So if your *web service provider (since "teh web IS teh intarweb"!) blocks all port 80 traffic, when do they stop being a web service provider and start being a money sink?
*I was going to say ISP, but then I realized I'd get all the people who are enlightened enough to know that the internet != the web on my back.
You hit the nail on the head. I was just telling my wife last night that our custom Linux application server (I run multiple desktops on it with VNC for "terminal server" functionality. Ah the beauty of centralized computing!) gives us everything that Windows XP could ever hope to but it does it on a box that can barely run XP Pro. Yup... you heard right. I installed Windows XP pro on that box about two years ago and it would take a good five to ten minutes to boot. (It's a dual P II 233 with 768 Megs of RAM from 1998). I ditched XP and built a custom Linux install based on RedHat 9. It's been running fine for just about two years and performs beautifully. Just this week, I updated a few things, added even more functionality and redid the custom themes for the Gnome environment. Kind of like making the jump from Windows 2K to XP, but without the sticker shock.:)
The thing I love about Linux is that I can easily use systems that Microsoft considers "out of date" for useful and productive tasks.
Here let me help you turn off your reality distortion field, I think you left it on after leaving your house today:
Apple OS X user: Very stable and works with all the Apple hardware I throw at it. It doesn't even do too badly with the non-Apple stuff!:) I've got antivirus software, but I've never really had a need to use it.
Windows XP user: @#$%^!! Why the hell won't this damn sound card work!!!? I've downloaded the latest drivers from the manufacturer and XP says they haven't been approved for use with XP, but that's worked for me before! So why isn't it working now!!?? I guess that's the last time I go with no name hardware that I can get inexpensively. I thought PCs were supposed to be just as easy as a Mac and cheaper! (Thus the "PC hardware is cheaper" argument sprouts wings and flies away) Or... Why is my hard drive constantly running and my system so slow?? It's been happening since last week (when he got that funny "RE:Hi" message from his cousin) and I've tried defragging the system. My AVG antivirus software says the system is clean. What's the deal? (Note, you can't use the argument that Microsoft software is more popular than Apple. The Apache Organization's HTTPD software is infinitely more popular than IIS and IIS is still the one that gets successfuly attacked more often.
More options = more problems Less options = stability
Ask any Apple user about the stability of their system, then think about how many options they have for hardware and software compared to their x86 using retarded cousins.;P Of course, what do I know, I'm just a facist at heart.
The reasons you point out for being the "value" of what passes for an actor or actress in Hollywood today, is exactly what's wrong with both the music and movie field. They've both been completely converted to businesses and any art that was involved has been squeezed down to just a few drops. I wanted to get into music myself when I was younger. Not for the money, but for the love of playing. However, I learned quicky that you don't need talent, or original material, you need a nose for business. I'm not a business person. No true artist is. The other thing I've learned over time is that anywhere where there is business involved (ie. "profit motive") anything that has real intellectual, cultural or artistic value dies. It happened to music, film and television and now it's happening to the Internet.
The Internet was a thriving community in the late 80s and early 90s. People were high on the free exchange of information. Today, there is still some of that free exchange, but not without the encroaching stink of business. (Ads on/. anyone?) Much like Stallman came up with the concept of the GPL, there should be a cultural equivalent for those of us who don't want to bow down to business. The right formula (lest I be called a "commie hippy") is 80% culture and 20% business. Somewhere along the line a lot of people seem to have forgotten that business is a means, not an end.
...win for me every time. Flash cards are too costly by comparison. USB is too slow. Mini CD-R/RW is the perfect medium for digital photography. Check out my latest JE for my "Ask Slashdot JE" entry regarding digital photo management.
The application is even less important than the talent. There are plenty of people in trailer parks who know how to use warzed copies of Photoshop pretty well. But you wouldn't want them working on your glossy magazine. Just visit this site for examples of hillbilly Pohotoshop "wizardy".;)
...and in the end ineffective. *IF* this is even working as the author suspects at all, it won't take long for the vermin spammers to figure it out and adjust accordingly. I've said it before and I'll asy it again, get yourself a decent spam filter! The Barracuda Spam Firewall is a great commercial product and the ASSP open source product is just as good if you're willing to invest some time getting it going. I think this approach sounds more like hiding behind the door saying "nobody home, go away".
...it worked OK as long as you trained it properly and you had a nice quite room and a good mic. However, there are issues with "voice typing" that can't be overlooked. Primary is security. If you want to type a document or e-mail that contains sensitive data, make damn sure that no one can hear you. My bank recently moved to a voice activated system. I'm surprised they haven't gotten a ton of complaints from people since it REQUIRES you to say your SS# and PIN out loud. This means I can no longer check my account from my cell phone or at work. If you sit down and think about how many things you type that you would never want to say out loud, you can see why voice typing hasn't taken off. Imagine this emanating from your cubicle in a monotone:
"http://www.goat.cx/ Take that you bukkake loving lunixtards."
Your co-workers would think you were a nutjob if they saw half of what you posted as AC to Slashdot.;P
...I beg to differ. My wife and I just had our first kid with the odds stacked against us (agewise). I use laptops at home 24x7x365. It took us one month to conceive. Now either am am Mr. Stud Man (YOWZA!;) ), or there really is little effect on a healthy individual.
That means the protection rackets are a necessary evil within capitalism too. Create a threat that is very real unless the potential victim pays a "protection" fee. I see all sorts of "ecosystems" growing out of that. Come to think of it, I think the Bush administration does too.;P
I thought about it, but I really don't want to contaminate the innards of the scanner with dust. Right now, things look pretty pristine inside of the scanner. However, as a side note, I've pretty much abandoned traditional photography for digital since I'm not doing anything professional these days. So... I'm not using the scanner much at this point.
Just how far will adware companies go to continue to attempt to bombard us with their ads?
They are scum of the earth bastards. If they could find a way to beam that ads directly into your brain 24/7 and then charge you for experiencing their "Intellectual Property", the would do it. That's how far.
I'm guessing you're not American. There's a HUGE difference between the "Average American" and the "Average European" or the "Average Brit". When the second most popular answer from British school children to the question "who do you want to be like when you grow up" is Stephen Hawking, you know there is a huge gap in intellect and ambition between Americans and other countries. I haven't seen any similar polls for U.S. school children, but I'd guess that topping that list would be the most famous rappers, WWF members, or country music folks. I would also guess that scientists don't even make it onto the list unless you count the bottom 1000 replies.
Yes, "average people" everywhere need math. However, average Americans are lazy and stupid. They will shortcut around anything if they can avoid having to learn something and understand it. Learning, thinking and intelligence are not admirable traits to these people. They are an impediment to "progress". They would rather go to Walmart, for example, and buy some low quality, pre-made outdoor speakers for their patio rather than spend a weekend or two learning how to build them at higher quality and for less money. To this kind of person, the time they save in just driving down the street and buying crap is worth more to them than learning something interesting and in the long run saving money. The real issue is finding a way to make thinking and intelligence fashionable again. Tough feat that...
This is a good point. But how can math be shown to be relevant to most Americans in their everyday lives? Most slobs don't cook their own meals, so the fractions in measurement won't come up. If your day job consists of saying "Hi and welcome to Walmart" I don't think you're going to be doing much math. People no longer work on their houses, cars or home appliances because everything is becoming disposable. It's cheaper and safer to pay someone else to come in and swap in a new home heating system than trying to fix it yourself. It's easier to buy a new TV than fix that broken one because TVs have become so inexpensive now. There really aren't many places in the average American's life where math comes into play in any practical or (more importantly) fun way. Now me on the other hand... I've rewired my house, build my own computer systems and use Linux. My wife and I cook our own food mostly from scratch since the quality of what passes for food these days is pretty frightening. We make our own soft drinks. I create my own music, etc... I know I'm not the average American though. That's the problem and that's why most Americans are failing in all academic categories.
Ummm... so is the other missing 9% of effort spent on acquiring other people's software technology and patenting it?;P Whoo boy you really are out to lunch!
I looked at all three. Still looks like smoke around the lamp to me. The white plume only shows up in the picture with the streak. There is none before or after. Definite proof of smoke as smoke can dissipate at varying speeds due to different environmental conditions as well as the kind of element being burned and releasing the smoke. I would guess this lamp is a mercury-vapor lamp. So it's not unreasonable to expect that the "smoke" seen around the light could has something to do with the vapor in the lamp. After all the light wasn't working when they went to look at it. It's not irrefutable proof, but I'm thinking this has something to do with either the light itself, or something hitting the light in such a way that the damage is not obvious.
It's true that people could do all those sorts of things to gain access to "free DirecTV" or what have you. However, I don't really think it's that much of a problem as long as most people don't go that route. The way to prevent that is to educate people about why it's not a decent thing to pirate pay television. There will always be thieves, but this is not something you can solve with technology. At the moment, every technological invention in the electronic realm to prevent theft of electronic media has made more headaches for the legitimate end-user.
There is also the other issue of what exactly reaplces the functionality of a VCR or cassette recorder these days? Back when I was in Jr. High, my folks got a VCR. I used it to record stuff off of broadcast TV and then had my friends come over and watch. Many times over. There wasn't a problem with this in the past. Extend that by using a VCR to record cable or a stereo cassette deck and a tuner to record music from the radio. No one seemed to have a problem with that and anyone who did was seen as a crank. In my mind, video files (mpegs, divx, etc...) and audio files (mp3, ogg vorbis, etc...) are just the digital equivalent of audio and video cassettes. The quality is high enough to be watchable or listenable, but it's not exact, it's lossy.
So... when I invite my folks over to watch a movie I recorded with my Hauppaugue PVR-250 from DirecTV, am I breaking any laws? I don't think so. I'm not selling anything. I'm not giving my parents free access to DirecTV unfettered. They get to see a handful of movies or shows when they come over that I've hand picked and time shifted for them. Eventually, I want them to be able to stream that from my house to theirs. Not the live signal mind you, just a recording. How is this any different than me popping a tape in a VCR, recording a program and then giving it to them to watch at home? Over and over again? I refuse to think that there is nothing that will allow for that same functionality in the digital world because a few greedy lawyers and businessmen want to squeeze every cent out of me. I'm not making DVDs of this stuff and selling them. If those tightasses are allowed to run rampant, the next thing you know is they'll be applying client licenses to your ears and eyes. Oh god. That's what they want isn't it? Again folks, resist these people at all costs.
It's funny about that. Depending on your application and OS, it seems that there are different experiences of "slow". When I used to run Windows and I made the jump from a 486 DX2 66 to a Pentium 100, I thought the 486 was slow as hell. At work (where we use Windows as well) I've also seen the performance degradation in Windows boxes as the registry gets junked over time. So, a PC that started out "fast" eventually seems "slow" artificially unless you do a re-install. The other factor also is additional applications that you didn't originally run before. We had a batch of P3s here that were running Windows 2000 sufficiently fast. Eventually we had to break down and add a few very important and required utilities (DeepFreeze and Norton AV for example). Just the addition of Norton dragged those system's down to really horrible performance.
Now, with my experience at home (where I run Linux pretty exclusively), my main X "application server" is a dual Pentium II with each proc running at 233. This thing is just about as fast as my P4 with hyperthreading running Windows XP Pro (for audio apps). It's been running for two years now and has had no performance degradation. At all. Period. The system is about 7 years old and it competes very nicely with a system that is only just barely a year old.
I'd say that before anyone knocks a processor as being "slow" take a look at what your OS and applications are doing. If they've changed over time, theneither your OS is the issue or your application has changed dramatically in some way.
Well... how does it hurt DirecTV is they release a PCI card that would allow me to record the programming that I pay for directly to my HD in a Linux box? I DON'T want to buy a Tivo because I don't get the satisfaction of having built something with my own hands. I would have no problem paying DirecTV for a PCI Satellite card. It would likely cost a little more up front than their DirecTV/Tivo offer, but it would afford me a lto more flexibility. I wouldn't mind paying the extra monthly fee for an extra unit (assuming that the card would count as another DirecTV Terminal).
Think about the possibilities... If there WAS a DirecTV PCI card, I could then stream the signal to any other PC in the house, timeshift, or even possibly watch interesting shows on my lunch break at work. If I get a shitty DirecTV Tivo, all I get is what everyone else has: a PVR with limited functionailty.
None of what I want to do "pisses" on their license. Unless their license states, "You will accept the limited functionailty of our equipment because we are monopoly and you can't do anything about that".;P
Actaully, I see a good deal of smoke around the light head. It's pretty obvious that the smoke is being emitted by the lamp. However, we'd have to see the other photos before and after to determine when the smoke first appeared. (Note that smoke is a white plume around the head of the lamp. It's extremely obvious.)
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So if your *web service provider (since "teh web IS teh intarweb"!) blocks all port 80 traffic, when do they stop being a web service provider and start being a money sink?
*I was going to say ISP, but then I realized I'd get all the people who are enlightened enough to know that the internet != the web on my back.
You hit the nail on the head. I was just telling my wife last night that our custom Linux application server (I run multiple desktops on it with VNC for "terminal server" functionality. Ah the beauty of centralized computing!) gives us everything that Windows XP could ever hope to but it does it on a box that can barely run XP Pro. Yup... you heard right. I installed Windows XP pro on that box about two years ago and it would take a good five to ten minutes to boot. (It's a dual P II 233 with 768 Megs of RAM from 1998). I ditched XP and built a custom Linux install based on RedHat 9. It's been running fine for just about two years and performs beautifully. Just this week, I updated a few things, added even more functionality and redid the custom themes for the Gnome environment. Kind of like making the jump from Windows 2K to XP, but without the sticker shock. :)
The thing I love about Linux is that I can easily use systems that Microsoft considers "out of date" for useful and productive tasks.
Here let me help you turn off your reality distortion field, I think you left it on after leaving your house today:
:) I've got antivirus software, but I've never really had a need to use it.
;P
Apple OS X user: Very stable and works with all the Apple hardware I throw at it. It doesn't even do too badly with the non-Apple stuff!
Windows XP user: @#$%^!! Why the hell won't this damn sound card work!!!? I've downloaded the latest drivers from the manufacturer and XP says they haven't been approved for use with XP, but that's worked for me before! So why isn't it working now!!?? I guess that's the last time I go with no name hardware that I can get inexpensively. I thought PCs were supposed to be just as easy as a Mac and cheaper! (Thus the "PC hardware is cheaper" argument sprouts wings and flies away) Or... Why is my hard drive constantly running and my system so slow?? It's been happening since last week (when he got that funny "RE:Hi" message from his cousin) and I've tried defragging the system. My AVG antivirus software says the system is clean. What's the deal? (Note, you can't use the argument that Microsoft software is more popular than Apple. The Apache Organization's HTTPD software is infinitely more popular than IIS and IIS is still the one that gets successfuly attacked more often.
Happy to have helped. Don't mention it.
More options = more problems
;P Of course, what do I know, I'm just a facist at heart.
Less options = stability
Ask any Apple user about the stability of their system, then think about how many options they have for hardware and software compared to their x86 using retarded cousins.
The reasons you point out for being the "value" of what passes for an actor or actress in Hollywood today, is exactly what's wrong with both the music and movie field. They've both been completely converted to businesses and any art that was involved has been squeezed down to just a few drops. I wanted to get into music myself when I was younger. Not for the money, but for the love of playing. However, I learned quicky that you don't need talent, or original material, you need a nose for business. I'm not a business person. No true artist is. The other thing I've learned over time is that anywhere where there is business involved (ie. "profit motive") anything that has real intellectual, cultural or artistic value dies. It happened to music, film and television and now it's happening to the Internet.
/. anyone?) Much like Stallman came up with the concept of the GPL, there should be a cultural equivalent for those of us who don't want to bow down to business. The right formula (lest I be called a "commie hippy") is 80% culture and 20% business. Somewhere along the line a lot of people seem to have forgotten that business is a means, not an end.
The Internet was a thriving community in the late 80s and early 90s. People were high on the free exchange of information. Today, there is still some of that free exchange, but not without the encroaching stink of business. (Ads on
...and gas stations charge me money for gasoline! Makes you think. No? :p
...have they found any SCO bugs? ;P I kid, I kid! Because I love!
...win for me every time. Flash cards are too costly by comparison. USB is too slow. Mini CD-R/RW is the perfect medium for digital photography. Check out my latest JE for my "Ask Slashdot JE" entry regarding digital photo management.
The application is even less important than the talent. There are plenty of people in trailer parks who know how to use warzed copies of Photoshop pretty well. But you wouldn't want them working on your glossy magazine. Just visit this site for examples of hillbilly Pohotoshop "wizardy". ;)
...and in the end ineffective. *IF* this is even working as the author suspects at all, it won't take long for the vermin spammers to figure it out and adjust accordingly. I've said it before and I'll asy it again, get yourself a decent spam filter! The Barracuda Spam Firewall is a great commercial product and the ASSP open source product is just as good if you're willing to invest some time getting it going. I think this approach sounds more like hiding behind the door saying "nobody home, go away".
...it worked OK as long as you trained it properly and you had a nice quite room and a good mic. However, there are issues with "voice typing" that can't be overlooked. Primary is security. If you want to type a document or e-mail that contains sensitive data, make damn sure that no one can hear you. My bank recently moved to a voice activated system. I'm surprised they haven't gotten a ton of complaints from people since it REQUIRES you to say your SS# and PIN out loud. This means I can no longer check my account from my cell phone or at work. If you sit down and think about how many things you type that you would never want to say out loud, you can see why voice typing hasn't taken off. Imagine this emanating from your cubicle in a monotone:
;P
"http://www.goat.cx/ Take that you bukkake loving lunixtards."
Your co-workers would think you were a nutjob if they saw half of what you posted as AC to Slashdot.
...I beg to differ. My wife and I just had our first kid with the odds stacked against us (agewise). I use laptops at home 24x7x365. It took us one month to conceive. Now either am am Mr. Stud Man (YOWZA! ;) ), or there really is little effect on a healthy individual.
Hehehe. Nice troll. ;)
;P
That means the protection rackets are a necessary evil within capitalism too. Create a threat that is very real unless the potential victim pays a "protection" fee. I see all sorts of "ecosystems" growing out of that. Come to think of it, I think the Bush administration does too.
I thought about it, but I really don't want to contaminate the innards of the scanner with dust. Right now, things look pretty pristine inside of the scanner. However, as a side note, I've pretty much abandoned traditional photography for digital since I'm not doing anything professional these days. So... I'm not using the scanner much at this point.
They are scum of the earth bastards. If they could find a way to beam that ads directly into your brain 24/7 and then charge you for experiencing their "Intellectual Property", the would do it. That's how far.
I guess it depends on which head a guy thinks with... Think cap could take on completey new meanings. ;P
I'm guessing you're not American. There's a HUGE difference between the "Average American" and the "Average European" or the "Average Brit". When the second most popular answer from British school children to the question "who do you want to be like when you grow up" is Stephen Hawking, you know there is a huge gap in intellect and ambition between Americans and other countries. I haven't seen any similar polls for U.S. school children, but I'd guess that topping that list would be the most famous rappers, WWF members, or country music folks. I would also guess that scientists don't even make it onto the list unless you count the bottom 1000 replies.
Yes, "average people" everywhere need math. However, average Americans are lazy and stupid. They will shortcut around anything if they can avoid having to learn something and understand it. Learning, thinking and intelligence are not admirable traits to these people. They are an impediment to "progress". They would rather go to Walmart, for example, and buy some low quality, pre-made outdoor speakers for their patio rather than spend a weekend or two learning how to build them at higher quality and for less money. To this kind of person, the time they save in just driving down the street and buying crap is worth more to them than learning something interesting and in the long run saving money. The real issue is finding a way to make thinking and intelligence fashionable again. Tough feat that...
This is a good point. But how can math be shown to be relevant to most Americans in their everyday lives? Most slobs don't cook their own meals, so the fractions in measurement won't come up. If your day job consists of saying "Hi and welcome to Walmart" I don't think you're going to be doing much math. People no longer work on their houses, cars or home appliances because everything is becoming disposable. It's cheaper and safer to pay someone else to come in and swap in a new home heating system than trying to fix it yourself. It's easier to buy a new TV than fix that broken one because TVs have become so inexpensive now. There really aren't many places in the average American's life where math comes into play in any practical or (more importantly) fun way. Now me on the other hand... I've rewired my house, build my own computer systems and use Linux. My wife and I cook our own food mostly from scratch since the quality of what passes for food these days is pretty frightening. We make our own soft drinks. I create my own music, etc... I know I'm not the average American though. That's the problem and that's why most Americans are failing in all academic categories.
Ummm... so is the other missing 9% of effort spent on acquiring other people's software technology and patenting it? ;P Whoo boy you really are out to lunch!
So you're telling me that it's illegal to record something from TV and let someone else borrow the tape? This is news to me.
I looked at all three. Still looks like smoke around the lamp to me. The white plume only shows up in the picture with the streak. There is none before or after. Definite proof of smoke as smoke can dissipate at varying speeds due to different environmental conditions as well as the kind of element being burned and releasing the smoke. I would guess this lamp is a mercury-vapor lamp. So it's not unreasonable to expect that the "smoke" seen around the light could has something to do with the vapor in the lamp. After all the light wasn't working when they went to look at it. It's not irrefutable proof, but I'm thinking this has something to do with either the light itself, or something hitting the light in such a way that the damage is not obvious.
It's true that people could do all those sorts of things to gain access to "free DirecTV" or what have you. However, I don't really think it's that much of a problem as long as most people don't go that route. The way to prevent that is to educate people about why it's not a decent thing to pirate pay television. There will always be thieves, but this is not something you can solve with technology. At the moment, every technological invention in the electronic realm to prevent theft of electronic media has made more headaches for the legitimate end-user.
There is also the other issue of what exactly reaplces the functionality of a VCR or cassette recorder these days? Back when I was in Jr. High, my folks got a VCR. I used it to record stuff off of broadcast TV and then had my friends come over and watch. Many times over. There wasn't a problem with this in the past. Extend that by using a VCR to record cable or a stereo cassette deck and a tuner to record music from the radio. No one seemed to have a problem with that and anyone who did was seen as a crank. In my mind, video files (mpegs, divx, etc...) and audio files (mp3, ogg vorbis, etc...) are just the digital equivalent of audio and video cassettes. The quality is high enough to be watchable or listenable, but it's not exact, it's lossy.
So... when I invite my folks over to watch a movie I recorded with my Hauppaugue PVR-250 from DirecTV, am I breaking any laws? I don't think so. I'm not selling anything. I'm not giving my parents free access to DirecTV unfettered. They get to see a handful of movies or shows when they come over that I've hand picked and time shifted for them. Eventually, I want them to be able to stream that from my house to theirs. Not the live signal mind you, just a recording. How is this any different than me popping a tape in a VCR, recording a program and then giving it to them to watch at home? Over and over again? I refuse to think that there is nothing that will allow for that same functionality in the digital world because a few greedy lawyers and businessmen want to squeeze every cent out of me. I'm not making DVDs of this stuff and selling them. If those tightasses are allowed to run rampant, the next thing you know is they'll be applying client licenses to your ears and eyes. Oh god. That's what they want isn't it? Again folks, resist these people at all costs.
It's funny about that. Depending on your application and OS, it seems that there are different experiences of "slow". When I used to run Windows and I made the jump from a 486 DX2 66 to a Pentium 100, I thought the 486 was slow as hell. At work (where we use Windows as well) I've also seen the performance degradation in Windows boxes as the registry gets junked over time. So, a PC that started out "fast" eventually seems "slow" artificially unless you do a re-install. The other factor also is additional applications that you didn't originally run before. We had a batch of P3s here that were running Windows 2000 sufficiently fast. Eventually we had to break down and add a few very important and required utilities (DeepFreeze and Norton AV for example). Just the addition of Norton dragged those system's down to really horrible performance.
Now, with my experience at home (where I run Linux pretty exclusively), my main X "application server" is a dual Pentium II with each proc running at 233. This thing is just about as fast as my P4 with hyperthreading running Windows XP Pro (for audio apps). It's been running for two years now and has had no performance degradation. At all. Period. The system is about 7 years old and it competes very nicely with a system that is only just barely a year old.
I'd say that before anyone knocks a processor as being "slow" take a look at what your OS and applications are doing. If they've changed over time, theneither your OS is the issue or your application has changed dramatically in some way.
Well... how does it hurt DirecTV is they release a PCI card that would allow me to record the programming that I pay for directly to my HD in a Linux box? I DON'T want to buy a Tivo because I don't get the satisfaction of having built something with my own hands. I would have no problem paying DirecTV for a PCI Satellite card. It would likely cost a little more up front than their DirecTV/Tivo offer, but it would afford me a lto more flexibility. I wouldn't mind paying the extra monthly fee for an extra unit (assuming that the card would count as another DirecTV Terminal).
;P
Think about the possibilities... If there WAS a DirecTV PCI card, I could then stream the signal to any other PC in the house, timeshift, or even possibly watch interesting shows on my lunch break at work. If I get a shitty DirecTV Tivo, all I get is what everyone else has: a PVR with limited functionailty.
None of what I want to do "pisses" on their license. Unless their license states, "You will accept the limited functionailty of our equipment because we are monopoly and you can't do anything about that".
Actaully, I see a good deal of smoke around the light head. It's pretty obvious that the smoke is being emitted by the lamp. However, we'd have to see the other photos before and after to determine when the smoke first appeared. (Note that smoke is a white plume around the head of the lamp. It's extremely obvious.)