"T-Mobile already offers a very affordable $50 plan with or without a credit check for their customers, which can genuinely help some low income customers."
Affordable? 50$ is *a lot* of money when you are poor.
SO? mine is 40 years old and still humming along. My amplifier is a Marantz 2240 (1974) and up until a few weeks ago was running fine except for two burnt bulbs (no bad contact in the knobs either). Those old TVs I was seeing in the trash after Canada's analog cut off were pretty old and probably still working. They were building stuff to last back then. Need a 200 power supply? they built one that could give much more than that. Today, they will build a 210w one to save a few pennies.
A modern fridge won't last 15 years, that fancy LCD tv? dead in less than 10. People are accustomed to cheap Walmart stuff and will change stuff more often (which comes up more expensive in the long run)
Glossy screens are a pain for reflections (since you could, i dunno, use a laptop *outside* where that bright evil yellow thing in the sky will make sure the screen is unreadable).
But unless it's IPS, rotating an LCD will shift colors because the viewing angles aren't the same for horizontal vs vertical. It also messes up font smoothing since the order of sub-pixels isn't the same (unless the OS is aware of that)
Are those anesthesics manufactured in USA? If they are manufactured in the EU, it's not a good idea to start using them for executions unless you want to stop surgeries too...
For most people, it won't matter. Graphics and resolution doesn't make a bad game better (ie: Duke4ever). Besides, a TV (where the Steambox is going to be hooked up) only has a resolution of 1920*1080. My old Core2Duo has absolutely no problems pushing pixels at that res on a Radeon 6770. I admit the CPU is being clocked at 3.8, but it's probably on par with a 3.0 i3.
I still game on my PS2, my NES, even my C64. If the game is fun, it will still be fun at 320*200. (besides, older games tend to take longer to finish, giving me more fun for my money)
" but in principle they should be more customisable and expandable, with more up-to-date hardware than consoles. Also, (unless Dell et. al. break out the footgun and lock their boxes down), they can double as Linux PCs or dual-boot Windows if you really must. "
No. being all identical is what makes consoles perfect for gaming (I'm saying that as a PC gamer, the only two consoles I ever had are a NES and PS2). That means a game made today (FIFA 2014 for PS2) *WILL* run perfectly on my console, launched in March 2000. Try running a modern game on a 14 year-old PC. That may well be why the Steambox fails.
In most areas you could get local stations by hooking up a paperclip in the RF input of your TV. Heck, my antenna is UHF only and I get all the FM stations in and around montreal (more than using a T antenna since it's outside)
The ones I'm using in the PCs are Hauppauge HVR-1600 (soon to be replaced by an HD Homerun). The converter box is a Homeworx PVR 150. This one is nice since it has HDMI & Component outputs and can do 5.1 on my receiver. (the USB port can also be used to read video and audio files, nice if you don't have a smart tv)
"It's the person who just got $900 from their debit card spent fraudulently online that spends hours upon hours plugging the holes and righting the wrongs."
Right on. I've had a 200$ fraud in my account just before the holidays. Royal Bank Of Canada can't access the ATM cameras (they tell me it's not one of theirs). Their argument is since they can't prove it was somebody else using the card, *I* have to eat the losses. Great, and all that time I thought people were innocent until proven guilty in that country.
*What broadcasters are worried about is cable retransmission fees, which has nothing to do with Aereo. Viacom wants to keep your cable company paying obscene amounts of money for channels like Nickelodeon and MTV, and threaten to pull their local CBS channel if they don't agree. Broadcast television was never supposed to work that way. Aereo is breaking that model.*
Then let the model break. I'm tired of region-locking DVD or BD discs, not being able to watch something because I'm not in the US, not being able to watch something I bought from a movie company on a different computer. Heck, under current law I'm not even allowed to rip my own DVDs to watch on my iPhone. Disney has stuff from the '30s that is *STILL* copyrighted. People get their e-books removed *even* if they paid for them, the list goes on.
And they're wondering why people pirate stuff. The Oatmeal hit the nail on this one
Why? I'm running OTA on Media Center and can stream to other devices. The broadcasters just have to adapt to modern times. In fact, most of the times I'm watching TV on my computer either from its tuner or by streaming from Media Center. My 60$ ATSC tuner can record to a USB key. In a format that is readable by a computer, my mom's TV, and such.
FCC and CRTC are already helping the collapse of free broadcast TV. They took away ch70-83 for cell phones during the 80s and 90s. They did it again recently (52-69 has been reallocated for 700Mhz cell phone bands). And they also removed 2-6 on VHF (big loss for long-range reception when not line-of-sight). Guess what will go when cell phone companies want more spectrum? probably 40-51.
Aereo leases an antenna and a DVR, nothing more. People might be unable/unwilling to install an antenna on their home. The TV stations just want more money, that's all... Kill Aereo, the numbers of people watching said station will fall, so will their revenue for advertisers.
Slashdot Mirror
"T-Mobile already offers a very affordable $50 plan with or without a credit check for their customers, which can genuinely help some low income customers."
Affordable? 50$ is *a lot* of money when you are poor.
Tuna is fish. A Dolphin is a mammal, and probably a lot more intelligent than we think.
http://i18.photobucket.com/albums/b109/cherry_tw1st/quagmire-learns-about-internet-porn-family-guy.png
What size fridge are you using that saves 500$ a year in energy???
SO? mine is 40 years old and still humming along. My amplifier is a Marantz 2240 (1974) and up until a few weeks ago was running fine except for two burnt bulbs (no bad contact in the knobs either). Those old TVs I was seeing in the trash after Canada's analog cut off were pretty old and probably still working. They were building stuff to last back then. Need a 200 power supply? they built one that could give much more than that. Today, they will build a 210w one to save a few pennies.
A modern fridge won't last 15 years, that fancy LCD tv? dead in less than 10. People are accustomed to cheap Walmart stuff and will change stuff more often (which comes up more expensive in the long run)
^THIS
Glossy screens are a pain for reflections (since you could, i dunno, use a laptop *outside* where that bright evil yellow thing in the sky will make sure the screen is unreadable).
Besides, glossy is a fingerprint magnet
I find typing sideways harder on the neck TBH
But unless it's IPS, rotating an LCD will shift colors because the viewing angles aren't the same for horizontal vs vertical. It also messes up font smoothing since the order of sub-pixels isn't the same (unless the OS is aware of that)
Still won't work for a laptop
Or someone will release an unofficial service pack like it was done for 9x
http://www.htasoft.com/u98sesp/ (that one I didn't know about)
http://www.freewarefiles.com/Unofficial-Windows-SE-Service-Pack-a_program_16791.html (that's what I use on my old 486 vintage box)
And yet, there are no laws forcing a company to sell stuff...
Are those anesthesics manufactured in USA? If they are manufactured in the EU, it's not a good idea to start using them for executions unless you want to stop surgeries too...
Rich people, cops & politicians are exceptions then ?
And sound better too because of the way a tube clips and the even harmonics
At that price, do they burn out gracefully, or start to smoke and become a fire hazard because the manufacturer skimped on safeties ?
http://www.consumerreports.org/cro/magazine-archive/2011/august/recalls-and-safety-alerts/bulbs-pose-fire-hazard/index.htm
For most people, it won't matter. Graphics and resolution doesn't make a bad game better (ie: Duke4ever). Besides, a TV (where the Steambox is going to be hooked up) only has a resolution of 1920*1080. My old Core2Duo has absolutely no problems pushing pixels at that res on a Radeon 6770. I admit the CPU is being clocked at 3.8, but it's probably on par with a 3.0 i3.
I still game on my PS2, my NES, even my C64. If the game is fun, it will still be fun at 320*200. (besides, older games tend to take longer to finish, giving me more fun for my money)
" but in principle they should be more customisable and expandable, with more up-to-date hardware than consoles. Also, (unless Dell et. al. break out the footgun and lock their boxes down), they can double as Linux PCs or dual-boot Windows if you really must. "
No. being all identical is what makes consoles perfect for gaming (I'm saying that as a PC gamer, the only two consoles I ever had are a NES and PS2). That means a game made today (FIFA 2014 for PS2) *WILL* run perfectly on my console, launched in March 2000. Try running a modern game on a 14 year-old PC. That may well be why the Steambox fails.
In most areas you could get local stations by hooking up a paperclip in the RF input of your TV. Heck, my antenna is UHF only and I get all the FM stations in and around montreal (more than using a T antenna since it's outside)
The ones I'm using in the PCs are Hauppauge HVR-1600 (soon to be replaced by an HD Homerun). The converter box is a Homeworx PVR 150. This one is nice since it has HDMI & Component outputs and can do 5.1 on my receiver. (the USB port can also be used to read video and audio files, nice if you don't have a smart tv)
http://www.mediasonic.ca/product.php?id=1365123671
"It's the person who just got $900 from their debit card spent fraudulently online that spends hours upon hours plugging the holes and righting the wrongs."
Right on. I've had a 200$ fraud in my account just before the holidays. Royal Bank Of Canada can't access the ATM cameras (they tell me it's not one of theirs). Their argument is since they can't prove it was somebody else using the card, *I* have to eat the losses. Great, and all that time I thought people were innocent until proven guilty in that country.
*What broadcasters are worried about is cable retransmission fees, which has nothing to do with Aereo. Viacom wants to keep your cable company paying obscene amounts of money for channels like Nickelodeon and MTV, and threaten to pull their local CBS channel if they don't agree. Broadcast television was never supposed to work that way. Aereo is breaking that model.*
Then let the model break. I'm tired of region-locking DVD or BD discs, not being able to watch something because I'm not in the US, not being able to watch something I bought from a movie company on a different computer. Heck, under current law I'm not even allowed to rip my own DVDs to watch on my iPhone. Disney has stuff from the '30s that is *STILL* copyrighted. People get their e-books removed *even* if they paid for them, the list goes on.
And they're wondering why people pirate stuff. The Oatmeal hit the nail on this one
http://theoatmeal.com/comics/game_of_thrones
*as another poster mentioned, traditional methods for rating TV stations won't track what Aereo users are watching*
Then time to change how they get their stats.
Why? I'm running OTA on Media Center and can stream to other devices. The broadcasters just have to adapt to modern times. In fact, most of the times I'm watching TV on my computer either from its tuner or by streaming from Media Center. My 60$ ATSC tuner can record to a USB key. In a format that is readable by a computer, my mom's TV, and such.
FCC and CRTC are already helping the collapse of free broadcast TV. They took away ch70-83 for cell phones during the 80s and 90s. They did it again recently (52-69 has been reallocated for 700Mhz cell phone bands). And they also removed 2-6 on VHF (big loss for long-range reception when not line-of-sight). Guess what will go when cell phone companies want more spectrum? probably 40-51.
Aereo leases an antenna and a DVR, nothing more. People might be unable/unwilling to install an antenna on their home. The TV stations just want more money, that's all... Kill Aereo, the numbers of people watching said station will fall, so will their revenue for advertisers.
Making more than 50$/hour ?
Our rights are slowly being eroded thanks to Harper. The actual government won't be happy until we are a police state.