’s report that China wants to clone all the things…starting with pigs.
Adam Paulauski has some questions about net neutrality.
EternalSword reports on the recent League of Legends and f.gwenifill DoS attacks.
Veronica Belmont reports in on a cool new rock found on Mars. Veronica, Mars.
Steve Wooding on router vulnerabilities. Also, the port scanner.
Scott from Columbus has some thoughts on 3-D printing.
Steve for Steve’s Tech News on Windows 9
Carl from New York on the logistical issues of switching from AT&T to T-Mobile.
Benjamin J on Symantec filing a patent for protecting BitTorrent users.
Stephenater on the cloud security concerns for (non-NSA) federal workers.
An electronic voice (!) on the NSA hacking non-internet connected computers.
Nathan Lock is back with his roundup of tech news in the UK including more Smart TV advances and how technology is helping to find the happiest place in the U.K. Hint: It’s a pub.
Chase Nunes on the new Xbox One “Titanfall” Wireless Controller
Josh Page reports on the the miiPC at CES.
Rob Reed shares a Fortune article about how Uber and other companies are changing life for the cab drivers, not just the passengers.
Patrick Beja from France has some Tech Thoughts on the effects of app-centric computing.
And finally, Russ Pitts on Take This, an organization that provides empathy, education and support about mental health and wellness.
DTNS 2150 – News From You
Tom’s on assignment for Sword & Laser, but he’s got a great fill-in host…you! Also: Darren Kitchen of Hak5 files a report en route to ShmooCon 2014.
Please SUBSCRIBE HERE.
Big thanks to Dan Lueders for the 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 and scottierowland on the subreddit
And a special thanks to Katie Editor for editing today’s show!
Show Notes:
Spotify drops free web listening time limit: http://techcrunch.com/2014/01/15/spotify-limits/
Facebook adds trending topics: http://www.businessweek.com/ap/2014-01-16/facebook-adds-trending-topics-to-site
Starbucks storing mobile passwords in clear text: http://www.wtop.com/628/3543679/Starbucks-storing-mobile-passwords-in-clear-text
News From You:
Rich From Cleveland kicks off News From You with thoughts on the 4k TV’s coming out of CES.
Dominique Corriveaux’s has some ideas about on 4k TV prices.
Stephenater on wearable tech and whether it will translate beyond the ‘tech-o chamber’.
Anthony From Long Island on issues with the Fitbit Force.
Paul Kitchen on future IPv6 concerns.
Nathan Lock with updates from the UK tech scene on changes to Humax for Freesat, and the death of O2′s Wallet.
TJoe reports on Android on Atom.
Randall Bennett from Vidpresso on apps vs desktop platforms.
Toby Pinder on quantum bitcoin mining.
Google’s acquisition of Nest is still on your collective mind:
DJ has long-term concerns about Google’s track record of shutting down ‘unused’ services.
A listener from Edmonton has thoughts about Nest and Google’s customer service track records.
Nicole Lee of Engadget sends her take on the Google/Nest pairing.
In fact, Google in general is occupying your collective thoughts:
Richardya on Google’s methods of acquiring new users.
Scott Johnson of FrogPants Studios and Current Geek has some predictions on Google’s future.
Adam Christianson from the Maccast has some final thoughts on Google, including that that one we’re all thinking…you know, the one it might be time to worry about?
Molly Wood has a special message for Tom.
And finally, Patrick Beja checks in from France with a tech thought worth pondering about hackers.
DTNS 2149 – Encrypt all the things
Scott Johnson and Darren Kitchen join me to chat about the latest NSA revealtions, the ultra-secure new Blackphone, and whether encryption and security have gone mainstream.
Multiple versions (ogg, video etc.) from Archive.org.
Please SUBSCRIBE HERE.
Big thanks to Dan Lueders for the 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 and scottierowland on the subreddit
Show Notes
Apple refunds $32.5 million as part of FTC settlement: The BBC reports Apple will refund US$32.5 million as part of a settlement with the US Federal Trade Commission. The settlement is in response to complaints about in-app purchases made by children without parental consent. Apple has also agreed to change billing procedures to insure customers give comest before they are charged. That change will be in place by March 31st. An internal email from CEO Tim Cook obtained by 9to5 Mac claims the settlement terms were things Apple would have done anyway.
The Blackphone: Ars Technica reports Phil Zimmermann, the creator of PGP email encryption, along with other folks from the SilentCircle encryption company have teamed up with the Geeksphone folks to create a new mobile phone called the Blackphone that will feature a suite of privacy and security tools. Its PrivatOS will feature secure phone calling, tecting, video chat, file sharing, browsing, and a built-in VPN. The Blackphone will be unlocked and work on GSM carriers. Blackphone will be available for pre-order beginning February 24, 2014, at Mobile World Congress.
NYT: NSA has implanted software in 100k computers worldwide: The New York Times reports the NSA has implanted software in nearly 100,000 computers around the world, some of which aren’t connected to the Internet. How? The agency secretly inserts circuit boards sometimes by USB which transmit covert radio signals to a base station that is up to 8 miles away. The cards can be inserted by spies, manufacturers, or sometimes an unwitting user. Targets of the project include the Chinese Army, Mexican drug cartels and Mexican police, EU trade institutions and various friendly governments. The information comes from documents leaked by Edward Snowden.
News From You:
Facebook to launch Flipboard-like reader? tm204’s subreddit submission seems to have garnered some interest from you. He posted a ReCode story about Facebook possibly launching a Flipboard-like news reader this month. According to Recode’s Mike Isaac, the product would be known as “Paper” and be a mobile-focused news reading app or possibly Web app. The product supposedly comes out of the team behind the Facebook News Feed and is an attempt to make Facebook into your morning news-reading experience much like the good old newspaper used to be.
Human travel to Mars affordable by the 2030s? stephanater’s submission got some votes from y’all too. Mashable reports sending humans to Mars by the 2030s could be affordable. Relatively speaking. A workshop of 60 folks from government, academic, and other organizations found that a NASA-led mission could work within the agency’s budget if it was restored to pre-sequestration levels. NASA would also have to continue to develop the Space Launch System heavy lifting rocket and the Orion space capsule.
The News From You segment reflects YOUR votes so get in the subreddit and vote at dailytechnewsshow.reddit.com
More links from the show:
EU wants more concessions from Google related to anti-competition charges:
http://www.reuters.com/article/2014/01/15/us-eu-google-idUSBREA0E0PF20140115
Hewelett-Packard is getting back into the smartphone market, sort of:
http://www.pcworld.com/article/2088241/hp-launches-voiceenabled-tablets-in-india.html
New versions of Google’s Chrome browser for iOS and Android include optional setting to reduce browser data usage by up to 50 percent:
http://www.theverge.com/2014/1/15/5311892/chrome-reduced-data-usage-google-translate-app-shortcuts
Spoiler Time: 2 – Archer & Sherlock
In this second episode of the still temporarily named Spoiler
Time we discuss the second episode of Sherlock Series 3 followed by
Season 4 of Archer and even a look ahead at Season 5!
S&L Podcast – #159 – Ian Tregillis on Angels, Superpowers, and Deathmatches
We have a chance to chat with the fabulous Ian Tregillis, author of the Milkweed Triptych and Something More Than Night. He alludes to his secret ‘Clakkers” project, explains how to make an angel talk like a shamus, and reveals Gretel’s secret Reagan baby.
Ian Tregillis entry at Wikipedia