Sports is what kept me on satellite for years. About 2 months ago I said enough - added Netflix, a Roku3, and a HD antenna. Borrowing a login of a friend so I can stream some of my sports. There is enough other stuff to keep me busy if I can't get a specific game.
The cable companies know live sports is a game changer, so they likely work it into the contracts that the networks have to go through them, and any streaming needs to include a cable/satellite login. One day (hopefully soon) some of the leagues/networks/conferences will see that some percentage of US households don't have paid TV programming, and that they have a new target audience ready to directly pay them lots of money to get streaming live sports. What percentage of households need to cut the cord for this to be lucrative enough to outweigh the potential flood of more people cutting the cord when this happens? That is the magic question. HBO recently saw the light... hopefully others do soon.
Indeed... I believe the count is 4 our of the last 8 Illinois Governors (dating back to the '60's) ended up in federal prison. I'm amazed they found anyone to run for the office last year - it's like a 50/50 chance if you are elected that you will end up incarcerated. And that's just counting the ones doing stuff openly enough to get caught...
This is the one and only reason I still pay for TV. Virtually all my regularly scheduled programming I watch comes from the internet, and have for many years. But between the NFL, NHL, MLB, and NCAA basketball/football, the only way to get more than a couple games a year via broadcast networks is to pay for cable/satellite. For the teams I watch, I would need online access to the ESPNs, WGN, Comcast Sports Net, NBC Sports Network, Big Ten Network, and the broadcast networks to see 90% of the games. For those networks that do have online components, you need to login with your cable/satellite account to get access. Even if a network or two added an online only subscription, I would still be stuck with the rest of the networks.
It always amazes me how obnoxious TV is when I actually watch sporting events live, since that is the only content I watch on my TV that still has ads. Maybe one day I'll just decide it's not worth it and stop watching sports.
I tried something like this in the past. I had a root phrase I used, and added some other things like certain characters from the URL at the beginning/end. A few common issues with this. Say you want to use the last character in the company name as a modifier for your base password. For Dish Network, do you use h for the last character of the URL (dish.com) or k for the full name (dish network)? Some of the sites I have accounts with have an obscure, seemingly unrelated website/URL for their billing and such. Do you use that URL or the company name you think of typically? If you use the URL, what if they change the URL on you (say from dish.com to dishnetwork.com)? Also, there are outliers. Some require capitals, lowercase, numbers, and/or symbols. Some don't allow symbols. Some have minimum character lengths, others have maximums. If one of them requires a password change quarterly, do you change the root phrase and change all your passwords 4 times a year? This sounds good, but in practice it can be problematic when dealing with dozens of passwords.
All US states other than Vermont run balanced budgets, so those same politicians could do the same when they move to Washington.
Have you seen Illinois (or many other states for that matter)? Most have no idea what a balanced budget is. Here's an excerpt from some random google search:
Top 5 State Debt Per Capita
Alaska $40,714
Hawaii $33,111
Connecticut $31,298
Ohio $27,836
Illinois $24,959
Personally I find Illinois a bit amazing, since it is also the fifth most populous state based on the 2010 census.
Modern HVAC controls are much more than thermostats. There are typically resets for supply air temperatures based on outside air conditions and time of day, and boiler water temperature setbacks based outside air conditions. Fan and pump systems can get feedback from the positions of dampers/valves throughout the system, and the VFD can slow down to minimize energy usage based on the feedback from the worst-case zone in real time. The list goes on, but all of this energy optimizing relies on lots of real time data, and the easiest way to do this is on an ethernet network.
Many large clients, particularly those with multiple locations like school districts or big box stores will hire a controls company, and pay them a bunch of money to save a target dollar amount or percentage amount on their energy costs. This is typically done through an online interface to monitor multiple locations simultaneously, and keep them all operating the same way. The user doesn't typically care how the contractor sets this up, they just want the savings. The cheaper the contractor can get to the target the more money he makes, which can lead to corner cutting by the contractor.
Some people (government, some Universities) tend to make the controls sub-contractors install a second, independent TCP/IP network for their equipment. But this security comes at a cost premium, particularly in existing buildings that already have a network in place for their computer needs. Most places I have seen don't bother with this due to the cost and the general availability of network connections in today's world. If the security is setup properly this shouldn't be needed, but we all know how often proper security is overlooked.
We are currently at today's forcasted high temp of 5 deg. F (-21 deg. C) here in the middle of the US, not even taking into effect the 20+ mph wind. I feel sorry for the people trying to use electric heat for homes or businesses on days like today. I wonder how many solar panels I would need at my house today to still have any juice left over to turn on the lights, TV, or a computer.
If I could get Big Ten Sports and ESPN streamed I would cut the cord today. That is currently the only thing holding me back. My family never watches "live" TV everything is either streamed or DVR'ed for later viewing.
This describes me exactly. I can't stand watching "live" programming. All of the regular shows I watch I couldn't actually tell you what time they air more accurate than "prime time on Monday". Sometimes I can't even remember what network it is on. The DVR and other services handle all of that for me.
I would have cut out cable/satellite years ago if not for sports. Some networks (like Big Ten Network) have online options, but I believe an account with one of their cable/satellite partners is a prerequisite. Others sports like MLB have all the games online if you buy their subscription... except it is blacked out if you can view it on a channel from your local cable provider - or you can wait something like 24 hours (who watches sporting events two days later?). It's sad, because there could be some serious money to be made if the networks and/or sports leagues started offering true streaming options for their content.
When I want to download software, I want that software, not other piece of software that's going to install itself in my browsers and mine my information.
I know computer savvy users who have refused to give Chrome a try precisely because it has been bundled with so many other things over the years.
If your software is bundled with something I am installing, I assume your software is junk unless I already know otherwise. Even if your software is decent (e.g. Chrome), I can decide independently for myself when or if I want to install it.
The battles on Wikipedia are well documented. Articles deleted, added back, deleted again. Back and forth in a never ending battle of arrogant assholes with giant egos.
Currently you can buy a version outright (say AutoCAD 2014 - you can use that version forever). Alternatively, you can get it on subscription (you pay 20% or 30% of the full cost, but pay it every year), which allows you to get the new version every year plus more support/features. Renting is simply the third option - the other two aren't going away. Their subscription model is a predictable cash cow at this point - there is no way they are giving that up.
I'm all for 2 way accountability, but there may actually be times when they should be turned off. Do we really want to see/listen to some cop using the restroom? Chomping on food during his lunch break?
And what about the times when you may not want conversations with coworkers to be posted publicly? Telling a coworker an off-color joke? Telling a coworker what he did with that lady he met at the bar the other night? Telling the boss he will be out on Friday to help a family member with a medical issue?
And how long before this footage is directly used to make hiring/promotion/firing decisions? Didn't pick up on a clue quick enough on that high profile case? No raise for you.
This issue is who determines when it is on or off, and how to avoid this power being used inappropriately.
This reminds me of Netscape near the end. It was still around for years after the masses stopped using it, but was essentially a rebreanded version of mozilla/firefox. The trouble is it took them a few months to put their touch on it.
I'm curious how this would work well for Opera, if their business plan involves always reacting to the work of others in a world of nearly continuous browser updates. Sounds a day late and a dollar short to me.
Exactly. Building operators are not on site 24/7. You get an automated email/text message when a boiler is in alarm or a chiller goes down. Pull up the controls system from any browser on your PC or phone, use your login/password and see what is going on. You may even be able to fix the issue remotely. No need to run across campus when you get a phone call or come in at 3AM if all a piece of equipment needs is the reset button.
I just recently started using the sync function anyway to view some of the same feeds at home/work. I'm running Windows 8 at home (don't ask), and haven't had any problems with FeedDemon so far.
Slashdot Mirror
Sports is what kept me on satellite for years. About 2 months ago I said enough - added Netflix, a Roku3, and a HD antenna. Borrowing a login of a friend so I can stream some of my sports. There is enough other stuff to keep me busy if I can't get a specific game.
The cable companies know live sports is a game changer, so they likely work it into the contracts that the networks have to go through them, and any streaming needs to include a cable/satellite login. One day (hopefully soon) some of the leagues/networks/conferences will see that some percentage of US households don't have paid TV programming, and that they have a new target audience ready to directly pay them lots of money to get streaming live sports. What percentage of households need to cut the cord for this to be lucrative enough to outweigh the potential flood of more people cutting the cord when this happens? That is the magic question. HBO recently saw the light... hopefully others do soon.
Indeed... I believe the count is 4 our of the last 8 Illinois Governors (dating back to the '60's) ended up in federal prison. I'm amazed they found anyone to run for the office last year - it's like a 50/50 chance if you are elected that you will end up incarcerated. And that's just counting the ones doing stuff openly enough to get caught...
This is the one and only reason I still pay for TV. Virtually all my regularly scheduled programming I watch comes from the internet, and have for many years. But between the NFL, NHL, MLB, and NCAA basketball/football, the only way to get more than a couple games a year via broadcast networks is to pay for cable/satellite. For the teams I watch, I would need online access to the ESPNs, WGN, Comcast Sports Net, NBC Sports Network, Big Ten Network, and the broadcast networks to see 90% of the games. For those networks that do have online components, you need to login with your cable/satellite account to get access. Even if a network or two added an online only subscription, I would still be stuck with the rest of the networks.
It always amazes me how obnoxious TV is when I actually watch sporting events live, since that is the only content I watch on my TV that still has ads. Maybe one day I'll just decide it's not worth it and stop watching sports.
I thought SimCity was about building cities, then demolishing them.
FTFY
I tried something like this in the past. I had a root phrase I used, and added some other things like certain characters from the URL at the beginning/end. A few common issues with this. Say you want to use the last character in the company name as a modifier for your base password. For Dish Network, do you use h for the last character of the URL (dish.com) or k for the full name (dish network)? Some of the sites I have accounts with have an obscure, seemingly unrelated website/URL for their billing and such. Do you use that URL or the company name you think of typically? If you use the URL, what if they change the URL on you (say from dish.com to dishnetwork.com)? Also, there are outliers. Some require capitals, lowercase, numbers, and/or symbols. Some don't allow symbols. Some have minimum character lengths, others have maximums. If one of them requires a password change quarterly, do you change the root phrase and change all your passwords 4 times a year? This sounds good, but in practice it can be problematic when dealing with dozens of passwords.
All US states other than Vermont run balanced budgets, so those same politicians could do the same when they move to Washington.
Have you seen Illinois (or many other states for that matter)? Most have no idea what a balanced budget is. Here's an excerpt from some random google search:
Top 5 State Debt Per Capita
Alaska $40,714
Hawaii $33,111
Connecticut $31,298
Ohio $27,836
Illinois $24,959
Personally I find Illinois a bit amazing, since it is also the fifth most populous state based on the 2010 census.
So in a few years referring to a women as a "material girl" could be considered an ethnic slur?
Reminds me of zip drives... hey - we've got a new 750MB model! By that time the market had already moved on to CDs and USB flash drives.
Pretty much all of my audio, pictures, and video lives on my NAS. It almost seems quaint when I have to fire up the DVD player.
Modern HVAC controls are much more than thermostats. There are typically resets for supply air temperatures based on outside air conditions and time of day, and boiler water temperature setbacks based outside air conditions. Fan and pump systems can get feedback from the positions of dampers/valves throughout the system, and the VFD can slow down to minimize energy usage based on the feedback from the worst-case zone in real time. The list goes on, but all of this energy optimizing relies on lots of real time data, and the easiest way to do this is on an ethernet network.
Many large clients, particularly those with multiple locations like school districts or big box stores will hire a controls company, and pay them a bunch of money to save a target dollar amount or percentage amount on their energy costs. This is typically done through an online interface to monitor multiple locations simultaneously, and keep them all operating the same way. The user doesn't typically care how the contractor sets this up, they just want the savings. The cheaper the contractor can get to the target the more money he makes, which can lead to corner cutting by the contractor.
Some people (government, some Universities) tend to make the controls sub-contractors install a second, independent TCP/IP network for their equipment. But this security comes at a cost premium, particularly in existing buildings that already have a network in place for their computer needs. Most places I have seen don't bother with this due to the cost and the general availability of network connections in today's world. If the security is setup properly this shouldn't be needed, but we all know how often proper security is overlooked.
We are currently at today's forcasted high temp of 5 deg. F (-21 deg. C) here in the middle of the US, not even taking into effect the 20+ mph wind. I feel sorry for the people trying to use electric heat for homes or businesses on days like today. I wonder how many solar panels I would need at my house today to still have any juice left over to turn on the lights, TV, or a computer.
Except MS screwed up the numbering at Windows 7...
Windows 7 - NT 6.1
Windows 8 - NT 6.2
Windows 8.1 - NT 6.3
Read the judge's full ruling.
If I could get Big Ten Sports and ESPN streamed I would cut the cord today. That is currently the only thing holding me back. My family never watches "live" TV everything is either streamed or DVR'ed for later viewing.
This describes me exactly. I can't stand watching "live" programming. All of the regular shows I watch I couldn't actually tell you what time they air more accurate than "prime time on Monday". Sometimes I can't even remember what network it is on. The DVR and other services handle all of that for me.
I would have cut out cable/satellite years ago if not for sports. Some networks (like Big Ten Network) have online options, but I believe an account with one of their cable/satellite partners is a prerequisite. Others sports like MLB have all the games online if you buy their subscription... except it is blacked out if you can view it on a channel from your local cable provider - or you can wait something like 24 hours (who watches sporting events two days later?). It's sad, because there could be some serious money to be made if the networks and/or sports leagues started offering true streaming options for their content.
When I want to download software, I want that software, not other piece of software that's going to install itself in my browsers and mine my information.
I know computer savvy users who have refused to give Chrome a try precisely because it has been bundled with so many other things over the years.
If your software is bundled with something I am installing, I assume your software is junk unless I already know otherwise. Even if your software is decent (e.g. Chrome), I can decide independently for myself when or if I want to install it.
The battles on Wikipedia are well documented. Articles deleted, added back, deleted again. Back and forth in a never ending battle of arrogant assholes with giant egos.
Oblig XKCD
Oblig XKCD
Currently you can buy a version outright (say AutoCAD 2014 - you can use that version forever). Alternatively, you can get it on subscription (you pay 20% or 30% of the full cost, but pay it every year), which allows you to get the new version every year plus more support/features. Renting is simply the third option - the other two aren't going away. Their subscription model is a predictable cash cow at this point - there is no way they are giving that up.
http://xkcd.com/radiation/
It was the Senate Appropriations Committee, not the full senate.
I believe this would be the one.
I'm all for 2 way accountability, but there may actually be times when they should be turned off. Do we really want to see/listen to some cop using the restroom? Chomping on food during his lunch break?
And what about the times when you may not want conversations with coworkers to be posted publicly? Telling a coworker an off-color joke? Telling a coworker what he did with that lady he met at the bar the other night? Telling the boss he will be out on Friday to help a family member with a medical issue?
And how long before this footage is directly used to make hiring/promotion/firing decisions? Didn't pick up on a clue quick enough on that high profile case? No raise for you.
This issue is who determines when it is on or off, and how to avoid this power being used inappropriately.
This reminds me of Netscape near the end. It was still around for years after the masses stopped using it, but was essentially a rebreanded version of mozilla/firefox. The trouble is it took them a few months to put their touch on it.
I'm curious how this would work well for Opera, if their business plan involves always reacting to the work of others in a world of nearly continuous browser updates. Sounds a day late and a dollar short to me.
Exactly. Building operators are not on site 24/7. You get an automated email/text message when a boiler is in alarm or a chiller goes down. Pull up the controls system from any browser on your PC or phone, use your login/password and see what is going on. You may even be able to fix the issue remotely. No need to run across campus when you get a phone call or come in at 3AM if all a piece of equipment needs is the reset button.
2 ZDNet stories on the front page of /. today... Did I miss the part where my PC got sucked through a temporal vortex and sent back to 1998?
I just recently started using the sync function anyway to view some of the same feeds at home/work. I'm running Windows 8 at home (don't ask), and haven't had any problems with FeedDemon so far.