Say your name is the one your Comcast account is under, but someone else such as a roommate is pirating movies. Who then is identified by the law firm as the pirate?
I have always wondered this. I don't download pirated material due to it being a big hassle and worries about viruses, etc., but I have no control over what other people in my household do on their own machines.
I took a bunch of movies with me on my iPhone when I went to Japan last year. It was OK, but not ideal. My flight didn't have seat-back screens in coach, so unless you wanted to watch the crappy movies they picked for you, a phone or laptop was the only choice.
Actually, the worst part was the viewing angle. I didn't have a stand for the iPhone, and holding at a comfortable angle for 2 hours was not easy. I finally bunched up my thin airline blanket on the seatback tray and used that as a stand, so at least I could rest my head back on my seat and still see the screen without looking down.
Honestly, if I have wi-fi access on a plane I'd rather entertain myself reading the news or other websites rather than watching a movie, I think.
The iPhone is actually pretty good on battery life when just running video, but I can kill the thing in 3 hours by browsing the internet for that length of time.
DVR? That wouldn't help at all. NBC has been time delaying tons of events, and doesn't list different events separately in their programming. It's a giant 3 to 6 hour block of "Winter Olympics", with no distinction on events shown.
You know, you're right... it does show up in Comcast's channel screen as just a single block of "Winter Olympics" for several hours. That is pretty tricky/evil...
I don't see a reason why they couldn't have some sort of plexiglass or other clear covering that comes up higher, so if someone is ejected from their sled they hit the plexiglass and fall back into the run, rather than hitting something (like a pole) outside of it.
Also, it is very tragic that he died, but this is also a good time to realize that sports like this are inherently dangerous and sometimes this is the outcome, no matter what precautions are taken (say the pole had been padded, who knows if he would have lived, been paralyzed, or still died). I think the athletes are more accepting of this outcome than their families. I cycle a LOT during the summer, and I hate to think what would happen if my front tire were to fail while going down a hill at 35 MPH, for example. It doesn't stop me from participating in a sport that I love though, and I imagine with pro athletes it's probably the same.
Events are going on there ALL DAY. The downhill skiers aren't waiting for the Hockey game to be over; they have TONS of actual events they could be showing non-stop during their relatively few hours of Olympics broadcasts.
Indeed. They really should have 3-4 channels that show nothing BUT Olympics during the two week span of the games, that way you could actually see all the events you want to see, plus they would probably still have time for "human interest" stories (gag) between events.
I don't have a DVR, and I don't plan my schedule around TV viewing, so I've missed a lot of games I would have liked to have seen. I was lucky to have happened to be sitting in front of the TV with the Olympics on when Lindsay Vonn had her gold medal run last week. That was great. But then look at how they botched the Canada/USA hockey coverage yesterday to show "ice dancing" or whatever instead. Seriously, folks?
As pointed out elsewhere, the NBC Olympic coverage has not kept up with how people want to consume media these days.
c) it reduces more radioactivity materials in a year than all radiation ever released in the US due to the nuclear power industry.
I think you mean to say "releases" rather than "reduces", but I came here to say almost the exact thing and am glad someone beat me to it. While getting what was essentially a "minor" in environmental sustainability in college while earning my business degree, I was very surprised to learn that the burning of coal puts out radioactive material into the atmosphere. I don't think many people realize this.
You could hold up your iPhone so that no one else could see your letters and when you were ready to make a word on the Scrabble iPad board, you could slide them on to the board by flicking the word tiles off your iPhone.' Now that would be cool."
No, that doesn't sound cool... that sounds expensive, and hard to manage. Not to be a luddite, but I'll stick with traditional cardboard and wood Scrabble, thanks.
HOWEVER, other board games may do better on the platform. Simple arcade games might be neat, too... such as Pacman, for example.
1. The queuing spots are marked (in most cases)
2. The queuing spots correlate to stop markers which the drivers manage to actually stop on
Another thing to add:
3. Trains that are actually on time.
Last time I was in Tokyo, I had booked a reservation on the special direct rapid train to Narita (can't remember what it was called now). I had to RUN through the station with 3 bags because I had cut the time too close. The train to Narita was exactly on time, to the minute... if I had walked I would have missed it. If Amtrak had been running the operation rather than JR East, I'm sure I could have gotten some lunch and/or taken a nap, and still have had plenty of time before the train showed up...
Yes, they do have manners in Japan, that's true. That's not a solution we could use though, we lack the sense of respect and shame that they do.
Exactly what I was going to post. Japanese society is tied very closely to social norms, perceptions, etc. It would take a very dynamic shift in the way Americans and Europeans do things in order to make us function like the Japanese do regarding cellphone etiquette. Look at the recent bankruptcy of JAL... the CEO made a public apology and STEPPED DOWN. You will very rarely see that level of responsibility over here.
In a similar theme, I worked prep at Pizza Hut in high school and early college years and was told that Pizza Hut didn't do much research on site location, but simply put stores near McDonalds, as they did extensive research. Don't know if it's true, but there always seems to be a Pizza Hut near a McDonalds...
I'm sure there was some truth to the story, though "didn't do much research" was probably more like "looked at where the competition was as a starting point, then did their research from there".
It is very common to see fast-food or retail businesses clustered together for that very reason, and the more businesses there are the more people will be drawn to eat at that area, etc. Even if there is more "perceived competition" from other restaurants, the greater number of people overall will drive up business (in theory, any ways).
So, given that the bitch costs 800 bucks a year for us plebes who don't live in New York, and only around 600 for the pricks who do, I'm guessing that 50 bucks a year would be a bit of a steal. =P
It's still $50 more than they are earning now, giving away all of their content online for free.
For all this handwringing, I've never seen this feature on my Comcast account. Yes, I live in Portland.
Same here! I'm not sure why... I never bothered to call and find out. We (myself and two roommates) pay for high-speed internet, standard cable+HBO, 1 HD box and 2 SD boxes. I don't think we've ever gone over the limit, we've never been contacted about such a thing or had our connection throttled back.
I'd argue the other way. My observation is whim-based purchasing isn't the realm of rich folks. There is a reason those racks of crap are located near the check stands of every super market, Wal-Mart, and Target. Poor people, and people of "normal" median incomes ($30,000-$50,000/yr) are the largest impulse purchasers, simply because they are a larger percentage of the population.
All the people I know who make impulse purchases are in the normal median income bracket for the US. That is probably another reason why credit card debt is so high...
I've just seen the movie collections of people who buy shit on a whim.
I know a few of these people. My first though is "Really, you want to watch THAT movie over and over again, and paid $17.99 for the opportunity to do so?". To me, most movies are worth watching once every few years. You can rent it, borrow it from a friend, or even buy it second hand for mere dollars. Very few movies, in my opinion, are worth watching all the time. I've been buying DVDs for 7 or 8 years and my movie collection is probably around 25 films. I know enough people that I can borrow almost any film I really want to watch, I'm sure.
I don't know... seems to work pretty well for the diamond industry.
Artificial scarcity works for physical products that are hard to manufacture, not for items that can be instantly replicated by anyone with a computer.
The coasts probably got most of the love because that's where you always hear of people having major connection issues (such as NYC and SF). You don't often hear of people in, oh... Kansas worked up because their iPhone's aren't connecting to the network.
but I think most importantly is that every place that was selling was giving it away for free (0 Yen)
I've heard that's pretty standard in many overseas markets, including Europe... the iPhone is either incredibly cheap or free.
I have a G3S, and even though I had activated international roaming before leaving, I was never able to get my phone to work with a network over there (NTT DoCoMo, and I saw one or two other carriers listed in the selection screen).
That was incredibly frustrating, but even more so was the lack of open Wi-Fi networks like you find here in the US. I REALLY wanted to be able to use Google Maps + Compass to easily find my way to places while wondering around. I found that even with a printed paper map, trying to find where you were going once leaving a subway station could be a chore.
I was in Tokyo this past September, and I do remember spotting the iPhone there. However, it seems that many more people had flip phones. The typical flip phone style I saw was larger than those found here in America, to accommodate a bigger screen, and flatter then you'd see here. Many could do things such as watch TV, as my friend demonstrated on his phone.
I don't ever remember seeing a TV commercial for the iPhone, or any subway/train ads for the iPhone. I do remember seeing subway ads for other phones. And for Google, heh.
Came here for Blade Runner quotes, and very happy to find them within one minute of reading!
Sort of on topic, one time I was filling out an information form on Google (for some sort of business service they offer, can't remember which one now) and next to the box that said "Business Name" it said "e.g. Tyrell Corporation". There are some serious Blade Runner fans at that company!
and have absolutely no idea where their food comes from or how it got there
Exactly. I love meat, but current factory farming practices are horrendous, from a: 1) animal welfare point of view, 2) worker safety point of view, and 3) clean and safe food supply point of view.
It's almost sad to think about, but unless you are a hunter, vat-made food will probably be universally more appealing than current meat industry practices. Plus, no living organism = harder for meat to contract and carry diseases such as e-coli, mad cow, hoof and mouth, ect.
They also need to synthesize fat for flavor and not work out the meat *too* much, less it becomes too lean and flavorless.
This mentality is also the reason I don't go to live rock concerts much.
I've had the same exact experience, thinking to myself "If I didn't know this song so well, I wouldn't know what they hell they are playing because I certainly can't hear the guy singing above the music".
I don't understand why this happens at so many shows. I'd rather HEAR the music than FEEL the music, which seems to be what their intent is. The best sound I've heard was at an outdoor concert, where the lack of ceiling and walls to reflect the sound really made a positive impact in the quality of the live music.
and Sennheiser is the only company that sells a complete line of replacement parts
Exactly. What happen to me is that the wire on the inside of the cable goes out, and I lose a channel.... it's happened on almost every set of headphones I have owned. When I finally purchased a pair of Sennheiser headphones, I just had to purchase a $8 cable, rather than an entire new set of headphones.
I think that the 'Out of Touch' phrasing is accurate in this context
I disagree - they are trying to give people the distinct impression that you won't be able to communicate. The commercial even shows some sad AT&T network girl alone on a bench somewhere while her Verizon network friends are together having fun. Yes there is a speed difference between 3G and Edge, but give me a break... you can still send/receive calls, texts, and still get online.
I've gone hiking where my 3G coverage has fallen back to Edge. I was still able to access Google maps and look at where we were, etc. I was hardly "out of touch", that is a loaded phrase and Verizon knows it.
That being said, I personally found the ad to be a very clever play on Apple's "there's an app for that".
Slashdot Mirror
Say your name is the one your Comcast account is under, but someone else such as a roommate is pirating movies. Who then is identified by the law firm as the pirate? I have always wondered this. I don't download pirated material due to it being a big hassle and worries about viruses, etc., but I have no control over what other people in my household do on their own machines.
I took a bunch of movies with me on my iPhone when I went to Japan last year. It was OK, but not ideal. My flight didn't have seat-back screens in coach, so unless you wanted to watch the crappy movies they picked for you, a phone or laptop was the only choice.
Actually, the worst part was the viewing angle. I didn't have a stand for the iPhone, and holding at a comfortable angle for 2 hours was not easy. I finally bunched up my thin airline blanket on the seatback tray and used that as a stand, so at least I could rest my head back on my seat and still see the screen without looking down.
Honestly, if I have wi-fi access on a plane I'd rather entertain myself reading the news or other websites rather than watching a movie, I think.
The iPhone is actually pretty good on battery life when just running video, but I can kill the thing in 3 hours by browsing the internet for that length of time.
On someone else's network? Yeah, maybe.
Considering it'll be a wi-fi only app, it'll only be on someone else's network.
DVR? That wouldn't help at all. NBC has been time delaying tons of events, and doesn't list different events separately in their programming. It's a giant 3 to 6 hour block of "Winter Olympics", with no distinction on events shown.
You know, you're right... it does show up in Comcast's channel screen as just a single block of "Winter Olympics" for several hours. That is pretty tricky/evil...
I don't see a reason why they couldn't have some sort of plexiglass or other clear covering that comes up higher, so if someone is ejected from their sled they hit the plexiglass and fall back into the run, rather than hitting something (like a pole) outside of it.
Also, it is very tragic that he died, but this is also a good time to realize that sports like this are inherently dangerous and sometimes this is the outcome, no matter what precautions are taken (say the pole had been padded, who knows if he would have lived, been paralyzed, or still died). I think the athletes are more accepting of this outcome than their families. I cycle a LOT during the summer, and I hate to think what would happen if my front tire were to fail while going down a hill at 35 MPH, for example. It doesn't stop me from participating in a sport that I love though, and I imagine with pro athletes it's probably the same.
Events are going on there ALL DAY. The downhill skiers aren't waiting for the Hockey game to be over; they have TONS of actual events they could be showing non-stop during their relatively few hours of Olympics broadcasts.
Indeed. They really should have 3-4 channels that show nothing BUT Olympics during the two week span of the games, that way you could actually see all the events you want to see, plus they would probably still have time for "human interest" stories (gag) between events.
I don't have a DVR, and I don't plan my schedule around TV viewing, so I've missed a lot of games I would have liked to have seen. I was lucky to have happened to be sitting in front of the TV with the Olympics on when Lindsay Vonn had her gold medal run last week. That was great. But then look at how they botched the Canada/USA hockey coverage yesterday to show "ice dancing" or whatever instead. Seriously, folks?
As pointed out elsewhere, the NBC Olympic coverage has not kept up with how people want to consume media these days.
c) it reduces more radioactivity materials in a year than all radiation ever released in the US due to the nuclear power industry.
I think you mean to say "releases" rather than "reduces", but I came here to say almost the exact thing and am glad someone beat me to it. While getting what was essentially a "minor" in environmental sustainability in college while earning my business degree, I was very surprised to learn that the burning of coal puts out radioactive material into the atmosphere. I don't think many people realize this.
You could hold up your iPhone so that no one else could see your letters and when you were ready to make a word on the Scrabble iPad board, you could slide them on to the board by flicking the word tiles off your iPhone.' Now that would be cool."
No, that doesn't sound cool... that sounds expensive, and hard to manage. Not to be a luddite, but I'll stick with traditional cardboard and wood Scrabble, thanks.
HOWEVER, other board games may do better on the platform. Simple arcade games might be neat, too... such as Pacman, for example.
1. The queuing spots are marked (in most cases)
2. The queuing spots correlate to stop markers which the drivers manage to actually stop on
Another thing to add:
3. Trains that are actually on time.
Last time I was in Tokyo, I had booked a reservation on the special direct rapid train to Narita (can't remember what it was called now). I had to RUN through the station with 3 bags because I had cut the time too close. The train to Narita was exactly on time, to the minute... if I had walked I would have missed it. If Amtrak had been running the operation rather than JR East, I'm sure I could have gotten some lunch and/or taken a nap, and still have had plenty of time before the train showed up...
Yes, they do have manners in Japan, that's true. That's not a solution we could use though, we lack the sense of respect and shame that they do.
Exactly what I was going to post. Japanese society is tied very closely to social norms, perceptions, etc. It would take a very dynamic shift in the way Americans and Europeans do things in order to make us function like the Japanese do regarding cellphone etiquette. Look at the recent bankruptcy of JAL... the CEO made a public apology and STEPPED DOWN. You will very rarely see that level of responsibility over here.
In a similar theme, I worked prep at Pizza Hut in high school and early college years and was told that Pizza Hut didn't do much research on site location, but simply put stores near McDonalds, as they did extensive research. Don't know if it's true, but there always seems to be a Pizza Hut near a McDonalds...
I'm sure there was some truth to the story, though "didn't do much research" was probably more like "looked at where the competition was as a starting point, then did their research from there".
It is very common to see fast-food or retail businesses clustered together for that very reason, and the more businesses there are the more people will be drawn to eat at that area, etc. Even if there is more "perceived competition" from other restaurants, the greater number of people overall will drive up business (in theory, any ways).
So, given that the bitch costs 800 bucks a year for us plebes who don't live in New York, and only around 600 for the pricks who do, I'm guessing that 50 bucks a year would be a bit of a steal. =P
It's still $50 more than they are earning now, giving away all of their content online for free.
For all this handwringing, I've never seen this feature on my Comcast account. Yes, I live in Portland.
Same here! I'm not sure why... I never bothered to call and find out. We (myself and two roommates) pay for high-speed internet, standard cable+HBO, 1 HD box and 2 SD boxes. I don't think we've ever gone over the limit, we've never been contacted about such a thing or had our connection throttled back.
I'd argue the other way. My observation is whim-based purchasing isn't the realm of rich folks. There is a reason those racks of crap are located near the check stands of every super market, Wal-Mart, and Target. Poor people, and people of "normal" median incomes ($30,000-$50,000/yr) are the largest impulse purchasers, simply because they are a larger percentage of the population.
All the people I know who make impulse purchases are in the normal median income bracket for the US. That is probably another reason why credit card debt is so high...
I've just seen the movie collections of people who buy shit on a whim.
I know a few of these people. My first though is "Really, you want to watch THAT movie over and over again, and paid $17.99 for the opportunity to do so?". To me, most movies are worth watching once every few years. You can rent it, borrow it from a friend, or even buy it second hand for mere dollars. Very few movies, in my opinion, are worth watching all the time. I've been buying DVDs for 7 or 8 years and my movie collection is probably around 25 films. I know enough people that I can borrow almost any film I really want to watch, I'm sure.
I don't know ... seems to work pretty well for the diamond industry.
Artificial scarcity works for physical products that are hard to manufacture, not for items that can be instantly replicated by anyone with a computer.
The coasts probably got most of the love because that's where you always hear of people having major connection issues (such as NYC and SF). You don't often hear of people in, oh... Kansas worked up because their iPhone's aren't connecting to the network.
but I think most importantly is that every place that was selling was giving it away for free (0 Yen)
I've heard that's pretty standard in many overseas markets, including Europe... the iPhone is either incredibly cheap or free.
I have a G3S, and even though I had activated international roaming before leaving, I was never able to get my phone to work with a network over there (NTT DoCoMo, and I saw one or two other carriers listed in the selection screen).
That was incredibly frustrating, but even more so was the lack of open Wi-Fi networks like you find here in the US. I REALLY wanted to be able to use Google Maps + Compass to easily find my way to places while wondering around. I found that even with a printed paper map, trying to find where you were going once leaving a subway station could be a chore.
I was in Tokyo this past September, and I do remember spotting the iPhone there. However, it seems that many more people had flip phones. The typical flip phone style I saw was larger than those found here in America, to accommodate a bigger screen, and flatter then you'd see here. Many could do things such as watch TV, as my friend demonstrated on his phone.
I don't ever remember seeing a TV commercial for the iPhone, or any subway/train ads for the iPhone. I do remember seeing subway ads for other phones. And for Google, heh.
Came here for Blade Runner quotes, and very happy to find them within one minute of reading!
Sort of on topic, one time I was filling out an information form on Google (for some sort of business service they offer, can't remember which one now) and next to the box that said "Business Name" it said "e.g. Tyrell Corporation". There are some serious Blade Runner fans at that company!
and have absolutely no idea where their food comes from or how it got there
Exactly. I love meat, but current factory farming practices are horrendous, from a: 1) animal welfare point of view, 2) worker safety point of view, and 3) clean and safe food supply point of view.
It's almost sad to think about, but unless you are a hunter, vat-made food will probably be universally more appealing than current meat industry practices. Plus, no living organism = harder for meat to contract and carry diseases such as e-coli, mad cow, hoof and mouth, ect.
They also need to synthesize fat for flavor and not work out the meat *too* much, less it becomes too lean and flavorless.
This mentality is also the reason I don't go to live rock concerts much.
I've had the same exact experience, thinking to myself "If I didn't know this song so well, I wouldn't know what they hell they are playing because I certainly can't hear the guy singing above the music".
I don't understand why this happens at so many shows. I'd rather HEAR the music than FEEL the music, which seems to be what their intent is. The best sound I've heard was at an outdoor concert, where the lack of ceiling and walls to reflect the sound really made a positive impact in the quality of the live music.
and Sennheiser is the only company that sells a complete line of replacement parts
Exactly. What happen to me is that the wire on the inside of the cable goes out, and I lose a channel.... it's happened on almost every set of headphones I have owned. When I finally purchased a pair of Sennheiser headphones, I just had to purchase a $8 cable, rather than an entire new set of headphones.
Explain what SFW porn is, please.
Looking at the Staples website?
I think that the 'Out of Touch' phrasing is accurate in this context
I disagree - they are trying to give people the distinct impression that you won't be able to communicate. The commercial even shows some sad AT&T network girl alone on a bench somewhere while her Verizon network friends are together having fun. Yes there is a speed difference between 3G and Edge, but give me a break... you can still send/receive calls, texts, and still get online.
I've gone hiking where my 3G coverage has fallen back to Edge. I was still able to access Google maps and look at where we were, etc. I was hardly "out of touch", that is a loaded phrase and Verizon knows it.
That being said, I personally found the ad to be a very clever play on Apple's "there's an app for that".