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Satellite TV From a Moving Car
An anonymous reader sent us an article about an in-car digital satellite television system. that can stay trained on the satellite even while moving. Of course, Most amusing is all the comments about how TV in cars is for passengers, because as we know, the drivers are too busy talking on their cell phones.
Where to mount my Tivo....wait.. will it work with my Tivo? I might miss something on tv while I am talking on my cell phone.
...are toilets in our cars and we never have to leave!
Kinda reminds me of those DVD players that pop out of the head unit. My friend wants to get one of those so he can watch movies while driving. Kinda scares me to say the least. I think this is somewhat overdoing it. Cars are transportation, not audio/visual entertainment. As if there arent enough distractions already...
We're finally succeeding in breaking ourselves away from this mind-numbing machine.
It is called a mayonaise jar. Just a little tricky to get the chicks to use it, but that should not be a problem here.
Is that like an animation cel? Since cel came from cellulous I am assuming this new phone is made from plant matter and recyclable. So while these people are polluting the environment with their monsterous SUVs at least they are being environmentally conscious with their phone choice.
Sandy Montag doesn't worry now when he takes his young children on a long drive in his SUV. He has a new toy that most parents will understand -- an in-car digital satellite television system.
With hundreds of channels of entertainment, from the Disney Channel to HBO, to keep them occupied, they're silent. "It's like you don't even have them. You can baby-sit and drive at the same time,'' Montag said.
Montag, a New York sports agent, was one of the first customers to get his hands on the TracVision A5, a product designed to bring the clear, digital satellite TV signals into passenger vehicles anywhere in the country, even while they are in motion.
Mobile satellite TV technology has been around for years, but it has been useful only on boats, buses and RVs with enough space to mount a big, bulky satellite dish.
Now, TracVision-maker KVH Industries Inc. of Middletown, R.I., has built a low-profile, saucer-shaped antenna designed to mount unobtrusively to the roof rack of a regular van, sport utility vehicle or car.
The TracVision A5 system, which began shipping in September, will probably appeal for now to the limited audience of tech enthusiasts with the money and interest to buy the latest trendy gadgets. The company makes it clear that the system works best on the open road where there are few obstructions, and not in a major city where buildings can block the satellite signal.
The system, including a rooftop antenna, floor-mounted receiver and remote control, is priced at $3,500. In-car video screens, which can cost $300 to $2,500, and the monthly satellite service fee, are extra.
TracVision supports DirecTV, whose subscriptions range from $34 to $88 per month, depending on the level of service. Add an additional $200 to $400 for professional installation costs, which vary depending upon the complexity of the installation and the hourly labor rate.
For now, KVH is hoping to catch the eye of a growing number of people who are already spending $1,000 or more to outfit their new family vans and SUVs with surround-sound speakers, DVD players, LCD monitors mounted to the roof or inside seat headrests, and wireless headphones.
KVH hopes to sell 12,000 units during the first year. Much further down the road, KVH has set its sights on a broader audience of consumers and hopes to lower the retail price to around $200, said James LeBelle, KVH national sales manager.
"Our goal is the soccer mom,'' LeBelle said during a recent trip to San Francisco to demonstrate the TracVision A5 system in a specially outfitted Lincoln Navigator luxury SUV.
That would reach the growing market of motorists who have gone from drive- in theaters to driving theaters.
The Consumer Electronics Association, the Washington trade group that represents about 1,200 companies involved in the consumer electronics industry,
projects sales of in-car mobile video entertainment and navigation units sold in the United States by the end of 2003 will reach 386,000 units and generate about $542 million in revenue. That's an increase from 316,000 units and $452 million last year.
DVD players go into dashes
The rapid rise of the DVD player, the fastest-selling home consumer electronics device in history, is also fueling the in-car entertainment craze, with the trade group projecting sales of 176,000 in-dash DVD players by the end of 2003, compared with 120,000 last year. The group also estimates about 159,000 flip-down screens will be installed this year.
Operating on the assumption that motorists will be looking for more than just prerecorded DVD movies to display on those video screens, KVH designed the TracVision A5 to plug into existing car video systems.
The publicly traded KVH, founded in 1978, sells mobile satellite communications equipment to the RV and marine markets as well as the military. The company made its first mobile TracVision antenna in 1995.
One of the company's most high-profile customers is one of Montag's
Twenty-eight-year-old Erwin "Jamie" Petterson Jr. was arraigned in Kenai Superior Court on four charges of second-degree murder in the killing of an Anchorage couple. Troopers say he was watching a movie on a DVD player installed in his dashboard when the crash occurred. (http://www.msnbc.com/local/ktuu/M295450.asp)
Guy was supposed to go to trail last August but I haven't seen anything about him in the news for months.
http://www.accidentsjusthappen.com
"I got a satellite dish on the trunk of my car, so I can watch MTV while I drive"
Gatorade bottle; has a wide mouth. Diapers solve both problems, but that Depends on if you are man/woman enough to wear them.
Sierra Tango Foxtrot Uniform
How 'bout a cable TV in my car? And while we are at it, I want pizza delivery in there too.
Lisp is the Tengwar of programming languages.
When are they going to come out with this for the Segway?
I WANT ONE!!!
I'm in a band, and occasionally we drive a few thousand miles to play a show, switching drivers every few hours. This would be perfect for us, break up the routine of listening to the same george carlin cd over and over again. Ever been cramped in a car with 4 guys and a full set of equipment? Anything that helps us ignore each other is good.
wud
Well, I would hope they would either be mounted behind the drivers seat, (like in minivans) or not be able to be active while driving, was there not a system like this a few years ago? It couldnt be activated while the car was in 'drive', or was that for a phone?
When I was a kid, and we went on family vacations, it turned out there was a lot to see outside of the car.
This is nothing. I'm waiting for the garage-to-living-room solution, so I need never worry that my kids' eyes aren't safely glued to a screen.
Waitaminnut, I don't have kids.
Then again, if I did have kids, I could get this system and it'd be like I didn't even have them. Hmm.
Please excuse me--I need to go talk to my wife about kicking out a tax cut or two...
Obliteracy: Words with explosions
Maybe that's what they mean by high-speed Internet. Now I can slashdot at 70!
...how well do those work under viaducts, in tunnels, in cities behind big buildings, in high mountains, in forests and mostly everywhere where large part of the sky is obscured.
45 5F E1 04 22 CA 29 C4 93 3F 95 05 2B 79 2A B2
I can just see John driving to the next Monday Night Football (Somebody's gotta feel this!) spot in his Madden Cruiser, loading up Madden 2004 on his PS2 and the three plasma's he's got in there. He loads up the two teams, has his lackey's play a simulation game, while he works on remembering his lines from the game, so he can get them just right on MNF. That's why Al Michaels sucks...he doesn't have his own built-in show prep. He has to go improv.
...then I guess you can do it in an SUV. I'm always amazed by the system that JetBlue uses, which must be similar to this one - JetBlue has DirecTV onboard, and their antenna system tracks the satellite during most manoeuvers. Only when the plane goes into a really steep bank during final approach will the sat go out for a few seconds.
from the beloved T.V.. No more depriving my children of the advertising messages and targetted programming. No more time away from that soothing glow. As we're driven through this great country of ours, we don't EVER have to look at anything but the beautiful, wonderful T.V.. Look, I'm drooling. I'm going to sell a kidney to ensure having enough money for this.
Try watching someone ride a bike while talking on a cell phone. Sounds dumb, but I used to see it in Boston all the time when I rode my bike to work. One guy was slowly wobbling down the street while talking on a cell phone. He continued to wobble down the street and through a red light and was greeted with an ensemble of blaring car horns. Luckily the cars braked fast enough before creaming him. Something needs to be done about banning cell phones while driving (or biking). A huge insurance increase on your car if you're caught driving with a cell phone would be nice.
Outdoor digital photography, mostly in New Engl
so the big deal of this is the fact that the satellite can maintain a signal while the car is moving? isn't this exactly what my Sirius satellite radio has been doing for a while now? or any of the bojillions of XM radios that come in Chevys now?
I remember, even 5 years ago, when I got my first car and started looking into car audio and such, the place I went had satellite equipment for mobile homes and such. One of the options was the one that would stay trained on the satellite. And judging by the age on the posters and ads, it was probably much older than that.
This certainly is nothing new...
Blake
Now I can get DirectTV with the Sunday Ticket!
Since I'm in a high rise with strict restrictions on placing things outside of my window, all I have to do is get this and sit in the car every Sunday to watch football.
All I need now is a car...
-n-
These tracking systems can be used against you by the MLB spy satellites to calculate your squalor index without your expressed written consent or even implied oral consent.
Haven't limo's had satellite tv for a long time? isn't that what those boomerang shaped things on the back are?
"...are toilets in our cars and we never have to leave!"
It makes the claims of having a shitty car easier.
Simon
Physicists get Hadrons!
I live in my car, you insensitive clod!
Don't believe anything I say. I crash test crack pipes for a living.
"It's like you don't even have them. You can baby-sit and drive at the same time"
Isn't it great that we don't have to pay attention to our children anymore in the car just like we don't pay attention to them at home. Why would we need to when the TV/computer/video game is there to "baby-sit" them? We can plug them in at any time...they don't talk to us about any of their inane, childish ideas. We can blissfully act like we are still freewheeling non-parents going off on some big adventure than like the haggard parents we really are who have been forced to "care" for these inferior beings.
I have three of those annoying little brats, ages 3,5, and 7. I know how blissful a moment to yourself is, and how seductive it is to plug them in and tune them out.
But you really need to remember that they will be getting their values/ambitions from whatever is raising them. I think most people would not want to think that they are basically raising their children to be ignorant, negative consumers, but they need to watch the shows their children watch, and pay close attention to the advertising that comes along with those "children's" shows.
As fast as the world goes today, being in the car for a while might be one of the few times that a family can actually talk to each other for an extended period of time. Listen to those children, don't tune them out.
</rant>
Personally, I think having kids in the car is far more distracting than cell phones. And from experience, I've been hit by a woman driving on the shoulder fighting with her kids, but I've never been hit by someone talking on their cell phone.
Plus, think of the benefits of banning children from cars. Its healthier for them (It will cut way back on the number of children killed in car accidents), Parents will have a hard time getting kids to movies and nice restaurants where they can annoy me, and it will improve the resale value of the cars since there will be far fewer juice stains on the back seats.
Everybody wins.
You are in a maze of twisted little posts, all alike.
I could swear that Busta Rhymes had that in the headrests of his Lamborghini (a 2-seater). Still, why not just duct tape the kid's mouths shut? If you want them to stop fighting or whining in the car, maybe having one parent TALK to them would be a cheaper solution than a satellite TV system for the back seat.
stuff |
Screw satellite TV in my car. Comcast offers me money for to ditch-my-dish. What they need to do is have some sort of San Francisco trolley thing going on so we don't have to have long extension coax.
Sierra Tango Foxtrot Uniform
Isn't DirectTV official evil(tm)? So now what, do they tow your car if they suspect you don't have a "license"?
-Libertarian secular transhumanist
"It's like you don't even have [kids]."
Is this what we have come to? People, if it's so painful to have kids, DON'T HAVE THEM! How much of our shared experience (at least in the car-oriented US) with our families revolves around the hours spent cooped up together during summer roadtrips? What will these kids today have to think back on? How great it was that Tony Soprano, right about mile 138, had some deep insight at his therapist's office?
Can't these people pay attention and not do anything else while driving. I now have to get a new laptop for the car. Jeeeezzz.
Fight Spammers!
They don't work.
My question is, now that we can have TV anywhere we want, will they actually put something on that's worth watching?
We've had this in South Korea (SkyLife) for over a year....yawn. Once again, you guys assume it doesn't count if it's not in your backyard.
Gives you something to watch while sitting in the routine 10 kilometer jam.
My understanding is that the "260 antenna elements that help draw in the signal" is basically a small fairly cheap phased array antenna system. You know, like on an Aegis cruiser. So with the proper emitter and a Beowulf like cluster of TracVisions ........
Of course, Most amusing is all the comments about how TV in cars is for passengers, because as we know, the drivers are too busy talking on their cell phones.
Seriously, what's the deal with giving away the best part of the article without a spoiler warning?
Considering that we managed to get digital satelllite radio in the car, it shoudln't be surprising that this wasn't very far behind. But what's nice about satellite radio is how it cuts out when you drive by some trees, or under a bridge. It's great.
I seem to remember in the original Wayne's World movie, that the big wig record exec had sattelite in his limo...that how Garth, the closet hacker, beamed in the video of Wayne's GF (tia carrera) in so he could see it....
Mega Happy Ending!
How Jaded Are You?
With hundreds of channels of entertainment, from the Disney Channel to HBO, to keep them occupied, they're silent. "It's like you don't even have them. You can baby-sit and drive at the same time,'' Montag said.
Am I the only America left that thinks this is gross? I pulled up next to a Lincoln Navigator, the other day, that had TWO flat panel screens in it and they were both on watching TV. Now, this seems like a great idea to keep the kids nice and quite, but how does a kid see the world while on a road trip? If I am going to haul the kids and wife off to a National or State Park, they are to be looking out the windows and not watching DVD movie or some Cartoon. I can't imagine how this is good for America's kids. Should we just surrender to the terrorists now since the future generations will have a attention span to short to track Al-Qaeda down?
Linux O Muerte!
Yes, cell phones can be a distraction, but are they any more of a distraction than the many, many things people do in their cars? I watch people read the paper across the steering wheel, I watch them put on makeup, I watch them eat entire meals, I even watch them search around the backseat of their cars - All while driving. If you take a hard look at what a lot of people do in their cars, cell phones are by far the least of the problem.
There are a lot of places people dont need to be talking on their cell phones - Movie Theaters comes to mind as a prime example. Because of this I believe its become quite the trend to frown upon seeing anyone on a cell phone any time. The reality is they do have a place and they are here to stay - get used to it.
These are pretty common on RV's these days. I full time in a 1987 Bluebird Wanderlodge bus (both mobile office and home).
We installed a Tracstar SV360 9 months ago, one of the low-profile ones. This is supposed to be one of the better units.
They work ok... yes, signal skips under bridges.
I5 in southern Oregon is pretty much useless with mountain and tall trees next to the highway.
DirecTV requires you to point "toward Texas" for the bird, so northern states are much worse. And these dishes tend to be smaller, so clounds can hurt you too. Seattle is not a good place for this... steep angle to aim and clouds consipire against you.
I use the in-motion dish for "instant on" more than watching while cruising. It is nice to pull over at a rest area and be able to turn on the news for a few minutes.... since the in-motion always has signal lock, no need to wait to align like the lesser dishes.
When camping in wooded areas, you pretty much decide what your priority is. Nice woodeed spot or clear TV reception? Low tech is often better for camping. 100' of coax and a regular dish on a tripod is much better for camping... as you can always carry the dish out into a clear area. So having a fancy expensive in-motion system isn't always the best... it depends on your needs.
I want to know if Im cruizing along at 80mph will it still work. I saw this in popsci I think a long time ago and it had a top speed of 45mph. I didnt see them even address this at all. Im not going to slow down so I can watch tv.
http://www.wickedtoast.com
These are the same system they've had available for Motorhomes for years. All they did was mount it on top of a car instead, no biggie.
"Where is my mind?"
I don't know where the submitter of the article lives, but in New York it's illegal for a TV to be placed in a vechile within view of the driver. Then again it's also illegal for a driver here to use a cell phone that's not hands free, and we know how well people obey that law.
Ah well, this is kinda a neat idea regardless. I mean, satellite TV for vechiles is not exactly a new idea, though before now they've been traditionally reserved for RV's and such, but this may be the first practical application for smaller cars.
-Through the server, over the router, off the firewall... Nothing but 'Net!
"My question is, now that we can have TV anywhere we want, will they actually put something on that's worth watching?"
I recommend the PBS "Who wants to be a millionaire?" aka Antique Road Show.
I'm wondering about reception problems while driving...a hard-mounted satellite receiver has enough problems providing a good signal due to bad weather, birds, etc. How well could a vehicle-mounted receiver perform? A mobile dish would have to be:
1) smaller in circumference;
2) hidden, therefore somewhat shielded;
3) constantly moving;
4) lower to the ground than most home-mounted dishes, therefore more obstacles.
With all of the aforementioned issues I just can't see it working well. Of course, if the technology is out there ready for me to buy and install in my vehicle, then surely it has been proven....or am I assuming too much?
With hundreds of channels of entertainment, from the Disney Channel to HBO, to keep them occupied, they're silent. "It's like you don't even have them. You can baby-sit and drive at the same time,'' Montag said.
I have my own kids -- four of them now. I grew up in a family of five kids, two parents. So I know full well what it's like to have them arguing, complaining, fighting, and griping all through a long car trip.
But I still maintain that drugging them into submission with non-stop video signals is not the best solution. It's easy enough to get into that habit at home -- sit the kids in front of the TV after school until dinner, then after dinner until bedtime. They're entertained, you have peace and quiet. Then when they get older, you wonder why they're thirty pounds overweight before they've hit puberty and never do their homework at night.
TV, either in the car or at home, should be a privilege. Give it to them when they've earned it, and turn it off when it's done. I prefer a DVD player to satellite TV, because (1) there's no commercials, (2) I can control what they do and don't watch, and (3) when the show's over, it's over--there's nothing "coming up next" unless I say there is.
Our kids would be overjoyed to have satellite TV in the car for our periodic 3-hour drives to my in-laws. Instead we give them toys, books, children's music, and Magna-Doodle drawing boards. Works just as well, the noise is minimal, and their brains actually continue to develop instead of just rotting away inside their skulls.
Unfortunately here in the US, people avoid taking responsibility for hitting something. They would first try to blame the car company or the DVD manufaturer or SOMEONE other than themself. It's sad, and judges who don't throw those cases out immediately are an enormous threat to society.
A few years back when my university was actually having a winning football season, I was a member of the pep band who got to ride one of the satellite equipped buses. It was great because we got to catch the ESPN replay of our game.
"These are the same system they've had available for Motorhomes for years. All they did was mount it on top of a car instead, no biggie."
[From the article]
"Mobile satellite TV technology has been around for years, but it has been useful only on boats, buses and RVs with enough space to mount a big, bulky satellite dish.
Now, TracVision-maker KVH Industries Inc. of Middletown, R.I., has built a low-profile, saucer-shaped antenna designed to mount unobtrusively to the roof rack of a regular van, sport utility vehicle or car."
One of these days Slashdotters will actually read the article, but I'm not holding my breath. I don't look good in blue.
actually, that would be easier/smarter than trying to watch tv in your car.
back to stuff that doesn't matter at all.
PBS is the most problem channel for 'on the road'! If you are a full time RVer or trucker, you can get Distant Network service that allows you special options.
I guess the big problem is sports. People with RV's would go to sports games and have tailgate parties in the parking lot of the stadium during regional blackouts!
You have to sign a special waiver to get the local network feeds when mobile. DirecTV does directional broadcast of 'local channels' only to the regions they are required. Once you drive out of your region, you can't get your local channels.
They let you get around this by getting ABC/NBC/CBS/FOX from both New York and Los Angeles. Problem is that you can't get UPN / WB / PBS when you are outside your "home area". When you full time in a RV (no house, just live in your RV) - this is a pain - as your home area is just where you get your mail sent, not really where you are!
PBS is the most problem. They really want those local pledge drives, so they won't let you have the "national PBS feed" unless your "home area" is in a place where there is no local PBS channel on DirecTV. So 90% of the locations you can't get the national PBS feed if you have the Distant Network package.
TV and camping. Never thought those went together. I guess I'll bring my laptop next time.
Isn't the 'free equipment in exchange for promotion' a 'promotional deal'? Ah, well.
-T
... and it makes a huge difference to passengers during the 6+ hour trips I use the car for. It is no more a distraction to me than listening to the radio or a CD.
It's all about self control though. I'm sure some dumbass would try to blame the system for distracting him/her, when they shouldn't have been trying to watch the damn thing in the first place..
Of course they do much more useful things with them than just watch TV and hollywood pre-digested birdfood .. I've seen them used for active directions (a 3d overlay of the street you're on with colored arrows showing you where to turn), showing traffic congestion (imagine seeing the accident on your screen rather than contributing to the rubbernecking delay), video conferencing (drop your cell-phone into a slot and have realtime voice and video .. of course most of their cell-phones have the same connector base), digital camera and video playback .. man the US is so far behind, that if this is slashdot worthy news .. it's embarrassing.
I work 50 to 60 hour workweeks like most hard-working geeks. My "home office" is a RV. So I always "camp with my laptop"...
If you have the skill it isn't that hard to do. Sprint and Verizon will give you unlimited internet for $80/month to use on your laptop. We have ours shared with a WiFi network using a laptop running OpenBSD 3.4 with pf firewall.
A cubicle with high-speed internet is fun for a while, but it gets old. I'll suffer with high latency (250ms) cell phone internet to have the freedom to park my home office where I want to go.
With the WiFi uplink the cell phone, it isn't that expensive... and sitting at picnic table in the woods is a great place to hack code.
This would be great form my moble business if i could hook it up to my computer. I did not see in the article if I could use directTV's data service with this thing.
Does anyone have any more info...
Thanks
If antennas could be this discreet, why do DirecTv and Dish use the ugly dish antennas. With an antenna like this, I could probably lay it flat on the roof and the Home Owners Assocation won't complain. From the support aspect it's probably easier since the antenna being bumped will be less likely to affect signal.
Oh well, I already installed the ugly dish antenna at my house and the HOA hasn't noticed yet.
-Malakai
A Dragon Lives in my Garage
The endless talking dad's kids... hehe.
More serious, there is only a short period of time I can keep the attention of my 4yo boy. Especifically, my personal record is 1h20. After that, he (a) sleeps [best case], (b) vomits, or (c) jumps up and down and makes me generally crazy.
And I only have one kid.
If and when I get another, they will pick each other and fight. Unless Dragonball ZYXk is on to the older and Clifford the Giant Red Dog is on to the younger.
I am ordering one of these now, and another next year. Maybe I can sneak one into the steering wheel too, and commute watching Enterprise (if it does not get cancelled).
It's better to be the foot on the boot than the face on the pavement. ~~ tkx Kadin2048
Tom, of 'Click and Clack' says it here:
I agree with these arguments, and add that a cell phone conversation is often more focused and requires more attention than idle chatter with a passenger.
You want a sig? I can get you a sig... Hell, I can get you a sig by 3 o'clock this afternoon... with nail polish.
There are a few airline companies that offer live tv for people to watch while on the plane. This probably works the same way -- they have a dish in the cargo compartment somewhere that rotates to compensate for the plane's tilting and whatnot. It goes offline whenever there's too much turbulence or something like that, but most of the time it works fine.
Naturally the car-based service won't work in the lincoln tunnel, or probably even anywhere with a lot of buildings, but it would probably work fine for what it was designed for: something to let the kids watch cartoons while driving someplace out in the burbs where it's all trees and lawns and soccer fields.
-S
Those aren't juice stains, by the way...
Karnal
1. Does it get local channels?
2. Dos it work with Starband?
Moreover, in most states, including California, it's illegal for drivers to watch television while driving.
...MOST states!??!
This CAN be done but won't be "100% reliable". Imagine the signal is sent twice on two channels. One of them with 3min advance, and one "in realtime". The "in advance" signal goes to 3min-deep buffer, the realtime one is streamed. Once there's a disturbance in the "realtime" signal, you get switched to "backup copy" that was being made for 3 minutes before and for 3 mins, or until you regain normal signal, you get data from the buffer. Once you're outside the "problem area", you're switched back to "realtime" and buffer starts filling again. Still, if some disturbance appears exactly 3 mins apart (or there's a lot of "line noise" or it lasts as long etc) you won't have "backup copy" of what's about to be played (it didn't record 3 mins ago) and there's a break.
Other method: A piece, say 3 mins of the program (but maybe more) is replayed over and over on fast forward - a moving "resend" window, buffered and played in "slow motion"=normal. So as long as you don't run out of buffer space, it's enough you regain transmission for a short moment to fill your buffer and play from it until you regain connection again.
Could be made as "packet transmission" - say, every 1s fragment of the stream gets resent 200 times in 1s intervals (simultaneously with next packets added to the "moving window" and "expired" (sent 200 times already) removed), replayed 200s later (once last piece is sent), and TV at the other end reassembles them and catches only those missing in the "puzzle". Of course this creates 200 times more "air traffic" than normal...
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Is an invention of the 18th century. Until that time the rich simply forked their children over to governnesses, teachers, etc and forgot about them until their kids challenged them for their holdings.
Everyone else either worked as many offspring as they could sire in the fields, sold them off as indentured servants, or, if they didn't need or want more, comitted post-natal abortion.
The idea that one actually had some involvement with their kids is historically kind of new. The idea of "childhood" itself is even newer; it used to only last until you were old enough to do meaningful work. The fact that it now lasts until the mid-20s or the end of college is a very new phenomenon and probably as unhealthy as selling them off as servants when they turned 10.
"Are we there yet?"
"Are we there yet?"
"When are we going to get there?"
"How long is it going to take?"
"Are we there yet?"
"I have to go."
"I'm hungry."
"Are we there yet?"
Yeah, I'd hate to interrupt that conversation with a little SpongeBob!
Look at my other posts in this thread, man, no need to get all nervous... :)
And, FYI, I drive an economy car (20km/l) AND I pay attention to the road (most of the time
Besides, my kid is not spoiled, and I have a meaningful and stable relation with him.
It's better to be the foot on the boot than the face on the pavement. ~~ tkx Kadin2048
To deliver DirecTV to all the seats on their aircraft...
The Doormat
If you're not outraged, then you're not paying attention.
"But I was going to Walmart to pick up some power inverters!"
"You can waste time with your friends when your chores are done."
http://www.jetblue.com/havefun/directv/howitworks/ howitworks.asp
http://www.jetblue.com/havefun/directv/howitworks/ howitworks.asp
This will be vary cool for anyone who needs access to the intenet on the road!
Assuming two way satalite internet is still around... (havn't checked for a while -sucked back then too)
Were all spent with my nose in a book. Several books, usually. And I turned out fine.
Oh, wait-- I'm a HUGE FREAKING DORK.
Funny, the same thing has been up on /. before...5 7&mode=thread&tid=129
http://slashdot.org/article.pl?sid=03/01/09/00462
Friends help you move. Real friends help you move bodies.
Overpass
Theft. Its easy to mount, that means its easy to unmount!
It will cut way back on the number of children killed in car accidents
But this way number of surviving children will increase, haven't you heard about "demographical bomb", overpopulation etc? I think they should make phone calls in cars mandatory, place TV screens in the dashboards, forbid using seatbelts and airbags, cancel all speed limits, maybe this would bring the population to more reasonable levels! And how much cheaper cars could get, without all that safety stuff!
The people who drive while watching will eventually hit something, and hopefully what they hit won't be a person. After that they'll either learn very quickly not to do it again, or go broke repairing everything they keep hitting.
Statistically speaking, it's most likely to be a car -- with at least one person inside. In the mean time, that person who may have once been a responsible driver has to suffer injury and loss of property because of the lack of responsibility of the first driver. Considering my luck in driving, I don't want to be a "learning example" for some self-possessed moron who is enjoying their "freedom" to make use of their "rightfully earned property."
By the way...
Anyone with kids knows that travelling is much, much easier if you give them something to do on long trips. DVDs in the headrests so the kids can watch/play from the back seat are a GOOD THING.
You know what my sister and I did as kids on road trips? We read BOOKS. That's right, books -- those little, fun, and informative things made out of paper that actually engage a kids mind rather than shutting it off. When we weren't doing that, we were playing with our toys or *horrified gasp* talking with our parents as a family. Maybe if more parents were interested in raising their children instead of pacifying them, our society wouldn't be so incredibly fubared right now.
If it's for-profit but free, you're not the customer -- you're the product (e.g., the Slashdot Beta's "audience").
Nice of you to admit it. Apology accepted. Do your best next time :)
You have a serious point here. If you read my other comments in this thread, you will notice I think of the well-being of my kid, but maybe some discomfort is still better. I have to put my foot in my mouth for a while and try to force my brain into thinking. If I had points, I would moderate you Insightful....
It's better to be the foot on the boot than the face on the pavement. ~~ tkx Kadin2048
...actually I do drive a 2001 Dodge Stratus. Works for me...
Proof of the gay-linux conspiracy!
Living in your car wont be such a bad thing.
screw houses, get a car.
I think it shifts your mental focus away from your physical reality to the artificial reality where the conversation takes place.
For brief conversations which don't demand a lot of mental acuity, it's not that much more distraction than music or passengers or whatever. For complex conversations, it's deeply distracting -- you drive on autopilot.
And the same can happen in reverse. I refuse to engage most people calling from cell phones because you can end up with "autopilot" conversations, where they don't say anything or just say "yeah" a lot.
I can't believe no one has mentioned using this technology for internet access as you parade around the country in your SUV. This will be highly demanded........
I bet you have lots of bad days. If you can't be calm and civil, stay out of the conversation, or get some therapy.
I'd like to get rid of that ugly dish with an ugly contraption to receive signal from two satellites; where can I get the same flat thing to put on my roof, but without GPS and the gyros?
The same 'mobile' dishes that do TV signal can also do DirecPC data service as well. Granted this is only 1-way and requires a cellular-type uplink... I've done this and it seems to work well!
For what its worth, you can install the dish indoors aimed through a window if you have a clear view of the skies over Mexico (Southeast for us in CA, Southwest for people out East). Check it out. DirecTV has a free install right now 3-room deal going right now. $14.00 to get it setup.
No, I don't work for DTV, I just took advantage of that deal recently. =)
TracNet's dbs antenna for yachts retrofitted for auto use is not new. It has been available for high-end customers at least a year down in South Florida. Once again slashdot gets the scoop on old news. The only new part of the story is that the new kvh antenna, the tracvision, is now low profile and actually designed for auto use.
KVH is at here
-a.e.mossberg
Dishwasher?
Am I the only one that noticed it looks like a toilet seat?
my karma will be here long after I'm gone
Personally, I'm still waiting for those HUDs that were promised to us way back when with the flying cars. Speaking of which, just think of it: sat TV projected on to the windshield while you're driving. The big screen experience!
Look at the size of this thing! That is one massive antenna. Just strap a 4'-3' peice of electronic equipment to the roof rack of your utility vehicle and you're off! yeah ... It reminds me of those giantic portable phones they had back in World War 2 that came in a huge box. This is one of those gems thats breaking news today, but people will look back on in 10-20 years and gasp.
-- "Man is born free, and everywhere he is in chains." Jean Jacques Rousseau
A simple, active, multi-phase patch antenna w/o LNBs (you add your own/installer provides) (for DISH & DirecTV, similar to one dish directv/dish quad LNBs, but sorta ghetto plus dish's locals on 61.5*) would be suffient w/ a wider range could be sold for the same and other purposes, and even used where a normal antenna wouldn't fit/be desired in a fixed location and at odd angles.
The biggest trick the devil pulled was letting lawyers become politicians so they can write the laws.
... watch the road.
If I do give out my social security number, it is very hard to keep it from being copied. Once information is beamed everywhere on Earth, it's hard to keep it from being captured and decoded.
-Libertarian secular transhumanist
Once information is beamed everywhere on Earth, it's hard to keep it from being captured and decoded.
I want to clarify something. In the case of DirecTV beaming their signal, it is still hard to keep it from being decoded. This is because it is encrypted and the decryption is incredibly difficult.
What they are not broadcasting is the decryption key, in much the same way you are not giving out your SSN.
If information wants to be free and has no inherent value, DirecTV would just broadcast unencrypted audio/video signals. And, you would just give out your SSN. Anyone could pick up free tv and anyone could look up your private personal details.
However, I'm sure you want to limit people's ability to do this, because those details are private (which is where their value lies.) The value in DirecTV's broadcast lies in the business expenses, which is why they don't broadcast unencrypted. Copyright is a legal key protecting creative works because their is value in the time spent creating them.
Anyway, this turned more long winded than I intended. But, I just wanted to rephrase. I'd like to here your response to these arguments.
-- Fighting mediocrity one bad post at a time.
Take information versus a banana, land, or a concert ticket. You can copy information, and the original is still there. You cannot do that with a banana. You can copy a land deed, but not the land. You can copy a concert ticket, but you can't shove two people in the same seat. Laws to prevent the free copying of information try to set up an artificial scarcity, and that is what is evil.
-Libertarian secular transhumanist